Gleans from Monday Bible Study with Pastor (Dr) W.F Kumuyi.
DLBC Gbagada HQ
22nd July 2019
Study 20 – CHRIST’S POWER AND AUTHORITY OVER ALL DEMONS
Text – Mark 5:1-20; 4:35; Matthew 4:35; Numbers 23:19-20; Psalms 119:89; 89:34; Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 18:18; Mark 11:14,20-24
“And they came over unto the other side of the sea…”(Mark 5:1). Let me bring you back to the earlier chapter, “And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side” (Mark 4:35). The Lord had declared, Let us pass over unto the other side, and whatever He declared is a decree, even today, because He is the same yesterday, today and forever. And whatever Jesus declares in your life becomes a decree. In-between the declaration and the destination, there was a storm, but it could not stop the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ. In your life, family and church, between the declaration and destination no storm can cancel or annul the declaration of the Lord in Jesus Name. Satan could raise up any storm, crisis, problem, but that cannot annul, destroy or cancel the declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ’s spoken, written, revealed and word of decree will be fulfilled. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35). His promise will be fulfilled in your life whatever the storm, crisis, challenge, difficult or problem that the devil will bring. Balaam, false prophets, false dream, storm, spiritual problem, cannot reverse the word of God, it will be fulfilled in my life and family (Numbers 23:19). Once the word is spoken, declared and decreed, it is settled. Christ opened His mouth and said, let us go over to the other side, and He went to sleep. You can go to sleep once that word has been declared, it will be fulfilled, whatever you see or hear. He is our Creator, Lord, Saviour, and the One leading the Way; He has given the word of salvation, sanctification, Holy Ghost Baptism, healing, and all have been fulfilled. He tells us pointedly, purposefully and unwaveringly, “but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8b). Christ talking to His own disciples said, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18) Satan, the storm, evil spirit, evil power cannot change what Heaven has heard. The next chapter of your life will be a fulfilment of what you are hearing today in Jesus’ name. Beyond His disciples Heaven heard Christ’s declaration, and it is final. In your life, the word of God declared is final in Jesus’ Name. “….. Have faith in God.” (Mark 11:22) I will have whatsoever I say (Mark 11:14,20-24). The storm that came after the Lord had declared the word could not annul nor cancel what the Lord had said, so they came over to the other side.
What happened in Mark Chapter 5? (i) A demonic problem was waiting; (ii) A disease to be cured; and (iii) A death to be cancelled. So, because of that threefold problem to be solved, the storm came. In your life, the storm is over. As Jesus came to the other side, there was going to be a demonstration of power against demons, disease and death.
3 points:
Point 1. THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST OVER ALL DEMONS
Mark 5:1-13
“And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:” “For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.” (Mark 5:1-2,8) Christ has authority and power, and that power remains today, that when He commanded all those demons in their thousands went and choked in the sea; they perished. Some lessons here:
(i) The Activity and Characteristics of Demons – Mark 5:2-7; 9:17-23; Luke 8:29
What do they do in peoples’ lives? The devil drove this man into a place of darkness, the tomb, the place of departed souls. Also, he was separated and made incompatible with society. There are people like that, that they cannot live at peace in the community of people. Also, he had an extra human power, broke chains with which he was bound “neither could any man tame him” because another power was working in his life. He was jobless, crying and cutting himself, feeling the pain and still hurting himself. “But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 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” (Mark 5:6-7). Have you seen people with split personality? On one hand, they are running to Jesus to worship Him, and on the other hand, they are rejecting Jesus. There are people who run to the Bible Study, and once they come in, they reject the study of the word of God. They have split personality because another spirit is possessing them. Whatever personality distracting any one, it will come out in Jesus Name. “And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away” (Mark 9:18). This demon here is different from the earlier one in our passage. Demons have varied characteristics and manifestations in the lives of men. When you find people destroying, harming themselves, it is not them, but the evil spirits that are tormenting them. Tonight all things are possible to him that believes in Jesus Name. You are running when nobody is chasing you; it is an evil personality that is pursuing you, but tonight Jesus will solve that problem.
(ii) The Authority of Christ over Demons – Mark 5:8-15; 9:22-28. He has authority that remains the same today. And if you have any challenge, the Lord Jesus has authority over every challenge. “For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.” There were thousands of them, and those demons have diverse characteristics. “And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.” (This was the chief controlling demon speaking.) “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.” (Mark 5:10,13) Jesus has power and His words come with authority and power. “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. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him; …” (Mark 9:25-26) Jesus can do anything and will.
(iii) Our Ability to Cast out Demons – Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-20. The Lord has given us the authority, ability and power to cast out demons. “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:17-18). For every believing brother/sister, the ability to cast out demons will happen through you.
Point 2. THE ANTAGONISM AGAINST CHRIST AFTER THE DELIVERANCE
Mark 5:12-17
He delivered the man, and the swine perished inside the sea. Those who had witnessed the deliverance of the demoniac and the drowning of the swine, ran back to the city with the news. Why did Christ allow 2000 pigs to perish? The children of Israel were forbidden to eat swine or pig, so they were not supposed to raise swine and sell to the people, for this is contrary to God’s commandment to them. That was why the Lord permitted the loss to the. The soul of the man was worth more than all the swine of the illegitimate owners. But the people did not understand nor value the soul of the man, and asked Jesus to leave their community.
Three lessons here:
(i) A Clear Liberation from Evil Spirit – Mark 5:15; Ephesians 4:20-25; 1 Peter 1:13-16; Romans 12:1-2. The man was liberated and delivered and his mind was very clear, “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 5:15). When God touches your life like, and He will tonight, it will be very clear. Also, when you are truly converted, there will be clear evidence of liberation everywhere you go. That man was renewed and became restful and peaceful, it was a clear evidence of liberation. The evidence of a clear liberation from sin is that the former things are passed away and a new life is now visible in your character. “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance” (1 Peter 1:14). There will be clear evidence that you have met Jesus, and He has touched and transformed your life (Romans 12:1-2).
(ii) A Consuming Love for their swine – Mark 5:16-17; Leviticus 11:7,8; Luke 15:15-24; 2 Peter 2:20-22. These were Jewish people that should have nothing to do with swine, but they loved their forbidden swine more that the Saviour, salvation and souls. “And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you” (Leviticus 11:7). They raised up a work producing what the Almighty God had forbidden, and loved their swine more and drove Jesus away. “And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine” (Luke 15:15). Here, the prodigal son had gone to a far country, squandered his inheritance, and being in want was sent to a field to feed swine, something forbidden. When people backslide, and don’t want to stay in the truth, and in a Bible believing Church like ours anymore, eventually they come into spiritual poverty, and go down to feed swine, and do that which is forbidden by the Almighty God. While feeding and raising swine they are dead (Luke 15:24). “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. (2 Peter 2:20)
(iii) The Costly Loss of their Souls – Mark 5:17; 8:36; Philippians 3:18-19; Job 21:11-15; 22:15-17; Luke 13:27-28; Matthew 25:41. They drove the Saviour away because of their love for the swine. “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). If you could gain all the pigs and swine in the world and lose your own soul, what shall it profit you? There are people who love material things more than their salvation and souls, and they perished; but I pray you will not perish. There are people who are not conscious that they have a soul to save, a heaven to get to and a hell to escape (Philippians 3:18-19). “They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave. Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways” (Job 21:13-14). In the days of their swine, earthly business, wealth and worldly riches, they asked God to depart from them. They only think of material things and they perished without a chance to be saved. These are the people that will tell God to depart from them, and eventually, they will hear God say, depart from me because you love earthly riches more than your soul, salvation and heaven. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). I pray that will not be your portion; you will not spend eternity with the evil spirit. You will not drive away your Saviour whatever the circumstances but welcome Him as your Lord. You will not allow material things to hinder you from getting to the Kingdom of God; you will be wise in Jesus Name.
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