Mark 1: 21-28
A man was going to attend a Halloween
party dressed in a costume of the devil.
On his way it began to rain, so he darted into a church where a revival
meeting was in progress.
At the sight of his devil's costume, people
began to scatter through the doors and windows. One lady got her coat sleeve
caught on the arm of one of the seats, and as the man came closer, she pleaded,
"Satan, I've been a member of this church for 20 years, but I've always
been open to tolerance and compromise.”
Back in the 70's, a Christian singer
named Keith Green wrote a song called, "No One Believes in Me
Anymore." He subtitled it, "The Devil's Boast." He wrote it from
Satan's point of view, to open the eyes of Christians like us to the very real
problems that follow when people don't believe that there is a devil. Listen to
these opening words:
-Well, my job keeps getting easier as
time keeps slipping away.
-I can imitate the brightest light, and make your night look just like day.
-I put some truth in every lie to tickle itching ears.
-I'm drawing people just like flies, 'cause they like what they hear.
-I'm gaining power by the hour, they're falling by the score.
-It's getting very simple now, since no one believes in me anymore
-I can imitate the brightest light, and make your night look just like day.
-I put some truth in every lie to tickle itching ears.
-I'm drawing people just like flies, 'cause they like what they hear.
-I'm gaining power by the hour, they're falling by the score.
-It's getting very simple now, since no one believes in me anymore
What does the Bible say about Satan? He is
a fallen angel - a spirit being. He has no physical body that we can see. He is
not all-knowing, and all-seeing. The Bible
describes his appearance to us, in different ways.
Ezekiel 28:12 calls him "the model of perfection, full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty." Ezekiel 28:19 says, "All the nations who knew you are appalled at
you."
2 Corinthians 11: 14 tells us he can
appear as an angel of light. Revelation 12: 9
describes him as a great dragon, an
ancient serpent, that’s how we best know him.
All these passages have one thing in
common: if you met him in one of those appearances, you would not think he’s
cute n’cuddly. I think it would be much like a UFO experience, or meeting
Bigfoot. BTW invoking Jesus’ name during those events seem to end them quite
quickly.
The guy in the red union suit with the
horns and pitchfork who used to battle Santa Claus and the Martins in the
movies doesn’t exit. So what can we know of Satan and his minions? Listen to
Mark 1: 21-28:
They
went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and
taught. They were astounded at his
teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Just
then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried
out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy
us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."
But
Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the
unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this?
A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they
obey him." At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding
region of Galilee.
A pastor by the name of
Brian Atwood once asked this question of his church: Why would the devil
be interested in going to church? Most of the times Jesus met someone
demon-possessed He kicked the demons out! Our passage today is unusual because
of where it took place - in the house of God!
Why in the world would a man possessed by demons even be interested in going to the house of God? Why would the devil want to go to church?
The first answer is because the devil has always been religious. Satan and his demons are all fundamentalists in most of their beliefs. A. W. Tozer said, "The devil is a better theologian than any of us but (yet remains) a devil still."
Of course, as we say, the devil is in the details, that is in what they do about what they believe. James 2: 18,19 says, “But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe there is one God. Good! EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE THAT - and shudder.”
Sure, Satan knows there’s only one God, but the problem is, he doesn’t worship that God, he wants to be the object of worship himself. When Satan or his minions show up at church it isn’t for true worship but rather to instigate false worship or disrupt proper worship.
Satan’s deceptionalistic religion is false but it is religion nonetheless. He really doesn’t mind if we show up for worship - just as long as its false worship. Satan encourages spiritual warfare – doubts, lies, deceptions, false accusations, the encouragement of compromise and tolerance so that truth becomes blurred.
Why in the world would a man possessed by demons even be interested in going to the house of God? Why would the devil want to go to church?
The first answer is because the devil has always been religious. Satan and his demons are all fundamentalists in most of their beliefs. A. W. Tozer said, "The devil is a better theologian than any of us but (yet remains) a devil still."
Of course, as we say, the devil is in the details, that is in what they do about what they believe. James 2: 18,19 says, “But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe there is one God. Good! EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE THAT - and shudder.”
Sure, Satan knows there’s only one God, but the problem is, he doesn’t worship that God, he wants to be the object of worship himself. When Satan or his minions show up at church it isn’t for true worship but rather to instigate false worship or disrupt proper worship.
Satan’s deceptionalistic religion is false but it is religion nonetheless. He really doesn’t mind if we show up for worship - just as long as its false worship. Satan encourages spiritual warfare – doubts, lies, deceptions, false accusations, the encouragement of compromise and tolerance so that truth becomes blurred.
He loves to see folks go to church to talk about other people. He loves to see
us go to uplift our own goodness. He loves it when we are preoccupied with
other things - like who hurt our feelings recently, what so and so thinks about
us. He loves to hear our critical comments about worship leaders and the
pastor’s preaching.
The devil loves it when we don’t put our hearts into praising God. He likes seeing us just going through the motions, becoming almost-Christians. He can stand anything but worship of God in spirit and in truth. Friends, Satan is opposed to Christianity but he isn’t opposed to “church-ianity.”
The minions of Satan know who Jesus is. The one in the synagogue did. He believed in the Incarnation of Christ - that he was God and man at the same time.
The demon clearly identified Christ’s humanity by calling Him "Jesus of Nazareth," and he identified Christ’s deity by calling Him "the Holy One of God."
The church must always be guarded against false doctrine. But the danger we overlook is false worship. We must always guard against deceptive religion. We cannot become complacent and nonchalant about our worship of God! We should consistently re-evaluate why we worship and how we worship.
The Word says this concerning false worship by dead and lukewarm churches and believers: "having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (2 Timothy 3: 5)
Second, Satan goes to church because he’s looking for prey. Notice how the plural pronouns indicate just how closely the demon was identified with the man through whom he was speaking. "What do you want with US Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy US?"
This may not have been a case of multiple demon possession. It may have been an instance of one demon making his host a puppet. The "us" was the demon and his host. Satan’s ultimate goal is to have control. He can use those who don’t have the Holy Spirit within.
He can’t harm true Christ followers, but he does want to manipulate us and hinder our work for God and the growth of our faith. Remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter? "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat." (Luke 22: 31)
The devil loves it when we don’t put our hearts into praising God. He likes seeing us just going through the motions, becoming almost-Christians. He can stand anything but worship of God in spirit and in truth. Friends, Satan is opposed to Christianity but he isn’t opposed to “church-ianity.”
The minions of Satan know who Jesus is. The one in the synagogue did. He believed in the Incarnation of Christ - that he was God and man at the same time.
The demon clearly identified Christ’s humanity by calling Him "Jesus of Nazareth," and he identified Christ’s deity by calling Him "the Holy One of God."
The church must always be guarded against false doctrine. But the danger we overlook is false worship. We must always guard against deceptive religion. We cannot become complacent and nonchalant about our worship of God! We should consistently re-evaluate why we worship and how we worship.
The Word says this concerning false worship by dead and lukewarm churches and believers: "having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (2 Timothy 3: 5)
Second, Satan goes to church because he’s looking for prey. Notice how the plural pronouns indicate just how closely the demon was identified with the man through whom he was speaking. "What do you want with US Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy US?"
This may not have been a case of multiple demon possession. It may have been an instance of one demon making his host a puppet. The "us" was the demon and his host. Satan’s ultimate goal is to have control. He can use those who don’t have the Holy Spirit within.
He can’t harm true Christ followers, but he does want to manipulate us and hinder our work for God and the growth of our faith. Remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter? "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat." (Luke 22: 31)
When you sift you take impurities out - but when Satan sifts he takes purity out! He wants to remove our connections and any potential commitment to God we may have.
Simon thought he would go through all the trials with Jesus without fail or trouble. Though his faith didn’t fail completely, he miserably failed a major test. He disavowed all knowledge of Jesus when Jesus was falsely accused and beaten.
If you think the devil doesn’t do some of his prowling in church you haven’t
been around long. Satan even has control of the pulpits in some churches, and
certainly in some denominations. Listen to what the Bible says in 2 Corinthians
11:13-15:
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what they deserve."
Third, Satan goes to church because he’s seeking worship. He wants to be worshipped as if he were God. Isaiah 14:12-14 tells us,
"For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what they deserve."
Third, Satan goes to church because he’s seeking worship. He wants to be worshipped as if he were God. Isaiah 14:12-14 tells us,
"How have you fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You
have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said
in your heart, ’I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars
of God; I will sit on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the
sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself
like the Most High.’"
Remember what the devil said to Jesus? "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4: 9)
Satan worship, worship based on deception, will characterize the Great Tribulation. Satan will even resurrect the beast and kill everyone who doesn’t worship him. Satan will be able to accomplish for a short while what he has longed for all along.
But until that day comes the true follower of Christ is involved in a struggle. Our great struggle is not with paying our bills or staying healthy. This struggle will drag us down unless we become stronger in Jesus. This struggle is a spiritual one.
"For our struggle is 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." (Ephesians 6: 12)
Forget the war on terror for now, even though Satan is behind it. Let’s focus on the spiritual war that exists to hinder the work of God. Let’s not be so naive as to neglect the fact that we war with Satan even when we come to church! Satan is real and evil is among us, but Jesus has won the victory. Let us celebrate!
Remember what the devil said to Jesus? "All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4: 9)
Satan worship, worship based on deception, will characterize the Great Tribulation. Satan will even resurrect the beast and kill everyone who doesn’t worship him. Satan will be able to accomplish for a short while what he has longed for all along.
But until that day comes the true follower of Christ is involved in a struggle. Our great struggle is not with paying our bills or staying healthy. This struggle will drag us down unless we become stronger in Jesus. This struggle is a spiritual one.
"For our struggle is 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." (Ephesians 6: 12)
Forget the war on terror for now, even though Satan is behind it. Let’s focus on the spiritual war that exists to hinder the work of God. Let’s not be so naive as to neglect the fact that we war with Satan even when we come to church! Satan is real and evil is among us, but Jesus has won the victory. Let us celebrate!
Jesus has the real power and authority –
but you must know Him for it to benefit you. Amen.
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