Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More
The Kingdom of Light
Text: Luke 11:14-36
Powerful expression of God’s kingdom (vss 14-16)
- Jesus heals a man who is unable to speak. It’s said that he’s possessed with a devil which is why he’s mute.
- The Jews accuse and demand more miracles (vss 15-16)
- Now, some Jews watched this event and began calling Jesus a magician or illusionist or somebody who is in line with the devil, just playing games with people’s lives.
- Other Jews demanded Jesus do more signs. This isn’t an honest demand because none of the miracles changed their hearts.
The LORD answers
- The LORD Jesus Christ will answer these things in three ways, all describing what eternal life looks like and what Christianity is.
- He’ll describe…
- the partnership with him – verse 23, not with me is against me;
- the practice of his teachings – verse 28, they that hear the word of God and keep it;
- and the perspective that defines the people – verse 35, take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
Christianity is PARTNERSHIP with Jesus Christ (vss 17-26)
- To the accusation that Jesus is just a devil casting out devils, Jesus says that’s not how things work.
- Kingdoms divided against themselves are failures. Houses divided against themselves are failures.
- God’s kingdom is eternal because it’s not subject to failure. There is nothing in God’s kingdom that is corrupt, therefore there is nothing in God’s kingdom that is temporary or going to fail.
- The Jewish Christians are your children in the context. These are the people casting out devils by the power of God.
- Furthermore, God’s kingdom has now come to you. The question that you need to answer is whether you’ll participate with the Lord in his kingdom or you’ll continue to fight against it and contend with it.
- The point is that Jesus Christ is the king, he is the light over the darkness, he is the power of God over death and corruption, he is the strong man, and you’re either in partnership with him and his kingdom or you’re in opposition to it.
- The spectrum of opposition runs from simple neglect to participate with him all the way to violently contending with his kingdom.
- Either way, and all the ways in between, Jesus said if you’re not with me you’re against me.
- The consequences of being against God’s eternal kingdom are that you remain subject to the dying corrupt kingdom of this world. In which case the end is many times harder than the beginning.
- He likens an individual to a house that eventually has to be destroyed. (This will even apply to the nation of Israel.) The current tenant is an unwanted resident. The owner gets him removed. Cleans the place up. But fails to secure the house and fails to find a good tenant to occupy it. Over time this empty house will become a drug house and will get destroyed from the inside out.
- Reminds me of watching these guys on YouTube go into the abandoned mansions. It’s mold and broken windows and trash and filth everywhere. The only thing left to do is demolition the house.
- The house is made for a good tenant. Your body is made for the LORD.
- Participation in his kingdom is eternal life at work in a person.
Christianity is PRACTICE of his teachings (vss 27-28)
- Participation with him brings Jesus to the next point.
- A lady with what would be considered Roman Catholic beliefs makes a statement that Jesus corrects. She praises Mary, but Jesus corrects her. (Mary is no doubt a blessed soul, but Mary was a blessed soul because she kept the words of God.)
- This is how Jesus corrects this lady’s Roman Catholic idea. The truly blessed are those who hear and keep the words of God. It’s another way of saying that a biological relationship to Jesus is less important than hearing and doing what Jesus says.
- The Father’s commandment is to hear Jesus Christ
- The Father says Hear ye him… Hear Christ’s words, Hear Christ’s life, Christ’s words became the apostle’s doctrine.
- Sermon on the Mount Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
- Jesus said the words that I say to you, they are spirit and they are life.
- Paul said to the Corinthians a similar thing, For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
- Hearing means more than recognizing the sounds coming out of someone’s mouth. It means paying attention so you can obey their voice. In this case, God’s voice.
- This is Christianity. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me. And the sheep follow him for they know his voice.
- David would say it this way. The LORD is my shepherd and he leads me.
Christianity is the PERSPECTIVE of light (vss 29-36)
- The evil generation demands signs
- BTW, Paul warned the Corinthians about this; he said the Jews require a sign. Some religious systems have interpreted that to mean this is how the Jews were reached with the gospel. Unfortunately, that’s the opposite of what Paul said. Some of you need to read 1 Corinthians 1 again and see that context.
- The sign will be 3 days and 3 nights in a grave just as Jonah was in the whale.
- Nineveh repented and believed Jonah’s preaching. Gentiles, non-Jewish people believed God!
- The queen of Sheba came to hear the wisdom of Solomon and one greater than Solomon is here. This non-Jewish queen wanted to hear the wisdom of God.
- Both of these non-Jewish examples stand in judgment against the Jewish nation that rejects their Messiah.
- Jesus Christ is the light of the world, but the Jews were suspicious of the light because their deeds were evil.
- What they observed, what came into their eyes as they watched Jesus Christ was suspicion and envy. I think psychologists would call that projection. Where you project your own corruption onto someone else.
- Jesus says be careful you don’t view me through your own wicked eyes.
- Paul would say it this way
- Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (the kingdom isn’t a Jewish term BTW)
- To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
