MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
CENTRAL CHRISTIAN, BROWNSVILLE, TX
A. One of the great conflicts of life is the conflict over authority. "Who is in charge? Who controls what is going on?" This conflict occurs in the home between parents & children. It occurs between students & teachers at school, & between children on the playground. And usually it is the biggest who wins.
The same kind of struggle oftentimes takes place in marriage, too. Two people get married & when conflicts occur, the question arises, "Who, if anybody, is really in control?"
ILL. Years ago, "The Honeymooners" was one of my favorite TV programs. I enjoyed watching Jackie Gleason & Audrey Meadows as Ralph & Alice Kramden. One of my favorite scenes was when Ralph stood before Alice & shouted at the top of his voice, "I am the king, Alice. Got that? I am the king. You’re the servant. I’m the king." And while Alice seems to stand there meekly, nodding her head, she’s smiling, & we know that even though it’s Ralph who’s making all the noise, it’s really Alice who is in control.
ILL. Now I can smile at that because we have never had an authority problem in my home. My wife is absolutely submissive to me. My every wish is her command, & she is quick to obey. And if you believe that, I have the Brooklyn Bridge that I would like to sell you.
Seriously, folks, we all face this question of authority. Who pulls the strings in your life? Is it Satan or is it God?
B. Now along that line, I’m really concerned about how often our movies & TV programs tend to exalt the power of Satan & portray the world as helpless in the hands of overwhelming Satanic forces.
Despite all the hype of Hollywood & its depiction of Satanic powers, I’m convinced that Christians need not be fearful that Satan can take us by surprise & possess our houses or our souls without our permission. Because of Jesus there is no need for us to be afraid. But we do need to be on guard against his wiles.
PROP. Now this morning I’m going to refer to a number of scriptures as we contrast the power & authority of Jesus & of Satan in our lives. You may want to write some of these references down to look at them again later.
I. THE AUTHORITY & POWER OF JESUS OVER SATAN
A. The first scripture is Colossians 1:16-17, & the Apostle Paul is talking about Jesus. Listen as I read, "For by Him all things were created: things in heaven & on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him & for Him. He is before all things, & in Him all things hold together."
Now isn’t that exactly the same thing that the Apostle John said in John 1:2-3? "He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made."
Both of these scriptures say that everything that has been created has been created through Jesus.
Remember Genesis 1:1 where it says, "In the beginning God created the heavens & the earth"? And the word that has been translated "God" there is a plural word. Then a little later on in creation, God said, "Let us make man in our image." Suddenly we begin to understand, when it says that the Father & the Son (that’s Jesus) & the Holy Spirit were all involved in creation.
Just as Paul said, everything visible, invisible, thrones, powers, rulers, authorities, heaven & earth - Jesus was involved in their creation. "All things were created by Him & for Him." And that includes the angels.
B. Now here is the connection. God created the angelic kingdom. And Satan, or Lucifer, is an angel who rebelled against God & sought to place himself upon the throne. But because God is all-powerful, he failed.
So we read in Isaiah, chapter 14, & Ezekiel, chapter 28, where Lucifer was cast out of heaven along with many other "fallen angels." Now we may call them "fallen angels" but the Bible much more often calls them "demons" or "evil spirits." And with them Satan established his kingdom, the kingdom of darkness.
Now I believe exactly what the Bible says about demons. It is too much a part of the N.T. to be ignored, too much a part of the ministry of Jesus just to be shoved aside. So when demons are referred to in scripture, we need to realize that it’s talking about actual spiritual forces of evil in our world.
But we need also to understand the authority & power that Christ has over them. That passage in Colossians is saying that Jesus created all things, & therefore has absolute authority over all things, even over the angels & demons of the kingdom of Satan.
C. For example, turn with me to the story of the Gaderene demoniac found in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Mark. You’ve probably read it before. Jesus & the disciples sail across the Sea of Galilee to Gadera where there is a man who has been living among the tombs, shouting & shrieking like some kind of a wild animal.
The people have tried to confine him, but nothing seems strong enough to keep him. They bind him with chains, but he breaks the chains & runs around like a crazy man throughout the countryside. Then Jesus & His disciples came ashore nearby.
Listen to what Mark says in the 5th chapter, vs’s 6-13. "When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran & fell on his knees in front of Him. He shouted at the top of his voice, `What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!’ For Jesus was saying to him, `Come out of this man, you evil spirit!’"
"Then Jesus asked him, `What is your name?’ `My name is Legion,’ he replied, `for we are many.’ And he begged Jesus," listen to that, "he begged Jesus again & again not to send them out of the area."
"A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, `Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ And He gave them permission, & the evil spirits came out & went into the pigs. The herd, about 2,000 in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake & were drowned."
It’s a weird story, isn’t it? And there are some things about it that we may not understand. But there is a lot of truth here that we must not miss.
#1. Lots of demons possessed this one man. "My name is Legion, for we are many." So many, that when cast out of him, they went into 2,000 pigs.
#2. They begged for permission not to be sent out of the area. And Jesus gave them permission. He had absolute authority over these demons.
D. Now turn back to Mark 1:23-24 where Jesus is teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. It says, "Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, `What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?"
Isn’t it interesting that the evil spirit recognized Jesus? No introduction, but instantly he recognized who Jesus was. "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?" Why would he ask that question if Jesus did not have the power to destroy them? Jesus has absolute authority. "`I know who you are,’ he said, you are `the Holy One of God!’"
The forces of evil recognize the authority & the power of Christ over them. Read the rest of the story & you’ll discover that when Jesus cast the demon out, the demon shook the man violently, rebelling all the way, but the demon had to obey the command of Jesus to come out.
E. James 2:19 tells us something more. It says, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - & shudder."
Why do they shudder? Because they fear the judgment that is coming. They shudder in the presence of Christ because of His authority & power over them.
APPL. But I’m afraid that the demons show more concern about the authority & power of God than do most of us. Most of us don’t shudder in His presence. Most of us don’t stand in awe of His power. Most of us take God & His Word for granted, & kind of coast along through life, doing what we want to do when we want to do it, thinking that everything will always be all right, never really realizing the seriousness of the enemy that we are facing.
II. RESIST THE DEVIL, & HE WILL FLEE FROM YOU
A. In Ephesians 6:12 Paul warns us, "Our struggle is not against flesh & blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world & against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms." Whether we realize it or not, we are in a life & death battle which will determine not only the way that we live now, but also where we will live in eternity. So we had better take it seriously.
And because of that, Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8-9, "Be self-controlled & alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering."
James 4:7 agrees with Peter & says, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, & he will flee from you."
That is why Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. Listen to what he says, "Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, & after you have done everything, to stand" [Ephesians 6:13].
B. The first piece of armor that Paul tells us to put on is the "belt of truth." "Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist." It was the belt which held in the soldier’s tunic & from which his sword hung & which gave him freedom of movement. Others may guess & grope; the Christian moves freely & quickly because he knows the truth.
ILL. You know, just a few months ago the results of a survey was announced which stated that the great majority of those questioned believed that "everybody lies," & they saw nothing particularly wrong with that. They may see nothing wrong with lying, but lying is not acceptable to God.
SUM. Paul said that the first thing we must do, if we’re serious about this battle, is to put on the "belt of truth."
C. Secondly, he says that we need to put on the "breastplate of righteousness."
ILL. Words are no defense against accusations, but a good life is. Once a man accused Plato of certain crimes. "Well then," said Plato, "we must live in such a way as to prove that his accusations are a lie."
The Living Bible calls it, "the breastplate of God’s approval."
ILL. A young soldier wrote home in the midst of the Revolutionary War. He was in the Army of Connecticut. Gen. George Washington had stood before this army & they were a motley crew. Less than half of them had weapons that worked. They had no uniforms. They didn’t know how to march. They couldn’t stand at attention. They looked a mess to Gen. Washington.
But when he stood before those men, he looked up & down the ranks. Then he said, "Gentlemen, I have great pride & faith in the men from Connecticut." This young soldier, when he wrote home told his mom & dad, "I took my musket & clutched it to my breast, & I said to myself, `Let the enemy come!’"
D. Now back to Ephesians 6, & in vs. 15 Paul says to put on the shoes, have your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace." Shoes were a sign of one equipped & ready to move.
E. Then he says, "Take up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."
The word "shield" that Paul uses is not that for the small round shield, but for the great oblong shield of the battlefield warrior. One of the most dangerous weapons in ancient warfare was the fiery arrow, dipped in pitch & set afire. The Romans used these great oblong shields & put hooks on them so that the shields could be hooked together to present a large & solid wall against the enemy arrows. Thus each man was able to protect & strengthen the others.
ILL. Jim Stockdale, a POW in Vietnam, said that when he was being tortured, that over & over again through his pain & cries he could hear his fellow prisoners tapping out in Morse Code, "God bless you, Jim Stockdale." Because of that Morse Code, because he knew there were others rooting for him, he was able to get through the torture & the pain.
Now, grant it, sometimes we need to learn to hold the shield of faith by ourselves. But let me tell you something, Christians, the army of God is for people who need help & we need to learn to give it to each other.
F. Then he says, "Take the helmet of salvation & the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
There is a big problem today in many churches across this land. That problem is Biblical illiteracy. If I asked how many of you had quiet times every morning or every night - how many of you read your Bible & talked to the Lord in prayer each day - I think we would all be appalled at the number of hands that were raised.
The reason we get into conflict & the reason we feel the sting of defeat is because we don’t know how to use the sword, which is the Word of God.
ILL. Charles Spurgeon once said that the Bible is like a lion. You don’t need to defend it, you just turn it loose.
G. Last of all, Paul says, "Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers & requests . . . be alert & always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me . . ."
H. And if we’ll do this, then the triumphant cry of the Apostle Paul in the 8th chapter of Romans can be our cry, too. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . .
"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 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" [35,37-39].
INVITATION:
