Confronting the Spirits

Confronting the Spirits

This Sunday, we were privileged at CDC to have our own Pastor Micky give us an interesting message on “Confronting the Spirits” from Matthew Chapter 8.

Having just encountered a fierce life-threatening storm, and watching in awe as the Lord’s Word powerfully calmed the winds and the waves, the disciples must have looked forward to some peace on dry land. However, they must have been shocked to see two violent, naked demon-possessed men run towards them as they stepped onto the shore….

These two men were aggressive, violent and unnaturally strong. The people of the town had tried to chain them down, but they broke the chains. They were no more in control of themselves, mentally unsound, anti-social, and delighted in frightening people. They had no more moral sense, going about naked shamelessly and they were always disruptive and restless. Moreover, they were attracted to the tombs and other unclean places.

It is not written how they came to be possessed, but from his experience, Pastor Micky shared how some people came to reach this terrible condition. Some sought out spirits because of their desire for wealth and power. Others sought the help of spirits for favor in exams and success. Many others seek out numbers hoping to win a lottery, and many also who are sickly seek spirit assistance to cure them. And some even pray to spirits out of fear of them. The spirits, as eternal beings, are very intelligent, having been around a long, long time, and they know the weaknesses of men.

Coming back to the passage, we see that the demons in the two men knew Jesus as the Son of God and had power of them. They knew about the appointed time “their judgment day”, and they were completely subject to obey whatever Jesus asked them to do. Incredibly, they asked to go into the pigs…. Spirits always desire to possess a body where they can enjoy eating, drinking and other physical pleasures. The prized body is of course always a human being, and they seek humans out most eagerly.

Throughout the ages, many exorcists have their own techniques, charms and incantations used to exorcise a demon from a person. However, Jesus cast out demons by His Word alone. Jesus had power and authority over demons, and we too who are in Him have that same power. Nevertheless, Jesus warns us not to delight in this, but rather to be happy that our names are written in the book of life, which is far more important.

The seven sons of Schiva attempted to invoke the name of Jesus to cast out a demon, starting off “In the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches….” However the demon answered back “Jesus I know and Paul I’ve heard about, but who are you?”, and proceeded to give them all a severe beating as they ran in panic from him.

The name of Jesus is not a magic formula but only effective for those who genuinely trust Him and put their hope in Him. If we are truly in Jesus, seeking to obey His will, we are ambassadors of God, with the authority and power to act on behalf of God. It doesn’t matter what position one holds in the church or his degree or qualifications. What counts is his faith and obedience in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Once Jesus cast out the demon, the two men regained soundness in their minds, peace in their hearts, and freedom from bondage in their souls. Jesus had restored them to their families and community. Jesus had made them useful again, able to be of service to others in the town.

It is interesting to note that the encounter in the Gadarenes records two demon-possessed men only in the gospel of Matthew. In the Gospels of Luke and Mark, only one demon-possessed man is mentioned. Pastor Micky explained that it was most likely because only one of the demon-possessed man mattered to the authors of the latter two gospels. This was because, this particular man offered to follow Jesus as His true follower once he had been set free. However, Jesus did not let him, but asked him to return home and bear testimony to his family. Jesus desires us to be restored to our families. Sometimes, we may feel we are ready to go out and do something great for God, but God may be saying to us, Wait! Wait for My timing!

The reaction of the town people seems very surprising at first. One would have taught they would be excited to receive a man with such great power, a man who could even be the Messiah! However, they begged Jesus to live. Possibly, they were afraid of the change that they knew Jesus would bring, and it was also possible that they were afraid of further economic loss. The loss of such a great number of pigs would have cost them a fortune. Sometimes, possessions become more important to us than people. We should love people and use things but quite often, we love things and use people.

In closing, we are warned not to take spirits lightly, for they are powerful beings. However, we must believe that Jesus Christ is more powerful than them, and use the authority that Jesus has given us if we are called to do so to help others. However, it is important for us to make sure our lives are right with God, and also beware of any kind of addictions, TV, Computer games, and even food and drink which may open a door to the enemy to influence our lives.

God bless,

Jason