Legion

Well, the title of the sermon today is, Legion. Legion. Maybe one of the most fearsome and chilling parts in all the Bible occurs with the telling of a demon-possessed man. And this is not the story of just only one demon who had entered into a man and possessed him. It's actually the story of many, many demons. And their name was Legion. Legion was their name. And they were a group of demons that did infiltrate an individual. And we are going to let the Gospel of Mark recount this story to us today. So let's begin reading of this man and of Legion in Mark, Mark chapter 5. Mark chapter 5, and we'll begin in verse 1. Now, before we begin reading, a caution statement might be appropriate here. It may be necessary to caution ourselves as we're listening to Mark recount this story to us and tell us of this astonishing story of this completely unsound man. And the caution is this. You may be tempted to immediately write off this man's story as something that has no relevance to you at all today. You may be tempted to write it off as something that has no significance to your personal spiritual walk. But I believe that that would be regrettable. Because while we will see that this is a tragic illustration of a man who is in a state of complete depravity, while that is true, we will also see today that it is true of the condition of all mankind. The Bible says this man, encapsulated in this man, actually describes the human condition of us all. The human condition of us all when we are separate and apart from God. So again, in many ways, this is the graphic illustration of the human condition today. So as we follow along, let's understand that while we're all not possessed by demons, of course, we all are under the tyranny and the control of evil. So let's begin with this man's story. Mark chapter 5, and let's read verses 1 through 20. Mark 5 verse 1.

Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of Gedarans, and when he, Jesus, had come out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles were broken in pieces.

Neither could anyone tame him. And always day and night he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him, and he cried out with a loud voice and said, What do I have to do with you, Jesus, son of the Most High God?

I implore you by God that you do not torment me. For he, Jesus, said to him, Come out of this of the man, unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is your name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, because we are many. Also, he begged him earnestly that he would not send them out of the country. Verse 11, Now a large herd of swine was feeding near the mountains. So all the demons begged him, saying, Send us into the swine that we may enter into them.

And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine. There were about two thousand. And the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea and drowned in the sea.

And those who fed the swine fled. And they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the one who had been demon-possessed, who had had Legion, sitting but now clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Jesus to depart from the region, from their region.

And when he, Jesus, got back into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed, begged him that he might be with him. However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, Go home to your friends, tell them of the great things the Lord has done for you and how he has had compassion upon you.

And he departed and began to proclaim and decopolis and all that Jesus had done for him and all marveled. Well, let's stop there. Well, isn't that just an amazing recount that Mark has given us here? And again, if we're not careful, we may say that this story of this deranged man living in the tombs of this unstable man, that is so far removed from me.

I just can't relate to these circumstances. Well, I may think that and you may think that, but I hope we come to the conclusion today that we have far more in common with this man than maybe we ever would imagine. And I believe if we're prepared to admit just how much we do have in common with him, we may ourselves find that we're transformed and delivered just as he was on that day. So what do we see? What do we see?

First of all, we see him here absolutely enslaved. He is enslaved. His condition, it's just graphically portrayed to us here, an individual who's out of control. And where is he living? He's living in the tombs amongst the graves there in verse 3, amongst the dark seclusion of the tombs, amongst the dead.

Maybe the only appropriate place for him in this condition. But while isolated, there would have no doubt been those that heard him crying out day and night, as it says, crying out always, verse 5, night and day. And those that were in the vicinity of the tomb, as they passed back and forth, they would have been able to attest that they saw him involved in self-mutilation.

He was cutting himself with stones, as it says. So there is a dimension of this man that is just so disturbed, so disturbed, and he obviously just detested himself at this point. And there was no one, it says, no one who could help this man. He was completely out of the reach of handling him. Again, the last part of verse 3 and 4, no one could bind him, not even with chains.

And he had been bound with shackles and chains. Often, it says, but the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces. Neither could anyone bind him, it says. So all attempts to restrain him or to bring order to him were worthless. So take that picture in your mind. You can picture him there, cutting himself, ripping off his chains, complete depravity. No hope. No hope. All hope is gone. All lights were turned out in this man and turned off. He was dead, we could say, dead to himself, dead to society. Does that seem distant to you?

Does that seem unrelatable to you?

Well, it shouldn't, because again, with this man, we find encapsulated the tragic and dramatic illustration of humanity apart from God. And that's what we're dealing with today. Again, while we're not all demon-possessed, we all are under the power of dark forces of evil. Without God, we're in the same state as this man, because there's no area in our life, no realm in the human condition that is still intact. Sin has invaded our emotions. Sin has invaded our minds. Sin has invaded our wills.

And any suggestion, otherwise, that somehow or another there's any part of our life that's still intact, it's incorrect. And in fact, the Bible says just the opposite. Nothing's intact. The Bible says that we're all defiled, all defiled by evil influences. And Mark even has a word to say about that. Go forward just a few chapters here. Mark 7, verse 20. Mark 7, verse 20. When we look at this man, this tomb dweller, we should see ourselves Let's see why. Mark 7, verse 20 through 22. Let's read these two verses. Three verses. Mark 7, verse 20. And he, Jesus, said, what comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed. Now get this list. Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, and evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. And he says, all these evil things come from within and defile a man.

Oh, but I'm not like this man. I'm not enslaved. Well, I might be enslaved then in my pride. Man is hostile toward God. All of mankind live in these spiritual tombs. Make no doubt. And it's the spiritual tombs of a depraved mind. It's the spiritual tombs of a depraved heart. Even Christians. Even Christians. And maybe what's most on display here, encapsulated here in this man, is the Christian's internal conflict. The internal conflict. How is that? Well, one moment you see this man drawn to Jesus Christ, don't you? Drawn to him, desperate for healing. And then the next, you see him not wanting anything to do with him. Let's go back to Mark 5. Mark 5, in verse 6 and 7 again. This is such a perplexing inner conflict here. Mark 5, look at verse 6 again. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him. So the man to whom nobody could do anything now runs to Jesus, falls on his knees and worships him. There. So how perplexing then it is for us to see what happens next. Here we have him one moment moved toward Jesus. And what do we find the next moment? Verse 7. Then he cried out with a loud voice and said, What have I to do with you, Jesus, son of the Most High God? I implore you, do not torment me, he says. So you have him running to Jesus at the same time, not wanting anything to do with him. What do you want to do with me, Jesus, after he just fell on his knees to worship him? Interesting, isn't it? Think about that. Have you ever felt that way? I have. I have. On the one hand calling out to him for help on my knees. Please help me, Father. And then the next, not really wanting help, resisting him. Not wanting anything to do with him. It's a perplexing situation that a Christian could find themselves in. Why do you think that is? Why do we feel that way sometimes? Where we want to hold on to the bondage that one moment we just so desperately want to be free from and the next moment we're holding on to it. Why is that? Well, it's the human condition. It's the human condition. In this human condition, we innately do not want to change because from within, from within the heart, what do we have? Evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, this list, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. So the resistance exists within us. And if you're like me sometimes, we'd rather hold on to the depravity of the sin, we'd rather hold on to that slavery, then yield to the pain sometimes of transformation. There's pain sometimes involved as we move towards freedom out of slavery.

I think some of us know that feeling very intimately. I know I know it very intimately. And so this man is not so far removed from us as we had hoped.

And we must be prepared to acknowledge that today. I hope you are. We need to get to this acknowledgement. If you want to come tomorrow to the Passover and come in a worthy manner, come with this acknowledgement. Come with the acknowledgement of who you are. That's where it starts. That's where it starts. We may not all be roaming in tombs, screaming at the top of our lungs, but we may all be trapped in the tomb of evil thoughts. Maybe you're trapped in the tomb of an evil eye or an evil tongue. What tomb are you in? Bring that tomb to mind. Do you feel like sometimes you fire yourself crying out to Jesus Christ and God the Father for healing, and the next really not wanting to be freed from it?

Maybe there's a certain comfort with it.

But, you know, Jesus is merciful, isn't he? Despite our rejection, despite this man's rejection, he would go on to heal this man, and it was just such a powerful display of healing, wasn't it? Look at verse 8 through 10 again. Verse 8 through 10. For he, Jesus, which said with authority to him, come out of the man, unclean spirit. Then he asked, what is your name? My name is Legion, for we are many. Begged him earnestly that he would not send them out of the country. And that word Legion, that is the picture, the word Legion is a picture of the largest collection of soldiers in the Roman military establishment. A legion could be as many as 6,000. 6,000.

So there were many. We have many strongholds in our lives, don't we? Verse 11 through 13. Now a large herd of swine was feeding near the mountains. The demons begged, send us into the swine. And at once, Jesus gave them permission. And they went out and entered into the swine. 2,000.

And the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea and drowned in the sea. It was just a, what a miracle, a healing miracle performed that day by a merciful Lord and Savior. And just know, just know, Jesus Christ will heal you the same today. He will cast out your demons, so to speak, today. Today. We have to believe that whatever enslavement you're in, Jesus Christ can and will heal you.

You have access to complete healing. You know, I can imagine when that legion came out of this man, he was maybe able to stand up for the first time. Why in his stance, straight in his shoulders? He had a new posture now as he looked out from that point forward. A new posture, a new position with regards to sin.

Did you know you're in a new position today with regards to the sin in your life? Once Jesus Christ gave you healing, you now live in a completely new reality. Just like this man experienced that day. A new position with regards to how you now look at the sin in your life. God has chosen you for a new existence. In an attempt to explain that new position, the Apostle Paul divides individuals up into two categories. Those that have not received healing, he describes them as living in the flesh still. Then Paul describes those who have been chosen for healing, and he describes them as those in the spirit. He describes two individuals, those in the flesh and in the spirit. He doesn't give any room that you can exist in both. Let's see this. Turn over to Romans 8 verse 5, if you will. Romans chapter 8. Let's read verse 5 through 8. Romans 8 verse 5 through 8. Paul's going to explain this to us. We're going to see that what Paul describes here, you're either healed and accepting of that healing, or you're not. You're either in the flesh or you're in the spirit. You've got to figure out what reality that you live in, what position you are in. Romans 8 verse 5.

Romans 8 verse 5, it says, For those that live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. For those that live according to the spirit, the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it's not subject to the law of God, nor can it be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Let's stop there. So first of all, he says, if you're living according to the flesh, your mind is set on the flesh. And that influence, that evil is always going to be with you. It'll always be in your life. It'll always return. You'll never truly be free. You have this carnal mind and it's death. You're not a Christian in that existence. You're in the flesh. You're hostile toward God. You're not even able to be subject to his word. Paul is very clear on that matter. So take those words in. Think about sin's current position in your life. Take that in, okay? And you might be tempted then to say, Uh, I'm too far gone. My mind, you have no idea, my mind has been a cesspool for so long. It's just the way it is.

I'm out of Jesus Christ's reach.

Let me ask you, was the tomb dweller out of the reach of Jesus Christ? No. Now, I want you to notice Paul continues here. And with those to whom Jesus Christ and God the Father have chosen, all those now have access to a new reality, a new existence, a new path, a new position, a new posture. And we're going to hone in on this today. So while Paul is absolute and unwavering about what he just said about those who aren't healed, and in the flesh, he's just as unwavering about what he says next here, concerning those chosen for a new position. Verse 9 and 10. Clearly hear these words, verse 9 and 10. He says, But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. Let's stop there. Absolutely love verse 9 there.

Paul turns to the chosen, to the healed, and he says, But you, tomb dweller, that's not you, who I just described, that's not you.

You don't have to be like those who are hostile towards my Father. You don't have to be like those who can't even submit to God's law. You don't have to be like that any longer, controlled by those demons, controlled by those strongholds. You're different.

Jesus Christ has now put you in a different position with regards to all those things.

If you have been baptized and you have had applied Jesus Christ's cleansing sacrifice, and you've received God's Holy Spirit in you, then you've automatically been put in a different position with regards to sin in your life. What he's describing here, it's a new reality that lives and that's available to the true Christian. The Holy Spirit now gives you the ability to put away the Legion for good. The Holy Spirit gives you that ability. And as a side note, if you haven't been baptized and you've sat here and the words have landed upon you and you've been stirred, I'd like to talk to you sometime, because there is an incredible transformation that's brought about by the Spirit of God. Jesus Christ wants his own to know you no longer have to live in that tomb. You no longer have to live in the flesh. There's a new existence available to you, a new identity. You're not that man anymore. I'm sure Jesus Christ maybe said that to him. And you're not that woman anymore. You now have a new posture. Stand up. Straighten your shoulders. I've healed you.

You have a new status and position with how now you view your life as you move forward, a new reality. You know, for those that have been healed, for those that have been healed, it is not God's intent for you to be continually buffeted and continually defeated by these strongholds. You haven't been chosen for that kind of existence, to be defeated at the hands of sin. You've been chosen for a different existence today.

Again, a new reality has occurred in your life. You're no longer in debt to the flesh. You're no longer in debt to that old way of thinking, that old way of behavior. Paul is looking to make this crystal clear here. Go down to verses 12-15. Verse 12-15. He says, Therefore, brethren, we are not debtors, but we are debtors, excuse me. We're debtors, but not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. But if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. So you're no longer debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. Even though you've lived in that tomb for so long, with those demons demanding to be repaid through the debt of sinful deeds, what he's saying here is that's all now changed. So we have to accept this new reality in our lives. And we have to take this new posture with regards to sin. You no longer have to feel the burden of sin's debt. You can now live, as verse 15 says, and you can put to death, eliminate, put to death those deeds of sinful flesh. Not diminish, put to death. Absolutely fascinating here how Paul describes this and explains this. Go back a few chapters to Romans 6, verse 5-7. Romans 6, verse 5-7, what he's going to say is those deeds of sin leading to death, they no longer have to rule over you. You don't have to feel the power of that debt of the flesh, that previous way of life. In verse 5-7 of Romans 6, he tells us how that is.

See if you pick this up. Verse 5 of Romans 6, For if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly we should also be in the likeness of his resurrection. Verse 6, Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Those are some words there. Verse 8-13. Verse 8-13. Now, if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him. For the death that he died, he died to sin once and for all. But the life that he lives, he lives to God. So everything that was described about Jesus Christ there, look at verse 11. Likewise, you also, reckon yourself to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lies. Let's stop there. There's a new reality. There is a new reality in your life. Verse 11 said, Reckon yourselves dead indeed to sin.

The method by which Jesus Christ solved our condition of being in debt to the flesh is to bring us into the death with him. Isn't that amazing to think about? Look at verse 5. I love this phrase. United together in the likeness of his death. So you can now look upon yourselves in this spiritual position as being dead to the power and the appeal of sin. You know, think about it this way. It's as if when sin strikes, it's as if it's striking a dead man or a dead woman. There's no response. There's no response to that temptation.

Paul is not saying that there's not still a war raging. Of course there is. In fact, Paul is probably most famous for his description of that war between the flesh and the spirit and how that battle was going on in him. The demons are real. There's an absolute war in a Christian's life. But, but, the healed Christian, just like this once demon-possessed man, can now approach this war from the viewpoint that the flesh has already been conquered. Sin's dominion has already been defeated. The demons have been defeated.

Again, the Christian's life is not to be marked by defeat day after day at the hands of sin. We're not supposed to be living in that state, in that position, where we're continually vulnerable, continually defeated in this battle.

No, we can stand up. And our posture is one of confidence, because we know victory has already been achieved.

And we have that power of that victory living in us.

So, there's no doubt that we'll suffer great hits in this battle, but we need to understand what Paul's establishing here. We've now opened up to us the ability to live in the spirit of victory. So sin, it remains, but it doesn't reign. That's what verse 12 says. Does that make sense? It doesn't reign.

So, whatever sin has had control over you and has been reigning you, you have the power to overcome it today. If you have God's Holy Spirit working with you or residing in you, you can access that power. Once we are His and walking in the spirit, we can now make progress, significant progress, all the way to putting to death those deeds that have been with us for so long. Acknowledge this new reality that you're in.

We need that confidence. Of course, it's not arrogance, but we know that any progress that we make and the source by which we make the progress is from God the Father, it's not us. But we still have to choose not to open that door when sin knocks. And it's such a powerful draw. That sin sometimes that we're so familiar with, what is it? Is it anger? Is it pride? What is it? That sin that's so familiar to us, it almost seems impossible not to unlock that door and let it in.

Almost impossible. That's the key. Almost impossible. Because here's the understanding today. A Christian does not have to cringe and fear when that familiar sin comes and knocks and say, Here I go again. It's got its grip on me. I'm powerless. I'm too weak to resist. I've been controlled by this for so long. That's Satan giving you weak spiritual knees. But what did Paul say? He said, you know better. And he said, who are you? Who are you now that you've been healed by my son, Jesus Christ? Who are you? That's not who you are anymore. Take a look at that tomb, that sin that's facing you today and assume a victorious position with regards to it. You have the power to overcome it. It's available to you today.

Satan and the demons are not removed from the picture. God hasn't removed them. But he's done something just as effective as if he did remove them. He's given us the power to resist. Precious understanding. To reckon yourself dead to that appeal and the power of sin. So do you accept it? It's essential to accept that truth if we are going to make progress towards overcoming sin. You haven't been chosen to be hopelessly destined for that demon and its influence just to return and return and return. That's not why you've been healed. You've been healed to take a different posture. God decided long ago to those to whom he was going to choose to heal that he would now discharge all of their sins. Christ was crucified and resurrected and God said, my plan is complete. It's finished. My children can come back to me. Sin can no longer stand in the way of me and my children. He said, it's done. It's completed.

The Spirit of God gives us now the ability to accomplish what's necessary as a child of God. It's that simple. The Spirit of God gives us that ability to accomplish what we need to do here on earth as a child of God. God's purpose for you is not that you would journey through life continually buffeted and defeated. His purpose for you is to live in the spirit of his son's victory and make that progress. Let's go back to the tomb dweller as we work towards a conclusion here. Mark 5.

We left off in verse 14. If you remember where he cast the pigs there, he cast the demons into the pigs. They ran down violently into the sea and drowned. Mark 5. Let's pick back up here in verse 14 through 17. Mark 5. So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country, and they went down to see what it happened, what it was that it happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the one who had been demon-possessed, who had had the legion, sitting, clothed, and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Verse 16. And those who saw it told them how it had happened to him who had been demon-possessed and about to swine. And they began to plead with Jesus to depart from their region. Let's stop there. Isn't that interesting? So we see the people afraid. They're more afraid of him, it seems, sane than he was insane. Why is that? Why is that, you think? Maybe you've encountered that after your healing by friends and family. And who knows, maybe his very deliverance confronted their own enslavement. How else can you explain that? This man was terrorizing the place, shouting, screaming for years. The whole place was in chaos. He was mutilating himself. And now Jesus Christ comes and puts him in his right mind, heals him. And what did they say? Thank you, Jesus. Thank you so much. What a miracle. No. Get out of here. Depart. They told Jesus to get out of here.

Get out of this region. And if that's surprising, verse 18 is not. Look at what the healed man says. Verse 18, he says, Jesus, I want to come with you. And when he got into the boat, when Jesus got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged him that he might be with him. Verse 19 and 20. However, Jesus did not permit him. And he said to him, Go home to your friends. Tell them of the great things that the Lord has done for you and how he has had compassion upon you. And he departed and began to proclaim into Capilas all that Jesus had done for him and all marveled. Why didn't Jesus let him come with him? You think. Well, it's because this man had something to do. He was now to go and tell everyone that Jesus set the enslaved free. He was now going to say to his friends and family, You know that man that was up there? I'm him. I am him. That's who I was. That was my reality. Look at me now. I stand before you as someone who has been freed by Jesus Christ. That was his story. That's your story. That's your story.

I was enslaved, but Jesus Christ came and he delivered me and healed me.

And if you have a moment, let me tell you my story. We all have this story to tell. We all set in darkened tombs until today. And we don't know why Jesus Christ chose us to heal us. And we were able to stand up on that day, a new posture, and look out to a new existence, a new reality. So as verse 20 says, Go home, tell your friends, tell of all the great things the Lord has done for you and how he's had compassion upon you. What compassion! Jesus Christ and God the Father has shown us. What compassion! We need to proclaim all that he's done for us. So tomorrow, when we come to the Passover, let's come as healed men and women. Let's heal the men and women and come through those doors in an examination of who I used to be, who I am today, and who I want to be. Come tomorrow with worship and thanksgiving, and come to remember, come to remember, and just sit tomorrow. And when you hear those words, those being read from the Scripture of what he did for you on that day, just sit there in the wander of it all. And just take it in. Just marvel at the great compassion that's been shown to each of us. And thank God for the powerful and wonderful Savior who is Jesus Christ.