Matt 8:28-34
Crazy faith over the last three weeks we talked about things that some people may say are crazy to believe. Jesus can heal us, if we follow Jesus there will be suffering involved, He wants our help and last week we talked about how Jesus has control over nature and the storms of our lives. Today we are going to talk about spiritual warfare, demons, unclean spirits. Is it crazy to believe there is a dark side an evil force?
Keith Green wrote a song of how Satan’s great deception of today is he does not exist. Read lyrics
Where it all started. Lucifer’s Pride Isaiah 14:12-16, Ezekiel 28:11-19 and 1/3 of angels fallen=demons
This is where sin originated and pride is the root of that sin, Lucifer wanted to be like God. Adam and Eve sin was pride as well.
When we think about it much of the sin we commit in life has to do with pride. I can do it, I can handle it, I am better at it, I want my needs met, everything revolves around me, I make my own decisions, I am the boss of men, I am my own God. So we can understand how this could happen.
Lets look at the text Matt 8:28-34 and see what happens in the account of the two demon possessed men.
Vrs 28 Demon possessed men, taken over by demons
Vrs 29 Three things the demons say
1. “What do we have to do with you?” This is not a question as much as it is a statement, Light has nothing to do with darkness. 2 Corinthians 6:14 That is why as believers we should keep away from evil
Eph 5:8-12 Read and talk about.
That is why as believers we have to be careful what we take in, through movies and tv, internet and music.
Many times we fill our minds with evil, entertainment should not be stories about rape, murder and violence.
Comedy should not be sexual innuendos and casual sex, this cheapens what God has created for a man and women within the confines of marriage. Do you see the deception here, Satan and his demons edge their way into to our lives by making light and entertainment of things we should not even talk about sinful things. And then when we have vulgar language, impure thoughts and easily fall into sin we wonder why? We were letting all these evil things set up shop in our lives
Surrounding ourselves with people who are not believers will lead us into darkness. 2 Cor 4:4 tells us that unbelievers eyes are blinded by Satan. Now lets think about this you have a problem or issue in your life and ask advice from the world, where will it lead you?
My grandma in 1950 went to the doctor because she was nervous and do you know what he told her? Start smoking
The world’s advice leads to destruction. The Bibles counsel is pray when you are anxious. The counsel of the Lord stands forever Psalm 33:11. I am not dismissing chemical imbalances and mental disorders. But the point I am making is we listen to the world and the first part of 2 Cor. 4:4 calls Satan the god of this age or world, the unbelievers God is Satan whether they know it or not because the Word says you are either for God or against.
So the question for the believer is what should we have to do with demons and Satan. But the problem is that we are taught not to recognize the power and reality of Satan because it is crazy to believe that.
2. Notice they also call Him “Son of God” the demons know who He is. One writer wrote “demons have good doctrine” I would like to correct that to say “demons know good doctrine”
James says they believe and shudder, they know Jesus and what He did.
1Timothy 4:1-3 Doctrines of demons
What is bad or false doctrine? There is a bunch but here is how we recognize it and here is how demons do it.
-Adding rules and regulations to the Word, Galatians talks about that, man made rules are legalistic. Anytime a church or a person or a pastor is teaching something that is extra biblical and teaching it as truth, that is false doctrine, everyone has the liberty to teach as opinion.
But when rules are added truth decays
-Taking scriptures out of the context in which they were written,can produce false doctrine. Satan poses as an angel of light. I have heard people support abortion through the scriptures, start cults, kill others, you name it there has been a lunatic who read a short passage and put his own meaning to it and did not examine the context.
This includes being honest with the text when someone is teaching the Word they must study and prepare and make sure they are not putting their own meaning to it.
The word says 2 Timothy 2:15 Rightly dividing the word of truth, training is so important
Or base doctrines off of Christian clesheas Jesse “Cleanliness is next to Godliness” God loves dirty sinners. He hung out with unclean people and came for the sick
“Everyone has a God shaped hole in their heart”
Jeremiah 17:9-10a
-Works based salvation, a great deception is I can work my way to heaven.
3. “Have you come to torment us before the time” “Time” is reference to Revelation 19:20 and 20:10 in which Satan, demons and the antichrist will fall under judgment. Are you here as a harsh reminder of our demise?
Vrs 30-32 Demons begged to go into the pigs? This is a strange request, why? Two things
1.The demons still wanted to hurt the men around by destroying their possessions and further make Jesus a burden to them and thwart the efforts of God. IN a sense make them turn their back on God.
Maybe you are going through a crisis in your life right now and Satan and his demons are causing it in hopes that you will blow your testimony or doubt God. They will stop at nothing except Christ because they have to sidetrack you in your walk and service to God
In a book called Bondage Breaker. A High Priest in the Satanic church got saved
2.It illustrates that Jesus still has control and no matter how powerful demons or Satan is they are not allowed to move without permission
Vrs 33-34 The peoples response was they wanted Jesus to leave because all their pigs went over the cliff. This illustrates how people value their possessions more then they value God. They kept pigs and they just lost 2000 of their source of income. And they were ticked that Jesus cast the demons out of the men into the pigs.
So what do we do with all this? Ephesians says this is all going on around us, that our battle is not against flesh and blood but the spiritual powers. The Word has guidance and comfort.
1. Resist the devil and he will flee James 4:7
2. “He that is in you is greater then he that is in the world” 1 John 4:4
3. Get ready for battle Eph 6:10-20 Talks about the whole armor of God which consists of salvation, truth, righteousness, faith, preaching the true gospel, the Word of God and prayer
No comments:
Post a Comment