It is probably one of the most unpleasent and shunned realities that Christians face in life. They are living in the middle of the enemies territory and their responce to it is usually denial.
They either try to deny that demonic activity even exists, or they admit that it exists but that there is nothing that they can do about it and just ignore it. God will just take care of it for them, and they will be just fine.
And yet to do either of those things denies or ignores the very words and teaching of Christ himself.
Jesus dealt specifically with them, and he taught us to as well. Christians must accept and respond to the truth that is in Christ, his word and in this world. To do less is at best self destruction and the enemy works continually to bring that about. It can be at his hand or theirs, no matter to him, he enjoys both!
CRAIG'S SERMON PAGE
Preaching the word of God that people might hear and be changed !
I Peter 5:8 says " Be self controlled and alert, your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him ( you do it ), standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."
Jesus said in Luke 10:18 " I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits must submit to you, ( in other words, they will have to submit and that's for you today and that's wonderful, but !, ) rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
The reality of all of us having to deal with and cast out demons ( devils ) from our lives or others is important and good to set people free from the problems and bondage Satan would put on people and trap them in. But our rejoicing must not be over the work if you will, of dealing with the devil, it is with always having a heart of joy and thanksgiving for being saved, knowing Christ and having our names written in God's book allowing us the priviledge of Heaven. Jesus was making sure that the diciples were keeping their focus on the right things even though they would continue to do the ministry work that set people free from the strongholds of the enemy.
The people of God can neither run from the enemy or the responsibility of dealing with him. That always ends in trouble for people because he is relentless in going after what he wants and will not give up. Battle your enemy or he will overtake you at some point. But God's people must begin to understand the fulness of their authority that Jesus gave them, and the power of the Holy Spirit that they walk in, as well as the protection they enjoy when they walk before the Lord with a right heart and confidence in their life in him. What he has said he will do, what he has promised will always come to pass, what he has said you can do in his name you can do. If the body of Christ would quit fighting themselves and each other and turn their strength and energies on the devil and his demons they would get much, much further with much less trouble.
The other part of the picture is that there are actually two enemies in your midst, you are actually your own worst enemy. Mankind has always been his own worst enemy, opposing himself with the wrong choices he makes, and with the deliberate sins he commits. He sets himself up by not taking the time to learn and remember from the past, by being prideful and not admitting his sins, faults and weaknesses. The devil is a real foe that Jesus said you must wage war against and keep out of your midst as much as possible, dealing with him firmly as soon as he shows up. But he can only do what we allow him to, he has no power against us, no ability to do us any real harm except through some other channel, a person, sickness, deception, lies etc. We have all the power, but it works through faith and love and a right heart before the Lord. You have the right and the responibility to deal absolutely with him, but you also have the responsibility to deal with yourself, and that's the one we have the most problem with.
James 1:13-15 says " When tempted, no one should say, " God is tempting me, " For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.
We are indeed our own worst enemy bringing on ourselves the fruit of our own choices. We should never put up with for one moment the devil and his demons and their ways of tempting, sneeking around and causing trouble. But we should neither put up with ourselves doing the same. Mankind is bound to sin and so he needs a savior, but he should hold himself accountable to doing the very best he can to not bring about his own downfall. We have the power of the Lord and his Holy Spirit against all the wiles of the enemy and we have the Power of the Lord and his Holy Spirit against sin, we must choose to use both.
" IN THE MIDST OF YOU "
While people come and go about their everyday tasks and goals they almost never acknowledge their true enemy and are easy prey for him.
While they are busily moving through time they almost never look into their own lives to judge themselves to see how they are doing. Not even in a general sense let alone a true eternal one.
And are ever blind to the storm that is coming and will bring total distruction to their so taken for granted lives.
"He ( Satan ) has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn - and I would heal them." John 12:40
Romans 10:14 " How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
The world must hear from those who know, from those who already believe. They can not be saved from the destruction to come unless they are rescued, Satan will not back down from having them.
Yet the fastest and best way for him to get them is to get and to keep God's people in bondage. To trap them into sin and carelessness and a disreguard for the imortant things in life. To get them to refuse to come out from the world and be seperate from it. To get them to believe that it matters not how they live, the Love of God will excuse all things in the life of a believer.
And so Satan wins on both fronts, he wins the world whom the church didn't rescue and he wins the lost who wouldn't serve the Lord anyway.
Well, the Devil loses in the end and he already knows that, but he will work hard till the end comes, will we? God always has a remnant who will do his bidding and get the job done, but it is till going to be at a great cost to hundreds of millions who should have been saved and won't be.
The sadest and yet most encouraging thing in all of this, is that the church, the people of God have had all the equiptment to get the job done all of the time. They only need a true commitment to God's will ( not their own ) and faith filled confidence that they not only can but have every right to stop the devil in his tracks and set the captives free.
Let each one of us who names the name of Christ, humble himself before Him and repent of anything in our lives that stands before Him and his command to do things His way. And then stand up straight and go forward in faith to do what ever He directs us and tell the world the good news, " That Jesus has come, that he's paid the price, that he's defeated the devil and he is coming back very soon." We must all be ready to meet him when we see him and have nothing to fear.
If you are reading this and you have never made your peace with God, let me help and encourage you that he absolutely loves you and is not angry with you. He only wants to set you free from the devils schemes and from your sins which he already paid the price for so you wouldn't have to and couldn't anyway. Open your heart to him and simply ask him to come in, to forgive you all of your sins and set you free from any and all bondages that you have fallen prey to. He is gracious and has promised to do that if you would only ask from an honest heart of faith.
To anyone who is already a believer and you have to admit you have not lived you're life for Christ as you should have. Stop now and just take care of it and allow the promise he made to you in 1 John 1:9 to come forth. That if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He will do it and you will start again clean and fresh from here!
Now we have to remember that in Christ there is now " NO " condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Satan condemns us, the Holy Spirit convicts us to keep us on the staight and narrow for our own good and saftey.
He is sounding out the alarms of warning to keep his people free and safe and to rescure the lost and hopeless. Won't you become a tool in the hand of the Lord, someone he can use to reach out and rescue someone who is perishing. You can you know, you can do it because he will help you. Be bold, have courage and be not afraid as he told Joshua and the people of Israel and HE will give you the victory!
