In his book What America Believes George Barna provides a statistical analysis of what American’s believe about religion. He cites several fascinating statistics that are based on a national research.

In chapter four he states, "The Devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is a symbol of evil." Then he asks the people who identify themselves as Christians, "Do you agree strongly, agree somewhat, disagree somewhat, or disagree strongly with that statement?"

Thirty-two percent of those who identified themselves as Christians marked they agreed strongly that Satan is not a living being but a symbol of evil. Eleven percent agreed somewhat and 5 percent did not know.

That means Forty-eight percent of the professing Christians who completed the poll said that Satan is only symbol of evil. (What Americans Believe, pp. 206-212).

Transition: George Barna has told us what Americans believe about Satan. Now I want to look at what the Church has to say about this creature called the devil.

Isaiah 14:12-14 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!¹³ For you have said in your heart: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.'"
Zechariah 3:1 "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him."
Matthew 4:3 Satan tempts Christ to disobey God the Father
Matthew 12:24 "Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons."
John 13:2, 27 "And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him. And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.²⁷ Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him."
Acts 5:3 "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?'"
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes."
John 8:44-45 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
Luke 22:31 "And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat." Sift: to separate or separate out by or as if by putting through a sieve; to go through especially to sort out what is useful or valuable
2 Corinthians 4:4 "But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded."
I John 5:19 "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one." NKJV

Illustration: The British author, C.S. Lewis sheds light on the conflict between God and Satan. "Christianity agrees with Dualism that this universe is at war. But it does not think this is a war between independent powers. [Christianity] thinks it is a civil war, a rebellion, and that we are living in a part of the universe occupied by the rebel....Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is." Mere Christianity

Transition: With all of this acting as a backdrop, we’re ready to study the Gospel lesson for today. Mark what St. Luke says in vv 21-22, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe.²² But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils."

Our Lord tells this parable to help us understand what has just transpired in St. Luke 11:14-28. Satan is the strong man, who is fully armed. He stands guard over his people. These are people he’s maimed and deceived. They are his treasure, his trophies.

Jesus is the One Who is stronger than the devil. When Christ was born, He entered Satan’s domain. When our Lord was tempted in the wilderness, He conquered and deposed Satan. Then He began rescuing those who once lived under the devil’s dominion.

Verse 14 provides a case study. The rightful king, King Jesus liberates a man who was living under the control of Satan. Study what the text says, "Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke."

This is all we know. There is no mention of the man’s name, his hometown, or his family. All we know is that he was afflicted by Satan and delivered by Jesus. This is St. Luke’s way of emphasizing the liberating power of Christ.

Transition: Now this is where the story takes a turn. Study carefully the three different responses of the people who witness this miracle.

Verses 14-16 "So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. 15But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." 16Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven."

The crowd was amazed by the deliverance of the demon possessed man. We’re told in the other Gospel accounts (St. Mark 3; Matthew 12) that but the religious leaders had a different reaction. They question the source of his power. They say that he is "possessed by Beelzebub" - the identity of Beelzebub is found in the Old Testament (II Kings 1) the name meant "Lord of Flies," "Lord of Filth," or Lord of the Dung Hill." It was another name for Satan. One author writes the following, "It [Beelzebub] is a fitting name for Satan, but a monstrous slander when used for Christ. . . It was a calculated blasphemy of immense perversity." R. Kent Hughes. Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Vol. I. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1998 p. 426

A third group responds to Christ’s miracle by demanding more evidence. Mark verse 16, "Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven" That word "testing" means, "to try, to make trial of, to test for the purpose of ascertaining information."

Now study closely how our Lord responds to these three groups. Verse 23, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

What is Jesus saying? He’s telling us that there is no neutrality. There is no fence straddling. In the war between our Lord and Satan, there is safe middle ground. There are two spiritual forces at work in the world, and we must choose between them.

Satan promises us a passionate life of indulgence. Christ tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." St. Matthew 7:13-14

Have you ever wondered what the Psalmist meant when he wrote, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies"? (Psalm 23:5) In the Ancient Near East, it was common for the victorious forces to sit down to a meal after a victory in battle.

Our Lord has won a great battle for us. And now He bids us to come to the table and eat in celebration with Him. Amen