The Jesus Affect- The Demoniac

If you have your Bibles, turn them with me this morning,

turn in them with me to Mark chapter five,

and we're going to look at 20 verses,

verses one through 20.

I'm not gonna read them all at once.

I'm gonna read them all before the message is over,

but we're going to just do an exposition of these verses

as we go this morning.

I wanna begin a series today

that I have entitled The Jesus Effect,

A-F-F-E-C-T, the impact that Jesus has on people.

How many of you have ever met somebody in your life

that after that encounter,

you were just never, ever the same?

And I'm not talking about Jesus, the Holy Spirit here,

but can you think of a person in your life?

There may or may not be for you,

but a lot of folk I meet have told me from time to time,

they ran into somebody or they had perhaps a planned meeting,

and that meeting absolutely changed the course of their life.

Some people are just like that,

and it seems that everyone Jesus ever met,

man, they went away different.

He had a tremendous impact on their life,

and so for about 10 Sundays,

we're gonna be looking at the Jesus Effect,

how he impacts people's lives.

This morning, we're looking at the guy who I think

is the scariest guy you'll ever meet in your life,

and you've met some scary folk, right?

In fact, look around the room right now.

I'm sure all of us have, at one time or another,

we've been somewhere where we just kind of wanted

to draw our spouse and our kids a little closer to us

because somebody's acting a little bit,

as a buddy of mine says, cray-cray.

You know what I mean?

I mean, they're just out there.

They're just a little bit different.

They've got a look about them.

There's something about them physically

that you just look at,

and it kind of frightens you, intimidates you,

maybe a real huge person, muscle-bound person,

maybe how they're dressed.

Most often, it's how they're acting, right?

I mean, I remember when I was still working

at Brushy Creek, I would go to the hospital

over at Memorial,

and almost always, you could count on this one guy

I'd pass going down academy,

and he would be talking to himself,

and this was before there were cell phones,

you know, before they had those little buds in their ears,

and he'd be having the grandest conversation,

but there wouldn't be anybody there but him, right?

And so, you know the kind of guy I'm talking about.

Well, that's the kind of guy we see here in Scripture,

so if you have your Bible, open it,

and let's just read these verses together,

beginning in Mark chapter five and verse one and two.

Then they came, speaking of the disciples,

to the other side of the sea.

This is the Sea of Galilee.

If you draw an oblong circle down on the lower right end,

the southeast side,

that's where they're headed to the area known as the Gerizines.

So the Scripture says,

then they came to the other side of the sea,

to the region of the Gerizines.

As soon as he, speaking of Jesus,

got out of the boat,

a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs

and met him.

Now, the only two things we know at this point

about this man we're referring to today

is the scariest man you've ever met

is that he has an unclean spirit,

which means he's demon-possessed.

There are evil spirits living in him,

not just one, but as you'll see,

many, many evil spirits,

and he's coming to meet Jesus,

apparently spots Jesus.

They beach the boat on the shore,

and as they do,

Jesus steps out of the boat.

He sees Jesus.

You're going to see in just a moment.

Knows who Jesus is

and goes running straight for Jesus.

He's coming, though,

out of the tombs.

Now, you've got to ask yourself,

why would anybody

be coming out of the tombs?

Had he just buried a loved one?

Was he there for a funeral?

Why would he be coming out of the tombs?

And when you think of the tombs,

let me just give you a clear picture in your mind.

If you're picturing something like Hillcrest Cemetery

just down the road from you guys,

think again.

I mean, there's no green grass.

There's no markers there.

It's not beautiful.

There are no artificial flowers

or real flowers or anything like that.

This is not a well-kept place.

These are caves there adjacent

to the Sea of Galilee.

This is where people have been buried.

They have been wrapped,

many of them in cloth and placed in there.

Animals have roamed the countryside.

Some of them, no doubt,

have come in and devoured the corpses.

You wouldn't be the least bit surprised.

You would, in fact, anticipate

and expect that when you walk in those caves,

you're going to see an elbow,

you're going to see an arm or a leg,

or you might encounter a skull or bones.

It's a pretty gross setting, right?

And so this man with the unclean spirit

runs out of the tombs

and he runs up to Jesus.

Now you've got to be asking,

as I said earlier,

why is he there?

Well, the next verse tells us,

verse three,

he lived in the tombs.

Now just stop for a moment

and let that sink in.

He lived in the tombs.

Can anyone in this room

rightfully say you can imagine

ever making your home in the tombs?

I talked to a guy a number of years ago,

a friend of mine,

and he lived right next door to a cemetery.

And so I asked him,

in fact, his house backed up to it,

I said,

does it ever bother you

that you live so close to a cemetery?

He says,

no, actually I get along well

with all my neighbors.

You know,

they don't give me any trouble.

But the truth of the matter is,

to live in an environment

like I was talking about a minute ago,

man,

there's got to be something wrong

in your life.

To live in a place like this,

you've got to ask,

why does he do that?

Why does he choose to live there?

Does he choose to live there?

Well,

as you'll see in a moment,

he doesn't.

Look at the remainder of the verse.

He lived in the tombs.

No one was able to restrain him anymore,

even with chains,

because he often had been bound

with shackles and chains,

but had,

and look at this word,

graphic word,

snapped off the chains

and smashed the shackles.

No one was strong enough

to subdue him.

He lives there

because that's where

the public demands

he lives.

In just a moment,

you're going to see

why they do that.

In fact,

probably already

you're getting a good idea

of why they do that.

They're scared to death

of this guy.

I mean,

this is not the kind of guy

you want to encounter

your preschool

or elementary age kids.

It's not the kind of guy

you want your teenagers

to be around.

It's not the kind of guy

you want to be near,

as you're going to see

in just a moment.

He's filled with these

demonic spirits,

and because of that,

he is completely

out of control.

He has,

because of these evil spirits

within him,

supernatural strength.

They can no longer

chain him

in these caves,

in these tombs,

but it's not because

they haven't tried.

They've sent out

committees of men before

who have bound him

to the ground

and have held him down

and shackled him,

but as soon as they would,

apparently,

he would snap

the chains in two.

Now,

when you think about chains,

you don't think about

just snapping them

in two,

right?

I've got a pair

of bolt cutters,

and occasionally,

they'll come in handy,

but boy,

you have to exert

some pressure

even using bolt cutters,

right?

We think about

cutting chains into,

we don't think about

snapping chains.

We think about

snapping a cord,

something like,

but this man

snapped these chains,

he smashed the shackles

to pieces,

they tried again and again,

but now they can

no longer even do that,

and the reason is because

they're not strong enough,

he seems to have

gained strength,

and they're not even

able any longer

to bind him

with the chains,

even momentarily.

Look at verse five,

and always,

now always is

an absolute term,

right?

Always means

always,

all the time,

there's no break in it.

Always,

night and day,

he was crying out

among the tombs,

and in the mountains,

and cutting himself

with stones.

You know,

the only way I know

to describe this man's

existence,

he was tormented,

wasn't he?

I mean,

why else would you

scream out

all the time?

Why would you be heard

screaming up in the mountains,

or screaming there

in the tombs,

and to do that

day and night,

he is absolutely

beside himself,

and the further evidence

of that is this,

he's cutting himself

with stones.

Now,

why would you do that?

You know what I guess?

I think this man

just hates his life.

I mean,

he hates everything

about his existence,

and I can understand,

he is just literally

beside himself.

There may have been

a moment in your life

for a moment or two,

or five minutes,

or an hour,

or a day,

or a week,

where you were just

tormented.

I mean,

thoughts just

overwhelm you.

If you've ever experienced

a great traumatic event

in your life,

you may know

what that's like

for just a moment

or two,

or minutes,

or even hours,

or even days,

but this is this man's

way of life

all the time.

Every day

when he awakens,

it begins.

It ends

when he finally

collapses from exhaustion

in the evening.

He's running

to and fro,

he's out of his mind,

he's crazed,

and he doesn't want

to be bound.

Now imagine this.

Every one of us

in this room

are to some degree

claustrophobic.

Did you know that?

That's yes

and no and no.

Do you know that?

Some of you

are badly claustrophobic.

I won't ask you

to raise your hand,

but you know

who you are.

All of us,

though,

to some degree

in the right circumstance

would find ourselves

claustrophobic.

We put you

in a tiny,

tiny cell

and there's no movement.

Let me tell you something.

You get claustrophobic

pretty quick.

We shackle you

and bind you

and fashion you

to the ground

or to a wall

where you can't move.

You'd get claustrophobic

in a hurry.

Have you ever seen

the movies,

the old pictures,

especially in the

insane asylums?

They would come

into the room.

There would be

two or three orderlies.

Here's the guy

over here

who they're going

to put him

in a straitjacket.

How do those scenes

play out?

You've seen them,

right?

You ever seen

in a movie,

they come in

and say,

we've got to put you

in this

and he says,

okay,

you want to put

my left arm in

or how you want

to do it?

No.

Man,

they would go

screaming

and kicking

and fighting

because none of us

want something

to bind us

and then to put

our arms in that.

In fact,

some of you

are breaking out

in sweat right now

to hear me tell

about this,

right?

I mean,

the thought of that

is just horrific

and that's what

they did.

They bind this man

and try to chain him

and subdue him

so he cannot harm

anyone else.

Now,

one other thing

to keep in mind.

Do you think

they plan to come

daily and give him

water and food

in this cave?

Really?

No.

No.

You know what the plan,

I don't even know

if they thought

it all the way

through.

He's going to die

in that cave.

If he doesn't break

those shackles,

if he doesn't break

out of those chains,

he's going to die there.

They don't care.

They don't want to

just put him to death,

but they're okay

with him not being

a part of their lives.

One other thing,

we go to the next verse,

but Luke chapter 8,

Luke 8 · chapter mention

you know what

it inserts here

that Mark omits?

It says that

when he ran

through these caves

in the mountainside,

he did so

completely naked.

He tore away

his clothes.

Now,

I'm no psychiatrist,

but I've done

a lot of counseling

through the years,

and you know

what my guess is on this?

He couldn't even stand

the sense

of being bound

by his clothes.

He just wanted

to be free.

He thought about

being chained

and being subdued,

and those clothes

were just another

form of that,

and so the man

ran naked.

He was completely

crazed and out

of his mind.

Now,

let's just pause

for about 30 seconds.

Let me ask you something.

Can you imagine

living the life

that this man lived?

Can you imagine

what it was like?

He's cut off

from his family.

He had family

at one time.

He's cut off

from his family.

He,

in all likelihood,

I can just imagine,

had friends

at one time.

He's cut off

from his friends.

He lives

in isolation.

Remember what

isolation did

to some of you

in this room

during COVID?

Pretty tough,

isn't it,

being in the house

by yourself?

We have phones.

We talk to people.

We have computers.

We communicate,

but even then,

it wasn't enough

for a lot of us.

Imagine there's never

anyone that you

have conversation with.

There's no one

to tell how you feel.

Are you beginning

to get a picture

of how horrible

this man's life was?

I've got to be honest,

I can't imagine

a life any worse

than this man

was living.

If he wasn't crazy

when the ordeal began,

he would have been crazy

by the time it was over.

Well,

look at verses

six to ten.

When he saw Jesus

from a distance,

he ran and knelt down

before him,

and he cried out

with a loud voice,

What do you have

to do with me,

Jesus,

Son of the Most High God?

I beg you before God,

don't torment me.

For he had told him,

Come out of the man,

this is Jesus,

you unclean spirit.

What is your name,

he asked.

My name is Legion,

he answered him,

because we are many.

And he kept begging him

not to send them

out of the region.

Now,

this demon,

first thing I want you

to notice,

he recognizes,

as I said

at the outset

of the sermon,

who Jesus is.

You know what's

astounding about that?

All the people

who had apparently

been looking for Jesus

to come,

the Messiah,

the Pharisees,

and all those,

they never recognize him.

But in Mark's gospel,

all the demons

who have conversation

with Jesus

as they possess

individuals,

every one of them

recognize

you're the Son of God.

And they're all

fearful of him

that he has come

to harm them.

They know

that judgment

one day

awaits them.

And so Jesus

asked this man,

what is your name?

He runs up to Jesus,

what is your name?

Now that's not

a hard question,

right?

What is your name?

The man responds,

and it could have

been the demons,

or it could have

been the man,

we don't have

any way of knowing.

The person responds,

Legion.

His parents

had not named him

Legion,

you know that.

When he said Legion,

he says Legion,

I think for two reasons,

one,

because it's indicative

of what's going on

inside of him.

A Legion

was a Roman group

of soldiers

that numbered

between three

and seven thousand

in number.

Is he trying to say

there are three

to seven thousand

demons in me?

I doubt that.

But what he was saying

is this,

I am filled

with an army

of demons.

There could have

been a hundred,

there could have

been a thousand,

there could have

been two thousand,

I don't know how many,

but here's the important

thing,

these demons

have taken possession

of this man's life.

He doesn't have

a life anymore.

They're in complete,

utter control.

I think

if he does know

who he is

and he says Legion,

he says so

because he's lost

all self-identity.

He doesn't think

of himself

as a human being

the way you and I

do any longer.

He thinks of himself

as this man

who is utterly

bound and controlled

not by the shackles

but by the demons

within him.

Now I know what

a lot of you here

got to be wondering

at this point,

preacher,

can that still happen?

Are people

demon-possessed

today?

I've got to say

to you

that I believe

there are a number

of people who are.

In fact,

I don't think

every horrific event

is the result

of demon possession

that occurs

in our lives

but I think

there are a number

of horrific events

that have happened

in human history

that we can look

and say

perhaps that person

was under the influence

of demons.

Some of you

may be wondering,

can a believer

be demon-possessed?

And they cannot

because the Spirit

of God owns us.

We've been bought

with the shed blood

of the Lord Jesus Christ

where he is

and a demon

cannot possess us.

But I want to warn you,

demons

can oppress us.

Demons

can speak to us

and that's why

we need to guard

our minds and hearts.

We need to be careful

about what we see

and what we listen to,

the kind of things

we read,

the kind of experiences

we have in life

because I believe

Satan is on the prowl

and he can,

while not possessing us,

he can oppress us.

He can put satanic thoughts

in our minds

and I think oftentimes

that goes hand in hand

with people

who sometimes

have mental illness,

emotional illness.

Does it mean

they're one and the same?

No, of course not.

But sometimes

that can run

hand in hand.

Look at verse 11,

if you will.

Now a large herd

of pigs

were there,

was there,

feeding on the hillside.

The demons

begged him,

send us to the pigs

so that we may

enter them.

The demons

now speak out

to Jesus.

Jesus,

there's a large group

of pigs over there,

in fact 2,000 in number

we'll see in just a moment.

And they asked

for permission

to be sent

into this herd

of swine.

Verse 13,

and he gave

them permission.

I want you to know this,

Jesus didn't order that,

Jesus permits that.

Then the unclean spirits

came out

and entered the pigs

and the herd

of about 2,000

rushed down the steep bank

into the sea

and drowned there.

Now,

I don't know

if you're here this morning

and that causes you

a problem or not.

I've heard it said

once or twice,

why in the world

did Jesus kill

the 2,000 pigs?

First of all,

I've got to say to you,

he didn't do that,

he didn't order it,

he permitted it.

The demons asked

for permission

and Jesus allowed it.

If you say,

well that's just semantics,

then I've still got to

come back and tell you this,

he did that

in order to save

a human being's life.

And I've just got

to be honest with you,

I'll let you see

a part of my personality

this morning.

If that troubles you,

that Jesus would save

a human being's life

at the expense

of 2,000 swine,

then you and I

are just going to have

to agree to disagree.

Do you understand?

Because I think

the value of a human life

is far above

that of an animal

or a plant

or anything else

that's a living organism.

So,

they run into the pigs,

they run over the cliff

and are drowned.

Look at verse 14.

The men who tended them

ran off

and reported it

in the town.

And the countryside

and the people

went to see

what had happened.

Now,

don't just read that quickly

and pass to the next verse.

I want you to consider that,

what that would look like

for a moment.

How many of you think

a man could live

in Pickens County

who lived the way

this man lived

and you would know about it?

What do you think?

If a man lived

in Pickens County

and was as crazy

as this man was,

ran naked,

screamed night and day,

the townsfolk

had gotten together,

the police had gotten together,

shackled him,

he broke free of the shackles,

he's tormented,

he's running up

and down your streets,

you're scared to death of him,

you'd know about it,

wouldn't you?

You couldn't be a resident

of Pickens

and not know about it.

So these men

who are tending

the swine,

when they see

the swine drown,

a sizable amount

of money

has been lost

by the owner

of these pigs.

They rush back

to tell him

but in telling him,

they begin to spread

word everywhere

and this is probably

what,

hey,

you know that demoniac,

the one we call

the demoniac

of Gadara?

Yeah?

You won't believe

what we just saw.

What'd you just see?

We were there

tending the pigs

and this guy

named Jesus,

they pull up

in this boat,

they beach the boat

and they get out,

he comes running

out of the tombs

and Jesus actually

has a conversation

with him.

Jesus wasn't afraid

of him.

Well,

what happened?

Well,

he told these demons

to leave the man

and they went

into the swine

and the swine

suddenly acted crazy,

did something

we've never seen

him do in the past.

They run over a cliff

and 2,000 of them

died.

Wow.

You gotta go out

and see that thing.

Yeah,

maybe.

Well,

wait a minute,

let me tell you

something else

that happened.

What else happened?

You know the crazy guy?

Yeah?

Well,

he's different.

What do you mean

he's different?

Well,

he's not acting

crazy anymore.

He's what?

He's not acting

crazy.

He acts civilized.

You won't believe it.

What would you do?

All the townspeople

come out to see

what has happened.

Well,

read the next verse.

This is my second

favorite verse

in this passage.

Not my favorite,

but my second

favorite verse.

Verse 15.

They came to Jesus

and saw the man

who had been demon

possessed by the legion.

Now,

read all this

very carefully.

Sitting there,

dressed,

and in his right mind.

Is that astounding

or what?

Sitting there,

dressed,

in his right mind.

They would never

have guessed

any of those things.

They've always

seen him naked.

They've always

seen him running

to and fro.

Have you ever

known somebody

who had ants

in their pants

and they just

couldn't sit still?

They just couldn't

be still

if their life

depended on it?

That's this guy

to the hundredth power,

right?

I mean,

he's just crazed

out of his mind.

These spirits

torment him so badly.

He just can't

stand his own flesh.

He cuts his flesh.

He yells.

He screams.

He doesn't wear clothes.

But now,

take a look at it.

There he is

and he's seated

just like I am

sitting there

on the bank

and he's still

and he's not screaming

and when they say

something to him,

he gives a sensible

answer.

He's just like

any of you

in this room.

He looks so

normal.

He's just that.

You wouldn't think

if you walked

into a room

and saw somebody

seated and his

clothes and in

his right mind,

you just keep

walking,

right?

No big deal.

But this guy,

we've never seen

him like that.

How is it he's

like that?

Jesus has cast

these demons out

and here's the part

I like.

You ready?

Look at the end

of verse 15.

And they were

afraid.

That's funny,

isn't it?

I mean,

I don't care who

you are.

That's funny.

They were afraid.

They're more scared

of him sane

than they were

when he was insane.

At least insane

he was predictable.

Now,

they don't know

what's going on

with this guy.

And so,

it scares them

literally to death.

Well,

they do.

Well,

look at verse 16

and 17.

The eyewitnesses

described to them

what had happened

to the demon-possessed

man and told

about the pigs.

Then they began

to beg him

to leave

their region.

Now,

that's pretty

ironic,

isn't it?

Jesus comes,

solves their

problem.

This guy

has tormented

them for years

and years on end

in all likelihood.

Jesus

cast the demons

out

and he's seated,

clothed in his

right mind

and the change

is so radical

they're afraid

of him.

You know,

I gotta be honest

with you.

You shouldn't

surprise us too much.

I have seen

before in my life

people who Jesus

touched

who the change

was so radical

their old friends

were a little bit

afraid of him.

They just

actually wondered

what's going on

with this guy

and what's happened

he's had an encounter

with Christ.

Well,

look at verse 18.

This is my favorite

verse.

As he was getting

in the boat

the man who had

been demon-possessed

kept begging him,

read that phrase

kept begging him

to be with him.

I said before

the preceding verse

was my second

favorite verse.

This is my favorite

verse.

Let me show you why.

You gotta picture

this scene.

Imagine that

we're on the shore

and that blue carpet

or purple carpet

is the Sea of Galilee.

Those boats

weren't John boats.

They weren't

aluminum boats.

No Starcraft,

right?

These are heavy,

heavy wooden boats.

So you know

what they did?

They beached that boat.

They would have

just rowed

until it was up

on the shore.

When it got

a little bit of it

up on the shore

they would have

gotten out

and those guys

in the boat

the disciples

would have grabbed it

and they would have

pulled it up

further on the shore

so that it doesn't

wash away.

Well,

they asked Jesus

to leave.

Jesus apparently

without argument

he acquiesces

to their wishes.

They go

and they wouldn't

have just piled

in the boat

again if you've ever

launched a boat

from a beach.

They push it out

to the edge

of the water,

right?

And then they

begin getting

in the boat.

The disciples

get in the boat.

Jesus gets in the boat.

Probably one or two

stayed on the outside

and they push it out

a little bit further

and now they're

all getting in the boat

and they're taking

their oars

and they're going

to push it back

and then they're

going to begin

rowing it back,

right?

Well,

here's this demoniac

and he sees them

pushing the boat

and I can see him

sitting there

and he stands up

and he walks over

to the water edge

and he says to Jesus,

Jesus,

take me with you.

Take me with you.

And he wonders

if Jesus hears him

or not

and so he goes

down to the water's

edge.

Jesus,

don't leave me here.

Can you

understand why

you would do that?

All these town

people have hated him.

He's been public

enemy number one.

They chained him

and left him

for dead.

They've ridiculed him,

ostracized him.

He's cut off

from family

and friends

and everybody.

He has no life

here in his mind

and so they're

pushing this boat

out into the water

and I can see him

do this

and I don't think

this is an exaggeration

at all.

I cannot imagine

in fact this story

happened any other way.

I can see him

put his hands

up on the bow

of that boat

and look up at Jesus

in the boat

and say,

Jesus,

please take me

with you.

And he's

ankle deep

and knee deep

and on out

until the water's

up to his waist.

Jesus,

he's still begging.

He kept begging,

kept begging.

So he's asked repeatedly,

Jesus,

would you take me

with you?

Would you take me

with you?

Jesus' response

in one way,

just to be honest,

is a little bit

surprising,

isn't it?

Because you know

what he says.

He says,

no,

you can't come.

And finally,

when the water

may be chest high,

the man realizes,

he's not going

to let me come.

And he turns

and walks away.

I want you to look

at that response

of Jesus.

Look back to the

scripture for a moment.

Look at what it says.

Verse 19 and 20.

But he would not

let him.

Instead,

he told him,

go back home

to your own people

and report to them

how much the Lord

has done for you

and how he has

had mercy on you.

And boy,

God had had mercy

on him,

hadn't he?

So he went out

and began to proclaim

in the Decapolis,

that's the 10 city region,

how much Jesus

had done for him.

And they were all amazed.

Jesus wasn't being

mean to him.

I think he'd have loved

to have had him

go with him.

But he knew this man

had a mission in life.

God had changed his life

and could use this man

more than he could ever

have used him before.

And so he says,

you know what?

There are people

here in this region,

in these 10 cities

about this region,

they know you.

They know your reputation.

I want you to go to them

and I want you to show them

the mercy that God

has done in your life,

the mercy God

has shown you,

the work he has accomplished

in your life.

I want you to be used

of God

to speak to these people

when they see

how God has worked

in your life.

It'll change their lives.

And so that's what

the man does.

He begins going city

to city to city

telling them the story

about what God

has done in his life.

Three things I want you

to see today

and I close.

You ready?

Here's the first.

Jesus loves those

who others despise

and fear

and flee from.

He is the friend

of hardened sinners.

Jesus loves

those who others

despise,

fear,

and flee from.

In fact,

if we're honest about it,

Jesus loves those

that many of us

in the church,

many of us

in the church

are exactly like

those townspeople,

the people

of the region

of Gadara.

People like this guy,

if we're honest about it,

they scare us.

We don't want them

hanging around

our preschool.

We don't want them

hanging around

our youth.

We're uncomfortable

if they show up

in a couples class

because,

I mean,

look at us

and look at them.

They're just a lot

different from us.

But I want to tell you

something.

When I read

the New Testament,

when I read the Gospels,

if you said,

Pastor,

I want you to tell me

one word about Jesus,

one sentence

about Jesus

you take from

reading the Gospels.

Do you know what

that sentence would be?

Jesus loves

sinners.

Wouldn't you agree

with that?

In fact,

every time,

almost,

he's in conflict

with the Pharisees,

it's over his love

of sinners.

Why do you hang out

with drunks?

Why do you hang out

with prostitutes?

Why do you hang out?

Can't you see this man

is crazy?

He's demon possessed.

Why do you keep

hanging out

with people like this?

And the answer

is pretty obvious.

Jesus

has compassion

and loves

hardened sinners.

Second thing

I want you to take away

from this passage

this morning

is this.

Jesus

can change

anybody.

Now,

I want to tell you,

I don't know

what you've done.

I don't know

how deep in sin

you are,

how immoral

you've been,

what's happened

in your life,

the events of your life.

There may be

some tragedy,

there may be

some heartache,

there may be

some immorality,

but I want to tell you

something.

I'm guessing

there's nobody here

whose life

was as ever

messed up

as this guy's

life was messed up.

And yet,

look at him now

and he's seated

and he's in his

right mind

and he's clothed

and God's going

to use him

in a miraculous way

in those

ten cities.

And I want to tell you

something here.

In fact,

I have prayed for you

before I even

came today

that God would bring

somebody here today

in this room

who could in some

small measure

identify

with this demoniac

because

your life is a mess.

And in your mind

and heart,

you've come to the place

you just think,

there's just not much

hope for me.

I mean,

I just keep making

one foolish decision

after another.

I've made so many

mistakes.

I've disappointed

my family.

I've disappointed

my friends.

I've disappointed

I'm just a mess.

And there's just

no hope for me.

I want to tell you

something,

friend.

You couldn't be

further from the truth.

This message

is exactly

for you

because I want

to tell you something.

Jesus can change

anybody.

Amen?

I know that

because he changed

me.

I know who I was

and who I am.

And I'm no prize.

I'm not what I should be.

But I'll tell you this.

I'm not who I used

to be.

And that's not because

of anything Ralph Carter

did.

That's because of the

Spirit of God

working in my life.

And if he can change

me and he can change

that demoniac,

he can change you,

whoever you are.

Maybe your first time,

ever walking in the doors,

First Baptist Pickens.

He can change you.

You're not without hope.

Here's the last

and final thing

and I'll leave you

with this.

It is far more

comfortable to be

huddled up with

Jesus and fellow

believers.

But he has put us

on a mission

in the world.

The world is a

scary, scary place,

isn't it?

I've got to be

honest with you.

I pray about it

all the time

because I've got

a little 15-year-old

granddaughter

and a 3-year-old

grandson.

And I've got to be

honest, I don't like

the direction our

country is taking

and it scares me

for them because

the world has changed

radically from the

world that I was

born in and raised

in.

It's a scary,

scary place.

But I've got to

tell you today,

that's where he

wants us.

That's where he

wants us.

He doesn't want us

huddled up in our

little beautiful

churches,

holding each

other's hands,

looking for folk

who are more like

us to come and

join us.

How here so-and-so

moved to town and

they're a believer,

we'll rush out and

get them.

While there are tons

of lost people who've

been here forever and

we just don't bother

with them because

they're just not

church-type people,

you know?

I'm telling you,

it's comfortable when

you huddle up with

the sheep and it's

dangerous out in the

world.

But that's where

God wants us.

That's where he

wants us.

He wants us sharing

what God's done with

us to other people

in whom he needs to

do a great work.

And I'll tell you,

you don't have to

drive far from this

church until you see

lots of people in

whom he needs to do

a great work.

Amen?

Let's pray.

Lord, thank you for

your word.

Thank you for the

story you've given

us today.

Let us see ourselves.

Let us see people who

are like the demoniac.

Give us compassion for

them.

Lord, I pray if there's

one here today who

they in some small

measure can identify

that demoniac, their

life's not nearly as

out of order, but they

just know that they're

not heading the

direction they need to

go and they need help

and they just have

resisted that because

they don't think there

is anything that can

help.

They've tried this and

they've tried that.

God, would you today

open their eyes to what

you could do in

their life?

You could do a

miracle in their

life that you can

cause them to be

born again, that your

spirit will come into

them and regenerate

them and save them.

Please, oh God, do

that today.

If there's just one

person in this room

who needs it, I pray

you'd speak to their

heart.

For we make this

prayer in Jesus' name

and for his sake we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.