Chasing Down a Hopeless Case

These people are just as one can see the value of this miraculously restored, like maybe I could get there close on some it was a long shirt on, you know, whatever they say you know what we really rather have our pick Sears the real tragedy. These townspeople might not of been running around naked. They might not be living in the cemetery, but they are just as much in the grip of Satan's deceptive power is this man had been now is three and having their body taken over by a legion. Can you imagine how terrific that would be hard to imagine a demon possessed man being of any use to Jesus during his earthly ministry, but is Jesus sales toward a deranged demon possessed man he'll reveal not only his total power over the spiritual realm but also his ability to use anyone regardless of their past for his purposes.

I'm so glad you joined us today for this message from Luke Stephen Davey called this message chasing down a hopeless case. One of the most powerful true declarations of who Jesus was, came from the lips of a demon possessed man you talk to any number of people on the subject of demons, and you'll probably come away with a number of different viewpoints.

Most of it will land somewhere between fiction and fear. People typically make one of two errors in regard to the devil and demons. One error is to disregard them and the other error is to become obsessed with them were given in Scripture clear instruction that our focus our attention is never on the devil. Whenever looking for. The devil ever looking for demon. Our focus is on a person of Christ. Hebrews 12 were told to resist the devil, how by drawing near to God, we draw near to God.

And guess what the devil does.

He flees were told to be aware of his devices. His schemes were to be alert. Ephesians 611 were to be careful and alert as we discern the teaching to determine the difference between true and false teachers for 76 for ultimately to draw our minds and our hearts to the person of Christ.

So we don't underestimate Satan and his kingdom. But we don't overestimate him either.

He is already defeated.

He is on a leash and the leases held by the hand of sovereign God were about to watch and encounter where the truth of what the apostle John wrote will come true where he said greater is he was in Austin.

He was in the world. So let's watch that unfold. If you're new to us were working our way through the gospel by Luke were in chapter 8, so turn back there again and at verse 26 then they sailed to the country of the kerosene's which is opposite Galilee when Jesus had stepped out on the land there met him a man from the city who had demons now. Matthew's Gospel finally gives us a fuller account that there were two men were demonized to came running up to Jesus marks gospel account and Luke's as well, focuses only on one of these men, perhaps because he was the most demonized as it were. Perhaps he was the one who would become as will see a disciple of Jesus Christ.

So the lens is focused on him a look simply tells us here that he had demons. Now what is that mean well.

A simple definition of demon possession or demonization is when an unbeliever comes under the mastery of a demon there thinking is under the control of the demon. Their emotion responds to demonic influence.

Their body is empowered by demonic power there will is dominated by demons. What Satan is doing by the way it is using someone to become a counterfeit temple of and on the holy spirit. He's counterfeiting what we know today to be the indwelling Holy Spirit demon possession is where the devil plays God. However, person demonized is is destroyed where someone indwelt by the Holy Spirit is constructed. Satan always leaves his victims as it were, to self-destruction. Christian can become obsessed, as it were, by the demonic world but not possessed because he's inhabited by the spirit. Our bodies are the temple of the Spirit of God prescriptions three now. Frankly, we don't have a lot of information we have to be careful in the from the Bible to know exactly how it demon works on or within a person. I've seen ministries grow up, where people write all these books about you know how to break the bondage and how to have the right incantation and most of its utter nonsense.

The New Testament letters to the church, by the way, never give us any kind of special commission that exorcism, they don't give us any kind of incantation.

What we are given is the gospel which is the power of Christ, and it liberates and frees those enslaved to the kingdom of darkness.

Romans 116.every unbeliever in a way other than I can evidence demonic control is in fact a member of the kingdom of darkness, it could manifest itself in any number of ways. They need nothing less than the liberating power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, as we work through this encounter. Let me make some observations about this demonized man okay I realize this is in your usual Christmas Sunday ghetto message but were in Luke chapter 8 next verse okay number one only point out he was mentally deranged look back at verse 27 again were told, for a long time he had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house but among the two is a wild man that we referred him to this day as the madman get there. It wasn't mental imbalance in this case, although elective that certainly the demons and their influences causing the offender violate all sensibility, all forms of sensibility to live this wild deranged lifestyle literally running around naked. Secondly, he was financially destitute. You might've noticed the text tells us he wasn't in a house he did live in a house but among the two, so we don't know anything about his family. Although there's more than likely a story there is essentially homeless. The only place he finds refuge place to live is a local cemetery, typically on the outskirts of town cemeteries in the days of Christ were commonly areas where tombs could be carved into the soft limestone hillsides making cavelike mausoleums affect wealthy families would have included more than one chamber for extended family members to be buried in these empty chambers would have been a perfect place for him to provide or find shelter so somewhere in a cemetery on the edge of town.

In one of these mausoleums, a wild, deranged naked man is living. I you know I can imagine he would run a lot of funerals I mean you want to get in and out of there before the madman to get there showed but he really was dangerous. That's the third point physically dangerous activity. If you skipped out of the middle part of verse 29. Look at this parenthesis.

For many of time and it sees them. He was kept under guard, and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert just as the Holy Spirit, by the way, empowered Samson to perform amazing physical fee exploits so Satan is counterfeiting the spirit by using whatever delegated authorities been given by God to empower this man under his control to two of these amazing physical exploits, but I don't want you to miss the main point what you have here is a man whose life is is self-destructing. It's wasting away is no connection with his family is essentially homeless is no purpose, no job, no relationship. These is literally moved into Psalm chamber in a miserly is more than likely surviving by robbing travelers who come unsuspecting Lee nearby is what you would call a hopeless case, we would write them off is hopeless.

Everybody knew about this madman get there. Verse 28 tells us what he saw Jesus they wrote shorter. He cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice wanted you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high God.

He sees Jesus and the disciples are rolling ashore or if you been what is a just come through that storm. He comes racing down this hill toward the doctor rob them or attack them, and as he's writing the word them. I imagine the disciples are swimming back out to see this moment Peter Valley thing we missed the turn somewhere. Go back and start over. But as he is running towards them naked demented while their filthy body shrieking.

He suddenly by means of the demons recognizes one of these men. What is he do cries out, he falls down and get this without any announcement without any introduction. The demon spokesman through him says what have you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high God. That's a staggering declaration from the unseen world. I want to point out a few things that this reveals not only about the demonic world and this understanding, but about Jesus. First, all demons believe in the reality of the incarnation. One of you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high God understands Jesus, God the son is become flesh. Think about it, the demonic world already knew all about it.

Then they had heard that there utter horror and doom. 30 some years earlier. The Angels chanting in the sky to those shepherds today in the city of David. There is been born for you Savior, who is Christ the Lord. They heard that news spread like wild sour wildfire through the demonic world. See, that's the promise from all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 verse 15 they were God promised the wall and received would one day come to crush the head of Satan, the head of the serpent in some degree, they knew that they had already arrived. Those demons were there look with terror that that's swaddled baby in a manger.

They can watch them grow up like doctors, heels they they they witness their leaders.

Satan utterly humiliated that the temptation in the wilderness, they had seen his spirit to send that baptism they had heard his claims of power they they watched him exercise stunning resurrection power over that widows sign in the village of Maine they'd seen all that they were denying Jesus was. They knew secondly bound up in what he says here is this demons believe in the deity of Jesus Christ.

What you had to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high God. This demonic spokesman didn't say what if you to do with us. Oh great Rabbi oh you know great moral example of a good teacher to listen to the admission of Jesus Christ greatest enemies.

You are the son of the most high God is demon is in falling at the feet of a rabbi for profit or teacher.

Third, demons believe in future prophetic events. Their students of history and future prophecy.

Look again.

He says to Jesus at the end of verse 28. I think you do not torment me go over to Mac is a County's is before the appointed time. Whole wins that one day they don't know exactly. They know it's coming forth demons believe in the certainty of their future judgment along that same line only let me add do it. A reference here to this man in the coming day of judgment.

In fact if you look down it verse 31 were told and they back to him, that is Jesus, not to command them to depart into the abyss, the word of this simply means without bottom bottomless pit reference used in Scripture for hell and they're terrified that Jesus is showing up to judge them early and send them to the abyss early which which indicates that the demons have again not one shred of unbelief about their future. Do terrified of this reality, I want you to get it straight in your mind.

Here the demons are not attacking Jesus. Jesus is attacking them. Jesus, as of things he wants to teach his disciples about this enemy.

It's interesting he asked the question we could verse 30 Jesus then asked him what is your name Jesus is in asking because you had no Jesus is omniscient. He affected few chapters later in chapter 19 he is going to say without introduction Zaki as much combat out of the treatment go to your house. It's possible that this question was used to provoke this man to begin remembering that he had a name. Although this man is tragically subjugated by demons.

He still a person still is a name he still is an eternal soul.

He still matters. He is not a hopeless case, but the man is given an opportunity to answer Luke reveals here verse 30 the demonic spokesman controlling them answers Legion our name is Legion shilling answer Roman legion was anywhere from 3000 to 6000 soldier so Jesus is educating the disciples I believe here in DOS. There's more than one we give you another observation here on the demonic rule number five demons are under the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ.

Verse 32 now large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged them to let them enter these so we gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drown Mark's gospel informs us that there were 2000 pigs in this heard that's a lot of bacon and I'm teasing but I'm also hitting at some truth here.

Why would Jesus have effectively allowed these demons to destroy 2000 homes. This is a Gentile region. This Decapolis 10 cities. Some Bible scholars believe they were running a black market for the not so faithful Jews. Other Bible scholars believe that these farmers were actually Jews. They were running up booming business providing pork for that region, which is more than likely the case. I keep in mind were still in the Old Testament economy. Jesus is not died ascended the spirit descended in the church born so were still in the Old Testament and in the Old Testament. This would have benefits of course for the Lords nation, unclean animals, according to God's law. So unclean animals are the perfect hosts for unclean spirit quite possible that in one command. Jesus cleans up a defiant, disobedient industry, and then sends the demons to the abyss. After all, were simply not told but here's what we are told verse 34, when the herdsman saw what happened. They fled and told it in the city and in the country. That is all over the people went out to see what it happened and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind that's code for he is now a disciple of Jesus Christ that only free demons is free from the kingdom of darkness forever notice and they the people were afraid, and those who had seen it told them how the demon possessed man it been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the kerosene's salad of her knees and cried out.

You are the son of the most high God deliver us to await that's what they should have said, but they did.

They asked him to depart from them. So here's this insane man whose life is been redeemed by the power Jesus and the people want Jesus to leave all the money chasing that's insanity that is in the same someone is just demonstrated power over the demonic world under which at first century world was terrified and we really rather you leave. Luke says here latter part of verse 37. They were seized with great fear. So we got into the boat and return why why are they so afraid when I told exactly but maybe it's because they recognized he had authority over the demonic world and he just might have authority over them. You terrifies your world the day that they might be under the authority of Jesus Christ you want to see fear deliver that message.

These people are just as blind. They can see the value of this miraculously restored library. Here's the maniac to get there. Got close on Sunday with the London some leaders another shirt on, you know, whatever. But they say you know what we really rather have our pics back.

Here's the real tragedy. These townspeople might not of been running around naked and they might not be living in the cemetery, but they are just as much in the grip of Satan's deceptive power is this man had been, but now he is free, and they are still bound Jesus. We want you to leave that is Jesus care about them, assuring us in and send them in the lake next know he's about to appoint the first missionary in the region of the Decapolis could verse 38 says the man from whom the demons it gone back that he might be with them.

But Jesus sent him away, saying return to your home and declare how much God has done for you, and he went away proclaiming throughout the whole city.

How much Jesus had done for him.that's his message. His testimony when complicated. Just tell people what Jesus did for you where to meet this man.

One day, and all of the host of redeemed individuals who heard his testimony and were rescued from the kingdom of darkness before we wrap our study and today I want to provide one final principal that comes to my mind it is true today as it was back here and it's this Jesus can do is best in someone's life. Even after Satan has done his worst, this man was a hopeless case. But here's the lingering principle of grace and that no one descends so deeply into sin and captivity and bondage that Jesus Christ cannot deliver them love the expression the Corrie 10 boom often said there is there is no pit so deep but that God is deeper still. So we need to get the record straight here when Jesus rowed ashore at me tell you, this man is not chasing down that hill after Jesus. Jesus is chasing after him we can you imagine Jesus telling his disciples here. Listen, then you know when to pull sure your cemetery up on a hill, there's someone I want to appoint as a new missionary to deliver the gospel to this region.

There's an ambassador of the gospel that I'm about to commission here comes this naked man screaming, running, and Jesus as well. Larry comes now, imagine this.

This man is been a trophy in the hand of Satan who knows how long. Now he is a trophy in thy hand, God, and I want you to do this. I want to start at home.

By the way that commission as well start there. What I say tell them what Jesus did for spreading throughout the city.

The only Jesus reached into your pit of despair you were that hopeless Jesus came after and redeemed powerful. This power of God. We've seen no matter what you've been through God's power can change and work through you. Thanks for joining us this is wisdom for the hearts your teacher for these daily sermons is Stephen Davey, the pastor of the shepherd's church in Cary, North Carolina during the month of April. We have a free resource that were making available.

Stephen has a booklet called resurrection power in the time it would take you to read that booklet about 400 people around the world will enter eternity. That's why Jesus claimed to be the resurrection and the life is such great news.

He didn't just claim it either improved this resource will help you or your friends understand Jesus resurrection power. This is a free digital download that you can download from our website go to wisdom online.org for information. Get this free resource today and then join us next year on wisdom