A House Divided Cannot Stand
Notes
Transcript
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
In 1847 Abraham Lincoln was elected to congress.
At that time the Mexican war was going on, and Lincoln opposed the war.
His anti-war speeches displeased his political supporters, and he knew they wouldn’t re-elect him.
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So, at the end of his term in 1849 he returned to Illinois to practice law.
Then in 1858 he was nominated by the republican party for Illinois state senator.
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Addressing the State convention at Springfield, he gave the first of his many memorable speeches.
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As he stood to deliver his remarks, his huge hands tensely gripped the speaker’s stand and he declared slowly and firmly:
“A house divided against it’s self cannot stand”
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He was talking about how the country at the time was being divided on the issue of slavery...
In fact, the division in Lincoln's day, that eventually lead to the Civil War, is not that much more different from the polarizing politics in our day today...
But we must ask ourselves...
Where did Lincoln get that famous phrase?
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“A house divided against it’s self cannot stand”
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Well, he got it from Jesus.
And it’s recorded in 3 of the 4 gospels.
Matthew 12:25, Mark 3:25, and Luke 11:17.
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Today, we will be covering this account as recorded by Luke.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 11 and focus on verses 14 through 23.
Our message this morning is titled, “A House Divided Cannot Stand”
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As you are turning to our passage...
Keep this in mind...
The message today will focus on the shocking and blasphemous claims made against Christ...
And how our Lord and Savior responded to these false accusations by the religious elite of His day.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Slander
2) The Division
And...
3) The One Stronger
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are like no other...
You are the Creator of all things seen...
You are the Creator of all things unseen...
And not a single atom is outside Your Sovereignty.
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We pray for hearts to change...
We pray that our nation will turn back to You...
And we pray for revival and the spread of Your Gospel message.
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Give us all the tools we will need to serve You faithfully...
Give us the right words to says to others...
And give us the boldness to share Your Good News with a world that is perishing.
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Help us to be the mirrors that reflect Your light...
Help us to walk Your path always...
And help us to be more like Your Son everyday.
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Thank You for this local church...
Thank You for the global church...
Thank You for the faithful men and women who already ran the race with endurance...
And thank You for sending Your Son to save this wicked world...
We deserved Your wrath...
But you gave us unmerited and saving grace!
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:
Reading of the Text
Reading of the Text
14 Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled.
15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,”
16 while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.
18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;
22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.
23 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
So, let’s look at our first point...
1) The Slander
1) The Slander
Verses 14-16: Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons,” while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
Beloved, this passage open up with a very familiar scene...
A man is possessed by a demon and is suffering greatly...
Then Jesus enters the scene and casts this demon out with no difficulty and releases the man form the bondage he was suffering under the power of the demon.
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As usual, the crowd is found to be amazed by Jesus’ miracle...
Just like it was recorded in passages like Matthew 9:33 which says:
33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
Some even considered that Jesus may be the long promised Messiah as Matthew’s record of this same event says this in Matthew 12:23:
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
However, as the Pillar New Testament Commentary on Luke says:
“The crowds marvel at the miracle, as they often do when Jesus teaches and acts.
Marveling is not faith, however.
Here, in fact, marveling creates an appetite for a greater spectacle and leads away from both Jesus and faith.”
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So Beloved, we can’t forget that amazement is not faithfulness...
And although the crowd is amazed and some consider the fact the Jesus may have been far more than a prophet...
Many slandered Jesus...
And many asked Jesus to perform more miracles to prove Himself.
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First, I would like to focus on the claims made against Jesus...
The claim that Jesus was only able to cast out demons because He relied on the power of “Beelzebul.”
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Now, some of you may be asking...
Who is “Beelzebul?”
Well, let’s go deeper in our study by defining this key term that is very important to our understanding of this passage...
So, the term “Beelzebul” was originally a local expression of the Baal cult at the Philistine city of Ekron...
It has the meaning of “Prince Baal,” “Exalted Lord,” “Lord of the Dwelling,” and “Lord of the Temple,” which where all common titles for Baal in extrabiblical Canaanite texts.
Additionally, a sarcastic and disdainful Israelite parody of Baal-zebul is the term Baal-zebub which meant “Lord of the Flies,” suggesting that Baal was the storm god who controlled diseases brought by flies.
Additionally, Baal-zebub means “Lord of the dung heap.”
So, it was a way of showing disdain for the false god who was also know as “Baal the Prince.”
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As we see in our passage, the New Testament preserved the name in the form Beelzebul...
Which is also a name for Satan, the prince of the demons...
So, in our context the reference to “Beelzebul” is a reference to the Prince of Lies, Satan.
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Now Beloved, often you will hear people say that they would believe in Jesus if they just saw His miracles...
They would believe if they were eyewitnesses...
But as our text shows...
Even undisputed miracles do not necessarily evoke faithful responses...
For those without faith...
They go to great lengths to deny Jesus and His teachings.
As the ESV Study Bible says:
“The Pharisees were unable to recognize that God was doing something unique in the teaching and works of Jesus, so they attributed his powers to the only other existing source, since they could not deny the reality of the miraculous works that Jesus had done.
But the truthfulness of Jesus’ teachings, the moral excellence of his character, and his ministry of doing good should have convinced them otherwise.”
In other words, it was truly significant that Jesus’ opponents do not deny His authority to expel demons...
Jesus’ opponents do not accuse Him of being an impostor...
They acknowledge His miracles...
However, they wickedly attempt to discredit them by attributing them to Beelzebul rather than to God...
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Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident, Beloved...
Throughout the Gospel records Jesus is often slandered by being called a demon or being accused of having a demon...
So, this is a pattern we will see over and over again in passages like John 8:48 which says:
48 The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Remember we talked about this before in our study...
Samaritans to most Jews were despised enemies and to call someone a Samaritan was considered a major insult.
In John 10:20 look what else Jesus is accused of:
20 Many of them said, “He has a demon, and is insane; why listen to him?”
Jesus was labeled insane along with being demon possessed.
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Now, the specific claim in our passage is that Jesus uses demons to cast out other demons and this was a serious charge, Beloved...
You see, practicing magic by Satan’s power was a capital offense...
That meant that it was punishable by stoning.
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So, the insults are not just disrespectful, false and blasphemous...
But the accusations were serious enough to lead to death.
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Now Beloved, I would like you to consider what this means to you...
The genuine born-again believer living in the Western 21st century world.
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Well, as a follower of Jesus, you can expect to be called the same things Jesus was called...
You can expect to be slandered...
And you can expect others to make false claims against you that behind the lies uncovers a murderous intent by the one accusing you...
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Now, not all of us will experience persecution that leafs to death...
But a true follower of Jesus can’t escape all persecution...
To a certain degree we will be made to look like fools for Christ’s Name.
As Matthew 10:25 says:
25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
So, it should be understood that this erroneous view of Jesus as a sorcerer who used Satan to accomplish His miracles was common among Jews even into the early centuries of Christianity...
And even today many slanderous accusations are made of Jesus...
So, don't be surprised when others call you horrible things...
Our country is becoming more anti-God by the minute...
And other countries like North Korea and those countries in the Middle East are known to persecute Christians in barbaric forms...
Just like the days of the early church.
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Regardless of the lot that God gives you, Beloved...
One must be ready to lay down their life for Christ...
Or they will be considered unworthy of following Him!
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Next, Luke records that “while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.”
So, many in the crowds wanted a miraculous work of cosmological proportions...
They were hoping for a sign of astronomical proportions...
Like the rearranging of the constellations...
Or something far greater in their eyes than the casting out of a demon, which they had just witnessed.
But as Luke 11:29 says:
29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
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Now Jesus, being divine, knew the thoughts of the people...
So, He responds in a powerful way especially against the claim that He is casting out demons by using Satan...
And this takes us to our second point.
2) The Division
2) The Division
Verses 17-20: But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
So, right from the start we see Jesus’ divinity with the phrase, “knowing their thoughts” as this was an indication of Jesus’ deity and having the ability to know one’s thoughts.
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Next, I would like to point you all to the phrase “kingdom divided against itself” as this may have been a subtle jab at the Jewish nation...
For the Jewish nation was a kingdom divided in the time of Jeroboam and still marked by various kinds of bitter internal strife and factionalism...
This would be the case right up to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
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So, when Jesus says, “If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?” He is making the point that to claim that Jesus is casting out demons by Satan is just illogical...
Satan is not going to destroy all the work he has been doing...
For Jesus’ ministry was like no other, Beloved...
And Jesus an His followers were driving out demons in great numbers.
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If Satan was behind all the demons being exorcised then it would be Satan shooting himself in the foot...
And he would not do that knowingly.
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Now, the statement of Jesus, “by whom do your sons cast them out?” was a reference to Jewish exorcists who claimed power to cast out demons...
Jesus’ point was that if such exorcisms could be done via satanic power, the Pharisaical exorcists must be suspect as well.
And in fact, the evidence in Acts 19 suggests that the sons of Sceva were charlatans who employed fraud and trickery to fabricate phony exorcisms...
Just look with me at what it says in Acts 19:13–16:
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”
14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?”
16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
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Additionally, the phrase “your judges” means “witnesses against you.”
This seems to suggest that the fraudulent exorcisms (which the religious elite had their approval) stood as a testimony against the Pharisees themselves, who disapproved of Christ’s genuine exorcisms.
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Next, the phrase “the finger of God” is an expression that describes the work of God Himself.
This phrase also brings to mind the dramatic scene leading up to Israel’s exodus from Egypt as found in Exodus 8:19 which says:
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
You see Beloved, God through Moses confronted Pharaoh’s false magicians.
Using their trickery, they were able to replicate several of the miracles.
But when Moses struck the dust with his staff and produced swarms of gnats, they were unable to duplicate it, and were forced to acknowledge, “This is the finger of God.”
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Then, we see the statement “kingdom of God has come” which was was precisely true!
For the King of Kings was in their midst...
And Jesus displayed His sovereign power by demonstrating His ability to bind Satan and his demons.
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Finally, Jesus further makes His point by talking about the strong man and the Stronger Man...
And this takes us to our third and final point.
3) The One Stronger
3) The One Stronger
Verses 21-23: When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
As we examine our last section...
Let me add what Mark says in his account of the same dialogue...
Look with me at Mark 3:27 which says:
27 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.
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So, the “strong man” in this illustration is Satan...
And the “One Stronger” or the “Stronger Man” is Christ.
So, the meaning of Jesus’ illustration is that Satan is like a strong man in complete control of his house...
However, Jesus is stronger than Satan and overthrows him.
In fact, Jesus’ victory against Satan during his temptation may be alluded to here...
What is definite though is that the ultimate and actual means of Jesus’ victory is the Cross.
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In other words, this parable teaches that the kingdom of God is not simply a matter of helpful teaching...
The Kingdom of God comes with the kind of power that will overcome Satan.
I love how theologian James R. Edwards puts it:
“The ‘strong man’ is Satan, and his trust in his armor signifies Satan’s trust in his own plans and ‘technology,’ thus in himself rather than in God.
‘His possessions’ are captive and oppressed humanity.
The ‘Stronger Man’ is Jesus, who drives out demons and inaugurates the reign of God by liberating captives of the strong man.
Jesus’ primary messianic mission, like the mission of the Servant of the Lord, is not, as nineteenth-century liberalism fondly imagined, to be a great moral example or teacher.
The reality of the incarnation is not so tame.
The incarnation is nothing short of an assault against the fully armed strong man, a carefully planned offensive to subdue hostile and inimical powers and restore humanity to its intended image and purpose of the Creator.”
So, Satan and his demon hosts are powerless to keep the Lord Jesus Christ from rescuing souls from the kingdom of darkness.
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As we quickly approach Reformation Day on October 31st...
Many others are looking forward to celebrate Halloween on the same date...
And because of that many are watching scary movies and reading scary books and decorating their lawns with scary figures...
You have your werewolves, mummies, vampires, Frankenstein’s monster, etc...
Some of the content is really horrific but most understand this to be made up stories of make up monsters.
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However, the real scary beings are Satan and his demons...
For they are not make-believe...
Satan and his demons are very much real...
And they are no joke...
They have great power and can posses humans...
So, for a person who is lost and doesn’t know the Lord...
The reality of the strong man and his minions should terrify them...
For they are vulnerable to their wicked attacks!
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Yet, for those born-again...
We have a Stronger One on our side, Beloved!
We have the Stronger Man who defends us...
And He is stronger than Satan and all his demons combined!
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So, yes...
The Devil is real...
But so is God...
And our God is all-powerful!
Our God is all-knowing!
Our God is good!
Our God is love!
And spoiler warning...
Our God wins in the end!
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So, in our world where the spiritual realm is real...
Choose you sides wisely...
For as Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
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I like how the NLT renders verse 23:
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.”
Now, this carries the same meaning of what Jesus previously said in our study in Luke 9:50 which says:
50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for the one who is not against you is for you.”
Beloved, the point of these expressions is to show that there can be no neutrality...
Neutrality with respect to Jesus is not possible...
The message of the kingdom of God brings the possibility of overcoming evil...
Yet anyone who fails to embrace this message accepts the ways of evil...
There is no middle course...
This matter concerns everyone...
Whether they like it or not.
As C. S. Lewis once wrote:
“There’s no neutral ground in the universe.
Every square inch, every minute of every hour is claimed by God and counter-claimed by Satan.”
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So, not to be with Jesus is to be against Him.
To join Jesus is to aid Him in bringing others to God.
Not to join Jesus is to hinder others from coming to God.
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Beloved, one cannot be neutral about Jesus.
One must decide where Jesus’ authority comes from.
Is it from Satan?
Or is it from God?
Jesus is either God incarnate or the greatest blasphemer who ever lived.
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Luke presses for a decision here...
Sitting on the fence about Jesus is simply not an option.
One cannot be agnostic about Him...
For agnosticism is a decision against Jesus.
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So, whoever does not “gather” the sheep “scatters” them by default and thus works counter to Jesus.
As John 10:11–13 says:
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
12 He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
13 He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
So, the hired hand neglects his duty and the wolf “scatters” the flock.
But the followers of Christ follow the example of the Chief Shepherd...
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Put plainly, Jesus gathers the flock...
Satan scatters it...
So, people must decide whether they will join Jesus in gathering it...
Or whether they will serve Satan by scattering it.
As Matthew 12:30-32 says in Matthew’s parallel account:
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
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So, what is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?
As pastor John Piper once said:
“The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a willful, determined opposition to the present power of the Holy Spirit.
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And Christians cannot commit that kind of sin.
They don’t settle in like that with a settled, determined, willful opposition.
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Christians can commit all kinds of sin, but what marks a Christian is that they don’t settle in long term.
They hate it and they repent of it.
They feel bad about it.
They turn to God for fresh forgiveness.
So no, a Christian cannot commit what Jesus calls blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.”
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Again we find security and reassurance for the one who is genuinely born-again...
So Beloved, I pray this truth motives us all to to share the truth about the life saving message of Jesus...
I pray we are gathering and not scattering!
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
In “Share Jesus Without Fear”, Bill Fay speaks very bluntly about the sin of silence.
He states that believers sin when they remain silent and do not share Jesus with others.
He says that the sin of silence is a deadly sin and he’s right.
We erroneously think that by remaining silent about our faith in Jesus Christ, we are taking a neutral position.
But the truth is, by our silence, we condemn those around us to death and suffering for eternity.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Open their eyes, mind, and heart...
Remove the horse blinders and scales over their eyes...
Break down walls that are fortified around their minds...
Soften their stone hearts...
And lead them to a saving knowledge of You!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Give us the character to boldly share Your truth with others...
Give us the desire to gather and not scatter...
Give us heart that aches for the lost...
And mold us to be more like Your Son everyday!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
