“A WARNING AND A PROMISE”
LUKE 11:14-28
I. Introduction
“Who is this Jesus? Who is He, really?” Every Bible-believing Christian knows the answer to that question. He is the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, fully God and fully man, Lord of all, and Savior of those who have repented of their sin and trusted Him alone for their eternal salvation. Christians know who Jesus is.
But some who call themselves Christians don’t have any idea who Jesus really is. And then there are those who suspect the truth but deliberately and willfully choose to deny it. In the face of overwhelming evidence, they still deny it. And among those who deny it there are some who take it a step farther. They stand so strongly against Jesus that they say His power and His miracles are actually satanic in origin.
They see the power and majesty of God before their very eyes, but they are so depraved, they hate the Lord Jesus so much that they say, “This is not of God, it is of Satan.” Why does anyone hate Jesus that much? There are some who hate Him that much because they know if they acknowledge Him for who He really is they will have to admit they are sinners, repent, ask forgiveness, submit to Him, and call Him Lord.
This they will not do. Their pride will not allow it. And so, they are in imminent danger of committing the unforgivable sin.
There is such a sin. The one thing that God will not forgive is ascribing the work of His Holy Spirit to Satan. Jesus made that as clear as could be in Matthew’s gospel.
*Matthew 12:30-32
30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the (Holy) Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32 “And whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be for-given him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or the age to come.”
These are sobering words, are they not? Yet some of the people we will meet in Luke 11 this morning commit this very sin, or if they don’t actually and finally commit it, they come within an eyelash of doing so. So it is critically important for everyone to under-stand just what the unforgivable sin is, and that it is impossible, impossible for any true Christian to commit it.
One of today’s finest expositors is John MacArthur. Listen to what he says about this most heinous of all sins.
“Someone never exposed to Christ’s divine power and presence might reject Him in ignorance and be forgiven – assuming the unbelief (eventually) gives way to gen-uine repentance. Even a Pharisee such a Saul of Tarsus could be forgiven for ‘speaking against the Son of Man’ or persecuting His followers – because his unbelief stemmed from ignorance. But those who know (Jesus’) claims are true and reject them anyway sin ‘against the Holy Spirit’ – because it is the Holy Spirit who testifies of Christ and makes His truth known to us. No forgiveness was possi-ble for these Pharisees who witnessed His miracles first hand, knew the truth of His claims, and still blasphemed the Holy Spirit – because they had already rejected the fullest possible revelation.”
The bottom line is this: rejecting Jesus when you do not know who He is is forgivable. It must be so or none of us would be saved. We all rejected Him before we received Him, didn’t we? Rejecting Jesus when you don’t know who He is must be forgivable, or heaven will be forever the home of God and His holy angels but no one else. “…who-ever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him…”
But rejecting Jesus when you do know who He is is blasphemy against the very Holy Spirit who has told you who He is. “…but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age, or the age to come.” Mark calls it, “…an eternal sin…(3:29)” Such is the nature of the unforgivable sin.
I’ve said all this to set the stage for this morning’s passage in Luke. In it we will see that it is not only those who commit the unforgivable sin who are lost. It is also those who persist in the belief that although Jesus may be a good philosopher and a nice man, He isn’t really God incarnate. That is the belief of virtually all of the cults. The deity of Christ is always the issue. But all true Christians believe Jesus is God. Others do not.
But no one can be neutral about the person of Jesus Christ. That is the warning. Yet as always seems to be the case when Jesus speaks, there is also a promise. It is this: Those who receive Him as the Son of the living God will be blessed.
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II. Text
In 1972 Josh McDowell published his well-known book “Evidence that Demands a Ver-dict.” The book has become a “Christian Classic” if you can rightly apply that term to a book that is only forty years old. Chapters 5-10 focus on Christ’s deity and the biblical and historical evidence for believing in it.
It’s important for us to remember that God does not ask us to believe Jesus’ claims with-out evidence. Scripture provides overwhelming evidence that Jesus is God’s own Son, deity in human flesh. But many of those who stubbornly refuse to believe it are not willing to honestly consider the claims of Christ because they’re afraid they might come face-to-face with the truth and have to alter their way of life.
It’s far easier for them to deny it and say things like, “I’m a good person” or, “I’m reli-gious. I’ll be all right.” That’s the situation with some of those so-called “good people” and religious leaders in today’s passage. Look at how they respond to Christ.
*Luke 11:14-28 (Please stand with me in honor of reading God’s Word.)
14 And (Jesus) was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came about that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
16 And others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.
17 But He knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.
18 “And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges.
20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his posses-sions are undisturbed;
22 but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder.
23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
24 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
25 “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
26 “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
27 And it came about while He said these things, one of the women 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 (Jesus) said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it.”
The miracles Jesus was performing were undeniable. So the Pharisees found themselves “over a barrel.” They knew that what they were seeing was supernatural, well beyond the realm of human power and possibility. They also knew that only God, or possibly Satan, could do such things. They opted for Satan.
To say that they were making a fatal mistake is an understatement of eternal proportions.
*Luke 11:14
14 And (Jesus) was casting out a demon, and it was dumb; and it came about that when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke; and the multitudes marveled.
In order for us to get the entire picture here we need the assistance of both Matthew and Mark. Matthew’s gospel tells us that this man had not only lost his speech but the demon had blinded him as well (12:22). While Luke doesn’t specifically identify the onlookers, Matthew says there are Pharisees among them (12:24), and Mark tells us there are some scribes there as well (3:22).
So Jesus casts out the demon “and the multitudes marveled.” Of course they did. Who wouldn’t? The question wasn’t, “What just happened?” What just happened was obvi-ous. The question was, “By whose power did it happen? Who really did it?”
*Luke 11:15-16
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
16 And others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.
Mark says it’s the scribes who are speaking in v. 15. Who is Beelzebul? The OT answers the question. In 2 Kings 1 Baalzebub is one of the false gods worshipped by the Philis-tines. Its literal meaning is “lord of the dwelling.” But the Jews used the name as a derogatory term for Satan. They changed it to “Beelzebul” which means “lord of the flies” or “lord of dung.” In our English translations of the gospels the word can be found spelled either way. But regardless of how it is spelled or pronounced – Beelzebul or Baalzebub – it always meant the same thing. To the first century Jew, it meant Satan.
So this accusation by the scribes in Luke 11:15 is clear. They are saying that Jesus not only works for Satan, He is demon-possessed. This is blasphemy of the most monstrous proportions. Do you see why a true Christian cannot commit this sin? It is a sin that can only be committed by one who has never received Christ…and never will.
To reject Jesus and walk away from Him is tragic, but to call Him satanic is unforgivable. That is what is happening here in Luke 11. Jesus said…“It shall not be forgiven…in this age or in the age to come (Matthew 12:32).”
In Luke 11:16 they try to test Him. Matthew tells us that it is both the scribes and the Pharisees who demand “a sign from heaven.” But does anyone think for a moment that yet another miracle would turn the Jewish leaders’ arrogance and hate into humility and love? I don’t think so. They’re already blinded by their unbelief. No amount of miracu-lous works will change that. Don’t miss the irony here! It’s truly stunning! These peo-ple are saying that Jesus’ power is demonic, but they want more of it. What does that tell you about their hearts?
(In Luke 11:29, Jesus will them that HE is their sign from heaven, and they will get no more signs.)
*Luke 11:17-20
17 But He knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls.
18 “And if Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 “And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges.
20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
Here in these verses Jesus is saying that if the accusations of the scribes and Pharisees were true, Satan would be destroying his own work. No kingdom, no home, no family, no church, can hope to survive when it works against itself. Jesus’ logic in vv. 17-18 is impeccable. It cannot be disputed.
Isn’t it interesting that Abraham Lincoln used the same logic in a speech he made before the South seceded from the Union and the beginning of the Civil War? Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
But there’s more. The Lord is telling them that they’re inconsistent in their thinking. Look again at v. 19. He’s saying that they, the scribes and the Pharisees, are being hypo-critical if they “approve” the work of their sons (followers) when they supposedly cast out demons, while condemning Jesus’ work when He actually does it. When Jesus tells them, “…they shall be your judges,” He’s saying those who follow the scribes and Phari-sees will see their hypocrisy for what it is, and they will judge them for it.
Furthermore, Jesus points out what should be obvious to all. Satan is God’s archenemy. If Satan’s demons are being cast out of the people they possess, it should be clear to any-one that God is the One driving them out. In v. 20 He says it plainly. “…the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Here again is one of Jesus’ numerous claims of deity that is present in the gospels. I’m always amazed at the people who say Jesus never said He was God. He says so repeatedly and in a variety of contexts in all four gospels.
Now Jesus tells a parable. Those among the multitudes who are willfully blind won’t “get it,” but others there will.
*Luke 11:21-22
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his posses-sions are undisturbed;
22 but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder.”
Here is the explanation of the parable. In v. 21 the fully armed strong man is Satan.
The homestead is the demon-possessed man. The man is evidence of the devil’s power. In v. 22 “someone stronger” is Jesus. Here is the teaching: When Jesus attacks Satan He overpowers him. He takes Satan’s armor for Himself. (In this case the armor is the demon-possessed man.) Then the Lord frees the man, gives him back his health and his sanity, and returns him to the service of God.
There is an example of this in Luke 8. Jesus had cast many demons from a man and set him free. It’s hardly surprising that the man wanted to go with Jesus, but the Lord would not let him. He said, “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you (8:39).” In other words, “Go out and serve Me.”
The parable in vv. 21-22 serves to illustrate the fact that Jesus and His critics are diamet-rically opposed to each other. They could not be further apart. So who is this Jesus? Who is He really? From where does He derive His power? The scribes and Pharisees say it comes from Satan. But not everyone in the crowd is so sure.
Matthew 12:23
23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, “This man cannot be the Son of David (the Messiah), can he?”
There’s some pretty strong evidence that He is, and there are those who are wondering if He might be. But most of them fear their religious leaders and don’t want to offend them or get in trouble by proclaiming belief in Jesus as their promised Messiah. So why not just be neutral? Why not just play it cool. Why not just “go along to get along?” We’re all pretty good at that, aren’t we?
Since you received Christ has anyone ever said to you, “You know, you’re just too black and white. You need to see the gray areas. You need to compromise a little. You need to be less rigid and more neutral about this Jesus of yours.” But when it comes to the Jesus of the Bible, there is no gray, there is no compromise, there is no neutrality.
Jesus’ parable in Luke 11:21-22 leaves no room for neutrality. How can there be any neutrality in the struggle between Christ and Satan? Listen, the scribes and the Pharisees aren’t neutral, are they? They hate Jesus. They hate Him actively and with a passion. But there are others among the multitudes who don’t actively or passionately hate Jesus. They aren’t black or white. They’re neutral. They love the gray and they think there is safety there. After all, how can they offend anyone as long as they “stay gray?”
Here is one of the hardest lessons for us to learn when it comes to our view of Jesus Christ. We cannot be gray. We cannot be neutral. Jesus will simply not allow it.
*Luke 11:23
23 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.”
Here’s the warning I mentioned earlier. Jesus is saying something that we already know.
Those who hate Him are against Him. But He is also telling us something we don’t really want to hear. Those who are neutral, those who want to “ride the fence,” those who love the gray, those who refuse to take a stand for Christ, are also against Him.
In a trial the jurors are required to render their decision based on the evidence that has been presented, aren’t they? The evidence is in, and to quote Josh McDowell, “the evidence demands a verdict,” not a hung jury.
In this spiritual war that’s being waged all around us we must come to a clear conclusion about who Jesus is. There are only two answers to the question. There are only two sides. There is Jesus’ side and there is Satan’s side. There is no “middle side.”
Jesus says we are standing with Him or we are standing against Him. We are working with Him and gathering, or we are working against Him and scattering. So who is Jesus? Who is He really? Much of the world wants to be neutral and not take a stand, but that just isn’t possible.
Many of you have heard this quote before, but it is worth repeating. It comes from C. S. Lewis’ book “Mere Christianity” published in 1952.
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him, ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or some-thing worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
There is no neutrality. Either Jesus is who He says He is – God in human flesh – or He isn’t. Period! In the next three verses Jesus illustrates the folly of anyone who thinks they can have some other Jesus. He illustrates the hopelessness of trying to find salvation in human achievement or so-called “good works.” He continues the theme He started in v. 19 with the false or phony exorcists and in the parable of vv. 21-22.
*Luke 11:24-26
24 “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’
25 “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order.
26 “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”
Here is the explanation. A false or phony exorcist casts out a demon from a man. The man has seemingly “been saved,” but his apparent salvation has been by human effort, by human means. Such so-called salvations have no power because they have no ulti-mate reality. At first the demon flees, but then it sees that the man is spiritually “empty.” The man may have become religious, but there is no reality there. That is to say that Satan’s evil spirit has not been replaced by God’s Holy Spirit. So the demon takes more evil spirits with him. They return and fill the vacuum that exists in the man’s soul.
This is what Jesus means in v. 26 when He says, “…and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” The point is simply this: If God’s Holy Spirit doesn’t fill the spiritual emptiness in a person, something else will. Do you see why Jesus can say, “He who is not with Me is against Me.”? It is a solemn warning to us all.
Earlier I said that Jesus’ warnings are often accompanied by a promise.
*Luke 11:27-28
27 And it came about while He said these things, one of the women 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 (Jesus) said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it.”
We have seen those who hated Jesus. We have seen those who thought they could be neutral or indifferent about Him. But now we see one, a woman, who truly believes. Her fear of the religious leaders and the others in the crowd is gone and she cries out, “How blessed is the mother who bore you!” She is right. Back in the beginning of Luke’s gos-pel Elizabeth had said the same thing about the Virgin Mary.
Luke 1:42b
42b “Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
What this woman in v. 27 says is true, but it is incomplete. Jesus confirms what she says and adds v. 28. True and eternal blessing comes from knowing Christ and obeying Him.
You’ve heard the warning. “He who is not with Me is against Me.” Now here is the promise: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe (obey) it.” They are the true Christians. Do you know who Jesus is? Have you heard His words? Are you obeying Him? Then you are blessed.
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III. Conclusion
The evidence has been presented and Jesus is asking you, “Who do you say that I am?” Can you answer as Peter answered, boldly, confidently, and with conviction, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”?
~ Pray ~