Jesus vs. The Army from Hell (Matthew 8:28-34)
Jesus vs. The Army from Hell
Matthew 8:28-34
Again, at this point in our study,
You are aware of what Matthew is presently doing.
He is systematically showing us the power of Jesus.
We have seen His power over sickness.
He restored a leper
He healed a paralytic
He removed a fever
We have seen His power over nature.
He calmed the storm
And we know why He did all those things.
It was to show that He had the power to undo the effects of sin.
HE IS THE ONE WHO CAN REVERSE THE CURSE.
Well, this morning Matthew gives us yet another area
In which to display the power of Jesus.
This time Matthew reveals Jesus’ power over Satan.
WHY SATAN?
Because he is that usurper that we spoke of last week.
Last week we spoke of the perfect creation
And how it was cursed because of the sin of Adam.
Let us not forget that Adam had some help in his decision.
Genesis 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.”
Obviously we do not hold Adam innocent.
Adam made a bad choice, and one which has consequences upon us all.
Yet, in one sense Adam was a victim.
He was a victim of the work of Satan.
And so while Christ has proven He can undo the effects of sin,
You and I know that there is still a bigger problem.
For you see, when Satan tempted Adam,
It was he who stole the authority over creation.
Adam once had it, Satan stole it.
And now, Adam is not the one who rules this creation, Satan does.
2 Corinthians 4:4 calls him “the god of this world”
Ephesians 2:2 calls him “the prince of the power of the air”
Ephesians 6:12 refers to him as “the ruler”, “the power”, and “the force of darkness in this world”
He stole the right to rule this creation from Adam,
AND SO OBVIOUSLY SATAN MUST BE DEALT WITH.
AND HE WILL BE.
Even Genesis promised that One would come to deal with this usurper.
Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
From the day Adam and Eve were punished God promised
That one day One was coming, the seed of Eve,
Who would crush the head of the serpent.
And so the world has been looking for that man.
Matthew wants you to know that He is Jesus.
Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”
1 John 3:8 “the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
And so, again, if Jesus is the Messiah,
Not only must He overcome the effects of sin on this world,
But He must also be the One capable of overcoming the usurper
Who helped introduce sin to us.
And that is why Matthew reveals that Jesus routinely cast out demons.
Now, while most are a footnote or a single statement,
Matthew chose to expound on this one.
And the reason is obvious.
You have read this story enough to know,
That while some call this man the Gadarene Demoniac,
Others call him by the name he gave which is “Legion”.
Mark 5:9 “And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”
And to help you understand better.
A legion was a military term.
Matthew 26:53 “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”
A legion comprised of 6,000 soldiers.
And so it is obvious why Matthew would choose this specific event.
This isn’t just Jesus vs. A Demon
This is JESUS VS. THE ARMY FROM HELL
If Jesus wins here, there is no doubt that He can handle Satan.
#1 THE REALITY
Matthew 8:28-29
“When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him…”
So it has been quite a couple of days here.
• Preached in the Synagogue
• Cast out a demon
• Healed Peter’s mother-in-law
• Conversed with two would-be followers
• Fell asleep in a boat
• Woke up and calmed the see
Now it is Sunday, and they have reached the other side.
And no sooner does Jesus get out of the boat than is He confronted.
Mark 5:2 “When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him,”
While Mark and Luke only record 1 demon possessed man,
Matthew here says that there were two.
Mark and Luke obviously focused on the worst of the two,
But nothing they said indicates that there was only one there.
And so these two men meet Jesus instantly.
And let’s talk about the REALITY of this situation.
“two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.”
1) POSSESSION
“two men who were demon-possessed”
That is a little bit of a confusing term.
People seem to liken it as one having a demon inside of them.
But it is more than that.
A demon is a spirit and so it is not as though
They are hindered by the skin of a human.
(Satan could get “in” any of us, he certainly gets in our mind at times)
The idea here is not that these men have demons in them,
But rather that these men have demons controlling them.
• These men are under their authority.
• These men are under their command.
• The demons “possess” them in the sense of ownership
These men belong to these demons.
HOW DID THEY GET IN THIS PREDICAMENT?
Scripture doesn’t say.
We do know that there is a direct correlation between this and sin.
Ephesians 4:27 “and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
1 Peter 5:8 “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
The idea here is that Satan takes ownership,
Much in the same way that he did with Adam and Eve.
He trades for something you want.
And frequently we yield control of an area of our life to him
Because we will not part with something in it.
That is why the believer’s armor deals with these components:
Truth as a belt
Righteousness as a breastplate
Gospel of Peace as shoes
Faith as a shield
Salvation as a helmet
God’s word as a sword
The idea is that we protect ourselves from him
Through righteous and discerning living.
Now, we don’t know what these guys did, Scripture doesn’t tell us,
And notice that Jesus doesn’t even address it in their lives.
Jesus merely sees these men as victims of Satan
2) POSITION
“met Him as they were coming out of the tombs.”
These men were literally living in death.
Can you imagine a worse place to live than in the tombs of the dead?
This was a spiritual picture of the effects of Satan in a life.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;”
He certainly has done that here.
And really, Matthew doesn’t even give you the whole picture.
Luke 8:27 “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.”
Mark 5:5 “Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones.”
This guy was in a horrible position.
He was a victim of Satan.
And so, in case you were unaware,
Let me just remind you that Satan has no good plans for you.
What he offers is sweet to the taste and death to the soul.
He is the type that would give liquor to an alcoholic
Sugar to a diabetic
Keys to a thief
And a gun to an angry man
He gives so that you will be destroyed.
And these men are a living illustration of that.
Possession, Position
3) POWER
“They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.”
Again, Matthew doesn’t tell you everything.
Mark 5:3-4 “and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.”
These men didn’t just hurt themselves, they wanted to hurt others as well.
And no human agent was able to bring them under control.
They couldn’t even bind him with a chain and subdue him.
And just for a moment let me remind you of the power of Satan.
We live in a world where Satan is mocked and taunted
And almost treated as a dork.
If you will remember Peter and Jude both said the only people
Who would mock and taunt and revile Satan or his demons
Are actually the arrogant false prophets.
2 Peter 2:10-11 “Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.”
Jude 8-9 “Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Even mighty angels don’t rebuke and revile the devil.
Yet we live in a day where this occurs.
And let me tell you why this is foolish.
Because none of those people have a clue who they are dealing with.
HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO SATAN IS?
Ezekiel 28:14-16 “You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. “By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.”
Satan is a cherub.
It was cherubs who spread their wings over the mercy seat.
It was cherubs whom God put to guard the garden of eden.
It is cherubs who surround the throne of God.
CHERUBS ARE THE ELITE AND POWERFUL ANGELS.
AND SATAN IS A CHERUB.
Yes he is fallen, yes he is evil,
But being evil didn’t make him less powerful.
And even the holiest men in Scripture had trouble with him.
(He caused Job a considerable amount of trouble)
Let me give you some verses of example.
1 Thessalonians 2:18 “For we wanted to come to you — I, Paul, more than once — and yet Satan hindered us.”
(Or we could talk about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan”
Whom Paul could not deal with.)
Matthew 17:14-16 “When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.”
Daniel 10:12-13 “Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”
Here we have the apostles, even Paul, and even an angel from heaven
Who had legitimate difficulty dealing with Satan and his angels.
False prophets certainly did.
Acts 19:13-16 “But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
Beyond that, we know that demons are crafty with the power to deceive.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.”
And if all that is not enough, let these men here be an example.
No one could handle them.
In Scripture just one demon can wreak havoc on a human.
We see them causing all sorts of problems:
Matthew 12:22 – muteness & blindness
Mark 9:25 – Deafness
Luke 13:10-17 – bodily deformity
Mark 1:26 – Uncontrolled Fits
Luke 8:27-35 – Antisocial behavior
And obviously here – Insanity
And I don’t tell you that so that you will be in awe of the devil
But so that you will have an accurate understanding.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MESS WITH SATAN
AND YOU CERTAINLY DON’T WANT ANYTHING HE OFFERS
But there is one more thing here you should see.
4) PERCEPTION
(29) “And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
And obviously demons have perception.
Jesus has walked all over this area and performed numerous signs.
And yet no one has seemed to be able to tell who He was.
Not even the disciples in the boat who were afraid.
But it only took a matter of seconds
Before these demon-possessed men spotted Him.
They knew Him instantly.
Furthermore they know what many lost men today don’t recognize
Which is the day of judgment is already appointed.
In fact, their concern is not that Jesus is going to destroy them,
But that He might do it early.
“Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
And so here is the reality.
Two demon-possessed men who are terribly tormented and out of control,
But the demons victimizing them, recognize that their days are numbered.
The Reality
#2 THE REMOVAL
Matthew 8:30-32
Notice it is not a matter of “IF” Jesus casts them out,
But rather what He will do with them once they are removed.
These demons are so afraid of what He might do,
That they already start pleading for mercy in the sentence.
“Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
No one knows why these demons wanted to enter the pigs.
(But it certainly makes them appear desperate to a Jewish audience)
And Jesus allows it.
(32) “And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters.”
So the demons enter the pigs, and the pigs rush to their death.
He really didn’t even have to tell these demons to go.
After they saw Him, He only had to let them leave.
AND DON’T LET THE DEATH OF THE PIGS BOTHER YOU.
THESE PIGS SERVE A GREAT PURPOSE.
They prove that these men were truly demon-possessed.
This was not a healing of a disease, this was a removal of demons.
Or else the pigs would have never been affected.
MAKE NO MISTAKE, JESUS DEFEATED THE ARMY FROM HELL.
DEMONS ARE NO MATCH FOR JESUS
Demons almost seem to have their way with humanity,
But we learn here that even an army of them is no match for Jesus.
One demon might throw your life into a tailspin,
But an entire army from hell can’t do a thing with Jesus.
In fact Jesus’ power over Satan is so strong,
Many assumed He was just their leader.
Matthew 12:24-29 “But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.” And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? “If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.”
You see, He is the One who can crush the head of the serpent.
He is the One who can not only undo the effects of sin,
But who can also put a stop to the liar who introduced it.
JESUS UNDID THE WORKS OF SATAN
Acts 10:38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Jesus’ ministry could be described like this.
Jesus went around undoing the work of Satan!
Satan was no match for him.
Isn’t it becoming obvious that this man is the Messiah?
You would think all would run to Him.
But not all do.
In fact, let’s look at the third point.
#3 THE RESPONSE
Matthew 8:33-34
I don’t know about you,
But this seems to be one of the strangest things I have ever seen.
“the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.”
When I prepare sermons,
I begin with a piece of paper which only contains the text I am preaching.
But for verses 33-34 I only have one word written.
“WHY?”
Surely everyone in that town knew who He was,
And for the life of me I can’t figure out why they wanted Him to leave.
But honestly:
I CAN’T FIGURE OUT WHY PEOPLE REJECT HIM TODAY EITHER.
When we see who Jesus is, and what He desires for our lives,
I can’t figure out why instead of pleading with men to come,
We don’t have to tell people to wait their turn.
I am blown away with why people don’t just flock to Jesus.
THERE IS REALLY ONLY ONE EXPLANATION
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
The only conclusion I can come to is that these two men
Were not the only ones Satan was working on.
O sure these two men looked the worst.
Sure these two men left no doubt as to their need.
But it is obvious to me that the crowd on this day
Was every bit as deceived.
Only the difference is that the two tormented men left delivered,
And the others chose to remain in their sin.
What happened to this man with a legion?
Mark 5:18-19 “As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.”
The crazy, violent, naked, destructive man was saved.
Yet it was all the normal, sane, social people who remained lost.
Satan loves to afflict people like these two men,
But even more than that he likes to deceive people like this town.
And now, their only hope is the demoniac
Who will stay as an evangelist in that region.
THE POINT IS SIMPLE.
There is no doubt who Jesus is.
He is the Messiah.
• If you have never given your life to Jesus let me ask you, “Why?”
• If you have never publicly confessed Him, “Why?”
• If you have never obeyed in baptism, “Why?”
Because your rejection is just as baffling as the rejection of this town.
So this morning let me ask you to do what these would not.
Open your eyes to see that Jesus is the One who can save you
And instead of asking Him to leave,
Why don’t you ask to go with Him.
Surrender your life to Christ.
He is the Savior of the world.
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
