“A SPIRIT OF REBELLION”
Text: Mark 5:1-5
Introduction: You would recognize him the moment that
you saw him.
1. His hair was matted together.
2. His face was unshaven.
3. He was foaming and frothing at the mouth.
4. Blood was flowing from self-inflicted
wounds.
5. The clanging of chains could be heard as
he dragged them around.
6. He didn’t wear any clothes or live in a
house but dwelled among the tombs.
7. The stench of dried pus and soured vomit
was unbearable.
8. He would come at you screaming and crying
like a wild animal.
Who was this man? He was a man that was
possessed of the devil. He had anywhere
between 3 and 6 thousand demons in him.
Demons are disembodied spirits. They are
fallen angels that rebelled with Lucifer in
his initial rebellion against God. They can
afflict with bodily disease. Being unclean
they tempt us with unclean thoughts. They can
cause:
a. Insanity (Matt. 8:28; 17:15)
b. Muteness of speech (Matt. 9:3)
c. Blindness (Matt. 12:22)
d. A person to harm themselves (Mk. 5:5)
e. Paralysis (Luke 13:ll)
f. Deafness (Mk. 9:25)
BUT, It is impossible for a Christian to be
demon possessed. The Lord cannot and will not
be a cohabitant with the devil. When Jesus
shows up the devil is ready
to leave town.
Anyone who is unsaved is a candidate for demon
possession. But there are at least six
different groups that are more likely to
become demon possessed than others.
1. Those who enter into a covenant or a
contract with Satan, selling their souls.
2. Those who dabble in the occult, Black
Magic, White Magic, Horoscopes, Astrology,
Fortune Telling, Card Reading, Ouija
Boards, Fetishes, Charms, Seances, and
Satan worship, etc.
3. Those who use drugs and alcohol.
4. Those who practice false religions.
5. Those who indulge in sexual abuses and
promiscuity.
6. Those who are vile and wicked. Blasphemers,
Foul-mouthed, Defile the flesh and are
morally corrupt.
We don’t know how this man got into
the condition that he was in. A person that
is degraded and weakened by sin will open
themselves to the devil. The Bible warns us
not to give place to the devil.
This man had been excommunicated
from the town of Gadara. They had tried to
restrain him with chains and fetters but they
could not hold him. The people of Gadara
could not rest or be at peace as long as they
knew that this man was on the loose. There
would be an errie feeling to come over the
town as they heard his hellish cries and
demonic laugh throughout the night.
It all sounds like the page out of a
horror story but it is reality. A man that
got so far into sin that demons took
possession of his body.
The city of Gadara is not the only
place that we can find such evil. There is
a spirit of rebellion that fills the land
today. We are seeing an explosion of evil all
around us.
I. THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF SIN
A. It is hard for us to conceive how anyone could ever get into such a condition.
a. Sin has destructive power.
B. Sin will degrade you and bring you down to the level of an animal and a brute beast.
a. Sin Degrades
b. Sin Destroys
c. Sin Desecrates
C. Sin will always, always bring you down!
1. Jonah
a. He went down to Joppa
b. He went down into the ship.
c. He went down into the sea.
d. He went down into the belly of the whale.
2. Prodigal Son
a. He went down into a far country
b. He went down into immorality
c. He went down into the hog-pens.
D. This man went down into the tombs!
a. He left the land of the living to dwell among the dead.
E. Sin will alienate you!
1. God
a. “Our sins separate us from God”
b. “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me”
2. Society
a. The prison population has exploded.
b. We can’t build prisons fast enough.
3. Family
a. How many families have lost a family member because of sin?
b. Through drugs, alcohol, divorce, etc.
F. All around us is sea of families that live in sin and misery.
a. They are in a deep pit of despair and anxiety.
b. They live with frustration, irritation, and restlessness
G. “There is no peace, saith God, for the wicked”
a. “The way of the transgressor is hard!”
b. “The wages of sin is death!”
c. “The soul that sinneth shall die”
H. This man gives to us a picture of how deplorable and horrible sin is!
a. His friends and his family became terrified of him.
II. A SPIRIT OF REBELLION
A. The Bible tells us that Mary Magdelene had 7 devils before she came to Christ.
a. This man may have had 6,000.
b. Just one is too many!
B. These spirits are by their own nature are rebellious!
a. It is the spirit of Lucifer.
b. We see this spirit in society today!
C. This is a generation that questions authority.
a. It is a talkback, fight-back, get-back generation.
D. Out of the 60’s came a generation that rebelled and we are reaping a bitter harvest as a result today.
a. We remember the hippies, love-ins, draft-dodging, and draft card burnings.
b. We remember the marches, protests, and the riots.
c. It was the emergence of a generation that said we are not going to take it anymore!
d. Don’t tell me how to live my life. Nobody is going to tell me what I can or cannot do!
E. There is a rebellion against authority!
1. The parent is no longer the voice of authority in the home.
2. The teacher is no longer the voice of authority in the classroom
3. There is no respect for the police officer
4. There is no respect for our senior adults
5. There is no respect for the President of the United States.
6. There is no respect for the Flag.
7. There is no respect for the man of God or for Christians.
F. It is difficult to find those who have a teachable spirit and a humble heart.
a. When a teacher, who had taught in elementary school successfully for over 25 years, resigned, she was asked why? She gave them 8 reasons why:
1. I don’t have any authority anymore in the classroom.
2. When I make a decision concerning a student the principal doesn’t back me up.
3. All the teachers are afraid of the principal.
4. The Principal is afraid of the school board.
5. The School board is afraid of the Superintendent.
6. The Superintendent is afraid of the Federal Government.
7. The parents are afraid of the children.
8. The children are afraid of NOBODY!
G. Vance Havner said,
“Our world is fast becoming a madhouse
and the inmates are trying to run the asylum.
It is a strange time when the patients are
writing the prescriptions. The students are
threatening to run the schools, the children to
manage the homes, and the church members – not
the Holy Spirit, to direct the churches”
H. It was Lucifer’s goal to dethrone God and be worshipped himself.
a. He was cast down with his rebellious heart and he infected the whole human race.
I. The first home in Genesis 4 reveals how rebellion can bring such devastation and heartache.
a. Sin was lying at the door of Cain
b. He took the life of his brother.
c. When the Lord said, “Cain, where is Abel they brother?”
d. Cain said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
e. The very tone of Cain’s voice was evidence of his rebellious heart.
J. Like so many today, Cain didn’t want to be called into question.
a. No accountability or Responsibility!
b. It is a rebellious spirit that defies authority!
K. I Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft”
a. This spirit of rebellion has produced a wicked world.
b. I John 5:19 “The whole world lieth in wickedness”
III. SUBMITTING TO JESUS
A. It is very possible that everyone in the town gave up on this man, including his family.
a. Sin can take you so low until it looks like there is no hope.
B. But what is impossible with man is not impossible with God!
a. This man could not be tamed or bound.
b. Until Jesus came by!
c. The devil and sin are no match for the Son of God!
d. The devil trembles at His presence!
C. There is a transformation that takes place when you meet Jesus!
1. Inwardly
a. When the town’s people arrived they found this man in his right mind.
b. He had been wild, unreasonable, and irrational.
c. But now he is intelligent and reasonable.
d. “Come now, let us reason together….
e. The Lord will give you good sense to where you won’t act like an animal.
2. Outwardly
a. They found him clothed!
b. He was no longer tearing off his clothes and cutting himself.
c. He was now decent.
d. His behavior had changed.
3. Emotionally
a. They found him sitting at the feet of Jesus.
b. His desire was to be with the living Christ and not among the dead.
D. When the Lord comes into your life He will affect the way you:
1. Think
2. Act
3. Dress
4. Live
E. This man’s life was so changed that he wanted to become one of His disciples.
a. He wanted to follow the Lord wherever He went.
F. It sounds kind of strange but Jesus denied his request.
a. The Lord is too wise to make an error.
b. He is too good to be unkind!
c. He loves us too much to neglect our best interests and welfare.
G. Jesus said to him: “Return to your own house, and show them what great things God hath done unto thee”
a. Jesus told this man to go home and witness to his family and friends.
b. He became known as the disciple that stayed home.
H. You will always do your best where God puts you!
a. If the Lord has done great things for you then let your testimony be heard.
b. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”
c. If we don’t praise Him the rocks will cry out!
I. Can you imagine the testimony that this man had when he went back home?
a. He went home and hugged his wife and kids.
b. His friends gathered around him.
J. He started weeping as he tried to tell them what had happened to him.
a. He tried to describe how he had felt hopelessly lost.
b. He told of how he had no reason to live and tried to take his own life.
c. He told of the pain, misery, and despair.
K. It’s not hard to get people to witness when they have had an experience with God.
a. When you meet the Master you will have a song to sing!
b. You will have a testimony to give.
L. That’s how powerful your relationship with Christ can be!
1. The woman at the well left her water pot and said, “Come see a man that told me all things that I ever did”
2. Andrew brought Peter to Jesus and said, “We have found the Messiah”
3. The blind man said, “I was blind and now I see”
Conclusion: This man became a great witness. He told
everyone in the city what had happened to
him. When Jesus returned the people gladly
received Him and were waiting for Him.
It takes the power of God to overcome this
spirit of rebellion! You must bow at His feet
and allow Him to set you free.
