Matthew 12:24-26 – Wartime Truths – Bible study

Matthew 12:24-26 War Time Truths On November 19, 1863, in the state of Pennsylvania, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech that became famous, the Gettysburg Address. In that speech is a line: Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/gettysburg/good_cause/transcript.htm As I considered this text, those words came to my mind for we are also engaged in a great war. The world has declared war on God and as we are His children, it will attack Him through us. For American Christians, that is just beginning; but it has been going on world- wide since Jesus returned to the heavens. Some American Christians may not have yet seen this realty, but America is at war with God. In the space of a few generations, we have gone from respecting God to ignoring God, to doubting God, to attacking God. Because this is a spiritual war that we are fighting, the rules of engagement are different than the war of Abraham Lincolns day. 1. We are not the combatants. This is a war between this world, the devil, and God. We are not to fight in it. Because we are Gods children, we may become the casualties, but Jesus made it clear that we are not the combatants. John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 2. We know how our war is going to end. In fact, we know what will happen and we know why it will happen. The last chapter has been written and God wins. Neither Abraham Lincoln nor Jefferson Davis knew the ending of their conflict. Even so, a war is going on and will continue to go on. While we should have no concern about the warthat is totally in Gods handsI do have concern about us. I fear that a good many Christians today are ignorant and ill-prepared for warfare. Too many have been brought up in a feel-good churches on a diet of prosperity preaching. Even many of those reared in better churches have never learned the truths that accompany spiritual warfare. Hence, this morning, I am preaching few War Time Truths. I. There are only two kingdoms and only two leaders. A. Let me say at the beginning that I have been tempted to give you that thought in an inaccurate statement. 1. I am tempted to say there are two kingdoms and two kings, but there are not. 2. There are two kingdoms, Gods kingdom and the Satans, but only one King, God Almighty. 3. Perhaps you are wondering why I do not say that Satan is a king. a. The reason is because Satan is not. He is only a prince, one given limited authority by a the king. b. \#Matt 12:24\ refers to Satan as "the prince of the devils." (1) Satan is not a king. He is only a prince, and I dont want to give him any more credit than what is due him. (2) Satan only rules at the discretion of THE King, God. (3) Both Satans powers and time are determined by the King who I serve and whose I am. (4) But Satan does have charge of this world, and it is called his kingdom at this time. 4. So to be accurate, the truth I give to you is there are only two kingdom and only two leaders. 5. Some may wonder why that is important? B. It is important because you are either are on Gods side or the devils. There are no other choices. 1. People like to imagine a third choice 2. For the lack of a better term, I will refer to their imaginary kingdom as "My kingdom." 3. They like to pretend that there is Gods kingdom, Satans kingdom, and their kingdomas if they have a kingdom. a. Interestingly, I find just as many saved people as unsaved people seem to believe they have a third option. b. Get this – No one does. c. There are only two kingdoms and only two leaders. 4. Pretending that there is a third kingdom is like pretending there are three places one may go to when they die. a. Sorry. b. Again, there are only two: heaven or hell. 5. That fact should bring us to face another: You are either on Gods side or the devils. a. Again, there are fences to straddle and no DMZ zones to stop off at. b. You are either saved and serving God or you are not. c. Look at how Jesus put it: Matt 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. C. Which kingdom are you part of? 1. I would like to tell you that it is easy to tell but apparently it is not. a. I have already mentioned that people today are confused, thinking there is a third kingdom to which they may belong. b. Those in Jesus day were also confused. c. In fact, they thought THEY belonged to Gods kingdom and Jesus belonged to the devils kingdom. Matt 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (1) Boy, were they confused! (2) They had it completely backwards. (3) They were the ones that belonged to the devil and of course, Jesus belonged in Gods kingdom. 2. Since it seems hard for some people to know which kingdom is theirs, let me give you some hints. a. Gods kingdom is the kingdom of believing and obeying the Bible. The devils kingdom denies and rewrites the Bible. (1) You call yourself a Christian but do not believe in creation. (2) You call yourself a Christian and do believe in abortion. (3) You call yourself a Christian and do believe in homosexuality. (4) Friend, there is a problem. You are following the wrong leader! b. Gods kingdom is the kingdom of holiness. The devils kingdom is the kingdom of sin. (1) When someone who calls himself a Christian says he doesnt commit a sin but he doesnt see anything wrong with it, there is a problem! (2) You are following the wrong leader. c. Gods kingdom is the kingdom of freedom. Satans kingdom is the kingdom of bondage. (1) When you call yourself a Christian and you support tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other addictive habits, there is a problem. (2) You are following the wrong leader. II. The Holy Ghost is the Commander-in-Chief in this age. A. The Bible is a book of revelation; that is, God is revealing truth throughout it. B. Revelation comes gradually; that is, not all at once. 1. There are several reason for that. 2. The most obvious reason is because we couldnt absorb all there is at one time. (In fact, it will likely take all eternity for us to take in just a portion of it.) 3. So God gradually reveals truth. 4. God has gradually revealed truth about Himself. 5. Gradually, God has revealed to us that He is a Trinity; that is, that we worship one God but He is manifest in three Persons. a. In the Old Testament, we learn about God the Father. b. In the Gospels, we learn about God the Son. c. And some in the gospel but mostly in the book of Acts, we learn about God the Holy Spirit. 6. Today, we obey the Father, we preach the Son, but we are indwelled and empowered by the Holy Ghost. 7. The Holy Ghost is the Commander-in-Chief in this age. 8. Even Jesus was empowered by the Holy Ghost. Matt 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 9. Why is that important? C. Because just like we want to please the Father and the Son, so we are to seek the Holy Ghost and to please and obey Him. D. Indeed, Jesus commanded us to respect the Holy Ghost in two ways: 1. We are to respect the Holy Ghost with our words. Matt 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. (a) I have always found this interesting. (b) The Holy Ghost is as much God as Jesus or the Father, but Jesus says if you blaspheme Him, you can be forgiven; but if you blaspheme the Holy Ghost, you cannot. (c) Why? (1) Dont know for sure. (2) I suspect it may because the Holy Ghost is the silent Member of the Trinity. (3) He is never seen (only the manifestations of Himself) and His voice is never heard. (d) However, we are not confuse His silence with non-existence. (e) Jesus was commanding people to respect the Holy Ghost with their words. 2. We are to respect the Holy Ghost with our obedience. Matt 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. (a) For a soldier to disobey the Commander-in-Chief at any time is a serious offense, but during wartime is a court martial offense. (b) We are to obey the Holy Ghost of God. III. Our Sign Is the Victory Matt 12:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. A. The scribes and Pharisees were constantly asking Jesus for some proof that He was who He claimed to be. 1. First, remember that Jesus was healing the sick, feeding the multitudes, walking on water, and raising the dead. What other kind of proof do you think they wanted? 2. The reason they were always asking for signs is because they were shallow. In fact, many of them were just plain lost. B. Shallow people require signs, miracles, proofs that God is God and that He is going to do what He said. 1. The first casualties in a spiritual war are the shallow people. 2. They dont die. They quit. They quit because they have never learned to walk by faith and trust God. C. Jesus answer to them was consistent. 1. No new sign for you. 2. The only sign you are going to see is the resurrection. (The Son of man being laid in the tomblike Jonahfor three days and nights.) 3. You and I know that the resurrection was the last step in Gods plan of salvation. a. The resurrection marked the victory of God. b. When Jesus came out of the tomb, everything God had promised concerning sins payment and Gods acceptance of that payment, were completed. c. As the old Gaither song said, It is finished, the battle is over. It is finished, therell be no more war. It is finished, the end of the conflict. It is finished and Jesus is Lord. D. So get what Jesus was saying. 1. The only sign you will have is the victory. 2. I am NOT saying God will not do any more miracles. He will. 3. I am saying that God does not do signs to produce faith or to convince the shallow. 4. If that is what is required for you and me to stay faithful in wartime, we are going to be some of the first casualties, because God isnt going to do it. 5. The sign that God is God and that He will do what He said He will do will be the victory. a. For the church age, it will be rapture of the church. b. For the tribulation, it will be the return of Jesus to set up His kingdom. Our country is at war with our God. That means things are going to get rough for them and for us. As with any war, we are going to have to make some sacrifices. Lets make certain that the things we sacrifice are temporal things not the eternal ones.