Luke 11:14-20
Divided Kingdoms
Jesus was on His way to the cross but even as He traveled, Luke found
many accounts to write about it. It makes one wonder what a day in
the life of Jesus must have been like.
On this day, Jesus’ enemies attempted to set Him up, to entangle Him
either in words or actions so that they might expose Him as a fraud.
Their plan had several faults, the biggest being that Jesus was not
a fraud!
Let’s note what happened.
I. The Attacks
A. The enemy attacked on two fronts.
1. \\#Luke 11:14-15\\ They accused Jesus of using the devil’s
power. In short, they said Jesus was a servant of the
devil.
2. \\#Luke 11:16\\ They sought a sign from heaven.
a. The Bible does not tell us how this was to be used
against Jesus, but their motive is clearly recorded.
b. They did this "tempting him."
B. Jesus only focused on the first attack and it opened the door
for Luke to record some truths for us about Divided Kingdoms.
II. Truths:
A. Jesus did not work for the devil.
1. You can say this "Jesus did not work for the devil," or
"The devil did not work for Jesus," or "Neither the devil
or Jesus worked together."
2. These two fought against one another.
Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said
unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself
is brought to desolation; and a house divided
against a house falleth.
3. Jesus had done great harm to the devil.
a. How so?
b. By turning people from sin to faith in Himself and to
righteousness.
c. There is an order here.
(1) Turning from sin is a good first step.
(a) However, just turning from sin by itself
isn’t enough for one can turn from sin and
NOT turn to God.
(b) With that turning, there needs to also be a
change of heart about sin.
(c) That is called repentance.
(d) Repentance is turning from sin and the devil
to God.
(e) Repentance is much more of the heart and
spirit than it is of the body.
(f) Repentance should show up in the body, but
that is not where repentance lives.
(2) Then faith in Christ.
(a) Salvation is believing in Jesus as your
Savior.
(b) Jesus was moving people to believe on Him as
their Savior even BEFORE He died.
(c) That was in no small part due to His
miracles.
(d) To believe because of a miracle is a weaker
faith than what you and I have but it was
the seed that produced our faith.
(e) Our faith is based on having seen nothing!
(3) Turn them to righteousness third.
(a) The last step brings our internal and
invisible faith into this world so that
others can see it.
(b) Don’t under-estimate the effect of
righteousness in defeating the devil.
(c) It is that change from sin to righteousness
that creates a hunger in the lives of
others so that they seek what we have.
d. So Jesus had come into this world, the devil’s world,
and attacked the devil on his own turf, gathering to
Himself a great host of people who had turned from
sin to righteousness.
4. Jesus’ point was that He obviously was not working WITH
the devil.
5. However, the truth that Jesus gave that day is also a
principal of life.
a. Nothing divided against itself will long stand.
b. I am told Abraham Lincoln quoted this verse during and
after the Civil War, encouraging a quick resolution
and a complete healing of our nation.
(1) It is this verse and principal that makes me feel
our nation is on the road to destruction.
(2) I do not know when it will happen, but we are a
nation deeply divided and right now, the
divisions are getting larger.
(3) There are three possibilities:
(a) There could be a revival that brings all
sides back to righteousness.
(b) The evil could overcome the righteous and
the nation could settle on an evil
direction. (My own belief is that would
only delay the nation’s downfall for evil
people can’t get along with anyone for
long.)
(c) Both sides can stand against each other
until the nation falls.
c. This principal is also true of the home.
(1) A home divided against itself is a terrible place
to live.
(2) Most will not live there for long.
B. Jesus wasn’t working very hard to fight the devil.
Luke 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast
out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come
upon you.
1. In this verse, Jesus demonstrated the power He used in
fighting the devil was just His finger.
a. I bet He held up His pinky!
b. The implication is that He did not use very much
power at all!
2. Three questions:
a. Why did Jesus not need more power than what was in a
finger?
(1) Because He is stronger.
Luke 11:21 When a strong man armed keepeth his
palace, his goods are in peace:
22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon
him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all
his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
(2) Jesus is God. He is not just stronger. He is
all strong!
b. Why did Jesus not use more power to contain, to
control, and to defeat the devil?
(1) Obviously Jesus was not finished with the devil
yet!
(a) Jesus did not come to defeat the devil on
that trip.
(b) On that trip, Jesus came to destroy sin,
death, and hell.
(2) In fact, to this present hour, God is not
finished with the devil.
c. What is God doing with the devil?
(1) I think God wants a people who chooses to want
Him.
(2) God already had beings which obeyed Him
because He wanted them to do so—angels.
(3) While God can create beings that want God, the
only way He can created a people who CHOOSE
to want Him is to give them a choice.
(4) The devil gives people a choice.
Mr 8:34 …Whosoever will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me.
Re 22:17 …And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely.
Isa 55:3 Incline your ear, and come unto me:
hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make
an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David.
C. Satan’s forces can and do cast out demons.
1. That is what Jesus implied.
Luke 11:19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out
devils, by whom do your sons cast them out?
therefore shall they be your judges.
2. As His enemies falsely accuse Jesus of casting out demons
by the power of the devil, Jesus insinuates that their
people actually do so!
a. Jesus acknowledged that "your sons" cast out demons.
b. "your sons" was probably not a reference to their
biological children but to their spiritual children.
c. They all belonged to the same spiritual father,
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and
the lusts of your father ye will do….
2. But this would sound like a contradiction for Jesus had
made it clear that a kingdom does not fight itself.
Luke 11:17 …Every kingdom divided against
itself is brought to desolation; and a house
divided against a house falleth.
18 If Satan also be divided against himself,
how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say
that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
3. So when Satan’s forces cast out demons, are they
destroying Satan’s house? The short answer would be
"no," but Jesus gave longer answer.
4. \\#24-26\\ The answer requires more discussion and Jesus
gave it.
a. When the unsaved cast out demons, it may not be a
"casting out."
Luke 11:24 When the unclean spirit is gone out
of a man….
(1) The word used for "gone out" is to depart, to
spread abroad.
(2) We might say "to pack up and leave."
(3) There is no indication of a forced departure, but
more like they left on their own.
(4) That is not at all what happened when Jesus or
Paul cast out demons.
Luke 8:30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is
thy name? And he said, Legion: because many
devils were entered into him.
31 And they besought him that he would not
command them to go out into the deep.
(a) These demons were not "going out". They
were being "thrown out."
(b) Not only so, but they were being sent some
place specific.
i. Legion’s fear was of being sent to "the
deep," probably the pit, but Jesus
alloweed them to enter the swine.
ii. That is not the way our text describes
the demons departure either.
b. When demons have no host, they are not satisfied.
Luke 11:24 …he walketh through dry places,
seeking rest; and finding none….
(1) Here the demons seem to wander where they desire.
(2) The word "dry" means a place with no water.
(a) I don’t imagine spiritual beings need water.
(b) I suspect this is the Lord’s way of saying
that need something like we need water.
(c) It is likely a comparison to show how badly
they need or crave something.
(3) The word for "rest" can also mean recreation.
(4) Together, the idea is that demons need to torment
someone or some thing. They just are not
satisfied if they are not.
c. And if he cannot find another place, he returns to the
first with more demons.
Luke 11:24 …and finding none, he saith, I will
return unto my house whence I came out.
25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and
garnished.
26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other
spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter
in, and dwell there….
(1) Notice the host is still empty.
(a) The demon may have left, but God did not
move in.
Rev 3:20 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and
knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me.
1John 4:4 …greater is he that is in you, than
he that is in the world.
(b) The fact that God did not move in means the
host did not get saved.
Romans 8:9 …Now if any man have not the Spirit
of Christ, he is none of his.
(2) So the demon who left returned and took others
with them.
(3) And Jesus Himself describe the end product.
Luke 11:26 …and the last state of that man is
worse than the first.
6. The bottom line is that when Satan casts out Satan, his
house is NOT divided.
a. Quite the opposite.
(1) Perhaps the demons "leave" to make the one who
"cast them out" appear to have God’s power.
(2) But the end is that the devil’s grip on the lost
soul is strengthened!
b. This is why false religions can and do make claims
about exorcising spirits.
c. They make themselves look good in the eyes of their
religious followers while strengthening their hold on
those who are possessed.
This text not only answered the false accusation against Jesus but
teaches us the danger of following with the occult! Our kingdom is
the kingdom of light. Let’s stay as far from the devil’s domain as
possible.
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