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Transcript 132A — Are Believers Empowered to Cast Out Demons?
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Since I am a Christian, do I have the power, through Jesus Christ, to cast out demons?
HC: Your question is, since you are a born again believer, do you have the same power that Jesus had to cast out someone else's demon?
Now it is true that the Jews of Jesus' day who had become born again (the seventy and the twelve apostles) did go forth, and they did cast out demons. We must remember, however, that the task of the believer is to be a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is the work of God to do the saving. How . . . What does that have to do with casting out demons?
Well, you see, a person who is unsaved is a slave of Satan. He may be beset by demons. He may be demon possessed, or he may be an emissary of Satan, a false prophet. Or he may just be an ordinary slave of Satan, such as most of the people of the world are.
Now when we bring the Gospel, that is the key that unlocks the prison house of Satan. And we are authorized by God to bring that Gospel. We are authorized to witness to those who are unsaved. And whether they are demon possessed, or whether they are simply an ordinary slave of Satan, makes no difference. If they respond to the Gospel, if they come with a broken and a contrite heart, and put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, they will be saved, and then demons will be removed from their life. They no longer will be under the power of Satan in any sense.
And so we are the vehicle that God uses to bring the Gospel, but it is God Himself who applies that Gospel to the life of someone who is unsaved, and frees them from Satan's dominion. Therefore we don't have to go around looking for somebody who is demon possessed. Everyone who is unsaved is a slave of Satan. Everyone who is unsaved is going to hell. Our job is not to try to cast out demons. Our job is to witness and let God do the freeing. Let God apply that Word as He will, in accordance with His own sovereign good pleasure.
And in fact, when the disciples cast out demons this was simply to give us an illustration, a literal illustration, of the power of the Gospel. It was not suggesting that we are to go around doing these same miracles, but the casting out of demons was a picture to show that Christ's power was greater than Satan's power. The demons could not stand before the Word of God.