We've got a lot of folks sick
this morning. And as we go through the service,
I'd like for you all to remember them in prayer. Ms. Dorothy's
been going through some hard times for several days now, and
fighting blood clots and just all kinds of problems, kidney
problems, all kinds of problems. It, whatever that problem is,
we know we can't do anything about it. And we just, even when
we take them to the doctor, our hope is still in the Lord. If
the Lord don't work in that man's heart and show him what to do,
he'll mess up just like we would. So our trust is in him. So let's remember these people.
And then there's been some kind of summer cold or flu or sinus
or whatever it is going around. We got some folks out with that.
this morning, so just remember them. If you will, turn with me to
Mark chapter three, and we're gonna be looking at verses
20 through 30. Mark chapter three. beginning
with verse 20. And the multitude cometh together
again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. Now they
were in a house. The Lord had retired with His
disciples into a house. And as they sat there in the
house, this great multitude that sought the Lord and came around
to see Him, they pressed so hard on them that they couldn't eat.
There was such a crowd, so many people trying to get to the Lord.
Mark chapter three, verse 21. And when his friends heard of
it, they went out to lay hold on him. For they said, he's beside
himself. And the scribes which came down
from Jerusalem said, he hath Beelzebub. And by the prince
of the devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto
him and said unto them in parables, how can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against
itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against
itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against
himself and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong
man's house and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the
strong man, and then he'll spoil his house. Verily I say unto
you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies
Wherewithsoever they shall blaspheme, but he that shall blaspheme against
the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation. And he said this because they
said he had an unclean spirit. Now this is a very important
portion of scripture and one that we all need to learn and
find a part in our minds and hearts as we walk through this
world, which he describes as a wilderness of sin. That's how
it was pictured. And our Lord, though he was God,
came into the flesh and was a man. He walked on this earth as a
man. Why did he become a man? He was a man that he might be
a representative man, as was Adam, a federal head, a representative
man, made of a woman, the scripture said, and made under the law
to redeem them that were under the law, that they might receive
the adoption of sons. And as our representative, and
that which was required of God, he was a perfect man. This was
God come into the flesh. He did no sin. He thought no
sin. No matter what the circumstance.
No matter what the temptation. He did no sin. He was a perfect
man. He was a righteous man. He was
a just man. A loving man. A merciful man. And most of all, according to
our context here, he was a faithful man. Therefore, he was a one-of-a-kind
man. There never been a man like him,
ever. Even Adam was not like him. This
is a one-of-a-kind, this is God come into the flesh. This is
the representative man, the salvation of God's people hangs on him. God gave him that responsibility
and trusted all things to his son before the world was. He
made him a representative man. He made an everlasting covenant
of grace, and for lack of a better word, the Trinity struck hands
on this. They were in full agreement with
it, and Christ volunteered, who was also appointed of God, to
be the surety of that covenant. He's gonna make those promises
sure. David had the sure mercies of
God because of his surety. Goes without saying, David slipped. Now I'm putting it mildly. So we know it wasn't David who
was faithful, it was his surety. He was a one of a kind man. Now
because of the fall of Adam and the consequent curse of our nature. Now I don't know if you're here
this morning that you're even aware of these things, but I'd
be happy to sit down in the scriptures and show them to you if you're
not. As in Adam, all die. Isn't that what scripture said?
By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin,
and so death passed upon all men. We fell in Adam. What do you mean we fell? We
fell under the curse. God put Adam out of the garden. But he sat there, a cherubim
with a flaming sword to guard that way. There's a way. But
Adam wasn't it. We fell in Adam. The results
of that in Romans 3 verse 9, he said that he had before proved
that both Jews and Gentiles were all under sin. Now there's no
point in preaching if man's not under sin. If man is reformable,
If man just needs a band-aid, if he just needs fixing up, if
he just needs to turn over a new leaf, we don't need a redeemer.
But if we're helpless, hopeless sinners falling an atom, we need
another representative, we need another head, we need somebody
to redeem us. Because of the fall of Adam,
he said, there's no more question, he said, I've already proved
to you. Both Jew and Gentile, they're all under sin. Well,
what's that mean? That means there's none righteous. Well, a guy can get righteous.
No, he can't. No, he can't. He can be made
righteous in Christ, but he can't get righteous. He can't earn
righteousness. He said this, there are none
righteous, no not one. There are none that understand
it. From the time I was a child,
I was made to go to church. I was raised in religion, false
religion, didn't know. And I'd read, my dad, I'd watch
him read this book, he read it through, I don't know how many
times. And I'd try to read it and it made no sense to me at
all. It demanded from me what I couldn't
produce. It just didn't make sense. And
then they were telling me that Christ died for my sins, but
then Within a week they'd be telling me, now you can fall.
Now wait a minute, I thought Christ died for my sins. Well,
he died for your past sins. Well, which one of my sins was
past when Christ died? You see what I mean? They didn't
understand it and I didn't understand it. There's none that understand
it. But I didn't know that. Nobody
ever told me that. Nobody ever showed me that in
the scriptures. And there's none that seeketh
after God. They're all gone out of the way.
They're together become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good.
No, not one. I'm nearly sick of listening
to people talk about somebody and saying, now, that was a good
old woman. That was a good, they're none
good. Now we know that our master was
good, we know that. He was, but he was perfect. And that rich young ruler, when
he came to him, what'd he tell him? He said, good master, what
did the Lord tell him? Why callest thou me good? There
ain't none good but God. Huh? Boy, that just, I'm telling
you, I'm showing you in the scriptures that we're falling in Adam, we're
sinners. That's all we can do is sin.
Our best prayers, man at his best state is altogether vanity,
the scriptures say. And he's describing this to us,
their throat is an open grave. With their tongues, they've used
deceit. The poison of asp is under their lips. Their mouths
are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed
blood. Destruction and misery are in
their way. The way of peace they've not known. They know every other
way under the sun, but they don't know that. They know the way of coming down
the aisle. They know the way of standing
up to be counted. They know the way to sign a pledge
card. They know the way to kneel at a mourner's bench. They, all
kinds of ways, but they don't know the way of peace. Christ
is the way of peace. And there is no fear of God before
their eyes. Now that's the state and nature
of every fallen son of Adam. Is man aware of it? No. No, he's
not. If he was, he'd be on his face.
Because that's what happens. What things soever the law saith,
after he got done reading all this, Paul said whatsoever things
the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law that every
mouth may be stopped and the whole world may become guilty
before God. That's what the law says, you're
guilty. Is man aware of it? No. Are they subject to it? Absolutely. Can they change it? No. That which is flesh is flesh. They that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh. They that are after the Spirit
do things of the Spirit. In Romans 8, 6, he said to be
carnally minded is death. To be spiritually minded is life
and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity. It's hostility toward God. It's not subject to the law of
God. And that word is broader than
the Mosaic Law. This has to do with the whole
word of God. He's not subject to it, neither
indeed can be. This is the state of every man
who fell in the garden upon which that spiritual death has passed. And because of his sinful nature,
he's a prime target for Satan. He's a prime target. And the
means that Satan uses to try and destroy the kingdom of God
and the glory of God purposed in his son. They're pawns, if
you will, of Satan. Is Adam's sons aware that they're
being used by Satan? No. No, and I don't know anything
that men come back at me over more than that. But I want you
to listen. I'm gonna quote you something
in the scriptures. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins. This is Ephesians chapter two,
verse one. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you walked
according to the course of this world. What is the course of
this world? It's the broad way, it's the
way of sin, it's the fallen nature of man. We walk according to
the course of this world. Now listen, according to the
prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now worketh in
the children of disobedience. Are they aware of that? No. Will
they admit that? No. No. Not till God the Holy
Spirit convinces them of sin. And you know how you're gonna
convince a man of sin? He's gonna show to him the Lord
Jesus Christ in all of his glory, and then he's gonna show him
his unbelief in that Savior. He's gonna show him how God gave
him the preeminence throughout the scriptures. But he wouldn't
bow to him. He wouldn't submit to him. He
wouldn't believe on him. When the Holy Spirit has come,
he's gonna convince this world of sin because they believe not
on me. That's what our Lord said. Judas Iscariot had no idea that
he was the son of perdition. The high priest in Jerusalem,
the high council of the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees, Herodians, and
scribes were not in the least aware that they were pawns of
Satan. Well, where you going with all
this, preacher? Well, because of who Christ is and who man
is, our Lord was the most misunderstood
man who ever walked the face of this earth. He was misunderstood by his family. He was misunderstood by his friends. His friends saw him ministering
to that great multitude, which is why he came into the world
to begin with. And they saw him out there in
the press, and the press was so great that they couldn't even
eat. Mark 3.21, so they went out to lay hold on him, for they
said he's beside himself. He don't know what he's doing.
He don't. He's wisdom, isn't he? This is
incarnate wisdom. This is wisdom being demonstrated
in a man. Eternal, divine wisdom. I said, he don't know what he's
doing. Don't know, they misunderstood. He can't do this. This is disruptive to our houses
And our routines, we can't even eat. And then notice this, Mark
3, 22. And the scribes which came down
from Jerusalem, they couldn't explain this thing. He cast out
demons out of men. They were in the right mind and
they couldn't explain it. They didn't know how to cover
it up. They didn't know what else to
do. And they hated him because of that carnal nature. hostility
toward God, and they were hostile toward him. They hated him, and
they wanted to find something to say about what he was doing,
and they couldn't find anything to say. So they said he had Beelzebub. He has the spirit of Satan, and
he's casting out Satan. Not only misunderstood by his
friends, but he was misunderstood by his enemies. And they purposely
misrepresented the things that he did. And this was a lifelong
trial which our Savior must endure. And he did endure. Even his family
misunderstood him, though his person was plainly made known
to them. Here in Mark 3.31 it said his
brethren and his mother came. They didn't come in the house
where he was at. They went out by the door and they sent somebody
in and said, tell him his mother's out here. So they sent a messenger
within to fetch him out to them. You know, the very opposite of
this is what's true. He sends his messenger out and
fetches us. But here his family misunderstood
him and they sent a messenger in to fetch him to them. And here's what he said. He said,
look around. This is my mother. Pointed to one of the old ladies
there in the group. He said, this is my mother right
here. And he said, you see these over
here? These are my brethren. Those who bow to the will of
God. as it was declared to them. This
is my mother, and this is my brother, and this is my sister.
And you and I should know that as we represent him here on the
earth, we can expect the same treatment. We're going to be
judged by family and friends, and especially by our enemies,
who are going to set us up as self-serving, self-promoting
rebels, antinomians, Our Lord said your enemy shall be of your
own household. Where's the last place we look
for an enemy? In our own household. But that's where they are. That's
what he said. Yet for all his misunderstandings
and misrepresentations, our Lord focused on chosen sinners for
whom he was sent into this world. He let none of those things distract
him. He came there to show mercy to
sinners and show mercy he did in spite of everything else that
was going on. Boy, don't take much from me.
At least a little thing to get me out of whack. It didn't him. Thank God. He didn't focus on the issues
of ungodly men until ungodly men made those issues to those
that he was trying to minister to. And this was the case here. So
he asked these wise men who came and made this grand statement
to the multitude that he has Beelzebub. He said, how can Satan
cast out Satan? How is that possible? And if
a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom can't stand. And if a house be divided against
itself, that house can't stand. And if Satan rise up against
himself and be divided, he can't stand, but that'd be an end to
it. And then he says this, he's gonna
make an application here to what he just said. He said, no man
can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his good. What
was our Lord doing? He was coming into the strong
man's house to spoil his good. I went to great lengths at the
beginning of this lesson to show you that man is under sin. He has a nature of sin. The world
is full of men just like him. And they'll love him until the
Lord does something for him. And then they'll hate him just
like they did the Lord. And they'll treat him just like
they did the Lord. That man can't do anything for
himself. The Lord has to take down the strong man. He has to
get rid of the problem, so to speak. And how does he do that?
He moves into the house. That's right. He sets up his
rule, his kingdom, within a man. And he overcomes the strong man,
he brings him down. And when he brings him down,
now he's got your mind, he's got your will, he's got your
heart, he's got your obedience, he spoils his goods. Satan can't
use you anymore. He can't lie to you anymore because
now you know the truth. He can't accuse you of unrighteousness
because Christ is your righteousness. He can accuse all day long, but
it don't matter. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that believe it. He can't use the law against
me because Christ justified me. He was delivered for our offences
and raised again for our justification. Who is he that condemneth? It's
God who justifies and Christ that dies. Are you with me so far? This
is what's going on here in the Book of Mark. We're continually being accused
of stripping man of his will. I don't strip man of his will.
God doesn't save anybody that's unwilling. What he does is he
takes down the strong man and makes him willing. They shall
be willing, he said, way back yonder in the Psalms. Long before
Christ ever came, he said, my people shall be willing in the
day of my power. When the strong man's bound,
now he's willing. And it's the same thing with
this universal love. The scriptures do not teach the
universal love of God. God's love is in Christ. That's
right, it's in Christ. And I could go on and on. Wicked,
deceived men always make issues that can't be. They just cannot be. Paul warned
Timothy about such men, telling him that they desire to be teachers
of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they
affirm. And listen to this. Here's what
he said about his pastors. He said, if a man's going to
be a pastor, he must not strive. He can't go to war. He can't go to fish the cups
with a man. He's not going to strive, but
he's to be gentle unto all men and apt to teach and patient
in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God
peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth,
and that they might recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,
now listen to this, who has taken them captive at his will, at
his will. The focus of our Lord here was
on those for whom he was sent, and that which binds the strong
man and loosens the prisoner is the truth. You shall know
the truth, and the truth shall set you free. The word of truth,
the doctrine of Christ, the gospel of God's sovereign grace in Christ. You shall know the truth. If
you continue in my doctrine, you continue in my word, you'll
know the truth. and the truth will set you free.
You know what sets a man free? I'm already out of time, so I'm
gonna put the rest of this down. What sets a man free is when
he hears who Christ is. Christ is not up in heaven. Men
picture him like this was the banister of heaven, and he's
looking down and he's just wringing his hands and he's just so worried
that his will ain't gonna be accomplished. My friend, Christ
sat down, that's what it says in Hebrews chapter 10, expecting
till his enemies be made his footstool. Why is he expecting
that? Because God accepted everything
that he did for our salvation and seated him as our steward
did, his right hand, and there he sits making intercession for
us. And he rules over everything.
All power in heaven and earth given unto me, therefore you
go preach the gospel. Don't you worry about providence.
I'm arranging that providence. Don't you worry about power.
I'm sending my Holy Ghost into the world. And his power is irresistible. You just go preach. You go do
what I told you to do and quit worrying about it. I'll accomplish
what's left to accomplish. And he's sitting there right
now today. just as he was there in the days
of the apostles, or shortly thereafter, at God's right hand, ruling and
reigning, sitting, not standing up, not worried, not wringing
his hand, sitting there, expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool. Oh, may God give us an understanding
of this lesson. Thank you.