Mark 1:21–28
21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. 22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes. 23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. 26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. 28 And immediately his fame spread abroad throughout all the region round about Galilee.
Mark 5:1–15
1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. 10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. 11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. 12 And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. 13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea. 14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done. 15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Mark 9:14–29
14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. 15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. 16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? 17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; 18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. 19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. 20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. 28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
The first thing I want you to notice is the Fight - There was an encounter here between Jesus and an unclean spirit.
Satan had the upper hand in this family's life.
Satan had the upper hand in Noah’s day also and it was described as a violent day.
Genesis 6:11
11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
A LinkedIn poster stated the following:
“Over the last several years, I have lost faith in our political system and officials, our justice system, our economy, our national security, educators, the medical profession and faith leaders. The only being who hasn’t failed me yet is God. There are days where it feels absolutely hopeless. If it wasn’t for my faith in Him, I would have given up on us a long time ago. But if he is going to continue to love us and give us chances, I must demonstrate that same love no matter how bad things are. Don’t stop being a light in this dark world. If you are a child of God, please keep shining.”
I say to you, “Noah! Don’t stop shining the light. Don’t stop building the ark!”
Look at the violence of this situation Jesus faced over and over again.
Mark 1:26
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him (threw him into a screaming, convulsing fit), and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
Mark 9:26
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore (shook him greatly and uncontrollably), and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
Luke 9:39
39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
“Teareth him” - to shake uncontrollably
“bruising him” - To utterly defeat as though one’s opponent was crushed into small pieces.
Luke 9:42
42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
“Tare him” - A great agitated convulsion.
Notice not just the Fight, but also the Force - We see here spiritual power. Did you know that evil never surrenders without a fight? Spiritual victory is obtained on the battlefield, but we must have spiritual power to win!
Do you remember when Christian faced Apollyon in Pilgrim's Progress?
"Then Apollyon broke out into a grievous rage, saying, I am an enemy to this Prince (Jesus); I hate his person, his laws, and people: I am come out on purpose to withstand thee. Then Apollyon straddled quite over the whole breadth of the way, and said, I am void of fear in this matter. Prepare thyself to die; for I swear by my infernal den, that thou shalt go no farther: here will I spill thy soul. And with that he threw a flaming dart at his breast
John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to Come (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995).
Christians can win the battle! But we must stay close to King Jesus and His Word!
Jacob had power with God and man. This power came after wrestling with a heaven-sent being all night!
Genesis 32:26–28
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Spiritual power and preparation (to acquire victory) are acquired in secret communion with heaven. Before Jesus fought with and conquered the evil spirit he had been communing with heaven.
Mark 9:2-8
2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them. 3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them. 4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus. 5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid. 7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. 8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.
Jesus came off that mountaintop experience with power to face the enemy
Spiritual power also comes through spiritual discipline
Mark 9:28–29
28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? 29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
In addition, spiritual power comes through unwavering faith -
Mark 9:23 (Compare Matthew 17:20 and Luke 9:41)
23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
Are you prepared to stand for Christ in these difficult days? Are you prepared to face the challenges? Some people are playing religion. There is no discipline. No faith. There is no battle armor. There is no training and preparation. It is all a game…a show…a religion of their own making..they have a comfortable faith that allows them to avoid duty and discipline..and their defeat will come quickly enough...
Acts 14:22
22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Are you a soldier for Christ? Have you enlisted in His army? Are you taking your marching orders from him? Are you training for and fighting his battles at his command?
Evil can be defeated!
Don’t be AWOL during these crucial days! The Lord needs you to stand for Him, for truth, and right.
“Faith of our Fathers! living still,In spite of dungeon, fire and sword:O how our hearts beat high with joy Whene’er we hear that glorious word.Faith of our Fathers! Holy Faith!We will be true to Thee till death!
“Our fathers, chained in prisons dark,Were still in heart and conscience free;How sweet would be their children’s fate,If they, like them, could die for Thee!”