Where have all the demons gone?

Luke 10:17-20

The prophet Isaiah gave the seventy-two disciples some needed information, and they missed most of it, and the sad news is so have we.  Approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus Christ Isaiah proclaimed: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”  (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV)

You may want to cut them some slack, in that 700 years is a long time, but what about you and me.  As I look at my bookshelf it has 32 Bibles or study helps and yet these 72 disciples were part of something bigger than themselves, and much greater than 99 % of us who claim to be a follower of Christ have experienced.  This was their experience: “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”  (Luke 10:17 ESV) These men when under the authority of Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons in the name of Christ, so why do we not see such things in most of our lives?  It’s not complicated, in fact it is simple, the Church, (that is anyone Christ is living in) that Church does not believe in demons anymore, that Church is way too sophisticated to buy into demons, we have given them clinical names and we try to control them with drugs, or we blame them on the society, but never on demons.  Can you contribute the action of Planned Parenthood to anything but demons, would human who are not evil kill children for profit?   Ask this question: When was the last sermon you heard on demon activity in our time, in our culture?

Could it be we need to renew our minds to these truths all found in the New Testament: 1) Jesus Christ has all authority over nature; “And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”  (Matthew 8:27)  2) Jesus Christ has all authority over the Church; “that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”  (Ephesians 1:20-23)  3) Jesus Christ has all authority over Heavenly powers; “who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” (1Peter 3:22)

The question must be asked; do you live life in such a way as to acknowledge Jesus’ authority over these three things listed above?  Now the rest of the story, do you live in such a manner that you go in the authority of Jesus, as you live each day?  I must confess my head knows these truths to be true, but my mind has not been renewed to the point of acting on some of those truths.

This is what Jesus said to them/to us; “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  (Luke 10:18-20 ESV)  Jesus is telling them and us that it is more important to know that our name is written in the Lamb’s book of life, in heaven, than to have the demons submit to us in the authority of His name, as awesome as that is.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice