The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: The Family

Driven By the Devil

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Family Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2004-02-01

Synopsis: John Weaver examines the demoniac of Gadara from Luke 8, focusing on the phrase 'driven of the devil.' He contrasts the devil's driving with the Holy Spirit's leading, emphasizing that God leads us into righteousness and conformity to His Word, while the devil drives us into sin, self-destruction, and shame. The sermon outlines six destructive outcomes of demonic driving: injury to health, indecency, broken homes, family shame, societal nuisance, and ultimately being driven to Christ for deliverance. Applications stress the need for Christ and Scripture to restore and sustain individuals and families.

[John Weaver] Well, let's open our Bibles today to Luke chapter 8. And if you would go ahead and open your Bibles to Mark chapter 5 as well, because we are going to be looking at one verse there. The account in Mark 5 is parallel to the account in Luke 8. And so we're going to be taking our text from Luke 8. And the message today is entitled Driven by the Devil, and I think you will Understand why, in just a moment. Notice if you would, in Luke chapter 8, begin reading there with verse 26.

[John Weaver] And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. Luke 8, verse 27 now. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils or demons a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.

[John Weaver] For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he broke the bands and was driven of the devil into the wilderness. And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion, because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out in the deep. And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain. And they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man and entered in the swine. And the herd ran violently down a steep place in the lake and were choked.

[John Weaver] When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed. sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them. For they were taken with great fear, and he went up into the ship and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away saying, return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.

[John Weaver] Now, the title of today's message is taken from verse 29, where the Bible says to the maniac of Gadara that he was driven of the devil into the wilderness. Now, one basically could reduce everything down to two forces, good and evil, or God and Satan. Naturally, the greatest force or the greatest power is God himself. Scripture says in 1 John 4 and verse 4, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Now, when I make the statement that you could basically reduce everything down to two powers, good and evil, or God and the devil, I am certainly not denying the personhood of God. God is a person. But in making that statement, I want you to understand this. that God reveals Himself through His creation, through His redemption, and through His power and His providence. And those three things, creation, redemption, and providence, are nothing more than a demonstration of His power. Likewise, Satan is declared to be in Scripture a fallen spirit.

[John Weaver] And although we cannot see him, yet we can see his handiwork through his power and his control over wicked and unconverted men. Now if you will pull Luke 8, that is our text, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 26. Let me show you how the Apostle Paul described his own mission in Acts chapter 26 and verse 18. Acts 26 and verse 18. The Apostle Paul is giving his testimony to King Agrippa. And he says, in fact, reading verse 17, delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles and whom now I send thee.

[John Weaver] Now, here's why God sent Paul, to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, notice, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Note, to turn them from the power of Satan unto God. So you have the power of Satan, and of course, naturally, you have the power of God. Then if you would turn right over to the book of Colossians, chapter 1. The book of Colossians, chapter 1, and look at verses 12 and 13. Because once again, the Bible teaches us the greatness of God's power. In Colossians 1, verse 12, the Bible says, giving thanks unto the Father. who have made us meet or suitable to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light. Now, here's why we should give thanks to the Father. Here is how he has made us suitable to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light. Verse 13, who have delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear son.

[John Weaver] So he took us then from the power of Satan, under the power of God, and from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his own dear Son. Certainly, when you look at Luke chapter 8, the demoniac of Gadara is a great illustration of an individual who is driven by the devil.

[John Weaver] Now the question that should automatically enter your mind is this. How can one tell which is the motivating empowering and controlling force in an individual's life? Or, more importantly, how can I tell which power is in my life? Well, the answer from Scripture is really obvious. Scripture tells us that God leads us and the devil drives us. So you have to ask yourself this question. Are you being led or are you being driven? Now, in order to answer that question, you've got to know what the leading of the Lord really is.

[John Weaver] So I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 8. And let's look at verses 9 through 16, because Romans 8 verses 9 through 16 actually explains what the leading of the Spirit is.

[John Weaver] Now, before I look at this passage, allow me to state this truth very clearly. The leading of the spirit has been abused, misused, misapplied and perverted by many professing Christians. It has become the excuse for every whim, desire, sin and disobedience imaginable. All one has to do to explain his irrational and unbiblical behavior is simply say, the spirit led me to do it. Well, Who can argue with God? And who can say that the Holy Spirit didn't lead you?

[John Weaver] You see, that's the whole crux of it. In other words, people are trying to call God into vows for their disobedience and to vows for their sin and their wickedness. So how in the world can we discern whether or not God has really led someone to do something or not? Well, let me give you a couple of illustrations I think should be extremely obvious. When Alice and I lived in Greenville, South Carolina, there was a woman there who caught her husband asleep on the couch.

[John Weaver] And she slipped up and stuck a.38 to his ear and pulled the trigger and killed him. Well, her defense at her trial was that the Spirit led her to shoot her husband.

[John Weaver] Now, you know better than that, I hope. So do I. But since then, every time my wife tells me not to put my feet on the couch, I don't do it just in case. No, you understand. God says thou shalt not murder. OK, God never led her to murder her husband. That's very clear. And there was another illustration that I can give you, and it was concerning a preacher. He ran off with a woman in the church, left his wife, and then came back and gave the lame excuse that the Holy Spirit led him to run off with this woman because the woman he ran off with was more spiritual than his wife. You understand what I'm saying? The leading of the Spirit has been used to cover every sin, every disobedience, every whim, every wickedness imaginable. And we're trying to call God to be our witness. Now, the truth is very simple. Are you listening? God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to his word. And he never, ever leads us contrary to his righteousness.

[John Weaver] Never. So when someone tries to tell you the Holy Spirit led them to do something, and it's very patently contrary to the Scripture, you know, as well as I do, the Holy Spirit never, ever led them to do that.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Let's begin there with verse 9. He says, But you're not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of his. Now, this is how important the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is. If the Holy Spirit of God does not indwell us, we do not belong to Christ. Now watch verse 9. He said, Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of His. Verse 10, And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Now, the Bible tells us it is the Spirit who quickens us, but I want you to note that He quickens us according to righteousness.

[John Weaver] He says in verse 10, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Now, what does the Spirit of life, who is righteousness, lead us to do? Well, look in verses 12 and 13. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh, For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. But if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live." So what is it the Holy Spirit leads us to do? He leads us to mortify, that means subdue or to make dead the deeds of the body. He leads us not to live according to the flesh, but to live according to the Word of God. In other words, He leads us to bring our lives in conformity to Holy Scripture. Now, look at it if you would please in verse 15. He says, for you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. So once again, it's the Holy Spirit then who leads us into biblical liberty and freedom calling God our Father.

[John Weaver] What is biblical liberty and freedom? It's freedom and liberty from sin, from Satan, from wickedness, from ungodliness. And then if you look in verse 16, The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. So when we are living obediently, bringing our lives in conformity to the Word of God, living righteously, the Spirit Himself is testifying that we are indeed the children of God. The Bible tells us in John 16 and verse 13, it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.

[John Weaver] He does not lead us into error. He does not lead us into wickedness. He leads us into truth. So mark it down. The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us into sin, wickedness, disobedience, or ungodliness. If someone is engaged in such activity, I do not doubt for one moment that you were pushed into that activity, but you certainly were not led there by the Holy Spirit of God. Remember, the devil drives and God leads. Now, when God leads us, God leads us in such a way that we are willingly inclined to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. But it is the devil who pushes us relentlessly into sin and wickedness.

[John Weaver] Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of James, chapter 3. I want you to see a verse. James, chapter 3, and verse 4. And there's a reason why I want you to see this. James 3, and look if you would please at verse 4.

[John Weaver] Now, you remember in Luke 8 and verse 29, the Bible says that this maniac of Gadara was driven of the devil. Look in James 3 and verse 4. Let me show you the exact same Greek word. Here it is. Behold also the ships, which though they be great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listed." Note that phrase, are driven of fierce winds. It's the same identical word that is used in Luke 8 and verse 29, that he was driven of Satan.

[John Weaver] It is the constant, continual driving that wears down the will. Now, I want you to understand something. The devil may drive us to do something. But it is our sin, it is our responsibility, regardless of how we get into that sin. And we cannot blame the devil for it, for we willingly sin. The devil may tempt us, he may seduce us, he may drive us, but it is we who sin.

[John Weaver] And the Bible says in James 1, that no man say when he is tempted that he is tempted of God. For God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempted with any man. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. So it is our sin. It is our responsibility.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look back in your Bible to Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8. And let me show you several truths about the maniac of Gadara and how he was driven of the devil. And I believe that you can see the applications of these truths to our society today. Well, what in the world is the first thing the devil drove the man to do? Well, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Mark 5 and verse 5, because here we have it. This is still the maniac of Gadara. Notice, let's read verse 4 of Mark chapter 5. Mark 5 verse 4. Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him.

[John Weaver] And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. What's the first thing the devil drove him to do? The devil drove him to injure his health. Mark five, verse five, always night and day, he was in the tombs crying and cutting himself with stones. First of all, I want you to know that his mind was affected. How do we know that his mind was affected? Well, very obvious. He was naked for one thing, and secondly, he is out living among the tombs. Either one is sufficient to demonstrate the fact that its mine was affected. Who in their right mind would want to live in a cemetery?

[John Weaver] And please keep in mind, cemeteries in those days were not like the ones that we have today. Through all type of funeral processes today, we can preserve a body for a long time. And best they could do back then is just kind of wrap it in herbs to keep it from stinking so much. But, hey, Who in the world wants to live among corruption and putrefaction and death? Only those who are demonically driven are willing to live in such places.

[John Weaver] The very fact is in verse 35, and I'll point out later, skip down there, though. Then they went out to see Jesus, what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed. What's the next phrase? And in his right mind. Now, I want to point something out. I want you to understand that all of those who are outside of Jesus Christ are really, truly not in their right minds. They're not.

[John Weaver] The Bible says in Ephesians 4, verses 17 and 18, now listen, that they are alienated from God through the ignorance that is in them. As the old timers used to say, they're touched in the hate, you know. touched in the head. Lords are not right. Not in their right mind. Likewise, please notice it's only those who are outside of Christ today, even in our modern society, that really still want to live in corruption and putrefaction and death. I mean, my goodness.

[John Weaver] You've got to be in. A wrong mind, you've got to be out of your mind to live the way some people do. So his mind was affected, but not only was his mind affected, his body was abused. The Bible says day and night he was in the mountains crying and cutting himself with stones. Can you possibly think of the strain upon his vocal cords? Listen, I have preached for eight solid hours without stopping, except just for a few moments.

[John Weaver] I'm going to tell you something. You preach great solid hours. You are mighty tired and your vocal cords are mighty tired as well. Here's a man who is screaming day and night. Not only was he crying, he was cutting himself with stones. Think of the scars, the disfigurements, the sores that were upon him. And undoubtedly, he suffered from malnutrition as well. What in the world possessed the man to defile and harm and destroys body. Well, the answer is very clear.

[John Weaver] It was a legion of demons. Listen carefully, when you and I are pushed to destroy our minds and our bodies, it's not the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It's the devil. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be drunkards. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be dope heads. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be fornicators. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to destroy our bodies with white sugar, white flour, and white rice. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to neglect wholesome foods while gorging ourselves on snacks, candies, and cokes and destroying our immune system.

[John Weaver] I mean, that should be plain and obvious. It's not the Holy Spirit who pushes us to overwork, overplay, and overindulge constantly and continually and deprive our bodies of needed rest I needed relaxation. God does not push us to destroy our bodies. When I graduated from college. I'd been preaching before I went to college, while I was in college. And when I got out. I had meetings lined up, I was so eager to preach.

[John Weaver] I preached for 18 weeks straight without a day off. And back then, it was not once a day. I was preaching three and four times a day. We would have morning meetings, afternoon meetings. I'd be on the radio. We'd even have night meetings as well. Eighteen weeks. without a day off. Let me tell you something. You may not believe this, but it took me years to overcome what I did to my body in 18 weeks. You've heard the old saying, well, bless God, I'd rather burn out for Jesus than to rust out. Well, I've got news for you. I certainly want to be faithful, but I do not believe that God ever leads us to destroy our bodies.

[John Weaver] Know what the Bible said in Psalm 103, verse 14? The Bible tells us, For he knoweth our frame, he remembereth that we are but dust. Do you realize our Lord knows our limitations? He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. He knows what is humanly possible, but He also knows what is humanly impossible. I'm going to tell you something, I really believe it takes you to hitting about 50 before you ever realize, you know, you can't do everything and you can't live forever. It usually takes, but you know, when you're young, you think you can do it all, but you can't. It's just that simple.

[John Weaver] Now, the point is this, folks, the Holy Spirit never, ever leads us to injure our health. If our mind is affected, If our bodies are abused, it's the devil who drives us, not God who leads us.

[John Weaver] Secondly, I want you to look in Luke chapter 8. The Bible tells us that the devil drove him to indecency. Look in verse 27. And he went forth to land, and there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house but in the tombs.

[John Weaver] Now, undoubtedly, this man was indecent, That's the language that he used. Now, the Bible tells us he was screaming at the top of his voice. You probably don't have to guess, since he was demonically possessed, what he was screaming, what he was cursing, and what he was saying. Undoubtedly, what he screamed was wicked and wrong. Exodus 20 and verse 7 says, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord thy God shall not hold him guiltless who taketh his name in vain.

[John Weaver] Now, the Bible has a great deal to say about our speech. I want you to look at several verses with me. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Colossians, chapter 4. Colossians 4. Look at verse 6. Colossians 4, verse 6. Here's an interesting statement. Colossians 4, verse 6. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every man." Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Look in your Bibles to the book of Titus. In fact, let's go to 1 Timothy first.

[John Weaver] It's just a few pages over. 1 Timothy chapter 1. And look at verse six. From which some having swerved have turned aside under vain jangling. They're speaking worthlessly and needlessly. Look in Second Timothy, chapter one. And notice, if you would please, verse 13. Paul says, hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.

[John Weaver] Now, if I were to take the time this morning, and I don't want to do so, I could take you through the Bible and show you the type of speech that God condemns. For instance, the Bible speaks against vain words, enticing words, flattering words, words of vanity, malicious words, great swelling words, and feigned or hypocritical words. And Matthew 12 and verse 36 states it very explicitly. Our Lord says, But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. Idle. Word. Now, our Lord said something in Matthew five and verse seven.

[John Weaver] He said, but let your communication be yay yay and nay nay, for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil. Now, what does he mean when he says, let your conversation be yay and nay? It means if we are men of our word, And if we keep our word, we don't have to punctuate what we say. It's just that simple. When I say yes, that's emphatic enough. When I say no, that's emphatic enough. I don't have to take my speech and punctuate it with ridicule, sarcasm, or profanity. So what he's saying is, make sure your speech is always with grace, seasoned with salt.

[John Weaver] That you may know how to answer every man. Now, the devil drove him not only to injurious health. He drove him to indecency. Not only in the fact of the language that he used, but also in the fact that he was naked. Look what the Bible says in Luke chapter eight, he wear no clothes.

[John Weaver] Now, when you look down to verse 35, after our Lord saved him, you find him clothed as well as in his right mind. I want to challenge you to do something sometime. Get a concordance or get one of your Bible programs on the computer and look up the word nakedness. Do you know the word nakedness occurs 57 times in our Bibles? And in each instance, When the word nakedness refers to our bodies, nakedness is condemned.

[John Weaver] Now, it is true that Adam and Eve were naked in the garden, the Bible says, and they were not ashamed. But that was before they sinned. After they sinned, what did God do? God slew an animal and clothed them.

[John Weaver] Now, the point I'm trying to make is this. Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin. When we are exposing our bodies, we're saying we're not sinners, but we are. Nakedness is condemned. You've heard of these back to the Eden movements? Where everybody wants to go back and live nude? Let me tell you something, folks. There cannot be a back to the Eden movement without redemption, without Christ, because nakedness, parading it, is a denial of sin. And besides that, we're not going back to Eden. We're going to an eternal state and not a temporary state as such. But the devil drove him, not only in the language that he used, but in the nakedness of his body. So the devil drove him to indecency.

[John Weaver] Let me put it like this. The Holy Spirit never leads us to be indecent. He never leads us to injure our health. Here's the third thing the devil did. The devil drove this man to break up his home. Now, he had a home. For in verse 39, our Lord told him, return unto thine home and show How great things God has done into thee. He had a house. He had a home. Our Lord told him to return there. But let me ask you, what kind of family life could this man possibly have had living out in the tombs and in the mountains?

[John Weaver] And the answer is none. What kind of home life? None. His family was fractured, divided, and basically ruined. You know something that is surprising? The divorce rate today is 50% among Christians. Now there is something seriously and terribly wrong with that. We have become a society of selfish, self-indulgent, and suicidal people. We destroy ourselves, our children, our mates, our families, our homes. How in the world do we do that?

[John Weaver] Well, let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. And I know that everyone in here knows this verse. But look in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8. First Timothy chapter five. Notice, if you would please, verse eight. The Bible says. But if any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house, he denied the faith, he's worse than infidel.

[John Weaver] Now, if you were to read the whole context, of course, it is talking about physical and material things, but he's talking about taking care of the widows and taking care of your own family. So he said, if any provide not for his own, for his own, especially for those who own a house, he's denied the faith. He's worse than infidel.

[John Weaver] Now, what has happened is this. So many men today and Christian men at that say, well, I work. I put food on the table. I buy clothes for my children and for my wife. I mean, I've got a roof over their heads. What more can you ask? And what we do is this, we limit that truth just to physical or material things. Now, the truth is you ought to provide the physical and material things for your family.

[John Weaver] And by the way, I know everyone in this room understands it. But it's not my responsibility to provide for your family. Unless I do it generously and graciously and lovingly and willingly. You understand what I'm saying? It's not my responsibility to be taxed and stolen from so that you can have something. Biblical charity is one thing. Forced welfare is a horse of a different color. See, now watch this.

[John Weaver] Every man ought to take care of his own. But you know what our Lord told the Pharisees Now listen carefully. In Matthew 23 and verse 23, our Lord said, What do you scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites? He said, For you paid tithe of mint and eyes and cumin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone. So When we talk about providing for our families physically and materially, we ought to do that. But unhappily, in doing that, most of us are leaving the others undone.

[John Weaver] That is, we fail to provide for them emotionally, educationally, and spiritually. Do you realize we've given our children things, but not love? We've given them food, but not values. We've given them religion, but not Christianity. We've given them a degree, but not an education. And the evidence is in the realization that our children today do not know how to live, survive, obey, share, love, or serve. They despise principles. They despise truth. They despise heritage. They despise Christianity. And although most.

[John Weaver] Have been raised in church. They live as practical atheists. Because they deny the truth of the word of God and try to live as if God. Had no say so over their lives in any way whatsoever. It was the devil who drove him to break up his home. You look at the divorce. You look at the adultery and fornication. Every young man, every husband, every father ought to read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7 over and over and over and over until it's burned in his mind. Because there are scriptures warning against adultery, warning against fornication. and saying that everything ought to be done to maintain the sanctity of the home and the sanctity of the marriage. And the truth of the matter is this. God does not lead us into adultery. He does not lead us into fornication. We may go there.

[John Weaver] But God's not leading us there, I can assure you. God does not lead any husband or any wife to defile the sanctity of their marriage vows. God does not lead any child to rebel. God does not lead families to fuss, fight, fume, and foment strife and division. You may be driven to do some of these things, but you'd better consider who's in the driver's seat. God is neither your pilot nor your co-pilot nor your chauffeur if you're being driven to do those things.

[John Weaver] It's the devil who drives us to injure our health, to indecency, and of course, to break up our homes. Then look back in Luke 8, in verse 27, because here's the fourth thing the devil did. He drove him to bring shame upon his family. Look in Luke 8, verse 27. And when he went forth to land there, met him out of the city, a certain man who had devils a long time and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

[John Weaver] Now, children, let me ask you a question. Would it not embarrass you and shame you if your father went around naked, screaming and acting crazy and silly and stupid? Well, of course, it Of course it would. Everyone knew who the crazy man was. Margaret, don't look at your daddy like that. Boy, I can read more from up here than you could imagine. Secrets are being revealed. Everyone knew who the crazy man was. Are you listening? Everyone knew who the crazy man's wife was. Everyone knew who the crazy man's children were. And my question is this. Can you imagine the ridicule, the harassment and the teasing through which his family went? Children can be exceedingly cruel. Undoubtedly, this man's children were the object of ridicule and scorn. Undoubtedly, his family was the object of jokes and sneers and sarcasm. Are you listening?

[John Weaver] The Holy Spirit does not ever lead us to bring unbiblical shame upon our families. Now, there is a shame that is biblical. When we are persecuted for righteousness sake, that is one thing. That's a biblical shame. But whatever we do to bring an unbiblical shame upon our family, it's not of God. Let me tell you, every community has a drunkard. And everybody knows who that drunkard is. Every community has a fornicator and everybody knows who that is. Every community just about has a dope head and everybody knows who that is. And they know who the family is as well. It's one thing to suffer shame for biblical principle. It's another thing to bring shame on your family through your own sin and stupidity.

[John Weaver] David said it like this in Psalm 44 and verse 15. David said, My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face has covered me. Can you imagine what it was like when David got caught in his adultery, in his wickedness? What did he say? My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me." How could he face his children? How could he face his wife? How could he face his kingdom? How could he face his people?

[John Weaver] I was preaching in a little town, and on the back two pews sat a number of teenagers with their parents. And the whole time I preached, they sat there with their heads down. They wouldn't even look at me while I preached. After the service was over, I asked the pastor, I said, what in the world was wrong with those two pews? of young people and their parents back there. I said they held their head down the entire service. They would not even look at me while I preached. What was wrong?

[John Weaver] Well, he said this past week. All those teenagers. Got expelled from school for cheating. They were all seniors. Which means now they've got to go back and repeat that grade over. And said, and everybody knows what they've done. What did David say? Shame on my face has covered me. You know, we never think about bringing an unbiblical shame upon our family, but if you would just stop and think.

[John Weaver] Why in the world would you throw away your life your home, your marriage, your children, your grandchildren, your ministry, your work, for something that's going to inevitably shame you for a long time. Why would you do that? I mean, I love my children more than that. I love my wife more than that. I love my grandchildren more than that. I love the ministry more than that. Listen to what the Bible says.

[John Weaver] I'm just being very selective. Let me give you four passages. Each of them are from the book of Proverbs. Let me just quote them. You listen. Proverbs 3 and verse 35. The Bible says the wise shall inherit glory, but shame shall be the promotion of fools. The only way a fool can be promoted is in shame. In Proverbs 10 and verse 5, the Bible says, he that gathereth in summer is a wise son, but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causes shame. I'm going to point this out in just a moment. But you know, one thing that shames a family is to have a lazy son or lazy child. This is in Proverbs 13, verse 18, poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction.

[John Weaver] But he that regardeth for proof shall be honored." It's a shame to have someone who will not listen, who will not be instructed, who will not learn. Unhappily, there are a lot of people who have children like that. I like that sign. I saw it a long time ago. I can't remember it. It says, attention all teenagers, please go ahead and run away from home now while you know everything and can do everything and can work everything out. Because in a few years, you'll understand you can't do any of it.

[John Weaver] It was just kind of a play on that. But you understand how it is. They're teenagers. There are adults. They won't listen. God says it's a shame. Proverbs 19, verse 26. He that wasted his father and chastened away his mother as a son that causes shame and brings reproach.

[John Weaver] Now just from these few short verses, laziness, disobedience, wastefulness, refusing to be instructed, any and all types of public and private sin bring shame and reproach upon the family. Whatever you do to bring an unbiblical shame upon your family is not of God. God never leads us to shame our family. What does He say? Honor thy father and thy mother. Fifthly, the devil drove this man to be a nuisance to society.

[John Weaver] Look in Luke 8, verse 29. Where he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, for oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he broke the bands and was driven of the devil into the wilderness. Let me put it to you very bluntly. Society could not control him. He was ungovernable. Society would clothe him, but he'd rip the clothes off. Society would chain him in a secure place, but he would destroy the fetters and return to the tombs. Society tried, but they were helpless in light of their own spiritual powerlessness.

[John Weaver] Are you listening to me? It takes more than society. It takes more than refinement. It takes more than culture. It takes more than education. It takes more than a country club membership. It takes more than a church membership. It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ. Society can educate people, refine them, culture them, and like our Lord said, they'll still wallow in the mire and return like a dog to their own vomit. Why? Because the Bible said, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. Not in society. But if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature. No one can live successfully in society without Christ.

[John Weaver] Let me give you a quote. I know most of you in here have heard it. But this came from President John Adams. Here's what he said. We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through the net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. What was he saying? He said, when you throw off the bands of God, His truth, His Word, our society is going to disintegrate because our Constitution was only intended for a moral and a religious or a Christian people. When men cast off the restraints of the Word of God, they'd only become a nuisance to themselves, to their families, but to society as well.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you one last thing. Look back in Luke 8. Verse 27 and 28. And when he went forth to land there, met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house but in the tombs, when he saw Jesus, He cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not." The sixth thing I want to point out is this, the devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him. That's a wonderful thing.

[John Weaver] that many times the wicked overstep their mark. It is true. He ran to Christ. He fell down. He said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God, most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. It may have been the demons crying out, but still the man was there. And Christ cast the demons out. and save the man.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to watch. Go down to verse 38.

[John Weaver] Now the man out of whom the devils were departed, besought him that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away saying... Now watch. When the man was saved, he wanted to continue with Christ. I'll go with you, Christ. I'll follow you. I'll do whatever you want me to do. But our Lord sent him away saying, Return to thine own house and show how great things God has done unto thee.

[John Weaver] Now let me ask you a question. Can you picture in your own mind that wife and that mother looking out her window and seeing her husband walking up to the house, fully clothed and in his right mind, undoubtedly singing maybe praise to the Lord. Can you imagine the joy that must have been in her heart when all of a sudden she's thinking, I have my husband back. I have my home back.

[John Weaver] And what about those little kids? who have been embarrassed, shamed, and ridiculed. Can you imagine the joy and the love in their hearts and in their eyes when once again, they had a father. They had one who would love them, and help them, and teach them, and educate them, provide for them, sustain them. Let me tell you something, folks. It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.

[John Weaver] I've often said, and I've said it here many times, I really do not understand how any home makes its day without the Word of God, without Jesus Christ. with all the temptations, with all the sins, with all the flesh, with all the world, it's amazing to me that any couple ever stays together without Christ. And I've got news for you folks. You may have Christ, but if you do not apply the Word of God to your life and to your home and to your marriage, you will lose home and marriage. It's not enough just to be saved. We must be saved and understand how to apply the Word of God.

[John Weaver] You remember what our Lord said in Matthew 12? Verse 39. Let me just quote it for you. He said, No one can spoil the strong man's house until first the strong man rebound, and then he'll spoil his house. What does our Lord do? He binds the strong man, and then he spoils his house. Only Jesus Christ has the power to give us our lives, our families, our marriages, our homes.

[John Weaver] And I got news for you folks. Some of us have unsaved children. You may have unsaved children. You may have wicked, wicked, wicked children. But I'm going to tell you, one thing the devil does many times is he pushes too hard and too far. And sometimes he pushes them right to the only one who can deliver them. And that's Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We're so thankful that greater is He that is in us than He that is in the world. We're so thankful, Father, that You are not just the answer, but our answer and my answer.

[John Weaver] Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

Driven By the Devil

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	21004154050
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-02-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 027: The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	79

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Well, let's open our Bibles today to Luke chapter 8. And if you would go ahead and open your Bibles to Mark chapter 5 as well, because we are going to be looking at one verse there. The account in Mark 5 is parallel to the account in Luke 8. And so we're going to be taking our text from Luke 8. And the message today is entitled "Driven by the Devil," and I think you will understand why in just a moment. Notice, if you would, in Luke chapter 8, begin reading there with verse 26.

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:26-39

"And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee."

Luke 8, verse 27 now:

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:26-39

"And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils"

—or demons—

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:26-39

"a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, 'What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.' For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man."

"For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he broke the bands and was driven of the devil into the wilderness. And Jesus asked him, saying, 'What is thy name?' And he said, 'Legion,' because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain. And they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked."

"When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them. For they were taken with great fear, and he went up into the ship and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee.' And he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him."

Introduction: Two Powers – God and Satan

Weaver introduces the sermon title from Luke 8:29, explaining that all forces reduce to good and evil, God and Satan. God reveals His power through creation, redemption, and providence; Satan's power is seen in his control over wicked men.

Now, the title of today's message is taken from verse 29, where the Bible says of the maniac of Gadara that he was "driven of the devil into the wilderness." Now, one basically could reduce everything down to two forces: good and evil, or God and Satan. Naturally, the greatest force or the greatest power is God himself. Scripture says in 1 John 4:4,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:4

"because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."

Now, when I make the statement that you could basically reduce everything down to two powers, good and evil, or God and the devil, I am certainly not denying the personhood of God. God is a person. But in making that statement, I want you to understand this: that God reveals Himself through His creation, through His redemption, and through His power and His providence. And those three things—creation, redemption, and providence—are nothing more than a demonstration of His power. Likewise, Satan is declared to be in Scripture a fallen spirit.

And although we cannot see him, yet we can see his handiwork through his power and his control over wicked and unconverted men. Now, if you will pull Luke 8—that is our text—but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 26. Let me show you how the Apostle Paul described his own mission in Acts chapter 26 and verse 18. Acts 26 and verse 18. The Apostle Paul is giving his testimony to King Agrippa. And he says—in fact, reading verse 17—"delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee."

Now, here's why God sent Paul: "to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light," notice, "and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Note: "to turn them from the power of Satan unto God." So you have the power of Satan, and of course, naturally, you have the power of God. Then if you would turn right over to the book of Colossians, chapter 1. The book of Colossians, chapter 1, and look at verses 12 and 13. Because once again, the Bible teaches us the greatness of God's power. In Colossians 1, verse 12, the Bible says, "giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet"—or suitable—"to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." Now, here's why we should give thanks to the Father. Here is how He has made us suitable to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Verse 13: "who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."

The Apostle Paul's Mission: From Satan's Power to God

Using Acts 26:18 and Colossians 1:12-13, Weaver shows that salvation is a transfer from the power of Satan to the power of God, from darkness to light.

So He took us then from the power of Satan, under the power of God, and from the power of darkness into the kingdom of His own dear Son. Certainly, when you look at Luke chapter 8, the demoniac of Gadara is a great illustration of an individual who is driven by the devil.

Led by the Spirit vs. Driven by the Devil

Weaver poses the question of how to discern the controlling force in one's life. He states that God leads and the devil drives, and explains that the leading of the Spirit is often misused to justify sin.

Now, the question that should automatically enter your mind is this: How can one tell which is the motivating, empowering, and controlling force in an individual's life? Or, more importantly, how can I tell which power is in my life? Well, the answer from Scripture is really obvious. Scripture tells us that God leads us and the devil drives us. So you have to ask yourself this question: Are you being led or are you being driven? Now, in order to answer that question, you've got to know what the leading of the Lord really is.

So I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter 8. And let's look at verses 9 through 16, because Romans 8 verses 9 through 16 actually explains what the leading of the Spirit is. Now, before I look at this passage, allow me to state this truth very clearly. The leading of the Spirit has been abused, misused, misapplied, and perverted by many professing Christians. It has become the excuse for every whim, desire, sin, and disobedience imaginable. All one has to do to explain his irrational and unbiblical behavior is simply say, "The Spirit led me to do it." Well, who can argue with God? And who can say that the Holy Spirit didn't lead you?

You see, that's the whole crux of it. In other words, people are trying to call God into vouch for their disobedience and to vouch for their sin and their wickedness. So how in the world can we discern whether or not God has really led someone to do something or not? Well, let me give you a couple of illustrations I think should be extremely obvious. When Alice and I lived in Greenville, South Carolina, there was a woman there who caught her husband asleep on the couch.

The True Leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-16)

The Holy Spirit leads believers to mortify the deeds of the body, live righteously, and experience biblical liberty. He never leads contrary to Scripture or into sin.

He says in verse 10, "but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Now, what does the Spirit of life, who is righteousness, lead us to do? Well, look in verses 12 and 13. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." So what is it the Holy Spirit leads us to do? He leads us to mortify—that means subdue or to make dead—the deeds of the body. He leads us not to live according to the flesh, but to live according to the Word of God. In other words, He leads us to bring our lives in conformity to Holy Scripture. Now, look at it, if you would please, in verse 15. He says, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." So once again, it's the Holy Spirit then who leads us into biblical liberty and freedom, calling God our Father.

Scripture Reading — John 16:13

What is biblical liberty and freedom? It's freedom and liberty from sin, from Satan, from wickedness, from ungodliness. And then if you look in verse 16, "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." So when we are living obediently, bringing our lives in conformity to the Word of God, living righteously, the Spirit Himself is testifying that we are indeed the children of God. The Bible tells us in John 16:13, it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. He does not lead us into error. He does not lead us into wickedness. He leads us into truth. So mark it down: The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us into sin, wickedness, disobedience, or ungodliness. If someone is engaged in such activity, I do not doubt for one moment that you were pushed into that activity, but you certainly were not led there by the Holy Spirit of God. Remember, the devil drives and God leads. Now, when God leads us, God leads us in such a way that we are willingly inclined to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. But it is the devil who pushes us relentlessly into sin and wickedness.

The Demoniac Driven to Injure His Health

The devil drove the man to harm his mind and body, evidenced by living among tombs, crying, and cutting himself. Weaver applies this to modern self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse and neglect of health.

"And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." What's the first thing the devil drove him to do? The devil drove him to injure his health. Mark 5:5: "always, night and day, he was in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." First of all, I want you to know that his mind was affected. How do we know that his mind was affected? Well, very obvious. He was naked for one thing, and secondly, he is out living among the tombs. Either one is sufficient to demonstrate the fact that his mind was affected. Who in their right mind would want to live in a cemetery?

And please keep in mind, cemeteries in those days were not like the ones that we have today. Through all types of funeral processes today, we can preserve a body for a long time. The best they could do back then is just kind of wrap it in herbs to keep it from stinking so much. But, hey, who in the world wants to live among corruption and putrefaction and death? Only those who are demonically driven are willing to live in such places. The very fact is in verse 35—and I'll point out later, skip down there, though: "Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed." What's the next phrase? "And in his right mind." Now, I want to point something out. I want you to understand that all of those who are outside of Jesus Christ are really, truly not in their right minds. They're not.

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:17-18—now listen—that they are alienated from God through the ignorance that is in them. As the old-timers used to say, they're touched in the head, you know. Touched in the head. They're not right. Not in their right mind. Likewise, please notice it's only those who are outside of Christ today, even in our modern society, that really still want to live in corruption and putrefaction and death. I mean, my goodness.

You've got to be in a wrong mind; you've got to be out of your mind to live the way some people do. So his mind was affected, but not only was his mind affected, his body was abused. The Bible says day and night he was in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones. Can you possibly think of the strain upon his vocal cords? Listen, I have preached for eight solid hours without stopping, except just for a few moments. I'm going to tell you something. You preach eight solid hours, you are mighty tired and your vocal cords are mighty tired as well. Here's a man who is screaming day and night. Not only was he crying, he was cutting himself with stones. Think of the scars, the disfigurements, the sores that were upon him. And undoubtedly, he suffered from malnutrition as well. What in the world possessed the man to defile and harm and destroy his body? Well, the answer is very clear.

It was a legion of demons. Listen carefully: when you and I are pushed to destroy our minds and our bodies, it's not the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It's the devil. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be drunkards. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be dope heads. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be fornicators. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to destroy our bodies with white sugar, white flour, and white rice. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to neglect wholesome foods while gorging ourselves on snacks, candies, and cokes and destroying our immune system.

I mean, that should be plain and obvious. It's not the Holy Spirit who pushes us to overwork, overplay, and overindulge constantly and continually and deprive our bodies of needed rest and needed relaxation. God does not push us to destroy our bodies. When I graduated from college, I'd been preaching before I went to college, while I was in college. And when I got out, I had meetings lined up; I was so eager to preach. I preached for 18 weeks straight without a day off. And back then, it was not once a day. I was preaching three and four times a day. We would have morning meetings, afternoon meetings. I'd be on the radio. We'd even have night meetings as well. Eighteen weeks without a day off. Let me tell you something. You may not believe this, but it took me years to overcome what I did to my body in 18 weeks. You've heard the old saying, "Well, bless God, I'd rather burn out for Jesus than to rust out." Well, I've got news for you. I certainly want to be faithful, but I do not believe that God ever leads us to destroy our bodies.

Know what the Bible said in Psalm 103:14? The Bible tells us, "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are but dust." Do you realize our Lord knows our limitations? He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. He knows what is humanly possible, but He also knows what is humanly impossible. I'm going to tell you something: I really believe it takes you hitting about 50 before you ever realize, you know, you can't do everything and you can't live forever. It usually takes—but you know, when you're young, you think you can do it all, but you can't. It's just that simple.

Now, the point is this, folks: the Holy Spirit never, ever leads us to injure our health. If our mind is affected, if our bodies are abused, it's the devil who drives us, not God who leads us.

Driven to Indecency, Broken Homes, and Family Shame

The man was naked and used vile speech, bringing indecency. His home was fractured, and his family suffered shame. Weaver warns against adultery, fornication, and any sin that brings unbiblical shame.

Secondly, I want you to look in Luke chapter 8. The Bible tells us that the devil drove him to indecency. Look in verse 27: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house but in the tombs." Now, undoubtedly, this man was indecent. That's the language that he used. Now, the Bible tells us he was screaming at the top of his voice. You probably don't have to guess, since he was demonically possessed, what he was screaming, what he was cursing, and what he was saying. Undoubtedly, what he screamed was wicked and wrong. Exodus 20:7 says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."

Now, the Bible has a great deal to say about our speech. I want you to look at several verses with me. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Colossians, chapter 4. Colossians 4. Look at verse 6. Colossians 4:6. Here's an interesting statement. Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Look in your Bibles to the book of Titus. In fact, let's go to 1 Timothy first.

It's just a few pages over. 1 Timothy chapter 1. And look at verse 6: "From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling." They're speaking worthlessly and needlessly. Look in 2 Timothy, chapter 1. And notice, if you would please, verse 13. Paul says, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

Now, if I were to take the time this morning—and I don't want to do so—I could take you through the Bible and show you the type of speech that God condemns. For instance, the Bible speaks against vain words, enticing words, flattering words, words of vanity, malicious words, great swelling words, and feigned or hypocritical words. And Matthew 12:36 states it very explicitly. Our Lord says, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Idle word. Now, our Lord said something in Matthew 5:37. He said, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Now, what does He mean when He says, "Let your conversation be yea and nay"? It means if we are men of our word, and if we keep our word, we don't have to punctuate what we say. It's just that simple. When I say yes, that's emphatic enough. When I say no, that's emphatic enough. I don't have to take my speech and punctuate it with ridicule, sarcasm, or profanity. So what He's saying is, make sure your speech is always with grace, seasoned with salt.

That you may know how to answer every man. Now, the devil drove him not only to injurious health. He drove him to indecency. Not only in the fact of the language that he used, but also in the fact that he was naked. Look what the Bible says in Luke chapter 8: "he wear no clothes."

Now, when you look down to verse 35, after our Lord saved him, you find him clothed as well as in his right mind. I want to challenge you to do something sometime. Get a concordance or get one of your Bible programs on the computer and look up the word "nakedness." Do you know the word "nakedness" occurs 57 times in our Bibles? And in each instance, when the word "nakedness" refers to our bodies, nakedness is condemned.

Now, it is true that Adam and Eve were naked in the garden, the Bible says, and they were not ashamed. But that was before they sinned. After they sinned, what did God do? God slew an animal and clothed them.

Now, the point I'm trying to make is this: Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin. When we are exposing our bodies, we're saying we're not sinners, but we are. Nakedness is condemned. You've heard of these "back to Eden" movements, where everybody wants to go back and live nude? Let me tell you something, folks. There cannot be a "back to Eden" movement without redemption, without Christ, because nakedness, parading it, is a denial of sin. And besides that, we're not going back to Eden. We're going to an eternal state and not a temporary state as such. But the devil drove him, not only in the language that he used, but in the nakedness of his body. So the devil drove him to indecency.

Let me put it like this: The Holy Spirit never leads us to be indecent. He never leads us to injure our health. Here's the third thing the devil did. The devil drove this man to break up his home. Now, he had a home. For in verse 39, our Lord told him, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee." He had a house. He had a home. Our Lord told him to return there. But let me ask you, what kind of family life could this man possibly have had living out in the tombs and in the mountains?

And the answer is none. What kind of home life? None. His family was fractured, divided, and basically ruined. You know something that is surprising? The divorce rate today is 50% among Christians. Now there is something seriously and terribly wrong with that. We have become a society of selfish, self-indulgent, and suicidal people. We destroy ourselves, our children, our mates, our families, our homes. How in the world do we do that?

Well, let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. And I know that everyone in here knows this verse. But look in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8. 1 Timothy chapter 5. Notice, if you would please, verse 8. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:8

"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

Now, if you were to read the whole context, of course, it is talking about physical and material things, but he's talking about taking care of the widows and taking care of your own family. So he said, "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." Now, what has happened is this. So many men today—and Christian men at that—say, "Well, I work. I put food on the table. I buy clothes for my children and for my wife. I mean, I've got a roof over their heads. What more can you ask?" And what we do is this: we limit that truth just to physical or material things. Now, the truth is you ought to provide the physical and material things for your family.

And by the way, I know everyone in this room understands it. But it's not my responsibility to provide for your family. Unless I do it generously and graciously and lovingly and willingly. You understand what I'm saying? It's not my responsibility to be taxed and stolen from so that you can have something. Biblical charity is one thing. Forced welfare is a horse of a different color. See, now watch this.

Every man ought to take care of his own. But you know what our Lord told the Pharisees? Now listen carefully. In Matthew 23:23, our Lord said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." So when we talk about providing for our families physically and materially, we ought to do that. But unhappily, in doing that, most of us are leaving the others undone. That is, we fail to provide for them emotionally, educationally, and spiritually. Do you realize we've given our children things, but not love? We've given them food, but not values. We've given them religion, but not Christianity. We've given them a degree, but not an education. And the evidence is in the realization that our children today do not know how to live, survive, obey, share, love, or serve. They despise principles. They despise truth. They despise heritage. They despise Christianity. And although most

have been raised in church, they live as practical atheists. Because they deny the truth of the Word of God and try to live as if God had no say-so over their lives in any way whatsoever. It was the devil who drove him to break up his home. You look at the divorce. You look at the adultery and fornication. Every young man, every husband, every father ought to read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7 over and over and over and over until it's burned in his mind. Because there are scriptures warning against adultery, warning against fornication, and saying that everything ought to be done to maintain the sanctity of the home and the sanctity of the marriage. And the truth of the matter is this: God does not lead us into adultery. He does not lead us into fornication. We may go there.

But God's not leading us there, I can assure you. God does not lead any husband or any wife to defile the sanctity of their marriage vows. God does not lead any child to rebel. God does not lead families to fuss, fight, fume, and foment strife and division. You may be driven to do some of these things, but you'd better consider who's in the driver's seat. God is neither your pilot nor your co-pilot nor your chauffeur if you're being driven to do those things. It's the devil who drives us to injure our health, to indecency, and, of course, to break up our homes. Then look back in Luke 8, in verse 27, because here's the fourth thing the devil did. He drove him to bring shame upon his family. Look in Luke 8:27: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs."

Now, children, let me ask you a question. Would it not embarrass you and shame you if your father went around naked, screaming and acting crazy and silly and stupid? Well, of course it would. Everyone knew who the crazy man was. Margaret, don't look at your daddy like that. Boy, I can read more from up here than you could imagine. Secrets are being revealed. Everyone knew who the crazy man was. Are you listening? Everyone knew who the crazy man's wife was. Everyone knew who the crazy man's children were. And my question is this: Can you imagine the ridicule, the harassment, and the teasing through which his family went? Children can be exceedingly cruel. Undoubtedly, this man's children were the object of ridicule and scorn. Undoubtedly, his family was the object of jokes and sneers and sarcasm. Are you listening?

The Holy Spirit does not ever lead us to bring unbiblical shame upon our families. Now, there is a shame that is biblical. When we are persecuted for righteousness' sake, that is one thing. That's a biblical shame. But whatever we do to bring an unbiblical shame upon our family, it's not of God. Let me tell you, every community has a drunkard. And everybody knows who that drunkard is. Every community has a fornicator and everybody knows who that is. Every community just about has a dope head and everybody knows who that is. And they know who the family is as well. It's one thing to suffer shame for biblical principle. It's another thing to bring shame on your family through your own sin and stupidity.

David said it like this in Psalm 44:15. David said, "My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me." Can you imagine what it was like when David got caught in his adultery, in his wickedness? What did he say? "My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me." How could he face his children? How could he face his wife? How could he face his kingdom? How could he face his people?

I was preaching in a little town, and on the back two pews sat a number of teenagers with their parents. And the whole time I preached, they sat there with their heads down. They wouldn't even look at me while I preached. After the service was over, I asked the pastor, I said, "What in the world was wrong with those two pews of young people and their parents back there?" I said, "They held their head down the entire service. They would not even look at me while I preached. What was wrong?" Well, he said, "This past week, all those teenagers got expelled from school for cheating. They were all seniors. Which means now they've got to go back and repeat that grade over." And he said, "And everybody knows what they've done." What did David say? "Shame on my face hath covered me." You know, we never think about bringing an unbiblical shame upon our family, but if you would just stop and think.

Why in the world would you throw away your life, your home, your marriage, your children, your grandchildren, your ministry, your work, for something that's going to inevitably shame you for a long time? Why would you do that? I mean, I love my children more than that. I love my wife more than that. I love my grandchildren more than that. I love the ministry more than that. Listen to what the Bible says.

I'm just being very selective. Let me give you four passages. Each of them are from the book of Proverbs. Let me just quote them. You listen. Proverbs 3:35: The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:35; 10:5; 13:18; 19:26

"The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools."

The only way a fool can be promoted is in shame. In Proverbs 10:5, the Bible says, "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame." I'm going to point this out in just a moment. But you know, one thing that shames a family is to have a lazy son or lazy child. This is in Proverbs 13:18: "Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured." It's a shame to have someone who will not listen, who will not be instructed, who will not learn. Unhappily, there are a lot of people who have children like that. I like that sign. I saw it a long time ago. I can't remember it. It says, "Attention all teenagers, please go ahead and run away from home now while you know everything and can do everything and can work everything out. Because in a few years, you'll understand you can't do any of it."

It was just kind of a play on that. But you understand how it is. They're teenagers. There are adults. They won't listen. God says it's a shame. Proverbs 19:26: "He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach."

Now just from these few short verses, laziness, disobedience, wastefulness, refusing to be instructed, any and all types of public and private sin bring shame and reproach upon the family. Whatever you do to bring an unbiblical shame upon your family is not of God. God never leads us to shame our family. What does He say? "Honour thy father and thy mother." Fifthly, the devil drove this man to be a nuisance to society.

Driven to Be a Nuisance to Society

Society could not control the demoniac; chains and fetters were broken. Weaver argues that only Christ can truly transform a person, not mere education or culture.

Look in Luke 8:29: "For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness." Let me put it to you very bluntly. Society could not control him. He was ungovernable. Society would clothe him, but he'd rip the clothes off. Society would chain him in a secure place, but he would destroy the fetters and return to the tombs. Society tried, but they were helpless in light of their own spiritual powerlessness.

Are you listening to me? It takes more than society. It takes more than refinement. It takes more than culture. It takes more than education. It takes more than a country club membership. It takes more than a church membership. It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ. Society can educate people, refine them, culture them, and like our Lord said, they'll still wallow in the mire and return like a dog to their own vomit. Why? Because the Bible said, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Not in society. But "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." No one can live successfully in society without Christ.

Let me give you a quote. I know most of you in here have heard it. But this came from President John Adams. Here's what he said: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through the net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." What was he saying? He said, when you throw off the bands of God, His truth, His Word, our society is going to disintegrate because our Constitution was only intended for a moral and a religious or a Christian people. When men cast off the restraints of the Word of God, they'd only become a nuisance to themselves, to their families, but to society as well.

Driven Too Far – To the Deliverer

The devil overplayed his hand by driving the man to Jesus, who delivered him. The restored man was sent home to testify, bringing joy and restoration to his family.

Now, I want to show you one last thing. Look back in Luke 8, verses 27 and 28: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, 'What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.'" The sixth thing I want to point out is this: the devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him. That's a wonderful thing.

That many times the wicked overstep their mark. It is true. He ran to Christ. He fell down. He said, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not." It may have been the demons crying out, but still the man was there. And Christ cast the demons out and saved the man.

Now I want you to watch. Go down to verse 38. "Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying..." Now watch. When the man was saved, he wanted to continue with Christ. "I'll go with you, Christ. I'll follow you. I'll do whatever you want me to do." But our Lord sent him away, saying, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee."

Now let me ask you a question. Can you picture in your own mind that wife and that mother looking out her window and seeing her husband walking up to the house, fully clothed and in his right mind, undoubtedly singing maybe praise to the Lord? Can you imagine the joy that must have been in her heart when all of a sudden she's thinking, "I have my husband back. I have my home back." And what about those little kids who have been embarrassed, shamed, and ridiculed? Can you imagine the joy and the love in their hearts and in their eyes when once again, they had a father? They had one who would love them, and help them, and teach them, and educate them, provide for them, sustain them. Let me tell you something, folks. It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.

Conclusion: Christ Alone Restores

Only Jesus Christ can bind the strong man and restore lives, families, and homes. Weaver encourages that even the most wicked can be driven to Christ for deliverance.

I've often said, and I've said it here many times, I really do not understand how any home makes its day without the Word of God, without Jesus Christ. With all the temptations, with all the sins, with all the flesh, with all the world, it's amazing to me that any couple ever stays together without Christ. And I've got news for you, folks. You may have Christ, but if you do not apply the Word of God to your life and to your home and to your marriage, you will lose home and marriage. It's not enough just to be saved. We must be saved and understand how to apply the Word of God.

You remember what our Lord said in Matthew 12:29? Let me just quote it for you. He said, "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." What does our Lord do? He binds the strong man, and then He spoils his house. Only Jesus Christ has the power to give us our lives, our families, our marriages, our homes. And I got news for you, folks. Some of us have unsaved children. You may have unsaved children. You may have wicked, wicked, wicked children. But I'm going to tell you, one thing the devil does many times is he pushes too hard and too far. And sometimes he pushes them right to the only one who can deliver them. And that's Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We're so thankful that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. We're so thankful, Father, that You are not just the answer, but our answer and my answer.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Contrast between God's leading and Satan's driving

Summary: God leads believers gently into righteousness and truth, while Satan drives people relentlessly into sin and destruction.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'God leads us and the devil drives us.' He explains that the Holy Spirit never leads contrary to Scripture, while the devil pushes into wickedness.

The Holy Spirit's leading is always consistent with Scripture

Summary: The Spirit leads into truth, mortification of sin, and biblical liberty, never into error or disobedience.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word. And He never, ever leads us contrary to His righteousness.'

Self-destruction as evidence of demonic driving

Summary: Injuring one's health, mind, and body through sin is a sign of being driven by the devil, not led by God.

Evidence: Weaver points to the demoniac cutting himself and crying day and night, and applies it to modern behaviors like drunkenness, drug abuse, and neglecting health.

The devil drives people to indecency and broken homes

Summary: Nakedness, vile speech, and family breakdown are fruits of demonic influence, contrasting with God's design for modesty and family sanctity.

Evidence: Weaver notes the man wore no clothes and had no home life, and warns that God does not lead to adultery or divorce.

Sin brings unbiblical shame upon families

Summary: Public and private sins bring reproach on one's family, and God never leads believers to cause such shame.

Evidence: Weaver cites Proverbs and the example of David's shame after his adultery, emphasizing that children and spouses suffer ridicule.

Society cannot reform the demonically driven; only Christ can

Summary: Education, culture, and even religion are powerless to truly change a person; only being in Christ makes one a new creature.

Evidence: Weaver quotes John Adams on the need for morality and religion, and states: 'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.'

The devil overreaches by driving people to Christ

Summary: In His providence, God uses the devil's driving to bring sinners to the only One who can deliver them.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'The devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him.'

Restoration of the home through Christ

Summary: When Christ saves, He restores individuals to their right mind and to their families, bringing joy and wholeness.

Evidence: Weaver imagines the wife and children's joy at seeing the man clothed and in his right mind, and states: 'It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.'

Key Arguments

The Holy Spirit never leads into sin

Summary: Any claim that the Spirit led someone to sin is false, because the Spirit always leads according to God's Word and righteousness.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word. And He never, ever leads us contrary to His righteousness.'

The leading of the Spirit is often abused as an excuse for sin

Summary: Many professing Christians misuse the concept of the Spirit's leading to justify disobedience and irrational behavior.

Evidence: Weaver gives examples of a woman who killed her husband and a preacher who committed adultery, both claiming the Spirit led them.

The demoniac's self-harm illustrates the devil's destructive driving

Summary: Cutting himself with stones and living among tombs shows that demonic influence leads to physical and mental harm.

Evidence: Weaver reads Mark 5:5 and comments on the strain on vocal cords and the scars from cutting.

Nakedness is a denial of sin and is condemned in Scripture

Summary: Parading nakedness rejects the reality of sin; after the Fall, God clothed Adam and Eve, and nakedness is consistently condemned.

Evidence: Weaver states: 'Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin.' He notes the word 'nakedness' occurs 57 times and is condemned when referring to the body.

Providing for family includes emotional, educational, and spiritual needs

Summary: Men often limit provision to material things, but God requires providing for the whole person, including values and spiritual training.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'We fail to provide for them emotionally, educationally, and spiritually... We've given them religion, but not Christianity.'

Unbiblical shame on families comes from sin, not from righteousness

Summary: While persecution for righteousness is honorable, shame from sin is destructive and not from God.

Evidence: Weaver distinguishes between biblical shame (persecution) and unbiblical shame (sin), citing Proverbs on laziness and disobedience.

Society's efforts to reform are powerless without Christ

Summary: Chains, education, and culture cannot change the heart; only Christ can make a person a new creature.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'It takes more than society... It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ.'

Christ's deliverance restores the whole person and family

Summary: The healed man was sent home to testify, implying restoration of his family relationships and his role as husband and father.

Evidence: Weaver describes the imagined joy of the wife and children, and says: 'It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.'

Scripture References

Luke 8:26-39

Context: The primary text: the account of the demoniac of Gadara, his deliverance, and the reaction of the people.

Mark 5:4-5

Context: Parallel account emphasizing the man's self-destructive behavior: crying and cutting himself with stones.

1 John 4:4

Context: Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, establishing God's superior power.

Acts 26:18

Context: Paul's mission to turn people from the power of Satan to God, from darkness to light.

Colossians 1:12-13

Context: God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.

Romans 8:9-16

Context: The indwelling Spirit leads believers to mortify the deeds of the body and testifies to their adoption as children of God.

John 16:13

Context: The Holy Spirit leads into all truth, not into error.

James 3:4

Context: The same Greek word for 'driven' is used of ships driven by fierce winds, illustrating the relentless driving of the devil.

James 1:13-14

Context: God does not tempt anyone; each person is tempted by their own lust.

Ephesians 4:17-18

Context: Those outside Christ are alienated from God through ignorance, implying they are not in their right mind.

Psalm 103:14

Context: God knows our frame and remembers we are dust, indicating He does not push us beyond our limits.

Exodus 20:7

Context: The command not to take the Lord's name in vain, relevant to the demoniac's likely cursing.

Colossians 4:6

Context: Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt.

1 Timothy 1:6

Context: Some have turned aside to vain jangling, speaking worthlessly.

2 Timothy 1:13

Context: Hold fast the form of sound words.

Matthew 12:36

Context: Every idle word will be accounted for in the day of judgment.

Matthew 5:37

Context: Let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; anything more comes of evil.

1 Timothy 5:8

Context: If anyone does not provide for his own, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.

Matthew 23:23

Context: The Pharisees tithed but omitted weightier matters like judgment, mercy, and faith; similarly, men provide materially but neglect spiritual provision.

Proverbs 3:35; 10:5; 13:18; 19:26

Context: Various proverbs showing that shame comes from foolishness, laziness, refusing instruction, and wasting parents.

Historical References

President John Adams

Context: Weaver quotes Adams: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.'

Important Quotes

God leads us and the devil drives us.

Significance: This is the central thesis of the sermon, succinctly contrasting the two spiritual influences.

God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word. And He never, ever leads us contrary to His righteousness.

Significance: Establishes the absolute standard for discerning the Spirit's leading: consistency with Scripture and righteousness.

Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin.

Significance: Connects physical nakedness to a theological denial of the Fall, showing why it is condemned.

We've given them religion, but not Christianity.

Significance: Highlights the failure of parents to provide true spiritual substance, not just outward religious form.

It takes more than society. It takes more than refinement. It takes more than culture. It takes more than education. It takes more than a country club membership. It takes more than a church membership. It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ.

Significance: Emphasizes the utter insufficiency of human efforts to change a person without Christ.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

Significance: Quotes 2 Corinthians 5:17 to affirm that only union with Christ brings true transformation.

The devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him.

Significance: Shows God's sovereignty in using even Satan's driving to bring sinners to Christ.

It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.

Significance: Summarizes the necessity of Christ for the restoration and sustenance of family life.

Discussion Questions

How can we practically discern whether a prompting is from the Holy Spirit or from our own desires or the devil?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the Spirit never leads contrary to Scripture. This question helps apply that principle to daily decision-making.

In what ways might Christians today be 'driven' rather than 'led' in areas like work, health, or family?

Context: Weaver gives examples of overwork and neglect of health. This question encourages self-examination of modern drivenness.

Why is nakedness consistently condemned in Scripture, and how does that apply to modern standards of modesty?

Context: Weaver argues that nakedness denies sin. This question explores the biblical basis for modesty in dress and behavior.

What does it mean to provide for one's family 'emotionally, educationally, and spiritually,' and how can we do that better?

Context: Weaver expands the definition of provision beyond material needs. This question prompts practical application for parents and spouses.

How can we avoid bringing unbiblical shame on our families, and what should we do if we have already caused such shame?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between biblical and unbiblical shame. This question addresses prevention and restoration.

Why are education, culture, and even church membership insufficient to change a person's heart?

Context: Weaver insists that only Christ can make a new creature. This question explores the limitations of external reform.

How does the demoniac's story give hope for those with prodigal children or seemingly hopeless family situations?

Context: Weaver notes that the devil sometimes pushes too far, driving people to Christ. This question applies the hope of deliverance.

What practical steps can we take to ensure our homes are built on Christ and His Word?

Context: Weaver concludes that it takes Jesus Christ to make a home. This question seeks concrete applications for family life.

Applications

Test spiritual promptings against Scripture

Summary: Believers must evaluate any claimed leading of the Spirit by whether it aligns with God's Word and righteousness, rejecting any that contradict Scripture.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word.'

Guard against self-destructive behaviors

Summary: Recognize that habits like substance abuse, neglect of health, and overwork are not from God but are forms of being driven by the devil.

Evidence: Weaver lists drunkenness, drug abuse, and overindulgence as examples of destroying the body, which the Holy Spirit does not lead to.

Pursue modesty and wholesome speech

Summary: Christians should avoid nakedness and indecent language, instead letting their speech be gracious and their bodies modestly covered as a testimony to redemption.

Evidence: Weaver states that nakedness is condemned and that speech should be 'alway with grace, seasoned with salt.'

Provide holistically for your family

Summary: Husbands and fathers must provide not only materially but also emotionally, educationally, and spiritually, teaching values and true Christianity.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'We fail to provide for them emotionally, educationally, and spiritually... We've given them religion, but not Christianity.'

Avoid bringing unbiblical shame on your family

Summary: Flee from sins like adultery, laziness, and disobedience that bring reproach on your family, and instead live honorably.

Evidence: Weaver cites Proverbs and the example of David's shame, urging love for family enough to avoid such sin.

Rely on Christ, not society, for transformation

Summary: Understand that education, culture, and even church membership cannot change the heart; only being in Christ makes one a new creature.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ.'

Trust God to use even desperate situations for deliverance

Summary: When the devil seems to be driving someone to destruction, remember that God can use that driving to bring them to Christ for salvation.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'The devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him.'

Build your home on Christ and His Word

Summary: Apply Scripture to marriage and family life, recognizing that without Christ and obedience to His Word, homes will not survive.

Evidence: Weaver says: 'It takes Jesus Christ to make a home' and warns that even saved people must apply the Word to keep their homes.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:24:02Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T02:47:42Z

Clean Transcript

Driven By the Devil

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Well, let's open our Bibles today to Luke chapter 8. And if you would go ahead and open your Bibles to Mark chapter 5 as well, because we are going to be looking at one verse there. The account in Mark 5 is parallel to the account in Luke 8. And so we're going to be taking our text from Luke 8. And the message today is entitled "Driven by the Devil," and I think you will understand why in just a moment. Notice, if you would, in Luke chapter 8, begin reading there with verse 26.
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"And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee." Luke 8, verse 27 now: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils"—or demons—"a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, 'What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.' For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man."
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"For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he broke the bands and was driven of the devil into the wilderness. And Jesus asked him, saying, 'What is thy name?' And he said, 'Legion,' because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain. And they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man and entered into the swine. And the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked."
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"When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them. For they were taken with great fear, and he went up into the ship and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, 'Return to thine own house and show how great things God hath done unto thee.' And he went his way and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him."
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Now, the title of today's message is taken from verse 29, where the Bible says of the maniac of Gadara that he was "driven of the devil into the wilderness." Now, one basically could reduce everything down to two forces: good and evil, or God and Satan. Naturally, the greatest force or the greatest power is God himself. Scripture says in 1 John 4:4, "because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world." Now, when I make the statement that you could basically reduce everything down to two powers, good and evil, or God and the devil, I am certainly not denying the personhood of God. God is a person. But in making that statement, I want you to understand this: that God reveals Himself through His creation, through His redemption, and through His power and His providence. And those three things—creation, redemption, and providence—are nothing more than a demonstration of His power. Likewise, Satan is declared to be in Scripture a fallen spirit.
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And although we cannot see him, yet we can see his handiwork through his power and his control over wicked and unconverted men. Now, if you will pull Luke 8—that is our text—but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Acts, chapter 26. Let me show you how the Apostle Paul described his own mission in Acts chapter 26 and verse 18. Acts 26 and verse 18. The Apostle Paul is giving his testimony to King Agrippa. And he says—in fact, reading verse 17—"delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee."
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Now, here's why God sent Paul: "to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light," notice, "and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." Note: "to turn them from the power of Satan unto God." So you have the power of Satan, and of course, naturally, you have the power of God. Then if you would turn right over to the book of Colossians, chapter 1. The book of Colossians, chapter 1, and look at verses 12 and 13. Because once again, the Bible teaches us the greatness of God's power. In Colossians 1, verse 12, the Bible says, "giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet"—or suitable—"to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." Now, here's why we should give thanks to the Father. Here is how He has made us suitable to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Verse 13: "who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."
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So He took us then from the power of Satan, under the power of God, and from the power of darkness into the kingdom of His own dear Son. Certainly, when you look at Luke chapter 8, the demoniac of Gadara is a great illustration of an individual who is driven by the devil.
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Now, the question that should automatically enter your mind is this: How can one tell which is the motivating, empowering, and controlling force in an individual's life? Or, more importantly, how can I tell which power is in my life? Well, the answer from Scripture is really obvious. Scripture tells us that God leads us and the devil drives us. So you have to ask yourself this question: Are you being led or are you being driven? Now, in order to answer that question, you've got to know what the leading of the Lord really is.
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So I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Romans, chapter 8. And let's look at verses 9 through 16, because Romans 8 verses 9 through 16 actually explains what the leading of the Spirit is.
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Now, before I look at this passage, allow me to state this truth very clearly. The leading of the Spirit has been abused, misused, misapplied, and perverted by many professing Christians. It has become the excuse for every whim, desire, sin, and disobedience imaginable. All one has to do to explain his irrational and unbiblical behavior is simply say, "The Spirit led me to do it." Well, who can argue with God? And who can say that the Holy Spirit didn't lead you?
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You see, that's the whole crux of it. In other words, people are trying to call God into vouch for their disobedience and to vouch for their sin and their wickedness. So how in the world can we discern whether or not God has really led someone to do something or not? Well, let me give you a couple of illustrations I think should be extremely obvious. When Alice and I lived in Greenville, South Carolina, there was a woman there who caught her husband asleep on the couch.
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And she slipped up and stuck a .38 to his ear and pulled the trigger and killed him. Well, her defense at her trial was that the Spirit led her to shoot her husband.
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Now, you know better than that, I hope. So do I. But since then, every time my wife tells me not to put my feet on the couch, I don't do it—just in case. No, you understand. God says, "Thou shalt not murder." OK, God never led her to murder her husband. That's very clear. And there was another illustration that I can give you, and it was concerning a preacher. He ran off with a woman in the church, left his wife, and then came back and gave the lame excuse that the Holy Spirit led him to run off with this woman because the woman he ran off with was more spiritual than his wife. You understand what I'm saying? The leading of the Spirit has been used to cover every sin, every disobedience, every whim, every wickedness imaginable. And we're trying to call God to be our witness. Now, the truth is very simple. Are you listening? God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word. And He never, ever leads us contrary to His righteousness.
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Never. So when someone tries to tell you the Holy Spirit led them to do something, and it's very patently contrary to the Scripture, you know as well as I do the Holy Spirit never, ever led them to do that.
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Now look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 8. Let's begin there with verse 9. He says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Now, this is how important the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is. If the Holy Spirit of God does not indwell us, we do not belong to Christ. Now watch verse 9. He said, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Verse 10: "And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Now, the Bible tells us it is the Spirit who quickens us, but I want you to note that He quickens us according to righteousness.
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He says in verse 10, "but the Spirit is life because of righteousness." Now, what does the Spirit of life, who is righteousness, lead us to do? Well, look in verses 12 and 13. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." So what is it the Holy Spirit leads us to do? He leads us to mortify—that means subdue or to make dead—the deeds of the body. He leads us not to live according to the flesh, but to live according to the Word of God. In other words, He leads us to bring our lives in conformity to Holy Scripture. Now, look at it, if you would please, in verse 15. He says, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." So once again, it's the Holy Spirit then who leads us into biblical liberty and freedom, calling God our Father.
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What is biblical liberty and freedom? It's freedom and liberty from sin, from Satan, from wickedness, from ungodliness. And then if you look in verse 16, "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." So when we are living obediently, bringing our lives in conformity to the Word of God, living righteously, the Spirit Himself is testifying that we are indeed the children of God. The Bible tells us in John 16:13, it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth.
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He does not lead us into error. He does not lead us into wickedness. He leads us into truth. So mark it down: The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us into sin, wickedness, disobedience, or ungodliness. If someone is engaged in such activity, I do not doubt for one moment that you were pushed into that activity, but you certainly were not led there by the Holy Spirit of God. Remember, the devil drives and God leads. Now, when God leads us, God leads us in such a way that we are willingly inclined to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. But it is the devil who pushes us relentlessly into sin and wickedness.
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Now, look in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of James, chapter 3. I want you to see a verse. James, chapter 3, and verse 4. And there's a reason why I want you to see this. James 3, and look, if you would please, at verse 4.
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Now, you remember in Luke 8:29, the Bible says that this maniac of Gadara was "driven of the devil." Look in James 3:4. Let me show you the exact same Greek word. Here it is: "Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth." Note that phrase, "are driven of fierce winds." It's the same identical word that is used in Luke 8:29, that he was "driven of Satan."
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It is the constant, continual driving that wears down the will. Now, I want you to understand something. The devil may drive us to do something. But it is our sin, it is our responsibility, regardless of how we get into that sin. And we cannot blame the devil for it, for we willingly sin. The devil may tempt us, he may seduce us, he may drive us, but it is we who sin.
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And the Bible says in James 1, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." So it is our sin. It is our responsibility.
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Now, I want you to look back in your Bible to Luke chapter 8. Luke chapter 8. And let me show you several truths about the maniac of Gadara and how he was driven of the devil. And I believe that you can see the applications of these truths to our society today. Well, what in the world is the first thing the devil drove the man to do? Well, I want you to look back in your Bibles to Mark 5:5, because here we have it. This is still the maniac of Gadara. Notice, let's read verse 4 of Mark chapter 5. Mark 5:4: "Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him."
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"And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." What's the first thing the devil drove him to do? The devil drove him to injure his health. Mark 5:5: "always, night and day, he was in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones." First of all, I want you to know that his mind was affected. How do we know that his mind was affected? Well, very obvious. He was naked for one thing, and secondly, he is out living among the tombs. Either one is sufficient to demonstrate the fact that his mind was affected. Who in their right mind would want to live in a cemetery?
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And please keep in mind, cemeteries in those days were not like the ones that we have today. Through all types of funeral processes today, we can preserve a body for a long time. The best they could do back then is just kind of wrap it in herbs to keep it from stinking so much. But, hey, who in the world wants to live among corruption and putrefaction and death? Only those who are demonically driven are willing to live in such places.
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The very fact is in verse 35—and I'll point out later, skip down there, though: "Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed." What's the next phrase? "And in his right mind." Now, I want to point something out. I want you to understand that all of those who are outside of Jesus Christ are really, truly not in their right minds. They're not.
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The Bible says in Ephesians 4:17-18—now listen—that they are alienated from God through the ignorance that is in them. As the old-timers used to say, they're touched in the head, you know. Touched in the head. They're not right. Not in their right mind. Likewise, please notice it's only those who are outside of Christ today, even in our modern society, that really still want to live in corruption and putrefaction and death. I mean, my goodness.
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You've got to be in a wrong mind; you've got to be out of your mind to live the way some people do. So his mind was affected, but not only was his mind affected, his body was abused. The Bible says day and night he was in the mountains, crying and cutting himself with stones. Can you possibly think of the strain upon his vocal cords? Listen, I have preached for eight solid hours without stopping, except just for a few moments.
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I'm going to tell you something. You preach eight solid hours, you are mighty tired and your vocal cords are mighty tired as well. Here's a man who is screaming day and night. Not only was he crying, he was cutting himself with stones. Think of the scars, the disfigurements, the sores that were upon him. And undoubtedly, he suffered from malnutrition as well. What in the world possessed the man to defile and harm and destroy his body? Well, the answer is very clear.
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It was a legion of demons. Listen carefully: when you and I are pushed to destroy our minds and our bodies, it's not the leadership of the Holy Spirit. It's the devil. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be drunkards. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be dope heads. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to be fornicators. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to destroy our bodies with white sugar, white flour, and white rice. It's not the Holy Spirit who leads us to neglect wholesome foods while gorging ourselves on snacks, candies, and cokes and destroying our immune system.
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I mean, that should be plain and obvious. It's not the Holy Spirit who pushes us to overwork, overplay, and overindulge constantly and continually and deprive our bodies of needed rest and needed relaxation. God does not push us to destroy our bodies. When I graduated from college, I'd been preaching before I went to college, while I was in college. And when I got out, I had meetings lined up; I was so eager to preach.
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I preached for 18 weeks straight without a day off. And back then, it was not once a day. I was preaching three and four times a day. We would have morning meetings, afternoon meetings. I'd be on the radio. We'd even have night meetings as well. Eighteen weeks without a day off. Let me tell you something. You may not believe this, but it took me years to overcome what I did to my body in 18 weeks. You've heard the old saying, "Well, bless God, I'd rather burn out for Jesus than to rust out." Well, I've got news for you. I certainly want to be faithful, but I do not believe that God ever leads us to destroy our bodies.
#33 | 21:50 to 22:51 | cleaned
Know what the Bible said in Psalm 103:14? The Bible tells us, "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are but dust." Do you realize our Lord knows our limitations? He knows what we can do and what we cannot do. He knows what is humanly possible, but He also knows what is humanly impossible. I'm going to tell you something: I really believe it takes you hitting about 50 before you ever realize, you know, you can't do everything and you can't live forever. It usually takes—but you know, when you're young, you think you can do it all, but you can't. It's just that simple.
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Now, the point is this, folks: the Holy Spirit never, ever leads us to injure our health. If our mind is affected, if our bodies are abused, it's the devil who drives us, not God who leads us.
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Secondly, I want you to look in Luke chapter 8. The Bible tells us that the devil drove him to indecency. Look in verse 27: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house but in the tombs."
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Now, undoubtedly, this man was indecent. That's the language that he used. Now, the Bible tells us he was screaming at the top of his voice. You probably don't have to guess, since he was demonically possessed, what he was screaming, what he was cursing, and what he was saying. Undoubtedly, what he screamed was wicked and wrong. Exodus 20:7 says, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
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Now, the Bible has a great deal to say about our speech. I want you to look at several verses with me. Look in your Bibles, first of all, to the book of Colossians, chapter 4. Colossians 4. Look at verse 6. Colossians 4:6. Here's an interesting statement. Colossians 4:6: "Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Look in your Bibles to the book of Titus. In fact, let's go to 1 Timothy first.
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It's just a few pages over. 1 Timothy chapter 1. And look at verse 6: "From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling." They're speaking worthlessly and needlessly. Look in 2 Timothy, chapter 1. And notice, if you would please, verse 13. Paul says, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."
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Now, if I were to take the time this morning—and I don't want to do so—I could take you through the Bible and show you the type of speech that God condemns. For instance, the Bible speaks against vain words, enticing words, flattering words, words of vanity, malicious words, great swelling words, and feigned or hypocritical words. And Matthew 12:36 states it very explicitly. Our Lord says, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." Idle word. Now, our Lord said something in Matthew 5:37.
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He said, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." Now, what does He mean when He says, "Let your conversation be yea and nay"? It means if we are men of our word, and if we keep our word, we don't have to punctuate what we say. It's just that simple. When I say yes, that's emphatic enough. When I say no, that's emphatic enough. I don't have to take my speech and punctuate it with ridicule, sarcasm, or profanity. So what He's saying is, make sure your speech is always with grace, seasoned with salt.
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That you may know how to answer every man. Now, the devil drove him not only to injurious health. He drove him to indecency. Not only in the fact of the language that he used, but also in the fact that he was naked. Look what the Bible says in Luke chapter 8: "he wear no clothes."
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Now, when you look down to verse 35, after our Lord saved him, you find him clothed as well as in his right mind. I want to challenge you to do something sometime. Get a concordance or get one of your Bible programs on the computer and look up the word "nakedness." Do you know the word "nakedness" occurs 57 times in our Bibles? And in each instance, when the word "nakedness" refers to our bodies, nakedness is condemned.
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Now, it is true that Adam and Eve were naked in the garden, the Bible says, and they were not ashamed. But that was before they sinned. After they sinned, what did God do? God slew an animal and clothed them.
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Now, the point I'm trying to make is this: Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin. When we are exposing our bodies, we're saying we're not sinners, but we are. Nakedness is condemned. You've heard of these "back to Eden" movements, where everybody wants to go back and live nude? Let me tell you something, folks. There cannot be a "back to Eden" movement without redemption, without Christ, because nakedness, parading it, is a denial of sin. And besides that, we're not going back to Eden. We're going to an eternal state and not a temporary state as such. But the devil drove him, not only in the language that he used, but in the nakedness of his body. So the devil drove him to indecency.
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Let me put it like this: The Holy Spirit never leads us to be indecent. He never leads us to injure our health. Here's the third thing the devil did. The devil drove this man to break up his home. Now, he had a home. For in verse 39, our Lord told him, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee." He had a house. He had a home. Our Lord told him to return there. But let me ask you, what kind of family life could this man possibly have had living out in the tombs and in the mountains?
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And the answer is none. What kind of home life? None. His family was fractured, divided, and basically ruined. You know something that is surprising? The divorce rate today is 50% among Christians. Now there is something seriously and terribly wrong with that. We have become a society of selfish, self-indulgent, and suicidal people. We destroy ourselves, our children, our mates, our families, our homes. How in the world do we do that?
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Well, let me show you. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 5. And I know that everyone in here knows this verse. But look in 1 Timothy chapter 5 and verse 8. 1 Timothy chapter 5. Notice, if you would please, verse 8. The Bible says, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
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Now, if you were to read the whole context, of course, it is talking about physical and material things, but he's talking about taking care of the widows and taking care of your own family. So he said, "If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."
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Now, what has happened is this. So many men today—and Christian men at that—say, "Well, I work. I put food on the table. I buy clothes for my children and for my wife. I mean, I've got a roof over their heads. What more can you ask?" And what we do is this: we limit that truth just to physical or material things. Now, the truth is you ought to provide the physical and material things for your family.
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And by the way, I know everyone in this room understands it. But it's not my responsibility to provide for your family. Unless I do it generously and graciously and lovingly and willingly. You understand what I'm saying? It's not my responsibility to be taxed and stolen from so that you can have something. Biblical charity is one thing. Forced welfare is a horse of a different color. See, now watch this.
#51 | 33:55 to 34:32 | cleaned
Every man ought to take care of his own. But you know what our Lord told the Pharisees? Now listen carefully. In Matthew 23:23, our Lord said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." So when we talk about providing for our families physically and materially, we ought to do that. But unhappily, in doing that, most of us are leaving the others undone.
#52 | 34:33 to 35:19 | cleaned
That is, we fail to provide for them emotionally, educationally, and spiritually. Do you realize we've given our children things, but not love? We've given them food, but not values. We've given them religion, but not Christianity. We've given them a degree, but not an education. And the evidence is in the realization that our children today do not know how to live, survive, obey, share, love, or serve. They despise principles. They despise truth. They despise heritage. They despise Christianity. And although most
#53 | 35:20 to 36:07 | cleaned
have been raised in church, they live as practical atheists. Because they deny the truth of the Word of God and try to live as if God had no say-so over their lives in any way whatsoever. It was the devil who drove him to break up his home. You look at the divorce. You look at the adultery and fornication. Every young man, every husband, every father ought to read Proverbs 5, 6, and 7 over and over and over and over until it's burned in his mind. Because there are scriptures warning against adultery, warning against fornication, and saying that everything ought to be done to maintain the sanctity of the home and the sanctity of the marriage. And the truth of the matter is this: God does not lead us into adultery. He does not lead us into fornication. We may go there.
#54 | 36:08 to 37:25 | cleaned
But God's not leading us there, I can assure you. God does not lead any husband or any wife to defile the sanctity of their marriage vows. God does not lead any child to rebel. God does not lead families to fuss, fight, fume, and foment strife and division. You may be driven to do some of these things, but you'd better consider who's in the driver's seat. God is neither your pilot nor your co-pilot nor your chauffeur if you're being driven to do those things.
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It's the devil who drives us to injure our health, to indecency, and, of course, to break up our homes. Then look back in Luke 8, in verse 27, because here's the fourth thing the devil did. He drove him to bring shame upon his family. Look in Luke 8:27: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs."
#56 | 38:06 to 38:42 | cleaned
Now, children, let me ask you a question. Would it not embarrass you and shame you if your father went around naked, screaming and acting crazy and silly and stupid? Well, of course it would. Everyone knew who the crazy man was. Margaret, don't look at your daddy like that. Boy, I can read more from up here than you could imagine. Secrets are being revealed. Everyone knew who the crazy man was. Are you listening? Everyone knew who the crazy man's wife was. Everyone knew who the crazy man's children were. And my question is this: Can you imagine the ridicule, the harassment, and the teasing through which his family went? Children can be exceedingly cruel. Undoubtedly, this man's children were the object of ridicule and scorn. Undoubtedly, his family was the object of jokes and sneers and sarcasm. Are you listening?
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The Holy Spirit does not ever lead us to bring unbiblical shame upon our families. Now, there is a shame that is biblical. When we are persecuted for righteousness' sake, that is one thing. That's a biblical shame. But whatever we do to bring an unbiblical shame upon our family, it's not of God. Let me tell you, every community has a drunkard. And everybody knows who that drunkard is. Every community has a fornicator and everybody knows who that is. Every community just about has a dope head and everybody knows who that is. And they know who the family is as well. It's one thing to suffer shame for biblical principle. It's another thing to bring shame on your family through your own sin and stupidity.
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David said it like this in Psalm 44:15. David said, "My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me." Can you imagine what it was like when David got caught in his adultery, in his wickedness? What did he say? "My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me." How could he face his children? How could he face his wife? How could he face his kingdom? How could he face his people?
#59 | 41:38 to 42:23 | cleaned
I was preaching in a little town, and on the back two pews sat a number of teenagers with their parents. And the whole time I preached, they sat there with their heads down. They wouldn't even look at me while I preached. After the service was over, I asked the pastor, I said, "What in the world was wrong with those two pews of young people and their parents back there?" I said, "They held their head down the entire service. They would not even look at me while I preached. What was wrong?"
#60 | 42:28 to 43:08 | cleaned
Well, he said, "This past week, all those teenagers got expelled from school for cheating. They were all seniors. Which means now they've got to go back and repeat that grade over." And he said, "And everybody knows what they've done." What did David say? "Shame on my face hath covered me." You know, we never think about bringing an unbiblical shame upon our family, but if you would just stop and think.
#61 | 43:10 to 43:51 | cleaned
Why in the world would you throw away your life, your home, your marriage, your children, your grandchildren, your ministry, your work, for something that's going to inevitably shame you for a long time? Why would you do that? I mean, I love my children more than that. I love my wife more than that. I love my grandchildren more than that. I love the ministry more than that. Listen to what the Bible says.
#62 | 43:55 to 44:33 | cleaned
I'm just being very selective. Let me give you four passages. Each of them are from the book of Proverbs. Let me just quote them. You listen. Proverbs 3:35: The Bible says, "The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools." The only way a fool can be promoted is in shame. In Proverbs 10:5, the Bible says, "He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame." I'm going to point this out in just a moment. But you know, one thing that shames a family is to have a lazy son or lazy child. This is in Proverbs 13:18: "Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured." It's a shame to have someone who will not listen, who will not be instructed, who will not learn. Unhappily, there are a lot of people who have children like that. I like that sign. I saw it a long time ago. I can't remember it. It says, "Attention all teenagers, please go ahead and run away from home now while you know everything and can do everything and can work everything out. Because in a few years, you'll understand you can't do any of it."
#63 | 44:33 to 45:23 | cleaned
It was just kind of a play on that. But you understand how it is. They're teenagers. There are adults. They won't listen. God says it's a shame. Proverbs 19:26: "He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach."
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Now just from these few short verses, laziness, disobedience, wastefulness, refusing to be instructed, any and all types of public and private sin bring shame and reproach upon the family. Whatever you do to bring an unbiblical shame upon your family is not of God. God never leads us to shame our family. What does He say? "Honour thy father and thy mother." Fifthly, the devil drove this man to be a nuisance to society.
#65 | 45:58 to 46:23 | cleaned
Look in Luke 8:29: "For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness." Let me put it to you very bluntly. Society could not control him. He was ungovernable. Society would clothe him, but he'd rip the clothes off. Society would chain him in a secure place, but he would destroy the fetters and return to the tombs. Society tried, but they were helpless in light of their own spiritual powerlessness.
#66 | 46:24 to 47:06 | cleaned
Are you listening to me? It takes more than society. It takes more than refinement. It takes more than culture. It takes more than education. It takes more than a country club membership. It takes more than a church membership. It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ. Society can educate people, refine them, culture them, and like our Lord said, they'll still wallow in the mire and return like a dog to their own vomit. Why? Because the Bible said, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." Not in society. But "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." No one can live successfully in society without Christ.
#67 | 47:06 to 47:53 | cleaned
Let me give you a quote. I know most of you in here have heard it. But this came from President John Adams. Here's what he said: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through the net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." What was he saying? He said, when you throw off the bands of God, His truth, His Word, our society is going to disintegrate because our Constitution was only intended for a moral and a religious or a Christian people. When men cast off the restraints of the Word of God, they'd only become a nuisance to themselves, to their families, but to society as well.
#68 | 47:53 to 49:04 | cleaned
Now, I want to show you one last thing. Look back in Luke 8, verses 27 and 28: "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, 'What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.'" The sixth thing I want to point out is this: the devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him. That's a wonderful thing.
#69 | 49:05 to 50:26 | cleaned
That many times the wicked overstep their mark. It is true. He ran to Christ. He fell down. He said, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not." It may have been the demons crying out, but still the man was there. And Christ cast the demons out and saved the man.
#70 | 50:30 to 51:21 | cleaned
Now I want you to watch. Go down to verse 38.
#71 | 51:22 to 51:52 | cleaned
"Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying..." Now watch. When the man was saved, he wanted to continue with Christ. "I'll go with you, Christ. I'll follow you. I'll do whatever you want me to do." But our Lord sent him away, saying, "Return to thine own house, and show how great things God hath done unto thee."
#72 | 51:53 to 52:00 | cleaned
Now let me ask you a question. Can you picture in your own mind that wife and that mother looking out her window and seeing her husband walking up to the house, fully clothed and in his right mind, undoubtedly singing maybe praise to the Lord? Can you imagine the joy that must have been in her heart when all of a sudden she's thinking, "I have my husband back. I have my home back."
#73 | 52:00 to 52:29 | cleaned
And what about those little kids who have been embarrassed, shamed, and ridiculed? Can you imagine the joy and the love in their hearts and in their eyes when once again, they had a father? They had one who would love them, and help them, and teach them, and educate them, provide for them, sustain them. Let me tell you something, folks. It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.
#74 | 52:29 to 53:16 | cleaned
I've often said, and I've said it here many times, I really do not understand how any home makes its day without the Word of God, without Jesus Christ. With all the temptations, with all the sins, with all the flesh, with all the world, it's amazing to me that any couple ever stays together without Christ. And I've got news for you, folks. You may have Christ, but if you do not apply the Word of God to your life and to your home and to your marriage, you will lose home and marriage. It's not enough just to be saved. We must be saved and understand how to apply the Word of God.
#75 | 53:18 to 53:59 | cleaned
You remember what our Lord said in Matthew 12:29? Let me just quote it for you. He said, "No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house." What does our Lord do? He binds the strong man, and then He spoils his house. Only Jesus Christ has the power to give us our lives, our families, our marriages, our homes.
#76 | 54:09 to 55:06 | cleaned
And I got news for you, folks. Some of us have unsaved children. You may have unsaved children. You may have wicked, wicked, wicked children. But I'm going to tell you, one thing the devil does many times is he pushes too hard and too far. And sometimes he pushes them right to the only one who can deliver them. And that's Jesus Christ. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful today for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We're so thankful that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. We're so thankful, Father, that You are not just the answer, but our answer and my answer.
#77 | 55:07 to 55:53 | cleaned
Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
#78 | 55:55 to 56:54 | cleaned
Give us grace to serve Thee acceptably with reverence and godly fear. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
#79 | 56:55 to 57:02 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:24:02Z

Driven By the Devil

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines the demoniac of Gadara from Luke 8, focusing on the phrase 'driven of the devil.' He contrasts the devil's driving with the Holy Spirit's leading, emphasizing that God leads us into righteousness and conformity to His Word, while the devil drives us into sin, self-destruction, and shame. The sermon outlines six destructive outcomes of demonic driving: injury to health, indecency, broken homes, family shame, societal nuisance, and ultimately being driven to Christ for deliverance. Applications stress the need for Christ and Scripture to restore and sustain individuals and families.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:26-39

"And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee."

Luke 8, verse 27 now:

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:26-39

"And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man who had devils"

—or demons—

Scripture Reading — Luke 8:26-39

"a long time, and wear no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, 'What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.' For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man."

Introduction: Two Powers – God and Satan

Scripture Reading — 1 John 4:4

"because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."

The Apostle Paul's Mission: From Satan's Power to God

Using Acts 26:18 and Colossians 1:12-13, Weaver shows that salvation is a transfer from the power of Satan to the power of God, from darkness to light.

Led by the Spirit vs. Driven by the Devil

The True Leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-16)

The Holy Spirit leads believers to mortify the deeds of the body, live righteously, and experience biblical liberty. He never leads contrary to Scripture or into sin.

Scripture Reading — John 16:13

What is biblical liberty and freedom? It's freedom and liberty from sin, from Satan, from wickedness, from ungodliness. And then if you look in verse 16, "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." So when we are living obediently, bringing our lives in conformity to the Word of God, living righteously, the Spirit Himself is testifying that we are indeed the children of God. The Bible tells us in John 16:13, it is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. He does not lead us into error. He does not lead us into wickedness. He leads us into truth. So mark it down: The Holy Spirit never, ever leads us into sin, wickedness, disobedience, or ungodliness. If someone is engaged in such activity, I do not doubt for one moment that you were pushed into that activity, but you certainly were not led there by the Holy Spirit of God. Remember, the devil drives and God leads. Now, when God leads us, God leads us in such a way that we are willingly inclined to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit. But it is the devil who pushes us relentlessly into sin and wickedness.

The Demoniac Driven to Injure His Health

Now, the point is this, folks: the Holy Spirit never, ever leads us to injure our health. If our mind is affected, if our bodies are abused, it's the devil who drives us, not God who leads us.

Driven to Indecency, Broken Homes, and Family Shame

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 5:8

"But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel."

I'm just being very selective. Let me give you four passages. Each of them are from the book of Proverbs. Let me just quote them. You listen. Proverbs 3:35: The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 3:35; 10:5; 13:18; 19:26

"The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools."

Driven to Be a Nuisance to Society

Society could not control the demoniac; chains and fetters were broken. Weaver argues that only Christ can truly transform a person, not mere education or culture.

Driven Too Far – To the Deliverer

The devil overplayed his hand by driving the man to Jesus, who delivered him. The restored man was sent home to testify, bringing joy and restoration to his family.

Conclusion: Christ Alone Restores

Only Jesus Christ can bind the strong man and restore lives, families, and homes. Weaver encourages that even the most wicked can be driven to Christ for deliverance.

Driven By the Devil

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	21004154050
Subject	Family Government
Course	The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order: The Family
Genre	Sermon
Date	2004-02-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 027: The Christian Family: Marriage and Household Order — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	79

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Two Powers – God and Satan: Weaver introduces the sermon title from Luke 8:29, explaining that all forces reduce to good and evil, God and Satan. God reveals His power through creation, redemption, and providence; Satan's power is seen in his control over wicked men.
The Apostle Paul's Mission: From Satan's Power to God: Using Acts 26:18 and Colossians 1:12-13, Weaver shows that salvation is a transfer from the power of Satan to the power of God, from darkness to light.
Led by the Spirit vs. Driven by the Devil: Weaver poses the question of how to discern the controlling force in one's life. He states that God leads and the devil drives, and explains that the leading of the Spirit is often misused to justify sin.
The True Leading of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9-16): The Holy Spirit leads believers to mortify the deeds of the body, live righteously, and experience biblical liberty. He never leads contrary to Scripture or into sin.
The Demoniac Driven to Injure His Health: The devil drove the man to harm his mind and body, evidenced by living among tombs, crying, and cutting himself. Weaver applies this to modern self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse and neglect of health.
Driven to Indecency, Broken Homes, and Family Shame: The man was naked and used vile speech, bringing indecency. His home was fractured, and his family suffered shame. Weaver warns against adultery, fornication, and any sin that brings unbiblical shame.
Driven to Be a Nuisance to Society: Society could not control the demoniac; chains and fetters were broken. Weaver argues that only Christ can truly transform a person, not mere education or culture.
Driven Too Far – To the Deliverer: The devil overplayed his hand by driving the man to Jesus, who delivered him. The restored man was sent home to testify, bringing joy and restoration to his family.
Conclusion: Christ Alone Restores: Only Jesus Christ can bind the strong man and restore lives, families, and homes. Weaver encourages that even the most wicked can be driven to Christ for deliverance.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

The Holy Spirit never leads into sin

Any claim that the Spirit led someone to sin is false, because the Spirit always leads according to God's Word and righteousness.

Weaver says: 'God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word. And He never, ever leads us contrary to His righteousness.'

The leading of the Spirit is often abused as an excuse for sin

Many professing Christians misuse the concept of the Spirit's leading to justify disobedience and irrational behavior.

Weaver gives examples of a woman who killed her husband and a preacher who committed adultery, both claiming the Spirit led them.

The demoniac's self-harm illustrates the devil's destructive driving

Cutting himself with stones and living among tombs shows that demonic influence leads to physical and mental harm.

Weaver reads Mark 5:5 and comments on the strain on vocal cords and the scars from cutting.

Nakedness is a denial of sin and is condemned in Scripture

Parading nakedness rejects the reality of sin; after the Fall, God clothed Adam and Eve, and nakedness is consistently condemned.

Weaver states: 'Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin.' He notes the word 'nakedness' occurs 57 times and is condemned when referring to the body.

Providing for family includes emotional, educational, and spiritual needs

Men often limit provision to material things, but God requires providing for the whole person, including values and spiritual training.

Weaver says: 'We fail to provide for them emotionally, educationally, and spiritually... We've given them religion, but not Christianity.'

Unbiblical shame on families comes from sin, not from righteousness

While persecution for righteousness is honorable, shame from sin is destructive and not from God.

Weaver distinguishes between biblical shame (persecution) and unbiblical shame (sin), citing Proverbs on laziness and disobedience.

Society's efforts to reform are powerless without Christ

Chains, education, and culture cannot change the heart; only Christ can make a person a new creature.

Weaver says: 'It takes more than society... It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ.'

Christ's deliverance restores the whole person and family

The healed man was sent home to testify, implying restoration of his family relationships and his role as husband and father.

Weaver describes the imagined joy of the wife and children, and says: 'It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.'

Scripture References

Luke 8:26-39: The primary text: the account of the demoniac of Gadara, his deliverance, and the reaction of the people.
Mark 5:4-5: Parallel account emphasizing the man's self-destructive behavior: crying and cutting himself with stones.
1 John 4:4: Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world, establishing God's superior power.
Acts 26:18: Paul's mission to turn people from the power of Satan to God, from darkness to light.
Colossians 1:12-13: God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.
Romans 8:9-16: The indwelling Spirit leads believers to mortify the deeds of the body and testifies to their adoption as children of God.
John 16:13: The Holy Spirit leads into all truth, not into error.
James 3:4: The same Greek word for 'driven' is used of ships driven by fierce winds, illustrating the relentless driving of the devil.
James 1:13-14: God does not tempt anyone; each person is tempted by their own lust.
Ephesians 4:17-18: Those outside Christ are alienated from God through ignorance, implying they are not in their right mind.
Psalm 103:14: God knows our frame and remembers we are dust, indicating He does not push us beyond our limits.
Exodus 20:7: The command not to take the Lord's name in vain, relevant to the demoniac's likely cursing.
Colossians 4:6: Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt.
1 Timothy 1:6: Some have turned aside to vain jangling, speaking worthlessly.
2 Timothy 1:13: Hold fast the form of sound words.
Matthew 12:36: Every idle word will be accounted for in the day of judgment.
Matthew 5:37: Let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; anything more comes of evil.
1 Timothy 5:8: If anyone does not provide for his own, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.
Matthew 23:23: The Pharisees tithed but omitted weightier matters like judgment, mercy, and faith; similarly, men provide materially but neglect spiritual provision.
Proverbs 3:35; 10:5; 13:18; 19:26: Various proverbs showing that shame comes from foolishness, laziness, refusing instruction, and wasting parents.

Historical References

President John Adams: Weaver quotes Adams: 'We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion... Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.'

Important Quotes

God leads us and the devil drives us.

This is the central thesis of the sermon, succinctly contrasting the two spiritual influences.

God, the Holy Spirit, never, ever leads us contrary to His Word. And He never, ever leads us contrary to His righteousness.

Establishes the absolute standard for discerning the Spirit's leading: consistency with Scripture and righteousness.

Parading our nakedness is a denial of our sin.

Connects physical nakedness to a theological denial of the Fall, showing why it is condemned.

We've given them religion, but not Christianity.

Highlights the failure of parents to provide true spiritual substance, not just outward religious form.

It takes more than society. It takes more than refinement. It takes more than culture. It takes more than education. It takes more than a country club membership. It takes more than a church membership. It takes more than reformation to help a demoniac. It takes Christ.

Emphasizes the utter insufficiency of human efforts to change a person without Christ.

If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

Quotes 2 Corinthians 5:17 to affirm that only union with Christ brings true transformation.

The devil drove him finally too far. He drove him to one who could deliver him.

Shows God's sovereignty in using even Satan's driving to bring sinners to Christ.

It takes Jesus Christ to make a home.

Summarizes the necessity of Christ for the restoration and sustenance of family life.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How can we practically discern whether a prompting is from the Holy Spirit or from our own desires or the devil?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the Spirit never leads contrary to Scripture. This question helps apply that principle to daily decision-making.

[Question]

In what ways might Christians today be 'driven' rather than 'led' in areas like work, health, or family?

[Context]

Weaver gives examples of overwork and neglect of health. This question encourages self-examination of modern drivenness.

[Question]

Why is nakedness consistently condemned in Scripture, and how does that apply to modern standards of modesty?

[Context]

Weaver argues that nakedness denies sin. This question explores the biblical basis for modesty in dress and behavior.

[Question]

What does it mean to provide for one's family 'emotionally, educationally, and spiritually,' and how can we do that better?

[Context]

Weaver expands the definition of provision beyond material needs. This question prompts practical application for parents and spouses.

[Question]

How can we avoid bringing unbiblical shame on our families, and what should we do if we have already caused such shame?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between biblical and unbiblical shame. This question addresses prevention and restoration.

[Question]

Why are education, culture, and even church membership insufficient to change a person's heart?

[Context]

Weaver insists that only Christ can make a new creature. This question explores the limitations of external reform.

[Question]

How does the demoniac's story give hope for those with prodigal children or seemingly hopeless family situations?

[Context]

Weaver notes that the devil sometimes pushes too far, driving people to Christ. This question applies the hope of deliverance.

[Question]

What practical steps can we take to ensure our homes are built on Christ and His Word?

[Context]

Weaver concludes that it takes Jesus Christ to make a home. This question seeks concrete applications for family life.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T02:47:42Z