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The Third Sunday in Lent.
The
Collect.
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E beseech thee, Almighty God, look upon
the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of
thy Majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
A
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nd he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it
came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people
wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils
through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign
from heaven. 17 But
he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every
kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided
against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom
stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out
devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your
judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God
cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When a strong man armed keepeth
his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 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. 23 He that is not with me is
against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 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. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth
it swept and garnished. 26 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.
27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things,
a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed
is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea
rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:14-27)
Christ presents to
our hearts, minds, and eyes a very stark lesson on the power of sin, darkness
and death.
14 And
he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the
devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.
A person is possessed
of a devil, or evil spirit. This person has all his faculties of speech and
communication, but the presence of an invited and evil guest into his heart has
deprived him of the ability to use his God-given powers to speak and to
communicate. It happened 2,000 years ago, and it has been happening in all
intervening times to include the modern day.
Note the wonder of
the people at the restoration to health of the formerly possessed person. The
world is always surprised and misinterprets the works of God.
When we hide the Word
of God in our hearts, we are strengthened against the ArchEnemy of our Souls –
the Devil!
Psalm 119:11 Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
However, when we have
a divided heart to admit even a small and cherished sin to remain in our
hearts, it will grow and take possession of the whole organ.
Allowed sin always
masters a man in time. The man may loathe his master, yet he obeys him; he may
fear his master, yet still he does his hateful bidding.
Light always
overcomes darkness because light is a positive value. Darkness has no real
force. It is the absence of virtue – of righteousness. Even a tiny candle will
dispel a roomful of darkness. But we must light the candle!
God has given us His
Word to light our way and illumine our dark hearts.
Psalm 119:105 Thy
word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
15 But some of
them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And
others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven.
The modern church
seeks signs and wonders! They must have always some present wonder and presumed
miraculous sign to legitimize their faith, but what saith Christ?
1 The Pharisees
also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them
a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye
say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. 3 And in the
morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and
lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can
ye not discern the signs of the times? 4 A wicked and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given
unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
We have been provided
enough evidence for our faith and more in the birth, life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ – a well-documented historical event of history.
The doubters accused
Christ of using the power of Beelzebub to cast out devils.
What does this term,
BEELZEBUB, mean? Lord of the Flies – another word for DEVIL.
When a dead body, or
even excrement, is exposed to the light of day, flies cover it and lay their
eggs thereon. Later, maggots appear on the dead.
These unbelieving and
wicked observers accuse Christ of bringing a lower form of life from filth. But
Christ never resurrected maggots, but totally restored and healthy human
beings. His power was the Creative Power that created man in the first occasion
in Eden.
Beelzebub
“The Lord of the Flies” is a book by British novelist William Golding and, for some reason, is required reading in most American schools.
“The Lord of the Flies” is a book by British novelist William Golding and, for some reason, is required reading in most American schools.
William Golding’s
Lord of the Flies is a sordid tale about a group of kids who are stranded on a
deserted island after their plane crashes.
The story is set
during the Atomic War and plenty of references are made to the fact. However,
the real key to the story lies in the role of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Beelzebub has a central role in the story as
he represents the Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans.
The Beast cannot be
hunted and since it dwells within all humans, humans are all guilty because
mankind is sick.
The destruction of
mankind is a point that Golding makes apparent often in this novel. He
establishes early on that Beelzebub is a force within all humans that drives
them to destroy and maim. (a perfect description of Satan as well as the sinful
nature in all men and women born upon this earth)
Simon – loner who
knows that the evil in every man’s heart can only be fought by reason and
virtue. Murdered sadistically by all the others.
This book is an
unhealthy book for one primary reason:
It ignores the God
Equation and offers a human, rather than a spiritual, remedy.
17 But he, knowing
their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought
to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be
divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast
out devils through Beelzebub.
Christ knows our
hearts. He sees our nakedness always. Nothing is hidden from Him – even our
thoughts and motives are revealed as a book written.
Christ says: “…..a house divided against
a house falleth”
If you ask the average
historian who said this, they would tell you, Abraham Lincoln. But Lincoln was
simply paraphrasing the Bible.
It is ridiculous to
allege that good can result from the spirit of evil.
19 And if I by
Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out?
therefore shall they be your judges.
I was once involved
with a local Korean minister who desperately wanted to acquire a new building
for the church, but he did not want to inform the people of the plan. He knew,
since they were paying for the building, that they might object to the cost. I
advised him to inform the people and conduct prayer services to determine the
Will of the Lord in the matter and to enlist the support of the people.
He became upset with
me and later told a mutual friend: “That brother Jerry is good man, but He too
much Bible!”
No one has ever,
before, or after, paid me such an unintended compliment.
When you launch out
courageously into the deep waters of God’s Word, there will always be the
nay-sayers who gather to condemn you and impute false motive to your seeking.
But, just as Father Noah did, keep building the Ark of Hope and Faith.
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out
devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When a strong man
armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 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. 23 He that is not
with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
Compare with Luke 9:49-50
49 And John answered
and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him,
because he followeth not with us. 50 And Jesus said unto
him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us. Luke 9:49-50
If a Roman priest stands
and condemns homosexual marriage and abortion of innocents, will we today stone
him for being Roman Catholic?
This might be Christ
response to the book, Lord of the Flies -
24 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. 25 And when he
cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 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.
Word, and the working
of the Holy Spirit.
If we renounce our
sin of lust and greed, and remove them from our repertoire of sins, soon a
greater and more wicked bag of sins will inhabit the place left vacant.
God’s Word, being
Light, is necessary to dispel the darkness from our hearts. We are unable of
our own strength and merit.
The book which I
mentioned, obviates this principle and would leave men more destitute of virtue
than before the attempted amendment.
If we have not yet
surrendered our souls, unconditionally, to Christ, we are set for a fall
to a lower point than before our feeble resolution to better ourselves.
Human reason is not
the answer. We need God in our lives. We need His Word in our hearts. We need
the old heart regime to be filled with goodness – not simply devoid of evil.
A vacuum always draws
on the environment. It always seeks to be filled. If we presumably empty our
hearts of evil, we cannot keep them empty. Something will force its way in and
occupy by force our Soul’s bastion. But if Christ resides there, there will be
no room for the devil.
27 And it came to
pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her
voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the
paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they
that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Christ is not
interested in elevating our human image – He seeks to alter it completely – to
restore it to His own intents and purposes evidenced in the Garden at Eden.
Hearing and knowing
God’s Word is not enough for as James has said:
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest
well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt
thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? James 2:19-20
Saving Faith will
always be reflected in our daily lives – the things we say and do, the manner
in which we love and respond to those in great distress.
Remember the Love of
Christ was not simply a fondness, but a sacrificial, compassionate love that
always expressed itself in action. When He saw, He had compassion.
Let us do likewise.
