MATTHEW LESSON 25

     We will begin in Matthew 12:31  "Wherefore I say unto you, All
manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the
blasphemy [against] the [Holy] Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men."

     This is, probably, the most misunderstood Scripture in the Bible.
My own dad felt he had committed this sin. Billy Graham said, on one
of his broadcasts, that his dad felt he had committed this sin. Just
the fact that a person is concerned about it, proves he has never
committed the unpardonable sin. The word translated means evil
speaking. Then it goes on to say speaking evil of the Holy Ghost
cannot be forgiven. My interpretation of the Scripture is as along as
you are alive, you can get forgiveness for sin of any kind. However, if
you die rejecting the salvation offered, there is no forgiveness for
that. People are too concerned about this. God wants our faith that
everything is ok, not doubt.

     Matthew 12:32 "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of
man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy
Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in
the [world] to come."

     I think to really understand this, we would have to know and
understand who the Holy Ghost is. Jesus said He would send a comforter
(Holy Ghost) to come and dwell with us. The Holy Ghost teaches us,
directs us, and comforts us. To deny the Holy Ghost would be to deny
our salvation. We are saved by faith, not doubt. To speak against the
Holy Ghost in this manner spoken of here, We would have to be unsaved.
Thus lost! No Christian is guilty of that sin.

     Matthew 12:33 "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or
else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is
known by [his] fruit."

     This Scripture said we can say we are Christians all day long, but
until we are living like Christians, We really are not Christians. Either be
good or bad. Do not try to live in both worlds. God wants you on one
side, or the other. If you are a Christian, let your good works tell it
for you.

     Matthew 12:34 "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh." Matthew 12:35 "A good man out of the good treasure of the
heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil
treasure bringeth forth evil things."

     Jesus was saying, you evil ones, you are so evil no good things
can come from within you. People either have good hearts (given to
Jesus), or evil hearts (Satan's). You cannot have both at once. The
Scriptures said sweet and bitter water cannot come from the same well.
{James 3:11} You see, what ever is deep down inside of us is what will
come out of our mouths when we open it.

     Matthew 12:36 "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men
shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
Matthew 12:37 "For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy
words thou shalt be condemned."

     This Scripture is best explained with another Scripture: Romans
10:9-10.  Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Romans 10:10 "For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation." You see, salvation is in the power of
confession.

     Matthew 12:38  "Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees
answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee."

     These scribes and Pharisees were like so many people of our day
who say "Lord, just show me Noah's Ark with my own two eyes, and then
I will believe it existed". Fact is not faith. If you can see it with
your own eyes, it takes no faith to believe. This was almost ridiculous
for them to call Him Master. A person does what his Master says without
 having everything explained. This was not the case here.

     Matthew 12:39 "But he answered and said unto them, An evil and
adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be
given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:"

     Jesus reprimanded them for always wanting a sign. Jesus wants our
faith. He called those who continuously had to have a sign an evil and
adulterous generation. This adultery, here, is spiritual rather than
physical. The sign Jesus was speaking of, here, was Jonah being in the
belly of the whale three days and nights. Jesus would be in the belly of the earth 3 days and nights.

     Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in
the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth."  Matthew 12:41 "The men of Nineveh
shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a
greater than Jonas [is] here."

     Jonah, (Jonas), was a reluctant preacher. He did not think the people of
Nineveh were worth saving, but after being swallowed by the whale, he
obeyed God and warned Nineveh. The people fasted in sackcloth and
ashes, and God spared them. Jonah was just a servant of God. Jesus was
God's only begotten Son. They should all have repented and been saved
at the greater witness (Jesus). The people just did not listen.

     Matthew 12:42 "The queen of the south shall rise up in the
judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from
the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and,
behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here."

     The wisdom of Solomon was a gift from God. Jesus possesses all
wisdom. The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon who had less wisdom than
Jesus, and yet no one recognized the vast wisdom of Jesus. In fact,
only a hand full of His followers were there when He was crucified.

     Matthew 12:43 "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he
walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none."  Matthew
12:44 "Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came
out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and
garnished."

     When a person is delivered from a demonic spirit, the very first
thing to do is to fill the vacancy with the Holy Spirit of God. The
person delivered must immediately start reading the Bible and getting
filled with the Words of the Bible. If the vacancy, where the evil
spirit comes out of, is not immediately filled with the good Spirit,
the evil will come back and bring more evil spirits with him. Another
very important thing to do is make sure all the evil spirits have left
before you release the possessed person. There is one called the
keeper of the door, and that evil spirit lets others in. Many times it
is the first evil spirit a person picks up, such as jealousy. Many
demons run in groups like jealousy, hate, murder, suicide, and all
associated evil. This is really a special field and should be done by
an expert in this field. These spirits, when they are cast out, want a
body to dwell in. You should not have unbelievers watching someone
being delivered, because this disembodied evil spiritwill go into the nonbeliever. These evil spirits like to stay in a family, and will
try to go into members of the same family they came out of. Be sure
and tell them a specific place to go when they are cast out. This is
dangerous business, if you do not know what you are doing. Very few
people know how to deliver. Verse 45 explains it very well.

     Matthew 12:45 "Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there:
and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so
shall it be also unto this wicked generation."

     You can see if a person does not know what they are doing in this
field, it is best not to attempt it.

     Matthew 12:46  "While he yet talked to the people, behold, [his]
mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him."
Matthew 12:47 "Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy
brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee."  Matthew 12:48
"But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother?
and who are my brethren?" Matthew 12:49 "And he stretched forth his
hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my
brethren!"  Matthew 12:50 "For whosoever shall do the will of my
Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and
mother."

     All of this was said and done to make us know there is a physical
family, and there is a spiritual family. The family that God counts as
a family is the relationship of brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus
Christ. There is a physical Israel and a spiritual Israel.

     For the next lesson, study chapter 13 of Matthew.

                     Matthew Questions 25

1.  Will blasphemy  be forgiven men?   Explain.
2.  Which is the most misunderstood Scripture in the Bible?
3.  If a person is concerned about having committed the unforgivable
    sin, what does that tell us?
4.  What is there really no forgiveness for?
5.  To deny the Holy Ghost would be to deny what?
6.  What are three things the Holy Ghost does for us?
7.  A tree is known for what?
8.  If you are a Christian, what should tell it for you?
9.  Out of the ________ of the __________ the mouth speaketh.
10. What will come out of our mouths when we open them?
11. What justifies us, or condemns us?
12. What did the scribes and Pharisees ask for?
13. What did they call Jesus?
14. Salvation is in the power of __________.
15. Fact is not ______________.
16. Who seeks after a sign?
17. What kind of adultery is meant by this?
18. What is the only sign they would get?
19. What did Jonah change his mind about bringing the message to
    Nineveh?
20. Why did this queen come to see Solomon?
21. The gift was given Solomon by whom?
22. This unclean spirit, mentioned in V-43, was doing what?
23. What is the first thing to do after a deliverance?
24. If the person delivered does not stay clean, and pure, and full of
    the Word of God, what will happen?
25. Why should a nonbeliever not be present at a deliverance?
26. Who should lead a deliverance?
27. Where do these disembodied spirits like to stay?
28. How many more spirits will he bring back, if the one delivered
    allows him to return?
29. What would be the last state of that person?
30. Who came to see Jesus?
31. What did Jesus say about these relations?
32. What 2 things should we learn from this?
33. What are 2 types of Israel?