The Stronger One

THE STRONGER ONE
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 Beelzebub, 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 Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, 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:
Does the name Brian Shaw ring a bell? It will if you followed the Arnold Swartzenagger Strong Man Competition in Columbus. Shaw was recognized for winning the Strongman competition at the recent Arnold Classic. What is a strongman competition? It is a competition, which has been held since the inception of the Arnold Classic in 2002, which involves a series of weight lifting events, from carrying a large piece of timber to lifting tires, which weighed 1100 pounds. As the strong man, Shaw was crowned as the strongest man and won prize money totaling $50,000.
There is one who is stronger than Brian Shaw, though. While Shaw might be recognized for his accomplishments, the one who is stronger than Shaw, many times, is taken for granted. Some doubt his existence. Others doubt his power. However, when you note what is happening in the world, there can be no doubt as to his reality. We see evidences of his reality in the evil that exists in the world. We see it in how people treat one another, we see it in the maladies that people have and the problems people face. The strong man of whom I am referring to, and to which our text for today speaks of, goes by many names: Beelzebub, the Devil, or Satan.
The reality of Satan was not in question in Jesus’ day. Note what Luke, the Physician records in our text: “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 Beelzebub, the prince of demons,” No one doubted Satan’s existence, for they had in their midst one who was demon possessed, possessed by the devil himself. While those present did not doubt the devil’s existence, they DID DOUBT the power and the reality of Jesus’ existence. Imagine that, Jesus is right there physically present in their midst, they had seen with their own eyes His power and His miraculous healings, but doubted that He was the Son of God. How did they try to explain away Jesus’ power and work? By simply saying that He was a son of the Devil Himself. Listen: “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 Beelzebub. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, 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.”
There can be no doubt, dear friends, of Satan’s existence and power. The Scripture ascribes to Satan the power of evil. God created all things good, even Satan, but Satan sinned and fell from God’s glory. Satan since his fall from grace has been God’s enemy. And since the fall of mankind into sin, all of humanity has been on Satan’s side as well. Sin is never a friend or ally of God. God has been and always will be opposed to sin and Satan. Satan is called the Prince of the air, the roaring lion who prowls around seeking those whom he can devour. Make no mistake; Satan is alive and well today. Even though people will deny his existence and his power, some even will say that sin and evil is all in your mind, sin, evil and Satan ARE AN EVERPRESENT REALITY TODAY.
Just look at the evidence. Just look at what has happened in our fallen world in the past few months! There have been political uprisings, earthquakes and tsunamis, destruction, devastation, innocent people losing their lives in senseless killings; the list goes on and on! If we lived in a perfect world without sin, there would be none of these things! Their very existence reveals the reality of sin, death, and yes, Satan. Satan is like a strong man who has such a strong grip on this world and its people. He has the world in his clutches like a vice and he will not let go until he succeeds in bringing God’s creation to its destruction.
Those who were present with Jesus, who witnessed this healing of the man who was mute and gave credit to this miracle to Satan! They reasoned that Jesus was a son of the devil; hence, the devil made the man not only mute, but also gave the mute the ability to speak! Like Pharaoh of old, their hearts were hard (Ex. 8:16–24). Pharaoh, even though he witnessed the plaques, did not want to give God the credit. So God hardened his heart. Just as he did not recognize the power of God, so too there were those present in Jesus’ very midst who did not recognize the finger of God, the power of the Holy Spirit at work in and through Jesus, however, refutes the notion that he was a child of the devil by clearly stating that a house divided cannot stand. Jesus asserts that He has come into the world as the Son of God, and it was His duty to overcome the strongman of the world, Satan. Jesus came to usher in His Kingdom, a Kingdom not of evil but of goodness and grace, a Kingdom of salvation and forgiveness, and a Kingdom that ushers in the good and gracious reign of God.
The Kingdom of God is the Kingdom where God reigns. Jesus brought this Kingdom to sinful people in His very birth, a birth where the angels sang of God’s Kingdom when they sang: Glory to God in the highest and peace to His people on earth. God’s Kingdom was proclaimed in John the Baptist and Jesus’ words: Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand. God’s Kingdom was manifested in Jesus when He healed the sick, gave the blind their sight, gave the mute the ability to speak, and when He raised the dead. Jesus ushered in God’s Kingdom as He came to do battle with Satan on his turf, by defeating Satan, sin, and death by His perfectly led life according to the Ten Commandments and by His sacrificial death on the cross, whereby the blood of Jesus washes away your sins. . He takes the devil's armor of sin and death and destroys it from the inside out by the holy cross. In the declaration of victory Jesus cried out on the cross it is finished, and He crushed Satan’s power in His rising from the grave. Jesus has proven in His ministry that He was not a son of the devil, but rather He was the Son of God in human flesh sent from heaven to give eternal life to all who believe in Him. For to all who believe in Jesus He has given to them the power to become sons of God and inheritors of heaven.
Jesus has given to you the victory of the strong one of this world by claiming you as one of His own. He exorcizes and frees you by water and the Word. By the waters of Baptism you have been marked by the cross of Christ, you no longer belong to Satan or yourself, you belong to God. God has spoken His good and gracious Word to you and He says that blessed are all those who hear the Word of God and keep it.
To keep God’s Word means to treasure that Word of Christ, of His forgiveness, love and salvation, as your most treasured possession. To keep God’s Word means that you live by the new name by which God has given you in Christ, named as a child of Christ you now live as a child of Christ. Listen to how Paul explains it in Ephesians 5:1-9: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
You were once in darkness but now you are called to live in the light of Christ our Lord. How is this done? It was done in your Baptism, and it is done as your live out your Baptism daily. For just as you have died to sin in Baptism, so also in life you are now called to die to sin, through repentance and faith. By daily confessing your sins you turn from sin and seek God’s forgiveness and grace in Christ. And then forgiven, you are renewed to serve Him in your life.
This plays out in our worship service every Sunday. Each Sunday we begin our service invoking God to be present among us. And in coming into His presence, we confess our sin, for who of us can stand before a holy God who must punish sin? You know the answer, it is no one. Not one of us can come to God on our own terms. We have nothing to offer to God. So this is why each Sunday we begin on our knees, confessing that we are poor, wretched, miserable sinners, in need of God’s mercy and grace. And God is merciful to us, He forgives and then blesses us with His blessing so that we begin and go through the next week with God’s blessing and promise. It is indeed a blessing to begin each Sunday, and each day, confessing our sin and receiving God’s forgiveness in Christ, for this is how sin, Satan, and death have been overcome for us, not by our might, wisdom, or strength, but by the strength of the One who is Stronger, Jesus Christ our Lord. Even as He has won the victory, we receive His gifts by faith.
It is most certainly true that we live in dark times. There is a plethora of things in the world that weigh us down, not to mention our own personal burdens that we bear. But God’s Good News today is that there is One who is stronger than our burdens and our problems. He has taken upon Himself our sins and our issues. We have an ever-present Help in our times of trouble. He is Jesus, our Strong One. So call upon Him in the day of your trouble, and He will answer you, and deliver you, so that you might glorify Him and tell others what He has done.
In Jesus’ name
Amen