Blasphemy and Blessedness

Opening Comments:

Please meet me in your copy of God’s word in Luke 11:14-28. If you’re using one of our church Bibles you can find your place on page number 817. This is the Word of Lord, let’s read it together.

Luke 11:14–28 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,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 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. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 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. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 24 “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.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 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.” 27 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!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Prayer:

"Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to You today, acknowledging Your power and authority over all things. Forgive us for doubting Your goodness and questioning Your ways. Just as You cast out the demon and healed the mute man, we ask You to deliver us from the enemy's grasp. May Your kingdom come in our lives, and may Your will be done in us. Help us to seek Your kingdom above all else.Protect us from the snares of the enemy, and keep us safe in Your loving care. Teach us from your word this morning we pray this in Jesus' name, who taught us to pray and showed us Your power and authority. May our allegiance be to You alone, and may we never be neutral in our commitment to You. Help us to obey Your word and follow You wholeheartedly.

In Jesus' name, Amen."

Introduction:

Today marks sermon number 57 in our journey through Luke’s Gospel that we have titled “The Son: From the Manger to the Cross.” Since it has been three weeks since we have been together in Luke, let me back up just a bit. Jesus has left Galilee and is journeying toward Jerusalem where he will ultimately be arrested, crucified, buried, and resurrected. We have transitioned from a focus on the miracles of Jesus to more of a focus on his teachings as he marches toward his leaving this world. But, that doesn’t mean he isn’t doing any more miracles at all, as we see in our text today.

The miracle here is once again Jesus casting out a demon from a man. This demon had plagued the man by making him mute (unable to speak, it’s possible the muteness may have included the inability to hear as well.) The evidence of this man’s deliverance came as he was able to speak, maybe for the first time in his life. Casting out demons was something that Jesus did often in his ministry as a demonstration of his power. Normally when Jesus did this, he was met with praise, worship and an astounded crowd. But, not this time/ a few marveled but Jesus is also met with confrontation and accusation.

Why the change?

By this point, the pharisees were spreading lies and propaganda regarding Jesus and we see it taking effect here as they jumped at the opportunity to accuse and slander Jesus.

Bearing this background in mind let’s unpack the text here as we will see:

The accusation. (v.15-16)

The answer. (v.17-22)

The application. (v.23-28)

Here is:

1.) The accusation. (v.15-16)

Luke 11:15 ESV

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

They could no longer deny that Jesus possessed supernatural ability, so they didn’t call his miracles into question. But, they did call the source of his ability into question. They called his authority to do so, in to question.

They accused Jesus of being able to cast out demons because he was in league with “Beelzebul, the prince of demons.”

Beelzebul- “Lord of flies” and was a purposeful corruption of the chief god worshipped by the philistines who were enemies of the Jews. His name was Baal-Zebul (prince Baal or exalted lord). By the time of Jesus, this had turned into a derogatory slur. It was the worst name they could think to call Jesus. Basically they were accusing Jesus of working with/for Satan.

This was blasphemy at its highest levels.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Blasphemy)

Blasphemy- Profane or contemptuous speech or writing about (or action toward) God… including both doubting the power of or mocking the nature of God.

Think about it:

They called the high and holy one the lowest and most evil.

They called pure good pure evil.

They called God incarnate the devil.

They called truth incarnate a liar

They branded the son of God the son of Satan.

Those who weren't engaged in verbally accusing Jesus of being in league with the devil were openly mocking him by calling for a sign from heaven

2.) The answer. (v.17-22)

It appears that perhaps the slander and blasphemy against Christ was not said out loud or within ear shot of Jesus because v.17 tells us that he knew their thoughts.

(This is proof of the deity of Christ, noting can be hidden from the Lord because he is omniscient.)

A.) Jesus points out their accusation is illogical.

Luke 11:17–18 ESV

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.

No kingdom, nation, army team, business, or movement can survive an internal war!

This is part of what we have going on in our own nation right now

Let’s have a practice in logic right now. Let’s just suppose that what the pharisees were accusing Jesus of were true. That he was in fact in cahoots with Satan. That somehow satan here had allowed one of his demons, who was holding a man hostage within his own body, to be cast out by Jesus in order that Jesus might could gain a little credibility that would in turn enable Satan and Jesus together to win Israel to Jesus (a false messiah). What if they accepted a little loss (one demon possessed man) in order to take more captives in the long run.

This might make a little sense, it certainly sounds plausible.

But, here is the issue. Jesus spent his entire ministry at war with Satan and his forces. Everywhere Jesus went he cast demons out of people. In Luke 4 he spent the entire day casting Demons out of people. In Luke 8 he sailed across the Sea of Galilee to cast demons out of one man in Gadera. In Luke 9 he cast a demon out of a child. Luke alone records 10 instances of Jesus casting out demons.

Jesus entire earthly ministry was a whole sale attack on the forces of darkness and Satan. It just simply would be illogical to say Jesus and Satan were in league together.

B.) Jesus points out their accusation is inconsistent. (v.19)

Luke 11:19 ESV

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

Performing exorcisms was an active part of Judaism in the first century. People would actually travel from town to town casting out demons or at least attempting to and no one ever questioned that they were doing the work of God.

What is it that made Jesus any different than them? If he was on Satans team, weren’t they too?

C.) The source of Christ power. (v.20-22)

So if Jesus was not in league with Satan, just where does his ability to cast out demons come from?

Luke 11:20 ESV

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

Jesus openly declares that God is the source of his power and that he has brough God’s kingdom to earth!

These people were face to face with the King of Kings and instead of worshipping him, they chose to blaspheme and slander. The very people who claimed to be religiously enlightened were proving themselves to be spiritually dead by their actions.

Matthew 7:15–20 ESV

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Finger of God- This is an illusion back to the Old Testament when God used Moses to lead the exodus from Egyptian slavery. Moses confronted Pharaoh's magicians who through trickery were able to replicate some of the signs and wonders God gave Moses the ability to preform. Until, Moses struck the dust with his staff and a swarm of gnats came from the dust, the magicians were unable to replicate.

They responded:

Exodus 8:19 ESV

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.

Later the “finger of God” is seen writing on tablets of stone the 10 commandments in Exodus 31, then in Dan 5 it is seen writing on the wall in the palace of Babylon pronouncing judgment.

Pagan magicians were able to see the finger of God at work while the supposed religious elite couldn't! This further illustrates the lost condition of their hearts.

Jesus reinforces this truth in v.21-22

Luke 11:21–22 ESV

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.

Jesus' parable describes a heavily fortified castle, symbolizing Satan's stronghold on people's lives. As the strong lord, Satan secures his possessions - including individuals like the mute man. However, Jesus, the stronger man, launches a victorious attack, liberating the captive and demonstrating His power over Satan. This act of deliverance serves as evidence that Jesus is not in league with Satan, but rather, He is Satan's formidable enemy, who defeats him to set people free."

3.) The application. (v.23-28)

A.) The myth of neutrality

There were three groups in the crowd that day at least on the surface: the true believers, the blasphemers, and the uncommitted. But Jesus very quickly here points out that there is no middle ground with Christ! No uncommitted middle when it comes to following Christ.

Luke 11:23 ESV

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

Friend, there is no such thing as neutrality with Jesus. Either you are for him or you are against him. To declare yourself to be neutral when it comes to Jesus is a declaration of disbelief. It has been this way since the Garden of Eden. (Elaborate)

In the cosmic battle for men’s souls, there are only two sides: The Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of darkness.

One is ruled by God, the other by Satan

One is headed to heaven the other to Hell.

One gathers souls for the Kingdom of God, one scatters them to destruction.

One offers redemption of sinners by grace through faith in Christ. The other offers deception, false hope and eternal damnation by telling you to “just be a good person” “clean your life up” etc.

Jesus illustrates the uselessness of trying to be a good person in v.24-26

Luke 11:24–26 ESV

24 “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.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 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.”

Explain.

Reformation without regeneration is an empty and useless act. It leaves you open to even more demonic activity in the end.

B.) True blessing from God comes through obedience to God’s word.

Apparently as Jesus was conversing with his adversaries, a woman in the crowd was moved by his words and cried out.

Luke 11:27 ESV

27 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!”

Mary was a blessed person but not because she had given birth to Christ but because she was obedient to God’s word.

Luke 11:28 ESV

28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

The highest blessing of all is reachable by all. All of us can hear the word of God and obey it.

Conclusion:

Let me wrap this all together.

Jesus largest detractors were those who claimed to be from God. Those who blasphemed him the most were those who were the most religious. The people whose hearts were the farthest from Christ were those who tried the most to be as holy and separated as they could be.

But friend, religion apart from a relations hip with Christ is empty and meaningless.

To depend on anything or anyone but Christ for your salvation is to oppose God.

You are either for Christ or against him.

If you oppose biblical salvation through Christ alone, you are against him.

If you are ambivalent to Jesus, then you are also against him.

The only path to God is to hear his word and obey it and it declares that Jesus is the only way.

Confess your sin to him, repent, and turn to Christ today.