Mark 5:1-20
What Do You Fear?
January 29, 2012
“What are the two biggest fears in your life?” Most people could name one or two fears. But I really think two of our greatest fears might be exact opposites. How’s that? For me, I don’t like snakes and heights. How are those opposites. Well, I’m thinking about something deeper than these fears. So, what am I talking about?
Anyone have any ideas? Any suggestions?
I’d like to tell you what I believe are the 2 biggest fears in the world and I think this might surprise you — 1.) The fear of dying and 2.) The fear of living. I guess that pretty much covers anything that was on your list.
For many, the fear of dying is a top pick. Even as a Christian, while I don’t fear death, for I have confidence that in death I will be united with Christ in heaven, there is the anguish of letting go to what I cling to in this world. I don’t want to leave my family, I have too much I still want to do. The other part of the fear of dying is the method, but that’s for another day.
What I want to talk about for the balance of our time is the other fear I believe many, if not most of us have, ‘the fear to live.’ I’m talking about the life Christ offers us. Let’s be honest, how many of you believe you are living a life that is the way Jesus wants you to live? It’s the John 10:10 life, where Jesus offers us abundant life, the more than life. Do you believe you are living the life God wants you to live?
If your answer is YES. Then fantastic!!!! Your spirit is burning bright. You’re hungry for God, you thirst after Him, you’re doing all you can to be connected to God and serving Him — by serving others, and making a difference in your corner of the world. And your attitude and more is right on target.
But most of us would have to say NO!! And that includes me. I don’t have a perfect handle on life. Just ask those who live with me, and if they were honest, they’d tell you “he’s not quite there . . . yet.” With that in mind, let’s take a look at the story about the demon possessed man. How’s that for a leap!?
This is one of the fascinating stories in the Bible. Let’s take a look at Mark 5:1-20
1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus stepped out of the boat, immediately He was met by a demon-possessed man.
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 tore the chains apart, and 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? Do not torment me.”
8 For Jesus 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 earnestly begged Jesus not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.”
13 So Jesus gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about 2,000, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned.
14 The herdsmen ran off and reported what they saw in the city and in the country. And people came to see what happened.
15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.
16 And those who had seen it described what happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And the people 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 Jesus to go with Him.
19 And Jesus 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.
Jesus and the disciples have just crossed over to the other side of the lake and arrive in a non-Jewish land. A wild-man, a lunatic, approached Jesus. That’s pretty freaky! Chains couldn’t hold him, nobody could control him. He lived in the tombs, night and day he would cry out and cut himself. Talk about a pathetic existence.
If you lived in his neighborhood, the fear that you would have of this mad-man. Would he come into your home, attack you and your children. Would he take your belongings when you weren’t home? You would just want this wild-man to leave.
After falling at Jesus’ feet, this demon possessed man says his name is Legion. Legion, because he’s been consumed by 1,000's of demons. When the Roman army sent out a legion it represented 6,000 men and 120 horsemen. He begged Jesus to send the demons into a herd of pigs. And these demons go into the pigs and they run off the cliff into the water and drown.
The people from the town learn of these events and came to see what happened. When they arrived, they no longer see a naked, demon possessed, crazed lunatic. Instead, he’s sitting next to Jesus, fully dressed and in his right mind.
This should have been time for rejoicing at the death of this old terrible creature and the birth of a new creation in Jesus. It should have been time for a pout luck celebration. But, that’s not what happened. Matthew, Mark and Luke describe the people exactly the same way, ‘they were afraid and wanted Jesus to leave.’
Can you imagine that?! They wanted Jesus to leave? He just performed an amazing miracle. One of their biggest headaches is gone, and they want Jesus to leave? It seems absurd, doesn’t it?
They weren’t frightened by pigs rushing into the lake, but they were afraid when they saw this man, now clothed and in his right mind. They don’t rejoice at his recovery, but are afraid. The community tried to tame him with chains, and failed. Jesus frees him from the chains of demons, with a simple word.
Instead of giving Jesus the key to the city and celebrating, they give Him the cold shoulder and want Him to leave. They seem more comfortable with evil, with random acts of violence, than with the One who can expel them. They want Jesus, the bringer of hope and love, grace and power, peace and courage . . . to be gone.
And that leads to us. Are we so different from those people in Gerasene? Are you afraid that if God really came to us and touched us, that we would have to be different, that we would have to change who and what we are? Is it a scary proposition? You bet it is!
Yet, that’s the call of Jesus. He desires nothing more, nothing less, than to see us willing to change, wanting to call on the Master so that we can find Him. Have you feared Jesus because of what He might require of you? Have you feared that He might ask something of you, you aren’t prepared to give? Don’t let your fears drive Him from your presence. His motive is always love. You can trust Him.
Yet, forces of evil are at work and evil will try to convince you that you’re all you’ll ever need. And that you’re all alone, everyone is against you. But the fact of the matter is everyone struggles with something, everyone faces trials and troubles. The question isn’t "will I face hardships?" or "why am I going through this?" but when the hardships come how can I respond so that the enemy doesn’t isolate me and drive me to solitary confinement where he can destroy me? In 1 Peter 5, Peter tells us to hold on, to stand firm in our faith, to be self-controlled, alert, and resist satan, who is on the prowl like a roaring lion.
The question isn’t only what do you fear, but what unrealistic fears has satan placed in your heart, mind and spirit? We have the power and the ability to defeat satan and those demons that haunt us. But we must ask Jesus to stay with us. We must hold onto Jesus with every ounce of our being.
We have lots of demons that surround us. For some it may be ~
the demon of self-doubt or low self-esteem; or
the demon of fear of failure; or fear of success; or
the demon of pride and ego; or
the demon of power and control; or
the demon of greed and possessions; or
the demon of pornography and lust; or
the demon of anger and bitterness; or
the demon of alcohol and drugs; or other addictions; or
the demon of coveting and envy;
and you know the list could go on and on.
And only you know, deep down, you know what those demons are that are preventing you from growing in Christ – from truly living life the way God wants you to live.
Can we let go of some of those demons? Can we trust Jesus more and more. James says, 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Those are great words to hold onto!! Submit yourself, give yourself to God, resist the temptations of the devil, and the devil is a coward, he will run from you!! But keep moving closer and closer to God and as you do, you will experience more and more of God!!
We will place Christ first in our lives. Jesus will come before your spouse, children, parents, jobs, friends, school, hobbies. Jesus will come absolutely first in your life; and when you let Him fully in, you will begin to live the life Christ wants you to live.
There’s no room and no time to begin to waver on this one.
The time is now!! What do you fear? If you were one of those townspeople, what would you have done? Would you have yelled out for Jesus to stay, or just simply gone with the crowd. You see the job of a Christian is to be different, at times it is to go against the crowd. That’s the only way anyone will ever know that you are a Christian.
But if you have fear, you may as well be like one of the people of Gerasene and help Jesus into the boat. And notice that Jesus didn’t put up a fight. He knew He wasn’t wanted, so He left. Jesus will never force Himself on anyone who doesn’t want Him. He will knock and knock, but if you refuse to answer, He will leave and you may never have the chance again to respond to the call of Jesus. And you will never live the life, you were supposed to live. And that is a shame
What if . . . What if I ask Jesus really to be part of my life? Maybe, just maybe you’ll end up living the life the abundant life, Christ is offering you . . . and you will be the difference maker He called you to be and you’ll live the life you were meant to live.
