12/24/24

Matthew 12:30 NASB1995 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Jesus makes a very strong statement against some religious leaders who say Jesus is working in the power of Satan.

He says if you are not with me then you are against me. He leaves no middle ground to straddle the fence; either you are with Jesus, or you are against Him. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden everyone left Him. Peter had said I will never leave you even if it means dying and yet that very night Peter denied Him three times.

Jesus said if you are not with me you are against me.

We often think we can follow Jesus from a distance. We think we can be far enough back that those who are with Jesus will think we are part of the body but yet those who are out there observing Jesus will think we are just casual observers too. Jesus says "He who is not with Me is against Me."

If you are a casual follower then you are no follower at all.

When Shadrach Meshach and Abed Nego were thrown into the fire they were with God. Thus they didn't even smell like smoke. However, the guards who were close yet not with God were burned up in the fire. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me."

If you think that hanging out with Jesus is the same as being part of His body, then you are mistaken. He who is not with Jesus is against Jesus. When the Israelites left Egypt a mixed multitude went with them. When they complained about the lack of food, the Lord sent fire and consumed many on the outskirts of the camp. This mixed multitude wanted to be close to the people of God but never joined in. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me." Jesus calls all His people together. You can not be on the outskirts and still be part of the family. If you are not gathered into Jesus then you will be scattered amongst the world without Jesus.

As Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me."

Don't play around and think you can be a viewer of the show and be ok. There is no middle ground with Jesus.

Either you are with Him or you are not.

As we celebrate CHRISTmas tomorrow I pray you are with Christ.

If you are then it will be a Merry CHRISTmas.

Love Bro. Scott