W5D4 Getting Back What Is Yours

READ THE BIBLE

Luke 11:14

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, ‘By Beelzebul,(the Devil), the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.’ Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: ‘Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul... But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ‘When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder…

John 10:10

The thief (Devil) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ‘I (Jesus) am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.’

REFLECT ON WHAT IT MEANS

John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night some hostile local people surrounded his house, intent on burning it down and killing the couple inside. Paton and his wife prayed during that terror-filled night that God would rescue them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the leader of that group became a follower of Jesus. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked him what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The man replied in surprise, "Who were all those men with you there?" Paton knew there has been no other men around. Their leader said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the house.

Spiritual things and spiritual beings are real. That’s the Bible, that’s Jesus and that’s the church then and now! In the Paton’s story, we could easily identify the unusual people the attackers saw as angels. (We can find them in the Bible accounts about Jesus.) There are also other spiritual beings that are opposed to God and to people. The Bible tells us that Jesus spent a lot of his time driving out these evil spirits, or demons, from people’s lives.

Like the Devil himself, these spiritual forces or beings, want to take from us the things in life that God wants us to have. Good things like health, confidence, peace and really flourishing in life (that is, prosperity).

In our Bible reading today, Jesus is driving out an evil spirit that has robbed man of his health. Its effect has caused the man to lose the ability to speak. Jesus recognises that, in this case, an evil spirit is the cause. He orders the spirit to leave, which it does and then the man can begin to speak. You would think everyone would be happy about this, but some aren’t. They accuse Jesus of getting his power from the Devil, since this is all so unfamiliar to them. Jesus says this is untrue, and he points out that to overcome someone you have to be more powerful than they are. If not, the best you could hope for would be a “draw.”

So to get rid of demons he must be stronger than they are in order be able to overpower them. Since this is what happens, it proves his power is greater and can only come from God.

In our other reading, Jesus is very clear what he wants for us. He has come to give us the best, most fulfilling life possible. On the other hand, the Devil only wants to steal anything good that God has given us. That includes our health, our finances, our relationships, our peace and our joy in life. This is all part of the reason Jesus died for us on the cross.

Back to our first reading; Jesus says he is powerful enough to come to a well-guarded house and defeat the enemy’s guard on the door. Then he, (and we), can take back all that was stolen and kept under guard in that house. We may not be strong enough to go in, but Jesus is. This is what happens when Jesus drives the evil spirit from a person’s life.

These days, many churches including this one, still encourage us to look to this important ministry of Jesus. Even with modern medical knowledge, we believe there is still a place for people to be set free from spiritual things that grip their lives and rob them of the good things that God wants for them.

RELATE IT TO YOUR LIFE

Imagine you had been born then, in Jesus’ time. Imagine you met Jesus in person in those days. What do you think he would want to do pray for you? Is there anything good in your life that you feel really robbed of that he could restore? Is there something you feel stuck in and not able to get past? Would he want to remove a spiritual influence of force from your life?

RESPOND WITH A DECLARATION

“When Jesus sets me free, I am really free!”