June 8, 2025
Behind Enemy Lines
Pastor Ricky Smith

Sermon Notes

Mark 5:1–20
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. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, 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. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. 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.” For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” 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 to the pigs; let us enter them.” 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. The herdsmen fled and 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, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described 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. As he was getting into the boat, 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 to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

I. Jesus Crosses Over With Purpose

II. Jesus Demonstrates Freedom Over Oppression

III. Jesus Sends Transformed People on Mission

If you know His mercy, you’ve been called to share it.

Next Steps

• I come to Jesus and trust Him with my life as Lord and Savior.
• I commit to tell my story using the Calvary Share page.
• I choose to carry hope to those who may appear to be far away from God.

Deep Dive

1. How does Jesus’ calming of the storm prepare us for His confrontation with Legion?
2. Read Romans 6:6. What chains has Jesus broken in your life, and how can your story serve as a witness to others?
3. How can our church follow Jesus’ model of crossing boundaries to confront evil and bring hope?

Springboards

1. Share a time when you have felt desperate.
2. Read Mark 5:21-43. Who in this passage is in a desperate situation?
3. How can we rely on God with confidence when we are in desperate need?