Freedom in Christ

In Mark 5, Jesus encounters a man whose life has been completely devastated by demonic oppression. He is isolated, tormented, hopeless, and unable to free himself. Yet with a simple command, Jesus demonstrates His absolute authority over the powers of darkness and completely transforms the man. This story reminds us that while our bondage may look different, every person apart from Christ is enslaved to sin and under the domain of darkness. Through His mercy, Jesus sets people free—not only from guilt and condemnation, but also from the power of sin and Satan. The challenge for believers is not merely to be freed, but to live in the freedom Christ has already won for us.

Mark 5:1-20

1 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
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 to 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 with 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.

See the sermon guide and discussion questions here: https://myrealchurch.org/teaching/stand-alone/freedom-in-christ/

Transcript

Freedom And The Fourth Of July

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Mark chapter 5, we're going to be starting in verse 1. Well, this coming weekend, as you know, is July 4th when we celebrate our 250th year as a free, independent nation. Now, in his book, Suicide of the West, author Jonah Goldberg argues that many younger Americans inherit liberty. They've inherited liberty and prosperity without the understanding of one, how historically rare they are, and number two, how fragile liberty can be. That there is an underappreciation in many younger people today for the liberty that we enjoy. Likewise, do you know that there are many American Christians who undervalue the freedom we have in Christ? I don't think we talk about that freedom enough. I don't think we meditate upon that freedom enough. John Piper said it like this He says, When I think about what is missing from the average person's picture of Christianity, he says, I want to show them that there is such a freedom that is offered because of what Jesus Christ died, did to die for our sins, and such a sweet reunion with the one for whom we were made. He says, There is such a freedom that is offered in Christ. Now we all love to quote John 8, 36, whom the Son sets free is what? Free indeed. So we know that verse, but I wonder if you really thought much about that, what it means to be free in Christ. There's been, since the days of Christ, misconceptions around that freedom. You remember the Jews at that time, by and large, were looking for the Messiah to come and offer them freedom from the tyranny of Rome, political freedom. That's not why Jesus came. So what kind of freedom does Jesus bring us?

unknown 2:14

Excuse me.

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We find the answer to that question, at least in part in today's text. Let me just set up the story, give you a quick summary. Jesus and his disciples arrive ashore, and when they get out of the boat, they come across this demoniac, demoniac, however you want to say it. He's a man who is possessed by a demon. This is a tormented man who is

Why Christians Forget Their Freedom

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bound and Jesus sets him free. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed. And so from this, I want to remind us of the freedom that has been afforded to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, why is that important to understand? Because if you don't understand that you are free, you'll still walk in bondage. It's like being in a dark prison and not realizing that the cell door is open. And I fear that too many Christians who are have been afforded this ability to walk in freedom are still walking around in metaphorical chains. Are you with me? So look at let's look at this man before his encounter with Jesus. Number one, the man is the man is bound by Satan's power. Look at verse 2 with me. And when Jesus stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. So this man is possessed by the powers of darkness. People today have an infatuation with this. Watch movies about that. Can I say to you, that's probably not the best kind of movie to watch? It's not a joke, and it's real. And I don't think we should be entertained by it. Can I get a witness? This is a man who's actually possessed by a demon. And here's what we find out as we read on in the story: not just one, but the demon through the man speaks to Christ. And he said, Jesus says, What's your name? And the and the demon says, My name is Legion, for I am many. Legion was a term that was used for a group of thousands of soldiers in the Roman Empire. I've heard from anywhere to five to ten thousand soldiers would make up a legion. This man has issues. Now, let me be clear. Not every unbeliever is possessed by Satan, but every unbeliever, every person apart from Christ, those people are bound under his domain. Let me just read you 1 John 5, 19. John writes, We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, that is Satan. So this bondage impacts people in many areas, not the least of which is being bound by sin. In the context of John 8, 36, whom the Son sets free is free indeed. The Lord says, We are apart from him slaves to sin. Slaves to sin. Listen,

Meet The Man In The Tombs

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if you're an unbeliever, you do not have the power in and of yourself to resist temptation. Oh, you might say no to some things, but you cannot walk perfectly according to God's law. Sin is your master, which is a tragedy. So what about believers? Well, I don't believe believers can be possessed by the devil, but how many know he can't oppress us? 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9 says, be sober-minded, be watchful. Your, your, he's talking to the believers, to believers, your adversary, the devil. What's he do? He prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to scratch. No, to devour. The devil just doesn't just want to scratch you. He wants to devour you. He wants, like he wanted to do to Peter, he wants to make shipwreck of your faith. He wants you to fall into temptation. But then Peter says something really encouraging to the church. He says, resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Let me give you the difference between an unbeliever and a believer in the way that we relate to the devil. An unbeliever has no power to resist Satan. But we have the power of Christ in us. We can resist the devil. I would say this: don't cower to the enemy, but don't discount him either. I mean, Paul says in Ephesians 6 that we've got to put on the armor of God. The devil is a force to be reckoned with. But if we are in Christ and we are walking in Christ, Christ's power is no match for him. None. We see that. I mean, Christ just, we'll see this later, speaks a word, and the demons, the legion of demons come out. The man is bound by Satan's power, but tragically, the man number two is bound by isolation. Look at verse 3. He lived among the tombs. He lived in the graveyard. No one could bind him. So these are the city people trying to bind him in chains. No one could bind him anymore.

Bondage To Darkness And Sin

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Not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. This is a man, obviously, who was an outcast. I mean, they're trying to put him away, keep him in the tombs, bind him so that he doesn't disturb the peace. And it's like fair enough. The guy's possessed by demons. But the town, I want you to think about this. Even the religious avoided him at all costs. This broken, tormented man. And aren't we guilty of that sometimes in the contemporary world today? That the people who are the most broken down on their luck. The ones might that may not look like you or smell like you or talk like you or live like you. There's lots of people, even in the church, who just would rather say, oh, let's just ignore them. Let's keep them at a distance. You know, there's nothing worse than being alone. We are made to live in community. All human beings are made to live in community. Isolation is a tragedy, but especially when you are suffering. You know, let's go back to the verse in 1 Peter. It says that the devil goes around like what? A roaring lion. And I've used this illustration before, but I think it it's worth repeating. You've watched probably the Discovery Channel, and you've seen a lion go after its prey. I mean, this ferocious beast is like your house cat chasing a mouse. It waits patiently to pounce at the right moment. And you know what the lion does? It goes and it watches the herd, its prey, and it waits for that one weak animal to be isolated. It's not just lonely when we're isolated, it is dangerous. You know, in the church, sometimes when you are dealing with sin in your own life, you will feel so stricken by shame that you will want to isolate yourself. Because you think others might isolate you if they knew the real you. I just want you to know if you're in this church, that is not the case. We will love you, we will not kick you while you are down. This man is bound by isolation. Number three, he's bound by inner turmoil. Verse 5 One of the most tragic verses in the Bible. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. Think about this. The man is strong on the outside. You remember they they wrap him in chains, right? They could not subdue him. I mean, he's like the incredible Hulk. They bind him and he just hulk out, right? I mean, this is like Chuck Norris. Really? This man looks strong on the outside, but watch this. He is broken beyond words on the inside. And what's he do? He cries out when he's isolated day and night in the tombs. This physically strong man. So, what does he do? He takes stones and he begins cutting himself. And we know a lot of people do this today, especially young people. And a lot of people don't understand that. And in my studies, and this probably isn't the only reason, but why would anybody inflict physical pain upon themselves? Let me tell you why. Because it distracts them from the inner pain. Some of you have been there. I want you to know that that might work temporarily, but the turmoil will come back, and we're gonna get here, but I just want to say it right now. There is someone who will not just heal your inner turmoil for a moment, but for a lifetime. This man is, goodness gracious, he is so broken. It's the people who are broken that we often that sometimes fool us the best. Just had a tragedy a couple of weeks ago. Somebody my family knew committed suicide. And when they were telling me this, they they were saying to me, we had no idea this, he was a pillar in the community. He, man, he was around people all the time and he seemed to love life. But let me tell you, this is why we need to listen to people and see them, to look at them deeply, because the outside persona is often a facade and can be very deceiving. Some of you today may be here and you're in your Sunday best and you lifted your hands in worship, but on the inside, you're in inner turmoil. You're not the first one, you're not alone. And I'm gonna tell you how you can fix that today. He's bound by inner turmoil. He's then bound by hopelessness. Night and day, he cried out. Think about that. You know, we can endure seasons of pain if we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, right? They like many of you, you're going through something and you go, well, this too shall pass. We say that all the time. But I've known some people, even in this church, where it just doesn't look like this too shall pass. And I'm telling you, that can take the wind out of your cells. That that is that that can bring hopelessness to us. And people sometimes just accept that and say, Well, this is how it's always going to be. This guy's pain never relented, not for a moment. Night and day he cried out amongst the tombs. So this demoniac, he looks hopeless, he's broken, full of inner turmoil, but everything changes when he encounters Jesus because he meets the one who can set him free. Number one, Jesus frees him and us from the powers of darkness.

Isolation, Shame, And Spiritual Danger

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Look at verse six. And when Jesus saw from afar, when he saw Jesus, this man from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, Now, this is the demon speaking through him, What have you to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me. This is a demon speaking, the Legion. Jesus, please don't torment me. For he was saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit. And Jesus asked him, What's your name? And he replied, My name is Legion, for we are many. And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. You know, many worldviews see good and evil as equal forces. It's like this eternal battle, right? Who's gonna win? A lot of the movies, if you watch Marvel movies or things, that's that's always the struggle, right? Will good or evil prevail? The Bible rejects such a notion. All the demons of hell are no match for Jesus Christ. Do you notice here that the demons beg Jesus for mercy? They know who he is. The people don't even know who he is. James says, Oh, you have faith? Good for you. The demons in hell have faith and they tremble in fear. Right? Do you see how anti-climatic this is? I mean, this is wild. It's just like, what what let's read? Verse 11. Watch this. Now a herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him, saying, Send us to the pigs, let us enter them. They need a host. So he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out into the pigs, and the herd, numbering about 2,000. Don't let PETA hear this, all right? They they uh rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea. The herdsmen fled and told the city and in the country, and the people came to see what had happened. Do you sense here how anticlimatic this is? Imagine you're watching a movie, and you've got this uh protagonist and you've got the antagonist, the hero and the villain. Whoever's phone that was, that set up like a Marvel movie. That was great. So listen, you've got this, you you know, and you're you're on the edge of your seat, and all of a sudden, at the end of the movie, it's that expected battle between the villain and the hero. And usually this is a fight, it's back and forth, right? The villain looks like he's gonna win, then the hero went back and forth, back and forth, and then generally the protagonist prevails. But do you notice this? There's no struggle with the word. Jesus doesn't even have to touch him. With the word, the demons flee, go into a bunch of pigs, and jump off the bank. Matter of fact, you go to the end of your Bible. I mean, you have from Genesis chapter three, all the way through most of Revelation, you have this battle. You you have this, you the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of God in the world, right? We're part of God's kingdom. People who are apart from Christ are part of Satan's domain. And some people might read through the Bible and go, like, oh, I can't wait to go to the end. Like, there's gonna be this battle. And there is, but it's just like Jesus wins. Like, that's it. The whole Bible has been reading up to this. I mean, you drudge through Leviticus to get to the end. Come on, somebody. You wanted the whole story,

Inner Turmoil, Self Harm, Hopelessness

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and then you get to the end of the Bible, and it's just like, yeah, Jesus wins. Jesus, in a word, sets this man free. You might look at your situation and say, I know some people in here are set free by Christ, but preacher, you don't know my situation. You don't know what happens at home. You don't know, you you don't know the skeletons in my closet, the shadow that haunts me. Well, let me just say, I love that this story is in here because I doubt you're living in the tombs, crying out night and day, cutting yourself with stones. I doubt people, I doubt you're so messed up that people are trying to bind you with chains. And I think this extreme story is in here, like many others, to say, listen, this guy was no match for Jesus. The Legion of Dons, no match for Jesus. If in a word he can set this man free, he can set you free, friend. Like you came in in chains and you can walk out in victory. Hallelujah. Jesus then frees the man from isolation. The townspeople remember they've made a habit of staying away from this man. And again, fair enough, but Jesus takes the boat like Jesus is omniscient, he knows all things. And you'll notice after this story, Jesus gets right back into the boat with his disciples and they leave. Why did Jesus come here to minister to this man? I love this. Watch this. People may have shunned you, but aren't you glad that Jesus runs to those whom others flee from? Others may cast you away, but Jesus runs. Runs to people like you and me. He runs to the broken. He runs to the sick. Let me just read you Luke 15, 1 and 2. The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumble, saying, Well, this man receives sinners and eats with them. See, the Pharisees, the religious elites, they had shunned the quote-unquote sinners. In Luke 7, we dealt with this a few weeks ago. You remember the woman who was just called sinner? We're not even told her name, the sinner, right? Remember when blind Bartimaeus called out Jesus? Jesus went to her, by the way. When blind Bartimaeus called out to Jesus, he was told by the others, just leave him alone. He's busy. Jesus says, bring him to me. And we could go on and on. Let me say it again. Jesus runs towards Jesus, let me say this because this is important. I want to get it right. Jesus runs towards those from whom others run away. I think that's really difficult for me to get out today because, in all seriousness, you need to hear it. Some of you, because you've been mistreated from even by even some church people, you think that Jesus, because he knows your inner struggle, he knows the skeletons in your closet, he knows your brokenness, and you think, well, he doesn't want anything to do to me. Like if I come to the altar today, Jesus might just walk out of the room. Not so. Others may have

Jesus Confronts Legion With A Word

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abandoned you, but Jesus will run to you. He will embrace you and he will set you free. He came for the broken, he came for the desolate, he came for the worst of sinners. He came for you. And here's what I love. We read in these final verses Jesus frees us wholly and completely. Watch this. I love this. Verse 14 through 17. Verses 14 through 17. The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that happened. Watch this. And they came to Jesus and they saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had the legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. People were weird. And those who had seen him describe what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And watch this. They began to beg Jesus to depart from them. You know what? This tells me those people were more concerned with their pigs than this broken man. How many people in our nation are way more concerned about the material things than people? Oh, I hope that's not the case for us. Here's what I love. Here's the main point of this. Jesus doesn't just cast the demon out and leave the man in the tombs to put himself back together. He transforms him spiritually, mentally, and even physically. The man naked, beat up, marks all over his body from self-affliction and from the townspeople. Now clothed and in his right mind. Hallelujah. You may have so much inner turmoil today where it affects you spiritually, it affects your mind. But I want you to know that Jesus won't just save you. You know, we think we think of salvation, we just go, oh, that's for me to go to heaven one day. It's so you can live the abundant life today. It's so you can know Jesus today. That he, listen, remember Jesus was a carpenter? And I think, I mean, I think literally he was a carpenter, but I think it serves as a great, what would you say, illustration of what he does when people come to get them. They come in their brokenness. And what's he do? He puts them back together peace by peace. One more point I'll make. Look at these last verses, 18 through 20. As he was getting in the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. Jesus, let me go with you. And the Lord did not permit him, but he said this: go home and to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you. Now, I hadn't seen this. I'm just gonna say this. Notice this guy has friends, but you know what happens? He was alone in the tombs. Those quote

Restored, Clothed, And In Right Mind

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unquote friends left him in his time of need. Jesus, though, was faithful. He says, Go and tell them how much the Lord has done for you. Now watch this and how he has had mercy on you. And he went away to begin to proclaim in all the capitalists how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. So when Jesus gets back into the boat, the man says, I want to follow you. You know what that tells me? When people meet the real Jesus for themselves, they tend to want him. They tend to want him. Jesus says, No, I don't want you to get in the boat. He says, instead, there's a lot of people in your city that need to hear about me. I want you to go and I want you to tell everyone what I've done. And that the Lord has had what on you? Mercy. Watch this. Why is this man freed? Not because he was a good person. Not because Jesus saw through his brokenness deep down, well, you know what? This he's a really good guy. Nope. There were none good. Not you, not me, not the man in the tombs. Why did Jesus free the man? It's not because the man was trying to pull himself up by his bootstraps, it's because of God's mercy. Not by merit, it's by mercy. Why are you free today? See, some of you who you you know you've never been possessed by a demon. You know you've never lived in the tomb. You think you were a pretty good person even before coming to Christ, but you forget the only reason you're free in him today is because of mercy. You're no different than the man in the tomb. None of us deserve deliverance. None of us. That's why we all have to call upon the name of the Lord. You may think most of you this story isn't relevant to you. You may argue, well, I've never been possessed by demons. And while that may be true, we are all, again, under the domain of Satan. Every one of us, apart from Jesus, are in need of freedom from sin and Satan himself. And our only hope is Christ. Only hope is Christ. There's no plan B. Not all roads lead to heaven. It's only the narrow way. It's through the narrow gate and the difficult way. But it's only by coming to Jesus and falling at his feet that you can be free. So if you're here today and you're not a believer, you're not a real follower of Jesus, as we like to say, maybe again you're so messed up you think, not me, Jesus could not free me. But I'm looking around at some people, I know most of your stories, who were broken, tied up in addiction, alcoholics, you name it. People who didn't want to live, and God has put them back together. They're sitting here

Mercy, Testimony, And Walking Free

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clothed and in their right minds. Somebody ought to praise the Lord for that. So today, if you're here and that's you, you're broken and you have inner turmoil, and I'd love to invite you to come so that we can pray for you today. And my hope is you'll turn, you'll repent and turn from your sin and turn to Christ and say, Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner. Most of you today would claim to be believers, and it's great. But I wonder if some of you are still living bound by sin. There's an old illustration about an elephant that grew up chained. It was going to be, I believe, in a circus. And so that they had the elephant chained for many years. And every time it would struggle to get away, it would be pulled back. When the elephant kind finally grew and was able to be in the circus and all of this, all they did to keep the elephant where it was supposed to be is tie a rope around him that was untethered. And the elephant remembered how long he had been bound and never realized he could escape, that he was free. And I wonder today if some of you are so used to being bound. And you're a Christian, but you're not walking in the freedom that Christ has given you. Let me just give you quickly one example. Some of you are dealing with besetting sins, and you think, I cannot stop it. The enemy, that's from the enemy, because I believe Paul said that yes, you will be tempted, but when you're tempted, there will always be a way out. Don't believe the lie that you are still bound by sin. Do we sin? Yes, but you are not bound by it. You are, it is no longer your master. Walk in freedom. Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.