New Series Begins April 14, 2019

Am I really following Jesus?

Most of us are familiar with things Jesus did: walking on water, feeding five thousand with the loaves and fishes, healing a blind man, and of course, dying on the cross.

We’re equally familiar with many things He said: Love God. Love your neighbor. Fear not. Do good.

We love these teachings, and they certainly line up with what we know about God: His love, peace, and goodness. But Jesus also said some other things that don’t end up as framed prints on our walls.

• Sell everything you own.
• Love your enemies.
• Hate your parents.

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Some of the teachings of Jesus are difficult, but we would be wise to see why Jesus said them.

So let’s dive in to these hard teachings. What we’ll find is that these hard statements—these seemingly counter-intuitive or counter-cultural teachings—are where we find the abundant life Jesus promises to those who really follow Him.

He Said What? Hard Sayings of Jesus

1. God Won’t Forgive This Sin - Matthew 12:22-32
2. You’ll Never Die - John 11:25-27; 20:24-29
3. Sell Everything You Own - Matthew 19:16-26
4. Love Your Enemies - Luke 6:27-36
5. Let the Dead Bury Their Dead - Luke 9:57-62
6. Hate Your Family - Luke 14:25-35
7. Exploit Your Friends - Luke 16:1-12

THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE 

A friend of mine told me about an encounter he had with a woman seated next to him on an airplane. It was a typical conversation until he told her he was a pastor. At that point, she became upset and began talking about a terrible crime one group of people had committed against another. My friend was also shocked by the immoral act, but the woman’s insistence that “some sins should not be forgiven” and “those individuals should be condemned to hell forever” genuinely caught him off guard. 

Before my friend could respond, the woman addressed her own sins and shortcomings. She declared, “I know I’m not perfect, but God knows my heart. I attend church, try to help others, and I’m a good person. So, I know God will forgive me, and one day I’ll go to heaven!” 

Is this woman correct? Are there some sins God will not forgive? Is being “religious” or “a good person” all it takes to get to heaven? Jesus’ confrontation with a group of Pharisees found in the Gospel of Matthew will help to answer these questions.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Matthew 12:22-23

22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 

While Jesus was on earth, He met some interesting people. On one occasion, a group of men brought “a demon-possessed man” to Jesus. The word “demon-possessed” may seem odd, but it’s an important word to keep in mind; it means to be owned by evil spirits. The evil spirits in this man prevented him from being able to speak or see. 

During this time, people believed demon possession was caused by big sins in someone’s life. To the Pharisees—the religious leaders—this man was so deep in sin he had been rendered both blind and mute. We don’t know how long this man had been tormented, but the demons had surely ruined his life. 

This man had tried everything within his own power to be free from the evil spirit. Those who tried to help him may have accepted the popular notion this man was just a sinner who had no hope. Some days even he may have believed the same thing. 

But all that changed when people brought the man to Jesus, knowing He was the only one who could help him. After all, they had tried everything else to no avail, so they came to Jesus with a degree of hope and trust that He was the answer. 

We all know people who seem to be controlled by evil. Their lives are in direct conflict with God, but they live the way they do because they’re living without Jesus. Like this man, they also need to encounter Jesus. In fact, we all need an encounter with Jesus, because we are all sinners in need of forgiveness. 

No matter how sinful people are, they are never beyond God’s power to forgive. Clearly, the demon possessed man before Jesus was full of evil, but what did Jesus do? “Jesus healed him.” In those three short words, we see the incredible power of God. 

The work of Christ—the power of God—is why it is crucial we share the gospel with all people, no matter how bad we think they are. We often think they won’t listen, go to church with us, read the Bible, or accept Christ, but when we think that, we underestimate the power of God. God works through even the smallest seeds we plant, seeds of His love and grace. 

No matter how many times people reject Jesus, He stands ready and waiting to forgive them. But they must come to Him. Our responsibility is to point people to Jesus. 

When the demon-possessed man was transformed by Christ, it pointed to the power of God. Likewise, when we lead people to Jesus, their lives are changed, and that change points others to God. 

Matthew 12:24-29 

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.” 

Not everyone was amazed by what Jesus did. Enter the Pharisees, the religious teachers who were constantly protesting the actions and words of Jesus.  

Since Jesus did not conform to their religious traditions, the religious leaders were always looking for ways to discredit Him before the people. So when the people suggested Jesus might be the “Son of David” (12:23), this angered the Pharisees. Since Jesus would not conform to their traditions, their arrogance led them to conclude He must be of Satan.

As usual, Jesus’ response showed the foolishness of their thinking. These men obeyed the laws of God, but they lacked a relationship with Him. They believed their good works would make them more pleasing to God, but instead those works weighed them down. They refused to give up their self-righteousness in order to acknowledge the Messiah Himself who was in their midst. They rejected Jesus, His message, and eventually His sacrifice on the cross for their sin.

The failures of the Pharisees should be a warning for us today. The Pharisees were so prideful they thought Jesus was of Satan. Their self-righteousness blinded them to the truth about Jesus’ identity. The Pharisees had blinded themselves to this truth, so they saw no need to repent and turn to Him. We know people like this today. They will mock the church, Christians, and even our personal testimonies. We have to remember they don’t know Christ and His love for them. We were once like that. We were once rebels without Christ, but our kindness can lead others to a better understanding of Jesus.

Matthew 12:30-32 

30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Jesus delivered an ominous warning. He prefaced it by pointing to the greatness of God’s forgiveness, even forgiveness of those who speak against Jesus. “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.” Jesus made it perfectly clear that even sin against Him—blasphemy, irreverent speech, or slander—can be forgiven. 

But there is a limit to God’s forgiveness. “Anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is serious, and it is sometimes referred to as “the unpardonable sin.” The Holy Spirit speaks into our lives the truth of Christ. He convicts “the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). To reject the Spirit’s message is unpardonable. Why? If we reject His message, we see no need to repent, come to Christ, and ask His forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is limited in that He won’t forgive us if we do not seek His forgiveness. 

Jesus’ warning is very serious, but it has caused people to wonder, “What if I have committed the unpardonable sin?” At one time or another, everyone has rejected the Spirit’s call to repentance, belief in Jesus, and commitment to live for Him—even if momentarily. The very fact that you accept the truth about Jesus Christ and have a desire to turn from sin and follow Him is a sure sign you have not committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Spirit! 

God is lovingly patient with us and wants to forgive us and give us eternal life with Him in heaven. That is why we have to be persistent with those who reject God. As long as they have breath in their lungs, we need to keep sharing and praying that one day they too will accept Jesus.

LIVE IT OUT

All sin is offensive to God, and we all need to come to Christ to be forgiven. What will you do with that truth? Choose one of the following applications: 

• 

  Be humble. Pride keeps us from seeing our need for Christ and His forgiveness. Allow the Lord to search your heart for areas of pride that point to reliance on self and not on Christ.                                                                                                                                 
• Be patient. It can be hard to be around people who are resistant to what Christ offers. Pray for patience! God is often working “behind the scenes” in a person’s life, so pray for opportunities to be used by God to patiently plant seeds.                                                                                                                                                 
• Look for opportunities. You know others who need to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. Ask God to open their hearts to receive His forgiveness, and pray for opportunities to share the message of Christ. 

Just like the woman on the plane mentioned at the beginning of the session, many people compare themselves to others and think they’ll be just fine. Remember, though, that what really matters is that we look up and compare ourselves to Him.

Hope to see all of you this Sunday!


In His Love,


David & Susan

Teacher's Notes:

The Point: “God does not forgive those who reject Jesus and never seek His forgiveness.” 

Matthew 12:22-23

Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see. All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

What roles did Jesus, the people who brought him to Jesus, and this man play in this healing?

• The word “demon-possessed” may seem odd, but it’s an important word to keep in mind; it means to be owned by evil spirits – this man couldn’t speak or see. 
•  People believed demon possession was caused by big sins in someone’s life. 
• This man had tried everything and those who tried to help him figured he was just a sinner with no hope. Some days even he may have believed the same thing. 
• But all that changed when people brought the man to Jesus – He healed him!
• We all know people that seem controlled by evil. No matter how sinful people are, they are never beyond God’s power to forgive. 
• This is why it is crucial we share the gospel with all people, no matter how bad we think they are. We often think they won’t listen, go to church with us, read the Bible, or accept Christ, but when we think that, we underestimate the power of God. God works through even the smallest seeds we plant, seeds of His love and grace. No matter how many times people reject Jesus, He stands ready and waiting to forgive them. But they must come to Him. Our responsibility is to point people to Jesus. 

What do these verses reveal about Jesus’ power and identity?

I. The work of Christ points to the power of God.

When the demon-possessed man was transformed by Christ, it pointed to the power of God. Likewise, when we lead people to Jesus, their lives are changed, and that change points others to God. We are to act to bring people to Jesus in their time of need. 

Matthew 12:24-29

When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he told them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.”

What can you tell about the Pharisees’ thoughts based on Jesus’ response to them?

• Not everyone was amazed by what Jesus did. The Pharisees were constantly protesting the actions and words of Jesus and always looking for ways to discredit Him before the people. So, when the people suggested Jesus might be the “Son of David,” this angered the Pharisees and their arrogance led them to conclude He must be of Satan. They refused to give up their self-righteousness in order to acknowledge the Messiah Himself who was in their midst. They rejected Jesus, His message, and eventually His sacrifice on the cross for their sin.
• The failures of the Pharisees should be a warning for us today. The Pharisees were so prideful they thought Jesus was of Satan. The Pharisees had blinded themselves to this truth, so they saw no need to repent and turn to Him. 
• We know people like this today. They will mock the church, Christians, and even our personal testimonies. We have to remember they don’t know Christ and His love for them. We were once like that. We were once rebels without Christ, but our kindness can lead others to a better understanding of Jesus.

What can we learn from these verses about how Jesus and the Holy Spirit work together?

• Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit.

II. The work of Christ points to the presence of God’s Spirit.

Jesus came to defeat Satan and the destruction he seeks to bring upon the earth. In Jesus, the kingdom of God has come.

Matthew 12:30-32

“Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever 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 one to come.”

Mark 3:28

"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"— for they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

Luke 12:8

"And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven". 

A. Jesus gave two very strong warnings.

1. He warned of indecisiveness.

a. If you do not side with Jesus, you are siding with the devil.

b. We must not be ashamed of Him (Luke 9:26).

2. He warned of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

a. Most forms of blasphemy can be forgiven (Luke 12:10).

b. By attributing Jesus’ work to Satan, the Pharisees were speaking against the Holy Spirit. This was a very serious matter.

B. How do these warnings apply today?

1. What constitutes blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

a. When a person sees all the evidence in favor of Jesus, but still refuses to believe on Him.

b. When a person is under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, but still refuses to repent.

2. What are the consequences of this sin?

a. The Holy Spirit withdraws, and no longer convicts of sin.

b. You no longer feel any guilt over your sins.

• Someone has wisely said if you’re worried about whether you have committed the unpardonable sin, then you probably have not committed it.

c. There is no chance of ever being saved.

So, what is this 'blasphemy' against the Holy Spirit which cannot be forgiven?

The word 'blasphemy' means in the Bible 'to speak against' or 'to defy'. To defy the Holy Spirit is to reject fundamentally His work in our lives to bring us to repentance and faith, that is, salvation. Jesus described this work of the Holy Spirit by saying that "when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement" (John 16:8). In other words, the Holy Spirit reveals to us that we are sinners, tells us the righteous way we should take to find and know God, and convinces us that God will one day judge us if we refuse to listen.

The sin against the Holy Spirit which cannot be forgiven is, therefore, to reject the gospel by refusing to repent from sin and place our trust in Jesus for salvation.

How were the Pharisees in danger of committing the unforgiveable sin?

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled.

Jesus delivered an ominous warning. 

The Holy Spirit speaks into our lives the truth of Christ. He convicts “the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8). To reject the Spirit’s message is unpardonable. Why? If we reject His message, we see no need to repent, come to Christ, and ask His forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is limited in that He won’t forgive us if we do not seek His forgiveness.

What are the consequences of willful and persistent unbelief? – No repentance or forgiveness

III. Willful and persistent unbelief leaves no room for repentance, and forgiveness is absent when repentance is absent.

God is willing and able to forgive those who seek it, accept Jesus as Lord, and allow the Spirit to cleanse them. The unpardonable sin is not something that mysteriously overtakes a person but is the deliberate choice of an individual to refuse what God makes available by attributing the work of God to the devil. 

How would you explain blasphemy against the Spirit and why does God refuse to forgive this sin?

What is the hope and challenge for us in these hard words of Jesus?

In summary, all of our sins will be forgiven is we are truly repentant of them; that we turn our back on our old ways. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is when a person rejects the gospel of Jesus Christ and refuses to accept Him as their Lord and Savior. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then I encourage you to do so today. 

The Point: God does not forgive those who reject Jesus and never seek His forgiveness.

Run from Sin with Fear and Trembling – John Piper

The fact that there is an unforgivable sin — that there comes a point in a life of sin after which the Holy Spirit will no longer grant repentance — that fact should drive us from sin with fear and trembling. None of us knows when our toying with sin will pass over into irrevocable hardness of heart. Very few people feel how serious sin is. Very few people are on the same wavelength with Jesus when he said in Mark 9:43, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.”

Instead, many professing Christians today have such a sentimental view of God’s justice that they never feel terror and horror at the thought of being utterly forsaken by God because of their persistence in sin. They have the naïve notion that God’s patience has no end and that they can always return from any length and depth of sin, forgetting that there is a point of resistance which belittles the Holy Spirit so grievously that He withdraws forever with His convicting power, leaving them never able to repent and be forgiven.

They are like the buzzard who spots a carcass on a piece of ice floating in the river. He lands and begins to eat. He knows it is dangerous because the falls are just ahead. But he looks at his wings and says to himself, “I can fly to safety in an instant.” And he goes on eating. Just before the ice goes over the falls, he spreads his wings to fly but his claws are frozen in the ice and there is no escape — neither in this age nor the age to come. The Spirit of holiness has forsaken the arrogant sinner forever.

Billy Graham: Do you honestly think God wants you to spend eternity apart from Him in the place the Bible calls hell? No, He doesn’t. Instead, He wants you to be with Him in heaven because He loves you. The Bible says, “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

Those words were written by the Apostle Peter—and if anyone was guilty of denying Christ, it was Peter. Do you remember? Jesus had warned Peter that he would deny Him, but Peter strongly disagreed. Then Jesus was arrested, and when someone asked Peter if he also was a follower of Jesus, “He began to call down curses on himself, and he swore to them, ‘I don’t know this man'” (Mark 14:71). But Peter repented, and God forgave him—completely and totally. And He will forgive you.

Yes, Jesus said only one sin couldn’t be forgiven, and that was “blasphemy against the Spirit” (Matthew 12:31). But what does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit? I have studied Jesus’ words very carefully, and it simply means this: To deny the Holy Spirit’s witness to Jesus.

In other words, the only sin God can’t forgive is the sin of rejecting Christ. 

God’s promise is for you: “Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:18). Commit your life to Him today.

Abundant pardon for all

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

1 Timothy 1:13-15 “Although I [Paul] was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."

What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?

The concept of “blasphemy against the Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus has just performed a miracle. A demon-possessed man was brought to Jesus, and the Lord cast the demon out, healing the man of blindness and muteness. The eyewitnesses to this exorcism began to wonder if Jesus was indeed the Messiah they had been waiting for. A group of Pharisees, hearing the talk of the Messiah, quickly quashed any budding faith in the crowd: “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons,” they said (Matthew 12:24).

Jesus rebuts the Pharisees with some logical arguments for why He is not casting out demons in the power of Satan (Matthew 12:25–29). Then He speaks of the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (verses 31–32).

The term blasphemy may be generally defined as “defiant irreverence.” The term can be applied to such sins as cursing God or willfully degrading things relating to God. Blasphemy is also attributing some evil to God or denying Him some good that we should attribute to Him. This particular case of blasphemy, however, is called “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” in Matthew 12:31. The Pharisees, having witnessed irrefutable proof that Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, claimed instead that the Lord was possessed by a demon (Matthew 12:24). Notice in Mark 3:30 Jesus is very specific about what the Pharisees did to commit blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: “He said this because they were saying, ‘He has an impure spirit.’”

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has to do with accusing Jesus Christ of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled. This particular type of blasphemy cannot be duplicated today. The Pharisees were in a unique moment in history: they had the Law and the Prophets, they had the Holy Spirit stirring their hearts, they had the Son of God Himself standing right in front of them, and they saw with their own eyes the miracles He did. Never before in the history of the world (and never since) had so much divine light been granted to men; if anyone should have recognized Jesus for who He was, it was the Pharisees. Yet they chose defiance. They purposely attributed the work of the Spirit to the devil, even though they knew the truth and had the proof. Jesus declared their willful blindness to be unpardonable. Their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was their final rejection of God’s grace. They had set their course, and God was going to let them sail into perdition unhindered.

Jesus told the crowd that the Pharisees’ blasphemy against the Holy Spirit “will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32). This is another way of saying that their sin would never be forgiven, ever. Not now, not in eternity. As Mark 3:29 puts it, “They are guilty of an eternal sin.”

The immediate result of the Pharisees’ public rejection of Christ (and God’s rejection of them) is seen in the next chapter. Jesus, for the first time, “told them many things in parables” (Matthew 13:3; cf. Mark 4:2). The disciples were puzzled at Jesus’ change of teaching method, and Jesus explained His use of parables: “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. . . . Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand” (Matthew 13:11, 13). Jesus began to veil the truth with parables and metaphors as a direct result of the Jewish leaders’ official denunciation of Him.

Again, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit cannot be repeated today, although some people try. Jesus Christ is not on earth—He is seated at the right hand of God. No one can personally witness Jesus performing a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit.

The unpardonable sin today is the state of continued unbelief. The Spirit currently convicts the unsaved world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). To resist that conviction and willfully remain unrepentant is to “blaspheme” the Spirit. There is no pardon, either in this age or in the age to come, for a person who rejects the Spirit’s promptings to trust in Jesus Christ and then dies in unbelief. The love of God is evident: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And the choice is clear: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).

When I was in high school, I read a book called My Life Without God, by William J. Murray. He’s the son of the notorious atheist, Madalyn Murray O’Hair. He told what it was like being raised by a mother who literally hated God. By the time he was in his early 30’s, he was a confirmed alcoholic and his life was on a downward spiral. In 1980, though, he came to know Christ as his Savior, and his life was completely changed. Many years later, when investigators confirmed that his mother had been kidnapped and murdered, Murray issued a statement. He declined to say that his mother was in hell. After all, who knows what happened in those days before her death? She might have realized she was wrong, and she might have cried out to God for mercy.

Murray’s compassion for his mother is admirable and deathbed conversions happen, nevertheless, many militant atheists have gone to their graves defying God every step of the way. How can they continue to resist Him even when they’re at the point of death? They have committed the unpardonable sin, and the Holy Spirit is no longer convicting them. They resisted Him once too often, so He left them to go their own way. 

Do you want that to happen to you? If not, then repent of your sins and surrender your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not only forgive your sins, but He will also give you an eternal citizenship in His kingdom (John 10:27-29).