A House Divided
Jesus says in Matthew 12:25 and Luke 11:17 “every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”.
Your house can be your family, your church group, your relationships. The devil in
his attempt to divide your nations, your cities and houses, he will take advantage of all
rebellion, and will come in the opened door and destroy. The Bible says “for where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”.
The Bible warns us “be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what
fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light
with darkness”? Amos 3:3 says “can two walk together, except they be agreed”?
Sin doesn’t just affect the one who commit it, it affects those around them. Look at
what happened to Israel when Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, and the anger of
the Lord Yahweh was kindled against them, and a plague began (Numbers 25:6-9)
“behold one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brethren a Midianitish
woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of
Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And
when Phinehas, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the
congregation, and took a javelin in his hand. And he went after the man of Israel into
the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through
her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in
the plague were twenty and four thousand”.
In the book of Joshua, we read of the man Achan that touched the spoil of Jericho and
caused many to die as they battled Ai (Joshua 7:1) “but the children of Israel
committed a trespass in the accursed thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of
Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing; and the
anger of the Lord Yahweh was kindled against the children of Israel”. As they
defeated Jericho, God had said to them, “and you, in any wise keep yourselves from
the accursed thing, less you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the
accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. but all the silver
and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to the Lord Yahweh they
shall come into the treasury of the Lord Yahweh” (Joshua 6:18-19). Achan, was
stoned with his sons, and his daughters and all that he had (Joshua 7:24-26).
Rebellion is knowing God’s word and not following it (James 4:17) “therefore to him
that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin”. Rebellion is a choice, the
people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven His
trustworthiness, or obey the local gods, which were only man-made idols. It’s easy to
slip into a quiet rebellion-going about life in your own way. But the time comes when
you have a choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours, will it be God,
your own limited personality. Once you have chosen to be controlled by God’s Spirit,
reaffirm your choice every day. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:13-14 “for if you live
after the flesh, you shall die, but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God”.
Rebellion leads to judgment. Jude gave 3 examples of rebellion; the children of Israel
who, although they were delivered from Egypt, refused to trust God and enter the
Promised Land (Numbers 14:26-39); the angels, although they were once pure, holy,
and living in God’s presence, some gave in to pride and joined satan to rebel against
God (II Peter 2:4); the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the inhabitants were so full of
sin that God wiped them off the face of the earth (Genesis 19:1-29). If the chosen
people, angels, and sinful cities were punished, how much more would these false
teachers be severely judged”?
Let us learn from Israel’s mistakes, their nation was divided by sin and rebellion
against God and God lifted His hand of protection from them. Psalms 81:11-12 says
“but My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would none of Me. So I
gave them up to their own hearts lust, and they walked in their own counsels”. God
sets the rule for all human behavior. The Hebrew words for sin, therefore, are
speaking of violating a standard, or missing the mark. As the One who gives us laws,
God sets limits on our freedom, telling us we cannot do certain things; so another
word describes sin as “overstepping one’s limits”. Paul says that everyone is his or
her own Adam, which means that every person is fully responsible for her or his sin.
The solution to sin is to die with Christ, die to sin, to the world, to oneself because
Christ provided our justification. The Spirit, as the same time, gives us new life,
making us new people by changing our inner selves into imitations of Christ in a
process called sanctification.
Our defense is “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5). The real battle is in the mind, and we have
the power to overcome.
The devil uses division to break up families; setting husbands and wives against each
other, the rate of divorce is over 50%, even in the church; and or children against
their parents; with teen aged rebellion; setting church members against each other,
causing church splits. This causes people to get into un-forgiveness which gets them
out of the will of God. The reason can be found in Matthew 18:19 Jesus says “again, I
say to you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall
ask, it shall be done for them of My Father, which is in heaven”. The devil does not
want people to be in agreement. Just like knowing that where envying and strife is
there is every evil thing, the same would be that where unity and harmony and love is,
there is every good thing. Knowing this, should make us aware of his tricks, and strive
to be in unity in all our relationships. Doing what Jesus says in Matthew 5:44 “but I
say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, ad pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 22, 2008
Jesus says in Matthew 12:25 and Luke 11:17 “every kingdom divided against itself is
brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”.
Your house can be your family, your church group, your relationships. The devil in
his attempt to divide your nations, your cities and houses, he will take advantage of all
rebellion, and will come in the opened door and destroy. The Bible says “for where
envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work”.
The Bible warns us “be you not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what
fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light
with darkness”? Amos 3:3 says “can two walk together, except they be agreed”?
Sin doesn’t just affect the one who commit it, it affects those around them. Look at
what happened to Israel when Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, and the anger of
the Lord Yahweh was kindled against them, and a plague began (Numbers 25:6-9)
“behold one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brethren a Midianitish
woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of
Israel, who were weeping before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And
when Phinehas, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the
congregation, and took a javelin in his hand. And he went after the man of Israel into
the tent, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through
her belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel. And those that died in
the plague were twenty and four thousand”.
In the book of Joshua, we read of the man Achan that touched the spoil of Jericho and
caused many to die as they battled Ai (Joshua 7:1) “but the children of Israel
committed a trespass in the accursed thing; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of
Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing; and the
anger of the Lord Yahweh was kindled against the children of Israel”. As they
defeated Jericho, God had said to them, “and you, in any wise keep yourselves from
the accursed thing, less you make yourselves accursed, when you take of the
accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. but all the silver
and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated to the Lord Yahweh they
shall come into the treasury of the Lord Yahweh” (Joshua 6:18-19). Achan, was
stoned with his sons, and his daughters and all that he had (Joshua 7:24-26).
Rebellion is knowing God’s word and not following it (James 4:17) “therefore to him
that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin”. Rebellion is a choice, the
people had to decide whether they would obey the Lord, who had proven His
trustworthiness, or obey the local gods, which were only man-made idols. It’s easy to
slip into a quiet rebellion-going about life in your own way. But the time comes when
you have a choose who or what will control you. The choice is yours, will it be God,
your own limited personality. Once you have chosen to be controlled by God’s Spirit,
reaffirm your choice every day. The Bible tells us in Romans 8:13-14 “for if you live
after the flesh, you shall die, but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the
body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God”.
Rebellion leads to judgment. Jude gave 3 examples of rebellion; the children of Israel
who, although they were delivered from Egypt, refused to trust God and enter the
Promised Land (Numbers 14:26-39); the angels, although they were once pure, holy,
and living in God’s presence, some gave in to pride and joined satan to rebel against
God (II Peter 2:4); the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, the inhabitants were so full of
sin that God wiped them off the face of the earth (Genesis 19:1-29). If the chosen
people, angels, and sinful cities were punished, how much more would these false
teachers be severely judged”?
Let us learn from Israel’s mistakes, their nation was divided by sin and rebellion
against God and God lifted His hand of protection from them. Psalms 81:11-12 says
“but My people would not hearken to My voice, and Israel would none of Me. So I
gave them up to their own hearts lust, and they walked in their own counsels”. God
sets the rule for all human behavior. The Hebrew words for sin, therefore, are
speaking of violating a standard, or missing the mark. As the One who gives us laws,
God sets limits on our freedom, telling us we cannot do certain things; so another
word describes sin as “overstepping one’s limits”. Paul says that everyone is his or
her own Adam, which means that every person is fully responsible for her or his sin.
The solution to sin is to die with Christ, die to sin, to the world, to oneself because
Christ provided our justification. The Spirit, as the same time, gives us new life,
making us new people by changing our inner selves into imitations of Christ in a
process called sanctification.
Our defense is “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the
obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians 10:5). The real battle is in the mind, and we have
the power to overcome.
The devil uses division to break up families; setting husbands and wives against each
other, the rate of divorce is over 50%, even in the church; and or children against
their parents; with teen aged rebellion; setting church members against each other,
causing church splits. This causes people to get into un-forgiveness which gets them
out of the will of God. The reason can be found in Matthew 18:19 Jesus says “again, I
say to you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall
ask, it shall be done for them of My Father, which is in heaven”. The devil does not
want people to be in agreement. Just like knowing that where envying and strife is
there is every evil thing, the same would be that where unity and harmony and love is,
there is every good thing. Knowing this, should make us aware of his tricks, and strive
to be in unity in all our relationships. Doing what Jesus says in Matthew 5:44 “but I
say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, ad pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”.
Sermon by: Harriet Bond
Date: February 22, 2008
