God's True Family

Good morning, everyone.

For those of you who don't know, my name is Andrew Rimm.

! I am one of the pastoral interns here at Trinity Cambridge Church.

! If you guys could please turn with me now to Matthew chapter 12.

Matthew 12 · chapter mention

Matthew chapter 12, verse 38 to 50.

Matthew 12:38–50

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Lord, more than ever, in our time and culture, in this generation, we need you.

We need your word to be permeating throughout our lives.

We need your word to be dictating how we can live a faithful life to you

in the face of all the darkness and unbelief around us, Lord.

So we ask you, God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, won't you illuminate this passage to us, Lord?

Give us eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to know.

That even amongst this generation of evil that we live in, you are still good.

You are greater than all, and you are worthy to be praised.

Won't you be glorified?

Won't you be magnified in the preaching of your word?

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Would you please stand with me for the reading?

That does remind me, if any of you don't have a Bible and would like one,

please raise your hand and we'll try to get a copy for you, for your keeping.

Matthew chapter 12, verse 38 to 50.

Matthew 12:38–50

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying,

Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.

But he answered them,

An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign,

but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish,

so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,

for they repented at the preaching of Jonah.

And behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it,

for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

And behold, something greater than Solomon is here.

When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person,

it passes through waterless places seeking rest but finds none.

And then it says,

I will return to my house from which I came.

And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.

Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits, more evil than itself,

and they enter and dwell there,

and the last state of that person is worse than the first.

So also will it be with this evil generation.

While he was still speaking to the people,

behold, his mother and his brother stood outside asking to speak to him.

But he replied to the man who told him,

Who is my mother?

And who are my brothers?

And stretching out his hand toward his disciples,

he said,

Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven

is my brother and sister and mother.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

You may be seated.

Amen.

Growing up, my brothers and I,

my younger brothers and I,

were all classically trained in music.

I played the cello.

My younger brother plays the violin.

And his twin brother plays the viola.

And throughout my childhood,

my mom would schedule practice time during the day.

And we would go into our respective rooms

and for two hours practice our instruments.

My mom would be around the house taking care of chores.

And every once in a while,

like a prison guard,

she would open our doors

and check to make sure that we were practicing.

But my brothers and I had a little secret.

While we were practicing,

we would have our phones or our iPods

on our music stands.

And we would watch cartoons

and YouTube videos while we were practicing

or when we were taking a break.

My brothers and I had another little secret.

We had unspoken understanding,

a code,

that we would send signs to one another,

some sort of signal,

if we sensed that our mom

was coming to check in on us.

We confessed this on my wedding day to my parents.

And my mom was flabbergasted.

Sometimes it would be a quick text.

Yo, mom.

Quickly, put away the phone.

Start playing through my Suzuki book.

Other times,

a sharp cough

from the next room over.

Away goes my phone

and I wear my Measure 24 box suite.

You know?

And other times,

I'd hear the hurried clatter of bows.

And my brothers would quickly start playing.

And that would be a clear indication.

Mom's right around the corner.

And so my last resort move,

in that hurriedness,

I'd pretend to tune my cello

with a face of clear concentration

of such a difficult task

of tuning a cello.

But over time,

I started to get cocky.

I started to get overconfident

in my own ability.

I felt like I didn't need

my brother's signs and signals anymore.

And like a Jedi using the Force,

I could sense my mom's presence

and know when to start back up

with my cello practice.

But then one day,

my mom went out of the house

to go buy some groceries

while we were supposed to be

in practice time.

The house was dead silent

because all three boys

were lounging in their respective rooms

on their phones.

An hour passed,

and suddenly,

I got a message on my phone

from one of my brothers.

Yo,

I think I saw mom's car with Pullen.

I glanced out the window.

I thought I saw a flash of white,

but maybe that was just my imagination.

Then another text popped up.

I heard the garage door opening.

I listen,

and I hear a low rumbling.

Eh,

must be the laundry machine.

In my mind,

I thought,

there had better be

a legit sign,

a legitimate sign

that mom was home

that I can see

or tangibly hear.

Else,

I'm not believing my brothers.

I got this.

I can get away with this.

Suddenly,

I hear the clattering

of my brother's bows,

and they start playing

their instruments again.

And in my hubris,

I thought to myself,

they're just being paranoid.

Suddenly,

my mom opens the door,

and she finds her eldest son

lounging on the bed

with a cello on the ground

and an iPhone in hand,

busted.

In the end,

my pride and my unbelief

made me overlook

the obvious

and abundant signs

that my mom

was indeed home,

and I paid dearly.

What I share with you

here, church,

is a much sillier anecdote.

But many of you guys

probably have stories

of your own,

of similar circumstances

of unbelief.

Whether it's you

or someone that you know

who has felt skepticism,

even when all the signs

seem to point

to the truth of the matter.

But in our stubbornness,

we refuse to admit the truth,

and even when the evidence

and signs stack up against us,

we continue to be in denial.

In our passage this morning,

we encounter

a more serious case

of unbelief,

even when the signs

seem to overwhelmingly

point to the truth.

And that is the Pharisees

and their contemporaries'

denial of Jesus

as the promised Messiah

and the Son of God.

Their measure of unbelief

leads Jesus to call them

an evil and adulterous generation,

and one that continues

to become worse and worse

in their spiritual condition.

Church,

the evil generation,

that streak of unbelief

that Jesus calls out

in our passage,

is prevalent in our age now.

More than ever,

we're surrounded by a culture

of skepticism,

skepticism of the gospel,

and the culture demands

signs from the Christian faith.

Prove,

prove it to us

that Jesus is real,

that he's the way,

the truth,

and the life,

as you guys say,

that he really did die

and rise from the grave.

But this generation,

they often demand

to see these signs

not because they want

to believe,

but because they want

to confirm

their unbelief.

I was right along,

all along,

it's not true.

As Christians

and as bearers

of the gospel,

church,

we need to be aware

of this evil generation

of unbelief,

and we need to rely

on the power

of the Holy Spirit

to guide us

in not falling into

that temptation

of unbelief

and reminding ourselves

that there is a generation

that is far better

than this evil one,

and that's the generation

that Jesus calls

his family.

And so this is my main point

this morning.

As brothers and sisters

of Christ,

be set apart

from this evil generation

of unbelief.

I'll touch on three points

this morning.

First,

the sign for an evil generation.

Second,

the worsened state

of the evil generation.

And third,

the family of Jesus.

Throughout the gospel

of Matthew,

Matthew's been recording

various miracles

Jesus performed

since he began

this ministry

in chapter 4.

Already,

he's healed diseases

and afflictions

and cast out demons

several times

within his ministry.

Even within our chapter,

chapter 12,

Jesus has healed

a man with a withered hand

and healed

a demon-oppressed man

of his blindness

and muteness

with great authority,

causing many to wonder,

is this the Messiah,

the Son of God?

But the scribes

and Pharisees,

out of selfish ambition

and jealousy,

continued to scorn Jesus

and criticize his ministry.

They accused Jesus

of operating in his miracles

of healing and exorcism

by the power of Beelzebul,

the prince of demons,

as we saw in our previous passage.

Jesus proceeded

to rebuke them

of blaspheming

the Holy Spirit

in their words,

showing the wickedness

and unbelief

in their hearts.

And this sets the stage

for where we are now.

Verse 38,

the Pharisees replied

to Jesus by telling him,

Teacher,

we wish to see

a sign from you.

The Pharisees wanted

to see another sign

from Jesus

as if everything

that happened before,

all those healings,

all those exorcisms,

meant nothing to them.

Fine, teacher,

if you say

that you're not

of Beelzebul

and you say

that you are of God,

show us a sign.

Our own people

have performed exorcisms.

Our own people

have been able

to heal people

in the past.

Show us something different.

Prove your worth.

Their skepticism

was as much

as if we were to

ambush a magician

after the magic show,

demanding him

to show us real magic

now that all the setups,

now that all the lights,

now that all the smoke

has died away.

But Jesus isn't having that.

He wasn't going

to pull off a miracle

like some cheap party trick

in front of the Pharisees

at their whim

in their bidding.

And his response

to them

is sharp and clear.

Verse 39,

an evil and adulterous

generation

seeks for a sign,

but no sign

will be given to it

except the sign

of the prophet Jonah.

Let's focus

on the first part

of Jesus' reply.

An evil and adulterous

generation

seeks for a sign.

It's interesting

who Jesus addresses

as a whole.

He could have just said,

you evil and adulterous

scribes and Pharisees

seek a sign.

But instead,

he expands the scope

of his rebuke

to the whole generation.

An evil and adulterous

generation.

Jesus calls this generation

evil because they seek

a sign out of malicious intent.

They don't ask for a sign

so that they can believe

in the Messiah,

but rather to destroy him.

Jesus calls this generation

adulterous because

they're seeking a sign

shows their faithlessness

in the Lord God.

That they desire

to put their trust

in what they see

with their own eyes

and not in what

the Lord had promised.

It's spiritual adultery.

As an aside,

what Jesus is not saying here

is that it's evil

or adulterous

to seek for a sign

from the Lord.

All throughout the Bible,

God gave signs to people

like Moses and Gideon

to stir them in their faith

amidst doubt and fear.

In our own context,

we pray to God

to show us a sign,

whether that's through

answering our prayer requests,

placing supernatural peace

in our hearts

about a decision to be made,

or comfort amidst

our sorrows

or supernatural gifts

of the Spirit

such as healing or prophecy.

What sets us,

Moses and Gideon,

apart from these Pharisees

and scribes

is that we ask for God

to show his power

to stir up our faith

rather than to fuel

our biased unbelief

to ultimately scorn

and reject Jesus

like the Pharisees did.

That is what this generation

that Jesus condemns

chooses to do.

This isn't Jesus'

first condemnation

of this generation,

nor will it be his last

throughout the Gospel of Matthew.

In Matthew chapter 11,

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

Jesus calls out

this generation

as being like children

who play the flute

and sing a dirge,

forcing their playmates

to play along

by their rules

of their games.

The Pharisees in Matthew 11

were rebuked

for being like these children,

moving the goalposts

of righteousness

to fit their own agendas

and desires.

They called John the Baptist

demonized for fasting,

and yet they called Jesus

a glutton and drunkard

for eating and drinking

out of their unbelief

and hypocrisy.

Later in Matthew chapter 23,

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

Jesus again condemns

the Pharisees and scribes

with seven woes

for their hypocrisy

and unbelief,

for imposing laws

which they themselves

were not following,

for neglecting weightier matters

of the law

like mercy and justice,

and instead focusing

on external cleanliness

when deep inside

they were stained

with idolatry of the self

and lawlessness.

All these things,

Jesus pronounces,

will incur great judgment

upon this generation.

Matthew 23, 36.

Jesus is directly addressing

the Pharisees

who confront him,

but he's also saying

that there are more

beyond this group

of conspirators

who participate

in the same wrongdoings

of unbelief

and unfaithfulness.

The Pharisees and scribes

are simply

the chief representatives

of a whole generation.

An evil and adulterous generation

that refuses to believe

in Jesus

as the promised Messiah.

And spoiler alert,

Jesus is very worried

about this whole generation

is fulfilled.

Because of this generation's

unbelief and wickedness,

Jesus was turned over

to Pontius Pilate.

He was demanded

to be crucified

by the Jewish leaders

and the crowds of people.

This whole generation

rejected Jesus

by scorning his words,

spurning his miracles,

and crucifying him

and putting him to death.

And so Jesus condemns

this generation

and declares

no sign

will be given

to this evil generation

except

the sign

of the prophet Jonah.

What then

is the sign

of the prophet Jonah?

Let's look at

Jesus' explanation

of the sign.

Verse 40.

For just as Jonah

was three days

and three nights

in the belly

of the great fish,

so will the Son of Man

be three days

and three nights

in the heart

of the earth.

The prophet Jonah

in the Old Testament

was appointed by God

to warn the city

of Nineveh

that judgment

was coming upon them

from their Lord

for their wickedness.

But Jonah instead

fled from God's presence.

God caused

a great storm

to torment Jonah's ship

and appointed

a great fish

to swallow up Jonah

for three days

and three nights

before God caused

a fish

to spit Jonah

onto dry land.

Jonah then

heeded God's command

and proclaimed

God's judgment

to the Ninevites

and these Gentile

Ninevites believed

and feared the Lord

and repented

of their wickedness

and they were saved.

The sign of Jonah

that Jesus refers to

is a symbol

of Jesus'

own death

and resurrection.

Like Jonah's

deliverance

from the fish's belly

after three days

and three nights,

Jesus will be

crucified

and buried

for three days

and three nights

before doing

something no one else,

no other Jewish

healer or exorcist

could have done.

He resurrected

from death

to life.

And this

would be

that unmistakable sign

given to the generation

that proves

Jesus' authority

as the Son of God

and the promised Messiah.

We have a very smart

congregation here

and you may have heard

three days

and three nights

and you may be

doing the math

and there may be

a little bit

of confusion now.

If we hold the view

that Jesus died

on what we call

Good Friday,

a full three days

and three nights,

72 hours,

would not get us

to Resurrection Sunday,

more of a Resurrection Monday.

Or going the other way,

if Jesus resurrected

on what we call

Resurrection Sunday,

a full three days

and three nights

prior would bring us

to a good Thursday.

What we see here

is that Jesus

is using three days

and three nights

as an example

of a Hebraic idiom,

a figure of speech,

where a day

and a night

can refer to just

part of a full day

and not necessarily

a full 24-hour

time frame.

In the Resurrection account,

what we call

Good Friday,

Holy Saturday,

and Resurrection Sunday

would count as

three days

and three nights,

even if this time frame

does not span

that full 72 hours.

It's similar to

the way we say things like,

I was at work all day,

without actually meaning

that we were in the office

for a full 24-hour period.

And so Jesus uses

this Hebraic idiom,

this figure of speech,

as a typological representation.

Just as Jonah

was in the belly

of the fish

for three days

and three nights

before being spit up,

so was Jesus

in the realm of the dead

for three days

and three nights

before He resurrected

to life.

Jesus' resurrection,

then,

would be that sign

to the Pharisees

and to the rest

of the generation

that Jesus is indeed

the promised Messiah,

the Son of David,

and the Savior

of the world

to both Jews

and Gentiles.

And yet,

even though Jesus

has been proclaiming

of God's kingdom to come

and how this generation

needs to repent

and prepare

for the kingdom at hand,

the generation continues

to not believe.

And it's for this reason

Jesus tells the Pharisees,

the men of Nineveh

will rise up

at the judgment

with this generation

and condemn it,

for they repented

at the preaching of Jonah

and behold,

something greater

than Jonah is here.

If the Ninevites

were able to receive

the warnings

of the prophet Jonah

and reach the conclusion

that they had to repent

to the Lord,

the Pharisees

and their contemporaries

should be even more

cognizant of their sin

and even more repentant

toward the warnings

of Jesus,

who is far greater

than Jonah.

Jonah's proclamation

was toward the salvation

of one city,

the one city of Nineveh,

and yet Jesus' proclamation

was toward the salvation

of the whole world.

But as we've seen

over and over in Matthew,

the Pharisees

in this generation

instead continue

to be hardened

in their hearts

and continue

in their unbelief,

rejecting Jesus

as that promised Messiah.

Their lack of faith

and unwillingness

to receive Jesus

is shameful

compared to the response

of repentance

from the Ninevites.

Nineveh,

a city of Gentiles,

repented to

a mere mortal man's preaching.

While the Pharisees

and Jews,

God's own covenant people,

scoffed at the preaching

of the Son of God,

the one who is far greater

than the prophet Jonah.

Jesus presents his rebuke

in another example

in verse 42,

the queen of the south,

the queen of the kingdom

of Sheba

from 1 Kings chapter 10.

1 Kings 10 · chapter mention

She was Gentile royalty,

and yet when she heard

of the great God-given wisdom

that King Solomon possessed,

she came from the ends

of the earth

to hear the wisdom

of Solomon.

The kingdom of Sheba

is believed

to have been located

in what is today

between Yemen

and Ethiopia.

The queen of the south,

the queen of Sheba,

would have had to travel

up to 1,500 miles

to arrive at Jerusalem

to test Solomon

with hard questions,

and after questioning Solomon,

the queen left,

marveling at his display

of godly wisdom,

as 1 Kings 10 says.

If the queen of Sheba

was willing to go

such great lengths,

literally great lengths,

over 1,000 miles,

to consult the God-given

wisdom of Solomon,

the Pharisees

and their contemporaries

should all be

all the more willing

to heed the teachings

and admonishments

of Jesus,

who is greater than Solomon,

because he is the very wisdom

of God,

as proclaimed in

1 Corinthians 1,21,4.

And yet again,

the Pharisees

in this generation

are shameful

and worthy

to be condemned

in their response

to Jesus' teachings

and his wisdom.

Church,

Jesus' warnings

of this evil generation

is not just limited

to the Pharisees

of Jesus' time.

Here and now,

this evil

and adulterous generation

is still in our midst.

We're surrounded

by many people

who do not believe

in the proclamation

and wisdom of Jesus

and many who are hostile

towards the gospel

and seek to quelch

and destroy those

who do believe in it,

just as the Pharisees

plotted

for Jesus' destruction.

We look at our time

in culture today.

With the rise of secularism

and post-modern thought,

more and more people

see the Christian faith

as oppressive

and offensive

to their current

cultural sensibilities

and they hurl insults

and vitriol

at those

who still adhere

to the teachings

of God's word.

All around the world,

persecution of Christians

continues to run rampant.

I think of Nigeria

where in this past year,

thousands of Christians

have been harassed,

kidnapped,

or martyred

by extremist terrorist groups.

And these persecutions

have ramped up

all the more

in recent weeks.

This past month in China,

many pastors and leaders

of the largest house church

in China

were arrested

for illegally gathering

for the sake

of the gospel,

including dear friends

of some of my fellow

seminary students.

As Ed had mentioned

last week,

anti-conversion laws

and Gar-Wafi,

return home campaigns

in India

forcibly put Christians

in societal disadvantages.

Authorities don't bat an eye

when churches

and church members

are beaten,

ransacked,

and taken advantage of.

But even the smallest

of gestures

from a Christian

will land them

in prison.

Jesus promised

to the Pharisees

that this evil generation

that seeks for a sign

will not receive anything

except the sign

of Jonah.

We live amongst

this generation today.

And this generation

has received

that sign of Jonah

in the death

and resurrection

of Jesus.

Jesus has given

this generation

that sign

proving his authority

as the son of God.

But people today,

like the Pharisees,

still don't believe.

If anything,

the evil generation

is in a worse state

than ever before

because they've received

the good news

of the gospel,

of Jesus' death

and resurrection,

and yet they continue

in their unbelief

and faithlessness.

Church,

we're in the midst

of this evil generation

all around us,

but this generation

still desperately needs

to hear the gospel

and have the Holy Spirit

soften their hardened hearts

to believe.

Jesus then returns

to the issue

that triggered

his rebuke

towards the Pharisees,

his exorcism

of the demon-possessed man

earlier in Matthew 12.

Jesus now presents

a parable

of an unclean spirit,

a demon

that has gone

out of a person.

He says in verses

43 to 45

that the unclean spirit

wanders around

through waterless places,

places that are barren

and lifeless,

but is unable

to find a resting place

before it concludes,

I'll return to my house

from which I came.

The evil spirit

is referring

to the person

it had once demonized

as my house.

I'll just go back

to my house,

the person

who I used to torment.

Pastor Charles Spurgeon

remarks about this

in his commentary.

His audacity,

Satan's audacity

is amazing.

Evidently,

he considers

that he has

the freehold

of man's nature

and can go

and come at his pleasure

if Satan

quits a man

of his own will,

he is sure to return

just when it suits

his purpose.

Only the divine force

which ejects him

can secure

his non-return.

When a house

is built,

when a house

is established,

it requires

an occupant.

A house

needs the Lord.

And in the case

of the human being,

that Lord

and occupant

is either

the Holy Spirit

or Satan.

There is no

neutral ground,

no empty house

that will remain

empty for long.

It's only by

the indwelling

of the Holy Spirit

in a person

that an evil spirit

that is cast out

cannot enter

to demonize

the person again.

And here lies

the problem

in Jesus' parable.

The demon

returns to the person

that it had once

resided in

and it finds

the house

empty,

swept,

and put

in order.

The house

or the person

is made empty

because the evil

spirit was cast out.

It's been cleaned up

while the unclean

spirit has been away.

Maybe the person

has reformed

their ways

from sin,

tidied their life

back in order,

but the house

remains

empty.

The house

has evicted

the evil spirit,

but it has not

been replaced

with the presence

of the Holy Spirit.

And as a result,

the evil spirit

is able to return

into this house

and not only

on its own,

but with seven

other spirits

more evil

than itself.

It invites

its friends

also to enter

so that they

may have

an even stronger

hold on their

victim,

so that it's

even more

difficult to cast

out these demons

from the person.

Without the Holy

Spirit residing

in the person

to prevent

re-entry of evil,

they're in a

worse state

than the first.

Through this

parable,

Jesus is referring

to the Pharisees

who claimed

to be able

to cast out

demons.

However,

these Pharisees

were merely

removing the

evil spirits

from the person

by legalistic

ritual,

and not by

the name

of Jesus

and the power

of the Holy

Spirit.

They were

leaving people

emptied and

cleansed

of the evil

spirit,

but only

for a little

while.

After a bit,

because the

Holy Spirit

is not the

present active

force dwelling

in and working

in the person's

life,

the person

will be filled

with an even

more evil

force and be

in an even

worse state.

The Pharisees'

work then

is futile,

and it's

perhaps even

more detrimental

to this person.

But Jesus'

parable is

also pointing

to an even

deeper heart

issue beneath

the matters

of exorcism,

and that is

the Pharisees

and this

generation's

persistent and

progressively

worsening state

of spiritual

unbelief.

This is why

Jesus applies

this parable

to them by

saying in

verse 45,

so also

will it be

with this

evil generation.

The Pharisees

and their

contemporaries

had witnessed

and heard

Jesus'

proclamation

of the

gospel.

They heard

Jesus pronounce

himself as

the fulfillment

of the law

and the prophets,

the same law

that bound

the Pharisees

and Jews

to sin and

death.

They saw

and witnessed

Jesus perform

miracles of

healing and

exorcism with

great authority.

They witnessed

the power of

the Holy Spirit

through Jesus,

and they were

invited by Jesus

to come to

him and to

believe in

the gospel

that grants

them true

rest.

And yet,

this evil

generation

persisted in

unbelief.

Though they

presented the

gospel by

Jesus,

the Pharisees

refused to

accept Jesus

as their

Messiah and

blasphemed

the Holy Spirit

by their

malicious

rejection of

Jesus as

the Son of

God.

Their rejection

of Jesus

means that

they reject

the Holy Spirit

from entering

into their

own hearts,

giving way

to Satan

to enter

and dwell

inside them.

And it's

for this

reason this

evil generation

will be in

a worse

state than

ever before,

because they

heard the

gospel and

had a chance

to receive

Jesus into

their hearts,

but they

actively chose

not to.

Instead,

letting the

sinister spirits

of unbelief

and self-righteousness

creep into and

take root into

their hearts,

hearts,

and they

will become

more and

more spiritually

corrupt.

Brothers and

sisters,

we need to

be filled

with the

Holy Spirit

in our lives.

We need the

Holy Spirit

in our lives

to be truly

set apart

from the

evil generation.

Satan is

sinister

in tricking us

into thinking

we can work

out our own

salvation apart

from the Holy

Spirit.

And Satan

is going to

use any

measure of

unbelief,

any measure

of self-righteousness,

any sense

of self-sufficiency

to take root

into our hearts

to influence us

away from

God's grace.

Look at the

Pharisees.

They thought

that they were

righteous by

pursuing

cleanliness

and moralism

and following

the law

scrupulously.

However,

when the

gospel was

presented before

them in the

person of

Jesus Christ,

they did

not receive

him out

of their

external

self-righteousness

and their

hearts were

hardened.

Their

cleansing

rituals,

their external

piety,

and their

strivings to

follow God's

commandments

by their

own efforts

was merely

their playing

the role

of a

housekeeper,

sweeping

and organizing

that empty

room in their

hearts,

unwittingly

preparing them

for the return

of the evil

spirits.

It's only

by confessing

our great

need for

Jesus,

our Lord

and Savior

and receiving

the Holy

Spirit in

our hearts

that we

can be

truly saved

from the

bondage of

sin and

sanctified toward

God rather

than being a

part of this

evil generation

that persists

in their sin

and their

unbelief.

for those of

you this

morning who

feel the

burden of

sin,

who feel

the temptation

of our

fleshly

desires,

take heart

and repent

to Jesus

confessing

that you

need not

your own

power but

the power

of the

Holy Spirit

in your

hearts.

It's only

by the

power of

the Holy

Spirit that

we can

overcome

sin.

I think

of Ed's

sermon last

week,

of that

terrifying

point of

no return

that denying

and blaspheming

the work of

the Holy

Spirit can

culminate

to.

Just as

the final

stage of

frostbite

brings

irreparable

damage to

the body,

the final

stage of

unbelief is

the irreversible

spiritual death

that will lead

to eternal

separation from

God.

God,

this is no

trifling matter

but for those

of you who

feel that

burden,

for those

of you who

feel those

pangs of

regret and

remorse over

your sins and

your unbelief,

if you feel

the burden and

hopelessness of

not being able

to save

yourself by

your own

strength,

this means

that you're

not too

late.

You're not

at that final

point of

frostbite.

You're not

at that final

point of

unbelief.

there's still

warmth remaining

in your soul

and there's

still an

opportunity for

your heart to

receive the

Holy Spirit and

be set apart

from this evil

generation by

declaring your

allegiance and

need for

Jesus Christ.

As the

apostle Paul

writes in

Romans chapter

Romans 8 · chapter mention

8,

you,

however,

are not in

the flesh but

in the spirit.

If in fact the

spirit of God

dwells in you,

anyone who

does not have

the spirit of

Christ does

not belong to

him.

But if Christ

is in you,

although the

body is dead

because of

sin,

the spirit is

life because of

righteousness.

If the spirit

of him who

raised Jesus

from the dead

dwells in you,

he who raised

Christ Jesus

from the dead

will also give

life to your

mortal bodies

through the

spirit,

his spirit,

who dwells

in you.

Praise God

that the Holy

Spirit is the

seal and guarantee

of our salvation

and that we

don't have to

work out our

salvation on

our own strength,

but we can

receive such

grace through

faith in our

Lord Jesus

Christ.

So who

then is

set apart

from this

evil generation?

Jesus gives

us the answer

in a very

surprising way.

We see in

verse 46,

in the midst

of Jesus

teaching and

rebuking these

Pharisees.

His mother

and his

brothers stood

outside asking

to speak to

him.

While we

don't know

exactly in

the text what

they wanted to

talk to him

about, we

have several

accounts in

the Gospel of

John and the

Gospel of

Mark that

attest to

Jesus' biological

brothers and

family not

believing in

him and his

ministry.

We can imagine

in this case

too, they

wanted to speak

to Jesus either

out of concern

from him or

wanting to

pull him away

from any

confrontation or

conflict with

the Pharisees.

Jesus, you're

causing a scene.

Jesus, this is

too much.

Get out of

this place.

But Jesus

replies to

their pleas,

who is my

mother and

who are my

brothers?

Now, I

don't know

about you

guys, but

if my mother

and my

brothers wanted

to talk to

me,

and if I

were to

say to

them,

who is

my mom?

Who are

my brothers?

I'd be in

some pretty

big trouble.

But Jesus

asked this

question, and

then he

stretches out

his hand

toward his

disciples and

declares in

verse 50,

here are my

mother and

my brothers.

For whoever

does the will

of my Father

in heaven is

my brother

sister and

mother.

Jesus isn't

saying all

this to

outright reject

his biological

family.

He's not

doing all

this to

coldly diss

his mother

and brothers.

However, what

he is saying

is that his

biological tie to

his family is

secondary to

his relationship

with those who

claim allegiance

to God.

God.

Those who

follow Jesus

and believe in

his word and

ministry are

closer to

Jesus than

are his

actual mother

and brothers.

Jesus' claim

here is

reminiscent of

his earlier

statement in

Matthew chapter

Matthew 10:34–38

10, verse

34 to 38,

where he says,

whoever loves

father or

mother more

than me is

not worthy

of me.

and whoever

loves son or

daughter more

than me is

not worthy

of me.

Whoever does

not take his

cross and

follow me is

not worthy

of me.

If family

relationships or

any earthly

relationship,

father,

mother,

child,

sibling,

friend,

lover,

boss,

whoever,

if any of

these relationships

takes priority

over loving

and treasuring

God first,

then Jesus

says that they

are not

worthy of

him.

There is

no compromise

of this.

There's no

secondary or

tertiary option.

Either we

give Jesus

our undivided

allegiance and

priority in

our hearts

and in our

lives,

or we are

not for

him.

And giving

him only

half-hearted,

partial

attention.

But amidst

this hard

truth,

there's also

something so

loving and

gracious in

what Jesus

says.

Won't you

read verse

50 with me

again?

For

whoever,

whoever does

the will of

my Father in

heaven is my

brother and

sister and

mother.

Jesus could

have placed

all sorts of

criteria for

those who can

be called

worthy to be

called his

family.

He could

have said,

only the Jews

can be called

my family because

we share the

same bloodline.

He could have

looked at the

Pharisees and

said, thank you

for your piety

and your zeal.

You are who I

call family.

or he could

have placed a

whole sequence

of requirements.

Whoever has

kept all of the

commandments,

whoever has

gave at least

10% of their

earnings to the

temple, has

pilgrimed to

Jerusalem for

all the Jewish

feasts and

festivals, whoever

has recited the

Torah from memory

is worthy to be

called my family.

He could have

placed all of

these requirements

and criteria to

have family.

But he doesn't

do that.

Instead, he

stretches his

hand out to

his disciples and

calls out, these

are my brothers.

Whoever does

the will of my

father is my

family.

Look at Jesus'

disciples.

We have

fishermen.

We have a

tax collector.

We have a

political radical

zealot who

made the

ragtag group

of men that

followed Jesus.

The 12

stooges, if I

may.

Some of

them were

illiterate.

Some were

stereotyped as

dishonest and

greedy.

Some were

revolutionaries

trying to

overthrow the

Roman government.

It's the

strangest

combination of

folks congregated

together.

The Pharisees

would have seen

this group of

guys and thought

to themselves,

what the heck

is this?

How does

Jesus call

these guys

his brothers?

Jesus calls

these men

these whoever's,

his brothers,

his family,

because they

were willing

to leave

everything they

knew and

had.