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Sanctification
Part 5 - Mark 5:1-20 Definitive Sanctification
This fall we’re talking about SANCTIFICATION = how God works to change you, a sinner, and make you more holy in your heart and in your actions.
Westminster Shorter Catechism 35: What is sanctification?
Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace,
whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God,
and are enabled more and more to die unto sin,
and live unto righteousness.
[Review] 1) Sanctification is NOT license to live however you want.
2) Sanctification is not by the Law.
3) Sanctification is by the gracious power of the Holy Spirit.
4) But that doesn’t mean you do nothing because sanctification is also by faith.
We’re going to read about Jesus freeing a guy from demon possession to see what we are to believe about our sanctification, how we are to exercise our faith in sanctification.
Let’s read Mark 5:1-20
What is this guy’s problem?
What do we know about this guy?
1) He’s possessed by demons.
Some people laugh at that stuff. “We’re sophisticated. What you see is what you get. There is no greater reality beyond our senses - what’s real is what you can see, taste, touch, smell, hear.”
Ok but those people are in the extreme minority today. A small minority in the West believe the material is all there is. In the West there is this big growing trend in spiritualism. Also, modern science focuses on the material aspect of reality. But a focus on the material cannot prove that what is material is the only thing that exists. Science can’t tell you whether demons and angels and God are real. The Bible is unapologetically supernatural = this guy is suffering from demon possession all due to his sin.
What is demon possession? Who can be possessed?
What is the power demons have over this guy? What does the devil and all the other demons do?
The devil and all his little devil demons TEMPT you to sin. Then once you sin they ACCUSE you of your sin night and day and that you deserve death and condemnation for your sin.
So what is this guy’s real REAL problem? How did he get into this mess of being possessed by demons in the first place?
The problem behind the problem, the problem behind his demon possession is his SIN.
What else do we know about this guy? Where does he live?
2) He lives in the tombs, surrounded by death. Remember, he is dead in his sin. Accused by these demons that he is guilty of sin and deserving of eternal death. And that’s why it makes total sense that this guy is living in tombs. He’s a dead man walking.
Why is he alone?
3) We know he’s uncontrollable, violent, and supernaturally strong. People have tried to restrain him in the past and help him but he hulks out and shatters chains and shackles. So people have given up on him and he’s been abandoned.
Should we pity him?
4) He’s also in pain. He spends his nights crying. He’s also in physical pain. He cuts himself with stones.
What’s his name and why is that the saddest thing ever?
He’s not possessed by one demon, as awful and terrifying as that would be. It’s not like that cartoon stuff, “I’ve got an angel on this shoulder and a devil on the other shoulder and I don’t know who to listen to.” “Legion” is the term for a big, conquering Roman military force numbering 6,000 troops. So when this man tells Jesus his name is Legion he’s telling Jesus, “I am one person under the oppression of an entire army. I’m occupied territory. I’m all alone being crushed under the boot of an occupying force.”
The question is not, what can this man do. The question is…what can Jesus do? Remember David vs Goliath. Remember Jonathan and his armor bearer vs a garrison of Philistines? How does this compare?
[Miracle] Jesus is confronted with an army of supernatural beings (any one of these demons could take out an army of Philistines).
And who is afraid of who?
Jesus doesn’t beg the demons to leave the man. The demons beg Jesus to ALLOW them to go into these nearby pigs. And with a word Jesus miraculously exorcises thousands of demons out of this man, “You have MY PERMISSION, now run.” And, still part of the miracle, the pigs are ironically driven mad and rush into the sea and die. It’s a picture of Jesus judging and condemning evil.
If this possessed man is an honest, accurate picture of what sin does to mankind. Then this miracle of restoring this man is an honest, accurate picture of what Jesus does when he frees us from the dominant occupying power of evil and sin.
What do the townsfolk think of this guy?
[App - Town Reaction] One day this teacher shows up and dares to go where no one else will go and he miraculously delivers this man of his demon possession. And clothes him. He’s in his right mind now. Neighborhood is safe. Property value will go up. Public menace no more. You expect everyone to start partying. You’d think Jesus and this guy would become local celebrities. Instead the townspeople ask Jesus to leave. Because Jesus just ruined the local economy. A lot of pigs died to make this guy healthy. A lot of resources were lost so this guy could be found. They have their friend back but it cost them too much. It wasn’t worth it.
[Gospel] Jesus dares to go where no one else is willing to go. He did it for this man. He did it for you. And it cost Jesus so much more than a herd of pigs to save him and us. And although it was as nothing to Jesus to cast these demons out, to free this man from these demons meant Jesus had to free this man from what these demons had over him which meant Jesus had to free this man from his sins which meant this cost Jesus everything. To free this man from his sin Jesus had to overcome his sin and to overcome his sin Jesus had to die. Jesus dared to go where no one, NO ONE, is willing to go: to hell on the cross.
If you go to the end of the Gospel of Mark - just like Legion you see Jesus stripped naked; and just like Legion you see Jesus cut = tortured and then nailed to a cross; and just like Legion you see Jesus outside the city among the tombs, crucified; and just like Legion you see Jesus written off by all his friends and not only his friends but by God himself. What is this? Jesus has taken Legion’s place. The way Jesus overcomes the mastery of Legion’s sin and all of our sin is to become our substitute. And Jesus did it because this guy was worth it to Jesus. And so are you.
[Definitive Sanctification] Jesus did something to sin on the cross in his death. Jesus never personally sinned. He lived a life of perfect obedience. But as our substitute he subjected himself to the guilt and power of sin in his crucifixion and death. BUT when Jesus died, he died to the power of sin's power. Because once Jesus died he was no longer in a state of being able to sin. His body was in the grave for three days and his soul was in heaven and you don’t sin in heaven. And then he was bodily resurrected three days later and he was glorified and ascended into heaven and there he is only able to not sin, he is unable to sin forever. And so on the cross and in his resurrection Jesus has utterly shattered the power of sin in himself.
And since Jesus is the one we are united to we have his death to sin and his resurrection to righteousness. The moment sinners are united to Christ by faith, they are delivered from sin's enslaving power, from their bondage to sin as master. This is called your ‘definitive sanctification’. You are definitively freed from slavery to sin.
So do we ever need to worry as if = Is Jesus in heaven still being tempted to sin and resisting sin as he did his whole life on earth? Is Jesus still under the threat of suffering or death? The power of this new life that comes from Jesus, could something happen to him in heaven that could cut off his power in us?
No, the life, the power, the salvation we have now in Christ cannot be cut off. Sin has no claim on Jesus - he died once for all to the penalty of sin. Sin has no power over Jesus, sin cannot enslave Jesus, sin cannot rule over Jesus, sin can no longer touch Jesus with suffering or death.
And that’s who you are united to. And so sin does not rule you. We are not dead in sin, we are alive in Christ.
What might a Christian object to this?
[Objection] Now someone will say, “If I’m delivered from the power of sin, why do I keep sinning?” Because although you’re delivered from the power of sin you’re not yet delivered from the presence of sin. Sin will still trouble you; it will still allure you. Sin will whisper to you, “I am still your master.” But it’s a lie. Sin in the end will not win over you.
[John Owen] John Owen, one of my theological heroes said, “The major difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is that the dominion of sin is broken in the life of the believer. But, sin is still present in the life of the believer. So there are two basic problems for pastors: 1) to convince those under sin’s dominion that they really are under sin’s dominion = these people you evangelize; and 2) to convince those not under sin’s dominion that they really are not under sin’s dominion = these people you continue to disciple with the gospel of grace.”
With sanctification we have to exercise faith in this precise sense of reckoning that we have died to sin in union with Christ’s death and that we have been raised to newness of life in union with Christ’s resurrection.
So what are we supposed to do with that?
You’re supposed to react the way Legion did. The townspeople cared about their resources, their comfort, their safety more than they do about this poor broken man’s salvation.
And we are so like the townspeople about other people in need AND even about ourselves!
[Reckon Ourselves Alive] There are times and seasons you feel like your life, your problems, your story, your issues are a burden that other people don’t care about and shouldn’t care about because you feel like you’re not worth the trouble. You don’t want to talk about your life with other people because you don’t think you’re worth the burden. That’s a lie.
Jesus told this man to go tell the townsfolk what Jesus had done for him. Which means this guy need to exercise that faith about himself that he really was saved, he no longer belonged to these devils. Sin was no longer his master, Jesus was. He HAD to believe that about himself to tell others. You have to believe this about yourself.
There’s an objection - If you assure people in the church of their salvation just because they believe in Jesus they’re going to live however they want. The answer - No, if you don’t assure people of their salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone they will live however they want.
[Hope for Others] Jesus sent this guy to go tell the townsfolk what Jesus had done and these are the people who had abandoned and hated this guy! AND there are people with problems who we think are too far gone and not worth the trouble; not worth helping, not worth talking to, not worth praying for - either because they’re so messed up or because they’ve hurt us. It’ll cost us too much to help.
But Legion got it. In v.18: “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him.” Now overwhelmed with love for Jesus all he wants to do is be with Jesus.
[Sends] “Jesus let’s go back and cross over the sea. I want to be an overseas missionary with you.” But Jesus tells him no! Why does Jesus turn this guy down? He’d be huge on the preaching circuit. This guy’s story - he’d fill stadiums full of people. But instead Jesus sends the guy off BACK HOME. “Just go home and tell people what I did for you.” That’s really hard. When we think about missions it’s very easy to get very excited about doing something for the kingdom OVER THERE, somewhere else: China, India, Africa, somewhere else in Texas, Hawaii BUT you completely neglect the fact that Jesus has sent you somewhere right now: where you are now - here in Houston as a student, with the people you live with, the people you rub shoulders with, the people you go to class with, go to lunch with, the people you constantly see. The reason you’re living where you’re living is intentional. Jesus has sent you there. He put you there. You’ve been sent HERE to embody the gospel to these people, listen to them, tell them the gospel, love them, serve them. It’s so much easier to say I’m going overseas for a week, I’m going to go serve there for the summer than it is to be intentional about the people you’re surrounded with right now.