There are some people who don’t want to be saved, there are those who don’t know they need to be saved, there are others who don’t know how to be saved, and those attempting to save themselves.  Regardless of the category, it still remains a strict obligation of the believer to reach each one and tell them of our risen Savior.  Christ did not save us to have us lethargic and apathetic of the conditions of others.  He saved you and me to reach those who have not yet accepted Him.  Many of us have become complacent and comfortable with just coming to church, and claiming membership.

John Mark makes it perfectly clear through his eyewitness account and record of our text, what Christ really desires of all of those He has changed, those who have experienced Him, those who have been saved by Him.  Christ wants us out of the comfort zone, out of our own placate of Christian security.  Christ wants us to reach those who have not been introduced to Jesus.

He wants us to:

-          Share the news

-          Spread the word

-          Shake up the world

-          Make some noise

-          Be on fire for Him… (tell Lloyd Banks I said that), if we are going to be on fire we ought be on fire for Jesus! And Jesus alone!

In this text we find a man who had a problem.  The man was possessed by satan and was ostracized by society; the neighborhood was afraid of him and thought he was a lost cause.  They had already counted him done and useless, but, then he met the Savior.

Yes! My brothers and sisters, he was possessed by the satan, pushed away by society, but picked up by the Savior.

When people are in the grips of satan often they don’t realize their condition, their predicament, their situation, just as this man.  The context informs us that, he lived in a graveyard, crying and cutting himself with stones.  Sin will cause you to destroy yourself and keep you from seeing that you are headed for destruction!

He could not be chained, could not be tamed, every time people attempted to help him, chain him so he could be helped, he would break the chains and fetters, he caused those who knew of him to become afraid of him.  As a matter of fact they left him alone he was by himself in the tombs.  No family, no friends, no future it would seem.  When satan gets a hold on you, he will cause you to forsake help, make you believe you’ve got the answers and cause you to hurt yourself and others.  This man was cutting himself and living among the dead.  How many men and women, boys and girls do we know that are killing themselves on drugs, prostituting, and gang banging? How many young people do we know of that are headed down a dead-end street in life for literal destruction, wait a minute we got some old folks headed the same way.

The scripture, however, shows us that the man worshipped Christ and attempted to challenge Jesus.  He made it clear that he did not want to be disturbed while in his condition.  This should widen our eyes to the fact that there are actually some unsaved folk in the church. Perhaps, they don’t know this because satan has fooled them into believing that everything is alright with them. 

But Christ, just as He did with this man wants you to know, that, He knows better than you do what your problem is.  He wants to save the lost regardless of where they are.  Whether they are in the street, at home, in the graveyard, or in the church, God wants the church to reach all who are unsaved.  That’s why I wanted to look at this text, because it shows the dynamics of Gods love for each of us.  He does not want us to be alone. He does not want us living in the tombs crying and cutting ourselves.  He does not want us to have a life of misery and isolation.  He wants us to be saved. 

When Christ first met this man, the man was in a bad situation and appeared not to be capable of being helped, but Jesus, delivered the man from many demons as a matter of fact when Jesus asked him for his name the man told Him his name was Legion. Interestingly enough, the demons spoke through the man and confirmed their multiplicity and debated with Jesus.

How many of you know that if you let Him, that Jesus will speak to your problems. It doesn’t matter how many there are how big they are, Jesus can change your situation. He spoke to the demons in the man and commanded the demons to leave him alone...  I suggest to you today that Christ is still in the saving business today. 

I know this because he saved me.  I was just like this man, empty, void, and destitute in life, but Jesus rescued me from hurting myself from living among the dead.  He made me new, but he did not do it just so that I can brag about it, not so I can just keep it to myself, he did it so that I can reach others and let others know that JESUS SAVES.

Jesus wants each of is to do as he told this man, to go and tell his friends about how we have been set free.  Look y’all!, if you want to reach the capacity of your deliverance you have got to aid others in being delivered.  Well Christ introduces the formula in the conversation with this man.  First of all we must:

I.                    TELL THEM ABOUT CHRIST

Believe it or not there are some people who don’t know, but would like to know about Jesus.  He is able to do more for them than they can do for themselves.

He is all-powerful, there is no force or anything which can defeat him, he is bigger than any problem we may have as a matter of fact He is a problem solver.

He opens closed doors; He provides even when the provisions have run out. He fights your battles. But most of all tell them that Jesus Died for us all. He sacrificed His life for an unworthy world all because of the magnitude of undying love for you and me.

II.                  TELL THEM SOMETHING EXCITING ABOUT YOUR CHURCH

-          The church may not be all that you want it to be, but it is certainly a good place to be when Jesus returns.

-          The church is a safe haven from the wiles of satan and his attacks.  Why?  Because you got some more warriors praying with you, praying you through, praying your deliverance, praying for your breakthrough.

-          The church is a good place to be because the church knows that we have all sinned and come short, so it’s a good place to be with some folk who can tell you, you gonna be alright.

-          I know there may be some people in the church who don’t always act the way church folk should act, but that’s why they are there so that they can get cleaned up.

-          I know its some know it alls in the church, but that’s why their there, so they can meet the man who knows all and controls all.

-          It’s a place to develop a life of living for Christ.

-          How Reverend, well its at the church:

·         We can study together

·         We can share experiences (testify)

·         We can grow together

·         We can pray together

·         We can learn to live together

Thirdly, this formula for reaching others calls for us to

III.               LIVE YOUR TESTIMONY

How many of you know it’s not always what you say, but often it’s what you do that affects the lives of others.  People don’t always listen to what you say, but they hear what you do.  They don’t always climb aboard the bandwagon by what you have told them, they are influenced by the steps you take and the moves you make.

The popular pop singer, Sting sang with a group called the police and they had a song they said, “…Every move you make, every step you take, I’ll be watching you…”

 They don’t always hear your words they see your actions.  The old adage is “do as I say, not as I do.”  But if you want others to come to Christ you better do what you say!  Christ doesn’t want any phonies!  He wants people who are real, people who are real, people who really walk the talk, and live the walk. Look, keeping it real is keeping it Christ like!

When you say that Christ has saved you, when you declare that God has changed you people should be able to see that in you.  Your life must exhibit Christ daily that others might be reached.

You see Christ sent this man back to those who knew him before he was changed.  He sent him to his friends and family.  The ones who knew him when.  That’s what Christ wants us to do reach out to the ones that are closest to us first, see when you can convince those closest to you it will be easy to convince those you don’t know. 

Let me tell you why! Those who know you will see the real you.  They will notice the change.  Nine times out of ten the reason we can’t convince others about Christ that we are closest to is because we act no better than we did prior to meeting Christ.  There are people in our houses, our family, and our neighborhood who refuse to come to church or Christ because they see the way we act when we are not in church. This is probably the number one reason why we can’t convince those closest to us to come to church with us. I’m talking about why wives can’t get husbands to church, mamas can’t get their children, and friends can’t get friends to church. We don’t live like who we say we are. The attitude is if you go to church and act like I act or worse why do I need to be saved.

Look y’all!  The best way to reach others is through our daily walk.  The way we act when people mistreat us.  Do we still hang with the same crowd?  Do we still do the same things we did before?  People ain’t gonna come to your Christ if you represent him like a thug!

 Do we keep mess going?  Are we always in the middle of something petty?  Christ wants us to show others “what we are working with!”

Make being a believer, make being saved attractive.

Learn how to be the Bible that others have not read.  Our lives ought to be an example of Christ.  Exhibit Christ in your everyday life.  Live your testimony!  Live away from what you said Christ rescued and delivered you from.

There is no record that says this man went back to the graveyard, No!  He didn’t go back to the tombs!  He went where Jesus sent Him!  He went to tell others about a man names Jesus!  He went to tell those he knew that He had been changed!  He wanted everybody to know that he did not do what he used to do!