Sermon - Oculi 2022 - Luke 11:14-28

Jesus Heals a Mute Possessed Man, James Tissot, 1894

I’m sure you’ve noticed it, but things have been changing dramatically over the past couple years. It’s not so much that things just started changing, rather it seems as if people are starting to wake up and notice the stuff around them, as if the veil has been partially removed and we can see things for what they are. Part of what’s going on here has to do with what St. Paul says about darkness and light: “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

It seems crazy that we could become confused or deceived about distinguishing between darkness and light, afterall there’s hardly greater polar opposites than darkness and light. Nevertheless, that’s what’s happened. This world ruled by Satan is darkness, and God’s kingdom of the church is light. But for a long time our world here in America seemingly shared a great many similarities with Christianity. Wednesday afternoons and evenings were church days, and most everything was closed on Sundays so that people didn’t have to work and could go to church. The schools run by the state, the world, had prayers and textbooks were filled with scripture quotes. The morality and ethics of the world largely lined up with Christian morals. The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light were hardly distinguishable from one another; they fit together like peanut butter and jelly. 

But it was the old bait and switch tactic that Satan was employing! He disguised himself as an angel of light, attracting unsuspecting Christians to himself, and then gradually changed the world back into darkness. Since the world and the church were indistinguishable in many minds, as the world reverted back into darkness many Christians followed suit. Still today many Christians attempt to straddle the line between light and darkness, between Christ’s kingdom and this world. But that simply doesn’t work.

Christ said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls… Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” As children of the light we cannot be partners with the world; we’re either with Christ or with the world, there’s no middle neutral ground, you can’t be worldly and Christian at the same time. You’ve got to be all in. God’s church must not be divided against Him by partnering with the works of darkness, instead we must be united with Him by hearing the word of God and keeping it.

What people are starting to wake up to and realize is that this world is not the light we once mistakenly thought it to be. The battle lines are being drawn more clearly. The difference between the light and the darkness is becoming much more painfully obvious. The world we once thought was friendly toward us is quickly being exposed for the enemy it actually is.

The days of comfortable Christianity, where this world and the church look the same, are in the past. Trying to be of the world and of Christ is being shown impossible. Soon it won’t be possible to be a lukewarm Christian, straddling the light and darkness, because neither the world nor the church will claim those fence sitters. A friend of the world is an enemy of Christ, and a friend of Christ is an enemy of the world. There’s no way around it.

To some extent all of this sounds frightening and daunting, and I suppose it is, but these are great days to be Christians! We may reminisce about the past, and I suppose a lot of things were easier and simpler before, but why would we want to live in any age other than our own? These are the days for which we have been born, in which our wise Creator has placed us. This is an exciting time to live and to be a Christian!

Why? Because people are waking up and realizing they’re in the dark. Just because they’ve realized they’re in the dark, that doesn’t mean they know the light, nor even that there is such a thing as light. But we know the light, and in fact, because Jesus Christ the light dwells within us and shines through us, we are the light of the world. Those who dwell in darkness and want out of it, are looking for us to show them the way to the light!

Jesus says: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” You dear Christians are the lighthouse on the edge of the sea, and those being tossed about on the waves in the darkness are looking for you to show them the way to the Father who dwells in unapproachable light. God works through you!

Again, I know this seems daunting, but you can do this because God has called you into this. “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” We are God’s beloved children! We have been sprinkled clean with the blood of Jesus and His Spirit dwells within us. Forget about the mark of the beast, who cares about that, we have the mark of Christ upon our minds and hearts!

We are children of the heavenly Father, born not only of flesh and blood, but born from above, a spiritual rebirth into new life. The Father loves us. Not only the Father, but the Son, our brother Jesus, loves us and even gave Himself up to death for us. By the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross, He sanctified us just like the burnt offerings in the Old Testament sanctified the people, except Jesus’ sacrifice is complete and eternal. Through His suffering and death we have been rescued from the darkness which we once walked in. Now we walk as children of light.

Instead of being divided against Christ by partnering with the works of darkness, we are now with Christ the Light and we gather with Him by hearing His Word and keeping it. Those are the two ways in which Jesus declares that we’re blessed: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” Hearing and keeping God’s Word is what Christ has called us into doing when we gather with Him and live as children of light.

The demons like to silence the Word of God. You noticed that the demon in this passage was a mute demon, keeping the man from speaking. But, “when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke.” Jesus loosed the tongue of a mute man, and surely this man opened his mouth praising God for opening his lips. “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.” 

In response, this dark world wanted to silence Jesus and the man He rescued! They said “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” Beelzebul means the lord of flies, which is a euphemism for the things the flies fly around, namely, a dung heap. So, in other words, they were like little kids calling Jesus a poopy head in order to silence Him. It was immature and childish, but such is this devilish world.

This dark world is still trying to silence Christ and His Christians, often by calling us names. A few high profile examples: over in Finland the Bishop of the confessional Lutheran church and one of the Lutheran MPs is undergoing trial for writing a little booklet which explains basic biblical sexual morals. Or up in Canada it’s now illegal to counsel a person to flee from their sins of homosexual or transgender desires. The world wants to silence God’s Word, so they call us haters and other rude names, but we Christians have had the mute demons cast out of us, and so we open our lips to speak and our ears to hear God’s Word.

The other half of this is not just to hear God’s Word, but also to keep it. God’s Word is kept when we believe it, hold fast to it, and live by it. This is why St. Paul gives such admonitions to avoid sins of the flesh, sins of the tongue, and sins of covetousness. It’s also why we’re empowered and encouraged to walk as children of light, “for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true.” We Christians look different in how we dress, what we look at, how we behave and speak, how we prioritize our time, and what our life is centered around, namely God.

When we become discouraged and weak at hearing and keeping God’s Word, He, the Strong Man, Jesus, comes to strengthen us. “As often as you eat of this bread and drink of this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” Here at communion the line is drawn and we’re separated from this kingdom of darkness. We’re on Christ’s side since Christ dwells within us. The light of Christ shines through us in our homes, workplaces, schools, and communities. Here He fires us for the fight and makes us better followers who shine like stars in the night, reflecting the love of Christ.