Trinity and Humanity

Audio – Part 1: 27min

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Audio – Part 2: 26min

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Bible Verses: Mark 5:1-20

Jesus Christ has power and authority over evil spirits. Jesus showed His care and concern for a man who was isolated from society and controlled by evil spirits. After delivering the man from his bondage, Jesus called him to testify to the goodness of God. As those who trust in the authority and power of Jesus and who have been delivered from our bondage to sin, we too are called to testify to the goodness of God.

Theological Theme:

Jesus has power and authority over evil spirits.

“There is no reason to believe that demon possessions are restricted to the past. There are cases, especially but not exclusively in less developed cultures, which seem to be explainable only on this basis.” –Millard Erickson

“Unbelief about the existence and personality of Satan has often proved the first step to unbelief about God.”  – J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Christ Connection:

In this account we see Jesus’ compassion for those held captive to the Evil One as well as His confrontation with the dehumanizing powers of evil. With one word, Jesus delivered the demon possessed man. This account points forward to the end of the Gospels when Jesus would give His life on the cross, appearing for a time to have lost His battle against evil only to rise triumphantly, having defeated sin, Satan, and the grave forever.

The Savior cares for sinners. Jesus was moved to the core when He saw the effects of sin on people (Matt. 9:36). If that was His heart attitude toward those trapped in the bondage of sin, then what should we feel toward those who are in the same condition today? Since we have the Spirit of Christ, shouldn’t our hearts break over the sin that plagues our family, friends, and coworkers? Shouldn’t we feel a deep anguish over the sin that ravages countries and the world at large? When what breaks the heart of Jesus doesn’t break our hearts, there’s a problem. An area of our heart that does not break over sin is an area of our heart that isn’t conformed to Christ.

Missional Application:

God calls us to report, like the former demoniac, how much the Lord has done for us and how He has shown us mercy.

“Tell them how much the Lord has done for you,’ commands Jesus. The man then went out and told ‘how much Jesus had done for him.’ For this man, the Lord and Jesus are one and the same.” – James R. Edwards

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