Walking in Arid Places

Introduction

Good morning and welcome!

This morning if you will, turn in your Bibles to Matthew 12.

Again, that’s Matthew 12—and we are going to be talking about a passage that we have visited many times before.

However, as I was studying I was having a hard time really understanding why the Lord was bringing me back to this passage and what the Lord was pushing me to point out within this passage.

And then I began to have one of those brief moments of clarity.

And what the Lord was pointing out to me was really one word in the entire passage.

And that word was arid.

So, this morning we are going to be looking at this passage but not really so much from the perspective of the overall parable itself but looking at what it means to be Walking in Arid Places, not as evil spirits in the parable but as people.

Both people who are walking without God—those who have NO relationship with God.

AND those who at some point in their life may have had a relationship with God, but that relationship has lapsed.

Either they have abandoned that relationship, something has come in and damaged that relationship.

Or, they may still have a relationship, but it’s hanging on by a thread.

And don’t think that if you are sitting there thinking that none of these criteria fit you, you may be wrong and just don’t even know it.

So, again, we are going to be talking about Walking in Arid Places and looking at Matthew 12, stating in verse 43.

Stand with me if you are able . . .

Scripture Focus

Matthew 12:43–45 NIV84

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

The Background

So, before we really start to dive into what I want to get to, let’s spend a few minutes setting up what is actually going on here.

In this passage, Jesus is actually responding to some criticism and questioning by the Pharisees and some of the religious teachers that was around him.

If you go all the way back to the beginning of chapter 12 there is a lot of stuff going on that was rubbing the “religious” authorities the wrong way.

Jesus wasn’t playing by the “rules.”

Jesus wasn’t doing everything the “proper” way.

And because of this, the Pharisees were getting pretty hot under the collar.

They were getting “offended.”

And the reason they were so offended was because everything Jesus was doing was placing them under severe conviction.

The Holy Spirit was convicting them so hard of their sin that they couldn’t stand it.

And they had the same options that we have when we are under conviction of the Holy Spirit.

Either repent or reject.

And when we repent, we are restored and all things are made right between us and God.

However, when we reject, we typically will lash out in some sort of angry tantrum trying to discredit the source of the conviction that we are feeling.

And “religious” people are the worst at this.

When somebody comes in and really shakes them up that THEIR rules and THEIR proper way is not truly in line with God and God’s plan—brother you had better watch out!

Because they will be on you like an angry Raccoon.

They will try to bite your face off!

And remember, these are the “religious” people doing this.

And that is exactly what is going on here with Jesus.

In the first part of the chapter, Jesus runs into his first problem.

Look at what happened . . .

Matthew 12:1–2 NIV84

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

So, let’s set this up just a bit.

Jesus and His disciples had been out all week long ministering and sharing the Gospel with people.

It came the Sabbath and guess what, they were hungry!

The Bible doesn’t say but who knows when the last time they actually ate.

So, they are in a cornfield, they pick some corn and they eat.

But by the Pharisee’s reaction, you would have thought they had robbed a bank or killed somebody.

They were breaking the law!

NOT the law of the Roman Empire—but the Jewish Law.

And NOT the original Jewish Law (The 10 Commandments) but rather one of the 600+ laws the Jews added to the 10 Commandments because they couldn’t follow the first 10.

So, they throw this big old fit and Jesus puts them in their place.

He reminds them of their hero, King David and the time that King David and his men were hungry and they went into the temple, took the consecrated bread and ate it—and nobody had a problem with that.

And also, the priests themselves who desecrate the Sabbath every week, but nobody cares about that.

And here was what really got under their skin . . .

Matthew 12:8 NIV84

For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Right there He laid down the gauntlet.

Let them know that He is the Son of God and guess what He is Lord of the Sabbath.

And they were hot under the collar after that.

And instead of backing down, Jesus keeps right on going.

I guess he figured “why not—they are already mad!”

Next, he heals a man which they complain about and he again rebukes.

Then Jesus has to high tail it out of there for a little bit because they were ready to literally kill Him right then.

And the next time we see an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees a blind and mute demon possess man was brought to Him and Jesus heals the man.

And all the Pharisees have to say is that Jesus was operating under the power of the devil.

To which Jesus rebukes AGAIN.

And gives them all a lesson in unity in the house of God as well as bearing fruit.

So, every direction they go in trying to trap or trip Jesus up, He is rebuking them and convicting them for their years of “religion” that has only led them further and further away from God.

And we have to be very careful that we are not doing the same things.

We hear people all the time talk about being “religious” and many of these people are “church” people.

But religion never saved a single soul.

Religion never delivered a single person from addiction.

Religion never healed a single broken heart.

Religion has never done anything!

The only thing that can accomplish this is RELATIONSHIP.

And not a relationship with any church or denomination—but a relationship with JESUS!

Because Jesus heals.

Jesus delivers.

Jesus saves.

Jesus AND ONLY Jesus!

Never forget that.

Signs and Wonders

So, we are now getting up to our passage.

But there one more piece before we dig into our Scripture.

In verse 38 of Matthew 12 the Pharisees come to Jesus and look what they ask . . .

Matthew 12:38 NIV84

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.”

Now these are the same dudes that had just accused Jesus of performing miracles in the name of Satan.

Now they want more—they want more proof that He is the Son of God.

And we have the same issue at times.

God speaks to us and God confirms things to us but we ask for more.

God calls us out into something and what do we do?

“Prove it to me God!”

“Show me a sign God!”

And hear me out—because there are times when we are legitimately not sure of whether God is speaking to us or we just have something in our heads.

In those instances, yes, ABSOLUTELY ask God to clarify things for you.

God wants us to—that means we are actually listening.

However, there are also times when God speaks to us almost in an audible voice and we question it anyway.

And I don’t know about anybody else but usually for me it is when God tells me something and then tells me to be patient and wait.

Because I don’t want to wait—I am not patient.

I get excited when God speaks and I want to get right to it, but sometimes I tend to get ahead of God when I do that.

And I have also learned that God will send the confirmation WHEN WE NEED IT, NOT WHEN WE WANT IT.

And we also confuse God’s silence sometimes for God not listening—God’s listening, but God is also working.

So a lesson that God is teaching me—DAILY—is to let Him work.

Some days I do good—Some days I do not.

And I told you all of that because if you are feeling that way too, you are not alone.

Don’t let Satan try to lie to you and tell you that you are all alone or that God ain’t in it.

It is a human trait of our human nature so we are all in it TOGETHER.

However, in this passage that ain’t what’s going on.

They want proof that Jesus is the Son of God.

So, they ask for signs and wonders.

And Jesus just flat out shuts them down.

Matthew 12:39 NIV84

He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Y’all want a sign!

Well, here’s the only sign you are going to get—the sign of the prophet Jonah.

And that sign was that just like Jonah was in the belly of the whale for 3 days and 3 nights, Jesus was going to be the belly of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights.

He was telling them that the sign they were going to receive was his being crucified, buried, AND RISING AGAIN.

But because they were such a wicked and adulterous generation—a generation so far removed from God, they wouldn’t even recognize it until it was too late.

Jonah was a prophet—a man and because of just spending a few days in a fish all of Nineveh repented.

But here is Jesus—The Christ—The Messiah, right in front of them and their sin was blinding them from the reality of who He is.

Walking in Arid Places

And we have the same problem today.

We are living in a wicked and adulterous generation that is constantly looking for signs and wonders, but never looking for Christ.

They are constantly looking for salvation in self, in idolatry, sometimes even in religion, but never in Jesus.

And the reason for it is because we have a generation walking around in arid places.

And I promised we would get to it and here it is.

The word arid means “waterless.”

So we have a generation walking around outside AND INSIDE the Church and the Church is WATERLESS.

There is no water in the church.

There is no LIVING WATER to be found.

And the people are walking around dried up and dead.

And the reason behind that is because just like water is essential for physical life, living water is essential for spiritual life.

And if you have no living water you have no spiritual life.

And all you are left with is a bunch of people wandering around looking for water.

They are desperately searching for places where the living water can be found.

People are thirsty for the Holy Spirit.

And they are seeking the Holy Spirit.

And all of our prayer is that people come and allow us to minister to them.

Well then we have be able to give them what they need.

We have to be able to give them the living water they so desire.

We have to be able to pour out the Holy Spirit in their lives.

And before we can do that-EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, has to also be filled with the living water.

We NEED the Holy Spirit to absolutely flood this place.

And listen—it ain’t all about us either.

We need the Holy Spirit to flood every single congregation in this area.

And then we will see revival.

Then we will all the signs and miracles that we so desperately search for.

But ONLY THEN.

And the alternative to this, well look at what happens to our friend in our passage . . .

Matthew 12:43 NIV84

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

So it is no different for the evil spirit than for a man.

Looking for water—looking for rest.

And we may be talking about evil coming out but here’s the thing until we can find the water to fill our soul, we will never be at rest.

We will never be at peace.

We will never be satisfied.

Sure, Satan tries to offer us all sorts of alternatives, but there is no substitute for the Holy Spirit!

And He is who we seek and until we find Him, we will continue wander.

But our example . . .

Matthew 12:44 NIV84

Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

And I know we have covered this part before.

But listen—we can mimic sanctification—being filled with the Holy Spirit—pretending and lying to ourselves all we want.

But if all we are trying to do is clean up our own house, on our own WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT . . .

Then all we are doing is sweeping up an empty house.

And when the house is empty, well guess what, the robbers come in and steal whatever isn’t bolted down.

They vandalize and destroy everything that you have worked so hard to clean up on your own.

Everything that you think you have hidden because you know how to act the part or appear all “churchy.”

But the hard truth is, without the Holy Spirit you are an open target.

And I pray that you seek the Holy Spirit and stop just playing the part.

Because the evil spirit here finds the house/the man in that condition and look what happens . . .

Matthew 12:45 NIV84

Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

So not only does the evil spirit come back—he brings 7 friends worse than him with him.

And you are worse off than before you started.

And not only that but look at the last think Jesus says That is how it will be with this wicked generation.

That is how it is with our current generation.

Altar/Challenge

So, if you are wondering why you don’t have any victory, are you walking around in waterless places?

Is your life waterless?

Is it void of the Holy Spirit?

And listen I don’t want you to sit there under conviction and be ashamed.

I want you be under conviction but do something about it.

Come and pray.

Come and let me pray with you.

And it doesn’t matter who you are or how long you’ve been a Christian—DO YOU WANT MORE?

Do you want more than what you have right now?

If so, come and seek HIM!