Declare How Much God Has Done for You! Luke 8:26-39; Isaiah 65:1–9; Galatians 3:23–4:7

 

Grace, mercy and peace to you, from God, our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has done so much for us.

 

Our message is from our Gospel, especially verse 39, the words of Jesus to the man He had healed: 39 “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” 

 

If, in our worship service this morning, we were to thank God for all He has done for us, listing each and every thing, thanking Him for them all, we’d be here all day and all night, and the next day, and probably more, because He’s done so much for us, more than we can even know or realize with our limited minds.

 

In Heaven, we’ll have a better grasp, and a fuller understanding of all God has done and still does for us, and that awareness will add to the joy of thanking and praising Him always and forever.

 

The more aware we are of God’s abundant grace and blessings, the more appreciative and loving we are toward Him… and the less we take Him and His love for granted… and the more we rejoice!

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes beyond the borders of Galilee to spread His Word, to the east side, the Gentile side, of the Lake of Galilee.

 

There Jesus showed His mercy and power, even to those who were beyond His native land and language. Jesus brought His healing Gospel to a people considered unclean, and unworthy, and to be avoided by devout Jews.

 

Thanks be to God, Jesus did not avoid them, nor us. Even though we’re all spiritually unclean and unworthy on account of our sin, Jesus comes to us in His Gospel, calling us to repent and come close to Him with faith, and to walk with Him by grace.

In our Gospel, on the Gentile side of the Lake, as soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He confronted by a wild and out of control man, dirty and naked and horribly oppressed by a company of demons, possessing his mind, soul, and body.

 

So it was really the demons aggressively confronting Jesus. And it was probably out fear that they did it, like the flee or fight instinct when we feel  fear, or face danger. 

 

It was more than a just a mental illness the man had; it was clearly demon possession, demons controlling his body and mind, and his speech. 

 

The man wouldn’t have known who Jesus was, the Son of God, but the demons recognized Him.

 

Jesus’ brother, James, says in chapter 2 of his Epistle, 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

 

James may have had this miracle is mind when he wrote that, and perhaps other miracles when Jesus cast out demons.

 

In our text, the demons were speaking through the man they possessed, recognizing Jesus as the almighty Son of God, and afraid of His power and justice.

 

Our Gospel says, 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said 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.”        

 

It was the demons saying that through the man’s voice and speech.

 

29 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 desert.)    

They knew exactly who Jesus was, Son of the Most High God, and they knew He had the power and authority to punish them and confine them to the tortures of Hell forever.

 

After calling Jesus by name, Jesus asked the demon its name. 

 

“Legion” the man replied, and that’s how we find out the man was possessed by a multitude of demons, which explains his crazy, violent, extreme behavior. 

 

But even a legion of demons couldn’t stand up to, or overpower Jesus… nor could they refuse to follow His command.

 

Not wanting to return to the dominion of the devil, and the tortures in Hell, the legion of demons begged Jesus that they might possess the large herd of pigs nearby. 

 

Jesus allowed it and they left the man and entered all the pigs, there were so many demons. The pigs were so disturbed and out of control that they ran off a cliff, into the sea, and drowned.

 

After that, the demons may have had to return to Hell, or perhaps they were free to roam and find someone else to possess.

 

Either way, for us, with our faith being in Jesus, who is greater than the devil and all evil, under His protection, there is no demon able to possess and control us.

 

Tempt us, yes -- the devil is diligent and adept at doing that. 

 

But with our faith in Christ, who is greater, no evil spirit can possess and destroy us. God, our Savior and Protector, is mightier and greater.

 

The herders ran and told the town’s people what had happened, and they came to see for themselves. 

They saw the wild man, now docile and clothed and completely healed by Jesus, sitting at His feet with the disciples, listening and learning. Amazing! 

 

The townspeople were amazed, indeed, and even more, afraid of a man who could command and overpower legions of demons. 

 

And they weren’t too happy about losing the pigs.  

 

Pigs couldn’t be raised in Jewish lands since they were considered unclean, and had to be avoided. 

 

However, pretty much everyone likes bacon, so there was a lucrative black market for pork smuggled into in Jewish lands.

 

A lot of money was lost when those pigs drowned, and, not wanting to take a chance on losing anything more of value, the people asked Jesus to leave. 

 

They chose their wallets over their souls; they rejected the One who had the power to heal and save them.

 

Jesus offers Himself to all, but forces Himself on no one, so He complied with their wishes, and left.

 

The healed man heard that Jesus was leaving and begged to go with Him, but Jesus had other plans for him. 

 

He told him: “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.

 

Although the people there had rejected Jesus, He still cared about them. 

 

He knew that the healed man could serve more effectively with the Gospel, by staying where he was, where the people knew him and that he had been possessed by demons, and could see that now was just fine, healed by Jesus.

And so the healed man told everyone who would listen, all about what Jesus had done for him.

 

Let us do the same for all who will listen. 

 

Jesus has done just as much for us a He did for the man healed from demons. In holy Baptism we’re just as healed and saved as he was.

 

Like him, Jesus has saved us from the power of the devil, from sin and everlasting death.

 

And He has poured legions, if you will, of blessings on us, an abundance of daily and Heavenly blessings.

 

Let us make known, Christ and all that He has done for us and for the world by His death and resurrection…

 

… and by His Holy Spirit, sent to live in us with faith, hope, love, peace, joy and many more wonderful blessings.

 

Let us and declare how much God has done for us, and how much He would do for everyone, for all who would believe and receive His abundant blessings.

 

He wants to do so much for so many, for all. Let us share and show others how wonderful Jesus and His eternal blessings are.

 

Finally, as we proclaim and declare His love and salvation…

 

… and as we praise and give thanks to Him for all His wonderful deeds and blessings…

 

… His peace, which passes understanding, will guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus, Son of the Most High God. Amen.