No Neutral Ground

Luke 11. As the plates are being passed, if you wouldn't mind standing with me for just a moment. See if we can accomplish all this at once. I know I'm making it hard. I'm going to add something to the mix: if you could turn off your cell phones. Many things at once, but I know that you're talented, so we can accomplish it.

Luke 11, verse 14 states, "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. But some of them said, 'He casts out devils through Beelzebub, the chief of the devils.'"

Let's pray. God, we do ask that You would speak to us this morning, Lord. That You would give us Your insight into Your Word. Holy Spirit, we do pray that, just as was promised, You would come this morning and teach us all things. That You'd guide us through Your Word. And Lord, that You would help us to see You high and lifted up again in a new way. Lord, that You would transform our lives by Your Word. For You said that You desire to wash us with the water of the Word. We thank You and we praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.

You can be seated.

The context of the passage as we come to these verses this morning, Luke 11, verses 14 through 28, is important. We know that one of the disciples of the Lord had come to Jesus in Luke 11, verse 1, and said unto Him, "Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples." The next 13 verses of the chapter provide us with some of the greatest, most foundational doctrine on prayer. This wonderful method that God has given to us allows man to come before God, to enter His presence, to come into His throne room, and talk with Him.

Not just in a one-way communication as we talk to Him, but that God can speak to us as well. Jesus would teach His disciples that when you pray, you should pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name." He goes on to give them this great prayer, but He establishes so much for us in these 13 verses. He goes on to speak about the importunity of prayer, emphasizing that we need to be continually coming before God, persisting in prayer.

He illustrates it with a very interesting story. In verse 5, he asks, "Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves'?" The context of what Jesus is saying in verse 5 is important because we do not live in the time or culture that Jesus lived in when he spoke these words. To us, it seems rather absurd that he would suggest going to a friend at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread. Even if you had a need, midnight seems like a very unreasonable hour.

During that time, hospitality was the foundation of Middle Eastern culture. People were known for their hospitality, and many travelers would journey at night due to the hot climate. If someone arrived at your house late, you would want to present them with food. However, would you really go to your neighbor's house at midnight to ask for help? It seems absurd and unreasonable. As Jesus proclaimed this to the disciples and those listening, they probably thought, "Midnight? That's a little much."

He was illustrating the fact that we may look at it and say, "I wouldn't do that to a friend." Yet, God tells us to come to Him at any time, even if it seems trivial. We should bring our needs to Him immediately in prayer, regardless of the hour. He is always waiting for us to come to Him, to commune with Him, and to speak with Him.

Jesus goes on to say that the man would not get up from his sleep with his family just because his friend was knocking at his door. However, because of the persistence of the man knocking, he would eventually get up. If you tell him to go away and leave you alone, he might still keep knocking. To stop the knocking, you would get up and say, "All right, all right, all right. Here, take what you need."

This illustrates that we need to be persistent in our prayer. Jesus encourages us to ask, seek, and knock. We need to constantly come before the Lord, asking, seeking, and knocking. But what if someone cannot ask? What if they are unable to bring their request before the Lord? We may think that seems impossible, but what if?

As we come to verse 14, we find an individual whom the book of Matthew tells us was not only mute but also blind. Here is a man who is blind and cannot speak. The cause of his infirmity is given in verse 14 as well: Jesus went and cast out a devil from a man who was mute. After this demon was cast from him, he was able to speak. The book of Matthew shows us in Matthew chapter 12 that not only was he able to speak, but he was also able to see. Thus, the cause of his infirmity was a spiritual one.

This is not to say that every person with an infirmity, whether it be sickness, blindness, or muteness, is demon-possessed. That is not the case at all; this is the exception, not the rule. In this exception, we have a man who was mute and could not bring his request to the Lord. He could not speak it with his mouth. Jesus had just given a teaching on making your request known to the Lord. We are told in the Scriptures that we should give our requests to the Lord, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Yet this man could not ask.

However, we see that Jesus was able to know the need of this man. In Matthew chapter 6, verse 8, during the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that your Father knows the needs you have before you ask Him. Again, in Matthew chapter 6, verse 32, He states, "For after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things." We have a Father in Heaven who knows our needs. He desires that we would ask, but He still knows our needs beyond our asking.

Sometimes we do not even fully realize what our true needs are. Consider the people in this world who are on their way to hell. You and I were, at one point in time, dead in trespasses and sins. We had no real understanding of our need for salvation, did we? Yet Jesus came and died while we were still dead in our trespasses and sins. We did not have to ask Him to come and do that; He knew that was what was needed. He came to answer the cry and call of our souls in our dead condition. We, too, at one point in time, were dead and dumb in trespasses and sins. Because of the sin that so easily ensnared us and to which we were enslaved, we were unable to come to Him.

At the right time, Christ came for us. We considered that this morning as Ed was speaking about the bread and the cup—the body of our Lord Jesus Christ and His blood. He came at the perfect time. Did you notice how Candy was just fixed on him the whole time? I guess that's the way it should be, right? For those of you who don't know, Candy is Ed's wife.

As we consider the broken bread, His body that was given for us, and His blood that was shed for us, it was at a time when we didn't realize we had that need. But He knew. This man who was demon-possessed here in chapter 11 very likely knew he had a need, but he couldn't bring that need to the Lord. Perhaps he could not find Him because of his blindness, but he certainly could not speak because of his mute condition.

To the Jews in that day, this demon-possessed man was hopeless. He was beyond the help of their exorcists and beyond the help of those in their society who were employed to assist such a man. They couldn't help him because it was believed among the Jews, especially those who were exorcists during that time, that they needed to identify the name of the demon holding this person. They would obviously have to ask the person, but since he was mute, he couldn't speak forth that name. Once they knew the name of the demon, they believed they could adjure that demon by name to come out of him. But this man couldn't speak, so he was hopeless in their eyes. There was nothing that could be done for him.

There are so many people in our society that we look at every single day and say they are hopeless. There is no hope for them; there can be no help for them. Maybe you or someone in your family has been looked at and told, "There is no hope for Ken." People look at us all the time and may say, "Oh, there's no hope for you." As we drive down the street, we consider the people around us—maybe the person who cuts you off—and think, "Oh, good, there's no hope for him."

Yet the Lord knows our need. Jesus was casting a devil out of a man who was mute because of that. In the midst of this work that Jesus did, throughout the Gospels as we study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we see His compassion and understanding of our needs.

We see the magnificent words of Jesus, but also the works of Jesus. As the two came together and were mingled with faith, people began to wonder and ultimately worship the Lord. However, there were others in the crowd who heard the same words and saw the same works, but their reaction was different. Their hearts were filled with unbelief. They always tried to come up with an explanation for the work they witnessed.

Some of those present wondered at the end of verse 14, but others claimed that He casts out devils through the power of Beelzebub, the chief of the devils. Two groups of people saw the same exact work and heard the same exact words, yet their reactions were different. That's always the case.

Just this last week, we had two accidents right here in front of the church at the intersection of El Norte and Seven Oaks. This is a bad intersection where accidents happen all the time. On Monday, there was an accident, and then on Friday, there was another accident right there. You can have fifty witnesses to these accidents, and if you ask each one of them, they will all have a different idea of how the story went, what happened, who was at fault, and what color the car was. A car can be sitting right there, and someone might say, "No, it's not black; it's charcoal." There are always different ideas, different opinions, and different understandings of what took place.

In this case, a magnificent work was done. A man was released from the demon that held him in a place of complete slavery and bondage. He couldn't speak or see; it was a hopeless condition. Yet, Jesus came and simply spoke, and the demon was gone. Suddenly, he could see and speak. No doubt he was rejoicing, proclaiming the wonders of God. Some people were amazed, while others reacted with skepticism, claiming that He performed these acts by the power of the devil.

Some people looked at this and insisted that He casts out demons by the power of the devil. Others began to test Him, as noted in verse 16, tempting Him and seeking a sign from heaven. Those who believed that He was using some sort of strange power argued that since their exorcists couldn't do it, and surely they had God, then if He could, He must possess some unusual power. Among those who doubted, some demanded, "Show us a sign from heaven. Prove to us that you're of God." The Jews believed that if a man performed a sign from heaven, it validated his divine authority.

Then he truly must be from God because only God could do these signs from heaven. When we talk about a sign from heaven, we need to understand what that means. They just saw Jesus do a miraculous sign, didn't they? They just witnessed him perform something wonderful, and yet now they ask him to give another sign from heaven.

A sign from heaven to them would be a sign like that of Moses. Moses gave the children of Israel bread from heaven, manna. They woke up, and there it was outside their tents. Every single day, this manna came from heaven. They went outside and asked, "What is it? What is it? What is this stuff?" That's what manna means—"What is it?" They went around saying, "Manna, manna." Moses explained that it was bread from heaven and told them to eat it. So they concluded that he must be from God because he brought down bread from heaven.

Elijah, in 1 Kings chapter 18, called down fire from heaven, and they said, "Surely this man is of God." Those who watched Jesus perform this miracle right before their eyes said, "Show us a sign from heaven, and we'll believe that you're from God." They believed that the enemy, the devil, could perform works here on earth, but only God could do a sign from heaven.

However, they were wrong. There is coming a day when one will come, and the Jews will latch onto him, believing him to be the Messiah. He shall be the Antichrist, and he himself will be able to do signs in the heavens. He will bring fire down from heaven, and they will embrace him, thinking surely he must be from God. But Jesus did no sign like that, and so they questioned his authority. They questioned who he was and where he came from. They tempted him, testing him, saying, "Show us a sign."

Those who seek signs will never be satisfied with the signs that are given. If you require a sign to believe, as the Scriptures say, the Jews require a sign; they demand the miraculous. Yet, even in the midst of the miraculous, they still harden their hearts in unbelief. These are the people who saw God bring ten miraculous plagues upon the land of Egypt.

Imagine, for a moment, standing before the Red Sea, with Moses holding his staff in hand. He raises it, and the waters begin to part, allowing you to cross over on dry ground. Do you think you would ever have a problem trusting God after that point? Well, these people did.

Just a few days later, actually a little bit longer than that—about 40 days later—they were bowing down to a golden calf and saying, "This is the God that brought us out of Egypt." You see, the signs they sought would not secure faith in their minds and hearts. Although they would see the greatest of all signs, Jesus raised from the dead, they would not believe because their hearts were hardened.

Jesus said, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given unto it except for the sign of Jonah." As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. His resurrection was the sign he spoke of, yet at the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they hardened their hearts in unbelief. They demanded, "Show us a sign in the heavens, and we'll believe." No, they would not believe. They wanted to see another sign, and another, and another. To the crowd that looked for a sign, Jesus was a carnival act—something to behold. Many people followed him simply for that. Some followed him for a free meal, while others came to see him perform miracles.

Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to destruction or desolation, and a house divided against a house shall fall. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because you say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub." Jesus understood their thoughts. It appeared that those who believed he performed these works by the power of the devil did not verbally express their thoughts. Instead, it seemed to be something they were battling in their minds, which manifested in their demand for a sign. In their hearts and minds, they were saying he must be doing this by the power of the devil. There was no way he could do this by the power of God because God was on their side, and even their exorcists could not do what he had just done.

He posed a question to them, as Jesus so often did—a question they could logically figure out in their own minds. He said, "Every kingdom that's divided against itself is going to come to destruction." Any sort of civil war or civil unrest in a nation for a long period of time...

It will destroy that nation, that people group. He says that any house that's divided against itself, when you consider this whole thing of being divided, it's like it's trying to go in opposite directions. If a household is divided in that way, with each member going in their own direction, then it's going to fall apart. It's not going to stand; there will be no unity there.

When you consider what the Scripture has to say, any time you see this kind of division, it's evidence of a work of the enemy. He is the one that comes to divide. He is the thief that has come to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He is the destroyer. When there is division, when there is a lack of unity—whether it's in your home, in the church, in this state, in this country, or in the world—it is a product of the enemy. He is the one that brings such division and seeks to accomplish it.

This passage of Scripture is very interesting because Jesus opens the veil, if you would, and allows us to look into the spirit world. He shows us that the enemy, the devil's kingdom, is organized. It is not divided against itself, yet he seeks to bring division in this world. Jesus says that if a kingdom is divided against itself, every kingdom that is divided against itself is brought to desolation. A house divided against a house falls.

If Satan is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? If Satan is divided against himself, then the kingdom of Satan is going to fall, which is what Jesus is saying. The people probably nodded their heads and said, "Yes, we understand; okay, we get that."

He adds to it, saying, "Because you say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub." He points out that they believe he is doing this work by the power of the devil. He is casting out demons, and they say he is doing it by his own power. That seems like a house divided against itself. By their estimation, the kingdom of Satan is going to come to nothing; it is going to fall apart on its own. They might nod their heads and say, "Yeah, okay, that's fine."

But here, the kingdom of Satan, by this time and in the time in which we live, has been going for quite some time, hasn't it? In fact, when you think of the kingdoms of this world, the kingdom of Satan is probably the longest-standing kingdom of all. It's not a kingdom that we can see, but it's a very real kingdom indeed. It has stood strong for quite some time.

The reason that it has stood strong is because what we see implied here in this text is that the kingdom of Satan, the kingdom of the devil, is an organized kingdom. When you read the Scriptures and Jesus talks about principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this age, there's a hierarchy of leadership within the kingdom of Satan. It's a well-organized kingdom, and he has a plan of destruction and rebellion. He is seeking to fully execute his plan and to fully destroy the lives of humanity, to fully destroy this world in which we live. It is the desire of Satan and the goal of his kingdom to destroy.

It's a strong kingdom, and it's not going to come to nothing because of internal turmoil and civil war. So does that mean that the kingdom of Satan shall stand forever? No, we're going to see that in just a moment. Jesus says, "If I, by Beelzebub, cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out?" That's an indictment. He says, "If you say that I'm casting out demons by the power of the devil, then who are your own people? Who are your own exorcists? Who are your own sons casting them out by?" Therefore, he says, "Shall they be your judges?" They are going to want to talk to you if that's what you really think, that I cast these demons out by the power of the devil.

But verse 20 says, "If I, with the finger of God, cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you." This statement here at the end of verse 20 is either the scariest revelation in the Scripture for you or it's the greatest blessing. Jesus says, "If I come by the power of God, by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God is upon you."

For the one who is in rebellion to God, who is truly in alliance with the enemy, that is the scariest revelation of all. As we will see, there is a stronger kingdom than that of the devil, and it is the kingdom of God. Jesus comes as the captain, the king of the kingdom of God. He was among His people, many of whom were bound by Satan and the kingdom of the devil.

He says that if He has cast out the demon from the man who was mute and blind, and they could not do it, then perhaps it has been done by the finger of God. He poses this question to them: perhaps it is not by the power of the devil, but by the finger of God. He leaves that thought with them.

I believe that sometimes, in our declaration of the gospel and in witnessing to others, we answer the questions we pose to them too quickly. What do I mean by that? Many times, when interacting with someone about Christianity and the faith, they may be against what you are saying. You might ask them a question: if you are dead in your trespasses and sins and are going to hell, what are you going to do? Then we instantly say, "You need to repent." Sometimes, I think we just need to leave them with that question.

You are dead in your trespasses and sins. The Bible says you are going to hell. What are you going to do? Leave it with them and let the Holy Spirit convict them, causing them to understand their own sin and the ultimate destination because of their sin. The Lord our God, by His Holy Spirit, can convict them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

Jesus simply asks them this question. They were already assuming that perhaps He does this by the power of the devil. He points out that this does not make any sense logically. If you think about it logically, you will see that it does not make sense. The only possible deduction is that He has done this by the power of God, by the very finger of God. He leaves them with that to think about.

He also says that if that is the case, then the kingdom of God has come upon them. The kingdom of Satan is a well-organized kingdom; it is a strong kingdom.

And the enemy, our adversary, the devil, will fight to maintain and hold the ground that he has. However, there is a stronger kingdom. The kingdom of the devil will not fall because of its own inner turmoil and civil war. It will continue and abide forever unless a greater kingdom comes.

Jesus had just told His disciples, "Pray, your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The kingdom of the devil is here on this earth. Some people think that the devil rules and reigns from hell, but he does not. Hell is his ultimate destination; that is where he will be sent for torment for eternity. Here and now, our enemy, the adversary, the devil, as the Bible tells us, goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is here upon this earth. His soldiers and his army are here in this sanctuary right now. It is a strong kingdom, but there is a stronger kingdom.

If I, with the finger of God, cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, armed, keeps his palace, his goods are in peace. When Jesus speaks about this strong man in verse 21, He is referring to the devil. He is speaking about the enemy and tells us very clearly that he is a strong man. He is strong. When the strong man is armed and keeps his palace, he believes that all of his goods are in peace. They are all held together. He has his land and his dominion, and this is the dominion of the enemy here upon the earth. He believes that his kingdom is ordered and strong.

But in verse 22, we read, "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him," and overcome him, "he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted and divides his spoils." You see, the kingdom of Satan will not fall because of a civil war within.

But the kingdom of Satan would be destroyed by a stronger kingdom. This was prophesied time and time again in the Old Testament. In fact, in the third chapter of the Bible, in Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, it was prophesied that one would come of a seed of a woman, and he would crush the head of the commander of the king of Satan, the serpent, that old devil, who seems to scare so many people in this world.

Yet, there is coming a day, as the book of Revelation says, when we will behold this one and look at him pitifully, really, and say, "This is the one? This is the one who scared us?" He hides out and screams at the top of his lungs, "Do not behold the guy behind the curtain." He believes himself to have a strong kingdom, but there is one stronger that would come. When a stronger one comes, he shall overcome him, take from him all of his armor, his whole armor, everything that the enemy trusts in, everything that the enemy believes he has that is so strong.

Our Lord Jesus came and devastated his kingdom; he crushed his head. The enemy's kingdom is a crushed kingdom. Oh, he is still trying to hold on to things right now, but it is as if everything from his kingdom has been knocked out. All his transportation, all of his power—everything has been knocked out.

You and I have been called into the kingdom of God. We have been called into the battle as soldiers, and we have been told in the Scriptures that we are going to storm the gates of hell, and they shall not prevail against God's church. Jesus, who is stronger than the devil, has come and overcome the devil. He has taken from him all of his armor, and here Jesus takes back one of the strongholds of the enemy.

This man, who was possessed by a demon that had caused him to be mute and blind, could not be helped by anyone else, but Jesus, the stronger than the devil, comes and delivers him. We are then told that he divides his spoils. He that is not with me, Jesus goes on to say in verse 23, is against me. And he that gathers not with me scatters.

Verse 22 implies that our Lord, our God, has an army, a stronger army than that of the enemy. We see that truth over and over again in the Old Testament. There is a battle going on, a battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. They are not equal kingdoms; God's kingdom is much stronger. The scripture makes that very clear in the passages before us this morning.

In this epic battle between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil, there is no Switzerland. There is no neutral territory. There is no little conscientious objector to this battle. There is no place where you can sit out and say, "Well, I don't want to be a part of the battle." You may think, "I definitely don't want to be with the kingdom of Satan. I know it's going to be a destroyed kingdom, and all of those are going to be punished for eternity. But I don't know that I really want to engage in the battle of God."

There is no Switzerland. There is no neutral territory. Jesus says, "He that is not with me is against me." If you refuse to engage in the battle that God has set before us today, then you are fighting against the Lord. Remember the Apostle Paul in Acts chapter 9? God tells him, "You are persecuting me." How was he persecuting the Lord? He believed he was doing the work of God and fighting against the church. But in reality, he was persecuting the Lord, kicking against the goads of God's kingdom.

There is no neutral territory. There is no demilitarized zone where you can hang out and say, "I don't really want to engage in the battle. I don't really want to do that whole Christian thing and go out on a limb. People think I'm nuts, but I definitely don't want to be with the kingdom of the devil. So I'm just going to have my own little thing here and I'll just be Switzerland." Raise your flag and whistle? No, it's not going to work. There is no neutral ground.

One may say, "I don't really want to engage in the battle. I definitely don't want to associate with the armies of the enemy, but I sure don't want to fight with God." Well, the Bible says that's not a choice. That is not an option. You cannot do that in this battle that is facing us this morning.

For the person who seeks to walk that line, Jesus would speak to the church that seeks to walk that line in Revelation chapter 3, verse 15, a verse and passage that many of you know well. Jesus says to the church at Laodicea, "I know your works, that you're neither hot nor cold. I wish that you would be cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth." That's a beautiful picture, isn't it? God says there is no lukewarm. There is no neutral ground. There's no place where you can just sit there and say, "I don't want to engage in the battle today." If you do that, the scripture makes it very clear: the Lord will have no part with you.

We are either fully engaged in the army of God or we are serving the enemy. Joshua, in the Old Testament, knowing this very truth, would say to the people in Joshua chapter 24, verse 15, "And if it seems evil for you to serve the Lord, then choose this day whom you will serve, whether it be the gods of your father that your father served when they were on the other side of the Jordan or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. The Lord calls to us as well. He says, "Who are you going to serve?" You can only choose one or the other, and your choice has great ramifications. There is no middle ground. There's no place of just saying, "I don't want to be involved in the battle today. I just want to check out, have a little vacation in Switzerland." It doesn't work. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathers not with me scatters.

To illustrate this point, Jesus goes on in verse 24 and says, "When an unclean spirit is cast out of a man, that unclean spirit walks through dry places seeking rest and finding none. He says, 'I will return unto my house whence I came out.' And when he comes and finds it swept and garnished, then he goes out and takes unto him seven other spirits more wicked than himself. They enter into the dwelling to dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first." Jesus says, "You're either with me or you're against me."

If I have come and delivered you from the kingdom of the enemy, and you say, "I don't really want to go into the kingdom of God. I'm going to stay here in the middle," then this is what will happen to you. It is as if a man had a demon within him, and I deliver him, and that demon is cast out. During that time, the demon goes through dry places. If the host of that demon does not fill his life with Christ and become a part of the kingdom of God, then that demon will return and think, "I wonder how things are going over at my old house."

The demon will go back in and look around. "Oh, wow. Things are kind of swept and in order. Look at this place. I forgot how nice of a place this was. I have a lot of friends; they need a place too." The scripture says that he will go and gather unto himself seven spirits greater than himself, more wicked than himself. The last state of that man will be worse than the first.

We get a glimpse into the spirit world here, something very interesting that we would never know about if it were not for the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus shows us something amazing. He says that a person who is possessed by a devil is real. We live in a culture and society here in the West, in the United States, where we think the whole idea of demon possession is kooky. We dismiss it, saying, "Oh, come on, demon possession, whatever."

However, I could take you to some places in the world where they know very well that this is real. The enemy has done a good job of blinding us. It was once said that the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn't exist. He has convinced the Western world that there is no devil. Many people in this nation believe that the whole demon possession thing is not real and that it is just old fables.

But the scripture makes it very clear that it is a real thing. Jesus shows us something very interesting about these demons. It appears from this passage that demons desire to inhabit humans. Why? In the same way that a murderer seeks a gun, which is his weapon, a demon seeks a body because that body will be his weapon in the battle against God.

And so we see that there is a spirit world, with demonic beings seeking to inhabit an open house, a host, or a body. The Lord, our God, has the ability to cast these demons from people and to expel them. However, if individuals do not take into their lives the spirit of the living God, they remain wide open prey for another host or another demon to come along. Jesus says that if you are delivered from the kingdom of the devil and do not engage in the kingdom of God, then you are wide open for the enemy's work.

There is a great danger, as Jesus reveals, in delivering a person from demonic possession if they are not delivered unto the kingdom of God. There are deliverance ministries today that have nothing to do with God and the Bible. They seek to remove people from the grasp of the enemy and the spirit world, yet they never place the Lord Jesus Christ in that context. The scripture says that their end state may be worse than the beginning.

This has a definite spiritual truth for you and me, but there is also a practical application. The practical application is this: if you and I cut something off in our lives and do not fill that place with something else, then some other sin will fill it. What do I mean by that?

Consider the person who says, "Once upon a time, I was an adulterer. I'm not an adulterer anymore." Well, what are you doing now? "I divorced my wife and I'm living with this other lady." What is better about that?

Or take the person who claims, "I'm not a thief anymore. I stopped stealing from people when I started gambling. It's really helped me." This is why the scripture makes it very clear that there are put-offs in our Christian life, but there are immediately after that put-ons. If you are going to put off the deeds of the flesh, you need to immediately put on righteousness.

Ephesians chapter 4 is a great passage that talks about this. In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 22, Paul the Apostle says, "Put off concerning your former conduct the old man."

Which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts. He says to put off your old conduct. It's corrupt, dying, dead, and decaying. Put it off, and in verse 23, be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and holiness. That sounds like a great principle, but what is he talking about practically?

Well, read verse 25. Wherefore, stop lying and speak the truth. How much more clear could it be? He says if you're going to put off lying, you need to put in its place truth. One person may say, "Well, I stopped lying, and now I just write for the tabloids." Stop lying and speak the truth to your neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Let's say you have a problem with anger. He says, "Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, neither give place to the devil." He says if you have a problem with stealing, stop stealing. And here's the best one: get a job. That's what the scripture says. I mean, that's like the New Miles translation, but that's what it says. Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor.

What's that look like? Get a job. Labor with his hands. Why? Labor with his hands, working the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that has need. It's interesting when you consider the ideas of liberals a lot of times. They just say, "Well, if we redistribute wealth, then we won't have stealing anymore." If we just redistribute all the wealth and really have a communistic society, then there won't be any more stealing.

Well, the scripture—I can see where they might come up with those ideas just thinking—but the scripture says, "Listen, let every man get a job and then let him give." He says in verse 29, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth." Stop speaking corrupt, vulgar, wicked things. Rather, speak that which is good, that which builds up, that it may minister grace unto those that hear.

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit whereby you've been sealed for the day of redemption. Then he says in verse 31 of Ephesians chapter 4, "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking be put away from you with all malice." He says to get rid of these things from your life, and in their place, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.

You see, if you're going to put off something that has to do with this flesh, something that has to do with this wicked life, you must, in its place, put on righteousness. Otherwise, you will end up finding another thing to occupy yourself with. You must replace it with the righteousness of Christ. There is no middle ground.

As Jesus spoke these things, there is always one of these in the crowd. It came to pass while He was speaking that a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice and said, "Blessed is the womb that bare Thee and the breasts that nurse Thee." While that is a truth, there is always someone in the crowd who has a way of throwing out a truth that removes the focus from the instruction being given. It is interesting, but the enemy can sometimes use these truths that people throw out there. Yes, that's true. Okay, fine. Jesus doesn't disagree with what this lady says, but it was a distraction from the point.

A certain woman was there, and she spoke up, saying, "Blessed is the womb that bare Thee and the breasts that nursed You." But He said, "Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it." Yes, that's great. Blessed is the one that bore me and the one that nursed me. But even more blessed is the one that hears the word of God and obeys it.

There are certain faith traditions that venerate the one who bore Jesus, the one who nursed Him. They lift her up, they venerate her, and they even worship her. But the fact is, she is blessed because she obeyed the word of God and not simply because she bore Jesus when He came. She is blessed because she obeyed the word of God, and she is no more blessed than anybody else who hears the word of God and does it.

Here’s the thing: I mentioned just a moment ago that there are those who throw out a truth like, "Blessed is Mary." They throw out that truth, and it distracts from the truth that needs to be obeyed.

Listen, the faith traditions that oftentimes venerate Mary, because of their traditions, lay aside the commandment of God to obey His word. We need to be very careful about that. Tradition can oftentimes be a hindrance to obedience. We see that with the nation of Israel; they had all kinds of traditions, and yet they would not obey the word of God that was given unto them.

Jesus says, "Blessed are they," more blessed is really the implication here. Much more blessed are they who hear the word of God and obey it and do it—more blessed than Mary, if you hear the word of God and do it. To engage in the battle, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. And having done all to stand, stand therefore.

Put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, gird yourself with the belt of truth, and shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Take up the shield of faith with which you'll be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray always with all prayer and supplication for all the saints.

You see, God has called us to engage in the battle. If we hear His word, then we must obey His word. Engaging in the battle means the very things that I read to you from Ephesians chapter 4. If you lie, stop lying and speak the truth. If you're given to stealing, stop stealing, get a job, and give. If you speak corruptly, using vulgar things out of your mouth, start speaking the word of God and things which build people up and impart grace to the hearers.

If you have a problem with anger, wrath, or malice, stop doing those things. In their place, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as the Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven you. If you have heard these things, you are required to obey them because now you have enlisted in the Lord's army.

If you've been set free from the dominion of Satan, from the dominion of the devil, then you have enlisted in the Lord's army, and you are to do what He has commanded you to do. If you don't, you're against Him, and that means that you will have the ultimate destination that Satan has. That should be a scary thing. But if we're not for Him, we're against Him.

And the Lord convicts me with this often. Miles, are you truly serving Me? Are you following Me? Not just at Calvary Chapel, not just in front of people. What about when you're driving down the street and someone cuts you off? Will you do it then? Blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.

Let's stand together. God, Your word is truth, and we need You to sanctify us with Your truth, by Your word. Cleanse us, Lord; there are wicked things in each of our hearts. Each of us has wrath, malice, bitterness, anger, clamor, and evil speaking, Lord. Each of us has times when we're angry. Each of us is tempted to lie. But God, we do not want to grieve Your Spirit. We ask, Lord, that You would enable us by Your Spirit to put on the Lord Jesus, to be renewed in the spirit of our minds, Lord.

Help us to receive that righteousness and holiness that You've given to us. Teach us to speak the truth, Lord, and to confess our sin when we're angry. Lord, help us to work heartily as unto You, that we may have to give. God, may we speak edifying words to one another and impart grace. Help us to be kind and tenderhearted, forgiving one another. God, would You help us in these things? Because apart from You, we can do nothing.

We thank You and praise You that we can do all things through You who strengthens us. We praise You, Lord Jesus. Amen.

This morning, if you have need of prayer or maybe some questions about the things that we've talked about, perhaps you've been trying to be a neutral Christian, a double-O Christian, just kind of flying under the radar. There are no secret agents in God's kingdom. The men are up here to pray for you as we go. If the Lord is speaking to you, don't leave this place without dealing with Him this morning. You are dismissed. Have a great afternoon. Amen.