We want a good overview of Jesus’ methods of handling Satan. Jesus’ ministry was characterized very early on with healing on a physical as well as a spiritual level:
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:24 NIV)
The reason for this is simple. The portion of Scripture He reads in the synagogue to inaugurate His ministry is from Isaiah 61:1-2:
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom. 8:19-22 NIV)
So, in bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to this world, we are moving against Satan by our message and our actions. Satan’s influence is great, but we serve Jesus, Who is greater:
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Let's look in Matthew for how Jesus encountered and dwelt with evil:
News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. (Matthew 4:24 NIV)
The reason for this is simple. The portion of Scripture He reads in the synagogue to inaugurate His ministry is from Isaiah 61:1-2:
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the
to proclaim good news to the
poor.
He has sent me to proclaim
He has sent me to proclaim
freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the
attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were
fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture
is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21 NIV)
So,
you can see that disease and demonic oppression are incompatible with the
Kingdom of God. He went out and fulfilled
His calling to take back souls from Satan’s domain. We
must not just focus on Satan’s demons or evil influences. We must see the larger picture of why evil is
so pervasive on earth. We must realize
that all suffering and evil comes from the Fall:
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Rom. 8:19-22 NIV)
So, in bringing the hope of Jesus Christ to this world, we are moving against Satan by our message and our actions. Satan’s influence is great, but we serve Jesus, Who is greater:
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4)
Let's look in Matthew for how Jesus encountered and dwelt with evil:
When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were
brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the
sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.” (Matt. 8:16-17 NIV)
Sickness and
demon possession shatters faith in God.
Jesus came to speak against the lie that sickness and demon possession
are punishments from God for sins. No. They are part of a fallen world and Jesus
came to set the world right, by dying for the sins of the world. If sickness and possession were punishments
from God, why would Jesus seek to undo God’s sentence upon an individual by
healing or casting out the demon? Jesus came to
show God’s true purpose: God was eagerly seeking to reconcile with His children:
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no
longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful
message of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:19 NLT)
Suffering was
never a part of God’s original design, for He had pronounced His creation
“good.” Adam and Eve disrupted
that. Satan then corrupted that. One comment here:
God may use illness to teach us. But He
doesn’t use it to punish us. Our life
experiences with all the suffering, pain, and challenges, are ultimately for our
edification:
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty
for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of
despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has
planted for his own glory. (Is. 61:3 NLT)
Not everything that happens to us is good, but only He can
bring forth beauty when all the world sees is ashes. Sometimes, in the midst of our suffering, Satan will pester
us to keep asking: Why is this happening to me? A far better question, one that brings us to sit at Jesus’
feet and listening for His response is: How,
Lord, do I get through this? Fill me
afresh, and strengthen me anew for the days ahead. And, if on this side of heaven, You tell why
this has happened, I will trust You for the outcome. If You do not disclose the “why,” I still
have You and will still trust You for the
outcome.
What may I learn from this so I am stronger in You? Let me pursue the “how” instead of the “why.”
The focus shifts from you to Him. It is only in Him will you find
strength:
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Is. 40:29-31 NIV)
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Is. 40:29-31 NIV)
He knows all too well
our suffering:
Since he himself has gone
through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.
(Heb. 2:18 NLT)
Our next encounter is:
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the
Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him.
They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want
with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us
before the appointed time?” Some
distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged
Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out
and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the
lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town
and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed
men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him,
they pleaded with him to leave their region. (Matt. 8:28-34 NIV)
The demons are clearly afraid because the
Son of God has shown up. Jesus promised
that we, as His followers, will do even greater things than He did:
Very truly I tell you, whoever
believes in
me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even
greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever
you ask in
my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for
anything in my name, and I will do it. (John 14:12-14 NIV)
Jesus is glorified when we serve
Him in His name. Clearly confronting the
Son of God made the demons tremble. Their
leader is a defeated foe by our Leader.
Jesus spoke the word, just as He did in the wilderness. Satan had to leave then. Satan has to leave
now. One warning, however. The passage
in Luke that describes Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness ends with a sobering
reminder:
“And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed
from him for a season.” (Luke 4:13 KJV)
Another translation says, “When the devil had
finished all this tempting, he
left him until an opportune
time.” (NIV)
Still another, “When the devil had finished
tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.” (NLT)
Satan does not let up. But a spoken word of rebuke, in Jesus’ name,
is sufficient to drive him away. For
now. Satan will be back, but Jesus and
His name never loses power:
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and
for ever. (Heb. 13:8)
Also, don’t expect people to understand or applaud
your efforts. The people in the town
asked Jesus to leave after the pigs went high diving. Matthew recounts two demon-possessed men in the
region. In the parallel verses in Luke
8:26-39, Luke focuses on just one of the two men. (Wycliffe
Bible Commentary 28). In Luke, we see this man wanting to follows
Jesus. Jesus requests that he stay in
the area and let everyone know what happened.
The other man may have run away, along with his testimony to Jesus’
power. But this man loves and appreciates
what the Lord did for him. This is
similar to when Jesus healed the 10 lepers, and only 1 returned to thank Him.
People will have either gratitude or fear when
spiritual warfare takes place. Don’t
fret. Serve God and seek His wisdom to
do what needs to be done. Do it to
please Him and Him alone. Leave the
results to Him. The war is won; just be
faithful to Him in each time you go to battle.
We will continue to examine Jesus' encounters in Matthew in the weeks to come. Hope you are having a lovely summer!
Excerpted from S.T.A.N.D. Spiritually Trained And Not Defeated: Our Position in Christ, Our Mission in Christ A Handbook on Spiritual Warfare. Buy it on Amazon.
Excerpted from S.T.A.N.D. Spiritually Trained And Not Defeated: Our Position in Christ, Our Mission in Christ A Handbook on Spiritual Warfare. Buy it on Amazon.
No comments:
Post a Comment