Well, if you have your Bible with you, please turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew. If you need a copy of the scriptures, you should have a copy maybe in a seat pocket in front of you or in the shelf underneath one of the seats in your row. Feel free to grab a copy of the scriptures and turn with me to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12. This morning, our focus text will be verses 22 through 30. 22 through 30. Hear now the very Word of God written for you and for me today. 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. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, could this be the son of David? Now when the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. 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. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. 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? He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. Amen. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. Let us go before him in prayer, asking his blessing on the preaching of it. Our gracious God and Heavenly Father, as your word has been opened and read in our ears, we pray, O Holy Spirit, that you would open our hearts to receive it, to receive it as it truly is, as your very living word. And, O Holy Spirit, may you apply the truths of your word. May you show us Christ and show us what you are calling us to do as we follow you, Lord Jesus. We pray all these things in Christ's name. Amen. Well, congregation, as the divine perfect wisdom of God ordains all things that come to pass in his good providence. This includes the actions of men like the Pharisees and Herodians. They did their worst in plotting and scheming against Christ. We've seen that in the context of this passage. They plotted and schemed against him who is the anointed of God and yet Jesus remained calm and calculated in his response, didn't he? What did he do? Jesus didn't engage and stand up to them more than he already had. He didn't educate them more than he already had on the law that they were to have been masters of knowledge of. No, Jesus let them go. He let them spin out more and more in their sin. When he knew that they were plotting ways to kill him, what did he do? He withdrew from the synagogue, for it wasn't his time to be taken yet. There was more work in his father's mission to be done. And though that divine mission had redemption in its focus, part of what Jesus did in carrying out that mission was showing the continuity of truth of the revealed and prophetic word and his fulfilling all of it to the letter. Jesus withdrew so that Isaiah's prophecy in Isaiah 42 would be fulfilled. And tragically, the Pharisees and rabbis know and suppress the truth, as seen even in their removing Isaiah 53 from the scriptures even to this day, which give clear prophecy regarding Christ as the sin-bearing Messiah. And yet there is so much in Isaiah 42 and the other servant song chapters that point you to Jesus. Jesus is God the Father's beloved servant who you were called to look at and to behold. He perfectly obeyed and served his Father in doing all that was necessary to accomplish your redemption. He did so at times being bold towards his enemies, while at other times being quiet and gentle, always doing the opposite of the arrogant hypocrites in the streets Jesus obeyed his father, even to the point of death and the death of a cross. But further in his selfless service, Jesus was full of mercy and compassion, wasn't he? When he came upon those who were weak and wounded, when he saw those whose wicks were barely lit, he didn't trample or toss them out. He didn't snuff out their flame. even as Jesus doesn't do such things to you who are weak and wounded today. No, he lovingly tends to your needs and he bends you. He makes what is broken whole again. He lifts you up and he strengthens you. And so as Jesus had healed the sick and the multitude that followed him, another man is now brought to him. Let's look at how Jesus heals and the people are amazed in verses 22 and 23. The Pharisees' false claim and blasphemy in verse 24, as well as the truth that a divided house can't stand in verses 25 through 30. Look at verse 22 there with me when we read, 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. My friends, see that this verse and those that follow show you Christ's glorious conquest and conquering of Satan. in the gracious cure of one who was under Satan's power and in his possession." Now, this man was far from the first who encountered Christ having an unclean spirit or being demon-possessed. Think back to Jesus' work in Matthew 9, verse 32. And we'll consider the details of that more in a moment. But we know, as the scripture teach us, that demons know who Jesus is. Remember what you're shown in Mark 3, beginning in verse 11. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him and cried out, saying, You are the Son of God. But he sternly warned them that they should not make him known. Some scholars, my friends, believe that the man brought to Jesus in Matthew 12, 22 is the same man Luke speaks of in Luke 11, 14 when he says, and he was casting out a demon and it was mute. So it was when the demon had gone out, the mute spoke and the multitudes marveled. My friends, they believed this because of the partial agreement of the man being mute along with the Pharisee's response afterwards. This is why those scholars hold such an opinion, thinking that this is likely the same man. But notice how this man was in a miserable condition. He was demon-possessed, he was blind, and he was mute. Matthew says this to us, and he couldn't see in order to help himself, on the one hand. Neither could he speak in order to get help from other people. Again, miserable. Matthew Henry says this. I think it's helpful. A soul under Satan's power, led captive by him, is blind to the things of God and dumb at the throne of grace. Seeing nothing and says nothing to the purpose, Satan blinds the eye of faith and seals up the lips of prayer. My friends, we find the effects of Satan's work present for this man physically as well as spiritually. It wasn't that the man was previously blind and mute when the demon entered him, and then that man started acting crazy, no. The demon took his sight and speech, and we see that even as he left. It was restored. And so what happened to this man? Though he couldn't speak to get help from others, others came to him and helped him nonetheless. And what help did they give? They brought the man to the only one who could truly give him physical and spiritual aid. And what did Jesus do? He had compassion on the man. He had compassion on the man and he healed him in the presence of the multitude of the people that followed him. And immediately after the demon left him, the man saw and the man spoke once again. And what does Matthew say in verse 23? And all the multitudes were amazed and said, could this be the son of David? So you see the marvel of the multitude in response to Christ's miracle once again, don't you? This, again, isn't the first time that we've seen Christ heal and the multitudes marvel. And yet the Greek word for amazed here, it communicates that the people were truly astonished. They were literally out of their mind with amazement. What Jesus did really struck them to the point in which they asked that important question. It wasn't like some of the other occasions where they said, man, who is this guy? We've never seen anything like this in Israel before. No, their question was, could he really be the son of David? Consider a couple of things here. The Greek indicates that the people asked the question as a rhetorical question. that anticipated a negative response. In other words, could this be him? No, no, it couldn't be him. Could it? And yet their question should take your thoughts back to the very beginning of Matthew's gospel in Matthew chapter 1 verse 1. where Matthew begins this entire book with a genealogy to do what? To show that Jesus is the son of David, the son of Abraham. The people saw the miracle. And though they doubted, they saw the signs and were willing to consider the glory of Christ more attentively. Could this be? Indeed, Jesus is, as we've seen time and again throughout Matthew's gospel, Jesus is the son of David, the promised Messiah. And so considering Jesus's work and the people's amazement, would the Pharisees leave this alone? Jesus had already just had another encounter, right, in the synagogue, healing the man with a withered hand. Would they leave it alone? No, they wouldn't. Look at verse 24. Now, when the Pharisees heard it, when they heard it, they said, this fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. Now know that Mark adds in his gospel in chapter three, verse 22, that the scribes who came down from Jerusalem also shared this claim with the Pharisees. They were all saying the same thing. But also see that the scribes and Pharisees had to try to maximize on the people's doubt in order to squelch their hopes. You're marveling. You're out of your mind in amazement. We're really concerned about that. We need to keep control here. We need to keep you people under wraps and following us, not him. So we're going to say he's doing this by the power of Satan. Indeed, they were irritated with the esteem that the people gave Jesus and being full of envy, denying Christ is the son of David, the Pharisees defaulted back to blasphemy. Again, This is not a new thing. We've seen the Pharisees enter into blasphemy before and commit blasphemy before. And if many of you are not familiar what blasphemy truly is, it is saying that the work of God or the work of Christ is the work of the devil. And in particular, blaspheming the Holy Spirit. So they were trying to maximize on these things. They defaulted back to this. But remember the response in Matthew 9.34, after Jesus healed the demon-possessed mute man. We read there, but the Pharisees said, he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons. So again, it's not only the first time that they entered into blasphemy, but it's not the first time that they entered into blasphemy with this very same claim and accusation. Here you find, in Matthew 12, the same blasphemy with the name Beelzebub attached to it. Many of you are well aware that Beelzebub is one of Satan's names. Beelzebub is derived from the pagan Philistine god Beelzebub, which means Lord of the Flies, or otherwise known as Lord of the Dunghill Flies. And you find that referenced in 2 Kings 1. If you look at 2 Kings 1, you can turn with me there if you'd like. 2 Kings 1, beginning in verse 1, we read this, Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers and said to them, go. Inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury. But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, It is because there is no god in Israel that you are going to inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron? Now therefore, thus says the Lord, you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die. So Elijah departed. See that the living God, the sovereign and almighty God, doesn't tolerate counterfeits. He doesn't tolerate false gods. He ultimately smashes them all. And he also brings consequence and judgment upon those who follow them and seek to. And so you see this stern warning. They wouldn't find their way back to their bed. They would surely die. So in addition to the blasphemous claim of the Pharisees, Luke in his parallel passage to Matthew says in Luke 11, 16, others testing him sought from him a sign from heaven. Remember, this is a common thing that the Jews sought for. The Greeks sought after wisdom, but the Jews sought after a sign. Would Jesus ignore their blasphemous claim in Matthew 12? No. Knowing their thoughts, he says, and this is important, Knowing their thoughts, have you ever thought of in the sovereignty and the all-knowing and all-seeing God that he knows the thoughts of men? He knows the thoughts of all men. He knows your thoughts even now. Knowing their thoughts. Mark adds that he would call them to himself to confront and address their charge that he was performing works by the power of Satan, and he would do so by way of parables. And we see those parables beginning in verse 25. Look at Matthew 12, verse 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. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? That was actually a great question to hit at the hearts of the scribes and Pharisees, wasn't it? For ultimately, though they believed differently and they were deceived in believing differently, They thought in their piety and their false piety and their false hopes and their blindness, oh no, we follow God. We serve the God of Abraham. But indeed, they were whitewashed tombs. They were a brood of vipers. They were wicked. They served Beelzebub. Their father was the devil. Quite a conundrum then. The house of their father, the house of the one that they served, it would crumble, though they tried with all their might to make it stand. But see how Jesus exposes their utter foolishness. How stupid would Satan be to use his power in Christ to destroy his own kingdom? Did they not just see what Jesus did in casting the demon out? Jesus delivered this man who was under the control of a demon. And that demon answered to Beelzebub. Did they really think that Satan is going to destroy his own army if he expects his kingdom to stand and even bring down the kingdom of Christ? Did they really believe that? Is that really what you want to go with? Do you want to lead with that, Pharisees? My friends, as the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, you need to be mindful of the same principle. The Apostle Paul warns in Galatians 5.15, but if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another. It's so true. that division commonly ends in desolation. If a church is divided, can it stand? No. But this is what Satan and his minions try to do. They try to divide and conquer, often from the inside out. And the truth is that if there's unchecked division among us, we become easy prey for the enemy. even more so if we bite and devour one another, for we will be consumed by each other." It's quite a picture, isn't it? Sometimes we would like to put ourselves in the defensive posture or in a posture of saying, oh no, it's not really me, it's them. I'm not seeking to bite or devour them. They're seeking to bite and devour me. But notice this picture that Paul's painting to the churches in Galatia. No, you're going after each other. You're going to be consumed by each other. And to prove his point even further, notice that Jesus asks an important question in follow-up. Look at verse 27 of Matthew 12. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges." In truth, the Pharisees were the ones serving Beelzebub. Remember the actions of the Jewish exorcists and the consequences for those actions that we see in Acts chapter 19 beginning in verse 13. Again, turn with me there if you would. Acts chapter 19 beginning in verse 13. There we read, Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, we exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches. Also, there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you? Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped upon them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. That man thrashed them. They ran out naked and wounded. Where's the power and authority? Where's the fruit of such ability to cast out demons? You didn't have it from Christ. My friends, those Jews, even the Pharisees' sons, those they had trained to follow a formula, tried to exorcise demons and lacked the power and authority to do so. They were exposed for who they really are. They didn't follow Jesus, nor were they faithful to him. See the work of Christ here in a twofold way. in many occasions, and even here in the gospel of Matthew, even in this chapter, where Jesus proves who he is, even by fulfilling prophecy. And he also exposes who his enemies are, even by their impotence and lack of authority. He said, therefore, they shall be your judges. This contradicting of themselves will rise up in judgment against them on the day of judgment and will condemn them. The judge, the Lord Jesus Christ, knows exactly who they are. Their sin will be upon their shoulders. Their foolishness in trying to carry out such acts, they will be held accountable for. And so then, where did the true power of Christ come from? And what did its presence mean? Look at verse 28. But, Christ says, if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. That is not anything to be held lightly. Remember the Lord Jesus Christ, the king of the kingdom. He said chapters before did not come to bring peace, but he came with a sword. He came with a dividing sword of judgment. The kingdom of God had come upon them. If Jesus is who he says he is, which he is, their doom is sure. Indeed, Christ is the conquering king against Satan. And this is all the more evident as Jesus defeats Satan and brings his sovereign reign into people's lives through the power of the Holy Spirit, whom the Father anointed him with. Isaiah prophesied this in Isaiah 11, beginning in verse one. Hear these words and be blessed and encouraged about the truth of your Lord Jesus Christ. There shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Paul speaks of the work of the Spirit in the kingdom of God in Romans 14, beginning in verse 16, when he says, therefore, do not let your good be spoken of as evil. And notice why. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. Beloved, Jesus did indeed cast out demons by the spirit of the living God. And therefore, the scribes and Pharisees, along with all the people, needed to know that casting out demons was an indication that the kingdom of God had come upon them. Again, Christ's proclamation in his sermon rings clear in their ears and to yours today. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The kingdom of heaven has come upon you. And this is exactly where Jesus goes next as he continues to refute the claim that he is in league with the devil. Look at verse 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. Here Luke's detailed description also in Luke 11 beginning in verse 21. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils. Here is the action and the consequence, the result of the victory of the conquering king, which is, and this points to, the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is the strong man who Christ comes again and plunders. And though Satan is strong and he holds the goods that he guards jealously, and really those goods are the souls of men, Jesus is the one who was and is stronger than the strong man. Praise the Lord for this. You don't need to leave this place with any doubts of that. Can Jesus really overcome? Did he overcome? Is he truly victorious? Yes, he is. Yes, he is. He is the only one who can bind the strong man and deliver you from his chains. In our time of walking through Matthew's gospel alone, you've seen the kingdom of God making a great impact against the kingdom of darkness. You've been blessed to see Christ's victory over Satan in the wilderness, along with his exorcism of demons that demonstrates his power over and binding of Satan, showing Satan to be powerless to prevent the coming of Christ's kingdom. Beloved, though Satan is still active in the world, He was bound by Christ in his victory on the cross and continues to be bound through the preaching of the gospel. And so know that the binding of Satan was a symbol of the messianic age that the Jews were well aware of. So as he's telling these metaphors, these illustrations to prove his point, they're tracking with them. They're making the connection if they have ears to hear. And therefore, having presented the clarity of the truth, the king then draws the line in the sand. Look at verse 30. He who is not with me is against me. And he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. Again, these Pharisees are exposed for who they really are and what they're really doing. They were clearly not with him. He is the one that gathers. while they are the ones that we're scattering. And they needed to be clear on that, as well as understanding the dire consequences of their position. My friends, there is no neutrality when it comes to your position and your relationship with Christ. No, the Pharisees deceived themselves to believe that they were on God's side and in their piety taught others the same. And Jesus told them clearly that they were against him, though, and not in favor with God. And in fact, the gathering that they thought they were doing was scattering. And these realities truly needed to pierce their hearts. So as we consider this passage here today, take the mercy and compassion of your Savior with you. as he helped a man who was lost and helpless and afflicted, while at the same time once again bringing clarity to who he is as the Messiah, along with his sovereign power and authority and conquest as king. Indeed, Christ comes to you today. He comes to you and helps you with that same compassion, with the same mercy, Jesus is indeed the rock of your salvation. He is the one who has accomplished and purchased your redemption if you truly know him. Jesus's words and actions, secondly, in many ways were for the benefit of the multitudes as well as a piercing rebuke for the scribes and Pharisees that the many by his grace could see and understand the truth as he cut through the lies. Though many have and do try to convince others that a divided house can stand. And even try really hard to make it stand. If we can just get the support strong enough and put some over here and put some over here. This rickety thing, it's not going to fall. Yes, it will. A divided house can't stand. It will fall. Do you see the importance and application of this truth for you and the church? Though Satan seeks to divide and defeat Christ and his house, Jesus is the one who builds, sustains, and preserves his united house. He is the one that by his spirit gives us unity. He is the one who is the chief cornerstone. It is upon the teachings of the apostles and the prophets that we have the solid foundation that we stand on upon his word. Christ's house will never fall. He is the king and the eternal king over his eternal kingdom that will prevail in great glory forever. Praise the Lord. But as he preserves this united house, it is also true that Satan can't stop the progress of his kingdom. This is what frustrated the Pharisees and the scribes, isn't it? Time and again, they plotted. Time and again, Christ evaded them. Christ went through their midst untouched. Christ withdrew. They couldn't get him until he was ready to be taken. Satan can't stop the progress of his kingdom. And so the kingdom of God, the church, presses against the gates of hell and pushes them back as Christ grows and advances his kingdom. Beloved, do you have ears to hear? that Jesus's exorcisms weren't acts of Satan, but the work of the Spirit of God in his divine rescue mission, where Christ frees men and women from Satan's death grip. That's what he did for this man, and that's what he has done for you, if you have been brought to new life in Christ and saved from the pit of hell. If you do, if you have ears to hear this, take the binding of Satan with you today and be comforted by the victory and work of your Savior. Though the devil prowls around, he is on a leash as Christ has bound him. And Jesus has plundered his house. He has purchased your redemption and is bringing the souls of his elect to life from the kingdom of darkness into his marvelous light through the gospel. And so therefore, as was true with the Pharisees, the dividing line is drawn. What side of the line do you stand on today? Are you with Christ or are you against him? There is no neutrality. Be clear about that today. Are you about the work of gathering his sheep or are you scattering them? Leave this place being clear about this and on which side you are. And indeed, choose this day whom you will serve and be the one who gathers with Christ and not scatters. Amen. Praise God for his word. Let's pray together.