Over the Powers of Darkness

"The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist." This quote is from the movie THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995) and is often attributed to Baudelaire from his story “Le Joueur Généreux” [the Generous Gambler] (1864) but the sentiment predates Baudelaire. John Wilkinson wrote in "Quakerism Examined" (1836): "One of the artifices of Satan is, to induce men to believe that he does not exist." Pastor William Ramsey wrote in “Spiritualism, a Satanic Delusion, and a Sign of the Times” (1856): "One of the most striking proofs of the personal existence of Satan, which our times afford us, is found in the fact, that he has so influenced the minds of multitudes in reference to his existence and doings, as to make them believe that he does not exist; and that the hosts of Demons or Evil Spirits, over whom Satan presides as Prince, are only the phantacies of the brain, some halucination of mind. Could we have a stronger proof of the existence of a mind so mighty as to produce such results?"

-Jesus demonstrates His power over the demonic realm

I. The Activity of the Demon vv. 1-5

When we pick up our story, Jesus has demonstrated incredible authority, over human disease and the natural order

Now, we will see Him face off against the demonic powers of darkness

I think it is important that we recognize, as He did, that spiritual powers are a reality that we are all facing.

These demons are powerful enemies, but often act in subtle ways; their actions are distinct from human diseases such as epilepsy or mental illness

We see a picture here of the demonic activity in the life of a man of Gerasa. What are some of the fruits of His possession?

It makes the man spiritually unclean; he immerses himself in spiritual darkness, living among the tombs

It makes the man isolated from the community; he is alone and hidden from others

It makes the man out of control; no one is able to control him, even if they bind him with chains

It places the man in emotional turmoil; He is constantly crying out

It destroys the man; He attempts to mar his own body with stones

While I want to be careful in what I say, I think we need to see that the demon works to rob the man of the life that God would want to give him:

God grants us holiness, light, and life

God brings us into a community of the faithful

God gives us a Spirit of self-control and fills us with His Spirit

God gives us peace that passes all understanding and a rest that is only found in Him

God creates us in His own image and our wholeness is rooted in His creative design

I think we need to understand that the demonic forces in our world want to rob us of what it means to be human in line with God’s intent!

John 10:10

[10] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (ESV)

II. The Authority of the Son vv. 6-13

Jesus enters the scene and everything changes!

First, we see that He immediately diagnoses the situation; there is a demonic presence

He recognizes that the issue is not physical, social, or mental.

This is important because demons frequently work in the shadows using subtlety to hide what they are doing!

Second, we see that He can name the demonic personality

In forcing the demon out, He commands the demon to give his name and the demon responds in obedience

Though this seems small, naming is an act of power and authority

We saw it in the garden when Adam gave names to the animals

We saw the demon’s attempt at the same when he attempted to identify Jesus and was silenced earlier in the book

Now, we see Jesus identify the demon and will demonstrate authority over them; He does not need their names to have authority, but He does subvert their own attempts against Him

Third, we see Him command the demonic power

Jesus limits the demons from having control over the man and sends them into a herd of pigs, an unclean animal

When He does this, a madness overtakes the herd and they cast themselves into the Sea of Galilee

Their character is completely on display, but so is the Lord’s power over them

At this time, He does not take total control of the situation, yet we trust that He can and He will

When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch) he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished.

As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.

“Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”

“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.”

“But I’m starved,” the governor said.

“Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”

Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around.

“Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.”

“Do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.”

III. The Anxiety of the Crowd vv. 14-17

Seemingly, an incredible spiritual victory has been won and the people come out to find the man made whole and in his right mind; the people are witnesses to a genuine miracle

How will they respond to the power of Jesus on display?

It makes them afraid

They have seen the destructive power of the demons, but they have also witnessed the loss of their income

They have seen the healing power of Jesus, but they also recognize that there are powers beyond their control

When faced with deep spiritual realities on display, the people attempt to remain neutral by asking Jesus to leave!

This is shockingly like us; we want enough of the Lord to be free of the demons but not enough to be filled with the Spirit

When Jesus is Lord, it upsets the apple cart; everything about your life is certain to change!

IV. The Anticipation of the Man vv. 18-20

The man who has been healed has a deep desire; he wants to be with Jesus and join Him on mission

However, that is not the call that Jesus puts on his life

He does not get to go but is commanded to stay

Yet, the man does receive instruction to tell his own people what the Lord had done for him

This is exactly what he does!

Though the Lord does not give him the calling he wants, the new life that he has in Christ is shockingly beyond the pain that he was experiencing

Only the ones who had witnessed his suffering could truly understand the power of the deliverance he’d received

Every story is God’s story and wherever He sends us, we need to tell it!

1000 Illustrations for Preaching & Teaching Communicating the Gospel

There is a dramatic story concerning the life and influence of King George V. In the latter years of his reign, it was his custom to broadcast a Christmas message to the empire. During one of these broadcasts, when the ears of the world were waiting to hear the voice of the king, an engineer observed that an important wire had snapped. America was cut off! Time was of the essence. Suddenly, as though nudged by an angel, a mechanic seized the broken wires. Holding one in each hand, he was thus able to complete the circuit which permitted the royal message to be transmitted to the United States. The voice of the king passed through the body of the engineer.

In the broken connections of our world, how can the Word of the Lord be heard unless it passes through the preacher?