Sermon: "DOMINIONS OF DARKNESS" Anderson
Deut. 18:15-20; 1 Co. 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28
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We’re going to listen again to some
provocative words as they are recorded in our
Gospel text for today:
23 "Just then a man in their synagogue who
was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24
"What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
Have you come to destroy us? I know who you
are-- the Holy One of God!" (Mark 1 NIV)
Demons... are they real, or are they relics
of superstition to be tossed into the junk
heap with all those things debunked by
twentieth century science?
Have you noticed that the more science is
used to discredit the supernatural, the more
also people on the street began thinking
about angels and demons?
Frank Peretti, a Christian author, has
written several popular books where angels
and demons comprise roles as major characters
within the plot development.
Hollywood is putting on movies about angels
like "Angels in the Outfield," and even more
movies about demons and ghosts.
If there is nothing supernatural... if there
are no angels... nor demons... no departed
souls... there still remains our appetite
for the supernatural.
The Bible, however, tells us that a
supernatural dimension does in fact exist.
We are quick to think of the hassle of
financial problems, or of people who don’t
like us, or even of our poor health, as our
great enemies. The Apostle Paul tells us
that our warfare is really taking place on a
totally different level: “For 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.” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
The apostle is not trying to minimize our
problems in the flesh, but he is saying that
Satan seeks to use our misfortunes, and even
our good fortunes, to work against our
spiritual well-being. Understanding Paul’s
inspired warning, we had better take the
soldiers of Satan very seriously.
Demons are soldiers for Satan. The word
’demon’ comes from a Greek word which
signified an inferior deity. Christians were
led to understand that demons are the real
actors behind each pagan idol. Note St.
Paul’s words in I Cor. 10:20: "...the
sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons,
not to God, and I do not want you to be
participants with demons." (1 Corinthians
10:20 NIV)
The apostle is telling the Corinthians that
idols have no power, but they are the
“houses,” we might say, in which demons live.
When I went to India we traveled to a major
cult center for Hinduism. The two main
leaders within our mission expedition, did
not go. They said, in a matter of fact way,
that the pagan shrine was oppressive to them
because of the thousands of demons which it
housed. One told of an exorcism that was
necessary for a member of a mission team
after they had gone to the Hindu shrine.
Demons seek to attract people into false
belief. All idolatry is false belief
stimulated by the presence of demons.
Demons also seek to seduce believers into
false belief. St. Paul was inspired to say
to young Timothy: "The Spirit clearly says
that in later times some will abandon the
faith and follow deceiving spirits and things
taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1 NIV)
This warning applies even more to our
circumstances than they did to those of
Timothy, for we are closer to the later
times.
Today we’re witnessing tremendous growth
within the occult religions. New Age, which
makes use of what they call "spirit guides"
and "channeling" is becoming one of the great
powerhouse forces of our times.
Back in my Concordia days, when I was a
student of philosophy, I did special studies
in the area of parapsychology and the occult.
This is known to some of my pastor friends,
one of whom has just recently made several
phone calls to me seeking my advice.
A member of his, who was drawn into mysticism
through the martial arts, has been dabbling
with some of his associates in what is called
channeling. I won’t get into this... but it
makes use of what they call "spirit guides."
The only spiritual about these guides is that
they are demons.
This pastor’s parishioner has reported events
so bizarre that he called me seeking to find
out what in the world was going on with him.
If any of you are thinking about toying with
the occult... with channeling... or Ouija
boards... or new age mysticism.... leave
these alone. Open these doors of occult
practice, and you invite into your lives
demonic powers which you cannot control and
which seek to do you harm.
Demons do all kinds of harm to those not
protected under God’s grace. In the Gospels,
like today, we read of demonic possession,
but it is not just a thing of the past.
A Christian psychiatrist once related what
happened to him as a medical missionary in
Africa. An African chief came with an
interpreter and a boy of about fourteen. The
boy was crawling beside the men, walking on
all fours.
The minute the medical missionary saw the boy
the idea of demonic possession popped into
his mind. He said to himself, “Wait a
minute! I’m a doctor, not an exorcist. I
don’t know what to do in situations like
this!”
Suddenly he found himself wording this
command at the boy, “In the name of Jesus, I
command you to come out.”
The boy went into, said the doctor, spasms
resembling an epileptic seizure. The doctor
sought to make sure the boy was all right.
Suddenly the seizures stopped and the boy
stood up on his feet. The doctor looked over
to see the obvious shock on the faces of the
two men.
The doctor examined the boy in his tent and
discovered massive callouses on his hands and
knees. He discovered later through the
interpreter that the boy had lived all his
life crawling, and that he ate and drank like
a dog from a dish.
The doctor than gave this caution to us. “If
you ever are involved in an exorcism,
remember that the person has been violated.
Emotionally they are not much different than
a woman who has been molested. You need to
minister to them, for if you don’t, seven
demons may replace the one... as the Lord
Himself once spoke about.”
Can demons possess Christians? Today there
are whole ministries built around delivering
Christians from demons which are causing them
to do harmful things to themselves and
others? Is this ministry valid? Should we
begin a deliverance ministry at St. Peter’s?
There is not one example within the Bible of
Christians being possessed by a demon. This
fact is known to those within the deliverance
ministry. Because they cannot make their
case from the Bible, they try to prove it on
the basis of experience. A deliverance
minster, Charles Kraft, writes: “Without a
clear scriptural position, then, we need to
consult those with experience in dealing with
the problem under consideration... [that is,
the demonization of Christians}.”
Pastor Don Matzat, a Missouri Synod pastor,
former Charismatic activist, and now host to
the LCMS talk-show and journal "Issues, Etc."
devoted most of the December issue to this
topic. He entitled it "Possession or
Suggestion?"
You should read his article if you are
wondering whether a Christian can be demon
possessed. His conclusion is no. Matzat
cites studies done within clinical studies
which mimic demon possession. Again, without
Scriptural foundation for demon possession,
and given other evidences of studies done in
the behavioral sciences, it is highly
unlikely that Christians can be demon
possessed.
The fact that Christians cannot be demon
possessed, however, does not mean that
Christians are not demon assaulted. In Luke
13:16 Jesus implies that God’s children can
be afflicted by Satan. The Bible suggests
that they can tempt Christians into impure
thoughts.
At the end of history, according to
Revelation 16:14, demons will entice the
nations of the world to turn against God and
the people of God.
Are demons real? Yes they are, and our only
defense against their power is in Christ, and
the spiritual weapons which He provides His
saints.
We cannot stand against even one demon on our
own power. Luther once said that if satan
knocks at your door, send Christ out to do
battle with him.
Therefore, if you are in Christ Jesus, think
about him. Don’t bother with a lot of
thinking about devils and demons. Let Christ
take care of these evil forces. However,
take very seriously the lurking presence of
evil, and do not open a door to them through
any occult exploration and activity.
I like how Rev. Matzat summed up our response
to devils and demons in the article I
previously mentioned. He writes:
"There are two traps we fall into when
considering the devil and demons. Both of
these traps are set by the devil himself. On
the one hand, we ignore the devil and do not
recognize that he is out to destroy our faith
by turning us away from our Lord Jesus, He
is the master of deception and often parades
as ’an angel of light.’ If we are ignorant
of his devices we become easily deceived and
susceptible to strange experiences and false
teaching.
Secondly, we give the devil too much
attention and begin to see demons behind
every teapot. This is also a deception of
the devil. The Christian who becomes
obsessed with Satan and demons has taken his
focus off the Word of God, the cross of Jesus
Christ, and the victory that has been gained
over the powers of hell."
May God the Holy Spirit keep each of us
focused upon our victory over sin, death and
the devil which has come to us, not because
of our merit, but because of the
unconquerable power of His love made known in
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, our Lord, who deserves all our praise
now and forever more. Amen.
