Sinning Against The Holy Spirit - Christian Hope Church Home

Message for THE LORD’S DAY MORNING, March 18, 2012
MESSAGE 5 in “Getting To Know The Holy Spirit” Sermon Series
Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, North Carolina
by Reggie A. Braziel, Minister
“Sinning Against The Holy Spirit”
Message 5 in “Getting to Know The Holy Spirit” Series
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NKJV)
Today as we continue with our series on “Getting to Know The Holy
Spirit” we are going to be dealing with one of the most neglected
teachings in all the New Testament and that is the subject of “Sinning
Against the Holy Spirit.”
Please turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians the fourth chapter.
Ephesians 4:29-32 (NKJV)
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary
edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the
day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with
all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in
Christ forgave you.
P R A Y E R
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
The Holy Spirit is called the Holy Spirit for a reason. His primary focus
is HOLINESS.
He is not called “the Happy Spirit” because our happiness is
not His primary goal for you and me. His primary goal is to
lead you and me into a life of holiness, so that we might be holy
as God is Holy.

Now why is it important that we know this? It is important because when
you and I understand that the Holy Spirit’s goal is to lead you and me into
a life of holiness it should make a difference in how you and I respond
to Him.
We should desire to yield control of our lives to the Holy Spirit in order to
allow Him to do His divine work in our lives. And when we do not cooperate,
we are guilty of sinning against the Holy Spirit.
That brings us to the subject of today’s message. The Bible teaches us
that Christians and non-Christians alike can be guilty of sinning against
the Holy Spirit.
First, let’s consider……….
I. When A Christian Sins Against the Holy Spirit
1. The New Testament mentions two specific sins we
must guard against when it comes to the Holy Spirit.
(A)
Christians must guard against GRIEVING the Holy Spirit.
v. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom
you were sealed for the day of redemption.
We know what it means to grieve don’t we. Most all of
us has grieved over the loss of a loved one. Perhaps
as a parent you have grieved over a son or daughter
who took a sinful path in life.
Remember in our first message in this series we learned
that the Holy Spirit is not an “it.” The Holy Spirit is a
person. He sees, He hears, He thinks, He feels emotion.
And one of those emotions felt by the Holy Spirit is
grief……intense, agonizing sorrow.
What is it that “grieves the Spirit?” SIN! There is no
one more sensitive to sin , especially in the life of a
Christian, than the Holy Spirit.

Why does the Holy Spirit grieve when we sin?
-He grieves because He knows what misery
and sorrow our sinfulness is going to bring upon
us.
-He grieves because He knows the guilt and
shame we will experience because of our sin.
-He grieves because He knows our sin will
incur God’s loving discipline.
-He grieves because He knows how sin disrupts
our sweet fellowship with God.
-He grieves because He knows sin will take away
our appetite for God’s word and to spend time
in prayer.
You see, it is not for HIMSELF the Spirit grieves, but for US.
When you look at vs. 25-32 you see a list of various types
of sins that grieve the Holy Spirit.
a. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we LIE . (v.25)
b. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we sin in ANGER.
(v. 26)
c. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we STEAL. (v.28)
d. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we refuse to
WORK. (v. 28)
e. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we use FILTHY
language. (v. 29)
f. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we are consumed
with BITTERNESS, ANGER, CLAMOR (which
means to be overly demanding) (v. 31)
g. The Holy Spirit is grieved when speak EVIL, which
would include such things as gossip, slander,
and spreading rumors. (v. 31)
h. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we are filled with
MALICE (which is malicious hatred with the intent
to destroy someone’s life or reputation. (v. 31)
i. The Holy Spirit is grieved when we are UNKIND,
UNMERCIFUL, and UN-FORGIVING. (v.32)

It is absolutely amazing when you stop and think about it,
that Almighty God, Who created all things and rules over
this universe desires to be in such a close, intimate
relationship with us, that His Spirit is deeply affected by
our sinful actions.
The next time you and I are tempted to sin, may we be
keenly sensitive to the grief and sorrow we will bring upon
the Holy Spirit if we yield to temptation.
(B)
Christians must also guard against QUENCHING the Holy Spirit.
Please turn with me to I Thessalonians 5:19 (NKJV).
v. 19 “Do not quench the Spirit.”
The word “quench” is used in several ways in our English
language.
1. When we are thirsty and drink a big glass of
ice water or iced tea, we “quench” our thirst.
2. When you have a fire and you throw a bucket of
water on it, you “quench” the fire.
3. Have you ever been in a meeting and someone
brings up a great idea and they are all excited about
it, then someone “throws a wet blanket“ on the whole
idea by saying something negative? That‘s called
“ quenching“ enthusiasm.
4 When a blacksmith heats iron in the fire then sticks
in a bucket of cold water to cool it down that is
called “quenching.”
Think of the Holy Spirit as the “spiritual fire” in your life.
There are two ways in which to put out a fire.
One way is to SMOTHER the fire. When you and I fail to
yield to the Holy Spirit’s leading in our lives it is just
like “throwing a bucket of water or a wet blanket”
on a fire. We “smother” the Holy Spirit’s influence.
We dampen the spiritual fire He is trying to stir within us.

The other way to put out a fire is to STARVE it. Let’s
say you have a fire going in your fireplace or wood-burning
stove. If you don’t keep adding wood to the fire and
stir the coals, eventually that fire is going to die down,
it will be quenched. When we fail to study God’s
word and spend time in prayer we “starve” the
spiritual fire within us. We “quench the Spirit.”
Max Anders gives us this insight on “quenching” the Holy
Spirit.
“The Holy Spirit, in addition to convicting us of sin, also
supernaturally helps us understand the Bible, leads us,
and guides us. The Holy Spirit places a thought or urging
or conviction or sense of “ought-ness” in our minds to do
something good and right. When we respond in faith and
obedience to this work of God, then we are strengthened,
spiritually enlarged, enlightened, and increased in our capacity
to respond to something even greater next time. That is
honoring the Spirit. But when we ignore His leading or
procrastinate, or make excuses, or simply disobey, that
quenches the Holy Spirit.”
(What You Need to Know About the Holy Spirit by Max Anders,
p. 134, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, Copyright 1995 )
Now that we have a better understanding of what it means to GRIEVE
THE HOLY SPIRIT and QUENCH THE HOLY SPIRIT, I pray that you and
I will be extremely sensitive the Spirit’s presence within us and that
you and I will exercise due diligence not to sin against the Holy Spirit.
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Now let’s turn our thoughts to the SINS a non-Christian can commit
against the Holy Spirit.

II.
When Non-Christians Sin Against the Holy Spirit
1. The New Testament reveals two extremely dangerous sins a
non-Christian can commit against the Holy Spirit.
(A)
Non-Christians can RESIST the Holy Spirit.
Turn with me to the Book of Acts, chapter 7.
Shortly before he was stoned to death, Stephen addressed
the Jewish Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. In his address he
rebuked them for their sin of “resisting the Holy Spirit.”
Let’s pick up the record in verses 51-53.……..
Acts 7:51-53 (NKJV) “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in
heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers
did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not
persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the
Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and
murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels
and have not kept it.”
Think back to Jesus’ words in John 16 when He told His
disciples He would send “another Helper.”
John 16:8-11 (NKJV) And when He has come, He will convict
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin,
because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go
to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the
ruler of this world is judged.
The Holy Spirit seeks to speak to the hearts of unbelievers
for the purpose of convicting them of their sinfulness and
lead them to Christ. And yet countless numbers of people
resist the Holy Spirit and refuse to accept Jesus Christ
as Lord and Savior.
How serious of a sin is this? Well consider this; the longer
the non-Christian resists the Holy Spirit the harder and
harder his or her heart grows toward God, thus putting
them in grave risk of never accepting Christ.

All of us have known people who sat in Church and heard
the gospel and wondered to ourselves, “How can they just
stand there during the invitation and not go down the
aisle?” Its not because they don’t know what to do, is it?
It is because they are “resisting the Holy Spirit.”
(B) A non-Christian can BLASPHEME the Holy Spirit.
In three of the four gospels Jesus mentions this sin of all
sins, “the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 12:31–32 (NKJV)
"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but
the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who
speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but
whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either
in this age or in the age to come"
Mark 3:28-30 (NKJV)
Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and
whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal
condemnation—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit”
Luke 12:10 (NKJV)
And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be
forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it
will not be forgiven.
Let’s consider the meaning of the word “blaspheme.”
The word “blaspheme,” “blasphemy” or “blaspheming”
appears some 55 times in the New Testament. It means
“to speak EVIL of” or “to SLANDER that which is HOLY.”
Blasphemy is a SIN of the TONGUE. And Jesus makes that
clear in Matthew 12:32, “Anyone who SPEAKS a word
against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but
whoever SPEAKS against the Holy Spirit, it will not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

Now in order to get an understanding of what Jesus meant
by “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” you have to study those
warnings in the context in which Jesus spoke them.
In Matthew 12 we learn that a demon-possessed man
was brought to Jesus to be healed. After Jesus cast
the demon from this man, the multitude that witnessed
the miracle marveled at Jesus’ supernatural power,
and asked, “Could this be the Son of David?”
When the Pharisees saw the crowd’s reaction to Jesus,
they immediately set out to discredit what Jesus had
just done. They declared that Jesus had cast the demon
from the man by the power of Beelzebub, which is
another name for Satan.
Jesus proceeded to explain that a kingdom divided
against itself could not stand. In other words, if He
was casting demons out by the power of demons, then
He would be defeating Himself. But if He was
casting demons out by the power of the Holy Spirit,
then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
It was at this point Jesus warned the Pharisees of
this “unpardonable sin” called “blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit.”
And in Mark’s account of this warning, verse 30
explains exactly why Jesus issued the warning:
“Because they said, He has an unclean spirit.”
So let’s consider WHAT BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
IS NOT and WHAT BLASPHEMY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS.
(1) What blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is NOT.
Remember “blasphemy” is a sin of the tongue.
Some suggest MURDER is the “unpardonable sin.” Murder
is not a sin of the tongue is it? As awful as murder is, it
is not “the unpardonable sin.” Remember David, arranged
for Uriah to be murdered in battle. After David confessed
his sin and repented of it, the Prophet Nathan said to
David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall
not die” (II Samuel 12:13 NKJV)

Some believe ADULTERY is “the unpardonable sin.” But in
I Corinthians 6:9-11, the apostle Paul lists ten sins the
Corinthian Christians had been forgiven, and one of those sins
on the list was adultery. Adultery is an awful sin, but it is
not “the unpardonable sin.”
Some believe HOMOSEXUALITY is “an unpardonable sin.”
Indeed homosexuality and lesbianism are abominations in
the eyes of God. But included in that list of sins in
I Corinthians 6, that the Corinthian Christians had been
forgiven of, was homosexuality.
Some believe SUICIDE is “an unpardonable sin” because
it is the last act the suicide victim commits and because
he cannot repent of his sin. Remember the only sin Jesus
classified as “unpardonable” was “blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit.” Suicide is not “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.”
The truth is there are many horrendous and heinous sins
we might lie to see added to the list of “unpardonable sins,”
and yet Jesus said there is only one…….ONLY ONE!
(2) What “the unpardonable sin” IS.
Simply put, “the unpardonable sin” is to “attribute the work
of the LORD to the power of the DEVIL.”
It would be the same as saying, “The devil created the
heavens and the earth.” “The devil parted the Red Sea.”
“The devil brought down the wall of Jericho.”
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO “BLASPHEME THE HOLY
SPIRIT” TODAY?
Bible scholars are divided on their answer to that question.
Some say it is NOT possible to “blaspheme the Holy Spirit”
because the circumstances in which Jesus warned the
Pharisees against committing this unpardonable sin do not
exist today, in that Jesus is no longer here in the flesh, but seated
at the right hand of His heavenly Father.
Others believe it is STILL possible to commit this “unpardonable
sin” today, because at the root of this sin is heart that is so
hardened toward the Holy Spirit’s conviction they blatantly
reject the truth just as the Pharisees did.

Regardless of whether it IS or ISN’T POSSIBLE to blaspheme
the Holy Spirit today, you and I have the assurance we have
never committed this sin because we have brought our sins
under the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. The fact that you
would ever be concerned that you may have committed the
unpardonable sin is evidence that you haven’t, because if
you had you would have no sense of conviction at all if you had.
C O N C L U S I O N
My prayer is that God will use this message today to instil in you and
me a greater appreciation of the work the Holy Spirit is trying to do in
our lives and that we would become more keenly aware of those
things we may be doing that are hindering His work in us.
May we guard against doing sinful things that GRIEVE THE HOLY
SPIRIT. May we be conscious that the Holy Spirit is with us everywhere
we go. He sees everything we do. He hears every word we say.
He knows everything we watch and everything we listen to. And
He is deeply, deeply grieved when we do things that dishonor Christ.
And may we guard against QUENCHING THE HOLY SPIRIT. When
He is leading us to spend time studying God’s word and prayer, may
we not brush Him off and find something else to do. When He
is leading us to reach out to someone who is hurting or someone
who is in need or someone who is discouraged, may we not
ignore His leading.
“Spirit Transform Me”
To self I am dying,
Myself I'm denying,
As I am yielding
Myself unto Him.
The Spirit is flowing,
His power bestowing,
As I am yielding
Myself unto Him.
Spirit, transform me
To be like Jesus;
To die to myself
And to live unto Him.
Right now, I sense His holy presence.
I die to self
And live to Him.