An Invitation You Can't Refuse

Introduction

Preaching in prison - no way out. What would happen if there was a riot? Get me out! Jesus offers us an amazing invitation: to grab us by the hand and pull us out of the prison of this world and bring us into a Kingdom - the Kingdom of God - where there is joy, peace, and victory.

Sad reality: many will refuse the invitation. Even sadder reality: many people who are around the things of God, who have ample evidence to be convinced that Jesus is the Son of God will refuse the invitation. Even sadder reality: many people think that they’ve accepted the invitation when they really haven’t. (Matthew 7:21-23)

Next two weeks = some serious heart searching to make certain of our faith.

This morning, I want you to make sure you’re in the family - to make sure you’ve responded to the invitation. This morning: three truths to help you determine that you are indeed a part of the family of God.

If you refuse the mission of Jesus, you’ll never understand Jesus.

Jesus has already called several men to be his disciples: James, John, Peter, and Andrew. Now, the other eight. “Went up on the mountain” - reminiscent of Sinai. God establishes His covenant - now Jesus is establishing a new covenant - not based on law but grace.

Twelve apostles: called to be with Jesus - Notice what they are called to BECAUSE what they are called to is the essence of the Christian life

To be with Him. You can’t be used by God if you don’t know God.

To be on mission with Him. Specifically, Jesus would send them out to preach. (Multiplication of the ministry of Jesus.) This is not a social justice mission. This is a mission to proclaim that the Kingdom is here.

To stand against the enemy. They were going out to war - to live in opposition to the kingdom of the world and speak in opposition to the world.

This is the invitation! (Not best life now, not solve all your problems, etc.) To be with Jesus, to be on mission with Jesus, and to stand against the enemy of this world.

Twelve men initially embrace the invitation. Jesus returns home to a large crowd - so large he can’t eat. His family is worried and went to seize him, saying, “He is out of his mind.”

Twelve strangers are willing to embrace the mission of Jesus, but his own family does not understand. They’ve been around Jesus His entire life, and they just can’t get it that He’s the Son of God on a specific mission.

A warning for you: being around Jesus doesn’t mean you understand Jesus. (Luke watching the piano getting tuned - the boys will not be concert pianists just because the piano sits in the room.) And, if you don’t understand who Jesus is and the mission He calls people to, you’ll be quick to say: “Jesus is crazy.”

Let’s be crystal clear in what Christ is calling you to do: be in relationship with Him (on His terms), make Him known to others, stand firm against the enemy. That’s the essence of discipleship. If that’s the essence, are you a disciple? If you refuse His mission, you’ll never understand Him.

If you refuse the Lordship of Jesus you’ll never be embraced by Jesus.

Jesus’ family doesn’t understand who He is, and the religious leaders certainly don’t understand who He is.

These are some of the most fascinating verses in the New Testament, and we’re curious about “blasphemy of the Spirit.”

Question: Did the scribes have plenty of proof that Jesus was the Son of God? They had testimony of OT. In synagogue they witnessed His authoritative teaching, they witnessed Him casting out demons (Matthew’s account, Jesus casts a demon out of a blind and mute man right before this incident (Matt. 12:22). The scribes witnessed Jesus heal the lame man and pronounce, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus spoke as God and Jesus’ miracles validated that He was who He said He was. Scribes had irrefutable evidence that He was God. According to Matt., after Jesus heals a demon possessed man, the crowds who gathered asked, “Can this be the Son of David?” People see it with their own eyes. It’s obvious. This must be the Messiah.

Religious leaders, who saw the same signs, who heard the same teachings, who had irrefutable evidence that this was Christ said, “Nope. This man is possessed by Satan. This is not God’s work. It’s Satan’s work.” Beelzebul = lord of the flies or lord of the manure pile - an insult (Irrefutable evidence that I ran traffic lights… I couldn’t blame someone else)Jesus responds with three parables:

Why would Satan cast out Satan? That’s not logical.

House divided - Satan’s goal is to expand his rule. If Satan went to war against himself, he would destroy his rule.

Strong man - Satan is the strong man whom Jesus has bound and plundered his house. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 Plundered - Jesus driving demons out - He’s victorious over it all. Notice: Everyone is trying to bind Jesus. His family tried to seize Him. The religious leaders tried to destroy Him. But Jesus is the One who does the binding. He does the destroying.

Then Jesus drops the mic: “Every sin will be forgiven except the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit. He is guilty against of an eternal sin.”

Blasphemy of the Spirit = to knowingly, willingly, and persistently attribute to Satan the works of God done by and in Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, who testifies to these truths in your heart. To attribute Jesus’ work to demonic spirits.

This is a WARNING to the religious leaders. To continue to call the things of God the things of Satan was to place their eternal souls in jeopardy.

This is a WARNING to unbelievers. There’s a line you can cross. If you continue in your willful defiance of God, you can become so hardened against the things of God that you continually reject His free gift of forgiveness. There will come a day of no turning back - a day that you completely forfeit His grace.

Reality: If you refuse to accept the Lordship of Christ, you will not be embraced by Him.

GRACE - All sins will be forgiven… If you are not a follower of Jesus, all your sins can be forgiven today if you run away from sin and run to Jesus. (The only unforgivable sin is a refusal to place your faith in Him.) If you sense conviction of sin this morning, know that there is grace for you. You haven’t yet crossed the line! You can run to Him as you see Christ for who He is!

Believers: it is not possible to commit blasphemy of the Spirit, but it is possible to sin against the Spirit.

Grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) - Whenever you sin, you grieve the Spirit. What a thought! Your sin brings sorrow to the heart of God. When you sin, you cause pain to your heavenly Father. (Disappointing your parents)

Quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) - running back to what Jesus has bound and plundered and thereby extinguishing the fire of the Spirit in you - a refusal to submit to the Spirit’s work - and embrace what is demonic - Men, to embrace pornography instead of seeking the empowerment of the Spirit to do His work. Women, to embrace gossip instead of allowing the Spirit to empower you to use your words to glorify Him.

This is a call for us to take holiness seriously: to run to Jesus instead of running away from Jesus. to our favorite sins. As believers, we cannot blaspheme the Spirit, but we can quench the Spirit and open ourselves up to the influence of evil over our lives - and the consequences for quenching the Spirit are grave. You are minimizing the victory you have in Christ. For us, this warning is a call to repentance. Don’t run back to what Jesus has bound and plundered!

If you refuse the will of Jesus, you’ll never experience the fellowship of Jesus.

The chapter ends with Jesus speaking to the crowd. Someone to Jesus, “Your family is looking for you.” Jesus: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Jesus’ family is not based on blood relation - its based on obedience to the will of the Father.

Follow: if the religious elite, who should be able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, yet fail, they won’t be in the Kingdom. If Jesus’ own family, who are flesh and blood relatives, fail to understand His true nature, they’re not in the Kingdom either.

The only ones who are in the Kingdom of God are those who see Jesus for who He is, turn to Him in faith, and give evidence of their faith by living out His will.

If you refuse to do His will, it’s evidence that you have not embraced His Lordship no matter what you say, and you will not experience His fellowship.

Do you see how important this passage is? There are some of us who are one our way to hell because of our rejection of Jesus. For some, it’s been blatant rejection. For others, it hasn’t been so blatant. You’ve been around Jesus. You’re not opposed to Him, but you just don’t understand Him.

Question: is there genuine evidence that you belong? You’re going to live one of two ways: Jesus, not my will but your will. Or, Not your will, buy my will. If the latter, no matter what you say, no matter how many times you’ve been to church, no matter your Christian heritage, you’re not His.

This morning: believe that Jesus came to bind Satan and destroy the stronghold of sin through His life, death, and resurrection. Surrender to Him today.

Believer: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) Do His will. His will for you is to know Him, to make Him known, and to stand against the enemy. A recommitment to intimacy. A recommitment to sharing the good news. A recommitment to go to war against sin.