The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 12 Part 4 You Are Either With Christ Or Working Against Him

Jesus healed a demon possessed man and restored his sight and speech.

Matthew 12:22-23  Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23  And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 

After healing the man afflicted with a withered hand people brought a demon possessed man who was also blind and unable to speak.

What a wonderful work Jesus did to heal "One possessed with a devil, blind and dumb."

This was a man from whom a demon took away both sight and hearing. 

Satan makes himself master of the heart, the eyes, and the tongue of the sinner. 

He fills a sinners heart with a love for sin and blinds his eyes that he may not see his guilt before God.

Satan masters the sinner's tongue so that it will not pray or praise God but it will readily curse and say vile things.

Remember that Satan blinds people's minds to the gospel of Christ but God can break through.

2 Corinthians 4:3-4  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. 

This reminds us of our great enemy who constantly seeks to keep the power of the gospel of Christ hidden from sinners who need to hear and heed its message.

Paul told us that the gospel is hidden to the minds of lost people because Satan blinds their minds so that they cannot see the truth.

However, when God's Spirit breaks through then the glorious light of the gospel shines in bringing salvation to the repentant sinner.

The entrance of God's Word into our heart brings light and understanding and awe from seeing the glory of God (See Psalm 119:130; 119:105).

When a sinner is born again by the power of the gospel of Christ, he or she is transported from the kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of Christ's kingdom (See Colossians 1:12-14; 1 Peter 2:9).

Thus, Jesus wrought a mighty miracle upon the afflicted man and the multitude was amazed and astounded.

Pharisees began to blaspheme Jesus by claiming He cast out devils by the power of Satan.

Matthew 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

Notice the blasphemous and hateful hearts of the Pharisees as they maliciously claimed Jesus cast out devils because He was in league with Beelzebub.

Pharisees ignored an obvious and powerful miracle as Jesus used the power of God to do something no human could ever accomplish. 

Most common people drew the right conclusion from it, believing that Christ was the Messiah. 

The authority and power of the Pharisees was challenged and declining so they reacted to Jesus' miracle with blasphemy.

The name "Beelzebub" means lord of the flies, the dung god and referred to the leader of the devils, Satan.

Therefore this was a vile and despicable insult hurled at Jesus which will explain His strong rebuke to them.

Jesus knew their thoughts proving He is God for only God can know our thoughts. 

Matthew 12:25-26  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

Let the first five words of this text sink in. "And Jesus knew their thoughts" is a powerful statement from Matthew's Spirit inspired record.

These words prove beyond doubt that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, or as Paul wrote Jesus is "God manifest in the flesh" (See 1 Timothy 3:16).

You may recall that the name "Jesus" means "Jehovah saves" and that Jehovah is the name of God used most frequently in the Old Testament.

Jehovah is also the name of God distinctively connected with His redeeming work to save us from our sins.

With these fact in mind, let us turn to the Psalmist to further demonstrate how powerful Matthew's statement is.

Jesus knew their thoughts and only God knows our thoughts and words before we speak them.

Psalm 139:1-4  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 

The divine name "LORD" is the Hebrew name "Jehovah."

Jehovah searches the hearts of all people and He knows our actions before we do them. 

He knows what we are thinking and He knows what words we will speak before we utter them.

This same kind of discernment of our inner man is also attributed to the Word of God where scripture is described as a "discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"(See Hebrews 4:12).

A kingdom divided against itself will not stand but it will surely fall.

Matthew 12:25-26  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

Jesus dismantled their blasphemous thoughts using a clear analogy to show their error.

A kingdom can succeed by living in unity focused upon a common goal. 

If part of the subjects in a kingdom do something different or contrary to the common goal, then the central purpose and protection of the kingdom is divided.

One faction ends up undoing the primary purposes the kingdom is moving toward and therefore, the enemy will win and the kingdom will fall.

The Pharisees doctrine was that Satan has possessed the people healed by Jesus and at the same time, that Satan helped Jesus cure them. 

If the Pharisees accusations about Jesus casting out devils by the power of the Devil were true, then Satan helped Jesus oppose himself, undermining any stability in the Devil's domain. 

Therefore, Jesus demolished their blasphemy.

Matthew 12:27   And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 

Next, Jesus pressed the true spiritual reality upon His accusers.

If their accusation was true that a man who casts out devils must be in league with the devil, then their own disciples have made a covenant with him also. 

"Therefore they shall be your judges"  means that the Pharisees own disciples condemn their argument against Jesus. 

Jesus led them to see that they must either give up their blasphemy or admit that the miracles were proof of God working through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus cast out devils by the Spirit of God and the finger of God!

Matthew 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

Luke 11:20  But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 

Luke's gospel adds that Jesus said "with the finger of God cast out devils" which is one more clear connection of Jesus Christ with Jehovah.

The phrase "with the finger of God" would have immediate significance to the Pharisees and scribes.

This phrase is found three times in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament.

Jehovah created life from lifeless dust to prove that Pharaoh's magicians were powerless.

Exodus 8:19  Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

During the ten plagues of Jehovah upon the Egyptians, Moses directed Aaron to smite the dust of the earth with his rod, at the command of God.

Aaron did so and immediately the dust became lice that crawled on both man and beast.

Pharaoh's magicians were forced to admit they could not do this and that creating lice out of dust was "The finger of God."

Jehovah wrote the ten commandments on stone tablets with His mighty finger.

Exodus 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Deuteronomy 9:10  And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Both other Old Testament references speak to the same record of Jehovah giving Moses two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

Both records indicate that God wrote His commands on the stone tablets with His finger.

Therefore, when Jesus said that if He cast out demons by the finger of God, then the obvious reality is that the kingdom of God has come to His people on earth.

Jesus gave a picture of a strong man's home to show that Christ can bind up the Devil and rescue people.

Matthew 12:29  Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 

Jesus said that a robber cannot enter a fortified landowners home and plunder his wealth without first overcoming and binding the strong man.

Therefore, the robber must be stronger and have the ability to overcome the strong man living in the home.

This is a metaphor reminding us that all people are born sinners and live under the influences of the devil (See Ephesians 2:1-5).

Therefore, the strong man is a picture of the devil controlling the lives of sinners. 

Someone stronger (Christ) than the strong man (the Devil) must be able to overcome and bind him up, in order to release the person afflicted by the Devil.

That "someone" who is stronger than the strong man is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is Jesus, and Jesus alone, who can deliver people from the power of this bondage. 

When Satan is cast out, Jesus purifies and dwells in the heart.

We cannot love God and mammon. We are either with Jesus Christ or working against Him.

Matthew 12:30  He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 

In vain do men seek for methods to reconcile God and mammon. 

There is no connection between loving the Lord and being his enemy, between belonging to Christ or to Satan. 

If we are on the side of the devil we must expect to go to the devil’s hell. 

If we are on the side of Christ, we may expect to go to His heaven. 

When Christ, His truth, and His servants are assaulted, those who fail to defend their cause are not on Christ’s side are pictured as scattering the harvest of souls instead of helping bring them in. 

Those who blaspheme Jesus by denying His Divinity will not be forgiven. 

Matthew 12:31-32  Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32  And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Jesus then condemns the Pharisee's blasphemous thoughts.

God can and will freely forgive sinners who repent and trust Christ for salvation.

However, those who attributed the work and words of Jesus Christ to the Devil have blasphemed the Spirit of God in Christ, and cannot be forgiven.

Essentially Jesus is saying that “He who speaks against me as a man of Nazareth or speaks contemptuously of my humble birth, may be pardoned.

Those who reproach or deny My divine nature by charging me of being in league with Satan, and blaspheming the power of God manifestly displayed by me can never obtain forgiveness.”

There are several important points for us to keep in mind.

First, the power of God is never limited or constrained in any way.

Jesus healed a man from blindness, the inability to speak and from demon possession.

We are reminded that the power of the gospel of Christ is such that all who hear it, and repent of their sins and put their trust in Christ, shall be saved, shall be regenerated by God's Spirit and marvelously born again.

Second, as soon as Jesus does a mighty work in us, we can expect opposition.

Satan is never happy when a sinner is born again and translated out of the kingdom of darkness where he rules, and placed securely by God into His eternal kingdom of light (See Colossians 1:12-14; 1 Peter 2:9).

He will attack us directly, or attack us through circumstances (like Job) or through other people (also like Job).

Third, our Lord reminded us that all of God's works and Word are written by the finger of God.

God will do what He says He will do in scripture. 

Every promise He made is settled forever in heaven and our eternal life, hope and joy in Christ are guaranteed by God's Word.

Last, we must stand firm upon God's eternal truth and pursue Great Commission living each and every day.

Let us be those who are working with Christ seeking to gather in as many souls for that great harvest of God.

Let us live life in accord with His Word and be faithful to share the gospel with those who do not yet know Christ.

Let us pray for fruit that remains.

Bob