WEBVTT 00:00:02.990 --> 00:00:05.230 If you have a copy of the scriptures, if you 00:00:05.230 --> 00:00:24.250 would open them to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew 00:00:24.250 --> 00:00:27.210 chapter 12, and we'll be looking at verses 22 00:00:27.210 --> 00:00:41.700 through 30 this morning. Before we begin, would 00:00:41.700 --> 00:00:43.960 you bow with me in a word of prayer and ask God 00:00:43.960 --> 00:00:50.700 to help us once more? Father, I'm thankful for 00:00:50.700 --> 00:00:52.679 the ministry of music. Lord, I'm thankful for 00:00:52.679 --> 00:00:56.320 the songs that we can sing that instructs us 00:00:56.320 --> 00:01:00.579 in our faith. Lord, it's the song we just sang. 00:01:00.579 --> 00:01:04.680 Lord, we cry out, how long, Lord? Lord, we long 00:01:04.680 --> 00:01:06.560 for the kingdom to come in its fullness. We long 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:10.459 for our king to come. We long to forever be with 00:01:10.459 --> 00:01:15.299 Christ, which is far better. So Lord God, with 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:19.599 the saints who at every age prayed, even so come 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:22.920 Lord Jesus. Father, I'm reminded this morning 00:01:22.920 --> 00:01:25.739 as I stand here before your people that this 00:01:25.739 --> 00:01:29.060 is a sacred task. I'm also reminded, Father, 00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:31.239 that I will give an account before you for every 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:34.400 idle word that is spoken in the day of judgment. 00:01:35.859 --> 00:01:37.760 Lord, I'm asking, please don't let these words 00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:41.640 be idle. Lord, I know my words will profit nothing, 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:46.000 but your word, Lord God, allows us to grow in 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:48.000 our most holy faith. It allows us to be built 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:50.459 up in Christ. So, Father, would you help me to 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:53.180 preach the word and, Lord, to reveal the glory 00:01:53.180 --> 00:01:56.680 and majesty and supremacy of your Son. May he 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.599 get the primacy, the preeminence. And, Lord God, 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:02.519 may we sink low this morning. Father, help us 00:02:02.519 --> 00:02:05.000 to see Jesus, we pray. And it's in his name we 00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:09.620 ask this. Amen. The text begins in verse 22. 00:02:11.500 --> 00:02:13.879 Then one was brought to him, that is Jesus, who 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.840 is demon -possessed, blind and mute. And he healed 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:21.139 him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke 00:02:21.139 --> 00:02:24.620 and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed, 00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:26.740 and they said, Could this be the son of David? 00:02:27.639 --> 00:02:30.240 Now when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:33.360 fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub. 00:02:33.870 --> 00:02:37.289 the ruler of the demons. But Jesus knew their 00:02:37.289 --> 00:02:39.969 thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided 00:02:39.969 --> 00:02:42.849 against itself is brought to desolation, and 00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:45.289 every city or house divided against itself will 00:02:45.289 --> 00:02:49.289 not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided 00:02:49.289 --> 00:02:52.270 against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:56.710 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom 00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:59.469 do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall 00:02:59.469 --> 00:03:02.449 be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the 00:03:02.449 --> 00:03:06.310 Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has 00:03:06.310 --> 00:03:09.629 come upon you. For how can one enter a strong 00:03:09.629 --> 00:03:12.490 man's house and plunder his goods unless he first 00:03:12.490 --> 00:03:15.289 binds a strong man, and then he will plunder 00:03:15.289 --> 00:03:18.810 his house? And then Jesus ends that. He said, 00:03:18.830 --> 00:03:23.389 He who is not with me is against me, and he who 00:03:23.389 --> 00:03:27.169 does not gather with me scatters abroad. Now 00:03:27.169 --> 00:03:29.689 up to this point in Matthew's Gospel, there has 00:03:29.689 --> 00:03:32.590 been a storm brewing. We've seen the clouds gathering, 00:03:32.710 --> 00:03:35.169 it's been obvious. There will be an eventual 00:03:35.169 --> 00:03:37.909 showdown between Jesus and the religious leaders. 00:03:38.650 --> 00:03:41.610 That much is inevitable. There have been massive 00:03:41.610 --> 00:03:44.449 crowds always following Jesus, and so far they're 00:03:44.449 --> 00:03:46.610 uncommitted, yet they have remained curious. 00:03:46.789 --> 00:03:49.810 They're curious about the Lord. But now we see 00:03:49.810 --> 00:03:52.449 the religious leaders, and especially the Pharisees, 00:03:52.449 --> 00:03:55.289 even more than the scribes. They have up to this 00:03:55.289 --> 00:03:57.629 point been skeptical, but now they're hostile. 00:03:58.349 --> 00:03:59.969 They're going to be hostile toward the Lord. 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:02.349 And today's text, really, we see the conflict 00:04:02.349 --> 00:04:06.469 becomes unavoidable. There was a demon -possessed 00:04:06.469 --> 00:04:09.909 man. The Bible says he's blind and mute. So this 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:13.650 poor man, he doesn't see. He can't speak. And 00:04:13.650 --> 00:04:16.449 yet somehow he is brought to Jesus who miraculously 00:04:16.449 --> 00:04:21.149 and instantaneously healed him. Imagine the man's 00:04:21.149 --> 00:04:24.100 eyes. He's blind one moment. The next minute, 00:04:24.160 --> 00:04:28.199 his eyes are opened, his tongue is loosed, and 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.060 the demon is gone. And it says the people were 00:04:31.060 --> 00:04:33.819 amazed. They just witnessed such an incredible 00:04:33.819 --> 00:04:35.560 event. And I was thinking about this, and I'm 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:37.500 not trying to be funny here at all. Imagine, 00:04:37.620 --> 00:04:39.420 because in our culture, we know of Helen Keller. 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:41.720 Of course, she was blind, deaf, and mute. But 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:44.160 imagine if suddenly, one moment, she can hear, 00:04:44.259 --> 00:04:47.000 she can see, she can speak. And we witnessed 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:49.519 that event. That's what they would have been 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:52.569 doing. So the crowd began to ask a really sensible 00:04:52.569 --> 00:04:54.949 question. They said, could this be the son of 00:04:54.949 --> 00:04:58.209 David? I mean, could this man right here, couldn't 00:04:58.209 --> 00:05:01.410 he be our king? And on the other hand, you had 00:05:01.410 --> 00:05:03.350 the Pharisees who also witnessed the same event. 00:05:03.370 --> 00:05:06.670 They responded not with wonder, but with accusation. 00:05:07.550 --> 00:05:09.370 They're saying, oh yeah, you saw a notable miracle, 00:05:09.550 --> 00:05:13.029 but this man used demonic power to heal him. 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:16.180 So it was evident to all, including the Pharisees, 00:05:16.199 --> 00:05:18.939 they could not deny a tremendous miracle had 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:21.680 taken place. But the issue no longer is about 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:25.040 the miracle, rather about the response to it. 00:05:25.860 --> 00:05:28.339 There's now a new issue, and it centers around 00:05:28.339 --> 00:05:32.639 a question of authority and kingdoms. And Jesus 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:34.480 looked at the Pharisees and he said, this miracle 00:05:34.480 --> 00:05:37.160 that you've just witnessed, it proves the kingdom 00:05:37.160 --> 00:05:41.139 of God has come and has broken into enemy territory. 00:05:41.959 --> 00:05:43.819 In fact, in the scriptures, every time you see 00:05:43.819 --> 00:05:46.259 Jesus casting out a demon, what was he doing? 00:05:46.300 --> 00:05:48.759 He was binding the strong man and plundering 00:05:48.759 --> 00:05:52.540 Satan's house one person at a time. Jesus was 00:05:52.540 --> 00:05:56.300 reclaiming what rightfully belonged to God. Now, 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:58.660 the showdown that we see, it's not ultimately 00:05:58.660 --> 00:06:01.740 between Jesus and the Pharisees. Rather, it's 00:06:01.740 --> 00:06:03.759 between the Lord Jesus and the kingdom of Satan 00:06:03.759 --> 00:06:06.500 himself. Now, I want to take a closer look at 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:08.980 this passage. But we have to understand the context. 00:06:09.180 --> 00:06:11.569 We're in Matthew chapter 12. As I said, there 00:06:11.569 --> 00:06:14.089 is an escalating, there's a rising tension between 00:06:14.089 --> 00:06:17.990 Jesus and, in particular, the Pharisees. And 00:06:17.990 --> 00:06:21.490 all began over Sabbath regulations when Jesus' 00:06:21.629 --> 00:06:23.790 disciples picked some heads of grain and ate 00:06:23.790 --> 00:06:27.610 it. But we also see that Jesus, in verse 8, he 00:06:27.610 --> 00:06:32.649 said that he was the Lord of the Sabbath. And 00:06:32.649 --> 00:06:35.870 then to prove that, in verses 9 through 13, he 00:06:35.870 --> 00:06:39.370 heals a man with a withered hand. And that's 00:06:39.370 --> 00:06:41.689 when this mounting tension reached kind of a 00:06:41.689 --> 00:06:45.350 crisis point. Because in verse 14, we read this. 00:06:45.569 --> 00:06:48.009 Then the Pharisees went out. They had just seen 00:06:48.009 --> 00:06:50.810 Jesus do a notable miracle as well. They went 00:06:50.810 --> 00:06:53.949 out and plotted against him how they might destroy 00:06:53.949 --> 00:06:58.250 him. They wanted Jesus dead. And from that point 00:06:58.250 --> 00:07:02.709 forward, there is now open public hostility between 00:07:02.709 --> 00:07:05.629 the two. So now in our text this morning, verses 00:07:05.629 --> 00:07:08.610 22 through 30, You see, there's tension once 00:07:08.610 --> 00:07:12.970 again. Why? There's another man that Jesus healed, 00:07:13.170 --> 00:07:17.410 which again provoked a response from the Pharisees. 00:07:17.649 --> 00:07:20.509 Now this man was severely afflicted. Earlier 00:07:20.509 --> 00:07:22.829 it was a man with a withered hand. One minute 00:07:22.829 --> 00:07:24.829 his hand is maimed, the next minute completely 00:07:24.829 --> 00:07:27.389 restored and whole. But this man was severely 00:07:27.389 --> 00:07:30.750 afflicted. He's in terrible condition, just as 00:07:30.750 --> 00:07:34.029 all captives of sin are. But he was possessed 00:07:34.029 --> 00:07:37.370 by a demon. And this demon made it so that he 00:07:37.370 --> 00:07:41.009 could also suffer physical maladies. This man, 00:07:41.129 --> 00:07:44.329 we're told, he doesn't see. He cannot speak. 00:07:45.129 --> 00:07:47.750 Because what we see is demon possession often, 00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:51.850 not always, but often was associated with physical 00:07:51.850 --> 00:07:54.910 affliction. It caused blindness or deafness or 00:07:54.910 --> 00:07:59.350 muteness or lameness. When you see the demon 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:00.930 possessed in Scripture, though, I think we need 00:08:00.930 --> 00:08:03.589 to look a little deeper. When you see a man who's 00:08:03.589 --> 00:08:07.100 possessed by the demon, you see the goal of Satan's 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:11.639 kingdom, which is to steal, to kill, and to destroy. 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:14.959 There are various times we see many people in 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:16.680 the New Testament, especially in the Gospels, 00:08:16.699 --> 00:08:19.480 who are demon -possessed. Sometimes they are 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:23.379 forced to act like wild animals. Other times, 00:08:23.379 --> 00:08:26.660 they cut themselves and they inflicted self -harm. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.040 Still others would walk around naked and live 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:33.340 in tombs. But there were others who had physical 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:36.279 afflictions as well. Some had seizure -like symptoms. 00:08:36.340 --> 00:08:39.299 They would fall down and foam at the mouth. Others, 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:42.519 unable to walk. They would be bent over, couldn't 00:08:42.519 --> 00:08:44.820 walk. And still others, they could not see, they 00:08:44.820 --> 00:08:47.120 could not hear, they could not speak. Demon possession 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:50.139 was a horrible thing, but it was a visible witness, 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:53.159 a visible reminder of what life in the kingdom 00:08:53.159 --> 00:08:56.340 of Satan is really like. If Satan gets to have 00:08:56.340 --> 00:09:00.860 his way, it is a life of torture and fear, isolation, 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:07.139 suffering, darkness. Satan has always sought 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:09.620 from the very beginning to attack and destroy 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:14.059 God's creation, in particular his image bearers. 00:09:14.220 --> 00:09:18.659 That is mankind. Satan loves to do that. This 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:20.500 is an aside. Let me just say this is not the 00:09:20.500 --> 00:09:22.919 central point of the text. But I think this calls 00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:24.860 me to think that what we see taking place in 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:27.580 our own culture I think is demonically inspired. 00:09:29.299 --> 00:09:31.419 There's a movement you've probably heard about, 00:09:31.519 --> 00:09:34.700 the furry movement. humans, adults, teenagers 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:38.320 alike, acting and wanting to be treated as if 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:41.700 they were animals. Now that's a sign of mental 00:09:41.700 --> 00:09:44.759 illness. But I think at times, now listen, I'm 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:46.960 not saying all mental illness is, but I think 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.759 at times mental illness is also a sign of demonic 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:53.960 activity that lies behind mental illness. I think 00:09:53.960 --> 00:09:56.779 we lose our Christian moorings, we see more and 00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:59.889 more of this stuff. Even the gender confusion 00:09:59.889 --> 00:10:02.850 and sexual fluidity that is rampant in our culture 00:10:02.850 --> 00:10:05.250 is seeking to destroy that distinction between 00:10:05.250 --> 00:10:08.289 male and female, between masculine and feminine. 00:10:08.850 --> 00:10:13.929 That's a Satan. Wherever the gospel has taken 00:10:13.929 --> 00:10:19.309 root in a society, humanity is elevated. God's 00:10:19.309 --> 00:10:21.789 image wears their celebration. There's also a 00:10:21.789 --> 00:10:27.179 moral sanity. But when a culture... loses its 00:10:27.179 --> 00:10:30.860 Christian influence or its Christian distinctives, 00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:34.200 you'll start to see it plunge headlong into darkness, 00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:40.340 perversion, and confusion. People no longer able 00:10:40.340 --> 00:10:44.240 to reason or think clearly. And friends, that's 00:10:44.240 --> 00:10:48.019 where we are as a society today. When we don't 00:10:48.019 --> 00:10:50.399 know what a man is or a woman is, that's a problem. 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:54.620 Now we go back to our text though. This poor 00:10:54.620 --> 00:10:57.539 man, his life was one of misery and bondage. 00:10:57.539 --> 00:11:00.200 Not just because he couldn't see and speak, but 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:02.019 because he was also tortured. There's a demon 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:05.700 living within him. But someone, on one day, brought 00:11:05.700 --> 00:11:09.600 that man to Jesus. And Jesus completely healed 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:13.100 him. Instantaneously healed him. I mean, it's 00:11:13.100 --> 00:11:15.840 amazing. The blind man's seeing and the mute 00:11:15.840 --> 00:11:18.379 man is speaking. And it tells us, the text tells 00:11:18.379 --> 00:11:20.620 us, there's this great crowd following Jesus. 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:24.360 They witness that miraculous event. And obviously, 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:26.799 when you see such a notable event taking place, 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:29.419 it's going to provoke reactions. It's going to 00:11:29.419 --> 00:11:31.860 provoke many reactions. And Matthew tells us 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:36.720 that the crowds, the people, were amazed. It 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:40.960 means astonished. They're dumbfounded. I mean, 00:11:40.980 --> 00:11:42.720 they're just stopped in their tracks. They can't 00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:45.500 believe what they had just seen. I mean, it's 00:11:45.500 --> 00:11:48.940 not every day that you witness a blind man and 00:11:48.940 --> 00:11:52.460 a mute man being made whole. So what happens 00:11:52.460 --> 00:11:56.139 in a big crowd? They begin to talk. And they're 00:11:56.139 --> 00:11:58.440 talking amongst themselves. And they were wondering, 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:02.480 could this miracle mean that this man, Jesus, 00:12:02.679 --> 00:12:05.899 I mean, is it possible that he's the son of David? 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:09.399 Of course, that's a title for the Messiah. Now 00:12:09.399 --> 00:12:13.000 they weren't sure because Jesus did not come 00:12:13.000 --> 00:12:16.379 as they had expected and he did not come as they 00:12:16.379 --> 00:12:19.740 had been told the Messiah would come. You don't 00:12:19.740 --> 00:12:22.899 see Jesus being aggressive. He's not military 00:12:22.899 --> 00:12:25.740 -like. In fact, he's not uttered one word about 00:12:25.740 --> 00:12:28.399 freeing Israel from under the occupation of Rome. 00:12:29.620 --> 00:12:32.100 So they're a little bit confused. In fact, as 00:12:32.100 --> 00:12:34.720 we looked last week, it says Jesus came meek 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:40.059 and gentle. Verse 19. He will not quarrel or 00:12:40.059 --> 00:12:43.120 cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:46.799 streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and 00:12:46.799 --> 00:12:50.879 a smoking flax he will not quench. Jesus didn't 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:53.500 fit the bill. He didn't fit the bill of what 00:12:53.500 --> 00:12:56.899 they thought the Messiah would be. But, on the 00:12:56.899 --> 00:12:59.840 other hand, they can't deny that this miracle, 00:13:00.039 --> 00:13:02.600 this incredible, powerful miracle had truly taken 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:05.779 place. They also knew something. They knew that 00:13:05.779 --> 00:13:08.419 when the Messiah came, they knew this much. His 00:13:08.419 --> 00:13:12.659 arrival would also be marked by miracles. Because 00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:15.340 that's what they had been taught. Isaiah 35 is 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:19.519 an example of that. Verse 4. Say to those who 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:22.659 are fearful hearted, be strong. Do not fear. 00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:26.299 Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:28.840 the recompense of God. He will come and save 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:32.200 you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:36.039 And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. And 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:38.879 the lame shall leap like a deer. and the tongue 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:43.059 of the dumb, that is the mute, will sing. Ah, 00:13:43.240 --> 00:13:47.460 the light is beginning to dawn. It's beginning 00:13:47.460 --> 00:13:52.200 to shine for some in that crowd. Jesus is healing 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:55.320 the lame, causing the blind to see, the deaf 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:59.559 to hear, the mute to speak. Yes, this man may 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:02.840 be the Messiah. So the crowds remained curious. 00:14:03.980 --> 00:14:08.419 The religious leaders were blasphemous. They're 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:11.720 strident in their unbelief. Now they begin to 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:14.279 realize we're losing our grip. We're losing our 00:14:14.279 --> 00:14:16.019 hold on the people because Pharisees were men 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:18.840 of great influence and power. So they say they 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:20.740 knew. They're losing their hold on them. So they 00:14:20.740 --> 00:14:27.200 begin to publicly denounce Jesus. Verse 24. When 00:14:27.200 --> 00:14:28.700 they heard it, they heard about the miracle, 00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:31.799 they said, no, no, no, hey crowd, you're wrong. 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:36.860 This fellow, this one. He does not cast out demons 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:40.460 by the power of God, but by Beelzebub, the prince 00:14:40.460 --> 00:14:44.100 of the demons. So when the Pharisees knew about 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:46.860 this miracle, the people were wondering, is Jesus 00:14:46.860 --> 00:14:50.019 the Messiah? They weighed in on the matter. They're 00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:52.419 the experts, right, in the law. They flat out 00:14:52.419 --> 00:14:55.240 denied that Jesus could possibly be the Messiah, 00:14:55.259 --> 00:14:57.960 and instead they said his power came from Beelzebub. 00:14:58.120 --> 00:14:59.940 Now you might be wondering, well, who is Beelzebub? 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:02.279 It's a good question. You first read about him 00:15:02.279 --> 00:15:05.620 in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 1. And he was 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:07.919 a Philistine god and at that time he was called 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:10.899 Beelzebub. Beel was the god they always fell 00:15:10.899 --> 00:15:14.159 into idolatry with. Beelzebub. The name means 00:15:14.159 --> 00:15:16.620 lord of the flies. It can also mean lord of the 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:22.080 dung. It's the lord of filth. So Beelzebub in 00:15:22.080 --> 00:15:25.779 history was a contemptible deity. Filthy, disgusting 00:15:25.779 --> 00:15:29.679 idol. And because he is so detestable, when you 00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.519 come to the New Testament, that name Beelzebub 00:15:32.519 --> 00:15:36.940 began to be used as a synonym for Satan. So that's 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:38.320 what they're saying. Hey, listen, you want to 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:40.860 know how he's doing this? It's the power of darkness. 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:43.779 It's Satan's power. Now this is not the first 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:46.399 time the Pharisees had actually accused Jesus 00:15:46.399 --> 00:15:49.200 of using satanic activity to perform His miracles. 00:15:49.419 --> 00:15:51.360 You saw the same thing happen back in chapter 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:54.059 9, which we were in a few months ago. In chapter 00:15:54.059 --> 00:15:56.980 9, it says, As they went out, behold, they brought 00:15:56.980 --> 00:15:59.320 to Him, that is Jesus, a man, mute this time, 00:15:59.419 --> 00:16:02.139 and demon -possessed. And when the demon was 00:16:02.139 --> 00:16:04.179 cast out, the mute spoke, and the multitudes, 00:16:04.200 --> 00:16:06.600 once again, they're marveling, saying, I mean, 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:08.399 we've never seen anything like this in Israel. 00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:11.990 I mean, this is incredible. But the Pharisees 00:16:11.990 --> 00:16:14.809 said, he cast out demons by the ruler of the 00:16:14.809 --> 00:16:17.590 demons. Now on that occasion, chapter 9, the 00:16:17.590 --> 00:16:21.669 Lord said nothing. He let them go. Now they repeat 00:16:21.669 --> 00:16:24.190 the same thing in chapter 12, and this time the 00:16:24.190 --> 00:16:27.149 Lord confronts them in their blasphemy. Verse 00:16:27.149 --> 00:16:30.870 25. Jesus knew their thoughts. Of course he did. 00:16:31.210 --> 00:16:33.590 You're not hiding anything from him. And they 00:16:33.590 --> 00:16:37.389 said to him, he said to them, every kingdom that 00:16:37.389 --> 00:16:40.860 is divided against itself, is brought to desolation, 00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.580 and every city or house divided against itself 00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:48.379 will not stand. So they're attributing this miracle 00:16:48.379 --> 00:16:50.659 to the power of Satan, and the Lord is showing 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:54.120 them the absurdity of their accusation. Every 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:57.500 kingdom, every city, every house that is divided 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:00.840 will ultimately fall. It cannot stand. Now that's 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:03.279 true in all spheres of life. It's true in the 00:17:03.279 --> 00:17:06.349 political public sphere. It's true in the domestic 00:17:06.349 --> 00:17:08.789 sphere in your home. It's also true in the ecclesial 00:17:08.789 --> 00:17:11.890 or the church sphere as well. When a country 00:17:11.890 --> 00:17:14.690 goes to war with itself, it's going to be destroyed. 00:17:15.569 --> 00:17:17.589 I mean, we can see this in our own nation's history 00:17:17.589 --> 00:17:20.589 with the Civil War, and you see the devastation 00:17:20.589 --> 00:17:22.509 that that caused, and we're still feeling some 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:26.289 of the effects even to this day. But what about 00:17:26.289 --> 00:17:30.490 in the home? When a husband and wife stay divided, 00:17:30.829 --> 00:17:34.650 their marriage will not survive. their marriage 00:17:34.650 --> 00:17:37.710 will fail if they stay divided. Same thing in 00:17:37.710 --> 00:17:40.069 the church. Sometimes you see a church and it 00:17:40.069 --> 00:17:43.049 almost implodes from within. A church that remains 00:17:43.049 --> 00:17:46.890 divided will come to ruin. The old adage is true. 00:17:46.950 --> 00:17:51.170 United we stand, divided we fall. So Jesus then, 00:17:51.210 --> 00:17:54.210 he's showing the Pharisees how illogical their 00:17:54.210 --> 00:17:58.509 accusation was. The man who had been demon -possessed 00:17:58.509 --> 00:18:03.450 already belonged to the kingdom of Satan. Satan 00:18:03.450 --> 00:18:07.430 had that man in his grip. So if Jesus were working 00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:11.509 for Satan, as they said, what advantage would 00:18:11.509 --> 00:18:14.589 it be? It would be the height of absurdity for 00:18:14.589 --> 00:18:18.049 Jesus to release that man from his bondage and 00:18:18.049 --> 00:18:21.990 set him free. That would have meant that Jesus 00:18:21.990 --> 00:18:25.150 was undermining Satan, whom they claimed to be 00:18:25.150 --> 00:18:28.269 his boss. Think of it this way. Let's say you 00:18:28.269 --> 00:18:30.690 are working for the mob. You have a rival gang 00:18:30.690 --> 00:18:33.720 member in your custody. And you decide, I'm going 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:36.579 to free that man and let him go. Well, you're 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:38.200 no longer working for the mob. You're working 00:18:38.200 --> 00:18:41.480 against the mob. I mean, the accusation is ridiculous. 00:18:42.220 --> 00:18:45.119 And it was for Jesus as well. It's baseless. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:49.099 And it falls by lack of merit. But it's important 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:52.240 to point out something. Jesus does agree with 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:55.700 the Pharisees on one thing. Satan has a kingdom. 00:18:56.339 --> 00:19:00.960 Look at verse 26. If Satan casts out Satan, he's 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:04.230 divided against himself. How then will his kingdom 00:19:04.230 --> 00:19:09.069 stand? Satan has a kingdom. It's organized. There 00:19:09.069 --> 00:19:11.190 are various rulers. There are powers structured 00:19:11.190 --> 00:19:13.650 within it. Now here's the problem. Our modern 00:19:13.650 --> 00:19:15.490 culture, anytime you start to mention Satan, 00:19:15.589 --> 00:19:17.569 they're like, ooh, the boogeyman. Our modern 00:19:17.569 --> 00:19:20.150 culture is too sophisticated, supposedly, and 00:19:20.150 --> 00:19:22.609 too educated to believe in Satan or to believe 00:19:22.609 --> 00:19:24.829 in demonic powers. Now they'll believe in UFOs. 00:19:24.890 --> 00:19:26.730 They'll believe that man's a woman and woman's 00:19:26.730 --> 00:19:29.210 a man. But they will not believe in demons or 00:19:29.210 --> 00:19:31.970 in Satan or in demonic power. But the word of 00:19:31.970 --> 00:19:35.779 God, clearly affirms both. So must we. I'll give 00:19:35.779 --> 00:19:37.460 you one verse. It's in Ephesians 6, verse 12. 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:41.799 You and I, we don't wrestle against flesh and 00:19:41.799 --> 00:19:43.940 blood. Listen, friends, your political opponent, 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:45.579 the one who wears the opposite badge, they're 00:19:45.579 --> 00:19:50.359 not your enemy. But against principalities, against 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:53.579 powers, against the rulers of the darkness of 00:19:53.579 --> 00:19:56.619 this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness 00:19:56.619 --> 00:19:59.940 in the heavenly places. That's where the fight 00:19:59.940 --> 00:20:03.900 is ultimately taking place. So if we take Jesus 00:20:03.900 --> 00:20:05.980 and his words at face value, that means there 00:20:05.980 --> 00:20:09.440 are only two kingdoms in this world. There's 00:20:09.440 --> 00:20:10.960 the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. 00:20:11.960 --> 00:20:14.180 The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:18.220 And there's a real battle, a real war, intense, 00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:21.400 that's taking place between these rival kingdoms. 00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:24.400 But the good news is the battle is not between 00:20:24.400 --> 00:20:28.849 equal powers. God has no opposite. This is not 00:20:28.849 --> 00:20:31.769 Star Wars theology. We don't have yin and yang 00:20:31.769 --> 00:20:33.450 or light and darkness. That's not how it is. 00:20:33.529 --> 00:20:37.029 God has no opposite. Satan is not God's opposite. 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:40.589 In Psalm 103, verse 19, it says, The Lord, that 00:20:40.589 --> 00:20:43.130 is Yahweh, Yahweh has established his throne 00:20:43.130 --> 00:20:48.970 in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. God, 00:20:48.970 --> 00:20:53.890 the triune God, is almighty creator. And all 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:56.869 others are creatures who have been created by 00:20:56.869 --> 00:21:00.390 him, including Satan. Satan's not the opposite. 00:21:01.049 --> 00:21:04.190 But he does have a kingdom. But it's an illegitimate 00:21:04.190 --> 00:21:07.210 kingdom. It's fraudulent. It's counterfeit. And 00:21:07.210 --> 00:21:09.690 what it's doing, it's seeking to usurp God's 00:21:09.690 --> 00:21:13.190 authority through the power of deception. That's 00:21:13.190 --> 00:21:15.869 his power. So the battle, really, it's about 00:21:15.869 --> 00:21:18.809 rebellion. First, beginning in heaven with Satan's 00:21:18.809 --> 00:21:20.970 rebellion, and then on earth with mankind's rebellion. 00:21:22.059 --> 00:21:24.619 So this battle is really about a rebellion against 00:21:24.619 --> 00:21:29.660 God's rightful rule and God's work to reclaim 00:21:29.660 --> 00:21:34.559 what belongs to him. But all people live in one 00:21:34.559 --> 00:21:38.039 of two kingdoms. If you are not in the kingdom 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.839 of God, then by default, you're in the kingdom 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:45.700 of Satan. You say, no, I'm kind of neutral. There 00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:47.859 is no neutral third kingdom in which you can 00:21:47.859 --> 00:21:52.039 live. It doesn't exist. When you were born, As 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:54.660 a child of Adam, you were born into Satan's kingdom. 00:21:56.039 --> 00:22:00.220 And you must be born again into God's. In Adam, 00:22:00.299 --> 00:22:05.359 we are all born guilty and separated from God. 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:10.099 Which is why we need a second Adam. And that 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:13.400 is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus defeated the 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:16.960 kingdom of Satan at the cross. Colossians chapter 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:21.359 2, it says Christ, quote, disarmed. Principalities 00:22:21.359 --> 00:22:24.960 and powers. He made a public spectacle. He made 00:22:24.960 --> 00:22:28.559 a fool of them publicly. I love that. He trounced 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:32.319 them, if you will. Hebrews 2 .14. It says, even 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:34.019 as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, 00:22:34.140 --> 00:22:36.700 that's us, that's humanity, so he himself, that 00:22:36.700 --> 00:22:39.559 is Christ, likewise shared in the same, flesh 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:43.059 and blood, that through death he might destroy 00:22:43.059 --> 00:22:47.119 him who had the power of death, that is the devil. 00:22:47.660 --> 00:22:50.319 So you find again this battle. That's a battle 00:22:50.319 --> 00:22:52.859 between the two kingdoms. It is real. It is intense. 00:22:53.140 --> 00:22:56.480 But the end is never in doubt. The end is not 00:22:56.480 --> 00:22:59.960 in question because Satan was decisively defeated 00:22:59.960 --> 00:23:03.339 through the death, burial, and resurrection of 00:23:03.339 --> 00:23:08.039 God's Son. So God's kingdom has already prevailed. 00:23:08.099 --> 00:23:13.119 It will ultimately triumph in the end. Now look 00:23:13.119 --> 00:23:15.900 at the text, verse 27. Christ says, but if I 00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:17.539 cast out demons, if that's what you're saying 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:20.609 by Beelzebub, But well then tell me, and you 00:23:20.609 --> 00:23:22.549 answer my question, by whom do your sons cast 00:23:22.549 --> 00:23:26.170 them out? They're going to judge you. See, Jesus 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:28.630 is not the only ones who's casting out demons 00:23:28.630 --> 00:23:30.849 in that day. There were some disciples of the 00:23:30.849 --> 00:23:34.269 Pharisees who also performed some exorcisms. 00:23:34.769 --> 00:23:38.069 But the Pharisees recognized those as being legitimate. 00:23:39.309 --> 00:23:42.369 And so Jesus poses a question. Well tell me, 00:23:42.390 --> 00:23:44.769 if I'm performing exorcisms by the power of Satan, 00:23:44.950 --> 00:23:47.369 what authority are your own disciples performing 00:23:47.369 --> 00:23:52.059 them? He's showing them their hypocrisy and their 00:23:52.059 --> 00:23:55.759 bias. He says, they will be your judges. Because 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:57.900 the Pharisees believed that their own disciples 00:23:57.900 --> 00:24:00.819 could literally, legitimately cast out demons 00:24:00.819 --> 00:24:03.900 by God's power. But Jesus, who did the same thing, 00:24:04.180 --> 00:24:08.319 they said was illegitimate and satanic. And he 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:11.279 said, they'll be your judge. There was no reason 00:24:11.279 --> 00:24:14.900 for the rejection of Jesus' miracles other than 00:24:14.900 --> 00:24:18.160 jealousy. That's what's fueling all this. The 00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:20.559 Pharisees are jealous of Jesus and his authority. 00:24:20.759 --> 00:24:22.940 They're jealous of his growing popularity among 00:24:22.940 --> 00:24:25.339 the people. And basically, he's posing a threat 00:24:25.339 --> 00:24:29.299 to their system. They stood to lose their standing 00:24:29.299 --> 00:24:31.240 in the community, and they could not tolerate 00:24:31.240 --> 00:24:34.859 that because their idol was they loved the esteem 00:24:34.859 --> 00:24:37.440 of the people. But all that was being transferred 00:24:37.440 --> 00:24:39.220 to Jesus, and they're not going to take that. 00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:41.859 So these hypocrites, the Pharisees, the religious 00:24:41.859 --> 00:24:44.920 leaders, the teachers of the law, were willfully, 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:50.839 volitionally, Blind to the truth. What truth 00:24:50.839 --> 00:24:54.240 is that? That the kingdom of God had come in 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:58.279 Christ. Look at verse 28. That if I cast out 00:24:58.279 --> 00:25:02.460 demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom 00:25:02.460 --> 00:25:05.279 of God has come upon you. So he's confronting 00:25:05.279 --> 00:25:08.099 the Pharisees with this conclusion that they 00:25:08.099 --> 00:25:11.799 refuse to even consider. That instead of being 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:17.769 a pawn of Satan, Jesus had brought... the kingdom 00:25:17.769 --> 00:25:21.650 of God to them because he was the king whom God 00:25:21.650 --> 00:25:24.990 sent. Now what should have been obvious to all 00:25:24.990 --> 00:25:27.670 was that Jesus was indeed performing great miracles, 00:25:27.789 --> 00:25:29.930 but he was doing so by the power of God's spirit. 00:25:30.170 --> 00:25:32.190 And if they were being done by the power of God's 00:25:32.190 --> 00:25:34.650 spirit, that meant the kingdom of God is here 00:25:34.650 --> 00:25:37.269 with us. Notice the text. I want you to notice 00:25:37.269 --> 00:25:41.690 this phrase. The kingdom of God has come upon 00:25:41.690 --> 00:25:45.390 you. It's so important that we get this. Notice 00:25:45.390 --> 00:25:48.309 what Jesus said. He did not say the kingdom of 00:25:48.309 --> 00:25:53.349 God will come. Not future. He said it had come. 00:25:53.529 --> 00:25:56.710 It's already there. The kingdom of God had come 00:25:56.710 --> 00:26:02.130 because the king from God had come. Jesus was 00:26:02.130 --> 00:26:07.309 very clearly claiming to be the king, the Messiah 00:26:07.309 --> 00:26:10.990 of Israel. His miracles, which were done by the 00:26:10.990 --> 00:26:16.119 power of God, were proof. Clear proof that the 00:26:16.119 --> 00:26:19.759 long -awaited age of the kingdom, the thing they'd 00:26:19.759 --> 00:26:22.599 always prayed for, had dawned upon them. The 00:26:22.599 --> 00:26:26.059 kingdom of God had arrived and it was overpowering 00:26:26.059 --> 00:26:31.359 the kingdom of Satan. Look at verse 29. Jesus, 00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:34.079 how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:37.359 his goods unless he first binds that strong man 00:26:37.359 --> 00:26:40.960 and then plunders his house? So he's using the 00:26:40.960 --> 00:26:42.960 illustration. He's picturing Satan as a strong 00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:45.119 man. who had a house, and there were treasures 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:47.960 in that house. Satan's house was his domain, 00:26:48.200 --> 00:26:50.559 his rule. We could even say his kingdom. But 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:52.380 what was the treasure, the goods that were in 00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:57.180 his house? People, souls of men, living in bondage 00:26:57.180 --> 00:27:01.579 to him. Christ came to plunder his goods, meaning 00:27:01.579 --> 00:27:04.799 Christ came to rescue and deliver people, in 00:27:04.799 --> 00:27:08.180 particular his people, out from under the kingdom 00:27:08.180 --> 00:27:11.579 of Satan. But before Christ could plunder the 00:27:11.579 --> 00:27:14.180 house, he says he had to bind that strong man. 00:27:14.299 --> 00:27:17.299 He had to bind Satan. Where does that binding 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:21.400 take place? Decisively at the cross of Calvary. 00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:25.000 And he's saying if you want proof, the healing 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.079 of this blind, mute, demon -possessed man showed 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:32.440 that Christ was the stronger one who was able 00:27:32.440 --> 00:27:36.180 to bind Satan. Satan's help was before Christ. 00:27:37.160 --> 00:27:40.019 He has never been a match for the Lord Jesus, 00:27:40.220 --> 00:27:44.900 and he's still helpless before him today. God's 00:27:44.900 --> 00:27:47.619 growing his kingdom, folks. The gospel right 00:27:47.619 --> 00:27:50.740 now is being preached throughout the world, all 00:27:50.740 --> 00:27:53.759 the nations. Disciples are being made from all 00:27:53.759 --> 00:27:56.480 the nations, like Matthew 28 tells us to. How? 00:27:56.579 --> 00:27:59.720 By being taught the gospel and being baptized, 00:27:59.880 --> 00:28:03.519 having the name of the blessed triune God placed 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:06.539 upon them in holy baptism. And this kingdom, 00:28:06.799 --> 00:28:09.000 It's advancing right now throughout the world, 00:28:09.059 --> 00:28:11.599 and Satan is powerless to do anything about it, 00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:15.279 much less stop it. He can't do it. But I want 00:28:15.279 --> 00:28:17.039 you to notice something. The Lord Jesus didn't 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:19.220 just preach the kingdom of God, although he did 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:22.940 that. He demonstrated it. What's he been doing? 00:28:24.079 --> 00:28:28.180 Healing sick people, casting out demons, setting 00:28:28.180 --> 00:28:33.200 captives free, and even forgiving sin. His miracles, 00:28:33.339 --> 00:28:34.960 all these miracles that we're seeing, they're 00:28:34.960 --> 00:28:38.099 signs. Don't lose sight of that. They're not 00:28:38.099 --> 00:28:43.339 to simply wow the crowds. They're signs pointing 00:28:43.339 --> 00:28:48.160 to the fact that God's reign, God's kingdom had 00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:50.940 broken into this present world. The darkness 00:28:50.940 --> 00:28:54.059 is being pushed back. Now there are many today, 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:57.000 friends of mine, some, who preach that the kingdom 00:28:57.000 --> 00:28:59.559 of God has not yet come, that it is only future. 00:29:00.509 --> 00:29:02.410 They believe, and this is what they believe, 00:29:02.470 --> 00:29:05.250 that Christ offered the kingdom to Israel. Israel 00:29:05.250 --> 00:29:08.069 rejected it. So this kingdom then is placed on 00:29:08.069 --> 00:29:10.529 pause until the time when Jesus comes again. 00:29:11.670 --> 00:29:13.509 But that's not the way the Bible presents the 00:29:13.509 --> 00:29:16.789 kingdom of God. It shows it's present even now. 00:29:17.069 --> 00:29:20.890 The kingdom, the kingdom of God was inaugurated 00:29:20.890 --> 00:29:24.890 at Christ's first advent, particularly through 00:29:24.890 --> 00:29:29.630 his death, burial, and resurrection. By his death 00:29:29.630 --> 00:29:32.630 and resurrection, sin and death were conquered, 00:29:32.769 --> 00:29:36.569 but a new creation began at that moment. Before 00:29:36.569 --> 00:29:38.690 then, there were primarily Jews and Gentiles, 00:29:38.730 --> 00:29:41.029 but now in Christ, that distinction is taken 00:29:41.029 --> 00:29:44.910 away, and there is a new creation, a new humanity 00:29:44.910 --> 00:29:47.589 in Christ. That's what Ephesians is all about, 00:29:47.609 --> 00:29:49.650 folks, that all those distinctives that formerly 00:29:49.650 --> 00:29:52.769 kept them apart are gone away in Jesus. Ephesians 00:29:52.769 --> 00:29:56.210 2, 14 and 15. For he himself, that is Jesus, 00:29:56.349 --> 00:29:59.119 is our peace. Who has made both Jew and Gentile 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:02.200 one. And he's broken down the middle wall of 00:30:02.200 --> 00:30:04.660 separation and no longer dividing them. Have 00:30:04.660 --> 00:30:08.380 abolished in his flesh the enmity. That is the 00:30:08.380 --> 00:30:10.539 law of commandments contained in ordinances. 00:30:10.599 --> 00:30:14.079 All the ceremonial laws are done away with. So 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:19.500 as to create in himself one new man from the 00:30:19.500 --> 00:30:23.960 two. Thus making peace. But it didn't stop there. 00:30:24.700 --> 00:30:27.799 Jesus is raised from the dead. But the glorious 00:30:27.799 --> 00:30:30.500 Lord Jesus, he ascended into heaven, and there 00:30:30.500 --> 00:30:34.180 he was coronated. He was crowned King of Kings 00:30:34.180 --> 00:30:37.839 and Lord of Lords. And then he entered into his 00:30:37.839 --> 00:30:41.299 session. He took his seat at the Father's glorious 00:30:41.299 --> 00:30:44.480 right hand. And from there, right now, he is 00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:47.519 ruling from heaven until his enemies be made 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:49.839 his footstool, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:53.220 15. Now, if you're wondering, well, the kingdom's 00:30:53.220 --> 00:30:56.130 not here in its fullness. That's right. It's 00:30:56.130 --> 00:30:59.529 not yet fully consummated. That is future. And 00:30:59.529 --> 00:31:01.849 that will take place when he returns again. But 00:31:01.849 --> 00:31:04.150 there can be no doubt that right now the kingdom 00:31:04.150 --> 00:31:06.230 of God is already present. Let me show you two 00:31:06.230 --> 00:31:11.670 verses. Colossians 1. He has delivered us from 00:31:11.670 --> 00:31:14.470 the power of darkness and conveyed. Has delivered 00:31:14.470 --> 00:31:16.509 and conveyed. That's past perfect. Or present 00:31:16.509 --> 00:31:18.829 perfect, excuse me. He's already done this into 00:31:18.829 --> 00:31:21.849 the kingdom. You've been conveyed. You've been 00:31:21.849 --> 00:31:24.890 transferred into the kingdom of the son of his 00:31:24.890 --> 00:31:27.539 love. Now notice, in whom we have redemption 00:31:27.539 --> 00:31:31.819 through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Your 00:31:31.819 --> 00:31:34.720 sins have already been forgiven. You have already 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:36.579 been transferred into the kingdom because it's 00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:40.119 present now. Notice Paul says already you're 00:31:40.119 --> 00:31:42.980 in the kingdom of his son. 1 Thessalonians 2 00:31:42.980 --> 00:31:46.400 .12 That you would walk worthy of God who calls 00:31:46.400 --> 00:31:49.500 you present. He is calling you into his own kingdom. 00:31:51.079 --> 00:31:53.259 It's the church. It's ministered by word and 00:31:53.259 --> 00:31:55.539 sacrament on this earth into his own kingdom. 00:31:55.779 --> 00:31:58.319 So we find a truth here. The kingdom is already 00:31:58.319 --> 00:32:03.079 present, not yet fully consummated. It's here 00:32:03.079 --> 00:32:04.640 in seed form. Now you're saying, well, how do 00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:06.779 you know the kingdom's not yet fully consummated? 00:32:06.940 --> 00:32:08.579 It's what we were singing in that last song. 00:32:09.039 --> 00:32:13.259 Because right now we still see sickness. We still 00:32:13.259 --> 00:32:17.059 see death. We still see injustice in this world. 00:32:18.000 --> 00:32:19.900 None of that will be in the consummated kingdom. 00:32:21.009 --> 00:32:23.890 but it is here in seed form. The work of redemption, 00:32:24.089 --> 00:32:27.410 it's complete. At Pentecost, the Spirit of God 00:32:27.410 --> 00:32:30.630 came in His fullness. He is now indwelling believers. 00:32:31.130 --> 00:32:34.170 The light is shining. Darkness is being pushed 00:32:34.170 --> 00:32:37.589 back. The kingdom will come in its glorious fullness 00:32:37.589 --> 00:32:41.809 when Christ returns and He restores all things. 00:32:41.910 --> 00:32:44.130 He's made all things new, which is why we're 00:32:44.130 --> 00:32:47.140 still praying. It's good to pray this. I hope 00:32:47.140 --> 00:32:50.519 that you pray this often. We still pray as did 00:32:50.519 --> 00:32:53.900 all the saints in all the ages who also prayed 00:32:53.900 --> 00:32:58.960 that glorious prayer thy kingdom come. Even so 00:32:58.960 --> 00:33:02.799 come Lord Jesus. Usually at the end of every 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:04.960 Lord's Day worship at the very end after we take 00:33:04.960 --> 00:33:08.359 communion I end communion with those words even 00:33:08.359 --> 00:33:12.329 so come Lord Jesus. That's our hope. That's the 00:33:12.329 --> 00:33:13.990 blessed hope. He's coming. The kingdom's here. 00:33:14.049 --> 00:33:16.069 We're living in it. We're being mediated by his 00:33:16.069 --> 00:33:18.190 word. He's ruling over his church through word, 00:33:18.269 --> 00:33:20.470 through sacrament. We're here. We're in the kingdom. 00:33:20.589 --> 00:33:22.549 And yet we're longing for the kingdom when it 00:33:22.549 --> 00:33:24.250 comes in its fullness and there is no death and 00:33:24.250 --> 00:33:26.170 there is no sorrow and there are no more tears 00:33:26.170 --> 00:33:27.990 and there is no more pain and there are no more 00:33:27.990 --> 00:33:31.450 tearful goodbyes. Oh, Lord, make that come. But 00:33:31.450 --> 00:33:34.470 right now we wait. So you're saying, well, now 00:33:34.470 --> 00:33:36.509 what? What's our marching orders as we close? 00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:40.599 Friends, understand the kingdom is not coming 00:33:40.599 --> 00:33:44.380 someday. It has come. But true safety, if you're 00:33:44.380 --> 00:33:45.740 here today, I want you to understand something. 00:33:46.339 --> 00:33:50.059 True safety is found in the kingdom of God because 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:51.799 those who enter it live under the protection 00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:56.339 of a king stronger than any force of evil. The 00:33:56.339 --> 00:33:58.920 Lord Jesus, he has already invaded the strong 00:33:58.920 --> 00:34:02.660 man's house and bound him. Now, Satan is still 00:34:02.660 --> 00:34:04.619 operational in the work. Don't read too much 00:34:04.619 --> 00:34:07.180 into the words there. But since the kingdom has 00:34:07.180 --> 00:34:11.980 come and Jesus is king, there's one thing you 00:34:11.980 --> 00:34:15.780 can't do. You can't remain neutral concerning 00:34:15.780 --> 00:34:20.219 him. You're not given that option. You're saying, 00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:22.739 well, I haven't made up my mind. No, God did. 00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:27.659 Verse 30. Jesus said, he who is not with me is 00:34:27.659 --> 00:34:30.440 against me. There's no net neutrality here, right? 00:34:31.039 --> 00:34:35.119 He who does not gather with me scatters abroad. 00:34:36.199 --> 00:34:39.539 There's no choice here. See, the demands that 00:34:39.539 --> 00:34:42.539 Christ, our king, places on those who would enter 00:34:42.539 --> 00:34:45.360 his kingdom is that you repent of your sins and 00:34:45.360 --> 00:34:48.000 you confess and call upon him as Lord and Savior. 00:34:50.340 --> 00:34:53.599 That's the demands of his kingdom. He's king. 00:34:53.699 --> 00:34:56.639 He sets the terms of entrance. You repent of 00:34:56.639 --> 00:34:59.539 your sins. You confess him as Lord and call upon 00:34:59.539 --> 00:35:04.400 him as Savior. Jesus demands a decision. He's 00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:07.340 calling for a response even today. So the question 00:35:07.340 --> 00:35:09.260 that I think that all of us have to answer is, 00:35:09.340 --> 00:35:11.579 and this is true for each of us here, will you 00:35:11.579 --> 00:35:14.699 submit to this king, God's king who has come, 00:35:14.840 --> 00:35:19.079 or will you resist him, reject him, excuse him 00:35:19.079 --> 00:35:23.539 away, as did the Pharisees? May God open your 00:35:23.539 --> 00:35:26.760 eyes to the truth of his glorious son. Let's 00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:31.820 pray. Lord, we are so very thankful. God, for 00:35:31.820 --> 00:35:33.760 your word, I'm thankful for King Jesus, Lord, 00:35:33.840 --> 00:35:37.079 that we have a hero who has triumphed, a forerunner, 00:35:37.079 --> 00:35:39.719 a trailblazer who has gone before us and who 00:35:39.719 --> 00:35:41.960 has done all the work, Lord. We ride in the kingdom 00:35:41.960 --> 00:35:44.659 on his coattails. Lord, there's nothing we could 00:35:44.659 --> 00:35:47.559 bring. We can't offer you, Lord, our flimsy rags 00:35:47.559 --> 00:35:50.400 of what is a pseudo -righteousness, Lord. They 00:35:50.400 --> 00:35:53.480 would be rejected, and rightfully so. Lord, we 00:35:53.480 --> 00:35:55.219 come by the way of Christ, by the way of the 00:35:55.219 --> 00:35:58.820 blood, by the way of the cross. Thank you for 00:35:58.820 --> 00:36:01.860 the Lord Jesus, Lord. Our hero, our captain, 00:36:01.980 --> 00:36:06.119 our savior, our lord, our king. Lord, it is with 00:36:06.119 --> 00:36:10.159 the greatest joy that we as Christians confess 00:36:10.159 --> 00:36:16.559 Christ as Lord. Your son, Jesus of Nazareth, 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:21.699 is Lord of all. God, thank you for that. May 00:36:21.699 --> 00:36:24.000 we live under his kingdom in a way that brings 00:36:24.000 --> 00:36:26.440 glory and honor to you. We pray this in Christ's 00:36:26.440 --> 00:36:27.380 name. Amen.