An Empty House

17. November 2008 by Bernice Davis.

Good Morning: 

We are still studying the same text from last week.  Here it is again for your review.

 Matthew 12:38 “Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” 39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of

Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 43 ”When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

  Last week, we talked about the examples of Jonah and the Queen of Sheba.  In each case Jesus was saying that on the Day of Judgment, their testimony would condemn this current generation because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and one is greater than Jonah is here (which was Jesus) and the Queen of Sheba came from afar to hear the wisdom of Solomon and one  greater than Solomon is here.   In summary, Jesus was saying that people of old made great sacrifices and repented from the preaching of men whose status does not even come close to that of Jesus.   Jesus is now on the scene and his teachings are challenged, questioned, ignored and even at times considered blasphemous and people of old will be more tolerable on the day of judgment than the ones who actually experienced the true teachings of Jesus whether personally or through God’s word.    Jesus closes this scenario with what happens when a demon is cast out of a person and that person doesn’t replace it with spiritual truths.     The opening of this story started with the healing of the demon possessed man and now Jesus instructs that when demons are casts out they immediately look for another place to inhabit and when they find none they say to themselves that they will return to the house that they left and when they find that house clean and unoccupied, they take with them seven other demons more wicked than itself and the state of that man is worst than it was initially. 

Jesus closes by using this analogy to show that this is how this wicked generation is.    People are healed and delivered by the power of God and if they do not embrace the God of their healing then other spirits come in and the condition of that person is worst off than their beginning before they needed the healing/deliverance.    Jesus closes with saying “this is how it will be with this wicked generation.” I know that I have emphasized this a million times, but here again, it shows the importance of having a word and a prayer life.   We must stay rooted and grounded in God’s word so that we can recognize false doctrines and unclean spirits for in the last days, scriptures predict that many will fall away from the faith and go after seducing and strange doctrines.   If we stay connected to God through a consistent word life and prayer life we will never fall into that trap. 

Stay encouraged!!!! All is well, everything is safe, and everything is as it should be.

Don’t forget to pray and read God’s word daily.

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