 We're going to be looking at chapter 3 verses 20 through 35 as you're opening your Bibles and preparing a couple of things to share with you. We have a catalyst. Our catalyst is our Monday night young adult study. We invite you to be part of it. The age is usually between 18 up to 28 or so. We invite you to be part of that. And I was speaking to a friend of mine who spoke here last week, Brennan, and I asked him because Brennan's got an evangelistic heart. I asked him if he'd come and do a Monday night. And so he's going to come and do a Monday night for us in October. I forget the date, the 11th, October 11th. If you're 18 to 28 and you'd like to come, bring some friends who don't know the Lord. And we're going to have special worship and a great message. And so that's going to take place in October. I thought you should know that, obviously, also, rather, we have our women's conference coming up this week on Friday and Saturday. Ladies, love to have you part of that. And if you'd like, you know, you can, well, just come to that. We'd love to have you. Wednesday night, we continue our study in the book of Daniel. For those who are coming, we're going to look at chapter 9. We're at verse 24. I stopped last time, but we're going to be looking at, I think, I stopped around verse 20 or so. We're going to look into the end of the chapter. It deals with what is called Daniel's 70th week. And I'll be giving you a detailed study on that. That's coming up. And that's related to the tribulation. So we're going to be looking at that, this upcoming Wednesday night. And also, we have our campus retreat for you men. I was really blessed to see the amount of men who showed up for the Friday night. I'm blessed by you guys who did come. It is a blessing. And it's not just the stakes. So the stakes do look good. But I'm so blessed you've come. And I do ask that you would also come to the campus retreat. We're not able to go off for the weekend. And so in lieu of that, we're going to have a Friday night and a Saturday, which will be a real blessing. And then one more thing I'd like to share with you. We had Wes Bentley out here recently. Some of you were here with us. And Wes was mentioning how that he was doing ministry in Afghanistan and with the sudden pull out in the leaving of Americans behind as took place recently. I wanted to report to you that Wes got back to me and shared something. I mentioned to you that we were as a church giving a gift to help with the operation. I want you to know that 87 believers in Afghanistan were returned, were rescued and brought home. 87. And praise the Lord for that. And there are also, he said, three more families that they're preparing to safely extricate from Afghanistan. And so thank God for the church that stands up and ministers to those in need. And I thank God for Wes Bentley and the operation that God has given to him to do. We love Wes and are very thrilled to be able to report to you that the Lord has done that rescue operation and to him we give all the glory. Thank you, Jesus Christ. Well, today we're in chapter three. We're going to be looking at verses 20, following to verse 35. And really, if I were to be teaching this, you have in this way, verses 20 and 21 actually lead up to verse 31 through 35. And so you have something actually in between these two scriptures 20 and 21 and then verse 31 following. And so you'll see that how that flows in just a moment. But what we're going to do is we're going to begin at verse 20 here in Mark chapter three. I'll read verses 20 and 21, give you an introduction, but we're going to be looking at the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. We're going to also see the subject of a house divided. And we'll see that here in this passage. That's what we'll be looking at today. A house divided blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. And so as we begin, let's begin at verse 20, I'll read verses 20 and 21. And as I normally do, I'm going to give to you some context so that you can see what's going on here in this passage. And so verse 20, Mark chapter three, then the multitude came together again so that they could not so much as eat bread. But when his own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of him for they said he's out of his mind. He is out of his mind. And so as we have seen repeatedly here in this gospel, Jesus's popularity has steadily been growing. Mark said that his fame had grown throughout Israel, as far as beyond and also as far beyond Israel, it spread throughout the region called the Galilee, which is in the north. It spread in the area of Jerusalem, which is in the south, to Eudemia, which is off to the east, beyond the Jordan, and also into the north in places called Tyre and Sidon, which is in modern Lebanon. And so his fame has been growing and Mark has been showing this from chapter one up to this chapter. More than once, he had reported that an entire city would gather at the door of where Jesus was so that Jesus could minister to them and they would listen to him. He said in Mark 145 that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, the city of Capernaum. He could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places and they came to him from every direction. And so Mark is reporting on the fame of Christ that it is spreading, that people are coming to hear him and they're beginning to press him as he is speaking. He even had to tell his disciples to have a boat ready so he could avoid being crushed. Well, in this passage here, once again, we see Jesus being pressed by the crowds. It says in verse 20, the multitude came together again so they could not so much as eat bread. And so crowds are pressing in upon him. They have heard that Jesus is in town. Now we had recently seen how Jesus had appointed the 12 apostles and he's in the city of Capernaum and so the house that is being spoken of here would be the one that was owned by Simon and Andrew. But the crowds are beginning to press in and there are various reasons why that would take place and we've seen this. And again, I'm just giving you a refresher. There are reasons that crowds like this would gather. One was that his teaching was something they had never heard and there were people who were drawn by the things that he said and the authority that he exercised as he would speak. And not only that, he was performing miracles. People were coming to him, people in need and they were being healed, not only that, but he was freeing people of demons. And as he did that in the freeing of the demonic people, people were demonized, he was demonstrating his spiritual authority. So there was teaching, his miracle, his spiritual authority, his compassion. His compassion was beyond anything they had ever, ever experienced. And they were attracted by this loving man. And beyond that, he was forgiving people of their sins. And as it was forgiving them of their sins, he was revealing the new wine of grace and his love. And it was drawing multitudes. There were so many gathered that Jesus and his men were unable to eat a meal. And that's how attractive Christ was. And by the way, that is still how attractive Jesus is. Jesus still draws people who have needs and that's what he does. And this is why Jesus and his mission is to be presented clearly and continuously because it's Jesus who brings love and it's Jesus who gives forgiveness. As a Christian, mark that in your heart. That's what people need. They need the Lord. They need to be loved and they need to know they can be forgiven. In the Old Testament book of Micah chapter seven, verse eight, 18, the question is asked, who is a God like you who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever, but delight to show mercy. Who is a God like you? You delight in showing mercy because you don't remain angry forever. Well, multitudes from all over were impressed by Christ and they were drawn to him. They would listen to him as he spoke. They would drink in what he had to say. Later on in Mark in chapter 12, verse 37, the second portion of that verse, it simply says that the common people heard him gladly. They would come. They would listen to him. Who is this man? And the things that he's saying are so unique with such authority, such power, such compassion, the works that he's performing are so amazing casting out demons, healing the sick, cleansing the leper. And the people want to hear what this man has to say. But we need to know that not everyone looked at him with faith and not every one of them delighted in his words. The religious leaders were rejecting him, but not only were the religious leaders rejecting him, but even his family, his brothers were rejecting him. Notice, as it says here in verse 21, it says, when his own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of him, for they said he is out of his mind. The words own people are in the Greek language. It gives you the inference that they're relatives. It speaks of his family. So when it says his own people, it's speaking of his family, it's speaking of his half brothers. And his half brothers are wanting to forcibly take him home. We'll see that in verse 31, when it says his brothers and his mother came standing outside, they sent to him calling him. So his half brothers want to bring him home because they think that he's going crazy. They think that he's working hard. The concerned about the things that he's doing and how he is now being placed into danger. The crowds, the pressure is intense, so they want to protect him. And it's his zeal for his father that is causing them to think this way because Jesus, it is said of him, zeal for my father has consumed me, and they see this in him. And so his brothers are concerned. Obviously his mother isn't. She knew who Jesus was. She knew that he would one day rule as the king, but her other children didn't have the same faith. They were brought up in the same home, but they didn't know who he was. John tells us in chapter seven, verse five of his gospel, even his brothers didn't believe in him. And so Mary knew who he was, but the brothers rejected. And so that helps us to know that it's possible to be familiar with Jesus Christ and still not know who he is. There are those who have had the blessing of growing up in a Christian home. They had a mom and a dad. They had a mom and dad who loved the Lord. Their mom and dad gave them devotions. The mom and dad took them to church and would encourage them. Totem had to pray. Totem had to read the word of God. Totem, these things, these basics about the Lord. There are a lot of people that I've met over the years who have had the blessing of having parents like that, but there are others who are raised in the same home who reject Christ. Same environment, same parents, same everything. And yet some of them came to faith in Christ and then others rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. These people are spiritually blind. The Bible makes it very clear in 2 Corinthians 4, 3 and 4, it says, even if our gospel is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing, the God of this age is blind to the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ who's the image of God. You see, people are born spiritually blind and it's God who opens up the blind eye. Jesus in John 6.44 said, no one can come to me unless a father who sent me draws them. I will raise them up that last day. So Jesus's brothers at this time are blind. They're blind to who he actually is. And that's in spite of the fact that they grew up with him. There's no doubt that Mary and Joseph had told them of the circumstances of his birth. There's no doubt that they had heard mama say, this is how it all took place. But come on now, you know, mama, if you want to, you want to keep your reputation in all, but there's only one way normally that a woman becomes pregnant and if you want to pretend that God made you pregnant, okay. And that's kind of the attitude that the brothers had, you know, and the sisters. It's just, you know, we know the story, but we don't believe it. We know the story, but it's not something we cling to. They didn't believe what they've been told. They just think that what Jesus is doing is kind of crazy. He's working hard. He's going from place to place. Multitudes are coming to him and they're beginning to just be concerned about the brother. He's working hard. There's a lot of pressure. We need to bring you home. We think he's out of his mind. I was speaking to someone in between church services today. Just happened to converse with me about some things and she told me this. She said, you know, my family thinks I'm crazy for following Jesus Christ. And I said, were you here in the first service? She goes, yeah, should have listened. But that's just teasing. But that's what that's what we looked at. He is out of his mind. We have had that over the years. You know, you can imagine over the years of ministry that we've had here in this church, how many times people have been upset that their son or their daughter or husband or a wife has come to faith in Christ and they begin to think that they're out of their mind. We have had the phone calls where someone is called and has said, you know, I could handle my son when he was a druggy, but I can't handle him as a Christian. We've had that call. That's actually taken place here where people say I could deal with them when they were lost. I cannot deal with them now. They're out of their mind. Well, that's what was taken place during the time of Christ. His own brothers had come to get him in order to take him home because he is beside himself. He's out of his mind. And just because you may have been raised in a Christian home and just because devotions had been given to you, you know, and I know that that doesn't guarantee that you were saved. Just because you were raised in a Christian home, you know this. Just because you came to church or even are here right now, you know, that doesn't automatically make you a Christian any more than sleeping in the garage would make you a Toyota. It doesn't happen that way. You come to faith in Christ. So what happens is there are people who are raised in that environment. And as an example, we have it with Jesus's own brothers. And yet when you pray and you seek the Lord, you say, God, please have mercy. Very often the Lord does and he does bring them to faith in him. There's always going to be hope for your lost family and your lost friends. And if you're the one who's unsaved, there's still hope for you too. If there's anything, by the way, I was thinking about this is not in my notes, but I'll say it very briefly. And I was during worship, I began to think about this. So I'll say it. If there's anything that Christians need right now, it's hope. It's a refreshing of hope in your heart. Listen, everything you're seeing on the news, you know, don't don't buy into every single thing. Be careful because it steals your joy. It steals your faith. It makes you, it can make you spiritually depressed. You can get to the place where you're saying, man, this place is going to hell in a handbasket. Well, guess what? It has been for a long time. But guess who's still on the throne, Jesus Christ? You've got to see that. We're believers. Of all people, we have hope. Of all people, we have hope. I mean, you were a lost cause, believer. You were a lost cause to somebody else. I was a lost cause. My mom and dad thought that they raised a crazy boy. And they did. But guess what? Jesus Christ can heal you. Jesus Christ can work in you. Jesus Christ can transform you. The gospel is the gospel of transformation. And God gives us hope. And our hope is in Jesus Christ. Keep that in the back of your mind. It isn't all lost. It isn't all lost. It appears that it is because you are getting a cycle of news 24 hours a day that tells you everything's lost. They're lying to you. There's always hope in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ transforms lives. He is still on the throne and He is going. He's still working and we're still seeing people save and God is still on the throne. I say that because I think some of you may need to hear that because it's just simply true. God with God, there's always hope. You know, they thought that Jesus Christ was dead. He was. He was in the grave for three days. He actually came that Easter Sunday to give him even more of a proper burial because he knew for a fact that he was in that grave on that first day of the week. But guess what? You know, he conquered death. He conquered the grave and Jesus Christ is in the business of doing that. So we have a living hope because we have a living Savior and the Word of God is alive and it's powerful. The Holy Spirit makes you alive. He gives you strength. Hold fast because Jesus is coming soon. So be ready for him. He can, I just, I just felt inclined to share that with you because it's just true. So anyway, as we get into our study, verse 22, the scribes came down from Jerusalem. The ones who came down said, he has a Beelzebub. By the ruler of demons, he cast out demons. So he called them to himself 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 cannot stand. Satan is risen up against himself in his divinity. He cannot stand. He has an end. No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds a strong man and then he will plunder his house. And so Jesus responds to them. He knows who they are. And let's look at this for just a moment. Now Jesus's family has come looking for him. They think he's mad, but these religious experts came seeking him because they think he's possessed. Now notice with me who they are. They are the scribes, verse 22. They're scribes. What are scribes? Well, scribes are the biblical scholars. They're teachers of the law of Moses. Normally they were Pharisees, but they could act as teachers and as advisors, even to the chief priests. The scribes' primary duty was to study the law of Moses, to teach it to the people, and to help settle disputes involving questions of the law of Moses. And these scribes were like the THDs, the doctors of theology in society, highly respected. They were held in great, great regard. And so as respected as they were amongst the people, Jesus was impressed with them. As a matter of fact, we'll see in chapter 12 how he gave a strong rebuke to these scribes. In Mark 12, verses 38 through 40, he said to them in his teaching, Beware of the scribes who desire to go around in long robes. Love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, the best places at feasts, who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense, make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation. They were held in high regard by the people, but they were not held in high regard by Jesus. He even warns about them. Well, they had come down from Jerusalem, and they've gone to the seat of Capernaum. And from Jerusalem going to Capernaum, even though Jerusalem is south of Galilee, which is in the north, because Jerusalem is high, it's always described as them coming down. And so they're coming down into Capernaum. Capernaum is there on the shore of the sea of Galilee, which is several hundred feet below sea level. And so they're going into Capernaum, they're coming down from Jerusalem. They've traveled around a hundred miles because they normally would not go straight from Jerusalem straight up to Capernaum. They would normally go to the east, cross the Jordan, then go on up to go around Samaria, then come back in. So it was a journey of almost a hundred miles. And what they've done is they've come simply to accuse the Lord Jesus Christ. When you read the other Gospels, Matthew, for example, you get inside into what's taking place, because in Matthew 12 verses 22 through 24, Matthew said, then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, could this be the Son of David? But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, it's only by Beelzebub the Prince of Demons that this fellow drives out demons. So this man had three afflictions. He was demon possessed, he was blind, and he couldn't speak. Matthew makes it clear that Jesus instantly delivered and healed him. Now the response of the witnesses is recorded in Matthew 12-23. It says that they were amazed. They were astonished. That simply means that after he did this, they were totally astounded. They were beside themselves in wonder and amazement. And they begin to say, could this be the Son of David? Well, by saying, could this be the Son of David? That's another way of saying, is Jesus Christ Messiah? Son of David was what is called a messianic title. In Psalm 89, 3 and 4, I have made a covenant with my chosen. I've sworn unto David, my servant, your seed will I establish forever. Build up your throne to all generations. So they regard the term Son of David as another way of saying, is he the Messiah? Notice it's a question. Well, these scribes have come down from Jerusalem. They're looking for an opportunity to accuse him. When the people begin to wonder if Christ is Messiah, they respond quickly. And in verse 22, it said, he has Bealzebub. By the rule of the demons, he's casting out demons. And so right away, they ascribe the works of Christ to Satan himself. See the name Bealzebub is a name that is an ancient name that is used during the time of Christ to speak of Satan, the Prince of Demons. They couldn't deny the miracle. So what they do is they attack the source of his power. They see the evidence of his authority, but they will not accept him as a Messiah. So they say he's doing this through Bealzebub. Now Bealzebub again is an ancient name. It's really the name of a Philistine God. The word Bealzebub can be translated for those of you who take notes or perhaps don't know this. It can be translated Lord of the Flies. The Lord of Flies. I just love flies. How about you? The Lord of Flies. You'll also see the name Bealzebub, B-U-L. Bealzebub means Lord of Dung. It speaks of the God of filth. It's associated with Satan. And so the people were openly wondering if Jesus Christ is Messiah. But by asking the question, it seems that they are not yet convinced that he is. That's why they would say, could this be? And so because they have an element of doubt, could this be the Son of David? The scribes jumped on top of that. They've got doubt. Let's work with that. And that's why they say, oh no, there are works he's doing, but he does it because he's empowered by the Lord of the Flies. So what they're doing is they can't deny his works. So they simply credit those works to Satan. That's an old tactic, by the way. Jesus is about to deal with it. When you can't disprove something, then discredit the person. Attack the man. Attack the man. It's usually what is called today ad hominem. It's an attack on the person. So instead of dealing with what he has done and those things, just try and attack him personally. That's so common today to impugn somebody's character. Because if you can discredit somebody by calling into question their character, you undermine their credibility. And that's what they're doing with Jesus. It's very ancient tactic. And we're going to see that Jesus deals with it. And that's why in verse 23, Jesus asked the question, how can Satan cast out Satan? And what he does is he calls them to himself and he confronts them directly. Notice they didn't approach him. He approached them. And he deals with their accusation that Satan is casting out Satan. In verse 24, he says, if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. So he begins to speak of unity. He's saying division undermines effectiveness. He says in verse 24, if a kingdom is divided against itself, the kingdom cannot stand. Verse 25, if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. So he speaks concerning things that divide kingdoms and households. For human government and human community to work effectively, unity is necessary. Let me share with you for just a moment maybe say some things you don't want to hear. We can have a guest speaker next week to make things all nice. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Ancient wisdom, right? Ancient wisdom, we know that. A house divided against itself cannot stand. People understand that. Those who have suffered through the trauma and heartache of divorce understand that. When a house is divided, when dad and mom and husband and wife are butting heads constantly, can that house stand? We all know it can't. Why? Because you have a constant disunity to the point where unless there's a healing of some sort that takes place, that house is going to divide. Matthew adds the word city because he's speaking concerning the reality of a kingdom, households, the city, it's all community. The community cannot stand if it's divided. And a nation cannot stand, Jesus just said, if it's divided. That's why we pray for our nation. That's why we pray for our nation. That's why we pray for our nation. Why? It's being divided. You know that, right? I'm not telling you anything. If you watch the news, you know it is. You know it is. Our nation's being divided. How can I say what I'm thinking without saying what I'm thinking? Yeah, just say it, right? You won't be back next week. Okay. I'm just trying to find the way to say it. I don't want to say it in a way that doesn't make sense because I didn't rehearse this. This is just coming out. Okay. There we go. Now what we need to do is be very careful because there is a quite obvious and no, I'm not an expert in government. Okay. There's a quite obvious sowing of discord that's taking place in our nation to the point where friends are separating. Their friendships are ending over the disagreements. I have a guy that I've known since I was in elementary school who is on the other side of the way I teach and think, and I think in a biblical sense that I believe, though he claims to be a Christian. I've known him for many years, many years, many years, no less than 60. He's gotten mad at me and he's written things to me and says things to me via that wonderful social media that is so unifying. To the point where I finally said, I just can't do this anymore. I have to block this. I just can't do this anymore. I'm not somebody and I'm going to say this openly. You won't hear this all the time. For those of you who are visitors, this is not common. Just letting you know. Someone says, I wish it was. No, no, this is not common. I've got other things I want to tell you, but I haven't seen you for a couple of weeks. So here we go. Jesus Christ is not republican and he's not democrat and he's not part of the independent. Jesus Christ is the king and because he's the king, I follow him. That's it. Second thing, my mom and my dad were what you call some of you. This is ancient history for you. You won't recognize this. Others who are old, you'll know what I'm saying. And others who are real old, you forget. My mom and my dad were what are called, they were called Roosevelt Democrats. That's what my dad and mom were. Did anybody ever hear that? They were called Roosevelt Democrats. My mama grew up. She was born in 1930. My dad in 1927. So when Roosevelt won four elections, we all know history. When that happened, my parents were young and so they grew up under him as a Roosevelt Democrat. So I'm telling you this for a reason. So that's what they were. When I turned 18, I registered as a Democrat because I followed my parents. That's what my parents did. That's what I did. I trusted their wisdom. That's what you do. But I have to tell you that even John F. Kennedy would be a Republican today just by the way he was, the things that he presented. And so things have changed. I guess that's the point I'm trying to make. And the parties that you once were aware of in the past have taken an entirely different direction. I'm old enough to say I've seen that over my lifetime. And so that's just a fact. So what we have now in the 21st century, and I'm just kind of gelling this is we have issues that are not being dealt with because issues are being created to distract us from the real need. I believe, I may offend some of you, I believe in securing borders. I believe that we should secure our borders. My grandparents, forgive me for drawing this, I got so much more to say and I didn't prepare this, but my grandparents emigrated legally into the United States from Mexico. Both sets came legally. My mom and dad were first generation Americans. I'm only a second generation American. They were first generation. My grandmother died at 92 as a green card holder. She never became a citizen. My grandmother never learned to speak English. She lived in a little home with all the relatives of very traditional Mexican kind of thing. And that's the way it was. And so I never thought about it. But my grandfather had taught my dad that you son are an American. So love your country. So I was raised with love of country. That's how I was raised. And a lot of us were because I have a heritage where my family came across, went through all the rigmarole they had to in order to be a citizen naturally just from tradition. I think that's the right thing to do just from tradition, but also from law. I'm a law abiding Christian. And because of law, that's what I feel. Now, does that mean we don't show mercy and kindness and compassion? No, don't, no, don't mix that up. We do. Of course we do. That's what Christians do. But do I think that laws should be should be flaunted in order that we can get a base of new voters to keep us in office? That is manipulation. And see, here we go. I'm not stupid. I'm not stupid. I see what is taking place. What is taking place is a seeding throughout our nation of those who didn't come through in the proper way. They are not going to love this nation. They don't have to. When you become an American citizen, you take a vow to defend the American Constitution. And when you're in the military against all foreign, all powers foreign or domestic. Why? Because you are an American. And as an American, that's what you do. And so my dad, I argued with my dad when I was in college and I said, dad, I think that the children should be taught in their own language, you know, if they speak French, if they speak Spanish, whatever, they should be taught in their own language. How are they going to learn in education? My father, who was he was this is just I'm taking a chance telling you these things. My father, who my father's first language was Spanish. My father said, David, when I was five, they didn't cater to me not being able to speak English. He said, they made me learn to speak English. He said, because that's the language of this nation. He said, so he taught us, they wouldn't teach us Spanish. My parents would not, I wish they would have, it would have broadened my ability to minister. I wish they would have, but they didn't. He said, you live in the United States and you live in the United States. You speak of the language of the nation. You love the nation that you live in. Son, you are an American and that's what I am. Now, I love my cultural heritage. I am what is called an Ijo de Mexico and that's what I am. I am. And I'm very, very blessed to be that would be nothing else, but I'm an American. I was in the American army and I will defend the United States of America. That's me. So when I see the manipulation that's taking place where people who are coming across 14,000, how did you get here? Are you telling me you didn't know they were coming through Mexico? Are you telling me you didn't know how they're arriving here? That's a lie. That's a lie and it bothers me and it bothers me the way it's being worked and I might as well go a little bit further. When you take our law enforcement, these people on the horses and claim that they are hitting people with whips, when you know that's not true, that's manipulation. That's a lie and it's getting people angry. And what is happening? I tell you all of this to say this, that a house divided cannot stand. A nation divided cannot stand. You're seeing it right now. You're seeing it right now. That's what you're seeing, a division, a division of this beautiful nation. We have to be aware of these things. No, this friend of mine that probably calls me his ex-friend now said to me, you hate Democrats. I said, no, I don't. I want to cast the demon out of them. No, I said, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I said, no, I don't. What I hate is what is being done to my country through immorality and a lack of faith in Jesus Christ. And I said, my friend, I said, you claim to be a Christian. I doubt that your church is teaching you the word of God, because if you knew the word of God, you would not stand with those who oppose what God has to say. You wouldn't do that. I'm not saying you need to be a Calvary Chapel guy. I'm not saying you have to be a conservative. I think conservativeism is okay. I am. But what you have to be is a Bible reader and a Bible follower. And when you are, you'll understand. So I say all of that to say that this principle that is, I'll get back to the Bible study. You ready? And we'll get back to the study. When Jesus is being accused of casting demons out by Satan, he said, a house divided cannot stand. Why would Satan cast out Satan? It doesn't make sense as the point he's making because unity is what is necessary. And so every kingdom is going to fall if it's divided. We used to be a nation that had the term E pluribus unum out of the many one. But what we are turning into today is out of the one many. So the number one thing I would encourage all of us to and then I'll get back and finish out actually will finish the study is love God first. Love God's word first. Jesus wasn't Republican. And Jesus wasn't a Democrat. Jesus is the king of the universe. And so I bow my knee to him. That's who I bow my knee to. I read the word and I say, well, Lord, you say this is right and this is right. This is right. I align up with those things and I will line up with those things when it comes to casting my vote or doing the things that I need to do. And so we need to understand that. And so the point that is being made is if if you're not aware, he's saying that unity, unity would be undermined if Satan attacked himself. Notice he had said if Satan has risen up against himself in his divide, he can't stand. Unity of purpose is necessary if Satan is to continue to oppose God. So why would Satan undermine his own kingdom? Mark has already pointed out that Jesus constantly drove out demons. We saw it in Mark 123. While in a synagogue, he cast out a demon. We saw it in Mark 132 and 33, as well as verse 39. He cast out many demons as he ministered throughout Galilee. We saw it in chapter 3 verse 11 where he exercised authority over demons, not allowing them to reveal him. So throughout his ministry, he had revealed that he was opposed to Satan. How could they accuse him of being empowered by the devil? So notice he says in verse 27, no one can enter a strong man's house, plunder his goods, unless he first binds a strong man and then he will plunder his house. It's Jesus and Jesus alone who delivers from the power of bondage. And when Satan is cast out, Jesus purifies and dwells in the heart. They were rejecting Christ, not based on evidence, but because they simply refused to believe. That reveals their hardness of heart and that reveals their bias against him. And that makes it a greater sin in that they were willfully resisting the spirit of God. And as he's saying that, now he goes into verse 28 and he says, I surely, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, whatever blasphemies they may utter, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation because they said he has an unclean spirit. Notice this. Verse 28, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, all sins. You might want to mark that down, all sins. Every sin is forgivable when confessed, repented of and forsaken. As I look around here, I know some of you, I know your testimonies, not all of yours, but some of yours. And I can tell you there are people in this room that if they weren't saved, I'd be scared. They're monsters. I'm looking at you, bro. But what does God do? He forgives sins. He cleanses, doesn't he? Transforms. That's what God does. And if you gave your testimony, the real one, not the pretend one that you give because you don't want to tell people what you really were. If you tell people your real testimony, we would all just wonder the grace of God. God forgives. How many sins? All sins. All sins. You mean there's not a single sin he can't and won't forgive? Not a single one. Every single sin he will forgive. Keep that in mind because sometimes believers have a problem understanding how forgiving our God is. Our God is a forgiving God. In Isaiah 43, 25, I, even I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake. I will not remember your sins. Hebrews 10, 16 and 17. This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, said the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts, in their minds I will write them. Then he adds their sins and their lawless deeds. I will remember no more. Micah 719, you will again have compassion on us. You will tread our sins under foot, hurl our iniquities into the depths of the sea. It's been called the sea of forgetfulness. You will cast them so deep they'll never be retrieved. Somebody said as Christians, there's no need to revisit past sins or feel remorse for that which God has already completely forgiven. We are free to move forward, cleansed of our sins until we reach our home in heaven. We are free. We've been set free. The shackles that that that howlers are gone. They're broken. We have freedom in Jesus Christ. Every sin has been forgiven, no matter how terrible that sin is because what's worse than killing the Son of God, no matter how long a person has sinned. Look at the man who is there crucified next to Jesus Christ, the thief on that cross. God is willing and God is able to forgive us of every single stinking sin. In 1 John 1 7, if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son cleanses us from all sin. Some of you need to hear that today, perhaps watching online. Every sin washed, cleansed by the blood of Christ. You, if you gave your heart to Jesus Christ, don't have to keep returning to it. Say, you know, God, forgive me. Oh, God, forgive me. Guess what? He did. Now move forward. Don't be held in bondage. So he does forgive and Jesus said it. I want you to see this. I say to you, verse 28, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men and whatever blasphemies that they may utter. But he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness is subject to eternal condemnation because they said he has an unclean spirit. What is that? The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It's attributing to Satan, the work of God, rather the work of God. It's attributing the work of God to Satan. They had said he has an unclean spirit. These people were unwilling to recognize that Christ is Messiah. They're saying that his works originated with Satan. In doing so, they are blaspheming. That word blaspheming is a word that means to speak evil of. They're speaking evil of the spirit of God. They're saying that his works originated by the power of Satan. And so they're rejecting God's evidence and the Spirit's conviction. They have made a determination to reject what God has revealed is true. And as a result of that, they're rejecting the salvation that is offered to them. The way you get saved is the Holy Spirit will convict you of sin, righteousness, and judgment. In the New Testament terms, what happens is the gospel is presented to you. Jesus Christ crucified, Jesus died, was buried, rose again the third day, sent it into heaven. You see it at the right hand of the Father. And you're told about how he died on the cross, what he did for you. And you say, God be merciful to me. I'm a sinner. It's the Holy Spirit who convicts you. It's the Holy Spirit who, by the working of God who draws you to salvation. But what happens when you reject that? You're blaspheming. You're saying that the Spirit of God isn't, it's not worth it. I don't believe it. You're doing despite the Spirit. And because of that, what happens, you have no forgiveness because the only way you can be saved is to be convicted and to turn from your sin. But if you say, I'll make it on my own, you're rejecting God. You're rejecting his Spirit. You will not get to heaven in your own effort, is what Christ is pointing out. And he's saying, you have seen the work of God in me, all of my ministry from my conception to my birth, to the miracles, all of it is Spirit, is works of the Spirit. You're rejecting all of that. And in doing so, there's no forgiveness for you. Listen, if the Holy Spirit has convicted you, and you know it's true that God can save and forgive you, but you determine that you're going to reject that. Well, there is no forgiveness for you because there's only one way you can be forgiven. And that's through the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And so finally we'll close this because we saw in verses 20 and 21 how that Jesus's brothers have come and we'll close by just briefly touching on verse 31 through 35. It says, his brothers and his mother came and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. A multitude was sitting around him and they said to him, look, your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you. But he answered them saying, who is my mother or my brothers? And he looked around in a circle at those who sat about him and said, here are my mother and my brothers for whoever does the will of God is my brother and my sister and my mother. Notice he didn't say and my father. So what he's speaking about is this family. They're at the door. They're summoning him. They want him to come outside. They want to take him home for his own good. And so his teaching is now interrupted. They come and tell him your mother, brothers are outside. Now your mother is extremely important. Show her the proper respect. You should stop doing what you're doing and go out there and see her. But he asks in verse 33, he says, well, who is my mother or my brother? So at this point, he takes the opportunity to illustrate the need to be born again. He says, who is my mother or my brothers? Now, was he rejecting family? No, he loved them more than they loved him. He was making it clear that the only relationship that matters though is spiritual. And so he looks around the circle and he says, here's my mom and brothers, he's inviting people to be part of his family. You see, anybody can be part of his family if they believe him, if they trust him. Galatians 3 26 says you're all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And so true discipleship transcends family relationship. God's family is open to any who come to him through Jesus Christ. And notice in verse 35, whoever does the will of God is my brother, sister and mother. So being part of the family of God requires more than simply saying, I believe it's demonstrated by a life that's earmarked by a consistent obedience. It's like what it says in Luke 8 21, where he answered and said to them, my mother, my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it. There are quite a number of people who say that they're Christians. In other words, they hear the word of God, but they don't do it. He says, no, obedience is a demonstration of salvation. In Matthew 7 21, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven. And what's the will of the father to receive Christ? In John 1 12, as many as received him to them, he gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in his name. So you're not automatically a child of God simply because you hear the words. You become a child of God because you receive those words and do those words. And the transformation is the evidence that you've come to faith in Christ. And so he closes really his comments by saying, listen, the way to become my family isn't just in a natural way. The way to be my family is to hear God's word and to do it, because that means that you're going to be born again and you'll be transformed by the power of the Spirit and the obedience to God's word is going to demonstrate that you really know him. If there's anything that we, the church need to wake up to today, it's the fact that people are watching us. I've shared with you before there are, if I said to you, how many Gospels are there? Most people will say, well, there's four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There's actually five. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and me, you, you are a living gospel. They watch you. They're going to read you before they read Matthew. People want, people watching you are reading you before they read John. You are living for Christ. You are a living letter known in red by all men, as how Paul would put it. The way that I live is demonstrating what I believe. And if I teach that God transforms and forgives, but I don't live a transformed life and I am not a forgiving person, the person that I've been sharing with all along has every right to say to me, you don't practice what you preach. This gospel that you say is so true and so transforming isn't something that you practice. And so Jesus makes it very clear. My mother and my brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it. That's called obedience. That's called obedience. Father, we ask that you would work in us today. And I lift up every one of us beginning with myself that we would be true to your word. Lord, I thank you that you are the God who saves. You are the God who casts our sins into the sea of forgetfulness and you never retrieve them. They're covered by your blood. And so Lord, I ask for every person in this room, those who are watching online, those who are outside, that you would speak to hearts today. Remind them those who are saved that they're forgiven of all their sins and may they live in such a way that they show the freedom that they now have. And for those who don't know you, I pray that you would touch them and draw them to yourself. May they not blaspheme your spirit. And even as our eyes are closed, our heads are bound, perhaps there are some right now who need to get right with Jesus. I want to pray for you. You need to get right with them. Would you raise your hand and let me pray for you right now so that I can lift you before the Lord? Father, you see these hands. And Lord, I ask in Jesus' name that you would reach down and touch every person whose hand is raised. And that Father, you would have your work, that you would do your work in them, wash them and cleanse them. Lord, just fill them with your spirit, baptize them in your spirit. And may they, from this moment on, may they live for you. Lord, we just yield to you right now and we thank you. We will follow you. Bless you Lord. Thank you. You can put your hands down. And before I close one last thing, as we go through Mark, we're seeing so many times that Jesus healed and I still feel an impression to ask if there's any here who are sick, who need to be touched, are asking God for a healing. I want to pray for you. Would you stand up right now, right where you're at? Let me pray for you. If you have a need to be touched in a healing way. Our Father, you see these who are standing right now. I ask in Jesus' name that you would reach down and touch them as they're ill. Lord, you know what the condition of their health is. You know what's going on and what the physicians have said or what their body's telling them. I just ask because as we read, we read your word says that you, you were able to heal every manner of disease and there's nothing impossible for you. So I ask, as they stand in faith saying, God be merciful to me, touch me in Jesus' name. I pray that you will right now touch their bodies, Father, and bring healing to them. Father, it's your will. Let your will be done. But Father, we would ask because Lord, we know you are the God who heals. So we ask, Lord. You have said you have not because you asked not. Well, we're asking that you would touch them, Lord. Even now begin and bring that healing we ask. And thank you for it. Bless you, Lord. You may be seated. And Father, I ask that you just keep moving in all of us to your glory in Jesus' name. Amen.