Mark 5:1-2 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.
The story we read in Mark 5 seems like a very dramatic, very unusual situation that is totally outside our experience today. But in fact, that’s not the case at all. Let me translate the scriptural account into terms that may be more familiar to us. Take note that the phrase “unclean spirit” is a descriptive term for a demon, an agent of the devil. So here is the Pastor Franklin translation of this passage:
“Translation”: Then they came to the other side of the ocean, to the city of Harrisburg. And when He had come out of the airplane, immediately there met Him out of the city a man whose life was totally out of control because of the power and influence of the devil.
Sound more familiar? It should - because we’ve all been there. Almost all of us here today can give testimony that we were once under the control of the unclean spirit, as the apostle Paul describes:
Eph 2:1-3 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
Every human being, at some time in their life, is just like this man in the tombs. We don’t recognize it because we think we are doing what we want to do, what brings us pleasure and fun. But the scripture says that we were just as much out of control in our lives as this demonized man was. When we thought we were fulfilling the desires of our own flesh and minds, we were really following the devil’s script. And when the devil gets his hooks into a person’s life, he has one aim - to destroy us:
John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
The devil knows he can’t destroy us directly - God hasn’t allowed him that power. So his strategy is to get us to destroy ourselves while we think we are enjoying ourselves. Self-destructive ways are one of the major hallmarks of a life that is under the domination of the unclean spirit, and that’s exactly what we see at work in this man:
Mark 5:5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
In fact, this story shows very graphically that whenever the unclean spirit gets control in any life, self-destructive behavior is always the result. Look at what happened when the demons entered into a herd of swine.
Mark 5:12-13 So all the demons begged Him, saying, "Send us to the swine, that we may enter them." 13 And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea.
To the extent that the devil is operating in a person’s life, to that extent the person’s life will be out of control and headed for destruction. It may be a family member, a friend, a husband or wife - or you yourself. Whoever it is, that person needs to be delivered just as much as the man in the tombs. That’s why we need to know how to deal with this unclean spirit that wants to dominate our lives so it can destroy us. Today we want to look at three principles that will help us to not be dominated by the unclean spirit, but to experience the victory over him that Christ has already won for us.
1. WE CAN RECOGNIZE THE DEVIL’S INFLUENCE BECAUSE IT IS UNCLEAN
Mark 5:1-2 Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
“Unclean” - ak-ath’-ar-tos: impure, lewd, foul.
God is totally pure. But the devil and all his demons are totally unclean. They like what is dirty, sleazy, and foul. Just look at what is on TV and in movies today - the influence of the unclean spirit. That spirit likes the slime, the muck - it wants to drag your life through the worst pigsty it can find.
ILLUS: Want to see the unclean spirit in action? A child went on the internet and typed in the words “little girls.” What came up from that innocent inquiry was listing after listing of some of the worst pornography you could imagine. Pick up the movie guide in the newspaper or online. What do you see? Most movies are R-rated, full of sex, nudity, violence and profanity. Where does all this come from? The unclean spirit.
When a person lives an unclean lifestyle, you know they are under the influence of the unclean spirit. Unclean spirits do unclean things. So, as long as a person is controlled by unclean spirits, they will continue to do unclean things. There is no use trying to clean up a person’s unclean life until you deal with the unclean spirit that is controlling them.
2. YOU CAN’T BIND AN UNCLEAN SPIRIT WITH EARTHLY CHAINS
Mark 5:3-4 who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him.
You may have some unclean situation or habit in your life. Or you may have a friend or relative whose life seems to be totally in the grip of an unclean spirit. You need to understand that you can’t bind that spirit with earthly chains. It can never be overcome by willpower or determination alone. You need far more powerful weapons than that.
2 Cor 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds
ILLUS: A scene I recently saw on TV: a young boy being held in juvenile detention was visited by his cousin, who tried to tell him how he needed to get his act together. However, the cousin delivered his little sermon in language laced with extreme profanity. He was trying to fight the battle with the weapons of the very spirit he wanted to see defeated in his young cousin’s life. Worldly weapons can’t win spiritual battles.
Whenever you are dealing with the manifestation of an unclean spirit, recognize that it is a spiritual issue that must be dealt with spiritually. Jesus didn’t just try to get the man to stop cutting himself, or to put on clothes or to stop being homeless and go home to his family. Instead, the Lord dealt immediately with the real issue - the man’s spiritual condition. People need to be delivered, not reformed. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can truly release a person from domination by the unclean spirit.
3. JESUS SPECIALIZES IN DELIVERANCE FROM UNCLEAN SPIRITS!
Mark 5:6-8 When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. 7 And 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 by God that You do not torment me." 8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!"
Unclean spirits are no problem for Jesus! When He calls them out they have no power to resist. So, don’t be intimidated by the manifestation of an unclean spirit in the life of a loved one, or even in your own life. To people who knew him, it must have seemed a hopeless case when this demonized man was roaming naked through the graveyard, mutilating himself. It may seem just as hopeless when our loved one is on drugs, or is an alcoholic, or is roaming the streets. Don’t be surprised, and don’t be intimidated. That’s what unclean spirits do to people. BUT JESUS CAN HANDLE IT! We as believers have already seen the delivering power of Christ in our own lives:
Eph 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
Most of us here today have a testimony of how we have been delivered from the clutches of the unclean spirit. We were hopelessly lost in our own sins when somehow the love of Christ got through to us, and His power set us free from the darkness the devil had kept us in.
Psa 40:2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.
If Christ has delivered you and me, He can deliver anyone! And note that for this demon-dominated man, it wasn’t just one unclean spirit - they were legion. But it didn’t matter to Jesus whether it was one or many. They all had to leave at His command. Some of us have loved ones whose issues seem legion. We need to know with absolute confidence - Jesus can handle it!
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
ILLUS: My mom used Tide and Clorox. They couldn’t remove every stain, but Jesus can! No unclean spirit can resist Him. “Every knee shall bow ...”
But how can we see this deliverance take place in an unclean spirit impacted life today? We need to know: the only antidote to the unclean spirit is the Holy Spirit.
Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
The unclean spirit has no power against the Holy Spirit! So, when we are filled with God’s Spirit, walking daily in Him, the unclean spirit has no power over us. The key to victory is to have our hearts so filled with Jesus, there is no room in our lives for the unclean spirit to operate.
Eph 5:18-20 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Living a Spirit-filled life starts with receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is only when the Spirit of Christ is at the center of my life that I have protection and power against the unclean spirit. Then, the scripture says, I must abide in Him on a daily basis. That means meditating in God’s word day and night, praying without ceasing, and, as we saw in Eph 5, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
But more than anything else, if I am going to live a Spirit-filled life, free from the domination of the unclean spirit, I’ve got to be a doer of the Word of God. You see, the unclean spirit will do everything it can to hang on in your life. It will stir up your own flesh to cry out against being cleansed. That’s what happened with this demoniac man:
Mark 5:7 And 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 by God that You do not torment me."
ILLUS: A young unmarried man early in my ministry, “Jimmy,” who couldn’t (actually wouldn’t) resist sex. Scripture says “flee youthful lusts” but Jimmy wouldn’t do that. I tried to help him set boundaries, but he would not observe them. He complained that women he knew would actually come to his door offering themselves to him - but he continued to open the door. Jimmy was often a fervent hearer of the word, but he remained in the grip of the unclean spirit because he was not committed to being a doer of the word.
Jesus can handle every unclean spirit in your life, but only if you commit yourself to obey what He commands. You can cry, you can pray, you can plead with God. But until you are willing to give the Holy Spirit control in your life and live a life of obedience to God’s word, you won’t be delivered.
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Josh 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Finally: If Jesus has delivered you, tell somebody!
Mark 5:18-20 And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. 19 However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you." 20 And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.
When Jesus cleaned up this man’s life, He immediately sent him home to be a witness of what God had done for him. Our testimony of how God delivered us from the power and control of the unclean spirit is one of those powerful weapons that the Holy Spirit can use to bring down strongholds in somebody else’s life.
So, let’s go out and tell somebody: Jesus is Lord! The devil is defeated, and Christ has already secured for us freedom from all the power of every unclean spirit. No matter who you may be, and no matter how long you may have been roaming spiritually naked through the graveyards of life, Jesus can set you free. Because, Jesus is Lord!
