Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. This sin. The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, as we find it in the context. here in Matthew chapter 12 is not a sin which a true follower of Jesus can commit. If you are an authentic follower of Jesus Christ, This unforgivable sin, this eternal sin, cannot be committed by you.
Welcome to the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Senior Pastor at Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Is there any sin that God won't forgive? any dark deed or series of mistakes that are beyond redemption?
Well today we're going to eliminate any misunderstanding and turn to the Gospel of Matthew to learn what Jesus teaches about the unforgivable sin.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe to introduce today's message. Today we continue with this important subject of the unforgivable sin. As we focus on the teaching of Jesus as recorded by Matthew in chapter 12. Is there an unpardonable sin? an eternal sin, Could it be that you've committed that sin?
I've been asked this question many times, so I appreciate the opportunity to clearly articulate this teaching in its context. Last time we saw That not understanding the true identity and mission of Jesus is not an unforgivable sin. Rather, we're learning that the unforgivable sin is attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan.
So thanks for tuning in. as we continue on the subject of the unforgivable sin. Every sin. that you could imagine God can forgive. Murder?
Sexual immorality. Theft, drunkenness, you name it, God can Forgive it.
So that brings us now in that context uh to the question of the unforgivable sin. All sins can be forgiven. And Jesus says here. And verse That even the sin of speaking against the Son of Man may be forgiven. Who is the Son of Man?
Jesus Himself. There are many people who at a point in their life have denied that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. have said that Jesus is not God. There are many people who Do not accept the gospel. They do not accept that Jesus Christ is the way of salvation.
Can that sin? Can that deception Can that rebellion against the gospel be forgiven? Of course it can. It's the very point of the gospel. That those who don't believe are confronted with the truth of the gospel and have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and so are saved.
The unforgivable sin is not some sin of the flesh, some sin of passion. such as murder or extortion or s sexual immorality. No. But there is this one sin. which will not be forgiven.
The unforgivable sin is a determined, deliberate, and decisive attitude of rejecting Jesus and his works. Done in the power of the Spirit of God and attributing them to Satan. That's what the religious leaders are doing. Oh yes. They say We say something supernatural is going on, but the reason that Jesus can do this is that he's Satan himself.
That you think, they were said to Christ, you think is coming from heaven. It's not coming from heaven at all, it's coming from hell. And the Pharisees' persistent unbelief. has eternal consequences. They have deliberately and continually closed their ears and their eyes and their minds and their hearts to Jesus Christ, to the kingdom of God.
Of course they see the work of God. Last week we saw them in a synagogue. When Jesus heals the man with the withered hand, they see it, they can't deny. What's going on? But the attributes.
The power of God. to the power of Satan. Birkhauer, the theologian, says It is a conscious disputing of the indisputable. I like that. What the Pharisees doing?
They are consciously disputing the indisputable. There is the evidence. What more do you want? You've seen Jesus at work. You've listened to His words.
People are following him. Their lives are being transformed. But why do you continue in unbelief? The point is not that God will not pardon them. The point is that they will not seek.
Gods. Pardon. Could it be there's someone like that here today who has a deliberate disputing of the indisputable. Uh you you you love to argue. You have Christian friends and you bring up one objection after another.
And they answer it. And you also have seen the power of God in the lives of your friends to see them transformed and you realize something is different. The evidence is there as you read the word of God, but you continue to dispute it. You continue, as it were. to have a hard heart.
I've spoken to people. Their hearts are hardened. It's not that they have an intellectual problem. It's not that they don't understand, as it were, the doctrine of salvation. Perhaps they could even repeat it, but they continue.
To reject it. They continue to dispute it. And the Pharisees turn From the obvious work and witness of God, and are blinded. Hardened in their belief, and the more they reject Jesus, the harder and harder of their hearts. This is the ultimate unbelief.
Turning. from the irrefutable truth. This is the sin. The blasphemy. Against the Holy Spirit.
It's the sin of the religious, the sin of the self-righteous. You see, apart from the Holy Spirit, there is no repentance. What is repentance? Repentance is not just crying because you've done something wrong. Unbelievers do that.
Repentance is a work of the Holy Spirit. where the Spirit of God shines in your heart and you see yourself perhaps as you never saw before. that you are truly a sinful person. person. It's quite amazing when I when I uh speak.
to some children. I could testify myself as a boy of twelve. Coming to Christ. I realized I was sinful. You say, did you commit some terrible sin as a 12-year-old?
No, you know, I fouled some guys when I was playing soccer. I knocked him down, I kicked him in the shins, but I hadn't committed some terrible sin. I wasn't a dragonic, I'd never had a Uh Alcohol in my lips? No. And that way, I was a pretty good little boy.
But I knew. My heart. was sinful. How did I know that? Through the word of God and through the Spirit of God saying John You need to repent.
You need to get right. With God, the work of the Spirit of God. Can I say to you today? If the Spirit of God is at work in your heart. You're seeking, you're searching.
Do not harden your heart. The Bible says today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. Satan wants to harden your heart. Satan wants to put blinders on you so that you can't really see the truth. That you become increasingly blind to spiritual truth, that your heart becomes harder and harder and harder.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Now let me say this very, very importantly. I want all of you to grasp it. This sin The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, as we find it in the context. here in Matthew chapter 12 is not a sin. Please hear me is not a sin which a true follower of Jesus can commit.
If you are an authentic follower of Jesus Christ, This blasphemy, this unforgivable sin, this eternal sin cannot be committed by you. Believers in the Lord Jesus don't and can't blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of our redemption. No, no.
As I've met with people over the years. If they're a follower of Jesus Christ, I don't mean just Saying the words, I mean an authentic follower of Jesus Christ. And they have questioned that some have. with tears. And anxiety.
if they've committed the unforgivable sin. You know, if they think they've committed it, that is That is good evidence that they have not. Because the Pharisee never ever sees the sin. That's the point. They're blind, they've resisted the Spirit, their hearts are hardened.
So those who commit this eternal sin have hard hearts. They don't wonder whether or not they've committed the sin. They have resisted the work of the Holy Spirit. And there is no forgiveness for those who will not repent. There is no forgiveness for those who continue to call good evil.
So the Bible says today if you hear his voice do not harden your heart. But I want to assure you, my dear brother, sister. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ, If you've been saved by the grace of God, and you have eternal life, you will never ever perish. John 10 verses 28. And thirdly.
These are wonderful verses. Verses which have meant a lot to me over the years because on the night when I was 12 years old, when I came to Christ and was saved and received Christ as my Savior, the leader of the camp came. and uh give me these words. Wonderful words. I want to read them with you.
Just look at them. They're words of Jesus. He says, I give them Eternal life. No, that's it. In the sense, what more do you want?
How long is eternal life? It's eternal. Can my eternal life run out next year? No, it is eternal. A few hours ago, yesterday at a funeral, I stood behind this platform.
And uh we had the joy of knowing That one of our members who had passed into the presence of the Lord on Monday, that he was safely with the Lord. Why? His trust was in Christ. We were assured that he is now with Jesus Christ, and that for all of eternity. That's what Jesus says, that's the promise of the gospel.
If you come to Christ, If you turn from your sin, you will have eternal life and they will never perish. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, you will never perish. Don't think, well, I may have committed some terrible sin. We'll see how that is to be dealt with in a minute. But you will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
You receive eternal life. You'll never perish. And you're held in the hand of Jesus.
So as I walk through life in the ups and downs of life, in the successes and failures of life. Jesus Christ is holding me. And holding all those whose trust is in him. Isn't that wonderful? To know But whatever happens Christ will never leave me.
Not only will He ever leave me, He's holding me in His hand. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, God the Father who has given them to me, there's the truth of election for you pseudo-theologians. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all. And no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hands.
I and the Father are one. How marvelous. I receive eternal life. I'll never perish. I'm held in the hand of Jesus.
And I'm held in the Father's hand, and the Father and the Son are one. And Do you think it has a pretty good security? Do you know of a better security? Absolutely none. If you are a child of God, if you've been born into God's family, you will never commit this unpardonable sin, that your salvation is absolutely secure, and you will never, ever perish.
You see Our salvation depends not on our feelings. Our salvation depends entirely on the grace of God. It depends on the work of my Lord Jesus Christ, who died for my sins, who is buried and who rose again. And as you trust Jesus Christ, we are in Christ. He holds us and he holds us forever.
You say, well, we w we might let go his hand. Who's stronger? You or Jesus. I remember years ago we were in good and I were in Pittsburgh and we received one of these letters that some of you have had that the Immigration Service wanted to deport us.
Some of you are thinking, well, why didn't they deport you? Um Quite a thought, isn't it? Um And it was a tough time. Uh we uh We of course wanted to do everything legally. And long story, but we had to go finally to the Immigration Service and all kinds of stuff.
And it was a difficult time for us as a family, and we called on the church to pray. And remember, at that time, My car was packed in a garage. Good and I were there, and Christopher, our son. uh was a little boy and I was holding holding him by the hand. And as we came to the car, Um obviously I was distracted.
And I must have let his hand go or he must have pulled it away. And although he's much stronger than me now, Uh I was stronger than him then. And I wondered which Christopher. And I looked. And several yards ago yards away, he was at the wall.
about to climb up. on which there's a terrible drop. If he'd got over that wall, he'd have he'd have been killed. I don't know how fast I got from A to B. But it was the fastest movement I think I ever had.
And I grabbed him. And I took him by the hand. As a father, would I allow my son to be in a dangerous situation. Absolutely not. Fathers, you know.
You would never ever Allow your child, if you could help it, to be in a dangerous situation, you would protect them. But the wonderful thing is this. As you go through life as a Christian, Your Saviour is never distracted.
So that he's not watching you. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me. 100% of the time, my Savior is watching over me and he holds me with his hand and he's stronger than me. Yes, sometimes you might want to get away. There's a man in the Old Testament like that, Jonah, who ran away from God.
He thought, I don't want to do what God wants me to do, and I want to go in the opposite direction. And you know the story? Pretty Germanic. to get back God sends a storm, God sends a great fish, and God goes after him. Do you think you, as a child of God, that your Savior would allow you to stray for him so far that you would end in hell itself?
Absolutely not. He gives you eternal life and you'll never perish. You're in his hand and in the hands of the Father, and the Father and the Son are one. And I think it's wonderful to know in these very insecure times. It doesn't matter who's the president.
It doesn't matter your portfolio. It doesn't even matter your health. It doesn't matter what's going on around you. On this, we can absolutely be sure that my salvation is 100% secure in Jesus Christ. On Christ.
The solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand. I ask you, do you have that assurance? Paul puts it this way. As a master theologian in Romans chapter 8, he says, Those whom God called, he also justified. What's justified is to be saved, is to be declared righteous.
So if you're saved by the grace of God, you're justified. You're declared right by a holy God. Because of Christ. Those whom God calls, He also justified. And those whom He justified, He also.
Glorified. What's Paul's argument? If you are justified, you will be glorified. You say, what about between? I may mess up between, yes, you may mess up between, but one thing is guaranteed.
that God brings all of his own home. And you will never perish. Those whom God justifies, He glorifies. And followers of Jesus, yes, we do sin. We do mess up, but we do not lose our salvation.
When your son, your daughter, messes up, you don't throw them out of the house, you say, Well, maybe I do.
Well, perhaps you do, but God doesn't. God doesn't throw us out of the family when we sin. Listen to John. First John Verse 7: If we walk in the light as he's in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from. Oh.
Said. The blood of Jesus Christ is so powerful That it cleanses you from all sin. We're all rejoicing that Pfizer and Moderna seem to have found a vaccine to deal with the pandemic. Praise God, we've been praying for that. But do you know the success rate they say?
Ninety-five percent. I thought, well what happens if I'm in a five percent? That's but that is good for a vaccine. To be effective, 95% of the time What about God's forgiveness? God's forgiveness is effective 100% of the time.
When he forgives your sin, he doesn't forgive 95% of them or 99% of them, he forgives all your sin. If we say we have no sin, Says that they they have not sinned. We're all sinners here.
Sometimes people say, Well, you know, at church, there's people there, you know, who are not very nice. And I say, yes, church is full of sinners. Why don't you join us and be another one, right? We've sinned. We don't trivialize our sin.
We're to repent for it. We're not to presume on the grace of God. But the reality is, we fall short. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, here it is.
He's faithful and just. to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from All, all unrighteousness. The blood of Jesus Christ. is 100% effective. If you come.
Humbly. with a repentant heart. and trust. in Christ. Alone.
I ask you, what side are you on? Kingdom of darkness Or the kingdom of God. Don't sit on the fence. If you sit on a fence, you're lost. Trust Christ.
He's the Son of God. He's the Savior of the world. And if you today, if you've never done it, if you open your heart to Christ, He'll come. and saviour. And all of your sins will be forgiven.
Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day when God's amazing grace. is offered to you. Will you pray with me? Father.
We thank you. for this amazing grace. We can't understand it all, but we thank you for it. And I pray for those. who have never yet trusted Christ.
May they do that today. in their hearts quietly, even as they sit here now. returning from their sin and embracing Christ. Emmanuel, God with us, the Saviour. of the world.
for such a magnificent Saviour. For such a wonderful salvation, we thank you and ask that your spirit will work in all of our hearts. in TriceName. Amen. This is the verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity.
Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry. Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website.
Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte. We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? Jesus is not dealing with one of his followers who has committed a sin. Rather, he's speaking directly to the Pharisees who were saying that the reason he could do miracles was because he was in league with Satan.
So, the unforgivable sin is a deliberate and decisive rejection of Jesus and attributing his power not to the Holy Spirit but to Satan. If your trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have eternal life. Praise God that His grace is far greater than our sin. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies.
Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
