Luke 9:1-17

"The war to end all wars" was an idealistic phrase coined during World War I (1914–1918) to describe the belief that the conflict's unprecedented destruction would compel humanity to end all future conflicts. Popularized by British author H.G. Wells, it became a rallying cry for the Allied forces, though its promise failed to materialize when World War II began roughly 20 years later. War is the history of mankind.

Yesterday was ANZAC Day. During the Gallipoli campaign alone more than 130,000 men died. This total includes at least 87,000 Ottoman soldiers and approximately 44,000 Allied soldiers. 

About 1 in 6 New Zealand men didn’t come home.

Total casualties—including those killed, wounded, missing, or taken prisoner—were far higher, with both sides suffering more than 250,000 casualties each. 

What a tragedy war is. If you visit Wellington, go to the Te Papa Museum and the ANZAC display, it is very moving. 

War on Earth is a real illustration of Spiritual War that is in the heavenlies and here on Earth. As Christians we need to be careful about proclaiming God is on our side when it comes to war though at times it is obvious he is as it was when we fought against the Nazis in World War II. Jesus taught us to love our enemies. Our primary focus is the spiritual war which is not against flesh and blood as we read a couple of weeks ago.

Ephesians 6:10-13

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

We went over 6 main ways that can open the door to demons. It is a subject that requires a lot of discernment because we noted that not all, such as severe trauma, are the persons fault. So it should not be assumed the person has a demon or is even an evil person but may be just a victim and be suffering mentally. 

It is part of the Lord’s Prayer to deliver us from evil, so this is something we should all be praying for and the Lord will answer our prayers.

I’m currently reading a book called « Deliver us from Evil » by Pastor Don Basham who was thrown in the deep end of spiritual warfare when he was called from Toronto in Canada to go to a small church in Pennsylvania in the 60’s.

He soon came to realise that the turmoil in his church and lack of success in his ministry there was because he was coming up against spiritual opposition that had found it’s way into the church.

We can see that even more today with the progressive church which has abandoned the Bible and embraced the world’s philosophy. I read this week of one minister, Bishop Yvette Flunder, a United Church of Christ (UCC) minister and presiding bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries in the US, who has called for a "Third Testament," arguing that the Old and New Testaments have become "problematic" in their traditional interpretation. 

Sadly that is exactly what opens the Church to apostasy to follow the doctrines of demons as prophesied for the end times;

1 Timothy 4:1

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,

I’ve been very aware of that spiritual war this week and I do believe in the times we are living in with so much works of the devil going on with the occult, pornography, drugs, immorality and other darkness being pushed through into law like that we will need to be more prepared than ever as individuals and a church to engage in spiritual warfare. We are going to encounter people who have become victims to the demonic and need prayer to be set free.

The enemy attack can come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes its our response that allows it to become a spiritual attack. It’s not that we should blame the devil for everything that goes wrong in our lives but we need to be on guard and praying. 

For example something minor happened this week to do with our preparations to go to Sean’s wedding. On the very day we decided to book train tickets to get from France to England, the train app. stopped working, so alternative means to book the tickets had to be used and the affect was to cast doubt on whether the tickets paid for had actually been reserved. My response was to get stressed which opened the door to spiritual attack. We prayed about it and thankfully that was resolved within 24 hours so the Lord won that one quickly.

There is more demonic activity in New Zealand today. Family First regularly encounter irrational responses to our work which reminds the team of the war we’re in which is front line in New Zealand. I just want to acknowledge too that South Auckland Christian Foodbank who Tanya works for are also frontline in spiritual warfare and I’m sure she would have testimonies of that. As our Family First audio and video technician Gordon Clark says, we need to cover ourselves in prayer because you don’t turn up to the frontline in your t-shirt, shorts and jandals.

In the last few months I was contacted by a girl who used to be in our youth group. Through things that happened to her and by her own choices, she finds herself in deep difficulty today. Her struggles with mental health are partly the physical affect of drugs and alcohol but not all. She can switch very quickly from sweetness to cursing Jesus in a moment and that is the most obvious sign that something evil is present trying to harm her.

Without doubt, she needs prayer to be set free but all attempts so far to get her to that point have failed and I’m sure this is because these principalities and powers in her life evade any chance of confrontation. So please pray for her because she really wants to find hope and wellness.

Jesus has authority over all demons, whether they are more the nuisance type or the more serious.

In our series on Luke, up until chapter 9 we have heard of what Jesus had been doing - the messages, the miracles, the healings. It’s so entertaining to sit in the grandstands and watch a game, shouting out what the players and ref should be doing but it’s not so easy when you’re the one on the pitch. Today the tables are flipped and it’s the disciples who have to deliver the goods.

Luke 9:1-6

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. 

When any of us go away on a holiday we spend a lot of time preparing, packing all the things we think we’ll need. But on God’s mission, we’re not to rely on our own resources. Jesus said to the disciples to take nothing with them, not even food, just the clothes on their backs. The Lord’s mission is done by inadequate people who depend on Jesus. Spiritual warfare requires us to rely 100% on God, the authority of Jesus and on the goodwill of others. It is counter to all we have learned from our life in the world to be self-reliant. Some situations we face are going to be very difficult. Some demons are very powerful as we can read in Mark where the disciples could not cast out one of the demons they encountered out.

Mark 9:28-29

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

In this particular case in Mark, the boy had a mute spirit and would fall to the ground, convulsing, foaming at the mouth, gnashing teeth and becoming rigid. The boy had been possessed since childhood and the demon would cause him to jump into fire or water to kill himself. So the demon had total control. Obviously in such a serious case as this, you must be prepared. It was this kind of demon that would only come out with prayer and fasting. Fasting is an additional weapon to the spiritual armour found in Ephesians 6.

In some cases, the disciples were rejected by the townspeople just as Jesus had been by the Gadarenes as we heard a couple of weeks ago, so we have to be prepared for failure on God’s mission. Some people accepted Jesus while others rejected him. That will always be the case. And we could beat ourselves up when we don’t have success on a mission Jesus sent us on. What we have to do is remember that they are not rejecting us, they are rejecting Jesus. The fault is with the people not with us, that’s why Jesus said to shake the dust from your feet when you leave. Literally shake it off. Don’t take it to heart. Move on to the next town.

But know this, when you do have success in this war, you will get a hostile reaction from the Kingdom of Darkness sometimes from the very top.

Luke 9:7-9

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him. And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 

The successful ministry of Jesus and his disciples came to the attention of Herod, the one who cut off John the Baptist’s head, whose father had murdered all the young infant boys in Bethlehem. This was not Herod becoming interested in following Jesus. This was Herod who saw a threat to his power and was prepared to kill to maintain it. 

Knowing this, when the disciples came back from their mission, Jesus wisely retreated the group to a deserted and safer place outside of Bethsaida, away from discovery by Herod.

It is a fact that when we engage in Gospel Mission it is spiritual warfare and we need to be wise at times. 

Luke 9:10-17

But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

As soon as the disciples came back from their mission, they reverted to a place of comfort letting Jesus do the ministry for the day. They had been empowered to do healing and cast our demons but they let Jesus do all the work and the day was long because of it. When it came to the end of the day, they came to Jesus telling him to send the crowds away. They hadn’t done any work up to that point ! But Jesus hadn’t finished training them. He told them to go and give the multitude something to eat. The disciples should have had the faith to do it, given that they just experienced  success in mission with no resources of their own. Instead they saw that the fact that they could only find 5 loaves and 2 small fish as a major problem. Aren’t we just like that. God does give things to do that seem impossible with our own resources, will we have the faith to carry out the task. We can if we remember it’s Jesus who has the authority and the resources.

What they could offer was broken and multiplied and fed more than 5,000 that day. What we have to offer may be broken as well but it can be used to multiply the Kingdom of God.

Twelve full baskets at the end for twelve disciples. Just a little offering from us can go a long way and will be more than enough.

Our experience in France feels similar. We don’t have much to offer either. We are inadequate, we have very little that seems useful. 

Jesus has promised that though he is not with us physically to do his work (which would be a lot easier for us by the way!), he will be with us as we go into all the World to make disciples. We will see great miracles and experience his presence if we go where he sends us.

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Luke 8:40-56

This week as I was preparing the message, the Lord said for me to read the story of Naaman first, the man who was healed of leprosy in the Old Testament. I didn’t make the connection to today’s passage at first but it did resonate as I read it.

2 Kings 5:1-5

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. 

Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, a position of prestige and wealth but all the fame and money in the world can’t buy your health. As a last resort, when Naaman heard that a prophet from Israel could heal him, he went to see the King to see if he could be relieved of his duties and go and see the prophet. The King agreed and Naaman went on his way with a letter of endorsement and a lot of money and gifts to pay the prophet.

2 Kings 5:6-10

Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”

The King of Israel recognised the situation was humanly speaking, hopeless. He was afraid that if Naaman was not healed, it would put him in a precarious position with the King of Syria and his reaction was to tear his clothes in despair. 

So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” 

When Elisha heard that the King was in despair, he saw something else. An opportunity for the King of Syria to know there was a God in Israel and that Syria better not take Israel on. 

Are you a glass half empty or glass half full kind of person? In every crisis there is an opportunity so they say.  

The King liked Elisha’s perspective and So the King sent Naaman on his way to Elisha. 

Now Elisha gave Naaman a simple instruction to go down to the Jordan and wash seven times and he would be healed. 

Notice the simplicity. The Lord does not make things complicated for us. It’s we who tie ourselves up in knots. That confidence in the Lord is what we all need. Nothing is too difficult for him.

2 Kings 5:11-14

But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

A lot of people want God to do something for them, they have in mind what God will do. But his ways are not our ways.

You know a lot people react badly to the Gospel when they hear they have to repent of their sins and come to Jesus to be made clean. It’s too humbling to think there is nothing they can do to buy their salvation, it’s too simple to think that all you need to do to be saved is to come to Jesus and be made clean at the Cross.

But they should listen to the servants words. If they were to be told to do something great to earn their salvation they would do it, why then don’t they just do the simple thing and do what the Lord says. Repent of their sins and trust in the Lord to save them because he has already paid the price for their sins which they can’t afford anyway for all the money in the world.

Simple faith, that’s what it takes, that’s what Jesus responds to. That’s what makes us born again, like a little child, just like what happened to Naaman.

Let’s go now to the Gospel of Luke. If you remember last week, Jesus had just healed the demoniac and sent a legion of demons into pigs on the other side of Lake Galilee. But the people of the that region were afraid and rejected Jesus sending him away. So he got back into the boat and sailed across back to his home on the other side of the lake.

Matthew 8 tells us he had been in Capernaum on the northern side of the lake prior to their departure to the land of the Gadarenes on the Southeastern side. Mark 5 tells us that the return was by the sea. So it is assumed that our story today takes place in Capernaum.

Luke 8:40-44

So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 

There seems to me to be a significance in the commonality of the 12 years. The woman had been sick as long as the girl had been alive. I don’t think the two persons are related or I’m sure Luke would have mentioned it. I just think it’s an example of how God weaves his story together which is one of faith and of Jesus being able to heal all.

Jairus was a man of status in the community, he was probably quite wealthy as well. But in contrast to Naaman, he was ready to humble himself.

The woman had probably been quite wealthy too but for 12 years she had been going to the doctors to try and buy her health back. She was from Capernaum and had no doubt heard of the miracles that Jesus had done there and had the faith that Jesus could do something for her.

Everything that was important to the woman—her health, her money, and her status in the community—was gone, not for a month or twelve months, but for twelve years. She was as desperate in her condition as Jairus was in his. The girl was Jairus’s only daughter.

The woman had no logical reason at all to trust any man she had ever met to heal her. She spent every penny that she had on professional healers who were vexed by her condition and unable to help her at all. Yet, when she saw Jesus, she said: “I don’t need to go to any more doctors. I just want to touch the hem of his garment, and I’ll be healed.”

That is remarkable simple faith. Most people would have given up hope years before. All she wanted was to touch the hem of his garment believing that simple act would make her well.

Luke 8:45-48

And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 

When Jesus used His power to redeem people from whatever condition they were in, it cost Him something. When He calmed the storm, it cost Him something. When He healed the man of a legion of demons, He was drained of the power that left Him.

Ministry costs. It is natural to feel tired afterwards. It is is natural to need time alone as well.

Jesus was instantly aware that power had gone out of him as if the woman had put a plug in a socket and flicked a switch. Ministry uses energy, even if you pray for someone, it uses energy. This is why ministers need rest but more importantly need to send time with Jesus everyday and get the batteries recharged.

Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 

Jesus wasn’t angry with the woman even though she felt fear at being exposed. In fact it was for her own good as she made a public confession that she had been healed. And then he confirmed her healing and told her to go in peace.

There was no mention of sin.

In fact he called her, « Daughter » welcoming her into God’s family. How old was the woman? She had this condition for twelve years. She was almost certainly as old as Jesus and more likely older, and yet Jesus called her daughter. That is significant. We are not by nature sons and daughters of God. God is not the Father of us all. We are not all God’s children though it’s popular to say that. Jesus told the Pharisees their father was the devil and that is true of anyone who has not yet been born again.

In biblical terms, God is only the Father of His only begotten Son. All the rest of His children, His sons and daughters, are adopted. There is no other way to get into the family of God except through adoption. The only way you can be adopted into the family of God is through God’s only Son. 

Luke 8:49-53

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 

This was a moment when all appeared lost which is so often the case with God. Our faith is tested. We have a choice to make. Will we give up and despair or will we trust God in the most difficult moments in our lives?

Luke 8:54-56

But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.

This was not a resuscitation; this was a resurrection. This little girl was dead because her soul had gone. Jesus called it back and reunited her soul with her body, and she arose immediately.

The reaction of the parents of the girl was in contrast to the reaction of the people on the other side of the lake when the demoniac was healed which was one of fear and of telling Jesus to go away.

It was very revealing of what they believed about God in the first place.

What is our fundamental belief about God? Is it one of judgment and fear or is it one of Grace and love?

This was a foretaste of the last judgment, when all who are in Christ will hear the same effectual call, and the dead in Christ will rise at the sound of His voice when He says, “My little ones—little boy, little girl—get up.” We will rise on that day.

Luke 8:26-39

Before Palm Sunday and Easter, we spent a couple of weeks in the book of Jonah. Jonah was given the extremely difficult task of going to the wicked city of Ninevah with a message of judgement. When you preach judgement, you are preaching against the works of the devil, you are sure to encounter hatred, often quite irrational hatred which is a sign of opposition from Hell. Jonah chickened out and did the sensible thing and ran the other way down to the port of Joppa bound for Tarshish eventually to be swallowed by a great fish before finally crying out to the Lord and being saved himself. Doing the sensible thing isn’t always the right thing to do and that’s true in life as well as in the Lord’s work. If we follow the Lord, sometimes we will have to take the greatest risk of all. Of losing our lives for his sake.

Today’s passage is about Jesus’s encounter with a demoniac once he reached the neighbouring country on the other side of Lake Galilee. Going on a mission to another country can be very dangerous. Some places have strongholds and if you stumble into them unprepared it’s like accidentally disturbing a hornet's nest, you will soon find yourself under attack from a swarm of angry hornets that can be life threatening. This journey to the other side of Lake Galilee was out and out spiritual warfare for which you must be prepared as Ephesians 6 describes.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Anywhere you go and preach the Gospel, there can be a violent hateful spirit like a guard dog waiting to attack. Where wickedness dominates a location, as it did with Ninevah, preparation for spiritual warfare is a must. You better believe that Jesus was prepared for his encounter with the demoniac.

Luke 8:26-30

Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. 

The Gadarenes was a region controlled by the town of Gadara, one of the ten cities of the Decapolis. This is an area inhabited primarily by Gentiles, We know this to be the case because pigs are being raised nearby, and no self respecting Israelite would ever be so closely associated with these animals. 

And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 

The first thing Jesus did was to identify the demon by asking its name. If a devil is manifesting, we need to recognise that it is the separate hostile entity, not the individual who is simply its victim. The individual is trapped and you need to do what Jesus did and direct your words at the demon not the individual.

In this poor man’s case, there were thousands of demons living inside him, tearing him apart. Based on the Roman military term, a legion was 3,000 to 6,000 men—

Mark 5:11-13

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, “Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.” And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

In the context of about 2,000 pigs being drowned afterward, it often suggests a figure in the thousands, specifically 2,000–6,000. So at least 2000 demons.

Demons enter through "open doors" or "portals" created by specific actions, environments, or vulnerabilities. The drug world is known to open portals to the spiritual realm, that often appear to be good as Satan comes as an angel of light, but are actually darkness, from the darkest of places hidden in the Earth. Satan dwells in darkness.

Demons gain access through:

• Involvement in the Occult: Direct engagement with practices like Ouija boards, tarot cards, séances, witchcraft, or divination is cited as a major entry point (including music that has its source in the occult)

• Habitual Grave Sin: Persistent and unrepented lifestyles involving pornography, substance abuse, or violence are believed to create spiritual gateways. (Note that drugs including nicotine and alcohol play with fire and can quickly lead to substance abuse).

• Severe Trauma or Shock: Experiences such as abuse, neglect, or sudden emotional shock can create vulnerabilities that demons exploit.

• Generational Curses: Some beliefs suggest spirits can be inherited through the bloodline or passed down due to unrepented sins of ancestors.

• Unforgiveness: Harboring deep bitterness, resentment, or hatred is often described as a "foothold" for spiritual oppression. 

Ephesians 4:26-27

“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

• False Religions or Idolatry: Engaging with teachings or objects associated with idolatry or false spirits is considered an invitation for demonic influence. 

Notice that not all of the doorways are the persons fault but can just be a situation that a demon can exploit. Just because something traumatic happens to a person, does not mean that the person becomes possessed. This is especially true of the child of God who has the Holy Spirit inside them. No demon can enter in that case. 

But there can be situations where a demon oppresses the person through the memory leading to choices that do give access to demons. For example, if a person has a traumatic experience such as a close family member dying that leads to them go to a seance to contact the dead, that would open the door to a demon.

As in Ninevah where the people could not discern between left and right, good and evil, you cannot assume the person knowingly opened themselves up to the demonic. Even if they have made an informed choice, Satan does not expose his true nature or purpose at first. 

Witches will tell you there are white witches, white and black magic but in fact, all of it is of Satan.

Our world today has opened the door and put down the welcome mat for the devil. We have an explosion of satanic activity with drugs, witchcraft, the occult in music and even in kids movies, pornography, sexual immorality all becoming mainstream. 

When we walk with the Lord, with the Holy Spirit, we will encounter the demonic in our World today. It’s not actually us but the Holy Spirit within us that causes the demons to react. The presence of Jesus makes demons afraid. We need to recognise when demons are manifesting so we can take action.

In this story, the encounter with Jesus made the demons manifest themselves. 

Luke 8:31-37 

And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was healed. Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned. 

All demons are subject to Jesus’s authority and are terrified of him so we don’t need to be afraid. In our day, we have people who claim to be the victim of aliens and have been traumatised. The interesting thing is that it has been found that these so called aliens are afraid of the name of Jesus. We stand in his authority and the demons have to go.

You would think that the region’s citizens should have been grateful for this miracle of the man being set free from a legion of demons, but they are afraid instead and tell Jesus to go away.

Some people are really only seeking material prosperity at the expense of true life, these men implored Jesus to leave (vv. 33–34). Regrettably, Matthew Henry comments, too many “prefer their pigs above their Saviour, and so come short of Christ, and salvation through him.”

Who do you care more about, people or pigs? All of us may be so concerned with our own lives that we fail to help the people around us in desperate circumstances, who may be suffering from demonic oppression and possession. 

Luke 8:38-39

Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.

Jesus told him to go back. This was very kind of Jesus considering the people of the region had just told him to leave them. This shows Jesus's heart for the lost even when people reject him. 

For the man who wanted to follow Jesus, it was a hard call to return to the place where he had known demons, chains, tombs, self-mutilation, public humiliation, abuse, loneliness, and suicidal torment. But it was there that the grace of God in his life would shine the brightest. His daily life would remain a testimony to his country.

What Jesus wants us to know is that his salvation and his protection extend to those old, horrible haunts. If he can break the death-grip Satan once had on us and set us free, then he can redeem the places of our former slavery and make them showcases of God's Grace. 

We are not to be afraid. The Good Shepherd will walk with us and protect us on the darkest road. There are many verses we can use in spiritual warfare, just one example is;

Psalm 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Personally, I have not been involved in deliverance ministry though I believe it is much needed today and so I do think we should be equipped and organised with a plan of action whenever we encounter the demonic in our services (which is inevitable).

The disciples were sent out in two’s, church leaders should team up, worship leaders ready to back up, bibles out, the warfare verses above documented and memorised, Sound desk ready with worship music. All others ready to gather together and pray. Remember the Cross is a powerful symbol and the Lord’s Prayer that says « Deliver us from Evil »

Resurrection Sunday 2026

While we were in France last year we visited a few churches just to look at the very beautiful art and in one of them I found the Stations of the Cross that caught my attention. You’ve probably heard of the Stations of the Cross which originated from early Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem, where believers would walk the path that Jesus took to His crucifixion.

There are 14 pictures in the story so I followed the pictures around the Church, considering each station which I’ve noted on the right hand side of the picture. 5 of those stations are asterisked because they are not in the Bible. It’s as if someone felt they needed to add to the story to give it more dramatic effect, a bit like the TV series The Chosen. 

1. Jesus is condemned to death
2. Jesus carries his cross
3. * Jesus falls the first time
4. * Jesus meets his mother
5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry his cross
6. * Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
7. * Jesus falls the second time
8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem
9. * Jesus falls the third time
10. Jesus is stripped of his garments
11. Jesus is nailed to the cross
12. Jesus dies on the cross
13. Jesus is taken down from the cross
14. Jesus is laid in the tomb

What !? Something very big is missing from their Gospel, I’m sure you would have noticed it, especially today (being Resurrection Sunday). It kind of left me disappointed, the Stations of the Cross end on a sad note, but surely that is not our message. Jesus rose from the Dead and is alive. This is the Gospel.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8

For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

It’s like they read as far as Luke Chapter 23 and didn’t make it to Chapter 24.

Well we’re going to read Chapter 24 of Luke’s Gospel today - his account of the Resurrection. This is the biggest news in all of history. Jesus is alive. History has been split BC and AD. 

 Luke 24:1-7

Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” 

Luke says two men but he obviously means angels because they are dressed in shining garments. The two angels tell the women « Why do you seek the living among the dead ? ». 

By the way, I have a personal experience of those words from a visit to Paris in 2018 but that is a whole other story !

There are at least 3 big facts proving the Resurrection;

1. The first big fact proving the Resurrection is the Empty Tomb - the enemies of Jesus could not produce his body. They knew where they laid him. They sealed his body in a tomb with a very heavy stone rolled down into place. They had placed a seal on the tomb and put an armed guard in place. Yet the stone was rolled away and the body was missing. 

They bribed the soldiers to say the disciples had stolen the body, but that is impossible because of the psychological state of the disciples at the time. In shock, grieving, afraid and in hiding.

The other big facts are; 

2. The Number of Witnesses as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15. All remaining 11 disciples and more than 500 other witnesses actually saw Jesus Christ alive and well after he had been crucified, died and been buried. The Bible says that you only need 2 witnesses to establish a fact, but here we have several hundred.

3. The Disciples were Martyred The disciples never backed down from their claim and most died for that. They had no choice – they had seen and touched him.

And of course, amongst those witnesses were the first to witness his resurrection, the women. When they heard the angels speak

Luke 24:8-12

And they remembered His words. Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened. 

The women discovered the truth first. This is another big fact proving the truth of the Resurrection. No one at that time would have written that the women had seen the Lord if they wanted people to believe their story. That would have made the story barely credible. The whole society was patriarchal. All the leaders in Israel were men.

Luke says that Peter ran to the tomb as if to check that the women weren’t delusional. In his account Luke doesn’t mention John running on ahead and getting there first because he was faster than Peter, that’s only in John’s Gospel. John wanted us to know that. We all tend to build ourselves up in our own memories don’t we?

Luke 24:13-18

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him. And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” 

It is hard to have faith when bad things happen. And the truth is, without the hope of the Resurrection, the loss suffered when someone dies is immense. Especially when our own hopes and dreams are connected to the loved one lost.  Without faith, how does anyone cope with that?

Luke 24:19-24

And He said to them, “What things?” So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” 

To these 2 disciples, the testimony of the women was adding to their pain. They thought the women were hysterical and delusional. They had such high hopes for Jesus. He was the Messiah of Israel, the fulfilment of ancient prophecies. They had been expecting a glorious future. Now their hopes were crushed. 

Luke 24:25-27

Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 

Wouldn’t you have liked to be in on that conversation as Jesus explained the mystery and how all things written in the Scripture were in fact about himself.  We ourselves have a lot of unanswered questions don’t we. There will come a day when Jesus explains all of those things to us and I suppose it will be very obvious then that we should never have doubted him.

Luke 24:28-35

Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them. Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. 

That was the 2nd Communion. Just like the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus, the Communion we partake in every week at PCC is our opportunity to remember him, to recognise him at work in our lives, to renew our faith. 

By the way, it seems as though a resurrected body is capable of some pretty amazing things, that’s exciting!

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. 

It says they went back to Jerusalem that very hour. It was by then evening, so the 2 of them went back to Jerusalem in the dark, unafraid of being attacked because at this point, all fear was gone, instead they were full of excitement and joy. That’s what happens the moment you first believe, all fear goes and peace comes in. 

They arrive back at the upper room excited and tell the 11 main disciples that they’d seen Jesus alive, but the 11 were unbelieving and afraid. That’s what happens when you don’t believe. You have fear.

Luke 24:36-43

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. And He took it and ate in their presence. 

Emotions were all over the place. Their brains were having a hard time adjusting to Jesus being there with them. We tend to think of the afterlife as type of ghostly existence. So Jesus kindly did something to bring them into reality. He showed them the holes in his hands and feet and he ate some food in front them. Jesus was not a ghost, it was really him standing in front of them. This is our hope for our resurrection as well. We’re not going to be ghosts, we’re going to have real bodies.

Luke 24:44-48

Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. 

Repentance is part of the Gospel and must be preached with the message. Remission of sins means complete forgiveness, cancellation, and sending away of sins through Jesus Christ's sacrifice. When someone has cancer and they go into remission, the symptoms of the cancer disappear. In the same way, the symptoms of our sins   disappear when we repent and believe in Jesus. Yes we will die one day,  but we are in physical remission until then and actually we do not experience the second death, so we are actually healed of our real affliction, the one we inherited from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 

But there is something more that God has promised for us in this life. Luke concludes his Gospel and gives us a sneak preview of his next book.

Luke 24:49-53

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

Don’t let your life finish the story of Jesus at the tomb like in the Stations of the Cross. There is a new life to begin, a second chance to live the life you were meant to live by being born again by the transformation given by the Holy Spirit.