Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 12:15-21
Remember that Matthew wrote to show the Jewish people that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Here he quotes from Isaiah 42:1-4.
Read Matthew 12:22-24
And
Read Mark 3:22
And
Read Luke 11:14-15
The demon was blocking this man's sight and ability to speak. Jesus ordered it to leave. When the people saw this, what were they beginning to ask and think?
To ask if this was the Son of David is the same thing as asking if Jesus was the promised Messiah.
And that made the Pharisees mad. So how did they respond?
They lied. (Beelzebul is another name for Satan.)
Read Matthew 12:25-28
And
Read Mark 3:23-26
And
Read Luke 11:17-20
Here is another instance of the Holy Spirit letting Jesus know what they were thinking. Jesus explains that their accusation didn't make any sense: Why would Satan cast out Satan?
What question does Jesus ask the Pharisees?
He asked them how they drove out demons. (They prayed and asked God to do it.) Jesus says that He does it the same way they do.
Read Matthew 12:29
And
Read Mark 3:27
And
Read Luke 11:21-22
Who is the strong man?
What is the stronger man?
The strong man in this story is Satan. The “someone stronger” is Jesus. Make sure you understand that Jesus is omnipotent. The strongest! No equal in power! All powerful!
Read Matthew 12:30
And
Read Luke 11:23
Don't miss this just because it's buried. What is Jesus saying here?
I believe it's pretty clear. There is no neutral ground. You are either an obedient follower of Jesus or you are not. You can't just coast and be neutral. If you have not chosen to be obedient, you are actually on Satan's side and are working against Jesus.
You may think you are not on either team – but you are. That's serious business.
Read Matthew 12:31-32
And
Read Mark 3:28-30
What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
We are only told that is speaking against the Holy Spirit and that it is unforgivable.
The only thing that I understand to be unforgivable is refusing to invite Jesus into your God-shaped vacuum. Since the Holy Spirit is the active agent in coming in and controlling our lives, I assume that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit has something to do with rejecting Jesus. Rejecting Jesus and refusing to let the Holy Spirit fill your empty spot is certainly unpardonable or unforgivable!
Read Matthew 12:33-37
I remember a children's sermon I heard when my kids were little. The pastor showed the kids a tube of toothpaste and asked the kids what would happen if he put it on the floor and stomped it. The kids got all excited because they wanted to see him do it (but he didn't). He asked them what would come out. “Would Jell-O come out?” “No!” “What about mud?” “No!” They finally all agreed that toothpaste would come out.
Pay attention to what is coming out of your mouth. It reflects what or who is filling your core.
In His service, dale
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