Parable of the Strong Man (Evening)

Parable of the Strong Man Matthew Davis Parables of Christ / Parable; Parables; Parables of Jesus; Kingdom; Strong Man; Stronger Man; Exorcist of Demons; Demon; Demon Possession; Kingdom of God; Kingdom of Satan / Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21–22 Introduction If you have your Bibles with you, please turn in them with me to Luke chapter eleven. Reading from verses twenty-one and twenty-two: Luke 11:21–22 KJV 1900 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. This week as we continue through our series of Christ’s teachings through parables, we will look at the Parable of the Strong Man. I initially selected this parable for preaching, and then, when I returned to study and prepare, I reread the account and said to myself “what am I going to preach on that?” As I pondered throughout the week, as I studied, and as I looked at what the parable really meant, it became clear, as I was ready to select a new parable, this was the parable that needed to be preached. As we look around our world today, how would we describe it? I would describe the world as full of idols… Worse, I would say the world has made gods of themselves. We’ve made gods of woman’s wombs, gods of animals, gods out of the trees, gods of our government. We have made a world full of gods, but people don’t even recognize that they worship these things as such. It’s all in the name of public safety, woman’s rights, the ‘my choice’ movements, inclusiveness, environment, etc, etc... For as much as we’ve turned the world into one with idols on every corner and walk of life, the devil has also setup a fairly strong household/kingdom for himself. In Christ’s time, there was a world full of worshippers, who openly believed upon the Living God, or other supernatural ‘deities.’ The challenge then was to convince people to follow the Living God, the only God… Today satan has outdone himself in convincing the world the supernatural doesn’t exist, that morality doesn’t exist, that there is no God and therefore there is no idol worship. Today I intend to discuss two kingdoms, the kingdom of satan and the Kingdom of God. I intend to discuss two men, the strong man, and the Stronger man. And I intend to pierce you with the question, which kingdom do you belong to? Which kingdom do Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 1 you choose to sit with? Let’s examine this passage with these thoughts in mind, beginning here with verses fourteen through sixteen, chapter eleven, lets read. Background VV 14-16 Luke 11:14–16 KJV 1900 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. A common theme from the past parables these few weeks is the looking forward to the coming Kingdom of God. If it has not been outright mentioned, there has been some implication we can draw. I find it interesting throughout the entire Old Testament, there is nowhere we see the casting of demons performed. From the time Christ enters the Biblical stage, He is engaged constantly in this battle with the enemy. From birth, with Herod wanting Him dead, to the testing forty days in the wilderness, to the seemingly massive increase of demonically possessed beings. Now we know, of certainty, Christ was not the only being casting spirits forth… Or, at least, there were others attempting at the time. But it is with power and glory the Son of God cast demons forth from the poor souls contending with them. Christ has, by and far, cast more demons than those around Him, and Christ has done so, on numerous occasions, in a spectacle way. I am reminded of legion, a group of six-thousand demonic spirits possessing a poor man. Without ritual, without sage, without a ‘battle’ Christ rebukes the spirits and commands them forth from the man, and they are helpless but to leave their vessel. The text tells us of the people, that they marvelled. We see this regularly. Perhaps because a successful exorcism is rare? Perhaps it is the power of Christ as He does so? Perhaps it is the simplicity of which Christ exercises His power? And perhaps, its a combination of any of these things, or all. We learn of the Kingdom of God, however, that with it’s appearance also comes deliverance from oppression and possession. The Kingdom of God frees men from the strong hold, that firm grip of satan, that they may be free. In the particular account, we see two reactions from the audience - One of mockery, and one of unbelief - There is, of course, the third option of belief and surrender to the Lord, but that reaction does not occur in the event. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 2 The first group, they mock Christ - “He casteth out devils through beelzebub,” they cried. Beelzebub has been used, in the Old Testament as a reference to Baal, at other times, as an agent of satan, and in other occurrences, as satan himself. Beelzebub, as the name, means the ‘lord of the flies,’ a name I would call somewhat appropriate for satan. The important thing to notice in the mockery is their attitude towards the works of God. They called the works of God to be the works of the devil. I think we see that occur today - We see works of God all around us, and yet they are never attributed to Him. Healings, in which the prognosis wasn’t looking great, and suddenly people are well. We like to call that the work of the doctors, or the marvel of modern medicine. We fail to credit God. When we need a miracle, we need money, we need someone to call us with encouragement, we need a turn of events to happen right now or things are going to go wrongly… and then, we check the mail and the exact amount we need is there, a random person calls us with encouragement, a person knocks on the door, or somehow the circumstance changes. Some people, most people, but even some I know, would and have told me that is just coincidence. The problem is, coincidence can only occur so many times before you are forced to look beyond mere coincidence. But people don’t. Its the doctors, or the science, or the environment, or coincidence, or whatever, whatever… Where we may, as a society, not attribute God’s works to the devil (in a society that largely doesn’t believe in the devil), we fail, just as much as the pharisees, to attribute what is God’s to God. The other reaction, perhaps can play a little into the first, is the others who not believing, are looking for a sign. To ask God for a sign is to temp the Lord, not good. I think there are places where I’ve asked God for a sign on what to do, if I should do ‘x or z, let me know.’ But to demand of God a sign of His existence, or His power, or that His servant is sent of Him is to test Him. There is sufficient in the scriptures for belief. But the reality is, how many signs do we have around us that we simply deny? If we were to be given another sign, it would be labeled as coincidence. The sign of a servant of God is in his works. Does he speak of God, of His Kingdom, and does his works match what he says? The sign of Christ was what He spoke and what He did. They were in unison and to the glory of God. Asking for a sign, when we already have so much, even our mere existence, is the sign of a unbelieving and rejecting heart. To deal with the mockery and the unbelief, Christ answers with two parables. The first, of the house divided, and the second, of the strong man. House Divided VV. 17-20 Luke 11:17–20 KJV 1900 Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 3 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. The parallel accounts of this parable use the image of a household, divided against itself, cannot stand. Luke uses the image of a kingdom divided cannot stand. In both cases, the concept remains the same. A kingdom, or a household, cannot stand, cannot excel, cannot exceed if it be divided against itself. A family divided is a family in ruin. When the family is divided, they are not thriving, they are not moving towards their goal, but they are bringing their household to the ground. A kingdom divided is not thriving, a kingdom divided is not building something great, but a divided kingdom is burning itself to the ground. A perfect example, look our nation. Regardless of your political party, I think we can all agree the divide in our country is burning this nation to rubble. The people are divided, and that division has caused a spree of burning buildings, of fighting, of murders, of hate speech. Our media has become divided, to the extend that opposing views are not only unwelcome, but they are all together squashed and silenced. Our politics are divided, to the extend that our chambers cannot meet without an entire party hopping onto a private jet and flying to get away in effort to stop laws from being discussed and made. As a result, people have lost jobs, crime has risen, people have become homeless, our borders have become insecure, Christians have been persecuted simply for worshipping God… The divide has done nothing to benefit the nation. The same occurs in our households - If we, in our families and household, are divided, we cannot stand. We cannot be effective for the Kingdom of God. We cannot build our dreams, we cannot raise proper families, we cannot teach proper values. Our churches are the same - If we, as a church, are divided in purpose, we cannot go anywhere. What is the purpose of the church? It is to worship the Living God, to support and disciple those already there, and to build to Kingdom through outreach. To tell people about Jesus. If we are not united in that purpose, our church will fall. We have seen it already, hundreds of churches across the nation split every year due to division within the congregation members. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 4 And the same is true in the spiritual kingdoms. Christ teaches us, how can satans kingdom stand if he stands against himself? Why would satan be casting out his own crew, his own demons, agents, that are working on his behalf? It makes zero sense! Satan knows that for his kingdom to stand, he must not fight against his own army. It is important to understand the Lord has been in constant enmity with the enemy. He never allies up with satan to defeat satan. The purpose of Christ’s manifestation is to destroy satan, to bring apart his works. Christ does not do that by teaming up with him. 1 John 3:8 KJV 1900 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. How do we know whose side Christ was on? Because of His words and His actions, for they were the same. Christ spoke of the coming Kingdom of God, and Christ’s works and fruits were in direct support and connection of the coming Kingdom. Of the Kingdom that has already come near. I love this next part, from verse nineteen: Luke 11:19 KJV 1900 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. Christ tells them, consider your charge against me carefully. “If I, in the name of God cast out devils, who do your followers, your disciples cast them out in?” In truth, Christ’s exorcisms were very simply… Demon -> Command Out -> Demon Leaves… By comparison, the disciples of the pharisees used ointments and burning, incantations, and by appearance, a magical ritual. Before we go judging the Lord, we may want to carefully consider our charge. Christ, after teaching on the divided kingdom, proceeds to discuss, a little more directly, the possessed man now set free. We will see the parable of the strong man here in two points, beginning with the strong man in verse twenty-one and the stronger man, next, in verse twenty-two. The strong man… Strong Man V.21 Luke 11:21 KJV 1900 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: The strong man, he is never at peace. You may hear of a person in Christ at peace, but the strong man, the man of war is never at peace. He is always worried about a stronger man coming along. The strong man, according to the next verse, is amoured, he is cautious. He is armed and patrols the palace from invaders, and so as long as he maintains his place, his goods are in peace. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 5 The strong man in the parable is the devil. The strong man is strong enough to convince men that they are strong, that they are self-sufficient. The strong man can convince men that they are gods, that they have no needs that cannot be met in man. Spurgeon on the strong man: The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XI “The Strong One Driven out by a Stronger One” (No. 613) Notice, again, this strong man: besides being armed and plated with armour, he is very watchful; for it is said “he keepeth his palace,”—keeps it like the faithful warder who with ceaseless tramp and sleepless eye holds watch upon the castle wall. He does not put on the armour to sleep in it. You may find sleeping saints, but never sleeping devils. The restless activity of fallen angels is something awful to contemplate, “they rest not day nor night,” but like ravenous lions go about seeking their prey. We see of men in general, of the men kept by the strong man, their conscious ins’t even pierced by the things they do. There is no worry, no thought of heaven or hell. They are not losing sleep over their immoralities. As the parable says, the devils goods are in peace. Though they are caught up in the wrong, though their souls are destined to the pits of hell, they are at peace. The strong man is able to convince men that there is no heaven or hell, that their sins are “sins only to the religious,” that there is no morality. Spurgeon again, on how satan manages with their conscious : The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, Vol. XI “The Strong One Driven out by a Stronger One” (No. 613) I must not leave this picture until you have observed that it is said, “while he keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace.” This is the most fearful sign in the whole affair. The man is quite undisturbed—conscience does not prick him: why should it? God does not alarm him: who is God, that he should obey his voice? Thoughts of hell never disturb him. “Peace, peace,” says Satan; “it is well with you now—leave these bugbears to those who believe in them.” The wrath of God, which abideth on him, never frets him; when men are mortifying, they feel no pain in the mortified member. Men who are stupefied with laudanum may be naked, but they are not cold; they may have empty stomachs, but they are not hungry; they may be diseased in body, but they do not feel the torment: they are drunken, and know not their misery: and so it is with the most of carnal men—nothing awakens them. The devil views the men he enters as his, but they are not his by right. They are stolen, persuaded from truth. He keeps close guard on their hearts, watching continuously for an open door that would let the truth of their reality in. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 6 We must be careful to not fall into the trap of believing we are strong men, for we are just strong enough to fall prey to the ways of satan. We must not become so prideful, that we stand upon our own strength. For the home of satan is in the heart of the foolishly strong man. The man who thinks he is powerful enough to wade off the attacks. The man who thinks he is strong enough to maintain morality of his own will. What many fail to realize is the moment you say unto yourself ‘I am a good person and will earn heaven of my own merits,’ is the moment you should realize the devil has already entered your hearts. We see the devil clearly at work today… “You are so strong and brave! We’re so proud of you for ‘coming out of the closet’.” “You were so strong deciding to protect your body rather than allowing someone else to grow into you.” We live in a world where people are constantly being called “strong.” The devil is securing his property. He is doubling down his efforts to conceal the truth of their true estate from them. Here we have a indirect, but directly applicable relation to, the mute man possessed in this account. Stronger Man V.22 Luke 11:22 KJV 1900 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. Here is the good news, however… There is someone stronger! There is someone stronger who can overtake the strongman, and can cast him from his palace and divide what was his. Stronger, and mightier, as used in Luke 3:16 both translate from the same word here. Christ comes and He can overpower the enemy. Christ alone can cast satan from his stronghold and divide his army. Christ came in and He through His greater power cast the devil from this poor man. In Christ can the man find power, deliverance, peace, and rest. We talked about 1 John 3:8: 1 John 3:8 KJV 1900 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. and the purpose of Christ’s manifestation. He was manifested that He would destroy the works of the devil. Not to simply defeat satan, but to destroy. Christ can come, where the devil has setup his stronghold, and He can clear it. He can completely rid the palace of satan of any demonic presence and restore that vessel. Christ can take what the devil has destroyed and restore to it life. Christ can take the weak, and through the weak can He display His power. And the biggest role in destroying the works of satan is destroying is work of dragging Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 7 us down to hell with him. Through the work of the cross can Christ not only remove satan from you, but He can redeem you from the pits of hell satan dragged you into. I love what Paul tells of this great redeeming work: 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 KJV 1900 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. As such - As such were some of you! BUT you are washed, BUT you are sanctified, BUT you are justified… In the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. You have been saved by the stronger man. And the Stronger man, He does more than save. Where the devil has break heartbreak, Christ brings restoration. Where satan brings pain, Christ brings comfort. Where satan brings confusion, Christ brings understanding. Where satan brings death, Christ brings eternal life. Though satan may be strong, and we may be unable to fight against his powers and principalities, there is one stronger who can. There is Christ who can and wants to redeem you. The parable of the strong man is a story of two kingdoms, the kingdom and power of the strong man (the weaker), even satan, and the Kingdom of the Stronger Man (Christ). All people belong to one or the other, and Christ continues His teaching to make the one last point For or Against VV.23-26 Luke 11:23–26 KJV 1900 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 8 they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. The parable wraps up in one great statement here - You are either for or you are against Christ. Period. You are not neutral. I hear many talk of true atheists, who are neutral and don’t really fall anywhere. I hear people talk of neutral positions, undecided. I hear others say “as long as we leave you alone, we are not against you.” But there is either for, or against. You either support Christ, or you don’t. You either believe, or you don’t. You either belong to His Kingdom, or you belong to satans. You are either an agent of Christ, or you are an agent of satan. It really does boil down to this. To be neutral about Christ is to be against Christ. There is no, “I want to wait and see how this works out, which side wins.” You will either belong to Christ before that victory, or you will defeat with the enemy. Until recently, it has been easy for some to “fake it,” to pretend to be for Christ. Though, Christ has not been fooled, they can fool man. But we are entering a time where your alliances will be made known. It is getting increasingly harder to pretend. In a world where free people are being hauled away for practicing what they believe, you will have to declare your alliance. In a church where we are getting ready to push hard on following after Christ, alliances will be declared. The parable ends with the state of the man who is introduced to Christ, but doesn’t listen to the word. A man, who is brought the gospel, brought the news of deliverance, or, in this case, has been freed from the demonic oppression or possession, but continues on the fence. We see what it is like, even just in this life for that man, who content with his sins, allows his vessel to remain empty. The devil returns, and this time with seven other spirits, and they re-enter into the vessel. Had the man allowed Christ into his heart, the demonic spirits never could have reentered. But alas, now instead of one spirit, he is possessed of eight demonic beings, and his conditions is far worse than it was before. Summary Today’s message, though it covered a lot of different topics, has taught us, concerning the Kingdom, that it brings deliverance. We learned of the house divided, it cannot stand. We cannot be divided amongst our household and have the family unit survive. We cannot be divided against our kinsmen and have the country survive. We cannot be divided in the church, and have the church survive. Likewise, we saw that the devil could not be divided against himself and have his kingdom stand. We learned that the devil is a strong man, who preys constantly upon the weak man. He looks for an in to our hearts, and he settles there. He convinces the weak man that the dreadful is good, that the good is bad. He gets him to fight his wars for him, removes from his conscious concerns of immorality, and then guards his heart from Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 9 receiving the truth. We also learned of the stronger man, of Jesus Christ, who is the deliverer. He can deliver us from the strong man, He can deliver us from our pain and sorrow, and He can deliver us from death. The purpose of Christ’s manifestation was to destroy the works of satan, and that includes saving us from the pits of hell we were destined to. And we learned that we cannot be neutral in this decision. We are either for, or we are against Christ. We will either respond and allow Him into our hearts, or we will stand in opposition, leaving our vessels empty for the devil to come back, and to come back in more force and leave us in a worse state than before. Invitation Are you for, or are you against Christ? Have you already asked Him into your heart, believed that He is indeed God, in the flesh, who lived and died for you and rose again the third day? Do you know that you are a member of His kingdom? If not, you are not for Christ. But we can help you with that. We can help you meet Him, and then He can deliver you from your sins, from eternal death and hell. He can fill you with joy, love, peace, and rest. If you are oppressed, He can lift that. If you are need, He can provide. But you also must be for Him. You must be willing to make Him Lord over your life, to pick up your cross and follow Him. Leaving here tonight, you cannot leave neutral. You are making a decision now to stand with or against Christ. I can assure you, I can testify, Christ will not lose that battle, for He has already won. He had already went to the cross and He has already risen from the grave. His victory is sure. I urge you to ally yourself with the Lord today, and experience the peace and blessings of His Kingdom today. The Bible says: Romans 10:9 KJV 1900 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. and: Matthew 10:32 KJV 1900 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 10 If you are ready to do this today, we can help you with that now. It begins here in our closing prayer, ask Christ into your heart, and then be ready to confess Him before men. Don’t forget after this prayer, we have Communion today. So please wait until after Communion and worship before we depart. Let’s pray ***Prayer*** Exported from Logos Bible Software, 5:45 PM July 17, 2021. 11