New Testament Studies: Mark (4): Chapter 3 v7 to v35 -- David Pawson
Summary
TLDRThis detailed script explores varied perspectives on Jesus Christ through a vivid reimagining of events from the Gospels. It delves into Jesus' ministry, his strategic withdrawal from crowds, his healing powers, and confrontations with demonic possessions, illustrating how different groups perceived him—from the masses seeking miracles to skeptics accusing him of demonic affiliations. The narrative also covers the strategic appointment of his twelve disciples, underscoring Jesus' balanced approach to ministry and life. It further reflects on the broader implications of labeling good as evil and vice versa, highlighting the eternal consequences of such distortions and concluding with a powerful call to recognize and align with the true essence of Jesus.
Takeaways
- 🌊 Jesus managed large crowds by using practical solutions like having a boat ready, illustrating his balanced approach to using his powers.
- 👨🔬 Jesus's healing abilities caused tension as people prioritized physical healing over spiritual messages, highlighting a common human tendency to prioritize immediate physical needs.
- 👹 The presence of demonic possessions in crowds illustrates the spiritual battles Jesus faced, emphasizing the real, palpable presence of evil during his ministry.
- 🤔 The script explores how different people perceive Jesus differently, reflecting personal biases and backgrounds that color their understanding of his actions and teachings.
- 🚶♂️ The appointment of the twelve disciples underscores Jesus's strategic planning for the continuity of his ministry, emphasizing the importance of training others.
- 👥 The mixed backgrounds of the disciples show that Jesus valued diversity and potential over social or economic status, promoting inclusivity.
- 🏠 Friends and foes of Jesus had starkly different reactions to his actions; friends worried about his mental health while foes accused him of demonic alliances.
- ⚖️ Accusations of Jesus using demonic powers to perform miracles introduced the concept of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, a sin described as unforgivable because it represents a total inversion of moral truth.
- 👨👩👧👦 Jesus redefined family not by biological ties but by spiritual obedience and connection, elevating spiritual kinship over traditional familial bonds.
- 🔍 Ultimately, the way individuals respond to Jesus's identity and mission is pivotal, determining their spiritual alignment and their acceptance or rejection of his teachings.
Q & A
What was the main reason Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea?
-Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea to avoid being crushed by the crowds, as his healing miracles attracted large numbers of people who pressed upon him.
Why did Jesus command his disciples to have a boat ready for him?
-Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready to manage the crowds effectively and to prevent the possibility of being overwhelmed by the people flocking to him for healing.
What was the significance of the unclean spirits recognizing Jesus as the Son of God?
-The recognition of Jesus as the Son of God by the unclean spirits signifies their awareness of his divine authority, which contrasts with the general public's understanding of his identity.
Why did Jesus appoint twelve disciples?
-Jesus appointed twelve disciples to extend his ministry beyond his physical presence, ensuring his teachings and works would continue through them, symbolizing the formation of a new spiritual community.
What does the response of Jesus' friends, who thought he was out of his mind, reveal about their understanding of his actions?
-His friends' belief that Jesus was out of his mind reflects their inability to comprehend the spiritual significance of his actions, interpreting his intense dedication to his mission as irrational behavior.
What did Jesus mean by the parable of a kingdom divided against itself?
-In the parable, Jesus explains that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, using this to argue against the accusations that he was casting out demons by the power of Satan, highlighting the illogical nature of such claims.
Why did Jesus use natural means like a boat instead of supernatural means to escape the crowd?
-Jesus used a boat instead of walking on water to show his preference for natural, practical solutions over supernatural displays of power, emphasizing his balanced approach to handling situations.
How did Jesus address the accusations of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub?
-Jesus confronted the accusations logically in his parables, illustrating the absurdity of Satan fighting against himself, and warned of the dangers of attributing God's works to Satan.
What is the unforgivable sin according to the narrative, and why is it considered unforgivable?
-The unforgivable sin, as explained in the narrative, is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. It's considered unforgivable because it represents a deliberate and irreversible blindness to spiritual truth.
What did Jesus imply about true family relationships in his response to being told that his family was seeking him?
-Jesus redefined family relationships by stating that whoever does the will of God is his brother, sister, and mother, emphasizing spiritual bonds over biological connections.
Outlines
🌊 Jesus Withdraws with His Disciples
Jesus retreats to the Sea with His disciples to avoid the pressing crowds, who follow Him from various regions, drawn by His healing miracles and the power He demonstrated over unclean spirits. Jesus's popularity leads Him to take practical steps, like having a boat ready to escape the crowd. He selects twelve disciples, empowering them to preach and cast out demons, emphasizing the urgency of His mission despite knowing His time was limited.
👥 Diverse Reactions to Jesus's Ministry
This segment reflects on Jesus's ministry's impact, noting that despite His impending death, Jesus maintained a calm and deliberate approach to His tasks. He encountered different groups with varying perceptions, from those who sought Him out for miracles to those who misinterpreted His actions. Jesus used practical solutions like securing a boat to manage the overwhelming attention and maintain focus on His spiritual mission.
👹 Confronting Demonic Possession
Jesus deals with complex challenges, including demonic possessions, distinguishing them from mental illnesses. He is depicted as a spiritual warrior contesting Satan's territory. The narrative includes a detailed account of a modern-day exorcism related by a preacher, highlighting the stark realities of demonic influences and the powerful confrontations that ensue between good and evil forces.
📜 Jesus Prepares His Disciples
Jesus carefully selects twelve disciples to ensure the continuation and expansion of His ministry. This preparation reflects a strategic approach, balancing communion with commission. Jesus aims to train His disciples not only to be close followers but also to empower them to spread His teachings and extend His work beyond His earthly presence, emphasizing the importance of discipleship and apostolic mission in spreading the Christian faith.
🔍 Examining Jesus's Choice of Disciples
Jesus's selection of the twelve disciples is analyzed, highlighting the symbolic importance of the number twelve and its historical significance to the Jewish people. The diversity among the disciples—ranging from their temperaments to their socioeconomic backgrounds—illustrates that Jesus's choices transcended ordinary qualifications, focusing instead on their potential to fulfill God's work, irrespective of their previous life circumstances.
👨👩👧👦 Family and Friends Misunderstand Jesus
Jesus faces misunderstanding from His friends and family, who think He has succumbed to madness due to His unconventional lifestyle and the risks He takes. This segment explores the conflict between religious fervor and societal norms, where profound religious commitment is often mislabeled as madness. Jesus's radical departure from traditional life paths is seen as insanity by those closest to Him, demonstrating the tension between divine mission and earthly expectations.
⚖️ Accusations and Parables: Addressing Jesus's Detractors
Jesus confronts accusations of collaborating with demons, countering with parables to expose the logical flaws in His detractors' arguments. He warns of the grave spiritual danger in misattributing His divine acts to demonic influence, discussing the unforgivable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This serious confrontation highlights the stark division between those who recognize Jesus's divine nature and those who see His actions as malevolent.
🤝 Redefining Family and Legacy
In a poignant moment, Jesus redefines familial bonds not by blood but by spiritual kinship through obedience to God's will. He dismisses traditional familial ties in favor of a deeper, spiritual connection that transcends biological relationships. This redefinition emphasizes the eternal and universal family of believers that Jesus seeks to establish, underlining the spiritual bonds that outlast earthly ones.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Ministry
💡Miracle
💡Disciples
💡Kingdom of God
💡Demonic possession
💡Pharisees
💡Blasphemy
💡Forgiveness
💡Exorcism
💡Apostles
Highlights
Jesus withdraws to the Sea with his disciples, facing immense crowds from various regions, illustrating his widespread influence and popularity early in his ministry.
The multitude follows Jesus due to his healing powers, highlighting their desperation for physical healing over spiritual messages.
Unclean spirits recognize Jesus as the Son of God, pointing to a spiritual acknowledgment of his divinity that contrasts with the crowd's focus on his miracles.
Jesus appoints twelve disciples, ensuring the continuation of his teachings and the spread of his ministry beyond his own life.
The varied backgrounds and characteristics of the twelve disciples emphasize that Jesus' call transcends social, political, and personal differences.
Critics argue Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul, leading to a teaching moment where Jesus addresses the illogical nature of such claims and the spiritual risks of attributing God's work to Satan.
Jesus challenges conventional familial bonds, redefining his family as those who do God's will, thus extending family beyond biological ties.
His friends think he has succumbed to madness due to his unconventional lifestyle and choices, reflecting societal expectations of normalcy.
Jesus uses parables to explain that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, a metaphor for the illogicality of the claim that he is empowered by Satan.
The notion of the unforgivable sin is introduced, explaining it as the eternal consequence of attributing God's work to evil.
Jesus emphasizes the importance of spiritual needs over physical ones, confronting the crowd's misplaced priorities.
The role of disciples is framed as a balance between learning from Jesus and actively spreading his teachings, highlighting the dynamic nature of discipleship.
Jesus' approach to power and miracles is restrained; he opts for practical solutions over miraculous ones, demonstrating a responsible use of his abilities.
The passage underscores the tension between Jesus' spiritual mission and the public's expectations, illustrating the challenges of his ministry.
It ends with a call to personal faith, urging a personal connection with Jesus and a true understanding of his nature and mission.
Transcripts
Mark's gospel chapter 3 verse 7.
Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the
Sea and a great multitude From Galilee
followed also from Judea and Jerusalem
and edumia and from Beyond the Jordan
and from about Tire inside and a great
multitude hearing all that he did came
to him
and he told his disciples to have a boat
ready
for him because of the crowd lest they
should crush him
for he had healed many so that all who
had diseases pressed upon him to touch
him
and whenever the unclean spirits beheld
him they fell down before him and cried
out you are the son of God
and he strictly ordered them not to make
him known
and he went up into the hills and called
to him Those whom he desired and they
came to him and he appointed twelve to
be with him and to be sent out to preach
and have authority to cast out demons
Simon whom he surnamed Peter James the
son of Zebedee and John the brother of
James whom he surnamed bowenergis the
sons of thunder
Andrew and Philip and Bartholomew and
Matthew and Thomas and James the son of
alphaeus and Thaddeus and Simon the
canaanian
and judas's scariest who betrayed him
then he went home and the crowd came
together again so that they could not
even eat
and when his friends heard it they went
out to seize him for they said he is
beside himself
and the scribes who came down from
Jerusalem said
he is possessed by the elzibol and by
the prince of demons he casts out demons
and he called them to him and said to
them in Parables how can Satan cast out
Satan
if a kingdom is divided against itself
that Kingdom cannot stand and if a house
is divided against itself that house
will not be able to stand
and if Satan has risen up against
himself and is divided he cannot stand
but is coming to an end
but no one can enter a strong man's
house and plunder his Goods unless he
first binds the strong men
then indeed he may plunder his house
truly I say to you all sins will be
forgiven the sons of men
and whatever blasphemies they utter
but whoever blasphemes against the Holy
Spirit
never has forgiveness but is guilty of
an eternal sin for they had said he has
an unclean spirit
and his mother and his brothers came and
standing outside they sent to him and
called him
and a crowd was sitting about him and
they said to him your mother and your
brothers are outside asking for you
and he replied
who are my mother and my brothers
and looking around on those who sat
about him he said here are my mother and
my brothers
whoever does the will of God is my
brother and sister and mother
I have sometimes found myself wandering
from time to time
what difference it would make to my
daily life and to the kind of things I
plan to do if a doctor told me I had one
year to live
it's a very healthy exercise to ask
yourself this from time to time
because if that news were given to you
and you knew that your time was very
limited
it should be a very revealing thing as
to whether you would change your plans
or carry on doing what you were already
doing
if you are already doing what is right
and what God intended you to do you will
make very little change
well now last Sunday Night we realized
that within months of beginning his
public Ministry at the age of 30. people
began to plot the death of Jesus and he
knew it
and he knew perfectly well that his days
were numbered
and he was in fact only going to have
just under three years in which to do
all that God wanted him to do
did this alter him in any way well the
answer is yes and no
he certainly took certain steps and
changed his plans somewhat mainly to
gain time
enough time to do God's will but on the
other hand it impresses me very deeply
that though Jesus died at the age of 33
and knew that he was going to die there
is an unhurried
quiet approach to all his tasks
there is no Panic
there is no feverish activity
there is no sense oh I must get on with
this and I must hurry to do that before
it's too late
but with deliberate and quiet decision
he moves among people to do what he has
been sent to do
now in the short reading that we took
tonight there are five groups of people
with whom he comes in contact and each
one of them sees Jesus in quite a
different way
some of them are right and some of them
are wrong
some of them are part of the truth some
of them are the whole truth and some of
them are not true at all
but it's very interesting that when
Jesus strides among men
they look at him through their own eyes
not through his
and so they see different things
now the first group is a vast crowd that
we're traveling on foot up to 100 miles
to see Jesus
and there is no doubt about it that at
the beginning of his ministry our Lord
was terribly popular
it just had to be whispered that Jesus
was coming to a certain place and people
would set off three four five days
before
and they would hike and Trek to this
Village to meet him
and at the air
first stage of his ministry he had
literally to take practical steps to
avoid being crushed by the mobs
and what he did was to arrange for one
of his fishermen followers to have a
boat standing by
now I don't know if it ever struck you
it only struck me at tea time today as I
thought over this
that Jesus could have walked on the
water
but he preferred to have a boat
he did Walk On The Water later
we know that he could do this he had
amazing powers and if the crowd on the
seashore were going to crush him all he
would need to do would be to walk out on
the water
but he chose a natural a sensible and
normal way of avoiding this danger this
tells me a great deal about Jesus he
didn't abuse his power he didn't use it
as a substitute for practical sensible
action like the man praying for rain
because his house was on fire
he was a very balanced person and it
comes out so clearly in this arrangement
to have a boat handy
but there are two groups of people who
came in this crowd who were an
embarrassment to him
and a problem to him and I want to look
at both these groups the first problem
group were those who came with diseases
now why was this a problem
he had the power to heal he had the
compassion for sick people why should it
be a problem that sick people came in
such numbers
well apart from the fact that they were
desperate and so desperate that they
wanted to touch him before he touched
them and therefore were in danger of
killing him just by sheer numbers
apart from that it was the old old
problem
that people put physical needs before
anything else
we say in popular proverbial speech
health
is the most important thing in life it
is not
there are some things even more
important than that
we have heard it said so frequently
recently and it is a half truth and
there is a real element of Truth in it
but it's not the whole truth
that you must not preach to a starving
man until you fed him
that the greatest need of the world is
for food
others would say the greatest need of
the world is for freedom
but as I've said before and I underline
it again the greatest need in the world
of 1969 is forgiveness whether the world
realizes it or not
and the great tension in our Lord's
early Ministry was that people wanted
him for the physical blessings he could
bring
and not for the spiritual
and he knew perfectly well that if he
went on healing people all his ministry
he would not have done the thing that
God sent him to do for them
and while it was part of his service
to heal those who were sick it was not
the first or the prime thing
and so his problem was that they were so
Keen to have the Miracles of healing
that they came for little else you
notice they walked a hundred miles from
edumia from Taran sidon not because of
what they heard that he had said but
because of what he had done
and they didn't come to listen to him
they came to see him
and they came to be healed physically
but our Lord had fought this battle out
alone he had been six weeks without food
he was desperately hungry and the devil
said well turn these stones into bread
use your power to meet physical need
and his answer to the devil was man is
not an animal
man shall not live by bread alone
and if we say that the greatest need of
the human race tonight is food then we
are saying that human beings are no more
than animals
naked Apes
but men are more than animals and they
live longer than animals they live for
eternity
and this world is not the limit of there
being birth may be the beginning of
their life but death is not the end
and they have needs beyond the grave
that must be met this side of the grave
and they have greater needs even than
food
and so our Lord was in this tension
looking round the crowd that had come to
see him so many of them were sick who
were not interested in the preaching
they wanted healing
and they were pressing him to the edge
of the sea to get it
the other side of the problem was that
in the crowd he he also spotted certain
people suffering
from demonic possession
now I want to get it across to that
demonic possession and mental illness
are two completely different and
separate things and must never be
confused
they need separate diagnosis and
separate treatment
and you will never understand the gospel
story until you realize that when Jesus
came preaching the kingdom of God he was
invading the territory of another
kingdom
and that the real battle in our Lord's
life was not between Jesus and the
Pharisees it was between Jesus and Satan
now you may laugh at this preacher this
poor obscurantist in the Pulpit who
still believes in a personal devil
and you may have accepted so many modern
interpretations that says that they
called mental illness demon possession
in those days because they had no
psychiatrists but I still say we're not
discussing mental illness at all
we are now discussing demonic possession
call them Fallen Angels call them evil
spirits call them what you like but I
just hope and pray you never come in
contact with this
because it's the most terrifying and
horrible thing
and you would be no match for this
now it's not surprising that in the
crowd that Jesus preached to there were
people who were possessed by demons
whose body was no longer their own whose
mouth was no longer their own whose mind
was no longer their own
they were just the shell and inhabiting
that shell was an evil spirit
and it's no coincidence that they came
in the crowd because Jesus threatened
their very existence
I wonder if I may bring this home to you
by telling you of a gentleman I know who
is a minister who was called to a farm
in Switzerland
where the farmer's son was in a terrible
state
and the poor farmer was nearly beside
himself and the farmer had tried doctors
first and then psychiatrists but nothing
could help
the minister went and as soon as the
minister entered and began to pray the
boy went berserk the minister recognized
that this was not physical illness nor
mental
he was fighting not the boy
but a spirit inside the boy
and for some hours they fought with that
evil spirit who addressed them through
the boy's mouth using all kinds of
language
and saying all kinds of things and they
fought together
until finally the victory was won
the demons pleaded with the minister
send us into someone else send us into
someone else let us go into someone else
but the minister would not
and he said you go where the Lord Jesus
tells you to go and in his name I tell
you to get out
and the boy fell as one dead and then
recovered and sat up and has been normal
ever since and is now a pastor of a
church and a very fine minister in
Switzerland but
as the boy recovered there was a noise
outside in the farmyard such as you
they'd never heard before and they went
out
and the farmer's herd of 20 or 30 pigs
were killing each other out in the yard
and finally the farmer had to get his
gun and shoot the lot
that's not the gospel story now that's
not the Gospel According to Saint Mark
but it'll remind you of something in
that story
for this was just a few years ago not
many years ago
this is real and this is what Jesus was
up against
and the evil spirits knew long before
men who he was of course they did they
recognized here the one who could turn
them out of their Kingdom Jesus always
said that this world was not the kingdom
of God but the kingdom of Satan that
Satan was the prince who reigned over it
if you want to know why there is evil in
the world if you want to know why there
is disease in the world if you want to
know why there's death if you want to
know why your weekly newspapers are full
of these things
the answer is this world is not the
kingdom of God and when Jesus came
preaching the kingdom of God he was
saying we've invaded the territory we've
come to let you loose we've come to
challenge these enemies
I have come to bring the power of God to
liberate the victims it was D-Day when
Jesus came
and so the demons fought back and there
they were in the crowd and they shouted
out using the mouths of their victims
you are the Son of God you are the Son
of God and that was not only a personal
danger to Jesus because he could have
finished him there and then it was a
distraction it was the wrong time for it
to be said it could have ruined his
ministry if this had come out of this
stage and certainly these things must
not come from demons they must be
realized within men there must come a
day when Jesus would have to say to men
without evil spirits around who do you
say that I am
and then by the Holy Ghost by the Holy
Spirit a man was going to say you are
the son of the Living God
and so Jesus rebuked these demons and he
wouldn't let them speak and they shut up
as soon as he said it
for Jesus has power over such things
well now here is Jesus famous popular
crowds hundreds coming from all over the
place
and yet within that crowd are two groups
of people
who have the wrong idea of him
there are the diseased and the demon
possessed and the tension is there very
clearly
they see Jesus both of them as
Supernatural
they see him on the one hand as a
miracle worker and only that someone you
can get health from by miraculous power
and the demon possess see him as the
supernatural Son of God but Jesus must
be human before they realize his
divinity
Jesus must come to them as the man
before they say he's the son of God
so he must have time
the second group we meet in this passage
his followers
he is now taking steps to ensure the
future and to extend his own Ministry in
time and space now how do you do that
the answer is you train someone else
if you want to double your work get hold
of someone else and train them to do it
with you and for you if you want to make
sure that your work will go on after you
have left then make sure that you train
someone else to do it alongside you
first and then without you second and so
we come to the remarkable step that
Jesus Took when he chose 12 disciples
and insured in this way that there would
be a church in commercial Road Guildford
two thousand years later
for we are now reading of the beginning
of the church
and it happened so ordinarily and so
wonderfully there are three questions I
want to ask why did Jesus choose the
twelve
why did Jesus choose 12 and why did
Jesus choose these twelve
I think that'll exhaust the topic first
of all then why did Jesus choose the
twelve
two reasons and they are reasons why he
chose you too one that they might be
with him and have communion
two that he might send them away from
him and commission them to do his work
and here is the balance of the Christian
Life and if I don't get this balance
right or if you don't get it right we
shall be very ineffective Disciples of
Christ and his work will come to an end
as far as we are concerned here is the
balance I must spend time with Jesus
I must go into him away from the world
out of the world and into Jesus and get
to know him better and better
but I must not stay there I must then
take what I've learned and what I've
received and go out and share it with
other people
now here are two caricatures of the
Christian Life neither of which is
proper Christianity
one is those who shut themselves up in
some cloistered cell who shut themselves
up in six Church meetings a week who
shut themselves up in Christian
fellowship and who have nothing but
communion
and to never get out where it's all
needed and salt is no use in the salt
cellar
and who are locked up in a private
devotional life or even in church
devotional life but never get out
and that is one-sided and unbalanced but
equally unbalanced are those who say
close down all this devotional life
close down your private devotions and
your public devotions real Christ
Christianity is getting out and helping
people that's only half the truth as
well and if they have no communion and
no quiet Fellowship together with Christ
they will not be able to help people
it is getting this balance right coming
into Christ and into fellowship and into
devotions and into the secret place
where you learn the most high
and then getting out where you belong in
the world
getting out into the factory getting out
into those other activities and
communities and taking with you the Lord
Jesus how difficult it is to get these
two right and he called these 12 why
that they should come in and go out
to put it in Bible language that they
should become disciples and then become
Apostles and the word Apostle means
someone who sent out
it passed into our language via the
Latin metamateri which means I send to
send it then became mitianary missionary
and the word mission is the same as the
word missile and missile means something
that's send out
and every Christian is called to be a
missile
that's what the Apostle word Apostle
means send out
so that's why he chose them and he said
if my work is going to be extended and
continued it demands people who will
come in and learn from me and go out and
tell someone else
one of the quickest ways of benefiting
from a service is to go straight from
that service to someone who couldn't be
at it and tell them about it
have you not proved that to be true
to come in and learn of Jesus and then
go out and tell someone else is the
surest way of keeping your blessing
but the surest way of losing it
would be to enjoy the service
and not share anything of it with anyone
and come back next Sunday for more
you can get indigestion
and I remember one day a man telling me
if if we don't get some Outlets soon our
boilers will burst
you can't go on getting steam up forever
within the church and within Fellowship
you need to keep coming in going out be
with him and that he might send them
forth
I think I've made that point why did
Jesus choose 12.
well to us it's just a convenient number
it's a nice group for training you can
manage about 12 apprentices not more but
to the Jews it would mean much much more
to them the number 12 was almost a
sacred number it was written into their
past and a way back away back there were
once there was once a man with twelve
Sons
that was the beginning of the people of
God and they became 12 families and then
12 tribes and the 12 tribes were the
nation of God
and Jesus could hardly have said in a
clearer way God needs a new people
this people has let God down and God
needs someone else and the solemn lesson
I apply to myself and to yourself is
this
lest having preached to others I should
be Cast Away God can do without me he
can call someone else
there Comes A Time When God says I can't
use this people I must have some new
ones
May that never happen to us
that God may have to choose other
disciples to do his work because we let
him down
the third question why did Jesus choose
these twelve when you look through the
names it's a mixed bag was it their
temperament now we're having quite a gay
time with temperament on Thursday
evenings you'll be off the hook after
Thursday night
we're all so different in temperament
and when you look at the 12 disciples
look at Peter and look at John and look
at Thomas you couldn't have mixed them
up more if you tried was it because you
have to be particularly spiritual or
religious in your temperament to be a
disciple ravish
a man said to me recently oh well you're
religious and I'm not that's the reason
I'm not in church and you are
he wouldn't have said that if he'd
worked with me on the farm
you don't have to have a special
temperament to be a disciple
was it a matter of politics
far from it some imply that you've got
to have a particular political Outlook
to be a Christian
rubbish do you know what you've got in
these 12 you've got Matthew a
collaborator a man who'd sold himself to
the occupying powers and you've got
Simon a leader of the underground
resistance movement and Jesus said now
come on you're going to come together
you're going to live together and eat
together you're going to follow me
together
had nothing whatever to do with their
politics had it anything to do with
their education
somebody said to me cynically I think
we're emptying the church by degrees
well now that was a dig it
ministers Maybe
do you know these 12 men were unlearned
and ignorant
it's not a matter of Education
is it a matter of occupation
the church is desperately middle class
today I know that
but look at this group some of them
worked with their hands and some of them
worked with their heads
they didn't matter a brass button
Jesus called them
there aren't any such distinctions
in his band of disciples is it a matter
of background well 11 of them came from
the north but one came from the south so
it wasn't that
is it a matter of blood relations it may
interest you to know that five out of
the twelve disciples were related by
blood to Jesus
his own relatives provided 5 out of 12.
but the other seven were not so I don't
think it's a case of that either what
did these 12 men have
that others didn't the answer is
absolutely nothing
they were ordinary folk they were mixed
folk they were folk such as I'm looking
at nouns such as you're looking at now
and yet he called them and he made them
what they were and if he can do it for
them he can do it for me
and he can do it for you and he can do
it for anyone
and so he chose people not because of
what they were but because of what they
were not and he called this mixed bag
together can I put it like this they
were neither somebody's nor nobodies
they were antibodies and everybody's
that's how the disciples were called
but you notice that the important thing
was that the choice was his not theirs
he called to him Those whom he desired
and there Comes a Day it came in my life
at 17 years of age
when the call came follow me
and if I'm anything today at all it's
because he kept his promise
follow me and I will make you
the call may come to you it could come
in a service like this and you suddenly
realize it's not just the preacher
talking somebody else is saying this
means you
he promises to make you too
now we come to a third group in this
brief passage his friends that means his
friends from his earlier life
now their opinion was different again
the crowd saw him as a miracle worker
the disciples saw him as a master one
they'd gladly surrender their life to
but his friends saw him as a maniac
now this is certainly one of the charges
that is frequently brought against those
who get over religious mania
religious mania
they actually called him a dipsomaniac
a split personality
because they said he is beside himself
and that's the word they used for a
schizophrenic condition a split
personality he's two people there's one
person here and another here so he is
beside himself and that's what the word
means and they said it it's turned his
mind
these were his friends they'd known him
as a very ordinary chap they'd seen him
in the carpenter's shop they'd take
their chairs to him to be repaired and
suddenly here he is with thousands of
people around him and doing all sorts of
strange things and they honestly thought
that the pressure of the crowds the
multitude that came had been too much
for him and they came to have him
quietly put away
thinking that it would be for his good
now why should they think he was mad
first he was neglecting his health
didn't even have time for proper meals
second he was ignoring his trade
and he just wasn't doing any work no
security no livelihood in what he was
doing
thirdly he was surely forgetting his
station he was just a carpenter
wasn't the leader of a Nation
fourth he was disturbing his people
and causing a frightful potential
situation to arise but most of all he
must be mad because he was risking his
life they knew it
and a man who would throw his job up and
turn his back on security and and risk
his future and risk his life like this a
man like this must be made
it isn't normal
I wonder if I could apply it like this I
have noticed that as soon as religion
gets as big as life other people say
Mania
provided your religion as a department
that's all right that's fine that's
normal
provided you keep your religions
strictly to Sunday or strictly to this
group that's fine
but when your religion begins to extend
a bit
one English prime minister went to hear
a preacher many years ago now and came
out muttering well I don't know what
things are coming to when religion
begins to interfere with a man's private
life
he was quite happy with that prime
minister to keep religion in a
compartment to do his duty to show
himself at the church
but when religion begins to interfere
with a man's private life when religion
begins to affect his business when
religion begins to get bigger and bigger
until everything is connected with his
religion
that's Mania
that's Madness
when a man called Saul of Tarsus threw
up a promising career and a noble
position and went off into the unknown
as a missionary it wasn't long before
someone said Paul you've been doing too
much reading
much learning has made you mad
Paul's reply was if this is madness and
I wish everybody was mad
it is madness to the world when religion
takes over life
religion in a compartment that's normal
that's natural everybody has a bit of
religion but when it begins to penetrate
your whole life when your whole life
becomes dependent on it when your future
is dependent on it when it's quite
obvious that this is the big thing in
your life that's Mania and so his
friends came for his own good to shut
him up
now quite frankly
If people really studied the Life of
Christ I think many of them would come
to the conclusion he was mad
if they really did now look at his foes
his enemies went one step further than
his friends they said it wasn't mental
illness it was Supernatural he was a
black magician
this man had evil Powers this man was
dabbling in the occult this man was only
able to control demons Spirits because
he had the power of the greatest evil
spirit in him and over them and that was
the power of Satan in other words
logically they were right the only two
people who have power over evil spirits
in the universe are God and Satan
and if you can control demons you've
either got the power of God or the power
of Satan in you they're the only two
people who can control demons
so they said it can't be God we're not
going to believe it's God it must be
Satan and they began to say well did you
see him cast that demon out did you see
him tell that demon to shut up you know
why because the boss of the Demons is in
his heart
they called him beelzebel in those days
you can call him what you like screw
tape Satan veils about call him what you
will
but they said this is devilish
and you know they wouldn't say it to
Jesus face I don't know if you studied
carefully but they were saying it to the
edge of the crowd
and they were saying well it may may be
working and it may be all very well but
you know
it's devilish power this don't have
anything to do with it Satan's in this
and it says Jesus called him to him and
said come here you
come here I heard what you were saying I
know what you're saying come here
and he then told them two Parables and
he showed them first that they were
utterly illogical and unreasonable and
he showed them second that they were in
terrible spiritual Danger
first of all logically he said
if this is right what you say that I by
the power of Satan
I'm dealing with demons
then do you realize it's Civil War in
the enemy camp you should be shouting
Hallelujah
but can you not see
that really I am doing things against
Satan are you so blind to what is good
that you can't see what's happening
you see says Jesus I'm releasing the
victims of Satan from him
I'm setting them free
what is Satan doing if Satan is letting
people loose
he's never been known to do such a thing
in all of history
Satan has never willingly let go a
single one of the people in his grip
that is why when you meet someone in the
grip of Satan's power it's a battle to
get them out
you might have to battle for months and
years and some of you have known this
battle with other people and maybe
yourself to get a man or a woman out of
Satan's clutches requires a terrific
struggle he doesn't let them go
and Jesus said it's very funny if I'm
doing Satan's work and I'm letting
people go like that Satan's in a funny
position
he'll collapse if he goes on attacking
himself like this
and then Jesus said it's not only
blindness to what is good but I warn you
and here he used a word that he rarely
used but when he did it meant something
very important I told you on a recent
Sunday that people who are constantly
saying honestly honestly
can usually be trusted not to be
and in fact if you've got to keep saying
honestly honestly every other sentence
people will be excused if they come to
the conclusion that a lot of what you
say is not honest
having said that
Jesus from time to time didn't say
honestly but he did say truly
and in his language it's the word amen
and it means absolutely certainly our
men are men means truly certainly
absolutely surely and so he said truly I
say to you when you say I am doing
Satan's work you are in danger of
committing the only sin that cannot ever
be forgiven
now we've come right up against it now
the unforgivable sin there is one thing
that a man can do that could never be
forgiven
let's get it straight it has nothing to
do with sex
though many people have felt this way it
has nothing whatever to do with any
physical desire or appetite at all
what is the sin that could never be
forgiven
tell you what it is
it is to call black white
and evil good
and light Darkness
and to brainwash yourself until you
can't see the difference
why can it never be forgiven because a
man can never admit it's wrong once he's
brainwashed himself
a man could never repent of this and
he's therefore Unforgivable
he could never receive the gift of
pardon
it's a man who can look at something
that God is doing and saying Satan's
doing that
it's a man who can look at something
Satan is doing and say God is doing that
it's a man who can look at a horrible
sin and say that's virtue and can look
at a virtue and say that's Vice
it's a man who goes on doing that until
he's so obliterated the boundary between
good and evil light and darkness that
there is no boundary in his thinking
anymore
and because the holy spirit is the only
one who can convince us of sin and
righteousness of what is bad and what is
good to say that good is bad and bad is
good is to blaspheme against the Holy
Spirit who else could ever tell you that
you've done wrong
if you shut yourself off from the only
person who can teach you these two
things by your own willful obstinacy
then who can help you
and Jesus says to these Pharisees truly
I say to take my warning
if you say that I'm of the devil
you're in danger of putting yourself in
a position where you could never find
what was good and right and true
for your comfort may I add this
that we can therefore say that if any
person is ever worried that they have
committed the unforgivable sin we can
say absolutely certainly that they have
not
because if they had they wouldn't be
worried about it
and it is a rare thing
I have only once or twice in 20 years
Ministry
come across cases where I felt a manner
a woman was getting near this point
thank God it is rare
but if you can look at something that
Jesus is doing
and say it's of Satan
you are in danger mortal Danger
they called Jesus a black magician
and it was not only not true
it was the most dangerous thing to say
finally we come to his family Joseph is
dead
Mary and his brothers or rather his
half-brothers and half-sisters come
and there's a huge crowd and they can't
get through and word passes through the
crowd is families come oh my fancy being
a brother or sister to such a famous man
as this
my fancy being his mother can't you see
the can't you hear the chatter let's see
his family just like occasionally one
sees a photograph in a newspaper of a
dear simple couple who happened to be
the mother and father of a famous pop
star and are being dragged into all the
glory and publicity
here's his family coming why did they
come I don't know to share his Fame I
don't know to see if he would still own
them I don't know to persuade him to
return to Nazareth and go back to the
carpentry business I don't know
I only know that when the word got
through to Jesus he said one of the most
extraordinary things he ever said
he said this my family
my family
you think it's special to belong to my
family
anybody can belong to my family
you think I have a special relative
special relatives on Earth my mother and
brother and sister know I go for
relationships not relatives that's what
he's saying
where is my family do you realize there
are people in this church tonight who
are Jesus brothers and sisters
who is Jesus family
people who buy an accident of birth
happen to have some similar blood or
chromosomes no
who is my family he said
whoever does the will of God is my
brother and my sister
real relationships the Deep
relationships of Life are not flesh and
blood ones deep though those are the
deepest relationships of all are with
those who know God and love him and do
his will
I'm so happy to say that Jesus did not
use this as an excuse to evade the ties
of Flesh and Blood even when he was
dying he was making provision for his
Earthly mother
but I'm more thrilled to be able to tell
you that on the day of Pentecost when
the Holy Spirit came down in tongues of
fire and the sound of wind and they
began to speak in other languages when
that happened among the 120 was Jesus
mother
and among the 120 were Jesus Brothers
his half-brothers and among the 120 were
his half-sisters too and were told this
that was when they really became his
family
that's when they really belong to him
not just for time but for eternity
that's when Mary really became his
mother that's when his brothers and
sisters really became his brothers and
sisters and one of his brothers James
became the leader of the church in
Jerusalem
may I apply that to
there are tragedies of broken families
in this church
and all over
families that are tied together with
flesh and blood
but are not yet fully related to Jesus
Christ
they'll never know what relationships
really are until they are
it's very very hard indeed it's one of
the hardest things in life
to be a believer and married to an
unbeliever
and corresponding to the awful
difficulty of that relationship is the
terrific joy and peace
of both
being together in the Lord
the only marriages that can look forward
to being continued after death
are those that do the will of God
because sex doesn't pass through death
in heaven we are neither married nor
given in marriage but a husband and wife
who've had a flesh and blood
relationship on Earth
can look forward to an even closer
brother and sister relationship in
heaven
because they've become one family in
Christ
these were the relationships that Jesus
came to bring us not just to make the
physical relationships better though he
does that
but to introduce new and deeper
relationships who is my family the
answer is we in this church are his
family
if we keep his Commandments and believe
in his name we are his brothers and
sisters and that feminist Circle can
never be broken
my time has gone let me finish like this
what a variety of attitude they had to
Jesus some of them thought he was a
magician some a miracle worker some a
maniac some just saw him as a human
being a Man from Nazareth they had so
many different attitudes and people
today have different attitudes but you
can divide them all into two those that
were right and those that were wrong
those who were for him and those who are
against were against him
and in the last analysis whatever we
think of Jesus Christ will boil down to
this issue
are we for him or against him
is he for us or against us
do we see in him the son of God
who became men that we might become sons
of God
within the family of a Heavenly Father
this is the big issue
what think ye of Christ is the test to
try both your plan and your scheme you
cannot be right in the rest unless you
think rightly of him
let us pray
oh Lord Jesus Christ when you were on
Earth in the flesh
men thought such different things about
you
now you are in heaven but your spirit is
on Earth and still men take up such
varied attitudes
we pray that every one of us in this
building
may have such personal faith in you
that we may see the truth the whole
truth and nothing but the truth the
truth that sets us free that delivers us
from the grip of Satan and from the
power of evil
and brings us into a peace that passes
understanding
so keep our hearts and Minds in your
will
for we ask it in your name
amen
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