WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.440 Hey, everyone, we've been talking about Satan, demons, and the fourth dimension, and today 2 00:00:04.440 --> 00:00:06.680 I want to talk about demon possession. 3 00:00:06.680 --> 00:00:13.040 It's often the discussion point that even draws people into watching or listening to 4 00:00:13.040 --> 00:00:17.680 a message related to what we classically call spiritual warfare. 5 00:00:17.680 --> 00:00:22.480 But this idea of demon possession is kind of controversial, actually, in the body of 6 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:23.480 Christ. 7 00:00:23.480 --> 00:00:27.760 You may not know that, but it is, in that there's a section of the evangelical body 8 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:30.640 of Christ that doesn't even want to talk about it. 9 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:33.520 There's another section of the evangelical body of Christ that would say Christians can't 10 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:35.000 be possessed. 11 00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:44.640 There's another part that is obsessed by it. 12 00:00:44.640 --> 00:00:50.520 And as I've talked about in the past, there's one viewpoint that's like there's a demon 13 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:54.720 behind every bush, and every problem's demonic, and there's another version that there's a 14 00:00:54.720 --> 00:00:56.520 demon behind no bushes. 15 00:00:56.520 --> 00:01:00.680 There's no bushes that have demons, and so he gets completely neglected. 16 00:01:00.680 --> 00:01:06.800 So what I'm coming from is a perspective that's very pragmatic, and I think it's very theological. 17 00:01:06.800 --> 00:01:12.600 So all of our messages we've had up to this point, I hope you haven't skipped them, but 18 00:01:12.600 --> 00:01:17.480 if you have, they're all based in scripture and theology. 19 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:22.220 So I'm always going back to the word, and the reason is is because that's my story. 20 00:01:22.220 --> 00:01:28.540 So my story is one of coming up as a new believer at college, never hearing about demon 21 00:01:28.540 --> 00:01:34.180 possession, never hearing about the demonic, except maybe a verse or two that came up. 22 00:01:34.180 --> 00:01:36.300 But then I go to the mission field. 23 00:01:36.300 --> 00:01:41.460 So here I am on the mission field, I'm in Japan, and I'm seeing all kinds of weird stuff. 24 00:01:41.460 --> 00:01:46.180 Weird stuff that comes from Shintoism, weird stuff that comes from Buddhism, weird stuff 25 00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:51.180 that comes from a land, and in this case it was Japan, where Christianity really hasn't 26 00:01:51.180 --> 00:01:52.980 made much of a mark. 27 00:01:52.980 --> 00:01:57.300 And so, you know, you would go, you could go in a Shinto temple, I mean Shinto shrine 28 00:01:57.300 --> 00:02:01.780 or a Buddhist temple, and you're going to see these like gargoyles, you're going to 29 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:05.100 see these lions that are mounted. 30 00:02:05.100 --> 00:02:06.100 What's that? 31 00:02:06.100 --> 00:02:08.539 Is it just an idol, or is there something there? 32 00:02:08.539 --> 00:02:13.620 And as I began to look at scripture, especially 1st and 2nd Corinthians, I came across passages 33 00:02:13.620 --> 00:02:17.900 that talked about demons behind idols. 34 00:02:17.900 --> 00:02:22.980 And then I began to read stuff, I began to read authors who had a lot of experience in 35 00:02:22.980 --> 00:02:25.980 this stuff, and it just sort of opened my eyes. 36 00:02:25.980 --> 00:02:32.740 And as a result, I started looking with a different lens at different issues that are 37 00:02:32.740 --> 00:02:34.660 affecting our ministry. 38 00:02:34.660 --> 00:02:39.300 So as I began to pray differently, as I began to think differently, and even as I began 39 00:02:39.300 --> 00:02:45.140 to teach differently, it kind of got me in trouble on a number of fronts with those that 40 00:02:45.140 --> 00:02:50.180 were not familiar with that, but it actually drove me deeper into the topic. 41 00:02:50.180 --> 00:02:58.340 And then, as I shared in an earlier episode, I suddenly was faced with a young man that 42 00:02:58.340 --> 00:03:04.020 some might classically call demon-possessed, and I had to cast out his demons, and it took 43 00:03:04.020 --> 00:03:09.540 three hours to cast out three demons, but the guy was radically healed, radically set 44 00:03:09.540 --> 00:03:11.620 free, he was healed of epilepsy. 45 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:17.540 He was, but he was a believer, okay, he was a Christian, he was a Jesus follower. 46 00:03:17.540 --> 00:03:23.020 So the question I want to begin with here is, can Christians be demon-possessed? 47 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:29.740 And I'll tell you what the answer is, yes and no. 48 00:03:29.740 --> 00:03:34.980 So let's look at what the word possession actually means, where it comes from. 49 00:03:34.980 --> 00:03:36.580 What is demon possession? 50 00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:42.820 Fifteen times, fifteen times in the New Testament we come across demon possession. 51 00:03:42.820 --> 00:03:47.140 Matthew 4.24 is just one of fifteen. 52 00:03:47.140 --> 00:03:53.780 In verse 24 we read, Then his fame, meaning Jesus' fame, went throughout all of Syria, 53 00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:59.260 and they brought him all the sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, 54 00:03:59.260 --> 00:04:06.620 and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, paralytics, and he healed all of them. 55 00:04:06.620 --> 00:04:10.420 And that's the New King James Version. 56 00:04:10.420 --> 00:04:16.779 Possession in the Old King James Version and, as you just read, in the New King James Version 57 00:04:16.779 --> 00:04:21.060 is the Greek word, daimonosomai. 58 00:04:21.060 --> 00:04:28.460 Daimonosomai is where the translators in the 1700s, the 1600s, the 17th century, as 59 00:04:28.460 --> 00:04:33.860 they were translating the Scriptures, they came to this word, daimonosomai, and they 60 00:04:33.860 --> 00:04:36.220 chose possession. 61 00:04:36.220 --> 00:04:37.220 That's interesting. 62 00:04:37.220 --> 00:04:41.540 The reason that's interesting is because the meaning of possession has changed through 63 00:04:41.540 --> 00:04:42.860 the centuries. 64 00:04:42.860 --> 00:04:45.020 So I possess a car. 65 00:04:45.020 --> 00:04:49.020 If you're working with an insurance company, if you're working with a car that's been in 66 00:04:49.020 --> 00:04:52.020 a bad crash, they talk about possessing the car. 67 00:04:52.020 --> 00:04:57.940 Well, the idea behind possession to us today in the 21st century is ownership. 68 00:04:57.940 --> 00:05:00.020 You own the car. 69 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.300 But if we go by that meaning today, 70 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:06.360 that it's complete ownership. 71 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:09.440 So I have a 4Runner, I own that car. 72 00:05:09.440 --> 00:05:11.720 I literally have paid it off, so it is mine. 73 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:14.880 It's not the bank's, it's not anybody else's, 74 00:05:14.880 --> 00:05:16.480 it is mine, I own it. 75 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:21.440 So according to possession, as we use it today, 76 00:05:21.440 --> 00:05:23.920 the question is, can a Christian be demon possessed? 77 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:25.600 And I say, no. 78 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.240 A Christian cannot be completely owned 79 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:33.360 by a demon or a set of demons or a host of demons. 80 00:05:35.560 --> 00:05:38.580 But this is where the mistranslation comes, in my opinion, 81 00:05:38.580 --> 00:05:41.640 is that what I think Jesus is speaking of 82 00:05:41.640 --> 00:05:43.520 is demon influence. 83 00:05:43.520 --> 00:05:45.280 That would be the operable word. 84 00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:49.840 And daemonosomai can be translated influence by. 85 00:05:49.840 --> 00:05:53.740 So if we talk about being influenced by the demonic, 86 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:57.220 can a Christian be demon influence? 87 00:05:57.220 --> 00:06:00.680 The answer is unequivocally, yes, they can be. 88 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:04.380 We know this also scripturally, 89 00:06:04.380 --> 00:06:06.460 because almost in every, not every, 90 00:06:06.460 --> 00:06:08.520 but almost every epistle, 91 00:06:08.520 --> 00:06:10.980 that would be the letters of the New Testament, 92 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:14.280 there's something about Satan and demons. 93 00:06:14.280 --> 00:06:17.120 There's something to be said by the writer, 94 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:21.220 whether it's James or Peter or John or Paul, 95 00:06:21.220 --> 00:06:22.140 writing their epistles, 96 00:06:22.140 --> 00:06:26.340 they're talking about this thing we call spiritual warfare. 97 00:06:26.340 --> 00:06:28.560 Now why, since you're writing to believers, 98 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:29.880 you're writing to churches, 99 00:06:29.880 --> 00:06:32.520 why would you be including that in your letter 100 00:06:32.520 --> 00:06:34.820 if it can't even happen to a believer? 101 00:06:34.820 --> 00:06:38.060 So for me, in my understanding of scripture, 102 00:06:38.060 --> 00:06:40.060 my understanding from experience, 103 00:06:40.060 --> 00:06:41.380 is the answer is yes and no. 104 00:06:41.380 --> 00:06:44.360 If it's the old version of a possession, no. 105 00:06:44.360 --> 00:06:46.420 If it's what I consider more of a modern, 106 00:06:46.420 --> 00:06:49.460 translated understanding of daemonosomai 107 00:06:49.460 --> 00:06:51.940 being influenced by, the answer is yes. 108 00:06:51.940 --> 00:06:54.220 Let's take James 4.7, for example. 109 00:06:54.220 --> 00:06:58.700 Therefore submit to God, resist the devil, 110 00:06:58.700 --> 00:06:59.960 and he will flee from you. 111 00:06:59.960 --> 00:07:02.440 Now why in the world would James say that 112 00:07:02.440 --> 00:07:04.940 if there's no need to resist the devil, 113 00:07:04.940 --> 00:07:06.780 because I've got the Holy Spirit within, 114 00:07:06.780 --> 00:07:08.540 I'm walking with Jesus, 115 00:07:08.540 --> 00:07:10.380 I may not even be a very good Christian, 116 00:07:10.380 --> 00:07:12.060 but the devil can't touch me. 117 00:07:12.060 --> 00:07:13.340 You know, greater is he that is in me 118 00:07:13.340 --> 00:07:14.200 than he is in the world. 119 00:07:14.200 --> 00:07:17.800 Okay, there's all kinds of ways to parse it 120 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:19.120 from another perspective, 121 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:22.260 which would give the idea that, you know, 122 00:07:22.260 --> 00:07:23.840 we don't have to worry about this stuff. 123 00:07:23.840 --> 00:07:25.680 Well, the reality is we do. 124 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:29.200 And James is saying, if you don't submit to God, 125 00:07:29.200 --> 00:07:30.940 and if you don't resist the devil, 126 00:07:30.940 --> 00:07:32.440 he will not flee from you. 127 00:07:32.440 --> 00:07:34.000 That's also what he's saying. 128 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:37.440 So we can be influenced by the enemy. 129 00:07:37.440 --> 00:07:39.940 One of the classic and most important passages, 130 00:07:39.940 --> 00:07:42.100 I think, is Ephesians 6, 10 through 18. 131 00:07:42.100 --> 00:07:43.560 Paul is writing to the Ephesians. 132 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:46.360 He says, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord. 133 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:50.440 And in the power of his might, put on, 134 00:07:50.440 --> 00:07:52.080 again, why do you need to put on? 135 00:07:52.080 --> 00:07:54.420 Put on the whole armor of God, 136 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:56.000 that you may be able to stand against 137 00:07:56.000 --> 00:07:58.280 the wiles of the devil. 138 00:07:58.280 --> 00:08:00.560 Okay, again, play the devil's advocate. 139 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:04.160 Let's say that, finally, my brethren, 140 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:06.600 if you're weak in the Lord, 141 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:09.240 and you're not walking in the power of his might, 142 00:08:09.240 --> 00:08:11.600 and you're not put on the armor of God, 143 00:08:11.600 --> 00:08:15.200 then obviously, the rhetorical response would be, 144 00:08:15.240 --> 00:08:19.840 then you are standing with the strategies 145 00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:21.040 and wiles of the devil. 146 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:21.880 Does that make sense? 147 00:08:21.880 --> 00:08:22.800 It should. 148 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.680 Verse 12, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 149 00:08:27.680 --> 00:08:31.420 but against principalities, against powers, 150 00:08:31.420 --> 00:08:34.600 against the rulers of darkness of this age, 151 00:08:34.600 --> 00:08:37.140 against spiritual hosts of wickedness in every place. 152 00:08:37.140 --> 00:08:39.720 I don't think it could be any more clear 153 00:08:39.720 --> 00:08:43.240 that we are in a pitched battle 154 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:46.480 against principalities and powers, which are demons. 155 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:48.240 So when we're talking about the fourth dimension, 156 00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:50.760 I said this earlier in another episode, 157 00:08:50.760 --> 00:08:53.840 there's levels, and I'm gonna cover that later on, 158 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:56.080 not in this broadcast, but in the next one, 159 00:08:56.080 --> 00:08:58.440 there's levels of demons. 160 00:08:58.440 --> 00:09:00.560 I can tell you unequivocally that I've been 161 00:09:00.560 --> 00:09:05.560 in demonic battles with people 162 00:09:06.060 --> 00:09:09.560 who are carrying demonic influences over their life. 163 00:09:09.560 --> 00:09:11.860 I could not get the demon out. 164 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.560 With the knowledge that I had and the anointing that I had, 165 00:09:16.560 --> 00:09:20.520 I was not at a level in my growth and understanding 166 00:09:20.520 --> 00:09:21.760 where I could cast that demon out. 167 00:09:21.760 --> 00:09:25.160 Now, you say, well, I mean, greater is he that is in you 168 00:09:25.160 --> 00:09:26.080 than he is in the world. 169 00:09:26.080 --> 00:09:27.600 Yes, that's true. 170 00:09:27.600 --> 00:09:32.600 But I didn't know yet how to proactively 171 00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:38.280 and intentionally work with the Holy Spirit 172 00:09:38.280 --> 00:09:43.000 that is greater in me than that demon that was in him 173 00:09:43.760 --> 00:09:44.600 and that was in me. 174 00:09:44.600 --> 00:09:45.440 So there's a learning process. 175 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:47.160 There's a process in everything that we do. 176 00:09:47.160 --> 00:09:51.200 It doesn't mean that God's less powerful 177 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:55.160 than a, say, a medical doctor 178 00:09:55.160 --> 00:09:56.840 who's telling you something you shouldn't do 179 00:09:56.840 --> 00:09:58.720 and something in you, but you don't know the argument. 180 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:00.240 You don't know how to handle. 181 00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:02.400 you're not mature enough yet. So, there's this growth 182 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:05.240 process that's involved in that. But there are high level 183 00:10:05.280 --> 00:10:09.980 demons, and there's low level demons. And so, he says here 184 00:10:10.020 --> 00:10:15.280 that that's the battle of the Christian life is with 185 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:17.220 principalities and powers in the Heavenly Realm. He 186 00:10:17.260 --> 00:10:21.720 continues, therefore take up the whole armor of God that 187 00:10:21.760 --> 00:10:25.100 you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having 188 00:10:25.100 --> 00:10:30.100 done so, also to stand, verse 14, stand therefore, having 189 00:10:30.140 --> 00:10:33.940 girded your waist with truth, having put on the breast 190 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:37.180 plate of righteousness, having shod your feet with the 191 00:10:37.220 --> 00:10:40.680 preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, taking the 192 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:43.220 shield of faith with which you will be able to quench 193 00:10:43.260 --> 00:10:45.780 all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the 194 00:10:45.820 --> 00:10:48.420 helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which 195 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:51.700 is a word of God, praying always with all prayer and 196 00:10:51.700 --> 00:10:55.840 supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end 197 00:10:55.860 --> 00:10:58.600 with all perseverance and supplication for all the 198 00:10:58.640 --> 00:11:03.480 saints. It's obvious that Paul is writing to believers. 199 00:11:03.500 --> 00:11:05.540 He's talking about the helmet of salvation. You can't have 200 00:11:05.580 --> 00:11:07.840 the helmet of salvation. You can't have faith. You can't 201 00:11:07.880 --> 00:11:11.480 have the Word. You can't have truth. You can't have peace 202 00:11:11.520 --> 00:11:15.560 in your life without Christ. So, here's one thing that 203 00:11:15.580 --> 00:11:19.220 just stands out for our understanding today about 204 00:11:20.140 --> 00:11:23.880 demon possession. He says in verse 16, above all, above 205 00:11:23.920 --> 00:11:30.920 all. He says, above all, taking the shield of faith 206 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:35.160 with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts 207 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:39.440 of the wicked one. Now, why is that important? All of these 208 00:11:39.460 --> 00:11:44.400 are important. All the different armor pieces are 209 00:11:44.440 --> 00:11:47.680 important. But I think this is important because the big 210 00:11:48.100 --> 00:11:50.940 issue with demon possession is faith. I mean that is always 211 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:54.840 the battle when you're dealing with demonization. And that's 212 00:11:54.880 --> 00:11:57.080 the word I use now. So, the word you're going to hear me 213 00:11:57.120 --> 00:12:00.320 use from now on is demonization. I never, ever use 214 00:12:00.340 --> 00:12:05.220 the word demon possession at our church, in seminars that I 215 00:12:05.260 --> 00:12:08.420 do that are related to this particular topic. I always 216 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:11.000 talk about demonization. So, demonization means demon 217 00:12:11.220 --> 00:12:18.820 influence. Faith, because this is the other part of even 218 00:12:18.860 --> 00:12:22.240 casting out a demon out of someone is if there's not at 219 00:12:22.260 --> 00:12:28.900 least enough faith, even in that other individual and in 220 00:12:28.940 --> 00:12:32.640 me, we're wasting our time. So, I've been with Christians 221 00:12:32.680 --> 00:12:35.580 who want to be set free from lust. They want to be set 222 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:38.580 free from porn. They want to be set free from epilepsy, 223 00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:42.500 whatever it might be. But they don't believe this stuff. And 224 00:12:42.540 --> 00:12:45.200 they say, well, I don't really believe this stuff. But hey, 225 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:47.040 Steve, you can pray for me. And I say, that's a waste of 226 00:12:47.080 --> 00:12:49.140 time. I'm not going to do that. I'm not going to go against 227 00:12:49.180 --> 00:12:52.480 your faith. If you don't believe it, then just you know 228 00:12:52.520 --> 00:12:56.020 keep packing your growlers. That's fine with me. But if 229 00:12:56.060 --> 00:12:58.320 you want to be on the team, you know, if you want to be 230 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:00.720 free, if you want to be clean, let me know when you're ready 231 00:13:00.760 --> 00:13:03.060 and I'll do it. I mean I can't tell you how many times people 232 00:13:03.100 --> 00:13:06.660 have said that. And some never come back. That's fine with 233 00:13:06.780 --> 00:13:09.580 me. I mean they can go and haunt some other church. But 234 00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:14.120 those that really want to begin to grow, now we've got 235 00:13:14.160 --> 00:13:17.820 something to work with. And so, I've talked a little bit on 236 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:21.760 truth encounter and power encounter. But the reality is, 237 00:13:21.800 --> 00:13:27.000 is that a power encounter of casting out demons is really a 238 00:13:27.040 --> 00:13:33.540 truth encounter. So, on the one hand, there's power that sets 239 00:13:33.760 --> 00:13:37.660 someone free. But if I don't build truth into them 240 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:41.600 simultaneously, man, the demons are all coming back. And it's 241 00:13:41.640 --> 00:13:44.640 going to be seven times worse is what Jesus says. And so, 242 00:13:44.680 --> 00:13:47.480 that's what I wanted to start off with, with demon 243 00:13:47.500 --> 00:13:49.940 possession. I want us to understand the word. I want us 244 00:13:49.980 --> 00:13:53.320 to understand what it means. And then in our next session 245 00:13:53.340 --> 00:13:56.880 I'm going to begin to talk practically about how we get 246 00:13:56.920 --> 00:14:01.620 demons, and then how we get set free. So, the challenge 247 00:14:01.700 --> 00:14:04.340 before you today is put on the whole armor of God. And what I 248 00:14:04.380 --> 00:14:10.080 do, not every day, but for not every day now. But I'd say for 249 00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:15.460 ten years, almost every day, I prayed the helmet of salvation. 250 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:18.620 And this is what my prayer was, Lord I just pray the helmet of 251 00:14:18.660 --> 00:14:21.300 salvation right now. I pray You'd renew my mind for this 252 00:14:21.320 --> 00:14:26.660 day. And I walk with a renewed spirit and a renewed mind in 253 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:29.540 Christ. I take the shield of faith. God would You increase 254 00:14:29.560 --> 00:14:32.560 my faith. I take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word 255 00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:35.600 of God. Use the Word of God to increase my faith. Faith comes 256 00:14:35.640 --> 00:14:38.400 by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Lord I put on, and 257 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:45.040 I shot up my belt here with truth. I pray that the truth of 258 00:14:45.080 --> 00:14:50.180 the Gospel, the truth of life, which is common grace would 259 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:55.260 rule my life today. Lord I put on the breastplate of 260 00:14:55.280 --> 00:14:58.020 righteousness, which is the motives of my heart. That the 261 00:14:58.020 --> 00:15:00.040 motives of my heart would be right. 262 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:05.000 That my heart would be where you want it to be, and then I shod my feet with the gospel of peace. 263 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:11.000 Lord, wherever I go today, I pray to be a peacemaker, not a troublemaker, but I'd be a peacemaker. 264 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:18.000 Where there's warring parties, where there's hurting people, I can be a bridge of peace to them in the name of Jesus.