The Seriousness of Demonic Warfare
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
IF YOU leave water stagnant for an extended period of time in the summer, you will attract mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are going to hang out where there is stagnant water because that’s home for them. That’s a nice environment for them. They are at rest in stagnant places.
If you leave trash out for an extended period of time, you’re going to attract a rat and his cousins. You will have attracted them because you have created an environment in which they can be at home. If you leave food out at home too long, you are going to attract roaches. They will perceive as an invitation that you’re leaving stuff out. They are going to make a connection between the environment that you have set and an invitation for them to share it.
Whenever there is uncleanness left alone in a life, it is an invitation for demons to make themselves a home.205
Demons want to set up shop, they don't come with the attention of vising, they come with the intention to stay and wreck havoc
Mosquitoes flourish in an environment with stagnant water and they spread sickness and suck the life out of those around
When the church becomes stagnant demons will flourish in a community spreading sickness and sucking life out of the community
Karl Marx’s favorite quote captures the demonic mission well, “devil character, Mephistopheles, in Goethe’s Faust: “Everything that exists deserves to perish.””
The True Work of God
The True Work of God
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
This passage is what sets events into motion
Starts off with testifying to the work God was doing in opening doors so the gospel may be heard
It also shows though that when God is moving the devil and the world is out to do their best to undermine it
Three things to realize:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Miracles- meeting physical needs
This opens door for conversation and prayer
Examples:
Putting gas in someones tank
Helping the widows (rather church member or not)
Meeting the needs of family when the father is down from a work injury
Helping with someone’s medical bills
Having fun events (Jesus turned water into wine)
Casting out demons- fighting the evil forces at work
This creates an environment so the gospel may be heard
Someone possessed by a demon has their mind so captured they cannot respond to the gospel
How do we combat:
Properly arming our selves with scripture and prayer
Evangelism
bringing light to darkness
exposes evil
Dialogue with your kids on what they have been exposed to
at school
in music
gives you insight to the culture at that point
gives you insight to your child's mind
involved in the political system
Vote and campaign for godly values
create a culture that has a value on life
have conversations on the devastating consequences of alcohol and drugs
Filtering software on phones
Porn industry makes $12 Billion a year
need to have conversations, early (6 years old was the last man I counseled)
Let them know you are a safe place to talk about these issues
Create a culture with a high view of marriage
The reasons for most divorces is non-biblical reasons
Marriage counseling
Singles ministry
This world has so many tools demons use to capture the worlds mind and we must be intentional and proactive in how we battle these issues
Why does the world and the devil love to offer counterfeits?
The human heart knows their is something missing that gives purpose and healing to the human spirit
Romans 3:10-11 makes it clear though in a broken state it is not in our nature to seek for God
as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
But we still know their is something for the heart out there and we search everywhere besides where we ought
That is why evangelism is important we have to seek
Authority and Demons
Authority and Demons
Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
In this passage the counterfeit we see is the seven brothers who more than likely these men were in it for monetary gain and saw In the name of Jesus as a ritualistic chant with Ephesus being a place known for the use of magic
Demons recognize illegitimate use of the name of Jesus, thus spiritual warfare must be taken serious, demons are not to be played with and don’t respond well to the ritualistic they only listen to the authority of Jesus
Let me tell you something, the reason the church has lost influence and impact in our communities is because we have became like the seven sons of Sceva
We are caught in the ritual of going to church
We think attendance makes us a good person
We are caught in the ritualistic of chanting Jesus name
We say it to invoke blessing in our life but then blaspheme his name in the way we live
We are caught n the ritualistic of quoting scripture
We use it to invoke curses on others while failing to apply it tour lives for transformation
We are caught in the ritualistic prayer
We pray for healing because that is what we do as Christians, but we do not pray with any true authority. We pray as if that is all we are to do
You may have some fooled, but one God knows and demons know, they can see the spiritual anointing (or lack of) on your life
These guys were literally beat up and stripped naked and were left to walk out in shame
in other words they went to drive a demon out, but they were drove out because they went in lacking authority
they were humiliated and shamed
They were left wounded
How are we:
Humiliated and shamed?
The youth are leaving the family of believers to live radically more and more sinful
Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Scripture gives us a Proverb (a saying that is a general truth)
in other words if we raise our children in a godly home, most will stay in the church
Instead 66% are leaving
So young people leaving the church is not a reflection on what is going on in the world but what is going on in the home and that is ritualistic living void of the power and authority of God
Demons see the lack of us walking in Christ and take our family to live in a way that humiliates us
We should be ashamed of ourselves
This alter needs to be soaked with tears of repentance
Followed by us getting up from this alter to go out this with intentionality to do all we can to right the wrongs we have made
We need to go out those doors walking in the authority of Christ to pray over our schools, our homes, our cars, etc.
We need to make it clear to the demons they are no longer welcomed in our homes, they are no longer welcomed in our community
Imagine how the gates of hell will tremble if we all have our hearts right and we truly go out these doors casting the demons out with authority
wounded?
Let us let the process of healing come as we take back what is the Lord’s and the way he intends for us to live
Let the broken relationships start to be healed
Let the clouded minds have the fog removed
Let us regain our strength to be a strong voice in the community for what glorifies God
transition healing wounds into this scripture
Outroduction: What Do You Need to Cast Out?
Outroduction: What Do You Need to Cast Out?
And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
In the end the Lord will be glorified
What in your life is giving the devil a gripping point?
What excuses are you using to hold on to stuff?
They burned $6 million in books