JUST JESUS: CHAPTER BY CHAPTER THRU LUKE
Divided Spiritual House
LUKE 11:14-23
#justJesus
INTRODUCTION… Metaphor (p)
A metaphor is “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.” Metaphors are images and symbolic language to describe something abstract or hard to explain or even something embarrassing. We call metaphors figures of speech and most of the time we want a particular image to come into mind when we use them. Example:
* We call a marriage ceremony “tying the knot” because two lives come together as one.
* We call lazy person a “couch potato” because if any vegetable would be lazy it would be a potato. On a related note, we all know that the vegetable (fruit) that is late all the time a tomato… they always want to “ketchup” later.
* We might say being busy at work means we are “drowning” because it is overwhelming.
* If we are super hungry we say, “I could eat a horse.”
* When we are sensitive or show feelings easily people say we “wear our heart on our sleeve.”
This is even true when it comes to spiritual things or Biblical thoughts. The Bible often uses metaphors and symbolic language to describe spiritual realities. We often do the same because sometimes spiritual Truth is hard to describe and we want a mental picture to accompany our words. Example:
* Psalm 23 famously states that “The Lord is my shepherd” showing His care for us.
* We might call the Christian life a “walk” meaning it is one step at a time and a journey.
* Jesus calls Himself the “Bread of Life” trying to explain that we need Him.
* When going through a hard time spiritually, we might say we are going through “a valley.”
* Wisdom from God in the Bible is described as the “fountain of life.”
* The Apostle Paul calls the Church the “Body of Christ” meaning it is interconnected.
You get the idea.
Today we are going to be in Luke 11 where Jesus employs a metaphor to explain spiritual truth and reality that we absolutely need to take to heart. The impactful part about this metaphor is that Jesus uses it as does the rest of the Bible. We find it all throughout the New Testament in the Gospels and in Paul’s writings and in the Book of Hebrews.
Let’s do some reading in the New Testament. I am going to go in order through the New Testament starting with the Gospels and then ending in the Book of Hebrews.
THE METAPHOR
First, we have a passage in which Jesus describes His teaching and God’s Kingdom like a person building a house. The metaphor focuses on the foundation of the house. Jesus teaches us that if the foundation of our lives… the house He is teaching about… is based on Him then our lives have a sure foundation.
READ MATTHEW 7:24-27 (ESV)
“Everyone then who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
The next passage we are going to read comes from Luke 11 which is our passage for today. We are going to read it and sort of move on, but we will come back to it. In Luke 11, Jesus talks about a house being divided and how a house divided cannot stand. It is similar to Matthew 7 in that the foundation is completely important, but in this passage the foundation is not so firm because it is divided. Jesus expands the metaphor and even talks about a person breaking into a house or palace and how that destroys the sanctity and security of the palace.
And by the way, don’t be thrown off by the use of “Beelzebul” or “Beelzebub,” it is just a formal nickname for the Devil or Satan.
READ LUKE 11:14-23 (ESV)
Now He was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” 16 while others, to test Him, kept seeking from Him a sign from heaven. 17 But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. 23 Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.
Again, we are going to come back to this passage, but notice that the metaphor that Jesus used in Matthew 7 is repeated here. We are a house. Jesus in both passages focuses on the foundation of the house and the purpose of the building. He is talking about our spiritual lives in terms of houses.
Next, we move to the Apostle Paul in Ephesians.
READ Ephesians 2:17-21 (ESV)
And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the Household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, 21 in Whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
The Apostle receives the metaphor that Jesus Christ uses and builds on it and lives in it (pun intended). Paul focuses in verse 17 that Jesus Christ’s message and His ministry brought peace to us. The peace Jesus brought was a peace that settled spiritual matters between us and God, provided a way of peace for the relationships around us, and in all things brought that peace personally to our hearts. This message of peace was for anyone (verse 19) and when we accept the message of Jesus, we become part of His household.
The metaphor is important to Paul in explaining what it means to be a follower of Christ. The Household of God has Jesus as the cornerstone which in building terms… is the normal starting place of a building. As a Christian, we have to start with Jesus. The Household of God is built on the teachings of the Old Testament (prophets) and the teachings of the New Testament (apostles) which help to explain all about Jesus. The mortar and fixtures and everything that holds the house together is also Jesus Christ (verse 21). Being a follower of Christ is all about Jesus. Just Jesus. The Household of God is then, in verse 22, that place where God dwells by the Holy Spirit. Paul even mentions this Truth again in Romans 8:9, 1 Corinthians 3:16, and 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
The Apostle Paul helps us to understand that it is a good word picture to think of… the Christian life and following Jesus and reading and obeying the Bible and prayer and witnessing and trusting in Jesus as Savior and Lord… all of that can be thought of as a house. We are that house. We have a foundation and walls and build our lives.
The last passage as we look at this house metaphor is Hebrews 3:1-6.
READ HEBREWS 3:1-6 (ESV)
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 Who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the Builder of All Things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God's house as a Son. And we are His house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
I find it interesting in this passage in Hebrews that the writer directly connects our spiritual lives with those in the Old Testament who had faith, like Moses. If we are going to keep up with the terms, when you and I confess Jesus and join God’s Household, we build our lives in the same neighborhood and use the same utilities as Abraham, Moses, and those other faithful holy ones in the Bible. We all have the same Homebuilder. Overall in this passage, we are commanded to hold fast to our confidence in Jesus because He is sure and He is the solid foundation on which our lives are built.
TRANSITION
Over and over again in the New Testament, the Christian faith is described in terms of housing. From the foundations to the walls to even the cornerstone… lots of times (even more than I shared)… we see this metaphor used to describe the spiritual reality of having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s jump back to Luke 11:14-23, which is our focus for today, and see what the meaning of this metaphor is for us.
THE MEANING
I know we have been reading a lot of Scripture and we have actually covered a lot today, so let’s remind ourselves of what happens in Luke 11:14-23 because we are coming back to it. Jesus is casting out demons and the folks standing there say that Jesus has such mastery over the profane and evil because He Himself is profane and evil. Jesus says that is ridiculous since “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.” Jesus states that He is stronger and more powerful than Satan which is how he manhandles any evil spirit that crosses His path. He also then states very clearly in verse 23: “Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.”
What do we find in this passage?
We find first come plausible, but faulty logic. The folks are watching Jesus do amazing miracles and they have never seen anything like Him before. That was because there had never been Anyone like Him before. They assume that low level demons are subject to more superior demons and so have to obey and make room for the big baddies. The people assumed that perhaps Jesus has the chief of the devils in Him which is how He is able to order around all the evil spirits. While somewhat plausible, it is reality makes no sense. Jesus answers this faulty logic with correct thinking in that Satan would not fight against himself and pave the way for holiness and healing and God-given wholeness. Jesus answers this faulty logic with the Truth that He is stronger than the devils and tears down all that they have built.
We also find a low-key explanation that God is infinitely more powerful than any evil spirit when it comes to spiritual warfare or spiritual struggles. We often think good versus evil is a one side against the other side even battle. It might be that way in movies, but in reality, evil and chaos cannot hope to compete with holiness and goodness. Note that in verse 20 Jesus says that He drives out demons by the “finger” of God. Just a flick of one finger with no real effort. All the forces of evil can be flicked away with the finger of God. I like that and it gives me great comfort and warm fuzzies.
We lastly and most importantly find in this passage that Jesus uses this “building metaphor” to not only defend Himself against faulty beliefs, but also makes the Truth a little more personal. What I mean by a little more personal, is that verse 23 moves the Truth that He is talking about from just the immediate context of the people around Him in this passage, and moves it to an eternal principle that applies to us as well.
RE-READ LUKE 11:23 (ESV)
Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.
Jesus makes it very clear that a divided house cannot stand and this applies to people and their spiritual lives. We are either with Jesus or we are against Jesus. We either accept Jesus as Savior and Lord or we do not. There is no middle ground. Jesus is very very very clear in Luke 11:23… if you are not for Jesus then you are against Him.
This is very impactful for us to know! It matters what we believe about Jesus and how we talk about Him. If you believe that Jesus was a fictional invention of first century Jewish fishermen or a contrived religious crutch for weak minded people or a flimflam man who pulled off the greatest long-con in history… then you are against Him. If you believe that Jesus was just a good person or just a good moral teacher or was just the best example of humanity… then you are against Him.
This is very impactful for us to know! It matters what we believe about Jesus and how we talk about Him. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God then you are for Him. If you give your believing-loyalty that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God and that He died for your sins once for all on the cross and rose on the third day and ascended into Heaven and will return again on Judgement Day… then you are for Him. If you obey Jesus by being baptized into His Name and seek to live out His teachings for the rest of your life, then you are for Him.
There. Is. No. Middle. Ground.
There was no middle ground or gray area for the people standing there seeing Jesus in the flesh and there are no wishy-washy possibilities for us now. Jesus shuts all that down and gives no wiggle room.
* You either believe in Jesus and obey Him or you don’t.
* You either choose Jesus for your whole life or you don’t.
* You either give Jesus your heart loyalty or you don’t.
* You either rely on the grace of Jesus and His blood or you don’t.
Jesus teaches us (in concert with other passages in the neighborhood) that our spiritual house needs to have our foundation in Him. Just Him. Only Him. He is the cornerstone. He is it. We then need to build our life on the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament which allows us to have a life that God inhabits.
* Jesus lays out a clear warning that a house divided is dangerous.
* Jesus describes that our lives will crash down if He is not what holds it together.
* Jesus teaches that you want Him as the defender of your soul.
ILLUSTRATION… A House Divided (p)
I have an illustration about what Jesus is teaching in this passage, but it is not about me and it is kind of sensitive, so I will keep the people’s names anonymous and I will try and speak generally so you get the overall idea.
This picture you see here [show pic] is of someone’s educational journey here in this church. I want you to notice that from 1985 to 1988 this person went to Purdue University and got a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Along with this, he is a fanatical Purdue supporter and fan and goes to sporting events. His awesome dog is named after a coach. I think his two children went there as well. If you cut him, he bleeds old gold and black and his text sound is the train whistle and he has many Purdue yard ornaments. And yet. And yet. He received a MS in Mechanical Engineering from Rose-Hulman in 1995 and then an MPA degree from Indiana University in 2004. Please note the colors of Rose-Hulman and IU are the same which shows us the issue.
He is divided. He can say he ain’t, but he is divided. I don’t even know what to do with this. He is a “house divided.” He spouts constant love for Purdue, but in the end also got a degree from the rival (IU). The reason I have to keep names out of this is because I don’t think his wife knows. She doesn’t know his secret love for IU. The foundation crumbles because of the division.
TRANSITION
My humorous illustration highlights this serious spiritual Truth that Jesus lays out in Luke 11. We as believers in Jesus must place Him as the only foundation of our lives and we must build our lives on Him. It is possible to have divided loyalties or to be a divided house in ourselves.
THE APPLICATION
How does this apply to us? I will apply this for us by asking a series of questions that only you can answer about you. I am going to try and ask them a little bit differently in keeping with our metaphor to make sure we reflect well. We must take inventory of ourselves to make sure that we are not a divided spiritual house.
Do you have a foundation in Christ? Have you been immersed into Jesus and accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? Entering into the household of God is step #1 in basing your life on Him. You know if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and been baptized in Him for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you have not surrendered to Jesus, you are divided.
Do you have rebar, reinforcing bars, in your foundation and in the walls and concrete of your life? Rebar for this question is going to be the Bible. Rebar for this question is the teachings of Jesus. Only you know if you spend time in God’s Word reading and applying it and obeying what you find written there. If you are not consistently purposefully in the Bible, you are divided because something else will always take its place.
Do you have vital insulation with Christ in your life? Believers in Jesus can only have a spiritual life in Christ as we abide in Christ and cultivate our relationship with the Holy Spirit. This happens by prayer and worship and listening and fasting. If we are not consistently in prayer and tuning ourselves to God or insulating our lives with Him, we are filling ourselves with other influence and the house may fall with a great crash.
Are you adding a second story to your spiritual house and renovating the first floor? Becoming a believer in Jesus is not a one-and-done proposal, but rather a believer in Jesus accepts a lifetime of spiritual growth, emotional change, thought sanctification, and constantly growing up in every way into Him. Believers are to grow in Christ. It is not a passive relationship. If we are not seeking to be more like Christ on a regular basis, we are a Class B RV on a 40 acre lot.
Do you often have a yard sale and get rid of the junk that fills up your spiritual house? We live in a world that offers us so much false junk and sometimes we just take it all in and pretty soon our spiritual house is filled with false beliefs and half-truths. We may fill up our lives with our own opinions and politics and entertainment and other priorities that there is no room for Jesus in the inn or in our hearts. If we are not constantly purging the false lies of this world in our hearts, we are damaging our foundation.
Lastly, do you have an immovable permanent union with Christ? What I mean is… are you a mobile home Christian or are you a site-built house Christian? The foundations of those two structures is very different and endures storms and hardship differently. One theoretically can pick up and move and the other stays put no matter what. If you give yourself options to say no to Christ and the ability to back out of your commitment to Him, you are a divided spiritual house.
CONCLUSION… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_House_Divided_Speech
You may have thought that the idea that “a house divided against itself cannot stand” comes from Abraham Lincoln from a speech he gave on June 16, 1858. He did not invent the phrase, Jesus did, but Abraham Lincoln borrowed from Jesus.
He said: "A house divided against itself, cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become lawful in all the States, old as well as new – North as well as South.”
Abraham Lincoln did say one thing of note using this phrase from Jesus: “It will become all one thing or all the other.”
May you become all one thing.
May Jesus be your permanent foundation.
May Jesus reinforce every part of your mind, spirit, and emotions.
May Jesus insulate you from this world.
May you continue to build and renovate constantly being sanctified in Christ.
May you get rid of the junk that fills up your spiritual house.
May you believe fully in Jesus Christ and trust completely in Him.
May you become all one thing.
PRAYER
