Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Shock and awe: Jesus' dominance over sin, sickness, and the powers of hell Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA July 2, 2006 Main Scripture text: Mark 5:21-43 When the U.S. and its allies began the liberation of Iraq in 2003, their initial military was called "Shock and Awe." Another name for it was "Rapid Dominance." The goal was to quickly, -- by use of overwhelming force and clearly superior technology -- destroy the enemy's will to fight. If you read the first five chapters of Mark in one sitting, you will find that God used this same strategy -- although with a different goal --2,000 years ago. What happens in the early chapters of Mark is definitely "Shock and Awe." Jesus made it clear He was invading the devil's domain, establishing the Kingdom of God right in the middle of Satan's territory. The Apostle John put it this way, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." Here's a quick overview of what Jesus does in the first five chapters of Mark: 1) He performs an exorcism in a synagogue; 2) He heals a fever in Peter's mother-in-law; 3) He heals many sick and demonized people; 4) He performs exorcisms all over Galilee; 5) He heals a paralytic and declares his sins forgiven; 6) He heals a man's shriveled hand; 7) He caused evil spirits to cry out in fear; 8) He calms a a furious storm on the Sea of Galilee; 9) He heals the Gerasene demoniac, who is possessed by a legion of demons. That brings us to today's text. Jairus, a synagogue ruler approaches Jesus, begging Him to come and heal his daughter. While on the way, Jesus he continues the shock-and-awe campaign: He heals a woman who has been ill for many years. Then he goes Jairus' house and -- raises the dead! This is pure "Shock and Awe." This is "Rapid Dominance." But here's a key point: The objective of our military in Shock and Awe is to destroy the enemy's will to fight. God's objective is different. God's shock-and-awe strategy is aimed at two things: 1) Convincing human beings that there really is a war, and 2) Stirring up in us a resolve to fight. In Jesus Christ, God launched an offensive against the enemy -- and He began gathering an army to join Him in destroying the devil's dominion over the earth. Every day we are in this war. It's not just about demons and illness. It is about life and how we live it. It's about holiness, mental health, finances, families, and our relationships with each other. The devil is trying to break anything and everything about us that can be broken. But has demonstrated that, through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome all the power of the enemy! He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world! Do we have the resolve to fight the good fight of faith? Supporting texts: Matthew 12:28-30 | John 12:31 | 1 John 3:8 | Mark 2:12 | Mark 4:41 | Mark 5:3-5 | 1 John 4:4 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (29 min.). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 060702a: Shock and Awe. © 2006 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us