INTRODUCTION:

1. The Bible has much to say about Satan and demons. We are introduced to Satan back in Genesis 3:1, where he crawled into the Garden of Eden disguised as a serpent.
2. In II Corinthians 11:3, the apostle Paul wrote, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
3. This tells us that Satan is very subtle and that he corrupts peoples' minds. Even the minds of Christians.
4. In Revelation 12:9, Satan is referred to as "the great dragon" and "that old serpent, called the Devil." We are told that he "deceiveth the whole world."
5. First Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
6. Assisting Satan are an innumerable number of demons, fallen angels, who are capable of possessing the minds and bodies of men and animals (Luke 11:14, 24-26; cf. 8:26-39).
7. The subjects of demon possession and demon oppression are often misunderstood, especially by unsaved people.  Psychiatrists prescribe drugs for people with mental problems, but these mental problems are often the result of spiritual problems.
8. And these medications often mask the real problem.
9. And sadly, they often lead to a life of dependency upon these drugs as well as useless counseling that ignores the Bible, and contradicts the Bible.
10. I am not saying that all people with mental problems are demon-possessed, but many of them are.
11. I am not saying that all violent and irrational people are demon-possessed, but many of them are.
12. The subject of demon possession is important because one cannot read the Bible without noticing frequent references to Satan and demons (cf. Luke 11:14-20, 24-26).
13. Today, occult teachings and practices, the New Age Movement, and eastern mysticism are all very popular.  These teachings and practices are demonic.
14. Unfortunately many so-called "Christian" books and ministries are unscriptural and heretical -- deliverance ministries, "territorial demons," "generational curses," "transference of spirits," etc.
15. Let's make sure our doctrine lines up with Scripture!

1. THE REALITY OF SATAN AND DEMONS
2. THE DANGER OF SATAN AND DEMONS
3. DELIVERANCE FROM OF SATAN AND DEMONS

 

I. THE REALITY OF SATAN AND DEMONS

1. Satan is referred to as "Beelzebub the chief of the devils" (11:15, 18, 19). These devils help Satan build up his kingdom, which is a highly organized kingdom (11:18).
2. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
3. Daniel 10:20 tells us about two powerful demons, the prince of Persia, and the prince of Grecia.
4. Satan's kingdom is fiercely hostile to the kingdom of God.
5. Satan's kingdom is fiercely hostile to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to His church, and to the Word of God.
6. The Lord told the apostle Paul his ministry was, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins..." (Acts 26:18).
7. The word Satan means "Adversary" (cf. I Peter 5:8).
8. Satan is referred to 33 times in the Bible as "the devil," which means "slanderer."
9. Satan slanders God to man (Genesis 3), and he slanders man to God (Job 1 & 2).
10. Satan is also referred to as "the tempter" (I Thess. 3:5), and "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2).
11. Three times in the Gospel of John, our Lord referred to Satan as "the prince of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).
12. Demons are also referred to as "devils" (Luke 11:15, 18, 19, 20). The Greek word translated "devils" in these verses is daimonion, and from this word we get our English words "demon" and "demonic," etc.
13. The Bible is not clear but it appears that these demons are fallen angels who followed Satan. Our Lord said in Matthew 25:41, "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."
14. Revelation 12:7-9 refers to the dragon (Satan) "and his angels."
15. In Revelation 12:4, the tail of the dragon is said to draw a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. This refers to the fallen angels who followed Satan in rebellion against God.
16. Revelation 12:9 says, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
17. Demons are also referred to as "unclean spirits" (Luke 11:24) because they promote immorality and indecency. They are very "wicked" (11:26).

 

II. THE DANGER OF SATAN AND DEMONS

1. Satan and demons affect people morally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Not all moral problems, and mental problems, and spiritual problems, and physical problems are caused directly by Satan and demons, but many are (cf. Luke 9:37-43).
2. In Luke 11:14, we see that a demon had such control over this man that he was not able to speak. But once the Lord cast this demon out, the man began to speak "and the people wondered" (11:14b).
3. "The people wondered" (11:14), "But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils" (11:15).
4. We know from Matthew 12:24 and Mark 3:22 that these blasphemers were the religious leaders of Israel, the scribes and Pharisees.
5. Beelzebub, a pagan deity, was another name for Satan. Second Kings 1:2 says that Ahaziah, the king of Israel, told his messengers, "Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron (one of the principal cities of the Philistines) whether I shall recover of this disease."
6. Beelzebub was one of the names of the Philistine gods -- "the lord of the flies." The Jews changed the name to the “lord of dung.”
7. Therefore, to the Jews, Beelzebub became a name of bitter scorn, and was used by the Jews as an epithet for Satan.
8. So the scribes and Pharisees could not deny that our Lord had the power to cast out demons, but rather than acknowledge that Jesus was the Messiah, they said, "He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils" (11:15; cf. Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:22).
9. Satan blinds the minds of lost sinners. These proud and stubborn Pharisees were blinded by Satan.
10. Second Corinthians 4:3, 4 says, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
11. In Matthew 13, our Lord identified Satan as the "enemy" who sows tares among the wheat.
12. Revelation 12:9 says Satan "deceiveth the whole world."
13. The Bible teaches that Satan and his demons are behind false religion.
14. Jesus said to the religious leaders of Israel, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not" (John 8:44, 45).
15. First Timothy 4:1 says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."
16. Satan is very religious, and he disguises himself as "an angel of light."
17. Second Corinthians 11:13-15 says, "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
18. After the scribes and Pharisees made the terrible accusation that our Lord was in league with Satan, He said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth" (Luke 11:17).
19. Verse 17 says "He, knowing their thoughts, said unto them..." This Scripture affirms the deity of Christ because only God knows the thoughts of men.
20. Our Lord declared that Satan's kingdom is not divided (Luke 11:17, 18).
21. Then our Lord reminded them that their own children cast out devils (11:19). By whose power were they working? Our Lord cast out devils "with the finger of God" (11:20), but apparently the Jewish exorcists did not.
22. It should be noted that our Lord neither approved nor criticized these Jewish exorcists. This is a mysterious subject and we should be careful not to go beyond what the Bible teaches.
23. There were many people casting out demons in Bible times (cf. Luke 9:49, 50).
24. Some of these exorcists were right with God, but some were not (cf. Acts 19:13-20).

 

III. DELIVERANCE FROM OF SATAN AND DEMONS

1. In Luke 11:21, our Lord referred to Satan as "a strong man." Satan is very strong and very powerful, but the Lord is much stronger and much more powerful (11:22).
2. Our Lord described the Devil as fully armed and guarding his goods (which would include lost souls), but Jesus himself was "stronger than he," and was taking away Satan's armor and delivering his captives.
3. In this great spiritual conflict there can be no neutrality. One must be either be on the side of the Devil or on the side of Christ (11:23).
4. Our Lord then rebuked His adversaries with the lesson of the unclean spirit (11:24-26).
5. The Scofield Study Bible refers to this as a lesson on the "worthlessness of self-reformation."
6. The unclean spirit leaves a man -- notice the demon considers the man's body his "house" (11:24) -- but restlessness makes him return.
7. Spurgeon said, "No king could ever walk in his palace and say, 'All this is mine' with such pride as Satan when he walks through the heart of man! He can boastingly cry, 'This man will fall down and worship me! He will sacrifice his comfort, his very life to me! He will drain my cups and not refuse the poison in the dregs! He will go upon my service and not ask me whether death is to be the everlasting wages!'
8. "All the powers of the man, Satan claims—'I will have his mouth—he shall swear for me! I will have his eyes—they shall wander after vanity! I will have his feet—they shall take him to the place of sinful amusement! I will have his hands—he shall work for me and be my slave!'" -- CH. Spurgeon, "The Strong One Driven Out By A Stronger One."
9. The unclean spirit returns and finds his "house" swept and garnished, signifying reformation but not regeneration, and then this foul spirit goes and takes to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; "and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first" (11:26).
10. When a man gets rid of an evil spirit, but fails to replace this evil spirit with the Holy Spirit, he is in grave danger. They say nature abhors a vacuum, and this is also true in the spiritual realm.
11. Muslims are taking over Europe, but this is happening because the Europeans rejected Biblical Christianity a long time ago.
12. At one time there were strong Christian churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 1--3). But there were signs of backsliding, and so our Lord warned them, "I will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:5).
13. But they did not repent and so our Lord removed the candlestick. The Gospel light went out and now there are no more churches there. Today that part of the world is called Turkey and it is completely dominated by Islam.
14. Notice this evil spirit was not cast out (11:24; cf. 11:14). This evil spirit went out on his own free will. There was no conflict, and he knew he could return whenever he wanted. He said, "I will return unto my house whence I came out" (11:24b).
15. Charles R. Erdman said, "The demon of unbelief had once possessed the Jews, and had been manifested in the form of idolatry; it had been cast out, but it had returned with more terrible manifestations of hypocrisy, covetousness, hatred, fanaticism, and pride. Such had been the fate of the nation; and such is the experience of an individual who turns from sin and rebels against Satan but fails to accept the Lordship of Christ. The empty heart is in peril. Reformation is not regeneration. One must beware of the demon of unbelief" (The Gospel of Luke).
16. Reformation is not regeneration. Many people are satisfied and content to attend church once in a while but they do not take the Bible seriously. Jesus said, "Ye must be born again" (John 3:3-8).
17. Spurgeon said, "Morality will keep you out of jail, but it takes the blood of Christ to keep you out of hell!"
18. At this point a "certain woman of the company" interrupted with an expression of praise for the mother of Jesus (11:27).
19. In reply, our Lord said the woman had missed the real point. His mother was "blessed" (because God had chosen her to be the mother of Jesus), "Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it" (11:28).
20. It is far better "to possess that spiritual kinship which is indicated by faith and by obedience to God" (Erdman).
21. Spurgeon said our Lord "taught that the nearest fleshly relationship to Himself was as nothing compared with spiritual union to Him" ("Believers as Blessed as the Blessed Virgin"). Cf. Matthew 12:43-50.
22. It is interesting that this warning about Mary-worship ("Mariolatry") is found in the context of demonic deception. Worship is due only to the Lord, and if rendered to anyone else it is idolatrous.

 

CONCLUSION:

1. In Luke 11:28, our Lord said, "Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."
2. Thank God for the Word of God!
3. May we continue to read it, hear it, keep it and obey it.
4. May we continue to memorize it.
5. And may we continue to share it with others!