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“What Is The Unforgiveable Sin?”
Matthew 12:22-32
In this message we are going to deal with a passage that has been more troublesome to many than any other. This passage (also found in Mark 3:28-29, Luke 12:10) contains Jesus’ teaching on what has come to be known as the “unforgivable” or “unpardonable” sin!
There are thousands of people who are terrified that they may have committed the unpardonable sin. This is a shame because the mere fact that they desire to repent is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still working in their lives. I think that part of the problem is that many believe that “this” sin is some mysterious sin that one can secretly or ignorantly commit.
In verse thirty-one Jesus says, "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. (32) Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
On the positive side, only the sin of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is called unpardonable, but every other sin can be forgiven. That is good news!
First, The Miracle That Jesus Performed (12:22-23)
“Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. (23) And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
Those who witness this miracle by Jesus reach dramatically different conclusions. This miracle caused many of those who witnessed it to wonder if Jesus was the “son of David” – which is a title of the Messiah. But the Pharisee instead of believing brought accusation against him.
Second, The Reaction Of The Pharisees (12:24)
“Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."
While claiming to be God’s representatives to Israel the Pharisees deliberately and willfully attribute Jesus’ power to Satan. The Pharisees had themselves have been present to witness many of Jesus’ healing and miracles, therefore they could not deny the reality and validity of those events. So they center their debate not on whether he had done these things but how He had done them and what they signified.
Since they could not deny His power to cast out demons because He has just healed the man with the withered hand (12:13) and cast a demon out of the demon possessed man (12:22), so they question the source of his power. They said "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." (v.24) They are saying that Jesus is “poss-essed by Beelzebub” - Beelzebub is “Baal” spoken of in the Old Testament. And to show their contempt for this pagan god they added “zebub” which means “fly” meaning he was Lord of flies or Lord of filth. What they are really saying is that Jesus accomplishes what He does through the power of Satan. It fact that they did this in the face of direct evidence that Jesus was in fact the Son of God that this is such a shocking act of wickedness.
Third, The Response of Jesus (12:25-30)
“But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”
The Pharisee did not say anything directly to Jesus, but he knew their thoughts. And Jesus answers their accusation and with an extraordinary two pronged logic, He proves just how illogical it is.
•The Charges He Levels (vv. 26-27)
He Charges Them With Being Illogical.
(v. 26) “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?”
Jesus must have smiled as He told them, “What you say makes no sense. If I’m working for Satan why would I repair the damage that he caused to this man.” First in verse twenty-six he says, “If” Satan is divided against himself he will be defeated. Even the Devil knows his household must be united. He can’t be divided against himself. Then He continues by saying, If a “kingdom” is divided against itself we call this civil war. A nation won’t last if it continues in this!
•He Charges Them With Being Inconsistent.
(v. 27) “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges.”
As a second point in His argument in verse twenty-seven Jesus tells them they are being inconsis-tent in that some of their own number (“your sons”) also claim to exorcize or cast out demons, Jesus says if this is true from whom do they get “their” power?
•The Conclusion He Draws (vv. 28-29)
If then Jesus is not casting out demons by the power of Satan there is but one other conclusion: He is doing so by the power of God. In verse twenty-eight we read, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
And then in verse twenty-nine Jesus uses one of the shortest parables in the New Testament to explain what He means. He says, “Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (v. 29) In this parable He says, “the” strong man – the definite article makes it specific and the “strong man” he is talking about is Satan. His house is the kingdom which he dominates here on Earth. His possessions are the helpless victims whom he holds in bondage. Only one who is stronger than Satan can free those held hostage and this is what Jesus has done and is doing – entering into Satan’s dominion, binding him and freeing his helpless victims. In reality Jesus is not stealing anything He is merely reclaiming what Satan stole in the first place. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
The good news for believers is that Satan is like a dog on God’s restraint. Have you ever walked by some-one’s property when suddenly a dog springs out of no-where and runs at you full speed, barking and grow-ling? You are pretty sure these are your last minutes on Earth. And then at the last minute, wham he hits the end of his chain and is jerked abruptly to a halt. Paul explains in Col.2:15 that this is the condition of Satan, (in the NIV we read), “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
•The Reminder He Gives – That One Cannot Be Neutral.
(v. 30) “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.”
Someone has said this is one of the most narrow-minded statements that Jesus ever made. I presume that is true in our pluralistic, all roads lead to heaven society. It does sound rather intolerant doesn’t it? But that really does not change the fact that it is true. Jesus says you cannot straddle the fence when it comes to Him. Every individual is either trusting him or rejecting Him. The one thing you cannot do is ignore Him.
Fourth, The Real Meaning of the Unforgiveable Sin (12:31-32)
"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. (32) Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Jesus begins verse thirty-one with “wherefore” or “therefore” it means “based on all this evidence.” What follows has become one of the most misunder-stood and feared passages in the Bible. Even many of the un-churched have heard of this warning! But this is also one of the most wonderful and beautiful truth’s in all of the Bible…it is the assurance that all sins (and blasphemies) will be forgiven!
•What the Unforgiveable sin is not!
So before we examine the “ONE” that can’t be forgiven, let’s look at a few things that the Unforgive-able sin is not !! First of all the “unpardonable sin” is not the same as the “sin unto death” (1 John 5:16). The “sin unto death” is the climax of a Christian repeatedly resisting the convicting, chastening and correction of the Lord. The “unpardonable sin” leads to spiritual death and the “sin unto death” leads to physical death.
Several sins may come to mind as possible sins we might think that cannot be forgiven and we will deal with just a few examples.
The unforgiveable sin is not Murder for there are examples of those who have done this and been forgiven? (Moses, and even the Apostle Paul are examples.)
The unforgiveable sin is not Sexual Immorality or Adultery for there are examples of those who have done this and been forgiven? (Lot and David were guilty of these sins);
The unforgiveable sin is not Denying Christ for there are examples of those who have done this and been forgiven? (Peter is a prime example).
The unforgiveable sin is not Suicide. The Catholic Church holds this view because the individual would die without being able to ask for forgiveness, assuming they were in a rational state of mind in the first place. But then that would mean that the person who dies of a drug overdose or as a drunk driver, would also perish without forgiveness.
Please listen carefully. Once you are a Christian, you do not have to confess every single sin you commit in order to go to Heaven. We confess our sins to stay in fellow-ship with our Heavenly Father, but when we surrender-ed our lives to Christ, every past sin you’ve committed, and every future sin you will ever commit is covered by the blood of Christ.
Oh what wonderful forgiveness He offers to us! In 1 John 1:7 we read, “…and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The point is that there is no Sin that God is unwilling to forgive; the problem is there is a point in time when we are no longer willing to ask.
Now let’s deal with what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit means! Again let’s first look at what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not. It is not…cursing the Holy Spirit; it is not taking of the Lord’s name in vain; it’s not calling Jesus demon possessed. It is not an ignorant blasp-hemer, but instead it is one who has heard, thought about, and rejected the Holy Spirits loving tugs upon their heart.
•There is no sin that God will not forgive – except rejecting Jesus as your Savior.
In a technical sense one cannot repeat this sin in the same way it was committed in Jesus day. The Phar-isees were attributing the work of the Holy Spirit through Christ to the Devil. Jesus is not physically present with us doing miracles that can be attributed to Satan. But this sin can be committed in principle. Because the Pharisees in actuality, were rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ, and that can be done in our day.
So what is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or the unpardonable sin? It is very simply the ongoing, contin-ual rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit to fact that Jesus is the Savior. The Holy Spirit’s job is to draw men to God. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “And when He (that is the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) of sin, because they do not believe in Me; (10) of right-eousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; (11) of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:8-11)
There is no other source of invitation! If one turns their back on (or blasphemes) the only source of the conviction of sin, there are no other sources. It is dan-gerous business to hear the Gospel and turn it down; to hear how much Christ loves you and turn a deaf ear; to hear of forgiveness and refuse to accept it.
Billy Graham in his book, “The Holy Spirit” gives one of the best definition I have heard of this sin, he writes, “The unpardonable sin involves the total and irrevocable rejection of Jesus Christ. It is rejecting completely and finally, the witness of the Holy Spirit, which declares that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who alone can save us from our sins. No one has committed the unpardonable sin who continues to be under the disturbing, convicting and drawing power of the Holy Spirit. But when a person has so resisted the Holy Spirit that He strives with him no more, then there is eternal danger.” [Billy Graham. The Holy Spirit. p. 124]
How can anyone get to the point that the Holy Spirit no longer convicts their heart? It is climax of a lifetime of repeated rejections. The unforgiveable sin is a spiritual heart condition. You remember how God dealt with Pharaoh in Exodus chapters 7-11. God sent Moses to Pharaoh with the message to “let Israel go” releasing them from decades of slavery in Egypt. You will find that repeatedly Pharaoh agreed, then hard-ened his heart and refused (Exodus 8:15, 19, 32). Finally we read that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 10:1). God accepted Pharaoh’s rejection.
A more modern illustration might be the Nuremburg Trials of Nazi war criminals. As the Nazi party leaders were tried for the mass murders of hundreds of thousands of Jewish people during World War II under Hitler, none of them wept in remorse or cried to God for forgiveness for what they had done. Their moral consciences, had apparently been long before turned off.
There is a final deadline
Joseph Addison Alexander gives a warning in a poem,
“There is a time, we know not when, A place, we know not where;
Which marks the destiny of men To glory or despair.
There is a line, by us unseen, Which crosses every path,
Which marks the boundary between God’s mercy and his wrath.
To pass that limit is to die, To die as if by stealth;
It does not dim the beaming eye, Nor pale the glow of health.
The conscience may be still at ease, The spirit light and gay;
And that which pleases still may please, And care be thrust away.
But on that forehead God hath set Indelibly a mark;
Unseen by man, for man as yet, Is blind and in the dark.
He feels perchance that all is well And every fear is calmed;
He lives, he dies, and he walks in hell, Not only doomed, but damned!
O, Where is that mysterious line That may by men be crossed,
Beyond which God himself had sworn, That he who goes is lost?
An answer from the skies repeats, "Ye who from God depart."
TODAY, O hear His voice, TODAY repent and harden not your heart. ---[Written by Joseph Addison Alexander]
There is no sin that God will not forgive. But what this poem so clearly point to is that there is a deadline in every human life place by the Lord past which no man can be saved.
What are those deadlines?
•The day of your death. The decision made in this life before death will cannot be undone in Eternity.
•The Rapture of the Church. If you say no to Jesus now, you will not say yes to Him then.
•Spurning Your Day of Grace. The day may come when the Holy Spirit of God will never again testify to you of the saving power of Jesus. God will not strive always with the spirit of Man .
So here is the thing; if you are worried that you’ve committed the unforgivable sin then you can stop because you obviously haven’t! (If you had you would not be worried about it!) You would have no interest in Jesus, no interest in church, or in any spiritual matters!
Conclusion
So if you’re saved you cannot have committed the unforgiveable sin. And even if you know you are not saved but you are concerned about your soul, you have not committed the unforgiveable sin. But let me caution you if the Holy Spirit is tugging at your heart, you need to respond. God does not promise you any more chances. It all begins with a simple step of faith. But if you turn to him He will not turn you away.
“What Is The Unforgiveable Sin?”
Matthew 12:22-32
First, The ________________ That Jesus Performed (12:22-23)
Second, The _________________ Of The Pharisees (12:24)
Third, The ________________ of Jesus (12:25-30)
•The Charges He Levels (vv. 26-27)
He Charges Them With Being _____________.
(v. 26)
He Charges Them With Being ___________________. (v. 27)
•The Conclusion He Draws (vv. 28-29)
•The Reminder He Gives (v.30)
Fourth, The Real __________ of the Unforgiveable Sin (12:31-32)
•What the Unforgiveable sin is not!
________________
________________
________________
_____________________
•There is no sin that God will not forgive – except rejecting Jesus as your Savior.
There is no sin that God is unwilling to forgive (1 John 1:7) the problem is there is a point in time when we are no longer willing to ask.
•There is final deadline.
Three deadlines in every human life place by the Lord past which no man can be saved. What are those deadlines?
The day of your ___________.
The ______________ of the Church.
Spurning Your Day of _____________.
