What Happens When You’re Saved? (AM Sermon Notes)
GIST: The hopeless come face-to-face with the Savior and are completely transformed by His compassionate Grace.
SCRIPTURE: Mark 5 (Part 1)
5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. 2 And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. 3 He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, 12 and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
14 The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. 17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.
21 And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. 22 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet 23 and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” 24 And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. 25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. 27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” 29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. 30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
35 While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” 37 And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38 They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” 40 And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. 41 Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. 43 And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
I asked for some assistance reading this passage today to help break up the monotony of having to hear my voice for prolonged periods of time. As an afterthought, this also worked out nicely because it emphasized these individual narratives. This is a long passage, and there are three distinct accounts of Jesus’ interaction with three distinct people. Again, however, I struggled this week with whether or not to cover it together, or separate, but could not shake the powerful similarities and interconnectedness.
In the end, we’ll be spending two weeks here. Today, we’re going to look at those who “got it”, and next Sunday, Lord willing, we’ll be looking at those who didn’t. So, without further ado, here’s today’s gist. In these passages, we have a beautiful picture of what happens when you’re saved: the hopeless come face-to-face with the Savior and are completely transformed by His compassionate Grace.
I. THE HOPELESS
Details of Desperation. We’ve already noted that Mark moves through his Gospel account at breakneck speed. Yet, these three individuals get special attention. In fact, there are only a few other passages like this in the entire book. As I studied this, these details really resonated with me because the details of their desperation point to Jesus’ individual care. This is not a blind, blanket salvation which effects people incidentally (like people getting cars from Oprah just because they happened to be the ones on her show that day...etc). This is personal and deliberate.
So, what do we see in the individual narratives of each of these people? They are all completely desperate and 100% without hope. Let’s look at them.
The Demon Possessed Man. As soon as Jesus and His disciples get out of the storm we looked at last week, they arrive on the shore and are greeted by a welcoming party…and not one we would ever wish to encounter! It’s likely still dark, as they left the other side of the sea in the evening, so that adds to the eeriness of the scene, as out of the tombs where he lives runs a man possessed by many demons. His state is terrible. It is easy to focus on the demons who possess him and miss out on the man being possessed. He’s a terrifying figure. He lives amongst the tombs because he has been driven from town. They tried to tie him up, even with chains, but due to his supernatural captivity, he’s able to break those. In Matthew’s account*, we’re told people didn’t even come to this area any more because he was so violent. Yet, though he was being used to torment others, he was even more tormented. Due to his possession, he’s been separated from his home, lives amongst dead bodies, is naked (Luke 8), bound (though unsuccessfully), and suicidal. This is a picture of complete hopelessness as we see that “Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones” (Mark 5:5).
The Incurably Sick Woman. We also saw two other people in this chapter. After going back to Capernaum, Jesus encounters an incurably sick woman in the middle of the throngs of people pressing against Him. She’s hopeless, too. For 12 years, she’s suffered from some sort of menstrual bleeding. Not only has she spent all of her money on doctors, so she’s now destitute, but nothing has helped. In fact, it says she’s suffered under these physicians. Medical care at this time often caused more harm than good. That alone is pitiable. Yet, in addition to this, the nature of her sickness would have made her ceremonially unclean under the Old Testament Law. She would have been like a leper, outcast from society...for 12 years! In fact, she shouldn’t have even been in this crowd.
The Dying Girl and Her Devastated Dad. Then the final individual we encounter is one that hit this daddy hard, a dying girl. It’s not hard to see the desperation of her condition. She’s dying. In fact, by the end of this chapter, she has died. Yet, it’s interesting that the little girl is not the emphasized individual here. It’s actually her dad, who happens to be a leader of the local synagogue (not a Pharisee, but a religious leader responsible for overseeing the workings of the local synagogue). Though we have no reason to believe he’s suffering from anything physical, there is not a single parent in the world who would want to be in his position. His baby is dying, and he’s powerless to save her. Emotionally, he’s devastated.
Each is without hope, and that is the state in which they come face-to-face with the Savior.
II. COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE SAVIOR
Recognition of His Power. Another common denominator in each account is that each person has a recognition of Jesus’ power which grows.
The Demon Possessed Man. The demon possessed man falls on his face, bows before Jesus. Why? These demons know exactly who He is, and they beg Him to be gentle with them and not cast them out of the region. Don’t worry, we’re going to camp out on that request a bit next Sunday night, but for now, let’s just note the cause of their request. They know exactly who Jesus is and of what He’s capable. The man himself, does not, but is about to experience it, and when he does, his life will never be the same. In fact, he then begs to go with Jesus, but is sent back to his family and friends to tell them what the Lord has done. Jesus calls himself God, so there is no doubt as to how this man was rescued and by whom.
The Incurably Sick Woman. Likewise, the sick woman is confident that touching Him will heal her, so she does. When she does, Jesus seeks her out, calls her daughter (speaking to her not as a man to a woman, but as a father to his child), and tells her it was her faith in Him that healed her, not the “magic in His clothes”. He didn’t want her faith to become superstition, so He emphasized the true source of the power--Him! His amazing, compassionate grace!
The Dead Girl and Her Devastated Dad. Similarly, Jairus seeks Jesus for healing. He was a prominent figure in Capernaum. He knew what Jesus could do because, likely, he’d seen it. When the girl is reported to be dead, Jesus then turns to Jairus and tells him not to fear, but believe. In essence, He’s saying, ‘you claimed to trust Me; don’t stop’. Jesus then goes to the dead girl, and speaks these precious words, “Talitha cumi”. Every time I’ve read these words this week, and even as I type this here, I have gotten this a pang of emotion I probably would never of felt before I had kids. The Aramaic phrase here is one that would have been used by parents to wake their child up in the morning. It’s endearing and personal. He comes and says, ‘Sweetie, it’s time to wake up’...and she does. Praise the Lord!
The hopeless came face-to-face with the only one who could save them; their only hope--and were completely transformed by His compassionate grace.
III. AND ARE COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED BY HIS COMPASSIONATE GRACE
First, let me make this quick note; each of these people were ceremonially unclean according to Old Testament Law. Not only was the man possessed by a demon, but he lived amongst dead bodies and to touch such was to be unclean...and he was running around in the nude, which was also unclean (and, honestly, unsanitary in general ☺). The woman was suffering from menstrual bleeding, which was consider a time of uncleanliness. And the little girl… was actually a dead body. This is what Jesus does when we’re saved. He takes the unclean and makes it clean. He takes us as outcasts and adopts us as children. Let’s just take a second to look at the aftereffects of Jesus’ Grace in these individuals’ lives.
The Freed Man. This man was a raging terror, and now sits “clothed and his right mind”...and becomes a powerful testimony for Christ!
The Healed and Restored Woman. This woman was outcast and suffering. Now, she’s physically healed, socially restored, and shown love by the creator of the universe.
The Living Girl and Her Comforted and Amazed Family. This dad was devastated. He was powerless to help his dying daughter. Then, while he was trying to find a way to save her...she dies. He’s not even there when this happens. I can’t even imagine the heartbreak. But Jesus comes to the dead girl, and restores her life. She’s alive. Her family? Talk about a complete transformation for them, as well! They turn in an instant from mourning to rejoicing. They’re both comforted and amazed!
When we come face-to-face with the saving power of Jesus, our lives are forever transformed!
TAKEAWAYS
1. Do you realize your desperation?
We’re just like this spiritually bound, physically hopeless, and emotionally broken. In fact, we’re dead in our trespasses(Ephesians 2:1-10), until a Word and a touch from Jesus free us and bring us life!
2. Are you coming to the only One who has the power to save you?
Jesus’ words in verse 36 to Jairus can be spoken to each of us. “Do not fear, only believe.” You cannot save yourself. HE CAN!
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
-Doxology, Thomas Ken
3. Are you being transformed by His compassion?
Oh, how He loves you. Though we are desperate, hopeless, and destined for Hell, He has poured out His Grace. Again, this is not a blanket action, but deeply personal. He sees your need. He is your need. Come to Him and be completely transformed. His Grace changes everything.
Now, go home and tell everyone what Jesus, the Lord, has done for you!
* Side Note: In Matthew’s account there are two demon possessed men mentioned. This is not a Biblical contradiction. Rather, Mark and Luke likely chose to emphasize the more prominent of the two.
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