Why Doesn't God Just Leave Me Alone? Series

We’re renewing the series dealing with the questions people asked Jesus. [The first four messages in this series were delivered in March of 2003.] These questions are important because the people asking them had issues just like you and I.

We learn the keys to living a purposeful life from Christ’s answers. And that’s something we can really use. We sorely need to know how to live life on purpose. So many people know how to exist but they really don’t know how to live. There’s a big difference! Jesus gives us the answers for how to really live!

The question today comes from a man so deeply consumed by demons that he lived in a graveyard, ran around disrobed, and injured himself with rocks. He must have been a sight before Jesus met him. But then again, so were we.

The question he asked Christ in this instance is very pointed: "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?" (Verse 7)

This question arises jointly from the man and from the demons that were using his vocal apparatus for their communication. They had different reasons for asking the question but they agreed that Jesus was intruding into territory they had mapped out for themselves.

This wasn’t some sci-fi movie where an alien took over a human body. This really happened! Evil spirits had taken up residence in this man’s life and body and were making his existence and the lives of everyone around him unbearable.

You know it’s actually a good question. Why was Christ bothering him?

Of course, Jesus wasn’t really there to bother him – He was there to bless him! But the demons taking up residence in the man were bothered by the presence of Christ because they knew He was God and He wasn’t going to put up with their corruption. This man was going to have his life radically favored by God but the demons knew they were getting their eviction notice!

Why doesn’t God just leave you alone? Why doesn’t He just let you live your life the way you want to without interfering with all of His pronouncements about how you’re supposed to live, and how you’re supposed to treat other people, and how you’re supposed to love Him, and how you’re supposed to love others? Why does the Word of God challenge you? Why does the Holy Spirit pressure you to improve and become a better person?

Why is the hound of heaven on your trail? Why does God seek you when you’re lost and then even after you’re found keep on trying to hold you to the straight and narrow lifestyle? Why doesn’t God just leave… you… alone?

A guy I once shared Christ with years ago asked me a related question. "Why don’t you Christians just leave me alone?" And I told him, "It’s because God doesn’t want you left alone."

Why is that? Why does God get involved in your life? It’s a good question. And of course Christ has solid answers.

Christ’s answers to this demon possessed man’s question gives us Three Reasons God Doesn’t Just Leave You Alone AND Three Ways You Consequently Need to Respond to God.

The first is this: God won’t leave you alone because…

1. YOU CAN’T OVERCOME EVIL ALONE - SO RESPOND TO GOD WITH WORSHIP.

You need to show some appreciation and admiration for God loving you enough to help you overcome the evil attempts to mess up your life.

Mark 5:6 (NLT) When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him. He ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him. 7 He gave a terrible scream, shrieking, "Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? For God’s sake, don’t torture me!" 8 For Jesus had already said to the spirit, "Come out of the man, you evil spirit."

Jesus wasn’t debating the demons over this man’s soul. He simply made a command to which the demons had to acquiesce.

Just like that man there’s an ongoing spiritual battle for your soul. You may not always think about it but it’s there. Furthermore, it’s a battle you can’t possibly win without God!

This man knew this. So he ran to meet Jesus and fell down before him – an act of worship as well as a plea to be exorcized. The demons were yelling but the man was kneeling.

As I’ve already said, the demons were bothered because of Christ’s clear superiority over them and because of His holiness confronting their evil.

The man may have been bothered for other reasons.

Reasons you might be bothered by Christ’s attempts to free you from the chains of sin:

1)You don’t really want to give up your sin.

Sin gives you some things you don’t want to part with. Temporary pleasure. False security. Worldly status. Jesus said something about this problem in