Bob Josey - 7 The Other Comforter Lesson #6 - Apr 3, 2022

SLIDES

Thriving in Jesus

Chapter 7 The Other Comforter – Lesson 6

The Unpardonable Sin

Introduction

In the history of any nation that has fallen, there are watershed moments or turning points that one can point to that in relation to the downfall of that county. It is not my intention to discuss any of these that relate to the United States or any other modern county, but to say they do occur. My intention today is to discuss one event that occurred approximately 1900 years ago that relates to the down fall of the nation of Isarel. This event was spiritual in nature that set the stage for the downfall of the nation of Isarel physically for 1900 years and would spiritually affect many Jewish people living at that time for an eternity.

Today we are going to complete our study of the Other Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Today we will focus on the Unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit. Many ask that age old question, “Can the Unpardonable sin be committed today?” Before that question can be answered, however, another question should precede it that must be asked and answered. That question is, “What is the Unpardonable sin?”

Before either of these questions concerning what is called the Unpardonable sin can be asked and answered, we must discuss the context in which the idea of the Unpardonable sin took place. It important to note that from chapter 3 through chapter 11 the message of John the Baptizer, Jesus, and the disciples were preaching and teaching was “Repent because the Kingdom of Heaven was at Hand.” There was no other gospel preached at that time but that one. They were not preaching or teaching the gospel message of grace we do today. Remember the word gospel just means Good News. The context determines what that good news is.

Jesus came first and foremost to the lost sheep of the tribes of Isarel. The Kingdom of Heaven at Hand meant that the promised the Messiah was among the people of Isarel. He had come to lead Isarel into the Messianic Kingdom. To enter the Messianic Kingdom, they were required to recognize Him as the Messiah and repent of their sins.” They were not preaching teaching, or sharing the gospel of Grace that we proclaim today. As we shall see, the gospel of Grace we proclaim today has everything to do with the watershed moment in Matthew 12.

Questions or Comments

The Unpardonable Sin

How does one respond if you know that others are working against you? If you’re like most people, you look for ways preempt their strike. Or you retaliate and try to hit them harder so they’ll think twice about coming at you again. Preemptive action, retaliation, and revenge. They are common to human nature. In 1967 Israel made a primitive strike against Egypt who was planning to invade Israel. Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria joined Egypt against Israel. Within 6 days Isarel had won what is called the Six Days War.

If anybody had reason to strike back at His enemies, it was Jesus. The religious leaders of the day made His life difficult. They were always plotting against Him and finally came up with final plot to kill Him, but Jesus was unfazed. He continued to preach and teach.

In Matthew 12 we see how the Pharisees continued to increase the public slandering and smear campaign against Jesus in relation to breaking the Sabbath. It is in the context of breaking the Sabbath that we find what is usually called the Unpardonable sin. In Matthew 12 the religious leaders on three different occasions condemned Jesus for breaking the Sabbath. In the first incidence Jesus and the disciples picked grain and ate it. In the second instance Jesus healed a man with a withered hand. It’s the third instance that changed the direction of Jesus’ ministry and put the nation of Israel on a path that would eventually lead to what is called the diaspora.

The third Sabbath incident is found in Matthew 12:22-32. Let’s begin with verse 22.

22Then 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.

The man was demon-possessed. As a result, he could neither see nor speak. Jesus healed him so that he could see and speak again. In verse 23 we find the reaction of the people. It is also significant to the story “All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?”

The people who observed Jesus casting out the demon were astonished. They saw the man who could not speak or hear healed. The man could speak and hear again. The question some were asking about demon being cast out that resulted in his hearing and speaking again is connected to the Messianic title, Son of David. Many in the crowd recognized that this might possibly be a Messianic miracle because of the circumstances surrounding it, but in the Greek the question, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” requires a negative answer. Therefore, they considered it but did not embrace it.

The Pharisees had a strong answer to what really happened as we see in verse 24.

24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

The Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by means of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Beelzebub was actually a heathen deity, referred to earlier by Jesus in Matthew 10:25, and one supposedly in authority over the demons. The source of Jesus power, they contended, was diabolical. Satan was giving Jesus the power to cast out the demon. Since Jesus knew their thoughts, He made several points to refute their accusation.

25And 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.

Knowing their thoughts involved much more than reading their minds. The word thoughts has everything to do with the process and reasoning the Pharisees were going through to accuse Him of working with Satan. Because of this, Jesus defended what He did when He cast out the demon from the demon possessed man by showing He was not working in Satan’s power or authority.

1. He said if He were casting out a demon by Satan’s power, then Satan would be working against himself Why would Satan allow Jesus to cast out a demon and free a man who was already under Satan’s control.

2. Jesus asked them about contemporary Jewish exorcists, those who were able to cast out demons by the power of God (v. 27). The apostles had been given that authority (10:1) and others were thought to possess such power. Jesus was saying in essence, “If you believe exorcists work by the power of God in casting out demons, why do you not think I have that same divine power?” They were slandering Jesus for him doing the same thing that they and others did. Their own exorcists will judge them.

3. By driving out demons, He was proving He was greater than Satan. He was able to go into Satan’s realm (the strong man’s house), the demonic world, and come away with the spoils of victory Since He could do this, He was able to institute the kingdom of God (synonym to the Kingdom of Heaven) among them. If He were driving out demons by Satan’s power, He certainly could not be offering the people God’s kingdom. That would be contradictory. The fact that He was coming to establish the kingdom clearly showed that He worked by the power of the Spirit of God, not by Satan’s power.

After Jesus refuted their accusations, the Pharisees had no recorded response. The people were probably looking at them for a response but none came. They were red faced, silent, and probably embarrassed. Then the crowd probably looked to Jesus to see if He had anything else to say. He did.

30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.

Basically Jesus was saying here, “My Way or the High Way.” Like sheep, they had to make a decision to follow Jesus as sheep would a shepherd or to scatter like sheep would if the wolf came a calling and they were not being protected by a shepherd. As we shall see, this was a watershed day for the people of Israel. Jesus drew a line in the sand. Individually and as a nation the people of Isarel would have to make the decision to follow Jesus or not. This event is somewhat similar to what Joshua told Israel before they went into the land. “…. choose for yourselves today whom you will serve… but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Jesus followed that up with the words that should have made all who were there shutter. Matthew 12:31-32

31Therefore 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.

Let’s first define the word blasphemy. Blasphemy has the idea of slandering, insulting, reviling, defaming and mocking. The religious leaders blasphemed when they attributed the miracles Jesus did by the power of the Holy Spirit to Satan. They crossed the line when they did that.

Now that we have defined blasphemy, let’s answer the question why was attributing the works of Jesus by the power of he Holy Spirit to Satan an Unpardonable sin? The Pharisees basically attributed to Satan what was accomplished by the power of God. This was slanderous, insulting, defaming, and mocking. It is the Holy Spriit they blasphemed not Jesus. The crux of the matter is that they rejected the person and work of the Holy Spirit without whom repentance and restoration were impossible. They personally saw Jesus the Messiah heal and cast our demons from people by the power of the Holy Spirit and attributed this to Satan. They then has crossed the line in which they could never return. Their hearts were hard and they refused the witness of the Holy Spirit. This sin by God’s standards was so serious that it will not be forgiven church age or the age to come, the Messianic Kingdom.

Can the Unpardonable sin occur today? This specific sin cannot be reproduced today, because it requires Jesus’ presence on earth performing miracles through the Spirit’s power. The only Unpardonable sin today is if a person does not trust in Jesus as Savior before death.

Questions or Comments

So, I said earlier, this event in Matthw 12 was a watershed moment in the history of Isarel. What, then, were are the ramifications of the Pharisees of accusing Jesus of doing miracles through the power of Satan. There are three major ramifications.

1. The Pharisees and those in the crowd who saw Jesus perform miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit and then accuse Him of performing these miracles in the power of Satan, blasphemed the Holy Spirit. The result is that those who committed this sin will never be forgiven. They will be eternally judged at the Great White Throne Judgement.

2. After this event, the focus of Jesus ministry changed. Jesus and the disciples never preached the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand again. The offer of the Kingdom was withdrawn and it will not be offered again until the Tribulation period. We see this in Matthw 24:14.

14“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as

testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

After the event in Matthew, Jesus began teaching in parables. Jesus did not tell any parables until Matthew 13. The focus of His ministry was preach and teach that He would die, be buried, and be resurrected for the sins of the entire world. The message changed.

3. The event in Matthew 12 plus the leaders part in the crucifixion of Jesus resulted in the Romans killing thousands Jews and destroying the Temple in AD 70. The Jews began to be scattered to all the nations of the world. This is called the diaspora and the diaspora would last for approximately1900 years until Israel became a nation again on May 14, 1948.

It ironic that as the Jews were being scattered to the nations of the earth, so was the the Gospel of grace.

Application

1. Believers in Jesus cannot commit the Unpardonable sin. When we trust in Jesus as Savor we are given eternal life as promised by Jesus promised in John 3:16, John 5:24, etc. Since we are familiar with John 3:16 let’s look at John 5:24. .

24Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

2. Unbelievers cannot commit the Unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It can only occur when Jesus is physically performing miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit and the credit is given to Satan for the miracles. Obviously this is not occurring today. Today there is no sin can cannot be forgiven except for sin of not trusting in Christ as Savior before death. John 3:18 says.

18“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

3. Even though we cannot commit the act of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit today, does not mean that we cannot be hard-hearted hypocrites. We may not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, but we can grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4:30) and quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). Therefore, we need to occasionally make realistic evaluations of where we are spiritually.

First, are you using the spiritual gifts and talents that He has given you to your full ability? “A little here and a little there will suffice,” you might day. Jesus’ solution for that is found in Revelation 3:15-16 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

Do you want Jesus to relegate you to the sidelines. There are many ways He can do that.

Second, sometimes we come to realize that our words and our actions are not only careless but also reflect an unrepentant heart? Before things get to far out of hand, we need to confess our sins and ask Jesus to give you the strength to enable us to break a habit or sin.

Third, even though you cannot commit the unpardonable today, you can certainly commit some sin that will result in a life time of consequences. Each of these people made a decision that resulted in a life time of consequences.

Adam and Eve

Abraham

King Saul

King David

Judas

There is a proverb that concerns building or repairing something. Measure twice and cut once. Before you say something to someone or commit some act that may result in a life time of consequences, think about it and pray about before you do it.