Allegiance to Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
“What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” - A.W. Tozer
This statement is profound. And the answer to it tells everyone whether our allegiance is with Jesus or against Jesus. Allegiance is something that is very important. Think back to times like the Revolutionary war. You were on one of two sides. You were either with the Continental Army, or you were with the British Army. There was no neutrality to it. There was no indifference. Especially if you were in a place where there was potential for battle. You had to make a decision. And their identities were tied into that allegiance.
Today, we are in a constant battle. This is not a physical battle but a spiritual battle. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 “12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” This should be our focus in the spiritual battle. But what we must realize, is that just like the Revolutionary war, in the spiritual battle that we are in, everyone has taken a side.
The bible places us into one of 2 categories. We are in the family of God or we are workers of Satan. There is no neutral. What we must not forget is that at some point, each and every one of us were soldiers in the Army of Satan. You might have a hard time admitting that but before salvation, you lived your life against Jesus. You did not serve Jesus, you did not obey Jesus, you did not love Jesus. Matthew 12:30 “30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Jesus is clear. If you are not part of his family, you are in the family of Satan. This is not something that Jesus leaves up for interpretation or debate. One or the other.
It comes down to our allegiance. And it isn’t just a verbal allegiance that we must make. But it is an allegiance of the heart. Because from our heart, everything flows. Our words, our thoughts, our actions. When our hearts belong to Jesus, our lives will be focused on his kingdom. When we hearts belong to Satan, our lives will be focused on our own kingdom. That is the lie that Satan sells us. That it is all about us and what we feel is right. Who our hearts belong to will determine our focus. That is the main point in the text today.
How we view Jesus defines how we live our lives.
How we view Jesus defines how we live our lives.
Life change should be noticed in the life of someone who’s heart belongs to Jesus. What I am not saying is that someone should wake up perfect the very next day after salvation. That is not how this works. In fact, things actually get harder because of the fight we have with our sin. Things that had never bothered us, begin to really eat at us. The things we used to say unapologetically, we now have remorse for when we say those things. The people that we used to turn our nose up to and hate, will now look differently to us and actually we will begin to love them. The life of someone who’s heart belongs to Jesus will change. Life change. This is something that we as a church value. This is why when we fill up the baptismal and we have people walk down those stairs and into that water, and they are symbolically buried with Christ in their baptism and raised out of the water to symbolize new life in Christ, we celebrate. Have you ever been in a church that when someone declares that their life has been changed by the gospel and goes through with baptism, and no one makes a sound? We are not that church. We celebrate when someone declares that their life has been changed by the gospel. And then, when we see them start to stumble and fall, we are there for them because we can remember how hard of a walk it has been for us.
So when we think of this, and we think of life change, and we think of how we view Jesus and we think of where our allegiance is, we should ask ourselves a question.
Probing question - Is my life any different today than it was before my salvation?
Outsiders Sees Jesus as Crazy
Outsiders Sees Jesus as Crazy
When I was in school, I always tried to be the class clown. I wanted everyone to like me and to think I was funny. I wanted to be the wild and crazy one. That kind of crazy is not what I am talking about. What I am talking about is what you would call “certifiably” crazy. Like going to a mental institution type of crazy.
C.S. Lewis has been famous for saying something to the effect that to everyone, Jesus is one of 3 things. He is either a liar, a lunatic, or he is Lord. In this passage today, we are lumping the liar and the lunatic into one category. The category of crazy. Let us start to unpack our text for today.
We open up in our passage today with a couple of verses that almost seem out of place. We are going to tie the first two verses with what happens afterwards but we will also tie it to our last few verses in our passage today as well.
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
His family had gotten word about everything that was going on. The people, they followed him home. Remember that this is a crowd. This is likely thousands upon thousands of people. Not all of them could have fit into the house, but whoever could fit, apparently went in. Because it says that it was so crowded that he couldn’t even eat. I know, when I cook at home, I really just want it to be me in the kitchen. When there is more than one person, it is crowded. I cannot imagine how this could have been. They were likely just standing shoulder to shoulder. It was so packed that he could not even eat. These people did not care either. They were not there to watch him eat, they were there to see his miracles and experience what he was offering.
And the family found out about this. And their reaction was unique. They wanted to go and seize him it says. Because they thought he had lost his mind. This is in reference to him entertaining the crowds rather than eat. For someone to think this way, they have to be out of their minds. He has went so crazy that he has stopped eating. So they were going to go and kidnap him basically.
My mind goes to an intervention. They wanted to go and get him, “because he had a problem”. We will see what happens at their arrival towards the end of this passage. As we continue, just keep in mind that people were starting to accuse Jesus of not being mentally well.
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”
Here come the scribes and they are making accusations once again. Remember that they had gotten to the point with Jesus that they wanted him gone. So bad that they were conspiring with their enemies to find a way to get rid of him. So they figured, maybe if we accuse him of being Satan, then that will stop him. They say that he must be possessed himself since he is able to cast out demons. They are ultimately accusing him of being some sort of demonic liar. But Jesus did not let it deter him. Instead, he began to teach the ones who were accusing him.
23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan?
24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.
27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.
There are parts in scripture that can be very confusing. We are at a part right now where it may be more difficult to understand what Jesus is saying. Especially since the things that they are accusing Jesus of are actually things that Jesus teaches will happen. Things like Satan being the author of confusion. Things like false Christ’s coming up and performing miracles and actually being agents of Satan. So why should we believe that Jesus is right in this instance.
The best answer is for us to look at what Jesus has done. Jesus has been destroying Satan’s ministry through his miracles. He is casting out demons, he is healing people, he is declaring people to be forgiven of their sins. These are not things that Satan would do. Satan wants people to hurt and to blame things on God. Satan wants people to be in demonic strongholds. Satan wants people to wallow in their sin. We need to remember why Jesus came.
1 John 3:8 “8b The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
1 John 3:8 “8b The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
Let us not get confused by what Jesus is saying. Be reminded that Jesus is the one who is going to destroy the works of the devil. And he is teaching these scribes that he is not for the devil, but he is the one who is going to destroy him. Satan may be a strong man, but Jesus is stronger and he is the one who is going to bind him. Even in these parables that Jesus is teaching, he is making promises.
28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,
29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
Truly I say to you. This is an important phrase. Jesus uses this throughout his ministry to make sure that people are listening to what he says. This is the first time in the book of Mark that he uses this phrase. So when he says this, wake up and pay attention, because what he is about to say is very important.
All sins will be forgiven the children of man, no matter what blasphemies they utter. Not a word that we use in every day conversation. So what is a blasphemy? It can be summed up as defiant irreverence. This means that you willingly degrade things of God. Jesus tells them that these things, you can be forgiven of. But Jesus warns them that there is a blasphemy that will not be forgiven. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. He uses strong language when he talks about it too. “Never has forgiveness”, “guilty of an eternal sin”. These are really harsh words.
Let’s have a time of honesty this morning. If you have been a Christian for some time and have read this verse, then you have thought to yourself, “what if I commit this sin”? We have all thought it. But we have these thoughts because we don’t know what it is. What exactly is the “unpardonable sin”? I have known people that this just would eat at them. They would have anxiety and depression because they didn’t know what this sin actually was and they were worried they would commit it. Maybe you have been there or maybe that is you right now.
I want to put your mind at ease. Jesus tells us what they were doing for him to tell them about this.
30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The reason he was teaching them about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is because they were guilty of it. And Mark tells us what they were doing. They were accusing Jesus of having an unclean spirit. Instead of accusing Jesus of being filled with the spirit, they were accusing him of being possessed by a demon. This is not some sin that you would unknowingly commit. This is something that you actively do. Jesus answers them this way after they were accusing him of being possessed by a demon. He is saying to them that they need to watch what they say. That a sin like this is unforgivable.
For us, this comes back to us having lives that are changed. If you are truly changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ taking root in your life, then you will see sin in your life, you will want to serve Jesus, and you will see him as the all forgiving savior for your life and not some crazy man that is demon possessed. These people who accuse Jesus of this are not part of the family of God. They are outsiders who see Jesus as crazy.
Who are outsiders?
And outsiders see Jesus as crazy
God’s Children See Jesus as Christ
God’s Children See Jesus as Christ
Remember that we started off in our text today with the family of Jesus learning of some of the things that were going on. I want us to put this together now.
20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.
21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him.
So they get there. They are concerned for him. They think that he has lost his mind. And they have came to seize him. They want to have an intervention with him because of this seemingly erratic behavior. So they showed up. Remember the crowd? They were not able to get inside so that had to have someone go and find him.
32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”
33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
Jesus knows our hearts. He displays this when someone tells him that his mother and his brothers were outside looking for him. He knew why they were there. He knew their intentions. But he knew that what they wanted out of him went against his fathers plan. So he proves a point here. He asked them who are really his mother and brothers. This would have made a huge statement. Think about his mother in particular. She is the one who was visited by the angel Gabriel and told that she was pregnant and would have the messiah, the savior, God’s son. And now, he is questioning the relationship of his family.
Maybe you are someone who has felt some sort of abandonment. Jesus’s family did not understand what was going on. They thought he was crazy. But we know that eventually, they see him for who he really is. Please know that feeling lonely, left out, or abandoned is not the end of the road. Jesus experienced this restoration with his very own family. You can too. But what is more important is our relationship with our eternal family and that is where Jesus takes this conversation.
34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”
The ones sitting around him and the ones that he points out. He said, “these people, they are my family”. Scripture teaches us over and over and over again that our lineage is not what matters. That is not what saves us. The only thing that saves us is repentance and belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since I mentioned the word gospel, I want to take a moment to explain what the gospel is. (gospel presentation)
Getting back to the text, it is very easy for someone who does not fully understand the gospel and what Jesus has done for us to really be offended by what Jesus says. He is saying that our earthly families take a backseat to our eternal families. This is a hard pill to swallow. But think back to the beginning of the book of Mark. When Jesus called James and John.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
When Jesus called these men, they were on the boat with their father, working. It was expected of sons to work the family business. For them, that was fishing. Don’t you think that they had probably had better job offers? Had the opportunity to get out of the family business but turned it down? But they continued to work for their father, because family was of the utmost importance. That is until Jesus comes along and calls them. He tells them to follow him and they drop their nets and leave their father with his employees. Why?
They were called into the family of God. Just like if you are here today and have experienced salvation. You have been called into the family of God. And when this happens, it means that we gain a whole new family. I have a bigger family now than I ever have had, and that is because I am part of the family of God. And this family grows more and more each and every day. If I were to neglect my spiritual family in favor of my earthly family, then it shows that my allegiance has not shifted. Now if I just leave that without going into detail about it, then I might cause an uproar with what I just said.
What I am not saying is that we need to forget about our earthly families and move on. This would be a gross misinterpretation of the great commandment (love God, love others). What I am saying is that when we look at our spiritual family, we need to see them the same way that God does. They are important to us. They have shared experiences with us. They have experienced the same salvation that we have. So we have a common bond that is rooted in God. We should still love our families, be there for our families to the extent that is does not interfere with our devotion to God. But in the case of what Jesus is speaking about here, they are attempting to stop him from ministering. So he says that people who would get in the way of his ministry, those people are not family because they are not doing the will of God.
What makes someone part of God’s family is that they do the will of God. We don’t have time in a day to go into detail of everything that this means. But let’s just summarize it as obedience. Being obedience to God, being obedient to Jesus, being obedient to the Holy Spirit, and being obedient with what God has revealed to us in scripture. Those are the people who are in the family of God.
Conclusion
There are two camps that we mentioned. Outsiders and the family of God. You are in one of them. In the spiritual battle that has been taking place since sin entered the garden in Genesis 3, there are no sides that are neutral. You are either in the family of God, or you are an outsider. You are someone who is opposed to God, someone who is disobedient to God, someone who has rebelled against God.
So I as we come to a conclusion with our passages this morning, I want to speak to people that are in both camps. First, if you are in the family of God, what does this text mean to you today? First of all, it is a good check and balance for you. Evaluate your priorities and make sure your allegiance stays with God. But deeper than that, we need to make sure we are firmly grounded in our faith. Think about what we have read about today. Jesus had two groups of people that we accusing him of being crazy. You are going to have people accuse you of being crazy because you are a believer. Be rooted in your faith. Have assurance in your faith. Be ready to defend your faith if you need to. Because as we have seen, it may not be strangers who are attacking you, it may be your own family. Be strong in the Lord. This week, take some time in personal prayer and pray that God gives you strength in those times when your allegiance is trying to be swayed by outsiders.
But maybe you are here and you are an outsider. Maybe you are hostile towards Jesus and towards Christians. Or maybe you aren’t but you have never made a credible profession of faith. Yea, you may have walked an aisle or prayed a prayer or maybe even been baptized. But none of these things make you a Christian. What makes you a Christian is repentance and belief in the gospel. (gospel with response).
And then, as we have seen today, you show that your life has changed by doing the will of the father. By being obedient. This is where your relationship with other believers comes into play. This is not some lone ranger religion. We need each other. We need to be there to help each other out. So if you have come to a saving faith, I want you to come and tell me so that we can be there for each other.