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In Mark 5, Jesus encounters a man whose life has been completely devastated by demonic oppression. He is isolated, tormented, hopeless, and unable to free himself. Yet with a simple command, Jesus demonstrates His absolute authority over the powers of darkness and completely transforms the man. This story reminds us that while our bondage may look different, every person apart from Christ is enslaved to sin and under the domain of darkness. Through His mercy, Jesus sets people free—not only from guilt and condemnation, but also from the power of sin and Satan. The challenge for believers is not merely to be freed, but to live in the freedom Christ has already won for us.

Mark 5:1-20

1 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.

See the sermon guide and discussion questions here: https://myrealchurch.org/teaching/stand-alone/freedom-in-christ/

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Message Us!

We challenge the noisy cultural stories about masculinity with Psalm 1 and a clear definition of biblical manhood rooted in following Jesus. We lay out three marks of a real man and end at the cross, because we need a Savior before we can live with courage, contentment, and consistency.
• cultural extremes around masculinity and why misogyny is toxic
• a Bible-shaped definition of manhood as sacrificial responsibility that blesses others
• contentment as deep blessedness rather than constant cheer
• King Ahab as a warning about entitlement and discontent
• Lance Armstrong as a modern example of insatiability and downfall
• the secret of delighting in God’s Word day and night
• being materially content and spiritually hungry
• why children need presence more than possessions
• courage to resist compromise and stand against shifting cultural narratives
• the “walk, stand, sit” progression into ungodliness
• consistency as rooted faith that bears fruit over time
• the North Star metaphor for unchanging convictions
• Paul Tripp’s reminder that true manhood leads us to the cross as Savior

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Message Us!

Sermon on Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

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