Binding the Strongman — Anton Bosch

Jesus Casts Out a Mute Demon

Amen, so let's turn to the word as she'd renounced. We will be serving the Lord's table at the end of the ministry. So we're in Luke chapter 11. Luke chapter 11. And We'll read verses 14 through 26. Luke chapter 11 reading 14 through 26.

And he was casting out a demon and it was mute and so it was when the demon had gone out that the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled but some of them said he cast out demons by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons.

Others testing him sought from him a sign from heaven. But he knowing their thoughts said to them every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and a house divided against the house falls.

If Satan also is divided against himself How will his kingdom stand? Because I say because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub by whom do your sons cast them out?

Therefore they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with a finger of God surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his own place the palace his goods are in peace but when a stronger than he comes upon him and Overcomes him he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils.

He who is not with me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man. He goes through dry places seeking rest Finding none. He says I will return to my house from which I came.

And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there and The last state of that man is worse than the first so this is a.

This is a difficult passage because it contains a series of events and statements by the Lord Jesus and They are sometimes difficult to understand because they deal with Demons, which is a subject on which there is a lot of false information and so Let's have a look at it because it is it is important.

You know, and as I was waiting on the Lord during this week on the passage I Was wondering really what is the relevance to us today? It's it's it's one thing to be able to expound scripture. But we always want to make it relevant.

We always want to be able to have something that we can take home. And I trust that we will find that in the passage this morning and so he begins in verse 14 and he says he cast this demon out of a man and He was mute.

The man was a dumb. I could not speak because of the demon that he that he had. One of the other Gospels says that he was also deaf. So the man is is controlled by this demon. The demon obviously has the ability to Limit his ability or he's not able to speak and and Jesus cast the demon out.

The the gospel writer doesn't go into any details as to how Jesus cast the demon out it's just a statement of fact. Jesus cast the demon out end of the story and We'll see the importance of that in in a few moments, but I believe that what Luke is emphasizing here is the responses.

More than just the fact that the demon was cast out and there are three responses. The first is in this verse and it says that the mute spoke and the multitudes Marveled so most of the people were amazed by what they were seeing clearly.

This man was must have been known by them. Remember Jesus's miracles are not the kind that we see with some TV preachers today. Where there are actors and there are people who maybe not really? We're not really sick to begin with or may not even be healed properly.

So this is a public miracle. They know this man. He is he is publicly healed. He is able to speak and they marvel at it. But not everyone does but some of them said he cast out demons by Beelzebub the ruler of the demons and so Who were the Sun?

Well, we know who some of the Sun were. They were the Pharisees Who didn't like Jesus who believed that Jesus was fake that Jesus was an imposter that Jesus was not Anything like what he claimed to be and so he casts out demons.

By Beelzebub the ruler of the demons. Beelzebub is a name that comes from the Old Testament. It's connected with Baal and I'm not going to get into the whole history of the name. But the Old Testament gives the interpretation the Lord of the flies you may have come across that term in popular Literature today the Lord of the flies.

This is just another name for God for the devil. And of course it is a Insulting name in the sense that Being the boss of the flies It really is is nothing. Now we know that he is not just that because in fact we'll see enough in a few moments that Jesus calls him a strong Man, so he is he is not to be played with and in fact The New Testament warns us about speaking evil of dignitaries and when it speaks about dignitaries He's not meaning political figures or even angels, but speaking evil of demons.

Demons are powerful. But they are not all powerful and that's one of the points that we're going to see this morning. And so obviously this is they're saying well Jesus is an agent of the devil and that's how he's able to cast out demons and Jesus is respond it gives a response, but then there was a third group and We're going to look at this third group in more detail next week because the next the continuation of this chapter Deals with those who are seeking a sign and you'll see later on in verse 29 and while the crowds were gathered together Jesus said an evil generation Seeks a sign so this this group will come back to you later.

Jesus Exposes the Divided Kingdom

So the passage now deals Primarily with those who said Jesus has a demon and Jesus gives his response in a very clear and detailed way verse 17. But he knowing their thoughts in other words. They didn't necessarily say this out loud.

Oh, he's. He's the devil. He's the devil's is empowering him, but they were thinking it and Jesus knew their thoughts. And so those who were seeking a sign, well, well, here's a sign to begin with. Well, Jesus had given a sign already by casting the man out The demon out now, he gives a second sign in that he knows they're thinking.

But this is the problem with signs is that if you don't believe it doesn't matter how many signs you get you still won't believe. And so it's really a pointless exercise. But he knowing their thoughts said to them Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation.

Or destruction and a house divided against a house falls now this is a Important statement that Jesus makes it is a statement. That is generally true. But he is obviously applying it specifically to Satan and I'm going to come back to that in a moment.

Let's just talk about the general statement. The this statement is true in For Christians and non-christians it is true in the world. It's true in politics. It's true in families. It's true in marriages that those houses that are divided or kingdoms that are divided cannot stand and and so one of the oldest strategies of the devil and the oldest strategies in warfare and Even in politics is to divide and conquer.

If we can divide people and we can get them to fight one another. Well, then they will beat each other up and we don't have to attack them and we don't even have to go to war Against them. And so this is true on a national level this is true on a Church level and we know many churches that have been destroyed as a result of the house being Divided against itself and that's one of the reasons why we Emphasize the need for unity the need for us to maintain that unity which has been given to us Through the work of the Lord Jesus at the cross of Calvary when according to Ephesians He all he baptized us into one body.

We we have one father. We have one baptism. We have one faith and so we need to God and to protect that unity. Because one of the strategies the devil loves to use is to destroy the church by bringing disunity Within the body of Christ.

But then there's also the problem of disunity and of division within the context of the family. Many families are divided some families and some marriages present or watching on video may be having problems right now and if that if that Internal thing Continues it eventually will shatter the the relationship and will shatter the family and so for the same reason we need to God against that kind of division that comes into all kinds of relationships and into families.

Choosing Single-Minded Allegiance to God

But the statement is even is also true even within ourselves. Is it possible that I can be divided within myself. Yes, it is. Many Christians find themselves divided in their loyalty. Part of them wants to serve the Lord some of part of it wants to serve the world and there's this.

The struggle now, we know Paul says that there will always be the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. But but this is more than that. This is really what James speaks about about people who are double-minded.

They have two souls. They they they have one heart for God and they have one heart for the world and they can't choose between the two and they're constantly Going from one extreme to the other extreme.

It's not going to work. You can't survive that way. I Remember when I was a young boy, I was in a neighboring town visiting someone and I had come home to the place where I was staying that night and and I came across a a drunkard and He was walking down the down the street with one foot in the in the gutter and one foot on the sidewalk and and and.

It obviously it wasn't long before he fell. You you can't walk with one foot in the gutter and one on the sidewalk. You need to decide whether you're going to walk here or there a house divided amongst itself or inside Internally cannot stand it eventually will fall and you're going to find us Jesus repeating a similar idea in a few moments and In fact part of the the take take out or take home of the passage is that we need to decide.

Remember right back Israel had this problem and they are called to choose Who they going to serve. Are they going to serve God or are they going to serve the idols? Of Baal and that the idols of the of the nations and so a house divided amongst itself or against itself.

Cannot stand it will fall and so it's vital that we find Unity in our own hearts in terms of where we're headed that we're not going trying to walk in two different directions trying to walk two different paths and Constantly being at war with ourselves.

Because we can't make up our minds what we want to do and what we want to do. Where we want to go and so we need to find that unity we need to make sure that that there is no division within ourselves within our families within the body of Christ and that's as Far as our responsibility goes beyond that.

We can't do much more. All right. Now this 18 if Satan so now he's applying it to Satan. So that is true in every situation. But it is he's now particularly applying it to Satan and he's saying if Satan is divided against himself How will his kingdom stand?

Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. Now notice he is saying I cast out demons not just the demon that he had just cast out. But Jesus was casting out many demons. Clearly Jesus was at war with the devil and The kingdom of the devil and he was setting people free who were bound by demons who were bound by sin.

Who were bound by sickness and so Jesus was going about destroying the works of the devil and Jesus saying if you say I'm of the devil well. Then the devil is self-destructing. It's not going to be long then just leave me alone and it's not going to be long and the devil is going to be Sorted out because he's going to self-destruct.

Now obviously the devil is not that stupid. He's not going to self-destruct. He's not going to destroy himself. And so this is the first part of Jesus's argument. So Jesus is saying I can't be casting them out by By Beelzebub because then the devil would be divided against himself.

Obviously Jesus could say well because I'm God. That wasn't going to fly. They wouldn't accept that so he has to resort to other kinds of arguments. Verse 19. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub. By whom do your sons cast them out.

Now, we know that casting out demons was common at the time that it was something that. That the prophets did and that the priests also did and so when he says your sons He's meaning your people. So they were casting out demons, but we have we don't know how how lasting those Exorcisms were how effective they were.

But clearly they had some kind of reputation. It was clearly working for them to some extent or the other and so Jesus's argument is then what about your own people? Who cast out demons if I'm casting out demons by Beelzebub?

Well, then that's what they're doing and Clearly, you know the the the chickens come home to roost. He turns it back on them. So by saying well Jesus you're casting out demons by by by Satan by the chief of the demons well, then.

Then you're doing the same and obviously they were not going to go that way now. He says then but There's that important word again, but if I cast out demons with the finger of God. This is just another statement about the power of God by you know.

Remember the scripture speaks about God's mighty hand. Or he's strong arm. But in fact God doesn't even need a arm or a hand just the finger of God is Sufficient to deal with these things and he's saying if this is God's hand if this is God operating if this is God working then the kingdom of God has come upon you and that's where he stops and It's interesting that he leaves them to make the conclusion.

Because what did they just done? So Jesus saying I'm not doing it by Satan I'm doing it by the power of God if I'm doing it by the power of God then the kingdom of God Has come to you. And what have they done?

They've rejected the kingdom of God. They've made themselves not just rejecting but enemies of the kingdom of God they've set themselves in opposition to the work of God and That's a very very dangerous thing to do now it's important for us today to have discernment and to understand when God is operating and when other forces are operating and Remember that miracles that we see can be of all sorts of kinds.

Remember the devil transforms himself into an angel of light the devil performs miracles also. But he does them to deceive some of the miracles are not really miracles. They simply illusions, they're fake as some of them are mind over matter and Sometimes it's important for us to understand what's going on because it's easy to say well I'm going to follow this man because he performs miracles.

Well, it's not whether he performs miracles. It's whether he is performing miracles by the finger of God by the hand of God under God's power. If he is not then we should not be following him and we'll talk talk about the signs in more detail next week.

But it's but in that process one of the dangers in judging is the potential of throwing out a genuine work of God. Because it doesn't fit my ideas. Jesus was the real deal. Jesus was the Son of God. He's performing miracles by the power of God and yet they're saying he has a devil in another place.

Here they're saying he's doing this by the prince of devils and Of course, that's blasphemy. That's very very serious. So when we judge it's important that we judge righteously that we don't Attribute to the devil.

Something which is the work of God. I Fear though that the problem is really the reverse that in modern times more people are ascribing to God things that have nothing to do with God and That really are from the devil or that are fake, but that's the problem is.

How do I know the difference and the difference with Jesus. Clearly if you if you just arrived and and here's you you you don't know Jesus from anyone. He's you just come on the scene and there he is.

He's casting out demons and you say well, you know Who's this? What's he doing? Is it why what kind of power is he doing what he is doing? But if you knew who you were speaking about if you knew knew who you were dealing with.

You would understand that he is not doing it by the power of the devil. He's doing it by the power of God in other words if you'd listen to his preaching if you'd listen to what's his life and his testimony and Watched where he came from and listen to to what he says about God what he says about the Word of God.

And so the miracle is very difficult to judge on its own but the Agent of the miracle the one who causes or performs the miracle can be judged by his doctrine by his lifestyle by his background and when we look at all of these things we can Come to a clear conclusion.

Don't just look at the miracle or at the sign and say well, this is what it is. There is no way you can say just by the sign. You have to look at the background of the person and when you look at the background of Jesus There is no question by whose power he is doing what he is doing.

And so the kingdom of God has come upon you. So now he uses a another illustration to illustrate really the point of this whole lesson and He says when a strong man fully armed guards his own palace. Some translations use the word house the word there really is a stronghold.

It's it's it's more and that's why this translation uses the word palace. It's a it's a fortified place. It's not just an ordinary house, but it's a fortified place place. That is strong. So a strong man, he's fully armed and he guards his stronghold.

His goods are in peace meaning his goods are under his possession in his possession under his control. Everything is good but verse 22 There's that word again. But when a stronger then he comes upon him and overcomes him he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and He divides his spoils so he takes Control of the man the strong man and he takes everything that is under his control.

So who is the strong man? The devil is the strong man. Who is the one who is stronger than the devil. God or Jesus. That's the point that he is making. He is he is clearly saying two very important things.

The first is that the devil is strong. He is not saying when a weak man is Is overrun by a stronger man? No when a strong man is Overrun by an even stronger man. So the devil is strong. The devil has real power.

But God is more powerful. God is stronger and it's it's easy to be to be dismayed. It's easy to become fearful of the power of the devil when one looks at some of the stuff that goes on In in the world in which we're living and and I'm not just talking about demon possession.

I'm talking about the proliferation of evil in our society. I'm talking about how how our communities are breaking down how sin and and evil and wickedness is Increasing at a most incredible rate every day.

You're seeing the most. You're seeing more. More more sinful stuff going on. Greater and greater evil going on. Every day you hear about preachers doing the most terrible stuff. And you say what's going on?

The devil is winning. Yes. The devil is strong but God is stronger and God is able to control and he is able to gain the victory. That's the point that Jesus is making. He's saying yeah, the devil may be strong, but God is stronger.

Let's not trifle with the devil. Let's be careful of calling him old Nick or names like that. He is what the book of James calls a dignitary. He is powerful. I'm sorry Jude and Peter. He is he is powerful.

But he is not all powerful. God is stronger and what Jesus is saying is what you have seen here when I set this man free is that I took control of the devil and I was able to plunder his goods. What was his goods?

This man that he had taken possession of notice that he. He divides he spoils he the stuff that he is accumulated and he accumulates souls of people but when Jesus comes the devil's power is broken and Those who are bound by him are set free and that's what Jesus is saying, right?

Right there. So so what is Jesus saying in a way that we understand but they would not understand. Jesus is saying I'm God. Because I'm stronger than the devil. But there's only one that is stronger than the devil.

There is no there is no Army in this world. There is no government in this world. That is stronger than the devil. There is there is nothing except God and Jesus is saying I've acted by the finger of God by the hand of God and I have conquered the devil and I have set his possessions free.

I've made this man to go out free. And so That is that is something we must remember when we find ourselves. Wondering whether whether the devil is actually going to win this battle that's going on in in America and going on in the world today when we see sin and Perversion and and all sorts of terrible stuff just getting worse and worse and worse and it looks like the devil is going to win.

No, he's not going to win. He is not all powerful. God is more powerful and you remember the book of Revelation in the end Jesus wins. Jesus wins. Now before we move on. I must obviously speak about this passage because it is it is a very popular passage in certain churches today and What it does is it says that we Christians are the strong man or the stronger man and What we must do is bind the strong man.

Misusing “Binding the Strong Man”

The book of of mark. I think I have it here for you mark chapter 3 verse 27. No one can enter. This is Mark's version of the same story. No man can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man.

And then he will plunder his house. And so if you look up the phrase on the internet binding the strong man. You will find this idea all over out there. That what we need to do is that it is the devil who has possession of LA.

That has possession of Sun Valley who is can control. Yes, he is control in control in a sense because he is the god of this world. So what we need to do is we need to bind the strong man. We need to bind the devil and then once we have bound him then The the gospel can go forth and then the church can prove it can prosper and things can move ahead.

The problem is that we are not the one who is stronger than the strong man. And I know they'll say well, you know with God we're stronger. No, it's not with God. We are not stronger than the devil. We have no power within ourselves only God can bind him and In fact, the reality is that the devil has been bound a thousand times over the city of LA.

People have gone up to that hill up top there with the crosses and they have prayed over there and they bound the devil. But if someone said well, I want to know who keeps letting him loose. Because clearly he's not bound clearly he is doing better than ever.

Well, the good news is that Jesus conquered him at the cross and he is allowing him to continue yet a little while but the day will come when he will bind him and he will cast him into that bottomless pit and then ultimately into the lake Of fire so he will be bound.

He is not bound right now. But can he be bound can God bind him? Yes, he can bind him at any time. Yes, he binds him in local situations at local time and in specific situations. But as far as the city is concerned as far as the the the state is concerned as far as the country is concerned.

No, he is very much free and he's very much doing his thing. So we are not the stronger one than him. We do not have any control or any any instruction from Scripture to bind the devil. It's only God who can bind him because God is the one.

Remember the verse. When a stronger than he comes. When a stronger than he comes God is the one who is stronger than he. Now we get to the next passage on the next part in the same passage. Verse 23 He who is not with me is against me.

No Neutrality in Spiritual Conflict

You see now the problem here is that we have to read this whole passage together. And in fact what we're dealing with next week is also part of this. We tend to look at these verses in isolation. And of course, we we don't understand or we get into into wrong understandings.

He who is not with me is against me. What is the context what is he speaking about. He is speaking about the strong man and the one who is stronger than the strong man. He's talking about the devil and God.

Now he is saying He who is not with me in my struggle against or my battle against this devil against the strong man. He was he was not with me is against me. In other words, you're either on the stronger man's side.

Or you're on the strong man's side. You're either on god's side or the devil's side. There is no. As one commentator said there is no switzerland here. There is no neutral ground. There is no neutrality.

When it comes to these things. You are either on god's side or the devil's side. And that's the point that jesus is making and he is saying You need to choose. Remember the crowd is divided. Some are saying this is a great miracle.

Others are saying show us another sign so that we can we can get confirmation. Others are saying no. This is from the devil. Jesus is saying make up your minds where you're at. Are you with me or are you against me?

And folk that's obviously the point that we need to decide remember we spoke about the house divided against itself. And and here we have exactly the same the same Injunction and that is to make a decision are you With him or against him.

Or are you going to like that drunk guy walk with one foot in the gutter and one foot On the sidewalk and think that you can somehow get somewhere that way. No, jesus says there's only two sides here.

God's side the devil's side and if you're not with me you're against me. This is just the problem today is that there are there are so many people. And there are so many christians. Who who want to be neutral?

In the spiritual thing now, it's one thing to be neutral politically. But you cannot be neutral spiritually. You cannot be and say well i'm not going to choose sides. Because because I I enjoy the world and and the flesh and the and the devil I enjoy those things.

But but I I still want to go to heaven. I I want what god has. I want the peace and the forgiveness that comes from from god. But but I want to enjoy what the world offers. Jesus says you can't have it both ways.

Choose who you're going to serve if you're with me. Then you cannot be against me. And he who does not gather with me scatters. What is jesus gathering? He's gathering souls. Remember, he's preaching to build the church to build the kingdom and he is gathered gathering souls.

He's gathering people. Not just for the sake of people like modern preachers do but souls for eternity souls for the kingdom. And jesus says if you're not actively working towards the gathering of souls.

Then you are scattering now, that's a shocking thought. Because I think the vast majority of christians say well, you know, I I i'm not preaching the gospel, but i'm not preaching against the gospel. I i'm not i'm not witnessing but i'm not witnessing against.

And jesus says no you need to decide. Either you're witnessing or you're not either you're gathering or you're scattering. But clearly he's saying there is no there is no middle ground. There is no neutrality.

Now, why does he say that here? Because it is in the context of the fact. That we're involved in a spiritual war. You see. We we when we're not at war. Then there are all sorts of different rules. But when we're at war.

And you you recognize that the government has been saying for some time that this this this battle with covid is is a war. They're using wartime. Language, they they're using wartime. Legislation. To fight this thing.

In other words what we have here is something which is at a different level. To just ordinary day-to-day life living. We're at war. Our nation is at stake. Our lives are at stake. The economy is at stake.

And the war is with the virus. Unfortunately, the war seems to have tended up between people. But you can. That's not the point i'm trying to make the point i'm trying to make is is if we're in a war.

On a war footing if we're if we're saying we're we're not in peacetime right now, but we're at war. There's an intensity. It means that resources need to be shifted. From one area to another area. It means that there needs to be a focus and a dedication.

You you can't go to war half-heartedly. You can't go to war and say you remember israel tried that they went to against the city. Called ai and they said oh, it's a small city. We'll just send out a couple of thousand guys.

You know what happened? They got beaten up horribly. War has to be an all-in effort. And jesus is saying we're at war not against covid or against Whatever. We're at war against the devil. He's at war against us.

He is plundering. He's building his kingdom. He's gathering souls. And if we are not on jesus's side plucking souls from hell plucking souls from darkness from satan's power. Then we are. On the other side there is no neutrality.

The question is where are you at today verse 24? Here's another another Event and again, we read these things in isolation. And I see i'm running out of time verse 24 when an unclean spirit a demon Goes out of a man.

Spiritual Emptiness and Returning Temptation

He goes through dry places seeking rest and finding none. He says I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself.

And they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man is worse than the first. Now I think you get the picture. I don't need to go into details as far as these demons are concerned but again We we tend to apply this to demons only and yet there is a principle.

And I believe that that principle Is more relevant to us this morning than the specifics of a demon being thrown out. And nothing being put in its place now. Now, what is he? So, let me let me just connect it with a previous story.

What is jesus saying? In the light of what has just happened? He's saying i've cast a demon out of this man. If this man does not fill his house with something else. Then the demons will come back. Now what is it that this man needs to put in its place.

Well, well who was in his house before? His body who was in his remember body is temple a house a tent. So who was in his house before the devil? Now he's thrown out. He says he's going to come back. You better put something in his place.

And it's no good putting another devil in there because he's not going to stand against another devil. You have to put one who is stronger than he. In other words you need to put the lord in his place.

And when the lord occupies that house can the reverse of the story of the strong man happen? If a stronger man occupies the house. Can a strong man come and take possession of the house? No, he cannot because he is weaker.

And that's what jesus is saying. Is this no good just casting our demons? But the those people need to be inhabited by the spirit of god. But I think that the principle applies not just to those of us who may have been demon possessed.

But those who are unbelievers unsaved. Who filled our lives with sin? And with the flesh and with the things of the world. And then we turn to the lord. And we repent of all of those things we we get rid of all of those things.

But we don't fill the house again with the lord. So now the house is swept and it's clean and it's empty. We're not doing the stuff that we used to do. But the house is empty. The stuff will come back.

Unless you fill the house with the lord. That's the point. And folk that's why so many christians struggle in their christian life. Because yeah. They turn away from sin and they and often in their own strength by their own willpower are able to clean Up their act able to get rid of habits and addictions and stuff in the world.

But in fact, they've not filled their house their life with god. With a word of god with the spirit of god and so the house is empty. And in and and as much as as the the principle of a stronger man. Being able to conquer a strong man.

Here's another principle spiritual in the spiritual realm. There is no room for a vacuum. We know that that's a principle in natural science. That nature does not tolerate a vacuum. If you suck the air out of something.

Then nature will try to put air back or something back in there. So you put the thing under the water and if there's a little hole. Water will fill back in or air will fill back in. In the same as true spiritual.

We cannot have a spiritual vacuum. And that's the problem as many christians are living in spiritual vacuums. Or they are spiritual vacuums. Yeah, they've thrown out the bad stuff, but they've put nothing in its place.

And what's going to happen is the bad stuff and even worse is going to come back again. We need to fill ourselves with the things of god. You see when we when we're struggling with specific issues whether it be Addictions or lifestyle or ways of thinking or whatever it is.