Greater is He That Is In You Than He That is in the World! - Mark 3
Verses of the Day
Jesus Appoints the Twelve
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons.
Commentary
When Jesus healed a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath, the Pharisees were so angry with Jesus they started to plot against him with Herodians to kill him. Wow! This is only chapter 3, and they want to kill him. It shows how dark their hearts were. Here a man is healed and all they can think of is to look for a way to take him out.
The crowds started flocking to Jesus and closing in on him, because he had healed so many. If I was sick, I would want to get to Jesus too! Even those who where afflicted with "impure spirits", which were demons, were delivered by Jesus. You will see throughout Mark there is a big focus on the authority Jesus has over demons. Demons are those who serve Satan and do everything they can to disrupt Jesus and the coming of His kingdom.
It's interesting that the demons were the first to say that Jesus was the "Son of God". He ordered them not to tell anyone, because he still had a lot of work to do. He knew as the word about him got out, he would have not have as much time.
But then a turning point comes in Jesus' ministry. Jesus started to transition from doing all the ministry, to appointing the 12 disciples to do the same things he was doing. Please don't miss this. Jesus appointed them to do what?
1.They would be with him. These 12 would accompany the rest of his earthly ministry. His purpose was to teach them what he was doing so that when he left they could continue his mission on earth.
2. He appointed them to preach. What did they preach? The same thing Jesus did, "Repent for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near!" We often think of repentance only in terms of giving up our sinful nature, which it is. But it is also giving up those things to spend time pursuing His kingdom coming on earth as it is heaven. Importantly Jesus gives us His authority and power to do all of this.
3. He appointed them with the authority to drive out demons. Although we also know from other gospels, he also gave them authority to heal the sick, in Mark the focus in on the demonic realm. I
Paul reminds the Ephesians in 6:12, their battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual powers authorities.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Make no mistake about it, the devil and his demons have powers. They are supernatural beings. They are angels that fell out of heaven. How many are there?
While the Bible does not give a specific number, many interpretations based on Revelation 12:4 suggest that one-third of the angels fell from Heaven with Lucifer. Other sources indicate the exact count is unknown, with, however, some theories suggesting thousands or even billions.
Importantly Jesus gives us the authority to cast out demons. Why? Because we do so in the authority of Jesus' name. We have no inherent power in ourselves to battle the devil, but we have the Spirit of the resurrected Jesus living in side of us. When we pray to deliver someone from demons we pray, "In the name of Jesus be gone!"
Application for Life
1. Have you ever realized you have the authority to cast out demons?
2. This seem very strange to you, and we don't talk about it at church much. It is hard to discern if someone is being afflicted by demons. Christians can't be possessed by the devil, but they can be afflicted by his demons. You don't need to be afraid the devil or his demons.
3. If you have a sense the devil is afflicting you, you can rebuke him in Jesus' name.
We have to be careful not have give the devil credit for everything bad that happens to us in our in the world. Our own sinful nature and the evil in the world, which is controlled by Satan are responsible for a lot of the pain, violence, and death we see. But if we take Paul seriously we are all in a spiritual battle, as we seek to be an effective Christian. The devil doesn't waste time on "lukewarm Christians", but those who are defeating his purposes on earth.
But here is the Good News. Jesus defeated the devil and all his dark angels once and for all on the cross. While they can harass us until Jesus returns, we can win every spiritual battle.
1 As we wait for Jesus to return we can along to this promise from John, the apostle whom Jesus loved.
"Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world!" 1 John 4:4
Prayer of the Day
Jesus, as we pray in the prayer you taught us, "Deliver us from the evil one!" Thank you that you have given us power over the evil one and his dominions. Protect and deliver us from the powers and authorities of this present darkness, so that we can proclaim your kingdom come and the victory you have won defeating sin, death, and the power of the devil. Amen.
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