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Matthew chapter 12, and we're continuing our study through the book of Matthew, and there's a lot in here, just different things, different subjects it's covering. It starts off here really dealing with the Sabbath day, okay, and I preached the whole sermon on the Sabbath as far as just what it represents and all that type of stuff. What's interesting with this passage and what's being said here is the fact that this is still in the Old Testament, meaning that Jesus is still in the Old Testament when this is going on, okay. So in the New Testament we obviously know that we don't keep the Sabbath and it's done away and it's a picture for a time then present, it's a shadow of good things to come, we know that, but in this passage we're dealing with the fact that it's something that is still instituted, it's still something they were keeping the Sabbath days and keeping the feasts and all that stuff that's going on. But the first thing that we see here actually is them going through the corn field and plucking ears of corn and eating it. So basically the Pharisees are coming up to him and saying, you know, you're working on the Sabbath, and so it's a pretty ridiculous accusation that they're saying, but I want you to go to Deuteronomy chapter 23, and I actually didn't have this in my notes but I was just thinking about it when Brother Anthony was reading, but I'm going to read to you Leviticus 23 as you're turning to Deuteronomy 23. Leviticus 23 verse 22 says, and when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field. When thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest. Thou shalt leave them unto the poor and to the stranger, I am the Lord your God. So this is a biblical practice, this is something that God instituted that basically when you go to glean your field, leave the corners alone and basically just leave it there for the poor and also not to just come back through it again. Basically when you reap it, if you leave something, if you miss something, just let it be because then the poor and the stranger can come in and eat it for the hungry and all that stuff. So but in Deuteronomy 23 and verse 25, notice what it says here, it says, when thou comest into the standing corn of thy neighbor, then thou mayest pluck the ears with thine hand, but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing corn. Okay, so it's basically saying don't go in there with a sickle and start reaping down the harvest in your neighbor's field, okay, but it's basically saying you can go through it and just kind of pluck it with your hands. So whatever you can take with your hands, that's what you're allowed to take and that's exactly what the disciples were doing is they were plucking the ears of corn, they were rubbing it in their hands because if you look at Luke 6, Luke 6 just kind of gives a little more detail on what they were doing when they were doing it. So what they were doing was according to the law, it was, there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, they weren't stealing the corn or anything like that, it's actually exactly what the law would allow. And so in Luke 6 and verse 1 it says, and it came to pass on the second Sabbath after this, the first, that he went through the corn fields and the disciples plucked the ears of corn and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. So they basically were plucking the corn and they were rubbing it, you know, like getting the corn off the cob, I'm sure, and then eating it, okay. So that's basically what they were doing. And so the Pharisees, of course they're always trying to find some reason to get, you know, to catch Jesus in his words or find something that he's doing wrong. And so they are basically saying, you know, why don't you keep the Sabbath, you know, it says in verse 2, it says, but when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the Sabbath day. Okay, so this is where Jesus is going to rebuke them because he's going to give two different examples as far as in the Old Testament where they profaned the Sabbath and it was okay, they were blameless, okay. So what this is showing is that in the Old Testament, there were cases where, you know, if you didn't keep the Sabbath, it was okay. That's what he's explaining here. And he's talking about David, it says in verse 3, but he said unto them, have you not read what David did when he was in hunger and they that were with him, how he entered into the house of God and did eat the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him but only for the priests. So at first he's going to show you an example of David who his men were starving, you know, they were hungry and all they had was the showbread and he was blameless to eat it. Why? Because, you know, all this stuff is for a picture but in the end, your life means more than the picture that it's representing. Does that make sense? He's going to get into that later, you know, he's going to hit that again because they're on him again. And this is something that constantly happens in the New Testament is they're getting on Jesus for doing good things on the Sabbath day. And they're constantly just trying to say, you know, you did this on the Sabbath day, healed this guy on the Sabbath day, and that's all they could find on him is that, you know, he healed somebody or did some miracle on the Sabbath day. And so, but he's showing you that, hey, you know, David, when him and his men were hungry, he was blameless to eat that showbread, which typically would not be lawful for him to do. And so you kind of think of emergency situations, you think of like the fact of nakedness, you know, nakedness is wrong, you know, the loins to the thighs, right? But if you're in an emergency situation and if, you know, like if I'm saving somebody from a fire or I'm saving somebody from getting eaten by a shark, you know, or something like that, you know, the typical situations that you'd run into, you know, you're not going to care about modesty at that point. Does that make sense? You're not going to care about nakedness, you're not going to care, you know, if someone goes into the ER and they have to rip all the clothes off, it's like, whatever you got to do. Does that make sense? So you're dealing with basically a situation where it's about your life. And so it's not a matter of you just not wanting to keep the commandment. And I talked about, you know, the guy that picked up sticks in the Old Testament and he was put to death. What you got to understand too is that that was probably a presumptuous sin too, meaning that he willingly was going against the Sabbath. And it talks about the presumptuous sins, whether there's no more sacrifice for sins or if you sin willfully. And so there's obviously a harsher punishment on that. And so, but Jesus is giving an example. So first he gives an example of someone that's actually hungry, which is exactly what they're dealing with, right? They're hungry and they're picking the corn. But then he also gives, he gives an example of the priest. Now this happens every Sabbath day that the priests are profaning the Sabbath. And you say, well, you know, they weren't really profaning, Jesus said they were profaning the Sabbath. Okay. So this is out of the mouth of your Savior that's saying it in verse five, it says, or have you not read in the law how that on the Sabbath days, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless. And I say unto you that in this place is one greater than the temple. So they're basically, did they not realize it? And you say, well, what, how are they profaning the Sabbath on the, or how are they profaning the Sabbath, you know, and all this other stuff because they're doing the ministry of the temple. Okay. So in, go to Numbers chapter 28, they were doing, they had to do a sacrifice on every Sabbath day. That's why this Hebrew roots movement doesn't work out because you'd have to start doing sacrifices and drink offerings and all this stuff every single Sabbath day to really keep the Sabbath. And so it obviously doesn't pan out and that's why it's done away because the old temple's done away. And so all that's done. The Sabbath day was established in the Old Testament. Before the Old Testament and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's day, they did not keep the Sabbath day. It was not a statute. Now, obviously it represents the seventh day of creation and all that. So I've gone, I already went into what it represents. But in Numbers 28 verse nine, it says, and on the Sabbath day, two lambs of the first year without spot and two tenths deals of flour for a meat offering mingled with oil and the drink offering thereof. This is the burnt offering of every Sabbath beside the continual burnt offering and his drink offering. So not only did they do a certain offering on the Sabbath day, they had the daily sacrifice that was still going to be done on that day as well. So what is he saying? Listen, the priests are working on the Sabbath day and they're blameless and they are profaning the Sabbath. OK, so he's showing, hey, listen, you don't have validity in what you're saying because they're basically saying no one should do anything on the Sabbath day. And at the moment that he's saying that, the priests are over there in the temple doing the sacrifices, right? And so he's making a point saying, hey, they're profaning the Sabbath every Sabbath day by doing these sacrifices, by doing the ministry of the temple. And so how much more is the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, how much more is he able to heal somebody or eat something when they're hungry, right? And then he goes on and says in verse 7, it says, but if you knew or if you had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the guiltless. So he's saying that you've condemned them wrongly. Basically you're condemning my disciples for eating corn and they're guiltless. They're blameless. But you could say they profaned the Sabbath, I guess, if you were going to say like they ate something or they rubbed it in their hands, right? Because it's not that they couldn't eat on the Sabbath day, right? They just weren't supposed to be reaping or anything like that. Now even if you were to take it to the full extent of the law, were they reaping? Not according to Deuteronomy 23, 25, because according to that, it says don't put your sickle in to reap. So by plucking it with your hands, you're technically not even reaping, okay? So if you want to take it that far, they weren't even doing that. Now Jesus, the Bible says, the Bible, the narrator of the Bible says that Jesus broke the Sabbath. And Jesus doesn't sin. Jesus is sinless, in him is no sin, now there was guile found in his mouth. Now if you go to John chapter 5, John chapter 5, because it says in Matthew 12, 8, it says for the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. So but I want to show you explicitly where the Bible says that he profaned it. Because they'll say, you know, you're breaking the Sabbath, and you can say, well, that's them saying that he didn't really break it. They're just thinking he broke it. Does that make sense? And you can kind of use that logic. But he really did break the Sabbath. But he was blameless. Just like his disciples were, just like David was, just like the priests were every single Sabbath day. They were guiltless. They were blameless. Because there's a legitimate reason why he wasn't keeping it, okay? Now in John chapter 5, verse 18, it says, therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him. Now this is the narrator speaking. Because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father making himself equal with God. So the narrator's saying he's making himself equal with God. The narrator's saying he broke the Sabbath. But he's blameless. He's guiltless. Just like all the rest that he gave an example of. Mark 2 and verse 27. Mark 2 and verse 27. I just want you to see this about the Sabbath day. Because this is something that the Pharisees are doing constantly, where they're nitpicking at a lot of things, and they're missing the big picture, right? They're dealing with tithing and all this stuff, and they're missing the whole picture of salvation. They're missing the whole picture of what everything was representing or anything like that, or what the purpose of it was, right? And they're focusing on the wrong thing. Now in Mark chapter 2 and verse 27, it says, and he said unto them, the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath. So what's he saying there? He's basically saying the Sabbath was given to man. Think about what the Sabbath was. It was a day of rest. Six days shall man work, and then on the seventh day, he shall rest. He's giving them that rest. He's basically saying don't work, rest. And so rest is not a bad thing. Now why was God so strict with the Sabbath as far as the penalty for not keeping the Sabbath? Because of what it represented. Because it represents salvation. Because it also represents what God did at the beginning of the world, that he did all the works in the first six days, and then he didn't do any work on that seventh day. So what does it represent? That's why it was so strict. But why did he give them that rest? It's for man, not the other way around. It's not like man is supposed to be serving the Sabbath day. The Sabbath day is pretty much serving man, meaning that it's helping you out. So he's kind of telling you, it's like I gave you this to help you out, and now you're like basically trying to throw it in my face like I'm breaking God's commandment. Does that make sense? And so it's not like Jesus is just saying, you know, I'm just going to start plowing the fields. I'm going to start doing all this stuff on the Sabbath day. It's not what he's saying. What you're dealing with is someone being hungry or someone needing saved, right? That all these cases, you're dealing with someone getting saved from some illness or being saved from their sins or, you know, someone's hungry. You know, you're not dealing with a case where he's just like, you know what, nuts to the Sabbath day, we're just going to start, you know, doing a whole bunch of labor on this day. Okay, so I hope that makes sense with what's going on here, but he's going to get obviously into it again because he's going to heal a man, and they don't want that, okay? And Matthew 12 verse 9, it says, and when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue and behold, there was a man which had his hand withered and they asked him saying, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath days that they might accuse him? So just notice the wickedness of their minds here. This guy, you know, they know that Jesus is about to heal this guy, and it's not even that they think that he's not going to heal him, right? They're like, is it lawful because they're wanting to see if he's going to heal him, right? If you didn't think that he was going to heal him, why would you even ask him that, right? You'd just be like, yeah, you're not going to be able to heal him, so we have no chance of accusing you in this anyway. So the wickedness that's in this, they don't care whether this guy's healed, they don't care whether Jesus can actually heal him, all they care about is they want to have something to accuse him of so that they can destroy him. And as it goes on there, it says in verse 11, it says, and he said unto them, what man shall there be among you that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the Sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the Sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, stretch forth thine hand, and he stretched it forth, and it was restored whole like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. Now just think about this, Jesus, we know that he's God. You know what this means is that it's well to do good on the Sabbath day. It's okay to do well, it's lawful to break the Sabbath in doing well, meaning that if it was a Sabbath day and someone needed saved from a situation and I have to go get in my car, I have to go do this, I have to go get something, I have to go literally climb down a mountain to get somebody and save somebody, that that is lawful. Think about it, that'd be like, no, I can't do it on Sabbath, they're just going to have to die. That's the example he's giving here is that if a sheep, you do it for a sheep, how much better is a man? It also shows you too that when he calls a sheep, he's just giving an example. He's not saying we're actual sheep, you know, like that when he gives examples of animals and stuff like that, he's giving an example for a reason of what sheep do and, you know, shepherd, sheep, that relationship, but, you know, how much better is a man than a sheep, right? As far as, you know, you think about the sparrows and how much more value are we than many sparrows and so he's saying, you'll do that for a sheep and he's basically, you're being hypocritical here that you would go and he's pointing out that he probably knows that they've all done that, that they've all had to save an animal or do something like that on the Sabbath day, but they're going to get angry at him for healing a man on the Sabbath day. And so, but it's interesting because Mark chapter 3 gives us a little more information about Jesus on this, dealing with what he says to them, because in this passage he talks about, you know, if a sheep, one sheep goes astray and falls into a pit, you know, you'll say that person, well, in Mark chapter 3 and verse 4, it says, and he saith unto them, is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days or to do evil, to save life or to kill, but they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being greed for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, stretch forth thine hand and he stretched it out and his hand was restored whole as the other. So in that case, you see that he's angry. He's angry at these Pharisees. He's angry at all these people for having such hardness of hearts, to be so hard-hearted to say, I'm going to try to accuse this man of breaking the Sabbath so that he won't heal this man. And so Jesus is angry and listen, being angry is not a sin. Now it definitely can be. It says to be angry and sin not, but God is angry with the wicked every day, so therefore anger is not a sin all the time. Now it can be. Obviously, if you're angry with your brother without a cause, that's a sin, but you can have righteous indignation. You can have righteous anger. If God can be angry with the wicked every day, I can be angry with the wicked every day, right? And so there's righteous things to be, I can be angry if someone would not want someone to be healed from a sickness. I can be angry about that because God's angry about that because Jesus is angry about that. And so, but as we go on with the story here, Jesus leaves the synagogue and all that. And it says in verse 15, it says, but when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence and great multitudes followed him and he healed them all. Now this is one of those things where you'll miss it if you just keep, if you read fast through here. Great multitudes followed him and he healed them all. He healed the whole multitude. Everybody that needed healed and that multitude was healed. Think about that. We don't know what the number was there, but this isn't like a mainstream story where he's feeding the 5,000 or all this other stuff. We had the one where he healed a woman with a 12-year affirmity of the issue of blood and all these different things. He was healing all the people there, but here it just, oh, by the way, he healed all them. It's kind of like you got to slow down sometimes and see every word and really just kind of sit there and just think about that, that the multitudes followed him and he healed every single one of them. He healed them all. And then it says in verse 16, and charged them that it should not make him known that it might be fulfilled. Now remember when I was talking about the fact of where he'd say, you know, go and see thou tell no man. And you'd be like, why is he saying that? And remember I was talking about how like in Mark, we went to Mark where it was saying, you know, he told him that because the multitude would throng him and he'd have to go out into the desert and he'd have to basically come out of the city because, you know, just everybody would be coming at him because they all want healed or whatever, right? And so there's obviously that reason, but here it's very clear that he's telling you why he doesn't want to be known. Now it does, it relates to that, obviously. It's all in the same thing, but he's going to quote a scripture in Isaiah. So it says that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet saying. So this is why he's quoting the scripture, does that make sense? He's quoting it because he's saying, don't, I don't want to be known, I don't want to be popular, I don't want to be famous, does that make sense? I don't want to be famous among everybody because of this. And he's going to quote the scripture and it says in verse 18, behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break and smoking flax shall he not quench till he send forth judgment on the victory and in his name shall the Gentiles trust. So what we have here is we have, he's not a street preacher. He's not, basically not coming in there just riling everybody up in the city and trying to make him, he's a man of no reputation the Bible says in Philippians. And so we saw that with the fact of why he's doing that. But this scripture, he's explaining what the scripture is even talking about. Does that make sense? So when it says that he shall not cry, he shall not strive nor cry, neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets, that's why. That's why that scripture was written, that's what that prophecy is even about and the fact that he's going to be a man of no reputation and he doesn't want to be famous at that point. In his earthly ministry, he's supposed to be a servant, he's ministering under people, he's not getting all the glory at this point. And even before he goes to the cross, he's saying glorify thy son with the glory which I had. So later on he's going to be glorified after his resurrection. But at this point, he's made a little lower in the angels, he's humbled, he's meek, low and he's just a servant trying to do his work and he doesn't want to be glorified or set up on a pedestal. And they're constantly trying to make him a king. So they're trying to make him a king and he has to leave. And so that's what this verse is even talking about. Now in Isaiah 42, it says pretty much the same thing. But if you just want to look there, I just want you to see some synonymous words here. It talks about whom I have chosen in Matthew chapter 12 and in Isaiah 42, 1 it says, behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect. So this is pretty simple right though, but when you elect somebody, you're choosing them. So when it says chosen, we're a chosen generation, what are we? We're an elect generation. Or if we're elect according to the foreknowledge of God, what are we? We're chosen according to the foreknowledge of God. So those terms are interchangeable. And so it means the same exact thing, it's just a synonym. And so just to see what that's talking about. Or you can think of like selecting something, right? You select the president by elect, you know, he's elected but you selected him by casting your vote or whatever, right? And so select, elect, chosen, right, that all works together. Now the interesting thing about this, and you'll see this with, in the New Testament where sometimes it'll link a couple passages, and I kind of talked about this a little bit where we're dealing with, out of the mouths of babes and sucklings, thou has perfected praise. Well, when you look back at that verse, it says, thou hath ordained strength, but then you look at another passage where it's talking about the same thing, and then it talks about strength and praise, okay, and it kind of links two passages together. When he quotes it in the New Testament, he's putting two together. And so you won't see that phrase when you're looking at Isaiah 42, you won't see the phrase and in his name shall the Gentiles trust. That actually comes in another place in Isaiah. So Isaiah said it, okay, but it's not in the same exact spot. Now in Romans 15, just to show you that clearly this is the same thing that's being said, it's going to be in Isaiah 11, but in Romans chapter 15 and verse 12, I just think it's always interesting to look back at where this stuff is written and just seeing how it all works and all that, but also showing you too that Isaiah 42 is talking about the same thing that Isaiah 11 is talking about and how it's all linked together, and this kind of proves that it's linked together. I think most people would know that Isaiah 11 is talking about Jesus, okay, he's talking about the branch and all this stuff, and on him the seven spirits of God are upon him in that chapter and all this. But in Romans chapter 15 verse 12 it says, and again Isaiah said, there shall be a root of Jesse and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust. So that's what Jesus was saying in Matthew chapter 12 is in his name shall the Gentiles trust. Well, this actually goes back to Isaiah 11. So Isaiah 11, the reason I took you to Romans 15 is because it's very clear, you get that portion where it says the root of Jesse. So that helps you find it because that phrase in him shall the Gentiles trust, it isn't really worded that way in the Old Testament. I believe it's talking about the same thing, I believe it means the same thing. It's kind of like when it says he that believeth on him shall not be ashamed, well where that's quoted it says shall not make haste. But in the New Testament it'll actually quote it two different ways. Now I believe it's synonymous, right, but it'll say shall not be confounded, shall not be ashamed, and in the Old Testament it says shall not make haste. So when you look at this, Romans 15, 12 really helps you to know where this is found at because you see that root of Jesse. So Isaiah 11 or verse 12, Isaiah 11 verse 12 it says and in that day there shall be a root of Jesse which shall stand for an ensign of the people. To it shall the Gentiles seek and his rest shall be glorious. So it gives you a little more information because obviously, you know, if we trust in him we'll have rest, right, because we're putting our faith in him, he's going to give us eternal life, and so but it's worded a little differently there. But it's interesting though how Matthew 12, how it links Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 11 right next to each other. Just something interesting and something to maybe look for when you're looking at quotations in the Bible when they pull it in because I believe, one thing that I believe that's doing is showing you that Isaiah 42 and Isaiah 11 are talking about the same thing, right. And so the New Testament's always the clearest and it always just, it's giving you the key to the Old Testament and how everything works. So anyway, back to Matthew chapter 12, there's a lot of stuff here so I know I'm kind of running fast. I could write, I could do a whole sermon on each one of these passages to be honest with you. And some of these things I have already done sermons on and when I get to Matthew chapter 13, honestly some of the parables that I've already done whole sermons on I'm going to go pretty quick through that and get to the stuff that I didn't get to, okay. And so if you miss those sermons on those then I'll point you back to it. You can look at them in depth but some of these passages I just won't be able to go that deep because the chapters are just too long. Matthew chapter 12 and verse 22, this is going to be dealing with the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Okay, so in verse 22, so I just want to read this whole thing just so you kind of see what's going on here. In verse 22 it says, Then was brought unto him one possessed with the devil, blind and dumb, and he healed him insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed and said, Is not this the son of David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself, how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house? He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men, and the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 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. So this is a passage where you have to really come to terms with the reprobate doctrine honestly and the fact that to really answer this adequately you have to understand that this is talking about something that someone can do to where they won't have forgiveness in this life or the world to come meaning that they are done. Now this starts off with Jesus basically healing this man of this devil and this man was possessed with the devil, he was blind, he was dumb, and he was healed. And just so you know, and I try not to be insensitive to people and stuff like that, but if you ever, like I've said the word retarded sometimes, I'm not talking about people that have real mental illnesses that they can't help it. Retarded really means just slow, you think even in music that you use that term you use to slow down, but you think of the term dumb, we call people dumb, are we making fun of people that can't speak? And so people get too far with that type of stuff and you're just like oh you're being too insensitive, I'm not talking about those people, I'm talking about how these people have mental illnesses. I'm talking about these people are dumb, they're slow in the mind and it's not because of biological reasons just because they're dumb on purpose, they're willingly ignorant. And so anyway, that's a side note, but what we see here is that the Pharisees are saying he's casting out devils by Beelzebub, the prince of the devils, so Beelzebub would be Satan, the devil, Lucifer, the dragon if you will. And so he's the prince of the devils. And so they're saying that he's casting him out by that. So you can definitely see why he's talking about the Holy Ghost or blaspheming the Holy Ghost. Now in Mark chapter 3, Mark chapter 3 will explicitly say what it means by blaspheming against the Holy Ghost. Now you can get that from Matthew 12 meaning that you can infer that, but Mark unequivocally tells you why. So it's going to say they blaspheme against the Holy Ghost because, and it will tell you exactly why. So Mark 3 and verse 28, Mark 3 and verse 28 says, verily I say unto you, all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewithsoever they shall blaspheme. But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation, because they said he hath an unclean spirit. So why are they being accused of blaspheming against the Holy Ghost? Because they're saying that the Holy Ghost isn't God. They're saying the Holy Ghost is the devil. So you can kind of link these two. It's not just saying an unclean spirit like as far as like just any devil. They're saying it's the devil. That it's literally the dragon, you know, Lucifer. That's who he's casting out these devils by. And so that's the blaspheming against the Holy Ghost and you say, well, you know, can they do that today? You know, I'm not, you know, obviously people will become reprobate. But Jesus isn't here on the earth physically, you know, casting out devils like that right now. So I don't know if this is something that can still happen, like that exact thing can still happen. You know what I mean? Maybe this was something special that special, you know, something that was specific to that time, meaning that to whom much is given, much is required. And if you think about the fact that you think about it now, we're living purely by faith, right? Not by sight. We don't have Jesus here where we can handle him and see him. And so it could have been a little more extreme as far as the consequences for rejecting him. And he's going to get into that actually, as far as the generation that rejects him. So you know, I'm not dogmatic on that. I wouldn't say I wouldn't just dogmatically say no one can blaspheme the Holy Ghost anymore. But it could be that that was just for when he was here in this ministry and the Holy he was, you know, the Holy Ghost was upon him, you know, and he was filled with the spirit and he was casting out devils and, and that's, you know, what they did there. We do know that people can be blotted out by taking away and adding to the Word of God. We know that if you take the mark of the beast, you'll be blotted out. We know that you can become a reprobate and all this other stuff. So that's still valid. But what I'm saying is I'm not sure if this was something special to that time, or if this is something that people could still blaspheme the Holy Ghost. Obviously this isn't something that a saved person can do, right? You know, we're dealing with unsaved people that would be able to do this. So this is something that we cannot commit. We can grieve the Holy Ghost, but we can't blaspheme the Holy Ghost, right? The Holy Ghost is living inside of us. We're sealed unto the day of redemption by that, by that same spirit. And so, but, but notice that he says in verse 28, but if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, so you can see exactly what's going on here. They're saying he's casting out devils by Satan himself and, and he's actually casting them out by the Spirit of God. So that's why they're blaspheming the Holy Ghost in this case here. And, and you think about this, this verse and because he's given an example, he's saying that doesn't make any sense, right? They're saying you're doing it by the devil. And it'd be like, why would he be doing that? Right? You know, why would he be casting out his own people, you know, like his own minions, right? And so it does, it makes, it makes logical sense. He's just like, that doesn't make any sense, right? He's just breaking down his own kingdom if he's casting out these devils, right? And so, but he's also saying, you know, you need a stronger man to take out the person that you're going to cast out the house, right? So like, if you're going to go and steal something and there's a man in the house, you need to first bind him before he can spoil the house. Think about this verse in 1 John 4, 1 John 4 says, ye are of God, little children, never overcome the world, because greater is he that is in you than he is in the world. And so obviously, he's by the Spirit of God, you know, and in context, this is talking about, you know, hereby know ye the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God. And it talks about the spirit of Antichrist, which is already in the world. So it's talking about unclean spirits and then the Spirit of God, and he's saying, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. So the Holy Ghost is more powerful than any devil out there, and the Holy Ghost is able to bind and throw out any spirit that's in there, okay. And so that verse shows you also that we can't be possessed by devils or the devil, because greater is he that is in you than he is in the world. There's no way that the devil is going to overpower the Holy Ghost. Praise God for that, right? But we have the God Almighty inside of us, so nothing's going to touch us. So but going on, and we're going to get back to this a little bit, because it's kind of come back to dealing with being possessed with unclean spirits. And this all really ties together, actually, because then he's going to get into this generation. He's condemning this generation that he's with there. And so in Matthew chapter 12 and verse 33, it says, 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. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 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. But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. So he's given this example, we saw this a little bit in Matthew chapter 7, and I kind of went back to this and looked at this as far as you shall know them by their fruits. So fruit obviously isn't doctrine, fruit isn't what you're saying necessarily. Fruit is the product of you. We kind of already covered this. So what we're dealing with here is we're dealing with two aspects of a false prophet. One is their fruit. What are they producing? And so it's talking about a good tree or an evil tree. And what you're dealing with both of these are people that produce something, right? So you're not dealing with a tree that's not producing anything, right? You're dealing with a fruitful good tree and a fruitful bad tree, right? And so you're dealing with two extremes, okay? You're not dealing with just the unsaved. You're dealing with, you know, saved soul winners over here that you're going to see their fruit as far as their souls that they're getting saved, and then you're going to see the evil tree over here who's making a whole bunch of proselytes, making a bunch of children of the devil, okay? And I already covered this a little bit, or I covered this back in Matthew chapter 7. But then he gets into this with the fact of out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. Now, I believe this is different than the fruits. I don't believe when it says, like, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. It's kind of like, it's a little different. It's kind of like the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, right, and he that win his souls is wise. So what's the fruit of the righteous? A soul that's won to the Lord, right? But then you have the fruit of the lips. That's different, right? Fruit of the lips is praise or being thankful and stuff like that. So fruit is just the product of something, right? So what is this the product? The product of the heart. So this is different. But, you know, it's similar. So I can see why people meld these, okay, and say, well, this is the same thing, therefore, you know, if you speak evil things, then, you know, then you're a false prophet or something like that. It's like, listen, everybody can be in the flesh and say something wrong or say something bad. Maybe I made mistakes and said something wrong from the pulpit by mistake. Or maybe I was just wrong about something. And so this can't be the aspect of well, because it says that a good tree cannot bring forth corrupt fruit. So knowing that we know that, hey, this that has to be talking about what you're bringing forth as far as a soul won, or whether you're bringing forth like a child of the devil. But this is interesting, because what I believe this is dealing with is dealing with sons of God and children of the devil. And it's dealing with what's inside of them, meaning like a child of God, we have the inner man, which in the inner man, go to 1 John chapter three, 1 John chapter three, and this is a little deep, but I do want to explain what it's saying here out of the abundance of the heart, meaning that it's not saying that everything they say, like every word that they say is wrong. What it comes out to is the fact that it's going to be like word bomb, it's going to come out. It's kind of like someone that's not good at lying or someone that's just good at heart, meaning that they end up speaking the truth, and the truth just comes out. Does that make sense? You're trying to lie, and you just can't do it, and you're just like, I can't do it anymore. I got to tell you the truth. I just got to level with you, whereas someone with an evil heart, that's all that's coming out is just evil all the time. I want you to look at this, in 1 John chapter three and verse nine, it says, Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. A child of God in their soul, in their spirit, there's no guile, there's no sin. It says in verse 10, In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. What you get into here is, how do you manifest yourself as a child of God? You walk in the spirit, does that make sense? And in the spirit, everything is sinless, everything is pure and holy, but you can also walk in the flesh. Think about this, a reprobate, they have the same flesh we have, right? But their soul is darkened, their soul is completely wicked, does that make sense? It's full of all unrighteousness. So it's the polar opposite, and so out of the abundance of their soul, so to speak, that's being corrupted, it's going to proceed forth evil things, whereas over here, someone that's saved, you know, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth, speak it as far as your soul, your inner man is righteous, it's going to proceed forth good things, does that make sense? And so, we're not dealing with just unsaved people though, because an unsaved person is dead and trespasses and sins, and their body is, you know, is in sin as well, but they're not reprobate, okay? And so, look at Titus chapter 1, Titus chapter 1, and so I just want to explain this a little bit. I think everybody can kind of just understand on the surface that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, meaning that it's just going to come out what they really believe, you know what I mean? And they can hide it all they want, they can kind of, you know, mask it, but eventually they're just going to come out and say what they believe, and it's like that queer sodomite that was up on the council, and he just said, hey, we're just trying to groom the next generation, and it's just like, oh, just vomited that out, and he probably looked that back later, all that probably wasn't smart to say, but out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh, does that make sense? And so, you tend to, down in your core, what you believe and who you truly are, tends to come out whether you like it or not, and that's what it's kind of talking about, I believe. But in Titus chapter 1 and verse 15, it says, unto the pure, all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled, they profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable and disobedient unto every good work, reprobate. Now where people get off with their tracks on this is where they think, well, if you're saved, you're always going to do right, you know, you're always going to do good works. No, only if you're walking in a new man. Because again, we're talking about in this, the children of God are manifest, right? Your body's not a child of God yet. We're waiting for the redemption of the body, the manifestation of the sons of God physically, but if you decide to walk in the flesh, guess what? You're not walking as a child of God. Now your soul is still a child of God, does that make sense? It's just not showing. You're basically putting your light under a bushel and you're hiding it. Manifest means to show it, and manifest doesn't mean that it's like it just came to be, right? It'd be kind of like if I had a curtain over this pulpit right here and then I pulled the curtain away, I manifested it unto you. Does that mean that it wasn't there before? Does it mean it just appeared as soon as I took that curtain away? No, it was always there, it's just that you're hiding it, okay? So look at your flesh as far as it's hiding who you truly are, does that make sense? I believe this passage is basically stating that it's going to show forth as far as out of the bunches of the heart, the mouth speaketh. I believe it's going to show forth on doctrine, meaning what you believe, okay? And listen, when we go out soul winning, what do we go off of if we're trying to figure out whether someone's saved or not by what they say? Now that only goes so far because people can lie to you, but you and I know that if someone's like, oh, you know, I believe like you do, and you keep pressing them, you keep pressing them, keep pressing them, especially when you're dealing with the Calvinists and the Perseverance and the Saints and all this other stuff, and they're just like, well, you can't just do whatever you want, and you just broke them, you know? But what is that? Out of the bunches of the heart, the mouth speaketh, because what they truly believe will come out, okay? And so, and it's the same thing with a saved person, let's say you were, someone's pressing you on something, let's say you get down to the point where someone's trying to kill you or something like that, and they keep pushing you, and you're like, you know what, Jesus Christ is Lord, put that pipe in your pipe and smoke it, you know, like it's just gonna come out, you know, probably to the point where they keep pushing you, keep pushing you, keep pushing you that you just can't help but say it. And anyway, I'm not saying that someone can't recant Christ as a believer, and I'm not saying that just because someone says the right thing over here that that makes them saved, but what I'm saying is this is a tool that we even use, right, as far as out-soul winning, as far as trying to figure out what's really in their heart, what do they really believe, and I do believe when you press people on that and you give them those questions, this applies, that they're gonna, they're gonna reveal who they really are. And you know those people that are probably reprobate, and then they're like trying to give you lip service and all this stuff, and then you keep pressing, you keep quoting the Bible, and then you're just like, get out of my face, you know, and then it just comes out that they hate God. And so, anyway, I had some other verses on that, but I don't wanna get too deep with that, meaning that just dealing with the old man, new man, and you know, as far as being justified by your words and all that stuff, that's all we can really go off of, right? You know, you gotta look at what we can see. Jesus knew their thoughts, okay, we don't. So it's really, we're looking at this, okay, well we see what they're producing, but you're not always gonna see that, right, because not everybody that's unsafe, you know, not everybody that's a reprobate is necessarily producing fruit, they're maybe without fruit, you know, and all this other stuff, but you can go off what they say, and you can judge off that, and out of the bunks of the heart. And a lot of times, people are like, well I heard Joel Steen say that, you know, it's by faith alone. Yeah, well I heard him over here say you gotta repent of your sins, okay, so just because they say something right over here doesn't mean that their doctrine's right, and so out of the bunks of the heart, the mouth's speaking, you gotta take it collectively, and look at all that. So, if I go back to Matthew chapter 12, Matthew chapter 12 and verse 38, now Jesus is gonna really rip on this generation, in Matthew chapter 12 and verse 38 it says, then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 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. So notice that, they're saying, we want to see a sign, you know, we want to see something, isn't that today? You know, if I just saw God do something, I would believe it. No, you need to believe by faith. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. It's by faith, not by sight. Notice that, you know, we would see a sign, and so that's what the world wants, but what did Jesus say about that? An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign. And then he says, you know, the only sign you're gonna get is the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he's explaining that, it says in verse 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. Now there's another place in the Bible where it quotes us and he says, there shall no sign be given you. And it doesn't even say this about Jonah. Now the reason I believe that's the case is because not everybody saw Jesus' resurrection state, and not everybody actually saw that happen. So meaning that there's a mixed multitude you're dealing with here. Meaning that the only sign this generation's getting is the sign of the prophet Jonah, because some of that generation did believe on Christ, and they're actually gonna see the fact that he rose from the dead. But most of that generation isn't gonna see that sign. Does that make sense? And so, but that's the only sign he's giving them, is the death-bound resurrection. And so, and I already preached a whole sermon about Jesus, you know, his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did seek corruption. This verse not only proves that Jesus was in hell for three days and three nights, but it also proves that the earth is so severe. Well, I kind of like that, right? So I think this is a great verse to show that the earth is not flat, because, you know, a disk showed me the heart of that. You know, it doesn't make sense. So anyway, going on with the verses here, it says in verse 41, Then 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. 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. So notice that Jesus is constantly saying, listen, I'm greater than the temple. I'm greater than the Sabbath. I'm greater than Jonas. I'm greater than Solomon. And all of that is true. And they hated him for it. You know, they did not like that he was saying this to them. But he's greater than all of that. How much more accountable are they for rejecting him? And so that's why he's saying, you know, that they're gonna, they're gonna rise up in judgment and be like, why didn't you repent? You had the Son of God preaching to you. We just had Jonas. We just had Jonah. You know, and the queen of the south just had Solomon. Now obviously those are great, you know, prophets and, you know, a great king, Solomon, who's very wise. But Jesus is greater than all of them. And so he's given, he's basically rebuking them, saying, listen, you know, they're gonna rise up in judgment against you for you not doing this. And so, but then he likens this generation to basically a man being repossessed with a devil, with devils, okay. So he's coming full circle, meaning that he was talking about a man that he healed from being possessed with a devil. And remember the whole thing with them, saying it was by Beelzebub and it wasn't by the Spirit of God. Then he's rebuking that generation, right, because they're seeking after a sign and he's saying you're an evil and adulterous generation. And now he's gonna give them a picture of what this generation's like, okay. So you may wonder, like, why in the world is all of a sudden he's talking about this man that had an unclean spirit and he's going through this because it's, it comes full circle because in the last, in verse 45 at the very end, it says, even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. So it's all packaged in there. He's just giving an example so you can understand what's going on. In verse 43, it says, when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return unto my house from whence I came out, and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished, then goeth he, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and then enter, 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. Think about the picture here. Jesus is over there casting out devils constantly in the land of Israel and they reject him and kill him, okay, and he's given this example of this man that gets the devil taken out of him, you know, taking, an unclean spirit is taken out of him, but notice that it says in verse 44, it says, he findeth it empty. So when the unclean spirit came back, the man, you got to imagine that when he sent this house, it's talking about his body, and it findeth it empty, what would that represent? The absence of the Holy Ghost, meaning this person is not saved, right? So the unclean spirit was cast out of him, but he didn't get saved, right? So this miracle was done, he didn't get saved though, he didn't believe on Christ, and then he comes back, the Holy Ghost isn't there, and then the last state is worse with that man than the first, and there's a great parallel to this, go to 2 Peter chapter 2, it's interesting because we were just talking about corrupt trees, and what is 2 Peter chapter 2 talking about? False prophets, false teachers, beware of false prophets, you shall know them by their fruits. See how it's all linked together, it's not like this is just sporadic and he's just throwing stuff at the wall here, it's all linked as far as what he's trying to get across. In 2 Peter chapter 2 and verse 17, it says, these are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever, for when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure to the lusts of the flesh through much wantonness, those that were clean escape from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption, for of whom a man is overcome of the same as he brought in bondage. Notice this in verse 20, for if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, there's where you can think about the devil was cast out of this man, he was possessed but the unclean spirit came out of the man, they are again entangled therein and overcome, this is where the seven spirits are coming back into the man, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. The last day of that man is worse than the first. And it says, for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it happened unto them, according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again in the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. See how this perfectly parallels with what he's dealing with, only he's dealing with the whole generation. Tell me again that Israel is God's chosen people, that he's just going to bless forever. He's saying that that generation, the last state of them is going to be worse than the beginning and he's basically saying this is a reprobate nation. Why? Because he's casting off that nation, he's going to completely demolish that nation, he blinded that nation, and we haven't even got started my friends, with all the scripture about how God's going to replace them, how God's going to cast them off. We haven't got to the fig tree being withered, we haven't got to the vineyard where he comes to the vineyard and it says the kingdom of God should be taken away from you and given to the nation bringing forth the fruits thereof and just constantly over and over again. How did Matthew 3, what was Matthew 3 talking about? The ax is laid to the root of the tree and talking about the tree being cast into the fire. What are we dealing with in this chapter? What we're dealing with, you shall know them by the fruits, the tree is known by its fruit, generation of vipers, and this generation state is going to be, the last state of this generation is worse than the beginning. And so you can kind of see why he's going into that with, he's not just randomly telling you this story about this man with an unclean spirit and then 7 coming back into him, he's showing you that because in 2 Peter chapter 2, what are you dealing with, the fact that it had been better for them not to know the way of righteousness. But here's the key, they knew it, that's why it's so bad, they knew it, a greater than Jonas was there, a greater than Solomon was there, a greater, you know someone that was greater than the temple, than the Sabbath, you know it's the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God was there and they knew what it took to get to heaven, they knew who he was and they rejected, they turned from the holy commandment and delivered unto them. And you know, they're like the dog turning to his vomit again, or the sow that was washed to her, wallowing in the mire. So the last part I want to show you here obviously is the last few verses here in the chapter of Matthew chapter 12, it's Matthew chapter 12 verse 46, it says, while he yet talked to the people, behold his mother and his brethren stood without desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, who is my mother and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, behold my mother and my brethren, for whosoever shall do the will of my father which is in heaven, the same as my brother and sister and mother. So you know the people at the Catholic church, it's interesting because you know we were in John chapter 2 this past Sunday, it says, woman, what have I to do with thee? And he's really just respecting the queen of heaven there, isn't he? And then also in this passage, they're saying your mother's outside waiting for you, you know, wanting to speak with you, he's saying, who's my mother? Now I'm not, I don't want you to think that Mary was like a horrible person, but Jesus, you know, he says, I must do the business of my father. And then when it comes to his mother, he's constantly calling her woman, calls her woman at the, when he turns the water in the wine, he's saying, who is my mother here? When he's on the cross, when he's looking over at the disciple whom Jesus loved, which I believe is John, he says, woman, behold thy son. So he doesn't even call her mother, okay? That's interesting if she's supposed to be the mother of God, you know that he's just like woman, woman, woman. What's he doing here? What's he talking about? Well, think about this, in John chapter nine, I believe, it's either John chapter seven or nine, it says that his brethren still didn't believe on him yet, okay? So imagine that his brethren are coming to him and they're saying, hey, your mother and your brethren are coming to speak with you, and he's basically saying, they're not really my brothers. And he's showing the spiritual, right? They're physically, that's physically his mom, that's physically his brothers, but he's saying, listen, all you are my brothers and sisters and mother, why? Because you're believers. And it says that for whosoever shall do the will of my father which is in heaven, what's the will of the father? And this is the will of the father, you know, this is the will of him that sent me that everyone would see of the son and believe it on him, may everlasting life and I'll raise him up at the last day. So he's showing the spiritual aspect saying, hey, listen, it's more important about who's spiritually your brethren and not who physically your brethren are. And there's so many other verses on that, you know, you think about the fact that you left father or mother and, you know, brother or sister, but ye shall gain in this life, you know, father, mother, sister, brother, right? Now notice that he doesn't say father in here because God is his father, okay? Because he's God, he's the son of God. And so it's very careful to never call anybody Jesus' father but God the father, okay? Now sometimes you'll see where people say that, right? Or Mary will say that but the narrator will never say that Jesus is Jesus' father and Jesus will never say that anybody's his father but God the father, okay? So it's very careful, you know, and it's very consistent that he doesn't say, you know, you're my father and mother and brother and sister, you know, because he literally did have a mother, a physical mother and he literally did have brothers and sisters but he's saying, listen, it's more important, you know, you guys are my mother, my sister, my brother, right? And so that's where he ends with that and so that's Matthew chapter 12, a lot in there for sure. So you could preach whole sermons on all that stuff for sure but I've been having fun going through the book of Matthew, just so much good stuff in there. But let's end with a word of prayer, dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this evening and pray that you'd be with us throughout the rest of this week and pray that you'd give us safe travels but also just be with us at work, help us to get everything we need to get done and I pray that you'd be with those that aren't feeling well or that are dealing with sicknesses and just pray that you'd keep all those of Mount Baptist Church safe and healthy and Lord, we love you and pray all this in Jesus Christ's name, amen.