Mateus 8
J.C. Ryle · Citado em PreceptAustin
Mateus 8
Ryle - The Portuguese Commentator, Barradius, has some striking remarks on this expression of the Centurion’s. He says, “This is a peculiar attribute of God’s, to be able to do all things by a word and a command. ‘He spake and they were made;’ ‘He commanded and they were created.’ (Psalm 148:5.) Read the book of Genesis. You will see the world created by the word of God: ‘God said, Let there be light, and there was light.’ ‘God said, Let there be a firmament,’ and a firmament was made,” &c. He then shows by a quotation from Augustine, how all the created beings in existence, whether kings, or angels, or seraphims, cannot create so much as an ant. But when God says, “Let the world be made,” as once, it is made by a word. And he concludes, “Well therefore does the Centurion say, ‘say in a word only, and my servant shall be healed.’ ” Matthew 8:9 "For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." NET Matthew 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, 'Go' and he goes, and to another 'Come' and he comes, and to my slave 'Do this' and he does it." GNT Matthew 8:9 καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ὑπὸ ἐξουσίαν, ἔχων ὑπ᾽ ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, Πορεύθητι, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ, Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου, Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ. NLT Matthew 8:9 I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, 'Go,' and they go, or 'Come,' and they come. And if I say to my slaves, 'Do this,' they do it." KJV Matthew 8:9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. ESV Matthew 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." NIV Matthew 8:9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." ASV Matthew 8:9 For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. CSB Matthew 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, having soldiers under my command. I say to this one, 'Go! ' and he goes; and to another, 'Come! ' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this! ' and he does it." NKJ Matthew 8:9 "For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one,`Go,' and he goes; and to another,`Come,' and he comes; and to my servant,`Do this,' and he does it." NRS Matthew 8:9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it." YLT Matthew 8:9 for I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers, and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Be coming, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doth it.' Go - Job 38:34,35 Ps 107:25-29 119:91 148:8 Jer 47:6,7 Eze 14:17-21 Mk 4:39-41 Lk 4:35,36,39 Lk 7:8 Do - Eph 6:5,6 Col 3:22 Titus 2:9 Matthew 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passage - Luke 7:1-10+ 8 “For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 9 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the crowd that was following Him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.” 10 When those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the slave in good health. THE CENTURION UNDERSTOOD AUTHORITY For - The centurion (in Luke 7:6-8 through his friends sent as messengers) is explaining why he believes Jesus can just say the word and his servant will be healed. In a word it was because of Jesus' sovereign authority. I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me - Notice the phrase man under authority which speaks of the centurion's humility and willingness to submit to greater authority, which makes him a perfect candidate in this scenario, for now he humbly submits to the One Who has the greatest authority in the Universe! The centurion understood authority for when he commanded his men they obeyed, Roman soldiers being well known for their discipline and unhesitating obedience. So he knew that Jesus as the authority could command anything in creation (including illness) and it would in essence "obey" Him (cf wind and water = Lk 8:25+, Mk 4:41+, unclean spirits = Lk 4:36+). We would all do well to take a moment and marvel at this man's great faith and ask God to increase our faith even praying as did the apostles in Lk 17:5+ (cf Mk 9:24).
Mateus 8
Ryle applies this to Jesus' Humanity - We see, firstly, in these verses, that our Lord Jesus Christ was really man as well as God. We read that as he sailed over the Lake of Gennesaret in a ship with his disciples, “he fell asleep.” Sleep, we must be all aware, is one of the conditions of our natural constitution as human beings. Angels and spirits require neither food nor refreshment. But flesh and blood, to keep up a healthy existence, must eat, and drink, and sleep. If the Lord Jesus could be weary, and need rest, He must have had two natures in one person—a human nature as well as a divine. Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow, Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea, What matter beating wind and tossing billow, If only we are in the boat with Thee? —Amy Carmichael Matthew 8:25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" and woke - Ps 10:1 44:22,23 Isa 51:9,10 Mk 4:38,39 Lu 8:24 save us - 2 Ch 14:11 20:12 Jon 1:6 Matthew 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages Mark 4:38b+ Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Luke 8:24a+ They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. A GOOD CRY TO CRY... SAVE US LORD! Another subtitle might be S.O.S. - SAVE US SAVIOR! Would it be true of every soul of men when faced with fearful storms of life that they would echo this cry, not just for physical salvation but more importantly for spiritual salvation, so that they would not perish eternally. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying - Mark tells us the disciples even "accused" (that may a bit strong) Jesus of not caring - "“Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mk 4:38+). Of course Jesus cared. These men were to be the foundation of His Church, so of course He cared what happened to them. And that also applies to you dear reader for you have great purpose in His plan of redemption, whoever and wherever you are, for you "are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that (you) would walk in them." (Eph 2:10+). They came to (4334)(proserchomai from prós = facing + erchomai = come) means to come facing toward. To approach, come near, visit, figuratively to worship, draw near, go near to. This is the same verb used by the writer of Hebrews to describe drawing near to Him in prayer, worship, devotion of heart and life (cf Heb 4:16+, cf Heb 10:22+, Heb 7:25+, Heb 11:6+). Woke (1453)(egeiro) means to rise (stand up) from a sitting or lying position (Mt 8:26, 9:5), to awaken from sleep (Mt 8:25), figuratively to "awaken" from death (rise up) Figuratively egeiro is used in Ro 4:24+, egeiro to describe bringing Jesus back from the dead, causing Him to rise from the dead. The idea of wake up from death is conveyed by egeiro because sleep was used as metaphor of death for believers (1 Cor 11:30 - but there is no such thing as soul sleep). Warren Wiersbe wisely wrote that "faith must be tested before it can be trusted. It is one thing to learn a new spiritual truth, but quite something else to practice that truth in the everyday experiences of life....The disciples failed this test of faith because they did not lay hold of His word that He was going to the other side. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of circumstances; it is obeying in spite of feelings and consequences. The disciples looked around and saw danger, and looked within and saw fear; but they failed to look up by faith and see God. Faith and fear cannot dwell together in the same heart. A woman said to D.L. Moody, “I have found a wonderful promise!” and she quoted Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.” “Let me give you a better one,” said Moody; and he quoted Isaiah 12:2, “Behold God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.” (Bible Exposition Commentary) Trials and difficulties are divine appointments to increase and strengthen our faith. -- Daniel Akin Save us, Lord; we are perishing - Save is an aorist imperative, a plea for Jesus to do this quickly! Keep in mind many of these men were seasoned fishermen and they had undoubtedly been in some fierces storms, but their reaction in this case suggest this storm was of a magnitude that they had never experienced. They did not try to save themselves by bailing water, but ran to Jesus, which indicates they had some element of trust (albeit apparently "little") that prompted them. One can fault their faith, but to Whom did they come when the storm came? Matthew, Mark and Luke have "Lord (kurios - Mt 8:25+)," "Teacher" (didaskalos - Mk 4:38+) and "Master," (epistates - Lk 8:24a+) respectively. Are you in a storm? Run to Jesus! Cry out to Him! Save (4982)(sozo) has the basic meaning of rescuing one from great peril. Physical salvation (Mt 8:25; Mt 14:30; Lk 23:35; Acts 27:20, 27:31) More often sozo refers to salvation in a spiritual sense to rescue or preserve from eternal death, from judgment, sin, bring salvation, bring to salvation (active sense = Mt 18:11; Lk 7:50; Jn 12:47; Ro 11:14; 1 Cor 1:21; 7:16; Titus 3:5; Hb 7:25; Jas 4:12; 5:20; 1 Pet 3:21 or passive sense = be rescued or saved, attain salvation = Mt 24:13; Mk 10:26; Lk 13:23; 18:26; Jn 3:17; Jn 5:34; Acts 11:14; 15:1, 11; Ro 8:24; 11:26; 1 Cor. 3:15; 5:5; Eph 2:5, 8; 1 Ti 2:4). Jesus' very Name speaks of His primary purpose to save men from their sin - "She (Mary) will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save (sozo) His people from their sins." (Mt 1:21+) Lord (2962)(kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign possessing absolute authority, absolute ownership and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over which he has the power of deciding, the one who is the master or disposer of a thing (Mk 7:28) We are perishing (622)(apollumi from apo = away from or wholly + olethros = state of utter ruin) means to destroy utterly but not to cause one to cease to exist. Apollumi has the basic meaning of describing that which is ruined and is no longer usable for its intended purpose. If the disciples drowned they would certainly no longer be of use as Jesus' disciples. Apollumi is used to describe Jesus purpose for coming to earth "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (apollumi).” (Luke 19:10+) Apollumi speaks of rewards “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose (apollumi) his reward.” (Matt. 10:42+) Jesus paradoxically declaring that “He who has found his life will lose (apollumi) it, and he who has lost (apollumi) his life for My sake will find it." (Mt 10:39+) Apollumi speaks of eternal punishment Jesus declaring "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy (apollumi) both soul and body in hell." (Mt 10:28+). In one of the most famous verses in the Bible John writes "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish (apollumi), but have eternal life." (John 3:16). All uses in Matthew - Matt. 2:13; Matt. 5:29; Matt. 8:25; Matt. 9:17; Matt. 10:6; Matt. 10:28; Matt. 10:39; Matt. 10:42; Matt. 12:14; Matt. 15:24; Matt. 16:25; Matt. 18:11; Matt. 18:14; Matt. 21:41; Matt. 22:7; Matt. 26:52; Matt. 27:20; Jesus is the God of Psalm 107:23 Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; 24 They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. 27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end. 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven. 31Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! STORMS OF LIFE Steven Cole (1) Storms hit suddenly and without warning. When we lived in California, we woke up to a news station. Sometimes their morning traffic report would mention a fatal accident and I would think, “That guy left home this morning to go to work, never thinking that he had just minutes to live. His family perhaps said a perfunctory good-bye, never imagining that they would never talk to him again.” Life’s storms are like that: Right now everything is smooth sailing. In a matter of hours, without warning, you’re in the middle of a crisis. Such a storm not only tests and develops your character; it reveals it. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, was talking to a young missionary who was about to start work in China. “Look at this,” he said. He pounded his fist on the table. The tea cups jumped, and the tea spilled. While the startled young man was wondering what was going on, Taylor said, “When you begin your work, you will be buffeted in numerous ways. The trials will be like blows. Remember, these blows will bring out only what is in you.” So the time to develop resources to face the sudden storms that inevitably will strike is before they hit. If you don’t spend time with the Lord in the calm of life, you won’t know how to trust Him in the storms. (2) Storms hit believers. This storm hit those with Christ in their boat as well as those without Christ in their boat. Mk 4:36 records that other boats were with them. If this were a fairy tale, we might read that when the storm arose, the other boats were swamped, but the boat with Christ in it sailed as smooth as glass. The fact is, Christians are not magically exempted from the storms of life. Just because you’re in Jesus’ boat doesn’t mean that it’s going to be smooth sailing. Christians are not exempt from trials. Some think, “Yes, that’s true. But I’m serving Christ.” They think that being committed earns them special protection from storms. But observe: (3) Storms hit obedient believers who are serving Christ. In fact, this storm did not hit the disciples because they had been disobedient but, rather, because they had been obedient! Jesus said, “Let’s go over to the other side” (Lu 8:22). These men, who had committed their lives to serve Christ, obeyed. And He led them straight into a storm! And in the same way, obediently serving Christ may place you smack-dab in the middle of storms you would have avoided if you had stayed on the shore. I have often found that the most severe times of testing have come right after I have taken a new step of obedience. Just after Marla and I returned to Dallas so that I could complete my seminary training, we were mugged at gunpoint and I had to get four stitches in my hand. While my hand was still bandaged, I slipped in the mud and cut my other hand on a thermos I was carrying. We also encountered several other trials around the same time. Shortly after we moved to California to begin in the pastorate, our six-month-old daughter, Christa, had to be hospitalized with a congenital hip problem that meant being in a body cast for two months and wearing a leg brace for several years. The very day we decided to move to Flagstaff, we learned about a major problem with our house that entailed months of difficulties. Shortly after I began here I had to deal with some major problems in the church that resulted in a lot of turmoil. The point is, being obedient to the Lord does not exempt you from storms; it often leads you right into storms! Not only did the Lord lead the disciples into this storm. (What to do When Life Gets Stormy) Matthew 8:26 He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. Why - Mt 6:30 14:30,31 16:8 Isa 41:10-14 Mk 4:40 Lu 8:25 Ro 4:20 and rebuked - Mt 8:27 Job 38:8-11 Ps 65:7 89:9 93:3,4 104:6-9 107:28-30 114:3-7 Pr 8:28,29 Isa 50:2-4 63:12 Na 1:4 Hab 3:8 Mk 4:39,41 6:48-51 Lu 8:24,25 Rev 10:2 Matthew 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel Passages - Matt. 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; and Luke 8:22–25 Mark 4:39+ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Luke 8:24-25a+ They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?” FEAR VERSUS FAITH The text on which God chose to save the great Puritan preacher John Owen in the 1600's (who lost 10 children in infancy and outlived his one daughter who lived to adulthood) as he listened to a substitute preacher bc the well-known preacher did not show up...God used a nobody, a man whose name we do not know. The same was true in the conversion of Charles Spurgeon...a layman reading (Isa 44:22). He said to them, "Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?" - Here we see the greater storm was not on the seas but in the souls of the disciples! Notice the order (different in Mark's version). First Jesus addresses His disciples and not in a harsh, critical or condemning manner. Notice also the association of fear and faith. They are polar opposites, fear going hand in hand with unbelief. Faith in God and His sovereign control of the situation would have been the "antidote" for the disciples, but that was not to be! In Mark Jesus says "Do you still have no faith" the idea being do you not yet have faith. Clearly they had "some" faith but it was little. To realize the worth of the anchor, we need to feel the stress of the storm. Why would Jesus ask about their faith. What had they seen already? Without a doubt they had seen more miracles than even those recorded in the Gospels (cf Jn 20:30). As
Mateus 8
Ryle - Let us settle it firmly in our minds, that there is such a being as the devil. It is an awful truth, and one too much overlooked. There is an unseen spirit ever near us, of mighty power, and full of endless malice against our souls. From the beginning of creation he has labored to injure man. Until the Lord comes the second time and binds him, he will never cease to tempt, and practice mischief. In the days when our Lord was upon earth, it is clear that he had a peculiar power over the bodies of certain men and women, as well as over their souls. Even in our own times there may be more of this bodily possession than some suppose, though confessedly in far less degree than when Christ came in the flesh. But that the devil is ever near us in spirit, and ever ready to ply our hearts with temptations, ought never to be forgotten. Let us, in the next place, settle it firmly in our minds, that the power of the devil is limited. Mighty as he is, there is one mightier still. Keenly set as his will is on doing harm in the world, he can only work by permission. These very verses show us that the evil spirits know they can only go to and fro, and ravage the earth, until the time allowed them by the Lord of lords. “Art thou come to torment us,” they say, “before the time?” Their very petition shows us that they could not even hurt one of the Gergesene swine, unless Jesus the Son of God suffered them. “Suffer us,” they say, “to go into the herd of swine.” Let us, in the next place, settle it in our minds, that our Lord Jesus Christ is man’s great deliverer from the power of the devil. He can redeem us not only “from all iniquity,” and “this present evil world,” but from the devil. It was prophecied of old that he should bruise the serpent’s head. He began to bruise that head, when he was born of the Virgin Mary. He triumphed over that head when He died upon the cross. He showed His complete dominion over Satan, by “healing all that were oppressed of the devil,” when He was upon earth. (Acts 10:38.) Our great remedy in all the assaults of the devil, is to cry to the Lord Jesus, and to seek His help. He can break the chains that Satan casts round us, and set us free. He can cast out every devil that plagues our hearts, as surely as in the days of old. It would be miserable indeed to know that there is a devil ever near us, if we did not also know that Christ was “able to save to the uttermost, because he ever liveth to make intercession for us.” (Heb. 7:25.) Matthew 8:29 And they cried out, saying, "What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" What - 2Sa 16:10 19:22 Joe 3:4 Mk 1:24 5:7 Lu 4:34 8:28 Joh 2:4 Son - Mt 4:3 Mk 3:11 Lu 4:41 Ac 16:17 Jas 2:19 torment - 2Pe 2:4 Jude 1:6 Matthew 8 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Parallel passages - Matt. 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20 Luke 8:26–39 Mark 5:6-7+ Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he *said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” Luke 8:28+ Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.” JESUS POWER OVER DEMONS The ESV is more accurate than the NAS translating it " And behold, they cried out." The NAS (NET, NIV) does not translate the interjection "behold" which is in the Greek text. Behold is inspired and important. Behold (2400)(idou) is the second person singular aorist middle imperative of eidon which means to see, perceive, look at. In the NT idou is used as a demonstrative particle that draws attention to what follows. Idou in the middle voice means "you yourself look, see, perceive!" The aorist imperative is a command emphasizing "Do it now! Don't delay!"
Mateus 8
Ryle - Let us not leave this passage without observing the painful worldliness of the Gergesenes, among whom this miracle of casting out a devil was wrought. They besought the Lord Jesus to “depart out of their coasts.” They had no heart to feel for anything but the loss of their swine. They cared not that two fellow-creatures, with immortal souls, were freed from Satan’s bondage. They cared not that there stood among them a greater than the devil, Jesus the Son of God. They cared for nothing but that their swine were drowned, and “the hope of their gains gone.” They ignorantly regarded Jesus as one who stood between them and their profits, and they only wished to be rid of Him. There are only too many like these Gergesenes. There are thousands who care not one jot for Christ, or Satan, so long as they can make a little more money, and have a little more of the good things of this world. From this spirit may we be delivered! Against this spirit may we ever watch and pray! It is very common. It is awfully infectious. Let us recollect every morning that we have souls to be saved, and that we shall one day die, and after that be judged. Let us beware of loving the world more than Christ. Let us beware of hindering the salvation of others, because we fear the increase of true religion may diminish our gains, or give us trouble. Rejection Of Christ "And, behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts." (Matthew 8:34). In view of the context, it seems incredible that the people should ask Jesus to leave but in view of current attitudes and actions of our society it is not so incredible as one would think. FIRST—THE POPULARITY OF THE REJECTION "Behold, the whole city." This is not a rejection of one or two dissidents but the rejection by the whole city. Rejecting Christ is very popular. Oftentimes just one person complains and the courts rule out something that has to do with God, but it is more than the one person, it is society that objects or the one person would not get anywhere with his complaint. Society is not fond of God, they do not get upset when the courts rule God out of school or some other place. Rejection of Christ is nearly universal. SECOND—THE PROMPTING OF THE REJECTION "Behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus." This city in the region known as Gadara had a man (Matthew says two men) who was demon possessed and was a real menace to the city. The city had tried many different ways to control the man but all the ways had failed. But when the fierce uncontrollable man met Jesus the demons left him and he was changed into a normal peace loving man. But in the process of healing the man of demons, Jesus also stopped the swine trafficking. God's law forbid the Israelites raising swine, but wealth overruled, and the city allowed the swine traffic to go on. It may have brought in much tax dollars to the city which could help their education program. So regardless of the Mosaic law forbidding swine business the city allowed it to continue. But when Christ works He attacks all sin, not just the sin that we do not appreciate the effects. So regardless of the fact that Christ solved a major problem for the city, the people preferred swine to the Savior and told the Lord to leave. They would rather have their problems and the wealth from the swine traffic than have their problem solved. People are still this way. They do not want the booze business stopped because it brings in big money. The slaughter it causes on the highway and other problems it causes, people would rather have than have the Lord do away with the booze. THIRD—THE PRECEPT IN THE REJECTION "They besought Him that He would depart out of their borders." This sounds like our courts who today rule God out of many places though God solves many problems man cannot. The shootings in the schools would stop overnight if our courts let God back in our schools. But if they did that, He might run booze out of town. Society would rather have booze and the shootings than God and no shootings. We will never get God to remove the curses from our lives and society when we run God out of our lives and society. (Sermon Starters - James Butler, Vol 6).