"Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him.
They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him."
Good Morning beloved,
We would like to welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. It's a tremendous privilege to have each and every one of you here with us today this Lord's Day, reminding me of both the blessing and importance of community and the shared faith that unites us.
For most of us, there’s really no question about whether or not we believe the Bible in the inspired Word of God, the only revelation from God, profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. But, it seems that lately there has been a lot of discussion about whether or not all of the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that certain parts of it were written by men, specifically the parts that condemn feminism, homosexuality, transgenderism et cetera, claiming that Jesus Himself never addressed such issues. So, if you're like the rest of us that believe God is the final authority on sin and not a sinful humanity, then we’re going to sort of firm up your foundation. However, if you have questions, I pray that we're going to help you to understand that, God and the Bible does in fact talk a lot about these issues. It is rather sad that we even have to defend God against this perverse behavior, but because "gay Christians" and denominations are now using the Bible to defend their same-sex relationships and sodomy, reinterpreting biblical texts in ways that suggest that God has changed His mind, I'm being forced to deal with this, in specific, the passages from the Bible that I believe condemn all of these perverse behaviors that are an abomination to God.
For the record, there is no such thing as a gay Christian, it is perplexing to me, the notion that there can be a gay Christian is incongruous, a contradictory statement, an oxymoron, that does not align with traditional biblical doctrine. So when we're talking about the act, what is involved in homosexual behavior, I'm going to call it as Scripture defines it, and that is sodomy which became synonymous with homosexual sexual intercourse deemed by God to be unnatural, and those who engage in such debauched practices as sodomites after it appeared in 1 Kings 14:24. And, I am not going to address all the various forms that are being used for sexual fulfillment, other than by their biblical terms, not the clinical definitions. Allow me to begin with 2 Corinthians 5:17, which says if you are in Christ, you are a new creation the old things have passed away behold new things have come you have been crucified. Now, I know personally that some of you came from that lifestyle but you were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God and have since walked away from that life because the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord. Some have suggested that since God created gays and lesbians the way there are, then He must have intended them to be an integral part of the human community. However, we must understand that ALL are born into sin and must be born again, that includes all forms of sinful heterosexual practices such as fornication, adultery. In John 3:3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." To be clear, that includes both heterosexual and homosexuals, so God's Word is not discriminating, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
Then, in Deuteronomy 22:5, God says, "A woman shall not wear man’s clothing, nor shall a man put on a woman’s clothing; for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord your God." I believe this verse kind of blows the lid off those corrupt churches that affirm those drag queen story reading activities and advocate transgenderism in the pulpit, which is tragically becoming more and more prevalent today. It raises questions about the circumstances in one's life that might have lead someone to make such a horrific decision of choosing sin over salvation.
When God created humanity, He created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them, and since then, Satan has done everything within his power to rub out that distinction, blurring the clear lines between male and female. 1 Corinthians 13:6, clearly states that love does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth, all of that means you cannot love people by lying to them or help them lie to themselves, that is to affirm a sinful lifestyle built on lies. That means lying to a man who wants to go get surgery to become a woman, or you have a woman who wants to get some kind of surgery to live like a man. If you believe the science, we understand that really cannot be done. Allow me to add, that to obscure a man's God-given identity as a man and call him by a female name is to lie to him. God only made two people, a male, and a female, there's a distinct biological difference between the two, and by God's design, the two become one flesh, in the creation of a child. That cannot happen in a same-sex physical relationship because they are defying God's natural created design. God hated these sinful practices thousands of years and it's absolutely foolish to imagine He's changed His mind today and anyone who continues to live in that sinful lifestyle cannot be a true Christian.
Deuteronomy 23:1, says "No one who is emasculated or has his male organ cut off shall enter the assembly of the Lord." I'm not about to do an exposition to help you to understand this verse, it's difficult enough to just read it. Castration as an act of service to God, does not originate from Christianity, rather, it is associated with practices rooted in pagan traditions. Much like the Roman Catholic Church has called men and women to set themselves apart and live as priests and nuns. We need more than isolation and self-mutilation to battle against sin, we need Jesus Christ. The Good News is, even though there is a hard line drawn here, where there was genuine repentance, and a contrite heart, God is gracious enough to forgive.
Romans 1:24 says "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them." And, in verses 26 and following it says "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." All of these perversions are spawned by Satan. Before we move on, I feel it is crucial to acknowledge that each and every one of us were wretched sinners before Christ, maybe not to the same degree or in the same way, my point is that none of us are without sin and therefore are unqualified to cast the first stone.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for Your grace, Your mercy and forgiveness, as I imagine that in one way or another we have all abused or misused the precious gift our God-given sexuality and deserving of eternal punishment in Hell. Lord, remind us that no matter how far we may have strayed, forgiveness is always available to those who sincerely repent and wholeheartedly commit to turning away from their sin and turn towards You. We know that You not only gave us Your Word to convict us, but also to awaken us so that You might regenerate us. May we be not so quick to judge or condemn others knowing that we, too, would be condemned if not for Your grace. Help us to shine Your Light into their darkness for Your glory.
In Christ's name we ask and pray
Amen.
Today's Message: Christ The Redeemer of Ruined Lives Part 2
Open your Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to the Gospel of Luke chapter 8, Luke 8:26-39. Let's go back and I'll just read the text to you to sort of review everything before we pick up at verse 31 where we left off. I'd like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read, so that we can set the text in our minds, and allow it to settle deeply within our hearts, creating an opportunity for us to discern what the Holy Spirit has to personally say to each of us today through the Word and allow it to transform our lives. This is still a much larger portion of Scripture than we usually tackle in one message, but we're going to attempt to get through the rest of the passage today, if the Spirit allows.
"Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert. And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him.
They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him."
Let's look at verse 31, "They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss." They were earnestly begging and pleading with Him, it's the Greek verb "parakaleó," not to send them into the abyss, the bottomless pit, a place of confinement and torment because if He had commanded it, they did not have a choice, they had to go and they desperately wanted to avoid the lake of fire at all costs. It's interesting that James in chapter 2, verse 19 says that the demons believe, and they also shudder, yet it is unfathomable that many Christians blatantly continue to live in rebellion, even flaunting their disobedience in God's house, and do not shudder.
Verse 32, "Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission." We don’t really know why they made this bizarre request, perhaps these unclean spirits needed a physical host to inhabit, so, if He was going to cast them out, they at least wanted to go into the pigs and occupy them, anything is preferable to being sent to Hell. By the way, in Mark's Gospel, he noted there were two thousand pigs in the herd in this Gentile area. Although Scripture doesn't tell us exactly why they made this request, what is clear is that Jesus allowed this extraordinary occurrence to happen. He gave them permission, they couldn't have done anything if He didn't give them permission.
Verse 33, "And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned." Here, we witness a profound demonstration of Christ's divine authority. Matthew tells us He said to them, "Go!" and with just that one word, He commanded all of the demons that infested this man came rushing right out of him and entered the two thousand swine, and they immediately rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. That's what they want to do, this is physical proof of the deadly intent of demons to kill, as well as demonstrate Jesus power over the kingdom of darkness. I know that Satan would love to destroy me and anybody else who boldly proclaims the Gospel leading to salvation, only God prevents that from happening, He sustains my life, not because I'm somebody special, I'm dispensable. I recognize that He could put anybody at anytime in my place to do what I do. God always has a remnant, right? It's interesting that these unclean swine could not tolerate for a second what this man had lived with for a long time.
That said, despite the claims of the Charismatic church, no modern Christian has the power or the authority to command Satan and his kingdom of darkness to do anything as Jesus did. However, I have heard some claim to have a form of authority over Satan in the sense that he cannot force them to sin, possess them, and ultimately defeat them. There is absolutely nothing found in the Bible that suggests that any of our human attributes inherently frightens a demon, there's nothing indicating that our presence intimidates them. Every instance of demon possession found in the Bible occurred outside the kingdom of God. Christ delivered every believer from the power of Satan, and therefore, the Holy Spirit dwells within us, so we have absolutely no reason to fear anything he might do to us. Satan has power, but not authority, but even his power is limited in effectiveness, and also limited in time, although he is occasionally given permission from God to cause problems in the life of believers living in this fallen world, as in the cases of Job and Peter. Satan is able to tempt us, just as he did Jesus in Luke 4:1-13, but is unable to force us to stumble or sin. We have no authority to command Satan to do anything or bind, Christ will instantly bind him and his demons for a thousand years in due time; our responsibility according to James 4:7, is to resist Satan: "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." That's why in Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul stresses the importance of putting on the full armor of God, so that we will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Verse 34, "When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country." The herdsmen, the men who were nearby taking care of those two thousand pigs, were eyewitnesses, they no doubt saw everything that happened first hand, even if they couldn't hear what was being said. They must have been shocked because Luke says they ran away and reported it in the city and out in the country. That's another way to say they went everywhere and told everyone about what they had seen. It's not every day you see two thousand pigs uniformly run down a hillside and dive off a cliff all at once. This is a deliverance that would never be forgotten.
Verse 35, "The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened." Matthew recounts the same event, and he notes, "And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region." Interestingly, none of the Gospel narratives mention that anybody was upset about the fate of the pigs, though I'm probably sure that somewhere there is a group of animal rights activists who might argue that Jesus' actions were cruel to the swine and they are upset with this passage. I have to believe that Jesus cared more about these two men who had been suffering from demonic possession than He did about the two thousand pigs, given the fact that most animals were created for consumption. These people came to see Jesus and the once demon possessed man who was now sitting at the feet of Jesus, in a sound state of mind, calmly and composed instead of running around causing havoc and tormenting anyone who passed by.
Verse 36, "Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well." Allow me to point out this extraordinary change not only demonstrates the power of Jesus' compassion and authority but also has remarkable sexual implications, highlighting the irrefutable evidence that a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ has a profound impact of spiritual transformation upon human lives. You see, it doesn't matter that you were born "this way" in Christ, there is true deliverance! As a sinner, you might understand the power that sin has over you, but do you understand the power Jesus has over sin? If Jesus has the power to deliver this man from demon possession, I can't even begin to imagine what He can do for you. I know the dramatic impact He has had on my life, I can tell that He completely obliterated the sin in my life.
Verse 37, "And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned." Notice it is the nature of sin to resist righteousness, I can't imagine a more profound illustration, emphasizing the human struggle between good and evil. One would expect such a transformation to be met with gratitude and relief, but instead of rejoicing that this man had been delivered from suffering under the grip of demon possession, celebrating that he is no longer afflicted with harming himself and tormenting the lives of those around him, they were gripped with fear and they implore Jesus, the source of salvation, to depart from their midst, and they asked Him to leave. Have you ever felt compelled to defend your sin or rationalize your own wrongdoing when you're confronted with the righteousness of God's Word, intended to liberate you from sin, and bring about transformation in your life? Behavioral psychology studies have suggested that individuals will often cling to familiar patterns, even when they are detrimental to their personal well-being, due to fear of the unknown or the challenge that change places upon their current way of life. I'd like you to notice the end of the verse, "And He got into a boat and returned." And, He never went back, what a sad commentary this is on the fallenness of a sinful humanity, they would prefer to live with what is unholy that what is holy. Folks, Jesus is a gentleman, He won't force His presence on anyone where He is not welcomed or appreciated. I believe this serves as a powerful reminder of the significance of our personal choices, inviting Him into our lives, asking Him to get rid of anything in our lives that is detrimental to our spiritual well-being rather than expecting His presence to remain with us without our acceptance.
That brings us to verses 38 and 39, "But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him." I want you to notice the stark contrast between this man who has just been delivered from sin, who has been forgiven and his life completely transformed, he was begging Jesus to go with Him. Having received a new heart, with new longing and desires, he very naturally would rather abandon everything and everyone he knew to be with the One Who Redeemed him, demonstrating a newfound allegiance to Jesus, the source of his salvation. Jesus, however, had a different mission for him, Jesus instructed the man to return to his home and share the remarkable story of his transformation, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." Listen, not everybody is supposed to go to seminary and receive formal training to become a preacher, but everyone is called to spread the message of hope and salvation to others. Obviously, there weren't any other Christians in this area, Jesus needed him to be the one lone witness to the great things God has done. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you know enough to be saved, you know enough to point others to Christ. Sometimes, there is grace found in the obstacles that prevent us from doing what we think God is calling us, rather than what He is actually calling us to. If I had gotten my own way, I wouldn't be proclaiming His Word here today. I love what Mark says "And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed." This is personal evangelism, this man once enslaved by evil forces of Hell is now boldly and passionately proclaiming what God has done in his life. Are you ready and willing to boldly and passionately tell others the story of what Jesus has personally done in your life? When you see somebody struggling with sin, don't just condemn them, love them enough to lead them to Christ.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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