"22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23 All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 31 "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Matthew 12:22-32
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are privileged to come together today and study God's Word. I am grateful to God for those of you who have joined us today, whether it's your first time or you are a faithful member of our family in Christ. I would like to thank each of you who have faithfully continued to share the ministry website, and social media platforms with your family and friends. God has continued to bless your efforts in reaching the lost and the deceived. We are reaching people and places never before imagined, bringing people to Christ. I pray you will continue to join us in praying for this ministry to reach the lost, the broken and the hopeless. May Christ continue to be known and loved by many in the days, weeks and months to come.
While this may be a very familiar passage to many Christians, it is often misunderstood, therefore, it has troublesome to many causing false fears of committing the unpardonable sin. While many Christians wouldn’t dare smoke or drink, but they have no problem with greed and materialism. They have no objection to gossip, judgement or spiritual laziness in knowing and understanding the Word of God. They have virtually no issue with living as the world lives. What gets me is that all these people are supposed to be Christians. Yet, there are no clear distinctions between them and the world. The irony is bitter. They seem to hold in disdain the behavior that to be characteristic of being a Christian. What I find more disturbing, is that no one seems to talk about it or even care anymore. They do not understand the doctrine, they have no extensive study, no theological background just what they "feel." And they will grumble and complain about sound teaching that confronts their sin and encourage others to do the same.
As we learned in our last message, the hearts of the Pharisees are set against Jesus. They no longer want Him gone, they want Him dead. While claiming to represent God, the Pharisees deliberately and willfully attribute Jesus’ power to Satan. Because they had been present to personally witness many of Jesus’ healing and miracles, they could not deny the reality and validity of Jesus' miracles. Now the issue is not whether he had done these miraculous things but how He had done them and what was their significance. In other words, they questioned the source of His power, which they conclude was Satan.
By virtue of His very nature, God is forgiving. The Old Testament is literally filled with passages indicating that God forgives. When Adam and Eve sinned, God forgave them. Then, when you come to the New Testament and it’s the same thing, God forgives. That is the essence of the Gospel; Man is a sinner, God forgives.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for every word that proceeds out of Your mouth. Those of us who love You, love Your Word, believe Your Word, love to study Your Word, and love to honor and obey Your Word, for in it You are revealed. Help us Lord to boldly proclaim and defend Your Word, confronting error and false teaching when it presents itself with love, grace and mercy, in hopes of restoring one who has become lost. Grant us a sensitive heart, to meet every need of others. Let us not forget that in doing for the least of these, we are doing it unto You. Keep us faithful and committed Lord, to applying these Truths to our own lives.
All for Your glory and Christ's sake
Amen
Today's Message: The Unpardonable Sin
Many in society today make excuses for their own faults and dismiss the accomplishments of others as being worthless. That's the way the Pharisees reacted when Jesus confronted them on what they thought God wanted, and when it came to what Jesus had done, they wrongfully concluded it must have been done by the power of Satan.
I have known people who think they have sinned heinously, there will never be God's forgiveness for them. Personally, I cannot imagine anything more vile, more venomous than to kill the Son of God. What could possibly be worse than that? Yet, as Jesus Christ would hang on the cross, it is precisely that sin which He demonstrates is forgivable. God forgives sinners of all types; liars, deceivers, cheaters, adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals. He forgives drunkards, thieves and murders. He forgives the self-righteous, and the Christ rejecters. God can forgive even a blasphemer. And aren't we grateful that He does or none of us could be forgiven! God is a forgiving God.
I hasten to add, there is no forgiveness, for anyone, at any time without repentance and confession and a turning to God. Repentance and confession are an act of faith in our the Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees perceived themselves to be righteous, beyond the need for repentance therefore, they couldn’t be forgiven. They were beyond pardon.
In Matthew 11, Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."
Open your Bibles with me to the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew 12:22-32. I invite you to follow along with me as I read verses 22 through 32. Let us open our hearts for what the Spirit of God has to say to each of us.
"Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Jesus was in Galilee preaching and teaching, casting out demons and healing. Then, multiplying Himself by the twelve, giving them the message to preach, the power over disease and demons, so that they could multiply the ministry of healing and deliverance. As they engaged in preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, as Jesus is presenting Himself to the people, there is an escalation of exposure and of proclamation as well as the evidences of healing and deliverance. And there is an escalation of mounting rejection.
It was at this point, the gospel writers begin to record the mounting attitude of rejection towards Christ. If you will remember, we’ve been seeing it increase through chapters 11 and 12. But now, it is beginning to climax as they reach the epitome of rejection, open blasphemy of Him. For centuries,the Jews lived in anticipation and hope of the Messiah, it was the heart-cry of every prophet of Israel. Then, when He came, they not only rejected Him, they wanted Him dead. I believe it's difficult for all of us today to really understand the pathos of this tragic moment when they reject their Messiah.
Let's look at verse 22, "Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw." There is nothing particularly notable about this healing, as we've been studying Matthew's Gospel, we've seen Jesus perform miracles of healing before. At this point, it’s utterly impossible to attempt to deny Jesus' power to heal. Everything from deliverance from physical infirmities t casting out demons. Over and over again, He demonstrated the miraculous supernatural ability to perform miracles. Sadly, though they knew the Scripture, they were completely ambivalent about who Jesus was.
After Jesus heals the man and there are two responses; one from the crowds and another from the Pharisees as we see in verses 23-24, "All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons." The crowds were totally astounded, because there’s no way to intellectually explain it. "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" The Greek word used is "mḗti," which draws out an immediate response of "no," while still keeping the possibility open. In other words, "This can’t be the Messiah, or can it?" Since the people of Jesus’ day knew that the Messiah, the Christ, would come from the line of David, the obvious answer should have been "Yes! This is the Messiah." So, Jesus was certainly heightening their interest. Jesus was probably inside a house, and there with the people around Him, and they were saying, "This can’t be the Messiah, can it?" Time and time again, Jesus was proving that He really was indeed sent by God.
It's interesting that there's no mention as to where the Pharisees were or who they said it to. But judging by their response, they obviously heard it. This is not the first time the Pharisees claim The first time that the Pharisees claim that Satan is the source of Jesus’ miracles, that was back in chapter 9. It had become very clear to them that Jesus' power was beyond the realm of humanity. But He did not fit their preconceived notions as to what the Messiah would be, Jesus was meek, humble, gentle, compassionate. He was surely not the warrior king who would come and overthrow of the Rome oppression. Isaiah said He’ll come in meekness and gentleness and compassion, but they couldn't see that Jesus was not contrary to the Messiah in the Old Testament. The Pharisees hated the work of Jesus, they couldn't even begin tolerate such a thought. Jesus has a strong response to those who doubt His power, and issues a serious indictment as to where their doubt and lack of repentance may lead.
What He did obviously took supernatural power, the Pharisees couldn't deny that. God and Satan are the only two supernatural kingdoms that exist, so they were attempting to poison the minds of the people. But being able to read their minds, Jesus knew their thoughts. He didn’t need to actually hear what they were saying and He’s not having any of it. Look at verse 25, "And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand." He quickly points out the fallacy of their claim, He points out that it doesn’t make any sense that He would drive out demons by the power of demons. The prince of darkness driving out the forces of darkness? That's ludicrous!
Jesus goes on to destroy their ridiculous accusation in verse 26, "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?" I love that He confronts them, even though they wouldn’t confront Him. In Mark 3, Mark tells us they were outside the house, so He called to them. He's going to expose them in public. Jesus was doing deeds that could only be explained as the power of God, yet they concluded it was by the power of Satan. After all, if it was not of God, what alternative is left? You have to give Him credit, He's backing them into a corner by using their own words. Satan is utterly evil, he thrives on confusion and chaos, but not to the extent he is going to go around casting himself out. Scripture teaches us that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, a worker for God, but he's not going to cast demons out to reinforce that he’s on God’s side, that is ridiculous! The Pharisees are clearly in the wrong.
In verse 27, Jesus points out that the other Jewish leaders are casting out demons, claiming to do it by the power of God. I love the way Jesus is standing against those who questioned His power. "If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges." What an indictment! By the way, there were certain people who sat at the feet of the Pharisees to learn their approach to life, their religious system, they were known as the sons of the Pharisees. In Acts 19, there were some who were attaching themselves to Jesus, trying to cast out demons, they were of course miserably unsuccessful in their attempts. It's ironic that it isn’t even legitimate, and they ascribe it to God. They were probably the disciples of the Pharisees. Yet, the activity of Jesus gives evidence that is irrefutable, and they ascribe it to Satan, further evidence of just how prejudiced they are. Still today, people do not reject Jesus Christ because there is lack of evidence that He is God, they reject Him because of their bias. They don’t want to deal with the conviction that Christ brings into their sinful life.
John 3:19, "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."
I love how Jesus takes it a step further at the end of the verse, posing the question "Do you do this by the power of God or Satan? Let your sons be the judge." Now they're in a difficult position, if they say Satan they’ll only condemn themselves. If they say God, they'll confirm the source of His power! You’re so biased, why don't you just let your sons decide. He’s not casting out demons by the power of Satan, but by the power of God as evidence that the kingdom of God has come through His life and His ministry. Not only is their accusation biased, it is a rebellion against the kingdom of God.
Verse 28, "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Jesus is illustrating that by the time you get this point in the conversation, it can only be by the power of God, that is the only remaining conclusion. Because the alternative is absurd. In other words, Jesus is saying "I am the King and the kingdom is near you." In His incarnation, He restricted the use of His own prerogatives. It was the power of the Holy Spirit that was doing this through Him. That makes them blasphemous. Because His supernatural power comes from God, if that’s true and it is, then the kingdom is here.
In verse 29, Jesus gives us this beautiful illustration. "Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house."
Here He gives us the picture of a thief going into a strong man’s house and trying to steal his possessions. He’s not going to just sit back and let that happen, he's going to try to stop you. Let me be clear, if you come to my house to steal something, you're either going to have to kill me or bound me up in order to steal my stuff. That's the point Jesus is making here, Satan is bound up by the power of Jesus! The One who can bind such a strong man, has to be more powerful, right? Jesus is saying "Am I not greater than he?" Satan is strong, but Jesus is stronger! He's clearly having His way with Satan’s household, fighting the forces of evil by the power of the Spirit of God. They knew well the only One higher than Satan was God Himself.
Let me put it this way, the kingdom of God has come and the kingdom of darkness cannot stop it. I have to say, I am amused at just how many Christians that give Satan way too much credit. Your theology is about the same as Pharisees at that point. If we are in Christ, we do not need to fear Satan! Every unpleasing thing, every explainable circumstance or difficult situation that happens to them is because of Satan. It's some sort of satanic attack. Have you ever stopped complaining long enough to consider that God may be chastening you? The purpose of chastening is discipline and purification. God chastens us. Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"
It may come in the form of difficult circumstances, feelings of conviction or loss of peace in our lives, whatever the area of our life that needs to be addressed. Some of you are not reading your Bibles very closely; Does not Hebrews 12:6 teach us "For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives." Romans 8:28 says "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
In verses 30-32, Jesus confronts their unpardonable sin. The unpardonable sin is deliberately and knowingly attributing the works of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ to Satan. If I’m the King, then the kingdom is here, then you have to make a decision while it’s still available to you. Because you can’t deny His supernatural power, He’s either of God or Satan. If you say He’s of Satan, you scatter. If you say He's of God, you gather. You’re either with Him or against Him, there can be no neutrality with Christ. Church, this is so important for us to understand.
Then He adds the anathema, which means curse. Allow me to remind you Jesus speaking to those who have not only denied His power, but have actually attributed His power to the power of Satan. Listen as I read them. "He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. "Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."
Since the Pharisees were clearly not with Jesus, they were not with God. In fact, they were against God. Blasphemy is a unique sin, it is speaking of God in a derogatory manner. It is to speak evil of God, saying things that are not true about Him. That’s a big deal but blasphemy is forgivable. God is in the business of forgiving sin. Now, let me be clear here, it will only be forgiven when certain conditions are met. Look, God doesn’t owe us any act forgiveness, we don't deserve it, particularly not from the sin of blasphemy. But since He's the One forgiving, He has every right to set the conditions! You must confess your sin, turn away from your sin to Christ in faith, believing and receiving Him as Lord and Savior, then God will forgive your sin and your blasphemy. That same condition applies to each and every sinner. What a tremendous sign of God’s amazing grace! 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Can Christians blaspheme God? Absolutely, some do that all the time, and all too easily by saying things like "God, you can't do this. It's just not fair!" or "You promised to meet my needs and that's not true. You haven't, I'm still struggling!" And "You're supposed to be a loving God, how could You allow my child to die?" That's all blasphemy. There are a number of ways to blaspheme God. Peter denied Jesus three times, yet he was forgiven. Paul, not only persecuted Christians but he blasphemed the name of Jesus, and he too was forgiven. Both went on to be used for their work in the early church. So I believe there's sufficient evidence that God will forgive that in the life of a Christian.
That brings us to the end of verse 32, "but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." Listen, if you reject Christ, the Spirit by which He saves, then you cut off the only branch that can save you. Unbelief and rejection of Christ is the common denominator in hell. That it is characteristic of wicked society. Forgiveness is based on repentance and faith in Christ, the Pharisees concluded that Christ's power was from Satan, even though they saw the work of the Holy Spirit, they had all the evidence. At that point they were hopeless and could never be forgiven. God couldn’t have done any more to convince them, they had heard Jesus' teaching and preaching, they witnessed miracle after miracle, multiple healings, casting out demons. Because they rejected it all, they can never be forgiven.
In Closing..
In order to commit this specific sin, you would have to be living on the earth when Christ was here. However, when you continually deny the work of Jesus, when you refuse to repent and turn to Jesus, when you are closed to the power of Jesus, you are denying the work of the Holy Spirit and you are denying the Spirit Himself, you reach the point where you are unable to repent. If you continue to reject the Spirit of God, you may reach a point where you are beyond repentance, that too would be unforgivable. Many Christians today may faithfully attend church, Bible study groups and volunteer, but they are fine partying and getting drunk, living in immorality, therefore their spiritual life is dead. You can fake your faith but you cannot fool Christ!
This warning is for those you who have all of the intellectual information, you've seen and heard the evidence in the lives of those around you, but you are holding back and will not come to Christ. Whether it's unbelief or fear of being ostracized by others in your social circle. You are stuck in your unsaved condition. Hell is reserved for you. That’s why Jesus said, "You better believe while it is day, for the night comes when the lights are going to go out." When God turns out the lights and you can never find your way back.
You cannot come to the Father apart from Jesus and you cannot come to Jesus apart from the Holy Spirit. I pray that you would not harden your heart against the only One Who can grant you escape from the coming doom that awaits those who reject Christ, and the working of God in your life. I beseech you to run to Him in repentance!
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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