The Lord’s Messages
- 03/17/2025
The Lord’s Message: The Hands of God Who Casts Out Demons
Date: March 16, 2025
Where: Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference: Luke 9:37-43Last Sunday, we learned about the Hands of God who creates and saves. Jesus was with God when God created the physical world with His hands. Jesus is the Hands of God who walks on the water. Why are we surprised at what Jesus is capable of doing? If Jesus was with God creating the world, then certainly Jesus has power over all creation. We are given a glimpse of how much Jesus loves us when Jesus saved Peter from drowning after Peter had taken his eyes off of Jesus. This proves that Jesus has authority over the physical world.
This Sunday, we are going to learn that Jesus not only has authority over the physical world, but also the spiritual world.
Let us pray.
Before we get into the message, there are three questions that we need to have answered. First, do we believe that the devil and his demons exist. Second, do we believe that Jesus’ hands are able to overcome the devil and his demons. Third, if we believe the first two questions, how does that change our lives?
The word “Satan” appears 27 times in the Old Testament, the word “devil” appears 38 times in the New Testament, and the word “demons or evil spirits” appears 80 times in the Bible. Do you believe what Paul says in Ephesians 6:10-13? According to a 2009 Barna survey, 40% of Christians in the United States believe that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” Only 20% of Christians in the United States believe that Satan is a living being who wants to destroy all that God has created. The other 40% does not believe that Satan exists at all. If you do not believe that there is a spiritual world as well as a physical world, then how are you going to defend yourself against the devil and his demons?
I have a question for those that believe the devil does not exist. How do you interpret scripture readings like the one this morning and others like it? How do you explain what the Bible says? Some might say that it is a medical condition. Yes, it is a medical condition that in this case is caused by the devil and his demons. Now, I do not want to say to you that every medical condition is one that is caused by the devil and his demons. I will say that every medical condition is caused by our broken world. A world broken by our sin. We are going to find out that prayer is essential for healing in all medical conditions.
Let us open our Bibles to Luke 9:37. We are told “the next day when they came down from the mountain.” The “they” referred to here is Jesus, Peter, James, and John. Jesus took these three disciples on the mountain to prove to them that He is the Son of God. Jesus was transfigured (his face and clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning) on the mountain. Jesus was joined by Moses the law giver and Elijah the prophet. Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and God spoke from the cloud and said, “This is my Son, who I have chosen, listen to Him.” Then they were alone with Jesus. Upon coming down the mountain, they were joined by a large crowd who was gathered because of a problem that other disciples were unable to solve.
In verse 38, a father rushes into the crowd, and cries out to Jesus, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.” The child’s problem was that an evil spirit or demon had taken possession of this child. This evil spirit or demon causes the boy to scream, he falls down, his body is thrown into convulsions, and he foams at the mouth. It continues to be with the boy to the point of destroying him.
In a parallel Gospel account Mark 9:14-29,the destruction that the evil spirit or demon is causing the boy is in verse 22. The evil spirit or demon is trying to kill the boy by causing him to fall into the fire and being burnt or to fall into a body of water and being drowned.
From both accounts, we learned that while Jesus was up on the mountainside with Peter, John and James revealing to them that He was the long-awaited Messiah, this father had gone to the rest of the disciples asking for them to heal his son. But they were unable to do this, Mark 9:18b & Luke 9:40. The disciples like all of us, are not able to overcome the devil and his demons by our own hands. The disciples in Mark 9:28 asked Jesus why they could not drive out the demon? Jesus replies in Mark 9:29, “This can come out only by prayer.” In other words, not by my hands, but by God’s hands can demons be cast out. Prayer brings about the supernatural power of God. What we cannot do, God can and does.
Look at verse 42. The boy is convulsing on the ground and Jesus rebukes the evil spirit and heals the boy. Then Jesus gives back to the father a healthy and evil spirit free son. In verse 43, the crowd, the father, and the disciples are all amazed at the work of God.
The disciples must have learned this lesson on how to deal with demons and evil spirits very well. It is only a short time later before they will put into practice what they have learned. In the next chapter, Luke 10:1, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples to preach the Gospel message and to heal the sick, some of which are caused by evil spirits and demons. Jesus gives them instructions to not take with them a bag or purse or even sandals. Just the clothes that they have on their backs. They are to stay in the town if it welcomes them. If not, they are to leave the town and shake the dust off their feet. While in that town, they are to heal the sick and preach the Gospel message.
Look at the results in Luke 10:17. Jesus confirms this in Luke 10:18-19. If they were to forget about who is in charge, Jesus warns them in Luke 10:20. Then in Luke 10:21, Jesus gives the praise and thankfulness to God to whom every one of us should give the praise and thankfulness.
As believers in Jesus Christ, we should remember that every day that we live in a spiritual world as well as in a physical world. There is one in the spiritual world that seeks to destroy all the God has created, including us. That is why Peter says in 1 Peter 5:6-11, we need to be aware of the devil and his schemes and seek the Lord in prayer to overcome him. Jesus is the Hands of God who gives us the power to cast the devil and his demons out.
There will come a day when the devil and his demons will no longer deceive us, tempt us, or lead us astray. We are told this truth in Revelation 20:10. That will be a glorious day, but for now through prayer we have the power to overcome him. This is not accomplished by our hands, but by the Hands of God. The Hands of God will cast out the devil and his demons.
So back to the three questions that I asked you in the beginning. Do we believe that the devil and his demons exist? “Yes!” Do we believe that Jesus through prayer has the power to overcome the devil and his demons? “Yes!” How does knowing this without a shadow of a doubt change our lives? “We have victory through Jesus!” Let us continue to read our Bibles, live the Bible and be the Bible for others. Amen.