How do we respond to demon possession?
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Intro
I just flew in from San Francisco, and boy are my arms tired…
No, seriously, we just got home yesterday. Flew in. Uncomfortable seats.. ILLUSTRATION
This is going to be an uncomfortable sermon.
I am hoping to answer this question today…
How do we respond to demon possession?
Defining Possession:
have complete power over
Define Possess:
Concise Oxford English Dictionary Possession
visible power or control, as distinct from lawful ownership.
What are we talking about?
When a demonic spirit takes control or has power over someone or something.
Demons act on purpose…
The progression of this true story indicates that the demons were trying to prevent Jesus from doing something they thought that He would do.
Whether we admit it or not. And whether we are always vigilant or prepared for action… Dark spiritual forces are seeking to attack God’s plans and glory.
When the Bible talks about satan, the chief of demons. It uses many names and descriptors.
Accuser
Slanderer
Thief
Destroyer
Liar
Deceiver
Accuser, slanderer, liar, and deceiver are probably the most common.
All about deception. Sneaking in seeking to distract us for Jesus. Seeking to keep Jesus from people.
He will use every weapon he can. Everything he has at his disposal. All the power he can muster. Thats essentially what we are talking about.
Based on my study, and thanks to some great commentators… I think we can see…
3 accounts of demon possession in this text…
They may surprise you
My hope is that we will learn how we can respond in all three of these scenarios.
First, How do we respond to a…
Demon Possessed Environment?
Demon Possessed Environment?
35-40
35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”
Notice Jesus has a direction or plan. Everything Jesus does is in line with the Father and purposeful.
36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him.
Jesus is leaving a CROWD. Multiple boats.
37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.
Windstorm is essentially a cyclone or something like a hurricane. From any sane person’s perspective, even Mark, the boat is about to sink.
Those of us who have experienced hardship know that hardship is real. The effects are real. People die. Terrible things happen. It is absolutely normal for us to be alarmed when circumstances, or the environment we are in is being destroyed. Just as it is for the disciples to be alarmed.
38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
Notice Jesus, calm, collected, ASLEEP. “Don’t you care, Jesus?” I think its okay for us to say things like this to Jesus
Are they crazy for being alarmed by His sleeping? Would you be? Have you been?
I would. I have felt like He is asleep.
“Don’t you care, Jesus?”
Now, I want to be careful with what I say…
Honestly, the psalms are filled with statements like this… But, they always end in confidence in God overcoming fear of destruction. Point is, Jesus wants us to call out to Him in crisis. I don’t think he gets mad about us calling on Him! I think that’s why he allows a crisis. To invoke something in us.
39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”
Some read this as if Jesus is mad that they woke him up. That they were seeking His help. I think He’s simply surprised that they don’t trust Him. I mean, he knew, but still, come on boys.
Mark 4:38 (ESV Study Bible): The disciples’ fear of perishing is greater than their confidence in the presence of Jesus
Verse 40 here leads us to the answer of our question. What I believe God’s purpose for allowing the demonic possession of the storm… to invoke this in the disciples, in us…
How do we respond to a demon possessed environment?
Have Faith in Christ
Have Faith in Christ
Trust in Christ to deliver
Beloved, within every storm, every circumstance, Jesus is with you. He will see you through to His desired outcome. Deliverance isn’t always comfort or safety. Deliverance is promised to all God’s children, into His presence.
Trust in Christ having a purpose for allowing the storm
We saw this recently with the hurricane. Perhaps the purpose was for the church to shine like a light. Not hide under a basket.
Talk to Him about the storm! Ask Him to intervene.
Q: How do we respond to a demon possessed environment?
A: Faith in Christ
This is just the first of many of Satan’s tactics to prevent Jesus from doing what Satan thinks Jesus is going to do…
This next tactic leads us to ask…
How do we respond to a…
Demon Possessed Person
Demon Possessed Person
5:1-13
They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
[picture of map]
Mark 5:3 (ESV)
3 He lived among the tombs.
Notice this man was completely separated from other living people.
The man was isolated by both the demon’s influence over his mind and the people’s response to his terrible captivity.
All people tormented by demons are victims.
Demons seek to disrupt our connections with God (life) and others (love).
Demons Create a Threat to Others
Mark 5:3 (ESV)
3 … And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,
Obviously, people felt threatened by this demon possessed man.
While demonized people are themselves victims, the demonized will also become demonizers.
This makes dealing with them even more difficult and requires God’s wisdom
The demon’s aim is to create perceived threat in order to cause division and distraction.
Demons Overpower Human Strength
4 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.
There is no solution that man can create that will be strong enough to rescue others from demonic power.
Some try to medicate, imprison, appease, legislate, regulate, etc.
Nothing we can do will fully release others or lift demonic strongholds
Demons Inspire Despair and Self Harm
5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
Much of what people feel and think that causes harm and despair is really a result of demons working.
People under demonic power are pushed towards despair and people seeking to overthrow demonic power through human strength are pushed towards despair.
This man is connected. He had a mother. He had a father. He probably had siblings. But his situation caused them to separate from him. No hope. No solution. Only despair.
Demons Know Who Jesus Is
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.
7 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.”
8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
Even the demons shudder at His name.
This one bows
Demons Don’t Work Alone
9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.”
10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside,
12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
13 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 drowned in the sea.
So… Jesus is the only person interacting with these demons and the man.
There isn’t an explicit example for us to follow…
BUT…
Here is what we know…
If Jesus and His authority are present…
People can be set free!
Our response must be to
Bring Jesus Near
Bring Jesus Near
Pray and fast. Call on Jesus to set the person free.
Remember, the text says that Jesus commanded them to leave, and yet, they stayed and begged to not be destroyed. Deliverance doesn’t always happen over night or instantly. It is a persevering effort.
And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ and carries authority and power. Be in step with the Spirit and let Him lead you in how to cast a demon out.
There are many early church testimonies to exorcisms. It wasn’t just apostles, priests, or pastors that did them. It was ordinary people who walked WITH Jesus.
Q: How do we respond to a demon possessed Person?
A: Bring Jesus Near to Them
How do we respond to a…
Demon Possessed Society
Demon Possessed Society
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened.
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.
16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs.
17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.
The pig story overshadowed the man’s deliverance.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.
19 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.”
20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
The demons thought Jesus’ mission was for the whole city… But, Jesus’ mission was to set ONE MAN free and for that ONE MAN to preach the gospel in his testimony!
It wasn’t just this city he testified to. It was this entire region!
This true story happened on the same day Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God and how it enters into earth.
The parable of the sower
He explicitly says that satan actually seeks to intervene in gospel seeds germinating
The parable of a lamp under a basket
The parable of the seed growing
The parable of the mustard seed
This man’s story is exactly like this.
The demons expected Jesus, an oak of righteousness, to come and conquer them. But instead, he planted a mustard seed.
30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,
32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
Jesus Himself models this in His death and resurrection.
Satan did not know God’s true plan. Satan did not think Jesus’ plan of salvation involved His own death…
The Jews following Satan all expected a conquering political general. Make Israel Great Again. When Jesus didn’t meet that expectation, they crucified Him.
They wanted a political savior, instead they recieved a humble lamb.
Jesus came as a mustard seed. To die. To Rise. and to make mustard seed people.
Jesus came to establish a nation and kingdom that never needs an election. Never needs checks and balances. Never needs a new mission.
Jesus came to live, preach, suffer, die, resurrect from the dead, ascend to the Father, send the Holy Spirit, and return again for citizens of His Kingdom.
Beloved, do not give into fear. No mandate, no law, no tiktok fad, no disaster, no political uprising, no election, no persecution, not even death can destroy Christ’s Kingdom or stop His mission.
The Blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the church. Not the power of the martyrs, but the blood of the martyrs. Witnesses.
Because our testimony WILL overcome hell. ALWAYS.
The revival we truly hunger for is not moral or political. It is Spiritual. It is a mustard seed. God will hear our prayers and He will respond. BELOVED, DO NOT FEAR.
And this leads me to how we must respond to a demon possessed society…
Testify To The Saving Power of Jesus
Testify To The Saving Power of Jesus
Requests of Jesus:
Don’t throw us into the abyss - demons - yes
Send us into the pigs - demons - yes
Leave our region - the people - yes
Let me come with you - the freed man - no
Seriously… in my mind, the only one Jesus should have said yes to is the man!
“Get me out of the God forsaken place!”
They’re unclean
They medicated my distress with chains
They cast me to the outskirts of society
They let me hurt myself when what I needed was truth and love
They prioritized profit over my life
They cast out my deliverer
“Jesus, free me from this evil place! Take me with you!”
No… Go back and testify!
In fact, this is the mandate from our King!
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
All nations… Panta Ta Ethne. All people or ethnic groups. Planting mustard seed people in every ethnic group.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit rests upon disciples of Jesus who are on mission to testify to His saving power.
?[The Holy Spirit does not rest on any other mission or any other man.]
Q: How do we respond to a demon possessed society?
A: Testify to the saving power of Jesus
Full Circle…
I mentioned that Claire and I just returned from San Francisco.
Before our trip, when I told people about our trip, a common response I received was “oh boy!” or “be careful.”
Why? San Francisco has become a really frustrating and difficult place to live. Most of California has for that matter.
Rent in the Bay Area is unbelievable… 3k a month for a studio apartment. Some people pay upwards of 6k a month for rent.
Most crimes in the Bay Area are not prosecuted. Break ins are common. Kidnapping happens regularly and are usually not reported by the media.
So many people are homeless. Drug addiction is supported by the state.
Its absolutely terrible and everyone knows it.
And they hate it. liberals and conservatives.
If everyone hates it then why doesn’t it change? Why do people keep voting for people and policies that are literally destroying their lives?
The reason San Francisco stays willing to be enslaved economically, ethically, and politically is because demons have captured the people’s religious affections and faith.
They are under the spell of spiritual forces that can only be conquered by the gospel of Jesus Christ.
A new economy, which they had… New laws, which they constantly get… and a new politic, which they also had… These things will not release them from the spell.
We saw several people possessed by demons on our recent trip. We even had one stop in front of us, flash a demonic symbol, and try to cast a spell on us.
Millions of people are entrenched in demonic inspired activity.
Even when the gospel is preached, some will resist. 2 Cor 4:4
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
This makes prayer all the more necessary
We literally left devastation caused by a storm, I would say even a demonic storm, when we traveled to a demon possessed city with demon possessed people.
Nature, people, and regions may look beautiful… But they are still under the domain of the evil one.
Which leads me to my last admonishment regarding these things, Demon possessed nature, demon possessed people, our demon possessed society, is to remember what we have heard and know.
18 We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
