“’A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ I believe this Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided.” Abraham Lincoln said that on June 16th, 1858. He knew what he was talking about, not only when it came to foreseeing the end of slavery in the United States but in recognizing that even a might house can be brought down. Of course, he had a good source for this pearl of wisdom—the words of Jesus from this morning’s sermon text.
Abe Lincoln was an excellent student of Scripture and he knew how to turn a phrase. His “House Divided” speech helped propel him to the presidency. But, as an astute Bible student, Lincoln also knew that Jesus wasn’t talking politics when He made that statement. Lincoln used Jesus’ phrase for illustration purposes only. Jesus had a very different “divided house” in mind. The truth is, our text suggests several houses—and each of them would be in trouble if divided—but what happens to the one Jesus really is talking about may surprise you. So, then:
WHICH HOUSE IS JESUS SAYING CANNOT STAND?
The first house in our text is Jesus’ own family. It begins, “Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Strange, isn’t it, to picture Jesus’ family thinking He was insane? The people who knew Him best—Mary (who’d been told by God’s angel to expect unusual things from her Son); Jesus’ brothers, whom He’d grown up with. You’d hope that they’d understand His mission and align with it. But instead, they divide against Him. They might’ve just wanted to protect Him from public humiliation—you know, save the family name and all. A house divided like that cannot stand.
Jesus makes that clear at the conclusion of our text: “Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” If Jesus’ own family was going to divide against Him, He’d replace them with a new one. No one can be part of His family by virtue of a fortuitous birth or prestigious pedigree. Even if you could trace your family tree back to Luther that wouldn’t make you a member of Jesus’ family!
Whoever does the will of God belongs to Jesus’ house. This is all the work of God. We cannot become part of Jesus’ family by our own thinking or choosing; no one can make up his or her mind to “believe in Jesus” apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. We didn’t become a Christian by making a decision for Christ. He flat out states in John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” Paul writes in the familiar verses of Ephesians 2:8-10: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
You are a member of Jesus’ family by the faith God’s Spirit worked in your heart. Your house is built on “Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (v. 20). That’s a foundation that’s built to last forever! That’s a house that cannot be divided by the devil!
Yet, this is still not the “divided house” that Jesus is talking about. Another possible “divided house” is suggested by Jesus’ enemies. And actually, it is impossible for this house to be divided. We read: “the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.” This is the worst possible blasphemy—to suggest that the Son of God is possessed by Satan and that His work is satanic! If Jesus was in cahoots with Satan, then He would be separated from the Father and the Spirit. A divided Trinity could not stand!
Notice how Jesus responds! “I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.” Jesus speaks of an “unforgivable sin” because the teachers of the law accused Him of ties to Satan while many others—even some of His enemies—concluded just the opposite: that He must be from God since He drove out evil spirits. Jesus accuses them of committing the “unforgivable sin” because they spoke against the work of the Spirit who was trying to convince them that He really was the Messiah. In John 10:38 Jesus told His enemies: “even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
If a person rejects God’s Spirit once the Spirit has made it clear to that person that Jesus is the Savior, then that person has committed the “unforgivable sin.” The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.” Keep in mind that if a person is worried about whether he has committed this “unforgivable sin” that person most certainly has not. The fact that he is concerned about it at all means that the Holy Spirit is still working to bring that person to repentance and faith in Jesus.
So, if the Son was divided against the Father and the Spirit, if His work was satanic, then there would be no hope of forgiveness and salvation. In fact, if God was divided against Himself the entire universe would dissolve! But this isn’t the “divided house” Jesus is talking about either. This is the “divided house” He refers to: “So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house.” It’s Satan’s house Jesus is talking about!
If Satan is divided against himself he’s done for too! “Then let the glorious news be spread: The wicked old witch at last is dead! Ding, dong, the wicked witch is dead!” But there’s one problem: Jesus is telling us that Satan’s house is not divided. In our text, Jesus is saying to His enemies: “Your accusation is absurd. Satan would never drive out his own demons. He wouldn’t divide against himself.” Satan’s house is not divided. It’s strong. It’s not going to collapse under its own weight or self-destruct internally. As much as God loves you in Christ, that’s how much Satan hates you. The devil has been defeated by the seed of the woman, but He is still hell-bent on your soul’s destruction. He and his demons are like an unseen, underground terrorist network more sinister, more subtle and far more successful than al-Qaida will ever be. They work overtime to try to “tie you up” so that they can “rob your house” of faith in Christ.
One of Satan’s favorite tactics is to make you lazy about your faith. He wants you to fill your family’s schedule up with so many “important” things—music lessons, sports, school functions, sleepovers, play groups and the like—that you don’t have time for Him, for His Word or for one another. He hopes to get you to skip church two or three weeks in a row. That’s all it really takes to develop any habit, good or bad. If Satan separates you and your house from God’s Word, he can divide and conquer your faith and your family.
Another ploy of the devil is to convince you that you’re “crazy” for believing what you do. I got into a discussion at school awhile ago during lunch. One of the staff brought up evolution and started pontificating like his was the only opinion, so I challenged his statements. Before I knew it, all but one of the staff turned on me like a pack of hungry wolves eager to devour their “unenlightened” prey. It reminded me of the time I heard Mickey Rooney say on 60 Minutes: “No sane person denies evolution.”
At times like that the devil whispers things like, “Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe the Bible is just a collection of ancient myths. How can you really know it’s true, after all? It was written so long ago and has been interpreted and reinterpreted.” If you’re not careful, if you don’t spend time in the Word and with Christians who hold to its teachings, you might just succumb to Satan’s lies that you’re “old fashioned,” “out of touch,” “prejudiced,” “uneducated” or “uninformed” because you believe that the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit and that every word of it is God’s Word.
A final trick of Satan is to trap you in a sinful pattern of behavior that “ties you up” in the cords of guilt and shame so that he can “rob your house” of faith in Christ—not only in His ability to forgive you of your sin but in the Spirit’s power to set you free from that destructive pattern of behavior. Satan is called “the Accuser” in the Bible. He wants you to believe that God cannot and will not forgive you.
Satan’s house is powerful! It won’t fall on its’ own, but it will fall. In fact, it has fallen! It came crashing down when he was defeated by an even stronger opponent. Jesus came into this world—a world where Satan is the prince—and disarmed him. He took all of the Tempter’s best shots and fulfilled the demands of God’s law perfectly for us with faltering. He endured hell and death in our place—the devil’s territory, too—and came out triumphant on the other side. He brought our souls with Him—souls that had been chained in sin and doomed to hell. By keeping God’s law, dying on the cross and rising again, Jesus plundered Satan’s goods. His house is fallen. His power over us is broken. The troubles he brings are only temporary, and never more the Jesus allows. We are no longer Satan’s slaves. We belong to the stronger Man—to our Brother, Jesus!
Don’t get lethargic like the frog in the kettle! Don’t subscribe to society’s lies just so you don’t have to feel “different” any longer. Don’t throw in the towel when it comes to some sinful pattern of behavior you seem trapped in. God promises that when you are tempted He will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. With Jesus as your Brother, there is always a way out. Always! Believe it! Realize that you’re passing through this life with thousands of brothers and sisters in Christ who share your faith and your values. You are not alone! You have the Triune God as your stay; you have your family of faith; you have angels watching over you. That’s a powerhouse! It’s a dynasty! As Jesus’ sisters and brothers, do God’s will! Stand fast on the solid rock of Christ and His Word. By the power of God’s Spirit, your house of faith will stand, undivided, to the end! Amen.