A man with demons came to Jesus. The devils knew the Son and the Son dealt with them. He came with the solution and to deliver. He sends us to do the same. (Luke 8:26-40)

Speaker(s): Pastor Thomas Schaller
Sermon # 11403
7:30 PM on 1/17/2018

P. Schaller

(Luke 8) International Bible college students. That came here to go to Bible college. (He’s naming them). You are here and have brought a blessing. We are blessed by your faith. The Midnight Express with P. Ray and the van I was thinking of. Thank you and helping people. Going out with blankets and food. He has his car packed. He’s waiting for the van and so are we.

Have you ever been in a bad place? Way down low. Ever been depressed, discouraged, lost, maybe demon possessed even. That’s possible in the audience. On the edge of destruction. Maybe sleeping under a bridge without a job or money. Ever have sores on your body, a swollen liver or extremities? Every thought of them in this way?

Luke 8:26-27 Maybe we have not seen people this bad. Maybe you have. I’ve seen people in different parts of the world in a lot of trouble. Maybe they are so dirty you wouldn’t touch them. I don’t want to go to them or see them. They are the throw-aways. The people who are destitute. But look at it. They aren’t throw-aways. They aren’t. They are valuable. They are children. They are not born again children of God but made in God’s image. That image is tarnished. They are lost. Their souls, the power of the devil, and the destruction of their life. They could drop dead any minute. They are bad, evil, throw-aways. They are in bad shape.

vs. 28. Demons get it right. They are more spiritually minded than people. The devil got it right there though he’s a liar and these demons are evil. They recognize the Son of God.

vs. 29. Maybe you have heard that when soul winning. What do you have to do with me? I don’t care about that. I’m not a religious person. I’m not interested in you and what you are saying. There is no connection. Imagine a demon crying out for mercy. Have mercy on me. I think they knew Jesus is merciful. I beseech thee. I plead with you. Give me mercy. Torment me not. I want mercy from you. These are demons talking through the man.

vs. 29. All I’m saying very simply is what is on God’s heart? What is it God is caring about, what is he seeking, what is he looking for but people. What does he want to do? What could he do every day if he had his way on this earth? It would be about people on a certain level. Reaching people. He is the God of the world and the world is filled with people, all kinds. Common people. Martin Luther said God must love common people; he made so many of them. People that are messed up, demon possessed, living in the tombs, in prison, people that are evil, indifferent, dumb and stupid like many of us are. They have no sense of what is important. They don’t know what is important. They live their life and nobody every talks to them or the Spirit is not working in or through or ministering. We are sent into this world in the name of Christ, in the nature of Christ, with a message of Christ and we have the power of Christ.

vs. 30. Let’s get together and have prayer because devils are in people. Many devils are in some people. Let’s get together in our prayers. It’s a cold winter day and the perfect time to get warm in our hearts and faith and ask God. Gather together in these days and weeks and have times when we hear in our heart from God. God, stir in us and use us and open our mouth that we would make known the mystery of Christ. The anointing of Christ. The ministry. Out of the box. The ministry of Christ. This is a story out of the box. Christ was on the west side of the lake. He told his disciples we have to go on the other side. There was this man and also pigs over there. To Jewish people of course that is not right. It was more desolate area. Let’s go. I like sometimes to get on the move. It’s how I get refreshed. Sometimes I’m looking for that person or that opportunity. You get yourself in the place of anticipating, the position of anticipation. The attitude of participating with God in everyday life. I want to have a vision. I want to prepare myself for what God is doing today. At your working place, it might be you see something and it might be right there when God is saying I want you to care. I want you to hear. I want you to be there because I am there. This is my work.

vs. 31-32. They didn’t want to be tormented, cast into hell. I have the impression if they were cast into hell, they would be locked there and not be able to get out like some spirits are. It’s not our time. We are free to be here now. Let us be out in the freedom in this dispensation…cast us into the swine. Spirits want to live in a body. The best body to live in is a human being. They could be in a tree or animal but they are limited. When they have the minds of men and the hands of men and the hearts of men and the feet of men, they can do their evil work. We are in a world where that is happening. We are in a world where it’s evil. All men do not have faith. Men do not have the Holy Spirit. They are on the road to destruction. They find themselves in more and more of a swamp, more and more unsolved problems and despair. We come with a clear voice, a clear message and prayer behind us. We come with an attitude of deliverance. We have an attitude of open our mouth God.

We come in the name of Christ, with the Spirit of God, as a ministry. We have been prepared in the Body. We have been sharpened. Iron sharpening iron. Our gifts honed and developing and growing up and learning. We have been fed the seed of the word. We have two talents, some five, some one. The one buried his talent. God is saying where is the guy I gave the one talent to? He is over here. What did you do with it? I buried it because I knew you were a tough master. I was nervous about losing it. I got it here for you. What? I don’t want one back. I gave it so you would invest it and get another one and another one. But you buried it. I needed you. I needed you in Baltimore city. I sent you there. I needed you in Hopkins and on the Beltway and Aberdeen and Perryville and PA and the pizza shop and the prayer room, in the church. I needed you to attend the church to encourage the pastor. I needed the pastor to encourage the church. I need the Body member to encourage the Body member. Pastor said someone said I couldn’t be in church but I’m with you in spirit. Pastor said keep your spirit to yourself! We are in a battle. We have something important. This is an amazing story. In a way a crazy story. I would expect God to give us a crazy story. I expect him to tell us about the demons and the man and the trouble he is in. The believer has deep discouragement and condemnation in his heart. That can’t happen. Need to have waiting on God.

Spurgeon said I don’t need the ecstasy or great experiences, something particular special. I just love with all my heart to depend on God. That’s what I love. With all my heart, in every situation, just to depend on God. I don’t need great miracles. I just love to depend and trust in God. Trust in God. Bring him into everything. Bring him into the parking lot before you go into the store. Before you go into the store, you are depending on God. You have a ministry.

vs. 33. If the pigs die, where do the demons go? I don’t know but I wouldn’t expect them to be so long in a dead, floating body. But they would leave and where do they go? Looking for another body. Looking for people, a witch, an evil man, a proud man, a connection. The world would have been a better world without them but God is saying the demons are present. I am teaching you. If you trust in me, you are greater than any spirit in the world. I want you to encounter, engage, cast them out, bind the strong man and take out what he got there. All those candy bars in the house are not his. That’s not his lettuce, furniture, or house. He stole it and he locks the door and says this is my house. Jesus comes and says I am greater than you. Give them to me. He is mine. I am stronger than you. He is mine. Jesus said I am stronger than you. Say that. I was sent by my Father. I am stronger than you. Let’s back off for a second. People, children, teenagers, shut-ins, in the hospitals. University students, kids, young people, middle age people, adults, older people. You just say in your heart. It’s got to be in the heart. Lord, fill me with your Spirit and led me in ministry and seeing where is God working. Where is God working in the world? When people leave this stage and go on the mission field that is an amazing decision they make. They do because of faith. You have to say God be with them and when you are with them we need you to be with them and do this work. When they write in those newsletters and share those testimonies, you say really, is that God’s work. Now there is a Bible college, a school, an orphanage. Yeah. That’s amazing. They have found Christ. They have found the Bible, faith, the church, the hearing, the listening, and the capacity to hear.

vs. 34-35. I remember in Azerbaijan the story in the mountains. They are all Muslims up there. This is some years ago with our people. They went up there and God was moving in this woman’s life. Sometimes in Islam there is a mix of paganism in the more primitive parts. They believed God was at this mountain. There was bitterness. This woman had bitterness and an unforgiving spirit. She got saved and she changed. God spoke to her and said your relatives. She said I haven’t talked to them for 30 years. God said go to that house and ask for forgiveness and tell them what I have done for them. She said I can’t do that. That part of the family that was divided I haven’t talked for 30 years. She went up to this house and knocked on the door. She said please forgive me. I believe in Jesus Christ and he told me to come. They wept and embraced with that woman. A revival happened. Something happened that came from God. The city is where we have a GG church there based on that family. I think it’s her son is the pastor of that church in Ismaili. It was that simple. A woman hearing or seeing the Jesus movie, getting saved and then God telling her what to do.

vs. 37-39. When you go to Bible college and sit in a class and the Spirit is moving, you start to hear and obey what you hear. You hear it and it goes in your heart and you start to live by what you hear. That’s called word of God revival. You hear the teaching and it goes in your heart and start to believe it and obey and do what God is saying. Then there is no limit to what God does. Those people lay awake at night so excited.

When I had been in Baku this family came down from Ismaili and we’ve been to conference. One time I said I want to go up there. We got in a car and drove up in the mountains and I was in this wooden shack where the meetings were and I saw. How could this happen? This is amazing. Then the story about the woman whose husband had diabetes and his foot smelled so bad with gangrene. She asked the Muslims to come and pray and they wanted money for the prayers. He [didn’t get the name] said I can pray for nothing. She listened to the cassette tapes and became a believer in Jesus. She had gold teeth and she sold them to buy morphine and she amputated her husband’s foot with a razor blade and a pair of scissors. That’s tough living. You ladies think you have problems with your husband! I remember being in that room. I was with P. Wileczek and Chet Marshall. We said we got to bring a wheelchair for this guy. They said $100 to send the wheel chair. That’s the rules. We’re not going to do it. We go around the corner. Chet gets in the wheelchair, puts sunglasses on and we check in and it’s free of charge. We brought a wheelchair there! We got to get him to a hospital to have his leg amputated in the right way. The stories are incredible.

God cares about people. He’s equipped us and has called us and even though we have our daily routine and weeks and months, get out of your routine sometimes and sit on a bench and have a prayer and think about others. Maybe go to a nursing home. You folks are awesome. This is just on my mind. This is God’s work. This is what God is doing. You and I are in God’s work. Yes we have our jobs and family. Changing diapers at home is God’s work too. I believe that. I’m saying to all of us let us stretch our hearts, our souls. Let’s reach out and share a word in season. P. Butch and motorcycle guys go soul winning on Saturday with or without motorcycles. They are soul winners. That’s a beautiful thing and part of our life.

They said go away. The worst prayers in our Bibles. The pigs are floating. They look at Jesus and say it’s too much for us. Go away. You’re a radical crazy. All those pigs are out there floating in the Sea of Galilee and you did it. That happens when God is moving. People are a people of habit and want things to be normal. God wants to save and touch the lives of people. He sends them back in vs 39.

vs. 40. He went over and he was there on that side of the Sea of Galilee and then he returned back to where this happened. After the man went around telling them what he had done for them. After he had sown that seed. Now he goes back in vs. 40. The people gladly received him. When people don’t want you around because of the gospel, don’t worry about it. Maybe after a while go back. Maybe now they will receive you. Maybe they have had a bad experience. Maybe they are worried or troubled or afraid. Jesus left. It’s okay. When he came back, they gladly received him.

Let’s sow that seed of revival, the Spirit of God in this world and we will reap. We will sow and we will also reap.

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