This is an outline of a sermon series the pastor taught that may help explain a little bit about demons and deliverance from their bondage.

Series text:
Mathew 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

(v43) He walketh
1. Demons are earthbound spirit beings with all the markings of a personality and they are employed by Satan as his foot soldiers in the earth.
2. There is a very real spiritual realm in the earth all around us where demonic spirits reside.
3. They continuously attack us, whispering suggestions in our minds, trying to oppress us with fear and heaviness, ultimately looking for a door into our soul.
4. There ultimate goal is to get inside of us so they can influence us in the area of our personality and afflict our bodies.
5. Their initial plan is to keep us from knowing Christ and if they can’t do that they want to keep us from serving Christ.
(v43) through dry places

1. Don’t think of naturally dry places but spiritually dry places.
2. Psalms 63:1-2 David attributes a dry place to a place that is without the power and glory of God.
3. Amos 8:11-13 lack of the word is compared to a famine. So a dry place would be a place where the word is not being preached our heard. This makes sense because the word is compared to water in Eph 5:26.
4. Therefore we can understand then that the places where the word of God and His power and glory are not predominant are dry places.
5. 1 Sam 16:23 tells us that when David began to play his harp the demonic spirit troubling Saul departed. I believe David’s worship music ushered in the presence of God and that place was no longer a dry place.
(v43) Seeking rest.

1. The rest of a demonic spirit is to invade someone and cause them to do evil and fall.
  1. Proverbs 4:14-16 talks about the nature of wicked men which is just men walking in the nature of Satan and his demonic spirits. These men don’t sleep until they’ve done mischief and caused someone to fall.
2. Remember, it’s in dry places that they seek this rest.

1. 1. The less you go to church and stay in the word the more you open up yourself up for demonic attacks and even invasion.
  2. Don’t let yourself, your home or where you hang out be a dry place that attracts demons seeking rest.

(v44) Then he saith I will
1. The demon saying “I will,” tells us that spirits have there own personal wills, make there own personal decisions and act on them.
2. This is why when you have demons operating in your personality, you will do things uncontrollably that you don’t won’t to do.

1. 1. This is not your will in control this is the demons will in control.

(v44) Return
1. It is the nature of demons to return.

1. 1. Once demons are exposed and dealt with you must understand they will try to come back.
  2. If you go through deliverance you will find that right after, you will feel peace and restoration. But within a few days those same emotions or thoughts or compulsions you got delivered from will try you again.
  3. This is why after deliverance you cannot just think that everything is going to be alright and I can go on and live life. You must be on guard more now than ever.
  4. You must continue to keep your spiritual defenses up and break old patterns.
    1. For many people the demons influenced them for so long that some of their demonically inspired actions became habits or patterns. Therefore you have to break those patterns that demon put you in or else you’re going to open the door back up to him.
  5. But I remember at the red sea Israel’s past bondage was coming up behind them to take them back into the bondage they where once in and probably even kill them. Two things the Lord told them, Go forward and this enemy you see today you will see them no more forever.
    1. When Israel went forward across the Red Sea their enemies where drowned in the sea behind them. They went to a place by going forward that their enemy couldn’t go.
    2. I believe if you will make up in your mind to go forward from the point of deliverance you will come to a place that your enemies cannot go and you will see them no more forever.

(v44) My house
1. This demon referred to this person as my house. This shows us how demons think of us, as houses, their houses.

1. 1. This reveals to me that demons don’t just want to afflict us from the outside there purpose is to get in us because they see us as something to dwell in. But not only dwell in, control.
    1. Jesus told Peter Satan desires to have you. Not just afflict you, but have you. He wants to manipulate everything about you.
  2. Demon’s are spirit beings with al the markings of a personality (mind, will, emotions, speech, self awareness). The only thing they are lacking is a body.
    1. In order for them to be able to fulfill their desires in the earth they need a body to function through. This is why the have an intense craving to invade us.
  3. Also we must understand that if you have a body you legally have dominion in the earth according to Gen 1:28.
    1. So if demons can get into your body they can get some authority in the earth.

1. Let’s look a little more into the fact that we are referred to here as houses and talk about how that even a Christian can have demons

1. 1. My body is a house to my spirit being and it’s a house to the presence of God through the indwelling power of the Holy Ghost.
  2. This house belongs to God because he purchased it with the blood of Jesus.
  3. But even though this house belongs to God and He dwells in it through the Holy Ghost there can still be corruption in it through what we think, feel, choose, say and do.
  4. This corruption will be here until Jesus comes back 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.
  5. As long as there can be corruption in the house there can be open doors for the enemy.
    1. For example, I’ve had a mouse problem this year. I own my house and I hate mice. I don’t want them in my house period. But my house is a hundred years old and being old there’s corruption in the foundation. There’s cracks all over it that mice can easily get in and out of. So I understand that as long as there’s corruption in my house mice are going to be able to get in. But if I know they’re there I do whatever I can to get them out.
    2. God may own your house but as long as there can be corruption in your house the devil can still get in. I Cor 6:19-20 tells us even though God owns the house He makes it our responsibility to glorify Him in it.
    3. Then people say well if you’re saved then your covered by the blood and the devil can’t get in. He can’t get in to your spirit but He can get into you soul and body. Your spirit is sealed by the blood of Jesus but you’ve got to apply it to your soul and body. 1 John 1:7 tells us that if we walk in the light as God is in the light the blood of Jesus cleanses us. The blood only cleanses us where we are walking in obedience. It has no power where we are walking in rebellion to the word. For instance the Jews in Goshen. They were told not only to strike the door posts with blood but get in the house. Had they just applied the blood but disobeyed and stayed out side the house the first born would’ve died. You can’t tell me that somebody that’s saved and gets pulled into watching pornography is not going to be susceptible to invading spirits of lust and sexual perversion. They can’t invade his spirit but they can invade his soul.
    4. Plus just because God lives in you doesn’t mean the devil is going to automatically leave. According to James 4:7 you must resist the devil. God requires that you take authority over the enemy and tell him to go. The only authority the devil responds to is the authority exercised.

(v44) Empty, swept, and garnished.
1. Empty, swept and garnished describes the condition of a personality that can be invaded by demons.

1. 1. Our personality is made up of parts; thoughts, emotions and attitudes, tongue, appetites and desires.
  2. There can be parts of our personality that are empty
    1. This refers to the fact that the presence of Jesus does not abide their or His personality is not dominating that part of our personality.
    2. It may be flesh right now dominating that part but if you don’t get the flesh crucified it can be an open door for demon spirits.
    3. Demons are like vultures. Vultures look for flesh to feed off of. Demons walk around Christians looking for flesh anywhere in the personality.
  3. Understand that you can’t cast out the flesh but you can’t crucify a demon.
    1. Most stuff we deal with is crucified with an avid study of God’s word and a committed life of prayer and church attendance. But when there’s some stuff in your personality that you just can’t break it may be demonic and need to be cast out.
  4. Sometimes our personality is swept
    1. This refers to the fact that our personality is not fully cleansed.
    2. When you sweep something you can often leave dirt in the cracks. On the surface it looks nice but in the hidden places it’s still full of filth.
    3. That filth won’t come out unless you get some water and a mop or brush and cleanse it.
    4. Sometimes our personality is swept. On the surface it looks pretty good but there are some hidden places that still have sin ruling and reigning. These areas become open doors for the enemy.
    5. Three things cleanse us, the word, Confession and the blood.
      1. the word – Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
      2. Confession - 1 Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness
      3. the blood – 1 Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
    6. These three things work together in a process to cleanse us.
      1. The word according to Hebrews, seperates what is soulish or fleshly from what is spirit. The word of God like a light will penetrate the dark places and reveal to us where we are missing it.
      2. Then we must confess. The greek word that’s translated confess means to say the same thing. When we confess what the word is revealing about us we are coming into agreement with God about our condition and saying the same thing He is saying. If God through the word says that we are full of pride then to confess would be to say yes God, I’m full of pride. This means we have recognized where we are missing it and taking responsibility for it.
      3. After the word reveals to us the problem and we confess, then the blood of Jesus can begin to cleanse the area of our personality whether is just be flesh we’re dealing with or demons. When I’m praying for deliverance with somebody and we’ve recognized the problem and that there is a demon involved, I began to plead the blood of Jesus over them. When that spirit that’s been identified hears you pleading the blood he can’t resist.
    7. If this process hasn’t taken place prior to demonic invasion it must take place if you want the demon to be expelled.

(v45) taketh with himself seven other demons
1. Demons will travel in gangs.

1. 1. It is not uncommon for people to have more than one spirit operating in their life at a time.

1. You’ll also find that there are certain spirits that are almost always travel together.

1. 1. For instants if you discover a demon of rejection operating in somebody’s life there will almost always be a spirit of worthlessness. Or if there’s a spirit of fear there may be a spirit of control.

1. Usually one demon is the door opener that opens the door for these other demons to come in.

1. 1. Rejection and fear are major door openers.
    1. Understand that behind every negative emotion there can be a demon.
    2. These door openers get in their and start working on your personality to make you more susceptible to receiving these other spirits.
    3. So if you’ve been rejected in someway in your life and dealt with that emotion you could’ve opened yourself up to a demon of rejection. Rejection can come through a father leaving, a mother not wanting her child, neglect, abuse, etc. Once the demon of rejection comes in He will condition your heart to receive a spirit of worthlessness as he tells you the reason you’ve been rejected is because you aren’t worth being loved. Then as you are made to feel like nobody loves you, you began to isolate yourself and open up to a demon of loneliness and despair. Then as you are dealing with the loneliness and despair you began to feel like what’s the use and open yourself up to a spirit of suicide.
    4. If you’ve ever been through anything that has brought a major amount of fear on your life you may have opened yourself up to that spirit. Once fear gets in it begins to work on your personality to receive a spirit of control or witchcraft because it’s making you feel like that if you control every situation you will feel safer. Then the spirit of control opens up to a spirit of rebellion as you find it hard to submit to others authority, criticism or reproof. This then opens you up to a spirit of anger and rage as you get defensive against people who are threatening your control.

(v45) More wicked than himself.
1. This tells me that demons rank differently in wickedness and power.
2. This tells me that demons are not proud creatures when it comes to invading somebody’s life and doing damage to them.

1. 1. This demon recognizes his limitations and without any jealousy goes and finds demons that can do more than him and invites them to go and work with him in this persons life.

(v45) the last state is worse than the first.
1. Demons affect the state of a man in a negative way.

1. 1. You are not going to have demons and not see any affects of it. Just like you are not going to have cancer and not see any affects of it.
  2. There’s going to be a certain condition of people that have demons active in their life.

1. This person left himself empty and swept. He didn’t take care of those hidden places of his personality that where corrupt. In doing this he left himself open to demonic invasion and allowed himself to end up in a worse condition than before.

1. 1. If we leave open places for the devil to get into and dwell demons will progressively take us into a worse condition than we’ve ever been in.

1. This is why there must be a continuous sincere and humble self examination of our hearts.

1. 1. We must ask and allow the Holy Spirit to shine the light of the truth into our personality and reveal any areas that need cleansed.
  2. Then we must be willing to confess and admit these things before God and allow Him to cleanse us.
  3. If the Holy Spirit reveals that it’s a spirit cast it out or get someone that believes you can have demons and let them pray over you to get it out. If he reveals that you just need to quit doing something than stop. If you will make a decision toward sanctifying yourself and take that first step God will give you grace to accomplish it.
  4. We cannot continue to go on seeing the state of our lives and lie to ourselves, whether out of fear or pride, and say that there’s nothing wrong with me.

1. 1. We must cleanse ourselves in the sense that we have to recognize the filthiness and deal with it through bringing it to God and confessing it.

1. We ignore our condition because of…

1. 1. Pride: We are too proud to see or admit that there is anything wrong with us.
  2. Categorizing sin: We think nothings wrong because we don’t have a battle with certain types of sin like addictions, homosexuality, witchcraft, etc. But sin is sin and the bible says that if you break the least of these commandments it’s like you’ve broke them all.
  3. Laziness: these kinds of People ignore their condition because if they recognize it that means they will have to take some initiative to change it.
  4. Fear: We’re afraid to confront what may be the issues confronting us. Many people have suppressed so much hurt and pain from the past where demons got in and got rooted. So to get delivered they’re going to have to pull some of that stuff up and deal with things they’ve tried to forget.
  5. Liking our condition: Some people like their state. Some people enjoy being bound by lust. I’ve come across people that liked operating in control because it made them feel powerful and they didn’t want to get rid of it. God doesn’t deliver us from our friends but our enemies.

Today if you feel as though you are battling with demonic influence in your life please contact the church, we can help.