Matthew 12:30–32
30“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Focused Thinking:
The simplicity of God’s truth is so powerful.
“He who is not with Me is against Me; he who does gather with Me scatters.”
I understand that completely.
I don’t want a neutral teammate.
A teammate is either with me or against me.
There isn’t a middle ground.
I am either following Jesus or someone else or myself.
- You are either playing offense or defense.
- You are either in the game or not.
- You are either a player or a fan.
What does Jesus say next?
31“Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.”
You can sin against Me, but you cannot reject Me.
You can sin against Me, and still be with Me.
You can sin against Me, and still be on My team.
But, if you reject Me, you are against Me.
You can’t be forgiven when you don’t ask for forgiveness.
You can’t be forgiven when you don’t want to be forgiven.
32“Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
These words may mean that speaking against the person of Jesus can be forgiven because the insult may be based in ignorance of who he is (at that time not even Jesus’ disciples completely understood who he was).
But speaking against the Holy Spirit—to deny the power behind Jesus’ ministry—is unforgivable. (Some versions use the word “blasphemy,” meaning extreme slander.)
Jesus said that those who slander the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven—not because their sin is worse than any other, but because they will never ask for forgiveness.
Whoever rejects the prompting of the Holy Spirit removes himself or herself from the only force that can lead anyone to repentance and restoration with God.
The only sin that God is unable to forgive is the unwillingness to accept forgiveness.
Personal Application:
We must be DECISIVE.
We must choose to play OFFENSE.
We must undeniably choose to be FOR Him.
We must undeniably choose to be WITH HIM.
- There is no such thing as the middle.
- There is no such thing as sitting in the stands.
- You are either FOR Him or AGAINST Him.
Interactive Prayer:
Father, please forgive me for ways that I don’t play offense as aggressively as I should. Forgive me for times I don’t hustle on every single play. Forgive for the times that I don’t give 110%. Father, forgive me for the sins in my life. Forgive me for the thoughts that are 100% focused on you. Forgive me for the ways I battle the lust of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. Forgive me for the ways that I battle the love of self, the love of money, and the love of pleasure. Father, help me to live a lifestyle of repentance and to live completely sold out to You. Forgive for the ways I’ve allowed this culture to soften me. Father, give the desire, determination, and discipline of a Navy Seal. Father, give me the ability to be a soldier for You that wins my personal battle over sin. Father, also give me the ability to lead others over their battle with sin. Give me the ability to lead this city in win its battle with sin.
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