The following sermon was presented by the Reverend John W. Howe, Rector of Truro Episcopal Church in Fairfax, Virginia, on June 9, 1985. The title is, Of God or of Satan? And the scripture reference is the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 3, Verses 20 through 35. 

If you weren't already following along, I'd ask you to turn to that gospel reading with me. I think you'll find it on page 869, Mark chapter 3. This is a passage that has caused as much consternation as it has caused confusion.

It pivots on verse 29. Mark 3, verse 29. Jesus says, whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness.

He's guilty of an eternal or an unpardonable or an unforgivable sin. Folks have read that and terror has seized their heart. Could I have done that?

Even inadvertently, could I have sinned such a sin that it would never be forgiven? I want to reassure you, I think as we look at that in context, if you are concerned about that, if you're concerned lest maybe you have lost your salvation, if you want to retain your salvation, if you want to belong to Jesus, then I think it's very unlikely that you have done what is indicated in this verse. We need to put it into a larger context and see what Jesus is saying.

The background is that he's been delivering people from evil spirits. He's been liberating them, setting them free, casting spirits out of them that have previously held them in bondage. And the Pharisees come along, and you see they've already made up their minds.

This man could not be from God. Nevertheless, we see a remarkably powerful ministry. How do you explain it?

Well, he's obviously casting out demons by the prince of demons. and Jesus makes four statements in answering that charge number one if Satan were working against himself he'd self-destruct the only way that Satan would throw out one demon is if he could bring in seven others to take his place if people are really being liberated by my ministry then you cannot see the hand of Satan in it. If Satan were divided against himself, he'd fall.

A house divided against itself cannot stand. He quotes Abraham Lincoln at that point. Isn't it remarkable how some of his best statements are attributed to others?

If Satan were working against himself, he'd self-destruct. Number two, I'm working in total opposition to Satan. Satan's come to bind people, to enslave them, and I've come to set them free.

In Matthew's version of this same story, this comment is added. It's a wonderful comment. If by the Spirit of God I cast out demons, then you know the kingdom of God has come.

Look at what I'm doing. People are being liberated. You cannot attribute it to Satan because they're being freed from him.

If by the Spirit of God I'm setting people free, then you know that the kingdom has come. And thirdly, I'm going to win. Aren't you glad?

I'm going to win because Satan is a strong man but I'm stronger still you get the imagery there no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man and then he may plunder his house and Jesus says that's what I've come to do I've come to tie Satan up and steal back from him those that he's held in captivity I'm going to win praise God and then fourthly he comes to this sobering warning against committing an unpardonable sin we need to understand what that is saint john's gospel has jesus saying the works that i do in my father's name bear witness to me and even if you don't believe me believe the works that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I in the Father. Do you see that? The proof of the pudding is what I'm doing.

Look at my ministry. Don't draw a hasty conclusion. If you thought God couldn't possibly become a man, look at what I'm doing.

The works bear witness to me. If you don't believe me, look at the works. Alright?

I'd like to submit to you in this season of Pentecost as we celebrate the ministry of the Holy Spirit, that the principal ministry of the Holy Spirit, the most important thing that he does is to convince people that Jesus is who he claims to be. Do you understand that? Jesus says, and he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

He will bring people into conviction about who I am and about what my ministry is all about. That's more important than the gifts of the Spirit, more important than the fruit of the Spirit, those are subsidiary to that overdriving purpose to bring conviction. Now how does he do that?

The principle means that he uses to bring folks to conviction is, as we look at these signs and wonders that Jesus does, we draw the conclusion no one could do that unless he was from God. Now in that context we come to Jesus' statement to reject all of that, to put aside the overwhelming conviction of the Holy Spirit to attribute the work of Jesus instead to Satan, is to actually blaspheme against what the Holy Spirit is doing. And it's by definition unpardonable.

You say, how can that be? Well, if you reject God's pardon, how are you going to be pardoned? If you reject His offer of forgiveness, how are you going to be forgiven?

If He says, I've come to you in the person of My Son, that you might receive Him, and in receiving Him, receive Me, and you say, no, that's of Satan, how are you going to receive Him? It's by definition unpardonable. Do you see that?

And it's interesting, all the things that Jesus says can be forgiven, the things that we're so worried about. Sexual sin, stealing, committing all manner of wrongdoing, all the things on our list of biggies, Jesus says those may be forgiven. But to reject God's salvation is by definition unforgivable.

And it's sinning against the Holy Spirit, because what he's all about is to bring us to conviction that Jesus is who he claims to be. So I suspect that it is not very likely that you have inadvertently done that. It's a matter of willful, irrevocable rejection of the convincing work of the Spirit.

If you want to belong to Jesus, then you probably have not willfully rejected him in this way. I want to see the implications of this on a somewhat larger scale. Because what's really at issue here is the question of how do you decide in your life, in the events of your life, how do you decide whether a given thing that happens to you or a given event in which you participate or a given crisis that you're called to go through, how do you decide whether something is of God or of Satan?

do you see that that's really the larger issue is Jesus ministry of God or is it of Satan how do you decide that how do you decide whether the things that happen to you today are of God or of Satan let me give you an example you're offered a huge increase in salary and responsibility a tremendous promotion. What a blessing from God. Only there are a couple of strings attached.

You've got to relocate across country. You've got to wrench your family out of friendships and neighborhood and school and church. And the cost of this new responsibility is that you're going to be on the road 70% of the time.

Are you still sure it was a blessing from God? Or was it the bait that Satan used to allure you away from some terribly important commitments and relationships? Do you see what I'm asking?

How do you decide? Or on the other hand, you suffer a tremendous setback. Maybe you lose your job.

Or you suddenly find out that you've got a tumor the size of a grapefruit. Or your kids are in deep trouble and you say a curse out of the pit of hell. only because you've got no place else to turn you cast yourself upon the Lord and you beg for His help and you discover maybe for the first time in your life that His grace really is sufficient for all your need and your relationship with Him moves onto a new plane a new depth, a new sweetness are you still sure that that was Satan's curse or was it a blessing in disguise?

Do you understand the question? Let me submit to you that there are two answers to this kind of question. Is it of God or is it of Satan?

There are at least two elements to the answer. Number one, in everything, in everything, God is working to accomplish his purposes and Satan is working to accomplish his. in everything, whatever happens to you.

The event itself is neutral. The question is, what is God trying to do in the midst of this? And look out for it, because Satan also is trying to use it.

We were talking a couple of weeks ago about Joseph and his brothers. You remember, they sold him into slavery, and then out of that he rescued the whole nation. And his comment to them was, you meant this for evil, but God intended it for good.

What is Satan trying to do? what is God trying to do? Jesus himself said that whenever God is sowing good seed, what else is happening?

Satan is coming right along behind sowing weeds, right? And this interesting comment, he says, and the two will grow together until the harvest. God has his purposes and Satan has his.

We call one very important day on our calendar Good Friday. Why? Because the most horrific travesty of justice in the history of the world turned out to be for our salvation.

God has his purposes and Satan has his. That is true of everything. But secondly, and I hope this is more helpful than that, God's purposes are absolutely consistent with His character.

And you better believe that. You better see that. You better build your life upon it.

God's purposes are absolutely consistent with His character. So when I look at what's happening in my life, and I say, is it of God or is it of Satan? I look for the hand of God in terms of that which is consistent with His character.

for instance God says to Jeremiah at the point that the people of Israel are about to be led off into bondage in Babylon he says I know the plans I have for you plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope Satan has his purposes and God has his and how do you know which are which I know the plans I have for you says the Lord plans for welfare not for evil my plans are to give you a future and a hope. The writer to the Hebrews says it is for discipline that you have to endure. Sometimes we go through a tough patch.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant. Later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Can you see the hand of God in a tough patch in your life? God's got you in a vice. What's He trying to accomplish?

The peaceable fruit of righteousness as you allow yourself to be trained by God in the midst of all that. And you know Paul's comment to the Romans, in everything what? No. that's not the one I had in mind.

That's to the Philippians. That's to the Philippians. In everything God works for to those who are called according to His purpose.

To those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What is God's purpose? Good.

In 90% of the time? In everything. Now, it does not say everything is good.

It says in everything, God is working for good. God's purposes are absolutely consistent with God's character. And so I'd submit to you we've got to be very careful about attributing bad things to God or good things to the enemy.

I'm always intrigued when an insurance company refers to a disaster as an act of God. are you sure god's going to use it we just read that god permitted it no doubt or he wouldn't be god and he's going to use it for those who are called according to his purposes but are you sure he sent it i just have to believe maybe the other guy dreamed it up or what about illness illness strikes and you hear folks saying well well, I just guess God sent this to me to teach me something. Have you ever heard that?

No doubt God wants to teach you something, but are you sure he sent it? Are you sure? Jesus healed a woman who'd been crippled for 18 years, and the Pharisees, as usual, got very angry because he did this on the Sabbath day.

Listen to his answer. Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bondage on the Sabbath day? Who bound her?

Who loosed her? Eighteen years. God permitted that.

But does Jesus say God sent it? Who sent it? And who loosed her?

You meditate on that. That's going to make a difference in the way you pray. God's permitting it, no doubt.

And He wants to use it, no doubt. But if your view is God sent it, how could you ask Him to take it away? Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound, be loosed?

And that's what I've come to do. Listen, when Paul was not healed or it may have been released from a thorn in the flesh, whatever that was. It doesn't really matter what it was.

He prayed about it three times. He said, please take it away. And God said, no, I'm not going to take it away.

My grace is sufficient for you. What does Paul say? Well, God sent it.

No. He says it was a messenger from Satan. Do you follow what I'm saying? God's purposes are absolutely consistent with God's character.

And as we begin to apply that to our lives, I think it's going to make a big difference in how we view things that happen to us. St. John said, The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Do you hear that?

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. Satan is working to accomplish his purpose, and Jesus says, I'm working to accomplish God's. And they are diametrically opposed to each other, so that in anything we can look for what is God doing and what is Satan doing, and begin to pray accordingly. Let's bow our heads together.

Father God, give us eyes to see in our lives this day, this afternoon, what you're doing in our circumstances. Lord, forgive us for making those hasty assessments that because things involve material well-being, they're of you. Or because they're painful, they're of the devil.

Lord, we'd see more deeply than that. We'd ask you to give us spiritual eyes to see into what your purposes are. Purposes consistent with your character.

Purposes that work together for good. as we love You and know ourselves to be those called according to Your purpose. All this we ask in the name of Jesus.

Amen.