Luke 9:49-50 (3)

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-Let me invite you to turn in your Bibles, back to Luke 9.

And, we’ve come, now, down to Verse 49.

If you’ll remember, we looked at the first part of this event...

…two weeks ago, now...

(And, we’re going to read over that again)

…But, remember that it was that event, where...

The Twelve (presumably) had been arguing...

…about which of them was the greatest.

And, in response, Jesus...

Takes a child

Places him in the midst of them as an illustration...

...And says (essentially)...

THIS is what greatness in the Kingdom looks like!

“You want to become spiritually great???”

“Humble yourself like this child!”

-And, what’s happening in Verses 49-50...

…appears to be the follow-up to that conversation.

Alright, let’s begin reading back in Verse 46.

This is the Word of God.

It is Living… and Active...

…and able to discern the...

…thoughts and intentions of our hearts:

Luke 9:46–50 (ESV)

46 An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.

47 But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side

48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”

50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

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Pray

-Look back with me at Verse 49.

And, notice the way it begins.

Luke makes it clear, that...

…this final section...

…is connected to the first.

Look at the language he uses.

He doesn’t just say that “John said...”

…but that...

Luke 9:49 (ESV)

49 John answered . . .

You see, this is John responding to...

…Jesus’ response to them...

…in the previous section.

Again, let’s be reminded of what he had told them.

Luke 9:48 (ESV)

48 . . . “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.”

-Now, with the backdrop of that conversation in mind...

…Let’s read John’s response, again:

Luke 9:49 (ESV)

49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name . . . ”

So, stop there for now...

...And remember how Chapter 9 had begun:

Luke 9:1 (ESV)

1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,

And then he...

Luke 9:2 (ESV)

2 ...sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.

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-Now, prior to that...

…Jesus ALONE had been able...

…to command and conquer the powers of darkness.

It was HIS power...

It was HIS authority...

…at which they had to flee!

But, now he has spread that authority out...

…to his Twelve Apostles.

This showed the folks in Galilee, that...

They were HIS men

That they wielded HIS sword and pen

They spoke on HIS behalf...

…and with HIS approval!

They could do this...

…because of their status...

…in Christ’s Kingdom.

-Now, do you see why John...

…says what he says...

…after Jesus had...

…said what he said...

…about the position and posture of greatness in the Kingdom?

It may not seem like it...

…if you read it in isolation...

…but it is absolutely relevant...

…to the discussion at hand.

-Here is a man...

(that pronoun, ‘someone,” is in the masculine gender)

…who is not one of the Twelve...

…who is not even a “disciple” (in a technical sense)...

And yet they seem him...

Invoking Jesus’ power...

Invoking Jesus’ authority...

…in order to (apparently) SUCCESSFULLY...

…Command and Conquer...

…these demonic forces.

This is a BIG deal!

Whichever way you cut it...

…it has HUGE implications.

Look at the way they respond (End of Verse 49).

They don’t seem to be too happy...

…about this expansion of Christ’s authority.

Luke 9:49 (ESV)

49 . . . “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him . . .”

Why?

Casting out demons is a good thing, right?

Luke 9:49 (ESV)

49 ...we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.”

-Now, I suppose it’s possible, that...

…John’s statement and the Apostle’s actions...

Were sincere and well-intended

Just misguided.

The context doesn’t lend itself to that...

But, I suppose it’s possible.

For example, Philip Ryken points out that...

John’s argument had a certain logic to it.

Apparently, this “freelance exorcist” was not following Jesus in the way of discipleship. Surely there was something wrong with someone working in the name of Christ but not following him in the biblical way.

Shouldn’t he be stopped, and wasn’t it up to the disciples to stop him? — Ryken

We see something like that in:

Acts 19:11–16 (ESV)

11 And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul,

12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”

14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.

15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”

16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

These men were frauds

These men were found out!

In that vein...

…remember this warning:

Matthew 7:22–23 (ESV)

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

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-But, here’s the thing:

The man that the disciples are rebuking...

… IS ABLE to cast out the demons!

So, what do we make of that?

He’s not a disciple (in a technical sense)

He’s not under the apostolic ecclesiastical structure (technically)

So, why is he being allowed...

…to wield the sword of Christ???

(I’ll bet the Papists have to do some gymnastics...

…to get around a passage like this!)

But really, it should make us all do a double-take.

Why?

Because...

The Pope of Rome...

It’s other bishops and cardinals...

…have NO actual apostolic authority!

It’s self-appointed...

And self-proclaimed!

they’re not the only ones to do that

But, the Twelve in our text...

…DO have that authority...

…and they ARE the patriarchs of Christ’s Kingdom!

-So, again, what’s happening with this guy...

...who is operating outside of their purview?

-Well, I think to understand this...

…we need to look to the Old Testament.

-What we see there, first of all...

…is that God’s work is ALWAYS...

…greater and more encompassing...

…than we usually realize.

Think about all of the mysterious servants of God...

…that show up throughout the OT...

…that weren’t registered among the Holy People:

Think about: (on screen)

Melchizedek (Genesis 14)

Jethro the Midianite ( Exodus 18)

Balaam (Numbers 22-24)

Caleb the Kenizzite/Edomite (Numbers 32:12)

Othniel, the Judge, Caleb’s brother: a Kenizzite (Judges 3:9)

Rahab the Canaanite (Joshua 2)

Kenites (Genesis 15:19)

Jael the Kenite (Genesis 15:19; Judges 4-5)

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Shamgar (Unknown Ethnicity) (Judges 3:31)

Ruth the Moabite (Ruth 1)

Uriah and Bathsheba (Hittites) (2 Samuel 11-12)

Widow of Zarapheth the Sidonian (1Kings 17)

Naaman the Aramean (2 Kings 5)

Job? From Edom?

The people of Nineveh (Assyria) (Jonah 3)

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God’s work is always greater than you and I realize!

Always!

-But, something happened in the days of Moses...

…that bears a striking resemblance to our text.

-It began with...

The people grumbling...

God becoming angry...

God consuming parts of the camp

Then...

The people cry out to Moses

Moses Intercedes

God relents

Then, it basically happens again!

This time they’re complaining about the manna.

Then we read Moses recognizing:

Numbers 11:10–15 (ESV)

14 I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.

And, the Lord responding:

Numbers 11:16–17 (ESV)

16 . . . “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel . . . and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.

17 ...And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

-Let’s be clear, here...

This isn’t the parallel yet

Jesus doesn’t need help in his mediation!

The Apostles did...

…but they didn’t recognize that yet.

This is just the context to the parallel

Numbers 11:25–29 (ESV)

25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

Temporary enablement to show their validity

26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.

27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.”

He’s Jealous for Moses’ Apostolic, Emissarial Authority

29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”

I believe it’s the same type of thing...

…that’s happening in our text.

-The Apostles couldn’t understand it yet...

…but God was going to...

Acts 2:17–18 (ESV)

17 “ . . . I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh...

-Soon, he would empower the Seventy/Seventy-Two...

…to wield the same type of Power and authority...

Eventually, He would pour out His Spirit...

… on the entire Apostolic Church!

On...

...your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

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This work was going to be…

…SUPERVISED by the apostles...

But, it wasn’t going to be done...

…by them exclusively.

-Even today… We need to remember that:

Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV)

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,

12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Christ’s ministry is for the whole church...

…not just the “professionals.”

That doesn’t mean that anybody can do anything...

…but it does mean that everybody is to do something!

And, the task of the ordained men...

…is to equip the rest to do it.

-Now, look back at Jesus’ response in...

Luke 9:50 (ESV)

50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”

Do you see what he’s implying in that?

That ULTIMATELY, there are only two sides!

And, this man ISN’T fighting for the other team.

In fact, he (by the nature of the act)...

…he’s fighting against the other team.

-Do you remember what Jesus said in Luke 11?

Remember the context:

Luke 11:14–23 (ESV)

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.

15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” . . .

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.

18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul...

20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;

22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.

Then he makes this sweeping maxim:

Some, falsely say, that it opposes the one in our text:

23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Again, we see a binary proposition.

Again, we see that there are only two sides.

The side of Christ

The side of Satan

The paradox (apparent contradiction) is...

…due to the fact...

…that they were spoken about different issues.

Sproul explains:

In terms of the external ministry of the church, those who are not pitting themselves in direct and overt opposition to the ministry of Christ’s church, by virtue of the fact that they are not an obstacle, are indirectly a help.

Here is a man who is involved in exorcism and in doing it he is promoting the ministry of Jesus.

Whatever else the man understood, he understood that if there was any power to relieve people from demonic oppression it was associated with the power of Jesus Christ. The man was not undermining the ministry of Jesus.

He was not against him; in fact, he was for him.

Conversely, it was in the context of a person’s personal commitment that Jesus said, ‘He that is not with me is against me.’ Jesus is saying here that there is no point of neutral ground.

One is either for Christ, or he is against Christ. You cannot remain neutral — Sproul

And THAT… is the message behind both texts.

You cannot and will not...

…straddle the fence forever.

Choosing sides is inevitable!

Look at the way Mark records Jesus’ response:

Mark 9:39–40 (ESV)

39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.

40 For the one who is not against us is for us.

There are but two categories (ultimately)...

…when it comes to the Son of Man:

Friend

Foe

You can call these categories whatever you’d like...

Lost and the Saved

Elect and the Non-Elect

The Church and the World

…but, in the end it all boils down to...

Who it is that has your allegiance

He for whom you are fighting

He to whom you belong

He for whom you live!

This hidden reality will manifest itself, eventually:

-Now, let’s make a couple of applications.

The first is from:

1 Corinthians 12:3–7 (ESV)

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;

6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

It’s the Lord’s work!

And, It’s not about you! Or Me!

-The second is from:

It shows us how the Twelve SHOULD have responded to the man:

Philippians 1:15–18 (ESV)

15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.

16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.

17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,

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If this is our heart...

…we will rejoice in the successes of others...

...Even if they’re not...

A part of our denomination

A part of our theological tribe

From our church

In our church clique.

Brethren, to the degree that they glorify Christ in their ministry...

We ought to rejoice!

Let’s pray for God to...

...give us such hearts.