THE KING’S BUSINESS 29 LESSON VI.—February 8.— D arkness and L ight .— Luke 11:14-26, 33-36. G olden T ext : Look, therefore whether the light that is in thee be darkness .-— Luke 11:35. I. T he G reat C onflict .
Rev. 12:7-9). He is a formidable enemy. Even the archangel durst not rail against him (Jude 9). The world will not be torn from his grasp till Jesus comes. We must hot put off our armor sooner. “ The dumb spake." —Jesus conquered. He only can and will. 2. The Trifold Effect. (1) “The multi tude marvelled.”—Men are astonished when a man is suddenly snatched from the clutch of the Devil and found fighting under the banner o f truth; when he no more “ wal lows,” nor cuts himself with stones, nor terrorizes his neighbors (Mark 5:1-5; Matt. 8:28) ; but opens his mouth to the praise, o f God—“and the dumb spake.” Evidently Christ is not on Satan’s side. He destroys “ the works of the devil” (Heb. 2:15). Satan ties the tongue, Christ frees it; Satan mars the body, in Christ it stands erect (Luke 13:16) ; Satan sends discord among its mem bers (Mark 9:17, 18, 20, 22) ; Satan wrecks the intellect, Christ makes sane (Mark 5: 15). (2 ) “But some said . . . through Beelzebub.”—Sons of Belial! What could be blinder? The blindness o f incorrigible perversity. Sin that has no forgiveness; for its perversity is hopeless ( Mark 3 :30). “Woe to them that call . . . good evil” (Isa. 5:20). ( 3 ) “ Others . . . sought o f him a sign.”-4—What signs could convince them? since those heavenly signs they as signed to hell. Signs are not for the blind who won't see. Christ wrought countless unequivocal signs and stiff works, but men will not believe. Christ gave no sign but the patience that gently reasoned with them. Himself is the sufficient sign and His works reveal Himself. Satan would not fight Satan; would not destroy himself. N o good work can proceed from a wholly bad source (James 3:11, IZ). You cannot fight lie with, lie, nor sin with sin. IH O n W hich S ide A re Y o u f (Joshua 5:13; Judges 12:5, 6 ; I Chro. 12:17, 18).
1. "The battle of life” is a proverbial expression. Life is a warfare. We all see it and feel it. There is’ war within and war without; and we have foes within and foes without. Our soul life is a fight be tween inherent opponents. Each of us has an Esau and Jacob contending within him (Gen. 25:22; Rom. 7:20-23). The social life of the world is a conflict between law and lawlessness, vice and virtue, truth and error, right and wrong. It is not only a life-long strife but age-long. It is the burden of history from the beginning. 2. The Conflicting Powers. The seat of the conflict is in the spiritual world. There are two kingdoms, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. It is. a strife be tween good and evil, God and Devil. It began in heavenly places (Jude 6 ; Rev. 12:7-10). Satan carried the war into Earth, and from the dawn of history there has been enmity between his seed and the wo man’s (Christ and saints). Satan lures and impresses men into his service and they wage his wicked warfare, and God calls men, arms, inspires and leads them against the powers of darkness. But the soured, sustenance and significance o f it all is the invisible world, the “ thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers,” with their min ions the demons, o f which' we read (Eph. 6 : 12; Col. 2:15, etr.). This is sober actuality, and it is essential that we, the soldiers o f Jesus Christ, should know it. W e are in a life and death struggle with Satanic hosts, A Battle With a Demon. W e read (v. 14) that He “was casting otrt a devil” (Grk. “ demon,” there are many demons^ tut one Devir, Diabolos).— “ Was casting out” suggests a struggle, a process. It was not instantaneous. The devil is pertinaceous (Luke 9:37-43; Mark 5 :8 ; Job 1 :7 ; 2 :2 ; and are chosen champions o f God. II. O n W hich S ide W as J esus ? 1.
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