Christ Rules! (9) Breaking
the Chains that Bind Us
Christ
Rules! Gospel of Mark Series
A Sermon
By Jim Hammond from Mark 5:1-20
Focus:
Jesus dared to invade and claim the enemy’s turf.
Satan will contest every square inch of Christ’s expanding
reign, but Christ who is superior is able to break all the chains that
bind us.
I. A
Major Difference between Humanism and Christianity is in the Explanation
of EVIL
A. Humanism:
You can overcome evil through human effort alone because
you are basically good
B. Christianity:
You need A Savior to overcome evil, because 1) You have
evil in your own heart, and 2) there also exists evil supernatural
powers that oppose God
II. Angels
and Demons are Real
A.
Deliverance is not just for derelicts and foaming lunatics.
B.
Deliverance is often resisted by those who need it most
III.
The Good News: God Took
the Initiative to Deliver Us
I want to start this morning with a couple
of testimonies I read recently. These
are modern examples of how Christ Rules by Breaking the Chains that Bind
us.
Set Free from Suicidal
thoughts
Jesus Christ saved my life. I am reborn in him.
Before I knew him personally, I was a wreck. My brother killed himself
when I was 5 and he was 16. I tried killing my self in the past year
over 16 times. I was in a mental hospital 4 times totaling about 5
weeks. I was in an after school program at that hospital as an
out-patient for 2 months. Nothing helped. I went to a special school
because of this and my music teacher was a minister’s wife to a church
in the city next to me. She invited me to a youth service they have
every Thursday. I went and I gave my life to Jesus. I used to cut my
self three times a day, but when I gave my life to Jesus, the cutting
and suicide thoughts, threats, and attempts went away. Starting this
summer, I will be going to a day program for kids like me. Jesus helped
me to get accepted. [i]
Here’s Another One. . .
At the age of 2 I was used in satanic rituals. This
went on for roughly 2 yrs. it opened horrible doors. the cult had an
agenda for me. my sister also. At that time demons entered into me as
they were invited. the next several yrs brought hauntings, witchcraft,
clairvoyancy, drinking and pure hate. my spirit was crushed.
IN 91, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST STEPPED IN. He knocked on my hearts door.
THE SPIRIT OF GOD drew me[JOHN 6]. I decided to surrender at the cross
roads. I was just getting ready to get back into heavy metal singing as
I had a band the year before.
In a church my sister in law recommended I saw the Holy Spirit in
action. HE WAS SPEAKING TO MY HEART. The song ID RATHER HAVE JESUS was
being sung. THEN THE HOLY SPIRIT CHALLENGED ME on the second verse. DID
I want Jesus more than men’s applause? I Knew it was the living GOD
asking me that. I JUST KNEW. So I soon said YES. Then HE really went to
work!
After I agreed to forgive ALL who hurt me, HE and the angels! went
to war against the demons inside me. IT was like he said , you want to
see real power?
The demons fled and I was set free!!! That’s a quick version of my
story. GOD BLESS all!! [ii]
But before we look at Mark 5, I want to prepare you
a bit more.
Focus:
Jesus dared to invade and claim the enemy’s turf.
Satan will contest every square inch of Christ’s expanding
reign, but Christ who is superior is able to break all the chains that
bind us.
I. A Major Difference
between Humanism and Christianity is in the Explanation of EVIL
A. Humanism:
·
You can overcome evil through human effort alone
because you are basically good
B. Christianity:
·
You need A Savior to overcome evil, because 1) You
have evil in your own heart, and 2) there also exists evil supernatural
powers that oppose God
Aren’t you
troubled by some of the evil you read about in the Newspapers?
Sometimes does it just baffle you?
How could anyone be so evil?
You don’t have to search
long to be baffled:
On Thursday in the
AZ Republic was one such story that makes you scratch your head as we
puzzle over evil:
A man proposed in the dead
of night, and she accepted. What
the man did next shocks the senses.
Phoenix police said Rodriquez told his new fiancée he had a
surprise for her early Wednesday, drove her to central Phoenix
landscaping business where he worked and asked that she close her eyes
and lie down. Then he lay down beside her, on what turned out to be a
conveyor belt, and fed himself into a wood chipper.
His last act was to try to
pull her in with him.[iii]
The headlines on the front page of Friday’s
paper read: “A
fascination with slayings”.
It showed three pictures of people and how they were murdered.
One of the pictures was of a cute 2 year old girl named Kristen
Salem who was set on fire in the desert by her father.
You feel like asking the question, “From
what universe different from this one that most of us inhabit does this
kind of evil come from?”
If you are a humanist, how
do you explain it?
Does the humanistic
understanding of evil adequately explain our own experience with the
evil lurking in our own hearts?
Notice the New Testament
assumptions about evil as we read.
(Mark
5:1-20 NIV) "They went
across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. {2} When Jesus got out
of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
{3} This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, 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. {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? Swear to God that you won't torture
me!" {8} For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you
evil spirit!" {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
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.
You
know what we have here don’t you?!
A Recipe for Deviled Ham! :o)
You know the animal rights people really don’t like
this passage but we probably won’t get into that today
{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.
{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 family 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."
II.
I believe Angels and Demons are Real
Demons Defy God, by
destroying, defacing, defeating, deforming life that reflects HIM
Which is more realistic, Humanism that
teaches that this deranged man of the tombs could have helped himself if
he’d just put his mind and will to it, or the Christian belief that
there are powers outside of self both good and evil.
Not only does the New Testament teach that
supernatural evil exists. It
teaches that (READ the Focus again:
Jesus dared to invade and claim the enemy’s turf.
Satan will contest every square inch of Christ’s expanding
reign, but Christ who is superior is able to break all the chains that
bind us.
People today are
controlled by a legion of cravings, captivations, and destructive
impulses. We need a savior
to overcome evil.
Have you ever felt like nobody could subdue
your cravings?
A.
Deliverance is not just for derelicts and foaming lunatics.
-
He was Homeless, living among the
tombs (perhaps wishing he were dead, or others wished him so).
-
He was feared by others. They tried
to chain him (we tend to fear what we can't control).
-
The man was wild - he could not be
controlled, even with fetters (he broke the chains).
-
He never had any relief - he was
tormented "day and night" (there was no peace of mind).
-
Certainly, he was considered to be a
nuisance with all his "crying out".
-
Furthermore, he was Self destructive,
as he "cut himself with stones".
-
And he was controlled by
"Evil" spirits (actually, the word is
"unclean").
·
And We thought We had problems!
You Know What?
We do.
C.S. Lewis recalls the
imagery of this story in describing his life before his conversion as
“A zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of
fondled hatreds. My name
was legion.”[iv]
We may hide our need better than this man. . . WE HIDE OUR NEED
behind our coherent words rather than rantings, our well-kept homes
rather than tombs, and our smart attire rather than running around
naked. But if WE will only
reflect a little I think WE can see ourselves in the mirror of this
disturbed man.
Have you ever felt beaten down by others?
(I have)
Have you ever felt divided against yourself with a
civil war raging within you? (I
have)
Have you ever felt like you were living in the
gloomy tombs of life and feeling all alone? (I have) If you have also,
then you need to know that deliverance can come to you when Jesus lands
on the shores of your life.
B. Deliverance is often
resisted by those who need it most
1.
Some resist by denying that they need deliverance.
“I don’t need help. I
can stop drinking any time I want to”.
They just have never proved it by stopping.
2.
Some People come for counseling wanting change, then fight for
all its worth against the change that will help them.
It sounds strange, but I
think we understand it. We
want the benefits of change without changing anything that caused the
problem.
III.
The Good News: God
Takes the Initiative to Deliver Us
This is clear in the passage we are looking at.
But it is profound when you realize what God’s word had already
declared.
(Isaiah 65:1-5 NIV)
""I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I
was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on
my name, I said, 'Here am I, here am I.' {2} All day long I have held
out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing
their own imaginations-- {3} a people who continually provoke me to my
very face, offering sacrifices in gardens and burning incense on altars
of brick; {4} who sit among the graves and spend their nights keeping
secret vigil; who eat the flesh of pigs, and whose pots hold broth of
unclean meat; {5} who say, 'Keep away; don't come near me, for I am too
sacred for you!' Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps
burning all day."
Did you spot the parallels
with the story in Mark: The
mention of demons (Isaiah declares they were a people who offered
sacrifices in gardens. To
whom? To demons they called
gods.
Did you note the mention
of dwelling in tombs in verse 4, the warning to keep away in verse 5,
and the reference to the pigs in verse 4).
This Old Testament passage serves as a backdrop, showing how
Jesus fulfilled God’s plan reaching out to those who were not reaching
out to God! God takes the
initiative to turn us around! The
Garasene resists God’s initiative, the people of the region resist it
also. But Jesus invades it with the news of his kingdom.
IV.
Let Christ Break the Chains that Bind You
A couple of things to
remember:
The Bonds of Satan are Stronger than the
Chains of Man
No one was strong enough to subdue him
(5:4)
The Man Could Not Control Himself
We are not told how he
came to be in this pitiful state.
-
Perhaps the man tried to control power (spiritism) and
soon it controlled him
-
Perhaps the man was caught in sin (dabbled, until the
power of Sin took over. What
is the power of sin? Sin is
enslaving. Sin opens doors to demonic power. Sin enslaves. Demons
play where sin enslaves.
-
The Man was being destroyed by Demons.
-
That is the plan of Satan, to steal, Kill, and destroy. His intention is to destroy what remains of the image of God
in man.
Society Could not subdue him even with Chains
-
He was beyond the help of counseling
-
He was Beyond the help of man
-
When men tried to “Help”, they used chains.
Perhaps the chains were like the use of straight jackets to
protect him from self destruction and destroying others.
-
The saddest attempt is to medicate a spiritual or moral
problem.
The man was storm tossed
by the demons as the disciples’ boat had been storm tossed.
The Power of Jesus is far stronger than any Bonds of Satan
·
Christ Came to Reclaim Enemy Territory
·
The Enemy shudders at his vastly superior firepower
·
Jesus is Synonymous with the Lord (5:19-20)
THIS DRAMA IS PLAYED OUT IN OUR LIVES
Suppose you were a guardian angel and
could see the spiritual battle going on for the souls of mankind. In your observation, you see a brooding angelic figure of the
other kind lurking outside the door of a young Christian named Billy.
Brilliantly disguised as
an angel of light, this demon subtly suggests that Billy open the door
to sin: Why don’t you
take a peek at that internet porn site?
You know you want to. You
will get away with it. Who
would know? Everybody else does it.
The Spirit of God within
Billy brings immediate conviction and offers a way of escape.
But Billy’s flesh argues against the Spirit of God:
What’s wrong with looking at pornography anyway?
After all, I was created with these desires?
How could you create me a certain way then condemn me for it?
The battle in the mind is intense.
Billy failed to take the way of escape the Spirit of God offered.
He did not “take every thought captive to the obedience of
Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). At
first the pictures are a delight to his eyes, and his body responded
with euphoric feeling. But the pleasure is only for a moment, because “each one is
tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin
is accomplished, it brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15)
The brooding figure takes
advantage of the open door, because Billy acted independently of God by
choosing to sin. The demon
gets a foothold. He uses it
to inflame the desires. Chains
are wrapped around Billy’s volition, his desire to choose.
Even still, the same tempter changes roles and becomes the
accuser. “How can you
call yourself a Christian and do this.
You are pathetic.”
With a conscience that is
overcome by guilt, Billy cries out to God, “Lord, forgive me,
I’ll never do it again.” Two
days later, Billy sins again, which precipitates another cry for
forgiveness. Billy experiences the downward spiral of sin, confess, sin,
confess and sin again. A
Satanic Stronghold, a fortress hiding evil is built into his life.
He is stuck in this stronghold.
He is in bondage. When
in bondage, sometimes confession alone does not break the chains that
trap a person in sin. One must also learn how to be submitted to God and how to
successfully resist the devil.[v]
If Billy doesn’t recognize the nature of
his battle, he could be stuck a long time.
I want simply to say this. Jesus
is the answer. He has come
to break the chains of sin that binds us.
He specializes in this. Will
you turn to Jesus this morning and choose to lean upon his greater
strength in your struggle with sin, whatever that struggle looks like?
Dear Heavenly Father,
You
have told us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for
the flesh in regard to its lust. We acknowledge that we have given in to fleshly lusts which
wage war against our souls. We
thank You that in Christ our sins are forgiven, but we have
transgressed Your holy law and given the enemy an opportunity to wage
war in our physical bodies. We
come before you to acknowledge these sins and to seek Your cleansing
that we may be freed from the bondage of sin.
(Silently confess before Him any sin he reveals to your mind.
I want you to know that In Christ you can be forgiven.
If you have not done so. Ask
Jesus to forgive you. He
can because He paid the price for your sin.
Now let’s thank Him for forgiveness).
Lord Jesus, Thank you for
paying the debt of my sin before God’s Holy Justice, that I might be
released from that debt. Thank
you for breaking the power that holds me to sin.
Thank you for cleansing me of all my unrighteousness. Thank you for setting me free from the enemy.
Help me to turn from all sin, and to see sin as my enemy and
not my friend. Thank you
for your love. Thank you
for your power. I will
follow you. I will tell
people what you have done. Amen!
[i] http://www.breadsite.org/in000008.htm
[ii] http://www.breadsite.org/in102699.htm
[iii] Arizona Republic August
10, 2000
[iv] C.S. Lewis, Surprised
by Joy (New York/London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1955, p.
226.
[v] Based on Neil Anderson’s,
Helping Others find Freedom in Christ (Regal Books
1995), p. 211f.
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