Words Matter! Matthew 12:29-37

29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

Since Jesus is referring to Satan, He is stating that though Satan has power (i.e. the strong man), he does not have more power than he does.  In order to deliver someone from Satan, Jesus' power had to overcome the power that was possessing the man.  

Since the Spirit of Christ lives in those who are born again believers, they too have a power in them that is greater than he that is in the world.  Jesus again teaches us to be aware of Satan's power.  It is real.  We must acknowledge it, respect it, and then defeat it.  

30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 

This leads to his next point. Either you are with Jesus and the Spirit of Christ lives in you.  Or. you are against him and the spirit of the world lives in you. Though some people may think it is extreme to be called "anti-Christ", if they are not fighting with Jesus they are passively accepting and allowing the prince of the world to reign in them.  

This statement doesn't sit very well with the politically correct movement, which says that basically all religions are the same. They assert that truth is defined as relative to what each person thinks is truth. So truth is all relative to the sincerity of the one who purports it to be true.  But clearly Jesus doesn't give that option here or any other place in the gospels and the rest of the New Testament. 

1. I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

2. Whoever does not pick up their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Matthew 10:38, Luke 14:27

3. To all who received HIM, he gave them the right to become children of God.  John 1:12

4. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. John 3:36

5. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:13

6. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

And from Paul's letters

1. "For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:6

2. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

These are just a sampling of verses which exclusively claim Jesus is the only way to God.  So for someone to say that Jesus is only one of several ways to God, they need to either reject or completely explain away these verses.   

To be politically correct with respect to the notion all roads lead to God is not an option for a bible believing Christian.  If you throw out this truth, there is nothing left to stand on.  

31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 

To understand this verse we need to understand the role of the Holy Spirit from other scriptures.  It is only by the Holy Spirit's power that we can come to know Jesus as Lord. Therefore to "blaspheme" the Holy Spirit is to reject the very person of the Trinity that brings us to faith.  Without repentance and belief in Jesus as guided by the Holy Spirit, there can be no forgiveness.  

32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

Speaking against or blaspheming the Holy Spirit is essentially blaspheming God since the Holy Spirit is God.  

"Yet true blasphemy against the Spirit is more than a formula of words; it is a settled disposition of life that rejects the testimony of the Holy Spirit regarding Jesus. Even if someone has intentionally said such things, they can still repent and prevent a settled rejection of Jesus." Guzik

33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 

Good fruit comes from the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the only One who is truly good.  Galatians 5:22 says the fruit of the Spirit is, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control."  

Only the Holy Spirit can produce these fruits in us, we can't produce them on our own.  Without the Spirit's power we can do nothing.  

34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 

On the contrary, when one doesn't have the Holy Spirit, the sinful nature belies one's inner condition.  He calls the Pharisees a "brood of vipers", or a "bunch of snakes".  Though Jesus is gracious, kind and compassionate, he has no tolerance for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  They had been given the law and the prophets, but they still rejected him out of pride.  He calls them out and points to the fact that it is their heart condition, which defines what their mouths speak.

A Christian can have evil words that come out of their mouths.  That is why the fruit of "self control" is applied to controlling one's tongue.  You can offen sense the heart condition of a believer by their words.  A person's words, conversation and the language they use is a good indicator of their spiritual condition.  

35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 

We don't create good things that come out of us. We can't manufacture TRULY good things.  Good things FLOW out of us as we abide in Christ.  As we remain in Christ's love, we bear fruit that will last.  In the last days our deeds will be revealed based on how and why we did them.  

36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.

The things we have done in Jesus' name, in the Holy Spirit's power according to God's Word will bring rewards.  What we have done in the flesh will be burned up in the fire of God's judgment. This verse reminds us that words have consequences, especially the words we attribute to God.  

Words have power.  We should be careful how we use them.  Bad words have become the acceptable sin for Christians today.  Let's be more aware the words we utter.  May our words and deeds glorify God.

37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The most important words we will utter will be our confession of faith in Jesus.  Romans 10:8-10 says,

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Words matter my friends!  By being in God's Word we are more likely to God's words come out of our mouths!