"THE UNPARDONABLE SIN"

Chronicle (Levin), 10 August 1946, Page 8

"THE UNPARDONABLE SIN"

MR. C. C. GRAHAM'S ADDRESS "For the past three weeks I have endeavoured to show from cne Scriptures the willingness of God to forgive sins and to receive those who will have God's Son to be their Saviour," said Mr. C. C. Graham, 2vhngelist, when he spoke on the above subjeet on Tuesday evening in the Oxford Street Gospel I-Iall. 'But to-night, I want to speak about the sin which the Lord Jesus said hath not forgiveness, neither .n this world nor in the world to come. "(Matt. 12; 31-32). The unpardonable sin, said our Lord, is olasphemy against the Holy Chost." The speaker said that he was persuaded that there were many in danger of committing that sin bo-day, and if they did it would be impos;ible for God to forgive them j and they must therefore spend I eternity in lieifi away from His jpresence. In Genesis 6: 3 God says, •'My spirit shall' not always strive ' wich man." There eomes a time j when God'o patience is wearied and jHe leaves men to reap ihe harvest of their follies. This was the case j with ihe people in Noah's day and I also Pharaoh who continued to harden his heart against God's f pleadings with him. Pharaoh', s 1 "heart be'came permanently hard- ! ened against God and repentance | was impossible. God's judgment then descended upon him. Balaam ! was another whom God gave up j and left in the darknesj. Pilate j aho trilied with Christ and con- ' science until he took his own Tife. »Ajcl i-.ow his body lios in a suic'do's I gi'aVe and his soui in a suicide's I hell. Judas likewise resisted the love and pleading of Christ, and it is reeorded that "He went out and it was night. In Matthew 12 the Pharisees attributed : the work of the Holy Spirit to B^elzebub, the prince of devils, and I Christ said this sin was unpardonaoie. Theie was no excuse lor uie blasphf my of theN Pharisees, and : none for ihe blasphemy of men today who have "witnessed the pcwer and influence of Christ for nigh on 2000 years. Even murder and "all manner of sin" hath forgiveness, said Christ, but never the sin of resisting the strivings of God's spirit who seeks to lead us 1 to repentance and an acceptance of Christ as Saviour. A collector of stalactites in one of the mammoth caves in Ken- ; uiicky once tied a cord cn the outside of a dangerous cave and fol- ' lowing the cord with his lantern, : enteiad the cave a great distance. 1 Suddeniy he became excited as he ' saw the beautiful stalactites in iront of him. In his exciuemenc ne : let go the cord and began to collect ; his treasures, but accidentally he kicked the lantern, the light went ;out, and he was left in darkness. i He began then- to search for the

cord in order that he might find his way out of the cave. But he never found the cord and later he was found lying dead a fewr feet away. How he wouid regret nis neglect of the cord! "Beware," said .the speaker, "that in grasping for life's pleasures and posscssions, that you do not kick out God's light and be left in the darkness of despair, when even a great ran!som cannot dehver you." Sometimes it is the religious people who commit this sin, as it iwas with the religious Pharisees, ; They think they are good enough rnd don't need God's salvation. | They feel insulted and offended ! v/hcn asked if they are truiy bom jagain Christians. They think that church attcndance, culture and good works is all that is needed. jTrue conversion to God they have i never experienced. "If our good | works could save us. why did Christ die for us?" asked the preacher. Surely it was because we were all lost and needod a Saviour. God can offer us the Saviour and forgiveness. If we refuse, what more can He do? When D. L. Moody, the famous evangelist, was a boy, an old man once spoke to him and said hcw he had been pleaded with to become a Christian when a lyoimg man. Often had his mother toid him to "seek first the Klngdom of God," but he had not done so. Now in his old age he had lost all dcsire to be saved and he knew he was lost to despair. Later the c ld man was taken to the asyium and Mr. Moody visited him there. As he entered the cell the old man pointed his finger at him and said, "Young man, seek first the Kingdom of God." The warden said that this text was being repeated all day. long. He was later taken homo again to his people, and once more Mr. Moody visited him, and there in his c.-Id rocking chair he r at pointing his finger and saying, "Young man, seek first the Klngdom of God." This man had committed the unpardonable sin and said "No" once too often to the

pleadings of God. "May it never be brue of any who have heard thi' address to-night," said the preacher. "May you turn and seek the Lord while He may be found, and while you have the desire and the opportunity to receive Christ as your Saviour." Mr. G-faham's final address of his campaign will be given in the Oxford Street Gospel Hall on Sunday evening. His subjeet will -be "Hell—' What the Bible says about it, and how to escape it," and all those who have not done so are urged to take the opportunity of hearing this intcresting speaker.