So, I heard that you guys are going through a series in Matthew, but this morning I actually
want to take you to a book over to the Gospel of Mark.
And so, if you've got your Bibles, turn to the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5.
That's where we're going to be at this morning.
So, Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, and we're going to be looking at verses 1 to 20 today.
And so, this morning, in Mark 5, I want us to be drawn in to a dramatic scene in Jesus'
earthly ministry.
In this passage, we're going to see Jesus engage with truly an unforgettable man.
And in this unforgettable encounter, we're going to see a little more clearly who Jesus
really is and what difference that should make in our lives.
Before we get there, I want to start by just by doing something.
I want to start by saying a word, and I want to have you see what comes into your mind.
Okay?
So, I'm just going to say a word, and then you can feel free to write something down if
you want, or just think about something, whatever comes to mind.
So, here's the word.
You ready?
The word is this.
Freedom.
What comes into your mind when you think about the word freedom?
Perhaps for you, you think about America.
The land of the free, right?
And the home of the brave.
Or maybe you think about specific freedoms that we have in our country.
The freedom of religion.
The freedom of speech.
Freedom of press.
The freedom to petition.
Freedom to assemble.
Freedom.
Or maybe for you, freedom is something a little bit more personal.
Freedom over a struggle that's in your life right now.
Freedom from a deep hurt or painful memories that haunt you.
Freedom from a bad habit you just can't kick.
Perhaps it's freedom of movement from your body or freedom from illness.
Financial freedom.
Freedom.
If you're a student, freedom of summer.
No more homework.
Students, we're not going with this.
No more tests.
Freedom.
Can I get an amen from the students out there, anybody?
Okay.
Thank you.
Well, I don't know what comes to your mind when you think about freedom.
But I think it's safe to say that freedom is important to all of us, right?
We like being people who are free.
And yet imagine, imagine with me that you were not free.
Imagine if all of your freedoms were suddenly stripped away.
Freedom to carry on a normal life.
Gone.
Freedom to be with your family and friends.
Gone.
Freedom to speak and think clearly.
Gone.
Freedom even over the movement of your own body.
That gone as well.
And then to top it all off in this situation, imagine that you were in bondage to a cruel and ruthless master.
Can you imagine that kind of experience?
It would be horrifying, right?
It would be absolutely terrible.
And yet it's into that kind of nightmare that we step as we open up the Gospel of Mark to chapter 5.
So let's see what happens, starting in verse 1.
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.
And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
He lived among the tombs, 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.
When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
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.
For he was saying to him,
Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.
And Jesus asked him,
What is your name?
He replied,
My name is Legion, for we are many.
And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
Now, a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
and they begged him, saying,
Send us to the pigs!
Let us enter them!
So he gave them permission,
and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs.
And the herd, numbering about 2,000,
rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
The herdsmen fled and 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 had the legion sitting there,
clothed and in his right mind.
And they were afraid.
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.
As he was getting into the boat,
the man who had been possessed with the demons begged him
that he might be with him.
And he did not permit him,
but said to him,
Go home to your friends
and tell them how much the Lord has done for you
and how he has had mercy on you.
And he went away
and began to proclaim it in the Decapolis
how much Jesus had done for him.
And everyone marveled.
Let's pray.
Father, we come to your word this morning.
We thank you that you speak to us.
God, we thank you that you've spoken to us
in many times and in many ways in your word
and to the prophets.
We thank you most of all by sending Jesus,
the word made flesh.
And God, we thank you that we had this written word
in our own language in our laps this morning.
And so we pray, God,
we ask that you would feed our souls this morning.
We would ask, we would pray
that you would open up your word
and show us wonderful things.
Show us more of who Jesus is.
I pray in his name.
Amen.
So we've read the passage.
We've entered into the nightmare.
And we see Jesus coming
and he changes everything, right?
But what are we supposed to make of all of this?
All this stuff that just happened?
Well, this morning,
I want to briefly walk through this story again
to get a feel for what's actually going on.
And then I want us to pull back from the story
and think about this passage's compelling truth
and how it applies to our lives.
And so I think there's something
that God wants us to know
from this passage this morning.
So let's get that
and then let's apply that to our lives.
So first, let's walk through the story again.
So the passage starts off in a rather eerie way.
Look at verse one.
They came to the other side of the sea,
so Jesus and his disciples,
to the country of the Gerasenes.
And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat,
immediately there met him out of the tombs,
a man with an unclean spirit.
And so Jesus and his band of disciples
have gone to the eastern side
of the Sea of Galilee.
Now, what's so strange or eerie about that?
Well, this is Gentile territory.
Gentiles are non-Jews.
They are considered unclean to the Jews.
And so they don't worship the one true God.
And yet here is Jesus, a Jew,
boldly going to the other side.
He's going to the country of the Gerasenes
to raise some questions in our mind.
What's going on here?
And yet the suspense only begins to build
because as soon as Jesus steps out of the boat,
out of nowhere comes running up to him
a wild, naked, screaming man.
And so we read that this man
has an unclean spirit.
Somehow he's been possessed by a demon
which has overpowered him
and enslaved him
and turned his life into a living horror show.
And so look at verse 3 to 5.
This man lived among the tombs
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, imagine this,
among the tombs and on the mountains,
he was always crying out
and cutting himself with stones.
And so this enslaved man
is in complete misery.
He is such a danger to society
that he's been isolated
to live among the dirty, bone-riddled tombs.
And he's so far beyond hope
that the locals have repeatedly tried to shackle him
so he doesn't hurt himself
or hurt other people.
And yet, it doesn't work.
Time and time again,
this guy has wrenched these things off of him
with his Herculean strength.
And so cut off from society
with no cure in sight,
all this tortured, demonized man
is left to do is to wander around,
crying out and cutting himself with stones.
I mean, this is a wretched, wretched picture.
I mean, maybe you've been in a situation
where you felt stuck.
You were weighed down.
You were overwhelmed.
You were isolated from others.
You saw no way out of the darkness
gathering around you
and gathering in you.
If you've had a taste of that kind of misery,
imagine that multiplied by 10,000.
And that is what this man is experiencing.
His life is really a living hell.
And yet, into this seemingly hopeless
and enslaved situation,
steps a deliverer.
Jesus arrives.
He steps out of the boat
and in verse 6,
we have a picture of the demon-possessed man
falling down before Jesus.
The fact that he falls down
is a reminder that a power
far greater than Satan
is present here.
In fact, we know that because Jesus
begins to command the demon to leave.
And the demon cries out
through the man in verse 7,
What have you to do with me,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you,
by God,
do not torment me.
Do not torment me.
The demons know that Jesus
is not here to mess around.
And yet, the demons
can do nothing to stop him.
In calling Jesus
the Son of the Most High God,
some have thought that the demon
is trying to gain control of Jesus
by uttering his name.
And yet, Jesus
is the one who's really in control.
He gets the name of the demon,
Legion,
and to our horror,
we learn that this man
is not just possessed by a demon,
but by a vast number of demons.
A Roman Legion
was a unit of around 6,000 soldiers,
an organized, efficient,
mighty fighting force.
And so a legion of demons
is a terrifying,
terrifying supernatural foe.
And yet,
this supernatural confrontation
is almost over before it begins.
Jesus walks onto the scene
and this powerful legion of demons
is falling to his feet.
When Jesus simply speaks,
the demons are begging
to be sent away.
Send us away!
This legion of demons
can't stand being in the presence
of such holy power,
in the presence of unmistakable divinity.
But where will they go?
Well, they want to be sent
into a local herd of pigs,
peacefully grazing on the hillside.
And so if they can't destroy this man,
then they want to destroy something else.
And so we read what happens in verse 13.
And so he gave them permission,
and the unclean spirits came out
and entered the pigs,
and the herd,
numbering about 2,000,
rushed down the steep bank
into the sea
and drowned in the sea.
Wow.
I mean, can you imagine
what that would have been like
to see that?
A stampede,
a stampede of 2,000 pigs,
suicidal pigs,
rushing down,
rushing down a steep embankment,
plummeting right into the sea.
I mean, just try to imagine that.
I mean, I'm sure the jaws of the herzmen
just dropped.
Whoa.
You know,
what in the world just happened?
Our pigs,
they're just gone.
I mean, so these guys,
obviously,
run off to tell everyone
what they just saw.
I mean,
they get to their town,
maybe,
and they're like,
you wouldn't believe
what just happened.
You know that crazy,
demon-possessed guy
out in the tombs?
Yeah, well,
there's this guy named Jesus,
and he came,
and then he cast out
all the demons
into our pigs.
And then the pigs,
like,
took off down the hill
and into the sea.
I mean,
you can just imagine
people's wide eyes,
like,
what?
I mean,
if it happened today,
it would have been
on the front page
of the Gerasene Daily News,
flying pigs
or something like that.
It would have been
a trending topic
on the Gerasene Twitter feed,
hashtag pigs
into the sea.
So it's not surprising
that these people
from the country
begin flocking in
to see what happened.
And when they come,
guess what they find?
Look at verse 15.
And they came to Jesus
and saw the demon-possessed man,
the one who had had the legion,
sitting there,
clothed,
and in his right mind.
And they were afraid.
I mean,
if the pigs were wowed,
this is double wowed.
I mean,
it's one thing
to see 2,000 swine
shooting into the sea.
It's another thing
to see what used to be
a naked,
insane,
raging,
demon-possessed man,
now sane,
clothed,
and peacefully sitting
at the feet of Jesus.
What an amazing transformation.
I mean,
this is kind of like,
you know,
you meet someone
you used to know
like years ago,
and then you meet them
and they're like
completely different.
You ever had that experience?
You get that feeling
of shock that comes over.
You're like,
are you the same person
like,
in grade school
I used to know?
Okay.
That's what these people
were feeling.
Last they knew,
this crazy naked guy
was gashing himself
in the graveyard
and screaming like a maniac.
And now,
here he is,
clothed,
calm,
clear-headed.
I mean,
surely you would have
to think
that this would have
inspired hope
for real change
and spiritual freedom
in that area.
But look,
I mean,
this guy was healed.
He's free.
But look what happens.
Verse 16,
And those who had seen it
described to them
what had happened
to the demon-possessed man
to the pigs.
Notice this.
And they began
to beg Jesus
to depart
from their region.
As he was getting
into the boat,
the man who had been
possessed by the demons
begged him
that he might be
with him.
that people
are completely
spooked.
That people don't know
what to make
of this Jesus character.
I mean,
is he some kind
of sorcerer?
And what about
those 2,000 pigs?
I mean,
that's a lot of money
that just got hurled
into the sea.
Or maybe they were thinking,
you know,
if we couldn't control
the demon-possessed guy
with all the chains
broken in the tombs,
we're definitely
not going to be able
to control this Jesus
who just healed him.
I mean,
whatever they were thinking,
we don't know for sure.
We do know this.
They begged Jesus
to leave.
Get out of here,
Jesus.
And yet,
the exact opposite
is true of the man
who had been possessed
by the demons.
In verse 18,
he begs Jesus
that he might be
with him.
Now,
think about this.
Think about this.
Almost everyone else
in this passage,
the demons,
the people in the region,
are begging
to be far from Jesus.
But this one man,
this former wretch,
is begging,
pleading
to be near Jesus.
Jesus has just
saved his life.
Jesus had freed him.
Why would he not
want to be with Jesus?
And yet,
in one last
surprising turn of events,
Jesus says something
to this man
that probably blew him away.
He said no.
What?
Why, Jesus?
I want to be with you.
No.
Jesus has a bigger plan.
Jesus says to the man,
verse 19,
he did not permit him
to go,
to permit him,
but said to him,
go home
to your friends
and tell them
how much the Lord
has done for you
and how he has
had mercy on you.
And he went away
and began to proclaim
in the Decapolis
how much Jesus
had done for him
and everyone
marveled.
A miserable man
tortured and enslaved
by a legion of demons
is freed
into being
a joyful proclaimer
of God's powerful mercy.
What a powerful story
of healing,
of freedom
from slavery.
But what are you
and I supposed
to make of that?
What difference
should this true story
make in our lives?
Well, I think
the compelling truth,
the compelling truth
of this passage
is simply this.
We are to find
true freedom
in the powerful Jesus.
This passage
is calling us
to find
true freedom
in the powerful Jesus.
If you want
to truly be free,
if you want
the shackles
broken in your life,
if you want
to be transformed,
you need,
I need,
a strong deliverer.
We need Jesus.
You need the power
and the mercy
of Jesus
to find true freedom.
That's what this passage
is telling us.
And yet,
in order to apply
that correctly,
we need to think
very carefully
about what freedom
really is.
See,
is freedom
just having the ability
to do whatever we want
as long as we don't
hurt anybody?
Is that the freedom
that Jesus gives us?
If we just come to him,
we can spend our money
however we want.
We can talk
however we want.
We can do whatever we want
with our sexuality
as long as we don't
hurt anybody.
Is that the freedom
that Jesus provides?
And the answer
is no.
Doing whatever you want
as long as you don't
hurt anyone
is not true freedom.
Our culture might say it is,
but it's not.
According to the Bible,
that's not true freedom.
No,
true freedom
is shaped
by two things.
By what Jesus
frees us from
and what Jesus
frees us to.
True freedom
is shaped
by what Jesus
frees us from
and by what Jesus
frees us to.
There's something
very specific
he frees us from
and there's something
very specific
he frees us to.
And so I think
we need to see
both sides
of this freedom coin
to get a clearer picture
of the true freedom
that Jesus
powerfully provides.
So first,
Jesus frees us
from
the slavery
of sin
and Satan.
Jesus frees us
from
the slavery
of sin
and Satan.
Clearly,
this demon-possessed man
is under
the destructive
sway
of Satan.
Satan knows
that this man
and each one of us
are made
in the image
of God.
And since
Satan hates God,
there is nothing
more that he enjoys
than destroying
those made
in the image
of God.
Do you remember
that kid growing up
that always loved
to destroy
other people's creations?
Maybe it was
your Lego set,
wham,
took it right out.
Maybe you went
to the beach
and you're building
some beautiful
sandcastle
and over they come
and they start
kicking away
your sandcastle.
Well,
that's Satan.
That's what he loves
to do with humanity.
He gets pleasure
out of our misery.
He enjoys tempting,
he enjoys accusing,
he enjoys wreaking
havoc
with God's creation.
Now,
knowing that about
Satan,
would you want
someone like that
to have a massive
influence
in your life?
Well,
no,
of course not.
And yet,
that's exactly
the kind of power
that Satan has
over the lives
of every single
person born
into this world.
2 Corinthians 4,
4 says that Satan
has blinded
the minds
of unbelievers
to keep them
from seeing
the light
of the gospel.
And Ephesians 2
says that
all of us
by nature
follow Satan,
the prince
of the power
of the air,
and are sons
of disobedience,
naturally children
of wrath.
So think about
your relatives.
Think about
your neighbors,
your co-workers,
your friends.
All of them.
If they have not
been set free,
are in the death
grip of Satan.
Their slavery,
and perhaps
your slavery,
may not look like
this man's
in this passage,
but it's no less
slavery to a cruel
master who is bent
on our utter
destruction.
But here's the
really sad thing.
Satan doesn't have
to work that hard.
Why is that?
Because each of us
gladly put the shackles
on ourselves.
From the moment
we are born,
we love,
we look to sin.
Romans 3, 10
through 12
says this,
None is righteous,
no, not one.
No one understands.
No one seeks
after God.
All have turned aside.
Together they have
become worthless.
No one does good,
not even one.
We don't need to
teach our children
to disobey.
I'm learning that.
We don't have to
figure out how
to be greedy.
You don't have to
have a tutor
to know how to lust.
It all comes
so naturally.
Because we are
native-born slaves
to sin.
Jesus said in
John 8, 34,
Everyone who
practices sin
is a slave to sin.
That's us.
On our own,
that's us.
Every single
one of us.
So do you see,
each of us
need to be freed
from something.
We need to be
freed from the
slavery of sin
and Satan
in our lives.
And all of the
consequences
that come from that.
Guilt,
shame,
broken relationships,
despair,
death itself,
the list goes on.
We need true
freedom.
And that's
exactly,
what Jesus
provides.
Jesus comes
to free us.
He comes to do
what we cannot do.
He came to break
the grip of Satan
on our lives.
And just like this
man,
Jesus comes to
make us whole,
to put us in
our right minds,
to bring us
near to God.
And he does that.
Think about this.
He does that
despite great
cost.
Here,
in this passage,
Jesus crosses
a stormy sea
to go to a region
where he's not
welcome to free
a man whom
everybody had
probably given up
on.
And if that
costs 2,000 pigs,
Jesus is willing
to make the
sacrifice.
He's willing
to go to great
lengths to free
even one person
from their bondage
to sin and Satan.
He's willing
to go to great
lengths to heal
a broken soul.
And the ultimate
display of this
is seen in his
willingness to go
all the way to the
cross.
Jesus was willing
to pay the ultimate
price to set us
free.
He was willing
to be forsaken
by the Father.
He was willing
to be tortured
in our place.
He was willing
to overcome
death itself
for you and me.
So when Jesus
says in John 8,
36,
so if the Son
sets you free,
you will be free
indeed.
He means it.
He's done
everything to make
our true freedom
from sin
and Satan
possible.
So the question
is this morning,
have you
personally come
to Jesus
to find freedom?
Let me encourage
you today
to pause
and take a
hard look
in the mirror
and to see
the insanity
of your sin.
It promises freedom.
It always does.
But as we all know,
it enslaves us.
It only leads
to misery
in the long run.
If not in this life,
then in the eternity
apart from God.
There is no freedom
in sin.
There is only freedom
in Jesus.
And so now,
friends,
now is the time
to turn from your sin
and turn to Jesus
who can free you.
Now is the time
to fall at His feet.
Now is the time
to receive His mercy.
Have you done that?
Jesus stands ready
to free
all those
who come to Him.
If you are hearing
His call this morning,
come to Jesus.
He can free you.
But if you have
trusted in Jesus,
if you have come to Jesus,
let me encourage you
this morning as well
to consider this
piece of beautiful news.
guess what?
You have been set free.
You're free.
You're no longer
a Christian,
a slave
to sin
or Satan.
You are a child
of the Most High God.
And that means
you do not have to sin.
You don't have to believe
Satan's lies anymore.
You don't have to live
in isolation,
struggling by yourself.
You are a new person
in Christ.
The all-powerful God
of the universe
is at work in you.
And every day
He wants you to live
into the freedom
you already have
in Christ.
1 Peter 2.16 says,
Live as people
who are free.
Not using your freedom
as a cover-up for evil,
but living as servants
of God.
Live as people
who are free.
Believer,
that is what you are now.
You are free.
A servant of God
and nothing
can change that.
Now this doesn't mean,
believer,
that we aren't
going to struggle
with sin.
It doesn't mean
that there aren't
going to be consequences
that we might have
to face for some
of the sins
that we have committed.
It doesn't mean
that we won't have
to face the effects
of living in a world
that is in bondage
to corruption.
Our minds are likely
going to wither.
Our bodies will fall apart.
Sadly,
we will die.
And yet,
as believers,
we are truly free.
An article reminded me
this week
that we have to remember
the three Ps.
What are those?
Penalty,
power,
and presence.
In Christ,
we have been set free
from the penalty
of our sin.
Done away with.
In Christ,
we are being set free
from the power
of sin.
Going on right now.
And one day,
in Christ,
we will be set free
from the presence
of sin.
Penalty,
power,
and presence.
We've been set free
from the penalty.
We are being set free
from the power
of sin in our lives.
And one day,
one glorious day,
we're going to be set free
from the presence
of sin.
Forever.
See,
that's the kind
of true freedom
that Jesus provides
to all those
who come to Him.
So believer,
keep coming to Jesus.
Come to Him daily
for the deliverance
from sin
that you still struggle with.
He does not grow weary
of you.
He loves you.
Come to Him
for strength
and perspective
in your marriage
and your parenting.
Come to Him
for the power
to persevere
through every trial
and every suffering
you will face.
Because in Him
lies your hope.
And in Him
lies your freedom.
So come to Jesus.
There's one more thing
we need to see here
before we close.
Jesus not only frees us
from something,
He also frees us
to something.
Jesus frees us
to join God's mission
of mercy.
Jesus frees us
to join God's mission
of mercy.
Did you notice
what happened to the man
after he was freed
from the demons?
Almost instantly
as Jesus begins to leave,
the man wants to be
with Jesus.
He wants to go
with Jesus.
And it's not surprising.
I mean, he realizes
that his life
is not his own.
He didn't free himself.
Jesus freed him.
And so out of gratitude
and love,
he now wants to be
with the one
who freed him.
It's not a burden
to be with Jesus.
It's a joy.
It's a privilege.
And that should be
the heart's desire
of all those
who have been
freed by Jesus.
We want to be with Him.
We want to join Him
in what He is doing.
Yet this doesn't have
to be as complicated
as we sometimes make it.
Jesus is simply
telling this man,
go home
and tell your relatives
and tell your friends
about what God
has done for you.
Tell them about
how enslaved you were.
Tell them about
how hopeless you were.
And then tell them
how God reached down
and showed you mercy.
Tell them about
how He gave you
true freedom
for your soul.
And do you know what?
Each of us,
each of us,
we know Christ,
have the same exact call.
In His sovereign plan,
God has given us,
each of us,
a unique network
of relationships
that other people
don't have.
We have particular children.
We have particular
classmates.
We have particular
co-workers.
We have particular
neighbors.
Think of their names.
It's not a mistake
that you are
in their lives.
No, it's a unique
opportunity.
Those are the people
that God wants you
to go and tell
about His mercy.
So have you been
set free, believer?
Have you tasted
of God's mercy
in Christ?
Have you been clothed
in the white robes
of His righteousness?
Do you know
of God's immense
love for you
in Christ?
If so,
then you have
so much to share.
You have had
the mercy of God
poured out on your life
and others need
to hear about that.
Others need to hear
about the mercy
that God,
that Jesus,
can show to them.
And so maybe
that will happen
this week
when you are
taking out the trash
and you talk
to a neighbor.
Maybe when you're
putting your child
to sleep at night.
Or at the lunch table
with some classmates
or at a local Starbucks
with a friend.
Maybe there's someone
you've known for a while
that you simply
want to invite
to, hey,
let's just read
the Gospel of Mark
one chapter at a time.
Just see what Jesus
is all about.
I don't know
what it looks like
for you,
but may God
help each of us
who have been freed
to tell others
where they can find
true freedom.
And that's only
in the powerful Jesus.
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you
so much for your word.
We pray that you
would now plant it
deep within us.
And we pray that you
would produce much fruit
for your glory
and for the good
of those around us.
And for the good
of our own lives,
God.
We thank you
for the freedom
that you give us
in Christ.
Help us to live
in that this week.
I pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.