mpc - growing followers of Luke 11:14-36 Luke 11:14-36 – Storming Satan’s Stronghold

TERM 4 Something that’s meant to constantly surprise us as we read Luke’s is that STUDY 4 there are so many people tormented by the Devil in the land that was meant to be blessed by God! Instead of enjoying blessing as the “Kingdom of God”, Israel is very clearly under the control of darker forces. Things urgently need to be put right… the Kingdom needs to be restored to its former glory. Let’s watch the progress. mpc

Personal Preparation 1 Read Luke 11:14-28. Since :51 (a key turning point in Luke’s gospel) Jesus has been “on the way to ” (or ‘Zion’). looks forward to a time when God’s people will come back to Zion in glory. a) What link do you notice between Luke 11:14 and the signs of restoration in Isaiah 35?

b) The NIV footnote to verse 24 reminds us that the original Greek uses the term “unclean” spirits. What’s the connection with Isaiah 35?

c) Perhaps the ‘road to Jerusalem’ with Jesus really IS the road to restoration and glory! But critics who are watching have a very different idea. When Jesus drives out demons, he is accused of working with . What can you learn about Beelzebub (or Baal-Zebub) from 2 Kings 1:1-6?

d) Interesting - a former King of Israel was quite happy to consult with the Samaritan god “Baal- Zebub.” Now Jesus is accused of doing the same! What is his response?

e) Who is the ‘strong man’ in verse 21? Who is the stronger man? What confidence does this give you to face your fears?

f) From verse 20, what is Jesus demonstrating?

Page 1 of 3 www.mpc.org.au mpc - growing followers of Jesus Luke 11:1-13 g) Can you summarise verse 23 with a well known saying that includes the word “fence”? Do you try to do this?

h) From verse 24-26, apparently just driving out an unclean spirit is not enough. What bigger goal does Jesus have? (See verse 13!)

t h o u g h t s . q u e s t i o n s . i n s i g h t s .

Personal Preparation – Day 2 a) Read verses 28-36. We saw in verse 16 that “some tested him by asking for a sign from heaven.” What sign does Jesus SAY will be given, and what do you think he means? (v29-30 – and 1:1 and 3:1-10 may help!)

b) What does Jesus expect the response of his generation of Israelites will be? In contrast to Nineveh, what will happen to them?

c) What was Jesus calling on Israel to do back in verse 27-28? What is he calling on them to do in the parable in verse 33-36?

d) Try to trace back through everything Jesus has been saying about ‘hearing’ and ‘seeing’ through Luke’s gospel. What’s does Israel need to do?

t h o u g h t s . q u e s t i o n s . i n s i g h t s .

Page 2 of 3 www.mpc.org.au mpc - growing followers of Jesus Luke 11:1-13 Group Discussion Questions a) What issues, ideas or questions came up in this week’s preparation?

b) The Kingdom of God ‘is near you’ (10v9) … ‘is near’ (10v11) … pray that the Kingdom ‘will come’ (11v2) … ‘If I drive out demons by the finger of God then the kingdom of God HAS COME to you.” (11v20.) When, where, what and how is the Kingdom of God?

c) Can you integrate any of your ideas in b) with the words of Isaiah 35?

d) Can you integrate any of your ideas in b) with things that happen in the rest of the ?

e) What confidence do you have when faced with evil in this world? Do you have any evidence that Jesus really IS stronger than the ‘strong man’?

Concluding comments:

What’s the ‘coming Kingdom’? It’s all about the rule of God’s anointed one, Jesus Christ, over his crea- tion. And oddly, as Luke’s gospel unfolds, it’s brought about by a crucifixion. (You’ll realize it’s a ‘coro- nation’ when you see the crown of thorns, and the sign above the cross!) But the crucifixion is just a step on the way to his resurrection, and his crowning in heaven as the ‘Son of Man’ comes on the clouds to the Ancient of Days to receive his unshakeable Kingdom. And as promised, he has poured out the Holy Spirit, transforming his people (both Jews and Gentiles) from the inside out, so that God’s will really will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Just as Jesus says in his parables, the Kingdom grows as the ‘seed of the word’ is sown, as people listen and respond, as lives are transformed by the Spirit… and one day comes the harvest!

p r a y. - Thank God that his Kingdom is growing to fulfilment - Thank God that through Jesus, we can be a part of his new Kingdom. - Pray that we would live lives reflecting the new King- dom we belong to.

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