Demons
Sun Valley Statement of Faith:
The devil and his demons are real and the enemy of God and all people.
1. Demons are fallen angels.
(Mt. 25:41, Luke 11:15, Rev. 12:4,9)
2. Demons are intelligent and organized.
Intelligent (Mt. 8, Mk. Luke 4:41, 8:26-31, James 2:19)
Organized (Col 1:13,16, 2:15, Eph 1:21, 6:12, 1 Pt 3:12, 1 Cor.15:24, Jude 6)
28When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29"What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" Mt. 8:28-29
For by him (Christ) all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. Col. 1:16
3. Demons are often associated with false religions, idols and the occult.
Ex. 20:4, Psalm 96:5, 1 Sam. 28, Jer. 7, 1 Cor. 10:19-20, Acts 16:16, Rev. 9:20
Demons and Humanity
Do not give the devil a foothold... Eph. 4:27
1. Demons tempt through our fears, our pains, our appetites and our guilt.
(Dt. 32:17, Josh. 24;14, Job, Jn. 12:6, Eph. 2:1-3, 4:17-32, 2 Cor. 2:10-11, Jm. 3:13-18)
2. Demons also tempt through our spiritual curiosity.
(Dt. 18:9-12, Is. 8:19-20, Gal. 5:20, 1 Pt. 5:8, 2 Th. 2:9, Rev. 21:8)
3. Demons seem to target the family and relationships.
(1Cor. 7:1-5, Eph. 5-6, 1 Tim. 5:14-15)
4. Demons are obsessed with destroying the church.
3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. 2 Cor. 11:3-4
(Mt. 13:19-30, 24:24, Acts 5:1-9, 2 Cor. 4:4, 11:13-15, Gal. 1:8-9, 1 Th. 2:17-18, 1 Tm. 4:1, 1 Jn. 4:1-6, Rev. 16:14)
Spiritual Battle
1. You and I are caught in the middle of a spiritual war.
3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Cor. 10:3-5
2. Spiritual wars must be fought with spiritual weapons.
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Eph 6:10-18
3. God’s power is stronger and God’s love is bigger than any enemy you will face.
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
