9/16/12 Sermon: “Greater is He That is in You!”
(Texts: Ephesians 2:1-7; I John 4:1-4 & 5:19; Luke 8:26-39)
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Last Sunday’s sermon was based on Luke 8:22-25 which records the time when Jesus proved that He is God by stilling a storm and calming a raging sea simply by saying: “Be still!” Jesus thereby showed that He is our Creator. Jesus is God in human flesh.
Today’s sermon is based on our Gospel reading, which is Luke 8:26-39. In today’s reading we find more evidence that Jesus is God as we witness Him exercise authority over a bunch of demons who had possessed a man.
However, before we examine today’s Gospel reading and see how it applies to our lives today, I would first like to take a little time to tell you what Scripture teaches about the devil and his demons.
Simply put, the devil and his demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God. Now, the Bible doesn’t teach us much about angels. What we do know is that angels are spirit beings whom God created to serve us humans.
But one of the angels refused to be our servant. In fact, this angel wanted to take God’s place. This rebellious angel is known by various names – the devil; Satan; the serpent; the prince of the world; the ruler of the kingdom of the air; the god of this age; Lucifer; the father of lies. Jesus says this about the devil: “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
When the devil rebelled against God, many other angels followed him – and these other fallen angels are known as devils or demons. Along with their leader, the devil, these demons prowl around the world – speaking lies and thereby leading people away from Christ or keeping them from believing in Christ in the first place. As Paul writes in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
With that said, there is something you must understand. The devil and his angels are created beings. They are not more powerful than God. This is important, because some non-Christian religions teach that there are two equal but opposite forces that fight for control of the universe – the power of good and the power of evil, and we’ll have to wait and see who will win in the end.
But this is not what Scripture teaches at all! The devil is not an equal but opposite power on the same level as God. No! Our Creator - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is in control and the devil never had a chance. Therefore, those who trust in God and take refuge in Him have nothing to fear. But those who reject God are doomed to be condemned with the devil and his demons.
This takes us to another important point. Martin Luther once said that we humans are like one of two kinds of horses: God rides one horse and holds the reigns; the devil rides the other horse and holds the reigns. Simply put, there is no human who is in control of his or her life. Either God is your master or the devil is.
Sadly, there are many people in this world – even right here in Jamestown – who want nothing to do with Jesus or His Church, and they think that they are in control of their own lives and masters of their own destiny. But they don’t realize that they are puppets of the devil and slaves to his evil will.
If your heart and mind are not controlled by the Holy Spirit, then the only other option is that your heart and mind are control by the devil. This is what Paul means when he talks about the “the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” This is what John means when he writes: “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
With that understood, allow me to talk very briefly about the difference between demon OPPRESSION and demon POSSESSION.
Demon OPPRESSION is when God allows the devil and his demons to persecute believers in order to make us grow in our faith and trust in God all the more. This is what was happening when God allowed the devil to persecute job. This is also what was happening when God sent a demon to torment the apostle Paul. We Christians may be oppressed by demons in various ways, but it’s always under God’s sovereign control and God will use this to make us even stronger in our faith.
In contrast, demon POSSESSION takes place when someone rejects Christ and ends up being a slave of the devil. Now, when we hear those words “demon possession” we usually think of movies like The Exorcist with people whose bodies levitate and whose heads spin around and who utter obscene words and blasphemies in voices not their own.
People get that idea about demon possession from today’s Gospel reading where we heard about a man whose behavior was very abnormal because he was possessed by demons.
Now, there are some cases when the devil or demons will control a person in a very obvious way so that no one is in doubt that such a person is controlled by some evil power. Such was the case with the man in our Gospel reading.
However, in most cases demon possession goes unnoticed. In most cases people are possessed by the devil or his demons and they don’t even know it because they seem to be normal people, maybe even good people, who are in control of their lives.
But this is where the devil is so deceptive. If he can get people to think that they are in control of their lives while all the time they are really being controlled by the devil, then the devil has truly deceived them.
There are many people in the world – some right here in Jamestown – who are law abiding citizens and who even do some good things, but they see no need for Jesus or His Church. Either they do not believe God exists or they believe in some false god or gods. These people think they run their own lives but they are actually possessed by the devil. As we heard at the end of our reading from 1st John: “…the whole world is under the control of the evil one.”
Now we’re ready to briefly examine today’s Gospel reading. Jesus and His disciples travel to a region where they are met by a demon-possessed man. In fact, this man can’t even speak for himself. Instead, one of the demons speaks through him and says to Jesus: “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”
Here we see that this demon knows who Jesus is and this demon trembles with fear. You see, this demon knows that Jesus is in control and that the time is short for the devil and his demons.
In fact, this demon and his fellow demons think that Jesus has come to end the world and cast the devil and his demons into hell there and then. That’s why they ask Jesus not to cast them into the Abyss – another name for the eternal hell where the devil and his demons will suffer for all eternity. But Jesus knows that it was not yet time to end the world. That Day is yet to come.
Then the demons beg Jesus to send them into a herd of pigs instead, and Jesus permits them to go into the pigs. We don’t know for sure why Jesus did this. Maybe he sent them into the pigs to keep them from possessing another person. In any case, the pigs go crazy, run over a cliff, and drown.
The people of that area come out and witness all this. But instead of falling on their knees and thanking Jesus and confessing their sins and putting their trust in Him, they tell Jesus to leave because they are afraid of Him. Apparently, these people were also possessed by demons – just not in a way that was obvious to anyone.
Isn’t that ironic? These people knew about that demon possessed man and probably condemned him rather than trying to help him. But they were blind to the fact that they were also possessed. The devil lied to them about Jesus, and they believed that lie. They told Jesus to leave them.
But the man who was freed from demon possession did not fear Jesus. In fact, this man begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus said to him: “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” And then notice what Luke writes next: “So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.”
Did you catch that? Jesus told the man to tell everyone what GOD had done for him. Luke then says that this man told everyone what JESUS had done for him. This man believed that Jesus was God in human flesh. He knew this because only God has power over the devil and his demons.
Now, how does all this apply to us? Simply put, you are not in control of your life; you are not master of your own destiny. Remember Luther’s “Two Riders” analogy? You’re one of two horses. So, who holds the reigns of your life?
If you’re just going through the motions of worship today; if you don’t really take your sin seriously and you don’t think you need forgiveness from Jesus; if you don’t think you need to hear God’s Word or take it seriously; if you want to live as you please and could care less what God’s will is for your life – then you need to know that you are a puppet of the devil and you are possessed.
On the other hand, if this Service actually means something to you; if you agree with God about your sin and if you trust in Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life; if you know you need to hear God’s Word and you actually believe it; if you want to turn from your sin and live in a way that pleases God – then you need to know that you are a child of God and you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
But even if you are possessed by the evil one – it doesn’t have to stay that way. Jesus is here, right now, to set you free. You can come to God with all your sins and know that you are forgiven because Jesus died on the cross in your place of damnation and conquered death for you by His resurrection from the grave.
Jesus has also conquered the devil, and if you trust in Jesus as your Savior the devil can’t harm you. As John said in our reading: “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” Also, listen to what the apostle Peter writes: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith …”
Today you can come to this altar in repentance and faith knowing that God’s Spirit dwells within you. Today you can come to this altar in repentance and faith to eat and drink Jesus’ Body and Blood – given and shed for you. Jesus gives you this gift to assure you that you are forgiven and that He dwells within you. So, when you leave this place today, remember: “…the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Amen!