Tag: Satan

Bible Studies

“One who is stronger than the strong man has come” The Gospel of Jesus Christ: the book of Mark

Loring Schultz

Read: Mark 3:13-35 NLT – Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles – Bible Gateway

“Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” Mark 3:27 NLT

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In last Sunday’s Biblical Insights Jesus was becoming a notable popular figure. People were coming from all over Israel and some from outside the nation to hear Jesus teach and witness His healing miracles. Many of them came to be healed themselves from whatever affliction they had. This week the teachers of the Law in Jerusalem, the hierarchy of the religious rulers, have begun to take notice as news about Jesus filtered down to them. They make the trip to Capernaum to defy Jesus. These religious rulers accuse Jesus of being in league with Satan stating it was by Satan’s power He was performing these miracles. Jesus uses a simple illustration to prove them wrong.

But first things first. Our reading this week begins with Jesus choosing the rest of His twelve disciples. “Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him.” (Mk.3:13 nlt) Jesus’ choosing of all twelve was according to His sovereign determined purpose, including Judas Iscariot. These disciples minus Judas would go on to set the foundation of the Christian church.

The crowds were continuing to follow Jesus who is now with His disciples. “One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.” (Mk.3:20 nlt) Most likely this was Peter’s and Andrew’s home where they often met. The news of Jesus’ activities apparently was heard in Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown. Jesus’ family had come to Capernaum to get Jesus away from the crowds for some rest. Evidently, they were concerned for His wellbeing. They had thought He had lost His mind. Unfortunately, this showed an attitude of unbelief from those who knew Him best. New Christians today who come to faith in Christ at times come across as crazy, or not in their right mind by those closest to them.

The religious leaders from Jerusalem having arrived try to reason with the crowd telling them, “He’s possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That’s where he gets the power to cast out demons.” (Mk.3:22 nlt) Jesus now uses His illustration to disprove the Jewish leader’s theory. Basically, Jesus is saying if He was working for Satan, why would he be casting out Satan’s demons. Besides, He asked them, “How can Satan cast out Satan? A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse.” (Mk.3:23-24 nlt) Jesus added Satan would be fighting with himself and could not stand.

Jesus then clears up any misunderstanding there may be in His illustration. He refers to Satan as a strong man in his house (his domain). Jesus asks who is strong enough to enter Satan’s domain to tie him up and plunder his goods. There is only one who is stronger, Jesus, and He has come to do just that. Jesus was declaring the kingdom of God has arrived, and He is plundering Satan and releasing those who are under his control. Jesus is not in league with Satan but in combat with him.

When the religious leaders attributed Jesus’ miracles to Satan and that He was possessed by an evil spirit they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus had something to say about that. “I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.” (Mk.3:28-29 nlt) That may sound confusing, after all doesn’t God forgive all sin when confessed? Yes, He does. So, what’s the difference? What Jesus is saying is when one equates spiritual good (the Holy Spirit) with spiritual evil (Satan) it hardens the heart to the point of making repentance and forgiveness impossible. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary notes, “The essence of the eternal sin is the attitude of heart that underlies the act. This is a fixed, unrepentant state of mind that persist in defiant rejection of the Holy Spirit.” (1)

Chapter 3 closes with the changes in human relationships in the kingdom of God. Jesus’ mother and brothers who came to see Him sent word to Him inside requesting to come out and talk with them. Jesus responded, ‘“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?’ Then he looked at those around him and said, ‘Look, these are my mother and brothers.” (Mk.3:33-34 nlt) Jesus was not showing disrespect for His mother or brothers but was teaching us a very important truth about God’s kingdom. Those who know the Lord and are obedient to His will is God’s family. The relationship we have with Christ in the family of God is more important than our human family relationships. Jesus came to set us free from the power of Satan and provide us with eternal life for all who accept Him as their savior, and we are then placed in God’s family. That’s the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

(1) Pfeiffer, Charles F., Harrison, Everett F. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary. Chicago: Moody Press, 1990. Pg 995

Devotionals

Out of Reach of My Enemies

Loring Schultz

“For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.” Psalm 27:5 NLT

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Several of the psalms King David wrote contain some form of prayer. Psalm 27 is one of the prayer psalms. David had many conspirators and enemies plotting against him most of his life. He prayed for God to deliver him from his enemies and was confident the Lord would do so. (Ps.27:1-3) David found sanctuary in the presence of the Lord. He equated God’s presence as being in the house of the Lord. “The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.” (Ps.27:4 nlt) David’s confidence was strengthened in God’s presence for He was David’s stronghold.

David was sure God would protect him concealing him when trouble came and would hide him in His sanctuary. David wrote, “He will place me out of reach on a high rock.” (Ps.27:5b nlt) David was confident God would hide him and place him out of the reach of his enemies. David breaks out in prayer in the rest of psalm praying for deliverance and asking God to lead him on the right path away from his enemies. He acknowledges God would never abandon him and knows he will see God’s goodness as he waits patiently for Him.

David’s psalm should serve as an inspiration for every Christian. We are not aware of who David’s enemies were, but we can conclude they were led by the Satan, the evil one. Christians today have this in common with David, we have the same enemy. We should also have the same confidence David had when we pray that God will protect and hide us by placing us out of Satan’s reach. Even if Satan and his minions see us up on that top shelf in the Lord’s sanctuary, it’s out of their reach. Therefore, be diligent in prayer for Paul tells us, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph.6:12 nlt) Our enemies may be around us, but they are out of reach.

Read: Psalm 27 NLT – Psalm 27 – A psalm of David. The LORD – Bible Gateway

Devotionals

A Powerful Offense in the Home      

Loring Schultz

“I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.” Psalm 101:2b NLT

“But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15 NLT

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash

There is an all-out assault on the family in 2024. It can be debated when the assaults started to occur, and what was the driving force setting it in motion. But there is no debate about the effects of broken families in the current day. Destruction of the family unit is one of Satan’s major goals. He, indeed, is the culprit in the destruction of the family. Satan and his demons are on the lookout for any breach in the family wall that is not fully secure. Defensive shields need to be erected, but more importantly in this case, the best defense is a powerful offense.

The Lord has laid down guidelines for us to follow in the structure of a family. Very simply, God created man in His image, male and female. He instituted marriage between one man and one woman, and children as a blessing creating a family unit. The husband (father) is to be the spiritual head of the family with the wife (mother) spiritual helpmeet to her husband. Both are responsible for bringing their children up in the admonition of the Lord. Simple enough, but there is a lot more to it as most married couples will tell you. Living in a fallen world with Satan shooting his arrows into the family through society’s ills, it’s time to deflect those arrows with a powerful offense of the Word of God and serve Him fully with a whole heart as a family.

King David made a pledge to reign as a righteous king and that started in his own home with his commitment to lead a life of integrity. David knew if he couldn’t live an exemplified life in his home, he would be incapable of leading a nation. He also knew he couldn’t do it without the Lord’s help, leading both his family and the nation. Christian fathers today cannot do it alone either, they need the Lord’s help in leading the family in a spiritual direction serving Christ. Joshua made it clear, as far as he was concerned, he and his family were going to serve the Lord. He knew failing to serve the God of the Bible would lead to all kinds of trouble. We see all kinds of trouble in Christian homes today as a result from the onslaught of the devil. These can be minimized drastically by going on the offense following David’s and Joshua’s offensive strategy for the families and homes.

One final thought: I realized with many broken Christian homes’ family structures vary. There are one-parent families, both men and women. Many Christian women are heads of the household due the father being absent. There are aunts, uncles, and grandparents who have assumed the role of head of the family. Whatever your circumstance, the Lord knows and will give you an extra spirit of grace as you train your children in the Lord. You can rest assured that your offensive strategy against the evil one will be just as powerful as you and your family are serving the Lord in your home with His help.