What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
Continueing bible study in Matthew 12, Signs, Jonah, and living in repentance.
In our latest episode, we delve deep into the teachings of Matthew 12, exploring the tension between the demand for signs and the call for genuine faith. Jesus addresses the Pharisees' request for a sign, referencing the story of Jonah to illustrate the necessity of repentance and the reality of spiritual transformation. We discuss how the people of Nineveh responded to Jonah's warning and juxtapose that with the unrepentant hearts of the generation witnessing Jesus' miracles.
As we navigate through the text, we focus on the teaching of the unclean spirit returning to find an empty house, highlighting the dangers of spiritual complacency. This pivotal point reveals the importance of actively filling our lives with the presence of God. We emphasize how neglecting to do so can lead to greater spiritual despair.
Moreover, Jesus presents a radical redefinition of family, declaring that those who do the will of God are His true family. This teaching invites us to contemplate the depth of our kinship as believers, transcending mere blood relations and rooting our identities in our shared faith. Throughout this engaging dialogue, we provide insights on the significance of nurturing our spiritual lives and the implications of choosing what we feed—a reminder that impacts our daily walks with Christ.
Join us as we unpack these timeless lessons and encourage you to live a life filled with purpose and dedication to God's calling. Don't miss out; subscribe for more spiritual insights and reflections on faith!
May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? All right, in today's Bible study we are going to be picking back up in Matthew 12. Last time we stopped in verse 37. Today we're going to be picking back up in verse 38. If you're ready.
Speaker 1:Then some of the scribes and the Pharisees said to him, teacher, we want to see a sign from you. But he answered and said to them An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign, and so no sign will be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and for three nights, so will the Son of man be in the heart of the earth for three days and for three nights. The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and they will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. All right, let's stop here real quick in verse 42. Jesus has been healing the sick. He's been restoring sight to the blind, the deaf hear the mute speak. He's been raising the dead, cleansing the people who have leprosy, and yet they're still asking for a sign. Jesus says that no sign would be given except for the sign of Jonah.
Speaker 1:Now we know the story of Jonah, how Jonah was strolled overboard and he was swallowed by a fish and he was spit out because he had defied God. God sent him to preach to Nineveh, and Nineveh, to him, was an enemy. And God sent him to preach to Nineveh that if they didn't repent, that they were going to be destroyed. And he wanted them to be destroyed, but God didn't. And God wanted them to repent and change from their ways. So he sent Jonah and Jonah preached and they repented. All of the whole city was one of the greatest revivals of all time. And they repented in sackcloth and ashes. As a matter of fact, the king, from the king down, told him no one was to eat anything that God may turn from his desire to destroy them. And God did he. He relented. He didn't destroy them because they had repented and he said that something greater than Jonah was here, the Lord had come and they didn't see it and they still didn't repent. Even all the signs that were done in front of them, they still didn't see it and they still didn't repent. Even all the signs that were done in front of them, they still didn't see it or repent.
Speaker 1:All right, let's continue in verse 43. Now, when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest and it does not find it. Then it says I will return to my house, from which I came. And when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept and put in order. Then it goes out and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and they live there, and the last condition of that person is worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation. All right, let's stop here real quick.
Speaker 1:In verse 45. Now we know that Jesus had just been talking to the scribes and the Pharisees and the people, because they'd asked for a sign and the fact that they had an unrepentant heart. And then he says this about an unclean spirit being cast out, about an unclean spirit being cast out, and the statement almost seems like it doesn't belong. Until you understand the lesson that Jesus has given. He says an unclean spirit was cast out. They will travel over waterless places, some versions say dry places, and they will seek for a place to dwell. An evil spirit will always look for a host, it says. When it doesn't find one, it will return to the place that it was cast out of. And when it comes there, it finds a place empty. That's the key word empty, clean and put in order.
Speaker 1:Why would an unclean spirit be cast out? They'd have to come in contact with a power greater than itself. So the laying on of Jesus and his disciples laid on hands, they cast out demons and the fact that these evil spirits were cast out. These people were given an opportunity to fill their life with something greater than themselves, to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the desire for the kingdom of heaven. And when the evil spirits come back and they find a place empty, not filled, they didn't fill it with God. They allowed their self to be empty. And it says that the spirit will go out and find seven more spirits more evil than itself, and they will all go back and live. Seven more spirits more evil than itself and they will all go back and live in that same person and the person's state, the person's sinfulness, will be greater at the end of it than they were at the beginning. And I don't know if you know anyone who used to go to church or used to be supposedly a follower of Christ and that now they live in the world and they're even worse than they were before they were going to church. They just like they give up. They just went full-fledged sin, and I know a few. And that's what happens when we don't fill ourselves with Christ.
Speaker 1:We often say and I know you probably heard it is that inside of every person there's two. Let's say there's two wolves there's a dark wolf and then there's a white wolf. And these two wolves, one represents good and one represents evil, and these two wolves are battling for supremacy over your life. Which one wins? Well, the one you feed. So if you're constantly feeding yourself evil and not good, you're always feeding the evil. The evil is going to win over in your life and it's going to predominate your life. But if you feed your life, if you feed yourself good things and godly things, then your life is going to obviously promote those things and you're not going to be filled with all the evil. And this is what Jesus was saying about people who they don't fill their self with God that they'll find that the latter state of the person is worse than the beginning. And that's what he says about the evil generation that he's talking about, who didn't repent.
Speaker 1:All right, let's pick up in verse 46. While he was still speaking to the crowds, behold, his mother and his brothers were standing outside seeking to speak to him. Someone said to him Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to you. But Jesus replied to the one who was telling him and said who is my mother and who are my brothers? And he extended his hands towards his disciples. He said Behold my mother, my brothers, for whoever does the will of the Father who is in heaven, he is my brother and my sister and my mother.
Speaker 1:Now I've had the opportunity a few times to speak to those who had just given their life to Jesus, who have just prayed the prayer, their life to Jesus, who have just prayed the prayer, and I often use this verse to tell them that they are now my brother or my sister, that they are part of the family of God because of what Jesus says in these verses, and I hope that that's true. But what Jesus actually says is those who do the will of the Father in heaven. These are my mother, my brother and my sisters. I hope that those who get on their knees and they pray out to God for the first time, that they actually become followers of God, that they fill their life with the Holy Spirit and Jesus and they're followers of Christ, with the Holy Spirit and Jesus and their followers of Christ. As we just learned that there's people who they're cleansed for a moment, that the things that the evilness that are in them, they have an encounter with God, but they don't feel their life with God.
Speaker 1:Now I'm not going to go into a biblical debate about once saved, always saved, or are these people still saved, because that's not the purpose for this. The purpose for this is what you fill your life with and the word of God, what Jesus is telling you, and he's saying that those who do the will of the Father are his mother, his brother and his sisters, and he doesn't make a distinction between who's who, and actually he's saying here that the people of God are more your family than your own blood family. He's pointing that out here because who was standing outside it was his mother, mary and his two brothers. Were they followers of Christ? Maybe, maybe, maybe they become followers of Christ. I know some of them do become followers of Christ and hope they all did. But Jesus is making a distinction that those who do the will of God, those who are Christian, are more now your family than your own blood family.
Speaker 1:And it also reminds me of the verse in 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy 2, starting. Verse 5 says For there is one God and there's one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself for the ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. Now, why it reminds me of this verse is because we have a bad habit of putting people in improper places. We may look at our pastor, we may look at a certain teacher or a certain evangelist or anyone who has an impact on our life, who has an impact on our life. We even see it in some churches where they pray to Mary and some of the apostles.
Speaker 1:We have a tendency to put people in certain places in our life, and what I'm trying to say is Christ didn't make a distinction. You can see this very thing happen here. He didn't make a distinction on people. There's only one distinction, and that's God in heaven and Jesus Christ, and that's why 1 Timothy comes to mind when it says For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Jesus Christ. There's a song that says I know where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord, and we can't be looking at these certain people, no matter how good they are or how big of a blessing they are in our life. They're still people and we got to remember that. They make mistakes, they fail. They're human, just like we are, but by the power of God and by the blood of Jesus, we are all part of the family. Now, all right, I'm going to end this one here. We're going to pick back up in Matthew 13 in the next Bible study. Until then, god bless you and goodbye.