9am and 10.30am Sunday 17 November 2002
Rev Des Botting
Reading: Luke 11:14-28
Those of you who watched the rugby match between the All Blacks and England last weekend saw, Jonah Lomu at his blockbusting best. The newspaper write up of the game said he only touched the ball four times and scored a try on two of them. After he scored his first try the commentator referred to him as Lord of the Wings! He certainly lived up to that reputation last weekend.
Thinking of where that title originated from, the release of the second in the trilogy of films, Lord of the Rings is due next month. The first was a great success and has won a number of awards. It has been of particular interest to New Zealanders because it was filmed here. Everyone who passes through Matamata is reminded of the fact that the Hobbitville scenes were filmed in their vicinity. We might well ask, why has it been so popular? What has given this film such huge appeal? What is there in its subject matter that people identify with? In addition to the beautiful scenery and its special effects, it is the age-old longing to see good overcome evil, light overcome darkness, right win over wrong, which is behind the story line of this film. Wherever Sauron and his hosts are in control, a shadowy darkness covers the land. Desolation and death confronts all who pass there. Plant and animal life wither and die. An oppressive sense of fear and foreboding fills the air. Saurons objective is for absolute power, which can only be gained by possession of the third ring. Once it is in his hands, his kingdom of darkness will reign everywhere.
This is Satans objective also. His lust for power led to his expulsion from heaven. He and his evil hoards are hell bent on the destruction of everything that is good and wholesome. Lord of the Rings portrays this very graphically. The destruction of the ring is the only thing that will stop evil gaining the upper hand, and it is to this end that Frodo and his company sacrificially commit themselves.
"Deliver us from evil", is how Jesus said we are to pray about such things. We touched on this briefly last week when we looked at the model prayer Jesus gave His disciples. He taught that one of the essential things to pray for is protection. This is so important that Jesus included it in His prayer for the disciples just before His death. He prayed, "Father, I dont ask you to take my followers out of the world, but keep them safe from the evil one." In the passage from Luke we are looking at this morning we see Jesus once again in conflict with the kingdom of Satan, as He drives the demon out of the man who couldnt talk. Jesus had come to throw out the ruler of this world, and to free people who were under his power. His healing ministry almost always included deliverance from demons. People were amazed at the authority Jesus exercised over demons, disease and even death itself. These were signs of Gods kingdom being in their midst, and a foretaste of what is to come, when in heaven "there will be no more death, suffering, crying or pain."
The Bible teaches that there are only two kingdoms, and that when we become a Christian we are rescued from the dark power of Satan and brought into the kingdom of His Son. These two kingdoms are poles apart. There is no common ground between good and evil. We are fools if we allow ourselves to be deceived into thinking otherwise. One seeks to project a veneer of reasonableness and respectability on the surface, but this is only a façade and a deception to cover-up its real source, which is ultimately evil to the core and bent on our destruction. The other stands for all that is true, wholesome, pure, holy and good. Between these two kingdoms there is constant conflict. Just as in The Lord of the Rings, the kingdom of Satan will not give up a centimetre of its domain without a fight. It will not go away of its own accord. There is a battle to be fought. Therefore,
To Overcome Evil we must
1. Take the OFFENSIVE. This is why the Contemporary English version uses the word forced to describe how Jesus freed people from the power of demons. Luke says, "Jesus forced a demon out of a man who could not talk. And after the demon had gone out, the man started speaking, and the crowds were amazed." The Greek word literally means to throw out, and accurately describes what is necessary for people to be set free. It is like what happened in a novel I read about how the American and allied soldiers fought to free the Pacific Islands from the hands of the Japanese. On one island alone, a US battalion lost over three quarters of its men as they stormed the beach where the Japanese were entrenched. They tenaciously held on to their positions, with a huge cost in American lives. The American soldiers just kept coming until they eventually wiped out the Japanese gun posts. This was part of their Island-hopping campaign that continued until eventually the Pacific was set free.
It is exactly the same in the spiritual realm, and the word forced portrays very clearly that these demons that Jesus encountered throughout His ministry were not going to give up without a fight. They were not going to leave of their own accord. They would hold their ground just as tenaciously as the Japanese, and for as long as they possible could. But once Jesus came on the scene, they had no option but to submit to the power and authority of the Son of God. They immediately recognised His authority, and could not stand against it.
We can also take the offensive against evil by doing good. The apostle Paul says, "The Scriptures also say, If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink. This will be the same as piling burning coals on their heads. Dont let evil defeat you, but defeat evil with good." And we can take the offensive by actively resisting evil in whatever form it may come to us. As James says, "Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you."
Of interest is the fact that Matthews account of this incident adds that this man was blind as well as being unable to talk, and that when Jesus healed the man, he was able to both talk and see. This persons muteness and blindness had a demonic source.
Secondly, to overcome evil we must
2. TEST all things. Luke says, "Others wanted to put Jesus to the test. So they asked him to show them a sign from God."
This links in with the accusation of some people that Jesus forced demons out by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons. This was the fly-god of the Ekronites, which the Jews called the filth-god. No greater insult could have been given to Christ, therefore, than these Jews gave Him. Matthew, in his account, says it was the Pharisees who said, "He forces demons out by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." Mark said it was the teachers of the law of Moses. They were attributing this healing to the ruler of the demons, Beelzebul. Jesus first answers their insult with reason. He talks about the absurdity of reasoning that He is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons! The devil and his hosts are hell bent on the destruction of everything that is good and wholesome. Jesus very clearly states the absurdity of such a claim and shows the flaws in this kind of thinking in what He goes on to say.
In Matthew and Marks account of this incident, Jesus goes on to speak about sinning against the Holy Spirit. Jesus says in Mark, "I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever." What they were doing was like calling evil good, and good evil; and so Jesus warns them that if they continued down that track they were in grave danger of committing the unforgivable sin, by speaking against the Spirit of God.
These people wanted to put Jesus to the test. It is right and appropriate to do this. We are to do this of ourselves, personally. David says in the Psalms, "Look deep into my heart, God, and find out everything I am thinking. Dont let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the way that time has proven true." Paul likewise exhorts the Christians believers in Corinth to, "Test yourselves and find out if you really are true to your faith. If you pass the test, you will discover that Christ is living in you. But if Christ isnt living in you, you have failed."
But we are also to do this of those who claim to teach Gods truth. The apostle John says, "Dear friends, dont believe everyone who claims to have the Spirit of God. Test them all to find out if they really do come from God." So what these Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses were doing was not wrong in itself. It was their warped logic and the conclusions they reached from it that was wrong. It would be unquestionable to think that the devil would fight against himself. It would be absurd for him to drive out some of his own demons when his strategy is the destruction of humankind. It was an illogical and ridiculous assertion. The devil will not give up a centimetre of his territory without a fight to the bitter end. His whole purpose is to dominate and rule the affairs of this world.
It is most significant to note that there is not one occasion in the Gospels where demons ever question the authority of Jesus. When He commands them to leave a person, they obey immediately. There is never any argument about who was subject to who, and who had the greater power and authority. They knew the authority of Jesus. They knew that they have no choice but to submit and obey. They could not, and cannot, refuse the One to Whom all power and authority has been given.
This is what is so reassuring to Christians, and John, a little further on in his letter, goes on to say, "Gods Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world." The Bible also tells us that demons fear God. James says, "You surely believe there is only one God. Thats fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear." That is why we can sing with confidence, In the name of Jesus we have the victory, In the name of Jesus demons will have to flee. It was only the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who did not recognise Jesus for Who He was. They were blind, as Jesus said they were. The Bible says, "The god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cant see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like." Demons and unclean spirits never had this blindness. They knew only too well Who they were dealing with, and there was never any question about it.
Today in the Western World, we do not talk so openly about such things, but they are there, nevertheless, as was shown in the stories I shared two weeks ago. They attack and inflict adults and children alike. They gain entry into children often in a time of trauma when defences are down, or when people have meddled in the areas of spirituality that the Bible expressly counsels Gods children to leave well alone. When the nation of Israel was about to enter the land that God was giving them, He gave very definite directions about what they could, and could not, do. Moses said to Israel, "Soon you will go into the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The nations that live there do things that are disgusting to the Lord, and you mustnt follow their example. Dont sacrifice your son or daughter. And dont try to use any kind of magic or witchcraft to tell fortunes or to cast spells or to talk with spirits of the dead. The Lord is disgusted with anyone who does these things, and thats why he will help you destroy the nations that are in the land. Never be guilty of doing any of these disgusting things!The Lord your God wont allow you to do those things." This is why Paul counselled the Christians in Thessalonica, "Put everything to the test. Accept what is good and dont have anything to do with evil."
This brings us to the third point. To overcome evil we must
3. Be aware of the destructiveness of DIVISION. Divide and conquer, is a well-known strategy for victory. Jesus says, "A kingdom where people fight each other will end up in ruin. And a family that fights will break up."
Matthew says that towns, as well as families, that fight, will destroy themselves. Division paralyses families, nations and churches from moving forward. It is a favourite ploy of the enemy, and we must constantly be on our guard against it. It was a problem that confronted the church in Corinth. Paul wrote to them saying, "My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. Thats why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world."
It was also true of the church in Philippi. In his letter to the believers there he writes, "Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person." Later in this letter he specifically addresses two of the leading women in the church. These women had worked with Paul and others in spreading the good news. He writes, "Euodia and Syntyche, you belong to the Lord, so I beg you to stop arguing with each other." Imagine having that read out in church! It would, or should, have been highly embarrassing for these two. But it stresses the fact that divisions within a church are damaging not only to the church family itself, but tarnishes its witness in the community as well. We will have our differences. We do not all think alike. But through the grace of Christ we can worship and work together for Gods kingdom. We need to trust each other, and especially those you have elected to lead the church. The elders we have are there because you believed they had the qualities to provide the leadership this church needs. Session always endeavours to make decisions that are in the best interests for the health, growth and future of this church. They take seriously the responsibility that has been entrusted to them. They seek to carry out those responsibilities with prayerfulness, humility and grace. Personally, I believe the church is in good hands. We need to support them, even when their decisions are not to our liking, and, with the help of Gods Spirit, work harmoniously together towards building Gods kingdom in this place. This is what Paul was meaning when he wrote, "God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Next, to overcome evil we must
4. Know Gods POWER. Again it is Matthew, who, is his account of this healing, records, that it was by the power of Gods spirit that Jesus forced out this demon. This is significant in light of the fact that in the passage immediately preceding this in Lukes Gospel, we are encouraged to ask the Father to give us the Holy Spirit. We need the Gods Spirit because He gives us both the discernment to recognise where evil is present, as well as the power to enable us to walk in victory, and to free persons from evils control. We must always remember what John said, "Gods Spirit is in you and is more powerful than the one that is in the world." And also what Paul said, Dont destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit of God fill your life." This is not an optional extra for the Christian. It is absolutely essential to have the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Finally, to overcome evil we must
5. Work for the HARVEST. Where Jesus says in Luke, "If you are not on my side, you are against me. If you dont gather the crop with me, you scatter it." Matthew says, "If you dont gather in the harvest with me, you scatter it." Matthew uses harvest where Luke uses the word crop. Both mean the same. This helps clarify what Jesus is talking about here. We are either on one side or the other. He wants us all involved in helping to gather His harvest. Jesus said to His disciples, "A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in." Unless we are actively involved in the harvest, we are working against Gods purposes. As Gods people we have been commissioned to disciple the nations. In the farming world, harvest time is one of the busiest times of the year. Everyones help is needed. This is certainly the way it used to be in the farming world, and was certainly so in the times when Jesus said this. It was flat out from daylight to dark, and even during the dark when it comes to harvesting grapes. There is no let up until all is safely gathered in. Then people could rest and celebrate.
Gods eternal harvest is exactly the same. Jesus says in John, "My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do. You may say that there are still four months until harvest time. But I tell you to look, and you will see that the fields are ripe and ready to harvest." What about Gods harvest here in Hillsborough. Our work is not done until we have been to every home and offered them the Good News. A small team went out several years ago with the Jesus Video and called on approximately 90% of the homes. Only a few people came as a result of that outreach. Those who were involved could well have said like the disciples, "Master, weve worked hard all night long and have not caught a thing. But if you tell me to, I will let down the nets down." Much has changed since then. Are we willing to let down the nets again? Maybe this time, the net will come up full, maybe so full that, like the disciples, we wont know what to do with all who come. Wouldnt that be wonderful?
Jesus closing words in this passage are in answer to the womans words, "The woman who gave birth to you and fed you is blessed!" Jesus said to her, "the people who are really blessed are the ones who hear and obey Gods message!" We obey Gods message by doing the will of our Father in heaven. We know He wants His harvest gathered in. The Bible says, "God wants everyone to be saved and to know the truth." Nor does He want anyone to be lost.