Priorities in the Kingdom 4
As we are working through the “first” of what Jesus was teaching we get to the next one. Just a quick reminder about the ones we already talked about.
1. First be reconciled with your brother.
2. First seek the Kingdom.
3. First take the beam from your own eye.
Matt. 12:29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? Then he will spoil his house.
So now we get to the next one. First bind the strongman. This is a powerful concept in the kingdom. The very essence of the kingdom of God is that it is undefeated. Never has there been a kingdom so great and powerful. There is no other God but the God of the kingdom of heaven. No one has ever stood up to Him and won. No one has His power or His glory. No one can do what HE does and no other being can be what He is. He is light and He is Spirit and He is a consuming fire. No one can stand in His presence and He alone is the great I AM. One would think that this alone would scare off anyone trying to oppose Him. You might think what I am thinking, that to even try would be absolutely insane and stupid. He is the only existing one that is not a created being. Well, I am sorry to tell you, but someone was stupid enough to try.
The enemy of us all called satan rebelled and wanted to be like God. He thought he could take on this all-powerful God and win. He was totally defeated by God to the extent that God stripped him of all his power and authority. If that is true, we need to find out who the strong man is. When people choose to rebel against God they empower the enemy of God to become a strong man in their lives. This enemy then controls people’s choices through the lust of the eye and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. As they surrender to these, they allow the enemy to be a strongman in their lives. So, sadly as it may seem, even though God defeated him, he gets empowered by our choices. So how do we bind the strong man?
Let me make it clear that Jesus already defeated him. He now gives us authority and power over the power of the enemy. So how do we defeat the enemy? I have seen people pray and rebuke him and still struggle to overcome. This does not mean that there is no power in the prayer or the rebuke. I do believe there is something we can do. We need to live in the light. The enemy operates in darkness. He hates the light because it exposes his work. Jesus commands us to bring it to the light. When we walk in the light, the enemy has no power over us. He does not operate in the light. By walking in the light we bind his work and restrict his access in our lives. By living a godly life you spoil the enemy's power and strip him of his goods.
John 3:20 For every one that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
Another way we bind the strongman is simply by what we look at. If your eye is looking at darkness you will walk in darkness. As a matter of fact, with your eye you can position your whole body in darkness and be opened up to deception and whatever the enemy can throw at you. Think that is not possible? The good news is that by keeping your focus in the light you disarm the enemy from his power to influence you and your decisions.
Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when your eye is single, your whole body also is full of light; but when your eye is evil, your body also is full of darkness.
So as we meditate on this, remember that Jesus is King. He defeated the enemy so that we can live in victory. By binding the strongman we make sure Jesus gets the reward for the sacrifice He paid. It feels so good to live a life pleasing to God.