Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro – Reality is comprised of 3 spheres of influence – the world of Satan and demons, the world of God and good angels and the world of mankind.

Behind the veil of our physical perception, a battle rages between God and Satan for our souls.

The outcome is not in doubt.

One day God will bring history to a screeching halt and banish sin forever.

In that day, you want to be on the right side.

But decisions we made now – for or against Jesus Christ -- will determine our eternal destiny.

The battle rages for our soul.

In our text, these 3 worlds collide in open warfare revealing 3 great truths – the Destructive Power of Demons, the Delivering Power of Christ, and the Damning Power of Self.

We began to look at the world of demons last week with the warning that we maintain balance by remembering that the Christ who is in us is greater than the Satan who is in the world.

Winners are “in Christ”, but it is helpful for us to know something about the other world.

*I.

Destructive Power of Demons*

*A.

Demons Are Real* – The Bible is basically nonsense if Satan and demons are not real.

Paul says in Eph 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . . . the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Demons are the enemy we fight against every day.

*B.

Demons Were Particularly Prominent in Christ’s Time* – The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil” (I Jn 3:8).

God appearing in the flesh sent panic through the world of demons and they were given more license than usual to reveal themselves.

God used this to demonstrate His complete mastery as Jesus never broke a sweat in thwarting their most impressive demonstrations – a preview of the judgment that awaits them and all who choose against Christ.

*C.

Demons Are Filthy (both Physically and Morally)* – They love filth and have created an unprecedented level of acceptance of moral degeneracy in our society that would have been unthinkable a couple of generations ago.

They degrade and humiliate.

*D.

Demons Desire to Possess *

They want bodies if possible – they’ll settle for less if necessary.

This man had many demons.

V. 30, “Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?”

And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him.”

A legion would be 6,000.

This guy was a walking demon convention!

They “had entered him.”

They indwelt him.

Every demon Jesus encounters indwells someone.

They “have a demon” (v.

27) or an unclean spirit has “entered” them.

Jesus orders them to come out (vv. 29, 33) or He casts them out.

People are said to be demon-possessed or oppressed which translates δαιμονιζομαι – “demonized.”

That’s the word in v. 36, “And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed.”

They mean the same.

The victim has been taken over, body, mind and will, by one or more demons.

Every time Jesus encounters demons, this is the condition.

Someone is demonized.

See how badly they want a body, v. 32: “Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these.

So he gave them permission.”

The lease is up on their current residence so they desire another body, even if it is an animal.

Why a body?

Because that gives them max entre into the physical world.

They can do more damage with a body than any other way.

V. 32, “So he gave them permission.”

Luke is clarifying Jesus controls every nuance of this situation?

Powerful as they are; His power over them is absolute.

Here He permits them to enter the pigs.

Some criticize Jesus for allowing this destruction.

Bertrand Russell, in Why I Am Not a Christian, not his most profound book, says a virtuous man would never have allowed this destruction.

Pretty weak reason for rejecting Christ.

For one thing, Jesus didn’t order the demons into the pigs, He merely allowed it.

The destruction was their responsibility.

Second, destruction of the pigs previews the man’s fate had Jesus not cast the demons out.

The destruction of the animals saves a human life.

No one could object to that trade-off.

But there is a third consideration.

The region of the Gerasenes, east of the Sea of Galilee, was Gentile territory, but close to Jews.

We are not told if the pig owners were Jew or Gentile.

If owned by Jews, they were illegal – unclean to be around.

Their destruction by demons was symbolic.

The unclean demons entered unclean animals demonstrating their penchant for evil.

Their destruction prevented their illegal consumption, and punished the sin.

Furthermore, the destruction in the lake pictured the ultimate destruction that awaits these same demons in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and His angels.

This was a graphic and gracious warning of judgment to come.

Far from sinful on Jesus’ part it was another loving invitation to repent!

Now, can people be demon-possessed today?

The answer is Yes, though it is not seen with the same frequency.

And, demons cannot just willy-nilly enter someone without being invited any more than the Holy Spirit enters without being invited.

In spiritual warfare the demons can only go where the welcome mat is out!

That’s why the Bible warns in passages like Lev 19:31, “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the LORD your God.”

In other words, “Stay away from mediums, fortune tellers, Ouija boards, witches and dark literature, songs, games and clubs.

Many are relatively harmless frauds, but others are portals to a world of real demonic activity.

People get drawn in unwittingly by actions that indicate an invitation they never intended.

The occult world entices.

We long to know what’s behind the curtain!

But it is dangerous.

In occult practices people open themselves to they know not what.

Thus God’s strong warnings.

He equates the occult to those who practice child sacrifice.

Deut 18:10-12: “There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD.”

God is crystal clear.

If you are seeking fortunes, contacting the dead, following astrological omens, playing spiritist games you are in disobedience and you are playing with fire.

I Chron 10:13 tells us King Saul died for consulting a medium for guidance instead of God.

God will not be mocked, Beloved.

Fooling with occult practices, even in fun, opens us to demonic activity.

I urge you in strongest terms keep yourself and your kids away from any such involvement.

It amounts to throwing out the welcome mat.

God’s told us all we need to know.

Now, some good news.

No true believer can be demon-possessed.

I’ve read a lot of books by people who find demons in ways and places never mentioned by the Bible.

Demons of anger and covetousness and laziness and even hang-nails.

May I say, those are not demons; those are sins.

They are not healed by a quick fix exorcism; they are healed by continued confession, and practicing holiness until we get it right.