Let me say, I am incredibly excited about this particular text and this story that we see in the first 20 verses of chapter 5.
Although I am feeling pretty sick today.
So I really, really want my presentation of this to look like this.
I have a feeling it's going to look more like this.
And I've got to tell you that my face is kind of numb, so that might have looked exactly the same. I'm not really sure right now.
I took some day quill this morning. I feel like I took night quill.
And I'm telling you that not so that you have pity on me.
I think a lot of people probably aren't feeling too well this morning.
But so that if I say something that makes zero sense to you, you may know why.
And I'm in a bit of a fog this morning.
And so in just a moment here, we'll pray together for clarity for my speech and God's sustaining work in our time together as we study the Gospel of Mark.
Let me remind you where we've been. We've been off for a couple of weeks.
We took a two-week break after we wrapped up Chapter 4.
But remember that Mark's Gospel account, as is the case with other Gospel accounts as well,
but is to convince his readers that Jesus is in fact the Son of God, that He is who He says He is,
and to compel us to become disciples of Christ who make disciples of Christ.
And I'm afraid that I have to make that clarification in the current environment in which we live.
Please know that a disciple of Christ necessarily makes disciples of Christ,
that that's a natural outflow of following Jesus because Jesus came to seek and to save the lost,
and therefore we should do the same.
But I feel that I need to make that clarification.
So Mark's argument for us is to become disciple-making disciples of Jesus Christ.
And he has, in a very comic strip kind of way, moved through a ton of action through the first four chapters
to show us Jesus' power over all sorts of things.
Over nature, over illness, over sin, over demons.
We've seen this repetition throughout the beginning of the Gospel of Mark.
We saw in chapter 1, verses 21-28, an exorcism.
Verse 23-24 reads,
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out,
What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are, the Holy One of God.
In chapter 1, verses 32-34, we see the casting out of many demons,
kind of a summary of an evening he spent healing and casting out demons.
In chapter 3, verse 11, we see again an unclean spirit encounter him,
and we see this broad sweep of whenever the unclean spirit saw him,
they fell down before him and cried out,
You are the Son of God, and he commands them to be silent.
Then we study the controversy that arose as a result of Jesus' exorcisms.
Chapter 3, verses 22-30, and this was that narrative,
that liar, lunatic, or lord narrative that we discussed together.
And that was a result of the exorcisms.
People were accusing him of doing this by the power of Satan.
But now we find, in chapter 5,
the most spectacular account of Jesus' power to cast out demons.
And here I really appreciate that Mark spends a bit more time on it
than either of the other two synoptics, Matthew and Luke.
He fleshes out more of the detail for us,
to drive us to understand who it is that this Jesus is.
So let's read it together, beginning in verse 1 of chapter 5.
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.
And 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, the 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 him 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 two thousand,
rushed down the steep bank into the sea,
and were drowned in the sea.
The herdsmen fled and told in the city and in the country,
and people came to see what it was that had happened.
And they came to Jesus, and they 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 in the Decapolis
how much Jesus had done for him,
and everyone marveled.
Join me in prayer.
Father God, we do thank you for the gift of your word
and for Mark's gospel account of the life of Jesus Christ.
And I pray, Father, as we look at it together this morning,
that you will strengthen me to speak with clarity
for what you would have us learn from this text today.
You are the creator and sustainer of all things,
and you do this through the powerful word of Jesus Christ.
And so we pray that he will work in me
in a great way by the Spirit this day,
and that you will help us all in our hearing
to apply the truths contained in this text to our hearts,
that we might become in increasing ways devoted to Christ.
And we pray this in his precious and holy name.
Amen.
Now, this fantastic miracle
has come right on the heels of another miracle.
And you recall that Jesus was spending
large parts of his time
on the west coast of the Sea of Galilee,
particularly in a town called Capernaum.
You see him in Capernaum,
back on the seashore, back in Capernaum.
We saw in chapter 4,
him actually cast out from the shore
and teach from a boat.
This is where we get the parable of the sower.
He's teaching from a boat.
And then he's crossed,
and in the crossing,
there was a great storm,
a storm that potentially had waves
that were ten feet high
on this little lake called the Sea of Galilee.
And he has performed a spectacular miracle
by simply speaking to the creation,
and it obeys him.
And the disciples, in verse 41 of chapter 4,
says,
So I just want you to remember
that's where the disciples are at
in their faith.
That's where they arrive on the shore,
and then this happens.
This very next thing happens.
And there's a man there
that is extremely demon-possessed.
In fact, when Jesus asks,
What is your name?
He replies,
My name is Legion,
for we are many.
Now, it would be conjecture to say
that it was a particular number of demons.
We don't know for sure,
but we must understand that in this day,
the day of Caesar Augustus,
a legion was made up of 6,826 men.
That's what a legion was.
It would be 6,100 foot soldiers
and 726 horsemen.
So, potentially,
6,826 demons possessed this man.
We don't know that to be sure,
but it was certainly a great number.
To the degree that
this man was incredibly strong.
He was a wild man.
In Luke's account,
it says that he was naked
out in the tombs.
Wild.
They had tried to come out
and to bind him
because nobody could pass by on the road,
and he had broken the chains
and broken the shackles
that he was bound with.
This would have been
a supernatural feat
that would have been accomplished.
And we see here,
at the very end of verse 4,
and I absolutely love this,
it says,
no one had the strength
to subdue him.
So, he had lived here
in the tombs and the catacombs
wreaking havoc.
A wild man, crazy,
crying out,
cutting himself,
extremely demon-possessed.
And the record here is
no one had the strength
to subdue him.
But when Jesus lands on shore,
we learn something very exceptional
about Jesus,
and that is that Jesus did,
in fact,
have the strength
to subdue him.
And he does it
with his words.
No one could shackle him
with chain.
He would break the chains.
Jesus speaks
and subdues the evil spirits
that are within this man.
Notice in verse 6
that these demons
do not try to run away
and try to hide
from the power of Jesus Christ.
They recognize who he is.
They know full well
the power that he has
over them.
And so they run to him
to beg mercy of him.
Verse 7,
crying out with a loud voice,
The man has fallen down
before Jesus.
What have you to do with me?
Jesus,
Son of the Most High God,
I adjure you
or I plead with you,
I solemnly implore you,
right?
By God,
do not torment me.
These demons,
these enemies of God
that in years past
had revolted against him,
right?
that were now given permission
to run the earth
and to wreak havoc
and quite a number of them,
an army of them,
have decided to wreak havoc
in this particular man's life
and in the society
in which he lived.
Fall down and beg for mercy
at the feet of Jesus.
And we should learn from this
that we need to ask God
to have mercy on us.
Now, we are not categorically
the same as demons,
right?
Hear that.
We are not categorically
the same as demons.
However,
apart from regenerative faith
in Christ,
apart from having our hearts
made new,
apart from believing
that he is who he says he is
and that he accomplished
what he accomplished,
we are enemies of God.
We are set against him
in every way
and our end is destruction.
We should fear God
in the same way
that these demons fear God
because his wrath is coming
on those celestial beings
that revolted against him
as well as on those
who do not believe
that Jesus is
who he says that he is.
We should fear God.
Proverbs 9.10 says,
The fear of the Lord
is the beginning of wisdom
and the knowledge of the Holy One
is insight.
Why is this the case?
Because properly acknowledging
that God is who he is,
that he is the great I am,
that he is the creator
of all things,
and that he has a standard
that we fail miserably to meet
is the starting place
to finding our justification
in the personal work
of Jesus Christ.
Fearing God,
knowing that he has set a standard
for us to live by
and that we have failed,
is the place in which
we find our hearts humbled,
knowing that we need a Savior.
That our eternal state
necessitates somebody
interceding on our behalf.
That there is no work
that we could do
to repay the debt
that is owed for our sin.
That the wrath of God
is due those who are
his enemies rightly,
justly.
It's proper for him
to punish those
who are his enemies.
And it puts us
in a place
where we can recognize
that Jesus bore
that wrath
on our behalf.
Notice here,
Jesus simply speaks.
He gives permission.
I love this
at the beginning of verse 13.
They plead with him.
It seems that there's been
a bit of an argument going on.
There's kind of a parenthetical
in verse 8.
He says,
What have you to do with us,
Jesus, the Son of the Most High God?
I adjure you by God.
Do not torment me.
For,
Jesus was saying to him,
Come out of the man,
you unclean spirit.
So he begins to debate
with Jesus.
Jesus has told them
to come out.
He begins to debate with him.
And they have a bit
of a conversation.
And they beg to be sent
to the pigs.
Verse 13,
So he gave them permission.
He said,
Okay.
That's where you can go.
And this draws my mind,
and I hope it does yours,
to the book of Job,
where we see in chapter 1,
verses 6-12,
as well as chapter 2,
verse 1-7,
where God grants Satan
permission to torment Job.
He is the sovereign ruler
of all things.
He holds all things
in the sway that it exists in
by the power of His Word.
This is our Jesus.
It's an incredible,
incredible picture.
No one had the strength
to subdue Him.
But Jesus did
by the power of His Word.
So we need to ask God
to have mercy on us.
If you have not done that,
if you have not come
to a position in your life
where you have recognized
that there is a standard,
that God is who He said He is,
that He sent His Son,
and that Jesus is God.
There are many people in this world
that deny that there is a God at all,
which is a way for them
to set themselves up
as their own God.
If you live in that kind of a state
where you don't want
to submit yourself
to the rule and the reign
of the person of Jesus Christ,
you need to do that.
Your end is destruction
if you have not.
We plead with you today.
Ask God to have mercy on you.
And the wonderful promise
of the Gospel
is that He will.
The wonderful promise
of the Gospel.
Titus 3, verse 3.
Please turn there with me.
You should see this for yourself.
If you are a student of your Bible,
which I hope you are,
you will see again and again and again
Gospel presentations,
summations of what God has done
for us in Christ.
Beginning of verse 3 of chapter 3.
We ourselves were once foolish.
See if you can pick up
some of the characteristic
of this man.
Foolish, disobedient,
led astray,
slaves to various passions
and pleasures,
passing our days in malice
and envy,
hated by others
and hating one another.
Beginning of verse 4.
But,
and this is absolutely
my favorite conjunction
in the Scriptures.
This word right here
in Titus 3, verse 4.
But,
when the goodness
and loving kindness
of God our Savior
appeared,
He saved us,
not because of works
done by us in righteousness,
but according to
His own mercy,
by the washing
of regeneration
and renewal
of the Holy Spirit
whom He poured out
on us richly
through Jesus Christ,
our Savior.
So that being justified
by His grace,
we might become heirs
according to the hope
of eternal life.
God would have been
totally just
to stop this process
at the end of verse 3.
We in every way
had set ourselves up
to be enemies of Him.
And we deserve
the punishment
that was coming to us.
So praise God
for the conjunction
at the beginning
of verse 4.
Because of His goodness,
because of His loving kindness,
not because of works
that we can do
on our own.
He has made us new
by the Spirit
in Christ.
Praise God.
We need to learn
from this
that Jesus
is Himself
God
and that He will
save us
from the wrath
of God
to eternal glory
with Himself.
What a blessing
that is.
We also need to learn
from this text
that we should
tell our friends
how much
the Lord
has done
for us.
That we should
tell our friends
how much
the Lord
has done
for us.
One of the things
I love
about this story
is that it's evidence
that Jesus understood
God's global
purpose
for His glory.
Jesus understood
and gives us
hint
to the very fact
and if you're
again a student
of your Bible
this wouldn't
come as a surprise
to you
but that God
has intended
to save
peoples.
Peoples from
all over this
world.
That God has
intended for people
across this
planet
to praise
His name
forever.
Jesus got this.
Jesus crossed
over the Sea
of Galilee
to an area
that was
primarily
Gentile.
Primarily Gentile.
These people
would have been
descendants
left over
from Babylonian
captivity
when the Jews
were carried
off in Babylonian
captivity
and peoples
moved into
the area
Gentile peoples
which is just
categorical
not Jewish
when you hear
that term
Gentile
Greek
not Jewish
right?
The country
of the Gerasenes
we see here
and we see
that the man
later goes
and proclaims
in the Decapolis
which was a
set of ten
cities
and you'll
see them
they're all
up and down
the coast
there
of the Sea
of Galilee
and out
beyond.
We also
see that
there was
a great
herd of
pigs
and Jews
didn't
eat
pork
so this
was a
Gentile
town
that he
was landing
in
to do
this
to come
and to
share
the good
news
of the
coming
kingdom.
Jesus
understood
his scriptures
Jesus
had a very
clear vision
of who
God was
to the
world
which
enabled
him
empowered
him
to be
able to
do this
as he
was being
led
across
the Sea
of Galilee
knowing
full well
I'm sure
as he
was God
incarnate
that he
was going
to encounter
this man
and encounter
these Gentile
peoples
on that
coast
I'm sure
he thought
of things
like
Psalm 67
verses 1-3
may God
be gracious
to us
and bless
us
and make
his face
to shine
upon us
that your
way may
be known
on earth
your saving
power among
all nations
let the
peoples
praise you
oh God
let all
the peoples
praise you
the significance
of that
would have
been huge
in his mind
as he went
to take
the gospel
to a
Gentile
people
turn
with you
will to
Isaiah
chapter 42
let me
further
make this
case
to you
the universal
significance
and calling
of Israel
is nowhere
expressed
more clearly
than in
Isaiah
chapters 40
through 55
I encourage
you to read
those chapters
on your own
time
there are
two particular
texts
that speak
of Israel's
purpose
to make
God known
amongst the
nations
particular ones
very poignant
to this
fact
we find
the first
in Isaiah
chapter 42
verse 1
through 7
I better
get myself
there
Isaiah 42
1 through 7
behold my
servant
whom I
uphold
my chosen
in whom
my soul
delights
I have
put my
spirit
upon him
he will
bring forth
justice
to the
nations
he will
not cry
aloud
or lift
up his
voice
or make
it heard
in the
street
a bruised
reed
he will
not break
and a
faintly
burning
wick
he will
not
quench
he will
faithfully
bring forth
justice
he will
not grow
faint
or be
discouraged
till he
has
established
justice
in the
earth
and the
coastlands
wait
for his
law
thus says
God the
Lord
who created
the heavens
and stretched
them out
who spread
out the
earth
and what
comes
from it
who gives
breath
to the
people
on it
and spirit
to those
who walk
in it
I am
the
Lord
I have
called
you in
righteousness
I will
take you
by the
hand
and keep
you
I will
give you
as a
covenant
for the
people
a light
for the
nations
to open
the eyes
that are
blind
to bring
out the
prisoners
from the
dungeon
from the
prison
those
who sit
in
darkness
you see
that an
expressed
purpose
of why
God had
a particular
people
these people
Israel
the Jews
was to
be a
light
to show
the
nations
the
goodness
of God
that they
might repent
and believe
Isaiah 49
is the
next one
if you'll
turn there
again
verses 1
through 7
listen to
me
O
coastlands
and give
attention
you peoples
from afar
the Lord
called me
from the
womb
from the
body
of my
mother
he named
my name
he made
my mouth
like a
sharp
sword
in the
shadow
of his
hand
he hid
me
he made
me
a
polished
arrow
in his
quiver
he hid
me
away
and he
said
to me
you are
my
servant
Israel
in whom
I will
be glorified
but I
said
I have
labored
in vain
I have
spent
my
strength
for
nothing
in
vanity
yet
surely
my
right
is
with
the
Lord
and
my
recompense
with
my
God
and
now
the
Lord
says
he
who
formed
me
from
the
womb
to
be
a
servant
to
bring
Jacob
back
to
him
and
that
Israel
might
be
gathered
to
him
for
I
am
honored
in
the
eyes
of
the
Lord
and
my
God
has
become
my
strength
he
says
it
is
too
light
a
thing
that
you
should
be
my
servant
to
raise
up
the
tribes
of
Jacob
and
to
bring
back
the
preserved
of
Israel
I
will
make
you
as
a
light
for
the
nations
that
my
salvation
may
reach
to
the
end
of
So the
very
purpose
of
Isaiah
drawing
the
people
of
God
back
to
God
was
so
that
God
might
be
proclaimed
amongst
the
nations
in
these
two
marvelous
texts
Israel
is called
to reveal
God's
justice
to
the
nations
Isaiah
42
1
and
to
serve
as
a
light
to
the
Gentiles
42
6
and
49
6
so
that
this
salvation
offered
to
Israel
might
reach
to
the
ends
of
the
earth
Isaiah
49
6
your
mind
might
go to
the
story
of
Jonah
is
told
by
God
to
take
the
message
of
God's
mercy
to
Israel's
most
cruel
of
enemies
the
Assyrians
cruel
enemies
and
he
has
to
go
God
tells
him
to
go
to
the
capital
city
of
Nineveh
and
there's
a
great
outpouring
there's
a
great
response
to
the
mercy
of
God
as
he
goes
there
and
preaches
John
chapter
20
verse
21
Jesus
appears
after
his
death
to
the
disciples
he
says
peace
be
with
you
as
the
father
has
sent
me
even
so
I
am
sending
you
and
we
know
from
Luke
chapter
19
verse
10
he
said
for
the
son
of
man
came
to
seek
and
to
save
the
lost
and
that
includes
those
outside
of
Israel
that
includes
Gentiles
praise
God
that
includes
us
I
don't
know
if
any
of
you
are
of
Jewish
descent
in
this
room
I
would
guess
not
right
if
you're
not
praise
God
for
these
promises
because
this
is
how
the
gospel
has
come
to
us
we've
been
given
a
promise
by
Jesus
in
Matthew
chapter
24
verse
!
14
he
says
and
this
gospel
of
the
kingdom
will
be
proclaimed
throughout
the
whole
world
as
a
testimony
to
all
nations
and
then
the
end
will
come
and
we
get
a
glimpse
of
that
in
Revelation
chapter
5
verse
9
and
10
John
records
for
us
and
they
sang
a
new
song
saying
worthy
are
you
to
take
the
scroll
and
to
open
its
seals
for
you
were
slain
and
by
your
blood
you
ransomed
people
for
God
from
every
tribe
and
language
and
people
and
nation
you
have
made
them
a
kingdom
and
a
priest
to
our
God
that
they
shall
reign
on
the
earth
and
much
debate
goes
on
about
what
it
means
by
every
tribe
and
language
and
people
nation
the
particulars
of that
the
semantics
of
these
words
one
thing
we
can
be
sure
of
the
end
has
not
come
yet
therefore
the
task
is
yet
to
be
completed
and
this
is
what
God
has
called
us
into
in
Christ
and
that
is
to
propagate
the
truth
if
you
like
to
go
back
and
read
Mark
chapter
4
and
see
all
the
agrarian
symbols
there
that
is
to
propagate
the
truth
of
his
kingdom
amongst
peoples
everywhere
the
vision
statement
of our
church
changed
recently
many
of you
probably
don't
know
that
but
we
made
a
small
alteration
to
it
just
to
bring
a
little
more
clarity
to
it
and
we
added
some
words
to
the
end
in
the
vision
statement
of our
church
is
Christ
family
church
exists
to
glorify
God
by
its
experiencing
proclaiming
and
displaying
the
supremacy
of
Jesus
Christ
in
all
things
and
then
we
added
to
all
peoples
to
be
sure
that
everyone
understood
that
we
recognize
as
a
church
that
is
the
task
put
before
us
to
share
the
gospel
everywhere
with
everyone
thinking
about
God's
global
purposes
you
must
also
know
that
this
includes
North
Georgia
it
includes
the
southeast
it
includes
America
it
includes
your
dorm
hall
and
your
workplace
and
your
home
it
includes
all
of
this
God
wants
to
be
praised
and
as
his
people
we
should
want
him
to
be
praised
far
and
wide
we
should
want
people
to
see
what
he
has
done
for
us
to
tell
our
friends
about
how
much
the
Lord
has
done
for
us
and
how
he
has
had
mercy
on
us
turn
to
Romans
chapter
10
our
high
calling
in
Christ
is
to
be
disciple
making
disciples
to
be
to be
finding
ourselves
coming
into
conformity
with
Christ
and
to
bring
others
along
in
that
journey
beginning in verse 11 of Romans chapter 10
for the scripture says
this is Isaiah 49-23
everyone who believes in him will not be put
to shame
verse 12
for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek
for the same Lord is Lord of all
bestowing his riches on all who call on him
for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved
Joel 2-32
how then will they call on him and whom they have not believed
and how are they to believe in him of whom
they have never heard
and how are they to hear without someone preaching
and how are they to preach unless they are sent
as it is written
how beautiful are the feet of those who preach
the good news
Isaiah 52-7
Paul states to us very clearly here
that our religion is a religion of words
our hearts are changed by our knowledge
of the gospel of Jesus Christ
and it must be told to us
which means
as God's church
longing
I hope
you can join me with this
longing for the coming of Christ
wanting to hasten
that coming
that we're the tools
to get that done
to preach the gospel
far and wide
and that means
you have a place to go
this afternoon
to preach the gospel
and that means that in your life
young people
oh I hope this is a church
that sends people
to unreached people groups
that takes the gospel
to places where the gospel
has never been named
where there is no scripture
in their language
that builds foundations
for churches
to grow
and flourish
in
that it would be said of us
how beautiful
are the feet
of those who preach
the good news
there is still a massive
task
ahead of us
preach the gospel
far and wide
and you can allow that
to burden you
to be
pressed down by it
how can I
one little person
make any change at all
or you can glory in the fact
that God has made a promise
to redeem people
from every tribe
from every nation
from every tongue
take comfort in the fact
that he is the sovereign
over all
peoples
and that if you just
make yourself
available
to be used by him
that he will
use you
it is his desire
to bring about
conformity
to his kingdom
he will use you here
he will use you
there
how do we carry the gospel
to some places
there is a people group
that I discovered
in the bathroom reader
if you hang out with me long
you will quickly discover
that any intelligence
I have
I learn from the bathroom reader
there is a group of people
on an island
they are called
the North Sentinelese
it is North Sentinel Island
it is protected by India
no one
has ever landed
on this island
and not been killed
on the shore
of it
some people
a grandmother
and two children
came off the island
for a while
and were
tried to be assimilated
into some kind of
western culture
and sent back to the island
and they carried disease
with them
and wiped out
a bunch of people
on the island
if you get on google maps
you can't see
that anybody lives
on the island
at all
it is heavily forested
the nation of India
patrols it
so you can't get
anywhere near
the island
they are trying to
protect these people
from the diseases
that would wipe them out
as they have been
so isolated
how does God intend
to save
North Sentinelese
I don't know
but I firmly believe
that as we stand
around the throne
we are going to meet
people from that island
so how do we get
the gospel
to those people
how are we making
ourselves available
and being obedient
to God's purpose
and his plan
for the North Sentinelese
Jesus understood
what God intended
to do with the good news
of the coming kingdom
and so he went
to a place
that was outside
of the normal realm
in the Jews mind
of God's blessing
he went to a people
that they thought
were apostate
in every way
and could not receive
the blessing
of God
and he shared
the good news
and he had mercy
on a man
who was extremely
demon possessed
now you know
that this man
that they marvel
they're afraid
2,000 pigs
I can't imagine
what a herd
of 2,000 pigs
looks like
much less
rushing down
a steep bank
into the sea
and drowning
there
there's some
certainly some
livelihood destroyed
but it seems
that the people
are marveling
because of the
great power
that this man
had
and that
Jesus' power
trumped it
with words
he was able
to cast out
demons
and this man
we find him
now clothed
and in his
right mind
and the end
of verse 15
the record is
and they were
afraid
so they asked him
verse 17
to depart
from their region
they were afraid
of the power
that he had
and the man
that he had
delivered the
demons from
begged him
that he might
be with him
and note this
Jesus said
no
Jesus had a
better place
for him to be
he could have
taken him on the
boat
he could have
made him a
disciple
he could have
taken him
but he had
a more
particular
purpose
for him
he tasked
the man
appropriately
and he told
him to go
to his friends
and tell them
how much
the Lord
has done
for you
now the
great thing
is if you'll
flip a couple
of pages
over
we get to
see we get
a record
here that
the man
did this
and everyone
marveled at
the end of
verse 20
right
he traveled
amongst these
ten cities
telling what
Jesus had
done for
him
and we get
some evidence
of that
if you'll
turn over
a couple
of pages
to Mark
chapter 7
and look
at verse 31
then he
being Jesus
returned from
the region
of Tyre
and went
through Sidon
to the sea
of Galilee
in the region
of the
Decapolis
this is the
area that
he was at
he went
back
over
there
and he
stays there
I would
presume
I'm
fairly
confident
of this
chapter 8
verse 1
it says
in those
days
and then we
see him
in chapter
8
verse 13
pass back
across the
sea
so he's
in this
region
when he
performs
the second
feeding
of 4,000
so he's
now back
in the
region
and a
crowd
of 4,000
people
are now
coming to
him
no longer
afraid
but marveling
and wanting
to hear
what it
is
he has
to say
so this
one man
we don't
know that
he brought
about
regenerative
faith
in 4,000
people
the presumption
would be
that he
didn't
we know
that Jesus
had very
few
followers
after his
death
however
he was
certainly
preaching
the good
news
of the
kingdom
far
and wide
he was
engaging
people's
minds
they wanted
to learn
more
about who
this Jesus
was
I'm sure
some with
bad motivation
they knew
about this
crazy thing
that this
Jesus had
done
and they
wanted to
see if he
would do
anything else
that nuts
they had
come for
the magic
show
but many
I'm sure
came
genuinely
wanting to
know and
understand
who this
person
is
so the
man was
willing
to be
put
where
he
was
not to
go off
to do
something
radical
to go
on his
mission
journey
but to
be
where
he
was
and to
share
the
good
news
of the
kingdom
what the
Lord
had
done
for him
with
his
friends
Acts
chapter
20
verse
24
Paul
said
but I
do not
account
my
life
of
any
value
nor
as
precious
to
myself
if
only
I
may
finish
my
course
and the
ministry
that I
received
from
the
Lord
Jesus
to
testify
to
the
gospel
of
the
grace
of
God
let
me
shorten
that
sentence
for
you
I
do
not
count
my
life
of
any
value
nor
as
precious
to
myself
except
to
testify
to
the
gospel
of
the
grace
of
God
Paul
saw
that
as
his
great
purpose
right
my
life
is
only
precious
in so
much
that
it
exists
to
make
Jesus
to
us
in
Acts
chapter
20
verse
24
so
not only
should
we
ask
mercy
of
God
but
we
should
share
we
should
tell
our
friends
we
should
go
far
and
wide
telling
people
about
the
good
news
of
Jesus
Christ
and
you
have
to
ask
yourself
if
this
is
not
a
great
motivation
in
your
life
if
you
don't
desire
to
see
people
praise
your
Lord
does
he
reign
in
your
life
are
the
truths
of
the
gospel
precious
to
you
do
you
understand
what
he
has
accomplished
on
your
behalf
here
we
have
a
man
demon
possessed
naked
living
in
the
tombs
cutting
himself
he
was
a
mess
he
was
a
mess
God
had
done
a
great
thing
for
him
in
showing
him
mercy
boy
was
I
a
mess
before
God
showed
me
mercy
!
in
Christ
do
you
remember
!
a
!
And if
you
don't
do
you
really
understand
sin
its
weight
its
consequence
do
you
understand
the
great
offense
that
it
is
to
a
most
holy
God
we
should
want
to
make
Christ
known
because
of
what
he
has
done
for
us
should
be
the
great
motivation
in
our
sharing
our
faith
we
should
want
people
to
come
to
faith
in
him
certainly
to
sing
his
praises
to
continue
to
tell
people
about
his
motivation
ought
to
be
that
we
just
want
to
talk
about
it
you
talk
most
about
the
things
you
love
most
what
do
you
talk
most
about
I
hope
you're
finding
in
your
life
as
you
grow
in
faith
that
you
talk
most
about
Jesus
now
it
is
good
and
healthy
for
us
to
have
some
strategy
to
this
end
that
we
think
about
how
it
is
that
we
can
share
the
gospel
most
effectively
and
there
are
countless
trainings
out
there
there's
all
sorts
of
stuff
you
can
get
your
hands
on
that
teach
you
how
to
best
share
your
faith
let me
give you
a simple
one
and I
think
this
is
all
you
need
number
one
make
friends
so that
you
can
share
with
them
how
much
the
Lord
has
done
with
you
make
friends
so
that
you
can
share
with
them
how
much
the
Lord
has
Christians
are
so
very
monastic
and
that
we
only
run
in
Christian
circles
put
yourself
in
positions
to
be
friends
with
people
who
do
not
know
our
Lord
spend
lots
of
time
with
people
who
do
that's
why
we
come
together
in
church
to
encourage
each
other
to
this
great
end
but
spend
time
with
people
who
do
not
know
that
Jesus
is
Lord
that
he
is
the
Son
of
God
so
that
you
can
share
with
them
make
friends
with
them
become
invested
in
their
lives
don't
simply
track
and run
but
make
friends
with
people
that
you
might
invest
in
them
secondly
pray
for
them
pray
for
them
salvation
of
souls
is
a
spiritual
work
we
cannot
convince
people
by our
words
to come
to
faith
in
Christ
it
is
a
work
that
has
to
happen
inside
of
them
!
Do it
repeatedly
Do you
have
people
in your
life
that
you're
praying
for?
Do you
have
friends
that
do
not
know
Christ
that
you
consistently
and
fervently
pray for?
Pray for
them.
Number
three
teach
them
the
Bible
We're
a
religion
of
words
preach
the
gospel
to
them
by
teaching
them
the
Bible
We
are
gifted
in
various
ways
and
that
is
a
good
thing
we
all
bear
different
gifts
God
has
made
us
unique
to
use
us
in
unique
ways
and
you
may
be
totally
intimidated
to
sit
down
and
share
the
truths
of
scripture
with
somebody
you
yourself
may
not
feel
like
you
really
even
know
what
the
Bible
has
to
say
do
not
let
that
intimidate
you
this
is
the
tool
in
our
hands
by
which
we
share
!
the
good
news
of
the
coming
of
Christ
the
kingdom
that
has
arrived
and
is
coming
to
pass
a
bunch
of
weeks
ago
I
put
out
on the
table
in
the
hall
a
one-to-one
Bible
reading
plan
for
Mark
I don't
know if
any of
you
have
it
this
is
mine
still
stuck
in my
back
in my
concordance
in
mine
this
is
a
simple
and easy
way
not
the
only
way
but
a
simple
and
easy
way
there's
eight
readings
someone
ready
to
ask
come
up
with
some
answers
to
these
questions
ask
the
questions
pray
for
them
that
God
would
work
in
their
heart
as
they
read
the
scriptures
as
they
behold
Jesus
in
Mark's
gospel
account
teach
in the
Bible
and
fourthly
serve
their
needs
show
people
that
you
genuinely
love
them
by
spending
time
serving
their
needs
show up
at their
place
late
at
night
help
them
move
help
them
study
do
things
for
them
that
other
people
may
not
do
for
them
show
them
that
you
genuinely
love
and
care
for
them
beloved
I said
to you
that
the
great
call
of
the
gospel
of
Mark
the
great
calling
on
all
of
our
lives
is
to
be
disciple
making
disciples
and
that
the
one
necessitates
the
other
so
you
have
to
ask
yourself
if
I
am
not
sharing
the
truth
of
Christ
what
does
that
mean
!
a
Christian
at
all
that
possibility
exists
I
know
most
of
you
and
I
know
that
most
of
you
are
right
so
what
does
that
say
about
your
belief
in
the
scriptures
what
does
that
say
about
what
you
believe
that
Jesus
is
and
what
he
can
accomplish
it
says
very
little
right
very
little
you
think
very
little
of
him
and
his
purpose
and
what
he
can
do
I
hope
in
some
way
of
his
word
casting
out
an
army
of
demons
right
and
then
leaving
a
man
behind
to
share
about
his
goodness
to
him
will
awaken
in
you
a
desire
to
share
the
goodness
of
Christ
on
your
behalf
are
we
so
cold
are
we
so
cold
there
are
countless
Christians
around
this
world
dying
for
their
faith
considering
it
a
blessing
to
suffer
the
way
Christ
suffered
and
being
martyred
for
the
sharing
of
their
faith
and
we
are
lulled
to
sleep
by
our
comfort
it
has
been
a
long
prayer
of
many
of
the
men
of
our
church
that
there
might
be
revival
in
this
region
let
it
start
in
your
heart
get
that
you
cannot
be
a
faithful
disciple
of
Christ
if
you're
not
bringing
others
to
faith
in
Christ
propagate
the
truth
far
and
wide
let's
pray
together
a