1. Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ1

2. The Finger of God Luke 11:14-26
Luke does not say when this occurred, but its placement in the text reinforces being confident in prayer
This is not the same event as similar events in which Jesus was falsely accused and He corrected them

3. Their False Accusation Luke 11:14-15
Opposition arose when Jesus cast out a mute demon
Demons still possess the ability to cause physical problems for people they oppress
The people are amazed, marvel, are astonished when they hear the man speak after Jesus’ cast out the demon

4. Their False Accusation Luke 11:14-15
As on previous occasions, some accuse Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of demons
The accusation fits the Pharisees, but it could have been their followers or some with evil and blinded hearts

5. Their False Accusation Luke 11:14-15
The motives and action are evil in trying to disparage Jesus with the claim He worked under Satan’s power
Jesus “knew their thoughts” and confronted them - apparently without hearing what they had said

6. Their Demand Luke 11:16
Additional opposition arose from those demanding a sign from heaven
Their hearts were hard and they were blinded to what Jesus had just done and had been doing for two years

7. Their Demand Luke 11:16
Perhaps they wanted sign on a cosmic level such as the fulfillment of Joel 2:31
Perhaps they wanted a sign of the Lord speaking with thunder, lightning, hail and trumpets as on Sinai

8. Their Demand Luke 11:16
The Holy Spirit must intervene because people are blinded by the devil - 2 Corinthians 4:4
God’s work is obvious, but people suppress the truth (Romans 1:18) & deliberately overlook it (2 Peter 3:5)

9. Jesus’ Defense - Their Illogic Luke 11:17-18
Evil results in disorder, chaos, confusion and inconsistency, but Satan is intelligent & does not fight himself
Satan can come as an angel of light and may restrict a demon’s activity to give the illusion of a cleansing

10. Jesus’ Defense - Their Illogic Luke 11:17-18
Demons are evil beings, so conflict between is to be expected, but Satan is not divided against himself

11. Jesus’ Defense - Their Inconsistency Luke 11:19
“Sons” refers to their disciples who had also cast out demons
It is inconsistent to accept their sons as casting out demons by God and accuse Jesus of doing it by Satan

12. Jesus’ Defense – Their Insurrection Luke 11:20
A conditional sentence of reality - this is what Jesus was doing
Their accusation was in direct opposition to what God was doing - it was rebellion
Jesus’ teaching & many miracles made it obvious that He fulfilling Messianic prophecies and against Satan

13. Jesus’ Defense – Their Inanity Luke 11:21-22
Jesus’ analogy is simple: You cannot rob someone prepared to prevent it. You overpower them first
Jesus’ casting out of the demon showed He had overpowered Satan. It was stupid to claim the opposite

14. Jesus’ Warning Luke 11:23
A definitive statement about those slandering Jesus and a warning to the people
There is no neutral position. You are either with or against Jesus, working for Him or against Him.

15. Jesus’ Warning Luke 11:23
If you are not following and obeying Christ, you are following and obeying Satan - Rom. 6:16f; Eph. 2:1-3

16. The Danger Luke 11:24-26
The departure of a demon does not mean you are safe unless the Holy Spirit takes up residence
An exorcism could result in as worse condition if the demon comes back with friends

17. The Danger Luke 11:24-26
A worse condition could be overt evil, involvement in the occult and Satanic worship
A worse condition could be religious piety with demonic deception resulting in eternal exclusion from God

18. The Danger Luke 11:24-26
Apart from the Holy Spirit, every human remains under the power of Satan - Ephesians 2:1-3

19. Recognizing The Finger of God
It was obvious that Jesus’ miracle was done by “finger of God.” People still fail to recognize God at work

20. Not Looking for It & False Expectations James 4:2-3
It can be difficult to recognizing what God is doing when you are in the midst of tribulation
You can find encouragement by asking others what they see God doing and then praise Him for it

21. Not Looking for It & False Expectations James 4:2-3
People fail to recognize God at work when they demand He does things the way they want
No circumstance you experience can change the fact that God is good - but you must look to see it His way

22. Spiritual Myopia
Near sighted focus on the present, ignorant of the past, without hope for the future
Two major causes of spiritual myopia:
1) Ignorance of God & His will.
2) Pride making demands on God

23. Spiritual Myopia
God uses tribulation and trials to make you mature - more like Jesus (Romans 5:3-5; James 1:2-4; Phil. 1:6)

24. Deception
People are led astray so that they fail to see God and work or interpret it wrongly
Self-deception enables justification of what you want to believe, gives excuses and feeds self-righteousness

25. Deception
Demonic deception is part of all false religions & cults, and doctrines that twist or replace God’s Word
False teachers deceive the unsuspecting with smooth & flattering speech, disguising themselves as righteous

26. Conclusions
The unbelieving opposed Jesus because they could not recognize the obvious finger of God at work

27. People still fail because: They don’t look Are blinded by:
Conclusions
People still fail because:
They don’t look
Are blinded by:
ignorance,
wrong expectations,
Spiritual Myopia,
Deception – self, demonic, false teachers

28. Conclusions
To see God at work:
Be humble,
Learn of God & His will,
Ask others to point it out,
Praise Him,
Walk in faith

29. Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ