The Gospel Project® for Adults

POINT 2 JESUS’S POWER OVER UNCLEAN SPIRITS FUELS AMAZEMENT

(LUKE 4:33-37).

33 In the synagogue there was a man with an unclean demonic spirit
who cried out with a loud voice,
34 “Leave us alone! What do you have 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 and said,
“Be silent and come out of him!”
And throwing him down before them,
the demon came out of him without hurting him at all.
36 Amazement came over them all,
and they were saying to one another,
“What is this message? For he commands the unclean spirits
with authority and power, and they come out!”
37 And news about him began to go out
to every place in the vicinity.

Explain:

Verses 33-34 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

Key Doctrine #35:

Demons:

Demons are angelic beings who sinned against God
and now continually work evil in the world today
(Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1; Luke 10:18).
Demons oppose God and seek to destroy His work,
as seen in the Bible’s description of Satan, the head of demons,
who seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy”
(John 10:10).
Though demons have power, they are limited by God’s control
and can only act within the constraints of what God permits.
In the end, all of the demons will be cast into the lake of fire,
for which it was originally created.

Discuss:

• Why might we struggle to recognize the work of demons today?
• (tempting to think demons are no longer active;
• some “modern Christians” discount biblical accounts of demon possessions a
  s actually cases of epilepsy or mental illness;
• we are so focused on the material realm that we forget the spiritual realities)

Explain:

Verses 35-37 (the bold words fill in blanks in the DDG):

As the sovereign Creator of all things,
God the Son—Jesus—by the word of His mouth,
commanded the demon and it had to obey.

Discuss:

• What does it say about us when we don’t obey God’s command?
• (we are in sin;
• we are in rebellion against our Creator;
• we don’t rightly fear the Lord;
• we should examine our hearts to see if we are indeed in Christ)

Transition:

The authoritative message of Jesus prompted astonishment.
The powerful works of Jesus fueled amazement.
Yet it was His urgent drive to proclaim the good news to all that revealed His mission.

SYNAGOGUE

A location where Jews gathered locally for teaching and assembly
in the inter-testamental and New Testament times.
Many communities had one or more synagogues with a large inner room
for the men to gather and a loft above for the women.

VOICES FROM THE CHURCH

“Satan can do nothing in this world, and nothing in your life,
apart from the sovereign permission of God.
Satan is a lion (1 Pet 5:8),
but he is a lion on a leash. And God holds the leash.
Demons decidedly do not have all authority;
Jesus does.” 3

– David Platt