The Unforgiveable Sin

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When I heard others talk of what was the sin against the Holy Ghost then the tempter
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Would so provoke me to desire to sin that sin
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That I was if I could not Must not neither should be quiet until I had committed it if it were to be committed by speaking and I have been as if my mouth would have spoken that word and In so strong a measure was this temptation upon me that often
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I had been ready to clap my hand under my chin to hold my mouth from opening and to that end also
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I've had thoughts at other times to leap with my head down right into some muck hill hole or other to keep my mouth from speaking the tempter came upon me again and that with a more grievous and dreadful temptation than before and that was
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To sell and part with this most blessed Christ to exchange him for the things of this life for anything
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The temptation lay upon me for the space of a year and did so follow me Continually that I was not rid of it one day in a month and no not sometimes one hour in many days together
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I Could neither eat my food stooped for a pin chop a stick or cast my eye to look on this or that but still the temptation
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Would come sell Christ for this or sell Christ for that sell him sell him Sometimes it would run in my thoughts not so little as a hundred times together sell him sell him sell him but to be brief
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One morning as I did lie in my bed. I was as at other times most fiercely assaulted with this temptation
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To sell and part with Christ the wicked suggestion still running in my mind sell him sell him sell him sell him sell him as fast as a man could speak
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Against which also in my mind as at other times. I answered. No, no not for thousands thousands thousands at least 20 times together but at last
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After much striving even until I was almost out of breath. I felt this thought pass through my heart
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Let him go if he will and I thought also that I felt my heart freely consent thereto
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Oh the diligence of Satan. Oh the Desperateness of man's heart now was the battle won and Downfell I as a bird that is shot from the top of a tree into great guilt and fearful despair
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Thus getting out of my bed I went moping into the field that God knows with as heavy a heart as I believe mortal man can bear
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Where for the space of two hours? I was like a man bereft of life and is now past all recovery and bound over to eternal punishment
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Now was I as one bound and I felt myself shut up into the judgment to come Nothing now for two years would abide with me but damnation and an expectation of damnation
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I feared therefore that this wicked sin of mine might be that sin unpardonable of which he there speaks
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But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation
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What thought I is there but one sin that is unpardonable But one sin that lays the soul without the reach of God's mercy and must
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I be guilty of that must it needs be that Is there but one sin? Among so many millions of sins for which there is no forgiveness and must
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I commit this Oh unhappy sin Oh unhappy man Oh none knows the terrors of those days, but my self
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I began to compare my sin With the sin of Judas that if possible
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I might find that mine differed from that which in truth is unpardonable and oh thought I if it should differ from it though But the breadth of a hair what a happy condition my soul is in I Found it hard work now to pray to God because despair was swallowing me up I thought
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I was as with a tempest driven away from God for always when I cried to God for mercy This would come in it is too late.
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I'm lost God has let me fall not to my correction, but condemnation.
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My sin is Unpardonable as you can see there.
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These are the words of The author of the best -selling book in the history of the world next to the
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Bible John Bunyan from his spiritual autobiography grace abounding to the chief of sinners
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And they described the struggles of his soul before he became a Christian There are a lot of people like that who fear that before they are converted they have committed the unforgivable sin, but 24 years of pastoral experience has taught me that there are a lot more people who after they have committed themselves to Christ Fear that they have committed the unforgivable sin
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What is the unforgivable sin and can it be committed by a Christian? There are two passages of Scripture I want us to have open before us book mark and one going primarily to Matthew 12 22 and then also mark 3 22
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Matthew 12 22 and mark 3 22 a demon -possessed man has brought to Jesus and Jesus cast the demon out of the man
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The people who saw it were amazed and began to wonder aloud if Jesus could be the Messiah But when the Pharisees heard it says
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Matthew 12 24 When the Pharisees heard it they said this man cast out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons
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Part of the response of Jesus is in verses 31 and 32 Therefore I say to you any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men
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But blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven and whoever shall speak a word against the
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Son of Man It shall be forgiven him, but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit It shall not be forgiven him either in this age or the age to come
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Let's look first at what the unforgivable sin is not because there's so many sub points here in Scripture references
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I wanted you to have this Outline as a way to more efficiently listen. I trust less time writing down details and be able to pay attention a little more
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So let's go quickly over what the unforgivable sin is not first of all it is not a specific sin
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That's named elsewhere in Scripture in other words if you can think of a sin that has a name
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Then that's not the unforgivable sin murder is the sin of murder Greed is the sin of greed
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Lying is the sin of lying adultery is the sin of adultery and the unforgivable sin is the unforgivable sin
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So in other words you you can't take a sin that already has a name and give it the additional name of the unforgivable sin
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That's what I'm trying to say Second it is not even denying Christ or blasphemy against Christ Remember that Peter was forgiven
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For denying Christ and at the worst possible time Paul mentions in 1st
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Timothy 1 13 and 14. He was forgiven of blasphemy Against Christ, so that's not the unforgivable sin for in a broad sense any word or thought against God and his word is blasphemy, so Every Christian has been forgiven of blasphemy
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Third the unforgivable sin is not merely if we may say that is not merely persistent unbelief
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Thank you He had several years of computer training to be able to do that for us, so we appreciate this special skills
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It is not merely persistent unbelief And I call your attention to the fact that there are a lot of people who would hold that that's the unforgivable sin
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That if you reject Christ all the way to the grave, that's unforgivable sin now those people go to the same place as The one who commits the unforgivable sin, but the unforgivable sin is not persistent unbelief
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There were many in Jesus day Who persisted all their lives in unbelief?
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But he did not say they had committed the unforgivable sin There were a special group of unbelievers who had committed the unforgivable sin
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We'll see later on here in this episode described both in Matthew and Mark There are three groups of people there with Jesus There are his disciples
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There are the Pharisees and then there's what we'll call the crowd He only points to some in that group
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In fact some of the Pharisees committed the unforgivable sin there were other unbelievers present
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People in the crowd would have been a mixed group. We presume some would have been believers some unbelievers He doesn't point to these unbelievers saying you've committed the unforgivable sin.
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He points to these unbelievers as having committed the unforgivable sin Fourth it is not saying things flippantly against the
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Holy Spirit or about the Holy Spirit I have a friend who's now with the Lord Who spoke of being on a youth group trip one time and in the back of the bus?
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And he told a joke where the punchline had something to do with the Holy Spirit and the bus driver wrenched the bus off the road jammed it into Park and ran back to the back of the bus and shook his finger in his face and said don't you ever do anything like That again, you may have just committed the unforgivable sin
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Well, he said he never forgot that moment as you can imagine But as sinful as that can be that is not the unforgivable sin
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You may not have gone to such an extreme where you tell a joke like that where the Holy Spirit is in the punchline Maybe you have or maybe you have made humorous or teasing comments to someone
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That was somehow related to the name of the Holy Spirit being used. Maybe you joked about someone
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Who walked in the room and they tripped over something and you know Danced around a little bit or something. You may have joked about well they're really dancing in the spirit today or something like that in which you
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You know make some humorous or teasing comment where the Holy Spirit's name is involved Or maybe you've done this with some supposed healing service on TV or something or you laughed when someone else made such a comment
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The point is it's very easy to say something to at least some degree flippant or Irreverent about the
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Holy Spirit and even when that is done sinfully that does not mean that is the unforgivable sin and The unforgivable sin is also not every known and willful sin
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Against the Holy Spirit First John 1 8 says that Christians if a Christian say they have no sin.
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They're deceiving themselves so I trust everyone in here accepts that that Christians sin and I think we know that often when we sin we sin knowingly willingly to our shame
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But we know we are sinning and many of those occasions the the
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Spirit of God would be convicting us. Don't do that and We do it anyway
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So in a sense you can say that is a known and willful sin against the Holy Spirit Paul has warned us not to grieve the
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Spirit not to quench the Spirit and those passages were written to Believers to Christians so it must be possible for Christians to grieve the
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Spirit to quench the Spirit by Sinning and surely some of those times they know they're doing so They know they're sinning in such a way that the
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Holy Spirit says clearly to them Through the word don't do that So Those are known willful sins against the
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Holy Spirit by believers and without minimizing the seriousness of that That is not the unforgivable sin.
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Jesus said that any sin and blasphemy even if against the Son of Man shall be forgiven Provided there's repentance and faith in Christ, of course.
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So what is the unforgivable sin? Ruled out some things that it is not
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Jesus said that it is blasphemy against that's verse 31 or to speak against the
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Holy Spirit verse 32 in Matthew 12 and He said this of the Pharisees because in Mark 3 30 because they were saying
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He has an unclean spirit Now we're going to spend most of the rest of our time right here on 2a
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So it's another reason I wanted you to have the outline to get the big picture though. We're spending them Greatest amount of time on that.
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It's really a small part of the whole outline, but this is this is key to my understanding about what the unforgivable sin is let's
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Attempt to explain this difficult Concept of the unforgivable sin by another difficult passage
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Hebrews chapter 6 so we'll come back to Matthew and Mark, but for now, we're going to look at Hebrews chapter 6 which some use as Their classic text saying that a person can lose one salvation, but We do not believe that it might be
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Useful to write somewhere in your margin. They're close, but no salvation someone who is close, but not really saved others, of course, you know from a more
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Wesleyan or Armenian background would say this is Proof that these are become saved people who then lose their salvation.
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Let's begin in verse 4 We're in the case of those who have once been enlightened I want you to notice that word because that's key to the whole understanding here who have once been enlightened and Have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the
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Holy Spirit we'll come back to this in a moment after reading the whole whole passage and Have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come and then have fallen away
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It is impossible to renew them again to repentance since they again crucified to themselves the
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Son of God and put him to open shame For ground and now it's speaking of people is different kinds of ground for ground that drinks the rain that's the work of the
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Spirit of God which falls upon it and Brings forth vegetation or fruit useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled receives a blessing from God That's the
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Christian Spirit of God comes upon the ground of his heart He produces fruit That is for God's sake and that's a
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Christian but if this same kind of ground yields thorns and thistles it is worthless And is close to being cursed and ends up being burned.
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But this next verse is one we believe This is not speaking of saved people because verse 9 but beloved he says to these
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Hebrew Christians We are convinced of better things concerning you things that accompany salvation
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Though we are speaking in this way once again, forgive me here Friday and Saturday heard the
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Terminable story of fact. I've never had allergies in my life and A week ago. I started this sort of thing.
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I don't know what to do. Some people kindly gave me some Stuff for that yesterday and it really worked and I didn't take it this morning until just a little while ago
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So I hope that will kick in but I apologize So I believe that Hebrews 6 is talking about people have committed the unforgivable sin and let me explain what
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I mean that what's being spoken of here is What has happened to those Pharisees that Jesus had committed the unforgivable sin?
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These people were not saved they were In Hebrews 6 about as close as you can come we might say
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Notice verse 4 though, which says that they have once been enlightened That kind of language is not used of other unbelievers you're a run -of -the -mill if you will unbeliever
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The Holy Spirit had enlightened these people and I think the Pharisees to know
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Who Christ was? This doesn't mean they had known the indwelling of the
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Holy Spirit. It says there then verse 4 they have tasted of the heavenly gift We would like to say well they had tasted but not
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Swallowed if you will they had tasted the work of the Holy Spirit, but they had not received him inwardly Unfortunately, the
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Greek won't support that there Other times it clearly speaks of Christians as those who have tasted in this way
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But it helps to go on that they've been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't mean that they have received inwardly the indwelling of the
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Holy Spirit as a true Christian has what it means rather they have been in the room when the Holy Spirit's been at work. They are not strangers
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To the work of the Holy Spirit they have tasted the good word of God the powers of the age to come in other words like you today
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They had been in the room when the Spirit of God had clearly been at work. They were not strangers
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They had seen people converted. They had seen lives change. Perhaps they had seen miracles. They had seen relationships restored
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They had seen the work of the Holy Spirit. That was clearly the work of God They had tasted the word of God being preached to them.
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They were not strangers to it contrast such a person Such as an unbeliever who may be here today.
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Who's been here many many times Contrast such a person with a person driving by This building this morning looks at your car in the parking lot and thinks those fools like a couple of hate mails
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I got yesterday because of Review I've written on the book the secret
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And one from Alaska one from England people just writing and saying, you know, you don't get it and blah blah blah and That's what they think
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They think that you're wasting your time. You're being deceived. You're a fool who could fall for those stories
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The church is only about money. It's nothing but about Rules and so forth
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It's a crutch and people think they don't need that sort of thing and they had the church and the message of the church all figured out and they don't need it and they think you're a fool for needing
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I mean, can you think of Literally anyone who really understands the gospel?
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Who Thinks of us that way. I mean the average person driving by thinks they understand the message of the
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Bible they think they understand what the church is about don't they and You and I know they don't have a clue.
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In fact, you could go the opposite extreme. I'm One things I'm emphasizing now is
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I would love we had time pass around a sheet of paper in here and say, you know How many times have you heard the gospel in your life?
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And many people would say I've heard it probably thousands of times Would you write that for me a sheet of paper?
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I Think you'd be frightening to see how many people in this room would freeze Then I'll mention that again perhaps in a sermon.
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So if that's in a solid Bible teaching church like this You know good and well that the people driving by don't have a clue is what the gospel is
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They have no idea what your message of this church is. They don't know what the Bible teaches, but they think they do you know only about 27 percent of Americans go to church and Most of those don't go to Bible preaching churches.
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Well, the gospel is clear So what percentage of Americans have actually ever heard a clear presentation of the gospel? But most of them would think they know all about it.
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You and I are fools And they have it all figured out and are above us on that sort of understanding.
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That's not the person here in Hebrew 6 the person in Hebrew 6 Has been in the room
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They've tasted the good word of God many times. They have been in the room They've been partakers of the Holy Spirit's work
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Perhaps they were sitting right next to someone who had been healed right next to someone who whose life had been Dramatically changed by an explanation that could only be of God They had seen the evidence of the transforming power of the
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Holy Spirit they had heard the Word of God preached They were not strangers to these things. That's what it means.
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They have tasted of the heavenly gift They've been more partakers of the Holy Spirit. They've tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come
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They've seen the power that is coming from God upon this earth someday in overwhelming power they have seen that already as first fruits in this world and As a part of all of that they have been partakers of the
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Holy Spirit in the sense They have been enlightened to understand who Jesus is and what the gospel is
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Unlike the average person driving by the message they reject is not the message of the gospel
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They've never really heard it. The message they reject is not the message of the church They think they know what it is, but they they don't
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These are people who know what it is. They know who Christ is The Holy Spirit has brought them to a level of understanding that most unbelievers never are brought to and they reject
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Christ that I believe It's what is spoken of here And that I think is what the unforgivable sin is if we could go please
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Steve to the PowerPoint and you have this is that? Chart you have summarized. I Think this will be made clear when we talk about something called that theologians called ordo salutis
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Which is Latin for the order of salvation. I don't know if you thought about it before but The Bible uses a great number of terms all relating to something
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Regarding salvation. Sometimes we use them synonymously but there are a lot of biblical words and I Think all the words are going to use here are biblical terms and not just theological terms
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And they all have something to do with a different aspect of our salvation. Well Theologians have attempted to put these in some sort of logical order in other words
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Glorification which is you know in heaven That comes at the end obviously
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Well, where does Sanctification comes after conversion, right? It doesn't come before So it's just an effort to line up all these biblical terms and get them in some sort of logical sequence
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There's there's one great point of controversy, which I will point out in a moment But there's general agreement on most of these things.
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First of all in eternity past. We have these biblical terms like foreknowledge Predestination and election once again as J.
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I Packers marvelously, but simply reminded us in one of his books years ago These are God's words
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John Calvin didn't invent these terms Theologians didn't invent these terms. These are words that are in the Bible and they mean something and they have to do with things decrees of God Back back in eternally past.
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Okay, that's obviously the starting place then in eternally future we have Glorification where we are made like Christ not like Christ in his divinity as the
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Mormons believe will be made like him in his sinless perfect humanity reflecting radiating the glory of God Then at the center we'll put in this line.
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This is Where the controversy comes? But we have this biblical term regeneration, which is another term for the new birth
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Be generated again be born again Repentance and faith which simultaneously you turn from sin and self to Christ so like two sides of a coin
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You can distinguish them Repentance is not the same as faith faith is not the same exactly as repentance, but but there you can't separate them and Once we profess faith in Christ, we are justified
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We confess with our mouth believe in our hearts God credits us with the righteousness of Christ.
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We are declared righteous The the controversy is is right here historically does regeneration precede repentance and faith or Are you born again after you repent and believe?
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Well, the majority of evangelicals would hold a position that you repent and believe and on the basis of that then
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God gives you new life, but This church and I and most historic confessions of faith would hold just the opposite that we are given new birth and Instantly the first thing we want to do is turn and come to Christ and biblical illustration, of course is
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Lazarus Lazarus was dead. Jesus came and had to make him alive before he could come to Christ, right and Once he was given life.
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The first thing he instantly wanted to do was come to Christ He was not forced to Christ.
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He came willingly Theoretically he could have chosen to stay in the tomb
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In the darkness in the stench with the corpses, but there was no choice. What's there? I mean
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God made the Jesus made the choice irresistible, didn't he? You can have Christ and life and light and eternal life or you can stay in the tomb, you know, it's up to you
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That's what we mean that there's That people are not forced against their will to come to Christ.
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Their will is changed So that Christ becomes beautiful and irresistible to them
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And so what Jesus did the Lazarus is what Jesus does to sinners like us he gives them new life and Then they do the first deeds of a spiritually alive person
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Which is to turn from sin and self and turn to Christ Now sometimes people say refer to this as logical priority versus temporal priority in other words
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One of these comes before another Logically one has to come before another I think
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Regeneration must precede repentance of faith temporarily in terms of time how much time is there between one and another we don't know in the
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Bible Doesn't say it's they're virtually synonymous first thing the spiritually alive person wants to do their eyes are
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Made alive looking to Christ the first thing they instantly freely want to do is come to Christ So that that's the big controversy, but that's really not relevant to where we are right now
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But just give you the big the big picture there My own personal view is the other way around makes makes these things a work if you repent and believe then in return for what that good thing you did
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God will give you eternal life as sort of a reward for that, but I Believe that the spiritually dead as we're describing
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Ephesians 2 the spiritually dead can't do these works of spiritual life You have to be made alive before you can do the works of spiritual life
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But let's proceed after Conversion which is one of the and we don't even have all the words up here biblical word conversions not even on the chart
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So, I mean, there's still more things that you could fit in here But after conversion after salvation this aspect of salvation is sanctification.
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In other words, you spend a lifetime becoming more like Christ But let's talk about the other side
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First of all, the person is unconcerned. They don't care They don't care about Christ they don't care about the gospel it's boring
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That's the person driving by outside or the child is forced to be brought to church who the things of God are totally irrelevant
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Totally uninteresting. I don't care a thing about them They mean nothing to me, but the
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Holy Spirit brings some people a little farther and we call them awakened They're awakened to realize, you know someday
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I'm gonna die and then what? What what happens where do you go after you die and this is often brought about by some crisis after 9 -11 for example
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A lot of people were awakened for a time and They thought where would
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I be if I'd been in that tower? Death was made suddenly very real to people maybe that happens when a loved one dies or You have as I had after I was here the four four and a half years ago or so You know diagnosed with cancer and you think am
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I gonna die soon and said you sort of awakened to something beyond the daily routines
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But most of those people eventually turn back to being unconcerned They're awakened just for a short period of time.
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They're concerned about eternity. They're concerned about what happens after I die They concern being concerned perhaps about standing before God, but generally they turn back to being unconcerned
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Then some people are brought even farther her however, they are brought into conviction Now conviction has to do with being a made aware that not just you're imperfect
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But you've actually broken the laws of God and you're under his wrath and condemnation You're gonna stand before God and you're in trouble.
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There is an eternity with heaven and hell and It looks very darkly upon your situation now because you have willingly
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Repeatedly broken the laws of God and God is just and there is a judgment and we've all seen people
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Like this and yet many of them if not brought Farther by the Holy Spirit will turn back how many of us have seen people who for a while were under true conviction that appeared and today they're basically unconcerned and then those brought even closer are the ones
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I think spoken of in Hebrews 6 and The Pharisees to whom Jesus pointed they are enlightened
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They are brought even closer to salvation than others and the Holy Spirit Enlightens or illumines them to understand who
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Christ really is What the gospel is and that they must repent and believe and if they would
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Christ would save them Again, most people just it's never that clear to them
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But these Pharisees knew they had prayed for the Messiah every day and There came a point after all their confrontations with Jesus the miracles
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The things they saw with their own eyes and some of the synagogues and in public the things they heard him teach the
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Holy Spirit Awakened some of them to realize enlightened some of them to realize he's the one
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He's the Messiah No one could do this but God and it's to some point like that that God brings every
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Christian but the difference is with those that he Regenerates the
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Spirit of God brings one step farther and actually changes their hearts changes their nature
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But unless the Holy Spirit does that People will turn back
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Just like the Pharisees did just like the people in Hebrews 6 did and said after this once you get there for that far
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You can't be brought again to repentance. You can't be brought any closer. There's nothing else. You can need to know There's nothing else to learn.
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There's nothing else you can be shown You've been shown and understood everything there is about that.
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You need to know about salvation But this only describes the depth of our depravity that having been given that much light
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If still left to ourselves we will still Turn back and choose darkness rather than light if the
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Holy Spirit doesn't change our nature Because coming to Christ is just it's far more than just understanding the right information
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It's not a matter just of getting and understanding the right information There has to be a change of heart that only
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God can bring about That God uses that information the saving information of the gospel, but through that he changes the heart
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He regenerates us and he makes us fully willing to come to Christ So it's a very frightening thought to realize that you can be brought this close to salvation
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But if not brought further by the Holy Spirit, we will turn back and I believe That at that point of turning back, that's the unforgivable sin
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It's not a person not like the general crowd out there they didn't get it really they saw
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Jesus doing these miracles and they were excited It's interesting to follow him around and many of the
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Pharisees didn't get it. But some of them did and It was only to them
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Jesus said you just committed the unforgivable sin you knew That this is of God.
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You knew that I am of God and instead you said that's the work of the devil You knew what you were doing
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When the crowd said crucify him crucify him there on Good Friday, they didn't really understand what they were doing
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But these Pharisees did that's why
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Hebrews 10 26 says if we go on sinning willfully After receiving the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins
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These Pharisees had received The knowledge of the truth spoken up in Hebrews 10 and there's nothing else to be shown them
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There's nothing else that can be done for them short of regenerating their hearts Once you've come that far and you turn back
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There's nothing more to give you You've heard it all you've been given it all save regeneration, but notice the contrast between those
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Pharisees and another Pharisee Who confesses that he used to blaspheme
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Christ? Notice in first Timothy 1 verses 12 and 13 what this former Pharisee? Saul of Tarsus said
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First Timothy 1 12, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful putting me into service
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Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor
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Yet I was shown mercy Well Paul, why would you be shown mercy? You persecuted the followers of Christ more than some of the
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Pharisees did other Pharisees you put Christians in prison, maybe worse Why would you get mercy and the other
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Pharisees not get mercy the ones that Jesus said had committed unforgivable sin He says because I acted ignorantly in unbelief
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I Thought I knew what I was doing Paul said, but I didn't know those
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Pharisees Did know they were enlightened at a point that Saul of Tarsus was not
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Until on the road to Damascus They knew what they were doing.
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Paul thought he knew what he's doing. But he said in retrospect I realized I didn't know I was actoring acting ignorantly and unbelief
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So the first thing about the unforgivable sin is that it is a denial of the truth of Christ We can go back now, please
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Steve. It's a denial of the truth about Christ Despite enlightenment by the Holy Spirit.
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Most people argue never get that enlightenment But there are some who do
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And if they're not brought to regeneration by the Holy Spirit they turn back that denial that is the unforgivable sin now very quickly
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Let's look at It's it's this one right here Yeah, that's right
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It is granted. It is gradual. I don't have time to turn to all these but in the in the references mentioned there
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Matthew 9 11 12 2 and 12 14 it shows how they went from Questioning Jesus they said why is your teacher eating with the tax getters and sinners in chapter 12 verse 2 then they begin criticizing him
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Your disciples knew what's not lawful on the Sabbath Finally in Matthew 12 14, they went out and counseled together against him as to how they might destroy him
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So you see they just started out by saying who is this guy Jesus? Why don't you do what you do? Then they start criticizing them about it.
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Then they actually ready to kill him So the unforgivable sin comes gradually on people you don't suddenly and unexpectedly commit the unforgivable sin
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You don't commit the unforgivable sin then look at yourself in horror and surprise thinking. Oh my goodness. What have I just done?
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There seems to be a hardening of the heart and attitude toward Christ that builds toward the unforgivable sin next it is verbal It is verbal Verse 24 are both these accounts.
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We'll look at here Jesus charged him with the unforgivable sin because of something they said verse 24 we read but when the
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Pharisees heard it they said This man cast out demons only by the Elzebel the ruler of demons even more clear is mark 3 verses 29 and 30 where Jesus said
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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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Because why are they guilty of an eternal sin because they were saying he has an unclean spirit
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So it's more than just an attitude. Although that's where it begins. It manifests itself ultimately through the mouth fourth.
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It is intentional It's not just words It's not accidental. It is deliberate.
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It is willful in verse 25 Which is right after verse 24 in Matthew 12 where they accused
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Jesus of casting out demons by the power of Satan We're told that Jesus knew their thoughts and knowing their thoughts verse 25
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He said to them any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and so forth My point is Jesus after they said that he knew their thoughts.
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He knew they meant it. It wasn't a sudden Unintentional blurting out of something in anger and frustration in the moment at Jesus late that they later regretted.
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They meant it He knew their thoughts. He knew they meant what they said fifth. It is habitual
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He said that their words here revealed their true character Verses 33 and 34 which are the very next words following his statement about blasphemy of the
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Holy Spirit He said either make the tree good and it's fruit good or make the tree bad and it's fruit bad for the tree is known By its fruit you brood of vipers.
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How can you being evil speak? What is good for the mouth? Speaks out of that which fills the heart the words that came out of their mouths here
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Or that which fill their hearts. It wasn't a one -time attitude They didn't think these things about Jesus now and then later on go, you know, man, maybe we've we've we've taken this too far
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Let's put it in perspective. We don't like some of the things he's saying and doing but look at all the miracles Surely this man must be of God.
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There must be some mixture here of the work of the Holy Spirit that we don't understand Let's let's not be hasty.
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Let's think about this. No They said you're of the devil. They really meant it and that's what they always meant from a certain point on So a person as we said doesn't suddenly and accidentally
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Commit the unforgivable sin then look at themselves in horror you don't hit your thumb with a hammer and Then and say something and then later on think.
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Oh, why did I say that? I can't believe I said that you know now I Didn't mean it
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Lord. Please. Please forgive me You don't have a loved one die in an anger you curse
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God For not answering your prayers and so forth and then weeks and months later think, you know,
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Lord, I really didn't mean that I'm sorry I was angry at you at the moment and so forth That's not the unforgivable sin some sudden blurting out of something that later you regret because as we see here it is unremorseful
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They never regretted what they did They never regretted that in John 11 47 they admit he's still doing the same kinds of miraculous things
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They said what are we doing? This man is performing many signs But what's the result verse 53? So from that day on they plan together to kill him.
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They never had a change of heart Jesus pointed his finger right in their face and said you just committed the unforgivable sin and they didn't care
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So if you ever say things to or about God you fear may have made you guilty the unpardonable sin and you regret those things
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You repent of saying those things. You have not committed the unforgivable sin and last there it is unpardonable forever
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Jesus said in verse 32 Whoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven him But whoever shall speak against the
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Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him either in this age or in the age to come Sometime I can preach on that passage and talk about the view that many people think
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God that indicates There's a second chance later on that in the you not be forgiven now, but in the age to come there are some sins
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Maybe you will know it's a denial of that possibility It not only does not hint at the possibility of a second chance it explicitly denies it
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It says you won't get forgiveness. Now. You won't get forgiveness later. You will never get forgiveness any time so with all of that There's two major views of the unpardonable sin the unforgivable sin.
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One is that it is calling Christ demonic and his miracles satanic
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It relies heavily on mark 330 Which says the Pharisees were guilty of an eternal sin because they were saying in other words
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The view says you have to say something like that about Jesus that Jesus was of the devil You have to say something like that The other leading view the one that I advocate hold that these accusations represent something broader namely a persistent rejection of Christ Which all unbelievers do?
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Despite something that few unbelievers have and that is knowing the truth about Christ through the enlightenment of the
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Holy Spirit Well, even without a sense of finality and precision We can't answer the most important question and that is have
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I committed the unforgivable sin we can clearly answer that number one I want to argue that it is possible still to commit the unforgivable sin.
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Some people say you cannot Just a name throw out some of you may have a
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Ryrie study Bible in the back of that it argues that you you cannot Commit that sin today you had to be in Jesus day and in this time you had to see
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Jesus do miracles and say those Are of the devil. I see nothing in Scripture that says it's not possible
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In fact, I think Hebrews 6 and other places say it is still possible to commit the unforgivable sin
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But anyone who wants to relax in the hope That you can't commit it today And then think it's safe to delay repentance and faith in Christ is in danger of going just by a different way to the very
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Same place that those who commit the unforgivable sin keep rejecting Christ and you may end up just like these
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Pharisees Second it is impossible for spirit and dwelled people
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To commit the unforgivable sin and here I call Christians spirit and dwelled people for a purpose that those indwelled by the
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Holy Spirit Cannot deny the Holy Spirit It is impossible we're taught in the
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Bible in many places that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all Sin, if you have been cleansed of all sin after that you can't commit the unforgivable sin
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You may say but Don sometimes I have the most blasphemous thoughts I know
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So do I? But do you cherish them? Do you nourish them?
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Are you glad that you have them or do you say God forgive me? How could that have ever entered my head?
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Please forgive me for that Where Luther's famous line comes in handy, you can't stop the birds from flying through the air, but you can stop them from nesting in your hair
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I Believe you know thoughts like that blasphemous thoughts can come into our minds But do you nourish and cherish those kinds of thoughts third?
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It is impossible that you have committed the unforgivable sin if you are concerned that you've committed it That's the bottom line for most people.
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So let me say that again It is impossible you have committed the unforgivable sin if you are concerned that you have
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Because like the Pharisees if you had committed the unforgivable sin, you wouldn't care Jesus put his finger right in their face.
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You've just committed the unforgivable sin and they said so what and Went on to oppose him.
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So if you've ever thought oh, could that be have I committed unforgivable sin? Oh, no You can be sure you have not
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That does not mean you're a Christian, but it does mean you haven't committed the unforgivable sin
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Fourth it is possible to go to hell without committing the unforgivable sin. I think
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I've made that clear Time is gone Just because there are remember that crowd there were the general unbelievers the mixed group some believers some unbelievers the
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Pharisees some of which had Come to the unforgivable sin The unbelievers over here who did not commit the unforgivable sin are in hell today
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Just like some of those Pharisees even though they didn't commit the unforgivable sin fifth And finally it is possible for any sin and blasphemy
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Jesus said to be forgiven those who repent and believe in Christ listen to the words of man who believed himself to be the worst sinner ever.
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I Was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor and yet I was shown mercy
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Because I acted ignorantly in unbelief It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
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Among whom I am the foremost of all and yet for this reason I found mercy in order that in me is the foremost
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Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life
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Paul said God saved me to show that he can save anybody No matter what they've done.
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No matter how many times they have done it and God can do the same
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For anyone because of what Jesus Christ did Come to Christ and you will never commit the unforgivable sin
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Jesus said all who come to me I will never cast out Let's pray Thank You Father for Jesus Christ for his life and death and his
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His ability to save the worst of sinners any sinner Father we rejoice in the deliverance found in Christ for all
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Who would run to Christ may we prize and treasure Christ today as never before?