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THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #25
THE PARABLE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE AND THE EIGHT SPIRITS (MAT12:43-45)

• MEMORY VERSE; 2COR 5:17

• THE PARABLE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE AND THE EIGHT SPIRITS (MAT 12:43-45)
• READ MAT 12:22-50 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE.
• REMEMBER THAT JESUS IS STILL TALKING TO THE PHARISEES AND “THE ADULTEROUS GENERATION” OF THAT TIME. (12:39)
• THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE AND THE EIGHT SPIRITS:
• BEFORE WE TALK ABOUT THE CENTRAL TRUTH, WE MUST BE SURE OUR INTERPRETATION CONFORMS WITH VERSE 45 WHERE JESUS SAYS THAT THE PARABLE RELATES TO THIS “WICKED GENERATION” WHICH IS THE SAME AS THE “ADULTEROUS GENERATION” IN VERSE 39.
• ISRAEL WAS LIKE A MAN FROM WHOM THE SPIRIT OF IDOLATRY WAS CAST OUT AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY, BUT TRUE FAITH AND LOVE FOR GOD DID NOT FILL THE VOID. INSTEAD ISRAEL WAS CAUGHT UP WITH SELF-RIGHTEOUS ACTS, TRADITIONS OF MEN, AND LEGALISMS, MAKING THEIR SPIRITUAL CONDITION WORSE THAN THE FIRST.
• THE “UNCLEAN SPIRIT” LEAVES A MAN. WHAT SPECIFICALLY DOES THE “UNCLEAN SPIRIT” REPRESENT?
• READ 1SAM 15:23a
• ISRAEL’S GREATEST SIN WAS THE SIN OF IDOLATRY.
• WHEN THE ISRAELITES CAME OUT OF EGYPT THEY IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO WORSHIP THE GOLDEN CALF. THAT WAS THE BEGINNING OF IDOLATRY. THIS IDOLATRY CONTINUED TO GROW UNTIL GOD FINALLY VOMITED THEM OUT OF THE LAND. HE ALLOWED THE NATION OF BABYLON TO DESTROY THE JEWISH TEMPLE AND TAKE HIS PEOPLE CAPTIVE TO BABYLON. THE PURPOSE OF THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY WAS TO DESTROY ISRAEL’S IDOLATRY. IT WAS SUCCESSFUL. AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY WHEN THE ISRAELITES RETURNED TO THE PROMISED LAND, THE ISRAELITES DID NOT RETURN TO THEIR IDOLATRY.
• THEN THE SPIRIT OF IDOLATRY WAS GONE FROM ISRAEL, THEY FOUND “THE DRY PLACES” (43):
• “THE DRY PLACES” REPRESENT ANY SPIRITUALLY DRY TIME IN LIFE WITHOUT A CLOSE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
• REMEMBER THAT WATER IS ONE OF THE SYMBOLS OF THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. (JOH 7:38-39)
• WITHOUT THE FILLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THERE IS A DRY PLACE.
• THIS WAS THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF ISRAEL WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THE PROMISED LAND AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY.
• THIS WAS THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION WHEN JESUS FINALLY ARRIVED ON THE SCENE.
• THE NATION OF ISRAEL RETURNED TO “THE HOUSE” (44):
• “THE HOUSE” REPRESENTS THE TEMPLE AND THE PROMISED LAND.
• WHEN THE PEOPLE RETURNED TO THE PROMISED LAND, THEY FOUND IT “EMPTY, SWEPT, AND GARNISHED” (44)
• THESE WORDS REFER TO THE CONDITION OF ISRAEL AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY. THEY RETURNED TO THE PROMISED LAND AND FOUND ALL THEIR IDOLS DESTROYED AND GONE, BUT THERE WAS STILL THE FORM OF JUDAISTIC RELIGION.
• BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A SPIRITUAL VOID TO EXIST, SOMETHING WILL FILL IT. (ALL MEN EVERYWHERE WORSHIP SOMETHING!) THEREFORE, IN THE PARABLE “SEVEN OTHER SPIRITS” COME IN.
• BECAUSE ISRAEL DID NOT TURN TO GOD WITH THEIR WHOLE HEART WHEN THEY RETURNED FROM THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY, THEY FAILED TO FILL THE SPIRITUAL VOID WITH GOD.
• THEREFORE, “THE SEVEN OTHER SPIRITS” CAME IN.
• THE SEVEN OTHER SPIRITS REPRESENT SELF-RIGHTEOUS ACTS, PRIDE, FORMALISM, TRADITIONS OF MEN, HYPOCRISY, PRETENSE, AND LEGALISMS. (MAT 23)
• THESE ARE THE SPIRITS THAT REPLACED ISRAEL’S IDOLATRY.
• THIS WAS THE SPIRITUAL CONDITION OF ISRAEL WHEN JESUS CAME TO EARTH 2000 YEARS AGO.
• THE NUMBER, SEVEN, IS A SYMBOLIC NUMBER IN THE BIBLE THAT IS GOD’S PERFECT NUMBER OF COMPLETENESS.
• IN OTHER WORDS, THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THAT “ADULTEROUS GENERATION” WERE COMPLETELY FILLED AND HAD NO ROOM LEFT FOR GOD.
• ISRAEL’S CONDITION WAS “WORSE THAN THE FIRST”
• ISRAEL AFTER THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY:
• READ HAG 1:2-11
• ISRAEL AT THE END OF THE OLD TESTAMENT:
• READ MAL 1:6-8
• READ MAL 3:7-9
• THE ISRAELITES DID NOT HEED GOD’S WARNINGS, SO GOD WAS SILENT FOR 400 YEARS BETWEEN THE OLD TESTAMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT, UNTIL JESUS CAME.
• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE:
• THE KEY MESSAGE FOR US IS THAT WITHOUT THE WATER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FILL A PERSON’S LIFE, THAT PERSON WILL WORSHIP ANY NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS.
• DISCUSSION: HOW DOES A PERSON RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT INTO THAT SPIRITUAL VOID IN EVERY HEART AND FILL THAT LIFE WITH GOD?
• READ JOH 7:37-39
• HAVE FAITH IN JESUS
• RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

• A PERSON CANNOT TRY TO CHANGE HIS LIFE AND LIVE DIFFERENTLY WITHOUT REGENERATION BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. REFORMATION WITHOUT REGENERATION DOES NOT WORK.
• DISCUSSION: WHY DOESN’T IT WORK? WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REFORMATION AND REGENERATION?
• READ 2COR 5:17

HOMEWORK
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED (MAT 13:3-23)
THIS IS A SELF STUDY. PLEASE DO NOT SEND HOMEWORK ANSWERS TO THE TEACHER FORCORRECTION.

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE AND THE EIGHT SPIRITS (MAT 12:43-45)
• WHAT THINGS IN YOUR LIFE HAVE YOU TRIED TO CHANGE IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH WITHOUT SUCCESS?
• IF THERE IS ONE THING YOU WANT TO TRUST GOD TO CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE, WRITE IT DOWN. FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS, LOOK FOR WAYS TO TRUST CHRIST FOR THIS CHANGE.
• IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO, MEMORIZE 2COR 5:17 TO HELP YOU.
• EVERY TIME THE TEMPTATION COMES TO FALL INTO THE SAME OLD PATTERN IN YOUR LIFE, PRAY, REPEAT 2COR 5:17, AND LOOK FOR ALTERNATE ACTIVITIES OF BEHAVIOR.
• WRITE YOUR EXPERIENCES OVER THE NEXT 4 WEEKS.

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED (MAT 13:3-23)
• EXPLANATION OF MAT 13 PARABLES:
• THERE ARE EITHER 7 OR 8 PARABLES IN MAT 13 DEPENDING ON HOW YOU WANT TO LIST THEM. SOME THEOLOGIANS DIVIDE THEM INTO 7 AND SOME INTO 8. ALL THE PARABLES ARE ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH IN THE DAY IN WHICH JESUS LIVED, UP UNTIL THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. THEY GIVE US A GOOD PICTURE OF HOW GOD’S KINGDOM WORKS IN OUR PRESENT DAY. THEREFORE, KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU STUDY THEM. JESUS SPOKE THE FIRST FOUR PARABLES TO THE MIXED MULTITUDE, WHILE HE SPOKE THE LAST FOUR TO THE DISCIPLES PRIVATELY.
• READ MAT 13:1-23
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?
• IDENTIFY THE MEANING OF THE FOLLOWING OBJECTS:
• THE SOWER:
• THE SEED:
• GROUND #1, THE WAYSIDE (4)
• FOULS:
• GROUND #2, THE STONY PLACES (5)
• SUN:
• GROUND #3, AMONG THORNS (7)
• THORNS:
• GROUND #4, GOOD GROUND (8)
• FRUIT:

• MEMORY VERSE: GAL 5:22-23