Preaching Luke 8:26-40

Welcome

Thank you for having me back!

if you will, please open your bibles to Luke

today we will pick up where we left off a few weeks ago

The story this morning is great story, one that is supernatural, but nontheless, one of redemtion and the power of Christ over evil

Today’s message is titled, Jesus’ power over demons

Please stand if you are able and lets read Gospel of Luke 8:26-40

Prayer

Those in Maui

Those that have not heard the gospel

Review Last time

When I was with you last time we discussed the power of God displayed thorugh creation

We then moved to the power of the Son, Jesus, and his presence during creation and his dominion over it

When I was with you last time we covered Jesus calming the raging seas found just prior to this in Luke 8

About how he fell asleep after many long days of teaching only to awakend in fear by his disciples

We discussed the power of Jesus and his authority over nature and his ability to STOP the storm at his very word

And this very power that he pocesses, is the same power that saves us!

Today, we will remain on that same topic of Jesus’ power.

This portion of scripture as displayed in the last half of chapter 8 answers the questions

Who then is this?

As many would attribute as being one of the biggest overall themes in his gospel.

Jesus answers that question through displaying his power over

Nature, as seen last week

Demons and evil, as seen this week

And next week, over sickness and death

But before we dive into the text..

Lets have a quick conversation about demons and spiritual warfare

Because, well, they are very prevalent in this passive we are about to cover

they are honestly very prevalent in our society today

So what do we do with Spiritual warfare and demons

There are 2 spectrums, those that blame everything bad on demons and spiritual evil, and those that do not take it seriusly enough.

I, and we, should find the line somewhere in the middle.

Spiritual warfare is real and demons are real.

And we must acknowledge that we are a fight against our sin, and war against the schemes of the devil.

But! We are not to focus on them, we are not to make them out to be more than they are. The best way to defeat the spirital forces of evil is to focus on Christ and do simply as Jesus did when he was tempted in the wilderness

And that is to not use anything but the word of God. How did Jesus resist the tempation… By quoting scripture… If you notice each or his rebuttal's started with… It is written

So let us not focus on spiritual warfare but instead focus on Christ, and the spiriatual warfare will take care of itself.

Much like it does in our text today.

So, what are demons then..

Not as they are portrayed in holly-wood or even cartoons

what are they according scripture?

Demons are fallen angels who sided with Satan during the great rebellion in which Satan along with ⅓ of the angels were cast out of heaven. Rev 12:4,7,9

Satan (also a fallen angel) is designated as the prince of demons in which there are 2 ranks labeled rulers and authorities. The same designation as good angels (Eph 3:10 & 6:12)

Some demons are already locked into darkness (the abyss) with everlasting chains. The others are free and roaming around (Jude 1:6 & Eph 6:12)

They are spirit being, and they can take possession of a human body such as the case that we will see this morning. However, rest assured that they cannot possess a child of God, since we are already have the Holy Spirit living in us (1 John 4:4)

Demons are most prevalent when Jesus walked the earth in his human form. They are mentioned occasionally in the OT and there is scattered discussion of them in the Acts and epistles. However, we only really see demon possession in the time of Jesus. Now, that is not to say it doesn't happen now, I believe it does. However, Demonic activity was much more seen during Jesus’ time simply because they were so terrified of Him.

This leads me to my next point, demons would prefer to stay in the back ground, they would prefer to manipulate their prey just enough to keep them from the kingdom. Some would even say they do their best work in the comfortable American christian church where a watered down gospel has become so prevalent and entertainment takes center stage.

It is the intention of Satan and his demons to destroy the work of God and anyone they can in the way. While they know the outcome of their existence as written in the book of Revelation, they are still so succumbed by their sin that they think they somehow win. (1 Peter 5:8,)

Finally, they are enemies of God, described as evil spirits, unclean spirits, lying spirits, and angels of Satan. Their goal is to deceive the world, influence false doctrine, attack christians (not possess) and combat the holy or elect angels.

Background

Now, let me point out a couple of things before we move into our breakdown of the text.

As already discussed, when Jesus stepped into that boat, he most likely knew where he was heading as there is no other activity or passages that occur in the region of the Greasiness

This passage also covers Jesus’ first trip into Gentile country. And thus, the first missionary trip to the gentiles.

We also see this (the demon possessed man) account in Matthew 8:28 - 9:1 and Mark 5:1-21 so we may occasionally refer to these accounts as well

In Matthews account there are 2 demon possessed men, however, in Luke and Mark only one is referred to. This is most likely due to only one of the men speaking and therefore the account is based mostly on this first man whom will be referred to as Legion

V26 Then they sailed (which connects this account to the previous) to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee.

The region of the Gerasenes, Matthew refers to the region of the Gadarenes. While 2 different names are used here they are definitely speaking of the same place. The bigger city of the area most likely held the name of the region similar to how Sugarland can be referred to as both Sugar Land or Houston, depending on your audience. This is what most likely happened here.

Remember also they sailed through the storm to get here to the other side. This other side is a gentile area, hence the pigs we will soon meet. Pigs are unclean and thus not around the area Jesus spent most of his time.

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

Here, we are introduced to our possessed man

A man from the city, here we begin to see the first characteristics of a man possessed

He had essentially became an outcast

For a long time he wore no clothes

Why naked, well remember the garden and original sin. When introduced to the realization of good and evil after eating the fruit they became ashamed of their nakedness. So this is just another way to humiliate this man. Make him naked, take away any concern for hygiene or even decency

Lived not in a house but in tombs

Lets peel that away for a minute

Demons made this man an outcast, a man whom lived in the tombs, away from society

Probably because he was welcome in society because he had become so crazy. What is even worse is that they are gentile tombs which were extremely nastier than Jewish tombs that were whitewashed and cared for. None the less, he was living among the dead.

The demons within this man were set to destroy him, much like sin it set to destroy us today.

imagine how that must have felt, outcast, cold, shunned from his family and naked. This man was utterly miserable.

Why naked, well remember the garden and original sin. When introduced to the realization of good and evil after eating the fruit they became ashamed of their nakedness. So this is just another way to humiliate this man

So this man has been completely ridiculed due to these demons, hes naked, cold, shunned and as we will see shortly, essentially a maniac

He was in so much turmoil that he was suicidal as Mark 5:5 tells us, “Night and Day he was gashing and hacking at his naked body with sharp stones”

28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”

These demons, as soon as Jesus stepped foot off of that boat knew who he was. Thats James 2:19 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

They referred to Him as the Son of the Most High - The strongest christological title in Luke

He was there when they fell, and they know his coming signifies their impending doom

They did not fall fall down before him to worship Him as we would, the actions were not from the man but from the demons

They fell down because Christ is the victor he is the one that will throw them into the abyss

Have you come here to torment us before the given time..Matthew adds before the given time, which means the demons knew their theology.

They know Christ will cast them into the fire but they are like what? Now's not the time that's not supposed to happen until you come back again?

He is their enemy in which the demons know they have no chance.. So they fall down at his feet in submission

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.) 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

Here our description of the demon possessed man is completed

Along with what we learned earlier about his nakedness, his shunning from society we learn

The demons even control his speech

They shout, “in a loud voice” which if we draw from hollywood is such a bone chilling voice

They have extraordinary strength breaking the shackles and chains

This man is scary

Matthew tells us “they” are so fierce that no one can pass that way

So now we have this demon possessed man, controlled entirely by demons falling at the feet of Jesus, in utter submission and Jesus asks him what his name is

In which he responds “Legion”, this is obviously not the mans name nor the demons name but what the demon as a group has named themselves. A Roman Legion can number up to 6000 soldiers so this reference is to show just how possessed this man is. Mark tells us there were 2000 pigs on that hillside so we know that this man is possessed by somewhere between 2000 and 6000 demons!

They begged him not to command them into the abyss

Here, just like in our previous account of Jesus calming the storm we see the demons mush like nature are under His command. So much power is possessed by our Lord and Savior that he is able to simply command up to 6000 demons..

What do they mean by depart into the abyss?

See the demons know that the day will come when they will be thrown into the pit by Christ himself

32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.

Jesus gave them permission, again, practicing his authority

He cast them into the pigs (an unclean animal) which is essentially a foreshadow of their final resting place in the fiery lake

34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. 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.

The herdsman, partly worried about the investment they just lost and partly amazed and scared by what they just witnessed and fled into the city.The told all the towns people about the events

Then all the people came to see what they were talking about

And what did they see?

This man, this maniac, this man that was once chained, that once terrorized those near the beach, this man banished from society…

Sitting at the feet of Jesus… it says clothed,

In his right mind

See they witnessed the regenerative grace and transformation of the gospel

The man that was once naked is now clothed

The man that was once a maniac, in his right mind

The man that once resided in the tombs, was now residing at the feet of Jesus

Isn't this the gospel folks. When we are so lost in our sin, so far away from God, so far away from the righteousness of His presence. That He appears, ready to deliver us from our sin, ready to die for us. Isn't this the greatest miracle of them all, Christ Jesus death, burial and resurrection for us.

That's the gospel, but unfortunately that is not the end of this passage

See the townspeople, they witnesses first had the gospel and the saving grace of Christ. Yet how did they respond? Unfortunately the same way most of the world responds

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…

back to the other side of the lake, never to return to this land again

The gospel, the savior of the world, once again rejected by those whom he came to save

See we can be so self absorbed, so enamored by our sin and selfishness that even with Christ Jesus standing there. We ignore and even ask him to leave. We become so self absorbed by busyness, by worldly pleasures, by lusts, by envy, by our own flesh that we send the very one who can give us rest, away.

Is this you? Is this someone you know?

Thankfully, there is still a solution

Let us continue and wrap things up with verse 39

39 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.

See Jesus loves us so much, that even in His rejection, he leaves hope

This man wanted to follow Jesus, wanted to spend the rest of his days serving him

And can you blame him?

But Jesus did not allow this? He did not grant this request of the man he just delivered and saved

Which on the surface seems crazy

I mean, he granted the demons themselves their request of being cast into the pigs

He granted the towns people their request and is now leaving the area

Why not grant this man whom he just saved his request?

Because he was to stay there and spread the good news of what Jesus had done for him

He was essentially assigned the role of the first missionary in the gentile area.

See Jesus loved the people so much, despite their rejection, that he left one of his greatest miracles there as a reminder.

And no doubt this man did just that, proclaimed the good news of Jesus to the people,

Huh, isn't this such a great example of the parable of the sower earlier in chapter 8. The townspeople are the seeds that fell on the soil, and the poor demon possessed man, well he is the seeds that fell on fertile ground

Which are you?

See, before we were reconciled

Were once in the same condition as the maniac possessed man

Lost in our transgressions, living how we wanted to live with no regard

But then Christ came into our lives, and the Holy Spirit opened our eyes to our sin and convicted us to turn from those sins, repent, and turn to God.

But what have we done since then?

Have we allowed those seeds to fall onto infertile land, have we witnessed the grace of God only to turn and go back to our selfish ways as the town people did?

Or have we embraced our role as the maniac sinful man that was delivered and saved by grace through Christ and become the become the man or woman we are called to be?

Are people able to see a change in you?

Just as the townspeople were able to see a change in this man?

Remember this same power we have been talking about, the power over nature in calming the seas and creation along with the power over evil and demons. This same power came to earth and died for us, for you.

So whats you holding back?

What are you holding onto?

Go and tell everyone of the man or woman you were, and the man or woman you now are just as this man did.

I know I can say I was a wretched man,

A man that I am not proud of. A husband that I am not proud of, a father I wasn’t proud of

Sure, its easy to look like things are great on the outside, but God knows our hearts, he knows our thoughts.

But I thank God everyday that I am no longer that man. And I also thank God everyday that he allows me to remember where I was, and where he has taken me.

So what ever you are going through, what ever you are keeping inside.

Know that Christ has overcome it, turn to Him, come into the family of God and He will give you rest.

Remember Ephesians 6:12

12 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.