November 2020
November 5, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
Satan Is a Defeated Enemy
The Gospel of Mark, chapter 1, speaks of Jesus calling his first disciples. Peter, James, John and
a few others began to learn from Jesus. Following their call, the disciples went with Jesus to
Capernaum. On one particular Sabbath, Jesus led his group to the local synagogue. On that
Sabbath Jesus was asked to teach, and he spoke with great conviction and authority. The crowd was
amazed to hear Jesus’s teaching. Perhaps what most amazed those in attendance that Sabbath was
the reaction of a demon-possessed man.
This particular Sabbath was very early in the ministry of Jesus. He had already been baptized by
John the Baptist and had spent 40 days in the wilderness praying about what he would do as the
Messiah. During that 40 day wilderness experience, Jesus crossed swords with Satan. Satan knew
that God’s Messiah had come with the mission of saving lost mankind, but Satan wanted to divert
Jesus from the path that led to the cross. Satan wanted to convince Jesus that being the sacrifice for
the sins of mankind was not necessary. Jesus rejected these lies and rebuked Satan after he tried to
get him to abandon the way of sacrifice. Jesus knew that without his sacrificial death, mankind would
be lost in their sins! Jesus knew that without the cross, there would be no crown of salvation for men
and women.
The spiritual realm watched with hushed anticipation as Jesus weathered Satan’s attack. Jesus
would emerge from this temptation experience victorious, and as he entered that synagogue in
Capernaum there was one who had seen Jesus do battle with Satan. The demon-possessed man
was in that synagogue, and that demon knew that his days were numbered. He saw Jesus withstand
the fiercest temptations Satan could throw at him. That demon knew that Jesus came to destroy the
wicked works of Satan, so out of fear and desperation the demon-possessed man cried out, “What
are you doing here Jesus? Are you here to destroy what I do?” The demon knew that his plans could
not withstand the power and work of God. This confrontation between Jesus and the demon-
possessed man left onlookers amazed!
This same Jesus has disarmed and defeated the enemies that you and I face. The Satanic realm
that fights against God is a defeated enemy. While Satan is not afraid of human powers and plans,
he knows that God has won the spiritual battle. Satan knows that he has been defeated by
Jesus. The work of Jesus is far superior to anything that Satan can throw at this world. All Satan has
left is bluff, bluster and threat. Satan is a roaring lion who has been declawed and had his teeth
ripped-out. Satan is no threat when we stand with Jesus.
While this demon knew he was defeated, that did not stop him from trying to steal attention away
from Jesus. The same is true today. Satan is a defeated enemy that tries to threaten this world, but
even though he is defeated, he can do damage to those who do not stand with Jesus. As you live
today and anticipate tomorrow, to whom will you pay attention? Will you look to Jesus who has
conquered Satan and his works? Or will you follow the ways of a lost world that is blindly repeating
the lies of Satan? Keep looking up!
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November 12, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
Real Worship
Jesus had done it now. He had enemies surrounding him. The religious leaders, the Pharisees,
greatly desired to destroy Jesus, and the politicians of the day, the Herodians, were plotting his
death. The Pharisees never had anything good to say about the secular Herodians. The Herodians
always laughed through their beards at the religiously nutty Pharisees, but the hatred of these two
groups toward Jesus caused them to set aside their mutual loathing. They agreed that they could
bury the hatchet as long as the hatchet was aimed at Jesus.
What caused all of this animosity and hostility? Mark 3 tells of Jesus healing a man on the
Sabbath. When Jesus came to worship one particular Sabbath, the religious hypocrites were waiting
for him. As soon as Jesus walked in the synagogue doors, he felt their hateful gazes. Mark does not
tell us whether this disabled man was placed in the synagogue as a trap or whether he just happened
to be there. It does not matter, however, because Jesus saw the man and he saw the man’s
need. While Jesus came to worship God, there were many in the synagogue who had gathered to
fuss, feud, and advance their personal agendas.
At the heart of this story (Mark 3:1-6) is a battle between the forces of God and the forces of
Satan. When people gather to worship and honor God, Satan is frustrated. He does not want to see
God’s people honor God. Satan does not want people to be strengthened and blessed as they come
to worship the Almighty. Satan knows if he can distract people from worshiping their Heavenly
Father, he is robbing them of spiritual strength and vitality. He rejoices when he can sow division and
disharmony among God’s people.
The story in Mark 3 is also a story that is repeated today. How often are Christians gathered
together and the result is not worship, harmony, and praise? It happens every week in congregations
around the world. Rather than kneel before our great and awesome God, many Christians are more
concerned about what another person is doing. While we are challenged by God to help and
encourage one another, that is not what happens. Far too many Christians are blinded to the
awesomeness of God because they are focused on the faults or failings of their Christian brother or
sister. Much energy and time is spent arguing, fussing, and feuding over the things done by the
church. Whether it be what kind of music should be played, what color the carpet should be or when
communion should be passed in the service, distractions over these issues do not bring honor to
God.
As you read of Jesus having difficulties with the Pharisees, it is interesting to observe that the
Pharisees were oblivious to the danger they faced. When Jesus saw the hypocrisy of the Pharisees
in Mark 3, he got angry. There are many people today who are not afraid of God’s anger. While we
like to talk about the love of God, and we should, let us be wise and have a healthy fear of God and
his righteous judgment. Let us come before God and worship him. Let us leave the distractions of
Satan behind. What a blessing it is to worship Jesus and to focus only on his majesty. Keep looking
up!
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November 19, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
Which Way Will You Choose?
A name can tell many things. The Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus met a man with an unusual
name. What the man’s original name was we will never know this side of heaven, but what the
people called the man was “Legion.”
Legion was an unusual name; it meant “many.” It was a reference to the fact that this man was
possessed by a multitude or legion of demons. Read Mark 5 to get a clearer view of how Satan’s
unholy servants ruined this man’s life. I wonder what led this man to this point? What sort of
questionable deeds did he engage in to allow demons to possess him? Some people speculate
about whether or not the man was engaged in Satan worship or the dark arts. Perhaps he was,
perhaps he was not. Let’s look at this man’s surroundings and consider another path.
Mark 5 says that the area where this man lived was a haven for hogs. Evidently there was quite
a lucrative swine business in this man’s locale. While I like bacon and ham as well as the next man,
you need to remember that this was a Jewish neighborhood. Pork was forbidden in the Jewish
diet. We will never know if this man was a frequenter of the local “Fat-Boy’s BBQ,” but it seems a
logical assumption to guess that this man was in the pig business. Whether you dined on the swine
or sold it, this was not the practice of someone who walked closely with God (at least in those days
for a Jew). We can hope that this man was raised by Godly parents in his “pre-Legion” days, but it
seems obvious that he strayed away from God. Whether he was waist-deep in occultism or knee-
deep in pig-slop, the result is the same. In this story, we see a life that was lived apart from
God. When our life has no place for God we are prime targets for Satan. When God is not on the
throne of our heart, Satan will claim that top spot.
Where are you? Are you walking closely with Jesus? If not, you are in trouble. A life that is not
lived in submission to Jesus is a life that is under Satan’s control. Whether we are demonically
possessed, oppressed, or impressed, we are in the same state: lost. Jesus made it clear that every
person is either following Him or they are following Satan. One does not have to consciously call
Satan lord to be in his clutches. It is almost certain that this man felt things were “fine” as he
meandered down the road to destruction.
Jesus stepped into this man’s life and brought freedom and deliverance. Jesus wants to do the
same for all of us. Scripture says that all people are lost in the kingdom of darkness. It also says that
God wants to rescue us from the darkness that we live in. The choice is yours and mine. We must
make the choice concerning whether we will follow Jesus and be his servants. Which way will you
choose? Keep looking up!
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November 25, 2020
Midweek Thoughts from Don:
“What will you do with Jesus?”
The Gospel writer, Mark, writes about the life of Jesus. As we read Mark’s account there are
sections that make me scratch my head and say—“Wow, I didn’t expect that!” Mark 6 is one of those
parts. The previous 5 chapters of Mark detailed the powerful and popular journeys of Jesus. Jesus
had done many miracles. He spoke to many thousands of people. Wherever Jesus went there was a
buzz of excitement—everywhere except home.
When Jesus made a homecoming trip to Nazareth he was met with resentment, disregard and
contempt. There was a collective—“Humph!” The people of Nazareth had seen Jesus grow up and
they could not believe all the excitement. They knew his parents, his brothers and his sisters. Most
of all—they had Jesus figured out! The phrase that described their reaction was—“They took offense
at him!”
Why was this? It was because Jesus presumed to come and teach them, like he taught
everyone else. Jesus spoke with great power and wisdom. In the face of Jesus’ call to change and
repentance they said, “Who are you to preach to us!”
The sad truth is that many people react to Jesus the same way today. It is OK for Jesus to tell
everyone else what to do, but not me! People are fine when their neighbors are called to repentance,
but they are insulted and aggravated when God points to their needs.
The blind stubbornness that causes people to miss Jesus also causes them to miss the needs of
those around them. The homeless, AIDS victims, the terminally ill, alcoholics, divorcees (the list
could go on and on of those who need love and are hurting), all to one degree or another are
shunned by a world that is self-serving. Society does not know what to do with them. Sadly, the
Church many times does not know what to do either. People with needs and issues find a warmer
reception at the corner bar than in a Sunday School class or a group of people pretending to worship
God. If we are honest when we are reading scripture we would see that Jesus always found a place
for the hurting and the lost. History tells us that Jesus was extremely popular with the down and out
of society because he took time to care and help. This, also, is exactly why so many of the powerful
and the elite had problems with Jesus. The cynical world we live in loves to bang on and blow up
Christians. Let us not give them ammunition, rather let us follow Jesus and serve as he
served. Before we ask people what they will do with Jesus, we need to answer that same
question. What will we do with Jesus? Keep looking up!