Our paragraph topic is: (Blasphemy against the Spirit not forgiven)
Pt 1.
And now the curse comes upon the Pharisees who proclaimed that Christ performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub. For he has prophesied to them of the kingdom of God. He has prophesied to them of the plunder that will take place. For he has prophesied to them of the binding of the strong man and the taking of his treasures. And they do not see, they do not understand. They only know that they are the men of authority, the men of power. And it is that same power and authority that brings them to damnation. It is that same power that has corrupted them so that they do not understand that the kingdom of heaven is in their midst and that their children will be their judges on the day of judgment.
Christ makes his conclusions to the Pharisees, "Therefore I say to you, that every kind of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." So if they did not know before, they know now that they have committed blasphemy. They have spoken words against the Holy Spirit that will lead to their damnation. Being educated men of the Scriptures, they knew what they were doing. Being educated men of people they knew what they wanted. Being educated men of the world they clung to their power and authority even unto death. For they had been long in authority. They had held power for many years over the house of Israel and they did everything and all things to maintain that power. The lines of battle were set and the battle continues.
The lines were drawn long before Christ came. They were put into place when the demons crept into the temple. The lines were set and greed came in. The lines were set when lust reached her talons into the hearts of the Pharisees. The lines were set when the actions of the Pharisees were merely acts and not an indication of their intentions. The lines were drawn over the years with the devil slowly taking control of those in power in the house of Israel, those in authority. God sent prophets. God sent his messages. God sent his wrath that they may understand the root of the problem. But they did not listen. They did not understand. They were possessed of the world. And then the world brought the curse upon them, the Pharisees, because of their blasphemy. They world led them to believe that they were still in control and nothing could take that away from them, not even this man who claimed to be the Messiah.
We see the same results in our churches, synagogues, and chapels today. The Pharisees and the Chief Priest rule the people. They have long been in power and authority. And evil creeps into their midst. It starts small and grows. I festers and becomes a sore. It blossoms and become full blown evil in the midst of the believers who are also corrupted and misled. They saw the signs but ignored them. They heard the messages but did not listen. And now the signs begin to show of the corruption. The evil begins to show its head and Scandal exposes herself. Abuse of power, sexual misconduct, financial misdealings, and all sorts of evil comes forth. Even death finds its way into the temple. And it is that evil that brings the downfall of the pastor of the church and the believers in the church.
Are you a man or woman of authority in your church? Do you cling to your position? Will your position of power, your position of authority bring about your ruin? For it was this same clinging desire that led to the downfall of the Pharisees and brought about their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Be careful of the drunkenness of power. For it will intoxicate the spirit. It will bring about downfall. It will mislead the heart. It will blind the eyes to will of God. Humility is the key to the drunkenness of power. Be humble! Seek humility from the source of all humility, Christ Jesus. For he gave up his authority, his power, and came to earth to save mankind. Be his example! Be his follower! Live by the humility of his life and the drunkenness of power will not overtake you. Are you a humble man or woman? Remember the Pharisees. They got drunk with power and committed the unforgivable sin!
Pt 1.
And now the curse comes upon the Pharisees who proclaimed that Christ performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub. For he has prophesied to them of the kingdom of God. He has prophesied to them of the plunder that will take place. For he has prophesied to them of the binding of the strong man and the taking of his treasures. And they do not see, they do not understand. They only know that they are the men of authority, the men of power. And it is that same power and authority that brings them to damnation. It is that same power that has corrupted them so that they do not understand that the kingdom of heaven is in their midst and that their children will be their judges on the day of judgment.
Christ makes his conclusions to the Pharisees, "Therefore I say to you, that every kind of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven." So if they did not know before, they know now that they have committed blasphemy. They have spoken words against the Holy Spirit that will lead to their damnation. Being educated men of the Scriptures, they knew what they were doing. Being educated men of people they knew what they wanted. Being educated men of the world they clung to their power and authority even unto death. For they had been long in authority. They had held power for many years over the house of Israel and they did everything and all things to maintain that power. The lines of battle were set and the battle continues.
The lines were drawn long before Christ came. They were put into place when the demons crept into the temple. The lines were set and greed came in. The lines were set when lust reached her talons into the hearts of the Pharisees. The lines were set when the actions of the Pharisees were merely acts and not an indication of their intentions. The lines were drawn over the years with the devil slowly taking control of those in power in the house of Israel, those in authority. God sent prophets. God sent his messages. God sent his wrath that they may understand the root of the problem. But they did not listen. They did not understand. They were possessed of the world. And then the world brought the curse upon them, the Pharisees, because of their blasphemy. They world led them to believe that they were still in control and nothing could take that away from them, not even this man who claimed to be the Messiah.
We see the same results in our churches, synagogues, and chapels today. The Pharisees and the Chief Priest rule the people. They have long been in power and authority. And evil creeps into their midst. It starts small and grows. I festers and becomes a sore. It blossoms and become full blown evil in the midst of the believers who are also corrupted and misled. They saw the signs but ignored them. They heard the messages but did not listen. And now the signs begin to show of the corruption. The evil begins to show its head and Scandal exposes herself. Abuse of power, sexual misconduct, financial misdealings, and all sorts of evil comes forth. Even death finds its way into the temple. And it is that evil that brings the downfall of the pastor of the church and the believers in the church.
Are you a man or woman of authority in your church? Do you cling to your position? Will your position of power, your position of authority bring about your ruin? For it was this same clinging desire that led to the downfall of the Pharisees and brought about their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Be careful of the drunkenness of power. For it will intoxicate the spirit. It will bring about downfall. It will mislead the heart. It will blind the eyes to will of God. Humility is the key to the drunkenness of power. Be humble! Seek humility from the source of all humility, Christ Jesus. For he gave up his authority, his power, and came to earth to save mankind. Be his example! Be his follower! Live by the humility of his life and the drunkenness of power will not overtake you. Are you a humble man or woman? Remember the Pharisees. They got drunk with power and committed the unforgivable sin!
