The Possession and Dispossession

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The Possession and Dispossession of the Strong Man Armed

"When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils." Luke 11:21-22

God created man in his own image, after his own likeness. And thus when he looked upon the last work of his creating hand, he said of it, it was "very good." But how long did man retain his primitive innocence and purity? Some have said, that before the sun which dawned upon Adam's creation had sunk in the west, the fall of man was completed. But whether so or not (for the Scriptures have not informed us how long Adam stood in his primitive innocency), one thing is certain, "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned." (Rom. 5:12.) God gave to Adam to keep the citadel which he had committed to his hands; but a woman opened the wicket gate, and let in the fell destroyer of the human race. It is to him that the Lord alludes in the text, "When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace." The "palace" is the human heart; the "strong man armed" is Satan who has taken possession of the citadel.

Two features strike my mind as connected with, and flowing out of the text.

I. The possession of the strong man armed, "When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace."

II. The dispossession of the strong man armed by him who is stronger than he, with all its blessed fruits and consequences—"But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils."

I. The POSSESSION of the strong man armed, "When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace." When I look around I sometimes stand amazed at the power that Satan exercises over the human race. The Scripture calls him "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2); and "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4)—implying that he reigns over man with royal authority, and is to the world as its god. On whatever side I cast my eyes I see evidences of the power of Satan. The heathen besotted with their idols; the fanatic Mohammedan, the superstitious Papist; and to come nearer home, the groveling Arminian, the self-righteous pharisee, the notional Calvinist, and the dead antinomian—how plainly do I see in them all the marks and evidences of Satan's power! And when I look closer still, at the church of the living God, I see what power Satan has over it; I see him sowing discord and division among the people of God; I see him laying snares in every direction to entrap their feet; I see him working upon the besetting sins of their hearts, and throwing many down. So that whether I look at the world, or whether I look at the church, I see on every hand the marked traces of this devastating conqueror; his course is tracked by blood and ruin; he is as mighty to destroy, as the Lord of life and glory is mighty to save.

When too I look into my own heart, and see how the citadel is attacked; when I see the snares and temptations that continually beset me; when I look back upon the path I have trodden, see the path I now tread, and look forward to the path before me, I see how Satan can take advantage of all the infirmities and corruptions of my fallen heart, and be indeed a "strong man" in all his ways and movements, and never so strong as when he least discovers his power.

The Lord, then, speaking of Satan holding and keeping possession of the human heart, describes him as the "strong man." And who so strong as he? Man is as a worm before him; none but the almighty God is a match, and more than a match for him.

But it is said of him in the text, that he is "armed." Not only is he strong in himself, but he has also armor of an impenetrable nature; and it is by virtue of this armor that he keeps possession of the heart.

But what are its separate pieces? Let us look at Satan's inventory. Let us take a walk round the devil's armory. I believe we shall see as many pieces of armor in it as ever were stored in the Tower of London.

1. Ignorance is a main piece of this armor. For what are we by nature but altogether ignorant of God, ignorant of ourselves, ignorant of truth, ignorant of salvation, ignorant of everything which it is for our peace to know? This ignorance Satan deepens, as the word of God describes, by blinding the eyes and hardening the heart—"In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." (2 Cor. 4:4.) Satan blinds the eyes, and fosters the darkness and deep seated ignorance of the human heart. And by this ignorance of God, of his holy law, of his pure character, of his dread perfections, of his eternal wrath and vengeance, does the prince of darkness, brooding with baleful wings over the heart, keep possession of the citadel.

2. Unbelief is another piece of Satan's armor; and by this he keeps strong possession of the palace. Unbelief is the very essence of our fallen nature; unbelief doubts every part and portion of God's word; unbelief presents an impenetrable barrier against the entrance of truth; unbelief is the shield which, if grace does not prevent it, will quench every arrow of conviction.

3. Impenitency is another piece of this Satanic armor. The thorough inability of man to feel any sorrow for sin; the obduracy of his mind, which neither the promises of the gospel can soften, nor threatenings terrify; the hardness of heart whereby he stands firm against everything in God's word which has a tendency to melt and overcome, is indeed one of the strongest and stoutest pieces of this infernal armory. By this obduracy does Satan rule and reign—by this he turns aside every weapon; and this he opposes to every threatening directed against the ungodly.

4. Enmity against God and godliness, that breath of the carnal mind, that essence of man's fallen nature, that noisome savor which steams perpetually from his corrupt heart against divine things—enmity to God and his ways, enmity to Christ and his person, enmity to the truth in all its branches, enmity to that which humbles, breaks down, and lays low—this is another part of Satan's armor whereby he keeps possession of the citadel.

5. Self-esteem and self-complacency, is another piece of this armor. Man has such lofty thoughts of himself, indulges in such vanity and self-exaltation, is so unwilling to see himself as God has described him, that he will stoutly deny God's testimony against his state and condition as a fallen creature.

6. Pride—the very essence of Satan, the very element in which he lives, that which caused his downfall, and has become his ruling passion—by this piece of armor does Satan also keep possession of the citadel of the human heart. It is he who continually instils vain notions of man's importance, who swells and puffs him up with arrogant opinions of his strength, wisdom, and righteousness. By acting upon this pride that dwells in man's bosom, he teaches him to abhor that humbling gospel which the word of God sets forth.

By these and other pieces of armor, does "the strong man armed" keep possession of the citadel. He is armed at every point; he watches every outlet; wherever he sees a breach likely to be made, there he brings up his armor to maintain safe possession. The "strong man armed" keeps his palace in thousands and millions of the human race; and in this state thousands and millions descend into the chambers of death. There he reigns in all his infernal glory; there he rides triumphant over ruined millions; there he gluts his vengeance by feeding upon the blood and bones of countless myriads of victims; and there he appeases his hellish thirst, his enmity against God, by devouring whole nations at one morsel, and trampling down millions upon millions in the gulf of eternal woe.

But there is one feature which the Lord describes as distinctly marking the possession that Satan keeps of his palace—"His goods are in peace." But what peace? False peace, miserable peace, a peace that is a prelude to eternal misery. This is the feature which the Lord has selected as characterizing and distinguishing the possession that Satan retains of the citadel of the human heart—"his goods are in peace." No trouble of mind, no exercise of soul, no distress of conscience, no doubt nor fear, no terror nor alarm, no rolling upon the midnight bed, no conviction of sin, no sensations of guilt, no apprehensions of the wrath to come. But all with them is smooth and easy, a flowery meadow; and on they go, dancing down to the very chambers of death.

The Lord then puts his finger upon this mark, specially pointing out, that "his goods are in peace." But what are his goods? The human heart, man's soul, which he retains so firmly in his grasp, by barring out all convictions, by shutting out all light, by deepening the density of man's native darkness, by stopping the ear against all sound of war, by closing the eye against the lightning flashes of God's vengeance, and by buoying up the heart with empty hopes and vain confidence.

By these arts and arms does Satan maintain his prey; and thus this delusive peace, this deceitful calm, is the surest evidence of his still keeping firm possession.

But is he ever to reign? Is he ever thus to glut his hellish appetite with victims? Not in the Lord's own family, those whom he has redeemed by blood. No; there shall be a few berries upon the top of the uppermost bough; there shall be a few whom the Lord has rescued from the jaws of the destroyer; and these comprehend all his blood-bought family, the sheep of his pasture, the flock of his hand, whom the Father gave to him, and for whom he laid down his precious life.

II. And this leads me to the second branch of our subject, which is to show the DISPOSSESSION of the strong man armed. "But when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils." I need scarcely remark, that the "stronger than he" is the Lord of life and glory, the Prince of Peace, God's co-equal, co-eternal Son. But in what sense is he stronger than Satan? None can doubt that God is stronger than the devil. But in what sense is he stronger than he? And how does he conquer him? Is it by coming upon "the strong man armed" in all the majesty of Godhead, displaying the lightning of his vengeance, and withering him into hell? He did not overcome him so. He conquered him in weakness; he bruised him upon the cross; he destroyed him by dying. And thus the "seed of the woman"—wonderful mystery of grace and love!—bruised the serpent's head, though the serpent was allowed to bruise his heel.

But though he conquered Satan by the work of redemption upon the cross, though he there triumphed over principalities and powers, and having completely despoiled them, ascended to heaven leading them captive, chained to his chariot wheels, yet it is not to that part of the Lord's work that the text spiritually alludes. It is to the work of grace upon the heart—the incoming of the Lord of life into the soul; for we read, "when a stronger than he shall come upon him." Is not Satan firmly entrenched in the human heart? Is not that his palace about which he roams, and in looking at which, like Nebuchadnezzar of old, he takes infernal pleasure? Who then shall conquer this "strong man" in his very abode where he dwells, and where he has entrenched himself so firmly—his palace, up and down which he roams with infernal delight?

The "stronger than he" comes upon him at regeneration; when light and life shine into the heart; when the work of grace is begun by an almighty and invincible power; then he comes upon him as in a moment. Light and life suddenly flash into the soul—the harbinger and forerunner of the Son of God, the herald of his appearing. And when light and life come into the soul, it makes Satan quail and tremble. Nothing else can dispossess the "strong man." Your vows and promises; your resolutions and attempts to make yourselves better; your turning over a new leaf; your renouncing this and that sin; these are but stubble and rotten wood against this leviathan. He laughs at all these attempts to dispossess him. He retains a firm hold until "a stronger than he" comes like a flash of lightning upon him, and overcomes him and binds him in a moment. He is bound, when light and life comes into the conscience out of the fullness of the covenant head.

It is thus that Jesus overcomes him; and not only so, but he "takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted." He takes away those several pieces of armor whereby the "strong man armed" kept his palace in such firm security. He takes them away one by one, so that the soul can no longer trust in them. For instance, he removes,

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