SPIRITUAL WARFARE: NOT HAVING ENOUGH POWER
Mark 9:14-29
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A man bought a new Tesla Roadster. He had two sons. One of them asked him, “Dad, if you die, who will inherit your new Tesla?”
2. He pondered the question & said, “If I pass away on an even day, the son born on an even day gets it. If I pass away on an odd day, the one born on the odd day gets it.
3. A few weeks later, while river rafting with his sons, the man was tossed out of the boat. As he floated in the rapids, he heard one of his sons yelling, "It’s the wrong day!"
B. TEXT
14 When they came to the other [nine] disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 16 “What are you arguing with them about?” [Jesus] asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of his speech...18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground....I asked Your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” 19 “O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied...“Bring the boy to Me.” 20... “When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion.... 21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered. 22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us.” 23 “If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” 24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” 25 [Jesus] rebuked the evil spirit, “You deaf and mute spirit,” He said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again!” 26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently, and came out. 28 After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” 29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer [and fasting].” Mark 9:14-29, NIV1984
C. THESIS
1. For those who don’t think this kind of satanic activity goes on today, there are numerous articles about its occurrence:
a. “Demonic Activity on the Rise” Nat. Catholic Reg.; 2017.
b. “Exorcism: Increasingly frequent.” Crux Mag. 10/31/20
c. Unfortunately there are no statistics of its frequency, because in the U.S. it’s not treated as a spiritual condition, but as a mental or physical abnormality. However, the same signs associated with possession can be easily seen in our society.
2. 7 CATEGORIES OF DEMONS in Scripture, their associated behaviors and the number of people involved:
Category of spirit. Text Expression # US INVOLVED*
EVIL, WICKED Mt. 12:45 VIOLENT 1.2 million
LYING, SEDUCING 1 Tm. 4:1 OC-CULT 24 million
SICKNESS, INFIRMITYLuke 8:2 SOMATIC 15 million
SPIRIT OF FEAR 2 Tm. 1:7 PHOBIAS 41 million
BONDAGE addictions Rm. 8:15 ALC/DRUG 45 million
DIVINATION Act 16:16 SPIRITISM .3 million
UNCLEAN Matt. 10:1 PORN/SEX. 40 million
Other stats associated with possession:
SUICIDE Mk. 9:22 SUICIDE 1.3 million
MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES................................5 million
PEOPLE IN MENTAL FACILITIES/YEAR...............2 million
IN PRISON FOR VIOLENT CRIMES.....................1.7 million
3. It is NOT ASSUMED that ALL of these are demon possessions, but that they are expressing behavior that MAY BE associated with possession.
4. [Examples: Crazy-violent people, a cultic spirit on them, experiencing illnesses when there is no physical basis for them, delusional with fear, controlled by addictions, yielding themselves to spirits, filled with destructive lust from pornography, trying to kill themselves, multiple personalities speaking to their minds, mentally insane without a physical basis, etc. Sadly there are MILLIONS of people like this, but the medical profession wouldn’t admit that any of them are “possessed.” We Bible believers think that’s what some are.]
5. Instead of spiritual assistance, these people are mostly drugged, put into mental institutions, or told their behavior is ‘okay’ because it’s associated with some syndrome. They're told, “Just learn to live with it.” I think Jesus would have a different answer for some of them. Prayer still changes things.
6. My point is, WE should be ready to do what Jesus would do if He were here; but DO WE HAVE ENOUGH POWER?
I. THE NINE DISCIPLE’S FAILURE
A. THESE DISCIPLES WEREN’T ROOKIES
1. Now these disciples had seen the demonic at least 8 times before this, and they had been successful at casting out spirits in less difficult cases.
a. They had seen Jesus cast out spirits in Galilee (Mt. 4:24), Capernaum (Mt. 8:16), the man of Gadara (Mt. 8:28), the mute man (Mt. 9:28), the blind & mute man (Mt. 12:22), and the Canaanite woman’s daughter (Mt. 15:22).
b. The disciples had been given authority by Jesus to heal and cast out spirits (Mt. 10:1,8) and had done it (Mk. 6:13). They had seen an uncommissioned disciple also casting out spirits in Jesus’ name (Lk. 9:49), showing us that we don’t have to be personally commissioned.
c. They watched or were part of Jesus sending out the 72 disciples to heal & cast out spirits (Lk. 10:17-20) and they came back rejoicing that the spirits were subject to them.
2. Four of the 8 times the disciples had experienced these situations, the Bible says “many” people had spirits cast out (Mt. 8:16; Mk. 1:32-34; 4:41; 7:21). So, the disciples had been given authority and experience, so that they shouldn’t have failed in Mk. 9, but they did. What did Jesus say was the reason they failed? NOT ENOUGH POWER!
B. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUTHORITY & POWER
1. WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AUTHORITY & POWER? “AUTHORITY is the legal right to do it; POWER is the strength to do it,”
2. ILLUSTRATION. Like the woman who, out of pity, let a homeless man move into her house. He didn’t act right so she asked him to move out. He said, “I’m not going to move out. You invited me in and you can’t legally make me move out.” The woman wasn’t certain, so she went to a lawyer who said she COULD make him leave. She got a court order from a judge and read it to the man and said, “Now get out or I’ll call the police.” The man grudgingly packed up and moved out. WHY? Because she had the legal authority. We do too, from the Lord Jesus Christ!
3. But the disciples were missing the second ingredient: the power! Jesus told them that “prayer & fasting” was necessary. Why? So a greater connection to the Holy Spirit could be established so greater power could flow.
4. It was no accident that after Jesus was filled with Spirit at the Jordan that the Spirit led Him into a time of fasting and prayer for 40 days (Lk. 4:1-2). After this the Bible says, “Then Jesus returned IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region” Lk. 4:14.
5. One of the keys to increasing the amount of electric power you want to transmit, is to increase the size of the cables. Fasting and prayer increase the power of our connection with the Holy Spirit! Jesus said that it was “by the Spirit of God I drive out demons,” Mt. 12:28. So the reason for their failure was they didn’t have enough power from the Holy Spirit to drive the spirit out.
6. HUMOR. Mark Twain made enough money to buy his own steam boat. When coming into a town, he would often blow the whistle. He was occasionally known to blow it for so long that he ran out of power, and drifted downstream while the power (of steam pressure) built up again. That’s what fasting & prayer will do – rebuild the power! Let’s take time for that this week!
7. WHY DO YOU NEED TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT?
II. JESUS COMMANDED YOU TO BE FILLED
A. JESUS’ IMPERATIVE
1. The first and most important reason is JESUS SAID IT WAS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.
2. “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” Lk. 24:49.
3. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with[in] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[in] the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:4-5.
4. The Greek word ‘baptidzo’ means to be ‘immersed, drenched or soaked.’ Immersed in the Holy Spirit!
B. A DIFF. EXPERIENCE THAN SALVATION
1. Jesus had already told the disciples that their names were written in heaven (Lk. 10:20), so they were saved.
2. Jesus (as of Acts 1:4-5) had already imparted the Holy Spirit to them in regenerating power (John 20:22; Jesus had “breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’”, similar to the divine creative ‘breathing’ in Gen. 2:7).
3. So then what was the purpose of the second work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost? It was to give them additional power they’d never had before! They needed extra spiritual equipment. It wasn’t to save them, but empower them.
4. POWER to WITNESS, to LIVE FOR GOD, for BOLDNESS, and the Holy Spirit even helps you PRAY!
C. PROBLEM OF COMPLACENCY
1. Appetite is one of the strongest indicators, to a doctor, of your health. Loss of appetite is an indicator of a much deeper problem.
2. Our physical body needs nourishment 3X a day; so does our spiritual being. There are many Anorexic Christians! They’re leading a dissatisfied, unfocused lives.
3. Many people come to church on Sunday and are satisfied with a pacifier sermon and a pacifier song – they make them feel good. But later, they’re still hungry, because they never ate anything substantial.
4. A. W. Tozer: "Before we can be filled with the Spirit, the desire to be filled must be all-consuming. It must be for the time the biggest thing in the life, so acute, so intrusive as to crowd out everything else. The degree of fullness in any life accords perfectly with the intensity of true desire. We have as much of God as we actually want.”
5. If you haven’t been baptized in the Spirit, you NEED to be, and you need to pray for a HUNGER for the Spirit until you are filled!
III. ADDITIONAL REASON FOR LOW POWER
A. THE POWER IS ONLY ACTIVATED WHEN IT’S USED FOR ITS INTENDED PURPOSE
1. The Holy Spirit power is given to empower us WHEN WE NEED IT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. Like Samson: the Spirit came on him when there was an adversary or a battle, and he needed it. If we're not in a spiritual battle, we don't need it.
2. The primary purpose of the power given at Pentecost was to assist us in witnessing. That real power won't flow until you begin talking about Jesus. Then it kicks on.
3. Let's say that God had said, "I’ll give you power to sing." Unless you sing, you would never experience the power given to sing.
4. 95 % of the All-Terrain Vehicles ever produced never leave the road. They are designed for a purpose for which they are rarely, if ever, used.
5. A believer who has experienced the power of the Spirit and is not sharing Jesus is like a 4-wheel drive vehicle that is never taken off the road. They have power for a purpose they are not utilizing.
6. THE NEED TRIGGERS THE FLOW. Jesus never performed miracles for show, but only did so when there was a need. The same is true today. Expect power when a need arises!
B. YOU CAN HAVE AS MUCH AS YOU WANT!
1. During a time of great scarcity of food and poverty, the Government decided to open 'Soup-kitchens' where the poor could receive a daily ration of food, free of charge. Many took advantage of the free supply.
2. One day two women came to the soup kitchen, one carrying a very large vessel and the other a small jug. The latter said to the former, 'You don't think you'll get that filled, do you?' 'Well! I’m bringing this in hopes of having it filled', came the reply.
3. When the distribution began, the woman with the small jug went first, and her jug was filled to the brim. Then she waited, and, to her surprise, her neighbor's very large vessel was also filled to the brim.
4. Each obtained according to her capacity. God too, will honor our faith, and fill us to the level we desire!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: The H. S. Works Like Alka-Seltzer
1. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that we allow him to occupy and control every area of our lives…How much of YOU does the Holy Spirit have?
2. When teaching his Bible college students about the Holy Spirit, James White always brought two glasses of water and two packets of Alka-Seltzer to class.
3. He’d drop one packet of Alka-Seltzer, with the wrapper on, into one glass. Then he’d plop an unsealed packet into the second glass, and watch it fill with fizz.
4. He’d say to his students, "Both glasses have the Alka-Seltzer, just as all Christians have the Holy Spirit. But notice how you can have the Holy Spirit and not his filling."
5. “Our goal is to...unwrap the packaging around the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us.” [James E. White] We need to quit “playing church” and get serious about being a disciple of Jesus!
B. THE CALL
1. If you’re struggling with human weakness and temptation, the Holy Spirit is the answer!
2. If you need courage to stand up for God or the heightened ability to pray, the Holy Spirit’s the answer!
3. If you want wisdom & guidance in your life, or want to be truly satisfied and have the joy of the Lord, the Holy Spirit is the answer.
4. Do you want more of God is your life? Everyone who wants to be filled or refilled with the Holy Spirit, please come to the front. Let’s pray.
*STATS OF U.S. BEHAVIOR that might be assoc. with demonic.
1. VIOLENT CRIMES. 1.2M violent crimes occur each year & 1.7M are presently incarcerated for violent crimes.
2. NUMBER OF SATANISTS, CULTS Lying spirit
quora.comhttps://www.quora.com/How-many-people-in-the-USA-identify-as-Satanists?share=1 Over 14 million people in the united states identify themselves as Satanists, May 21, 2018. Mormons = 5M or 1.7%; Jehovah Witnesses = 2.9M or 1% of US adult pop. There’re 10,000 cults in US, so total number > 10M.
3. (PSYCHO)-SOMATIC DISORDERS aafp.orghttps://www.aafp.org/afp/2016/0101/p49.html
Estimated 5% to 7% of population.
4. SPIRIT OF FEAR, CONTROLLING PHOBIAS, Comprise 12.5 percent of American adults. healthline.comhttps://www.healthline.com/health/list-of-phobias.
5. ALCOHOL/ DRUG USE ABUSE drugabusestatistics.orghttps://drugabusestatistics.org
14.8M or 10.6% of them have an alcohol use disorder. 31.9M or 11.7% of Americans 12 and over use illegal drugs.
6. SPIRITISM https://nwspiritism.com/2014/12/24/chart-showing-number-of-spiritist-in-the-world-in-2009-2/. Shows .1% of U.S. population are spiritists, that is, 330,000.
7. SEXUAL ADDICTION. Source: https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/internet-pornography-by-the-numbers. 40,000,000/296,260,000 adults = 13.5% of US adults are regularly on porn sites!
8. SUICIDE ATTEMPTS. In 2019, 47,511 Americans died by suicide. In 2019, there were an estimated 1.38M suicide attempts. https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/
9. MULTIPLE PERSONALITY. “1.5% of population in North America.” Source: Wikipedia, “Dissociative identity disorder.” .015 X 371,403,227 N. Amer. = 5,571,048 x .89 (U.S %) = 4.9 million people have this!
10. MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITALIZATIONS/YEAR
ncqa.orghttps://www.ncqa.org/hedis/measures/follow-up-after-hospitalization-for-mental-illness/. “There are over 2,000,000 hospitalizations each year for mental illness in the United States.”
