Mark 5:1-15

Just prior to Jesus coming to Gadara there was the storm on the Sea of Galilee which Jesus calmed. They had been in Capernaum, which was at the north end of the Sea of Galilee. Now they have crossed the sea to the southeast end.

Do you really believe there is a God? Do you really believe? Do you believe to the extent that your belief in God affects your everyday life? I have no doubt that God exists - I have based my life upon that fact. But many, many, people deny the existence of God or at least by their actions they deny His existence. The evidence of God’s existence is all around us. All a person has to do is open their eyes and look - to see that there is a God.

Sir Isaac Newton said that you only had to look at your thumb know there is a God. One evening on a ship returning from an expedition to Egypt, a group of officers were discussing, mostly in the negative, about whether or not there was a God. Napoleon who had been standing alone quietly thinking, upon hearing the question, “Is there a God?” Napoleon pointed to the stars and said, “Gentlemen, who made all that?”

A businessman once gave the reasons why be knew there was a God. He had been considering the wonders of the stars and planets and the order to it all. Then he said this, “It takes a girl in our factory about two days to learn to put the seventeen parts of a meat chopper together. Some may believe that these millions of worlds, each with its separate orbit, all balanced so wonderfully in space - that they just happened; that by a billion years of tumbling about they finally arranged themselves. I am merely a plain manufacturer of cutlery. But this I do know, that you can shake the seventeen parts of a meat chopper around in a washtub for the next seventeen billion years and you’ll never make a meat chopper.”

To think is to grow in awareness. Think as you look at a flower, a sunset, or gaze at the stars above. Someone has said that the unbelieving astronomer is mad. They must be but there are coming to be more and more believing astronomers.

“What do you see?” A friend asked a famous botanist who was examining a flower. “I see God.” Was the botanist’s answer.

A Scottish doctor wrote with his finger in the garden soil the letters of his little son’s name and then sowed seeds in the furrows. Ten days later, his son ran to him in astonishment and said that his name was growing in the garden and insisted on his father seeing it. “Is it not a mere chance?” asked the father. “No, someone must have arraged it that way.” “Look at yourself.” said the doctor. “Consider your hands, fingers, legs, feet; did you come here by chance?” “No, something must have made me.” “And who is that something?” And as he did not know, the father told him about the great God who had made him and all the world.

Do you believe there is a God? Do you really believe? If you do the Bible says in James 2:19, “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” If we really believe there is a God, why don’t we act like it? The devil and his demons know there is a God, and they “tremble.”

Back in our text in Mark 5 - This seemingly crazy man who had supernatural strength (broke chains) falls at the feet of Jesus and says. v.7. This man of Gadara did not have a psychological illness. This man was possessed by a legion of demons v. 9 A legion was the largest unit of the Roman Army consisting of 3 to 6,000 soldiers. How else would the man of Gadara have known that Jesus was the Son of God, unless it was revealed on a supernatural level - Not even the disciples acted like they believed it all the time (Consider the incident of the calming of the sea.). But here is this man, who has little contact with the outside world who falls at the feet of Jesus and says (v. 7).

Do you understand? There is a God and there is an enemy of God and, an enemy of all that is good. An enemy of all that would believe there is a God. We have an enemy! His name is Lucifer and we know him also by the name of satan or the devil. He is a fallen angel which led the revolt in Heaven the Bible tells us of one third of the angels. They were defeated and banished from Heaven. Lucifer is no ordinary angel, he is on the order of an arch angel such as Gabriel or Michael. But he was created by God and is not as powerful as God. God is omnipresent (present everywhere) but the devil goes to and fro across the earth. He cannot be everywhere at one time so he depends upon his demons (fallen angels) to do much of his work. The tragedy is that in reality most people deny the existence of God and have no idea there is someone trying to destroy them and their families.

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” How tragic it is that people refuse to believe there is a God, refuse to believe thay have an enemy, and satan who is stalking about like a roaring lion - gobbles them up. If you believe there is a God, if you then know you have an enemy, you can defend yourself. And it is God’s will that you do so. Ephesians 6:10-18 Open your eyes! According to known principles of science we know that what appears to be solid matter is not truly solid. At least it isn’t if you view it under an electron microscope. On another plane, on another level there could be a railroad, a train running through this room at this very moment. Are there angels and demons struggling in battle about this place even now? I have no doubt that they are. I’m not saying that there is a demon under every rock. But friends, to deny that there is spiritual warfare going on, between God, satan, demons and angels and that we are involved is to deny the truth of the Word of God. Listen to these words in Ephesians again. Eph 6:10-14a

Personal Experience - Began believing that all was psychological and that there was no such thing as a demon. Through the years, studying God’s Word, and my own personal experience I know that there are such things and that we are in the midst of a great battle. It really comes down to whether or not we believe the Word of God to be true and by faith I believe it to be true.

Pharisees vs. Saduccees. The Pharisees during the time of Jesus and the apostle Paul believe that there was the possibility of life after death and that there were such things as angels and demons. The Saduccees during the same period did not believe in angels and demons. So, the debate has been going on for a long time. Jesus obviously teaches of a life after death and of a supernatural world.

Can demons possess a saved person? No! 1 Cor. 3:16-17 John 4:4 Once the Holy Spirit lives inside of a person no demon can force God to leave. Can a saved person be influenced, used, controlled by demonic forces? Yes! I believe that I have been at times and I have seen other Christians that I thought were under demonic influence.

Galatians 5:1 This verse not only assures us that God wants us free, but warns us that we can lose our freedom (Not our salvation, but we can become enslaved to sin again if we refuse to take advantage of the resources of God which He has freely given to us.). Our goal as a Christian is to become mature to be comformed to the image of Christ. Eph. 4:13-15. Satan is opposed to your maturity and will do anything he can to keep you from realizing who you are and what you have in Christ Jesus.

We must experience victory before we can mature. Whenever we sin we open ourselves up to demonic activity. What is it that we are really doing when we sin? 2 Cor 10:10-22a (Notice especially verse 20 in this context.). When we sin, aren’t we really inviting the enemy into camp. Aren’t we really having fellowship, as the Bible says here (v. 20), with devils whenever we sin. It’s horrifying, if you really think about what you are doing when you sin.

I want to give you some practical advice. First of all in regard to your thought life. Ephesians 6:16 Fiery darts, many types - one is our thoughts - do you ever question where your thoughts come from? Or does a thought pop into your mind and in the next moment pop out of your mouth? If that’s the case you are being used. (Thoughts are I believe in the supernatural. Thoughts may come from ourselves, God, or from satan. The same with dreams. Dreams from God are most usually, organized, specific.). 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.

Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths....”

Matthew 12 :36-37, “But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Take control, test those thoughts, take them captive before you allow them to come out of your mouths.

And what do you think about? The Bible tells us what not to think about in Romans 13:14 “Do not think about how to gratify the sinful nature.” The Bible also tells us what to think about in Philippians 4:8, “Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.”

And there is nothing more true, right, pure or excellent than God’s Word. Imbed His Word in your heart - Run God’s Word through your mind - think about the Words of God often.

We are in a mighty battle - don’t just sit there and think that it doesn’t concern you - that it doesn’t affect you. Friends, even the very thoughts that you think affect you and can destroy you. It’s time to make a stand and get serious about God - the enemy is serious and he’s out to destroy you. Do you really believe God exists? Then we must act like it!

The devils tremble at the mention of the name of Jesus “Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well: the devils also believe, and they tremble.” Mark 5:6-7 - Have you been ignoring God by your actions? Even the demons of hell don’t do that. - It’s time to get serious!

You can get serious about God by:
1. immediately repenting and confessing any sin - close the door to the devil and his demons (1 John 1:9)

2. taking captive every thought - consider what you say before you say it - think about good things.

3. being engaged in the battle through prayer - pray with spiritual enlightenment/with the knowledge of the spiritual struggle going on. And know that there is great power in the Name and Blood of Jesus Christ.

The skies over Weatherford, Oklahoma (or America for that matter) are not clear. There is a battle raging for the hearts and minds and souls of all those who live here. You can make a difference - You can make a difference, if you get serious about God. Will you do it? Isn’t it time to get serious about God? Many are depending upon you - their eternal destinies depend upon whether or not you get serious about God.

You can begin to get serious about God by doing what you know to do:
(1. Reading, studying, memorizing God’s Word.
(2. Having a quality quiet time each day - start the day and end the day with the Lord.
(3. Witness - we can not reach our fullest potential as a child of God unless we join in this activity of God.
(4. Give
(5. Serve
(6. Resist the devil and he will flee from you - build a hotter fire and he will get his fingers burned.

Do we really want to have revival, spiritual awakening in this city, in this church, in this nation? Let me ask you this question. If everyone who makes up this church just keeps on doing the same things they have been doing for the last several years. Will we have revival? Will anything change? We can look around at these other people and you can look at this preacher and say why don’t they do better why don’t they change. But for just a moment let’s just concentrate on you. Are you where God wants you to be spiritually. Have you reached perfection (Perfection is not possible as long as we are upon this earth and have this human flesh.). Don’t you have some things in your life that God wants you to deal with? If we were to all get serious with God what would happen? One person on fire for God could turn this church upside down. Think what would happen if we all got on fire for God. This church would be unstoppable.

D.L. Moody (The greatest evangelist of the last half of the 19th century, the Billy Graham of his day.) was once told something that changed his life. He was told that the world has yet to see what God can do with one person’s life wholly and completely committed to Him. What would God do with your life if you completely and totally committed your life to God? You would never regret it and it would be beyond your wildest imagination what God would do. Don’t you want to find out? Give God everything. Don’t you have enough spiritual curiousity to want to find out? Why don’t we find out together?

The very first place to begin getting serious about God is to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

In John 1:12 the Bible says about Jesus, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

In John 3:16 the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

In Romans 10:13 the Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Why not call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus now and receive God’s gift of salvation. Open the door of your heart to Jesus by inviting Him to come in. You can pray these words that follow or put it in your own words. God not only reads lips but also hearts and He will know whether you mean it or not.

“Dear Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and life. Forgive me of my sins, the bad things that I have done and help me to live my life in a way that would be pleasing to You. Thank you for saving me. In Your Name Lord Jesus I pray. Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer I would like to know about it and will send you some helpful material, please email Ed Wrather at: wrather@dobsonteleco.com