40: SOMEONE STRONGER (Luke 11:14-28)

The minister was looking for a good used lawnmower one day. He found one at a yard sale that Little Johnny was manning.  

"This mower work, son?" the preacher asked. 

Little Johnny said, "Sure does - just pull on the cord hard, though.”  

The preacher took the mower home and when he got ready to mow he yanked and pulled and tugged on that cord. Nothing worked. It wouldn't start. Thinking he'd been swindled, he took the mower back to Little Johnny's house. 

"You said this  would work if I pulled on the cord hard enough.”  

"Well," Johnny said, "you need to cuss at it sometimes.”  

The preacher was aghast. "I've not done that in years!”  

"Just keep yanking on that cord. It'll come back to you."

Don’t you wish that weren’t true? Don’t you wish that the sinful nature inside of you would never raise it’s ugly head ever again? Me too. Today we discover that Christian life is less about cleaning up and more about selling out to Someone Stronger than us.

Luke 11:14 (NIV)

14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.

Evidently, this man had not spoken in quite some time. Yet at the command of Jesus, this man immediately began to speak. This miracle amazed the crowd, a term Luke loves to use - 13 times in this writing and 5 times in Acts (Luke’s sequel).

But while some were amazed by what Jesus did, others were super skeptical of Him.

Luke 11:15-16 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Mark 3:22 says that some of them were scribes from Jerusalem - the well-trained seminary professors who opposed Jesus. And they didn’t play fair. They said Jesus has this power to drive out demons because He is a servant of Beelzebul, the prince of demons.

In Jesus’ day, Beel-zebul was a term used for the one who rules other demons - Satan.

Beelzebul…

is first mentioned in 2 Kings 1:2 with a slightly different name: Baal-Zebub.

Beel-zebul, the term used in our text today, is the Greek version of Baal-zebul meaning “lord [Ba-al] of the dwelling [zebul]”…or ruler of the house.

Baal-zebub seems to be a play on words meant to make fun of this false god.

Ba-al means ‘lord’ and zebub means ‘of flies’.

Others wanted a sign from heaven… that is, they wanted to see more miracles proving that his power came from God. Of course, Jesus had already proven Himself over and over again with many miracles. But these men REFUSED to be convinced.

That’s still true today.

Josh McDowell, one of my heroes of the faith, was once talking to a skeptic who seem to be unimpressed by the many proofs Josh was presenting about Jesus. Finally, Josh asked him, "If I could prove to you that Jesus rose from the dead, would you become a Christian?" To that the skeptic said “no”. Josh responded: “Then what you have is not an issue of the mind but of your will.”

That was true of these skeptics as well. Regardless of what Jesus did, it wouldn’t be enough. It’s as if they said, “Don’t confuse us with the facts, we’ve already made up our minds.” It’s possible that is true of YOU too! Have you considered the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus, or do you hide behind what you WANT to be true? Or maybe you are the one who says, “He has to prove it to me…I need a sign from heaven.”

Can you imagine arguing that Jesus was an agent of Satan? This is exactly what they had done. And Jesus was about to use that slanderous claim for target practice.

Luke 11:17–18 (NIV)

17 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: “Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebul.

Their claim doesn’t make sense. Civil war weakens and divides a nation.

This football season I’ve watched a couple of games…I have seen a couple of players crush a ball carrier…on THEIR own team.

Point goes to Jesus. But He’s not done.

Many of you remember how Wylie E. Coyote would set a trap for Road Runner. Road Runner would pass through unharmed and Wylie E. Coyote would get caught in his own trap. Jesus catches his enemies in their own trap too.

Luke 11:19 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.

Hmmm…touché….ya got me.

The same charges they leveled against Jesus could be level against them as well.

But now it gets good, as Jesus spotlights the REAL issue.

Luke 11:20 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

When Moses did miracles, the Egyptian magicians could do the same.

Moses’ staff turned into a snake…and theirs did too, except Moses ate theirs.

God turned the water to blood and the Egyptians could too.

God brought frogs, and the magicians knew that trick.

Finally, God brought gnats…and the magicians couldn’t match it, and they said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (Exod 8:19).

So too, Jesus claims that His unmatched authority over demons is by the finger of God. The kingdom of God is HERE…the Messiah is right in front of their faces…and they resist Him & therefore resist God.

And then Jesus uses one of my favorite word-pictures of what was really going on.

Luke 11:21-22 21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. [the strong man is powerful & equipped to defend his ground] 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up his plunder.

Group Question: (1 minute) Who is the strong man in the story? And who is someone stronger?

The strong man represents demons - including Satan.

Someone stronger, the one who kicks demons out and takes over…is Jesus Himself!

And it’s time for these people to decide what they were going to do with Him, so Jesus figuratively draws the line in the sand. It’s time to choose who to follow.

Luke 11:23 23 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Will YOU stand with HIM or will you be scattered? One cannot remain neutral.

The question is NOT, “Is Jesus on my side?”. The question is, “Are YOU on HIS SIDE?”.

It has been well said that…

”Jesus didn’t come to take sides. Jesus came TO TAKE OVER.”

Those who choose Someone Stronger will bow their knee to Him. Those who choose their own way will be scattered.

24 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ 25 When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. [Matthew 12:44 also says ‘it finds the house unoccupied’] 26 Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.”

Get the picture? This person has cleaned up his house, but NO ONE is living there! Consequently, when the demonic gang shows up, there is no one to fight them off. They come in and quickly take over. And now the final condition of that person is worse than the first.

But Jesus is making a point that targets more than just those who have been possessed. Matthew shares one more line of what Jesus said…

Matt. 12:45 “…That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

The people Jesus was talking to were familiar with sweeping the house & putting it in order. The Jewish people had ‘cleaned house’ many times.

Less than 200 years before Jesus, Judas Maccabaeus and his army defeated the Syrians, cleansed the Temple of it’s pagan practices, and established a new royal house that lasted a hundred years. But that didn’t solve the problems as people continued to compromise & sin against God.

The Pharisees Jesus faced had expanded God’s laws, but Jesus confronted these leaders for putting extra burdens on the people that they themselves were not following.

All their renovation meant nothing unless the ‘house’ got a new ‘inhabitant’ - Someone Stronger. Otherwise the demons and the wickedness they had expelled would return with even more strength.

What was true in THAT day is true TODAY as well.

BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.

BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.

BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.

Cleaning up your act, without inviting Someone Stronger to inhabit your heart, means - at best - cleaner living but an eternal hell. Your good works don’t balance out your sin. You can’t pay God off.

Others clean up for a while, but go back to the sin, as Proverbs 26:11 says - like a dog to it’s vomit. You’ve seen it happen. Maybe it’s happened to YOU!

The Alcoholic or Drug Addict stops using…but doesn’t sell out to Jesus…and without Someone Stronger inhabiting his heart - he goes back - worse than before.

The cheating spouse says the affair is over, but something is just missing and without Someone Stronger taking over, the marriage still goes down in flames.

The man or woman starts coming to church, reading the Bible, & even begins to lay down bad habits, but without trusting Someone Stronger…that person can end up committed to church without TRUSTING IN CHRIST.

BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.

BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.

BIG TRUTH: Cleaning up without Selling Out results in Eternal Disaster.

Have you cleaned up OR have you YOU SOLD OUT?

Have you invited Someone Stronger - Jesus - God in skin - to inhabit your heart?

27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” 28 He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Jesus didn’t want her applause, He wanted her obedience. The same is true with you and me.

2 Questions

Are you listening to the word of God? Make time to listen to God’s Word Daily.

Are you obeying the word of God?

Jesus didn't come for behavior modification but for life transformation.  

What areas of your life have you tried to CLEAN UP? Isn’t it time to hand those over to Someone Stronger?

Last, let’s put our FEET2FAITH:

Ask Jesus to inhabit your heart.

Make time to listen to God’s Word Daily.

OBEY what you HEAR.

Charles Spurgeon once said that when a jeweler shows his best diamonds, he sets them against a black velvet backdrop. The contrast of the jewels against the dark velvet brings out the luster. In the same way, God does his most stunning work in the lives that seem so hopeless.

Vision Cast

What could God do through us, a bunch of unworthy people, who have been transformed all because we chose to SELL OUT and not just CLEAN UP.