Mark 1:23-26 "And there was in their
synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, (24)
Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art
thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. (25)
And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
(26) And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a
loud voice, he came out of him."
As Jesus and His disciples began their public ministry, He would go into the synagogue and there begin to teach. The people were astonished at Him because of the authority with which He taught. They were accustomed to hearing men speak the doctrine of men that had been substituted for the doctrine of God. Now, this One came on the scene and they knew immediately there was something about Him that commanded their attention.
Not only did His voice command the attention of humans, but unclean spirits and demons paid attention to His voice. Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on this day when the unclean spirit cried out to him. The unclean spirit had found a resting place in the man and did not want to be disturbed. Yet, the very sound of the voice of Jesus is disturbing to unclean spirits. What a great declaration was made by this evil unclean spirit: "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." Men did not recognize, but this unclean spirit did. Jesus told the unclean spirit to be quiet and come out of the man. The spirit knew it had to come out, but tried to inflict as much damage and pain as possible before coming out of the man.
Unclean spirits and demons still today know the authority of the voice of Jesus. There are many spirits that try to take up residence in us. Be assured they only have one objective and that is to inflict as much damage and pain as possible. What are some of the unclean spirits that can come within us? We know and recognize the major ones and work diligently to avoid them; but, we must understand there are others that take up residence and can cause much harm to us and to those around us. Paul spoke of them in Colossians 3:8-9, "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another."
We may not even recognize and identify these things as being unclean spirits within us; yet, they are and they can do great damage. We must be careful to prevent them from taking residence, but if they do, we must seek the authority and grace of our Lord and Saviour to drive them out of us. There is power in the precious name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
As Jesus and His disciples began their public ministry, He would go into the synagogue and there begin to teach. The people were astonished at Him because of the authority with which He taught. They were accustomed to hearing men speak the doctrine of men that had been substituted for the doctrine of God. Now, this One came on the scene and they knew immediately there was something about Him that commanded their attention.
Not only did His voice command the attention of humans, but unclean spirits and demons paid attention to His voice. Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on this day when the unclean spirit cried out to him. The unclean spirit had found a resting place in the man and did not want to be disturbed. Yet, the very sound of the voice of Jesus is disturbing to unclean spirits. What a great declaration was made by this evil unclean spirit: "I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." Men did not recognize, but this unclean spirit did. Jesus told the unclean spirit to be quiet and come out of the man. The spirit knew it had to come out, but tried to inflict as much damage and pain as possible before coming out of the man.
Unclean spirits and demons still today know the authority of the voice of Jesus. There are many spirits that try to take up residence in us. Be assured they only have one objective and that is to inflict as much damage and pain as possible. What are some of the unclean spirits that can come within us? We know and recognize the major ones and work diligently to avoid them; but, we must understand there are others that take up residence and can cause much harm to us and to those around us. Paul spoke of them in Colossians 3:8-9, "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another."
We may not even recognize and identify these things as being unclean spirits within us; yet, they are and they can do great damage. We must be careful to prevent them from taking residence, but if they do, we must seek the authority and grace of our Lord and Saviour to drive them out of us. There is power in the precious name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.