You’re Being Exposed

The Holy Spirit is exposing you, and that’s a good thing. Jesus talked about how the Holy Spirit would convict us.

“And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.” - John 16:8 (NLT)

To convict means to expose, rebuke, confront, and bring to light. What does the Holy Spirit bring to light? Sin, God’s righteousness, and the coming judgment.

Sin

The world’s sin is that it doesn’t believe on the Lord Jesus, so the Holy Spirit is calling the world to faith. And the Holy Spirit also lovingly confronts sin in the life of the believer. When you do something you know you shouldn’t do or refuse to do something you know you should, the Holy Spirit calls you on it. In fact, when the believer sins, they can feel the grieving of the precious Holy Spirit; they can feel His heart breaking.

“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.” - Ephesians 4:30 (NLT)

Righteousness

But the Holy Spirit doesn’t just speak against the things we shouldn’t do; He also calls our attention to what we should become. He points to a standard to which we should aspire. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just convict of sin—He also convicts of righteousness. He reminds us of how righteousness is available wholly because of the cross.

“But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.” - Romans 4:5 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit not only reminds you that you should be righteous. He also gives us hope, reminding us of how we’re righteous through Christ.

Judgment

The Holy Spirit also reminds us of the victory we have in Christ. When speaking about how the Holy Spirit convicts of the coming judgment, Jesus made this clarifying statement:

"Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.” - John 16:11 (NLT)

Meaning the Holy Spirit reminds us that Satan has been defeated and that those who remain in Satan’s kingdom will be judged along with him.

“In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” - Colossians 2:15 (NLT)

So, yes, the Holy Spirit is exposing you. Yes, He’s calling out your wrongdoing, but He’s also reminding you of the righteous standard to which you can aspire by faith and the victory you share in Christ over the powers of darkness.

For more on this topic, you can watch my teaching, “If You're Experiencing This, Holy Spirit is Exposing You,” on YouTube by clicking here.

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Hiding From God?

With a simple command, God formed the earth. He created man and placed Him in the garden. Tempted by the serpent, Adam and Eve rebelled against God, eating from the forbidden fruit. Immediately, Adam and Eve felt the shame of their sin. When the presence of God approached, Adam and Eve hid themselves - they were afraid, they were ashamed.

This is the human reaction to God when we sin - we hide from God.

But as born-again believers, when we mess up, we aren’t to run away from God; we’re to run to Him. 

“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” - Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

Every believer should be confident when they approach God, because our access depends upon Christ’s perfection, not our performance.

So, if you’ve messed up, don’t hide from God. Don’t try to cover your sin. Turn to Him now. Be confident in the work of the cross. There, at the throne, you will find grace. God’s not going to shame you; He’s going to save you. He won’t reject you; He’ll restore you.

For more on this topic, you can watch my teaching, “5 Reasons Why God's Chosen Secretly Struggle with Lust,” on YouTube by clicking here.

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What is the Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?

What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Have you committed this unpardonable sin? 

The Word of God has the answers. Let’s take a look at the context. In Matthew chapter twelve, Jesus delivers a demon-possessed man.

Matthew 12:22-23

22 Then a demon-possessed man, who was blind and couldn’t speak, was brought to Jesus. He healed the man so that he could both speak and see. 23 The crowd was amazed and asked, “Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah?”

The pharisees, who had heard about the miracle, looked for a way to discredit the miracle that Jesus had performed. 

Matthew 12:24-29

24 But when the Pharisees heard about the miracle, they said, “No wonder he can cast out demons. He gets his power from Satan, the prince of demons.” 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart. 26 And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive. 27 And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own exorcists? They cast out demons, too, so they will condemn you for what you have said. 28 But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you. 29 For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.

After revealing the source of His power and authority (The Holy Spirit), Jesus gave the pharisees a sobering warning: 

Matthew 12:30-32

30 “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. 31 “So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.

Firstly, either the Pharisees had committed the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit or came very close to committing the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I suspect they came close to committing the unpardonable sin, otherwise, why would Jesus give them a direct warning? 

Secondly, look at the term that’s used here: blasphemy. Blasphemy is a sin that you commit by speaking something. So we know that the pharisees were being warned, because of the words they had spoken. In fact, in verse 32, Jesus warns, “anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.” Since blasphemy is a sin that you commit through sinful words, we can rule out sins that are commonly mistaken for the unpardonable sin. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not suicide, murder, cussing, witchcraft, backsliding, evil thoughts, or sexual sin. It is a sin that you commit by what you say. 

Thirdly, we know that the unpardonable sin can be committed in this lifetime, for Jesus said that the one who commits it will never be forgiven, “either in this world or in the world to come.” Some say that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is simply the rejection of salvation or the stubborn refusal of the gospel up until death. But that cannot be the case, since the unpardonable sin is unforgivable, even in this lifetime. So the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is most certainly not just the rejection of salvation.

So judging by what Jesus said to the pharisees, we can conclude that the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is speaking against the Holy Spirit or the attributing of the Holy Spirit’s power to demonic power.

But remember, we still don’t know whether or not the pharisees had already committed it or were merely coming close to committing it. The Biblical text implies a very deep-rooted form of sin. You can’t commit this sin on accident, yet we should still tread carefully. After all, I don’t want to inspire ease where Jesus sought to inspire fear.

And this is very important to note: Not all verbal expressions of skepticism, anger, disobedience, or disrespect toward the Holy Spirit can be categorized as the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can only come from a conscience that is completely seared. I’ll prove that to you with scripture now.

So have you committed the unpardonable sin? Let me read another verse to you.

John 6:37

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

Nobody comes to Jesus unless they are drawn by the Father. And the Father certainly would never draw someone who couldn’t be forgiven. Therefore, if there is a desire in you to be forgiven and to be right with God, then you are being drawn by God - and Jesus will not reject you. Comparing scripture with scripture, we discover that 

A.) it is not possible for the Spirit-filled believer to commit this sin and 

B.) those who commit it couldn’t possibly have any interest in repentance, nor would they have any fear of having committed the unpardonable sin. 

All scriptures have to be harmonious with one another. So think about it this way: if someone commits the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, then they will always be rejected by God. And Jesus promised to never reject anyone who comes to Him, because those who come to Him have been drawn by the Father. If the one who committed the unpardonable sin ever came to the Lord, then the Lord would have to break His promise of never rejecting anyone who came to Him. Therefore, the one who has committed the unpardonable sin would never approach God in the first place. Indeed, such a person has no desire to ever again approach God. 

Bottom line: Are you afraid that you may have committed the unpardonable sin? That fear alone is proof that you haven’t. 

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Hell: As Inspired by a Dream

Hell – No amount of regret can appease it. For every moment that passes, a moment is added to the extent of one’s stay. Deep frustration, hopeless turmoil and constant confusion are forever in the soul. Hope is destroyed. After all, there is no mercy past this point. The instant your eyes catch a glimpse, your pride and stubbornness are broken. But it’s too late. The moment you sense the evil, you desire the opportunity to repent. But God is not mocked. The reality is confirmed. Everything you knew in your heart to be true is now visibly apparent. You escaped the thought on earth, hoping the thought would never manifest its own reality.

Every moment of sinful pleasure, every comment of mockery, every laugh at God – they turn to be regrettable, sorrowful even. To know that safety was within reach is a tormenting thought. Why such foolishness? Why such carelessness? It could have all been prevented – that is a most tormenting thought. No time exists – Hell is the constant state of highest anguish. It is darkness that never again will see light, pain that will never know comfort and loneliness that will never again find companionship. It is the justice of God. Can you grasp the vastness of the universe? That is temporary. Hell is a universe void of all things good. Pride is the door to Hell, and stubbornness is the step that takes you through.

What sort of pride would walk into Hell fire? What pleasure is worth the soul? Mock, laugh, scoff and push it from your mind – it remains a reality. Life is a thin, fragile glass upon which we walk. Once it is broken, it cannot be repaired. Only fools go to Hell when salvation is so near. Frustration that causes physical tension, fear that causes your heart to race, anger that brings depression and pain that causes a scream – these are the reactions of a Hellish existence. They are the eternal marks of a tormented, rejected soul.

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