All Things Are Possible With Jesus (Mark 9:14-29), Pastor Mark Brand, November 9, 2014

Last Sunday, I preached about deliverance from demonic power in my message entitled, "All Things Are Possible With Jesus," based on the account of the healing of a man who was under the influence of a demon that prevented him from hearing or speaking in Mark 9:14-29.

Transgenerational Memories and the Power of the Cross

Wow! This news item from the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is fascinating stuff…! (See, "Memories Pass Between Generations")

Scientists have now proved that traumatic memories and their accompanying phobias can pass from parent to child biologically through their inherited DNA, in my view lending credence to the idea of trans-generational patterns of behavior (including family sin tendencies, etc.) 

However, think of the “flip-side” of this reality”: If it is true that traumatic experiences can “hard-wire” negative emotions, and, by extension and consequence, their accompanying negative behaviors into our DNA so that these tendencies are passed down to our children, it also stands to reason that positive experiences can “hard-wire” positive emotions and behavioral tendencies into our DNA so they are passed on to our children and later descendants.

What does this mean for each one of us and for those around us that we are ministering to?

Never underestimate the power of profound spiritual experiences that come as the result of participating in intense worship, engaging in passionate prayer, or hearing the Bible preached with God-given passion. Even a cursory examination of the Gospels and the Book of Acts shows that the normal, New Testament Christian life includes moments of deep emotion and strong spiritual experience. The scientific research highlighted by the BBC helps us understand that these intense experiences have the power to not only impact our spirits, but also to “re-wire” our DNA, “fixing” negative tendencies that have been passed down to us from our ancestors; “breaking” trans-generational patterns of sinful behaviors that have been prevalent in our families for generation; and facilitating positive behaviors in the lives of our children. 

Here’s the “bottom-line”: For good reason, God never intended faith in Jesus to only be a matter of our heads, but also our hearts! 

It is interesting to read the entirety of Ezekiel chapter 18 in this regard. Trans-generational tendencies were so obvious to the Israelites that they often said (my paraphrase) , “If a parent eats sour grapes, the children’s teeth will be set on edge.” (vs. 2) God’s response to this was to say that among His people, He promised that this would no longer be the case!

Here are some other great passages to ponder:

Jeremiah 31:29–34 (NIV84) — 29 “In those days people will no longer say, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 Instead, everyone will die for his own sin; whoever eats sour grapes—his own teeth will be set on edge. 31 “The time is coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” 

Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV84) — 9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

John 8:32, 36 (NIV84) — 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”…36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

John 9:1–3 (NIV84) — 1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Acts 16:31 (NIV84) — 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Galatians 3:13 (NIV84) — 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV84) — 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 

Thank God for the power of the cross of Jesus Christ, His resurrection, and the Holy Spirit He has sent into our hearts to deliver us from the patterns of the past!

From My Desk - Hurry Across

I’ve been thinking about the Joshua narrative a lot lately. Here is one verse that captured my attention a few days ago,

“Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. ” (Joshua 4:10–11, NIV)

As each of us walks with God, seeking to know and do His will, we must strike the right balance between haste and caution.

Rushing headlong into major decisions is often a recipe for disaster. Familiar folk proverbs warn us away from that extreme.

Haste makes waste...Marry in haste, repent at leisure...Look before you leap...

Those statements are very good advice - unless God has suddenly parted the Jordan in front of you. When His deliverance instantly appears, you must respond quickly or you will miss your miracle.

Standing on the banks of the Jordan River at flood season, the people of God were facing an enormous obstacle. Perhaps they intended to search for a better location upstream or to wait for the river to go down. God suddenly showed up with His own ideas and the muddy waters rolled back.

When that happened, the Israelites did not call a committee meeting or a consultant; they did not speculate or hesitate; they did not casually saunter over to the other side. Instead, they ran across an eerily dry riverbed and into their destiny.

Most of the time, we should make major decisions slowly and carefully. When God suddenly points the way forward, delayed obedience becomes disobedience.

Do you need God to show up in your circumstances? Are you prepared for Him to do so in the way of His choosing? Are you willing to walk through whatever door He opens? Answering “Yes” to those questions helps position you for a miracle.

When you get this email, I encourage you to pause for a moment and pray these words,

Heavenly Father, I thank you for promising you will never leave me or forsake me. I know you are wise beyond anything I can imagine. Intervene in my life in whatever way you choose. Solve my problems in whatever way you know is best. Help me recognize when your hand is at work in my circumstances. Give me the strength, the faith, and the courage I need to run through whatever door you open into my destiny. Help me encourage others to do the same. In the name of Jesus, Amen!

Holy Spirit Fullness - The Gift of Spiritual Language (Speaking in Tongues)

Here is the broadcast Teresa and I hosted for Mike and Hazel Simons this past Monday. During the first hour, we minister to people who are involved in occultic practices. During the second hour, we minister the fullness of the Holy Spirit and share about the importance and role of spiritual language (the gift of tongues).

Dealing with the Demonic - Key #7

On my way home from service this morning, I thought of another “R” for the list of keys I gave for overcoming demonic influence in our homes and our families:

1. Recognize historical patterns of demonic influence in our families.

2. Repent of any personal involvement in these things.

3. Renounce any attachment to family patterns of sinful behavior.

4. Remove any objects from our homes that are connected with such sinful behaviors.

5. Remain diligent in our study of God’s Word and pursuit of God’s presence through prayer and worship.

6. Rejoice in the precious promises of God to redeem our families!

and...

7. RESIST the demonic when it tries to re-enter your life!

Jesus clearly stated that when evil spirits are cast out of someone, they will try to return.

"²⁴ “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.”" (Luke 11:24-26, NIV)

That is simply reality, but the Bible also contains this precious promise:

"⁶ … Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:6-7, NIV)

God’s Word says the devil will flee from us if we resist him from a posture of submission to God’s kingdom authority! There is not any “if,” “and,” or “but” about it: Satan and his demons will try to regain any territory they lose, but they will respond to the authority of the Jesus who lives in us, if we have given our hearts to Him and we stand against them in faith and obedience to His Word.

The Apostle Paul, veteran of many a spiritual conflict, told Christian believers in the city of Ephesus, occult capital of the ancient world,

" ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)

Stand your ground against the enemy and you will never stand alone. God, who is able to make you to stand, will stand by your side and you will prevail!

Be strong and take your stand…!

He was there when it happened...!

Following the message I brought yesterday, entitled, "Dealing with the Demonic, Part II," I had lunch with Bob and Gay Thurman. Reflecting on the morning service, she shared a wonderful insight that grew out of a comment I had made while preaching: The demons Jesus dealt with already knew who He was because they had known Him in His glory before they were led astray by Satan prior to the Lord's incarnation.

The Lord referenced that reality in response to His disciple's joyful report that they now had power to minister deliverance to needy people:

"17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” 18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”" (Luke 10:17-20, NIV)

While I would never counsel anyone to seek out confrontations with evil spirits, it is a wonderful, wonderful thing to realize that demons already know that the Jesus who lives in our hearts when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior is infinitely more powerful than them!

Here is another great verse to hide in your heart:

"...the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world." (1 Jn 4:4, The Message)