Sermon
#51 Luke
Sermons
Title: “They Besought Him”
Text: Luke 8:31-33 and 37-40
Subject: Prayer
Date: Sunday Afternoon –
Tape # W-40a
Introduction:
I do not pretend to know a great deal about prayer, though I
very much want to. But I know this: -- Prayer has something to do with worship.
Prayer has something to do with gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving. Prayer is
primarily a work of the heart. Prayer has something to do with seeking and
bowing to the will of God. It has something to do with the glory of God, the
welfare of the
·
To those who think that prayer is simply asking God to give us what we want and receiving it, I say “Read Luke chapter
8.”
·
To those multitudes who vainly imagine that answered prayer is evidence
of saving grace, I say “Read Luke chapter 8.”
Let’s
read a portion of that chapter together.
[Luke
8:31-33] "And they besought him
that he would not command them to go out into the deep. [32] And there
was there an herd of many swine feeding on the
mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them.
And he suffered them. [33] Then went the devils
out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a
steep place into the lake, and were choked."
[Luke
8:37-40] "Then the whole multitude
of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them;
for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned
back again. [38] Now the man out of whom the devils were departed
besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
[39] Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done
unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how
great things Jesus had done unto him. [40] And it came to pass, that,
when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were
all waiting for him."
Here is a legion of demons praying to the Lord Jesus Christ, a
legion of demons whose request the Lord immediately granted. Here is an entire
city, pleading with the Son of God to depart from their coasts, a city whose
request the Lord Jesus granted on the spot. Here is a saved sinner, one whose
heart burned with love and gratitude to Christ, who prayed that the Lord would
graciously allow him to stay ever in his presence, the prayer of an earnest
soul, whose request the Lord Jesus denied.
What are we to learn from these things? Why are they here
recorded in the Book of God? May God the Holy Spirit who caused theses words to
be written now teach us their meaning.
I. First, in verses 31-33, the Lord Jesus Christ immediately grants the
request of a legion of demons.
[Luke
8:31-33] "And they besought him
that he would not command them to go out into the deep. [32] And there
was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain:
and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he
suffered them. [33] Then went the devils out of
the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep
place into the lake, and were choked."
A. Even the demons of hell,
when terrified by the impending wrath and judgment of God, pray. – But such
prayer is not prayer at all.
B. The very demons of hell are
under the command of the Son of God, totally controlled by him, and they both
know it and acknowledge it. – But such an acknowledgement is not true worship.
C. As the herd of swine was
plunged into destruction by the influence of those demons, the demons who possessed the poor Gadarene, so the influence of hell
that possesses unbelieving men and women will destroy their souls, unless the
Son of God intervenes.
II. Second, in verse 37, we see an
[Luke
8:37] "Then the whole multitude of
the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for
they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned
back again."
What an awesome, frightful sight this is! At the request of
these men, the Son of God, the Lord of Glory, the Savior of the world, “went
up into the ship and returned back!”
What possessed these men to make such a request? They knew
exactly what the Lord had done. They knew his power. They saw the evidence of
his goodness, grace, and saving majesty sitting before them. Yet, they prayed
not for him to work among them, for them, in them, and with them, but for him
to depart from them! Why?
·
The Holy Lamb of God!
·
The Dispossessor of Demons!
·
The Healer of Men’s Souls!
·
The King of Glory!
·
The Savior of the World!
·
Why?
Why did these men beg such a man to depart from their coasts?
Would the Gadarenes prefer to have a wild, demon possessed man roaming their
streets than the Son of God? Obviously they did. But Why?
I will give you the answer in one short sentence,
-- They loved the world and refused to give it up. These men were
convinced in their own consciences that they would loose much if the Son of God
stayed among them. Therefore, counting the cost, they said, “Give us the world!
Give us the demons of hell if you must; but give us the world and leave us alone!”
And that is exactly what he did!
Nothing has changed. All men by nature are exactly
like these Gadarenes. We all prefer the raging, unbridled, uncontrolled lusts
of our hearts, the horrid dominion of Satan, the dark influence of hell, the
pursuits and follies of the world to the sweet dominion of the Son of God and
the mercy, love and grace of God he brings.
There is a day of grace, a time of
visitation from the Lord, which if despised will become a day of wrath,
vengeance, and eternal ruin. Light despised will be turned into darkness. Mercy
spurned will bring eternal misery. My friends, let us
take heed that we do not sin the sin of the Gadarenes! Let it rather be our
constant prayer, -- “O Lord God, do not leave us to ourselves!”
[Job
[Hosea
4:17] "Ephraim is joined to
idols: let him alone."
[Proverbs
1:23-33] "Turn you at my reproof:
behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto
you. [24] Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my
hand, and no man regarded; [25] But ye have set at nought all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof: [26] I also will laugh at your
calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; [27] When your fear cometh
as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and
anguish cometh upon you. [28] Then shall they call upon me, but I will
not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: [29] For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear
of the LORD: [30] They would none of my counsel: they despised all my
reproof. [31] Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices. [32] For the turning away of the
simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. [33]
But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from
fear of evil."
[Proverbs
29:1] "He, that being often
reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that
without remedy."
Yet, even in this, I am reminded of God’s great mercy to
our souls. Aren’t you? There was a time, not long ago, when we, too,
besought the Son of God, that he would depart from us. Did we not? Thank God,
he refused to grant us our hearts’ desire. He refused to leave us alone. He
refused to leave us to ourselves. He refused to give us up. He cried for us, “How
shall I give thee up?”
Nothing less than a miracle of grace, nothing less
than the intervention of sovereign mercy, nothing short of omnipotent love
steeping into our lives could cause us to turn and seek the Lord our God, whom
we most vehemently despised all our lives.
III. Third, in verses 38 and 39 the Holy
Spirit gives us another highly instructive picture. – Here is a saved sinner praying for permission
to ever be in the Lord’s presence, whose request the
Lord Jesus graciously denied.
Without question the man before us is a true believer. He is a
heaven born soul. Not only had the demons been cast out of him, the Son of God
had established his throne in him. Can you picture him? There he is…
·
Sitting at the Savior’s feet. – BEAMING!
·
Clothed in the garments of salvation!
·
In his right mind!
·
Full of love, gratitude, joy, and zeal.
[Luke
8:38-39] "Now the man out of whom
the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent
him away, saying, [39] Return to thine own
house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way,
and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto
him."
A. Did you ever notice how
striking the differences are in the ways our Master dealt with men?
·
To this man he refused permission to forsake his family and homeland.
·
He commanded the rich young ruler to forsake all and follow him.
·
The healed leper was strictly charged to tell no man what the Master
had done for him.
·
Another was not even allowed to go home and bury his father.
·
Our Savior knew what was in the hearts of all. He knew precisely what
each case before him required and dealt with each according to the needs of
their situation.
B. Why did the Lord Jesus
refuse this man’s earnest request?
It was, without question, the prayer of an earnest, loving, grateful, adoring heart. There was nothing selfish or self-serving in it. But the Master would not allow this man to go with him for good reasons.
1. Our Master knows, far better
than we the best place for us.
2. This was an act of great
mercy to the Gadarenes.
3. This was a marvelous display
of goodness to this man’s family.
4. In a word, the Lord Jesus
refused to grant the request of this man’s lips, so that he might give him the
request of his heart (Rom.
[Luke
8:38-39] "Now the man out of whom
the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent
him away, saying, [39] Return to thine own
house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way,
and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto
him."
[Matthew
6:9-13] "After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
[10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
·
By refusing to allow this saved sinner to go with him, the Lord Jesus
secured his best place and circumstances in which to glorify God.
·
The Son of God graciously ordered his steps to walk in the will of God
(Pro. 3:5-6).
·
The Master graciously used him to build up the
·
The Lord Jesus graciously led him not into temptation but delivered him
from evil.
Application: Now, my brethren, I send
you home with our Lord’s word to this Gadarene, to whom he had been so
gracious. -- “Return unto thine own house, and show them how great things
God hath done unto thee.”