Lost to love w1: Possessed

Introduction

Whats up friends! Welcome back to NXT High School. My name is Matt Velasco, if we have not met I want you to know that I am so glad that you are here and would love to meet you before you leave tonight! You’ll hear and see that we say something around these parts, we say that Wednesday night, tonight, is the best night of the week. And we firmly believe it. Not just because you get to hangout with friends and have free dinner and a ton of fun, but also because God has a funny way of showing up in special ways on Wednesday nights here at NXT.

So, if you’re new, thanks for being here! We hope you love it and I want to personally invite you to come back next week.

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In 1942, during the second world war, Clive Staples Lewis.. also known as C.S. Lewis, published his famous book titled The Screwtape Letters. The book is whats called an inverted allegory, which just means its a story that has a hidden meaning, but the meaning in the Screwtape Letters is not moral like a normal allegory, instead it is eerie and concerning.

Its a group of letters by Screwtape, a high ranking demon, to Wormwood, a lower rank demon, about how to cunningly lead someone to Hell. When the book first came to America it was a great success. It swept through our country and received raving reviews, but it also opened up peoples eyes to a reality they often hadn’t thought of… One review within the Chicago Tribune said this, “The main takeaway: remember the devil really exists.”

Big Idea

In the passage we’re going to read tonight, Mark 5:1-20, we are reminded that the devil and his minions are very much alive. But so is Jesus. My goal tonight is to reveal to you Satan’s purpose, and then to demonstrate Jesus’ power over evil forces and his ability to heal the harm which they have done. All through studying the story of the first missionary to ever be commissioned by Jesus.

Text Address

So would you open up with me to Mark 5:1-20? It’ll be on the screens if you don’t have your Bible’s with you.

Mark 5:1–20 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. 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.

lets pray

Before we dive deep into this scripture I want to highlight a few things and hopefully simplify some of them along the way. In order to do that I’m going to summarize what we just read-

the country of the Garasenes. The Garasenes in ancient Israel was a region of the Roman Decapolis, which were 10 ruling Roman cities in the East. This is important because it tells us something important: The people living here weren’t Jewish. They were gentiles!

a man with an “unclean spirit” who lived in the tombs ran to Jesus once he got ashore. He was possessed by a group of demons named “legion.” A couple things to note from this, but whats most important is the name Legion. A Roman legion (remember this is in a roman territory) when full was 6200 men. That means this might mean that the man was possessed by 6200 demons. We know it was more than one because he said, “my name is legion for WE are many.”

He ran to Jesus begging for mercy right as he came ashore, in verse 7… “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.” The demons understood who Jesus was and what it would mean for them, so they begged him to get it over with. And Jesus did. The first thing he did when he arrived was cast the demons out of the man.

The herdsmen fled and told 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” Some of you might relate to this guy. He was considered dead by the village that he lived in… thats why they sent him to live in the tombs. When they saw him in his right mind they were astonished. Maybe you’ve had friends who have considered you as good as dead because of mistakes in your past- or maybe your family thought there was no helping you because of something that had happened in your life. Or maybe you’ve chosen to live in the metaphorical tombs, considering yourself as good as dead...When Jesus gives you new life, the people that counted you as good as dead, including yourself, are often astonished.

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.” And thus the first missionary was sent. And his impact was incredible.

Content

Set Up

Tonight I actually want to walk you through a fairly simple message. This is one of my favorite portions of scripture, if not my absolute favorite. Its one of those stories where you can keep digging and you’ll find more and more gold. But, because of that, I don’t want to get too in the weeds- even though I could nerd out over this passage for a really long time. So, in order to keep it simple, I’m going to give you 3 lessons that you need to take away from this story of a man who was living in a tomb with a Legion of demons inside of him who met the Son of God and was radically healed and sent on mission. Because what I want you to know is that you are just like him.

No, you don’t live in a tomb and no, you aren’t possessed by a thousands of demons. But you have or could meet the Son of God just like he did. You have or could received His healing salvation. And you have or could be sent on mission to tell as many people you know about it. So lets talk about 3 lessons you need to learn from Mark 5:1-20,

The Devil is Real.

Jesus is Stronger.

Tell Your Story.

Lesson 1: The Devil is Real.

Mark has given us an elaborate and frank picture of the demonic. The story is heart wrenching, when you think about it. We’re reading about a real human being. He was “Demonized.” We translate that word in english to “demon-possessed,” but the literal translation is “demonized” meaning being under the influence of one or more evil Spirits. It can mean a number of things, but to its most extreme its what we read in verses 2-5

Mark 5:2b–5 ESV

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.

This demonized man lived in the tombs, rock-carved caverns furnished with dead men’s bones, filth, and vermin. The local townspeople had attempted to restrain him, but with terrifying strength he had broken the bonds they placed on him. He seemed to be uncontrollable and dangerous. He’d howl during the night and day, and then gash himself with jagged rocks. Scholars say the man likely did this in order to try and get the evil spirits out himself. Another said this, “this poor, naked man was a mass of bleeding lacerations, scabs, infections, and scar tissue, living in a delirium of pain”

Why would demons do this to a seemingly innocent man? Because Satan and his minions hate God, and will do anything to attack him. Humans are made in the image of God, so attacking us means to them that they are attacking God. Werner Foerster, a theologian and scholar says this,

…in most of the stories of possession, what is at issue is not merely sickness but a destruction and distortion of the divine likeness of man according to creation. The center of personality, the volition and active ego, is inspired by alien powers which seek to ruin man.

The point is this: The Devil is very real, very active, and very passionate about stopping us from being imago dei. He will do everything in his power to ruin God’s images which He has created in Human beings.

Lesson 2: Jesus is stronger.

The demonized man was strong. He appeared to have some sort of special strength due to the legion within him, and the legion within him appeared to have some special strength because of their sheer size. The whole entire village couldn’t stop this man! Their chains did nothing. Their tomb did nothing. But one day a man showed up who was stronger. And his name was Jesus.

What did Jesus say to defeat the legion? Actually, we don’t know. All we know is this,

Mark 5:11–13 ESV

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.

All he did was give them permission. He said nothing. He just willed that they would leave the man, and they did. 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. Naturally the owners of the pigs fled and told the city what had happened and people began to flood out of the city walls to see Jesus and the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind. The man was just sitting there. Not roaming about aimlessly among the tombs as before. Luke says in his account that He was sitting at the feet of Jesus. He was clothed for the first time in a very long time. And most importantly his mind was sound, he had self-control. He was smiling at the right times and alert, laughing, and in awe of Jesus.

What a testimony to the power and strength of Jesus Christ! He completely defeated the evil that was legion. A legion of demons stood off against Jesus, and with simple permission he sent the demons to their doom. Not only does it show us Jesus strength in power, it also shows us his healing. He restored a demonized man to a rational, controlled, peaceful and by all accounts saved man.

Friends, Jesus is stronger. He is stronger than your addiction to pornography, your mental illness, depression, anxiety, OCD, fear, stronger than your drug habit, stronger than your broken heart, stronger than your confusion, and stronger than your doubts. He is stronger than _____ (fill in the blank) whatever it is that you think you are bound to for the rest of your life. Whatever that thing is that when you hear me say it or you think about it you get a stabbing wound in your heart that screams regret & shame. You are not beyond help. Jesus who calmed the stormy seas also calms the storm-tossed soul. And, like he did it with the demonized man, he can do it to you with just his simple permission.

Lesson 3: Tell Your Story.

I said at the beginning that we would be talking about the first missionary commissioned by Jesus. If you haven’t caught on by now… it was this man. Up until this point whenever Jesus would heal somebody and they would be radically transformed He would tell them to tell no one. Instead, He tells him the opposite,

Mark 5:19–20 (ESV)

“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.

The mans response to the reality of the devil’s war against his soul and Jesus’ victory was to first ask Jesus, “let me come with you!” and then when he instead was told to go and tell all of the Roman world in the East (the Decapolis) of “how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” he obeyed, and he went.

Friends I’m just going to be blunt. Chances are you’ve disobeyed Jesus. His command here is the same as His command to us-

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But we the greatest advantage the world has ever seen. The Holy Spirit is within us. He wasn’t within the healed man, and yet he went. Some scholars have uncovered and believe that Paul’s success in the gentile world would not have come as quickly as it did if it weren’t for the missionary groundwork of this man. When Paul entered the Decapolis to plant Churches he would discover that there already people there who had heard of this man named Jesus who healed a man in the Garasenes.

If I went into your school would people know who you were because of how Jesus radically healed you? Would they know you were a Christian at all? Do they know the story of how you met God? Would they be able to tell me about the tomb you lived in and the chains that bound you? Or have you failed to share all that Jesus has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you?

Conclusion

The devil is very much real, but the Lord is stronger than he will ever be and has ever been. He is fighting a losing battle… and he knows it. Even now he hears those words and his anger rises up like Smaug’s in The Lonely Mountain. You are on the winning team if you know Jesus. Every time you sit down and say to someone “let me tell you how much the Lord has done for me, and how he has had mercy on me” you remind the devil of how badly he has lost this war. Every time you share your story and someone comes to faith you once again see Jesus snatch someone out of their own tomb and chains. Another victory won.

So go and be like the man who was released from his chains and brought out of his tomb and given a healed and restored heart and mind. Tell your story.

Maybe tonight you’re in a tomb bound by chains and you want to be set free once and for all. You see this Jesus and you also are crying out to him “have mercy on me son of the Most High God!” Tonight can be the night when you are set free and receive that mercy.

I want to give you the opportunity to respond to Jesus, not to me, but to Jesus.

God made you to know Him

Our sin separates us from Him

We cant get back to God on our own

Jesus Paid the debt of our sin when He died and rose again

Through trusting in Him alone, you receive life

Life we were intended to live, now and forever

The Bible says in Romans 10:9-10

Romans 10:9–10 ESV

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

First we confess Jesus is who He says He is…He is God! And we believe in our heart that God really raised Him from the dead.

Im gonna ask everybody to bow your heads and close your eyes ……If tonight, the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection made sense to you for the first time, If you do not know Jesus….You can tonight by simply confessing Jesus as Lord, praying along with me, and truly believe in your heart God raised him from the dead…..

“Dear God, I know that I mess up, I fall short of your perfect standard.  But I believe that Jesus died for me. I believe he paid the price for my sin. I believe Jesus rose from the dead. And I trust in Jesus alone to forgive me for all my sins and give me life, Fullness of LIFE. Amen”

Heads still bowed, eyes closed….If you prayed that prayer…You put your faith in Jesus tonight ….in just a moment Im going to have you look up at me…no one else looking around

​Looking up doesn’t save you

Saying a prayer doesn’t save you

Jesus Christ alone, and your faith in Him is what saves you

But I would love to pray for you

So with no one looking around, and you just prayed that prayer, on the count of three would would look up at me….

​One – Looking up doesn’t save you

​Two – Placing faith trust in Jesus is what save

Three – Look up now –

Keep looking….(then I try and look each student in the eyes, and praise Jesus for each one)

Okay you can bow heads again (those looking up) and then I pray one last time….