“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 liable to eternal judgment.” Mark 3:24-29
Devotional Thought For The Day
The Lord Jesus Christ does not mince words – nor soften or discount the consequences of mankind’s rebellion against God and refusal to embrace Jesus as the Savior of the world, the Lamb of God Who is the blood atonement for our sins, and also for the sins of the whole world. [1 John 2:2] Such impenitence and unbelief as rejects the gracious forgiveness and salvation of God in Christ Jesus, against the witness and invitation of the Holy Spirit through hundreds of passages in God’s Word, makes one liable, subject to, and guilty in regard to the “eternal judgment.” Those who teach against this great Gospel of mercy and forgiveness freely given by the grace of God and the suffering of Christ on the cross, who both engage in and encourage others to such blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will suffer intensified “eternal judgment.” Likewise, those who by weakening the authority and power of the Word of God lead others to reject this great gift of salvation, bring people not to salvation but to this eternal judgment. Lord, preserve us!
There is a division in regard to Jesus, in regard to God’s Word, throughout our nation. What Jesus spoke nearly 2,000 years ago remains true today: “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.” No more will our nation be able to stand with the kind of divisions that we are currently afflicted with. We mourn the loss of youthful life in school shootings and tornadoes [and many blame God, or use these phenomena as grounds to reject God in unbelief], and yet we continue to countenance and approve of the hundreds of thousands of young innocents denied live birth and life – through the grizzly destruction of human life in abortions. We have many who try to “join” and “sync up” religions – as if they are all the same, when in fact Satan never rises up against himself, but seeks to unify his minions. These religions all reject God’s gracious mercy in Christ Jesus, His gift of salvation in Christ alone, and urge men to commend themselves to God on the basis of their good works. And the “good” works are redefined to include homosexuality and other kinds of immorality – including greed, selfishness, lying [spinning], and of course, the various idolatries of false religion. Who is it that would seek to join Christianity with these things? Lord, preserve us.
The same basic divisions continue to plague and afflict churches and churchly institutions – and the observation of Jesus also applies to these groups of human beings. Where a group purports to support the will of God, to speak the truth, to spread the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, and yet allows that it is acceptable to reject Jesus’ Word, to accept immorality, false doctrine, and the uniting of disparate faiths, the judgment of Jesus is clear: “that house will not be able to stand.” We are foolish to think otherwise, and to waste our time and energy trying to belie the Word of Jesus and somehow “make it work.” Rather, the divisions and fractures will become more and more apparent and obvious, until the institution falls apart. The process is obviously painful, as all conflict is, but the only way to avoid the animosity is to join up with those who reject and hate God’s Word. To do so, however, would be to reject the salvation of God and to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. It is certain that the temporal pain of spiritual warfare is quite a bit less than the eternal judgment awaiting those who turn away from God.
The good news that we hold on to doggedly is that “all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,” so long as there is genuine repentance and reception of God’s gracious mercy and forgiveness – as the Holy Spirit directs us through the Word of God. Now is as good a time as any to bow our heads, to bend our knees and stubborn hearts, to repent and repudiate any notions of our own goodness, and to joyfully receive God’s gracious and loving mercy and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. It is never too late to return to the Word of God, to humble ourselves under it, and to rededicate ourselves to faithfully adhering to it – in all matters of faith and knowledge, and in all matters of behaving consonant with real love. Yes, we will suffer the antagonism, animosity, malice, hatred, and persecution of others. No one likes such conflict. But again, surely what the apostle Peter observes is true: “It is better, if the will of God be so, that you suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.” Obviously, this is precisely the teaching of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the will and urging of the Holy Spirit. God grant us the blessed strength and constancy to so suffer for His kingdom.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, Your will is that Your people may be one, even as You are One with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Such unity cannot countenance evil, impenitence, unbelief, and lies. Keep us in genuine repentance of all our sins, and in true faith in Your gracious forgiveness and salvation. So direct our hearts and minds to devote ourselves to adhering to Your gracious Word of Truth, the Holy Scripture, that we have no vulnerability to Satan and his judgment. Amen.