Into The Darkness

​ NKJV23 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,

Luke calls it an unclean demon.....

Have you ever been having a good time when that one person shows up and you know that your good time is over?

Have you ever been having a good time when that one person shows up and you know that your good time is over?

Why would a demon be chilling in a synagogue? Of all places to be hanging out in. How long had he been there? Why had no one addressed him? Maybe they tried with no success, or maybe they just ignored him.

It’s sad to think that a place of gathering for God’s people is sometimes the safest place for a demon to be.

But let’s see what happens when Jesus walks in....

​ NKJV24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”

Notice that it was the unclean spirit who spoke first. It was not Jesus who instigated the confrontation. Why would he do that? Because he was threatened. He felt the authority of Christ in the room.

Let us alone....we are doing just fine right here!

Let us alone....we are doing just fine right here!

The unclean spirit was threatened by the presence of Jesus. He knew who Jesus was. He recognized His presence, power, purpose, and knew that it was Jesus that could destroy him.

So he called out His name in hopes that the praise and acknowledgment would gain Him some mercy.

There are a lot of people who came to church today for that very same reason. They are threatened by who Jesus is and what Jesus expects and they hope that by giving God just a little bit, maybe they would be left alone. Maybe it will be enough to get by. Maybe Jesus will be happy with the little I give Him because it’s better than nothing isn’t it?

The church becomes a safe place for luke warm people to be.

Like with the demon, there is no repentance or submission there and Jesus is not interested in empty words from one who is not cleansed and transformed.

A few hours a week is not enough! He wants every minute of our lives every day. It’s what He asks for and it’s what He deserves! Anything less than that, is an insult to His sacrifice, faithfulness, and love for us.

He wants all of you, everyday. He wants your life, your marriage, family, job, friends, goals, dreams, future. Most people aren’t willing to give Him that.

It's funny to know that both the demons and the religious authorities would be threatened by Jesus. What does that tell you?

Jesus did not come for our religion. Jesus is a threat to religion! Jesus came for the lost and the broken that recognize their need for a Savior and surrender themselves to Him completely.

Many of us are threatened by Him as the demon was in this passage. We think going to church on Sunday and memorizing some scripture and saying the right thing at the right time will buy us some grace, but the truth is that our lives look nothing like Christ.

We aren't fooling Him. He sees everything that we try to hide from Him and is not moved or impressed by our empty words and actions.

We aren't fooling Him. He sees everything that we try to hide from Him and is not moved or impressed by our empty words and actions.

Look at Jesus’ response:

​ NKJV25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.

Jesus has authority over all things. He taught with authority and He removed this spirit with authority. There is no power in heaven or hell or in all the earth that Jesus has not already overcome. He has broken the chains that bind us and set us free to claim our spots at His side!

He has authority over the things that hold you right now and He is looking to free you from them. He is looking to cast them out of your life and give you the freedom of redemption and salvation that only comes from Him. He wants to go into the darkness of your life and shine a light so bright that there is nowhere for your sin to hide, for your fear to hide, for failures to hide, but we need to be willing to open ourselves up to His life giving light.

The demon called Him by name and Jesus tells him to shut up as He casts him out.

How many of you are in that exact situation today?

Let’s look at the reaction:

Jesus and Jesus alone has the authority to free you from your oppression. It’s not a politician, government, husband, wife, substance, circumstance, and it’s not religion, only Jesus!

​ NKJV27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

The people were amazed at what Jesus had just done. They are dumbfounded by His teaching and His authority and His deeds, but notice that they did not react to what the demon said about Jesus. They missed that completely.

The demon calls Him by name, Jesus of Nazareth, and by title, the Holy One of God. But still the people are are questioning among themselves who this man is! They were so focused on what He did rather than who He was. Why did they miss it?

Jesus tells him to shut up, and come out of him. If you continue to read through the many miracles Jesus performed, you will notice that He never let the demons speak.

Here’s what we need to understand about that, because it applies every single one of us to this day.

We cannot recognize Jesus for who He is because someone tells us to. We can't truly know Jesus because someone tells us about Him and we can't know what it's like to experience Jesus by having someone describe it to us.

Knowing Jesus is something we have to experience for ourselves. No one else can do it for you. Not a demon, not a pastor, not your family or your friends. It's up to you! Don't miss out on who Jesus is because of what He is or is not doing in the lives of other people.

You have to make the choice to see Him, experience Him, surrender to Him.

​ NKJV28 And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.

His fame spread throughout the land and many people would end up coming to see Him and hear Him teach, but not all that would hear Him would know Him. Only the people who's hearts and spirits were open to Him would receive Him.

He that has eyes let him see and he who has ears let him hear.

If you are here and you don’t know Him, Jesus wants you to know Him personally. And if you are a Christian here this morning, and you have seen, experienced, and surrendered to Christ, then you should want the same thing for the people around you.

That's why we gather here week after week. So that we can get to know Him even more.

The Point

In order for us to be rid of our oppression we have to allow Jesus to speak (not at us, church) but into our lives (relationship) and enter into our hearts. This man had something inside of him that was keeping his true self from being seen. This unclean spirit had taken a hold of his life. It was speaking for him, making decisions for him and keeping him in a place he did not want to be, enslaved and oppressed.

How many of you are in that exact situation today?

This world only values you when you can do something for it. People of the world are the same way, they will turn their backs on you when you no longer have anything to offer them.

Jesus and Jesus alone has the authority to free you from your oppression. It’s not a politician, government, husband, wife, substance, circumstance, and it’s not religion, only Jesus!

This world only values you when you can do something for it. People of the world are the same way, they will turn their backs on you when you no longer have anything to offer them.

This place is full of lost and broken people who the world no longer cares for. People who the world has chewed up and spit out. People who we walk by each and every day without giving them a second thought. Because of that, they have given up.

Jesus has never and will never turn away from you. Your value to Him is eternal, and He waits for you to come to Him.

Those are the people that Jesus went after, and those are the people that the people of Jesus should be going after also. He went into the darkness in order to give them life and so should we.

Those are the people that Jesus went after, and those are the people that the people of Jesus should be going after also. He went into the darkness in order to give them life and so should we.

Some of those people are in our families, live next door to us, work in the same building as us, sit in the same classrooms and walk down the same hallways as we do.

Some of those people are in our families, live next door to us, work in the same building as us, sit in the same classrooms and walk down the same hallways as we do.

We have the same authority and the same Spirit to preach His word and share His love with those around us.

Jesus broke the mold of religion which is why so many people were affected by Him. It's why so many people came to surrender and also why so many people wanted Him gone. It was that way then, and it’s that way now.

Jesus' authority did not come from tradition as with the scribes, it came from the power of His words and the example of His deeds.It was Jesus acting on His authority that brought blessings, healing, and life to the people around Him.

Jesus changed the world with His words and His deeds, and He has prepared the way for us to do the same. But like Jesus, we have to act on His authority to bring blessing, healing, life to the people around us.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world!

In order for His disciples to bring people out of the darkness we have to be willing to go into the darkness, taking Jesus with us.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world!

Invitation

Invitation