Demon Possession

"Can a Christian be demon possessed?"  I've lost count of how many times I've heard people ask that question.  And this week I heard a most awesome answer.

Christians can and will be attacked by the demons.  That's not possession; it's an attack.  A person may wonder if it's demon-possession.  It may feel the same.  It may appear to be the same.  But in the end, does it matter if we know whether it's an attack or possession?  After all, the remedy is the same thing: "Depart, you unclean spirit, and make room for the Holy Spirit!" ... and then the comfort of the forgiveness of sins for Jesus' sake is applied to the afflicted one.

How awesome is that?!

Galatians 6:1

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass,
you who are spiritual
restore such a one
in a spirit of gentleness,
considering yourself
lest you also be tempted.

When I was growing up, our Sunday school teachers always explained this verse like this: When your friends start to smoke or do drugs or sleep around, you should try to set them back on the path of good works and morality. But be careful, because it would really be easy for them to suck you into their immoral lifestyle.

But maybe this verse is about much more than stopping people from doing some naughty things.

IF all sin flows from unbelief (and it does),
and IF faith cannot help but bear good fruit (and it does),
and IF people are prone to pharisaism (and because of our sinful nature, all are),

then maybe this verse is calling us to flee to Jesus' mercy when we see our brother in sin. We need to speak in such a way that his faith be turned to Christ and not to anything in himself. (This, of course, does not mean that we avoid use of the Law. The Law is necessary that we might be stripped of all reliance on ourselves and trust only in Jesus' goodness.) Our temptation when "restoring a brother overtaken in a trespass" is that he should be as good as we are -- that he should try to be as holy as we are.

But when we "consider ourselves" we find nothing in us but sin and death from which we can in no wise set ourselves free. And yet Christ is merciful to us and has made us a new creation. And so when we help our struggling brother, we help him, not to spiff up his life, but to find his sole sufficiency in the Savior who loves both him and us. That keeps us from being tempted. And it is the only salvation which can restore the brother.

Psalm 73:22

In Psalm 73, Asaph is talking about how things seem to go just swimmingly for the unbelievers. How come life is swell for those who sass God? Asaph is getting perturbed about this. He says it's just not right!
Thus my heart was grieved,
and I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.
You will guide me with Your counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory.

Nevertheless.

NEVERTHELESS.

So the unbelievers sass God and oppress His saints. And what do the saints do? Sass God by saying, "What's up with THAT? This ain't right!! What's the matter with You? Don't You know how to work this world?"

Nevertheless, He doesn't leave us nor forsake us.
Nevertheless, He hangs onto us.
Nevertheless, He guides us by the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, who lays Jesus onto our hearts, forgiving our grief and vexation and foolishness and ignorance. We may be like a beast before God, but He will still receive us into His glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

A Bad Thing for Jonah

In our story today, Pastor pointed out the response of the people on the ship to the storm. When the boat was in danger, when their lives were in jeopardy, the conclusion of the men was, "Oh my goodness, what have we done to deserve this?" They wanted to find the guilty party. They wanted to appease the gods who were ticked. Pastor said that this particular [bad] theology was common then, and actually it's still quite common now. When bad things happen, we tend to think God is zotting us for what we did. He was making the point that this is faulty theology, that God doesn't send bad things to punish us.

Okay, I understand.
BUT...
in this case

God really HAD sent the storm.

It really WAS because of Jonah's sin.


So I asked.
And the answer was:

Why did He send the storm? To harm? To exact payment for Jonah's sin? No. To save. God sent the storm to call Jonah to repentance that he might trust in God's mercy (and also to save the people of Ninevah). This storm was not punishment but a call to repentance. We too often stop at the first part, 'This is a result of my sin,' and think that God is angry with us. Even if something is a result of my sin, what's really happening is that God is saving us.




What was that Luther said, about how God puts to death that He might make us alive, that He brings us through hell to get us to heaven?

Psalm 73

Asaph is having a hard time with the way it seems life plays out. The unbelievers prosper. They have wealth. They have comfort. They oppress the Christians. They sass God. It is just plain useless to be a Christian.

Then Asaph admits that if he were to say such things, it would be untrue and it would scandalize God's children. But he just doesn't get it! He doesn't see how it can NOT be true. Then he goes into the sanctuary of God and figures it out; he sees what will be the end of the wicked.

And that is how Asaph's heart was grieved and how his mind was vexed -- his seeing with his eyeballs (and his senses and his logic) what was going on with the unbelievers and the righteous.

I was foolish and ignorant;
I was like a beast before You.
NEVERTHELESS I am continually with You,
You hold me by my right hand;
You will guide me with Your counsel;
and afterward receive me to glory.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none on earth I desire but You.
My heart and my flesh fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.



Sometimes it can be comforting to see that those great saints of the past were as lousy sinners as I. If they can be as unbelieving as Asaph (in other words, if I am as unbelieving and chafing as Asaph was being), we still see that God is faithful to us, turns us around, hangs onto us, and gives us Himself who/which is our only real desire.

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!

Daily Bread

God gives daily bread.
Whatever we have is from Him.
Whatever we have is what He has decided is good for us.

Because of our sinful flesh, we are never satisfied with the amount of what we have.

But sometimes people don't have.
There are house-fires. There are deaths. There is war. And hunger. And betrayal. And concentration camps. And unemployment.
This can seem paradoxical at times, because God gives daily bread even when it appears that there is evidence that He doesn't.

When we don't have:
1. we still know God gives what we do have
2. we still praise Him
3. we still believe that this is good
4. and most importantly, we still have Jesus and His forgiveness.

Give us this day our daily "Living Bread which came down from heaven."

Hallucinations -- Part 3

Do you suppose that maybe, just maybe, God knows what's good for me ... even when I am confused and uncomfortable and in pain? I might think that my dad should not pull out his IV's or gastric tube, but he sure didn't agree in those days immediately post-surgery. I'm arrogant enough to think I knew better than he did, and to think he shouldn't be made "comfortable" if it meant doing harm to himself. Of course, he might not be able to recognize the harm that would come to him if he should try to get up and walk while he's still attached to the bed and to the wall. But his inability to recognize his situation doesn't at all lessen the harm that would come to him if he tried to do what he thought was a good idea.

Do we ever end up in the position that the post-surgery patient is in? Do we ever end up with God watching over us and our every move, apparently thwarting whatever attempts we make to improve our situation? And why does He do it? Just because He thinks He knows better! Just because He isn't trying to get immediate comfort, but is wanting to do what is ultimately for our best interest! And what do we do in response to His watchful eye and His tender care? We chafe. We try to sneak around Him and make things turn out the way that we think best. We accuse Him of not loving and not caring and not helping us.

My hallucinations about "what is best for me" can be every bit as misguided as the poor fellow who just had surgery and is full of narcotic pain-killers.

When you're one of the care-takers in the ICU dept, this is all so easy to see. But when you're the one who's hurting, it's practically impossible to see.

Anfechtung

I found this in an article by Dr Scaer, published in a 1980 Lutheran Synod Quarterly and reprinted in a 1983 Concordia Theological Quarterly.

Anfectungen are not to be regarded as simply problems or troubles disturbing human existence, capable of medical or psychiatric solution, but they are to be regarded as a direct and effectual Satanic working in a Christian's life meant to bring him to unbelief.

There's a lot more in the article I'd like to quote. But not now. I'm back at my folks visiting again, and really ought to get over to the hospital to see Dad. (Rachel and Katie, Grandpa had emergency surgery on Sunday night. I don't have your phone numbers here, and I don't know if Daddy called you.)

Depression Meds

Band-aids do not cure cuts. Band-aids do not help a wound to heal. Band-aids are useful in keeping a cut clean, so that infection is not so likely to set in. Band-aids are good for keeping blood out of the stewpot when you chopped your thumb when you intended to be chopping the onions and carrots.

I wonder if that may be what depression medications do. (No! Not the part about keeping red-cells out of your dinner!) I suspect that depression meds don't really solve the problem. In some cases, they are necessary to deal with fall-out from a problem. Or they may keep a problem from worsening, as a bandage protects a wound from being scratched or dirtied. Or maybe the meds temporarily alleviate stress so that a person can more easily focus efforts on other solutions to the depression. But can they actually be the solution themselves?

And on that tack, what is the difference between anfechtung and clinical depression? Because a prescription sure ain't gonna cure anfechtung.

TLH 144

Much of "Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing" is about avoiding temptation or overcoming temptation by meditation upon His cross and suffering and the love that motivated Him to rescue us. But recently I was struck by the second stanza.

Should some lust or sharp temptation
Prove too strong for flesh and blood,
Let me think upon Thy Passion,
And the breach is soon made good.

I always thought that meant that we could think about what Jesus has done for us and avoid falling into sin. And it is true that other spots in the song allude to such things. (At least, in English that's how it comes out.)

But I think this part of the hymn isn't talking about avoiding it. Like it says, the temptation proved "too strong." So even then, even when we succumb to the temptation, the solution is still to "think upon Thy Passion." The breach between what God demands and what we actually perform, that breach is made good by hearing the forgiveness of sins.

Singing the Devil Away (17)

After Dr Kleinig finished discussing the hymn with us, he talked about the foundation of basic spiritual warfare.

God's law accuses. That is true. And it is good.

Satan is the Accuser. That's what his name means. It's what he does.

How do we make sense of God's good law accusing AND the devil wrongly accusing? Well, Satan accuses even beyond the law. He accuses us of things which the law does not condemn.

The other thing Satan does is remind us of the condemnation due us. He accuses, and his accusations are true. We know we are guilty. We know we have transgressed. We know that Satan is telling the truth [gasp!] when he accuses us of sin. The devil's accusations are not untrue, but his demand for our condemnation IS UNTRUE.

Jesus said, "I will convict the world of ... righteousness, because I go to My Father." The condemnation has been meted out upon Jesus, so the fact that we are guilty in the face of his accusations has absolutely no bearing on whether we stand condemned.

Jesus said, "I will convict the world of ... judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." Who has been judged? Us? No. The Accuser.

The way to combat the devil is to agree with his accusations, but to stop him when he claims you must be condemned for your transgressions. For example, Luther said that we can tell the devil, "Thank you for pointing out that sin. I'd forgotten that one. Now I can thank Jesus for forgiving that one too."


While websurfing for the title of Kleinig's new book, I happened to run across an online transcript of John Kleinig's lectures at the Gerhardt symposium last month. It figures that I find it NOW, after having already summarized the two lectures. LOL.

"Singing the Devil Away" (13)

Back to the Gerhardt hymn translated by Kleinig...

I am God's and He is mine;
Who can ever part us?
Even if the cross slips in
painfully between us,
let it be because it comes
from my God who loves me,
making, in His time, a door
open up before us.


I started noticing that "I am yours, and you are mine" was often used in connection to wedding rites. It's used between lovers. It's in Shakespeare and in Luther. It's in modern love songs. It's also used in some monastic vows.

The phrase comes up in hymns. "Lord, my Shepherd, take me to Thee. Thou art mine; I was Thine, even ere I knew Thee" (from Why Should Cross and Trial Grieve Me). "Thou art my heart's most beautous Flower, and Thy blest gospel's saving power my raptured soul engages. Thou mine, I Thine. Sing hosanna" (from How Lovely Shines the Morning Star).

The previous stanza of Gerhardt's hymn reflects on Satan's utter inability to override what God has established. This stanza goes on to be explicit about what God has established: that we are joined to Him. And even if trouble should come [if? ha! when is more like it...] it will work for our good.

"Singing the Devil Away" (10)

Let the devil rant and rage;
death has lost its danger.
God protects me from his threats
with His grace and favor.
Since He honors me and loves
me as He loves Jesus,
all the devil's scornful taunts
will not make me gloomy.


Just look at all the lines in common with Gerhardt's Advent hymn!

"What though the foes be raging,
heed not their craft and spite.
Your Lord, the battle waging,
will scatter all their might."

and "I stood, my shame bemoaning,
Thou com'st to honor me."

and "Rejoice, then, ye sad-hearted,
who sit in deepest gloom."

And this Gerhardt stanza also reminds us of the ever-so-precious Christmas hymn by Luther (which didn't make it into LSB): "What harm can sin and death then do? The true God now abides with you! Let hell and Satan rage and chafe: Christ is your Brother; you are safe."

"Singing the Devil Away" (7)

The Gerhardt hymn "Let Me Rise" goes on with the Christian's response to the devil's accusations. The venom has been removed from Satan's bite. It is the cross of Christ which has crushed Satan's head and provides for us the feast in heaven.

I will shake my head and say:
"Flee, you snake, you dragon!
You can't strike me with your sting.
You can't make me fearful!
Christ has crushed your toxic head
with His painful passion.
He has snatched me from your reach
to His hall for feasting.

"If you tell me I have sinned,
I will answer boldly:
I don't take my lead from you
for my self-appraisal.
Who has given you the right
to condemn God's people?
Aren't you now already stuck
in hell's fiery fury?"

Then the song goes on to tell Satan that he has no right to throw our sin in our faces. And it reminds us of the communion hymn: "Who can condemn me now for surely the Lord is nigh who justifies." And Romans 8: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." And the lines from "God's Own Child": telling Satan to "drop his ugly accusation" and "now that to the font I've traveled, all your might has come unraveled."

They say "the winner writes the history." It's true. But that never stopped the devil from trying to rewrite history from his own perspective. They also say that if you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it. That's what the devil is aiming for with his accusations!

"Singing the Devil Away" (6)

Dr Kleinig suggested that the response to Satan's accusations is to call the devil's bluff. Satan says there is no hope for a sorry sinner like me. He says there is forgiveness only for Christians, but surely I am no Christian. He says the troubles of my life are proof that God doesn't care about me. But it's all a lie. All a bluff. All a scam.

Paul Gerhardt's hymn "Schwing dich auf zu deinem Gott" was recently translated by Dr Kleinig. It is a "song of comfort in dpression and temptation." (By the way, it is sung to the tune of the same title, known among American Lutherans as TLH 204.)

Rise, my soul, up high to God
from the pit of sadness!
Why remain down there, depressed?
Why despise His goodness?
Can't you see the devil's tricks,
scheming to attack you?
He is set to fog and hush
all Christ's words of comfort.

Joy is indicative of our life in Christ. Depression is the result of the devil's attacks. When a soul is oppressed, the sinful nature will hang onto the depression and turn away from God's joy.

"Singing the Devil Away" (5)

Satan will use anxiety, doubt, despair, depression, shame, self-pity, etc, to drive us from Jesus. The temptation to despair is to believe that there is no hope, no comfort, no forgiveness, for me. Sure, there is forgiveness for sinners, but surely not for me.

When depression and shame overwhelm us, we need to listen to Jesus. His voice will hush the voice of Satan. But when we do not listen to Jesus (either through neglect in prosperous days, or because of doubts and despair in painful days), then the voice of Satan will fill the void. His accusations will taunt if we are not hearing the comforting voice of the Savior.

During these times of spiritual warfare, we pray for the Holy Spirit to sustain us in the Word, and to keep us in contact with the Word.

We also rely on the angels to protect us from demonic attack. They pray for us. They guard us (especially in the dangers of the night). The angels too "sing the devil away from us" by preaching God's Word in the unseen realms.

I walk with angels all the way.
They shield me and befriend me.
All Satan's power is held at bay
When heavenly hosts attend me.
They are my sure defense;
All fear and sorrow hence!
Unharmed by foes, do what they may,
I walk with angels all the way.

"Singing the Devil Away" (4)

Between our trip to the Gerhardt symposium and our daughter's wedding, I typed up some notes on Dr Kleinig's lecture Singing with Devotion, Dr Krispin's lecture Confession of Christ in Song and Sacrament, as well as starting to think through Dr Kleinig's lecture on Singing the Devil Away. Now that we've begun to recuperate from the hustle and bustle of the wedding, maybe I can work my way through the rest of my notes from the Canada trip.

In Genesis 3, we hear about the serpent. Dr Kleinig pointed out that serpents bite. Satan will harm us. He will bite. We will sin. Satan will accuse. He will tempt us not only to sin, but to believe that there is no forgiveness for us when we do sin.

We are also harmed when others inflict pain upon us through no fault of our own. These too are wounds (bites) from the serpent Satan.

But Satan's venom has been removed. When he bites and harms us now, there is no poison in his attacks. Christ took upon Himself all the poison that Satan had. He accepted the venom into His own flesh.

So, even though Satan bites and harms, it is not deadly. He may damage us, but the sting has been removed.


It was a strange and dreadful strife
When Life and Death contended.
The victory remained with Life;
The reign of Death was ended.
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That Death is swallowed up by Death,
His sting is lost forever. Alleluia!

Pastoral Care Companion

Thursday morning I walked into the Bible class room and saw a little book in Pastor's hands and exclaimed, "THAT is what I want to look at!" He immediately offered me his copy of Pastoral Care Companion, but first I had to attend to duties, putting away bunches of groceries for the wedding and other preparation for the reception. Eventually I got my hands on the book, and I had 30 minutes to soak it up before class started.

This book is awesome! I mean, it is almost unbelievable in the tools provided for spiritual warfare.

One of the things I have achingly been missing in LSB is the collects and the proper prefaces. Both of those -- plus the Beichtafel (questions designed to show one's sin in preparation for private confession or going to the Supper) -- are included in the Pastoral Care Companion. So I'm thinking that it may not be an inappropriate book for laymen. For pastors, the book is also a portable agenda, with the funeral rites, the wedding rites, and other Services he may need to have handy when away from church.

But the reason I couldn't put the book down on Thursday was the section with resources for various situations. (Phooey -- that sounds so vague.) For each situation it's got appropriate Bible passages, psalms, prayers, and hymns. Situations are as varied as rejoicing at the birth of a child, struggling with infertility, a run-away child, persistent grief at the loss of a loved one, difficulty dealing with changes in life, considering suicide or abortion, periods of anxiety or depression, and so much more. This book will be a tremendous reference for pastors who think, "Now what am I supposed to do? How can I bring God's word to bear on this situation for my troubled sheep? How do I help them???"

When Pastor finally managed to pry the book free from my hands, he spent the first half of Bible class bubbling over to the group about the book. He said he wished for two things with regard to this book.

First, he hopes pastors will begin using the book for their own personal prayers. There is so much in the book about family life and one's daily work and about struggles with doubts & worries & fears. If the pastor is using this in his daily prayer life, he himself will be edified. But there will also be the resultant benefit that the pastor will know what's available in the book, and he will begin to learn how to use it to minister to his people's needs.

Second, Pastor said he hopes that the Pastoral Care Companion will be something used in the confessional. In the private confession rite in the hymnal, it says after the absolution that the pastor will know additional passages with which to comfort the troubled conscience. Well, what happens when the pastor doesn't know what to say? What happens if he knows which Law to apply, but knows it's time for him to shut up with regard to speaking the Law, and needs to speak Gospel? The Pastoral Care Companion will put God's Word into the mouth of the pastor so that those sweet words from Jesus will go into the ear of the penitent.

"Singing the Devil Away" (3)

Dr Kleinig pointed out that Satan mocks. Notice that liberals (either secular or in the church) don't often argue or debate with conservative Christians. Mostly they just mock us.

"Singing the Devil Away" (2)

Continuation of an earlier post.

Paul Gerhardt had no interest in demonology -- an intellectual study of demons and Satan. He simply wanted to equip Christians with God's Word for the exercise of spiritual warfare.

The "battle with Satan" was NOT something happening in the Thirty Years War. It was NOT a physical battle for control of Germany or control of the church. The battle with Satan that matters is what happens in the conscience when Satan accuses. It doesn't matter to Satan whether we have sinned or not; he manages to accuse either way.

Often these spiritual battles are waged in the deep hours of the night. There's something about the darkness that is not just the lack of sunshine, but the darkness of unbelief. It's all about attacking FAITH.