Sabbath 2/28/15 Daytona Seventh Day BAPTIST Church Pastor Wray “Unshackled” Mark 5:1-20

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Sabbath 2/28/15 Daytona Seventh Day BAPTIST Church Pastor Wray “Unshackled” Mark 5:1-20

 

This scripture is about a demon possessed man that people were afraid of. When the man saw Jesus, he fell to his knees, worshipping Jesus. He, the demons, asked Jesus to send them into the herd of swine. Jesus did this and the demons entered the pigs which then ran down the hill and drowned in the river. Today there are many people that cut themselves and this is a form of self-mutilation. The act of cutting oneself is usually done on the arm. At least 3 million people in the USA cut themselves. Many of these people are teenage girls and young women. They use razor blades to cut themselves so they can feel physical pain and get temporary relief from their psychological problem.

The man in this scripture cut and abused himself until he met Jesus. This demon possessed man lived in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. Jesus met this man right after He had calmed the storm when in the boat with his disciples. Jesus had just showed his disciples that He had power over the natural world, the stormy weather. Now they were encountering a different type of storm in this “many demons” possessed man. The disciples saw a horrible scene where a man’s life had been devastated by evil forces. A man that lived alone among the tombs in the graveyard. A man who cried out day and night while cutting, slicing himself. Demonic forces had occupied his life. Suddenly the demons saw Jesus Christ. Other people may not have known who Jesus was, but the demons knew Jesus! The demons were terrified when Jesus came and told them to come out of the man. The demon’s name was Legion and they were scared of Jesus. They begged to be sent into the swine but were surprised when the 2,000 pigs ran down the hill into the water and drowned dead.

Many people had long been running away from this dangerous possessed mad man. But Jesus did not run but approached him instead. Jesus commanded the demons to come out of the man the same way He had commanded the storm to be still on the water. Notice the demons inside the man immediately knew Jesus and called Him the Son of God. Yet, Peter’s confession of Jesus as the Son of God is still a long way off into the future. These demonic forces knew Jesus and knew the kind of power He had over them! They were named Legion and a Roman legion is about six thousand soldiers. There were a lot of evil demons possessing this man but they knew Jesus could destroy them with one word! Just as Jesus has power over natural forces like healing people, He also has power over spiritual forces.

The purpose of this scripture is to help us understand that there is nothing beyond the Power and Authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Can you say Amen? Because of this power, Jesus can transform our pain into freedom. I suggest to you this morning that Jesus can transform your depression into Joy. You may not have the tragedy that this man had, but in every life storms are going to come. Sometime they are physical. Sometime they are emotional. Sometimes they are psychological. Sometimes they are spiritual. Whatever the storm is, there is nothing beyond Jesus’s Power and Authority. We need to know that Jesus has authority over everything and we can trust Him. Jesus can transform your pain into freedom. Whatever it is that you need, God’s Got It!!

Jesus freed the man from the demon shackles he had been under. The demons thought going into the pigs was a good thing but the pigs drowned themselves instead. The men responsible for taking care of the pigs ran into town and told folk what happened. The town people were shocked to see the transformed demon possessed man. The man had become a clothed and calm disciple. Jesus has performed many miracles. The greatest of these miracles is when He removes sinful hearts from our lives. Jesus replaces them with new hearts where He sits on our heart throne. The most amazing miracle is when Jesus forgives our sin and forgives our rebellion. He adopts us as sons and daughters of the Most High God. There is nothing more important than saving a person from death unto life. Jesus did not think the cost to pay was too high. Jesus died on the cross so we can have Eternal Life.

Amen