Demons
Notes
Transcript
Handout
They came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came out of the tombs and met him.
God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem. They treated Abimelech deceitfully, so that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood would be avenged on their brother Abimelech, who killed them, and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him kill his brothers.
Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit sent from the Lord began to torment him,
Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing by him at his right hand and at his left hand. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ So one was saying this and another was saying that.
“Then a spirit came forward, stood in the Lord’s presence, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
“The Lord asked him, ‘How?’
“He said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’
“Then he said, ‘You will certainly entice him and prevail. Go and do that.’
After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other for an uninhabitable place,
And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.
And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,
the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.
It will never be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation;
a nomad will not pitch his tent there,
and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.
But desert creatures will lie down there,
and owls will fill the houses.
Ostriches will dwell there,
and wild goats will leap about.
Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,
and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.
Babylon’s time is almost up;
her days are almost over.
He called out in a mighty voice:
It has fallen,
Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has become a home for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.
Biblical demons were WILD spirits who HAUNTED the fringes of civilization. (Mark 5:1-2)
Demon: a spirit, usually lower than a god
Evil spirit: a spirit that inflicts harm on a person (Judges 9, 1 Sam. 16, 1 Kings 22)
Unclean spirit: a spirit that haunts the wilderness or tombs (Lev. 16:8, Isaiah 13:19-22, Rev. 18:2)
Angel: a spirit that bears authority to rule or speak for God (or Satan)
He lived in the tombs, and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain—because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains, he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
“What is your name?” he asked him.
“My name is Legion,” he answered him, “because we are many.” And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.
The demons didn’t have a MISSION or a plan—they just preyed on the VULNERABLE. Mark 5:3-5, 9-10
Demon possession is common in times of oppression and warfare.
This man had likely been oppressed severely by the Romans—maybe the killed his family, burned his farm, taxed him into poverty?
And his demons are named legion?
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you before God, don’t torment me!” For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!”
A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.”
The demons didn’t try to FIGHT Jesus—they immediately SURRENDERED. Mark 5:6-8, 11-12
This isn’t a battle. This is recognition that Jesus is already in charge.
When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
Knowing their thoughts, he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
The men who tended them ran off and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and told about the pigs. Then they began to beg him to leave their region.
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” So he went out and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.
Jesus performed exorcisms to prove that he had power to TAME CHAOS in the world--and in A LIFE. Matthew 12:24-29; Mark 5:14-20;
He went into all of Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’
“When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest but doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house vacant, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first. That’s how it will also be with this evil generation.”
Exorcism was an important SIGN of Jesus’ ministry, but it was not the MEANS of his ministry. Mark 1:39, Matthew 10:1, Matthew 12:43-45, 7:21-23;
From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near.”
Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.
The ministry of Jesus was an invitation to find PEACE in the REIGN of God. Matthew 4:17, 28:18-20, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:6-10
Living with Dragons
Living with Dragons
CHAOS invades our lives in VULNERABLE moments.
Jesus has the power and the will to bring ORDER to our CHAOS.
Our ultimate hope is not in exorcisms, but in daily SUBMISSION to JESUS. Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”