What Sends People to Hell?

Bible Passage: Mark 3:20-35

INTRO

You know it is important to understand as we journey through the gospel accounts that these stories that we read about and dissect here when we gather are more than fables

Jesus is the Son of God, who actually lived, who actually died, who actually rose from the dead and His words are true

We are here today because we believe all of those things to be truth

But many people today and back when he walked this earth do not

They do not believe any of the things I listed to be fact and they are offended by what he is saying

I mean after all, isn’t the gospel the most offensive thing you could tell someone?

“You are horribly flawed and unable to save yourself so Jesus must do it for you.”

Depending on your perspective of yourself and the world that is either good news or it’s nails on a chalkboard

Today, we are going to see the temperature of the day increase significantly as Jesus responds to those who would go on to kill him and as we do, I wanna answer a sobering question together…

What Sends People to Hell?

BODY

Jesus has just come down off the mountain with his disciples and headed back to his home in Capernaum.

The crowd has grown so large that they can’t even make preparations to have a meal and Jesus’ family has had enough. so they plan an intervention…

They begin to tear through the crowd, telling everyone along the way that Yeshua has lost his mind eagerly seeking to grab him and yank him back in the house so they can kick everyone out, shut the door and have dinner.

They have missed the King who is right in front of them. Jesus’ own family have failed to see that their savior has come as their earthly cousin, brother or nephew.

All they can come up with is that he’s a quack, or a con artist not even considering that maybe, just maybe he is God…

How often do we miss the things of God that are right in front of our faces?

Jesus has to deal with the fact that even his own earthly family does not believe that He is who He is revealing himself to be.

They know him better than anyone, they have seen the signs and heard the words and the only thing they can come up with is that he is crazy.

And they are not the only ones…

verse 22 says that the scribes and the pharisees have come in from Jerusalem

Word has gone out from the cities and the synagogues that this Jesus is saying and doing things that are amazing.

The only problem is that He is claiming to be God

Surely, if he was the Messiah he would come with trumpet sound, Kick Caesar off his throne and deliver the Jews from Roman oppression.

Surely, the Son of God, wouldn’t have been born in a stable, worked as a carpenter turned Rabbi and come from the slums of Nazzareth. This just can’t be Him.

The jewish leaders of the day believe this and are growing tired of this Jesus so they send the big dogs into town.

This is like when you mess something up at work and your boss’s boss’s boss puts a meeting on your calendar for Monday morning at 8am sharp.

Read Mark 3:22

They say that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul.

This is a slang name that the jews have given to the devil and it literally means “lord of the flies” or “lord of the dung pile”

They use this name to mock satan by calling him the poop prince

“The only reason this Jesus can cast out demons is because the ruler of them has taken him over.”

it can’t be because he’s God it has to be because he’s the devil.

What a scary and damning thing to say to the God of the universe.

The part that comes next I absolutely love…

One thing not talked about enough in my opinion is that christianity is not a call to believe in something that is nonsensical or illogical.

I would argue that belief in the God of the Bible is far more reasonable than placing your faith in the chaos of the universe, the goodness of humanity or a con man from the midwest like Joseph Smith.

Jesus responds to their claim about what authority he has to cast out demons by showing them and others just how dumb they sound.

He starts off in verse 23

Read Mark 3:23

Why would Satan bring harm to his own work?

Why would satan cast out his own workers after they have quietly infiltrated the walls of the enemy in the synagogue.

Jesus shows them how that doesn’t make any sense

Read Mark 3:24-26

Jesus then gives a parable to illustrate his point

A kingdom or a house that is divided against itself cannot stand

When a kingdom becomes divided it becomes distracted and takes it eye off the prize

Satan’s kingdom hasn’t changed their aim or goal at all

Then Jesus provides the answer with an alternative scenario…

Read Mark 3:27

Jesus says if someone is going to rob another’s home, wouldn’t they first want to overpower the homeowner?

Isn’t easier to plunder someone else’s good when you are bigger, badder and stronger than they are?

Jesus says, “guys, I am able to do all this not because I am possessed by Satan but because I am bigger than him.”

Some of you have a Jesus that is too small

Jesus is the man with authority over sin and the enemy and you give Satan way too much credit.

We have now seen two groups of people smacked dead in the face with the evidence of Jesus and fail to profess Him as Lord.

The leaders of His people and his own family.

This is where we begin to the see the answer to our question

Let’s let Jesus explain for us…

Read Mark 3:28-29

Jesus transitions in his words by saying “Truly, I say to you.” This is his way of saying “pay very close attention.”

There is forgiveness for blasphemy but not for blasphemy against the Holy Spirit

What is blasphemy?

It means to scorn, disresepct, reject, to mock

many blasphemies will be forgiven but ones against the Holy Spirit will not

What does that mean?

Let’s keep going and find out

Remember back to the beginning of this story, Jesus’ own family call him insane

Read Mark 3:31-35

Jesus’ family are looking for Him and he uses it as a chance to give a parable

He says, just because these people have my earthly DNA doesn’t mean they share my heavenly DNA.

Just because they are my family on earth doesn’t mean they are my eternal family

Jesus’ true family are those who do the will of God.

What is the will of God?

John 6:40 “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.””

CLOSING

What sends someone to hell is full and clear revelation of Jesus but still coming to the wrong conclusion

Fully seeing Jesus and calling him Beelzebul

Fully seeing Jesus and just saying he is a good teacher but he isn’t God

Fully seeing Jesus as nothing more than the answer you give when having a spiritual conversation

but true faith says, I have seen the Lord, therefore, I believe…

Will we say things wrong and have we given wrong answers before? Absolutely!

Does the grace of Jesus extend to those things? Of course?

But to know all the facts but fail to arrive at faith is what sends someone to Hell

Where are you today?

Here are the facts…

Jesus is God, he lived the perfect life you couldn’t, He died the death you deserved as a worthy sacrifice for your sin, He rose from the grave and now he bids sinners come to Him in faith and he will forgive.

What’s your answer?

If you know Him today, How are you resting in His grace even for your mockeries?

If you know Him today. who are you presenting the full picture of Jesus to that they might have the chance to come to the same conclusion as you?