Meeting Jesus - Live In Freedom
Experience a captivating sermon as we explore the powerful story in Luke 8:26-39 of a man possessed by demons, living in a cemetery, and bound by chains. Discover how Jesus has the power to set you free from fear, hopelessness, and the chains of your past. Unravel the truth behind being filled with lies instead of being demon-possessed and learn how Jesus can release you from deception, despair, and self-doubt. Explore the authority of Jesus over various aspects of life and embrace your true identity as a child of God.
As a child, there were many times I experienced being afraid of the dark. It wasn’t a common thing. It wasn’t an everyday thing.
But at night sometimes, my imagination would wander, and fear would override my common sense. The faces of Freddy Kruger. Jason Vorhees. Mike Myers…and Norman Bates…they scared the crap out of me as a kid! And sometimes the darkness would paralyze me to the point I barely breathed. Dark shapes of trees, or shrubs, or things in my room, would transform into the faces of the characters that Hollywood had created and I believed that they were going to leap out at me and kill me.
Any other children of the 70’s and 80’s that want to admit to being scared of the dark and thinking about those guys? Today’s passage of scripture can read like a Stephen King novel…
Demonic possession. A cemetery. Chains and shackles. Self-harm and howling at the moon.
It is from Luke 8:26-39, and the Gospel writer Mark also provides an account of this crazy story, and I am going to add one of the verses from Mark, to this passage to help with the context.
Let’s read together:
Luke 8:26-27 (NLT2)
26 So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in a cemetery outside the town.
Mark 5:5 (NLT2)
5 Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.
Luke 8:28-39 (NLT2)
28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power. 30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit. 32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs. So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned. 34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them. So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.
Bizarre story, right? In case it is not obvious, let me point out everything that this man had going against him:
He was Demon possessed, naked, homeless, and lived in a cemetery. (v. 27)
He wandered around the cemetery day and night, howling and cutting himself with sharp rocks. (Mark 5:5)
The people that he knew CHAINED and SHACKLED him to the rocks (v. 29)
Regardless of the difficulties you are facing and the hopelessness you may feel in life – this man has you beat! You can at least read this passage of scripture and say, “I have problems – but not like him.”
If you feel chained down.
If you feel like you cannot get over your past.
If your struggles continue to resurface day and night.
If you just don’t feel like you can overcome your past…
Like this demon possessed man, I want you to know, you can be freed. I understand that this passage is a bit unsettling. This man was demon possessed. He was controlled by the Devil and was filled with demons. I do not believe that a follower of Jesus can be possessed by the Devil…
Once a person has become a follower of Jesus, once they have surrendered their life to Jesus, received Jesus as their savior, and have committed their lives to Him, they have been made NEW. They are born AGAIN.
They have the Holy Spirit living inside of them.
So, I do not believe that a follower of Jesus can become DEMON possessed, because the Holy Spirit of God already possesses them.
BUT
I do believe that a follower of Jesus can begin to believe the lies of the devil and live as confused, and feel as isolated and powerless as this man.
As we looked at last week, the devil hates God and the devil hates followers of Jesus.
And…
KEEPING PEOPLE IN BONDAGE IS A PRIORITY FOR THE DEVIL
In verse 30, Jesus asked the man a very simple question.
“What is your name?”
I could answer that question. You could answer that question. But the man had lived under the influence of the devil for so long, he could not answer the question correctly.
His name was NOT Legion. His real name was a good Jewish name. Thomas, Matthew, Peter, or John…LEGION was not the man’s name.
But he had lived in darkness, confusion, and hurt for so long, he had forgotten his name. He had forgotten who he really was. He had forgotten his identity. He had given up. He had quit the fight and BELIEVED the lies.
Jesus characterized the Devil in John 8. Jesus said:
John 8:44 (NLT)
…He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
As a follower of Jesus, you cannot be demon possessed, but you CAN BE FILLED WITH LIES. You should not believe the discouragement and despair that CREEPS into your thought life.
You should not believe the harsh words that others speak into your lives.
You should not believe the whispers of hopelessness when you are trapped and bound by your own sin…
BELIEVE the TRUTH that just like this demon possessed man – Jesus can SET YOU FREE!
He can free you from the deception of abusive criticism, lies that you have begun to believe about yourself, Pessimism, doubt, and despair…He can set you free, but only if you want to be free.
Lot’s of people who profess to be followers of Jesus, choose to live in darkness every single day. They have been set free from the penalty of sin, but they make choices to live imprisoned every single day.
Do you do that?
JESUS MADE YOUR FREEDOM A PRIORITY, DO YOU?
Jesus went out of his way to encounter this man and set him free. The night before Jesus landed the boat in front of this man, he and his disciples had fought the storm in the middle of the lake. In verse 37 – Jesus gets back into the boat to leave. THE only reason why JESUS had made the journey across the water was to rescue this man. This moment. Getting across the water wasn’t easy. Jesus made the freedom of the Gerasene Demoniac a priority and…
Jesus has made your freedom a priority too! He went to great lengths to set you free from SIN.
Paying the penalty for our sin – he was arrested, beaten, whipped, scourged, mocked, and savagely murdered on a cross. His blood and broken body paid the penalty for our sins.
Jesus made your freedom a PRIORITY although it came at GREAT personal cost.
Does your freedom matter to you as much as it matters to Jesus?
Do you make your freedom a priority?
Every single Friday night at 6:30, Celebrate Recovery meets here at Adventure Beach. Anybody with HURTS, HABITS, or HANGUPS are welcome to get involved and invited to discover freedom.
And, if you are a Veteran, or you know a veteran, that has been scarred and damaged from service in the military, we have a special CR small group just for you. Other Veterans, gathered together to help one another recover and heal…
Many men and women have never recovered from a childhood of abuse, so they chase “what they knew” as a child through one bad relationship after another. Many men and women have been set free from the chains of sin, but they keep holding on to the chains because they don’t know how to live free. Their more comfortable with shackles than freedom.
Make your freedom a priority.
Jesus offers abundant life. He offers honesty, love, and hope. Love yourself enough to choose freedom. And understand,
JESUS HAS THE AUTHORITY TO SET YOU FREE, WILL YOU LET HIM?
Maybe like this man… you are overcome with evil in this world. Maybe you are overwhelmed with an addiction to anxiety. Maybe your relationship with your spouse is crumbling and you feel like you will never experience a HEALTHY relationship with them.
Maybe you have a hidden addiction to drugs…an addiction to alcohol…or hopelessness.
Throughout the Gospel of Luke, the Son of God, JESUS demonstrates he has the AUTHORITY to set people free.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over finances (coin in the mouth of the fish), over demonic oppression, and the evil one himself.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over nature by calming the wind & rain.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over the human body by fasting for 40 Days in the wilderness.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over temptation by living 33 years on this earth and refusing to yield to temptation.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over the Laws of Physics by walking on Water, turning WATER into WINE, and multiplying the loaves and fish.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over DEATH and LIFE by raising people from the dead.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over the Law of Gravity by ascending into heaven.
He demonstrates AUTHORITY over sin by paying the penalty for sin through Jesus death and rising from the dead.
THERE IS NOTHING THAT MY JESUS CANNOT DO!
Your freedom is a PRIORITY for JESUS and he CAN SET YOU FREE.
Like this man – perhaps of you have been cowering and hiding in the darkness so long you have forgotten who you really are and who you belong to.
You are not a child of the evil one - you have been born again and you are a child of the most high God!
Live like it! Step out of the shadows of shame and darkness.
John 8:36 (NLT)
36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.
Romans 8:2 (NLT)
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 6:22 (NLT)
22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life.
And once you have been set free – then do what this man did.
Jesus cast the demon out of the man, people who witnessed it ran to the town and told everybody and when they all came running back, the man was clothed, sitting calmly and in his right mind. He wanted to follow Jesus at this point, but Jesus had something greater for him to do.
He told everybody about what Jesus had done for him.
You can too. On July 16, we will have Beach Baptisms. Join us and let your world know that you have been set free from sin, and you are a follower of Jesus.