BREAKING SATAN’S HOLD ON YOUR FLESH
Mark 5:2-17
2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
(KJV)
The life and times of Jesus are a means by which we learn to live the Christian life.
It is not merely a reference time in history, but a map by which we can discern the path to follow at any given time in our life.
When studying the life of Jesus we quickly discover that he was not afraid of anything.
When faced with obstacles that would have beaten any man, Jesus always proved to be a victor.
Making something out of nothing was not a struggle.
1) Wedding at Cana.
a) Ran out of wine.
b) Host is due to be greatly embarrassed.
c) Like a mother, Mary notices a humiliation about to happen and summons for Jesus.
d) Servants.
i) It’s not my time.
ii) Do whatever he tells you to do.
2) To a lesser man this would have meant disaster.
a) But this is not a lesser man.
b) This is God in the flesh.
c) Gather and fill the water pots.
d) Draw out the water.
3) Somewhere between the well and the ladle the miracle occurred!
a) The God that had created the worlds with his voice.
b) The God that had formed man with his hands.
c) Moved by the water and the very touch of his presence changed water to wine!
Somebody needs to hear what I am preaching to you tonight! You have been feeling the impending doom of being without, but I have come to tell you that if you will fill the water pots, somewhere between the well and the ladle there is a miracle waiting for you!
You feel like you have nothing to offer. Nothing of value for the God of glory, but I want you to know, all he wants from you is your nothingness! With that he can make your life the absolute best!
You will find that he will give you the best from the start and it only gets better with time!
Disease and sickness was no match for Jesus.
1) Man at pool.
2) Been in his condition for over 30 years.
a) Someone carried him to the pool in hopes of a miracle.
b) Looking for angel’s wing ripples.
c) Struggling for a miracle.
3) Sir would you be made whole?
a) You don’t understand….
b) I’ve been this way for years, been coming here for years.
c) My desire is there, just no help.
4) Sir would you be made whole?
a) No, you don’t understand.
b) I am not merely a helper.
c) I am not merely a man.
d) I am the God that sends the angel for the miracle bath.
e) Today is your day to leave on your own power.
f) Rise, take up your bed and walk!
The healer is in the house tonight! He can heal you right now of what ever is wrong with your body!
You do not have to wait for an altar call; you can receive your healing right now.
In the name of Jesus be healed!
Demonic activity was not a challenge.
1) Running in and about the tombs.
2) Destroying himself.
a) Mind ravaged by sprits of every kind.
b) Torn and emaciated in his flesh.
c) Desperate for an encounter with God.
3) Saw Jesus afar off.
a) Ran and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
b) While others were looking for a hiding place from the madman, Jesus kept walking.
c) A normal man would have run.
d) Not a normal man.
e) This was the God of the universe.
f) This was the one that reigns on the throne of glory.
g) This is the God that angels worship day and night. (Holy Holy)
h) This is the God that beheld Satan as lightning fall!
i) This is the God that banished Satan to the eternal realm of dark.
4) Come out!
a) The man was delivered instantly!
Whatever it is that has been holding you back, be delivered right now in the name of Jesus!
I bind every spirit of darkness and destruction. I tear down every stronghold in the name of Jesus!
Death was not a match for Jesus!
1) Jairus daughter.
2) Dead before he could get there.
a) Satan loves to hurry up and make things too hard for men.
b) Again, this is not merely flesh!
3) Cast out the unbelievers.
a) Little girl, I say to thee arise!
Your situation is not too hard for Jesus! He is lord over every circumstance.
He is lord of all situations. There is nothing that he cannot do.
Now remember, we are looking into the life of Jesus to find a map to live our life by.
Now if everything was so easy for him, how do you and I relate to him? How do we draw a real reference that applies to us?
Let me show you.
There was an area that Jesus struggled with.
1) His flesh.
a) Forty day fast.
i) Went into the wilderness led of spirit.
ii) Came out full of the spirit.
2) Garden of Gethsemane.
a) Not my will but thine be done.
b) In that garden prayer, took sin for us.
c) He, who knew no sin, became sin for us.
3) Even though he struggled with his flesh not wanting to surrender to God, he surrendered and through that purchased our salvation.
4) If we want to truly surrender to God, we must bring our flesh into subjection.
5) Key to that is prayer.
6) Key to prayer is our worship.
This brings us back to our text for tonight.
1) Jesus has called Lazarus back from the grave, and a few days later they are at the home of Simon the Leper.
2) Mary comes in with an alabaster box full of precious oil.
a) Very costly.
b) Pure.
i) Our worship cannot be tainted with the things of the world!
ii) It is costly to worship the true and living God, but it is worth the cost!
3) She broke the box open.
a) 4937 suntribo-
1) to break, to break in pieces, to shiver
2) to tread down
a) to put Satan underfoot and (as a conqueror) trample upon him
to break down, to crush, to tear one’s body and to shatter one’s strength
If you want to know the secret to keeping Satan in his place in your life, the answer is simple.
Be a worshiper of God.
Jesus did not do it through performing miracles.
He kept Satan in his place by refusing to bow and worship any other than the true and living God!
Its time to bring our flesh into subjection and realize that Satan stays under the feet of those that give themselves in sacrificial worship.
Not merely a raised hand. Not merely a casual expression of a voiced praise.
A costly sacrifice. One that brings your flesh to the place of brokenness.
Its time for New Life Christian Center to put Satan underfoot!
Somebody help me out tonight!
Its time to dance. Its time to shout. Its time to rejoice. Its time to prevail through your praise!
Its time to leap. Its time to run. Its time to roll. Its time to weep. Its time to laugh. Its time to get lost in the spirit of praise!
Oh yes, there will always be some like Judas that think the cost is too great. That the emotions are too valuable to be wasted in church.
But they are also the ones that end up betraying the savior for 30 pieces of silver and dying the death of a traitor!
I choose to give myself in worship tonight!
Break Satan’s hold on your flesh. Break his influence in your mind.
Get rid of your pride tonight. Rid yourself of the imaginations in your mind that say that you cannot worship God emotionally.
Its time to break out of the rut you are in.
Satan has a hold of your flesh if you cannot worship God in a demonstrative way!
Satan has more influence in your life than God does if you refuse to give God the glory that he is due.
Come on. Someone is between the well and the ladle right now. You just need to go ahead and dip down in there and get your miracle.
You are in reach of your healing. The healer is in the house tonight!
Your deliverance is here tonight. You can leave here completely set free.
If you need someone to help you, I will! Let’s break Satan’s hold on our flesh tonight.
If it’s been one day since you have been renewed in the Holy Ghost it’s been too long.
Tonight is the night that you break the hold of Satan on your flesh!
Remember when you got the Holy Ghost? It was when you made up in your mind that you were not leaving without it!
Your worship broke his hold on your flesh, mind, and spirit!
That needs to happen again tonight!
Who will be the first?
