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Reset Podcast with Archie Callahan is where faith meets real life.
In a world constantly shaping the way men think, lead + live, Reset Podcast takes a fresh look at men + culture through the lens of the GOSPEL. Each episode features honest conversations, practical wisdom + scriptural truth designed to help MEN reset their minds, strengthen their faith + lead with purpose in their homes, workplaces, churches + communities.
Whether we’re discussing leadership, marriage, fatherhood, integrity, current culture, spiritual growth, or the challenges men face today, our goal is simple: to align our lives with God’s truth + become the men He has called us to be.
SUBSCRIBE + join the conversation as we challenge cultural norms, encourage biblical manhood + pursue a life that honors Christ.
NEW EPISODE EVERY WEDNESDAY.
Hey guys, welcome to the Reset Podcast.
I'm your host, Archie Callahan.
I hope you're having a great day.
We're going to look at a very familiar passage of Scripture for many people, not so familiar for others, but we're going to look at Mark, Mark chapter 5.
And in Mark chapter 5, we see the story of a man who was demonized.
And before we get into that story today, I want to ask you this question.
And you might have asked yourself this question also.
How did I get here?
How did I get here?
How did I get into this circumstance?
How did I get into this situation?
How did I get into this bad habit?
I think as men, we always ask ourselves that question.
How did I get here?
How did I wind up in this place in life?
And I often wonder, the man who was demonized in Mark chapter 5, I wonder if he ever asked himself, how did I get here?
How did I get into this predicament?
How did I get wandering around a graveyard living in tombs out of my mind?
I don't know about you, but I often ask myself, well, how did I get here?
How did I get to this situation?
How did I get to Virginia Beach?
How did I get to this place in life?
We always wonder about how did we get somewhere.
Before Mark chapter 5, there's Mark chapter 4, and in Mark chapter 4, Jesus is speaking and talking and teaching on the kingdom of God.
The kingdom of God is actually God's rule or dominion in the life of His people.
And so when we talk about the kingdom of God, we're not talking about something that is spooky.
We're absolutely just talking about God's rule, his authority, his dominion in our lives.
And his kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
So he's teaching on the kingdom.
He's teaching about the seeds and the sower.
He's talking about a mustard seed and how a small mustard seed, if it's planted, it can grow.
And then after doing all this teaching among the crowds of people, evening was coming, and he asked his disciples, he says, guys, or he actually tells them, let's get in the boat and let's go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
And so they make this journey to this other side of the Sea of Galilee, which was the eastern, the southeastern shore of Galilee.
But before they could get to the shoreline, there came a storm that came up on the water, and Jesus was asleep in the boat.
Have you ever felt like Jesus was asleep in your boat?
that Jesus was comfortably asleep in the middle of your mess, that he was asleep in the middle of your anxiety, your pain, your storm, because the fact is we all go through storms.
You're either going into a storm, in a storm, or coming out of a storm.
You're stormed if you do, and you're stormed if you don't.
We all go through storms, but...
They are in this storm, and Jesus is asleep.
Eventually, they become so terrified that the boat is going to sink that they wake Jesus up.
Jesus stands up on the bow of the boat, and he says, Peace, be still.
He calms the wind, and the seas subside, and there's peace.
And then he lands on the southeastern shore of Galilee.
He gets out of the boat.
Now, you've got to understand something about that part of the Sea of Galilee.
It was the part where many Gentiles lived.
It was Decapolis, part of Decapolis, which means ten cities.
There were ten great cities in that region.
It was under Roman control.
Gentiles lived there.
There was a lot going on in that city.
It was...
a cultural contrast from the place where they were coming.
They came from a place that was dominantly Jewish, and Jesus takes those guys who are Jews into Gentile territory, and when he gets there, the Bible says there's a man that's living among the tombs.
There's a man that's in
A graveyard, a man who is demonized, a man who is tormented by an evil spirit.
And it says this, when Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
I don't know about you, but I often wonder, was the storm that the disciples were facing on the Sea of Galilee, was that created by natural occurrence and weather patterns, or was it the prince of the power of the air?
who created that storm to prevent Jesus from getting to the southeast shore of Galilee to bring about deliverance in a man's life, who did not know how he got in the predicament that he was in, and he was demonized, tormented.
The Bible says he was so tormented that he cut himself.
And he cried out day and night in the tombs.
People were afraid of him.
People tried to seize him, handcuff him, chain him.
But when they would do that, he was so empowered by demonic spirits that he would break the chains and he would go free.
It says this, the man lived in tombs.
I don't know about you, but I believe there are a lot of people, metaphorically, that live in tombs.
They live in the tomb of depression.
Men often live in the tomb of not living up or not feeling man enough or not feeling worthy enough.
We live...
in the tomb of comparison.
We live in the tomb of anxiety.
We live in the tomb of addiction.
We live in the tomb of isolation.
And not only do we live there, we dwell there, and we become tormented in the tombs that the enemy has tried to place us in.
As men, I believe we need each other.
As iron sharpens iron, so do men sharpen men.
So I believe that God uses other men to pull us and to call us out of the tombs that we placed ourselves in.
And it says this, and no one could bind him anymore.
No one could chain him, not even with a chain, it says.
They could not bind him, for he had often been chained hand and foot.
but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons off his feet.
No one was strong enough to subdue him."
This man was demonized and empowered by an evil spirit to the point that nobody could bind him with chains, not even hand or foot, and the people of that territory were terrified of the man who was tormented by an evil spirit.
I can tell you right now, the tomb that we often live in as men not only torments us, but it impacts the people around us.
And I believe as dudes, as men.
as the leaders of our families, the leaders in society, that if we get free, the people around us will get free.
Look here, it says, day and night among the tombs, he lived there.
And in the hills, he would cry out.
I believe sometimes men are crying out, but you just can't hear the cry because it's a silent cry.
It's an inward cry.
It's the cry of misery.
It's the cry of, hey, man, I was born for more than this.
It's the cry of, why haven't I succeeded in life?
And it's in that cry that God hears your cry.
I believe God hears our cry.
He hears the inward pain of our lives, and he wants to set us free.
He says he cut himself with stones.
That means, I believe when he was cutting himself with stones, I believe he actually had self-hatred.
He was so demonized that his identity was warped to the point he no longer loved himself.
and he had self-hatred, self-mutilation, and he inflicted his own body with pain, which was just an outward sign of an inward misery.
And I believe that he did that, the Bible says, day in and day out.
I don't know how long he was in the tombs.
Some of you guys, you might be in a tomb and you might have been there for five, six, seven, eight years, a decade, two decades.
But the fact is that God came to set us free.
You know, we all at one time or another lived among the tombs.
How do we know that?
Because the Bible says that we are dead in our trespasses, our transgressions and sins.
Before we come to Jesus, guess what?
We are all living among the tombs.
We are all dead.
We are all hanging out in the graveyard.
We're all hanging out around dead things, dead things.
And when you begin to look at this story, you begin to realize this man was hopeless.
This man needed purpose.
He needed deliverance.
He needed somebody to help him.
So he was marginalized, first of all.
Why?
Because he was unclean.
According to the book of Numbers, you could not touch a corpse or a tombstone or be in a graveyard.
If you were, you were considered unclean according to the law.
Because this man was hanging out in the tombs, he was unclean.
Nobody wanted to touch him.
Nobody would reach out to him.
He lived among unclean tombs, unclean animals, unclean land.
He dwelled in a place of putrid mess.
He dwelled in a place that was unclean.
It was not sanitary.
It was a miserable existence.
And Jesus was willing to tell his disciples to get into the boat.
Let's go to the other side.
And I believe the storm that arose on the Sea of Galilee was not a natural storm, but a demonically influenced storm that tried to prevent the disciples and Jesus from getting to the southeast shore of Galilee to help a Gentile man who was held in bondage among the tombs in order to set him free.
I believe the enemy...
hated Jesus being on that boat, but Jesus was not worried about Satan.
Because he stood up in that boat and he spoke peace.
So Jesus was showing his disciples that the gospel was not just for the Jews, but it was for the Gentiles.
It was for those that are in the 10 cities called Decapolis.
It was for the Roman guards.
It was for the Roman Empire.
It was for the whole world.
The gospel would spread.
So he was teaching his disciples not to be inward, but to look outward.
And he was willing to move from where he was at teaching to the boat to make a transition all the way to the southeastern side of Galilee to help a man who was living among the tombs.
What's your tomb?
Some people's tombs are politics.
We become so enamored with politics that it binds us up.
I think men dwell in tombs of insecurity, self-hatred, misery, pain.
Can I tell you today, you don't have to live there.
You can come out from among the tombs.
You can be washed out.
In the precious blood of Jesus, you can be cleansed.
You can be sanctified.
You can be set apart.
You can be set free by the power of Jesus Christ.
I love this passage of Scripture because he goes into an area that did not really understand who Jesus was.
And Jesus was speaking to the Jews, but now he's with the Gentiles, and he comes to the tombs.
This man is crying out.
He's cutting himself because of self-hatred.
He is demonized to the point that the demons are trying to destroy his life.
But it says this in verse 6, when he saw Jesus from a distance.
Hmm.
when he saw Jesus from a distance.
I believe sometimes we're dwelling in tombs.
We see Jesus, but we feel like Jesus is way out there.
He can't come to where I'm at.
And Jesus is somebody else's Savior, but he's not my Savior.
He's somebody else's healer, but he's not my healer.
He's somebody else's deliverer, but he's not my deliverer.
He's somebody else's rescuer, but he's not my rescuer.
He's somebody else's peace.
I believe that, but he's not my peace.
He saw Jesus from a distance.
Let me tell you something.
You can come to church and see Jesus from a distance.
You can go through religious activity and see Jesus from a distance.
But he doesn't just see Jesus from a distance.
It says when he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran toward Jesus.
Come on.
Guys, dudes, look here.
When you see Jesus, the next step is that we have to run to Jesus.
What are you running to for relief?
See, Jesus doesn't just give us relief.
He gives us redemption.
He doesn't just give relief.
He gives healing.
He gives wholeness.
He gives peace.
He gives restoration.
Oftentimes the things, the tombs that we run to, the addictions, self-medicating, emotional eating,
emotional binge-watching television series.
Those are tombs that just give relief, but they do not give redemption.
They do not give restoration.
They do not bring wholeness.
What tombs are you living in, and what tombs are you running to for relief?
That's a powerful way of looking at it because I believe we all have tombs.
And we try to clean up our tombs.
We try to make them look good.
How many of you know a tomb is a tomb?
No matter the way we dress it up, a tomb is a tomb.
And he says he saw Jesus from a distance.
He ran to Jesus.
So he was headed in the right direction.
Some people see Jesus and they run to Jesus, and that's good, but you can't stop there.
The Bible says he fell at the feet of Jesus and knelt before Jesus, meaning it wasn't enough to see Jesus.
It wasn't enough to run toward Jesus.
There comes a point in our lives that we have to bow our knees to the lordship of Jesus.
Come on, you can't effectively bow in prayer until you effectively bow to Jesus.
That means I'm making him the Lord and the master of my life.
That means I'm no longer controlling my life.
I'm no longer piloting my life.
I'm no longer steering my life.
I'm putting my life in the hands of Jesus and allowing his Holy Spirit
to lead me and guide me and to alter it.
Notice what this guy did.
He's crying out day and night in the tombs.
He is tormented by evil spirits.
You know, when the Bible talks about demon possession, it doesn't use that word.
It uses a Greek word that means demonized.
He was demonized.
He was tormented.
But when Jesus landed on the southeastern shore of Galilee in the Decapolis, in a place where pagan worship was prevalent, theaters were prevalent, it was cross-cultural, multicultural, all sorts of pagan worship.
When Jesus landed on that shore, God landed on that shore.
And the Bible says this man saw Jesus from a distance.
He ran to Jesus.
And he knelt before Jesus.
He knelt before him.
And at that time, the demon spirits began to shriek, became very nervous.
In verse 13, he told the pure spirits to come out.
I mean, you know, Jesus still says, come out.
Not only does he call you out of the tomb, he calls the spirit of the tomb out of you.
And the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5, it says, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old is gone.
Behold, all things are new.
They're new.
Look at this other verse.
Verse 15, it says, When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed.
He had been possessed with a legion of demons, many demons.
He didn't have just one.
He had many demons.
Look, when they saw him, he was sitting there.
Man, this guy could not even be bound by chains.
Hand or foot, he would break them.
But now he's sitting down.
He's calm.
He's no longer anxious, no longer cutting himself, no longer crying.
He's sitting there.
He's sitting there, man.
He's controlled.
He's in his right mind.
Look, he's dressed, no longer naked, no longer cutting himself, no longer crying.
He's in his right mind.
How many of you know when you come to Jesus and when you see him, when you run to him, and when you bow before him, he gives you clothes of righteousness and he gives you a new mindset.
Why?
Because if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation.
This man was in his right mind.
He was so demonized, he was out of his mind.
He was out of his mind.
And so Jesus, the Son of God, came to the southeastern shore of Galilee, delivered this demoniac, set him free.
The guy receives peace, no longer anxious, no longer cutting himself, no longer crying.
He's sitting there peacefully.
He's dressed, he's clothed, and he's in his right mind.
So Jesus' job was done at that moment.
Jesus gets back in the boat.
Look at what it says in verse 18.
As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed, notice, had been, no longer, had been.
It was past.
He who the Son sets free is free indeed.
Had been.
demon-possessed, begged him to go with him.
He wanted to follow Jesus.
He wanted to be in that 12.
He wanted to be a close follower of Jesus.
But notice what Jesus said to him.
Jesus didn't let him go.
He said, go home.
Jesus was letting that man know that the gospel, your freedom, not only works for you, but it works for your house.
Let me tell you something, man.
Let me tell you something, dude.
Let me tell you something, guy.
The gospel not only works in your life, but when it begins to work in your life, it will work in your home.
It begins to change the culture and the atmosphere of your home.
He said, go home to your own people.
The gospel has got to work with your people.
God's concerned about your people.
He's concerned about your kids, your wife.
Come on, your mom and dad, your siblings.
He's concerned about your community.
He said, go home to your people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.
Guys, when God delivers us and He sets us free, we need to go home and tell the people what happened to us, that God had mercy on us.
I don't know where you're at today, but God can have mercy on you.
We live in a world that is so confusing, but God has mercy.
Jesus came to this man.
When he couldn't get to Jesus, Jesus came to him.
This man could not cross the Sea of Galilee.
But Jesus came across the sea.
The storm tried to prevent him, but Jesus kept on trucking.
He came to that southeastern shore.
He saw this man and delivered him.
He said, go tell your people that I've had mercy on you.
Look here.
So the man went away.
Come on, his salvation, his deliverance led to obedience.
He went away just as Jesus said.
He went away.
He went away and began to tell in the Decapolis, in the ten cities.
He didn't just go to his little community.
He didn't just go to his street.
He didn't just go to his neighborhood.
The Bible says he went to the Decapolis.
He went to all ten cities in the Decapolis area.
And he tells them how Jesus and what Jesus had done for him.
He goes to be a witness.
The man ran to Jesus after he saw Jesus.
He knelt before Jesus, and now he's going to his grave.
He's going to his region.
He's going to his cities, and he's telling people about Jesus.
He's telling people about the miracle that happened in his life.
And the Bible says this in verse 20, and all the people were amazed.
They knew who this guy Legion was.
They probably called him Legion.
They probably didn't even call him by his correct name because he was so demonized and tormented and disillusioned.
It terrified the city.
This same guy who terrified the city is now evangelizing the city.
This same guy who tormented people is bringing peace to people and healing to people and being a witness of the kingdom.
Why?
Because now he could be strong and courageous.
He could be the dude that could be strong and courageous in a pagan society, a society that worshipped idols, a society that did not know Jesus.
This guy could stand up in strength and power and might without fear and give testimony to the working of Jesus in his life.
Why?
Because the gospel will not only change you, it will change your family.
It will change your community.
It will change your city, your region, your state, the nation, and the world.
Paul said in Romans 1, "'I'm not ashamed of the gospel.'"
For it is the power of God unto salvation.
To the Jews first, then to the Gentiles.
Let me tell you something.
This gospel is powerful.
So much so.
that a demoniac could see Jesus, run to Jesus, fall down in front of Jesus, be delivered by Jesus, told by Jesus to go back to his people, testify and be a witness, and the people were amazed.
The same people that were afraid now were amazed at the power of Jesus and the power of a transformed life.
Acts 1.8 is true, for you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in both Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest part of the earth.
You have been empowered by the Holy Spirit not to do witnessing.
Notice what Acts 1.8 says, you will be my witnesses.
This man just didn't do witnessing.
He became the witness.
They saw the power of God in this man's life through the deliverance that came about through his encounter with Jesus.
Come on, guys.
We need to see Jesus.
We need to run to Jesus.
And we need to bow before Jesus and surrender.
and watch the transformation that takes place in our lives.
And when that transformation takes place and we become the witness, we go back to our people, our homes, and we tell them the good news.
And the people that were once confused about our lives
are amazed about our lives, of how God had mercy on us, transformed us.
And I tell you, there's no storm in life that will prevent Jesus from getting to you.
But when he comes to you, you have to recognize him.
You have to see him.
You have to run toward him, not away from him.
And you have to bow before him
Guys, this podcast reset.
If you want to reset your life, you got to see Jesus.
You got to run to Jesus.
And you got to surrender, bow to Jesus.
Sometimes we're content to see Jesus and run toward Jesus.
But we never take that third step and bow to Jesus and surrender our lives.
Paul said in Romans 12.1, we are a living sacrifice.
We need to give our lives to Jesus.
What tomb are you living among?
What tomb has attached itself to you?
Are you crying out?
Are you cutting yourself?
Are you self-medicating?
Do you experience self-hatred?
Run to Jesus.
Bow before Jesus and allow Him to transform your life today.
It's a great word.
It's a word that's changed my life.
You know, for everyone living among the tombs, you've got to see Jesus, run to Jesus, bow before Jesus, and then you become the witness of Jesus.
I want to thank you for joining us today on Reset the Podcast with Archie Callahan.
Tell somebody to subscribe, sign up, join us every week.
Every Monday, a new podcast comes out.
Thank you for being with me today, and I'll see you next week on Reset.