(v.31a) Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men...

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1 Introduction What s the worst thing you have ever done? Web sites now offer a place where people can confess their sins and describe their most heinous deeds. The confessions are sometimes shocking, disturbing, and run the gamut from attempted murder, sexual assault; to what some would think are simple sins or silly sins. Years ago a man was sentenced to die for abducting a woman in her own front yard in front of her children, and after brutally assaulting her, he killed her. The man shot the woman some 15 times. Another woman is being sentenced for brutally killing her own child by beating him to death. Is there a sin so bad, so evil, so disgusting that even God can t forgive that sin? The answer is yes. There is a sin that even God will not forgive. The whole church can pray for that person and it will not change that person s destiny. The sin has been called the sin that leads to death (1John 5:16). Our passage is one of the most misunderstand passages in all the Bible. There are certain things you cannot afford to be wrong about. If there is a sin so terrible, so permanent, so irreversible, so unforgivable, you would do well to avoid it, no matter the cost. The religious leaders have accused Jesus of having supernatural miraculous power from Satan. Now Jesus points the finger at them. He begins with the remarkable statement that all sin, no matter how terrible or consequential can be forgiven. This is remarkable. When we look at God s standard of holiness as it is revealed in the Bible; when we see the utter horror of sin; we wonder how God can forgive any sin against His holiness, dignity, and purity. The amazing answer lies in the Lord Jesus Christ s perfect sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. There Jesus pain the price for every sin. On that Cross Jesus suffered the terrible consequences of sin which each and every sinner justly deserves. The Bible teaches that Jesus came to the earth to save sinners. Yet there is one exception. One sin, so terrible, so irreversible that all who commit the sin abandon all hope and jettison forever life with God in eternity. Pardonable Sins (vv.31a;32a) (v.31a) Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men... What is sin? What is blasphemy? The word sin is found hundreds of times in both the Old and New Testament. The first mention of the word is found in Genesis 4:7 where it had been lurking at the door of the world s first murderer Cain. What is this deadly and damnable thing so hated by God and harmful to man? There are two Greek words in the New Testament which serve to provide definition. The first is hamartema to miss the mark. This is pictured as any thought or act that fails to miss God s target his perfect glory and revelation. The second is the Greek verb parabasis to overstep to cross the line, the forbidden line according to this definition sin occurs when a person deliberately or accidentally steps over the line of God s law. In 1 1

2 John 3:4 we read; Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law. Blasphemy is a certain kind of sin and in this context the worst kind of sin. Blasphemy means the deliberate, conscious, open rejection of God. To blaspheme means to speak ill, to denounce. Blasphemy carries with it the idea of accusation and blame. This is defiant irreverence, the uniquely terrible sin of intentionally and openly speaking evil against a holy God or defaming and mocking Him (John MacArthur p. 311). In order to find sin all you need look is in your heart. If you venture outside of your heart you can find sin and blasphemy on TV, radio, the internet and popular culture. People mock God, mock the Bible, mock the Church, mock Christ, mock Christians. The OT penalty for blasphemy was death by stoning (Lev.24:16). Jesus was accused of blasphemy because He claimed to be God. The religious leaders understood that if a mere man pretended to be God, that man was guilty of blasphemy. Jesus could offer the only affirmative defense available to Him He is God. But even blasphemy could be forgiven according to Jesus. An unbeliever can be forgiven if he or she confesses and repents of sin and turn in faith and believes in the Lord Jesus as God s Messiah and the Savior from sin. Paul confessed he was a recovering blasphemer; 1 Timothy 1:13-14; although I 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. Paul goes on to say in verse 15; 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. Peter blasphemed God with curses (Mark 14:71) and was forgiven and restored. Even a Christian can blaspheme and be forgiven. You might think; How can a Christian blaspheme God? Every thought we think that dishonors God, every word we speak that dishonors God causes us to blaspheme. Do you realize when you question God s goodness, His righteousness, His mercy, His faithfulness, His tenderness, His love, you blaspheme! All this is forgivable by the marvelous sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The shed blood of Christ, His grace; 1 John 1:9; If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. How far does God s pardon reach? (v.32a) Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; Some might reject Jesus and fail to recognize His claims, fail to come to Christ, and still later be forgiven. Some people hear the gospel, run from the gospel and are later saved. If a person speaks ill of Jesus, rejects His claims, spurns His love, ignores His sacrifice but repents and returns can be saved. The Lord Jesus own brothers rejected his message and ministry and did not believe until after His resurrection from the dead. Saul the Pharisee did not accept Christ during his earthly ministry but only later believed. Yet the Bible always gives a sense of urgency 2

3 to this issue of repenting of sin and accepting Christ. No one knows the future except God. God knows where you will be tomorrow. You might have a pretty good idea but there are no guarantees. Unbelief can be forgiven. But unbelief must be dealt with before you die. What about willful, deliberate sin? David knew the 6th and 7th commandments; yet he murdered Uriah and committed adultery with Bathsheba. Paul did things he knew he shouldn t (see Romans 7). Paul warned us not to grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph.4:30). But is grieving the Spirit the same as blaspheming the Spirit? The answer is no. The Ephesians, Corinthians and Thessalonians all grieved the Spirit but were able to seek and obtain forgiveness. Certainly David grieved the Spirit and was able to obtain forgiveness. Some may deny Christ for a season, be mislead about essential Christianity or the Deity of Christ, they may walk away, fall away, drift away! But there is still hope! Those who deny can affirm, those who are mislead can learn, those who drift away can repent and return to Christ for forgiveness and restoration. But there is a group that can t come back. Hebrews 6:4-5; For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit (5) 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. Who are these people? They are Jews who have embraced Jesus as their Messiah but later return to Judaism, unwilling to accept Jesus as the full and complete and satisfying solution to the problem of sin. They become like all people who make a profession of faith perhaps even go to church, read a Bible and hang out with Christians for a season but when push comes to shove -religion (faith in Jesus) is an act, a sham, a temporary solution to loneliness, or a special investigation or a way to relieve curiosity. But they never commit to Christ alone. They never fully trust Jesus alone. They harden their hearts against God and the gospel. They permanently reject Christ. They resist and the reject the promptings the invitation of the Holy Spirit. They commit the unpardonable sin. They lose all hope. They won t turn back. There is no forgiveness for sin either now or later. What does Jesus mean? People can speak against the Lord in His human manifestation either from prejudice, or ignorance or honest doubt. Is it possible to be wrong about Jesus and then change your mind? There is a distinct difference between prejudice, ignorance, doubt and attributing the goodness and power of Jesus to Satan. Unpardonable Sin (vv.31b;32b) (v.31b)...but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 3

4 These words are chilling terrifying and are perhaps the most important warning ever issued by our Savior s lips! What is this blasphemy against the Spirit? In context the religious leaders the Pharisees have a stubborn willful unrepentant resistance to the Holy Spirit s invitation to believe in Jesus. Their belief that Jesus performs miracles by the power of Satan is their explanation to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to believe in the message of Jesus. In other words their explanation of Jesus is ultimately a rejection of the Holy Spirit s testimony concerning Jesus. In Marks gospel (3:29) but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation. Damned forever cursed forever, punished forever. Almost everyone, whether they have read the Bible or know the Bible have heard about this unforgivable sin, unpardonable sin. Most refer to this as the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Many people have asked me whether I thought they had committed such a sin. Some suggest that if you are concerned and sensitive enough to even ask the question it indicates you probably have not committed this sin. So what is it? The Holy Spirit is God and God s agent on the planet earth for truth. The work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8) When he comes, will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment. Here again is overwhelming evidence that the Holy Spirit is a person. You cannot sin against an impersonal force. To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit means to respond in unbelief to the persistent message of the Holy Spirit concerning the person and ministry of Jesus. To resist His conviction and guilt in regard to sin, righteousness and judgment. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the willful, determined, irrevocable commitment to reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior. After weighing the evidence, considering the options, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit to resist and then permanently reject Jesus as Lord and Savior. The religious leaders go one step further. They seek to ruin Jesus in the eyes of others. They are not content to simply reject Jesus they must destroy him and they insist that others reject him as well. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of being possessed by demons or controlled by Satan or empowered by Beelzebub; they crossed the line. If they persisted in their belief they could never trust Jesus or love Jesus or believe Jesus. To know the truth and then reject the truth, condemn the truth, kill the truth how can you be saved in this life or the next? Jesus spoke the truth. Jesus performed miracles. Jesus cast out demons, controlled the elements wind and wave water and wine confronted diseases. Jesus exposed their sin and offered Himself as sin s only solution. But in the face of every claim every miracle every evidence of His deity and identity they said no. The religious leaders not only said no but they said hell no. God did everything possible to save the people. For those who say no to Jesus and continue say no and die saying no there can be no forgiveness. (v.32b)...but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him 4

5 What does Jesus mean? This is the willful, sustained, opposition and denial of the Holy Spirit s power and the disavowal of His manifest activity (see W.H. Griffith Thomas; Outline Studies in Matthew; p.177). Pastor Ben Hayden tells the story of visiting a man in the Hospital at 3:30 in he morning. The man was dying. The man was dying. The doctors knew it, the pastor knew it and the man knew it. The pastor had known the man for years and asked him; How are you with the Lord? Oh, the man said said, I ve always believed in God, and I know everything is ship-shape. What do you believe about Jesus the Pastor pressed him. I ve known God all my life he said. I ve tried to observe godly standards. I ve been honest in business, and I ve worked hard. My friend Pastor Hayden said and I am your friend. I wouldn t be here if I weren t your friend. Answer a straight question: How is it between you and Jesus? The man thought and replied slowly; I ve never made a place for Jesus in my life. I don t believe in Jesus. If I were to believe in Jesus, it would upset everything in my philosophy and my life, and I would have to rethink everything about me. By the grace of God Pastor Hayden replied, you have that kind of time; rethink it. NO, he said; I will die without Jesus. Why then do you think Jesus died? asked the Pastor. Oh, I understand he died for sins. Your sins, said Hayden. Perhaps, perhaps, but its too late in my life to rethink the place of Jesus. And he died. This man who was exposed to the gospel, the offer of love and hope died rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 6:2; For He says: In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.. Deeds And Destiny (v.32c) (v.32c).. either in this age or in the age to come. One translation reads; either in this world or the world to come but more probably is age (NKJV). Age might mean the earthly ministry of Jesus and the age to come the future generations in the dispensation of grace. It may mean either in this age (chapter in human history) or in the age to come (future chapters in human history). The religious leaders where in danger of losing the one hope the whole reason Judaism existed. The Jews were God s chosen people to bring forth the Messiah. And the Messiah was standing right in front of them and speaking directly to them. William Hendrickson wrote; For penitence they substitute hardening, for confession plotting. Thus by means of their own criminal and completely inexcusable callousness, they are dooming themselves. Their sin is unpardonable because they are unwilling to tread the path that leads to pardon. For a thief, an adulterer, and a murderer, there is hope! The message of the gospel may cause him to cry out, O God be merciful to me a sinner. But when a man has become hardened, 5

6 so that he has made up his mind not to pay attention to the...spirit,...he as placed himself on the road to perdition (p.529). Within a generation (70 AD) the leaders would be dead and the city of Jerusalem would lie in complete and utter ruin. God would allow Jerusalem to be destroyed by the legions of Titus and Vespasian. The temple would be gone. The sacrifices suspended. Over one million Jews would be dead and thousands of villages destroyed. The Jews said no to Jesus. And God said no to them. But God is not finished with the Jew. God has allowed the people to return to the land and there will continue to be opportunity to hear of the Messiah and accept the Messiah. One of Aaron Burr s grandchildren gave her heart to Christ during a church service. That evening she went to her grandfather and said, I wish you were a Christian too. The former vice-president said, When I was a young man, I went to an evangelistic meeting. I felt my need of God s mercy and forgiveness and knew that I should give my heart to Christ, but I walked out without doing it. I stood under the stars and looked up to heaven and said, God if you don t bother me anymore, I ll never bother you. Honey, God has kept His part of the bargain. He has never bothered me. Now it is too late for me to bother Him. What a misspent life, filled with dirty politics and treason against the United States. All that and hell in the bargain. Conclusion Harden Not Your Heart There is a time, I know not when, A place, I know not where, Which marks the destiny of men To heaven or despair. There is a line by us not seen Which crosses every path, The hidden boundary between God's patience and His wrath. To cross that limit is to die, To die, as if by stealth. It may not pale the beaming eye, Nor quench the glowing health. The conscience may be still at ease, The spirits light and gay; That which is pleasing still may please, And care be thrust away. But on that forehead God hath set Indelibly a mark, By man unseen, for man as yet Is blind and in the dark. 6

7 And still the doomed man's path below May bloom like Eden bloomed. He did not, does not, will not know, Nor feel that he is doomed. He feels, he sees that all is well, His every fear is calmed. He lives, he dies, he wakes in hell, Not only doomed, but damned. Oh, where is that mysterious bourn, By which each path is crossed, Beyond which God himself hath sworn That he who goes is lost? How long may men go on in sin? How long will God forbear? Where does hope end, and where begin The confines of despair? One answer from those skies is sent, "Ye who from God depart, While it is called today, repent, And harden not your heart." Author unknown 7