Mark 5 - Claim your identity

Introduction

Starting Mark 5 - Just finished Mark 4 - Jesus got on a boat | Calmed Wind and Waves | the disciples have changed from “Who is this” to “This is GOD” | How are we going with our heart transplants?

Are we looking to absorb? are we looking to reflect what we are absoring?

Creating real change?

Maybe you need help? help...Maybe “Identity Crisis” | *Possible Story* | What do you need to let go of? what strongholds? Maybe you need to just reach out to our God, Maybe you’re sitting there like “YES I need change” but I need help…Maybe you just need that one touch from Jesus and his love to work through you.

The title is “Step into your identity”

**Pray**

Mark 5 is a story of great miracles, but it’s also a story of great IDENTITY CHANGE

Mark 5:1–13 ESV

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 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. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 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.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 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.

Context of Man | How close he was to death | far from humanity | barely recognisable

“And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain,”

“Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.”

Despite all this happening, Jesus is in control. Just like wind and waves. He knows power he wields | We should to, through us |

Man Possessed | Demons knew who Jesus was, thought they could control him | Intimidate him | Ancient superstitions | In return jesus demands name | “Legion” means “Thousands” yet, they pleaded for mercy, They feared eternal judgement, only God could do | Demons get put into Pigs and everyone saw the power of Jesus | Then what happens?

Mark 5:14–20 ESV

The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 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. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 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.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Jesus took this man | saw through what was possessed in him to his purpose | Jesus saw the one, cares about the one | cares about you

Took man, transforemd identity by one interaction

Jesus uses power not for demonstration, but restoration | restores his dignitiy (Clothed him), gave him sanity (his right mind) and community - This is the power of Jesus.

yet the response to this power…is fear. People not ready to accept the re-ordering of their world. Jesus took a mess and turned it into a miracle.

Does Jesus not do that for us? Think about our lives, what has Jesus done? Where we stuck in a world of Transactional Kindness?

What strongholds? What darkness is clinging on? Maybe you just need one interaction with Jesus?

The Reaction

What was the reaction of him and everyone else?

First Reaction - be WITH Jesus

Alexis birth, held her for 6 hours

Nates Birth, I just wanted to hold him

What does Jesus say though to him? Man had a purpose, God had another Purpose. He activates this man for the kingdom of God. It may not be the Purpose you where looking for, but are you ready to serve his purpose?

Maybe you just need to listen to his will?

One word, one interaction with Jesus

What did man do? Preached what jesus did. We can do that. Result, 4,000 where there when Jesus came back.

Salvation Story - Concentrate on my identity. What my purpose WAS.

Psalm 57:2 ESV

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

OK, let’s continue

Mark 5:21–24 ESV

And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.

At this point the Daughter was still alive, important.

Mark 5:24–35 ESV

And he went with him. And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

Context;

Leviticus 15:19–20 ESV

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean.

Context;

Identity that gave the woman?

Where she was living | What she was doing | What she did | Broke through all expectation of society because of what? Her FAITH in Jesus, She broke through lines of Religion |

Crowd pressing | surrounded.

Once saves what? Told him whole truth | 12 years isolated | in fear because of laws that she had just broke, maybe waiting for a reprimand, and what does Jesus do?

Calls her “Daughter” - First time she would have EVER heard it | this is what Jesus does

2 stories, one isolation, one a leader, it doesnt matter who you are.

from outcast to daughter of God

Mark 5:35–43 ESV

While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Context; Professional Wailers, big deal | Jesus encourages faith, and then clears anyone out that doesn’t have any - We just heard how his re-ordering created fear, now laughter and unbelief. What does he do?

He sifts

there is sifting going on |

Jesus here, broke the line of religion | Law about touching the dead body | Daughter gasped for air. Religion and Legalism draws lines to keep people out, Jesus crosses lines to draw people in, we as a church will do the same | This was gift of grace, not mirical show.

This double miracle (the raising of Jairus' daughter and the healing of the bleeding woman) taught the disciples that Jesus not only had the power to control nature (4:35-41) and demonic spirits (5:1-20), but also death. These were important revelations to those who had exercised some faith in Him. They learned that Jesus was more than a man, and even more than the greatest of the prophets. Undoubtedly God used these revelations to enable the disciples to see that Jesus was the divine Messiah (8:29).

That Jesus was God, and he is at work today

Nate and his eye - How distraught I was. God sent his only Son to die for us

John 3:16 ESV

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Gospel Story - God saw we needed saving, he climbed down and became the flesh in Jesus - Born of a virgin, without the sin of Man in him - The perfect Son of God - came to take our punishment, he was beaten for hours and hours before being put on a cross where his blood was poured out for our sins.

he died, there was a battle in the grave and 3 days later the stone was rolled away from the tomb and the body was not there, Jesus had rose agian and the same Spirit that rose Jesus from the Dead now lives in you and he has a great purpose for you life and an identity IN HIM. If you don’t know Jesus then today is the day he is inviting you into his family, truly, into his family.

Maybe you feel like you are absorbing the word and you just need that one interaction from Jesus, we must cry out, we must listen - Jesus is always with us.

Prayer & Communion.