The Kingdom Has Come Upon Us
14 Now he was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 16 And others, as a test, were demanding of him a sign from heaven.
17 Knowing their thoughts, he told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and a house divided against itself falls. 18 If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say I drive out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 20 If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure. 22 But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he takes from him all his weapons he trusted in, and divides up his plunder. 23 Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.
24 “When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ 25 Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”
27 As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!”
28 He said, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”
Luke 11:14-28 [CSB]
Whatever argument you hear…whatever logic is, was and will be applied…whatever other explanation is given…
For all THIS–for what we are and what we do in this place…as well as everything else that makes up the church militant on earth…
a place like this… right smack in the presence of the all and every nay-sayer, detractor, unbeliever, and out-right dangerous enemy…
We say to them, and to our wavering and weak faith…
20But if it is by the finger of God that [Jesus] cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
But what really has been brought about?
What happened to the universe a little over 2,000 years ago?
What has been given to it…to us…placed here…put into our lives…?
You see, it is either true or it is not.
As St. Paul says, if this is not all true, then we are to be pitied above everyone else.
And I mean ALL TRUE.
As it holds together. It fits and works only one way.
If it is by Grace through faith, then it is not of works…not of our doing…not a choice…not because we are this or that…or good…or able…
Else, we are still in the place everyone else is…in the same lost condition…DEAD IN OUR SINS says St. Paul…because we have…
…and always will fail.
If you cannot trust the Creation accounts.
If there is doubt whether Jesus was born of a virgin…
If we question the miracles that He did…
Or if He was really dead… and then rose on the third day…
If Jesus was only a man and not God…
Then nothing else is True…and we should just give up now …walk away… go home… eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die and…
So, all of it MUST…BE…TRUE!
HAS to be…for any part of it to be true.
Well… because then nothing is really done, or left undone…or really matters in the end…
NO…NOT AT ALL…NOT ONE BIT.
So, all those people who ignore a part of Scripture…say its is merely a cultural thing and God does not mean it to apply to us…
…or worse! …and say that NO PART is the WORD of God…
Should just toss out the whole Bible then… as it will and cannot do anyone any good…
No… not unless all of it is God’s Word.
Jesus’ point about the devil applies to God’s own kingdom. If it is divided…if it is not whole and consistent…if He says one thing at one time and something else entirely…or the opposite… at another…
It all falls apart… and there is no sure place for faith to stand on…no foundation to build a life or church upon…and then…
… there is not much hope…if anything…if anything is left…
And it is even weaker… than if we went with trying to work hard…trying to be good enough…
As everyone agrees that God wants us to be moral and to help our neighbors…
Well…at least we thought so…at least people used to think that way…and told everyone that people ought to be decent…
But whatever the current cultural moral climate… that a few move…even a little…move in that direction… try to be decent and good for a change…
And when it looks like it… (that there is a nice corner of sunshine) it ends up being just surface stuff for the most part…that never lasts too long …
20But if it is by the finger of God…
If Holy Baptism does save…
If Holy Absolution does declare… THERE AND THEN… that our sins are forgiven…and it is so because of those Words proclaimed… RIGHT there and then… to us and for us…
If the Words of Scripture from Law…kills…and the Words of Scripture from the Gospel produces faith for eternal life…
If these Words of God preached to you here and now…bring you to salvation…
If the Words of the Liturgy, taken from Scripture…if the Hymns sung containing the Law and the Gospel…
If the Body and Blood of Jesus, with the bread and wine, DO forgive sins, bring and strengthen faith…
…then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Did God really say? Yes… YES! He said all that! … and it is ALL TRUE! And it must ALL BE BELIEVED to be of value.
Because that is how the Kingdom of God has come upon you…and me….and on into the world after Jesus rose from the dead.
He is the Word made flesh… and He then…after rising to fill the universe in that flesh and blood body…sends it into the Church, to be read and heard…to be put into Water, bread and Wine…
So that it continues to keep coming upon us…
That is why Jesus told that woman…the one paying Him that supposedly wonderful compliment–to Him and His mother Mary…
27As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
Jesus says…wait…no Lady, not really…because really the truth is: “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
Because even the other Mary could not hold onto Jesus after He rose from the grave. Remember that? In John 20:17, Jesus tells her she cannot…
Or rather it would not do her any good that way…
Better to hold onto Him in Word and Sacrament–after He ascended…because He will send the comforter…the Holy Spirit to bring Him.. Jesus to her…and to us…
As there is where He comes to us…all the time…comes upon us…goes to the very core of us…and remains…
And this through the Inspired Word of God…heard and believed…and kept, as His mother did…
Remember? She stored up all those things said about Jesus in her heart.
Keeping God’s Word is less about doing works, than believing it with the faith provided in its hearing.
No, rather keeping His Word is hearing and then taking it to heart, believing it. That is what turns into action. This is done over our entire lives.
Read. Hear. Believe. Think about. Meditate upon it…working it about…working through…
And believing…and repeating this again…then confessing it as true…to and with those around you…
Then this is what causes us to act upon it…in the way God prescribes.
We must become Biblically minded…heart filled with His Word people…believing what He says…before we can apply it and ever do it.
And this is the finger of God in each of our lives. This is how the devil is thrown out… and this is how… the kingdom of God has come upon you.
It has, this very day! Amen.
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