1.
Was demon power real
in Jesus days?
The Bible says that one
day a man came to Jesus and pleaded, ”Lord,
have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for oft he
falls into the fire, and oft into the water”
(Matthew 17:15).
What was The boy's problem? Was it psychological, or hereditary?
The Bible shows us plainly that this son was vexed with a demon. For as
soon as Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, it left him and from that
moment the boy was well - And
Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was
cured from that very hour. (Matthew
17:15)
Then, in the book of Luke we learn of a man from Gadara who was more
than insane. When he came to meet Jesus he was homeless, naked, and
lived in a cemetery among the tombs. The demons took control of the man
in such a way that even when he was shackled with chains he simply broke
them apart and rushed into the desert - completely under the demons'
power.
When attacks and fits of demon activity would come upon him, he would
throw himself against rocks until his body was cut open and bleeding.
When Jesus asked this demon his name he replied, "Legion,"
because there were so many!
27
When Jesus stepped out on the shore, a certain man from the city met
him. The man was possessed by demons and had not worn clothes for a long
time. He would not stay in a house but lived in the tombs. 28 When he
saw Jesus, he shouted, fell in front of him, and said in a loud voice,
"Why are you bothering me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg
you not to torture me!" 29 Jesus ordered the evil spirit to come
out of the man. (The
evil spirit had controlled the man for a long time. People had kept him
under guard. He was chained hand and foot. But he would break the
chains. Then the demon would force him to go into the desert.)
30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" He answered,
"Legion Six Thousand." (Many
demons had entered him.)
- (Luke 8:27-30, Gods
Word for the World).
Many people in our
"modern, sophisticated" 20th century society would say,
-
"The poor man
probably had a severe hormone imbalance." Or,
-
"I know that
that kind of behavior is the result of a traumatic childhood."
Or,
-
"l guess he
was just born a 'bad seed.'"
But that's not what the
Bible says. The Bible says it was the work of demon spirits, pure and
simple. The Word of God proves that this man was not just a "bad
seed" with a chemical problem, because when he was delivered of all
those foul spirits he immediately became an evangelist.
33
The demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. Then the herd
rushed down the cliff into the lake and drowned. 34 When those who had
taken care of the pigs saw what had happened, they ran away. They
reported everything in the city and countryside. 35 The people went to
see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man from whom
the demons had gone out. Dressed and in his right mind, he was sitting
at Jesus’ feet. The people were frightened. 36 Those who had seen this
told the people how Jesus had restored the demon–possessed man to
health. 37 Then all the people from the surrounding region of the
Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave because they were terrified. Jesus got
into a boat and started back. 38 The man from whom the demons had gone
out begged him, "Let me go with you." But Jesus sent the man
away and told him, 39 "Go home to your family, and tell them how
much God has done for you." So the man left. He went through the
whole city and told people how much Jesus had done for him. (Luke
8:33-39 Gods Word for the World).
We could go on and on,
proving in case after case that demon power was real in Jesus' day. Not
only was it real, but it severely tormented, oppressed, possessed, vexed
and controlled many people of biblical times. Demons caused deafness,
blindness and countless other ailments that destroyed the minds and
bodies not only of the "heathen," but of God's very own
people.
1.2. IS DEMON POWER
REAL TODAY?
Now I want you to take
a little imaginary trip with me. Come into a mental institution for the
insane such as is found in many of your cities. I want you to take a
good look around as we walk inside.
There's a woman who
comes to greet us at the door. She's wearing a white uniform, and has
long keys dangling from her side. Let
us have no delusions about what those keys unlock. They unlock cold,
clammy, gray steel doors that house human beings just like you and l;
people who are caged behind bars.
You look inside one of those cages and what do you see? You see a
person just like you crouched against solid cement walls. On these
walls you can see indentations as deep as your fingers that have been
made by bleeding, human hands.
Next we walk to the place where they keep the "hard cases."
There's one skinny little man there, and it is taking five men to get
that one human being into a straitjacket. Sound familiar? It’s just
like someone you just met in the country of Gadara in the Bible.
Tell me, where do you think he gets his superhuman strength?
As we watch, we see that it takes one 250-pound male nurse to hold
down each one of his arms, and two more to hold down his body and his
legs. Meanwhile, another man tries to squeeze him into that
straitjacket - the only thing they have to control him. Why? Because
that man is possessed with superhuman power.
That same superhuman demon power that was so real two thousand years
ago, is just as real today.
If you don't believe
me, pick up your newspaper and ask yourself:
-
What makes that
group of young people to break windows, destroy bus stops, and so
on..?
-
"What makes a
man 19 years of age strangle a beautiful young lady he has never
seen before..?
-
“What makes that
boy to shoot from his car while driving by on people unknown to him,
and kill a number of them..?
-
"What makes a
young mother take her seven-day-old infant, stuff her into a trash
can, close the lid, and leave her there to die..?"
The Bible tells us
exactly what makes her do this. It is the same demon power that tried to
murder that "mentally deranged" boy by throwing him into the
fire!
We could go on and on with modern-day examples of demon power for days,
and not even uncover the tip of the iceberg.
In Jesus' day, the reality of demon power was never questioned. People
knew it existed - pure and simple, the only thing that amazed them was
that there was finally Someone around Who had the power over the devil
to do something about it.
And do something He did. Jesus dealt with all of these gruesome
situations in short order. How? With power and authority He commanded
each one of these foul spirits to leave, and they did! The public was
astounded.
And
they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves,
saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with
authority commands he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. (Mark
1:27)
By now you may he
saying, "All right, Brother Schoemaker, I've read my newspaper,
I'll admit that satan has great power in the world today. "But all
those things I read about are with unsaved people. The devil can't get
away with those atrocities in born-again Christians. We're protected by
the blood of the Lamb. Jesus died to save us from all that." You’re
absolutely right. Jesus did die to save us from "all that."
However, "all that" is still going on.
Why? Let me ask you, do we have people in the Church today who are deaf?
People who can't speak? People who have mental problems? People who are
constantly ill? Jesus has plainly shown us that many (not
all!) of these afflictions are a
direct result of demon oppression. (See
Matthew 12:28,43; Mark 1:23,26; 7:25; 9:17-26; Luke 4:33; 8.29; 9:42 and
13:11).
In addition, we see the utter devastation caused by broken homes, child
abuse and divorce which is rampant in the church today. These are the
very things that God sent His Son to this earth to destroy.
He
that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy
the works of the devil. (1Jn.3:8,
AV).
He then put all the
keys to spiritual power in our hands to finish the job. He has given His
power over all the power of the enemy
Behold,
I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke
10:19, AV).
Then why haven't we
done something about all those tormented, demon-oppressed brothers and
sisters sitting right next to us in the pews as we listen to sermons
about "love" week after week? My Bible says:
Herein
is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of
judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (1Jn.4:17,
AV)
What is Jesus?
What are we?
So
then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of my mouth. (Rev.3:16).
1.3. URGENT ALARM!
Today the Lord is
urgently sounding the alarm, trying to make us see that many people in
the Church who have assumed that they will be part of the marriage
feast, could instead be cast out of His kingdom if they insist on living
with the oppressive forces that are binding them, and destroying
Christ's Church. These oppressive forces are making you, as a Christian,
both helpless and useless.
I want to read to you one of the most chilling stories in the Word of
God... a story that haunts me; a story that keeps me awake grieving for
God's blinded, oppressed, dominated and controlled people. For I know of
nothing that shows how a Christian can be rendered helpless, uselessly
bound by satan, than the story Jesus Himself tells in Matthew 25:14-30.
Open your Bible with me now as the Lord reveals to us the horrifying
truth of how satan oppresses God's people in the Church. The story
begins as Matthew tells of how the Master, (Jesus),
went away on a far journey. But before He left He invested in His
servants, entrusting them with all He had. Read this dramatic passage of
scripture with me now:
14
For the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who
called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. 15 And unto
one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every
man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the
same, and made them other five talents. 17 And likewise he that had
received two, he also gained other two. 18 But he that had received one
went and dug in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long
time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckons with them. 20 And so
he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents,
saying, Lord, thou delivered unto me five talents: behold, I have gained
beside them five talents more. 21 His lord said unto him, Well done,
thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy
of thy lord. 22 He also that had received two talents came and said,
Lord, thou delivered unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two
other talents beside them. 23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good
and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew
thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and
gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and
hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His
lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou
knew that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27 Thou ought therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then
at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take
therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten
talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall
have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that
which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer
darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew
25:14-30).
Now, why did the Master
react like this?
-
Was it because the
servant went out and lived with prostitutes?
-
Was it because he
lived a riotous life of drinking and gambling?
-
Was he a liar or a
thief?
-
Was he living in
some other bad way?
No. The Bible does not
say anything like that.
-
This man was
already chosen to be a servant of Christ.
-
He was already
called to be a member of the Kingdom of God, just like you and I
are.
But he was cast out of
the Kingdom because he allowed his life in Christ to be controlled and
dominated by one particular demon agent in satan's army.
Yes, this man was literally vexed and tormented to such a degree that he
needed deliverance. He was like so many people in the world today (even
born-again Christians), who are
useless to God and feel helpless to do anything about it.
Remember that this parable was Jesus' way of giving us a deep spiritual
truth with which He wants to warn us for a major spiritual pitfall.
Earlier in the book of Matthew, Jesus warns us that
“Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
(Matthew 7:21).
In fact, you could
explain the words of this last servant which he spoke to his Master on
that final day as: "I was afraid. I went out and hid your talent
in the ground. I hid the resources you gave me to save souls because I
was ruled by fear. I could not do Your will because fear ruled my mind,
my spirit, my emotions and my actions. I was afraid."
Like you and me, this servant had everything he needed to do the will of
God. He was called for the Kingdom and was fully equipped for what he
had to do. He had been given the same ability, power and relationship
with God as the servants who were given two talents and five talents.
But on that final day, he had nothing with which to meet the Master but
a feeble excuse for not making his life count for God.
I do not know of another power that can render you as helpless and
useless; that can tie your hands, bind your mind, control, vex and
torment your soul like the spirit of fear!
1.4. FEAR IS A SPIRIT !
The Apostle Paul warned
Timothy,
”For
God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and
discipline”. (2Tim.1:7,
ASV).
The Word also tells us
that fear hath torment
“There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath
torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love”. (1Jn.
4:18)
Therefore, since fear
is a tormenting spirit, we know that it does not come from God. If it
does not come from God, there is only one other source fear can come
from and that is from satan!
It is the devil's goal to keep you oppressed by fear: to prevent you
from doing the will of God and to keep you from being used by God in the
gifts of the Spirit.
-
Fear is one way
satan keeps us in bondage. When God gives you a gift of His Spirit
to give to others, satan uses fear to make you think, "This
might not be God. It's probably just me and I'll make a fool of
myself. I'd better hold back."
-
Fear is also the
devil's tool to keep us in bondage to the opinions of man... we are
afraid of what people will think or say about us. We become afraid
that we might not be accepted in our denominations if we go all the
way for God.
I know of nothing that
binds, vexes, torments and keeps us from doing God's will any more than
fear.
When we attend a
spiritual meeting, God moves upon our hearts to give, to reach out to
the lost. But as soon as we get home satan attacks: "You can't give
that amount. It's too much. You were just being emotional. What will
happen if you get cancer or lose your job? You have so little money in
the bank."
Fear strikes and God is robbed. Satan has won the victory. The door is
now open for the enemy to come in and hinder the glorious promises of
God.
The unholy spirit of fear takes control. The Kingdom suffers.
“For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it
first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God?” (1 Peter
4:17).
If you go down to
defeat, because of the spirit of fear, what will you say when you stand
before God?
Friend, if you have ever made a pledge to God and not fulfilled that
vow, I urge you to do so before you go one step further. I don't want
you to stand before the Master and hear what the unprofitable servant
heard... Jesus told him, "Depart from me" and he was cast into
outer darkness.
We are to be ruled by love to our Lord - never by fear!
If
a man vow a vow unto the LORD, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a
bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that
proceeds out of his mouth. (Numb.
30:2)
Offer
unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High (Ps.50:14)
Vow,
and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring
presents unto him that ought to be feared. (Ps
76:11, AV)
I
will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, (Ps.66:13,
AV)
When you vow a vow or
make a pledge to God, do not put off paying it; for God has no pleasure
in fools (those who witlessly mock
Him). Pay what you vow (Psalms
50:14; 76:11; 66:13; 14). It is
better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay (Proverbs
20:25, Acts 5:4).
Let us each determine today to overcome all fear, so that we might
glorify God by triumphantly saying to Him,
“Praise
waits for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be
performed.” (Psalm
6 5:1, AV).
Beloved, it is harvest time! This is not just a fire drill... it is the
real thing. Jesus is coming! Let us all get our houses in order quickly
and, using all the resources at our disposal, move on to total victory
in Him.
1.5. FEAR RULES GOD'S
SERVANTS TODAY
This unprofitable
servant was afraid to use the resources God had given him to use; and he
refused to use the tools God had given him to overcome his fear.
However, as sad as this story sounds, it is nothing compared to what is
going on with God's servants today. If you don't believe me, just read
several of the hundreds of letters I receive from Christians each week;
Christians whose lives are fruitless and in complete bondage to the
spirit of fear.
One friend writes,
"Brother, I have
agoraphobia (an abnormal fear of
public places). I've been saved
over three years, but God hasn't healed me yet. Please pray that the
Lord Jesus will heal me of this torment so that I can go out and speak
of Him and get a job."
Now listen to the way
satan has another dear Christian so paralyzed by fear that she is
totally useless in fulfilling God's will for her life. She pleads:
"Dear Brother,
please help me. I can't cope with this three-year-old problem that
seems to be getting worse. I really need help. Why is it that I have
the most difficult time maintaining eye contact with anyone? On
account of it, I fear people. I find it so difficult to fellowship
with anyone. Even my relationship with my husband is shaky, and I have
problems trying to communicate with my child.
I don't have any friends. There are people who want my friendship, but
it seems that I can't let go of my friendship to them. I retreat from
them with a sort of weird look in my eyes, and with a fearful and
timid attitude.
It's such a helpless feeling that overwhelms me. I almost have to
torte myself to go anywhere. I asked God not long ago to give me a
burden for people so that I could reach out to them and give myself to
them.
Well praise God, the burden is there, but the problem is that whenever
there's a need for me to reach out I panic. I get frightened and find
it difficult to even face them. What is this? I know that God did not
create me this way. There are people in need everywhere, and here I
am... just wasting my life."
I hope your heart is
breaking as you see the desperation in this life. These same fears may
be yours. Yet God's Word commands that we must (and
can) rise up and overcome all our
fears. All those who do not overcome will he cast into the lake of fire,
right along with all the other "unprofitable" agents of satan.
“But
the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is
the second death.” (Revelation
21:8).
I know that this is not
a passage that many of you have underlined in your Bibles. Yet it is
just as true as all the promises for prosperity, health and happiness
that we're so fond of.
Believe me, if God's Word says something we have two choices: We can
either take it very seriously, or fall into deceit. Which do you choose?
When you stand before your Lord on that final day, are you going to face
Him with the many "treasures" of lost souls that you've won
and nurtured... or a lot of feeble excuses of why you were afraid to
step out?
“For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to
whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke
12:48, AV).
Are you going to say,
-
"Yes, Lord. I
obeyed your every command. I took every tool you gave me, overcame
my fears, and was victorious for you."
-
Or, are you
going to say, "Well, I know Your Word said, 'fear not,' but
I didn't think that applied to me. You see, I had a burden to
pray for the sick, but I was afraid to learn to drive, so I
never got far from my house."
-
Or, "I was
the shy type, so I never got into witnessing. I did play the
piano in Sunday school though. Wasn't that enough?"
-
Or, "I was
afraid that if I tithed I wouldn't have enough for myself. I was
afraid to trust You to provide for me."
So what was the
unprofitable servant's excuse for being afraid? Fear of poverty!
He told the Lord,
“I
was afraid, and went away and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, thou hast
thine own.” (Matthew
25:25, AV).
What about you? Are you
in bondage to fear of giving because you're afraid that the Lord might
ask you for more, or that the "well will run dry?" Many of you
are in such bondage to fear that you are afraid to receive healing from
God.
So many are like the little woman who came to me at the end of a
meeting. She just saw that when I beckoned to a woman in a wheelchair to
come forward so I could pray for her, that this woman did not wheel
herself to me, but stood up and walked to me – she got her healing
before we prayed – so we just thanked the Lord.
To the little woman who came hobbling to me on her canes I said: “In
the Name of Jesus, drop those canes." She answered "I can't do
that." - "Why not?" - "Because I'm afraid I will
fall if I do."
At that point I put my hand on her and, in the Name of Jesus, cast out
that spirit of fear. Then some of the helpers took her canes and said,
"Now, get going." She had only two alternatives: One was to
fall and the other was to walk. She decided she would walk and was
totally healed.
I tell you, the Church today is being ruled by a spirit of fear. Because
of this, hundreds of thousands of "born-again" Christians who
think they're in good shape with the Lord, are sinking fast and are
becoming "unprofitable servants."
This includes pastors, ministers and evangelists. Yes, the spirit of
fear is not only ruling the pews, it's in the pulpit too! |