Jesus vs Demons (Mark 1:21-28) | 5/19/19
Mark 1:21-28 | 5/19/19 | Will DuVal
But this morning I want to talk about DEMONS. How about THAT segue way?! That may be a sermon introduction you’ve never HEARD in church before. By show of hands, how many of us have NEVER heard a sermon preached specifically about demons?
We’re currently studying the Gospel of Mark together as a church. Of Mark’s 16 chapters, we hear explicitly about demons, unclean spirits, or Satan in 10 of those 16 chapters (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 16). And Mark is the LEAST concerned with them of ALL the gospel writers; Matthew, Luke and John all include demonic references that Mark omits. Demons are on nearly every page of the Gospel biographies of Jesus. If we were to write a job description for Jesus based on what he DID most frequently in Scripture, in order, it would read: 1) Preach and Teach the Kingdom of God, 2) Heal the sick, 3) Exorcize demons. And yet, __ of us have never even been taught about them in church.
I suspect there are a few possible reasons for this didactic omission:
1) Some Christians simply don’t BELIEVE in the existence of demons. Since the early 20th c., there has been a widespread movement within more progressive, mainline churches to “de-mythologize” the Bible, that was Rudolf Bultmann’s term – he wanted to eliminate all the mythological remnants left over from its primitive 1st c. writers and make the Bible more relevant and palatable for an Enlightened, modern, and now even POST-modern, people like ourselves. So Bultmann suggested that what folks like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John thought to be demonic possession in their pre-modern, over-spiritualized worldview, we now know to simply have medical or psychological diagnoses like epilepsy, or dissociative identity disorder. We can and should explain away everything supernatural from the Bible.
The only problem with BULTMANN’s worldview, of course, is that leaves you with no GOD, no Jesus, no Holy Spirit, no Creation, no Revelation, no Incarnation, no Atonement, no Resurrection and no Second Coming. Because friends, the Bible is inherently supernatural; it’s a supernatural Book, written by a supernatural, literally, BEYOND nature – OUTSIDE the realm and confines of this visible, natural, material world - GOD. What kind of God would he BE, if he WASN’T supernatural? If He inspired a book filled with stories, that WEREN’T supernatural? He’d be no God at all. So if you’re at least open-minded enough to admit the possibility of a spiritual higher power, a supernatural force for good in the world, like God, then you ought to at least admit the possibility of spiritual forces of evil, as well.
2) The second reason we hear few sermons about demons is that even for those of us who DO acknowledge they might still exist, many Western Christians don’t consider them relevant to us today. We acknowledge the existence of demons... in third world countries and in horror films. We’ve all heard stories, mostly from “less developed” societies, and we may even admit the VERACITY of those stories, because after all, demons ARE in the Bible – we can’t DENY them altogether without denying the authority of Scripture – but let’s be real: that stuff doesn’t happen HERE, right? And so we rationalize that somehow the “non-flesh and blood rulers and authorities”, the “cosmic powers over this present darkness”, the “spiritual forces of evil” that Paul tells us we “wrestle against” in Ephesians 6:12 – we rationalize that okay, sure, PAUL fought demons because he was so effective for God’s Kingdom that he must have had a huge target on his back in Satan’s eyes, a massive ‘WANTED’ poster in Hell with his picture on it, but Paul was far more spiritual than us, more in-tune with those supernatural realities, and so maybe the same is still true today in other parts of the world where the culture is more spiritualized than ours, and where the war for the gospel is still raging, the frontlines of the evangelistic battle – maybe it makes sense that they would experience spiritual warfare and we wouldn’t here, and so we explain away the reality of demons all around us in THAT way.
And to be honest, there’s probably a lot of self-fulfilling truth in that. Maybe you’ve read C.S. Lewis’ famous Screwtape Letters, if you haven’t, you should. I posted a piece by Greg Morse on our church Facebook group last week, in which Morse expands on Lewis’ vision of the demonic world, and specifically, the mentorship of one younger demon, Globdrop, by his more experienced uncle Wormwood. And Morse’s article is SO good, so CONVICTING for us in the 21st American church, that even if you already read it, I want to revisit it with you this morning. Listen to how Morse envisions demons working in 21st c. America:
My dear Globdrop,
You lament how little progress you have to report over these recent weeks. Your man has not tumbled downhill as quickly as you had hoped. The fly has avoided old webs, and this discourages you... Nephew, I can hear your yawn from headquarters. You’ve bored of “gentle slopes, soft underfoot” in favor of these “mighty tumblings” you speak of. Our traditional ways do not suit you properly. Hubris, nephew, makes for hungry demons. The soft crunch of the forbidden fruit sufficed for our Master, but you want more explosion, do you?
Make no mistake: we love adulterers, thieves, and murderers. But these are delicacies, not the main course. Have you forgotten that most who fall to our Father’s house never expected to arrive? They assumed themselves good enough, if not to merit heaven, doubtless to avoid hell. Most meant — always sooner than later — to ponder life’s biggest questions, to focus more on the Enemy, or make it (back) to church. But death startled them. Although they never got around to giving a damn, they nonetheless received one.
Globdrop, the main course consists of the dreadfully preoccupied persons who otherwise are taken up at present (not accidentally mind you) with more urgent matters. Your man does not need to serve jail time nor burn down the town. He must simply, innocently, carry on believing that eternity is the business of tomorrow. Spiritual procrastination, although not as petting to the ego, has been our stickiest web for the past two centuries. The most common path to hell unsettles least.
...How, you may wonder, can we get him to forget his God and his own soul for an entire lifetime? Well, as one of their soldiers asked, how can you hide a rhinoceros standing in the middle of a room? Fill the room with millions of mice.
Diversion, nephew, endless diversions. Release the mice: consuming careers, YouTube videos, birthday parties, dirty dishes, whining children, dream vacations, housework, clicking, typing, scrolling — always something to distract him from the Enemy. We must create that overstimulated, over-caffeinated soul which cannot endure inactivity. A soul that finds no repose with a book, a steady gaze out the window, or a quiet evening left alone.
Such jittery spirits cannot attend to prayer, or sit calmly with the Enemy’s wretched word. Do your job effectively, and over time you can manipulate him to welcome such diversions as a relief from the solitary confinement of the dreadful religious life. He may come to hope to see that the shades need dusting, the dishes need doing, and the dog needs a walk. Anything but stillness — anything but silence. Always be ready to hand him Martha’s busy broom.
Let the vermin admire holiness — so long as it’s only tomorrow’s holiness. ...Suffer them to value the thought of chastity while being currently unchaste. Let them highly esteem abstinence, practice indulgence, and think themselves the better for highly esteeming abstinence. (Don’t let them see the contradiction.) Allow them to sweetly imagine that they inhabit tomorrow’s holiness merely because they value it today.
Let him sweetly imagine that his vague plans to take up faith tomorrow excuses his negligence today. As the Enemy bids him, “Follow me,” comfort him in reply of, “Yes Lord!” even though he follows it with “But first let me . . .” And while they bury their dead or buy fields or examine their property... teach them that wanting to follow, seek, and obey someday is all but indistinguishable from actually doing so. Comfort him in his good intentions to follow the Savior tomorrow, next week, or “when life settles down.” We know what the road to hell is paved with.
This is where your desire to kill by gunshot backfires. Great sins can awaken thought and jolt a slumbering conscience. Instead, preach our favorite beatitude in his busy season: “Blessed are the nice, for theirs is the kingdom.” Which kingdom? Precisely.
Congratulate him that he does not stew in drunkenness, teach our doctrines, or abuse his closest relations. He is nice. “Nice,” Globdrop, stands in sharp contrast from those curses such as “righteous,” “holy,” or “pure.” Indeed, it is our sugar-free substitute. It tastes like holiness, promises to acquit like righteousness, and alleviates the conscience like purity — all while fattening for the day of slaughter.
Do you see our brilliance, nephew? You need not hassle yourself with these mighty falls. Quietly make him neglectful, busy, temperate. Assure him that the Enemy is obliged to save him as long as he isn’t “tumbling about.” We know better. If we present them to the Enemy lukewarm, he promises to spit them out — and we aren’t nearly so picky.
Remember, the Enemy himself set the excessive standard: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Anything less than “supreme love” and allegiance will not suffice. If friends to the world, then enemies to him. He has built high walls and cut but a narrow path. Our way is much broader.
This day his wretched Maker calls to your vermin, entreating him to come. He promises if he will but seek — and give himself to seeking — he undoubtedly will find. More tasks. More caffeine. More television. Send forth the mice.
You may get more satisfaction from shooting your prey and hearing him squeal, but our Master assigns us to quietly drown souls under calm streams. Never tire of this. Send him down the halls of Titanic to clean rooms and fix faucets. Don’t let him notice the subtle decline nor mind the frantic pleadings of others onboard. He will be fine. What’s the worst that can happen?
Your expectant uncle,
Wormwood
Greg Morse, “The Most Innocent Way to Hell,”www.desiringgod.org, May 6, 2019
Brothers and sisters, if you hear nothing else this morning, please hear this warning: there is an enemy. He is real. He is alive and well for now in this world, he’s the PRINCE of this world (Jn 12:31), the GOD of this world (2 Cor 4:4), and he is prowling around like a lion seeking someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), but he’s no longer roaring in 21st c. America – do you know why? Because that might wake the church up. Think about it: if YOU were Satan, in West County St. Louis today, why on EARTH would you take possession of someone’s body and risk waking the church up. When you’ve spent 2 centuries now slowly, subtly, but effectively convincing the majority of the church that you don’t even EXIST anymore.
Maybe we’re right – maybe we don’t need to worry that much about demons anymore because frankly, maybe they’re not too worried about US either these days. Are we too preoccupied on our phones, rushing from one thing to the next in our busy schedules, to make any real impact for the Kingdom? If we’re not a threat –why would Satan bother with us?
3) Finally, maybe the church doesn’t address the topic of demons because we just don’t know how. We feel unequipped. How do we apply what seems to be a PERVASIVE 1st c. reality, to our world today where frankly, most of us have little to no first-hand experience with this stuff. Show of hands again, how many of you would say you’ve had DIRECT first-hand experience with the demonic?
I can think of only 2 such direct encounters personally in my life. And maybe a half dozen or so indirect stories. And while SHARING those stories with you this morning might grab your attention and HELP wake us up as a church to the reality of the spiritual warfare that rages all around us, I want to go a different direction with the remainder of our time, and try to BEGIN to actually equip us for how we ought to approach the demonic realm, by going to our ultimate source and authority for equipping: God’s word. We just have time to scratch the surface today, this will by no means be comprehensive. There are DOZENS of important passages on demons we could and should and WILL one day get to study together as a church, God willing, but this morning, we will focus on a few select passages from the Gospel of Mark. Today will be part 1 of a 2-part mini-series on Jesus vs. Demons; I’m going to give you 3 takeaways from 3 different passages in Mark this morning, and we’ll finish our study in 2 weeks with an additional SIX takeaways from 6 more passages. And we’re going STRAIGHT for the takeaway principle with these – Jesus, what is it that you want us to understand here from your word, about the demonic realm. We’re gonna fly through these – so if you have follow up QUESTIONS about any of this, write this number down: 314-960-5229. Got that? That’s my personal cell # – don’t abuse it. But shoot me a text during or after the sermon – best questions on demons will get answered on this week’s episode of our “Going Deeper” podcast. ☺ Got it? Okay - Let’s jump in.
#1 – The first, and most IMPORTANT thing we need to know about demons is that Jesus has ALL authority OVER them. Satan, and his demons, answer to King Jesus.
Mark 1:21-27
And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. 22 And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”
Notice: the people aren’t amazed by the DEMONIC POSSESSION. If this happened today – if one of you stood up right now in church, remember – they’re in the SYNAGOGUE mind you – if you stood up right now and started screaming in this other-worldly, “that’s not his voice” kind of intonation, began attesting to other-worldly spiritual truths that you would otherwise have no way of knowing – this demon recognizes Jesus as the “Holy One of God” in v24; it’s the first character in Mark’s Gospel to recognize Jesus’ true identity, other than God himself during Jesus’ baptism – if you stood up and spewed other-worldly knowledge in an other-worldly voice, THAT would probably be the headline of the morning. But notice: Jesus’ crowd took demonic influence for granted. They weren’t amazed by the DEMON; they were amazed by Jesus’ AUTHORITY OVER it! They were much more in tune with the REALITY of the spiritual world than we are today; we’re often blinded to it. But they were PRIMED to see it. We hear of evil spirits all OVER the OT: 1 Sam 16 – the spirit that tormented SAUL; 1 Kgs 22 – the lying spirit that deceived Ahab; 1 Chr 21:1 – Satan incites David to take a census; Ps 106:37; Lev 17:7; 2 Chr 11:15; demons are all OVER the pages of the OT. In fact, Deut 32:16-17 makes a direct link between false gods and demons. So you could argue that every time we hear or see false idols or false gods, the pagan gods of foreign nations in the OT, we’re really dealing with demons. But I want to just quickly look at one passage that really hammers home this first point, of God’s AUTHORITY OVER the demonic realm: Job ch.1-2. Do you remember this?
“There was a man in the land of Uz named Job, blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil... Now the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[b] also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.” 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” (1:1, 6-12)
So Satan kills all Job’s servants, his livestock, his liveli-HOOD, his house falls down and kill his entire family, except for his nagging wife, and what does Job do?
Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” (1:20-22)
So does Satan give up? No, ch.2: “And the Lord said to Satan, “Job still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason.” – Notice that; GOD sent the wind that blew the house down. God is still sovereign; NOTHING happens outside his divine providence and prerogative – 4 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.” 6 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.”” (vv3-6)
And we won’t finish the whole story, because I just want us to see God’s ABSOLUTE control and authority over Satan. Satan needs permission for EVERYTHING. Mark 1:27 – “Jesus commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him”. That’s the first and most crucial thing for us to know about demons. They answer to GOD.
#2 – Second thing to know about demons: VANQUISHING THEM WAS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF JESUS’ MISSION.
Mark 1:37-39
37 and [the disciples] found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and – WHAT? casting out demons.
In Luke 4, Jesus says: “I was sent for this PURPOSE”. Yes to preach the kingdom of God. But not JUST to preach it; to actually BRING it. Paul says the kingdom of God doesn’t just come in WORDS, but in POWER - 1 Cor 4:20. So how does Jesus ENACT the POWER of God’s kingdom – Luke 4:18 ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me... to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,”
And friends, our captivity, our OPPRESSION is not first and foremost a physical one. Social justice is great. Jesus clearly wants us to care for and help the physically poor, the physically blind; he proves that by doing it himself! But interestingly, Jesus never literally liberated a prisoner. He never physically took chains off someone who was unjustly “oppressed”. That’s why his own people CRUCIFIED him! They wanted a Messiah to free them from their oppressive Roman overlords. But Friends – JESUS knows, that our most pressing need, our darkest oppression isn’t 1st c. Roman oppression. It isn’t 21st c. racial injustice, sexual abuse, human trafficking, as AWFUL as those things are, and as motivated as the church should be to address and END them in this world, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the GREATEST oppression of all, is spiritual. That billions of people are walking the earth today, ENSLAVED to their own sinful passions, and to the god of this world who by virtue of their sin, has rightful claim and ownership over their lives and their eternal destinies... and if they are not first set free by Jesus, Billions of people are BOUND for Hell. And Jesus said: “I’m here to set them FREE!”. So I ask us: “Are we?” First of all – HAVE YOU been set free? Today can be the day of YOUR salvation: Repent and believe the GOSPEL! And for those of us who have, Christian - do you understand that you’re here to proclaim good news, so that King Jesus can set hearts free? Do you do it? THAT is spiritual warfare. EVANGELISM is spiritual warfare. And if you never want to have to worry about demons, just don’t ever tell anyone about Jesus. They won’t bother you, I promise. You’re not a threat.
#3 – Lastly, Demons are EXCELLENT theologians.
Mark 3:11-12
11 And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” 12 And he strictly ordered them not to make him known.
James 2:19 “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”
We will see all the way through Mark, it’s not the disciples, but the DEMONS who understood exactly who Jesus was. AND THEY SHUDDER. Friends, please don’t fall into Satan’s TRAP of believing that you are saved because you know the right things about Jesus. I’ve talked about that at LENGTH in recent sermons... and I will CONTINUE to until you fire me or God calls me home, because that may just be Satan’s #1 tactic in the Western church today – to convince “Christians” that they’re “Christians” because they acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Friends, that makes you no more “Christian” than the DEMONS. Do you confess him as LORD, Rom. 10:9 – “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Demons CAN’T do that. They WON’T: 1 Jn 4:3 - “every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist”.
So to try and summarize, and put this all together for you, and help APPLY it to YOUR life:
The demons answer to GOD. The question for us this morning is: do you know the One to whom even SATAN must one day bow his knee. The One before whom one day “Every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:10-11) Do you know HIM personally? Because the REALITY is, you WILL bow your knee, you WILL confess Him as Lord, but you will DO SO from one of only two possible eternal destinations, with either tears of JOY streaming down your face, or with tears of eternal ANGUISH. Surrounded by the demons – and you’ll be VERY aware of them then. They won’t be so subtle anymore. And where and how you recognize Jesus’ Lordship for ALL ETERNITY, will be solely determined by whether or not you recognize his Lordship TODAY. HERE. NOW. ON THIS EARTH. Heb 9:27 “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”. Friends – you only get one shot at this life. One chance to decide who you will live it for. Is it YOU, or is it Jesus?
HE has ALL authority over heaven and earth; will you recognize it today, and give him authority over YOUR life. Let Him be YOUR Lord and Savior? He wants to set you free from the WORST oppression of all. It’s why he came! But it requires more of you than mentally checking off a few doctrinal boxes; even the DEMONS do that – it requires your FAITH. Your HEART. Your LIFE. Jesus says: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Lk 9:23-24) Are you ready to lose your LIFE, your old life, dead in your sin, to find NEW life, be RAISED to new life, in Christ? It’s the best decision you’ll ever make.