God's Servant or Satan's Pawn?, Part 2

According to Jesus, it's impossible to ride the fence with Him.

Today on Insight for Living... It's interesting to observe that Jesus, from His earthly ministry until this day, has been a lightning rod for controversy. He always seems to garner a loyal following while at the very same time drawing a faction of super annoyed critics.

Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll describes a moment when these two worlds collided. He loved Him, but as detractors, the Pharisees despised Him. So who was this man, Jesus? Was He the promised Messiah? Chuck titled today's message with an implied question, God's servant or Satan's pawn? And we begin with prayer.

No wonder they called Him the Savior, dear Father. What a pleasure it is to follow Him, to know Him intimately, to walk with Him, to adjust our life, to fit His pace. To alter our attitude, to correspond with His magnificent response to people. Thank you for the pleasure of your company in our gathering today. Thank you for the thrill of standing alongside one another, reminding us we're not alone in this journey from earth to glory. How grateful we are for those who stand near us and remind us by simply being here that they too are waiting and trusting and believing, anticipating how you will work in specific areas of our lives. In a very special way, speak to us, Lord, through the life of Jesus as He lived openly and vulnerably among those who followed Him as well as those who despised Him. Teach us, we pray, what it means to do what is right, to love kindness, to walk humbly with you, our God, like Jesus. These are our gifts, and we give them gratefully in His name.

And everyone said, Amen. Here's Jesus, who has done only right things, said right words, responded in right ways, cared about others, never once did wrong, never once, and He's being followed by those who are determined to make His life miserable. They're called Pharisees. Slice it any way you like, they're not good people. They begin when He comes on the scene to be curious, and their curiosity grows into suspicion. And then when He begins to expose them for who they really were, then the suspicion turns to resentment, and then it gets really downright ugly. And before long, there's nothing He can do that they see as right. He calls them hypocrites, which they were, and He didn't back down when they tried to intimidate. And finally, it reaches a climax, and tucked away in this writing of Matthew is a hinge on which the whole book turns.

And everything from here on becomes different than it was before, because of verse 14 in chapter 12. Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus. There it is, straight out.

Truth. I take it that the plot was laid behind the scene in a secret place. You don't announce plots like that, you don't discuss them before others. The meeting alone, together, they begin a conspiracy, a campaign to get rid of Him. What's amazing is the very next verse, Jesus knew what they were planning. That these people who had it in for Him, now were plotting to kill Him. I'm telling you, His response is disarming.

Three things occur that you would not normally expect. First, without a word, He leaves the area many people follow Him, and notice secondly, He stays on mission. He healed all the sick among them. So He's still involved in doing what He came to do. He still is healing the sick among them. And of all things, He warned them not to share with others who He was. And out of the blue, after all of what we just read, out of the blue, there's a demonized man that appears in front of him.

I don't know of a more pathetic individual than this one, and I mean that compassionately. He is totally helpless. He has demons within him that control him, and he's blind and he's mute, cannot speak or hear. So no one calls him. He couldn't have heard. No one says to him, come over here. He couldn't see. He is brought to Jesus. And look at this.

How beautiful is this? There's a double healing. Jesus not only casts out the demons, He gives sight and He gives hearing. He gives the ability to speak. The crowd appropriately is amazed. They're already following Him, but look at this.

And they ask a crucial question. Could it be that Jesus, the Son of David, is Messiah? I'm telling you, the Pharisees heard that.

Well, you'll see it. Verse 24, when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, no wonder He can cast out demons. He gets His power from Beelzebul, the prince of demons. He's operating as a pawn of Satan.

Now, again, they're not announcing this. Remember, these are followers who are thinking correctly. It could be the Messiah. But I'm impressed with verse 25. Jesus knew their thoughts. He knew the thoughts that were behind the words and what would be their actions. You notice the comparison.

Look at the correlation here. Verse 15, Jesus knew what they were planning. Verse 25, Jesus knew their thoughts. With Him, there is no secret. He knew motives. We hear words. He knows motives.

We see actions. He knows reasons. He knew their thoughts. And so, without hesitation, and I might add, without time to prepare His defense, He sets forth three very distinct defenses that is in defense of His true character.

Often He would let it go, but now it's significant enough for Him to give reasons that they are wrong. Lest anyone think, lest the Word ever get out that He's operating under the power of Beelzebul, that He's a pawn of Satan, look at His response. Defense number one begins at verse 25. Any kingdom divided against itself, this version reads, any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. If Satan is casting out Satan, he's divided in fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive.

That makes sense. Just talking with friends between the morning services, and one was describing his roots that go back in this area before the Civil War and then into the dark ages of our years of our history as a nation, we all agreed that had to have been our darkest hour. Brother against brother, mother dealing with the loss of sons on each side on occasion, sometimes dad against son. If there's a Civil War and it's going on, it works against the nation. If there is a divided power here, then Satan is fighting against himself. Why would Satan cast out a demon? Or why would a pawn of Satan do that? Again, it makes sense. Satan would be working against himself if I were who you are thinking I am.

And he goes on, verse 27, with another point in his defense. What about your own exorcists? If I'm empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? You see, there were some of those who were casting out demons, and they believe they cast them out in the power of God. They cast out demons too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. If I'm casting out demons with the spirit of God, the kingdom of God has arrived among you. I mean, why would you say they are working for God and I am not? Or their power is coming from him and mine isn't?

There's a third. It has to do with equal strength. Who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger.

So now the battle is between strong and stronger. If you're going to overcome a demonic influence, you have to be stronger than that influence. So you're saying my power is stronger than Satan's power. If Jesus is getting his power from Satan, he'd certainly not be offering the people God's kingdom, and he would certainly not be casting out one who is controlling an individual, one of their own, a demon.

So he says, I'll tell you in verse 29, only someone even stronger, someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house. You see the point. And then he comes to term with the bottom, we call it the bottom line statement. There is no middle ground. There is no neutrality that you can claim. You're either for or you're against. Verse 30, anyone who isn't with me opposes me.

Anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me, of course. But in our day, you won't hear that. This is a day of pluralism. We're all on the roads leading toward the same destination.

Don't you believe it? As ancient as the Proverbs were, there is the statement, there are those who sincerely believe they're on the right road, but it is the way to death. You're either for me or you're against me. I've always loved that about the Bible.

You read it far enough and you'll come to these sort of ultimatum moments where you realize that there's no room to straddle fences. You're either for Christ or you're not. You're either a believer or you're an unbeliever. I've heard people ask, are you a Christian or not a Christian? Or are you somewhere along the way? Whatever that means. You either are or you are not.

You either make the flight or you miss the flight. You're either married or not married. You're not somewhere along the way. You're a believer or you're an unbeliever. Those are the terms of verse 30. And to me, when I was doing my preparation, I thought, that's the place to stop.

If you carry a red letter Bible, you notice the red words go on. Jesus is still teaching here, but we'll stop. We'll wait. I'm going to give you time to think. Where are you? Verse 30 says anyone, so that's all of us. You either know Christ, there's been a time in your life when you've trusted him, or there's never been a time when you've trusted him.

Where are you? Please bow your head with me. Just sit quietly for a few moments. You know, it's interesting, folks. I've been preaching a long time and I've looked into the faces of congregations and gatherings like this over 50 years. But honestly, I cannot tell by looking who's for him and who's against him.

Today is an example. Not being Jesus, who was able to read motives and know thoughts. I can only give you something to believe. Jesus died on the cross and in doing so he paid the total payment for sin and he satisfied the righteous demands of God in doing so. And then he made the offer, whoever believes in me will have everlasting life. He who doesn't believe does not have life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Now that's in the book.

I didn't come up with that. You either know the Savior or you do not know the Savior. How wonderful it is that you're alive, you're able to listen, you're able to decide right now. There will be a day when that opportunity is over because there is no second chance. There is no purgatory. There is no time to decide following your last breath on earth.

It's now or never. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be rescued. You'll be saved from that old power that's been in control of you all your life. The Lord will release you from all of that guilt and shame that follows a life filled with that. And he will provide you with a gift that will never be taken away. Trust him now. Thank you, dear Father, for a plan that has been put together by you in such a perfect way.

Thank you that it is not complicated or confusing, so clear a child can understand it. There are those today who are trusting in you. Thank you for hearing their words of faith and accepting them.

There are those who choose not to. Please, Lord, don't leave them alone. Make them restless, sleepless, troubled until they can find peace in you through your Son. For Jesus' sake, amen. It's exciting to realize that at this very moment, men and women are hearing these words and placing their trust in Jesus Christ. You're listening to Insight for Living. Our Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll titled today's message, God's Servant or Satan's Pawn?

And we've set aside several minutes to hear some closing comments from Chuck, so please stay with us. And to learn more about this ministry, please visit us online at insightworld.org. In light of the complicated issues facing our country and world today, it's possible you've come to a place of discouragement, perhaps fear, and quite candidly, your trust and confidence in God's sovereignty is waning.

These are natural responses when our world seems to be spinning out of control. Well, let me recommend a helpful book Chuck has written that will bolster your confidence. It's a tremendous resource for yourself or perhaps someone you love who's going through a challenging time. It's a devotional book called Perfect Trust.

If you're ready to let go of the things you can't control, we believe you'll find the biblical insight in this book a game changer. And you'll find all the details about Chuck's devotional book called Perfect Trust at insight.org slash offer. Or if you prefer, call us.

If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888. Chuck? I want to share a personal story with all of you. To me, it's deeply personal. My mother's prayer for me years ago changed the course of my life. A few years ago, I browsed the books in my study, and my eyes fell upon an old volume by one of my favorite authors, F.B. Meyer, a British pastor of many years ago. On impulse, I pulled that little volume from the shelf, leaned back in my old leather desk chair, and began turning the pages.

To my unexpected delight, it was not F.B. Meyer's words that spoke to me that evening. It was my mother's words. In her inimitable handwriting, she had added her own observations and prayers on the margin of many of the pages. On the back cover, she had penned these words. Finished reading this May 8, 1958. I looked up and pondered.

1958. And I thought, it was in May of 1958, while serving overseas in the Marines, that I had written in my journal, The Lord has convinced me I am to enter the ministry. I need to begin preparing for a lifetime of serving Christ. Amazingly, that very same month, my mother had finished reading F.B.

Meyer's book. As I scanned her words with my eyes, I found one reference after another to her prayers, some of them including me, as I was overseas. Her concern was for my spiritual welfare. Her desire, obviously, was God's best for her son. I can still hear her voice as I was growing up.

I love you, Charles. Always walk with God, son. Finish strong.

While sitting there clutching F.B. Meyer's book, I realized that my mother had prayed for me when I didn't even know about it, and her prayer had changed the course of my life. I had been privileged to pass on the faith I learned from her as a child, as well as the lessons I've gleaned from poring over the Scriptures. That's my story. I suspect you have your story, too. So often when I meet Insight for Living Friends, I discover that our stories are often interwoven. Many times our stories converge with something we learn together right here on this program.

While engaging in the truth of God's Word. Using the admonition of my mother, let me urge all of us to finish strong. On June 30th, we'll close another chapter on the Journal of Our Memories this year, and your gift to Insight for Living will be used by God to perpetuate and propagate his story around the world. I cannot overstate the critical importance of your gift today.

That's right, today, no matter the size. Thanks so much for financially supporting this work of God. Let's heed the words of the psalmist who called upon all of us to tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. And here's how to respond to Chuck Swindoll. The most convenient way to give is to follow the simple instructions at insight.org, or use our convenient mobile app. We'd be pleased to take your personal phone call as well. If you're listening in the United States, dial 1-800-772-8888, or go online to insight.org. That's insight.org. Don't miss the cautionary message from Chuck Swindoll called Severe Warnings Everyone Must Remember, Friday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, God's Servant or Satan's Pawn, was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.