A Clean House Sunday, April 2, 2017 Luke 11:14-28 Luke 11:14 (NKJV) 14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. The crowd didn t just gasp, or stand with their mouth gaping. They REALLY MARVELED Here, listen as I read Matthew 9:32 33 (NKJV) 32 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, It was never seen like this in Israel! I will get to the reason for that statement in just a second or two. Also tied in with that - v.34 of the Matthew text says But the Pharisees said, He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons. Now look at the next verse in Luke: Luke 11:15 (NKJV) 15 But some of them said, (Matthew told us that they were Pharisees and Mark says they were scribes who came down from Jerusalem. At any rate, it was not the common folk who said this. They were absolutely AMAZED. They were awestruck. The multitudes marveled. But the religious leaders said) ~ He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Beelzebub. Now, quickly glance down in your Bibles to v.19 - - - Page 1 of 9
Luke 11:19 (NKJV) 19 (Jesus said) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. Jesus had a lot more to say about that slanderous, NO, Blasphemous!, remark and we will go back to pick it all up in a bit. During that time there were Jewish exorcists. Even Josephus, a first century non-christian historian, mentions them. They weren t always so successful though Why do I say that? Well, 1) there sure are a lot of recorded incidents where Jesus and His disciples, and even the 70 that He sent out two by two, cast out demons, causing me to think that they weren t doing such a hot job. 2) SECONDLY, their lack of success is recorded for us in the book of Acts. ~ Acts 19:13 17 (NKJV) 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches. 14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15 And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you? 16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Sorry, I didn t mean to laugh So it seems that the demon, possessing some man, got ticked off at these guys who were attempting to eject it out of a human body. There were seven sons of Sceva (Si:va) and some exorcists. So let s just say that there were maybe fifteen guys around this demon possessed man. He jumped up, beat the snot out of them and stripped them all naked. This account may also suggest that there were some shenanigans and they could have been nothing more than a bunch of charlatans. However, Page 2 of 9
in this dialogue between Jesus and these religious leaders, He does elude to some success of these exorcists. What was it that brought about what amounts to total amazement of the crowd of onlookers and the blasphemous remarks of the religious leaders? Some say that the ideas and incantations used by these exorcists can be traced back to King Solomon himself. And that they believed that they could not call the demon out unless they called it out by its name. Since this demon caused the body in which it inhabited to be unable to speak, no one could find out its name. Therefore, since no one could know the demon s name, then no one could call the demon out of the man. So, when Jesus did so, and the proof was in the fact that the man then spoke, the people marveled and said It was never seen like this in Israel! People didn t marvel like this when the religious exorcists went to work. They were losing their grip on the people. They were in awe of Jesus and praised Him much more that the religious leaders. In a panic, they put a spin on what had just happened in everyone s presence. The fame of Jesus was about to travel quickly, so they blurted out, This man could only have been able to have pulled this off by the very power of Satan himself. Ok, let s see just how Jesus responds to such an outlandish attack. But first another small bit of commentary on what is called others, which I take to mean other religious leaders. Luke 11:16 20 (NKJV) 16 Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. (it appears as though Jesus simply brushes aside the request for signs and wonders to prove that He is from God and does not employ the powers of Satan by launching out into the following) 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out Page 3 of 9
demons by Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls Would somebody send this to Washington D. C. please! Boy, the Pharisees sure didn t think that one through. That s exactly what happens when you aren t swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (James 1:19). These guys were so paranoid and angry that they just proved how crazy with fear of losing control they were. Jesus says, Do you realize just how crazy that sounds? If I m casting out demons by the power of the chief of demons, Beelzebub, or Satan, that would utterly destroy his kingdom, his power, his influence here on earth. How ridiculous is that? Can't you just see the crowd nodding at one another as He says this? So if I m in league with the devil casting out demons, who are you exorcists in league with? I ll tell you what, I am casting out demons because I Am in league with God. I Am God, so know this; that the Kingdom of God has come upon you. OR, know that I have brought the Kingdom of God right to your own door step. By the way, this should answer the request for a sign from heaven proving that Jesus is the Messiah. Next, Jesus gives the logic behind what he just said - - - Luke 11:21 23 (NKJV) 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. 22 But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from Page 4 of 9
him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Let me read it again - When a strong man, (that s Satan) fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. Please listen to this 2 Corinthians 4:3 4 (NKJV) 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. Do you realize what s wrong with your unsaved family and friends? The god of this age has blinded them. That should tell you how to pray for them. Sure they act like jerks, they mock you. But it s because the god of this age has blinded them to the truth that you try to share with them. 22 But when a stronger than he (that s Jesus) (when Jesus) comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils. We need to pray that Jesus would overcome Satan s ability to blind our unsaved loved ones and overpower him. Then Jesus said, When it comes to faith in Me, there is no middle ground. v.23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. You cannot, cannot, cannot, Like Jesus on Facebook and then go about a worldly life. You are either FOR Him or AGAINST Him. With ~ meta = It s primary meaning is in the midst. It implies accompaniment. Companionship / Fellowship. It is clear that Jesus is saying, you are either my disciple or you are against me. To be a true disciple, remember, is to deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow Jesus wherever that might lead you. Page 5 of 9
Once again a proof that Jesus is the Messiah for those who were asking for such a sign. He overpowers Satan and breaks up his kingdom on earth. Back to the lesson on demons Luke 11:24 26 (NKJV) 24 When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, I will return to my house from which I came. 25 And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. 26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. While we don t need to fear demons, we need to know that they are real and understand how they function. Demons are in a state of unrest until they find a human to possess. While our confidence is He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4), whatever the cause, Jesus gives us an example of a demon who left or was removed from its human host. Let s just use the scenario we were already introduced to. Jewish exorcists were successful in casting out the demon. Or we could include anyone else, the disciples and even Jesus Himself. As mentioned, demons seem to be restless when not inhabiting a human being. So, the demon comes back to check things out. The human host has been swept clean. No demons present. But more importantly, no other spirit occupies this house either. What other spirit could possibly occupy - I ll use another word for body this time - temple? 1 Corinthians 3:16 17 (NKJV) 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Page 6 of 9
Of course this comment was made by Paul to Christians. Once you become a Christian, when you are Born Again, your body simultaneously becomes the temple of God in which the Holy Spirit Himself dwells. That means the house is full, the temple is full. Verse 25 describes a person who has had a demon expelled from him but has NOT become a Christian. A person who has not REPENTED, and given their life to Jesus. To make this absolutely clear, I ll use a couple of verses in Romans - - - Romans 10:9 11 (NKJV) 9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. So what happens when the demon comes back to its former host and finds that there is no spirit occupying it? v.26 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Luke 11:27 28 (NKJV) 27 And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You! 28 But He said, More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it! This takes us back to the crowd scene where we started this morning v. 14 And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. Then the religious leaders accuse Jesus of casting out this mute demon by the power of Satan. Page 7 of 9
Jesus responds with a powerful, but simple, common sense answer that makes the religious leaders look foolish. Then this woman gives a shout out to Mary, the mother of Jesus. And Jesus responds with a mind boggling answer More than that, - - - OR, more blessed than Mary blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it! Kent Hughes says - This puts the highest blessing of God within reach of us all. There are only two steps to blessedness: to hear the Word of God and to obey it. We need to listen to the Word with reverence. We must hear it with understanding and know what it means. Then we must do what it says. Jesus said that hearing the Word of God and keeping it is a higher blessing than Mary s blessing in giving birth to Jesus. This is the key to all blessings in this life and in Heaven beyond. How this cut through the dark objections to Jesus. The woman s cry above the slander of the Pharisees and the murmurings of the crowd was brave and right. Jesus had mercifully reasoned with them and mercifully warned them and now gave them a merciful possibility that tugged at their souls. (End quote) You too, can be blessed beyond the blessing of Mary s giving birth to Jesus. Back in the 8th chapter Jesus gave us the parable of the sower. There were four different soil conditions - OR - heart conditions. Here s the right one. Luke 8:15 (NKJV) 15 But the (seeds) that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Let s wrap this up. Page 8 of 9
There are only three kinds of people walking around today. They can be described in the following way. They are 1) A vessel that is demon possessed, or 2) An empty host, or 3) The temple of God where the Holy Spirit of God dwells. Which are you? Jesus said Revelation 3:20 (NKJV) 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. If you are an empty vessel this morning, invite Jesus in, surrender your house to Jesus and you will have the greater blessing that Jesus spoke of which is in contrast to the curse of being demon possessed. Even if someone were the host to a demon, they can open the door of their heart to Jesus. We ve already learned that He can easily and successfully cast out that demon, sweep the house clean and now occupy it Himself. You too, will enjoy that blessing that Jesus promised. And of course there is the Christian. To the Christian there is the warning and the encouragement to not only hear the Word of God, but to do it. Page 9 of 9