THE TWO KINGDOMS AND THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

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LUKE 11:14-28
Lesson #33
THE TWO KINGDOMS AND THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

• Memory Verse: Luk 11:23
• From the passage in today’s lesson comes an issue that is often misinterpreted and/or misunderstood simply because it is not kept in the context in which it occurs.
  • This event occurs in three of the Gospels.
  • Because of its importance and that it is often misunderstood; we are going to read all three accounts in order to gain the best possible perspective of the context.
• Read Luk 11:14-23
  • Read Mat 12:22-33
  • Read Mar 3:22-30
    • To whom is Jesus speaking in this passage?
    • He is speaking to the Jewish religious leaders of that time.
      • In Luke we are not told to whom Jesus is speaking.
      • In Matthew Jesus is speaking to the Pharisees.
      • In Mark Jesus is speaking to the Scribes.
    • The source of miracles:
      • The problem that man has is to determine the source of miracles.
      • This is the source of confusion around Jesus at that time. People did not know how to tell the difference.
        • Obviously we know that God has the power to do miracles.
        • Satan also has a limited power to do miracles.

However, Satan never does anything original. He always copies what God does in order to deceive.

We can see this kind of deception in Exo 7:9-12.

Aaron’s rod became a snake.

The magicians of Egypt did the same miracle.

But Aaron’s snake had more power to defeat the snakes of the magicians.

• • • Jesus gives us several small metaphors or parables to give us the basic principles:
      • From Luke (Luk 11:17-18) Matthew (Mat 12:25-26) and Mark (Mar 3:24-26): A Nation or House Divided Against Itself.
        • There are two opposing kingdoms in this universe: The kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan.
        • There is the principle of unity that goes throughout the Bible. Power flows from unity whether it is the unity of good or the unity of evil.
        • The kingdom most unified gains its objective.
      • From Luke (Luk 11:21-22) Matthew (Mat 12:29) and Mark (Mar 3:27): The House of the Armed Strong Man
        • Jesus Christ is the one invading the house of the strong man, Satan.
        • The purpose is to gain the most valuable possession, the souls of men.
        • When Jesus cast out the demon from the man, He was invading the house of Satan, the armed strong man. He proved He was stronger than our enemy.
      • From Matthew: The Good Tree and its Fruit (Mat 12:33)
        • The fruit will also have the basic characteristics of the tree that bears it.
        • In the same way the fruit of a ministry will always have the characteristics of the spirit that engenders the ministry.
  • From these small parables we can understand how the believer in Christ to determine the difference between the works of the kingdom of God and the works of the kingdom of Satan.
    • The believer should ask the following questions:
      • For what purpose was the miracle done?
        • New Testament miracles advertise the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
        • Remember in the Gospels, Jesus’ miracles are the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies that validated Him as the Messiah. (Isa 61:1-3)
      • Who is glorified by the miracle?
        • The miracles of the Holy Spirit always lift up the name of Jesus Christ. (Joh 15:26 Joh 16:13-14)
        • The name of Jesus Christ is the name above every other name. He has the ultimate authority.
      • By what name is the miracle performed?
        • We have learned in Luke that power and authority were given to Jesus Christ as a man by the Holy Spirit.
        • Jesus gave His disciples that same power and authority to function in His name.
      • What is the fruit produced by the miracle?
        • In Mat 12:33 Jesus explained that the fruit of a tree reflects the nature of the tree itself.
        • In the same way, from the results of a miracle you should be able to determine the source.
      • Does the miracle bring bondage or freedom?
        • God’s miracles always bring peace and freedom.
        • God’s miracles always bring freedom, physically and spiritually.
    • The Holy Spirit dwelling inside of the believer gives the believer a confirmation.
      • The work of the Holy Spirit is to guide the believer into truth. (Joh 16:13-14)
      • The believer is to discern the spirit. (1Cor 2:14-15 Heb 5:14)
• Read Luk 11:24-28 The Parable of the Empty House and the Eight Spirits (Mat 12:43-45)
  • From the context of the healing of the man with an evil spirit, comes Jesus’ statement in the form of a parable spoken to ”this evil generation” (29).
  • Because Jesus was speaking to Jewish religious leaders, this parable has to do with the history of Israel.
    • The central truth of the parable:
      • 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.
    • Identification of the elements of the parable:
      • =1= 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”:
      • =2= “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.
      • =3= The nation of Israel returned to “the house”:
        • “the house” represents the temple and the Promised Land.
        • When the people returned to the Promised Land, they found it “empty, swept, and garnished”.

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.

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 the worship of God.

• • • • =4= Therefore, “the seven other spirits” came in.
        • The spirit cast out by the Babylonian Captivity was the spirit of idolatry.
        • 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 with the elements of Satan’s kingdom 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.
  • From the context of the three Gospels and Jesus’ parable comes Jesus’ often misunderstood statement in Mat 12:31-32.
    • ^“Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
    • What did Jesus mean:
      • Because Jesus was speaking to the unbelieving religious leaders of the Jews, this statement refers to hardened unbelievers only.
      • The religious leaders attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. Beelzebub is another name for Satan.
      • This was not just a one-time event, but according to the parable, this was the trend of history among the Jewish leadership for generations.
      • Why was the act of attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan not forgiven when acts against Jesus were forgiven?
        • The answer to this question is based on the nature of the work of the Holy Spirit.
        • It is the Holy Spirit that convicts a person of sin. (Joh 16:8)
        • It is the Holy Spirit that lifts up Jesus Christ to reveal who He is to the unbeliever. (Joh 15:26)

Without these two actions by the Holy Spirit, a person will never receive forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life.

The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Life. (Rom 8:2)

• • • • Therefore, the hardened unbeliever that rejects the revelation of truth and attributes the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan cuts himself off from the conviction of sin and the light of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will never enter where He is not invited.

Homework
Luke 11:29-54

• Application of Luk 11:14-28
  • In your experience have you ever been confused about the source of a ministry or the source of a miracle?
  • How did you finally decided the source?
  • Looking back, were you correct in your decision?
• Preparation for Luk 11:29-54
  • Read Luk 11:29-54
    • What is the important message in the sign of Jonah?
• Memory Verse: Gal 3:26