The Sustainable Fruit of the Sower; Luke 8:32-39

Delivered during the Sunday morning worship service, 11/27/2022. Throughout our discussion of the Parable of the Sower and the soils, the trip to the "other side", and the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac-- we have regularly stated that this represents the "battle plan" of the Kingdom. The epic story that we will conclude in this message is a vital part of that plan. For the Kingdom Jesus envisions is "sustainable" in the sense that born again believers will bear spiritual fruit, and as part of that fruit become the "sowers" of the next generation. In this message we will analyze the aftermath of the dramatic exorcism of a host of demons from a pathetic man living naked in the tombs. We will first notice the profound difference in the man himself, and then turn our attention to the reaction of the townspeople. Confronted with the clear presence of the supernatural in Jesus' manifest Deity, they choose proactively to beg Him to leave so they can return to their mundane "status quo". We will look closely at this decision, the fear that underlies it, and consider the consequences when Jesus simply gets in the boat and leaves. But that is not where our study will end. For even though Jesus leaves, He gives us a shining example of how the Kingdom will grow when He mercifully commissions the ex-demoniac to be... the sustainable fruit of the Sower!