28 “Truly I tell you,
people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter.
29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness,
but is guilty of an eternal sin” —
30 because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Refer to page 35 and the bulleted paragraph below to discuss the background surrounding the topic of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
Discuss that Jesus is referring to someone who continually and persistently chooses to reject Christ.
Remind the group that as long as someone is living, they still have the opportunity to repent and turn from their sins (1 John 1:9).
Yet once they die, they no longer have that opportunity.
Jesus was providing a strong warning to the scribes that they needed to repent while they still had opportunity to do so.
Emphasize that He also admonished them to recognize His authority to forgive sins.
Review these points from this week's Bible passage:
Review the lesson passage and all the areas over which Jesus exercises authority. Discuss the Apply the Text questions on page 31.
Give each adult an index card and a pen.
Direct them to write down one area in which they once recognized Jesus’s authority
but have reclaimed from Him at some point.
On the back of the index card,
instruct the group to write a prayer
asking God to help them submit this area of their lives to Him.
Encourage them to use this card as a prayer prompt throughout the coming week.
Remind the group to use the Daily Exploration on pages 33-35
to go deeper into God’s Word this week.
Reinforce the session by contacting the group through email or text. Encourage adults to consider Jesus’s authority over their daily lives.