Mysteries of the Unseen World

Jesus is whole ministry cast out demons talk about like a side element and ministry were talking about one of the major. It is like and if you believe Jesus is the son of God you believe that he reveals truth and you don't really have the option to not believe in an active and vibrant spirit world, because he very clearly Pastor JD Greer. I'm your host Molly benefits. The concept of demons. First comes to mind a lot of this picture something, probably from Hollywood like the Ghostbusters running around with their vacuum cleaner trap packs or the latest horror film.

Netflix just feels well a little out there know the stuff of fiction to us today.

Pastor JD shows us that the spirit will is very real and affects our lives a lot more than we probably think we are and are finally teaching here in the book of Ephesians.

So grab your Bible and let's join Pastor JD as we seek to get a clearer picture. Ephesians 6 starting verse 11 says quote put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Now actually using verse to me that burst well because Paul certainly did wrestle against flesh and blood, but I am he was beaten at least four times, not by a spirit, but by a Roman WebEx question blood was criticized by flesh and blood. He was imprisoned by flesh and blood was abandoned by friends of his who were flesh and blood, so he wrestle with this flesh and blood, but what you say that he realizes that he doesn't wrestle only with flesh and blood behind that world of flesh and blood Paul recognize the presence of a powerful and active spirit world he calls the cosmic powers of darkness spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places or spiritual forces of believable power in the oppressive government in the dysfunctional relationships in his bouts with loneliness and depression and even sickness in his struggle with pride and temptation. There was something he recognized that was larger and much more powerful work, a world he could not see with his eyes. CS Lewis made the statement in his book Screwtape letters spirit. Sometimes people think maybe it habits my body did not that I quote him CS Lewis said this when it comes to devils and demons. There are two equally wrong and equally damaging errors. The first, he said, is to disbelieve in their existence, but the other is to have an unhealthy interest in them.

Those are the two errors I'm going to try to address and deal with out of Ephesians 62 errors that people in our culture in our day to errors they make about the spirit world. Here they are gig if you want to jot down one failing to recognize that the spirit world is there at the first one, failing to recognize that it's there and then secondly engaging the spirit world, rolling, engaging the spirit world wrong was something to the first one the one failing to recognize the spirit world is there now Ephesians down Paul is writing they had absolutely no trouble believing in the presence of demons. The Ephesians were a very spiritual and very superstitious people. If you will call back when we started the series on Ephesians a walk. If you ask 19 Paul first enters at the emphasis one of the things he does when he gets there she starts to cast out demons have told you there was this local Ghostbusters type squad.

This is great. Your Paul cast out demons today would go up. The people that they thought had demons and they would say hey we are du jour used by Jesus whom Paul preaches to come out of this person and one of the greatest scenes in all of the book of acts. One of the demons that are trying to cast out actually stops and have a conversation with Mrs. verse 16, chapter 19, if you look at a later one of the princes she's me, Jesus. I know I don't. Jesus and Paul, I have heard enough, which I told your gimmick throughout every time wondering what tell us about this Paul I've heard of what newsletter that's going out about Paul talking about who's hot and who's not in the in the Christian world.

You got to get back On guys, Jesus I know right.

But Paul heard of but who are you and it says verse 16, that the spirit was so ticked off that they were trying to throw them out, that he left on them. Verse 16 and he mastered them so that they fled out made kid member pointed out what would be really say naked and wounded because when you're in a fight somebody pizza close offer you your wounded and about every possible way right at the physical world of the psychological were emotional wound beats the pants off you that something you doing that for a while. So these people suffice to say they're very aware of the spirit world very aware of the spirit world. Our culture that we live in has the opposite error. We didn't think that educated people only believe the demonic don't show up in our microscopes and we have microscopes I can see down the some of the smallest matter in the universe of electrons through a microscope and there were scientific people so we can't see them.

You can't reproduce and attest to their help because we can't see some explained to you just for a few minutes. Your why I did why I do this almost by way of introduction.

You why I do and why I've come to be convinced of their existence and why you think something that educated people would only not believe in to their peril. Okay, here is one there is no question that the Bible presents them as real with passages like this one and I mean it, it's crystal clear that the Bible writers talking about it as if it's real primarily for me. It's the life of Jesus. Jesus is whole ministry cast out demons talk about like a side cutting element of his ministry talking about one of the major motifs in his life and demons are not real. Jesus is reduced to a buffoon right released the guy who played on people's imaginations or a comic book figure. I trust at the end of the day all I trust Jesus understands the realities of the universe better than I do. And if you believe that Jesus is the son of God, and you believe that he reveals truth and you don't really have the option to not believe in an active and vibrant spirit world, because he very clearly did not talk to before that faith is accepting what I cannot understand based on what I can't understand if you understand Jesus is the son of God. If you understand that Jesus is the revealer of truth that I can embrace even things I can't see and get my mind around because I trust and I believe in him race from the data revealed truth to me.

So number one is I believe in it because Jesus believed in the Bible clearly teaches it. The second reason I believe in the spirit world.

The reason I believe the world is real is number two, we can see the effects of the demonic world and our world. We can see the effects of the demonic world in our world, just like people in the 1850s could see the effects of disease before they could see the actual germs.

We can see the effects of damages that will wow so one of the two names of Satan is called in this passage one verse 11 one verse 12 verse 11 call schemer in verse 12, is called a ruler is one at a time. Schemer verse 11 means that his role is to deceive. He comes up with schemes of deception is what scheme is he up to well yet understand who he is and where you came from Isaiah 14 versus 12 to 14 describe the genesis for the beginning of Satan, specifically his fall, Satan evidently was one of the highest angels, one of the archangels that God had created and many scholars. Many commentators believe that he was like the worship pastor.

Basically, for lack of better terms at some personal understand. That's what he was all right worship pastor.

One day he decided he want to be that anymore. He wanted to be sitting on the throne and so he makes a speech that Isaiah records, and ministers in internal speech on his way goes, I will ascend to heaven, I will set my throne on high.

I will make myself the most high God, you look at these verses you will see five times Satan says I will I will because I know better than God. I will because I want to be the point not God. I will because I want to be in charge and I'll do what I want to do. I want to be God. I will fly told you I tell my children we think of sin. Sin is the big problem that's all it is SI in the middle letter of the word say that's what I do what I want to do instead of what God wants me to do and you might think it's relatively harmless because you think of yourself as that bad of a person when you say I will instead of God's will. At that point you have undergone cosmic treason of the worst possible type.

I will sin is the eye problem and so what Satan is scheming is to get people to choose the same path that he chose to repeat after him. My will be done instead of God, thy will be done, or in the words of Frank Sinatra. I did it my way is not a song you will be home and on judgment day. I assure you that okay he is scheming to get people to do what he did to the New Testament tried to pull out this week. Most of the places where it describes how Satan goes about that in addition to the stories in the Gospels were you got him possessing people making a crazy STUFF like that.

The epistles mainly and begin to pull out what he was up to watch this John 844 Jesus told us that the devil is the father of lies.

First John 310 calls him the father of hatred and murder. First Timothy 416 he spends out false doctrines and corrupts existing doctrines. Second Corinthians 11 1415 says that he imitates religious authorities loves what I'm pastor close even giving many of these religious leaders the ability to imitate signs and wonders. Genesis 3127 shows us that the devil plants doubts in people's minds about the word of God teaches at seminary sometimes makes people forget about death and impending judgment any pops people up with a sense of self-sufficiency first premium 75 tells us that he tempts the Saints specifically sinks with illicit sex second grievance 211 tells us that he turns unresolved anger into bitterness in the hearts of God's people. First Thessalonians 218 tells us he puts obstacles in the way of God's missionaries Romans 16 verses 17 to 20 tell us he sows discord and division over doctrine and leadership among God's people. In Matthew four we see that he tempts us with power and makes us question, God's love for us question our identity in him second grade before for the blinds the minds of unbelievers in Ephesians 22.

He keeps unbelievers attracted to their sins and even ensnares them so they get. To their sins and desire 2nd to 26 versus 23 five he attacks faith wherever he finds it. First Timothy 36 he pops up Christian leaders with pride so they fall then second Timothy 224 he brings to the minds of unbelievers, the pride in the fall of Christians so they won't take the gospel seriously see this is a scary and I would say you probably can see the effects of these things in your own life.

I know I certainly can't, in my some of you this is exactly where you are right now. That's what's behind your confusion. That's what's behind the temptations. That is what is behind some of you.

Your depression and your despair and just because you can't see it at work doesn't mean that it's not there. There's a second word is used to describe in verse 12 ruler rule or authority or spiritual forces, which means that he controls many of the world systems. Now there's a question among theologians what you think. It's actually going toward verse 12, whether or not that when Paul says domains and powers and authorities. What Paul is referring to actual earthly authorities like Caesar, or if it's a reference to something above that that is unseen that you know then just does not really talk about that presidencies in the rulers of the people in our world.

Yet theologians on both sides, but there's many other commentators, myself among them. Although I'm not an authority of these was all that think that Paul actually let that deliberately ambiguous because you talk about both of them. What is showing you is that behind the Caesars of this world.

There is another authority structure that is at work in and through the existing earthly power structures, making them his making them accomplish his will and that he is dominating the direction of the most powerful institutions are gentle, what gloom and doom is yeah I realize I miss you another conversation. She's had it is actually fastening the patient sitting 60s-amount to smoking of the world that unimagined elites.

But here's what's amazing to me is the logic that Satan uses most of this. It's Luke 462 you will give all this authority and their glory is been delivered to me and I will give it to whom I will. Jesus doesn't dispute that God man shut up.

He acknowledges that that is true. Now it's true that Satan's authority is a derivative and a temporary authority. He couldn't have any authority of God wasn't temporarily tolerated but the fact remains that for now he is the predominant influence and he is the ruler check out the scene again. This is one my favorite places in the Bible and using Daniel the prophet of Daniel blinds debate he's praying in the midst of his prayer.

Angel shows up in Angel so large and so glorious.

But Daniel falls down and die, which by the way the little picture that we have of angels, chubby little white satin robes and harps, not a culture on the ceiling every time somebody in the Bible sees an angel the Angels first words are die by you think you do not mess with the angel, the shoulder and says fear not not want this for the first day that you set your heart understand humbled yourself before your God were to been heard and I've come because your words, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 day piece they'll start praying a month ago, an angel gets dispatch to go and deal with Daniel and help about his prayer route gets tied up with the Prince of Persia and their duking it out to Russell about stuff going on for 21 days so I will call my buddy Michael the Archangel. He's a lot like people he rose up, he came to help me out to dinner, Persia, now I get a return to fight against the Prince of Persia to get away for a little bit come talk to you not to go back and when I go out the prince of Greece will come what are your talk every once in while you get those little glimpses. On the bad credit you like what world. Suffice it to say Satan is the ruler and is the power behind this world is the dominating influence the world governments are his governments. It's Wall Street is his Wall Street it's entertainment is his entertainment. Its record companies are his record companies.

Its newspapers are his newspapers, its educational system is educational system. If you want to exceed in those arenas.

He's going to bombard you with enticement to play by his rules, but certainly does not mean you should not be there should not be active as were to be there showing the subversive revolutionary kingdom of Jesus in the what that means is that because they are so influence.

He is always bombard you to play by his rules and I would tell you that whether you're religious or not, whether you are spiritual or not you can see unmistakable evidence of his work in and through human history and that he has indeed ruled it certain chapters in human history you like. How could that I could for example be the Holocaust talk to a German person about the Holocaust there immediately hit with a mortified embarrassment you're talking about this because they can't understand how that could've happened in their country. You want to talk about an afternoon when I get ticked off and went out and did some racist thing were talking about years of scheming and planning the complete annihilation of a certain type of person. It was not only justified by philosophers and ratified by government leaders. It was backed by religious leaders in Germany is at the time you get away from that may look back on your 4050 years later there like I don't know how that could have happened, but also like to happen. There was an enemy whose goal was to kill to steal and to destroy that was taking some of the natural weaknesses of mankind and was amplifying and importing nitrous on them until it turned into utter annihilation, child pornography, talking about something beyond aberrant desires.

When you agree and I know the people that you were in that for a while.

Then after they got out.

They almost look back on it and say the same kind of thing like I'm not even sure I don't understand how I could have gotten into tell you why because you have an enemy who is scheming to kill and pervert and twist and destroy. He amplifies evil and persuades us to be the most vile thing. Can't you see that, can't you see that there is something greater at work in the world than just human dysfunction, bad parenting seriously.

You don't consider yourself religious, and even if you believe the stuff look in human history.

Can't you see that there's something beyond just human dysfunction are cultured and recognize the reality of the spirit world. I will point out though that interestingly to me. The idea people has made a comeback in our century. You see the beginning of 20 century. The idea was that evil could all be explained by psychological and sociological biological back in. The idea was if you could change those factors give people better hold better education, change economics status then everything would just self-correct and then we live for the bloodiest century of mankind a lot of people coming out the other side like wait a minute. Where is all that come from Bible has an answer comes from an enemy whose role is to kilter still to destroy getting Andrew Del Bosco, a self-described secular liberal at Columbia University recently wrote a book called the death of Satan. I got a lot of interest and attention he opens the book.

The first lines of these books are these very poignant lines. Listen to this, a golf has opened in our culture between the visibility of evil in our intellectual resources for coping with it the evil that was always there, is still there but since we have gotten rid of the idea of sin and sinners and we gotten rid of the idea of original sin and we gotten rid of the idea of the devil.

We gotten rid of the idea of all the transcendent aspects of evil. Now were absolutely astounded by the fact that there is clearly something beyond what we can manage or control here but we have no way of dealing with it anymore.

Nobody says he thinks the best place in modern literature were. This is evident is in the novel, but later became a movie.

The silence of the lamps. Hannibal lector.

Anthony Hopkins is an incredibly evil man and Jodie Foster replace officer Starling at one point is listening to the things that Anthony Hopkins or Hannibal lector is say if she interrupts with them. She says white. What could have made you like this. What happened to you and all Barco notes and it is what he said those are such modern questions. She is asking. They assume that where only wrestling the flesh and blood biological because this what's psychological but did your parents not potty trained.

You write is going on here and Hannibal looks back and remember the sink and looked back at her and says why nothing is happened to me officer Starling I happens, you can't reduce me to a set of influences you given up good and evil for behaviorism officer Starling you got everybody in moral dignity pants it's never anybody's fault is look at me officer Starling, can't you stand to say that even I know Barco makes a comment about he says these words are the enemy of the modern.

The horror of knowing that we cannot answer the monsters question so maybe you are not religious at all times 20, most of us can see things are going on the world lines, biological and I would even argue one step further, that most of you practically speaking, can see the effects of the spirit world and in your own to recognize the spiritual world is here all around first error people make to us tomorrow and send it line for the conclusion of this message titled mysteries of the unseen world. If you missed any part of our study in Ephesians this month. You can catch at any time by visiting us online@jdgreer.com gain greater clarity into the mystery of God's love, we created an exclusively resource based on our current study here on the program is a personal Bible study called mystery and clarity.

The book of Ephesians interactive questions and insightful commentaries will help you out. Verse by verse through the book of Ephesians. Plus, we've included a Scripture memory component in this resource to help solidify these truths in your heart.

As we said back in January we wanted to make committing Scripture to memory priority this year and one of the best ways to allow Scripture to speak into our lives, minute by minute committed to memory that we can do well on it constantly to jump back on board and make God's word to our hearts here in 2021 left free to request a copy of the Ephesians Bible study today is Jenny's ministry level and $25 or more. This is the final week to reserve your copy so don't wait also help us continue reaching your fellow listeners by joining the team partners make this ministry gift today and be sure to copy, mystery and clarity 635 26 552 20 or go online to JD Greer.com Molly events inviting you to join us tomorrow Wednesday on JD Greer ministry