Sermon Cloud

    Series: Rising to Service
    Sermon 3: Serve in Victory
    Matthew 8:28-34 (parallels: Mark 5:1-20 & Luke 8:26-39)

Retell the story

1.    The victory is already won – even the demon knew.
    You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that and shudder.  James 2:19
    a.    The demons were afraid of Jesus.  They blinded the eyes of some, but they themselves feared Jesus.
        i.    What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who you are– the Holy One of God Mar. 1:24 (a demon possessed man in the synagogue
        ii.    Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed.   They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.  Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest were doing this.  One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”  Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.  He gave them such a beating that they ran out o f the house naked and bleeding.   Acts 19:13-17
    b.    The demon-possessed men lived in a place of death – a place where Satan seems victorious – this was their home field!.
        No man has power to retain the spirit or power over the day of death.  Ecc. 8:8a
        What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the grave? Psalm 89:48
        i.    Still they knew they were defeated.
            (1)    death does not reign forever.
            (2)    Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39
        ii.    The demons knew that they themselves would be locked in prison one day for eternal punishment.  Death, their domain, will be powerless.
    c.    The demons are trying to hold on here, but God/Jesus is in charge.  – “It’s not our time yet.”  They were having too much fun & didn’t want it to end.
Serve in Victory – even in enemy territory!
2.    The swineherds were most concerned about the pigs & financial loss
    a.    No one can serve two masters.  Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and Money.  Mat. 6:24
    b.    We live in a world where people are concerned about themselves & how others perceive them above almost everything else.
    c.    Demon possession isn’t too prevalent here these days, but self-obsession is a way of life.
Serve in Victory – over the distractions of this life
3.    Jesus asked to leave – if we don’t serve in victory, we aren’t serving Jesus.