After the Lord Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law, He was inundated with other sick and injured people. Mark 1:32 says, “And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him ALL that were DISEASED, and them that were POSSESSED with devils. And ALL the CITY was gathered together at the door. And he healed many (multitudes) that were sick of divers diseases, and CAST OUT many DEVILS; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.” Notice that the devils or demons all knew the Lord and recognized His divine authority. He ordered them not to speak, and they didn’t. If the truth be known, they probably couldn’t speak. On another occasion, Matthew 4:24 says, “And his fame without throughout all Syria; and they brought unto him ALL sick PEOPLE that were taken with diverse disease and torments, and those which were POSSESSED with DEVILS, and those which were LUNATICK, and those that had the palsy; and HE HEALED THEM.” Apparently every one of the sick were healed, and all those who were possessed with devils were delivered.
Beside these general statements, the Bible gives us seven specific cases where demon-possessed people were delivered at the command of Christ. There was a man in the synagogue at Capernaum and another among the tombs at Gadara. There was a suicidal boy, who was actually driven by a demon to throw himself into fires. The daughter of a Syrophoencian woman was delivered at a distance by the command of Christ. And among others, there was thise deaf, blind and mute man.
I know that many people snicker at the subject of demons. That is precisely what Satan wants people to do. He wants to keep his true identity and power hidden. So he has used Hollywood to fictionalize and glamorize demon possession, encouraging the untaught to laugh at the idea of possession. Further trying to cover himself, he has encouraged several branches of science to call demon-possession by various euphemisms. He has been so successful that it has come to the point where “demon-possession doesn’t exist” in North America any more. But that is all smoke and mirrors. There is as much possession today as ever. If Christ was here today, right and left around Him evil spirits would be shrieking like they did in Mark 3 – “Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.”
Since time immemorial, various cultures and societies have had their professional exorcists. And that included the Jews of the New Testament times. In Acts 19:11 we read – “And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” One point being made in Acts 19 is that whatever apparent success these professional exorcists might have had, it was Satan casting out Satan for some specific purpose. Adapting Jesus’ illustration here in our text, Satan may “clean house” for the purpose of making room for seven evil spirits over just the one. Exorcizing one demon may leave the door open for demons seven times as evil and disastrous.
But first – the CASTING OUT of this DEMON can be used to illustrate GOD’S GRACE in SALVATION.
And let me emphasize my use of the word “illustrate.” Verse 14 describes an actual event. It is not a parable or allegory. This is history. And although the man was probably born again, that may not have actually been the case. “And (Christ Jesus) was casting out a devil, and it was dumb (or mute). And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.” Or as it is expressed in Matthew 12 – “Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb; and (Christ) healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both speak and saw.” As we might do with many Biblical exorcisms, we can apply what we see here to the deliverance of a man from the guilt of his sin. Over the last couple years, we have heard a couple of excellent gospel messages from the deliverance of the demon-possessed man living among the tombs of Gadara. Exorcisms are very real spiritual deliverances – they are also pictures of salvation.
The man of our text was “POSSESSED with a devil” – this evil spirit was an inextricable part of the man. I won’t say that he was born possessed, but I will say that you and I were born possessed, overcome and governed by the sinful, fallen nature of our sinful first parents. This demon incapacitated this poor man to the degree that he was blind to his condition. He was so depraved, he didn’t know he was depraved. And he was totally deaf to the preaching of the gospel. He could not hear when he was told that he was lost and separated from God. Like dozens of people who have been among us over the years, he covered his ears to the preaching of the gospel. Furthermore, this man was mute; he could not speak. He couldn’t articulate what his spiritual needs were, because he could not speak – if he even knew. He couldn’t pray if his life depended on it. And he could not ask Jesus to come into his heart to clean up the mess that was there. For all intents and purposes he was DEAD – living in the cocoon which was his body. And yet at the same time his heart was beating and his lungs still breathed in and out. He could eat food, if it was set before him. And he could be lead into the presence of the Saviour by his friends.
Like every other sinner in this world, this man was spiritually helpless. There was nothing he could do to be delivered from the devil possessing him – or from the effects of his sin. Yes, he had a mind and a will, like any other human being – like any other sinner. But it was free to work only in the area in which the demon possessing him permitted it to work. He was free to speak whenever he wanted, but of course he never did, because the demon didn’t permit it. He was free to read the scriptures, but his demonic nature kept him from reading – and from praying. The common idea of man’s “free will” has to be understood within the context of that freedom. If God doesn’t open his eyes, the lost man will never choose to look. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t give him ears to hear, he will never listen. He is free to be a demon-possessed sinner and nothing more.
But in his case the power and authority of Christ delivered the man from his demon. Matthew tells us that Jesus “healed” him – Christ “cured” him. The fun and interesting Greek word is “therapeuo” (ther-ap-yoo’-o). Jesus gave the man the therapy he needed, “insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.” Luke uses a different word to describe what Jesus died – Christ “cast out” the devil. That Greek word is used more than eighty times. It is translated “cast out” most often, but it is also “bring forth” and even “to pull out.” Time and time again, Jesus merely spoke and demons obeyed, leaving their victims. He didn’t use a religious ritual or a spiritual formula, employing all the right words and phrases. Jesus “cast out” those demons with nothing more than His authority as the Son of God. He “pulled them out” by His divine power, and they offered no resistence whatsoever. In the course of His lesson, in verse 20 Jesus referred to “the finger of God casting out devils.” We might say, He was referring to the “LITTLE finger of God,” as if it was flicking a crumb off some flat surface. The demons of Satan are powerless to resist the power of the infinite Son of God. And when God chooses to save a lost sinner, the Holy Spirit becomes irresistible.
Sadly, Christ’s enemies – as blind and possessed as the demonized man – expressed their Satanic opinions
“Some of them said, he casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.” As the context in Matthew shows us, this accusation was at the very pinnacle of blasphemy. The name “Beelzebub” was derived from the Canaanite deity “Baal” – “Baalzebub.” The god of the heathen had become identified with the foremost demon of Israel – Satan himself. Part of Christ’s reply to this charge was – “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but (this) blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”
Just in passing, some of the unbelievers demanded more miracles to authenticate the miracle of this exorcism. “Others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.” It is Biblical fact, and a part of the human experience, that miracles rarely bring unbelievers to the truth. For example, the feeding of the five thousand didn’t create an army of disciples; it only whet their appetites for more miraculous food. And how many miracles did Judas see? What good did they do for him? Ironically as the Lord says in Luke 16 – “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” There is sense in which this blind, deaf and dumb man had been dead, and the Lord restored him to life. All this miracle did for the onlookers was create a thirst for more miracles. “Give us a sign from heaven.” And there were no more miracles given – at least immediately.
All of this provided the background for Christ’s lesson on house cleaning.
Verse 21 – “When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
Jesus’ illustration begins with a strong man and his palace. In the context to this lesson, I am going to apply “the palace” to the demon-possessed man. In many cases, the demoniac may think that he is the strong man who guards the castle of his life. He may know that his fornication is sin, but that sin is locked up in one room of his palace. He keeps his computer porn behind closed doors or down in the basement. And despite his addiction, he says that he can quit whenever he wants. It is just that he doesn’t want to quit – his demons want him to maintain his sins.
Perhaps more appropriately, the strong man, who owns this castle, is the demon who dwells inside. Figuratively, but more often quite literally, it is the demon who dictates the man’s addiction. He’s a drunk; he is hooked on meth; he is addicted to violence, or vaping – all because the demon occupying his soul gives him little ability to control anything. He is a slave to each of these things. And yet together, the demon, the palace and everything inside are apparently at peace – safe and sound. Most possessed souls – like most addicted souls – think they are invincible. The thief keeps robbing stores and banks, believing he’s never going to get caught. The smoker and vaper don’t believe they could ever get lung cancer, despite the evidence.
Ah, but then comes along someone stronger than the strong man. The newcomer overcomes the strong man, taking not only the spoils inside the castle, but also all the amour used to defend it. The strong man is expelled from his illegal home, forcing him to walk through dry places seeking rest. And the stronger man – the conqueror – strips the palace of everything – the whole shebang – everything but the kitchen sink. He leaves the place spic and span, smelling of cleaning solution and potpourri. But – it is still the same palace; it is still the same house; the same soul.
Then sometime later the former demonic trespasser says, “I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished.” The palace is far nicer, and apparently more commodious than ever, because the junk is gone. So “then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
Here is where I’d like to make my first application: There have been thousands of people through the years, who have recognized their sins and their sinfulness. And they knew the damage they were doing to the house – to their bodies, if not to their souls. They have acknowledged to being possessed by one destructive lust or another. Some of them have even admitted to demon possession, often calling it the possession of an addiction. And then at some point, that person decided to sweep the house, cleaning up their lives. They pictured themselves as the stronger man, driving out the residue of the weaker trespasser. They have cut the cable to the internet and Netflix. They started chewing nicotine gum in order to stop smoking. They took someone with them to the grocery store, to keep them from buying booze. They have refused to let their former friends and tempters into their palace. Even further, they painted the outside of the house and fixed the eves and shutters. They started going to church; started treating their spouse with respect. They began playing with their kids and helping with their homework. To the casual observer there were great improvements in the old place. But – it was still the same old house with a new facade.
How many of the testimonies we have read over the past three years have contained statements like these? How many people cleaned up their lives and cleaned out their closets, but before long they were back to their old habits and their old ways? It wasn’t long before their old demon returned to the old palace. “And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”
The point is: moral reformation is not salvation and cannot guarantee that the demons won’t return. In regard to temptations and sin, no matter how strong someone might think himself to be, there are stronger problems out there. No matter how many tools like AA and NA, twelve step programs and church attendance are employed, if the only thing accomplished is house-cleaning, then the moment the broom stops sweeping the demon will return with six or seven more of his friends. The problem involves the palace as much as it does the strong man living inside. The problem includes an EMPTY soul as much as it does an EVIL soul.
In the Old Testament there were sacrifices and ceremonies for cleansing contaminated houses. And that is the need here. Sinners need to be born again, not just given a new coat of paint. Wicked hearts need to be converted, not just swept of years of cobwebs and rat dung. As Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” YOU must be born again.
With that as lesson one, I’d like to turn Jesus’ illustration inside out to create another Biblical lesson.
Filthy, demon-possessed palaces, are not fit for Holy Guests.
Sure, they must be swept and garnished. There is nothing wrong with a clean house and heart. A professed “Christian” with a gambling addiction is a contradiction in terms. Get rid of that sin. You don’t see anything wrong with smoking or chewing tobacco? You don’t have a problem with gossip? How about worry? Much of the world says that such things are not Christian behavior. And the Bible agrees. Sin should not be found in the life of a professed saint. There should never exist someone called “a proud Christian.” Again, “saint” and “sin” are contradictory terms. But simple house-cleaning is not enough; a spotless life is not salvation from sin. Sorrow for sin, and even a misdefined “repentance,” like that of Judas, are not the same as salvation.
But there is another common false gospel which is just as dangerous as the “clean up your life” message. It is the idea that the “strongest man” doesn’t mind living in the palace with the “strong man” and his wickedness. Some people think that all the strong man needs to do is to turn on the porch light, throw open the door, lower the draw-bridge, and tell the Lord that He is welcome, and in He will come. That is not the teaching of the Bible. “Inviting Jesus to come into your heart,” is not a Biblical principle. Christ is not interested in taking one of the rooms you have available for Him, while you maintain other sinful pleasure rooms. He doesn’t want to be a PART of your life; He wants TO BE your life.
Leaving the allegorical language and taking up the language of God’s Word… The Lord demands “repentance,” before He enters any human heart. Just as “repentance without faith” is a false doctrine, so is “faith without repentance.” Jesus has said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” And Peter preached, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that you sins may be blotted out…” Without God-given and God-empowered “repentance,” it won’t belong before the demon returns bringing his evil companions with him. He will return, because the Lord Jesus Christ – the true strong man – isn’t there to keep him out.
Let me try to tie these two ideas together with another Biblical example.
A particular Samaritan is described for us in Acts 8. Verse 9 says, “There was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one.’ The people said, “This man is the great power of God.” But despite his claim, that word “sorcery” suggests to me that he used demonic power. When Philip came to Samaria, God blessed and many residents put their faith in Christ Jesus, giving evidence of their faith by being baptized. Simon was among those who were baptized, but he didn’t want to give up his sin – his exalted position. When he saw Peter and John, who had come up from Jerusalem, touching and conveying Holy Spirit power on people, Simon wanted some of that. “Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.” But Peter saw right into the palace of that man’s heart, and recognized that, despite being swept and garnished, it had not been occupied by Christ. On the exterior it had been coated with paint, and a new welcome mat lay on the front porch. But the man was still filled with the demon of self – of pride – of a lust for power and position. His ego was dissatisfied with anything less than the preeminence. And he was willing to pay good money to own the power of God. And what was Peter’s response? “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter; for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of his thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.”
Simon of Samaria may have swept and garnished his palace. He said that he had put his faith in Christ, and possibly he really thought that he had. But he had not yet repented before God. He had not surrendered and submitted to the Lord. He couldn’t receive or dispense the Spirit of God, because the Lord had not taken up residence in his soul. The true “strongest man” had not occupied that heart which had only been swept, but not surrendered.
Perhaps there is someone here today, who is saying that they have invited the Saviour into their lives. I’m not going tell anyone that they haven’t really made that offer and prayed that prayer to the Lord. But that invitation doesn’t mean that Christ has accepted and entered that heart. The question is: Is your soul a fit place for the Saviour? I’m not asking if you are worthy, because no one is worthy of Christ or salvation. My question is: have you fully submitted to the King of kings? Have you surrendered and repented before God? Without repentance, your faith in the Lord to save you is in vain.
Repent before God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. With these things the omnipotent God will enter and drive out your demons. With repentance and faith, the Saviour will deliver you from your sins.