The Powerful Jesus

Intro

Tonight, we are jumping back into the Gospel of Mark. We have taken some time off from this book of the Bible, now, we will jump back in at chapter 5.

In tonight’s passage, we will see that Jesus is all powerful. Jesus has power over every situation and circumstance that life presents. In tonight’s passage, a man possessed by a legion of demons is rescued from demon possession and called to proclaim Christ.

Many times, life can present difficult circumstances and situations. We see this clearly in tonight’s passage. A man possessed by a demon had his entire life overrun by demons that had wrecked his life. He was living in tombs, cutting himself, and running around unclothed. However, he meets Jesus and his entire life changes.

Let’s read Mark 5:1-20

Mark 5:1–20 ESV

1 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. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 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. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 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!” 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. 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. 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.

Pray.

Jesus and the disciples have just crossed over the sea in which Jesus proved that He was the Son of God by calming the storm. Now, the disciples witness yet another example of Jesus displaying His deity through the casting out of a demon. Not only did Jesus cast out one demon but many demons that were possessing one man. Jesus has power over sin, satan, and satan’s agents. This demon possessed man was in a utterly terrible state before Jesus came to meet him.

The demon-possessed man was helpless.

Let’s take a look back at the desperate condition of the demon-possessed man.

Mark 5:1–5 ESV

1 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. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 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. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.

After Jesus and His disciples have crossed the sea, they enter into the country of the Gerasenes which is known to be a place consisting of both Jews and Gentiles. As soon as they arrive, a man is there to meet Jesus. However, this was not just any man, this man was a well-known demon-possessed man. This man lived among the tombs.

In the first-century, tombs were not like graves are today. Instead, these tombs were cut into the side of a hill or mountain and bodies were then laid in them. This man essentially was living in a graveyard among the dead. He was known by the community as some had tried their very best to chain or bind this man; however, they could not because of his overwhelming strengthen. Every time he would be bound, he would break free from the chains and shackles. No one could bind him.

These demons that possessed him caused him to be uncontrollable and unable to be bound up. He lived among the tombs and notice that his life was utter torment. He was possessed by these demons and wanted relief but he could not find relief. He would cut himself with stones. Some scholars have described that he would gash himself with stones trying to release the demons from him, but it was all to no avail. This man was inwardly and outwardly wretched because of demon-possession. This man had scares, infection, was unhinged in every way, and living among the dead.

Not only that,

Luke 8:27 ESV

27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs.

This man did not wear clothes while living among the dead; therefore, he was considered unclean and was a complete and total outcast. In this state, this man was always crying out both night and day. This man was demon-possessed and the demon was controlling his life and ruining every aspect of his life. This man was more comfortable among the dead than he was among the living.

R. Kent Hughes tells us, “The man was running wild, naked, unkempt, and ill, and as a result all were against him.”

This was the helpless condition of this man. No one would be around him. He was an outcast with no one to turn to at all.

What has happened is that this man has been completely consumed by demon-possession. This is what satan seeks to do.

Genesis 1:26–27 ESV

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God created humanity in His image. Each and every person is created in the very image of God. However, satan comes to steal and kill and destroy. That is exactly what he has come to do to this man possessed by demons. Satan has come upon this man using his demons to possess him and the sole purpose he does this is to deface or destroy the image of God in man. However, this was not the end for this man.

Point 2:

Jesus has power over all.

Mark 5:6–13 ESV

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!” 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.

The demon-possessed man has ran to confront Jesus. However, as the demons within the man come face-to-face with Jesus exiting the boat, they quickly recognize that this is not someone that they can torment. These demons have come face to face with the very Son of God.

The demons cry out as they recognize Jesus and ask what He has to do with them. Notice, they call out the name of Jesus because they were trying to gain power over Jesus by stating His name. However, such an attempt would not work against Jesus, the Son of God. Jesus stands His ground as He is sovereign. The demons even plead with Jesus. Notice what they say, “I adjure you” that basically means I beg you. They were begging Jesus not to torment them. As the demons bowed before Jesus, this was not an act of worship but an act of submission. The demons recognized the authority that rested in Jesus. They knew they did not stand a chance against the very Son of God.

The demons that fell from heaven with satan were and are roaming about on the face of the earth seeking to keep people from placing their faith in Jesus Christ and honoring God. However, their defeat is certain. As Jesus is the Son of the Most High God, Jesus is of the same essence as God and possess the very same power as God. Jesus is sovereign over all. Therefore, these demons have come before Jesus with great fear because they knew Jesus could cast them into the pit where they would be held captive until the final judgment.

As they knew they stood before the sovereign Son of God, Jesus, Jesus calls for the unclean spirit to come out and He asks for his name. The demon responds that his name is Legion because many demons possessed the man. Legion is actually a military term which would be a troop of six thousand soldiers. So, this man was completely overtaken by demons. Though there were many demons possessing this man, none of them stood a chance before Jesus. So, they asked to be cast into the pigs nearby.

Jesus granted them permission to enter into the pigs and when they did, the pigs ran down into the water and drowned. This was not just a few pigs. Scripture tells us it was 2,000 pigs that ran down the steep edge into the water. As mentioned earlier, Jesus could have cast these demons into the abyss to await the final judgment.

Luke 8:31 ESV

31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.

However, He did not do so. Instead, He granted them the request to enter the pigs. This is not Jesus being compassionate to the demons at all.

John MacArthur points out, “By granting permission for these demons to go into the herd of pigs, Jesus was allowing them to put on display the true magnitude of their destructive and deadly force. In so doing, He also highlighted the glorious superiority of His own power.”

Jesus was doing this to demonstrate just how disastrous demons were. Likewise, the entrance of the demons into the pigs revealed that they were no longer in the man. The man was free. That is the power of Jesus displayed. This man was completely possessed by the demons; however, with His words, Jesus had cast out these demons. That is the power that Jesus has.

In our own lives, we oftentimes feel as though things will never get better. Or, we thing that we cannot overcome certain things.

Whenever I was in high school, I was probably one of the most insecure people on the face of the planet. I was constantly trying to fit in in any way that I could. I always worried about what other thought of me and where I was on the popularity scale. I remember being in the 9th grade and constantly worrying about what I wore and how I acted. I wanted to be the coolest guy ever; however, I never was and still am not. Seeking to fit in, I allowed for my speech to sinful, my arrogance to be sinful, and to put my relationship with Christ in the rearview window. However, in doing all of this, I remember having constant conviction of sin from the Holy Spirit. I was constantly convicted because of my foul language and arrogance. And Jesus humbled me very quickly each time I would come to read His Word. Over time, I remember letting go of those insecurities and found that my security came from Christ.

That being said, many in this room tonight may be insecure, battling sin, battling a tough home life, whatever the case, Jesus is sovereign over all. The tough things we go through right now are being work for our good and His glory. Likewise, if you are struggling with sin or whatever the case may be understand that Jesus has the power to help you. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you. In doing so, He will take care of you if you are a Christian.

One thing that always helped me was knowing that Jesus had paid for my sins on the cross. Jesus died to pay the price for every cuss word I said. Jesus died to pay the price for every bad thought I had. Jesus died to pay the price for every arrogant moment I had. As I was reminded of that, I was humbled and eager to thank God for His grace and mercy toward me. Let us be reminded of the Gospel.

Jesus had the power to rescue this demon-possessed man from a legion of demons, and He has the power to rescue us from sin as He proved on the cross.

The whole point of Jesus coming to earth was to die on the cross for our sins. We could do nothing on our own to become sinless just like the demon-possessed man could to nothing on his own to get rid of the demons. We are incapable of honoring God on our own. But, Jesus did it all for us. Jesus came to earth lived perfectly then He died upon the cross for our sins bearing God’s wrath for our sins in order to save us from our sins. Then, Jesus rose from the grave after three days victorious over sin, satan, and death. This is the Christ we serve, yet we oftentimes do not go to Him in our times of need as if He cannot deliver us. The fact of the matter is that He is the very One who has already delivered us from our sin and shame if we place our faith in Him. Likewise, He is the One who can help us through any struggle and situation. We must simple trust Him.

We have been rescued in Christ. Will we proclaim Him?

Mark 5:14–20 ESV

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. 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.

After Jesus cast the demons out of the man, the herdsmen or owners of the pigs went into the town to report what had happened. They were concerned because they had lost two thousand pigs. They had lost their livelihood. Then, people from the city came to see what had happened. In doing so, they were afraid because they came and saw the the demon-possessed man was fully clothed and in his right mind. The demon-possessed man had been delivered.

Seeing this, the people of the city were greatly afraid and not only that they were probably angered by the loss of the pigs as well. Therefore, they asked Jesus to leave. They wanted no part of Jesus. So, Jesus got in the boat and was about to leave, then, the demon-possessed man came to the boat. He asked Jesus if he could go with Him. And Jesus’s response is awesome. Jesus tells the man to go home and tell his friends and family what Jesus had done.

The man was able to go home instead of hang out among the dead. Then, Jesus stepped in and saved the man from his desperate condition. Now, Jesus called the man to go and proclaim what Christ had done for him. Immediately the man went away and began to proclaim Christ in the city.

This man is much like each and everyone of us.

Before Christ, each and every one in this room was dead in their sin and trespasses. We were all incapable of doing anything to change our sinful condition. We were utterly dead in sin, totally depraved. Unable to honor God.

Then, we hear the Gospel. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, stepped down from heaven to dwell on the face of the earth. Jesus took on flesh dwelt among sinful humanity and never once sinned. Then, He would be put on a false trial, beaten, and crucified on a cross bearing God’s wrath from sin. However, He rose from the grave victorious on the third day.

We hear the Gospel of what Jesus has done for us. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus casted out demons from this man. Jesus then commissioned him to tell everyone of what Jesus had done for him. Now, we are commissioned to tell everyone of what Christ has done for us. We are called to take the Gospel the saving message of Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected to the ends of the earth. We are to tell of how Christ saved us whenever we could not. The demon-possessed man is a perfect picture of our calling and commissioning. When we were dead in sin, Jesus called us to believe in Him for forgiveness. Upon faith in Christ, we receive the commission to share the Gospel.

Christian: Are you sharing the Gospel?

Non-Christian: Will you place your faith in Jesus?