PowerPoint

Jack Graham: And he went away. Who went away? The demon-possessed, formerly demon-possessed man. And he proclaimed in the Decapolis, which means ten cities, how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

Guest (Female): On today’s PowerPoint, Dr. Graham brings a message about how Jesus has power over Satan and his demon army. Now here’s Dr. Graham with his message, Defeating Demons.

Jack Graham: Take your Bibles and turn with me to Mark chapter five, the fifth chapter. Today is a confrontation with demons and it is a riveting passage of Scripture. Jesus was an exorcist in that he often encountered demons and we see it in his ministry throughout the Gospels.

Do you recall that we said of all the Gospels, there are 26 days in the life of Jesus in his ministry recorded in the Gospels? 26 days. And in those 26 days, we often see him encountering evil, confronting the devil and demonic powers, the supernatural. And Jesus came in order to defeat these devils.

In fact, we’re told in 1st John chapter three and verse eight, we’re told that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. And he does that because Christ has all power and all authority and all sovereignty over every demonic spirit or activity that is in the world. You as a Christian and as a follower of Jesus Christ should never fear demonic powers.

You should respect the fact that demonic powers exist and that demons, fallen angels, what the Bible calls here in just a moment, we’ll read it, what the Bible calls unclean spirits because they are filthy, belched up from the pit of hell, fallen angels who are active and aggressive in their activity, paranormal, supernatural activity in the world.

But know this, that we have in Jesus, in our identity in Christ, victory over all the powers of the enemy. And there is no addiction, there is no controlling force in your life that cannot be overcome by the power of Jesus Christ. And the Savior, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, has the same ability to cast out the demonic forces that you may face in your life. The addictions, the pain, the habitual sins, all the rest. You have victory because Jesus is the bondage breaker.

And these miracles accredit Jesus as the Messiah. They are his accreditation. They are the validation. This is why Jesus performed miracles, John said. They were signs that testified to the fact that he is who he claimed to be, who is God. So are you ready for a scary text? So chapter five, verse one, we’re going to read 20 verses. So stay with me.

They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. Now just as a note, Matthew tells us that there were two. This bedeviled man had a little buddy, he had a brother that came with him. The other Gospels, Luke and Mark, focus on the one, but there were two according to Matthew, but I guess the other man was standing by.

So this man lived among the tombs. Now don’t think of a nice graveyard with little white crosses. The tombs in the ancient world were basically open cavernous caves. And you can even see it today in Israel, you can see some of these graves that were cut out of tombs or cut out of mountains and regions. And no one could bind him anymore. He couldn’t be contained or controlled, not even with a chain.

For he had been often bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart. He had supernatural strength, in other words, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Nobody wanted to tangle with this terrorizing man. Night and day, no rest, sleepless, suicidal, among the tombs and on the mountains, he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. Maybe trying to take his own life but couldn’t do it, but he’s cutting himself with stones.

And then verse six, and when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said. Now the man becomes the voice and the vehicle of the demon spirits because the demons began to speak. "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me." That is, "Do not put me in the place of torment or judgment." And he was saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many." So he had a description, not just a name. And a legion was a battalion or cohort of 6,000 or more Roman soldiers, a Roman legion. And also by way of background, Jesus and the disciples are coming off the Sea of Galilee from Capernaum. They’d already been in a storm at sea where Jesus calmed the storm. Maybe the disciples were hoping they could get a break. They walk on down to Gentile territory.

That’s why there were so many pigs there. They were Gentile people, and Jewish people typically weren’t raising pigs. So now Jesus is on the other side of the lake, the Sea of Galilee, and he’s here and he’s encountering this demonized man with a legion, multiple maniacal murderous demons living in him. Verse ten, and he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside and they begged him saying, "Send us into the pigs."

You say, "Now why?" I’m sure PETA would show up at this point and question Jesus demonizing or sending these demons into the pigs as cruel and unusual punishment for the pigs. You ask why the pigs, why did he send them into the pigs? Why did the demons request to go into the pigs? Well, I have no idea. I’m glad to be able to say I don’t have inside intel with demons. I just don’t.

So we don’t know why the pigs and why all of this. But verse 13, he gave them permission, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about 2,000, rushed down the steep bank from the sea and drowned in the sea. And the herdsmen fled, told it in the city and in the country, and people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, watch this, the one who had had the legion, sitting there.

This demonized man, this maniacal monster of a man, he was your worst nightmare. The children were afraid of him. They heard him shrieking at night, screaming at night. He was defiled with demons. He was diseased with these demons. He was divided with these demons. He was a legion. He was in the worst possible hopeless condition a human being could be in. He was living in hell. It was a living hell and hopeless.

But now, and now the one who had the legion, verse 15, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, that is sane and sensible. And they were afraid. And those who had seen it described it to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. And he was getting into the boat. The man who had been possessed by demons begged him that he might be with him.

Let me say that again. The man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, "Go home. Go home to your friends, to your family and your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you." There’s not a person in this room or within the sound and reach of my voice today, if Christ has changed your life, has broken the power of sin and death and hell in your life, that you cannot tell what great things the Lord has done for you. That there is mercy and grace in the Lord.

So verse 20 says in conclusion, and he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis. Who went away? The demon-possessed, formerly demon-possessed man. And he proclaimed in the Decapolis, which means ten cities, how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled. What a story.

Guest (Female): You’re listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Defeating Demons. Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It’s a study of God’s Word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham’s devotion every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789.

We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant, helping reach even more people with the hope and truth of Jesus Christ. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God’s Word through this ministry. Your support helps make that possible.

As our thanks for your gift of $10 or more, we’ll send you Dr. Graham’s brand-new book, The Lord is My Shepherd. Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789. Now, let’s get back to today’s message, Defeating Demons.

Jack Graham: The paranormal has emerged as a massive industry. Television series, movie franchises, best-selling novels, haunted houses, ghost hunters, poltergeist tours, fortune telling, channeling, psychic fairs, ghost photography, UFO sightings and alleged abductions, and government conspiracies, Bigfoot and even the Loch Ness Monster. All paranormal activity that people are observing today, really getting into it.

The problem is that paranormal, the paranormal is a slippery slope. And once an individual opens the door to this kind of darkness, it can be astrology, which is demonic at the core. It can be drug abuse and addiction, but anything that opens the world, the spirit world, the supernatural world, invites demonic activity in one’s life. And it can only affect an individual negatively. And that door, once it is open, is very difficult if not impossible without the power of God to close.

A majority of Americans, 71%, claim they have personally had paranormal experiences. 37% believe in ghosts. 56% believe that ghosts are spirits of the dead. 37%, these are Americans surveyed, believe that houses can be infiltrated and haunted by demonic spirits. A group of professors documented research at one was taken at Baylor religion survey project conducted from 2005 to 2007.

And these professors reported from Baylor University, they discovered that paranormal experiences are in fact surprisingly common in the United States. They confidently assert, these professors, 70 to 80% of Americans firmly believe in paranormal activity. Now perhaps you think that paranormal or supernatural activity is reserved for the ignorant, for the poor, for the idolatrous, for the uneducated, but research shows the opposite.

The fact is students of undergraduate and graduate students point out that the more educated people are, the more likely they are to believe in the supernatural. It’s true. There’s more. Almost one-third of Americans have consulted their horoscope. 42 million Americans have personally consulted a psychic, a medium or a fortune teller. Nearly 25% of Americans research ghosts and haunted houses.

There are 300 psychics who call themselves reverends or ordained. Satanic powers and influence are at work. And so, enough. One more. Youth are the most vulnerable according to David Kinnaman, a researcher. 73% of youth said that they had participated in contacting the dead or other related witchcraft activities. Most notably, listen up, only 28% of these young people who said they were involved in this said that they learned anything at their church to help inform them of the views of the supernatural world.

Church is saying nothing. The Bible says test the spirits and so every spirit must be tested whether it is of God or of Satan. You say, "What are these demons? Where did they come from?" They are fallen angels who joined Satan in rebellion against God. And they’re not down in hell shoveling coal into fire. They are loose on the earth. And they are powerful and they are pervasive and they can possess a human being.

Now, before we go any further, I want to say I do not believe a Christian can be possessed of a demon or of the devil. You as a Christian are possessed by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit. No unclean or unholy spirit can live in you. But what can happen to a Christian is demon oppression and spiritual bondage that comes from habitual and prevalent unholiness in life and ungodliness and behaviors. And the devil can actually oppress a person’s mind.

If you were psychoanalyzing this man, this demoniac of the Gaderenes or the Gerasenes, you would probably say he’s a sociopath psychologically. But this is way more than being a sociopath. And he was chained up and out of control. And it reminds me to say when it comes to these powers of Satan and powers of hell that exist today, the world has no answer for this.

And the very fact that Jesus on his 26 days recorded in the Gospel takes time to show us his power over demon spirits, this being the most vivid illustration of that, the very fact that Jesus took the time to show us his power and authority over the enemy is worthy of our intent and the content of what we preach and teach. We must teach our young people of the powers of evil. Not to obsess over them but to be aware because to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

What a story because this man who was no longer a man but now a man possessed, a monster, is delivered. And we see the power of deity, the presence of deity because these demon spirits, they came rushing up to the Lord and they knew who he was. They spoke and said, "Son of the Most High God." That’s an Old Testament reference to ultimate almighty deity. The Most High God.

They didn’t doubt the deity of Jesus. They knew, they knew from before time began who this is. And they were, this man was just cut down. The demons, they’re now submitted. He’s on his knees and the demons are submitted to the bondage breaker. The Son of the Most High God. The Son of God. Interesting in your New Testament in the book of Mark in particular the first confession of Jesus as the Son of God comes from these demons. They knew.

James says the devil believes and trembles. And by the way I would say that most of the time when we’re dealing with demons and doctrines of demons, it’s not so overt and in your face as this situation here. Demons often hide in pulpits and behind pulpits and under pews and in churches and in seminaries and universities where Christ is denied which is the spirit of antichrist.

So demons are everywhere. They’re not just in the back alleys and the homes of drug addicts or idolaters. But the power of Jesus Christ in the presence of Satan is here. And in this beautiful, it’s really an illustration, such a powerful picture of what happens when a man or a woman is converted and changed and cleansed by the power of Jesus.

Before Jesus we were unclean, defiled. Even in the best that we could do, it wasn’t enough. We know the power of evil and sin’s devastating consequences in lives. Some of you have experienced the power of Satan in a big margin because you opened yourself up through drugs or through alcohol or through activities in your life and many, could I just throw in pornography?

And whether you become possessed by the devil or oppressed by the devil, if you entertain evil in your life or are entertained by evil, then you put yourself in the target zone of the devil. This man was destroyed. He was living in hell. But then he met Jesus. And Jesus changed his life. Now he’s sitting clothed, sane, in his right mind. This is what Jesus will do for you.

But there is a sad conclusion to this, a sad and sweet conclusion. The sad conclusion is that the people in the town, this little town, they wanted Jesus to go away. They invited him out. They were frightened, maybe it was the whole thing of they lost their pigs. I mean they lost big business. Maybe the whole town was all wrapped up in the pig business. Probably was. And so now they cared more about pigs than the person who was sitting in front of them.

Did you know that human trafficking is another work of the enemy in the satanic forces in the world today? Human trafficking and prostitution and all the rest that goes with that. So making money off a business that is inspired by Satan. But they wanted Jesus to leave. And here’s the thing: he left. He will always leave where he’s uninvited. You either reject him or receive him. But he gives you the opportunity to say yes to him.

But one final word, the sweet side of the conclusion is this man, well this man wanted to be one of the disciples. He wanted to go where Jesus was going. He wanted to go and be one of the disciples and travel and be on a tour. Maybe he could give his testimony all across where Jesus was speaking and he could tell, "I’m the man demons were cast out." But Jesus said, "No, no."

He said, "Here’s what I want you to do. Go home and tell your friends what the Lord has done for you." And I would say that’s what God is calling every one of us to do as we follow Jesus. You want to go win the world? Start with your own family. Go home and tell your family the wonderful thing that Jesus has done for you in your life. Go tell your family, go tell your friends of the mercy and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You may not have been delivered from demonic possession or even oppression, but you have been delivered from something far worse. You have been delivered from hell because Jesus went to the cross, he died on the cross, he rose again, and in the power of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ you are safe and in your right mind and going to heaven because Jesus is the bondage breaker and he will change your life if you will let him.

Guest (Female): You’re listening to PowerPoint with Jack Graham and the message Defeating Demons. We want to tell you about an exciting opportunity available this month. Right now, every gift you give to PowerPoint Ministries will be doubled through a generous $150,000 matching grant. Every day, people burdened by fear, anxiety, and uncertainty are discovering the peace found in God’s Word through this ministry.

Your support helps make that possible. And as our thanks for your generosity, we’ll send you Dr. Graham’s brand-new book, The Lord is My Shepherd. In this encouraging study of Psalm 23, Dr. Graham shows how the Good Shepherd provides, guides, and stays with you even through life’s darkest valleys. Text SEPTEMBER to 59789 to have your gift doubled and receive your copy today. Again, text SEPTEMBER to 59789.

Did you know that you can join Dr. Graham for his daily devotion? It’s a study of God’s Word that will help you grow in your faith, encourage you in your walk with Christ, and show you how to navigate through the challenges of life. To sign up, text DEVO to 59789 and begin receiving Dr. Graham’s devotion every day. Again, text DEVO to 59789. Pastor, what is your PowerPoint for today?

Jack Graham: Someone’s listening to me right now who is in bondage to something. You are just all wrapped up in this particular sin and you don’t know how to get out. Maybe you don’t even admit that it’s a problem but it is a problem and you have to begin by saying, "Lord, I am a sinner. Lord, this thing is beating me. I am in bondage to my sin. And Lord, only you can change me."

Just like that man who was possessed by all of these demons, there are demons today that destroy and defile. And yet Jesus is the bondage breaker. You can be delivered by the power of Jesus Christ in your life. He died to set you free and he rose again so that you can live in his victory. But you know, I’m also talking to Christians. Some men and women out there who you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior but you’ve just been trapped in your sin and you need to get out.

The only way out is to begin at the beginning and to find a new beginning in Jesus Christ by coming back to him. You don’t have to live this way. You don’t have to live defeated and destroyed by your sin. You don’t have to be in bondage to any vile habit or sinful attitude. You can be set free. Paul the Apostle, he even described himself as a murderer. He had a taste of blood in his mouth. He wanted to kill Christians. But Jesus changed his life.

The power of the resurrected Christ that changed Paul from the murderer to the great missionary can change your heart and change your life. If you will simply come to him, acknowledge your sin, admit that it’s wrong, receive his forgiveness by the power of Jesus, you can be changed today.

Guest (Female): And that is today’s PowerPoint. And join us again next time as Dr. Graham brings a message about how you can have a powerful cleansing and consecration before the Lord. That’s next time on PowerPoint with Jack Graham. PowerPoint with Jack Graham is sponsored by PowerPoint Ministries.