Prizing and Protecting our Unity

A Chapter a Day

• Sunday, January 17, Mark 8
• Monday, January 18, Mark 9           
• Tuesday, January 19, Mark 10
• Wednesday, January 20, Mark 11
• Thursday, January 21, Mark 12
• Friday, January 22, Mark 13
• Saturday, January 23, Mark 14

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Mark 3:22-30 (ESV)

²² And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.”

1. The temptation to want to our opponents is not new.

 ²³ And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. ²⁶ And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. ²⁷ But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

2. will eventually lead to .

²⁸ “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,

3. The sacrifice Jesus made for sins on the cross secures for all sins for all who repent and believe in him.

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45, ESV)

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7, ESV)

 ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— ³⁰ for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”

4. To attribute to the work of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus is to be “guilty of an sin” – a sin that will never be forgiven.

“Mark 3:28 emphasizes that “all sins will be forgiven,” anticipating the eternally valid, substitutionary atonement of Jesus (cf. 10:45). However, if a person persistently attributes to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God—that is, if one makes a flagrant, willful, decisive judgment that the Spirit’s testimony about Jesus is satanic—then such a person never has forgiveness.” (ESV Study Bible, p. 1899)

“What is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and who, if anyone, has committed this sin? Few people have not wrestled with the thought that they have done something that cannot be forgiven. The good news is that the things that typically plague our hearts can be forgiven. Neither unfaithfulness, betrayal, embezzlement nor even murder is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. That sin is something the teachers of the law had just committed. They had accused Jesus of being in league with Satan. To identify the work of God as the work of the devil is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit; it is the ultimate blindness, the point from which there is no turning back.” (Ronald J. Kernaghan, Mark, IVP Commentary, pp.82-83)

5. In the church, Scripture often commands us to and our unity.

• Jesus prayed for our unity.

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:20-21, ESV)

• The Apostle Paul repeatedly gave admonitions and instructions about pursuing unity.

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6, ESV)

• Five Key Affirmations about our Unity at Ingleside

1. Jesus is our .
2. The is our authority.
3. The is our message.
4. Making is our mission.
5. Our Church Constitution and Bylaws define our governance – how we are organized, led, and make decisions.