Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / Satan’s Tactics & The Blasphemy of The Holy Spirit | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

Transcript

Satan’s Tactics & The Blasphemy of The Holy Spirit | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  What a wonderful time of worship, wouldn't you agree?
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  I mean, The Gospel According to Mark in chapter 3 and in verse
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  20, we have quite a bit of verses to read here, but it's
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  important to understand though. The context before we we
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  explore, the the meanings of These sacred texts.
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  Mark chapter 3 beginning in verse 20.
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  Hope you have a Bible in your hand.
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  It's best to follow with your own, copy of God's word.
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  Mark 320 reads, then he went home and the crowd gathered
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  again so that they could not even eat.
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  And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him for.
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  They were saying, he is out of his mind and the scribes who
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  came down from Jerusalem, were saying, he is possessed by Bells
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  able, and by the prince of demons, he casts out the demons.
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  And he called them to him and said to them in Parables.
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  How can Satan cast out Satan, if a kingdom is divided against
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  itself that Kingdom cannot stand and if a house is divided
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  against itself that house will not be able to stand and if
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  Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he
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  cannot stand but it's coming to an end but no one can enter a
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  strong mans house and plunder his Goods unless he first.
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  Binds the strong man. Then indeed, he may plunder his
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  house. Truly, I say to you, all sins
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  will be forgiven the children of men and whatever blasphemies
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  they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy
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  Spirit, never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.
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  For, they were saying he has an unclean spirit.
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  Lord with this. Weighty text, we ask for a
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  greater measure of your holy spirit's help. may this liberate
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  those who are confused. And unnecessarily anxious.
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  But met this also stir up, the one who has become dangerously
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  comfortable Lord give us Minds to understand hearts.
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  That we'll have our affections warmed.
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  By these words. We love you.
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  We want to love you more as a result of obeying you through
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  this in Jesus name. Amen.
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  I'm sure that one of the first things that comes to mind when
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  you hear this famous passage is to see Clarity of this
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  disturbing frightful. Revelation of the Eternal sin.
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  The unforgivable sin, the unpardonable sin and be assured
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  that we will seek to have understanding about what that
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  really is. But at the same time we must
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  resist the temptation to make this entire message about just
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  that because there is so much leading up to it, that will
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  supplement our walk with the Lord.
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  If we are about patient and As we come to this text this isn't
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  perhaps going to be the most crafted message but I want us to
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  just follow marks thoughts and to just pick up truths until we
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  come to. What I'm sure is really on our
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  hearts after hearing, what Jesus had said, not just to this
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  audience, but to all of us even today, Something has happened in
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  Jesus ministry, you were here last week, so you heard it.
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  I'm sure Jesus had just selected his 12 Apostles.
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  And this was a significant decision that would affect the
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  future of his message and Ministry.
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  And we see here that after he selects this group, there are
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  three other groups who enter into the scene to come to him
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  following this important decision.
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  The first group, is something you're familiar with the
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  recurring, an overwhelming crowd who were desperate to receive a
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  touch from He ministered by this unusual Authority that this
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  Rabbi from Nazareth possessed. The second group were his
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  closest relatives. and the relatives of Jesus were
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  concerned for him because they had heard that he was receiving
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  certain attention and they were worried about his safety and
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  maybe even their own as his relatives, the third group, Is
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  something that we know of as well.
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  The Pharisees, we have not seen the Pharisees since that
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  wonderful scene, where Jesus was in their self-righteous presence
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  in that synagogue and he healed. A man with a withered hand, only
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  having them, so flared up to flee, the scene and to plot his
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  destruction. When you look at this you
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  understand a principle that is Promised throughout the word of
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  God that has God's purposes Advanced as God salvific person
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  through. His son was making progress,
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  there was an increase of protest and there was an increase of
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  persecution. And any servant of God, who
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  plays any role to seeing the gospel advance in their life and
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  in the ministry that they are part of have to know, this have
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  to be so aware of what I'm about to say.
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  And it is the following that opposition's of various kinds
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  are inevitable when you and I do God's work Faithfully, they will
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  come, they will come to you, personally, they will come to US
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  corporately minister with the Zeal that the master exemplifies
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  and expects Satan to Edge or dampen your fervor through
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  various means we see that here, don't we?
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  We see that here with Jesus, his own family.
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  We see that here with Jesus own enemies first, we see that his
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  own brothers and it's questionable whether had his
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  mother was a part of this criticism, but we see for
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  certain that his brothers as half brothers, who did not
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  believe in him according to John, until after his
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  resurrection, were insulting him were openly saying he lost, Just
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  his ability to reason because they couldn't understand how
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  someone would miss meals to minister to strangers, to give
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  so much energy, and to give so much of themselves.
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  And so, here they are from a distance receiving, this news
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  and they want to be able to rescue him apparently.
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  And makes you wonder though. It's not explicitly.
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  Clear are they worried for themselves?
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  Because they know that there is a growing hostility towards
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  Jesus and their related to Jesus.
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  And so we read here that they were actually now come to where
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  he is to physically apprehend him.
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  Perhaps, with the goal of conforming him to some normal
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  and quiet, safe routine that doesn't attract so much trouble
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  from those who are in power. But what's amazing here is that
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  Jesus. We'll deal with them in a moment
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  but not immediately because all for a sudden this suspenseful
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  scene is interrupted with a second group who also have a
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  gross speculation of who he is and why he's doing what he's
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  doing over, how he's doing, what he's doing, and that's the
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  Pharisees. And I wonder I said, you know,
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  to myself reading this. Why did Jesus?
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  Because look at verse 20, 21 writes about his family.
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  Then the rest of the text is about the Pharisees.
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  And then you look at verse 31 down to verse 35, I've and he
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  comes back to his family again to respond to them.
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  And I thought to myself, well, why not just keep Jesus responds
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  with the comments of his family in one part and in deal with the
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  second part. Why intertwine them?
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  Why split into two segments and then put that famous passage in
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  between and here's what I believe.
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  I believe it's because the Holy Spirit wants to make sure that
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  we realize that there is a truth with these segments being
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  brought together as a sandwich. So to speak and it is this
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  Satan's Arsenal to hinder, the work of Christ is is deep.
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  Sometimes it is subtle. Sometimes it is open, they can
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  come from those who are closest to us, or they can come from
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  those who brazenly despise us. The efforts of the enemy to
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  derail our enthusiasm for the work of Jesus.
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  Can come from those who are unknowingly serving his
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  purposes. Remember Peter, who tried to,
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  who try to take Jesus, to a different course, other than the
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  cross, and it was Satan, who is influencing his thinking, I
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  believe in part, that's what's happening here with his family.
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  And sometimes the efforts to derail our enthusiasm.
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  For Christ comes from those who have no shame to be
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  intentionally malicious. And divisive and harmful, you
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  and I are going to follow marks thoughts here, and we're going
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  to pause with his family and we're going to revisit that next
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  week as Jesus will indeed correct them.
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  And he will show us what true family is.
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  But for now, we will look in deal with the Pharisees and how
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  Jesus immediately rebukes them. And, there are so many truths
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  here. Not just about the blasphemy of
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  the Holy Spirit. May, I present to you today
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  through the serious servant of God, That we will impart expose
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  some of the tactics of Satan, because if you serve Jesus
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  Christ long enough and if you are part of a church by God's
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  grace like this one that wants to be serious about, proclaiming
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  God's word and making disciples, then these attacks will surely
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  come if they haven't already. Look at verse 22 again and the
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  scribes who came down from Jerusalem.
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  Just pause there, they came down from Jerusalem.
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  It is believed that Jesus and his group were in Galilee miles
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  and miles away from Jerusalem. And we are told that these
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  scribes, these religious leaders made a trip down to visit Jesus.
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  Not because they were honestly curious, but because they had a
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  plot in mind and I can't help, but think of the great, the
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  great effort to make sure to spy on And Jesus and stop the move
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  of God at any cost. They had no hesitation to waste
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  resources to set apart time to travel on foot perhaps and to
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  give up so much of who they were to stop something.
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  So holy and good and that simple phrase of how they came down
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  from Jerusalem, should be a great reminder, that the enemy's
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  attacks against the children who are faithful and spirit
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  empowered, and who want to serve their father.
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  Are relentless. He is constantly on the move.
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  He is constantly aware. and he constantly plans and schemes to
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  find a way to limit the proclamation of the whole
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  counsel of God, and anybody who is Desiring to plant the seed of
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  truth, and the hearts that God has brought into their lies, if
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  you think that this was unique to Jesus, Then remember the
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  Apostle Paul reflect on the account of his life in the book
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  of Acts, that guy could not evade the harassment of the
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  Jews. I mean, no matter where he went,
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  there was some kind of interference from the spiritual
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  leaders of his day as well. And so it is with us you and I
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  when we said yes to Jesus, you signed up for a war.
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  If you don't know that I'm going to hear, I'm here to tell you
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  that you signed up for a war, an ancient war, a war that's been
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  going on since the beginning of time.
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  And you have put on a uniform and you have the badge of
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  Christ. And as long as you are dedicated
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  to the cause of Christ, you are a threat to the kingdom of
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  darkness. And so it's more than just you
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  having a nice quiet life. You got your insurance for
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  heaven, your life is bigger than just two vacations a year and
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  paying off your mortgage. You are part of an army with an
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  eternal cause and Satan knows the potential that you have if
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  you are indeed serious about that mission.
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  And so, what should we expect as a church?
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  I speaking to Maranatha Bible Church, here's what you can
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  expect in your own life and as our lives are lived together, a
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  series, a lifelong series of attacks from hell.
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  God does Grant his servants a season or seasons of repose.
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  And we always know an internal Joy.
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  But even in those times where corporately, we see, great fruit
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  and great piece and height, enjoy, I personally am always
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  mindful of this Satan is somewhere planning something.
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  And once these scribes finally arrived at the place where these
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  desperate crowds were to receive from the Lord, we are told that
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  they began to poison the minds of people by saying that Jesus
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  was doing what he was doing by the influence of satanic powers.
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  The reason for this, it's a smear campaign.
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  This was a diabolical plan to try to discredit who Jesus was
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  and the source of his message and his ability to minister.
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  And hopefully, that would cause people to at least doubt and
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  more than doubt despised and remove themselves from any
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  association with Christ. And here's what I find.
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  So interesting about what these scribes were doing the last that
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  we heard from them was in. Verse 6.
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  Go back to verse 6. What do we see?
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  The Pharisees went Out and immediately help counsel with
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  the herodians, against them, how to destroy him?
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  You know what? That tells me, that tells me
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  between that moment in our text today, these evil men have been
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  brainstorming of how to destroy the ministry of Jesus Christ.
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  And what was their primary weapon of choice?
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  You ready for this slander? That was their weapon of choice.
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  Intentional misinformation that harms how others view the object
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  of one's hatred. This is an Insight.
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  This is an inside that you and I have to contemplate and have to
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  consider and have to seal into our hearts because this is
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  Satan's strategy to ruin the reputations of men and women of
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  God. One of his go-to tactus is to
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  find a mouthpiece or mouthpieces to unashamedly, Spain, the name
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  of somebody who is actively serving for the glory of God.
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  So if I see that here, then I got to apply that to my life and
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  here's how we apply it. As a people, we are Discerning.
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  We must be always investigating operating in wisdom.
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  Whenever Formation. Comes your way that may cause
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  you to doubt the Integrity of someone else.
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  Especially if that person is serving God.
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  But here's what I think and I say this in love because so many
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  Christians are uneducated about the schemes of Satan.
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  The devices of the evil one, they're easily influenced by the
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  wicked Whispers. Of churchgoers.
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  I said churchgoers. Is it a tax collectors?
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  And the prostitutes going around?
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  Sharing this stuff, huh? The Pharisees.
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  The Pharisees, those who had a presentation of piety, those who
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  memorize scripture, those who seem like, they respected and
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  revered God and his commands. Yeah.
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  Those kind of people were the ones who are doing the work of
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  Satan. They were slandering.
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  And the reason why I believe even Christians, today are so
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  gullible is because they can't see past the surface.
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  And so, they just eat up everything that they here,
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  especially if a person has some kind of a smokescreen of
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  spirituality. Surely such men would not be
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  among those who would tarnish the reputation of another
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  especially especially a good man, like Jesus of Nazareth,
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  there must be some authenticity to their criticism.
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  How foolish of us? how foolish of us because it is
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  often those who are affiliated with religion and who dwell in
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  the Spheres of spirituality, who are most capable of the most
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  heinous offences And just like the Pharisees religious men and
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  women are susceptible to being so eaten up by the cancer of
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  envy and jealousy that they will do anything at any cost to bring
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  down the object of their hatred. Be Discerning Church.
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  Be smart. Know how Satan works.
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  So if you're someone who seeks to be a servant of Jesus Christ
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  in this adulterous and perverse and increasingly hypocritical
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  generation, remember the words of Jesus towards you meet me in
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  Matthew chapter 10 verse 25. Matthew 10:25.
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  It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher and the
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  servant like his master. If they have called The Master
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  of the House Bells, able how much more will they malign?
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  Those of his household? How do you summarize?
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  What? Jesus teaching here.
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  Very easy. If you want to live, like Christ
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  beaks, be expecting to be treated like Christ.
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  If Christ himself, the matchless undefiled sinless, son of God.
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  Had his name, drug and dragged and drowned in the mud.
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  What's going to happen to you. And I imperfect and weak
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  Servants of his It's bound to come your way, but understand
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  what Jesus is warning about here is in the context.
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  Because earlier, in verse 7, we were told go and Proclaim saying
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  the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
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  He's speaking to those who are actually taking the Great
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  Commission, seriously. so, if you really want to serve the
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  Lord, if you really want to make your life about about that
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  proclaiming and testifying with your life, Don't be surprised
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  when slander comes your way. And don't be afraid when it
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  comes your way. Don't Be Afraid when it comes
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  towards the ministry that you represent if they're faithful
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  and godly, it's bound to happen, even from the least expected
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  crowd. Be ready.
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  And the way you have trusted your soul in the hands of God,
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  put your reputation there with it.
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  As Wesley said, You and I have a responsibility to make sure that
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  everything in our lives, gives no ammunition to a watching
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  world and even a religious world, to say something that
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  would disqualify our Effectiveness for the kingdom of
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  God. But to make the mistake and
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  think that High character will eliminate the possibility of
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  being smeared and lied about is wrong.
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  They try to do it with the perfect one.
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  Surely will come to the imperfect ones, who love him.
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  And serve him. We come back to verse 23.
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  There are times when we should ignore slander made about us and
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  there are times where we are responsible to address it and in
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  this case, the Pharisees were publicly attacking Christ and so
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  it deserved a public reprimand from Christ.
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  And so, he calls these Pharisees over to himself, and he is going
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  to rebuke them openly And this is what he says, how can Satan
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  cast out Satan, a rhetorical question that is followed with a
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  universal truth that we are familiar with and verse 24.
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  If a kingdom is divided against itself that Kingdom cannot
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  stand, It seems straightforward. It seems so clear.
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  It seems so obvious, but let me say it in a different way.
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  No, institution has a chance of survival when the members within
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  turn against one another, whether it's a kingdom or it's a
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  household, any establishment is bound to collapse when you have
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  those who represent it devouring one another And Jesus is saying
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  something, so humbling. Even Satan understands the
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  destructive force that division brings to a body.
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  And Satan as chaotic vile. And as evil, as he is, would
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  never permit division in his own kingdom.
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  Yes, he is ugly. Yes, he is disloyal.
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  Yes he does. Promote betrayal.
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  But he's not stupid. and he realizes that he would never
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  entertain, and he would never encourage his agents to fight
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  against one another And he would never ever allow that in his own
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  operations and yet it is what he initiates and has caused in
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  different structures and administration's throughout
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  human history. It would be wrong for us to
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  assume that the church is impervious to division and
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  divisive schemes from the devil, because we are his primary
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  target. And so you have to understand
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  that what we so often experienced, as the Evangelical
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  Church is something that the kingdom of darkness.
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  Does not. Tolerate, isn't that like
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  sobering like that? So, convicting to me, That the
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  Devil Himself knows. The power of unity.
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  The Devil Himself will not allow those minions of his who tear
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  things apart day by day. To allow it to happen to
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  themselves. Paul gives us to strong threats.
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  Two Ministries being ripped apart.
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  Can I show you them? It's in Acts. 20 verse 29, then
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  Acts 20 verse 30, Acts 20 verse 29.
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  He's sitting with the Elders of the Church of Ephesus and he's
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  giving them a final set of instructions before he departs
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  from them. And he warns them, he warns
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  them. and he says, in verse 29 of Acts 20, I know that after my
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  departure Fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing
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  the flock. Number one, there are threats
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  outside. And Paul says, I am sure of it.
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  That once I leave here, Wolves will come in and try to ravage
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  the people of God with their false teaching.
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  They will come in dressed as sheep and they will, they will
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  seek to Devour the faith of those who truly belong to God,
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  and those who may not belong to God, bar in the presence of
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  God's people. And I think, for most of us,
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  when we understand the threat to the church, we generally, think
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  about outside dangers, right? And those are are coming from
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  outside of our safety, and our family.
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  And that's easier to detect that's easier to spot out.
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  That's where energy goes, that's where our Vigilant goes.
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  But that's not where Paul's stops when he talks about the
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  possibility of a Ministry, imploding, and internally
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  eroding. Look at verse 30.
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  And, and from among your own selves, Will arise men speaking
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  Twisted things to draw away the disciples after them.
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  Almost hard to believe, isn't it?
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  Paul, according to the next first we're told was with this
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  church for three entire years, teaching them, training them,
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  praying with them, Outreach with them.
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  All these wonderful things, I can imagine, the the wonderful
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  testimonies and the relationships built, and the
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  things that they enjoyed during those three years.
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  And yet, when he is ready to leave, he says, I know that once
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  I leave I just outside threats but even from within there will
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  be those who will try to divide the body of Christ.
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  How did he know? We're not told how that's not
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  the main point of the passage. The main point of the passages
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  that even healthy and godly churches can have members who
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  turned sour over time. The Twisted things that he is
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  speaking about here is clear, its false teaching, but that is
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  not the only reason why churches divided Ministries divided
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  families divided. There are various reasons.
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  That can bring a body of genuine Believers to a Breaking Point.
• 26:34
  And you see the motive to seek to draw disciples after them?
• 26:41
  That sounds scary, right? That sounds scary.
• 26:45
  Imagine the leaders approaching this church after three years in
• 26:49
  saying, I know that from among this group, there will be those
• 26:53
  who will seek to divide this church, I don't think that is a
• 27:00
  principle for all churches. This is a specific warning to
• 27:02
  this church, but it is a potential danger for every
• 27:04
  church and here's the hopeful message.
• 27:07
  Is it possible for us to avoid that to escape that to never
• 27:10
  experienced that? And I say with the resounding?
• 27:13
  Yes, it's possible. It is possible for us to know.
• 27:18
  Continuous Fellowship, continuous Harmony.
• 27:20
  Continuous love. And I'll give you one ingredient
• 27:24
  to that reality. Why do you think it is that the
• 27:26
  kingdom of darkness will not succumb itself to division?
• 27:31
  One simple answer? Because even the devil and his
• 27:35
  demons share a consuming common goal.
• 27:40
  And that goal is greater than anything else to steal to kill
• 27:46
  and to destroy. And anything that is a threat to
• 27:50
  that goal, anything that will hinder the effectiveness and the
• 27:53
  efforts to knowing the full potential of that goal.
• 27:57
  Will not be tolerated. You and I are called to a
• 28:01
  glorious calling one of redemption and healing and
• 28:04
  salvation. And sanctification, is that
• 28:06
  enough motivation for us to be able to put things aside into
• 28:10
  forgive and to love, and to move on?
• 28:13
  It? Should it should be And we
• 28:17
  should be embarrassed to a certain degree.
• 28:19
  When we allow certain things that have absolutely no Eternal
• 28:23
  value terrorist, apart the cause us to create Clans from within
• 28:28
  and to destroy what God has begun.
• 28:31
  But let me tell you this, all it takes is for one person to lose
• 28:34
  sight of that Heavenly call for there to be hellish chaos.
• 28:41
  The same Paul who warned about the possibility of Godly
• 28:44
  churches, knowing Civil Wars is the same man who gives us the
• 28:48
  antidote. From a compromising immune
• 28:51
  system in the body of Jesus Christ.
• 28:55
  In Philippians 2 verse 2. Paul says complete my Joy by
• 29:02
  being of the same mind. Having the same love being in
• 29:06
  full Accord and of one mind. You know what?
• 29:09
  Verse 2 tells me? It's possible.
• 29:12
  That's what verse 2 tells me. No, command is given in the
• 29:17
  scriptures. That cannot be fulfilled.
• 29:21
  He says complete my joy, as an apostle is a spiritual father of
• 29:25
  being of the same mind. Having the same love being in
• 29:29
  full Accord and of one mind. Wonderful.
• 29:33
  That's possible for Maranatha Bible Church for 100 years.
• 29:37
  That's possible for this church until eternity.
• 29:42
  How do we get there? How do we maintain that?
• 29:45
  How do we nourish? The how do we protect that verse
• 29:48
  3 do? Nothing from selfish ambition.
• 29:55
  Or conceit. But in humility count others,
• 29:59
  more significant than yourselves.
• 30:01
  Is that a random command? No, it's directly connected to
• 30:03
  the previous reality. If you want the same love the
• 30:07
  same mind one Accord perpetually.
• 30:11
  Then every single one of us has the great call of dying to self
• 30:15
  and doing nothing, nothing, nothing.
• 30:18
  Nothing from the place of selfish ambition.
• 30:23
  When we esteem others, as higher than ourselves, when we steam
• 30:27
  their interest above our own. Oh, we can know Piece of Heaven
• 30:31
  on Earth. This could be a joyful place,
• 30:34
  this can be a refuge, this can be a Healing Place.
• 30:38
  But all it takes is for one to be selfish.
• 30:42
  All it takes is for one to be proud.
• 30:45
  All it takes is for one to look at ministry as an opportunity to
• 30:48
  glorify your name or your family's name, for things to
• 30:53
  come Crashing Down. Do nothing from selfish ambition
• 30:58
  or conceit and this church will know the preserving grace of God
• 31:02
  perfumed with the love of Jesus Through us.
• 31:06
  I hope you would desire that Jesus points out there.
• 31:10
  Logical fallacy. You guys don't even make any
• 31:13
  sense. Even Satan is not dumb enough to
• 31:17
  try to fight against his own efforts to be a hindrance to his
• 31:21
  own plans. How can you even come up with
• 31:24
  such an argument? And he goes on in verse 27, to
• 31:27
  actually make a statement of how he as the Son of God, is able to
• 31:32
  deliver these suffering. Bound individuals from the power
• 31:37
  of Satan. Look at verse 27 and Mark 3, but
• 31:39
  no one can enter a strong mans house and plunder his Goods.
• 31:43
  Unless he first binds the strong man, then indeed, he made
• 31:47
  plunder his house. So he gives a little parabolic
• 31:50
  will saying a little illustration, but it's very
• 31:52
  straightforward and obvious, the reason why I'm able to overcome
• 31:57
  Satan in this way. It's not because I'm in League
• 32:00
  with Satan, but because I'm more powerful than him.
• 32:03
  That's why now notice he did isn't dismissed the reality.
• 32:08
  That Satan is strong twice. He refers to them as strong, but
• 32:13
  he is stronger and he is greater.
• 32:16
  I'm able to do this you Pharisees because I overwhelm
• 32:20
  the authority of Satan with my own and he must submit to my
• 32:23
  orders. He must submit to my power,
• 32:26
  that's the explanation for why I'm able to do what I am doing.
• 32:31
  And I look at this and I was meditating on that.
• 32:34
  Jesus is stronger than Satan. Okay, we don't believe that, you
• 32:39
  know, like there's things that go on in the internet and I'm
• 32:43
  off social media, so I don't see it anymore.
• 32:45
  But I used to see stuff. We're just these illustrations.
• 32:48
  There is a picture of Jesus and there's a picture Satan.
• 32:50
  And the world is under them in their outer arm wrestle.
• 32:53
  Not even close, not even close. They don't share equal power.
• 33:01
  There isn't a duel over the Earth.
• 33:04
  He is under him. He is a created being and any
• 33:10
  Authority. He possesses is granted by God.
• 33:15
  He has a leash around his neck and he even in his destructive
• 33:21
  ways according to God's sovereignty, still fulfilling a
• 33:24
  Redemptive purpose. Let me show you though, because
• 33:28
  we have, to be honest of how powerful Satan is.
• 33:31
  And first John, 5:18 Excuse me. 519.
• 33:38
  John says, we know that we are from God and the whole world
• 33:42
  lies in the power of the evil one, the whole world lies in the
• 33:48
  power of the not part of the world, not certain countries in
• 33:51
  the world, the entire globe. Is orchestrated to a certain
• 33:57
  extent by the authority of Satan himself.
• 34:02
  The world is subject to his cues.
• 34:05
  The world is subject to his influences, which means
• 34:09
  something brother and sister every entity that you can think
• 34:13
  of whether it is, educational, political, even spiritual.
• 34:20
  Is only operating with two types of authorities.
• 34:23
  Invisible authorities, God or the devil, there's no third
• 34:27
  option. There's no neutrality in our
• 34:30
  universe. It's either being energized and
• 34:34
  inspired by hell or it is humbly taking orders from the word of
• 34:40
  God. And there's nothing in between.
• 34:45
  I hope that's that reminder helps you filter how you view
• 34:49
  the world and what you allow into your life?
• 34:52
  Into your mind into your living room into your phone?
• 34:59
  It doesn't take much of the sermon to see who's working for
• 35:01
  who, especially in these days. Satan him is Satanism, is being
• 35:04
  promoted as those the new trend. These days, Satan cartoon shows,
• 35:09
  Satan Satanic rituals, and our entertainment, and our music.
• 35:14
  I mean, what kind of dare we living in when Satan is not even
• 35:17
  trying to hide anymore? We're living in the last days.
• 35:21
  But even though we are pilgrims traveling through this
• 35:24
  satanically empowered and animated.
• 35:28
  World. Look at Verse 18.
• 35:31
  We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep
• 35:33
  on sinning, but he, who was born of God protects him and the
• 35:38
  evil. One does not touch him.
• 35:42
  Does not touch them. Nevermind, enter into him,
• 35:45
  somewhat propose. Does not touch the one.
• 35:49
  Who is born of God cannot even lay a finger on the child of God
• 35:55
  and if there's anything that Satan would desire to do, he
• 35:57
  must get permission from God. Whatever he would try to plot
• 36:03
  against a child of God and God allows it will always be for his
• 36:06
  glory and are good. Hallelujah.
• 36:09
  I praise God for that. George Whitefield said that you
• 36:12
  and I are Immortal until our work on Earth is done.
• 36:16
  We are Immortal until our work on Earth is done.
• 36:23
  Only we can see what the invisible World sees the great
• 36:27
  protection around us around our homes around our children.
• 36:31
  I said this at one point a few weeks ago and I'll say it again.
• 36:33
  And this crazy age, the safest place to be is not in some
• 36:37
  Island somewhere where you're not being dictated by a
• 36:40
  tyrannical, government to be in the hands of Jesus.
• 36:46
  That's the safest place to be. Now it's come back, it's come
• 36:50
  back to mark. In chapter three.
• 36:56
  Jesus, rebukes these Pharisees. He exposes really their silly
• 37:00
  thinking, and their argument. He makes a statement about his
• 37:04
  lordship about his power over. Even these Fierce dark powers
• 37:09
  and then he issues a warning He takes this opportunity to give a
• 37:13
  warning because what these men said, exposes a condition of the
• 37:18
  heart that is absolutely terrifying.
• 37:22
  Truly. I say to you.
• 37:25
  In verse 28, all sins will be forgiven the children of man and
• 37:30
  whatever blasphemes. They utter.
• 37:34
  But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, never has
• 37:37
  forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.
• 37:40
  I can't think of something more horrific than that.
• 37:43
  You all can say, I will never forgive you and that's fine, but
• 37:48
  to not have forgiveness from God as a hopeless place.
• 37:52
  And this is why a scripture like this has been the source of much
• 37:58
  confusion and fear. Really among those who shouldn't
• 38:02
  be confused or fearful. And it's predictable that and
• 38:08
  almost any biblical Q and A. In any setting, there will be
• 38:12
  the inquiry of a troubled soul, who wants to know whether or
• 38:15
  not. If they have committed, the sin
• 38:16
  of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
• 38:21
  And the way out of the confusion is to First clarify, what the
• 38:24
  blasphemy of the holy spirit is not Did you read the reassuring
• 38:29
  words of Jesus? In verse 28, read it again
• 38:31
  slowly and understand the implications.
• 38:34
  Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven The Children of
• 38:38
  Men When Jesus meant all since he really meant all sends every
• 38:42
  sin. So the blasphemy of the holy
• 38:46
  spirit is not repeated sexual morality, it's not murder or any
• 38:52
  other atrocity that you can imagine.
• 38:54
  Because all sins that are repented of are able to be
• 38:59
  forgiven by God. And but from there, he takes a
• 39:02
  separate category and he even clarifies what and whatever
• 39:07
  blasphemies they utter. So, even the category of sins.
• 39:13
  That blaspheme God. Now, what does it mean to
• 39:16
  blaspheme God? It means to openly mock or
• 39:19
  Scorn, the name of God. The character of God, the ways
• 39:25
  of God with disdain with irreverence, that's what it
• 39:29
  means to blaspheme. And we are told by Jesus that
• 39:33
  even blasphemies, that people utter and Matthew 12, he
• 39:36
  clarifies. If you blaspheme against the
• 39:38
  sun, you will be forgiven. In other words, if you blaspheme
• 39:41
  God, there is still forgiveness. What is there?
• 39:46
  Well, how do I understand this? Because he goes on to say, but
• 39:48
  there is one kind of blasphemy That will never be forgiven or
• 39:52
  pardoned. And some people even in this
• 39:55
  place could be worried. Because you think about your
• 39:57
  life before Jesus and you can you can reminisce as you cringe
• 40:05
  as you blush with shame of times with the ungodly or even in your
• 40:10
  own room with anger boiling over, blaspheming God, profaning
• 40:16
  his name. Ascribing slurs and wishes
• 40:21
  against his holy character. And here you are though, and
• 40:25
  there is a moment where you came to Christ and you wonder am I
• 40:27
  really in Christ? Will God hold this against me
• 40:31
  when I see him face to face, some people live with that
• 40:33
  torment and their other Christians who Wonder as well.
• 40:37
  I have a loved one who doesn't know the Lord, but I hear them
• 40:40
  give so much contempt towards Christ, and I wonder if they've
• 40:44
  crossed the line. And if they are irredeemable by
• 40:47
  his grace, I want to give you hope.
• 40:51
  Because in first Timothy 1:13, Paul gives a glimpse of what his
• 40:56
  life was like before he came to Christ and he gives a snapshot
• 41:00
  idea of what kind of person he was and in 1 Timothy 1:13.
• 41:06
  He says, though, formally, I was a blasphemer.
• 41:12
  Persecutor and insolent opponent.
• 41:14
  But I receive the mercy because I had acted ignorantly in
• 41:19
  unbelief, a blasphemer? You want to know how great of a
• 41:23
  blasphemer? Paul was, you don't have to turn
• 41:25
  there, but when you go to Acts 26 verse 11, this blasphemer was
• 41:30
  so ugly that he even tried to take imprison Christians and
• 41:34
  cause them to blaspheme themselves.
• 41:36
  So he even tried to make Christians, blaspheme the name.
• 41:40
  That he's so easily. Themed in his days of ignorance.
• 41:45
  But he was also in that same sentence though, a great
• 41:48
  offender an offense. So, great that in the Old
• 41:51
  Testament, it was punishable by Death.
• 41:55
  How many of our people on TV here?
• 41:57
  These late night show guys and these news anchors, how many of
• 42:00
  them if they were in the old Covenant would be punished by
• 42:01
  death for blaspheming the name of God.
• 42:06
  Even such a man, new true forgiveness as we know, and not
• 42:11
  just forgiveness. But even being set apart to
• 42:14
  being one of the greatest men that the church has ever known.
• 42:18
  So understand that there is still Mercy for the blasphemer
• 42:22
  but I think what he says at the end of the verse, it gives us
• 42:26
  more help about why even more, why was he?
• 42:30
  Recipient of God's Saving Grace because he acted ignorantly in
• 42:35
  unbelief. What does that mean?
• 42:39
  I think what that means in part is that Paul admitted that he
• 42:42
  was not exposed to the full measure of God's power and
• 42:47
  revelation. When he was in that season of
• 42:51
  Life, blaspheming the name of God, there was a level of
• 42:56
  Darkness that he was in about who Jesus was, who God was.
• 43:02
  And God saw that in gave him Mercy. and I think that's
• 43:06
  important to understand, you know why, because The crowd that
• 43:12
  Jesus was addressing when he warned them about this.
• 43:15
  Eternal sin had a front-row seat to the manifestation of God's
• 43:22
  glory and Power in the person of Jesus Christ.
• 43:27
  It's going to start making sense.
• 43:28
  Now, I hope What this means is that the blasphemy of the holy
• 43:33
  spirit is more than just a tributing, the work of God to
• 43:38
  the work of Satan. It's not that simple though.
• 43:41
  That is dangerous ground to be treading on what the blasphemy
• 43:46
  of the holy spirit is is to attribute, the work of God to
• 43:50
  Satan. When you have been granted
• 43:52
  undeniable and absolute confirmation of the contrary You
• 43:59
  see what the Pharisees were saying was this was, especially
• 44:02
  dangerous because they were not opposing.
• 44:06
  The spirits work with limited Revelation, they had a unique
• 44:12
  privilege that no one else and all of human history shared.
• 44:16
  They constantly stood in the unfiltered presence of God's
• 44:23
  empowering work to prove the deity of Jesus Christ day by
• 44:28
  day. And the main reason why these
• 44:33
  men were treading on the line of an eternal guilt was because
• 44:36
  there was nothing more for God to do in order to Showcase his
• 44:40
  sons. Messiahship What more could have
• 44:44
  God done to display, the true identity of the saving identity,
• 44:51
  the prophesied identity of Jesus Christ.
• 44:55
  Nothing. So to stubbornly refuse to
• 44:59
  acknowledge that Jesus is in fact the true Messiah, even
• 45:04
  after all that you have seen with your own eyes means that
• 45:09
  they were close to sealing, they're unforgivable fate.
• 45:17
  It was them despising, the holy spirit's work, it was them
• 45:20
  insulting the invitation to be saved in the face of a unique
• 45:24
  measure of marvelous power. That made Jesus warned them of
• 45:29
  going to a place of no return. So the question is, at this
• 45:36
  point? Is it possible then?
• 45:40
  To commit the blasphemy of the holy spirit in our day.
• 45:45
  And here's what my answer would be because I'm not in the camp
• 45:48
  that says the blaspheming of the holy spirit is really just as
• 45:52
  synonymous way of saying to continually reject God, yes and
• 45:55
  no. My answer would be, it's
• 46:00
  possible to commit the sin of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
• 46:02
  only if someone has been granted the equal evidence of the
• 46:06
  Supreme Revelation that Jesus made of himself during his
• 46:11
  ministry. An example of that would
• 46:16
  arguably Hebrews chapter 6 and a very known passage.
• 46:21
  That makes other people more uncomfortable.
• 46:24
  I want you to see with your own eyes and Hebrews chapter 6.
• 46:36
  The author of Hebrews is addressing Jewish Christians.
• 46:42
  You know what his thesis is? You know, what his concern is?
• 46:45
  They want to turn away from Christ and go back to the
• 46:49
  levitical law. And he warns him in different
• 46:53
  portions of this book. It one of those strong warnings
• 46:57
  is a verse 4. It is impossible in the case of
• 47:01
  those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the
• 47:05
  Heavenly gift and have shared in the Holy Spirit and have tasted
• 47:09
  the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to
• 47:13
  come. And then have fallen away to
• 47:16
  restore them again to repentance.
• 47:19
  Since they are crucifying, once again, the Son of God to their
• 47:21
  own harm and holding him up to contempt content, I think this
• 47:25
  is the closest arguably, the closest thing of what Jesus is
• 47:28
  warning about. In Mark chapter 3.
• 47:34
  Let me say this, because when we come to Hebrews, or in another
• 47:36
  appropriate time, I will break this down.
• 47:38
  This is not teaching that somebody can lose their
• 47:41
  salvation because if you carefully examine the wording
• 47:46
  about the experiences that some of these readers are having, or
• 47:50
  had none of them are really, about being saved, right?
• 47:54
  You can be enlightened and not truly absorb the light.
• 47:58
  You can taste the Heavenly gift, but not receive the Heavenly
• 48:01
  gift. You can be around God's word and
• 48:06
  actually somewhat be blessed by a but not truly give yourself to
• 48:09
  it. And to propose that this means
• 48:13
  that if you were a Christian at one point and then turn away
• 48:15
  from Christ, either from a continual repetition of a
• 48:20
  certain sin. Then you also have to with that
• 48:22
  consistently say that, that person can never be saved again,
• 48:25
  which I don't think people who even believe you can lose your
• 48:28
  salvation would say that So then what is happening here?
• 48:34
  Will notice the description of the experience of some of these
• 48:38
  readers that the writer is writing to one of the things
• 48:42
  that stand out to me is that the end of verse 5 and have tasted
• 48:45
  the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to
• 48:50
  come. The powers of the age to come.
• 48:54
  Look, I've been blessed to experience many things from the
• 48:57
  Lord. I'll tell you this one thing.
• 48:58
  I don't, I can say coffee. I have not tasted of the powers
• 49:01
  of the things of the age to come.
• 49:04
  But some of these guys could you know why?
• 49:07
  Because the reason why they are in this place to begin with was
• 49:10
  because they were exposed to the ministry of the Apostles, the
• 49:13
  apostles who mirrored, the power of Jesus, while he was on Earth
• 49:17
  because it was granted to them to perform certain miraculous
• 49:21
  signs and abilities in order to confirm the message of the
• 49:24
  Gospel in its infant stages. and so these guys here, who
• 49:29
  experienced the miraculous ability of the apostles were and
• 49:33
  as select Danger, And the danger is this, you have reached a
• 49:40
  certain level of experience that that really cannot be matched.
• 49:43
  And there's really nothing more that can be offered than what
• 49:45
  you have known. And here's the point, you ready
• 49:48
  for this, after all that you've experienced all that you've
• 49:52
  witnessed. After you've known a degree of
• 49:56
  light, that is not common and you still will not be faithful
• 50:01
  to the Lord and give yourself to him.
• 50:04
  It's impossible for you to be saved.
• 50:07
  How, what else can God do in order to convince you of the
• 50:12
  truth of the Christ? There's no other options, all
• 50:16
  the options have been executed. And that is exactly what is
• 50:21
  happening to the Pharisees. The Pharisees have seen so much
• 50:26
  be held, so much undeniable evidence, unparalleled matchless
• 50:32
  majesty, and miracles. And with all of that, the
• 50:38
  Pharisees have made this conclusion.
• 50:40
  Listen, not only am I not going to believe in you?
• 50:44
  This is of the devil. So, here's the Holy Spirit.
• 50:50
  Who is the agent upon Christ's Humanity?
• 50:55
  Who wants to invite and prove who he is in order for people to
• 50:58
  be saved. And you have these men who are
• 51:01
  looking straight into the eyes of the one, who can save their
• 51:04
  souls and say, I'm going to reject you as I would the devil
• 51:14
  And Jesus says that's dangerous. That's very dangerous.
• 51:18
  The debate is, did they commit? The blasphemy of the Holy
• 51:20
  Spirit? Are they about to commit?
• 51:22
  The sin of the blaspheme, the Holy Spirit Whatever it is, they
• 51:26
  were on their way of committing this sin and Jesus warned them.
• 51:32
  Now if you're a person in this place who are concerned about
• 51:36
  whether or not you have blasphemed the Holy Spirit, that
• 51:38
  attitude confirms that you have it. because a person who
• 51:43
  blasphemes the Holy Spirit, Is not worried of whether or not
• 51:48
  they have done it. A person who is blasting.
• 51:51
  The Holy Spirit has made the conclusion.
• 51:57
  That the saving work of Jesus. To them is as repulsive as hell
• 52:03
  itself. So I want to say something in
• 52:09
  closing. By offering a word of comfort
• 52:12
  and a word of warning for those who might be trembling.
• 52:17
  Who have perhaps been lied to by Satan himself.
• 52:21
  The evil one, who enjoys to disturb our joy and our
• 52:23
  confidence in the Lord. Do you realize that Jesus?
• 52:26
  And Mark, chapter 3 did not address his church.
• 52:29
  He addressed his enemies. Are you his enemy?
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  Are you a person who has plotted in your heart to defy the name
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  of God? And to destroy the work of the
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  Gospel. If you can answer that
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  constantly, you're in a good place.
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  You're safe. You are not his enemy, you're
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  his possession. You are his child.
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  You belong to him. And if there's any work that the
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  Holy Spirit has done in you upon faith, is the work of a promise
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  seal upon your soul. So what you and I can do the
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  capacity of our relationship to the holy spirit.
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  In the negative sense is that we can grieve the Holy Spirit and
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  we can quench the Holy Spirit. But because of our entrance,
• 53:20
  into the kingdom of God in our names being sealed in that
• 53:23
  precious Book of Life, he says, I will commit myself to you and
• 53:28
  the work that I began in you. I will bring it to completion
• 53:31
  for the glory of God, nothing to fear, nothing to worry about the
• 53:35
  fact that you are worried about. That is a wonderful pulse. that
• 53:41
  you love the Lord and you want to be his but also a word of
• 53:46
  warning. I don't think this idea of the
• 53:51
  blasphemy of the holy spirit is a common thing, and I don't
• 53:55
  think it equates. Intrusive thoughts that even,
• 53:57
  you might have dear Christian, that are disrespectful to God or
• 54:01
  perverted even about God. That's not the same.
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  Because the, this is, this is the battleground of Warfare.
• 54:08
  It's the mind. And Satan is clever enough to
• 54:11
  put things in our mind and then blame us for it.
• 54:16
  But there is a principle behind this, the scary warning. and the
• 54:22
  principal, when you put the teaching of Hebrews and the
• 54:25
  warning of Jesus together is that, although somebody may not
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  outright blaspheme, the Holy Spirit, like these Pharisees had
• 54:35
  It's possible to resist the Holy Spirit. to a degree where you
• 54:40
  become so unresponsive that your irredeemable Right, that's what
• 54:46
  it again. Let me, let me revisit that text
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  in Hebrews. That's what I think is happening
• 54:49
  in Hebrews. After all that.
• 54:51
  You've seen all that, you've heard all that you've
• 54:53
  experienced that you still cannot come to Christ.
• 54:56
  There's nothing left for God to be able to do And so it's
• 54:59
  impossible to be saved. And so, I would say this, As as
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  privileged as we are in the west to be exposed freely to so much.
• 55:11
  Light and Revelation, that's a dangerous thing to That's a
• 55:16
  really dangerous thing. And it's dangerous because the
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  longer you resist to give your heart to Jesus Christ,
• 55:24
  especially when you are sitting under true.
• 55:29
  Unfiltered unadulterated Revelation, the more insensitive
• 55:34
  you will become over time to the point where you are unresponsive
• 55:38
  to the call of the Gospel. And even in this life, you
• 55:42
  cannot be saved. That's why I've heard somebody
• 55:47
  say, tell me that a visitor came and they said the preacher is a
• 55:51
  little strong. How can I not be?
• 55:56
  This isn't a clubhouse. This isn't.
• 56:00
  This isn't just because we have nothing else to do in the past
• 56:03
  hour and a half, perhaps Souls have been hanging in the balance
• 56:07
  between Heaven and Hell. I'm not giving a TED Talk this
• 56:10
  afternoon. I have to stand before God and
• 56:15
  he's going to ask me how seriously, did you take your
• 56:17
  preaching position? And so there is a serious
• 56:22
  urgency with the proclamation of the gospel because the Bible
• 56:26
  tells us that the more light you are exposed to and the longer
• 56:31
  you resist with that light shining on your heart it can
• 56:35
  either soften your heart or heart in it.
• 56:39
  Just like what the son can do with clay.
• 56:43
  It can melt or it can Harden. So, today is the day of
• 56:48
  salvation. Don't gamble with it.
• 56:52
  Don't wait on it. And to be honest, I've seen it
• 56:55
  to a certain degree. I've seen it.
• 57:00
  I've seen how the word can convict somebody's heart and
• 57:03
  such a fresh way. You can even see while you're
• 57:05
  preaching, just their mouths are dropped and their eyes are
• 57:08
  filled with water. But no decisions really made and
• 57:12
  you can just see a hardening take place week after week.
• 57:16
  And those same people are so distracted during the meeting.
• 57:20
  And you wonder what's happening to them.
• 57:24
  What's happening to them? No man can ever determine what
• 57:28
  line? They cross only God knows the
• 57:32
  heart but the warning is clear. Don't don't flirt with how close
• 57:36
  you can come to that line. Today, if you hear his voice, do
• 57:41
  not Harden, your heart don't Harden.
• 57:43
  It give yourself fully to the cross of Jesus Christ.
• 57:47
  Run to him, give yourself to him and he will embrace you.
• 57:52
  If there's anybody who will be responsible for them not being
• 57:55
  redeemed, it's you. Not him.
• 57:59
  And the human heart is so tricky, so scary that it is
• 58:04
  capable of doing what Pharaoh did be exposed to the
• 58:07
  miraculous. You think Miracles are going to
• 58:09
  save people. You think of God, splits open
• 58:12
  the ceiling and shows us something that people look at
• 58:15
  Fair, all the things that he has seen, all the things that he is
• 58:18
  experienced and yet, he was still able to harden his heart
• 58:21
  and Harden it. And hearted, until God says, you
• 58:23
  want to harden it? Let me help you.
• 58:27
  So the blaspheming the holy spirit is really to be exposed
• 58:31
  to an overwhelming flood of the evidence of his power of His
• 58:36
  truth and to look at it and say, that's the devil and I want
• 58:42
  nothing to do with it. Jesus is be careful.
• 58:47
  Let's pray. Lord with his solemn, text.
• 59:10
  We Rejoice with trembling. because those whom you save, you
• 59:16
  keep And we thank you Lord. That in this place many can
• 59:22
  Testify the opposite of what your son warned about and that
• 59:26
  is having a Hearts Changed by the Holy Spirit.
• 59:35
  And Lord we want to know the Holy Spirit and grow in the Holy
• 59:38
  Spirit. We don't want to even grieve the
• 59:40
  Holy Spirit. We don't want to quench the Holy
• 59:41
  Spirit. We want to know the fullness of
• 59:43
  the Holy Spirit. And Lord, we just pray for the
• 59:48
  person who is in this place, who has resisted the Holy Spirit
• 59:51
  over and over and over again. They know they're not right with
• 59:54
  you. They know they're playing games
• 59:55
  with you. They know that they have been
• 59:57
  rejecting. You.
• 59:58
  They might have not blasphemed you but oh Lord.
• 59:59
  Would they feel the urgency of this message to know that the
• 1:00:03
  direction that they're walking on is a scary path?
• 1:00:06
  And you are patient. Yes you are.
• 1:00:08
  And you're willing to save us at any point in our lives.
• 1:00:11
  But oh, Lord, our hearts are not for us.
• 1:00:15
  Our hearts are desperately wicked and they want to betray
• 1:00:18
  us and lie to us. And so Lord rescue us from
• 1:00:22
  ourselves. And Lord, we just pray that
• 1:00:28
  every person leaving this place would have the confidence that
• 1:00:32
  they are a child of God by repenting and believing in the
• 1:00:35
  name of Jesus Christ. But realizing that you are
• 1:00:38
  willing to forgive us. As you said of all sin, even
• 1:00:41
  blasphemies. You're willing to forgive The
• 1:00:47
  Lord may we not Harden our hearts to the point where we
• 1:00:49
  don't even respond to that love anymore.
• 1:00:54
  We worship you. We worship you in the promises
• 1:00:57
  of your love and then the warnings of what we can do to
• 1:01:01
  ourselves. We give you praise now in Jesus
• 1:01:04
  name. Amen let's stand and Worship the
• 1:01:06
  Lord.