Who's Living In Your House?

TITLE: WHO’S LIVING IN YOUR HOUSE?

SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 12:43-45

Have you ever tried to help a friend or family member that found themselves without a roof over their head and you reluctantly and against your better judgment allowed them to come and stay in your house until they were able to get themselves together? After a short period of time it becomes obvious to you that they are there to do nothing more than use you.

• You are at work all day while they sit up in your house eating up your food

• Make no contributions to help you with the bills

• Don’t pick up after themselves

• Want to use your car and your gas

• After awhile you have to put them out

Have you ever seen that house down the street that has sat empty because its owner moved away or perhaps moved out of state? They eventually stopped maintaining the old residence at all.

• Eventually the bushes and trees grew up around it in a fast phase

• It began to look warn because of the elements over time

• Grass and yard now unkept

• Everybody in the neighborhood knows the house is unoccupied

• Soon it became a hangout for young people and drug addicts and vandals were always in the house

Jesus in his parable uses this very same scenario to describe what happens to a man or a woman who in actuality is an empty house. In our text this morning, Jesus uses a strange illustration about demon possession to make a very important point about the problem of half-baked, external repentance. In this portion of the text, Jesus talks about an unclean spirit that has gone out of a person; but the unclean spirit is still seeking rest. VS. 43 "WHEN THE UNCLEAN SPIRIT HAS GONE OUT OF A PERSON, IT PASSES THROUGH DRY PLACES SEEKING REST, BUT FINDS NONE.”

Now to understand and appreciate what is going on here, you need to know Jesus is not giving a theological treatise on demon possession.

• It is important to note in this context the unclean spirit is an evil spirit who does evil things

• Therefore, the point is not so much about demonic possession as it is about the presence of evil in the person

• Some people are not demon possessed they are JUST EVIL

• A demon passing through dry places or seeking rest is quite interesting as well - we will examine that thought in a few minutes

• The main point here is a presence of evil that produces evil

Let’s spend a moment and place this in its proper context. When we consider these verses, we may wonder how we should interpret them or apply them to our modern life. What is the text speaking to us? What is it we should walk away with this morning? Preaching and teaching is of little value without the practical application; that is to say, how is the text speaking to us today. In order to better understand it, perhaps we should back up and figure out why Jesus shared this interesting and intriguing thought.

Earlier in this same chapter, Jesus performed a mighty miracle. In VS. 22, the Bible says a demon possessed man was brought to Jesus.

• The demon had manifested itself by taking away his ability to See and Speak

• This was different than the medical condition of blindness or muteness, and everyone knew it

• This was not a Medical condition, it was a Spiritual condition

When Jesus successfully cast out the demon and the man could again see and speak, the people asked in amazement, “IS THIS THE SON OF DAVID?” They were asking if this was the promised Messiah who was to come and lead their people to freedom. The religious leaders didn’t like this train of thought. In VS. 24, one of them said, “THIS FELLOW DOES NOT CAST OUT DEMONS EXCEPT BY BEELZEBUB, THE RULER OF THE DEMONS.”

• And thus begins a great theological debate

• Jesus clearly healed this man

• But the religious elite deny the miracle and try to reimagine Jesus’ power as VILLAINOUS and DEMONIC

• Jesus replied in depth about their hypocrisy and blindness to the truth

• We can sum up the Lord’s argument this way -- HOW AND WHY WOULD SATANIC POWERS CAST OUT A DEMON?

• Isn’t it more reasonable and plausible that godly powers would be at work?

Unable to respond, the pharisees tried to divert the argument and asked Jesus to perform a sign to prove that he was from God. He denied them the opportunity, as they have already seen it. Perhaps the former demon possessed man even stood next to Jesus, as the living proof of our Lord’s power. And because His miraculous ability was clearly evident yet blatantly denied by the Jewish leaders, Jesus concluded this interaction with a parable that shows how far they had fallen.