Mark 5 :1-20  Who is in Control of your life

 

Have you ever been in a situation that seemed Hopeless ?

 

During the 1983 football season, the college bookstore at Iowa State puts a big signs in the window each week  saying "Kill Kansas" or "Whip Washington" or something like that, depending on the name of the upcoming foe.   But the week before  before Iowa State was to play the nation's top-ranked team,.  The sign read:  "Maintain Dignity Against Nebraska."

 

In their minds a win was hopeless !

 

There are no hopeless situations, only people who think hopelessly.    Winifred Newman

A) Well in our passage today we see a situation that looked hopeless to many

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Mark 5:1-5

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,3 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains,4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.

We see in this scene that there are 3 different forces at Work – Satan / Society and the Savior!

A) These forces are still at work in our world today

 

B) First, we see a vivid picture of  what Satan can do to people.

1)  Satan we are told in the Bible is a thief & a robber whose ultimate purpose is to kill / ROB / destroy (Jn 10:10)

 

C) Because of Satan’s power in the mans life he  lost everything ,

1) Home / Family Friends

2) He lost his decency as he ran around naked in the tombs

3) He  lost his  self-control and lived like wild a animal, screaming, cutting himself and frightening the citizens.

4) He  lost his  peace &  purpose for living,

 

SAMSON: Eyes out / bound / grinding

 

D) That is the kind of destruction  Satan hopes to bring into a life –

1) the Devil seeks to do - leave men naked / bound / tormented and on the run 

 

E) We must Never underestimate the destructive power of Satan

Now I also want you to notice where this Demon possessed man was living –

A)  In the tombs - they are hanging out in a CEMENTARY -

 

B) Demons are comfortable around that which is DEAD

1) Not our first pick for a date – Cemetery or Morgue

 

C) Hey honey - want to go walk around the tombstones or go hang out at the morgue

1)  When I was younger I did go sled riding in a Cemetery in Pitt. /

 

D) Listen the Cemetery / the morgue is not really a place that I feel real comfortable in  - Because I am alive -

1)  I really don’t want to be surrounded by that which reminds me of death      

2)  But this man is  living amongst the tombs

 

So 1st we see Satan / alive & working his work of destruction

 

 

 

The next force we see at work in this story is society

A) And when it came to society they didn’t know what to do w/ this man!

 

B) First they try to Bind this man – Lock him up  -

1) Didn’t do the trick –

 

C) Same problem today: 72% of those people getting out of prison will be arrested again.

 

D) ISOLATE Him ! -  Institutionalize them our society says

 

When that doesn’t work they throw up their hands –

We don’t know what to do with them.

A) Turn them lose – hope they don’t bug us

 

B) Stockport England – School for 16-19 yr olds

1) Bar on every floor

 

C) We see teenagers acting like animals in regards to one another –

ANSWER  wear uniforms & metal detectors at schools / 

 

D) We see teens acting like animals as it relates to sexuality and our society says give them a condoms / “ safe sex “

 

E) Our society is very much like these people here trying one thing after another – until throw arms up and say-  We don’t know what to do! 

 

F) We will Come back to the society - but look at what happens when the Savior enters the scene.

 

Mark 5:6-7

6 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him.7 And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me."

 

A) Now I ask you this question - WHO IS IN CONTROL HERE ?

 

B)  Jesus hasn’t said a word here - He just shows up on the scene and the Demons are freaking out over His mere Presence

1)  Here He comes - we are in trouble - Please Jesus don’t hurt us don’t torment us

 

C) This should really solidify our stance of the Power of Jesus over Satan / over DEMONIC FORCES

 

D) Sometimes People wonder - Can a Christian be demon possessed/

1)  Answer is NO - reason is simple - HOW CAN JESUS & A DEMON CO- EXIST IN THE SAME - BODY - IMPOSSIBLE

 

E) The bible declares /God is light & in Him there is no darkness at all !!!!  

 

F) And we see from here that the Demons don’t want to be where Jesus is

1)  And they are in total submission to Him !!!!!

So Jesus & Demons Can’t co- exist in a person

But if   NO JESUS - open game –

A) Jesus was in complete Charge of this scene

 

8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"9 Then He asked him, "What is your name?"

And he answered, saying, "My name is Legion; for we are many."10 Also he begged Him earnestly that He would not send them out of the country.

 

B) Legion was 6,000 Roman troops - 6,000 demons begging Jesus for mercy   

1)  This should also reassure us that the Devil has no power in our lives / only what we give him by listening to his lies .

 

C) Wait doesn’t the Bible say that He is a raging roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour -

1)  Yes that is true but as it relates to the Believer - he is a toothless Lion who has been declawed !

 

 

Col. 2:15  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

A) Disarmed - public spectacle

 

B) 1JN 5:18 he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

 

James declares in Ch. 4 :7  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

A)1st be submitted to God - 2nd RESIST THE DEVIL -   DON’T LISTEN tune out

 

 

FINISH UP

Mark 5:11-13

11 Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains.12 So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them."13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.

 

 

NOTE THIS : These demons say - if we can’t be in a person - can we please go into the pigs - ( makes no difference to them- people / or pigs

A) INFACT Demons seek to get people to act like pigs

 

B) Mean of Jesus – Pigs were unclean – not Kosher

1) Jews were not to eat them or raise them

 

C) So these people were already disobeying God –

1) Jesus was going to expose their Hearts

 

Mark 5:14-17

 

14 So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened.15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.16 And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine.17 Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.

 

Now  this is amazing to me – the People come out and see this guy that they couldn’t do anything for

A) He is clothed – sitting – right mind

 

B) His life has been radically changed by Jesus – Are the people rejoicing? No they are worried about their pigs

 

C) These people ask Jesus to Leave

1) Monkey place in Yugo – Police Chief Mad

 

 

                   He is a threat to our pig industry

A) They were more concerned w/ money  than mercy / pigs than people

 

B) But Jesus on the other hand was demonstrating the Value of a person / that people are much more valuable than pigs

 

C) Our society - teaches our kids that they came from monkeys - then they act surprised when young people act like Apes

1)  If you teach a child that he came from an animal you can’t expect him to act like much more than an animal

 

D) But if you teach him he was made in the image of God you are teaching him that he is uniquely & infinitely more valuable than animals

1)  He has a unique origin & Destiny - made by God for the glory of God to live forever - w/ God    When Realizes / Sees I am important

 

E) But these people like those in our culture valued pigs more than people so they asked Jesus to leave

 

What is he going to do? Does Jesus Protest

A) Does He form a Rally !

 

B) Does He push is way thru – No He left

1) Not going to force / YOUR HEART

 

Mark 5:18-20

18 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you."20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.

Now I love this Jesus says YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL SO GO & SHARE IT    

A) Hey so do you Some pulled out of the pit - others saved from it

 

B) Regardless you have a story to tell !!!!!!!

 

C) Witness – is not defending the truth

1) Declaring the truth

 

D) Jesus says you go tell people what I did for you

1) Result was there ended up being a strong Church in that region-

 

Listen there is a spiritual battle underway

Who’s side are you on ?

A) Jesus said if you are not for me you are against me

 

B) NO Neutral ground.