“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” – C.S. Lewis in The Screwtape Letters
1. What is a ?
The Greek word is daimonion.
An angel who rebelled against God, becoming a spirit being who is unclean and immoral in nature and activities.
Other Terms:
1) spirit.
Mark 1:23 (ESV) – And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit…
2) spirit.
Acts 19:13 (ESV) – Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists, undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus, whom Paul proclaims.”
3) .
John 6:70 (ESV) – Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”
4) angels.
Revelation 12:7 (ESV) – A war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels were fighting against the dragon and its angels.
2. What do demons ?
a. They seek to God and rob Him of His .
i. By fronting as other .
Deuteronomy 32:16-17 (ESV) – They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.
Psalms 106:35-37 (ESV) – but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons;
“It is fair to conclude that all the nations around Israel that practiced idol worship were engaging in the worship of demons.” – Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, pg. 417.
1 Corinthians 10:19-20 (ESV) – What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be a participant with demons.
But God says…
Exodus 20:3 (ESV) – You shall have no other gods before Me.
Isaiah 45:5a (ESV) – I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides Me there is no God;
John 14:6 (ESV) – Jesus said to them, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
ii. By teaching truth claims to try to blind people to the Gospel.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) – In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
1 Timothy 4:1 (ESV) – Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,
But God says…
Colossians 2:8 (ESV) – See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ESV) – For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
b. They seek to God’s work.
John 10:10a (ESV) – The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
1) God’s work of His .
Demonic oppression / Demonization characterized by…
1) Sacrifice of (Ps. 106:35-37)
2) Inflicting bodily on oneself (1 Kings 18:28; Deut. 14:1)
3) Cult as part of pagan worship (Deut. 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24; Hosea 4:14)
4) Immoral and practices.
Acts 8:7 (ESV) – For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
But God says…
John 3:16 (ESV) – For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
2) God’s work of His .
a) Through .
But God says…
1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV) – No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
b) Through and .
But God says…
Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV) – Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
3) God’s work of the .
a) Through perverting and .
b) Through attacking .
c) Through attacking our .
But God says…
Psalm 127:3a, 5a (ESV) – Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD… Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
3. How are demons ?
a. Only through and His .
Colossians 2:13-15 (ESV) – And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.
God is sovereign over Satan and the demons.
b. Through the of the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 2:13 (ESV) – For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
c. Through our of warfare.
i. The .
ii. .
iii. and .
Implications of a God:
1) God has a greater in spiritual warfare.
2) The focus would be on , in the midst of the attack.
3) The confidence for depends on God, not me and my .
4) The standard of evaluating success depends on whether or not God accomplished His through my life.
Implications of an God:
1) There would be no in spiritual warfare, only attacks.
2) The focus would have to be on Satan’s evil instead of God’s .
3) The confidence for would depend on me and my .
4) The standard of evaluating success would depend on whether we were able to Satan.