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Matthew 12:22-42
Skip Heitzig

Matthew 12 (NKJV™)
22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32 "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
34 "Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
42 "The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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40 Matthew - 2011

Though our current culture embraces a form of spirituality, the biblical view of God, Satan, and good versus evil has been dismissed by most. Ignorance and indifference cause them to relegate Satan to the stuff of fairy tales and myth. In this study from Matthew 12, Jesus demonstrates His authority over the devil and his minions--giving us a glimpse into the supernatural and a reminder that, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

From its opening genealogy through its careful record of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled, Matthew's gospel forms a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In this in-depth study by Pastor Skip Heitzig we'll consider Jesus' ancestry, birth, public ministry, death, and resurrection, and we'll gain a clearer understanding of Jesus as both Messiah and King.

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Study Guide

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Matthew 12:22-50
For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

Matthew 12:50
PRAY: As I study Matthew 12:22-50, Father please teach me the importance of hearing, seeing, and doing Your Word and will.
Journal your prayer here:




PREVIEW: In Matthew 12:22-50, the Pharisees blaspheme the Holy Spirit and commit the unpardonable sin. By the examples of Jonah and the queen of the South, we’ll learn from their mistakes. We’ll also learn how to be Jesus’ brother, sister, and mother.

Matthew 12:22-50 Outline:
Pharisees Blaspheme the Holy Spirit - Read Matthew 12:22-30
Pharisees Commit the Unpardonable Sin - Read Matthew 12:31-37
Pharisees Demand a Sign - Read Matthew 12:38-45
Jesus and the True Brethren - Read Matthew 12:46-50


Pharisees Blaspheme the Holy Spirit – Read Matthew 12:22-30

Matthew 12:22–30 (NKJV)
22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.
23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.



1. A demon-possessed man was brought before Jesus and He healed him. Besides being demon-possessed, what other physical conditions did this man suffer from (v. 22)?





2. What did the demon-possessed man do after Jesus healed him (v. 22)? What was the response of the multitudes to this healing (v. 23)?




3. PROPOUND: The title “Son of David” was a popular Jewish title for whom? (See Matthew 1:1; 9:27 and 21:9.)




4. What was the response of the Pharisees toward the healing of the demon-possessed man (v. 24)? (See also Matthew 9:34, Mark 3:22, and Luke 11:15.)





5. PRODUCE: One of Jesus’ divine powers is demonstrated in the first five words of verse 25. What power is that? (See also Psalm 139:2, Matthew 9:4, and Luke 6:8.) How should this affect your life? (See 2 Corinthians 10:5.)





6. PROPOUND: Read Jesus’ statements in Matthew 12:25-26. Why is spiritual unity in your home so important? (See also 2 Corinthians 6:14.)





7. Jesus states that the Pharisees’ accusation (v. 24) is illogical (vv. 25-26) and hypocritical (v. 27). He asks that if His casting out of demons is by the Spirit of God, then what should the Pharisees acknowledge?





8. PROCEED: In Matthew 12:30, Jesus states that whoever is not with Him is against Him, and whoever doesn’t gather with Him scatters. How can you tell whether or not you are with Him and are gathering? (See also Matthew 12:50.)





Pharisees Commit the Unpardonable Sin - Read Matthew 12:31-37

Matthew 12:31–37 (NKJV)
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.
36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”


9. Which sins does Jesus say will be forgiven? Which sin will not be forgiven (v. 31)?




10. How does Jesus describe blaspheming against the Spirit (v. 32)?





11. Jesus refers to trees that bear either good or bad fruit (v. 33). What do the trees in the Bible often represent? (See Psalm 1:1-3; 92:12, Jeremiah 17:8, Matthew 3:10, and Jude 12.)





12. Jesus addressed the Pharisees harshly (v. 34). A “brood” is a family of offspring and a “viper” is a snake: a picture representing Satan (see Genesis 3:1). Jesus addressed the Pharisees very similarly in John 8:44. Who did He say they were in that passage? (See also Matthew 3:7; 23:33.)





13. PRACTICE: How did Jesus say a good man brings forth good things? Describe the process. (See Proverbs 4:23, Colossians 3:1-2, and 2 Corinthians 10:5) How are you putting this process into practice?





14. PROCLAIM: Read Matthew 12:36-37. Why should we be very careful with what we say? Share your thoughts with the group. (See also Ephesians 4:29, Proverbs 4:24, Proverbs 12:18, Proverbs 15:4, and Proverbs 16:23-24.)






15. PROPOUND: Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified” (v. 37). What words do we need to say to be justified? (See Matthew 10:32, Romans 10:9-13, 1 Corinthians 12:3, and Philippians 2:11.)




Pharisees Demand a Sign - Read Matthew 12:38-45
Matthew 12:38–48 (NKJV)

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
45 Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.
47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”
48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”


16. The scribes and Pharisees wanted to see a sign from Jesus (v. 38). How does Jesus describe the generation that seeks after a sign (v. 39)?






17. What sign did Jesus say would be given to that generation (v. 39)?






18. How did Jesus relate the sign of the prophet Jonah with the sign that He gave for the scribes and Pharisees (v. 40)?




19. PROPOUND: Jesus said “the men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it” (v.41). Why will the generation that Jesus spoke to be condemned by the men of Nineveh?





20. PROTECT: Jesus uses the men of Nineveh and the queen of the South (Sheba – 1 Kings 10:1-13) as examples of people who heard, saw, and were changed. How should we also hear and change? (See Matthew 7:24-27, John 20:29, and Luke 11:28.)





21. Jesus gives some insight into the spiritual realm (vv. 43-35). Where does He say an unclean spirit goes when he goes out of a man (v. 43)? (See also Job 1:7 and 1 Peter 5:8.)





22. Where did the unclean spirit return to and with whom did he return (vv. 44-45)?





23. PROPOUND: Jesus used the illustration of the unclean spirit departing from and returning to a man to demonstrate how it would be for the generation that saw and heard His miracles without repenting. What would their final condition be due to their lack of repentance?




Jesus and the True Brethren - Read Matthew 12:46-50
Matthew 12:46–50 (NKJV)

46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.
47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.”
48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”
49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”





24. PROPOUND: Read Matthew 12:46-47. Where are Jesus’ mother and brothers in relation to where Jesus is? (See also John 7:5.) How is their physical location significant?




25. PROMOTE: Read Matthew 12:49-50. Who does Jesus say are His mother and brothers?





26. PROPOUND: Earlier in Matthew 12, Jesus said to a man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did this to demonstrate to the Pharisees that He is the Messiah. Now Jesus stretches out His hand. Toward whom does He stretch out His hand (v. 49)? Why is this significant?




27. How can you be certain that you are one of Jesus’ brothers, sisters, or mothers (v. 50)?





PROCESS: Review what you’ve learned in Matthew 12:22-50. Highlight what the Lord has shown you so you can share it with the group.

PRAY: Father, thank You for teaching me how to be Your brother, sister, and mother, by hearing and doing Your word!

Journal your prayer here:

Detailed Notes

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  1. Introduction
    1. Prevalent philosophies
      1. Atheism, agnosticism, relativism
      2. Generic spirituality: open to all things spiritual
      3. USA Today poll of American teens: 95% believe in supernatural phenomenon , of those:
        1. 74% believe in angels
        2. 50% believe in ESP
        3. 29% believe in witchcraft
        4. 22% believe in ghosts
        5. 16% believe in the Loch Ness Monster
    2. Bible reveals a supernatural world
      1. God created the natural world
      2. Satan and evil exist
    3. Most polls show Americans deny the existence of a literal devil and hell
      1. Satan a figurative expression
      2. Describes the essence of evil in the world
      3. Songs
    4. Bible recognizes the reality of Satan
      1. Six times the Gospels record Jesus exorcizes demons from afflicted people
      2. Demon possession is real and powerful
        1. Chains could not restrain the demonized
        2. Accompanied by sickness
      3. The word demon used 63 times in the New Testament
        1. Δαιμόνιον; daimonion - a demon
        2. Also called "unclean spirit"
  2. Jesus casts demons from blind, mute man
    1. The people wondered
      1. Jesus' intended effect
      2. "Could this be the Son of David?"
    2. Demonic experiences
      1. Legitimate demon-possession
      2. Exorcism: with the authority of Jesus Christ the demons release their grip on a life
      3. Occult
      4. Spirit writing
    3. Shattered: Exposing Windows of Evil
    4. Why we may not see as much demon possession today
      1. Devil is a master deceiver: Deception can be more effective
      2. An exorcism may lead to faith
      3. "I, the devil, will always see to it that there are bad people. Your job, my dear Wormwood, is to provide me with the peoplewho do not care." —Screwtape, The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
    5. No enemy more powerful than one who you don't think exists
    6. Jesus presumably casts the demon out and heals the man
  3. The Pharisees' Response
    1. Accuse Jesus of being in league with the devil; doing tricks to get a crowd
    2. Some accused Jesus of being a magician or sorcerer
      1. Lingering belief
      2. Recorded in Rabbinic literature after the New Testament
      3. Included in pagan writings
    3. Beelzebub
      1. First mentioned in 2 Kings 1
      2. Baal-Zebub
        1. Baal: Chaldean term for "lord"
        2. Followed by a domain
      3. Baal-Zebul: Master of the heavenly realms; Lord of Ekron
      4. Beelzebub
        1. Lord of the flies
        2. Lord of the dung
        3. A derogatory statement against a false god
        4. A term for Satan
  4. Jesus' Response
    1. Clear thinking and perfect logic
      1. If Satan casts out Satan, He works against himself
      2. Civil war weakens a nation
      3. A kingdom, city, house divided against itself will not stand
    2. By whom do your sons cast out?
      1. Sons i.e., their disciples, associates
      2. To seven sons of Sceva: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)
      3. Underestimated the power of Satan
      4. Underestimated the power of Jesus
      5. Origen recorded in the third century, some tried to use the name Jesus as an incantation
    3. Jesus claimed He received His power from God's Spirit
      1. A clear Messianic claim
      2. Isaiah foretold a Spirit filled Messiah (see Isaiah 11, 42, 61)
    4. Binding the strong man
      1. House: human body
      2. Strong man: Satan
      3. One who binds: Jesus
      4. The binding of Satan on a worldwide scale takes place in stages
        1. Began during Jesus' public ministry
        2. Death, burial, resurrection, ascension: guarantee the ultimate binding
        3. In reality: the millennial kingdom (Satan bound in Hades [see Revelation 20])
        4. Ultimately: Satan cast in the lake of fire (see Revelation 20)
      5. Satan has a degree of freedom today
        1. Talk to Jesus about Satan
        2. Don't talk to Satan about Jesus
        3. We don't bind Satan, Jesus does
      6. Lucifer became Satan when God cast him out of heaven
        1. "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:14)
        2. Expelled from heaven, access to the God as a visitor
      7. Accuser
        1. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.' Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?' So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear God for nothing?'" (Job 1:6-9)
        2. "For the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." (Revelation 12:10)
        3. "Satan was trained in the heaven of heavens"—Jonathan Edwards
    5. "He who is not with Me is against Me"
      1. Context
        1. Jesus speaks of the harvest
        2. The people like sheep without a shepherd
        3. Pray for workers to bring in the harvest
        4. The Scribes and Pharisees were making it difficult
      2. "Now John answered Him, saying, 'Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.' But Jesus said, 'Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 'For he who is not against us is on our side.'" (Mark 9:38-40)
        1. Sounds like a contradiction
        2. In Matthew, it is a matter of salvation
          1. Jesus personally
          2. Scribes and Pharisees
        3. In Mark, it is a matter of service
          1. "Us" the group
          2. Disciples were more concerned about themselves than the service
          3. "Then Moses said to him, 'Are you zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!'" (Numbers 11:29)
          4. As long as Christians hold to the essentials of the faith, there should not be division
            1. Person, nature, and work of Jesus Christ
            2. Branch offices of the same business
    6. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: The Unpardonable Sin
      1. "Therefore" demands context
        1. Pharisees ascribed Jesus' power to Satan
        2. Their sin an attitude of the heart
      2. Role of the Holy Spirit: Lead us to Christ
        1. "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" (John 16:8)
        2. Makes a person recognize their need for Christ
        3. Reveals who Jesus is as sent from God
        4. To reject Jesus is to reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit
      3. The final rejection of Jesus
        1. To attribute what Jesus did to Satan
        2. "There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that."(1 John 5:16)
        3. A reprobate mind
      4. Concern that you have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is evidence that you have not
    7. "Make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad"       (v. 33)
      1. Exposes inconsistency
      2. Tells the Pharisees to make up their minds
      3. Fruit reflects the quality of the tree
      4. Jesus calls us to be fruit inspectors
        1. "Judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24)
        2. Not a call to judge salvation
        3. Begin with your own tree
    8. Brood of Vipers
      1. Words of John the Baptist
      2. Sons of slimy snakes!
      3. Venomous words because of venomous thoughts
      4. The bucket of the mouth reveals the wellspring of the heart
    9. By your words you are justified or condemned
      1. Believers
        1. Penalty is paid
        2. Sin is atoned for
        3. Saved by grace through faith
        4. Bema Seat
          1. Obedience rewarded
          2. Loss of rewards by disobedience
      2. Our mouths get us into trouble
        1. Of seven things God hates, three are sins of the tongue (see Proverbs 6:16-19)
        2. "For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body." (James 3:2)
    10. Pharisees ask for a sign
      1. Jesus has been giving signs; another sign will not convince them
      2. The sign of Jonah
        1. Jesus believed in a literal Jonah
        2. Ultimate sign: His death, burial, and resurrection
        3. Jonah was the sign to Nineveh
        4. Nineveh repented

Greek Terms:Δαιμόνιον; daimonion - a demon
Figures Referenced: Jonathan Edwards; Origin
Publications Referenced: USA Today, Shattered: Exposing Windows of Evil; The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
Cross References: Numbers 11:29; 2 Kings 1; Job 1:6-9; Proverbs 6:16-19; Isaiah 11; Isaiah 14:14; Isaiah 42, Isaiah 61; Mark 9:38-40; John 7:24; John 16:8; Acts 19:15; James 3:2; 1 John 5:16; Revelation 12:10; Revelation 20

Transcript

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Let's pray.  Lord there's a certain kind of joy that we experience, when in worship we abandon our hearts and express ourselves to you.  We sing words.  Some of us feel like we can enter in with a full reality to the words that we sing.  Others of us have common, our hearts are weary.  We've had a difficult week.  The experiences put us in a different kind of a mood, a down mood.  So singing the songs that we sing to You tonight, we've had to sing them by faith and we've had to sing them not because we feel that way but because they're true about who You are.  That's really what the essence of worship is, declaring the truth of who You are by the songs we sing and by our willingness to listen to Your voice and Your word.

We pray Father that the questions that we have, the issues that we're dealing with and the sorrows that may weigh down hearts -- we pray Father that your spirit, the spirit of the living God, would minister to your people during this time.  We also know that many are joining us online and watching via computer, dealing with their own life's circumstances and we pray Lord that there would be no limitation of Your spirit, would minister to them as well, in Jesus' name.  Amen.

In our day and age atheism, agnosticism, relativism sort of rule the day in terms of prevalent philosophies.  At the same time, there is a sense of spirituality among many people but it's the kind of generic spirituality that doesn't tie into one particular religion, but open to all things spiritual.  At USA Today poll revealed that 95% of American teenagers believed in at least one supernatural phenomenon.  Of that 95% of teenagers that believe that there is some supernatural spiritual force, 74 of them, 74% of the 95% claim to believe in angels, 50% of them claim to believe in the power of extra sensory perception, 29% of them believe in witchcraft, 22% believe in ghost and 16% say they believe in the Loch Ness Monster.  I don't know how that fits in, but it was in the poll.

The Bible reveals that there is a natural world.  We know that to be true but also what's more important, it reveals a supernatural world that God initiated it, rules over it, created the natural world, mankind upon it but also behind the scenes, there is a real evil called Satan.

Most of the polling that I have read in different books, magazines, articles, when they talk about the beliefs of Americans, even most people who believe in God denied the existence of a literal devil or a literal hell.  You know, Satan the devil, that's the stuff songs are made out of, "Devil with the red dress on," "The devil went down to Georgia," "Devil in her heart," and so many songs that speak up the devil thus that's all that there really must be.  It must just be a word to describe the essence of evil that exist in the world.  The Bible recognizes the reality of Satan.

On six different occasions in the Gospels, Jesus confronts evil and cast demons that are inhabiting human bodies, cast the demons out of the person -- that there was the reality of demon possession controlling the motor functions of a human body.

Sometimes, the demons would manifest themselves with an enormous amount of power, so that even chains could not hold that person down.  At other times, it was accompanied with physical sickness.  Jesus would heal the sickness and deliver the person from demons.  Sixty-three times, in the New Testament, the word "demon" appears.  Daimonion is the Greek word, sometimes referred to as an unclean spirit but certainly affirms the reality of it.

In Verse 22, we read, "Then one was brought to him who was demon possessed, blind and mute and he healed him, so that the blind and the mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, 'Could this be the son of David?  Is this the long awaited Messiah, for which our forefathers have longed and waited and told us about, the son of David, the offspring of King David himself, the one who will bring in the Davidic, Messianic kingdom?'"  And this was the intended response of Jesus' miraculous works to get people to ask this question and then follow it through logically.  "Could this be the son of David?"

I've had my own experience as with the demonic.  Not only in seeing people who are legitimately demon possessed and seeing what they're capable of doing and in those cases having to exorcise those demons and when I say, exorcise, I mean exorcise not exercise.  I don't have them lift weights and do 20 laps around the church, that's not the idea of exorcising a demon but having with the authority of Jesus Christ, the demon unleash the grip that that spirit has had upon that life.

Another reason I know it to be real is that before I was a Christian and I've told you my testimony, I dabbled myself in the occult.  I was very, very curious and interested in all things demonic.  I think a lot of kids are.  They dabble and are curious with the dark side and so, I astral project it.  I was involved in spirit writing asking demons to inhabit my body and give me messages from past lives that I believed that I lived.  Receiving revelations from entities I had no idea even existed before that time and getting really in touch with the powers of darkness.

For me, as I was raised in a church environment, but dabbling in these powers that satisfied my curiosity but not enough because it just brought me deeper and deeper and deeper into it.

One day I thought to myself, I thought I'm experiencing such power and I'm fascinated by it.  But if what I have been taught by my parents that there is a God and a heaven and a hell and a real devil, if I am dealing with the wrong side and according to how I was raised, this is the wrong side, but if there's this much power on the wrong side -- if I got my life right with God and God in tune and in touch with the right side, what kind of power would there be?  That's what got me thinking.

Now, we produce a documentary called, "Shattered".  Some of you have seen it, many of you perhaps haven't, but we uncover all of the powers of darkness in the media especially because kids are still into this stuff and part of it illustrates my testimony.  It's just about 2 minutes, so we're going to roll that clip and then we'll get back into our study.

I traveled to Mexico with my high school Spanish class.  We're going to go down there and immerse ourselves in the culture.  It was a beautiful setting, Mazatlan, Mexico.

One night, I wanted to do what's called spirit writing.  Spirit writing is where instead of your soul travelling, you're just concentrating on other souls of other entities who could give you information.  In spirit writing, is where you ask the spirit world to control your body and to give you messages.  And I began getting into a trans-like state and all the while asking spirits to control me.

When I got out of the trans and I read the message -- the message was legible and clear -- it told me that indeed I did live before this body that my ancestry went all the way back to the Franco-Prussian war, that I was a soldier in the Prussian army.  I died in that war.  My life begins several lives back, I was somebody else and so I thought, that's my history, that's my ancestry.  So I start connecting these little dots and I go, "Wow!  That's really who I am."

Male: Skip, close the door, would you?  It's freezing in here.

Pastor Skip Heitzig:   What are you doing?  I now know that what I was dealing with was pure deception.  Experiences indeed are given to me to feed my curiosity, to feed my lust for experience, my lust for power, so that that would keep me away from faith in Christ.  Anything that will keep a person away from Jesus Christ, Satan will give to a person, because he doesn't want them to encounter the truth.

This feeds into a question we had a couple weeks ago, maybe last week about demon possession.  It was a few weeks ago -- is how come we don't see demon possession as much today and my answer was, "Well, I don't know that we don't see it as much especially in certain parts of the world."  But my own experience is that the devil is a master deceiver.  If he can deceive you and keep you away from Christ, possession isn't necessary.  Some people would see possession and the exorcism of a demon and go, "Whoa!  That was so powerful!"  I'm going to believe.

But the deception part, the blinding of the eyes, and if you've ever read the book, "Screwtape Letters" by C.S Louis, where he writes from a senior tempter, really Satan instructing his nephew, Wormwood, on how to ruin people's lives and keep them away from the truth.  In the book, Screwtape, who's supposed to be like the devil, writes to his nephew and he says, "The issue really isn't wickedness as much as indifference."  And he said, "I will always see to it that there are bad people.  Your job, my dear Wormwood, is to simply provide me with people who don't care."

If people can marginalize evil, Satan, the dark side and just say, "Well that's just the dark side of human nature.  There's not a real entity."  There's no more dangerous an enemy than one that you do not believe exist, who is powerfully behind the scenes exercising his own power.

Well here's a man, who has been controlled by a demon, demon possessed -- demonized would be a better term -- is physically sick.  Jesus presumably cast the demon out as well as heals the man.  Now when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of demons."  In other words, this Jesus fellow, he must be in league with the devil himself using supernatural power to do tricks just to get a crowd.

He wants to get a crowd.  He has his own lust for power and so he's in league with the devil, who's allowed him to perform certain tricks in order to get that crowd.

There was a prevailing belief that Jesus was a magician or a sorcerer -- when I say prevailing, it was a lingering belief that can be found in rabbinic literature even after the New Testament.  In rabbinic literature and in the pagan writings, in a Greco-Roman writings, there was the rumor that Jesus was a sorcerer, a magician that he controlled powerful, supernatural forces and used those forces to heal people or to control the demonic.  And so they are making that kind of an accusation now.

They used the term, "Beelzebub".  What does that mean and where does it come from?  We first read about Beelzebub in the Book of 2 Kings, Chapter 1, "When a King of Israel named Ahaziah, who was up in Sumaria, fell through the ladders in his upper room and fell down into the lower courtyard and he got hurt.  He wanted to know if he was going to get better so he sent messengers that say, 'Down into the Philistine country to inquire of Beelzebub to see if he would get better.'"

Now, Beelzebub or the better -- the original name was Baal, B-A-A-L, Baalzebub.  And every time you read in the Old Testament, Bale or Baal, that means Lord, that's a Ugaritic term or a Chaldean term, that speaks of the Lord and then it's followed by another word that tells you what domain that Lord is the Lord over.  So Baalzebub is thought to be originally Baalzebul.  And I say that because there are some New Testament translations that don't say Beelzebub, but Beelzebul.  So you go, "What are you talking about?"

The term Beelzebul is a word that means the master of the high place or the lord of the heavenly realms.  Baalzebub or here Beelzebub means the lord of the flies or the lord of the dung -- that is waste, human waste.  It is believed that the original term was Beelzebul and it got retranslated by the Jews, Beelzebub, as a derogatory statement against of false god.  Beelzebul was the God of Ekron, a Philistine city down south.  But the Jews used the term Beelzebub -- he is not the lord of the high place or the heavenly dwelling -- he's the lord of the flies or the lord of dung, and they used that term as a formal term for Satan himself.  It's just one of their derogatory terms to speak of the devil.

So the accusation is, he is in league with one of the false gods and we call him by name, Beelzebub, referring to Satan.  Now Jesus responds, "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand and if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore, they shall be your judges.'"

Carefully observed the crystal clear thinking and the perfect logic of Jesus, "Now boys, think this through.  You're accusing me of being in league with the devil.  So you're saying that I, by Satan's power in casting out an emissary of Satan who's controlling this person's body."  Why would Satan do that?  Why would Satan cast out Satan?  And it says a kingdom or a family or a city divided against itself cannot stand.  A civil war always weakens a nation, always weakens a city.  "If I am doing this by Satan's power then I'm diminishing Satan's kingdom.  How can I be in league with Satan if I'm undermining his kingdom, if I'm working for him?  It's illogical.  You guys aren't thinking clearly."

And he continues and he says, "And if I cast out demons", Verse 27, "By Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?"  Now the word "sons" refers to their associates or their disciples, the ones that are following them around and learning about Judaism through these rabbis.  So here you are attributing what I'm doing to Satan, but you would not attribute what your sons, your disciples are doing when they cast out demons, you wouldn't say that their power is also from the devil.  So you are attributing the same power and the same results to two different sources.  It's illogical, crystal clear thinking and perfect logic.

When you get to the Book of Acts, in Chapter 19, there's a story of Paul being at Ephesus, and there were a group of Jewish itinerate exorcist.  They went around casting demons out of people.  It was their job.  I'd hate that job, like the world's worst job.  Find people who are demon possessed.  It is just like every single day -- what a drag it would be at the office, but this is what they did.  They were self-proclaimed Jewish itinerate exorcist.  There was a man demon possessed in Ephesus and they heard the name of Jesus as used by Paul the Apostle.

"So these men," there were seven of them, seven sons of a Jewish chief priest name Sceva, "Went into a house where this man who was demon possessed and said these words, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, we command you to come out or we're exorcising you.'  And the demon who possessed the man spoke," using the human voice of the host that he was occupying, the body he was occupying.  And the demon said, "'Well, I know Paul and I know who Jesus is, but I don't know who you guys are,' and it says that man, controlled by the demon, leapt on those seven sons of Sceva and pummeled them, like tore them to shreds so that they all ran out of the house," I should say streak out of the house, "bruised and naked."

So they underestimated the power of Satan and they underestimated the power of Jesus from the life of a person who's truly in league with Jesus that would be Paul.  Paul could say, "In the name of Jesus come out."  He had a relationship with Christ.  These were Jewish, itinerate evangelist who just borrowed the name, but had no relationship.

If you do a little digging into church history, you'll found out that it's not an isolated event.  According to origin in the 3rd century, there were people that were using the name of Jesus because they saw that it had worked by Christians.  So they tried to use the name, borrowed the name as in incantation, but without power.

But Verse 28 is a key verse.  "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  You're attributing my power to satanic origin.  What I'm saying, have you considered that my power may not be from the spirit of the living God, because if that is true, then the kingdom of God has come upon you".  Why?  Because three times, in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah, "Isaiah predicted the coming Messiah, the servant of the Lord as one who would be filled with the spirit, controlled by the spirit and do science and wonders through the spirit of God," Isaiah Chapter 11, Isaiah Chapter 42 and Isaiah Chapter 61.  So, this is a messianic claim.

And so he's turning it around on them with clear logic with perspicuity, with clear thinking.  He says, "I could be doing this by the Spirit of God, then what does that mean for you guys?"  Which would mean like, "Uh-oh, we've just rejected the Messiah."  We have a text that has been texted in from Santa Fe.  By the way, we didn't welcome Santa Fe but we do welcome you now.  We have a text from Santa Fe, and it says, "Is there a difference between demon possession and demon oppression?"  It's an excellent question.

Yes, there is.  There's quite a difference.  Anyone can be oppressed, hassled by the devil not anyone can be demon possessed.  To be demonized is to be under the control, the total control of a demon.  You loose power.  You loose will.  You're a host.  Satan has occupied your body.  He's controlling the motor functions of your mind and he is using your body as sort of headquarters to torment that person and to torment people around him.

As believers, we can be oppressed.  I get oppressed all the time by the devil.  I get hassled all the time.  I'm a target.  You're a target.  But I cannot be possessed by the devil, why?  Because as Paul said, "Since the Spirit of God is in me and I'm the temple of the Holy Spirit, God is not going to share the apartment with a demon."  He's not going to say, "I tell you what, Satan, come on in and just have this part but I'll dwell over here on the corner."  That doesn't mean that you're a perfect person as you're indwell by the Holy Spirit but he does indwell you physically, your physical body.  He indwells you.  You become the base of operations for the Holy Spirit to move.

God isn't going to let a demon share the apartment.  "Greater as he that is in you", John writes, "Than he that is in the world, Satan operates in the realm of the world and can posses people who are in league with the world but in league with the Spirit of God."  So yes, there's quite a difference.

Verse 29, our Lord continues, "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man and then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with me is against me.  He who does not gather with me scatters abroad."  The house that he refers to, in that first verse, Verse 29 is the human body.  A house is the realm of a person's not only dwelling but power and authority.

The strong man is Satan.  The stronger man, the one who comes in to bind the strong man is Jesus.  And so he says, "How can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man."  That's what Jesus is doing with the man who was demon possessed.  He's binding the strong man.  He has an outside force -- is exercising more authority than the demon who occupied that man before Jesus cast them out.  So he's going into the house, binding the strong man and casting them out and he will plunder his house.

The Pharisees could not deny the power of Jesus.  He performed miracles.  They were able to see or at least hear about that man who is demonized and now he's free.  They couldn't deny his power, but they had to explain it and the way they explained it, illogically and wrong theologically, was that it must be the devil.  Jesus says, "It's impossible.  The reality is that I am empowered by the Spirit of God, proving that I am the Messiah according to the Prophet Isaiah, and I am a stronger man than the one who is occupying the man and I've come in and I bound him and I've cast him out and I've set the person in it free."

Now, there's another way to look at it.  The binding of the strong man or the binding of Satan on a worldwide scale, not in a particular individual scale like we're dealing with here, but in a worldwide scale, will take place in stages.  Now follow me here.  The first stage is when Jesus came to this earth and exercise power in his public ministry like we're reading about, that's stage number one.  The second stage is death, burial, resurrection and ascension.  When Jesus died and rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, he guaranteed the ultimate binding of Satan by that power.  The third stage will be a reality stage worldwide in the millennial kingdom, the thousand-year reign of Christ, Revelation Chapter 20, "When Satan is bound in Hades during that period," the Bible says.

"And then the ultimate binding of the strong man will be, when Satan is cast into the eternal lake of fire," Revelation Chapter 20.  Now I'm bringing that out, because here is Jesus delivering a person who's demonized from the power of Satan.  It's a man coming in who is stronger than the strong man of the house.  But at the same time, it sure seems like Satan has a lot of power today, that he has a freedom to move around which he does.  And I'm bringing all this up because I hear people when they pray sometimes.  They'll say, "I bind you devil."  First of all you shouldn't be talking directly to the devil.  Never pray to Satan, bad form.

"Satan I bind you," no, stop.  Talk to Jesus about Satan, don't talk to Satan about Jesus.  But they say, like they have the authority, "I am binding Satan."  Well do me a favor, if you bind him would you do it once and for all because he keeps coming back.  It's really a charade.  We don't bind Satan, Jesus bind Satan.  And until that final binding takes place, Satan has a lot of ability to roam around and exercise a degree of power.  If he didn't, we wouldn't see all the evil that is around us in this world.  It's pretty obvious.  So if you think you have the power to bind Satan, just like go through society in all the world, take a map with you and just cover all your base and get it done with.

But the fact that you don't see lasting results shows that it's just often a Christian game that is played.  Now go with me to the Book of Job for just a moment or I'll just read it to you since I premarked it again.  Job Chapter 1 and you'll see what I mean, "Now, there was a day when the sons of God," this is Job 1:6.  "There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them."  Here is Satan, in the presence of God, showing up to give an account.

Now first of all, when did Satan become Satan?  What was he before Satan?  He was Lucifer.  He was an angel, the highest ranking angel of worship in the heavenly realm, but he said in his heart according to the prophet, "I will exalt my stars above the throne of God.  I will be like the most high." And he was -- at that point, of self-will cast down from the presence of God, from the throne room of God and Lucifer became Satan.  He was expelled as an occupant, but according to Job 1 and 2, "He has access to God as a visitor," so Satan is among them.  "And the Lord said to Satan," Verse 7, "From where do you come?"  And so Satan answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on the earth," that's his domain.  He's been cast down to the earth, lucky us.

And from walking back and forth on it, "Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant, Job, that there's none like him on the earth?  A blameless and upright man when who fears God and shuns evil.'  So Satan answered the Lord and said, 'This Job fear God for nothing.  Have you not made a hedge around him?  Around his household and around all that he has in every side?  You have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land.'"  What is Satan doing as you read on?  He's accusing Job before God which is what he does with us, Revelation Chapter 12, "He's called the accuser of the brethren, who accuses us before God day and night."

He brings an accusation against Job.  Here, it's a false accusation with many of us.  It may be a false accusation.  It might be a true accusation.  He's got the dirt on us, right?  He could say, "Hey God, have you looked at Skip?  He's no good.  He's just using you.  He's a creep and he could come up with accusations, some are false but many of them maybe true."  He's accusing Job before God's throne.  Satan is powerful.  Satan is mobile.  Satan has some kind of access today to the throne of God.  He is not totally bound yet.

And as Jonathan Edwards reminded us because Satan was Lucifer, he was trained in the heaven of heavens.  He said he's quite an astute theologian who knows the Bible from cover to cover and theology backward and forward and he can even quote scripture, in which you saw in the temptation of Jesus.  So the final binding of the strong man is going to be ultimately when Satan is bound during the millennial kingdom, has no access anymore to the earth.  He's completely removed from this earthly sin for a thousand literal years and then he'll be thrown into the lake of fire, in Revelation 20.

Continuing the thought back in Matthew, Jesus says in Verse 30, "He, who is not with me, is against me.  He who does not gather with me scatters abroad."  It makes sense.  Here is Jesus trying to do the job of the harvest, trying to gather in those.  He looked at the people who were scattered out in the field in Matthew Chapter 9, "As sheep having those shepherd, he said, 'Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.'"  He's trying to gather them in and Satan's emissaries, who are the religious leaders, the scribes and the Pharisees, are making the job difficult.

Now we do have another scripture that we have to contend with, here Jesus says, "He, who is not with me, is against me."  If you read an account in the Gospel of Mark 9:40, Jesus says almost the reverse of this.  Well, let's read it.  Turn with me to the Gospel of Mark Chapter 9.  Look at it.

I bring it up because if not, you'll read it later and it could stumble you and I don't know how long it'll be before we get to the Gospel of Mark 9:38.  "Now John answered him, 'Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in your name and we forbade him, because he doesn't follow us.'"  It sounds like some people I know.  "But Jesus said, 'Do not forbid him for no one who works a miracle in my name can soon afterwards speak evil of me.  For he who is not against us, is on our side.  For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name because you belong to Christ, assuredly I say to you 'He will by no means loose his reward.'"

It seems like a reversal of what we've just read in Matthew and so we might just say, "Well you know that person's not against us.  He must be one of us," that's not what he is saying.  Here's something that will help you unravel this mystery.  In Matthew, Jesus is speaking of salvation.  In Mark, he is speaking of service.  In Matthew, we are speaking about false proclaimers, the Pharisees and the scribes.  There's no neutrality.  "If you're not for me personally," Jesus said.  "If you are not with me personally, you are against me.  You're getting in the way of what I'm all about."

But Mark is talking about service to the Lord.  Here are people using the name of Jesus to cast demons out and evidently it's working.  I don't know what the circumstances referred to, but Jesus said, "Let them alone.  If they're not against us, not me personally, us -- what we're doing, our work, our service then they're for us."  Now these disciples were more concerned about their literal way of doing things, their sectarianism, their -- if you will, denominationalism and less concerned about people who are set free from demons.  And that's why Jesus said, "Let them alone.  Let them go.  If they're not against us in what we're doing, they're for us."

Remember the Old Testament when Joshua came to Moses, there were two guys in the camp of Israel?  Prophesy named Eldad and Medad, do you remember them?  Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the camp.  Joshua goes up to Moses and said, "Moses, there are two guys that are like doing your job.  They are like prophesying and only, you're the guy to do that.  You're the guy filled with the spirit, you're Moses."  He said, "Go tell them to stop."  Moses said, "Are you jealous for my sake?  Would that all God's people could prophesy and that all of them were filled with the spirit?"

I wish the whole camp of Israel were prophesying.  I wish they were all use by God in this capacity, that's the spirit of Jesus as getting toward here with his disciples.  Listen, has Christian churches as long as we hold to the essentials of the Christian Gospel, the non-essentials, who cares about him?  Who cares about the little non-essentials?  Some Christians bicker and fight and divide over the stupidest things.  I look at it this way, as long as you agree on the essentials of the true Christian Gospel, the person, nature and work of Jesus Christ you're my brother or my sister.

If you're a part of this church or another church like it, we're all branch offices of the same business and if God blesses one branch office, we're all blessed together.  If he blesses another branch office, we're all blessed together.  We're just branch offices of the same international business and that is God's business, so Jesus says, "Let them alone."

But in Matthew, we're speaking about his own personal.  He was not with me, he's against me.  He does not gather with me, scatters abroad.  Therefore, and that's very important word in the next verse, because I left you hanging last week with what is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Notice Jesus speaks about what the Pharisees have said about him, draws the line, he says "You're either for me or against me," and then the word therefore connecting the thought, "Therefore, I say to you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

There are some people, there are some commentators and there are some biblical authorities who will say that it's impossible to commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit today.  The reason they say that is, Jesus is in here, in the flesh performing miracles.  He's not in physicality performing the kind of science and wonders where these people were speaking against him.  So it's impossible to commit the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in the same way.  Okay, whatever push that aside.

The word therefore draws for us the context as I mentioned, "And therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."  Okay, every time there's a therefore, you know the rule, find out what's its therefore, right?  They have just attributed a miraculous work and control over a part of the supernatural world, demons.  They've ascribed that to the work of Satan.  They've ascribed what Jesus did in his power to Satan and then Jesus says, "Therefore," he talks about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

Their sin wasn't on what they said as much as an attitude of their heart.  They sinned against the Holy Spirit.  They are blaspheming the Holy Spirit, why?  Because what is the role of the Holy Spirit?  Ask yourself that.  What did the Holy Spirit come here to do?  To lead us to Christ, to convict the world of sin, Jesus said, "Righteousness and of judgment of sin, because they do not believe in me," he said.  So if the task of the Holy Spirit is to make a person realize their need for Christ, who he is assent from God and to draw a person in a relationship with Christ to reject Jesus Christ.  The person of Christ is to reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit, that's the role of the Spirit of God.

So what these Pharisees were saying, "That Jesus in league with the devil and he's doing this by Satan," proves that they have a condition of heart that they have so rejected Christ, that they have rejected the testimony of the Spirit of God that has proved to them who Jesus is.  So its more than just saying, "I think that guy did that by Satan's work."  It's a condition of the heart that they have so rejected Jesus Christ, that they're willing to attribute what Jesus did to Satan, that's the role of the Holy Spirit.  I believe that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is what John writes about in I John Chapter 5 when he says, "There is a sin unto death and I do not say that you should pray for it."

The sin unto death is the deliberate turning ones back and rejection of Jesus Christ and it's that ongoing rejection of Jesus Christ.  So that if a person dies in that condition of rejecting very Jesus that the Holy Spirit came to convict you of that that sin can never be forgiven, ever.  All manner of sin can be forgiven, but it's the rejection of Christ that's the testimony of the Spirit of God, that is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  There's an old poem that says, "There is a time we know not when, a line we know not where that marks the destiny of men betwixt, sorrow and despair."

There is a line though by men unseen once it has been crossed, even God and all his love has sworn that all is loss.  It is possible for a person to cross the line to where that human becomes what Paul describes as a reprobate mind, beyond feeling, beyond the ability to redeem.  Now, I've got to tell you something, I don't know that I've ever met a person like that.  I may have and I probably have, but I don't know that I have.  It sounds like they have a little red flag or light reprobate.  And you can say, "Oh, I have," and I meet people all the time and there's like they're so against Jesus.  Yeah, but I've seen people who are so against Jesus today in a few years come up to me and say, I'm a believer.

So I don't write about anybody off and I don't think anybody can be written off until the day they die.  Only God knows who's committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Now, every now and then, I'll meet somebody who is worried that they've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  "I've done it."  "You have done what?"  That's what a girl said to me, "I've done it.  I've committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit."  I said, "No, you haven't."  She goes, "How do you know?"  I said, "Because you're worried about it."

If you have any inkling that it's a mistake you think you have made and you're worried that you have done it, you haven't done it.  The kind of heart that Jesus describes here, that the Pharisees exhibited, that's different than somebody whose tender heart didn't worried that they have transgressed by committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  Verse 33, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad for a tree is known by its fruit."  He is exposing their inconsistency.

You guys make up your mind.  You're willing to say that if somebody is freed from Satan's power that it must be the devil at work and you have your own associates and disciples who do it.  Look at the fruit.  Look at what this life has produced.  I've cured the sick.  I've raised the dead.  Blind eyes, see.  Ears that were deaf can now hear.  That's pretty good fruit, that must mean there's a good tree behind it.  You can always tell a tree by its fruit.

When my wife and I moved here in our early years, I rented a home up in the Northeast Heights.  It was wintertime, but I knew that the trees in the backyard were fruit trees.  I'm not all that bright, but I'm bright enough to know they were fruit trees.  And so my wife said, "Well what kind of fruit trees are they?"  And I said, "Oh, those are apple trees." She said, "I don't think they are.  I think those are peach trees."  I said, "No, trust me.  I've been around apple trees.  I grew up with them, that's an apple tree."  "I think you're wrong.  I think that's a peach tree."

By spring and summer, it was beyond doubt because they butted and they bore forth fruit, peaches.  I was dead wrong.  She was absolutely correct.  The tree is known by its fruit.  You're right, that's a peach tree.  How do you know?  It's got peaches.  That's how I knew she knew before, but it took fruit.  Lives produce fruit, results and effects.  By the way, Jesus calls us to be fruit inspectors.  People sometimes like to say, "Well, you should never judge people."  Yeah, you should a lot, all the time.  Jesus said, "Judge ye your righteous judgment," that's a commandment.  Yeah, but didn't Jesus say judge not less you be judged, that's right.

You can never censoriously judge a person committing that person to everlasting destruction.  You don't know the heart at that time or you don't know the future of what God will do.  However, you can look into the life of a person, what that person produces and by the fruit you can say, "That person is a child of God," or it sure looks like there's no fruit that would indicate that person as a child of God.  Be a fruit inspector, but begin with your own tree.  Look in your own backyard, look at what your own life is producing because once you have good fruit, you'll be able to tell what other good fruit is, not because you read about it somewhere, but because you lived it.

Verse 34, it didn't win Jesus any points with him.  "Brood of vipers," he says, that's what John the Baptist called him, remember?  He was right.  Jesus calls them a brood of vipers.  A brood, those are children or offspring.  Here's a modern translation, "You sons of slimy snakes."  Now if Jesus says that to you, look out.  How can you being evil, that's a kind of tree that they are, speak good things for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.  The venomous words that were brought forth from their mouths, because of the wicked venomous thoughts of their own hearts.  The fruit was what they said.  The real tree was the wicked heart that was against Jesus Christ, the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.

In other words, the bucket of the mouth reveals the wellspring of the heart.  What you say at least eventually reflects who you are in your heart.  "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things and evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.  But I say to you for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment for by your words, you will be justified and by your words, you will be condemn."  Now, don't misunderstand what he is saying.  If you're a believer, if you have come to Jesus Christ, you've come to God by faith and his Son, then the price for the penalty of your sins, no matter what your sins are including the sins of speech are atoned for.

So its not like Jesus will say, "Well, remember that one day when he said that bad word?"  Okay, so you've got to do like five years here before you can get in.  You are saved by faith, by grace through faith, so the penalty of that is taken care of.  However, there is something called the Judgment Seat of Christ, the Bema Seat of Christ that he writes -- that Paul writes about in Corinthians.  It talks about the rewards that you will get or the lack of reward, a loss of a reward from the Lord.  So you're rewarded by your obedience to Christ, you loose rewards on your disobedience, that is not salvation by works.  You're saved by God's grace.  It's free.  You're going to heaven.

But in heaven, there will be degrees of rewards that are handed out.  Bibles are very clear about that.  So you may buy your own words, lose certain rewards that you could have gotten, but you are going to be in God's heaven, you will be eternally with him.  This is not an issue of that, but these who have indicated that Jesus is being controlled by Satan, that's the fruit.  And so he says, "By your words, you will be justified and by your words, you will be condemned."

Our mouths get us into trouble, would you agree?  Have you ever said something and as soon as you said it, you go, "Oh, I want to put it right back in," and you can't.  It's gone.  It's too late.  It happens to me all the time.  I talk a lot.  In Proverbs 6, there's a list of seven things that God hates.  Now just the fact that there is such a list should pique your interest, because if you want to find out what God not just dislikes, what he hates, go read the list, not now, later.  You can find it right now.  No, just find it later, Proverbs 6.

Three of the seven things that God hates are sins of the tongue.  What does that tell you?  The tongue gets us into trouble.  James said, "It's a fire and it is set on fire by hell."  James said, "If a person can control his tongue that same man is a perfect man able to keep his whole body in check."  Some people, some Christian people ran off at the mouth.  There are sins of the mouth, lying, deceit, half-truths, ornery remarks, hateful remarks, gossip.  Have you heard?  No.  Well I just wanted to get a lot of people praying for this.

There was a woman named Arabella Young who lived in England and she had this problem and I hear that on her tombstone are these words, "Beneath this stone a lump of clay, lies Arabella Young, who on the 24th of May began to hold her tongue."  It was her death that stopped her mouth.  She couldn't keep it close.  She ran off at the mouth that was the one thing that ruined it for her, but it was her death that stopped it all.  So what we say is important and it reflects the kind of heart that we have.  If you're a negative person and you spout off hurtful, vengeful mean things or gossip, it reveals the kind of heart that you have.

"Keep your heart with all diligence," it says in Proverbs, "For out of it precede the issues of life."  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, "Teacher."  Boy, I can't believe it's the time it is already.  I'll make it fast.  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.  Hello, what he has been doing for the last several months?"  Sign, wonder, "Excuse me Jesus, can we like see a sign?"  I'd say no.  It reveals our hypocrisy because he's been doing sign after sign after sign.  One more sign is not going to convince them.

And so Jesus answers, "An evil and an adulteress generation seeks after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah, for has Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish.  So the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth or three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will rise up and judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah and indeed a greater than Jonah is here."

First of all, notice that Jesus believe in a literal man named Jonah, who was swallowed by a great fish.  If you don't believe that, you're welcome to believe whatever you want.  Just don't say, "Oh, I follow Jesus."  You don't follow the same Jesus I follow because the Jesus I follow believed it.  He wasn't just saying it to accommodate the ignorance of the people of his time as some people say.  He spoke with his historical fact and he called them into judgment over.  He says basically I'm not going to give you anymore sign.  The ultimate sign will be my death, burial and resurrection.

The sign of Jonah was the fact that this man survived after being in a great fish for three days and three nights and he came out alive and spoke to the people of Nineveh.  Do you know the story?  It's very famous in the Old Testament.  Jonah himself was the sign.  He was swallowed and disgorged from -- did you like how I put that?  I said it vomited it out.  It was disgorged from the great fish.  Now from the accounts that I have read, people who have survived similar accounts, their hair is completely off of their head, their skin is bleached white from the stomach acid.  So I imagined a guy looking like that, a bald prophet, bleached white, seaweed around his head, fish bloop out of his ear that would be a sign.

This guy is alive after that.  The sign of the Prophet Jonah is the sign that you're going to see and that's really the only sign, that's the ultimate sign.  My resurrection from the dead attest to who I am when that happens.  Then he says, "The men of Nineveh rise up and condemned it, because Jonah came all that way to see them and they repented.  You didn't have to go anywhere.  I came all the way out of heaven to see you, which is greater than what Jonah did and you haven't received my words."

The Queen of the South or the Queen of Sheba will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it for she came from the ends of the earth along our Jewish journey, to hear the Wisdom of Solomon and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.  When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest and he finds none and it says, "I will return to my house from which I came.  When he comes he finds it empty, swept and put in order, then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there and the last state of that man is worst than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."

That is a heavy verse.  It seems to be talking about the same thing we started with and that is demon possession, the man is release from the bondage of Satan.  Then he finds that that house is not occupied so he brings back other spirits with him, what possibly could he mean?  Well, once again, we're at the breaking point.  I wanted to finish Chapter 12 and do all of Chapter 13 next week.  I won't even say it.

          Father, thank you that we were able to meet again by Your grace.  We know we have a powerful foe.  We know what his temptations are like.  We are not ignorant of Satan's devices.  We experiences attacks on a daily basis.  We also know that the spirit of the living God dwells within us and You are able to do what we cannot do on our own that is why we declare, we desperately need You.  Fill us afresh with Your spirit that we might walk in his power and his authority, not our own.  Give us Your grace Lord and help us to make application of these things to our lives, in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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9/7/2011
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Matthew 1:1-18
Matthew 1:1-18
Skip Heitzig
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As we turn our attention to the New Testament, Pastor Skip explains what transpired during the 400 years of silence since the Old Testament. Our firm grasp of the political setting, language, and Matthew's purpose and perspective establishes a solid foundation for understanding his gospel. In Matthew 1, we see Jesus revealed as the royal Heir to the throne of David—the Messiah, Immanuel: God with us.
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9/14/2011
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Matthew 1:18-2:23
Matthew 1:18-2:23
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Every year people around the world recognize the birth of a poor Jewish child born in an insignificant city. The birth of Jesus Christ, as recorded in the Scriptures, beckons us to worship and obey the King of the Jews. Let's examine Matthew's account of the miraculous circumstances of the nativity and the prophecies it fulfilled.
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9/21/2011
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Matthew 3
Matthew 3
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Jesus called John the Baptist the greatest man among those born of women. John saw himself in the light of who Jesus is: not even worthy to loose His sandal. From the womb, he was filled with the Spirit, continually pointing people to Christ. Let's consider this powerful prophet, his ministry, and the message he preached.
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9/28/2011
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Matthew 4:1-17
Matthew 4:1-17
Skip Heitzig
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Prior to the start of Jesus' public earthly ministry, He was led up to be tempted by the devil. As we review His encounter with Satan, we uncover important principles of spiritual warfare. We consider not only when and how Jesus was tempted, but also how He fought—and the ministry that began on the heels of the battle.
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10/5/2011
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Matthew 4:18-5:4
Matthew 4:18-5:4
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Leaving life as they knew it, the disciples followed Jesus and became intimate witnesses of Jesus' teaching, preaching, and healing. As we dive into this portion of Matthew, we turn our attention to their calling and listen in as Jesus begins the greatest sermon ever preached.
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10/19/2011
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Matthew 5:5-16
Matthew 5:5-16
Skip Heitzig
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The economy in God's Kingdom is quite different from that of the world: it's paradoxical; it's progressive. Let's consider the Beatitudes and discover what kingdom living looks like, and how it impacts those around us.
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10/26/2011
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Matthew 5:17-32
Matthew 5:17-32
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The multitudes listening to Jesus teach were undoubtedly shaken by His powerful statement: "Unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20). How, then, could one be saved? As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we remember that salvation is not available through human achievement--only by divine accomplishment.
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11/2/2011
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Matthew 5:33-6:8
Matthew 5:33-6:8
Skip Heitzig
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As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we'll grow in our understanding of the contrasts between the world and the kingdom of heaven. Followers of Jesus are called to a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees—a righteousness based on our genuine relationship with Christ, rather than mere outward obedience.
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11/9/2011
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Matthew 6:9-34
Matthew 6:9-34
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, we learn that when we make God's kingdom our focus, He provides everything we need.
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11/16/2011
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Matthew 7
Matthew 7
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus calls His followers to live differently from the world -- to live a kingdom lifestyle. In this study from the Sermon on the Mount, we consider what kingdom living looks like in both our relationships with others and our relationship with God.
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12/7/2011
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Matthew 8:1-26
Matthew 8:1-26
Skip Heitzig
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Throughout his gospel account, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah. Building upon the foundation of fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' identity is authenticated by miraculous signs. As we examine Matthew chapter eight, let's consider the compassion and grace Jesus demonstrates.
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1/18/2012
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Matthew 8:23-9:9
Matthew 8:23-9:9
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Matthew carefully crafted his gospel to speak directly to the hearts of his Jewish audience. Through his detailed record of Jesus' genealogy, fulfilled prophecy, Jesus' actions, instructions, and miracles, Matthew proves that Jesus is Messiah. Let's take a close look at several of those miracles, and gain a firm grasp of His Deity.
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1/25/2012
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Matthew 9:10-31
Matthew 9:10-31
Skip Heitzig
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To the Pharisees, tax collectors and sinners were part of a lower, unpleasant class. But Jesus longed for fellowship with all people. He shared intimate meals with them, ministered to their needs, and reached out to the unlovely. As we study this passage in Matthew 9, we learn how we are also called to be heralds of the good news that brings spiritual health and enduring joy.
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2/1/2012
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Matthew 9:32-10:31
Matthew 9:32-10:31
Skip Heitzig
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The Lord calls His followers to proclaim His message to the world—we are appointed to carry out a divine purpose. We learn in this study that we, like the apostles, find abundant life only in letting go of our own ambitions, plans, and comfort.
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2/8/2012
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Matthew 10:32-11:19
Matthew 10:32-11:19
Skip Heitzig
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In His second major discourse of Matthew, Jesus equips and instructs His apostles about going into the world and reaping the spiritual harvest. In this passage, Jesus expounds on the courage needed to complete the mission and warns His followers of certain persecution. He reminds us that while not all who hear will believe, God's wisdom is powerfully demonstrated in changed lives.
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2/15/2012
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Matthew 11:16-30
Matthew 11:16-30
Skip Heitzig
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In order to truly worship God, you must know Him. Speaking clearly and openly in this passage, Jesus proclaims some of His strongest warnings and makes some of His most intimate promises. He reveals the Father to His followers and assures us that life lived under His rule yields peace and rest.
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2/22/2012
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Matthew 12:1-21
Matthew 12:1-21
Skip Heitzig
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Though God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest, keeping the Sabbath became difficult work by New Testament times. The oral traditions of the Pharisees had become weighty burdens-burdens the Lord did not mean for His people to bear. In this passage, Jesus demonstrates mercy and the true intent of the Sabbath as He and His disciples meet physical needs in the face of strong opposition.
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3/7/2012
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Matthew 12:43-13:17
Matthew 12:43-13:17
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Jesus consistently brought His message of hope to the common man: He spoke in parables to bring revelation to His followers and to conceal heavenly truth from the hard-hearted. In this message, we examine parables of our Master Teacher and Holy Judge, and discover that truth can be a blessing, but also a curse--we must be diligent to understand and apply God's Word to our lives.
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3/14/2012
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Matthew 13:18-52
Matthew 13:18-52
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Jesus often used parables to explain spiritual truth to His followers. In Matthew 13, His seven kingdom parables are recorded--word pictures which explain the beginning, opposition, expansion, and culmination of His kingdom. Let's consider His teachings and apply these lessons, so that we may be fellow workers with Him in spreading the good news.
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3/21/2012
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Matthew 13:53-14:36
Matthew 13:53-14:36
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In this passage from the gospel of Matthew, we see powerful examples of the results of both faith and the lack of it. Those who might have known Jesus best failed to trust in Him and missed out on His work in their lives, while others were carried through the storm in His care. As we consider our own trials, we should rest in His hands, knowing He has power to change us and use our lives for His glory.
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3/28/2012
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Matthew 15
Matthew 15
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God is less concerned with the outward appearance than He is with the inward attitude. In this passage, Jesus boldly proclaims truth in a confrontation with the Pharisees, warning his followers to avoid hypocrisy. We also witness His tender response to the persistent faith of a Gentile woman, and His mercy for the multitudes. As we study Matthew 15, let's consider our own approach to Him: Do we recognize that we cannot live without Him?
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4/11/2012
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Matthew 16:1-20
Matthew 16:1-20
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Through stern rebuke, gentle prodding, and powerful teaching, Jesus instructs those around Him about who He is and how we can know and serve Him. Matthew 16 records several lessons in faith - warnings and wisdom which encourage us in our own spiritual journey.
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4/25/2012
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Matthew 16:21-17:27
Matthew 16:21-17:27
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Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. From this passage, we gain a clearer understanding of what it means to exalt Him as King in our lives and also get a preview of His future glory, when He will reign over all the earth.
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5/2/2012
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Matthew 18
Matthew 18
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How should sin be dealt with? As we examine Matthew 18, we learn not only to deal radically with sin in our own lives, but also the steps toward reconciliation with a sinning brother.
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6/13/2012
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Matthew 19
Matthew 19
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In the U.S., the lifestyle of Christians often mirrors that of unbelievers--divorce, self-indulgence, misaligned priorities. Using God's Word to teach lessons about divorce and eternal life, Jesus exhorts his followers to enter the kingdom of heaven--to live in wholehearted faith and obedience to the Him. Let's consider what Scripture says about godly living and the reward Jesus promises to His faithful followers.
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6/20/2012
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Matthew 20
Matthew 20
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As followers of Christ, what awaits us in eternity? In this study, we consider not only our eternal home but also our eternal reward. Saved by grace through faith, we must see beyond the circumstances and status of this world, and look toward our future glory.
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7/11/2012
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Matthew 21:1-32
Matthew 21:1-32
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In this intriguing passage, Jesus enters Jerusalem in a precise fulfillment of prophecy. It's an exciting study, where those who know they need forgiveness find refreshment and hope—and those who rely on their own righteousness receive a stern rebuke.
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7/18/2012
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Matthew 21:33-22:22
Matthew 21:33-22:22
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Jesus taught with complete authority, denouncing the misconceptions of the religious leaders of the day. With skill and precision, Jesus uses parables and their own words to silence their challenges and expose their motives. Let's consider His words, heed His warnings, and remember that He alone is righteous and worthy of praise.
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7/25/2012
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Matthew 22:23-23:39
Matthew 22:23-23:39
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In dealing with the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus speaks wisely, uncompromisingly, and with the authority of heaven—His Words shoot straight to the heart. Though many try to fit Jesus into their pre-conceived mold—to accept Him and His Words only as far as they are comfortable—we learn here danger of that the perilous position.
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8/1/2012
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Matthew 24:1-30
Matthew 24:1-30
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In this passage—the Olivet Discourse— Jesus provides a summary of end time events: the future of the world. We look forward to the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus, but those found outside of Christ face unparalleled suffering and judgment. Let's contemplate the wrath of God that's in store for this world—and share the hope of the gospel with those who don't yet know Him.
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8/8/2012
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Matthew 24:31-25:46
Matthew 24:31-25:46
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In this section of the Olivet Discourse, we consider Jesus' Warning Parables. As we examine the text, let's remember that while the church escapes judgment, many are left to suffer the Great Tribulation. We must be righteous, be ready, and be responsible.
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8/15/2012
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Matthew 26:1-30
Matthew 26:1-30
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As Jesus gathered with His disciples to observe the Passover one last time, He brought fresh meaning to a festival which had been celebrated for thousands of years. Rather than a memorial to their physical deliverance from bondage in Egypt, the meal represents His broken body and shed blood—and spiritual deliverance from sin for those who believe.
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8/22/2012
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Matthew 26:31-75
Matthew 26:31-75
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Following the Last Supper, Jesus entered the Garden of Gethsemane and willingly surrendered Himself to the will of the Father: Jesus was crushed for our sin, abandoned to the Cross, so that we might have fellowship with Him. As we study Matthew 26, we consider the spiritual battle before us, the choices we make, and the ultimate victory that is ours through Jesus Christ.
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8/29/2012
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Matthew 27:1-50
Matthew 27:1-50
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In this message, we see the ultimate demonstration of God's love—the cross. Jesus, the King of the Jews, was betrayed, falsely accused, illegally tried, scourged, and ultimately crucified. As we consider the details of His crucifixion and death, how could we be anything except amazed and humbled?
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9/19/2012
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Matthew 27:50-66
Matthew 27:50-66
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As He hung on the cross, betrayed by his friends and separated from His Father, Jesus declared "It is finished!" Victorious, not defeated—He completed the work the Father gave Him to do. In that dark hour, the grave gave up some of her dead, the earth quaked, and in the temple, the curtain that separated men from God was torn from top to bottom. As we study this text, let's consider the price Jesus paid to redeem us and the personal, intimate fellowship with God now available.
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9/26/2012
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Matthew 28
Matthew 28
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Jesus' resurrection: great news for His disciples—troubling news to his enemies. As the chief priests grappled with a cover up, the disciples met with the risen Lord and were commissioned to "Go and make disciples of all the nations." As we consider our text, we discover the good news for ourselves: Jesus is not dead—He's alive and has all authority in heaven and earth.
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There are 36 additional messages in this series.
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