Sunday Morning Series - Boundaries - What Happens When Evil Steps Over the Line?

Text:  Luke 8:26-39 & Mark 5:1-20

When a neighbor or stranger comes on your property and begins using your shed to store his possessions without your permission, you don't just sit back and allow it. You either confront him or call the police. That neighbor has crossed a boundary. Yet, when the enemy crosses our borders with all manner of evil we don't take action.

Why?

When my wife and I were first married, we had some differences. One of them involved salt and pepper shakers. I grew up with the salt in the shaker with the most holes, while hers was the opposite. The first time I went to put salt on my food, out came pepper. What??? I didn't see the difference. Sometimes we have trouble telling the difference between good and evil.

In these passages, Jesus gets out of the boat and is greeted by a man with an unclean spirit. Mark uses the word, "immediately." He uses it throughout his gospel 40 times. That's a lot for a small book.

Luke 8:30 tells us there was a legion of demons in this man. A legion in the Roman army was about 6,000 men. That's a lot of demons. We don't see any other example of that number in scripture (other than this particular story). The demons were afraid Jesus would judge them, that they'd overstepped their boundaries, and would send them into the abyss. Jesus gave them permission to enter a herd of pigs.

Now, Jews weren't supposed to keep pigs. They were unclean animals, but the profit they brought was probably an attraction. Maybe they had others take care of them.They were upset when their pigs ran off a cliff and died. It's like the drug dealer that says he sells the stuff but doesn't take it himself. Helping others sin makes one as guilty as the person who actually does it.

Just think, this man had been screaming, running around naked, breaking any chains put on him, for a long time. He was a menace to society. Yet, when Jesus freed him and the man sat clothed and in his right mind, the people were afraid of Jesus!

Are you allowing what is evil to step over the boundaries of your life? To hear the entire message, please visit our website and click on the Media Tab. You can listen online, download it to your MP3 player or podcast.

Have you been wondering if God loves you? Life's challenges may cause you to doubt that truth. Why not come out to Zoe Christian Fellowship for solid Bible answers that impact you where you live? We're located at 1111 Easton Rd. (Route 611), in Warrington, PA. We also have Super Church for Kids where they can learn God's Word on their level.

We look forward to meeting you!