What It Means for God’s Name to Be Holy (The Importance of Conversion)(Luke 11:14–28)

누가복음(Luke) 11:14-28

14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. \ 예수께서 한 벙어리 귀신을 쫓아 내시니 귀신이 나가매 벙어리가 말하는지라 무리들이 기이히 여겼으나

15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” \ 그 중에 더러는 말하기를 저가 귀신의 왕 바알세불을 힘입어 귀신을 쫓아낸다 하고

16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven. \ 또 더러는 예수를 시험하여 하늘로서 오는 표적을 구하니

17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls \ 예수께서 저희 생각을 아시고 이르시되 스스로 분쟁하는 나라마다 황폐하여지며 스스로 분쟁하는 집은 무너지느니라

18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul \ 너희 말이 내가 바알세불을 힘입어 귀신을 쫓아낸다 하니 만일 사단이 스스로 분쟁하면 저의 나라가 어떻게 서겠느냐

19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. \ 내가 바알세불을 힘입어 귀신을 쫓아내면 너희 아들들은 누구를 힘입어 쫓아내느냐 그러므로 저희가 너희 재판관이 되리라

20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. \ 그러나 내가 만일 하나님의 손을 힘입어 귀신을 쫓아내는 것이면 하나님의 나라가 이미 너희에게 임하였느니라

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; \ 강한 자가 무장을 하고 자기 집을 지킬 때에는 그 소유가 안전하되

22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. \ 더 강한 자가 와서 저를 이길 때에는 저의 믿던 무장을 빼앗고 저의 재물을 나누느니라

23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. \ 나와 함께 아니하는 자는 나를 반대하는 자요 나와 함께 모으지 아니하는 자는 헤치는 자니라

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ \ 더러운 귀신이 사람에게서 나갔을 때에 물 없는 곳으로 다니며 쉬기를 구하되 얻지 못하고 이에 가로되 내가 나온 내 집으로 돌아가리라 하고

25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. \ 와 보니 그 집이 소제되고 수리되었거늘

26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.” \ 이에 가서 저보다 더 악한 귀신 일곱을 데리고 들어가서 거하니 그 사람의 나중 형편이 전보다 더 심하게 되느니라

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” \ 이 말씀 하실 때에 무리 중에서 한 여자가 음성을 높여 가로되 당신을 밴 태와 당신을 먹인 젖이 복이 있도소이다 하니

28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

\ 예수께서 가라사대 오히려 하나님의 말씀을 듣고 지키는 자가 복이 있느니라 하시니라

Title: What It Means for God’s Name to Be Holy (The Importance of Conversion)
Text: Luke 11:14–28

The first part of today’s passage is connected to the Lord’s Prayer. The beginning of the Lord’s Prayer says, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.”
But what does it really mean for God’s name to be “hallowed”? And what does it mean for God’s kingdom to come?

When we say, “hallowed be Your name,” whose action is this? It means that the person praying is asking that they themselves will honor God’s name as holy.
And the phrase “Your kingdom come” is strongly connected to this idea.

Being “holy” does not only mean being clean or pure. A clean bowl is good, but what really matters is how it is used. Will we be used by an evil power for bad purposes, or will we be used by a good and loving God for good purposes? We all have to choose which side we want to stand on.

Some people think evil spirits are only imaginary, but that is not true. If we talk about “demons” and “evil spirits” in a broader understanding—supernatural beings that hate humans, try to control them, and bring harm to their lives—then we can clearly see they are real.

Jesus explained what demons do in verse 22. He compared it to a house and a kingdom.
Evil spirits destroy families and cause nations to fall apart.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
How does Jesus defeat this thief and give us abundant life?

The first example is casting out demons.
To “cast out a demon” means to command an evil spirit to leave a person who is being oppressed.

Why does Luke talk about casting out demons here?
Because just before this, Jesus taught that if we ask God, He gives us the Holy Spirit. Luke wants us to understand the difference: evil spirits bring harm, but the Holy Spirit brings good.

However, people had different reactions to Jesus casting out demons.
In verse 15, some people said He did it by the power of Beelzebul. This is a kind of deception and compromise. But Jesus did not fall into deception, nor did He compromise with evil.
Others, in verse 16, demanded a sign from heaven.

Both responses point to one key question: “By whom?” (v.19)
In other words, “By whose power are You doing this?”
Is it by Beelzebul’s power, or by the power of God?

Jesus answers with a greater truth: the Kingdom of God.
Casting out demons means the kingdom of God has already come among us.
And when God’s kingdom comes, it means we must turn around and repent.

If we focus only on the miracle itself, instead of the coming of the kingdom, what happens?
Verses 24–26 tell us: a demon may leave for a moment, but if there is no repentance, the demon can return freely. The person loses control of themselves and becomes spiritually confused.

A simple picture: flies gather around a pile of waste. Removing the flies doesn’t fix the real problem. We must remove the waste itself. In the same way, we must remove the root of sin by turning to God.

Like the Pharisees, we can misunderstand holiness. If we think holiness is only about personal behavior, then the idea of God’s kingdom becomes weak. We may think, “If many people live clean and moral lives, then we will have a good nation.”
But holiness is not simply individual morality.
It must be connected to God’s rule and God’s power, not human strength.

Casting out demons can also be misunderstood. Some might think it simply means becoming “clean.” But if a person does not truly turn to God and become part of His kingdom, there will be serious problems.

Casting out demons is only one part of building God’s kingdom. It is a sign that Satan’s kingdom is being destroyed and that God’s kingdom is arriving.

The real issue is unbelief.
Unbelief can lead to a worse condition because unbelief fights against God’s work.
We must believe in Jesus and stand with Him.
Jesus’ miracles were not simply acts of power—they were actions that broke Satan’s authority completely.

A person without faith becomes like a palace where Satan lives. Satan gives a false kind of peace. In that false peace, the person’s heart, thoughts, and will can easily be captured.
But when the gospel comes, that false peace is broken, and the person has a chance to turn back to God.
Sometimes even suffering becomes a blessing, because it wakes us up and leads us back to the Lord.

Satan uses our sinful nature, temptation, ignorance, and pride as weapons. But Christ breaks these things and transforms us.

And after we are changed, God uses our gifts—like treasures taken from the enemy—to bless our neighbors and build His kingdom.
We must remember that this is not only an individual matter. The kingdom of God affects our families, our closest friends, and all the people near us. We should ask ourselves: Are the people around me receiving blessings because of me?

There is no neutral position.
If we are not with Jesus, we are standing against Him.
If we do not accept the gospel and walk with Jesus, we are actually helping Satan’s purposes, whether we realize it or not.

So do not be fooled by a false sense of peace.
Until we receive the true peace that comes from God, we must fight against our sinful nature, resist temptation, and use our gifts and abilities according to God’s will.

I pray that true repentance and true turning of heart will always be with all of us.