Two Kingdoms

Luke 11:14-28

I've been ordained for less than 17 years, but in that time, attitudes to Christians and Christianity have changed dramatically.

In says gone by Christianity was regarded as a very good thing by the vast majority of people. Of course Christians – and especially evangelicals – were mocked, but generally that was light-hearted and pretty inoffensive.

And for hundreds of years, when it came to law making and morality, politicians and the media took Xy v. seriously – they looked to Xns to provide guidance, appointing people like Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali to the Human Embryo & Fertilization Authority.

But all that has now changed.

Christians are now viewed as trouble-makers. Christian morals are not to be admired but fought against as oppressive and evil. Jesus himself was once held up as the ideal of virtue and goodness, but now he's mocked by the media, and hated by philosophers and the zealous atheists. In this new, media generated morality of Britain, Christians are no longer to be admired. They're not even to be tolerated. Christians, Christianity and Christian morality must be driven out of public life and banned from the market place.

The name of Jesus is not just a swear word for the building site, now he is a figure of hatred amongst the ruling liberal elite who control the media – and therefore the opinions – in Britain. Christianity is now considered thoroughly evil by such people, and we who believe and follow the Lord Jesus, are starting to be rejected as evil.

But we shouldn't be surprised by this.

In Luke 11, when Jesus heals a man and restores his voice, those who saw the miracle accuse him of working with the devil. So, v14, 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. But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.”

Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.

Jesus answers the accusation that he's in league with the devil in verses 17-28; and then in 29-32 deals with those who demand a sign from heaven. This morning, we're just going to be looking at the first of these: the accusation that Jesus is in league with the devil – that Jesus is evil.

Jesus uses a number of short illustrations and statements – initially appear confusing – but this is a summary Jesus' argument:

1. Verses 17-22 – Jesus is not in league with Satan, but is bringing the K of G into the world.
2. Verse 23 – Everyone is either working with Jesus, in his kingdom, or against him, in the kingdom of Satan.
3. Verses 23-28 – You must choose which kingdom you're in.

1. Jesus is not in league with Satan, but is bringing the K of G into the world. 17-20

We've all heard about, if not seen, The King's Speech – the film that tells the story of how Lionel Logue helped King George VI overcome his speech impediment. Before the film, most of us had never heard of Lionel Logue, but now he's a great hero.

But when Jesus heals a man who is unable to speak at all, the crowd was divided: some are amazed, but others say, 'By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons'. In other words, 'He's in league with the chief of devils – Satan himself'.

As usual, Jesus knows what they're thinking and points out that any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?

Over the past few weeks, we've seen exactly what Jesus is talking about – in Tunisia, Egypt and now in Libya. When kingdoms are divided, they fall. So, says Jesus, if I'm casting out demons as a demon myself then Satan's kingdom is divided and will fall.  Evil doesn't oppose evil, it opposes good. Jesus cannot be in league with Satan – it doesn't make sense.

But Jesus doesn't leave it there. In v19, he turns their accusation back on themselves – “If I drive out demons by Beelzebub – the prince of demons - by whom do your followers drive them out?”

By falsely accusing Jesus, these people have also accused their own people as well – and, 'So', says Jesus, 'they will be your judges'.

No, Jesus is not in league with Satan – that's a ridiculous claim.

The truth is he's acting on behalf of God, v20, by driving out evil, Jesus is demonstrating that he has the authority of God himself over evil – Jesus is acting as the ruler of God's kingdom. He is the leader with overwhelming force to drive out Satan. The kingdom of God doesn't come with fine-sounding words or religious practices, it comes with the power of God to defeat evil.

Then, in case we haven't grasped what Jesus is on about, he illustrates it in vv21 & 22, 'When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.'

Satan is like a strong man who holds on to people like they were his own possessions. He doesn't want to let people go – he wants them in his own house, under his control, serving him and doing what he wants.

One of my brothers has spent his life teaching blind and handicapped children. He's devoted his working like to them. And the other day, he mentioned that he believes children are born good – it's society that turns some of them bad.

I tried to point out that no parent ever had to teach their children to be bad, in fact, we spend our lives trying to teach our children to be good. No parent ever said to a toddler, 'Why don't you bite your little sister's arm, and snatch her toy while she cries?' No, we're not born good. We're born self-centred, selfish and rebellious – rebellious against the authority or parents, teachers and God himself. We don't naturally love God, and we don't naturally love others – unless there's something in it for us – because we don't want to love God or others. We want to love ourselves.

And so we're voluntary prisoners in the house of a strong man who is fully armed and guarding his possessions. Not only that, but we're incapable of freeing ourselves.

But, v22, when someone stronger attacks and overpowers the strong man, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

Jesus comes as the one who is stronger than Satan – he overpowers Satan, takes away the armour of temptation and selfish ambition which keep us trapped in his house, and he frees us. 

So, Jesus is not in league with Satan, but is bringing the K of G into the world.

And then, secondly, v23, everyone is either working with Jesus, in his kingdom, or against him, in the kingdom of Satan.

Of course, most people will reject the idea that if we're not in the K of G, we're prisoners of Satan.
It sounds so extreme, so archaic. But where else is there to live? Jesus is quite clear here and elsewhere that there is nowhere else to live. So in v23, Jesus says, He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. Either we work with Christ gathering people into the unity and love of his kingdom, or we work against him and fracture society by our selfish ambition.

Therefore Being freed is not enough – we must also be filled: Verses 21-28 –

Verses 24-26 tell us that being freed from the clutches of Satan is not enough. Yes, we need to be freed, but we also need to be filled. We are not empty vessels. We are filled either with the spirit of evil or we are filled with the Spirit of God.

Now, hear this carefully: I'm not saying that all non-Xns are demon-possessed!! Yes, demon-possession can happen; but it's rare and to my knowledge I've never come across it.  But it is true that we are either filled with the predisposition, the tendency, the desire, the spirit – if you like – that rebels and rejects Jesus, or we're filled with the predisposition, the tendency, the desire, the Spirit of Jesus, which loves him and rejoices in obeying him.

Either we scatter and destroy the work of Christ, or we gather and work with him.

So the point in verses 24-26 is that if we want to be free from rebellion against God, then our life must be filled with something else. Yes, we can de-clutter our lives, but something has to take the place of the stuff we clear out. And, says Jesus, the danger is that what replaces it is worse that what was there before.

So, someone might be determined to sweep insecurity out of their life, but arrogance and over-assertiveness take its place.

Or someone might try moral improvement, but old bad habits are simply replaced with an unpleasant moral pride.

Or perhaps someone might decide to replace their old rejection of God with religion – and all that happens is they become legalistic about how people behave in church, about proper music, about proper language.

So what will prevent our attempts at self-improvement dumping us in a worse place? Look back to verses 10-13 and we'll find the answer...

If our lives are to truly change, we need a power stronger than the power that constantly drives us towards selfish ambition and self-love.  Only the Spirit of God can change us to become the people God created us to be. Only he can make us want to change. And only he can empower that change.

And even this is not an instantaneous change, but a life-time of development and steady progress.

And this explains Jesus' final response in these verses:

A woman in the crowd calls out, 'Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.'

In other words, 'Isn't he clever? Doesn't he speak well? His mum must be so proud of him!'

And Jesus replies, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.' Blessed are they who have the heart's desire to know and love God. Who love to learn more about him, who long to become more like Jesus. Blessed are they who have been freed from the tyranny of Satan and filled with the Holy Spirit of power and godliness.

If you've lived life trying to reform and change yourself in your own strength, or by religious performance, or spiritual disciplines, then understand this – it will not work. You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

If you have received the Spirit by faith in Christ, perhaps you've started to resist him and rebel. The pressure of a world that constantly promotes immorality and has tempted you to look back to Satan's house.

You need to stop resisting, and allow the Spirit back in.

Yes, our friends and neighbours are calling ordinary Xns evil because we live in loving, joyful obedience to Christ. But remember, he knows what we're going through – he walked this path first – empowered as we are by the HS.