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!

St Matthew, Chapter 12, verse: 30, Choose your side: Gatherer or Scatterer.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ refutes them) Part 5. 

The lines are being drawn.  The battle continues.  The sides are chosen and the players know the stakes at hand.  Christ has given the Pharisees the run down on his prophecy of what is about to happen.  They listen and are astonished that such a man, a man in their eyes and not the Messiah as they see it, would give such a statement to them, the men of authority, the men of power.  Christ told them that the kingdom of God was upon them and they did not see it.  He told them that there will be plundering because the strong man had been bound and all his treasures would be taken from him.  

Christ was speaking to the Pharisees and he was speaking to their counsels , the devil.  He was giving notice that he came to plunder.  He was giving notice that he came to take back the treasures that were stolen from the kingdom.  He came to separate the good from the evil, the just from the unjust, the damned from those who would be saved by his actions.  let nothing or no one get in his way.  For he brought the sword of God with him.  He brought the sword that would cut, the sword that would slash, the sword that would slice to the bone.  Christ came to bring victory to the house of God and to restore what was taken by force.

He told the Pharisees,  "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.   So the Pharisees knew without a shadow of a doubt where they stood.  They knew that they did not follow Christ.  They knew that they were against him, for he sought to take away their power over the people and spoke directly against their teachings.  So they knew that they were against him and being such, they knew that they were there to scatter.  For they wanted to divide the people.  They wanted to turn them away from Christ.  They wanted to be the leaders of the people.  They wanted the people to follow them and not Christ.

Give God the glory for he is worthy of the glory.  Give God the praise for he is worthy of the praise.  Unity in Christ is our desire and our future.  We desire to be one in Him and being in Him we are one with each other.  Yet we have those who would scatter, in our churches, in our towns, in our villages, in our homes, in our markets, at work, at school, wherever we are.  We have those who would seek their own praise and their own glory instead of giving it to God.  Do we go to church to scatter or to gather?  Do you go to church to be with Christ or to be against Him?  For in our churches, in our synagogues, in our chapels, we are one in union with Christ. 

There are many Pharisees in the midst of the believers.  There are those who would scatter for their own glory.  There are those who would scatter for their own gain.  There are those who would scatter for their own praise and yet they are not worthy.  And praise be to God that there are those who gather.  There are those who, through their efforts, others are brought into the church.  There are those who, through their sacrifice and their devotion, work to build up the church.  And they are the ones who are with Christ.  They are the ones who love Christ.  They are the ones who have the spirit of Christ within their hearts and know him.  Be not deceived.  There are workers in the church who work to build up the kingdom but they do not know Christ.  He does not live within them, for they work for their own glory and edification.  Give God the praise that all things work for the good.  Be not a scatterer but a gatherer with Christ.  Be with Him and not against Him.  The battle continues, even within you.  Come, join the army.  Which side do you choose?