Subject Seventy-two

THE SALVATION
OF THE DEMON-POSSESSED MAN

Scripture: Mark 5:1-20

1. Jesus came to the seashore
   (Same as Section I, Subject 70.)
   1. The human life is like the seashore. The sea is the depth of sins. All that is against God is in the sea. For example, the demon-possessed herd of swine rushed into the sea. The sea is the very nest of demons. The theaters and the dancing halls are the sea.
   2. Jesus came to the place where the demon-possessed person was.
2. The demon-possessed man
   1. The people on the seashore are the demon-possessed ones. To meet a demon-possessed person, you need to go to the seashore.
   2. What is a demon-possessed person? He is one who is not free, who cannot control himself, who is controlled by a force outside of himself. For example, some may be controlled by drugs, by gambling, by movies, by dancing, by smoking, by their temper, by their fashionable clothing, or by reading novels. When the demon-ruled person becomes obsessed with these things, he does not care about anything else. Give examples to show that those who are obsessed in this way are the demon-possessed ones.
   3. The demon-possessed ones live in the graveyard. Graveyards are the dwelling places for the dead, and they are full of darkness and death. Those who are possessed by the movies, dancing, and drinking live in the graveyard. Is it not true that the movie theaters, dancing halls, casinos, bars and houses of prostitution are the graveyards?
   4. The life of one who is demon-possessed is not subject to any other ruling, and is insane. Governmental laws, school regulations and home discipline cannot guard such a one. Even an iron chain cannot subdue him.
   5. The proof that one is demon-possessed:
      1. There is shouting, crying, and disorder.
      2. Such a one bruises himself. All those possessed by demons have no self-control. They shout and cry in an unreasonable way, and they cannot keep silent. They torture themselves and hurt their own bodies. They damage their own reputation, their position, and their family name.
3. Meeting Jesus
   1. Jesus came to the seashore where the demon-possessed man was; therefore, it was easy for the demon-possessed one to meet Jesus.
   2. When he met Jesus, he reacted by asking Jesus, “What have you to do with me?” Whoever says that he has nothing to do with Jesus is a demon-possessed person. Perhaps there are some in our midst who say that you have nothing to do with Jesus. If this is the case, this proves that you are demon-possessed.
4. Jesus casting out the demon
   1. The demon-possessed man said that he had nothing to do with Jesus and did not want Jesus to ask him any questions, but Jesus insisted on questioning him.
   2. The more you say that you have nothing to do with Jesus, the more He would like to question you.
   3. The questioning of Jesus is your salvation.
   4. The salvation of Jesus frees you from a force that is outside of you.
   5. When the Lord Jesus cast out the demons, the demons got into a herd of swine. The swine represent the filthiest ones among all people. The habits that the Lord cast out of you went into the filthiest people in the society. They became more deeply possessed by the demons. Perhaps, among your colleagues and classmates, there is a herd of swine. If you should leave them, they may fall more deeply into sin than ever.
5. The result of the casting out of the demons
   1. The man was sitting down. The demon-possessed person cannot stand still. If he does not go to Las Vegas, he will find a worse place. If he is not in a theater, he will be in a bar. But now the one who used to be like that is calmed down.
   2. He put on clothing. Formerly he did not care for his shamefulness, his reputation, his personality or his nakedness; now he is conscious of his shame, and he puts on clothing.
   3. His understanding began to be restored. Formerly he was obsessed, as one who was living foolishly; now he understands.
   4. He testified for the Lord. The Lord asked him to go home to his relatives and friends to tell them what a great thing the Lord had done for him and how merciful He was with him. That man went home and proclaimed what a great thing the Lord had done for him.
      Note:
      When you are using the stories in the Gospels as materials for gospel preaching, never try to be nice or gentle. Dr. John Sung was the wildest gospel preacher in the last two or three centuries. You cannot be nice about hitting a man. There are all kinds of people among the audience. The gospel causes man to be saved. The words don’t have to be profound. Something like, “Do not look at others, I’m talking about you,” is good enough to save people.
      The gospel must be powerful. You must pick up the stories in the Gospels. Indeed, out of the sixty-six books of the entire Bible, the first four books of the New Testament are called the Gospels. We should often exercise ourselves into the Gospel stories until we are crystal clear within. You must be able to pick up any subject, such as the thorns, weeds, or robbers, etc., and speak right away. To be powerful, you should apply the Gospels in a living way, not like telling a story. Gospel preaching will be ineffective if it is merely a telling of stories. Preach to the point with life, with facts, and inspirit, and the gospel will be effective.