The Miracles of Jesus 4 - Jesus Heals A Demon Possessed Man

Miracle # 4 “Jesus Heals A Demon Possessed Man”

Summary: Fourth in series on the Miracles of Jesus. The healing of a Demon Possessed Man
Scripture: Luke 4:31-37
series:The Miracles of Jesus
Date: 16, September 2019.

Scripture Reading

Let us rise to our feet and together read Mark 1:21-28 (Luke 4:31-37)
Luke 4:31-37 31Then he went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. 32They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority. 33In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 34"Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!" 35"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. 36All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!" 37And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.

Mark 1:21-28 21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!" 25"Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching-and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him." 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. May the sweet Holy Spirit add His manifold blessings to our text in our hearing this morning.... Amen! You may be seated in God's Presence.

Introduction

Capernaum now became the hub for His ministry. In the natural it was a very fruitful area, and in the spiritual it became the same for the Lord—around seventy percent of His recorded miracles took place during His time in Capernaum and the surrounding areas of the province of Galilee. His rejection in Nazareth, far from being a defeat, enabled Him to minister much more effectively in the whole region which received Him with joy. Another aspect of the ministry of Jesus was that He taught the people. We must never neglect the two aspects of His life—there is teaching, but also there is the miraculous. We should believe for both ministries to flow in our churches today.  Also other places of the  Gospels, Jesus had the power to cure not only physical disease but spiritual affliction as well.

Sermon

The first person with a spiritual affliction that had an encounter with Jesus and is recorded by scripture was in the town of Capernaum in the district of Galilee. Jesus had just come from the Sea of Galilee where he had recruited the first four of his twelve disciples – Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. They arrived in Capernaum on the Sabbath, and Jesus decided to go to the local synagogue (as was his usual custom), where he immediately began to teach.

The Background of the Miracle (vv. 21-22)

“Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. (22) And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

These verses tell us that the people were astonished or amazed at his teaching. The Greek word (ekplesso) literally means “to strike with panic or shock.” The teaching of Jesus packed a powerful punch. The unprepared listeners were so amazed by his teaching that they were unable to grasp the meaning of what was happening.

Jesus taught with Authority

The Old Testament prophets spoke for God. They said, “Thus says the Lord.” The Old Testament prophets were messengers of God speaking only what they had been given.

The Scribes of Jesus day preached about God. They stood on the authority of what previous great men had spoken about the meaning of scripture, it was second hand theology. The scribes would quote someone else’s opinion, and their words held no authority. Some commentaries are full of other author’s opinions, which contradict each other. All this does is confuse the reader. But when Jesus spoke it was just the opposite.

We must speak the truth as taught in God’s Word, not the opinions of someone else. The difference between the preaching of Christ and that of the scribes and Pharisees was that Christ spoke with authority. Authority comes from God upon those who practice what they preach and walk uprightly. Jesus spoke as God. Jesus spoke with authority because he spoke as the author of scripture. That why the people were amazed.

Jesus’ preaching was clear. Jesus took the deep truth of God’s word and made it easy to understand. Have you ever heard some intellectual speak and when he was through you did not know what he had said. Some times we think if it don’t understand what someone has said they must be brilliant. But that is not necessarily so. 

There is a saying here in the South, 

“Just because you can’t see the bottom of the river doesn't mean its deep – it may just be muddy.”

“Once Harry Ironside was greeting by a visitor who said he had enjoyed the service, although he did not think Ironside was a great preacher. Ironside replied, ‘I know I am not a great preacher. But what is it about my preaching that brought you to that conclusion?’ The man answered, ‘I understood everything you said.’ This was an unwitting confession of one of the reasons for Ironside’s greatness.” 

[R. Kent Hughes Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Vol 1 (Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway Books, 1998) p. 149]

Teaching without the anointing is dry and lifeless. It is the anointed Word that brings conviction and gives an impartation of the life of God to those that hear. The letter of the Word kills (2 Cor. 3:6). Jesus preaching was not only clear it was convicting. An alarming thought is that the demon had been in the synagogue before and had never been disturbed by what he had heard or witnessed.

It was in the context of Jesus’ authoritative exposition of the Word of God that a striking miracle occurred.

The Elements of the Miracle (vv. 23-26)

“Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, (24) saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!"

As Jesus taught suddenly a man yelled out interrupting his teaching. The voice belonged to a man that we are told had an “unclean spirit” – in other words a man possessed by a demon.

Demons

There are many in our “modern” age that try to explain away the presence of demon-possessed individuals in the ministry of Jesus as nothing more than misunderstood mental illness. These individuals say that Jesus just used the terms prevalent in his day, to explain these peoples condition.

Demons are created beings (fallen angels) that no longer inhabit the kingdom of light because they followed Satan (originally called Lucifer) in a great rebellion (Isa. 14:12-17, Ezek. 28:11-19, Rev. 12:3-4) which occurred in heaven before the creation of Adam and Eve. Their leader was Lucifer, whose name means “day star” or “son of the morning.” Being the highest of God’s creatures, Ezekiel 28:12 declares, “...you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” In verse 14 he is further described as “the anointed cherub that covers,” whose anointing gave him influence and charisma throughout heaven.

Since this is the first mention of demon-possession I want to briefly look at what the Bible says about the origin of Satan and his demons.

Isaiah 14:12-17

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! (13) For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;(14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ (15) Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit. (16) "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: "Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, (17) Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’ Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”

Ezek. 28:11-19

"You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. (14) "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. (16) "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. (17) "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty: You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. (18) "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, By the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, And I turned you to ashes upon the earth In the sight of all who saw you. (19) All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, And shall be no more forever”’

Revelation 12:3-4

"And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. (4)His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.

In verse 15 of that same chapter, Ezekiel said about Lucifer, “you were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you.” What was that iniquity into which he fell? We are told in verse 17 that Lucifer’s heart was lifted up because of his beauty, and then he corrupted his wisdom by reason of his splendour. He admired himself instead of admiring the One who created and abundantly blessed him.

Lucifer then “set his heart as the heart of God,” saying in Isaiah 14:13-14:

• I will ascend into heaven• I will exalt my throne above the stars of God• I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation• I will ascend above the heights of the clouds• I will be like the Most High

These are called “The Five I Wills” of Lucifer. Ambition, self-will, and self-glorification caused Lucifer’s downfall. Lucifer wanted the position that was reserved for Christ alone. He wanted worship for himself instead of giving the glory to God. He was unthankful for all that God had done for him; all he wanted was more for himself. Unthankfulness is generally the first step to backsliding (see Romans 1:21), and this is a warning to all of us. We must be careful not to exalt our own desires, but remain thankful and delight to do God’s will (Ps. 40:8). Christian leaders should be going on in God, but because of their own self-will many turn aside.

Not only did Lucifer rebel against God but he also persuaded one-third of the angels to join with him. In Revelation 12:4 where he is depicted as a dragon, we read, “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth...” All the angels were created good, but one-third of them became evil by choice. Concerning these rebellious angels we can read in Jude verse 6 that “the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”

These demons now exist as a part of the kingdom of darkness with Satan as their king.

Demon Possession

We must always remember that devils are persons in the sense that they are veritable beings and not abstract. They have forms, features, and distinct personalities just like we do. People who are described as demon-possessed in the Gospel display various symptoms, ranging from apparent madness to unusual strength to a variety of physical infirmities.

All we witness today about fallen angels controlling and working through men and women show us one main thing—that when a heart is not right with God it will open the door for Satan to enter. Christ said, “The prince of this world comes, but he has nothing in me” (Jn. 14:30). Christ had no place in His heart or life that Satan could invade or control.
The real problem is not Satan or his fallen angels. The real problem is the heart of man. The reason for Satan residing in a person is usually because the person wants him there because they love their evil habits.

Let us consider Ananias and Sapphira, members of the Church of Jerusalem. Peter had to ask Ananias, “Why has Satan filled your heart?” (Acts 5:3). Ananias and his wife had ulterior motives. They wanted to appear to be more generous than they really were by claiming they had given all their money to the Lord.


Before Peter could ask Ananias why the devil had filled his heart, Peter had needed to have his own heart examined. Just a few years earlier Satan had worked through Peter when he rebuked Christ for saying He had to go to the cross (Mat.16:21-23). This statement of Christ was a deathblow to Peter’s hopes, his hero was going to die and that would end of all of Peter’s dreams and ambitions. Christ then turned to Peter and said; “Get behind me, Satan! You are an offence to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Why was Satan able to work and speak through Peter? Because his heart had self-seeking motives. Therefore, Peter had many crushing blows in his life in order to separate “the chaff from the wheat.” Wherever there is “chaff” in our lives, Satan will try to gain control and work through us in that area. (See Luke 22:31-34.)

I do not believe a true Christian can be demon possessed, because a true Christian is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. However, a carnal Christian can be demon oppressed, depressed or suppressed!

Our first protection is to “give no place to the devil” as Paul admonished in Ephesians 4:27. To “give place” means to give him an opportunity to gain a stronghold in our life. There are many ways in which people give place to the devil. When they look at pornography, they are inviting Satan into their life. When they hold bitterness toward someone, they are giving Satan a place in their life.

Unforgiveness is a major reason why Satan controls many people. Paul stressed this truth in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 when he wrote, “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive…lest Satan should take advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

Satan himself is very bitter and unforgiving, and he dwells in those of like nature. We have no power over Satan if we act like him. In these verses we can see that someone who does not forgive opens his heart for the devil to come in, manifesting unforgiveness, then bitterness, rage, anger, and sometimes jealousy. Not only have I seen this to be the case with individuals, I have seen this happen in whole congregations. In one instance a congregation refused to forgive their pastor although he had repented and publicly confessed his sin. The result was that a spirit of anger ruled in the congregation, and actual fistfights broke out among the members. After being made aware of their sin, the congregation repented. The whole church experienced a wonderful cleansing, and the presence of the Lord returned in a powerful way.

Ill. However, Satan is a defeated foe, and we don’t have to fear him. I heard about an attendant at a zoo who entered the cage of a lion while people stood and watched. When he entered the cage he had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage. One of the onlookers noticed the Zoo employee had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the lion was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The lion growled at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure. The observer remarked to the attendant, “You certainly are a brave man, either that or the lion is tame.” “No, I ain't brave” he said, “but I know something about that lion that you don’t.” He chuckled and said, “I know that this lion is old and slow and he ain't got no teeth.”

[Ibid]

The Bible does say Satan “roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8) About all he’s got left is a roar, because when Jesus died on the cross He rendered Satan toothless and clawless. Not only is the devil truth-less; He is toothless. And while the devil is clawless, he isn't clueless; he’s shrewd and tricky. But rejoice today that Jesus is far superior in power. Rejoice today that “Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.” (I John 4:4)

As we have noted all demons were once angels who dwelt in the presence of the glory of Christ in the past and therefore it not surprising that demons know who Jesus is as soon as they enter into His presence.

The statement of the demon demonstrated that they are aware that God had decreed punishment for the devil and his angels (Matt 25:41). What troubled the demon was when this punishment was to occur. In essence the question that concerned the demon was, “Are you here to judge us now!” The use of the plural “us” could refer to the possessed man and his evil possessor but seems more likely to refer to the plight of all demons.While only one demon cried out, it is evident that this man was possessed by many more. There are several other important facts to note in this passage. The demons certainly knew that Jesus was the Son of God. They also knew that there was an appointed time for their judgment, and they were horrified at the thought of it.
Note: The demons knew exactly who Jesus was. That is very comforting. James said that the devils believe in God, and tremble (Jas. 2:19). Demons know they are defeated; their only hope is that Christians will not realise that they (the demons) are defeated. 

Ill. When one minister was casting a demon out of a person he said to the demon, “Do you remember the cross?” The demon replied: “Yes, if we had won that battle, we would have won them all.” The demons knew perfectly the plan of God for the life of Christ.

Jesus Issues Two Commands. (25-26)

“But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" (26) And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.”

The demon cried with a loud voice because he no longer had a body to dwell in. Demons crave for a habitation, a body to dwell in. When they are cast out of a person, they no longer have a body to inhabit.

The Greek word translated “rebuked” has a technical meaning and refers to a commanding word spoken by God or his spokesman. The casting out of demons was a great feature of the ministry of Jesus, and this ministry was also given to His disciples. The same deliverance ministry is tremendously needed today

• The first command of Jesus to the demon is “Be Quiet” or literally “be muzzled” or “be gagged.”
• The next command “Come out of him.”

There is no real contradiction between Luke who says that the evil spirit “did not hurt him” (4:35) and Mark who describes the evil spirit as convulsing him or “torn him.” (v.26. KJV) The man obviously suffered no permanent injury although cast to the ground in the demon’s departure. The casting out of devils was something that was obvious to everyone. Those of us who have had the privilege of having that authority understand the tremendous power of some of these demons that possess the poor unfortunates of this world.

Note: While the Lord will give revival authority in these last days to bind the powers of Satan, we must be careful to not attempt to do it in our own wisdom and strength. Once I was part of a pastors’ gathering that began to pray against the fallen angels over certain cities. When the pastors began to confront the fallen angel who ruled over the city where we were gathered, the Lord opened a senior-most Pastor eyes to see him. He was an immense angel who was standing over us. The Lord spoke to that senior-most Pastor, “Don’t touch him. First, you do not have the power. And secondly, it is not yet his time to be brought down.”

The Effect of the Miracle (vv. 27-28)

“Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." (28) And immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee.”

The word “amazed” (thambeo) emphasizes the fright caused an amazing event. Not only did the teaching of Jesus astound the crowd but so did his actions. These verses describe the congregations’ reaction to the miracle and the evidence of Jesus’ authority even over unclean spirits. Christ had authority over the demons while He was upon earth. There is no question as to who was in charge. This miracle spread Jesus’ fame all over the region of Galilee. Miracles propagate the Gospel, beloved, and we need to believe for miracles in our ministries.

The scripture is explicit as to the authority of Jesus:

He has the authority to teach (Mt. 7:29; Mk 1:22, 27; Lk. 4:32).He has the authority to exorcise (Mt 8:28-34; 9:1-8, Mk 1:23-27; Lk 4:35-36)He has the authority to heal (Mt 8:1-17; 12:15-16; Mk 1:29-34; Lk 4:38-41)He has the authority to forgive (Mt 9:2-8, Mk 2:3-12; Lk 5:18-26)He has the authority to judge (Jn 5:27; 17:2)He has the authority to give life (Jn 10:28; 17:2)He has the authority to empower (Mt 28:18-20).

[R. Kent Hughes. p. 152]

Application for Today

A KEY TO DELIVERANCE—THE WILLINGNESS TO ADMIT SINS

In this realm of deliverance we have the Apostle Paul’s counsel: “And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those that are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Tim.2:24-26).

We will notice that the deliverance for these captives is dependent upon God giving them the gift of repentance to be able to acknowledge their wrongdoing. This is often based upon sound teaching and the persuasion of the godly ministers who reason with them, after which the power of Satan can be broken in their lives. However, if sin is ignored they will continue to be held captive in their bondages. It is only by confessing the truth about ourselves and our sins that the power of Satan is broken and we are released. (See Jeremiah 3:13a & Proverbs 28:13).

Another important point is that people can be “loved” into hell and kept in their bondages by comforting them with humanistic comfort. How often do we hear counsellors and friends tell a wounded brother or sister that they have a right to be angry and offended? This is encouraging them to hold on to their bitterness and resentment. Bitterness is the direct result of rejecting grace and choosing instead to harden the heart (Heb.12:15).

SUBMIT TO GOD AND SEEK HOLINESS

In James 4:7 we are told, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” First of all we are to submit ourselves to God and make things right in our lives. Then we will be able to resist the devil and he will flee from us. It is not the other way around. We cannot resist the devil first, if things are not right in our hearts. We should pray “Create in me a clean heart” (Ps. 51:10). Ask God to give you a holy hatred for the sin you love. Let us allow the Lord to wash us from all vanity, from all filthiness of the flesh and mind (2 Cor. 7:1). The Spirit beckons us and says, “My son, give me your heart” (Prov.23:26).

In order to fight Satan we must be cleansed from every spirit and power of the enemy. Spend time in the presence of God and in His Word. We must realise the tremendous power of the blood of Christ to cleanse us and cover us. We must also be healthy and get our proper rest to battle against evil spirits. It is spiritual to take care of your body. Our spirit, soul, and body must be sanctified and blameless (1 Thess. 5:23) so that we will be able to say, like Christ, “The prince of this world comes, but he has nothing in me” (Jn. 14:30).

WE CAN HAVE POWER OVER SATAN

Truthfully, we cannot have authority over Satan unless we are moving in the Spirit and we have the mind of the Lord in each situation. Yet the Apostle Paul made an awesome statement in 1 Corinthians 6:3 when he said, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” In our capacity as kings and priests (Rev. 20:6 & 3:21) we will be given the privilege of judging the fallen angels and “execute upon them the written judgment” (Ps. 149:9).

Because of the fallen angels over cities and nations, the gospel does not have full liberty in those areas. But when these powers of darkness become bound the anointing and the power of God comes down. That is the way to revival.

Another key for us to have power over Satan is that we must also be living a life of obedience. Otherwise the enemy can say, “You have no authority over me, for you are disobedient just like I am.” As a man, Christ defeated Satan in every aspect. In the same manner every saint needs to gain personal victory over Satan by the power of Christ within them. We must know the adversary and we must overcome him. Indeed, God has allowed Satan’s kingdom and authority to be prolonged for one reason- to purify and perfect His Church.

To the degree that one is purified, to the same degree he is qualified to execute judgment. Does that not create in us a hunger and thirst to be filled with His righteousness and be made a partaker of His holiness?

We are going to see the powers of the Evil One fall. God's time of deliverance is very near. As the darkness covers the earth in these last days, so the glory of God shall arise upon the Church (Isa. 60:1-7). There will be great revival at the end of the age with multitudes who will be saved (Mat. 13:39 & Jas. 5:7-8.).