By Jerry D. Ousley
Matthew 12:43-45 records a story Jesus told about a man out of whom an evil spirit was driven.
Here is what it says, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Some have used this passage to state that believers can be demon-possessed. I want to go on record as stating that where the Spirit of God is, an evil spirit cannot stay there too. But that isn’t what this article is about. Jesus specifically stated that He was comparing the empty house, swept, cleaned but empty, to that current generation. It was a prime place for the evil spirits to run rampant.
But that isn’t what this article is about, either.
Jesus said that when the evil spirit returned with seven of his “buddies,” that he found it a prime place to return. Because of that, the last state of that man was worse than it had been before.
Staying within the context of this scriptural passage, I want to address our salvation experience. You see, while we aren’t automatically demon-possessed, without the Spirit of Christ in us we are indeed influenced, and our human spirits are deadened to the things of God.
To really understand this passage, we need to also look at the parable Jesus spoke about a man sowing seed as found in Matthew 13:3-9.
In this story, a farmer goes out to sow his seed in his field. In those days they had a bag of seed around their neck, and as the individual walked, they grabbed a handful of seed and simply threw it, scattering it across the ground. Planting in this way nearly always resulted in some of the seed falling on infertile areas, such as a rocky place, a hardened path, or where the birds would immediately land and eat the seed. Some even fell in weeds where the ground had not been cultivated and the weeds stole all the nourishment of the soil, chocking out the seed from growing.
This story lets us know that the Good News of Jesus goes out to any who hear, but only those who have a fertile heart will actually allow it to grow in their lives.
Some will hear the gospel and feel the need to respond. But they don’t really allow it to go down in the fertile soil of their lives. They may try to change their lifestyles to do good, if they haven’t really allowed the Spirit of God to take up residence in their lives, then they fit the description of the one in which the evil spirit has left. His life is cleaned and swept, but it is empty – not filled with the Spirit of God.
So, the question arises, “How can we know if the Spirit of God is now living in me or not?” Good question. When we accept the salvation provided by Jesus Christ, and we really understand what He has rescued us from, then we open our hearts to be radically changed by Him. His Spirit actually takes up residence in our lives and things begin to change.
Even without knowing exactly what the Bible says, we will instinctively begin changing things, not because someone has told us that we have to, but because we feel in our hearts that we need to change. That’s the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts to live for God. Those good works don’t save us, but one who has been saved will want to reflect our inner change with outward works.
Many don’t really understand this, and think that doing good things will give them good standing with God. Again, we can’t earn our salvation, but salvation in our lives will cause us to want to do good works. Sound confusing? Maybe, but when we understand that without the Spirit of God in our lives we are automatically doomed for eternal punishment, we can also know that we are made safe and given eternal life when we allow God’s Spirit to take up residence in us.
With this in mind, we return to the story of the evil spirit leaving the life of the man and then returning with seven “good ol’ boys” with him. If we don’t allow God’s Spirit to begin living in us, our lives may be clean and swept but found empty. That leaves the door open for the evil spirit to return and bring his buddies with him.
When that happens, the one allows the evil spirit to return, will find it getting a bit cramped in their lives because of the returning crowd. And the last state of that person is worse than it was before.
So, yes, come to God. Give your life to Him. But allow His Spirit to also enter into your life. When you do, instead of the last state being worse, it will be much, much better. We all want that, right?
—————
Jerry D. Ousley is the author of “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey”, “Ordeal”, “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Newer books include “Finality” and “Dividing God’s Church.”
Matthew 12:43-45 records a story Jesus told about a man out of whom an evil spirit was driven.
Here is what it says, “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
Some have used this passage to state that believers can be demon-possessed. I want to go on record as stating that where the Spirit of God is, an evil spirit cannot stay there too. But that isn’t what this article is about. Jesus specifically stated that He was comparing the empty house, swept, cleaned but empty, to that current generation. It was a prime place for the evil spirits to run rampant.
But that isn’t what this article is about, either.
Jesus said that when the evil spirit returned with seven of his “buddies,” that he found it a prime place to return. Because of that, the last state of that man was worse than it had been before.
Staying within the context of this scriptural passage, I want to address our salvation experience. You see, while we aren’t automatically demon-possessed, without the Spirit of Christ in us we are indeed influenced, and our human spirits are deadened to the things of God.
To really understand this passage, we need to also look at the parable Jesus spoke about a man sowing seed as found in Matthew 13:3-9.
In this story, a farmer goes out to sow his seed in his field. In those days they had a bag of seed around their neck, and as the individual walked, they grabbed a handful of seed and simply threw it, scattering it across the ground. Planting in this way nearly always resulted in some of the seed falling on infertile areas, such as a rocky place, a hardened path, or where the birds would immediately land and eat the seed. Some even fell in weeds where the ground had not been cultivated and the weeds stole all the nourishment of the soil, chocking out the seed from growing.
This story lets us know that the Good News of Jesus goes out to any who hear, but only those who have a fertile heart will actually allow it to grow in their lives.
Some will hear the gospel and feel the need to respond. But they don’t really allow it to go down in the fertile soil of their lives. They may try to change their lifestyles to do good, if they haven’t really allowed the Spirit of God to take up residence in their lives, then they fit the description of the one in which the evil spirit has left. His life is cleaned and swept, but it is empty – not filled with the Spirit of God.
So, the question arises, “How can we know if the Spirit of God is now living in me or not?” Good question. When we accept the salvation provided by Jesus Christ, and we really understand what He has rescued us from, then we open our hearts to be radically changed by Him. His Spirit actually takes up residence in our lives and things begin to change.
Even without knowing exactly what the Bible says, we will instinctively begin changing things, not because someone has told us that we have to, but because we feel in our hearts that we need to change. That’s the Holy Spirit speaking to our hearts to live for God. Those good works don’t save us, but one who has been saved will want to reflect our inner change with outward works.
Many don’t really understand this, and think that doing good things will give them good standing with God. Again, we can’t earn our salvation, but salvation in our lives will cause us to want to do good works. Sound confusing? Maybe, but when we understand that without the Spirit of God in our lives we are automatically doomed for eternal punishment, we can also know that we are made safe and given eternal life when we allow God’s Spirit to take up residence in us.
With this in mind, we return to the story of the evil spirit leaving the life of the man and then returning with seven “good ol’ boys” with him. If we don’t allow God’s Spirit to begin living in us, our lives may be clean and swept but found empty. That leaves the door open for the evil spirit to return and bring his buddies with him.
When that happens, the one allows the evil spirit to return, will find it getting a bit cramped in their lives because of the returning crowd. And the last state of that person is worse than it was before.
So, yes, come to God. Give your life to Him. But allow His Spirit to also enter into your life. When you do, instead of the last state being worse, it will be much, much better. We all want that, right?
—————
Jerry D. Ousley is the author of “Soul Challenge”, “Soul Journey”, “Ordeal”, “The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional” and his first novel “The Shoe Tree.” Newer books include “Finality” and “Dividing God’s Church.”
