The Unpardonable Sin

Mark 3:28-30 Gospel of Mark

Pastor Albert N. Martin expounds Mark 3:28-30, focusing on the solemn declaration and warning concerning the unpardonable sin. He begins by affirming the glorious truth that all manner of sins and blasphemies can be forgiven through Christ, conditioned on repentance and faith. He then addresses the frightening exception of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which he tentatively identifies as a sin specific to the context of Christ's direct miraculous attestation, leading to an eternal sin due to an irreversible hardening of the heart. Martin applies this by demolishing notions of universal salvation or unconditional forgiveness, urging listeners to immediate, unreserved yieldedness to Christ to avoid the precipice of spiritual ruin.

2 illustrations in this sermon

The Solemn Preface: 'Verily I Say Unto You'

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Flashing Arrow Lights on the Thruway

Driving home: When our Lord says verily or Amen I say unto you the use of the word Amen or verily or truly is pointing in the direction of the absolute truthfulness and trustworthiness of what He is about to speak. In other words, thi…

The flashing yellow arrow lights on the New York Thruway, warning of construction, illustrate how 'Verily I say unto you' serves as a verbal shorthand to call peculiar attention to Jesus' solemn and vital statements, underscoring their importance.

and in subsequent passages our Lord as it were is calling peculiar attention to what He is about to say to us. For example the Nichols and my wife and I made the trip up to Albany on Friday to take part in the ordination of our brother Scott and Steenburg and as we drove up the New York Thruway there were certain places where they were doing construction work and we were duly warned by orange signs narrowing to one lane or two lanes ahead and there would be sufficient warnings but then generally as you came up upon that section there would be a set of lights lined up in the configuration of an...

13:35 - 15:03 Read in full sermon

Illustration and Final Exhortation

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Coach Driver and the Precipice

The point: Do not dabble with sin, carnality, or unresolved conflicts, wondering how close you can get to the precipice. The safest place is as far from the precipice as the width of the road allows, pressed up against Jesus.

A wealthy man hiring a coach driver asks applicants how close they can drive to a precipice. The wise driver, who stays as far away as possible, is hired. This illustrates that the only safe position for a believer is to stay as far from sin and temptation as possible, bound to Christ.

the only safe position let me illustrate as I close you may have heard the illustration before but I can't think of a better one so I'll use it again back in the days when men did not have their Buicks and their Chevys and their Cadillacs and their Pontiacs but they drove horse-drawn coaches there was a particularly wealthy man who wanted a new coach , driver for one reason or another he had lost his coach, driver and he wanted a new one and so he advertised for a good handler of horses and a competent coach, driver and when men came and applied for the job he asked them you claim to be a good...

57:58 - 59:27 Read in full sermon

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