Did I Do That?
class=MsoNormal align=right style='text-align:right'>1) 2-22-09…AM…SBC 2)“Did I Do That?”
Mark 3:22-30
Introduction:
A Pastor tells us a story of a woman coming into his office extremely distressed over the issue of the unpardonable sin. She said that one day, as a teenager, she got so angry at her mother who was a Christian that she locked herself in her room and used every swear word and oath and all the foul language against the HS that she could think of. That day was seared in her conscience and came back to haunt her again and again. She wanted to know if she had committed the unpardonable sin.
- The text under examination today is not just for an academic lesson
- What could be more terrifying than to believe you have done something that is beyond forgiveness and are bound for eternal misery with no escape
- It is crucial then that we get this passage right!
Transition: Few passages of Scripture have been more misinterpreted and misunderstood than these two verses. Because of their extreme seriousness and finality; it is critical to understanding the doctrine of Christ and salvation.[1]
1) Another Conflict Story
A- The Scenario v22
“Can this be the Son of David?”
1- Scribes come from Jerusalem and accuse Jesus and casting out demons by the power of Satan
Ø The scribes are not going to allow the people to remain thoroughly amazed, even to the point of entertaining messianic notions with respect to Jesus.[2]
Ø The chose to ascribe the unique work of the HS in the life of Christ to that of Satan
B- The Teaching #1 v23-29
1- Jesus shows how foolish this accusation really is – Satan would be working against himself
2- Satan would be sending out his demons to wreak havoc in the hearts and lives of men and then later he would supply the power to defeat his own demonic servants – ridiculous!
3- A kingdom or house that is divided cannot prosper but is actually divided – (churches)
4- Neither does a burglar request assistance from the home owner
C- The Meaning
1- Christ is not accomplishing these miracles by the power of Satan
a- that would make a divided kingdom and divided kingdom has not power
b- Satan is the strong man and his possessions are the one over whom he has control
c- Christ is teaching that He is the Stronger One that can confront and overpower Satan and delivery those enslaved to Him
d- Here again, as in the previous chapters Christ is presented as superior to any religious system or religious rabbi and always superior to Satan himself
· this is what the miracles of Christ authenticated – superiority of Jesus Christ
· Salvation – How are you going to respond to Jesus? accept or reject
· Those who die in unbelief with they sins unpardoned will only gain hell
D- The Teaching #2 v28-29
1- The plain and wonderful truth of v. 28 must not be overlooked because of the difficulty of v. 29.[3]
a- The contextual assumption that is made here is that all sins and even blasphemies will be forgiven is repentance is sought from God (repent and believe)
b- The precondition of forgiveness is repentance
c- Might we sometimes belittle God’s forgiveness s in light of our own removal of guilt?
d- The wonderful truth of this passage is that all who come to Christ for repentance will find it
2- Except…following the teaching that all sins will be forgiven, v29 should make us sit up and pay attention
a- for all but one kind of defiant irreverence there is forgiveness.[4]
b- forgiveness will be granted for all sins and blasphemies (defiant irreverence) except when one is irreverent to a specific work of the Holy Spirit
Transition: This leads us to the discussion on the unpardonable sin—and the asking of two questions…
What is the Unpardonable Sin?
Can the Unpardonable Sin be committed today?
- What is the unpardonable sin?
(Contextually)
a- it is a sin for which a person can never gain forgiveness – never means never with God
b- it is a sin that seals guilt for all eternity
c- it is a sin that sends a person into eternity to bear his guilt under God’s wrath forever
(Predominate views)
d- a really bad sin – murder or adultery, suicide
e- persistent unbelief – (most popular) this view does not distinguish unpardonable from unpardoned
f- generally attributing the work of God to Satan – used by charismatics in response to denial of tongues
g- attributing the works of Satan specifically to the authenticating works of Jesus Christ the Messiah
- Can the Unpardonable Sin be committed today?
a- the answer to this question lies in the relationship between Jesus Christ and the HS
o the answer can be found in the power Jesus displayed through Holy Spirit
o Scriptures teach (Matt. 12:28; Luke 4:21; Phil 2) that Christ took on humanity while retaining His deity
o I believe that He voluntarily set aside His use of His own power because of this humanity and was anointed with the power of the HS (Mt 3:17)
o This was a unique authenticating work of the HS in the life of Christ that established not only his relationship with God the Father but also with the Messianic Prophecies
o To be sure the work of the HS is still active today – if it wasn’t then people wouldn’t be getting saved and we wouldn’t be convicted of our sin
o Today the HS authenticates the works of Christ through the Bible and the Bible alone
Ø this means that the unpardonable sin is reserved for one who saw first hand the miracles of Jesus done in the Spirit and attributed them to the work of Satan
Ø Because of the uniqueness of the ministry of the HS in the life of Christ and the cessation of the miraculous gifts of the HS the unpardonable sin cannot be committed today
Conclusion:
1- Even though we can’t commit the unpardonable sin today there are a few considerations to think through
Ø The battle then is not over interpretations of miracles, but of who Jesus really is – it is a Christological argument.
A- If you are here today and rejecting the work of Christ as displayed in the Bible, and you continue to reject Christ’s offer of forgiveness and you do this till you die, you will die with unpardoned sins and go to hell
1- the glory of God is put on display in S. when it records the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ
2- will you come to Christ and allow him to heal you from you sin – repent and believe
B- The glory of this passage is found in the fact that if you are a believer here today that salvation can never be taken away from you
1- the outcome of the strong man has already been decided – he doesn’t have control over us
2- keep fighting the battle and helping your brothers and sisters fight the battle of sin
C- The grief of this passage is found when we realized that there are those around us who are rejecting Christ’s salvation for the sin of this world
1- it is our duty to be the salt and light of the world – what good is a light on if no one is there
2- evangelism is not just a Tuesday or Thursday night calling program
3- evangelism is choice to live in light of the Gospel and share that light with others
4- how much does lifestyle evangelism play a part in your life?
[Illustration] Giuseppe Garibaldi lived from 1807 to 1882. He was an Italian patriot, soldier, and hero-figure. He devoted his life to the cause of uniting Italy. His greatest victory was the 1860 overthrow of the Kingdom of Naples. That event ultimately led to the unification of Italy. In May of that year, Garibaldi had landed in Sicily with a volunteer force of 1070 men (the "Thousand"). Within two weeks this force had taken the city of Palermo, forcing the defeat of an army of 20,000 regulars. Garibaldi had an incredibly committed volunteer army. He would appeal for recruits in these terms: “I offer neither pay, nor quarters, nor provisions; I offer hunger, thirst, forced marches, battles and death. Let him who loves his country with his heart and not with his lips only, follow me!”
Are you only loving Christ with your lips or is it evidence by your life whose army you’re in?
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[1]John MacArthur, Matthew (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), 315.
[2]William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 10, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 134.
[3]James A. Brooks, vol. 23, Mark, electronic e., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1991), 75.
[4]William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 10, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of the Gospel According to Mark, Accompanying Biblical Text Is Author's Translation., New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 138.