A Deeper Look

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If you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.

What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.

We are currently walking through the NT book of Matthew.

We are going to Jump Back in to Matthew Chapter 12 today.

I told you last week that as we go to this chapter we are going to have to overlap each message in order to stay in Context.

Last week we learned about the Unpardonable Sin and Honestly I believe it caused some stirring though out the church that I want to spend a little time on this morning.

I believe this is the perfect opportunity to teach on how we should study scripture.

There are so many doctrines and I believe false belief systems that have be derived from taking one scripture and using it improperly.

So When We study Scripture we need to look at the Scripture as a Whole to determine what is being taught.

Again original Audience is Vital.

So Let’s Look at This.

1. Who are the Players?

2. Where is this taking place?

3. Who is the intended Audience?

4. What was going on in the situation?

5. Who was the Speaker Speaking To?

So let’s go back to Last Weeks Scripture and look at under this lens.

So from last two weeks we have the backdrop of :

The Pharisees Collaborating with the Herodians to Plotting how to Kill Jesus.

Jesus has Withdrawn..…

Large Crowds have followed Him......

Matthew 12:22–24 CSB

22 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. 23 All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” 24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

Our Players are:

Jesus

The Demon Possessed Man

The Crowds

The Pharisees

This is taking place around Galilee

Matthew 12:25 CSB

25 Knowing their thoughts, he told them,

Whose Thoughts?

The Pharisees.......

Jesus is demonstrating the Holy Spirits Gift of Knowledge Here.

This is another demonstration of The Empowerment of the Holy Spirit that would be available to all Believers after the Day of Pentecost.

We know the intended audience of what is about to be said is The Pharisees

Now lets talk about the Pharisees before we go any farther.......

Matthew 12:25–29 CSB

25 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. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28 If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 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.

Jesus has just layed out his defense for what power he is operating under.

Jesus’ Defense.

1.This accusation could not be true because it would mean a division in Satan’s Kingdom.

2. The religious leaders themselves had a long recognized that the gift of exorcism was a gift of God so to accuse Him of this was inconsistent with their theology.

3. Jesus tells them by Who He drives out demons and that this miracle authenticates that Kingdom is available to them.

4. This Miracle showed that He was stronger than Satan, not subservient to, Satan.

What we have to understand is that up until now Jesus has been offering the Kingdom but this is the line in the sand.........

Matthew 12:30 CSB

30 Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters.

Matthew 12:31–32 CSB

31 Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 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.

What is Blasphemy?

the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things;

In this case it is saying that a Miracle that the Holy Spirit did was Done by Satan........

Why I believe that this is a one time thing........

What were the reprocussions..........

What is the Holy Spirit doing Now........

What is the unpardonable sin now........

Your Sin will not send you to Hell

Your continued unbelief will!

There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

John 16:8 CSB

8 When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment:

 If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.

God has provided a path to forgiveness.

John 3:16 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

And Forgiveness is found only in Jesus

John 14:6 CSB

6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So if you are sitting there today worried you are unforgivable I tell you there is no sin God cannot forgive through Jesus.

Hebrews 7:25 CSB

25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

Jesus can not fail.....

Isaiah 12:2 CSB

2 Indeed, God is my salvation; I will trust him and not be afraid, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.”

Stand with me this morning.........