MAY 26
Introduction
We are finishing out “The river of delight” series
Caleb spoke on “Out from the innermost being “ - Rivers – not a trickle. Do we have rivers flowing or a trickle?
Phil - Into the Outermost parts of the earth - the necessary, supernatural power to impact the outermost parts of the earth comes through the rivers of delight flowing in our lives – if this is how we are living then it will be our delight to preach wherever we are on earth
Esther - Sweet and Sour - we function within the river, with the realization that things will come along that are bitter or seem sour, but just like a meal when this is mixed with the sweet as in Sweet and Sour Pork – When we mix these things with the river of delight within us it will be tasty. In other words, when bad stuff happens and we respond by digging into God, then we will be “carried along in the river’ by God’s power and it will be a tasty experience.
The topic for today - Blasphemy on blast - how does this relate to the RIVER OF DELIGHT theme ?
No matter what we face, even martyrdom, losing our life is immediate promotion to heaven – which is a delight. We can count it ALL JOY,
When we encounter evil, it is not our battle, the battle is the Lords. It is possible to still delight in situations where people are abusing / criticizing us etc we need have the river of delight flowing within us to handle it. Think of Steven who was stoned and asked “Father forgive them they know not what they do”.
We should not be proud but vengeance is the Lord’s and we don’t have to take it into our own hands. We can play our part by standing up against the culture of blasphemy.
Blasphemy in essence is about all manner of Floppynaucipahilifilification – which is about ‘dissing God dissing people”.. I hope you will get out of this message today that it is a serious matter and those that continue in this will be on blast. This should be a delight to us as we will live in eternity without it, and we can live in victory here when we experience.
What is blasphemy?
As the 10 Commandments states in Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”
A part of God’s law is not to take the Lord’s name in vain - this is blasphemy.
Many folks think this just covers saying cuss words that cover the name of the Lord
Matthew 7: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!
John 10: 22 Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. 23 And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. 24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in [d]doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, [e]as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.” 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
Google Dictionary Definition:
the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk. "he was detained on charges of blasphemy"
synonyms:
profanity, profaneness, sacrilege, irreligiousness, irreverence, taking the Lord's name in vain, swearing, curse, cursing, impiety, impiousness, ungodliness, unholiness,
Biblical Definition:
blasphēméō, blas-fay-meh'-o; from G989; to vilify; specially, to speak impiously:—(speak) blaspheme(-er, -mously, -my), defame, rail on, revile, speak evil.
Q. How do we make sure we don’t commit this sin of blasphemy
A. Live in obedience to Christ, seek after Him, listen for His voice
Blasphemy worst case scenario -The Unpardonable Sin
Matt 12: 31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.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.
Mark 3:28 Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” 30 He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”
There is a body of believers who believe and speak from the pulpit and in seminaries that the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are not for today AND they revile against those who exercise them. This is countering the person of the Holy Spirit.
Similarly, people claiming to have the Holy Spirit in their life however their lives do not show it.
We know some churches ignore the sin of homosexuality – even ordaining Homosexual ministers
The Holy Spirit convicts of Sin as Jesus said. If people are saying to you ‘don’t worry about the sins you are committing, eg its ok to live with your boyfriend if you love him but the HS convicts of sin. This too is living too close to the line. -there was a time when God winked at sin but now he commands everyone, everywhere to repent. Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent”:
We at Megamorphic think this is dangerously close to Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Let’s stay as far away from the cliff as possible! Let’s get into the harvest field.
Putting Blasphemy on blast.
We all are carnal and have tendencies when we see wrong to blast them, reviling. Just get out on the Nashville motorway on your way to work and a car looks to cut in on my place in the queue …
The extent to the reviling on news, media, TV appears to be mushrooming in today’s culture.
The scriptures don’t encourage this type of blast!
Here’s a couple of scriptures of examples of blaspheming in the scriptures
Rev 13:4 – 6 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to [c]continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 19: 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
These are examples of where God sends them to the lake of fire.
So lets remember
The battle is the Lords – He will judge
The Holy Spirit comes to bring conviction of sin but NOT condemnation. Romans 8:1, John 16
Psalm 2:
God looks at all man’s puny schemes and laughs. He is in charge.
BID
Make sure you are born again
Make sure you have repented of your sin and living in ongoing daily repentance
Make sure you get hold of the Holy Spirit – getting in the flow of the river of delight in your life to live a life of obedience
For further study:
Luke 22:63 - 65 63 The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him.64 They blindfolded him and demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit you?” 65 And they said many other insulting things to him.
Acts 13:45 44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying and heaped abuse on him.
1 Tim 1:20 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Matt 27:39 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”
Titus 3:2 1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
Jam 2:6- 7 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
Jude 1:8- 10 8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”[d] 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand…