The demons are no match for the power of Christ
The picture we see here is the synagogue, where the
possessed man personally experienced the power of God in his
life. While visiting the same synagogue in Capernaum four years
ago, I sat there, identifying myself with the man, just to
experience the power of Jesus in my life one day.
We have something in common with the demon possessed man in this story. [Mk 1: 21-28] We all need God's help. We all have areas in our lives where we desperately need deliverance. We all have issues which require the direct intervention of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ has the authority to handle these things. Jesus and His disciples enter a fishing village on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee called Capernaum. He goes into the synagogue. He teaches the good news. The people say, "Wow! This preacher is awesome! He doesn't read His sermon out of book. He doesn't talk over our heads. He doesn't waste our time by giving us the opinions of every rabbi in history. This man teaches with authority! This man brings the word of God with power.
This reminds me of the scene in John 7 when the Jewish teachers sent temple guards to arrest Jesus during the Feast of Tabernacles. And on the last day of the Feast, Jesus gives a powerful message. He says "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him!" And then, the guards report back to the Jewish leaders - without Jesus. And the leaders say, "What's the matter with you guys? Why didn't you arrest Him?" And the guards said, "No one ever spoke the way this man does. No one ever taught the word of God the way this man does! His ministry touches you right where you live!"
Being amazed by the word of God is not necessarily the same thing as accepting the word of God. It's not enough to be amazed by Christ. It's not enough to respect Christ from afar. We need to put down our nets and follow Him. We need to pattern our lives after Him. We must make our relationship with Him the most important priority.
Verse 23 says "Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are-the Holy One of God!" If I were Jesus, I would have appreciated the free advertising. I could have said, "Thank you very much! You're right! I AM the Holy One of God!" But Jesus does not want to fuel any speculation that He is in league with the devil. Since He is the Holy One of God, He doesn't need help from the demon world. And so in verse 25, he says "Be quiet! Come out of him!" And the evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. Mark wants us to know that when Jesus speaks, things happen.
Jesus Christ has authority over everything that happens in our lives. And when we are oppressed by the demons of this world, we need to say, "Jesus, speak a word of authority into my life! Deliver me from this thorn in my flesh! Rescue me from this unclean spirit!" Our deliverance might come immediately or our deliverance might come over time. But we will experience the power of Christ working in our life.
Even though this man was filled with demons, they are no match for the power of Jesus Christ.
May be your demon is bitterness. Someone in our life has hurt us so much, we just can't forgive them. Whenever they come to mind, our blood starts to boil. And our heart starts to pound. But the good news is that this demon is no match for the power of Jesus Christ. I'm not saying that we're never going to meet people who will test the end of our patience. But Christ can give you the power to love and forgive people that we've never been able to forgive before.
May be our demon is lust. We want to live a holy life with all of our heart. We want to please God with all our soul. But our mind continues to think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Pretty soon, the demon becomes so strong that we feel compelled to spend hours surfing inappropriate sites on the internet. We've got lust on our computer hard drive. And we've got lust in our heart. It's devastating our spiritual life. It's making us feel like we're a million miles from God. But the good news is that this demon is no match for the power of Jesus Christ. I'm not saying we won't have difficult days. I'm not saying we're never going to be tempted ever again. I'm not saying we won't fail once in a while. But Jesus Christ has the power to give us victory in an area of our life where we've never experienced victory before.
May be our demon is alcohol. The desire for drink is so strong it consumes us. Relationships, work, family, friends - nothing is as important as alcohol. Soon the demon becomes so strong that the only way we're going to survive is if the demon gets banished from your life. But the good news is that this demon is no match for the power of Jesus Christ.
The sad thing about this story is the demons seem to have a better understanding of who Jesus is than the people do. The demons say, "I know who you are - You are the Holy One of God!" But the people say "Who is this guy? What is this new teaching? What's going on, here?" Most of us would look at the possessed man and say, "I don't want this guy coming to my church! He's messed up! He's a disruption to the worship service!" But Jesus cares about every person in the parish. He even cares about the people the rest of us are ready to write off. And the man's life became a testimony of how our demons are no match for the power of Jesus Christ.
So how can we respond to the authority of Christ at work in our lives? By making a personal decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ. We are not saved by being amazed. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. Jesus is not a Savior to be marveled at from a distance. He is a Savior to be followed every day of our lives. If we're tired of battling the demons of our day, then call upon the name of the Lord, and we will be saved."
"Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." [Jn 8:12]
One Solitary Life
All the armies that ever marched,
All the navies that ever sailed,
All the parliaments that ever sat,
All the kings that ever reigned,
put together,
have not affected
the life of people on this earth
as powerfully as
that One Solitary Life"
