WEBVTT 00:00:09.359 --> 00:00:14.240 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.240 --> 00:00:16.519 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.699 --> 00:00:19.739 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:22.920 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:27.140 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:30.980 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:30.980 --> 00:00:36.619 by this week's sermon. Above all, walking in 00:00:36.619 --> 00:00:40.390 the victory of Jesus. The first thing that we 00:00:40.390 --> 00:00:44.109 learned in the study before was that Jesus came 00:00:44.109 --> 00:00:49.829 so that the work of Satan over identity and fear 00:00:49.829 --> 00:00:55.710 will be destroyed. And he faced Satan in the 00:00:55.710 --> 00:00:58.990 temptation and Satan tried to get Jesus under 00:00:58.990 --> 00:01:02.770 his power, but he couldn't. And we are so glad 00:01:02.770 --> 00:01:05.950 that Jesus accomplished that because now he invites 00:01:05.950 --> 00:01:09.489 us to walk in the freedom of identity. That we 00:01:09.489 --> 00:01:12.209 know who we truly are and that we're able to 00:01:12.209 --> 00:01:16.430 now live freely for him and not enslaved to any 00:01:16.430 --> 00:01:19.590 distortions. If you missed that study, it's available 00:01:19.590 --> 00:01:22.390 for you on our website and in our app as well. 00:01:23.569 --> 00:01:26.129 But today we're going to explore a different 00:01:26.129 --> 00:01:29.930 area of victory that Jesus came to accomplish. 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:32.370 And I would like to start the study by simply 00:01:32.370 --> 00:01:36.709 asking you this question. Are you stuck? That 00:01:36.709 --> 00:01:41.450 place where you feel there's more to life, there's 00:01:41.450 --> 00:01:45.150 more to your relationship with God, but somehow 00:01:45.150 --> 00:01:49.370 you are not getting there. You feel held back. 00:01:49.629 --> 00:01:55.090 You feel pushed down. And there's need for a 00:01:55.090 --> 00:01:58.250 breakthrough to get you to that place, but you 00:01:58.250 --> 00:02:00.849 do not know how to get to it and how to pinpoint 00:02:00.849 --> 00:02:05.599 what is holding you back. Sometimes being in 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:08.340 that space is accompanied by feelings of deep 00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:12.120 shame, a sense of hopelessness. You've been trying 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:14.800 so many things and nothing works. This place 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:17.620 that leads you to isolation and just feeling 00:02:17.620 --> 00:02:20.039 oppressed. You cannot pinpoint it, but there's 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:25.159 something and you don't understand it. The Bible 00:02:25.159 --> 00:02:29.000 talks about these feelings and these struggles. 00:02:31.080 --> 00:02:34.479 From spiritual perspective. And it wants to make 00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:38.379 us remember as followers of Jesus. That sometimes 00:02:38.379 --> 00:02:42.939 the root cause for some of these things. Is not 00:02:42.939 --> 00:02:47.699 just on the physical. It's actually on the spiritual. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:52.840 And when we understand this. And we understand 00:02:52.840 --> 00:02:55.919 what Jesus came to accomplish. Then we are equipped 00:02:55.919 --> 00:03:00.919 to follow Jesus. More effectively because we 00:03:00.919 --> 00:03:04.699 learn to discern the struggles that are spiritual 00:03:04.699 --> 00:03:08.500 and therefore we face them with the victory of 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:12.400 Jesus. Talking about this, the Apostle Peter 00:03:12.400 --> 00:03:14.860 mentions it. The Apostle Paul also mentions it. 00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:18.759 Look at what Peter says to us Christians. Stay 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:23.560 alert. Watch out for your great enemy. Who? The 00:03:23.560 --> 00:03:29.199 devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion looking 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:35.300 for someone to devour. Stand firm against him. 00:03:35.639 --> 00:03:40.000 Be strong in your faith. Remember that your family 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:42.060 of believers all over the world is going through 00:03:42.060 --> 00:03:45.840 the same kind of suffering you are. Sometimes 00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:49.819 what you're experiencing is spiritual oppression. 00:03:50.890 --> 00:03:55.530 It's that there's a spiritual enemy that is antagonizing 00:03:55.530 --> 00:03:59.210 you, that is attacking you, and that struggle 00:03:59.210 --> 00:04:02.069 you are facing is not just unique to you. All 00:04:02.069 --> 00:04:04.650 the people that are following Jesus are experiencing 00:04:04.650 --> 00:04:07.050 the same thing. And not only here, but around 00:04:07.050 --> 00:04:10.270 the world. Because this reality of spiritual 00:04:10.270 --> 00:04:14.229 struggle is part of the reality of following 00:04:14.229 --> 00:04:20.959 Jesus. The Apostle Paul. Says the same thing 00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:23.879 this way. At the end of his letter to the Ephesians. 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:26.500 In chapter 6. He says look. Let me tell you a 00:04:26.500 --> 00:04:32.319 final word. Be strong in the Lord. And in his 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:35.360 mighty power. Because there's a struggle. That 00:04:35.360 --> 00:04:41.139 you cannot face otherwise. Put on. All of God's 00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:44.480 armor. So that you will be able to stand firm. 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:50.529 Against all the strategies of the. Devil. Not 00:04:50.529 --> 00:04:52.629 only is it going to oppose you, but it's very 00:04:52.629 --> 00:04:58.110 strategic. And this struggle is going to be something 00:04:58.110 --> 00:05:05.689 that is customized for you. And he continues, 00:05:05.870 --> 00:05:09.009 and he says, For we are not fighting against 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:13.550 flesh and blood enemies, but against evil rulers 00:05:13.550 --> 00:05:18.350 and authorities of the unseen world. Against 00:05:18.350 --> 00:05:21.750 mighty powers in this dark world. And against 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:29.430 evil spirits in the heavenly places. Paul says, 00:05:29.569 --> 00:05:34.470 look. The struggle that you are going through 00:05:34.470 --> 00:05:37.509 often is going to be caused not by physical. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.379 Caused by spiritual ones. And you have to wake 00:05:41.379 --> 00:05:44.220 up to the reality. That there is a spiritual 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:48.120 world. That is unseen. Unless you have the gift 00:05:48.120 --> 00:05:50.500 of being a seer. And you can see into the spiritual 00:05:50.500 --> 00:05:56.860 realm. But this is a reality. And there are forces 00:05:56.860 --> 00:06:02.360 of darkness. There are spiritual entities. There 00:06:02.360 --> 00:06:09.730 are evil spirits. With mighty power. And they 00:06:09.730 --> 00:06:12.870 work in an, think of it like an organized mafia. 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:20.689 And you are the target of it. So be on the alert, 00:06:20.930 --> 00:06:26.430 says Peter. And Paul tells us, be strong in the 00:06:26.430 --> 00:06:28.550 Lord and in His power. Because when you face 00:06:28.550 --> 00:06:31.370 these things, you will have to face them as a 00:06:31.370 --> 00:06:34.449 spiritual reality. That's why we talk about these 00:06:34.449 --> 00:06:39.269 things as spiritual oppression. And spiritual 00:06:39.269 --> 00:06:43.350 oppression comes in all flavors and intensities. 00:06:43.370 --> 00:06:45.949 Think of spiritual oppression as the reality 00:06:45.949 --> 00:06:49.990 that as you follow Jesus, you will experience 00:06:49.990 --> 00:06:53.449 spiritual opposition that comes from the spiritual 00:06:53.449 --> 00:06:57.129 enemy of the kingdom of darkness. And that opposition 00:06:57.129 --> 00:07:01.610 is going to be experienced in a degree, in a 00:07:01.610 --> 00:07:05.519 spectrum. And that spectrum can move depending 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:09.060 on the situation, the conditions, and the factors 00:07:09.060 --> 00:07:14.800 that involved that oppression. Imagine you are 00:07:14.800 --> 00:07:18.180 walking into a place and suddenly there's these 00:07:18.180 --> 00:07:23.680 bees, this beehive. And suddenly they start flying 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:27.399 all around and they start trying to attack you. 00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:30.079 And it's like, oh, I better get out of here because 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:34.449 these things are going to... Harming. That's 00:07:34.449 --> 00:07:39.610 an external type of attack. Imagine that you 00:07:39.610 --> 00:07:41.709 are at home and there's a mosquito that starts 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:44.990 bothering you. And then you go to sleep and you 00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:52.129 go... And it keeps coming back and you try to 00:07:52.129 --> 00:07:56.410 kill it but you keep missing it. That's very 00:07:56.410 --> 00:07:59.129 bothersome. It's a struggle that keeps happening. 00:07:59.859 --> 00:08:03.720 And you are trying so many things, but you don't 00:08:03.720 --> 00:08:07.660 get it. It's still there. That's an external. 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:13.439 But sometimes there's this experience that is 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:16.300 a little bit more intense, more like a parasite. 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:19.079 I remember that my mother came to visit us in 00:08:19.079 --> 00:08:21.040 the U .S. one time, and we took a trip. We wanted 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:23.360 to get out of the city, go into the woods. We 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.600 rented a cabin in Arkansas, a beautiful place, 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:30.370 and we would take walks in the woods. Then my 00:08:30.370 --> 00:08:33.129 parents went back to Mexico City where they were 00:08:33.129 --> 00:08:36.590 serving as missionaries at that time. And a few 00:08:36.590 --> 00:08:38.350 days later, mom called me and says, you know, 00:08:38.429 --> 00:08:40.830 I went to the doctor because I wasn't feeling 00:08:40.830 --> 00:08:43.610 well. I started having these symptoms. I thought 00:08:43.610 --> 00:08:46.070 it was a cold. I took medicine, but it wasn't. 00:08:46.070 --> 00:08:50.210 It was something else. So I kept trying to self 00:08:50.210 --> 00:08:52.809 -medicate, and I realized this is not working. 00:08:52.830 --> 00:08:54.509 There's something else going on. So I went to 00:08:54.509 --> 00:08:57.309 the doctor, and the doctor found that I had a 00:08:57.309 --> 00:09:02.169 tick. So I'm calling you to let you know because 00:09:02.169 --> 00:09:05.509 we were walking in that forest together and check 00:09:05.509 --> 00:09:07.690 the kids, check yourselves, make sure you don't 00:09:07.690 --> 00:09:10.070 have the tick. And the only reason why she knew 00:09:10.070 --> 00:09:11.710 she had the tick is because she was experiencing 00:09:11.710 --> 00:09:15.570 the symptoms. This was also external, but it 00:09:15.570 --> 00:09:17.590 feels a little bit closer because now whatever 00:09:17.590 --> 00:09:21.789 tick she has is producing these effects in her 00:09:21.789 --> 00:09:25.529 system. It's not like the bees, it's not like 00:09:25.529 --> 00:09:28.429 the mosquitoes, but still it's something that 00:09:28.429 --> 00:09:32.710 is. attacking you, oppressing you, causing you 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:37.169 harm. And when we talk about spiritual oppression, 00:09:37.690 --> 00:09:40.610 this spiritual reality, you have to think of 00:09:40.610 --> 00:09:45.750 it as spectrum. Because the spectrum will determine 00:09:45.750 --> 00:09:48.330 whether you need to go to someone to remove the 00:09:48.330 --> 00:09:50.470 tick from you or whether you just have to go 00:09:50.470 --> 00:09:52.230 like this to the mosquito and kill it and see 00:09:52.230 --> 00:09:57.929 the blood splash all over the place. The way 00:09:57.929 --> 00:10:01.049 we face spiritual oppression will be determined 00:10:01.049 --> 00:10:03.450 by the type of spiritual oppression we're experiencing. 00:10:03.950 --> 00:10:08.649 But we have to come to terms with the reality 00:10:08.649 --> 00:10:11.850 that following Jesus has this dimension. And 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:14.710 because this is true, what happens is that the 00:10:14.710 --> 00:10:19.570 Bible says that Jesus came specifically to address 00:10:19.570 --> 00:10:23.299 this. In the human experience. So that we will 00:10:23.299 --> 00:10:26.240 not have to walk under oppression. But that we 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.519 will walk in the freedom that he came to pay 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:32.500 for us. And that's why the word of God talks 00:10:32.500 --> 00:10:34.879 about these things. But I know that before I 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:37.419 get into it anymore. When we talk about these 00:10:37.419 --> 00:10:40.299 topics. We have a spectrum of people. Some people 00:10:40.299 --> 00:10:41.879 that believe in it. Some people don't believe 00:10:41.879 --> 00:10:43.919 in it. Some people that believe a little bit 00:10:43.919 --> 00:10:45.960 of it. And some people that believe too much 00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:51.649 of it. And there was a journalist, Billy, he 00:10:51.649 --> 00:10:55.710 works for CBN in the U .S., and he was invited 00:10:55.710 --> 00:10:59.830 to write a book. He called it Playing with Fire, 00:10:59.929 --> 00:11:04.289 and he says on the subtitle part, A Modern Investigation 00:11:04.289 --> 00:11:09.269 into Demons, Exorcism, and Ghosts. And that brought 00:11:09.269 --> 00:11:12.090 him into this journey of understanding what was 00:11:12.090 --> 00:11:14.009 this from the biblical perspective, but also 00:11:14.009 --> 00:11:16.470 from people's reality, people's experiences. 00:11:17.639 --> 00:11:19.720 and people that work with these kind of things. 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:23.600 So he started trying to understand the whole 00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:26.759 spectrum of things that were happening. And at 00:11:26.759 --> 00:11:29.639 the end, he concludes in his book, he says, you 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.419 know, I discovered an audience of people, people 00:11:32.419 --> 00:11:35.419 that come from a materialistic worldview, that 00:11:35.419 --> 00:11:36.799 don't believe in these things. They think that 00:11:36.799 --> 00:11:41.019 all of this is myth. Then you have the Christians 00:11:41.019 --> 00:11:43.019 that believe in these things, but Satan somehow 00:11:43.019 --> 00:11:49.080 is real, but very, very, I'm familiar. It's like 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:52.720 he is messing up with people over there, far 00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.320 away from us, but it's not really part of our 00:11:55.320 --> 00:11:58.620 reality. And then you have the other Christians 00:11:58.620 --> 00:12:02.299 that believe so much of it that they almost like 00:12:02.299 --> 00:12:06.000 sacrifice their intellect for these things. And 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:09.240 no matter where these different people will come 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:12.220 into the topic, he says, you know, we have to 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:14.120 wake up to the reality that this thing is real. 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:20.240 So if you have no background on these things, 00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:22.899 and you want to learn a little bit more about 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:26.039 these things in a way that is more like inquisitive, 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:29.600 you want to kind of get an idea because you're 00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:33.120 already feeling comfortable with the topic. This 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:35.639 is a good starting point. It's written as a very 00:12:35.639 --> 00:12:38.860 non -threatening space of a journalist that is 00:12:38.860 --> 00:12:41.039 trying to understand these things, a Christian 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:45.200 journalist. After saying that, let's go back 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:48.720 to the scriptures. Jesus came specifically for 00:12:48.720 --> 00:12:52.399 this purpose. And what he accomplished on our 00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:54.820 behalf is something we have to understand if 00:12:54.820 --> 00:12:57.220 we are going to experience the freedom that he 00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:00.299 came to give us. Let me show you, for instance, 00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:03.879 what the Apostle John wrote about what Jesus 00:13:03.879 --> 00:13:06.500 came to accomplish. He said, the one who does 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:09.279 what is sinful is of the devil because the devil 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:12.490 has been sinning from the beginning. Pay attention 00:13:12.490 --> 00:13:15.789 to that first. He says, when you are engaging 00:13:15.789 --> 00:13:19.690 in sinful behaviors and rebellion against God, 00:13:19.909 --> 00:13:24.590 you are engaging in demonic things because sin 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:28.129 by itself belongs to the devil. The devil was 00:13:28.129 --> 00:13:36.570 sinning from the beginning. And therefore, anytime 00:13:36.570 --> 00:13:40.470 I engage in things that belong to darkness, I'm 00:13:40.470 --> 00:13:43.049 going to start inviting spiritual oppression 00:13:43.049 --> 00:13:47.710 in my life. And that's why he says at the end 00:13:47.710 --> 00:13:50.710 of this section, the very reason the Son of God 00:13:50.710 --> 00:13:54.710 appeared was to destroy the devil's work. In 00:13:54.710 --> 00:13:56.929 case you missed it, let me highlight it there 00:13:56.929 --> 00:14:00.590 for you. Would you read it with me? The reason 00:14:00.590 --> 00:14:04.090 the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's 00:14:04.090 --> 00:14:08.950 work. Jesus came to destroy the work that Satan 00:14:08.950 --> 00:14:11.629 had already established, the strongholds that 00:14:11.629 --> 00:14:14.190 he had established in people's lives. He wanted 00:14:14.190 --> 00:14:19.669 them free from that. So when he started his ministry, 00:14:19.889 --> 00:14:24.210 he engaged in lots of different places and with 00:14:24.210 --> 00:14:27.009 different people, and he engaged with spiritual 00:14:27.009 --> 00:14:31.370 forces of darkness, both men and women, both 00:14:31.370 --> 00:14:35.240 adult and children. People experiencing these 00:14:35.240 --> 00:14:37.720 different levels of oppression and different 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:41.100 symptoms of this oppression. And there was a 00:14:41.100 --> 00:14:43.659 point in which the religious leaders started 00:14:43.659 --> 00:14:47.559 criticizing him and saying, how can you do this? 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:51.460 What kind of power are you using to fight these 00:14:51.460 --> 00:14:56.139 things? And it's like, it seems to us that you're 00:14:56.139 --> 00:14:59.080 using the very power of Satan to do this because 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:02.649 you seem to be serving Satan. And Jesus turns 00:15:02.649 --> 00:15:07.350 to them and says, that makes no sense. The argument 00:15:07.350 --> 00:15:11.690 makes no sense. How can a divided kingdom stand? 00:15:12.070 --> 00:15:15.009 How can Satan fight Satan? It doesn't make sense. 00:15:15.509 --> 00:15:18.190 He says, but let me tell you, what you see is 00:15:18.190 --> 00:15:22.370 true. I am having power over these spiritual 00:15:22.370 --> 00:15:27.690 entities. But let me tell you something. If I 00:15:27.690 --> 00:15:31.009 drive out demons by the finger of God, then the 00:15:31.009 --> 00:15:34.809 kingdom of God has come upon you. It is the presence, 00:15:35.070 --> 00:15:40.509 the rulership of God over humanity that I came 00:15:40.509 --> 00:15:42.990 to establish and it's happening now. And that's 00:15:42.990 --> 00:15:46.070 why you are seeing it. Because my power is the 00:15:46.070 --> 00:15:52.029 power of God over the kingdom of Satan. And when 00:15:52.029 --> 00:15:57.129 Jesus later is going to enter Jerusalem, During 00:15:57.129 --> 00:16:00.149 his last trip before the cross and the resurrection, 00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:06.990 he makes a statement that tells you the purposefulness 00:16:06.990 --> 00:16:10.690 of what Jesus has been doing. Now is the time 00:16:10.690 --> 00:16:14.549 for judgment of this world. Now the prince of 00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:19.809 this world will be driven out. And I, when I 00:16:19.809 --> 00:16:22.610 am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people 00:16:22.610 --> 00:16:30.399 to myself. Jesus talks about the very reason 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:34.240 that he came to do was to destroy the rulership 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.940 of Satan, the prince of this world, for that 00:16:36.940 --> 00:16:41.759 to be broken. So we cannot really understand 00:16:41.759 --> 00:16:45.899 the centrality of the mission of Jesus until 00:16:45.899 --> 00:16:49.019 you understand the reality, the palpable reality 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:53.970 of the kingdom of darkness. And you cannot walk 00:16:53.970 --> 00:16:56.230 in the freedom of Jesus until you understand 00:16:56.230 --> 00:17:00.710 both. That's what we're going to start focusing 00:17:00.710 --> 00:17:03.429 the rest of this study on understanding what 00:17:03.429 --> 00:17:08.509 is that Jesus came to do. Because as he was serving 00:17:08.509 --> 00:17:14.789 during that period of time to break the power 00:17:14.789 --> 00:17:17.640 of Satan. There are moments in which he did certain 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:20.119 things, but there's a particular moment that 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:23.440 is described both in Matthew and also in Mark 00:17:23.440 --> 00:17:27.480 and also in Luke, not in John. But in the Gospel 00:17:27.480 --> 00:17:31.359 of Luke, chapter 8, tells us the details of everything 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:35.480 that happened leading to this purpose, for him 00:17:35.480 --> 00:17:38.460 to destroy the work of the devil in the life 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:44.980 of one specific individual. And this very specific 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:50.579 individual is very important because he's going 00:17:50.579 --> 00:17:54.559 to fulfill a very important mission in God's 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:59.960 purpose. And you will see it as it unfolds. But 00:17:59.960 --> 00:18:02.480 we're told that Jesus is serving in the area 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:06.299 of Galilee. And this area of Galilee, if you 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:08.700 are new to the Bible and that you don't understand 00:18:08.700 --> 00:18:12.380 these things that much, let me show you this 00:18:12.380 --> 00:18:16.069 map. And this map is Google Maps. Because this 00:18:16.069 --> 00:18:18.690 area that we're describing still exists today. 00:18:19.049 --> 00:18:21.289 You can actually travel there. You can even rent 00:18:21.289 --> 00:18:25.349 an Airbnb and stay there if you wanted to. Jesus 00:18:25.349 --> 00:18:29.509 was serving in this area. And there's a big lake 00:18:29.509 --> 00:18:33.990 called the Sea of Galilee. It's so big that it's 00:18:33.990 --> 00:18:37.670 called a sea, even though it's a lake. And that 00:18:37.670 --> 00:18:40.859 is the place where the apostles... Live their 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:42.519 lives. They were fishermen. That's where they 00:18:42.519 --> 00:18:45.759 worked. That's where Jesus met them, called them 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:48.640 to serve him. And that area surrounding that 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:52.940 lake is an area that Jesus did lots of his ministry 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:57.960 and his teaching. In the 1980s, there was a drought 00:18:57.960 --> 00:19:01.059 in that area. So the level of the Sea of Galilee 00:19:01.059 --> 00:19:04.779 went down and revealed some of the mud underneath. 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:11.740 and it was discovered that right there, a boat 00:19:11.740 --> 00:19:16.680 from the time of Jesus has survived. It had sunk 00:19:16.680 --> 00:19:19.259 in that place, but imagine after 2 ,000 years, 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:22.960 still intact, they were able to get it out of 00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:26.420 there, and it's in a museum today. And Jesus 00:19:26.420 --> 00:19:30.900 is in that area, and he is going to tell the 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:33.660 apostles, let's take a trip to the other side 00:19:33.660 --> 00:19:37.750 of the lake. On the one side, it was Jewish territory 00:19:37.750 --> 00:19:40.369 where he's been serving all this time. But on 00:19:40.369 --> 00:19:43.089 the other side is a Gentile territory. It was 00:19:43.089 --> 00:19:45.490 an area known as the Decapolis because there 00:19:45.490 --> 00:19:47.750 were all these Gentile cities in that place. 00:19:48.009 --> 00:19:50.670 Now you have to understand that Jews typically 00:19:50.670 --> 00:19:53.009 would not go to Gentile places because they were 00:19:53.009 --> 00:19:56.329 considered unclean. In their Jewish tradition, 00:19:56.410 --> 00:19:58.670 their rabbinic writings, they would be told, 00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:01.450 don't go to the places, don't even walk into 00:20:01.450 --> 00:20:04.269 their homes. Because all of that is considered 00:20:04.269 --> 00:20:07.069 unclean for them because these pagan places, 00:20:07.250 --> 00:20:09.269 they worship idols. The food they eat is sacrificed 00:20:09.269 --> 00:20:13.750 to idols. They eat pigs, which is unclean for 00:20:13.750 --> 00:20:19.410 us to eat. So for the Jewish mindset to go to 00:20:19.410 --> 00:20:23.369 that area was completely not only unnecessary, 00:20:23.529 --> 00:20:27.049 but something you had to avoid. But Jesus tells 00:20:27.049 --> 00:20:30.089 the apostles, let's take a boat trip to the other 00:20:30.089 --> 00:20:34.529 side of the lake. He has a mission. He doesn't 00:20:34.529 --> 00:20:36.230 tell them what's going to happen. He doesn't 00:20:36.230 --> 00:20:38.450 tell them what the mission is. He just invites 00:20:38.450 --> 00:20:41.589 them in the journey. And it says there, one day 00:20:41.589 --> 00:20:44.930 Jesus said to his disciples, let us go over to 00:20:44.930 --> 00:20:47.930 the other side of the lake. So they got into 00:20:47.930 --> 00:20:51.890 a boat and set out. As they sailed, he fell asleep. 00:20:52.650 --> 00:20:56.450 A squall came down on the lake so that the boat 00:20:56.450 --> 00:20:59.970 was being swamped and they were in great danger. 00:21:00.009 --> 00:21:04.980 So a storm breaks out. And he becomes very dangerous. 00:21:06.000 --> 00:21:09.579 The disciples went and woke him, saying, Master, 00:21:09.779 --> 00:21:16.019 Master, wake up. We are going to drown. So he 00:21:16.019 --> 00:21:19.920 got up, rebuked the wind and the raging waters, 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.359 and the storm subsided and all was calm. Just 00:21:24.359 --> 00:21:27.539 like that. And then he turns to the apostles. 00:21:30.440 --> 00:21:35.329 Where's your faith? He asks his disciples. In 00:21:35.329 --> 00:21:39.849 fear and amazement. They are looking at him. 00:21:41.849 --> 00:21:45.789 And now they start talking to each other. Who 00:21:45.789 --> 00:21:49.990 is this? He commands him in the winds and the 00:21:49.990 --> 00:21:56.490 water. And they obey him. And this journey turned 00:21:56.490 --> 00:21:59.250 nothing into what they were expecting. They had 00:21:59.250 --> 00:22:03.259 taken journeys in boats with Jesus before. But 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:07.900 this was something that completely reframed the 00:22:07.900 --> 00:22:12.299 way they started seeing Jesus. What is amazing 00:22:12.299 --> 00:22:18.640 is that Jesus is in this trip. And he has already 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:20.460 told them, look, we're going to go to the other 00:22:20.460 --> 00:22:24.119 side. They get in the boat. He falls asleep. 00:22:24.599 --> 00:22:27.460 And suddenly, because the circumstances are becoming 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:30.720 so dangerous, the apostles say, we're going to 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:36.380 drown. That was a logical deduction after everything 00:22:36.380 --> 00:22:38.299 that was happening around. We're going to die 00:22:38.299 --> 00:22:42.579 here. But that's precisely what Jesus confronts 00:22:42.579 --> 00:22:46.000 them. And he says, where's your faith? Didn't 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:49.400 you pay attention to what I told you? I said, 00:22:49.400 --> 00:22:51.299 we're going to go to the other side. And when 00:22:51.299 --> 00:22:53.720 I say we're going to go to the other side, guess 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:56.779 what's going to happen? We're going to get to 00:22:56.779 --> 00:23:00.660 the other side. It doesn't matter what storm 00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:05.759 is surrounding the boat. So where's your faith? 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:09.000 Why did you doubt what I told you or forgot what 00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:11.380 I told you? Why did you freak out in the middle 00:23:11.380 --> 00:23:14.559 of the circumstances? Didn't I tell you that 00:23:14.559 --> 00:23:18.099 we were going to go to the other side? So it 00:23:18.099 --> 00:23:21.420 was a moment of really paying closer attention 00:23:21.420 --> 00:23:27.630 to Jesus and valuing His Word. But why did they 00:23:27.630 --> 00:23:30.490 have to go to the other side anyway? Well, the 00:23:30.490 --> 00:23:35.430 story continues. Jesus knows he has a mission. 00:23:35.569 --> 00:23:38.529 He came to destroy the works of the devil. And 00:23:38.529 --> 00:23:40.890 he has authority over creation. The apostles 00:23:40.890 --> 00:23:46.029 now just discovered that. And the story says 00:23:46.029 --> 00:23:49.369 that they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, 00:23:49.390 --> 00:23:53.190 which is across the lake from Galilee. And when 00:23:53.190 --> 00:23:58.210 Jesus stepped ashore, He was met by a demon possessed 00:23:58.210 --> 00:24:05.730 man from the town. Ah. Now things will start 00:24:05.730 --> 00:24:10.670 making sense. Jesus wants to go into that territory 00:24:10.670 --> 00:24:16.589 because he has a mission. To break the work of 00:24:16.589 --> 00:24:22.029 the devil from this person's life. And the whole 00:24:22.029 --> 00:24:26.710 area is going to become the most. Like nightmare 00:24:26.710 --> 00:24:31.970 for a Jewish person that has learned to live 00:24:31.970 --> 00:24:38.210 under the laws of purity. First of all, the area 00:24:38.210 --> 00:24:43.329 is a gentle area. Secondly, there's a guy that 00:24:43.329 --> 00:24:46.549 is being afflicted by an unclean spirit. You 00:24:46.549 --> 00:24:49.059 will discover that there are... a bunch of pigs 00:24:49.059 --> 00:24:51.559 in the area, which are unclean animals that they're 00:24:51.559 --> 00:24:54.140 not supposed to have nor eat. And then on top 00:24:54.140 --> 00:24:57.880 of that, this guy that we just met will discover 00:24:57.880 --> 00:25:04.900 that he's been living among the dead in cemeteries, 00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:11.380 in graves. I mean, Hollywood could make a horror 00:25:11.380 --> 00:25:19.109 movie out of this scene. And in the midst, Of 00:25:19.109 --> 00:25:22.349 that filthy environment. Spiritually speaking. 00:25:23.049 --> 00:25:29.970 In the midst of the deepest darkness. You have 00:25:29.970 --> 00:25:34.230 Jesus showing up. And he's the first one to touch 00:25:34.230 --> 00:25:42.779 that ground with his feet. And you would expect 00:25:42.779 --> 00:25:45.619 if Jesus was anything but a normal person that 00:25:45.619 --> 00:25:47.900 the moment you enter darkness, darkness will 00:25:47.900 --> 00:25:52.500 enter to you. But with Jesus, this is very different. 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:59.119 He is the game changer. So look at what happens. 00:26:00.980 --> 00:26:05.500 This man appears in this story is described as 00:26:05.500 --> 00:26:09.519 one who has been demon possessed. And he was 00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:12.869 from that town. Now, just to be clear and to 00:26:12.869 --> 00:26:15.769 be fair on the description of the study of spiritual 00:26:15.769 --> 00:26:19.210 oppression, this phrase is one of the phrases 00:26:19.210 --> 00:26:22.730 that has done the most disservice to our understanding 00:26:22.730 --> 00:26:26.990 of spiritual oppression. Because this phrase, 00:26:27.089 --> 00:26:30.430 demon possessed, is actually not in the Bible. 00:26:31.170 --> 00:26:35.009 It's not right there in the Greek. It simply 00:26:35.009 --> 00:26:40.190 says, the man had a demon. There are three descriptions 00:26:40.190 --> 00:26:43.450 to talk about level of spiritual oppression here 00:26:43.450 --> 00:26:45.529 in these passages whenever Jesus encountered 00:26:45.529 --> 00:26:47.609 one of these spirits that was manifesting in 00:26:47.609 --> 00:26:51.009 the lives of these people. The person was demonized, 00:26:51.250 --> 00:26:55.130 the person had a demon, or the person was afflicted 00:26:55.130 --> 00:26:58.190 by an unclean spirit. These are the words that 00:26:58.190 --> 00:27:00.950 the Bible uses. It never talks about a demon 00:27:00.950 --> 00:27:06.910 possessing you. So, take that understanding out 00:27:06.910 --> 00:27:11.549 of your mind. Because when people ask, well, 00:27:11.609 --> 00:27:14.750 can a Christian be possessed? And that's the 00:27:14.750 --> 00:27:16.930 only category that they think of. It's like, 00:27:16.990 --> 00:27:20.430 forget about that category altogether. Talk about 00:27:20.430 --> 00:27:23.829 spiritual oppression. Can you be attacked by 00:27:23.829 --> 00:27:27.910 the enemy? Yes. To what degree? We don't know. 00:27:28.869 --> 00:27:33.809 Until you're in it, you'll know. But the power 00:27:33.809 --> 00:27:36.630 of the enemy is secondary. The power of Jesus 00:27:36.630 --> 00:27:40.859 is the center. And that's what matters. So this 00:27:40.859 --> 00:27:44.819 guy is one that is experiencing this deep level 00:27:44.819 --> 00:27:48.160 of spiritual oppression where he has a demon. 00:27:50.140 --> 00:27:54.140 And then we are told, for a long time this man 00:27:54.140 --> 00:27:57.700 had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:02.099 had lived in the tombs. Wait, the guy was naked? 00:28:03.529 --> 00:28:06.369 So Jesus showed up after surviving the storm. 00:28:06.630 --> 00:28:10.710 What a trip. And he's like, what is this guy 00:28:10.710 --> 00:28:15.009 doing? He looks out of his mind and on top of 00:28:15.009 --> 00:28:16.690 that he's naked. Didn't I tell you this looks 00:28:16.690 --> 00:28:24.470 like a horror movie? When he saw Jesus, he immediately 00:28:24.470 --> 00:28:29.210 cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the 00:28:29.210 --> 00:28:33.740 top of his voice, what do you want with me? Jesus, 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:38.319 son of the most high God, I beg you, don't torture 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:43.599 me. That's amazing about every encounter that 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:46.099 Jesus has with the demons. They immediately recognize 00:28:46.099 --> 00:28:50.460 who he is. By the way, if you're an atheist, 00:28:50.859 --> 00:28:55.519 I pray God opens your eyes to spiritual oppression. 00:28:55.920 --> 00:28:58.740 Because the moment you realize what spiritual 00:28:58.740 --> 00:29:01.819 oppression is true, you will know the power of 00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:05.680 Jesus. And you will know that Jesus is real. 00:29:07.119 --> 00:29:10.299 Because these guys knew it. And they recognized 00:29:10.299 --> 00:29:14.519 Jesus as the son of the most high God. And immediately 00:29:14.519 --> 00:29:17.859 in that interaction. For Jesus had commanded 00:29:17.859 --> 00:29:21.299 the impure spirit to come out of the man. Did 00:29:21.299 --> 00:29:24.400 you see the phrase impure spirit? Now that tells 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:27.400 you a glimpse of what kind of spiritual reality 00:29:27.400 --> 00:29:32.150 we're talking about. Impure. Filthy. They have 00:29:32.150 --> 00:29:35.170 all evil desires and they want to attack. They 00:29:35.170 --> 00:29:41.529 hate you. Jesus had commanded the spirit to come 00:29:41.529 --> 00:29:45.170 out of the man. Many times he had seized him 00:29:45.170 --> 00:29:50.130 and though he was chained hand and foot and kept 00:29:50.130 --> 00:29:53.789 under guard he had broken his chains and had 00:29:53.789 --> 00:29:59.529 driven by the demon into solitary places. Which 00:29:59.529 --> 00:30:04.289 is A common experience for people that are manifesting 00:30:04.289 --> 00:30:08.809 this type of level of oppression. Typically they 00:30:08.809 --> 00:30:15.950 have strength that is beyond human. And this 00:30:15.950 --> 00:30:18.509 guy had been chained but they couldn't hold him. 00:30:18.589 --> 00:30:21.829 He would break the chains with this amazing strength 00:30:21.829 --> 00:30:27.269 that was superhuman. But then this demon would 00:30:27.269 --> 00:30:30.549 drive him to solitary places. And Jesus asked 00:30:30.549 --> 00:30:36.109 him. What is your name? Legion. He replied. Now 00:30:36.109 --> 00:30:38.329 the word Legion was a Roman word that was used 00:30:38.329 --> 00:30:40.670 for military purposes. It described a group of 00:30:40.670 --> 00:30:47.849 500 to 600 soldiers. Legion? Imagine that Jesus 00:30:47.849 --> 00:30:52.390 said, what's your name? And it says army. Marines. 00:30:53.009 --> 00:30:58.369 Something like that. It has a very specific meaning. 00:31:00.780 --> 00:31:03.880 So, it's like the demon is saying, you know, 00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:10.319 we are an army here. Many of us. Legion, because 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:14.180 many demons got into him, and they begged Jesus 00:31:14.180 --> 00:31:17.559 repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss. 00:31:17.579 --> 00:31:23.339 Wait. Can these things work together to afflict 00:31:23.339 --> 00:31:29.099 one person? Not just one to one, but many to 00:31:29.099 --> 00:31:37.440 one? Yeah, it says it there. And it says that 00:31:37.440 --> 00:31:40.319 there was a place, the abyss, that these entities 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:42.759 didn't want to go to. And it doesn't explain 00:31:42.759 --> 00:31:45.559 what it is. But we understand from biblical theology 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:49.279 that there's a place, that is a place where these 00:31:49.279 --> 00:31:52.200 spiritual beings of darkness are being imprisoned 00:31:52.200 --> 00:31:57.259 until the day of final judgment. And they don't 00:31:57.259 --> 00:32:00.059 want to go to this place. And for some reason, 00:32:00.099 --> 00:32:03.900 the text doesn't tell us. It says there a large 00:32:03.900 --> 00:32:06.759 herd of pigs was fitting there on the hillside, 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:09.759 and the demons begged Jesus to let them go into 00:32:09.759 --> 00:32:13.319 the pigs, and he gave them permission. And when 00:32:13.319 --> 00:32:15.940 the demons came out of the men, they went into 00:32:15.940 --> 00:32:20.799 the pigs, and the herd rushed down to steep bank 00:32:20.799 --> 00:32:28.299 into the lake and was drowned. So horrifying. 00:32:30.640 --> 00:32:33.579 This guy is speaking with a voice that is not 00:32:33.579 --> 00:32:36.579 his. Before you know it, it's like not one demon, 00:32:36.619 --> 00:32:40.160 but many of them. And before you know it, they 00:32:40.160 --> 00:32:42.700 come out of the guy and all these pigs start 00:32:42.700 --> 00:32:44.900 going crazy and they start running crazy and 00:32:44.900 --> 00:32:51.259 they all died around in the lake. Jesus, why 00:32:51.259 --> 00:32:55.559 did you give him permission to do that? Why not 00:32:55.559 --> 00:32:59.500 send them to the abyss right away? I wonder about 00:32:59.500 --> 00:33:05.819 that. It doesn't tell you, but I just, I'm trying 00:33:05.819 --> 00:33:10.420 to guess. He wanted the apostles to see all of 00:33:10.420 --> 00:33:12.119 this happening because he was training them. 00:33:12.819 --> 00:33:15.240 He is going to give them the command later to 00:33:15.240 --> 00:33:18.339 go throughout this whole region and start also 00:33:18.339 --> 00:33:22.279 commanding the spirits of the enemy to come out. 00:33:24.039 --> 00:33:28.559 And they needed to understand the level of depth, 00:33:28.799 --> 00:33:33.480 of darkness and struggle that these entities 00:33:33.480 --> 00:33:38.500 could cause. One man, but all of this chaos, 00:33:38.640 --> 00:33:43.960 it was unmistakable chaotic and dark. And now 00:33:43.960 --> 00:33:49.160 they could see it. If these demons could cause 00:33:49.160 --> 00:33:54.589 so much death in a second like that. What would 00:33:54.589 --> 00:33:57.309 have happened to this guy if Jesus didn't show 00:33:57.309 --> 00:34:06.349 up? He was in deep trouble. And the text says, 00:34:06.650 --> 00:34:10.369 when those standing the pegs saw what had happened, 00:34:10.809 --> 00:34:13.949 they ran off. I would have run up with you guys 00:34:13.949 --> 00:34:18.690 too if I was there. What a scary moment. What's 00:34:18.690 --> 00:34:21.449 happening here? It's like in a few minutes, boom, 00:34:21.550 --> 00:34:25.460 boom, boom, boom. Wow, they started running and 00:34:25.460 --> 00:34:28.960 reported this in the town and the countryside. 00:34:29.400 --> 00:34:31.579 And the people went out to see what had happened. 00:34:31.619 --> 00:34:33.960 Before you knew it, there's a crowd coming, showing 00:34:33.960 --> 00:34:37.840 up, curious, what's going on? They knew this 00:34:37.840 --> 00:34:46.320 guy. Everybody knew the guy. And what they find 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:52.860 is not what they were expecting. They show up, 00:34:52.880 --> 00:34:57.699 and when they came to Jesus, they found a man 00:34:57.699 --> 00:35:00.800 from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at 00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:06.159 Jesus' feet, dressed, and in his right mind. 00:35:08.760 --> 00:35:13.500 We have tried to chain this guy. We had kept 00:35:13.500 --> 00:35:16.960 him in rooms. We had guards to make sure that 00:35:16.960 --> 00:35:21.869 he would go nowhere, and no one ever. Could do 00:35:21.869 --> 00:35:27.590 what you just did. And who are you? So as they 00:35:27.590 --> 00:35:30.650 are trying to figure out what had happened. They 00:35:30.650 --> 00:35:34.610 were afraid. So those who had seen it told the 00:35:34.610 --> 00:35:37.550 people. How the demon possessed men had been 00:35:37.550 --> 00:35:40.809 cured. And then all the people of the region 00:35:40.809 --> 00:35:44.829 of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them. Because 00:35:44.829 --> 00:35:49.650 they were overcome with fear. So he got into 00:35:49.650 --> 00:36:00.119 the boat. And left. What a sad story. They could 00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:02.559 have invited Jesus to free more people. But wait. 00:36:03.019 --> 00:36:09.619 They were idol worshippers. They were pagan worshippers. 00:36:09.860 --> 00:36:12.440 The Bible says that to worship an idol is to 00:36:12.440 --> 00:36:16.300 worship demons. So this guy was not the only 00:36:16.300 --> 00:36:20.800 guy that was affected by demons. Perhaps it was 00:36:20.800 --> 00:36:28.079 the most extreme of all the cases. But they didn't 00:36:28.079 --> 00:36:32.800 want the kingdom of God to start destroying the 00:36:32.800 --> 00:36:37.079 kingdom of darkness. So what we are told here 00:36:37.079 --> 00:36:39.679 is that the man from whom the demons had gone 00:36:39.679 --> 00:36:44.579 out begged to go with Jesus. But Jesus sent him 00:36:44.579 --> 00:36:50.059 away saying, return home. Tell how much God has 00:36:50.059 --> 00:36:56.500 done for you. You're going to follow me by staying 00:36:56.500 --> 00:37:01.199 and by telling people what has just happened. 00:37:01.760 --> 00:37:06.559 Tell people what God has done for you. So the 00:37:06.559 --> 00:37:10.659 man went away and told all over the town how 00:37:10.659 --> 00:37:16.989 much Jesus had done for him. And in just a few 00:37:16.989 --> 00:37:20.369 verses, you see the deity of Jesus established. 00:37:21.309 --> 00:37:23.829 The demons recognize him as the son of the most 00:37:23.829 --> 00:37:26.670 high God. And when Jesus tells the guy, go and 00:37:26.670 --> 00:37:29.090 tell what God has done for you, he says, sure. 00:37:29.250 --> 00:37:31.210 So he starts telling people what Jesus has done 00:37:31.210 --> 00:37:40.289 for him. Because Jesus is God. I didn't expect 00:37:40.289 --> 00:37:46.090 that the first missionary, To the Gentiles in 00:37:46.090 --> 00:37:50.670 the history of Christianity. Was this a guy? 00:37:55.269 --> 00:38:02.769 You a missionary? But how could. Are you ashamed 00:38:02.769 --> 00:38:06.429 of your past? I mean look at all what you did. 00:38:07.329 --> 00:38:15.960 You lived in a graveyard. You were the temple 00:38:15.960 --> 00:38:23.639 of demons. You're damaged goods. There's no hope 00:38:23.639 --> 00:38:29.659 for you. Now, when Jesus shows up in your story, 00:38:29.739 --> 00:38:38.559 Jesus meets this guy in a case of spiritual oppression 00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:41.719 that was the most extreme that we have seen. 00:38:44.559 --> 00:38:48.079 But it doesn't matter. Because when Jesus shows 00:38:48.079 --> 00:38:51.360 up in the darkness, it's not the darkness that 00:38:51.360 --> 00:38:54.420 takes over him. It's him that takes over the 00:38:54.420 --> 00:38:58.760 darkness. It was not the uncleanness of all the 00:38:58.760 --> 00:39:02.500 setting that makes him unclean. It's his holiness 00:39:02.500 --> 00:39:06.099 and his power that breaks the stronghold of the 00:39:06.099 --> 00:39:11.820 impure spirits from this person. And now he is 00:39:11.820 --> 00:39:18.519 completely transformed. Jesus is the answer to 00:39:18.519 --> 00:39:25.579 the darkest darkness. To the most hopeless of 00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:31.059 cases. Because Jesus came precisely to destroy 00:39:31.059 --> 00:39:36.519 the works of the devil. So that we can walk in 00:39:36.519 --> 00:39:39.739 the freedom of Jesus. The new calling of Jesus. 00:39:39.860 --> 00:39:43.239 The new purpose of Jesus. The new mission of 00:39:43.239 --> 00:39:48.539 Jesus. From aimlessness to mission. From darkness 00:39:48.539 --> 00:39:54.800 to light. That is why the power of Jesus matters. 00:39:57.599 --> 00:40:00.199 Before I continue, let me pause for a second 00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:05.179 because I understand. Whenever we read these 00:40:05.179 --> 00:40:09.599 things, we have maybe 10 verses, but we have 00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:13.559 a thousand questions. about demons and this and 00:40:13.559 --> 00:40:17.500 that. And if you want to spend more time like 00:40:17.500 --> 00:40:20.980 studying about what demons are, what the Bible 00:40:20.980 --> 00:40:24.480 says, what the Bible does not say, what different 00:40:24.480 --> 00:40:27.099 opinions are about all these things, there's 00:40:27.099 --> 00:40:31.619 a book written by Michael Hazer who is now with 00:40:31.619 --> 00:40:35.920 the Lord. He died of cancer. But he wrote a book 00:40:35.920 --> 00:40:38.929 called Demons. And it was just a theological 00:40:38.929 --> 00:40:41.510 book to try to describe everything the Bible 00:40:41.510 --> 00:40:43.849 says about it, what people, Christians, have 00:40:43.849 --> 00:40:46.130 thought about these things historically, what 00:40:46.130 --> 00:40:48.730 is the biblical evidence, etc., etc. So this 00:40:48.730 --> 00:40:50.750 is a book if you want to learn more about that. 00:40:51.690 --> 00:40:54.250 And also I know that some of you don't even believe 00:40:54.250 --> 00:40:57.949 in the Bible. In fact, you've been sitting here, 00:40:58.110 --> 00:41:00.269 invited by a friend, feeling all uncomfortable 00:41:00.269 --> 00:41:06.079 because Pastor Pablo sounds so weird. And you 00:41:06.079 --> 00:41:09.880 came here not knowing what to expect, but to 00:41:09.880 --> 00:41:12.940 hear about demons and the devil and all of that 00:41:12.940 --> 00:41:16.300 myth. It's like these people are weirder than 00:41:16.300 --> 00:41:21.179 I thought. If you are in that case, I understand. 00:41:24.880 --> 00:41:27.000 So there's another book I want to recommend for 00:41:27.000 --> 00:41:29.800 you. It's called Demonic Foes. It was written 00:41:29.800 --> 00:41:36.429 by Dr. Gallagher. He is a... a psychiatrist from 00:41:36.429 --> 00:41:41.090 Yale University. He had been working on his practice 00:41:41.090 --> 00:41:43.389 for many years. He was not like a pastor or a 00:41:43.389 --> 00:41:45.329 theologian or anything like that. He was a psychiatrist. 00:41:45.889 --> 00:41:48.989 But one day, a Catholic priest contacted him 00:41:48.989 --> 00:41:51.989 and said, hey, can you do me a favor? Can you 00:41:51.989 --> 00:41:54.090 check this case of this woman I'm working with? 00:41:54.289 --> 00:41:56.809 I think there's something different about it, 00:41:56.849 --> 00:42:00.809 and I just want your professional opinion. So 00:42:00.809 --> 00:42:05.789 he met the woman. And that was what began his 00:42:05.789 --> 00:42:12.469 journey into understanding the reality of the 00:42:12.469 --> 00:42:18.469 spiritual realm and these demonic entities. So 00:42:18.469 --> 00:42:21.190 he writes the book sharing about the experiences, 00:42:21.449 --> 00:42:25.090 what they have discovered, some of the history 00:42:25.090 --> 00:42:27.469 and stuff. But he writes it not as a religious 00:42:27.469 --> 00:42:31.510 book. He writes it as a topic. as a scientist 00:42:31.510 --> 00:42:36.070 himself, and as a psychiatrist himself. And then 00:42:36.070 --> 00:42:40.010 he concludes the book saying, look, you have 00:42:40.010 --> 00:42:43.650 to wake up to the reality that there's a psychological 00:42:43.650 --> 00:42:47.250 thing, the physical thing that is true, but there's 00:42:47.250 --> 00:42:51.250 a line that we cross that is no longer physical. 00:42:51.989 --> 00:42:55.929 It is spiritual. And Satan and demons are real. 00:42:56.489 --> 00:43:01.389 That is my professional conclusion. So that's 00:43:01.389 --> 00:43:06.130 a good book if you are in that context. I give 00:43:06.130 --> 00:43:09.769 it to you as a reference. But let's go back to 00:43:09.769 --> 00:43:14.210 the story. Because here you have this man that 00:43:14.210 --> 00:43:17.369 first meets Jesus naked, living among the dead, 00:43:17.429 --> 00:43:20.630 enslaved in a solitary life, completely aimless. 00:43:20.889 --> 00:43:23.449 And the moment Jesus encounters him with his 00:43:23.449 --> 00:43:26.610 power, the rulership of God now coming into the 00:43:26.610 --> 00:43:29.650 life of this man, suddenly this man becomes closed. 00:43:30.280 --> 00:43:33.699 at the feet of Jesus, free and with purpose. 00:43:34.360 --> 00:43:37.699 And little did he know, when he woke up that 00:43:37.699 --> 00:43:42.980 morning, at the graves where he lived, that encountering 00:43:42.980 --> 00:43:45.860 Jesus was going to turn him into the first missionary 00:43:45.860 --> 00:43:54.539 to the Gentiles in the Christian history. Powerful. 00:43:56.239 --> 00:44:00.179 Jesus came with a mission. To destroy the works 00:44:00.179 --> 00:44:03.119 of the devil. And he has authority over creation. 00:44:03.800 --> 00:44:07.039 He is the only answer to spiritual oppression. 00:44:07.159 --> 00:44:11.260 Because there's only one name. That demons and 00:44:11.260 --> 00:44:17.760 Satan have to submit to. And that is Jesus. So 00:44:17.760 --> 00:44:23.179 as we talk about these things. Remember what 00:44:23.179 --> 00:44:28.960 Peter said. Read it with me. Stay alert. Watch 00:44:28.960 --> 00:44:31.940 out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls 00:44:31.940 --> 00:44:34.780 around like a roaring lion looking for someone 00:44:34.780 --> 00:44:39.619 to devour. Remember that. So I would like to 00:44:39.619 --> 00:44:43.000 conclude this last part of the study by just 00:44:43.000 --> 00:44:45.800 putting a mirror in front of you and asking you 00:44:45.800 --> 00:44:50.119 a few questions because maybe, maybe what you're 00:44:50.119 --> 00:44:54.260 experiencing is not rooted in the physical, but 00:44:54.260 --> 00:44:57.929 in the spiritual. And maybe you're experiencing 00:44:57.929 --> 00:45:00.489 spiritual oppression somewhere in the spectrum 00:45:00.489 --> 00:45:07.110 of where that is. We've worked with some people 00:45:07.110 --> 00:45:09.170 throughout the years on these things. Other people 00:45:09.170 --> 00:45:13.210 have worked in this field as well. And I am by 00:45:13.210 --> 00:45:16.909 no means expert on the topic. But there are certain 00:45:16.909 --> 00:45:20.969 things that typically seem to indicate there's 00:45:20.969 --> 00:45:23.250 more than physical here. Let's check the spiritual 00:45:23.250 --> 00:45:25.679 side. In case there's spiritual oppression going 00:45:25.679 --> 00:45:30.980 on here. Intense sense of worthlessness. You 00:45:30.980 --> 00:45:35.139 know the gospel. You know Jesus. But you are 00:45:35.139 --> 00:45:38.380 constantly struggling with this weighty sense 00:45:38.380 --> 00:45:41.599 of feeling unworthy. And the thoughts that you 00:45:41.599 --> 00:45:44.739 speak in your mind typically are on the second 00:45:44.739 --> 00:45:49.900 person. You don't say, I'm so worthless. Oh, 00:45:50.079 --> 00:45:54.659 I'm such a loser. I am. No. That's not how it's 00:45:54.659 --> 00:45:58.340 felt. It's felt more like you are such a piece 00:45:58.340 --> 00:46:04.119 of trash. You are. You see that? You are. You 00:46:04.119 --> 00:46:07.659 are. Pay attention to that. Because typically 00:46:07.659 --> 00:46:11.280 that is external. You are this. You are that. 00:46:11.800 --> 00:46:14.500 That's not the Holy Spirit speaking to you. That's 00:46:14.500 --> 00:46:18.300 not Jesus speaking to you. And that is not you 00:46:18.300 --> 00:46:24.699 speaking to you. You would say I am. Pay attention 00:46:24.699 --> 00:46:29.800 to that. Maybe you have a mosquito that is bothering 00:46:29.800 --> 00:46:36.739 you. Or you got a tick. Either way, it has to 00:46:36.739 --> 00:46:40.880 be dealt with. Another symptom that is a common 00:46:40.880 --> 00:46:42.940 symptom of spiritual oppression is intrusive 00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:45.079 thoughts. These thoughts that come to your mind 00:46:45.079 --> 00:46:47.139 that you don't want to be thinking, but why am 00:46:47.139 --> 00:46:49.619 I thinking that? Stuff that is just not good. 00:46:50.250 --> 00:46:52.429 It was this woman that had a lovely marriage 00:46:52.429 --> 00:46:57.250 and a lovely family. Kids had grown up. And if 00:46:57.250 --> 00:46:58.909 you look at them from the outside, they were 00:46:58.909 --> 00:47:02.110 like a very nice family. But she had to start 00:47:02.110 --> 00:47:03.750 going to the psychiatrist because she could not 00:47:03.750 --> 00:47:06.670 understand why she had all these thoughts that 00:47:06.670 --> 00:47:10.050 were horrific. Thinking how she would stab her 00:47:10.050 --> 00:47:13.750 husband with a knife and picturing him on the 00:47:13.750 --> 00:47:15.829 floor with the blood flowing. And she says, I 00:47:15.829 --> 00:47:18.949 love my husband. I will never do that to him. 00:47:20.720 --> 00:47:23.420 Why, doctor, please tell me, why am I thinking 00:47:23.420 --> 00:47:27.860 these things? Intrusive thoughts. They're not 00:47:27.860 --> 00:47:34.480 coming from you. Other symptom is self -harm 00:47:34.480 --> 00:47:40.019 desires. The gospel accounts about this man, 00:47:40.099 --> 00:47:41.860 the first missionary to the Gentiles that we 00:47:41.860 --> 00:47:44.739 just met, tell us that this guy will cut himself. 00:47:45.840 --> 00:47:49.769 Self -harm. Whenever you are in that place where 00:47:49.769 --> 00:47:53.909 the intense need and this intense urge to start 00:47:53.909 --> 00:47:58.809 hurting yourself comes over you, often it's a 00:47:58.809 --> 00:48:01.869 sign of spiritual oppression. The other one, 00:48:02.130 --> 00:48:05.409 spiritual restlessness. When you are in environments 00:48:05.409 --> 00:48:09.909 that are consecrated to God and you feel very 00:48:09.909 --> 00:48:14.829 uncomfortable. Sometimes close to things that 00:48:14.829 --> 00:48:19.719 are sacred. To the Lord. And personally has this 00:48:19.719 --> 00:48:23.599 reaction. That is almost like negative. And you 00:48:23.599 --> 00:48:27.500 don't know what it is. There was a. A person 00:48:27.500 --> 00:48:29.880 a few years ago here. That we pray with at the 00:48:29.880 --> 00:48:31.980 end of one of our services. And she says Pastor 00:48:31.980 --> 00:48:34.880 Pablo. The moment I walked in. I had this voice 00:48:34.880 --> 00:48:38.880 telling me. That I'm wasting my time. That nothing 00:48:38.880 --> 00:48:41.619 is going to help. And it's laughing. And it is 00:48:41.619 --> 00:48:45.500 just cursing. Saying all these. a bad language 00:48:45.500 --> 00:48:51.659 cursing in my mind. I'm trying to worship. Other 00:48:51.659 --> 00:48:53.920 people talk about how they're in the middle of 00:48:53.920 --> 00:48:56.320 wanting to worship God or in the midst of a sermon 00:48:56.320 --> 00:49:00.039 and they start having all these impure sexual 00:49:00.039 --> 00:49:01.800 thoughts that are just coming out of nowhere. 00:49:02.019 --> 00:49:04.659 They don't want to be thinking that. But they 00:49:04.659 --> 00:49:07.840 start feeling this spiritual restlessness in 00:49:07.840 --> 00:49:12.489 a place that is spiritually sacred. And you can 00:49:12.489 --> 00:49:17.230 feel it physically. That's a spiritual oppression. 00:49:18.190 --> 00:49:21.889 Oppressive dreams. You are sleeping at night, 00:49:21.969 --> 00:49:23.670 going on your business, and suddenly you have 00:49:23.670 --> 00:49:26.610 these weird dreams that are very unsettling. 00:49:26.829 --> 00:49:30.690 Sometimes even you are choked in the dream, or 00:49:30.690 --> 00:49:34.090 you have sexual encounters with these beings 00:49:34.090 --> 00:49:37.769 that are, it's just, or you're being raped in 00:49:37.769 --> 00:49:40.789 your dreams. There are things that are completely, 00:49:44.130 --> 00:49:48.929 And you try to speak and say Jesus or something, 00:49:48.969 --> 00:49:54.110 and you can't. And suddenly, spiritual oppression. 00:49:58.090 --> 00:50:01.869 Also, when you have desire for defiled things, 00:50:01.969 --> 00:50:05.090 things that you just don't want in your life, 00:50:05.130 --> 00:50:08.489 but you have this inclination for, why am I feeling 00:50:08.489 --> 00:50:11.679 this desire? We have worked with people that 00:50:11.679 --> 00:50:15.139 have sexual desire towards children. And they 00:50:15.139 --> 00:50:17.539 don't want that sexual desire towards children. 00:50:18.179 --> 00:50:21.440 Or the people that have desires that are completely 00:50:21.440 --> 00:50:24.039 so shameful and distorted that just to talk about 00:50:24.039 --> 00:50:26.559 it is very difficult because it's so shameful 00:50:26.559 --> 00:50:30.719 even to speak that I'm having these things. Because 00:50:30.719 --> 00:50:32.880 what would you think of me if I tell you that? 00:50:36.139 --> 00:50:38.960 But this desire for defiled things that bring 00:50:38.960 --> 00:50:42.260 deep shame, that you feel it's like, it's not 00:50:42.260 --> 00:50:45.619 me, I don't want this, what is it? Spiritual 00:50:45.619 --> 00:50:49.639 oppression. And also paranormal activity. Sometimes 00:50:49.639 --> 00:50:53.239 you may be in a place where you see shadows passing 00:50:53.239 --> 00:50:57.440 by, entities passing by, a presence that changes 00:50:57.440 --> 00:51:00.340 the environment of the room. Sometimes you see 00:51:00.340 --> 00:51:05.300 things that move around. I worked with a guy 00:51:05.300 --> 00:51:08.659 that a night when he's sleeping in this room, 00:51:08.860 --> 00:51:14.940 they would pull the blankets from him like that 00:51:14.940 --> 00:51:19.059 or get pushed off the bed. We have worked with 00:51:19.059 --> 00:51:23.079 people that wake up with scratches, marks, even 00:51:23.079 --> 00:51:27.739 in places they couldn't reach themselves. Paranormal 00:51:27.739 --> 00:51:31.820 activity. All of these different things are often 00:51:31.820 --> 00:51:34.869 signs of spiritual oppression. If any of these 00:51:34.869 --> 00:51:38.949 things are true of you, remember, be on the alert. 00:51:39.070 --> 00:51:41.769 You have an enemy that is like a roaring lion 00:51:41.769 --> 00:51:44.730 looking for someone to devour. And it is possible 00:51:44.730 --> 00:51:46.750 that what you're experiencing is spiritual oppression. 00:51:47.090 --> 00:51:49.250 So if it is spiritual oppression, then what? 00:51:53.610 --> 00:51:59.829 You have Jesus. So this is not a problem. It 00:51:59.829 --> 00:52:03.150 has a solution. And the first part of the solution. 00:52:03.739 --> 00:52:06.559 It's to remember that Jesus came to break the 00:52:06.559 --> 00:52:08.719 power of the devil over my life. So God is on 00:52:08.719 --> 00:52:15.519 my side. And he wants my freedom. So four things 00:52:15.519 --> 00:52:20.639 that I want you to keep in mind. First, recognize 00:52:20.639 --> 00:52:24.579 the authority of Jesus. If the apostles knew 00:52:24.579 --> 00:52:27.340 what they knew after they got to the other side, 00:52:27.539 --> 00:52:30.260 they wouldn't have freaked out. Because they 00:52:30.260 --> 00:52:32.119 knew who Jesus was. And if Jesus said, we'll 00:52:32.119 --> 00:52:33.360 get to the other side, we'll get to the other 00:52:33.360 --> 00:52:38.920 side. Because my Jesus can command the sea and 00:52:38.920 --> 00:52:41.539 the wind and we'll have to obey him. You see, 00:52:41.559 --> 00:52:43.940 once you know that Jesus has all authority and 00:52:43.940 --> 00:52:46.300 you recognize his authority, then you know that 00:52:46.300 --> 00:52:49.059 you are walking in this space of struggle in 00:52:49.059 --> 00:52:54.920 Jesus' authority. So therefore, you have the 00:52:54.920 --> 00:52:57.900 victory on your side. And you have to recognize 00:52:57.900 --> 00:53:00.559 that the root of some of these things is spiritual 00:53:00.559 --> 00:53:04.280 and not physical. And what it is, you will know. 00:53:05.619 --> 00:53:09.280 Second thing is that you have to repent. Because 00:53:09.280 --> 00:53:11.380 sometimes the reason why the mosquitoes show 00:53:11.380 --> 00:53:14.340 up in your house is because you left the door 00:53:14.340 --> 00:53:21.679 open. You have engaged in a sinful behavior that 00:53:21.679 --> 00:53:23.800 have opened the door for spiritual oppression. 00:53:24.590 --> 00:53:26.690 And you can pray all you want, but you need to 00:53:26.690 --> 00:53:28.489 close the door before the mosquitoes stop showing 00:53:28.489 --> 00:53:33.289 up. And that's why if you are engaged in any 00:53:33.289 --> 00:53:35.630 sinful behavior that you know is bringing you 00:53:35.630 --> 00:53:40.230 shame, confess that, bring it to the light, walk 00:53:40.230 --> 00:53:43.190 away from it, repent. Because as long as that's 00:53:43.190 --> 00:53:44.869 there, the spiritual oppression will continue. 00:53:45.250 --> 00:53:47.510 It doesn't matter if even Pastor Pablo prays 00:53:47.510 --> 00:53:52.909 for you. You are inviting it. Don't be foolish. 00:53:55.340 --> 00:54:00.780 Third, renounce it. Because sometimes the reason 00:54:00.780 --> 00:54:03.579 why the oppression is happening is because we 00:54:03.579 --> 00:54:06.460 have given it authority by establishing certain 00:54:06.460 --> 00:54:10.920 links with these things. And this is often the 00:54:10.920 --> 00:54:15.440 case for people who have engaged in idolatry. 00:54:15.440 --> 00:54:17.780 If you grew up in an environment where you were 00:54:17.780 --> 00:54:20.679 worshiping idols, maybe you were dedicated as 00:54:20.679 --> 00:54:24.800 a baby to idols. Maybe you were in your wedding 00:54:24.800 --> 00:54:27.360 and there was a ceremony done for idols to bless 00:54:27.360 --> 00:54:31.460 your marriage. Anything that is related to the 00:54:31.460 --> 00:54:34.619 direct invocation of the blessing of an idol 00:54:34.619 --> 00:54:38.599 over your life has invited the authority of demons 00:54:38.599 --> 00:54:44.019 to oppress you. And that's why you have to break 00:54:44.019 --> 00:54:47.659 that agreement. You have to renounce it. And 00:54:47.659 --> 00:54:49.880 if it was done by someone in authority over your 00:54:49.880 --> 00:54:51.619 life, whether your parents, your grandparents, 00:54:52.519 --> 00:54:54.840 You can break that by renouncing it in the name 00:54:54.840 --> 00:54:58.739 of Jesus, but that has to be broken. And finally, 00:54:58.960 --> 00:55:03.659 you have to remove it. Sometimes the reason why 00:55:03.659 --> 00:55:06.900 this spiritual oppression is happening is because 00:55:06.900 --> 00:55:10.000 you have invited objects that are cursed, that 00:55:10.000 --> 00:55:13.880 were dedicated for idols or for demons. And this 00:55:13.880 --> 00:55:18.780 is real. One day I was working with a person 00:55:18.780 --> 00:55:23.500 that had bought... Antiques from Japan. And she 00:55:23.500 --> 00:55:26.480 brought them into their home. And suddenly she 00:55:26.480 --> 00:55:28.719 started having manifestations happening in the 00:55:28.719 --> 00:55:32.440 house. And until that was removed, all of that 00:55:32.440 --> 00:55:38.219 stopped. Do you remember the case of Achan in 00:55:38.219 --> 00:55:40.400 the Old Testament when they are conquering with 00:55:40.400 --> 00:55:43.099 Joshua and conquering the land? And God tells 00:55:43.099 --> 00:55:45.119 them, don't take the gold, don't take the clothes 00:55:45.119 --> 00:55:50.320 because they are cursed. Remember that? And this 00:55:50.320 --> 00:55:52.739 Achan says, well, it's just gold. It's just clothes. 00:55:53.079 --> 00:55:57.320 I can use it. Let me put it in my tent. And now 00:55:57.320 --> 00:56:00.579 God says, my power cannot flow through you anymore. 00:56:00.619 --> 00:56:02.079 I cannot give you victory over your enemies. 00:56:02.860 --> 00:56:05.019 Because you have brought the cursed things in 00:56:05.019 --> 00:56:09.340 your midst. These were people that worship idols. 00:56:09.480 --> 00:56:11.539 And when that gold and those clothes were dedicated 00:56:11.539 --> 00:56:15.730 to the idols, they're cursed. Now we have the 00:56:15.730 --> 00:56:18.750 power of Jesus over that. So if you have come 00:56:18.750 --> 00:56:20.429 to know Christ, you are following Jesus, but 00:56:20.429 --> 00:56:22.849 you still have idols at home, statues, things 00:56:22.849 --> 00:56:26.730 that were dedicated, don't think of that as, 00:56:26.909 --> 00:56:30.090 oh, it has emotional value. No, it has spiritual 00:56:30.090 --> 00:56:36.130 darkness value. And you must get rid of it. I've 00:56:36.130 --> 00:56:38.530 also learned, because I like decorations, interior 00:56:38.530 --> 00:56:41.230 design, all of that, I'm that kind of guy. Yes. 00:56:43.730 --> 00:56:47.659 But, When I buy things here in Thailand, sometimes, 00:56:47.840 --> 00:56:51.039 you know, decorations that are used things that 00:56:51.039 --> 00:56:53.079 you find, oh, this will look good here. You know, 00:56:53.119 --> 00:56:55.679 I've learned. I have no idea what the background 00:56:55.679 --> 00:56:58.579 is. So when I take that object, I'm going to 00:56:58.579 --> 00:57:02.519 pray over it. If it was dedicated to idols or 00:57:02.519 --> 00:57:04.280 anything, I'm going to break its power in Jesus' 00:57:04.420 --> 00:57:07.239 name. This thing now belongs to a child of God. 00:57:07.260 --> 00:57:09.920 It's dedicated for God's purposes. I sanctify 00:57:09.920 --> 00:57:12.739 it in Jesus' name before I bring it to my house. 00:57:13.610 --> 00:57:17.389 Because this is real. I understand if it feels 00:57:17.389 --> 00:57:23.030 too much. But welcome to reality. Welcome to 00:57:23.030 --> 00:57:25.889 following Jesus. Welcome to the invitation of 00:57:25.889 --> 00:57:30.170 walking in the victory of Jesus. So if you are 00:57:30.170 --> 00:57:32.150 experiencing any form of spiritual oppression, 00:57:32.369 --> 00:57:35.750 remember, recognize the authority of Jesus. Recognize 00:57:35.750 --> 00:57:39.670 the source of the oppression. Repent of anything 00:57:39.670 --> 00:57:42.949 that has given you the authority. Renounce. any 00:57:42.949 --> 00:57:46.309 link that has been given to them as authority 00:57:46.309 --> 00:57:49.849 of your life, and remove any object that has 00:57:49.849 --> 00:57:53.570 been cursed or dedicated to demons from your 00:57:53.570 --> 00:57:58.809 domain. This is what we do intentionally because 00:57:58.809 --> 00:58:02.210 we believe what the Word of God says. We will 00:58:02.210 --> 00:58:04.510 stay on the alert and we will be intentionally 00:58:04.510 --> 00:58:10.190 about standing firm in our faith. Finally, if 00:58:10.190 --> 00:58:12.820 you would like... something that is more hands 00:58:12.820 --> 00:58:15.199 -on to help you deal with things that you are 00:58:15.199 --> 00:58:18.639 feeling internally. We have the course Freedom 00:58:18.639 --> 00:58:21.000 in Christ that is designed for this, but actually 00:58:21.000 --> 00:58:23.239 the book Freedom in Christ, you can order it 00:58:23.239 --> 00:58:26.360 online yourself. And it's a systematic exercise 00:58:26.360 --> 00:58:28.719 that takes you through seven areas of your life 00:58:28.719 --> 00:58:31.980 with specific prayers written through it. So 00:58:31.980 --> 00:58:35.760 you can go systematically breaking anything that 00:58:35.760 --> 00:58:39.119 has been given authority to the spiritual darkness 00:58:39.119 --> 00:58:42.820 in your life. Say it with me out loud. The reason 00:58:42.820 --> 00:58:47.460 the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's 00:58:47.460 --> 00:58:56.420 work. Are you walking in freedom? Or are you 00:58:56.420 --> 00:59:03.320 bound? Are you oppressed? If so, there's an answer 00:59:03.320 --> 00:59:09.119 to that. And the solution is Jesus. Call out 00:59:09.119 --> 00:59:15.440 to him. Lord, I ask you, in the powerful name 00:59:15.440 --> 00:59:19.679 of our Lord Jesus Christ, to break any strongholds 00:59:19.679 --> 00:59:21.199 that have been established by the enemy in our 00:59:21.199 --> 00:59:23.119 lives and anything that you have revealed to 00:59:23.119 --> 00:59:26.239 us today through this study. Lord, give us a 00:59:26.239 --> 00:59:29.000 pathway forward that we may experience your freedom 00:59:29.000 --> 00:59:34.219 because you came for our freedom, not for us 00:59:34.219 --> 01:00:00.909 to live oppressed. In Jesus' name. If God is 01:00:00.909 --> 01:00:03.550 calling you to support our ministries, you will 01:00:03.550 --> 01:00:07.329 find giving options on our website. And remember 01:00:07.329 --> 01:00:10.110 to join us next week. God bless you.