1
00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,440
The holy gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ, according to Mark.

2
00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:07,320
Then he went home, and the crowd
gathered again so that they 

3
00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,120
could not even eat. 
And when his family heard it, 

4
00:00:10,280 --> 00:00:13,120
they went out to seize him. 
For they were saying He is out 

5
00:00:13,120 --> 00:00:15,920
of his mind. 
And the scribes who came down 

6
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,920
from Jerusalem were saying, He 
is possessed by Beelzebel and by

7
00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:22,960
the Prince of demons. 
He casts out the demons, and he 

8
00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:27,120
called them to him and said to 
them in parables, How can Satan 

9
00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,080
cast out Satan? 
If a Kingdom is divided against 

10
00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,200
itself, that Kingdom cannot 
stand. 

11
00:00:33,720 --> 00:00:36,920
And if a house is divided 
against itself, that house will 

12
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,040
not be able to stand. 
And if Satan has risen up 

13
00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,480
against himself and is divided, 
he cannot stand, but is coming 

14
00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:47,080
to an end. 
But no one can enter a strong 

15
00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,920
man's house and plunder his 
goods, unless he first finds the

16
00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,120
strong man. 
Then indeed he may plunder his 

17
00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,080
house. 
Truly I say to you, all sins 

18
00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,720
will be forgiven the children of
man, but whatever blasphemies 

19
00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,280
they utter, but whoever 
blasphemes against the Holy 

20
00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:06,120
Spirit never has forgiveness, 
but is guilty of an eternal sin.

21
00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,800
For they were saying, He has an 
unclean spirit, the gospel of 

22
00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,480
the Lord. 
Please pray with me. 

23
00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,360
You know, Lord, how we struggle 
to respond to appropriate 

24
00:01:20,360 --> 00:01:23,480
authority. 
You know that sometimes we 

25
00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:27,960
conflict with truth. 
Right now we welcome you to come

26
00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:31,640
and speak to us. 
Show us what is true and how to 

27
00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:36,040
respond to truth in the name of 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

28
00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,280
Amen. 
Can I have your seats? 

29
00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:48,920
Imagine it is the early 1600s 
and a man by the names of 

30
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:53,960
Galilee or Galilee points a 
telescope to the sky and he 

31
00:01:53,960 --> 00:02:00,640
makes a shocking observation. 
The earth moves around the sun. 

32
00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:06,640
But soon this question by 
Galileo proves to be another 

33
00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:11,600
question, because it becomes a 
question of who has the right to

34
00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:17,480
speak about how the universe 
operates, Who has the authority 

35
00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:22,960
to define reality? 
And this question becomes very 

36
00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,360
risky than even the astronomical
question. 

37
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,760
Why? 
Because Galileo is not only 

38
00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:34,640
speaking about astronomical 
information, he's revealing a 

39
00:02:34,640 --> 00:02:38,760
new kind of truth. 
The truth that he speaks about 

40
00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,360
conflicts with established 
authorities. 

41
00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:46,080
The facts that he's sharing are 
conflicting with the interests 

42
00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,160
of fellow scientists, but 
importantly, with the religious 

43
00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,480
leaders of the days. 
In their eyes, Galileo is not 

44
00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:58,760
just speaking something wrong. 
He's very disruptive. 

45
00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,800
He's dangerous. 
He's causing a conflict with the

46
00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,360
powers of his days. 
This is what exactly we see in 

47
00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,440
the reading in Mark, which we 
have taken, Mark chapter 3, 

48
00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:16,640
verse 20 to 30. 
Jesus defines reality by his 

49
00:03:16,640 --> 00:03:21,120
ministry in ways that conflict 
with the people around him, 

50
00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:26,040
especially those whose mindset 
is contrary to the Kingdom of 

51
00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,440
God. 
And these people look at him as 

52
00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:34,200
a threat. 
Let us look at this conflict of 

53
00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:40,080
kingdoms and we're going to see 
3 movements here in the conflict

54
00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:45,080
is defined, the conflict is 
examined, and finally the 

55
00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:50,120
conflict is endorsed. 
A conflict of Kingdom begins 

56
00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,480
when truth challenges existing 
authority. 

57
00:03:54,320 --> 00:04:01,680
In verses 20 through 22, we see 
how God is truth disrupts the 

58
00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:05,680
established order. 
By this time of the narration, 

59
00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:08,680
Jesus's ministry is rather like 
sold out. 

60
00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:13,960
He never plans events. 
He doesn't even send out 

61
00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,959
invitations. 
However, many people come to Him

62
00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,279
in multitudes. 
They come to hear His teachings.

63
00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,840
They come to receive healing 
from Him from physical and 

64
00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:29,640
spiritual illnesses. 
Mark tells us in verse 20 that 

65
00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:36,680
when he Jesus, went home and the
crowd gathered again, there is 

66
00:04:36,680 --> 00:04:39,400
something we should notice about
these crowds. 

67
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,600
These crowds have a meaning 
visibly. 

68
00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:48,880
These are a sign that a new 
Kingdom has arrived and a new 

69
00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,320
order has been established in 
one or another. 

70
00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:55,880
These people are subjects of 
this King who has come. 

71
00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,280
Of course, many of them have not
yet understood who Jesus is 

72
00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:05,120
truly and his mission. 
But however, they know that they

73
00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:09,000
need him very much. 
That is why they keep seeking 

74
00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,920
Him despite of their different 
motives and their needs. 

75
00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:17,960
Their lives are beginning to 
revolve around this man, Jesus. 

76
00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:23,600
This is the question for us. 
Where do our lives gather? 

77
00:05:24,280 --> 00:05:28,800
To follow Jesus is to let our 
lives revolve around Him, our 

78
00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:31,520
time, our decisions and our 
hopes. 

79
00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,560
We don't have to understand 
everything to come to Him. 

80
00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:40,320
We just need to come because He 
invites us, because where we 

81
00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:44,160
gather reveals who is king for 
us. 

82
00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:48,560
But apart from this crowd of 
people gathering, there is 

83
00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:53,240
another group around Jesus. 
Not everyone is yearning for the

84
00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,640
King. 
Some are confused and afraid. 

85
00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,560
This new Kingdom does not fit 
their expectations. 

86
00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:04,000
It challenges their assumptions.
It threatens their interests. 

87
00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,840
And confusion often turns out 
into resistance. 

88
00:06:08,280 --> 00:06:10,280
Fear gives way to counter 
attack. 

89
00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:16,280
This confused group can fall 
into two categories, each 

90
00:06:16,280 --> 00:06:20,680
category resisting the Kingdom 
in a way that reflects how 

91
00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:23,200
certain people respond to the 
light. 

92
00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:27,880
Some decide to extinguish the 
light, while others opt to 

93
00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,240
obstruct the light. 
Let us first look at those who 

94
00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:36,520
switch off the light. 
In their mind, they mean well. 

95
00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:38,840
They think they are preserving 
the light. 

96
00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:41,880
They snuff out the candle 
because they believe they are 

97
00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:43,880
saving the candle from burning 
out. 

98
00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:49,160
They are sparing the candle for 
maybe some more appropriate use.

99
00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,240
But a light put out is not light
at all. 

100
00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:58,680
In Mark, this category of people
includes Jesus's family, his 

101
00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,880
mother, and his brothers. 
When they hear that Jesus is so 

102
00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:08,200
busy ministering that he cannot 
even eat, they come to stop him.

103
00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:12,600
In verse 21, Mark tells us what 
prompted their action. 

104
00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:15,480
They were saying He's out of his
mind. 

105
00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:20,160
To them, Jesus is overworking. 
He's neglecting his body by 

106
00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:24,040
ignoring his need for food. 
They think that no sensible 

107
00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:29,160
person can do such a thing. 
Therefore, they try to come and 

108
00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:33,560
rescue him from harming himself.
Indeed, their concern is 

109
00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,240
genuine, but their understanding
is small. 

110
00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:41,920
They know him merely as their 
son and as their brother, but 

111
00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,200
not yet as a king. 
Jesus is beyond their 

112
00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,600
expectation. 
His mission surpasses what they 

113
00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:51,560
imagine. 
But this is not the first time 

114
00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:55,160
that Jesus's family has 
misunderstood his ministry. 

115
00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:00,160
Luke reports a similar event 
when Jesus was around age 12. 

116
00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:04,840
His parents lost him for days 
during a religious festival in 

117
00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:08,920
Jerusalem, and when they found 
him, his mother questioned him, 

118
00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,840
saying, Child, why have we 
treated us like this? 

119
00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:17,160
Luke, your father and I have 
been searching for you in great 

120
00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,480
anxiety. 
And Jesus replied to them saying

121
00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,080
that he must be in his father's 
house. 

122
00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:28,280
Luke notes at the end that they 
did not understand what he 

123
00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,560
meant. 
And now, we mark, the same 

124
00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,720
misunderstanding returns. 
The family is anxious about 

125
00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,200
Jesus's welfare. 
They do not understand his 

126
00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,000
Kingdom of selfless service. 
Therefore, they conclude that 

127
00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,160
he's out of his mind. 
Sometimes the strongest 

128
00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:51,240
resistance to Jesus comes from 
the closest places, those around

129
00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:53,480
us. 
They don't always look like 

130
00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:58,000
Hostess hostility, but sometimes
it looks like concern, like 

131
00:08:58,000 --> 00:09:02,680
care, like common sense. 
But love without understanding 

132
00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:06,680
can still oppose the Kingdom. 
And we do this often to 

133
00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,520
ourselves and to other people. 
We grow uncomfortable when 

134
00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:15,280
obedience looks excessive, when 
faith looks impractical, and 

135
00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,560
when obedience disrupt normal 
life. 

136
00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,760
We might say that be reasonable,
slow down. 

137
00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,720
Don't take this too far and 
without meaning. 

138
00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:31,320
We try to switch off the light. 
We want a Jesus who fits our 

139
00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:36,000
expectations, who honors our 
boundaries, who does not cost us

140
00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:39,120
too much. 
But Jesus is not only our 

141
00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,280
comfort. 
He is our King, and his Kingdom 

142
00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:46,360
will sometimes stretch us. 
It will interrupt our routines 

143
00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,560
and will challenge our sense of 
sensibility. 

144
00:09:52,520 --> 00:09:56,600
Let us stand to the second way 
of responding to light, which is

145
00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,600
obstructing. 
You know that light travels in a

146
00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:04,360
straight line, and anything that
stands in that line which is not

147
00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,960
transparent gets in the way of 
the light. 

148
00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:10,400
And when light is blocked, 
shadows are formed. 

149
00:10:10,960 --> 00:10:15,840
The light is still on, but its 
power is distorted, it is reach 

150
00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,800
is limited, and its intensity is
weakened. 

151
00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,800
The obstruction does not destroy
the light, it simply prevents it

152
00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:28,480
from being fully filled. 
In verse 22, we meet this second

153
00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:32,600
category of people, those who 
block the light and distort it. 

154
00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:36,840
Here in we see a delegation of 
legal experts arrive again from 

155
00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,960
Jerusalem, the religious 
capital, and they're here for an

156
00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,200
official mission. 
They are here to investigate 

157
00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,880
this man Jesus, who is casting 
out demons. 

158
00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,680
And after their own examination 
in their own criteria, they 

159
00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:55,800
reach to conclusions. 
Their first claim is he's 

160
00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,440
possessed by Belzebub. 
In other words, Jesus has an 

161
00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:04,320
unclean spirit, not just any 
spirit, but the chief of all 

162
00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,880
unclean spirits. 
And their second conclusion is 

163
00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,680
by the Prince of demons. 
He casts out demons. 

164
00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:16,280
Therefore, their conclusion is 
that Jesus is not a messenger of

165
00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:21,600
God, He's Saturn's agent. 
We should notice that they don't

166
00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:26,120
deny the power and the miracles.
They recognize a Kingdom of 

167
00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,440
supernatural authority. 
Yet they take what is true 

168
00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:35,400
observation and they become of 
it a false conclusion. 

169
00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,440
Jesus is power is real, but they
label it as evil. 

170
00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:43,120
And in doing this they are 
distorting the light within 

171
00:11:43,120 --> 00:11:46,560
their own hearts, but also in 
the hearts of their audiences. 

172
00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,960
It is possible to see the light 
and to distort it. 

173
00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:53,240
And we do this too. 
When Jesus confronts our 

174
00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:56,480
assumptions, we look for other 
explanations. 

175
00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,400
When authority threatens our 
control, we reframe it. 

176
00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:03,040
We say there must be another 
reason. 

177
00:12:03,360 --> 00:12:07,320
There must be another source. 
This can't be really good, 

178
00:12:07,320 --> 00:12:09,560
asking me to do something like 
this. 

179
00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,960
Up to this point, the conflict 
has been named. 

180
00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:19,200
Light has entered the world, and
it has disrupted the established

181
00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:21,840
order. 
But now Jesus does something 

182
00:12:21,840 --> 00:12:24,680
that is crucial. 
He does not ignore the 

183
00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:28,440
accusations around him. 
Instead, he speaks into these 

184
00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,320
accusations. 
The conflict is no longer just 

185
00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:35,280
visible, but it becomes a 
logical conflict. 

186
00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:40,520
Jesus reveals the weakness of 
the false accusations about the 

187
00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:44,640
Kingdom of God. 
Beginning in verse 23, Jesus 

188
00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:48,360
calls Caesar choose us to 
himself, and he asks one simple 

189
00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:52,720
question. 
How can Satan cast out Satan? 

190
00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:57,760
Then Jesus illustrates this 
point with three with two 

191
00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,320
images. 
A Kingdom divided against itself

192
00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,600
cannot stand, and neither a 
household divided against itself

193
00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:10,480
it can't stand. 
His point is to say that power 

194
00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:15,000
structures do not survive when 
they are destroying themselves. 

195
00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:19,080
So, taken seriously, the scribes
are contradicted, are 

196
00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:24,520
contradicting themselves. 
Jesus is reputation rests on one

197
00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,520
simple truth. 
Evil is organized, it is 

198
00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:33,120
intentional, and it's coherent. 
Jesus reminds us that the 

199
00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:38,120
Kingdom of darkness is unified, 
it is strategic, it is 

200
00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,920
consistent in its aim. 
And he reminds us that we 

201
00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:45,480
shouldn't be surprised sometimes
when temptation feels 

202
00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:50,200
coordinated and when lies are 
consistent and when resistance 

203
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:56,560
to truth feels organized. 
Jesus wants us to be a lot, 

204
00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:01,600
because if darkness does not 
wage war against itself, then we

205
00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:05,560
shouldn't as the people of 
light, because division weakens 

206
00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:09,480
our weakness. 
As student of light, unitary is 

207
00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,760
our strength. 
Let me suggest a couple of ways 

208
00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:16,600
how we can demonstrate unity 
even this week by praying 

209
00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:21,320
together, lifting our hearts 
together in prayer, by 

210
00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:24,480
encouraging one another. 
Those who are feeling burdened, 

211
00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:28,760
let's encourage them in faith, 
but also by serving alongside 

212
00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:33,400
one another in ministry and in 
outreach, but also by forgiving 

213
00:14:33,400 --> 00:14:37,000
quickly, letting go of some of 
the grudges we have, and 

214
00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:43,080
restoring relationships. 
Having said this, Jesus ends his

215
00:14:43,080 --> 00:14:48,040
response with the conclusive 
decision in verse 27. 

216
00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:52,880
He declares, But no one can 
enter a strong man's house and 

217
00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,800
plunder his goods unless he 
first binds the strong man. 

218
00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:59,920
Then indeed, he may plunder his 
house. 

219
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:05,200
Think about a game of chess. 
You know you cannot capture your

220
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:08,880
opponent skiing unless you have 
played strategically and you 

221
00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:12,720
have tried to defend him by 
neutralizing several of his 

222
00:15:12,720 --> 00:15:14,920
pieces on the board and then you
are. 

223
00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,600
When you have neutralized all 
those pieces, then you can 

224
00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,440
secure your victory. 
Jesus identifies Satan as a 

225
00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:25,360
strong man. 
However, he's not stronger than 

226
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:30,280
himself, Jesus. 
But though limited, Satan cannot

227
00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:32,680
be defeated when we have half 
measures. 

228
00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:37,920
Jesus comes to neutralize this 
person, Satan, and every 

229
00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:42,600
exorcism that he carries out is 
a testimony that Jesus has 

230
00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:47,840
authority over Satan. 
And if Jesus is the strong man, 

231
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:53,320
we must not feel that we don't 
have strength because the strong

232
00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,840
man has been bound. 
We can walk in freedom, we can 

233
00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:01,600
comfort sin in honesty, and we 
can resist temptation, but also 

234
00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:06,400
we can live without fear and we 
can't boldly advance the Kingdom

235
00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:11,520
of light. 
And now up to this point, Jesus 

236
00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:16,760
has exposed the fault logic. 
He has revealed the truth 

237
00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:18,800
battle. 
He has shown that the stronger 

238
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:23,360
man has already been defeated. 
But now the moment sharpens 

239
00:16:23,680 --> 00:16:27,880
because once truth is clear, 
neutrality is no longer 

240
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:32,640
possible. 
In verse 28 through 30, Jesus 

241
00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,000
presses the issue further. 
He draws a line. 

242
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,200
He calls us for response. 
This is no longer about 

243
00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:41,680
misunderstanding. 
It's about allegiance. 

244
00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:47,360
The conflict has been defined, 
it has been explained, now it is

245
00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,720
to be endorsed and it gives us 
places a strong question before 

246
00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:57,600
us on whose side will we fall. 
Gives us issues. 

247
00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:04,040
A sincere and serious warning to
his accusers, saying truly, I 

248
00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:06,839
said to you, all sin will be 
forgiven. 

249
00:17:06,839 --> 00:17:09,839
The children of man, and 
whatever bless them is they 

250
00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:15,359
utter, but whoever blasphemies 
against the Holy Spirit never 

251
00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:20,400
has forgiveness, but is guilty 
of an eternal sin, for they were

252
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,480
saying He has an unclean spirit.
He warns that their defiant 

253
00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:30,440
hostility to the Kingdom of God,
the work of God, can put them 

254
00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:35,080
beyond repentance. 
When light is called darkness 

255
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:39,600
and the work of God is named as 
evil, the heart is hardened 

256
00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:43,360
against the grace of God and 
those who refuse to recognize 

257
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:46,480
God is work refuse to reach out 
for forgiveness. 

258
00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,640
And no one receives what we have
not sold for. 

259
00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:56,360
This is why such concept content
cannot be forgiven, not because 

260
00:17:56,360 --> 00:18:00,560
God is not merciful, but because
the door of repentance has been 

261
00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:05,760
shut and from inside persistent 
rejection of the Kingdom of God 

262
00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:10,920
and we call it evil. 
We have made a verdict against 

263
00:18:10,920 --> 00:18:13,280
ourselves that we don't need 
that Kingdom. 

264
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,560
We cannot reach out for that 
Kingdom. 

265
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:21,080
Jesus is warning not the tender 
hearted, but the heart that is 

266
00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,360
hardened. 
The danger is not struggling 

267
00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:27,680
with doubt. 
The danger is not settling, but 

268
00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:29,920
the danger is settling into 
defiance. 

269
00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:34,000
The danger is not asking 
question, but the danger is 

270
00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:39,360
closing off our serves to any 
possibility of God is work and 

271
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:43,360
how do we close off our serves 
to God every time when we 

272
00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:46,280
dismiss the Spirit is 
convictions that come into our 

273
00:18:46,280 --> 00:18:50,320
hearts, sometimes tenderly and 
we say I don't want those 

274
00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,800
convictions every time. 
When truth comes to us and we 

275
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:56,720
try to explain it away. 
Every time. 

276
00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:01,000
When we label obedience as being
too much of an extreme and when 

277
00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:06,160
unholiness becomes unnecessary 
to us, we are slowly drifting 

278
00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:12,080
away quietly from the Kingdom of
God and our hearts will soon 

279
00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:21,000
become too heavy and too blind. 
CS Lewis says in this famous 

280
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:26,440
quote that Jesus must be either 
a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. 

281
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:30,000
But everything depends on how we
view his authority. 

282
00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,840
When his authority feels 
unreasonable, we dismiss him as 

283
00:19:34,840 --> 00:19:38,200
being a lunatic. 
When his authority feels 

284
00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,680
unfamiliar and unsettling, we 
label him as a liar. 

285
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:46,000
But when his authority is 
recognized as being true, we 

286
00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:48,360
fall before him and we profess 
who he is. 

287
00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:52,360
He's our Lord. 
The man. 

288
00:19:52,360 --> 00:20:01,600
Gary Leo was condemned in 1642 
and it took 19193 years when his

289
00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:05,720
books were banned. 
We are listed as among books 

290
00:20:05,720 --> 00:20:11,080
that are condemned not to be 
read and it took 350 years for 

291
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,640
him to be admitted that he was 
true. 

292
00:20:13,640 --> 00:20:17,320
He said what was true? 
The authorities admitted that 

293
00:20:17,320 --> 00:20:20,360
they were wrong. 
Gary Leo was indeed true. 

294
00:20:21,560 --> 00:20:25,480
The truth had been delayed, but 
it had not been defeated. 

295
00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:30,400
Jesus is authority was 
vindicated sooner because in his

296
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,560
resurrection Jesus trampled 
against Satan and he defeated 

297
00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,680
him. 
The conflict of the Kingdom may 

298
00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:42,000
continue on for a while, but the
verdict has already been shown 

299
00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:44,680
to us. 
And one day this Jesus will come

300
00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:48,920
back in authority, and all 
people will confess Him as Lord.

301
00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,440
Even those who deny Him, they 
will confess Him as Lord. 

302
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:56,640
Therefore, invite Him to come in
our lives in the name of the 

303
00:20:56,640 --> 00:20:58,760
Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Spirit. 

304
00:20:59,280 --> 00:20:59,640
Amen.