by David Scott Robertson
"One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)
The Bible is full of endlessly fascinating truths. One such truth is embedded in the book of Acts and has to do with the communication network of the demonic underworld.
The following brief passage summarizes the situation:
"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.' Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, BUT WHO ARE YOU?' Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding" (Acts 19:13-16, emphasis mine).
I'm reasonably sure that this unique passage has been the text of countless sermons by preachers throughout the ages. Perhaps ministers in their messages have touched on the fact that the devil and his demonic administrative assistants keep tabs on human kind. That is to say, the devil knows who the authorized (and deputized) servants of God are and who are the imposters.
I think the evil spirit's question through the man in the Acts passage is insightful: "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"
Of course the demonic realm knew who Jesus was. Once upon a time they had worshipped Him in the ageless past and had seen Him face-to-face in His preincarnate state. They knew full well that Jesus was the Creator of heaven and earth and of them. And they knew that this same Jesus, whom the Most High had sent to earth at just the right time had a mission: "…for this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).
Interestingly (to me anyway) they also knew Paul, the servant of God. It was probably an embarrassing admission because there was a time when Saul worked in cooperation with this demon's workgroup. It seems they had harnessed Saul's religious zeal and twisted his understanding of the Scriptures to bring about the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ. Some were glad and some were sad (and mad) the day Saul converted to Christ and eventually morphed into the great Apostle Paul. So the demons were very correct in saying that they knew about Paul.
But to the offspring of a Jewish priest named Sceva, the demon challenged: "Who are you?" The imp could also have said: "Who are you boys to order me out?" You are unauthorized authorities and have no power at all to tell me what to do!"
It could be that this demon has some rank and position in the hierarchy of the demonic governmental structure because it seems evident that lesser demons had been cast out by these same sons of Sceva in their past "ministry of exorcism."
Now, let's turn our attention back to us. I ask you the same question: "Who are you?" Or perhaps more appropriately, "Whose are you?"
Do you have a reputation in the demonic underworld as a threat to their cause? Do you think a principality in another region of the world has heard about you through "the grapevine"? Are you committed enough to the lordship of Jesus Christ that you can confidently cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17)? Is your life in good working order or is your spiritual life like a broken soft drink machine with an "out of order" sign hanging on it? Think about it. It makes a difference when you are confronting demonic entities.
The Bible gives us plenty of responses to say to an evil spirit that may confront us (usually through another human being) with the question of "who are you?" Some biblically verifiable replies to the deliberately belligerent question of "who are you?" might be…
WHO AM I?
- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have! (Authority! See Luke 10:19)
WHO AM I?
- I am a child of God!
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
- I am not broken beyond repair but God has made me to be more than a conqueror!
- I am covered by the blood of Jesus and His blood forms a barrier between you and me!
- I am my Beloved's and He is mine and His banner over me is love!
- I am a victor, not a victim!
- I am an over-comer, not overcome!
- I am the head, and not the tail!
- I am the joy of my Heavenly Father created for His pleasure!
- I am altogether lovely in His eyes!
- I am not a mistake; I am the apple of God's eye!
- I am not damaged goods; I am the righteousness of God in Christ!
- I am forgiven of my sins and free to wreak havoc on you in Jesus' name!
WHO AM I?
- I'm the one that can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!
- I'm that one that God pours supernatural power through so that nothing shall be impossible to me because I believe!
- I'm the one that through Jesus has eternal life! I'm headed for a throne and you're destined for the lake of fire!
- I have a place in the family of God!
- I have the mind of Christ on earth and a glorified body in heaven!
- I am presently wearing the full armor of God!
- My authority over you is legal because I am in submission to my spiritual leaders!
- I have the Holy Spirit as my Comforter and Teacher to lead and guide me into all truth!
- I am one who speaks for God as His ambassador to cast you out!
- I have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, humility, and self-control - the fruit of the Spirit - in ever-increasing measure!
- I have access into the throne of grace to obtain grace and help in time of need - like now!
- I have the promises of God that are "yes" and "amen" for all my needs!
- To sum it up - as the Bible says: I have everything I need pertaining to life and godliness!
- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have!
That, my Christian friend, is who you are in Christ Jesus. God knows it, the angels know it, the twenty-four elders and the four living beings in heaven know it, the great cloud of witnesses know it, the devil knows it, and the demons knows it. The real question is do you?
DSR
4/4/05