Dragging the Holy Through the Mud

Prayer of Adoration and Intercession

The voice of sin may be loud, but the voice of forgiveness is louder.

Dwight Lyman Moody (Evangelist)

Running through puddles and mud while wearing new shoes

The LORD Expresses His Great Mercy. (v.28)

“Truly” is today’s equivalent to “This is an important matter.”

Through a simple statement, Jesus introduces a deep truth that reveals the heart of God.

The term, “forgive,” is used 184 times, indicating the relief for the individual from the burden of guilt against God.

This forgiveness is connected to the work of the LORD Jesus Christ.

The Hebrew word, “SLH,” conveys the connection of reprieve based on atonement.

Psalm 103:1–4 LSB

1 Bless Yahweh, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless Yahweh, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

YHWH Holds His Character Above All. (v.29)

When used in relation to God, it is translated “blasphemy.” When used in relation to people, as here, it is translated “slander.”

John F. MacArthur

The Greek term, “Blasphemo,” refers to the dishonor of a person’s character and being, by way of falsehood.

The issue at hand is intensified as it deals with the Trinity, in particular the Holy Spirit.

While a disciple ought not to blaspheme God, to speak against the work of the Holy Spirit is to deny the immanent power of God to work in the world.

To blaspheme the Holy Spirit, calling him a demon, is to deny the redeeming power of God and the ability of God to give spiritual life to spiritually dead men and women.

The term “GDP” in Hebrew connotes the charge against the people by the prophet Ezekiel, as God deal with them for their sin in Ezekiel 20:27.

Ezekiel 20:27 LSB

27 “Therefore, son of man, speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have blasphemed Me by acting unfaithfully against Me.

Calling Good Evil, and Evil Good. (v.30)

Beware of worshiping Jesus as the Son of God and professing your faith in him as the Savior of the world, while you blaspheme him by the complete evidence in your daily life that he is powerless to do anything in and through you.

Oswald Chambers (Lecturer and Missionary)

The offense is to the Trinity’s immanence in the world.

The sin is compounded by the intimation of God’s subjugation to Satan and His demons.

The blasphemy is to deny God’s personhood as He revealed Himself.

To accuse God of being darkness personified is to turn the entire universe on its head, and to go far beyond what even atheists are willing to do.

Exodus 34:6–9 LSB

6 Then Yahweh passed by in front of him and called out, “Yahweh, Yahweh God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 And Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. 9 And he said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though they are a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own inheritance.”

Holding the Holy Above the Mire.

We must remember He is Holy, and we are not.

Unlike the Pharisees, we rejoice and praise Him.

We must be aware of the spiritual battle raging about us.

3 John 11 LSB

11 Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.

Steps to Obedience & Closing Prayer