Luke 11:14-28 - Who Is Protecting Your House?
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction:
This is the first Sunday of the New Year! Last week we were blessed to gather for worship on New Year’s Eve. I love the excitement of the New Year. Many people are thinking about changes that they need to make in their lives. Many people are concerned about their future - even their eternal future and spiritual lives. The New Year is a time of reflection and evaluation - a time of planning and change.
Yet, as I prepared for the message today, something struck me.
How will this change stick? What will protect us from going right back into our old ways? How will we persevere and keep moving forward?
Our sermon for today discusses the danger of not having your home protected.
No - I am not talking about a home security system that protects your physical dwelling. I am talking about a much more important security system that you need in your life.
Brothers and sisters…
Are you eternally secure?
I have not liked that terminology in the past because some preach it as a one and done phenomenon. They preach that if you had some emotional experience as a child that you are good to go. They don’t preach that true salvation requires true repentance and a true giving of one’s life entirely to Christ along with perseverance. Yet, it is absolutely Biblical that those who are true believers are secure in the hand of God.
As we go through our message today, I want you to examine your life and be sure that you are in Christ. Be sure that He is your Rock and Protector.
Because as we will see in part of our account today, some seek to reform themselves by cleaning out their own house. They try to stop sinning as much. They try to be more moral. They seek to be more kind to others, to be more generous, and to do more good. However, this works-based reformation eventually fizzles out and leaves the house empty. And as it sits empty, even worse things may come in and take root.
We are not to reform ourselves my friends. Our houses - specifically our lives - must be cleansed by God. And then our life must be infused and filled with the Holy Spirit - the greatest Protector there is. The Holy Spirit is our eternal security system my friends. He is the One who fills us, guides, us, directs us, comforts us, and protects us.
So my question that I want you to seriously consider today is this:
As you seek to clean up your house (life), what are you then allowing to fill it? Better yet, Who are you allowing to fill it?
Prayer
Today we will see three ways that you should trust the Savior . The first is…
I. You Should Trust in the Savior’s Power (14-23)
I. You Should Trust in the Savior’s Power (14-23)
Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
Now we are told that Jesus has just cast out a demon that was mute. This man who was unable to speak now speaks and the people marvel. This is yet another example of Christ’s power over evil spirits. The people are amazed at the power of Jesus.
Can you imagine the excitement of this man? We do not know how long the man was mute, but it is obvious that the man had been tortured by this demon day-in and day-out and now was set free. What wonderful praises he must have lifted up to God with his voice that was now freed! It was likely quite a scene!
But not everyone was enjoying the celebration…
As Newton's Third Law of Motion so poignantly states, "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction."
But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
There is another group of people that are not as impressed. Some of them start to slander Jesus and call him evil. They state that he casts out demons by Beelzebul. This was quite an accusation. Beelzebul was a name derived from a pagan god of the Philistine city of Ekron which meant ‘Lord of the Flies.’ This name had commonly come to stand for the “Prince of Demons” or namely Satan.
They have just accused Jesus of being empowered by Satan himself. In fact, this was the worst name they could call Jesus. Satan stood in direct opposition of Jesus and His ministry, and now they were accusing Jesus of being allied with Satan. This had to be a painful statement of slandering for Jesus.
The crowd does not stop there, though. Others continue to push Him for a sign from heaven - as if casting out a demon was not enough.
You see, people who refuse to believe will not believe even if they see a miracle. Jesus said this many times. Here is a great example of that as seen in John 12:37:
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him,
And later in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says…
He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”
People who refuse to humble themselves before God will not be convinced no matter what. Many in this crowd refused to humble themselves before Jesus.
Jesus, in response to their outlandish accusations, answers them with a four-part response followed by a warning and admonition.
Jesus’ Response to the Slanderers:
Jesus’ Response to the Slanderers:
1. Their Accusation Is Irrational (17-18)
1. Their Accusation Is Irrational (17-18)
But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
As we have stated before, Jesus is truly God and truly man. Through His Deity, He knows their thoughts and addresses them. He logically explains the impossibility of their accusation of slander. Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and a divided household falls. He explains that Satan cannot be divided against himself or he will be unable to stand.
Of course, some in the crowd might have considered that Satan could possible ‘throw’ a match or two here or there. But it was clear that Jesus overpowered every opponent that came His way. Jesus conquered every demon He encountered. There was not one match-up that even proved to be a fight. A couple of chapters ago in Luke we saw Jesus not only take on one demon but a whole Legion of demons without breaking a sweat (Luke 8:26-39) - which if you recall was somewhere between 2000-6000 demons likely!
Jesus’s argumentation here stands extremely logical in response to their irrational claims.
Next He argues that…
2. Their Accusation Is Inconsistent (19)
2. Their Accusation Is Inconsistent (19)
And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
The Jews had multiple religious leaders who were exorcists as well. Jesus points out the hypocrisy of the crowd. Was this crowd willing to call their other religious leaders sons of Satan?
Jesus knew how to hit their hearts - you have to wonder how many of these “sons” had tried to cast out this mute demon before and were unable to do so. And now Jesus has shown His great superiority over them as well.
Also, their accusation is…
3. Their Accusation Is Irreverent (20)
3. Their Accusation Is Irreverent (20)
But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
They are missing the work of God among them. They are irreverently attributing the work of God to Satan. This is blasphemous and extremely dangerous. They are missing that God is among them in the Person of Jesus of Christ. The kingdom of God has come upon them and they are missing it entirely.
Jesus uses this phrase ‘finger of God’ as an Old Testament reference.
The finger of God was used to write the Law on the tablets:
And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
This symbolized the power and glory of God. It also showed the direct workings of God.
But Jesus more specifically was likely referring to Exodus 8:19:
Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
After God had Moses stretch out his staff and strike the dust of the earth to send the third plague upon Egypt - the plague of Gnats - the magicians of Pharaoh proclaimed that this is the finger of God. Yet like Pharaoh, these Jews were hardening their hearts against the Lord. They refused to see the workings of God and acknowledge Him.
And finally, Jesus asserts that…
4. Their Accusation Is Incompetent (21-22)
4. Their Accusation Is Incompetent (21-22)
When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
Jesus is showing that He is the stronger man in these verses. Satan is portrayed as the strong man who guards his palace. Yet, Jesus is stronger. It does not take a genius to understand that the stronger of the two wins the battle. These accusers are missing the big picture. Christ is greater. Jesus is stronger. At His name every demon flees. At his name Satan must cower.
5. A Serious Warning (23)
5. A Serious Warning (23)
And Jesus finishes with a stark warning to those who hear. There is no neutrality with Christ. In a world that wants to toe the line and believe in relative truth, Christ’s statement stands in direct contast. He says…
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
You are either for Him or against Him. You either are working to advance the kingdom of God or you are working against the kingdom of God.
Christ’s work is gathering His sheep - gathering His people into His fold. It is sharing the Gospel with the lost. It is discipling new believers. It is standing firm on the truth of God’s Word.
Are you for Him or against Him my friends? There is no middle ground…
Jesus leaves no room for mere toleration of Him. He is either the Son of God or He is a mad-man. He is either the Way, the Truth, and the Life or He is a liar. I pray that you have heeded His warning and have accepted the truth of His amazing Deity as Savior and God.
Next we see that…
Scripture References: John 12:37, Luke 16:31, Luke 8:26-39, Exodus 31:18, Exodus 8:19
II. You Should Trust in the Savior’s Protection (24-26)
II. You Should Trust in the Savior’s Protection (24-26)
“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Jesus gives a strong warning here to the people. Jesus has just cast out an unclean spirit from a person. This man who was mute is now healed. His house, or his life has now been swept and put in order by God. Yet, without the presence of the Lord in his life, he is not safe.
The man needs the protection of God.
All of us need God's protection.
I mentioned my excitement for the new year during our introduction today. I love that at this time of the year people are reflecting upon their lives. I love that people are not just allowing life to happen to them during this transitional period for the new year.
However, I pray that as we make changes to our lives this year that we do them in the right way.
As we work on sweeping out our homes, obviously metaphorical for our lives, we first and foremost must do it with the power of God. This man was unable to cast out this demon on his own. In the same way, we are unable to make any real changes in our lives without the power of God. But we also must be protected by God. Our strength or intellect or work ethic is not enough to keep our home protected. We are not strong enough to keep our life from evil. We need the Holy Spirit as our protector. God is our refuge and our protector. He is a mighty fortress as seen in Psalm 91:2
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
When temptation starts to rear its head again - the temptation to slothfulness, lust, gluttony, to skip Bible reading and prayer, to slack off at work, to not pursue your wife or husband or children well, to not obey your parents, or whatever bad habits and sinful tendencies start to creep their way back into our lives, we must be sure that we are relying on the power of the Holy Spirit. We must rely on him to protect us and guide us and empower us. We are too weak on our own.
My friends, fully rely on the Lord.
Jesus warns us that our last state may end up worse than the first if our change is not done by God Himself through the Holy Spirit and maintained by God’s Presence in our lives. Look at verse 26 again:
Luke 11:26 (ESV)
Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
There are two huge warnings here. The first and most pressing warning Jesus gives us is in regard to salvation. Some people, instead of repenting of their sins - meaning turning away from their sins - attempt to reform their lives. Like we discussed at the beginning of the message, these people seek to be more moral. They try to do better and work harder.
However, Jesus warns us that these houses - or lives - are not protected. And not only that, the final state is worse than the previous state!
Theologian Kent Hughes stated:
“Anyone who purges evil but puts nothing in its place is in grave moral danger.”
R. Kent Hughes
The reason that this works-based, moralistic reformation is so dangerous is because it gives one a false sense of righteousness and security. It provides one with a self-righteousness based on one’s own works and efforts.
Once someone starts to feel like they have it all together, they are more likely to put their guard down and even more likely to falter under the weight of temptation. This is the danger of false conversion to Christianity. You may look better on the outside, but the inside has not been filled with the Holy Spirit. There has not been a true born-again experience. And salvation has not truly occured.
And now your life is open to even greater evils because you are assuming that you are saved. Now Satan and his demons can work like he does in many lives masquarading as a ‘angel of light’ causing false converts to piously and proudly do ‘good things’ to earn their salvation (2 Corinthians 11:14). I am concerned that that there are millions in our world who are false converts in our churches - unaware of their looming destruction and pacified by their good works despite their darkened hearts. Following the broad road to destruction, they don’t consider their need for true repentance and faith.
I pray that you examine your own heart and life and test whether you have just been reforming your life or whether you have truly repented and been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. This is a life-altering, eternity-dependant understanding because Jesus says so clearly in John 3:3:
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Only those who are born-again and in Christ have eternal life. Only those who have truly repented and placed their faith in Christ alone have salvation. Heed this warning and be sure that you are truly in Christ.
For those of us who are true believers, we must realize that we can fall into reformation mode as well. We may be born again and truly saved but still struggle with works-based righteousness at times. Even believers can struggle with trying to fix their own lives instead of praying for God to change them from the inside out. Listen to Jesus as He speaks of the Holy Spirit:
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
The Holy Spirit teaches us, admonishes us, empowers us, and sustains us. We can only experience true change through God’s work in our lives. Yes, we must do our part, but we must do it in the power of Christ in order to see true change.
And then, we must fully rely on God as our protector - not our own abilities.
May we trust in the Savior’s Power and Protection… and may we…
Scripture References: Psalm 91:2, John 3:3, John 14:26
III. You Should Trust in the Savior’s Plan (27-28)
III. You Should Trust in the Savior’s Plan (27-28)
As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
After this interchange, a woman in the crowd raises her voice and praises the mother of Jesus - namely Mary. This woman’s blessing sounds very familiar to Mary’s own Magnificat that we studied last year in Luke 1. Listen to Mary describe her blessedness at being able to bear and raise the Messiah:
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
Mary understood her blessedness to be called by God for such a glorious calling. Jesus’s mother was most blessed among women. And Mary was humble in her blessedness as she mentions her humble estate seen in verse 48.
Yet, this woman’s comment was missing the greater message Jesus was preaching here. Listen to His response:
But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Jesus’s statement can be understood in four different ways - however, one is most likely.
The word rather - Greek being menoun (mee-noon) - can mean
1) No
2) Rather (instead)
3) An affirmation (yes, indeed)
4) Yes, but…
It is clear from the context that Jesus does not mean no and does not give a blank affirmation without a conditional statement. So we can rule out numbers 1 and 3 in context. So the debate is really between whether Jesus is negating this woman’s comments or if He is affirming them but saying something even more important.
It seems clear from the context that number 4 is the most accurate rendering in the context. I think the NKJV hits the mark well on this verse in its contextual translation:
But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
The ESV and KJV are not off in their translation of using the word rather for this particular Greek word. However, the context shows the true meaning behind this is that Jesus is saying yes His mother is a blessed woman - but something greater is being stated here.
And this thing that is greater is the plan of God!
Jesus is calling people to hear and obey the Word of God.
You see, Mary was blessed to be the mother of Jesus Christ. But she was more blessed because she followed Christ and obeyed Him. We see her perseverance in loving and following Him as she is present at His crucifixion while many of the disciples ran for their lives. Yet, we know by the Scriptures that she was not without sin. Romans 3:23 asserts that.
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
However, she was faithful to her Son. She heeded the words of angel Gabriel who gave her the promise of the coming of Jesus and she considered those things in her heart throughout her life.
Brothers and sisters, we need to consider the plan of God as well. We need to be firmly planted in His Word and walking with him daily in prayer in order to remain steadfast under trials.
If we want to persevere as believers we must abide in Christ.
Listen to Christ’s call to abide in John 15:4:
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
We must be abiding in Christ - in essence - we must remain in Christ and remain steadfast as we follow His plan and purpose for our lives.
Scripture References: Luke 1:48-49, Romans 3:23, John 15:4
Conclusion:
As we come to a close, we have seen the charge to trust in the Savior’s power, the Savior’s protection, and the Savior’s plan.
As the title of today’s sermon asserts - who are we trusting to protect our house - namely our lives? Are we trusting in ourselves or are we trusting in the Savior?
For 2024 - I pray with all of my heart that each of you are ready to fully trust and rely on the Savior. Hopefully you already have been! But if not, may today be the day that you make a 180. May you not rely on your own ability to reform and change your own life. But may you rely on the power of our gracious and mighty Savior to make the changes and sustain the changes in your life.
He is the only One Who can truly protect you, guide you, empower you, and sustain you. Abide in Him and you will bear much fruit (John 15:5).
Closing