The Strangest Place to Find Assurance of Eternal Security

Sermon 7 on the Doctrine of Eternal Security: “The Strangest Place to Find the assurance Eternal Security”

“The Unpardonable Sin”

(Slides 15 Sermon Title and Introduction)

(Slides 16 and 17 read text)

Text: Matthew 12:31–32

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

(Slide 18)

Introduction:

The misunderstanding of this passage.

* This morning we come to sermon 7 in the series on the Doctrine of Eternal Security.

* I we have one more sermon on the last and greatest point of the apostle Paul’s great sermon on eternal security in the book of Romans, but I wanted to take a break from Paul’s sermon and look at what I think is “the strangest place in the Bible to find assurance that we can never lose our salvation.”

* The reason that this is such a strange place to prove to you that you can never lose your salvation from, is that this is the very place where most people us to teach that you can lose your salvation.

* There are a great many people who have misinterpreted this passage to teach that there is some sin or sins that a Christian, a saved person, can commit that God will never forgive.

* They misapply this passage of Scripture by taking a few verses out of context that it is given in, and use it to teach something that want you to believe. This is called “proof-texting.”

* It doesn’t matter what you want people to believe, whether it is the truth or not, you can twist some part of the Bible around and make it appear to prove what you want people to believe.

* The devil knows the Bible better than you do this morning!

* The devil and his angels know more about the Bible than your preacher does this morning! He has had thousands of years to study it!

* The devil knows how to twist the words of the Bible and make the Bible appear to say something that it does not say!

* The Bible speaks of things that the devil and his angles will introduce into the churches that are “doctrines of devils.”

1 Timothy 4:1–3 (KJV 1900)

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy;

* This is why the apostle Paul told the young preacher Timothy that it was necessary that he study the Bible very closely to make sure that He interpreted the Scriptures rightly.

2 Timothy 2:14–17 (KJV 1900)

14 Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker…

* The Bible can be “wrongly divided” or wrongly interpreted- it can be twisted to say things that are not true if it is not correctly interpreted.

* This is why it is of the utmost importance that every Christian, not just listen to the preacher, or listen to what some radio teacher says, or what grandma says the Bible says.

*- but every Christian is under the responsible to God to know what the Bible teaches for himself.

* In Acts chapter 17 the apostle Paul praises the church at Berea and calls them “noble” because they refused to blindly believe what Paul taught them from the Scriptures, but they searched the scriptures to make sure that they were being taught the truth.

Acts 17:10–11 (KJV 1900)

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

* As your pastor, I don’t ever want you to just sit there in the pews and just listen to what I am teaching you from the Bible, I want you to search the Bible for yourselves and make sure that what I am teaching you is the truth.

* And if anyone ever stands in this pulpit, or in one of our Sunday school classes, and is caught teaching something contrary to that the Bible teaches, it is my responsibility as your pastor to confront them, and correct them and never allow the truth of the Bible to be represented in this church.

* And according to the Bible, if any pastor is ever guilty of teaching false doctrine in the church, the church is responsible for correcting or removing that pastor.

1 Timothy 5:17–22 (KJV 1900)

17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses. 20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. 21 I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. 22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.

* If we don’t study the Bible for ourselves, we will be misled and be deceived and false teaching will, in Paul’s words to Timothy “eat like a canker.” Or in other words a cancer!

* Or in other words, false teaching will cause the Bible to be bloated and distorted with misinterpretations and things that are untrue!

* False teaching, or misinterpreting the Bible, will ultimately will eat away at the truth of God’s Word like a cancer.

* Cancer destroys a healthy body by uncontrollably producing cells that are deformed and don’t conform to the instructions contained within that body’s instructions written in the DNA of every cell.

* In the same way, when the Bible is not understood and taught correctly, by the standard of truth that has been established by the Holy Spirit, the Bible misinterpreted, becomes an instrument of death and destruction instead of the Bread of Life.

* The preacher from the past, Pastor of what was, at one time, the largest Sunday school in America, Dr. Jack Hyles, used to preach a sermon on how modern versions or translations of the Bible were undermining the truth of the Bible.

* Dr. Hyles entitled this sermon “Get your stinking feet out of my drinking water!”

* We live in a day in which there are many versions and ideas about what the correct interpretation of the Bible is.

* Every Christian, and especially the leaders in each church has an obligation to study and be able to correctly interpret the Bible.

* An so this is a problem we find associated with our text verse this morning:

Text: Matthew 12:31–32 (KJV 1900)

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

* Some teachers have taken upon themselves to in-correctly interpret this passage to say that a person can commit some sin that would cause God to never be able to forgive them, and thus they would lose their salvation.

* One of the most common of these false teachings are taught from this passage is the teaching that committing suicide will cause a person to go to Hell.

* That’s balderdash! This passage does not teach anything like that at all!

* Let’s examine now the text of our passage a little more closely, so that we might get the correct interpretation or our text before us this morning.

* In order to do this, we must look at the context of the verse in question, or in other words “What are the circumstance surrounding this verse.

* In order to do this we need to look at the verses before and after our text verse.

* Back up with me a few verses to Matthew chapter 12 and verse 22:

(Slide 19)

I. Examine with me the context of this passage.

Matthew 12:22–31 (KJV 1900)

(Look with me at the event that brought this verse about: by healing a blind man and casting out a demon from him, Jesus had made the Pharisees jealous…)

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

(The ultimate rejection of the Holy Spirit)

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

(the reasoning of Jesus)

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

(The rejection of the Kingdom of God)

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

(The reason Jesus said that there was one sin that can never be forgiven-

Because they had rejected Jesus, they were condemned by God, because they had refused the Holy Spirit’s message of the Kingdom of God and rejected God’s Son.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

* Jesus told Nicodemus the very same thing when He told Nicodemus that in order to go to heaven, he had to be “born again from Heaven.”

* In John chapter 3 and verse 5, Jesus told Nicodemus: that he must be born of the “Spirit.”

John 3:1–8 (KJV 1900)

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

* From John chapter 3 then we learn that rejection Jesus is rejection the work of the Holy Spirit that is the agent God uses to give us salvation.

* To reject the Gospel of Jesus then is to “blaspheme” or reject the Holy Spirit.

* And Jesus goes on in the following verse of John chapter 3 to explain that refusing to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, can never be forgiven, but is a sin that is unforgivable, unpardonable- “the only sin that cannot be forgiven in Heaven or on earth- “The unpardonable sin.”

John 3:16–18 (KJV 1900)

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

* Now this very principle, the principle that “rejecting Jesus is the unpardonable sin,” is illustrated in the story found in our text this morning:

Text: Matthew 12:31–32 (KJV 1900)

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

(Slide 20)

II. Examine with me the subject of this passage.

* So after looking at the context surrounding our verse, then we determine the subject that our text verse is all about;

* Now look with me at or text verse in verse 31:

(Verse 31)- but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

* The subject here is that the Pharisees, by saying that Jesus was of the Devil, were rejecting Jesus, and by rejecting Jesus they were committing the sin of “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.”

* And that, Jesus said, can never ever be forgiven, either on earth or in Heaven:

Text: Matthew 12:31–32 (KJV 1900)

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:

but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

(Slide 21)

III. Examine with me the unexpected assurance of this passage.

* Now, there are some unexpected things that we can gather from the correct interpretation of our passage this morning.

* Let’s dig down a little deeper in to our text and we will find a precious golden nugget of Biblical truth about the doctrine of Eternal Security.

* Look with me at verse 31 and underline the phrase:

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

(Verse 31) - All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

* I want you to see what Jesus just said that there is no sin that God will not forgive.

* This means that there is no such thing as a sin that a saved person can commit, that will condemn a person to Hell!

* Jesus just said that there is no sin, no matter how terrible the sin is- weather it be murder or adultery, as in the case of David, or even mass murder as in the case of the apostle Paul who delivered Christians to the authorities to be imprisoned and be put to death- it can all be forgiven.

* Even in the book of II Corinthians, Paul writes to the church to discipline, but then afterword forgive a man in the church that had sex with his own mother!

* Jesus just said that there is no sin that is so hideous that God cannot forgive- even the sins of incest or homosexuality!

* The blood of Christ is able to cover the darkest of stains! The Worst of Sins! God will forgive the worst of the backsliders- but God will never forgive anybody that does not obey the Gospel!

2 Thessalonians 1:7–11 (KJV 1900)

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

* Most importantly, Jesus just said when he said:

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

(Verse 31) - All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

That since all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven, then therefore there is no such thing as a sin that can cause you to ever lose your salvation!

(Slide 21)

What is the Conclusion of a closer look at this passage:?

* Have you committed a sin, that in your own mind you thought God will not forgive you for?

* Have you been wondering if there was some sin out there that you could commit that would cause you to lose your salvation?

* Have you been backslid and away from God and no longer saved?

(Slide 22)

* The bad news of our text is that there is an “unpardonable sin” and If anyone commits this sin, they will unable to ever be saved!

(Slide 23)

* The Good news of our text is that no one that has ever been saved can commit “the unpardonable sin!”

* Our test this morning, in my estimation, is the strangest place in the Bible to prove that you can never lose your salvation, but that is exactly what this text does.

* Our salvation is eternally secure this morning because there is no manner of sin and blasphemy that the blood of Jesus Christ is unable to cover!

* Because Jesus said:

31 Wherefore I say unto you,

(Verse 31) - All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men:

(The last remaining slides 24-27)