The Maniac (Part B)

The one being played like a fiddle in my the one that the world has recruited using my carnality. My urges my passions.

My emotion spirit is supposed to overrule your emotions. Do you not know that if you see my just deal you. What is the Bible say because that has to be the deciding factor for the believer when you're young you don't know these things, yet you might think you do you may know portions, but if you're getting it wrong you rather define God to this phase. You just don't get it. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston.

Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Mark, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today.

Pastor Rick will continue in the gospel of Mark chapter 5 in his message called the maniac inside this man was a soul ready to be freed Christ new. But there are those that are not ever ready to be freed in less horrid conditions summa not demon possessed want to be free from their own carnality from their self from the world. This man, he's not scoffing.

The man inside their multiple personalities here there is the man and then there's the personality of over 2000 demons that seem to have a spokesman is not a human being on earth that could deal with something like this, not without God's body is mentioned covered with scars self-inflicted wounds that he had acquired over a period of time. His hair is beard likely matted and dirty and feel what a sight just to look into his eyes. If any of you ever been let her know you might have seen elsewhere, but I know you will see it in the big cities you will see demon possessed because bride subways New York City. I don't mean the commuters. I mean there are people living in the subways that aren't behaving like human beings. And you can see some of this in the some of the cities in this country. I think more easily than you can see them elsewhere. Verse seven and he cried out with a loud voice and said what have I to do with you, Jesus, son of the most high. I implore you by God that you do not torment me was talking here demons overruling the man the host at this moment is a war. This is intense conflict inside so the demon is saying when he says he cried aloud was one of I to do with you, Jesus, son of the most high God. He says why are you bothering me. I'm not bothering you sassy little punk you are bothering the Lord by bothering humanity. God is not indifferent to these things and so they were yeah they were bothering fact evil spirits who appear in the New Testament. They make no mistake about the person of Christ they know who he is. That mistake is reserved for humans who enjoy scoffing at the Lord pretend that he is not who he says he is, but the demons knew who he was.

We cover this in chapter 1, and now recovering it again, but hear the voice of the evil one confesses Christ to be the son of the most high, that is linked to Daniel chapter 4, Nebuchadnezzar had become so full of himself he was going crazy and didn't even know it has this dream. Daniel comes in and explains it to assist you in the one going to go nuts what you going to be restored, but within that dream. Daniel chapters for over 17 we read what Nebuchadnezzar heard in order that the living may know that the most high rules in the kingdom of men gives it to whomever he will. God is most high is sovereign and his people must learn to be content with that other Christians before us have suffered and died. Horrid deaths attached to that understanding, refusing to let go. Looking beyond this life talks about in Hebrews chapter 11 the world wasn't worthy of these people. It says in chapter 11, so the demons call him the son of the most high, putting him equal with God the father and without hesitation, after they say this, you know, why have you come to us to some those high without hesitation. They slander him accuse him of being a tormentor. They can't help themselves. Wickedness is wickedness and is going to do what it does. And here we are seeing it happen. I implore you by God that you do not torment me will what gave you the idea that he's going torment you understanding that he is high and holy and clean and you are not. They did not care that they were tormenting the man. Yet they wanted to be shielded from such agonies, such as evil, such are evil people.

They want mercy, they just don't want to give any of it up they will accuse the innocent of the guilty things that they are doing.

I know I'm not. I'm trying not to go into. You know the news media and all of the rest that are within that group of liars and treacherous treasonous is the word I want. Verse eight for he said to him, Christ speaking now come out of the man of unclean spirit, and again Scripture makes no effort to hide the fact that evil spirits exist and that they target human beings and inhabit them and create such a disaster as this. We don't know how the man got into this condition were not told, it really is not relevant, except we can say observation collective observation over the centuries that dipping and dabbing in the rock cult cult will open that door, drug abuse, egregious immorality, I mean immorality that is over the top that is animalistic and of course some of the cults that are out there these open the mind to evil spirits and once they get in. They don't leave of their own accord.

They get hold of people because they invade bodies. They are a menace to the mind. They refused to leave and I must adhere where I lose some of the audience born again believers cannot be demon possessed. They can be a nuisance. They can be pretty stupid. They can be dumb and that the opposite today can be wonderful. They can be smart. I mean it goes both ways, but they cannot be demon possessed a light in the darkness cannot dwell together. So when we read of demon possessed people in the Scripture they're not born again yet this man's case is going. He's going to be quite a tool in the hands of the Lord.

So the rules and the rulers of darkness. Rules are often beyond us. Paul keeps it short is we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.

The spiritual place that in heavenly places, translated heavenly spiritual places the unseen world that is around us. There are laws that we know about that are spiritual and there are many laws that we do not know about.

That was the case with Joe since he got to the stomach and laid out to you there laws you just don't know about. But here's what happened and he tells hope you know you were battleground for my glory, for the benefit of countless multitudes through the ages that will read your story and gain strength in the faith and remain strong in the faith while they endure the most awful circumstances and attacks by the underworld and other human beings as well because Satan was not the only one that attacked you.

Incidentally, three of his quote unquote friends wasted.

Well, they did weigh seven days and then they made up for and they attacked you talking about things they know nothing of anyway. Many lost souls. They perish in sin because they deny the existence of a very personal Satan, and we say Satan. It includes Lucifer but is not limited to him I Lucifer's not going to target your average individual.

He's got bigger fish to fry.

He goes for the heads of nations but he's got enough dominion to assign them to target everybody else and it is a fact that there are souls perishing in their sin because they deny the existence of Satan and his helpers sneering at the idea while Satan plays them like a fiddle and as long as they deny the existence of these evil forces is not very much anyone can do except preach the truth and under the conviction of the spirit they get converted they come out of the darkness and they see what's going on. Demons like the flesh, they are usurpers they take over.

They don't ask for permission. They snatch it they intrude these demons here had no claim to this man's body or his mind, the soul of the man's soul is that part of us that interact with each other and so he is enslaved. Verse nine.

Then he asked him what is your name and answer saying my name is Legion for we are many. Christ again is exposing to his disciples and followers what is going on here that while the man is still functioning is not functioning correctly.

There is a major defect and it is an external force has been introduced to the management put inside of them. Something external is now internal and it is demonic.

It is spiritual, and he wants his disciples understand that there is a real war within entity enemy known as the adversary Satan were Satan means adversary, the word devil means slander. That's what the adversary does. He talks bad about Asea taxes verbally, and any other got away is allowed to attack us but once. Once upon a time, this man had his own identity. He was born he was given a name. He grew up and at some point he lost his identity to these demons in Christ is saying to us, but he's recoverable that which the demons have gotten hold of. I will restore if the person will let him says here and he answered, saying, my name is Legion for we are many, is not his proper name would come down verse 15 courses coming out here now a full Roman legion was over almost 7000 men infantry and cavalry in support the idea here is not that this was a full Roman legion of 6800 demons. The ideas that he was packed with them provisions of them military divisions of demon loaded now again those without Christ to the world as they observe these behaviors in humans.

They come up with names such as dissociative identity disorder and those names are all impressive. I guess they just don't fix out enough to give it a label we need power. He has split personality split up with these demons, and in the Bible gives us a spiritual diagnosis demon possession. That's what he had, that the world scoffs at all. Come on, he's just said no.

It is this one this one is demon possessed.

Other physical ailments that can drive a person mad sure rabies left untreated will drive you mad. For example them there other things with this one is demonic over the years and preaching about this stuff. Usually this someone that gets offended. I don't get they get offended that you can say that there are people that are demon possessed a labeled as being insane, but they actually have demons lure item on the I can tell you is I go by the Scripture is good enough for me.

I do not ask the world what they think.

I asked the Lord what he thinks and I'm satisfied with that. After talking about maybe recipes to make an omelette or something. Go to the world for something like that and I understand sometimes because they have a loved one that may be as unstable and they think that I'm saying to them that automatic demon possession. There are other factors but we won't go there now were going to stay right here satanic lesions behind this man's failure behind the failure of nations. I mean you look at Nazi Germany and you see a nation under the influence of demonic forces you see people at the highest levels of their government demonic industrialized genocide. When you create factories to kill people in bulk repetitively is a demonic coming with that what the Japanese did to Manchuria and what they did and Chi-Chi Gmail and other places to cannibalism. This is egregious immorality, and since is off the chart.

This is not a person stealing from one person to make themselves feel better about something. This is demonic. It is real is documented. You want to sit there and say well they have dissociative disorder. Whatever you go right ahead. Bible knows better than I side with God. But here is the problem with this. To this day we have Christ, the Christ haters club all over the earth, inspired by spiritual adversaries on multiple levels. This like a pyramid at the bottom.

You've just got the dupes but as you move up to the top of the pyramid, fewer in number, yes, but did, but demonic intimate intensifies their evil, what is our response to righteous defiance. That is our response to all evil, truth and love will move.

We have a king.

We serve him.

Jesus said you know if if I were of this world was king of this world. My my subsequent fight for me but I'm a big things we have to learn this lesson. Especially, we here in America overjoyed so much freedom those who stand for lies refuse the truth of Jesus Christ. We know that the ones being played by a fiddle. For example, not only are they doing evil within meal evil the end time evil is recruiting people and you know they're targeting the most. The young because they think you're dumb enough to believe it. Sadly, they are sometimes not all the time. Then, I've noticed something.

The young become recruited by Satan and then they recruit their parents.

The parents begin to sympathize. Only you know you got a point there, and in so doing, he takes out the whole family whole household whole church whole city state nation. These are real things and you just look out the window you see them taking place me literally look out the one you see parked cars but look around society what's going on in the world.

Satan says you know Jesus is love and it's okay to be homosexual well okay let me answer then is it also okay to murder tool begun to downsize that one or you just pick the ones you want. You don't get the pick. The Bible has made it clear July.

Leviticus 1822. You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination is something that is hated. Yet this selling it to our kids. This selling it to our adults, doesn't mean we hate them hate the monotonous wrong in the eyes of God.

That's what we're interested in is God supposed to hold you like it that much of a change in okay this goes for now methamphetamine.

Why be a crackhead and affect your children want to be a heroin addict configurable redhead because you want to do it doesn't do that under Satan spell the world advocate the murder of the unborn to justify the fact they will advocate the murder of the just born to cover themselves in their filth. We are supposed to come along and say look, we can change anybody's mind, but we can be used by the Lord to get in front of those whom God is changing and he's going to use us to do it. You have to like it is going to happen. That's a defiant spirit. That is a father saying.

As for me I'm going to serve the Lord that the rest of my house doesn't serve the Lord.

I'm serving the Lord. That's the mother standing up and saying. As for me I don't arrest you want to do.

I want to serve Christ. But if you don't I'm serving him that the children standing up and saying, look, mom, dad, I'm hoping you're serving the Lord.

But if you're not I'm serving the Lord.

That's righteous defiance. What's the alternative, sniveling, backing down from the faith.

Christ is not back down. For many of these people as we go through this story wherever I'm at, whatever verse I'm one verse 10 this try that one. And he begged him earnestly that he would not send him out of the country. What is that what is going on their wives not have a visa with his passports not to date. What I hate the picture on it. He must've feared the overlords in the underworld. Their spiritual laws were not privy to. We get little hints of them and here's a big one. He wants to stay where he is is Legion we know we huddled up here we find it, even in our own world. We can with this chaos and anarchy in verse 11. Now a large herd of swine was feeding near the mountains so all the demons begged him, saying, send us to the swine, that we may enter them so to the demons that seem like a good idea at the time and this is helpful to us. Verse 13 and at once Jesus came them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine.

There were about 2000, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea and drowned in the sea.

So here in verse 13.

They had said were citizens of the pigs. Jesus said, go for this is like a as you wish. Knowing what's going to happen. He knows what's going to have another disciples and they can't see the demons like ghosts rise up and going to the man that just watching this exchange take place but they can see that stampede of swine rolling down the hill off the cliff and they knew that wasn't like we know Mars must've lined up with Jupiter. We didn't even know about it. This was directly related to the word of the Lord come out, can we go into the pigs sure have added in their was the proof now only Mark counts how many swine there were. I don't know why but he is the one that tells us there were 2000 and so what is the lesson one human being can hold more demons than 2000 pigs not incredible. Something to think about the capacity for evil in humanity and human beings is a big difference between humans and animals. They're not the same as is confirmation that demons cannot successfully inhabit animals. You have a mean and vicious dog is not demonic opinion may look like he is something his instincts for what they are, but only the unsaved can be possessed by demons. Now here was seeing. In addition to Christ muzzling the storm is casting out an army of ill spirits and it is also interesting that the swine seem to prefer death and possession their survival plan backfired. They wanted to be embodied spirits embodied in some other living creature and it failed. Now there there disembodied. After all, what happens after that they roam around looking for someone else. We know that much from another story of Christ. What market already recorded Jesus words, no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strongman and then he will wonder his house and that's what's taking place here. Prices come in and he's cleaning house because he is stronger than the demons that were in the man so God says yeah.

In spite of what happens. Still, the man is more important than the animal. Matthew 1212 of how much more value than is a man than a sheep, something we have to accept the doesn't mean that the some horrible therefore you know that wherever all the animals going to we can be cruel to them in one another's meaning the lie that just means that man is more valuable to God than animals. According to Jesus Christ, and it does not take brains to be destructive. A person can have brains and be destructive or they can be dumb and be destructive. Many a home in your church.

Many a country has been ruined by fools and we need to recognize that because what is the purpose of the lessons always is it I is it me, Lord. One of you will betray me tonight and they all said is it me, they were concerned, they did not want to be that person will when we come to the Scripture. And we have good and evil lined up next to each other. We are supposed to say is it me and my this guy am I the full am I the one being played like a fiddle in my the one that the world has recruited using my carnality. My urges my passions my emotions spirit is supposed to overrule your emotions. Do you not know that if you say, but I just feel your does the Bible say because that has to be the deciding factor for the believer when you're young you don't know these things, yet you might think you do you may know portions of it.

But if you're getting it wrong. Your other define God to his face or you just don't get it. That does not mean that Satan's going to show you mercy. The Bible does not say Blessed are the Dom. We are supposed to be enlightened and that takes work. It's not automatic and that's why Satan spent so much time trying to dumb down the church so you know what to skip the preaching list just keeps singing everybody's feel good about everything. But let's not expand our understanding of spiritual things and let Shirley not be convicted. It would doing something wrong. The best way to handle that says the flesh is not here about your knows better and can only things pummeled is not the idea either striking the balance, which is the definition essentially of grace balance given by God to move.

Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Mark cross reference radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia to learn more information about this ministry. Visit our website cross reference radio.com once you're there you will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio you could search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast app that's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time. As Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark Rocky on cross reference radio