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The Gospel of Matthew

More of Jesus’ Amazing Authority

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May 4, 2025
Matthew 8:28-34
Sam Crabtree
Pastor for Care

The Person of Christ

Spiritual Warfare

Apologetics & Truth

Transcript

0:17Jesus reigns. He rules, he governs. He's large and in charge as they might say in our day. And my aim in this message this morning is to get us to embrace afresh the authority of Jesus. His authority extends farther and goes deeper than many people think earlier in chapter eight that you've been hearing preached over recent weeks. In chapter eight alone, we see that Jesus exercises authority over leprosy and over a paralyzed servant who's near death, where they've run out of options, authority over fever of Peter's mother-in-law authority over the sicknesses of many neighbors authority over winds and sea.

1:15And in today's text we just saw that he exercises authoritative dominion over demons. He has authority over things visible and invisible. Now, what does Jesus want us to see in this text? The spirit is in this room right now helping us see this text. And he wants us to see Jesus, the Jesus who does all things well and who is compassionate and loves like nobody else, that Jesus has the authority to remove leprosy and demons and he has the authority to leave them there.

2:17The choir just saying, I am not my own. Let's see if we can see it in the Bible. Now this episode in which Jesus tells demons to go, it's not the first time he demonstrates authority over demons. This story story in in Matthew eight is also in Mark five and it's also in Luke. And the Mark five episode is preceded by Mark chapter one obviously. And in Mark chapter one, before we get to this story about casting out demons, he cast out other demons. And here's what it says, mark 1 27. And they were all amazed so that they questioned among themselves saying, what is this a new teaching with authority?

3:03He commands even unclean spirits and they obey him. Demons obey. Is that better than some Christians? You can think of the episode in our text for today is recorded by Matthew and Mark and Luke. And at first glance, there appear to be some discrepancies between the three accounts and we encounter two of those discrepancies right away when he came to the other side, I'm reading from Matthew A to the country of the gatherings. Matthew says gatherings. But Mark and Luke say, Garins skeptics who like to criticize the Bible for allegedly contradicting itself claim that this is another example of the Bible at odds with itself.

3:51So which is it? Gatherings or garrisons? Well, Gara was a nearby town. So all those who came from that area could be called garrisons, but Gaura was the region in which that town was. So people from that region could be called gatherings. It could be called either one Garins or gatherings. Either way it'd be like, like people from here could be called Minnesotans or Midwesterners. There's no contradiction there. People could be called Swedes or Scandinavians. Those aren't at odds with each other. Variation is no contradiction. Now this passage begins with Jesus arriving by boat on the east side of the sea of Galilee.

4:44And as soon as it's over, he'll get back into the boat and cross over to the west side. And so I ask myself when I read that, why did Jesus go there in the first place if he's there so shortly, climbs out on the beach, does something, gets back in the boat and goes back over to the other side, what is going on? And as I ponder this, this is so good.

5:08I'm gonna give you three reasons. I think there's more. But there, here's three. He's on assignment. Jesus is doing the will of the Father. He has an appointment. The Father has determined to show mercy to two demon possessed men. And he's determined to show the authority of his son. And Jesus goes there to authoritatively deliver mercy. Each of us is on Jesus' appointment calendar one John four 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son. He's a son sending father and he sent him across the sea of Galilee.

6:03Second reason, he's fulfilling the father's promise to bless the nations. This this area on the east side of the sea of Galilee, it's not a Jewish area, it's mostly a a gentile area. And way back in Genesis 15, when God made his covenant with Abraham, it was to bless the nations, the non-Jews, as well as the Jews. So Jesus comes to bless gatherings and Swedes and Minnesotans.

6:36Third reason why he came across the lake, one John three, eight says this, the reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. It's one of the reasons he came to earth. And I think it's one of the reasons he climbed out of the boat on the shores of the sea of Galilee. Now we encounter in Matthew eight here a second discrepancy. Matthew says in verse 28, 2 demon possessed men met him. But Mark and Luke only refer to a man. So which is it? One or two Again, I believe there's no contradiction. So when I say to you that I, I met a man here at church on Easter, you're not thinking, well, there must have been only one man at church on Easter.

7:30No, I I I'm just telling you about a man that I met. There were others there. DA Carson writes, when Matthew mentions two men mention of only one by the other gospel writers is not problematic. Andy Naselli a Bible commentator that some of you know personally. I asked him, what do you think? And he sent me an article, which is Andy's way of communicating.

8:01He wrote, in such cases, the author who identifies one person does not specify that there was only one. So there's no conflict between Matthew and Mark and Luke. Now these men in Matthew eight are demon possessed. We live in an intersection. There's a, there's a physical realm and there's a spiritual realm. And they intersect right here, natural and supernatural, physical and spiritual seen and unseen, empirically observed and divinely revealed.

8:43It will do us no good to deny it or to overemphasize it. CS Lewis put it this way, there are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. And the demons themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail the materialist or the magician with the same delight. Demons are fallen angels who've been booted out of heaven and they know who Jesus is. They're powerful and dangerous. But spoiler alert, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

9:34Now, what is demon possessed? It's not natural. It's supernatural, spiritual. And in the Bible, demon possession refers to a state in which a demon or an evil spirit has a measure of direct control over a person's thoughts and actions. The personality of the demon or the demons eclipses seemingly at will the personality of the individual. This control can be manifested in various ways, including speaking in a different voice, superhuman strength like these men hear in this story or physical impairments like convulsions or suicidal tendencies or personality changes like rage and even the ability to speak or act in ways a person normally wouldn't.

10:26So there's a demon possession going on here. But to put the emphasis on the right foot here, our text this morning is not primarily a teaching about demons. We could spend the whole rest of the sermon and several sermons just teaching about demonology here. But I don't think it's the point of this text, but primarily this text is an example of the authority of Jesus.

10:51That's what it's about. He reigns over whatever these beings are. Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilee. And Mark and Luke tell us that as soon as he steps out of the boat, he's approached by these two verse 28 coming out of the tombs so fierce that no one could pass that way. How fierce, so fierce that no one could pass that way, but Jesus can. He reigns. Luke says, for a long time these guys had worn no clothes. Luke and Mark say they had not lived in a house, but in the tombs Mark says no one could bind them even with a chain. They'd been off and bound with shackles and chains, but they wrenched the chains apart, broke the shackles in pieces, and nobody had the strength to subdue these guys.

11:45And he adds night and day. They were always crying out and cutting themselves with stones. So we have two men coming out of the tombs so fierce that nobody can pass that way. And Jesus is not afraid. He's not intimidated. Jesus loves even scary people. And even though these demons profoundly mess up the lives of those they harass, demons cannot keep these persons from meeting Jesus Christ Who has authority higher, much higher, infinitely higher than the demons. And Mark says when the men, men so fierce that no one could pass that way, when the demon possessed men see Jesus from afar, they run toward him and fall down before him.

12:45So we're seeing here that before a word is even spoken, the authority of Jesus is on display. Again, these demons are fierce, exceeding, fierce, not only ungovernable themselves but mischievous to others. Now, in one verse prior to our text this morning, if you still have your Bibles open to chapter eight, when Jesus had calmed the wind and the waves men marveled saying, what sort of man is this that even the winds and the sea obey him? And we too might ask, well what? What kind of a guy is this? What manner of man is this? But here in verse 29, we're given the answer in the clearest possible terms, though from perhaps a surprising source.

13:34Verse 29. Behold they cried out what have you to do with us and here's his identity. Oh, son of God, Jesus is the son of God. And what demons admit here, lost men often refuse to admit. Now let us heed this though the demons know who Jesus is. They could take a test, they could fill in the blank with the right answer. He's the son of God. That knowledge does not save them and it won't save us.

14:16Knowledge is not enough. Saving faith doesn't merely know who he is, but delights in who he is, trusts who he is. Thanks Jesus for what he's done loves him. Demons know a lot about Jesus more than we do, but they don't like what they know. Christians like what they discover about Jesus. It's one of the key differences between demons and Christians. Demons are not satisfied with him. They have no affection for him, only dread. They see him as powerful, but they don't embrace him as excellent Christians aim to do what the North Church slogan says, treasuring Christ in all of life the demons don't possess or hope for any benefit from Jesus.

15:09And in contrast, Christians possess salvation, the indwelling Holy Spirit, the hope filled promise of pleasures at Jesus' right hand forevermore. So be warned, as we heard a couple sermons ago, it's possible to call Jesus the son of God indeed, to say, Lord, Lord, and yet not be found in him. We saw it in chapter seven, verse 22. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name? Do many mighty works in your name and then I will declare to them and never knew you depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. Later in chapter 15, we're gonna see Jesus say this.

15:57This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, me in vain. Do they worship me? I remember reading that a number of years ago and thinking, is that me? I worship him? Is it vain, empty, worthless? Now let's pick it up in verse 29. Have you come here to torment us before the time. Now torment, the men in this story are already tormented. They're homeless, they live in isolation. They're away from society. They're living in a graveyard. They're doing self-harm, cutting themselves with stones. They're living in nakedness. They have uncontrollable outbursts and violence, hostility against those who pass by, unable to live among people, sleeplessness, screaming out in the night.

16:53And today we around here, we have a culture full of tormented people outta their minds, killing themselves with fentanyl. Don't even know their own sex. They're not in their right mind, but observe the demons. Ask Jesus, have you come to torment us before the time they know there's an appointed time yet to come when even greater torment will be their portion for their rebellion, their lovelessness, their hostility toward Christ, the eagerness with which they play their role in harming and harassing humans. They don't know the exact appointed day, but they know it is coming.

17:44Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, things are not going to go on as they are forever. A day of reckoning is coming. And thus, as James says, the devils believe and tremble. They shudder. And any person who's not in Christ should shutter too. The demons say Leave us alone because the future for them is the abyss of outer darkness. But tragically, there are men who say to Jesus, leave us alone when they still have the opportunity to embrace the mercy of Jesus and avoid the abyss and walk in newness of life. Let's go to verse 30. Now, a herd of pigs was feeding at some distance from them. Mark says that the estimated population of the herd was about 2000 pigs.

18:40Verse 31. And the demons begged him saying, if you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs. Why the pigs? Perhaps if the demons are prohibited from harming men's bodies, the next most harmful attack might be to damage men's possessions. Now, how many demons are there in these demon possessed men? I don't know. Many Luke eight calls them Legion. It's enough to drown 2000 pigs. I don't know how many demons that takes. I dunno if if it's 2000 demons or two demons or 2 million demons, I don't know. The Bible doesn't tell us. But these demons, however many there are, are on a leash without Christ's permission.

19:29They may not inflict harm that they aim to inflict. Now, if you'll allow me to step, step out of the gospels and go back to Job here we see the same dynamic in Job. In the first chapter of Job, the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant job that there's none like him on the earth, A blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. And then Satan answered the Lord and said, what does Job fear God for no reason have you not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side. You've blessed the work of his hands and possessions increase the land.

20:08In other words, of course, job bows to you God, you've put a fence around him. You won't let me get at him. He's got it cushy. Verse 11. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has and he will curse you to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, behold all that he has is in your hand only against him. Do not stretch out your hand. So after Satan has plundered job's, oxen and donkeys and servants and sheep and camels and killed job's, 10 children with God's permission, I'm not my own.

21:02Another conversation took place between God and Satan in chapter two. And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant job that there's none like him on the earth, A blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason. And then Satan answered the Lord and said, well skin for skin, all that a man has, he'll give for his life, meaning his health. But you stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse you to His, to your face. And the Lord said to Satan, behold, he's in your hand.

21:41Only spare his life. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. My point in bringing that text in here is to show the extent of Satan's liberty is limited by God's unlimited power. Jesus permits the demons to do in the swine what he does not permit them to do in the humans. These demons are on a leash. And this is a great comfort to Christians. Is it not? Those Satan's power may be very great. It's limited. It's limited by a very powerful almighty God who works all things together for the good of those who love him.

22:31And God mysteriously often permits for his perfectly wise and holy ends. He permits the efforts of Satan to temporarily rage, allowing Satan to inflict the mischief he inflicts, including the crucifixion of God's own son. It says Satan entered into Judas to betray him. And by this demonic activity, God serves his own perfect purposes, which includes our everlasting Good Demons are not only Christ's captives, they are his unwitting servants. Even their hostility and animosity is made to bring glory to Christ. And what is coming to these demons is a lake far worse than the lake into which the pigs stampede.

23:33Verse 32, he said to them, go and they came out and went into the pigs. And behold the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drown in the waters. So when Jesus, he, he's gonna tell some invisible demons to go, how will people know that they have gone well? One of the manifest evidences is the pigs. That's how they'll know the pigs are evidence. And I think it's noteworthy to notice if you back up in this chapter eight of Matthew to verse 16, if you still have your Bibles open, you can look at verse 16. It says, he cast out the spirits with a word, a word, not a long lecture. He doesn't provide them with a rationale to try to talk them into leaving.

24:24He doesn't try to persuade them into leaving. This is not a cognitive exercise. He doesn't conjole them. He doesn't threaten them, he doesn't. Well, I'm gonna count to three, none of that. He just says a word. Go Mark. Five 15, they came to Jesus and saw the demon possessed man, the one who had the legion sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And these two men, two demon possessed men, were widely known to be dangerous. That's why people avoided the area. Word had spread, Hey, don't go there. And the people know better than to pass that way. Others have tried to remedy the situation with chains and with fers, nothing has worked.

25:14So when Jesus delivers these two demon possessed men, their testimony is a radical attention getter. There's no natural explanation for it. Luke tells us that when the townspeople found the man sitting at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind, they were seized with great fear. Verse 33, The herdsman fled and going into the city, they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon possessed men. And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region. So the herdsman fled to town and told what happened to the demon possessed.

25:57And I presume to the pigs, but the people came out and spoke only of the pigs. Citizens care more about their possessions than about their neighbors. Ironically, instead of inviting Jesus into their city to bring more deliverance and freedom to its citizens, the materialistic valuing of their pigs makes their, makes them willing to get rid of him. Many a disappointed person insists that because God sent them through a very painful loss. Maybe not pigs, but something else. They therefore reject him. They prefer short-term relief from their light and momentary affliction over the long-term weight of glory.

26:40Far beyond all comparison that's promised by God. We tend to reject what we can't control or understand in this account. Matthew eight, we begin to see the open opposition to the Messiah. He has been opposed. Even when Mary was pregnant, Herod you know was destroying all the boys. He didn't know who Jesus was. He didn't know which boy he might be. So he's just gonna wipe 'em all out. But here they know who he is. They've been told this is the son of God And they reject him.

27:17Now, one might ask, how is it loving for Jesus to destroy the pigs that belong to the ranchers? Let me give you three reasons. First, the pigs are his. The choir sang, I'm not my own. If pigs could sing, they would sing that song. I am not my own. He doesn't need my permission to do whatever his wisdom and righteousness will do. He reigns over my pigs, my pancreas, my property, my prayer requests my people. They're all his second. It's loving for him to reveal not only his identity, but that his presence is preferable over the presence of 2000 pigs.

28:13I don't imagine many of you are thinking, I can't wait to get to heaven 'cause I want a fellowship with 2000 pigs. That's not attractive to you, but the son of God give me an eternity of that. Third reason, if you lose your pigs but meet your savior, is that not a mercy? Is that not love? What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and all of its pigs and lose his soul?

28:44In Mark's account, Jesus says to the man delivered of demons, go and tell how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you. This morning. I would ask us, me included, is Jesus saying to us, do likewise go and tell How much the Lord has done for you. At the beginning of this sermon, I said, Jesus reigns. And most readers of today's text readily see that when Jesus arrives on the scene, he takes charge of the demons and the pigs and the men. But but wait, he was in charge before he arrived earlier. In chapter eight, we saw that Jesus could heal the centurion servant without even being there.

29:33He didn't have to be physically present. He still was in charge of that ailment. In today's text, prior to climbing out the boat, Jesus already has authority there he made the men and the pigs and the demons and the cliff. Colossians one 16. For by him all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. The pigs are for his purposes. So are the demons. And in the next verse, verse 17, it says In him, all things hold together. That includes pigs and demons and cliffs. And the seven little goslings I saw waddling across the grass out here, Jesus is holding them together.

30:34This verse one 17 is summarized in Latin on the seal of Bethlehem College Seminary, which I think the uh, booth is putting up on the screen behind me here. You can see it on the right side. In Latin, Omnia in Christo, constant, all in Christ held together. It's from Colossians one 17. Jesus had authority over the pigs as they went over the cliff and before they went over the cliff and after they went over the cliff and he put the cliff there in the first place. And before the demons departed the men because of Jesus' authority, he nevertheless had authority over them, right where they were possessing those men.

31:25Jesus has authority over demons when he casts them out and he has authority over them before he casts them out and while they linger, Jesus is God. Psalm 1 39 teaches that in God's book were written all the days of those men, before there was one of them in God's book was written before it existed. The day of their deliverance was written in his book and the day after their deliverance and the days before their deliverance for many days to the demons and the pigs, Jesus said, I'm inferring, stay, stay, Stay.

32:21And then the moan came, go. He has authority in the go and he's the authority before the go. When Paul asked God to remove his thorn, Jesus didn't say to the thorn, go, he said to Paul, no, the thorn stays because Jesus loved Lazarus. Because Jesus loved Lazarus. The word is so, or therefore, or because because he loved Lazarus. When he heard Lazarus was ill, Jesus stayed two more days where he was ensuring that Lazarus would die because he loved him. John 11.

33:13Now I should insert here. Christians are not passive about problems like leprosy and demons. We, we seek solutions and we're gonna get solutions. But the timing belongs to Jesus. He reigns, he's God. He has authority without discussion. Jesus has glorious reasons for telling demons to go. And he has glorious reasons when he lets them stay, but he is not done. A day is coming. Jesus reigns. Now, in light of this episode in Matthew eight, how shall we then live one surrender to Jesus authority? His authority means he is Lord.

34:15Two. Praise him for his authority. See it as good. See it as amazing. He's using it for your everlasting benefit. Three, thank him for this record in the Bible. What an advantage for us that we have this book. Number four, connect his authority to your everlasting good. If he's not all powerful, there's a whole bunch of obstacles that are gonna undo Your future pleasure forever. And number five, go to the Lord's table.

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Sermon Text

Matthew 8:28-34

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