13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:1-14
The Greater Force
The account found in Luke 8 isn’t primarily about demons—it’s about the supremacy of Christ. He is greater than every force of darkness. He is greater than our problems, our fears, our doubts, and our sins.
This is why believers in Christ need not fear demonic possession. The Spirit of God dwells within us, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Light and darkness cannot coexist in the same space.
But this protection isn’t automatic for everyone. It comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ—through turning from sin and trusting in His finished work on the cross. He didn’t just defeat demons during His earthly ministry; He defeated sin, death, and Satan himself through His crucifixion and resurrection.
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Luke 8:30-32
The Encounter That Changes Everything
The man among the tombs had a life that seemed beyond hope. The community had tried everything. Nothing worked. He had suffered “for a long time.”
The demons recognized Christ immediately. They even tried to intimidate Him by using His full title: “Jesus, Son of the Most High God.” It was like a tiny dog yapping at a grizzly bear—all noise, no threat.
The demons couldn’t stand in His presence. They begged not to be sent into the abyss. Jesus, demonstrating His complete authority, sent them into a herd of pigs that then rushed down a steep bank into the lake and drowned.
When the townspeople came to investigate, they found the formerly demon-possessed man “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.”
This is the power of an encounter with Christ. Where there was chaos, there is now peace. Where there was nakedness and shame, there is now dignity. Where there was insanity, there is now soundness of mind.
Bring your mess to Jesus today. He will forgive your sin, redeem your past, and cleanse your unrighteousness. God is able!
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Hebrews 11:1-6
Have Faith In God……
**Faith means believing even though we can’t see or experience it through our senses. (1)
**Faith is the means of salvation through Jesus Christ. (2) (6)
10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: 16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” 17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” 18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Hebrews 10:10-18
Jesus is our great, perfect, ultimate sacrifice. Through Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross, forgiveness and salvation are granted to all who believe in Him. Jesus is the author a new, perfect, eternal covenant based on God’s grace.
The Mosaic Covenant sacrifices could never fully remove sin and guilt. However, Jesus’ sacrifice gives full and complete redemption to the sinner. The writer of Hebrews spells this out in Chapter 10.
**Jesus Offered Himself (10)
**Jesus offered Himself Once For All (12-14)
**Jesus Purifies Us Through His Blood (14)
**We Are Forgiven On The Basis Of Jesus’ Sacrifice (17-18)
Three Biblical answers to life’s great questions…..
How did I get here? God created me His image.
Genesis 1:26-27Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
What is my purpose on this planet? I am here to glorify God and serve Him.
1 Corinthians 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
As a believer in Christ, where am I going? After I leave this planet, I am going to be with Jesus forever.
Revelation 21:1-6 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Luke 8:26-29
The Greater Power: Finding Freedom from Destruction
In the quiet hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee, an extraordinary encounter took place that would forever change one man’s life—and teach us profound truths about the spiritual battle we all face.
Imagine a man so tormented, so completely overtaken by darkness, that he lived among the tombs rather than among the living. He wore no clothes. Chains couldn’t hold him. Society had given up on him. His family could only watch in horror as the person they once knew became unrecognizable.
This wasn’t just a story from ancient times—it’s a vivid picture of what destruction looks like when evil is given free reign in a life.
The account from Luke chapter 8 presents us with a sobering reality: there is a very real enemy who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. This isn’t a comfortable truth. We live in an age that either dismisses spiritual warfare entirely or becomes unhealthily obsessed with it. But the Scripture presents a balanced view—one that acknowledges the reality of evil while proclaiming the supremacy of Christ.
5 Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more. 6 So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”
10 So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” 11 And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.
Genesis 37:5-11
The life of Joseph is chronicled in the book of Genesis. Joseph is the son Jacob and He is given a dream from God. The dream stated that Joseph would become a great leader. However, it would be many years before His dream actually came to pass.
Joseph had to wait for God’s plan to come to fruition. Waiting can be a frustrating experience. Yet, our lives are filled with moments (and sometimes hours) where we are forced to wait. Waiting upon God can be difficult while we are in the midst of the delay.
Yet, it is in the times of waiting that God often speaks the loudest. In those times, we learn of God’s goodness, His provision, and His love for us. The times of waiting often serve as God’s laboratory in our lives. There, He shapes us, humbles us, and renews us. While we do not enjoy waiting in the moment, once the promised is fulfilled we can look back and see God’s hand at work all along.
Are you in a time of waiting? If you are waiting on God, trust the Lord, believe His Word, and seek to learn of Him. Should we be doing these things at all times? Yes. And we should be pursuing these truths especially in the time of waiting.
May God richly bless you as wait upon Him.
Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Luke 8:26-29
The Greater Power
In the quiet hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee, an extraordinary encounter took place that would forever change one man’s life—and teach us profound truths about the spiritual battle we all face.
Imagine a man so tormented, so completely overtaken by darkness, that he lived among the tombs rather than among the living. He wore no clothes. Chains couldn’t hold him. Society had given up on him. His family could only watch in horror as the person they once knew became unrecognizable.
This wasn’t just a story from ancient times—it’s a vivid picture of what destruction looks like when evil is given free reign in a life.
The account from Luke chapter 8 presents us with a sobering reality: there is a very real enemy who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy. This isn’t a comfortable truth. We live in an age that either dismisses spiritual warfare entirely or becomes unhealthily obsessed with it. But the Scripture presents a balanced view—one that acknowledges the reality of evil while proclaiming the supremacy of Christ.
Trust in Jesus is paramount for winning the spiritual battles in or lives. If the Lord can overcome the demons of Hell, He can handle our problems and fears.
1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; 8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. 9 It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience— 10 concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation.
Hebrews 9:1-10
God’s covenant with Israel is beautiful and glorious. It shows forth God’s covenant dealings with the people He chose for Himself—the nation of Israel. The Law still has much to say to God’s people in our day.
We are no longer under the Covenant of Moses. As believers, we are partakers of the New Covenant given to us through the blood of Christ. Nevertheless, let us give thanks today for God’s Covenant with Israel. Three aspects of this Covenant are revealed in Hebrews 9.
Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. 7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickednessand will remember their sins no more.” 13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.
Hebrews 8:1-13
The New Covenant has a………………
**Better Sanctuary (1-2)
The New Covenant has a heavenly Sanctuary and an everlasting Sanctuary,
administered By Christ—our great High Priest. The Covenant of Moses was temporal while the Covenant of Grace is everlasting. The New Covenant is anchored in Heaven through our Savior, Christ our Lord.
**Better Sacrifice (3-4)
The Levitical priests offered animal blood as a covering for the people’s sins. By contrast, Jesus, our High Priest, offered His own blood for the forgiveness of sins. While the Levitical priests offered sacrifices repeatedly, Jesus offered Himself once for all.
**It Has A Better Security (5-13)
The Mosaic Covenant was ruined by Israel’s sin, written on stone, and impossible to keep. The Covenant of Jesus teaches us that Jesus paid for sin while the New covenant is written on human heart. The Covenant of Grace is based on the obedience of Christ and not the obedience of sinners.
mrtonyfrench 