What Jesus Believed About Satan

What Jesus believed about Satan"

Luke 11:14-28 Pastor Tom Mitchell

Some people don’t believe in Satan. They think the whole idea is silly. The concept is primitive. It comes from superstition. Satan is in the same category as weir wolves, ghosts, vampires, and witches. Modern, sophisticated people certainly should know better.

Some people really believe in Satan. They are obsessed with him. Not only are they convinced that he exists but that he is everywhere and in everything. They interpret all human events in terms of Satan - - - he is the primary cause of every crime, the strategist behind every war, the cause of every disease, the reason for every divorce, the explanation for every problem.

What we believe doesn’t determine reality. A person can believe with great conviction and be totally wrong. Thinking that Satan exists doesn’t make him exist. Denying his existence won’t make him disappear.

What did Jesus believe about Satan? We can get a pretty good idea from Luke 11:14-28 in Jesus’ biography. Let me explain that one of the many different names for Satan was Beelzebub and that was the nickname used in this story. Now, let’s read Luke 11:14-28.

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. (One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn’t speak NLT)When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons." Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

"When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

"He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters. "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."

I. Jesus believed his power was greater than Satan’s power Luke 11:14-16

The greatest period of demonic activity in the Bible was during Jesus’ life. I’m not sure anyone knows exactly why. Perhaps the greater the demonstration of God’s good, the greater the resistance and activity of Satan’s evil.

One thing seems to be sure. Jesus not only believed Satan was real but he believed his own power was greater than Satan’s. Jesus was ready and willing to directly fight against demonic activity. I find this astonishing - - I would be totally terrified to tackle the greatest powers of evil head-on. Jesus was not.

The specific case was a man whose speaking ability had been taken away by a demon. The point here is not that everyone who can’t speak has a demon or that every demon causes people to become mute. Rather, the point is that evil can take hold of individual lives in a multitude of ways.

Jesus drove the demon out of the man and he was able to speak. The crowd was amazed and some in the crowd who insisted that Jesus healed the man by the power of Satan.

In other words, they were saying, "Yes, Jesus did it with supernatural power but it was evil supernatural power." Jesus clearly claimed to heal by the power of God. To credit someone else risked an ultimate insult against God.

Illustration: Do you remember the security guard who tried to help bomb victims at the Atlanta Olympics and was then accused of planting the bomb? He was a hero charged with being a villain. His good was interpreted as evil. That’s what happened to Jesus.

We need to be careful never to give God’s credit to anyone else. Give God the credit he deserves.

But, back to what Jesus believed. Jesus believed that his power was greater than Satan’s power. He believed that he could take evil head-on and win. Jesus said in Lk 11:20 that "I drive out demons by the finger of God . . . the kingdom of God has come to you." He went even further, describing Satan as being like a strong man guarding his evil empire, but Jesus insisted that he is even stronger: " “When a strong person with many weapons guards his own house, his possessions are safe.But when someone stronger comes and defeats him, the stronger one will take away the weapons the first man trusted and will give away the possessions.” (NCV)Jesus claimed to be stronger than Satan.

Do you agree with Jesus? Do you believe that Satan is real and his power is great, but that Jesus is greater? Do you believe that Jesus can take on the evil in our world and in our lives and win?

Those who believe have great hope. Those who don’t believe have great despair.

II. Jesus believed we are on God’s side or on Satan’s side (11:17-23)

Jesus answered the accusation about being in Satan’s service. He said it was stupid reasoning. If Jesus was on Satan’s side, why would he fight against Satan’s evils? Certainly Satan isn’t that stupid, seeking to defeat himself. (If Satan wanted the man mute, Satan wouldn’t have empowered Jesus to let him speak.)

While he was on the topic of the difference between evil and good, Jesus and Satan, he made a very bold declaration: "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters." In other words, there is no neutrality in the invisible war between Jesus and Satan. A person is on one side or the other.

This is not the way we usually think. Most people would say that people on Satan’s side are the evil few of this world - - the serial killers, sociopaths, sex traffickers, dictators ordering genocide, and child molesters. Most people would say that people on Jesus’ side are the super-religious minority who read the Bible every day, pray frequently, never miss church, give generously and sacrificially, and are super-spiritual. On Satan’s side are the Bin Laden'sand Adolph Hitler’s and of history and on Jesus’ side are the Billy Graham’s and Mother Theresa’s of history.

Jesus saw things differently. Jesus insisted that you are on one side or the other side. There is no middle ground. Your are either Committed to Jesus or committed to Satan. Nothing in between. What is so scary about this is that there are so many of us who like to think of ourselves as middle-of-the-road . . . not too fanatical. Jesus says all such people are on Satan’s team.

Jesus said it. Jesus believed it. He believed that we are either on God’s side or we are on Satan’s side. What do you think? What do you believe? Whose side are you on?

III. Jesus believed that getting rid of evil is never enough Lk 11:24-26

Add a third belief to Jesus’ list - - Jesus believed that getting rid of evil is never enough. This belief is so fascinating and significant that it’s worth rereading Luke 11:24-26. "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first."

This really runs counter to many popular beliefs and practices. Our usual assumption is that getting rid of the bad stuff in our lives will solve most of our problems. Chase out addiction. Stop cheating. Quit committing adultery. End animosity. Cease lying. Cut out your critical tongue. Never steal again. Get rid of all the bad stuff and life will be good.

According to Jesus, it’s the exact opposite. Get rid of all the bad stuff in your life and before long you’ll be worse off than you were before.

Jesus’ point is plain and simple - bad must be replaced by good. Kick Satan out but let Jesus in. Get rid of evil but replace it with good. Solving our problems and getting rid of evil is never enough. God and good must fill and control our lives instead.

The more we think about Jesus’ teaching, the more it makes sense. We all know stories of people with bad friends. Maybe the description fits you. Bad friends are a bad influence. They drag you down; they reinforce the worst; they hold you back; they encourage your bad habits; they destroy your life. So, you decide to break off a bad relationship. It is the hardest thing you’ve ever done - - - giving up your best friend.

But, if you don’t replace the bad friends with good friends, you risk getting the bad friend back with seven more bad buddies.

As important as it is to rid ourselves of evil in our lives, it is more important to fill ourselves with good. There is a great NT line in Philippians 4:8 that says, "whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." In other words, get out the bad and fill your head with what is really good.

Conclusion: Jesus believed in Satan. Jesus believed that his power was greater than Satan’s power. Jesus believed we are either on God’s side or Satan’s side. Jesus believed that getting rid of evil is never good enough. We must have the good of God through Jesus Christ in all of our lives.

"Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."