SIX SINS AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
MATTHEW 12:31-37
PART 2
PART 2
Key verse: v. 31, “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.”
Introduction:
This is the second message on the subject of sins against the Holy Spirit. To date we have considered 1. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit, 2. Lying to or Tempting the Holy Spirit.
Now we will consider “Despising the Holy Spirit,” the THIRD sin, and “Resisting [opposing] or Striving [to fight against] with the Holy Spirit,” the FOURTH sin against the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to “despise” or regard with contempt the Holy Spirit of God? IT SOUNDS LIKE A TERRIBLE SIN.
What about “Resisting” or “Striving” against the Holy Spirit? HOW BAD IS THAT SIN?
III. DESPISING THE HOLY SPIRIT
Despise = to regard with contempt, distaste, disgust, or disdain; scorn; loathe.
Hebrews 10:29, “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath ITodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
Despite = contemptuous treatment; insult, malice, hatred, or spite.
A. Those who have trodden under foot the Son of God, Deuteronomy 13:6-7, “If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers; 7 Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth;”
1. God has revealed His Son to the world, Hebrews 5:5, “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.”
2. These have fallen away from the truth, Hebrews 6:6, “If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”
B. Who have done DESPITE unto the Spirit of grace, Hebrews 6:4, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,”
1. A powerful word for INSULTING the Holy Spirit after receiving His blessings, 2 Timothy 3:2, “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”
2. They CONSIDERED the blood of Christ as unclean and abominable, AS THE BLOOD OF A VERY WICKED MAN, Isaiah 63:10, “But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.”
IV. RESISTING [oppose] OR STRIVING {fight against] WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 7:51, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
A. To REIST the Holy Spirit is to WITHSTAND the action or effect of His dealing with the sinner, 2 Timothy 3:8, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”
1. Pharaoh resisted the Spirit of God and hardened his heart toward God, Exodus 8:15, “But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.”
2. The Jews were a haughty and obstinate people, Isaiah 48:3-4, “I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass. 4 Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew, and thy brow brass;”
a. They were hard-hearted, “obstinate,” Ezekiel 3:7, “But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.”
b. They were inflexible, “thy neck is an iron sinew,” Acts 7:51, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.”
c. They were shameless as a harlot, “thy brow brass,” Jeremiah 3:3, “Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.”
3. Their fathers had made EXTERNAL worship a SUBSTITUTE for SPIRITUAL OBEDIENCE, Mark 7:7, “Howbeit in VAIN do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
B. To STRIVE AGAINST the Holy Spirit is to STRUGGLE VIGOROUSLY in OPPOSITION to His will, Isaiah 45:9, “Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?”
1. He is contrary to the Lord, Isaiah 64:8, “But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”
2. Man presumes to reply against the Lord, Romans 9:20-21, “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”