The Scripture you read today is from 1 Corinthians chapter 2. The title of this sermon is “Which Spirit Resides in Me?” The Scripture verse we read says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” This verse mentions the spirit which we have received. The spirit we received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God—that is, the Spirit of God. You might not be sure whether you have received Him or not, but if you are a believer in Jesus, then you have received God’s Spirit. Yes, believers in Jesus receive the Spirit of God.

There are many spirits in the world. Those spirits keep entering people and try to use them according to their will. Such spirits are also referred to as demons.

When a certain spirit enters a person’s body, the spirit manifests its own characteristics in that person. It is like when cola is poured into a bottle, the bottle appears to be black. And if Fanta is poured in a bottle, the bottle looks orange. What’s changing in color is not the bottle itself. It is because the bottle is filled with a colored liquid, that the bottle appears to be that color also. Similarly, when a demon enters a person’s body, it manifests its characteristics. It can cause illnesses and bring about problems to the person’s relationships. It can also cause an accident and even trigger suicidal thoughts. In some instances, the person gets told by others that their personality seems to have changed suddenly. These things occur when a demon occupies a person. In other words, these are caused by the spirit of the world that entered the person.

However, couldn’t a person simply reject the spirit of the world from entering them? Couldn’t they reject and say, “Don’t come into me”? Unfortunately, the spirits of the world are not so courteous. They will not stop coming in because a person rejects them; they come in regardless of the person’s will. They are like burglars. They are like thieves. Though they are told, “I don’t like you,” they still come in.

Moreover, when a demon enters a person, the person may not necessarily realize it. The person may be unaware that a demon is occupying them. People don’t realize that a demon has entered them. And the problem is that demons come in when people are unaware, causing accidents and other problems. That’s where the real problem lies.

It is not uncommon for demons to enter people’s body and harass them—in fact, it is very common. The only thing is that some people are sensitive to it, while others are not. Among those who are especially sensitive, some people get used for special purposes.

For example, a certain person’s parents were mediums. But as parents, they didn’t want their child to follow in their footsteps. Later on, when the child grew up, he became very ill. He went to the hospital, but the doctor said there was nothing wrong with him. But he was in excruciating pain. His condition got so bad that it hindered his everyday life and he had to quit his job. He was in so much pain and agony. While he tried his best to survive through the ordeal, one of his family member died. So he went to see a fortune teller and what advise did he get? He was told to receive a spirit (be possessed). In other words, he was destined to be a medium. In such situations, some people resisted for a while, but many of them became possessed by a spirit in the end. Once they become possessed, they become healthy and well again. From then on, by the demon they are possessed by, they can see other demons and read people’s future based on what the demons tell them. This is how they become mediums.

The Bible makes mention of such people. There is a mention about a girl “possessed by a spirit of divination.” Among the people in the Bible, there is a man named the Apostle Paul. One day, while he was in a certain region, a girl kept following him around, shouting, “This man is the servant of the Most High God.” Eventually, Paul became annoyed and told the demon, “Come out of her!” And the demon left her. The spirit of divination had left her. Do you think the girl was able to do fortune-telling afterwards? No, she couldn’t. She lost her “divination ability.” So her master of whom she was a slave became outraged because she could no longer make profit by her fortune-telling. He sued Paul and tried to punish him for what had happened. In this way, when a demon (spirit) of divination departs from a fortune teller, that person cannot continue fortune-telling.

Demons try to use people in such ways. By causing ill health and threatening to kill them, demons invade people’s body and take advantage of them.

But where do the demons go into? They go into people but specifically what part of the person do they occupy?

Man has a body, and within the body, there is a spirit. The true self is not the body but the spirit within me. It is the eternal true self. Though it cannot be seen, that eternal being is the true self, and it is called a spirit. The spirit is using the body. The body is like the clothes we wear. Clothes always change. The clothes we are wearing right now are different to the clothes I wore ten years ago. And thirty years from now, the clothes I will wear will again be different. As time goes by, these clothes will become old and worn and eventually have to be thrown away. Likewise, the eternal “me” will have to throw off this body and depart for somewhere. That eternal “me” is the spirit.

Where do demons— the spirits of the world—come into, the body or the spirit? Demons originally had bodies. What I’m saying is, they used to be human. Because they used to be humans but are disembodied, it is tormenting. Therefore, demons want to go back inside a human body. And once inside a person’s body, they wish to carry out their own desires.

I will tell you a true story that a certain sister at church experienced. She used to be quite overweight. But when I saw her about 6 months later, she looked like a completely different person. She had lost so much weight. So I asked, “Your weight loss was a success!” But her answer was, “I cast out a demon.” “Really? What demon was it? Was it an overweight demon?” She said it was a foreigner—and apparently, it really loved hamburgers. That’s what the demon itself said. This sister had a part-time job at a U.S. army base, and it was while she was there that this demon entered her. Since then, this sister suddenly began to love hamburgers so much that she had to have a hamburger every day. She never ate like that before but she started eating hamburgers every single day. Sometimes even two a day. That’s how she gained so much weight. The one that made her eat hamburgers was the demon. It was according to the demon’s desire that she ate those hamburgers. Later, when the demon was cast out, it confessed before leaving, “I’m the one who made her eat like that.” Ever since the demon left, she didn’t crave hamburgers anymore. And as she stopped eating hamburgers and started eating healthily, she lost all weight. She became half the size she was before. These things really happen.

So this is how demons come in and take control of a person. Recently, there was news about a mental patient who killed a doctor. He said, he apparently kept hearing a voice telling him, “Kill him! Kill him!” over and over. Imagine hearing voices all the time. It’s not a mere feeling. He could actually hear a voice speaking into his ears. But the voice didn’t stop talking to him. It even cursed and cursed him, in the end, that the person became paranoid in the end. Just one hour of hearing a voice like that would be torture, but he heard the voice 24 hours a day and couldn’t even sleep. The voice told him, “Die! Die!” Then it told him, “Kill him! Kill him!” So after being harassed like that for some time, he followed the demon’s instructions and killed a person. However, after the killing, he said, “I don’t know why I did that.” And the people who knew him also testified that he was not that kind of a person.

About ten years ago, there was a similar incident. A certain man murdered an entire family. He entered a house and murdered every member of the family. When the police questioned him as to why he did it, there was no clear motive behind his deed. But that man also heard a voice tell him to murder. He didn’t even know anybody in that family. He simply went inside and struck them down with a blunt weapon. Where did he find the blunt weapon? The voice he heard told him what to do. “Open that drawer.” He opened it. “Take that out of the drawer.” And he did. After he murdered everyone, he reported the incident to the police himself. He himself had no idea why he did it. In this way, demons go into people and commit such deeds.

This is the activity of the spirits of the world that people are experiencing. But the Scripture says, “We have received, not the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God.” This means that believers in Jesus haven’t received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who comes from God. This Spirit is the Spirit of God who came from God. His Spirit is holy which is why we call Him the Holy Spirit.

Concerning the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised ahead of time. After Jesus died and was resurrected, He ascended to heaven. But before He died, He said, “I will go to Jerusalem, be arrested by men, and be killed.” The disciples were worried and said, “That should not happen.” Yet the Lord told them, “Don’t worry. I will be raised on the third day.” However, the disciples couldn’t believe His words, for they had never seen the resurrection. Resurrection is when the dead come back to life. Jesus went on to say, “After my resurrection, I will go to God the Father. When I go, I will ask the Father and send you the Holy Spirit.”

What happens when the Holy Spirit comes, just as He said? Jesus said, “On that day, you will know. Until now, you couldn’t understand what I’m saying to you, but when the Holy Spirit comes, He will teach you what I told you. In addition, He will let you also have the authority of God—the very authority that I have. Then you will be My witnesses. You will understand what I have given you, and thus you will become witnesses who testify to it.”

Despite Jesus’ words, it would not be easy for the disciples to believe that. Therefore, Jesus promised them, saying, “I will show you miraculous signs and wonders.” What are miraculous signs and wonders? Miraculous signs are visible traces of the invisible God at work, whereas wonders are supernatural and extraordinary events. So Jesus promised, “With supernatural events and marvelous signs that the world cannot bear, He will testify to the things you preach about Jesus”.

After that, Jesus ascended to heaven. Now, people cannot see Jesus who is in heaven, neither have we seen Him. However, He said, “When I go to heaven, I will ask the Father and send the Holy Spirit.” Thus, if Jesus really is in heaven as He said, then even now people should still be receiving the Holy Spirit just as He promised. On the contrary, if Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven were all a lie, there would be no such thing as people receiving the Holy Spirit in this world. However, over the last 2000 years until the present time, believers in Jesus have been and are receiving the Holy Spirit. It is not demons who come, but the Holy Spirit who comes.

I, too, have received the Holy Spirit. In that sense, I am possessed by a spirit. While the spirits that worldly people receive are the spirits of the world, I received the Spirit of God. Those who are possessed by the spirits of the world come to resemble them and do what they do. However, those who received the Spirit of God come to resemble God and do His works.

What is God like? He is a happy and blessed God. And as I received the Holy Spirit, I, too, am happy and blessed by God’s happiness. God is eternal. Hence, the happiness I have received is also everlasting. God is the Almighty who created heaven, earth, and all things. Therefore, ever since I received the Holy Spirit, I can take and use the things in the world according to my needs. In the past, I was limited in what I could do because I lacked the resources and money. But now I don’t worry about that. Instead, my concern is whether or not a particular task is necessary and right. If I am certain that it is necessary, I will go ahead with it , even if I may not have any money to do it. Then, money will follow.

My way of life has changed. Receiving the Holy Spirit doesn’t mean you will win the lottery or become very wealthy suddenly. But you do become rich. You actually become rich. This doesn’t mean you now have a lot of money. What does it mean to be poor? It’s when you can’t afford to do what you have to do. You are unable to do what you must do. However, after receiving the Holy Spirit, I can do what I want to do. I can do what I have to do. How can I do without money? Well, money follows. Something strange begins to happen.

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim, who planted our church, set a prayer point to build a large worship place and started praying, “God, help me to build a worship place that can accommodate 10,000 people.” When did he start praying for this? When there were only seven church members. Actually, even before there were seven, he already began praying about it and planted the church. In 2009, which was forty years later, that prayer was answered. That’s how he built a worship place that could accommodate 10,000 people. Did he have the money to afford the construction? No. It wasn’t built with money. Because he decided to build it and began the work, the money followed. Of course, he had to get a loan, which is still being paid off. Nevertheless, he built it, didn’t he?

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim also prayed, “God, I will write 250 books. Help me to accomplish that.” How can one person write 250 books? He was already very busy with pastoral ministry. I have never heard of anyone like him. People who write a lot would write around ten books at most. But how does a pastor who is engaged in full-time ministry write 250 books while also building this massive worship place and ministering so many church members at the same time? Yet, in fact, the number of books he wrote is about 270. Just this year, he wrote two books already, and last year he wrote six. Isn’t it remarkable?

This is not something that can be achieved by man’s abilities but by God’s help. It is possible because the Holy Spirit is at work within him. So we who believe in Jesus have now received the Spirit of God and live by the power of God’s Spirit.

Remember how I said demons come into people’s bodies? Well, the Spirit of God does not come into people’s bodies but into their spirit. Only God’s Spirit can enter man’s spirit. Once He comes into the spirit, He never departs. He can’t be separated. Even if the person dies, He doesn’t just depart. If He came into the body only, He would have to depart once the body dies. However, as He comes into our spirit, He resides in us forever.

We who believe in Jesus have received the Holy Spirit. If you believe in Jesus and become sanctified, you must receive the Holy Spirit. To believe in Jesus and be sanctified means to be ready to receive the Spirit who is holy. We cannot become holy by doing many good deeds. By good deeds, nobody can be made holy enough for the Holy Spirit to come into them. God sent Jesus and had Him shed His blood and die to pay the price of our sins. He was executed to pay the price of our sins. When you admit our sins and accept this truth, God will deem us as holy. He will approve us as one who can receive the Spirit of God.

If God deems someone as holy, that person is truly holy. They are able to receive the Spirit of God. For God’s Spirit is holy, He cannot go into someone who is unclean. That is why God’s Spirit cannot go into the unbelieving worldly people. On the other hand, the spirits of the world are more than able to enter them. This is because those spirits are unclean, and so are the worldly people. On the contrary, God’s Spirit is holy. He is clean. Therefore, a person’s spirit ought to be clean in order for Him to enter. Otherwise, the Spirit of God cannot go into that person.

Originally, we were unable to receive God’s Spirit either, but now we are able to. It is not because we are “good” people, nor because we observed God’s word well. It is because Jesus already paid the price of our sins, and if anyone believes this, God declares, “You are clean!” That is why the Holy Spirit comes into us. After He comes in, He does God’s work inside of us.

Since the Holy Spirit came into me, God hears me when I pray in Jesus’ name. Moreover, He answers my prayers. When I lay my hands on the sick and pray for them, He heals the sick. When I curse the demons, they flee. Also, the Holy Spirit testifies to the hope of the resurrection which I have—that I, too that I will be resurrected like Jesus did. In addition, the Holy Spirit enlightens me how great the grace Jesus bestowed on us, and reveals to me what that grace is.

To believe in Jesus and thus possess the name Jesus is similar to having a key—one that key can open a great storehouse. When you open and step inside that storehouse, there’s no end in sight. It is massive. It’s hard to see everything inside in just one glance. Believing in Jesus means opening that door and entering the storehouse. Believing in Jesus means possessing this key. What we need to do from then on is to find out what treasures, riches and wonderful things are stored inside. Because only then can we  use them.

Despite obtaining the key, some people only take a quick glance but don’t step inside the storehouse. Let’s say a person needs a car right away. But he doesn’t have one. If he had carefully looked into the storehouse, he would find a car and be able to use it. But since he doesn’t know that there is a car in there, he doesn’t get to use it and continues to live a poor life. That is why it is important to know exactly what is inside the storehouse.

Who enables us to know the things inside the storehouse? The Holy Spirit does. The reason the Holy Spirit is given to us is “that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God”. Therefore, by receiving the Holy Spirit and relying on Him, we come to understand God’s mysteries. In the Bible are God’s mysteries. We can come to know of God’s mysteries in the Bible, but without the Holy Spirit’s help, we cannot understand them. It is by the help of the Holy Spirit that we understand those mysteries. As we read the Bible, we should be discovering many different things. “Wow, here is eternal happiness! There’s treasure here! There is power! There is happiness! There’s even a large house!” Then we will be grateful and filled with joy—and we are able to take and use them whenever we need them. For this reason, the Scripture says, “Now we have received…the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given us by God.” Therefore, it is imperative to receive the Holy Spirit.

There’s a sign that follows when the Holy Spirit comes in. It will be unbearable for the unclean demons, so if there were demons hiding within you, they would not have a choice but leave. However, you also have to hate them and drive them out. Now and then, they leave by themselves, but unless you hate the demons knowing that they must be cast out, they won’t leave even if they know they have to. They will resist. They feel tormented once they leave, which is why they want to stay hidden no matter what. For that, they will keep deceiving you. At the time you receive the Holy Spirit, they know they are exposed and feel compelled to leave. But if you don’t know that, they will remain inside you. It is only when you become aware of them and decide to drive them out that the demons leave.

This is something that could happen when a person receives the Holy Spirit. Upon receiving the Holy Spirit, the person speaks in tongues, repents in tears; he has met God. However, he suddenly has a bad headache. He has a splitting headache. What might be the cause? It is a demon manifesting itself. It is not the person who is in pain but the demon. That’s when he should cast out the demon. He is able to drive it out because the Holy Spirit abides in him.

To give another example, a person, after receiving the Holy Spirit, determines himself to diligently go to church every week. But from the next week, he already struggles to make it to church. Things come up which prevent him from going to church. He faces interference. It is actually a demon hindering him. Similar things like that happen again and again.

If you have received the Holy Spirit, then you must drive out the demon that took advantage of you all this time. Although people come asking me to drive out demons from them, if they haven’t received the Holy Spirit, oftentimes I don’t drive them out. The reason for that is, there is a potential for the demons to come back in even if they are driven out. Remember I said that demons are constantly looking for a body? They are seeking a body to enter. “Now that I’ve been cast out, I will go somewhere else!” But they can’t find a suitable place to go. What might be the reason for that? There are already demons occupying other people’s bodies. Hence, when a demon attempts to go inside someone, the other demons already inside will say, “Hey! Get out! There’s no room for you here!” So the demon that can’t find a place to go will go back to the house it occupied previously and takes a peek. It finds the house unoccupied. There aren’t any demons. When that demon was cast out, the house was swept clean. However, the master of the house isn’t present. In other words, the person hasn’t received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, their faith is not stable. In that case, the demon will go back in.

When it does, it doesn’t just go in. It has a concern. “If I go into him, he will drive me out again. I’m weak by myself and will get cast out. I should take other demons with me and build a strong fortress.” So it calls other demons that have not yet found a place, saying, “Hey, I know a great place. Come with me!” In the end, it brings seven other demons with it. Previously, the person was only occupied by one demon, but later on, he has seven. Just one demon is enough to bring torment— so how much distressful would it be to have seven demons? That is why the person’s condition becomes worse than it was at first.

Why does this happen? It is because the owner of the house isn’t there after it was swept clean. For this reason, once a demon is cast out, the person has to be in subjection to a new master. So who should the master be? Jesus has to become the master. The Holy Spirit must reside within and reign. That is why you need to receive the Holy Spirit. If you want demons to be cast out of you, you first need to know Jesus in depth and receive the Holy Spirit. You must let the Spirit of God reside inside of you, not the spirits of the world. When God’s Spirit dwells in you, He will display God’s nature and God’s peace, so that your life will be like that of God. This is what happens when we believe in Jesus.

So drive out the demons. And receive the Holy Spirit. How do you receive the Holy Spirit you ask? In our church, we teach step-by-step on these topics. Please listen carefully to the words of those who lead you and follow their guidance. If they advise you to undertake a particular lesson at church, please do so. It is for your benefit that they suggest that. And when you hear someone tell you to pray to receive the Holy Spirit, open your mouth and pray aloud.

When I first came to church, I was able to do everything else except for prayer. All other things I could accept intellectually, but prayer is something I had to actively do by opening my mouth and using my own words. For example, if I was supposed to pray, “Help me, God our Father”, I could say up to “Help me God”, but I couldn’t say “Father”. Because I have my father at home and I felt sorry to be calling someone else “Father.” Hence, I could only say “God.” And although I was able to pray, “Help me God,” I prayed with difficulty in a very small voice. I was conscious of others listening to me. Since I was new to church, I felt as though everyone was looking at me and couldn’t pray out loud. I went to church for 3 months and although I thought I was quite zealous, I couldn’t open up my heart, that even during prayer I was still conscious of others.

But finally, I had such a deep longing to meet God and started praying to receive the Holy Spirit. As I became more and more longing, I became louder and louder in my prayer. However, I still couldn’t say the words, “Father God.” All I could say was, “God, I want to receive the Holy Spirit. If You have forgiven all of my sins, grant Your Holy Spirit to me. I want to meet You.” Then I got louder and louder and finally cried out, “God I want to meet You!” In that moment when the Holy Spirit came, something interesting happened.

When the Holy Spirit came, it was as if a ball of fire fell on top of my head. It felt as though that fire travelled down my body into my abdomen and exploded. When that exploded, I burst out crying. As I burst out crying, the first word that came out of my mouth was, “Father!”

All that time, I wasn’t able to say the word “Father”, but as soon as the Holy Spirit came, that very word came out of my mouth. It was not awkward at all to call God, “Father.” This is the working of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, He reveals the grace of God poured out on me. He enlightens me of that grace. He reminds me of that grace. After I received the Holy Spirit and cried out, “Father!”, tears ran down my face and my nose was running, and I had intense encounter of God’s love for me and was filled with thanksgiving.

My life was changed from that day on. Not long after, I heard in a sermon, ”if a believer lays his hand on the sick, the sick will get well.” So in a matter of weeks of receiving the Holy Spirit, I began to lay hands on any sick person I met. And they actually got well. I have been doing that until now. That’s how I met Jesus in 1992 and continued my faith life to this day.

God is living. Receive in His Spirit. But first of all, be sanctified. Acknowledge the merits of Jesus— how He shed His blood. And once your spirit is sanctified, receive the Holy Spirit. Then the Holy Spirit will reveal to you about the gifts God has given you. From now on, reject the spirits of the world. Cast out the interferences of the spirits of the world. Receive the help of God’s Holy Spirit. I bless you all in Jesus’ name.

I’ll pray.

Father God, help everyone here to receive Your Spirit. If they have been hindered by the spirits of the world until now, help them to be released from those interferences. Let them receive not the spirits of the world but Your Spirit so that they deeply understand what You have lavished on them as grace and therefore be filled with happiness and joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.