Scripture:
Mark 5:14-20 ESV
[14] The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. [15] And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. [16] And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. [17] And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. [18] As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him. [19] And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” [20] And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
Observation:
I would like to encourage you to read this whole story. But for the sake of time this morning, I only grabbed these verses. Jesus was confronted by a man who had been tormented by a group of demons. To the point that he was an outcast from society. Made to live among the dead. In the graveyards. No chains could hold him anymore. As soon as he saw Jesus, he ran up to HIM and fell at HIS feet. Begging for mercy. You could tell by the conversation that this man was tired of being tormented. The first thing he asks is that Jesus does not torment him. Asking for the name of the demon, Jesus casts it into some pigs, and the man’s life is changed forever. By the time all that happened, a crowd had gathered, and a group of shepherds saw the demons leave the man entered into the pigs they had been overseeing and the pigs ran over the edge of the cliff into the sea. The man whom everyone knew as violent and uncontrollable was standing there in his right mind. There was no doubt he was not the same. However, being afraid of what they did not know the herdsmen asked Jesus to leave that area. So HE did. But on the way to the boat, the man who had been overcome by demons asked HIM if he could come with HIM. The response from Jesus was no. The reason was clear… he had a story to tell. Everyone in that area knew him. The evidence of his life being radically changed needed to be not only seen but heard as well. His story and the fact that there was clear evidence in his life that he was not the same could be used to break through the unbelief that was so ingrained in that area. Even though the man begged Jesus to go with HIM. He was told no. Go tell others what has happened. This was a different response from Jesus if you think about it… most of the time when HE had done something of this nature, HIS instructions were not to tell anyone. This raises a question in my mind. Why is this man so different? What makes the LORD want him to tell his story and everyone else to remain silent? Perhaps it was the dramatic change… or maybe HE knew that the unbelief in that area had to be broken down, and this man’s story was the only way to do so, or both of these reasons. Either way, this man’s life would never be the same again, and that was clear.
Application:
If you are anything like me. You have a story to tell. GOD has written on the pages of your heart a story that is backed up by the evidence of a changed life. You have been built to prepare a path for others to have an encounter with Jesus. You may be anxious to leave the area you were in. However, that may not be the plan GOD has for you. HE wastes absolutely nothing. If you have been an outcast chained to the tombs of the dead. Forced away from society, uncontrollable, and told you are unfit and had an encounter with Jesus. I have good news for you. HE wants to use your story. HE has a plan for you. Your pain will not be wasted. Romans 8:28 is the verse that comes to my mind regularly when I think about where GOD has brought me from. I have been state-raised. In and out of institutions all my life. I caught my first felony at 11 years old and did not stop there it became a way of life. I was broken. Told I did not belong in society. Taking away from my family at an early age. Only to be returned when it was too late. I was institutionalized. So when my brother and I got in a fight at the age of 15 or 16 he shot at me. The state came in and took me again. Never to be to be returned. All this taught me was that I was not fit for society. Being Immansipated after a period of what they saw as being reformed. Now I was left to my own. Without any idea how to live. The cycle didn’t stop. In and out of jail and prison, most of my life. Finding myself homeless. Broken and without hope. Until one day at just the right time. GOD placed me in a position to hear the gospel. I’m telling you, I will never forget it. HE spoke to my heart and told me I was loved all along and that HE wanted to use the story HE had written with my life to prepare the way for others to come to know HIM. I could go on with more stories about how the enemy tried to keep that from happening. But why give him that glory? The point is that my life is not the same, and that can be seen if you just look at it and hear the amazing things that Christ has done.
Prayer:
Father, wow, as I look at where you have brought me from, and see how you want to use the stories you have not only written in my life but the lives of many others reading this SOAP and all over the world. I can see that your purpose will prevail. We just want to thank you for that day. I’m sure we can all remember it clearly. The day you presented your son to us as the way to a relationship with you. Thank you for drawing us in and changing our lives. All we can ask is that you open up opportunities for us to tell of the great things you have done. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray, amen.