WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:05.400 Mark chapter 3, I want to ask you a question, is all sin forgivable? 00:00:08.339 --> 00:00:12.099 ! I'm not asking if people will forgive all sin because people won't. 00:00:12.099 --> 00:00:15.019 ! They hold against you. 00:00:16.359 --> 00:00:20.879 There's a lot of lack of forgiveness among people, but I'm asking does the Lord forgive all? 00:00:22.100 --> 00:00:28.620 Is there anything that you and I can do that the Lord will not forgive? 00:00:31.000 --> 00:00:34.079 Murder. Does God forgive murder? 00:00:36.659 --> 00:00:37.920 Lying in church. 00:00:39.380 --> 00:00:42.740 Is it worse to lie in church than it is to lie in a parking lot? 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.460 Or how about at the house? I've always been curious about that. 00:00:48.820 --> 00:00:50.740 Sleeping in church. Does God forgive that? 00:00:54.659 --> 00:00:59.079 There is a sin that God will not forgive. 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:01.200 I want to talk about that this morning. 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:06.760 It's found in Mark chapter 3, beginning in verse 22. 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:17.340 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, he is possessed by, speaking of Christ, he is possessed by Beelzebub. 00:01:18.380 --> 00:01:21.500 And by the prince of demons, he cast out the demons. 00:01:21.500 --> 00:01:25.400 And he called them to him. 00:01:26.219 --> 00:01:29.459 And he said to them in parables, how can Satan cast out Satan? 00:01:30.900 --> 00:01:34.780 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 00:01:34.780 --> 00:01:39.540 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:46.480 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:53.079 But no one can enter a strong man's home and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:01:56.520 Then he indeed may plunder his house. 00:01:57.579 --> 00:02:06.980 Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven, the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter. 00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:16.580 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. 00:02:17.700 --> 00:02:25.280 For they were saying, and this is a key verse, for they were saying, he has an unclean spirit. 00:02:26.860 --> 00:02:32.620 Now, Mark loves to tell stories in layers or give accounts or narratives in layers. 00:02:32.620 --> 00:02:37.840 He used a technique in Mark chapter 3 that I referred to a couple weeks ago called a Markin, 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:43.159 theologians call it a Markin sandwich, in the sense that he gives one narrative 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:48.460 and then pauses to deal with another narrative and then goes back to the previous narrative. 00:02:49.560 --> 00:03:01.140 And he does that intentionally, and he does it several times, at least five, possibly up to seven times in the Gospel of Mark. 00:03:01.140 --> 00:03:01.819 It's a trait. 00:03:02.620 --> 00:03:06.360 There's interconnected narratives. 00:03:06.640 --> 00:03:12.340 And in this section, the passage I covered a couple of weeks ago was about his family, 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:16.319 that his family think he's out of his mind. 00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:19.280 Then he deals with the passage we're dealing with today. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:25.780 And then his family's waiting outside, wanting him to come out there so they can get rid of him and take him away. 00:03:25.780 --> 00:03:32.719 And he talks about who, in fact, is a part of his true spiritual family. 00:03:33.020 --> 00:03:35.199 That's the bread of the matter, I guess. 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:38.879 Today I want to deal with the passages in between, which is the meat of the matter. 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:47.060 And what's happened here is there's been several conflicts with these scribes. 00:03:47.139 --> 00:03:48.759 Jesus has traveled throughout Galilee. 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:50.400 He's traveled through the surrounding areas. 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.680 He's gathered many people around him. 00:03:54.219 --> 00:03:55.379 He's healed many. 00:03:55.379 --> 00:03:57.379 He's taught. 00:03:57.379 --> 00:03:57.859 He's taught. 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:00.680 He's gave powerful lessons. 00:04:01.439 --> 00:04:02.859 He's cast out demons. 00:04:03.740 --> 00:04:07.719 And local scribes have seen this, and they've reported back to Jerusalem. 00:04:07.719 --> 00:04:17.939 And now from Jerusalem, an official delegation has traveled over 100 miles to see and hear Jesus for themselves, 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:22.720 to confront him, to shut him down. 00:04:23.500 --> 00:04:27.819 And they're trying to pin him down with just about anything that they can. 00:04:28.259 --> 00:04:30.959 They don't like him because he gets better crowds than they do. 00:04:31.040 --> 00:04:33.199 They don't like him because he teaches better than they do. 00:04:33.639 --> 00:04:36.740 They don't like him because he's casting demons out of folks. 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:40.760 They went after him about forgiving sins. 00:04:40.920 --> 00:04:43.160 I mean, who can forgive sins except God himself? 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:44.420 Is he claiming to be God himself? 00:04:44.760 --> 00:04:45.800 Scribes didn't like that. 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:49.240 They went after him for ministering to known sinners. 00:04:50.340 --> 00:04:53.680 He led Matthew to himself and then went home and ate with him. 00:04:53.780 --> 00:04:57.300 And Matthew brought all his pagan friends with him, and they met Jesus. 00:04:57.460 --> 00:04:58.880 And the scribes didn't like that. 00:05:00.900 --> 00:05:04.140 They got mad at him about not fasting on their schedule 00:05:04.140 --> 00:05:07.220 because beyond what Scripture says about fasting, 00:05:07.220 --> 00:05:10.820 the scribes came up with a different schedule that is beyond that, 00:05:10.940 --> 00:05:12.620 and they expect everybody to follow it. 00:05:12.700 --> 00:05:14.520 And when he didn't follow it, they didn't like that either. 00:05:15.340 --> 00:05:17.280 He didn't follow Sabbath laws. 00:05:17.380 --> 00:05:18.360 They didn't like that either. 00:05:18.700 --> 00:05:23.020 He healed somebody on the Sabbath, and that's considered work in their opinion. 00:05:23.140 --> 00:05:25.080 So they didn't like that part of it either. 00:05:25.340 --> 00:05:26.440 They're looking for anything. 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:30.040 And so now they accuse him of being demon-possessed. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:35.399 And they speak of him that he's possessed of Beelzebub. 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:38.699 And Beelzebub is a Philistine god. 00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:42.240 Baal, the first part of that, 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:50.360 is a very generalized reference to God, period, a pagan god. 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:56.939 And then the last part of that, Zebul, means high place or exalted abode. 00:05:57.020 --> 00:05:58.740 So in other words, the god of the high place. 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:03.819 But the Israelites twisted that name, 00:06:04.340 --> 00:06:08.040 and instead of saying Beelzebub, they said Beelzebub, 00:06:08.259 --> 00:06:10.460 which means the lord of the flies. 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:14.620 Now, what flies, what do flies gather to? 00:06:14.620 --> 00:06:22.319 Trash, yeah, but they also gathered other stuff. 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:27.340 And so it's another way of saying your exalted lord is the lord of dung. 00:06:27.459 --> 00:06:30.060 That's what they're basically saying, to put it nicely. 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:32.819 That's not too nice, but anyway, it's truth. 00:06:34.000 --> 00:06:37.660 The word in the Greek, Beelzebub, the original word, 00:06:37.780 --> 00:06:40.360 is similar to the first one, 00:06:40.459 --> 00:06:42.720 but the meaning of it in translation means 00:06:42.720 --> 00:06:45.280 the lord of the dwelling or the lord of the house. 00:06:46.420 --> 00:06:50.160 And the thought is that Satan's influence is within our sphere. 00:06:50.620 --> 00:06:52.680 Satan's influence is around us. 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:54.560 Ephesians chapter 2, verse 2 says, 00:06:54.700 --> 00:06:56.660 he's the prince of the power of the air, 00:06:56.940 --> 00:06:59.140 meaning that he's working in our midst. 00:06:59.280 --> 00:07:01.080 John tells us he's the ruler of the world. 00:07:01.620 --> 00:07:03.500 So this is his domain. 00:07:03.700 --> 00:07:06.360 This is where he messes with people of sorts. 00:07:06.360 --> 00:07:13.400 And so this term, Beelzebel, becomes synonymous with Satan. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:19.160 And they accuse Jesus because they know that his power is real. 00:07:19.220 --> 00:07:20.340 They can't deny that. 00:07:21.819 --> 00:07:24.480 They've seen it or at least heard of his exorcisms. 00:07:24.960 --> 00:07:27.259 And when the demons come out of the people, 00:07:27.699 --> 00:07:31.500 they often reference Jesus like he's the holy one of God 00:07:31.500 --> 00:07:33.759 or he's the son of God. 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:38.199 And the scribes have to admit that Jesus has power. 00:07:38.339 --> 00:07:39.879 So how do you deal with that? 00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:41.259 Well, they're saying, okay, 00:07:42.540 --> 00:07:46.060 apparently the demons are saying that he's their God. 00:07:47.339 --> 00:07:48.800 They're calling him his God. 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:50.620 So he must be of Satan. 00:07:50.620 --> 00:07:56.379 And so we can twist that and say that he's demon-possessed. 00:07:56.660 --> 00:08:00.199 And the scribes have to admit that he's got power, 00:08:00.459 --> 00:08:02.959 but they said, I know what we can say. 00:08:03.199 --> 00:08:05.160 They're calling him a demonic God. 00:08:05.840 --> 00:08:07.980 They're aligning him with, aha, we got him. 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:09.860 Now let's nail him. 00:08:10.579 --> 00:08:13.600 And as the great Lee Corso would say, not so fast, my friend. 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:20.180 Because Jesus uses a parable to tell them how that's nonsense. 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:25.360 Why would Satan want to defeat satanic power? 00:08:26.319 --> 00:08:30.800 Why would he, that would just divide and weaken the satanic kingdom. 00:08:31.280 --> 00:08:32.980 That's like a household being divided. 00:08:33.060 --> 00:08:35.500 There's nothing advantageous about a household being divided. 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.919 Instead, you're trying to defeat or overpower an enemy. 00:08:41.940 --> 00:08:43.539 College football's almost gone, 00:08:43.639 --> 00:08:46.259 so let me use a couple more football illustrations before it's gone. 00:08:47.039 --> 00:08:49.600 I mean, in football, if a team is a throwing team, 00:08:49.600 --> 00:08:51.379 you better aim with the quarterback. 00:08:52.759 --> 00:08:54.080 You've got to do something about the quarterback. 00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:55.860 And if their defensive line is strong, 00:08:55.940 --> 00:08:59.519 then you work with the offensive line to better man the defense. 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:01.340 The O-line has to be strong. 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:04.340 Well, listen, if you're invading an ancient city, 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:06.060 and there's a wall around it, 00:09:06.120 --> 00:09:09.960 and they have watchtowers that alert not only the citizens, 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:13.500 but also the armies of when the enemy is coming, 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:17.259 then you better find the strong towers and take them out. 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:18.720 That's the strategy. 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:20.899 If you're invading a home, 00:09:21.220 --> 00:09:24.480 you take the strong one in the home, 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:27.279 and you bind him and contain him, 00:09:27.360 --> 00:09:29.019 and then you're at greater ease. 00:09:29.580 --> 00:09:31.980 And that's the illustration that Jesus used. 00:09:32.779 --> 00:09:34.539 And he mentions in verse 27, 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:35.600 he talks about the strong man. 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:36.379 He's talking about Satan. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:38.379 He's talking about the house. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:39.360 That's his domain. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:40.759 That's the earth. 00:09:41.240 --> 00:09:42.300 This is where he roams. 00:09:43.500 --> 00:09:46.779 The plundering of the house speaks of the sway of the people 00:09:46.779 --> 00:09:48.800 that have been under his influence. 00:09:49.700 --> 00:09:53.139 The binding is the authority that Jesus has over Satan 00:09:53.139 --> 00:09:54.039 that they've witnessed. 00:09:55.680 --> 00:09:57.159 And so he explains that. 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:00.000 Then he explains what real blasphemy is. 00:10:00.800 --> 00:10:01.620 Now, I want to be clear. 00:10:01.680 --> 00:10:03.300 What they're doing was blasphemy. 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:07.100 They were speaking against God when they spoke against Christ. 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:09.220 Don't take such as that lightly, folks. 00:10:09.539 --> 00:10:11.879 When you hook a four-letter word onto the name of God, 00:10:11.919 --> 00:10:13.240 that's not harmless frustration. 00:10:13.519 --> 00:10:16.519 That's defamation of God, and it's serious. 00:10:17.639 --> 00:10:20.120 When someone makes God the butt of a joke 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:22.120 or makes his name a punchline, 00:10:22.300 --> 00:10:23.720 that's not just being crude. 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:26.800 That reveals a heart that has no reverence for God. 00:10:28.259 --> 00:10:30.800 It speaks of a lack of a real relationship with God. 00:10:31.800 --> 00:10:34.759 When you use his name as an expression of disgust or slang, 00:10:34.759 --> 00:10:36.000 that's blasphemy. 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.720 When you joke about his power or his presence, 00:10:39.879 --> 00:10:40.840 that's blasphemy. 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:45.100 Are those sins, are those things forgiven? 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:46.200 Are they forgivable? 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:47.759 Yes, they're forgivable. 00:10:49.179 --> 00:10:52.059 Is what the Jerusalem scribe said about Jesus forgivable? 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:52.700 Yes. 00:10:53.340 --> 00:10:57.460 However, and this is the warning that he gives them, 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:02.500 that they're headed down a road that leads somewhere far more dangerous. 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:08.539 They're on a trajectory toward being guilty of an eternal sin, 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:10.320 an unpardonable sin, 00:11:10.559 --> 00:11:15.899 and that is what Christ calls the sin of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. 00:11:15.899 --> 00:11:21.600 Now, what is blaspheming the Holy Spirit? 00:11:22.959 --> 00:11:24.079 Well, to understand it, 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:27.939 let's talk about what's not blaspheming the Holy Spirit first. 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:29.539 Let me tell you what it's not. 00:11:30.139 --> 00:11:34.360 What it's not, it's not horrible profanity. 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:39.000 It's not using the Lord's name in vain. 00:11:39.079 --> 00:11:39.919 That's blasphemy. 00:11:40.819 --> 00:11:42.639 But it's not what God calls, 00:11:42.899 --> 00:11:44.759 what Christ calls blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:48.939 There is forgiveness for saying dumb things. 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:50.980 I'm not making light of it. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:51.659 It's serious. 00:11:51.840 --> 00:11:52.379 It's sinful. 00:11:52.620 --> 00:11:53.580 It's irreverent. 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:54.539 It's foolish. 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:55.740 It's dishonoring. 00:11:56.120 --> 00:11:58.559 Frankly, it gives evidence that you don't even know Christ. 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:03.120 However, God forgives us for dumb things that we say. 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:07.799 God gives grace for careless, flippant tongues 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:11.539 that repent of what they've done. 00:12:11.539 --> 00:12:16.779 The second thing that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:18.679 It's not a foolish statement. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:19.919 Okay? 00:12:21.599 --> 00:12:26.480 It's not just saying something foolish or disrespectful about Jesus. 00:12:27.299 --> 00:12:30.259 That's ignorant, but it's forgivable. 00:12:30.259 --> 00:12:35.879 I made the mistake of reading a comment on Facebook the other day 00:12:35.879 --> 00:12:39.860 from a lady whose personal description was, 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:41.139 I am stardust. 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:44.879 That spoke volumes to me. 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:51.139 She was responding to another uneducated comment, 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:55.639 and she said this, and I quote, 00:12:56.019 --> 00:12:58.039 I'm not a follower of the Bible 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:01.399 except for the very beautiful teachings of Jesus Christ, 00:13:01.860 --> 00:13:04.100 which Southern religions have rejected 00:13:04.100 --> 00:13:05.879 as not fitting in with their ideologies. 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:08.299 End of quote. 00:13:08.299 --> 00:13:11.839 I wanted to respond really bad. 00:13:13.459 --> 00:13:14.199 I did. 00:13:20.079 --> 00:13:21.439 I did really want to. 00:13:22.059 --> 00:13:23.779 Now listen, I didn't respond. 00:13:24.459 --> 00:13:25.859 Not on Facebook. 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:27.539 And you need to be proud of me. 00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:30.419 Now some of you are smarter like I am, 00:13:30.459 --> 00:13:31.979 and so you'll say you should have said something. 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:34.039 I'm just telling you I shouldn't have said anything. 00:13:34.039 --> 00:13:35.639 And I didn't. 00:13:36.299 --> 00:13:40.019 I withheld my keyboard for just a few moments, okay? 00:13:40.939 --> 00:13:43.339 Let me encourage you to do the same, okay? 00:13:44.079 --> 00:13:47.159 Take a pause, 30-second pause at least. 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:49.480 Some of you need 30 minutes. 00:13:50.419 --> 00:13:53.299 Some of you need 30 days, you know. 00:13:56.599 --> 00:13:57.939 I'll tell you what I should have said 00:13:57.939 --> 00:13:58.759 or what I wanted to say. 00:13:58.839 --> 00:14:00.539 I wanted to say I trust the whole Bible 00:14:00.539 --> 00:14:02.899 just like Jesus did, and he quoted it. 00:14:04.039 --> 00:14:04.639 Stardust. 00:14:08.860 --> 00:14:11.379 Listen, that lady's ignorant, and she's foolish, 00:14:11.599 --> 00:14:14.439 and she's disrespectful, and I don't know her, 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:16.959 and I believe she's probably lost. 00:14:19.159 --> 00:14:21.240 But all of that's forgivable. 00:14:22.139 --> 00:14:22.939 All of it. 00:14:25.039 --> 00:14:27.480 Third thing that's not blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, 00:14:27.559 --> 00:14:28.459 and that's a weak moment. 00:14:30.839 --> 00:14:32.319 It's not a moment of anger. 00:14:32.319 --> 00:14:33.399 It's not a moment of fear. 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:34.319 It's not a moment of doubt. 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:35.480 It's not a moment of frustration. 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:38.519 When pressure is put on us and things come out, 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:40.639 that reveals our character. 00:14:40.840 --> 00:14:41.399 It does. 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:44.159 It shows cracks in our spiritual armor. 00:14:44.899 --> 00:14:48.220 It exposes more than we want other people to be able to see. 00:14:48.659 --> 00:14:50.199 However, an outburst, 00:14:51.100 --> 00:14:52.360 a moment of panic, 00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:54.740 a wave of fear, 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:57.779 a sense of discouragement, 00:14:57.779 --> 00:15:02.340 a doubt about what we've always believed, 00:15:02.860 --> 00:15:06.639 these are not sins that God refuses to forgive. 00:15:06.840 --> 00:15:07.379 They're not. 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:09.340 They're moments of weakness. 00:15:09.500 --> 00:15:10.740 They're not permanent rejection. 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:13.820 They're human struggles. 00:15:13.960 --> 00:15:15.680 They're not eternal condemnation. 00:15:15.820 --> 00:15:16.259 They're not. 00:15:16.259 --> 00:15:20.039 Tell you what else blasphemy of the Holy Spirit's not. 00:15:20.259 --> 00:15:21.899 It's not inappropriate humor. 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:28.580 There are things that are said sometimes in an effort to be funny that go way too far. 00:15:28.980 --> 00:15:30.319 A line gets crossed. 00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:32.379 The joke falls like a lead balloon. 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:34.799 And instead of people laughing at everything, 00:15:34.919 --> 00:15:36.860 everybody grows silent and just kind of looks at you like. 00:15:36.860 --> 00:15:42.919 It leaves an impression on people that they'll remember you by. 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:46.560 Even though you wish they don't remember it, 00:15:46.580 --> 00:15:47.580 you wish you hadn't said it, 00:15:47.620 --> 00:15:48.539 but it's already been said, 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:49.180 it's shameful, 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:51.779 never should have been said, 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:52.560 and it marks you, 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:53.539 and it leaves a scar. 00:15:54.060 --> 00:15:54.620 It does. 00:15:55.100 --> 00:15:56.200 It may scar a relationship, 00:15:56.519 --> 00:15:58.159 but it's forgivable. 00:15:59.759 --> 00:16:00.500 Let me tell you, 00:16:00.560 --> 00:16:01.639 and some of you need to hear this. 00:16:02.279 --> 00:16:03.259 I'm not going to tell you who. 00:16:03.940 --> 00:16:06.300 Dumb statements and inappropriate puns are forgivable. 00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:07.800 Thank God. 00:16:08.139 --> 00:16:08.700 They're forgivable. 00:16:09.500 --> 00:16:09.980 They are. 00:16:11.300 --> 00:16:13.300 I'll tell you what else blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not. 00:16:13.560 --> 00:16:15.300 It's not deliberate sin. 00:16:18.519 --> 00:16:21.259 Sin is often described as a mess up, 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:22.560 or as a slip up, 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:23.659 or as an accident. 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:25.940 That's not sin. 00:16:29.180 --> 00:16:30.980 We don't slip into sin. 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:34.360 That's an inappropriate way to address sin. 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:36.399 We don't slip into sin. 00:16:36.399 --> 00:16:37.459 We walk into sin. 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:39.519 Now, 00:16:39.579 --> 00:16:41.519 we may be enticed into sin. 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:43.240 We may be encouraged into sin. 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:45.199 We may be accompanied into sin, 00:16:45.399 --> 00:16:48.500 but sin is still a choice for us, 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:50.720 and the fault lies, 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:51.480 hear me, 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:53.899 the fault lies with the sinner. 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:56.279 Sometimes, 00:16:56.659 --> 00:16:58.399 even a Christian will deliberately sin, 00:16:59.100 --> 00:17:01.319 and sometimes they'll deliberately sin big. 00:17:01.320 --> 00:17:03.000 Now, 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:03.460 let me explain, 00:17:03.540 --> 00:17:05.940 because we like to categorize sins in certain ways. 00:17:07.320 --> 00:17:10.380 We like to categorize sins as little sins. 00:17:12.080 --> 00:17:14.660 Little sins is the stuff that you think 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:16.960 that you don't need to be thinking about. 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:19.360 Little sins are the things you listen to 00:17:19.360 --> 00:17:20.220 you don't need to be listening to. 00:17:20.620 --> 00:17:24.039 Little sins are the things you glance at 00:17:24.039 --> 00:17:25.059 that you don't need to be glancing at. 00:17:25.519 --> 00:17:26.900 Little things are the things you say, 00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:28.259 sometimes even under your breath. 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:31.320 That needs to stay under your breath. 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:33.600 That's because it needs to stay out of your mouth. 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:34.100 You know, 00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:35.540 it's those little sins, 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:35.940 you know. 00:17:36.280 --> 00:17:38.080 Then there's medium sins, 00:17:38.860 --> 00:17:39.140 okay? 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:41.660 And that's the stuff that 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:44.720 that you glare at. 00:17:45.620 --> 00:17:46.860 That's the stuff that you say 00:17:46.860 --> 00:17:47.880 and somebody else hears you, 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:48.160 and they go, 00:17:48.220 --> 00:17:48.380 hmm. 00:17:48.380 --> 00:17:53.880 That's the stuff that you're with 00:17:53.880 --> 00:17:55.040 other people and you listen 00:17:55.040 --> 00:17:56.280 to stuff you don't need to be listening to. 00:17:58.040 --> 00:17:59.680 That's the more exposed stuff. 00:18:01.260 --> 00:18:02.120 Not huge. 00:18:03.540 --> 00:18:04.840 Not life-defining, 00:18:05.100 --> 00:18:08.540 but stuff you need to stop doing. 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:10.740 Then there's the big sins. 00:18:12.860 --> 00:18:15.040 Big sins are the ones that light up the prayer list, 00:18:15.220 --> 00:18:15.480 you know. 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:17.800 The prayer chain gets going with the big sins, 00:18:17.880 --> 00:18:18.120 you know. 00:18:18.380 --> 00:18:19.760 They never say what it is, 00:18:19.780 --> 00:18:20.460 it's unspoken. 00:18:21.520 --> 00:18:22.440 You can't mention it. 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:24.700 But it's those type sins. 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:26.600 It's the big ones. 00:18:27.800 --> 00:18:27.960 Now, 00:18:28.340 --> 00:18:29.860 I want to be clear about something. 00:18:31.300 --> 00:18:33.000 Big sins are the ones that blow up your life. 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:35.140 Changes things. 00:18:39.100 --> 00:18:39.920 Be clear, though. 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:41.840 These are our categories. 00:18:41.980 --> 00:18:43.020 They're not God's categories. 00:18:44.540 --> 00:18:45.880 If you've got a sin in your life 00:18:45.880 --> 00:18:46.960 that you think is a little sin, 00:18:47.100 --> 00:18:47.800 that you, you know, 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:49.519 you just got to nurture that thing 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.240 and bring it along 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:51.180 and it's just your little buddy. 00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:52.659 Christ went to the cross 00:18:52.659 --> 00:18:54.019 and died for that sin. 00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:56.619 It's serious. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:18:59.599 So this judging of little, 00:18:59.759 --> 00:19:00.399 big, medium, 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:02.259 that's our doings, okay. 00:19:03.059 --> 00:19:04.039 We do that 00:19:04.039 --> 00:19:05.819 because the ramifications are different 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:06.779 with different sins. 00:19:06.779 --> 00:19:08.579 But the reality is, 00:19:08.579 --> 00:19:09.720 the little sins just snowball 00:19:09.720 --> 00:19:10.720 into medium sins 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:11.319 and the medium sins 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:12.279 just grow into big sins. 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:13.019 Then all of a sudden, 00:19:13.099 --> 00:19:13.960 we really messed up 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:16.160 and there's a paper trail there 00:19:16.160 --> 00:19:16.740 in our lives 00:19:16.740 --> 00:19:17.899 that we never acknowledged 00:19:17.899 --> 00:19:18.680 along the way. 00:19:19.240 --> 00:19:20.940 But even if it don't do that, 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:22.339 the little sins are still big sins 00:19:22.339 --> 00:19:23.899 because Christ went to the cross 00:19:23.899 --> 00:19:24.359 for that. 00:19:24.759 --> 00:19:26.200 So what happens to somebody 00:19:26.200 --> 00:19:28.680 who commits a scandalous sin 00:19:28.680 --> 00:19:30.500 and they do it deliberately? 00:19:30.500 --> 00:19:35.180 Well, let me tell you what it does. 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:36.579 It'll strain relationships 00:19:36.579 --> 00:19:37.279 with other people. 00:19:37.420 --> 00:19:38.539 It may ruin relationships 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:39.220 with other people. 00:19:40.660 --> 00:19:42.680 It breaks trust with other people. 00:19:44.900 --> 00:19:46.960 It breaks consequences 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:47.640 that may have, 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:49.339 it brings consequences 00:19:49.339 --> 00:19:50.400 that may last a lifetime. 00:19:53.900 --> 00:19:55.200 It may be prison. 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:58.380 I mean, 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:00.819 it may be being ostracized. 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:05.279 It may, 00:20:06.279 --> 00:20:07.940 it could be being alienated. 00:20:09.880 --> 00:20:11.000 The fallout, 00:20:11.700 --> 00:20:12.319 and hear me, 00:20:12.400 --> 00:20:14.420 the fallout is almost always worse 00:20:14.420 --> 00:20:15.460 than you think it's going to be 00:20:15.460 --> 00:20:18.960 because the devil loves to tell us 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:20.160 our sin's not that big a deal. 00:20:22.279 --> 00:20:23.740 But I want you to listen to me. 00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.799 All of that, 00:20:28.120 --> 00:20:32.000 it is not unforgivable to God. 00:20:33.120 --> 00:20:35.039 It might be to everybody else, 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:36.480 but not to God. 00:20:37.480 --> 00:20:39.240 The consequences are deliberate. 00:20:40.440 --> 00:20:42.340 Scandalous sin are huge. 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:46.000 But that's not blasphemy 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:46.759 of the Holy Spirit. 00:20:46.819 --> 00:20:48.180 Not the way Christ speaks of it. 00:20:48.220 --> 00:20:48.620 It's not. 00:20:50.360 --> 00:20:51.580 Let me tell you what else. 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:52.799 It's not. 00:20:52.799 --> 00:20:52.880 It's not. 00:20:52.880 --> 00:20:56.020 I want you to hear me today. 00:20:56.860 --> 00:20:58.560 It's not a fatal failure. 00:21:01.800 --> 00:21:03.000 Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, 00:21:03.100 --> 00:21:03.920 the unpardonable sin, 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:05.900 is not a fatal failure. 00:21:06.040 --> 00:21:06.840 And what I mean by that 00:21:06.840 --> 00:21:08.280 is sadly the biggest mistake 00:21:08.280 --> 00:21:09.220 that a person makes 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:10.360 in his or her life 00:21:10.360 --> 00:21:11.900 sometimes ends their life. 00:21:14.260 --> 00:21:16.060 It could be a single collapse. 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:19.420 It could be a confused moment. 00:21:19.420 --> 00:21:21.480 It could be a dark hour of weakness. 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.019 It could leave all the living mystified 00:21:26.019 --> 00:21:27.060 and shattered. 00:21:29.660 --> 00:21:32.160 I want those who've walked through tragic loss 00:21:32.160 --> 00:21:33.080 to hear me clearly. 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.100 Your eternity and your loved one's eternity 00:21:36.100 --> 00:21:38.200 is not determined by the final moment 00:21:38.200 --> 00:21:39.039 of their lives. 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:40.680 It's not. 00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:40.720 It's not. 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:45.960 A believer may be discouraged. 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:48.240 They may be confused. 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:50.319 They may be held in the grip of a stronghold. 00:21:50.579 --> 00:21:52.160 And all of that is horrible 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:53.220 and it's heartbreaking 00:21:53.220 --> 00:21:54.440 and it's selfish 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:55.940 and it's of the devil 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.460 because Jesus said in John 10, 10, 00:21:58.539 --> 00:21:59.940 the thief comes but to steal, 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:01.259 to kill, and to destroy. 00:22:01.620 --> 00:22:03.259 However, that final moment 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:05.299 does not determine your salvation. 00:22:05.759 --> 00:22:09.180 Your salvation's based on the finished work of Christ. 00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:11.080 That's what determines your salvation. 00:22:11.820 --> 00:22:14.060 And God's grace is sufficient to cover 00:22:14.060 --> 00:22:17.740 and remove all the sins of a confessing believer 00:22:17.740 --> 00:22:21.000 including the last one that took their life. 00:22:24.860 --> 00:22:26.519 Years ago, a young Christian 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:30.820 who was not walking with the Lord at the time 00:22:30.820 --> 00:22:33.680 died in a horrible accident. 00:22:33.860 --> 00:22:34.360 It's tragic. 00:22:34.799 --> 00:22:35.480 It was horrible. 00:22:37.120 --> 00:22:38.660 It sticks out in ministry. 00:22:39.840 --> 00:22:43.840 There's like two handfuls of times in ministry 00:22:43.840 --> 00:22:44.980 where something happens 00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:47.200 and you walk through that with a family 00:22:47.200 --> 00:22:48.660 and you walk away with a limp 00:22:48.660 --> 00:22:50.779 and you never get over it. 00:22:50.799 --> 00:22:51.680 You never forget it. 00:22:52.080 --> 00:22:53.380 And it was one of those type deals. 00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:55.960 It's tough. 00:22:59.120 --> 00:23:01.140 And around the time of the funeral, 00:23:01.140 --> 00:23:07.020 a relative of the young one that died, 00:23:09.800 --> 00:23:12.360 a relative that believes a Christian 00:23:12.360 --> 00:23:13.940 can lose their salvation, 00:23:14.800 --> 00:23:19.700 came to that grieving mother and said, 00:23:19.960 --> 00:23:22.880 I'm sorry that your boy's in hell today. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:30.400 What a statement. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:32.900 How dumb. 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:35.480 If I was God 00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:37.980 and I heard somebody saying something that dumb, 00:23:38.040 --> 00:23:39.100 it would be unpardonable. 00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:41.560 I'd just zap and they'd be gone. 00:23:42.280 --> 00:23:43.760 But thank God I'm not God. 00:23:44.760 --> 00:23:47.720 And his grace is greater than even such a stupid statement. 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:53.180 But for one, based on his testimony, 00:23:53.339 --> 00:23:53.960 it's not true 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:55.460 because he was a professed believer. 00:23:56.059 --> 00:23:57.539 He was a struggling believer. 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:00.059 He was not where he needed to be. 00:24:01.279 --> 00:24:06.519 But even if what she said was true, 00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:08.759 even if he wasn't a believer, 00:24:09.000 --> 00:24:10.519 why do you say that? 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:12.920 Why do you say that? 00:24:12.980 --> 00:24:13.420 Cruel. 00:24:13.519 --> 00:24:13.720 It's idiotic. 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:15.200 Don't do it. 00:24:15.460 --> 00:24:15.960 Don't do it. 00:24:15.960 --> 00:24:16.900 I'm just telling you don't do it. 00:24:21.539 --> 00:24:22.880 Our final moment, 00:24:23.079 --> 00:24:24.180 our final hour, 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:25.559 our final week, 00:24:25.720 --> 00:24:26.880 our final year 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:29.299 does not determine our salvation. 00:24:31.360 --> 00:24:32.480 I want you to hear me. 00:24:32.480 --> 00:24:35.160 A personal decision to trust Christ 00:24:35.160 --> 00:24:36.460 determines our salvation. 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:39.440 And once we are in Christ, 00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:41.400 he never lets go. 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:45.000 His blood covers all of our sins. 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:47.579 A fatal failure. 00:24:47.579 --> 00:24:48.480 Don't take that away. 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:52.920 Lastly, 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:55.160 what's not blasphemy of the Holy Spirit 00:24:55.160 --> 00:24:56.240 is a lifetime, 00:24:56.779 --> 00:24:57.759 lifelong struggle. 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:00.140 A lifelong struggle. 00:25:00.980 --> 00:25:03.319 There are particular besetting sins 00:25:03.319 --> 00:25:04.559 that are lifelong battles. 00:25:04.559 --> 00:25:06.819 And it shouldn't be. 00:25:08.179 --> 00:25:08.980 As believers, 00:25:09.099 --> 00:25:10.460 we have the power of the Holy Spirit 00:25:10.460 --> 00:25:12.579 to overcome any sin in our lives. 00:25:13.079 --> 00:25:14.500 Thank God the old is gone. 00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:15.679 The new has come. 00:25:18.440 --> 00:25:18.799 Oh, 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:20.299 if it was always that simple. 00:25:23.559 --> 00:25:25.159 But sometimes there's a stronghold 00:25:25.159 --> 00:25:26.599 that will resurface in your life. 00:25:26.599 --> 00:25:29.679 Sometimes there's a weakness 00:25:29.679 --> 00:25:30.939 that just keeps nagging. 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:35.059 A temptation that will continue to show up. 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:38.000 And it's not that the Christian 00:25:38.000 --> 00:25:39.059 isn't fighting it. 00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:39.959 On the contrary, 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:42.539 if you're not fighting against it, 00:25:42.619 --> 00:25:44.879 that speaks of not having salvation. 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:45.740 Does that make sense? 00:25:45.740 --> 00:25:46.740 However, 00:25:50.819 --> 00:25:51.680 repentance sometimes 00:25:51.680 --> 00:25:53.000 don't always stick. 00:25:53.720 --> 00:25:55.099 Maybe I'm not supposed to say that, 00:25:55.140 --> 00:25:55.839 but it's just the truth. 00:25:55.940 --> 00:25:57.039 Sometimes repentance don't stick. 00:25:57.120 --> 00:25:57.819 And some sins 00:25:57.819 --> 00:26:00.720 don't ever seem to be conquered. 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:02.079 And lifelong battles 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:03.700 sometimes take a lifetime. 00:26:05.779 --> 00:26:07.319 And that don't have to be 00:26:07.319 --> 00:26:08.579 because there's hope in the Lord 00:26:08.579 --> 00:26:09.599 and he gives you the strength 00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:10.460 to rise above it. 00:26:10.519 --> 00:26:12.180 And your sin is not justified 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:13.759 and it's not excused 00:26:13.759 --> 00:26:14.740 and it's not minimalized. 00:26:15.740 --> 00:26:19.240 But if you die in that struggle, 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:21.019 yet you die in Christ, 00:26:21.400 --> 00:26:22.559 that besetting sin 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:24.519 is not an unforgivable sin. 00:26:24.660 --> 00:26:25.279 It's not. 00:26:26.940 --> 00:26:28.359 If we hate our sin 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:29.620 and we grieve over our sin 00:26:29.620 --> 00:26:30.839 and we battle with our sin 00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:32.660 and we fight to overcome our sin, 00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:34.460 we're not rejecting the Holy Spirit. 00:26:34.620 --> 00:26:36.539 We're responding to the Holy Spirit. 00:26:36.680 --> 00:26:38.039 We're doing it imperfectly. 00:26:38.120 --> 00:26:39.599 We're not doing it the way we need to. 00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:40.700 But we're responding 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:41.900 to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. 00:26:42.120 --> 00:26:43.259 And the struggle itself 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:44.779 is evidence of our desire 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:45.579 to please the Lord. 00:26:45.579 --> 00:26:46.859 So I want you to hear me again. 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:48.799 Your salvation is secured 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:50.859 by Christ's righteousness, 00:26:51.179 --> 00:26:52.319 not your perfection. 00:26:53.119 --> 00:26:54.980 Because you're not going to get it right. 00:26:58.099 --> 00:26:59.039 Of a believer, 00:26:59.819 --> 00:27:00.799 may fall often, 00:27:00.960 --> 00:27:03.339 but never out of God's hand. 00:27:03.460 --> 00:27:04.179 Never will 00:27:04.179 --> 00:27:06.460 fall out of God's hand. 00:27:06.460 --> 00:27:10.299 So that's what eternal sin is not. 00:27:12.539 --> 00:27:14.680 That's what is not the unpardonable sin. 00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:16.680 That's what is not blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. 00:27:17.000 --> 00:27:18.980 So what is the unpardonable sin? 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:21.299 What is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? 00:27:23.299 --> 00:27:24.360 I'll put it simply. 00:27:25.420 --> 00:27:27.240 It's the rejection of Christ. 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:28.819 That's what it is. 00:27:28.819 --> 00:27:32.200 The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit 00:27:32.200 --> 00:27:33.919 is to ignore the eye-opening, 00:27:34.099 --> 00:27:35.579 Christ-exalting conviction 00:27:35.579 --> 00:27:36.299 and calling 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:37.799 of the Holy Spirit of God 00:27:37.799 --> 00:27:39.159 upon your life for salvation. 00:27:39.899 --> 00:27:41.039 God loved you enough 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:41.960 to send his son 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:43.039 to live as an example, 00:27:43.439 --> 00:27:44.579 to die in your place, 00:27:44.639 --> 00:27:45.379 to rise again, 00:27:45.519 --> 00:27:46.679 proclaiming eternal life, 00:27:46.819 --> 00:27:48.240 and to ascend into heaven 00:27:48.240 --> 00:27:49.200 to pray for you 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:50.599 and make a home for you, 00:27:50.700 --> 00:27:52.720 and then sent the Holy Spirit 00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:54.399 to open your eyes, 00:27:54.659 --> 00:27:55.859 to convict your heart, 00:27:55.859 --> 00:27:57.419 to draw you to Christ, 00:27:57.539 --> 00:27:59.839 to show you the opportunity of salvation. 00:28:00.219 --> 00:28:01.859 And if you ignore that, 00:28:01.939 --> 00:28:03.699 even though he speaks again 00:28:03.699 --> 00:28:05.299 and again to your heart, 00:28:05.439 --> 00:28:07.259 and you push him aside 00:28:07.259 --> 00:28:08.659 and delay him 00:28:08.659 --> 00:28:10.439 and die without him, 00:28:10.639 --> 00:28:12.779 you will never be forgiven. 00:28:14.899 --> 00:28:16.719 There is no forgiveness 00:28:16.719 --> 00:28:18.659 after death. 00:28:19.699 --> 00:28:20.579 There's none. 00:28:23.699 --> 00:28:25.599 You have committed a sin 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:27.719 in rejecting Christ 00:28:27.719 --> 00:28:29.919 that will last for eternity. 00:28:32.339 --> 00:28:33.819 You spent your whole life 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:35.099 refusing the greatest offer, 00:28:35.259 --> 00:28:36.119 an eternal offer, 00:28:36.319 --> 00:28:38.079 by the Lord that loves you so. 00:28:38.199 --> 00:28:39.699 You blasphemed, ignored, 00:28:40.119 --> 00:28:41.759 made light of the very Holy Spirit 00:28:41.759 --> 00:28:43.299 that came to bring you to Christ. 00:28:45.980 --> 00:28:47.419 And you'll have hell to pay 00:28:47.419 --> 00:28:48.699 for all of eternity for it. 00:28:50.079 --> 00:28:51.079 And by the way, 00:28:51.799 --> 00:28:53.259 about those red words of Jesus, 00:28:53.559 --> 00:28:54.079 you don't want to know 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:54.819 who talks about hell 00:28:54.819 --> 00:28:55.839 more than anybody else in Scripture? 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:57.960 Jesus. 00:29:01.500 --> 00:29:02.960 And the pictures that we paint 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:05.079 of heaven that are scripturally based, 00:29:05.379 --> 00:29:06.899 of hell that are scripturally based, 00:29:06.939 --> 00:29:07.480 because a lot of people 00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:08.899 come up with other stuff, 00:29:09.220 --> 00:29:10.700 but the things that we paint 00:29:10.700 --> 00:29:12.019 that are scripturally based 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:13.659 come from the words of Christ. 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:19.640 if I come to your house, 00:29:19.640 --> 00:29:20.480 take you to a banquet 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:22.160 in the honor of the one 00:29:22.160 --> 00:29:22.920 who loves you 00:29:22.920 --> 00:29:24.100 more than anyone else 00:29:24.100 --> 00:29:25.140 and you refuse to come, 00:29:26.259 --> 00:29:27.420 and I ask you again, 00:29:28.800 --> 00:29:30.300 and I ask you again, 00:29:30.580 --> 00:29:32.940 and I ask you again, 00:29:33.000 --> 00:29:33.980 and it don't matter how many times 00:29:33.980 --> 00:29:34.519 I ask, 00:29:34.660 --> 00:29:36.220 eventually I'm going to stop asking 00:29:36.220 --> 00:29:37.980 because it's going to come. 00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:41.759 The banquet's going to come, 00:29:41.900 --> 00:29:43.140 and if you don't make it 00:29:43.140 --> 00:29:43.700 to the banquet, 00:29:43.860 --> 00:29:44.620 you didn't make it, 00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:45.860 and you get left behind. 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:48.180 You miss your opportunity, 00:29:48.599 --> 00:29:51.200 and once that opportunity is gone, 00:29:51.259 --> 00:29:51.839 it's gone. 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:54.539 You missed out. 00:29:54.539 --> 00:29:58.460 I don't mean this as a threat. 00:29:58.539 --> 00:29:59.299 It's just the truth. 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:01.539 We're one rogue cell away 00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:03.960 from our life changing drastically, 00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:05.659 possibly very quickly. 00:30:09.700 --> 00:30:13.839 One distracted driver away 00:30:13.839 --> 00:30:18.539 from going into eternity immediately. 00:30:18.539 --> 00:30:19.259 immediately. 00:30:24.539 --> 00:30:25.680 And that's exactly why 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:26.519 the Holy Spirit speaks 00:30:26.519 --> 00:30:27.339 to your heart today. 00:30:32.539 --> 00:30:34.279 If you ignore him in this life, 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:35.639 you'll regret it for all eternity. 00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:44.460 I'm not trying to threaten you, 00:30:44.920 --> 00:30:45.960 and I'll be honest with you, 00:30:45.980 --> 00:30:47.299 I'm not trying to scare you 00:30:47.299 --> 00:30:48.500 because when somebody 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:49.899 makes decisions out of fear, 00:30:49.980 --> 00:30:50.879 they really don't mean them 00:30:50.879 --> 00:30:51.839 a lot of times, you know? 00:30:52.419 --> 00:30:56.039 You can promise the world to God 00:30:56.039 --> 00:30:57.419 if he'll get you out of this situation, 00:30:57.720 --> 00:30:59.980 and you don't mean a lick of it. 00:31:05.339 --> 00:31:06.720 But I want to be honest with you. 00:31:11.419 --> 00:31:12.399 The reality is, 00:31:12.480 --> 00:31:14.200 if there's any inkling within you at all 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:18.000 that you need the Lord Jesus in your life, 00:31:18.039 --> 00:31:19.400 and there's any pulling at all 00:31:19.400 --> 00:31:23.019 in your life to pull you towards the Lord, 00:31:23.059 --> 00:31:23.580 I'm going to tell you, 00:31:23.640 --> 00:31:25.259 you didn't come up with that on your own. 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:28.779 Scripture says that you're dead 00:31:28.779 --> 00:31:30.080 in your transgressions and sins. 00:31:30.259 --> 00:31:32.240 That means you cannot respond 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:34.779 unless the Holy Spirit awakens you 00:31:34.779 --> 00:31:36.279 and gives you that opportunity. 00:31:36.680 --> 00:31:38.360 But I'll be just as clear to say 00:31:38.360 --> 00:31:40.720 you must respond to that awakening. 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:43.660 You have responsibility in that. 00:31:47.700 --> 00:31:49.400 And if you ignore that 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:52.980 and the opportunities are up, 00:31:53.920 --> 00:31:58.779 it is a sin 00:31:58.779 --> 00:32:01.319 that will not be forgiven. 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:08.159 That's what he was saying to the scribes. 00:32:10.359 --> 00:32:10.939 He's saying, 00:32:11.019 --> 00:32:12.259 you're not taking me seriously. 00:32:14.200 --> 00:32:15.779 And what you're leading to 00:32:15.779 --> 00:32:18.939 is blaspheming, 00:32:19.079 --> 00:32:20.539 denying the Holy Spirit. 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:26.099 So wait no longer, 00:32:26.460 --> 00:32:27.139 is what I'm saying. 00:32:29.159 --> 00:32:30.039 Come to Jesus. 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:34.980 He's the one that's calling you to himself. 00:32:35.399 --> 00:32:37.339 He's the one that initiates that. 00:32:37.579 --> 00:32:39.299 He's the one that receives you, 00:32:39.399 --> 00:32:41.339 and he knows all the stuff 00:32:41.339 --> 00:32:42.680 to go along with it. 00:32:42.680 --> 00:32:43.139 He does. 00:32:43.839 --> 00:32:45.619 I don't and don't need to know it, 00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:46.619 but he knows it all. 00:32:48.399 --> 00:32:50.259 And yet loves you enough to come to you 00:32:50.259 --> 00:32:54.039 and give you the opportunity to be pardoned, 00:32:54.039 --> 00:32:55.039 and you can be pardoned. 00:32:57.500 --> 00:32:59.759 But the offer is only good for a time. 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:04.659 And so I encourage you to respond. 00:33:06.399 --> 00:33:08.460 If you've never given your heart and life 00:33:08.460 --> 00:33:09.700 to the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:33:10.279 --> 00:33:11.980 today's the day of salvation for you. 00:33:14.539 --> 00:33:16.379 If you'll respond to him in obedience, 00:33:16.559 --> 00:33:18.019 he'll change your life forever. 00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:21.059 He'll nail it down 00:33:21.059 --> 00:33:22.980 and rest in it. 00:33:22.980 --> 00:33:24.980 If you've done that privately 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:26.500 but never acknowledged it publicly, 00:33:27.200 --> 00:33:29.480 part of the evidence 00:33:29.480 --> 00:33:30.880 of it being real 00:33:30.880 --> 00:33:31.720 is that you make it, 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:34.019 you make it 00:33:34.019 --> 00:33:36.180 public. 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:38.180 Jesus said, 00:33:38.279 --> 00:33:39.900 if you're ashamed of me before others, 00:33:39.940 --> 00:33:41.000 I'll be ashamed of you before my Father. 00:33:41.059 --> 00:33:41.339 In other words, 00:33:41.460 --> 00:33:42.579 it never really took. 00:33:45.259 --> 00:33:46.599 Or maybe God's leading you 00:33:46.599 --> 00:33:47.599 to First Baptist Church. 00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:51.500 Maybe it's that you've been around 00:33:51.500 --> 00:33:52.599 these folks enough to know 00:33:52.599 --> 00:33:54.619 and God's worked in your life 00:33:54.619 --> 00:33:55.240 enough to know 00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:56.319 that this is the place 00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:57.539 where he'd have you to serve. 00:34:00.259 --> 00:34:02.439 Or maybe it's something else 00:34:02.439 --> 00:34:03.000 in your life. 00:34:04.679 --> 00:34:06.299 Maybe there's a besetting sin 00:34:06.299 --> 00:34:08.239 that when I talked about that, 00:34:08.339 --> 00:34:09.380 it just came up 00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:11.679 and you've just been labored by it. 00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:14.519 Give that to God today. 00:34:16.679 --> 00:34:17.759 You can repent of that 00:34:17.759 --> 00:34:19.039 where you stand in just a moment. 00:34:19.119 --> 00:34:20.199 You can repent of it at this altar. 00:34:20.460 --> 00:34:21.500 I will pray with you. 00:34:24.579 --> 00:34:26.359 Let's take the warning of the Lord 00:34:26.359 --> 00:34:27.039 seriously 00:34:27.039 --> 00:34:28.239 and respond to it 00:34:28.239 --> 00:34:28.960 in obedience, 00:34:29.399 --> 00:34:30.299 whatever that means 00:34:30.299 --> 00:34:31.379 to us as individuals. 00:34:33.099 --> 00:34:34.079 Let's honor God 00:34:34.079 --> 00:34:35.779 by just simply being obedient. 00:34:38.219 --> 00:34:38.919 With every head bowed, 00:34:38.940 --> 00:34:39.480 every eye closed. 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:43.599 Lord Jesus, 00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:47.259 I ask today 00:34:47.259 --> 00:34:50.159 that you'll move 00:34:50.159 --> 00:34:51.019 and work in lives. 00:34:54.039 --> 00:34:55.940 Help us to not be so arrogant 00:34:55.940 --> 00:34:59.279 as to think it's not important enough 00:34:59.279 --> 00:35:00.139 for us to respond to. 00:35:02.500 --> 00:35:04.159 Help us not be so ignorant 00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:07.379 as to ignore your warning 00:35:07.379 --> 00:35:09.419 and your invitation. 00:35:11.679 --> 00:35:13.599 Help us not be so stubborn 00:35:13.599 --> 00:35:16.279 as to continue 00:35:16.279 --> 00:35:17.839 in a pattern of disobedience. 00:35:19.579 --> 00:35:20.739 Help us, God, 00:35:20.819 --> 00:35:21.799 be wise enough, 00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:24.500 loving enough, 00:35:25.839 --> 00:35:26.639 faithful enough 00:35:26.639 --> 00:35:28.919 to follow your direction 00:35:28.919 --> 00:35:31.460 as you speak to us right now. 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:34.179 In Jesus' precious name, 00:35:35.440 --> 00:35:35.679 amen. 00:35:35.919 --> 00:35:36.460 Stand where you are.