Let Them Know: Tell Your Friends How God Restored You

Aug 23, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: From Tombs to Testimony: Clothed in Right Mind

When chains of shame break, what remains is a life rearranged. The man once bound by darkness sat restored, his mind clear and clothes intact—a walking billboard of grace. Jesus doesn’t just free; He reorders chaos into dignity. Those who knew his past trembled at his present, not because he was dangerous, but because divine transformation unsettles comfortable assumptions. True liberation isn’t just freedom from—it’s freedom for a purpose others can’t ignore. [43:30]

“And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.”
(Mark 5:15, ESV)

Reflection: What part of your life, once chaotic, now reflects Christ’s order? Who needs to see this change most?

Day 2: Go Home: Mission in Familiar Places

Jesus didn’t commission the healed man to preach in synagogues but to start with his own kitchen table. Redemption’s ripple begins where your history is known. The places that labeled you “too broken” become the platform for declaring “made whole.” Your past isn’t a liability—it’s proof God rewrites narratives. [52:45]

“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
(Mark 5:19, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your inner circle needs to hear, “God did this for me”? What keeps you from speaking it?

Day 3: “Let Them Know” Isn’t Bragging—It’s Breathing

Testimony isn’t self-promotion; it’s oxygen for the soul. Like David recalling the pit and the rock, declaring God’s acts sustains faith. The man’s story wasn’t about his resilience but Christ’s refusal to abandon him. Every “let them know” is a defiance of silence, a refusal to let darkness have the last word. [58:54]

“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.”
(Psalm 40:2–3, ESV)

Reflection: What “pit” has God lifted you from? How does gratitude for that rescue shape your daily speech?

Day 4: When Your Change Makes Others Uneasy

The crowd feared the healed man’s sanity more than his demons. Transformation disrupts systems that profit from brokenness. Your peace may unsettle those who’ve grown used to your chaos, but their discomfort isn’t your burden. A life reclaimed is a mirror forcing others to confront their own chains. [43:57]

“And when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid.”
(Luke 8:35, ESV)

Reflection: Has your growth ever caused tension in relationships? How can you hold peace without shrinking back?

Day 5: Miracle, Mission, Message—The Cycle of Witness

The man’s healing wasn’t the end—it equipped him to multiply hope. Your story isn’t a trophy to polish but a tool to pry open others’ tombs. Jesus’ command to “go home” turns survivors into scouts, proving no one is too far gone for grace’s reach. [54:27]

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
(Matthew 5:16, ESV)

Reflection: Where is your “home” mission field—work, family, or community? What good works quietly point to God there?

Sermon Summary

The words “let them know” become the call of a life that has been changed and cannot keep quiet. Mark 5:18-19 sets that call in the mouth of Jesus, after the man who had been possessed asks to stay with him. The man had been living in the tombs, bound up, out of control, written off, and treated like his address was the graveyard. Jesus steps into that place, and when the man comes in contact with Jesus, his mind is fixed, his attitude is changed, his chains are broken, and his dignity comes back.

The crowd sees the man sitting, clothed, and in his right mind, and the text says they were afraid. The miracle disturbs folks because they remembered his old address, his old chains, and his old condition, but they did not understand that he had met a chain breaker. Jesus saw what others had written off. Jesus looked past the outward mess and saw what could still be, because Jesus is in the restoration business.

The world says, look what survived. The redeemed says, look who brought a life out. The world says, somebody made it on their own. The believer says, the Lord brought that life through. The command of Jesus does not let the man stay near the boat and enjoy the miracle by himself. Jesus says, “Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”

The miracle is not the end, because the miracle comes with a mission. The same place that remembered the bondage becomes the first place where God displays freedom. The man does not need seminary training or fifty Bible verses to be a witness. A witness tells what is known: once in the tombs, but Jesus brought him out; once sick, but Jesus healed; once bound, but Jesus saved.

The message is not bragging. The message is that God did it. The testimony does not make the problem bigger than God, the enemy bigger than God, or the past bigger than the Savior. Calvary becomes the greatest “let them know,” because Jesus stayed through the arrest, the mocking, the whipping, the nails, and the grave, then got up with all power. Because Jesus got up, the changed life becomes a walking miracle, on a mission from God, with a message: come see Jesus.

Key Takeaways

1. Deliverance gives dignity back Jesus did more than remove something from the man. Jesus restored something to the man: his mind, his future, his place, and his name. Real deliverance is not just quiet behavior on the outside, but a life put back together by the hand of God. [48:51]
2. The miracle still has mission The man wanted to stay with Jesus, but Jesus sent him home. The blessing was not meant to become a private trophy, because rescued people become recruiting tools in places that still remember their bondage. God often sends a changed life back into hard places because those places need visible evidence of freedom. [52:19]
3. Home becomes the witness stand Jesus told the man to go back where people knew his history. The old neighborhood, the family table, the job, the school, and the barbershop become places where God puts change on display. The same folks who remember the worst days may become the first folks to see what grace has done. [53:55]
4. The message is God did it The testimony is not, look how strong a person became. The testimony is, look how great the Lord has been and how much compassion the Lord has shown. That kind of witness refuses to brag on skill, education, or survival, because grace gets the glory for every step forward. [60:04]
5. Old patterns must be surrendered The story about the child holding on to last year’s offense shows how long resentment can wait for a chance to get back. Envy and vindictiveness can dress themselves up as justice, but they pull the heart away from the calling of God. Coming to Christ means bringing the old memory, the old hurt, and the old pattern to him for a new mind and a clean heart. [76:36]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[34:29] - Mark 5:18-19 Reading
[35:17] - Let Them Know
[36:13] - Good News Cannot Stay Hidden
[37:37] - From Worldly Boasting to Redeemed Witness
[41:42] - The Graveyard Man Meets Jesus
[43:30] - Clothed and in His Right Mind
[45:16] - Let Them Know What God Has Done
[47:23] - What Has Possessed You?
[48:23] - Restoration Gives the Future Back
[52:19] - The Miracle Comes With Mission
[57:47] - Carry Jesus Back Home
[60:04] - Tell What the Lord Has Done
[63:15] - A Walking Miracle on Mission
[66:58] - Calvary Lets the World Know
[74:15] - Forgive and Come to Christ

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Mark 5:18-19
“And when he had come into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. And he did not permit him but said to him, 'Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.'” [34:29]

Matthew 5:16
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” [49:54]

Psalm 40:2
“He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” [51:19]

Isaiah 6:8
“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me.'” [53:41]

Observation questions

In Mark 5:18-19, what did the delivered man ask Jesus for, and what specific command did Jesus give him instead? [35:03]
What details were emphasized about the man’s condition before and after he met Jesus? Think about where he was living, how people treated him, and how he was found afterward. [41:42]
What reaction did the people have when they saw the man sitting, clothed, and in his right mind? Why is that detail important in the story? [43:30]
What are some of the places where a changed life was called to carry the message of Jesus back into everyday life? [57:47]

Interpretation questions

Jesus did not let the man stay near him in the boat, but sent him home instead. What does that show about the purpose of deliverance and the kind of witness Jesus wants from changed people? [52:19]
The man was not only freed from something; he also received something back. What does that reveal about the difference between mere relief and true restoration? [48:42]
Jesus told the man to go back to the people who knew his history. Why might home, family, and old surroundings be the very places where grace is meant to be seen most clearly? [53:55]
The message Jesus gave the man was to tell “how great things the Lord hath done” and “how he had compassion.” How does that keep testimony from turning into self-promotion? [01:00:10]

Application questions

Everybody has some place that remembers the old version of them. What is one “go home” place in life right now—a family setting, workplace, neighborhood, or friend group—where Jesus may be calling a changed life to be seen? [53:55]
A witness does not have to know everything; a witness tells what is known. What part of the story of God’s mercy feels most real to share right now: being brought out, being healed, being sustained, being forgiven, or being restored? [58:26]
People often remember old chains, old labels, and old failures. When those memories come back, what helps keep the focus on what the Lord has done instead of what the past keeps saying? [45:01]
The message is “God did it,” not “I did it myself.” Where is the temptation strongest right now to talk more about personal strength than about the Lord’s compassion and mercy? [01:00:47]
A changed life is meant to shine in ordinary places. What would it look like this week to carry Jesus into a normal space like home, school, work, the barbershop, or the neighborhood? [57:47]
Some old hurts stay stored up for the right moment to strike back. Is there any resentment, envy, or quiet desire to “get even” that needs to be surrendered so the heart can stay free? [01:16:36]
Calvary is the greatest “let them know,” because Jesus stayed, suffered, died, and rose with all power. How does remembering the cross and resurrection give courage to speak openly about what Jesus has done? [01:06:58]

Sermon Clips

53s

#ShareYourTestimony

“A witness can only tell what they know. Amen. are a witness because you're on a mission for god and because you're on a mission for god, you may not have seminary training. You may not know 50 verses from the bible, but you know what god has done for you. Yeah. Yeah. And that's all you need to tell him. Yeah. Can tell him I was once in the tombs but Jesus brought me out. You can tell them I was once sick and Jesus healed me. You you can tell them that I was a sinner and Jesus saved me because when you let them know everything that Jesus had done for you, it changes their life. Yes.”

46s

#GiveGodTheGlory

“I'm not bragging y'all. I'm just simply telling you that I made it because god has kept me. People want you to say I pull myself through, but you ought to testify he picked me up and he turned me around. People want you to to to to proclaim how good you are, and you ought to proclaim the greatness of god. People ought to be able to understand that where you're at right now has nothing to do with your skills, your education, and the academic acumen. It's simply because of the grace of god. Because god can change a disappointment for parents into the glory for god simply because god can pick you up and turn you around.”

65s

#FromChainsToFreedom

“Oftentimes, folks look back over your life. They remember his old address from the tombs. They remember the chains, but they also did not understand that he was dealing with a chain worker. They didn't understand that he was dealing with a deliverer. They they didn't understand that that Jesus was famous for removing change from the lives of people. And so I stopped this morning and tell you, just let them know. Just let them know. Let them know what god has done for you. Let them know what god has brought you from. Let them know how god has delivered you. Let let them know how god has changed you. Let let them know that doors had been closed and mines had been messed up and and will god be. Let let them know that you almost quit till god stepped in. Jesus saw in this man what others had written off.”

43s

#DeclareItFinished

“Look what Jesus did for me when they nailed his hands to the cross, when they nailed his feet to the cross, Jesus gave him a closing declaration. He said, it is finished. In other words, whatever you're going through, when you can say it is finished, that's your declaration. So whatever's going on in your past, whatever you've been going through, whether it be guilt, sacrifice, prices of stuff, your job, if god has moved you away from it, just turn around and point at your problem and say, it is finished.”

39s

#GoBackAndProclaim

“Jesus said to the man, go home. Go back where they know your history. Go home. Go back where they remember your worst days. Go home because the same place that remembered your bondage may become the first place where god will display your freedom. When you go back where you came from and they can see what god has done for you, They understand that god has rescued you and you're rescued by god becomes a recruiting tool. Because oftentimes, we say, if he can do it for him, he can do it for me. Jesus”

58s

#EncounterChangesEverything

“And if you turn it to Mark chapter five verse five through 20 or you can read verses one to 20, you will find out that this man had been through all kinds of problems. He was living in the tombs, in the graveyard, in the caves. He he he could not be controlled. He was handcuffed and kept there because everything that time he went out in public, he fell out on the ground. But there's something that happens when you come into contact with Jesus. When you come into contact with Jesus, some things change in your life. When when you come into contact with Jesus, you you find out just how good god is and just what god will do for you if you let him. Watch this y'all.”

50s

#SustainedThroughStruggles

“I got up this morning and I did not quit. Sometimes I have to steal my mind. Sometimes my my my my family may get on my nerves but I still have to show people what Jesus has done in my life. Listen here. I'm not gonna tell you that the man didn't have no more struggles. What I am gonna tell you, he struggled and god still sustained him. I ain't gonna tell you that he wouldn't fall no more. But I will tell you, when he fell again, god would've picked him up. I ain't gonna tell you that that he didn't cry no more. But what I tell, we'll tell you that when he cried again, he was comforted by the master. He had a testimony.”

59s

#FreedomAndRestoration

“When the man came in contact with Jesus, his mind was fixed. His attitude was changed. The bondage that he was in, he was released. His life was rebuilt. His sins were forgiven. Chains were broken. And now he's standing in a place sitting comfortably in a room with Jesus, and folks walk in. And and and they are surprised to see him sitting there. They're surprised to see the man who who who was messed up and mauled. They're surprised to see the man who was troubled and disturbed. They're to see the man sitting there unrestrained by change. You you you know, like the first time somebody who has been to prison is released and they walk out. They're surprised to see how gracious he was.”

Ask a question about this sermon

St John AME Kushla This sermon · AI assistant

Why must believers return home to testify?

How does encounter with Jesus change identity?

What is the mission of a restored believer?