The Power of Jesus (Luke 8:22-56, Jeff Kliewer)

Controlled by evil spirits and yet by the power of Jesus while he was in jail he was converted to believe in Christ and having experienced that power where he was changed from from one thing into something entirely different he understands that Jesus is able to do everything so I think he rests in the power of Jesus.

Now if we are as we sit here this morning I'm sure if we're honest with ourselves there's times when each of us is afraid we're afraid maybe not on a daily basis but as we contemplate certain things that seem out of control for us we have fear maybe you have a fear of public speaking and to stand in front of a large crowd would be would be very scary right well think of the politicians who stand in front of millions of people without batting an eye.

Confidence in Jesus Over Fear of Circumstances

Why is it that some people can stand in front of others and talk while other people can't? I think it has to do with a sense of control. A politician who feels like they know what they're talking about they know what they have to say they're confident and they can talk to five people or they can talk to five million because they're confident in what they have to say.

Now there's a different kind of confidence that doesn't come from confidence in another. Confidence in Jesus. If we recognize that yes I'm out of control yes I can't handle this particular situation maybe it's a sick child maybe it's a situation at work where you're when life begins to feel out of control have you learned to trust in the power of another to trust in the power of Jesus to accomplish what you cannot.

That's the lesson that we're gonna learn from Luke 8 today. It's actually four stories we have to tell and guys don't you love stories? It's replaced by a different kind of fear. A fear of God. A fear of the Holy One that has power over all things.

No one can control God. Nobody can put God in a box. And when you come face to face with a living God, there is a healthy fear that comes with that. So we're gonna learn about these different kinds of fears as we learn about the power of Jesus.

Turn with me to Luke chapter 8. Last week we studied the parable of the soils which really put the spotlight on us. We learned that each one of us is one of four kinds of soil. There is of the four only one that's good.

That's the good soil which produces fruit. The plant grows up and produces fruit a hundred times what was sown. But three other kinds of soil, they often look like good soil but turn out to be bad. Because thorns entangle the plant or there's not a deep enough root.

In each case it looks like there's a living person there, a living faith. But it's a false faith. And only one is called good. So last week the spotlight was on us and we were told about our own selves.

And that can leave us a little bit hopeless. Because ultimately we don't have the power to change. We don't have the power in and of ourselves to change. And yet this week we see someone who has power to change the heart.

Power to change everything. Power over everything. So we come now to focusing on Jesus. The person of Jesus. Who he is. His power. Luke 8, 22 and following. One day he, Jesus, got into a boat with his disciples.

And he said to them, let us go across to the other side of the lake. So they set out. And as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake. And they were filling with water and were in danger.

And they went and woke him saying, Master, Master, we are perishing. And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. And they ceased. And there was a calm. He said to them, where is your faith?

And they were afraid. And they marveled, saying to one another, who then is this? That he commands even winds and water. And they obey him. So our first story has Jesus at sea. And he's sleeping on the front of the boat.

The disciples notice that the storm clouds are coming in. And before long they're in the middle of what could be described as a hurricane. The wind is just whipping around them. The water from the waves is splashing over the boat.

So much so that it's taking on water. And they begin to fear that that boat is going under. Their security is about to sink. They're in the middle of a sea. 15 miles by 7 miles. Last summer we went out on the ocean for some deep sea fishing.

And we were just about 5 miles out. But you're so far out you can't see the shore. And when those waves, which that night were also pretty big, when they get higher than the boat, you realize that if this thing goes down, there's no saving me.

There's no way I can swim that far in this cold water. Your entire hope is in that boat staying afloat. And it gets scary out there at night. Well these disciples are filled with fear. The boat is taking on water.

And Jesus is asleep. So they wake him up. They're a little frustrated with him. Their leader is sleeping. They wake him up. And he stands up. And look what happens. Verse 24. Master, Master, we are perishing.

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. And they ceased. He speaks. Not to them. But to the circumstance. He speaks to the wind and the waves. And the wind and the waves obey him. Now this teaches us a very important lesson.

That the person who speaks to wind and waves, and those wind and waves obey him, is none other than God. Only God has command over nature. Can speak a word and Hurricane Katrina would have turned back in the Atlantic Ocean.

And flown away. We don't understand why he allows wind and waves to hit the shore from time to time. Or to overcome your boat. But we should rest assured in this. He has the ability to speak a word. And the storm stops.

He commands the wind and the waves. And we're told it is completely calm. There's a song out on the radio now by Ryan Stevenson. It's called In the Eye of the Storm. It's a great song. You should look it up later.

If you get the chance. The song kind of relates these winds and these waves to the storms of life. Because you might not be a fisherman out in the ocean late at night. But there could be some kind of storm coming into your life right now.

Maybe it's a marriage problem. Maybe it's a sickness in the family. Maybe it's a loved one that's hurting. And you think this situation is overwhelming. Maybe you feel like you're going to sink metaphorically.

But the song goes like this. When they let me go and I just don't know how I'm going to make ends meet. I did my best, now I'm scared to death that we might lose everything. And when a sickness takes my child away and there's nothing I can do, my only hope is to trust you.

I trust you, Lord. And then the chorus. In the eye of the storm, you remain in control. In the middle of the war, you guard my soul. You alone are the anchor when my sails are torn. Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm.

Powerful words. When the storms of life are swirling around you, do you know the one who can command the wind and the waves.

And they obey him?

Well, the disciples in this text are afraid. Fear is taking over because the circumstances are just too much. But look at the end of verse 24. There was a calm. The wind and the waves died down at the command of Jesus.

But there was also just a silence, a quiet around the disciples. All that fear went away with the wind and the waves. He calmed that. But look at verse 25. He said to them, Where is your faith?

And they were.

Afraid. And they marveled saying to one another, Who then is this that he commands even winds and water.

And they obey him?

One kind of fear gives way to another kind of fear. The fear of circumstances in their lives. The difficulty of this disease or this death. This pain or this struggle. The fear of the circumstances gives way to a fear of God.

Now they're looking at Jesus and they recognize who is this holy one that wind and waves obey him. They recognize they're dealing with something bigger than themselves. Something uncontainable. Something uncontrollable.

And the reaction is appropriate in this case. It's fear. My question to you this morning is do you fear God more than circumstance? Do you fear the one who can command winds and waves? And then the question that's asked here, who is this Jesus?

Who.

Is this person that talks to a hurricane and it obeys him? If you haven't answered that question yet you're afraid of the wrong kinds of things. Because anyone who can command a storm and it listens to him is someone that we need to listen to.

Let's keep going. The theme continues. Verse 26. Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes which is opposite Galilee. When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had.

Demons.

For a long time he had worn no clothes and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. Pleasant fellow, huh? He lives in the tombs, he wears no clothes. We learn in verse 27 when Jesus stepped out on land, I'm sorry verse 28, when he saw Jesus he.

Cried out.

He's a tormented guy. He falls down before Jesus and says with a loud voice what have you to do with me Jesus, son of the most high God. I beg you do not torment me. For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.

For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilderness, into the desert. So get the scene here.

A man who's being controlled by evil spirits. Something supernatural is happening here. It's not a mere.

Paranoia.

It's not something that a psychologist can simply diagnose out of one of the textbooks. Because this man is so physically strong he can break any chain that they tie around him. And he runs.

Off into the.

Desert. Something spiritual is happening here. Demons are controlling a person. I've seen something similar to this but not to the degree that we read here. When I was in the city one time there was a young man who came to our young adult group and we were praying for each other at the end of the group and as we prayed for him I just felt like something was wrong.

So we dismissed the group and before he left I said so and so come here I just want to talk to you for a minute. And I said when we prayed for you what was happening? And he just froze just quiet. He said really dark things were happening.

The darkest thoughts. I can't even describe what I was thinking while you were praying for me. And I said we need to talk a little bit. So we started to talk more about what was happening and he said he kind of described the thoughts that were going on and I said maybe there's demons involved right now.

And that scared him a little bit and he said you know I think you're right because this is not normal. So we began to pray and as we prayed.

The demons.

Or whatever you know the spirits that were controlling him in some way I'm not saying he was possessed but however he was oppressed or controlled by these demons began to manifest to where he was screaming at the top of his lungs which started to scare me a little bit.

And so I just prayed and called on the name of Jesus and after about 20 -25 minutes all of a sudden just in the name of Jesus a peace came over him. And he just felt delivered and he talked about I feel free.

And we talked more about it and prayed more and then talked about getting together again and he went home. So I thought was that just emotional? Was that just something going on in his head or was that demons that we were fighting?

What just happened? Well I said goodbye and he walked home and I went over to the next building and a young man came up to me and he said hey Jeff I gotta tell you something when we said that prayer for so and so and we laid a hand on his shoulder I felt cold.

Shoot up my arm.

And fill my entire body and I said if you died today would you go to heaven? And this person said I don't know I don't think so. And I said are you a believer in Jesus? And he said I don't know. You see he laid hands hastily on someone to pray over them but he himself was not indwelt by the Holy.

Spirit.

And some manifestation happened where coldness filled his arm and then filled his entire body. And at that time he prayed himself to accept Christ. But it showed me that something objective objectively spiritual was happening because he experienced this thing apart from knowing that I had prayed with this guy and what had happened in the other room.

In the other building.

That was the closest I've ever come to seeing demonic spirits manifest. But I'll tell you what demonic spirits like to do. They like to hide. They like to convince you that your thoughts are merely your own.

When you're feeling tempted to do something that's evil.

That's wrong.

You assume that it's your idea.

To do it.

And they're happy to lay in the background and to remain quiet and not manifest in any dramatic way. But the teaching of this text is that there is a such thing as a devil. There is a such thing as demons.

And although we don't see these extreme manifestations very often, don't let that lure us to sleep. We are in a spiritual war. And now let's look at our champion.

Verse 30.

Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him. And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside.

And they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. On a side note, I think Jesus said yes to that request because in Israel at this time, under that covenant, pig meat was unclean.

The Jews were not allowed to herd pigs and to raise.

Swine.

So they were disobedient to the covenant. And so Jesus then agrees for these demons to be allowed to leave the man and go into the pig and look what happens. Into the pigs. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs.

And the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. It's a scary story, isn't it? It's a scary story. Demons.

Attacking.

Have you ever felt attacked by demons? I think, you know, there's movies out that love to play off this, right? A lot of movies, horror movies, love to pick up on this theme. Because there's something in us that likes to.

Get afraid.

And there's a certain rush of adrenaline that comes from seeing things like this. But then, because it's only contained in a movie, you can come away from it. I'll tell you what. Don't play with horror movies.

Don't play with Ouija boards. Don't play with anything demonic. Because you can open doors. They might not leave when you turn the TV off. Many people have opened themselves up to demonic things by playing with witchcraft.

And find themselves overtaken by the thing they were toying with. Don't mess with that stuff. The fear of demons. But look at what replaces that fear of demons. 34 and following. When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.

Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone. Sitting at the feet of Jesus. Clothed and in his right mind. They knew this guy. They knew him as the guy that breaks chains and runs around naked.

The scariest guy in town. They would never want to run into this guy at night. And here he is sitting in his right mind. Look at their reaction when they see him now. Verse 35. And they were afraid. A new kind of fear.

Replacing.

The old.

A fear of circumstance or demons. Spiritual forces that might come against us. Now, their fear.

Is of Jesus.

Verse 36. And those who had seen it told them how the demon possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them. They asked Jesus to leave them alone.

Isn't that.

Fascinating? Verse 37. For they were seized with. Look how Luke puts it.

With great.

Fear. They were seized with great fear. Demons had seized this man and possessed him and taken him over. But here's something far more dangerous. Something more scary than demons. And that is the Holy One of God who can tell demons what to do.

And with a word send them into a herd of pigs. And they're afraid of him. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away saying return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.

And he went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him. There's a healthy kind of fear being taught by Luke in this.

Text.

Don't fear demons. Fear God. And this question that we asked early on. Who is Jesus? He commands winds and waves and they obey him. He commands demons and they have to obey. Fear the one who has power of life and death.

Fear the one who will be seated on the throne on that judgment day. We'll talk about that again at the end. Let's continue in the story. Verse 40 and following. Now when Jesus returned the crowd welcomed him for they were all waiting for him.

So he's crossed over to the other side of the sea of Galilee. Now he comes back and all those thousands of people they see him come back. They're welcoming him back. Verse 41. And there came a man named Jairus who was a ruler of the synagogue.

And falling at Jesus' feet he implored him to come to his house. For he had an only daughter about twelve years of age and she was dying. Stop there. We've talked about the fear of circumstances when your whole world's getting turned upside down by winds and waves.

We talked about the fear of demons and evil forces coming against you. But here's something that scares me a lot more than demons or circumstance and that is the death of a twelve year old daughter. Despair.

A man whose only daughter is dying. He's at the end of his rope. I mean put yourself in his shoes for a moment. What does that feel like to be Jairus? This lovely girl that he's seen grow up and he's cared for her and provided for her every need.

And now he is out of control. He can't help her. Whatever the sickness is inside of her body he can't take it away. Feel his desperation. And he does the only thing he knows to do. Go to that healer that everybody's talking about.

He gets himself to Jesus. But now we won't hear the end of that story. And this is such a stunning display of Jesus' power because before we even get to the end of that story another needy woman who's also in despair comes onto the scene.

You may be familiar with the story verse 42 and following. As Jesus went the people pressed around him.

And there was a.

Woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years. And though she had spent all her living on physicians she could not be healed by anyone. Some kind of bleeding, maybe a menstrual discharge that she was unable to stop for 12 years to the point where she now is desperate.

She's spent her living, she's done everything she can and she's now helpless and hopeless.

And 12.

Years have gone by.

12 years.

Sometimes our trials seem to go on too long, don't they? She's in desperation. Verse 44, she came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, who was it that touched me?

When all denied it, Peter said, Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you. But Jesus said, someone touched me for I perceive that power has gone out from me. And when the woman saw that she was not hidden she came trembling and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him and how she had been healed immediately.

And he said to her, daughter your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Now before we move on in the story, recognize Jesus doesn't ask this question because he needs to learn information. He's not confused, he's not unaware of who touched him.

He asked this question for the benefit of the listeners and for the benefit of this woman.

Who's afraid.

To deal with her fear. He's already healed her. When that power went out from him again, it's not like the force that was just upon him. He willingly healed her. He chose to do what he was able to. Her faith was beautiful.

Not because she mustered up enough to believe in him but because she went to the right.

One. She went.

To Jesus. Who is this? Jesus. She chose the right person to go to. And so she was healed by faith in the one who is able to heal. Not just the power that came out from him. In that sense, he asks the question, he answers the question so he could say to her, verse 48, daughter, your faith has made you well.

Go in peace. This fear of Jesus now gives way to.

Peace.

Her believing in him doesn't end with being afraid of the one who has so much power.

But peace.

Replaces that fear because perfect love casts out all fear. When you come to know Jesus, to relate to him as he is, he gives you peace with God. Peace with himself. Too many people fear the wrong thing, don't they?

And haven't we in many times in our lives feared the circumstance, feared the evil spirits, feared the despair of this life rather than first of all fearing God that he would heal us. That he would take our fear away and give us peace.

Let's finish the story now. 49, it returns to Jairus' daughter. Remember this desperate man with a 12-year-old daughter who's dying. While he was still speaking, someone from the ruler's house came and said, your daughter is dead.

Do not trouble the teacher anymore. But Jesus on hearing this answered him, do not fear.

Only.

Believe and she will be well. And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him except Peter and John and James and the father and the mother of the child. This is their jurisdiction.

This is Jairus and his wife are in charge of raising this daughter so they're allowed in the room. Jesus brings Peter, James and John in there with him to witness what he's gonna do and he says to them in verse 52 all were weeping and mourning for her but he said, do not weep for she is not dead but sleeping.

Many people are controlled all their lives by a fear of death and especially the death of a loved one.

Maybe.

You don't fear the afterlife because you know you're going to heaven but you still fear death. I was hanging out with some EFCA pastors on Thursday and one of them mentioned to me that he went to the doctor and his doctor is a Hindu and the Hindu pulled him into a consultation room to ask him a question because he knew he was a pastor and he said, you guys believe in heaven right?

And the pastor said, yeah we believe in heaven. And he got all excited about that question and began to tell him all about it and saying how there's gonna be streets of gold and a river that runs through it and God will be there and we'll all be there in the presence of God.

And then he said, but why do you ask? And the Hindu doctor said I've been a doctor for a long time and I've seen Christians die and I'm wondering why are you Christians so afraid of dying if you think you're going to heaven?

The pastor realized it was really a rebuke. You say you believe in heaven that you'll be with the savior that you they say you love and yet you're controlled by fear. Listen. Hebrews teaches us that through Jesus we are set free from our fear of death when we recognize that Jesus is the way the truth and the life.

Death has no sting. The one who can raise Lazarus from the tomb can raise us also. There's nothing to fear.

In death.

We no longer need to be afraid and unfortunately too often we as Christians are afraid of death. It's a bad witness. The early Christians, the first 300 years of the church seemed to have very little fear of death.

Very often they'd be led to the Colosseum and thrown to the lions or made to be human torches as the Romans would.

Gawk at them.

And yet they would sing.

Praises and welcome death as if it was a friend. What's different about then and now. I think maybe they knew Jesus better than we do. I think they understand his power better than we do. Who is this Jesus that can drive out demons and calm a storm.

What does he do with death.

Let's look at it here.

We read in 51 now 52. All were weeping and mourning for her but he said do not weep for she is not dead but sleeping for Jesus. Death and sleep it's the same thing he can wake you up with the snap of a finger calling your name 53.

And they laughed at him reminds me of Sarah laughing when she heard the promise. It's just too good for her to believe the father and mother. They just laugh nervously. You ever just laugh nervously it's too much for you to believe.

Knowing that she was dead but taking her by the hand he called saying child arise and her spirit returned. And she got up at once and he directed that something be given her to eat and her parents were amazed but he charged them to tell no one what had happened.

So at this point this is not made known.

Luke will record for us later.

That these things happen. What do we learn from Luke chapter 8.

In closing.

The question. The question is asked in the 8th chapter verse 25. Who then is this. Commands winds and waves and they obey him. In closing we're left with that question. Who is this. Winds and waves obey him.

Demons obey him. Sickness and death obeys him. Despair is gone in his presence. Who is this Jesus. The whole Bible reveals the answer to that question and this morning I want to be sure that you know the answer.

In Genesis alone we are told that he is God.

And man.

And priest and king and sacrifice in Genesis 1. Let us make man in our image. God the father talking to God the son in Genesis 3. In Genesis 3 he's man a seed of the woman a descendant of a woman. A man will crush the head of a serpent.

Who is this Jesus. He has power to crush the serpent.

He has power to create.

In Genesis 1 in Genesis 12 he's a descendant of Abraham and by the 49th chapter he's a descendant of Judah. We learn that the scepter will not depart from Judah so the scepter belongs to the king he is the king he has the power to rule.

Jesus is.

King.

In Genesis 14 we learn about Melchizedek who comes bringing bread and water. He comes out of nowhere and he disappears as quickly as he came. No one knows where he comes from or where he's going. The name Melchizedek means king of righteousness.

Could it be.

That Jesus himself appeared to Abraham.

As a priest.

The bread and the wine representing his body and his blood from Salem the city of Jerusalem.

He's a priest.

In Genesis with the power to bring sinners to a holy God. And he's that sacrifice in Genesis that ram caught in the thicket. In Genesis 22 that substitutes and dies in the place of Isaac. He's all of these things we don't have time to go through the whole Bible.

But he's there in Joshua as the commander of the army of the Lord power to overcome the enemies of God. He's there in Judges as the deliverer who can break that cycle of sin in your life. He has the power to break the power of sin and darkness and demons, temptation.

He's there in Samuel and Kings as the prophet priest king the son of David who rules forever on the throne of David. He's there in the Psalms as the one who inspires praise and the good shepherd who walks with us and the son who crushes the enemy.

He's there in the Proverbs as the wisdom of God and throughout the prophets of the Old Testament from Isaiah foretelling his virgin birth and how the scepter remains with him and by his breath he will slay the wicked, he's there in Isaiah in the suffering servant song of Isaiah 53.

He's there as the one who has the power to substitute himself for us. All the prophets speak of him and you get to Luke chapter 8 and he's commanding winds and waves and they obey him.

He's raising.

The dead, he's driving out demons he's healing a woman with the flow of blood. The answer to the question is Jesus is God in human flesh he is the one you should fear. Take your mind off of all of these things that worry you and set your eyes upon Jesus he is the one to be afraid of.

And when you do that when you humble yourself before him and you tremble in his presence you call out for mercy and say Jesus save me.

Heal me.

Forgive me and guess what he does. We learn from this text. He is mighty to save. Are you a sinner that's caught in a struggle and you don't know how to get free, turn to him he has the power to deliver you.

Are you sick.

Turn to him he has the power to heal you and if he lets you remain in your sickness for 12 more years he's still in control of those winds in that.

Wave.

He's still good even in the eye of the storm.

And.

One day he'll resurrect you with a new body that doesn't get sick that doesn't die. There's nothing to fear in this world.

Don't let fear.

Control you any longer. Turn your eyes to the savior.

He's God.

He has the power he's the only one with the power and the power of all other things is nothing compared to his. There's nothing to fear but Jesus alone. And the great news is that he's good. But I'll tell you this the most frightening thing I could say to you right now if you don't know Jesus.

As your savior.

Is that Jesus is good because that means he's a just judge. He's a good judge. The last thing a criminal in court wants to know and to find out is that the judge who's standing before him on trial is good because a good judge will judge justly and the punishment for that sin will be meted out.

A criminal would much rather have a corrupt judge who might just.

Look away.

And let him go.

Jesus is a righteous judge and that should frighten you that should terrify you because the wages of sin is death. That's why we die. Sin is in the world so unless we turn to him.

For salvation.

And find healing in him. We depart into everlasting judgment into death. So I'm going to call on the worship team to come up. I'm going to give you a chance. If you've never prayed to accept Jesus and asked him to save you maybe something inside of you right now is trembling before him.