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Advent HOPE Sabbath School

Benjamin Ng

The Evangelist Who Knew Nothing

Truly is a blessed day to be here especially the weather is nice sometimes a bit too hot but nonetheless I'm very glad to be here with you this morning now the title of my sermon almost sounds like an oxymoron And what do I mean by oxymoron?

Well, the word oxymoron simply states that 2 words not being able to go together, such as like Christian rock.

Well today, why don't we look at this message found in Mark chapter 5.

I don't really know as heavily as you do.

But come with me to Mark chapter 5 and this is where we'll be studying the bulk of our time this morning in 1 story that is very relevant to our time of belief and in fact everything that is relevant or written in the Bible is very relevant to us today so come with me in your Bibles to Mark chapter 5 and we're going to be reading the first 20 verses.

Mark chapter 5 as we gather a picture of this story, let's read these first 20 verses of Mark chapter 5.

Jesus had just finished a night on the lake with his disciples.

As you know there was a great storm and Jesus was asleep.

And the disciples in their own effort were trying to row over to the other side.

For many hours they were trying and Jesus decides they call out and Jesus gets up and he calms the storm now here in verse 1 we pick up from the previous chapter where the disciples and Jesus himself are getting out of the boat verse 1 the Bible says of Mark chapter 5, and they came over unto the other side of the sea into the country of the Gadarenes.

And when he was come out, speaking of Jesus, of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit who had his dwelling among the tombs and no man could bind him no not with chains verse 4 because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces, neither could any man tame him.

Verse 5, and always night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones.

But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him.

Verse 7, and cried with a loud voice and said what have I to do with thee Jesus thou son of the Most High God.

I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not.

For he had said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.

And he answered, saying, My name is Legion, for we are many.

And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country Verse 11 now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding and all the devils besought him saying send us into the swine that we may enter into them and forthwith Jesus gave them leave and the unclean spirits went out and entered into the swine and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea.

They were about 2, 000 and were choked in the sea.

Verse 14, And they that fed the swine fled and told it in the city and in the country and they went out to see what it was that was done.

And they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting and clothed and in his right mind and they were afraid.

And they saw it and told how it befell him that was also possessed with the devil and also concerning the swine and they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts and when he was come into the ship he had been possessed with he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him how be it Jesus suffered him not but say unto him go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord has done for thee and hath had compassion on thee and verse 20 says and he departed and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him and all men did marvel here we see a story and friends we've read 20 verses in Mark chapter 5 and we see 3 great characters coming out the first 1 being Jesus himself the disciples are not even mentioned in these 20 verses but first is Jesus the second character is the demoniac and the third character or the third characters or groups of people are those of the town folk of the Gadarenes.

So here are 3 classes, or 3 groups of people, pardon me, and we want to specifically look at 2 groups of them this morning first the demoniac and secondly the townsfolk certainly we are interested in jesus christ of course but through studying these 2 groups of people we're gonna see the picture of jesus christ come out very clearly Let's go and look at the demoniac.

Here in verse 2, we understand that this demoniac was, had unclean spirits.

And then we come down to verse 3, he had his dwelling among the tombs and no man could bind him, no, not with chains and verse 4, take note, because that he had been often bound with feathers and chains and the chains had been plucked asunder by him.

And verse 5, and always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs crying and cutting himself with stones.

Now I want to bring out 2 characteristics that we clearly understand already about the demoniac.

Number 1, he was always crying, crying out aloud.

And secondly, he was cutting himself with stones.

Now these 2 characteristics are very important but of course the third 1 that we see in verse 3 is that no man could bind him or could tame him.

It gives us a parallel account of this demoniac.

And friends I'm going to go out on a limb already by saying that this demoniac represents us to a large degree.

This demoniac represents us to a large degree.

Luke chapter 8 and we're reading verse 26.

And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.

And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devil's long time, and wear no what?

So thirdly, or fourthly, pardon me, this demoniac is naked.

He cut himself with stones and he was wearing no clothes.

Now you've got to imagine this scene because this man had been like this for many years.

And Desire of Ages tells us that people feared to pass by this way.

Because they did not want to be tormented by this debonair.

And 1 picture I want you to imagine that is not mentioned here but in the spirit of prophecy is the people that were herding the swine.

There were 2, 000 swine and you know who these people were?

What does Jews have to do with herding swine on clean things?

These people also represent us to a large degree as well why do I say that?

You know here in Loma Linda I've been asking around and maybe I have my facts wrong but you let me know okay on 1 during the sabbath we have at least about 7000 people here worshipping in Loma Linda, Is that correct?

There's about at least 7, 000 people worshipping in Loma Linda area.

In the space of 1 street, there are a lot of Adventists already.

Now, within Loma Linda itself, let's look at the hospital for example, there's about 30% Adventists working there, correct?

And within Loma Linda, do you know how much the percentage of Adventists are actually living here?

Okay, now, these are by no means prophetic figures, okay?

I just want to help us understand a few things here yesterday I was eating out at a a thai restaurant and I noticed on the sign that they were closed on sabbath but then I looked on the menu and it's like they're selling shrimp.

But friends, Here's 1 lesson that I want to bring out just from this.

What has God's people to do with those things that God has commanded not for us to touch?

There may be some of us living here, working here.

Many may be in the hospital, but I've had the experience myself, Adventist, working in secular job, doing those things which the Bible tells us not to, or at least commanded us not to.

And this is exactly what the Jews were doing.

Just something that I wanted to bring out.

But when Jesus cast this devil out of this man, what actually happened to him?

We're going to come to the class of the Jews a bit later but that's just 1 thing that I wanted to bring out to help us understand here.

The Bible says and they come to Jesus and see him that was possessed with the devil and had the legion sitting closed and in his right mind and they were what they were afraid They were afraid of a sane man Now Notice 3 characteristics that are brought out here Number 1 he was sitting.

He was no longer running around tormenting people no crying or cutting himself.

He was sitting there Secondly he was clothed.

And the clothing must have come from either Jesus or his disciples.

But let's say it came from Jesus since the disciples are not mentioned.

3 things must at least happen when Jesus Christ touches our hearts friends number 1 we ought to be sitting and learning at the feet of Jesus first thing secondly we ought to be clothed, clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

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The Evangelist Who Knew Nothing

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