LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE
TEXT:
Mark 5:1-20
INTRODUCTION:
Today, I’m going to talk about what demons can do, what the Lord can do, and what you can do. This is a hurting world that we live in, and this man was hurting. He was in terrible shape. He had demon troubles. Notice…
I. LOOK WHAT DEMONS HAVE DONE
A. WHO WAS THIS MAN?
1. We don’t know much about who he was, but we do know that he was somebody’s son.
2. He was undoubtedly someone’s relative.
3. He was probably somebody’s husband.
4. He was probably somebody’s daddy.
5. But, he was bound by demons!
6. Notice what the demons had done…
B. HE DWELLED AMONG THE DEAD (v.3)
1. He lived in the tombs.
2. The devil likes to keep you in the tombs.
3. The devil likes to have you hang out with those who are dead.
4. Not necessarily physically dead, but he loves to have you hang out with those who are spiritually dead.
5. He wants them to influence you.
6. He wants them to drag you down.
7. Willie George does a skit where a little boy is handcuffed to a dead man (at least he pretends to be dead). The little boy is told to lift his hands and praise the Lord, but he can’t because he’s handcuffed to a dead man. He is told to get his Bible and read the word, but he can’t because he’s handcuffed to a dead man. He’s told to come to church, but he can’t go anywhere because he’s handcuffed to a dead man. This is how those who are spiritually dead influence us. They drag us down and prevent us from practicing the basics of Christianity.
8. The devil likes to get you to live among the dead and become the type of person that no man can tame.
C. NO MAN COULD TAME HIM (v. 4)
1. Think about that.
2. There are a lot of people today: men and women and young and older who have a violence about them.
3. It seems that nobody can tame them.
4. Nobody can do anything with them.
5. They are inclined on destruction.
6. That’s what the devil does.
7. That’s what demons do.
8. Notice what else demons had done.
D. HE WAS CONTINUALLY CRYING (v. 5)
1. The text says, he was always night and day in the mountains and in the graveyard crying.
2. Have you noticed how many people cry today.
3. Tears stream down their faces.
4. They cry over what the devil is doing to their daddies.
5. They cry over what the devil is doing to their mothers.
6. They cry over what the devil is doing to their children.
7. They cry over drugs and they can’t get out of the situation they’re in. 7. I’m reminded of a young prostitute crying in a court room because here babies were being taken away from her. She wanted to get out of that. But somehow she’s bound and she can’t get out.
8. I think about a 70+ year old man at the A/G campgrounds who was crying because he was bound by pornography. He wanted to get out of it. He cried over it, but he was trapped by it.
9. The devil wants you to cry!
10. But God said I’m gonna wipe away all tears from their eyes.
11. This man was always crying in the graveyard.
12. That’s what the devil had done.
E. HE ABUSED HIMSELF
1. Notice he was cutting himself.
2. That’s self-abuse.
3. There he was filled with demons and cutting himself.
4. Wanting to destroy himself.
5. He doesn’t feel like he’s worthy to live.
6. He didn’t like his body, so he cut it.
7. This is similar to those who pierce their bodies.
8. They aren’t satisfied with what God gave them…
9. This is also what’s behind anorexia and bulimia.
10. The basic problem in those people is no sense of self-worth.
11. The devil has convinced them that they don’t have any right to live.
12. If you don’t have any self-worth, I’ll tell you, the devil is a liar.
13. You are precious in the sight of God, no matter how big or small you may be.
14. That’s what the devil had done.
II. LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE
A. NOTICE WHAT JESUS CAN DO
1. This man saw Jesus afar off and the demons in him cried out, Don’t torment us before the time.
2. And the demons were afraid of Jesus.
3. Jesus commanded the demons to come out.
4. He said, What is your name?
5. The demon said, My name is Legion, because there’s 6,000 under me and I got in this man and I took all 6,000 in.
6. Think about 6,000 demons in your son or your daughter.
7. Think about 6,000 demons in your husband or your wife.
8. Think about 6,000 demons that want to get inside of you and drive you to destruction.
9. I’m telling you, Jesus is the deliverer.
10. Jesus commanded those demons to come out of that man
11. And they came out!
B. NOTICE WHAT ELSE JESUS HAS DONE IN MARK 16:17
1. Jesus went back to heaven
2. But He said, "In my name you will cast out demons."
3. Demons won’t go out if I say in the name of the Assembly of God…
4. …the name of the Baptists
5. …in the name of Methodists
6. …in the name of Catholics
7. …in the name of Pentecostals
8. …in the name of Charismatics
9. …in the name of Episcopalians.
10. Those are all good names, but Demons don’t obey those names.
11. There’s only one name they bow to and that’s the Name of Jesus.
(Can I have a good Amen?)
C. NOTICE HOW JESUS DID IT.
1. That man didn’t have to have a psychiatrist.
2. Thank God for psychiatrists, but he didn’t need one.
3. That man did didn’t have to have a medical doctor.
4. Thank God for medical doctors, but that man didn’t need one.
5. He didn’t have to have Prozac. I won’t thank God for Prozac.
6. All he had to have was Jesus. And they came out.
7. The people saw this man, this maniac who would strip off all of his clothes and run naked through the streets.
8. …this man who no man could tame.
9. …this man who cried night and day.
10. …this man who cut himself and mutilated his own body.
11. …this man who was deranged and driven by demons.
12. When Jesus got through with him, the people saw this man sitting quietly at the feet of Jesus.
13. He was clothed and in his right mind.
14. I want you to know there’s nobody anywhere--I don’t care if they’re in the insane asylum or a mental hospital – there is no one who is beyond the touch of Jesus!
15. That’s not just what Jesus did, but that’s what Jesus can do.
16. Can I have a good Amen?
III. LOOK WHAT WE CAN DO (v.19)
A. GO HOME
1. Your faith in God should affect your homelife.
2. In 1Tim.5:8, the Apostle Paul said that if a man doesn’t take care of his own family, he is worse than an infidel.
3. I always put the Lord first, but right after that comes my family.
4. My family comes before the church and before anyone or anything else.
5. I am reminded of a story that Dr. John R. Rice once told. He was preparing for a huge evangelistic campaign which would reach tens of thousands of people. A gentleman had come to his home to help make plans for the campaign. While they were visiting over these plans, one of Dr. Rice’s daughter’s came up and asked him to tie her shoe. Dr. Rice stopped what he was doing and reached down to pick up his little daughter. He gave her his undivided attention as he tied her shoe and held her for a moment. Since he was often on the road and away from home, he wanted her to know that she was important to him. Dr. Rice never had any problems with his children. I can’t help but think that it was partly because he always took time to pay attention to the little things in their lives while he was at home.
6. When we get saved, we need to turn our attention towards our homes.
7. Next, we need to:
B. TELL WHAT GREAT THINGS THE LORD HATH DONE
1. When some people are asked if they have ever given their testimony, they say they don’t know how.
2. They are overlooking the obvious.
3. It is simple to give a testimony.
4. You just tell what the Lord has done.
5. Tell about the difference that Jesus Christ has made in your life.
6. There is a contemporary song which expresses this thought.
LOOK WHAT THE LORD HATH DONE
He healed my body, he touched my mind.
He saved me just in time.
Oh, I’m gonna praise His name.
I’ll never be the same.
Come on and praise Him!
Look what the Lord hath done!
C. TELL OF HIS GREAT COMPASSION
1. When you tell of His compassion, you are telling them not only what He has done for you, but how He will do the same for them.
2. The Lord is full of compassion.
3. It reaches to the highest mountain and to the lowest valley.
4. His love has reached me and He will do the same for you!
