Indeed, we have sung of our glorious King, a triumphant King, who indeed has power and might and glory. As we prepare to look at His Word, let's once again join our hearts in prayer. Lord, as we come to Your Word this evening, may our hearts and our minds be tuned to learn what we can from Your Word, that we may rightly praise you, that we may know who you are and what you have done, why you are worthy of our praise. Father, indeed, we ask that you will pour out your Spirit, that we may see clearly, that we may worship rightly, that we may honor you in response to your word by living lives that are pleasing in your sight. May you bless the preaching of your word. May souls be enlivened. May those who are dead be brought to life. We pray this in Jesus' name alone. Amen. This evening we'll be looking at an account from the Gospel of Mark. So if you'll turn with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter 5. We'll be looking at the healing of a demon-possessed man. It's probably a story that's familiar to many of you, but indeed a fascinating story. Mark chapter 5, we'll read 1 through 20. They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 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 has said 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 hillside nearby. 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 2,000 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 the 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 in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. As far as the reading of God's word, indeed a fascinating story, a divine encounter, if you will. Brothers and sisters, saints of God, have you ever wondered who Jesus is? You may be saying, of course we know who Jesus is. That's why we're here today. That's why we're called Christians. We're here to gather together, to worship our King. The fact is, though, many in Jesus' lifetime did not understand who he was. Even today, heresies abound. People reject that Christ was either fully God or fully man. But in this story, we're confronted with the divine nature of Christ. We are told who he is. And in this story, his power is displayed. Think about this story in context. If you still have your Bibles open, look just before this story. Mark chapter 4, verses 35 to 41, tells about how Jesus has power over nature. He's just calmed this storm. The Sea of Galilee was a stormy tempest and Jesus, just by the word of his power, speaks and it is calm. And at the end of this story, even his disciples are unsure of who he is. So the story ends with this question. The disciples say, Who is this man? Who is this that the wind and the sea obey him? In this next chapter then, chapter 5, this question is answered as Christ is fully revealed in his glory. As he is revealed as the conquering king, going out, bringing his kingdom, extending it to further regions. Bringing his kingdom into a Gentile nation, a Gentile region. Indeed, this story has a lot to say about who Jesus is. The Son of the Most High God. Power over the spirits. Power over demons. Just as he had calmed the stormy sea, so by casting out the demons from this man, he had calmed him as well. And as we look at this story, as we are faced with this divine encounter, we'll look at three points, three parts of this encounter. First, the spiritual struggle. Second, its assorted outcome. And thirdly, the meaningful message. Well, following this theme of this Christ, the king, the conquering king, as we look at this passage, we'll see that indeed, Christ is fighting a battle. This king, this glorious king is going forth, extending his kingdom, conquering further regions. And as you all know, with every battle, there has to be a battleground, the place where it's fought. And so as we look at the story, it's laid out for us. The story screams, Gentile, pagan, unclean. There's this man living in the tombs. There's dead bodies, unclean. There's pigs, unclean. The title that the demons use to address Jesus, Son of the Most High God, a Gentile term. And then finally, the last evidence of this is that At the end of the story, this man that was healed by Christ goes out into the Decapolis. Ten cities, Gentile cities, proclaiming the gospel. So what about this man? This man that comes to Christ. He sees him from a distance and he runs to him, falling on his knees, worshipping him, calling him the son of the Most High God. What about him? Is he the one against whom Christ is bringing his kingdom? Or is it the demons within him? The legion of demons who have bound him? You see, this man, in terms of the world, is utterly free. He has no cares. He's got no rent, no mortgage. He doesn't have to worry about what clothes he wears, because he wears none. There's nothing to tie him down. And in fact, no one could tie him down. He's utterly free by the world's standards. But the fact is that though no chains could bind him, he's utterly bound by Satan. Utterly bound by Satan. Just as his nakedness and his poorness in terms of his physical appearance describe his situation. So that points to the greater situation. The situation of his soul. This man is poor. He's naked. He needs redemption. He's bound by Satan. Moaning, crying out among the tombs for redemption. In short, this man's a picture of the whole world. A microcosm. A little picture of what all the earth is going through. Bound by Satan. Living under the curse of sin. Struggling. crying out for redemption. But Jesus comes. He confronts this man. Jesus is seen from a distance. His personal name is used in this glorious title, Son of the Most High God. In fact, these demons have supernatural knowledge of who Christ is. It is not revealed to them by their own knowledge, but because they are demons, they have supernatural knowledge of who this Christ is. And so they know from the start that they are doomed. On this battleground where they face off, these demons know that there is no contest. They know that their end is in sight. More evidence that this is a type of battle is that this host of demons is called legion, a term often used for a host of military soldiers, probably thousands, I think it's 6,000, I don't have it written down, but hundreds and hundreds of soldiers, a legion. But before this battle begins, it's over. Christ doesn't even have to, or Mark doesn't even record the direct command. He says that these demons cried to Jesus, don't torture us, because Christ had said, come out of them. Mark doesn't even record the direct command. He just reports it kind of as a side note. They're crying out not to be tortured because Christ had told them to leave this man. Again, we see this kingdom of God forcefully advancing because Christ is driving out these demons. If you think about looking at these other Gospels, Matthew and Luke also have an account of this. They also record how the kingdom of God is evidenced. The expansion of it is evidenced by Christ driving out demons. Matthew 12, 28 says, If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Indeed, Christ is driving out demons. Christ is victorious. He's brought his kingdom to this Gentile region. And he has won the victory. The demons are cast out. The pigs are drowned. And everyone's in awe, trembling in fear. The destruction of these pigs, though, reinforces the intent of these demons to destroy God's creation. Just as their intent was to destroy this man, to destroy this image-bearer of God, now, as the pigs are their host, they have destroyed these pigs. The sea that Christ had calmed has now swallowed up these pigs. so now we look at the the assorted outcome the battles won christ is victorious but how do people respond there's two main responses first we could look at the pig herders they run away they they go and tell the townspeople this is what christ has done this is what happened and then they probably join the people. And if you look at verse 17, these people come to Jesus in fear. It says these people began to plead with Jesus to leave the region. Their livelihood has been destroyed. They have nothing, so to speak. There's no recognition that Christ has redeemed this man. They're so caught up with what they're concerned with, their livelihood, their pigs, John Calvin says, It's a mark of shameful insensibility in those men that the loss of their swine gives them more alarm than the salvation of the souls would give them joy. In short, their response reveals that they too are in allegiance with Satan. They too, maybe not as visibly so as this man who was healed by Christ, but they too are bound, utterly bound by Satan. This man, this demoniac, we will look at next. His response is completely different than the townspeople. It's a response of adoration, thanksgiving, praise for what Christ has done for him. Verses 18 to 20 describe his response. Look at these verses again. 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 the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. This man who was healed by Christ displays the correct response to Christ's victory. The kingdom is broken in. It's been extended to this Gentile region. And he's been given a specific command, a commission, to go to his friends, to his home, to his house, to his neighbors, to tell them what the Lord has done for him. And there's an interesting twist here. When this man first came to Christ, He met him on the shore and he bowed down to him. But it was the demons in him who knew who Christ was. They knew who Jesus was. But now this man, having been set free from these demons, having been set free from bondage, he himself knows who this Christ is. And so as he tells about all the Lord has done for him, he doesn't just say what God has done for him. But he tells of all that Jesus had done for him. This man has indeed had a divine encounter. And he's been changed. Because he now knows who Christ is. The Son of the Most High God. The King who is victorious. Spreading his kingdom into regions previously untouched. Indeed, he has a recognition of the Redeemer. He knows who Christ is. And you're sitting here maybe thinking, okay, this is a great story for 2,000 years ago, but what does it mean today? What do we walk away with? How do we change our lives, in a sense? How do we think about this in terms of what we do? Well, as I said, there are two responses to this divine encounter. The first one, go away. Get out of here. We don't want you here. The second, let me go with you. So the question I ask you this evening, where do you find yourself in this story? Do you want Jesus to go away? Or like this man who was healed, do you want to go with Jesus? Many of you know the story. Many of you know Christ. But perhaps there's some sitting here who are faced with this divine encounter for the first time. Or, for the first time, the Holy Spirit is working in your heart to understand who this Jesus Christ is. Who this Christ is, who is bringing his kingdom, even to you. His spiritual kingdom, so that he may rule over you. Once again, these townspeople were upset. The cost of their pigs was too much to bear. But yet, we must realize that these pigs, the cost of these pigs, was only a picture of the redemption that Christ brings. It's an inconsequential amount compared to the precious price of Christ's blood that was shed for sins. Christ's blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins. Indeed, the price that Christ paid was much greater than 2,000 pigs. And as we think about this, As we think about what Christ has done for this demoniac, this man who was poor and naked, who lived among the tombs, who was basically a dead man walking. Jesus freed him from the tyranny of the devil. He was set free from bondage. He brings him life. Jesus clothes him with his own righteousness. This is what Christ does for us as well. We are freed from the bondage of sin. We are clothed with His righteousness. And we are given new life. A life to live for Him. If you are confronted with this, with this divine encounter for the first time, or it's just starting to make sense, listen to what Ephesians 2 says. Ephesians 2, 1 through 5. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved. Many of us live in the light of that reality every day. But young people, boys and girls, do you know that reality? Do you know Christ? The King of kings who has brought his kingdom to earth. John Calvin once again talks about this demoniac, this man who has been redeemed by Christ. And he says, In the person of one man, the demoniac, Christ has exhibited to us a proof of his grace, which is extended to all mankind. Though we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us as his slaves till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny. Naked, torn, and disfigured, we wander about till he restores us to soundness of mind. It remains that in magnifying his grace, we testify to our gratitude. Many of you know Christ. You've had this divine encounter. You've been conquered by Christ. Your heart's been broken. You know your sin and you repented of it. So what does this passage say for you? How do you go forth living today, from now on? There's three things that we need to think about. First, a recognition that, in a sense, the battle still rages. We struggle with sin. Though we've been set free from the tyranny of the devil, we still struggle against the flesh, our sinful desires. We need to be on our guard, for the devil wanders about looking to whom he may devour. Secondly, just as this demoniac desired to follow Christ, he desired to become a disciple of Christ, we too are to live lives of discipleship. Following Christ, being renewed in his image. You see, Satan has, in this man, this demoniac, representative of those who are in sin, has been trying to destroy God's image, has been trying to destroy God's creation. But Christ, by his Spirit, is now renewing that image, restoring us in his own image. And then thirdly, as the demoniac sets an example for us, yes, he was given a specific command, a command to go and tell his family of all that Christ has done for him. We can learn from this as well, because we too have been set free from a great tyranny. We've been set free from our sins. And that should engender in us a thankfulness, a gratitude that we go and tell our family and our friends what Christ has done for us. You know, in our day and age, we live in a sanitary world. We live in a place where our cemeteries are kept better than many of our neighbors' yards. We're not confronted with death all that often. And if it is, It's scooped away, set aside. We have an occasion here now, in the death of one of our saints, to consider death. For us believers, it's an opportunity to reflect and to know that we need not fear death. But there are thousands around us who are dead men walking, basically on death row, waiting for the sentence for their execution. but there is a recourse they can claim the name of Christ they can be set free they can be taken off of death row just as this demoniac was he's been given a new life this is a world that we live in a world bound by sin we don't see it all the time it's covered because we put all those things aside everyone has to be on the same level but at heart there are people all around us who need to hear the gospel. So tell your family, tell your friends about what Christ has done in your life. Tell them about the mercy that he has shown you and about how grateful and thankful you are for that grace. Well, as we conclude this story and we ask once more, who is this man? We indeed have been faced, confronted with Christ, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, who has brought his kingdom to the hearts of his people. He is reigning now and will come again to reign over all heaven and earth. Everyone will bow. Every tongue confess that he is Lord. By his power displayed in this story, Christ demonstrates that, indeed, the kingdom of God has come. He's revealed his power over Satan and used that victory as a sign that on the cross he has conquered sin. And that when he comes again, he'll fully put all his enemies under his feet. In this, we can truly rejoice. We can live lives of gratitude, thankful for all that Christ has done for us. testifying to his mercy, testifying that we too have been set free from bondage, that we have been given life, that we have been clothed with Christ's righteousness, and that he will one day be recognized by all humanity as the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Christ victorious. May our desire be to continue to worship him, to go with Him, to live lives of discipleship, serving Him with grateful hearts for what He has done for us, His mercy that He has shown us on the cross. Let us serve our King. Let us praise Him. Let us live for Him. Amen. Our dear Lord God and Heavenly King, we come to You grateful for the redemption that you have brought through Christ Jesus our Lord grateful for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross by which we are set free from death by which we are set free from the tyranny of the devil by which we are given new life and by which we are clothed with Christ's righteousness Lord we pray that our hearts may not be untouched by this story but that as it is your word your spirit will work it in our hearts that we may be truly grateful for the salvation that Christ has given to us and that we may indeed be renewed in Christ's image even as your spirit works in us through your word Lord may you be praised may your kingdom continue to go forth, breaking into new regions. May your gospel be proclaimed throughout this whole world that you may be glorified and that your name may be praised. We pray this in Jesus' name alone. Amen.