Jesus IS Power Over All

I. Introduction

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 3945 Hospital Specializes in Casting Demons

Miami, Florida (AP)—A form of exorcism is a daily occurrence at a Miami hospital treating several hundred patients a month who ask to have evil spirits driven from their bodies.

“Usually, we treat 600 to 700 a month,” says Dr. Hardat Sukhdeo, director of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Crisis Intervention Center. “But last month we had 900 people come for help … we worked our tails off—maybe there was a strong pull from the moon or something.”

The belief that demons can infiltrate a person’s body is old hat to the Jamaicans, Haitians, Bahamians, Cubans and Puerto Ricans who live in the Miami area, he said.

The patients are given strong tranquilizers to calm them; then staff members try to soothe away their fears.

A. Are these Doctors right?

B. Are they the answer to What is ailing this World?

C. This is what the world believes is the answer to our problems.

D. Our true power lies In Jesus Christ.

E. Mark 5:1–20

Mark 5:1–20 NASB95

1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. 2 When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. 12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea. 14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

1.Does our location Matter

2. Does what we face matter?

3. Does our reaction matter?

II.Location Does Not Matter

A.Mark 5:1

Mark 5:1 NASB95

1 They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.

1.Problems with place now

a. Gerasenes is used in Mark and Luke

b.Matthew 8:28

Matthew 8:28 NASB95

28 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.

2. How bad the place was for Jesus at his time.

a. place was not kosher

b. tombs

c. Gentile nation

d.Pigs

3. Jesus first demons cast out in the church

a. Mark 1:23–26

Mark 1:23–26 NASB95

23 Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him.

b. In His home town.

B. Why does the place hold us back from receiving his power?

III. What He is Faced With Does Not Matter?

A. Mark 5:2–13

Mark 5:2–13 NASB95

2 When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, 3 and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. 6 Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; 7 and shouting with a loud voice, he said, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!” 8 For He had been saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And He was asking him, “What is your name?” And he said to Him, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. 12 The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.” 13 Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

1. Legion of Demons

2. Every Unclean thing Imaginable.

B. Wilderness

1. Power to fight Satan

2. Power comes from the Holy Spirit?

C. What Are we faced with?

1. Our depression

2. Our Fears

3. Our inability to get ourselves out?

IV. Our Reaction To The Change is What Matters.

A. Mark 5:14–20

Mark 5:14–20 NASB95

14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the “legion”; and they became frightened. 16 Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. 17 And they began to implore Him to leave their region. 18 As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. 19 And He did not let him, but He said to him, “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

1.People of the Region Rejected what Jesus Had done.

2. The demon possessed Man reaction to what Had been done.

B.John 12:12–13

John 12:12–13 NASB95

12 On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.”

1. Reaction of ones who know what Christ has done.

2. Truthful reaction to Jesus Christ.

C.Luke 23:21–23

Luke 23:21–23 NASB95

21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” 22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.” 23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail.

1. Our reaction when We allow our place and what we face to rule.

2. Not understanding truly what Jesus has done.

V. Conclusion

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Spiritual Warfare

The story has been told of a mental hospital that many years ago devised an unusual test to determine when their patients were ready to go back into the world. They brought a candidate for release to a room where a water faucet was left on so that the sink overflowed and was pouring water all over the floor. Then they handed the patient a mop and told him to mop up the water. If the patient had enough sense to turn off the faucet before mopping up the water, he was ready to be released. But if, as in the case of many, the patient started mopping while the water was still flowing, they kept the patient for more treatment.

As Christians, all of us face the world in which we live and are confronted with the need to do battle with the evil that dominates it. But, like the patients in the mental hospital, until we realize where the source of that evil is, we will make no real contribution. To see less evil in the world means that we must conquer the evil that is pouring forth from our own heart. That is conversion. Then, to deal with the evil around us, we need a “mop and bucket,” the spiritual armor that God has provided for us.

A.Realize location doesn’t matter.

B. Realize what your face with doesn’t matter

C. Its your reaction turn off the water and Let Jesus be your supply and help Clean you up.