Mysty PfefferMark 1 shows us the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the son of God. His message of repentance, the faith required to believe, and his authority are all on display.
John the Baptist prepared the way,
John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Mark 1:4
I think it’s interesting after Jesus’ baptism the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. When he returned, he began driving out demons (spirits). Here are the points I noted:
- The demons knew him and saw his authority.
- He taught the scriptures with authority.
- With a word, the demons came out and Jesus silenced them.
- At once, his fame spread everywhere in the region of Galilee.
- He healed many, and cast out demons.
We know from the scriptures; demons have zero power in the presence of Jesus. They are silenced, sent away, and they even know their ultimate fate of torture for eternity.
But knowing this, the demons have no power to stop their evil acts. Much like lost souls have no desire or power to stop living for themselves and harming others in the process.
The cycle of sin and abuse spiral out of control as demonic activity reigns in the lives of people. Whether they try to escape mentally through pleasure seeking, are driven to eating excessively, buy all the latest trends, or drown themselves in work, the insidious power of evil won’t loosen its grip.
People invite more demons in through their lifestyle choices. Before they know it, the people around them are sucked into the swirling abyss of constant pleasure seeking and escape from pain. Innocent children are affected and turned towards evil too and not by their own choice!
And here we thought the Old Testament was dead and gone.
Nope.
God just chose this place and time to put his Son in the midst of their depraved culture to show us and them who the demons and eventually we—will surrender to.
At the mighty name of Jesus, EVERY knee will bow!
When scriptures like this speak to you and me and God opens our eyes to areas where demonic spirits have more control over our lives than the Holy Spirit, we have hope.
All we have to do is call on him, my friend.
No demon is too big or too strong for Jesus.
If it’s the spirit of anger—hand him over to Jesus.
If it’s the spirit of fear—trust Jesus to meet your needs.
If it’s the spirit of unbelief—-ask for faith to take over instead.
If its’ the spirit of greed, gluttony, power, or selfishness—-sincerely plead with Jesus to reign over your heart in its place.
If it’s sexual sin, confess to him and repent—he is faithful and just to forgive.
No one is above the need for Jesus.
A centurion and a synagogue leader are perfect examples in the Bible of how the strong may become weak. They heard of Jesus’ power and authority to heal spiritual and physical ailments, and both came to him. They understood authority as leaders of men, who were both holding high positions, yet now power to help the people they love.
No matter how important these men were, they came to a place of humility and understood the greater power of God.
In like manner, no matter how important we think we are, eventually we will all come to a place of humility before Jesus, too.
He has been given all authority and all power. The centurion said,
Just say the word and my servant shall be healed. (Mathew 8:8)
I want that kind of faith and confidence. At the same time, I want the humility to surrender my past, my pain, and all my ugliness to him.
You and I have the wholeness of the gospel and the fullness of Jesus to absorb these next few weeks and I pray we understand it as the complex, deep, and abiding word that it is.
In it we will see miracle after miracle, and healing after healing. But we will also see Jesus submitting to Father God’s will.
If we understand that concept as the most important element of worship, I believe we will walk away from this study with unshakable faith.
I look forward to studying with you! Check out the resources on the blog for your physical and spiritual encouragement!
