Note: Today's message is on the longer side but sometimes it works out that way.

Message summary: There are those who profit from evil. All are not joyful when the Lord of the universe comes in and cleans house!

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"When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region" (Mark 5:15-17). "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).

Phil Menditto is a friend who attended Bible College with us in the 70's. He is not only the founder but has been the pastor of Philadelphia Christian Center for 45 years now. It's a dynamic church with many outreaches to the needy city, including ministry to those stupored by drugs on Kensington Avenue, perhaps the most infamous open drug market in America.

Evidence of the spiritual darkness and rebellion abounds in our world. God's instruction manual for life, the Bible, continues to be ignored, mocked, violated and tampered with and this is leading to inevitable chaos and destruction. It will certainly get worse unless we have a revival. Sometimes it seems I can practically hear Satan's hideous laughter since he delights in destruction (John 10:10).

Consider how many profit from darkness. Some work for a "business" that is evil and sinister such as those profiting from the illegal drug trade and organizations like Planned Parenthood (performing and promoting abortions). Others have work that is not necessarily evil but is a necessary consequence of rebellion and disobedience, such as social workers, who would be much less needed if moral standards were observed and if marriages and families worked the way God instructs in the Word.

So today let us consider a Bible portion that teaches about those who got upset when their enterprise was disrupted by the redeeming power of Jesus.

The daily verse ends a section that deals with one of the most remarkable and dramatic deliverances recorded in Scripture, that of the Gerasene demoniac. More detail is given to this deliverance than any other, with each of the synoptic Gospels recording it.  In a nutshell Jesus frees a man who was horrifically bound by demons.

What a horrible condition the man was in, "This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained, hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones" (Mark 5:3-5).

Try to imagine living like this or having a loved one who does? A possible comparison might be seeing the "zombies" who are drug addicted on Kensington Ave. in Philadelphia and in other major cities. What a tremendous heart break this is for the family members!

But Jesus changed everything! You can read the full account in Mark 5:1-20 (the entire chapter) and I would encourage you to do so. Brooksyne suggested that if this man were saved in today's setting he might sing, "I Got Saved" which we include in our song list links today.

What joy such a deliverance should bring to everyone to see a fellow human being delivered from such affliction.

But all are not joyful when the Lord of the universe comes in and cleans house! The pig owners lost a great source of wealth, the chain-maker lost a steady repeat customer since he kept breaking the chains people used to bind him, and the village novelty was now dressed and in his right mind.

Rather than a rejoicing attitude those who had benefited from this man's demonic possession were afraid (v. 15).  Life had been interrupted and it seemed little regard was given for the man who had been delivered from years of demon possession. The daily verse is so indicative of the reaction of those lost in darkness. Notice the phrase, "and told about the pigs as well". It seems their focus was on the loss of the pigs rather than the redemption of the human. Our selection ends with these words, "Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region".

This happens today as well. Many would prefer to have a world void of the influence of Jesus and His followers. For most the miracle of salvation is not as outwardly dramatic as that of the Gerasene demoniac's deliverance; but inwardly, genuine regeneration is every bit as miraculous. Genuine conversion has many consequences: restored marriages, mothers and fathers assuming their God ordained duties, a high value of life. Smokey's Bar loses a steady customer; the gambling casino has one less patron to be "entertained" and swindled, the vile pornographic industry loses a source of profit. And the list goes on and on because so many profit from darkness.

When marriages and families are broken there are many who profit financially.

But when redemption occurs this world has one more little light to remind them of how dark the darkness really is. To those profiting in darkness that's scary. Those most accustomed to darkness don't want light. A powerful Scripture that teaches this is John 3:19: "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." Today, as then, many unregenerate people profit from darkness and continue to plead with Jesus and His followers to leave.

Jesus did move on and the redeemed man wanted to go with Him but Jesus told him to stay and spread the message. And he did so! Today redeemed people all over the world continue to spread the message. And many still don't want to hear it. They still plead to those walking in the light, "Leave and take your Jesus with you." But until we are called home let us remain obedient to Christ and keep our lights shining, lest we too be swept into the darkness!

Be encouraged today, Hebrews 3:13

Stephen and Brooksyne Weber