The Anointing To Bounce Back

Lesson Text Mark 5:1–5 (KJV)1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

Mark 5:9–15 (KJV)9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

Mark 5:19–20 (KJV)19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. 20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Introduction

Last week I preached about Revival of the King (The King of Peace). And that King is Jesus. He can bring a calming spirit to anyone in any situation.

Even for this no named man in our text that is possessed with a demoniac spirit that is named Legion.

Now the word legion literally means a military unit of six thousand soldiers in the Roman army.

In the NT the term is used to symbolize the immense power and numbers of spiritual forces: both the angelic hosts of the kingdom of God (Mt. 26:53) and the demonic hosts that oppose the kingdom of God (Mk. 5:9, 15 par Lk. 8:30). As the Son of God, Jesus has the authority to command obedience from both the heavenly and the demonic legions. *

I want you to picture in your mind the two contrasting, diametrically opposed, polar opposite images of this man.

● In the first 5 verses of our lesson text, we see a man who has lost it, naked, living in a graveyard, uncontrollable, crying, and cutting himself.

● But when we get to verse 15, we see a man sitting, clothed, and in his right mind.

● And if that wasn’t enough of a miracle, when we get to verse 19, we see him being commissioned to go tell what Jesus has done for him. *

How does a person recover from such devastation, such loss, such pain, and such hurt?

The devil’s trying to kill him, people abandoning him, and his own mind forsaking him.

How does one go from Legion to Preacher?

Joel 2: 25 - 26 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

The answer is that although he was suffering from Legion he wasn’t called to Legion, he was anointed and called to share the good news.

A contemporary term for restoration is “Bounce Back;” which means to return quickly to a normal condition after a difficult situation or event.

I have heard it said, God may not come in a hurry, but he will move suddenly. Today we will look at how regardless of our Attacks from the enemy, from people, and even from ourselves, God can restore us suddenly, and we can at the blink of an eye, “Bounce Back.”

The Anointing To Bounce Back

(Ecclesiastes 7: 8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof:…“It’s Not How You Start, It’s How Your Finish!”)

“Bounce Back From The Attack, Bounce Back From The People, Bounce Back From Yourself”

I. Bounce Back From The Attack

Mark 5: 12 - 13 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

At some level, all of us have probably felt some form of attack over the past few years. The pandemic, death in the family, loss of finances, relationships, worship, marital attacks, jobs, business, stress, anxiety, and physical health!

But for some of us, we’ve felt like life has been attacking us for years, if not all of our lives.

We’ve felt like Sofia from The Color Purple, “All my life I had to fight!”

Whether we are talking about a recent attack or one that is chronic or even generational, the question is how do we absorb, respond, and even bounce back from it?

The first step to bouncing back is to understand what the attacks are all about! The bad days, sadness, emptiness, loneliness, depression, and even anger is not what our attacks are about.

Mark 5: 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

The attacks were driving him crazy, but that wasn’t the purpose of the attacks.

Mark 5: 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.

The attacks weren’t trying to drive him crazy, they were trying to drive him dead! The enemy isn’t trying to give us a bad day, make us lonely or depressed; he’s trying to kill us. Although he felt like he was losing, he didn’t die; God had a plan for him.

And therein is the key to our “Bounce Back” from the attacks: “Devil, you tried to kill me, but I’m Still Here!”

Ezekiel 16: 6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

Isaiah 54: 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Psalm 118: 17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

“When you’re under attack, it’s not how you start, it’s how you BOUNCE BACK!”

II. Bounce Back From The People

Mark 5: 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.

The next thing we must understand about the enemy is how he uses people to further our demise when we are under attack.

When you are under attack, there are three types of people you will have to contend with.

The first group are those who abandon you when you need them the most!

I was raised with the mindset and character that friends are those who stick with you through thick and thin.

Proverbs 18: 24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

John 15: 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Some of our greatest pain that we will experience in our lives will not be from the attacks that happened to us but from those whom we thought were brothers, sisters and friends who abandoned us while we were down.

I think sometimes we project our loneliness, depression, and abandonment to God; but in reality, what we’re blaming God the devil is using people for the abandonment we experience.

The second group of people we have to contend with when we’re under attack are those who try to hurt us when we’re down.

Psalm 41: 9 Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.

Psalm 69:4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head:

But the way we bounce back during an attack is with the third type of people! Those that Proverbs 18:24 is talking about, the friends that stick closer than a brother.

2 Kings 6: 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

Anne Brontë, an English poet from the 1800’s is noted for the quote, “The ties that bind us are tougher than we think.

Colin Powell, former general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military added to that quote saying, “The ties that bind us are stronger than those that separate us”.

Now some of you may think that you don’t have any friends like that. But first remember, he that would have friends, must show himself to be friendly. “You Need To Find Them!”

But then there is one friend you don’t need to find. Why? Because he’s already found you!

After Jesus spoke about a man that would lay down his life for his friend, he went on to say: John 15: 14 - 15 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; …

Psalm 118: 6 The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Psalm 56: 11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

That’s who Jack P. Scholfield was talking about when he wrote the Hymnal:

● I've found a friend who is all to me,His love is ever true; I love to tell how He lifted me, And what His grace can do for you.

● Saved by His power divine. Saved to new life sublime! Life now is sweet and my joy is complete, for I'm saved, saved, saved.

“When you’re contending with people, it’s not how you start, it’s how you BOUNCE BACK!”

III. Bounce Back From Yourself

Mark 5: 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.

● The Attack is designed to kill you, but you are Anointed to Bounce Back!

● The People came to destroy you, but you are Anointed to Bounce Back!

● Finally you can be your own worst enemy, but you are Anointed to Bounce Back!

Oliver Perry, a former American Naval Officer was quoted saying, “We have found the enemy, and the enemy is us.”

Romans 7: 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.

The devil attacked this man, but he couldn’t kill him. People abandoned and hurt this man, but they couldn’t kill him. But if he gave in to the evil within him, he would have killed himself.

It’s not what the devil does, it’s not what people do, it’s what we do in response to them!

Romans 7: 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

But praise God for an Anointing that can overcome even the evil within us.

Romans 7: 25

I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

John 14: 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

1 John 4: 4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Philippians 4: 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Ecclesiastes 7: 8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: …

Joel 2: 25 - 26 And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. 26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

“I’m Anointed to Bounce Back!”

I. Bounce Back From The Attack

II. Bounce Back From The People

III. Bounce Back From Yourself