Whose Side are you on?

If you have a copy of the Word of God this morning open it up to Matthew 12. I have titled the message this morning. Whose Side are you on?

Before I dive into the text this morning. I just want to say how excited I am for this morning, and really the future of our churches. Since this was presented to us as an idea many months ago now I have felt that God is in this, and together we can better together, and as we worship together this morning, I wondered if I was going to preach from something other than the gospel of Matthew and the Lord did not prompt to preach anything else this morning as we gather. I mentioned this on Wednesday night and I know some of you were there, but we have as a Church been going through the gospel of Matthew for quite some time actually we are on month number 13, and truly its been a great study for myself and us as a church, and I want to be straight up and honest with you all here at the onset that I care deeply about what God and his Word says and I think as a pastor my primary responsibility is to feed you with a steady diet of God’s word, and that you can expect to always here that from me in the pulpit or in any other setting. God’s trust is what moves us and shapes us.

Now with that in mind today let us pray then I will open up this text to you..

Matthew 12:22–37 ESV

22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

For those who are following along with your handout the main idea I want you to see this morning is this..

We show whose side we are on by our beliefs and actions in life.

Now we get in this text a powerful interaction , an interaction that if you are familiar with Jesus and this ministry would be something you would expect. He always went back and forth with the Pharisees time and time again. But in this text we see some very strong language, and also a strong demonstration of his power. IF you go back and read for yourself you see that much has happened in the gospel of Matthew many people have been healed from all kinds of various things, and then we tend to see the Pharisees or others question Jesus when this happens most of time we see in these interactions the Pharisees get so many things wrong about Jesus Christ, and today in this text we are looking at its no different.

Few points I want you to see this morning as we look closely at this interaction.

We show whose side we are on by what we believe about Jesus power.

This is not going to be a long point but its worth mentioning and knowing Jesus power helps us understand the rest of the text. This miracle that we see is one of those really powerful miracles, because Jesus here heals a man that is not demon possessed but one who because of this demon possession is blind and mute. And by God’s grace someone brings this man to Jesus. And no doubt whoever brought this man to him knew that Jesus had the power to heal this man. And Jesus even has this power over the darkest of forces, which I will speak of more later. And so the first thing we see in this text is this man who could not see or talk spoke and saw. Radial change that Jesus does here, and the crowd begins to really question who is this Jesus this great miracle worker who not only can make the blind see and the mute talk but can rid other of demon possession. We see really two responses here. One asking the question can this be the Son of David. Essentially asking is this the messiah. Is he the one who is going to fulfill the Davidic Covenant the one that was for-told to them. They are curious because no man is like this man. If you want to be on the right side of God you believe that Jesus is the Son of David. The very Son of God who is all powerful.

And yet despite this clear evidence that what Jesus is doing is from God time and time again the Pharisees have the nerve to say It is only by Beelzebul the prince of demons that this man casts out demons. The pharisees knew Jesus had power, but they had the nerve to say that power was from Satan and not God.

Why did they say this well if you have listened to many of my messages in the past I would argue to you they believed Jesus was not the messiah because they had a different view on who Jesus was suppose to be. So when Jesus comes healing all these people and confronting them they say this man is not a man of God he is a casting out demons in the power of Satan. You look at this and think what is wrong with these Pharisees, but When you are on the wrong side of God you deny his true power. You make up things about him that are just not true.

Which leads to my second point.

We show whose side we are on based on what we believe about God’s Word.

Jesus has this power to know the thoughts of men, and we see that here in the scripture, and what Jesus does here is interesting, because just a few verses back Jesus answers opposition with the scriptures, but here he uses logic. One of things I was reading this week said. Jesus would say dont be absurd, use your head for just a moment. Though God is a God of miracles he is a very logical God. So when Jesus is confronted by this statement. He uses logic he says many things First he says. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand.

He is telling them If i am from Satan why in the world would i go out and cast out demons. That is counter productive if I am trying to overtake God’s kingdom wouldn’t I want all the demons on the playing field. It would be like OU trying to play a game without offense of lineman. Even though they kinda tried that this year right. But Jesus says it makes no sense.

In fact he tells them if your people can cast out demons preform exorcism’s and be on God’s side then I who do it with greater power am I not also on God’s side? He is telling them Believe my power believe my word. The Kingdom of God is here, and the King over all can do incredible things by his power and his word. He does not end there though he gives another rebuttal. In verse 29 he says. Matthew 12:29

Matthew 12:29 ESV

29 Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

With this accusation again Jesus he fires back this statement, and we need to know what Jesus is saying here. The strong man he is referring to is Satan. And his house is the kingdom and his goods are people under his influence. And we need to know that Jesus is the one who is breaking down the front door of the devil, and he is driving that strong man with his power and his word. See Jesus can cast out the devil and his demons because he is stronger than even the evil one. So when we are on God’s side we should never fear.

One of the commentaries I was studying this week puts what he is doing into a nice perspective. He said.. You see, Jesus is not sitting on his heavenly throne being entertained by angels as they do somersaults in the sky. Rather, he is on the front line kicking down the devil's door and setting the captives free! This incarnational attack, we might say, began at his birth. His first victory was won in the wilderness, his most decisive victory was on the cross, and his final victory is still to come with the second coming. So, "far from belonging to Satan's kingdom and using Satan's power, Jesus has attacked [and will continue to attack] that kingdom and overcome its power."

So if you want to be on the right side of Jesus believing his word. But we must pick the right side which leads to my third point.

We show whose side we are on by picking one side.

there has been presented in the text two kingdoms one of God the other of Satan, and Jesus draws a real fine line here. Where we have to make a choice. We to often walk this line that really bounces back and forth between the Kingdom of God and of Satan and we must be careful that we pick a side obviously I would tell you to pick the right side the side of the Lord Jesus Christ because that is where you find life. And Jesus demands us to not remain neutral. The Christian life is not becoming Switzerland. Like so many people want to do and they honestly want Christian’s to do as well. Either we believe his power and his word or we dont. Its really that simple.

One commentator makes this point. We can re-imagine Jesus into our own image, twisting and turning his words to sound a lot like our own. This has been done in many Christian denominations, hasn't it?

Such behavior I find intellectually dishonest. Don't call yourself a Christian if you don't believe Jesus ever existed. Don't call yourself a Christian if you believe only half of the red letters in your Bible have any connection to the historical Jesus. Don't call yourself a Christian if you think Jesus didn't die for your sins and rise for your justification. Don't call yourself a Christian if you think obeying Christ's commands are optional. And don't call yourself a Christian if you think there are many ways to God. To be a Christian is, at the very least, to take Jesus at his word. "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters" (v. 30). Thus saith the Lord.

So "Those who hedge about devotion to Jesus... or about the importance of a clear decision for him... who question Jesus' exclusivity... and who disdain his gathering work of evangelism... are in trouble." That's what Jesus teaches here. They are "against" God's kingdom. They might think they are standing safe and still, but in fact they are busy scattering seeds of sedition.

Church don’t catch yourself asleep choose the side of life be with Jesus through the think and thin, because only in him do you really have life. So live on the side of Jesus always choosing to believe in him and trust him because forgiveness is only found in him.

Forth thing to see is this.

Only one side offers forgiveness.

verses 31 and 32 are quite frightening at first glance because in these verses we see the unforgivable sin. A sin that no-one wants to commit, and before we get there we need to see the passage as a whole understand scripture as a whole to really understand what this means.

So we start out in verse 31 by seeing Jesus with the utmost authority says I tell you every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven. And we have to start there because we know based on scripture based on who we are as people that we are naturally sinful people who need forgiveness, and we know God is very forgiving. Even to those whom should know better. 2 Peter 3:9

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Notice in the text he says.. certain types of sins will be forgiven but one wont. Now before I touch on that I want to talk about all the ones he will forgive you off. because I talk to people all the time and they think they are just messed up their life so much that they will not be forgiven, but reading and studying this week I rested in the truth of what one man said..

In verse 31 "Every" is the loveliest word in the world. "Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven."

What about driving under the influence? Every sin will be forgiven. What about cheating on that history test? Every sin will be forgiven. What about getting your teenage girlfriend pregnant? Every sin will be forgiven. What about having an abortion? Every sin will be forgiven. What about lying under oath? Every sin will be forgiven. What about all the backbiting? Every sin will be forgiven. What about cheating on your husband? Every sin will be for-given. What about loving money more than God? Every sin will be forgiven.What about experimenting with homosexuality? Every sin will be forgiven.What about murder? Every sin will be forgiven.Yes, every sin will be forgiven.

Listen to this wonderful verse 1 Tim 1:15

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Do you know who wrote that? A guy name Saul of Tarsus. Do you remember his story? He was a Pharisee. like these men questioning Jesus.. He called himself"a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees" (Acts 23:6). He was so zealous for the traditions of the elders-Jewish traditions, the ones that got the Pharisees here so mad -that he persecuted the church. He pursued and captured Christians and had them killed. And yet we all know what happened to him. Jesus captured and blinded Saul and turned him into a new man named Paul. Paul would take the good news of the forgiveness of sins to Greece and Italy, and Paul would write the words, "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the fore-mos. Are you a worse sinner than Paul? I highly doubt it. Even if you are the good news for you is that Every sin can be forgiven. No matter how big or how small you think it is. That's grace. And that's what I call a gracious warning in the text. Even to those who are the worst of sinners God can forgive you.

But lets get to verse 32. What is speaking blasphemy against the Spirit of God, and what does that mean in our context. After careful study I found one mans concise definition of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is "attributing to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God,"° basically doing what the Pharisees are doing here. And it involves, if we flesh out that basic definition a bit, the "combination of clear knowledge and deliberate rejection of Christ."'' So there's a certain amount of light in the head-one can see clearly who Jesus is, as plainly as the Pharisees saw his miracles and yet there is hatred of that light in the heart. Therefore, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a knowledge of the light, a hatred of it, and I'll add (and this addition is key) that there is also an earnest and persistent effort to put out the light.

That is what the pharisees were doing, and that is what many today even try to do. But when it comes to our own context we need to know have we commited this sin, and I want to say that if you are earnestly worried that you have commited it is likely you have not. And I say that because your conscience is not seared. You worry about your sin, you trust in Christ you may be one of those people I listed in the first part of this point that need forgiveness but you trust in Christ. You care about your life and your faith.

You don’t believe this is just some fairy tale that never happened. You don’t have a heart so cold to believe that there was no possible way that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again on the third day. It was the Pharisees willful unbelief and persistent rebellion that led to final denial.

One last thought on this before we move to the last point. In the end, no one can be saved if they pridefully and permanency reject the Spirit of God. This is the Spirit who draws us to salvation, who alone leads us to repentance and applies God's forgiveness. We dare not reject His testimony to the Son. Even as we consider the danger of blaspheming the Son and the Spirit, we must be careful not to completely disconnect the two from one another, for ultimately to reject the Spirit is finally to reject the Son. 1 Cor 12:3

1 Corinthians 12:3 ESV

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Only one who trusts in Christ can be forgiven.

Final point is this.

Only one side leads to a fruitful life.

Jesus does not hold back here again. He pronounces judgement, because of what these pharisees are saying about him. And Again like we have seen in the text a few times he says there is really two options. A tree that produces fruit, and a tree that does not. And who he is speaking to those pharisees who in his eyes are the true evil ones. Who have produced nothing but bad fruit. Dont miss what Jesus is calling his followers to here a life of good fruit a life that cares about what we say, and a heart that produces good works, but also also good words.

Part of being a Christians who bears good fruit is one who watches their tongues. See I read this text and I think how dare those pharisees speak to the Lord Jesus like this, but the reality is they had a bad heart a hardened heart and if we are not careful just like them we to can produce bad fruit, not just by the way we live our lives but by the way we speak. Many of us I would even argue don’t always have the wrong actions, but the wrong words. Amen or ouch huh. Jesus warns us here not to do that. And the only cure for that is new heart.

I read some convicting stuff this week. The tongue is such a small part of our body (James 3:5), and yet it shows the heart. Most people think their heart is okay, but they struggle a bit with their tongue Jesus says you struggle with the tongue because your heart is not okay. You haven't yet moved from the dominion of the devil into the kingdom of God. So repent and believe. Cut down that old bad tree, and let the Lord Jesus plant a new one. Abide in him and watch the good fruit grow.

Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." In Matthew 25 it is by our works that we are acknowledged to be righteous; here it's our words. Our works (what we actually do) and our words (what we actually say) show whether we have faith in Christ or not. We are justified by faith alone, but true faith is never alone—it comes out in our words and in our works.

So whose side are we on today? See we show whose side we are on by the way we believe and the way we act in this life. And my prayer for myself and our churches is that we are on the right ride the side of the Lord Jesus Christ. That we are on the side of the one who demonstrated his power not just through these incredible miracles but through the death and resurrection and we believe that with all our heart. You hear it all the time you just need to be on the right side of history well you don’t want to be on right side of history and the wrong side of the cross. Because the cross was the great dividing point because Jesus went there he accomplished something he died for sinners he died for those who would repent of their sin and trust in him, and friends we have to believe in his power to have eternal life but it does not end their you have to believe in his Word. And his word testifies to who he is and what he came to do he is NOT an agent of Satan he is the very Son of God, and without trusting in his words you have nothing to lean on to. Nothing to get you through your days. And as we seen in the text we have to pick a side we cannot play both sides you cannot been on Team Jesus one day and Team Satan the left the reality is you are either for Jesus or against him and if you are for him you and in him you get the forgiveness of your sin, and their is nothing greater than standing before a Holy Perfect God knowing you have been forgiven, and forgiven people have fruitful lives that model the Lord Jesus Christ as evidenced by our works and our words.

Whose side are you on today? Don’t leave here without answering that question each and every day so you can be faithful and fruitful Christians…

Let us pray..

So today..

Today is a special day where we get to respond to the Lord together as a two church’s possibly becoming one worshiping together by taking the Lord’s supper.

The Lords supper is one of two ordinances the Local church has the other is Baptism.

Luke 22:19 “19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

Its a reminder of the work of Christ on the cross, how his body and blood were shed for believers.

The Lords supper is an act of unity in the Body. Now before we take of this I want to be clear this is for believers only. So if there are any children or unbelievers who have not came to know the Lord yet this is not for them you, but can be a moment that we teach them about Christ.

Listen to the words of 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 “27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”

You can also take the Lord’s supper in an unworthy manner if you are living with some sort of un-repented sin. Repent of that. The Lord takes this moment very seriously, and so should we, and that being said let us take a moment to pray in silence for ourselves and our own standing with God, and I will close with pray in a moment.

The bread and the wine symbolize the body and blood of Jesus and I want to pray for each one before we take it.

Pray for body.

1 Corinthians 11:24 “24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.””

Pray for the blood

1 Corinthians 11:25 “25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.””

1 Corinthians 11:26 “26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”