Possessed Man Turned Evangelist

Recap

Heaven on Earth: Jesus establishing His kingdom and authority

Healings

Authority over nature and the spirit realm

The Other side

Matthew 8:28 ESV

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.

Here in verse 28 we find the boat has arrived on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. They went from Capernaum to Gadarenes.

Gadarenes: By most estimates, this was on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee, in the mostly Gentile area of the Decapolis.

In Jewish culture it’s also known that when the phrase “the other side” could have been in reference to moving from a primarily Jewish area to a predominantly Gentile region. Like the “other side of the tracks”.

The demon possessed men:

Matthew records 2 men where Mark and Luke only speak of one. One man was probably the the most vocal or more violent.

These men went to meet Jesus. He didn’t go seeking them out necessarily.

It wasn’t the 2 men who sought him out though. These men were being controlled by demons and more than just a few. These demons came to inquire with Jesus as to why he was there.

They came out of tombs. Jewish people weren’t suppose to be around dead bodies. That would make them ceremonially unclean. So, these men were possessed, driven to live in tombs, which is creepy enough, and not only were they ceremonially unclean, if they were Jews, They were fierce to the point that no one dared passing by there.

Luke 8:27 (ESV)

27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.

Luke 8:29 (ESV)

29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)

Notice what they say in the next verse. As they are approaching Jesus, they don’t come to torment Him. They come almost pleading in an argumentative way.

Matthew 8:29 ESV

29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

I love how Luke records their words: “Jesus, Son of the Most High God”.

These demons knew who Jesus was.

They knew that he didn’t just represent God, he held the same authority because He was and is God the Son. God in the flesh.

These demons knew who had the authority. Who was calling the shots. They knew who he was but knew it wasn’t their time yet.

These demons also knew of both what was about to happen (to be cast out) and ultimately what is going to happen to them (to suffer everlasting torment). They wanted the freedom to do as much damage as they could before the time.

“the time” meaning their hour of Judgement. Some demons have already been confined to the abyss as is talked about in Jude 1:6

Jude 6 ESV

6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

2 Peter 2:4 ESV

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

For the demons possessing these men, “that day” was judgement day when Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity!

Something we should learn from the demonic realm

They also understood that they had limited time, and therefore worked as hard as they could up until they could not work anymore. This is one of the few admirable things we can say about Satan and his demons.

Demons MO

Some demons desire or require a host.

Demons bring destruction. Usually to their host or who ever they are demonizing.

Demonic possession is when a demonic spirit resides in a human body, and at times will exhibit its own personality through the personality of the host body. Demonic possession is a reality today, though we must make sure we aren’t either 1) ignoring demonic activity or 2) over-emphasizing supposed demonic activity.

Any encounter I’ve had with someone experiencing demons when I’ve asked the demons what their goal was in their host or victim, their response is usually “destruction”. To destroy the person.

Although we really don’t know biblically how people become possessed, we do know it can come through many different forms of dabbling in the spiritual realm. Superstition, fortunetelling, so-called harmless occult games and practices, spiritism, New Age deception, magic, taking drugs that “bring enlightenment”, as well as other things, open doors of deception to the believer, and real demonic danger to the unbeliever.

They have the right theological facts, but they don’t have the right heart. The demons inhabiting him had a kind of “faith” in Jesus. They knew the true identity of Jesus better than the religious leaders did. Yet it was not a faith or knowledge of Jesus that could save (James 2:19).

James 2:19 ESV

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Things to Avoid

The main thing for a believer is don’t give the principalities a chance to gain a foothold in your life.

the believer is sealed and filled with the Holy Spirit. You can not be possessed!

You can although be demonized or oppressed by the demonic realm.

If you willfully allow a sin to continue unchecked and lacking repentance, you make available mental space in your mind that would allow a demon to torment you. You essentially rent out space to a belligerent tenant.

entertaining or embracing the things of the world, making them a part of your life.

Side Note in Luke 8

Luke 8:30–31 ESV

30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.

These men were possessed by MANY demons. In fact “their” name was Legion. In the Roman military a legion of soldiers was made up of 6100 foot soldiers and 726 horsemen. Theres no way to know how many demons there were possessing these two men, but it’s safe to say there were MANY. So many that they requested to be cast into a herd of pigs.

Cast Out

Matthew 8:30–34 ESV

30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Picture of a Life Changed

Luke 8:35–39 (ESV)

35 Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.

the changes noticed

clothed

in is right mind

AT THE FEET OF JESUS!!! Begging to stay with Jesus!

A life transformed by Jesus should look like this. Our instinct response when we come to Jesus is to want to be with him. To not ever leave His presence. That is our heart longing for what eternity with him will bring.

What was Jesus’ Charge? “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.”

Be my witness! We are to be Witnesses of Jesus, what all God has done for us! We can only do that if we can stand firm!

Final Charge

Realize that God is greater than the demonic powers that are in the invisible battle that is being waged all around you. It is that same God, God the Spirit, who lives in us if we are believers and it is in His authority that we can deal offensively with the spiritual realm.

First off, you Stand firm by putting on the full armor of God.

Ephesians 6:11–13 ESV

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

the belt of truth

the breast plate of righteousness

shod you feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace

the shield of faith

the Helmont of salvation

the sword of the spirit, the word of God

Second, learn the importance of testing the spirit. If something feels off or out of the ordinary, there may be spirit you are dealing with and not just a sinful person.

1 John 4:1–6 (ESV)

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Lets Pray