Becoming Religious
A Sermon on Luke 8:26-39
Today, Jesus sails across the Sea of Galilee to the opposite side, to the region of the Gerasenes. When the Lord got out of the boat, he encountered a strange man who was possessed by demons. He was wild and uncontrollable. He was violent and dangerous. In fact, he was kept under guard and was bound with chains and shackles. The guy was self-destructive.
The people nearby tried to help him, but the man would break all of these bonds and escape. The demons would then drive him deep into the wilderness. There, he lived among the tombs. This was a wild chaotic life, filled with pain and hurt and isolation. And so, when Jesus got out of the boat he encounters this wild man. When the demon-possessed man saw Jesus, he cried out with a loud voice and fell down to the ground. He cries out, “What do you want with me, Jesus? I know you are the Son of the Most High God! I beg you, do not torment me!”
Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” the man replied (because many demons had entered him). Moreover, these demons were begging the Lord not to send them into the abyss.
Nearby, there was a large herd of pigs feeding on a hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs. He gave them permission. The demons then entered into the pigs, and the herd goes crazy. The swine rush down a steep bank into the waters of the Sea of Galilee and they drown.
When the people heard about what had happened, they came out to see for themselves. They discover the man who was so violent and self-destructive calmly sitting at the feet of Jesus. He is once again in his right mind. He has been healed by Christ and set free from the demons that possessed him. He is quiet and calm, at peace with the world around him.
The people see all this and they are shocked. They become extremely alarmed and afraid. They promptly ask Jesus to leave. “Go away from us!” they say. “Get out of here!” As the Lord is getting into the boat to depart, the man who has been healed wants to go along with him. However, Christ sends him back to his city. “Return to your home and declare to everyone how much God has done for you.” And so, the man went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
Notice how the healed man equates the work of Christ with the work of God. He recognized that in Jesus of Nazareth, God has come to rescue us. God himself has come to heal and set us free. God comes to save and make all things new. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, comes to give us a new and better life.
Now, before this man was healed, he thought the exact opposite. When he first encountered Christ, he cried out, “What do you want with me? I beg you, do not torment me!” Did you catch that? This man actually thinks that Christ has come to torment him. “O Lord, don’t hurt me! Don’t make my life so hard! Don’t make me miserable and unhappy!” Many people have this same attitude today. They have many weird and strange misconceptions about Christianity. They think Christ has come into this world to torment us, hurt us, and make us unhappy.
That is why many people reject Christ. They have their strange excuses. For example, some will say, “I don’t believe in organized religion.” In fact, I hear that quite often. People will say to me, “I don’t want to become a Christian because I don’t believe in organized religion.” (And to that, I reply, “Well, I think you would like our church. We are pretty disorganized.”)
Others will say, “I don’t want to become religious right now. I want to have some fun first. Let me be happy. I’ll join the church later, when I’m old.” This is the attitude that says, “Do not torment me with all this Christianity stuff. I want to be happy and live the good life first.” That is surprising, right? Some people really think God exists to make us unhappy. God wants to torment us and take away our fun and ruin our life. But really, the opposite is true. We are the ones who torment ourselves. We are the ones who make ourselves unhappy. We mess up and ruin our own life. And we bring all kinds of chaotic demons into our life.
The truth is I often make my life way harder than it has to be. I try to do too much, and then I feel overwhelmed and stressed out. That’s when life becomes torn and frayed. Another problem is that many of us live in constant fear. We worry so much about our life, and we drive ourselves crazy by worrying about things that will never happen. Anxiety and restlessness plague our hearts. We feel trapped by fear.
Another problem is guilt and regret. We are hounded by a sense that our life is not what it should be. We struggle with remorse and guilt over the past. And we feel powerless to change this. The demons we have to wrestle with are legion. In many ways, we are just like that man who lived among the tombs. We are wounded and hurt, trapped in our self-destructive behavior. We are running away from God and then wonder why our life is such a chaotic mess.
We need to discover once again that God comes not to torment us, but to save us. God comes to rescue us, to heal us and to set us free from the demons that would ruin our life. Look again and see how Christ helped this poor guy. The Lord gives his command and the man is set free. Jesus speaks his Word and the demons are cast out. Just like that! Before the man encountered Jesus, his life was a total wreck. Afterward, he sits quietly at the feet of the Lord, all calm and peaceful. Now, he is in his right mind. Life is what it should be. He has become religious in the best sense of the word.
The man now desires to be with Jesus continually. In fact, he even wants to get into the boat and sail off with him back to Galilee. This man wants to follow the Lord every day and live in his presence. He wants to listen to that powerful Word of God continually.
That is how it is when you encounter the Savior. He has the power to heal your wounds. He can set you free from your pain and hurt. His love can truly change you. Remember, the Lord comes not to torment, but to bless. And Jesus says to you today, “Your sins are forgiven, go now in peace! Your faith has made you well. Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.”
That is what true religion is all about. Religion is about the God who loves you, the God who sends his Son to die on the cross for your sins. Jesus suffered and died for you, and then, he rose from the dead to give you a brand new life.
The word “religion” is a Latin word. It comes from a root that means “to bind together.” Therefore, when a person becomes religious, they are being bound together by God. They are pulling their life together by the power and grace of God. Order and stability are being restored. Peace and calmness are filling their hearts and minds.
Ultimately, we cannot pull our life together by our own power and strength. We are just like the man possessed by the demons. He was absolutely trapped and in total bondage. There was no escape for him. But then, he met Christ. The Lord Jesus is able to rescue you, no matter what demons you may be wrestling with today. He can set you free and bind up your life. He can heal your wounds and make you whole. He can bestow upon you that peace that passes all understanding.
This reminds me of the story of a man who was driving along the highway. He hits a big bump and hears a clang, but he ignores it and keeps on driving. When he got home, he discovered that one of his hubcaps was missing. Therefore, the next day he goes back to the spot where he hit the big bump, and sure enough, there was his hubcap propped up on the side of the road. When the man walked over to get it, he noticed a note attached to the hubcap. It read, “Hi there! I’ve been waiting for you to find me!”
That is how it is for us. We were lying on the side of the road, all alone. We were lost, but now we are found. The Lord Jesus has come back to claim us as his very own. And the Savior finds us and binds up our broken life. He makes us whole again. He heals us with his powerful love and infinite forgiveness.
Therefore, rejoice and be glad! Give thanks for the Lord Jesus! Receive his gift and live in his grace. Listen to his Word continually and follow him every day in faith. Become religious (in the best sense of the word). Become religious and trust in Christ as your Lord and Savior. And go and declare how much God has done for you in Christ. Go and tell others that there is hope. There is healing. There is the sweet freedom that Christ gives - the freedom of knowing you are loved by God and you belong to him forevermore. Go and tell everyone - there is a new and better life in Jesus. Amen!
