Thinking Very Little • Luke 11:14-26

1:07:17 Teaching begins

Notes

Today we see unreasonable men who think very little of Jesus and Satan. It’s not for their sake that Jesus explains Himself, it’s for those who are listening.

I’ve been in some witnessing situations where the guy I was sharing with was completely closed, and I wasn’t getting anywhere with him. It looked like a failure.

I found oftentimes that people looking on were listening, and they could see an unreasonable guy on one side, and me. They could see the difference between us.

Can you appreciate the difference between Satan and Jesus? Or do you think very little of them both?

We’re in the Gospel of Luke chapter 11, reading from verse 14.

1. Jesus does something that only God can do.

A. He cast out a demon that caused a man to be mute, unable to speak.

B. If you think about it, it was significant.

1. That man was unable to communicate easily with others. If you communicate you’re in the group. If you can’t speak, you’re out of contact with people. You’re isolated. You can’t be easily understood by wife, children, colleagues, customers. It made life difficult. Plus think what unclean thoughts the demon could think. Oppressive.

2. This is ongoing torment, persistent stress, emotional pain and frustration. Helplessness. To live in need with no relief is misery and exhausting. It’s a slow death.

3. Demons like inflicting pain and suffering. They don’t build anyone up. They beat you down continually.

C. So when Jesus makes this demon leave the man, he’s free to speak. What does he say? Oh! The torment is over! Oh God, thank You! Oh, I’m free! I’m clean! Oh, thank You, thank You, thank You!

D. Let’s say you’re in the crowd, watching this. What does it do to you to see a guy do this? You’re gripped emotionally yourself. You think, wow, this is amazing. You might feel like crying for joy just to see this man thanking God at the top of his lungs.

E. What would you do if someone said, this is a trick of the devil? Are you kidding? Look at that guy—is he faking it? Don’t think so.

2. But someone denies it! “He casts out demons by the authority of Beelzebul.”

A. There’s power, there’s authority, but whose? Don’t let that Guy suck you in. It’s a trap. Don’t fall for this.

B. There are two other comments from the crowd that we’ll look at next time we’re together. Some try to test Jesus, they look for a sign from heaven. Some lady starts talking about Jesus’ mother. You get all kinds in a crowd.

3. Jesus knows their thoughts.

A. He knows what’s behind their words. They are opposed to Him. They hate Him. They’ve seen His works that no one has ever done before and they reject Him.

B. Even so, Jesus explains Himself to them. He shows them how He is not from the devil but He’s from God, and they are in absolute danger because they actually attribute a good work of God as a trick of the devil.

C. I myself think it’s not so much to these men. I don’t think they would ever change their minds. But it’s for the sake of those people who are listening. They’re not closed in their minds and hardened in their hearts. They might hear and change their minds about Jesus.

4. Jesus shows that He cannot possibly be from the devil.

A. The excuse is that Jesus is casting out demons by the authority of Beelzebul, a name for Satan, the ruler of demons.

B. That would mean that there is conflict in Satan’s kingdom. Sometimes he feels that mankind should be enslaved and tormented. But other times he feels that, no, we should stop tormenting men. This is wrong. Let them go, who cares? Instead of fighting against men, he fights against himself.

C. If that were the case Satan’s kingdom could not continue. He works against himself. His kingdom is about to fall over and implode. There’s no unity of purpose. Poof, it’s gone.

D. Do we see Satan being conflicted, hesitant about which direction he should go? Is he changed? He has been the enemy of men since the very beginning. He has not changed his mind. He continues to beat the nations with a continual stroke. He only wants to steal, kill, and destroy. There is no character of God in him. No repentance, no mercy.

E. Your sons think it is good to cast out demons. By whom do they cast them out? Are they working for Satan? They will be your judges, that is, they will condemn you for judging what is good to be the work of the evil one.

F. Freeing man from Satan is always a good thing. Satan wouldn’t do it.

5. The kingdom of God has come upon you.

A. It can only be one Person at work here.

1. It can’t be Satan casting out Satan. He has no goodness to do that.

2. A man can’t be casting out Satan. No man has the authority to stand against the devil.

3. Only God has the goodness and authority to save people from the devil. I’m casting out demons by the finger of God.

B. The devil is strong, fully armed, guarding his palace. No one is going to disturb his possessions.

1. Those possessions are people. They’re at peace, the peace of being utterly overcome by Satan.

a. 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

b. John 12:31 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.

c. Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

d. 2 Corinthians 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2. In order to take anyone from the devil you have to be stronger. You have to take away his armour in which he trusts. This armour worked against Adam and Eve, and every human being since.

C. Jesus alone has the goodness of God and the authority of God, to take people away from Satan.

1. Jesus allowed Satan to do anything he wanted to against Him. Lie, slander, influence one of His own disciples to turn traitor against Him. Get Him arrested, tried, condemned, crucified. Does the devil win?

2. Jesus paid for the sin of the world. He rose from the dead with new life. He can forgive anyone who comes to Him and asks for forgiveness. His love and truth and mercy is stronger than the devil and gives eternal life.

3. The Apostle John said later in Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

D. Jesus says to those who condemn Him, there is no neutrality in this conflict between God and Satan. If you’re not with Me, you’re already with the devil. You scatter against Me, you are fighting against what God is doing, just like Satan.

F. Without Me, says Jesus, you have no hope.

1. Suppose Jesus casts out a demon, it has to go, and it looks for some place to live. It looks in waterless places. That doesn’t work, because where there’s no water, there’s no people. So it goes back to people, where it used to live. It’s all swept and clean, but there’s nothing there to resist the demon. It’s just a guy. God doesn’t live in that person. So there’s nothing to stop the demon from getting seven other demons more wicked than itself to live in that man. What can he do about it?

2. Without the kingdom of God in your heart you must be in the power of the devil. You can’t resist that power, no one can, except Jesus the Son of God, who is greater than the devil.

6. So what?

A. People today make the mistake of thinking very little of Jesus, as if this whole religious question is a great bother and really not relevant to life. You know, I just don’t follow that stuff. I don’t dabble in trivial things. I have more important things to do.

B. At the same time they think very little of Satan. They have no idea that they are fully dominated by Satan’s thinking. They are unable to recognise Jesus as the Messiah. Proverbs 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.

C. Satan’s kingdom is not going to fall over and expire. If you look around you see that people tell lies, they believe lies and refuse to believe the truth. No one will escape Satan’s kingdom without help.

D. The only way to be free from the devil is to pray, and ask Jesus to come into your heart and set up His kingdom. That is the kingdom that will never pass to another, and never be destroyed. Without Jesus in your heart you are merely swept clean and put in order, and there is nothing in you to resist the devil. Realise that you need to pray for others that Jesus would save them. Give them the gospel that is the power of God for salvation, and pray.

F. Do not trust in your own heart. Do not underestimate the devil. Do not underestimate Jesus. Receive Him, submit to Him. Let Him establish the kingdom of God in you.

Let’s pray.