God Saves The Bad As Well As The Good Tape: L- 10 E. Rome Time: 12/ 28/ 03 11 a.m. Text: Mark 5: 1-20 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction: Our text tells us about a man that was possessed with demons. The Lord saves the bad as well as the good. Good moral sinners need to get saved, but bad sinners need to get saved also. Sometimes, a saved person wants to ignore bad people that need to get saved. Sometimes people don t witness to bad people because they seem to be repulsive. Sometimes Christians don t witness to bad people because they think that they are to bad to get saved. Well, our text that is before us lets us know that a person can t get to bad to be saved. Our text tells us about a person that was possessed with demons. QUESTION? How can a person be possessed with demons? How can a person get into that shape? Answer: By yielding ones life over to the devil. Ephesians 5:27 neither give place to the devil. James 4:7 resist the devil. When one doesn t resist the devil, but give in to the devil more and more, it won t be long before a person is possessed with the devil or demons. Friend, when a person doesn t fear the devil and gets deeper and deeper in sin, a person is living on dangerous grounds. OBJECTIVE: When we see a person get saved as bad as this demoniac, we can have hope for seeing that sinner we know that is living their life following the devil and living a sinful life. POINT: Don t ever give up on anyone getting saved, regardless of how bad they live! I. The Demoniac A. What He Didn t Have Satan always takes away and the Savior always gives that which is good to the sinner after they get saved. 1
1. He Didn t Have A Home Notice where he was living in verse two. V.2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an un-clean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs. He was living with dead people. Verse 19- after he was saved, Jesus says go home. Luke 8:39 Jesus says- return to thy own house. Satan loves to break family relationships. / More than likely he was asked or was driven from home because of his horrible condition. 2. He Didn t Have Any Humiliation Luke 8:27 and wear no clothes. He didn t care what people thought of his indecency. 1 Timothy 2:9 adorn themselves in modest apparel. 3. He Didn t Have Any Help V. 3 & 4 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in peaces; neither could no man tame him. Society couldn t change him. Jails may restrain a person, but they can t transform a person. B. What He Did Have What did Satan give this man after he started controlling his life? Answer: Pain & Misery V.5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 2
The Demoniac II. The Deliverance A. Notice The Recognition Of Jesus By The Demons V. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him. V.7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. Satan recognizes Jesus and knows there is a God. The Devil is smarter than the atheist and people who reject the idea of the Son of God coming into this world and dying in order that a man might be saved. Satan knows about Jesus, but tries to convince men that he doesn t exist in order to dam their souls to Hell! B. Notice The Request To Jesus By The Demons Let us notice two requests by the demons. 1. Notice The First Request In Verse 7c V.7 - Last phrase- I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. Satan and all the demons of hell know there will be a day that they will be cast in hell to be tormented forever. 2. Notice The Final Request In Verses 8-13 V. 8 For He said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Not there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12- And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13-And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea,( they were about two thousand,) and were choked in the sea. 3
Here was one man controlled by all these demons. Here were 2000 hogs that couldn t tolerate what one human being could tolerate. Jesus is omniscient, He knew the end result of the demons who wanted to live in another body, even if it was an animal. C. Notice The Rejection Of Jesus By The People V. 14- And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. V.15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16- And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. 17- And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts. They thought more of their swine than a human soul. They thought more of their materialism than a soul. These swine that drowned cost them money. The Bible says- what shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loose his soul. That soul was worth more than a million hogs put together. They didn t want Jesus around, so he left. V.21- tells us that he left. Jesus is not going to stay around where he is not wanted. He will never force himself on anyone. The Demoniac The Deliverance III. The Difference------------------after he was converted A. What He Displayed V.15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind- 1. Notice That He Was Calm V. 15- says that he was sitting. 4
Right the opposite of V.5 and always night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones. He Was Calm 2. Notice That He Was Clothed V.15- sitting and CLOTHED- Now, he was not running around naked. 3. Notice That He Was In Control V.15d clothed and IN HIS RIGHT MIND- What He Displayed B. What He Desired V.18- And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with him. Here was a man that got saved and he wanted to be with Jesus. This is a good sign that a person is saved. They will want to talk to Jesus by prayer. They will won t to be in His house to worship Him. They will want to read the Bible so Jesus can talk to them. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. C. What He Declared V.19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath compassion on thee. V.20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him; and all the men did marvel. This man that was so bad told people what the Lord had done for him. 5
He was not only Speaking, but Showing. What they saw and heard made them marvel because they saw a miracle take place in this man s life. This man was completely different! ( 20) Conclusion: There are a lot of spiritual truths in this passage. 1. No one is to bad or mean for Jesus to save. 2. You should never, never give up on lost people. 3. A person who is truly saved will live a fruitful life. 4. You should always share with others what the Lord has done for you. 5. If you are LOST, the DEVIL not only wants you to go to hell, he want you to live a miserable life on earth. 6