Sermons and Outlines

Matt. 12:22-33 HAVE YOU COMMITTED THE UNPARDONABLE SIN?

Intro: I cannot imagine anything more horrible than having to spend eternity in Hell apart from God. Yet, Jesus says that there is a particular sin, that if it is committed, it will doom the guilty party to Hell for eternity. This is a sin for which there is absolutely no forgiveness. That is a pretty sobering thought! This sin has come to be known as the Unpardonable Sin. When something is deemed unpardonable, it simply means that there is no forgiveness possible.

Is Jesus really saying that it is possible to commit a sin so hideous, so horrible, so awful, and so repulsive to God that He, the very God of Grace, cannot and will not forgive it? Yes He is! In fact, there may be some in this very room who are in danger of committing this sin today! If that danger were a possibility, wouldn’t you want to be warned before hand? Of course you would! Only a fool would want go on in sin and go so far that he became hopelessly, irrevocably and eternally lost.

This morning, I want to talk to you about the unpardonable sin. Hopefully, we can come to understand it better. Today, we will consider this question: "Have you committed the Unpardonable Sin?"

I. THE FEAR SURROUNDING THIS SIN

A. The words, "unpardonable sin", do not appear in the Bible. Men who fear committing this sin give them. The very name points out man’s fear of this sin. They are also a theological designation for a sin that can never have forgiveness.

B. Nobody in their right mind wants to be found guilty of a sin so damning that it can never be forgiven. (Ill. I have often heard people make reference to the commission of this sin. Many who came to be saved have feared that they were guilty of committing it.)

C. Usually, the fear of committing this sin is grounded in falsehood, poor interpretation of the Scriptures and in ignorance of what this sin really is. My aim is to shed some light on that very thing today.

II. THE FALSEHOODS SURROUNDING THIS SIN

A. Many and varied are the ideas as to what this sin is. 99.9%, however, are just plain wrong!

B. Notice some things that men have classified as the unpardonable sin.

(Ill. some of you may be guilty of some of these, and fear that you have committed this sin.)

1. Murder – (Ill. What about David? – 2 Sam. 11-12) God forgave him – Acts 13:22!

2. Suicide – (This is the sin of self-murder and while it cannot be repented of, it is still covered in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus – Ill. Matt. 12:31; 1 John 2:1-2!

3. Adultery – (Ill. David!) By the way, ever had lust in your heart? Matt. 5:28 Are you still saved?

4. Lying – (Ill. Abraham – Gen. 12:10-20; Gen. 18:17-19) (Ill. Simon Peter – Matt. 26:69-75; Acts 2:14-41!)

5. Stealing – (Ill. Eph. 4:28)

6. Taking God’s Name In Vain – (Ill. Ex. 20:7; Ill. Peter – Matt. 26:74)

7. Failing As A Christian – (Ill. 2 Pet. 2:21) (Ill. The Disciples – Matt. 27:56 – They all forsook Him and fled, yet all went on to glory in His Name and in his service!)

8. Nor is it any other sin that you can name! (Ill. Jesus died for them all – John 1:29; Col. 2:13-14; Heb. 9:26)

C. The truth is, the death of Jesus on the cross paid for all sin forever! (Ill. The glory of being forgiven – 1 John 1:7; Psa. 103:12)

D. However, there remains one sin for which there is no forgiveness, now or forever!

III. THE FACTS SURROUNDING THIS SIN

A. Who Can Commit The Unpardonable Sin?

1. Can A Saint Commit It? No! Why?

a. We Are Saved – (Rom. 5:9; 2 Tim. 1:9) (Ill. Even if we totally blow our Christian life and wind up in the gutter of life, even that does not negate our salvation – Ill. 1 Cor. 3:10-15 – Not everyone gets it right! (Ill. The guy in 1 Cor. 5:5 – Apparently even he was saved – Smoke that one over a little while!)

b. We Are Sealed – (Ill. Eph. 4:30) We are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Ill. The saint may grieve the Spirit, but when He came in, He came in to stay – John 14:16-18. (Ill. 2 Timothy 2:13)

c. We Are Secure – (1 Pet. 1:5) The saint of God is as certain for Heaven as if he were already there!

d. No! The saved person can never commit the unpardonable sin!

(Ill. D. L. Moody told the story of an aged minister who believed he had committed the unpardonable sin. After much inner turmoil, he gave in to what he mistakenly thought to be God's will--for him to be lost. Then something within him whispered, "Suppose there is a hell for you, what would you, with your disposition, do there?' The quick answer was, "I would set up a prayer meeting." With those words came the light of God to show the absurdity of his fears. The very fact that he feared he had committed this sin, plus his deep concern, proved he had not.)

2. Can A Sinner Commit It? Yes! Why? Because he is outside the protective shield of the blood of Jesus! Therefore, it is possible forthe lost person to commit the unpardonable sin.

(Ill. We have seen what this sin isn’t and who can and cannot commit it, but we have yet to see exactly what it is. How can you know if you are guilty of committing this sin until you know what it is?)

B. What Is The Unpardonable Sin? (Ill. The context of this passage. The Pharisees were attributing the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ to the Devil. In actuality, they were rejecting the witness of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ. The Holy Spirit is in the business of showing off Jesus – John 16:13-14! Jesus, by His miracles, had proven Himself to be of God. When these Pharisees rejected the witness of the Spirit, their rejection of God was complete and final!

Ill. Israel and their rejection of the Almighty – John 1:11

1. In rejecting John the Baptist, they were rejecting the Father

2. In rejecting the Person of Christ, they were rejecting the Son.

3. In rejecting the Apostles, they were rejecting the Spirit.

To reject the forerunner (John) was forgivable. To reject the pre-Calvary Jesus was forgivable, but to reject the witness of the Spirit was the final straw and meant absolute destruction and eternal damnation!

(Ill. Some say, "Christ is no longer on the earth and these events cannot be duplicated, therefore this sin cannot be committed." That is correct, but only to a point! Because, ultimately, their sin boiled down to a simple rejection of the witness of the Spirit concerning the truth of Jesus Christ’s identity!)

C. Can This Sin Be Committed Today? Yes! Here’s How!

1. The Holy Spirit still testifies of Jesus, declaring Him to be all that the Scriptures say He is – John 15:26

2. The Holy Spirit still convicts of sin – John 16:7-10; John 6:44

3. The Unpardonable Sin is simply rejecting the Spirit’s witness of the Son and therefore, refusing to receive Him as Personal Savior – 1 John 5:12; John 3:36. No other sin can send you to Hell! Everything else was paid for at the Cross. But for you to be saved, you must receive the witness of the Spirit and ask Jesus into your heart!!

(Ill. Psalm 19 tells us that the heavens themselves declare the existence of God – Psa. 19:1-3. But, you can reject that revelation for a while later come to know Jesus. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus Christ is the "Son of God" – Mat. 16:16. Yet, you can reject that for a time and later come to know the Lord in eternal salvation. You can deny all the evidence around you and refuse to believe and still not commit the unpardonable sin. Yet, when the Holy Spirit of God deals with your heart, and you see for yourself that the claims of the Scriptures are true. When the Spirit shows you that Jesus really is God and is the only hope for sinners. That He really did die and rise again and that you can be saved if you will only trust Him. When you say no to the Spirit of God, then you have crossed that line!! You are guilty of committing the Unpardonable Sin! That isn’t to say that God won’t give you 1, 2, 10 or even dozens more chances, but it doesn’t mean He will either! Saying "No" to the pleading of the Spirit is a serious thing! Eventually, it will lead to Hell, unless the sinner says, "Yes!" After all, Jesus is the only hope man has for salvation – Acts 4:12; John 14:6; Acts 16:31)

IV. THE FINALITY SURROUNDING THIS SIN

A. Ill. v. 32 – This verse plainly says that to reject Jesus is to condemn oneself to an eternity apart from God!

B. Somewhere, there is a deadline placed by the Lord past which no man can be saved. Please do not go on in your sins until you cross that deadline and go out into eternity lost having committed the Unpardonable Sin.

C. What are those deadlines that a man can cross that if he passes, he can never be saved?

1. The Day Of Your Death – Eccl. 11:3 – That which is done in death cannot be undone in eternity

2. The Rapture Of The Church – 2 Thes. 2:11 – If you say no to Jesus now, you will not say yes then!

3. Sinning Away Your Day Of Grace – (Ill. Gen. 6:3) (Ill. "Quench not the Spirit." – 1 Thes. 5:19.) The day may come when the sweet Holy Spirit will never again testify of the saving power of Jesus. When He ceases to draw, you cannot come to Jesus – John 6:44. Ill. While He is knocking, why not just let Him in? – Rev. 3:20.

D. Is it your Lifestyle? Your Pride? Your Friends or Family? Is your sin really worth going to Hell over? Please don’t throw away the most valuable thing you have for what amounts to less than nothing – Mark 8:36-37.

E. Once this sin has been committed, a line has forever been crossed. Some here today may be about to do this very thing! Don’t let it be you!

Conc: Have you committed the Unpardonable Sin? Not if you are saved! Not even if you are lost and still concerned about your soul. But I remind you my dear friend, that this day may well be your last opportunity to come to Jesus for salvation. Is He calling you? Is He tugging at your heart today? If He is, please do not send him away! Come to Him and be forever saved. It all begins with a simple, small step of faith. Will you make that step today? He will not turn you away – John 6:37!