Have You Unforgivably Blasphemed the Holy Spirit?

Well, thank you again, Mr. Rebar. Happy Sabbath once again to all of you.

Well, I'll bet you can guess which just kind of round the corner isn't too far from now.

In a bit more than six weeks, we'll be observing the Passover, and of course, after that, the days of Unleavened Bread. This is a time when many people can begin to think about their lives, things that we've said and things that we've done, and that's probably a good thing.

And one of the things that people ask themselves, and I get questions and emails, and matter of fact, this happened recently, a couple of weeks ago. One of the things that people wonder about as they begin to think about the Spring Holy Days, they look back in their lives, or they survey their lives today, people wonder if perhaps somewhere along the way they've offended the Holy Spirit, or blasphemed the Holy Spirit. Sometimes people in the faith wonder if they've committed the unpardonable sin, a sin that cannot be forgiven. Well, it's a good question, and something that we should have settled in our hearts and minds, especially before we begin a personal evaluation. And we'll read some scriptures today and hopefully come to understand just what these are before we answer whether anyone who asked that question has committed it. So let's go to Luke. We'll begin in Luke chapter 12, beginning in verse 8. Again, I had this question asked about a week ago, and it's a very good question. Someone was responding to a sermon I had given and asked, because of their past challenges, they were wondering if they had committed the unpardonable sin, or if they'd done something to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, something that's unforgivable that might have cost them an opportunity for salvation. So let's find out. Luke chapter 12, beginning in verse 8. Jesus speaking, he says, also I say to you, whoever confesses me before men, him the Son of Man will also confess before the angels of God. In another place, God says, if you deny me, then I'll deny you before the Father. So that is why, publicly, we have baptisms. And when I say publicly, there's usually at least a minister, and sometimes the minister's wife, and oftentimes the spouse or friends. In the past, we've even had part of the congregation witness baptisms, because it's really a public event. It's a public declaration that I accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. And so what Jesus is saying here is that it's important that people confess him, and when they do that, he also within heaven will confess that, yes, this is my brother. And the Father will say, this is my beloved Son. So it's very important, and continuing here in verse 9, but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. So the reality is that we all, until we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, everyone is condemned.

Everyone is going to die forever for eternity, unless and until we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Verse 10, and anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.

This word blasphemes comes from the Greek word blasphemel, and it means to speak impiously, to defame, to revile the Spirit, or to speak evil of the Spirit. Yes, many people read this Scripture and wonder if they have blasphemed the Holy Spirit by some language that they have used, or maybe some conduct they have had. But before we answer the question, I believe it's important for us to see, first of all, what happened, what event led up to Jesus saying this, because if you want to understand anything that Jesus Christ ever says, you have to look at the context and the environment in which he said it.

If you take that statement out of the context and the environment that it was said, it may not be applicable to all situations. And that's very important for us to understand. So let's go back to chapter 11 and see what this event was. What happened that led Jesus Christ to make this very powerful statement? Luke chapter 11 and verse 15, but some of them, according to Matthew's account, it was the Pharisees, said, he cast out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.

Now in the Old Testament, Beelzebub was the god of Ekron. No, not Akron. Ekron. And he was a pagan deity, and his original name meant the god of princes or a prince. In time, that became known as the Lord of the Flies. As a matter of fact, some of you in high school may have been forced to read a book called Lord of the Flies, which is the story of a group of English schoolchildren who are stuck in an island for a period of time.

And let's just say it doesn't go well. All right, so we may have read that book. That's where the title comes from. Beelzebub later became known as a symbolic of Satan and the Lord of the Flies. So these Pharisees are saying that Jesus Christ only has this power to cast out demons because Satan is inside of him, is doing this.

Verse 16, others testing him, sought from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house fails. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say, I cast out demons by Beelzebub, and if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?

There were actually others who were going around and had the ability, got it, given them the ability to cast out demons. In Mark chapter 9 and verse 38, Jesus, his own disciples, came to him and said, look, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we forbid him. We told him no. And Jesus said, you shouldn't do that. In essence, Jesus says, you don't get to decide who my father works through. That's his business.

He decides who he works through. And if this person's doing these kind of things, they're not our enemy. They're our friends. Leave them alone. Back off. We want to make sure that we're not self-righteous or exclusive in our thinking, and that's what Jesus was trying to warn them about. So these accusers were implying that Jesus's authority came from Satan rather than from God. And Jesus explained how illogical and completely false the accusation was. Jesus was obviously profoundly against Satan. Everything he did was good. He healed people. That was good. He cast out evil spirits from people. That was good. He gave people an encouraging message.

That was good. He fed people. That was good. Everything that he did was contrary to the will and the actions of Satan the devil. If he was casting out evil through the power of Beelzebub, then there would be a severe division in the dark, evil world.

He's casting out demons, and if he's doing that through a demon, then his point is that there's disunity and conflict in the evil world, and it will collapse. It won't exist. Sadly, there's unity in the dark, evil world that exists today. Let's go now to Matthew's account and see Matthew's account of this same event in chapter 12. Let's turn there, if you will, with me. Matthew 12, verse 32.

A little different phraseology Jesus uses here. Chapter 12, verse 32, anyone who speaks the 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. So we see here that whatever Jesus means by speaking against the Holy Spirit is a very serious sin. It's a very serious offense. This is another phrase that he warns against blasphemy or verbal insult against the Holy Spirit.

Again, what led up to Jesus making this very powerful and almost in some cases frightening statement, warning of people? Well, again, let's go back to verses 22 and begin and see what it says here. Then one was brought to him who was demon-possessed. So there's a little additional information given here that wasn't in Luke's account. He was demon-possessed, blind and mute, and he healed him. That's a good thing. So that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes were amazed and said, could this be the son of David?

Now, when the Pharisees heard it, they said, this fellow, doesn't that, cast out demons except by the Lord of the Flies, except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. But Jesus knew their thoughts. He was the son of God. He could read individuals' hearts and minds. He told this American woman that she not only was just shacking up with a guy at that time, but she had been married many previous times. She didn't reveal that to him. He told her because he could read the human mind. He could read the human heart.

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. If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they shall be your judges. The righteous, for those who are doing God's will, will judge the unrighteous, those who are enemies of God. Verse 28, but if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Now, this is the core of his threat. You have seen me do everything good. You Pharisees, you scribes, you within the audience of what I'm saying here, know that all I have ever done with this spirit is good. You know in your hearts that I am the Son of God. I've cast out wickedness from people. I have fed people. I have healed the sick. I have given an encouraging message of the gospel of the kingdom of God. You have no excuse. This is your chance of salvation. That's what Jesus is telling them in a very powerful way. The sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit in these verses is not merely insulting the power of the Spirit in ignorance, but because they knew Jesus was the Son of God and they refused to admit it, to acknowledge it, to their selfish pride because of their selfish pride and their sense of identity. Remember, these people were very self-righteous. They didn't want to acknowledge the supremacy of someone like Jesus Christ. They thought they were supreme. They thought they were superior. They thought they were all knowledgeable. God was only working through the Pharisees. They had special knowledge that the mere bums and the great unwashed out there didn't have. They thought they were superior. That's what their identity was built around, and they didn't have the humility to admit, though they knew in their hearts that this individual doing good was indeed the Son of God, and there was no other way to deny it because of his works. Like all sin, this was completely unacceptable to God, this kind of sin in which someone would deny the Son of God, himself, and his works. Therefore, Jesus warned them that they would not be forgiven if they did not repent. Now, we could go to Mark's account, chapter 3. It's the same account, and if you go back in Mark chapter 3 to verse 23, you'll see it's the same old lie about Beelzebub. So, to save time today, we are not going to go back to Mark's account because it's primarily the same as Matthew and Luke. While Jesus is teaching about blaspheming the Holy Spirit, it may sound like an absolute condemnation of a one-time sin if we don't understand the context and what's going on here. He is actually warning against a persistent failure to submit to the power of God.

There's an accountability when one comes into the knowledge of God's existence. In sovereignty, Jesus said, to whom much is given, much is required. They were given the opportunity in the flesh during their lifetimes to see this remarkable Son of God perform good over and over and over again, yet they were too proud and too stubborn to repent and realize and accept openly that he indeed was the Son of God. The scribes and the Pharisees did not have the Holy Spirit, but as his accusers, they knew Jesus was the Christ, and the Holy Spirit did indeed work through him. That was undeniable. But what about those of us who do have the Holy Spirit? Is it possible for us to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Is it possible for us to speak against the Holy Spirit? Is it possible for us to commit the unpardonable sin? Well, the answer to that question is, yes, it is possible, but whether any of us have done it, anyone who's listening to this sermon today or sitting in this office, the odds of that happening are very, very shallow, and we'll see that. First, let's go to Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4, another scripture that oftentimes causes alarm and discouragement with people in the church who read it. Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 4, and see what Paul wrote here in the book of Hebrews. He wrote, For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put him to an open shame.

And again, we need to realize this is not a one-time act. This is not a short period of lacking faith. This is not talking about you go through a period of your Christian life where you temporarily lose interest. Maybe you don't even want to go to church for a while, or you're struggling with a particular issue. This is the mindset of someone who has become soundly, unbelieving, rebellious, and bitter toward God. God gave them the most precious and ultimate gift of the universe, and they have despised it. They have rejected a tremendous opportunity, and have decided to go back to the world. I'll give you a very poor and weak human analogy. And again, I realize this is a human analogy, and like anything, it cannot compare to the greatness and glory of God. But let's say that one day a rich uncle calls you, and your rich uncle says, I'm going to give you everything you could have possibly wanted. I'm giving you a billion dollars. I'm giving you my French daca, and I'm giving you 17 different places to live. I'm giving you 15 cars. I'm giving you 18 servants who have been trained in London. They're the finest servants that you can find anywhere on earth.

And I'm giving all of this to you as a gift. And you say, wow, that's pretty cool. And you accept it!

But over a period of time, you decide, you know, I really don't like my uncle.

As a matter of fact, I can't stand my uncle. As a matter of fact, I'm bitter against my uncle.

And you call your uncle up and you say, you know what, I don't want any of this from you.

I'm tired of it all. I don't like you. And I don't appreciate any of this stuff that you've given me, any of the opportunities and privileges. Take it back. Well, again, that's a poor human analogy.

But in that case, would the gifts be offended? Well, no, the giver of the gift is the one who has been offended. In the human analogy, your uncle, in the spiritual world, it's God. He gives us everything. He gives us the opportunity to live for eternity, to be a member of his family, to experience joys that human words can't even describe. And for us to accept that, and accept the gift of his Holy Spirit, to be part of the faith, and then ultimately, for some decision of our own, to chuck it all away, and to become angry and bitter towards God and the church and ministers and people that we once knew in the church, that is a very serious offense to God. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 23, if you'll turn there with me. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 23.

He's going to tell us here, most people miss this, he's going to tell us here the first thing people do when they prepare to fall away. The very first thing universally that people do who eventually fall away, this is just step one of a multi-step program of cutting yourself totally off from God and becoming bitter towards him. Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 23. Let us hold fast, hold fast, tightly, both hands, the confession of our hope without wavering. For he who promised is faithful, God's going to give us everything he promised us ultimately. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. We are a family. This church is a community, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together as the manner of some, but exhorting one another and so much more as you see the day that is the return of Jesus Christ approaching. Verse 26, For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation that will devour the adversaries. Do you know he just told us what step one is to falling away? You know what step one is to falling away? And I've seen it thousands of times in my 50 years in the faith, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together.

Step one is that people stop coming to church. They hide at home and they withdraw from the community of Jesus Christ. This is a warning from him. It's not a coincidence that he mentions that, and then immediately afterward he begins talking about a sin for which there no longer remains a sacrifice, meaning falling away, stepping aside from the truth. So from the perspective of Paul, it's important for us to stay connected with family. Verse 28, anyone who rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Verse 29, of how much worse punishment do you suppose he will be thought worthy of who has trampled the Son of God under foot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sacrificed a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace. Again, you can't insult the Holy Spirit itself, but you're insulting the one who gave it to you as a precious free gift. And if you participated in the Passovers year after year, you certainly understood what the blood of the covenant is all about. You understood that as you went through that Passover ceremony year after year. Now, this phrase, sin willfully, here, is not talking about a one-time act, again, due to temptation or moral weakness, something like King David himself did in adultery. And it's interesting, in his prayer in Psalms, he says, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. He understood what he did was rank sin, and that he would pay a severe consequence for it. This is talking about someone who is not holding on to the confession of our hope. That's verse 23 we just read. This person has stopped seeking a relationship with God, and has purposely rejected him in their life. They've given the gift of the Holy Spirit back.

They've despised it. They have rejected it. They said, I don't want this association with you anymore, Father God. So, brethren, the point is this. Blaspheming, insulting or offending the Holy Spirit, is a mental attitude. It's a mindset that is firmly set against God, and unwilling to acknowledge him even when we know we should. But out of pride or anger, resentment or bitterness, we just refuse to do it. Yet, having said all this, we have to be very careful not to be too quick to judge other people, including some who have fellowshiped with us. I have to be very careful there. I'm going to tell you the truth. Some people have come into the Church over the years for all the wrong reasons. Many of them were baptized, but never really converted for various reasons. In the early days when I was called, frankly, many people came into the Church because they were attracted to a particular personality. They were attracted to a messenger in the Church. Some people came into the Church because they wanted to be in the winner's circle. The organization had three college campuses. It didn't have a bi-monthly magazine. It had two magazines published every month. They were called The Plain Truth and Tomorrow's World. It was a global organization that was rapidly expanding. Just about every week when you went to services, there were two or three brand new people who showed up who were counseling for baptism.

Some people came into the Church in the 70s because they wanted to be part of the winner's circle. That is the wrong reason to be part of any Church. Some people were baptized because that's what their peers were doing. Some people were baptized because their parents were in the Church and as a way to join the club rather than realizing what a serious lifetime commitment that baptism is. My point here is be careful before you judge people who have disappeared. Don't confuse someone who has totally rejected God with someone who has the Spirit of God but is lying dormant, little used, seriously needing to be rekindled within them. That is two totally different situations and we don't have the ability to judge. Again, unless someone is so openly bitter and openly blatant that we can clearly see and understand that they have fallen away and have committed the unpartable sin. So have you blasphemed the Holy Spirit by something you've done? Have you sinned willfully because you've made some serious mistakes and lost your opportunity for salvation? Have you committed the unpartable sin because there was a period in your life when you lacked faith or maybe you temporarily lost interest in God or lost connection or interest in His Church? Good questions, and here's the answer. If you care enough to listen to this kind of a message, if you're interested in knowing about God and you want to love God, you absolutely, positively have not blasphemed the Holy Spirit or committed the unpartable sin. If you desire to know God, to love Him, to learn more about Him and His word, you have not blasphemed the Holy Spirit nor committed the unpartable sin that cannot be forgiven.

So I hope that settles the matter, and I hope what we can do is realize that you cannot look at your life looking in the rearview mirror. If you're driving your car, your focus has to be looking forward through the windshield. You can't go forward in your car locked under rearview mirror, and you can't go forward in your life locked looking into the rearview mirror of your life.

So it's time for us to begin to perform a self-evaluation of where we are today and to prepare for the future. To prepare to use the Spirit of God in a greater way, in a more profound way in our lives, and develop ourselves to a much greater degree in order to give glory to our great God and our Father. So I wish all of you a wonderful Sabbath day, and I encourage you to prepare for this upcoming Passover and for the Spring Holy Day season. Have a wonderful Sabbath!