Freedom, Humility, Surrender (Mark 5:1-20)

Introduction

Good evening First Baptist. I wanted to start off by letting everyone know that we will be in the first 20 verses of Mark chapter 5 tonight...since I forgot to tell everyone last time preached on a Wed night were we going to be, and there were some confused individuals out there. I wanted to make sure I remembered to tell you. Also, I’ll have 3 points for you tonight that can be found on the church app. My M.I.M. is: “Jesus has the authority to set us free from our sin, but we must submit to Him and accept Him as our Savior and not continue to rebel against His pursuit of us.”

As I was preparing for this sermon, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus’ parable in Luke 15, with the lost sheep. You guys know the parable. “What man among you, who has a hundred sheep and looses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open field and go after the lost one until he finds it? When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!” I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who don’t need repentance.”

Keep this parable in your mind, we will be referring back to it. But 1st,

Have you ever been in a slump…a period of time where you were depressed, or down in the dumps…..and then suddenly an unexpected chain of events took place that changed everything.

We are going to meet a man today in our reading of God’s Word that you can probably relate to.

But first, I want to recap where we have been, so we can better understand where we are today.

We have been in Mark chapter 4 since Nov. 12th. So it’s been more than a month since Ken started us out in that chapter with the parable of the sower and the seed. A couple weeks ago Sam preached about the lamp and light, and the parable of the mustard seed, and last week Josh preached about the storm on the sea.

We often lose track of the timeline when reading the Bible, Ken has mentioned this many times in his Sunday school. What we are going to dive into today, happens the following day after all that has been preached about since Nov 12th. If we go back to the beginning of Chapter 4, we see: “Again He began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him.” And everything that Ken, Sam, and Josh has shared with you over the last month has been from that day. So here we are on the next day. Or quite possibly that same night. Verse 35 of chapter 4 says: On that day, when evening came, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” And we know that Jesus was asleep in the boat. He calms the wind and the sea after the disciples wake Him, and next thing we know, we are at the shore across the sea.

And that’s where we will pick up.....

Please stand if you are able as I read today’s text, then I’ll open us up in prayer.

“Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Garasenes. As soon as He got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of tombs and met Him. He lived in the tombs. No one was able to restrain him any more - even with chains - because he often had been found with shackles and chains, but had snapped off the chains and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. And always, night and day, he was crying out among the tombs and in the mountains and cutting himself with stones.

(6) When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before Him. And he cried out with a loud voice, ‘What do You have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You before God, don’t torment me!’ For He had told him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’ ‘What is your name?’ He asked him. ‘My name is Legion,’ he answered Him, ‘because we are many.’ And he kept begging Him not to send them out of the region.

Now a large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him, ‘Send us to the pigs, so we may enter them.’ And He gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd of about 2,000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.

(14) The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon possessed by the legion, sitting there, dressed in his right mind; and they were afraid. The eyewitnesses described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. Then they began to beg Him to leave their region. As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed kept begging Him to be with Him. But He would not let him; instead, He told him, ‘Go back home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.’ So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.”

Thank you, you may be seated.

Let’s Pray

Point #1 Have you allowed Jesus to set you free from living a life in your tomb(sin)? vv1-5

(Explain)

In the first five verses of chapter 5 we see that Jesus takes a boat across the Sea of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. Or Gadarenes. Depending on which Gospel account you are reading. This distance that he traveled across the sea could have been anywhere from 4 to 10 miles across, depending on where exactly they came to shore. We are told that it was opposite Capernaum; but we don’t know that it was directly east of Capernaum. You see, Capernaum is on the upper left corner of the Sea of Galilee. On the West side. So if you go directly east it may be 4 miles, if it is more diagonally it could be 10 miles or more. We don’t know for sure. It is important to note that all three synoptic Gospels use the word “region” of Gadarenes or Gerasenes because there was a city named Gadara and a city named Gerasa, neither of which were on the border of the Sea of Galilee.

But before we get to the shore, if you remember from last week; or if you weren’t here; this voyage is the voyage where a Storm breaks loose, and nearly capsizes the boat. The disciples were in fear for their lives, and Jesus calms the wind and seas with His voice. And the disciples ask in verse 41: “Who is this that the winds and sea obey?” As Josh mentioned last week, this was a rhetorical question. But the disciples were about to be reminded of this answer from someone unexpected.

So now we arrive at the shore; and as soon as Jesus steps out of the boat, Mark and Luke both record that He is met by a man with an unclean spirit. Now, I know that Matthew records that there were two men. This is not a contradiction. Commentaries explain that there probably were two men, as Matthew records. Mark and Luke were probably recording the one man because he was stronger than the other man. He was the main focus of what happened on this day. If someone was to tell a story about one of their children, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they only have one child. Right?

And this man lived in the tombs. He had tried to be subdued by the townspeople. Often bound with shackles, chains, and fetters. He was often naked and found to be cutting himself with stones and crying out in pain and anguish from the mountains. He was secluded from the rest of the community, whether by his own will, or cast out by the townspeople, we don’t know for sure. More than likely it was mutual.

There is so much we can unpack here. Let’s first ask ourselves:

what would the disciples first reaction be to this man? R.C. Sproul explains that there are 4 aspects of uncleanlyness with this man according to Jewish law. First, he was a Gentile. Gentiles were considered to be unclean to the Jews. Secondly, he had an unclean spirit, or spirits, inside him. Thirdly, the man lived in the tombs. The disciples had to be appalled by this. Just being in a tomb was to make someone unclean, let alone living in a tomb.

Numbers 19 goes through all this, and we aren’t going to read all of it, but verse 11 says: "The person who touches any human corpse will be unclean for seven days.” This chapter goes on to give specific instructions on how and when to cleanse yourself, so that you will be clean after 7 days.

It also goes on to say that if anyone enters a house with a dead body, that person will become unclean. Or if anyone touches a human bone or a grave, that person will become unclean for seven days.

Then starting in Verse 20, “But a person who is unclean and does not purify himself, that person will be cut off from the assembly because he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. The water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him; he is unclean. This is a permanent statute for them.”

And the fourth reason he would have been considered unclean to the Jews was that he was among pigs. Pigs were unclean animals to the Jews. Leviticus 11:3 & 7 state: “You may eat any animal with divided hooves and that chews the cud. Pigs, though they have divided hooves, do not chew the cud - they are unclean for you.” Deuteronomy expands on this and includes: “ and pigs, though they have hooves, they do not chew the cud - they are unclean for you. Do not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.”

But this man was not a Jew. He was a Gentile. But I wonder how that affected the way the disciples looked at Him, or how they reacted when Jesus cast out the demons. But neither the fact that he was a gentile, nor the fact that he lived in a tomb, didn’t change how Jesus looked at the man. There is no amount of sin in your past that can keep you from falling at the feet of Jesus and Him accepting you, and cleansing you, as we will see.

Much like the woman that suffered from a bleeding condition that reached out to touch the garment of Jesus to be healed…. Jesus didn’t rebuke her for being out in public, or for making anyone else unclean because of her presence… He says: “your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be healed from your affliction.” We will get to this early next year as it happens in the following verses in Mark.

As I mentioned in the introduction about the Parable in Luke 15. Jesus left the crowd in Capernaum to sail across the sea through the storm for this one man to come to Jesus and fall at His feet.

(Illustrate)

Can you relate? Is there someone in your life that has received grace and mercy that you thought deserved a life of pain and misery? Have you ever seen someone that you thought was too far gone come to accepting Christ as their Savior? Maybe you’ve been that person. Maybe you ARE that person! Thinking you are too far gone. You are not!

(Apply)

Who here has NOT been where this man was!!?? Maybe not exactly where this man was, but living an unclean, sinful, life …… crying out in pain and anguish because the void inside you had not yet been filled by the

Holy Spirit…..and, emotionally cutting yourself, beating yourself up with guilt and shame, …….

Like this man, who was considered unclean simply because of the family he was born into, filled with spirits that caused him to be tormented and to torment himself, surrounded by animals considered to be unclean, and living in a place that was considered to be unclean. We too… before knowing Christ as our Savior…. may have had an earthly family that was not well liked, sin filling our veins, surrounded by sin and temptation, and living in sin.

And like this man, we have the ability to fall at Jesus’ feet and be set free! And be accepted into His family. To become children of God. And be given a new name, become a new creation, and be given a new family…the Church. All because of Christ, and nothing of our own doing. Because He has authority to set us free.

As Jesus Himself said in chapter 2 of Mark, when He healed the paralytic man, “But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins - He told the paralytic- “I tell you: get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Which brings us to our second point:

Point #2 Do you appreciate the authority of Christ? vv 6-13

(Explain)

In the next set of verses, starting in verse 6….This man….. this Gentile….. runs up to Jesus, falls at His feet, and the demons call Him by Who they know He is… Son of the Most High God.

James writes that even the Demons know who Jesus is, yet they tremble.

And like I have mentioned in a previous sermon, Lane suggests that anytime a Demon calls Jesus by name, it is an attempt to gain control over Him.

And Alistar Begg explains, like I mentioned in the first point, that

this account happens right after the calming of the storm when the disciples ask in verse 41 of chapter 4: “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!” And they are reminded of the answer to their question here from a demon.

The demons go on in the next couple verses to ask Jesus not to torment them, or as Luke records, Don’t throw us into the abyss. You see, demons want to destroy, anything they can. Ultimately, they desire to distort the Image of God by tormenting man, because we are made in His image. But they would rather destroy the lives of pigs then be cast into the abyss and not inhabit any living creature or destroy any lives at all.

During my study through Exodus with my Knot Group, when we were reading about the plagues, and how the Egyptian Magicians duplicated the turning of water into blood…. my commentary explained that IF the magicians were drawing power from Satan, and that is debated among many theologians and scholars… but if so… it explains that if the Magicians really wanted to perform a miracle, then they would have turned the blood back into water, but Evil can only destroy, not cleanse.

Moving on we see Jesus give permission for the unclean spirits to enter the herd of pigs. This “permission” can NOT be overlooked. While I was preparing this sermon, I highlighted that. Jesus did not just remove the unclean spirits and send them into the pigs. He allowed this to happen. Just like we see in the book of Job, Satan and unclean spirits can NOT just do whatever they please to whomever they please. In the first chapter of Job Satan is “allowed” to touch Job’s possessions and family, but not him. And in the 2nd chapter Satan is “allowed” to touch Job but must spare his life.

Neither Satan nor his demons have power over God.

God is sovereign over all.

All three synoptic Gospels include that the demons BEGGED Jesus. Jesus has authority on Earth to cast out demons, to heal, and to cleanse. Jesus still has that authority.

These demons, they obviously had knowledge of who Jesus was…. we have seen this before…..and they had some control over the man there is no doubt. But there is much that just isn’t explained to us in Scripture. Debates continue among theologians and scholars as to why the man was cutting himself? Was it the demons doing it? Trying to harm the man. Or was it the man trying to free himself from the demon possession? We just don’t know. And the kneeling in front of Jesus. Was it the demons because they were begging Him? Or was it the man? Because He knew the authority that Jesus had, and knew that He was the only One who could help him.

(Illustration)

This account reminds me of the thief on the cross. Nailed to a cross, literally unable to do anything about his current circumstances, can only do one thing…. and that is cry out to the only one who CAN DO ANYTHING about his current circumstances. “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus answers: “I assure you; Today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

(Application)

Do you fully realize what Jesus has done or CAN DO for you?

If you have never accepted Christ as your Savior, He can set you free from the chains and shackles, the sin and the shame, and the guilt. No more crying out every night for people who can’t help you to hear you.

Jesus is waiting for you to fall down at His feet, like this man with a Legion of Demons inside him. And if you have accepted Him, then know that you have been set free. The forgiveness of sins is not something to be earned. It is freely given by the grace and mercy of God when we simply put our faith and trust in Him as our Savior by professing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead.

And it’s not enough to just know with our minds… these Demons knew… it’s a heart issue. We need to believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the grave, that He has become our Savior, and that He sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us.

And as believers, we are to tell others about Him, what He has done for us, and what He can do for others. But we know…. because Scripture tells us…… and because we all have experienced this, or at some time in our lives WILL experience this….that not all will accept the Gospel message. God made this clear to Isaiah in chapter 6 of Isaiah, when he was commissioned. Even Jesus tells his disciples to dust the dirt off their sandals if the Gospel message is not accepted in a house.

Not all accept Christ as their Savior. There are two ways to respond to the hearing of the Gospel message. And we will see both in our next point.

So moving on to our third and final point…..

Point #3 How have you responded to the Gospel? vv 14-20

(Explain)

Starting in verse 14, we first see that witnesses went into town and told the townspeople what had happened, and they came out to see for themselves what had happened.

I am going to re-read a couple verses in this last section of the text. I think it is important to hear these responses again to really take in what I am asking in this third point. Verses 15&17. “They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. Then they began to beg Him to leave their region.”

And Verse 18: “As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged Him earnestly that he might remain with Him.” Two completely different responses to the same miracle. Yes, one man was personally impacted by this miracle….but still…different responses to what had just happened. In fact, complete opposite responses. The first response we see is with the townspeople. Scripture says they were afraid, or had become frightened. This man who was recently naked and cutting himself with stones and crying out in agony….was now clothed and “in his right mind”. The Greek word used here for “in his right mind” is “so-fro-neh’-o”.

It is the same Greek word that Paul and Peter use when they write that we need to be “sober minded” or “self controlled” or “sensible”.

Talk about being made into a new creation like Scripture says. This is a picture of what Paul is referring to when he writes to the Romans that we will walk in the newness of life. That the old will pass away. Nothing by our own works, but only by the person and work of Christ Jesus.

And this sudden transformation scared the people so badly, that they begged Jesus to leave their presence. Not to mention that they were angry with what happened to their pigs. These pigs were probably their livelihood. They were probably planning on butchering them and selling them. Remember these people were Gentiles, not Jews. Their pigs were dead, somebody needed to take the blame, and they blamed Jesus.

So, Jesus begins to leave. He knew their hearts. But He didn’t just leave them alone. He left them the man who was demon-possessed. Jesus will continue chase after us and pursue those of us who continue to rebel against Him and run from His presence.

But, the man who was recently demon-possessed begs to be able to go with Jesus…..but is told “No.” But Jesus doesn’t just leave it there. He tells him…I need you to do something for Me. You have a job to do. Go tell people about what I have done for you.

Sound familiar??!! Kind of sounds like the command that He gave to all us through the Great Commission, doesn’t it? Jesus left the crowd, sailed across the sea, saved one man from continuing to live a life void of Him, sent Him off to proclaim the message of the Gospel, and then left to go back home.

Mark then goes on to say the man “went out into the Decapolis” and many were amazed. The Decapolis was made up of 10 cities,or towns. They consisted of: Philadelphia, Gerasa, Gadara, Pella, Dion, Raphana, Scythopolis, Hippos, Canatha, and Damascus.

Now, something to note here…. this may be the last we hear about this man in the rest of the Bible, except for the parallel verses in Matthew 8 and Luke 8… but this account regardless where you read it, may be the only account of this man…. but remember these Gospels were not written as events unfolded. Scripture doesn’t stop with saying that this man was commanded to go out to the Decapolis. It doesn’t say that he was going to go out to the Decopolis… it says he went. And people responded.

The works of this man, the people that he spoke to, reached the ears of the disciples and of Mark and Luke. God’s Word does not return void. What God has commanded us to do, is not about “us”. Like this man, it doesn’t matter what is remembered about us, it’s about whether or not we are obedient to God and proclaiming the Gospel message wherever we go. We are simply tools or vessels that God uses to expand His kingdom. And we are privileged to be able to do so. God doesn’t “need” us to do anything. He chose us…. and it is a privilege that we are able to do what He has asked us to do. Are we doing that?

(Illustrate)

How will you respond? Will you respond like the townspeople, by sticking your fingers in your ears going: la la la la la la la la la .

I can’t hear you. I don’t want to surrender because I am scared, like the townspeople.

I am serious. This illustration may sound funny, but it’s not. Many of us as Christians do this. Maybe not literally, but we do! We say, I know God can and does work miracles…. I’ve seen it. I believe it. But I like my life. I like where I am. What if God calls me to a place I am not comfortable going to. And I don’t just mean another country, it can mean that. But I mean where you are in your life. Do you know that God can change your life and yet you push Him away, ask Him to leave you alone, and reject His commands because it scares you?

Or will you kneel down at the feet of Jesus and say: “Change me” I am yours. Have your way with me. I am the clay, You are the potter. Lord I want to go this direction, but I want more to be obedient to You. And I will go wherever you direct me. Like the man that was forever changed on that hillside by the sea, he wanted to go with Jesus. That was the direction he wanted to go. Jesus said: “No.” Go that way. Over there. To those 10 cities. And the man said: “OK”.

I’ll go that way instead. I will follow in obedience.

And I will give thanks to You, oh Lord, and praise Your name wherever I go, wherever You send me. “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe without hearing about Him? And how can they hear without a preacher? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How welcome are the feet of those who announce the gospel of good things!” Romans 10:13-15.

(Apply)

Are you proclaiming the message of the Gospel everywhere you go? And maybe not verbally. But with your actions? Christmas is just a week away. Will you share what God has done for you in conversation as we gather with family and friends? As we celebrate His birth, will you give glory to God by telling others of what He has done.

Have you ever thought that maybe “one” person you disciple will reach people in 10 other cities?

(Closing)

As we come to a close…ask yourself…. Have you allowed Christ to free you from whatever tomb you are in. Have you fallen down at the feet of Christ and cried out to Him: “Abba” Daddy. Change my current circumstances. Change me!! Give me a new name, a new family, make me a new creation, as Scripture says, by the old passing away, and allow me to experience the newness of life ... .because You are the only One able to do so. If you have, then are you being obedient to what He has commanded you?

If you never have….know that He desires a relationship with you and is waiting with open arms for you to come to Him. Don’t wait. Talk to someone today if you have questions. Please. Don’t leave here with doubts or questions. It is imperative you leave here knowing that we are all sinners and that we can not do anything about our sin nature. But that Jesus, whose birth we will be celebrating next week, came to live among His creation…lived a perfect sinless life that we cannot, died a death we all deserve, so that we can have eternal life with Him. All we have to do is surrender to His pursuit of us and fall at His feet and say: “Jesus, be Lord of my life.” I surrender myself to you. Romans 10 says that if confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead WE WILL BE SAVED.

I titled this sermon:

Freedom, Humility, Surrender

Because we can have freedom from our sins and whatever tomb we may find ourselves in. But we need to first humble ourselves, by knowing that we are powerless without Christ. We need to kneel at His feet and ask Him into our lives as our Savior. And we need to Surrender our lives to Him. Don’t do what the world tells you to and wait till the New Year to become a New Creation. Let’s let Him lead us and be obedient to whatever He has called us to today. It might be scary. It might not be what we want at this moment. But it is putting our faith and trust in Him… saying “Your will be done, not my own.”

Let’s Pray