The Kingdom of God Has Come Upon You
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
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. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” 16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
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 Beelzebub. 19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.
23 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, 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. 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 man is worse than the first.”
Introduction
Introduction
As we’ve been working our way through the Gospel of Luke, we’ve come to learn some very significant and important truths concerning Jesus Christ and the work that he came to do in the world. One of the key aspects that has been consistently conveyed to us through this Gospel is the authority that belonged to Jesus Christ. His authority has been clearly conveyed, not least in His ability to drive out demons with a single word.
This morning we will be looking at the account of another demonic deliverance that was performed by Jesus. But what is so important from this account of Jesus delivering this man is the interaction that unfolds after Jesus has delivered this man from demon-possession. The interactions speak for us to the significant truth that in Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God had truly come upon these crowds. That is what Jesus makes abundantly clear through this text.
One incident that is worth looking back to and calling to our minds as we come to this text is that account of Jesus sending out the 72 on their missionary journey. You will recall that He had sent them out, two by two, to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, and he had given them authority over the demons, and over sickness. They went out on their missionary journey, and eventually they returned and reported back to Jesus all that had happened. And it’s helpful to keep in mind Jesus’ words to them at that time…
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
In essence, Jesus was saying that power and authority to overthrow Satan was there. It had arrived. And it was in Jesus Christ that this power and authority had entered into the world.
This is what we will find as Christ confronts his accusers and his detractors, even as he continues to demonstrate that power and authority over Satan’s kingdom.
So, notice firstly with me…
1. The King Confronted (vv.14-16)
1. The King Confronted (vv.14-16)
The Demonstration of Christ’s Power
We have portrayed for us in verse 14, a demonstration of the power of Jesus Christ. We read…
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.
Driving out a demon..
The power of Christ is once again demonstrated over the demonic realm. Satan’s kingdom does not have power and authority over Jesus, but rather, Jesus has all authority over Satan and his kingdom.
In this account, there is a man that is mute - unable to speak - and the reason that he is unable to speak is not because of a medical condition, but rather because of spiritual affliction by a demon.
But once again, at the command of Jesus, the spirit that was causing this man to be mute, left, and the man was once again able to speak.
The crowds in this instance responded in typical fashion. They were amazed. There was little doubt in the people's minds that Jesus was a miracle worker. They had witnessed this sufficiently to know that here was an authority beyond any other.
Accusing Opponents
Sadly, however, not everyone was in support of what Jesus was doing. In verse 15 we find that there are those within the crowd that seek to oppose Christ by leveling accusations against him. These were accusations that had not basis.
15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”
Before we consider the people themselves and their accusations against Jesus, I would like to just touch the question of who Beelzebub was (in some translations you will find that it is translated “Beelzebul...”).
Who was this Beelzebub?
Initially, the name had reference to a pagan god of Ekron (an important Philistine city).
2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers, saying to them, “Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury.”
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’
In that account, Ahaziah, although he was the king of Israel, and ought to have been hearing what the true and living God had to say, was sending people to go and consult with a false god.
Ultimately though, Beelzebub came to be identified with the workers of Satan, or even as representing Satan himself.
In our present passage, he's identified in verse 15 as the "prince of demons..." A little further on, in verse 18, you will find that Jesus refers to Beelzebub himself as Satan, or at the very least one of his workers.
What we find here then is a group of people within the crowds that were following Jesus around that begin to accuse Jesus of driving out this demon by the power of Beelzebul, a false god, and ultimately Satan.
While they could not deny the good work that Jesus was doing by delivering people from under bondage to the evil one, they did seek to deny the fact that the power exercised by Jesus was from God. Instead, they would attribute his power and authority to Satan.
Practical Observation
I do want to make a practical observation at this stage. We need to recognise that as those who are believers in Christ, it sometimes doesn’t matter how much good you do, or how much glory and honour you bring to God in your life, you may find yourself surrounded by those who accuse you of wrongdoing, and even of being of the devil.
If Jesus, the very image of God, the representation of His being in this world, was accused of working by the power of Satan, should we not also expect to be called workers of darkness, though we bring great glory and honour to God through our life and our conduct.
This truth is certainly going to be seen as we live out our lives in this world. We live in a world that is hostile towards God and Jesus Christ, and the church in general. Let us not be disheartened when the world false accuses us...
Let us remember the words of Jesus from the sermon on the mount…
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
12 “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Testing Opponents
As we continue looking to our text, we find that there is another group of detractors against Christ, that are not so brazen as the accusers, but are nonetheless determined to undermine the work that Jesus was seeking to do in the world. In verse 16 we read…
16 Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.
These detractors were probably only a little more subtle than the initial group, but we will find in essence that their core thinking about Christ was little different to the accusers that we’ve already looked at.
Consider how ridiculous their approach is to Jesus. We need not limit our thinking to this event alone. Remember that the word about Jesus and what he was doing had spread far and wide, and people had already been flocking to him from all over. Everyone by this time had heard about the miracles that Jesus was able to perform.
In this case, this group of people has just witnessed the miraculous working of Jesus Christ in delivering a man that was mute from demon possession. They, too, could say little to discredit him for what he was capable of doing. They couldn’t argue with the fact that Jesus had healed this man that was mute. The evidence was there for all to see.
But nonetheless, they refused to believe in man Jesus. They did not want to follow him in obedience. Instead, they sought to put him to the test. They told him to prove that he was from God by producing a sign from heaven.
Was not the miraculous healing of a man possessed by a demon sufficient for them to acknowledge that this was indeed a work of God through His Son Jesus Christ?!
Clearly not. Their hearts were blinded and hardened, and they refused to accept that Jesus was doing all He did by the authority of God.
Application
As we live our lives in this world, it ought to be done in such a way that there can be no question that we are different from everyone else.
In this account, Jesus performed these miracles, and lived his life in such a manner that he was clearly noticed by everyone. Hence the crowds surrounding him. Hence the accusations, and the questions, posed against him. But despite his life, he was doubted.
As those who are in Christ, we are called to live this kind of life that is noticeably different. We are to be holy in our conduct. We are to set an example in the manner in which we live our lives, even though people will not recognise that this is of God. In fact, very often they may accuse us.
12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Moving on in our study of this passage, notice secondly with me...
2. The King’s Counter (vv.17-19)
2. The King’s Counter (vv.17-19)
We find that Jesus very boldly responds to those that are accusing him. And he does so firstly by pointing out the outright fallacy of their arguments.
The Fallacy of the Detractors
In verse 17 we read…
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.
Christ begins by outlining a very simple principle. When in-fighting starts to occur, self-destruction is bound to take place. When a kingdom has division within its ranks, and sides are taken, the lack of unity causes weakness. A household that has divisions, each side at war with the other, is ultimately going to fall.
Sadly, that is the reality of division. That is even the reality of divisions that occur within the body of Christ, and why Jesus says that it is so important that there be unity within the church. It is indeed a sad occasion when such divisions occurs.
But that is a topic for another day… Within the context of this present text, Christ is shining a light on the exceedingly weak arguments that they are presenting against Him in terms of the authority that he has to do the works that He’s doing.
He goes on in verse 18 to apply the truth that He’s just stated to the present situation and the accusations leveled against Him.
18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub.
With these words, Christ clearly links Satan, the deceiver, the imposter that sets himself up against God, with the one that the crowds are calling Beelzebub.
If Christ is indeed driving out demons - those evil minions of Satan - in the name of Satan himself, then very clearly Satan is busy working against himself. The argument is preposterous to say the least!
Clearly, the detractors of Jesus are grasping at straws, trying to come up with any reason possible in order to find fault with the work that He’s doing.
And Jesus confronts them on this point. Notice His sharp response in the form of a question in verse 19…
19 Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.
Now, the first thing that we need to recognise from Christ’s response is that he is talking to some form of leaders. He responds, asking them about “your followers...” implying that they are leaders. Matthew’s account of this event clearly indicates that the people that had confronted Jesus were the Pharisees (Matthew 12:24).
Christ confronts the Pharisees with the fact that there were those among their own people that claimed to be able to exorcise demons. This is recorded for us in history by Josephus. But also read something of this in the book of Acts.
13 But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
That passage goes on to relate the story of the seven sons of Sceva. The point of this simply is that there were those among the Jewish people that claimed, at the very least, to be able to drive out demons.
Clearly, given what we’ve already considered in Luke’s Gospel, and the kind of authority he’s demonstrated, the fact that he drove out a demon from a man in the synagogue of Capernaum, where no other person was able to… the fact that so many people flocked to Jesus for deliverance, and for healing… whatever ability they had to drive out demons, if any, was not in any way comparable with what Jesus was doing.
And so Christ confronts them with this important question. If they allow “their followers” / “their sons” to drive out demons, and don’t charge them with doing this in the name of Satan, then why do they attribute this work that is far greater to Satan?!
This leads us to consider our third main point from this text...
3. The King’s Caution (vv.20-22)
3. The King’s Caution (vv.20-22)
Christ has already confronted these religious leaders with their inconsistency, but he goes on to issue a warning to these religious leaders, and even to all those that were refusing to acknowledge what he’s been doing.
In verse 20, we read this…
20 But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
This is an extremely important statement that Jesus makes. It is loaded with significance.
The Finger of God
Firstly, I want you to note that way that Jesus introduces this statement of verse 20. He says, “if I drive out demons by the finger of God...”
Remember, the question here is, is Jesus working by the power of God or the power of Beelzebub / Satan. And he even goes as far as to bring in the exorcists of the Jewish religion.
But the phrase that he uses here is one that is found in the book of Exodus, when Moses was performing miracles by the authority of God before Pharaoh. You will recall that when Moses initially performed some of his miracles, the wise men of Egypt were able to replicate some of those miracles by their powers. But there came a point where Moses performed miracles that they were utterly unable to perform. And we read their response when this happens...
Exodus 8:18–19 (NASB95)
18 The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; so there were gnats on man and beast.
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Those magicians recognised that here was the finger of God at work through Moses.
Linking with that idea, Jesus here says to these crowds, that if he is indeed driving out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon them.
Christ’s implication is clear. You cannot on one hand say that your own exorcists are doing things by the power of God, but not me. This is certainly a work of the finger of God.
The thought came into my mind in terms of the link to Moses and Pharaoh, that although the magicians of Pharaoh had some limited sense of power to do things, the fact that Moses went on to do that which was impossible by the Egyptian magicians, clearly showed that this was God’s finger.
And so in this case, as Christ performed works for beyond the ability of any person in History even, there could be absolutely no question about the fact that God was at work in this moment.
Which leads us to consider the second half of verse 20 - an extremely important statement.
The Kingdom of God has Come to You
Jesus says to these Pharisees and crowds that if this is what is happening, then the kingdom of God has come to you. How important this statement is. Jesus is saying that the cosmic battle for power is being played out in their midst.
Christ tells this crowd of people that in demonstrating his power over the demons, God’s kingdom was invading the world through Him. Christ was demonstrating his royal authority over Satan. God’s kingdom rule had arrived.
This would have had important ramifications for the Pharisees and those that were opposing Jesus, or questioning Him. While they were accusing him of being a worker of Beelzebub, He was in fact the Messiah, the chosen one of God.
As Christ goes on to speak about this, he paints a picture of what is really happening through an illustration. In verse 21 -22 we read…
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.
In this picture, the strong man that Christ speaks about in verse 21 refers to Satan. Satan was fully armed, guarding his own house, his possessions undisturbed.
Many passages of Scripture show us that the ruler of this world is Satan. Not in the sense that God doesn’t have power. But rather in the sense that when man listened to Satan in the Garden of Eden, rather than to God, God drove man from His presence, and Satan was given some measure of freedom to rule over men in the world.
One example from Scripture...
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Christ is saying here that the condition of the world was such that Satan was settled as a deceiver and a worker of darkness.
But he goes on to speak in verse 22 about someone stronger than him that attacks him. The one that is stronger than Satan is Jesus Christ. And Jesus says here that He has invaded the dwelling place of Satan, and is in the process of plundering Satan. He is taking the spoils of war.
The picture here is from a practice that was common in those days. When a king of a particular city would go to war against another city and king, he would need to subdue that king, but would then plunder the city of all the valuables. Upon his return home, there would be a procession, and the king that was victorious would lead the procession, with his plunder being put on display as it were.
There is a very definite link here to what is said in Psalm 68...
18 When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train;
you received gifts from men,
even from the rebellious—
that you, O Lord God, might dwell there.
Now, Christ will still ascend on high. We will see later that this “receiving of Gifts” that is found in Psalm 68 actually gets beautifully transformed into a giving of gifts, as Christ, having ascended victorious, sends His Spirit and equips the church for ministry. Ephesians 4:8-10 makes that clear.
But here is the point in the present instance. Christ is saying to these Pharisees, and to his detractors, and to the crowds, that One stronger than Satan has invaded the world. He has overpowered the enemy, and He is in the process of taking the plunder.
And that plunder are those who are the redeemed - those who are in Christ Jesus.
Practical Encouragement
Friends, what a glorious reality it is that Jesus Christ, not just the more powerful one, but the omnipotent one, entered into this world and overpowered Satan. And ever since He’s come into the world, He has continued to take for Himself the plunder. He has continued to redeem for Himself a people from every tribe and nation and tongue.
Christ is victorious. As we look at the world around us, while it must be acknowledged that there is still sin, that man is still wicked in his heart, and that Satan is still allowed some measure of reign, the dynamic has radically altered, and Christ stands victorious.
In fact, at the cross, at Jesus’ crucifixion, and then at the resurrection, Christ will finally gain great victory. At the cross, Jesus cried, “It is finished.” And at His resurrection, Christ finally obtained dominion over death. Satan’s power was lost. Christ rose victorious from the grave, and ascended into heaven, where he presently rules and reigns with all power and authority.
We’ve seen this clearly in the book of Revelation, as we study it in our midweek Bible Study. What a glorious truth!!
31 “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
That is ultimately where this is going. The ruler of this world will be finally cast out. But for now, Christ is in power.
But friends, this leads to a very important question. Who do you follow. In this moment, when Jesus was in the process of casting out a demon from a mute man, he was confronted by some of those from the crowd that suggested that he was working by the power of Satan. Others wanted a sign from heaven… some kind of grand display so that they could be sure that what was taking place here was from God.
In the light of this, Jesus now directly confronts these crowds. This leads us to our final point...
4. The King’s Call (vv.23-26)
4. The King’s Call (vv.23-26)
With this context in mind, notice what Jesus says in verse 23…
23 “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
Christ very clearly says to the crowds around him, that if they will not believe in Him, then they are in opposition to Him. Here is a strong warning from Jesus to the Pharisees, and even to those that were asking for a greater sign from heaven (which request will be dealt with in the coming weeks). If you are not with me, then you are opposed to me.
There can be no neutrality in terms of serving Christ. Either you are a follower of Christ, you believe in Him, and follow Him, or you are against Him.
In the words of Steven Lawson...
“You cannot live for Jesus and yourself. Nor follow Christ and the world. You must decide which it will be.” Steven Lawson
The sad reality for those that were with Jesus in this instant was that they were living in opposition to Him, and thus were in grave danger.
What about you?
I must ask the question this morning… where do you sit in this regard? Are you devoted to Christ, trusting in Him fully. Do you recognise that Christ came to overpower the work of Satan, and to redeem sinners to Himself, and that He is the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through Him.
Confession and repentance of sin, along with a confession of faith in Jesus, is the only way to be saved. Have you done this? Are you saved? Don’t wait for a sign from heaven!! God’s given his revelation - now believe in Him.
The Need for Filling with Christ
As Christ continues, he gives an illustration of the importance of what He’s just said.
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, 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. 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 man is worse than the first.”
Keep in mind that the broader picture here is demon-possession, and being delivered from demons. But the emphasis that Christ now places is on the importance of not only being exorcised from demon-possession, but rather on being filled with the Spirit of Christ.
In a sense, this perhaps spoke to the Jewish exorcists, who were performing some kind of exorcism - usually not all that effective. But even if they were able to perform this kind of exorcism, they lacked the power to give this person new life.
Jesus says that this evil spirit will come out of the man, go through arid places (that’s where the Jews believed the spirits dwelled - in the desert regions) and then would find no place to rest.
Meanwhile, the person delivered is sweeping up their heart. They’re making their lives look better through lots of self-effort. They might, for a time, look good on the outside, but truly speaking they are empty.
And Christ warns that the evil spirit, having found no place to rest, will return and find this person all swept nice and clean, and will go and call seven other spirits, and fill this person to a place that is worse than they were at first.
Again, the thrust of Christ’s message here is that a person truly requires filling with the Spirit of Christ. We cannot merely sweep our house clean, look better than we did before, but not be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
Listen to how this comes through in 2 Peter 2:20-22…
20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
J.C. Ryle wrote these words in this regard…
Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 (Unclean Sweep)
“There is no safety, except in thorough Christianity.… The house must not only be swept …; a new tenant must be introduced.… The outward life must not only be decorated with the formal trappings of religion; the power of vital religion must be experienced in the inner man. The Devil must not only be cast out; the Holy Spirit must take his place. Christ must dwell in our hearts by faith.”
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
A.1. Recognise the Kingdom Has Come
A.2. Consider - Are you For Christ
A.3. Are you living a life filled with the Spirit
Moral reforms are not good enough. We need repentance and faith. We must turn away from a selfish life, throw ourselves down before Christ as Lord, and allow Him to work in us a transformation that only He can do.
Ephesians 3:17 - Christ must dwell in your hearts through faith
Ephesians 5:18 - be filled with the Spirit
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men,
12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.