JESUS has POWER Over Demons – Rev. Jean-Paul Agidi

THEME: JESUS HAS POWER OVER DEMONS

DEUTERONOMY 18:15-20
1 CORINTHIANS 8:1-13
MARK: 1:21-28

One of the undeniable facts and reality in the life of Africans and for that matter, Christians is the belief in the existence of evil spirits and demons. For Christians believe that Satan is the father of all these spirits. The role of these spirits is to destroy what God has created and purposed in our lives and to enslave or keep those who succumb to their power under bondage. No human being in the history of humanity had the power to overcome satanic spirits and could command them except Jesus the Christ. Indeed Jesus’ mission was not only to save us from sin and eternal damnation but to liberate us and give us the power to overcome and cast out demons. This morning we shall deliberate on the theme “ Jesus has power over Demons” . We shall look at two important points
1. Jesus has power over demons and has given us this power to continually liberate those who are under the bondage of satanic forces but we must be on guard because evil spirits may operate among the children of God in order to mislead them through fake prophets.
2. When you are in Jesus, no evil spirit has power over us but that privilege and grace should not be abused; we should use the power we have to save others.

JESUS has POWER Over Demons…

In the third Scripture reading, Mark 1:21-28 we see how Jesus cast out evil or unclean spirit from a man has been possessed. We would realize that this evil spirit had held this man captive but this was not realized by the people around. Beloved in the Lord, upon encountering Jesus, the evil spirit confessed at once that Jesus was the Holy one of God. Jesus shut him up and ordered it out of the man. Let us take note that this man was possessed by an evil spirit and yet the evil spirit was unnoticed. In the same manner we could have false prophets possessed with an evil spirit who may come to deceive the children of God as seen in Deuteronomy 18:15-20 . Such people use evil spirit to hypnotize people, perform fake miracles and teach things which are not in consonance with the Holy Scripture. These so-called prophets have sown the spirit of confusion among families and have mentally and spiritually enslaved their followers. Beloved in the Lord there are still people in our churches who have fallen victims to these charlatans.

People who are desperate for solutions to life’s challenges but lack perseverance and faith in God fall prey to these scavengers who themselves are slaves to these evils spirits or demons. They have lead people to establish a covenant with these evil spirits through shameful and inhuman rituals and sacrifices. Some men and women who want quick money have eventually become slaves to evil spirits. It saddens when I see women who are desperate for husband and fruits of the womb have their problems complicated by falling victims to the power of darkness. I understand others purposely go to see spiritualists to intensify the love and affection of their husbands for them while the men go to see these spiritualists to force ladies to succumb to their demands for sex. The truth is that these people are blind, possessed, and have fallen and therefore need to be liberated by the power of Jesus Christ. Demon or evil spirits attacks could be in the form of physical illness, mental impairment, the spread of false doctrine as I mentioned earlier on, spiritual warfare, and possession.

JESUS has POWER Over Demons…

Ephesians 6: 10-12 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 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.” It means that without Jesus we have no power over these spirits of darkness. Beloved in the Lord, we cannot fight evil spirits with our physical power or strength. Our faith in Jesus shall empower us to overcome any evil spirit on our path. Ephesians 6:16 says that “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” Mark 9:23 says “Everything is possible for him who believes”
When the disciples were unable to cast out a demon that caused epilepsy in a young boy. Matthew 17:19-20 says “Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive the demon out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Beloved in the Lord Faith must be accompanied with fasting and prayer. Jesus was able to overcome the temptation of Satan through the knowledge of God’s word, fasting and prayer. We must endeavor as believers to cultivate the act of Bible studies, fasting and continually through prayer ask for power to triumph over the powers of darkness.

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Paul admonishes us in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 that, although we those who are in Christ have power over pagan deities and are not affected by their food and drinks even when we partake in them, we should all the same desist from participating in their meals and rituals less we encourage our brothers and sister who have not gained Christian maturity and growth faith to fall or sin. Thus, 1 Corinthians 8:9-13 says
“Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, won’t he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.”

JESUS has POWER Over Demons…

We must be each other’s keeper and must constantly disciple those who have been liberated from the shackles of demons or evil spirits. We must engage in Bible studies, prayer meetings and activities that will help new convents who are still growing in the faith to develop a deeper relationship with God by trusting Jesus and depending on the power of the Holy Spirit at all times to overcome the forces of darkness and their temptations.

May the Lord empower us to overcome the power of demons and be good examples to others in their faith development. Amen.

Rev. Jean-Paul Agidi
District Minister EPCG, Mempeasem.(East Legon)