Cleaning House

(Back to Study Home Page)   Sermon January 25, 2004
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January 25, 2004 - Matthew 12.43-45

The lesson for today is Matthew 12.43-45. There is a parallel passage to this lesson in Luke 11:24-28. This study guide is based on the passage in Luke.

Open It

  1. Have you ever been involved in a work of restoring a home?

  2. How much work does it take to accomplish the renovation?

  3. What happens when the work of renovation is interrupted and not completed?

Explore It

  1. If a person is not with Jesus, what is his status? (Luke 11:23)

  2. Where does an evil spirit go when it is exorcised from a person? (Luke 11:24)

  3. What happens to a person if an evil spirit is cast out of him or her and replaced with nothing? (Luke 11:25-26)

  4. What is the final condition of the person who does not replace evil with good? (Luke 11:26)

Get It

  1. How do we see the various attitudes toward Jesus and His followers demonstrated today?

  2. Why was it impossible for Jesus to be working under Satan's power?

  3. What might Jesus think of those who don't let their religion affect their lives beyond "religious activities"?

  4. When evil leaves our lives, what must replace it?

Apply It

  1. What action can you take today to fill a void in your life with something good and holy?

  2. What can you do this week to improve your responsiveness to the Word of God?

NOTES

Luke 11:23: How does this verse relate to Luke 9:50: "Whoever is not against you is for you"? In the earlier passage, Jesus was talking about a person who was driving out demons in Jesus' name. Those who fight evil, he was saying, are on the same side as one driving out demons in Jesus' name. Here, by contrast, he was talking about the conflict between God and the devil. In this battle, if a person is not on God's side, he or she is on Satan's. There is no neutral ground. Because God has already won the battle, why be on the losing side? If you aren't actively for Christ, you are against him.

Luke 11:24-26: Jesus was illustrating an unfortunate human tendency-our desire to reform often does not last long. In Israel's history, almost as soon as a good king would pull down idols, a bad king would set them up again. It is not enough to be emptied of evil; we must then be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish God's new purpose in our lives (see also Matthew 12:43-45; Galatians 5:22).

(Back to Study Home Page)   Sermon January 25, 2004
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