St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 33, Discerning the Tree: Good or Bad.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Blasphemy against the Spirit not forgiven)
Pt 3. 

The Pharisees have been given the curse that they brought upon themselves.  Christ has told them that blasphemy against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either here on earth or there in the coming of the kingdom of heaven.  The demons have delight in this pronouncement by Christ because the Pharisees have placed themselves into the hands of Satan.  They have officially taken on the mark of the beast through their actions against Christ and the Holy Spirit.  How did they do this, by proclaiming that Christ performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub. 

Christ had warned them of their blindness.  He had warned them of their judgment.  He had warned them of the presence of the kingdom of God.  But they did not listen.  They did not hear.  They did not understand the truth.  For they were fearful of loosing their positions.  They were fearful of loosing their power.  They were fearful of loosing their authority over the people.  And it was this fear that led them to bring upon themselves the curse proclaimed by Christ.  For the battle continued.  The lines were drawn and the sides were chosen.  The Pharisees chose their side in the battle and they chose to fight against Christ.  Christ had told them that they were either against him or they were with him.  There was no in between.  They were there to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel or they were there to scatter the sheep.  It was simply a matter of black and white.  There was no grey.  The tree was either good or bad.  Christ said to them,  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad for by the fruit the tree is known."

Long had the Pharisees been in power.  Long had they exercised authority over the people.  Long had they led the people in the ways that were of their own making.  And the devil came.  They devil crept into their midst.  The devil slowly and steadily grew on them such that they began to change to his ways and forsake the ways of God.  Greed took over.  Lust brought her chains into the temple and enslaved the leadership.  Vanity prevailed.  Corruption was brought in.  And all manner of evil began to surface and become part of the rank and file of the Pharisees.  And Satan had his grip upon them, that their passions and desires blossomed fully without check.   And Christ came into the picture.  Christ began to preach.  Christ spoke against them.  And Christ proclaimed the curse upon them that they spoke with their own mouths.

The Pharisees lived in luxury.  The Pharisee lived in honor and respect of the people.  They enjoyed favors and privileges that were given to no others.  And it was those same favors and privileges, that same honor and respect, that brought them to their downfall.  They did not want to change.  They did not want to relinquish to a higher authority.  They wanted to hold own to their positions despite the decrees of the higher authority.  For God declared the end of their reign.  God declared the beginning of a new time.  God proclaimed the judgment and the sacrifice of the lamb to justify the people.  God proclaimed the end of the reign of Satan on earth.

But Satan continues to influence, even today.  Satan continues to creep.  Satan continues to steal, and kill, and destroy.  For the tree is bad and the fruit is bad of those who follow him.  There is no middle ground.  Satan would have man believe that there is a middle ground so that he can snatch those who walk the fence.  Do you know the fruit of the Spirit?  Are you a tree of good fruit or a tree of bad fruit?  There is no partial fruit, partially good and partially bad.  Do not be deceived by the suggestions of the devil.  For he is there to deceive, he is the father of all deception.  

Are you with Christ or against him?  Are you a scatterer or a gatherer?  Know your fruit.  Know who you are.  Stand up and become a warrior for Christ that your fruit may be known.  Put on the armor of the Holy Spirit and take the sword of God that you may fight the temptations of the devil.  The devil will deceive you.  The devil will lie to you.  The devil will steal from you that precious gift of life given you by the blood of Christ.  Be not in the world but be in the word of Christ!  Be not in the world but be in the Holy Spirit!  Know that he will come to you.  Know that he will provide for you.  Know that he will protect and guide you that you may do the will of God in this world and be blessed with his riches.  For God is the owner of the vineyard and all those who produce bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  Be of good fruit and know who you are!

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 32, The Unforgivable Sin: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit not forgiven in this world or the world to come.

Our paragraph topic is: (Blasphemy against the Spirit not forgiven)
Pt 2.  

The curse is pronounced and the Pharisees listen.  The curse is pronounced and the demons rejoice for the Pharisees have been handed over to them.  The curse is pronounced and the world listens as the prophecy is fulfilled.  For Christ had prophesied that the kingdom of God had come upon them.  Christ had prophesied that the children of the Pharisees would be their judges.  Christ had prophesied that he came to plunder and there are those who are against him and those who are with him.  And the Pharisees stood on the other side, against him.

Still the Pharisees clung to their need for power, their requirement for authority.  The desire for power blinded them.  The passion for authority over the people left them without a footing or foundation to stand upon when the battle had ended.  And when the battle ended, the foundation was removed from under their feet and the footing was destroyed.  For a new foundation was being built and a new footing was being poured with Christ as the cornerstone.  So this man that the Pharisees did not believe was the Messiah told them about blasphemy.  This man that was an unrecognized teacher, a miracle worker, told them, the educated men of scripture, that their sin would not be forgiven.  This man told them that they had committed a grave sin against the Holy Spirit and it would not be forgiven.  Christ told them further,  "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this world or in the world to come."  

The unforgivable sin was committed.  The unforgivable sin was spoken.  The unforgivable sin brought the curse upon them and it would not be changed in this world or the next.  Their fates were sealed.  Their future was known.  Their sentence was pronounced for all the world to hear.  And the demons rejoiced, for the Pharisees had just been placed on their side and they carried the mark of damnation upon them.   But the battle continued and the Pharisees plotted and planned how they would trick him so that they could bring about his downfall. 

In this world there are those who are dead and know they are dead, and there are those who are dead and do not know that they are dead.  The unknowing dead are just waiting to be pronounced dead.  God is a merciful God.  He is a patient God.  He is a loving God, for he does not bring judgment upon all who sin instantly.  He places his wrath in vessels until the day of judgment that justice may be fulfilled.  He waits patiently until the end of time that all may have the opportunity to repent and receive new life, to awaken from the dead. 

Are you dead and do not know it?  Do you have life eternal?  Christ calls to you that he may give you eternal life, now.  Christ calls to you that you may know the light of his life within you.  Christ calls to you that you may know the truth of life with the Holy Spirit.  Come receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that you may know life eternal.  Do you not know that the Holy Spirit may dwell within you, today, right now?  How can you know for certain that you have the Holy Spirit within you?  Seek Him and he will come to you, he will show himself to you.  Seek Him and he will demonstrate his love for you.  Seek Him and he will provide his eternal light to guide you.  For Christ has promised to send the Holy Spirit.   And the Holy Spirit will teach all things.  Do you want Him to live in your life?  Do you want Him to be your guide?  Come, receive the indwelling and become a warrior for Christ!

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 31, The Unforgivable Sin: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit not forgiven.

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!