Father, we confess before you that we are very, very influenced by our culture without realizing it.
And so, Father, texts like this can sometimes be very hard for us to get our minds around.
And some of us have almost an unhealthy preoccupation with evil spirits.
And, Father, to be honest, probably most of us live day by day almost as if we're atheists,
not even believing that such beings exist or trouble people.
We ask, Father, that the healing medicine of your word would come into who we are
and that we would be gripped by the gospel.
And we ask this in the name of Jesus, your Son and our Savior. Amen.
Please be seated.
So, we're going to talk about demons.
So, get your Bibles out and we're going to look at the story.
And we're going to talk about this story, which have demons as an important part of them.
Mark 5, verses 1 to 20.
Those of you who don't have Bibles, the words will be there as we go through this particular story.
And here's how it begins.
Again, in Mark 5, verses 1 to 20.
They came, that's Jesus and the disciples,
they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
And we're just going to pause here for a second.
One of you folks, you know who you are.
Last Sunday, I guess I'd mentioned I was going to be preaching about this text.
And one of you asked me, it's a very, very good question.
Was it Gadara?
Was it Gerasene?
Or was it Gerga?
However you pronounce that word.
Like, which place was it that he went?
And maybe some of you have talked to people who are skeptics.
And they have a great deal of fun with this text.
Because one of the places that I mentioned,
if you look at one of the different gospel stories,
this story is told in three of the gospels.
They have different places.
The region of the Gadarenes, the region of the Gerasenes.
And some of them will say, actually, this other place called Gergesene.
And one of them, I think it's Gerasene, is about 30 miles.
That's a lot of kilometers from the Sea of Galilee.
So people, skeptics, will have a great deal of fun.
They'll say, can you just imagine these pigs running 30 miles before they plunge to the end of it?
It's like a pretty ridiculous story.
And they'll make fun of it.
And others, it just came this week.
I had a conversation with one of my friends.
And we got talking about the Bible.
And he made the very, very standard Canadian comment that,
well, the Bible has been translated so many times.
And it's been copied.
And there's so many ways incorrectly that you can't really trust anything it says within it.
So we just need to pause here for a second.
Some of you might or might not know that all those things are going on.
But it's, in fact, what goes on in the culture.
And they're very important questions.
So let's deal with the first thing first.
First, did this take place in the Gadara, or however you pronounce it, or Gerasa, however you pronounce it,
or the region of the Gadarenes, or the region of the Gerasenes?
Well, the important thing here is this very, very interesting word, region.
That's what's important here in this text.
If I was to try to tell you about a place that I used to go to visit,
well, here, we'll use a different example.
If I was talking to a group of people who are back to the Landers,
or used to be old hippies,
and I wanted to talk about a place that I used to visit,
I might say that it's in the region of Killaloo.
But if I was going over the border into the United States,
and I met a group of Catholic homeschoolers,
I would say to them that this place that I'm referring to is in the region of Combermere.
Now, why would I say that?
Well, maybe not only old hippies,
but anybody here in Ottawa who's gone and had a Killaloo sunrise beaver tail,
you might sort of at least know what the name Killaloo is.
And so if I said this is in the region of Killaloo,
you'll have a bit of an idea where that is.
Catholic homeschoolers who probably like beaver tails just as much as everybody else,
but if they're in the States, they've never had a beaver tail.
Well, a lot of Catholic homeschoolers in this whole part of the world know about Combermere
because Madonna House is there,
and Madonna House is a really important place for devout,
very, very conservative Roman Catholics.
And if I said, well, it's going to be in the region of Combermere,
I haven't contradicted myself.
Region is one of those nice words that can encompass many, many, many square miles.
Combermere and Killaloo are about 30 miles apart.
But there's a huge area in between
that's covered by this very, very simple word, region.
So there's no contradiction.
One author is using a word that certain people will go,
ah, the Catholic homeschoolers, ah, Combermere.
The people who like beaver tails, ah, Killaloo, have a picture.
The second thing to go on in this text is,
is, you know, what my friends just said.
You know, I have the hardest time in the world convincing my non-Christian friends
that what everybody in Canada knows to be true is wrong.
And it is just wrong.
But because it's so constantly repeated, people just think that it's correct.
It's actually a strength of the Christian faith in the Bible
that you'd have a bit of a question as to whether or not it's Gergesene
or whether it's the Gerasene, two different places.
And the strength of it is, is that unlike Islam,
which has really, in a sense, no critical study of the Koran,
even though there's not as many early copies
and there's lots of differences between them,
is that Christians want to actually know what the original text was.
And there's literally thousands of ancient texts
and there's an actual science that they go through.
And if you read an academic commentary,
if you read an academic commentary,
you'll come in this particular case to a footnote,
which is maybe half a page long,
which will go through all of the different ancient versions of the text
and how you figure out which one is the correct wording.
It's actually a strength of the Christian faith
that you're open to inquiry, open to reason,
to figure out what's actually true.
And the more they discover ancient texts of the New Testament,
the more confident we can be.
And all modern versions following the scholarship will have Gergesenes.
That's probably what the original word was.
But even if it isn't,
you know, if some other studies mean it's the other one,
it's not a deal-breaker.
My Combermere and Killaloo example still works.
But here's the really big takeaway that we don't appreciate
and Mark's original hearers would understand instantly.
Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilee,
which is really just a big lake.
He's gone from the Jewish part of the Sea of Galilee
to the area which is primarily pagan.
In fact, it is an area that about 100 years earlier,
the Romans came in and conquered that part.
And when they conquered that part,
many of the residents they killed,
many of the residents they drove away.
But the main thing is,
is that what they did is,
in our modern language,
is they imposed their culture on 10 of the cities
and created 10 cities
that would be model cities
of the glories of Greek and Roman and pagan culture.
And that's what the Decapolis is.
And what Mark has done right here
is he's just said,
okay, Jesus has now gone into this area
where the occupying forces have conquered
and have imposed their culture
and it's a model of Roman, Greek, wisdom, and culture.
And that's where Jesus now is.
So that's an important part of the story.
So let's go back to the text.
So we'll read verse 1 again.
They came to the other side of the sea
to the country of the Gerasenes.
In other words,
they've come to the area
of model pagan cities
with not that many Jews
and mainly those who are pagan.
Verse 2.
And when Jesus stepped out of the boat,
immediately there met him out of the tombs,
a man with an unclean spirit.
Now just sort of pause here for a second.
What you're going to see
throughout the rest of the text
and what you see if you read the rest of the Bible
is that there's three different ways
in the New Testament
that the Bible talks about the same being.
Unclean spirits, evil spirits, and demons.
It's just three different ways
to refer to the same class of beings.
In the Bible here,
the New Testament very clearly teaches
that evil spirits exist.
And unlike in Islam or in other faiths
where it will teach
that God created both evil spirits,
they have different names for them,
and angels,
the Bible teaches
that that's not how things are,
that God created
only good spiritual beings,
which we would refer to them as angels,
but some of those angels
rebelled against God
and turned towards evil.
And that is what we now would call
an evil spirit,
an unclean spirit,
or a demon.
And this is a story
very specifically,
in fact,
sort of a very important story
to help us to understand
that the Bible is trying
to communicate to us
the reality,
the truth,
that evil spirits exist,
that it's not just mental illness.
If you go back
and you read the Bible,
even in the time of King David,
so a thousand years before Jesus,
so a thousand years B.C.,
and you'll go back
and you read the story,
and Jesus spends,
David spends some time
with a pagan king,
and David gets worried
that the pagan king
wants to kill him.
So what does David do?
If you go back
and read the story,
David pretends he's insane.
And the story goes,
the king said,
do I need more insane people here?
Get rid of this guy.
So even a thousand years B.C.,
in this part of the world,
they understood the difference,
but they might get it confused,
but they understood
the distinction
between mental illness,
just being crazy,
and demon possession.
But I sort of got
a bit ahead of myself.
But this is what's
at the heart of the story.
For some of us,
it's an easy thing to believe.
For others, it's a hard part.
But Jesus comes to this area,
a showcase for pagan culture.
He meets a man.
Well, let's read verse 2 again.
And when Jesus has stepped
out of the boat,
immediately there met him
out of the tombs,
a man with an unclean spirit,
a demon.
He lived among the tombs.
Pause again.
I was at Graveyard this week.
They're very peaceful places
in Canada.
In fact, you could almost
picture just sitting there
having a quiet moment.
You know, the bustle
of the city all around you.
It's green.
It's quiet.
It's very, very well maintained.
And if you have that image
of what's going on here,
you're all wrong.
Because what in the ancient world
it would have been
is that it would have been
a place, in some cases,
where there would have just been
some maybe covered structure.
Sometimes it would be like a cave
with doors that you could move
out of the way.
And the bodies are put there.
The bones are put there.
So what this text is trying
to communicate about this man
would be more like
if you're watching a movie
and the police go into a house
because they, I don't know,
there's been some complaint
of noise or whatever.
They're just trying to find
the person.
They go into the house
and as soon as they go
into the house,
they see that the house
is filled with skulls,
with bones,
and decomposing bodies.
Now, if you watch a movie
like that,
what do you know instantly?
The guy who lives here
is evil.
And there'd probably be
some type of musical sound effect
or maybe just an even more
awesome silence
to grip you with the power
of the evil.
That for a person to live
amongst bones
and decomposing bodies
is a sign of great evil.
It might be a turning point
in the whole movie.
And that's what you understand
here with this message.
This is a man
who chooses
or is forced to live
amongst decomposing bodies
and bones.
And by the way,
if you know somebody
who doesn't find
that as a sign of great evil,
you better keep your eye on them.
Because that's not a good sign
about your friend.
You better really
keep your eye on them.
So let's go back
to verse 3.
It's going to describe
the effect of this.
It's almost in a sense
it's like this very powerful
biblical picture
of the end result,
what it is
that an evil spirit,
a demon,
desires
if he has
more and more influence
over you
where he will push you.
And so the rest
of these first verses,
we'll read verse 3 again.
He lived among the tombs
and no one could bind him anymore,
not even with a chain.
Now this isn't like
a good example
of a spiritual power.
It's an image
of a man
who's so out of control
and does so many
violent things
that the people
want to try
to control him
and it's a type
of mad frenzy.
It's a type
of evil frenzy.
It's a type
of evil adrenaline rush
that's going on
inside of him,
not something
which is good.
He lived among
the tombs,
verse 3,
and no one could
bind him anymore,
not even with a chain,
for he had often
been bound
with shackles
and chains,
but he wrenched
the chains apart
and he broke
the shackles
in pieces.
No one had the strength
to subdue him.
Night and day
among the tombs
and on the mountains
he was always
crying out
and cutting himself
with stones.
This is a man
who is completely
and utterly
tormented.
You'll see it's
implied here,
it's made clear
in another version.
He doesn't wear
clothes.
That's not a good
sign.
It's not a good
sign.
He doesn't wear
clothes.
He lives where
nobody else lives.
He's completely
and utterly
tormented.
He's completely
and utterly
cut off from
other people.
And by the way,
the word that's
used throughout
this is a really
important word
in the original
language.
It talks about
him being
demonized.
And the reason
it's really
important is that
you see there's
a range of
being demonized.
There's everything
from just our
normal,
I'm going to
talk about it
more later on,
different types
of temptations
or different
trains of thought
which are bad
that might be
in a sense
encouraged by
an evil spirit.
And it goes
right from that
to something
which like you
see here where
somebody is
completely and
utterly overwhelmed
and consumed
and in a sense
possessed by
the actual
evil spirits.
And the word
is demonization
which implies
a bit of a
process,
a bit of a
range.
But here you
see the end.
So what
happens?
The man comes
to Jesus.
Verse 6,
And the demon
possessed man
when he saw
Jesus from afar
he ran and
fell down
before Jesus
and crying out
with a loud
voice he said,
What have you
to do with me,
Jesus,
son of the
most high God?
I adjure you
by God,
do not
torment me.
Now just
sort of pause.
It's really
a very
interesting
dynamic that
goes on here
in the
original language.
First of all,
if you read
the Gospel
of Mark
from the
beginning
to here,
you'll see
that this
is the
highest,
this is
the most
profound
statement
of the
divinity
of Jesus
seen in
the Gospel
of Mark
up until
now and
it comes
from a
demon
possessed
man.
Jesus
is the
son
of the
most
high
God.
He is
of the
very
nature
of the
most
high
God.
It is
a
profound
trinitarian
statement
and it
comes
from the
mouth
of a
demon
possessed
man.
At the
other
hand,
the other
thing about
I adjure
you,
what's
happening
in the
original
language
is that
the demon
possessed
man is
trying to
cast a
spell
on
Jesus
to
bind
him.
Isn't
that
interesting?
This
most
profound
Christological
comment
married
with an
attempt
by the
demon
possessed
man to
cast a
spell
on
Jesus
to
bind
him.
It
shows
the loss
of the
intellect
and the
irrationality
that goes
on as
we come
more and
more if
any person
comes under
the influence
of an
evil
spirit.
So what
does Jesus
do?
Of course
he can't
be bound
by a
spell.
That's
ridiculous
as we're
going to
see.
Although
maybe the
original
readers
would wonder
what's
going to
happen
because
this
demon
possessed
man
is
trying
to
cast
a
spell
on
Jesus.
So
maybe
many
of
the
original
hearers
maybe
in
some
pagan
cultures
if
they
were
hearing
this
for
the
very
first
time
they
would
wonder
what's
going
to
happen.
But
we
see
in
verse
8
for
he
was
bound
what
is
your
name
and
the
man
replied
my
name
is
Legion
for
we
are
many
and
he
begged
him
earnestly
not
to
send
them
notice
that
he
begged
him
earnestly
not
to
send
them
out
of
the
country.
Now
just
pause
here
for
a
second.
What
he
says
is
we
are
an
army
of
demons.
That's
what
he's
saying.
We
are
an
army
of
demons
inside
this
man.
It's
an
attempt
to
intimidate
Jesus.
And
then
the
going
from
a
he
to
a
them
shows
that
in
fact
as
we're
going
to
see
in
the
text
that
the
man
is
possessed
demonized
by
far
more
vastly
more
a
legion
is
anywhere
from
3 to
6
thousand
people
so
this
is
a
very
large
number
of
demons
which
are
in
this
particular
man.
So
what's
going
to
happen?
What
does
Jesus
do?
Is he
intimidated?
Once again
remember pagans
might go
whoa
what's
going to
happen
next?
We know
the story
we've
already
heard
but let's
look at
it
again.
Verse 11
now
a
great
herd
of
pigs
was
feeding
there
on
the
hillside
and
they
begged
him
they
begged
Jesus
saying
send
us
to
the
pigs
let
us
enter
them
so
Jesus
gave
them
permission
and
the
unclean
spirits
came
out
of
the
man
and
entered
the
pigs
and
the
herd
numbering
about
2,000
rushed
down
the
steep
bank
into
the
sea
and
drowned
in
the
sea.
Now
we
have
to
pause
make
sure
we
understand
what's
going
on
in
the
story.
First
of all
I don't
know how
many of
you know
this
logicians
actually
have named
a fallacy
after this
story.
If you
go up
and look
in the
internet
google
the
Gadarene
fallacy
you'll
see that
logicians
actually
talk about
this.
And
there's
two
versions
of the
Gadarene
fallacy
that come
from this
story
and it's
an important
way to
understand
another
a fallacy
means that
if somebody
says this
or believes
this
and they
believe it
should be
true
it's
actually
a fallacy
it's
something
that
confuses
them.
And one
version
of this
if all
of the
right
people
in all
of the
right
positions
are all
thinking
the same
thing
and all
going in
the same
direction
it doesn't
mean
they're
right.
All the
pigs
all think
the same
thing
they're all
going in
the same
direction
all go
to their
death.
This is a
really important
fallacy
for Christians
where so much
of the
culture
actually thinks
that things
are right
or wrong
and we
disagree.
We might
be the only
person in
the company
the only
person in
a room
the only
person in
a class
the only
person in
the faculty
that disagrees.
And that's
why the
second version
of the same
fallacy is
really really
important.
That if you
are in a
situation
where all
of the
people who
are in
the right
position
think the
same thing
and they're
all going
in the same
direction
and you
disagree with
them it
doesn't mean
you're wrong.
If the
people who
are all
in the
right
positions
all with
the same
view
and all
in the
same
direction
think you're
wrong it's
called the
gathering fallacy.
They still have to
prove you're
wrong.
They can't
just say well
you must be
wrong.
You know
like if
everybody in
the Starbucks
thinks that the
Bible is just
so many
translations and
so many
versions and
all that you
can't trust
it.
It doesn't
matter that
they all
think it.
They're wrong.
They have to
prove it.
They're sort
of surprised that
they can't.
That's the
first thing
here.
But here's
the most
important thing
about this
thing.
So Jesus
allows the
demons to
leave the
man to
go into
the pigs.
And that's
one of the
very important
signs that
this story
remember it
maybe you
don't remember
I didn't say
it at the
beginning of
the sermon.
What we're
reading when we
read Mark is
an ancient
biography of
Jesus and
a biography
where much
of it is
an eyewitness
account but
all of it is
based on
eyewitness
accounts and
written within
the time frame
of the
eyewitnesses
still being
alive including
eyewitnesses who
don't like
Jesus.
And Mark in
fact as most
of the gospel
writers gives
enough historical
evidence so
that when the
gospel is
written and
this particular
text might have
only been
written 17
years 16
years after the
death and
resurrection of
Jesus that a
person reading
it for the
first time could
go and check
and see could
he find the
herders could
he find the
man who had
the demons did
he hear about
this is it
true and so
the claim is
that this is
true and what
we can see
here is that
the man cannot
have been
mentally ill
because no
amount of
claiming about
mental illness
would explain
the behavior of
the pigs.
This is a
story which is
making a very
strong claim
about the
existence of
evil spirits
that they're
real.
That's the
first thing.
The other
thing though is
that this story
actually touches
at our hearts
and our value
because many
many many people
are troubled by
the death of
the 2,000 pigs.
Many are
troubled by the
death of the
2,000 pigs.
Such a waste.
Why did Jesus
allow it?
How can we
trust Jesus if
he allows
something like
that to happen?
So let's walk
towards it.
Here's what's
so wise about
the text and
so unwise about
our doubts.
And it's an
unwisdom.
Our doubts
might come from
one of two
sources or
both.
But here's
this.
Here's the
wisdom of
this.
Jesus says
the life of
one man is
worth more
than 2,000
pigs.
Do you
believe that?
Do you
believe that
one man's
life is
worth more
than 2,000
pigs?
You see
on the
left human
beings are
a bit of
a problem.
I keep
breathing out
stuff that's
destroying the
ozone.
I'm causing
all this
problem supposedly
that's going to
bring the
whole planet
to a collapse.
And so for
many of us
on the left
we go,
I don't
know if
one human
being is
worth more
than 2,000
pigs.
Really?
Shame on you.
Do you really
think that?
You really
think that
2,000
pigs is
worth more
than one
human life?
If there
was a
story in
the newspaper
and for
some reason
it was
able that
if for
some reason
whatever it
is, if
you killed
the 2,000
pigs a
child would
live, would
you hesitate
over that
decision?
If you
hesitate over
that position,
I say to
you, shame
on you.
And from
the right,
you go with
the economic
value of
the 2,000
pigs.
The right
aren't left
out of this
either.
We can't
just say,
oh, those
social justice
warriors.
No, no, no.
If you
go, oh, 2,000
pigs, that's
worth clicky,
clicky, clicky,
click.
Shame on
you.
Jesus is
wiser.
One human
being is
worth more
than 2,000
pigs.
Always
worth more.
And on
one level,
if all that
happens is
that for the
price of 2,000
pigs, a
very powerful
story about
the reality
and the
nature of
demons is
given to
us, it's
a very small
price to
pay.
But why
do we
even doubt
the goodness
of Jesus?
Like, what
is it about
our heart
that we
would doubt
the goodness
of Jesus
that for
whatever reason
that he
allows it to
happen, that
it's only for
good?
I'm just
going to ask
you one
for instance.
Remember I
told you that
he's in a
region that
about 100
years earlier
had been
occupied by
the Roman
forces.
The locals,
many of them,
of course,
were killed,
many of
them driven
out.
Pagans are
placed there.
They make
10 model
cities to
extol pagan
Greek and
Roman culture.
And we
might all
forget for a
moment that,
of course,
Jesus and
his disciples
are a
conquered
people.
They are
under the
thumb of
the Roman
authorities.
The Romans
are in
charge and
the Jewish
people are
a conquered
people.
And what
difference would
this make in
the entire
story if I
told you that
those 2,000
pigs were
meant to
feed the
army of
the oppressors?
Would it
make a
difference to
you in
that story?
Imagine
you're watching
a Second
World War
movie and
it's a story
about Holland
or it's a
story about
Norway.
And part of
the story is
that some
Norwegian or
Dutch,
we'll put
Norway,
some Norwegian
freedom fighters
are able to
go and
destroy pigs
that are
going to
feed the
Nazi troops.
We would
make a
movie of
that and
we would
cheer for
the Norwegians
as we
should.
No, I'm
not saying
that's what's
going on,
but have you
ever even
thought about
that?
Like, why
is it in
our heart,
brothers and
sisters, that
we doubt the
goodness of
God and
the wisdom
of Jesus?
Why is it
that we doubt
that he does
not have a
good reason for
why he allowed
that to
happen?
A reason
that when we
see him
face to
face, he
will tell
it to
us and
we'll go,
gosh, that's
a good
reason.
I am so
sorry, Jesus,
that I ever
doubted your
goodness and
your wisdom
in the
affairs that
are described
here.
So what
happens?
You see, in
some way, in
this story, if
verses 3 to
5, you
get a
picture of
what it
is that if
an evil
spirit starts
to have more
and more of
a hold or
role in your
life where
the demon
wants to
lead you,
in the rest
of the story,
you're going
to see a
very, very
simple but
powerful picture
of where
Jesus will
lead you,
where the
Holy Spirit
will lead
you.
Let's
look.
Verse 14.
The
herdsmen fled
and told it
in the city
about what,
you know, the
pigs all
rushing into
the sea.
They told it
in the city
and in the
country and
people came
to see what
it was that
had happened
and they came
to Jesus and
saw the demon
possessed man,
the one who
had the
legion,
sitting there
clothed and
in his right
mind and
they were
afraid.
He's sitting
with people.
He's in
control of
his faculties.
He's clothed.
He's having
a good time
with Jesus
and the
apostles.
That's where
Jesus will
always lead
you, to
free your
mind and
make it
work properly,
to lead
you to be
at peace
with others
and with
him.
To help
you regain
who you
really are,
that's where
the Holy
Spirit will
lead you.
That's what
the gospel
will do in
your life.
But notice
that people
are afraid
and here we
see something
which is
quite profound
and very,
very amazing.
amazing.
Look at
verse
16.
And those
who had
seen it
described to
them what
had happened
to the
demon-possessed
man and to
the pigs.
And they
began to
beg Jesus
to depart
from their
region.
Now this
is really
quite an
amazing thing
if you think
about it for a
second.
And it really
goes to the
very, very
heart of the
gospel and
how God
deals with us
as human
beings.
If you think
about it for
a second,
here's Jesus
by a mere
act of his
will can
cast out
thousands of
demons from
a man.
These people
can't tell
Jesus what
to do.
Like how
can they deal
with that
power?
But they
ask him to
leave and he
leaves.
You see,
what the
Bible describes
in the
overarching big
picture of
what it is
for us to
be human
is that God
made human
beings.
He made
you.
He made
you with
the purpose
and the
intent that
you would
know your
creator.
You would
know God
with love
and affection
and trust.
And then in
a sense,
in the cool
of the day,
you would be
able to walk
with him
and have
sweet conversation
and be
completely and
utterly naked
and completely
and utterly
unashamed.
And that's
how God
made us
to be.
That is
what we
were really
designed
to be.
And we
used our
freedom.
You can't
have love
without freedom.
And we
used our
freedom to
turn away
from God,
to seek
to be
a God
ourselves,
to no longer
trust God,
to think that
God had
evil purposes
and would
hurt us.
And we
turned away
from God
to be
God's
ourselves.
And as a
result,
we no longer
are comfortable
revealing who
we really
are.
And we're
no longer,
our relationship
with other
people is
always dealt
with in
problems,
some good
moments and
some bad
moments.
And our
relationship
with the
creation is
all messed
up.
And God,
in his love,
seeing our
freedom and
desiring to
preserve our
freedom, he
sends his
son to do
what we
cannot do.
And he
sends his
son who
suffers the
trials and
temptations that
we do only
without rebelling
against God,
accepting the
father's will,
never breaking
communion with
God, living a
life that even
his enemies
said was
sinless.
And out of
love, this
man who by a
mere act of
his will can
cast demons out
of a human
being, this
man allows
himself, he's
going to
Jerusalem to
die, he
dies on the
cross, how
could that
man be
bound?
The only
reason he
can be
bound is
it is his
love for
you and
me and
his obedience
to God
that puts
him on
the cross.
And on
the cross
he dies.
His
destiny is
offered to
you and
he takes
your doom,
your
wrongdoing,
he says,
I will take
upon myself
and I
offer you
my perfect
life.
And we
freely accept
or reject.
So it gets
right into the
heart of it.
But some of
you might say,
no, no, no,
no, George,
George, George,
George, you
missed something
in the story.
He doesn't
really accept
the demon
possessed man
who's now
healed.
And I have a
worry that I'm
like that guy.
Yes, Jesus
might do
something in me
which is really
wonderful and
helpful, but at
the end of the
day when I
want to get
into the
boat with
him, he
won't pick
me.
He won't
pick me.
But that's
to not
understand the
story.
In fact, the
story ends
in something
very subtle
but very
powerful and
very profound.
Look what
happens in
verse,
continue reading
at verse
18.
As Jesus
was getting
into the
boat because
the people
wanted him
to leave,
the man
who had
been possessed
with demons
begged Jesus
that he
might be
with him.
And Jesus
did not
permit him
but said
to him.
Now here
what we
see is it's
not that
Jesus says,
you know,
I don't
like you.
I think I
have better
fish to
fry than
you.
You know,
I don't
know.
You know,
you're probably
a pagan.
No, no, no,
no, no.
Jesus gives
him, commissions
him and gives
him a mission.
Entrusts
something very
important to
him.
Look what
Jesus says.
Go home
to your
friends and
tell them
how much
the Lord
has done
for you
and how
he's had
mercy on
you.
And the
man went
away and
began to
proclaim in
the Decapolis
how much
Jesus had
done for
him and
everyone
marveled.
You know
what is so
wonderful?
In the
gospel,
it's done
very subtly.
Later on,
go home and
read Mark
chapter 8.
If you read
Mark chapter 8,
just before
Mark chapter 8,
there's a very
famous story in
the gospels
where Jesus
feeds 5,000
men.
And in two
of the
gospels,
there's a
second story
which is
told.
And in the
second story
which is
told,
Jesus feeds
with a few
loaves and
fishes 4,000
people.
And where
is this?
It's going to
happen about
a year later.
Where are
those 4,000
people who
come to
seek Jesus
out in the
wilderness and
spend so long
with him that
they run out
of food because
they're lapping
up every word
they say?
It is where
this man
goes.
He goes.
And the
same people
who want
Jesus to
leave.
This man
is so
used by
God that
4,000
people spend
days with
Jesus and
run out of
food.
And Jesus
feeds them
with a
remarkable
miracle.
You see,
Jesus,
if you're
here this
morning and
you might
say,
you know
what?
Guys
don't pick
me.
Or girls
don't pick
me.
Bosses
don't pick
me.
Hockey
teams don't
pick me.
The military
doesn't pick
me.
Nobody picks
me.
Nobody likes
me.
And Jesus
can't like
me.
That's a
lie that
comes from
the devil.
Jesus
never turns
anybody aside.
He never
does.
He never,
ever,
ever does.
I have
some points.
I'm not
going to
put them
up.
They'll be
on the
screen.
They'll
be sort
of
summarize
some of
the things
I say.
I just
want to
end with
one other
thing.
Here's the
thing which
is so
important to
understand is
that the
more you
and I
are gripped
by the
gospel,
I mean,
when we
receive Jesus
as our
Savior and
Lord,
not only
does it
mean that
whatever is
demonic
within us
will be
cast out
and that you
can never
be possessed
by a
demon,
but there's
something else
which is
so really
important
because the
way most
of us
experience
demonic
temptation
is this.
Something
goes bad
in our
family
and we're
tormented
by it.
We're
tormented.
Why is it
that my
husband did
that?
Why is it
that my
wife did
that?
Why is it
that my
kids did
that?
Why is it
my parents
did that?
And it
torments
us,
it
torments
us,
it
torments
us.
And we
never
stop to
think that
we're not
God,
we're not
the center,
like what
is it
about,
like why
is it
that all
of a
sudden
our
pride
is so
inflamed
as if
everything
that
happens
to another
person's
life is
all about
me.
And the
other thing
that goes
on,
which is
how most
of us
experience
demonic
temptation
is this.
A few
days ago,
you say
something to
somebody and
it's really
cutting,
it's really
cutting.
Or you
tell a
lie and
you get
away with
it.
Or you
do something
to hurt
a person
and then
as the
days and
the weeks
go on,
it wears
away at
you,
it grinds
at you.
And you
think to
yourself,
I am
such a
loser,
I am
such a
failure,
if only
everybody
knew,
I am
such a
liar.
Why is
it that I
say things?
That's the
thing about
me.
I think
people know
about me,
I can't
let people
get close
to me,
because you
know what
it is?
That's just
what I'm
like.
I put
people down,
I put
them in
their place,
I'm filled
with foul
language.
If they
only knew
how bad
I was,
and we're
tormented,
and we're
tormented,
and we're
tormented,
and we're
tormented
by it.
And the
reason we
come to
church to
hear the
gospel is
this.
On the
cross,
Jesus knew
about that
bad word.
He knew
about your
pride.
He knew
that you
would lie.
He knew
all about
that,
and when
he knew
about it,
he still
knows that
about you,
and still
he died
on the
cross for
you,
and every
single
wrong thing
you have
ever done,
and whatever
punishment should
properly come
upon it,
that fell
on him
because it
would unmake
you,
and there's
nothing
missed.
And when
you stand
before Jesus,
it will
not be
because you
were really
good at
never telling
a lie,
or putting
somebody in
their place,
and putting
somebody down.
No, you
stand before
Jesus clothed
with his
perfect
relationship
before the
Father.
You stand
before him,
and you can
say,
Father, I am
so glad.
I have
nothing of
merit that
I can
offer to
you to
make myself
right with
you.
I stand
before you
with the
merit of
Jesus.
And as
this truth
grips us
to humble
us and
say,
you know,
it's not
about me,
it's not
all about
me,
it's not
all about
me,
and while
the gospel
grips us
to understand
that Jesus
knew that
too,
and so I
can say
to the
Father,
forgive me
for a
line,
and I
can say
to the
person,
forgive me
for a
line,
because I
can be
humbled
by the
gospel,
and through
being the
gospel,
I can
begin to
have that
type of
self-possession
whereby the
devil cannot
say,
you failure,
you loser,
you are so
dirty,
you are so
unclean,
you are,
no.
I'm made
right with
God by the
death of
Jesus.
And I
stand before
God not
only because
my sin has
been dealt
with,
but because
his righteousness
closed me,
and I
have no
other ground
than that
to stand
before him.
Satan,
be silent.
Shut up.
I will
cling to
the cross.
I will
remember
Jesus.
He is
my identity.
He is
my freedom.
He is
my standing
before God.
And thanks
be to God,
I have no
other.
I invite you
stand.
Just bow
our heads
in prayer.
Father,
we ask
that the
Holy Spirit
would move
with might
and power
and deep
conviction
amongst us,
that you
would help
us to be
gripped by
the gospel,
that you
would help
us to be
gripped and
taught by
these words,
that you
would help
us,
Father,
neither to
start to
live like
pagans where
we are
worried about
evil spirits
everywhere,
behind every
bush and in
every stream and
in every nook and
cranny,
that we neither
live like pagans
nor that we
live like
atheists,
as if there are
no evil spirits,
that you
help us to
watch,
but most of
all that you
would grip us
with the gospel,
that we would
be fed by your
word,
and that
when Satan
tempts us
to despair,
that you
would make
the gospel
more dear
and more
clear to us,
that you
would help
us to share
the gospel
with each
other.
Father,
we ask for
this mighty
work of you
in our lives,
all for your
glory,
and all God's
people said,
Amen.