Warrior - known in heaven, feared in hell
Have you ever noticed how unoriginal Hollywood is when it comes to movies about demons and the devil?
It is almost always the same formula:
The room gets cold.
Lights flicker.
The priest walks in, armed with a crucifix and a bottle of holy water.
Some Latin chanting starts.
A creepy child voice says something backwards.
And then they expect you to believe that waving a cross, lighting candles, and reciting a Rosary sends the demon packing. It's funny that movie writers all think that demons are scared of a King James Bible or a silver cross. Hopefully, you now understand that Spiritual Warfare is real, and our enemy does not care about props.
Spiritual power does not come from rituals…power comes from relationship. And if you do not have a real relationship with Jesus, you can say all the right words and still get wrecked. That is exactly what happens in Acts 19, where seven guys thought they could fake their Armor and ended up running through the streets naked.
Acts 19:11-20 (NLT2)
11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled. 13 A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, “I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a leading priest, were doing this. 15 But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered. 17 The story of what happened spread quickly all through Ephesus, to Jews and Greeks alike. A solemn fear descended on the city, and the name of the Lord Jesus was greatly honored. 18 Many who became believers confessed their sinful practices. 19 A number of them who had been practicing sorcery brought their incantation books and burned them at a public bonfire. The value of the books was several million dollars. 20 So the message about the Lord spread widely and had a powerful effect.
We have all heard the expression, “Fake it until you make it.” And in some areas of life, that might work. You can fake confidence in a job interview. You can fake knowing the lyrics to a song. You can even fake liking your mother-in-law’s green bean casserole. But there’s one thing we think we can fake, but can’t. “Wearing the full armor of God.”
The Seven Son’s of Sceva thought they could fake the power of God. These men had been watching Paul. They had watched him cast out demons. They saw how crowds reacted as people were being healed. And at some point, they may have thought: What an amazing way to make a little money! Let’s just say the name of Jesus, and the demons will leave! And people will give us their money to be healed. So, they begin working the name of Jesus into their incantation. Maybe they came up with a rhyme, maybe they patterned it after a children’s Jewish song, but they created an incantation and they used the name of Jesus.
Now, initially when they recited this incantation, they must have had some “actors” playing the part of people who were demon-possessed – but then they encountered the real deal. They encountered a man who was possessed by the devil, and this is where the wheels fell off their wagon. They say: "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!"
They said the right name. They used the name of Jesus. But they were overpowered, beat up, and embarrassed in the village because they did not understand something that many of us often forget:
AUTHORITY COMES FROM WHOSE FAMILY YOU BELONG TO
(Acts 19:15, Luke 10:19, Romans 8:15-17)
Authority over evil is not about saying a prayer correctly, or having the right attitude. Spiritual warfare is not wrestling against an equal and opposite force. Jesus has already won the war. The enemy tries to deceive, discourage, and destroy, but in Christ, we are standing in victory (Colossians 2:15). Authority over evil comes from belonging to the family of God through a relationship with Jesus. The demon said,
Acts 19:15b (NLT2) … ‘I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?’”
These men may have been known in the community, but they were not known in the spiritual world, because they did not belong to the Family of God. They were invoking the name of Jesus without having a relationship with Jesus. They knew about Jesus, but they did not know Jesus. The sons of Sceva tried to use the name of Jesus like a formula. They thought if they just said the words, the power would show up. But spiritual authority does not come from magic words. It comes from being part of the family of God.
In the Gospel of Luke, (Luke 10:19) Jesus gave authority to his disciples to work miracles in his name, then he sent them out and they brought the life-changing message of Jesus to people who were broken, hurting, and needed a miracle. But, Jesus did not give authority to random people passing by, he gave authority to his disciples, people who surrendered their lives to Him. The enemy does not just recognize the name of Jesus, the enemy recognizes those who belong to Jesus. That is why Paul had authority. Paul belonged to Jesus. Paul was known in heaven. Paul was known in hell. The seven sons of Sceva? The demon said, “Who are you?” Authority does not come from what you say. It comes from whose you are.
Maybe your marriage is struggling. Maybe your kids are hurting. Maybe you are facing addiction, bad habits, or the weight of your past. So you turn to religion. You ask others to pray. You try to clean up your life. You go to church. You learn the right phrases. You memorize a verse or two. But spiritual battles are not won by showing up at church or repeating Christian words.
They are won by belonging to Jesus.
So, the question is not "Are you religious?” The real question is "Are you His?"
Romans 8:15-17 (NLT2)
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
When you gave your life to Jesus, you were adopted into His family. You carry His name. You stand in His authority. You rely on His power. That means when you do step into a spiritual battle, you do not stand there in your own strength, you fight that battle under the banner of the name of JESUS. The devil does not fear people who attend church. The devil and his demons fear the children of God who walk in the authority of Jesus. The sons of Sceva got beat up and humiliated because they were spiritually powerless.
RELIGIOUS WORDS DON’T DEFEAT SATAN, OBEDIENCE DOES
(Acts 19:13, Acts 19:14-16, Matt. 7:21-23)
Paul wasn’t chasing status. He wasn’t trying to build a brand or make a name for himself. His only goal was to make Jesus known.
Today, some people try to commercialize faith—selling prayer cloths, miracle water, or anointing oil as if God’s power could be bought instead of received through faith. Some have motives that try to make financial profit off the name of Jesus.
But that wasn’t Paul’s attitude.Paul simply wanted to live in obedience, follow the one who paid the price for his sins on the cross, and tell other people about him. When he wrote to the Corinthian church he said,
2 Corinthians 4:5 (NLT2)5 You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.
And, Paul could have attempted to make his ministry about him. At the beginning of this passage we see that God chose to use Paul in unusual ways:
Acts 19:11-12 (NLT2)
11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. 12 When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled.
How crazy is this? When you see televangelists on TV asking you to send them money and they will send a prayer cloth to you to heal you or others of their disease, it is an attempt to claim the authority that God gave to Paul. Paul could have created a dynamic ministry all about him. Like a barker at a Carnival, he could have pitched a large tent, charged admission, and made money. “Bring your sick. Bring your diseases. He will heal them all…” But, Paul kept his ministry focused only on Jesus. That’s why the devil knew who Paul was. Paul lived unselfishly with a ministry that was never about him. He lived in humble obedience to make everything about Jesus. And, because of his OBEDIENCE, the devil knew who Paul was.
Wouldn’t you love to live in such a way that hell takes notice when you wake up in the morning Because of your obedience. Because of your relationship with God. Because of your faith? When you wake up each day, the powers of hell say, “Oh crap.” Not because of how loud you pray. Not because of how many Bible verses you can quote. Not because of religious words. But because you belong to the King. You are growing in your relationship with Him, and you strive to live for Him every single day.
So, if you want to live victoriously, you can’t borrow someone else’s relationship with Jesus. You need your own faith. You need your own relationship. You need to wear your own ARMOR.
DON’T GET CAUGHT WITHOUT YOUR ARMOR
(Ephesians 6:11, Acts 19:16)
The sons of Sceva went into battle unprepared, and they got wrecked. They tried to take on a demon, and it stripped them, beat them, and sent them running for their lives. They weren’t just overpowered. They were humiliated. And that’s what happens when you step into a battle without the armor of God.
If you enter into a marriage without the armor of God, you are vulnerable to bitterness, resentment, and temptation. If you go to work every day without the armor of God, you are wide open to pride, greed, and compromise. If you parent without the armor of God, you may find yourself reacting in frustration instead of leading with wisdom. You cannot go up against the enemy unarmed. You need your armor.
Maybe you are thinking, "Wait a second. The Seven Sons of Sceva weren’t followers of Jesus. That’s why they were defeated.” That’s true. But just because you belong to Jesus does not mean you are automatically prepared for battle. Even as followers of Jesus, if we live like disobedient followers of Jesus, we will be defeated, too. That is why Paul tells us to put on all of our Armor!
Ephesians 6:11 (NLT2)
Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.
The Seven Sons of Sceva only had an incantation. They threw the name of Jesus into their man-made formula and expected power. And if we are honest, we do the same thing. We sprinkle a little Jesus into our dating relationships but ignore purity. We sprinkle a little Jesus into our finances but refuse to trust Him with our giving. We sprinkle a little Jesus into our parenting but do not model real faith at home. We rub Jesus like a lucky charm instead of wearing the full armor of God, holding up our shield of Faith, and moving forward into the battle. Too many followers of Jesus are not putting on the armor, we are just quoting the name.
If you have been trying to fight spiritual battles in your own strength, without the armor of God, you already know how that ends. You feel exhausted. Defeated. Discouraged. But it does not have to be that way. Today is the day to make a change. Put on the armor. Walk in His strength. And stand firm.