The
Parables of Christ 4
The Strong Man and
the House
Rev.
Brian Kocourek
This morning we will examine the Parable of the
strong man’s house. We find this parable in Matthew 12, Mark 3, and Luke 11. It
was spoken in defense of the Holy Spirit which was showing Jesus the anointed
the thoughts and intents of the hearts of men. Jesus had been accused of
healing the sick by the power of Satan. Therefore these men were blaspheming
the Holy Spirit that was telling Jesus what to do and say. And therefore this
parable has all to do with the Holy Spirit casting out devils. Let’s read first
from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 12.
MATTHEW 12:24 But when the
Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by
Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 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: 26
And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his
kingdom stand?(I just love the way Jesus uses pure logic to rip to shreds their every
argument they have for their own belief’s. Notice, he is saying here, if Satan
fights against himself, then he has no kingdom, and what kingdom he is trying
to acquire could never stand, so don’t tell me that Satan would cast out
himself. Your argument has no basis in logic and is so stupid it shows that no
thought has even gone into it. Then He continues with another brilliant piece
of logic to systematically take apart their argument further.) 27 And if I by
Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?
therefore they shall be your judges. (He says, look if what you say
is true then it has to be in every case, and if that is so then what about your
own children who do cast out devils? Come on, be consistent in your thinking.
What you are accusing me of you must also accuse your own children of who have
done the same thing. And those children will end up becoming your own judges,
if you are not careful in what you are saying. Then after systematically
destroying their flawed theology, He now begins to tell them by what power He
is casting out the devils.)
28 But if I cast
out devils by the Spirit of God,(He is saying, but, on the other hand, if what
I am doing is the Spirit of God doing it,) then the kingdom of God is come unto you. (Because
a kingdom is not a piece of property, but it is a king and his people.
In LUKE 17:20 we read,
¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees,
when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of
God cometh not with observation: (It is not something that you look
for visibly) 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo
there! …(He is telling them that it is not a place..) for, behold, the
Now, in getting back to our parable in Matthew 12:and picking up at verse, we hear Jesus
telling the Pharisees 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God,(He
is saying, but, on the other hand, if what I am doing is the Spirit of God
doing it,) then
the kingdom of God is come unto you. (and then He explains why the
devil must first be bound and cast out..)29 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. (Now, since this is speaking of the Holy Spirit of God
coming into the vessel and binding the devil that has control over that vessel,
we need to understand what the word spoil means. Because it does not mean that
the Holy Spirit comes in and binds the devil and then makes ruin of the house
as we would think of food being ruined because it has become spoiled. The right
translation for this word should not have been spoil but rather plundered. For
the weapons that the enemy has used to control the house, have been gathered up
and cast out.)
II CORINTHIANS 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Notice that we have weapons of our warfare but so
does the devil. And we are to use our weapons to bind his weapons. Remember,
the greatest battle ever fought is in the mind.
And thus in the mind we are to destroy completely any resemblance of the
devils weaponry. He uses the 5 senses as does God. If I am in a battle for a
piece of ground, I will use the enemy’s own weapons against him if I take them
from him. I am not going to give them back to the enemy, that would be suicide.
But what I am going to do is to take them from him, and use them to destroy him
on this battle ground. And so does the Holy Spirit, He comes in and cleans up
the house, and then uses the same weapon’s to destroy the works of Satan, and
to fortify the house. He said casting down reasoning, and yet that reasoning
which is a weapon is now in the hands of God and He uses it for the defense of
the Gospel just as Jesus did to tear down the
false doctrine of the Pharisees.
Jesus goes on in explaining what this parable is all
about in verse 20 when he says, Matthew
MARK
Just think to be never able to receive forgiveness.
That means eternal separation from God. What a terrible consequence for words
spoken from the mouth. But remember this also, that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh. That is what Jesus told us. He said a good tree can not
bring forth evil fruit, and neither can an evil tree bring forth good frit or
good teaching. They just can’t do it. And neither does a good fountain bring
froth both good and bitter water. It is either good or it is bitter, but the
same source can not bring forth of both kinds, or both natures.
in Matthew
And in the message False Anointed Ones at the
end-time, brother Branham taught us that the fruit is the teaching of the
season. Therefore a the Tree which represents a man is known by what teaching
he has. Then what of those that are able to blaspheme?
They never were one with God to begin with. Oh, they might be religious, and
they might even be ministers of the Gospel, but not the Gospel of Christ. Far
be it, a minister of Jesus Christ to blaspheme and speak evil of the very
Anointer himself.
Now the Greek word blasphemos comes from the root
words Blapto which means to harm and phema which is a report. And the facts of
life is that blasphemy against the Holy spirit is sin, which is unbelief. They
simply do not believe, and can not believe, for there is no place in their soul
for the Word. And we are told in God’s
own Word that “He
that is born of God can not sin, He can not disbelieve, for God’s
Seed remains in Him. Therefore, rest assured if you are seed of God you could
never speak hurtful things against the Spirit of God. Then what of those that
could call the Parousia of Christ such harmful and disrespectful words as puke
or garbage or false doctrine? These men could not be seed of God, nor could
they be born again of the Word of God.
Then, are they ministers? Absolutely they are, but the
real question is whose ministers then are they? And the Apostle Paul gives us
our answer in 2 Corinthians
Now the Apostle John tells us that this sin is unto
death. JOHN
5:16
If any man see his brother sin a sin [which is] not unto death, he shall ask,
and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin
unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. 17 All unrighteousness is
sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
And from QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
preached on
What did they blaspheme Him? Telling that
Holy Spirit that was within Him, making Him act and do the things that He was
doing, they said, "He's possessed with Beelzebub, the Devil.
And that's the Devil, a fortuneteller in Him making Him do those things. Seeing the secrets in the people's heart,
and telling Philip He knew where he was at before he come to the meeting, and
casting out devils, and doing those things there, He does it by Beelzebub, and
He is a devil." And Jesus said that sin shall never be forgiven, so
that is the unpardonable sin never to be prayed for. It can never be forgiven. A man and a woman that does that has
eternally sealed their self from the Presence of God forever and forever: no
forgiveness.
LUKE
Now, the Apostle Paul uses this same word in
describing the armor of the Christian in Ephesians chapter 6.
EPHESIANS 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may
be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers
of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole
armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod
with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation,
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Now the word armor means a covering to protect the
body. It comes from the root word to arm, which is what we do when we are
preparing for battle.
II CORINTHIANS 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty
through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and
bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
Luke 11, verse 21
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: In other words, when the
devil has control over you, his weapons are working fine. He has you thinking
his thoughts, and doing his actions, and speaking his words, etc. 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, (Listen
to this quote from Brother Branham. In it he tells us that God is the only one
stronger than the devil.
EXPECTANCY 53-0903 E-55 He only could know as the
Father showed Him. And what the Father showed Him, they seen was perfect every
time. So they couldn't understand that. And why wasn't He getting the people
healed. They said, "Well, He's Beelzebub. He casts out devils by the
prince of the devils." And what did Jesus turn and say? "If Satan
cast out Satan, his kingdom's divided." Satan can't cast out Satan.
Certainly not. Only God can cast out
Satan. How can a strong man enter another's house?
ANOINTED ONES AT END TIME
65-0725M 231 Notice the children. "Who does the
children... If I cast out devils by the Word of God (which He was the Word of
God), who does your denominational children cast them out by?" Now... And God alone can cast out a devil; we know
that: God alone, for the strong man has to be stronger than the one in his
house. They had power to do it. You know the Revelation there said he--that
antichrist that raised in the last days done signs and wonders that even
deceived those that dwelled upon the face of the earth, and deceived every one
of them, Christians and all, whose names were not written in the Lambs Book of
Life--answering to Matthew 24:24--whose names were not written in the Lambs
Book of Life from the foundation of the world. That Life that was in the root
of that--of that genuine orange tree, that come up through all those citrus and
everything else, and passed on and put the fruit in the top of the tree, above
all the denominational grass and branches... You got it? I'll hurry.
And the Apostle John said, I
JOHN 4:4 ¶ Ye are
of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is
in you, than he that is in the world.
Therefore, Jesus is saying
when God comes into the house and overcome him, (satan) He (God) taketh from him (satan) all his armour (and
remember the weapons of this warfare are imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought, (notice we are told every thought that would exalt itself against God.) wherein he (satan) trusted, and
divideth his (satan’s) spoils (that is the weapons that have been
plundered. And notice these weapons are divided. And what does that mean? Well
is the Stronger one is God Himself and He is the King of Righteousness, then
these weapons of the mind are Rightly divided by the king of righteousness
Himself. Therefore all these imaginations, and reasoning and every thought that
is brought into captivity is now rightly divided by the Word of Truth, and
placed into their right perspective, concerning the Sovereignty of God. And
then Jesus tells us). 23 He that is not with me
is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
And so what do they do? They go off and separate
themselves from the brethren, as the apostle Jude said, JUDE
Luke 11:23 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.
You see what good does it do for you to have God come
in and cast out the devil and then you try to live a clean life without God?
Jesus tells us you will never do it. You must be born again. And if God is
residing in your vessel when that demon comes back He will find the house
occupied and can not enter because the stronger man is in there which is Christ
in you the Hope of Glory.
Luke 11:27
¶ 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.
I JOHN 5:2 By
this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his
commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and
his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh
the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, [even] our faith.
5 Who is he that overcometh the world,
but he that believeth that Jesus is the
Son of God? The only ones then
that truly can overcome are those who know their right position in the family
of God and call Jesus what He truly is, The Son of God. Not God the Son, He
can’t be His own Father. And that is how
we overcome, it is Christ in You, which is the Hope, or the earnest expectation
of Glory, which is the very mindset of god in you. And what about those that
overcome? Well, we have several wonderful promises from God Himself for
overcoming.
REV 2:7 He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat
of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Let’s just bow our heads in thankfulness and prayer.