Power over Satan

Intro:

We’ve looked that last couple of weeks of how Matt. Was making a case for Jesus being who he claimed to be the Messiah sent from God. We saw His power over disease and His power over nature in calming the storm. Today we’re going to look at His power over Satan. Praise God our Lord is Sovereign and we see it in the word today.

Jesus was demonstrating His power to deliver men from the darkest forces imaginable---men possessed by devils, demons, evil spirits. He wanted the whole world to know that he had now combated and conquered the forces of evil. As we look at this passage today we see the Lord Jesus power over the forces of evil and how they cannot stand in His presence or be there without permission. I want us to focus today on the three prayers that was prayed in the graveyard to the king of the Universe and how they were answered.

I. (vs31) Suffer us to go into the herd of swine

Two demonized men met Jesus when He landed at Gadara (Matt. 8:28), but one of them was the more forward and did all the speaking. Both were pitiful cases: naked, living in the tombs, violent, dangerous, a menace to the area, and controlled by a legion of demons. (A Roman legion could have as many as 6,000 men!) Satan is the thief (John 10:10) who robs his people of everything good and then tries to destroy them. No amount of man-made authority or restraint can control or change the devil’s servants. Their only hope is in the Savior. Suffer us to go into……………………

A. Demons have faith (James 2:19 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble , but it is not saving faith

B. They believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God with authority to command them.

C. They believe in a future judgment (Matt. 8:29 rd.) and in the existence of a place of torment to which Jesus could send them (“the abyss,” Luke 8:31). It is a sad reality of our world when we have the demonic spirits that truly believe in judgment day and a world of people that believe that a holy and righteous God would not judge us. He will judge the sin in our lives. There are those that claim they believe judgment day is coming but live like it never will. ( tell about Clovis Jerry clower buddy who was running form judgment.

D. They also believe in prayer, for the demons begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss. They asked to be sent into the pigs, and Jesus granted their request. These demons knew their fate was in the hands of the master who didn’t need but to speak the word…………..

I. Depart from us Luke 8:34-37

34 When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country.

35 Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

36 They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed.

37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again.

Why were the people beseeching Jesus to leave them? I believe they acted the same way people do today that put Him away. As we look at this passage there are two main points of reason I believe people are uncomfortable with the Lord’s presence and thus pray that He would leave.

A. Fear—the Bible says in verse 35 rd---- They were fearful of that that they did not understand. . They knew the background of these men, they knew that no one could pass that way. The Bible says they were exceedingly fierce. What a tremendous opportunity they missed to trust in the Lord Jesus and the power of His might. Those people are still with us today. We need to be able to recognize the fearful around us and how we might help them come to faith. They are found in the world and in the church.

1. In the world-----We see this fear of the unknown of God in the world in different places from the creation account to problems in society. Fear soon turns to a hatred of the things of God. It is the truth that is attacked. As the church we cannot backup or shut-up with the message God has mandated us to preach and teach.( talk about being BORN AGAIN and how the church has quit using that terminology because it causes fear but Jesus used this terminology with Nicodemus. The Bible says in Eph. 2:8-9

2. In the Church-----We see this fear in the church today because the church has become one of our greatest mission fields and also one of the hardest. There are those that come Sun. after Sun. and really does not desire to see the Holy Spirit turned loose in the house of God. When the Spirit moves there are those that are offended by that….. Bro. David in the church? Yes (tell about Man at Magbee 74 yrs. Old) Friends can I tell you today that if you’re not willing to accept and desire the Life changing power of the Lord Jesus in your life and trade in tradition and legalism for the truth you should be afraid…………….

There are those in the church that are praying that God would not visit us and change that what we have going on. No power, No change

B. Covetness----Jesus was rejected again by no other than covetous men

1. The covetous heard of the Lord’s presence and behavior. The herd-keepers ran into the city to report what had happened and the whole city came forward and reacted against the loss of wealth. Nothing was acknowledged of the good that was done.

A. There was good in that a great deliverance had taken place. Two hopeless men had been healed and delivered.

B. There was good in the truth about the swine. Whatever was behind the destruction of the swine, it was for the good of all involved

aa. It was a visible sign that the two possessed men were truly saved and freed from the evil spirits. Everyone knew beyond question that the two were possessed.

bb. It was to attract attention and open the door for the evangelization of the surrounding district.

cc. It was to awaken covetous men to the fact that they were gripped by greed.

2. The covetous felt nothing in common with Christ. “When they saw Him,” they saw only a man standing there who had destroyed their property. They were blind to the glorious work and deliverance that had been done. Salvation was not on their mind only business. Their thoughts were engulfed in their material loss, not in heaven’s gain.

aa. The Lord’s attitude and demands toward material possessions are stringent. A covetous man is forced either to repent, that is turn from material seeking or to outrighly reject Christ (Mt 19:16-22)

3. The covetous rejected and expelled Christ. The covetous did not come to be saved by the Messiah , but to expel Him. They expelled Him who had the power to expel all the evil forces that had gripped their lives and that was leading them down the road to material destruction.

I Jn 2:15-16

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

III. That I may follow and be with you

(vs38) This was the first recorded witness of Jesus in a Gentile area.

The one former demoniac kept pleading with Jesus to be allowed to travel with Him and help Him. What a noble desire from a newly converted man! He had more spiritual discernment than all the other citizens put together. The man was not yet ready to become a disciple, but he could serve Jesus as a witness, starting at home among his Gentile relatives and friends. Jesus did not want Jews who had been healed to say too much about it, but it was safe for the Gentiles to tell others what Jesus had done for them, and that is what he did.

What can we learn from the men set free from Satan’s grip? We too need to desire that part of being with Him and being a disciple that has a longing for nothing else but to be with Him. Why are we here today?