They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. (Mark 1:21-28 NIV)
When I was serving a church in Houston, a new couple randomly came to church one Sunday. Then, something unexpected happened: They came back! Week after week after week. It was so wonderful to see! So I was scared when they stayed after church one Sunday to talk. “Pastor,” they said, “from the moment we started attending this church, everything has gone wrong. We’ve never had so many struggles.” “Here we go,” I thought. “It’s over. They’re gone.” Except, they continued, “We know why this is happening. It’s the devil! He’s doing everything he can to keep us from God’s Word. But we want you to know that we’re not going to stop coming.” Wow!
I thought of them when I was talking with a man named Ken in Green Bay, WI. Ken dedicated his time serving at a Christian Life Center for pregnant women. He loved teaching the Bible. He would volunteer his time each week teaching Bible studies to the ladies who came to the center. I asked Ken what he taught. Lesson 1 was sin and grace. We are sinners who are saved by God’s grace in Jesus. Yes! Do you know what his Lesson 2 was called? “Spiritual Warfare.” That’s not what I expected. But Ken said, “Pastor, the people I share God’s Word with are attacked by the devil from the moment they start hearing God’s Word. We need to prepare for spiritual warfare.”
He’s right. Are you ready for spiritual warfare? For the devil? It’s real. He’s real. For proof, just read about Jesus’ miracles in the Bible. Jesus did lots of amazing miracles. He fed thousands of people—twice! He calmed storms on the Sea of Galilee two times too. He raised three people from the dead—and then himself! He turned water into wine. So many amazing miracles! But do you know how many times in the Gospel of Mark Jesus drives out demons? Eight times. Eight times! Jesus’ ministry was filled with spiritual warfare. It was a constant battle against the devil.
We hear one of those stories of spiritual warfare today. Our lesson starts out simply enough: “They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach.” Can you keep straight the cities in Jesus’ life? Jesus was born in: Bethlehem. Jesus grew up in: Nazareth. Jesus died and rose in: Jerusalem. Jesus’ home during his ministry was: That’s a little harder. It’s this town: Capernaum. Capernaum was where Peter was from. It became Jesus’ home base for his ministry. Today he’s teaching in the synagogue—the church.
And there was something different about the way Jesus taught: “The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.” Jesus taught with authority. This is so important for us to see today. We live in a world full of skepticism. We live in a society that denies the idea of absolute truth—“What’s true for you isn’t true for me,” right? But not Jesus. When Jesus got up to speak, he didn’t apologize. He didn’t guess or suggest. In the Bible, Jesus is never once recorded as saying, “I think…” Instead, over and over, he says, “Amen. Truly. I tell you the truth!” Jesus taught with authority!
Do you know how the people reacted? “The people were amazed at his teaching…” Amazed. I’ve been thinking about that this week. When was the last time you were amazed at Jesus’ teaching? I hope that happens often! “Surely I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). What? With me? That’s amazing! “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). What? The lost, like me? That’s amazing! “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die” (John 11:25). What? How? That’s amazing! Jesus taught with authority, and when you grasp Jesus’ message for you in God’s Word, it’s amazing!
But it wasn’t just people at church with Jesus that day. Did you hear who else was there? A demon. “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, ‘What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!’” When Jesus walked into that synagogue, the devil was there with his demons. The devil goes to church! Did you know that? The devil goes to church.
You might think that church is a safe place. All good stuff around here, right? Nothing bad. Nothing sinful. Certainly no devil or demons at church! The devil’s down at the club. Or in a dark alley. Or in an abandoned house. Or in a foreign country. Not here at church, right? If we think that, we’re wrong. Actually, we’re in danger. The devil does his worst work at church.
But I don’t see him. Do you? Where’s the devil? Know this: Just like cancer is most dangerous when it’s undetected, the devil is at his worst when he convinces people he doesn’t exist. He’s having a lot of success: Just 25 percent of Christians think that Satan is real and intent on hurting people. Just 25 percent. When the devil convinces us that he doesn’t exist, then he can use his favorite tool to tear us away from Jesus: Lies. Jesus speaks the truth. The devil is the “father of lies” (John 8:44). This past December, the Pope declared that Catholic priests can now bless same-sex unions. In other words, Christians should bless what God calls sinful. That’s the devil at church! Recently, the largest group of Lutherans voted for a doctrinal statement that you can’t know the way to heaven. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism. It’s all the same. Who knows? What an insult to Jesus! That’s the devil at church. Using his lies to rip people from Jesus. Can you see it?
At least he’s not at our church, right? Not! Can you imagine one demon teaching another demon how to tempt people at church? It’d be so easy! “First, get them to think about fun things they’re planning later in the day. Then, get them thinking, ‘I should pay attention.’ Because if they’re thinking, ‘I should pay attention,’ they aren’t paying attention. Get them to look at people who are ‘worse’ than they are to fill them with pride. Then get them to look at ‘good’ people to get them feeling like God couldn’t love them. Make them feel so guilty for their sins that when they hear God’s Word, they don’t believe it’s for them.” Sound familiar? The devil goes to church.
Why? Because the devil hates God. He wants to hurt God. And the devil knows whom God loves more than anything else in the world. Know who it is? You! So the devil goes after you, because he knows the best way to hurt God is to tear his children away from him. There is a roaring lion looking to devour us and our faith in Jesus. Don’t think hell is real? Satan does. He feels the fire. He wants you to suffer with him. That’s why he hates what we’re doing right now: Hearing about Jesus. The devil goes to church, and he’s willing to do anything to take Jesus’ amazing Word away from you. If you’re hearing God’s Word, the devil is going to make your life harder, to keep God’s Word from your ears and your heart. So you go hell. Sound scary? It is. He is!
But Jesus wasn’t scared. I would have been! A demon-possessed man yelling? Jesus wasn’t scared. He said, “‘Be quiet! Come out of him!’ The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.” That’s authority. Just six words. “Be quiet! Come out of him!” Jesus talked to a terrifying demon like you talk to a 2-year old. Because that demon didn’t stand a chance. Not against Jesus. Demons don’t stand a chance against Jesus and his Word.
And they know it. Listen again to what that demon said to Jesus: “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” Those words take us back to the Garden of Eden. To when the devil lied to Eve and got her to sin. Remember what God said to the devil? “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). The Bible’s story is the story of the Snake-crusher. Of the One who came to crush the devil’s head. That’s Jesus! Remember how many demons he drove out? Eight, just in Mark! Proving that the devil can’t win. God saves his people! You have a Savior who is not afraid of demons—not your demons or anybody else’s.
And the dagger—the final blow—was when Jesus died on the cross for you and me. It wasn’t the nails that kept Jesus on the cross. It was God’s love for you. No lie of the devil could keep our God from saving his children. No lie of the devil can change the truth that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). There is no more hell for those who believe in Jesus, because Jesus already suffered it. When Jesus died and rose for us, Satan’s power was crushed. You belong to God now. You are God’s prized possession. You are his.
This is where you say, “What? That’s amazing!” “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, ‘What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.’” What a day to be at church, huh? If you lived in Capernaum, you would not have wanted to miss being at the synagogue that day! Actually, it happens every Sunday. Every time God’s Word is preached and taught, the devil is crushed. Every time sinful hearts hear about Jesus’ salvation, the demons have to flee. Every time anxious souls hear about Jesus’ authority, the devil cringes. You don’t want to miss that. What a day to be at church!
Life is a battle. We need Jesus! Recently, a friend asked me a question on Facebook, “Do we live in a fallen world controlled by Satan or is God in control of the affairs of mankind?” Good question! Who’s in control? Jesus is! So why doesn’t it look that way? As long as this sinful world endures, God allows the devil and his demons to lie and tempt. But in the middle of the spiritual warfare, God tells you the end. Jesus wins! At the very end of the Bible, we hear, “The devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur…. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). The devil’s final end is coming. Jesus wins!
But that day hasn’t come yet. We’re in the middle of spiritual warfare! So here’s the Bible encouragement: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Peter 5:8-9). Be alert. The devil is out there. Even at church. Pray fervently, as if a lion were about to attack you. Like Jesus taught us, “Deliver us from evil!” Read God’s Word constantly, as if it were your defense against your enemy, because it is! Trust God’s promises, like “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Romans 16:20). And remember this: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). The devil goes to church, but he’s no match for Jesus!
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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