Unforgiveable Sin

OK Sports Fans. This is going to take a minute, and feel free to end this ride at any time. 

This Sunday's (June 10, 2018) lessons for the Third Sunday after Pentecost were: Genesis 3:8-15; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; and Mark 3:20-35. The plan was to continue a sermon series on 2nd Corinthians, and the sermon text below kind of does that. 


But I woke up Sunday morning and re-read this, and thought, that's not what I need to preach. Which is a problem because I'm having this mental conversation at 7:00 am, the first service is at 8:30, and I haven't showered yet. So, I prayed that the Holy Spirit make the "words of my mouth and meditations of my heart pleasing to you," and I made Her responsible. 

People ask me why I like serving multiple churches. It is for Sundays like today. I took three swings in front of three different communities, trusting that God put the right words in my mouth in the right space-time coordinates. Here are my three efforts, Ascension at 8:30 am; Redeemer at 10 am, and St. Mark at 11:30am.

If you listen to one of the messages, you'll understand what is the significance of this tattoo of mine. You can click the link for more information on Project Semicolon.

Now, in the midst of trimming the audio and formatting the text, I took a quick nap. In my drowsy condition, I connected Unforgivable Sin with U2's Unforgettable Fire. After wondering if my sweet tea got spiked, I looked up the lyrics, and want to share this with you. 

So sad to besiege your love so head on
Stay this time
Stay tonight in a lie
I'm only asking but I
I think you know
Come on take me away
Come on take me away
Come on take me home
Home again

u2 - The Unforgettable Fire 

Please join me in prayer. Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. Amen.

Grace, peace and mercy to you, from God, our Creator, and Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior.  AMEN.

I want to make an important comment on the Gospel lesson. Some people take Jesus’ statement, "People will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin,"[1] as a condemnation about suicide. They believe taking one’s own life is the unforgivable sin. To do so is to not read this passage. The unforgivable sin, as Jesus describes, is to take an act of God, a gift of God, and ascribe it to the forces of darkness and evil. The unforgivable sin is to take Christ’s work, and rather than saying it comes from God, to say that it comes from an unclean spirit. The unforgivable sin is to say what someone is doing out of a call to share God’s love and say that their work is evil. The unforgivable sin is something of which our more judgmental brothers and sisters need to be aware, and to take care.

In the passage we read last week from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle describes our trust and faith in Jesus Christ in the plainest, most stark terms. “We are always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”[2]

He is describing dying in order to live. He is describing letting go of everything that is false, or what distracts, detracts, diverts or deters us from God and God’s will. If we dispose of those things that separate us from God, we can repent, we can reorient ourselves to God, and allow God and God’s glory to show through us and our lives. 

Paul is describing putting our faith in God. “We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.”[3] It is trusting that God who is with us in small things is with us in the big things, and vice versa. 

Some people struggle with believing that the Creator of the universe can care for them, but they believe in heaven, and expect they will be there. Others doubt that there is a loving, caring God, but they will pray in a time of crisis for themselves or those they love. Then there are those of us in between. We have faith, we trust, we pray, but we have doubts, we have questions. Why did that happen? How could so many innocent ones have to suffer? Why him or why her? Why me?

We have to remember that faith does not keep us from suffering. Faith reminds us that the suffering will end. Faith keeps us going during the times of trial. Faith promises a better day and a better life. Faith reassures us that every tear shall be wiped away, and death shall be no more.[4] Faith declares “weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”[5]

Our faith is in the unmerited gift of grace given by God through the life, death and resurrection of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. Our faith is grace given to you and me and to everyone, not because of our good works, but because of the goodness and love of God. 

Faith should be the uniting force of the world. We all get it. We all don’t deserve it, but we still all get it. Some of us get more, but that’s because we need more. No matter who we are, or what we have done, we all get the amount of grace we need. No one should brag, or no one should be jealous. The gift of grace is given because God loves us.

The gift of grace and the promise of life after death should also a uniting force. It is not just you and me who will be raised when death is finally defeated, it is for all. “Grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”[6]

But with our faith, with our trust, in the grace of God for things that are to come, what are we to do in the here and now? Paul tells us at the beginning of this passage. “We have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—‘I believed, and so I spoke’—we also believe, and so we speak.”[7]

I have faith, and so I speak. It is the responsibility of all Christians. The Great Commission given by Christ to his followers to baptize, to make disciples and to teach them, falls to ALL who believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God, to all who have been claimed as a Child of God. 

To share your faith, to share what you believe, to share where you put your trust is something that I have encouraged you to do from the time I came to visit. It is something I say almost every Sunday, and that I will continue to do so. I do it because it is part of our responsibilities as followers of Christ, but for a very real and practical reason. The continued existence of this church, of these three churches, and of The Church depends upon people sharing the reasons for their faith with others. 

Jesus said that his family, his mother and brothers and sisters, are those who do with will of God.[8] The will of God is for us to share God’s love, and we must do that with our actions, with our deeds, and with our words. God’s love is the promise that no matter what is going on in our lives, God is with us, and God will provide for us a heavenly home, an eternal experience with God and with everyone.  

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[1] Mark 3:28-29

[2] 2Corinthians 4:10-12

[3] 2Corinthians 4:14

[4] Revelation 21.4

[5] Psalm 30:5

[6] 2Corinthians 4:15

[7] 2Corinthians 4:13

[8] Mark 3:35