How Should We Think About Demons and Spiritual Warfare.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] If you haven’t been with us before, you’re coming in really kind of at the tail end of [0:04] a series called Cow Tipping. [0:06] And what this series has been was we took questions for a few months from our website [0:14] and we took the top six of those questions and formed sermons around those questions. [0:20] And today we’re going to be dealing with or attempting to answer the question, how should [0:24] we think about demons and spiritual warfare?

[0:29] Now, during this sermon, if you have a question or if I peek your curiosity about anything, [0:35] there’s going to be a number up on the screen throughout this service where you can text [0:39] questions in. [0:41] We’re going to have a Q&A time after the sermon is over where I will seek to answer those [0:46] questions but what you need to do is not wait until the end to text those questions in, [0:51] which means even if you think I might answer it later in the talk, go ahead and send that

[0:57] question in. [0:58] They know what I’m talking about and they know what I’ll get answered. [1:02] But if you wait until the end to send your question in, there’s a great chance that we [1:06] won’t get to it, especially if we’re already up here. [1:10] I guarantee you I won’t get to it if you do that. [1:13] But go ahead, send those questions in.

[1:15] I’ll do my best to answer those questions and prayerfully, hopefully, God will use something [1:21] that I say to help you this morning. [1:22] Now, when I first started taking a look at this topic a few weeks ago, I was like, yeah, [1:27] you know, there’s some stuff I can say and I don’t think there’s really that much for [1:31] me to say. [1:32] And the more I read, not simply about what’s in Scripture, but really how our culture around

[1:37] us is defining spiritual warfare, is defining demons, I found that there’s much that needs [1:43] to be said about this issue in our culture because there’s much error and false teaching [1:49] that’s happening, not simply out in the culture, but also in the church. [1:54] And a lot of it’s taking place within our media. [1:57] So there’s really movies mainly and even in books that our kids are reading. [2:02] So what I want to do is I want to deal with this issue.

[2:05] And what we’re going to deal with first is we’re going to deal with angels and then demons [2:07] and how we should respond to them in our lives. [2:10] There’s going to be a lot of information going out today. [2:14] So it’s going to be kind of like drinking from a water hose a little bit this morning. [2:17] You’re going to get a lot of information and hopefully a lot of application as well for [2:22] your life.

[2:22] But what I want you to first do is open to 1 Peter chapter 5. [2:26] If you have your Bibles, go ahead and open them up to 1 Peter chapter 5 and I’m going [2:29] to read verses 8 and 9 and then we’re going to jump off from there. [2:33] On 1 Peter chapter 5, the apostle writes this in verse 8. [2:38] He says, Be sober-minded, be watchful. [2:41] Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

[2:46] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of sufferings are being experienced [2:52] by your brotherhood throughout the world. [2:54] Pray with me. [2:55] Father, we’re so thankful for every opportunity we have to come together as your people, those [3:03] who believe in the Son of God Jesus Christ and salvation that’s in him and him alone. [3:09] I pray this morning that you would be praised, glorified in our time together.

[3:14] Spirit, give me words to speak. [3:18] Keep me from venturing into any territories where there will be error, but rather only [3:23] allow me to speak the truth of your word this morning. [3:27] Father, give me power. [3:29] And Lord, I pray that you would use this morning and use your word as you always want to use [3:33] it and that is to change our lives.

[3:36] That we would become more effective, more dependent on you. [3:43] That we would always trust you and seek to change the lives of others through that trust. [3:49] In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen. [3:52] Demons and angels are a topic that brings a lot of speculation. [3:58] Whether it is in movies where the devil is seeking to mate with someone on earth to [4:06] have the Antichrist come, such as in Rosemary’s Baby or something that’s a little more personal

[4:11] where those that are most precious to us are possessed by demons as we saw in the [4:17] Exorcist with really sensational topics like head spinning around, crab walking up walls, [4:24] spewing pea soup all over everything or even really quasi-reality horror movies that we [4:31] see in our own culture such as the very popular film The Conjuring that we saw this summer [4:36] which is kind of a remake of the old Amityville horror movie where the devil and his demons [4:42] actually inhabit an entire house and terrify a family to the point of murder.

[4:47] And we see over and over again the demonization is shown in movies as this great mythological [4:54] masterpiece and sometimes even with our children where we see great romance novels which really [4:59] aren’t that great if you think about it with vampires and werewolves and teenage girls [5:04] being seduced by them. [5:05] It’s kind of sick if you actually think about it. [5:06] The guy is like 200 years old and she’s 15.

[5:10] That’s weird, kind of gross, but okay. [5:14] Mom and dad maybe should censor some things, but we see people falling in love with witches [5:20] and werewolves and somewhere in there the reality has been lost and it really gets [5:27] its way into our own homes, gets its way into our church where the media and the culture [5:33] around us will take a great lot of error and mix it with very little truth to the point [5:42] where we struggle even to know the difference any longer where much of what we think about

[5:48] the spiritual realm is often dictated by the culture around us rather than objective truth. [5:55] And we’ve dealt with over the past few weeks this realization that our culture has shifted [6:02] from a place where everything is measured by science as was the case with modernism [6:07] to a place where people are certain that the spiritual realm not only exists but is very [6:13] active in this world, but the problem is that it seems like we’re making it up as we go [6:19] along.

[6:20] Whatever sells is showcased not as play, not as myth, but rather it’s showcased as being [6:27] absolute truth. [6:28] And we are the authors of our own destiny and the biggest place that I see this affecting [6:34] our culture right now is with our young ones, with students that actually believe themselves [6:41] to be vampires or believe themselves to be werewolves or toy with the idea of demon possession.

[6:49] And the question that I want to deal with today is inside of all of that, inside of [6:54] this error in truth, what is the part that is true if anything that we’re seeing in [7:00] the culture around us today where demons and spiritual warfare are concerned. [7:04] But to start, we can’t start with demons. I want to start this morning with the reality [7:08] of angels because they have now entered the fray in the book The Mortal Instruments where [7:12] we see demons and angels having hand-to-hand combat over eternity.

[7:16] And I first want to let you know that that’s really not how it’s working out over our heads [7:20] right now. I think some of us because of the way culture is reading it, we have this view [7:25] that above us there’s this invisible realm where war is really taking place and it looks [7:30] a little bit like what happens sometimes over in the Middle East. I don’t think it looks [7:33] anything like that actually. [7:35] But the first thing I want to deal with today is the topic of angels. Angels are created

[7:41] spiritual beings. Angels do exist. So there’s just this tension inside of our lives that [7:49] when we look at what is error, there’s often a temptation for us just to throw the whole [7:53] lot out and say, well, none of it’s real. None of it really exists. None of this fantasy [7:58] can possibly be true. [7:59] But the reality is that Scripture reveals to us that there is a spiritual realm that [8:04] does exist and it is part of God’s creation. So angels are a part of that creation. Angels,

[8:11] the term actually appears in thirty-four of the sixty-six books of the Bible. A hundred [8:16] and eight times in the Old Testament angels are mentioned. Over a hundred and sixty-five [8:21] times in the New Testament we see the reality of angels actually existing. But we have [8:26] to understand these are not gods. Angels were created by God. Look at Psalm 148 verses [8:33] 2-5. [8:34] 1 Look at Psalm 148 verses 2-5. Praise him, all his angels, praise him all his hosts.

[8:37] Praise him, sun and moon, praise him all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens [8:43] and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded [8:48] and they were created. [8:50] So if you notice angels right in these texts are lumped in with the rest of God’s creation. [8:56] These are beings that God himself commanded to exist and they did. [9:03] Now how many angels are there? I don’t know. The only place where we see any potential

[9:09] number of angels is in Deuteronomy chapter 33 verse 2 where it says that there are tens [9:13] of thousands of heavenly hosts. Angels are referred to by many titles and two by specific [9:19] names. First we have the archangel which is Michael. Scripture presents Michael as being [9:25] the chief or head of the angels. The second we see is Gabriel who is shown to be the herald [9:32] of God or used specifically to bring messages from God to earth. [9:37] Now what we see here is that angels actually do exist in some type of hierarchy. I’m not

[9:43] sure how that works. God hasn’t presented that to us so he must not want my input.

[9:50] Angels though do have a specific purpose for which they exist and that purpose in Scripture [9:57] is the glory of God. Angels exist for the same purpose that everything else exists and [10:02] that is the glory of God. Now how they function in that purpose is by direct command of God. [10:10] The primary roles of angels are twofold. First we see them in Scripture as having the purpose [10:15] of worship. Secondly we see them having the purpose of serving God which is a form of [10:22] worship but is different. I want to look at four different places in the Scriptures where

[10:26] we see angels actually carrying out the commands of God. This is not an exhaustive list. Thousands [10:32] of pages and hundreds of volumes have been written on this topic so I’m in no way going [10:36] to give every instance in Scripture. To give just a few the first one is that they bring [10:41] God’s message to people. In Luke chapter 1 we see them bringing the message of God’s [10:49] Son. In Acts chapter 8 verse 26 we see them bringing messages to God’s children. We also [10:55] see them carry out some of God’s judgments. In Samuel chapter 24 verses 16-17, 2 Chronicles

[11:02] chapter 32 verse 21 we see them carrying out the judgments of God sometimes in warfare [11:08] slaying God’s enemies. In Acts chapter 12 verse 23 specifically we see them carrying [11:14] out the judgment of God on the king who blasphemed and said he was equal to God. God sent his [11:21] angels to cast his judgment. We also see in Zechariah chapter 1 verses 10-11 that they [11:26] patrol the earth as God’s representatives being God’s eyes and ears. I don’t know exactly [11:32] how that works because God is omnipresent and He’s everywhere but He has chosen to use

[11:36] angels to patrol the earth. We also see in Daniel chapter 10 specifically in verses [11:42] 11-12 that they carry out war against demonic forces. Now I want to read this text to point [11:49] out a few things. It says, And behold, the prophet Daniel speaking, a hand touched me [11:54] and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, O Daniel, man greatly loved, [12:00] understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright. For now I have been sent [12:05] to you. And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to

[12:09] me, Fear not, Daniel. For from the first day that you set your heart to understand and [12:15] humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of [12:19] your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But Michael, [12:24] one of the chief princes, came to help me. For I was left there with the kings of Persia. [12:30] So what we see here is a couple of different things. First, you see that when an angel [12:35] presents himself to a human being, the reaction is fear. Okay? Why? Because that doesn’t happen

[12:42] every day and it’s going to be a little weird if it does happen. Okay? So you’re going to [12:46] see fear. In the media we have this tendency to see angels as looking exactly like us, [12:52] being exactly like us, and touched by an angel, or highway to heaven if you’re as old as [12:56] I am, or maybe a little older. You remember that? Well, angels just kind of came upon [13:01] the earth doing these little tasks for people and helping people out in tough situations. [13:06] But in Scripture we don’t see them presenting themselves in that way. If they show forth

[13:10] that they are an angel, you understand that this is something magnificent because it [13:14] is not a normative thing. That happens. So Daniel was terrified. We also see that there [13:23] was spiritual warfare taking place that kept the angel from coming to Daniel at a specific [13:28] point in time. It says he was struggling against the king of Persia. What we believe in Old [13:34] Testament theology is that this was actually a demon that he was struggling and fighting [13:39] against. It says the chief angel, Michael, came and assisted him so that he could go

[13:44] on to help the prophet Daniel. Now what exactly was that situation? Scripture doesn’t tell [13:50] us. We just know because of the Scripture that there is some type of warfare going on [13:55] for the goodness of God. Angels, though, we see on the same mission that God is for the [14:01] redemption of the world to the worship of God. Any picture of angels having another [14:05] purpose is untrue. This is their goal and aim. So when we see these pictures in Hollywood [14:13] films or pictures in the media of angels constantly having a struggle with whether or not they

[14:20] believe in God as you have seen in some movies or whether or not they can continuously follow [14:24] him, true angels, they don’t do that. They exist for the purpose of God. You see in Daniel [14:30] chapter 10 that he came to Daniel because God sent him to assist him. God sent him to [14:35] minister to him. God does not send his angels for any other purpose and angels themselves [14:40] do not have another purpose but to obey God and do what he has commanded. Angels, and [14:48] we’re going to get to what happens when angels don’t do what God commands in a little bit.

[14:52] Angels though, and here’s a big question that I get, angels are not human. When people die [15:02] they do not become angels. The Bible offers clear distinctions between angels and human. [15:08] Hebrews 1.14 refers to angels as ministering spirits. They can go between the heavenly [15:13] realm and the presence of God to the earthly realm. Scripture presents humans as being [15:18] created a little lower than the angels. What that means is we are a different type of creation. [15:23] It doesn’t say that angels were created in the image of God. It says we were created

[15:27] to proclaim the image of God. This is two different types of creation. When someone [15:31] dies they do not receive wings and then become angels. When someone dies they go to be with [15:38] the presence of God or they go under the judgment of God in hell. They do not become angels [15:42] because angels are something else other than humans. We do know that angels can do things [15:48] that humans cannot. They can go between the presence of God in heaven and the presence [15:54] of humans on earth. They can go between the spiritual realm and the earthly realm. Daniel

[15:58] 9 verse 21 presents Michael as making a swift flight to Daniel’s presence to minister to [16:04] him. Then we see again in Daniel chapter 10 that another angel comes to minister to the [16:09] prophet Daniel. Now we see three interesting things about angels from this text in Daniel [16:14] chapter 9 and 10. First we see that Michael is not bound to spatial movement as we are. [16:21] What I mean by that is that I cannot go to heaven and then come back. I am here. Angels [16:29] can. They are not bound by my spatial movement. Secondly, that he is not omnipresent as God

[16:36] is. I think sometimes we view angels and even demons as being everywhere all the time. No. [16:43] They are limited to where they are at that point and at that time as Michael presents. [16:49] Third, what I think is the coolest part is that they can fly. I cannot. In my comic book [16:57] Boyhood Love they can fly and I find that very fascinating. Daniel is also shown to [17:04] be frightened at the presence of the angel. If you survey scripture you will find that [17:08] every instance that angels present themselves, that fear is there. We also understand that

[17:14] angels can sometimes be there and we do not know it. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 2 says that [17:18] sometimes we entertain angels unaware that they are even there. What I mean by that is [17:26] that angels are always probably around us at any given point in time so they can see [17:31] what is happening on this earth. God says that he sends his angels to survey the earth. [17:35] Sometimes we see in some instances in scripture that they can take the form of humans but [17:40] when they do that they do not present themselves as angels. Now, do not over speculate on that.

[17:47] There is this tendency in humans to over speculate on anything. Some of you probably [17:51] did right now, I wonder if an angel is sitting in here with us. Probably not. Also, here [17:58] is the big one and everybody seems to understand what I mean when I say that. Driving down [18:02] the road and you see the hitchhiker. Is this a test from God? Is that an angel? If I do [18:08] not pick that person up am I going to be judged by God for that? Probably not. It is not [18:14] an angel. This seems kind of trivializing and it seems kind of below God and you are

[18:19] like well maybe he does. Do not pick them up ladies. I got this picture in my mind of [18:25] my wife thinking it is an angel and things are going to go really bad in a hurry if this [18:29] is a serial killer. So use discretion and discernment on picking up hitchhikers. I [18:37] say that in jest but I know that is what you are thinking. You are laughing and you are [18:41] like oh okay I do not have to do it. It is Psalm 92 verses 11 and 12 and Matthew chapter [18:48] 18 verse 10 show that God gives angels the responsibility of guarding his children.

[18:54] This does not necessarily mean that there are personal guardian angels. Scripture nowhere [19:03] gives us the thought that I have a specific angel that has been assigned to me from my [19:09] birth who is always hovering, always watching, always keeping bullets from hitting me and [19:13] things like that. Scripture never presents that. Scripture simply says, especially in [19:18] Matthew chapter 18 verse 10 when speaking of children, that God has assigned his angels [19:22] to watch over his children. How that works out? I will leave that to God. In Daniel chapters

[19:29] 9 and 10 like I said it shows angels coming and going at God’s discretion. I believe that [19:34] is a little more likely than having a personal guardian angel. [19:37] All right. Now we must not overemphasize like I said or under emphasize angels. Angels are [19:43] not to be worshiped. When we overemphasize angels there is this tendency for us to give [19:48] the idea that angels are some type of deity that we should constantly be in awe of, constantly [19:53] be looking for and constantly be hoping will be in our presence. Well Colossians chapter

[19:59] 2 verse 18 Paul presents that let no one disqualify you insisting on asceticism and worship of [20:06] angels. Going on in detail about visions. Puffed up without reason by a sensuous mind. [20:14] Paul is very negative about anyone who overemphasizes the reality of angels and says that there [20:19] is sometimes a tendency for us to be tempted to worship them because they are spiritual [20:23] beings and Paul calls that basically blasphemy. In Revelation chapter 19 verse 10 when the [20:29] apostle John comes into the presence of an angel he falls to his knees to worship the

[20:33] angel. The angel’s reaction is instant rebuke. He will not accept John’s worship because [20:41] the worship of anyone is reserved for God himself. Angels that are true angels that [20:50] are pure before God will never lead you to worship them or anyone other than God in Jesus [20:57] Christ. That is their task. That is their purpose. That is their focus. So that leads [21:02] us then. What of the other angels? Well the reality is that secondly this morning demons [21:08] are evil angels who sinned against God. So what kind of an angel would lead you to worship

[21:16] them? What kind of angel would lead you to worship someone other than Jesus Christ? Demons. [21:21] Now I want to dispel some things about demons. I want to give you some truths about demons. [21:25] I want you to understand what they are, what they are for but I want to start in 2 Peter [21:29] chapter 2 verse 4. The reason that we spent time on angels is because you cannot hope [21:35] to understand demons without understanding angels because demons at one time were in [21:41] God’s army of angels but are still angels. You’ve got to understand everything that

[21:46] angels can do demons can do. Everything that angels excuse me demons are excuse me angels [21:52] are limited in demons are limited in as well. Demons are not greater than angels because [21:59] demons are by very nature created beings who are angels. In 2 Peter chapter 2 verse [22:06] 4 Peter writes, For if God did not spare his angels when they sinned but cast them into [22:10] hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment. He [22:15] basically finishes that and says why do you think he would spare you if you are in that

[22:18] same one? So we know that at one time there were angels who sinned against God and who [22:24] were judged for that sin and condemned to hell. In Jude verse 6 we see, And the angels [22:31] who did not stay within their own position of authority but left their proper dwelling, [22:35] he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of that great [22:40] day. And we understand by this that the demons were not satisfied with the purpose for which [22:45] they were created and wanted more authority. What was more than what they had? Demons declared

[22:51] that they wanted the authority of God. In Isaiah chapter 14 we get a little more perspective. [22:57] This gives what is understood by scholars to be a metaphor about the fall of Satan [23:02] himself who we see as being the chief demon. But Satan is still a demon so don’t misunderstand [23:10] Satan’s position. He is still a demon. He is not greater than, he just happens to be [23:15] like in the position of Michael as being the head angel. He is the head of the demons. [23:19] In Isaiah 14 verses 12-15 we read, How you are fallen from heaven, O day star, son of

[23:26] dawn, how you are cut down to the ground. You have laid the nations low. You said in [23:32] your heart, I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God. I will set my throne on [23:36] high. I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend [23:41] above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high. But you are brought [23:46] down to Sheol, which is the Old Testament understanding of hell, to the far reaches [23:51] of the pit. What we see there is the story of Satan’s fall and really the fall of all

[23:56] demons. What was their sin? They did not like that they were created by God, for God, and [24:03] to be in a humble service of God. And Satan said, I want to be equal to or greater than [24:10] God really is the idea. When he says, I will set my throne on high, what he is saying is [24:14] I want God to be subject to me. So he sought to subvert the kingdom of God and the authority [24:20] of God for himself. And the scriptures say that immediately he was judged by God and [24:26] condemned to hell to await the judgment that all sinners will eventually come under. But

[24:33] we will get to that in a minute. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8 reveals that the first sin was Satan’s [24:39] and that ultimately the work of the gospel is to undo his influence on creation through [24:45] the victorious work of Jesus. That is what it means when it says, whoever makes a practice [24:49] of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The [24:54] reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. In his fallen state [25:00] it is Satan’s desire and work to subvert the purposes of God. And we see this begin as

[25:07] he enters the picture in Genesis 3 to tempt Eve and Adam with the very sin that plagues [25:13] him. A desire to have what only God has and can have. John 8 44 finds Jesus summing it [25:22] up nicely by revealing that everything that Satan has based his mission on is built on [25:27] lies. Lies that he has convinced himself are true and worth pursuing as well as lies that [25:32] he seeks to get others to believe. Everything that Satan does is a lie. He has convinced [25:38] himself. Satan believes that he has hope through his own strength but he believes a lie so

[25:45] what is he seeking to get you to do? He wants to seek for you to believe the exact same [25:50] that he believes. A lie. Everything that leads you away from God is built and based on a [25:57] lie. But we have to understand that demons and Satan they are not Gods. The devil is [26:06] not the yang to Gods yin. He is not equal to God nor is he greater than God. He was [26:13] created by God therefore by sheer logic he is less than God. His strength is corrupted. [26:22] His strength is not infinite. He is not all knowing. He is not all powerful. He is a

[26:28] creation of God and ultimately we find that in the cross he is undone by God. So understand [26:35] that demons are limited by Gods control. Demons are limited by God in what they can do. Satan [26:42] nor any other demon is equal to God and scripture shows that God has power and authority over [26:48] demons. Where do we see this? Job chapter 1 verse 12 as well as in chapter 2 verse [26:53] 6 shows that before Satan can inflict Job with anything he has to go before Gods presence [26:59] to get his permission. Nor can Satan do anything more to Job than God will allow him to. God

[27:07] puts perimeters around what he is allowed to tempt Job with and Satan has no choice [27:14] but to stay within those restrictions. There has never been a time in which Satan has [27:19] been outside of the bounds of Gods control. Demons are not all knowing nor are they present [27:26] everywhere as God is. When we spoke to the limitations of angels same thing is true of [27:30] demons. The passage in Daniel 10 reminds us that there is warfare though that is taking [27:34] place and we cannot see it but that does not mean that it does not exist. Demons cannot

[27:44] read our minds as God can. Scripture records that even on earth Jesus could read minds. [27:50] There is nowhere in scripture that indicates demons or angels can do so. So what is the [27:56] power and authority that demons have? In Ephesians chapter 2 verse 2 we see the apostle Paul [28:03] writing about sin and the condemnation that sin brings and verse 2 it says in which you [28:08] once walked the life without Jesus if you walk in that you are following the course [28:13] of this world following the prince of the power of the air the spirit that is now at

[28:17] work in the sons of disobedience. God has allowed Satan and his demons to influence [28:22] this world. It describes in Ephesians chapter 2 it describes Satan as having a type of authority [28:27] over this present world and that all who are still dead in sin are his children and under [28:33] his influence. Look back in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8 which is where we began. It describes [28:40] that Satan is currently roaming this earth and it can be assumed because of that that [28:45] all demons are seeking to devour the minds of people which is where they will initially

[28:53] work. But understand that just because you cannot see it or you do not think it is real [28:59] it does not mean it is not real. In 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verses 4 and 5 we read that for [29:04] the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. [29:10] We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take [29:14] every thought captive to obey Christ. What this text is pointing us to is that there [29:18] is a spiritual realm that we are not aware of but even what we do on earth has ramifications

[29:25] in the spiritual realm and the faith that we have that obeys Christ when we take our [29:30] minds captive to Christ destroys satanic strongholds that exist through the power that he has [29:36] over this world. So your faith in Jesus Christ is spiritual in nature and what you do with [29:43] it on this earth has ramifications in the spiritual realm. But God has revealed to [29:49] us there is more than what we see in this creation and the acts of God throughout history [29:55] have shown that there is more. God graciously reveals to us that we must be aware that there

[30:00] are spiritual enemies of God seeking to influence our world and us for evil. But what is the [30:06] hope and what can cause great fear? So when you begin to talk about demons, when you [30:11] begin to talk about Satan and things that are satanic in nature, what is very tempting [30:16] in us and what is very tempting in culture is for us to stop right there. There are [30:22] demons, there is a spiritual realm, he has authority over this present age, he has power [30:27] in this present age, there are strongholds that he can construct and we are in a fight

[30:33] that is typically where it stops in culture. That can cause great fear. That can be paralyzing [30:40] if you take it to its logical extent and that is what you focus on. But the reality [30:45] is that the scripture does not stop there. The scripture goes forward in dealing with [30:52] the issue of spiritual warfare to the point of revealing our ultimate and even present [30:58] victory over spiritual warfare in the way 2 Corinthians 10 says we can destroy those [31:04] strongholds. So for the rest of our time as we wrap it up for the next however many minutes

[31:10] it takes, we are going to talk about what that spiritual warfare looks like. We understand [31:17] that demons do have a specific focus. They are not just rambling around making wild noises [31:23] in the night. Demons oppose and try to destroy every work of God. That is their goal. That [31:31] is their focus. What angels exist to do which is to worship God, which is to serve God, [31:38] which is to proclaim the glory of God, demons want the opposite. They want the glory of [31:44] God torn down. They want to do everything that would keep you from worshipping God.

[31:48] They want to do everything that will keep you from serving God because that is not what [31:52] they are focused on. Understand that spiritual warfare is real, but do not over sensationalize [31:59] or under sensationalize it. When we think about demonic influence we too often think [32:04] about magic, chance and holy water. The Bible does not point us to a special ceremony but [32:09] to the gospel of Jesus. Here is what I mean by that. There is this temptation for us to [32:14] think of demonization in the way that the film, which really if you read about society

[32:20] and sociology, there is a turning point in the popularity of demons with the film The [32:25] Exorcist. It started a trend that has lasted for decades. In that film there is a child [32:32] that has been overcome by demons. In that film what they do is they call in the special [32:37] ones. The guys, the special priests that can expel demons and know the magic exorcism [32:43] chance and they wear the special scarves and they bring in the holy water and they begin [32:49] to anoint things and continue to chant things over and over and over again. In the end,

[32:54] what happens at the very end of The Exorcist, if you have not seen it, spoiler alert, the [32:59] young priest says, take me, I will sacrifice my life for the life of this child. Satan [33:05] says okay. He hurls himself outside of a window committing suicide. If only someone had been [33:10] present to tell that priest the gospel of Jesus Christ. You guys had the same reaction [33:17] the first service said, alright, the reality is that you say that in jest, but that is [33:22] the reality. The gospel says no more sacrifices are needed. Satan has been defeated. He is

[33:31] a dead man walking. So the sacrifice that he offered had already been paid by the Son [33:38] of God Jesus Christ. Friends, you cannot and nor should you think that you need to go home [33:47] and bless your water hose and spray it all over the house and now you have got protection. [33:53] You should not send off for a special vial of oil that you pour over your door post [34:00] and now demons cannot enter. The priests and their tunics and what they are wearing, it [34:07] is worthless in spiritual warfare. There is no chant. There is no mantra needed. There

[34:15] are no special words that I can give you to help you in spiritual warfare other than [34:21] the reality that Jesus is the King. Jesus died for us. The gospel is true. The gospel [34:27] is your strength. Friends, what we make mystic, what we make confusing, God has made clear. [34:36] Satan would have us to be confused and terrified of spiritual warfare, but God wants us to [34:41] proclaim one mantra. Jesus wins. So I want to deal with a few things in there because [34:48] that is over sensationalizing it, but I don’t want us to under sensationalize spiritual

[34:53] warfare either. Demons are capable of the extraordinary in Scripture. They are, but [35:00] only in what God permits. They cannot do anything that God will not permit them to do. So understand [35:06] that in the Old Testament they are able to inflict sickness on people. We see this in [35:13] the New Testament as a child of Abraham is inflicted with a serious back problem that [35:17] keeps her bent over for a period of 20 years. We know that the Scriptures say that that [35:22] was spiritual warfare in her life. We also see that in the book of Exodus when Moses

[35:26] comes down and he makes miracles in front of Pharaoh, the Egyptian magicians who are [35:31] under satanic influence are able to do it as well. So we understand that they are capable [35:36] of extraordinary things, things which only God allows though. They are always limited [35:42] by him. So I want to answer a couple of questions about this. First, can a Christian be demon [35:46] possessed? The term demon possessed doesn’t actually appear in Scripture. It is nowhere [35:50] in Scripture. The term is actually demonized in Scripture. In the ESV there is only one

[35:55] place that they use the term demon possessed and that is to explain the maniac of Gadara [35:59] in Mark chapter 5. What we see in Mark chapter 5 is that Jesus comes upon this man who has [36:05] been under what he says the influence of demons for a long time. So much so that the people [36:11] of the town had bound him in shackles and chains and he was given supernatural strength [36:16] to break them and he overcame them and he was just wildly crazy and they actually sent [36:21] him out and said you have to live in the cemetery because that is the place we are not going

[36:24] to go so we can’t even deal with you. So Jesus comes upon him and we have this wild story [36:29] of Jesus coming to them and even more so where Jesus says what is your name and they say [36:33] we are legion for we are many. It takes two thousand pigs for Jesus to give them enough [36:39] space to go to when he casts them out of that man. But here is the reality of what we do [36:43] and I think it is because of our culture with that. We are like wow look at this crazy story [36:47] of demon possession. That is not the focus of the story at all. The focus of the story

[36:54] is Jesus’ power over the devil. I mean you are talking about a cool character. He walks [37:00] up to this man who is so wild that he can’t be shackled down. He has superhuman strength [37:05] to break chains and Jesus’ response is hey what is your name? I mean that is a good [37:12] God isn’t it? That is peace. The presence of insanity. Jesus says what is your name?

[37:22] And then the response of the demons is oh son of God most holy one don’t kill us. Jesus [37:31] focuses the story to me is the fear of the devil to the son of God. He doesn’t whimper [37:40] he has a fear he just says get out and it says immediately the man was in his right [37:48] mind. So much so that Jesus sent him back to his town to tell him the gospel. Jesus [37:55] takes the demonized and makes them evangelists. The focus of the story is Jesus. I always [38:04] joke with my village group that the answer that you would always give in Sunday school

[38:10] and you are right half the time you know Jesus. It is actually right all the time. The focus [38:17] of spiritual warfare is always always always Jesus. In this instance many of you have heard [38:25] of Gadara and Mark chapter 5 is a very extreme instance but how do we view that for our [38:33] lives? How do we view our relationship with demons? Demon possession implies that they [38:41] have completely overcome you that you are no longer in control of yourself. That cannot [38:47] happen to a child of God to a follower of Jesus Christ. How do I know? Romans chapter

[38:51] 6 says that sin can no longer have dominion over God’s children in Jesus Christ. Let’s [39:01] go further and let’s say can they have any influence? I will tell you they can have [39:06] great influence in your lives. But scripture never puts it that you find some secret passageway [39:12] at the back of this creepy old bookstore that takes you to the gates of Gehenna. No there [39:17] is no ninth circle that you can enter into and all of a sudden you are overcome by demons. [39:21] There is no phone call with someone chanting seven days where you are going to see somebody

[39:25] pop out of your TV screen later. That is all myth. Look at Ephesians chapter 4 verse 26 [39:32] to 27. Scripture tells us be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your [39:39] anger and give no opportunity to the devil. The deceiver will use sin to get out of your [39:51] life. That is how he has always done it. From Genesis chapter 3 forward he seeks to have [39:59] us do what he did and that is believe in ourselves more than we believe in the authority of [40:05] God. Here they use a specific example of anger and I think it is true especially in the sense

[40:11] of what Ephesians chapter 4 is talking about the unity of the local church and he says [40:14] anger causes disunity and Satan is going to seek to make us all angry because I think [40:19] each and every one of us know what it is like to be angry especially to a level where it [40:23] is just ridiculous and you are just irritated all the time and you do not want to deal with [40:26] it. It is a relationship, a ruin that could have been good relationships and the scriptures [40:30] telling us do not do that. You are giving the devil an opportunity to come into your

[40:37] life and use it against you but he goes further past anger and tells us that all places of [40:43] demonic influence have some sort of sin as a foothold that Satan uses but sin is always [40:50] the source. Look at 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 9. It says resist him firm in your faith [40:56] knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout [41:00] the world. Then in James chapter 4 verse 7 submit yourselves therefore to God. In other [41:05] words humble yourself under God. Obey God. And it says resist the devil and he will flee

[41:12] from you. So there is a resistance against the power of Satan but what does that look [41:17] like in your life? How do you resist? Do you just say stop? Scripture gives us way more [41:22] to go on than that. Look at Ephesians chapter 6 starting in verse 13 through verse 17. Therefore [41:28] take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having [41:33] done all to stand firm. Stand therefore having fastened on the belt of truth and having put [41:39] on the breastplate of righteousness and as shoes for your feet having put on the readiness

[41:44] given by the gospel of peace in all circumstances take up the shield of faith with which you [41:49] can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one and take the helmet of salvation [41:54] and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. I want to focus on two aspects of [41:58] this. It gives you the whole armor to saturate your life with God. It gives you two specific [42:05] things about your head and about your torso. Now if you are in battle you understand that [42:11] your helmet is pretty important because you take a head shot and you are done. In Saving

[42:17] Private Ryan we see the one soldier takes off his helmet because he just got hit with [42:21] a bullet and it bounced off the helmet. He takes his helmet off and gets hit with another [42:24] bullet but he wasn’t wearing his helmet. He is done. We know that in warfare we also [42:29] see that here he talks about the breastplate and if you cover your body with that it is [42:33] going to be body armor because all your vital organs are around here. If you get wounded [42:37] here that is thought of as a mortal wound. So what he gives us are two places to protect

[42:43] ourselves. The first one is the helmet of salvation. In other words your mind is the [42:49] battlefield of your salvation. You believe in Jesus with your mind. You trust in Christ [42:55] with your thoughts. He says that is going to be a battlefield where Satan will come [43:00] after you. So always have your mind saturated with the Gospel. Always have your focus on [43:07] the Word of God because that is going to be the entry point. What Satan will do in your [43:14] mind is make you believe false teaching. Our minds must be saturated with the truth of

[43:19] the Gospel and scripture and prayer. When we believe false teaching or our own insecure [43:25] thoughts, from low self worth or low self esteem or insecurities from the lies that [43:32] Satan seeks to tell us about ourselves then our life in Jesus is hindered. We must believe [43:38] any truth or promise that God has proclaimed above all. When you hear the cries you are [43:46] worthless. That is a lie because God gave his son to show that there is no one that [43:55] is worthless. The battlefield of your mind friends. Secondly the torso with the righteousness

[44:02] of Jesus Christ. Why does he call it righteousness? I believe for two reasons. First because [44:06] it is going to come alive from Satan that your sin is greater than the Gospel can take [44:11] care of. That your sin is so unholy that God will never forgive you. That you are worthless [44:16] because God cannot use someone who sinned against him so greatly. And the Gospel of [44:21] Jesus Christ cries out. He knows but he has given himself to you anyway because Jesus’ [44:27] obedience is accounted into your account as if you did it. And he takes your sin onto

[44:32] himself. So our breastplate, our torso, our vital organs in our lives are protected by [44:38] the very righteousness of Jesus Christ himself. But secondly he will seek to tell you that [44:44] your own personal holiness in following Jesus is worthless. That you can sin and it is no [44:50] big deal. That you can be deceived by the actions in your life and God doesn’t care [44:54] but what he is not telling you is the truth of Ephesians 4. That sin will come in and [44:59] be used by Satan to get you away from living for the mission of Jesus. Your righteousness

[45:06] is vitally important in both trusting in Jesus and obeying Jesus. Demons seek to distract [45:16] and tempt people away from the Gospel. 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4, Galatians 4, 8 echoes this but [45:24] it tells us in 2 Corinthians 4, 4 in their case the God of this world has blinded the [45:31] minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory [45:35] of Christ who is the image of God. So who is blinding the world against the Gospel? [45:44] Jesus. What is Satan’s goal? What is his mission? To hinder the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[45:51] 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verses 13 through 15 tell us that all false teaching is attributed [45:56] to Satan. Therefore any false teacher that tells us lies about the Gospel, lies about [46:01] Jesus, lies about Scripture is ultimately satanic. That means Joseph Smith when he says [46:06] an angel came to him and gave him the book of Mormon. That angel was a demon. I believe [46:11] that. That means when Mohammed went into his cave and an angel came to him and gave [46:15] him the Koran. I believe that was a demon that gave him the book of Koran. Revelation

[46:22] chapter 12 verse 9 calls Satan the deceiver of the whole world. He seeks to destroy all [46:28] that God would seek to redeem and restore. Therefore we must understand that we must [46:32] cling to the strength that God would give us to defeat him, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. [46:38] Friends finally this morning and I close. That sounds rough. Sounds like we’ve got [46:44] to fight. But here’s the good news. Jesus has defeated Satan and his demons. The devil [46:55] would have you believe that he’s a worthy adversary. Satan in the Hebrew literally means

[47:03] adversary. Devil which is translated in our context as diabolos, the diabolical one simply [47:09] means he’s a demon. No greater than any other demon. Revelation chapter 20 10 tells [47:16] us the ultimate destination because of the cross of Satan and his demons is the lake [47:21] of fire where they will suffer for eternity. I look forward to that day. You say that sounds [47:29] kind of mean. Well God did it so it must be the good kind of mean. But how do we understand [47:38] our place? I think I’ve given you some good tips but I want to close with a couple of

[47:44] texts that lead me to understand that in your life you should not fear the devil or his [47:49] demons. First of course because of the Gospel. But I believe children of God the followers [47:54] of Jesus Christ have authority over demons. Why do I believe that? Luke chapter 9 verse [47:59] 1 presents Jesus giving his 12 disciples authority to expel demons. Some people say that’s just [48:07] one place. One chapter later Luke chapter 10 verse 17 through 19 shows him giving 72 [48:13] disciples authority over demons. Acts chapter 8 verse 7 presents early Christians not apostles.

[48:20] This one is about Philip who is just an early Christian who eventually becomes a deacon. [48:24] Presents him with authority to expel and cast out demons. The answer to spiritual warfare [48:29] is always faith in Jesus because the authority is from Jesus and Jesus gives that authority [48:34] pretty liberally to his people. So I have no fear of demons where my family is concerned. [48:42] I have no fear. I assume they are always watching. I assume they are always watching me. I assume [48:48] they are always watching over my family. But I have no fear and neither should you

[48:53] because God has not given us a spirit of fear. He has given you the authority of the King [48:58] of Kings Jesus Christ by subverting Satan’s attempt at subversion. Trust Jesus. Joey is [49:10] going to come. I want to take time to reflect on communion like we do every week. But here [49:14] is what I want you to understand about communion. I believe fully that when Jesus was on the [49:21] cross demons were rejoicing at the pain they were inflicting on the King of Kings. So we [49:29] got him. But interesting is some people have penned what looks like failure to others looks

[49:39] like success to God. What do I mean by that? I mean that God took Satan’s realm. Took [49:48] Satan’s seat which is death. That is his hope for all of us. They kill us all. He said [49:55] I am sending my son into the grave. But I have so much power and authority over you [50:00] that I am going to rise him up on the third day and I am going to defeat sin. I am going [50:03] to defeat death. I am going to defeat you. I am going to seal your condemnation. And [50:07] when you reflect on the shed blood which is what the cup is. On the broken bread which

[50:12] is the broken body of Jesus on the cross. You are reflecting on what undid every plan [50:18] he ever had. God’s eternal plan. The climax of all history. The life of the Son of God [50:25] he gave that you take into you. That gives you the hope of future resurrection after [50:31] death. We know the story does not end with death. The story ends with Jesus risen victorious.

[50:40] If you do not know him. If you do not know that victory I will be right over here. I [50:46] would love to talk to you about it. But if you know Jesus come and celebrate. I wanted [50:54] the six stations this morning. When you are ready come.

[51:00] As you guys are finishing up communion during the cow tipping series we are finishing off [51:06] each service rather than with our usual song time with some question and answer. So we [51:10] are excited to be able to answer some of the questions you have sent in. But right now [51:14] we would like to ask the ushers to go ahead and come forward and we are going to take [51:17] up an offering. This is for those of us who call Village home this is part of our worship. [51:21] But if you are a guest with us this morning please feel free to let those plates pass

[51:25] by. All we would like from you is a Kinect card. We would love to get to know you a [51:29] little bit better. I knew we were going to get lots of questions on this week and you [51:33] guys did not disappoint in the least. So we will get right to it. If demons can read [51:41] our minds what are psychics doing? Demons can’t read our minds. I was just [51:46] specifically to point that out in the text. Psychics. Number one. If you believe. No [51:53] one should see a psychic. Believer or unbeliever. Because here is why. Psychics cannot tell

[52:00] the future. But you say it is going to rain on Tuesday. There is going to eventually come [52:05] a Tuesday where you are right. If you just say it every Tuesday. So that is how sometimes [52:10] they are right. With Nostradamus and stuff he was like there was a field and a tower [52:14] fell and they are like September 11th. What? Nostradamus did not predict that. He just [52:20] said a tower fell in a field. He never said when. A house is going to burn down. I know [52:27] I am right because eventually it will. But here is the reality. Psychics will bring

[52:32] you in and they will get you because what they will say is they will say I am sensing [52:37] that you skipped breakfast. What? How did you know that? Or I am sensing that yesterday [52:46] you had a flat tire. That seems wild because it is like how could you possibly know that? [52:52] Here is how. Demons saw it. Demons told them. But demons do not know the future. That is [53:01] guess work. But if someone points out something they should not possibly know about you and [53:07] they claim to be a psychic. They are demonized. They get that from demons. So do not open

[53:13] yourself up to that type of spiritual warfare. It is demonic. How do we tell the difference [53:19] between being tempted by demons and just struggling with our own sin? I do not know [53:24] that you always will. Here is the reality. Demons do not have to make us sinners. By [53:31] nature we are. What they do is they will present temptation to us and where they know we are [53:39] weak. There is the key. They watch us. They know. It is no secret what you struggle with [53:46] to them. They have seen it. So what they will do is if you just see temptation over and

[53:51] over the same thing popping up in your mind, popping up in your life, it is demonic. But [53:59] understand that the responsibility in you, 1 Corinthians 10 says that there is no temptation [54:04] that is given to man that God has not provided a way of escape. So the responsibility to [54:11] resist the devil and flee the temptation, that is you.

[54:18] So angels are not people who have died. You covered that angels are not people. But what [54:22] are ghosts then? Mostly not there. I mean that is my honest [54:30] belief. Sometimes you just hear a wind and yeah it is a wind. But in real paranormal

[54:39] situations, angels do not present themselves for any purpose other than the mission of [54:45] God. Other than God’s glory and God’s worship. So if there is legitimate spooky-ooky going [54:52] on, that the only answer of if it is legitimate, which it usually isn’t, is demons. [55:00] It is the only answer. To be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord. [55:06] So if you die, you are either in heaven or you are in hell right now. There is no in [55:10] between. Ghosts are not real, but demons are.

[55:16] I got this question several different ways, but basically why do we need to care about [55:21] whether demons are there or not if we just trust that God is in control of it all? [55:26] The overarching theme is to trust that God is in control of all. But for some reason [55:30] he chose to present that to us in his revelation. Therefore my belief is, because I love the [55:35] Bible, is that anything God cared enough to tell me about is something I need to care [55:39] about. And that just dictates life to me. I mean yeah, that is it.

[55:46] I wasn’t sure if this question was real or not, but we got it more than once. Is Clint [55:51] Miller a werewolf? Yeah. If you are in here and you don’t have [56:02] a sense of humor, he is not. That is a joke. How would we recognize a person that is under [56:11] demonic influence? I really just see someone going home. I thought [56:16] werewolves weren’t real. They are not. In scripture they are always vehemently opposed [56:27] to the gospel. So when you see someone, Neil Anderson is really

[56:32] good with this. He wrote a great book called The Bondage Breaker and Helping Others Find [56:35] Freedom in Christ. And he is very good at speaking on spiritual warfare. [56:39] When you are giving the gospel to someone who continuously tells you, I just can’t understand. [56:43] I just can’t understand. I just don’t understand what you are even talking about. [56:47] I can’t understand Jesus. I believe there is legitimate spiritual warfare going on because [56:51] of 2 Corinthians 4.4 and Galatians where it says that Satan seeks to blind unbelievers.

[56:56] And I believe you have authority over that. So in those situations, I have been in one [57:01] situation where I was giving the gospel to, this was over a decade ago, I was giving the [57:05] gospel to someone and they continuously told me they could not understand, they could not [57:08] make sense of it. And this is in one conversation, just that [57:11] theme over and over again. So I said, in the name of Jesus, demons depart from this woman.

[57:20] And then I gave her the gospel again and she got saved.

[57:24] So that is to me, and there are some times in scripture, very rare with the maniac of [57:31] Ghidara, I mean, when you see someone with superhuman strength, which you probably won’t, [57:34] because I don’t believe Satan works that way here, you are like, why does he work that [57:37] way in Haiti and Africa and not here? It is because the bizarre doesn’t impress us, [57:42] money does. So I believe Satan is about money in our world. [57:47] Satan is just about using the idols of our culture. And our culture just until recently

[57:52] has not been fascinated with that stuff. So he doesn’t worry about that. [57:56] Haiti and Africa, there is a lot of fascination with it. So the voodoo witch doctors are used [58:00] by Satan. So that stuff is not going to be as prevalent [58:05] here, but I think you will know that when you see it. But I think it is the mind. He [58:10] just warps people’s minds. If angels sinned and became demons at one [58:16] time in the past, can’t that happen to angels again that didn’t become demons?

[58:21] I would say no, because scripture presents that as a shut book. And the sovereignty [58:28] of God, this is where I would go to this. So if you are not a sovereigntyist, if you [58:32] believe in the sovereignty of God, this is going to be harder for you. But in the sovereignty [58:36] of God, I believe that he allowed it once for his purpose and then closed the book [58:43] on that. He will not allow any other angels to leave him. But he did allow them. [58:50] And jumping off that point, several questions that came in were along the lines of why

[58:55] did God allow angels to become demons? I almost went there, but I knew you were [58:58] going to go there. It always goes there from there. Ultimately, it is like a lot of things. [59:06] I can’t necessarily wrap my mind around it. The temptation is for me to be like, I may [59:12] have gone another path, but God didn’t. So anywhere God didn’t go wasn’t as good as [59:17] where God did go. I believe God is so good. But the reality is that he did it, and I [59:27] think that Satan is very quick to point out that everything that he does, he does for

[59:31] his glory. And everything that he allows, he allows for his glory. So somehow, because [59:37] I believe God is so good, and why do I believe God is so good? Because Jesus. I believe [59:41] God is good. So I can assume that. And in that assumption, he did that, therefore it [59:47] must be for his greater glory than if demons hadn’t rebelled against him. And in the lens [59:53] of the gospel, I either have to believe that or go completely insane and not believe the [59:57] gospel.

[60:00] I think that’s a good place to end it. I think we’ve covered a good majority of the questions. [60:04] I know there were a few more. Please email us if you didn’t get an answer. If you don’t [60:08] email us, we’re just going to assume you didn’t really care that much. But we would love to [60:12] answer emails. We’ve been doing that every week the last few weeks. So we’d love to get [60:17] that opportunity. But go ahead and pray for us and we’ll be done. [60:19] Father, we love you. Aid us in our trust of you. Lord, we pray right now that you would

[60:29] use us in your battle for your glory in the gospel. Help us to trust it above all. And [60:40] help us to understand that our part is the proclamation of your good news through your [60:47] Son, Jesus Christ. May you equip us for that. May you strengthen us for that. And may that [60:51] always be our hope and our trust. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.