For Those not familiar with an Anglican Service. There are Four Readings before the Sermon is given. Today's Readings were: Job 38:1-18; Psalm 107:1-32; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 and Mark 5:1-20
A man often walked through the cemetery on his way home from work.
One night, ...... unaware that a new grave had been dug in his path, ... he tumbled in.
For some time, he struggled to get out of the 7-foot hole, ... but .... finally, he gave up ... and settled down for the night.
About An hour later, ... a farmer out possum hunting ... came walking through the cemetery and he too ... fell into the grave.
And the farmer began a desperate attempt to get out ... unaware ... that there was anyone else in the grave.
The first man ... listened to him ... for about 5 minutes ... as he frantically tried to get out of the grave.
Then reached over in the pitch darkness ... laid a hand on his shoulder and said: "You can't get out of the Grave."
Well ... that farmer ... proved him wrong. (Long Pause)
To the Jews at that time, ... even to touch a grave .... was to be unclean for 7 days. (Numbers 19:16)
The demoniac of the (Ger-a-senes) did not just wake up one morning and say: "Hey, ... I'm demon possessed."
This was not something ... he was born with.
It was not something ... that he just came down with ... like the flu ... or a cold.
Somewhere ... Sometime ... in this man's life, ... he made a conscious decision .... that he wanted to be free.
He wanted to be free ... of God's influence.
He wanted to be free ....... from life's restrictions and responsibilities.
He wanted to be free (Slow) to do what ... he wanted to do.
And now, as a demoniac, he .... Becomes in a strange way ... free.
For ... No shackle could bind him, ... no chain could hold him.
He was no longer bound by social conventions ...that would tell him .... what to do ... or how to behave.
He has no responsibilities to society ... and in turn society after a time ... no longer wants him.
He has become ... Free...
But his freedom cost him ... more than he could have ever ... imagined. (Long Pause)
While A Gallup poll indicated ... that 9 in 10 Americans ... 90% still believe in some sort of ... God,
Yet A survey by the Barna Group found that only about half that number ... 43% of Americans believe the devil ... to be ...... a "living entity,".
Among the educated elite today, ...... talking publicly about one's belief ... in the existence of a devil ... and Satan's influence on the culture .... could be social suicide.
The same was no less true in 1947, ... when the Theologian ... C.S. Lewis addressed this subject in an interview ... with Time magazine.
Time reported: Quote "Lewis (like T. S. Eliot, & W. H. Auden) is one of ...... a growing band of heretics among modern intellectuals: ... an intellectual ... who believes in God,"
The Time's story went on: ... "It is not a mild and vague belief, .... for he (Lewis) ... accepts 'all the articles of the Christian faith'--which means that he also believes in sin ... and in the Devil." Un-Quote.
When asked about "his belief in the Devil," Lewis addressed the question in a thought-provoking way:
Lewis stated: ... "Now, if by 'the Devil' you mean a power opposite to God ....and, like God, ... self-existent from all eternity, ... the answer is certainly No."
As C. S. Lewis explained, "There is no uncreated being .... except God.
God has no opposite ... The proper question you should be asking ... is whether I believe in devils? .... And I do.
That is to say, ... I believe in angels, ... and I believe that some of these, ... by the abuse of their will, ... have become enemies to God.
And Satan, ... the leader or dictator of devils, ... is the opposite, ... not of God,...." for Lucifer also known as Satan ... was an Angel ... a created Being.
Beloved ... there are two equal and opposite fallacies or errors ... into which we as human beings can fall into ......concerning the devil and his demons."
One error "is to disbelieve in their existence.
The other is to believe in ... and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest .... in them.
Be assured ... Satan is equally pleased ... if we follow one ... or both errors." (Long Pause)
Beloved ... We that are born of God are kept safe.
For as St. John declared, BIBLE "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. . . the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one ... cannot harm them..." END (1 John 5:13-21)
The one who is born of God is kept safe ... and the evil one cannot ... hear God's word clearly ... the evil one cannot ... harm them.
Praise God ... what a glorious promise.
Now the demonic in our Gospel reading ... was out of control .... physically and mentally ... out of control ... and he had a mixed response ... when he met Jesus.
And The encounter with Jesus ... was explosive. (Pause)
The disciples' boat .... beaches near a graveyard ... and near by a herd of pigs are grazing.
Both the graveyard and the pigs ... are ritually ...and culturally ... unclean for Jews.
As Jesus steps out, .... a crazed man ... storms out of the tombs.
Wild hair. .... Bloody wrists. ... Scratched skin.
Fury ... encased ... in flesh.
Naked bedlam...... Arms flailing and voice screaming.
Can you picture the apostles ... as they gawk ... and gulp ... and put a foot back ... in the boat?
The towns people in the past had tried to help him .... by restraining him physically .... but his problem was much deeper .... For it was spiritual.
This man had an inner spiritual ... problem.
Beloved ... All that laws ... and regulations can do ... is treat the outer man ... the outer person.
Which only affects behaviors ... without touching the inner source ... of the problem.
No law alone ... could change ... this man.
No code of moral standards ...could free ... this man. (Pause)
Most of us hopefully know what Christian behavior is .... and is not.
Beloved ...... a list of laws will not change your heart, ....and it is the heart ... the source .... that must be changed.
In Mark's account of this story he states that (Slow) "no one could bind him.... Anymore."
Apparently ... at one time ... they could subdue him, ... but it seems ... he grew much worse ... over the years.
When Jesus said to the disciples, "Let us go over to the other side", ...... He knew exactly where He was going ... and who was there.
I am convinced ... that Jesus heard the cry ... of this man.
We see in our text that Jesus first commanded the demons ... the unclean spirits .... to come out of the man.
And Through this encounter... we get a glimpse into the unseen world ... of the spiritual warfare.
A war which is going on ... all around us.
For in just a few moments ... the invisible spiritual conflict becomes visible ... and we are offered a position ... overlooking ... the battlefield. (Pause)
We hear nothing from the disciples ... throughout this encounter.
Yet you can picture them standing and watching this whole event ... with eyes bulging ... and mouths ... wide open. (Pause)
The Gospel reading goes on: BIBLE "Jesus cast the demons out of the man ... and they entered the swine, ... and the heard rushed down the steep bank ... into the lake ... and was drowned." END (Mark 5:13)
I believe these swine ... suddenly possessed ... were compelled by the Spirit of God ...... to run immediately down the hill ... and plunge into the sea.
Jesus is Lord ... over all of nature ... and he surely had the authority to commanded the swine, ... to "Go!
To Take the demons ... to the sea ... to the water!"
That was the end of that demonic possession ... the (Gar-a-sene) man was delivered.
Jesus Himself said, "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." (John 7:38).
Now Water in the Scriptures often represents .... the Holy Spirit.
And dryness often represents ... one who is void ... of the Spirit of God.
Dry places .... are a type of spirit-less people ... a people within whom ... God's Spirit will ... not dwell.
King David said, "The rebellious dwell ... in a dry land" (Psalm 68:6).
This is also true of one who has neglected the Lord: ... they become "dry,".
And dryness .... opens one up to demonic oppression.
Beloved ... The Holy Spirit is the living water!
The Holy Spirit falls like rain .... both the former ...and the latter day rains.
The Spirit of God springs up like a well ... within thirsting believers.
And that life that living water ... is poured out as a flood upon the world ...... like streams in the desert!
I am convinced that demons hate water!
Demons cannot stand water, ... And when I speak of water ... I am speaking of living water ... the Holy Spirit!
Every demon in hell ... knows the Scriptures.
And Every demon is clearly aware ... that water in the Scriptures ... represents God's Spirit.
And wherever the Spirit abides, ... they must surely flee!
At the name of Jesus ... Satan and his cohorts ... must surely flee.
And they will flee ... every blood bought believer ...who stands ... filled with the Holy Spirit.
Greater is He .... Greater is he that is ... in me ... then he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Beloved... Demons Cannot Swim!
They cannot stand the water ... the living water of the Holy Spirit.
And the sea... the water ... that the swine were driven into ... I believe ... represents that Living Water!
And this was to serve as a lesson ... an object lesson .... to all succeeding generations.
We are to be filled with the living water... We are called ... to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Two thousand dead swine and a man who had the power to break chains sitting subdued in the presence of Jesus ... was enough .... to frighten the towns people.
It surely seems ... that these people ... had no Messianic expectations.
In Mark's Gospel it states (Slow) And all the people were amazed.
Yet ...They wanted nothing to do with ... this Jesus.
That wanted nothing to do ... With One ... Who commanded ... such awesome power.
To truly encounter the power of God ... for many ... is ... a frightening thing.
The towns people wanted Jesus to leave ... and the spiritually freed demonic ... wanted to go with Jesus.
Can you blame him?
Yet.... does Jesus allow him to come along? ... NO!
Why.... Why wouldn't Jesus ... take him along?
(Slow) For He had greater plans for this man.
Hear our Lord's words ... to this man: BIBLE "Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you." END (Mark 5:19)
There it is.
A commissioning .... A commissioning of the first missionary.
One minute crazed, ... the next in Christ.
No training.
No teaching.
All he knew was (Slow) Jesus scared the hell out of hell ... and Beloved ... that was enough.
Maybe even more surprising ...... is the fact that Jesus sent this man back ... to be a missionary to his own.
The town's people ...... demanded that Jesus leave them.
And In our humanness .... We would not have sent a missionary ... we may have sent a plague perhaps... but not a missionary.
But Christ did. ... And Christ does.
He still sends the message ....to the unworthy.
And he uses the unworthy ... (Slow) to share the message. (Pause)
When we allow the comforter .... The Holy Spirit .... to control our lives, ... Demons cannot set up residence, .... They cannot oppress.
When the Holy Spirit is in control ... all fear has been conquered.... All fear is gone.
Demons cannot swim ... in or near ... living water.
Demons cannot be in the presence of the living water...
Demons cannot stand in the presence ... or in the power ... of the Holy Spirit.
Beloved ... Yield to the Holy Spirit ... and allow the living water ... the Holy Spirit ... to guide you ... to transform you.
And if you do... If you do ... those that God sends in to your life ... (Very Slow) will also be ... amazed.
Amen and Amen!
(Another Illustration Below)
I received much insight and information from the Sermon by David Yarbrough titled "Jesus First Missionary Was Demon Possessed" and I commend it to you.
Help: I retired in November 2017 and am attempting to supplement my income by sharing on Sermoncentral. If this Message has been helpful to you, please consider a nominal gift: Send to The Rev. Jeff Smead 11725 Regent Park Drive Chardon Ohio 44024. Blessed To Be A Blessing.
Dear Reader: So I can better help you, if this Homily was not helpful and you rated it low, Please let me know what it lacked or why it was not helpful. You can search by contributor Smead" (Constructive Criticism is very helpful) and contact me there. Blessings Jeff.
Another Illustration:
A fellow who had been reared in the city bought a farm ... and he decided to buy a milk cow.
In the feed store one day he complained ... that his cow had gone dry.
"Are you feeding her right?" asked the store owner.
"I'm feeding her what you've been selling me," said the man.
"Are you milking her every day?"
"Just about.
If I need six or eight ounces of milk for breakfast, I go out and get it - I just let her save the rest up."
The feed store owner had to explain that ... it just doesn't work that way.
You must take all the milk every day. REPEAT
With cow's milk, like God's presence, ... take all that has been given to you, REPEAT
... if not .... you eventually may .... have nothing
