of the nation, a peace forever
more. Till with our vision glorious,
her longing eyes are blest, and the great church victorious shall
be the church at rest. Yet she on earth has union with
God the Three in One, and this week's week of union with those
who rest in one. O happy one and holy, Lord, give
a praise as we Like them the weak and lowly on high they dwell
with me. Good singing. All right, back
to Luke 4, Luke chapter 4. Luke chapter 4, like everything
we've been seeing and discussing. These stories have a spiritual
meaning behind them. They are a story of salvation. Salvation of every sinner. Every
sinner whom God saved by His grace and finds himself in every
one of these stories. This is my story right here.
A devil removed from a fellow. And you know, when the Lord quoted
in Isaiah here in chapter four, when He quoted that the blind
received their sight, He wasn't principally talking about people
who were physically blind, was He? No. But spiritual eyesight. All right,
let's dive right in here in chapter four. This is the story of a
demon-possessed man. And this was actually This man was truly possessed
of the devil. Look at verse 33 now. Here's
where we begin. And in the synagogue, there was
a man which had a spirit of an unclean devil and cried out and
so on. In the synagogue, the fellow
had devil, an unclean devil. unclean spirit. Now, demons and
devils are real. And in spite of all these sons
of Siva today that claim to do so many things, you know, about
devils, They're weak, not to be fooled
with. And the reason these fellows
get by with what they get by with and do what they do is because
they're doing the devil's bidding. They're his minions. But I know
a preacher of grace. He's passed on, but a fellow
who was a preacher of grace that But years ago, back in the 60s,
he began to study demons and devils just for, I don't know,
just for understanding of them or something. And until finally,
he began to see them and hear them. I mean, this is a believer,
so they're not to be fooled. speak evil of dignity and don't know what they're talking
about, and warned that even Michael the Archangel wouldn't fool with
or talk about or say anything against the devil's spirit. So
we're not fools like that. The devil's real. This fellow
really had an evil spirit, a devil. And there are many, and they
are varied, for that is, They work in different ways or different
realms, and Satan is a master of human nature, and he works
in different realms. Now, in this God-forsaken world
that we live in, the United States in particular, Evil and wicked spirits and demons
are clearly seen at work in all the dives and the gutters and
the dark and seedy places throughout the planet. It's easy to see
that there's some wicked spirits at work there, isn't it? With
all the open wickedness and perversion and stuff that goes on. That's
easy to see. But the fact is, too, that demons
and devils are at work in synagogue or church house. And I believe
this is where their chief work is going on. I really do. Turn over to
2 Corinthians 4 with me. 2 Corinthians chapter 4. Now,
listen, people. Devils don't have to make us
do wicked things. Devil, there was a comedian,
a black comedian years ago, used to always, one of his well-known
statements was, the devil made me do it. You remember that fool
from, what they used to call comedians, what, fools? They
still are. But Devil doesn't have to make
us do wicked things. Not at all. If God just leaves
a man alone, he's a devil in himself. You know, if God just leaves
a man alone for himself, like Adam, he's turned into a devil. It's hard to know, it's hard
to know what's the work of the devil and what's the work of
human nature. There ain't much difference. As a matter of fact, they're
sons of the devil, Christ said to some people. Well, Satan knows the power of God, but he's seen it at work. He's seen the power of God. What
is the power of God? Huh? Where's Romans 1.16? 1 Corinthians
1. The Word of God is his power.
Christ is the Word. It is the Word of His power.
Scripture says, Satan knows what God's power is. He's seen it
work in his own hand, taking from him some of his own. So
where do you think he's at work? I believe Satan and his servants
are chiefly at work to keep people from hearing the gospel. Look
here at 2 Corinthians 4, verses 3 and 4. It says, "...if our
gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom the God
of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not."
Believe not what? The gospel. "...lest the light of the glorious
gospel of Christ, whose image of God should shine unto them."
So he's saying there that this is the devil. aim and goal and
purpose to keep people from hearing the gospel. He knows what the
power of God is. Satan blinds and blinds people's
eyes to see the glory of God, deafens their ears to hear the
gospel. But the fact is, now listen,
the fact is, if anybody doesn't hear it, it's
because God left them alone. If anybody doesn't want it because
they reject it, God left them alone. If our eyes and ears are
open, it's because God opened it. It's because God chose it.
And all of us at one point were held captive. Look over 2 Timothy
chapter 2. 2 Timothy chapter 2. All of us at one point were held
captive by Him. Doesn't it say that? Like in
Ephesians? It talks about we were children
of wrath, even as others, children of disobedience, even as others. Walking, living in the same excess
of riot, Peter says. Weren't we? Sure we were, just
like them. Well, here in 2 Timothy 2, look
at this. And see, there's an unholy trinity
in every sinner. Look at 2 Timothy 2, verses 25
and 26. It says, you know, he's talking
about the preacher of the gospel in meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves. The devil doesn't have to oppose
us. We're our own worst enemy. human nature, oppose themselves,
look at it, if God peradventure, here's salvation, if God peradventure
will give them repentance, you're going to have to get it, it's
the goodness of God, it's the grace of God, to give repentance,
to the acknowledging, and how does it come? Acknowledging the
truth, which is Christ, that they may recover themselves.
out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him
at his will. So you see, it's hard to know
who's our worst enemy, human nature or the devil himself.
All the devil does is use human nature. All right, back to the text now.
Luke chapter 4, here in our story. Luke chapter 4, look at verses
33 and 34. Now, this fellow had an unclean
devil and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone or
away. What have we to do with thee?
Or we don't want anything to do with thee. Thou Jesus of Nazareth,
art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the
Holy One of God. Away. We don't want anything
to do with thee. He didn't want anything to do
with the Lord. He didn't want anything to do with the Word
made flesh. He wanted to be left alone. He
said, away from me. Leave me alone. I don't want
this. And that was me at one point. Was that you? That was me at one point. Don't
give me that. I remember people trying to talk
to me about the gospel. And I remember thinking, I don't
get away from it. Was that you? I don't want anything
to do with the gospel. I don't want anything to do with
the cry. I want to be left alone. I'm happy living the life I'm
in. I'm happy. I'm not seeking the Lord. I don't
need the Lord. Was that you? Any of you? Well, it was me. And you know, God does leave
some people alone. leave them to themselves. This
fellow said, leave us alone. And God does leave some people
alone. He said that about some Pharisees, didn't he? He said,
leave them alone. And God says that about millions
upon millions of people on this earth. Leave them alone. But
you know what salvation is? I know what preachers say, you
know, that you can't, that God won't do anything unless you
let Him. God can't do anything unless you let Him. God won't
violate your free will, you know. But you must let go and let God.
That's salvation now. It's for God not to leave us
alone. So that's Bible salvation. It's for God not to take no for
an answer. Because everyone says, no, I
don't want that. Salvation is for God to say,
You'll have it. I will not. Yes, you will. I don't want that. Yes, maybe
I do. That's salvation. And it comes
to a sinner. God won't leave him alone. He
violates their sinful will. Well, look at this. He says,
he said, pride with a loud voice. Leave us alone. What have we
to do with thee? Jesus of Nazareth. I know who
thou art. Brother Pink brought out in that
little tract. Did all of you get a copy of
that little tract that was laid on the table downstairs? I sent off of these things to
you, not to me. I'd already read it. There's
a tract downstairs on the name of Christ, that worthy name. Get it. Read it. All right? But if you didn't read it, well,
the faith brought out how that only the enemies of the Lord
called Him by His first name. Right here we have one of those
examples. What have we to do with being about Jesus of Nazareth? Jesus of Nazareth. Huh? This devil Phil Teller. But this unclean spirit said,
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. And you'll find that throughout
the Scriptures. You'll find His enemies. You'll
find the most through the people saying, oh, that's, isn't that
Jesus? Unclean spirit. Only the Holy
Spirit will allow a man to call Him Lord. No man calls Jesus the
Lord but by the Holy Spirit. Read the tract. He's stated it
so much better than I can. All right. But every tongue will
confess eventually. Scripture says every tongue will
confess that he's Lord, and even the big ones. And this time I
had to confess. I know who you are. You're Jesus,
but I know you are the Holy One of Israel. And this made me think,
too, that, you know, in religion today, Even in religion, they're
saying some good things. They're saying some true things.
Aren't they? They're saying Jesus is love. Aren't they? They're talking
about holiness. God's talking about holiness. They use words like, you know,
mercy. Don't they? Truth. Not much, but truth. Righteousness? No, you don't
hear that much, except when they talk about themselves. Now, justice,
no, you won't hear that hardly ever. But you're saying some
true things, aren't you? Even demons say some true things. You can say some true things. Well, this fellow had not, did
not, not yet, and he was not a saved man yet, was he? He was
still full of the devil. All right? He said some good
things. Well, every time we'll confess. You know, some will
confess later on in the judgment of his Lord. And everybody will. Some day,
later on, will confess in their own judgment and condemnation
of his Lord. The salvation is right now in this life for a
person to come to know and bow and confess his Lord. Now, believe in the heart. Well,
this was a real scene. Now, like I said, this was a
real devil-possessed fellow. And I wouldn't pretend to try
to paint this picture, but I can. Hollywood has, they tried to. But this fellow was really possessed
with the devil and it was an ugly, loud scene. I think the closest you can come
to this scene is to get in one of these charismatic churches. Loud! He was hollering about
it, shouting about it. In other stories of devil possessed
fellows, he was rolling on the ground and foaming at the mouth
and wallowing and screaming and crying. Now, the closest you
can get to that is one of these Pentecostal places. Quote me on that. I don't care.
But it's exactly the opposite of what the Scripture says. It's what's meant as a tribute
to salvation and the work of the Holy Spirit. Huh? Well, all right, look, it's real
salvation here, Bible salvation. They said, they said, he said,
the devil, he said it. They're one and the same. Leave
us alone. And verse 35, now here's Bible
salvation. It says, Jesus rebuked him. I'll stop right there. It says
he rebuked him. And incidentally, the Holy Spirit
calls him Jesus. And again, Pink used this analogy. He said the Holy Spirit in writing
scriptures often calls him Jesus because that'd be like, he says,
now Queen Elizabeth can call her husband Joel. But his servants don't. Right? One equal to him can call
him Joel. But the underlings don't. That's
a good point, isn't it? They call him Lord. All right.
And it says, He rebuked them. He rebuked them. When God speaks
to a man or a devil, the first thing he does, or a devil man,
the first thing he does is rebuke. Or a woman. The first thing he
does is rebuke us. Listen to this in Psalm 39. It
says this, When thou with rebukes Thus correct man for his iniquity. Thou makest his beauty to consume
away like a moth. Surely every man is man. When
thou with refuse, thus correct a man. 2 Timothy 4, he told young
Timothy, he said, Preach the word in season or out. Reprove, rebuke. He told Titus in Titus 2 verse
15, he says, In Revelation 3, 19, listen to
this. He said, As many as I love I rebuke. Rebuke means this. Rebuke means to confuse. or reprove, or convict, or convince
that you're wrong. To reprove means, or rebuke means
to correct and convince you're wrong. Rebuke. Now, there's nothing that the flesh
hates more than to admit that we're wrong. Isn't that right? Even now, a believer now, it's
so contrary to the flesh, the human nature to say, I'm... Isn't that right? That's the reason we try to justify
what we say and do all the time. Go to great lengths, try to convince
ourselves we're not wrong. But when God comes to every sinner,
He's going to say, the first thing He does is convince them
they're flat wrong about everything. Not that they had some things
right, but that they're wrong on it all. He rebukes them, that
they're wrong. That's the first thing He does. He rebukes them and tells them
that they're wrong about everything they thought about God. So on
50, He said, that I was altogether such a one as I said, I will
rebuke you. I'll correct you. I'll set things
in order for you now. That's salvation. It's for God to rebuke us. Tell
us you're flat wrong. You're a liar. You're wrong. Everything you think. Your thoughts
are not my thoughts. Your ways are not my ways. Your
religion is wrong. That God you believed in before
is wrong. He's not the God of the Bible.
That gospel you claim to believe, that confession you made, was
a bad one, was a false one. Wrong. Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir. Every single one that
God deals with, every one. I grew up in a sovereign grace
church where the truth was preached. I got in the baptismal pool when
I was twelve years old and confessed the true Christ. I didn't know him. It was an
emotional experience. And when God came, He rebuked
me to say, that was wrong. You haven't confessed to Him
at all. He didn't even know Him. He rebuked me. And He tells me to do the
same. He rebuked me. With all authority, let no man
disobey. He rebuked me. And there's no
nice way to say it. Is there? Look at how the Lord
tells this fellow. Look what he does here. In verse
thirty-five it says, "...the Lord rebuked him, saying, Hold
thy peace." Or in modern vernacular, Shut up! That's what he said. There's no nice way to say it.
If you're a liar, shut your mouth. Forgive me for saying it loud,
but man, God needs to get our attention. We're all wrong. An old black preacher years ago
preached a message entitled, It Ain't Like He Thought It Was. And it ain't. He ain't. God ain't. Salvation ain't. Jesus ain't.
The Bible ain't like he thought it was. And he tells us the first thing
he does is rebuke us and shut our mouths. That's our problem. That's religion's problem. Listen
to Job. Job said, Behold, this is when
the Lord began to deal and rebuke Job. In chapter 40, listen to
Job after the Lord got through with him. Listen to him. He said,
Behold, I am bar. What shall I answer thee? I will
lay my hand on mine. Listen to this. He goes on. He
says, I've uttered that I understood not. Things too wonderful for
me. How about us? How about in our
religious past? Have we uttered names that we
didn't know? Have we talked about things we're
utterly ignorant of? Huh? Maybe even taught Sunday
school. How about it, Nancy? Didn't even
know God, yet teaching Sunday school. I've uttered, and when
God comes to you, the first thing He does is shut your mouth. Like we were talking about. You
see, this man is not going to hear the word of his power until
his mouth is shut. Right? Like we said before, there's
a string connected between the ear and the mouth. When one's
open, the other's closed. It's so. Try it. Say something to me right now.
Say something. I'm not going to hear you. As long as I'm talking. Isn't that right? And that's
what's wrong with religion today. Too many voices. And no word of the Lord. They don't want it. They'd rather
talk than shout. Oh, my. But when God comes to
a scene, shuts them up, and says, come out. Come out. He tells the devil that and he
tells us that too. Come out from among us. Do you
accept it? Come out. Let us go unto him
without the count. Come out. Do you remember when
he healed that one fellow and he took him out of the city?
He said, Come on, come on, let's get out of here. Let's get away
from all these soul winners and all this revival meeting and
all that. You can't hear a thing. Let's
get out of here where I can talk to you. This is what I accept. Well, verse thirty-five says,
And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out
of it. I heard him not. Threw him in
the midst. And like I've been saying, this sounds like one
of these Holy Ghost meetings, doesn't it? So-called. Doesn't
it? Turn over to chapter nine. Chapter
nine of Luke. Nowhere in the Scriptures will
you find Christ throwing anybody down on the ground. Nowhere in the Scripture will
you find the Holy Spirit throwing a man on the ground. You'll find the devil doing that. Isn't that significant? You found
it there. Look over here at Luke 9, verse
42. Luke 9, verse 42. Here's another
story of a devil-possessed fellow. Now, as he was yet coming, the
devil threw him down. The devil laid hands on him. The devil was doing the preaching. Well, the Spirit of God brings
us down, all right, but it's not an outward show. He brings
us down within. He brings the heart down. He
causes us to bow, but it's not an outward show. We repent of
our sin, but it's not a physical show. And then he lifts himself. And like the fellow, another
fellow he took the devil out of, he says he sat him down,
clothed, and in his right mind, he was sitting and listening
to Christ preach. Now there's a spirit-filled man. He's got
his mouth shut, he's got his clothes on. He's got a Bible
in his lap, and he's listening to the gospel. There's a spirit-filled
man. This fellow over here hollering
and shouting and talking about Jesus, he got a bent on it. Isn't
that right? Sad, isn't it? All right, let's
go on. I've got to hurry. All right,
it says, He came out and heard him not. Verse 36, it says that
they were all amazed and spake among themselves, saying, What
a word is this? For with authority and power
he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out." What a word,
you see, why it has authority, why it has power. His word is
full of authority and power. I like that one place where it
says, after the people heard Christ, they heard Christ preach
and they said, why, He speaks as one having authority. I like
the scribes. He speaks as one having power
and authority, not like those scribes, you know, who read papers.
Well, he speaks it because he does have power, all power. All authority is given up to
him in heaven and earth. His Word is powerful, all right,
all powerful. Why, he created the universe
by it, with just the Word. That's what
He generated life and by the same word of His power He regenerates. The word of God is His power.
God does everything by His word. Do you know that? Yes, by His word, everything.
You could say that's His spoken word and that's His incarnate
word. By Him, we're all things created. By it, the word, the
word of God. He raises up, casts down. He
saves, he destroys, he wounds, he heals. Brother Greg Amquist
made this wonderful observation when I was down there. He said, Brother Paul, isn't it wonderful how God chastens
us with His Word, but it's not like people thing that, you know,
when God chases us, he immediately makes us sick or kills something
or removes something or takes something away from us. But the
first thing he does is chasing us. Huh? And oh, Isn't that wonderful? That blessed
me in to remind me of what it takes. Isn't that the way you
parents do? When your children do something, the first thing
you do is just call off and knock them in the teeth? No, you tell
them. No, you speak to them. You instruct
them with your word. Well, that's our merciful God. He does more to take. And it does that, doesn't it
convince you? When thou wisest, when thou wisest, you can set
forth that commandment. It works. So does John. He brings it down, or gives it
to us. And Daniel, oh yes, he wounds,
he heals by his word. He convicts, he comforts. It's
a sealed disorder. A wonderful, marvelous, two-edged
sword, the Word of God. He came. He came. He set us to
the heart, and with the very same Word. Isn't that wonderful? He came to David, to Nathan the
prophet, and said, Thou art the man. And then he said, Let the Lord put
away your sin. Isn't that wonderful? Look at this. I like this. It
says that with power he commanded the spirit. Now that's salvation. That's Bible salvation. God never
asks sinners to do anything. God never pleads or begs the
gospel. The preacher of the gospel is
not a beggar or a pleader or a asker of anything. When God
comes to a person, To save them, He commands it to happen. He
commands it to happen. Salvation comes when God commands
it to. Verses 37 and 38, And the fame
of him went out into every place in the country around the mountain. And he arose out of the synagogue
and entered into Simon's house. Simon had a house. And Simon, Simon's wife's mother,
that's his mother-in-law, Simon had a wife. All right? Simon's wife's mother was taken
with a great fever. Now stop a minute. This is the
apostle Peter talking about, whom the Lord He gave power, unlike any man before or since
has had. Isn't that right? And his mother-in-law
passed away. Believers get sick from sin. They're loved, and
they die. He whom thou lovest is sin, and
Lazarus died of sin." There's a lot of people praying
for Lazarus. A lot of people. Godly people. Believers. Lazarus died in the way of Jesus. Why? He wasn't a Lord Jesus. I don't care what these charlatans
say, because there's a pool of examples of believers getting
ill and dying. And they're a blessing. Every time. All things work together
for good for them that love God. Sometimes it's just not God's
will for them to get well. And apparently Simon Peter couldn't
heal him. We're going to see later on in
the next chapter how they tried to...I think it's the next chapter. Don't look. We'll find it later.
Well, they tried to cast out some devils and sinners. Remember
that? And they couldn't. Well, sometimes it's not the Lord's
will. Well, Christ stood over her and
rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she arose
and ministered unto them. That is, the apostles and Christ. She arose and ministered unto
them. Now, she was sick, and Christ
healed her, and as soon as she got well, what did she do? She
ministered to Christ and the apostles. A lot of people get
sick and then they get religious. People get in trouble, they get
sick and they get religious. Everybody does. Everybody does. Hurricane comes along, everybody
starts praying. When the hurricane stops, what happens? When the
sickness leaves, what happens? When they get out of the hospital
and they get all well, Jesus saves them. Not a belief. Now, when the sun
was setting, all they that had any sick with
divers diseases brought them unto him, and he laid his hands
on every one of them. It says all them that had, any
that had, that were sick with diabetes, it didn't matter what
it was, leprosy, uncurable, whatever it was, cancer, they had it then,
uncurable. It doesn't matter what it was. They came to Him and He healed
them. Now this is Christ. Huh? That's Christ, isn't it? It really is. Now they didn't walk away, they
didn't go away. A man born lame, he didn't come
and he didn't walk away with a limb. He was healed. He was healed. The leper came to him and didn't
go away with one socket. Isn't that a picture? Huh? Now,
when Christ heals us, salvation is done. There's not one spot
or stain of sin on us. The point is that these charlatans
have died now. Have you seen one fellow with AIDS?
He's got cancer. Are you truly, really
saying that he has cancer? If they would heal us, If some
fellow would heal every single person of Canaanite, I still
wouldn't believe it. Okay, next verse. I still wouldn't
believe it. God sends strong delusion. Let's
hear it again. Well, it says in verse 41, the
devils also came out. And of many crying out and saying,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of God. And he rebuking them,
suffered them not to speak, for they knew that he was Christ.
He said, Shut up. Here again he rebuked them and
told them, Brother Henry, he told them, Don't tell everybody
who I am. Wait a minute now. Why not? Don't you want everybody to know
that you're the Christ? What's wrong with all these people
going door-to-door and telling that you're a Christian? Don't
you want everybody to know that you're the Christ? No. He didn't
come to reveal Himself. He didn't come to try to get
everybody to believe on Him or tell everybody who He was. He
came to His own. He came to reveal Himself to
you. Leave them alone. I know who
I am. I'll tell them who I am. Is that
right? That's right. All right. It says
in verse 42, When it was day, he departed and went into a desert
place. And the people sought him, and
came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from
them. Boy, things changed, didn't they, from the first of the story.
The first fellow said, Leave. These people said, Don't leave. Huh? Don't leave. Well, he said
unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities
also. Therefore am I a sinner. I'm a sinner. Christ was a preacher. God's Son was a preacher. He
is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant.
He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger
of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant.
He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger
of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger
of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger
of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant.
He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger
of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He
is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He
is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger
of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. He is the messenger of the covenant. The great things that God has
done for us, for this man and for us, for many of us, He's
done the very same thing. Delivered us from our sins, from
that evil man. And we ask that He continue to
deliver us from evil. Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the
power, and the glory forever. Our Lord Jesus Christ in this
house. Amen.