"NO VACANCY, SATAN"

MF Blume
January 16, 2000 pm

Matthew 12:22-30  Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

Matthew 12:38-45  Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself 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. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.



This lengthy treatise in the Gospel of Matthew contains much wonderful truth.

Jesus cast out a devil that caused a man to be both blind and dumb.
• The man could not speak nor see.
• Notice the conditions order of this man’s affliction.
• And then He is questioned about the deliverance thinking the Lord had cast out the devils by the prince of the devils, Beelzebub.

Jesus proceeded to tell them that Satan would be destroying his own kingdom if he cast some of his own devils out of people.
• So the only common sense explanation would be that the power of God was upon Jesus, and the devil was being overcome by a greater glory of God.

Verse 29, speaking of who is with Him and gathers with Him, all who don’t gather simply scatter, and are against Him, actually is saying that
• 1) Jesus is greater than the devil and will ultimately smash all Satan’s powers.
• 2) If you are not with Him, guess who else is going down with Satan’s powers?

And on down, we read Scribes and Pharisees seeking a sign from Him lest they doubt Him.
• And here is where things get interesting.
• He said the only sign that would be given to Israel was the sign of Jonah the prophet.
• Jonah was three days and nights in the whale’s belly, and Jesus would experience three days and nights in the heart of the earth.

Then he compares Jonah’s day with His day.
• Jonah’s generation with the generation Jesus preached.

JONAH.

• The generation of Jesus day was so wicked, that the people in Jonah’s day would make them ashamed.
• On judgment day you are going to see the people alive in Jesus’ day, who were there when He preached, be judged for not accepting Him.
• And you will witness a group of people who lived long before them, from a place called Ninevah, stand up and their very presence alone would condemn Israel to a lost eternity.
You see, Jonah spent three days and nights in the whale and then preached to Ninevah about destruction and Ninevah repented.
• Likewise Jesus spent three days and nights in the heart of the earth and the Gospel of the death burial and resurrection went out and many repented.
• But the only problem is that ALL of Ninevah repented.
• All of Israel DID NOT REPENT.
• And Jesus was greater than Jonah.

Let me explain the need of that point being in our hearts.
• Jonah spent three days and nights in the whale before Ninevah heard the word and repented.
• But the big difference between Jonah’s 3 days and Jesus’ three days, was that Jonah was forced by God to experience that so Ninevah could have a chance.
• Jonah did not want to preach to Ninevah at all.

Jonah 3:10-4:2  And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
Jonah knew God would repent and change His mind after Ninevah heard the warning and repented.
• So his three days was spent because of his refusal to preach.
• Jesus’ WANTED the world to repent.
• Jesus was WILLINGLY killed and buried for three days and nights, because HE WANTED ISRAEL and the WORLD TO REPENT.

Everything about Jesus compared to Jonah was greater.

Jonah went into the whale because of His stubbornness and refusal to obey God and preach.
• Jesus went into the earth because of His obedience and joy set before him of seeing Israel repent after hearing His gospel.

Jonah went 3 days and nights because he didn’t care.

Jesus went three days and nights because He did care.
 

Ninevah’s salvation was only of one city to be freed from wrath-fire.

Israel and the world’s salvation was from a hell where the fire is not quenched.
 

Jonah was only a stubborn prophet.

Jesus was the All-loving Son of God, God manifested in flesh.
 

Jonah was displeased with Ninevah’s repentance and God’s salvation.

Jesus was overjoyed with mankind’s repentance and salvation.
• In fact, it was Jesus who said that all the angels rejoice over one soul that repents.

I heard that David Berkowitz committed his life to Jesus.
• The movie of his murders is now available for all to see.
• SUMMER OF SAM.
• And I suppose some are angry at God forgiving such a man.
• But that was Jonah’s miserable attitude.
• Jesus was thrilled.

We often, like Jonah, think people should burn in hell and perish.
• But let us be more like Jesus.
• Be thrilled at one’s salvation.
• What if David Berkowitz was your brother or son?

Jonah had more pity on the gourd that sheltered him from heat, when God caused it to dry up, rather than have pity of a city of six thousand people who were heathens.

Jonah 4:10-11  Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night: And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
WHAT A WAY TO END A BOOK OF THE BIBLE!!!!

Jonah begrudgingly preached.
• Jesus lovingly preached.

AND ISRAEL REJECTED HIM, when Ninevah accepted the preaching of God from a man the likes of Jonah!
 

SOLOMON

The queen of the south came from the uttermost part of the world to hear and see Solomon’s glory.

1Kings 10:1-13  And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions. And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not any thing hid from the king, which he told her not. And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made he thee king, to do judgment and justice. And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon. And the navy also of Hiram, that brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great plenty of almug trees, and precious stones. And the king made of the almug trees pillars for the house of the LORD, and for the king's house, harps also and psalteries for singers: there came no such almug trees, nor were seen unto this day. And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.
There were people all around Jesus in the land of Israel.
• They did not have to travel any length of land at all to hear Jesus and see His wisdom.
• And here the Queen of Sheba traveled across the then-known world to see Solomon.
• And Jesus was Greater than Solomon.

The generation Jesus preached to was so wicked, that they could not walk across the street to eagerly hear Jesus, but only came to Him to mock Him and tempt Him.
• She seen Solomon’s house.
• Jesus house was the CHURCH.
• Lively stones.
• Sheba saw ministers of Solomon and their apparel and their ascending and descending.
• No spirit was left in her.
• Jesus has ministers who perform miracles and wonders and cast out demons in His name, and speak in other tongues, but people deride and scoff.

A queen is going to stand up after all of Ninevah condemns Israel of Jesus’ day, and confirm their condemnation.

How much more would Sheba have traveled, if Jesus were in her day?...
• How much less of her spirit would be left if she saw what Jesus had and did and said?

But the evil in the generation of Jesus’ day was much greater than in Solomon’s day.

Then Jesus makes a speech that is part of the same conversation, rebuking Israel for their rejection of Him, but does not seem to fit the picture.
• But it does!

He speaks about a demon cast out of a man that wanders in dry places.
• The demon is able to return and checks out the house from which it was cast.
• It sees it swept and garnished, but that is it.
• So it says it will return with 7 others more wicked than itself to FORTIFY itself greater.
• And the last state of the man is worse than the first.

WHY IS JESUS SAYING THIS?

Remember the whole conversation started after he cast out a devil and people mocked?

In a conversation about Israel’s rejection of Jesus, and in a conversation in which Jesus refers to Sheba’s and Ninevah’s acceptance of men who were far less in glory than Jesus, Jesus is saying that He came and cleaned house free from the devil.
• During His ministry, Israel was swept clean and garnished.
• Satan was cast out of the land due to Jesus’ LIGHT and WORD.
• He prepared and garnished Israel to be the HOLIEST OF HOLIES, when afore they were lost in sin as the rest of mankind.
• The devil was cast out of the land and held back from Israel.

The man who was delivered of demons was set free from TWO THINGS.
• BLINDNESS AND BEING DUMB.
• He could not see nor speak.

When Jesus referred to NINEVAH, He said that the thing Ninevah did which Israel would not do was SPEAK.
• WE REPENT.
• Call on the name of the Lord!
• Repent.
• Confess with your mouth you sins and confess you need Jesus.
• BUT THEY WOULD NOT SPEAK.
• Jesus cast the devil out of Israel for Israel to SPEAK repentance without the devil controlling any of them, but THEY WOULD NOT.

Jesus referred to Sheba, and 1 Kings 10 repeats it again and again... SHE SAW.

1Kings 10:4-7  And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth the fame which I heard.
JONAH
Jonah 3:5-8  So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused [it] to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.


SPEAK – SEE!!!!

  1. Cry mightily to God.
  2. See His great wisdom and glory!
The devil was cast out of Israel so Israel could SPEAK and SEE.
• Jesus cast out the demon and swept the house and garnished it.
• He prepared them.
• But THEY DID NOT BRING HIM IN.
• They rejected Jesus’ entrance and Spirit into their lives.
Matthew 23:37-38  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Jesus spent three days in the earth and the Gospel was preached after He resurrected.
• 3,120 were saved in that City of Jerusalem.
• The devil that cast out came back one day.
• It saw Israel’s rejection of Jesus.
• It left and went and got itself 7 more spirits, greater than itself.
• It made its mind up that Israel is not going to be ransacked and taken from it again.
• IN 70 A.D. SATAN RETURNED USING ROME, AND DESTROYED THE TEMPLE, and moved back into his house.
• HE SCATTERED ISRAEL ACROSS THE WORLD, AND NOT UNTIL ALMOST 2000 YEARS LATER, ISRAEL COULD FINALLY RECOVER AND START AS A NATION AGAIN.

The last state of Israel was worse than when it first was cleansed by Jesus.

Today the generation of 2000 is far more evil than Israel’s generation of Jesus’ day could ever be.

Churches of every brand are everywhere in our cities and towns.
• The Bible is available by way of digital electronic format.
• Hand-held computer bibles are available.
• The Bible translated into scores of languages.
• One cd-rom can hold 12 Bibles on it with commentaries and dictionaries and maps, and it weighs as much as a quarter (25 cents).

There was more power in Jesus’ day due to the wickedness of the generation.

Sin in Jesus’ day was far greater than in Jonah’s, so the Lord Himself was there to minister.

But multitudes got saved and people came in by the droves.

Sin in our day is that much greater.
• These folks in Jesus’ day suffered terribly from their countrymen.
• Today we’ve got more evil than any generation did.
• But the latter house shall be greater than the former house.
• The former rain is moderate compared to the latter rain.

Stand up for Jesus today.
• There is more grace always!!!!
• The worse sin gets, the more powerful grace gets.

Don’t let Jesus prepare the way for you, and clean your life with His teachings and keep Satan at bay, ONLY FOR YOU TO WALK AWAY AND NOT BRING Jesus into your life.
• Don’t let the devil return and find your house swept and garnished, but EMPTY OF JESUS.

God did His work, let us do our part now.