Power Over Sin

Mark 5:2
“And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,”

Every Christian has a battle with sin because every Christian must live in their sinful flesh. It doesn’t matter the title that a Christian carries, as long as they live in their flesh, they will have to battle sin. Of course, everyone’s sin is different from each other; however, the answer to overcoming sin is always the same.

The verse above is what happened immediately after Jesus calmed the storms. It is interesting that Jesus shows us that He has the power to calm the storms of life, but when He met a man who nobody could tame, Jesus showed that He also had power over sin. In this story of the man who was bound with a legion of unclean spirits, we see what sin does to an individual, and we also see the answer to overcoming those sins that control us. Let me show you several observations from this story.

First, sin always dwells where life is not present. This man made his dwelling among the tombs; this was a place where there was no life. Sin will always bring you to places where sin has destroyed many testimonies. You may see yourself going down the same road of death that you have seen others take and feel that there is no hope, but there is always hope as long as Jesus is involved.

Second, sin always brings you to the point of hopelessness in the sight of man. It is interesting that men tried to control this man with chains, but the unclean spirits still reigned in this man’s life. Man’s answer to sin is always to put chains of controls; whereas, Christ’s answer to sin is complete freedom from sin. You can go to men who give you answers to control your sin through medication or programs, but the problem is you have not been freed from those chains of sin.

Third, sin is untamable, and it will continue to grow if you don’t deal with it properly. Verse 4 says about this man’s plight, “…chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.” The problem with man’s systems of control is that they don’t control sin. You will see in verse 9 that this man had a legion of unclean spirits controlling him. The more they tried to chain this man, the more spirits populated him. The problem with trying to follow man’s systems of control is that they may control sin for a short time, but when the chains of control are broken, the wild side of sin will be even greater.

Fourth, sin always brings you to a point where you will hurt yourself in hopes that it will take the pain of sin away. Verse 5 says, “…always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.” My friend, you don’t have to allow the chains of sin to control you to this point. You can have victory over sin. Hurting yourself never stops what sin is doing to you. You may feel hopeless, but remember there is always hope in Jesus Christ.

The answer to this whole story is found in verse 6 where it says, “But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,” The power of Jesus is the only power that can give you freedom from sin. Let me encourage you to run to Jesus and cry to Him for freedom from sin. Confess your sin to Him and yield to His Holy Spirit. It is through these actions that He will cast the chains of sin from your life. Always remember that Jesus is your answer.

Author: Allen Domelle