"Desperate Faith" part 1

"Desperate Faith!" (Part 1 of 2)

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #31)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

August 28, 2011

Mark 5:21-34 (NAU), ²¹ When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. ²² One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet ²³ and implored Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live." ²⁴ And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. ²⁵ A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, ²⁶ and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— ²⁷ after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. ²⁸ For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." ²⁹ Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. ³⁰ Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?" ³¹ And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" ³² And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. ³³ But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. ³⁴ And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." [Prayer]

Our Scripture lesson today focuses on 2 people who come to Jesus out of complete desperation. The first is a powerful and influential leader while the second is an unclean outcast. The result of their circumstances leads them both to the same place—to Jesus Christ with an open and desperate heart seeking His healing power & presence. DESPERATION LEADS TO HUMILITY!

Let's discuss Mark 5:22-23 which narrates the beginning of the story (story finishes in verses 35-43 which we'll discuss next week), "One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, 'My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.'"

This is a man brought to humility by the devastation in his life…his daughter was on her literal death bed and Jesus was his last (and desperate!) option. He risked everything in going to Him…position, stature, even his orthodoxy according to his peers & Sanhedrin.

2 Kings 5:14 (turn to Naaman's story in 2 Kings 5:1-14) tells the story of another powerful and influential leader whose life circumstances lead him to the humility of seeking God's healing, "So he [Naaman] went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God [Elisha]; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean."

Friends, must we wait until devastation has come upon our doors before we will humble ourselves and seek resources and assistance outside of ourselves?

You have a choice to make in your own life: desperation or devastation! You can realize your absolute need for Jesus or wait until devastation breaks your pride. Jairus and Naaman were both influential men of position who were brought to a place of humility by devastation. What will it take for you to humble yourself before God?

Matthew 18:3-4 states the importance of humility, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus echoes this in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3 stating, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Proverbs 16:18 declares, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling."

Jairus risked position and stature to publically place his faith in Jesus. Are you desperate enough to risk everything on Jesus? Or will devastation be necessary to get you to that place of desperation? God does not cause the devastation, but He sure will work in the midst of your circumstances because God wants you to heal you; He desires to bring peace to your storm! When you find yourself sinking in the storm of your life, will you be like the Apostle Peter and reach out for Jesus?

DESPERATION LEADS PEOPLE TO REACH OUT WITH DESPARATE FAITH TO JESUS CHRIST!

The story of Jairus is seemingly interrupted with the story of another desperate person. This is not a random interruption; this is divine appointment and yet another teaching point in Jesus' ministry to His disciples. [unpack thought as Holy Spirit leads]

Listen to Mark 5:25-28, "A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse—after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, 'If I just touch His garments, I will get well.'"

The woman was an unclean outcast (Leviticus 15:25-27) considered far from God; her community, her family, and her religion ostracized her. [explain]

Do you feel distant from God because of your circumstances and/or how people treat you? Are you desperate enough to reach through the manmade (& your own) barriers to touch Jesus?

The Bible declares in Romans 10:11-13, "As Scripture says, 'Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" No matter what your circumstances may be or what people have told you, if you reach out to Jesus Christ with desperate faith He will respond to you!

The story continues in Mark 5:30-31, "Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, 'Who touched My garments?' And His disciples said to Him, 'You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"

We experience this deepest of truths expressed by Saint Augustine in this short phrase: "Flesh presses, Faith touches!" Jesus knows the touch of need and He responds to it! Jesus distinguishes between the jostle of the curious crowd and the agonized touch of a desperate person. Are you a part of the crowd that is curious about Jesus or are you desperately in need of Him?

Holy Spirit leaves you no wiggle room. You must choose today which camp you fall into—you are either a member of the curious crowd or you are the desperate person seeking only to be able to reach out to Jesus Christ knowing He is your only answer; He is your first and last resort for life. Both groups may faithfully attend church and participate in religious activities, but the Kingdom of God, eternal life, salvation is only for those who are poor in spirit, desperate to touch Jesus! Don't bank on your curiosity getting you into Heaven; today is the day that you MUST realize your absolute need for Jesus—are you desperately in need of Jesus Christ? There is good news!

JESUS CHRIST SEES YOU AND HE LOVES YOU ENOUGH TO MEET YOU IN YOUR MOVEMENT TOWARD HIM IN DESPERATE FAITH!

Mark 5:32 describes Jesus' response to this desperate woman, "And He looked around to see the woman who had done this."

Jesus will not be impressed with your status in life, your portfolio or resume, your downs or your outs. What God cares about is your heart! It is NOT our circumstances that need to change friends; it is our heart attitudes! The Bible teaches in 1 Samuel 16:7b, "For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Jesus sees to the depths of your greatest need. He can see your desperation for Him! If your heart reaches out to Him in faith, then He will see and respond with the loving embrace of the Father.

You will never earn salvation because you are good enough. There is no amount of religious ritual or activity that can make you right in the eyes of God. You can be the president of the synagogue (Jairus) with the love and approval of all the community and the religious establishment behind you OR you can be the unclean outcasts (the woman) with the disdain and rejection of all the community and the religious establishment against you. God does not look upon you as man does; with an external focus. That is not what matters; what matters is your approach to God (in humility or pride) and your faith in Jesus Christ (desperation or curiosity). God is looking for the desperate faith of a person who knows that everything depends on Jesus Christ—there are no back up plans; He's all I have!

Mark 5:34 concludes, "And He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.'

After so much loss and suffering, Jesus sees the woman's desperate faith, heals her, restores her, blesses her, and gives her a brand new identity by calling her "daughter". Jesus will do the same for you if you would humbly acknowledge your need and reach out to Him with desperate faith. Are you ready to be embraced by the love of your heavenly Father?

After so much loss and suffering in your life are you ready to stop worrying about externals and what people will think and say. Are you ready to throw all that aside and respond to Jesus Christ as the desperate person you are. We each need to respond to this message…I wonder for you if it will be with the pride of a curios tourist or the humility of a desperate believer?

"Delivered for the Purpose!" (Part 2 of 2)

"Delivered for the Purpose!" (part 2 of 2)

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #30)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

August 21, 2011

The Word of God from Mark 5:14-20 (NAU), ¹⁴ Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the "legion"; and they became frightened. ¹⁶ Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. ¹⁷ And they began to implore Him to leave their region. ¹⁸ As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. ¹⁹ And He did not let him, but He said to him, "Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you." ²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed.

Last week, we learned that the purpose of demon possession is to spoil humanity from fulfilling its intended purpose as the image bearers of God and stewards of God's creation. We looked at the first 13 verses of this story culminating with this deep truth:

demons are unclean spirits seeking tools to carry on the devil's work (to steal, kill, and destroy), but Jesus Christ delivers us from evil domination to be temples of the Holy Spirit to carry on the Mission of God! Let's continue this thought with our first learning point today: AS A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, WE HAVE VICTORY OVER EVIL DOMINATION! When you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then His Victory over evil won through His death on the Cross and resurrection from the grave becomes your victory over sin's snare on your life!

Colossians 1:13-14 proclaims, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Looking at Mark 5:1-20, Let's experience together a firsthand account of a man's transformation after Jesus delivers him from evil domination:

· From Lawlessness, Restlessness, and Violence toward others and himself (Mark 5:3b-5) to Peace (Mark 5:15).

· From Isolation (Mark 5:2-3a) to Relationship (Mark 5:18).

· From Loss of true identity (Mark 5:9) to Purpose in Life (Mark 5:19-20).

1 John 4:4 teaches us about the victory we have in Jesus Christ when He delivers us from evil domination to become temples of His Spirit: "You are from God, little children, and have overcome them [evil spirits]; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world."

There is NO COMPARISON of power between the devil and God! It would be like a fist fight between me and Mike Tyson. It's over in one punch! And our lives are to be a testimony of this REALITY! In Jesus Christ, you are a partaker of this Victory and The witness of a disciple must display Jesus Christ's victory over evil! Do you have peace (inside and out)? Are you healthy in your relationships (vertical and horizontal)? Are you living your life for His purposes?

The Bible teaches us overwhelmingly that as the temples of the Holy Spirit we have a part to play. We must submit to God in all things and resist the devil in all his ways (James 4:7). We must willingly submit to the process of sanctification that increases our usefulness and effectiveness to be a conduit of God's love, mercy, and power. 2 Timothy 2:21 teaches, "Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things [evil], he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work."

You are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)! Are you willing to submit every area of your life to Jesus' power and authority over evil? Then you will be useful… and that leads us to our next point:

ALL PEOPLE NEED TO BE DELIVERED, BUT NOT ALL PEOPLE ARE WILLING TO SUBMIT THEIR LIVES TO THE DELIVERANCE OFFERED BY JESUS CHRIST!

The story takes a very troublesome twist in Mark 5:15-17, "They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the 'legion'; and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man, and all about the swine. And they began to implore Him to leave their region."

Every time I read this passage it sobers me to the condition of our own communities in the USA. Why? Because the town folk are first hand witnesses to the absolute power of Jesus Christ to deliver people from evil domination, but they rejected Him from their lives and their land; they put their own self-interest first (profit and enterprise; family business and economic stability) and that prevented them from welcoming Jesus to deliver them of evil domination in their own lives. They cared more about surviving than they did about thriving! Jesus is offering the abundant life to these people; the Gospel has been brought to the Gentiles in the Decapolis and they reject Him after seeing one of their own completely transformed and restored to community. Can we soberly ask ourselves this question: Have we in any way, as individuals, families, churches, and as a community, done this—have we asked Jesus to leave a certain area of our lives or community because we thought what we have is good enough or we are scared of what would be? Has survival or stability become a stumbling block to the abundant life?

Motivated by fear (Mark 5:15) and self-preservation (Mark 5:16) these people rejected Jesus and begged Him to no longer disturb their lives; to leave their land! Are you willing to allow Jesus Christ to disturb you: your comfort; your way of life; your worldview; your relationships; your possessions? Will we settle for the American Dream when Jesus promises us the Abundant Life (John 10:10)?

We must pray and allow the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and our history—to confess and repent! It is time for the Light of God to shine brightly in and through your life! And one person can make a difference! JESUS CHRIST WILL USE ONE FULLY COMMITTED DISCIPLE TO BRING THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO A PREVIOUSLY UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP!

The story finishes with Mark 5:18-20, "As He was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring Him that he might accompany Him. And He did not let him, but He said to him, 'Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.' And he went away and began to proclaim in Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed."

Do you remember what happened on the way over from Galilee to Decapolis when Jesus says, "Let us go over to the other side"? This is their first big over-the-sea trip and apparently it has hit storm after storm.

Storm 1 raised up in the very creation itself—this fierce storm was so bad that the experienced fishermen who had become fishers of men woke Jesus from His restful sleep accusingly and fearfully questioning, "Do you not care that we are perishing?"

Their fear was misplaced and unnecessary just like ours is so many times! Storm 2 was within the spiritual realm when they are met by the demons called 'Legion' as soon as they land ashore. And Storm 3 (the one that takes most of us out too!) was the wave of human rejection by the very people they sought to reach in the first place with the Gospel! So, they barely escaped death to reach one man and from human eyes he was not quite the prize—he was not a distinguished, influential man, but he was the outcast of outcasts; truly, the least of all those in Decapolis! And not only did they only reach one man, but then they were kicked out of town by the lowest of low—the pig farmers who cared more about their pigs than a redeemed human being. This had to be insult upon insult for these disciples. Was this trip a complete failure?

Absolutely NOT, because "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). With what they could see, none of this would have looked like success to the disciples, so we must remember that as disciples we live by faith and not by sight! Following His Father's plan communicated clearly through the Holy Spirit to Jesus, Jesus knew that they did not reach one man; rather, they planted a seed that would yield an abundant harvest! Jesus Christ gained a foothold into the unreached people group of the Gentiles. Jesus successfully delivered then commissioned the first missionary to the Gentiles and that man obediently fulfilled the purpose for his life—freely received, freely given! He was blessed to be a blessing!

He was delivered for THE PUPROSE--to be a witness to God's victory! Jesus said to him and I believe He is saying this to each of us today, 'Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.'

Acts 1:8 declares for all who have been delivered,

"You shall be My witnesses…to the ends of the earth."

2 Corinthians 5:20 says it again about the ministry of reconciliation, "We are ambassadors for Christ…"

The purpose we are delivered from sin's grip (eternal damnation) is to witness the mercy of God until every people group is reached with the Gospel. Matthew 24:14 declares, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations [ethnos = people or ethnic group], and then the end [telos = end state goal or final purpose] will come." What exactly is this end we hope to hasten through our obedience? Listen to it from Revelation 7:9-10, "Behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.'"

We have been delivered so that we can have a right relationship with God and through Him, with our neighbor. We are to love one another without dividing lines of ethnos—we are the One body of Christ!

Jesus delivers people with the purpose [telos] in mind! Does your life demonstrate that you have been delivered with the purpose in mind? Are you living as Jesus' witness, sent to the unreached people within your spheres of influence? Go from this place and share the "great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you."

Brothers and sisters, the formerly demon-possessed man did not focus on the behavior of his fellow countrymen (1. the way they reacted to his deliverance with fear; 2. their concern for their economic well being rather than their spiritual well being; or 3. the absolute disdain they showed to Jesus Christ). Rather he focused on what Jesus Christ had done in his life. Is it a hard choice for you to decide who you will talk about? Will you report (gossip!) about the behavior of your neighbors and fellow countrymen or will you witness to your neighbor about the One who gave you life? Life is too short to focus on the wrong things and remember that have been set free for the mission of God!

On the back of your sermon notes, I invite you write your name in the blank and pray this prayer with me: FATHER, PLEASE USE (write your name here) TO COMPLETE THE MISSION OF GOD! IN JESUS' NAME; AMEN!

And I leave you with the promise of Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John 14:12, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

"Delivered for a Purpose!" (Part 1 of 2)

"Delivered for a Purpose!" (part 1 of 2)

Falling in Love with Jesus…all over again! An epic journey through the Gospel of Mark (message #29)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

August 14, 2011

Mark 5:1-13 (NAU), ¹ They came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes. ² When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him, ³ and he had his dwelling among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; ⁴ because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. ⁶ Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him; ⁷ and shouting with a loud voice, he said, "What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God, do not torment me!" ⁸ For He had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" ⁹ And He was asking him, "What is your name?" And he said to Him, "My name is Legion; for we are many." ¹⁰ And he began to implore Him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain. ¹² The demons implored Him, saying, "Send us into the swine so that we may enter them." ¹³ Jesus gave them permission. And coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them; and they were drowned in the sea.

We are dealing with a sobering subject today, but it is critical that we understand the enemy of our souls. As Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 2:11 "So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes." Why is it important to understand Satan and his schemes? Let's revisit the big story of Christianity to answer that question.

[Introduce the Evangecube] THE 3 B's OF THE BIG STORY OF CHRISTIANITY:

I. God built you (a member of humanity) to have intimacy with Him and with one another!

Genesis 1:27 records how the God who is holy and perfect created humanity in His own image so that we could exist eternally in perfect relationship with Him: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

II. This relationship was broken by sin!

Genesis 3 narrates the results of Satan's work and how in tempting Adam and Eve to disobey God's Word they sinned against God. Thus enters sin and the first humans who at once went from perfect relationship with God to attempting to isolate themselves from His presence. Genesis 3:8 states, "They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden."

And this reality was not restricted to the first humans, but the effects are to all humanity, including you and me today thousands of years later. Romans 5:12 explains, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."

Not resting in His pursuit to return humanity to their rightful birthright, God made a way for every person to return to the paradise of perfect relationship. The way to this relationship with God was given to us by Jesus Christ. III. Jesus Christ is the bridge back to God. He forgives us of sin delivering us from all evil domination so that those who have been redeemed have eternal life.

The Bible declares in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God's word further explains in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

God made the way for us and we are delivered from the evil grip of sin in order to show people the way into freedom! We are delivered on purpose! This is the Big Story of God and our story becomes His story when we receive eternal life. We become coworkers with Christ calling people to leave the darkness and walk into the Light of God's enduring love. And we must know that we have an enemy whose mission is to spoil all of humanity from their intended purpose! And this devil has demons (unclean or evil spirits) who do his bidding.

In your sermon notes, you will find this statement: THE MISSION OF DEMONS IS THE SPOILING OF HUMANITY FROM THEIR INTENDED PURPOSE!

Humanity's slavery to sin finds its starting point with the devil who tempted Adam and Eve to question God and then disobey God's Word. And friends, the devil is still in the business of doing just that—he and his demons are leading humanity away from a trusting and abiding relationship with the loving and sovereign God who created them and personally knows them by name. The devil and his demons are very successfully causing humanity to question God and the authority of His Word. Evil has nothing good to offer any human being; evil seduces you in order to use you!

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, states this reality in John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." This is the Word of God contrasting Satan's mission (the thief) against His own. Let's take it at face value and learn from it. Satan (the thief) and his demons have three desires for you:

1. To steal your birthright as a child of God.

2. To kill all that is good.

3. To destroy your witness until you no longer resemble an image-bearer of God.

The great apostle Peter declared this of the devil in 1 Peter 5:8, "Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

You don't need to take a class in demonology to understand that evil (unclean) spirits have one motivating force and that is to carry on the Devil's work—they seek to steal, kill, and destroy! Our Scripture story today shows that DEMONS ARE UNCLEAN SPIRITS SEEKING TOOLS TO CARRY ON THE DEVIL'S WORK...

The Bible declares in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."

Friends, when will we realize that there is no reason to get upset with the people who do stupid ungodly things? Stop wasting your time…all that you are doing is losing your joy, increasing your anxiety, worrying over things you can't control, and most likely sinning in your anger as you commit murder in your heart. Our fight is not against the person, but against the rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness that are using that person as a tool to steal, kill, and destroy.

That brings us to the question that is begging to be asked: Can a Christian be demon possessed? The only way I can answer this question with integrity is to first define what a Christian is. A Christian is a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple follows Jesus Christ with their head (they make a confession of faith) and heart (they live a repentant life) and has committed their hands and feet to the mission of Jesus Christ—seeking and saving the lost.

A Christian is a person who through faith in Jesus Christ is born again by the living and true light of God awakening them to eternal life through the forgiveness of sins. Can this person be demon possessed? Impossible, no way! I cannot overstate the importance of making a faith decision for Jesus Christ—His authority and power in your life is the only guarantee you can have for eternal life as well as protection from being controlled by an evil spirit.

Jesus is the only way to guarantee your spirit (the real and eternal part of who you are!) is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God which disallows you from being controlled by any other spirit! The key word being "controlled". But, just because a Christian can't be controlled like the demon possessed man in our story today, does not mean you cannot be influenced by the work of an unclean spirit in your life! We must not be ignorant of the schemes of the devil and one of the greatest schemes in the modern and secularized western world is to convince Christians that they are safe from "ancient superstitions" like demons. This scheme of the devil has allowed demons to wield an unholy influence on generations of Christians leading to weak and anorexic churches; liberal and heretical theologians promoting false gospels with false Christs; and disobedient biblically-illiterate followers who claim the name of Christ for personal gain, but do not live under His authority for God's glory. Frankly, it has led many of us to be unable to grasp Jesus' simple call of discipleship because we are unwilling to give up control of OUR lives, which are littered with satanic influences that camouflage themselves amidst our corrupted culture.

And these influences become footholds of demonic influence in our lives. And footholds become strongholds when overtime they are reinforced and entrenched by justifications and a continual unwillingness to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to deal with the sin.

Don't be misled brothers and sisters, you can and many of us are under demonic influence and to not deal with this evil head on will facilitate and allow the spirit of the Antichrist in our world today to use you as a tool for his purposes. And I guarantee you (a 100% money-back guarantee) that I am really upsetting the spiritual realm right now with this message and that will lead to some major attacks in my life, against this church, and possibly lead to some of you to be proponents in those attacks because you are unwilling to soberly assess your heart and mind so that the Holy Spirit can close the doors to any footholds and uproot any strongholds in your life. I pray that we will no longer justify evil in our lives—it ONLY wants to steal, kill, and destroy you and me! It's time to submit to God and resist the devil and the Bible promises that he will flee (James 4:7).

With Mark 5:1-13 as our reference let's answer this question: what does it look like when a person is under the influence or being influenced by the work of an unclean spirit?

1. Isolation (Mark 5:2-3a)

2. Lawlessness (Mark 5:3b-4)

3. Restlessness (Mark 5:5a)

4. Violence and self-inflicted wounds (Mark 5:5b)

5. Loss of true identity (Mark 5:9)

To say that this isn't possible for a Christian is to say that a Christian can't be an alcoholic, or a drug addict, or suffer from depression, or struggle with a habitual sin such as eating, sexuality, pornography, gossip, anger, conceit, jealousy…. Of course, we can be influenced by demonic activity! These five areas—isolation, lawlessness, restlessness, violence and self-inflicted wounds, and the loss of true identity—cannot be ignored in your life or if you see them in a brother or sisters life. The days are dark, we are in the end days, the time is short and we cannot afford to be ignorant of, or turn a blind ear or eye to, the devil's schemes to use us (or our churches!) as tools for his evil purposes.

It is time to invite the Holy Spirit to have full reign of your mind and body. Because until you surrender every last part of you: your mind, heart, hands, and feet, then you have not fully submitted yourself to God as a living sacrifice. That is the purpose for which Jesus endured the Cross and then sent the Holy Spirit upon His people—the church—so that we can become the witnesses of God's deliverance from the inside out, in word and deed! We are delivered from the slavery of sin (evil's domination) for a purpose! The Victory has been won for you; now receive Him and walk in His Spirit!

JESUS DELIVERS US TO BE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO CARRY ON THE MISSION OF GOD!

The Bible declares this truth in 1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?"

Mike's testimony!

As we will see next week, just like Mike was when he was using drugs, this demon possessed man who was a tool under the control of a multitude of demons (and so many in our community still are today). Both the man from Mark 5 (to Decapolis) and Mike (in NC, on campus, in South Africa), became witnesses of Jesus Christ carrying on the mission of God as ministers of reconciliation to their spheres of influence and beyond. 2 Corinthians 5:17-20 states that this is the purpose for every single person who is delivered through faith in Jesus Christ—we are delivered for a purpose! "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

God delivers His children from evil for a purpose! Are you carrying on the Mission of God? Are there times when you are being a tool in the hands of the devil rather than being a temple of the Holy Spirit? If you submit to God and resist the devil then he will flee from you (James 4:7). Are you willing to submit? Are you willing to resist?

Response Prayer