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 trying to be 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 to 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 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 8 and we'll discuss the

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.

2nd 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 God 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 Nineveh unto the Ninevites.

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 in 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

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.

Well, 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 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 cut 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 it itself

if Satan would cast out his own demons and Then he right after that he comes in and says about this

blaspheming.

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 bear thee and the paps which thou hast 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?

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.

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 a sign 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 straighten out a lot and it'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 and we pray in Jesus name.

Amen.