What We Believe and Why We Believe It
Concerning Demons: Part 3
A Three Part Sermon Series
by Alan Walker
Mt. Vernon Church of Christ
Text: Mark 5:14-20
C.S. Lewis in his book, "Screwtape Letters", says there are two equal and opposite errors into which we can fall about demons. One is to disbelieve in their existence, and the other is to believe and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Lewis says demons are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.
In the last two messages we have detailed the story of Jesus' encounter with the demoniac. The difference between this and a scary novel, is this is true. This man had been possessed with demons! Many demons!
We've seen the story, now let's consider the significance of the story. Of all the things Jesus did on the earth, why is this account in the NT? What does the Lord want us to learn from this story?
And as importantly, will we learn it?
The first thing this story show us is...
I. The Power of Satan.
I fear we spend too much time attempting to understand all the "why's" of Satan, when our time ought to be spent preparing to win the battles we are going to be engaged in with Satan.
Worse I fear we pay no attention to Satan. I fear the pulse of our nation, and of our churches has concluded Satan is just boogy-man theology. A straw man we use to manipulate people into doing what we feel is the right thing to do.
I fear he isn't considered at all. Which is an incredible victory for him and a loss for the Church that can and will only be measured in lost souls.
Satan is powerful! He has an army of demons at his disposal to accomplish his devious will.
His power is seen in this story, and that is at least one of the reasons why this account is in the gospel. This man is literally possessed by not one but many demons.
How did it happen? We don't know. But it did happen. There might be a hint, or at least a warning in the scripture we might consider...Matthew 12:43-ff
A shopper underestimated the total cost of her groceries. When the cashier added up the items, the housewife discovered she was $4 short. It was one of those embarrassing spots that most of us have experienced. But in her case, something unusual happened. The man behind her in the checkout lane saw her digging around in her purse and motioned to the clerk to put the amount on his bill. He refused to give the lady customer his name so she could pay him back."
Satan is powerful and cannot be fought with conventional wisdom. In our thinking, the strongest survive. The biggest, the most powerful. The most muscles. Guys like Samson who could take on all the Philistines at once and win.
Satan cannot be fought on this level. He can only be fought with the power of God in our lives.
You see while he is powerful, don't ever forget, he also has limitations!
If you are not sure this is true, read the opening chapters of Job. Read the conversation between our enemy and our God. A conversation we can read, but Job never heard. It tells us an important truth.
Satan could only touch Job with God's permission! God always limited Satan.
Jesus once said, "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!"(Lk 12:5 - NAS)
One man shares: In college I helped at a Mission in Chicago. On one occasion an invitation was given, and a lot of these individuals staggered forward to a little rail at the front. The mission executive pointed to the man and said, "Son, go tell him about Jesus." I knelt down by the man and put my arm around him. He was not wearing Chanel No. 5 - More like sewer gas No.9. I had the privilege of sharing with that man Jesus Christ. Twenty three years later at a Bible conference a man walked up to me and said, "You won't remember me, but I will never forget you. You were the person who led me to Christ at the Mission. Now I'm the head of a mission organization with missionaries in 17 countries.
That is what the grace of God can do. Satan and his demons will ruin a person, and they don't care how they do it. It is only the Savior who can redeem.
We see in this story the power of Satan, but that's not all., because we also see...
II. The Power of God.
A dramatic portray of 1 John 4:4! This possessed man is no longer a possessed man.
A Before and After Shot...
Restless ~ Sitting quietly Naked ~ Clothed Totally out of control ~ In his right mind
What a transformation! Impossible without the power of God! Only God can transform a person from the inside out!
That's what God does! He does an incredibly great job at it!
In his grace God provides instruments to help us grow, and solve our problems. Parents, minister, elders, teachers, counselors, youth directors, friends, confidants, spouses.
At times there are problems we face that seem to be hopeless. No one can help. We know because we've tried. They don't have any answers. They don't even understand why I'm struggling with the problems I am. What then? The answer is obvious, it has always been the answer, it will always be the answer: GOD!
You see in contrast to Satan, God's purpose is to make us whole and complete. To form us into the very image of His Son.
Jesus once said, "I am come that you might have life..."
We sing about this power - "All hail the power of Jesus name..."
When there are (and there may be) impossible situations in your life. Then we need the power of God!
Some might say: "Look, bud, you don't know me. You see me, but you don't know me. In fact, no one really knows me. You see, deep in my heart if you knew what I was, what I have done, what I am struggling with, then you would never make such a statement. I'm scarred. I'm filthy. I have unspeakable desires. I'm beyond hope."
If only the demoniac were here, he would take your hand in his, look you in the eyes and say, "do you want to compare notes" He would point you to Jesus.
A professor at school shared the story of a man in his congregation in Arizona. He attended, but as I remember, he had never come to Jesus. When asked why, he would make excuses. One day, he shared with Carl the reason. Years before, in Vietnam, they were taking a village. Guns were firing, mortar blasting, people screaming. Dashing through the village he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A young mother holding her baby close to her, fear in her eyes, pleading for mercy, their eyes locked, he pulled the trigger, they fell, dead! How could God ever accept someone who had murdered innocent people. Carl shared the story of Jesus and how God loves even those who had pulled the trigger on his only begotten Son. This man came to Jesus. I imagine, he and the demoniac someday might sit down and praise God together for the healing they experienced, that could have only come through the Lord.
The ultimate answer to our problems, is a person. One person. You know his name. I'm sure you love him. Jesus!
This story shares with us the power of Satan, the power of God, but there's one more truth we see in this story...
III. The Power of Witnessing.
Howard Hendricks makes an interesting statement. Referring to this story he says it teaches us about the power of witnessing. "I did not say the power of evangelism. One of our problems is we've never learned to distinguish between evangelism and witnessing. Evangelism is a gift given to a select few. Witnessing is the responsibility of the many."
You know what witnessing is all about. You see it here. The demoniac wants to go with Jesus. Jesus tells him no. You can't go with me. You go home and share what I have done for you. (19)
You have a story to tell! Just as Jesus touched the life of the demoniac, he has touched your life. Go and tell it! Tell them what Jesus has done for you!
Where should I begin? Jesus sent this man home. To his family and friends. It seems home is the hardest place to share our faith. It is easier to witness to someone who you have never met than to someone who grew up with, or lived with all your life.
It's interesting Jesus told him he couldn't go with him. Makes you wonder "why"? The answer is pretty simple. Jesus wants all of us to know as his disciples we need to be willing to go wherever God wants us to go. To do whatever God wants us to do. As a result, this former demoniac becomes the first evangelist to the Gentiles in Decapolis. One man's obedience opens ten Greek cities.
Are we getting out of shape when it comes to witnessing? Well, think about this:
One man writes: I find a lot of Christians bent out of shape because they're living next door to pagans. One woman said to me, "I don't even let my children play with the neighbors. They're liable to hear cursing." I said, "Lady, how long do you think it will be before your kids are exposed to that kind of language? I happen to believe your kids are a lot more perceptive than some adults. They are very capable of seeing the difference. Don't sell them short."
After I spoke to a large group of men recently, a man came up to me sobbing. He said, "I'm the only Christian in our company." I said, "You mean God Almighty entrusted this outfit to you?"
I think you get the point. If we only vacation at Christian resorts, live around Christians, take our cruises with only Christians, and have only Christian friends, how in the world are we ever going to share our faith with the world. There must be critical participation with the world.
Maybe some times we ought to do our laundry at the Laundromat - Just to meet a few people.
Perhaps we should move where there are no Christians in our neighborhood.
Maybe we should volunteer a few hours a week where there are people to let our lights shine for Jesus.
But, better yet, why not let God use each of us completely where we are. Where, He, in his divine wisdom, has strategically located you to live and to work. You are there not primarily to earn a living, but God has opened a door for you there to be his witness of what Jesus Christ can do for their lives.
Share your faith, do it now! Or, frankly, well, the demons are going to share theirs and they might win!
IV. Personal Application.
Let me leave you with this thought...
If you're going to finish strong, you can't go through life on cruise control. You must stay alert to the schemes of the enemy. We are at war. And our foe is smarter and wiser than we are. David Roper has done a masterful job of describing our adversary: Satan is a gentleman. A charming fellow with immense power, subtlety, and thousands of years of experience. His chief aim, of course, is to injure the God against whom he once rebelled. To accomplish this, Satan misrepresents the Creator to his creatures, always attempting to frustrate his good purposes for them and hopefully, in the process, break the heart of God. Satan promises us the world, but as Milton said, "All is false and hollow; though his tongue drops manna and makes the worse appear a better reason." [David Roper, Seeing Through (Sisters, OR: Questar, 1995), p.22]
Alan Walker is editor of The Preacher's Corner and Minister of Evangelism at the Mt. Vernon Church of Christ in Springfield, OR. He may be reached at adwalker@pond.net.