What’s my Message?
Made for Mission: Week 3
Mark 5
Mark chapter 5 deals with Jesus’ encounter with a demonically possessed man. When we read this passage, or any passage within the Gospels, we see the events through the eyes of the disciples as they or others close to them wrote the New Testament.
But this morning, I want to take a look at this through the eyes of the demon possessed man. Why we are taking this approach this morning will become apparent and very applicable to our lives.
Let’s hear his story-
I have shared my story several hundred times but it never gets old. I start by telling about the day that I first heard the voices. They were so real and so near that I turned around to see who was whispering in my ear. It took me almost a day to realize the voice was coming from inside my own mind.
This voice was not one I wanted to hear. It said all kinds of horrible things about me and would not leave me alone. Then one day the voice took control of my own mouth and would speak random, horrible, and crazy things and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I couldn’t even ask for help, because every time I tried the horrible things I would say would cause people to run away from me.
I had already started to lose all hope when even more voices took over control of my body to the point that people, even my own family grabbed me and chained me up near the cemetery.
One day, I got out of my chains and was walking along the beach alone. For the first time, I noticed something about the voices- they were afraid. Of in the distance on the sea of Galilee was a boat heading toward shore. The voices were whispering to each other about who was on the boat- someone named Jesus and they were terrified of him.
The voices told me to run, but I strained with everything I had left to stay there, because whatever amount of sanity I had left decided that if they voices were afraid of this man named Jesus, he is someone I wanted, no someone I needed to meet.
This morning, we are in week three of our series titled, Made for Mission. A few weeks ago we kicked it off by saying that “We are all called”. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, God has an exciting plan for your life. Then last week we answered the question “What’s my mission?” We shared that ultimately our mission is Jesus’ mission and it must be our 1st priority in life that everything revolves around.
So God has called us to a mission, and we have discovered what that mission is, so today we will spend time answering the question, “What’s my message?”
If you are already a Christian, then this is at the very heart of following Jesus.
This part of your mission is not natural, it’s something that you must be intentional about or you’re going to miss the reason God called you, equipped you, and put you right where you are in life.
But it’s one of the hardest things to do. In high school, I had to give a oral report on a paper I wrote, and it was the most frightening thing I had done to that point in life. Shaking, sweating, just wanted to run away.
Does that describe, at least a little bit, how you feel when the Holy Spirit prompts you to talk with someone about Jesus?
You just can’t seem to get the words out and you’re pretty sure you are confusing the other person more than you are helping them. Your brain turns to putty.
It’s easy to talk about virtually everything else, but once something faith based enters the equation, we freeze up.
I know, I’ve been there.
If you can relate to what I’m describing this morning, then this message should greatly encourage you.
We are going to look at this story from two different perspectives. You can start by turning to Mark 5 and later we’ll transition to Luke 8.
Bulletin list
Read Mark 5:1-2
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
Some context here-
The fact that they went across the Sea of Galilee is hugely significant. The Sea of Galilee which the Jordan River starts at the bottom is the natural dividing line between Israel and pagan countries.
This was where the non-Jews lived. The history of this area traced all the way back to the Old Testament when the Israelites did not complete their job of clearing out all of the Promise Land like God had commanded. The people who lived there were the descendants of the people that they let stay, and probably the descendants of those Hebrews who had intermarried with those people.
So a good Jewish person never traveled to the other side of the lake.
So that’s the first challenge to us when it comes to our message- are we willing to go to and willing to share this message and even share our lives with people that might be from the wrong side of the tracks- those people that our society claims are not worthy?
Jesus’ brief missionary trip didn’t start well. This wasn’t all sunshine and puppy dog kisses because as soon as they go to this area, a demon possessed guy approaches them. The disciples are thinking “this place is worse than we thought? I bet everybody here is like this? Run away! Get back on the boat.”
Jesus didn’t react that way though, check out what happens next.
Read Mark 5:3-5
This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
Let’s be honest- if you and I saw this guy walking right now in front of the church, we’d be calling 911.
But, I love how Jesus viewed this person.
Most of us would look at him and say he is too far gone and obviously he rejected God at some point and that is why he is like this.
But I want to remind everyone- Just because someone has rejected God before doesn’t mean they will this time. A study showed that the average person who receives Christ has already had 17 unique spiritual encounters before.
Looking at my own life, I would say that’s true- dozens of people spoke truth into my life before I decided to follow Jesus. I’m sure that they all walked away from me thinking I was hopeless and that they failed.
But the spiritual reality was this-because of their obedience, they planted seeds that waited for God’s timing to come to life and blossom into salvation.
Listen- You have no idea where you fit in that and the impact your words are making.
God is far more concerned with your obedience than your impact.
Your job is to obey and plant seeds- God’s job is to harvest.
We live in an agricultural setting. Let’s say it’s mid July and a farmer is looking out at his corn field, and nothing is happening. He comes into church and asks for prayer to his harvest, and someone askes him when he planted his seed? Maybe it went in late and needs a little more time.
The farmer says, I never spread my seed- I’m just hoping God does a miracle and gives me crops.
What would we think?
The same principle applies to the church-
You can’t ask God to give us a harvest here in Trempealeau County if we never go into the fields and scatter seed.
Skip over to Luke 8 to see what happens next.
Luke 8: 28-29
When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Notice the man’s question, “What do you want with me?”
I often try to put myself in other people’s shoes so I can understand where they are coming from, so let’s do that together this morning-
Step into this guy’s life if you can for a moment. He fully expects Jesus to say or do something horrible to him. The man expects some sort of torture.
Why would he think that? Because that’s all he’s ever known.
Every experience he has had with people since these demons have taken over has only been bad.
Look how Jesus responds?
Read Luke 8:30
Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him
What is your name? Jesus wanted to know his name? Notice that the man is so overpowered by demons that he doesn’t even know his real name. He just calls himself, “Legion”.
Can someone’s life seem so hopeless that they forget their identity in God and instead label themselves—ugly, worthless, alone, evil?
Close your eyes for a moment and ask yourself- God, please show me someone who is carrying a label in their life and needs you to speak their name.
Maybe this person is carrying the label of-
Addict
Prostitute or adulteress or adulter
Gay or lesbian
Transgender
They identify themselves by their problem, but Jesus never calls the person by their problem; he calls them according to what they can be in HIM, and according to what HE made them to be.
Jesus makes all things new for those who surrender to HIM.
Read Luke 8:32- 33
A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
What these verses show us is this- Anything not brought under the control of Jesus ultimately leads to death.
The man gets to see right in front of him where the voices in his head were leading him the whole time…death.
Pause
What the world doesn’t realize and will never admit is that all these social justice causes they are placing their hope in to bring about a more just and kinder society is this-
They are deceived.
Anything not brought under the control of Jesus ultimately leads to death. IF Jesus is not LORD of all, HE is not LORD at all in your life.
Apart from God’s grace- Any compromise can leave you wide open for demonic attack, and Satan hates you and has a horrible plan for your life, as we see in the life of the demonic man.
John 10:10, Jesus says “The thief (the devil) comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give you life and life to the full.”
This demonic man, standing in the presence of the savior, is starting to realize that, and he asks Jesus “What do you want with me?”
Jesus answers
1) I want to know your name.
2) I want to help you.
This had to be earth shaking for this man
Everyone else he has ever known wanted to bind him and keep him away but Jesus came to free him and draw him close.
Jesus cared infinitely more about the man than He did the mess.
And it wasn’t a nice, clean exorcism where they went and ate lunch when it was done. This was very very messy.
Think about it- someone’s whole livelihood and possibly food supply for the winter just drowned.
To put it in modern perspective, It would be like me burning down your house, blowing up your car and robbing your bank account to save the most horrible person in town.
To Jesus, this is an easy decision- this man’s life, and even more importantly his soul is worth it.
Jesus showed that he cares even if it’s messy.
Even if it’s not the popular decision or he might get some criticism for it.
Read Luke 8: 34-35
When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
In case you forgot- this man was completely nuts and running around town naked and screaming the worse profanity, blasphemy, and filth you can imagine.
I’m not saying if you’re in that situation you should run up and hug them. People in these situations can be very dangerous. Be safe, but I challenge you to see them a little differently.
In the early days of me being a paramedic in Lake Geneva we got called to a residence for a woman who the police were putting under a mental health hold. We got there and one of the officers met us at the door and said bring your restraints, spit net, and something to sedate her because she is out of control. Apparently, she had already assaulted them clawed at them and spit on them.
We gathered our supplies and went into the house and found the woman sitting naked on the floor and glaring at us. She profanely informed us that if we touched her, she would do very bad things. I squatted down about arm’s length away and just started calmly talking to her and letting her know that we were there to help her and that we we're not going to hurt her. She looked down at the floor and when I asked if I could take her pulse at her wrist she nodded. So, I reached over to take her wrist and as soon as I got close enough she spit in my face.
Now this was about 3:00 in the morning. I had been on a 3 day in a row shift- almost 72 hrs. straight- that’s not an exaggeration- I used to pull those kinds of shift all the time at this job.
I’m tired, I’m crabby, and I have little to now patience for this kind of thing left and especially someone on drugs that spit in my face and probably put me at risk for a disease.
The officer saw that and immediately drew his baton to issue a “compliance strike” and for a moment, I was ready to tell him, “give her one for me too” but something stopped me. I wiped off the spit and calmly asked her if she was done now.
She started crying and fell into my arms. I was able to help her get dressed and lead her to the cot. On the way to the hospital, I learned that she had been a nurse for 20 years at the local hospital until she suffered a back injury that got her hooked on pain medication and her life spun out of control. I spoke to her about the help that we could find for her, and even prayed with her before I left the hospital.
This is a personal example from my life to what we see in this story-
The former demonic man didn’t have any clothes but now he does. Where do you think he got them? Jesus didn’t just miraculously create them-
They came from Jesus or one of his disciples.
It’s also notable that Jesus stayed with this man for a while. He cared for him. He not only restored his mind, his soul, and his spirit but he also made sure his physical needs were taken care of.
In other words, Jesus shows this man who has only known isolation that He wants a relationship with him.
Read Luke 8:36-37
Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.
How crazy is this on a couple of levels?
First, the people there were just not ready. Notice Jesus didn’t try to reason with them or win an argument. He didn’t pull off some miracle and make demons go into them as punishment or have the pigs fly back out of the water back onto land. He just said, Okay and left.
Here is the even crazier implication. Jesus came all the way to the other side of the lake for this one guy.
The Gospels tell us they almost died in storm to reach this one man.
Jesus believed that this one demon possessed guy was worth it.
That means- You are worth it.
That also means- the person you’ve been working up the nerve to start up a spiritual conversation with is worth it.
Luke 8:38-39
The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.
Look at this-
He is sending this man back right back into an area that chained him in a cemetery. All this man has to his name is a really bad reputation. He walks back into town and everyone knows his past.
He wants to go with Jesus and Jesus sends HIM AWAY. It almost seems cold of Jesus to do that.
This guy has been a Christian for 5 ½ minutes.
You and I would think- this guy needs more training before you send him into a hostile mission field.
Instead Jesus gives him a mission. It was a simple one-
Return home and tell how much God has done for you.
Present yourself as a testimony of God’s power and love and tell them about Jesus and what HE did for you.
This man does that and more. This man shared his testimony all over the entire region. The area was called Decapolis because it was made up of 10 cities that were all together. He went all over the place and told people how much Jesus had done for him.
And this answers our main question this morning-
What’s my message? It’s simple,
To present yourself as a testimony to God’s power and Love, and to tell people about Jesus and what He has done for you.
That’s the message you’re supposed to be ready with because it’s your story- your testimony, and your gift to the world that can show other people that this Jesus is real and will do the same thing for those in our lives that desperately need HIM.
WE are going to close with one final thought, and it’s a really cool one so give me your attention for a few more minutes because this is incredible.
Jesus goes back to this area about a year later.
Going back to Mark 7:31.
Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis.
In Mark 8 we read that a year later, the feeding of the 4000 happened in the area of the Decapolis.
Jesus comes back, and the same region that drove him out now has 4000 people come out to hear him.
Why?
The former demon possessed guy shared the message about how Jesus can change your life to everyone he met.
I don’t know how it all went down but I like to think that Jesus is preaching to these thousands of people he notices that one man and they make eye contact. I like to think that maybe after all the crowds have left to go home the man sticks around and Jesus just wraps him up in a bear hug and says, “Well done.”
The point is this-
You have no idea the impact God wants to make through you.
Jesus took the craziest most insecure guy and used him to start a revival.
How do your excuses to not share what Jesus has done in your life look now?
To the best of my knowledge, no one here is known for running around the local cemetery and your neighborhood naked?
So you have far less to overcome than this guy did and he brought about one of the Bible’s best spiritual awakenings.
Stop saying I can’t and Say God can.
Prayer
