Matthew 8:28-34

Let us settle it firmly in our minds, that there is such a being as the devil.
Let us settle it firmly in our minds, that the power of the devil is limited.
Let us settle it in our minds, that our Lord Jesus Christ is man's great deliverer from the power of the devil.
Let us not leave this passage without observing the painful worldliness of the Gadarenes, among whom this miracle of casting out a devil was wrought.

"There is an unseen spirit ever near us, of mighty power, and full of endless malice against our souls."

"Mighty as he is, there is one mightier still. Keenly set as his will is on doing harm in the world, he can only work by permission."

"Our great remedy in all the assaults of the devil, is to cry to the Lord Jesus, and to seek His help. He can break the chains that Satan casts around us, and set us free. He can cast out every devil that plagues our hearts, as surely as in the days of old."

Questions:

As we read about a demon possessed man, Ryle wants us to remember that there really is such a thing as the devil and a spiritual world. He even says that there is an unseen spirit ever near us, of mighty power, and full of endless malice against our souls. It is a frightening thought. If you grew up on the West, it is likely that this comes more as a shock as we lean towards materialism and only believe what we see. If you are from an animistic culture, this won't surprise you as much. The question is: do I believe that there is a devil who hates my soul? How often do I think about this?
No sooner that we should believe there is a devil, we must also believe that the devil's power is limited by one who is greater, namely the Lord Jesus Christ. Ryle says that "it would be miserable indeed to know that there is a devil ever near us, if we did not also know that Christ was "able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him." We see in this text that the demons could not even enter the pigs without Jesus' permission. Do we take comfort in the fact that we can run to Jesus and that He is greater than even a fearsome enemy like the devil? If you are not familiar with Martin Luther's hymn, A Mighty Fortress, please take some time to sing it as an encouragement as we close this time.