Our Salvation Celebration

I wanted to pass along an interesting thought from the Scriptures that I learned last night at church. Bro. Steve Gaines was preaching on leading the lost to Christ. His text was from the gospel of Mark, the fifth chapter. Most of you will recall that this chapter illustrates the salvation of the Gerasene demoniac. The following is an awesome picture of our own salvation.

"They (the disciples) came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon possessed sitting down, clothed, and in his right mind, the very man who had had the 'legion'." Mark 5:15 (NAS)

Did you notice the three things that happened to the demoniac? First, he was "sitting down." This is symbolic of the rest of the believer. When one is in Christ, he is a partaker of the rest (or peace) that comes only from God (Hebrews 4).

The believers have more than rest though, as we see that the demoniac was "clothed." This speaks to literal clothing. Perhaps Jesus had taken His very robe and put it around this man. And while in this text, there is a literal clothing, in Christ we have been clothed with the righteouness of God. "I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness." Isaiah 61:10 (NAS)

The last thing we see about the demoniac is that he was "in his right mind." He was no longer
"screaming constantly, day and night" as the Bible says. He was a new creation with a new mind. We too, if in Christ, are having our minds renewed daily. "But we have the mind of Christ." I Corinthians 2:16 (NAS)

It is time, if you have not done so already, to thank God for your rest, robe of rigtheouness, and right-mind in Christ - for this is the great SALVATION CELEBRATION!