Think About What We Think About, Journey #84

[Maggie]

Think About What We Think About
Journey # 84

The intensity of hatred toward the Lord Jesus by the Pharisees and scribes built and built to this horrible peak of their claim that Jesus was working miracles by an unclean spirit that He had.
Mark 3:22 “And 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."

Having committed themselves to the position that Jesus was an imposter, it was necessary that in some way they should explain away the miracle.
They were saying the reason that He was casting demons out of people and healing the sick of their sickness was because He had an unclean spirit.
This is about as serious as it gets.

This passage is in here so we might look at how Jesus handles it.
And is a serious flashing red light for us to always be very careful about the accusation we make against another person---especially another believer in Jesus Christ.
We are real prone to make a judgment call on another person.
We need to realize this is a very serious matter and to think very carefully about the word that we speak about another person.
You know the old saying, “If you can’t say anything good ---don’t say anything.”
If you are going to say something---say something good. You can do it!

In order to understand the seriousness of this accusation against Jesus, we have to go back to the Old Testament and realize how God’s word shaped God’s people into things that were either clean or unclean.
God said the things that were clean were living things and the things that were unclean had some association with death in some way or another.

Sometimes even God’s people would fall into the category of unclean, but it was always temporary.
It was usually for seven days or so many days they were required to go outside the camp, didn’t have any fellowship association with people because they had, intentionally or unintentionally, come in contact with something that was dead.

It’s interesting to study the clean and unclean categories in the OT, especially knowing what we now know medically, bearing in mind the people of God didn’t know that.
But God knew it. He would tell His people they were not to go near or touch anything unclean----- don’t have any connection with it whatsoever.
They were to completely get away from that dead body and the reason was because God is the Living God!
He did not want His people, whom He had called into relationship with Him, to have an association whatsoever with death.
Even if they had to, in some way, come in contact with an unclean thing, couldn’t avoid it, then it was a temporary separation from His people until that time had passed and they could once again be a witness of the living God.

As teachers of the law, the scribes and the Pharisees knew that, therefore, when they started attributing an unclean spirit to Jesus, basically what they were saying was:
“Don’t have anything to do with Him. He’s not a witness of the living God.”

Can you see how extreme and serious that was for them to be saying that the One who was fully revealing the living God, fully Jesus Christ, was the very opposite by having an unclean spirit?

This could happen with us. We have to heed that warning.
How did it happen with them?
It occurred back in Mark chapter two.
Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed. (Journey #56 & #57)

“Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:5).
They were thinking, “Who does He think He is? Why He is blaspheming.”
“Nobody can forgive sin but God” (Mk 2:7).

Jesus perceived their thoughts. It all begins with a thought.
Our thoughts form our words. We see that later in this chapter in verses 16 and 24.
Then they start speaking those doubts about Jesus and---- then to Jesus.
They are questioning in their hearts why He is blaspheming.

Jesus speaks to the thought that they had.
“Why are you questioning these things in your heart?
“Which is easier to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven; or to say,
“Get up. Pick up you mat and walk?”
“That you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sin,”
He said to the paralytic, “Get up. Pick up your mat and go to your house.”

In verse 16, we see them questioning His disciples.
That thought has taken the form of words, by questioning Jesus, questioning who He is, questioning His disciples. In verse 24, now they are speaking directly to Jesus.
Those thoughts had taken the form of words.
You see the progression of the deterioration of a view of who Jesus is; and it all began with a thought.

In Mark chapter 3, they watched to see what Jesus would do for the man with a withered hand---for they were looking for a reason to accuse Him.
In the sixth verse, the Pharisees immediately came out of the synagogue and counseled with the Herodians; plotting how they could put Him to death.

Now their words have taken on action!
Then we see it (v-22) proclaimed to these large crowds that followed Jesus, “He is doing this because He is possessed by an unclean spirit!”

Here’s the warning for us: note this so you will remember that:
Our thoughts form our words.
Our words form our actions.
Our actions form our habits and our habits form our character.

You trace that right back to your thoughts.
We have control over our thoughts and what our minds dwells on.
It makes no difference in how we were brought up or what conditions we live in today.
It makes no difference how good, how bad, and how hard or how easy are the conditions in which we live.
We have control over what we think about and what we don’t think about.
Our thoughts are forming our character in us.

Notice how it happened here in this Scripture passage and how quickly it can happen to us.
We see something here that we must apply to our own lives.
“To think about---- what we think about!”

We can think about what we think about by meditating on God’s word and the teachings of Jesus that He gives to us.
We can do that through out the day and when we don’t----we have chosen not to!
Don’t say-oh-no, I’m a busy person. I’ve got a lot of things on my mind.
We get to choose what is on our mind and what is not on our mind.

Remember, there is nothing greater to think about than Jesus Christ.
Think about what He is doing and what He is saying about Himself and about His kingdom in this world.

Philippians 4:8 (New Living Translation)

8 "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing.
Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.
Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Think about what you think about.

[Jane]

Yes the mind sorts things out and the mouth speaks them into the universe and you cant ever take them back it and nothing is lost but has a way of boomerraning back to you when you least expect it So best be care of what you say and speak,