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Day 19

DRIVE OUT DEMONS!

• SOMETIMES WE MUST DEAL WITH “DEMONIC FORCES”

GOD’S WORD:  Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.  All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub (“lord of the flies”), the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?  And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.  But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Matthew 12:22-28, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How effective was Jesus in “defeating the demonic (diabolic) forces” that kept people from total devotion to the Lord?

2. How convincing was the power of Jesus with the “demon-possessed man” in this gospel narrative?

1. Did the Pharisees actually “deny the power of Jesus” to relieve the suffering of this demon-possessed man?

2. What was the meaning of the “Pharisees’ explanation” to discount the godly power of Jesus to overcome demons?

3. What does the name “Beelzebub” mean and how significant was this name among First Century Jewish people?

4. How did Jesus “answer the argument” of the Pharisees when they insisted Jesus overcame evil powers by even greater evil powers?

GOD’S WORD:   A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.  Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

“O unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered.  “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer. [Many ancient manuscripts add “and fasting” right after “prayer”] (Mark 9:17-29, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. How had this “father tried to get help” for his son’s evil spirit before coming directly to Jesus?

2. What was “Jesus’ reaction to his disciples’ inability” to intervene effectively with the boy’s evil spirit?

3. What all did Jesus say was “possible to accomplish” and under what conditions?

4. What was the question the disciples asked Jesus about “their own ineffective efforts” to help this young man possessed with a demon-possessed?

5. What did Jesus tell His disciples “they needed to do in order to deal more effectively” with evil spirits?

6. “What can I learn” from this gospel narrative?

• FASTING CAN HELP US “OVERCOME THE POWER” OF THE EVIL ONE

GOD’S WORD:  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.  But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.”

Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.  After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 3:16-4:3, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Why did Jesus go out of the city “to John the Baptist” at the Jordan River?

2. Why did “John object” to baptizing Jesus?

3. What was the “reason for Jesus’ baptism” in the Jordan River?

4. How did the “Father respond” to Jesus obedience to baptism?

5. Who led Jesus away “into the wilderness”?

6. Why does the Lord “permit us to be tempted” by the devil?

7. What did Jesus do for “forty days” in the wilderness?

8. How did this prepare Jesus to “overcome temptation”?

GOD’S WORD:   At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.   As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. (Mark 1:9-13, NIV)

REFLECTION-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. “How soon” after His baptism did Jesus go into the wilderness?

2. When Jesus was in the wilderness, “who was right there present trying to distract him” from doing the Father’s will?

3. From whom did Jesus “receive help” in the wilderness?

4. What is my “understanding of angels” and how do they serve the children of God? (Clue: see Hebrews 1:14)

• JESUS’ “FORTY DAY FAST” MAY BE A REFLECTION OF MANY SPIRITUAL VICTORIES

While there are different durations of fasting reported in Scripture (one/half day, one day, three day, seven day, ten day, twenty-one day), the scriptures do seem to assign very special meaning to certain forty-day fasts.

-The Lord purified the sin-cursed world of Noah’s day with 40 days and nights of rain to wipe the planet clean (Genesis 7:4)

-The Lord purified his Old Covenant people in conjunction with Moses’ receiving the Law during a 40 day fast (Exodus 24:15-18)

-The Lord further purified his Old Covenant people of their unbelief with the wilderness wanderings of 40 years (Deuteronomy 2:7; 9:9)

-The Lord purified his Old Covenant people later from their idolatry with 40 years of captivity in Babylon (Ezra 29:11-12)

-The Lord gave the pagan city of Nineveh 40 days to repent or perish after the preaching of Jonah

(Jonah 3:4)

-Jesus purified the Twelve Apostles of their unbelief with 40 days between his resurrection and final ascension (Acts 1:3)

-The historic church has long encouraged the 40 day Lenten Fast leading up to the traditional Resurrection Sunday celebration

• CAN WE “HEAR THE INVITATION OF JESUS,” SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS, TO JOIN HIM IN THE WILDERNESS ALONE FOR FORTY DAYS OF PRAYER AND FASTING?

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