WWUTT 2147 Jesus Plunders the Strong Mans House (Mark 3:20-30)

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Jesus said that first he must bind the strong man and then he will plunder his house. And that's what

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Jesus is doing. He has bound Satan and he is winning people out of the world into the

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Kingdom of God. When we understand the text. This is

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When We Understand The Text, a daily Bible study in the word of Christ, that men and women of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

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Tell your friends about our ministry at www .utt .com. Here's your teacher, Pastor Gabe.

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Thank you, Becky. And our study of the Gospel of Mark, still in Chapter 3. And yesterday we had looked at Jesus appointing the 12, calling them apostles.

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We'll pick up from there with the reaction of the crowds to the things that Jesus was doing. And we get a little teaching from Jesus as well.

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So I'm going to begin reading in verse 20. We'll go through verse 30 out of the Legacy Standard Bible. Hear the word of the

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Lord. And he came home and the crowd gathered again so that they could not even eat a meal.

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And when his own people heard this, they went out to take custody of him. For they were saying, he has lost his senses.

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And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, he is possessed by Beelzebul and he casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.

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And he called them to himself and began speaking to them in parables. How can Satan cast out

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Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

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And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished.

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But no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

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Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men and whatever blasphemies they utter.

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But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin, because they were saying, he has an unclean spirit.

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So we see the reaction of the crowds. And among those reactions, you hear the statement from the scribes saying that he has an unclean spirit.

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Jesus responds to this speaking in parables. And then the conclusion of his response says that those who blaspheme against the

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Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And he said this because verse 30, they were saying that he has an unclean spirit.

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So that's really kind of the heart of what it is we're looking at here, what Jesus teaches to them and warns them about the blasphemies that they utter.

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If blaspheming the Holy Spirit, then they will never be forgiven. But let's come back here to understand that passage.

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Let's come back to verse 20, where as Jesus came home, the crowd gathered again so that they could not even eat a meal.

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Where was it that Jesus came? Doesn't say specifically, it could be Nazareth, but most likely it was

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Capernaum. It has been mentioned that Jesus also lived in Capernaum.

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He was raised in Nazareth. That was where he was taught the trade of his father. And he was known as a carpenter there.

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But when he began his earthly ministry, he didn't do it from Nazareth. The Gospels, both

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Matthew and Mark record that it had begun in Capernaum. So likely that was where his home was.

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It may not have been a personal home. It may have been somebody that he was living with. But that was kind of like a central base of operations.

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So as he comes back to Capernaum, the crowd gathers again so that Jesus and his disciples, those who had just been named the 12 apostles, they could not even sit down and eat a meal.

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They were being so hounded by the crowds. Now Jesus, of course, had compassion for the people and he still healed their diseases and cast out their demons, even though that's not explicitly said here.

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But over and over again, when Jesus saw the crowds, it is said that he had compassion on them and he healed them.

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But then look at the reaction of the crowds here. So really, verse 20 is the first reaction. The crowds wanting to see

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Jesus, they're pressing in on him. We have a second reaction in verse 21 and a third reaction in verse 22.

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The second reaction, when his own people heard this, they went out to take custody of him, for they were saying he has lost his senses.

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Now the legacy translates this when his own people heard this. But if you read that in the

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English Standard Version, Mark 3 21, it says when his family heard it, they went out to seize him for they were saying he is out of his mind.

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So the way it's translated there is family. It is kind of an odd translation when his own people heard this, but own people is probably the most literal understanding of the

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Greek there. And we would understand it, his own people as being members of his own family. We know that his family did not believe in him before Jesus died on the cross and rose again from the dead.

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Only his mother believed. And of course she did because she knew he was virgin born.

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But his own brothers and sisters did not believe when he began his earthly ministry that he was the son of God.

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And of course, he's not publicly proclaiming that yet, but they still don't understand what it is that's going on with him.

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Why isn't he? Why isn't he at home working his trade and taking care of his mother as he is the oldest of the household?

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So here members of his family, and it could have been brothers and sisters. We have a statement about brothers and sisters that comes up later.

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In fact, that is that's in verse 31. So that kind of bookends this section.

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You have a statement about his family, and then we're going to hear about his family at the end of the chapter. So so his own people, it may not have been brothers and sisters.

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It could have been extended members of the family, but it was people who knew him. They grew up with him.

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They knew this man from his youth. And yet here he is doing these incredible things.

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And the stuff that he is preaching and the way people are clamoring out, they are clamoring after him.

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He is not in his right mind. Maybe they think he was as crazy as John the

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Baptist. So they try to get him. They they try to bring him home because he is out of his senses.

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And then we also hear from the scribes and the Pharisees. Verse 22. The scribes came down from Jerusalem and were saying that he is possessed by Beelzebul, possessed by Satan, and he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.

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So that's how it is that Jesus is able to do these incredible things, casting out evil spirits because he is the prince of the evil spirits.

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You have three reactions from the crowds here. You have the reaction of the people who come pressing in on him so that they could not even eat.

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You have a reaction from his own family, verse 21. And then you have a reaction from the scribes and the

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Pharisees. And Jesus is going to respond to all three of these, but in reverse order.

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So first of all, we have the response to the scribes and the Pharisees. That's in verses 23 through 30.

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Then you have Jesus talking about his own family in verses 31 to 35.

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And then Jesus addresses the rest of the crowds, which will be at the start of chapter four with Jesus speaking in parables, and he shares the parable of the sower.

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So notice that here, the way that Mark lays this out, you have three crowd reactions. The main crowd is family and the scribes and Pharisees, and Jesus is going to respond to each of them in reverse order.

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First the scribes and the Pharisees, then responding with regards to his own family, and then addressing the whole crowd by teaching them in parables.

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So in verse 23, he called them to himself and began speaking to them in parables.

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How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

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And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

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And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished.

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Why would Satan be possessing people? He would be sending out his demons and his minions to possess people and then casting them out.

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That does not even make any sense. Because if Satan can send out demons to possess people, and he's bringing people to himself through these demonic seizings, then why would he stop that from happening?

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It just sounds absurd. And that's the way Jesus is responding to them. He's responding to them with logic, with general revelation here.

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This doesn't even make any sense what you're saying. Because Satan is winning if he is advancing his dark kingdom by possessing people.

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Why would he cast them out? What show of strength would that be exactly if he is casting out himself?

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He is already self -defeated if he is possessing people and then casting those demons out.

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So Jesus gives logic here. He gives general revelation. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom is done.

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What enemies can come against that kingdom when the kingdom is its own enemy and breaking itself up?

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If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.

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It's either firm on one foundation or it's broken up and can't even keep its walls up.

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And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished.

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And then Jesus is going to give one more illustration here regarding what Jesus is doing, casting out demons, and what ultimately his goal is going to be here in the ministry that he is performing.

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And then he is going to give the scribes and the Pharisees some true theology here, not general revelation, but special revelation as God himself is going to teach them.

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So verse 27, first of all, no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.

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Jesus is saying here that by the work he is doing in the present, and especially by his death and resurrection, he is binding the strong man so that he may plunder his house.

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Satan is described as the God of this world, the God of this age. Second Corinthians 4 .4,

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the God of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

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And so Jesus is binding Satan, who has blinded the eyes of those who are in the world so that Christ can plunder his house and rescue people out of the snare of the devil.

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In 2 Timothy 2, it is said that the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome, but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.

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And God may perhaps grant repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil after being captured by him to do his will.

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So Jesus is even now plundering the house of Satan. And those who are one into the faith of Jesus Christ, who turn from this world and set their eyes on Jesus, who do, as said in Matthew 6, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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Those who do these things have been one out of the world. They've been rescued from the snare of Satan.

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They have been delivered out of darkness into the kingdom of light, the way that Peter puts it. And so Jesus has plundered the strongman's house.

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First, he binds the strongman, and now, and even now, he is plundering his house.

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Colossians 2, verse 15 says that he has disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in him, in Christ, through the blood of his cross, as was said in the verse right before it.

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Probably good to read all of that in context here. So in Colossians 2, 14, he has canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us.

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He also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross, having disarmed the rulers and authorities.

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He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in him. So Satan has been defeated.

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His house is being plundered. But if you understand what is said in Revelation chapter 20 concerning the reign of Christ for a thousand years and that Satan is bound up in a pit, in prison, it also says there that he will be released when the thousand years are finished, and then he will be let go for a short time.

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So who knows that maybe Satan's back at work in the world right now, deceiving people and bringing them back under his deceptions.

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And could very well be the case, the way that we see same -sex marriage and nations legalizing this, something that has never happened in human history except just in the last couple of decades.

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Who knows that this is that period of time in which Satan has been released from his prison and now he is going about deceiving the nations once again.

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Time of course will tell. But we must continue to hold fast to Christ, no matter what is happening in the world today.

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We are not demoralized or lose heart. We continue to hold fast to Christ, knowing that he has defeated

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Satan and will defeat him once and for all, delivering us into his eternal kingdom, which we have now.

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But it's kind of that already or not yet sort of a thing. We are part of the kingdom of God.

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We are citizens of that kingdom now, but have not yet come into that kingdom fully until the day either when we die or we go to be with the

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Lord, whichever of those comes first. So Jesus saying to the scribes and Pharisees exactly what it is that he is doing.

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He is binding up the strong man so that he may plunder his house.

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And of course, this being said in the hearing of Jesus' disciples and the crowds as well.

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But then Jesus gives this warning, verses 28 to 30, truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men and whatever blasphemies they utter.

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But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.

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And he said this because they were saying he has an unclean spirit. Now we've talked about this before because this came up in Matthew, and we'll talk about it yet again because it will also come up in Luke.

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But what is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? There's a few ways that we can go with this.

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Three main arguments, I would say. Three ways that theologians tend to summarize what this sin is.

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Number one, it could be the sin that the scribes and Pharisees were committing right there, saying about Jesus that he is of Beelzebul.

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And so only the scribes and the Pharisees are committing that sin. Nobody else really commits that sin because they are witnessing with their own eyes, miraculous things that can only be of God.

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And yet they are saying, no, this has to be of Satan. Well, their hearts are so hard that no matter what is done before their eyes, they will not believe that Jesus is the

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Christ. So they are committing a sin for which they will never be forgiven. God has given them over to a hardened heart.

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He has hardened their heart even further that they cannot see what God is doing in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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So therefore, they're guilty of a sin for which they will never repent and never be forgiven. That's one possible explanation.

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A second explanation is that anyone who is confronted with the

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Holy Spirit and does not turn from sin to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, anyone who does this is guilty of blasphemy of the

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Holy Spirit. So all throughout their life, they are continuing to be confronted with the

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Spirit. They hear the truth. They hear the word, but they will not be convicted. They continue to reject the

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Spirit to their dying day. And then they stand before God and they will never be forgiven for that sin that they continued in until they died.

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They blaspheme the Holy Spirit. And so therefore, their judgment will be hell.

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They will be cast into the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. So that's the second possible explanation.

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A third explanation is that no one has really committed this sin yet, but they will when the

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Holy Spirit is given. So Jesus could be talking about something future, especially since he had just said that he is binding the strong man so that he may plunder his house.

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Well, that's going to happen with the gospel going out to the nations since Satan is the God of this world.

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And so with that in mind, therefore, Jesus is describing something that will be true when the

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Holy Spirit is given. Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.

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And once again, the scribes and Pharisees will see the work of the Holy Spirit and yet continue to deny that it is of God.

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And Jesus said these things because they were saying he has an unclean spirit. So verse 30 might lead you to believe that Jesus was only talking about the scribes and the

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Pharisees and what they were saying at the present. But everything that Jesus said here from verse 23 to 29 could have been in light of the fact that they were saying that he has an unclean spirit.

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Anyway, those are the three possible explanations for the blasphemy of the

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Holy Spirit. And I'm often asked as a pastor, have I committed this sin? Even in my reform circles,

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I'll have people that will come up to me and say, you know, do I need to be concerned that maybe I have committed blasphemy against the

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Holy Spirit? And I have said to them, if you are convicted in your heart of something, like if you're worried that you may have actually committed this sin, then

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I can tell you, you haven't committed this sin. And nor is it for us to know who has committed that sin.

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If it is indeed true that a person can commit that sin in their life and therefore can never repent of it, like their heart is so hard that they're not going to repent of their blasphemy against the

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Holy Spirit. This is God who has judicially hardened their hearts, blinded their eyes, stopped up their ears so that they cannot see and they cannot hear.

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That's for God to know. We cannot determine that. Just like we don't know who the elect are,

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God knows. So we cannot know who is committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Only God knows that.

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As long as a person has breath in their lungs, we should be willing to preach the gospel to them because we do not know.

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Who knows that they might turn from their sin to the Lord Jesus Christ and live. So everybody should hear the gospel, teaching them the law so that they may recognize in the law that they have sinned against a holy

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God and what they deserve is death and judgment and then sharing within the gospel, knowing that through the death of Christ on the cross for our sins and his resurrection from the grave, whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

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And we'll finish up chapter three tomorrow. Let's finish here with prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gospel that has been spoken to us and thank you for your spirit that regenerated our heart to hear that message and believe it, putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ that we might be saved.

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Continue to grow us in the knowledge of Christ today, growing us in holiness that we may walk in righteousness.

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It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Pastor Gabe is the author of several books and Bible studies available in paperback or for your e -reader.

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For titles and more information, visit our website at www .wutt .com.