A House Divided Mk 3: 20-30

Welcome and Announcements

Call to Worship & Prayer of approach (Elder)

Reports from COM and Session Meetings

COM: Budget (Bulletin); Maintenance - Piano - Deacons

Session: Shepherds and Servants (Sermon Series) / Elder’s districts / The task of elders is teaching, Praying, leading by example

The Lord’s Greeting

Prayer: Search me o God

Forgive us this day our debts

We are indebted to God

God’s Law:

Matthew 22:34–39 CSB

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Prayer: “Be thou my vision”

Let your kingdom come

On Earth … (Israel/Palestine)

God’s Word

Mark 3:20–30 CSB

20 Jesus entered a house, and the crowd gathered again so that they were not even able to eat. 21 When his family heard this, they set out to restrain him, because they said, “He’s out of his mind.” 22 The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons.” 23 So he summoned them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is finished. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. 28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Sermon: The unforgivable Sin

Introductory remarks

The divisions within a house // the Division within Israel // the division between Jews and Gentiles

Jesus Journey from north to South // sometimes from West to East … and back

Conflict over the ages

1948 ?

Lod! Today / Inhabitants / The woman crying for peace / the Palestinian saying we have nothing to do with the rockets and politics

1 Chronicles 8:12 CSB

12 Elpaal’s sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed who built Ono and Lod and its surrounding villages,

(Benjamin ) c.f. vv 1 (Builders of a city)!?

Gaza

Judges 16:1 CSB

1 Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went to bed with her.

Canaanites

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Sermon body

Prayer: “Take my life ...”

Benediction

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Doxology

Offerings this week at the door and online, are for the work of the local church