13
May '20
Breakthroughs Over Strongholds
13
May '20
Text: Mark 9:14-29
“And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.”
Introduction: Do you need a BREAKTHROUGH over strongholds? A “stronghold” (Greek-ochyroma) is a “castle, a fortress.” All of us deal with unwanted generational “baggages” such as anger, bitterness, lust, self-righteousness, fantasies, greed, temporary escapism-inability to cope with stress and life, etc. These can manifest thru unfulfilled needs, a lack of a healthy God-given self image, and an absence of God’s truth. How can we as believers OVERCOME these strongholds? Mark, the secretary of Peter, gives us (4) steps to experiencing a BREAKTHROUGH:
1. We, like the disciples, have to deal with being DEFEATED & DISCOURAGED! (Mark 9:17, 18)
After a heavenly, mountaintop {transfiguration} experience with Jesus, the disciples are confronted with a demon-possessed boy whose dad was trying to get him help. “Master, I have brought unto thee my son which hath a dumb spirit… I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.”
• Disciples defeated
• Prayerless Christians
= Powerless
“The disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?… And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:28, 29)
• Disciples defeated
• Prayerless Christians
= Powerless
“The disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?… And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” (Mark 9:28, 29)
2. We, like the daddy, have to deal with being DOWN in the DUMPS! (Mark 9:21-24)
Jesus asked the father, “How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.” And the DOUBTING DADDY said, “If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.”
• Doubt and do without
• Doubt turned into Desperation (Mark 9:24)
“The father cried out… with tears, Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” The word “HELP” in verse 22 means instant but “HELP” in verse 24 means continuous.
• Doubt and do without
• Doubt turned into Desperation (Mark 9:24)
“The father cried out… with tears, Lord I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” The word “HELP” in verse 22 means instant but “HELP” in verse 24 means continuous.
3. We, like the DEFEATED disciples & the DOUBTING daddy, have to deal with DEADLY DEMONS! (Mark 9:18, 20)
Speaking of the demon, the dad said, “….he taketh him, he teareth: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away.”
• The Strongman’s Stronghold
• Deadly demon’s destroying – convulses, shrieks, wasting away
Speaking of the demon, the dad said, “….he taketh him, he teareth: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away.”
• The Strongman’s Stronghold
• Deadly demon’s destroying – convulses, shrieks, wasting away
4. We need to let the DIVINE DELIVERER DELIVER! (Mark 9:19, 23, 25)
” Bring him to me…. if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth…. I charge thee, come out of him.”
• Get people to JESUS
• Demons must obey
” Bring him to me…. if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth…. I charge thee, come out of him.”
• Get people to JESUS
• Demons must obey
Conclusion: Strongholds are real…. but they must SUBMIT to the STRONGER One – JESUS! Whether you believe it or not, I experienced a demon-possessed lady on the mission field in the interior of Guyana (way in the backwoods only accessible by boat). Her mother brought her to me, asking for help; this was after preaching one night… everybody (about 100 village people) had left…. the demon-possessed lady growled like a wild animal and shrieked and shrilled at the top of her lungs! Her eyes were sunk in the back of her head. At first, I was looking for a BACK DOOR! Then, our Lord reminded me about HIS wonder-working power thru His BLOOD, His WORD, & HIS NAME! After praying and trusting in HIM for deliverance, she was set FREE! Her countenance changed!! Her voice returned normal and we REJOICED in what a Mighty GOD we SERVE! She had a “BREAKTHROUGH over a STRONGHOLD”!
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese