Unclean Spirit

*blog post from old sermon notes. Let's pretend I've been good about posting.

Read Mark 5:1-20

3 Signs of An Unclean Spirit-

1. Perversity. The man we see in Mark 5 lived in a tomb, completely naked and living like the dead. He lived a twisted and unnatural life, and his whole mind was warped. He was wild, uncontrollable and nothing like a normal human being - he was full of a perverse spirit.
2. Brutality. This man was so wild and violent that no one could control him, no one could even come near him without fearing for their lives. This is not unlike some people in the world now. We see so many people murdered, raped, beaten...our world is full of this brutality, as well as the perversity.
3. Insanity. Night and day, this man sobbed and hurt himself. He had no love or respect for himself or other people, he was self destructive, also like many people now. Now, this is not to say that those who self-harm are insane, but it is to say that there is something mentally wrong, something that, with the help of God and other strong Christians, can be defeated. It is something that Satan will lay on our hearts.

We are becoming so blind to these things because we see them every day. Murder is no longer surprising, nor is rape, bullying, self-harm and suicide. No one has the guts to admit the truth and share why these problems exist - it is because of sin.

The Cure-

The only cure is complete submission to Jesus Christ. The man in Mark 5 got on his knees to worship, even the demons feared and believed in Jesus. They knew that Christ would deliver this man, even if the man didn't deserve it. This is just how He is willing to deliver us all from depression, anxiety, and more. All of these things have one thing in common - they are because of sin. The only thing that can truly wash that away is the blood of Jesus.

Submit and repent, He will deliver you.

  So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis^[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed. -Mark 5:20.