Word of Salvation – Vol.38 No.04 – January 1993

 

Christ’s Power Manifested

 

Sermon by Rev. W.J. Bosker on Luke 8:26-39

Reading: Col.1:15-20; Luke 8:1-15

Singing: 164, 62, 186, 357, 523

 

Dear congregation, brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ;

I find it interesting that Luke tells the parable of the Sower and the Seed just before telling us about the healing of the demon-possessed man.

Do you see a connection between the two?

A parable has been described as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.  Jesus used this method of story-telling to teach spiritual truths in everyday language.

The understanding of a parable depended on how spiritually receptive the hearers were to Christ’s teaching.
People who heard Jesus gladly would grasp the truth of His teaching.
But those whose minds were closed to Jesus were spiritually blind.  They would miss the point and were left in spiritual darkness.

Jesus’ own disciples asked for an explanation of the parable of the Sower.  With great tenderness Jesus gives the meaning in vs.11-15.  Luke then proceeds to explain that Jesus appeals to His followers to listen carefully to the Lord’s teaching (v18).

Jesus wants us to understand an even broader context.  In our text Jesus is engaging in spiritual warfare for the hearts and lives of real people.  There is a battle going on for the allegiance of your hearts!  Jesus describes the devil as the ‘prince of this world’ (John 12:31).  As our Lord focuses on His mission which will culminate on the cross, He says:
‘Now is the time of judgement on this world.
Now the prince of this world will be driven out.’

It is the confrontation between Christ and the devil which is taking place in our text!
At the same time this incident is a living parable.
A real life example of the Sower and the Seed!

All three evangelists (Matthew, Mark and Luke) have this event following the storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Mark tells us that the storm occurred in the evening (Mark 4:35).  Jesus and His disciples made it to the southern side of the lake.

So it is most likely that the meeting with the demon-possessed man took place in the darkness of a moonlit evening.
Imagine what must have been an eerie setting.
An area of limestone caves and steep bluffs.  The sun had set.  The moon reflected on the waters of the lake.  Out of the darkness leaps a demon-possessed man!

The demons immediately recognize Jesus for who He is.  The unclean spirits cry out as one man:
‘What do you want with me Jesus, the Son of the Most High God?  I beg you, don’t torture me!’

It seems incredible that the demons understood exactly who Jesus was, while people can be so slow to catch on.  The demons have just answered the question the disciples were still asking in vs.25!
‘Who is this?  He commands even the winds
and the water, and they obey Him.’

The devil, the prince of demons, obviously knows a lot more about spiritual warfare than we do!  He knows when he has met his match.  That’s why his demons call out, ‘I beg you, don’t torture me!’  To indicate how deeply this man was possessed by demons.  Jesus asks the man his name.

Notice the connection between the man and the evil spirits possessing him.
There is an identity between the two.
When one speaks, the other speaks.
The devil’s spirits influence people for evil.
The Holy Spirit influences believers for good.

This man was possessed by many evil spirits as evidenced by his name.  A legion is several thousand soldiers.

Here ‘legion’ is not meant to be understood literally.  The meaning of his name is that many spirits occupied this man.

In other words, Jesus was meeting a formidable foe.  The devil was mustering a host of evil powers against Jesus.  Satan knew who he was up against!  The Son of the Most High God possesses incredible power.  Jesus only had to say the word and these evil spirits would be banished to the place they most feared to go.

Their greatest pleasure in life is to inflict ruin and misery on people.  To be confined to the place of eternal judgement and the eternal limitation of their powers, is prison to them.

The devil fears the day of final judgement.  He fears coming face to face with the Judge of heaven and earth.  He knows Christ’s awesome power.

Again the devil can teach us a lesson.

The evil spirits didn’t want to face their ruin just yet.  They begged Jesus for more time.
‘Send us out of this man.
We know your awesome power.
But don’t judge us yet.  Spare us from the abyss.’

Notice that the demons cannot do anything without Christ’s permission!  They ask to be allowed to occupy a herd of about 2000 pigs.

This was a pagan part of Israel.  The demons want to stay in this region.  ‘Don’t send us out of the country,’ Mark records them saying (Mark 5:10).

Where Christ isn’t acknowledged, demons find a home.  The same is still true today.  Jesus permits the evil spirits to depart into the pigs.

In the darkness of the night this large herd of swine is overtaken by demons.

The pigs rush frantically down the slope, off a cliff, and into the lake.  2000 pigs drown.

Now another reaction takes place.  The herdsmen who tended the pigs and were responsible for their care are angry at what they consider a raw deal.
One man is healed.  Two thousand pigs are lost.

In pagan, animistic religions you still see pigs valued more highly than people.

Couldn’t these herdsmen understand that through this action Jesus was really preaching to them?

They had just seen what Jesus could do for the demon possessed man.
Imagine what Jesus could do for them!
The healing He could bring to their communities!

What a contrast these herdsmen were to the shepherds in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth!

The Bethlehem shepherds had to proclaim the good news that a Saviour had been born to bring the people back to God.
These herdsmen went into the towns that night to report the loss to the people.
They laid the blame squarely on Jesus.

With the rising of the sun and the dawning of a new day, a new man sat at Jesus’ feet.  He was dressed and in his right mind.

Instead if marvelling at the cleansing work of Christ in the making of this new man, the citizens of this region see Jesus as a problem.

How hard the hearts of these people were.
Here is Jesus, manifesting His saving power.
Jesus confronts the devil, and wins!
Yet they refuse the invitation to sit at Christ’s feet and be spiritually healed.

Here is the relationship of this incident to the parable of the sower:
The seed sown here has fallen on good soil.
The healed man sits at Jesus’ feet and wants to be His disciple.
But the seed has also fallen among the thorns and rocky soil.
The townspeople wanted Jesus to leave their region.
The man who offered them healing was told to go away.
They rejected the Saviour of the world.

No wonder Jesus couldn’t stay in that place.

The evil spirits had successfully turned this region against Christ.
Jesus could have shaken the dust off His feet and left this place.

But look what happens!
The healed man wants to be with his Lord.
He earnestly desires to be Christ’s disciple.
He begs Jesus continuously to let him join Jesus’ team.
To him Jesus is the fountain of life.
Listen to what Jesus says to His latest disciple!
‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you’ (vs.39).

Here is the mission strategy of our Lord Jesus.
The locals wouldn’t accept Jesus because they were afraid of Him.  They held Jesus responsible for the loss of 2000 pigs.
So Jesus gives them back one of their own sons.

This former demon-possessed man is the best possible missionary to his own people.  Jesus instructs His new disciple to tell the news to his household.  Look what he does!
This man couldn’t restrict the news to his family alone!  He had to tell it all over town!

Jesus told His new disciple to tell how much God had done for him.  But this man goes away telling what Jesus had done for him.

The message is abundantly clear.  Jesus and God are one.

Mark tells us that this missionary didn’t limit himself to his home town.
In his area there were ten towns!  (deca = 10, polis = cities).  The soil in this whole region was now being prepared for the seed to be sown.  Jesus might have left the region, but the right man was working the ground!

Mark tells us in 7:31f that Jesus later returned to this region.  His reception was quite different.

I’m convinced it was due to a large degree to the ministry of this one man.
Formerly demon-possessed.
Now he had the Spirit of Christ living in him!
Formerly, bound to Satan.
Now free in the service of the Lord.

If this Jesus is our Saviour, consider what a magnificent Lord we serve.
He has won the victory over Satan.

Even today He is still transforming people from death to life.  Take notice of this living parable.

The seed of the gospel continues to be sown.  People are still being loosed from Satan’s grip every day.

As the seed steadily grows, thriving in the sunshine of the Lord’s grace it bears a crop a hundred times what was sown.

What a joy to see people coming to faith in Jesus Christ.  See the zeal with which they want to spread the good news!

Look at Christ’s mission strategy.
Go and tell your family.
They are your own flesh and blood.
You have a ready-made bridge for the gospel.

Parents, how often do you tell your children and loved ones what Jesus has done for you?

Young people, how regularly do you speak to your Mums and Dads, your brothers and sisters of what Jesus means to you?  Do they know that you are a follower of Christ?

Husbands and wives, are you using all the opportunities the Lord gives you to tell your partner in life you want to serve Jesus.  That you want your partner to know Him too?

We know there are different responses to the gospel.  Yet God in His providence has entrusted the sowing of the seed to us.

There will be a harvest.
God has promised it.
Christ’s victory over Satan guarantees it.

And yet God is pleased to use you and me to accomplish this plan.
– Return home and tell how much God has done for you.
– May we be so excited about Jesus that we spread the news all over town!

AMEN