INTRODUCTION: Read Story from Mark 5
TEXTUAL IDEA: The story of the healing of the demon possessed man shows us much about the relationship demons have with man and Christ.
SERMON IDEA: What Satan, Society and a Savior Can Do For a Man
NEED: To develop healthy spiritual relationships
1.Consider the following when developing relationships:
2.Popularity of Spiritualism
3.Reality based? Proof, evidence?
4.Useable? Consistent behavior patterns?
DIVISION 1: What Satan does to a man spiritually
Explain: Our physical appearance reflects a deeper image of what is happening inside us spiritually
Reasoning:
Dramatically describe scene:
Describe scene as Jesus gets out of the boat and is approached by the demons in the approaching darkness.
Teaching point: Jesus’ disciples are getting a better idea of who Jesus is.
Who can this be that the wind and waves obey Him? 4:39
The disciples will see that demons obey Him too.
Describe the man approaching the boat and the fear of the disciples as darkness begins to envelop the tombs, first fires being lit, swine grazing on the hill side before bedding down
Describe the man’s appearance. Here comes this beast ...
long nails
dried blood on his arms,
legs, hands, beard and hair caked with mud, smell
This man’s physical characteristics reflect a much deeper image of what had happened to him on the inside due to his relationship with Satan. This man did not get this way on his own. Some where in his past, a door was opened to demonic activity:
Application: Cycle that leads to this situation:
1.Avoid anything that has satanic appearance - Psalm 1
2.Be Aware of the difference - discernment, testing the spirits
Demons and their relationship to Christ:
can recognize Him
can recognize His spirit
know His power over them - before the time, let us go
(old Hebrew tradition says that if you can learn a demon’s name you break his power over you) - recognize what they are doing and you are on your way to letting Jesus take care of it for you.
know what lays ahead for them -
Matt 25:41- 46:
everlasting punishment
everlasting fire
Matt 8:12-13
outer darkness
weeping
gnashing of teeth
Rev 9:1 - bottomless pit / abyss
3.Attraction - guard your heart and thought patterns
4.Appetites are developed or cultivated. You are not born with them.
DIVISION 2: What Society does for a man spiritually
Explain: Society is Spiritually dead and only recognizes and treats symptoms at best.
Reasoning: At worst
1.bound him - protection from him
personal relationships and barriers
2.tamed him - token effort to help him
uselessness of helping people w/o spiritual treatment
pray with and for
guide them in spiritual basics
3.avoided him - deny responsibility for him
treated Jesus the same way-
don’t disturb my:
comfort
possessions
religion - serve us v. service
Application:
CONCLUSION: What a Savior does for a man
Explain: Jesus cleans you up, gives you a family and a purpose
1.Gives you a bath / cleanses you:
a. removes chains - spiritual and physical
spiritual - Legion describes the torment of the man
physical - dresses you, the villagers found him clothed and in his right mind talking with Christ
2.Gives you a family - contrasts the image of the man before and now talking in his right mind of the terrors he had known that led him to such demonic oppression. He is able to share with his new family
3.Gives you a desire to be with Him - gut check - if your relationship with Christ hasn’t created a desire to be with him, you are trying to be spiritual without the Spirit.
4.Gives you a testimony / purpose - Jesus wouldn’t let the man remain with Him, rather he told him to go tell others what the Lord had done for him so that others might benefit as well. You keep your faith by giving it away.
