ESCAPE FROM THE EVIL EMPIRE (1): EVIL DOES NOT CAST OUT EVIL

(Luke 11:14-23)
Intro (Read Luke 11:14-23). You probably heard about the CW vet who
had relatives on both sides. He couldnt decide which way to go, so he finally
dressed in Union blue pants with a Confederate grey shirt. So the Rebs shot
him in the legs and the Yankees shot him in the chest. When war is in your
back yard, you cant remain neutral. You must declare a side!
Such is the spiritual warfare that envelops us. People all over the world are
dying literally and physically in this warfare. It is very real and present. It is
a war between a kingdom of darkness and a kingdom of light an empire of
Satan and an empire of God. God already won the war at the cross. But for
purposes of His greater glory the battles rage until He says, Enough!
The world in which we live is right in the middle of this battle. C. S. Lewis
says, Enemy-occupied territory that is what this world is. Christianity is
the story of how the rightful King has landed and is calling us all to take
part in a great campaign in sabotage. That leaves us with two questions.
First, which side are we on? Gods or Satans? The illusion of a middle ground
called Self is just that an illusion. There is no such place. We are born as
residents of the evil empire and remain so until we choose for God. Then the
issue becomes will we live in our new present rather than our old past.
Were in enemy occupied territory, and compromise is easy.
This passage is about how we can have continued victory against the evil
empire the kingdom of darkness. How do we escape and how do we stay
out of its clutches. Five principles for overcoming evil.
I.

Evil Does Not Cast Out Evil

14

Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone
out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. The amazing has become
commonplace in Luke. This man was possessed by a demon that prevented his
speech. Jesus cast the demon out and his health was restored.
Crowd reaction is mixed. Many still marvel. But opposition is deepening. For
the first time in Luke we see the story the Pharisees have concocted to counter
Jesus. 15 But some of them said, He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the
prince of demons. Now the most important thing to notice here is that the one
1

thing they do not do is deny the miracle. They cant deny the miracle! That
would be the modern approach, right? Claim it was tricks, sleight of hand. But
no one in Jesus time ever questioned the miracles. They were undeniable.
And they could never catch Him in any moral or legal issue. Every effort to
discredit Him failed.
So heres their last resort. He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of
demons. So who is Beelzebul? Well, in II Kings 1:2 reference is made to a
Philistine god, Baal-zebub which meant Exalted One. The Jews had changed a
couple of letters to rename him Beelzebul Lord of the flies or Lord of dung
a gross insult to their hated enemy. Over time the name became Yiddish
slang for Satan. So unable to deny Jesus miracles or catch Him in any legal
or moral impropriety, the Pharisees hit on the idea of attributing His work to
Satan. They were saying, You think hes great? Hes empowered by Satan
himself. Hes an infiltrator, a phony. The Devil empowers him to fool you
and lead you to disaster. It was enough to get a few on the fence thinking,
Maybe. So they reacted as in v. 16, while others, to test him, kept seeking
from him a sign from heaven. Jesus will come back to this request for a
further sign in v. 29. But first He deals with the accusation that He is
empowered by the Devil. He attacks their argument in 3 ways.
First, he notes that if He were casting out demons by Satans power, Satan
would be working against himself. That would be sheer stupidity. V. 17,
Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household
falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom
stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. Maybe Satan would
allow 1 or 2 exorcisms to set a trap but Jesus is casting out demons all over
the countryside. He is leaving devastation in his wake. This is no con game.
I used to pitch a little. But I never let a ball go hoping the batter would tag
one. That would be a house divided, right? I was pitching to 3-year-old
Meagan one day (found someone I could get out!), She hit a few, but after
about 5 futile swings in a row, she put her hands on her hips and said,
Grandpa youre supposed to hit my bat. She hadnt quite got the picture
yet. Pitchers dont help hitters. And Satan wasnt helping Jesus. Thats Jesus
first point in answer to this charge. Divided houses fall!
He gives a second answer in v. 19, And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by
whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
Judaism had exorcists people who used crazy incantations and spells to cast
2

out demons. They experienced little if any success. In Acts 19 Paul arrives in
Ephesus casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Now Acts 19:13, 13 Then
some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the
Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, I adjure you by the Jesus
whom Paul proclaims. [Obviously they were having little success with their
incantations, so why not try this?] 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named
Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, Jesus I know, and
Paul I recognize, but who are you? 16 And the man in whom was the evil
spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that
they fled out of that house naked and wounded. Dont you love it?! Thats the
exorcists Jesus had in mind. Hes saying, If you say that I who never fail
am casting out demons by Satan, then who in the world is underpowering
the miserable attempts of your colleagues? If they claimed God empowered
the failures, then God must be empowering Jesus who never failed. Thus the
failure of their own exorcists brought judgment against them.
Jesus final point is v. 20 If someone enters the house of a strong man and
takes what he is so intent on protecting, that one must be stronger yet. And
since Jesus is ordering demons around like new recruits in book camp, there is
no question about who is stronger. By every measure, Jesus is acting by the
power of God.
So what is the principle behind all of this? Simply this. Evil does not work
against itself. Evil does not cast out evil, and if we are ever to be freed from
the kingdom of darkness, it will not be by our good works which to God are as
filthy garments (Isa 64:6). David said, In sin did my mother conceive me
(Psa 51:5), and as an evil person I have no hope to save myself. There is no
escape humanly speaking. Redemption comes only through Jesus.
A man stood up to R. A. Torrey one time and said, Sir, I am an atheist. Your
gospel defies reason. I challenge you to a debate. Quite a challenge in front
of a bunch of people. Torreys response was precious. I accept your
challenge. See you here tomorrow night. One condition. Bring along 100
people whose lives have been changed for the better by atheism. Ill bring
100 people whose lives have been transformed by Jesus Christ. Some
reformed drunkards and prostitutes. Some reformed ordinary selfish people
whose families have been restored. You bring yours and Ill bring mine and
well debate. Torrey is still waiting. Evil does not cast out evil. Jesus does.

And the same is true after youve come to Christ. How many Christians get
into the kingdom of light only to revert to dark behavior thinking it will bring
peace and happiness? Yes, God says not to covet, but if I can only have that
new car, Ill be truly happy. Besides, I deserve it. If I can only make vicepresident, even if it means stabbing someone in the back, Ill be happy.
Besides, Ill be able to give more. My husband does not understand me, but
John at work does. Surely God will understand why I need that relationship.
But, Beloved, evil does not cast out evil, it just brings more evil. You cant
get good ends by bad means. Gods blessings dont come from compromise
much as we would like that.
When Christians go rummaging thru the garbage piles of life and avoiding
the ultimate source of satisfaction we destroy ourselves. Were like the
cartoon showing a dog drinking out of a toilet bowl. Water dripping from his
snout, Fido looks up to tell us, "It doesn't get any better than this!" Really!?
Were like Saul in I Sam 15 when God told him to go destroy the Amalekites
after 400 years of warnings. Saul was victorious but he returned with the king
and all the animals. Claimed to the prophet Samuel they were for sacrifice.
But of course, they were really for Saul. Trying to get Gods best by
disobedience. Doesnt work. Saul lost his kingship. Samuel told him in I Sam
15: 22, Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in
obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
listen than the fat of rams. Evil does not cast out evil, Beloved. It didnt for
the Pharisees; it didnt for Saul and it wont for you. Whatever game of
compromise you are playing thinking to get a good result by disobeying God
will lead only to destruction. Youre part of the kingdom of light now a child
of God. Live like it. Dont live in your past; live in your present.
II.

Victory Requires a Savior

Second principle: to escape the presence and influence of the evil empire, we
need a Savior. Jesus gives a short parable. 21 When a strong man, fully armed,
guards his own palace, his goods are safe; The strong man is Beelzebul, Satan,
guarding his palace and his captives. John 8:34, Truly, truly, I say to you,
everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. People outside of Christ dont
feel like slaves, but they are slaves to self, which is the same as being a
slave to Satan. And Satan is doing all he can to hang onto what he claims as
his. The doors are barred; the gates are closed; the moat is full of gators; the
4

chains are locked. There is no escape. And he allows just enough pleasure that
people dont even notice the chains.
Satan even uses success to bind people. Ralph Barton was a popular cartoonist
for The New Yorker who committed suicide a few years ago. Listen to his
chilling note: I have had an exceptionally glamorous life, and I have had
more than my share of affection and appreciation. The most charming,
intelligent, and important people that I have known have liked me. [Yet] I
have run from wife to wife, from house to house, and from country to
country in a ridiculous effort to escape myself. No one thing is
responsible for this suicide and no person except myself. I did it because I
am fed up with inventing devices for getting through twenty-four hours a
day. Its not just the down-and-outers who are down-and-out; so are the upand-outers. Satan will use any means available to bind us in darkness.
The only answer is in 22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and
overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his
spoil. Who is stronger than Satan? Who was demonstrating it multiple times
daily in His earthly ministry? Jesus is the only answer. I Jn 3:8, The reason
the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Satan is the
strong man. Jesus is the stronger one. To reject the 3 years of evidence that
He covered the earth with is to willfully and purposefully ignore Gods grace.
It is to attribute to Satan the works of God and that is the unpardonable sin.
Note v. 20: But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you. I love the phrase finger of God. The
weakest part of our anatomy. As opposed to the Jewish exorcists, Jesus didnt
resort to incantations and spells to be rid of demons. He didnt wrestle with
them, argue with them, struggle with them, or go through hours of emotional
and spiritual trauma. Nothing like that. Instead, as though with a flick of his
finger He demanded their departure and Boom! They were gone. Day after
day after day after day. And Hes saying, Cant you see the kingdom of God
is here!? Who else could do this? Reject this evidence attribute it to Satan
what else is left? Youve condemned yourself against all reason. People
who say God never gave any evidence of Himself have never bothered to read
the New Testament.
Of course, Jesus power over sin and Satan and death is on credit, awaiting
payment thru His death. Heb 2:14-15, Since therefore the children share in
flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through
5

death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
15
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong
slavery. This is ultimate victory! In His own death, Jesus destroyed the
power of death. Satan is strong; Jesus is far stronger. There is no one like Him.
There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved. Not Muhammad; not Buddha; not Joseph Smith; not Zoaraster; not
Lau Tzu. They all died all weaker than the strong man. Only Jesus faced and
overcame death. Only He can move us from Satans evil empire of darkness.
And only He can keep us living consistently with our new family name. Only
He can remove the anxiety, the lust, the selfishness, the anger, the bitterness.
We cannot do it ourselves; we need to revisit the cross daily. Milton Vincent
in The Gospel Primer says, "There is simply no other way to compete with
the forebodings of my conscience, the condemning's of my heart, and the
lies of the world and the devil than to overwhelm such things with the daily
rehearsings of the gospel. Jesus is the stronger One who can deliver us from
the hold of sin in our life the only one.
III.

Neutrality is Fatal

23

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with
me scatters. This addresses the fence-sitters, the doubters. You cant declare
neutrality regarding Jesus. Not an option. Weve either committed to Him or
were in rebellion in Satans domain, however outwardly good we are. To
refuse His Lordship isnt to declare neutrality; it is to align against Him.
Pilate wanted to be neutral. When the Jews brought Jesus to him, he found no
fault in him. The Jews insisted. Pilate said, I can release a prisoner for the
Feast. Take Jesus. They took the murderer Barabbas instead. His wife sent
word, Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much
because of him today in a dream (Mt 27:19). When he saw he could not win
we read, [Pilate] took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying,
I am innocent of this mans blood; see to it yourselves (Mt 27:24). Pilate
declared neutrality. But Billy Graham says, "Tradition tells us that Pilate
spent the last years of his life up in the mountains of Switzerland, washing
his hands constantly. When anyone asked him, "What are you doing?" He
said, "I am trying to wash the blood stain of Jesus Christ off my hands."
Through all eternity Pilate will try to wash the blood stain off, but he will
never succeed. Nor will any other fence-sitter. They will find themselves
washing the blood of Jesus Christ off their hands for eternity. But it will not
6

wash. It was shed for them and it will not wash. There is absolutely no
escaping Jesus death. If God really died for sinners, how could there be.
Jesus blood either saves or condemns.
Conc Peter Kreft in Heaven says, The escape from worldliness is made
urgent by the fact that we are already embarked on our journey to the other
world. As soon as we are born, we begin to die. The world is like a rocket
ship; we are already launched into the beyond. Life is an escalator, and
there is no way off except at the end. The only choice is between directions:
up or down. Jesus calls it the difference between staying on the broad road
that leads to destruction vs. changing to the narrow way that leads to life.
Everyone must decide. Neutrality is fatal. No decision is a decision against
God. Remember what Elijah said the day he called fire out of heaven before
the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18:21? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if
Baal, then follow him. You must choose. Choose Jesus. Once you do you will
find that He had chosen you before time began. What love He has for you.
Lets pray.