Liberation

Problems with you turn with if you would Mark chapter 5 will start out verses one through 13. They came to the other side of the seat of the country of the garrison means 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 terms and no one could bind them anymore, not even with a chain freed often been bound with shackles and chains but he rates the chains apart broke the shackles and pieces.

No one had the strength to subduing night and day among the tombs and on the mailings. He was always cried out, cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar off. He ran fell down before him, crying out a loud voice he said one of you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high God. I juror you by God. Do not torment me for he was saying to him come out of the man you unclean spirit. 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 a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged him, saying, send this to the pigs. Let us enter them. So we gave them permission. The unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs in the herd, numbering about 2000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and were drowned in the same that with me as we gutter our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father we pray for our sick this morning. We have many we pray for Ray Green who is going to have some stance redone in his area of his heart. We pray father that you would give those doctors wisdom to know exactly what to do and that they might do it correctly that Ray might be made whale tenure. Pray for Linda Catherine Lord and she heals from the hip surgery that she's had pray for Nicole los Lord is.

She is still struggling with vertigo. Pray for the balance Lord.

Both of them as they go this week for test and prayers test will will turn out good.

Pray heavenly father for my brother Scott Starcher who was able to come the day we thank you for the healing in his leg and pray it will continue to get whale heavenly father, your son said in his word that we wouldn't know the truth and the truth would set us free by the truth in this passage free us to be warriors, Lord, in the passage that we are studying today, we see a man who's been utterly defeated by Satan we see the wicked heart of our enemy. Most of all, we see the all conquering power. Jesus help us today to get serious about our calling to fight in May we learn total dependence on you as we do battle.

What is the precious holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. You may be seated. 1984 I went to a Bible conference in Kansas City, Missouri. The preaching was powerful.

The singing was inspirational. They are praying was time was just extremely convicting, and during that time I was thinking I was praying in the Lord just brought to my mind areas in my life and I knew that would just not honoring to God.

And I felt just great conviction and and I confessed, and then I repented and it felt like a weight just dropped all familiar it with such joy that I felt like I got saved all over again will I headed back after the meeting was over to the hotel room and and we were supposed to leave on the next morning and got back to the hotel room and I was too pumped up to go to bed and saucer one just going to go for a run saw through all my shorts watching issues my Clemson T-shirt and took off down the road. It was it downtown Kansas City and I started running through the streets and and got several miles down the road I got to a section of Kansas City. That was pretty rough. I started going I look down ahead of me down the road just a little bit and there on the sidewalk.

There was a woman and she was dressed, immodestly, and I look at her and she had her head down her hands and she was just weeping like a baby.

I got up a little close rusted man, can I help and she started to run away and said wait a minute why the medicine I'm a pastor I don't want to hurt you. I just want to help you and she said well I just been robbed and said they took a whole week salary, and then we begin to talk and she shared with yeast with me. This truly she said I can't lie to you anymore so I'm not a woman I'm a man and set a Leo and I worked on at the gay bar down from here and she said I absolutely hate my life and said I will. I hate the way I am.

There is nothing in the world that I can do about it. I would change it if I could but is born this way and there's nothing that I can do to some thinking very seriously about going home take a whole bottle of sleeping pills and just end in this horrible life of sin friend Satan has deceived you. Suicide is not the answer. You don't have to live in bondage anymore. I said you want to be free, and she and he said more than anything so then just print. Please let me pray for you S a busy road here. I'm in the cars going back and forth, we are in the sidewalk. People walk in and rot right with us. I just prayed and I said Lord in the precious and holy name of Jesus and through the power of Jesus, precious blood. I'm asking you Lord to do a work in this man's life and Lord remove the bondage from them and set this man free and a looked up and in the gossip. My head puts my head quit spinning and he said I feel like a weight just fallen off of me and Austin will praise God for that. I said I want you to notice of your biggest problem is not the bondage said your biggest problem is that you don't know Christ said would you like to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

The snowman would answer what we set down on the curb and people walk in Boston cars flying up and down it and for about 20 minutes. I went to the gospel.

Sharon verse by verse withing and I finally finished up and and he said cannot trust Christ nail and also let me ask you something I said do you believe that Jesus died for you personally. So do you believe that Jesus that Jesus shed his precious blood, that your sins might be forgiven that he was raised from the dead, that death might be broken over you, and I said are you willing to genuinely repent of your sins.

And sincerely turn to Christ, and he said yes before I knew what he was doing. He got down on his knees there on the sidewalk and he prayed and cried out to the Lord, have mercy. Owning and to save his soul. I looked up at him and and you could just see the peace and joy in his countenance.

About that time a car came flying up to where we were slammed on brakes and these two huge guys jumped out and they came running over to me and they said what are you doing to her minute, wait a minute I sent them to share the gospel with this guy and they said God what you talking about, and then the new convert begin to explain and shared with him what it just happened. The two guys looked at each other and they said they were Christians to so we play football down at a college not far from here and the current rent of the God said where you live at any said told him we live in and they said was just about a block from our dormitory since want to just jump in the car will take you back home and working to pick you up. You're going to church with us Sunday in the gossip dry heat and I jumped in the car and they took off.

I stood there with me. My hand was just thin. I thought what in the world just happened. I said I'd been in the midst of spiritual warfare and I wouldn't anything but a spectator. All I did was just get out of the way so that God could move and I say I can't read Mark chapter 5 anymore without thinking about that encounter. What did he teach me. It taught me that spiritual warfare is very, very real, and it also taught me that the the power in spiritual warfare is in the Holy Spirit is not in me, it's in the Holy Spirit, for I given this passage only look at some very important very important truth concerning spiritual warfare. If someone were to ask you why Jesus come to this earth. What would you say so.

Well, Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the earth.

So Jesus came to this earth in order that he might be our substitutionary atonement in order that he might take RCN to give us his righteousness in order that he might appease the wrath of God against us in order that he might reconcile us to a holy God in an order that he might redeem us out of the slave market of sin. That's why Jesus came and you'd be exactly right.

Listen to what John said in first John chapter 3 verse eight he said it very succinctly. He said the son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. John MacArthur spoke very powerfully about this. Listen to what he said the Messiah came to vanquish Satan, the usurping prince of this world in order to rescue sinners from spiritual bondage and usher them into the kingdom of God as early as Genesis 315 in the aftermath of mankind's fall into sin.

God had promised to send to deliver who one day would crush the serpent's head that promise was ultimately fulfilled at the cross where Christ simultaneously defeated Satan, sin and death. The Lord Jesus died, not as a helpless victim.

But as the heroic Victor that through death he might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil in my free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives, but the cross was not the only place where Jesus demonstrated sovereign power over Satan and is doing the him and his demon rail at the outset of his ministry when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Jesus decisively defeated his archenemy the Lord subsequently went on the offensive against the powers of darkness. His earthly ministry sparked an outburst of demonic activity unlike anything before sense has fallen Angels freak down Enterra whenever they were in his presence. Jesus dominated them wherever he found them. They did not attacking me attack them directly and forcefully and compel them to succumb to his commands. The power he exercised over the them was absolute so that in spite of their resistant hatred for him. They were immediately bound to succumb to his demands by six point someone to share with you today .1 the seriousness of the situation with verses 1 to 5 again. They came to the other side of the seed of the country of the care saints, and when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the times. A man with an unclean spirit.

He lived among the times no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain free had often been bound with shackles and chains but he rates the chains apart any breadth the shackles and pieces. No one had the strength to subduing night and day among the tombs and on the mountains. He was always crying out, cutting himself with stones. If ever there was a picture pathos and sorrow. It's right here look at this poor man. He lives in a graveyard.

The devil has made him consume himself with with the subject of death is, and constant physical and emotional pain. The townspeople have had changed them up in a graveyard and they changed them up in order that he might not hurt himself and that he might not hurt others. The Scripture says he took sharp stones and he cut himself on a stop here and just mention something very quickly over the last several years there has been a sad in our culture here in America among young people is called cutting. When I think a sharp knife and they they cut them sales them and let themselves bleed one of they do that this cutting is seen by some as self punishment is seen by others as a reliever of anxiety is seen by some as a precursor of suicide limitations something folks. It is a demonic practice is dangerous and it is not helpful. It is not harmless. It is not honoring to God. It is a demonic practice and if you know young people that are into theists that are doing this. Let them know that it is extremely dangerous in our society today, there are a plethora of addictions. People hooked on drugs but looked on alcohol people hooked open our goofy people so sick of hopelessness in the in this life. If they they are in constant depression and thoughts of suicide permeate their minds.

So what is the life they chose. Let them wallow in it.that's what they want to do is tell them to stay away from me, you know that's the attitude that the men of good narrow hand toward this. This poor man that they didn't care about him. I suggest just letting go of any duty wants to will chain them up in the graveyard if he dies, he dies, then we won't have to worry about them anymore. Praise God. Jesus didn't have that attitude Jesus look past the dirty clothes.

He looked past the cuts in the bruises he looked past the drooling saliva out of the skies mail.

He looked past the bleeding where he had cut himself with stones and he looked at his heart. We looked at his heart. He saw emptiness.

He saw hopelessness and he saw a need for Cisco as a man. It was an animal. He was a human being that was created in the image of God, and he desperately desperately needed help right .2 the weapons of our warfare. Look at verse four free had often been bound with shackles and chains buddy.

He reached the chains apart any breadth the shackles and pieces. No one had the strength to subduing some of the people in town tried to help out like change them up and they tried to tie them up, but he broke the shackles and pieces like they were nothing, and the weapons that they used to try to helping him just flimsy and there were absolutely powerless over in second Corinthians chapter 10 verses three through six. Paul gives us a formula about how to do spiritual warfare to listen to what he says.

Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our worth of warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every all to the obedience of Christ and having a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled several years ago I read a definition of what a stronghold is and is best definition of ever saying don't you listen this carefully strongholds a mindset that is impregnated with hopelessness that causes me to accept as unchangeable, something that I know is contrary to the will of God. What's I believe there is no hope for me to change.

I have only two choices. Either I give myself over to the CN and live out my life in bondage or I give up and try to take my life. What did Paul mean and second Corinthians chapter 10 verse four emits that the humanistic methodology that we use to try to fight against spiritual problems is not strong enough and it just won't work. This is why a secular psychiatrist can only do so much they can help a person to to maybe understand why he has depression, or maybe understand why he has this addiction. Or maybe understand why he suicidal, but except for maybe given them some drugs to numb himself a little bit you can do much more than that. But Jesus Christ has the power to break the bondage of that addiction or that depression or that suicidal tendency and absolutely set him free are some people in this room right now that if I asked would ask you right now to stand up, give a testimony you could do it and and you would stand up in Utz I will I.

There was a time when I was addicted to alcohol or drugs or pornography and I went to therapy centers and I went to doctors and I tried this I tried that and nothing worked but I cried out to Jesus and he reached down in my heart and he broke the shackles and he absolutely set me free. Listen folks, that's not just a broken habit that are freed heart and it didn't come from a program and it didn't come from a formula. What did it come from. It came from the hand of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Maybe you're feeling proud because you never had this kind of addictions you've never had an addiction to alcohol or drugs or pornography will ask you this had you ever had a problem with self-righteousness you ever had a problem with jealousy you ever had a problem with lust in the mind you ever had a problem with the fear of man limitations.

Those things are just as addicting. There can be just as powerful and they can bring great destruction in your life was set tell us it tells us that every one of us needs Jesus right .3 the one and only answer.

Look at verse six and when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before he you think you got problems. Look at this guy, he was suicidal. He was purposely torturing his own body was forced out of society lived in a graveyard. He was so tormented emotionally that he just wept all the time. Perhaps you can relate to that man. Perhaps you have dealt with deep dark depression, but he tried drugs therapy, doctors gone done this you've done that you tried everything for help and nothing as much work. I am not belittling you and I'm not saying that you haven't been to God for help, but I'm asking you this, have you absolutely cried out in desperation to God for help where you're not trusting anything else. But the Lord Jesus to help us exactly what this man did the Scripture says that he went to Jesus he fell down before him, he by outperforming the fury that the King James version.

It says that he worshiped Jesus he got to the point which is nothing else is helping me.

Nothing else is going to work and he comes to Jesus and bails down and worship him and says, Lord, you're my only hope is your chronic God being that desperate and my former church with a member is been hardly addicted to cocaine and he shared his testimony with me one day and he just opened his Bible up and said this is my testimony went to Psalm 34 and he read verses four through seven it says I saw the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant in their faces shall never be ashamed. This poor man cried out in the Lord hurting and saved them out all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who theory and delivers them selves name was Joe.

Joe said to Millie, I took Psalm 34 and I took it literally and he said I cried out to the Lord for help and God set me free.

He said I want you to look at verse seven. One more time and so we did as the angel of the Lord encamps around those who theory, and he delivers them.

He said that's what God did for me just said before I got desperate and cried out to God, I go to a therapy session are good to get some help from a doctor and said I come back home. I think everything's okay and then he said my old cocaine buddies would show up at my house and they bring cocaine. The temptation was so great. He said I given every time he said, but after I credit the God he said something very strange happened. Hey set I cried out to God and all the sudden Mo friends didn't anything to do with me anymore. He said I call them and they hang up. He said I'd see the men on the street. They look down at their feet and walk the other way. Now I'm a sense say something here. It's going to sound kind of wacky but don't you listen very carefully and will share couple verses with you first.

Hebrews 114 the angels of God are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation Hebrews 13 to do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers for thereby some of the entertained angels and were not even aware of it that only happen in the Old Testament like with Elisha and second Kings chapter 6 when Elijah and Elisha and his servant are they on the battlefield and his army of air on this all the way around the and looks like certain death for them. All of a sudden the Lord opened Elisha's eyes. And Elisha could see all of these angels there with their swords drawn and he knew they were protected.

That nothing was going to happen to them.

The servant's eyes were not open yet. We read you what happened. Elisha said to his servant, do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.

Then Elisha prayed and said, oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see. So the Lord open the eyes of the young man and he saw the whole amount was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha, but we think that the angel ministry was limited to the Old Testament and just the New Testament church.

What happened angels get lazy after the first century.

I said were not doing that anymore is that is that what happened I don't think so. Joe didn't think so either.

Finally, Joe caught up with one of his old cocaine buddies and he said I will ask you something he said why you been aboard me and his buddy said, because that manse always with you, and he said man they said that big man.

He said he looks like an arc or a policeman and eight and Joseph look as the man with me. I'm not been around any by don't know what you're talking about and he said you're lying to me Joe.

They said that manse with you every time I see you and he said hey he said he is going to turn the end of the law. I'm going to get arrested and a Solano anything to do with you, and he turned ran and he walked away.

Joe was absolutely convinced that the man is drunk Christian friend Saul was an angel. Joe said I'm free and I'm saved and God did it and he said if God has to send an angel to set you free and bless God I'll do it point for the high cost of freedom. Look at verse 11 through 13 now great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged him, saying, send this to the pigs. Let us enter them.

So I gave information and unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs in the herd, numbering about 2000 rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.

This man was not psychotic. He was not retarded he was not insane he was demon possessed and the men of the city were absolutely scared to death, loving the women would not go to the marketplace anymore because they were scared they come in contact with the other children cannot go out and play. Because of this man and the man himself was more miserable than anybody else. This man had a problem that no counselor could talk them out of here.

This was a demonic bondage. What did Jesus do Jesus went to, any cast the demons out of this man went into a herd of pigs and the pigs went crazy they went running as fast as they could they ran over a cliff and they were all drowned in the city. Now that was an expensive venture. One, because there was a farmer, they are who owned all that livestock ended all just been keel that is been called all of his pigs 2000 of them had just met their death. But you know that's always the case when Jesus becomes Lord of someone's life.

The secular world feels it done the year were not a drug addict. Chris taken drugs, then the drug pusher loses out financially when an alcoholic which drink and then the owner of the bar loses money when in their moral man gets saved, then the other in the pornography industry takes a hit over the next chapter 19 we read the story of Paul going to Ephesus, and Paul goes to Ephesus and and when he gets there, he begins to preach the gospel revival breaks out. People didn't save right and left and the these people. It will this save they get excited and they take their idols and they take about a street like throw them down and they break these idols like they will never do this again will never buy another idle guy named Dimitris who was a silversmith boy when that happened. He got mad and a said this is not right started a riot and said let's go kill Paul right now because he's turning our society away from the Greek goddess Diana taste.

On the one concerned about Diana. He was concerned because he was losing money and don't you know the same thing happens today the world is not want you to be sold at the Christ. Because if you're sold at the Christ, the world knows it can't manipulate you anymore. Acts 17 six when my favorite verses Paul in this and his team were going into Thessalonica.

The men of Thessalonica, said all know those merely turn the world upside down have come here also, none of Christians who said all he had. That's right.

That's what were supposed to do.

So let's get our guns. Let's get our are 9000 and let's get angry getting their face and let's show them who the boss is what Doug said that's not God's weapons. What was Paul's weapon's weapon was the gospel he will only preach the gospel and what happened to these people. These people coming of Christ and they started living morally and ethically and honestly turn the world upside down.

Maybe it's better center in the world right side up again .5. The ministry misunderstood. Look at verse 15 through 17 large men fled and told into the city and in the country and people came to see what it what it was that it happened and they came to Jesus and saw the demon possessed man, the one who had the Legion sitting there closed in his right mind. They were afraid, and those who had seen it described to them what happened to the demon possessed man into the pigs.

They begin to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

For months the townspeople would complain because this demonic attack was a nuisance and he was a danger.

He was a threat every body. Men were scared nothing the women wouldn't go to market the children who in come out and play and the and the people from other towns wouldn't come into their village to buy stuff from them from their markets and their businesses was a terrible horrible situation. Jesus setting free, no longer his seat screaming and yelling and cursing and crime, not no longer is he a believing no longer is see drooling saliva out of his mouth in a sitting there with his hair combed, got clean clothes on his got a big smile on his face and all the children are drawn tooling is a picture of a beautiful piece and tranquility. It was seem like that village would've been so happy that they would have been ecstatic at this Del Monte act has been set free is not what happened.

I came to Jesus that please leave.

We want you around here anymore, these were religious people did that they most of the people in Inca Darrell were Gentiles and they had worship the false gods of Rome, they were religious people just the wrong religion. And then there was the Jews who went to the synagogue but I think most of them probably just play in church when they saw the supernatural power of Jesus.

I got scared and baffle them and confuse them. It made them feel guilty.

That made him feel convicted folks don't expect unsafe to rejoice when you really come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior. It scares them to the health I .6 the ministry that God honors verse 18 to 20 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 Kelly. My much the Lord has done for you 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 former demoniac went to Jesus and you can almost feel his heart. Some is like a little kid and went to Jesus and said to be with you all the time. I want to eat with you and I want you to teach me and I want to see you every day I will be able to worship you face-to-face. I just want to stay with you. I don't believe you and Jesus, and we can't do that. He said I want you to go back home. Go to your family. Go to your friends and tell them what God's done in your life go back to your family. Go back to your sphere of influence and you tell them, tell them about the peace and the joy that God's given you. You go back and tell them that Jesus Christ is Lord and guess what he did. It he did it. He went right back. He went to to his family of friends and in his fairly influence and he began to share with them every time God opened the door, he walked through that door and the Scripture says that people marveled. I wonder how many people came to know Christ through that man's testimony but what we have here in the story is not just history.

It's also didactic is also teaching what what we're seeing here is that every single one of us has a calling.

Is God saved you, he saved you for reason. Every single one of us has a different sphere of influence different family members different friends, different people that we can have an effect on if we will be the witness that God intended us to be. My encouragement to you is this be what God has intended you to be be a witness open your mail live godly before this nasty world with MC that Jesus Christ is Lord is pray. Heavenly father, we studied a passage of Scripture today that pulls back the curtain and forces us to deal with the unseen world. We think of godly angels and filthy demons, our minds begin the horror. It's hard to deal with things that we can't see with our feel of the hand that you've assured us that this unseen world is real and we need to be aware of it, you called us to spiritual warfare. We need to use the weapons of prayer and the sword of the Spirit the word of God, help us to trust you with things we don't understand. Help us to remember your greatness, your grand year your power. Help us to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. We love you and we trust you.

May we glorify you to spiritual warfare. Lord we get ready now to enter into our time of the Lord's supper. We pray father that she would show up here in a very powerful way.

You said that you'd be with us. He said that we would experience your presence in the breaking of the bread and we pray father that might happen in this church on this day in just a few moments, Lord God direct us in it now.

May Jesus be glorified through it. It's in your precious, holy name we pray.

Amen