COMPLETE SERMON NOTES
Key: STOP agreeing and START doing. “Some Assembly Required”
Unity is essential to PEACE: … peace with God, peace at home, peace with others, peace on the job. WHY? Its the heart of God; disunity is not.
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Biblical unity is unity with the Spirit—unity of doctrine and unity of truth—not unity for the sake of unity.
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Biblical unity encourages us to avoid relationships that take us in the wrong direction, BUT THIS IS NOT MY FOCUS TONIGHT.
A HOUSE DIVIDED:
Matthew 12:22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
- People like to blame a genuine move of God on the devil if they feel uncomfortable, or have never experienced the power of God themselves.
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
DO YOU BELIEVE GOD’S WORD? Then believe this: disunity will lead to desolation
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Desolation: “misery or loneliness; a state of complete emptiness or destruction.”
a] If you remain divided against God…
b] If you remain divided against fellow believers your faith will falter…
c] If you remain divide in marriage it will lead to misery, isolation, and complete emptiness. You must submit to the needs of the other.
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If you are divided you are not aligned with God’s will
KEY TO UNITY: Don’t win the argument; Don’t get “your way”; Be willing to come in 2nd place; Be willing to apologize and forgive…
NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM DISUNITY!
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Brother shoots brother, and sister slanders sister – A House Divided
On-line listener wrote: “My marriage is lifeless and cold. Where did the passion go? We live in the same house, but we barely know each other. I love him but I don’t like him. Divorce never crossed my mind, but now the thought is a daily struggle.”
“Who is that who knocks so loud?” The answer came, “Just a little sin”. So I opened the door and all of hell came in. (Commonly attributed to Adolphus Frederick Schauffler)
26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. 30 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
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The ruler of darkness was now being subdued: Jesus plundered his goods
The Unpardonable Sin
31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Context: they are in danger of blasphemy against the Spirit
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PARDON: “the action of forgiving or being forgiven for an error or offense.” 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Speaking sacrilegiously about God can be forgiven if a person repents and listens to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. BUT if conviction is ignored and we breathe our last breathe, the time for forgiveness is over.
TOZER: The idea that God will pardon a rebel who has not given up his rebellion is contrary to the Scriptures and to common sense.
A familiar story will illustrate this. The governor of one of our States was visiting the state prison incognito. He fell into a conversation with a personable young convict and felt a secret wish to pardon him.” What would you do,” he asked casually, ” if you were lucky enough to obtain a pardon?” The convict, not knowing to whom he was speaking, snarled his reply: “If I ever get out of this place, the first thing I’ll do is to cut the throat of the judge who sent me here.” The governor broke off the conversation and withdrew from the cell. The convict stayed on in prison. To pardon a man who had not reformed would be to let loose another killer upon society. That kind of pardon would not only be foolish, it would be downright immoral.
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We’re not saying, “a person must reform (change) to be saved,” but we are saying that change follows salvation.
Jesus said in Matthew 7 that many who call him Lord will not be able to enter the kingdom of heaven
THE DIRECTION OF YOUR WALK REFLECTS THE DIRECTION THAT YOU’RE HEADING: Romans 8:1-39 – [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit…
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“Anyone who claims to be a Christian can find evangelicals willing to accept a profession of faith, whether or not the person’s behavior shows any evidence of commitment to Christ. In this way, faith has become merely an intellectual exercise. Instead of calling men and women to surrender to Christ, modern evangelism asks them only to accept some basic facts about Him” (Grace To You; http://www.gty.org/resources/articles/A114/An-Introduction-to-Lordship-Salvation).
James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
The following analogy may help better understand this truth: A pig and a lamb both find their way to the mud. The mud represents the sin (the wrong) that we all fall into. The pig wallows in and enjoys the mud and may even lead others in, whereas the lamb hates its condition and cries out. That’s the difference—those who are unrepentant and indulge in sin are outside of God’s will…outside of salvation.
CLOSING: Deep Sin Usually Results in People Feeling This Way
You may be on your way to committing it, but that can change today. The fate of the unpardonable sin ISN’T sealed until after you die.
Take the Pardon: 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
