07/05/2023
*THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH NIGERIA*
_LAWNA TERRITORY_
*SUNDAY SCHOOL MAY 7TH, 2023.*
*THEME: JESUS CHRIST - THE SERVANT FROM HEAVEN - Philippians 2:1*
*LESSON 17: JESUS IS ACCUSED OF POSSESSING BEELZEBUB*
*Text: MK. 3:20-30*
*a) Objective:* To show the Pharisees’ deliberate efforts to condemn the ministry of Jesus Christ by accusing him wrongly.
*b) Memory Verse:* _And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. (Mk. 3:24-26)_
*c) Relevant Hymns:* App. 183, App 65, RH. 322, R.H. 379
*d) Lesson Exposition:*
i. In the previous lesson, we discussed how Jesus Christ selected twelve disciples whom He named apostles and how He gave them power to heal the sick and cast out evil spirits. We are going to consider, in this lesson, how He was accused of possessing Beelzebub.
ii. Beelzebub was a Canaanite deity, which the Jews used to denote Satan or the prince of the devils, also referred to as the God of Ekron in 2 Kings 1:3.
iii. Mk. 3:20 reveals that Jesus Christ was so caught up with His preaching and healing ministry that He and His disciples did not even have time to eat.
iv. When His friends heard of His pre-occupation with the crowd such that He could not have time to eat, they misunderstood him and decided to take him away, thinking that something had gone wrong with Him (Mk. 3:21)
v. The people whom the writer refers to as friends in verse 21 could be His relatives or members of His family. Sometimes, our families, relatives or friends may misconstrue our actions because we are zealous on our God-given assignment.
vi. To increase the level of the embarrassment, some scribes came from Jerusalem. These were the same type of people with whom Jesus had already engaged in a public controversy concerning Christ’s power to forgive sins. (see 2:1-3,6-7)
vii. Probably, the scribes were sent from Jerusalem, to discredit Christ’s ministry. They concluded maliciously that all His mighty acts had been performed with the power of the prince of the devils. (Mk. 3:22)
viii. In His defence, Jesus pointed out how absurd it was for Satan to cast out himself or for a kingdom to be divided against itself. “How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand…” (Mk. 3:23-26)
ix. Jesus Christ told the Scribes, in a parable, that someone who is entering a strong man’s house to carry away his possessions must
be strong enough to overpower him. (Mk. 3:27)
x. In other words, Jesus means whosoever would defeat Satan; and seize his goods, must be stronger than Satan. By this, Jesus implies that He Himself has come to enter the house of the strong man, Satan, to destroy his works. (I John 3:8)
xi. In Mk 3:28-30, Jesus pronounced judgment on the scribes as being guilty of an eternal sin. Whereas, all categories of sin, including blasphemies shall be forgiven (Mk. 3:28), there is an unforgivable sin-the sin against the Holy Spirit. (Mk. 3:29)
xii. To maliciously attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to an evil spirit, is an act of defiant behaviour and a rejection of God’s grace.
xiii. That sin against the Holy Spirit cannot be forgiven is made clear from the following explanation: It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin. John 16:7-10. Therefore, to sin against the Holy Spirit is to make the conviction of sin impossible by shutting off the Holy Spirit from one’s life (John 16:8). Consequently, repentance is impossible and, without repentance, there is no forgiveness of sin. (Acts 3:19)
*e) Personal Assessment Questions*
1. Is the Holy Spirit dwelling in you?
2. Are you always conscious of the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
3. Do you always yield to the promptings of the Holy Spirit?
