Changing the Spiritual Atmosphere To one that is repulsive to satan.
(Author’s note: this message was part of an 8 week series concerning changing the spiritual atmosphere for our church and personal lives. We discussed how people and churches can have an atmosphere about them, and that we wanted our church to have an atmosphere that was: ATTRACTIVE to the LOST, REPULSIVE to the DEVIL, and CONDUCIVE to a move of the HOLY SPIRIT. The message you are looking at was an illustrated sermon that was part 5 of the series. The sermon is first and the drama is appended to the message.)
Text: Job 39:27-30 (Speaking of vulture eagles.)
Interesting fact: Some sharks can detect blood when it is only 1 part in 10,000,000!
Interesting fact: Flies can detect a human body that is dead, and find it, within 3 minutes of death, almost anwhere on earth!
Demons like vultures feed off the carcass of decaying flesh. Like vultures they can detect prey far off with their “eagle eyes” roaming about seeking whom they may devour.
We want an atmosphere that is:
Repulsive to satan: We have to have something happening that makes him not to want to be near us. We want to be like “Off” ‘they don’t bite, they don’t even like.”
We want to be sending a very clear message to the devil: “Get Lost”
Illus: 2 devils talking about going to our church. One says to the other “If you want to go there, you are going by yourself, I can’t stand that place, every time I go there I get a bloody nose. They be binding me, casting me out, rebuking me, I can’t stand that place.”
The second one says to the first one: “But let’s wait we will get Deacon Jones when he gets home, when he turns that HBO on, that is a much better atmosphere for us to enjoy.”
Saints we have to be consistent in our being repulsive to satan.
That is why we talked about resisting him with our words, our weapons, and our walk.
How are we going to be repulsive to satan? Today we are going to turn the lights on and chase the darkness away, for demons traffic in darkness and in garbage. What do I mean by that?
We are going to compare rats to demons. The devil is a rat, Amen!
Imagine if you will a house full of rats. How did it get that way?
The rats were attracted to garbage, came in through breeches in the walls, and move about in cover of darkness.
Can you imagine someone who had an infestation of rats praying, “Lord get rid of those rats.”
God would reply you don’t have a rat problem you have a garbage problem, a breech problem, and a problem with association with darkness.
“You close up them holes in the walls, clean the garbage up off the floor, and turn the lights on the rats will leave.”
Illustration of the saint always asking for prayer because, “the devil has been after me.” She doesn’t have a problem with the devil, she has garbage in her life that keeps on attracting the devil. Rats leave when there is no garbage to eat, no access points(breeches), and no cover of darkness to hide in.
Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Some of you here have a rat problem, and I have come as God’s exterminator, before this service is over we are going to get rid of some spiritual rats.
Further some of you don’t even know that you have been having a problem with rats, but God is going to open your eyes to let you see how the devil has been moving in your life and trying to destroy you.
Turn with me to Psalm 19:12.
3 Kinds of secret faults. Remember we are talking about how rats are attracted to garbage, and move about in darkness.
1. Sins you don’t know about, nor can others see them either. Garbage hidden by darkness, a breeding ground for rats.
2. Sins others can see, but you can’t.
3. Sins you know about, but others don’t.
The 3 foolish lies of secret sins.
1. No one knows.
Like a rat stealing crumbs. You run out when you think no one is looking.
2. Since I didn’t get caught, I don’t have to pay.
You are paying: Decreased joy, anointing, and favor with God.
Increased demonic attack, harassment and condemnation.
3. Secret sins will stay secret.
What you practice in private will ultimately manifest itself in public.
Every idle word. Thy sins will be announced before the world. They
have already been noised abroad in the spiritual realm. If you only knew
how much you have embarrassed yourself.
Now we want to get out God’s flashlight and use a dramatic presentation to show you how secret sins come about, and their effect upon us.
DEMONIC SPAPSHOTS; (At this point in the message the drama was presented)
Drama talking points:
How the images remain, especially images of anger or bitterness, but lust also. Things that were done in sin, i.e. relationships and promiscuity can be brought up again and again, we need to understand there is a difference between forgiveness and cleansing. 1 John 1:9. Revelation about Peter’s dirty feet, he had a positional pardon, but he still needing cleansing. You can be in Christ positionally, but have unconfessed sin practically.
How such things that become attached to our spirit invites further demonic hostility. Mt 24:28
“Where the carcass is the vultures will gather.” It is like a neon sign to demons in the spiritual realm. Vultures gather when an animal is about to die. Here they are probably a reference to the Romans legions which had eagles on their battle standards. When these began to encircle the city Christians would know the end was near. The vulture has a very sharp sight, and quick smell, and will, by both, discern carcasses at almost incredible distance: it will diligently watch a man that is near death; and will follow armies going to battle, as historians relate, and they take up dead bodies, and carry them to their nest.
Be sober be vigilant... we need to remember there are entities that watch our every move and are bent on destroying us, and exploiting every weakness.
We don’t have a problem with God not loving us, or not hearing us, it is a problem of putting weights on our own spirit. “Let us lay aside every sin and the weight that doth so easily...
We don’t have a problem with the devil, we have a problem with garbage. The weights also are a sign permitting further demonic harassment. The reason being God hopes by that to bring us to repentance. He lets the devil whip up on us. 1 Cor 5:5.
If you don’t clean up the garbage you are hanging out an invitation sign to welcome the devil.
Close:
We are going to open the altar. If you don’t respond and you have been convicted you are saying, “satan it is ok for you to mess with me, because I am not going to clean up my garbage.”
Some need to come, because you sense a need for cleansing. Promiscuity, images that remain.
Anger images that remain.
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DEMONIC SNAPSHOTS
Overview: This is a skit that shows how some sins can leave lasting images, and can become “weights that hinder.”
Players:
Announcer
ACM - Average Christian Male
DLD - Dirty little devil
RGA - Rookie Guardian Angel
Clerk - Someone sweeping the grocery store floor
Someone to be Lord’s voice. (Announcer can double)
Props: A Sports Illustrious Magazine, a Polaroid camera, several snapshots on a string attached to AVERAGE CHRISTIAN MALE. A small binder with a cover that says, “Rules of Engagement.” A ball and chain, like civil war era prisoners would have had. A lazy boy chair.
Intro (Announcer): The skit today is about a man named Average christian male, it could just as easily be called a skit about Betty, or Tom, or Calvin, or Louise or any other name you could pick. For you see, it’s a skit about us. Ordinary people, and the extraordinary influences that shape our every day living. It has three main principals in it: A man named Average christian male, an angel, and a demon. As you see this skit unfold we would like you to imagine you are Average christian male, and the pressures he faces are the ones you also endure. May seeing things from the unique perspective we offer today, help you to walk in more freedom in the Lord, and more circumspectly realizing there are enemies waiting to pounce on your every indiscretion, and hinder you in your Christian walk.
Instructions to congregation: We need you to help us today, by using your imagination. We want you to imagine that ____ is a rookie guardian angel, _____ is a dirty little devil, and that they are both invisible to ______ who plays an average Christian male. For the most part the action in this play takes place in the Magazine section of one of our larger grocery stores.
Opening scene: AVERAGE CHRISTIAN MALE is on the cell phone, in the car, talking to ______ his wife, and he is asking her to repeat what she wants from the grocery store. She says something about getting an anniversary card for her mom and dad. He ends telling her he will be home in about twenty minutes.
AVERAGE CHRISTIAN MALE exits car goes into grocery store wanders over to clerk and asks the clerk where the greeting cards are. The clerk looks up from his sweeping and says they are in isle 12, just past the magazine rack. AVERAGE CHRISTIAN MALE thanks him and heads off. As he goes his guardian angel follows him where ever he goes. As he gets to the magazine rack, the DLD, (who has been hiding in the shadows by the magazine rack) begins shouting out to him.
“Hey you, ACM, over here. ACM, look at these magazines!” AVERAGE CHRISTIAN MALE slows as if thinking. Demon puts his arm around ACM saying, “hey man check out the chick on that muscle mag cover.” Acm begins looking.
ACM’s angel speaks to the demon, “what do you think you are doing?”
Demon: “What do you mean, what do you think your doing?”
Angel: “You heard me, what do you think you are doing?”
Demon: “I am tempting him, what else would I be doing.”
Angel: “Back up buddy, this guy is under protection, he’s a Christian.”
Demon: “I’m not backing up for nothing. Look at the lust in his eyes, he is staring at that
magazine cover, and it says right here in the rules of engagement, (holding up binder) the official guidebook for demons and angels, ‘rule 21, resist equals desist. If a human under temptation resists and calls on God, all demonic activity shall immediately cease and desist, but if they begin to yield further access to the human shall be authorized.’ Now, step out of my way and watch your precious little Christian melt like butter in my hands.”
Demon: “Hey Acm, check out this Sport’s Illustrious Magazine. It’s the beach babes edition.”
Angel: “Don’t do it Acm. You know you shouldn’t do it Acm.”
Acm looks nervously and guiltily around.
Demon: “No one is looking, the coast is clear. C’mon man is says 25 pages of the hottest babes around.” “This ain’t pornography is just bathing suits, they got clothes on.”
Angel: “Don’t do it Acm, you know you are feeling a check inside.”
Acm looks around again.
Demon: “C’mon man just look at the girl on the cover, I mean she is almost wearing nothing, don’t you want to see what is inside the magazine?”
Angel: “Acm let’s just leave and get that card you are supposed to pick up.”
Acm moves closer to the magazine.
Demon: “Don’t just look, pick at it, pick it up, you know you want to.”
Angel: “Don’t do it Acm, you know you shouldn’t do it.” “Angel puts hand on Acm’s shoulder.
Demon fearful the battle may be turning screams out, “come on Acm, what’s one little peak going to do? You don’t have to look at all of them. The cover says the pictures were taken in Hawaii, you went to Hawaii for your honeymoon didn’t you? Hey maybe the pictures were taken at some of the places you visited, come on man, take a look, isn’t your curiosity getting the best of you?
Angel: “Acm, you know its a trick, don’t do it Acm.”
Average christian male picks up the magazine and fearfully looks around.
Demon: “don’t worry man the coast is clear, besides nobody cares if you look at Sport’s Illustrious, like I said it’s not pornography.”
Angel: “Acm....” voice trails off and shakes his head, a let down look on his face, as Acm begins turning the pages.
AVERAGE CHRISTIAN MALE turns magazine sideways, eyes bulge wide open.
Angel: “Put it down Acm, put it down, you know you shouldn’t be doing this.”
Demon: “Just a few more pages, don’t you feel your pulse, racing? Isn’t this exciting?
Isn’t she good looking?”
Average christian male flips the page.
Demon yells out: “Whoa man, look at that picture! You can almost see right through that bathing suit!”
Average christian male is staring. Demons takes picture (with polaroid) of page Acm is staring at.
Angel says, “Now what are you doing?”
Demon: “Adding to my collection.”
Angel: “What collection?”
Demon: “My collection of snapshots.”
Angel: “Snapshots?”
Demon: “Yeah snapshots. I help reinforce these lustful and other images into ACM’s mind and every now and then I bring them back up and pull him down with them all over again. Human memory is one of our favorite weapons!”
Angel: “You can’t keep bringing up his sins, he is a Christian, his sins have been forgiven.”
Demon: “Yes, I know he has been forgiven, but if he doesn’t ask Jesus to cleanse his mind of these snapshots they remain there indefinitely. You watch, you are his guardian angel you’ll see. Five minutes from now he will forget this whole event ever took place, and when he goes to bed tonight and says his two minute prayer, that’s two minutes if he doesn’t fall asleep first, he won’t remember to ask Jesus to forgive him and cleanse him from all unrighteousness. So even though technically he is forgiven, he has as Jesus says dirty feet, and like David said in the Psalms he has what we in the business call secret faults.”
Demon puts picture on string.
Average christian male puts magazine down, begins to walk down aisle.
Angel: “Acm you shouldn’t have done that.”
Average christian male looks down at the floor, realizing his error and guilt.
Demon: “Yeah, you shouldn’t have done that, don’t you feel terrible.”
Angel: “Now what are you doing helping me to convict him?”
Demon: “No, you are convicting him, I am condemning him.”
Angel: “You can’t do that, there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.”
Demon: “True, but the rule of engagement, rule 81 states, and I quote: ‘if a Christian has unconfessed sin in his life demonic powers may harass him about it, until such time as the believer claims deliverance from condemnation through the shed blood of the Lamb.’”
Angel: “Your bad.”
Demon: “Yeah, ain’t it great.”
Angel: “No it’s disgusting.”
Demon: “Yeah, well you may not like me, but as long as he walks in garbage I am granted greater access, and I am going to take full advantage of it.”
Angel: “What do you mean by that?”
Demon: “Watch this.”
Average christian male says out loud, “Now what kind of card should I get for my mother-in-law’s anniversary?
Average christian male picks one up and starts looking at it.
Demon: “Get her a cheap one. Your wife is probably going to get her an expensive gift.
That wife of yours is always spending money you don’t have. In fact you shouldn’t
even get her a cheap card remember this... (Demon pulls picture off of string.)
She just bought a new couch on the credit card. Remember how mad that made you?
Average christian male gives a mean and angry look.
Demon: “She is always spending money you don’t have. She is probably planning on spending a whole $20. on her mother. Don’t that get you mad? Call her up and giver her a piece of your mind”
Average christian male looks even madder.
Demon: “Forget the card let’s chew her out.”
Average christian male returns the card to the rack
He gets out the cell phone and calls wife up and tells her he ain’t buying no stinking card, that she has spent too much money this month already. Slams down the cellular phone. (However you do that!!!) Folds his arms and is just stewing.
Demon puts hand to ear as if receiving a message.
“Yeah boss, yeah boss, that’s great news boss, I’ll take care of it right away.”
Demon gets ball and chain and walks out into the audience showing how heavy the ball is, laughing it up, and saying how this is one of his favorite parts of his job, binding Chrstians with sins and weights that so easily beset us. He heads back to Acm and begins to attach it to his ankle.
Angel(Agitated and frustrated): “OK, now what are you doing?”
Demon: “I am hindering his prayers and his walk in God.”
Angel: “Your what?”
Demon: “I am hindering his prayers, and his walk in God. See that ball and chain, that ought to slow him down real good. And the wonderful thing is he probably doesn’t even know why its there.”
Angel: “You can’t do that.”
Demon: “Oh yes I can, says right here in the rules of engagement, if a man doesn’t treat his wife right according to 1 Peter 3:7 his prayers will be hindered.” (quote verse)
Angel appears very agitated and frustrated throwing his hands up in despair.
Announcer: That concludes act 1. Place chair center stage. Average christian male is kneeling in prayer at chair.
Announcer: We don’t want to leave on such a negative note, so we will transport you a week forward in time and now we find Average christian male is on his knees praying.
Average christian male is talking to God and is complaining that he hasn’t felt the joy of the Lord in a while. He doesn’t feel as “free” as he once did. He doesn’t understand why. He has been going to church, and is even giving extra time as a deacon and leading the worship team. Why doesn’t he feel more free.
The Lord speaks: “Acm, Read 1 Peter 3:7”
Demon tries to stop him by screaming in his ear, he is too tired to read, he never gets anything out of it when he reads, it probably isn’t God who spoke to him etc..
Acm reads 1st Peter 3:7 and realizes his mistake (aloud) and repents.
Angel takes off ball and chain. Demon complains Angel says, “Shut up or I’ll jack your jaw, and you can read that in those rules of engagement of yours if you want to!”
Demon: “Oh yeah, where?”
Angel: “Rule 14, repentance equals immediate release. Any demonic power interfering after repentance has taken place is subject to severe reprimand.” (Angel swinging sword in circular motion over his head, threatening to strike)
Demon (Cowering): “Please, don’t hit me please!”
Angel: “Your pathetic!”
Average christian male says, “I even forgive her Lord for buying that couch, and I pray you help me to be a less angry husband.”
Angel removes picture from string, turns to demon and says, “Ha, ha, ha, how do you like that.”
Demon (Shaking his head): “This is not turning out to be a very good day.”
Average christian male upon release begins to worship, thanking God for his sense of renewed freedom and deliverance from hindering weights.
The Lord speaks again to Average christian male, read “Matthew 5:28”
Average christian male reads it and begins to confess and to ask God to cleanse his mind of every evil thought that he has had, and to take out every evil picture he has seen, and every lustful snapshot that is in his memory.
Angel cuts string off, and Average christian male and angel go singing and dancing off together, singing “He set me free, yes He set me free. He broke the bonds of prison for me...”
Demon puts hand to ear as if getting a new communication. “Yes boss, yes boss, but boss, but boss, yes boss, yes boss, I’ll be there right away.” Hangs up. Shakes his head as he leaves saying, “I’m in big trouble, big trouble.”
Close: Pastor
© Copyright Maurice McCarthy 1998. All rights reserved. Commercial reproduction in any form strictly prohibited. Permission granted for non-commercial uses only. No fee of any kind may be charged in association with this work. This literary work may not be used for the enhancement of any other product that is sold or licensed. It may not be altered or edited in any way, without written permission. It may be reproduced only in its entirety for circulation as "freeware," without charge. All reproductions of this data file must contain the copyright notice (i.e., “Copyright ©1998 by Maurice McCarthy, Geneva, New York.)
