“Breaking Chains: The Miraculous Healing of the Demon-Possessed Man”

 The Book of Mark:

“Encountering the Miracles and Mission of Jesus Christ”

Opening:

Good morning brothers and sisters. What a joy it is to be here with you this morning. Today, we are in week five of a 20 week series entitled “The Book of Mark: Encountering the Miracles and Mission of Jesus Christ”. The title of this morning’s message is “Breaking Chains: The Miraculous Healing of the Demon Possessed Man”. 

Today’s Message:

“Breaking Chains: The Miraculous Healing of the Demon-Possessed Man” 

Erik Weisz was born in 1874. Weisz had more than a passing interest in performing. In fact, Erik Weisz’s great passion was for magic. He was widely known to be an illusionist. He was a stunt performer. Crowds would come far and wide to watch him perform. He was renowned for his sensational escape acts. One of Erik Weisz’s most famous acts, one of his most famous feats involved breaking chains. 

In the early 20th century, Weisz was at the height of his career. He became known for his escapes from handcuffs, straitjackets, and other various restraints. However, it was his ability to break free from strong chains that captivated audience’s imaginations. 

Legend has it that Weisz would often challenge local police forces to restrain him with their strongest chains and locks. Despite being bound in seemingly impenetrable shackles, Erik would astound audiences by freeing himself in a matter of minutes, sometimes even seconds. 

At the age of 52, Erik Weisz would face his greatest test. You see, another one of his performances involved him being punched in the gut by one of the strongmen that traveled with him. He would brag that he could receive a punch from the strongest man in the world and it would have no side effects. As it turns out, the repetitive punches ruptured his appendix. After a lengthy battle with the illness, Erik Weisz was scheduled for surgery. The surgery was successful, his appendix was removed. Yet, it was too late. He was septic. He was dying. On his deathbed, he was surrounded by his family, his friends, and his beloved wife. Moments before his death, he told his wife that there were no shackles, no straitjackets, and no chains that could hold him. He claimed that not even the chains and shackles of death could contain him. He would defeat death and rejoin his beloved family. 

Erik Weisz died on Halloween, October 31st, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. His wife waited for 10 years, holding annual seances, seeking him from beyond the dead. He never responded. After 10 long years of waiting, his wife gave up. She never got over his passing. She spent the rest of her days in mourning. Her name was Bess. Bess Houdini. Erik Weisz, her husband went by another name, his stage name, Harry Houdini. 

What about you friend? What chains are binding you today? Are you bound by stress? Bound by anxiety? You’d love to be like Harry Houdini and slip out of those bounds but everything you do seems to lock you down even more. Are you bound up by your past? Your failures? Your mistakes? Are you chained by memories of how you let someone down? How you disappointed your spouse, your parents, or your kids? Maybe you feel that you were a good enough parent. Everyday you wake to new feelings of guilt. You can’t shake it. You cannot unlock those chains. 

You are tormented by your troubled past. You are discouraged. Defeated. Downcast. You are depressed. The chains just get heavier and heavier. 

I have good news for you today. Our Savior is a chain breaker. Better than Houdini. Better than Houdini because our Savior defeated death, dominated the grave, captured sin, and overcame hell. 

Do me a favor this morning. Open your Bibles to Mark 5:1-20. As you are doing that, I want to take a moment and set up the scene for you. I want to give you the background and context of what we are reading this morning. 

In this passage, Jesus and his disciples cross the Sea of Galilee to the region of the Gerasenes. As they step onto the shore, they are met with a scene of despair and anguish. A man possessed by unclean spirits, tormented and isolated, roams among the tombs. This man is a symbol of the brokenness and darkness that can grip our lives when we are separated from the love and grace of God.

But here's where the story takes a miraculous turn. As Jesus approaches, the demon-possessed man runs to him and falls at his feet. Despite the chaos and fear surrounding him, this man recognizes Jesus for who he truly is – the Son of the Most High God. And in that moment, Jesus commands the unclean spirits to leave the man, restoring him to wholeness and sanity.

In an instant, the man's chains are broken, his shackles shattered. He is no longer bound by the darkness that once consumed him. Instead, he is set free to proclaim the good news of God's mercy and compassion. But the story doesn't end there. The healed man begs Jesus to let him join his disciples and follow him. Yet Jesus has another plan for him. He instructs the man to return to his home and share with others the great things that God has done for him.

You know what brothers and sisters, this entire story can be incapsulated in a simple phrase. In fact that is our thought for the day. You can fill in these blanks if you want. Jesus can transform your torment into a testimony. Jesus can take your wreck of a life and turn it into a winner. You can go from canceled to called. An encounter with Christ will leave you altered, transformed, converted. 

Today’s Thought:

Jesus Can Transform Your Torment Into A Testimony!

I think of people like Nick Vujicic. Nick was born without any arms or legs. He battled depression and thoughts of suicide in his teens and into his twenties. He was chained by his handicaps. However, he encounter Christ, gave Jesus his heart, and his life was radically changed, altered, transformed. Today, he inspires millions around the world with a message of faith and resilience. 

What about Bart Millard. Bart is the lead singer of MercyMe. His life was marked by abuse and trauma during his childhood. However, his encounter with Christianity and the love of God brought healing and restoration. In fact it was the storm of his abuse at the hands of his father that eventually inspired the most famous Christian song of the modern age, “I Can Only Imagine”. 

I think of people like Lecrae. Lecrae lived in an abusive environment. He was surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and gang violence. He grew up rapping on the streets, his lyrics filled with obscenities and sex. Someone shared Christ with him and his life was put on a different path. Today, Lecrae raps about Jesus Christ and His transformative power. 

What about you brother and sister? Have you encountered Christ? Are you still chained in your sin? Charles Stanley is one of my favorite pastors and preachers. Listen to what he says about the transformation that occurs when we put our faith in Christ. 

“When we encounter Jesus, He doesn't just change our behavior; He changes our whole outlook on life. He fills us with a sense of purpose and joy that transcends our circumstances. He takes our brokenness and makes it beautiful. He takes our weaknesses and turns them into strengths. He takes our failures and uses them for His glory. That is the power of Jesus to transform lives." 

Today’s Quote:

“When we encounter Jesus, He doesn't just change our behavior; He changes our whole outlook on life. He fills us with a sense of purpose and joy that transcends our circumstances. He takes our brokenness and makes it beautiful. He takes our weaknesses and turns them into strengths. He takes our failures and uses them for His glory. That is the power of Jesus to transform lives." 

- Dr. Charles Stanley

So, let’s read God’s Word together this morning. 

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible to be inspired, God breathed, infallible, and authoritative. We believe the Bible is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training believer’s in righteousness. God’s Word gives life. It provides peace in trouble and protection in tribulation. It is alive, active, and cuts to the core of the human soul. Since there is no other book like it, let us stand to show our reverence and respect.  

Today’s Scripture:

Mark 5:1-20 ESV

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.

Pastor: “This Is The Word of The Lord”

Congregation: “Praise His Name, Praise His Holy Name”

3 Lessons Learned From The Liberation 

of The Possessed Man…

Lesson One: We Learn About The Strength of Sin vs. 1-5

This morning we are going to discover 3 lessons learned from the liberation of the demon possessed man. Our first lesson, lesson one, is that we learn about the strength of sin. 

We talked about demon possession a few weeks ago. There are a few things to remember about this specific case. We know that this man was not possessed with one demons, he was possessed with many demons. In fact, the collective of the demonic force speaks as one when they give their name. They claim that their name is “Legion”. You are right in thinking that a “legion” is a group of soldiers. In the days of Augustus Caesar, the ruler during this time period, a “legion” of soldiers consisted of 6826 men. While we don’t know the exact number of how many demons resided in this man’s body, we know that “they are many” because that is how they describe themselves. Using common sense, we can also assume that more than 6000 demons took up residence in this man’s body. 

Speaking of residence, demonic possession is something that is offered and not taken. How do I know this? Listen to what Legion asks of Jesus. 

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. 

Legion asked for permission to enter the pigs. Demons cannot go where they are not invited. What does this mean? It means that this man, this unnamed man living among the tombs, at some point invited this presence into his life. This makes no sense to us today. Why would a person invite the demonic into their lives? Perhaps this man was seeking power. Maybe he wanted to perform supernatural feats. Maybe he was looking for some type of clairvoyant knowledge. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that he was clearly promised a bill of goods that turned out to be more than he bargained. 

Maybe it surprises you this morning that demons cannot go where they are not invited. Think about your own experience with God. You heard the Gospel preached to you. The Word of God stirred in your spirit, brining life to your dead soul. You prayed and asked the Holy Spirit into your life. The Holy Spirit came where it was invited. God does not force Himself on us. No. 

Understand friends that Satan perverts what God has created. Where God promises peace, Satan promises power. Where God promises mercy, Satan promises money and means. Where God promises blessing, Satan promises belongings. Satan’s promises can be intoxicating as sin is always intoxicating. Some people choose invite the Satanic into their lives thinking that it will lead to fame and fortune, gifts and glory, power and preeminence. 

But Satan is a liar. This man invites the demonic into his life and instead of this man being in control, he loses his faculties. The demonic possession causes the man to change is address. He now lives among the dead bodies. The demonic possession causes the man to lose his inhibitions. He is stripped naked. The demonic possession causes the man to lose his health. He cuts himself, bleeding to the point of near death. The demonic possession is so strong that he cannot be bound, he cannot be contained, he cannot be shackled. He was not only a threat to himself but also a threat to others. 

What makes all of this so sad is that he did it to himself. He chose this road and now he is being forced to travel it. 

This week I have done some pretty extensive study on how demon possession manifests, how it looks? After all, how can we tell demon possession from mental illness? That was a question a fellow staff person asked me this week. So, I set out to discover the answer. I looked throughout the Gospels and found each and every instance of demon possession and these are the things that they all had in common. From what I can tell, there are 8 instances of demonic possession, 8 stories, 7 in the Gospels and one in the book of Acts. In each case, the person possessed cannot control themselves. The evil spirit is able to speak through their lips or can make them mute. 

In each case, the person’s personality changes drastically. In the story in Mark 5, the man once freed from his possession returns to his normal personality. He is quiet, reserved, and in his right mind. Again, when someone is possessed, the sinful spirit drastically changes their personality. It reorients their interests, transforms their passions and goals or removes them completely. They will sometimes uses different voices. Again, the man possessed in Mark 5 does not speak with one voice but speaks with many voices all at once. A very unsettling aspect of the story. People with demon possession will have supernatural knowledge or unnatural powers or abilities. The demon possessed man in Mark 5 knew that Jesus was the Son of the Living God. He knew Jesus as God incarnate and obeyed Jesus. He also had unbelievable strength, able to overcome the strongest of chains. Lastly, people struggling with demonic possession will always, 100% of the time, have suicidal tendencies. Satan is a killer, a destroyer. So naturally he would want to kill and destroy God’s chief creation and the object of God’s love. 

Sin is strong friends, Satan is strong. This man invited this on himself, thinking that it would promise him freedom, thinking that it would offer him some special power. However it took more than it gave. That is just the nature of sin isnt it?

It’s like that old commentary on sin. “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Sin defiles a person. Listen to Jesus’ speaking in Mark 7. 

Mark 7:20-23 ESV

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

3 Lessons Learned From The Liberation 

of The Possessed Man…

Lesson One: We Learn About The Strength of Sin vs. 1-5

Lesson Two: We Learn About The Strength of The Savior vs. 6-10

So, our first lesson is that we learn about the strength of sin. Second, lesson two, is that we learn about the strength of the Savior. We see this displayed in verses 6-10. 

Mark 5:6-8 ESV

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!"

Modern day believers often make a mistake when it comes to Satan. The first mistake that believers make is that they trivialize him. They think that he is nothing more than a metaphor, an allegory, or merely a symbol of evil. They think that Satan is not real. They think that demonic possession is akin to voodoo or is something that happens in 3rd world countries. We make the mistake of thinking that we are to smart, to advanced, to medically sound to be threatened by Satan and his forces, if they are even real in the first place. That is problem one. 

Mistake two is that we give Satan more credit than he is worth. We think that he is some sort of counterweight to God. The “yin” to God’s “yang”. We mistakenly think that God and Satan are equals. Equal in power. Equal in strength. This is very untrue. This mistake leaves the believer of Christ in a helpless state against the army of darkness advances. 

The Devil is real. He is bad and he has a fair amount of power. He should be respected as a worthy adversary. Jesus doesn’t even deny Satan’s existence or his power. In fact, Jesus calls Satan “the strong man”. 

Jesus gives us insight into how He deals with the demonic. In short, He binds them. You cannot plunder a strong man’s house unless you first tie him up. So while Jesus does refer to the Devil as a strong man, it is clear that He is the much stronger man. Jesus does not ignore Legion. No. He binds Legion. He does more than bind Legion. He plunders Legion’s home, taking back the possessed man as His own. I love that. Jesus literally kicks Satan out of his home, driving him from the land. 

We must use the power of Jesus to fight against the devil's tricks. When we hear bad thoughts from the devil, we should be strong like Jesus. We should say no to temptation using the power of God. We can tell the devil to go away in Jesus' name. We shouldn't ignore that the devil is real. Our lives are like a battle, but God is stronger than the devil.

I love what the author of Hebrews states about Jesus in Hebrews 1:3…

Hebrews 1:3 GW

His Son is the reflection of God's glory and the exact likeness of God's being. He holds everything together through his powerful words. After he had cleansed people from their sins, he received the highest position, the one next to the Father in heaven.

3 Lessons Learned From The Liberation 

of The Possessed Man…

Lesson One: We Learn About The Strength of Sin vs. 1-5

Lesson Two: We Learn About The Strength of The Savior vs. 6-10

Lesson Three: We Learn About The Strength of a Story vs. 20

So, we are at our last lesson this morning. Lesson one we learn about the strength of sin. The strength of Satan. Lesson two, we learn about the strength of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Lesson three, we learn about the strength of a story. Let’s reread verse 20 together. 

[20] And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

What a story. This man who was once bound is now free. The man who was once living among the tombs has been restored to his home. The demons are gone. This man known far and wide for his possession now has a new story. A story that involves and includes Jesus. His torment has truly become his testimony. 

When this transformation occurs, he couldn’t wait to tell others about it. We don’t know that this man ever went to church. We don’t know how much of the Bible he had memorized up to this point. We don’t know if he had ever had any religious education or if he had ever been to seminary. The only thing that we know is that he had an encounter, an experience with Jesus, and his life was radically altered. He had a story to tell and there was no one better to tell it than him. 

Closing Illustration:

Earlier, I mentioned a few names, names of people who had an encounter with Jesus Christ and were changed, just like this demon possessed man. 

I want to close this morning by telling you the story of Brian. Brian grew up in an abusive family. His father routinely beat him and his mother was known to disappear for weeks at a time, leaving Brian home alone. He grew up in squalor. Surrounded by drugs and alcohol. In fact, he started doing drugs as early as 12 and he was drinking by the tender age of 10. By the time he was 15, he was an alcoholic. By the time he was 20, he was a full blown addict. Methamphetamines were his drug of choice. 

Brian did have a talent for music. During the lengthy times where he was abandoned by his parents, he would often pick up the guitar and start playing. He learned how to play and acoustic guitar, then an electric guitar. He joined a band with some of his friends. The band regularly dabbled in the occult and often used goat heads and pentagrams in their performances. While they fell short of describing themselves as Satanic, Brian confessed in his memoir that he had asked Satan to come into his life since it seemed that God didn’t care about him. 

Brian and his bandmates achieved fame and fortune. They traveled the world. They were rich and had groupies. Even though Brian had everything he could have ever had wanted, he was empty. He began to have strange thoughts. He began to think about killing himself. In 2005, he was invited to a church service by a sidewalk preacher. He went to make fun of the Christians. He went thinking that he would cause a disturbance. While he was there, he heard the Word of God preached. The Bible penetrated Brian’s dead heart and stirred within him. The Spirit of God drove out all the pain, all the hurt, and all the sorrow in Brian’s life. God was speaking to Brian Head Welch. Brian Welch received Christ as his Lord and Savior. Even though he had seen great wealth and fame with his heavy metal band Korn, Brian would turn over his life to Jesus Christ. 

Brian Welch left the band and pursed Christ with his whole heart. Brian left Korn to focus on his faith and personal healing. This decision shocked many, but Brian felt called to pursue a life devoted to Christ. He went through a process of recovery from addiction and began to rebuild his life with the support of his newfound faith community.

Over the years, Brian's life has undergone a remarkable transformation. He has become an outspoken Christian, sharing his testimony and faith journey with others. He has also pursued a solo music career with a focus on Christian music, releasing albums that reflect his spiritual journey.

Brian's story serves as a powerful testimony to the transforming power of Jesus Christ. Through his faith, he found healing, purpose, and a new direction in life. Today, he continues to inspire others with his story of redemption and hope.

What about you friend? What is your story? Do you have a story, an encounter with Jesus Christ? Who could you share it with today? Remember Paul’s Words captured in 2 Timothy 1:8…

2 Timothy 1:8 NIV84

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God,

Closing Prayer:

Will you pray with me this morning?

Heavenly Father,

As we close our time together, we are reminded of the incredible power of sin and the even greater strength found in Jesus Christ. Thank you for the reminder from Mark 5:1-5 that no bondage is too strong for our Savior to break.

Lord, we are grateful for the testimonies of transformation we've heard today, for they remind us of your redeeming love and the hope we have in you. May we boldly share our own stories of how you have changed our lives, knowing that they have the power to lead others to you.

We invite anyone listening to come to Jesus for salvation, to experience the freedom and forgiveness found only in Him. May they feel the tug of your Spirit drawing them closer to you, and may they respond with open hearts.

Lord, for those who have yet to join your family or be baptized in your name, we pray for courage and conviction to take that step of faith. Help them to see the beauty and significance of publicly declaring their commitment to you.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Let This Information Be Your Inspiration!