Sermon #12 Series:
Mark
Title: The Glory Of The Gospel
And The Danger Of Unbelief
Text: Mark 3:22-30
Reading: Psalm 130:1-8
Subject: Forgiveness And Damnation
Date: Sunday Morning - February 23, 1997
Tape # T-44
Introduction:
The title of my message this morning
is The
Glory Of The Gospel And The Danger Of Unbelief. Our text will be
Mark 3:22-30. Let’s read it together.
Mark 3:22-30 "And the
scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the
prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
(23) And he called them unto him, and
said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? (24) And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom
cannot stand. (25) And if a house be
divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (26) And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he
cannot stand, but hath an end. (27) No
man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will
first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house. (28) Verily I say unto you, All sins
shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they
shall blaspheme: (29) But he that
shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger
of eternal damnation: (30) Because
they said, He hath an unclean spirit."
The Scribes came down from Jerusalem
specifically to slander the Son of God. They saw the miracles which he
performed and could not deny their reality. They heard his doctrine and could
not refute it. Yet, they would not bow to the Lord Jesus as their Lord,
acknowledging him to be the Christ of God. They would not repent of their sins
and believe on the Son of God. Instead they accused him of being in league with
the devil. They said, “He hath Beelzebub,
and by the prince of devils casteth he out devils!”
Throughout his life on this earth
our Master was misunderstood by his family and friends and deliberately
misrepresented by his enemies. This was a trial he had to endure from his
childhood until his death as our Substitute upon the cursed tree. While he was
most humble, he was thought to be most arrogant. When he went about his
Father’s business, he was thought to be negligent and irresponsible. Though he
was perfectly righteous, he was thought to be altogether sinful.
We must not expect better treatment
in this world. As we endeavor to live for Christ, as we seek the glory of
God, as we try to walk in obedience to the will of God, others will judge us to
be self-serving, self-promoting, rebels and antinomians. Unbelieving friends
and relatives simply will not understand us. Enemies will deliberately
misrepresent our actions and accuse us of being ruled by the most vile and base
motives imaginable. Our Lord Jesus told us plainly that these things must come
to pass.
Matthew 10:16-26 "Behold, I
send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves. (17) But
beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will
scourge you in their synagogues; (18) And
ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony
against them and the Gentiles. (19) But
when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it
shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. (20) For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you. (21) And the
brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and
the children shall rise up against their parents,
and cause them to be put to death. (22) And
ye shall be hated of all men for my
name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (23) But when they persecute you in
this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have
gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. (24) The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his
lord. (25) It is enough for the
disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have
called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? (26) Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that
shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known."
Our Savior’s kinsmen said, “He is beside himself!” The Pharisees
called him a glutton, a drunk, and a sinner. The Scribes said, “He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of
devils casteth he out devils.” We will be wise to expect and be prepared
for the same treatment, because “the
world knoweth us not,” even as “it
knew him not.”
Yet, even these base actions of
wicked men were turned by our sovereign Master into an occasion for good to his
chosen. He took their evil works and words and used them to teach us much
needed spiritual lessons that we would be wise always to remember. The things
taught in these verses deserve special attention. So I ask you to give me your
undivided attention as I set before you five things here recorded for our
learning and admonition.
Divisions:
1.
The Sinfulness Of Strife.
2.
The Greatness Of God’s Grace.
3.
The Glory Of The Gospel.
4.
The Danger Of Damnation.
5.
The Sin Of Sins.
I. First, I want us to see in these verses The Sinfulness Of Strife (vv. 23-26).
Our Lord Jesus responded to the
Scribes’ accusation by a parable. In the parable he clearly shows the absurdity
of their accusation against him. Any fool knows that “a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand.”
Mark 3:23-26 "And
he called them unto him, and said
unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? (24) And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom
cannot stand. (25) And if a house be
divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (26) And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he
cannot stand, but hath an end."
There are many things that may be
properly taught from this parable. However, that which is in my opinion the
most important lesson to be drawn from these words of our Redeemer is the one
thing most often overlooked by the expositors I have read. This parable
shows us the shameful sinfulness of strife and division among those who are
supposed to be friends and allies in the same cause.
I realize that wicked men, men who would utterly destroy the
gospel of Christ, promote peace at all cost. There are many who tell us that we
must never oppose anything or anyone. Such traitors to Christ and his gospel
must not be heard. Yet, there is a form of strife and division that is evil,
always evil, and only evil. It is to be avoided by us at all cost.
A. It is our
responsibility to seek, pray for, and promote the peace of Jerusalem, the unity
and harmony of God’s church and kingdom in this world.
Ephesians 4:1-6 "I therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation
wherewith ye are called, (2) With all
lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; (3) Endeavouring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bond of peace. (4)
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of
your calling; (5) One Lord, one
faith, one baptism, (6) One God and
Father of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in you all."
Ephesians 4:30-32 "And grieve
not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (31) Let all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: (32) And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you."
B. We should, as
much as possible, avoid needless differences, disputes, and debates about
spiritual things.
Nothing so weakens the arms of the church as the carnal
strife which divides it. Needless disputes absorb thought, energy, time, and
effort that should be spent in the furtherance of the gospel. They furnish
infidels with weapons to use against us. The divisions that exist among God’s
true people in this world, no matter how justified we think we are in
maintaining them, are but taking sides with the devil against ourselves.
Satan is the one who initiates them,
the one who maintains them, and the one who profits by them. If he cannot
extinguish the kingdom of God, he labors tirelessly to divide the soldiers of
the kingdom into camps that fight each other. The crafty old serpent knows by
long experience that “to divide is to conquer.”
We
should and must be zealous for the glory of God and the truths of the gospel.
I utterly abhor that sentimentality that is willing to sacrifice the truth
and glory of God upon the altar of what men call love and peace. We cannot be
too jealous about the truths of the gospel and the glory of our God. Divine
sovereignty, total depravity, eternal election, effectual atonement, almighty
grace, and the preservation of God’s elect, are matters vital to truth, vital
to the glory of God, and vital to the souls of men. With regard to these
things, we must never budge an inch for anyone. But the method of church
government, the kind of musical instruments employed in worship, and whether
the congregation concludes the sermon by saying “Amen,” saying nothing, or
applauding are matters totally insignificant.
We must not make a fuss about trifles.
Far too many are morbidly scrupulous about pointing out, calling attention to,
and debating differences with others about the most minute details. They are
far more anxious to point out insignificant differences and magnify them than
they are to lock arms with their brethren and promote truth for the glory of
Christ.
Illustrations: Randy P. -
J.D. - B.P. - D.A.
“I
don’t always agree with you.”
Nothing
justifies brethren being divided from and opposing one another. Nothing! There is something more important than you and me,
something more important than our opinion, our name, or our desires. The truth
of God, the glory of God, the kingdom of God is infinitely more important.
Note: The fact is - All debate is wicked. It is of the flesh,
does nothing for God’s glory, accomplishes no good, and only gratifies the
flesh. Debate is always listed in the Word of God with envy, wrath, strife,
whisperings, backbiting, slander, and murder (Rom. 1:29; 2 Cor. 12:20).
Illustration: My Response to Most Carping Letters is,
“No Comment.”
C. As we ought to
scrupulously avoid needless strife about words and promote the unity of the
church and kingdom of God throughout the world, we should be doubly scrupulous
in protecting and promoting the peace, harmony, and unity of our own church
family.
1 Corinthians 1:9-13 "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto
the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. (10) Now I beseech you,
brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same
thing, and that there be no divisions
among you; but that ye be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (11) For it hath been declared unto me
of you, my brethren, by them which are of
the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. (12) Now this I say, that every one of
you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. (13)
Is Christ divided? was Paul
crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"
I urge you, my brothers and sisters, my
sons and daughters in the kingdom of God…
1. Love one another.
2. Be kind and thoughtful toward one another.
3. Speak well to and of one another.
4. Forgive one another.
5. Be patient, forbearing, and longsuffereing with one another.
James 3:13-18 "Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge
among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of
wisdom. (14) But if ye have bitter
envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. (15) This wisdom descendeth not from
above, but is earthly, sensual,
devilish. (16) For where envying and strife is, there
is confusion and every evil work. (17) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable,
gentle, and easy to be entreated,
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (18) And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace."
James 4:1-3 "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your
members? (2) Ye lust, and have not:
ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have
not, because ye ask not. (3) Ye ask,
and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts."
II. Second, in verse twenty-seven, our Lord Jesus shows us The Greatness Of God’s Grace.
Mark 3:27 "No man can
enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind
the strong man; and then he will spoil his house."
There seems
to be a direct connection between these words and the prophetic words of Isaiah
concerning our most glorious Lord Jesus Christ and his almighty, gracious,
saving operations in and upon chosen, redeemed sinners.
Isaiah 49:24-26 "Shall the
prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? (25) But thus saith the LORD, Even the
captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall
be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will
save thy children. (26) And I will
feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken
with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the
LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer,
the mighty One of Jacob."
We are all, by nature, sinners under the
dominion of Satan. Our hearts are his house and palace. His tyrannical
rule and dominion over us is so great, that we are his willing servants. We
could never free ourselves from his dominion if we would and would not if we
could.
Salvation comes when the Lord Jesus
Christ invades the city of Mansoul by the sovereign power of his omnipotent
grace, casts Satan out, and takes possession of our lives planting his
throne where once Satan reigned, in the very core of our hearts.
The Lord of
glory is not a pathetic little Jesus,
knocking at your heart’s door waiting for you to open he door and let him in.
Oh, no! He is the sovereign Son of God. When he knocks at your heart’s door, he
knocks the door in, bolt and bar. He comes in, takes possession of your soul.
When he comes in he brings his welcome
with him! The first time you are even aware of his presence is when he begins
to cast the devil out!
A. Every chosen, redeemed sinner
shall be set free by the power of God’s omnipotent grace at God’s appointed
time.
B. Our glorious Christ regenerates
and gives eternal life to dead sinners by the irresistible power and grace of
his sovereign Spirit.
C. Awakened, regenerate sinners come to Christ with willing
hearts, because he gives them faith and causes them to come to him.
Psalms 65:4 "Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and
causest to approach unto thee, that he
may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple."
Psalms 110:3 "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy
power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the
dew of thy youth."
D. All who are saved by the grace of Christ are willingly
subdued to Christ as their only and rightful Lord.
Believers are
willing bondslaves, men and women who willingly stoop down before him and slip
under his yoke.
III. Now look at verse twenty-eight and see in the third place The Glory Of The Gospel.
Mark 3:28 "Verily I say
unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies
wherewith soever they shall blaspheme."
What a glorious declaration this is!
He who delights in mercy declares, “All
sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever
they shall blaspheme!"
That may appear to be a trifling
matter to some of you. But to that person who has tasted his sin, who knows the
corruptions of his own heart, whose soul burns with the very fires of hell
tormenting his conscience, this is the greatest thing ever heard. “All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of
men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme!"
·
The Sins of Youth and
the Sins of Old Age!
·
The Sins of My Heart
and the Sins of My Hand!
·
The Sins of My Mind
and the Sins of My Mouth!
·
Open Sin and Secret
Sins!
·
Past Sins, Present
Sins, and Future Sins!
·
My Sins as An Infidel
and My Sins as A Believer!
·
The Sins of
Persecutors like Saul!
·
The Sins of Idolaters
like Manasseh!
·
The Sins of Harlots
like Rahab!
“All
sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever
they shall blaspheme!"
A. The blood of Christ cleanses s
from all sin!
B. The righteousness of Christ
covers all iniquity!
C. The intercession of Christ prevails over all transgressions!
JC.
Ryle wrote, “The doctrine here laid down is the glory of the Gospel.
The very first thing it proposes to man is free pardon, full forgiveness,
complete remission, without money and without price.”
Acts 13:39 "And by him
all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be
justified by the law of Moses."
1 John 1:7 "But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
1 John 1:9 "If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 2:1-2 "My little
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our
sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world."
1. Sinners, this
doctrine is the very thing that meets all your needs.
Lay hold of
it. If you come to Christ right now, if you believe on the Son of God, you
shall be completely forgiven of all your sins forever!
2. Children of
God, this is the doctrine we need as well.
Lay hold of
this thing which is the very glory of the gospel. Often we faint, falter, and
fail. We feel ourselves altogether unworthy before our God. We are cast down in
our souls. And Satan harasses us with our countless sins. But this is a fact beyond all dispute - If we trust Christ alone as our Lord
and Savior, if we trust his blood alone to atone for our sins and his
righteousness alone to give us acceptance with God, then our God has cast our
sins, all our sins behind his back forever! He will never remember them against
us!
IV. Fourth, our Lord Jesus speaks plainly about The Danger Of Damnation (vv.
29-30).
Mark 3:29-30 "But he that
shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger
of eternal damnation: (30) Because
they said, He hath an unclean spirit."
It
has become acceptable, and even popular, in many circles today for men, while
claiming to believe the Bible, while claiming to preach the gospel, to deny the
reality of hell and of eternal punishment. But the Son of God speaks here about
“eternal
damnation!”
Terrible as
this truth is, it is truth. We must not shut our eyes to it. We must not fail
to declare it. Sin is an infinitely evil thing. It required a sacrifice and an
atonement of infinite value to satisfy the justice of God for our sins. And if
God finds sin upon you in the day of judgment, he will pour out upon your soul his
infinite wrath, without mercy in “everlasting
damnation!”
Escape for
your life! Flee from the wrath of God. Come, take refuge for your soul in the
City of Refuge. Never rest until you rest in him who is the Rock of Ages. Will
you hear me? Will you hear the Word of God?
A. You have an immortal, undying
soul. Will you lose your
own soul?
B. You must soon meet the holy,
eternal God in judgment. What will you
plead for acceptance with him?
C. You will spend eternity either under the blackness and
darkness of the terror and torment of everlasting hell, or in the bliss, and
glory, and delight of heaven.
Where will you spend eternity?
D. The sinner’s our only hope is Christ!
In Christ I
now believe,
Now trusting
in His name,
Redemption
through His blood I have!
In Him
complete I am!
This hope my
soul uplifts,
When sin and
Satan press:
Unchanging are
my Father’s gifts,
Who promises
to bless.
My sins, my
sins, my sins,
Are blotted
out, each one!
No cause for
wrath on me remains!
God sees me in
His Son!
So, come to me
what may,
It must, I
know, be blest.
God, Who for
me His Son did slay,
Will do for me
what’s best!
V. In the last place, I call your attention to
that which our Lord here describes as The
Sin Of Sins, the unpardonable sin.
In
verse twenty-nine, the Son of God states emphatically, “He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never
forgiveness.”
A. There is such
a thing as the unpardonable sin.
This
is not a matter of speculation. It may not fit well with our theological
systems; but it is a matter of Divine revelation, as plain as the nose on your
face.
Hebrews 6:4-6 "For it is impossible for those who were once
enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of
the Holy Ghost, (5) And have tasted
the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, (6) If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
Hebrews 10:26 "For
if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"
1 John 5:16-17 "If any man
see his brother sin a sin which is not
unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto
death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. (17) All unrighteousness is sin: and
there is a sin not unto death."
B. What is the
unpardonable sin?
I fully recognize that caution must be
used here. The Scriptures clearly reveal the fact that there is an unpardonable
sin; but they do not expressly tell us what it is. However, the Word of God
does give us examples of men who committed it.
·
Esau
·
Ephraim
·
Judas
The unpardonable sin appears to be the
willful rejection of Christ and his gospel, a deliberate, persistent refusal to
bow to the claims of Christ as Lord. It seems to be a combination of a clear
intellectual knowledge of the gospel and a deliberate rejection of it, a
knowledge of Christ in the head and a hatred of Christ in the heart.
Proverbs 1:23-33 "Turn you at
my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my
words unto you. (24) Because I have
called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; (25) But ye have set at nought all my
counsel, and would none of my reproof:
(26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; (27) When your fear cometh as
desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and
anguish cometh upon you. (28) Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but
they shall not find me: (29) For that
they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: (30) They would none of my counsel:
they despised all my reproof. (31) Therefore
shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own
devices. (32) For the turning away of
the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. (33) But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall
dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil."
Though Saul of Tarsus was a persecutor
and a blasphemer, he obtained mercy because he did it ignorantly.
1 Timothy 1:12-13 "And I thank
Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry; (13) Who
was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy,
because I did it ignorantly in
unbelief."
C. Perhaps some
of you are asking yourselves, “Have I
committed the unpardonable sin?”
1. I know this: Some of you are in danger of committing it. You
who trifle with the gospel trifle with your souls!
2.
Yet, I am confident that there is still hope for your soul,
if you are concerned about your soul. You may yet obtain forgiveness of sin, if
you want the forgiveness of your sins. You may yet come to Christ if you desire
to come to Christ.
Application: I send you home
now to seriously consider these two facts. I pray that God the Holy Spirit will
burn them into your heart. I pray that you will not be able to put them out of
your mind.
1. There is forgiveness with God for all sins through the blood
of Christ!
2.
God will not always be gracious!
Hebrews 6:15 “Today,
if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
Isaiah 55:6 "Seek ye the
LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."