Tag Archives: Lent 3

Keep Keeping – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday of Lent

Luke 11:14–28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” That is why the demons try to make our Lord mute after He opened the lips of this mute man.

Demons are persistent. They don’t just give up and throw in the towel. Jesus casts out a demon that stopped a man’s lips from declaring God’s praise. But as soon as Jesus loosened that man’s tongue, the demons regrouped because people started wondering if Jesus was the promised Messiah and Son of David (Mt. 12:23), the One whose kingdom and throne would be established forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Is. 11:1-10). The demons don’t want people believing that, so they quickly marshaled together. They influenced some of the unbelievers who surrounded Jesus to accuse Jesus of casting out demons only by the power of the prince of demons.

This gives us some insight into the tactics and strategy that demons still use today. Notice, they do notattack the reality of the miracle. They do not try to minimize what happened and say that Jesus is tricking everyone. “Well, Jesus planted that mute guy. They were working together. That guy could actually speak, and Jesus just used him to make it look like He had power over demons.” That’s not what they do. Instead, Satan and the demons flip things upside down by calling evil good and good evil (Is. 5:20). Here they take a good thing, casting out a demon, and call it “evil.”

We see this same demonic relabeling of evil and good all around us today. Today, people will say that if a woman can’t murder her baby in the womb, then that woman, somehow, isn’t equal to a man. That’s demonic. Today, people will say that the rioting and stealing that goes on at various times and places in our country is a good thing because those people are oppressed. That’s demonic too. People will say that having pornographic literature in school libraries for young children is necessary so other children with mental disorders don’t kill themselves. Again, totally, completely demonic. I’m not saying that people who are arguing for those things are demons, but they are being influenced by and are tools of the demons.

The cosmic powers over this present darkness (Eph. 6:12) continue to use these tactics to silence you, Christian. The spiritual forces of evil want to mute you and your tongue so they can be at peace and go about their malicious activities. That’s what they did with the crowds here in this text, and they continue to do that in our culture today.

Again, the accusation that Jesus only has power over demons is because He is in league with the devil is completely irrational, and Jesus highlights that absurdity. But the thing to notice here is that the demons’ goal with this accusation is still the same. They want to silence, they want to mute, they want to make Jesus shut His mouth and stop talking. Jesus has set this man’s lips free, so they can’t silence the man anymore. They acquire a new target and try to silence Jesus. But they couldn’t silence Him either. So, now, they try to silence you, Christian.

Today, demons still want to silence you – especially when it comes to making distinctions between what is right and wrong, what is good and evil, what is righteous and what is sinful.

Dear saints, God’s Word has always made distinctions. In creation, God’s Word made distinctions when He separated light from darkness (Gen. 1:4), when He separated the land from the sea (Gen. 1:9-10), when He made different plants and animals each according to its kind (Gen. 1:11, 21, 24-25), and when He set mankind over it all (Gen. 1:26-27). But remember that in those separations and distinctions that God was putting creation into order. Satan and the demons work to bring disorder and chaos to the places where God has created order. There is no peace when God’s Word is silenced. That is why God was at work through Jesus, the Word who became flesh, to put things back into order and in their proper place.

This fallen world resists the order that God’s Word brings because it is influenced by demons. One of the goals of the evil one is to silence, but God is the God who speaks. Because God speaks, His people also speak. God wants you to speak and confess boldly. And what should you speak and confess?

First, God wants us to speak to Him that we are poor sinners who are by nature, sinful and unclean in thought, word, and deed. God wants us to confess that we need saving. He wants us to confess that Jesus came to bring the redemption we needed through His death and resurrection. As we speak and confess that, God listens and forgives.

Then, God sends us out as those who confess His saving name to others. God wants others to know what you know, to believe what you believe, and to receive what you have received so more lives would be set right and put back into order again. God calls you to speak. 

So, how will you respond when the forces of evil throw their accusations at you? Will you remain faithful? Will you be willing, like Elijah was, to be called the troubler of his nation (1 Kgs. 18:17)? Will you confess Jesus before others as Jesus confesses you before His Father in heaven (Mt. 10:32)? I pray that is the case for all of us because there is no peace apart from the peace that God’s Word brings.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” Both of those are present tense. It could be translated, “Blessed are those who are continually hearing the Word of God and are continually keeping it.” Blessed are you who hold on to the Word of God and treasure it above all other things in this life. God’s Word not only puts everything into order, it gives life here and now (Jn. 5:24; 1 Tim. 6:12), and it also gives life in the world to come. 

Dear saints, hear God’s Word and keep it. Hold on to it. Continually hear and keep keeping it. Because Jesus promises that when you stand trial before anyone – even authorities, kings, and rulers in this world – you do not need to be anxious of what you are to say because the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you are to say (Lk. 12:11-12).

So, remember that this doesn’t depend on you. It depends on God and His Word. Jesus has set you apart and made you a member of His kingdom. He has made you holy and placed you in His holy family. And He invites you now to find nourishment for your journey through this world because the tasks are beyond your own strength to handle (1 Kgs. 19:7). So, God feeds you now with supernatural food. He gives you His own Body and Blood given and shed for the forgiveness of all your sins. Here, you have what you need to keep keeping God’s Word. And here you receive all the blessings that come with it. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Unmuted – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday of Lent

Luke 11:14–28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

The past few weeks including today, the Scripture readings have had us considering temptation, the devil’s work, and demons. Even though we might prefer to think about other things, Jesus wants us to know about and beware of the devil and the demons. Christ takes demons seriously. Our Lord doesn’t spend a lot of time warning us about our finances, sickness, or wars. But Jesus regularly and repeatedly warns against false doctrine and against demons. So, demons will be part of our focus today because that is what the text has for us.

Almost everything we know about demons comes from the New Testament. Demons are creatures; they are fallen angels. They, just like everything else, were created by God, and we know that they were initially created good because when God looked over everything He created, He saw that it was good (Gen. 1:31). Satan, who is nothing more than the chief demon, led the rest of the demons in rebellion against God. Demons are real, powerful, malicious, and malevolent. Scripture calls them the “cosmic powers over this present darkness” and the “spiritual entities of evil” (Eph. 6:12). But even if they all worked together, they would not have more power than God. They all flee from and melt before God’s Word.

Now, I want to clear something up from the sermon last week, but I want to preface it with this: If you ever have a question about anything I preach, please feel free to talk with me about it. I am not immune from preaching incorrectly. So, if you ever hear anything from my mouth as I preach or teach that doesn’t line up with Scripture, please point it out to me. And I’ve said this before, and it’s time to say it again. If you find that I am preaching contrary to Scripture and won’t receive correction, run me out of here for the sake of your soul.

In last week’s sermon I went off script for a bit and said that the demons, “are God’s demons.” I was very politely asked about that statement, and I want to make sure that statement isn’t misunderstood. God does not direct the demons to torment us. God tempts no one with evil (Jam. 1:13). To anyone who got that impression, please forgive me. That is not what I was trying to convey, and I should have been clearer than I was. What was meant by that is that the demons are completely under God’s control, and they cannot do anything unless God allows it. We know this because even Satan had to get God’s permission to torment Job (Job 1:6-12, 2:1-6). The other thing we should see is that God can even use the attacks and assaults of demons to bring about good. God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Ro. 8:28) – even the work of demons.

Now, to this Gospel text. We don’t learn about the tactics of demons here, but we do learn about one of their objectives or goals. A demon has made a man mute. Other places in the Gospels, demons will make people throw their bodies around (Mk. 5:1-5, 9:25-27) and speak through their voices (compare Mk. 5:7, 9). Demons seem to want to influence people in certain ways. Again, here the issue is this man is unable to speak. One of the reasons demons want us to be mute is that with the heart one believes and with the mouth he confesses and is saved (Ro. 10:10).

The demons do not want us to confess or praise Christ. They want us to be silent – especially when it comes to God’s Word. Demons do not want us to speak up for the unborn, about marriage existing only between a man and a woman, or even about the God-created differences between men and women. None of those are things are “political.” If you think those are only political issues, it shows that the demons are gaining ground over your thinking about those things. Satan and the demons want us to think that moral issues are merely political issues. Dear saints, Scripture and theology should be used in all aspects of life. Abortion, marriage, and gender issues are not political issues. Not even climate change is a political issue. God promised that until Christ returns to make all things new, “seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22). God does call us to take good care of the creation He has given us, but we cannot destroy it. We aren’t that powerful, and thinking we are is a form of idolatry. But the demons want to make us mute on a whole host of topics so they can deceive the whole world.

All of us, at times, have fallen into the demonic temptation of being mute. Instead of speaking the truth in love, we fear losing friends, offending family members, or missing out on a promotion. Instead of fearing God, we fear being called judgmental, bigoted, sexist, homophobic, etc. The world needs Christians to speak the truth out loud now more than ever.

And, dear saints, here is why you can be bold when it comes to the truth. The demons are real, terrible, malicious, and dangerous, but they are also utterly defeated. Jesus says that He casts out demons by the finger of God. By His death and resurrection, Christ has disarmed the demons and put them to open shame (Col. 2:15). Jesus is the stronger man who has defeated Satan and all of the demons. And because Christ has won the victory over them, we can easily defeat them too. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

To see how defeated the demons are, pay attention to the little parable Jesus tells in this text. He says that when a strong man (and there Jesus is referring to the devil), who is fully armed guards (and keep that word ‘guards’ in the back of your mind because it comes up again in a little bit) his house (which is the world), his goods (I.e. sinners) are safely under his lordship. But Jesus says that when one stronger than him (and Jesus is referring to Himself) comes and attacks him, Christ takes away his armor, and divides the spoil (and that is you).

Just think about that. Jesus says that He has come to rob the devil’s house and you are the spoils, the treasure, the plunder that Jesus wants to rescue out of the devil’s cellar. Christ has won, redeemed, purchased, and grabbed you from the devil’s clutches. All by the power of His finger. And Christ opens your lips to declare His praise (Ps. 51:15) and the truth. He has pulled you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

So how do you know if you are in the kingdom of God or in the kingdom of the devil? Well, Jesus answers that. A woman says to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nursed you.” Now, Mary was certainly blessed. She is the mother of our Lord. But Jesus says, even better than being His mother is to hear the Word of God and keep it. Though you were guarded by Satan, Jesus has come and rescued you with His finger transferring you into His kingdom. Now, you keep – which is the same word Jesus used to describe what Satan, the strong man, did with his goods he guarded and kept them. Now, you keep and guard the Word that Jesus used to deliver you from Satan.

With His little finger, Jesus destroys the stronghold and armor of the devil and claims you as His own. And He will never leave you or forsake you. Instead, Christ guards and keeps you now and for all eternity. This is why keeping, guarding, confessing, being unmuted when it comes to God’s Word is so important. With the shield of faith, you are able to quench all the flaming darts of the evil one (Eph. 6:16). Your voice unmuted and you open your lips so that you can boldly proclaim the excellences of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). May God grant us the boldness to speak the truth in love. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Disturbing the Peace – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday in Lent

Luke 11:14-28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

This text is so full and rich, I could easily preach 847 sermons on it, but you’re only going to get one today. To some of you, “Sorry,” and to the rest of you, “You’re welcome.” Today, we’re mainly going to focus on the little parable that Jesus tells in v. 21-22 and then carry what we learn there to the blessing that Jesus gives to you in v. 28. But to do that, let’s quickly highlight a few things from the opening of the reading to get the context.

Jesus has cast out a demon that made a man mute. Some of the people marvel at this exorcism, but some (Mt. 12:24 tells us that they are Pharisees) say that it is only by the power of Beelzebul, which was a name for the devil, that Jesus can do this. Earlier this week, Anna asked me what text I was going to be preaching on I summarized the text. When I told her about the Pharisees’ accusation that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of demons, she said, “That’s so dumb.” Yup. And Jesus addresses the absurdity (v. 17-20). Then, He says something very important to set up the parable. “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” The grammar there makes it clear that Jesus says that it is, indeed, by God’s finger that He casts out demons which means that the kingdom of God has arrived. Christ the King is bringing the kingdom of God with Him as He throws out the demons He has defeated. Then, Jesus tells everyone what is going with this little parable.

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than [the strong man] attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides the spoil.” Let’s dissect this. The strong man with all his armor is the devil, the palace that the devil is guarding is the entire world which is under his power, and the goods that he is guarding are all sinners. Until Christ claims us as His own, we were under the rulership of Satan and the demons. Col. 1:16 says, “[God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”

Now, please don’t misunderstand this. Typically, when we think of people demons influencing people, scenes from the movie The Exorcist come to our minds. We do see that a few times in the Gospels. In this text, the demon makes the man mute. In Mt. 17:14-15, there is a demon-possessed boy who is repeatedly thrown into fire and water. Or the man who was possessed by the demon, Legion, who lived among tombs and could not be bound (Mk. 5:2-5). But that type of extreme demonic possession is extremely rare in Scripture; in fact, it never happens in the entire Old Testament. We only see it a few times in the Gospels and a couple of times in the book of Acts (16:16-18, 19:15-16). Most of the time, the Bible links what we think of as common illness with unclean spirits (Mt. 4:24, 8:16, 10:1; Mk. 1:32-34, 6:13; Lk. 9:1; Act. 5:16, 19:12). I’ve got a whole slew of references for that, and if you’re interested, just ask me after the service.

So yes, this extreme demonic possession does happen, but it is rare. What we do regularly see, throughout Scripture, is demonic influence and temptations. Just think of Job. When the devil went after Job, it was manifest with loss of property, children, and health. Because Job’s friends and wife only see that and can’t see that the devil is behind all of this, they wrongly think that Job has some secret sin that he must confess and repent. But they’re just plain wrong.

So, for you Christians here today, remember demons are real, and they do pester us trying to get us to fall into unbelief. But normally, they do so with things that disguise their evil intent. But Scripture helps us see through their disguise. It is right to recognize that the pandemic, the divisions in our families and country, and the wars and rumors of wars[1] are all demonic. And it is right to see every stolen car; every case of cancer; and every addiction, struggle, temptation, and fear we have as a demonic attack. Recognizing this will help us do two things. One, it will drive us to prayer, and two, it will help us to have sympathy and patience when others wrong us instead of hating them.

Now, the eeriest part of this little parable is the condition of those who are guarded by the devil. Our translation reads, “his goods are safe,” which makes it sound like Jesus is saying there that the devil’s very powerful in his armor and palace. But that isn’t what Jesus is highlighting with that phrase. What Jesus says there is literally, “his goods are in peace.” The picture is that those under the control of the devil are content, safely tucked away, and quietly and lying there with no desire to leave the devil’s palace. Those who are under the control of the devil and his demons have grown so accustomed to being under his watchful eye with his strong armor that they don’t like it when they see Jesus, the stronger man, stripping the devil of all his protection and leaving him in nothing but his underwear. Those under the guardianship of Satan don’t like seeing their fellow goods are being plundered and taken away.

But, dear saints, here is the good news: Christ has come to disturb the evil, demonic peace of Satan’s kingdom. In fact, the devil has been dealt a fatal blow; his head has been crushed by Jesus, the promised Seed of Eve (Gen. 3:15). And as the days get more and more evil, that evil is a sign of Christ’s victory over all the forces of darkness. The kingdom and domain of Satan is chaotic today precisely because Christ come bringing the kingdom of God with Him. The kingdom of God disrupts the peace of the devil’s goods and brings true peace. What the crowd was witnessing in this text – and, quite frankly, what we are witnessing today – is not some demons fighting against other demons trying to see who is the strongest. Instead, we are witnessing Satan being unseated. Jesus is the stronger man who flicks away the demons with His finger and brings God’s true peace.

Dear saints, the battle is won. You are the prize, the treasure, and the spoil. Christ has come and given His life for you. His blood covers you and cleanses you as a bride adorned for her husband (Eph. 5:25-27, Rev. 21:2). The war has been won by the Word of God. The Word of God speaks you righteous and clean, which brings us to that final verse.

Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.” We know what it is to hear God’s Word, but what does it mean to ‘keep’ it? A lot of times, we think to ‘keep’ God’s Word is equivalent to obeying it. Yes, of course, we absolutely should obey God’s commands. But the devil wants you to think that only those who perfectly keep God’s commands are blessed so you think this blessing of Jesus isn’t for you. In other words, Satan wants to steal this blessing from you and make you think it doesn’t really apply to you. But the devil is a liar.

The word that Jesus uses here for ‘keep’ is the exact same word Jesus used to describe what the strong man did with his goods in v. 21 – he ‘guarded’ and protected them. Jesus’ blessing reads like this, “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and guard it.”

Dear saints, Jesus calls you to a life of faith which wars against the demons by guarding the promises God has spoken to you. So, hear God’s Word and guard it, hold on to it, and treasure it. That is precisely what you are doing now. As you sit there listening to this sermon, you are engaging in spiritual warfare, and the devil is losing. So, keep listening, keep learning, keep repenting, believing, and trusting that God is good and that He loves you and has bought and won you through Christ’s death and resurrection because He has.

The spiritual warfare you are called to is made up of the little things of hearing God’s Word, coming to church, attending Bible study, talking with your children about God, and praying. In these quiet, simple things, the devil is stripped of his armor and his goods are plundered. By hearing and guarding God’s Word, you set up a barrier and sanctuary for yourself and your children. When you hear and guard God’s Word, you are engaging the enemy and reinforcing the defenses of the saints.

It doesn’t matter how strong the forces of evil appear to be. They have lost. Jesus has come bringing His kingdom with Him. Christ flicks away the demons like flies. Their demonic peace has been disturbed by Jesus. And He has freely given you true, eternal, abiding, and everlasting peace. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] The wars and rumors of wars are demonic even though they are signs that Jesus gives us to be looking for His return (Mt. 24:6, Mk. 13:7) and should cause us to raise up our heads because it means our redemption is drawing near (Lk. 21:28).

Disarmed – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday in Lent

Listen here.

Luke 11:14-28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus casts out a demon, and when the Pharisees see it (see Mt. 12:22-24), they foolishly say that Jesus is only able to cast out demons by using the power of Satan. Lord, have mercy. “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Is. 5:20).

When people reject God, they also end up rejecting His standards of right and wrong, and most unfortunately they reject His mercy. But they still know that there is such a thing as right and wrong. So, they will do all sorts of mental gymnastics to fill the void of the true standards, God’s own standards, of right and wrong. And when they do this they sound like a crazy person.

This plays out in our readings this week when they show these two different reactions to God’s mighty hand at work. The ones who rightly understand God’s work are the least you would expect while those who reject God’s hand at work are those who should have recognized it. In our Old Testament lesson (Ex. 8:16-24), Pharaoh’s pagan sorcerers see the terrible plague of judgment through the gnats that were swarming all over, but they rightly conclude, “This is the finger of God.” Then here in our Gospel lesson, the Pharisees see Jesus being kind and gracious, mercifully casting out a demon by the finger of God, but they reject God’s work. Instead, they attribute Christ’s power and mercy to the workings of the devil.

If they had given it two seconds of thought, the Pharisees would have seen their accusation that Jesus is an agent of Satan is absolutely foolish – not only because Jesus is doing things that only God can do – but because their conclusion is completely devoid of any sound thinking and reason. But they didn’t think their accusation through. They prefer to stubbornly deny that Jesus is God in the flesh rather than acknowledging God’s mercy which is staring them in the face.

This darkened, thoughtless, irrational mindset is what we are seeing play out in our culture today. God is always at work in this world. But people who reject God are always inventing other explanations for what happens in creation no matter how ridiculous or ludicrous or silly it sounds. When someone is diagnosed with terminal cancer but then, suddenly, the cancer is gone, some will say, “It’s a medical miracle.” No, it’s God at work, healing and restoring that person, and Christians will rightly attribute that healing to God’s action and mercy. The more we learn about creation, the more we see how wonderfully and intricately God made all things. But atheists still attribute everything to random chance – which takes a lot more faith than believing in a creator.

The other side of this coin (I’ve been thinking about this for a few weeks, and I hope my thoughts here are coherent enough) the other side of this coin is what we are seeing in the “cancel culture.” When people reject God, they also reject His holiness and purity. They lose any and all standards of right and wrong. But they know there is such a thing as right and wrong, so they look for another, false sense of holiness and purity, of right and wrong, but they have to make it up themselves out of their own design and imagination. And this leads us to a place where there is no objective standard or mutual agreement on what is right and good and what is bad and evil.

For example, our culture celebrates and awards all sorts of sinful, vile, disgusting, and, frankly, demonic things in music, television, movies, and online while they will reject and cancel Huck Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Dr. Suess, the Muppets, and Mr. Potato Head. It’s why some vandalism is called ‘peaceful protests’ and some is called riots and insurrection. (And please know that I’m not promoting either. I’m just pointing out the double standard.) It’s why you will have a person condemning injecting hormones into cattle (not because of dietary concerns, but because the rights of cattle are being violated). Then, that same person will turn around and celebrate injecting hormones into boys who think they are girls and vice versa. It’s why someone will call and write their representatives to protect the eggs of bald eagles and sea turtles (which is just fine), but then march for the right to kill babies in their mothers’ wombs.

So all of that is just pointing out how made up standards of right and wrong is bad enough. But let’s take it a step further. When popular opinion is the standard for right and wrong the most devastating thing that happens is that any sense of forgiveness or mercy is gone. And this is what we are seeing. If you go against the imaginary morals determined by nothing more than popular consensus, no amount of apologizing will result in forgiveness. Whatever goes against the made up, shifting, demonic morals of popular opinion has to be cancelled because there is no absolution. Mercy becomes a completely foreign concept.

The end result of all this is that people’s actions are insane. There’s no less harsh way to say it. And the scariest thing is that most people are totally at peace living in that quagmire of folly. Jesus actually addresses how they are at peace in their backwards thoughts in the little parable He tells in v. 21-22.

Again, Jesus says there, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.”

Jesus gives us a picture of something very important. He has us imagine a strong man with lots of armor. Picture a mountain of a man, a knight or a champion, with strong, thick armor – an imposing, dangerous, well protected warrior. And he is standing in front of a palace protecting it because the goods in that palace are very important to him. And Jesus says that this strong man’s goods are “safe.” But the Greek there is a little euphemism. It literally reads his goods are ‘in peace.’ In other words, the goods that this strong man is guarding aren’t going to walk away or escape. Instead, they are ‘in peace,’ so the strong man doesn’t have to have his head on a swivel and focus on everything going on around him. Instead, he can direct all his attention to protecting his palace and goods from intruders who would take his goods away. Everything in the palace is buttoned up and he only needs to protect what he has.

But then, suddenly, a stronger man comes and attacks the strong man, strips him of his armor, and leaves the strong man with nothing but his underwear. And the stronger man is robbed of his goods and spoil. That’s the picture.

Now, remember, Jesus is saying this in the context of having just cast out a demon that made the person mute. For some reason, this type of demon was considered especially difficult to cast out. (I don’t know why, so don’t ask.) But Jesus simply casts the demon out so the man can speak. Here, in this little parable, Jesus explains what is going on when He drives out demons.

The strong man with all his armor is the devil. And the palace that the devil is guarding is the entire world which is under his power. The goods that he is guarding are all sinners – even you and me. We were under the rulership of the devil. And the eeriest part of this little parable is when Jesus says that the goods are ‘in peace.’ It’s a false peace, but the goods don’t mind that. Those under the control of the devil, according to Jesus, are in peace, safely tucked away and quietly and contentedly lying there with no desire to leave the devil’s palace.

This is the saddest part of that text, and it shows us how serious our condition is before Christ plunders us. Jesus, the stronger man, has come and is plundering the devil’s goods which were at peace. He’s rescued this demonized, mute man. But this makes the other goods that are under the devil’s control – specifically here it is the Pharisees – uneasy. They want to remain there under the control of the devil and at peace (which, again, isn’t true peace at all, but it’s what they think of as peace). They have grown so accustomed to being under the watchful eye of the devil with his armor that they don’t like it when they see the strong man stripped of all his protection and left in nothing but his underwear while their fellow goods are being plundered and taken away.

Two weeks ago, we heard how Jesus battled the devil in the wilderness when He was tempted. Jesus already demonstrated His power there when He overcame the devil’s temptations. Throughout His ministry, Jesus cast out demons and was taking back the goods that were in that false sense of peace in the devil’s palace and giving them God’s true peace that surpasses all understanding. And Jesus completely disarms of the devil when He liberates all captive sinners by His cross, death, and resurrection.

So, Jesus has defeated the devil and has taken you, the spoil, fulfilling a familiar text, Is. 53:12. Because Jesus poured out His soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors, God says, “I will divide him a portion with the many, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong.” Dear saints, the devil is completely disarmed and utterly powerless over you because of what your Savior has done.

I promised in my sermon on Wednesday night to address this. What was the armor that made the devil seem so strong and imposing? The strength of the devil, as best as we can conclude, is our sin and our guilt. That’s his armor and strength. Every time that we sin, we give the devil power over us. The devil’s power isn’t that he can do a lot of mean, evil things. We know that the devil is limited in his evil by God from the opening chapters of the book of Job. God has to remove His protection from around Job for the devil to have any access to him. And even still, God doesn’t let the devil do whatever he wants (Job 2:6). Instead, the devil’s power is the guilt of humanity. Because of God’s Law, which we sinners have broken, the devil has a just claim to own us. That is where Satan’s power lies.

But now that power is gone. Dear saints, Jesus has come and removed your sin and guilt. He has stripped away any of the devil’s accusations against you. Beelzebul, that lord of the flies and king of the dung heap, has been disarmed. Your guilt is atoned for and your sin is taken away. The devil has no armor and is completely helpless. As we often sing, “When Satan tempts [you] to despair and tells [you] of the guilt within, upward [you] look and see Him there who made an end to all [your] sin. Because the sinless Savior died, [your] sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon [you].” You are the treasure, the spoil, that Christ has won for Himself. God be praised!

I want to close with a final thought, then, about evangelism and witnessing today. When you encounter people who reject God and His mercy and His holiness and try to replace it with their own ideas of right and wrong, there is nothing more for you to do than to be faithful to what God’s Word says. I can’t give you specific advice on how to handle each situation. But with gentleness and love, point out the truths of God’s Word.

Show others how shallow and empty it is to be in the devil’s palace. It won’t be easy. They’re not going to want to hear it. Remember, they are in peace and totally content in the palace. But you, dear saints, can show them the peace of Christ who has disarmed and stripped the devil of his armor. You can proclaim Christ’s cross and empty tomb which gives true and eternal peace with God.

And to encourage you in this, hear again how our Epistle lesson (Eph 5:1-9) closed, “At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true).” Dear saints, you are (notice this isn’t an exhortation to become something) you are light in the Lord. Faithfully walk as children of the light as you hold fast to what is good and right and true. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

No Empty Houses – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday of Lent

Listen here.

Luke 11:14-28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

In 2014, it had been about two years of me waking up feeling more tired than when I had gone to bed. At my loving wife’s urging, I went to the doctor to request a referral for a sleep study. I remember the doctor saying, “Well, you’re not old, and you’re not overweight. I don’t think you have apnea, but I’ll refer you for the sleep study.” A couple weeks later, I went down to Altru Specialty Center to spend the night. When I checked in, the nurse who would be monitoring me met me and said, “You’re not old, and you’re not overweight. I doubt you have apnea.” But she dutifully brought me to a room and proceeded to put all the little sensors on my body, head, and beard. A couple hours later, I went to sleep. Less than an hour after that, she woke me up and said, “Put this on.” It was a cushion that covered my nose and blasted air into my nostrils. I hated it. It took me about an hour to figure out how to breathe with it and another hour to fall asleep once again. I only slept for four more hours, but it was the best sleep I had had in years.

The next morning, she unhooked the wires from my head and body. The nurse said I could expect to hear from the doctor in a few days. When I went to that appointment, this new doctor said to me, “Well, you’re not old and you’re not overweight, but you definitely have sleep apnea. We will write things up and get everything to your insurance so you can have a CPAP machine.”

Finally, two weeks after that appointment, I was told I could go to Yorhom and get the machine. The technician who instructed me on its usage said, “You’re not old and you’re not overweight, but this should help you feel better.”

CPAP MaskThe CPAP means that a hose dictates how I can move when I turn at night. It means that, when I lie on my side, I have to adjust how the mask fits on my face and doesn’t get moved off my nose by my pillow. It means that I can’t fall asleep having a conversation with my wife. There are mornings that I wake up and have to unwrap the hose from around my neck. But in the six years since I started using that machine, there have only been just over a handful of nights that I have slept without that mask blasting air into my nostrils. I still don’t always like to use it. I wish there were some sort of medicine or a shot I could take, but such a thing doesn’t exist. Sometimes, I wish I could use the machine one night a month or one night a week and be fine, but it doesn’t work that way. I know that if I don’t use that mask and machine each night, I won’t rest or be able to function like I should.

Sorry for the long story, but there is a point and it is connected to the text. Here’s how:

Imagine how frustrated Jesus gets with us when we think that we can simply get a dose of His grace and mercy and then move on with our lives until we recognize or feel the need to take another dose. Imagine how frustrated Jesus gets with us when we think all we need is an occasional shot of the Holy Spirit when He desires that we have the daily and eternal presence of the Holy Spirit in our heart.

You see, your problem is not that you sin every now and then. Your problem is that the devil has essentially taken up residence in your heart. That’s what Jesus means when He says, “When an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it seeks but finds no rest it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’” The devil has led you into sin and possesses you. That problem can, obviously, be solved. Jesus, the one who is stronger than the strong man devil, expels Satan. And Jesus doesn’t leave you simply as an empty vessel because the house of your heart won’t stay empty. Instead, the Holy Spirit comes and resides within you, and this means that you need to continually receive the Holy Spirit because He can be pushed out. You can neglect God’s good gifts, and the Holy Spirit can be resisted so that He leaves.

Assailed by DemonsWhen this happens, your last state is worse than your first because as Jesus says, the demons come, it finds the house (you) swept and put in order. Then that evil spirit brings seven other spirits more evil than itself.

Throughout your lives, you find yourself in the position of thinking that it would be enough if God would just drive out the devil. And praise God that He does. However, that isn’t the end of the matter. Don’t forget that your house won’t stay empty. If you turn away from the Word that fills you with the Holy Spirit, the devil is going to come back worse then he was before. Don’t think that because you believe today that you will tomorrow.

Read. Study. Meditate on the Scriptures. Make the Bible more important to you today than it was yesterday. Don’t think that you can bring your kids to Sunday School and Confirmation and think they’ll be ok. Don’t be lulled into thinking that is enough Jesus for them.

The greatest threat to you and your children isn’t from terrorism, war, or a virus. The thousands of kids who grow up thinking that they were raised to be Christian because they were taken to church a few times a year. Those same people then go and read five out-of-context verses from some atheist blog thinking they know everything about what Christians believe. They are the very ones who are going to be the most likely to draw your children away from the faith.

But also be comforted because that is much less likely to happen if you train your children now to be in the Scriptures. To be in the very place that the Holy Spirit continues to work in their hearts and lives. That very Word of God is where God fills the house of your heart and theirs with the Holy Spirit and with treasures that cannot be spoiled.

You need to hear this today. There is a lot of uncertainty in our world and country right now. And while there are no plans to stop holding regular services here, it is possible that option might be taken from us. The devil is working very hard to bring enough uncertainty and fear to our society – and to Christians especially – that they would be tempted to think being at church and within the fellowship of the Body of Christ is not essential.

All Saints gathered around the throneRight now, we Christians need one another. Those who do not have faith in Christ need us as well. They need us to comfort them with the very same that we have in Christ. They need to know there is something more than this life. They need to know that Christ is coming back. They need to know that the One who is returning is the very one who shed His holy and precious blood for them. That very blood of Christ is the medicine they need to be freed from the devil’s tyranny over the house of their heart. They need to know that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away their sin.

Dear saints, today know that the house of your heart won’t stay empty. Know that the stronger man is on your side. And know that He desires all to be saved, and this may be the time He uses to call them to repentance and faith. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The Last State – Sermon on Luke 11:14-28 for the Third Sunday in Lent

Listen here.
[Apologies for the poor quality of this recording, we had some known technical issues.]

Luke 11:14-28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

These first few Sundays in Lent have a strong focus on spiritual warfare. And here Jesus is teaching us very pointedly that there is no neutral ground spiritually – there is no spiritual Switzerland. Christ says, “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.”In other words, if you are not in league with Jesus and fighting againstthe devil, you are fighting with the devil.

To strengthen and encourage us in the battle, Jesus tells two short parables in this text. The first parable (in v. 21-22) describes the new reality in this world. And we have to understand this first parable because it lets us know the playing field. Jesus says, “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides the spoil.”

We heard about the Fall a few weeks ago. Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by rebelling against God and believing the devil rather than their Creator. When Adam and Eve fell, the devil entered his palace and the kingdom of darkness began. Satan now owned them and everyone who would be born from them – that is all of us. The armor of the devil that Jesus talks about is our sin, our guilt, and our shame. And, according to Jesus, the devil trusts in that armor. Satan thinks that because your sin and guilt is so great that he is immune from invasion and attack. He thinks his palace is impenetrable and that you are safely in his possession forever.

But Satan is wrong. Jesus, the stronger man, has stormed the devil’s castle. Christ attacked him and overcome him. Your Savior has taken away the armor that the devil thought protected him, what the devil trusted, what he thought would always be there – this is the most important part of the parable. Jesus has removed your sin, guilt, and shame which was the devil’s armor. And the devil is now weak and extremely vulnerable.

But the spiritual battle is still ongoing. The demons are defeated but they still fight against us even though they have no power and no armor. And this is what Jesus addresses in the second parable (v. 24-26). Jesus says that when a demon has gone out of a person – in other words, when someone becomes a Christian, when a person is Baptized, when they are given the gift of faith in Christ and have the Holy Spirit – that demon passes through waterless places seeking rest because it has been expelled. The demon doesn’t like that. The demon would rather be connected to that person.

Now, I need to make a quick distinction between demon possession and demon oppression. In the Gospels, we often see people who are actually possessed by demons. In cases of demonic possession, demons live inside that person and can make them mute (like in this text), throw people into fires (Mk. 9:22), or cut themselves and make them live among the tombs (Mk. 5:2-5). That is demonic possession. But just because someone isn’t possessed by a demon does not mean that they are not influenced or oppressed by demons. The main point is that you are either going to be influenced by a demon or the Holy Spirit.

So, most of you became Christians when you were baptized. The Holy Spirit came and removed the demons and their oppression from you. And those demons wander around seeking rest, but they find none. So, they come back to you, the house from which they were cast out. If that demon finds you swept and put in order, it will come back and bring seven more demons even more evil than itself and the last state is worse than the first.

So, here is the picture Jesus gives, Christian. When you came to faith, Christ drove the demons away from you, but those demons have had their eye on you ever since. They have been watching you to seek reentry. If the demon comes back and finds your house clean and (as Jesus says in the same context in Mt. 12:44) empty, it moves back in and throws an evil, sinister party, and again the last state is worse than the first.

Remember, you are either with Jesus or with the devil and demons. There is no neutral ground. Christian, as you live out your faith and devote yourself to God’s Word, Satan and the demons have no power over you. Jesus, the stronger man is with you. The Holy Spirit has filled you and the demons cannot stand the presence of His holiness. But, if you stop filling yourself with God’s Word, if you neglect the work of the Holy Spirit, you can evict Him. You can fall away. Beware and repent.

The most effective strategy, in fact the only strategy, the devil has against you is to make you think that you don’t need Jesus and His blood shed for the forgiveness of your sins. And the way that the devil does this is to harden your conscience against God’s Word. So, guard your conscience, and actively work to soften your conscience so that when you hear God’s Word, you are driven to your Savior’s mercy and grace.

Let me give you an analogy to make this point. The last few weeks, we’ve finally had temperatures above freezing. Compared to the temperatures that we had in January and February what were in the -20’s, it feels really nice. So now, when the thermometer hits 38°, our bodies are ready go out without coats, or at least much lighter coats. In the Spring 38° is glorious. But when August comes and we are used to the heat of summer, 38° makes bodies feel bitterly cold. Your conscience is similar.

Imagine each of the Commandments as a thermometer, and for this example, let’s take the 5thCommandment, “Thou shalt not murder.” Instead of numbers marking the side of the 5thCommandment thermometer, there are different sins that all fall under the 5thCommandment. Way up at the top you have a mark for genocide. A little blow that is a mark for mass murder. A little below that you have a mark for murder, then punching. And because Jesus teaches us that hatred for our neighbor is the same as murder (Mt. 5:21-22) you have a mark for that way down toward the bottom. You get the idea?

Now, all of those sins – from genocide all the way down to anger – all of them make us guilty before God. We need the shed blood of Jesus to cover all of those sins, and know, Christian, that you have that. But you still have to fight against your sinful nature in this life.

So, just think with me here, where does your conscience register on the 5thCommandment thermometer? Maybe, you are somewhere between the marks of punching and anger. The devil and the demons are at work tempting you to harden your conscience. But they don’t tempt you straight to commit genocide. Instead, they tempt you just a little higher than you already are. They tempt you to more anger. They tempt you to punching and violence. And once they have you there, they tempt you to harden yourself a little more, to go up another little step. And they do this with all the Commandments – with adultery and lust, with stealing, and lying.

But you, Christian, you need to be constantly working to soften your conscience. Let me switch to the 3rdCommandment about keeping the Sabbath holy. You’re a Christian, so going to church is simply what you do each Sunday morning. The devil isn’t going to come straight at you and say that going to church isn’t important at all. Instead, the devil will work like this:

Let’s say that one Sunday you were very legitimately sick, so you don’t go to church, but you feel bad about it in your conscience. The devil is right there telling you, “You don’t need to feel bad. You were sick, and it’s better to not risk getting other people sick. So, don’t feel bad. You listened to the sermon later, and it was boring anyway.” And so, you decide to put that little feeling of guilt and loss away. The devil has just hardened you a little bit. So, when a couple of months go by, and you wake up with a headache – something that isn’t going to get passed around to anyone else – the devil will tempt you to skip church again. A little more hardened. Then, you have that family reunion and nothing bad happened when you skipped church because of your headache – God didn’t send a bolt of lightning to smite you. And the Bible says that family is important, so you skip for that. Hardened again. The devil’s goal is to make going to church seem like one option among many options so that being in God’s house becomes nothing more than a matter of choice so that your last state is worse than the first.

Repent. Now, I do have to say that it’s not as though you should carry around guilt for missing church when you have the flu and try to do penance or something like that. No. Jesus loves you. He has disarmed the devil. He has removed your guilt, and Christ forgives you all of your sin. He remembers your sin no more. What I am saying is this: don’t give the devil a foothold. Resist his temptations to harden your conscience.

You do that by memorizing the Ten Commandments and meditating on them. Consider each of them and what Jesus says about them in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7). In this way, your house, which is your heart, does not remain empty. Rather you are filled with the Holy Spirit through the study, consideration, and meditation of God’s Word. In this way, may your last state be better than the first. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

The Finger of God – Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent on Luke 11:14-28

Listen here.

Luke 11:14–28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. Jesus Rebuking Demon15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Some people will never believe. Their hearts are so hardened that, no matter how great a sign they see from the hand of God Himself, they still refuse to believe. This doesn’t mean that we should stop proclaiming the Gospel to them or stop praying for them. It is just reality. And, in fact, it is a call to further prayer because we recognize that conversion is always, always a work of the Holy Spirit chiseling away at sin-hardened hearts.

Jesus casts a mute demon out of a man. Some marveled. Some were still seeking from a sign from heaven. And some accused Jesus of casting out the demon by the power of Beelzebul (which means ‘lord of the flies’ a derogatory title for Satan stating that the devil is the lord of the dung heap).

Now, as illogical as the accusation is, we need to see how that it infinitely more blasphemous. Jesus delivers a man from a demon that made him mute. But people say, “Jesus is doing the devil’s work.”

And we need to pause here because nothing has changed. This world still calls good evil and evil good. If you are pro-life, you are sexist who just wants to control women’s bodies. If you stand for marriage as God created it or believe that men are men and women are women, you are homophobic.

Believer, this world hates God and hates Jesus, and it hates you too because you are God’s child. We live in a world that constantly stands good and evil on their heads. And the sooner you admit it, the better.

Jesus shows how ludicrous the claim that He is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul. Instead, Jesus says it is by the finger of God that He is casting out demons which means that the kingdom, the reign, of God has come among those who scoff at wheat Jesus is doing.

This expression Jesus uses “the finger of God” is interesting. That phrase is only used four times in the Bible. You heard it in our Old Testament lesson (Ex. 8:16-24). Pharaoh’s magicians recognize that the plague of gnats is the finger of God coming in judgment against them. In Exodus 31[:18] and Deuteronomy 9[:10], Scripture talks about God’s finger writing the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets. Now here, Jesus talks about God’s finger casting out demons. The point is that Jesus casting out demons is a fulfillment of the Law and a plague on hell. Jesus tells demons to go and they have to go.

Then, Jesus tells something like a parable. He says that when a strong man [the devil] who is fully armed guards (and keep that word ‘guards’ in the back of your mind because it comes up again in a little bit) his house [the world] his goods [sinners] are safely under his lordship. But Jesus says that when one stronger than him [Jesus] is going to come and attack him, take away his armor, and divide the spoil [you].

Jesus says that He has come to rob the devil’s house and you are the spoils, the treasure, the plunder that Jesus is taking out of the devil’s cellar. He has won, redeemed, purchased, and grabbed you from the devil’s clutches. All by the power of His finger.

He has pulled you out of darkness and into His marvelous light. And notice what Jesus says, “Whoever is not with Me is against me.” There is no spiritual neutral ground. You are either rescued by Jesus and delivered into His kingdom, or you are held captive in the devil’s domain. And if you are not filled by the Holy Spirit, then the demons come back, and your last state is worst than the first.

So how do you know if you are in the kingdom of God or in the kingdom of the devil? Well, Jesus answers that. A woman says to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that nursed you.” Now, Mary was certainly blessed. She is the mother of our Lord. But Jesus says, even better than being His mother is to hear the Word of God and keep (there is that same word used about the devil ‘guard’) it.

Though you were guarded by Satan, Jesus has come and rescued you with His finger transferring you to His kingdom. Now, you guard the Word that Jesus used to deliver you from Satan.

Cross and CommunionGuard it. Keep it. Take it. Eat and drink it. Because Jesus joins that Word of deliverance and forgiveness of sins to bread and wine. With His little finger, He destroyers the stronghold and armor of the devil. He claims you as His own. And He guards and keeps you now and for all eternity. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.