THE GOD WE TRUST

INTRO IDEAS

Good morning!

I’m excited to open up the Word with you all today as we continue this series in Luke’s Gospel called “Fear not.” Once again we’re going to be in Luke chapter 8 today.

And as I was getting ready for this morning, I spent some time thinking about fear, and about how recently I took a trip with some friends to Cedar Point, America’s Rockin’ Roller Coast! I love Cedar Point, and we used to go to Cedar Point as kids and ride every ride.

But now that I’m an adult with a fully formed brain, we were getting ready to ride one of the rides, and they brought down the lap bar and came through and did their whole little check, and maybe this has happened to you, but I thought to myself, “This lap bar doesn’t feel like nearly enough to hold me in place!” I’m pretty sure if my life depended on it I could slip out of this bar, and in a few seconds it might! Like, we’re about to get shot 100 feet in the air and go upside down 15 times at 65 miles an hour, and I’m trusting this metal bar, this little harness with my life?! When you think about it, that’s terrifying!

And then right about then the train takes off and away we go! [[ But seriously, isn’t it amazing how something that should be so terrifying can be endured when we know there’s something greater we can trust in? ]]

Friends, we live in a world with a lot more to be afraid of than amusement park rides. We live in a world of uncertainty. We live in a world where terrible things happen every single day. And the thought that those terrible things could happen in my life can cause so much fear, so much anxiety.

So like me getting on that amusement park ride, we need to consider: [[What is it that’s holding me tight in this fear-laiden world, where it seems like so much can go so wrong?]]

PASSAGE SET UP

Last week Pastor Jim helped us to consider what it means to believe as we looked at the famous account of Jesus calming the storm. And along the way, we answered the question, [[“What does faith look like?”]] in the face of fearful situations.

But today I want to take it a step further, because just like Jesus’ disciples, when we’re faced with fearful situations, we are going to need to ask the question, “Who is this?” Not only “what does faith look like,” but [[“who is it that we’re putting our faith in?!”]] What are we trusting in to hold us fast?

Because the truth is that if we’re going to “Fear? Not!” as Jesus’ disciples, we need to know who Jesus really is. And that’s what we’re going to find as we continue our study this morning!

So if you’ve got your Bible’s open to Luke 8, find verse 26, and then please stand with me to honor the reading of the Word. We’ve got a long story to read, but see if you can pick out what we learn about Jesus even now as we read.

Luke 8:26–39 “They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”

POINT ONE

We’ve got a wonderful Text to work through today. And there’s a lot that could be said from this passage, but what I want to focus on, and what I think Luke, the author, wants us to notice, has to do with that question that the disciples asked after seeing Jesus calm the wind and waves. In our story, Jesus has these encounters with three different groups of people, and in each one, I believe there’s something for us to learn about who Jesus is and what He’s like.

[*] So as our Text picks up in verse 26, we read that “They [that is, Jesus and His disciples] sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.” And you can picture with me that they had just come through the “winds and the water,” this storm, and now maybe within the hour, the disciples are back on dry land.

And like we read, they’re wondering about these things that they just experienced. What does this all mean? Who is this Jesus? Maybe they’re still soaking wet, with all these things running around in their minds, and then here they are on the shore once again.

And the first thing we read about in our Text is that, as soon as Jesus stepped ashore, “He was met by a demon-possessed man.”

So you have this man running up to Jesus, crying out, shouting, making a scene, but this is not just some lone actor. This is a man who has been overcome by the influence of Satan. And even though in the NIV it says that he was “demon-possessed,” in the Greek, it says literally that he “had demons,” plural. So write from the beginning, we see that this man is in serious trouble, and poses a serious threat. So you can write down, first we’re going to dig into Jesus’ encounter with the demons.

And yet, like we saw last week, I also want to remind you that this encounter didn’t happen merely by chance. Remember: this whole boat trip was Jesus’ idea! He’s using it to test, and to teach, and to train His disciples before sending them out in Luke chapter 9. So Jesus brings His disciples out of one storm, but into another—out of the wind and waves, and into a battleground.

See, as Jesus is getting ready to send out these disciples, He knows what is waiting for them. He knows that there will be opposition to God’s kingdom. And He knows that there is a very real enemy that we have to contend with. And we would do well to remember it.

Now, in our day and age, it’s very possible that the vast majority of us, myself included, have never knowingly encountered a person who is this deep in the grasp of darkness. But let me remind us of a quote that I once heard: “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” And tragically, this is so true of our culture, and of our nation. We’re so focused on our senses, and since we can’t see, touch, or prove with science the existence of spiritual realities, our culture treats them as second-class realities. Like, they may be real, but they adon’t seem as real to us as the physical world. They aren’t as real as what I can sense and prove.

But friends, all throughout the Bible, and especially in the New Testament, there are references over and over again to a very real battle that is going on all around us in the heavenly realms. So let’s remember what he writes in Ephesians 6:12—that as disciples of Jesus, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood (that is, it’s not against things that we can see and sense and test in a lab), but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

So when the Bible talks about demon possession, it’s not using figurative language. It’s not just describing mental illness that they didn’t have the sophistication to explain.

And yet, I think most of us live our lives totally oblivious to the fact that the Enemy has a plan to disrupt the work of God in our lives and in our world. And while it may be the case that the enemy is working differently today, it should not be lost on us that it is the very same Enemy at work.

Back in our Text, we get to see some of the ways that the Enemy works. And so let’s turn back to the Text because I also want to help us see all these details that Luke includes about the demon-possessed man. So for example, we read that he was a “man from the town.” This means that he didn’t start off this way. He wasn’t always living the way Jesus found him. At some point, something went terribly wrong in this person’s life. And the result of the work of the enemy was that he was naked, alone, and driven him away from his relationships and “into solitary places.” And this is what the enemy tries to do. Using lies and influence, He seeks to ruin our relationships, and to keep us isolated and alone.

And it’s not as though no one tried to intervene. When the demons would seize him, it says that the people of the town would try to chain him up and keep him under guard, but time and time again he would break the chains, and then come back. And break the chains, and then come back. But the demons wouldn’t give up, and so eventually he would stay out in the tombs.

And in Mark’s version of this story, he also notes in Mark 5:5, “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.”

So not only was he isolated, but he lived in constant fear of these demons coming to torment him. In constant fear of the next attack. So not only does the Enemy try to isolate us, but he also seeks to get us to live our lives in fear by intimidating us.

And one of the reasons I want to point this out is because, even for those of us who are believers, this is exactly what the enemy would like to do in our lives. We understand that because we have the Holy Spirit living within us, demons cannot possess us; but they can oppress us. And this is how they work: They lie to us, and decieve us, and work to make things seem so dark, and so hopeless, in order to paralyze us with fear.

And yet, let’s go back to our narrative. Because this story is not a story about the power of the Enemy. Luke is careful to point out that the enemy is at work here, and that the enemy has some power; but the important point is that even though there is a very deep darkness, and a very real enemy, THEY ONLY SERVE TO HIGHLIGHT THE FACT THAT CHRIST IS EVEN GREATER!

Read with me what happens when these demons come into contact with Jesus. It says that “when [the demon possessed man] saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’”

See, what’s so amazing to me is that within three verses, we find the answer to the disciples’ question, and it’s in the mouth of a man possessed by the Enemy. Because the enemy, and these demons, powerful though they may be, know exactly who Jesus is.

So who is this that even the wind and the waves obey Him? He is Jesus, Son of the Most High God! He is God Himself in the flesh! In other words, like Paul says of Jesus in Colossians 1:15–19, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

So you can write down that these demons, know who Jesus is, and more importantly, they know their place beneath Him. They know that they are destined for the Abyss. And so it says “the demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs.”

And as we consider this, put yourself once again back into the shoes of the disciples. They are seeing all this play out. And they’re watching before their eyes as Jesus faces off against thousands of demons, each of which could pose a great threat to anyone else, and there is no contest. And as they watch a herd of thousands of pigs cascade down into the waters, they are seeing evidence not only that the enemy is real, but more importantly, that Jesus has total authority over things seen and unseen. Not only do the wind and the waves obey Him, but like James says, the demons believe that there is one God, and they “tremble!”

You may have heard the analogy before, but it’s sort of like when you walk into a dark room and turn the lights on. As you flip the switch, there isn’t a conversation that happens between the light and the darkness. There’s no point-counterpoint discussion. There’s no struggle! When the light arrives, the darkness flees! So as Jesus is getting ready to send His disciples out to proclaim the good news of the kingdom, He wants them to know that overwhelming victory is possible because of the authority of Jesus Christ!

Because the truth is that the darkness of the enemy is simply no match for the light of Jesus! And just like we read in John 1:5, Jesus is the light of all mankind! And this light “shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!”

And friends, the very same is true in our lives, even two thousand years later. It seems to me that in our story, everyone had given up on this man—that everyone thought that the darkness had totally overcome him. And there may be situations in your life where you feel totally isolated, and totally intimidated, and totally lost, and totally bound by the Enemy. This is what happens in our addictions, and our broken relationships, where it seems like shame and bitterness are too deep.

But whatever it is, if God is bringing something to mind, some situation that feels totally hopeless, I want you to consider the depth of the hopelessness of this man. I want you to consider how dark his life must have seemed. And I want to remind you this morning [[the darkness of the enemy, dark though it may be, is no match for the light of Jesus, amen?]] No matter your situation, it is not beyond the authority and the victory of Jesus.

POINT TWO

But now let’s turn back to the Text, because there are two more things I want us to notice here in this second half of the passage. See, after this miracle has already happened, there is another story that has only just begun, and that’s the story of these people from the town, people who we learn were the owners of the pigs, and how they responded to Jesus. So next, I want us to consider the story from their perspective, and what we can learn from His encounter with the townsfolk. So let’s go back and read again starting in verse 34.

We read that “When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind.”

So as Jesus is having this confrontation with the demon-possessed man, some short distance away you have some number of people watching over pigs, and when they see what happens, they immediately run off to tell what happened.

And what I find so fascinating about this part of the story is that you basically have a bunch of people running around sharing the news about one of Jesus’ miracles—which seems like it should be a good thing! The people watching the pigs run off, and they tell everybody what had happened. And so these people from the towns come to check it out for themselves, and they find the man who had been set free, the man who they knew, the man who they had tried to help, and they hear the story, and it says “they came to Jesus,” which is perfect! And if you’re anything like me you’re thinking that these people are going to worship Jesus! You’re thinking that they’re going to bring their sick to Jesus to have them healed! You think that surely they’re going to be grateful to Jesus for ridding their land of this evil!

And yet what does it say? They were joyful? They were filled with wonder? No: [[“they were afraid.”]]

Wait a second, what’s going on here? Why are these people afraid of Jesus? Jesus is the good guy! Jesus is the authority! Jesus just cleaned house! Jesus just solved their problem!

But clearly, that’s not the way that they see it. See, when you imagine this story, and when you imagine those people who were in charge of taking care of the pigs, it’s likely that their livelihood depended on that herd (which Mark’s version tells us was a herd of 2,000, by the way). So after their encounter with Jesus, what do you think they were telling everybody?

Notice that Luke doesn’t say that they went and spread the news about a miracle; he says that they went out and reported “what they saw.”

So on the one hand, these people see that Jesus’ arrival on their shore completely transformed the life of the demoniac. They saw that he had many demons, but now the demons had gone out. They saw that for a long time he had worn no clothes, and now he was sitting there clothed. They saw that he was living in the tombs, and now he was sitting at the feet of Jesus—the way, the truth, and the life. They saw that he was crazed and unable to be contained, and now they saw that he was peaceful and in his right mind. Because of Jesus, this man had been completely restored! So in this encounter with the townsfolk, Jesus shows Himself to have the power to change our lives! — and yet they were afraid.

Because on the other hand, Jesus’ arrival on their shore completely upended the status quo of the town. And this is the thing that is so shocking about this story: In their eyes, Jesus coming had given this man his life back, but it had cost them 2,000 pigs. And they were afraid of this figure who even the winds and the seas obey. Even though Jesus had come and saved this man, we read that “all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.”

The town was more afraid of God in the flesh than they were of the man possessed by demons, and they were more concerned about their livelihood than they were for the life of this man.

See, the people of this town, just like us, had created a status quo. But in their status quo they had begun to accomodate the work of the Enemy. They had gotten comfortable with what was going on. They had labeled this man, and this situation totally hopeless—And then they had moved on with their life.

And so Jesus comes to bring light into the darkness… and they won’t have it. They don’t understand it. They know they can’t control it. They’re afraid of what it will cost. And so they would rather send Him away so they can get back to their status quo. And the same thing can happen in our lives.

Because, when we are so focused on ourselves, we will experience Jesus’ power as an unwelcome intrusion into our kingdom.

And so we need to consider that Jesus may have authority over all things, and He may have the power to change our lives, but what happens when Jesus changes our lives in ways that we don’t agree with? Can this man who even the wind and the seas obey be trusted? Can I trust Jesus with my wellbeing? Can I trust Jesus with my life?

They don’t understand Jesus, they don’t trust Jesus, and so they ask Him to leave their land—but the story doesn’t end there.

POINT THREE

See, Luke closes out this passage with this encounter with the man, who doesn’t flee from Jesus. He doesn’t run away rejoicing. Notice with me: The people of the town beg Jesus to leave their region, and the man begs to go with Him. What’s the difference? Why is everybody so afraid of Jesus except for this man? They all understood the authority of Jesus. They all witnessed the power of Jesus. But this man experienced the healing salvation that Jesus offered. And I believe that in this encounter, he learned something not just about Jesus’ authority, and not just about His power, but about His purpose.

As I’ve studied the passage, the thing that struck me over and over again is the fact that when Jesus is asked to leave, He just gets up and goes. He doesn’t fight the people. He doesn’t explain Himself to the people. It just says He got into the boat and left. And what’s more, Jesus never again returns to this Eastern side of the Sea of the Galilee!

And yet, on the night before Jesus is betrayed, right before He goes to the cross, He prays to the Father and says, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do” (Jn 17:4). This means that when Jesus got back in the boat, He left no work unfinished. It means that in such a short period of time, Jesus accomplished everything that He set out to accomplish on that Eastern shore in the region of the Gerasenes. And among other things, this means that Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee and weathered the storm not just to teach His disciples about His authority! Not just to teach them about His power! But because from the other side of the Sea, Jesus saw one man alone and in the darkness.

So this is His purpose, and I believe this is what the man who was healed realized: Jesus sailed accross the Sea in order to pursue this one man in desperate need from a long way off! From the other side of the lake, Jesus knew that there was someone who was buried in the lies and in the influence of the Enemy, who was lost, and who needed to be found, and so He turns to His disciples and says, “We’re going! Get in the boat!” It was for one man! And this means that Jesus is not only the authority, and He’s not only powerful, but this means that Jesus leverages His authority, and He leverages His power to pursue people because of His great love!

And so the good news is that Jesus does not only have the authority and the victory! He not only has the power! Rather, no matter what comes our way, we can cling to Jesus, because He is the one who has the power and authority to HELP us in our need, and the one who has a deep compassion for the lost that drove Him to save us.

CONCLUSION

And so in the story of this man, we see the Gospel on display! Jesus conquered the Enemy who had taken Him captive, restored His life from the depths, and pursued Him from far off because of His love. And like we read in 1 John, that is the love that casts out all fear! So you can write down, when we know Jesus’ authority, rely on His power, and trust in His purposes, we have nothing to fear, because we trust in a good and mighty God.

And so like Jesus’ disciples, we need to go on this journey of learning who Jesus is, because when we’re faced with situations that we don’t understand, situations that we can’t control, situations that seem so dark, the only way to move forward is to remember who Jesus is, and to cling to Him! To lean on Him! To remember that His name is a light that the shadows can’t deny! To remember that He cannot be overcome! To remember that He alone is worthy of our praise, and that He alone is worthy of our lives, and that no matter what comes our way, we have nothing to fear, because, as Paul says in Romans 8, nothing can separate us from His love!

And so we press on into the darkness with courage, knowing that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

This is our King! Let’s worship Him as we close.

*pray