Dealing with Demons, Part 3

Today on Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll in the world beyond those in the well outside of our familiar, there is the unseen world where there is the planning and strategizing of evil force under the direction of their leader St. so what we do we put on every piece of God's armor so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of site you never promise them, directly or indirectly, following him would be easy effect throughout his earthly ministry, Jesus warned his followers about forceful opposition later.

The apostle Paul gave a warning as well. All identified our enemy as evil spirits of the unseen today on Insight for living Chuck's one dollars teaching from Matthew chapter 8.

In this passage withdraw application for our time and if you missed yesterday's program will begin with helpful review. Chuck titled his message dealing with demons setting of this is very clearly arranged in Matthew chapter 8 Jesus is at Capernaum verse of five videos and then Jesus visits the home of Peter, which is in that same village of Capernaum, located on the north northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee in the passing of time. Jesus tells his disciples to get into the boat and be ready to go to the other side of the sea.

A little later in the passage, Jesus gets in with them. Verse 23 and they together go through the storm and find their way to the Gadarene area or the kerosene area and what they're met with is a terrifying site.

Matthew eight states that there were two men who were possessed by demons who met him.

They lived in the cemetery and they were so violent that no one could go through that area. Now when you get to Mark's gospel. One of the two is highlighted doesn't mean there was only one just probably means one of the two was more prominent and the spokesman for the two so when we read that Jesus mom and Mark five. Now verse two climbed out of the boat. A man possessed by an evil spirit came out of cemetery to meet him.

The man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained even with a chain.

Notice how strong the demon makes this individual. Whatever he was put into chains and shackles as he often was he snap the chains from his wrist and smash the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue it.

Please observe the relentlessness of the terror day and night. He wandered among the burial caves and in the hills howling and cutting himself with sharp stone.

We read further in mark of five or six when Jesus was still some distance away my watch closely.

The man saw him and ran to meet him and bowed below before. Remember there was one in greatest authority over all existence and that would be the son of God himself.

So this demonized individual reaches of the presence of Jesus and the bow and now notice the respondent the demon speaks through the vocal cords of the human being. Demons have no vocal cords. They are spirit beings without bodies when they are in bodies they're able to use things within that human body.

In this case the throat with a shriek. He screamed wire you interfering with me, Jesus, son of the most high God. The interesting he knows him.

Every demon knows the son of God, and every demon knows that his days are numbered. Satan will ultimately be cast into the lake of fire which has been remember the line prepared for the devil and his angels. I literally believe in the lake of fire. I believe it is eternal and I believe it was originally created for the devil and the demon they know they are living on borrowed time, which explain some of the relentlessness of the style and so this one screams the name of Jesus and says I beg you don't torture me for Jesus had already said to the spirit come out of the manual evil spirit. Then Jesus demanded.

What is your name.

He replied my name is Legion because there are many of us inside this man the demon is speaking through the throat of the human being who is the victim and he states the name Legion. Here is a situation that people were not able to control. They simply left him to himself.

And now he encounters the only one who has power over him and he says to Jesus.

Do not torture us.

I I'm I'm impressed with the way Jesus responds and back.

I love the way we read in Matthew eight where the demons say if you must cast us out. Send us into that herd of pigs. The Greek response includes following that the word of Jesus go, but you love that is no fight is no negotiation. There is no bargaining there is no wrestling or simply the word go live your life afraid of demonic influence. Do not fear the dark as a child of God you are equipped, as I will show toward the end of this message you are equipped with what you need to do battle against the enemy. These forces of darkness.

They are there. They are real, they are serious. Now when you come to Matthew again.

Chapter 8 Jesus commanded them go and the demons came out of the men and entered the pigs and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drown water if if if I were preaching to a politically correct audience. Thankfully, I'm not you be more concerned about what happened to the P then you would about the condition of the of this man or these men who are relieved interesting. We care more about pigs than we do about unborn children in our day. Again, a sign of the last day who cares about the case. These demons leave, they are filling these pigs in an interesting the first thing the dues take their lives now the herdsmen realize they've lost their source of income, and so we read that they fled to the nearby town in told everyone what happened to the demonized men, then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.

Is that something not one word of gratitude that the man or the man who had been demonized are now not one word of gratitude that they are now.

See because of the casting out demons back to Mark chapter 5 something here that doesn't appear in in Matthew's account after Jesus gave them permission and after the herdsmen had fled to the town.

Please observe in verse 15. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus.

They saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons and noticed the difference before he was this manic condition constantly relentlessly engaged in his activities and now he's sitting is under control. He sitting there before he was naked. Now he is fully clothed before there was this a deranged activity.

Now he is perfectly sane and we read they were all afraid those who would seen what happened told the others about the demonized man in the pigs and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave a below remarkable, you would think at least a few would say thank you for doing what not of us was able to do for taking control over man was lost control with himself, but there is one who is very grateful.

He's the victim that has now been relieved. Look at verse 18 as Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demonized begged to go with him.

But Jesus said no, listen to the words go home to your family. Tell them everything the Lord is done for you. How merciful he is been so the man started off to visit the 10 towns of that region, and began to proclaim the great things that Jesus had done for everyone was amazed at what he told you what I thought of it when I read this I thought of the unique people God uses to spread his message.

Another one was Jonah who came out of the belly of a fish and hit the ground running. After that amphibious landing made his way to Nineveh and proclaim to bore all the marks of having been in that fish for almost a and there are many today who say that whole story as a whole. I've always loved milligrams response when asked, do you really believe that the whale swallow Jonah. He said I believe it if the Bible said Jonah swallow the whale wouldn't bother me if it says it believe stranger time trying to unravel the truth of Scripture rather than looking for ways to deny it because you will find yourself one miserable soul. If you spend your days doubting what Scripture teaches, even though it's unfamiliar territory for Jesus says to the man go and let him know what's happened to you, which is the Creighton message of the testimony you have been born into the family of God. We who know the Lord Jesus Christ have a story to tell. It certainly is not as dramatic as that man's story, but I have a feeling he had no trouble getting an audience in gathering the crap she told him where he had been and what had transformed his life. I've said this before and I'll repeat it if we could see visibly the presence of evil about us. It would take our breath away.

Turn from here to Ephesians 6 and let me wrap it up with some practical words for us today. Further into the New Testament.

Go to Ephesians chapter 6, which is a great chapter that ends in victorious instruction. Ephesians 6 beginning in verse 10, a final word, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his mother and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil now explains it for were not fighting against flesh and blood flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavens in the world beyond us in the realm outside our familiar world there is the unseen world where there is the planning and the strategizing of evil forces under the direction of their leader sick and when we are engaged in battles against evil. We don't think about it often, but frequently the strength of that evil comes from the evil forces and the dark world that is invisible.

So what we do.

Verse 13 tells us we put on every piece of God's armor so that you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of when to give you four simple practical suggestions worth remembering. Number one is this extract struggles with unseen force in these wicked days. Expect battles that you cannot explain in any other terms, don't waste your time trying to ask for our pride human reason for the sources of evil. Often, it cannot be traced to human sources expect struggles with unseen forces. Second, stand firm in the full armor of God. Verse 11 put on all of God's armor I call it wearing the divine equipment. If you are going to do the battle with confidence. You must wear the armor that's provided and you will read a bit right down verse 13 and following him in the same chapter. Third, hold up the fee shield and pray in the spirit you feel you are being attacked when you are in the presence of this of evil forces that you cannot otherwise explain stand in faith and pray in the spirit. I love the words of the missionary now gone.

Jim Elliott the same to advances on his knees, never retreats you go into the situation that is evil and out-of-control in a spirit of prayer. You are surrounded via power that is far beyond any power you will encounter. Don't underestimate the power of prayer, fourth, and finally, never forget.

We are on the winning side.

I love that, and I often call it to mind. In the end God wins being children of God we in his stead. When as well. No one knows that better than the devil and his demons. Charles Wesley's words aptly apply. He breaks the power of canceled sin, he sets the prisoner free. I love this, his blood can make the foulest clean is blood available for me. I go one step further before I hang a close on this message.

It may very well be that you have become addicted. The addiction may have simply come about through your own acts your own habits but the enemy loves to find addicts because you're already weakened by this habit that continues on, and you've already convinced herself. It can't be overcome. You can't do battle with it any further. Your victim and the enemy takes advantage of that. So when I asked when I read the words that his blood can make the foulest clean is blood available for me.

I think of you who are addicted to addiction. Maybe in the realm of lost. It may be in the realm of alcohol may be drugs it, it may be anger, a rage that takes over. You cannot control and I'm here today to say Ephesians 610 through 18 are verses for you to clean. I would plead with you to do so. These are powerful forces but they are not more powerful than the one we worship the living God and his son Jesus Christ's closure Bible Rosenbaum with me for the next few moments we do that please.

Have you entered into the Lord's death, if you truly trusted in Jesus Christ as your master, your Savior and Lord. The one to forgive your sins and cleanses you from all unrighteousness. If not, this is the moment for you. You know the Lord Jesus.

Make sure that your life is a life filled with walking in the light as he is in the light thank you father for not leaving us as orphans, providing us not only with your spirit. But with your power made possible through a relationship with you. That is the greatest power on the planet deliver us from living our lives in the fear of darkness and dark forces remind us that you were greater than all and as we are in you. We are part of that greatness. We trust you to guide us through this year as we walk in the spirit rather than fulfilling the lust of the flesh maybe know the joy of Christ at work within us, in the name of your son Jesus, who loved us and gave himself encouraging to know that our trust in Jesus Christ protects us from the dark forces of evil. May all of us take hard, even during these turbulent times as we learn to walk in the spirit live without fear you're listening to a message from Chuck Swindoll about dealing with demons and this is insight for living learn more about this ministry.

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I'm Dave Speicher. Join us again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll guides us on a soul-searching walk alongside Jesus right here on insight for living in the preceding message dealing with demons was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R.

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