“The Power of Jesus”
(Matthew 12:22-32)
Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]
Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD
First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida
July 21, 2019
The Passage
If you haven’t already, turn in your Bibles to Matthew 12:22-32.
I’ll read the entire passage and then we’ll pray.
Matthew 12:22-32
22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see. 23 All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
25 Knowing their thoughts, he told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. 30 Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.
Let’s pray together.
(prayer)
Introductory Comments:
This morning we will be speaking about the power of Jesus. The power of Jesus is on full display throughout His ministry, yet some, such as the Pharisees, doubt and critique His power.
In this passage, Jesus has a strong response to those who doubt His power. He not only logically defends His power, but He also issues a dire warning about where this doubt and lack of repentance may lead.
As we journey through this together, we will look at four situations involving the power of Jesus.
First, . . .
I. The Power of Jesus recognized (vv. 22-23) [on screen]
Let’s refer to verses 23 and 24 again.
We see that Jesus is once again faced with a demon-possessed man. This is nothing new to Him. Jesus has shown His dominance over demonic activity, He has shown His desire to help those in need, and He has shown His divine power to heal.
This man is both unable to see and unable to speak. He is blind and mute. We learn that his physical issues may very well have been the result of demonic possession.
Nevertheless, Jesus can heal the man and, in fact, He does heal the man completely from his physical issues.
The healing of the man is so powerful and so obvious that the crowds who were around were astounded to the point that they said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
The people of Jesus’ day knew that the Messiah, the Christ, would come from the line of David.
There were rumblings that Jesus may very well be the Messiah. He may not be the kind of Messiah that they expected, but He was doing Messiah-like things. Folks were wondering about Jesus. Now, they see this great miracle and they ask again, “Could He be the one? Could it really be true? Is this the Messiah? Could this be the Son of David?”
Jesus was proving time again that He really was sent by God, that He really was ushering in the kingdom of God, and that He really was doing the work of God.
Now, the people are saying, “He must be the one!”
They recognized the power of Jesus.
Next, we see . . .
II. The Power of Jesus questioned (vv. 24-27) [on screen]
The Pharisees could no longer deny the work of Jesus. Everyone was witnessing it and hearing about it themselves.
Remember, the Pharisees hated the work of Jesus. We learned in verse 14 of this chapter that they were so infuriated with Jesus and His ways that they were plotting to kill Him.
They couldn’t deny His work, so they tried to submit an alternative theory for how Jesus did these miraculous works.
They questioned the legitimacy of the power of Jesus.
Look again at verse 24.
24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
The Pharisees didn’t deny that Jesus could drive out demons, but they did deny that He was doing it by the work of God.
Instead, they said that Jesus was doing it by the work of Beelzebul, or Beelzebub (depending on your Bible translation).
Remember, as we learned in Matthew 10, Beelzebul is the name given to the lord of demons of the lord of flies. Basically, we’re talking about Satan or the devil.
The Pharisees are saying that Jesus cast out demons by the power of demons.
Jesus answers the Pharisees easily on this one. He points out the fallacy of their claim by saying that it doesn’t make any logical sense that He would drive out demons by the power of demons.
Verse 25 lets us know that Jesus knows the thoughts of the Pharisees and He’s not having any of it.
Look at verses 25-27.
25 Knowing their thoughts, he told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges.
Jesus is basically saying, “This makes no sense at all! Why would Satan want to drive out the forces of Satan?”
This is like a child saying, “I want a new rule for our family: no candy!”
This is like a football coach saying, “Ok, no more football practice!”
This is like a citrus farmer petitioning for people not to drink orange juice.
This is like a church saying we shouldn’t use the Bible any longer.
It’s crazy! It’s ludicrous! It’s illogical! Jesus is saying it makes no sense that the prince of darkness would drive out the forces of darkness.
A house, a city, a kingdom divided against itself will not stand. So, also, Satan cannot drive out Satan. It makes no sense.
Then, Jesus points out that the other Jewish leaders are casting out demons as well. He says to the Pharisees, “Your sons are casting out demons also, how do they do it?” They claim to do it by the power of God also. Do they do it by Satan’s power? Jesus is saying that the very evidence of the others who work by God’s power should prove that the Pharisees are wrong. They will give evidence, or judgment, that the Pharisees are in the wrong.
So, Jesus stands against those who questioned His power.
He goes further by clarifying His power. That’s our next point:
III. The Power of Jesus clarified (vv. 28-29) [on screen]
Jesus doesn’t just leave us with unanswered questions. He doesn’t just point out the inconsistency of what the Pharisees suggest. He also points us to the source of His power. Look at verses 28-29.
28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
Jesus is leading us to consider this question: If He’s not casting out demons by the power of Satan, then by whose power is He doing it?
It can only be by the power of God that Jesus is doing this! Jesus is fighting the forces of evil with the greatest force of love that the world has ever seen! Jesus is fighting evil by the power of the Spirit of God!
Jesus is fighting evil by the Spirit of God and the fact that He is doing so is evidence that the kingdom fo God has come through His life and His ministry.
The power of the Spirit of God is upon them and the kingdom of God is upon them through the work of Jesus!
Jesus then gives us this beautiful verse to explain to us His dominion over Satan.
Jesus is casting out the forces of evil. However, Jesus says that He could not do this unless He has power over Satan.
He gives the illustration of going into a strong man’s house and trying to steal his stuff. That strong man’s not going to just let you steal his stuff. He’s going to try and stop you! You better believe that if you come to my house to steal something, and I’m home, you better be bigger and badder than me (which you probably are). However, the strong man has to be bound up in order to steal his stuff. He’s not going to just let you have your way.
Here’s the beautiful part: Jesus is demonstrating that He has power over Satan because He is defeating the forces of Satan. He is having His way with Satan’s household. Satan is bound up by the power of Jesus!
We must get this, church: Satan has been bound up by the work of Jesus! Satan is strong, but Jesus is stronger! The kingdom of God has come and the kingdom of darkness cannot stop it. The Gates of Hades will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ!
Those who are followers of Jesus need not fear Satan; you need not give him credit, glory, or airtime; you need not be concerned that he will overpower you or cause you to sin; you need not lose any ounce of sleep over Satan or his work. Jesus is more powerful, He has greater dominion, He has more resources, He has been victorious, He is being victorious, and will be victorious over the forces of darkness.
If you are on Jesus’ side, you are on the winning side. He will not fail. Greater is He that is us than he that is in the world.
Jesus is saying to the Pharisees, it’s not by the work of Beelzebul that I’m casting out demons. It is by the power of God and the kingdom of God is here! I am stronger than Satan and I am demonstrating this.
The Pharisees once again have been put in their places by the Messiah.
Jesus clarifies His power.
Finally, . . .
IV. The Power of Jesus denied (vv. 30-32) [on screen]
This last section is a bit tricky and contains one of the most misunderstood doctrines in theology. So, let’s walk through it slowly.
Keep in mind that the context here is Jesus speaking to those who have not only denied His power, but have actually attributed His power to the power of the devil.
Jesus says in verse 30.
30 Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.
Jesus makes it clear that there is no middle room when it comes to loyalty towards Him. You’re either with Him or you’re against Him.
The Pharisees were certainly not with Jesus, which means they were not with God. They were against Jesus, which meant that they were against God.
Remember, no one knows God the Father without coming through Jesus.
Jesus also says that you’re either gathering with Him, or you’re scattering.
Parents of young children know what it’s like to have someone scatter stuff rather than pick it up. You ask a three-year-old to pick up his or her legos and the mess somehow gets worse when the child scatters them around. It’s the same way with Jesus. You’re either working with Him or you’re working against Him.
Then Jesus goes into verses 31 and 32 which are so important for us to understand.
Look at verses 31 and 32.
31 Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come.
Jesus says that there is a sin that will not be forgiven. That’s a big deal. So, let’s see what He’s talking about here.
First of all, let’s acknowledge that Jesus says that every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, even blasphemy against the Son of Man Himself, which is Jesus. What a sign of God’s grace! God doesn’t owe us any forgiveness, particularly not from blasphemy against Jesus.
Blasphemy, by the way, is speaking against something in an offensive or strong way.
To speak offensively against Jesus can be forgiven. We know this to be the case for some of the apostles. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet was forgiven and used as one of the leaders of the early church. Paul was a persecutor of Christians and blasphemed the name of Jesus, yet he was forgiven and used as one of the greatest missionaries in the history of the church.
So, blasphemy and sin of every kind will be forgiven except one: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
If blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only sin that won’t be forgiven, we must understand what it is. To understand this, we must understand the work of the Holy Spirit.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to draw us closer to God and to ignite in us the work of Jesus.
(repeat)
Jesus told us as He was preparing to leave the earth, after His resurrection, that He would send the Spirit and the Spirit would do great things in and through us and it would be like Jesus Himself was with us.
Further, it is only by the work of the Holy Spirit that we understand our need for God.
So, it is the work of the Spirit that shows us we need Jesus, shows us the power of Jesus, moves us to believe in Jesus, and unleashes the power of Jesus within us.
That’s the work of the Spirit.
Whenever we continually deny the work of Jesus, whenever we refuse to repent and turn to Jesus, whenever we are closed to the power of Jesus, we are denying the work of the Holy Spirit and we are denying the Spirit Himself; we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit of God.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a continual and committed rejection of the Spirit’s work in drawing us to Jesus.
(repeat)
You don’t commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit on accident. It is a continual rejection of God’s work in your life. If someone continues to reject God’s work in their life and the witness of God’s Holy Spirit, they will not be forgiven by God. They may even reach the point where they are unable to repent.
The unforgivable sin is not murder, it’s not suicide, it’s not even hating Jesus; it’s a continual rejection of God’s Holy Spirit.
Jesus is essentially saying to the Pharisees, “Be careful! If you continue to reject the Spirit of God, you may reach a point where you are beyond repentance. Don’t test God!”
Jesus has no room for neutrality. You are either with Him or against Him. If you’re against Him, you are rejecting the work of the Spirit and you are on dangerous ground because you may soon move beyond your ability to repent.
You might ask, “How do I know if I’m beyond repentance?” Well, that’s easy to answer: if you are repenting, you are not beyond repentance!
Do not harden your heart against the Spirit of God. Run to Him in repentance!
Concluding Thoughts:
Jesus has real power that has been manifested through His work in creating the earth, ministering on the earth, and working on the earth through His Holy Spirit! He is real and He has opened the kingdom of God to us.
That takes us to our bottom line:
Bottom Line: The kingdom of God has come through the Son of God by the Spirit of God. [on screen]
(repeat)
The Holy Spirit is at work, continuing the power of Jesus today.
Have you experienced the power of Jesus?
That’s the first question in our weekly challenge.
Weekly Challenge: [on screen]
- Ask yourself if you’ve experienced the power of Jesus. [on screen]
I didn’t ask if your name is on a church roll. I didn’t ask if you come to church. Have you experienced the power of Jesus?
Spend some time in prayer and reflection this week and wrestle with this question.
- Ask yourself if you are for Jesus or against Jesus. [on screen]
What a powerful question!
It’s one or the other!
Can you be honest about this?
- Display the Kingdom of God. [on screen]
I heard of someone who showed Christian love in a powerful way and someone commented on that love and said they’ve never experienced anything like that before. The person who showed the love commented that it’s because of the love of Jesus shown towards them.
Have you unleashed the power of Jesus through displaying the kingdom of God?
Closing:
You cannot come to the Father apart from Jesus and you cannot come to Jesus apart from the Holy Spirit. Are you listening to God’s Spirit? Are you open to how God might be working in your life?
Be led by the power of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit of God.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
Invitation Song – I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
Benediction:
If you have any sort of spiritual decision that you would like to make, you can contact me or any of our staff and we would be glad to talk to you anytime.
Don’t forget to join us tonight at 5:30 PM for our series on church history entitled “Discovering Church History.” I look forward to seeing you there.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.