Bible Study - The Greatest Sin - Matthew 12:22-32 - September 21. 2025

 Bible Study – The Greatest Sin – Matthew 12:22-32 – September 21, 2024

The greatest sin is to never trust JESUS as your Savior.

Life is a journey. It is exciting for most, but the question is, “When life is over then what? When we slip into eternity what takes place?

America has witnessed the assassination of a Spirit-born/Born-again believer who has a family. Absent the fact Charlie Kirk was a Christian, his death, as any death takes the person away from family and loved ones.

His death has provoked many reactions. Most people reacted in sorry, thinking that his dear wife no longer has a husband and their two children left without their dad.

Others seemed to be callous and have made callous remarks because of Charlies stand as a “Born-again” Christian.

The reaction of our society gives us a cross section of our world. Common decency and respect beg sympathy. Many were sympathetic but others were not.

These various responses reflect our society in general, and it reveals that many need a genuine encounter with JESUS, and the GOOD NEWS needs to be preached and lived among our society.

What is taking place? Were the negative responses genuine or were some being paid to respond in a certain way or some combination. We have to keep in our minds that Satan has his minions in our world at work to deceive and confuse.

As we get close to the second coming of JESUS, Satan and his minions will create more havoc, and anti-Christian rhetoric will take place.

What does scripture reveal to us? In Matthew 24:24

For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

Many Christians know this scripture, but many people DO NOT.

Our Pastors and teachers must present the truth of GOD’S Word and truth is truth and will take place as written. We must know the truth and the truth will set us free.

It is vital that Christians be aware of this great deception, and the pastors and teachers must remain true to what GOD’S Word, The Holy Bible and The Holy Spirit reveal and leads those who know the truth. We who know the truth must let the truth be known.

Christians and the people of the world must keep in mind, as we get closer to the return of JESUS to establish HIS Kingdom as written in Matthew 24:24 - Christian Standard Bible

²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

 Let’s consider Acts 19: Demonism Defeated at Ephesus

Some may say or think “Why consider demonic or evil spirit activity in our day. Satan’s desire is to keep people ignorant of his activity. Yes, the evil spirit still exists today but keep in your minds that Satan/evil wants to stay hidden. Why? Christians must know their enemy and know how to fight this unseen enemy using prayer, scripture, and the power of the shed blood of JESUS.

Does this sound, Holy Roller? Yep, but use it wisely and listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

Pastors and teachers, we must teach truth because the days are evil!!!

¹¹ God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, ¹² so that even facecloths or aprons^[b] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

It is vital that we keep in our minds that GOD is THE ONE WHO CAST OUT demons and evil spirits.

If we are called to participate in a deliverance, we must prepare for it with prayer and confessing of any and all sin and asking JESUS to reveal any thing in your life that would be a hindrance.

FOLKS, THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS AND MUST NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY!!!

Now on to our scripture ----- Acts 19:13-20:

¹³ Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists (not Christian) also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high esteem.

¹⁸ And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, ¹⁹ while many of those who had practiced magic collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So, they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰ In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.

I print this scripture to show what can happen when we battle the spirit world. It is vital that all who do battle with the spirit world to be protected with the full armor of GOD of which one of the most important is the presence of the Holy Spirit within each “born-again” person.

I caution Christians who fight demon activity to be fully armed, have a group of prayer warriors praying for you and with you when you participate in any situation involving demon, evil spirit activity.

This is not to frighten anyone but is to educate and warn. Do not test the spirit world but stand firm in the power of the shed blood of JESUS.

As we approach the second coming of JESUS there will be more battles to be fought. The Good News is that Christians do not fight alone.

Do you recall the scripture in a previous study?

Ephesians 1 ¹³ In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. ¹⁴ The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

We read in Ephesians 6:12:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

The root of the battles Christians encounter upon earth are battles against the evil and spiritual forces.

So, what are Spirit-born Christians to do?

It is time to suit up according to Ephesians 6:11 - Christian Standard Bible

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.

When Christians battle Satan, we must ask the Holy Spirit to give us a thorough review to see if there is any unconfessed sin in our lives. If so, we need to confess it and ask GOD to forgive us. We must never enter battle with a chink in our armor because the enemy knows where we are vulnerable.

Spiritual warfare is intense and Christians must ask others to join and stand with them when they come under attack or intercede with fellow Christians. Never be or feel embarrassed to reach out to fellow Christians. Those to whom you reach out to may shrug you off, if so, go to your minister. Christians have a variety of understandings of spiritual warfare.

Often, we as Christians treat the Spirit World lightly, That is exactly what Satan wants us to do. “Oh, that is old fogy.”

Folks, earth is the battlefield, and the battle will intensify as we approach the second coming of JESUS. So, suit up, you soldiers of the Cross. Do not be afraid but know that, as a “born-again” Christian, you are protected by the shed blood of JESUS. It is okay to ask our FATHER to check us over before we step out onto the battlefield.

Satan’s objective is to keep Christians ignorant of his activity. Keep in your minds, as born-again Christians and as recorded in The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error – 1 John 4:1-21:

4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

True then and still true today!!!

² This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ but every spirit that does not confess Jesus^[a] is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming; even now it is already in the world.

⁴ You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. ⁵ They are from the world. Therefore, what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. ⁶ We are from God. Anyone who knows God listens to us; anyone who is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of deception.

Knowing God through Love

⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹ God’s love was revealed among us^[b] in this way: God sent his one and only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice^[c] for our sins. ¹¹ Dear friends, if God loved us in this way, we also must love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God. If we love one another, God remains in^[d] us and his love is made complete in us. ¹³ This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen, and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God—God remains in him and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷ In this, love is made complete with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is, so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment.^[e] So the one who fears is not complete in love. ¹⁹ We love^[f] because he first loved us. ²⁰ If anyone says, “I love God,” and yet hates his brother or sister, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother or sister whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.^[g] 21 And we have this command from him: The one who loves God must also love his brother and sister.

Let’s consider Matthew 12:22-32:

A House Divided

²² Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man^[f] could both speak and see. ²³ All the crowds were astounded and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”

This is the importance of knowing the scripture. Scripture revealed in Luke 7:18- Christian Standard Bible

¹⁸ Then John’s disciples told him about all these things. So, John summoned two of his disciples ¹⁹ and sent them to the Lord, asking, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

²⁰ When the men reached him, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to ask you, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’”

²¹ At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, afflictions, and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people. ²² He replied to them, “Go and report to John (John the Baptist – even John had to be reminded that JESUS was The Promised Messiah according to the scriptures.) what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy^[d] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news, ²³ and blessed is the one who isn’t offended by me.”²⁴ When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man drives out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”

²⁵ Knowing their thoughts, he (JESUS) told them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is headed for destruction, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. ²⁶ If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? ²⁷ And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons drive them out? For this reason, they will be your judges. ²⁸ If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²⁹ How can someone enter a strong man’s house and steal his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. ³⁰ Anyone, who is not with me, is against me, and anyone who does not gather with me scatters. ³¹ Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against^[g] the Spirit will not be forgiven.^[h] 32 Whoever 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 one to come.

Fellow Christians it is time for us to pray for each other and our world. The battle has always been, but it will intensify as we get closer to the second coming of JESUS.

Dear FATHER, we rejoice that YOU, JESUS, and THE HOLY SPIRIT are greater than all. We, as YOUR CHRILDREN, ask YOU to check how well we are prepared for battle and to strengthen any area in our lives that needs to be reenforced by YOUR power, strength, and wisdom.

Thank YOU for YOUR salvation, which is placing one’s faith in YOUR only SON, JESUS and HIS Passion, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven to intercede for all Christians and waiting for HIS FATHER to say, the time has come to rapture the true church and take all who have placed their faith in YOU to come to their eternal HOME. Blessings!!!