Thursday
Evening Bible Study
December 7, 2006
Matthew 12
Jesus’ own ministry has not only been growing with large crowds following
Him, but He has also been training a special group of twelve men, His
disciples.
He’s even sent His disciples out on their first missionary trip.
After the disciples returned, Jesus began to run into trouble with the
conservative Pharisees, a group of Jews who held to a very strict
interpretation of the Law of Moses. In
particular, He’s rubbed them the wrong way because He has broken some of their
interpretation of the Sabbath Law.
His disciples were criticized for gathering food to eat on the Sabbath.
Jesus was criticized for healing a man on the Sabbath.
This is going to lead to even further criticism…
:22-30 Jesus accused of being Satanic
: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.
What a wonderful miracle. Wouldn’t you agree that this was a wonderful
miracle? Who could find a problem with something so wonderful?
:23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the
Son of David?"
Son of David – a term for the Messiah.
:24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not
cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
Beelzebub – another name for Satan, probably a slang derivation of
the Philistine god, Baal-zebub, which meant “lord of the flies”
Jesus had just warned the disciples about being called names:
(Mat 10:25
NKJV) "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a
servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub,
how much more will they call those of his household!
Lesson
The Critical Mindset
We can blast the Pharisees for calling Jesus a demon worker, but I’m not so
sure we haven’t made the same kinds of mistakes.
Someone hurts our feelings or does something wrong in an area of their
life, and the next thing you know, we’re able to find something wrong in just
about everything they do.
Illustration
A boss commented to his secretary about one of his men: “Harry
has such a bad memory, it’s a wonder he remembers to breathe. I asked him to
pick up a newspaper on his way back from lunch, but I’m not ever sure he’ll
remember his way back to the office.” Just then Harry burst in the door,
brimming with enthusiasm. He exclaimed, “Guess what, boss! At lunch I ran into
old man Jones who hasn’t given us an order in seven years. Before he left I
talked him into a million-dollar contract!” The boss sighed and looked at his
secretary, “What did I tell you? He forgot the newspaper.”
If we’re not careful, sometimes one person will hurt our feelings, and we
take out our frustration on the next person that walks by us.
Illustration
A traveler, between flights at an airport, went to a
lounge and bought a small package of cookies.
Then she sat down and began reading a newspaper. Gradually, she became aware of a rustling
noise. From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted
to see a neatly dressed man helping himself to her cookies. Not wanting to make a scene, she leaned over
and took a cookie herself.
A minute or two passed, and then came more rustling. He was helping himself to another
cookie! By this time, they had come to
the end of the package, but she was so angry she didn't dare allow herself to
say anything. Then, as if to add insult
to injury, the man broke the remaining cookie in two, pushed half across to
her, and ate the other half and left.
Still fuming some time later when her flight was announced, the woman
opened her handbag to get her ticket. To
her shock and embarrassment, there she found her pack of unopened cookies! How wrong our assumptions can be.
-- John Ross
Cranleigh, Surrey, England
I wonder just how many of my ideas and judgments about people are based on
actual, real facts instead of just “feelings”.
I wonder how many of my positive judgments are based on “wishful
thinking”. I wonder how many of my
negative judgments are based on me having been hurt.
Illustration
I’ve always loved the story of the cowboy who was riding along and came
upon an Indian lying flat on the ground with his ear pressed to the earth. The
Indian said, “Wait. Wagon. Two miles off. Drawn by two horses. One black. The
other gray. Four people on board: man in a red flannel shirt, his wife, and two
kids.” The cowboy was very impressed. He said, “It’s amazing you can tell all
that just by listening to the earth.” The Indian said, “No. They ran over me
thirty minutes ago. Go after them!”
-- Bruce Thielemann,
"Because," Preaching Today, Tape No. 105.
Now that’s someone who was hurt and was actually right!
Jesus said,
(John 7:24 NKJV)
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous
judgment."
: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?
In other words, it would be a pretty stupid thing for Satan to be casting
his own demons out of people.
:27 "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast
them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.
Jesus wasn’t the only one who cast demons out of people. There were also
Jewish exorcists who had developed practices for exorcisms.
: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.
Jesus has been binding the strongman, getting ready to plunder Satan’s
kingdom.
:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather
with Me scatters abroad.
You’re either for Jesus or against Jesus.
Greg Laurie likes to say that when you want to get on an elevator, there
are only two buttons – up or down.
There’s no “undecided”. You are
either for Jesus or against me.
You either “gather” with Jesus, or you are guilty of scattering what God
intends to be gathered.
You are either helping people come to Jesus, or you’re keeping people from
coming to Jesus.
:31-32 Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit
: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.
Lesson
Unforgiveable
There is only one sin that can’t be forgiven.
It’s not adultery. It’s not murder. It’s the “blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit”.
What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Can it be done today?
Jesus is the one who brings forgiveness. Jesus died to pay for our sins. If
a person chooses to put their life into Jesus’ hands, they will be forgiven.
The Holy Spirit has come to testify about Jesus. One of His main goals is
to tell people about who Jesus is.
If you reject what the Holy Spirit is saying about Jesus, I believe you are
committing the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
The Pharisees are claiming that the work that the Holy
Spirit is doing through Jesus is really the work of Satan. They’re dangerously close.
If you choose to reject Jesus as the Lord of your life, you will not be
forgiven.
On the other hand, if you’ve committed any other sin, you can be forgiven.
(1 John 1:7 NKJV) But if we
walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
You might think that what you’ve done could never be forgiven, but I’m here
to tell you you’re wrong.
One of the “biggest” sins a person could commit is the sin
of adultery.
John tells us about a situation where the scribes and
Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who had been caught in the very act of
adultery (John 8). They wanted to know
what Jesus thought ought to be done with her.
They reminded Jesus that Moses said a person like her ought to be put to
death. After telling the group that the
person without sin could go ahead and throw the first stone, the group slowly
disappeared until Jesus was left alone with the woman.
(John 8:10-11 NKJV) When Jesus had raised Himself
up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those
accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" {11} She said, "No one,
Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin
no more."
Jesus came to save sinners. He doesn’t want us caught in the bondage of
sin. He came to save us from our
sin. He came to bring us from
condemnation to forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 NKJV) If we
confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness.
If you think God could never forgive you, you are
wrong. God wants to forgive you. You need to admit your sin and be willing to
turn from your sin. And God will
forgive.
:33-37 Fruit inspection
: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.
You can tell the kind of tree in front of you 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.
Lesson
Judging by your words …
You can tell what kind of things are in a person’s heart by the things that
come out of their mouth.
Illustration
The National Transportation Safety Board recently divulged
they had covertly funded a project with the US
auto makers for the past five years, whereby the auto makers were installing
black boxes in four-wheel drive pickup trucks in an effort to determine, in
fatal accidents, the circumstances in the last 15 seconds before the crash. They
were surprised to find in 45 of the 50 states the last words of drivers in 61.2
percent of fatal crashes were, “Oh, My God!”, “God help me!” or, “Jesus, save
me!” Only the states of Oklahoma,
Mississippi, Alabama,
Texas and West
Virginia were different, where 89.3 percent of the
final words were, “Hold my beer and watch this.”
Have you ever stopped to listen to the words that are coming out of your
mouth?
I wonder how surprised we’d be if we could have our words played back to us
from throughout the day.
Would our words express dissatisfaction, anger,
bitterness, complaining, pride, judgment, and criticism?
Would our words express understanding, hope,
encouragement, praise, patience, and humility?
: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."
God can judge people solely on the words that come out of their mouths.
For God to condemn a person, all He has to do is play back the tape.
For God to justify a person, there’s another tape that will play …
(Rom 10:8-10 NKJV) But what
does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart"
(that is, the word of faith which we preach): {9} that if you confess with your
mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the
dead, you will be saved. {10} For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
:38-42 Seeking a sign
:38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher,
we want to see a sign from You."
I wonder what they were expecting Jesus to do.
Jesus has healed all kinds of people. He’s just healed a blind/mute
man. He’s cast out demons. Jesus even raised Jairus’ daughter from the
dead. What are they looking for?
: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.
Jonah was the prophet sent by God to pronounce judgment on the city of Nineveh,
the capital of the Assyrians. Instead of
going to Nineveh, Jonah went the
opposite way. He ended up in the belly
of a fish for three days before finally giving in to God’s command.
: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.
Some people have difficulty with the idea of a man being swallowed by a
fish. Sometimes those same people are
the same ones who don’t have a problem thinking that man evolved from
fish. Hmmmm.
Jesus seemed to believe in it. He is
paralleling His own death with it.
Lesson
Number One Message
Looking for a sign?
You don’t need to go any further than Jesus’ death on the cross, burial,
and resurrection three days later.
Sometimes we can get sidetracked when we’re sharing our faith. We can talk about all kinds of issues except
for the thing that’s most important.
(1 Cor 2:1-5 NKJV) And I,
brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of
wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. {2} For I determined not to know
anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. {3} I was with you in
weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. {4} And my speech and my preaching
were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power, {5} that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but
in the power of God.
I do believe we need to study in order to give people
answers to their questions. I believe
the study of apologetics, reasons for our faith, is an important one.
But Paul seemed to feel that the most important thing was
to talk about Jesus dying on the cross.
I’ve heard Billy Graham state that he’s learned to make
sure that in every message he gives, he talks about the cross.
The cross is where Jesus paid for our sins. It’s where sinners are saved.
Don’t forget to talk about the most important thing.
: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.
I wonder what it means for Nineveh
to “rise up in judgment”?
I wonder if it means that the people who lived in Nineveh
at the time of Jonah will be standing on the sidelines when the generation of
Jesus’ day is judged? Perhaps they will
have something to say?
: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.
queen of the South – the Queen of Sheba (1Ki. 10). This great woman heard stories about King
Solomon. She traveled a great distance,
perhaps as far away as Saudi Arabia,
perhaps Ethiopia,
in order to meet Solomon. Tradition has
it that she married Solomon and went back to Sheba
pregnant with his child.
In contrast, the people of Jesus’ day don’t seem to realize the treasure
they have in front of them.
:43-45 Repossessed
: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."
A person who has been delivered from demon possession had better do
something about protecting themselves against being “repossessed”.
If they don’t allow someone stronger into their life, like Jesus, they’re
open to being repossessed.
Why is Jesus speaking this?
Jesus is speaking to Jewish religious leaders.
He’s warning them about the judgment they’re going to face.
I believe Jesus is saying that there has been some sort of house cleaning
going on in Israel,
either through their own Pharisaical, religious efforts or even possibly the
kind of house cleaning that Jesus had been doing.
But after Jesus is gone, if they don’t do something to protect their house,
the nation is going to go downhill fast.
Today – it’s a great thing for a person to get their life turned
around. It’s a wonderful thing for an
alcoholic to live a sober life. It’s a
great thing when an adulterer learns to be a faithful husband. It’s a wonderful thing for someone on drugs
to get clean.
But if Jesus isn’t a part of the picture – heaven help us.
:46-50 Jesus’ true family
:46 While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and
brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.
John tells us
(John 7:5 NKJV) For even His
brothers did not believe in Him.
We know that after the resurrection, James and Jude did come to believe,
but at this point they don’t believe.
Mark tells us a little bit more…
(Mark 3:20-22 NLT) When
Jesus returned to the house where he was staying, the crowds began to gather
again, and soon he and his disciples couldn't even find time to eat. {21} When
his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him home with them. "He's out of his mind," they
said. {22} But the teachers of religious law who had arrived from Jerusalem said,
"He's possessed by Satan, the prince of demons. That's where he gets the
power to cast out demons."
For the most part, Jesus’ family thought He was crazy.
:47 Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are
standing outside, seeking to speak with You."
There is no mention of Jesus’ father, Joseph. One possibility is that Joseph is dead by
this time in Jesus’ life.
: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."
Two observations:
1. If you are a Christian, you are
closer to Jesus than His own earthly family was at that time.
Some people have this notion that if they really need something from God,
they can pray to Mary and since she’s closer to Jesus than any of us, she can
get our prayers answered.
The truth is, if you are a believer in Jesus, you’re just as close as Mary.
I guess you could tell your Catholic friends that if they don’t want to
bother Mary, they could ask you to pray for them…
Better yet, share with them about having faith in Jesus,
and they can pray for themselves as well.
2. It’s really important that we do
the will of God.
It’s God’s will that we believe in Jesus.
It’s God’s will that we do what He commands.