It is a new year, but it's not a new book. We are back in Mark this morning, and I have the honor of bringing us back into it. Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Mark chapter three, verses 22 through 30. And while you're turning there, I wanna start with a story. Growing up, I had a friend named Daniel. I met Daniel this summer before my seventh grade year. So I was 12. And I was playing basketball in my driveway. If you know me, you know by now that I love basketball. It's been my favorite sport for a very long time. And I played every day as a kid. One day, a woman came over to introduce herself to my family. She and her family had just moved in across the street, and they had four kids, one of whom was my age. His name was Daniel. She saw me playing basketball and she said that her son also liked to play and that I should go across the street to see if he'd like to play with me. Now, I don't know what I was expecting when I went across the street, but it wasn't what I got. Again, we're 12. So imagine my surprise when Daniel opens the door and I have to look up because the guy's already like six four and I'm just like, hey, You wanna play one-on-one? You know what, for the record, I won the first game. I don't know if I ever won again, but I did win the first time we ever played. And that's how I met Daniel, and he was a phenomenal athlete. Football was his primary sport, but he was also a really good basketball player, and was certainly one of, if not the best, basketball player on our team all the way through high school. One day we were in an open gym, in high school and another guy walks into the gym, for the sake of the story, we'll call his name Jackson. And Jackson had been going to school with me forever. I don't even remember when we met. He, during that time, had absolutely no athletic achievements to speak of. I don't even know why he was in the gym. But this guy walks straight up to Daniel, a guy who everybody in the school has seen play at this point, and says, I'm better than you at basketball, I could beat you. Now, let me remind you, this is not a guy we didn't know. We all knew this guy, and we all knew he couldn't play. But he was serious. And Daniel, being one of the nicest and most humble guys I've ever known, very sincerely said, okay, let's play. So they play one-on-one. And before the game started, everybody in the gym assumed that Jackson was going to lose. Within 30 seconds of the game starting, we went from assuming that Jackson was going to lose to being absolutely certain that Jackson was going to lose. It was terrible. I don't even know if he'd ever touched a ball before. But they start playing, he loses. And some of you have known guys like this before. What do you think he said after he lost? Do you think he owned up to it? Do you think he said, wow, you're so much better than me, I was wrong? No, he came up with some excuse about his shoulder hurting and left still fully assured in his competency as a basketball player. See Jackson and Daniel were both confident. Absolutely confident that they were right. The problem was that only one of them had the evidence to back it up. And yet is that evidence stacked up for everyone to see nothing changed. No reconsideration, no humility, just confidence untouched by reality. Because when our heart decides something is true, our mind gets to work defending it. We've all seen this kind of thing before. Sometimes we've even been this kind of person guilty of this. What's striking is not the lack of evidence, but the refusal to deal honestly with it. Overwhelming evidence gets dismissed, not because it isn't convincing, but because accepting it would cost too much. Jackson absolutely believed in his heart that he was a phenomenal athlete and basketball player. And accepting the evidence that he wasn't would have destroyed his self-image. So it was safer to just keep pretending. That's exactly what's happening in Mark chapter 3. By the time we get to verse 22, Jesus has healed on the Sabbath. He restored a man's withered hand. He's cast out demons and is now drawing massive crowds. His power is undeniable. So the question is no longer whether Jesus has authority, but what to do with it and where it's coming from. That brings us to Mark chapter three, verses 22 through 30. Let's start this morning by reading it together. And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, he is possessed by Beelzebul. And by the prince of demons, he casts out the demons. And he called them to him 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 will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. Truly I say to you all sins will be forgiven the children of man and whatever blasphemies they utter but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is guilty of an eternal sin for they were saying he has an unclean spirit. So the very last thing that we saw in the book of Mark is that the crowd surrounding Jesus are getting out of hand. They're reaching a frenzy, a fever pitch. The attention, the miracles, the threat is now undeniable. So here is when the resistance against Jesus becomes more aggressive, more intentional. The scribes come down from Jerusalem with an official verdict and notice what they don't say. They do not deny that Jesus has power. They don't question whether something supernatural is happening. Instead, they reassign the source of that power. He is possessed by Beelzebul, by the prince of demons. He casts out demons. Now, let's pause for just a minute. I am a teacher of scripture by heart. And so sometimes I get bogged down on things that I find really important and interesting. but that you sometimes find to be really good napping material. I'm trying my best not to do that to you this morning, but I do wanna take a minute to look at this title, this person they are claiming that Jesus is getting his power from. There are two different names in scripture that look really similar. You may not even realize that they're different at first glance. The first is Beelzebub. Beelzebub was a Canaanite deity of the Philistine town Ekron. This is in 1 Kings chapter 2 Kings chapter 1. Now this exact journey of the word to get from Beelzebub to Beelzebul is somewhat convoluted. It would seem that the original title for this deity was Beelzebul. But this mention in 2nd Kings is likely a deliberate Hebrew corruption of the name, effectively changing the meaning from Beelzebul, Beel the Prince, to Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, or Lord of the Dung, depending on your translation. This would have been intentional in order for the Hebrews to show their disrespect for the deity. There's some disagreement, but it is most likely that this is where the name Beelzebul comes from. And by the time we get to Jesus's ministry, this title is seemingly used to identify Satan. So the scribes, who can no longer deny Jesus's miraculous works, instead shift their tactic. They claim that his works come from the power of Beelzebul, not God. Why would they do that? Because acknowledging Jesus's power is one thing, but acknowledging his authority is from God is something else entirely. The scribes have already hardened their hearts towards Jesus at this point. There is no amount of evidence that can convince them otherwise. And so they have to pick a new tactic. And if you're writing down notes, the very first thing to write is when the resistant heart can't deny God, it redefines it. Redefinition becomes a way to resist obedience without completely ignoring the evidence. Jesus's power is acknowledged, but his authority is rejected. The truth is Jesus's authority is a lot more threatening than his power to cast out demons. It isn't his miracles that scare the religious leaders. It is his authority because if he has the authority of God, then they must submit. They must obey. They must kneel and that is terrifying. So instead they redefine his power to escape his authority. The scribes aren't confused. They're threatened. And when Jesus disrupts our sense of control, we don't just deny him, we redefine him. So once the heart makes that move, once it decides it will not submit, the mind immediately gets to work defending that decision. And here's the thing, resistance always sounds reasonable to itself. What I mean by that is that the mind is incredibly skilled at defending the heart's decisions. Earlier in the service, Tiffany read from Proverbs chapter 4, which teaches us the ways of wisdom and righteousness. Verse 23 reminds us of the importance of guarding our heart. Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flow the springs of life. That order matters. There is a reason that so much of the Christian faith and discipline center around the position and posture of the heart. The heart leads, the mind follows. I have a cool graphic. I thought it was cool that chat GPT helps me with. This would have taken me way too long if I tried to do it on my own. And an important distinction from this logic flow of a resistant heart. It seems that many people at least in our modern age believe that non-believers like the scribes have hard hearts because their reasoning made them hard. That's not the case. at least not indefinitely. Scripture shows us that it is their heart that leads them to that conclusion. Once the heart has resisted, the mind begins defending that decision. What follows sounds logical. It feels reasonable, but it is shaped by self-protection. And how does Jesus respond to this in verses 23 through 26? Not with insults or outrage, He patiently exposes the internal contradiction of their explanation. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Satan does not work against Satan. It doesn't make sense. Their reasoning collapses, not because they're unintelligent, but because their hearts are already set against Christ. And faulty reasoning flows from a heart that is resistant to the things of God. Because we build our lives, we build our identities, our idols around the desires of our heart. And when we run into something that threatens the things we are storing in our hearts, we resist out of self-protection. There's something that I've really wrestled with in the modern evangelical church. And that is the occasional flippancy with which we describe surrendering your life to Christ. I do not, I think it is important to recognize what's happening. See, when your heart hardens, it doesn't just harden against something, it hardens around something. And there is a price that Christ asks of his followers, that they would allow him into that heart and remove what is there that doesn't belong. That is the price and it is a crucial piece. My non-believers in the room, if I got to choose one thing this morning for you to walk away from this sermon with, do you know what it would be? If I only got to pick one thing, it wouldn't be that you understand the Bible. It wouldn't be that you understand everything about Christ and God. It wouldn't even be for you to agree with me or my reasoning or my logic or my explanations. What I want for you more than anything is to have a heart that is willing to receive what is good and release what is evil. Just be willing. Just be open to the call of Christ. And then when the evidence is there, when the call comes, you won't find yourself in the same position as the scribes. Because I believe that God will give you that evidence. God will give you that call. And so I just want your heart to be ready. So here's the next question. If the scribes are wrong, what is Jesus actually doing? Let's look at it. In verse 27, Jesus reframes the entire situation with a short parable. A strong man guards his house. His goods are secure unless someone stronger arrives. Only then can the strong man be bound and his goods plundered. The question that the scribes really have for Jesus is this, who are you to rescue the souls of man? What authority do you have Jesus? Mark 2, if you remember, the question was this, who are you to forgive sins? Now, it's who are you to rescue the souls of man from the prince of darkness? The Scribes conclusion is this you can't be from God. Therefore you must be from Satan. Because their hearts have already reached a conclusion and so their minds must fall in line. But Jesus's answer is this. I am he who is bound up the enemy that has held you. and your fathers and their fathers captive for generations. I am the one not you only me only Christ. Jesus is not cooperating with evil. He is conquering it. And the deliverance from Satan is not evidence of partnership. It is evidence of victory. Evil isn't negotiated away. It's overcome. And here's the implication that Jesus wants us to see. Freedom only comes when real authority is exercised. The strong man must be bound before his goods can be plundered. Real freedom only happens when someone stronger steps in and that someone stronger is Jesus Christ from Nazareth. I've been working at youth camps. for over 10 years. And every year that I can remember some student has walked up to me with the question about the unforgivable sin. So I know what some of you are thinking. What about the really scary verse at the end of this passage? And I get it. It sounds scary to say that anything is unforgivable is terrifying. But we've actually been discussing this the entire time. This verse is specifically referring to what the scribes are doing. So let's unpack what we've been discussing so far. There are two important pieces of context that we must discuss. First, the actions of the scribes. They have seen the work of the Holy Spirit through Christ. They have observed the Holy Spirit rescuing souls from Satan up close and in person. It is undeniable. And yet not only do they deny it, but they actively work against it. They don't want to see those people saved. They don't want to see the demons be cast out. They want them to stay possessed. They are openly and intentionally stifling the work of the Holy Spirit, the work of the gospel, and it is purely out of self-preservation. Second, the parable and the promise. Jesus ends with a warning, but notice how he begins. First, he describes you as precious. That parable, the strong man, that's Satan. You got it. The one who binds, that's Jesus. You got that. But who are you? Where are you in the parable? You are the goods. The precious thing that the son of man has come to retrieve. This is important. It is the place which the gospel always starts. that you are of so much value that the God of the universe would stoop to rescue you from the master of darkness who holds you captive. There is no other way out. The precious thing that the son of man has come to retrieve is you. The enemy is strong. He has conquered generations of men and women. That's all the Old Testament is. testimony of the strength of the enemy, the weakness of man, and the promise of the one who is stronger. That is Christ. He's the one who is stronger. You are the goods that Christ came for. All you have to do is submit to the authority of the one who rescues. And he promises in verse 28, truly I say to you, All sins will be forgiven, the children of man. But you cannot get out of the house unless Christ carries you out. Here's the reality. You are either gonna serve the prince of darkness, the strong man, or the prince of peace, Christ. The difference is that one of them's lying to you about it. Satan says that you can serve yourself, And then he tricks you into serving him. Christ calls you to serve him, but there is a choice. Christ loves you. He came for you. Grace comes first. Forgiveness is wide. Mercy is real. But then comes the warning. Do not blaspheme the Holy Spirit. What does that mean? First, if you're in the room, And you're worried that you've committed this unforgivable sin. You haven't. If you had, you wouldn't care. You wouldn't ask. Your heart would be hardened to the point beyond reach. Blasphemy of the spirit is not just doubt or disbelief or a careless word. It is a settled posture. a persistent refusal to recognize God's work as God's work, and not only that, but to actively try to stop it. We're talking about a person who absolutely refuses to see, accept, or allow the work of God on Earth. They have hardened their heart towards God completely. So why is it unforgivable? Not because of what they have done, but because they refuse the only source of forgiveness. You know where else we see this in scripture? Pharaoh and the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt. When I was younger, I had a really hard time with Exodus chapter 7, where God hardens Pharaoh's heart. Here's the thing though. Let's forget for a moment that Pharaoh is guilty of attempted genocide and enslaving an entire population. I mean, we're talking about Hitler level stuff, right? If you go read the story of the Exodus, you will find that Pharaoh hardens his own heart just as many times as God hardens his heart. See, the thing is Pharaoh was already hard-hearted. He was actively denying and working against God, and this wasn't going to change. He was determined to keep Moses from rescuing God's people from slavery. So God took Pharaoh's hardened heart and used it to display his power and authority all across Egypt, setting the Hebrews free and absolutely eviscerating the Egyptian pagan gods in the process. The religious leaders were the same. Their hearts were hardened to Jesus, hardened towards God, hardened towards his people. There was nothing that Jesus could have done or said that would have convinced them otherwise. So they opposed him. They worked to stop Jesus from saving his people from slavery. So God took their hard heartedness and used it to display his power. is authority and mercy across all nations and all generations. How? You use them. It's in Christ to the cross on your behalf. Beware the hard heart. Over time, resistance can become permanent. The heart hardens, not all at once, but through repeated refusal. So as we wrap up, the question before us is not whether Jesus is powerful, but whether he is Lord. Some of you are here this morning and your heart isn't turned against Jesus. You just haven't been sure or you've been scared because submitting your entire life to someone else is hard. It requires sacrifice and that's a tough pill to swallow. But here's the thing. Someone already owns your life. They're just letting you believe it's yours for a little while. You guys know what payday loans are? One of the most dangerous and crooked inventions in our country. The gist is this, they will give you money and tell you that it's yours. You can spend it however you want. No one will stop you. But the interest on that is egregious. It will cost you so much more than it gave you. This is what your life is like in the enemy's hands. He will let you believe that it is yours. He will let you spend it however you want. But one day, your lease will run out, and the interest on your life is your soul. He owns you, even if he tells you that he doesn't. Christ means what he says, that if you will give your life to him, he will protect it. He doesn't give you temporary ownership of anything. He gives you a place in what he owns. And it is good. It is perfect. It is peaceful and it is in perfect harmony with the one true God. If that's you, if you haven't been rescued from the enemy who has ownership of your soul, man, I'm begging you, do it. Let Christ carry you out. Come talk with one of the elders here at Grace Life. And for those of you who still aren't ready, you're walking out of this room and this just still isn't for you. My prayer for you is this, let your heart be softened to receive when the time is here. That's all I'm asking. Don't harden your heart to the gospel. Lastly, to my fellow believers, just as the heart doesn't harden all at once, It also doesn't soften all at once. What are the things that you're convincing yourself of just to please your deceptive heart? Beware of faulty reasoning. We do it often and it is hard to spot. This sermon was mostly evangelical, but there is something to be said about the enemy using our hearts to mislead our minds. Rest your hearts in the Messiah and he will renew your minds. As we close. The scribes. They got that Jesus was powerful. But they didn't get that he was Lord. Explaining Jesus away feels safer in the moment, but it empties him of life-giving authority. submitting to Jesus cost control, but it leads to freedom. We're going to partake in the Lord's Supper together. Why do we do that? Because Christ is Lord and we celebrate and submit to that as born-again Believers.