Just this week I received a letter form a young man thanking God and this church for the cassette tapes he receives in the mail. The foremost reason he cited was that by these tapes and some instruction from his Father In Law he has discovered that God is the Sovereign Ruler of all things and beings. This discovery, by his own testimony, has given him a sense of freedom and peace never known before. His church, he said, teaches that it is possible for Satan get the upper hand in your life at any minute.
I know from experience that if you believe such error you will spend your life in fear, uncertainty and misery. I too grew up under teaching like that. The picture painted for me depicted God, Christ and the Holy Spirit in contest with Satan for the souls of men and control of the world. Further it was not clear who would win out. Some comments made by a TV evangelist sum up the teaching quite well. I heard this man say, "There are people who God wants to save being taken to hell by the Devil this very day." The solution for this, according to him, was for his listeners to send him more money for ministry projects. I realize I used this same illustration just a week ago but it is relevant for today's lesson as well.
God wants to but He can't because the Devil is too strong and men will not help. This is a very popular view but a sad misrepresentation of Christian truth.
I am grateful along with the young man I referred to earlier that the Bible tells no such story. The text we are concerned with today reveals the truth that God is the Sovereign Ruler over all things and creatures, even the Devil and his Demons. Look with me to Luke 11:14-26 NASB.
And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; (That is, the effect of the demon's presence was that the man could not speak.) and it came about that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marveled. {15} But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebulb, the ruler of the demons." (The Devil himself.) {16} And others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven. {17} But He knew their thoughts, (Intent) and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. {18} "And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. {19} "And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? (Of course they would say that any success their sons had was due to the blessing and power of God.) Consequently they shall be your judges. {20} "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. {21} "When a strong man, fully armed, (The Devil) guards his own homestead, (The soul and life of the unbeliever.) his possessions are undisturbed; {22} but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, (This is of course Jesus Christ.) he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder. {23} "He who is not with Me is against Me; (The Scribes and Pharisees at least.) and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. {24} "When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, (Notice, this spirit is not cast out but just "goes out for awhile".) it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' {25} "And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. {26} "Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
There are three truths that I wish to bring to your attention.
First I want us to consider the desperate condition of all unbelievers.
Second we must see the necessity of and the fact of God's Sovereignty in Salvation.
Third we must be made aware of the futility of personal reformation without faith in Christ.
First I wish to point out what this text teaches about the condition all unbelievers. You might ask, "What does the condition of the unbeliever have to do with this demon possessed man?" The answer is, everything. For all who are yet in their sins are captives of Satan. Not demon possessed in the proper sense of those terms but possessed by the Devil nonetheless. Consider what is said.
First the demon within the man refused to let him speak. The text reads, "And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb," that is, it took from this man the faculty of speech. This person was a slave of the Devil and unable to do anything about it. He could not even cry out for help from Christ. This is a desperate situation but not uncommon. Fact is this is the case with all non Christians. They are slaves of their father the Devil. Let me show you this truth from the scriptures.
(2 Timothy 2:24-26 NASB) And the Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, {25} with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, {26} and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, HAVING BEEN HELD CAPTIVE BY HIM TO DO HIS WILL. All who are not the slaves of Christ by faith in Him are slaves of the Devil. They are being held captive by him to do his will.
This truth is supported by the rest of what Christ declares. {21} "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed; This strong man is the Devil himself. He is fully armed and standing guard over the lost souls of men. His desire is to keep them for himself and away from God. All his faculties and powers are working to this end. His possession and homestead is the soul and person of the sinner. This is Satan's home and stronghold. As a subject and possession of the Devil the sinner does his bidding and it is his desire to do so. There is a kind of peace in the unconverted persons heart. He is not alarmed, he feels secure, he may even happy. He does not realize or feel his bondage. This is the condition of all humans outside of faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. The question is, "What can be done about it?" WHAT CAN A MAN DO TO FREE HIMSELF FROM BONDAGE TO SATAN? What can a man do to loose his tongue that he might make request to God for salvation. The answer is NOTHING. While a slave of Satan the sinner WILL NOT AND CANNOT go to God by faith in Christ even though he is responsible to do so. For scriptural support of these statements look with me to 1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB.
"But a natural man DOES NOT accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and HE CANNOT understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. This text reveals a problem with the will, "He does not accept the things of the Spirit of God." Then there is a problem with ability, "He cannot understand or accept the things of the Spirit of God." Why? Because he is dead in sin and a slave to Satan. Or, as our text in Luke says, he is possessed by the Devil and cannot cry out to God. Consider a few other texts which declare man's unwillingness and lack of ability to do anything about their sinful state. The first reference reveals that without Divine intervention a man can't even understand the Gospel.
(Matthew 13:11 NASB) And He answered and said to them, "To you IT HAS BEEN GRANTED to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it HAS NOT BEEN GRANTED. A saving knowledge of God in Christ is something that is given to a person by God. To some He grants it to others He does not. This, "knowing of the mysteries of the kingdom,", comes with the rebirth. Look with me at John 3:3 NASB.
"Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The word "see," as it us used here, has two meanings. One has to do with understanding and comprehension. Before a person is Born Again he cannot understand or comprehend the truth about the Kingdom of God. Even the Gospel in all its simplicity is a mystery to a person who is not in possession of a new heart. Explain it ever so simply and he just won't be able to see it. The second meaning follows naturally on the heals of the first. If one cannot understand the Gospel he will certainly not see or in arrive safely in the Kingdom of God or Heaven. One must be Born Again!
Because of this spiritual blindness to God's Gospel the sinner's mind is set on himself and earthly things. Look with me to Romans 8:5-8 NASB. For those who are according to the flesh (This refers to every one born only once.) SET THEIR MINDS ON THE THINGS OF THE FLESH, but those who are according to the Spirit, (Born the second time by faith in Christ. They set their minds on .. ) the things of the Spirit. {6} For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, {7} because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; (All sinners are the enemies of God.) for it DOES NOT subject itself to the law of God, (Here is the will in rebellion against God.) for it is not even able to do so; (Here is the lack of ability and power to conform oneself to Gods law.) {8} and those who are in the flesh CANNOT please God.
That's enough to show the correlation between actual physical Demon Possession and the Spiritual Bondage of will, mind, soul, and person that is true of all unbelievers. Just as the man in our text was a slave of one stronger than himself, the Devil. So all men are slaves of the Devil, unwilling and unable to do anything about it.
Now what of the solution to this terrible dilemma. If salvation, indeed even the understanding of the Gospel, is impossible with men, what hope is there? Jesus said, in another place, what is impossible with men is possible with God! Here is where the necessity and the fact of God's Sovereignty in Salvation comes into play. Possessed by a strong man the sinner must be rescued by one yet stronger or he will never be saved. That strong man is of course Jesus Christ the Lord. Look with me to Luke 11:22.
". . but when someone stronger than he (That is, stronger than the Devil.) ATTACKS HIM AND OVERPOWERS HIM, he (Christ) takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder."
Here is a picture of how Christ saves God's lost and enslaved Sheep. Notice that Christ does not negotiate with the sinner. Why not? He does not do so because the man is dumb toward God. He has no ears with which to hear. He has no eyes with which to see or understand. His mind is set on the flesh and he cannot understand even the simple truths contained in the Gospel. This man's will and his person is enslaved to his father and present owner the Devil. Therefore, it would do no good to negotiate with the sinner. The helpless cannot help themselves. Christ does not negotiate with the sinner. He does not ask his permission to save him, He just saves him. The Strong Man from Heaven simply and decidedly attacks and overpowers the Devil. In an instant he is dethroned. All his defenses and strengths are weakness in the presence of Christ. Jesus throws him out of the house he once ruled and takes this sinner to be His own possession. Christ, as the text declares, plunders the Devils possessions, the sinner, and distributes them. To see what is meant by this statement we must go to Luke 8:27-39 NASB.
"And when He had come out onto the land, He was met by a certain man from the city who was POSSESSED WITH DEMONS; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. {28} And seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, "What do I have to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me." {29} For He had been commanding the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard; and yet he would burst his fetters and be driven by the demon into the desert. {30} And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for MANY DEMONS had entered him. {31} And they were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss. {32} Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons entreated Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. . . {35} And the people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, SITTING DOWN AT THE FEET OF JESUS, CLOTHED AND IN HIS RIGHT MIND; and they became frightened. {36} And those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well. {37} And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to depart from them; for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat, and returned. {38} But the man from whom the demons had gone out WAS BEGGING HIM THAT HE MIGHT ACCOMPANY HIM; but He sent him away, saying, {39} "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him."
Here we see it again. One owned and ruled by the Devil set free by force. The Strong Man from Heaven commands the Demons to leave. Jesus has plundered the Devils home and taken for Himself all that Satan once possessed. The man is now Christ's. He has been saved the only way a salve of the Devil can be saved. That is by powerful, imposing, intruding Sovereign Grace! The sinner is now free. Behold the old has passed away and all things have become new. The sinner was insane but now he has a sound mind. He lived among the dead but now he returns to the living. He was naked and now he is clothed with the righteousness of Christ. He once would have killed Jesus, given the chance, but now he falls to worship at his feet. Once he did not know the Savior but now he is begging to go with Him wherever he goes. But Jesus does not allow this, instead He distributes His plunder. That is, He takes the man He captured from Satan and sends him back to his town, family and friends. He is to go home and bear witness of the salvation he now enjoys. In this way Christ distributes the treasure He won in the overthrow of the Devil.
So we see the desperate condition of sinners outside of faith in Christ. They are slaves of sin, self and of Satan. He is their Father, owner and ruler. They do his bidding and it is quite natural for them to do so. We have seen that because these people are sinners by nature they will not and cannot come to Christ for salvation. They are dumb toward God and cannot cry out! The short of it is this. If salvation is dependant on the will of man and the exercise of the same toward God then no man can ever be saved. For he is enslaved to the Devil and does the will of the Devil. Salvation is impossible with men.
Therefore, salvation can only be brought to pass by the powerful, intruding, imposing, Sovereign Grace of God. The Strong Man from Heaven must attack the enemy of our souls and dethrone him. We must be torn from his grasp by God or all is lost. The DEVIL WILL NOT let go and WE CANNOT break free. God must do the work from beginning to end! To God be all the glory!
Finally I want you to see the futility of trying to save yourself by personal reformation. That is, by cleaning up your act and beginning to live like you think a Christian lives. By doing those things that you believe will gain acceptance with God. Return with me to our text for today. Luke 11:24-26 NASB
"When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, (Notice he is not cast out by Christ but just leaves for a while. This may be compared to one's decision to reform, to change ones ways by the grit of the teeth and determination.) it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' {25} "And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. (But not renewed, washed clean, and inhabited by King Jesus.) {26} "Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."
I tell you my friend if your reformation is not the result of the converting grace of God it will not last till sunrise. You may, for a moment, think you are free but soon the Evil One will prove that his power over you remains and has indeed increased. Salvation does not ". . . depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy." (Romans 9:16) For all men are in bondage to the Devil and cannot break free! They must be taken into the kingdom of God by power, strength, and force. Only in this way are Satan's captives set free. When this has come to pass you will find your self at the feet of Jesus clothed and in your right mind crying out "Please forgive me the sinner." This is the cry of a new born Christian. This is the cry of one who is justified and forgiven.
The truths I have set before you should be of great encouragement to all the Christians here today. If you have understood what I have said your anxiety over the lost in your family should begin to lessen. For their salvation does not depend upon them, or you, or any other human but upon God who can and will save all His Lost Sheep. Satan is not obstacle. Man's stubbornness is no obstacle. When the Strong Man from Heaven comes to save one of His Lost Sheep He just throws the Devil out and He gives a new heart and mind to the sinner. So the Devil is gone and the sinner's dead heart is replaced. His eyes and ears are opened. His tongue is loosened. His will is renewed. This man is born again and goes immediately to Jesus for Salvation and forgiveness of sins. You will find him clothed and in his right mind ready and willing to follow Christ wherever he goes.
Is there a contest between God and the Devil? Absolutely not! Is the Evil One carrying people off to Hell that God is "trying" to save? Of course not! The God of the Bible does not TRY to do anything. Rather, He does all that pleases Him among the Hosts of Heaven and the inhabitants of the Earth and no one can stop Him, not even our most powerful enemy, the Devil.
Spoken at SGBC
201 Yuma St.
Globe Az.
5-11-97
Luke #93
11:14-26