Nobleton Community Church
October 1, 2023
Text: Matthew 12:22-37
Pastor Paul
After Jesus delivered the man who was blind and mute from the demons that were demonizing him, and the man was healed and restored to health, the people were saying; “Could this be the Son of David?” That would be the Messiah. They were acquainted with Isaiah 35:4-5. In this Messianic passage verse 4 we read; “…he will come to save you, then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
The Pharisees refuse to see it.
The common people see the true meaning of scripture, because the are not approaching it with pride, fearful of what they will lose if Jesus is truly the Messiah.
They will lose their power and control over the people. The explanation of the Pharisees is: “He does this miracle in the power of Beelzebub (the prince of devils).This was the attitude of the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day. Unfortunately, this is the attitude of Rabbis and Jewish leaders today too. There is a Rabbi in Brooklyn, New York who is convinced that the evidence shows that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was their Messiah, but he says he will never declare it because he has too much to lose. His position and reputation in the Jewish community is at stake. In Jesus’ time there was only one Phaisee we are told about, who was willing to risk his reputation in order to learn more about what Jesus was teaching. Well, not too willing, because he came to Jesus at night, probably because he didn’t want anyone to see him, but at least he came. We read in John 3:1-21 the account of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus. When Jesus told him that he had to be born again, he was confused. He said how can a man who is old be born again. How can I enter again into my mother’s womb. Jesus was astonished, and said to him. You are a leader in Israel and you don’t understand about spiritual things. When the wind blows you can hear it blow, and even see movement on the leaves in the tree, but you can’t see where the wind is coming from nor where it is going, spiritually speaking. Nicodemus was open to hearing these things that he had never heard before. We don’t know for sure, if he received Christ into his life, but the indication here is that he did. John 19:36-41, we read that he is the one who helped Joseph of Arimathea to get permission from Pilate to take Jesus down from the cross and place him in his tomb.
The other Pharisees refused to see it, just like a lot of people today who refuse to receive Jesus into their lives.
Jesus responds by saying to them: “You charge me with casting out demons by the prince of demons; have you not eyes with which to see that when I cast out demons it is a proof that I have already laid my conquering hand upon the master of demons; that instead of working by his power I am working as the result of having overcome his power, that I have entered into the house of the strong man and bound him and therefore am able to enter his house? “
The picture of the strong man is taken from Isaiah 49:24-26. We read: “Can plunder be taken from warriors, or captives rescued from the fierce? Yes, captives will be taken from warriors, and plunder retrieved from the fierce; I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save… “
The binding of the strong one was brought out by the perfection of Christ. Not merely by virtue of the death of Jesus, but by the virtue of his pure humanity (his sinlessness) he was able to bind the strong one, and so was able to enter his house, (so to speak), and carry off his possessions.” As man, he overcame the enemy in personal temptation, bound him, because he didn’t ever sin. And so he was able to invade Satan’s territory.
God’s children who have entered into his victory by the cross, also know something of what it is to bind the strong one.
We have his authority as believers, (as we talked about last week). His cross is the force that sets us free to “enter the house” of the so-called strong one -Satan, and rescue souls, (ourselves included).
WE CAN HAVE VICTORY OVER SATAN
There is no addiction that people get bound by, that Jesus can’t bring deliverance.
JESUS SAYS IN VERSE 30; “HE WHO IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME, AND HE WHO DOES NOT GATHER WITH ME SCATTERS.”
What is he saying? The truth is that Jesus was antagonistic to everything Satan did or tried to do. Both when Jesus walked this earth, and also today. He had cast the demon out of a man, and so had gathered him back into a unified and balanced life. He had gathered him back to his family, and to the family of God. It was Satan that had scattered.
A distinction must be made between good and evil in all logical thinking. The Pharisees were tying to confuse the issue—to confuse the people
Jesus, the one who proclaimed that the main meaning of his mission, the main reason he had come was to seek and to save the lost. (he declared this in verse 32. Then he says;
Blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. This is the passage that is referred to as the UNPARDONABLE SIN.
What is being said here, and what is not being said? What has to happen before this sin is committed?
He is saying that there is and attitude of the heart that results in hopelessness or indifference
Usually the hopeless feeling is not valid, but often indifference may mean that a person has rejected Christ so long that they are no longer convicted of sin by the Holy Spirit and therefore may not be able to respond to Christ.
We must understand this in order to not put any untrue emphasis on these words, and also in order that we may not minimize their terrible meaning. We are in danger of making both these mistakes.
These words are a warning not a sentence. We shouldn’t assume that the Pharisees had committed the unpardonable sin, but they had come close. Not all the Pharisees were against Jesus. In John 3 we see the account of Nicodemus who came to Jesus by night, (probably because he didn’t want to deal with is colleagues and their anger or ridicule.) Nicodemus has and open heart, but lacked understanding about the new birth.
This is true of a lot of people today. A person may be very “religious” like the Pharisees, but not have a personal relationship with God. They may have never been born of the Spirit like Jesus is talking about. They have never been born again.
NOW WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE WARNING IN THIS PASSAGE?
Jesus is teaching that in the casting out of the demons, it is only by the Spirit of God. Otherwise they are working against themselves. By saying that he did this by the power of Satan, they were denying that it was done by the Spirit of God or by God’s power. This meant that they were refusing the Kingdom of God. In the presence of the demonstration of this power of that Kingdom, they were refusing it. This is why we must be careful about some of the things we see in other peoples lives or ministry, that we automatically think it is of Satin, when it is outside of our experience. This may be assigning something done by the Holy Spirit to Satan. That can be the sin against the Hooy Spirit which has no forgiveness if it be ultimately and finally persisted in.
1) The sin against the Holy Spirit is the ultimate refusal to believe on the testimony of the Spirit concerning Jesus Christ.
2) The sin against the Holy Spirit is only committed by someone who persistently refuses the convicting power of the Spirt to draw them to Christ.
If you have ever worried about it being too late for you, that you can’t be saved, or that God has given up on you, then you haven’t committed the unpardonable sin!
Verse 34 has some harsh words for those who would continually resist the Spirit —He called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers.” A nest of venomous snakes, a metaphor for someone who is treacherous. He says;
“You who are evil, how can you say anything that is good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Verse 36 says; “But I tell you that man will have to give account on the day of judgment, for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”.
Let’s repent of words that come out of our mouth that doesn’t glorify Jesus Christ. They may not be blasphemy, but if your life style is to forever turn you back on the conviction by the Holy Spirit, and His drawing you back to himself, someday your heart could be hardened so much that you are no longer convicted about what you say or what you do. “Repent” turn around today, (that’s what the word means). Don’t continue to reject him and his kingdom. Don’t reject him as your King, as your Lord in your heart. Let him have control. Listen to the Holy Spirit when he speaks to you.
It is impossible to be neutral about Jesus Christ. Anyone who is not actively following him has chosen to reject him. Any person who tries to stay neutral in the struggle against good and evil, is choosing to be separated from God, who alone is good.
To refuse to follow Christ is to choose to be on Satan’s team .
CHOOSE JESUS