Book of Luke - Ch. 11, Vs. 14-30 (09/28/2003)

If you will follow along with me, we will read through and make a few comments Starting with 11

Luke 11 verse 14 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 my comment here is that Many infirmities both then and now are caused by demon invasion

Probably both then and now we would tend to think all of it is physical that all of it's in the domain of something

That a doctor couldn't heal But that's not always true I remember a long time ago.

I had a friend in the ministry who had some

A manic depressive disorder in his family line In fact, he had a brother that Got so depressed he

Did away with himself if you know what I mean kind of well, we don't have the little children in here, but he committed suicide and So we were talking about that being something that Seems to be genetic that's passed down through the family line

And he said well, I don't believe it's genetic for a moment He said I believe it has do with familial demons that are passed down through family lines

And he said how would you know the difference and I said, well, I guess you couldn't and in fact you can't

But this particular case in verse 14 This person could not speak at all

And I'm sure most people would think it's because of a medical problem and it had nothing to do with the physical

He had a demon that caused him to be under bondage And he was under such bondage that he could not speak until the demon was removed by the

Lord Jesus Christ well Jesus healed this person and then we had a

A couple of statements that point out what I believe to be two great evils that existed in Jesus day and also exist today

So let's look at this verse 15 some of them said he casteth out demons through Beelzebub the chief of the devils and Others tempting him sought him a sign from heaven

Now, how can you win with those two things going on at once? You have one group that says he just did a miracle

So that must be the devil in him and the other group says I want to see you do a miracle so you can prove You're of God. Now, how can you win?

That's the two sides the two sides of the opposite sides ends of the same spectrum

So the two great evils then and now are this number one ascribing unto the devil the work of God and number two

Ascribing unto God the work of the devil Did you get that? Two great evils they existed in Jesus day they exist today number one ascribing unto the devil and Number two ascribing unto

God the work of the devil Turn with me to second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8 and we'll discuss this second

Problem that was found in verse 16 when they tempted him and said we want to see a sign

We want you to do a sign from heaven Signs that come through the flesh like they wanted are

Always the devil working but they want to say it's God doing it So that's the second of the two evils.

So let's discuss it since we ended with a verse about it verse 16 second

Thessalonians 2 8 says and then shall the wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and Shall destroy with the brightness of his coming

So this takes place at the second coming Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders

So there are wonders in other words miracles that are performed That men see and say that they're of God, but they're really from Satan Because the

Bible calls them lying wonders, they are not true truly miracles of God they are wonders, but they're not from God and With all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they receive not the love of the truth

You see people that don't love the truth, but they do want to see a sign from heaven are

Open to believing the devil's work is from God They don't want to know the truth. Anyway, they just want to see a miracle

So the devil can perform one and they'll always say oh, look what God's done. Well, that's evil

It's evil evil to take something that got that the devil himself does and say that that's

God's work And for this cause God shall send them a strong delusion and they shall believe a lie

They'll see the Antichrist doing these miracles and say well That's Jesus the

Messiah and they will receive him as their personal Lord and Savior But it will be the devil

Because God gave them a strong delusion so that they would believe this lie That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness

But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren beloved of beloved of the

Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the

Spirit and belief of the truth So we see in that passage an example of people doing wonders maybe even in church and yet they're coming from the power of Satan and Yet they are saying that it's

God's power Matthew 7 22 many will say to me in that day. Lord Lord.

Have we not prophesied in thy name? You see they say it's done in Jesus name Have we not cast out devils in your name?

Have we not done many wonderful works? And then will I profess to them.

I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity so Jesus Goes further down on that same passage,

I believe it's verse 29 He says and when the people were gathered thick together he began to say this is an evil generation that seek a sign and There shall no sign be given it except the sign of Joseph Jonas the prophet

For as Jonas was assigned unto the Ninevite so shall also the

Son of Man be assigned to this generation He was referring to being in the grave for three days and then coming out

It's the only sign he was going to give him and he called him an evil generation because they sought for a sign so We see that the first of two great evils was ascribing unto

God Work that the devil was doing Now, let's go back into Luke chapter 11 and pick it up at verse 17

But Jesus knowing their thoughts said of them every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation

And a house divided against a house falls 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. In other words, he's talking about the prophets of old had they cast out demons

Are you saying they were of the devil as well? I'll let them be your judge. He says

So he always brings up the law that they're supposed to be such authorities on and he uses it against them

But now look at verse 20, this is phenomenal He says but he said now if I if I by the devil do these things then who do your sons do it but If I by the finger of God cast out devils

No doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you Boy, that that's an amazing statement.

I wonder what they thought when he said that Well, there's kind of a parallel passage in Matthew 11,

I mean Matthew chapter 12 starting the verse 28 Exactly the same story

This one instead of Jesus saying but if I by the finger of God, it's worded this way

But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God Then the kingdom of God has come upon you

So if those two are recorded at the same event and written down slightly different from different points of view from the difference between Matthew and Luke Then that would tell me that the finger of God is the same as the

Spirit of God So that's amazing This the

Holy Spirit is the way that the father sticks his finger into time without destroying it

It's the only way the father cannot be here and us be here at the same time so he sticks he enters time

Through the Holy Spirit. That's like God sticking his finger down into our dimension.

That's what the Holy Spirit does and that's his role So It's the same passage in Matthew 12

If you just go ahead and read it you see that it's the same exact passage, but it adds a little more information

So I'd like you to think about verse 31 where it talks about the same story We're reading in Luke where they claim that Jesus was casting out devils because he had a devil

And look what is said about that in verse 31 of Matthew chapter 12 it says

I want to go up and catch verse 30. He that is not with me is against me

He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad that throws out all of the religions in the world

Besides biblical Christianity throws them out Islam These people that want to mix them all together.

Jesus says no if they don't gather with me, they're against us Then he goes on to verse 31 and he speaks to this issue of the people calling

Jesus a devil Saying that you're doing these miracles because you have the power of Satan Whereby I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy

Shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the

Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men and Whosoever speaketh the word against the

Son of Man it shall be forgiven him But whosoever speaketh against the

Holy Spirit it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world

Neither in the world to come now what kind we're familiar with this idea of the unpardonable sin

But what context is this found in it is a parallel passage telling the same story that we're studying in Luke today

In fact, Jesus used the same example He said well a house would be divided against itself if Satan would cast out his own demons

And then he right after that he comes in and says about this blasphemy The Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven you here or ever.

It's the unpardonable sin So in the context of that, what would we how would we then define?

what the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is, you know, in other words, what is the unpardonable sin?

Well, it is ascribing unto the devil work that God did

God if God does the work and we say the devil did it That would be blaspheming the

Holy Spirit now Doctrinally we we do not believe that would be possible for a crit for a born -again person to do because you don't have the nature

That would do that and you can discern spiritual things The Bible says that the lost cannot understand the

Word of God because these are spiritually discerned that implies They cannot discern spiritual things Therefore the lost can look at a miracle and say well

God did that and it can really be Satan doing it and also the lost can look at a miracle that God did as Jesus cast this demon out the lost can look at that and say well that's because you've got a devil you've got a demon and they cannot discern spiritual things correctly and they do it incorrectly, but a person who would ever look at Something that the

Holy Spirit is doing and call that Satan's power has just committed the unpardonable sin

He will not be forgiven in this time on earth nor will he ever be forgiven

He'll spend eternity in hell because he committed the unpardonable sin of ascribing unto

God the work of the devil All right. I'm sorry of ascribing unto the devil the work of God Something God did they said the devil did it?

So you see you you find these two evils that are both done at the same time and check

Luke chapter 11 verse 15 He casts out devils through Beelzebub That is the sin of ascribing unto the devil work that God really did

Verse 16 and others tempting him sought of him a sign from heaven well, then sure is the world if they're open to that some false teachers going to come in and do

Miracles call them miracles. It's gonna be really the devil doing it and they're gonna say God did it so you have the two

Common errors made by men two great evils in the day of Jesus and in the day of us if you go into Verse 24

Well verse 23 is also found in the Matthew passage He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad

Well, this shows the futility of all other religions You go into verse 24 through 26.

It shows the fallacy of turning over a new leaf The fallacy that a natural man can reform himself without Jesus and just get better Jesus teaches that never happens verse 24 when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man

He walketh. That's the spirit the unclean spirit walks through dry places Seeking rest and he finds none

And he saith I will return unto my house where I came out of that's the man that had the demon

Apparently this man had tried to clean his life up and live, right? But he did it without being born again

And he did it out of the power of his own flesh And what happens is the demon gets out there and decides he's not comfortable being outside of his house, which was the man's body and so he comes back and he finds it swept and garnished that is the

Symbolism of the fact this man tried to clean his life up I'm gonna set i'm gonna live by a set of rules

You know that most the alcoholics in this country they go to this 20 -step program and it's nothing but sweeping and garnishing

Sweep and garnish the house. That's why it doesn't work. That's why even in that class they teach him you will always be an alcoholic

And you must confess that to yourself daily. I'm an alcoholic Now that is insane because paul said if god heals you you put it behind you and you never look back and you press forward

To the finish line. You don't call yourself an alcoholic because you're not one anymore You're a new man

But the world cannot provide that the world can only convince you to turn over a new leaf

And what they don't tell you is it's about the time you get it swept and garnished verse 26 comes along Then go with this demon and he takes with him seven other demon spirits even more wicked than himself

And they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that man is worse than the first And then there's finally the fallacy of placing religious things more important Or making them more important than the word of god

And the life that results from living it 27 and it came to pass as he spake these things a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and Sent him blessed is the womb that fare thee and the paps which thou has sucked

And she thought she had waxed eloquent when she said that, you know, blessed is mary your mother

Your mary is your mother is blessed because she gave birth to you and look how jesus

Jesus destroyed the roman catholic movement with verse 28. Look what he said, but he said yea rather Blessed are they that hear the word of god and keep it

Now you think about that there's a lot said in there that you can read between the lines anytime we begin to place religious things

Even in this church or anywhere Where we would place religious things

In a higher level of importance than the word of god We are wrong and jesus would rebuke it

In this case, they're trying to place his own mother up high as a religious icon. Perhaps jesus said no

But He said rather blessed are they that hear the word he brings it back to the word of god

And those that keep it And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say this is an evil generation

They seek a sign And there shall no sign be given it But the sign of jonas the prophet

For as jonas was assigned unto the ninevites so shall the son of man be to this generation

So that's where we'll stop we'll pick up With verse 31 next time

We straightened out a lot that's wrong with the false religions in that passage, didn't we?

Lord did not Even give it a thought didn't give it the time of day Let's pray father thank you for this lesson

We pray that you'll Comfort our hearts with the words of our savior

Jesus christ as he lifted up the word of god as the important thing in our services our church services

Anytime we assemble together May the written word and the study of it and the living of it be the most important thing in our religion

We know that is your will for you stated it yourself. Thank you for giving us your words