Sometimes when you're in a storm you need
somebody to holler at you and say, "Hey! You're going to make it through this!" "How do you know?" "Because Jesus said we're going to the other side. So you can't die in this;
you've got to make it to that!" That's what I came to say. I've preached so many sermons about this storm,
and I've told so many people they can survive what they're going through, but there's a more
important question than…Will you survive? The better question to ask
is…Why did you survive the storm? Have you ever thought about
how many things the Enemy did even early in your life to try to stop
you from having a relationship with God? Remember, this is Mark 4 not Mark 5.
This man has not even seen Jesus yet, yet there is a storm that is sent to the Sea
of Galilee to keep Jesus from getting to him. I know. You're like, "Well, how do you know the Devil started the storm? Maybe
it was just climate change." Because it said Jesus rebuked
the wind and the waves. Jesus doesn't rebuke natural elements; he
rebukes demons. The same demonic oppression that was oppressing that man was in that sea
trying to stop Jesus from getting to the man. You were on the Devil's hit
list before you were ever born. There were things in your family line that were
happening before you were born that were designed to keep you from being in church at this moment
today. Touch somebody and say, "You must be important." Because in spite of all of the storms
that had your name on them, in spite of all of the winds and the waves and the hurricane forces,
in spite of every attack, look at you in church. Look at you clapping. Look at you taking notes.
Look at you praising God. Look at you believing for a brighter day. Look at how you made
it. You must be important. You survived! Do you know how I know you're important? It takes boldness to call your sermon You
Must Be Important, but I know it. Not because of the car you drive. Not because
of the house you live in. Not because I looked up how many Instagram followers you have. I
know you're important because of your storm. The size of your storm tells me
something about your importance. The size of your storm lets me know
the importance of your assignment. The Devil doesn't start a storm for
somebody he's not threatened by. If you're going through a storm, there's
something so big on the other side. High-five three people and
say, "You must be important." That big bad Devil has been huffing and puffing,
and he thought he would blow your house down, but the trial just served to prove your
foundation. My house is on the rock! I was so confused for so long. I thought the storm meant God had left me, but
in this passage the storm means he's on the way. Did you hear what I said? If you're going through
a storm right now or if one happens to hit on Thursday morning, I want you to know the
storm is a sign that grace is on the way. The Bible says the storm came up suddenly. The moment
Jesus started in the direction of the man, here came a storm, not because God wasn't with him but
precisely because he was headed in his direction. If what I just said is true, that there is a storm
that proves… Nobody attacks what isn't valuable. I promise you if I went to play game seven today
LeBron wouldn't guard me. I promise you they would let me run all around that court and do whatever I
wanted to do. They would hand me the ball gladly. Why would you guard someone who wasn't in a
position to score? I know you're important. When I prepared this message I was
like, "Everybody won't get this message, because they'll do this thing. When
I get to this man called Legion and say he was living among the tombs
and cutting himself with stones, they will disassociate themselves and say, 'Well,
I've got some problems, but I'm not that bad.' When he says, 'My name is Legion,' they'll back up
off of him and disassociate in the text and say, 'Well, I'm like the disciples going through
a storm, but I'm not the man called Legion.'" Really? Are you so sure? It said he lived among
the tombs. So you don't go to dead places? Are you sure? Are you sure this isn't you?
Somewhere in here… It may have a different demonstration, but it's the same dynamic.
It said they would try to chain him up and he would break the chains and they couldn't
hold him anymore and he would hurt himself. Are you telling me there's no area of
your life where you're out of control? I started to study the text
thinking I was like Jesus and "Who do I need to go help?" The more I studied
it, I thought, "Maybe there's some Legion in me." I don't mean demonic possession, but I
do mean oppression. I have my own chains. I'll tell you the greatest secret God ever
showed me about you. Yes, you. He told me that all y'all are crazy. True story. I was getting ready to preach
one time, and I wanted to preach from my own dysfunction. I was embarrassed to do it,
because I thought everybody I was preaching to had their act together, and why are you going
to listen to a preacher who's crazier than you? It was very interesting for me the path I went on in those two years I was learning this lesson,
watching millionaires who were miserable. I realized the Devil doesn't check your net
worth before he tries to wreck your house. I saw really nice-smelling people with country club memberships and stuff
who drive eco-friendly cars and eat hummus freaking out on depression medication.
Once I found out y'all were crazy, I was no longer intimidated to
preach this Bible like it really is. Once I realized you might be
out of control in your spending, your eating, your sexuality… If I kept
going long enough, I'd clear the whole room out of self-righteousness. There would not be
one more Pharisee spirit left to hear this sermon if I kept going. Dare me to do it. I
will name every demon in this room. Because once I stop talking about the stuff you
can't see, then I would move over to gossip. Some of y'all can't stop talking about people. You are
so ugly to… I told you. I told you you were crazy. He knew the man was crazy when he got on
the boat. It didn't stop him from coming. That got me excited. I figure maybe he knows about my issues too. "I am
Legion," he said. A legion is 6,000 foot soldiers. That's a lot of demons. Jesus said, "What is
your name? You know my name. Do you know yours?" Do you know who you are? Or do you
have so many different personas… We're all a little bit of
Legion. There are many me's. Somebody told me Abbey looks just like
me. They said, "She's your mini me." I was like, "You don't know how
true that is. There are many me's." There's online you. There's Sunday morning
you. That's the only one I ever get to see. But then I found out there's a Friday night you. Don't make me interview your spouse, please. I
will pull them up here and give them the mic. There's a you only she knows or he knows.
There's a you only you know. There's a you that cries out day and night. You don't cut
yourself with stones. I understand that. But sometimes you inflict pain on
yourself, and you can't stop it. You don't even know why you keep pushing people
away. You've been living among the tombs so long. Somebody's tomb is the mall. Somebody's tomb
is pornography. Somebody's tomb is an addiction that if we named it in the room you'd think
surely that person wouldn't come to church. You'd be surprised how quickly
the demons run to Jesus. Those demons ran before Jesus
and fell before him and said, "Don't make us leave. We've got it like we want
it here. We've got these people on lockdown." They knew this man was important
to Jesus, and they knew they were about to have to vacate the premises
of this man's personality and his psychology. They knew someone strong enough to subdue them had
finally showed up in the region of the Gerasenes. You've tried everything else and run to everyone
else, but I declare today you are in the presence of a greater grace. What works couldn't do
and the law couldn't do and chains couldn't do and shackles couldn't do God is about to do
in your life. Grace can do what chains can't do. So now we get to the part about the pigs. We haven't even gotten to the pigs yet.
The pigs are the most important part. This is the part where I'm wondering why
the demons wanted to get inside the pigs. On the surface, I understand that the
Devil never wants to give up any ground. Once he has established a foothold… How
many of you don't believe in the Devil? I want to see who hasn't had kids
yet. That's all I'm trying to do. He doesn't want you to be
the first one in your family not to need drink to feel good about yourself. He doesn't want you to be the first one in
your family to be able to stay stable in a relationship rather than running around.
What does he want? He wants to stand guard in the area… This is a brilliant strategy.
I have to give it to these devils. The devils are smarter than a lot of church
people. They know how to get in formation, they know how to accomplish a purpose, and
they know how to discern what is valuable. Are you with me? Lean into this word. The word
you resist is the one you need. Jesus is in this house. The presence of God is in this place.
The power of a mighty God is in this moment. Jesus says, "You have to go. Let that man
go. He's important to me. I went through the storm to get to him. I went through the
thunder and the lightning to get to him. I went through bucketfuls of water bailed out
of Peter's boat to get to him. I came two hours across the Sea of Galilee, and I only have three
years to change the world. This man is a VIP. I know everybody else has forgotten about him, but I
want him." Let me say something real quick. If he went through the storm for this man and he went
to the cross for you, how valuable must you be? How much is your life worth to God? Jesus said, "Okay. You can go into the pigs."
And they went into the pigs, and they made the pigs drown, because the demons know two things.
First, pigs can't swim, but we all know that. What did the demons know that we don't know? I
think the demons understood the people in the region cared more about the pigs than
they did about the man. This is 2,000 pigs. This represents a significant part of the
portfolio of these pig owners. This is a region that is known for raising pigs. So what does
the Enemy attack? Whatever you value the most. Yes, he knows what you value. Yes, he knows
how to hit you where it hurts the most. That's why he'll use people to get to your
relationship with God. What's really most valuable is your relationship with God, but
he knows if he can get people to offend you you will do what the people did. You will send
Jesus away because you were offended by people. He knows where to hit you. He knows where
your insecurity is. He knows your playlist, what you say to yourself about yourself. He
knows your proclivities, your perversions. He knows what makes you feel ashamed, so he
hits you there to make you lash out in anger. He knows how to keep you bound. Since he couldn't
stay in the man, the Devil went into the pigs. "If I kill the pigs, they'll send Jesus away."
"Let me hurt Job." This is when the Devil had a meeting with God. He said, "I've been going
to and fro looking for somebody to devour," and God said, "Have you checked out my
boy Job? Job is a bad dude." This is an updated translation. It's a little more
modern. Probably says it in your Bible. The Devil said, "He's only serving you because
his herd is still intact. Let me touch his body. Let me touch his children." The Enemy will use
anything to get to your faith. What he's after is your relationship with God, but he will use the
pigs to get you to push away the presence of God. He knows exactly where you're vulnerable.
Guess where you're the most vulnerable. Wherever you place the greatest value. These
pigs were worth $2 million in modern money. He said, "If I can get in the pigs
and make the pigs drown in the water, the people will be so afraid because they
lost their pigs they will send Jesus away." I wonder where the Enemy attacked you. I'll
bet it was in the place of your greatest value. But guess what. I have good news. He only attacks
what's valuable, so if he has attacked you lately, guess what that means about you. You must be
important. The Devil knows more about your destiny than you do. There must be something on your
life. Can I preach this like God gave it to me? God said some of you are breaking generational
curses, and you don't even know it. That's why it has been so hard, and that's why it has
been so strong, and that's why it has been so dark. Because you're so strong and you're so
positioned and you're so important to his purpose.
