Matthew 12:22-28
The Wrong God

Matthew mentioned two gods. One with a big "G" and the other with a
little "g." That would be God and the devil. Jesus had performed a
miracle, a great miracle, and some were attributing the Source of the
miracle to the devil. To me, that is interesting. Standing in the
very presence of God, seeing a mighty miracle being performed by the
hand of God, and still, some could not tell that Jesus was God.

However, that should not at all surprise us.  It has happened through
out history.  How many have bowed to a thing or a person thinking it
was god?  Even in Israel…
    1. Aaron, Moses’ brother, introduced the two golden calves to
        Israel by saying "…These be thy gods, O Israel, which
        brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."  \\#Ex 32:4\\
    2. Jeroboam likewise introduced two golden calves to Israel
        with the words "behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought
        thee up out of the land of Egypt."  \\#1Ki 12:28\\

But we do not need to get too cocky for the Scriptures are clear that
either some of us or our children will likewise bow and worship to a
deity that is not God.

Rev 13:4  And they worshipped the dragon which
gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped
the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast?
who is able to make war with him?

For a few moments, let’s consider some truths that may keep us from
worshipping the Wrong God.  Let’s ask the question, what is different
about God’s power and the devil’s?

I. The Source of power is obviously different.
    A. Jesus made it clear that His power flowed from the Father.

Matt 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the
Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come
unto you.

    B. \\#24\\ The Pharisees were saying that Jesus’ power came from
        a different source, Beelzebub.

Matt 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they
said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but
by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

        1. You might not recognize that name or know that it is
            another name used for the devil, but it is.
        2. Beelzebub was actually the name of a Philistine god.
        3. His worship spread to other nations and while doing so,
            the description of what he ruled changed some, but
            Beelzebub was generally considered to the be god of
            flies.
        4. If you have ever spend much time around animals, you know
            where flies tend to abide.  Some associated Beelzebub
            with being the god of dung.
            a. These Jewish religious leaders picked that god on
                purpose.
            b. It was a slam against Jesus to associate His power
                with that low form of deity.
        5. But Jesus made it clear that His power came from the one
            and only God.
    C. You would think that one could easily distinguish between the
        power coming from God and the devil; but according to the
        Scriptures, they cannot.
        1. That is because the devil can and DOES pretend to be good.

2Cor 11:13  For such are false apostles,
deceitful workers, transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ.
14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light.

        2. This is why one cannot assume that a religion, church,
            movement, or preacher is God’s!

2Cor 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their works.

        3. In fact, it is only by the work of God that all of God’s
            children have not and will not be not deceived by these
            false prophets.

Re 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that
old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Re 13:14  And deceiveth them that dwell on the
earth by the means of those miracles which he had
power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to
them that dwell on the earth, that they should
make an image to the beast, which had the wound
by a sword, and did live.

Re 18:23  And the light of a candle shall shine
no more at all in thee; and the voice of the
bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no
more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the
great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries
were all nations deceived.

    D. If you find this a bit frightening, GOOD.
        1. It may help keep you from worshipping the wrong god.
        2. However, there is a bright side.  While the devil may
            fake being good, God can never fake being bad.
            a. What does that mean?
            b. It means if you ever see consistent wickedness in
                someone pretending to be God’s, they are not.
            c. lust, lying, greed, profanity, malice - All of these
                mark the workers of the devil as belonging to the
                devil.

II. \\#25\\ The flow of power is through a united family of
     believers.

Matt 12:25  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and
said unto them, Every kingdom divided against
itself is brought to desolation; and every city
or house divided against itself shall not stand:

    A. In this passage, Jesus emphasizes the unity of the kingdom.
        1. A united kingdom is a powerful kingdom.
        2. A divided kingdom is a crumbling kingdom.
    B. In this age, God works through His Body.
        1. I understand that no member of the Body is perfect, but
            there is something glorious and powerful about how God
            uses His Body to accomplish His work.
            a. \\#1Cor 12:13\\ The Holy Spirit baptizes us into God’s
                body.
            b. \\#1Cor 12:11\\ The Holy Spirit deals out gifts,
                abilities, and talents to the body.
            c. \\#1Cor 12:20\\ The Holy Spirit unites us in the body.
            d. \\#1Cor 12:7-10\\ The Holy Spirit works through the
                body.
            e. In short, the Holy Spirit lives, moves, and works
                through the Body.
        2. That is not only seen in the universal church but in the
            local assembly, right here in Green Pond Baptist Church.
            a. Do you realize the New Testament used the plural of
                church 36 times?
                (1) You can not be talking about the one universal
                     church if you are speaking in the plural!
                (2) Most of the time when the Bible is speaking about
                     the church, it is speaking of the local church.
            b. I am not saying we are the only church God can or will
                work through.  That would be arrogance.
            c. But we are one of the places God desires His power to
                flow through and denying that would be ignorance.
    C. The church’s days are numbered.
        1. The next major event on God’s calendar is the rapture, the
            removing of the church.
        2. That will happen when God desires it to happen, but I
            think it will also happen as the church gets so weak and
            vile that God cannot use it.
            a. People have always ignored the church, but today
                something new is afoot.
            b. People want to replace the church.  Perhaps that is
                not new either for I am limited in my church history.
            c. Instead of reaching outward into the world many who
                claim Christ are pulling inward, like the monks of
                centuries past they are going into the cloisters and
                closing the doors behind them.
            d. This is not good.
                (1) It is weakening the teaching of the Word of God.
                     (a) I do not believe you have to be a puppet of
                          any denomination or their teaching.
                     (b) But I am seeing a lot of unscriptural,
                          unfounded, and illogical doctrines come out
                          of groups calling themselves home churches.
                     (c) Self-appointed teaches creating self-
                          imagined doctrines.
                     (d) Every day new cults are being birthed by
                          ignorant people who isolate themselves and
                          believe they are finding something new in
                          the Bible.
                (2) It weakens the good churches that are left.
            e. Yet God prophesied this retreat from church would
                happen.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another: and so much the more, as
ye see the day approaching.

                (1) In this verse, God not only gives us the command
                     to assemble, but He warned that as the final
                     day approached, some would cease to see the
                     importance of it.
                (2) I would say, it is more important today to be
                     a part of a local, Bible-believing, Bible-
                     preaching church than any other institution of
                     God’s institutions.
                     (a) You can do without a family—many do.
                     (b) You can do without a government—I would not
                          want to try it but it looks like our
                          government is soon going to turn against
                          us.
                     (c) But both the saved and the lost need the
                          church—whether they know it or not.

III. \\#Mark 9:29\\ The valve of God’s power will always be opened by
      prayer and fasting and closed by selfish living and deliberate
      sin.
    A. Prayer and fasting opens the valve and unbelief and sin close
        it.

Mt 17:21  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but
by prayer and fasting.

Matt 13:58  And he did not many mighty works
there because of their unbelief.

    B. You can also read \\#Mark 6:3-6, Rom 11:20\\.
    C. If what we think is the power of God comes without praying and
        fasting, it is not God’s.
        1. Door knocking without prayer will not have God’s power.
        2. Bible study without prayer will not have God’s power.
        3. Preaching without prayer will not have God’s power.
        4. Passing out tracts without God’s power will not have God’s
            power.

IV. The flow of God’s power will always be to honor God.
    A. God’s power is not…
        1. …for church growth.  It is to honor God.
        2. …to win the lost.  It is to honor God.
        3. …to conquer the devil.  It is to honor God.
    B. Now God has chosen to do some of these things to honor
        Himself, but let’s not get the cart before the horse.
        1. Doing so places the emphasis on the results.
        2. We are not as interested in the results as we are in the
            goal.
        3. We do not want to do anything that does not honor God
            regardless of what result it brings.

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