The Cosmic Initiative
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Unwrapping Christ's cosmic conquest of the "Silent Planet".
Text: Luke 11:21-23
Date: 08/06/2023, the Combined service.
Series: "Luke: Thy Kingdom Come" Part 115
Description:
As Jesus continues His response to the accusation that He casts out demons by the power of Beelzebul, He makes two definitive statements concerning the cosmic nature of the spiritual battle He has come to fight. First, He clearly states His mission and purpose with an analogy about a strong man who fiercely guards his possessions but loses them to One even stronger. We will analyze the metaphor and realize that Jesus is here making it clear that far from aiding and abetting satan in His ministry-- He has come to destroy him and his kingdom of evil. And then He will make it equally clear to believers and unbelievers alike that neutrality is not an option in this spiritual battle, for the one who is not with Jesus is actually abetting the enemy and working against Him. Although there is more than one message to be gleaned from this passage, we will stay focused on the spiritual battle for the souls of humanity from the heavenly perspective-- as Jesus affirms His Cosmic Initiative to the "Silent Planet".
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I. Introduction
A. "Into the Silent Planet".
B. A cosmic battle, Luke 11:20, John 3:16, 12:31, Matt. 10:34.
II. Exposition of the text, Luke 11:21-23.
A. Context
1. The Advent of the Kingdom and its King.
a. Overview, John 1:9-11.
b. The birth of Jesus, Luke 2:9, 13-14.
c. The confrontation in the desert, Luke 4:5-6, 19:10.
d. The parable of the Sower.
e. The Gerasene demoniac, Luke 8:28,31.
f. The Gospel offensive, Luke 9:1, 10:17-19.
2. The Beelzebul controversy.
B. The cosmic strategy of the Kingdom.
1. The metaphor of the "strong man", vs. 21.
a. The fully-armed strong man, John 8:44.
b. Guarding his palace and goods.
i. Guarding the palace.
ii. Protecting his goods.
2. Conquering the strong man, vs. 22.
a. Analyzing the metaphor.
i. A "bigger fish", Dan. 5:30-31.
ii. The language of conquest.
b. Applying the metaphor.
c. Interpreting the metaphor.
i. Casting out demons, 1John 3:8.
ii. Saving the souls of men and women, Psa. 68:18, Luke 10:18.
iii. The cosmic perspective, Matt. 10:34-36, Isa. 49:24-26.
3. No neutrality, vs. 23.
a. Looking at the words.
b. Opposing forces.
i. To not be "for" is to be "against".
ii. To not "gather" is to "scatter", John 10:11.
III. Application
A. A message to His detractors.
B. A call to radical discipleship, Luke 9:23-24, John 3:20-21.
C. A warning that "good" can sometimes be "evil".
D. Developing a unified Kingdom-core.
IV. Conclusion
