No Middle Ground

Passage

Matthew 12:22-32

Sermon Summary

Demon possession, Beelzebub, blasphemy and the unforgivable sin—this passage has it all. The Bible insists that angels and demons are real, but Jesus shows that the Holy Spirit is infinitely more powerful. His healing work on earth, and supremely his death and resurrection, bring the Kingdom of God by the power of the Spirit. The Pharisees rejected this work and attributed it to the prince of demons, committing what Jesus calls it blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which is unforgivable. It's not something you can do accidentally, and if you're worried you might have, it's likely that you didn't. Yet it is still serious, because the Holy Spirit is the intimate agent of God's work in the world. His work is invisible but also hardest to deny. For this reason Jesus warns not-yet-believers that if they are not for him, they are against him (v. 30). Jesus reminds believers of the Spirit's power against evil, and he challenges us to acknowledge him before others.

Discussion Questions (choose any—you don't have to answer them all!)

1. What stood out or stuck with you from the sermon?
2. What has been your experience with angels, demons and especially the Holy Spirit?
3. Have you ever studied or considered the unforgivable sin? If so, did the sermon shift your thinking in any way?
4. Discus how Jesus brings his kingdom. What characterizes his methods? How is his power different than what we expect?
5. Think of someone you know who does not yet believe. What might following Jesus cost them? How can you help them move toward him.
6. Read Luke 12:8-12. How does it challenge you as a believer to acknowledge Jesus before others and trust the Spirit to give you words to say?
7. Spend some time praying for people who currently are not "with" Jesus.

Prayer Prompts

• Thank you, Father, for the Holy Spirit's work in__________
• Forgive me, Jesus, for __________ (fearing, or not trusting, or shrinking back from following you)
• Help me, Holy Spirit, to ___________

Resources Consulted

Commentaries

• Africa Bible Commentary, ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo
• The Message of Matthew, Michael Green
• Matthew for Everyone, NT Wright
• True to Our Native Land, ed. Bryan K. Blount
• The New Testament in Color, ed. Esau McCauley
• Matthew Commentary, Jeannine K. Brown & Robert Kyle
• Matthew Commentary, RT France
• Matthew Commentary, Craig Blomberg
• Cornerstone Commentary, Darrell Bock & David Turner

Topical studies

• The Unpardonable Sin: Two Pastoral Applications (JBC article), Tim Lane and Ed Welch
• The Holy Spirit, Sinclair Ferguson
• The Unseen Realm, Michael Heiser
• Safe and Sound, David Powlison
• Hard Sayings of the Bible, Walter Kaiser
• The Familiar Stranger, Tyler Staton