This week’s sermon is taken from Mark 5:1-20, the story of the demoniac at the Gerasenes.
SP Lionel Goh highlighted the plight of the demoniac: He had been demonised for a long time, homeless, was naked and lived in tombs (Luke 8:27). He was a violent man and a menace to passers-by (Matthew 8:28). He had supernatural strength and could not be tamed or secured. He was a restless person, committing self-mutilation and crying out in pain and desperation (Mark 5:3-5). In summary, the man was a tormented and lonely soul, living a sub-human existence without any human dignity (John 10:10).
But all is not lost for him – God hears the desperate cries of the poor soul. He sent Jesus to set him free!
As Christians, we believe in both the physical and the supernatural realms. It is therefore important for us to have a clear understanding not only of heavenly beings, but of demons as well. Demons are real and they do have some degree of influence on the physical realm.
The reality of demons
SP Lionel spent some time elaborating on what the Bible says about demons.
- They were once holy angels. God created these beings before He made man. (Job 38:4-7)
- Satan, also known as Lucifer, was one of the most beautiful and mightiest of all the angels that God created. But he became proud and wanted to be like God. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-19)
- Satan conspired with a third of the angels to rebel against God. They failed in their attempt, were defeated, and cast out of heaven. (Revelation 12:4, 12:7-9)
- Demons are highly organised as the kingdom of Satan (Ephesians 6:12; Matthew 12:25-26)
- Their main purpose is to destroy humanity. (John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8)
- At the Cross, Jesus disarmed and defeated them. (Colossians 2:15)
- They are destined to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:10)
Jesus’ confrontation with the demons
When Jesus arrived at the Gerasenes and the demoniac came out to meet him, He confronted the demons inside the man. When Jesus asked the demon his name, he replied that it was Legion – meaning that a large number of demons were in the man. A legion was a military unit in the Roman army that consisted of over 6,000 soldiers. Therefore, possibly around 6,000 demons were living in the man! Demons, being spiritual beings, do not occupy physical space so it is possible for many demons to reside within one person.
Legion begged Jesus not to torture them but instead to send them into a herd of pigs. Jesus gave them permission and they left the man, entering the pigs and causing them to drown in a nearby lake.
What can we learn from this?
Demons are destructive forces, and this was manifested in the way they caused the pigs to commit suicide. The demoniac was able to continue living, albeit in great suffering, with thousands of demons inside him. This illustrates man’s capacity to hold great evil within himself. As believers, we ought to be aware of our deeply sinful nature. From Jesus’ confrontation with the demons, we see that there was no fight between Jesus and the demons, as Jesus had full and complete authority over them!
The impact of Jesus casting out the demons
Once Jesus cast the demons out, the man was completely restored (Mark 5:15). The man was calm, composed, clothed, and cognizant. In effect, he became Jesus’ first missionary when Jesus told him to return home and tell the people what God had done for him (Mark 5:18-20).
Surprisingly, the residents in the Gerasenes were unhappy with what Jesus had done. Because so many pigs drowned in the water, they would have lost a big portion of their livelihood. They valued money over lives and would rather have had the man continue to be demonised than to lose their source of income.
Practical applications
What does all this have to do with us? Here are some practical pointers:
1. Demons are real and we need to be vigilant about them (1 Peter 5:8-9).
Satan commonly attacks believers in the following ways:
a. Plants doubts and fears in our mind. (Genesis 3:1-7)
b. Tempts us with sexual immorality. (1 Corinthians 7:5)
c. Creates disunity among believers. (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
d. Slanders us before God. (Revelation 12:10)
e, Takes us down through pride. (1 Peter 5:6-8)
f. Distracts us with worldly riches. (Matthew 4:8-9)
2. At the Cross, Jesus defeated Satan. Jesus also has full authority over Satan and his demons. (Colossians 2:15)
3. Jesus has delegated His authority (including authority over demons) to us to continue His Great Commission. (Matthew 28:18-20)
4. God wants us to exercise our spiritual authority over our lives, homes, ministries, and workplaces. (James 4:7-8)
Discussion Questions
1. SP Lionel reminded us that Jesus has authority over demons and He delegated that authority to us believers. How does that change your perspective of the kind of influence and command we have over situations and temptations that distract us from God’s will? [15 min]
Leader’s Notes: This is a reflection question. This question is meant to generate a discussion that will help members see that we have more authority over spiritual matters than we may commonly believe.
(Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:17-18) Encourage members to think about this the next time they face challenges/barriers, especially in things concerning God’s will. We have authority and can command evil spirits to leave in Jesus’ Name!
2. Do you have a personal experience of an oppression by the evil spirit? How did the Holy Spirit deliver you from that encounter? [15 min]
Leader’s Notes: This is a relate question and is meant to bring closer home the reality of demonic influences. The best way to make something real, other than experiencing it for yourself, is to hear it from someone else. Ephesians 6:12 points to the reality of the spiritual realm and as believers, we must be vigilant. (Oppression like physical or mental lethargy and pain, exaggerated emotional state of fear and rage, or even seeing or hearing things in the spiritual realm)
This question should be handled carefully and with tact – it is not meant to create undue fear in the members. If any member has a spiritual encounter to share, it should be done so with the intention of bringing to light the truth and reality of such encounters, and not to scare fellow members like a ghost story. Explicit details, if too graphic to share, should be omitted. How the member overcame the demonic oppression in Jesus’ Name should be the focus and highlight of the sharing.
If the leader feels that the members may not be ready for this discussion, then this question would best be skipped. Ephesian 6:13-18 speaks of the full armour of God to resist this evil. Leaders can go through the passage to give assurances on how such spiritual evil can be resisted.
3. A physical or emotional demonic encounter is one way that demons can oppress us. However, sometimes the oppression can be in less obvious forms. SP Lionel mentioned a few of these ways, such as tempting us to sin or causing disunity amongst us. Get into small groups to share and support each other in prayer, taking authority over Satan’s influence on our lives. [15 min]
Leader’s Notes: This calls for a response from the members. In the “Practical applications” section of the sermon synopsis above, SP Lionel gave a few examples of how Satan attacks believers.
(Addiction, sicknesses, torment of the mind, lethargy and blocked understanding of God’s Word, out of proportion of fear, shame, control and unbelief).
It is indeed possible to discuss this question without broaching the topic of demonic influences. However, as this week’s sermon talks about demonic influences over our lives, it would be helpful to discuss this question with that theme in mind. Leaders can ask members to consider how we can exercise spiritual authority in practical ways concerning our lives, our homes, our ministries and our workplaces. Walking in authority as Jesus did is crucial for every believer. Jesus has authority to give orders to the evil spirits, and they obeyed Him – see Mark 1:27. We too can claim this authority from God, our Father.
Have members practice exercising Christ’s authority over demons by praying with authority for anyone who requests prayer support. (Matt 16:19 – take authority to bind all oppression and command them to leave. Then release the goodness of God into their life.)
