I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Mark 5:1-5
Mark
5:1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got
out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3
This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a
chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains
apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut
himself with stones.
-- this morning, on the first Sunday
after July the Fourth -- the day when we celebrate our independence from Great
Britain -- the day we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy as Americans -- I wanted
us to spend some time talking about the true freedom that we realize in Christ
Jesus
-- in Luke 4:18-19, when Jesus was
speaking in the synagogue in Nazareth at the start of His ministry on earth, He
turned to the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and proclaimed the reason why the
Father had sent Him -- He said He had come to preach good news to the poor --
to proclaim recovery of sight for the blind -- to release the oppressed -- to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor -- and to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners
-- the thing is when Jesus said He
came to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, Jesus wasn't talking about people
in a physical prison -- he was talking about people who were in a different
kind of prison -- people who were held in a prison of spiritual bondage --
these are the ones that Jesus came to set free
-- and I think it's important for us
to note Jesus said He came to proclaim freedom to those in prison -- He came to
announce its availability to those who would listen
-- through the atoning death and
resurrection of Christ Jesus, freedom from sin and death had arrived in this
world -- it was available as a free gift from God -- it was an act of God’s
grace -- giving us what we did not deserve
-- but the prisoners Jesus was talking
about had to act on His proclamation -- that's why the verse in Ephesians 2:8-9
says, "you are saved by grace through faith" -- God’s grace in Christ
Jesus has opened the door to freedom, but it takes faith to walk through that
door into the kingdom of life
-- it reminds me of the Andy Griffith
show -- remember Otis, the town drunk? -- Barney would always lock Otis up in
the jail, but the key was sitting there on a nail right outside the door --
Otis could get his freedom any time he wanted -- all had to do was reach out
through the bars and grab the key and open the door -- it's the same way with
the prisoners Jesus was talking about in Luke 4:18 -- Jesus proclaimed freedom through
Himself -- but, now, they need to take the key in faith and step out into that
freedom that He offered at Calvary
II. Scriptural Lesson (Mark 5:1-20)
-- in this familiar passage from the
Book of Mark, we read of someone who does just that -- who steps out of
spiritual bondage and into the freedom that Jesus offers -- let’s look at this
passage together now
-- look back at verse 1 again
Mark
5:1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got
out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3
This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a
chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains
apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut
himself with stones.
-- Mark tells us that this passage
takes place in the region of the Gerasenes, along the eastern shore of the Sea
of Galilee -- this area historically was the site of the Decapolis -- a group
of ten cities that were situated east of Galilee and down the Jordan River
towards the Dead Sea -- the people who lived here were not Jews -- they were
Gentiles -- and that’s important to note
-- they were not followers of Yahweh
-- they did not believe in God or worship Him in His temple -- they did not
follow the law of Moses -- they were an unclean people who lived in unclean
ways according to the Jews -- far from the presence of God -- far from freedom
-- the last people the disciples would have expected Jesus to visit
-- but Jesus is going there for a
reason -- as Mark tells us, when the disciple’s boat landed on the eastern
shore of the lake and Jesus stepped out, He was confronted by a man with an
evil spirit who came towards Him from out of the tombs
-- Mark tells us this man had been in
this condition for some time -- that the people had tried to bind him for his
own protection, but that he would tear the chains apart and break the irons on
his feet and now no one could do anything with him -- he lived alone, with his
demons, in the tombs
-- this man was the poster child of
someone living in a prison of spiritual bondage -- unlike the Jews who carried
their chains hidden within, here was a person the disciples could look at and
realize instantly that he was in a spiritual prison -- the spiritual chains that
bound him were obvious
-- the demons had stolen his sanity --
they had taken over his mind -- they had stolen his dignity, and left him naked
for all the world to see -- they had stolen from him the necessities of life --
leaving him without food or clothes or a home -- and they had stolen from him
his humanity -- forcing him to live in the tombs isolated from those who knew
him and loved him
-- Jesus has brought the disciples
here so they could see the visible chains of spiritual bondage released and
know the freedom He had come to proclaim to all -- even to those who keep their
chains hidden
-- when we see people like this man
from Gerasenes -- when we see people that do not believe in God and have not
put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins -- it’s easy for us
to look at them and know that they are living in a prison and know that they
need to seek freedom through Jesus
-- but these are not the only ones who
may be caught up in the chains of spiritual bondage -- there are a lot of Christians
out there -- maybe some of you -- who are still held in chains of some type or
the other -- that’s why Paul wrote in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that
Christ has set us free -- Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be
burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
-- you see, when Christ went to the
cross as an atonement for our sins, He not only purchased for us freedom from
our past sins -- but He purchased for us freedom from our present and our
future sins and from everything that is keeping us from becoming more and more
like Him
-- but what happens in the life of a
lot of Christians, when we get saved, we don't let Jesus remove all our chains
-- we keep a few wrapped around us and don't let Him take them off -- these
chains are the things that are hindering us in our walk with Christ -- these
are the things that are keeping us from growing in grace
-- for some of us, it's a sin in our
lives that is really difficult to get rid of -- maybe it's an addiction to
pornography or drugs or alcohol or an impure thought life -- maybe it's pride
or arrogance -- maybe it's gossip or anger or hatred -- whatever it is, it's
still there in our heart holding us in bondage
-- maybe we're in bondage to our past
sins -- maybe we know that they have been forgiven, but we just can't let them
go, and Satan is using them to hold us back
-- maybe we're in bondage to legalism
-- maybe we think that we have to come to church to be saved -- that we have to
belong to a certain church to be saved -- that we have to do this good work or
that good work or follow this church law to be saved
-- maybe we're in bondage to the
future -- our lives are filled with worry and anxiety and we just can't let it
go and move on in faith in Christ
-- maybe we're in bondage to another
person -- maybe someone in our life is controlling what we say or what we do --
maybe we have unforgiveness in our heart towards another -- or maybe we need to
ask forgiveness of another
-- whatever it may be, it's obvious
that most Christians have not totally accepted the freedom that Christ has to
offer
-- it’s like Martin Luther King, Jr.,
pointed out in his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963 -- King said that
President Lincoln proclaimed freedom for the slaves in 1863 with the
Emancipation Proclamation, but 100 years later, his people had still not
accepted all the rights and privileges that went along with that freedom
-- in other words, although they were
free in name, they were still in a form of bondage -- they had never walked
through that last gate and left all their chains behind -- freedom was theirs
for the taking, but they just wouldn't accept it -- the same is true for many
Christians today
-- but, as Jesus is about to show us,
freedom is there for all -- for the unbeliever and the believer -- for all of
those who call out in His name and ask Him to free them from the chains that
bind
-- verse 6
6
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of
him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said
to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
-- even wrapped up in the spiritual
chains of demonic possession, this man knew that the answer to his problem lay
in Jesus -- even from a distance, he saw Jesus and ran to Him and fell at His
knees and cried out, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High
God?”
-- at that moment, the demons trembled
in fear -- while somewhere deep inside, the man who was bound in chains, looked
up at Jesus with hope
-- verse 9
9
Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My
name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again
and again not to send them out of the area.
11
A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged
Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them
permission, and the impure 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.
-- even a legion of demons was no
match for the Son of God -- as Matthew and Luke record in their accounts of
this event, with just one word, “Go,” Jesus cast the demons from this man and
into the herd of pigs that were feeding nearby
-- with just one word, the chains that
bound this man were released -- with just one word, healing came -- with just
one word, freedom was realized
-- the same was true at Calvary, when
with just one word -- “Tetelesti” -- “It is finished” -- Jesus proclaimed
freedom to all who would receive it
-- verse 14
14
Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside,
and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they 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. 16 Those who had seen it
told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the
pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their
region.
-- an act of God is always noted --
when someone like this man is freed from spiritual bondage, people know
immediately -- the people who were tending the pigs that turned into deviled
ham ran into the town to tell everyone what had happened -- and everyone came
out to see for themselves
-- when freedom is realized -- when
freedom is received and lives are changed -- people notice and come to see
-- when the townspeople came out, they
saw that the man who had been possessed had been restored -- he was sitting there
with Jesus -- dressed and in his right mind -- freed once and for all -- and it
scared them, because they just couldn’t understand
-- you see, they had no frame of
reference for what had just happened -- remember, these are not Jews who grew
up with the word and the witness and the promises of God -- they were
unbelievers who lived in a dark land held hostage by Satan and his demons
-- a light had come, but they couldn’t
understand it -- so, they reacted in fear and begged Jesus to leave their region
-- you know, people always have a
choice -- to either receive freedom through Jesus and the Word of God -- to
accept it as their own on faith -- or to reject it -- these people rejected
Jesus and so Jesus left
-- God will not stay where He is not
welcome -- but He will always leave a door open for those who want to join Him
-- verse 18
18
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged
to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people
and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on
you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus
had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
-- as Jesus was getting into the boat,
the formerly demon-possessed man begged to go with Him -- freedom does that --
it causes us to want to be with our Savior
-- but Jesus told him no -- go back to
your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you -- how he has had
mercy on you -- so the man went back and began to tell in the Decapolis all
that Jesus had done for him
-- you see, Jesus knew that the people
in that region would need to hear the truth about freedom from one like them --
from someone that everyone knew had lived in spiritual bondage, but was now
freed through the power of the Son of God in their midst
-- freedom demands a response -- just like we
sing in “Our Country, ‘Tis of Thee” on holidays like the Fourth of July --
“From every mountainside, Let freedom ring”
-- Jesus called on this man to let
freedom ring -- to proclaim His freedom to these people -- so that they might
all come to know the freedom that is possible if they would but accept Jesus as
their Lord and Savior, too
-- the Bible tells us that the people
heard the good news that this man proclaimed -- and the next time Jesus landed
on the eastern shore of Galilee, the people flocked to see and to hear Him
III. CLOSING
-- let’s bring this to a close -- as
everyone knows, I occasionally volunteer to minister out at Valdosta State
Prison as part of a Kairos Prison Ministry Team -- the theme of Kairos is
simple and is summed up in the phrase, "Listen, listen, love, love"
-- we don't try to spend our time preaching to the inmates -- heck, many of
them know the Bible better than we do -- but instead we spend our time listening
to what they have to say and loving them with the love of Christ
-- at the closing of the weekend, the
inmates are given the opportunity to reflect on the weekend and on any changes
that might have happened in their lives since they first walked into the gym on
Thursday night, the start of their three-day weekend -- I’ve done a lot of
these weekends, and it seems like a common refrain I hear from the prisoners at
the end of the weekend is "Though I may never see freedom again, I am
freer now than ever before in my life."
-- that got me to thinking -- you
know, here's these guys sitting in prison-- some of them serving life sentences
-- knowing they will never get out into the real world again -- but yet they
can say they are freer now sitting behind bars than they've ever been before in
their lives
-- Jesus said in John 8:36, "if
the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." -- and that is exactly the
spiritual truth these men were expressing -- freedom isn't dependent on your
circumstances or your physical location -- freedom is a matter of the heart -- freedom
is a matter of receiving through faith the grace and forgiveness that we have
through Christ
-- if you have been freed from the
chains of sin and death by the blood of Jesus Christ, then you can be sitting
in a cell in Valdosta State Prison -- you can literally be locked behind bars
and razor wire -- but you can be freer than someone outside those walls
-- freedom came to the demon-possessed
man from Gerasenes because he fell at the feet of Jesus and cried out for mercy
-- that same freedom can come to all of us today -- no matter if it’s the
freedom of salvation we need or if it’s the freedom that comes from walking
with Jesus in faith -- freedom is there for the taking
-- I have no doubt that almost
everyone here today has been saved -- you have tasted the freedom of Calvary
and have experienced the forgiveness of your sins through Jesus
-- but maybe you’re still living with
some lingering chains of spiritual bondage in your life -- maybe you’re
struggling with a nagging sin this morning -- maybe you’re struggling with
doubt or with despair over the future or over a loved one who seems to be far
away from you and the Lord -- maybe you’ve let yourself be bound again in your
freedom
-- remember again the words of
Galatians 5:1 -- “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”
-- this morning is an opportunity for
you to truly experience the freedom that comes through Jesus -- just come to Him
as the demon-possessed man did -- just cry out to Him and ask Him to free you
-- ask the Spirit to fill you -- and trust in faith that He will respond to any
heart that seeks Him in this way
-- this week, we celebrated our
Independence Day in America -- today, we can celebrate your spiritual
Independence Day, if you just cry out to Jesus for healing
-- let us pray
No comments:
Post a Comment