The Devil, Demons, and What to Do About Them (2)
The Devil, Demons, and What to Do About Them • Sermon • Submitted
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More Perfect Illustrations: For Every Topic and Occasion (Spiritual Warfare: We Know the Enemy’s Plans)
The Battle of Antietam in 1862 lasted for 12 hours and ranks as the bloodiest day of the Civil War, with 10,000 Confederate casualties and even more on the Union side. “At last the sun went down and the battle ended,” wrote one historian, “smoke heavy in the air, the twilight quivering with the anguished cries of thousands of wounded men.”Though militarily a draw, the mediocre Union General George McClellan was able to end the brilliant Robert E. Lee’s thrust into Maryland, forcing him to retire across the Potomac. How was this possible? Two Union soldiers had found a copy of Lee’s battle plans and had delivered them to McClellan before the engagement.In some respects, we are no match for our adversary, Satan, whose wiles we are told to be wary of. But as with General McClellan, our enemy’s plans have fallen into our hands. We know his usual strategies—to entice us with lies, lust, greed, and the like. With such knowledge, given us by God’s Word and God’s Spirit within, we too can resist the enemy’s advances.Citation: Mark Galli, managing editor of Christianity Today; source: Thomas Bailey and David Kennedy, The American Pageant, ninth edition (D.C. Heath, 1991), pp. 456–457
Origin of Demons
Origin of Demons
Demons are evil (Luke 8:2).
God created the beings that became demons (John 1:3).
These beings followed the law of sin (John. 8:34).
God can use evil for good (Mat. 27:18).
Demons are either Fallen Angels or Spirits of Lost Men
Spirit Beings/Non-physical (Mat. 8:16; Luke 24:39).
Intelligent beings with personality (Mark 5:6-12).
Know and fear that they will be judged (Mat. 8:29; James 2:19)
Are demons fallen angels?
They are spirit beings (Heb. 1:14).
There are fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4).
Are lost spirits of dead men demons?
Still spirit, lacking a resurrected body.
We know that there are men who have died lost.
Etymology of the Greek word demon:
It meant “knowing one.”
That meaning shifted to knowing beyond the grave and was used by the Greeks to refer to the spirits of those who had died.
Both Josephus and Philo upheld the view that demons were the evil spirits of the wicked dead that returned to inhabit the bodies of others.
Does the conclusion matter? - Not really
We just need to be aware that their origin was sinless, they sinned, and they serve the Devil.
Nature of Demon Possession
Nature of Demon Possession
It hurt.
Prophecy (Acts 16:16-19)
Medical but not just medical.
Purely medical (Mark 3:1-5; John 9:1-7)
Demon affliction (Luke 11:14; Mat. 17:14-18)
Self-harm (Mark 5:5)
Harming others (Acts 19:13-16)
Purpose of Demon Possession
Purpose of Demon Possession
All accounts of demon possession are in the New Testament.
Christ’s supreme authority is further exhibited by His and His servants’ overcoming and overpowering the devil and his servants.
With the loss of the ability to expel demons must also come the loss of the ability of demons to inhabit men (Mark 16:17; 1 Cor. 13:8-9).