Please turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter 5, the Gospel of Mark chapter 5, and the first 20 verses tell the story of Jesus healing a man who had a legion of demons in him. So we'll read Mark 5, verses 1 to 20. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerizines. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 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. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me. For Jesus was saying to him, Come out of this man, you evil spirit. Then Jesus asked him, What is your name? My name is Legion, he replied, for we are many. And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, Send us among the pigs, allow us to go into them. He gave them permission. And the evil 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. Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 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. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you. So the man went away and began to tell him the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, the good news of Jesus Christ, the good news of the Kingdom of God is nothing short of amazing. In the Kingdom of God, we receive every possible blessing that we could ever desire. Jesus promises us forgiveness of all our sins. He promises hearts that love our neighbors. The healing of all our relationships. He promises justice for all the oppressed and justice against all those who oppress them. He promises to take away all pain and suffering in this world and make it perfect, lasting forever. He promises to heal all our diseases, wipe away all our tears, and raise our bodies to new life in the age to come. There is no good thing that Jesus does not promise us in the Kingdom of God. And yet, as we sang in Psalm 73, we don't always see this now. There seems to be so much opposition to the Gospel. Injustice goes on. The church seems weak. And people just don't really care about what we're saying. And Jesus takes longer and longer to come back. And we ask, where is this great Kingdom? Here in Mark 5, we see something of the same tension. We see Jesus' power. We see that He has power that makes demons tremble. We see Jesus do acts of great mercy and love, and yet at the same time, even here, Jesus acts with such weakness. He lets the demons go into these 2,000 pigs and drive them off the cliff. He lets these wicked people drive Him out of their land. And He won't even let the man who loves Him Come and be with Him. Why? Why doesn't Jesus just come right now with all His angels and all His glory and take His people to be with Himself and judge the wicked and get it done with? Wouldn't that be so much better? Well, the answer is one that should shape our life. And it should shape the whole way we think about why we're even here, why we're even alive today. It should shape how we interact with co-workers, how we treat each other. It should shape how we think of suffering. And the answer, as Mark 5 presents it, is that Jesus is all-powerful. And He has conquered Satan. But today, He uses His power and weakness because today is the day of salvation. The victory of His kingdom is won. But now He works in love and mercy because He has come to save sinners. I'm going to work through this chapter just in order and just sort of follow the narrative and try to bring out these points. Take a look first just at the beginning. In verse 1 we read, they went across the lake to the region of the Gerizines. And it seems like a little sort of innocent geographical phrase, but when we look back through the book of Mark, we see that Jesus has been telling much about what He called the Kingdom of God. He's been telling parables about this kingdom. He's been doing miracles, healing the sick, casting out demons. And He's been taking the war against Satan by destroying His demons. And at one point, Jesus tells a parable of going into a strong man's house and binding up that strong man. And that is what Jesus is doing in Israel. Jesus is casting out demons and He's healing those who are sick and those who are weak to show that finally the time has come when Satan can no longer oppress God's people. And now the beginnings of this new life that's promised in the future, this is beginning to come down into Israel. And yet, up to Mark 5, it's just been within Israel. It's just been within those small boundaries of God's people. And then we read that He goes across the lake to the region of the Gerizines. Jesus is entering enemy territory. Throughout the Old Testament, we see that Satan had the power to deceive the nations. He couldn't deceive Israel, at least not completely. But he could deceive the nations. But now, Jesus crosses into enemy territory. And it is fitting that we see this as a great cosmic struggle. There are some here among us who've lived through World War II. This little crossing of the lake is far greater. Boys and girls, you might know the great story in the movies of Lord of the Rings. But what's going on here is far greater. And we all know the stories of Joshua and the Israelites crossing into Canaan and destroying the wicked. But what Jesus is doing here, crossing this lake, is far greater. Do you think that's a bit of an exaggeration? Is there really all that going on there? It seems just harmless. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerizines. But think about it from the perspective of Satan and of his demons who all this time have had the power to deceive the nations. And now Jesus is coming across. And to the demons, this is utter terror. Notice how Jesus is received on the other side of the reed. We read, When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet Him. And that man goes out to cry out to Him, What do you want with Me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? The demon knows what's going on. And from the description of this man, there can be no doubt that there's spiritual warfare going on here. Just at first glance, he's possessed by a demon. This isn't just an ordinary man. And later we read that it's actually a legion of demons. And a legion with 6,000 Roman soldiers. We don't know if that's exactly how many demons there were, but it's something like that. But we read more than that. We read that he's living among the tombs. He's unclean. No Jew could touch the dead or live among the dead as we see throughout the Old Testament, especially Numbers 9. But even more than that, this man has superhuman strength. This nation has been trying and trying to bind him with their chains, and they cannot. That is not human power. That is supernatural, demonic power. And even more than that, He's terrorizing the community. We read in Matthew 8 an account of the same story that no one could pass that way. He controlled the region. He's destroying Himself. He's cutting Himself up with stones. He's controlled by demons. And then He cries out to Jesus, What do you have to do with Me? Have nothing to do with Me, Son of the Most High God. He knows exactly what is going on. but it's not just the man that tells us that this is significant. Look at the territory Jesus is coming into. It is true that this was formerly part of the land that was allotted to Israel, but by this time, for a long time, this land had been controlled by Gentiles. And we know that because they're farmers of pigs. And Leviticus 11 verse 7 says very clearly that the Jews could have nothing to do with pigs. They could not eat pigs. And so this is in blatant defiance of the religion of the Jews. And it's probable that the people in this land thought they had it pretty well. And they probably thought they were free. And perhaps they looked across the lake and they knew about those crazy Jews over there who had to go by all these regulations and such. But these people, these Gerizines, they can farm pigs and they can do well and they don't need anything to do with God. They think they're free. But really, they're in slavery to Satan. And we know that because all Satan has to do is take a few of his demons and put them in one man. And that man can wreak havoc on the community. And they can get all their forces and all their police officers and all their chains and do everything they can. And this one man with Satan's power snaps the chains. He terrorizes the community and they are completely at His mercy. This isn't just Jesus crossing the lake. This is Jesus crossing the lake into very hostile territory. It's similar to a nation described in Isaiah 65. Isaiah 65 says, I spread out My hands all the day to a rebellious people who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices, a people who provoke Me to My face continually, who sit in tombs and spend the night in secret places, who eat pig's flesh and broth of tainted meat is in their vessels who say, keep to yourself, do not come near Me, for I am too holy for you. This is the kind of nation that Jesus is facing. And yet, look at the amazing thing that happens. A man runs up to Him and he falls on his knees. We have a carpenter. A bunch of fishermen, a tax collector, a few other scattered occupations, they're coming across in a boat. The boat lands on the beach. And this man, who this nation's been trying to control with all their might, who's been terrorizing the whole community, runs up to this roughshod band of people, who knows who they are, and he cries out, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God, in utter terror? And if you lived in that land, what would be going through your mind at that moment? What's with this demon-possessed man? And who are these people? But the demons know. And they know exactly what's going on. And they know that here is a man. He may look like a carpenter and he may have a bunch of fishermen that aren't all that intelligent with him. But here is a man who is more powerful than any opponent they could possibly face. far more powerful than the chains of this kingdom. And they know, even if the disciples didn't know, that Jesus is He who's spoken of in Hebrews 12. For you have not come to what may be touched, but a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. It's just the faith of demons. It's the faith that James speaks of. But they know that God is one. And they know that God is here. And they tremble. In the account in Matthew 8, the demons beg Jesus not to torment them before it is time. Because they can read the Old Testament prophets and they know a time will come when God's enemies will be punished. And they know that this is God's Son. They know that they are but a word from hell. And that's how important it is that Jesus is crossing this lake. They know and they fear what will come as we read about in Revelation 14. If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath. Poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night. And these demons are face to face, and for all they know, that reality is a second away. a second from hell, what effect would that have on you? And yet, Jesus doesn't bring the wrath they fear. He doesn't bring the day of the Lord that they fear. But He could have. He could have just condemned the man possessed by demons. And He could have sent the man and the demons all to the torments of hell. And I want to remind you that when we long for the Kingdom of God to come in its fullness, and when we wonder where God is and why He doesn't return earlier, this is what we are longing for. Part of what we are longing for is that Christ will come and He will send all His enemies to hell. And if that longing had been fulfilled during this story 2,000 years ago, none of us would be here. the reason Jesus doesn't bring the day of the Lord is because there are some yet He wants to save. Because there are still some who face the torments of hell. And brothers and sisters, this hell is not just for demons. This is just as real for us. And there may be some even here who are moments away from hell. We don't know what will happen when we walk out these doors. We don't know if we will die in a car accident on the way home. But we know that if we have not confessed Christ, we are just as close, if we do not realize that we are still just as close as these demons to eternal torment. but Jesus doesn't bring it then. And He hasn't brought it now. And what the demons could not have known, and what the man possessed by the demons could not have known, is that Jesus was not yet bringing the day of the Lord, but He was bringing mercy. Isaiah 65, the same chapter that I just read, God said to that same wicked land, I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for Me. I was ready to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, here am I, here am I to a nation that was not called by My name. And even here when He's crossing the lake, Jesus isn't coming to bring wrath. But He's coming to show mercy. And He's coming to heal. And He's coming to take wrath. And as He shows healing, and as He takes more and more wrath, He will go all the way to the cross when He will receive the same wrath that the demons are fearing. Because He has come to bring salvation. He's coming as the suffering servant of Isaiah 53, the one despised and rejected by men. A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. One from whom men hide their faces, bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows. One who was wounded for our transgressions. Who was crushed for our iniquities. For all we like sheep have gone astray. And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Why did He come this way? Why didn't He just send them all to hell? Because He loved the man possessed by the demons. And He loved those who would hear the Gospel from the man possessed by the demons. And He loved people living today. He loved you and I who if it weren't for this, mercy would not be here. And when we see how terrible the man who was possessed by the demons, when we see how terrible his state was, he wasn't seeking God. He wanted nothing to do with Jesus. It would have been totally just for Jesus to send him to hell. And we are no different. We didn't seek God. Romans 3 says no one seeks after God. Ephesians 2 said it was when we were dead in our trespasses and sins that Christ died for us. We hated God. And if we had had the chance, we too would have said, Jesus has nothing to do with us. And yet He comes and He saves. And He takes the demons out of the man and He does the same for us. Because today is the day of salvation. So here's this man who was unclean, who was beating himself with stones, terrorizing the community. And by a few words, he's clothed. Clothed and in his right mind. And is there a more fitting picture for us who did also live among the dead and who were as good as dead? And yet, we too are clothed with the righteousness of our Savior because He didn't come in the wrath that He could have brought. But He came in mercy. Well now, when we look at the text in front of us, this isn't the end even though He heals the man, He casts out the demons. Because one can't just ignore this sort of power. And to the people around, You can't just go on living. So I want to look at the three responses that we see. First of all, of the demons. Second of all, of the people in the surrounding region. And third, of the man who'd been possessed. First, look at the demons. They are in absolute terror of Christ. That hasn't changed. And they beg Jesus to let them go into the pigs. And this isn't repentance. They want to just keep destroying. And it's possible that what they think is that if they can destroy these pigs and drive them off the cliff, they can alienate all these people and turn them against Jesus. But what's amazing is that Jesus gives them their request. These are the worst bad guys in the story, and yet Jesus says, fine. Go into the pigs. And yet in the very act of granting that request, Jesus advances the kingdom because what the demons don't know is that when they drive those pigs off that cliff, this story gets even bigger. And now more and more of the surrounding countryside will come and see who this man Jesus is. The demons want nothing to do with Him. And Jesus gives their request. What about the Gerizines? In verse 14, we see that this hasn't gone unwitnessed. There are those who've seen all that has happened. And they go and they tell others, and many people come and see. Because Jesus wasn't doing this in a corner. Jesus wasn't doing any of His ministry in a corner. It was all public. Because He wanted people to see who He was. And He wanted to heal people publicly. And He wanted to go to the cross publicly. And He wanted to rise from the dead and appear to hundreds of people at a time because He wanted people to believe the Gospel and see that today is the day of salvation. And so people did see this. And as they come, think of what they saw. 2,000 pigs. No small number today. It was certainly no small number then. But they're all gone now. And there's eyewitnesses as to what happened to them. And then a man who was probably known throughout the country because he terrorized the country and the country couldn't stop him. Maybe Osama bin Laden would be a good analogy. Here is a man suddenly sitting there clothed and in his right mind next to this carpenter with his band of fishermen. And all because, as the witnesses would have told them, this man spoke a few simple words. Now you would think that any country or any people that had any goodness in them whatsoever would see such a Savior and say, We want that man. We want that Lord. We want a Lord who can save us from this evil demon-possessed man. We want a Lord who can save us in the way He saved this demon-possessed man. And if they had any goodness in them, that's what they would have done. But instead, they're afraid. Because they know that Jesus will upset the status quo. And they care more about their earthly possessions and they care more about their earthly wealth than they care about this salvation. They know what Jesus says in Matthew 10.34, Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. And so interestingly, these people on this land respond to Jesus in a way very similar to the demons. Lord, I have nothing to do with us. They want nothing to do with Him. And it is utter foolishness that they think that they can escape God. As Paul says in Romans 2, they presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead them to repentance. And so they're storing up wrath for them on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment is revealed. they're too obsessed with this world. And they think if Jesus leaves, they'll be alright. Because they have it pretty good as it is. And once again, the amazing thing is that Jesus gives them what they want. And by this point in this story, we've got to be wondering because all the bad guys are getting exactly what they want. Jesus turns to leave. And brothers and sisters, this is fitting to remind us that Jesus does not save everyone who opposes Him. There are some who presume on His kindness and think they're okay and say no to Jesus, and He does listen and He does leave. And although these people might not know what the demons knew, that doesn't change the fact that wrath is still coming. We must be warned. And again, if there are any here who have not yet believed the Gospel, and if you look at your life and seem to think you're in pretty good shape, so were these people. And do not presume on the kindness of God, but know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. Do not store up for yourself wrath on that last day. Do not. Do not ask Jesus to leave you. but praise God that He does save some, even some who want nothing to do with Him. And so, we finally come to this man again. This man who had been possessed who also wanted nothing to do with Jesus originally. The one who was changed. And it's fascinating to see the difference between this man and the others in this story. And between Jesus' response to this man and His response to the others. Because here, this man begs Jesus to stay. He just wants to go with Jesus. And I think we can understand why. His whole life's been changed. We don't know how bad it was. We don't know how much he was aware of before, but he was being beaten. He was being attacked. He was a tear to everyone else. And now he's clean. And he has clothes and people respect him. And he has friends and he's loved. And he just wants to be with Jesus. And is it any different for us? Those of us who have tasted salvation. We've seen sins forgiven that could have been forgiven in no other way. We've seen Christ give us so many gifts and we just want to be with Him now. We don't want to wait anymore. Why do we have to keep suffering? Why do we have to wait for the resurrection? Why can't God come back right now? And so we can understand why this man who'd been possessed wants to stay with Jesus. But once again, Jesus does not respond the way we would expect to. He's given the request of all the bad guys. And here's the good guy in the story, the one we identify with. And Jesus says, no. No, you can't stay with me. We sang Psalm 73 in which we said it seems like the wicked prosper. The wicked get what they want and the people of God don't. But you know, when we really stop and think about it, we know it's really obvious that Jesus loves this man. There's no question. The man hated him. He wasn't seeking him. And yet Jesus came across the lake just for this one man. He pretty much stood on the shore, healed the man, and then walked away. There can be no question that he loves the man who had the legion. Just like he loves us, even if he asks us to stay. And perhaps at this point, the man who had the legion wasn't even aware that this love ultimately would cost Jesus' life. There's no question that Jesus loves Him. So why does He say no? Why did He say yes to the wicked and no to His people? Well, again, it's all the same reason that Jesus is not coming in the full power and wrath of His kingdom. But today is the day of salvation. So He says to the man, go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how He has had mercy on you. And do you see now why I said at the beginning why if you understand why the kingdom doesn't come in its full wrath and power, it will change why you think of why you're here. Because the whole reason we're still here and the whole reason God hasn't yet come in wrath and power is because He wants the Gospel to go forth. And the whole reason He doesn't let the man who had the legion stay with Him is because He wants him to tell His friends. There are others yet that Christ loves. And if Christ would let the man who had been the legion come with Him, those people would be lost. And if Christ would come now when we're calling Him to, perhaps there would be some yet also who He loves who would be lost. Brothers and sisters, God doesn't leave us here, living in this life so that, like the Gerizines, we can build up toys and live good lives and retire comfortably and then die someday. We're not just here for kicks. We're here because God wants us to be His witnesses. And He wants a people who by their words and by their deeds will show the world what God has done for us. Why? Because there are people He wants to see us who He loves. And if they don't see us, and if they don't hear from us, they too will face His wrath. And so Jesus calls us to do the same self-denial that He did. The same self-denial that the man who'd been possessed was. He says in Matthew 10, 38, whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. And sometimes this is hard for us. Because we think we're so weak. We didn't even get to see Jesus' miracles. At least not the physical ones. All we have are words. Just words. But think about it. Was it really any different than Jesus? Jesus just had words too. And the things that gave His words power was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what makes the Word of God go forward and do what it is intended to do. And Jesus promised to us that that same Holy Spirit is with us. He said in John 14, I will not leave you as orphans, but I will give you a Helper. And He will lead you into all truth. And we find out throughout the New Testament that that Spirit will give us the words to say. And He'll give us all the fruits of the Spirit so that the world sees in us that we have this power of peace in the new age to come living in us. And so that we are always ready to give a reason for the hope that is within us. We have that same Spirit. We don't just have words. We don't do it in our own strength. And neither did the man who had been possessed. Now that man, we don't know exactly what happened to him. All we read is that he did what Jesus commanded him. He obeyed. And think of what the Gerizines must have thought. Here is this man. This terrorist, no less. Who our country could not stop. And now he speaks good news to us of salvation. And the man may have thought his words were useless, but in Mark 7 we read that the next time Jesus came to the Decapolis, great crowds came to meet Him. Perhaps family members, perhaps friends. But this time they didn't ask Jesus to leave. They said, Jesus, heal us. And people do the same thing today when they hear the Gospel. And instead of opposing Jesus because of the power of the Spirit, they say, Lord, don't go away anymore. Heal us. That's the power that the Spirit works in us. It's not just words. It may seem weak, just as Jesus was weak, but it is the power of God unto salvation. Well, this chapter 5 of Mark is an amazing chapter. We see great power and we see great weakness. But the fact is, to many in our world, the fact that Jesus came in such weakness is a great stumbling block. It was foolishness to the Greeks and it's foolish to many today. And perhaps it's even foolish to some of us at times. When I was working in D.C., I made a lot of friends in the sort of political world and I had one friend who worked for a senator who said he could identify with David and he could identify with Moses. He could identify with those powerful Bible figures. But Jesus to him was kind of a wuss. He was kind of pathetic. And this friend, as far as I know to this point, has rejected the Gospel for that very reason. But brothers and sisters, the fact that Jesus came in weakness is our only hope. Praise God that when He crossed that lake and when He was there in His first incarnation, He did not come as a conquering king sending all His enemies to hell, but He came as a suffering servant healing and going all the way to the cross so that you and I could believe and be part of His kingdom that comes in love and mercy. Praise God that though Jesus did use His power, He used it for mercy. Not judgment. But again, brothers and sisters, do not presume. Do not take this lightly. Do not take advantage of it. Because this kindness is not meant so that we can do whatever we want and fritter our lives away. It's meant to lead us to repentance and faith in the Gospel. Because it's true. What the demons feared is true. Jesus won't hold His wrath forever. The time will come when He will come in glory as a conquering King. And then, as Pastor Voss mentioned earlier, every knee then will bow. Whether it has before that or not. And pray that we are those who've bowed beforehand and aren't forced to bow later. Do not be like those who begged Him to leave, because then He will say to you, I never knew you. But pray that God will change you even if you don't want Him. Pray that you would have the strength to believe in Him every day. And embrace the Gospel, because now He does hold it out to you, every single one of you. Believe, come unto Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. take my yoke upon you for my burden is light. Believe the Gospel no matter how sinful you've been, no matter how much like this demon-possessed man you were, no matter how much you hated Jesus. If you believe the Gospel, you are saved. Today is the day of salvation. And if you have already believed that Gospel, rejoice. Give thanks to God for the salvation He gave us. And then, go and tell others what He's done for you. And tell them of the love and mercy that He's shown you. And in weakness, take up the cross of Jesus Christ and follow Him. Amen.