"Power and Authority"

Scripture: Mark 1:21-28
Preacher: Rev. Ross Purdy
Date: January 29, 2006

 I want you to notice what Jesus is doing in this particularly fascinating passage of Mark's Gospel.   The tendency, I think, is to look too quickly at the supernatural events of a possessed man freed from his demon by Jesus.   But Jesus didn't come to seek out the supernatural.   He lived the supernatural and he daily bridged the gap between what we see and the whole reality that exists between the physical and supernatural realms.

His primary ministry was to offer Himself on the cross to be a scapegoat so our sins would be forgiven.   He sought the cross as His destination.   But, all along the way Jesus made every opportunity to teach.   In fact, in a few verses later, Mark 1:38, Jesus said Let us go somewhere else - the nearby villages - so I can preach there also.   That is why I have come.  

So we find Jesus beginning His ministry by purposely entering the synagogue to teach the word of God.   And, as he taught, supernatural things happened.   In a few weeks, when we look at and experience healing in our Kingdom of God series, we will also discover that the thing Jesus is doing when He heals throughout the Gospels is addressing each crowd, or person, with the truths of God.   He never seems to go anywhere without making it a teaching moment.   As He sought an opportunity to teach, the supernatural occurred.   Hearing God speak is of primary importance in life.   There is a message to be delivered and it is important that we always stress the proclamation of the Kingdom of God above all else.

The reason I believe this to be of great importance is because there are those who put such a priority on the demons and angels that we quickly lose sight of what really frees us from all things - the Truth!   Many would like to subject us to the horrors and fantasies of the demonic world.   Many would like us to keep our eyes focused on the angelic and heavenly.   But the Bible is clear.   Our focus needs to be on Jesus...and, Jesus alone.   The only clear revelation of Jesus we have is the word of God.   So, teaching the word, as Jesus taught, is our primary objective and vehicle as we recognize and participate in the supernatural.

Now we can address the passage.   Now we can address the demon possessed man.   I don't want to downplay the story here.   I believe the greatest way to interpret the Bible is to find the most straight-forward meaning.   I believe in the principle called "Ockham's Razor".   This principle says " Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate " or "plurality should not be posited without necessity." The words are those of the medieval English philosopher and Franciscan monk William of Ockham (ca. 1285-1349).   What it means is simply this: the simplest explanation is probably the more accurate.   Don't do mental gymnastics.   Cut away all fluff like a razor.  

Instead of looking at the possessed man in our text as one who had some kind of bi-polar disease or some psychosis or chemical imbalance, let's just cut right to the heart of the matter.   The man was possessed with a demon.   He addressed Jesus by saying, "I know who you are, the Holy One of God.   What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?   Have you come to destroy us?"   I don't know any illness, chemical imbalance of psychological condition that converses with the Son of God in this manner.   It is a personality who is clearly speaking.   I do believe demons exist.   I do believe they continually try to derail us from our purpose and mission in life.   I do believe they tried to derail Jesus from His mission of teaching in a synagogue that day.   Jesus merely looked at the man, said, "Shut up" to the demon and "Come out of Him."   Immediately the demon came out of the man with a loud voice.   That's real power and real authority.   Jesus engaged the spiritual darkness.

C. S. Lewis once wrote: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. (Screwtape Letters). We need a good balance.   But the temptation in our society is to disregard them, so this morning, let the pendulum swing the other way.  

Dr.Mark Roberts, a fellow Presbyterian pastor in Irvine, says, "...within defined parameters Satan and demons do have certain powers. Scripture nowhere gives us a systematic account of the demonic, so there's much we can't know for sure. But we do know that evil powers can impact life on this earth, even beyond (emphasis mine) the obvious actions of temptation to sin and demon possession. This is why, as Paul urges in Ephesians 6, we should recognize that our true struggle in this world is against demonic forces (6:12). For this reason we must take them serious and actively withstand their attack."

The Apostle Paul makes it clear that "we struggle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.   Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.   Stand firm, then...." (Ephesians 6:12-13ff).

I want to give you some things for us to notice about the spiritual realm and the evil that exists in our world today.   I want you to take particular attention about these characteristics of demons because I believe none of us are exempt from their influence.   A few weeks ago, without any reason, without earthly reason, I blew up at my wife.     I didn't feel it coming.   In fact, we had just shared a laugh a moment prior.   Immediately, I said some very harsh words that came from nowhere.   The words that came out of my mouth did not represent my feelings at all.   I was vile and I couldn't believe that my tongue was so quick to strike.   I let my armor down and I believe there was a bit more influence than our personal interaction as husband and wife.   You see we were in a week of doing ministry that we considered very productive for the Kingdom of God.   Somehow, I felt derailed.   I let my guard down and I left a door open that should have been shut.

I take blame for this and rarely do I ever use the words "the Devil made me do it" because I believe they are words of irresponsibility.   No, the devil didn't make me do it.   I did it and I sinned.   But, on this occasion, I recognized a weakness of mine that was influenced in a very powerful way. I was in the midst of a spiritual struggle unbeknownst to me.   I have apologized and prayed about this, but I believe I was influenced.   You see I have a weakness in my life.   Through Christ, it has the potential to be a great asset when under control.   Some of you know me as a patient man.   But I have had to pray and ask for God's help throughout the years.   There are those who know that my weakness is an issue of anger.   I use to joke about it and say, "Well, I'm Irish...it's just an Irish temper".   That phrase gave me an excuse to blow up whenever I wanted.   It was a scapegoat and it kept me from being responsible for the door I left open.   When that door is opened, something slips in.   My job is to wear my armor.   I am never called to take it off.   What's your weakness?

Let me share with you some of the things I believe demons do.   First, because they despise God, our good Creator, they are here to entice us to sin.   They know that we can fall away from our beautiful position in Christ when we listen to them.   They are like Sirens singing their destructive song calling us to hear their words instead of the voice of reason or the voice of God.   Then they can rejoice in our downfall.   They love to derail us from our high calling and purpose.   They don't want the Kingdom of God to be proclaimed or lived.

Secondly, demons compel us to do things we wouldn't do.   They want to take the good that God has established and bring chaos, disorder and confusion to our lives.   They know the destruction it can cause us, God's crowning creation, when we live short of the lives God has for us.

Demons torture.   There are scriptures where people were in pain because of the workings of Satan. Like hyenas to a weak animal, they have no regard for life.   Up until this last century, the baptismal formula for someone receiving new life in Christ and being baptized contained this question: Do you renounce the works of Satan in your life?   I think it's a shame that we don't ask this anymore.   We have simply "psychologized" the demonic world from our ethical religion.   But as we see some strange things happening, the need to confront ourselves with clear choices of whom it is we truly serve whole-heartedly.   More and more, as the Kingdom of God is being proclaimed in our society we are experiencing the fact that our Christian formulas and phrases don't work when they skirt around the issues of kingdoms in conflict   We need to get to the heart of the battle and stand firm.

I could share many stories of me, a Presbyterian minister, having to confront evil.   I have shared in the exorcisms of people and territories.   I didn't like this at first, but I quickly found out that the old system of being a "professional clergyperson" as a white-collared profession didn't cut it the way it used to.   As our society grows deeper into opening spiritual doors and deeper into chaos and sin, ministry is now more than just saying a prayer and holding someone's hand.   It is that...but it is more. Sometimes we have to confront some harsh situations and realities.   But I'm not alone.   Now is the time for Jesus' power and authority to work through all of us.   Are you with me?   Now is the time to stand strong during all-out clash of kingdoms, powers and authorities.

Demons enslave.   God always sets free.   But freedom is an act of God.   Slavery is an act of sin.   Yet this sin becomes a great tool in the hands of those know how to manipulate sin.   God desires you to be free.   But let me state this as clearly as I can.   If you have a door opened to the spiritual realm that should not be opened, you're not free.   You're in prison.   Do you have an addiction?   Do you have a weakness in your life that has not been laid before the cross of Jesus Christ?   Do you have sin, even the smallest of ones that no one knows about?   That's an open door.   You need to close it.   And you can only close it as you seek God's help.   You might be deceived by how that innocent doorway has been beautified.   But open doors lead to strangers and not all strangers are good.   You are God's house, a temple of God's Holy Spirit and you need to be clean.   Everything in your life needs to be given to God.   Let me illustrate this.  

A certain man wanted to sell his house for a large sum of money. Another man wanted very badly to buy it, but because he was poor, he couldn't afford the full price. After much bargaining, the owner agreed to sell the house for half the original price with just one stipulation: He would retain ownership of one small nail protruding from just over the door.

After several years, the original owner wanted the house back, but the new owner was unwilling to sell. So the first owner went out, found the carcass of a dead dog, and hung it from the single nail he still owned. Soon the house became unlivable, and the family was forced to sell the house to the owner of the nail.

If we leave the Devil with even one small peg in our life, he will return to hang his rotting garbage on it, making it unfit for Christ's habitation.   ( Dale A. Hays, Leadership , Vol X, #3 (Summer, 1989), p. 35)

Demons deceive and spread lies.   There is no more powerful force for destruction than lies.   But so delicate is truth that when it is only presented as a half-truth, it is worse than no truth.   I believe we all have been played upon by forces that use half-truths.   Since the 1840s the world has seen an explosion of religions that lead people away from Jesus Christ and His truth.   Many of those religions, I believe, have been inspired, but not from God.

Demons defile.   They know that Jesus is the Holy One.   They can't stand to be in His presence.   Jesus is the Holy One of Israel.   They see Him through us and we frighten them because of this.   But as often as they can, their attacks are against Jesus, the Holy One.   They stand against the beauty of God.   They take the pure and make it unholy.

Demons assist in causing addictions.   Yes, we are responsible for our situations and our crosses we have to bear.   Each of us is tempted in some way.   But unless we bring back the power and authority that Jesus Christ supplies us, we will never conquer addictions. They are spiritual, as well as physical and emotional.

Demons can possess.   I used to disagree with this point immensely.   I didn't believe it because a pastor had told me that we're living in the 20 th century now. "We now know that the culture of the first century believed in demons, so Jesus just engaged people in their myths and stories."   But I now know otherwise.   We encounter spiritual forces.   We have to keep our eyes open and not be so ignorant.   I believe that as our culture dives more deeply into sin we will see more spiritual control lost in people's lives.

So we must be ready.    Remember C.S. Lewis' words.   We can't have an unhealthy interest in demons...but we can't be ignorant or in denial of their existence and work. Keep a balance.   There is a sin of giving too much credit to the spiritual realm and there is a sin of not paying attention to the spiritual realm.   The struggle of good and evil exists.   We can't talk about the Kingdom of God through our series without touching on this topic.   Please know that the spiritual forces for God tremendously outnumber the spiritual forces that seek to destroy.   But don't be ignorant.  

Jesus had power and authority over the demons.   We do also. When Jesus died on the cross, the Devil, of whom Peter called a "roaring lion seeking to devour", was defanged.   The lion can't devour.   He can only "gum" you to death.  

Years ago a man stood at the bars of a lion cage in a zoo.    He stood there as an attendant entered the cage through a door on the opposite side.   The attendant had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage.   When he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure. The man watching from outside the cage said, "You certainly are a brave man." "No, I ain't brave," the attendant   replied as he continued to sweep. "Well, then that cat must be tame." "No," came the reply, "he ain't tame." "If you aren't brave and the wildcat isn't tame, then I can't understand why he doesn't attack you."   The man chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, "Mister, he's old--and he ain't got no teeth." (Carl Armerding, Moody Monthly)

Jesus defeated the enemies of God.   But as long as they are defeated, they're going to try to trick you.   Don't you believe their words for a second.   Jesus gave all power and authority to those who would yield their life to God.   Is your life yielded to God?   Do you need the power of God in your life to make you completely whole?   Do you have open doors that need to be shut?  

I need you to join me in the ministry of breaking chains.   We have a world that is in bondage.   People need to be set free.   You need to recognize that Jesus has given you the authority to cast our demons and take the control back for God. Join me in engaging the powers that hold the world hostage to their tricks

Amen.