Luke 8:26-33 – What You Don’t Know Will Hurt You – Bible study

Luke 8:26-33 What You Dont Know Will Hurt You Demons or devils are an often seen element in the gospels. The terms: unclean spirit(s) unclean devil foul spirit(s) devils are used 58 times in the gospels and the book of Acts. That is interesting in that most American Christians today think they have had no no experience with demons. For a few moments this morning, let me share some truths about demons. I. Demons are real. A. The Bible mentions demons as real beings 58 times. 1. If they are real, then simply put, the Bible is not true. 2. If the Bible is not true, then Jesus did not die and rise from the grave. 3. If Jesus did not die and rise from the grave, then the Bible itself states that we are still in our sins and hopeless. \#1Cor 15:7, 19\ B. Some question the existence of demons not because their presence is not felt but because they have not seen any demons. 1. However, we believe and even alter our lives everyday because of things we cannot seer. a. Satellites stay in orbit because of invisible gravity. b. Airplanes fly because of invisible wind currents. c. Health care has been advanced because we understand the power of invisible germs. 2. If the only thing we believe are the things we see, well not only be carnal in spiritual things but ignorant in many things. II. Demons were not created as demons. A. Some ask the question in order to deny Gods existence or goodness, "Did God create everything? If He did, why did He create evil?" 1. The answer to that is that God did not create everything. 2. God did not create evil. Actually, that one is on the devil and mankind. 3. When God created the devil and demons, He created them like He created mankind, holy and pure. B. It was the devil who made the decision to become evil 1. There are several places you can read about this: a. \#Is 14:12-15\. b. \#Eze 28:13-18\ Eze 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 2. God created Satan and all of the demons to serve Him, but like mankind, God gave Satan and the demons some freewill. a. That is, He gave them some choice. b. Satan chose to sin. c. \#Eze 28:17\ indicates evil started with pride and then rebellion. 3. When Satan sinned, he persuaded many of the angels of heaven to follow him. Rev 12: 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: 4. This world has been their home ever since, III. Demons are spiritual beings. A. They need a physical body to interact with this physical world. B. Movies and books today portray demons has being able to take human form and physically do evil physical actions. I am not going to say that that is totally impossible but I am going to say that God, in His mercy, has greatly limited what demons can do in this realm. For them to do most things, they must find a physical, living host. C. Demons will take whatever living host they are allowed. 1. \#29\ They inhabited a man. a. I say "they" because the Bible makes it clear that there were "many devils" entered into him \#30\. b. They called themselves "Legion" because they were so many. c. The world "legion" meant different things but the common number was 6,000. d. \#Mk 5:13\ says that this herd numbered 2,000 so there was at least 2,000 demons inside of this man. 2. \#31-33\ Withand only withJesus permission, they entered into the herd of pigs. a. I dont know if the pigs killed themselves when they sensed the evil of the demons enter in them or if the demons drove the pigs to kill themselves, but that possession did not last long. b. This and the fall that took place in the Garden of Eden are the only two times the Bible tells us that demons possessed the bodies of animals. IV. I suspect that demons need permission to take any physical host. A. Animals do not have an eternal spirit so only God can give them possession to inhabit an animal, but humans can give demons permission to possess them. B. How? I do not have all of the answers but I do not think Satan marches up to a person and asks for permission to inhabit a person. C. I think it is more likely that a person turns so far from God toward the devil that his actions give demons permission to possess him. 1. People expose themselves to the devil every day without ever thinking about it. a. There are only two spiritual forces on this earth, God and Satan. You are either in one camp or the others. b. Watching demonic movies, listening to demonic music, reading demonic literature, abusing drugs, and doing sinful things that God calls wicked, evil, and abominable, all move people away from God and toward the devil. c. At some point, people have walked far into the devils camp that the demons have the liberty to walk into those people. d. That is called demon possession. 2. Of course, some people actually invite and asks demons to inhabit them. a. Satan has his religions: Satanism; Wicca; idol worship; worship of the stars, horoscopes; and many more. b. Since 2014, there has been talk of After-School Satan Clubs being started in America. I have seen enough news sources write about it now that I believe it to be true. http://thefederalist.com/2016/08/04/6-things-to-know-about-the- new-after-school-satan-clubs/ c. Every false religion is a religion that worships Satan. V. Demons lie, deceive, trick, steal, and destroy. A. In reading the article about After-School Satan Clubs the writer tried to calm some peoples fears by saying that Satan would not be worshipped and the clubs were not bad. 1. The article reads "The group rejects all forms of supernaturalism and is committed to the view that scientific rationality provides the best measure of reality, 2. The article compares the Satan Clubs as positive and says they could replace roles of the Girl Scouts and 4-H Clubs. B. Right. And we would believe that a club which honors Satan will be wholesome, character building club because Satan is such a wholesome being? Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. Joh 10:10 The thief (Satan) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. C. Notice how this man faired under demonic control. 1. \#27\ He was naked. a. Nakedness and immodesty has always been the mark of Satan. b. It demonstrates pride and creates lusts. These were the first two sins that Satan succumbed to. 2. He lived in the tombs. The devil does not give things. He takes things like homes, family, jobs, money, health. 3. \#Mark 5:5\ He was always crying and cutting himself. a. Demons do not respect the host they inhabit. b. Their goal is to torment and kill that host. 4. \#29\ This man was affliced with the devil. Luke 8:29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) a. The demons CAUGHT him – The word means SEIZED BY FORCE. b. They DROVE him – The word means that he was CARRIED BY OUTSIDE FORCES, like wind drives clouds or currents drive a ship. c. This man was being forced to do things that he did not want to do. D. If you could ask this man if the devil lies, I believe he would tell you in no uncertain terms, "YES." VI. Demons can influence anyone. A. I did not say that they could possess anyone. I said they could influence anyone. B. They influenced Peter. The account of Peter speaking what the devil wanted spoken is document in three of the gospels. 1. \#Matt 16:23, Mark 8:33, Luke 14:8\. 2. This is the night of Jesus arrest and crucifixion. 3. Peter was saved by that time but Satan could still influence him. C. Demons are working to both possess and control people right now. VII. The worst of the demons will soon be released on this world. A. The Bible indicates that the worst of the demonsexcluding Satanhave been locked away from mankind. Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 1. They kept not their first estate or first charge, first rule. 2. Those more powerful angels which had more authority and became demons have been held in "everlasting chains." B. But God is going to unlock them. Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. 5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 1. People like to mock the Bibles description of these creatures. 2. These are beings that man will likely create. A plan to mix human stem cells with animal embryos to create chimeras – those creatures that have part animal and part human elements – soon will be getting taxpayer funding, under a new proposal from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The federal agency said Thursday that it is requesting public comment on its plans to open the door to public funding of the concept that could result in animal models with human tissues or organs for studying human development, disease pathology, and eventually organ transplantation. The National Institutes of Health had announced a moratorium on the funding last year, but the change now is being proposed due to the interest in mixing human and non-human cells, and seeing the results. http://www.wnd.com/2016/08/obama-gives-green-light-to-make- human-animal-hybrid-monsters/ 150 human animal hybrids grown in UK labs: Embryos have been produced secretively for the past three years By DANIEL MARTIN FOR THE DAILY MAIL and SIMON CALDWELL FOR MAILONLINE CREATED: 15:18 EST, 22 July 2011 Scientists have created more than 150 human- animal hybrid embryos in British laboratories. The hybrids have been produced secretively over the past three years by researchers looking into possible cures for a wide range of diseases. The revelation comes just a day after a committee of scientists warned of a nightmare Planet of the Apes scenario in which work on human- animal creations goes too far. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2017818 /Embryos-involving-genes-animals-mixed-humans-produced-secretively- past-years.html#ixzz4HxxTCvt8 I say often that the Bible is being fulfilled right in front of usand it is. We are inching toward the finale. I hope you have trusted Jesus as your Savior and are proving that profession by living for Him. Salvation requires two things: 1. Faith – believing that Jesus is who He said He was, that He did what He said He would do, and that He will do what He has promised He would do. 2. Repentance – Turing your life over to Jesus, surrendering control to Him.