1. Mark 3:20–35 (ESV)
  2. Sermon suggestions

Sermon outline for Mark 3:20-35

Mark 3:20–35 (ESV)

20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat.

  • Introduction

    • Who is Jesus?

    • Is he a madman to be controlled?

    • Is he a bad man to be stopped?

    • Explain that most people today will not use the word mad or bad to describe Jesus, but that is what the people think who heard him and saw the miracles he did when he walked on earth. 

  • Jesus Christ: a madman or a bad man?

    • Explain: why does Jesus’ family think he is mad?

    • Explain: why do the teachers of the law think Jesus is bad?

    • Neither Jesus’ family nor the teachers of the law are willing to accept that Jesus is who he says he is. As a result, they do not think it is very important to listen to Jesus and do what he says.

  • Jesus Christ: God’s King led by God’s Spirit who has come to bind Satan

    • Jesus’ family think they can control him. The teachers of the law think the devil controls Jesus.

    • Reality: Jesus is the King who has come to bind Satan and free his captives (explain the parable).

    • Give examples of how Jesus is busy doing good, changing people’s lives, and behaving in a way clearly showing he is not being controlled by Satan.

    • Explain that only those who listen to Jesus are set free by him. There is no forgiveness for those who, like Judas Iscariot (Mark 3:19), choose to manipulate and reject Jesus.

    • Explain that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is essentially a refusal to repent and believe in Jesus, a refusal to acknowledge Jesus as God’s King.

    • Encourage those who are not Christians not to think that they will be able to repent and believe in twenty or thirty years—they must do so now and they can do so with the confidence that Jesus can forgive every and all their sins.

    • Encourage those who are Christians that if they have faith in Jesus, they have not blasphemed the Holy Spirit.

  • Freed from slavery to Satan to be part of God’s family

    • When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, we become part of God’s family.

    • God’s family is more important than our biological family.

    • As members of God’s family, we listen to Jesus and try our best to obey him.

    • We obey Jesus because we are thankful for everything he has done for us to forgive our sins.

  • Conclusion

    • Mark 3:20-35 shows us that Jesus is God’s King led by God’s Spirit.

    • He is not someone who can be stopped; do not think you can fight against him. He will build his church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

    • He is not someone who can be controlled, like the genie in Aladdin, who exists to obey our will and fulfill our desires. So do not think you can use and abuse him for your purposes and plans.

    • No, he is the King who has come to bind Satan and free his people from slavery to sin. He did that through his death on the cross, and he calls us today to listen to and obey him.