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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12 as we continue 
our exposition of this first gospel. Our focus this morning 
will be verses 31 to 32. I had anticipated going through 
verse 37, but this is a very important passage, not that all 
others are not, but just to quote R.T. France regarding the unpardonable 
sin. He says, the saying about an 
unforgivable sin has often been inappropriately and sometimes 
disastrously applied to contexts which have little to do with 
its original setting. It's important for us to understand 
what Jesus is speaking concerning in verses 31 and 32, and then 
shine the light on it from other portions of Scripture as well. 
But I want to begin reading in chapter 12 at verse 15 to set 
the larger context. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew 
from there, and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them 
all. Yet he warned them not to make 
him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the 
prophet, saying, Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved 
in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, 
and he will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel 
nor cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 
A bruised reed he will not break, and smoking flax he will not 
quench, till he sends forth justice to victory, and in his name Gentiles 
will trust. Then one was brought to him who 
was demon-possessed, blind and mute, and he healed him. so that 
the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. And all the multitudes 
were amazed and said, Could this be the son of David? Now when 
the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow does not cast 
out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. But 
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided 
against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or 
house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan casts 
out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom 
stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, 
by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be 
your judges. But if I cast out demons by the 
Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or 
how can one enter a strongman's house and plunder his goods, 
unless he first binds the strongman, and then he will plunder his 
house? He who is not with me is against me, and he who does 
not gather with me scatters abroad. Therefore I say to you, every 
sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against 
the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word 
against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But whoever 
speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, 
either in this age or in the age to come. Either make the 
tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and 
its fruit bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of 
vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of 
the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. A good man, out 
of the good treasure of his heart, brings forth good things. And 
an evil man, out of the evil treasure, brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every 
idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the 
day of judgment. For by your words you will be 
justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Amen. 
Well, let us pray. Father, we thank you for this, 
your holy word, and we pray for the ministry of your spirit now. 
We pray for the forgiveness of all of our sins. We confess our 
transgression against your holy law. We confess our lack of conformity 
unto your will and your word. And we know that sin casts a 
darkening influence upon our hearts and our minds. So we pray 
that you would wash us and purify us and cleanse us in the blood 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that we might receive the things 
that you have for us. God, for those who have no saving 
knowledge of Jesus Christ, we pray that today would be the 
day of salvation. We pray that today would be a 
day of great rejoicing in heaven over sinners who repent and who 
flee to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness and for salvation. How we thank you for this one, 
how we praise you God for the the Davidic son, the conquering 
king, the one who has come to save his people from their sins. 
We pray that wherever the gospel is preached today, we pray that 
your word would run swiftly and be glorified, that Christ would 
have dominion from sea to sea, that He would see the travail 
of His soul and be satisfied, and that, God, You would be exalted 
and glorified. How we praise You for amazing 
grace. We know, God, we don't sit here 
redeemed because of our good deeds, because of our good works, 
but it's solely and alone because of what You've done in the gospel 
of Your Son. We praise You, and we thank You, 
and we bless You, and we ask now for clarity of thought, and 
we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, remember the specific 
context with reference to our text this morning. The Lord Jesus 
cast out a demon according to verse 22. It says, one was brought 
to him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute. and he healed 
him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw." So without 
a word, without a touch, the Lord Christ heals this particular 
man. And as a result of that healing, 
as a result of that casting out of a demon, there's two responses. The first is a question posed 
by the crowds. Verse 23, they ask, It says, 
the multitudes were amazed and said, could this be the son of 
David? Could this be the Messiah? Could 
this be the one that the Scriptures testified concerning to? And 
so they legitimately expressed this query, and then in the face 
of that, we see the Pharisees accused. Instead of asking a 
legitimate question, they offer an accusation against our Lord. 
When they heard it, when they heard the crowd say, could this 
be the Davidic son? The Pharisees reject that notion 
and they say, this fellow does not cast out demons except by 
Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons. So that's the situation that 
is confronting our Lord. And what our Lord does in verses 
25 to 37 is He first, or He answers, the question posed by the multitudes. He answers it in the affirmative. Could this be David's son? Well, 
everything that he says, everything that he indicates states that, 
affirmatively, he is David's son. And as well, he answers 
this charge or this accusation posed by the Pharisees. He does 
this by first of all giving argument verses 25 to 27. He says, a house 
divided against itself cannot stand. There is no reason, no 
rationale, no idea whatsoever that Satan would cast out Satan. That is absolutely insanity. In verse 27 he says, Whom do 
your sons, he means fellow Israelites, fellow Jews, by whom do your 
sons cast out demons? If you are going to charge me 
with blasphemy, on the same note, you ought to charge your own 
people with blasphemy, and they would not have that. And based 
on those two arguments, he draws out three implications in verses 
28 and following. Verse 28, if I cast out demons 
by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon 
you. Again, he's David's son. Verse 29, how can one enter a 
strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds 
the strong man? That blessed truth that at the 
first coming of our Lord Jesus he binds the strong man and he 
plunders his goods, he plunders his house. The fact that this 
man who was demon possessed is now fit and in his right mind 
is evidence of the power of the Lord Jesus in plundering the 
kingdom of darkness. And then Jesus highlights the 
reality that there is no neutrality in verse 30. He who is not with 
me is against me and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. So by argument and by implication 
he answers affirmatively that he is David's son. And by argument 
and implication he answers negatively that he casts out demons by the 
prince of demons himself. And then that brings him to then 
engage in warning and condemnation. Verses 31 to 37. Words have meaning. I'm sure you children have all 
heard the saying, sticks and stones may break my bones, but 
words will never hurt me. Words will land you in hell, 
according to chapter 12, verses 31 to 37. They could not say, 
well, we were just speaking just off the top of our head. No, 
this whole section is designed to show us that the words we 
speak are evidences of the condition of our hearts. And the fact that 
these men blaspheme the Holy Spirit indicates that they are 
evil men. It indicates that it is an impossibility 
with them to do that which is good, and the Lord Jesus hereby 
condemns them for what they've said concerning Himself and concerning 
the Spirit. So as I said, we're going to 
take up verses 31 and 32 this morning under the heading, The 
Unpardonable Sin, and we'll break that down further into two sections. 
the declaration, our text, verses 31 and 32, and then secondly, 
some explanation. What is the unpardonable sin? 
Have you committed the unpardonable sin? In my time in the ministry, 
it is Christians, it is professors who have come to me and said, 
I'm curious as to whether or not I've committed the unpardonable 
sin. I'm curious as to whether or 
not I've engaged in this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, or I 
have committed apostasy. Very rarely, well never, have 
I met an arrogant and hardened sinner say to me, have I committed 
this particular sin. So what is it? How does it function? What is true of those who have 
engaged in this particular sin? So when we look at this passage 
this morning, we'll look at some other passages as well, just 
to try to get a feel and flavor for the entirety. of the New 
Testament documents with reference to this particular activity. But note first his declaration 
in verses 31 and 32. Therefore, I say to you, every 
sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. It's good news, isn't it? 
And if we just stop right there, that's blessed news, isn't it? 
It goes along with what Pastor Cam read prior to worship. God made Him, who knew no sin, 
to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God 
in Him. The doctrine of imputation is 
that God the Father takes the sin of the elect, puts it upon 
the Savior, and punishes Him in our stead. And as we see there 
in verse 31, Jesus says every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven 
men. It doesn't mean all men without 
exception. Jesus is not a universalist. 
Jesus does not teach that every single soul will ultimately end 
in heaven. But he's talking about those 
who, by God's grace, believe. He's talking about those who, 
by God's grace, repent. He's talking about those who, 
by God's grace, close with Christ. In Psalm, he's talking about 
the elect. But what he promises there is 
great and glorious. Every sin and blasphemy will 
be forgiven men. But in the particular context 
that he states this, I'm not sure it is for us to marvel at 
the graciousness of God, though we should and we ought to. It 
is set up there to highlight just how bad, how grievous, and 
how abominable this sin against the Spirit is. In other words, 
if God is this beneficent, this God is so gracious to forgive 
every sin but this one, this one must be pretty horrific. 
It must be pretty horrible. It must be pretty terrible. And 
so we need to understand what Christ says concerning it. Notice 
He says in verse 31, Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy 
will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit 
will not be forgiven men. And now what Jesus does is He 
continues in this vein and adds another dimension. In verse 32, 
anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, that's Him, that's 
Christ, that's God the Son, incarnate among them. Anyone who speaks 
a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him. But 
whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven 
him, either in this age or in the age to come. Now what does 
he mean? Is the Spirit more important 
than the Son? Is there a marching order within 
the triune God, or within the persons of the triune God, that 
it's okay if you blaspheme the Father, it's okay if you blaspheme 
the Son, but if you blaspheme the Spirit, somehow you are not 
fit to enter Heaven. Certainly the text reads that 
way, so it is important for us to understand what is going on 
in the context. In terms of broader context, 
Jesus has already been accused of being a blasphemer. Remember 
in Matthew 9, when they lower that paralytic down into that 
crowded house, Jesus sees him and he says, Son, your sins are 
forgiven you. What arises in the minds and 
in the hearts of the Pharisees and the scribes? They say, this 
man blasphemes. Who but God alone can forgive 
sin? And then here in verse 24, they 
are accusing the Lord Jesus Christ of casting out demons by Beelzebub. That's blasphemy. That is slanderous 
speech. That is ascribing bad things 
to the Son of God Most High. So Jesus in verses 31 and 32 
highlights the graciousness of God in forgiving sin. but the 
terror of God in not forgiving the sin against the Holy Spirit. The statement concerning forgiveness 
for sin against the Son of Man is indicated there in verse 32. 
The repetition of non-forgiveness for sin against the Spirit is 
given twice, verses 31 and 32. You are not supposed to do this. 
This is bad. This is horrible. This is evil. He as well highlights the permanence 
of non-forgiveness. Notice what he says there in 
verse 32. But whoever speaks against the 
Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in 
the age to come. This is a convention that was 
employed by the Jews to speak of this age and the age to come, 
the age of the Messiah. I think in the hands of Christ 
it means this current age that we're in and the age to come 
which is the eschaton or the consummate glory where God is 
all in all. And so when Jesus says this, 
what's he saying? It will never be forgiven. It 
will never be cancelled out. When you sin this sin against 
the Holy Spirit, you will take it to your grave, and you will 
spend eternity in hell. In fact, when we shine Mark's 
parallel passage onto this particular one, it is specifically stated, 
with reference to those who engage in this blasphemy against the 
Spirit, but is subject to eternal condemnation. It's a terrifying 
passage of Scripture. It is horrific to consider this 
reality. It is horrible to think that 
there are those out there who have sinned themselves into such 
a condition of permanence. One who has solidified himself 
in rebellion against God such that there is no pardon for him. 
We speak of eternal security as the believers. This is eternal 
insecurity. This is eternal condemnation. This is being secured, not in 
a state of bliss, not in a state of union with Christ, not in 
the forgiveness of sins, not in a righteousness that avails 
with the Father, but being secured in a rebel, vile, wretched state 
against the Lord God Most High. Calvin says, he at length, Jesus, 
concludes that it is no light or ordinary offense but an atrocious 
crime knowingly and willingly to pour contempt on the Spirit 
of God. And I already cited France. The 
saying about an unforgivable sin has been inappropriately 
and sometimes disastrously applied to context which have little 
to do with its original setting. So let's seek to explain this 
situation. Let's seek to understand what 
lay behind this particular charge concerning blasphemy against 
the Holy Spirit. The first thing we need to consider 
is the context. That's probably why oftentimes 
we take passages and we misuse them because we don't read them 
and study them and understand them in their context. We parachute 
into a passage like Matthew 12, 31 and 32, and we realize that 
we had a lustful thought, or we said a mean thing to our spouse, 
or we said something untoward to our child, and we read 31 
and 32 and we wonder, have I committed the sin against the blasphemy 
of the Holy Spirit? Have I engaged in the unpardonable 
sin? Well, what does Jesus say in 
verse 31? Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. So there 
does seem to be this demarcation, a separation, if you will. And 
so context helps us tremendously. Remember, the Lord Jesus is the 
servant of Yahweh who is filled with the Spirit. Chapter 12, 
verse 18. Behold my servant, whom I have 
chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will 
put my spirit upon him. The Lord Jesus, in the context, 
is the powerful, the conquering Davidic son, who casts out demons 
by the Spirit of God. That's what he says in verse 
28. He's accused of having done it by Beelzebub, by the devil 
himself. And Jesus says, but if I cast 
out demons by the Spirit of God. The Lord Jesus specifically ascribes 
this power utilized to the Spirit. He's a Spirit-filled man. engaged 
in spirit-filled activities, and when he casts out this demon 
from this possessed man, he does highlight the reality, conspicuously 
mentions that it's by the spirit that I do these things. I believe 
that the unpardonable sin in this particular context has to 
do with these Pharisees, or others like them, who had witnessed 
the power of the Spirit, who had it confirmed to them by the 
Davidic Son, explained to them sufficiently, and yet ascribed 
that power to the devil himself. The parallel passage in Mark 
3.28 indicates the nature of this sin. After Jesus' proclamation 
concerning the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Mark then interprets. Mark then applies. He says, because 
they said, He has an unclean spirit. Mark tells us what's 
going on in the situation. I believe Matthew does as well. 
In sum, the Pharisees saw, they witnessed the power of the Holy 
Spirit Himself, and they attribute that power to the devil. They 
say, instead of, praise God, glorify the Lord, we're thankful 
that this poor wretch has been healed, they rather use the occasion 
and the opportunity to accuse the Davidic son of operating 
by Beelzebub, by the devil. This is the nature of blasphemy 
against the Holy Spirit in the context. Commentators agree with 
this. The reason I quote the commentators, 
especially on texts that are somewhat difficult to understand, 
so that you'll understand, I'm not giving you some novel idea. 
This is the interpretation that has stood the test of time. I 
would have quoted Gill here, but his was a bit lengthier, 
so I'll quote Spurgeon for an old brother and Carson for a 
new. Spurgeon says, it is no error, but a wicked, willful 
blasphemy of the Holy Ghost, which dares to impute His works 
of grace and power to diabolical agency. He who is guilty of this 
outrageous crime has sinned himself into a condition in which spiritual 
feeling is dead and repentance has become morally impossible. I just want to head something 
off at the past that we will develop later in more detail. I think we read our Bibles at 
times and we think the Pharisees were just a little off. They 
were just a little wrong. We can't really blame them, can 
we? They were diabolical, God-hating, 
rebel sinners. You say, well, how do you know 
that? Jesus says, if you then being evil. In John chapter 8, 
when the Lord Christ debates with them, He says, you are of 
your father, not God, Not Abraham, but you are of your father, the 
devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. These 
men witnessed, these men saw, these men could empirically verify 
everything that was flushed out before their eyes. They heard 
the confirmatory word of Jesus Christ himself and instead of 
rejoicing that the Davidic son had come, when they hear the 
legitimate question, could this be David's son? They answer with 
an accusation and they impugn to this man that he was operating 
according to the devil himself. That's what the blasphemy against 
the Holy Spirit in the context is all about. Carson says within 
the context of the larger argument, the first sin, there's two sins 
indicated in verse 32. There's a statement or word spoken 
against the Son of Man. Secondly, there are words or 
blasphemy spoken against the Holy Spirit. You all see that 
in the passage. Carson says, within the context 
of the larger argument, the first sin, speaking a word against 
the Son of Man, is rejection of the truth of the Gospel. But 
there may be repentance and faith exercised after that. Think about 
you for a moment. When did you come to a saving 
knowledge of the Lord Jesus? Let's just say it was at the 
age of 20. Let's just assume or suppose that you heard the 
gospel preached many, many times in years 1 to 19. Every single 
time you rejected Christ. Every single time you refused 
Christ. Every single time you sinned 
against the Son of Man. As you do, no doubt, today, if 
you continue impenitent, if you continue unbelieving, if you 
continue to reject, this is sin. Carson says, whereas the second 
sin, that committed against the Spirit, is rejection of the same 
truth, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, in full awareness 
that this is exactly what one is doing. thoughtfully, willfully, 
and self-consciously rejecting the work of the Spirit. Even 
though there can be no other explanation of Jesus' exorcisms 
than that. It becomes a declaration that 
one is against God, It is a refusal to come to the one alone who 
grants forgiveness, to come to the one alone who grants every 
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Just as Christ 
in verse 30 draws the line in the sand and says, he who is 
not with me is against me, he who does not gather with me but 
scatters abroad, just as Christ does that in verse 30, the person's 
guilty of the blasphemy against the Spirit, draw the self-same 
line in the sand. They reject God. They reject 
the power of the Spirit. They reject everything that He 
stands for, and everything that He propagates, and everything 
that is true of His Word and of His actions. That's what the 
context stipulates for us. It is these Pharisees. that knowing 
what they have seen is truly a mark of the Spirit of God, 
because a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and because 
Jewish exorcists do the very same thing, they cannot escape, 
they cannot avoid the implication that what they have witnessed 
is the power of the age to come, broken in this age. By the work 
and the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, they have witnessed 
the Spirit, and they have rejected it. They have ascribed it to 
the devil himself. There are several examples in 
the New Testament of various persons who rejected Christ and 
then came to Him. His own siblings! It's an interesting 
passage at the end of Matthew 12 where there's this demarcation 
between Jesus' siblings and Jesus' mother versus those who do the 
will of God. These are my siblings. In John 
7, Jesus knows that if he goes to Judea, he will be opposed 
and ultimately killed. His brothers encourage him to 
go. Well, post-resurrection, when 
the apostle is highlighting glorious truth about the resurrection, 
he mentions James in 1 Corinthians 15. James was the leader of the 
church in Jerusalem. James was the half-brother of 
our Lord. So growing up, he opposed Christ. Growing up, he rejected Christ. 
Growing up, he resisted Christ. But a day came wherein God the 
Spirit affectionately drew James to himself and raised him up 
as a servant in the church and as an author of the epistle of 
James. As well, consider the apostle 
Peter. You know, the Bible, one of the, 
you know, just at least a subjective evidence for the inspiration 
of Scripture. A subjective evidence for the 
inspiration of Scripture is that biblical authors record men, 
warts and all. In other words, if you are an 
old covenant Israelite and you loved King David of Israel, everything 
in you would have probably wanted to keep out his indiscretions 
with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah. You see, God says, 
put it in. Because it magnifies grace when 
he saves a wretch like me. Well, what do we find with Peter? 
He denies his Lord with oaths to a servant girl. Does he find 
forgiveness with Jesus? Yes, he most certainly does. In an interesting sermon in the 
book of Acts, in Acts chapter 3 and verse 17, the apostle Peter 
is charging Jerusalem sinners with crucifying the Lord Jesus 
Christ. He says, you killed the Holy 
One. You crucified the Prince of Life. And in Acts 3.17 he says, I know 
that you did it ignorantly. I'm going to explain this in 
just a moment. Not that that was alleviating 
them from their guilt, but this idea of ignorance we'll see in 
just a moment coming up in the account of the Apostle Paul. 
And in Acts chapter 2, the Apostle Peter says to Jerusalem sinners 
that you crucified Him. Who is it that comes to the Lord 
Jesus according to Acts chapter 2, 40 and following? Do we forget? Do we make the disconnect? In 
2.23 he says, God has raised this Jesus whom you crucified. And then in 240 and following, 
they gladly receive His Word, they're baptized, they're added 
to the church, they continue steadfastly in the Apostle's 
Word, in the Apostle's Doctrine Fellowship, breaking of bread 
and prayers. Do you understand that God there 
saves sinners? God redeems what appears to be 
irredeemable. God is full of grace, God is 
full of mercy. What Jesus Christ testifies, 
every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven. Man, is evidence 
there in the pages of Acts 2 and 3? When Peter says that, I know 
that you did it ignorantly. 1 Timothy chapter 1, the apostle 
is talking about his time of pre-conversion. He's talking 
about his persecution of the church. And he says this very 
thing, I did it ignorantly in unbelief. It's sin, it's wickedness, 
it's evil, it's vile. You should believe God, everything 
that He says. The book of Numbers makes this 
distinction between presumptuous sins and unintentional sins. And probably that's the direction 
we're supposed to go when we understand the sin against the 
Son of Man versus the sin against the Holy Spirit. The apostle 
Paul, as far as he knew, was trying to exterminate a sect. He was trying to eradicate what 
he viewed as heresy. The Apostle Paul acted ignorantly 
and unbelief. Let me just read for you John 
Gill. I think he nails it and I think 
you need to pay attention because he does describe what I'm attempting 
to here. He says, but this phrase describes 
the Apostle's state and condition when he says, I did it ignorantly 
and unbelief. He was a poor, blind, ignorant 
bigot. an unbelieving and hardened creature. You see, it's not a relief. It's 
not okay. It's not somehow justified. Well, 
you just did it in ignorance. It's still culpable. It's still 
sinful. If you don't repent, you will 
go to hell. But the category of the sin against 
the Son of Man, there is still repentance available. When you cross that threshold 
into the sin against the Holy Spirit, there's no repentance 
available, and thereby no forgiveness in this age or in the age to 
come. Again, back to Gil. He was a poor, blind, ignorant 
bigot, an unbelieving and hardened creature, and so an object of 
mercy, pity, and compassion. And he who has compassion on 
the ignorant, and them that are out of the way, had compassion 
on him. He indeed did not know that Jesus 
was the Christ, or that his followers were the true church of God. 
He really thought he ought to do what he did, and that in doing 
it he did God good service. He had a zeal, but not according 
to knowledge, and therefore did not sin willfully and maliciously 
against the light and knowledge and conscience, and so not the 
sin against the Holy Ghost. as some of the Pharisees did, 
and therefore died without mercy, and were not capable subjects 
of mercy, and proper objects of it." See, he understands. There's a difference. You sin against the Son of Man. 
I can tell you, believe on the Lord Jesus. Come to the Son of 
Man. He is full of mercy, and full 
of grace, and full of forgiveness. When you sin against the Holy 
Spirit, you're more than likely not under the sound of the Gospel 
anymore. You have drawn the line in the 
sand, you have willfully rejected, you have rebelled, you have castigated, 
you have said, no, God! That's the difference. I think 
Gil is right on in that explanation. And then when we compare this 
with passages such as in the book of Hebrews, I think we see 
blessed harmony as well. Turn to Hebrews chapter 6. Again, 
I just hope and pray that we understand what we're talking 
about in this particular sin. I'm not saying, don't be afraid 
of committing this sin. I will end today by saying, be 
afraid of committing this sin. But understand what the sin is 
before you cast it upon your own heart. Notice in Hebrews 
chapter 6, verses 4 to 6, For it is impossible. You see 
that? It's the same language that we 
find in Matthew 12. It is impossible. There is no 
forgiveness in this age or in the age to come. The apostle 
here is dealing with people that have crossed that threshold into 
the realm of impossibility. He's not talking about sinners 
that have heard the gospel and yet repent it. He's not saying 
necessarily that your days are over, though they might be. But 
he's talking about people here that have had some privilege 
and then have thrown it off. Notice, for it is impossible, 
verse 4, for those who were once enlightened... Let me just back 
up and say this again. This could be your last day. 
I'm trying to expound this particular passage, but I don't want you 
to derive comfort from it and say, well, you know what Pastor 
Butler said, means I really don't have to believe the gospel. I 
can just kind of live my life until such a day that God zaps 
me. That is wicked, diabolical logic. Reject it and come to 
the Savior. I remember when our kids were 
little, when we were reading the Exodus account, You know 
how God hardens Pharaoh's heart? We took a piece of bread and 
we put it on the kitchen counter, and every day when we came back 
to the passage, we went over and we touched that bread. You 
know what never happened in the course of that study in the book 
of Exodus? It never became the case that the bread got soft. 
It just got harder, and it got harder, and it got harder, and 
it got harder, such that if you took that bread and slammed it 
on the counter, it would shatter! That's what will happen to you 
every time you hear the gospel and reject. Every time you hear 
the truth and resist. You see, apostates don't just 
generally happen. The blasphemy against the Holy 
Spirit doesn't just generally happen. There are steps involved. So do not take what I'm explaining 
here and say, well, I've got time. James tells you, you may 
not have time. James says, you boast about going 
into this city and about making this particular profit. He says, 
you are mistaken. Your life is like a vapor. It's 
here for a time and then it's gone. You've all brewed tea at 
home or you've all put the teapot on and that vapor comes out of 
the thing when it makes the whistling sound. Does that linger? Does 
it stick around? Did you make friends with it? 
Hey, vapor, come on. No, it's gone. That's what James 
describes your life as. So you resist and you reject 
to your peril. So do not interpret what I'm 
saying as an argument for continuing in unbelief. My concern is this. that bruised reeds and smoking 
flax are the ones who tremble at the reality of blasphemy against 
the Spirit. It's the bruised reeds and the 
smoking flax who say, am I an apostate? It's the bruised reeds 
and the smoking flax who need to understand the nature of this 
particular sin. to realize that Christ does not 
break bruised wreaths. Christ does not quench smoking 
flasks. Christ does not throw you off 
because you have a tender conscience. These statements are calculated 
to break down arrogant hearts. That's whom Jesus is speaking 
to in Matthew 12, 31 and 32. He who is not with me is against 
me, therefore I say to you, Therefore I tell you, when you ascribe 
to the Lord of glory the power of the devil, you have blasphemed 
the Spirit, you have crossed the threshold from which there 
is no return. So please do not interpret what 
we're saying this morning as a reason to continue to resist 
Jesus. If you're not a believer this 
morning, the only thing you should be thinking about is 2 Corinthians. God made Him, Christ, who knew 
no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness 
of God in Him? Let me at Him. Let me come. Let me believe. Let me have Him, 
Lord God Almighty. Let me call Him mine and may 
He call me His. May I know union with Christ. 
May I know the blessing of justification by faith alone. That ought to 
be what you're thinking about. You ought to know there is forgiveness, 
there is mercy, there is kindness, there is grace. The God of heaven 
and earth says, look to me, all you ends of the earth and be 
ye saved, for I am God and there is no other. The Lord God most 
high says, I will blot out all of your iniquities. I will take 
away all of your sins. The prophet Micah says, he casts 
them into the depths of the sea. That's what ought to consume 
you here this morning if you're not a believer. Hebrews 6, it is impossible for 
those who are once enlightened. This idea of being once enlightened, 
they've come to some understanding of the truth of the gospel. They 
have tasted the heavenly gift. They haven't feasted upon it, 
they haven't swallowed it, but by virtue of being in the church 
of Jesus Christ, they've experienced some degree of blessing. They 
had been partakers of the Spirit, again, not savingly, but by virtue 
of their unity with the people of God and His powerful operations 
among them, they had seen His work. Notice that the Spirit 
fares conspicuously here as well. They had tasted the good word 
of God. They sampled it. They rolled 
it around their palates. They didn't swallow it, ingest 
it, and feed upon it. They had tasted the power of 
the age to come. Again, signs and wonders that 
were operative in the church, according to Hebrews 2.4. These 
people had been witness to it. These people had seen it. These 
people, more than likely, were those who practiced Judaism. 
And after the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and His resurrection, 
and His ascension into heaven, these people left Judaism for 
a time, and associated themselves with the Christian church. They 
came under some of the benefit, they came under some of the influence, 
they received some of those tastes, but then they left. They departed. They returned 
to Judaism. They went back. That's an apostate. That's what the apostle says, 
if they fall away. That's what apostasy means. It 
is a defection from the truth. It is a return to sin. It is a return to false religion. Listen to Owen and Calvin as 
they describe the nuances of apostasy here. And please listen 
and please appreciate their biblical honesty. You see, not all murderers 
and adulterers are necessarily apostates. Listen to one of them who says 
against thee, and thee only, have I sinned. Psalm 51. This is the thing you need to 
keep in mind. The gospel is for sinners. The gospel is for wretches. The gospel is for you and me. Owen says, it must consist in 
a total renunciation of all the principles and doctrines of Christianity 
whence it is denominated. Such was the sin of them who 
relinquished the gospel to return unto Judaism, as it was then 
stated, in opposition to it and hatred of it. He then says, this 
it was, and not any kind of actual sins that the Apostle manifestly 
discourses concerning. What happens when we have actual 
sins? Proverbs 28, he who covers his 
transgressions shall not prosper, but whoever confesses it and 
forsakes it will find mercy. What happens when we sin against 
God according to 1 John 1? If we confess our sins, He is 
faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness. That's what He means. Not actual 
sins, but a renunciation of the truth. Calvin says it with even 
more vigor. He says, there is a twofold falling 
away, one particular and the other general. He who has in 
anything or in any ways offended has fallen away from his state 
as a Christian. In other words, whenever we sin, 
that is a falling away from God, we need to repent and come back 
to God. That's not what's going on in Hebrews 6. He says, therefore all sins are 
so many fallings, but the apostle here speaks not of theft, or 
perjury, or murder, or drunkenness, or adultery. Now, do not take 
this and say, hey, I can go commit perjury, I can go commit murder, 
I can go get drunk, I can go engage in adultery, and therefore 
God will say... Don't reason that way, that's 
diabolical. But understand the distinction. 
I believe our dear brother Noah is going to greet us in heaven. I believe our dear brother David 
is going to greet us in heaven. I believe these men, even the 
apostle Peter, is going to greet us in heaven. Imagine if you 
were Peter's friend and you knew he denied the Lord. Would you 
be as gracious to him as Jesus was? Imagine if you were one of David's 
advisors, or David's friends, or David's close associates. 
Would you have been as merciful as God to him? Here's what Calvin 
says, Therefore all sins are so many fallings, but the apostle 
speaks here not of theft, or perjury, or murder, or drunkenness, 
or adultery, but he refers to a total defection. or a falling 
away from the gospel when a sinner offends God, not God in some 
one thing, but entirely renounces His grace. See, those are the 
recurring themes. It isn't a sin of ignorance, 
it's a sin of knowledge. It's not a sin of unintentionality, 
but rather it is intentional. It is a sin against great light. 
It is a sin against great grace. It is a sin that if we continue 
to commit, we harden ourselves in this position, it is irremedial. The passage does not teach that 
these are genuine believers. The passage does not teach, or 
contradict rather, other portions of Scripture. The Bible teaches 
the perseverance of the saints, both Old and New Testaments. 
We don't have a contradiction here. These were never believers 
to begin with. harmonizes with other scriptures. 
What does Jesus say in Matthew 7, 21 to 23? When those people 
come and say, but Lord, did we not prophesy? Lord, did we not 
cast out demons? Lord, didn't we do wonders in 
your name? What does Jesus say? Depart from me, I never knew 
you. He doesn't say, I knew you for a time and then I decided 
not to know you. I never knew you. When you were 
out preaching and teaching and doing these things, you weren't 
in vital connection to the Lord Jesus. You never believed the 
gospel. In 1 John 2.19, they went out 
from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, 
they would have continued with us. But they went out that they 
might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. Owen 
says as well, the passage in Hebrews 6 does not prohibit sinners 
from repentance. It says it's impossible to renew 
an apostate. Owen says, nor does he teach 
anything whereby the conscience of any sinner who desires to 
return to God and to find acceptance with Him should be discouraged 
or disheartened. This is the point. The person 
who blasphemes the Spirit, the person who is engaged in apostasy, 
doesn't want to go to God. He doesn't want Christ. He doesn't 
want gospel. He doesn't want preaching. He 
doesn't want Bible study. He doesn't want your witness. 
He doesn't want your prayers. He doesn't want your testimony. 
He has drawn his line in the sand. He is quite contented where 
he's at, and he will suffer as a result eternal condemnation. Hebrews 10 teaches the very same 
thing, verses 26 to 31. Again, probably the same sorts 
of people who had come out of Judaism, they went into Christianity, 
unfortunately they never believed the gospel, they were not saved 
by grace through faith, and so they returned to Judaism. Notice in verse 26, for if we 
sin willfully, You see that theme recurring over and over again? 
I realize that when you lust, it's willful. I understand that 
sin, in that regard, is a willful sin. But what is in view here 
is a throwing off of Christianity altogether. The people who have 
the Spirit, that engage in a sin, the Spirit thankfully convicts 
them, and they flee to the mercy of God through Jesus Christ the 
Lord. They say with David, "...against 
thee and thee only have I sinned." But notice these people in verse 
26, "...for if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge 
of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 
but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation 
which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' 
law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses." 
It's a terrifying passage as well. There's greater accountability 
here in this New Covenant setting. For you to reject the preaching 
of the gospel is not a good thing. For you to leave this room today 
without having made peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ 
is high-handed rebellion. So again, let me make sure you 
understand that. Look at what he says. Anyone 
who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony 
of two or three witnesses." You ever read the Old Testament? 
Atheists hate the Old Testament. See, it's not that they don't 
believe the God who is, they hate Him. Well, how could your 
God say this? How could your God command this? 
How could your God say, put this person to death? You think the 
Old Testament is harsh? Do you think the Old Testament 
is hardcore? Do you think the Old Testament 
is offensive? Look at the apostles' argument of how much worse punishment. It's a walk in the park to be 
stoned to death in Old Covenant Israel for violating the holy 
law of God compared to rejecting the Lord Christ. of how much 
worse punishment. Do you suppose, will He be thought 
worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the 
blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified a common thing, 
and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, Vengeance 
is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord. And again, the Lord will 
judge His people. Notice verse 31. This isn't Deuteronomy. This isn't Leviticus! This is 
Zion! It is a fearful thing to fall 
into the hands of the living God. The comfort I'm trying to 
bring is to the bruised reed and the smoking flax. If you 
are outside of Christ today, be afraid. Be very afraid. Because every act of hardening, 
every instance of resistance, every occasion of rejection only 
serves to make that heart harder and bring you closer to that 
threshold. This is a willful sin. This is 
a trampling the Son of God underfoot sin. That means to reject His 
sacrifice, which would have been what Judaism was. We leave the 
Levitical structure, we leave the temple, we go to the church, 
we acknowledge the priestly offering of our Lord Jesus Christ, but 
then we willfully reject that and we return to the blood of 
bulls and goats, which can never take away sin. Notice as well, 
he counts as a common thing the blood of the covenant by which 
he was sanctified. Now before you start to think, 
well that means somebody was sanctified, that means they were 
saved, that means they were set apart, that means they lost their 
salvation. I think a better than excellent 
case can be made that the he in that clause is Christ. He has called common the blood 
of the covenant by which Christ was sanctified. And then notice 
he insults the Spirit of Grace. Sounds much like what we find 
in Matthew 12, 31 and 32. Sounds much like what we find 
in Hebrews chapter 6, verses 4 to 6. Sounds much like what 
we find in 1 John 2 that I've already read. And then one final 
text I mentioned to one of the brothers this morning. It's a 
difficulty. 1 John 5, 16 and 17. I don't know that I can explain 
it sufficiently, so I just want to read it and let you know that 
it's there. If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does 
not lead to death, he will ask. And he will give him life for 
those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading 
to death. Again, I don't think that's difficult. 
It's this blasphemy against the Spirit. It's this apostasy from 
the truth. But he goes on to say, I do not 
say that he should pray about that. All unrighteousness is 
sin, and there is sin not leading to death. One of the cautions 
that I'm going to offer in just a moment is that we need to be 
very careful not to presume to be able to tell who's committed 
this sin. You cannot conclude, well that 
person had a lustful thought, I'm not going to add him to my 
prayer list. That person raised his voice at his wife, he's off 
my prayer list. You're not going to be on your 
prayer list either. So while I understand what the 
Apostle is saying, I would argue that the application of it to 
church life and the community of believers is a challenge. If we, under God, get to the 
point of having to excommunicate somebody, I will still say, pray 
for that man. As my dear wife says, while there's 
breath, there's hope. We do not know who has crossed 
that threshold. We do not know who has committed 
that unpardonable sin. Brethren, there's a reasonable 
attempt to try and explain Matthew 12, 31, 32 contextually, give 
you some evidence from old commentators, old and new commentators, look 
at some examples of men who had committed sin against Jesus and 
found forgiveness, and then parallel passages to 12, 31, and 32. blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, 
apostasy from the Christian faith means that one has crossed over 
to a place where he will not find forgiveness. Again, he doesn't 
want to find forgiveness. He has rejected, he has rebelled, 
he has thrown it off. It is willful, it is self-conscious, 
it is with knowledge that he has thrown off God and Christ. 
In summary, or in conclusion, we learn first the condemnation 
of the Pharisees. You know, sometimes as believers 
we have differences. I'm sure you have differences 
with me, and I'm sure I have differences with you. Differences 
with Presbyterians. Difference with Dutch Reform. 
Differences with Charismatic. Those are different differences. These Pharisees were diabolical 
men. Do not interpret them as, you 
know, good-natured fellows for the most part, but they just 
didn't see the glory that was Jesus Christ. Knox Chamberlain 
says Satan opposes Jesus precisely because he knows who Jesus is. And his servants can be expected 
to do the same. John 8, that's the whole point. 
We are sons of Abraham. We are sons of God. He says if 
you were sons of Abraham and you were sons of God, you certainly 
wouldn't want to murder me because God sent me. I'm what Abraham 
talked about. They weren't a little off. They 
were vile, reprehensible, God-rejecting, Christ-opposing sinners. Remember the context. What happens 
after Jesus declares that He's the Lord of the Sabbath in 12.8? 
And then He heals that man with a withered hand in 12.9-14. How 
does that section end? They were filled with rage against 
Him, and they plotted how they might destroy Him. So you see, 
Jesus doesn't come along and say, let's have a coffee, let's 
enjoy some dialogue. It's not a Presbyterian Baptist 
discussion. It's not a Baptist charismatic 
discussion. It is a light and darkness discussion. These men were of their father, 
the devil. They committed treason against 
the triune God, and Jesus holds their feet to the flame, Jesus 
cuts them off, and Jesus recognizes that they themselves put themselves 
in that position. Secondly, please be mindful of 
the horror of apostasy. It is a reality. Those Hebrews 
6 people and those Hebrews 10 people showed up at church They 
sat amongst the covenant community. Probably when they left the temple 
to come over to the church, they were probably patted on the back. 
Good for you, praise God. Good that you've seen who Jesus 
is. Good that you see the Levitical priesthood has been superseded 
because of what it pointed to has been fulfilled. Praise God 
that you've come to the house of the Lord. Probably they heard 
that, probably they had some satisfaction for a time. They 
sang the hymns, they sang the Psalms, they heard the preaching 
of the Word, they mingled among the people after the service, 
they hung out for a bit. If there was a luncheon, they 
brought their soup or they brought their tortilla chips, and they 
sat and they ate and they did those things. You see, they never 
purposed or planned to be an apostate. Probably far and few 
between that people rise up in the morning and say, I'm going 
to set my heart to become an apostate against Jesus Christ. It's a reality. It can happen. It's out there. And what a miserable, miserable 
place to be. It's hell on earth, isn't it? 
It is hell on earth to be beyond repentance. Thirdly, we need 
to exercise caution. Believers, three things. Unbelievers, 
two things. First, believers, we must not 
presume to be able to affirm that someone has committed this 
particular sin. We must not. presume that we have some special 
powers of observation to know who's committed the blasphemy 
against the Holy Spirit, or who has committed the unpardonable 
sin. We may meet vile men, we may meet vile women, we may meet 
those who actively reject and oppose the Lord Jesus Christ, 
but you and I are not God. Probably when you saw the Saul 
of Tarsus going to the priests to get orders so that he could 
go extradite believers and haul them off and put them in prison, 
you might have assumed that this person is beyond hope. When you heard Peter vehemently 
deny that he knew who Jesus Christ was to a slave girl, you might 
have concluded this man is beyond hope. When you saw the King of 
Israel conducting himself like a garden variety fogging dictator, 
you might have concluded there's no hope for this man. Let me 
tell you, there's hope in Jesus Christ. There is hope. There is great, great hope in 
Jesus. We need to tell sinners, Jesus 
saves, Jesus saves. We need to point them to the 
one alone who forgives. We need to point them to the 
one alone who died and rose again so that men might be saved. Secondly, 
we must not presume to be able to affirm that we have committed 
this particular sin. Again, maybe you have, but understand 
what the sin is. Understand the willfulness involved. 
Understand the, not ignorance, but the knowledge, the abject 
refusal, the rejection of our Lord Jesus Christ. France again 
says, this saying is a wake-up call to the arrogant, not a bogey, 
to frighten those of tender conscience. It is unfortunate, but that's 
how it always happens. It is the bruised reeds and it 
is the smoking flax that fear they've committed the blasphemy 
against the Spirit. It's the bruised reed and the 
smoking flax who thinks they're the Hebrews 6 or Hebrews 10 man. 
Have I done this? Have I committed this sin? They 
might have tears coming out of their eyes. As a general rule, 
if you're afraid that you've done it, you probably haven't. It's the hardened, arrogant, 
brazen, pharisaical wretch that knows the claims of Christ and 
resists. That's who Jesus is talking to. And I would say thirdly, with 
reference to believers, we must watch and pray over our hearts 
and our souls so that we do not make truck with hardness of heart. It's very intriguing when you 
compare the context in Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10. The warnings 
against apostasy come in Hebrews 6 after verses 1 to 3. Don't be stagnant. Don't lay 
again that foundation. Foundation's laid. You need to 
grow in your understanding. You need to start eating meat. 
You need to move from the milk. You need to pursue maturity. 
And in Hebrews 10, it's the same thing. After expounding the person 
and work of Christ, the apostle comes to apply in 10.19. And in 10.19, what does he tell 
us? Well, you can look there. I want 
you to see the connection. Apostasy, what happens in verses 
26 to 31, no doubt, or most often, doesn't just happen. It is a 
rejection, it is a failure of what's going on in verses 19 
to 20. Notice in verse 19 of Hebrews 
10, Therefore brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest 
by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he consecrated 
for us through the veil, that is his flesh, and having a high 
priest over the house of God, notice, let us draw near with 
a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled 
from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, 
for he who promised is faithful. Let us consider one another in 
order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling 
of ourselves together as is the manner of some, but exhorting 
one another in so much the more as you see the day approaching. 
Wherein does spiritual health and vitality lie? It lies in 
using the means of grace. Do not allow hardness to settle. 
Do not allow that to penetrate the heart. Use the means. Read your Bible and pray. You 
say, well, I don't feel like it. You don't always feel like 
eating broccoli, but you know it's good for you. You don't 
always feel like running at 5 a.m., but you know it's good for you. 
You don't feel like picking heavy things up and putting them in 
the air, but you know it's good for you. Christians, may I just 
speak autobiographical for a moment. What will help you most of all 
is that book in your lap. It is prayers to the living God 
and it is this place. That's what I think the apostles 
say. Do not forsake! Do not cut yourselves off! Because 
what happens? The heart grows hard! It is leaving 
off the small things that result in a 26 to 31 trampling the Son 
of God underfoot, calling the blood of the covenant by which 
Christ was sanctified a common thing, and insulting the Spirit 
of grace. Use the means! Do what you're 
supposed to. Run with endurance the race that 
is set before you. God willing, tonight we'll consider 
what we considered on Wednesday night. Caleb, for 45 years, was 
preserved through wilderness and war by a faithful God. And 
he did the same thing probably every single day, when he was 
out breaking things and killing people in combat. He probably 
read his Bible, he prayed, he went to the house of God, and 
he was faithful with his family. It's not magic. Christians, beware. Beware. You don't just fall in. There's a lot of steps before 
you fall in. You hear stories of men engaged 
in sexual sin. You hear stories of men being 
thrown out of ministry. You hear these stories. Brethren, 
it predates what they did with that woman. It begins by a neglect 
in the closet. It begins by, well, I don't feel 
like being in church today. It begins with, well, I don't 
feel like going to prayer. When did we let feelings tell 
us what to do? Feelings come and feelings go, 
but feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the word of God. None else is worth believing. 
Luther said that, and he's right. Unbeliever, you should fear that 
persistent rejection of the gospel of Christ will increase the hardness 
of your heart. You should fear that. Just like 
putting that bread on the counter. Go home and do it yourselves. 
Maybe you forgot that little project from 7th grade. Take 
a piece of bread, whatever kind it is, throw it on the counter 
and see if it gets softer. Spurgeon said, no fool is more 
foolish than a grey-haired fool. because he's resisted and he's 
rejected all those years. Children, young people, do not 
think that the heart will just naturally and by inclination 
get soft. You need to guard. You need to 
watch. Come to the Savior. That's the 
second point of application. You should know that Christ saves 
all who come to Him. What we find there in verse 31, 
Therefore I say to you, back in Matthew 12, Every sin and 
blasphemy will be forgiven men. We've heard the Lord already 
pronounce this in Matthew 11. 28 to 30, come to me all you 
who labor and are heavy laden. The labor there is false religion, 
Phariseeism. The labor there is trying to 
work your fingers to the bone to try and merit God's favor. 
When you're nothing but sin, that heavy burden is the burden 
of sin. Jesus says, come to me and I 
will rest you. Don't tarry, don't wait. Believe 
the gospel. You're not going to get softer. 
You're not going to grow more inclined. You're not going to 
say, well, I'm going to go out and sin for another 20 years 
and then I'll make my peace with God. That is the devil's logic. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Ryle says, the brighter the light, 
the greater the guilt of him who rejects it. The clearer a 
man's knowledge of the nature of the gospel, the greater his 
sin, if he willfully refuses to repent and believe. Come to the Savior in faith, 
and He will receive you." That's good news. That's what gospel 
means. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word. And we thank you for the consistent 
testimony of all its parts. And we praise you for your glory. 
We praise you for your majesty. We praise you for your great 
grace in saving sinners to the uttermost. How we thank you for 
our Lord Jesus and how we thank you for the forgiveness that 
we have in and through him. And our hearts desire an earnest 
prayer is that people all over the earth today, and we pray 
especially for this meeting place, that sinners would come to know 
Christ by your grace and for your glory. We ask in Jesus' 
name. Amen.