🔵 Welcome Back
This is Session 26 out of 36 in this course on Spiritual Warfare.

You’ll notice the title of this session – I’ll give that to you in a minute. It’s going on the offense.

In other words, we’re in this section:

  • We looked at the defensive armor of God.

  • Then we began looking at offense – the sword of the Spirit, and the offense of prayer.

That this can be offensive against the work of the enemy.

And now we’re going to look at command – we’re going to look at the work of Jesus in a couple of events where He encounters the enemy in the form of demons that have demonized someone.

We’re going to look at how He does this, and we’re going to see that there is another weapon that we have that we’re usually not too quick to use.

🔶 Before I Begin…
Just a word again of how important your prayer life is if you’re going to be somebody engaged in spiritual warfare.

Now, we don’t do this because of our power, our strength. We can only battle the enemy because we have the authority of Jesus Christ.

🔶 Let’s Look at How Jesus Handled the Battle
Mark 1 and Luke 4 record the first of Jesus’ encounters with the enemy, at least according to those two Gospels.

You’ll notice that this takes place in Capernaum.
Now, we are told in Scripture that Jesus centered His ministry in Capernaum, and I’ll show you a map in a moment about where that might be.

He’s in Capernaum, which is His hometown.
He’s in the synagogue – where the righteous people went, right? On the Sabbath, they went to be together to worship.

And in the synagogue is an unclean, demonized person.

🔶 A Visual Note
Just, you know, if you’re interested in that sort of thing, here’s an aerial view of Capernaum.

  • The bigger building toward the bottom of the picture there is the synagogue.

  • The covered area is what they believe was Peter’s house, where Jesus spent a great deal of time.

    • That’s where He healed Peter’s mother-in-law – that’s where that took place.

So, here they are – they’re going into the synagogue, and that’s where they meet this demon.

🔶 Here’s How Scripture Puts It

“They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law…”

Which simply means that the teachers of the law wouldn’t exercise their own authority. Rather, they would claim the authority of certain rabbis who lived centuries before.

Just then Jesus is teaching – and who’s going to interrupt that teaching?

“Just then, a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out.”

🔶 That Raises Questions for Me
How did this man – how did this man who was possessed…

We’re going to look later at the various levels of the work of the enemy in the life of an individual.

But this one’s possessed.
In other words, he is controlled by the enemy.

How did he get into the synagogue?

What was it?

🔵 Continuing in Session 26
There are some commentators who suggest that Capernaum wasn’t all that righteous a town – that there was a great deal of demon activity there.

So Jesus is teaching. Important people are hearing. They’re responding.

And the impure spirit cries out through this man:

“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.”

Think of that!
What do you do when you’re confronted with this kind of attack?
Right? An attack not just on Jesus, but the demon recognized Jesus!

🔶 Jesus Responds:

“Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly.
“Come out of him!”

The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

Sometimes I share with you art – this is an artist’s conception of what happened here: the man is down on the ground as Jesus gives the command.

🔶 Several Things to Note:

  • First of all, this demon manifests itself.

    • It didn’t try to stay hidden.

    • Rather, it became very public, even in the presence of Jesus.

“I know who you are – You’re the Holy One of God. I know that.”
But still, the demon is now on the front line of the battle.

He’s maybe been in the background for a long time, but now he comes out in the life of this man.
And he does this in Capernaum – Jesus’ hometown, where Peter, James, and John lived.

Some have suggested, as I mentioned, that there were maybe community demons there.
This was an impure spirit, which implies a bunch of different things:

  • It could refer to ritual impurity (e.g., if you touched a dead person or didn’t live a certain way).

  • But Jesus recognized that this is demonic, and He rebukes the demon.

🔶 How Does He Do It?
With a command.
What we’re going to see as we look at the ministry of Jesus is that this was a weapon for Him.

He didn’t fall to His knees and pray to God to intervene, to the Father to intervene.
He did it with a command.

🔶 Let’s Look at the Next Encounter of Jesus:
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.

When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit – once again – came from the tombs to meet Him.

This man lived in the tombs.
No one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been chained hand and foot.
But he tore the chains apart, broke the irons on his feet.
No one was strong enough to subdue him.

Night and day, among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him.
He shouted at the top of his voice:

“What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name, don’t torture me!”

For Jesus had said to him:

“Come out of this man, you impure spirit.”

Then Jesus asked him:

“What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.”

And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

A large herd of pigs was feeding on the hillside nearby.
The demons begged Jesus,

“Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.”

He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs.

The herd – about 2,000 in number – rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

🔶 A Quick Note About the Gerasenes:
This was an area dominated by Gentiles, outside of Jewish territory.
It was considered part of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

For those who like maps, here’s where it was:

  • On the left-hand upper side is Capernaum around the Sea of Galilee.

  • There’s Genesaret, Magdala (from which Mary Magdalene came), Cana in Galilee (where Jesus turned water into wine), Tiberias (a Roman city).

  • On the other side were these cities populated mostly by Gentiles.

🔶 A Few Key Takeaways About This Demon:

  • He isolates this man from the rest of the world.

  • The man is possessed by the demon, controlled by the demon.

  • There is extreme strength.

🔵 That’s One of the Signs of Demon Possession
Superhuman strength.

I was moving some stuff this week, and I got a travel trailer – well, not a travel trailer, a utility trailer – that I had piled stuff in. I brought it over to my daughter-in-law’s barn and her property, and when I loaded up the trailer, I forgot to attach the chains.

Now, a trailer where we live has to have two chains attached to the hitch as well, in case, for any reason, the trailer would come off the hitch. I forgot to attach those chains, and they dragged the whole way, and they got a little twisted.

So I had to somehow get them straightened out so that I could use them again.
I tried, and I tried, and I tried, and I tried – just to bend a little bit.
And these were just little tiny chains!

This guy has exhibited such power, such strength, that he’s breaking chains.
No one could control him.
No one could subdue him.
And he’s hurting himself.

🔶 Remember – We talked very early on about how the enemy comes to kill, steal, and destroy. This man is being destroyed.

But then, that surprising thing – when Jesus shows up, he runs to Jesus.

You know, I would think a demon would run away, wouldn’t you?
And yet somehow he recognized the authority and the presence of Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all – of things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.

🔶 And Then Jesus Gets Personal
He asks him, “What’s your name?”
Now, that’s a tactic that we’re going to talk about later, and it’s sometimes helpful for some who have very much been involved with those who are possessed by demons.

His name is Legion.
Now, a Roman legion had about 6,000 soldiers.
Imagine all the demons that were in this man – no wonder he was so strong!

🔶 But Notice Also the Authority and the Power of Jesus Christ
He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and there is no one – no demon – that can fail to obey Him.
And so He gives the command.

Wow. It’s a powerful story.

🔶 So How Did Jesus Do This Thing of Spiritual Warfare?
1️⃣ First of all, He was very aware of and very able to identify whether this was a demon or not – and obviously it was.
2️⃣ Secondly, He was able to have this demon communicate with Him.
3️⃣ Thirdly, He exercised authority and power:

“Come out of him. Come out of him.”

Take note. We have things to learn here about doing spiritual warfare ourselves.

🔶 All Right, Another One
This is from Mark 9, and it’s one of my favorites when it comes to the other disciples.

This is right after the Transfiguration.

So Peter, James, and John get to see Jesus totally transfigured up on the Mount of Transfiguration, and they have discussion up there.
Then they come down, and they see there’s this… um… chaos going on down there as people are gathered around this boy.

🔶 Here’s the Scene:
They came to the other disciples.
They saw a large crowd around them, and the teachers of the law arguing with them.

As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet Him.

“What are you arguing with them about?” He asked.

A man in the crowd answered,

“Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied,
“how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

So they brought him.

When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion.
He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

🔵 Here’s the Rest of the Story

Jesus asked the boy’s father,

“How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered.
“It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

🔶 Jesus’ Frustration Comes Out:

“‘If you can?’” said Jesus.
“Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Immediately, the boy’s father exclaimed those wonderful words,

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, He rebuked the impure spirit,

“You deaf and mute spirit,” He said,
“I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

And the spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently, and came out.

The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said,

“He’s dead.”

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, His disciples asked Him privately,

“Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied,

“This kind can come out only by prayer.”

🔶 Now, I Want You to Note That Again
We talked about the vitality of a prayer life.
This one can only come out by prayer.

There’s an alternative reading of that, which we’re going to get to later as we talk about ongoing weapons for warfare – and that is that there’s an alternative reading that says, “by prayer and fasting.”
In other words, be prepared. Be prayed up, as my mother used to say – and fasting.

I’ll talk more about that later when we get to that session.

🔶 For Right Now, Note How Jesus Dealt with This Again
Reminder – this is right after the Transfiguration.

One of the questions I have is, How did the demon enter this boy?
We’re going to talk about that in another session.
How does a demon get entrance into a kid?

🔶 Notice the Command That Jesus Gives:
Power and authority –

“Come out of him and never enter him again.”

And why couldn’t the disciples cast it out?
Is it prayer and fasting that we need here?

🔶 Well, What Are We Learning Here?
Now, confronting demons is a tricky thing.
It’s not for the faint of heart – I can tell you that from very limited experience.

But please take note:
🔹 The commands that Jesus gives.
🔹 He rebukes:

“Come out of him.”
“Never enter him again.”

This is the power of Jesus Christ – the authority of Jesus Christ – the King of kings and the Lord of lords was being applied here and now.

🔶 Now, What I’m Trying to Tell You in This Is:
You and I have this authority.
You and I have access to this power – the power of a command:

“Come out of him. Leave him right now.”

And you’ll notice I’ve done this a couple of times at the beginning of a session – just clearing the room.

🔶 As Far as Saying There Are Any Demons Here:
I command you in the name of Jesus – not in my name.
I’ve got no reason to give that command, no ability, no authority, no power to give those commands.

“I command you to leave. Go to Jesus.”

We’re going to talk more as we get into how to do this, but right now, I just want you to take note:

🔹 You have this power.
🔹 If you are a follower of Jesus Christ.
🔹 If you have the Spirit of God living within you, you have the power – the weapon of command.

When you confront evil – use it.

🙏 Join Me in Prayer
Our Lord God,
We hesitate to even picture ourselves doing this sort of thing.
I think so – remind us again of the great power that You exercised and did that so often.
And we pray for You to make us aware of when demons are around, when they’re influencing us, or when they’re influencing somebody we care about or are ministering to.
Give us a heightened awareness.
We pray that we might be alert, watchful – and then make us brave.

We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

🕊️ Okay, we’ll see you next time.

இறுதியாக மாற்றியது: வியாழன், 29 மே 2025, 10:27 AM