2 Timothy 3:1-8 “This
know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient
to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false
accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this
sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with
sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these
also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”
Since the attack against the home, at its
root, is a spiritual attack, the key question we each must ask ourselves as
parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles is this: "How can I develop a
strong spiritual foundation for
a godly family?" In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus gave a teaching about the
"strong man" who comes to attack a house. In this parable we find two
important principles for establishing a godly home—indisputable principles upon
which you can stake your family life. Just prior to this teaching, Jesus had
healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute. The man not only was
delivered from Satan's power, but immediately he could both speak and see. The
amazed multitudes began to ask, "Could this be the Son of David?"
To squelch any though that Jesus might be the Messiah, a group of Pharisees
accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the
demons. Here is what Jesus said in reply to their accusation:
Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to
them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and
every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out
Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I
cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore
they shall be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God,
surely the kingdom
of God has come upon you.
Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he
first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:25-29)
Jesus made these two points very
clear in His response to the Pharisees: 1. Division brings about destruction.
2. God is greater than any satanic power.
(1) Division
Brings Desolation!
Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided
against itself will not stand" (Matthew 12:25).
We see that principle at work all around us. If a church becomes divided—some
of the people holding one opinion, some another—the church will become
splintered or "split," and if that breach continues, grows, and is
not healed, the church may eventually disintegrate and disband. The division
initially may not be over anything that is all that earthshaking. It's not the reason for the division that brings
about the desolation; rather, it is the fact that the people have allowed themselves
to become divided.
The same thing happens in the home. If a
husband and wife or a parent and child become divided, the home as a whole will
feel that division, and it will be fractured, weakened, and ultimately may
experience a "split," even to the point of separation, estrangement
and alienation, and perhaps divorce or the "disowning" of a child by a
parent or a parent by a child. ''
The most potent means of destroying any
organization, institution, or entity is internal
strife or internal conflict. An undivided, unified family, church, or
other institution of society can withstand virtually any external onslaught.
But an internal conflict brings about distrust, division, and disintegration.
Jesus said, "If Satan casts out
Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26). In other words, Jesus argued,
"If you are accusing me of doing miracles by Satan, then Satan is actually
working against himself—he is put into a position of both healing and
destroying. That simply isn't possible."
The division we experience
usually begins as an "inner conflict" or a "divided mind."
A person begins to hold a thought, feeling, or opinion that is contrary to God's absolute
commandments or desires. The exact opposite of this state is to be "one in
the Spirit," to hold fast to the central truth of God's Word and the what
God desires for us to do, say, and be. The godhead-—Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—is our great example of unity. Jesus never did anything that was not
something He first "saw" His heavenly Father do. The Spirit flows
from the Father and the Son in complete harmony. In like manner, we are called
to discern the will of God and then do it. As we each come to a full
understanding of God's will, we can
experience unity in the Spirit. We may still have differences of personality
and style, but our choices regarding behavior and the commitment of our will
are to be rooted in God's absolutes.
Hosea 10:2-4 “Their heart
is divided; Now they are held guilty. He will break down their altars; He will
ruin their sacred pillars. For now they say, "We have no king, Because we
did not fear the LORD. And as for a king, what would he do for us?" They
have spoken words, Swearing falsely in making a covenant. Thus judgment springs
up like hemlock in the furrows of the field.”
Galatians
3:28 :There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is neither male or female; for you all are one in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians
1:27 “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ that you
stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the
gospel.”
Throughout the Scriptures,
"division" among God's people—including a division in the home, as
well as a division in belief against the law of God—is associated with negative
situations and outcomes. It was when Israel became divided, northern
tribes against southern tribes, that the empire built by David and Solomon
collapsed. It was when the Israelites rebelled against God and became divided
in their attempt to serve both God and false gods that great calamity befell
them. Much of Paul's and Peter's teachings about submission is rooted in the
understanding that unity and harmony are to prevail over division and
disharmony.
In confronting the
Pharisees, Jesus was not only saying that division brings desolation, but that
Satan simply isn't capable of bringing about anything that is good. Satan's
purposes against the family are always its destruction. Nothing that he does
with regard to the family is for the good of the family, although many of the
things that he uses as temptations may seem to be for the family's good.
For example, Satan seems
to be tempting many families these days by saying, "It's important that
parents spend time with their children. Since time is of such great value, it's
more important that parents spend time with their children on Sunday mornings
and Sunday evenings than for those parents to bring their children to
church." Satan's temptation is that parents spend time with their children
at home rather than at church and that the net result will be of a greater good
to the family.
Not so! It is the family
that prays together and worships together that stays united in faith—not the
family that watches cartoons together or plays tennis together on Sunday
mornings. Giving into a temptation to stay away from church brings about a
"division" between a family and the church as a whole.
Satan may tempt a father
or mother by saying, "You could do so much more for your children and for
your family as a whole if you just used the money that you now give to the
church for your children instead."
Not so! Giving to God what rightfully belongs to God sends a message to
children of obedience, discipline, and God-centered priorities. Those values
are weakened greatly when a parent says to a child, in effect, "Your pair
of designer jeans is more important than giving to the church" or
"Buying you a new car is more valuable than giving to missions, which can
result in the salvation of souls." The end result of such thinking is a
divided mind about material and financial priorities.
The temptations of Satan
always appear good in principle, but underneath, they are deadly and divisive
to one's faith.
(2) God's
Power Is Greater!
Jesus said to the Pharisees, "If I
cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore
they shall be your judges" (Matthew 12:27).
A number of Jews attempted to cast out
demons using of exorcism methods that had been "sanctioned" by the
Pharisees. Jesus argued, "If it is casting out demons that is under here,
then what about those who are casting out demons under your authority?"
Jesus put them into a position of defend selves. Jesus went on, "But if I
cast out demons by the Spirit surely the kingdom of God
has come upon you" (Matthew 12:28).
The principle is this: God has the power
to cast out demons. Satan may
have authority over his own demons, but he does not have absolute authority over them. In
other words, Satan cannot rescue his demons from the greater power of God.
Believers in Christ Jesus can
cast out demons in the name of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The
ultimate authority over evil is God.
Many Christians seem confused on that
point today. They seem to think that Satan's power is just as potent as God's
power—only toward the negative. That is not what the Bible teaches. God's power
is absolute. He is omnipotent—all-powerful.
God has authority over Satan. His power cannot even be compared to Satan's
power. God has allowed Satan to have a limited degree of influence on as a part
of giving mankind free will. Satan has the power to tempt and to oppress. But
all of Satan's power must be confined to the limits that God puts upon him.
What does this mean to us today with
regard to our families? It means that when we rely upon God, through His Son,
Jesus Christ, we are tapping into a power source that is greater than evil
power. The Word of God against Satan in our families is stronger than the word
of the devil whispered in the ears of the unsuspecting and weak. For Jesus to
have healed a man who was demon-possessed, blind, and mute, Jesus had to be
stronger than the powers that were holding this man in his bondage.
1
John 4:1-4 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits,
whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the
world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not
confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the
Spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already
in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because
He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
(3) The Greater Power of Love!
One of the greatest
powers that God has given us for good
is the power to love. Those who truly love--and who choose to love regardless
of circumstance or situation--are powerful forces for God and for good. What we
say in love brings about good
things. What we do out of unconditional love brings about good situations and relationships.
God honors all that we say and do when we are motivated by love for Him and
love for others even if we make mistakes and err at times in how we show our love. Never be afraid
to love others. Your expression of love will ultimately result in both harmony
and a defeat of Satan.
It is out of genuine love
for our families that we each are called to come to the position of saying:
"I choose to love my family, and I will not allow us to be divided. We will come to know God and to base our
lives upon His Word. We will become
one in the Spirit." It is out of love that we are to combat the forces of
evil that come our way, in effect declaring to the spirit realm, "I love
my family to the point that I will lay down my very life if necessary to see
Satan defeated in their lives."
Love must become the
number-one motivating force behind our desire to have a strong family. Without
love, we simply will not pay the price of denying self, which is required if we
are to live in unity and harmony with one another. Without love, we will not
pay the price of time, energy, and spiritual purity required to engage in
spiritual warfare on one another's behalf. Every family I know can use more
love-both love of God and love for one another. It is when we fail to love that
we fail to desire agreement and we fail to experience victory over the enemy of
our souls and our families. Our love is always to be a reflection of God's love
and of God's goodness. It is out of God's goodness that He loves. It is out of
God's presence within us that we have the capacity and the courage to
love. Any time we are confronted with a
situation that seems to have the potential to "tear us apart," we
must turn to God and say, "Let me experience more of Your love." It
is love that ultimately heals division and brings about harmony in Christ.
John
15:12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved
you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”
