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Helpful Jesus

Luke chapter 11 is where we’re going to be today. Here’s what’s true about our culture, and what’s just true about life: everybody likes helpful Jesus. Everybody’s in on Jesus. Even people from different religious traditions, and people with no religious tradition, are pro-Jesus. Even atheists and skeptics of the biblical story don’t debate that Jesus was a real person. Everybody believes Jesus existed. Some people don’t believe that He rose again from the dead, but everybody believes He existed, and everybody believes He was crucified by Rome. That’s well known historically. Christians take it one step further, the most important step: we believe that He rose from the dead.

But the temptation all of us face, myself included, especially in middle America, is that we really like helpful Jesus. He gives me wisdom, He gives me peace, and He answers my prayers. We talked about this a few weeks ago when Jesus was teaching us how to pray. The temptation in all of our prayers is to assume, “God, You’re there to give me the things that I need.” And to be clear, Jesus does help people. He wants to give you wisdom, and He wants to give you peace. But what we’re going to see today is that Jesus’ primary role is not to help us have a better life. He didn’t come to come alongside us and help us achieve all the things we want Him to do.

We need to be honest with ourselves about this and see which side of the equation we land on. There is a difference between wanting Jesus to help my life and being willing to let Jesus have my life. Those two things are not the same. You can want Jesus to help you without wanting Him to have you. When He has you, that means I have to do things His way. I think and talk and act differently. I even talk to people I disagree with differently, because Jesus has me. He’s not just there to help me.

That’s where Jesus takes us today. All through history, people have looked at Jesus as a kind of helpmate. What we’re going to see in today’s Scripture is that we can be around the work of God, and we can even be impressed by it or inspired by it, and still not be changed by it. I can be amazed at what Jesus did. I can be impressed or even inspired by the words He said. That doesn’t mean any change is happening in me. I can be close to Jesus without actually being changed by Jesus.

Jesus has just finished teaching us how to pray, and in verse 14 (we’re going to skip around a little today) He casts a demon out of someone. Watch the different responses:

“Now he was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed.”

I would be too. If you saw Jesus do something that extraordinary, your reaction would be, “That was pretty impressive.” But not all of them were on the same page:

“But some of them said, ‘He drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.’” (That’s just another name for the devil.) “And others, as a test, were demanding of him a sign from heaven.”

Everybody saw exactly the same thing. Everybody saw what Jesus did, and there were completely different responses. Nobody argued that something extraordinary hadn’t happened. The difference was over how it happened and what it meant.

What will you do with Jesus?

We’ll skip a couple of verses where there’s some arguing, down to verse 20. Jesus is saying, “You’re looking at the outside. You see that a demon was cast out, and you’re arguing about how it happened. But there’s something far more important going on behind the scenes”:

“If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

The kingdom of God has arrived. If that’s true, if what Jesus did came from God giving Him the power and authority to do it, then I can’t just stay in the place of “That was impressive,” or “I admire that,” or “I’m inspired by that.” In 2026, we have to decide for ourselves: Is what the Scripture says about Jesus true? Are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John an accurate record of what really happened in history? If so, the kingdom of God has come.

If Jesus really did rise from the dead, if He really did defeat hell, death and the grave, and if people really did witness it, then we can’t stay in the camp of “That was kind of neat,” or “I’m inspired by the things He says.” I have to move beyond that. If the kingdom of God has come, a King has come. And kings don’t give you multiple choice. They give you direction to follow.

So here’s the question you have to ask yourself. Nobody can answer it for you. You have to wrestle it all the way to the ground for yourself: What are you going to do with Jesus? If Jesus really is who He says He is, how does that affect your day-to-day life? If He really did rise from the dead, He doesn’t fit into the nice little category of someone who gives good advice, helps me when I’m struggling, and sticks around like a pal to give me some peace and wisdom. He really is King.

And if He didn’t do those things, if Jesus is still dead today, then we’re all wasting our time here. We should go home. The teachings of Jesus without the resurrection of Jesus are worthless. The reason we give weight to the teachings of Jesus is the resurrection of Jesus. So if the kingdom of God has come, if Jesus has defeated death, hell and the grave, how do you respond to the King? How does that affect your life?

Skip ahead to verse 23. Jesus makes it really clear, and we just have to be honest: He’s pushing us to make a decision. He doesn’t want us to be neutral. This is Jesus, not me:

“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.”

“Anyone” includes us. Anyone who is not following the kingship of Jesus is against Him. There’s no neutral. There’s no “I’m kind of into Jesus, and I want Him to help me with these things, but in this part of my life I’d rather do my own thing.” Jesus says it’s one or the other. You’re either following Jesus or you’re not. You’re either going to let Him be the King of your life or you’re not, and you can’t have the middle ground.

This is one of the most uncomfortable verses in all of Scripture, because we love a middle ground. “I’m not against Jesus, but I’m not really surrendered to Jesus either. I’m generally positive toward Jesus. I think He’s good. I think there’s value there. I agree with a lot of what He says. I think He can help me. But I don’t know about giving my whole life over to Him.” Jesus says you have to make a choice. You can’t spend your life admiring Jesus and thinking positive thoughts about Him.

Admiring Jesus is not the same thing as belonging to Jesus. You can go to church your whole life. You can know when to stand and when to sit, sing the songs and have the YouVersion Bible app open. You can admire Jesus your whole life and never actually belong to Him. Jesus removes the possibility that He can be just someone I admire, or someone I’m impressed by or inspired by. There is no such thing as a part-time Christian. You either are or you’re not.

My fear, as someone who stands on this platform, is that we have moved people toward a part-time faith: “If it’s convenient, I’ll follow Jesus, and when it’s not, I won’t.” We’ll have settled for “I admire Him, I’m impressed by Him, I’m not against Him,” but we’ll never actually be saved. We’ll never actually have given our lives to Him.

Jesus told us what will happen if we live that way. After a lifetime of admiring Him and being inspired by Him, if we’ve never given ourselves over to Him, we’ll meet Him face to face one day and He’ll say (it’s harsh, but Jesus said it), “Depart from me. I never knew you.” I didn’t have a relationship with you.

C.S. Lewis, the great author, put it this way: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

If the kingdom of God really has come in the person and work of Jesus, there is no middle ground. Going through religious tradition and religious exercise does not mean we’re following Jesus. We say it a lot around here: I’m so grateful you’re here with us this morning or watching online. But you gathering here, and listen to this, even me preaching to you this morning, does not mean we’re following Jesus. There are people who preach every Sunday who are not following Jesus. There are people who fill the pews and never miss who aren’t following Jesus. They would say, “I admire Him and I’m inspired by Him, but I don’t want to give my whole life to Him.”

So the first thing Jesus pushes us toward is this: What will you do with Jesus? Is He King or not? Did He really rise from the dead or not? If He rose from the dead, you have to respond. Your response can be, “I’m going to reject it. I don’t care. I’m going to live my own life.” Or your response can be, “Jesus, I’m going to pour myself out every day as best I know how. I want to follow You.” We won’t always get it right. We won’t always be perfect. But to the best of my ability, with the Spirit helping me, I want to follow You, because the kingdom of God has come.

So what is Jesus teaching us this morning? First, you have to decide for yourself. Your parents can’t do it for you. I can’t do it for you. Your spouse can’t do it for you. What are you going to do with Jesus?

Nothing against you is stronger than Jesus

Second, and this is good news and a bit of encouragement: whatever is against you is not stronger than Jesus. You have to decide what you’ll do with Him. And as we go through this challenging life, with its pitfalls and struggles, habits, hang-ups and addictions, Jesus is saying that no matter what comes against you, it’s not stronger than Him.

Go back with me to verse 21. In the context of this passage, the first “strong man” is the devil. Just so you understand your Bible:

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his estate, his possessions are secure.”

What is his estate? It’s you and me, sinful people. Jesus is saying there was a time, before He saved us and forgave our sins, when we were trapped in sin and could not get out. I couldn’t force my way out. The devil was too strong for me to overcome on my own. I couldn’t get to God on my own. But verse 22:

“But when one stronger than he attacks and overpowers him, he takes from him all his weapons he trusted in, and divides up his plunder.”

That stronger one is Jesus. Aren’t you grateful? Jesus is saying there was a time when you had no power to overcome sin, no power to overcome temptation, because of your sinful nature. Then Jesus came. He defeated death, He broke through the gates of hell, and He is stronger.

We tend to fall into one of two ditches. In one, we’re always afraid of the devil. There’s a devil behind every rock, and he’s just out to get me. That’s not what Jesus teaches. In the other, the devil is a cartoon character with a little pitchfork, horns and a tail, something people dress up as for Halloween. He is strong. He is capable. He is stronger than me. And yet Jesus overcame him.

This is what Paul said in Colossians:

“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.”

First John says the Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.

So here’s the good news this morning, and this ought to encourage somebody. No matter what you’re facing, no matter what you’re going through, no matter what your past looks like, whatever has a hold on you is not stronger than Jesus. There is no addiction, no past decision, no habit, nothing you’ve ever faced, that is stronger than Jesus.

Why do we need to decide what to do with Jesus? Because if Jesus is King, I come under His authority, but I also come under His power. I come under His direction for my life, and I also come under His freedom for my life. He’s not a dictator beating me down. He came to overcome death and hell. So of course I would give my life to Him. Of course I would give my decisions and my future to Him, because look at all He’s done for me. He’s given me a future I didn’t have. He’s given me freedom I didn’t have. I could do nothing on my own, and then Jesus came. He was crucified, He rose from the dead, and He defeated it once and for all. So of course I’m going to go with Jesus. Of course I want to live in His victory.

Yes, sometimes I’ll come to a crossroads where what I want is different from what Jesus wants. If the kingdom of God has come, I have to go with the King. But it’s worth it, because I know that’s the path of freedom, and that’s the path where my life has purpose.

You have to decide what you’re going to do with Jesus. And here’s the good news: there’s no one and nothing stronger. Nothing in your past or in your life is stronger than Jesus.

Cleaning up your life without Jesus can’t save you

Third, and then we’ll be done for the day: cleaning up your life without Jesus can’t save you.

All of us have this internal dialogue: “I know there are some things in my life that shouldn’t be there.” So we get inspired, a lot of times around the new year, and we say, “I need to clean up my life. I need to do some things differently and better. I need to make some improvements.” And we’re really successful. You threw away all the alcohol. You tried to kick cigarettes. You did whatever you needed to do to stop doom scrolling so much. You said, “There are some flaws in my life, and I need to make some progress.” Part of us thinks, “I’m doing pretty good.”

But Jesus is saying that emptying your life of bad things is not the same as filling it with Him. Jesus is not after moralism. Moralism says, “I’m going to do a lot of good things, and after I’ve done enough of them, Jesus will look at me and say, ‘Great job, I’m really proud of you.’” That’s not what Jesus is after. He’s after something far better. Verse 24, if you’re following along. It’s a little confusing, but stick with me:

“When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it roams through waterless places looking for rest, and not finding rest, it then says, ‘I’ll go back to my house that I came from.’ Returning, it finds the house swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and settle down there. As a result, that person’s last condition is worse than the first.”

What went wrong in this person’s life? The house had been cleaned. Some bad habits had been taken care of. They’d made some progress. Maybe they read a self-help book, or found a new routine to keep them away from some things. By any outward measure, all of us would look at that person and say they’re better off than they were. But a clean house is not the same thing as a surrendered house. You can chase moralism and self-improvement and never be filled with God.

Here’s the danger for all of us this morning, because you’re awesome church people: church people are really good sweepers. We know what a put-together life is supposed to look like. We clean up our language. We stop going certain places. We get our kids to church when we have time. We put the Bible app on our phones. I can do every bit of that, and do it really well, and still have a life that was never given over to Christ. It’s a clean life, but it’s an empty life.

So I’m trying to do the best I can, but it never really sticks, right? Isn’t it true that your best-laid plans start with so much enthusiasm, and then never work out that well? Isn’t it true that eventually you get tired enough or stressed enough that you go back to that thing, and it becomes an endless cycle? Why? Because Jesus tells us that getting rid of some bad habits without being bound to new life in Christ will actually leave us worse off than before. I cleaned up my life, then I fell back into the habit, and I got so discouraged that I said, “Maybe it’s not worth it. Maybe this isn’t that big of a deal after all.”

Christians are really good at feeling bad about something: “I really need to fix that.” If we’re honest, a lot of times we feel bad because we got caught, or because there were consequences. But Jesus is inviting you past remorse. Remorse is feeling bad. Repentance is turning around. Those are two different things. We can feel bad all day long and keep going the same direction. I can feel disappointed in myself until the next invitation comes, until the next opportunity, until that person calls again, and then I think, “Maybe it wasn’t that big of a deal after all.”

If I stop at feeling bad, without repentance and without future obedience, it leaves me stuck in an endless loop. I do well for a while, then I fall back in. I’m really productive for a while, then I fall back and feel bad. Then they call, and I feel guilty, and they say, “Do you want to try it again?” Why? Because feeling bad and repentance are not the same. Repentance means I was going one way, and I turned around and went the other way. Then, when that invitation or opportunity comes, I’m obedient to what God has said, because I haven’t just left my life empty with moralism. I’ve filled it with the Spirit.

Earlier in Luke 11, if you were here a few weeks ago, Jesus said He would give the Holy Spirit to anyone who asks. That’s what fills our lives. There are two different things happening. At the moment of salvation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. We’ve talked about that. It happens in an instant. But Ephesians 5 talks about a daily filling of the Spirit. It’s not being saved again. We’re sealed, and then we keep filling our lives with the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit starts to develop in our lives.

Paul said it this way:

“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.”

Godly grief says, “That was wrong. That was sinful. I didn’t do what God called me to do in that moment, in that decision, with that language.” It produces repentance, and that leads to salvation without regret. Worldly grief says, “I know I shouldn’t have done that. That was wrong. Oh, they asked me to do it again.” And that produces death.

So what is Jesus inviting us to remember? You have to decide what you’re going to do with Jesus. There’s nothing stronger than Jesus. He’s stronger than whatever is against you. And He’s not after a moralistic, try-really-hard-to-be-better life. He wants to fill your life with the Spirit.

Hear the word of God and keep it

We’re going to finish with two more verses, verse 27:

“As he was saying these things, a woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the one who nursed you!’”

Jesus stops her right in her tracks. “No, you’re wrong.” Here’s the part I circled in my Bible:

“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Why is Mary, the mother of Jesus, blessed? Hearing the word of God didn’t make her blessed: “You’re going to be given a son, and you’re to name him Jesus.” The reason Mary is blessed is her next line: “May it be done to me according to your word.” She heard, and she did.

We can get caught in the temptation of, “I heard what God was saying. I’m not sure I’m going to do it, but I thought it was helpful. It was interesting. It was inspiring. Maybe it was encouraging. Maybe it was even a little convicting.” Jesus says, “Do you want to be blessed? Will you hear and do?”

We say it a lot: hearing the word of God without doing it is like the treadmill at your house. It hasn’t made you any healthier. Why? Because it’s a clothes hanger. It’s sitting in the basement. That’s hearing without doing.

And here’s the good news. The gospel is not that Jesus came to make you a better version of you. That’s never been the goal. The gospel is that He came to make you new. He came to make you His. He came to give you new life.

So let me finish this morning. If you’re here and you’re not a follower of Jesus, here’s great news: you don’t have to clean yourself up first. You don’t have to moralism your way into getting cleaned up and then come to Jesus. Jesus wants you just as you are, with all the baggage, all the trauma, all the pain and all the habits. He wants you to come to Him, and He wants to fill your life. Will things start to change? Yes, but that’s a process. He wants you today, as you are.

For the rest of us, here’s what we have to decide: “I’m going to stop, once and for all, admiring Jesus from the edge of the crowd. I’m going to stop being neutral with Jesus.” If what Matthew, Mark, Luke and John said is true, and Jesus really did rise from the dead, then the question you have to ask, and answer, is: What do you do with that? Will you give your life to Him?

For some of us, today’s the day. Today’s the day to stop being neutral. Today’s the day you stop just feeling bad about some things and say, “I’m finally going to repent and obey.”

This is what Jesus said, and Luke recorded it for us: Do you want to be blessed? You have to hear the word. I’m so glad you heard the word of God this morning. You’ve got half of the equation done. But if you heard it this morning and it goes in one ear and out the other, and it doesn’t affect your life and your heart, what a waste of a morning. I heard someone say a few weeks ago that lots and lots of people are going to miss heaven by twelve inches, because it all went into their brain and never made it into their heart. I don’t want that to be you. I want you to hear, and I want you to do.

Prayer

Let me pray for you.

Heavenly Father, we sometimes need this confronting word, because we can get lackadaisical. We try to be neutral and admire You from afar, but when it comes down to it, we want to follow ourselves and our own desires. Forgive us, Lord. Forgive us for trying to keep our feet in both worlds.

We believe the kingdom of God has come, and so, Lord, we want to respond to that by letting You be the King. We want You to be King of our thoughts, King of our words, King of our attitudes and emotions, our decisions and our future. Lord, we know we’re going to mess up, and we’re going to fall and fail, and we’re grateful that Your grace is enough, that You are sufficient.

So, Lord, we need Your Spirit. Some of us are so tired and so worn out. We need Your Spirit to fill us. We need Your wisdom and Your strength. We need Your help to resist temptation. We can’t do it on our own. But I’m so grateful that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world. Help us to live that out this week. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.