Sermon #75 Luke
Sermons
Title: The Strong Man Armed – Bound And Cast Out
Text: Luke 11:21-26
Subject: Conversion – False and True
Date: Sunday Evening –
Tape # W-90b
Introduction:
There are things going on in
the spirit world around us about which we know almost nothing. In this case,
ignorance is bliss. We do not need to know any more than God has been pleased
to reveal.
·
Angels are real (Heb.
·
Satan is real.
·
Demons are real.
From the beginning of time
the prince of darkness has been at war with the Son of God and the Son of God
has been at war with him. It is a mutual conflict, a mutual enmity.
·
Genesis 1:1-2
·
Isaiah 14
·
Genesis 3:15
·
Revelation 12
It is ever the purpose of
that fiend of hell and the myriads of demons ruled by him to topple the throne
of God, usurp his authority, and destroy the souls of men. His principle weapon
of warfare is religion—self-righteousness and will worship (2 Cor. 11; Gal.
1:6-9).
But the fiend of hell, that
old serpent, the devil shall accomplish nothing. He is God’s devil. He is by
the omnipotent power of Christ forced into servitude. And soon, he shall be
cast into hell, crushed beneath our Savior’s feet and ours. Yes, he shall be
crushed beneath the feet of us poor, weak mortals he seeks to destroy (Rom.
Because he knows he has but
a short time he is in a rage (Rev. 12:12), and goes about as a roaring lion,
seeking whom he may devour. But, blessed be God, our all-glorious, omnipotent
Savior has everything in control. This lion can do nothing but roar! He cannot
hurt anything or anyone in God’s holy mountain,
Beyond these things, we know
nothing. Let us be wise, and leave these matters alone. Do not investigate
witchcraft, demonism, and the occult. Playing with these things is
indescribably more dangerous than playing with arsenic. It is enough for us to
know only what God has revealed.
In Luke 11:21-26 our Lord
lifts the corner of the veil and allows us to have and instructive peek at the
warfare that takes place in the spirit world for the souls of men.
Proposition: The instruction here is not,
however, instruction about demonology and exorcism, it is instruction about the
wonders of God’s almighty, saving grace in Christ.
The title of my message
tonight is The Strong Man Armed—Bound and Cast Out!
(Luke
11:21-26) "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. (23) He that is not
with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. (24) When
the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking
rest; 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: and the last state of
that man is worse than the first."
There are four things in
these verses of Inspiration to which I direct your attention. May God the Holy
Spirit be pleased to teach us these four, great things.
I. A
Great Destroyer—In
verse 21 Satan is described as a strong man armed, keeping his palace. The
palace he keeps is the heart of a man. This is a picture of fallen man in
his natural state and condition—A Picture of All Fallen Men,
Deceived and Being Deceived by the Prince of Darkness!
(Luke
11:21) "When a strong man armed
keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:"
Our hearts ought to be the
throne of God, but they have become the
(Ephesians
2:1-4) "And you hath he
quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins: (2) Wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince
of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of
disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times
past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the
mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (4) But
God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,"
A. Satan is here called is
called a strong man.
Who can stand against him?
The monster of darkness, the red dragon of hell, is well named Abaddon and
Apollyon – Destroyer! He has been at the business of soul destruction for 6000
years or more. No mortal has ever been a match for him.
·
Adam, in all his created perfection could not stand before the great
destroyer!
·
Samson, with all his might, was no match for the prince of darkness.
·
Solomon, with all his wisdom, was weak as water before the fiend of
hell.
·
Satan is so strong, that if all of us should combine against him, he
would laugh at us as Leviathan laughs at the grappling hook!
Satan is strong, not simply
as one possessing force, but in the sense of intense, fiendish cunning. He knows how to adapt his
temptations to our besetting sins. He knows the best time to assail us. He
understands that there is a time when kings go forth to battle, and he is ever
ready for the fray. He is a good swordsman, he knows every cut, and guard, and
thrust, and parry, and he knows our weak places, and the joints in our harness.
Therefore, unsuspecting men are taken captive by him at his will!
He is a strong man with a
vengeance,
full of fury and full of envy (Heb. 2:9-14). Bless God, my
friends, ever bless God that there is One stronger than he! Satan would crush
us to eternal ruin if it were not that the omnipotent Christ comes in to the
rescue by almighty grace!
B. This strong man, the
Destroyer, we are told here, is armed.
·
Armed with Deception
·
Armed with Temptations
·
Armed with Our Inward Lusts
·
Armed with our Stubborn Pride
·
Armed with our Willful Compliance
·
Armed with Hardness of Heart
·
Armed with The Lie
C. Now, watch this—Keeps
his palace, and his goods are in peace!
Satan is never caught sleeping or off guard.
Whenever the Son of God comes, whenever the Holy Spirit begins to work, he will
do everything he can to keep his palace. And the best way to keep the his
palace in the City of
While we sleeps he sows tares. He never sleeps. He
is always the busiest man in town. Others may neglect the your soul, but Satan
never. He is always making visitations and going from place to place upon his
evil business to watch after his black sheep. The sinner’s heart must be
carried away by storm if it be ever taken, for there is no hope of taking the
Evil Spirit by surprise. “He keepeth his paqlace. His goods are in peace!”
·
No Fear
·
No Great Guilt
·
No Uneasiness
·
No Tormenting Conscience
Still, all strength is withered mussel, his armor is melting plastic, all his palace is unfortified, all his goods are vulnerable before that One who is stronger than he. Thank God, there is One stronger than he! And that One who is stronger than he is the Son of God, the sinners’ Friend, and he is…
II. A
Great Deliverer—The Lord Jesus Christ, when he comes in the saving
operations of omnipotent grace, comes upon, assails the Prince of Darkness in
his palace, and spoils his goods!
(Luke
11:22) "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."
(Matthew
12:29) "Or else how can one enter
into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong
man? and then he will spoil his house."
(Isaiah
49:24-25) "Shall the prey be taken
from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? (25) But thus saith
the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of
the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth
with thee, and I will save thy children."
(Isaiah
53:10-12) "Yet it pleased the LORD
to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall
see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
(12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul
unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors."
(Colossians
2:15) "And having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them
in it."
·
He comes upon him.
·
He binds him. – At Calvary! – By Almighty Grace!
·
He overcomes him!
·
He takes away his armor, the armor in which he trusted. –Satan’s Armor!
– The Man’s Armor!
·
He divideth the spoils!
There is clearly a reference
here to Isaiah 53:12. The Lord Jesus comes and takes possession of those very
goods once used by the fiend of hell for evil and makes them instruments of
good in the palace of his grace!
Now, look at verse 23, and observe
this fact. – There is among men in this world…
III. A
Great Division—Those who are not with Christ are against him. There is no middle
ground.
(Luke
11:22) "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."
Compare and
Explain
(Luke
9:49-50) "And John answered and
said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him,
because he followeth not with us. (50) And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him
not: for he that is not against us is for us."
Next, in verses 24-26, our
Lord gives us a warning concerning spurious conversions. Here is…
IV.A
Great Deception—That which is Satan’s greatest weapon of defense against Christ and
the gospel of his grace, that by which he most securely keeps his palace is a
refuge of lies.
Before we look at these next
verses, turn to Isaiah 28. Let me show you what this refuge of lies is and
does.
(Isaiah
28:14-20) "Wherefore hear the word
of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in
Jerusalem. (15) Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with
death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall
pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and
under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (16) Therefore thus saith the
Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not
make haste. (17) Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness
to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the
waters shall overflow the hiding place. (18) And your covenant with
death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when
the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by
it. (19) From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for
morning by morning shall it pass over, by day and by night: and it shall be a
vexation only to understand the report. (20) For the bed is
shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it: and the
covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it."
Now,
look at Luke 11:24-26, and see how the Deceiver builds for men a refuge of lies.
(Luke
11:24-26) "When the unclean spirit
is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; 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: and the last state of that
man is worse than the first."
A. The unclean spirit goes out of his own free will. – He is not cast out, but goes out.
B. He walks through dry, desert
places, seeking rest, but finds none.
C. He returns to his house (“My
House”) from which he came out.
D. When he returns, he finds
his house in wonderful condition.
·
Swept—Not Washed, Swept!
·
Garnished—Not Made New, Garnished!
·
When he returns, he brings seven spirits more wicked than himself.
·
The last state of that man is worse than the first.
E. But even here, the soul is
not beyond the reach of omnipotent grace!
(Isaiah
28:16) "Therefore thus saith the
Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a
precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not
make haste."
(Isaiah
28:20) "For the bed is shorter than
that a man can stretch himself on it: and the covering narrower
than that he can wrap himself in it."
(Hosea
4:17) "Ephraim is joined to
idols: let him alone."
(Hosea
11:8-9) "How shall I give thee up,
Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as
Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me,
my repentings are kindled together. (9) I will not execute the
fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God,
and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the
city."
(Hosea
13:4) "Yet I am the LORD thy
God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no
saviour beside me."
(Hosea
13:9) "O Israel, thou hast
destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help."
(Hosea
13:12) "The iniquity of Ephraim is
bound up; his sin is hid."
(Hosea
13:14) "I will ransom them from the
power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy
plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine
eyes."
O Lord Jesus, Great
Deliverer, O Blessed Son of God Almighty Savior, if you are passing by,
traveling in the greatness of your strength, come and show your mighty prowess.
Turn aside, O Heavenly Samson, and rend the lion in this vineyard. If you have
dipped your robes in the blood of your foes, come dye them all again with the
blood of my cruel sins! If you have trodden the wine press of Jehovah’s wrath,
and crushed your enemies, here is another of the accursed crew, come and drag
him out and crush him! Here is an Agag in my heart, come and hew him in pieces!
Here is a dragon in my spirit, break, O break, his head and set me free from my
old state of sin! Deliver me from my fierce enemy, and unto you alone shall be
the praise, forever and ever. Amen.