Jars of Clay - Episode 1

Intro:

You have pushed play on the Re:Man Initiative, a short form podcast dedicated to seeing men return to faith in Christ, be restored into true sonship, rediscover the truth of Jesus’ Gospel and reclaim their purpose and identity in the Kingdom of God.

I’m your host Joe Bailey, a former prodigal son and disgrace to my Father in Heaven, who now by the grace and mercy of God in Jesus Christ wakes up each morning knowing he’s a much loved Son of God and man that has true purpose, identity and mission.

Welcome to the Re:Man Initiative

Welcome to Show everyone.

I am excited to be back in the podcasting saddle for 2023 and I am very much looking forward to digging into the scriptures with you this year.

Let’s get started with Episode 1 of Jars of Clay by reading the root text for this study and then our text for today from Luke Chapter 11

2 Corinthians 4:3–7 (NET)

But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing, among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the one who shined in our hearts to give us the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

Luke 11:14–20 NET

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak, and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, he casts out demons.” Others, to test him, began asking for a sign from heaven. But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls.So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.

Jesus is shown here evicting a supernatural entity who has taken up RESIDENCE in a man’s body.

How often do we read through these sorts of passages and wonder “do these unclean spirits still inhabit the bodies of men and women?” Here’s an important thought for today.

As humans, we were designed with the capacity to be a Vessels for the Spiritual Realm.

Did you notice that the demon in this report was mute? And that the man physically manifested the nature of that particular demon?

As soon as this supernatural being vacated the body of this man, he began to speak, so the man obviously didn’t have a physical incapability to talk but instead was under the complete influence of the unclean spirit.

Some spectators, likely the religious leaders present suggested that Jesus is operating in power given to him by Beelzebul, the captain of all the demonic spirits.

Notice that Jesus’ detractors acknowledge that unclean spirits are real and that these spirits are under the dominion of a particular prince who they identify as Beelzebul. Who we would call satan.

Some where thinking Jesus should prove he wasn’t in league with Beelzebul by producing a Sign from Heaven.

11:17 But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls.

11:18 So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.

Jesus in his own words tells us here that The Kingdom of Darkness is real, is currently undivided, therefore strong as well.

11:19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

11:20 But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.

Jesus is the Word in Human so he doesn’t just know the Word, he is the Word and knowing his audience has through knowledge of the Torah (first 5 book of our Bible) he uses a specific phrase here that would have immediately transported his listeners to a Scene in Egypt recorded for us in Exodus 8 vs 16-19

In this scene, Moses and Aaron are about to unleash Yahweh’s third plague on Egypt. Aaron touches the dust of the Earth with his Staff and God cause the dust to become a small insect, which some scholars think was either Lice or Mosquitos. Whatever they were they were an absolute plague on the Egyptian inhabitants in the land.

When the Pharaoh’s Magicians, who were operating under demonic power were unable to produce this same sort of result, they report back to Pharoah that this was done BY THE FINGER of GOD.

From their point of view, this could only have been done by a powerful High Ranking God and while it proved impossible for them and the demons they consorted, this God of the Hebrews did it with such power and ease, that it appeared to simply be a flick of His Finger.

Jesus wants his audience to see that the power he exerts over the Kingdom of Darkness , power Given to Him by His Father, is so complete and so overwhelming that the expelling of this Mute Demon was done with a mere stroke of His Finger.

AND, IF this is the case, which is it THEN the Kingdom of God and its King has Come!

The presence of the kingdom is to be seen, not in good advice or pious practices, but in the power that expels the forces of evil. Now!

1 Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 3, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 216.

Jesus drives home this point in vs 21-23

by saying

The NET Bible Chapter 11

11:21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are safe. 11:22 But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first man’s armor on which the man relied and divides up his plunder. 11:23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Here’s what I want you to walk away with from today’s Study.

Humankind is designed to be a Vessel. Literally like Jars fashioned from Clay.

A man or woman has a capability to host spiritual beings and these spiritual beings have the power to influence the thoughts and actions, as well as the physical bodies of their hosts.

Humans, in and of themselves, do not have the power to secure the house of their life against such an enemy and are thereby easily enslaved and/or manipulated by such spirits.

The kingdom of darkness with myriads of unclean spirits and its prince are a reality and because humans are born spiritually dead, all humans in their natural state fall under the dominion and authority of the lord of the dead, the one Jesus calls satan.

The kingdom of darkness is not divided against itself. It is destructive of all that is good and holy, it hates humanity and the image that humans bear, which is the Image of God. It seeks to deface and destroy that Image but it is not destructive of itself.

The Kingdom of God and its King have come. The Stronger Man has arrived. Alignment and allegiance to Christ is now called for and those who are not with him are against him.

Here is the Good News! God’s Kingdom and his King have come. Jesus delivers us from the power and dominion of darkness.

Those who are In Christ the Father transfers into the kingdom of the Son he loves, Jesus  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Col 1:13–14.

You and I are Jars of Clay…Capital One wants to know “What’s in your Wallet?”…I want to know..What’s in your Vessel? or Who’s in your Vessel?

We will pick up on this story at vs 24 next week.

Until next week

24 ‘May the Lord bless you

and protect you.

25 May the Lord smile on you

and be gracious to you.

26 May the Lord show you his favor

and give you his peace.’