Jesus' Authority Over Demons (Parts 1 & 2) Series

Grace Community Church

Winchester, VA

www.gracecommunity.com

Watch these messages on our YouTube Channel:

Part 1: https://youtu.be/pa9EOmyGiUU

Part 2: https://youtu.be/B1nSk9KLkCs

Introduction

One of the greatest deceptions of our day is that Satan and his minions are not actively working in the world around us. When you factor in the increasing apostasy of the church today, Satan is able to freely and openly move and work in our world, including our churches. What most people don’t understand is the clandestine nature of the ministry of demons. When most people think of demons, they use Hollywood as a reference; a person frothing at the mouth speaking with an unnatural tongue, while they thrash around the room. That’s very rare as we’ll talk about shortly.

Most of the demonic work of Satan is hidden and subtle. He’s intentionally surreptitious. That’s his nature. Satan is the father of lies. The Bible tells us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). And he leads counterfeit order that is becoming increasingly powerful, deceptive, and perhaps most alarmingly, influential within the church as we move closer to the Rapture of the church. Jesus warned the churches of Revelation that this would happen and they were to have nothing to do with anything associated with such things. So what has happened is most churches are essentially impotent spiritually.

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:1: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. The question is what are these doctrines today? One of the most prevalent spirits at work in the church today and in America today is the Spirit of Jezebel. This will probably be a topic for a Wednesday night, but the deception of a Jezebel is a spirit that appears outwardly religious, but it is doing so for control of those in leadership. It is often rebellious toward leadership, especially male leadership. Jesus warned the church in Thyatira not to tolerate this spirit.

Other places we can see the doctrine of demons active in churches is the blending of eastern religions into our worship and practices. Now, what are some of these? Things like yoga, unbiblical worship songs that contain new age themes, the idea that you are a little god, name-it and claim-it teachings, crystals, the practice of healing through oils, and the like. One of the most recent occult practices to infiltrate the church is the Enneagram. This personality test is not from a psychologist nor from a Christian. It was created by a man named Claudio Naranjo, who said that he created the Enneagram test from “automatic writing,“ which is a dangerous occult practice of getting messages from unfamiliar spirits. Even though the Enneagram has been touted as Christian, it has no biblical basis.

Satan is the father of lies and deception and delights at introducing something innocently that opens doors for demonic influence. So what is the church to do and how do we respond to these things? Well, Grace Community Church you are fortunate enough to be a church that sits under the full counsel of the Word of God. I hope you understand that most Christians all over the country spend most of their time focusing on their problems and their feelings rather than the riches of God and His Word. Sadly, there are many who wander around in a fog trying to find Jesus. We can’t have that here and in these last days.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (Romans 1:16 ESV)

So we come to the fourth chapter of Luke today and also next week of an incredible event that is taking place with Jesus in Capernaum. This is an event that starts out in a Synagogue provides us with a transition as Luke transitions from demonstrating who Jesus was as a person who is the Messiah and the Son of God to Luke demonstrating Jesus’ power and authority. We will see that Jesus has power and authority over demons, sickness, nature, and religious teaching. All of this is going to unfold for us. Luke is demonstrating this to us so that we may be certain that he has the complete power and authority to save us from the grip of sin. That all starts to unfold as Jesus is teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum. Let's take a look:

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31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath, 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power, he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region. (Luke 4:31–37 ESV)