As the kingdom of God comes through the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth, we see the kingdom of darkness pushing back in opposition. As the clash of the kingdoms ensues, demonic powers are no match for the power and authority of Jesus.

However to our Western ears, talk of demons and demon-oppression is very odd. We have little space in our concept of reality – our worldview – for demons and unclean spirits etc. We assume these are part of a pre-technological, pre-scientific society, the stuff of fable and folk religion.

Despite our cultural myopia, non-Western concepts of reality have no trouble accepting the role that demons or spirits play in the common human experience. This should at least cause us to doubt the confidence we have in our own Western worldview.

In this episode we see that the liberating power of Jesus:

• Overthrows
• Disturbs
• Frees
• Empowers

Main Bible Text

Mark 5:1-20

Preacher

David Varney, pastor Foundation Church Belfast.