Read Luke 12:8-10
Rejecting To The Point Of No Return
Jesus just finished saying how to not fear those who will persecute you with death. Then he goes on to say if we publicly acknowledge Him before others, he’ll acknowledge us before the angels of God. If, however, we disown Jesus publicly, then Jesus will disown us before the angels of God.
It’s easy to disown Jesus in public. Fear can keep us from being all that we can be for Jesus.
People are afraid to pray in public. Some are quick to disown Jesus when ridiculed.
Jesus says if we speak against him, we can still be forgiven. There’s always hope. But he warns us that if we blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, we will not be forgiven. What is the difference between the two: 1. Speaking against Jesus verses 2. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit?
1. Speaking against Jesus is something we can all do In the heat of the moment. I’ve done it in my anger with God. There’s forgiveness.
2. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is a person who is continually being pursued by the Holy Spirit and over time their hearts become so hard that there’s no longer a DESIRE to repent of one’s sin. They no longer acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s conviction. This is NOT a one-time experience of rejection but a continual resistance to the Holy Spirit to the point one’s heart is so hard it will never accept Jesus and therefore will not have access to God’s grace for salvation.
Let me clarify something: As long as one has a desire to repent and seek God’s grace, then that person has not blasphemed against the Holy Spirit. It’s when your heart is so that hard over time one will never again have a desire to repent and turn to Jesus. We as humans will never be able to tell when a person has totally blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Only God can tell. Therefore, we should never give up praying for people to come to know the Lord. Let us be faithful in praying and trust God to be faithful in judgment. Let him do the judging, not us.
