The Demoniac Boy, Part 1

In this part of the sermon: This section introduces the 'sad prelude' to Jesus's manifestation of grace and power, focusing on the audience present: a great multitude, the nine disciples, and disputing…

Martin uses the contemporary jargon 'blown out of their minds' to explain the Greek word for 'greatly amazed,' making the intensity of the multitude's reaction more relatable.

immediately when the multitude saw the Lord Jesus approaching with Peter, James, in John, the text says, they were amazed. They were greatly amazed. And that Greek word is one we found several times in Mark's Gospel. They were blown out of their minds in common contemporary jargon.

12:26 - 12:49 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the issues that precipitated the miracle: the distraught father's plea, the desperate boy's horrifying demon possession (deaf, dumb, violent seizures, attempts to…

Martin compares the disciples' dim spiritual vision to 'a man looking at a landscape with wavy glasses,' illustrating their distorted perception of spiritual realities.

What are you discussing with my disciples? And as so often happens, the scribes apparently are silent in their cowardice. They were very bold to take on these disciples, whose spiritual vision at this stage, as we've seen again and again, was very dim. And at times they looked at spiritual realities like a man looking at a landscape with wavy glasses.

14:34 - 14:59 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the issues that precipitated the miracle: the distraught father's plea, the desperate boy's horrifying demon possession (deaf, dumb, violent seizures, attempts to…

Martin explains the force of the verb 'dashes him down' by referencing its use in the 'new wine into old wineskins' analogy, conveying the violence of the demon's action.

What does it do? Wheresoever it takes him, it dashes him down. And you can see, if you have marginal readings, that the translators found it difficult to find an English equivalent, for this is the very verb that Mark uses when he says, when you put new wine into old wineskins, the wineskins are torn asunder. That's the verb that's used.

21:23 - 21:52 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This condition did not come upon him at the end of a life when he had deliberately, willfully rejected light and privilege and by degrees abandoned himself to one sin after another after another until God gave him up and…

Martin compares the boy 'pining away' or 'shriveling up' after a seizure to a plant that withers under the burning sun, emphasizing the devastating physical toll of the demonic attacks.

And thirdly, he pines away. The verb used to describe what happens to the stony ground hearer is like the plant that grows up, but when the burning sun strikes it, it withers away. That when one of these seizures and these activities of this demon are stirred up within him, the activity is so utterly violent that when he's done foaming, when he is done grinding his teeth, he shrivels up. He's left as it were like a dead twig.

22:44 - 23:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: This condition did not come upon him at the end of a life when he had deliberately, willfully rejected light and privilege and by degrees abandoned himself to one sin after another after another until God gave him up and…

Martin shares a personal experience of smelling burnt flesh in burn wards to convey the horror and reality of the father's experience watching his son thrown into fire.

Then in verse 22, he adds something that he didn't say in the first instance. Oft times, oft times it has cast him, again a very vigorous verb, both into the fire and into the waters. On many occasions, as this boy's father and perhaps others who had compassion on him watched him day and night, the spirit would seize him and take him by an open fire and thrust him into the fire. And only the loving deliverance of concerned parents or friends would keep him from being consumed by the flames.

23:17 - 23:58 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin details the issues that precipitated the miracle: the distraught father's plea, the desperate boy's horrifying demon possession (deaf, dumb, violent seizures, attempts to…

Martin uses the analogy of a big bully picking on smaller kids, only for the big brother to arrive 'in the nick of time,' to explain the multitude's amazement and relief at Jesus's appearance.

I believe it was the amazement that comes when we say so and so came just in the nick of time. The amazement your kids might feel when the big bully on the block is picking on two or three little kids in the same family and right at the point where he is about to get them on their back and pound their faces in around the corner comes the big brother. And they are amazed and they run to meet him. Here is our deliverance.

28:50 - 29:20 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: As the boy is brought to Jesus, the demon violently agitates him. Jesus calmly questions the father about the duration of the affliction, leading to the father's earnest plea for…

Martin explains the word 'wallowed' by referencing Peter's description of a sow wallowing in mud, vividly portraying the boy's convulsive fit.

in very simply very simple six simple categories we'll go through them very quickly there is first of all the indication that they brought the child unto Jesus and when he saw him that is when the child saw Jesus and of course the demon in the child intelligent and active straightway the spirit tore him grievously and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming the first thing in the unfolding of the details is the demonic agitation of the boy no sooner do some out of the crowd carry or assist the boy in the direction of Jesus that we read seeing Jesus immediately straightway these horrible con...

35:17 - 36:43 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Lord I do believe but I feel the remnants of an unbelieving spirit clinging to me help not only my demon possessed son but help my horrible remnants of unbelief Lord I believe help same word as he used previously my unbe…

Martin compares the boy's relaxation after the demon's exit to someone relaxing after 'death throes and death twitches,' emphasizing the profound stillness that followed the violent expulsion.

his being is permanently barred to you you foul spirit of hell and what happens out of spite as the demon is about to exit you see what he does he loses his hold upon the boy's vocal cords and larynx and having cried out he was a dumb spirit made the boy so that he could speak no sounds and now he takes the boy's vocal cords in one last spiteful act and uses them as the vehicle to cry out and tears him up and he came out and the boy became as one dead in so much as the more part said he is dead after this final paroxysm after this final convulsion and this horrible shriek the boy relaxes like ...

43:59 - 45:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that if you are not united to Jesus Christ, you are under the control of the devil, even if subtly.

Martin calls unconverted individuals 'the devil's dupe,' explaining that the devil uses more subtle channels than overt possession to control them, making their slavery less evident.

through a demon the devastation was evident and dramatic when he would seize him cast him down cause him to go into convulsions and make him foam and wallow how powerful was that demon totally to control the personality and body of that lad but with a word just a word Jesus conquers him and though none of us here thank God has known this kind of demon possession listen to me everyone in this building who is not united to Jesus Christ in living faith and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit you are under the control of the devil according to the Bible Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 to 3 describes...

50:31 - 51:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Go to Jesus, who is a tender and compassionate savior, regardless of your past sins or current struggles.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'a ghost strapped to your back haunting you day and night' to describe the grip of guilt for past sins, illustrating the pervasive and tormenting nature of unaddressed sin.

and with tender compassion he enters in sympathetically to the state of that boy gathers information from the father how long has he been there how long has he been in this condition and his large heart is moved with compassion and it's his compassion that cuts as it were a swath for his delivering power and thank God he is the same yesterday today and forever and this is the gospel to know that whatever your condition may be you too may be held under the grip of lust and pride and ambition you may be held under a horrible vice like grip of guilt for past sins that haunts you that is as it wer...

53:26 - 54:56 Read in full sermon