Matthew 12:25-26……Working

Matthew 12:25-26……Working

12:25 Jesus knew their thoughts (Displays Jesus’ divine omniscient in knowing their malicious hearts.) and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household (family) divided against itself will not stand. (Expresses a truism, inward division naturally leads to strife and self-destruction.) 26 If Satan drives out Satan, (Demons) he is divided (fighting) against himself. How then can his kingdom (rule, sphere) stand? (Expresses how  absurd and illogical their accusation was. If Jesus was working for Satan he would be fighting against himself and undoing his own work.)

Continued From Book

“Warns how spiritual pride & fleshly thinking can destroy our relationship with God.” ⇒ Often the infection, which threatens to destroy our relationship with God comes from our own flesh. Assaults from without are not so destructive as quarrels and discord from within. We need to destroy strongholds. We need to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2-Corn. 10:3-5) ………….(To be Continued)

“Teaches if the Church is going to be effective it needs put it’s difference aside and stand together.” ⇒ We can’t keep the unity of the Spirit while divided on petty disputes, doctrinal differences, and personal preferences. We need  harmony and coherence within the house of God. Division and discord among believers can lead to spiritual desolation and ineffectiveness in fulfilling God’s purposes. This principle has implications for the Church as a whole, as well as for individual believers. We should always be careful to not let our personal preferences get in the way of unity. We need to be careful not to turn secondary issues into primary issues. We should have unity in the essentials of the faith and liberty in the non-essentials. We should be willing to put aside our own desires for the sake of the body of Christ. When we do not forgive each other and harbor anger and bitterness in our hearts, it causes division. When we are focused on ourselves and not on others, it causes division. When we do not love others as ourselves, it causes division. When we are not unified, we are not strong. The Bible warns against those who promote division: Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.-(Rom. 16:17)  As the body of Christ, we are called to love one another and to live in harmony with each other. This is how the world will know that Jesus is the Savior and we are His disciples. [Note: This not suggesting that we are to sacrifice truth for the sake of unity. We should always stand firm on the Word of God and what it teaches. While at the same time be agreeable over the non-essential issues of faith.]

“Calls for responding to false reasoning, not with anger or hate, but with love, logic, and common sense.” ⇒ The first way to fight the darkness is with a agape love.  We do this by responding to hate and ignorance with love and understanding. The next way to fight the darkness is with logic and common sense. We do this by confronting the false fallacies about God, religion, creation, evolution. The next way to fight the darkness is with axiomatic and universal truths. We do this by displaying how truth applied to one area has to apply to the other as well.

“Even today, denial of sin and self-deception can cause division. The inner thought, which says, “I’m not as bad as other people,” or “It’s only a little sin, nothing God would care about.” Can lead to rebellion and turn us away from God.” ⇒ Division frequently begins in secret. Starting in the inner thoughts of the mind and working itself out in open rebellion. Downplaying or whitewashing sin can cause division. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”-(1-John 1:8)……..(To be Continued)

Additional Notes & Applications

Teaches how the Lord knows our every thought, that even the motives and attitudes of the heart are open to Him! (cf. 1-Tim. 6:3-5)

Calls for staying dialed in to what our enemies are thinking. Are you keeping your enemies on your radar, or do you even care?

Displays the gracious and loving manner of Jesus in explaining things to us in a reasonable and logical way.

Teaches how were to follow Jesus’ example when engaging skeptics and answering critics. Not with hate or anger. But with logic and common sense.  Deal with criticism on a rational level, don’t respond personally or emotionally. If someone criticizes you, or points out a fault about you. Instead of retaliating, or trying to defend yourself. We should respond “If what you say is true, would you mind praying for me?” Remember “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Prov. 15:1)

Warns how Satan will use whatever areas of pride, arrogance, and entitlements to drive a wedge between us and God.

Teaches how often times the critiques and criticism made about us will not always be loud and direct.

Teaches if success is going to achieved things have to work together if anything is to be accomplished.

To display just how ridiculous and illogical the Pharisees reasoning is here. It would be like a child saying, “I want a new rule for our family: no candy!” It’s like a football coach saying, “Ok, no more football practice!” It’s like a citrus farmer petitioning for people not to drink orange juice. It’s like a church saying we shouldn’t use the Bible any longer.  

REASONS TO PURSUE UNITY

• Unity brings strength

• Unity is a witness to the world

• Unity is a reflection of God’s nature

• unity is important for the Gospel to spread

• Unity is a sign of maturity

• Unity is a sign of obedience to God

• Unity brings glory to God

WAYS TO PURSUE UNITY

• Pray for God’s will to be done.

• Listen more than you speak.

• Seek to understand before seeking to be understood.

• Extend grace to others.

• Extend more grace again.

• Speak the truth in love.

• Resist the urge to be right all the time.

• Resist the urge to always have the last word.

• Avoid gossip and slander.

• Forgive those who have wronged you.

• Seek wise counsel from other believers.

• Don’t take sides.