When Jesus Sets Foot on Your Shore — Storms Bow Down

When Jesus sets foot on your shore, that's what I'm going to preach about this morning.

When Jesus sets foot on your shore, let me read that to you.

Mark 5 verses 1 to 20 says this, bearing in mind last week, we spoke about Jesus

Mark 5:1–20

calming the storm. This was where he was heading.

Mark 5 verses 1 to 20. So they arrived at the other side of the lake in the

Mark 5:1–20

region of the Gerizines.

When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out

from the tombs to meet him.

This man lived in the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with the chain.

Whenever he was put into chains and shackles, as he often was,

he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles.

No one was strong enough to subdue him.

Day and night, he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills,

howling and cutting himself with sharp stones.

When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw him, ran to meet him,

and bowed low before him.

With a shriek, he screamed, Why are you interfering with me,

Jesus, Son of the Most High God?

In the name of God, I beg you, don't torture me.

For Jesus had already He said to the spirit, Come out of the man, you evil spirit.

Then Jesus demanded, What is your name? And he replied, My name is Legion,

because there are many of us inside this man.

Then the evil spirits begged him again and again not to send them to some distant place.

There happened to be a herd, a large herd of pigs, feeding on the hillside nearby.

Send us into those pigs, the spirits begged. Let us enter them.

So Jesus gave them permission. the evil spirits came out of the man and entered

the pigs, and the entire herd of about 2,000 pigs plunged down the steep hillside

into the lake and drowned in the water.

The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside.

Spreading the news as they ran.

People rushed out to see what had happened.

A crowd soon gathered around Jesus,

and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons.

He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid.

Then those who had seen what happened told the others about the demon-possessed

man and the pigs, and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him.

But Jesus said, no, go home to your family and tell them everything that the

Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.

So the man started off to visit the 10 towns of that region and began to proclaim

the great things Jesus had done for him.

And everyone was amazed at what he told them.

No wonder there was a storm on that lake. No wonder there was a storm.

Can I just make some very introductory comment here that amazed me?

This man, this man who was demon-possessed, named Legion, became the first evangelist.

The first evangelist as he spread the news around the region.

Incredible. So it wasn't just a matter of Jesus commanding those demons to come

out. he then went and became the first evangelist of that time.

Amazing. Amazing. So I'm here to tell you this morning that when Jesus arrives, things change.

When Jesus arrives, territories shift.

Every time Jesus steps into a place, whether it's here, whether it's your home,

whether it's in your heart, something has to move. Something has to move.

Storms bow down, as we read last week and as I preached about last week. Demons tremble.

Darkness surrenders when Jesus is there.

Atmospheres shift and territories realign.

And in Mark 5, as we heard last week, as we heard, Jesus has just told the storm to be still, to be still.

Now he steps onto the shores of the Gerizines and what happens? Hell itself panics.

Why does hell panic? Why? Because Jesus was about to rescue the one that everyone else abandoned.

Can you believe that? Jesus crossed the lake with his disciples,

went through a storm. The disciples thought it was all over.

Jesus slept, as we know.

He did that for one person.

One person. And he'll do it for you as well. He'll do it for you.

So hell itself was panicking because Jesus was about to rescue the one that

everyone else abandoned.

As we read, he was the one that was chained.

The city chained him up. The world avoided him and he was the one that hell targeted.

You know, that song we sang this morning, one, one, one spirit,

one baptism, one cross, one man, Jesus came to set free that day. One man.

Jesus crossed the storm to reach a single soul, a single soul.

Let that settle in your spirit this morning.

Your soul is worth more than the storm that Jesus crossed.

Amen? Such, such good news. Verses 1 to 5, I'm going to speed up a little bit

here, but verses 1 to 5, no, I'm not.

No one's got to go anywhere, do they? No, good problem. Too good.

Verses one to five tells us that this man lived among the dead.

Okay, this man, he lived among the tombs. No one could bind him anymore.

This man, I'm here to tell you this morning, is a picture of humanity without Christ.

Okay, you're living among tombs. No one could bind you.

Jesus is a picture of the humanity without Christ.

He was living among the tombs. He was in dead places. He was in dead relationships

and he had dead hopes. He was dead.

He was dead. No one could control him.

Sin gives a destructive freedom that destroys you. Yeah.

Crying day and night. You imagine this guy crying day and night.

Torment that no medication, no support group, no counselor could fix.

He was cutting himself, cutting himself with sharp stones.

Because when the soul is injured, the body follows along.

Everyone had tried that no one could help this poor guy.

The good news here is this. Listen to this. Where man reaches his limits,

when man reaches his limits, Jesus begins his work. As he did that day.

The people say, there's nothing more we could do for him.

We bound him. We chained him. There's nothing more we could do for him.

And that's when Jesus says, and he says it in our lives as well, just step aside.

I've just arrived. I'm here to fix this situation. Will you let me?

So verses six to seven talks to us about the demonized man running to Jesus.

The demonized man saw Jesus from a distance and he ran.

He ran. This really touches me because even in torment, something in him recognized

Jesus and he had to run to him. He had to get to Jesus.

There's a place in every human soul that still remembers its creator,

I'm here to tell you this morning. a spark, a cry, a longing.

Demons controlled his body, but they couldn't stop his feet from running to Jesus.

He ran to Jesus. Some of you need to know this.

You don't have to be put together to come to Jesus. You don't have to be in

a good place to come to Jesus.

You don't have to be fixed first to come to Jesus.

You don't have to be tidy. You've just got to run.

You've just got to run to, limp if you have to, crawl if you need to,

because Jesus delivers people who run towards him in their brokenness, in their brokenness.

Verses 18 to 13 of the scripture that we've just read talked about the authority of Jesus being exposed.

But Jesus had already said, come out of this man.

Jesus had already used the authority that was in him to speak to those demons

and to tell them to come out.

The demons actually started trying to negotiate with Jesus before he even had

a chance to say it, before he even opened his mouth.

Why did the demons try and negotiate with Jesus?

Because of this reason. Jesus doesn't fight darkness. He dominates darkness.

Jesus doesn't debate with demons.

He displaces demons. And Jesus doesn't struggle with spirits. He commands them.

That's why that storm on that lake that day, that was so spiritual.

What did Jesus did say? He commanded the storm to be still. He commanded.

One word from Jesus. Sorry, I'll go back. The unclean spirits begged with Jesus.

Don't torment us. The unclean spirits begged. They pleaded.

They trembled. Why?

Because they know that one word from Jesus is stronger than a thousand legions.

This word legion, this word legion, it's a powerful word, that word legion. You know why?

Because it refers to 6,000 troops trained to crush.

A Roman legion is not just a handful of soldiers. It's a whole battalion,

6,000 troops trained to crush cities.

Don't ever compare the size of your battle with the size of your deliverer okay

if you're going through a battle at the moment,

If you're going through it, don't even compare that to the size of the one who

will deliver you through that.

Verse 11 and 13 talks about, I love this, talks about the pigs,

the plunge, and the proof.

Verses 11 to 13, Jesus sends the demons into the pigs, and what happens to the pigs? They drown.

Why? And I don't want to be nasty to poor pigs.

I don't want to be nasty, but demons belong in unclean things. Who knows that?

Apparently, pigs are quite clean, but they roll in the mud.

Demons belong in unclean things. So Jesus sent the demons, gave them permission,

in fact, to go and to take over the pigs.

So why pigs? Because demons belong in unclean things. Why the plunge?

Why did the pigs plunge?

Because deliverance isn't partial.

It's not partial. Jesus expels darkness entirely.

He wanted those pigs out of there with those demons in them,

down the plunge, down the hill, into the lake, dead.

Jesus doesn't work in halves.

He's not partial it's not a little thing Jesus was doing he expels darkness

entirely if we let him why the drowning you ask,

to show that what tormented that man will never return to him. That's what Jesus does.

That's what Jesus does. The same Jesus still buries bondages today.

Addictions drown. Shame drowns.

Fear drowns. Generational curses drown.

Depression drowns. When the Son sets you free, He sets you fully free.

Oh, he's an amazing God. He's an amazing God.

Now let's talk about this man. Verse 15 talks about the miracle of a changed man.

Who's a miracle of a changed man here?

We all are. If you have given your life to Jesus, you are a miracle.

You're a miracle of a changed man. Let's have a look at this man now.

Verse 15, it talks about him sitting there, sitting there.

He had to be bound beforehand. He had to be chained.

Now he's sitting there. He's dressed, fully dressed, and he's in his right mind.

He gives rest. Look, this is what Jesus does. I...

The man was sitting there dressed and in his right mind. Hallelujah.

That's what Jesus does for us. Look at what Jesus does. First of all,

he gives rest to those who need rest. This man was sitting.

He'd been tormented for years and now he was resting and sitting.

The man couldn't be still. The man who couldn't be still is now sitting in peace.

There's peace in his life. Jesus doesn't just drive out torment.

He brings supernatural rest.

He gives identity. Jesus gives us identity back. It says the man was fully dressed.

He had his identity back.

He was naked in shame. Jesus then clothed him in dignity and grace covers what sin exposed.

So this man, he was dressed.

And then Jesus gives sanity. He was in his right mind, it says this man. He was in his right mind.

The man whose thoughts were chaos now thinks clearly.

This is a Holy Spirit restoration right there and then.

Let me tell you, when Jesus saves you, he doesn't just forgive you, he rebuilds you.

Isn't that right, Brad? Exactly what Brad was saying before.

He doesn't just forgive us, he rebuilds us.

Now, what's interesting when we keep reading from up to verse 16 and 17 is that

it appears the crowd was fearing freedom.

The crowd was fearing freedom. Instead of celebrating, the people actually beg Jesus to leave.

They've just seen this man set free and they've said, please, Jesus, leave.

Why is that? Listen carefully to me.

Some people fear your freedom because it actually confronts their bondage.

Some prefer predictable demons. They knew what this man was like.

He was a predictable demon over unpredictable deliverance.

Some would rather keep their pigs than receive God's power.

Revival always disturbs something. And when Jesus moves, he exposes both spirits

and he exposes systems in our lives.

So these people, they would rather Jesus leave rather than for him to continue

in what he'd already started.

And here's this man, here's this man, the first of the evangelists, which I love.

Verses 18 to 20, Jesus gives the man a mission.

Go home to your people and tell them. It's what evangelists do.

Tell them. The man wanted to follow Jesus on the boat, but Jesus gives him a calling.

Why is that? Because the very place that saw him broken would soon hear him preach.

What a testimony. The region that heard his screams will now hear his testimony.

The people who saw his chains will now see his calling. It's been called by Jesus.

The cities that avoided him would now receive him, this man.

He became the first evangelist to the Gentile world.

It blows my mind.

Don't miss this, okay? Don't miss this. your deliverance is your destiny.

Your testimony is your ministry. Your breakthrough is your sending.

He tried to silence him with demons. Hell, sorry, hell tried to silence him

with demons, but Jesus turned him into a preacher with authority.

This man, amazing, amazing. Josh, come on up for me.

It's an incredible story. We can all read it. We think, oh, great.

You know, Jesus cast out these many demons from this man.

Look into it deeply. It's what Jesus wants to do for us all.

Here's what I want to do this morning. I want to make some prophetic declarations

over all of us, over everyone listening in.

I know Peter and Kelly are listening in at the moment.

I know Catherine and Vic are listening in at the moment.

And I know there's one listening in as well.

And I've forgotten. Ah, Ellie.

Ellie and Carlos are listening in as well. So bless you guys.

But what I wanna do this morning, I wanna make some prophetic declarations.

And if they apply to you, I want you to receive them. Okay?

In the name of Jesus, I'm gonna start with, in the name of Jesus,

every chain is breaking. Jesus, no.

Every tormenting spirit is fleeing.

Who knows what a generational curse is? Every generational curse is losing its

power right now in Jesus' name.

Every mental oppression is bowing down right now in Jesus' name.

Every tomb season, every tomb season is ending.

Your right mind is returning.

Your identity is being restored right now and your calling is awakening.

The same Jesus who stepped onto that shore is stepping into your situation as well.

Right now, today, there's freedom in the name of Jesus if we receive it.

If you feel like that man this morning, perhaps your mind has been under attack.

If your emotions feel like a bit of a storm, if you feel tormented,

bound, addicted or oppressed, if you feel like you're living in the tombs of your past,

Jesus is here right now.

He has stepped ashore into our lives.

Receive him this morning. Receive Jesus this morning.

Receive Jesus this morning.

Come on, lift your hands with me. Lift your voices with me. Lift your hearts with me.

Say this with me. Jesus, Son of God, deliver me. Restore me.

Free me and fill me in Jesus' name. Right now, the Spirit of God is breaking

chains in this place, breaking chains in lives.

He's driving out fear in our lives.

He's lifting heaviness from our lives, lifting heaviness from our lives.

He's restoring minds this morning.

He's filling hearts and He's awakening callings this morning.

Receive it this morning.

Receive it this morning. and He's commissioning destinies this morning.

This is your moment this morning. This is your turning point.

This is your shore Jesus has arrived upon.

Receive Him this morning as He wants to speak into your situations.

Whether it be a house that's a mess that needs to be repaired,

whether it's a healing that's coming,

whether it's a torment, whether it's a worry, whatever it is,

Jesus has stepped onto your shore this morning and He wants to speak directly to those situations.

And hear me on this, He wants you to speak to those situations as well in His

name, with His authority.

So Lord, we do that this morning. We speak to every situation. This is like a.

An over-encompassing declaration. Speak to every situation, Lord God,

that's represented in this place.

Speak to every situation. You've already asked, Lord.

You've already spoken to our storms and Lord, we've spoken to our storms and

we have told them to be still and you have told them to be still.

But Lord, this morning, you speak to our situations and you finish it.

You finish those situations. You drive out what's causing those situations and

you deal with them permanently.

In Jesus' name, we receive that. We receive that, Lord God.

Lord, as we come into the Christmas season, as we come into the season,

Lord, where we celebrate you coming to us, Lord God, it's the reason why you came, Lord God.

It's the reason why you came. It's the reason why you sailed to that shore.

It's the reason why you came to this place, Lord God.

It's the reason why you wanna come into our lives to set us free and to give us freedom.

So we receive that this morning in Jesus' name. We receive it.

Let Jesus speak to it. Let Jesus deal with it.

You might be at your wit's end. You might be thinking, what else can I do? Jesus is here.

Jesus is here to take over. Jesus is here to say to you, just step aside.

I've got this for you. Just let him do that.

Let him do that in Jesus' name. Every situation, Lord.

Lord, I can name some situations. I can name some people who need this prayer,

Lord God, but it's an over-encompassing, Lord, you wanna come and you wanna deal.

So deal with them now in Jesus' name.

As we go, Lord God, this morning, we go in freedom, provided by the Saviour,

Jesus Christ, who came to set us free.

Jesus came to give freedom.

And we receive that, Lord, this morning in Jesus' name. So be blessed,

everyone, this morning. Go into the world.

Go in there knowing that you have overcome and tell the good news.

Tell people of the good news.

Hallelujah. Amen. Amen, amen. When Jesus sets foot on your shore,

it's dealt with, it's dealt with, amen.