When Opposition Comes . . . The Kingdom of God has Come Upon You -- 07/17/2022

STALKING JESUS

Last week Jesus withdrew from his previous conflict with the Pharisees over healing the shriveled-handed man on the Sabbath, a large crowd followed Jesus and he healed them all. Not wanting to cause more strife than necessary with the Pharisees, Jesus tells the crowd to not spread the word about him.

Matthew then tells us tell us that everything about Jesus to point fulfills God's promise to through the Prophet Isaiah Suffering Chosen Servant who will bring "justice through to victory [and in whose name] the nations will put their hope."

Because of the enormous crowd following him, Jesus was easy to find. Jesus was not looking for trouble. The Pharisees, however, were ready to rumble, and they were stalking Jesus.

RIGHT QUESTION; WRONG ANSWER

Matthew tells us that "they, probably meaning the crowd, brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." Beelzebul in this context is a synonym for Satan.

The Pharisees accuse Jesus of doing good, through the power of Satan, the prince of evil. It was not their most brilliant work of logic. But before we go there, it is important for us to see that the people were asking the right question. "Could this be the Son of God." The question itself is a sign that God is at work.

Jesus healed the man completely. Jesus set this demon-possessed, blind, and mute man free from the satanic evil that bound him. Now completely transformed, this healed man could physically and spiritually see Jesus, and physically and spiritually speak to Jesus and speak rightly about Jesus.

Through this mighty miracle, the Holy Spirit was at work drawing people to Jesus by opening their spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear Jesus. It was the Holy Spirit working among them that prompted them to ask, "Could this be the Son of David?" This is a spiritual question. In his book Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby said based on Romans 3:10-11 and John 6:44,

[slide] People do not seek God on their own initiative. People don't ask questions about spiritual matters unless God is at work in their lives. When you see someone seeking God or asking questions about Christianity, you are witnessing God at work. That is something only God does in people's lives.

God in his love and mercy by the power of the Holy Spirit causes us to seek him.

The Holy Spirit was at work in the crowd causing them to ask the right questions about Jesus.

But the Pharisees gave the wrong answer. I think Matthew wants us to understand the demon-possessed, blind and mute man is a picture of the spiritual condition of the Pharisees.

The Pharisees sincerely thought they were serving God. They believed they spoke for God and were correctly teaching the ways of God to others.

When Jesus heard the Pharisees call the work of God's Spirit, the work of Satan, that told him all he needed to know about their spiritual condition.

Jesus begins logically and theologically to lay bare before the Pharisees and the crowd, the actual condition of the Pharisees' hearts.

Jesus begins by saying,

EVERY KINGDOM DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF WILL BE RUINED.

Jesus is saying, look guys, let's think about this. Satan's gig is world domination. He wants to control all the people and the systems of the world that he can. Satan will not work against himself to give up control of someone over whom he has control. That makes no logical sense. So, clearly, Satan does not empower my work.

Then Jesus turns the argument back on the Pharisees, who also practiced exorcisms, usually with spells and special paraphernalia like pagan sorcerers or magicians.

In effect, Jesus says, "If it takes the power of Satan to cast out Satan, then by whose power are you boys casting out Satan - let's talk about that!

Then Jesus piles on. I can't be casting out Satan by the power of Satan that makes no sense, but if I am casting out Satan's demons by God's Spirit, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.

Here's the deal. I am the strongman who comes into Satan's house, binds him up, and then takes back everything and everyone belonging to me. Now, who is strong enough to bind Satan and do with Satan anything he chooses? That's right, only God can do that. Can you hear me? No, you can't hear me because your hearts are so hardened against the work of God through me you can't hear, see, or believe! In your hearts, you've already tried, convicted, and killed me. Let me make one thing perfectly clear.

WHOEVER IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME

If you are not gathering people into the kingdom with me, then you are working against the kingdom.

WHEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD COMES UPON US, THEN WHAT?

When the kingdom of God comes upon us, we must declare to whom our loyalty belongs. Each of us must answer the question: Am I for God and what he is doing right here and right now? Or am I against God and what he is doing right here, right now?

Jesus is clear that when the kingdom of God comes upon us there is no middle ground. We are in the kingdom and heir to all its benefits, or we are outside the kingdom with none of its benefits.

REFUSING TO COME INTO THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IS UNFORGIVEABLE

Jesus says that a person can have some misunderstandings about him and even speak against him and receive forgiveness. Forgiveness comes when one recognizes and receives the work of the Holy Spirit drawing one to belief in Jesus. When one comes to see, believe, and confess the truth about Jesus, Jesus forgives all our sins. Seeing, believing, and confessing only takes place through the work of the Holy Spirit in one's life.

How do we get into the kingdom? We must see, hear, and believe in Jesus. Jesus is the one and only way into the kingdom of God. For God's Kingdom, one is in or out. There is no middle ground. There are no gray areas.

A complete and final rejection of the work of the Holy Spirit in one's life - a failure to be all in for the Kingdom is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, God does not forgive in this life or the next. Unbelievers commit this sin when they harden their hearts against the work of the Holy Spirit, drawing them to salvation. As a believer in Jesus who walks with him in love and obedience, there is no way you can commit this sin because it is only by the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in your life that you came to believe in Jesus and live in love and obedience to Him now.

To be in the kingdom, we must be loving, loyal, obedient servants of the King. In Matthew, Jesus is clearly the king of the Kingdom. Jesus is the Son of David, the rightful heir to the throne, the promised Messiah of Israel. If we are not loving, loyal, and obedient servants of King Jesus, it does not matter what we think about ourselves, or what labels we use to describe ourselves - we are not in the kingdom.

Being in the kingdom does not mean that we are perfect. But it means that we have a perfect heart in the sense that the blood of Jesus washes our heart clean from sin. Then, it is our deep desire, intention, and highest aim in life to be a loving, loyal, obedient servant of King Jesus. We desire to become more and more like him.

Our desire for Jesus grows. The closer we grow to him, the more we desire Him. The more we desire him and grow closer to Him, the more we become like Him.

What if we don't feel that desire, or we feel that desire is weakening in us? What can we do? There is only one thing we can do. We pray to our Father in Heaven and ask Him to do what only He can do, which is birth within us, an ever-increasing desire to love and obey Jesus. If we are sincere in that prayer, God will answer it, because that is his highest aim for our lives - to become more and more like Jesus.

Finally, Jesus literally gets to the heart of the matter, saying,

[YOU] MAKE A TREE GOOD AND ITS FRUIT WILL BE GOOD; [YOU] MAKE A TREE BAD AND ITS FRUIT WILL BE BAD.

Here, Jesus tells the Pharisees to examine themselves. A good person, like a good tree, produces good fruit, or yields good outcomes. Likewise, an evil person, like a bad tree, produces bad fruit or yields bad outcomes. In opposing Jesus, the Pharisees proved themselves to be evil. In opposing Jesus and influencing others to oppose Jesus, they were literally keeping themselves and those they influence from entering the Kingdom of God and assuring for themselves and others eternal punishment. That is pure evil.

Notice that the way Jesus constructs the phrase places complete ownership upon people for the outcomes of their lives. You make the tree. The way you cultivate the tree determines whether the tree will yield good fruit or bad fruit. Either way, the cultivator must own the fruit. We cultivate our lives for good or evil. If we, by responding to the work of the Spirit in our lives, produce the outcomes in life that bring glory to God and blessings to ourselves and others, we own that outcome. If we reject the work of the Spirit in our lives and produce outcomes in our lives that do not glorify God and are not true blessings for us and others, we will own those outcomes as well.

Then Jesus gets harsh in response to their hard hearts and says,

You brood of vipers, how can you, who are evil, say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Matthew 12:34, NIV)

Using the symbolism of the viper, which is a symbol for Satan. Jesus tells the Pharisees that they are evil, poisonous children of Satan. Their hearts are full of evil. That's why they can't recognize and receive the work of the Holy Spirit happening right in front of them. That is why they can't speak truthfully about Him. Good outcomes flow from a person who is good. Evil outcomes flow from a person who is evil. Our words and actions for good or evil flow from our hearts. We must remember that speech is an action that produces good or evil outcomes.

Then Jesus says something that shakes my soul, "Everyone will have to give an account on the day of judgment for every empty word.” An empty word is speech that we haven't thought through to its logical conclusion to produce good outcomes and not evil outcomes. I don't know about you, but in 64 years I've let a lot of empty words fly out my mouth. What comes next is even worse. Jesus says, "by our words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." This means that on judgement day, each of us will own the fruit of our hearts, for good or evil, as expressed in our words. The point of the passage is this:

Good or evil flow from our heart; God's judgment affirms what is in our heart.

HOW CAN THIS HELP US WHEN WE FACE OPPOSITION?

Let me suggest three things:

• Remember, our spiritual blindness keeps us from seeing Jesus and from being able to speak the truth about Jesus. When opposition comes, we must be able to discern good and evil. We must be able to see God at work and align ourselves with what He is doing. We do this by being intentional in getting closer in our relationship with Jesus. Participation in our Closer Walk with God group starting this fall would be an excellent step in that direction.

• To know others, listen to their hearts through the outcomes of their words and actions. Are you observing good or evil?

• To know ourselves, be attentive to the outcomes of our words and actions. Are you observing good or evil?

Where is the Gospel of Grace?

The law of God in this passage is clear. Good and evil live in our hearts. Our words and action reveal the condition of our hearts before people and before God. In the end, our own words and actions will condemn us. God's judgement will affirm the self-evident condition of our heart.

The Gospel of Grace are these words of Christ Jesus.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30, NIV)

This is the central message of Jesus to us and to the world in chapters 11 and 12. Everything in chapter 11 leads to the invitation. Everything in chapter 12 looks back to this invitation. This is the Gospel of Grace for us today and all people forever.

Our hearts in their natural state will lead us contrary to the will of God as we naturally pursue our own wills. This is the ultimate evil. For it denies God his rightful authority over our lives. It is the ultimate in idolatry, because the evil in our hearts causes us to declare we are the ultimate authority in our lives.

The Good News of Jesus in this passage is that the Holy Spirit changes hearts through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the ultimate expression of the loving heart of God toward us.

In Jesus, our Heavenly Father, not only tells us but dramatically shows us how much He loves us. God Almighty in Jesus says to you, I love you so much that I will die for you. I love you so much that I will take into my very being the punishment of all your sins. I will bear the load of all the bad fruit for your life and from the lives of everyone who ever has lived or who will live. Your heavy yoke of slavery to sin will fall on me and for your sake, I will wear it all the way to its inevitable conclusion in death and hell.

In exchange, you will be free to live as I created you to live - bearing good, holy fruit that glorifies me and blesses you and others.

Our loving heavenly Father says to us, "There is no downside in this for you if you will only receive what I have done for you in my one and only Son, Jesus. Then my Spirit, the Holy Spirit, will live in you, bring you from certain death and eternal punishment into life with me for all eternity."

[Slide] The greatest miracle in the world is that God can take an unholy person out of an unholy world, make that unholy person holy, put the person back in an unholy world, and keep that person holy. Only the Gospel of the grace of God can do that. - Leonard Ravenhill