Luke 8:33-39

The book of Luke, chapter 8, I want to read verses 33 through 39 for our text and study this morning. Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked. When they had fed them, saw what was done, They fled and went and told it in the city and in the country. 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. They also, which saw it, told them by what means he, they then, was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the multitude of the country of the gatherings 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. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him, with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to mine own a house, and show how great things God have done unto thee. And he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. May God bless to us His sacred and holy word this morning. Years ago, if you were sailing down the Thames River in England, you would occasionally see a green flag. This wind-tattered flag had the word wreck on it, and it would be floating in the breeze above a mask or maybe a steam pipe from a ship, a funnel, just visible above the water. And anyone navigating the river would all, you don’t have to go around the dust. different wrecks that were in the river, else their own ship would be harmed. There are many people who lives lives that you could put the word wreck upon, and we as the people of God, as we navigate through this life, have to realize that there are certain people that are wrecks to avoid. They’re disastrous to be around. ruinous to others. We see that in the case here of the gatherings in their spirit and their attitude here toward Christ. Jesus, you recall, has just cast out a legion of demons of demons from a man of the country of the gatherings. When he did so, the demons entered into a herd of swine, which then perceived. needed to go headlong off a cliff into the sea and they drowned, as verse 33 indicates to us. Now scripture reveals to us what effect this casting out of the demons had upon the people in the country of the Gatterines and had upon the man out of whom the demons were cast. I want to talk this morning on the common traits of the unethers of the unconstrued. unregenerate and the common traits of the regenerate with an eye of you wane where you stand. Let me begin by mentioning this. You see two common traits here of the unregenerate. First, your life is dominated by covetousness. The swineineine and soon it spread the news of what Jesus did and what happened to the swine. And perhaps with the evil purpose of turning the people of the gatherings against Christ because that’s exactly what happened. A multitude of people went to inquire about this whole incident. A large group of them did. and they went also to get Christ to leave their land. They saw the demon-possessed man that was now clothed, who was now in his right mind, who was now sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to what he had to say. But they still considered Christ to be a nuisance. They were frightened. They’re amazed by what Christ had done, but their main concern was the destruction of the swan. Not the deliverance of their poor countrymen from these demons. Evidently, they were fear for more losses than just the swine if Christ had stayed in the area. But think about this a minute. For them, the swine was more important than the Savior. That says a lot about someone. This reveals a lot. Their covetousness made them value the possessions of the swine or the money that was lost because they weren’t able to sell them more than the good that Christ had done. It becomes clear that these people, when we look at them, are really dominated by covetousness, money, money, possessions. wealth or what to them is of vital importance. Now this is a common trait of the unregenerate man, the natural man. Jeremiah puts it this way in Jeremiah 613. From the least of them, even under the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness. That’s how he defined his own generation. from the least in age, where we talk about children, to the oldest among them, to the senior citizens, it didn’t matter. All of them were covetous. From the lowest class in society, the poorest man, to the one who was in the upper income bracket, the richest man, the richest man. The richest man, they were all covetous. From the most notorious sinner who flagrantly broke God’s law. to the religious man, maybe a priest. Covetousness was found. Covetousness is a prevailing sin. Is it interesting in when Paul talks about his former days before he was converted, when he talks about how he lived, and he thought himself pretty much blameless with regard to the law of God, the one thing that got him was the Tenth Commandment. It was a conventment. covetousness. When you read Romans chapter 7, it was the thing that actually upset the apple card for. That was a heart matter, you see, very distinctly a heart matter. Because he was looking at all the commandments just from their outward aspect. All of them really are heart matters, but the tenth one in particular emphasizes the state of the heart. Scripture speaks of the person. Scripture who coveteth greedily all day long in Proverbs 21-26. In other words, this is not just a one-time sin. It occurs once in a blue moon in a person’s life. It’s a continuous thing every day. All day. There’s this thing that this sin that besets people. The Apostle of Paul defines covetousness in this manner. He speaks of covetousness as idolatry in Colossians 3-5. It’s an unceasing desire to seek riches and possessors, and then confiding in them as the greatest good for your soul. The highest end for your life. He that love is silver should not be satisfied with silver, he that love of abundance, with increase. Elysiasis 5 and verse 10. The evil of covetousness is not simply desiring or to seeking of something of this earth’s goods, but it is indeed an unsatisfiable thirst for more. There are reasons that we may seek this world’s goods. We may have a family to provide for. We may need to have an income or at least have some type of possessions in order to provide for our families. We may seek this world’s goods in order that we not only would have something for our family, but that we could share it with others. Those would be good reasons. We may indeed be a people that enjoy the abundance and good things that God has given us, and that would be fine. But making this, this the chief end of your life is an evil thing. It’s an evil thing. Now a covenous person is idolater because he loves riches and possessions above everything else. This involves clinging to earthly things in the place of God. As Job puts it, he says this about someone’s heart who thinks about gold. Thou art my hope and and defying gold, thou art my confidence. Covetous people place their trust in wealth and possessions and not in God. Did they want Christ? No. They were more concerned about their possessions. That’s a covetous heart. What is the effect of covetousness on a person? Well, you read in the scripture about Balaam, the false prophet, you remember? Think about the mad contradiction he had against the will of God because he was covetous. Think about Ahat. Who was tempted to murder Naboth for his vineyard because he coveted it. And his wife worked out all the details for him. Think about Aiken, who was motivated to steal God’s portion from the city of Jericho out of covetousness. Think about Judas, who was motivated to steal from God’s portion and to betray his master Jesus Christ because he was covetous. Think about Gahazi and Ananias who were motivated the lie because of covetousness. Think about Demas who did. deserted the work of the Lord because he was covetous. What need there is to pray, incline my heart under thy testimonies and not unto covetousness, as the psalmist did in Psalm 11936. But sadly, the natural man has a heart exercised with covetous practices, as Second Pier 2.14 tells us. So your life is dominated by covetousness. Does that describe you this morning? Is that an indication of where you stand? If you have a choice, what is it? Is it the money you can make? Is Christ first in your life? How are you different from the gatherings? Secondly, you desire to banish Christ from your life. Verse 37, we read here, They asked, they besought him, they begged him to depart from them. Boy, instead of rejoicing at having such a glorious person among them who could cast out demons, they decide that they want to get rid of Christ. Here’s the Son of God, the Savior of the world, who has the words of eternal life by which they could be saved but they prefer that he leaves their presence. They were afraid of Christ. They were fearful that their sins should cause worse judgments to fall upon them than the loss of their swine. And preferring their worldly and sordid lifestyle to the good of their souls, they asked him to leave. This was a wicked request. In Christ, as a just judgment against them complied. Deprived them of his presence. My friends, it’s natural for the unregenerate person to have enmity against Christ and the gospel of Christ. People are afraid of Christ. They are fearful of being in his presence because they will suffer at his hands. Will there be made the loser by him? Here’s the sad fact. Are you one who does not care to depart from your sinful ways? You prefer your sin to the Savior? Therefore, they say unto God, as we read in Job 2114, depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. There was a lazy house maid who was scolded who was scolded for the untidiness of the chambers she kept. Well, she was upset, but she got scolded. She said, I’m sure that the rooms would be clean enough if it were not for that nasty sun that keeps showing up the dark corners. If the owner would just keep the curtains drawn, she wouldn’t have anything to complain about. How much this is like the man of the world when you think about it. Those who love evil have never a good word when the disturbing beams of the light of truth shine upon them. For when Jesus Christ comes along in the preaching of the scriptures, all the filthy corners of your life are exposed. Beware. For justly will Christ forsake dealing with those who are weary of him. On the day of judgment, Christ will say to them, depart from me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you, who said to him in this life, depart from us. Scripture says this in John 320. For everyone that doeth evil, hated the light, neither cometh the light, lest his deeds be reproved. Is it true? That you want nothing to do with Christ because you love, your sins more? Isn’t such an attitude worthy of God’s punishment? Wouldn’t you have to admit that you deserve the most severe punishment? Or as the scriptures put it, whose damnation is just, you have to admit that’s true. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to come into contact with Christ. You don’t like your sin expuls when Christ. When Christ’s is preached, it is going to expose your sin. He’s the holy son of God. And your sin is going to be exposed. You can’t hide it. Remember Isaiah? when he saw Christ high and lifted up upon the throne, he immediately thought of his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of his people. It exposed it. It will do the same to you. But isn’t it a good thing if your sin is exposed? Shouldn’t it lead you to confess it and to go to Christ for grace and forgiveness? And so it’s a sad thing that we see in many cases with people that they will rather get rid of Christ. A sad thing. So you find two common traits here in the unregenerate. Their life is dominated by covenousness and they want to banish Christ from their life. But let’s look in a positive light because there’s much more told here about the man who has been healed. Let’s look at it from a different perspective. Because you find the common traits here of the regenerate in this man. Christ is enthroned in your heart. Verse 35 talks about this man out of whom the devils were departed. Once Satan was his master, but now he’s a servant of Jesus Christ. Isn’t that what we see here? Satan lost his paramount influence over this man. And now this man is a believer in Christ. Christ is His Lord. Christ rules his life. He is committed to obeying what Christ commands him to do in his life. He’s been snatched out of the mouth of the lion, so to speak. And it’s true with all those who are saved by Jesus Christ. Remember what Apollyan said to Christian in their encounter, I perceive that you were once in my kingdom, but you left me to serve Christ. How true that is. How true that is. And as Christian said, I didn’t like your wages. I didn’t like why I was treated. I’d rather have Christ. my friends, Christ is our king. You have escaped Satan’s snare. You have bowed the knee to Christ. He now rules over you. And let me say this. If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. He’s free from the control of Satan. And that is the way it is with all of God’s people. Christ is enthroned in your heart. Notice something else. You are a dedicated disciple of Christ. In verse 35, we read these words that he was found sitting at the feet of Jesus. Now, that phrase that is used in Scripture, it means to sit at someone’s feet to listen to them as a teacher, to learn from them. Remember that Paul says that Acts 26 or 22. He says he was brought up in the city of Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers. The sitting at the feet of Gamal was for the purpose of being taught. And that’s what this man was doing. He was learning. Isn’t that what Jesus said? Take my yoke upon you and learn of me? You’ve taken your burden to him. You’ve found rest for your soul. And now you learn of him. He’s listening intently to all that Jesus has to say. And Jesus is going to have to impart wisdom to him in a brief manner because he’s not going to be there very long. The Psalm of Solomon reveals the heart of those who love Christ in Psalm 1-7. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest where thou makeest thy flock to rest at noon. Where are you feeding the flock? That’s where I want to be. That’s what the church should be like. You want to be fed by the chief shepherd and find spiritual rest and peace for your soul. Do you desire to learn of Christ? Are you willing to take His yoke upon you? Are you a dedicated disciple who delights to sit at his feet? who wants to know where he teaches his flock, where he feeds his flock. You are a dedicated disciple of Christ. Notice thirdly, that you are properly clothed. In verse 35, not only was he sitting at the feet of Christ, but he was clothed. Now before, you remember, he was naked. Imagine walking around naked all the time. The unregenerate man, as we pointed out, a few studies ago, walks around spiritually naked. According to Revelation 318, and he’s in need from Christ of white raiment to be clothed with. This man not only has his body now clothed, but he has his soul clothed with Christ’s righteousness. To be found in him not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness, the righteousness, the righteousness, the righteousness which is of God, the righteousness, but that which is through the righteousness, which is of God by faith. We as Christians not only adorn ourselves with modest apparel, so that we don’t show any nakedness, following the example of God when he clothed Adam and Eve with the skins of the animals when they had fallen in the garden, we as the people of God will clothe ourselves, obviously, that our physical nakedness doesn’t at all. here. But more importantly, we are clothed with Christ’s righteousness and the spiritual graces of the spirit of God, like a meek and quiet spirit we’re clothed with is the book of Peter talks about. Jesus properly clothes with you and say that you’re acceptable in his sight and you’re useful in his service. All Christians desire to be clothed. with the wedding garment, to have Christ’s righteousness imputed to them, to be accepted in the beloved. How important is it for you to know this, that do you have this delight that you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness? Remember the Psalmist, Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute sin. The one who has Christ’s sin. righteousness and doesn’t have sin imputed. That man is blessed. Does that describe you? You’re properly clothed. You’ve been given a sound mind. Verse 35 goes on to say, in his right mind. Now before, this man was considered a crazy man. He was considered someone who was out of his mind, a complete maniac. He engaged in all sorts of bizarre behavior, like living among the tombs and running around naked as we talked about. Who could reason with him? Who could persuade him? It changed his way. Nobody could. The demon so controlled his mind that he was always in a frenzied state. He was like a wild, uncontrollable animal. Headstrong, rebellious, untamable, dangerous to people around him. A person is never in his right mind when they’re in an unregenerate state. because the God of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not know Christ, who do not believe. However, when you are brought to salvation in Christ, your mind is renewed. The Bible actually says you have the mind of Christ. His spiritual mindset is given to you. You can think his thoughts after him. You’re able to think on a spiritual level. Fear for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of a sound mind, scripture says, in 2 Timothy 1.7. Your nine now is whole and healthy. The word sober here means serious-mindedness. It has the idea of self-control and self-discipline in it. You’ve been brought to your senses so that you’re sober-minded. You know, we think, think about it like this. someone who is under the influence of alcohol, the mind of a drunkard isn’t thinking clearly. They’re not thinking straight. They get mixed up. They get confused. That’s the unregenerate person. But the person who has salvation has a sober mind. He’s self-disciplined. He’s self-disciplined. He’s serious-minded. He has a self-controlled mind. He’s no longer thinking and confused and mixed-up manner. Is that how you would describe yourself? You’ve been given a sound line. He’s in his right mind. Notice something else here. You desire fellowship with Christ. Notice verse 38. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed beside him that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away. When Jesus turned his back on the gatherings and returned to the seashore, the man followed him. the man did not want Christ to leave. If Christ is going to leave, he wants to go with him. He’s grateful for the mercy he has received. And he wished to retain Christ’s company. His thinking is very different than from the people of the Gatterines, isn’t it? He values Christ’s company, his presence. And so those who know Christ, and have received of his fullness, his grace upon grace earnestly to desire to enjoy fellowship with the Savior. Always they want to be under his care. They will always want to be under his teaching, under his influence, under his protection. They don’t want the Savior to be far away. You are sensible of the blessed presence of Christ being with you. Not in a visible sense. But in a spiritual sense, for he never leaves his people. Doesn’t that comfort and rejoice your heart? If the presence of Christ is so sweet and desirable, even in this life, think of what the fullness of it must be in the life that is to come when we get to heaven, and the joy and the light that awaits us there. Nothing troubles the believer more than to be separated from Christ in any fashion. Now, we read that passage in the Song of Solomon, chapter 5. I read that for this purpose. Because you’ll very, you find a very troubled mind there in the bride. Your beloved has withdrawn himself and is gone. And that disturbs you if that would ever happen. That he would withdraw fellowship from you. She sought her beloved, but could not find him right away. She called out to him, but didn’t get an answer right away. She’s restless. She’s disturbed until she finds him. He is the chiefest among 10,000 to her. There’s no one like him. This captures the heart of every true believer. They cannot abide spiritual separation from Christ very long. Does that describe you? Notice also, my sixth point, my last point, you testify of the Savior. Verse 39, Return to thine own house and show how great things God had done unto thee, and he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. Since Jesus did not permit the cured man to go with him, he kept him behind for a purpose. And that purpose was to be a witness. to the gatherings and others in the area there about what Christ can do. Christ wanted him to testify of the Savior, the spread the knowledge of the gospel, among his friends, among his relatives, among his countrymen, and to show them the great things God had done for him. Not merely the casting out of the demons, but how that Christ had saved his soul. And this man did as Christ commanded and spread God’s truth throughout the whole city. It’s interesting, according to Mark’s gospel, who includes the same account, we read there that he actually spread the gospel throughout all the capitalists, a region of 10 cities that were real closely connected together. In other words, it wasn’t just among the gathering, but he was spreading it quite a distance away in the area, but still, he went out from his own area. The people, knowing his former wretched condition, had to marvel at the great change that took place in this man’s life and to listen to what he had to say. And so it is with all those who were called by God’s grace to salvation. You’re left on this earth for a purpose, and that purpose is to testify of your Savior. to live a godly life, a distinct life in the world around you, and so provide an indication to people that there’s a different kind of life, that Christ can save us from our sins. Among your family, among your relatives, among your coworkers, and your neighbors, you are to be a witness for Christ. This brings glory to the Savior. and to the gospel which proclaims the way of salvation in Jesus Christ. In times past, in your unconverted state, you were more like Onesimus, you were unprofitable. But now you’re profitable under the Lord and useful to a great many people. You can say with the psalmist, come, hear, all ye that fear, and I will declare what Heard. had done for my soul. Psalm 66. 16. Do you desire to testify of Christ to those around you? Because this man gave that indication. This is a trait of God’s people. Let me conclude this morning by saying this. In time past, traveling down the Thames River, you could see all those green flags that marked the wrecks. my friend there’s some green flags that mark here the wrecks of the wreck of the gatterines here. They were covetous. They didn’t want to be confronted with Christ. If you’re in that category, then your life is on the course of shipwreck yourself. But if you’re saved by Christ’s grace, then you exhibit the traits of this man who’s been cured by the demons. Where do you stand this small? morning. On which side are you standing? May God give us discernment to weigh this this morning ourselves. Let us close with a word of prayer.