A Sermon by R M M’Cheyne
Luke 11:21,22. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.
We are told, in the preceding verses, that Jesus was casting out a dumb spirit. Some of the people who saw the miracle said that He did it by “Beelzebub, the chief of the devils”. Jesus showed them plainly that Satan was not so foolish as to cast out his own servants, and that “the finger of God” must therefore be in the matter. “If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.”
In these words we have a vivid description of the conversion of a poor lost sinner. First of all, we find him like a palace guarded by an armed giant; all his goods in peace – his conscience, his affections, his will are all quiet and undisturbed. Suddenly there comes One stronger than the giant. His form is like the Son of God. He is “the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle”. As David overcame the Philistine Goliath, so He overcomes the strong one – takes his armour away, enters into the soul and takes possession of all that is there. This has been the happy history of all of you that are this day God’s children. May God grant that it may speedily be the history of many more!
- Consider the description of Satan which is given here: “the strong man armed”. He is the strong one. This will appear from many things. He is often spoken of singly in the Bible. While we often read of devils in the Bible – of the angels that kept not their first estate, of the angels that fell – we still oftener read of one single being who is above them all. He is called Satan, the devil, Beelzebub, Lucifer, the serpent, the old dragon, the wicked one, the tempter, the adversary. He is spoken of as the great enemy of God, of Christ and of believers. “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen 3:15).
He is called a prince, and even a god. Jesus three times called him “the prince of this world”. In the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians, he is called “the
1Taken, with editing, from Revival Truth, which contains eight of M’Cheyne’s sermons. Curiously, the editor of this volume added a number of quotations from authors such as Matthew Henry and J C Ryle to the sermons; these quotations have not been included here.
Prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience”; and in 2 Corinthians, “the god of this world”. This shows that his power is very great, that his usurped yet real dominion is as wide as the air, and that his rule indeed extends over the whole world.
From the beasts he is compared to, he appears to be the strong one. He is compared to the serpent, because it excels all animals in cunning. “Now the serpent was more subtle than all the beasts of the field.” He is compared to the lion, the king of the forest. “Save me from the lion’s mouth.” “Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour.” Some have thought that Behemoth, in Job, was a type of him, “the chief of all the ways of God”. Some have thought Leviathan also a type of him. He is a king over all the sons of pride.
From his being over all other devils, he appears to be rightly termed the strong one. In Matthew 25 it is said, “Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels”. The devils are his – his servants, his miserable slaves. In Revelation 12 it is said, “There was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought, and his angels”.
From his being called Lucifer, he appears to be the strong one. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!” Lucifer, or the morning-star, is the brightest of all the stars. From all this, it would seem that Satan, before his sin and his expulsion from heaven, was the very brightest angel in heaven – that he outshone them all, as the morning-star does all the other stars; that he stood nearest to the throne of God, as the morning-star shines nearest the sun. But now he is fallen. He is the great enemy of God, the great enemy of souls.
Some people are ready to smile when we speak of Satan; some think it is only an old wife’s fable with which to frighten children. But you who are the children of God will receive the Word of God and believe in the real personality and power of Satan, for you see his doings in the world as plainly as you see the light of the morning-star. “To the law and to the testimony! If they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” “Be ye not mockers, lest your bands be made strong.”
Satan is not only the strong one, but the strong one armed. Just as Goliath of Gath, the great champion of the ancient Philistines, was fully armed, so Satan is armed from top to toe. He is fully supplied with offensive and defensive weapons.
He has a hot iron, for the conscience of the unconverted. “Having the conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim 4:2). This is a dreadful piece of Satan’s armour. Is there no one hearing me who has felt its power? It is
worth a thousand shields of brass in repelling the arrows of God’s Word. Often we try to convince you of sin. We even lay our finger on your besetting sin. We show you from the Bible that they who commit such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Your ears hear the words, your understanding comprehends them, your judgement is convinced. Surely your conscience will be awakened and lead the way to repentance. Ah no! The “hot iron” has been over it. It is past feeling; it is seared; it is dead!
He has a blinding veil (2 Cor 4:4). “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, which is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Again, “the veil is upon their heart”. It is said that soft cotton will turn the edge of a sabre more completely than a coat of mail. So it is with the veil of Satan; it turns away the edge of the sword of the Spirit, while it keeps the deluded soul in gross spiritual darkness.
We often set forth Immanuel, the Surety of perishing sinners. We endeavour to declare His original glory, to tell of His love – His taking our nature, His suffering and dying instead of the guilty, and His freeness to every sinner, if they will only come to Him. His beauty shines. Your ears receive the words. You are surprised as you listen to the blessed gospel. Surely you will immediately turn your back upon the world and flee to Christ! Ah no! You see “no form nor comeliness” in Him, for the veil is upon your heart. The god of this world has blinded your minds, and you remain in his power.
And he has chains to bind his miserable victims. You remember a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for 18 years and was bowed together and could in no wise lift herself up. Jesus said that Satan had bound her. So it is with unconverted souls. They are bound by Satan, kept bowed down – not only for 18 years, but ever since they were born; they can by no means lift themselves up. Is there no one hearing me who feels bound to sin by an invisible chain? Is there none of you who can weep when you think how you are the miserable slaves of some powerful lust? You feel that it is destroying your body and ruining your soul. It is ruining your character, your credit, everything that is dear to you. You resolve to reform. Surely you will keep your vows! Ah no! The dog goes back to its vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil”.
Satan even employs the sword of the Spirit. “If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge over thee.” This is the most dangerous of all Satan’s weapons. He stole it from the armoury of God. Is there no one hearing me who is so deceived by Satan that he makes even the Bible keep him in his sins. Is there
no one hearing me who wrests the Scriptures to his own destruction? If I am elected, you say, I shall be saved; if not, then I shall be lost; so I may just live on in my sins. In this way, many run on to destruction, by a false interpretation and application of the Bible. It is written, God is merciful and gracious, so I hope we shall be saved at last. In this way, others neglect the great salvation, and “bring upon themselves swift destruction”. Awake, dear souls, and escape for your lives, for you are deceived by a mighty one. The prince of the power of the air is working in you, the children of disobedience, and deceiving you to your eternal ruin!
- Consider now the state of the unconverted soul. It is a palace. It is a noble mansion, formed out of the dust, but formed by the hand of God. He also breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. He was formed in the image of God, and God once dwelt there. The understanding, the affections – yes, all the faculties of the soul were made for the pleasure of God. And even though the soul of man has become a cage of every unclean bird, it is a palace still, even in its dilapidated condition. O consider, sinner, the original dignity of your nature. Consider the chief purpose of all these noble faculties of which you are still possessed. Would it not be a mournful spectacle to see all the ancient cathedrals of England, which were erected for the worship of God, turned into places of nettles and dens for wild beasts? How much more sad to see the human soul, which was made for the worship of God, turned into the dwelling place of every evil passion and become the very palace of Satan!
It is now his palace, and he keeps it. “The spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” dwells there. Satan lives in an unconverted soul as much as he pleases. He goes in and out and brings in any guest he chooses, for he rules there! He does all he can to secure it for himself, and to fortify it against Christ. All the prejudices with which he hardens men’s hearts against truth and holiness are the strongholds which he erects so that he can keep his palace. This palace is his garrison. O dear unconverted souls, this is your true condition. Is it not melancholy? Christians are “kept by the power of God”, but you are kept by the power of Satan. The Holy Spirit of God dwells in Christians, but the unclean spirit of the devil dwells in you!
See what you may become! He may bring any unclean spirits he pleases into your heart, and you will continue to open to him and bid him welcome. I know you will say, “Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing?” But if you will consider one moment, you will see that there is no sin you may not be led into, since you are wholly in the power of the devil. Lusts you abhor at present may yet become pleasant, and you may be even led on from stage to stage till you finally despair of salvation and end your miserable
existence by self-murder. The unconverted soul is not safe one moment, for he must do just what the devil pleases; he must submit to be ruled and led by the devil and do his unholy will!
And his goods are in peace. In his heart, which was fitted to be a habitation of God, the devil has his palace; and all the powers and faculties of the soul, being employed by him in the service of sin, are his goods. There is a kind of peace in the palace of an unconverted soul, while the devil as a strong man armed keeps it. The sinner has a good opinion of himself, feels very secure and merry, and has no doubt about the goodness of his state, nor any dread of the judgement to come. He flatters himself in his own eyes, and cries peace to himself. Conscience is in perfect peace. We may preach very plainly. You may come to the house of God, as God’s people come, and sit as His people sit; yet, as long as Satan reigns within you, your conscience will be a dumb spirit. This explains why most of you feel nothing under the preached word and go away harder than you came. Your consciences are at peace! Fatal peace!
The affections also are at peace. They are all tied fast to your sins, and they do not move towards Christ and God. When a man is very heavily chained he cannot move; he is at perfect rest. So it is with Christless souls among you. Your heart is all in peace. Your very will is chained, and you are saying, “Peace, peace, when there is no peace!” You sit still and are at ease. And is this a good state? Ah, no! Although it is a state of peace, it is the peace of the grave! It is the peace of dead men and it will not last. “I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees. The devil may keep you in peace now, but the time will come when you and he will be cast into the fire, and will there be peace there? Ah, no! Then there will not be a moment of peace – no rest, no relief, not even a drop of water to cool the tongue. O that the Prince of Peace would now break your false peace and give you the peace of God in place of the peace of Satan!
- We come now to consider the visit of Christ, who is stronger than the strong one armed. In many ways it might be shown that Christ is stronger than he. Christ is his Creator. “By Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth.” Although Lucifer was the son of the morning, the highest and the brightest, yet he was not self-originated; he came from the creative hand of Christ. He was the creature of His hand. Just as Christ is greater than the lion and the serpent, and the behemoth and leviathan, for they are all the work of His hands, so is He greater than Satan! He said, Let them be, and they were. So Christ is greater than the devil, because He created him an angel of light.
Christ was stronger than he in dying. The dying hour of Christ was the
“hour and power of darkness”. It was then Satan exerted all his power, and yet he only bruised His heel. He entered into Judas to carry him on to betray Christ. He stirred up the Jews to cry, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” Strong bulls of Bashan beset Him round. The dogs compassed Him. Satan gaped upon Him as a ravening, roaring lion; yet, even then, when apparently in the very depths of weakness, Christ was stronger than he. Even when He seemed to be a worm and no man, He was stronger than the strong one armed; for through death He destroyed “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil”. He triumphed over the devil even in His cross!
Jesus is stronger than Satan in conversion. He comes upon him by surprise – when his goods are in peace, and when the devil thinks it is all his own for ever – and overcomes him. Not only so, but He quickly gives evidences of His victory over the devil. “He taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted.” When the power of sin and corruption in the soul is broken, when the mistakes are rectified, the eyes opened, the heart humbled and changed, and made serious and spiritual; then Satan’s armour is taken away. Christ is stronger than he, for He not only overcomes him, but disarms him.
When Christ laid His hands on the woman bowed down for 18 years, all the power of Satan could not hold her down any longer. Satan had bound her long, but after Christ said to her, “Thou art loosed from thine infirmity”, he could not bind her another moment. So when Christ pierces a sinner’s conscience, when He pours out the Spirit of grace and of supplications, the searing hot iron can do no more to produce hardness and indifference. The soul mourns. Its goods are no longer in peace. The awakened sinner cries, “What must I do to be saved?” Again, Christ tears away the veil and reveals Himself to the soul and says, I am Joseph your brother! I am your Surety, your Sin-bearer! “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” No more can Satan blind the heart.
Again, Christ tears the chains away and sets the prisoner free, and Satan cannot hinder Him. He puts His Spirit into the heart, and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”. “If the Son . . . shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Have any of you been brought to sit at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in your right mind? Then you know, and feel in your own happy experience, that Jesus is stronger than Satan. Do not fear, lest you should again be in bondage to him, for your Deliverer will prove himself mighty to save – He will overcome to the very end! Your enemy is strong and mighty, but Christ is stronger than he, for He is the Lord Almighty.
Christ also divides the spoils. After a battle it was customary for conquerors to gather all the spoils into one place and divide them. The meaning is, Christ will take possession of all.
The great question, my friend, is this: Has Christ taken full possession of your heart? Has He divided the spoils? You were once under the power of Satan; have you changed masters? Happy are those of you who can say, “He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them that hated me; for they were too strong for me.”
When John Newton’s eyes were dim, so that he could not read, an aged minister called. At family prayer a portion was read containing these words, “By the grace of God I am what I am”. After the reading Newton paused and said, “I am not what I ought to be; how imperfect and deficient! I am not what I wish to be; I abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good. I am not what I hope to be; soon, soon I shall put off mortality, and with mortality all sin and imperfection. Yet, though I am not what I ought to be, nor what I wish to be, nor what I hope to be, I can truly say, I am not what I once was – the slave of sin and Satan. I can heartily join with the Apostle and acknowledge, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am’.”
Dear friend, have you an experience of the converting grace of God like that? Do you know anything of the superior power of Christ’s almighty, victorious and saving grace? Has Satan been cast out by the converting power of Christ? Or has he only walked out of his own accord, to return at some future period, bringing with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself? “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith.” “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”