1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,625 2 00:00:00,625 --> 00:00:03,625 Now, today we continue in Luke's gospel, 3 00:00:03,708 --> 00:00:07,625 chapter 11, verses 14-28, looking at Jesus versus Satan. 4 00:00:07,708 --> 00:00:09,500 I'll pray and we'll get to work. 5 00:00:09,583 --> 00:00:11,875 Father God, thank you for the Scriptures. 6 00:00:11,958 --> 00:00:13,375 We love your Word. 7 00:00:13,458 --> 00:00:16,667 We receive it as full, total, complete, authoritative truth. 8 00:00:16,750 --> 00:00:19,375 We want to wield it well as a sword in battle 9 00:00:19,458 --> 00:00:21,125 against our enemy. 10 00:00:21,208 --> 00:00:23,667 So we invite you, Holy Spirit, to illuminate the Scriptures, 11 00:00:23,750 --> 00:00:25,250 which you've inspired to be written, 12 00:00:25,333 --> 00:00:28,083 to inflame our hearts with passion for the person 13 00:00:28,167 --> 00:00:32,042 and work of Jesus, in whose name we pray, Amen. 14 00:00:32,125 --> 00:00:36,042 Now, as we get into it, you're going to meet a demon today 15 00:00:36,125 --> 00:00:38,042 and his work in someone's life. 16 00:00:38,125 --> 00:00:41,083 And I want to begin by saying that there is an epic, 17 00:00:41,167 --> 00:00:45,167 cosmic battle that preexists the creation of the heavens 18 00:00:45,250 --> 00:00:48,042 and the earth, that preexists the creation of the man 19 00:00:48,125 --> 00:00:51,917 and the woman, that God, who is uncaused, uncreated, 20 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:57,375 and eternal created angels, immaterial spirit beings, 21 00:00:57,458 --> 00:01:03,000 to honor, to serve, to obey and assist his work in creation. 22 00:01:03,083 --> 00:01:07,167 And there was this epic, cosmic battle in the heavens, 23 00:01:07,250 --> 00:01:12,083 where a lead angel named Satan had joining with him 24 00:01:12,167 --> 00:01:16,042 a number of other angels in rebellion against God, 25 00:01:16,125 --> 00:01:19,167 wanting to usurp and supplant God, 26 00:01:19,250 --> 00:01:22,833 to rule and reign in his place, receiving the glory 27 00:01:22,917 --> 00:01:24,917 that is due only to him. 28 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,542 God put down this insurrection of lesser, 29 00:01:27,625 --> 00:01:31,292 created beings and they took their fight to the earth 30 00:01:31,375 --> 00:01:33,958 to our first parents, Adam and Eve. 31 00:01:34,042 --> 00:01:36,375 And there Satan, their commander in chief, 32 00:01:36,458 --> 00:01:39,458 tempted our first parents and they aligned with him, 33 00:01:39,542 --> 00:01:42,667 rebelling against God in sin. 34 00:01:42,750 --> 00:01:45,750 The result is that from that moment forward, 35 00:01:45,833 --> 00:01:50,667 human history is marked and marred by satanic, demonic sin, 36 00:01:50,750 --> 00:01:54,875 folly, rebellion, destruction, and devastation. 37 00:01:54,958 --> 00:01:59,542 And this epic, cosmic battle rages. 38 00:01:59,625 --> 00:02:02,375 We are each born into it. 39 00:02:02,458 --> 00:02:06,875 And furthermore, we see the effects in the lives of people. 40 00:02:06,958 --> 00:02:10,458 And so as we see biblically this cosmic battle, 41 00:02:10,542 --> 00:02:14,792 we need to also see its effects in the lives of average, 42 00:02:14,875 --> 00:02:17,917 ordinary, normal, everyday people. 43 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:21,333 And so the way this works as well is when there is 44 00:02:21,417 --> 00:02:23,417 correspondence from a war correspondent, 45 00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:27,792 let's say someone works for A&E, Biography, the History Channel, 46 00:02:27,875 --> 00:02:31,083 what they like to do is introduce us to this massive 47 00:02:31,167 --> 00:02:33,250 battle that they're covering. 48 00:02:33,333 --> 00:02:36,958 But then to help us relate to it emotionally and sympathize 49 00:02:37,042 --> 00:02:40,542 with people practically, we're introduced to certain people 50 00:02:40,625 --> 00:02:43,292 who are, in effect, victims 51 00:02:43,375 --> 00:02:46,542 or those who suffer from the battle. 52 00:02:46,625 --> 00:02:49,417 So a good war correspondent will tell you about a battle 53 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:52,083 and then introduce you to particular people. 54 00:02:52,167 --> 00:02:53,708 Here's someone who was suffering. 55 00:02:53,792 --> 00:02:55,250 Here's someone who was affected. 56 00:02:55,333 --> 00:02:58,000 Here's someone who was devastated. 57 00:02:58,083 --> 00:03:00,458 It's what a good war correspondent does 58 00:03:00,542 --> 00:03:02,208 and if you've ever seen something like 59 00:03:02,292 --> 00:03:04,083 "Band of Brothers" and docudramas, 60 00:03:04,167 --> 00:03:06,083 that's what they do. 61 00:03:06,167 --> 00:03:08,875 They take the big battle and they show us the implications 62 00:03:08,958 --> 00:03:10,500 in individual lives. 63 00:03:10,583 --> 00:03:12,792 Luke writes like that. 64 00:03:12,875 --> 00:03:17,125 He's telling us the true story of this epic battle between 65 00:03:17,208 --> 00:03:21,333 the God of the Bible and our great adversary and enemy. 66 00:03:21,417 --> 00:03:26,250 And he begins in Luke 4 by showing Satan comes to Jesus 67 00:03:26,333 --> 00:03:30,042 and there's this battle between Satan and Jesus to see 68 00:03:30,125 --> 00:03:32,625 who will rule and reign as king. 69 00:03:32,708 --> 00:03:37,458 And Jesus disarms and defeats Satan by resisting temptation. 70 00:03:37,542 --> 00:03:40,792 And the story continues that the battle rages throughout 71 00:03:40,875 --> 00:03:46,375 the continual ministry of Jesus as Luke faithfully records it. 72 00:03:46,458 --> 00:03:49,417 So in Luke 4, we see a man who is suffering 73 00:03:49,500 --> 00:03:52,750 from demonic oppression and attack. 74 00:03:52,833 --> 00:03:55,167 Jesus liberates him. 75 00:03:55,250 --> 00:03:59,167 We see also in Luke 4 that there are many who are sick 76 00:03:59,250 --> 00:04:02,167 from diseases brought by unclean, unholy, 77 00:04:02,250 --> 00:04:06,333 unhelpful spirits called demons and Jesus defeats them 78 00:04:06,417 --> 00:04:08,167 and heals people. 79 00:04:08,250 --> 00:04:11,833 We see this as well in Luke 8, where we meet a woman named 80 00:04:11,917 --> 00:04:15,125 Mary Magdalene, who had no less than seven demons. 81 00:04:15,208 --> 00:04:17,667 We also meet a man who is a demoniac. 82 00:04:17,750 --> 00:04:21,167 He had so many demons involved in his life that this man 83 00:04:21,250 --> 00:04:24,917 was living like an animal and the demons collectively refer 84 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,292 to themselves as Legion. 85 00:04:27,375 --> 00:04:30,792 We also saw in Luke 9 where there's a little boy who has 86 00:04:30,875 --> 00:04:35,375 a series of seizures that come from demonic attack 87 00:04:35,458 --> 00:04:39,667 and Jesus heals him and frees him. 88 00:04:39,750 --> 00:04:42,542 And then it culminates thus far in the book, 89 00:04:42,625 --> 00:04:46,375 though Satan will continue in the storyline till the end, 90 00:04:46,458 --> 00:04:50,125 with us being introduced to another man who is a casualty 91 00:04:50,208 --> 00:04:53,000 in this great, epic, cosmic battle. 92 00:04:53,083 --> 00:04:55,208 He is a man who is rendered mute, 93 00:04:55,292 --> 00:04:59,792 unable to speak because of demonic oppression. 94 00:04:59,875 --> 00:05:02,542 And so we meet him and we realize that in this 95 00:05:02,625 --> 00:05:05,083 great battle there are two kings. 96 00:05:05,167 --> 00:05:08,375 There is King Jesus, the King of Kings, and there is Satan, 97 00:05:08,458 --> 00:05:12,042 our adversary and enemy, who rules and reigns over demons. 98 00:05:12,125 --> 00:05:15,125 And though he is a lesser authority than Jesus, 99 00:05:15,208 --> 00:05:17,500 he is a higher authority than human beings. 100 00:05:17,583 --> 00:05:21,167 And so though he is not in any way to be regarded as equal 101 00:05:21,250 --> 00:05:24,292 to God, he is still concerning to us. 102 00:05:24,375 --> 00:05:27,542 We meet him in Luke 11:14-16. 103 00:05:27,625 --> 00:05:30,125 "Now he," that is Jesus, "was casting out a demon 104 00:05:30,208 --> 00:05:31,750 "that was mute. 105 00:05:31,833 --> 00:05:34,333 "When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, 106 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:35,833 "and the people marveled. 107 00:05:35,917 --> 00:05:38,625 "But some of them said, 'He casts out demons by Beelzebul, 108 00:05:38,708 --> 00:05:42,083 "'the prince of demons,' while others, to test him, 109 00:05:42,167 --> 00:05:44,625 kept seeking from him a sign from heaven." 110 00:05:44,708 --> 00:05:46,125 So we meet the man. 111 00:05:46,208 --> 00:05:51,208 This epic, cosmic battle rages and the camera pans in 112 00:05:51,292 --> 00:05:55,625 to introduce us to one person who finds himself and the story 113 00:05:55,708 --> 00:05:58,000 of his life interwoven with 114 00:05:58,083 --> 00:06:02,083 the storyline of the epic battle, a mute man. 115 00:06:02,167 --> 00:06:03,875 We know so little about this man. 116 00:06:03,958 --> 00:06:06,875 We don't know if he was this way from birth or infancy. 117 00:06:06,958 --> 00:06:09,250 We don't know if this was a more recent development 118 00:06:09,333 --> 00:06:10,917 and condition. 119 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,125 We know that he is incapable, unable to speak. 120 00:06:14,208 --> 00:06:17,542 If he is a husband, he can't tell his wife that he loves her. 121 00:06:17,625 --> 00:06:20,750 If he's a father, he can't sit down and educate his children. 122 00:06:20,833 --> 00:06:24,417 If he's a preacher, he cannot proclaim the goodness and glory of God. 123 00:06:24,500 --> 00:06:27,458 If he is a believer, he cannot sing the praises of God 124 00:06:27,542 --> 00:06:29,000 in worship. 125 00:06:29,083 --> 00:06:31,458 This man's whole life is negatively affected. 126 00:06:31,542 --> 00:06:33,042 And the spiritual battle manifests itself 127 00:06:33,125 --> 00:06:34,542 in a physical way. 128 00:06:34,625 --> 00:06:38,583 You are spirit, that which is immaterial, 129 00:06:38,667 --> 00:06:41,208 and you are material, that which is physical. 130 00:06:41,292 --> 00:06:43,417 You are two parts. 131 00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:46,333 And to be sure, there are some people that have physical 132 00:06:46,417 --> 00:06:51,958 problems that are entirely, if not almost entirely, physical. 133 00:06:52,042 --> 00:06:54,083 It's not demonic or spiritual or satanic. 134 00:06:54,167 --> 00:06:56,042 It's just a physical problem. 135 00:06:56,125 --> 00:06:59,833 So if you fall down and you break your leg, you need a cast. 136 00:06:59,917 --> 00:07:01,833 You don't need to cast out demons, right? 137 00:07:01,917 --> 00:07:03,417 It's just a physical problem. 138 00:07:03,500 --> 00:07:05,917 But there are other occasions where people have physical 139 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,250 suffering that cannot be resolved through 140 00:07:08,333 --> 00:07:10,292 physical solutions. 141 00:07:10,375 --> 00:07:13,833 And this is from Luke, who is what? 142 00:07:13,917 --> 00:07:15,375 A doctor. He's a medical doctor. 143 00:07:15,458 --> 00:07:17,208 He's a physician. 144 00:07:17,292 --> 00:07:18,917 That's his clinical training. 145 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:20,500 That's his professional vocation. 146 00:07:20,583 --> 00:07:22,000 He's a doctor. 147 00:07:22,083 --> 00:07:26,042 And he looks at this man and he realizes he doesn't just need speech therapy. 148 00:07:26,125 --> 00:07:28,667 He doesn't need medication. He doesn't need surgery. 149 00:07:28,750 --> 00:07:31,000 There's no way to physically heal him. 150 00:07:31,083 --> 00:07:34,500 His problem is spiritual, that the spiritual attack is causing 151 00:07:34,583 --> 00:07:37,250 physical complications. 152 00:07:37,333 --> 00:07:39,958 That's why we pray for healing for people. 153 00:07:40,042 --> 00:07:43,708 Sometimes it is just healing, but sometimes it is 154 00:07:43,792 --> 00:07:48,042 the spiritual healing of someone that inevitably results 155 00:07:48,125 --> 00:07:52,042 in physical healing for them as well. 156 00:07:52,125 --> 00:07:55,958 And so this man is suffering. 157 00:07:56,042 --> 00:08:00,083 And he's suffering something that I will call torment. 158 00:08:00,167 --> 00:08:02,708 The Bible uses that language, torment, 159 00:08:02,792 --> 00:08:06,292 to speak of certain demonic attacks. 160 00:08:06,375 --> 00:08:08,083 Let me explain this to you. 161 00:08:08,167 --> 00:08:09,958 I believe there is a distinction, 162 00:08:10,042 --> 00:08:13,208 a differentiation between abuse and torment. 163 00:08:13,292 --> 00:08:16,875 And one of the things that we love to do at Mars Hill Church 164 00:08:16,958 --> 00:08:21,208 is help those people who have been abused, particularly women, 165 00:08:21,292 --> 00:08:24,875 especially women who have been sexually abused. 166 00:08:24,958 --> 00:08:27,500 Our theology of strong male leadership and love 167 00:08:27,583 --> 00:08:31,583 and attention and protection and affection means that we want 168 00:08:31,667 --> 00:08:35,250 to be a church culture that is safe for women in general, 169 00:08:35,333 --> 00:08:40,000 but safe for abused women in particular. 170 00:08:40,083 --> 00:08:45,042 And abused people in general, they will have something done 171 00:08:45,125 --> 00:08:50,125 to them that is horrendous and devastating, but it ends. 172 00:08:50,208 --> 00:08:53,458 And I'll use a lot of human illustrations 173 00:08:53,542 --> 00:08:56,667 for spiritual principles because if I'm just talking about 174 00:08:56,750 --> 00:08:58,708 Satan and demons, you may get confused. 175 00:08:58,792 --> 00:09:02,250 So I want to use illustrations from our life together to show 176 00:09:02,333 --> 00:09:05,167 you that Satan and demons, though they're immaterial, 177 00:09:05,250 --> 00:09:06,833 they're still persons. 178 00:09:06,917 --> 00:09:10,208 They're beings who do evil and we need to understand and relate 179 00:09:10,292 --> 00:09:13,333 to them in a way that is like dealing with those 180 00:09:13,417 --> 00:09:17,000 who are dangerous and abusive. 181 00:09:17,083 --> 00:09:20,583 So abuse is when something happens, but it comes to an end. 182 00:09:20,667 --> 00:09:23,500 I'll give you an example of a woman who I know, 183 00:09:23,583 --> 00:09:26,958 and I could give you a list of a lot of women like this 184 00:09:27,042 --> 00:09:30,042 at Mars Hill, but her story was she was out with girlfriends 185 00:09:30,125 --> 00:09:32,458 and out with a guy she didn't really know 186 00:09:32,542 --> 00:09:34,250 and he slipped something into her drink 187 00:09:34,333 --> 00:09:37,042 and next thing you know, she wakes up the next day 188 00:09:37,125 --> 00:09:40,458 and she has no idea where she is and she could tell physically 189 00:09:40,542 --> 00:09:42,208 something horrendous has been done to her. 190 00:09:42,292 --> 00:09:44,625 She has been abused, but her attacker is gone. 191 00:09:44,708 --> 00:09:46,125 So she's safe. 192 00:09:46,208 --> 00:09:48,917 Now, she's wounded and hurt and damaged and she needs help 193 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,042 and love and support and cleansing through Jesus, 194 00:09:51,125 --> 00:09:52,708 but her attacker is gone. 195 00:09:52,792 --> 00:09:54,250 That's abuse. 196 00:09:54,333 --> 00:09:56,250 It's an event that comes to an end. 197 00:09:56,333 --> 00:09:58,750 Though traumatic, and we don't want to minimize that 198 00:09:58,833 --> 00:10:01,292 in any way, it comes to an end. 199 00:10:01,375 --> 00:10:03,167 Now, the consequences may endure, 200 00:10:03,250 --> 00:10:05,333 but the event comes to an end. 201 00:10:05,417 --> 00:10:11,333 Torment is abuse that continues without any hope of escape. 202 00:10:11,417 --> 00:10:13,792 So I'll give you another illustration 203 00:10:13,875 --> 00:10:16,125 from another woman that I know. 204 00:10:16,208 --> 00:10:20,042 She was repeatedly physically, sexually abused by her 205 00:10:20,125 --> 00:10:24,417 step-father, beginning when she was a very young girl. 206 00:10:24,500 --> 00:10:26,958 But for her, this is a case of torment. 207 00:10:27,042 --> 00:10:30,125 It's not like the abuse happened and her attacker left. 208 00:10:30,208 --> 00:10:33,708 Her attacker happens to be her adoptive father. 209 00:10:33,792 --> 00:10:36,250 And so the abuse continues, but she's in torment. 210 00:10:36,333 --> 00:10:38,583 She's trapped. She can't get out. 211 00:10:38,667 --> 00:10:40,667 She's a little girl. 212 00:10:40,750 --> 00:10:42,750 She can't just run away. 213 00:10:42,833 --> 00:10:46,250 She's trapped. She's trapped. 214 00:10:46,333 --> 00:10:50,833 Abuse is horrendous and torment is abuse without end 215 00:10:50,917 --> 00:10:53,708 or hope of an end. 216 00:10:53,792 --> 00:10:57,583 It's like the difference between someone who is captured in war 217 00:10:57,667 --> 00:11:00,750 and then tortured but released, and someone who is captured 218 00:11:00,833 --> 00:11:04,958 in war, tortured, thrown into a POW camp to be repeatedly 219 00:11:05,042 --> 00:11:09,083 tortured indefinitely. 220 00:11:09,167 --> 00:11:11,167 Now, back to the story. 221 00:11:11,250 --> 00:11:13,667 This man is suffering torment. 222 00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:16,792 He doesn't just have moments of demonic attack. 223 00:11:16,875 --> 00:11:18,708 He's rendered mute. 224 00:11:18,792 --> 00:11:21,083 Every moment of every day, he's under assault. 225 00:11:21,167 --> 00:11:22,708 He's held captive. 226 00:11:22,792 --> 00:11:26,583 His life is negatively affected and he is physically suffering 227 00:11:26,667 --> 00:11:28,917 because of demonic attack. 228 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,083 That's torment. That's torment. 229 00:11:32,167 --> 00:11:35,083 He can't get rid of this unclean spirit, 230 00:11:35,167 --> 00:11:37,083 and I assure you of this, 231 00:11:37,167 --> 00:11:39,875 this man has tried to get rid of this unclean spirit 232 00:11:39,958 --> 00:11:41,875 and he can't get rid of his attacker. 233 00:11:41,958 --> 00:11:44,083 He can't get rid of his abuser. 234 00:11:44,167 --> 00:11:46,875 You'll read about it in just a moment in Luke's gospel. 235 00:11:46,958 --> 00:11:48,875 There were other exorcists. 236 00:11:48,958 --> 00:11:50,958 There were religious spiritual leaders who would come around 237 00:11:51,042 --> 00:11:53,750 and try and cast out unclean spirits. 238 00:11:53,833 --> 00:11:55,333 The people were familiar with them. 239 00:11:55,417 --> 00:11:58,958 The text infers for us that he could have tried all of these 240 00:11:59,042 --> 00:12:01,042 means and measures and there was no liberation. 241 00:12:01,125 --> 00:12:04,333 There was no freedom. There was no healing for him. 242 00:12:04,417 --> 00:12:06,917 He's in this torment condition. 243 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,167 He can't speak. He's suffering. 244 00:12:09,250 --> 00:12:11,667 This demon is oppressing and harming him. 245 00:12:11,750 --> 00:12:14,417 And we know not why. Was it because he sinned? 246 00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:16,000 We do not know. 247 00:12:16,083 --> 00:12:18,167 Was he simply being attacked though he was innocent? 248 00:12:18,250 --> 00:12:19,667 We do not know. 249 00:12:19,750 --> 00:12:21,375 But we know that he needs help. 250 00:12:21,458 --> 00:12:23,375 And so Jesus comes. 251 00:12:23,458 --> 00:12:25,042 The second member of the Trinity, 252 00:12:25,125 --> 00:12:29,000 the Son of God shows up, comes to this man. 253 00:12:29,083 --> 00:12:32,250 And Jesus perceives that the problem is in fact spiritual 254 00:12:32,333 --> 00:12:35,958 in cause and it is physical in consequence. 255 00:12:36,042 --> 00:12:38,042 And he commands in his authority, 256 00:12:38,125 --> 00:12:41,667 he commands the unclean spirit, the demon, away. 257 00:12:41,750 --> 00:12:44,042 Because, you see, this is Jesus' authority. 258 00:12:44,125 --> 00:12:47,000 Only Jesus has that kind of authority. 259 00:12:47,083 --> 00:12:49,833 What this man could not do, what the Jewish exorcists 260 00:12:49,917 --> 00:12:52,917 could not do, what religion and spirituality and morality 261 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,167 could not do, Jesus could do, the exercising 262 00:12:56,250 --> 00:12:58,333 of spiritual authority over an unclean spirit. 263 00:12:58,417 --> 00:13:01,958 And the spirit departs from him and the man is able to speak. 264 00:13:02,042 --> 00:13:03,750 He is spiritually and physically healed. 265 00:13:03,833 --> 00:13:05,958 He can now sing the praises of God, 266 00:13:06,042 --> 00:13:07,458 proclaim the goodness of God, 267 00:13:07,542 --> 00:13:09,667 and share the love of God with others. 268 00:13:09,750 --> 00:13:11,833 And the crowd is watching. 269 00:13:11,917 --> 00:13:15,167 And like you, they have to now determine in their heart and 270 00:13:15,250 --> 00:13:18,625 their mind and their soul, what do we think of this man Jesus? 271 00:13:18,708 --> 00:13:21,000 Who do we believe that he is? 272 00:13:21,083 --> 00:13:27,000 And some come forward and they, in a very cowardly way, 273 00:13:27,083 --> 00:13:30,042 reject Jesus, as perhaps some of you may. 274 00:13:30,125 --> 00:13:33,083 They say, "Well, we don't know if Jesus is good or evil. 275 00:13:33,167 --> 00:13:34,917 "We know he has spiritual authority. 276 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,625 "He's very intriguing, but maybe he's not altogether good. 277 00:13:37,708 --> 00:13:39,750 "Maybe we can't fully trust him. 278 00:13:39,833 --> 00:13:42,458 "Maybe he is not in fact God as he declares. 279 00:13:42,542 --> 00:13:45,042 We just don't have enough evidence." 280 00:13:45,125 --> 00:13:47,750 They take the classic agnostic position, 281 00:13:47,833 --> 00:13:51,583 which is that "I am God, I sit on a throne as a judge, 282 00:13:51,667 --> 00:13:55,125 "and Jesus needs to present to me all of the facts and findings 283 00:13:55,208 --> 00:13:57,792 "to my liking so that I can render a verdict 284 00:13:57,875 --> 00:14:00,083 of deity or not deity." 285 00:14:00,167 --> 00:14:03,417 Be very careful that you don't sit on a throne, judging Jesus. 286 00:14:03,500 --> 00:14:05,542 That's not our position. 287 00:14:05,625 --> 00:14:08,750 Be very careful that you don't reject Jesus, simply saying, 288 00:14:08,833 --> 00:14:11,958 as they do, "We want to see more evidence." 289 00:14:12,042 --> 00:14:14,583 He was born of a virgin. He lived without sin. 290 00:14:14,667 --> 00:14:17,042 He walked on water. He rose the dead. 291 00:14:17,125 --> 00:14:19,667 He cast out demons. 292 00:14:19,750 --> 00:14:23,750 He himself died and returned to life 3 days later. 293 00:14:23,833 --> 00:14:27,125 The evidence is sufficient, though the heart and mind 294 00:14:27,208 --> 00:14:29,083 may be unwilling to receive it. 295 00:14:29,167 --> 00:14:31,292 But the problem is not with the evidence. 296 00:14:31,375 --> 00:14:35,625 The problem is with us if in fact we reject him. 297 00:14:35,708 --> 00:14:38,917 Some are more overt in their rejection of Jesus. 298 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:42,625 They say, "Jesus does mighty, powerful, spiritual things, 299 00:14:42,708 --> 00:14:44,500 "but he's not altogether good. 300 00:14:44,583 --> 00:14:46,500 "He is not altogether God. 301 00:14:46,583 --> 00:14:48,292 "Perhaps he is good and evil. 302 00:14:48,375 --> 00:14:53,750 Perhaps he in fact is Beelzebul, the prince of the demons." 303 00:14:53,833 --> 00:14:56,583 Some of you would say that Jesus is powerful, 304 00:14:56,667 --> 00:15:01,667 but not necessarily altogether good. 305 00:15:01,750 --> 00:15:05,125 Some of you perhaps would even impose pantheism, 306 00:15:05,208 --> 00:15:09,708 panentheism, paganism. 307 00:15:09,792 --> 00:15:15,042 It is that God is good and evil, darkness and light. 308 00:15:15,125 --> 00:15:18,458 Because you don't have two categories, creator, creation, 309 00:15:18,542 --> 00:15:23,625 light, darkness, holiness, unholiness, truth, lies. 310 00:15:23,708 --> 00:15:26,042 You only have one category and everything and everyone 311 00:15:26,125 --> 00:15:29,375 fits in it and it's all oneness. 312 00:15:29,458 --> 00:15:33,292 And so for you, Jesus would be good and evil. 313 00:15:33,375 --> 00:15:35,458 And he's not. 314 00:15:35,542 --> 00:15:37,000 He's not. 315 00:15:37,083 --> 00:15:41,708 Jesus has spiritual authority, but none of Jesus' spiritual 316 00:15:41,792 --> 00:15:46,417 authority is derived from that which is demonic and evil. 317 00:15:46,500 --> 00:15:50,292 He's only altogether, always, and continually good. 318 00:15:50,375 --> 00:15:53,083 But they have a sense that he is powerful. 319 00:15:53,167 --> 00:15:57,125 Perhaps some of you do, but you wonder if Jesus is good. 320 00:15:57,208 --> 00:15:59,500 And they attribute to him his power from Beelzebul, 321 00:15:59,583 --> 00:16:01,125 the prince of the demons. 322 00:16:01,208 --> 00:16:03,542 That name actually goes back many, many, many years prior, 323 00:16:03,625 --> 00:16:06,333 way back in the Old Testament, hundreds of years prior 324 00:16:06,417 --> 00:16:09,167 to an ancient Canaanite deity. 325 00:16:09,250 --> 00:16:12,167 And the name literally means the lord of the flies. 326 00:16:12,250 --> 00:16:14,708 You ever heard of that? 327 00:16:14,792 --> 00:16:16,375 The lord of the flies. 328 00:16:16,458 --> 00:16:18,167 That's Beelzebul. 329 00:16:18,250 --> 00:16:20,083 Because in this great, epic, cosmic battle, 330 00:16:20,167 --> 00:16:24,042 Satan is ruling as a commander in chief and there is working 331 00:16:24,125 --> 00:16:28,958 under him a chain of command for unclean spirits and Beelzebul 332 00:16:29,042 --> 00:16:32,375 is the name, along with Legion, we met earlier, 333 00:16:32,458 --> 00:16:34,708 of some of these unclean spirits, 334 00:16:34,792 --> 00:16:38,417 Beelzebul being one who rules in spiritual authority over others 335 00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:41,125 who serve under his command. 336 00:16:41,208 --> 00:16:46,208 Now, what is fascinating is that demons 337 00:16:46,292 --> 00:16:48,458 will elicit spiritual power. 338 00:16:48,542 --> 00:16:50,792 Demons will sometimes take a name. 339 00:16:50,875 --> 00:16:55,000 Demons will inspire miracles, healings, 340 00:16:55,083 --> 00:16:58,000 what the Bible calls counterfeit signs and wonders. 341 00:16:58,083 --> 00:17:01,125 They will actually establish religions for people 342 00:17:01,208 --> 00:17:03,167 to worship them. 343 00:17:03,250 --> 00:17:06,042 So I believe there's a god named Allah, for example, 344 00:17:06,125 --> 00:17:09,500 that's a demon god, just like I believe that in 345 00:17:09,583 --> 00:17:14,333 the ancient days of the Greeks, there was a demon named Zeus, 346 00:17:14,417 --> 00:17:18,917 who took on the identity of a Greek god. 347 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,583 Right, that different religions will worship different gods, 348 00:17:21,667 --> 00:17:23,000 but they're not different gods. 349 00:17:23,083 --> 00:17:27,042 They're different demons masquerading and parading 350 00:17:27,125 --> 00:17:33,042 deceptively, covertly as angels of light, as servants of God. 351 00:17:33,125 --> 00:17:36,042 And so people will ascribe worship to them 352 00:17:36,125 --> 00:17:38,625 and they will honor them and they will appease them. 353 00:17:38,708 --> 00:17:40,167 They'll receive miracles, healings, 354 00:17:40,250 --> 00:17:42,500 power from them and they'll think they're worshiping God 355 00:17:42,583 --> 00:17:44,167 when they're not. 356 00:17:44,250 --> 00:17:46,167 They're worshiping lower, lesser, created beings, 357 00:17:46,250 --> 00:17:51,333 demonic spirits, servants of Satan. 358 00:17:51,417 --> 00:17:54,042 All right, this hit me in this curious moment. 359 00:17:54,125 --> 00:17:57,000 I'll do something interesting here. 360 00:17:57,083 --> 00:18:00,792 I was in Turkey last November and I went to this location 361 00:18:00,875 --> 00:18:03,083 and I saw this very interesting site. 362 00:18:03,167 --> 00:18:06,042 This is actually in what is modern day Turkey. 363 00:18:06,125 --> 00:18:08,250 In your Bible, it's called Pergamum. 364 00:18:08,333 --> 00:18:11,083 Pergamum is one of the locations of the seven churches 365 00:18:11,167 --> 00:18:12,500 of Revelation. 366 00:18:12,583 --> 00:18:15,583 I'm gonna lead a tour there in June or July next year. 367 00:18:15,667 --> 00:18:17,292 I think it's in July. 368 00:18:17,375 --> 00:18:19,542 And when we went to this location, 369 00:18:19,625 --> 00:18:22,125 there was this huge amphitheater overlooking the city. 370 00:18:22,208 --> 00:18:25,458 The city is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Revelation. 371 00:18:25,542 --> 00:18:28,250 And in the book of Revelation, it says that that is 372 00:18:28,333 --> 00:18:30,167 where Satan has his throne. 373 00:18:30,250 --> 00:18:33,083 I always wonder, what does that mean? 374 00:18:33,167 --> 00:18:35,708 Satan has his throne. 375 00:18:35,792 --> 00:18:39,167 He's not all-present like God, so he has to set up headquarters 376 00:18:39,250 --> 00:18:41,708 on earth for this battle somewhere. 377 00:18:41,792 --> 00:18:43,917 And in that day, it was Pergamum. 378 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,625 So you go to Pergamum and there was this location there 379 00:18:47,708 --> 00:18:50,167 and we were told that, in that very spot, 380 00:18:50,250 --> 00:18:54,167 there was previously an altar to Zeus. 381 00:18:54,250 --> 00:18:57,083 There was an altar to Zeus. 382 00:18:57,167 --> 00:19:00,167 So Zeus was a demon god worshiped among the Greeks, 383 00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:05,292 brought to ancient Turkey, the city of Pergamum. 384 00:19:05,375 --> 00:19:10,083 And the altar of Zeus was established and sacrifices 385 00:19:10,167 --> 00:19:13,250 were made and he was a pagan deity. 386 00:19:13,333 --> 00:19:16,208 And that's where Satan had his throne. 387 00:19:16,292 --> 00:19:18,667 You say, "Well, where is it?" 388 00:19:18,750 --> 00:19:23,000 Well, it's not there because the Germans took it and when 389 00:19:23,083 --> 00:19:26,042 Adolf Hitler went to create a pulpit from which to preach 390 00:19:26,125 --> 00:19:29,417 to the nation, to rule the nations, 391 00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:35,500 he used it as his model for his own pulpit. 392 00:19:36,292 --> 00:19:38,042 So here's what I'm telling you. 393 00:19:38,125 --> 00:19:39,833 Demons don't die like we do. 394 00:19:39,917 --> 00:19:42,125 They work from one generation to another. 395 00:19:42,208 --> 00:19:45,000 They can empower the Greek worship of Zeus. 396 00:19:45,083 --> 00:19:47,667 They can empower paganism at Pergamum. 397 00:19:47,750 --> 00:19:51,208 And they can empower Nazi Germany to try and extend 398 00:19:51,292 --> 00:19:53,625 the kingdom of darkness. 399 00:19:53,708 --> 00:19:55,958 Some of you will be freaked out by this. 400 00:19:56,042 --> 00:19:57,417 Let me just say this. 401 00:19:57,500 --> 00:20:00,667 Be freaked out by this! 402 00:20:00,750 --> 00:20:02,208 Satan and demons are real. 403 00:20:02,292 --> 00:20:04,250 They're really at work in the world. 404 00:20:04,333 --> 00:20:06,833 The nations, the false kings, the false religions, 405 00:20:06,917 --> 00:20:09,417 the false prophets, the false apostles, 406 00:20:09,500 --> 00:20:13,042 the servants of darkness are real. 407 00:20:13,125 --> 00:20:15,542 And so is Jesus. 408 00:20:15,625 --> 00:20:18,667 Be concerned. 409 00:20:18,750 --> 00:20:21,125 Be aware. 410 00:20:21,208 --> 00:20:23,917 But do not be afraid. 411 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:28,042 Instead, realize, even from the story of this man, 412 00:20:28,125 --> 00:20:32,000 though Satan and demons are at work, Jesus is more powerful. 413 00:20:32,083 --> 00:20:34,125 Jesus is more authoritative. 414 00:20:34,208 --> 00:20:36,958 When Jesus commands them to leave, they must. 415 00:20:37,042 --> 00:20:39,708 So we love and worship and serve Jesus. 416 00:20:39,792 --> 00:20:43,000 And we walk soberly and we walk humbly and we walk repentantly, 417 00:20:43,083 --> 00:20:46,000 but we don't walk filled with fear. 418 00:20:46,083 --> 00:20:48,500 We can't. 419 00:20:48,583 --> 00:20:51,125 The story then continues. 420 00:20:51,208 --> 00:20:53,083 That not only are there two kings, 421 00:20:53,167 --> 00:20:56,125 there are two kingdoms at war in this cosmic, 422 00:20:56,208 --> 00:20:59,625 epic battle that we are born into. 423 00:20:59,708 --> 00:21:01,417 Luke 11:17-20. 424 00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:03,458 "But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, 425 00:21:03,542 --> 00:21:06,875 "'Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, 426 00:21:06,958 --> 00:21:08,667 "'and a divided household falls. 427 00:21:08,750 --> 00:21:11,167 "'And if Satan also is divided against himself, 428 00:21:11,250 --> 00:21:13,083 "'how will his kingdom stand? 429 00:21:13,167 --> 00:21:15,958 "'For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 430 00:21:16,042 --> 00:21:18,250 "'And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, 431 00:21:18,333 --> 00:21:21,292 by whom do your sons,'" the Jewish exorcists, 432 00:21:21,375 --> 00:21:22,875 "'cast them out? 433 00:21:22,958 --> 00:21:24,292 "'Therefore they will be your judges. 434 00:21:24,375 --> 00:21:27,958 "'But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, 435 00:21:28,042 --> 00:21:29,417 then the kingdom,'" there it is, 436 00:21:29,500 --> 00:21:31,583 "'of God has come upon you.'" 437 00:21:31,667 --> 00:21:34,042 So Jesus casts the demon out of the mute man. 438 00:21:34,125 --> 00:21:37,208 He is healed and the people are rendering a verdict in their 439 00:21:37,292 --> 00:21:40,625 own hearts and minds, is Jesus good or evil? 440 00:21:40,708 --> 00:21:42,208 And Jesus knows their thoughts. 441 00:21:42,292 --> 00:21:45,042 Do you know that Jesus knows your thoughts? 442 00:21:45,125 --> 00:21:48,292 Jesus to this day still knows our thoughts. 443 00:21:48,375 --> 00:21:50,000 He knew their thoughts. 444 00:21:50,083 --> 00:21:51,917 And looking at them, he said, 445 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,667 "I know exactly what you're thinking. 446 00:21:53,750 --> 00:21:56,000 "You're wondering whether or not I'm good or evil, 447 00:21:56,083 --> 00:21:58,375 "whether I work for the God of the Bible 448 00:21:58,458 --> 00:22:00,375 or the lord of the underworld." 449 00:22:00,458 --> 00:22:03,458 And he said, "It doesn't make any sense for you to think 450 00:22:03,542 --> 00:22:06,333 that I cast out a demon using evil power." 451 00:22:06,417 --> 00:22:07,958 Here's his point. 452 00:22:08,042 --> 00:22:11,042 Why would--why would a servant of Satan cast out 453 00:22:11,125 --> 00:22:13,792 another servant of Satan? 454 00:22:13,875 --> 00:22:16,083 Doesn't make any sense at all. 455 00:22:16,167 --> 00:22:18,792 Why would an American soldier shoot an American soldier? 456 00:22:18,875 --> 00:22:21,125 Doesn't make any sense at all. 457 00:22:21,208 --> 00:22:23,500 Jesus says, "You just saw me command the demon away 458 00:22:23,583 --> 00:22:25,125 "and he left. 459 00:22:25,208 --> 00:22:27,625 "The demon was doing a really good job harming someone. 460 00:22:27,708 --> 00:22:30,583 "If I work for Satan, I would give him a promotion, 461 00:22:30,667 --> 00:22:33,000 "not a pink slip. 462 00:22:33,083 --> 00:22:36,750 He's doing a good job. This doesn't make any sense." 463 00:22:36,833 --> 00:22:39,750 He says, "So you don't deny the fact that I have 464 00:22:39,833 --> 00:22:41,417 "spiritual authority over demons. 465 00:22:41,500 --> 00:22:44,333 Now you have to ask yourself, where does it come from?" 466 00:22:44,417 --> 00:22:48,125 And he says, "I cast out demons by the finger of God." 467 00:22:48,208 --> 00:22:51,583 Matthew 12:28 gives this same account and it says that he 468 00:22:51,667 --> 00:22:55,083 cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit. 469 00:22:55,167 --> 00:22:58,542 So the finger of God is the metaphor for the person and work 470 00:22:58,625 --> 00:23:01,125 of the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. 471 00:23:01,208 --> 00:23:04,583 God is not a man, the Bible says, but this is an analogy. 472 00:23:04,667 --> 00:23:06,417 It's what we call an anthropomorphism. 473 00:23:06,500 --> 00:23:09,292 It's where God speaks to us in human language. 474 00:23:09,375 --> 00:23:12,083 John Calvin called it "baby talk." 475 00:23:12,167 --> 00:23:15,375 God's trying to talk to us in a way that we understand 476 00:23:15,458 --> 00:23:18,667 and it's like God the Father's reaching down into human history 477 00:23:18,750 --> 00:23:22,583 to serve us and liberate us and the finger of God reaching down 478 00:23:22,667 --> 00:23:25,375 to us is the presence and power of the third member 479 00:23:25,458 --> 00:23:27,958 of the Trinity, God the Holy Spirit. 480 00:23:28,042 --> 00:23:29,792 So here's the truth. 481 00:23:29,875 --> 00:23:32,417 Demons have to obey Jesus and the Holy Spirit 482 00:23:32,500 --> 00:23:34,958 has the authority to command them away. 483 00:23:35,042 --> 00:23:37,125 This is really good news for the Christian, 484 00:23:37,208 --> 00:23:39,500 really, really good news for the Christian. 485 00:23:39,583 --> 00:23:43,250 That if we are in Christ, his victory is our victory. 486 00:23:43,333 --> 00:23:46,417 He died and rose to take away our sin and take away 487 00:23:46,500 --> 00:23:51,958 Satan's right to us and demons' access into us. 488 00:23:52,042 --> 00:23:55,917 Furthermore, the same presence and power of the Holy Spirit 489 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,875 that was at work in the life of Jesus is at work 490 00:23:59,958 --> 00:24:01,833 in the child of God. 491 00:24:01,917 --> 00:24:03,750 So this is fantastic. 492 00:24:03,833 --> 00:24:06,583 So by being positionally in Jesus and practically filled 493 00:24:06,667 --> 00:24:09,583 with the Spirit, we can command Satan and demons to leave us 494 00:24:09,667 --> 00:24:11,042 and they must. 495 00:24:11,125 --> 00:24:13,958 It doesn't take a priest. It doesn't take holy water. 496 00:24:14,042 --> 00:24:16,292 It doesn't take a crucifix. 497 00:24:16,375 --> 00:24:19,042 It doesn't take something goofy like "Rosemary's Baby" 498 00:24:19,125 --> 00:24:20,875 or "The Exorcist." 499 00:24:20,958 --> 00:24:23,333 It takes somebody who belongs to Jesus repenting of sin, 500 00:24:23,417 --> 00:24:26,125 filled with the Holy Spirit, saying, "In the name of Jesus, 501 00:24:26,208 --> 00:24:28,458 I command you to depart from me." 502 00:24:28,542 --> 00:24:31,875 And because of his authority and the finger of God in our life, 503 00:24:31,958 --> 00:24:34,208 they must obey, not because we are great, 504 00:24:34,292 --> 00:24:37,208 but because our God is great; not because we have authority, 505 00:24:37,292 --> 00:24:39,417 but because he has all authority; 506 00:24:39,500 --> 00:24:42,208 not because we rule and reign, but because we belong 507 00:24:42,292 --> 00:24:44,083 to the one who does. 508 00:24:44,167 --> 00:24:46,000 That's the good news. 509 00:24:46,083 --> 00:24:48,958 And so Jesus tells them, "How in the world does this make 510 00:24:49,042 --> 00:24:55,042 any sense unless I am working on behalf of God as God." 511 00:24:56,417 --> 00:24:59,458 And he says, "This is evidence of the kingdom," 512 00:24:59,542 --> 00:25:04,833 that this world was built, created, constructed very good. 513 00:25:04,917 --> 00:25:08,625 And then Satan, sin, and death came into it and we aligned 514 00:25:08,708 --> 00:25:11,917 with our enemy through sin, folly, and rebellion. 515 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,167 And our God is a king who is bringing his kingdom to bear 516 00:25:15,250 --> 00:25:17,500 upon the nations of the earth. 517 00:25:17,583 --> 00:25:21,125 And here the kingdom of God is intersecting in the life 518 00:25:21,208 --> 00:25:25,083 of this man in the presence of these people. 519 00:25:25,167 --> 00:25:26,625 And it's all about the kingdom. 520 00:25:26,708 --> 00:25:30,125 We have a king who is coming to establish a kingdom. 521 00:25:30,208 --> 00:25:31,917 His name is Jesus. 522 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,833 So there are two kings. There are two kingdoms. 523 00:25:34,917 --> 00:25:36,625 And ultimately, there are two armies. 524 00:25:36,708 --> 00:25:38,583 Luke 12:21-23. 525 00:25:38,667 --> 00:25:41,375 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, 526 00:25:41,458 --> 00:25:44,500 "his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him 527 00:25:44,583 --> 00:25:46,583 "and overcomes him, he takes away his armor 528 00:25:46,667 --> 00:25:49,000 "in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 529 00:25:49,083 --> 00:25:51,500 "Whoever is not with me is against me. 530 00:25:51,583 --> 00:25:55,042 Whoever does not gather with me scatters." 531 00:25:55,125 --> 00:25:57,333 Jesus uses analogy. 532 00:25:57,417 --> 00:26:01,583 You're living in the middle of a battlefield. 533 00:26:01,667 --> 00:26:05,042 You live near the frontline of a war. 534 00:26:05,125 --> 00:26:08,792 And this war is raging. 535 00:26:08,875 --> 00:26:11,750 And you are trying to defend your home. 536 00:26:11,833 --> 00:26:15,958 You're trying to keep invaders from coming in and taking over. 537 00:26:16,042 --> 00:26:19,958 So you decide, "I will establish myself as a strong man. 538 00:26:20,042 --> 00:26:21,375 "I'm gonna get a bulletproof vest. 539 00:26:21,458 --> 00:26:24,042 "I'm gonna get a gun. I'm gonna get a dog. 540 00:26:24,125 --> 00:26:25,625 "I'm gonna get a security system. 541 00:26:25,708 --> 00:26:27,708 "I'm gonna get all the seasons of '24.' 542 00:26:27,792 --> 00:26:29,125 "I'm gonna take Jack Bauer notes. 543 00:26:29,208 --> 00:26:31,000 It's gonna be lockdown at my place." 544 00:26:31,083 --> 00:26:33,125 And you defend your place for a while 545 00:26:33,208 --> 00:26:36,000 and none of the invading forces get into your home. 546 00:26:36,083 --> 00:26:39,042 But then one day, you look out and there's a guy comin' 547 00:26:39,125 --> 00:26:41,792 and you know it's gonna be a loss for you. 548 00:26:41,875 --> 00:26:45,125 He's big with a tank and a black hawk helicopter 549 00:26:45,208 --> 00:26:47,333 and a rocket launcher and a bunch of soldiers 550 00:26:47,417 --> 00:26:51,042 and you realize, "My house is now sieged. 551 00:26:51,125 --> 00:26:52,708 "I am taken. 552 00:26:52,792 --> 00:26:55,917 This is the day that I lose." 553 00:26:56,000 --> 00:27:00,833 What you need at that point is someone to defend you, 554 00:27:00,917 --> 00:27:04,542 someone bigger and stronger and tougher than you are because 555 00:27:04,625 --> 00:27:08,167 you have come to an end regarding your own abilities. 556 00:27:08,250 --> 00:27:11,500 And what he is saying is this, that Satan and demons 557 00:27:11,583 --> 00:27:13,292 are stronger than you. 558 00:27:13,375 --> 00:27:15,042 They're more powerful than you. 559 00:27:15,125 --> 00:27:19,958 They've observed human behavior and mannerism for thousands of 560 00:27:20,042 --> 00:27:24,417 years, since the first parents of ours walked the earth. 561 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:28,125 They have tricks and tactics and they have soldiers, 562 00:27:28,208 --> 00:27:30,917 spiritually speaking, in the battle. 563 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,042 You can't win. 564 00:27:33,125 --> 00:27:35,333 You can't defeat Satan with morality. 565 00:27:35,417 --> 00:27:37,583 You can't defeat Satan with spirituality. 566 00:27:37,667 --> 00:27:39,792 You can't defeat Satan with religion because 567 00:27:39,875 --> 00:27:42,792 he invented those things. 568 00:27:42,875 --> 00:27:45,125 Those are all demonic deceptions, 569 00:27:45,208 --> 00:27:48,500 thinking that somehow you can beat Satan by being spiritual. 570 00:27:48,583 --> 00:27:52,042 Spirituality without the love of Jesus is the worship of demons. 571 00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:53,708 That actually makes it worse. 572 00:27:53,792 --> 00:27:55,833 That's why we're not into spirituality. 573 00:27:55,917 --> 00:27:57,417 We're into Jesus. 574 00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:00,417 If you just pick a spiritual life and worship a spiritual 575 00:28:00,500 --> 00:28:03,500 being and open yourself to a spiritual power, 576 00:28:03,583 --> 00:28:06,708 you are by definition just inviting destruction 577 00:28:06,792 --> 00:28:09,583 and your enemy. 578 00:28:09,667 --> 00:28:12,042 You need someone stronger than you. 579 00:28:12,125 --> 00:28:13,625 You need someone to defend you. 580 00:28:13,708 --> 00:28:16,042 You need someone to liberate you, to redeem you, 581 00:28:16,125 --> 00:28:18,000 to come and set you free. 582 00:28:18,083 --> 00:28:19,750 His name is Jesus. 583 00:28:19,833 --> 00:28:21,458 Jesus is the strong man. 584 00:28:21,542 --> 00:28:23,042 Jesus is the king. 585 00:28:23,125 --> 00:28:24,667 Jesus brings the kingdom. 586 00:28:24,750 --> 00:28:27,708 And Jesus is the one who doesn't even need an army. 587 00:28:27,792 --> 00:28:32,167 He himself defeats the army of darkness all by himself. 588 00:28:32,250 --> 00:28:34,375 And he does this through his death. 589 00:28:34,458 --> 00:28:36,333 He does this through his resurrection. 590 00:28:36,417 --> 00:28:39,250 He does this through his open, public spectacle, 591 00:28:39,333 --> 00:28:42,083 defeat of Satan and demons. 592 00:28:42,167 --> 00:28:45,292 That's what Colossians 2:13-15 says. 593 00:28:45,375 --> 00:28:49,125 Jesus went to the cross and there he won our victory. 594 00:28:49,208 --> 00:28:52,000 And Satan has no right to the children of God because his 595 00:28:52,083 --> 00:28:55,750 right to us is through our sin, but Jesus dies for our sin, 596 00:28:55,833 --> 00:29:00,000 cancels our debt, and sets us free. 597 00:29:00,083 --> 00:29:04,125 Now, number one, do you belong to Jesus? 598 00:29:04,208 --> 00:29:06,792 Are you a Christian or a non-Christian? 599 00:29:06,875 --> 00:29:09,125 Spirituality is demonology. 600 00:29:09,208 --> 00:29:11,250 Do you know Jesus? 601 00:29:11,333 --> 00:29:13,167 Number two, are you repenting of sin? 602 00:29:13,250 --> 00:29:15,167 Are you walking with Jesus? 603 00:29:15,250 --> 00:29:18,167 Are you living in relationship with him? 604 00:29:18,250 --> 00:29:21,333 And number three, are you using your exercised authority 605 00:29:21,417 --> 00:29:23,375 in Christ? 606 00:29:23,458 --> 00:29:25,500 Are you commanding unclean people, beings, 607 00:29:25,583 --> 00:29:29,083 spirits to be away from you? 608 00:29:29,167 --> 00:29:32,583 If not, you're inviting defeat. 609 00:29:32,667 --> 00:29:36,958 Two kings, two kingdoms, two armies, and two battlefields. 610 00:29:37,042 --> 00:29:38,750 Luke 11:24-26. 611 00:29:38,833 --> 00:29:41,500 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, 612 00:29:41,583 --> 00:29:43,542 "it passes through waterless places 613 00:29:43,625 --> 00:29:45,333 "seeking rest, and finding none it says, 614 00:29:45,417 --> 00:29:48,167 "'I will return to my house from which I came.' 615 00:29:48,250 --> 00:29:51,333 "And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 616 00:29:51,417 --> 00:29:54,042 "Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil 617 00:29:54,125 --> 00:29:56,167 "than itself, and they enter and dwell there. 618 00:29:56,250 --> 00:29:59,708 And the last state of that person is worse than the first." 619 00:29:59,792 --> 00:30:01,250 Here's the analogy. 620 00:30:01,333 --> 00:30:04,250 You were made with a soul, so you have a spiritual, 621 00:30:04,333 --> 00:30:08,333 immaterial part of you called a soul and a physical, 622 00:30:08,417 --> 00:30:11,458 material part of you called a body. 623 00:30:11,542 --> 00:30:15,000 And your soul was meant to be Spirit-filled. 624 00:30:15,083 --> 00:30:18,583 That's why Genesis 2:7 says that when God created the first man, 625 00:30:18,667 --> 00:30:22,042 our father Adam, he breathed his spirit into him 626 00:30:22,125 --> 00:30:25,042 and the man became a living being. 627 00:30:25,125 --> 00:30:30,125 But because of sin, we are not filled by the Spirit of God and 628 00:30:30,208 --> 00:30:34,542 that vacancy is sometimes filled with unclean spirits, demons. 629 00:30:34,625 --> 00:30:37,125 For the non-Christian, this means actually that you can come 630 00:30:37,208 --> 00:30:40,792 to the point where you so yield yourself that your identity, 631 00:30:40,875 --> 00:30:44,000 your personality, your decision-making, your appetites, 632 00:30:44,083 --> 00:30:46,583 your longings, and your lifestyle are dominated 633 00:30:46,667 --> 00:30:50,458 by your enemy. 634 00:30:50,542 --> 00:30:52,750 See, in America, we call this freedom. 635 00:30:52,833 --> 00:30:57,125 It's actually slavery. 636 00:30:57,208 --> 00:31:00,958 For the Christian, you cannot be controlled, mastered, owned, 637 00:31:01,042 --> 00:31:06,458 filled by a demon, but you can be influenced through succumbing 638 00:31:06,542 --> 00:31:11,083 to temptation and believing lies and habitually practicing 639 00:31:11,167 --> 00:31:14,292 sinful unrepentance. 640 00:31:14,375 --> 00:31:17,250 And Jesus here uses an analogy like a home. 641 00:31:17,333 --> 00:31:20,125 So back to the big analogy, there's this epic, 642 00:31:20,208 --> 00:31:22,833 cosmic battle raging. 643 00:31:22,917 --> 00:31:25,042 And you and I are born into the war, 644 00:31:25,125 --> 00:31:29,125 but we're born on the side of folly and rebellion and death. 645 00:31:29,208 --> 00:31:32,208 We need to be born again onto the side of victory and Jesus 646 00:31:32,292 --> 00:31:34,667 and forgiveness and life. 647 00:31:34,750 --> 00:31:38,125 And it is as if our home, where we live and dwell, 648 00:31:38,208 --> 00:31:40,958 this could be our physical home and also the body 649 00:31:41,042 --> 00:31:45,000 which we inhabit, it is right in the midst of the battle. 650 00:31:45,083 --> 00:31:49,667 So to use Jesus' analogy, assume that you live in a home. 651 00:31:49,750 --> 00:31:52,333 See yourself, picture yourself, position yourself 652 00:31:52,417 --> 00:31:57,917 living in a home in the midst of a war. 653 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,917 And you do not secure your home. 654 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,917 You leave the windows open at night. 655 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:04,917 You leave the door open. 656 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:08,792 You're very foolish and unguarded. 657 00:32:08,875 --> 00:32:12,000 One morning, you come down and sitting on the couch 658 00:32:12,083 --> 00:32:14,458 is a soldier. 659 00:32:14,542 --> 00:32:17,917 One of the soldiers in the midst of this battle has decided 660 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:19,750 he's gonna live at your house. 661 00:32:19,833 --> 00:32:22,750 Tired of sleeping on a cot, in a tent. 662 00:32:22,833 --> 00:32:26,125 And so when he feels like it, he shows up at your house. 663 00:32:26,208 --> 00:32:28,042 He eats what's in your fridge. 664 00:32:28,125 --> 00:32:29,875 He sleeps in your bed. 665 00:32:29,958 --> 00:32:35,000 He's decided that he's gonna be your roommate. 666 00:32:35,083 --> 00:32:39,042 And at first, it's not that bad. 667 00:32:39,125 --> 00:32:41,958 But after awhile, it gets very bad. 668 00:32:42,042 --> 00:32:43,958 He becomes abusive. 669 00:32:44,042 --> 00:32:49,042 He becomes harmful, becomes terrifying, becomes threatening. 670 00:32:49,125 --> 00:32:53,708 You feel unsafe and you realize, "I have to-- 671 00:32:53,792 --> 00:32:55,417 "I have to kick him out. 672 00:32:55,500 --> 00:32:58,792 I can't live with this forever." 673 00:32:58,875 --> 00:33:03,208 And somehow, some way, 674 00:33:03,292 --> 00:33:08,792 you kick him out and he leaves. 675 00:33:08,875 --> 00:33:11,375 But you're foolish. 676 00:33:11,458 --> 00:33:13,583 You don't shut the windows. 677 00:33:13,667 --> 00:33:15,333 You don't lock the door. 678 00:33:15,417 --> 00:33:17,333 You don't secure the house. 679 00:33:17,417 --> 00:33:20,333 Eventually, the soldier goes out looking for another place to 680 00:33:20,417 --> 00:33:26,417 stay and he realizes, "Where I was was a pretty good place. 681 00:33:27,917 --> 00:33:32,125 "Now, if I go back there, I could get kicked out again, 682 00:33:32,208 --> 00:33:35,458 "so I need to go get seven buddies and we're gonna take 683 00:33:35,542 --> 00:33:40,542 "siege of that home and we're gonna overwhelm that resident 684 00:33:40,625 --> 00:33:43,250 "and then it'll be our house and we can live there 685 00:33:43,333 --> 00:33:49,333 and do whatever we want and he can't stop us." 686 00:33:51,167 --> 00:33:57,083 For some of you, this parable illustrates your life. 687 00:33:57,167 --> 00:34:02,125 There is something dark in your life that you are living with, 688 00:34:02,208 --> 00:34:05,833 but it is destroying you. 689 00:34:05,917 --> 00:34:07,833 It could be a sin proclivity. 690 00:34:07,917 --> 00:34:09,750 It could be an unclean spirit. 691 00:34:09,833 --> 00:34:12,708 It is someone or something that works in alignment 692 00:34:12,792 --> 00:34:15,292 with Satan to destroy you. 693 00:34:15,375 --> 00:34:17,000 And you come to the conclusion, 694 00:34:17,083 --> 00:34:19,250 "I can't live with this any longer. 695 00:34:19,333 --> 00:34:21,208 I need to get rid of this." 696 00:34:21,292 --> 00:34:25,167 And so you get rid of it, but you don't invite the Holy Spirit 697 00:34:25,250 --> 00:34:28,000 to take up residence in your life. 698 00:34:28,083 --> 00:34:30,833 To use the analogy, you don't invite the Holy Spirit 699 00:34:30,917 --> 00:34:35,167 to move in. 700 00:34:35,250 --> 00:34:37,792 See, some of you have tried self-help, self-esteem, 701 00:34:37,875 --> 00:34:39,750 which is just pride. 702 00:34:39,833 --> 00:34:42,667 You've tried morality. You've tried religion. 703 00:34:42,750 --> 00:34:44,167 You've tried spirituality. 704 00:34:44,250 --> 00:34:46,333 You've tried doing better. 705 00:34:46,417 --> 00:34:49,708 You've tried doing harder. 706 00:34:49,792 --> 00:34:52,250 You've tried to be more disciplined and more productive 707 00:34:52,333 --> 00:34:55,042 and more serious and more devout. 708 00:34:55,125 --> 00:35:01,125 And for awhile, you clean out your house. 709 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,833 But you don't know how to defend and protect it. 710 00:35:04,917 --> 00:35:08,042 So for some of you, the story of your life is this. 711 00:35:08,125 --> 00:35:11,042 It started pretty good and then it got bad. 712 00:35:11,125 --> 00:35:14,125 But then I made a change and it got better. 713 00:35:14,208 --> 00:35:17,583 And then it got worse. 714 00:35:17,667 --> 00:35:20,542 Then it got worse. 715 00:35:20,625 --> 00:35:23,167 Why is that? 716 00:35:23,250 --> 00:35:25,458 Because you can acknowledge there's a problem, 717 00:35:25,542 --> 00:35:28,625 you can clean out the proverbial house, but if the Holy Spirit, 718 00:35:28,708 --> 00:35:31,542 the strong one does not move in to defend you, 719 00:35:31,625 --> 00:35:34,917 the guy comes back with seven friends. 720 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,125 How many of you, that's your life? 721 00:35:37,208 --> 00:35:39,167 So that makes sense, doesn't it? 722 00:35:39,250 --> 00:35:42,250 Your life was bad. It got better. 723 00:35:42,333 --> 00:35:47,583 And then it got really bad because your enemy 724 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:52,750 has access and opportunity and you--friends, 725 00:35:52,833 --> 00:35:55,625 you cannot protect yourself from Satan and demons. 726 00:35:55,708 --> 00:36:01,625 They are more wise, powerful, shrewd, and capable than you. 727 00:36:01,708 --> 00:36:03,208 So here's a prayer. 728 00:36:03,292 --> 00:36:04,917 This is not a mantra. 729 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,000 You don't need to write the words down, 730 00:36:07,083 --> 00:36:09,083 but you need to get the big idea. 731 00:36:09,167 --> 00:36:10,667 Here's a prayer that I pray. 732 00:36:10,750 --> 00:36:12,667 Your pastor prays this all the time. 733 00:36:12,750 --> 00:36:15,875 I pray out of Luke 11 all the time. 734 00:36:15,958 --> 00:36:18,958 My wife would tell you every night I snuggle up in bed, 735 00:36:19,042 --> 00:36:22,375 I kiss her, I hold my wife, and I literally pray for our home 736 00:36:22,458 --> 00:36:26,083 and I pray for my body as the home of the Holy Spirit. 737 00:36:26,167 --> 00:36:28,083 And I start with repentance of sin. 738 00:36:28,167 --> 00:36:30,292 Father God, I'm convicted. 739 00:36:30,375 --> 00:36:32,375 Whatever the sin may be in that moment, 740 00:36:32,458 --> 00:36:34,000 I'm convicted of this sin. 741 00:36:34,083 --> 00:36:36,417 Thank you, Holy Spirit, for telling me of this sin 742 00:36:36,500 --> 00:36:38,417 so that I could repent of it. 743 00:36:38,500 --> 00:36:41,167 Thank you, Jesus, for dying for it. 744 00:36:41,250 --> 00:36:45,000 And I pray, Father God, please close all the windows 745 00:36:45,083 --> 00:36:46,583 that I've opened. 746 00:36:46,667 --> 00:36:48,958 Lock the door that I have left unsecured. 747 00:36:49,042 --> 00:36:50,958 I command the enemy, his servants, 748 00:36:51,042 --> 00:36:53,375 and their works and effects to depart from me, 749 00:36:53,458 --> 00:36:57,083 to depart from my home, to depart from my life, 750 00:36:57,167 --> 00:37:00,708 to depart from our family, to depart from our church 751 00:37:00,792 --> 00:37:04,250 in the victorious name of Jesus. 752 00:37:04,333 --> 00:37:07,083 And Holy Spirit, I invite you to dwell in me. 753 00:37:07,167 --> 00:37:09,083 I invite you to dwell in us. 754 00:37:09,167 --> 00:37:12,417 I invite you to keep us clean and to make us like Jesus 755 00:37:12,500 --> 00:37:15,208 and to protect us from our enemies. 756 00:37:15,292 --> 00:37:18,958 I pray that prayer all the time, that my sin would be forgiven, 757 00:37:19,042 --> 00:37:20,958 that my life would be cleaned up, 758 00:37:21,042 --> 00:37:23,875 and that the Holy Spirit would take up residence 759 00:37:23,958 --> 00:37:27,917 and that he would be my defender and protector. 760 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:33,250 I've been praying this way offensively for 20 years. 761 00:37:33,333 --> 00:37:38,083 And God has repeatedly answered that prayer. 762 00:37:38,167 --> 00:37:39,875 You need to pray offensively. 763 00:37:39,958 --> 00:37:42,917 You need to pray biblically. 764 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:47,708 And you need to examine your own life and ask questions like, 765 00:37:47,792 --> 00:37:49,958 "What windows do I leave open? 766 00:37:50,042 --> 00:37:51,750 "What doors do I not lock? 767 00:37:51,833 --> 00:37:53,833 "What things have I tried to clean up, 768 00:37:53,917 --> 00:37:56,833 "but have not invited the Holy Spirit to replace? 769 00:37:56,917 --> 00:38:01,417 And in so doing, how have I invited seven more demons?" 770 00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:04,042 I've had many meetings with people where they say, 771 00:38:04,125 --> 00:38:07,625 "I just want you to get rid of this unclean thing in my life." 772 00:38:07,708 --> 00:38:10,042 And sometimes these are people who have night terrors, 773 00:38:10,125 --> 00:38:12,083 they hear voices, they see things, demonic manifestations, 774 00:38:12,167 --> 00:38:15,708 very obvious demonic presence in their life. 775 00:38:15,792 --> 00:38:18,125 I'll say, "But do you want to live for Jesus? 776 00:38:18,208 --> 00:38:20,792 "Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit? 777 00:38:20,875 --> 00:38:22,208 Do you want to obey God?" 778 00:38:22,292 --> 00:38:24,000 And their answer is often, "Not really. 779 00:38:24,083 --> 00:38:26,667 I just want to get rid of the bad thing." 780 00:38:26,750 --> 00:38:30,125 "Well, I can't help you then because that would not be helpful. 781 00:38:30,208 --> 00:38:33,125 "All we would do is clean up the house and invite 782 00:38:33,208 --> 00:38:36,000 seven more enemies to take up residence." 783 00:38:36,083 --> 00:38:39,750 There are two battlefields. 784 00:38:39,833 --> 00:38:41,458 One is in your home. 785 00:38:41,542 --> 00:38:44,000 The other is in your life. 786 00:38:44,083 --> 00:38:47,000 And there are two choices to make, dear friend. 787 00:38:47,083 --> 00:38:48,833 Luke 11:27-28. 788 00:38:48,917 --> 00:38:51,250 "As he said these things, a woman in the crowd 789 00:38:51,333 --> 00:38:53,125 "raised her voice and said to him, 790 00:38:53,208 --> 00:38:55,875 "'Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts 791 00:38:55,958 --> 00:38:57,458 "'at which you nursed!' 792 00:38:57,542 --> 00:38:59,958 "But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear 793 00:39:00,042 --> 00:39:01,750 the word of God and keep it!'" 794 00:39:01,833 --> 00:39:04,542 In hearing and seeing all of this, a woman cries forth, 795 00:39:04,625 --> 00:39:08,167 "Jesus, your mother, Mary, she's blessed to have you as a son." 796 00:39:08,250 --> 00:39:11,833 The truth is, we all want to live in such a way that people 797 00:39:11,917 --> 00:39:14,917 will say that our mother is blessed because we love 798 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:17,083 and serve and honor God and our mom. 799 00:39:17,167 --> 00:39:18,917 And ladies, isn't it true? 800 00:39:19,000 --> 00:39:21,792 If God made you the mother of Jesus like Mary was, 801 00:39:21,875 --> 00:39:23,958 wouldn't that be a great honor and a blessing? 802 00:39:24,042 --> 00:39:26,083 What a great honor and a blessing. 803 00:39:26,167 --> 00:39:29,542 Jesus says, "I have a means by which you can be more blessed 804 00:39:29,625 --> 00:39:34,167 than my mom, more blessed than Mary." 805 00:39:34,250 --> 00:39:36,958 How can that be? Two things. 806 00:39:37,042 --> 00:39:40,167 Hear the Word of God and keep it, or obey it. 807 00:39:40,250 --> 00:39:43,958 Hear the Word of God and keep it, or obey it. 808 00:39:44,042 --> 00:39:46,375 Because what? 809 00:39:46,458 --> 00:39:48,375 Faith comes by what, friends? 810 00:39:48,458 --> 00:39:49,917 Hearing the Word of God. 811 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,708 You say, "Why does Mark yell at me for an hour?" 812 00:39:52,792 --> 00:39:54,875 'Cause Mark deeply loves you. 813 00:39:54,958 --> 00:39:57,000 He really does. 814 00:39:57,083 --> 00:40:00,292 Hebrews 4, Ephesians 6 says that the Bible, 815 00:40:00,375 --> 00:40:02,208 the Word of God, is what? 816 00:40:02,292 --> 00:40:04,000 It's a sword. 817 00:40:04,083 --> 00:40:05,875 So you're born into a battle. 818 00:40:05,958 --> 00:40:07,333 You have a great enemy. 819 00:40:07,417 --> 00:40:10,000 You need a mighty weapon. 820 00:40:10,083 --> 00:40:13,125 And faith comes by hearing the Word of God. 821 00:40:13,208 --> 00:40:15,958 It's how you become familiar with the sword, 822 00:40:16,042 --> 00:40:19,208 so that when the enemy lies to you, say, "No, that's a lie. 823 00:40:19,292 --> 00:40:21,042 God's Word is true." 824 00:40:21,125 --> 00:40:23,125 When you're tempted, you say, "No, no, no. 825 00:40:23,208 --> 00:40:26,000 That's my enemy. That's not my ally." 826 00:40:26,083 --> 00:40:29,083 When you would be accused of past sin that Jesus died for, 827 00:40:29,167 --> 00:40:31,208 thinking that you were unforgiven, the answer is, 828 00:40:31,292 --> 00:40:34,500 "No, all my sins are covered in Christ." 829 00:40:34,583 --> 00:40:37,250 Friends, the sword is no good if you do not learn 830 00:40:37,333 --> 00:40:38,958 how to wield it. 831 00:40:39,042 --> 00:40:42,750 And so, in hearing, we take hold of the Word of God and, obeying, 832 00:40:42,833 --> 00:40:45,000 we use it for battle. 833 00:40:45,083 --> 00:40:48,208 When your enemy comes to you, it is the Word of God 834 00:40:48,292 --> 00:40:49,708 which protects you. 835 00:40:49,792 --> 00:40:52,750 We see this illustrated all the way back in Luke 4, 836 00:40:52,833 --> 00:40:55,375 when Satan comes to Jesus, tempts and tests him, 837 00:40:55,458 --> 00:40:58,500 and Jesus repeatedly quotes from what book of the Bible? 838 00:40:58,583 --> 00:41:00,042 Deuteronomy. 839 00:41:00,125 --> 00:41:02,083 From memory. 840 00:41:02,167 --> 00:41:05,125 Jesus knows the Word of God well, so when the enemy comes, 841 00:41:05,208 --> 00:41:06,917 he is ready. 842 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:08,958 He is ready to defend himself. 843 00:41:09,042 --> 00:41:13,042 So it is exceedingly important that you know the Word of God 844 00:41:13,125 --> 00:41:14,708 and obey it. 845 00:41:14,792 --> 00:41:18,375 James, Jesus' brother, in the book bearing his name says it this way: 846 00:41:18,458 --> 00:41:21,167 "Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. 847 00:41:21,250 --> 00:41:22,792 Do what it says." 848 00:41:22,875 --> 00:41:26,375 So for us, Sundays tend to be about hearing the Word of God 849 00:41:26,458 --> 00:41:29,667 and community group and life during the week on mission 850 00:41:29,750 --> 00:41:33,167 tend to be the doing of the hearing of the Word of God. 851 00:41:33,250 --> 00:41:37,375 They go together, absolutely, inextricably. 852 00:41:37,458 --> 00:41:38,958 How's it going? 853 00:41:39,042 --> 00:41:42,583 This is why we want you to hear the preaching of God's Word. 854 00:41:42,667 --> 00:41:46,375 We want you to listen to the Bible recorded, to redeem your commute and workout. 855 00:41:46,458 --> 00:41:49,375 We want you to listen to good Bible preachers and teachers. 856 00:41:49,458 --> 00:41:51,458 We want you to listen to good classes 857 00:41:51,542 --> 00:41:53,083 that teach you the Bible. 858 00:41:53,167 --> 00:41:55,250 We want you to hear the Word of God, 859 00:41:55,333 --> 00:41:57,667 but Satan and demons hear the Word of God 860 00:41:57,750 --> 00:42:01,333 and the differentiation between a worshiper and a demon is the obedience. 861 00:42:01,417 --> 00:42:02,833 We don't just listen. 862 00:42:02,917 --> 00:42:04,875 We obey. 863 00:42:04,958 --> 00:42:07,583 We act in faith, out of trust. 864 00:42:07,667 --> 00:42:10,833 We fight our enemy. 865 00:42:10,917 --> 00:42:15,500 How's it going? How's it going? 866 00:42:15,583 --> 00:42:18,125 Let me end with three questions for you to consider 867 00:42:18,208 --> 00:42:21,292 in your community group and with your family. 868 00:42:21,375 --> 00:42:24,125 Number one, where are the evidences of the enemy's work 869 00:42:24,208 --> 00:42:25,833 in your life? 870 00:42:25,917 --> 00:42:30,708 Where are the evidences of the enemy's work in your life? 871 00:42:30,792 --> 00:42:35,000 See, in the storyline of Luke, not everything is blamed on 872 00:42:35,083 --> 00:42:37,083 Satan and demons, so we can't blame everything 873 00:42:37,167 --> 00:42:39,500 on Satan and demons. 874 00:42:39,583 --> 00:42:41,917 But some things are blamed on Satan and demons, 875 00:42:42,000 --> 00:42:45,333 so we have to blame some things on Satan and demons and we need 876 00:42:45,417 --> 00:42:48,792 discernment to distinguish what is just the result of human sin, 877 00:42:48,875 --> 00:42:51,000 but what is the result of demonic oppression, 878 00:42:51,083 --> 00:42:53,042 attack, or possession? 879 00:42:53,125 --> 00:42:54,750 Again, we've seen it repeatedly. 880 00:42:54,833 --> 00:42:57,917 Luke 4, Luke 8, Luke 9, Luke 11. 881 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,208 In the storyline of the life of Jesus, 882 00:43:00,292 --> 00:43:03,167 Satan and demons are involved. 883 00:43:03,250 --> 00:43:06,042 Satan and demons are involved in your life. 884 00:43:06,833 --> 00:43:09,625 Satan and demons are involved in your life. 885 00:43:10,417 --> 00:43:13,750 Satan and demons are involved in your life. 886 00:43:13,833 --> 00:43:15,375 Where? 887 00:43:15,458 --> 00:43:18,375 Where have they been at work? Where are they at work? 888 00:43:18,458 --> 00:43:20,042 What lies are they telling you? 889 00:43:20,125 --> 00:43:23,417 What temptations are seducing you? 890 00:43:23,500 --> 00:43:27,000 What vain regrets are destroying you? 891 00:43:27,083 --> 00:43:30,625 What false spirituality is tempting you? 892 00:43:30,708 --> 00:43:34,375 Where is religion binding you? 893 00:43:34,458 --> 00:43:38,458 Where have the enemy and his servants been at work 894 00:43:38,542 --> 00:43:40,167 in your life? 895 00:43:40,250 --> 00:43:43,208 Where are the enemy and his servants at work in your life? 896 00:43:43,292 --> 00:43:45,958 They're there. Look for them. 897 00:43:46,042 --> 00:43:48,958 Don't blame everything on them, but ascribe to them 898 00:43:49,042 --> 00:43:51,542 that which they merit. 899 00:43:51,625 --> 00:43:55,750 And this comes with deep passion and love for you as your pastor. 900 00:43:55,833 --> 00:43:59,125 And it comes out of a recent conversation I had with a woman, 901 00:43:59,208 --> 00:44:01,833 who Jesus does love and she does love Jesus, 902 00:44:01,917 --> 00:44:04,458 but she had become very discouraged and very depressed 903 00:44:04,542 --> 00:44:08,000 and very dissuaded and she had lost sight of the goodness 904 00:44:08,083 --> 00:44:11,000 and the glory of God. 905 00:44:11,083 --> 00:44:13,083 It's because she was being demonically, 906 00:44:13,167 --> 00:44:15,625 spiritually attacked and oppressed. 907 00:44:15,708 --> 00:44:20,583 And she only had two categories, herself or God. 908 00:44:20,667 --> 00:44:23,125 Those were her only two categories to consider 909 00:44:23,208 --> 00:44:25,500 everything in her whole life. 910 00:44:25,583 --> 00:44:29,458 So some days she would think, "Well, it's all me. I'm cursed or crazy." 911 00:44:29,542 --> 00:44:32,167 Cursed meaning there's no hope for me. 912 00:44:32,250 --> 00:44:34,208 I'm just cursed. 913 00:44:34,292 --> 00:44:37,250 And she would see things and hear things and she would be 914 00:44:37,333 --> 00:44:40,083 attacked and see manifestations and she had a history 915 00:44:40,167 --> 00:44:42,792 of demonic spirituality. 916 00:44:42,875 --> 00:44:45,958 Some of you ladies are here, your past is in Wicca. 917 00:44:46,042 --> 00:44:48,250 Some of you come from cultic backgrounds. 918 00:44:48,333 --> 00:44:50,750 Some of you have thought that spirituality is helpful 919 00:44:50,833 --> 00:44:53,000 and you didn't know about demonology. 920 00:44:53,083 --> 00:44:55,208 That was her history. 921 00:44:55,292 --> 00:44:57,292 She thought, "I'm cursed or I'm crazy. 922 00:44:57,375 --> 00:44:59,042 "I'm making stuff up. 923 00:44:59,125 --> 00:45:00,583 "I'm sick in the head. 924 00:45:00,667 --> 00:45:03,625 "I'm seeing, thinking, hearing things that are untrue 925 00:45:03,708 --> 00:45:05,208 and I'm losing my mind." 926 00:45:05,292 --> 00:45:07,292 And then other days, she would put everything 927 00:45:07,375 --> 00:45:09,708 into the second box of it must be God. 928 00:45:09,792 --> 00:45:12,583 So maybe God is evil, God is cruel, God is mean, 929 00:45:12,667 --> 00:45:14,667 God is against me, God hasn't chosen me, 930 00:45:14,750 --> 00:45:16,708 God doesn't forgive me, God doesn't love me, 931 00:45:16,792 --> 00:45:18,792 God has abandoned me, God has betrayed me, 932 00:45:18,875 --> 00:45:21,750 or God would like to help me, but God is impotent 933 00:45:21,833 --> 00:45:26,000 and incompetent and incapable of delivering me. 934 00:45:26,083 --> 00:45:29,833 And she would literally start to go crazy trying to figure out 935 00:45:29,917 --> 00:45:32,000 all the problems and pain points in her life. 936 00:45:32,083 --> 00:45:33,625 "Is it me or God?" 937 00:45:33,708 --> 00:45:35,625 And the truth is the third category, 938 00:45:35,708 --> 00:45:38,000 hear the Word of God and obey it, 939 00:45:38,083 --> 00:45:41,292 the Word of God gives us a third category, Satan and demons. 940 00:45:41,375 --> 00:45:43,958 All right, I told her, "You're not crazy or cursed 941 00:45:44,042 --> 00:45:46,042 "and God is not evil or impotent. 942 00:45:46,125 --> 00:45:48,000 "Satan is real. Demons are real. 943 00:45:48,083 --> 00:45:51,833 "They're at work in your life. You're being attacked. 944 00:45:51,917 --> 00:45:55,125 "You're not crazy. You're not abandoned. 945 00:45:55,208 --> 00:45:57,208 "You're in war. 946 00:45:57,292 --> 00:46:03,000 That's why you're bleeding and suffering and crying and dying." 947 00:46:03,083 --> 00:46:05,125 Where is Satan? 948 00:46:05,208 --> 00:46:09,792 Where are demons at work in your life? 949 00:46:09,875 --> 00:46:13,000 Where have you not even considered the third category 950 00:46:13,083 --> 00:46:15,125 that the Bible clearly, repeatedly, 951 00:46:15,208 --> 00:46:19,083 emphatically gives you? 952 00:46:19,167 --> 00:46:24,083 Number two, how have you aided your enemy? 953 00:46:24,167 --> 00:46:29,417 How have you participated with him? 954 00:46:29,500 --> 00:46:31,667 Some of you say, "I belong to Jesus. 955 00:46:31,750 --> 00:46:33,667 I don't participate with Satan." 956 00:46:33,750 --> 00:46:36,000 You can belong to Jesus and participate with Satan. 957 00:46:36,083 --> 00:46:39,042 Peter did, the leader of the disciples. 958 00:46:39,125 --> 00:46:41,417 Jesus looked at him on one occasion and said, 959 00:46:41,500 --> 00:46:43,667 "Get behind me, Satan." 960 00:46:43,750 --> 00:46:45,917 Was Satan possessing Peter? 961 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:48,583 No, but he was influencing Peter and Peter was somehow, 962 00:46:48,667 --> 00:46:51,083 in that moment, complicit with his enemy. 963 00:46:51,167 --> 00:46:53,833 And Jesus saw it. 964 00:46:53,917 --> 00:46:55,458 I'll give you a strange analogy. 965 00:46:55,542 --> 00:46:58,542 Again, back to one of my earlier points that when I talk 966 00:46:58,625 --> 00:47:01,458 about spirit beings, some people get very confused. 967 00:47:01,542 --> 00:47:05,167 So I like to talk about human beings to illustrate a point 968 00:47:05,250 --> 00:47:07,833 of how people work, beings work. 969 00:47:07,917 --> 00:47:12,917 And then we can apply it to spirit beings as well. 970 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:15,417 So let me give you a human analogy that then 971 00:47:15,500 --> 00:47:18,417 has a spiritual implication. 972 00:47:18,500 --> 00:47:22,000 You ever heard of something called the Stockholm Effect? 973 00:47:22,083 --> 00:47:24,125 Get the dates right here. 974 00:47:24,208 --> 00:47:26,708 August 23rd to 28th, 1973. 975 00:47:26,792 --> 00:47:31,917 In Stockholm, Sweden, a bank was open, doing its business. 976 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:37,917 And thieves rushed the bank, seized it, took it over, 977 00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:43,917 and held the teller and the bank workers hostage. 978 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:48,000 According to the report, they strapped dynamite, explosives, 979 00:47:48,083 --> 00:47:52,708 bombs on the bank workers and they ushered them into a vault 980 00:47:52,792 --> 00:47:55,833 and they held them for five days. 981 00:47:55,917 --> 00:48:00,000 Five days. 982 00:48:00,083 --> 00:48:03,125 And they threatened their life. 983 00:48:03,208 --> 00:48:05,208 But eventually, they were redeemed, to use the language 984 00:48:05,292 --> 00:48:06,708 of the Bible. 985 00:48:06,792 --> 00:48:08,250 They were liberated. They were delivered. 986 00:48:08,333 --> 00:48:10,125 They were set free. 987 00:48:10,208 --> 00:48:13,083 And what happened was some of the people who had been held 988 00:48:13,167 --> 00:48:16,625 hostage and captive, they were in that torment condition 989 00:48:16,708 --> 00:48:19,167 that I explained at the beginning of the sermon. 990 00:48:19,250 --> 00:48:22,167 They actually defended their captors. 991 00:48:22,250 --> 00:48:24,500 "Do we have to testify against them in court? 992 00:48:24,583 --> 00:48:26,417 They're not all bad people." 993 00:48:26,500 --> 00:48:29,792 You know--what? 994 00:48:29,875 --> 00:48:32,208 And the psychologists, the sociologists, 995 00:48:32,292 --> 00:48:34,917 and the case workers, they're all very confused. 996 00:48:35,000 --> 00:48:40,000 "They strapped explosives to you and held you captive 997 00:48:40,083 --> 00:48:42,083 "for five days. 998 00:48:42,167 --> 00:48:44,083 "How could you defend them? 999 00:48:44,167 --> 00:48:47,458 How could you become sympathetic toward them?" 1000 00:48:47,542 --> 00:48:51,542 And they were so mesmerized by this that they created something 1001 00:48:51,625 --> 00:48:54,625 called the Stockholm Syndrome. 1002 00:48:54,708 --> 00:48:56,875 They said that sometimes people who are in 1003 00:48:56,958 --> 00:49:00,417 abusive relationships, they become sympathetic toward, 1004 00:49:00,500 --> 00:49:03,792 affectionate with their captors. 1005 00:49:03,875 --> 00:49:06,167 See, this is true in human relationships. 1006 00:49:06,250 --> 00:49:08,167 Let me tell you this as well. 1007 00:49:08,250 --> 00:49:11,042 Having been in pastoral ministry for over 14 years now, 1008 00:49:11,125 --> 00:49:14,167 it's true in spiritual relationships as well. 1009 00:49:14,250 --> 00:49:18,083 See, 'cause what happens in a situation like that, 1010 00:49:18,167 --> 00:49:24,000 someone is in the position of lord or god or king or ruler. 1011 00:49:24,083 --> 00:49:26,167 And when they're up in that position, 1012 00:49:26,250 --> 00:49:27,750 they literally rule as lord. 1013 00:49:27,833 --> 00:49:29,958 They'll decide, do you live, do you die? 1014 00:49:30,042 --> 00:49:32,750 Do you sleep or stay awake? Do you eat or starve? 1015 00:49:32,833 --> 00:49:35,125 Are you free or are you in bondage? 1016 00:49:35,208 --> 00:49:37,500 They literally are like a god. 1017 00:49:37,583 --> 00:49:39,292 They rule over you. 1018 00:49:39,375 --> 00:49:42,167 And so what you try to do is appease them. 1019 00:49:42,250 --> 00:49:44,958 You try to become friends with them or make them happy 1020 00:49:45,042 --> 00:49:47,583 or not set them off. 1021 00:49:47,667 --> 00:49:50,417 And then, once in a while, they'll do something that is 1022 00:49:50,500 --> 00:49:52,208 seemingly nice for you and you think, 1023 00:49:52,292 --> 00:49:55,292 "Okay, they're not altogether bad." 1024 00:49:55,375 --> 00:49:58,708 This is why police will tell you that the most dangerous call is 1025 00:49:58,792 --> 00:50:01,292 a domestic violence call. 1026 00:50:01,375 --> 00:50:03,125 Cops get a call, they'll go out. 1027 00:50:03,208 --> 00:50:06,750 Let's say, for example, they go up to the door and a woman 1028 00:50:06,833 --> 00:50:09,125 answers the door and she's covered in tears and sweat 1029 00:50:09,208 --> 00:50:11,250 and snot and blood. 1030 00:50:11,333 --> 00:50:14,000 "What happened, ma'am?" "Well, he assaulted me." 1031 00:50:14,083 --> 00:50:15,500 "Who did?" 1032 00:50:15,583 --> 00:50:17,292 "Well, my boyfriend, who lives with me." 1033 00:50:17,375 --> 00:50:19,125 "Okay, well, thank you very much. 1034 00:50:19,208 --> 00:50:21,375 We need to speak to him, perhaps arrest him." 1035 00:50:21,458 --> 00:50:24,375 Turn your back on the woman and she'll shoot the cop. 1036 00:50:24,458 --> 00:50:25,958 Say, "Why would she do that? 1037 00:50:26,042 --> 00:50:27,833 Why would she defend her abuser?" 1038 00:50:27,917 --> 00:50:32,792 Because the human heart is prone to deception. 1039 00:50:32,875 --> 00:50:38,417 And Satan is a deceiver, so he deceives. 1040 00:50:38,500 --> 00:50:42,167 See, human beings are prone to deception. 1041 00:50:42,250 --> 00:50:44,042 You're a human being. 1042 00:50:44,125 --> 00:50:47,417 Ergo, you're prone to deception. 1043 00:50:47,500 --> 00:50:49,833 And we can look at the Stockholm Syndrome 1044 00:50:49,917 --> 00:50:52,875 or we can look at a battered woman and say, "That's crazy. 1045 00:50:52,958 --> 00:50:55,125 "How could you not see this as an abusive, 1046 00:50:55,208 --> 00:50:59,042 tormenting relationship?" 1047 00:50:59,125 --> 00:51:04,500 Yet we all lose perspective in our own life and some of us 1048 00:51:04,583 --> 00:51:08,708 think Satan isn't that bad, sin isn't that evil, 1049 00:51:08,792 --> 00:51:13,958 darkness isn't that dark, and God isn't that good. 1050 00:51:14,042 --> 00:51:19,958 I talked to one woman who was a battered woman and she said, 1051 00:51:20,042 --> 00:51:23,625 "Well, he wasn't always bad and I think maybe he cared about me 1052 00:51:23,708 --> 00:51:25,625 and he did do some nice things." 1053 00:51:25,708 --> 00:51:27,375 I said, "Like what?" 1054 00:51:27,458 --> 00:51:29,000 She actually said this. 1055 00:51:29,083 --> 00:51:33,458 She said, "Well, he let me live." 1056 00:51:33,542 --> 00:51:36,542 "He's not supposed to kill you." 1057 00:51:36,625 --> 00:51:39,333 But for her, not being killed was a gift, 1058 00:51:39,417 --> 00:51:42,750 so she thought that that was affection. 1059 00:51:42,833 --> 00:51:46,125 See, Satan is a murderer. Satan is a liar. 1060 00:51:46,208 --> 00:51:49,625 Satan is a deceiver. Satan is an abuser. 1061 00:51:49,708 --> 00:51:53,250 Satan has people in a condition of torment. 1062 00:51:53,333 --> 00:51:57,750 And then we, because of our own self-deception, 1063 00:51:57,833 --> 00:52:03,167 we can begin to view him in a position as lord to where 1064 00:52:03,250 --> 00:52:06,125 we actually become sympathetic toward him 1065 00:52:06,208 --> 00:52:07,958 and complicit with him. 1066 00:52:08,042 --> 00:52:09,917 Remember the story of Patty Hearst? 1067 00:52:10,000 --> 00:52:11,875 Maybe you remember that story? 1068 00:52:11,958 --> 00:52:14,208 She was taken hostage for 2 months. 1069 00:52:14,292 --> 00:52:16,458 She was held against her will. 1070 00:52:16,542 --> 00:52:19,083 And then she participated in a bank robbery, 1071 00:52:19,167 --> 00:52:22,000 helping her captors. 1072 00:52:22,083 --> 00:52:25,125 People ask, "Why?" 1073 00:52:25,208 --> 00:52:29,042 Because of the proclivity of human beings to be deceived. 1074 00:52:29,125 --> 00:52:31,375 You know what? 1075 00:52:31,458 --> 00:52:35,458 Some of you have been taken captive by Satan. 1076 00:52:35,542 --> 00:52:37,458 You're being tormented by him. 1077 00:52:37,542 --> 00:52:39,625 You're in an ongoing abusive relationship, 1078 00:52:39,708 --> 00:52:44,542 spiritually speaking, and you know what? 1079 00:52:44,625 --> 00:52:48,125 You're participating with your enemy. 1080 00:52:48,208 --> 00:52:50,000 And so that leads to my third point. 1081 00:52:50,083 --> 00:52:52,667 Will you command the enemy to leave, repent of sin, 1082 00:52:52,750 --> 00:52:57,750 and invite the Holy Spirit? 1083 00:52:59,208 --> 00:53:01,792 Let me test this. 1084 00:53:01,875 --> 00:53:04,875 Do you really want to get rid of all of your sin? 1085 00:53:04,958 --> 00:53:06,375 All of it. 1086 00:53:06,458 --> 00:53:10,750 Your favorite sin, your secret sin, your most pleasurable sin. 1087 00:53:10,833 --> 00:53:12,625 Yes or no? 1088 00:53:12,708 --> 00:53:16,833 You see, the truth is most of us have a list with all of our sin 1089 00:53:16,917 --> 00:53:20,917 on it and we want to go to Jesus and check all the boxes of sin 1090 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:23,917 that we want removed and leave the boxes unchecked of sin 1091 00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:28,375 that we prefer and enjoy. 1092 00:53:28,458 --> 00:53:29,917 We say, "You know what? 1093 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:34,875 I want most of my sin gone, but I want to keep a little bit." 1094 00:53:34,958 --> 00:53:40,292 Do you want to know the truth and obey all of God's Word? 1095 00:53:40,375 --> 00:53:44,125 Or likewise, similarly, do you want all of the verses 1096 00:53:44,208 --> 00:53:47,292 of the Bible listed and you want to check all the boxes, saying, 1097 00:53:47,375 --> 00:53:49,458 "Well, Jesus, I believe in all of this, 1098 00:53:49,542 --> 00:53:52,250 "but there's a few things that if we could just ignore 1099 00:53:52,333 --> 00:53:55,250 "or edit or avoid, I would like to not heed 1100 00:53:55,333 --> 00:53:57,500 those portions of your Word." 1101 00:53:57,583 --> 00:54:01,125 Do you want to just be a Christian or do you also want 1102 00:54:01,208 --> 00:54:03,958 a little other spirituality or religion intertwined 1103 00:54:04,042 --> 00:54:07,333 and intermixed, a few practices or beliefs that have 1104 00:54:07,417 --> 00:54:09,750 really little to nothing to do with the Bible, 1105 00:54:09,833 --> 00:54:12,042 but for you they're something that you prefer? 1106 00:54:12,125 --> 00:54:13,875 You have an appetite for them. 1107 00:54:13,958 --> 00:54:15,917 Do you want to walk in full disclosure, 1108 00:54:16,000 --> 00:54:19,000 repenting of all of your sin, or do you want to walk 1109 00:54:19,083 --> 00:54:21,625 in partial disclosure, also having a private, secret life, 1110 00:54:21,708 --> 00:54:24,042 where Satan is a friend of yours, 1111 00:54:24,125 --> 00:54:28,250 but only on occasion that conveniences you? 1112 00:54:30,042 --> 00:54:32,917 Do you want nothing but light, or do you like 1113 00:54:33,000 --> 00:54:34,708 a little darkness? 1114 00:54:34,792 --> 00:54:36,208 Do you want nothing but holiness, 1115 00:54:36,292 --> 00:54:38,000 or do you want a little sin? 1116 00:54:38,083 --> 00:54:41,625 Do you want nothing but truth, or do you enjoy a few lies? 1117 00:54:41,708 --> 00:54:43,333 Jesus says, "You're not for me. 1118 00:54:43,417 --> 00:54:46,125 You're against me." 1119 00:54:46,208 --> 00:54:48,958 And he tells you that because he loves you. 1120 00:54:49,042 --> 00:54:54,000 And he is telling us through this text that there is 1121 00:54:54,083 --> 00:54:58,958 a cosmic, epic battle raging, and that you and I are born 1122 00:54:59,042 --> 00:55:03,792 into it on the side of Satan and demons, at war against God. 1123 00:55:03,875 --> 00:55:09,042 And Jesus comes as our liberator and our deliverer. 1124 00:55:09,125 --> 00:55:13,250 And he dies in our place for our sins as our savior and he rises 1125 00:55:13,333 --> 00:55:15,792 in triumphant victory. 1126 00:55:15,875 --> 00:55:19,292 And he releases us from bondage and captives are set free 1127 00:55:19,375 --> 00:55:25,375 and some of us, we don't want to run. 1128 00:55:28,458 --> 00:55:32,667 We want to look back. We want to go back. 1129 00:55:32,750 --> 00:55:36,292 Or we want to have a little bit of God and a little bit 1130 00:55:36,375 --> 00:55:40,125 of Satan, a little bit of obedience and a little bit of 1131 00:55:40,208 --> 00:55:43,708 disobedience, a little bit of darkness, a little bit of light, 1132 00:55:43,792 --> 00:55:46,208 a little bit of truth, a little bit of lies. 1133 00:55:46,292 --> 00:55:49,042 And Jesus says, "You're either for me or against me." 1134 00:55:49,125 --> 00:55:55,042 So dear friend, who will you choose, Jesus or Satan? 1135 00:55:55,125 --> 00:55:57,042 There's no third category. 1136 00:55:57,125 --> 00:56:01,458 There's no other opportunity. 1137 00:56:01,542 --> 00:56:04,708 If you're so willing, I'd invite you now to bow your head 1138 00:56:04,792 --> 00:56:08,292 and to pray with me. 1139 00:56:08,375 --> 00:56:10,208 You can pray out loud. 1140 00:56:10,292 --> 00:56:16,292 Father God, I confess that you alone are creator. 1141 00:56:18,958 --> 00:56:24,625 Lord Jesus, thank you for dying for me. 1142 00:56:24,708 --> 00:56:28,208 Thank you for delivering me. 1143 00:56:28,292 --> 00:56:33,125 Thank you for rising for me. 1144 00:56:33,208 --> 00:56:37,125 Lord Jesus, I repent of all my sin. 1145 00:56:37,208 --> 00:56:41,083 I repent of all lies. 1146 00:56:41,167 --> 00:56:44,042 I repent of all darkness. 1147 00:56:44,125 --> 00:56:47,958 I repent of all religion. 1148 00:56:48,042 --> 00:56:52,333 I repent of all spirituality. 1149 00:56:52,417 --> 00:56:58,125 And I invite you, Holy Spirit, to fill me. 1150 00:56:58,208 --> 00:57:02,042 In Jesus' name, Amen.