›I Corinthians 10:14-22
›Fellowship with Demons
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?
(I Corinthians 10:14-18, ESV)
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19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
(I Corinthians 10:19-22, ESV)
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›Main Point
› Paul begins to close out the argument which was started in chapter 8
› Paul has shown the folly of entering pagan temples and partaking of the food
› First: It is unloving toward those who (rightly) perceive this as idolatry
› Second: All because one has rights it does not mean we should lack self-control or discipline
› Third: Such practices in the Old Testament were forbidden and it showed through their deaths
› Practicing this means communion with the demonic
› Paul forbids such practices because it only leads God to jealousy
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›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons
– There was a realization that we will be dealing with all of these issues
– Thus it seemed prudent to deal with the one topic Paul would not be dealing with in depth
– The problem with dealing with demons or demonic forces is that we are so accustomed to the enlightenment
– Spiritual entities or explanations have been diminished
– In some sense this view has infected many both inside and outside of the Church
– Consider the following…
“That the demonic is real and powerful Paul never denies. But since he endorses both he apocalyptic tradition (Reflected in rabbinic Judaism) of demonic forces and the prophet tradition reflected in Hellenistic Judaism that false gods are “non-gods” or “empty” of reality, he is less likely to be thinking personalized entities than the power of demonic forces which reflect powers of evil greater in collective force than human resources. They represent active evil powers which are hostile to God; but they are also “nothing” in themselves. F.F. Bruce comments, “The demons, for Paul, were probably not personal beings but impersonal forces which exerted a powerful influence over unregenerate man.”
(Thiselton, 775, Emphasis his).
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (2)
– The implications is that demons are not personal beings
– Instead they are impersonal forces
– This is an interesting view, but is it accurate?
– One would argue against it based upon the verses today
– How is it possible for one to have fellowship, or participate with, a force?
– Participation implies personhood
– One does not merely participate with Jesus as a force, but with Him as a Person, a being
“So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.”
Leviticus 17:7, ESV
“16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. 18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.”
Deuteronomy 32:16-18, ESV
“34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them, 35 but they mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. 36 They served their idols, which became a snare to them. 37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; 38 they poured out innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. 39 Thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.”
-Psalm 106:34-39, ESV
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (3)
– What of these verses?
– The concept of sacrifice, which was done to the pagan gods, then gives us an understanding that when the Old Testament discusses “gods” they are not “gods” but demons
– These verses still do not tell us if they are personal or impersonal
– If this is all we receive concerning the Old Testament, do we have any more information on these demonic things in the New Testament?
16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
Mathew 8:16-17, ESV
32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”
Matthew 9:32-34, ESV
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.”
Matthew 15:21-28, ESV
14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 19:14-21, ESV
33 And in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 And reports about him went out into every place in the surrounding region.”
Luke 4:33-37, ESV
40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
Luke 4:40-41, ESV
26 Then they sailed to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.)
30 Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” for many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now a large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, and they begged him to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned.
Luke 8:26-33, ESV
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (4)
– First the demons have control over the physical elements
– Second, more than one demon can be possessing a singular person at a time
– The term “Legion” is a Roman military term that had over 4000 personnel
– Third, the demons have knowledge which others do not have
– Demons have knowledge which humans do not have
– They are personal beings because impersonal forces do not possess “knowledge”
– Fourth, demons fear being cast into the abyss
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (5)
– We find demonic beings who are personal
– We find them having power over the physical realm
– We find them having knowledge which humans do not have
– We find them to be spiritual beings with no physical form of their own
– If these things are more powerful than humans, why are they unable to have their own physical form?
– As a speculation this may be judgment against demons
– Their only way of encountering or experience the physical world is through some object or person
– Some will think, “Ok, during Jesus’ time on earth they existed as personal agents. But, what we also know is that Jesus conquers…”
11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
Acts 19:11-16, ESV
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (6)
– This event occurs after Jesus’ ascension
– What is the point in all of this?
– We need to be aware of the spiritual realm which exists
– It may be possible that these demonic beings only have so much power as people will allot them
– “Who believes in such demons?”
– Many!
– These gods who are not gods but demons are showing more and more influence in this world around us
– It may very well be they have always been here, or it could be that over the course of time they have used our disbelief for their advantage
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (7)
– Some will say these are just four people
– In the 1800’s there were 32 well known occultists
– In the 1900’s this increased to close to 120 well known occultist
– There are many celebrities who utilize the power of crystals to keep spiritual forces at bay
– What is the point of all this?
– Demons do exist
– The ancients practices pagan rituals at the altars, and the altars still exist
– I have no idea whether it is planned and orchestrated similar to what we find in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
– Or if it is just pure anarchy and chaos
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (8)
– What we can be sure of, however, is their existence, and their rise in popularity over the course of the last century
– Whatever their purposes or goals it is not the betterment of humanity
– Those possessed lose power and control
– All of this might cause some to worry
– “Aren’t you worried this puts a target on your back?”
– I am pretty sure all Christians have targets on their backs just by living in faithfulness
– I know something about these demons…they are not God
– “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” James 2:19, ESV
“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20, ESV
›Application Points
›Fellowship with Demons (9)
– All things fall under His authority
– The devil exists, but he is on a leash, and that leash is held by God’s hand
– God is still greater than they
– He is the only necessary, all powerful, all knowing, all present Being
– These other gods, these demons, are not necessary, all powerful, all knowing, are not all present
– They are not God
– There are those who have continued, and will continue, to give themselves up to fellowship with demons
– Be prepared, then, to keep your eyes open to the unseen
– They will promise you much, resist, however, by knowing the truth and proclaiming it
– Do not be afraid of the unseen powers, but do not be unaware of them either, instead, shine the Light of Christ on them, and see how quickly they scatter
›Application Points
› The Gospel of Christ
– Origins
– Fall
– Redemption
– Glorification
