INTRO: CD 2:00 “Demonic Discourse.” From FAITH HIGHWAY
Have you ever had an encounter with an evil spirit? How did you know?
Illustration: The evil spirit at the bottom of the stairs…
Evil spirits are like pets: always around causing trouble, carrying disease, and a pain to get rid of.
? Where did they come from and why are people so fascinated with them?
NEW NETWORK SHOWS & MOVIES ON SPIRITUALITY:
NBC: Medium: She sees what others can’t.
CBS: The Ghost Whisperer: girl who can see and talk to dead people who need to “cross over”
MOVIES: The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Amityville Horror, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride:
FOR KIDS, because what would childhood be like without being able to watch movies about the undead? ABC: Invasion: about aliens who come to possess people’s bodies. “Mommy, you smell different…”
Why is everyone so fascinated with the dead? And why is it always the evil side?
MOST PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE DEMONS ARE REAL, BUT WE’RE AFRAID THEY MIGHT ME. It’s this fascination with the unknown, which lures us.
There is an unseen enemy most people refuse to acknowledge, but it behooves us as Christians to know about them, because they are the enemies of our souls, and knowing the enemy’s weakness is always a powerful asset for a soldier.
The BAD NEWS for most people is that yes, demons are REAL!
The GOOD NEWS is THEY DON’T ALWAYS WIN! Ultimately, they loose big… Unfortunately, a lot of ‘unbelieving’ people will loose big with them.
This is the fear and the power of evil supernatural beings: they want something you have and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.
JOB ILLUSTRATION: Satan is even seen approaching God to accuse Job of wrongdoing BEFORE Job ever commits the sin he’s being accused of!
Job 2:1-6, “On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason." "Skin for skin!" Satan replied. "A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life."
Satan had NO AUTHORITY, except that, which God allowed him to use…
? WHERE DID (the little buggers) COME FROM AND WHY ARE THEY SO NASTY?
Turn the clock back about 6,000 years to “IN THE BEGINNING…”
It all began with that word AUTHORITY. Authority: God has all authority and He’s given all authority to His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s the only place where you and I get authority: from JC.
Satan had SOME authority but he wanted ALL authority, so he formed a mutiny, rebellion, revolution against God and the Lord Jesus and His angels: a fight for the whole enchilada: authority.
Unfortunately, Satan was about as smart as an unmanned fire hose, and he lost the battle…
He was the BIGGEST LOOSER: “LA-HOO-ZA-HER.”
Ever since then, he and his nasty bunch have pursued subjects, one at a time, who would give him a place to exercise authority over our lives. Satan STILL wants it all, and he’s coming to a theatre near YOU!
He can’t get his authority from God any more, so he’s going to the next best thing: God’s children… That’s you and me.
“May I have authority over your finances, desires, thought life… SOUL?!”
It’s up to YOU now. You have something Satan wants and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.
Satan’s looking for spiritual real estate and he’ll take as much as you’re willing to give him: a little or a lot because he knows his time is short…
Revelation 12:9, “The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
Satan’s primary objective is to persuade you to give him supreme authority for your life. Why? So he can use you and then kill you. That’s what he does. He deceives & uses then he accuses and disposes.
I’ll give you one of the first examples of his use of this pattern…
Satan wanted authority, and he started the first Jihad in the courts of Heaven to obtain it. His first recruits were angels… A third of the angels in Heaven joined him, waging war against The Lord and the other two thirds of the angels in Heaven, but there was no contest. The creature is always subject to its creator, so God hurled the devil and his followers to the earth till judgment day.
Some of the angels were bound in everlasting chains till judgment day: Jude 1:6, “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-- these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.”
Others have been allowed to roam the earth.
All of them are destined for the same appointment, along with everyone else who joins forces with Satan. No second chances will be given. For the angels, because they saw God’s face, witnessed His Glory, and still they turned their backs on Him and betrayed Him! For us because we witnessed the power of His Son and are afforded the opportunity to be saved by Grace BEFORE judgment day, if we believe and trust in Him.
A third of the angels gave Satan authority over their lives and abandoned their home in Heaven, and they were cast down to earth together with him.
The heavens rejoiced: NO MORE SATAN, but WOE to us, who inhabit the earth because we have a fierce and powerful devil, bent on revenge. He’s out to kill the children of God and he’ll do as much damage as he can because he knows his time is short.
The spiritual realm around us is powerful and it’s real. Demons aren’t just fictional characters for horror movies, they’re real, they’re powerful and they’ve been around long enough to know what human weakness is all about.
The problem for them is, they still have no authority. No authority.
Have you ever seen how firemen handle the fire hose?
Illustration: Picture from Arlington, Virginia Fire Department
There are usually at least two men on the hose. Why?
? What happens if you drop a charged hose? Momma’s gonna slap you around!
That hose will knock you out!! Why?
The hose is very powerful. It has huge potential for good, but without the authority of the firefighters on the end of it, guiding it, focusing it, it is dangerous and destructive.
In the same way, these spirits without authority are like a fire hose gone bad. They have great power, but no authority, so they cause great damage wherever they go.
? What does this mean for you and I? Is this something we should be worried about?
Yes, and no…
The part where you come into the picture is here: YOU HAVE SOMETHING THEY WANT:
AUTHORITY.
1: Authority as Christ’s disciples.
Mark 6:7, “Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.”
Jesus gives authority to His disciples. Along with the call is the empowerment.
When He sent out the disciples in pairs, He sent them out with nothing but authority…
And IN HIS NAME, they healed and cast out demons!
So, Satan wants to strip you of this authority by leading you astray.
He wants you powerless and non-confrontational
2: Authority as those who have a choice.
As long as you are “in Christ,” Satan cannot touch you without God’s permission.
However, it is when you begin to live outside of God’s protection that you become fair game to evil spiritual influences.
Evil spirits are very restless and anxious. They know their end is near. They move back and forth through the land, searching for places to haunt. It’s the spiritual equivalent of House Hunters, except fallen angels aren’t looking for a lakeside property with a spacious kitchen, or even a spooky house to take shelter in… They’re prime property is a dark and empty soul.
Demons look for certain “qualities” when house hunting… If your life is full of these “qualities,” you may be in danger of an unholy encounter.
DWELLING PLACE FOR DEMONS:
I: DARKNESS: People commit their filthiest sins under the cover of darkness…
The darkness is where demons do some of their best work.
John 3:19-21, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."”
People living in darkness hate the light. That’s why the truth about abortion, homosexuality and religion always gets their dandruff up.
EXAMPLES of SPIRITUAL DARKNESS: Loose TV/movie watching standards, alcohol in the house, isolation from God, dabbling in spiritism or false religion, sorcery, astrology, numerology, etc.
Deut 18:10-14, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,
11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.
12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.
13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.
14 The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.”
Eph 4:27, “and do not give the devil a foothold.”
Don’t give the devil a foothold! By doing so, you give him authority to dwell in your life, and he’s going to beat you like a loose fire hose!
II: EMPTINESS: Illustration: “The Curious Boy Account.”
THE EMPTY GIFT
"I was enjoying 1st grade to the fullest until one day in December when the little girl behind me set "it" on her desk. It was the tiniest Christmas present imaginable, less than an inch on each side with white glossy paper tied up with a sliver of red cellophane. Immediately I was captivated. I had never seen anything so exquisite. Day after day the tiny gift caught my eye, and my active imagination tried to guess what miniature treasure might be inside. It had to be something wondrous beyond description.
I longed for that object with all the power a 5-year-old can muster. Finally, I became convinced that it should be mine. I deserved it because I desired it. Since I rode an early bus to school, it was a simple matter to slip into the empty classroom one morning. My hands eagerly tore open the tiny present. Inside I found - nothing.
Staring at the destruction in my hand, anticipation dissolved into disappointment and confusion. Gradually my stunned mind grasped the fact that the little package had been nothing more than a hollow decoration. I sat at my desk with the empty paper and an empty feeling, sickened by the knowledge of my guilt.
Little did I know that morning that this scene would repeat itself many times in my life. As I grew up the world enticed me with all sorts of shiny, gaily wrapped "presents" that caught my eye and promised happiness. Too often, when I accepted what the world was offering and tore away the wrappings, my excited expectations were replaced by feelings of emptiness. Over and over I found myself proving the old cliché: "You can’t judge a gift by its wrapping."
Empty place are the places void of Christ that we try to cram full of STUFF.
It’s like plugging a leak with an old piece of newspaper… Things just keep getting worse.
Filling emptiness with stuff creates a bigger gaping hole and is the perfect opportunity for unclean spirits to move in…
Luke 11:24-26, "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ’I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." - Jesus
THESE AREAS OF DARKNESS AND EMPTINESS ARE CALLED SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS, OR SATAN’S FOOTHOLDS.
DON’T LET YOUR LIFE BE A DWELLING PLACE FOR DEMONS!
? HOW DO I MAKE MY LIFE DEMON-PROOF?
Rev 12, Vs 10, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.”
The KEY IS JESUS. If your life is full of light by the power of Jesus Christ, then you have nothing to worry about.
Illust: “FEAR NOT” sticker on a car: better than “No Fear.” FEAR NOT, for I AM with you!
KEYS FOR OVERCOMERS:
I: THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST.
Matt 28:18, Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." IT’S ALL IN ME! – Jesus.
Col 2:9-10, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”
Luke 8:28 Jesus meets a demon possessed man, in verse 33 a whole crowd of them are running…
“When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!" For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission. When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.”
Jesus has all AUTHORITY, given to Him by the Father. All He has to do is command the evil spirit to leave and they run like dogs…
In the same way, as His disciples, you are empowered, deputized and authorized by your RELATIONSHIP to the One with all the authority.
Does this mean we run off looking for spiritual show downs with demons?
(Illustration from when I was a boy wanting a ouji board show down just to run off a demon.)
We’re not supposed to run around looking for fights with things we don’t understand, but we are empowered for a purpose and we should be on the offense spiritually, not on the defense in the war against our souls.
II: THE LIGHT OF JESUS CHRIST: Walk into the light. Uncover darkness. Expose the grime!
John 3:21, “But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."”
Invite God to shed light on your life and expose the dark areas so you can come to know Him better.
Beg Him to make you who He wants you to be so you can BECOME LIGHT to a dark world!
III: FILL UP! THE FULLNESS OF LIFE IN CHRIST: COL 2:9-10, EPH 1:18-23
Col 2:9-10, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”
Fill the empty places with Jesus so there’s no room for all the unclean thoughts and persuasions like jealousy, hatred, anger and revenge… Don’t make a foothold for Satan!
BE FULL OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD!
CONCLUSION:
YOU HAVE IT ALL THROUGH THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS CHRIST!
Eph 1:18-23, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
