JESUS’ “STAY AT HOME” ORDER
Mark 5:2-20
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. Clara Null said it was one of the worst days of her life. Her washing machine line broke and flooded her house, her baby-sitter called in sick so she had to cancel her hair appt, and she got a bill in the mail that she couldn’t possibly pay.
2. Almost at the breaking point, she lifted her one-year old into his highchair, leaned her head against the tray next to him, and began to cry.
3. Without a word, her son took his pacifier out of his mouth and stuck it in her mouth! What a sweet gesture. God has encouragement for you today.
B. A/G MISSIONARY JAMES BRYANT
1. Missionary James Bryant was working in the West African country of Burkina Faso. A Muslim man and his son dragged into his compound a bound woman. Bryant questioned why she was bound and discovered it was because she was demon possessed. That was the only way they could control her.
2. The missionary demanded that they untie her; they reluctantly complied. She was found to have almost supernatural strength; it took four large men to restrain her.
3. The Christians began to pray for her and prayed for days. She finally began to be delivered and to regain her composure. In 30 days she was completely free and got saved. 17 years later she was still a faithful member of that church. The story reminds me of the biblical account found in Mark 5:2-20, (abbreviated).
C. TEXT
2When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? 9Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many." 12The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them." 13He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 15When [the people of that region] came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 17Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." 20So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
D. TITLE The title of this message is “Jesus’ Stay-At-Home Order.” I’m comparing what Jesus asked this man to do with how our officials are telling us to stay at home to avoid the Coronavirus.
I. TERRIBLE RESULTS OF YEILDING TO SIN
A. HIS CONDITION
1. He was given over to an "unclean spirit" (verse two).
a. Had this man always been like this? No! We are looking at the end product of a long history of yielding to sin. SIN IS PROGRESSIVE. At one time he had thought he could handle the sin/immorality he partook of, but it came to control him. That’s the way with all sins; the cords of sin are too light to be felt until they are too strong to break.
b. Alcohol, drugs, pornography, sexual addiction, greed, hate, etc., even some music (which promotes suicides -- "Death Metal"). People think they can indulge at will and those things won't affect them, but they don’t realize that there is a spirit behind them. This man came to be controlled, possessed by demons!
2. HE HAD BECOME IMPRISONED. Instead of making him "cool" and getting him more friends (which is what the devil tells you sin will get you), it actually separated him from those he loved; it ruined his dreams/hopes for life.
3. Does Satan want to make you happy? No! The devil is trying to destroy us (John 10:10; "kill, steal, destroy").
a. He was unhappy -- crying out
b. He was suicidal -- cutting himself
c. He lived in graveyard – creepy! Many in sin end up in bad places – ghettoes, alleys, meth dens and crack houses
B. HIS FAMILY (Mark 5:19, "Go home to your family...")
1. Somebody loved this man! His family did all they could for him (doctors, hospital, bound him).
2. Imagine their heartbreak. What if this were your son?
3. There are some of you who can identify with having a family member this out of control. Don't give up -- hold them up in prayer and contend for their deliverance.
II. A MIGHTY DELIVERANCE
A. JESUS’ MINISTRY OF DELIVERANCE
1. From a human perspective, it was hopeless. Man could do nothing. They had tried to chain him, to overcome the bondage in him, but nothing worked.
2. But here comes Jesus -- the one who that morning had commanded the winds and the waves to be still (4:39) and they obeyed Him.
3. The demons themselves recognized Jesus as Lord -- all 2000 of them (Vs. 6-7 -- they fell down and worshipped).
4. It doesn't matter how many addictions you have -- they will all fall down before Jesus! He is Lord of them all. Whatever your problem, Jesus is the answer!
5. Verse 15 -- "sitting, clothed and in his right mind." Our God is an awesome God! How amazing! Contrast this wonderful change with the…
B. RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE OF GADARA
1. This guy had been feared far and wide. The people of that region couldn't have been happy with him on the loose. It wasn't that they cared about his soul, rather he messed up their tourism and their trade.
2. So suddenly, they see this former threat, clothed and in his right mind. Are they happy? Are they thankful that Jesus has set the man free from his demons?
3. No, they’re not happy at all! They want Jesus to get out of their country! (People always want to be in control).
C. REASON FOR THEIR REJECTION
1. 2000 pigs were worth a lot of money. The herdsmen ran back to the owner of the pigs, who probably called the county sheriff, the mayor, or the governor.
a. "Hey, if Jesus wants to deliver somebody, that's fine. But why did he send them into my pigs? He cost me a lot of money! I'm not putting up with that! We're running him out of here!"
b. Besides, if Jesus had power like that, the local dignitaries would be fearful of losing their places of prestige.
2. THE PEOPLE OF GADARA SHOWED THREE THINGS: they...
a. DIDN’T CARE ABOUT THE SUFFERING OF THOSE IN SIN. They hadn’t tried to get him help, they had ignored him. Do we do that?
b. UPSET WITH SUPERNATURAL CHRISTIANITY. They were more upset by his healing than they were by his possession. They would rather have demon possession than Jesus. Our society is getting that way in schools, in the government, and in the press. They’d rather have immorality, STDs, & gang warfare than Christianity!
c. MATERIALISM WAS THEIR IDOL. They cared more about the cost of pork than they did the salvation of a man's soul. (First instance of "Deviled Ham").
3. Poem: “Which Disturbs You More?”
A soul lost in hell - or - a scratch on your car?
Missing Sunday worship service or missing a day’s work?
A church not growing - or - your garden not growing?
Your Bible unopened - or - your newspaper unread?
The church work neglected or your housework neglected?
Missing Bible study or missing your favorite TV program?
Your tithes decreasing - or - your income decreasing?
Your children late for Sunday school or late for public school?
Your neighbor going to Hell or your convenience?
A matter of priorities, isn’t it? (Victorio DeLance 3/19/03).
III. WHY JESUS TOLD HIM “GO HOME”
A. TO LIVE CONSISTENTLY BF FRIENDS & FAM.
1. Your most important witness is to your own family! God doesn't want you globe-trotting with your testimony, He’d rather have you demonstrate Christ in the nitty-gritty of daily interaction with your family. Too many music legends have a conversion and then they burn out.
2. Can you imagine when this man came back to the city
of Gadara, how people eyed him fearfully? If he came down the street, they would cross the street to the other side to stay away from him! If he went into a store, they would all run out the back; if he entered a restaurant, they would all clear out, even the cook! They wondered, "Will this new experience last?" "Will he become violent again?"
3. Eventually, he probably became a sensation, a fascination; people would want to look him over and ask him to tell them about his former life and about how he was set free. "Let me see the scars where the chains bound you and where you cut yourself..." He would be given a natural opportunity to witness to everyone who had known of him and evidently he did!
4. Luke 8:40 tells us that Jesus’ next visit to this area was completely different; “Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him!” A region which had previously rejected Christ was turned around due to this man's living witness.
B. GOD’S PURPOSE IN YOUR STAY-AT-HOME?
1. I don’t believe it’s an accident that billions of people, who were too busy with the hustle and bustle of life, have been forced to stay home with their families for months.
2. I believe there will be huge ‘silver linings’ of this virus catastrophe. I bet many people have a new appreciation for the best things in life: family, good health, church, the importance of friends & neighbors.
3. Many have built stronger relationships, gotten a new hobby, read a book for the first time in years, spent a lot of time in the outdoors.
4. But I want to encourage you Christians to obey the words of Jesus in this passage; "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." What a great assignment; what a great legacy it had for all those in Gadara!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. THE INCURABLE INEBRIATE. A man named Henry Milans lay in the Bellevue Hospital, New York. A group of students stood around his bed, while the instructing professor remarked: "We have discovered in this man all the marked indications of the incurable inebriate. Note the dancing eyes. Note the trembling of the hands and other members of his body.... This man can never be cured. He must die as he has lived, a drunkard. Nothing can save him."
2. Not long after, Ensign Hall of the Salvation Army describes what happened. "Amid the fervent hallelujahs of Christians in the hall, Milans stumbled forward... The change that took place in him was remarkable. What science was unable to do, Christ accomplished in a moment.
3. Nineteen years after his conversion, he testified: "From that moment to the present I have never been tempted to take a drink of anything with alcohol in it. I should have to learn all over again to love the drink that was for 35 years the greatest love of my life." Jesus delivers!
B. SOME HERE MAY BE CONTROLLED BY ADDICTION:
1. Alcohol? 4. Sexual addiction?
2. Drugs? 5. Contemplating suicide?
3. Pornography? 6. Witchcraft? Satanism?
C. JESUS IS ALIVE & HERE TODAY!
1. There is hope! There is a God who can break the shackles of sin if you call on the Name of Jesus. Fall on your knees and throw yourself on His mercy! Remember, the grave couldn’t hold Jesus. Every addiction will bow before Him!
2. Stand if you have a problem you need Jesus to heal. We will pray now for your deliverance.
3. And when you leave, go home to your friends and family as a witness of Christ! PRAYER.
