Jesus Restores a Broken Life

A Sermon on Luke 8:26-39

ME: The Demoniac's Desperate Condition (vv. 26-29)

Picture Jesus in a boat after calming a deadly storm. He could turn back to safety. Instead, he crosses into a pagan land, for one tormented man everyone else has abandoned.

Jesus arrives in Gerasene territory (Gentile land, Decapolis region)

One man meets him. He is possessed by a "legion" of demons (potentially thousands)

Living among the tombs (symbolically among the dead)

Naked, isolated from community, driven into the wilderness

Self-destructive (cutting himself with stones per Mark's account)

Beyond human help. Chains and shackles couldn't hold him; "many times it had seized him"

The Fallen Condition Focus

Spiritual oppression leads to social isolation, physical degradation, and symbolic death

He's powerless to save himself; every human solution has failed

He represents the ultimate "too far gone" case: unclean person, in unclean land, controlled by unclean spirits

The Question: Is anyone beyond the reach of Christ's restoring power?

WE: Our Shared Spiritual Bondage

We Face Powers Beyond Our Control

While most of us won't face literal demon possession, we know what spiritual oppression feels like

We experience bondage to patterns we can't break: addiction, destructive habits, consuming shame, paralyzing fear

We feel isolated from God, from community, from our true selves

We know the futility of willpower alone; the chains and shackles (our resolutions, our strategies) don't hold

We Write People Off as "Too Far Gone"

We struggle to believe God can reach family member, co-worker, neighborthatthatthat

We even wonder if we ourselves have gone too far, sinned too much, been broken too long

Like the townspeople who gave up on the demoniac, we set boundaries on God's reach

The Question: Is anyone beyond the reach of Christ's restoring power?

GOD: Jesus's Sovereign, Boundary-Breaking Power (vv. 28-35)

The Geographic Reach of the Kingdom

Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee into Gentile territory intentionally

Right after demonstrating authority over chaos (calming the storm), he shows authority over evil in hostile territory

The presence of pigs (unclean animals Jews wouldn't raise) confirms: this is enemy ground

God's kingdom isn't limited to "safe" places or "worthy" people, it invades darkness wherever it exists

The Confrontation: Jesus's Absolute Authority

The demons recognize Jesus immediately, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?"

Four times in this passage someone "begs" Jesus:

The demons beg not to be sent to the Abyss (the underworld prison)

They beg to enter the pigs instead

The townspeople beg Jesus to leave

The healed man begs to go with Jesus

Notice: Jesus grants some requests and denies others—he's completely sovereign

With one word, "Go!" the legion obeys

The demons' destination matters: they can't just roam free; Jesus controls even their departure

The Cost: Two Thousand Pigs

The entire herd rushes down the steep bank and drowns

One man's deliverance is worth the destruction of many pigs

No cost is too high to liberate the captive

Jesus crossed deadly waters, risked his life, entered enemy territory, allowed massive economic loss all so that one person everyone else had abandoned.

The Transformation: Total Restoration (v. 35)

The townspeople find the man "sitting at Jesus's feet, dressed and in his right mind"

The contrast:

FROM: naked, howling, cutting himself, living among tombs, driven by chaos

TO: clothed, calm, lucid, sitting in the posture of a disciple

This is the gospel in one before-and-after picture: from death to life, from chaos to peace, from isolation to belonging

He's been restored to his full humanity; socially, spiritually, physically

YOU: The Call to Faith and Witness (vv. 36-39)

Two Responses to Jesus's Power

(1) The Townspeople: Fear and Rejection (vv. 36-37)

They hear the report of what happened

They see the transformed man

Their response: "overcome with fear," they beg Jesus to leave

: Will we welcome Jesus's kingdom work even when it disrupts our comfort?The Challenge to Us

(2) The Healed Man: Gratitude and Mission (vv. 38-39)

He begs to stay with Jesus (totally understandable—why return to your home when Jesus has restored your life fully?)

Jesus says, "No, go home. Return and tell how much God has done for you"

The man obeys: he goes throughout the proclaiming what Jesus didentire Decapolis

: He becomes the first missionary to Gentile territoryResult

The Personal Application

What has Jesus delivered you from?

Where is he sending you to tell that story?

Sometimes obedience means going to hard places as a witness, even back to places of former brokenness

WE: Living as the Restored and Sent Community

Remember What Jesus Has Done

No distance was too far for him to cross to reach you

No sin was too great, no bondage too strong, no brokenness too deep

You were the one person worth crossing the sea for

You're not too far gone

Pray and Act for Others

Who in your life seems "too far gone"? Family members? Neighbors? Co-workers?

Pray with the confidence that the same Jesus who crossed the sea for the Gerasene can reach them

Don't write anyone off—Christ's kingdom breaks every boundary

Go and Tell

Like the healed man, we can't keep silent about what Christ has done

Your "Decapolis" might be your workplace, your neighborhood, your family

The mission field is wherever people need to hear that no one is beyond Christ's reach

CONCLUSION

Jesus in that boat, crossing the sea for one man. That's the heart of the gospel. He crossed heaven and earth for you. He entered enemy territory. He paid the ultimate cost. And now he's sending you back to your region, to the people who knew you before, to the places that seem hopeless; to tell them what God has done.

The Promise: No distance is too far. No person is too far gone. Christ's kingdom reaches and restores.

Closing: Our command from Jesus is the same one that he gave to the restored man, ”Go home and tell how much God has done for you."