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The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
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W
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E beseech
thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and
stretch forth the right hand of thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our
enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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A
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nd he was
casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was
gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils
through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign
from heaven. 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. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom
stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out
devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your
judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God
cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 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. 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.
27 And
it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company
lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and
the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But
he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the
word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:14-27)
It has become quite convenient to blame our sins on Satan, but that old Serpent
has enough sins to his credit that we need not add our own to his hell-borne
repertoire. Even though Satan initiated a temptation to our parents in the
Garden at Eden, he could not have consummated the deal had Adam and Eve refused
to disobey God. As George MacDonald has wisely observed, "The one principle
of Hell is – ‘I am my own!’” The devil does not send us to Hell; in fact, he
lacks the power to do so. We send ourselves to that unenviable place.
In today's text, our Lord teaches us of the paralysis caused - not only by our
own sins, but those committed by the society around us to which we become
heirs. Sin is pain and utter darkness. Its end result is death of the spirit
though the soul has a destination of its own making (unless that soul has been,
by the grace of God, saved and redeemed). The death of sin blinds our eyes,
stops our ears from hearing, locks our jaws, and covers our consciences with
calloused flesh.
14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it
came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people
wondered. There are a variety of demons that
afflict the soul of man - these are the outcast angels of Heaven who chose to
follow Lucifer rather than obey God. These unembodied spirits inhabit the
netherworld of this life and seek to perform their cursed master's will.
In the text, our Lord Jesus is casting out a certain kind of demon, or evil
spirit, that rendered its victim dumb. This person has all his faculties of
speech and communication, but the presence of an invited and evil guest into
his heart has deprived him of the ability to use his God-given powers to speak
and to communicate. It happened 2,000 years ago, and it has been happening in
all intervening times to include the modern day. In fact. many Christians today
suffer from a limited affliction of this demon - they fail to speak out on
issues of Gospel truth and remain silent when evil triumphs.
It is worthy of note at the wonder of the people at the restoration to health
of the formerly possessed person. The world is always surprised at the mercies
of God and misinterprets the His works - either through ignorance or intention.
But when we hide the Word of God in our hearts, we are strengthened against the
Archenemy of our Souls – the Devil!
Thy word
have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. (Psalm
119:11)
However, when we have a divided heart to admit even a small and cherished sin
to remain in our hearts, it will grow and take possession of the whole organ.
Allowed sin that is tolerated always masters a man in time. The man may loathe
his master, yet he obeys him; he may fear his master, yet still he does his
hateful bidding. Those wills that we consider FREE, are actually in bondage to
Satan for the will of man is corrupt. It is only when we accept the Will of God
in our lives that we are free indeed.
Light always overcomes darkness because light is a positive value. Darkness has
no real force. It is the absence of virtue – of righteousness. Even a tiny
candle will dispel a roomful of darkness. But we must light the candle!
If the candle of our souls remains unlit by the Holy Ghost, we remain in the
same darkness of those without a candle. God has given us His Word to light our
way and illumine our dark hearts.
Thy word is
a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:05)
15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through
Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him,
sought of him a sign from heaven.
The modern church seeks signs and wonders! They must have always some present
wonder and presumed miraculous sign to legitimize their faith, but what saith
Christ?
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting
desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven. 2 He
answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye
say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day:
for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a
sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet
Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
When I observe the presumed signs and
wonders of the charismatic churches, I am saddened to see the sinner go away
with greater burdens than he brought to the service.
We have been provided enough evidence for our faith, and more, in the birth,
life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – a well-documented historical
event of history.
The doubters among the multitude of Scribes and Pharisees accused Christ of
using the power of Beelzebub to cast out devils. They spoke more our of jealousy
than unbelief. If the people believed and followed Jesus, what would happen to
the economy of their own cozy little positions?
What does this term, BEELZEBUB, mean? Lord of the Flies – another word for
DEVIL. When a dead body, or even excrement, is exposed to the light of day,
flies cover it and lay their eggs thereon. Later, maggots appear on the
dead. This is the kind of life these doubters accused our Lord of
creating. These unbelieving and wicked observers accuse Christ of bringing a
lower form of life from filth. But Christ never resurrected maggots, but
totally restored healthy human beings. His power was the Creative Power that
created man in the first occasion in Eden.
BEELZEBUB
“The Lord of the Flies” is a
book by British novelist William Golding and, for some reason, is required
reading in most American schools. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a
sordid tale about a group of kids who are stranded on a deserted island after
their plane crashes. The story is set during the Atomic War and plenty of
references are made to the fact. However, the real key to the story lies in the
role of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Beelzebub has a central role in the story
as he represents the Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans. The Beast
cannot be hunted and since it dwells within all human hearts, humans are all
guilty because mankind is sick. Of course, there is a cure for that affliction.
Is there a Balm in Gilead? Yes! It is the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in
purchasing our salvation.
The destruction of mankind is a point that Golding makes apparent often in this
novel. He establishes early on that Beelzebub is a force within all humans that
drives them to destroy and maim. (a perfect description of Satan as well as the
sinful nature in all men and women born upon this earth).
Simon – is a loner who knows that the evil in every man’s heart can only be
fought by reason and virtue. He is murdered sadistically by all the others.
This book is an unhealthy book for one primary reason:
It ignores the God Equation
and offers a human, rather than a spiritual, remedy.
. 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. 18 If
Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye
say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.
Christ knows our hearts. He sees our nakedness always. Nothing is hidden from
Him – even our thoughts and motives are revealed as a book written. Christ says:
“…..a house divided against a house falleth”
If
you ask the average historian who said this, they would tell you, Abraham
Lincoln. But Lincoln was simply paraphrasing the Bible.
It is ridiculous to allege that good can result from the spirit of evil.
19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do
your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.
I was once involved with a local Korean minister who desperately wanted to
acquire a new building for the church, but he did not want to inform the people
of his plan. He knew, since they were paying for the building, that they might
object to the cost. I advised him to inform the people and conduct prayer
services to determine the Will of the Lord in the matter and to enlist the
support of the people.
He became upset with me and later told a mutual friend: “That brother Jerry is
good man, but he too much Bible!” No one has ever, before, or after, paid me
such an unintended compliment.
When you launch out courageously into the deep waters of God’s Word, there will
always be the nay-sayers who gather to condemn you and impute false motive to
your seeking. But, just as Father Noah did, keep building the Ark of Hope and
Faith.
. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out
devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 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. 23 He
that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me
scattereth.
Compare with Luke 9:49-50
49. 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. (Luke 9:49-50)
If a Roman Catholic minister stands and condemns homosexual marriage and
abortion of innocents, will we today stone him for being a Roman Catholic?
This might be Christ response to the book, Lord of the Flies –
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.
We are unable to clean and garnish our own
hearts. This is the work of God, through His Word, and the working of the Holy
Spirit. If we renounce our sin of lust and greed, and remove them from our
repertoire of sins, soon a greater an more wicked bag of sins will inhabit the
place left vacant. God’s Word, being Light, is necessary to dispel the darkness
from our hearts. We are unable of our own strength and merit.
The book I mentioned obviates this principle and would leave men more destitute
of virtue than before the attempted amendment.
If we have not yet surrendered our souls, unconditionally, to Christ, we are set
for a fall to a lower point than before our feeble resolution to better
ourselves. Human reason is not the answer. We need God in our lives. We need
His Word in our hearts. We need the old heart regime to be filled with goodness
– not simply devoid of evil. A vacuum always draws on the environment. It
always seeks to be filled. If we presumably empty our hearts of evil (an
impossibility), we cannot keep them empty. Something will force its way in and
occupy by force our Soul’s bastion. But if Christ resides there, there will be
no room for the devil.
27 And
it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company
lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and
the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God,
and keep it.
Christ is not interested in elevating our human image – He seeks to alter it
completely – to restore it to His own intents and purposes evidenced in the
Garden at Eden. We are created after His own image, are we not? Hearing and
knowing God’s Word is not enough for as James has said:
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain
man, that faith without works is dead? (James 2:19-20)
Saving Faith will always be reflected in our daily lives – the things we say
and do, the manner in which we love and respond to those in great distress.
Remember that the Love of Christ was not simply a fondness, but a sacrificial,
compassionate love that always expressed itself in action. When He saw, He had
compassion.
Let us do likewise.
