"Guard Your Courtyard"

A House Divided Against Itself


Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falls.

Many times we have heard in the news about the division between the people who make the laws and pass the bills in Washington DC. Some of them want morally correct laws and some of them want laws that will appeal to popular opinion, whether it's right or wrong. We can see that there is more than one power at work in our world and it isn't kept as a secret anymore! People are openly standing up for the very things that cause us and our children to stumble and become confused and it can happen just by association and not guarding our minds and hearts. Some people who are calling themselves religious may have already bought into the popular opinions but I want to share with you what Jesus said himself about this very topic of discussion.

In verse eleven of the book of Luke, Jesus says that every royalty and every marriage that is divided will fail. I am using words found in the literal Greek dictionaries so that we can understand what it literally means. Royalty represents the top leaders, the decision makers for a city, state or country and we see that when there is division Jesus says that the results of this will be a falling or failing of unity. The Greek word pipto, which is the word used in this passage "falls", is kin to the another Greek word which means "to fly" and through the idea of alighting; to fall. This meaning demonstrates a natural falling, as a leaf that would fall from a tree in the fall of the year. It falls slowly to the ground all on it's own, once the fluids have drained from it's veins causing the leaf to dry up and the wind has blown causing it to break free from the branch, drifting slowly and so quietly that it is almost unnoticed by the rest of the world. That is, until it is time to clean up the yard!

Isn't it that way it is with governments, churches and homes also? The division of people causes the very foundation to begin to shift and crack ever so slowly. So slowly that it is often unnoticed by the ones that it will eventually impact the most. It happens in our governments and it happens in our homes every day. What happens over time is the foundation that shifts and cracks begins to give way to instability and what once was our solid foundation is now in pieces and cannot stand over time. Now let's look at what Jesus says next,

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

The literal translation in the Greek says "when a valiant, powerful man that is equipped fully with armor is on guard over his yard or court that is open around his house or his property is at peace and by implication- they are prospering together as one again. What we see here is that his whole life basically is at peace. When did Jesus say this would happen?

When a valiant, strong man is fully equipped to protect his property. I want you to see something else in this passage too.

Jesus used the word "aule" where we see palace in the KJV of the Bible and this word actually means the "outer yard or court" of his house. This is refering to the type of real estate that is owned by the upper class and that are owned by very prosperous people in our modern terms. Jesus used this example because he wants us to see ourselves in this way.

Let me back up a little bit so you will understand why Jesus began to tell the Pharisees this in the first place. Stay with me because what I am getting ready to share with you will most likely come as a surprise when you get the whole picture!

It could literally be the very lesson that would solve many of the problems we have in our lives today, publicly and privately!

I backed up to the beginning of this chapter because I wanted to see why Jesus was telling these religious leaders (Pharisees) about protecting their property and standing guard over their mansions! Doesn't that kind of spark your curiosity too? Here's what I found!

The disciples had asked Jesus to teach them how they should pray. Jesus obliged them and actually prayed a prayer to his Father in Heaven for them to hear.
Then Jesus taught them to ask for the Holy Spirit and told them how much their Heavenly Father wanted to give them the sacred Spirit of Christ. Now they knew how to pray and they knew how to receive the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
The next thing Jesus did was to demonstrate His power and strength in casting out the devil and allowing someone who had been dumb to speak. Some of the Pharisees had been saying that Jesus did this with the power of Beelzebub or Satan and others were wanting him to give them a sign from Heaven.
That's when Jesus began to tell them about the kingdom that is divided and how it is brought to waste and ruins.

Jesus wanted them to accept His teaching which was to help them and give them a life of peace and solve their problems publicly and privately. It was through prayer to the Father; power of the indwelling Holy Spirit and protection in being fully equipped that our leaders and our homes would not be divided.
Jesus was teaching us to avoid failure, but many times people will reject the teachings of Christ in the scriptures and without even noticing they will fall like the leaf that goes unnoticed in the fall winds, drifting slowly to the ground.

It is many times too late, when we see the mess that is left to clean up and the damage is done. How long will we continue to remain deaf and dumb? The Lord says in the next few verses that when an evil spirit is gone and the house is cleaned up that it will return with even more powerful spirits to make even more trouble than before and attempt to destroy that house.

Is there an opening in the courtyard or the yard that surrounds your property? The Lord was teaching us all along about our spirit and how we can protect our home from being divided. Has the evil spirit caught you or your family off guard in the past?

I must admit that as a human living in this world, there have been times when I didn't protect my courtyard and wasn't equipped fully with the armor I needed and it wasn't long before division set in. Our ears and eyes were not open to the Word but rather our eyes were on each other or on the things that bring us pride and pleasure in life. The evil spirits are as a valiant and strong man and we must remain strong and equipped fully to stand up when they make their attempts to penetrate our souls. It depends allot on how we pray; where we find our power and where we turn for the protection we will need to stand strong.

A woman who was in the crowd lifted up her voice and shouted out, "the woman who had brought Jesus into the world and fed him as a baby was blessed!" But Jesus took the blessing that this woman felt that Mary had received and turned it around to give right back to everyone there. There was a catch though for them to receive it! Let's look at verse twenty-eight,

Luke 11:28
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

We find in the literal Greek translation this to say, "Yea rather, Supremely blessed and fortunate are they that hear the words of God and watch or be on guard themselves"

Supremely blessed is what I want my life to be described as in the spiritual realm. Don't confuse this with the things of this world when you gather in your church groups and look around at others and see what they do or don't possess materially.
Don't compare your suit, car or house with anyone else's to determine this blessing on your life.

This is talking about the only blessing that matters and that is the blessing of hearing and protecting the words of God in your mind, your spirit and in your body! Stay fully equipped! Don't let the strong and valiant man of Satan catch you out of your courtyard and seeking after other things meant to draw you away from standing firm in understanding the Words of God.

Lastly we must remember that the Words of God are all through the Bible, but the key words that we repeatedly hear are, to love as you wish to be loved, forgive as you have been forgiven and to give as you have been given. Is there a spirit of division in your heart, your home, your church, your government?

Stand guard over your heart, mind and soul and understand what Jesus taught us in the eleventh chapter of Luke.

How to Pray to the Father!
How to Praise God for the power of the Holy Spirit!
How to Protect your hearts, your homes, your church and your nation!
How to Position yourself on guard, out in the courtyard, where the evil spirits attempt to make their entry.

What is the courtyard to our body, soul and mind? Where would evil enter our bodies first? Let's look at how we find ourselves being drawn into situations that are not pleasing to God. There are three basic tools that Satan uses to divide and conquer.

Lust of the eyes. Lust of the flesh through taste, touch, smell and hearing. Pride of life through vanity, self praise, ego, boasting, flatery, popularity and possessions.

If you think about any problem you might be having or have experienced in your life, you will find that each one was caused by one of these tools. This is why Jesus tells us to stand guard in the courtyard; not in the study or the workout room or the bedroom. Jesus has taught us well and those who will hear the word of God and be on guard to protect and obey what they have learned will be makarios! That is the Greek for "blessed" in this verse which means "supremely blessed" and it sounds just like it is spelled, mak-ar-ee-os. The Webster definition for the word supreme is "of the highest authority"!

My desire today is that you will choose for your life, your home, your church and your country to be "makarios", "blessed by our highest authority, the Supreme Divinity of God! "

Luke 11:28
But Jesus said, rather, supremely blessed (makarios) are you that hear (akouo) understanding the thing said (logo) and the thought or motive of (theos) the supreme Divinity of God and (phulasso) to watch and be on guard that you obey it.

You may use or reproduce the messages written by Rob Bailes with permission, either by email or verbal. These messages are not allowed to be sold or used for advertisement purposes. Contact Rob Bailes by email at: robbailesministries@yahoo.com or call (919)745-121