March 15, 2009
“Joint Usher Board Anniversary Day”
Sins against the Holy Spirit: Blaspheming
Matthew 12: 31 – 37
We continue in our series with this third installment on Sins against the Holy Spirit: Blaspheming.
You may remember that the blessedness of Jesus Christ is that he has sent to us the Comforter,
The Holy Spirit, to do three things:
1) teach us all things that are good.
2) empower us to remember all things that are good.
3) equip us to do all things that are good.
Resisting the Holy Spirit means: you disagree with, you dispute the truth of, you dissent from the premise of, and/or you differ with the conclusion of.
Insulting the Holy Spirit means: you will accept the benefits of God’s love; and do not reciprocate with your love and allegiance, but with contempt.
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit goes a step further.
Blasphemia (Greek) means to curse or vilify)
Therefore, to blaspheming the Holy Spirit means: that you will express through speech, writing, or actions that which is impious, mocking, or contemptuous to God.
Impious – not reverent
Mocking – to frustrate the hopes of
Contemptuous – bitter disdain
It’s one thing to blaspheme another person,
it’s another thing to blaspheme even against Jesus Christ, but it’s a dangerous thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
George Bush is in Iraq at a news conference, and a man stands up and throws not one, but two shoes at him. He ducks both shoes. However, the incident was impious, mocking and contemptuous and the man expressed it by his actions.
It’s one thing to blaspheme another person,
it’s another thing to blaspheme even against Jesus Christ, but it’s a dangerous thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Jesus standing before Pilate. The people given the choice choose Barabbas over Jesus and say crucify him. The soldiers strip him, beat him, spit on him and but a crown of thorns on his head. They mock him and say, Hail the King of the Jews. The first thing Jesus says is Father Forgive them for they know not what they do.
It’s one thing to blaspheme another person,
it’s another thing to blaspheme even against Jesus Christ, but it’s a dangerous thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
Illustration: Last week, I found myself being admitted to the hospital. They immediately hooked me up to an IV machine. This IV machine connected me to it much like a mother is connected to a newly conceived children by an umbilical cord. This connecting cord was the means by which the machine monitored me. It provided me with fluids, when I was sleeping it stood over me, when I moved it moved, everywhere I went it went. Its sole purpose was for me good. Everything it did for me was good. Then I got strong. I was disconnected from the IV machine. I didn’t need it anymore. Blasphemy of the IV machine would have been if I had cursed it for being a nuisance, if I had cursed it for the mark it had left on my arm, if I had cursed it for making me look bad because I had to roll that thing around everywhere with me. That would have been blasphemy because all it wanted to do for me was good, and I turn around and curse it. The IV machine would have said, you fool, if it was not for me, you would not have gotten strong.
The Holy Spirit is with you and gets out of your bondage, get you out of what was holding you back, brings you out of your addiction, restores you to your right mind.
Its sole purpose is for your good. As soon as you feel strong, as soon as you feel independent, you curse the very essence of God’s spirit that is for your good.
It’s one thing to blaspheme another person,
it’s another thing to blaspheme even against Jesus Christ, but it’s a dangerous thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
In the 24 Chapter of the Book of Leviticus you will find a story of the son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father who blasphemes the name of the Lord by cursing it. The boy is brought to Moses. The Lord tells Moses to place the boy in the middle of the camp and have the people stone him to death. God had delivered the people out of bondage. This boy even though his father was Egyptian, because his mother was an Israelite, he would have been a slave. God saved him and all that God wanted for him was good. And he curses God!
It’s one thing to blaspheme another person,
it’s another thing to blaspheme even against Jesus Christ, but it’s a dangerous thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
2 Timothy the 3rd Chapter comes back and warns us that when you are in the last days: you will find men who are lovers of their own selves, boasters, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, traitors, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God – blasphemers.
16th Chapter of Revelations tell us that all people have to do is to repent and to give God the glory, but instead they blaspheme the name of the Lord.
Blaspheming the Holy Spirit means: that you will express through speech, writing, or action that which is impious, mocking, or contemptuous to God.
It’s one thing to blaspheme another person,
it’s another thing to blaspheme even against Jesus Christ, but it’s a dangerous thing to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
This brings us to our text where Jesus says: “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men – neither in this world nor the world to come.”
It is clear to me when it comes to the Holy Spirit.
You may resist, but give in.
You may insult, but ask for forgiveness.
One thing you must never do is to blaspheme the Spirit of the Living God.
The Holy Spirit:
All it wants to do is to teach you all things that are good.
All it wants to do is to empower you to remember all things that are good.
All it wants to do is to equip you to do all things that are good.
