Gospel of Mark: No One Is Too Far Gone | Mark 5:1-20

In this message from the Gospel of Mark series, Pastor Jason Smith takes us to the shores of the Gerasenes, where Jesus encounters a man possessed by a legion of demons. Through this account, we see that sin never stays where we put it, that Jesus's authority reaches into the darkest places, and that no one is too far gone for the hope of the Gospel. Whether you're walking with Jesus or wondering if He could ever reach you, this message speaks directly to that question.

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Transcript

Welcome And Fourth Of July

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Church family. All right. I hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July yesterday. Did you party hard? No? Yeah, let's go. All right. If you're a guest, uh let me welcome you and introduce myself. My name is Jason Smith, and I have the awesome privilege of being the pastor here. And we are very grateful that you are here. This morning, church, I want to uh start a little different. I want us to, just in light of our uh country's birthday, um, I want us to spend uh just a few moments entering in prayer together, as the scripture says, to pray for our leaders and our country, to pray that God's kingdom uh would come. And so will you uh bow your hearts with me right now?

Prayer For Leaders And Revival

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Heavenly Father, we come before your throne in the mighty name of Jesus. We are grateful. We pause to acknowledge uh the incredible blessings we have uh to be born in this country for the freedoms that we have, um, for the uh abundance of provision that we have, um, for the faith and the heritage in our country. Father, according to your word, we pray for our leaders, we pray uh for those who are elected officials, we pray for our president, we pray that you would give him wisdom that comes from you to be able to lead our country uh in the ways that you would have us go into freedom. Uh, Father, your word teaches us uh to get leadership largely out of the way to allow the people and to allow the church to establish ourselves. And so, Father, we do pray for justice in the land and we pray that there would be a freedom. And Father, we pray that your kingdom would come. We pray that there would be a revival and a stirring in our hearts over the good news of Jesus Christ, that the gospel uh would continue to save, that you would save from amongst our people here and our nation, that every man, woman, and child would hear the good news of Jesus, because the church is active to proclaim the hope, the eternal hope that is only found. There is no other name given under heaven by which men must be saved. And so, Father, we pray that your kingdom would come in our country. We love you. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

When The Cure Becomes Destruction

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All right, turn with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter five, to Mark chapter five, as we continue our walk through the gospel of Mark. Hold your spot there in Mark chapter five. Several years ago, the Japanese government was faced with a serious problem on the island of uh Amani, Oshima that needed uh attention. You see, the venomous pit viper had uh was biting more than 100 people a year, and it caused a great fear. In fact, people were leaving the island. They needed a solution. And so in 1979, they imported 30 mongoose. Okay, and that plan sounded brilliant because mongooses were famous for killing deadly snakes. But there was just one problem. No one checked to see if each animal was awake at the same time. See, the snakes hunted at night and the mongoose during the day, and those two animals almost never met. Instead of solving a problem, the mongoose began hunting a lot of the rare native species on the island. And with no natural predators, 30 mongoose soon turned into 10,000. See, that which was supposed to bring life brought destruction. It took 30 years and millions and millions of dollars to undo the damage. The irony is, by that time they had developed an anti-venom that actually made the original problem uh not even necessary, right? The mongoose were not even necessary. Sometimes the solution is worse than the problem.

Sin Never Stays Where We Put It

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But that's not just in nature. That is true of our sin. We convince ourselves that we can manage it, that it solves a particular problem in our lives, but sin never stays where we put it. It always grows, always enslaves, always destroys long before we realize what it's become, because it's taken us somewhere we never imagined we would be. In Mark chapter five, Jesus steps onto the shore and meets a man who is living proof of that reality. A man isolated, living amongst the tombs, crying out day and night, cutting himself with stones. This is what Satan's kingdom does. You see, it promises freedom, but delivers bondage. But in our account, we're gonna be shown again that Jesus' authority is greater than any chain, every demon, and every power of darkness. We're also gonna see that no man is too far gone for the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Mark 5 Reading And Prayer

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So listen as I read Mark chapter 5, 1 through 5. And they came to the other side of the sea into the country of the Garosenes, and when he got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met him, and he had his dwelling among the tombs, and no one was able to bind him any more, even with a chain, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains and gashing himself with stones. Will you pray with me? Heavenly Father, this morning, as we as we come to your word, as we we read about your power and your authority over even the darkest situations. Father, I pray that we are filled with hope. Father, I also pray that each of us understands that we have a testimony, that we were delivered out of darkness into the kingdom of the beloved Son. And Father, you have given us a testimony and you want us to proclaim it. And so I pray that your children will be bold as we proclaim your grace and mercy. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Who Is This Jesus Really

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All right, so Jesus has been teaching his disciples about his kingdom, about its surprising growth and the cost that is always associated. But at the same time, he's also revealing who he is. See, the crowds see miracles, but the disciples are invited to understand his teaching, and on top of that, the disciples often get miracles that only they themselves see. Last week they watched Jesus stand up during a raging storm and speak. Peace, be still. And immediately the wind stopped and the waves calmed. The disciples were afraid of the storm, but suddenly Mark ends and tells us that they had a greater fear because the one that they were with was greater than they ever imagined. They couldn't believe they were in his presence, and they are left with this question: who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him? Now, Mark doesn't answer that question with a theological lecture. Instead, he tells this next account. Jesus led his disciples into Gentile territory onto the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Imagine with me, it says the disciples, right? They've just put up their boat. Their mind is still racing about everything, they're still trying to process. You mean the wind and the waves obey him? They step onto dry ground, and immediately they hear shouting. The voice is filled with rage. As a man charges towards them like a wild animal, his hair is matted and tangled, his clothes torn. Excuse me, I got a tickle in my throat. When we're over in the sanctuary, I always have a ton of mints in my pocket. I don't at the moment. But I bet Robbie helped me out. Sorry about that.

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There we go.

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It's not going away. It's getting worse. Look at this guy. All right. Don't mind if I speak like I have a mint in my mouth. All right.

The Man Among The Tombs

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All right, reset. So they get they get off the boat. Immediately they're met with shouting. A wild man approaches them, okay? With screaming, like an animal. His voice is filled with rage. His hair is matted and tangled, his clothes torn. Fresh wounds cover his body. The smell of death clings to him. Mark tells us that he has an unclean spirit. He lives amongst unclean tombs, surrounded by unclean pigs, and all of this an unclean Gentile territory. Mark is painting the darkest picture possible. You see, if there was a place that a first century Jew would say, certainly God does not go there, it would be this place, where the kingdom of darkness reigns. Now, before we talk about the demons, and before we talk about Jesus' authority, it's important that you and I remember that this man has been made in the image of God. Because the kingdom of darkness has done something horrific. Already got it, bud. In addition to enslaving him, it has stripped away his humanity. Standing before Jesus is someone's son. A little boy once loved by his parents. He had friends, laughed, played, dreamed about the future. No one ever imagined that one day he would be living amongst the tombs. So how does someone get here?

How Darkness Dehumanizes A Person

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Friends, the Bible is clear that every one of us has three enemies: our flesh, this world, and Satan himself. Our flesh is the sinful nature within us that craves whatever God forbids. The world continually tells us to follow those desires. And Satan is the deceiver who whispers that sin will satisfy you so much more than God ever could. They work together, not independently. Satan deceives, the world applauds, and our flesh willingly follows. Mark doesn't tell us how our guy got to this tormented spot, but we know the character of our enemy. Jesus called Satan the father of lies. He promises freedom while enslaving, promises fulfillment while stealing everything that makes us human. Beloved, don't miss this because Satan rarely drags people into darkness in a single day. He deceives one compromise at a time, one lie at a time, one decision at a time. Until people find themselves asking, How did I get here? And Mark invites us to see what the kingdom of darkness always does to people. Because here is one who's been made in the image of God, now isolated, living among the dead, self-destructive, violent, out of control, crying out day and night, howling like a wild animal. And though he can break every outward chain, he is in complete and utter bondage.

Legion Names Jesus And Begs

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Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed before him, and shouting with a loud voice, he said, What business do we have with each other? Jesus, Son of the Most High God, I implore you by God, do not torment me. For he had been saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit. And he was asking him, What is your name? And he said to him, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he began to implore him earnestly not to send him out of the country. See, suddenly the scene is chaotic. Remember, Jesus has just stepped out of the boat. He's met with this man. As the man charges, Jesus commands, come out of the man. But over Jesus' voice, we're told in verse 7, is another voice. It is loud and terrifying. It's almost inhumane. It is a scream. What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? See, the picture is even darker than we first imagined. This man isn't under the influence of a single demon. He is occupied by an army. Jesus asks, What is your name? And the answer comes, My name is Legion, for we are many. The number was six thousand, six thousand infantry in a legion. But that number is not exactly important. The point is that the kingdom of darkness has a stronghold in this one man's life. But don't miss what Mark wants you to see. You see, the demons know exactly who Jesus is. The disciples are still asking the question, who is this that the wind obeys? And the demons voice the answer, Jesus, Son of the Most High God. And notice, even though they are legion, they don't attack him, they don't threaten him, they run to him, they bow before him, and they beg. The one who commanded the sea now stands before an army of demons, and they bow to him, because they know exactly who he is.

Satan Destroys In Plain Sight

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Now there was a large herd of swine feeding nearby on the mountain, and the demons implored Jesus, saying, Send us into the swine so that we may enter them. Jesus gave them permission, and coming out, the unclean spirits entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand of them, and they were drowned in the sea. Now, for whatever reasons that Jesus has in permitting the demons to go into the pigs, Mark makes one thing unmistakable. Satan always destroys. Two thousand pigs immediately rush to their death. You see, the destructive power that was tormenting one man now becomes visible for everyone to see. But with a single command, Jesus ends it all. Don't miss the beautiful contrast that Mark is about to paint. Because just moments earlier, this man was in the tombs and he was screaming night and day. And in this very next verse, he is sitting quiet, peacefully, in his own mind. Can you imagine the beautiful silence? For the first time in years, the voices were gone. The torment had ceased. The fear was lifted. The man who had been ruled by darkness now sits at the feet of the light of the world. See, Jesus restored what sin and darkness has so terribly distorted. But now Mark turns our attention to a larger question.

Restored Life That Startles A Crowd

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How will the people in the area respond? Those who have lived with this man for years, right? They tried everything. And they concluded, this man is beyond hope. All right? There is nothing we can do besides chain him up in the tombs. So surely when they hear of his restoration, they will rejoice. But that's not what happens. Verse 14 Their herdsmen ran away and reported it in the city and in the country. And the people came to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion, and they became frightened. Those who had seen it described to them how it had happened to the demon-possessed man and all about the swine. And they began to implore him to leave their region. So immediately the news spreads far and wide. The herdsmen go out, report it in the countryside and in the city, and people hear. And they immediately start running towards the tombs. And when they arrive, they can hardly believe their eyes. There he is, seated, clothed, in his right mind, with a sense of peace about him. They all knew this man. Okay? They knew that no chain could restrain him. This is the one that everyone had given up on, and he has been completely set free. And they become frightened. Now, doesn't that sound familiar? You remember when the disciples were in the boat and Jesus calmed the storm? The disciples became frightened. But unlike the disciples, their fear drives them away from Jesus instead of towards him. So as the crowd gathers, the eyewitnesses recount the entire event: the demons, the pigs, the miracle. No one disputes what happened. They knew that Jesus did the impossible. And verse 17 says, they beg him to leave. You see, Jesus had interrupted their world. His authority obviously demands surrender. But they prefer the comfort of the world they knew. Sounds a lot like the Israelites in Egypt, doesn't it? Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians. See, bondage was familiar, but freedom would require trusting God. But before we're too hard on these

The Cost Of Sending Jesus Away

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people, we have to ask ourselves an uncomfortable question. How often do we say the same thing? I mean, not with our lips, but with our lives. Jesus, you can have this area of my life. But this over here? No. Not that relationship, Jesus. Not that habit or what I turn to, not that vice, not that ambition or that bitterness that I've held on to for so many years. This area of my life is off limits, Jesus. Right now I wonder if you wouldn't give the Holy Spirit permission to search your heart and to see if there is any place where you would rather Jesus keep his distance rather than exercise his rightful authority. And then comes the saddest verse in the entire account. Because they asked Jesus to leave, and he does. The one who calmed the storm, the one to whom a legion of demons bow down, quietly gets back into his boat. What a sobering picture. That there are moments in our lives when Jesus graciously confronts us, exposes our idols, and invites us to submit to his authority. And how often, rather than surrender, do we send him away? Do not make the mistake of thinking that it is a neutral decision. Whenever we choose bondage, whenever we cling to darkness over freedom. There is always destruction in our lives.

Go Home And Tell The Mercy

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Verse 18, and when he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed was imploring him that he might accompany him. But Jesus did not let him. But he said to him, Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. And he went away and began to proclaim in Decopolis what great things Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed. So understandably, right, the man who had been delivered from such darkness, his response is completely different from the crowd. The crowd begs Jesus to leave, and our man begs to go with Jesus. He follows him to the boat, pleading, saying, Jesus, let me become one of your disciples. But Jesus said no. Not because he loved him less, but because he had another calling for him. Go home. Go back to your people. Enter back into the mess of your past and tell them of the great things that God has done for you. Tell them of the mercy of the Lord. As far as your reputation for darkness has spread, let the story of God's mercy spread even further. And in verse 20, we're told that's exactly what he does. He shares. He does not hide. He enters back into his mess and he says, That was me. But the grace of God is why I stand before you now. And amazement spreads. Now here's something fascinating.

One Witness Can Change A Region

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Because in Mark chapter seven, Jesus returns to this region, to Decopolis. You see, the first time he came, they begged him to leave. But the next time he shows up, they bring their sick to him. They listen to his teaching. Guys, it is right here in this region that Jesus feeds the four thousand people. See, Jesus left behind one faithful witness. One man whose life had been transformed by the mercy of Christ. One man who simply told everyone that he could find about what God had done for him. And when Jesus returned, thousands in that region were now open to Jesus. Church, never underestimate what God can do through your one transformed life. Never stop telling your family. Tell your coworkers. Tell your neighbors. Tell everyone that God gives you influence to what great things the Lord has done for you and how He had mercy on even you.

Closing Prayer And Salvation Appeal

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Will you pray with me? King Jesus, we humble ourselves before you. You had mercy on us. And you came and you found us in our darkness. You found us and you brought light and life. And although we were not chained in the tombs like this demoniac, we were equally bound to our sin. And we were far from you. But you came with mercy. Jesus, we thank you for that. We cry out, thank you. We shout, hallelujah, for your mercy and for your grace. Father, I pray if there is anyone here under the sound of my voice that does not know you, I pray that today would be the day of salvation. That today would be the day that they know that you have come to save them. That if they will place all of their faith, all of their trust in your finished work, you will save. Willing to proclaim your mercy. And God, that you would open doors as only you can, but we surrender. We are willing. Give us your boldness. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.