THE VICTORY OF GRACE
[p. 261] THE VICTORY OF GRACE
We have presented to us here two great forces at work and there is the battle ground. The battle ground really is man, and the two forces at work are God and the power of evil; they come into conflict here and man is really the battle ground. God is the source of good, and victory must be on the side of God and of good. There are great forces contending for man, and the power of evil really holds the ground. This is a very distinct advantage on the side of the power of evil; it had possession of the demoniac; the field was, however, gained; that is, the man was gained. These two forces have been in conflict throughout the record of the world; they came into conflict in Genesis 3 but from the beginning you get great encouragement. God foretold that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head; the power of evil seemed to gain the day, but God is greater than the power of evil. When Israel came into the land of promise idolatry was strong in the land and it overcame Israel. They were ordered to extirpate the Canaanites, but they did not, and so were overcome by their idolatry. David was beloved of the Lord, yet he was overcome by evil for the time being, but God works in bringing about repentance, and God gained the victory and David was delivered. In the case of the demoniac Christ gained the victory, although the power of evil was so great. In the book of Proverbs we see good and evil brought before us under the name of wisdom and the foolish woman. The great point is the domination of man — the foolish woman generally gains the day, but in the long run wisdom will gain the day and God’s power will be seen to be greater than the power of evil. In the world today are there not evidences of divine goodness? There is the sunshine, and the rain descends upon the evil and the good. We have no idea what the evil of this world is in the eye of God. The [p. 262] sunshine and rain testify to His goodness, and besides that, there is the continual effort on the part of God to gain man’s heart, and on the other hand the foolish woman is clamorous; the walls and street corners shew how active she is, so that in no case persons may come under wisdom. The word of God is good and is ever presented to gain man’s heart, but on the other hand there is the constant activity of the foolish woman to try to turn away people from the paths of rectitude. These two great forces are at work in the world, and man is the battle ground. If you want to find where the power of evil works, it is where there is lawlessness — that is, insubjection to divinely appointed rule — underneath that lies the power of evil. The devil sins from the beginning; it is thus the working of the power of evil in man when he is lawless. There is a time coming when God will not tolerate lawlessness.
Now as to the demoniac. In verse 28 you get a perfect expression of lawlessness when he says, “What have I to do with thee?” The expression of righteousness is the very opposite to that, as seen in the convicted Saul of Tarsus: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” The demoniac had been under the power and influence of evil, now he is brought under righteousness and under the influence of good. The purpose of God in regard of him was achieved, he was attached to Christ. This is what God is now doing; the gospel reveals this, “it is the power of God unto salvation” to bring man out of lawlessness into righteousness. The passage is made by the demoniac from lawlessness into righteousness, he is attached to Christ; so with us in the gospel. The gospel is God’s power to do all this for every one who believes. The demoniac said, “What have I to do with thee?” He recognised Christ, and even when under the influence of evil he recognised Christ.
“What have I to do with thee?” is the language of a lawless man — it is sad language. Christ had a great deal to do with that man; to begin with He had created him, for all things were created by Him. Christ also is Judge,
[p. 263] so that in that point of view Christ had much to say to the demoniac. Christ had become Man in order that He might accomplish redemption. He was on the way to death to bear all that under which man lay, that He might be the Mediator between God and man; so He had much to say to the demoniac, as Creator, as Judge, and as the One who was to be the Mediator, and yet the demoniac says, “What have I to do with thee?”
If Jesus had said to the demoniac, ‘What have I to do with you’, how terrible! but He did not say so. The demoniac recognised Jesus as Son of God. He, the Son of God, was on the way to the cross to give Himself a ransom for all, and so for the demoniac. Everything is going to find its proper place; the demons find their proper place — go down the hill to the abyss — all that is unclean goes there. Now as to the demoniac, he is clothed and in his right mind; he no longer says, “What have I to do with thee?” He is brought into bond to Christ; he was brought into righteousness. There is no righteousness for us save in being brought into attachment to Christ, then Christ is our righteousness and we want no other; there is no longer lawlessness, the demoniac was brought into attachment to the Sun of righteousness.
It says, When they saw it they were afraid; there was no need for this and yet it is so today, men are more afraid of righteousness than of lawlessness; men are often afraid of a newly converted person. Now as to verse 38: the man besought that he might be with Him; the Lord directed him into the path of God’s will; wisdom directs into the way of righteousness. “I lead in the way of righteousness”.
You have not Jesus in the world now, but the present moment is the time of faith. People are under the power of evil; people betray themselves by lawlessness, and that shews the cloven hoof. God bears with that for the moment; when lawlessness gets to a head, that is, antichrist, then He will put it down. A child if indulged in his own will is spoilt. Is the child happy?
[p. 264] Is that the way of righteousness? The child will not reap much happiness and in the end will die a fool. The path of righteousness is the path of happiness. You must then be brought into attachment to Christ, because that is the way of righteousness and happiness. Now Jesus is the great Deliverer, and it is a question of apprehending Him as a great Deliverer.
Lawlessness must lead to the judgment of God and to His wrath; there is a way of escape, and that is by the faith of Christ as a great Deliverer. Christ has a title in regard of you, He has the title of Creator and the title of Redeemer. To recognise His title is to believe in Him, and to believe in Him is to be brought into attachment to Him as the demoniac was, and you become like him, clothed and sitting at His feet. If you believe on Him as the great Deliverer, the result will be the same. Saul was very lawless, but he was brought to the faith of Christ, he was found sitting at the feet of Jesus, and for him the Lord appointed a path as He did for the demoniac.
The faith of Christ has changed things for many of us here in a blessed way, and He has appointed for us a path in this world. Christ took the thief on the cross right away to paradise, but on the other hand He finds, as we see, a path down here for the demoniac — the path of His will. Lawlessness is dreadful, it shews the power of evil. Christ becomes righteousness to us and He is our hope too: we look for Him as Saviour. He will complete what He has begun.