0:01 Well, I hope you have a Bible in your hands. And if you do, meet me in the gospel according to Mark in chapter nine, as we come to the conclusion of this chapter together, and trust that the Lord will indeed speak to us as he always does. You know, one of the beauties of taking a book and going by chapter by chapter, verse by verse, is that you are held captive to what the text has to say in that particular day over that particular week. And it makes it exciting because it causes us to see the entirety of the scriptures, but it also shows us that, God is harmonious in his thinking, in his will, in his desires for us throughout the scripture. And so I'm I'm excited to come to this text, and you might hear and see some very familiar thoughts, especially if you've been coming to bible study on Fridays.
0:55 But even as we go through these texts and we just do what we need to do and see what the Lord is saying, in his providence, he can also emphasize certain truths. It's unplanned. Right? It's not that we're trying to emphasize these truths, but even as we're just honoring the flow of thought and, we see a repetition or an emphasis, take key to that and lean in and say, Lord, we're trying to discover all that you're trying to say, and here we are in the season where we're seeing and hearing very, familiar truths at this time. And and so, Lord, I'm gonna lean in, and and and perhaps you're trying to say something to me, perhaps you're trying to say something to us as a church.
1:32 And I believe that'll be particularly true as we come to this text beginning in verse 38. In Mark nine verse 38, Let's read this together. John said to him, teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us. But Jesus said, do not stop him for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us.
2:13 For truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Father, we submit ourselves to the word. Lord, our hearts are in desperate need of your help and understanding your word. And so we pray that you would indeed open our eyes.
2:46 And we pray, Lord, that it would materialize in lives molded and transformed into the very thing that you desire from us. So, lord, we just pray that there'd be a particular grace in the delivery of this word, and there'd be a grace in the reception of it. Lord, we ask that your presence would manifest in our midst. And if there's any end goal of this, that, lord, we would indeed draw closer to you. This is our desire in our heart cry as a church in your presence on this day.
3:12 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. In the verses that you and I just read, Jesus pronounces two two whoever statements. The first is located in verse 41 where Jesus says, for truly I say to you, whoever gives, whoever gives.
3:35 And the second one is in the next verse where Jesus says, whoever causes. Whoever causes. And it's in these statements that we see Jesus giving, in essence, warnings. They are in the format of warnings and they address aspects of our relationships with other believers. Whoever gives, whoever causes.
3:59 The one facet, you can say, focuses on how we as believers should serve and serve with other believers. And the second deals with the danger of sinning against or sinning with other believers. And this is essentially the format of what Jesus is saying. This is the summary. Jesus in the scriptures that we will discover and unpack today is giving warnings about serving and about sinning.
4:33 And the goal of Jesus' words here are no different than they were for the original disciples. That in understanding what he's saying here, we would be renewed in our minds and being renewed in our minds, we would be made more holy and acceptable in our spiritual worship. So let's deal with these two warnings, shall we? Warning number one. Warning about serving.
4:57 Why is John bringing up this random event up at this point? It seems to be a diversion from what Christ just finished teaching his own, but upon meditation it makes complete sense. Let me remind you because we had a break last week and the week before where we left off. Jesus finishing there in verse 37, whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. Whoever receives me, receives not me, but him who sent me.
5:21 In other words, however you treat the most insignificant, vulnerable, weak among believers, you essentially are doing it to me. The way you treat other Christians, Jesus is saying, in essence is the way you are treating me. And all of a sudden, John seems to just bring up something that doesn't make sense as a response to what Jesus just finished explaining. He seems to reach back to a recent episode and he's asking Jesus for some clarity. Teacher, we saw someone who was trying to cast a demon out in your name, but we stopped him.
5:54 We stopped him. Why would John bring that up? What's the relevance? Here's the relevance. He just heard Jesus saying, however you treat other believers, you treat me.
6:05 It seems like John has a very tender conscience because he remembers something that just took place. He remembers that the disciples stopped or in other words rejected somebody who claimed to minister in the name of the Lord and he wants to know whether or not what they did was correct. Did we mess up? In light of what you're just saying now, Jesus, did we mess up in what we did with this unnamed disciple? This person who was trying to serve you and honor you?
6:34 And the Lord, we should thank God, is going to give a response to this. And the reason why we should thank God for this response is because John's concern here might be a concern for believers today. Might be a problem that some believers are dealing with today in what sense? Well, Well, there are some serious servants of Christ who don't know how they should relate or identify with other believers who are not immediately in their context of spiritual service or worship. Those who are not directly connected to their world, to the body of believers that they serve with.
7:17 How do I view others? How do I relate to others who might not be part of my specific expression of service and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ? And there are a variety of reasons why people struggle with that, but let me present to you one simple struggle that some have. They have trouble admitting. They have trouble admitting that God could be at work beyond where they are involved.
7:44 Or worse, worse, worse, worse, worse. You have some people who actually believe down deep inside though they would not admit it and are convinced that they have monopoly on God's power and favor in their arena of influence. God is only really working here at MBC. Right? That kind of thinking.
8:05 And it can it can be expanded to network of churches or denominations that think that way. We have the monopoly of God's wisdom. We have the monopoly on God's favor. We have the monopoly on God's power, and it can dwindle down to the individual believer who constantly measures themselves up against other believers who share in the same gifting that they have. Maybe you do struggle with that.
8:32 Maybe you don't. Regardless, Jesus wants to give clarity of how we as believers should identify and relate to other believers who might not be closely related to your day to day or weekly spiritual expressions of worship. Look what he says here in verse 39. But Jesus said, do not stop him. Do not stop him for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
8:59 In other words, what the Lord is saying here is that a person who performs acts of mercy that are undeniably empowered by me cannot at the same time testify against me. What Jesus is trying to say is, if you want to know who's on your team, just look at the fruit. Just look at the fruit. If you want to know who's on your team, just look at the fruit. Now I'm fully aware that the same Jesus who said this is the same Jesus who warned that on the final day, you will have many, not some, every time I think about it, it terrifies me.
9:37 Many on that day who will stand before the Lord and argue their innocence, argue their righteousness based on the performance that they had on earth, and the resume that they had is quite impressive. Prophecy and the casting out of demons and supernatural endeavors, and Jesus will also say in response, I don't know you. I don't know you. Have we met before? And I'm also aware that like the sons of Sceva in Acts, where there are some who take the name of Jesus as a mere formula and utilize it and do ministry in that name, though they are void of the convictions that that name demands.
10:20 But what Jesus is saying about this unnamed man who was attempting to cast out a devil and was stopped, is that he was no phony disciple. He was not a wolf in sheep's clothing. Now Jesus is is defending him in a sense. Jesus is confessing that he was legitimate. And if you look closer to what John is saying on behalf of the disciples, you get a better idea of what he is dealing with.
10:48 The complaint that the disciples had against this outsider was not about what this man believed. It wasn't. Look again here in verse 38. John said to him, teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to stop him. Why?
11:07 Because he was not following who? Us. He was not following us. Jesus? He's not part of our group.
11:18 He's not part of our spiritual elite roster. Who does this man think he is to have the approval and freedom to do ministry without us? First, guaranteeing it. He he's not part of us, God. He's not part of us, Lord.
11:35 And so we attempted to stop him and Jesus says, don't stop him. You made a mistake in doing that. And this is so important to determine because what what the Lord is saying here is not a proof text that we should partner with absolutely anybody just because they bear the name Jesus, regardless of what they believe. Jesus is not giving an ecumenical defense. Oh, yeah.
11:59 Anybody who has a cross, anybody who claims to believe in the bible, anybody who claims to believe in Jesus and just just go along with them and and dismiss everything else. That's not what Jesus is teaching. What Jesus is teaching based on John's own confession, he's not following us. The Lord says, in you perceiving other genuine Christians, be careful of seeing them as competitors and rivals instead of partners and friends. That's what Jesus is saying.
12:24 That's what Jesus is saying. Be careful looking at other genuine believers and seeing them as opponents, and seeing them as challenges to you, instead of seeing them as co laborers, though they may not be immediately associated with you. This is what Jesus is conveying. And this is a wonderful place for us to examine our own hearts. We have a duty to look at the fruit of other people who claim Christ, other ministries, other churches.
12:54 Do they have true fidelity? Are they truly honorable? Do they truly submit to the word of God? But what Jesus is saying here is also a warning because if we're not careful, in the name of so many things like discernment, We can end up actually fighting against other believers when in fact we should be working with them. And the disciples are a perfect example of how that can happen.
13:21 Again, I told you what's the real reason here? They see that they're not following them. But think about the context further. How how is it that they're thinking this way? Well, they just finished doing what?
13:33 Why did Jesus teach about receiving little children, receiving Why did he teach about true greatness? Because at the end of their trip, the disciples were finding amongst themselves about what? Who's the greatest? Who's the greatest? Now think about it.
13:45 If they're willing to fight each other, if they're willing to bring down one another in order to exalt self, is it difficult to understand that they're willing to actually fight others outside of their own group? It's not difficult. And so there's an issue of pride here and it's spilling over into other streams of ministry, other people of God. But it's even deeper than that. Think, think, think, think even wider than that.
14:14 What did they try stopping this man from doing? Casting out a demon. Remember? They're very specific. We saw this man trying to cast out a demon and we try to stop him.
14:26 Well, think again at the previous verses. When Jesus came down with a close three descending from the Mount Of Transfiguration, he came to the disciples and the disciples failed to do what? They failed to cast out a demon. They failed to cast out a demon. Jesus teaches them about the power of faith and prayer.
14:48 They go on a trip. They're talking among themselves who's the greatest. And John brings up this incident where he says, we saw somebody trying to cast out a demon and we try to stop them. I suggest to you that in light of all the evidence that we have up to this point, that the main reason why these disciples try to stop this man was because they were intimidated by him and they were jealous of him. This man could do something we could not do.
15:17 This man was able to accomplish something that we could not accomplish. So let's try to stop him. This insecurities bubbling over and now is affecting others. So let's pause from analyzing this historical moment and look at our own selves. Can I ask you a question, my beloved brother and sister?
15:43 How do you respond to the success of other Christians around you? Oftentimes when we hear about our relationship with other believers and the need to check our hearts, it tends to be overwhelmingly about the need to reflect in humility in light of the failures and the mistakes of others. And that's important. We need to. We need to be gentle.
16:03 We need to be kind. We can't be puffed up. But how often do we hear of the need to check our hearts in light of the inspirationally successful and spiritual people around us that are very fruitful, that are very loved, that are very much praised and sought after. What does our heart feel about those kind of believers? That's what the Lord is getting at here.
16:33 And the disciples need to deal with this very quickly. Because if we don't deal with this in our own hearts, if we do struggle with insecurity, if we do struggle with jealousy, if we begin to see people that God is using amongst us as opponents rather than partners, you know what that will end up doing if it's unhinged? If it's not combated with truth and the power of the Holy Spirit? Like the disciples, in some way you will stop it. It will so irritate you.
17:04 It will so eat you up inside that if you're not careful it will go from a feeling to actually friction. And so I don't know how the disciples try to stop this man. I don't know if they just interrupted the whole thing and said, you gotta stop this. You're not part of us. And down deep inside the real motive of this correction is, this guy's bothering me because he did something we couldn't do.
17:28 You know how people can do this today? They can do it in many ways. It can be as seemingly innocent as you and I criticizing a ministry, criticizing a brother or sister in the Lord in our own church, criticizing them to others as a way of diminishing their reputation in order for us to look better. And it can be as aggressive as making moves to disqualify others from ministry so that I no longer stand in the shadows and I can now shine so that other people can see what they failed to see and need in me. And I'm sure that you're aware that there are many creative ways where we can stop something or someone that God is blessing because we realize that we are not the vehicle of blessing that God is using for his glory.
18:17 Disciples try to stop this man. What was the real reason? It's so obvious. They're already dealing with their own struggle of who's the best and now there's somebody out there that's showing that they can actually do what they could not do. And it killed them inside.
18:34 And Jesus said, don't stop him. What are you doing? And one of the ways to combat this, because we are all susceptible, even the greatest servants of God, the most godly people can be visited by this temptation to look at others and to feel threatened by them. But how do I combat that? How do I deal with that?
18:52 How do I rescue myself from envy determining my behavior and determining the depths of relationships I could enjoy instead severing those relationships? I think one of the ways to do it is to is to see people the way Jesus sees people. Look what he says in verse 41. For truly I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. So again, the Lord is reemphasizing and revisiting what he taught before John bring up this scenario and he's saying, let me remind you again of what true greatness is in the kingdom of God.
19:29 But but it's more than that. I believe the Lord is communicating something even deeper. Because he says, for truly I say to whoever gives you, whoever gives you disciples a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ. Let's just pause there. I love that phrase, you belong to Christ.
19:46 These disciples are so stubborn. They're so slow in learning. They're so irritable in a sense, just like you and I, and yet Jesus, even in this moment, says you belong to Christ. You still belong to me. Yeah.
19:59 Oh, you're not getting it. But you still belong to me. Loving parents, you know what that feels like with your children. Do you not? You don't abandon them and disown them because they're not getting it right away.
20:10 Even after months or years. Here's the Lord saying indirectly, you belong to me. If you struggle in this area, realize that God is merciful even to you and gracious towards you. But he says here, for truly I say to whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. Hey, you try to stop a man for casting out a demon, I'm telling you never mind that extravagant thing.
20:37 That even if somebody comes and gives you a cold glass of water on a hot Middle Eastern day, I will see that servant and I will keep in mind I have to reward him. It shows the absolute value that Jesus has for all of his servants. It shows how he views all of his servants, significant in a human standard or insignificant according to human standard. Casting out demons or giving out glasses of water and cleaning the tables in the basement after fellowship. I see them and I will reward them.
21:10 Wow. And the impression that's supposed to make on us is, how am I supposed to comfortably live with the idea that this servant of God is a threat to me or my opponent when Jesus values them so much? When he esteems them so much? When he thinks so highly of them? When he will reward them?
21:32 Do you wanna know how you can save yourself from relational pain and allowing your problems internally because of a lack of approval in your own life, in your own upbringing, whatever the case may be? Ask God. Take the word. Staple it over your eyebrows and may his mercy help you see people the way Jesus sees people. You know, I read a verse, I was reading first Corinthians not too long ago, and there was a verse that stood out to me.
21:59 And it's it's a it's not even the full verse, it's the last part of a verse that changed me. That's what the word of God is supposed to do. Right? It just touched me and ministered to me. It impacted me on that one Tuesday afternoon just opening my bible on my desk.
22:16 Can I share it with you? Turn with me to first Corinthians chapter eight eleven. Here's what Paul is doing. He's speaking to strong believers and weak believers. The strong believers are those who understand their freedom and Christ.
22:30 And they understand, we can go to the market and we can buy food that we're dedicated to idols because they're not really gods, and we can eat freely without our conscience being disturbed. The weak believers are not like that. You would think that the weak believers are those who have that freedom and the strong believers are those who are a little bit more meticulous. No. The weak believers, according to Paul, are those who who see those kind of things and it bothers them.
22:55 How can you be eating that food? It's halal. Right? How can you be doing that? That's dedicated to a false god.
23:01 And and Paul Paul is trying to bring some guidance here. Right? He's trying to give some instruction and and what he wants to do is he's not coming down hard against the weak believers, he's speaking to the strong believers saying, hey, listen, you stronger believers, you have to understand that though you have these rights, there's a greater thing than your rights and that's the law of love. That's the law of love. And so don't be a stumbling block for the weak believer.
23:23 Don't do things in the name of your right that would cause their conscience to be pricked and for them to feel disturbed. And he says this phrase, again, why? To motivate the believers to live in the law of love. He says, and so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed. This is the phrase, the brother for whom Christ died.
23:52 The brother for whom Christ died. That phrase just ministered to me so deeply. You strong believers understand something. The person that you're dealing with here, no matter what you feel about them, no matter what your criticism is, no matter how much they might be infringing on your spiritual rights, no matter what, I want you to frame how you deal with them, how you speak to them, how you respond them in light of this. Jesus shed his blood for them.
24:21 The eternal son of God came into this world and paid a high price for that brother. Oh, you might not think highly of them. Oh, you might be much more prone and willing to speak down about them. But understand how Jesus values them. He bought them.
24:45 If you really believe that, to see the great and heavenly value that Jesus places on that weak believer. Yes, they might annoy you. Yes, they might cause you to be very much willing to vent to others about how annoying they are. But be careful. Jesus shed his blood for that brother.
25:10 If they truly belong to Christ, if they truly have conviction, if they have fruit, yes, they have some weaknesses, remember this, Christ bought them. Oh, when I saw that I said, Lord, amazing. It's amazing what your Holy Spirit is trying to get in me to see people the way Jesus sees them. That will change you. That will change you if you really believe it.
25:38 So Jesus gives warning about how we as believers should serve with one another. Listen, we are all partners in this thing. Yeah? And from time to time as we're doing the work of the Lord, let me give you a heads up. You might step on somebody's toe and they might step on yours.
25:56 Jesus shed his blood for them. Forgive them. Forgive them. Love them. Be patient with them.
26:05 There is a cross that is stained with royal blood and there are hands that were pierced and feet that were pierced and a side that was pierced for them. I hope we can see each other this way. Yeah? I hope. If not, may the Holy Spirit help us.
26:21 We are walking in this thing together, moving forward together, needing one another. And the and the God of this Bible can so work in you and I that when somebody graduates, when somebody's promoted, when somebody's praised, when other people praise them, you don't have to act like Saul. Saul had no problem with David. I mean, Saul even rejoiced that David killed Goliath. He loved it.
26:41 All of Israel loved it. But according to Saul, Israel loved it a little bit too much. Because the moment that the song start going out, what did they say? Saul has slain his thousands. But David has what?
26:52 Tens of thousands. You know your old testament. And Saul was bothered by that. I had no problem people praising David but when they start praising David more than me. Oh yeah, people can love David, people can appreciate David but if they love David and appreciate David and talk about David more than me, now we got a problem.
27:14 That's flesh. That's flesh. That's not Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is, look at what God is doing in that person for his glory. Hallelujah.
27:24 Do it more Lord. Do it more in them. And if I can have any part in it, let me do it as well. But Lord, if you're in your sovereignly choosing them, gifting them, opening doors for them, then I say yes and amen. That's Holy Spirit.
27:39 Warning about serving. How we serve with believers. How we serve God alongside believers. But now we come to warning about sinning. Put your seat belts on.
27:53 Verse 42. Whoever causes now there's a second whoever. Jesus continuing his thought here. There's no break of thought. He's continuing based on this based on the scenario that John presents.
28:04 Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Now here's what's happening. In the same way that there is great reward reserved for those who do acts of service toward other believers. Somebody gives you a cup of glass, a cup of water to another. Because you belong to Christ, there's reward for them.
28:29 In the same way that there is great reward reserved for those who serve other believers, in like manner, there is also great punishment reserved for those who sin against other believers. Jesus in mentioning the little ones, he's not speaking about actual small children, not primarily at least. Little children is a picture of weak, vulnerable, trusting, sometimes newer believers. This is who Jesus has in mind primarily. And it says here that to be responsible for intentionally persuading.
29:10 Listen to my words very carefully here. To be responsible for intentionally intentionally persuading or causing another to stumble is highly offensive in the sight of God. So unacceptable is it in the sight of our holy God that for one to have a selfish or careless attitude about their sin and its effect on others, Christ said it would be worse to live in that kind of state. And it would be better for you to actually die a horrific death. Not my words, the words of the master.
29:51 For somebody to cause one of his children to fall, it's better for you to tie a giant weight around your neck and to be launched into the heart of the ocean and to drown. Very strong language. And if anybody takes the words of of Jesus seriously, at this point they would want to know, well, how can I avoid the severe consequences that the Lord is alluding to? And that's a right response. And take heart because the next few verses will spell out the solution to living free from this dreadful fate.
30:24 Here's the summary. If you and I want to avoid leading others into unrighteousness, then you first have to eliminate the unrighteousness in yourself. If we want to be protected from being the reason why other people sin, then Jesus is about to explain it. You gotta deal with the sin in your own life first. So he gives this very very common and familiar passage of strong radical exhortation.
30:50 Verse 43, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out.
31:16 It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Your hand, if it causes you to sin, slice it off. Your feet, amputate it. Your eye, pop it out, let it shrivel up and die. What's Jesus speaking about here?
31:43 Self mutilation? How you have some ancient church people who believe so? No. Jesus is speaking metaphorically here, of course. And the metaphor here is to illustrate the intensity and the drive and the inflamed ambition to go to war with your sin and to identify and find the source of any temptation and to kill it.
32:09 That's what Jesus is describing here. And he he takes his time to actually elaborate on these different body parts. Why? To communicate that we must look for all. We must scan every part of our lives to see what is it that's causing me to sin?
32:26 What is it that's pulling me deeper into darkness and away from light? What is that thing? So here's how you could translate it. If there's anything that you are doing that's causing you to sin, cut it off. If there's anywhere that you're going that's causing you to sin, never go again.
32:44 If there's anybody, this is probably the hardest one, if there's anybody that's constantly alluring you and tempting you with no sign of a tenderheartedness towards your faith, your God, the truth, sever that relationship. If there's anything that you're eating, tasting, hearing, watching, that's entertaining sin in your life more and more. Uproot it, throw it away, and never turn back. This is what Jesus is speaking about. This is actually the call to discipleship.
33:17 And you might wonder, what does that look like? What does that actually how is that lived out? How do I live like that? And I thought of one example that came to my mind because I heard it far back. It was a man who was I don't know if he was speaking out of this text, but the idea of what a true disciple looks like.
33:37 And he gave this example of his own life where he said that he hates getting a haircut. I don't know what kind of experience he had for him to hate getting haircuts, but as an adult, he hates getting haircuts. He he dreads it. He tries to prolong it as much as possible. And one day, he has to go to a place, and it's not his usual place.
33:54 The usual place he went to, it wasn't available. So he goes to this place, and there's this young lady who offered to cut his hair. And so he's a married man, he has children, and he got his haircut and he enjoyed a lovely conversation with this woman. And something happened to his heart because when he realized that he needed to get his haircut again, he was actually really excited about it this time. Really excited about it because he thought, you know, I can talk to this woman.
34:16 I really enjoyed my conversation with this woman, so he goes again. And then from there, he developed this kind of friendly relationship, but now he's like looking forward to getting his haircut. And he realized something's wrong. Something's wrong here. I should not be feeling this way about someone who is not my wife.
34:39 So you know what he did? He never got his haircut there again. He cut it off. If your hand causes you to sin, you cut it off. If your foot is causing you to sin, you cut it off.
34:54 If your eye is causing you to sin, you pluck it out. That's just one example of many of what a true disciple does. And perhaps that was helpful, but maybe what's unclear to you and I is the caution here about hell. Hell is mentioned here because having a great millstone tied around your neck and being thrown into the sea is better than going to hell. Hell is a real place.
35:20 Hell is a dreadful place. Hell is an eternal place. I know that liberal theologians would have you believe otherwise. No. No.
35:27 No. Hell is real. Heaven is real and hell is just as real. God created both. And it is a place of unquenchable fire.
35:36 It is a place of internal and external torment and is a place where God will express his eternal wrath and justice against those who have denied the gospel. That that's clear. We believe that as a church. But what again might be unclear is what does the warning about hell have to do with followers of Jesus Christ who have been saved by grace? Jesus is speaking to his disciples.
36:05 And so some would use this as a proof text to say what? You can lose your salvation. You can lose your salvation. Moment you lie, your name is erased, the book of life. And you do better that week, it's written back again.
36:19 You get into a little scuffle or you get irritable because you didn't have breakfast and somebody's taking too long and you wanna go out for lunch and so you throw a little tantrum and, God forbid, you get hit by a car. You were saved before that, but now you're not saved. That's not salvation. That's not the power of the gospel. Not because I feel something about that truth, it's because I'm convinced that the truth says if he saved you, he's keeping you.
36:45 Again, what about the verse though? What about the verse? There's a warning here. If you don't deal with sin, you're in danger of hellfire. And I believe the best way to explain this is in this following thought.
37:03 If someone does not have the radical attitude and approach in dealing with their sin in the way Jesus just described, if one is unbothered or unconcerned about leading other true followers of Christ away from the will of God. If their sorrow in their disobedience is merely for worldly reasons and God is not in the equation, then such a person may not be a believer to begin with. And that person, no matter what kind of creed they adhere to concerning the person of Jesus Christ is in fact in danger of hell. You know what you learn from this? One of the strongest marks of a person who is truly born again of God.
37:45 One of the strongest marks according to Jesus standard of the discipleship is this, that a true follower of Christ is known by how they view and how they tolerate sin in their daily lives. That's how you identify a true Christian. One of the main marks I present to you. Not what you say merely about Christ. Not how much you like Christian worship music.
38:10 No. No. No. The one of the strongest marks that you belong to Jesus. Don't tell me about Jesus.
38:17 Let's talk about sin. Let's talk about your sin. Let's talk about sin. How do you feel about sin? What's your attitude towards sin?
38:27 Show me the scars if you're going to war with sin. Because Jesus said, if you really belong to me, this is what you will live like. And yes, we stumble along the way. Yes, we do miss make mistakes. So if you're hearing this and you said, I've made mistakes with my hands.
38:44 I've done wrong things with my feet. I have looked at things that I should not have looked at. That's possible for a Christian to do. The case that I am making here is what's your attitude toward it though? What does it make you feel?
38:59 What does it do in here? That's what makes a difference. And so if you can say with confidence, now I hate my sin. I wanna go to war with sin. Why?
39:09 Because I love my Lord more than anything. I wanna honor him and worship him. He saved me. How can I drink from this cup when he himself drank the cup of wrath on behalf of my soul? How can I?
39:22 And even in those seasons where you might struggle and you feel weak in your spirit, down deep inside you know this is not where I'm supposed to be. A person who's not a Christian doesn't think like that. A person who's not a Christian can even hear a message like this and you have plans to sin this week and nothing is gonna stop you. You have every reason to be fearful. Because if you don't seek to go to war with sin that visits you or a limb tries to grow again and drive you into another direction and you see that you're saying, oh, you're back again, I'm going to war with you once more until I give my dying breath, you have every reason to sit back and tremble right there.
40:09 The message of hell, where did it go? I've had people tell me, not too many people, but people still who have told me, you know, I wanna be using hell too much to motivate people. Hey, hey, I'm not coming. Do you think I just came up here and said, you know, I think I'm gonna talk this is Jesus. This is Jesus.
40:30 Clearly, Jesus knows something more than you. For him to speak about hell as a motivator to pursue salvation and to pursue holiness in Christ. What did Jesus save you and I from? A lonely life? A prosperous life as a result of your salvation?
40:54 A disease free life? What did Jesus Jesus saved you from hell. He saved you from hell. People will be going to hell if they don't repent and believe. So I have every right.
41:10 I know we like to put hell in the peripheral of our thinking and like, yeah, we're orthodox Christians so we have to mention it. No. No. No. I like to think about it because I know Jesus saved me from it.
41:20 I'm delivered from I have all the more reason not to rejoice. He saved me from my sin. He did save me from a lonely life. He did save me from a life that's void of purpose. He did.
41:29 But he also saved me from eternal punishment. Now put an extra note to your singing. Extra strength in your voice. I'm saved from wrath. I'm saved from separation from God's glorious and loving presence.
41:47 So Jesus says here, this is what a true disciple looks like. And then he concludes something with something quite interesting, one that has caused much debate in terms of interpretation. Look at verse 49. For everyone will be salted with fire. Now, if you have the King James and the New King James, it would read with an addition that, yes, everyone will be salted with fire, but that that there will also be a seasoning of salt on sacrifices, something along those lines.
42:14 And the reason why the ESV and the NASB omit that phrase, whereas the King James and the New King James includes it is because those two word for word translations. Right? People ask, what's the best translations? Get the translation that seeks to translate the closest thing to the original language. You have word and paraphrase translations, n I v, n l t, and then there are word for word translations, ESV, NASB, King James, New King James.
42:43 And why am I doing this? Because the ESV and the NASV, they're getting their source of, manuscriptal evidence and translated from a different family of manuscripts, some that are much older than the ones that the King James and the New King James derive from. Two different families of manuscripts. Well, do we have contradictions here? No.
43:03 Just slight variations of certain verses including this one. Nothing that will deal with doctrinal major foundational truths. I argue that even if you have the ESV, which we preach from, you can still come out with the same understanding that you would if you have the King James or the New King James. What does Jesus mean when he says for everyone will be salted with fire? Well, let's deal with the context.
43:27 Up to this point, he's been talking about hell with unquenchable fire, eternal fire. So the fire he's speaking about here cannot be disassociated with the judgment. Okay. Let let's clear. So is Jesus saying everybody is going to hell?
43:42 For everyone will be salted with fire. Well, it can't mean that. Then we're all in trouble. Let's pack up and go home. What helps is verse 50, where he says, salt is good.
43:57 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another. So the salted with fire here in verse 49, does mean everyone will be salted with fire, but with what kind of fire? There is a fire of unquenchable eternal judgment, but clearly, in Jesus' next thought, next point in describing the quality of life of believers, there is a salting with fire, listen very carefully, that is purging and purifying. It's a purging and purifying fire that as a result of that work creates in you a new inner and even outer substance.
44:45 So there's no neutrality. Right? Everyone is going to be salted with fire. In the same way that there's no neutrality in where you stand with Jesus Christ, let me remind you here of verse 40. Go back to verse 40 quickly.
44:57 For the one who is not against us is for us. No middle. No Yeah. Jesus is a nice guy. Okay.
45:04 Is he Lord? No. He's a No. No. No.
45:06 You're you're against him. But Jesus is a prophet. But Jesus is a good teacher. Okay. Are you for him or are you against him?
45:14 There's nothing in between. There's no third option. There's no neutrality with the person of Christ. I'm either on his side or I'm against him. No matter how nice you are about him, he has determined the standard of which you are for him.
45:26 And anything outside of that standard, you're against him automatically. Not my rules. The rules of the perfect Lord. Everyone will be salted with fire. Everyone.
45:38 Everyone. And the one will be salted with eternal fire for the rejection of Christ. The other is for those who have received Christ and their inheritance is that the Holy Spirit does a burning work in you. He melts and molds and cleanses and purifies and the result of that burning work is that you become something else. And one of the things that you and I are is salt.
46:07 Salt. He continues this metaphor with salt. Salt is good, But if the salt has lost its saltiness, Jesus taught about you and I in the sermon on the mount. We know it. We've teaches about it.
46:22 We've memorized it. It's second nature almost or true nature. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Salt, light.
46:31 Same idea. You're speaking about believers being salt. But as much as you and I inherit this life of being salt in the world, which means that there's a preventative power, there's a healing power, there's a flavoring power, there's a responsibility on our end. Yes, we receive that because he has salted us, but we have a responsibility. Because look what he says, if the salt has lost its saltiness, it's possible for me as a believer to lose those properties, those heavenly properties that make me who I am as a Christian.
47:07 Then he goes on to say, have salt in yourselves. So are you commanding me to do something that's outside of my power? Hey, by the grace of God he helps you, but I have a conscious decision to make as a believer. I am to be a salty person. Not in the negative sense.
47:22 I am to be a salty person. So you've heard it. Christians, I'm ending here. You've heard it your whole life. If you've been a believer your whole life, you are the salt of the earth, you're the light of the world.
47:34 And we we know the the interesting studies about here's what salt does, naturally speaking. Here's what light does. And then we parallel that with spiritual truth. Wonderful. But have you ever asked the question, but what does it actually mean to be salt?
47:47 I know what real salt does and you can make clever points of what that translate into spiritually. As Christians, we heal the world. As Christians, we prevent the world from erosion. As that's but what does it look like? Like, how is it lived out?
48:01 Have you ever thought what Jesus is about to say because Jesus here explains one of the qualifiers, one of the realities of what it means to be salt. Have it has it ever come to your mind in your interpretation of what it means to be the salt of the earth? You ready for this? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace. Be at peace with one another.
48:25 What does it mean to be salt? Be holy, you don't swear, you don't do this, that's what it means to be salt. Being salt means many things. You know what Jesus has in mind in describing what it means to be salt? Out of all the things he could have said?
48:39 Being at peace with one another. What makes Christian salt? How we deal with one another. That's that's what makes the world say, wow, there's flavor here. Wow, there's healing here.
48:56 Wow. There's preservation here. Wow. There's something different here. How is it measured?
49:02 Being at peace with one another. So we have a full circle here. Do we not? You have the disciples fighting one another and there's another guy that's like, let's get him. Hey, you cast a demon, we couldn't, but you know what?
49:13 You're not part of us. That's the reason why you can't do ministry. And Jesus brings it into full circle. Hey, disciples. You've been called to be salt.
49:20 You wanna know how you're gonna be effective as salt? Get along. Get along. Now here's we can go into the next hour, which I will not do to you, to talk about what it means and how it is that we can be at peace with one another. Look at us here.
49:35 I I rejoice every time I come here, every single time. The different faces, the different colors of skin, the different backgrounds, the different ages. It's amazing here. This is really a miracle. How is it that we can gather here with all the variety and get along?
49:50 Because we're here under the banner of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why. But let's get practical here because even people under the banner, what do they do? They step on each other's toes and they're intimidated by one another and, oh, you're doing this and I know. Let's turn to James in closing.
50:07 I'll give you a summation of how we can know perpetual peace. And as a result of perpetual peace, we can know saltiness and true witness in this very depraved age. James. In James chapter three, and this has come up recently in our bible study. That's why I opened up with how I opened up because this will be very familiar to those who attend on Fridays.
50:38 I brought this up recently, and perhaps the Lord wants us to hear it again. Look here at verse 17. But the wisdom from above is first what word do you see? Pure. Pure.
50:55 It's first pure, then now look what happens as a result of purity. The next thing following pure is then what? Peaceable. Peaceable. So James is describing the fruit of heavenly wisdom.
51:09 And the first thing that he says is that heavenly wisdom will produce in you as a believer, purity. Purity. And in following purity, notice what he says, peaceable. It's peaceable. Not just internal peace, but relational peace.
51:24 You ready for this? How can I know peace? Please pay attention. Please. How can I know peace in my marriage?
51:32 How can I know peace in my friendships? How can I know peace with my relatives? How can I know peace in my church? In the ministries that are part of in my church, with the church as a whole. How how how how how?
51:46 You need purity. You need purity. You can't have peace unless there's purity. So what do you mean purity? Like sexual purity, modesty, honesty.
52:04 The purity that James has in mind is the opposite of what he describes in verse 16. Look at verse 16. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. That's the opposite of peace. So the purity that James has in mind is that which is in us that is void of jealousy and selfish ambition.
52:32 That's what purity is according to James in this context. So how can I know peace in my marriage? How can I know peace in my church? How can I know peace in my business partnerships? How can I know peace?
52:42 How can I know peace? Well, all the parties involved have to be free from jealousy and selfish ambition. You have to be free from that. It's an attitude thing. It's an outlook thing.
52:58 It's a thing just like the disciples who are what? Struggling with the very things James is talking about. Selfish ambition and jealousy. Jesus, like, hey. You're supposed to be at peace with one another.
53:10 That's what makes you salt in the earth. And you know how that peace is achieved? You gotta get that thing out of you. You you gotta be cleansed from this ambition, self seeking, self exalting, self praising, self loving attitude that has to die. And listen, when that dies, when we crucify that in our own hearts day by day, day by day by the power of the Holy Spirit, you know what we receive as a result?
53:35 The reward of that? Peace. Peace. You wanna talk about church splits? You wanna talk about church friction?
53:43 A lot of the times, it's not because of doctrinal issues, those are legitimate reasons to have confrontation. Most of it is about selfish reasons. Personal preferences, issues about this and that, you did this, you did that. And things are destroyed. There's no peace.
54:02 I'll tell you why there's no peace because there's no purity. You know what the beauty about this wisdom is that James talks about? That results in purity, that results in peace and gentleness and open to reason and is full of mercy. When you go back to verse five of chapter one, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God. Lord, I'm honest enough to say before you that as a servant of yours, I have not taken heed about your warning of how I should serve and serve with other believers.
54:37 It's because I have these issues. Can you give me this wisdom that gives me this purity, that gives me this peace? That's what this is all about. These disciples who wanted to be effective and wanted to be great would not be able to go very far because they didn't have salt in themselves. And why didn't they have salt?
54:59 Because they didn't have peace. And why didn't they have peace? Because they lacked purity. This can save your marriage. This can save your marriage.
55:10 Both parties need to be pure, Free from jealousy, free from selfish ambition. This can save your friendships. This is why is there always tension and drama in your friendships? Probably because there's lack of purity in it. Somewhere, one party or both not being pure.
55:26 Same with the church. May God preserve us. May God cleanse us. May God heal us. Do you receive like this listen.
55:33 Don't get down be excited. Wow. Peace is possible. But it can only come from purity. Can we ask God for this purity?
55:43 In our ministries and, again, our marriages and our friendships and our businesses, Lord, please, we've heard your warning about serving and about sinning. And if you're in this place and you don't have this strong confidence that, yes, I have this radical attitude toward my sin. I hate my sin. I loathe my disobedience. Then ask the Lord to change your heart.
56:07 Ask the Lord to open your eyes. Ask the Lord to see how beautiful and awesome he is that would make everything else seem so disgusting and evil in light of his majesty. Father, as a church, we've heard your word. And we sincerely pray right now, no matter how tired or, hungry we might be in this moment, we give you our reverence and prayer. We ask, Lord, help us be salt.
56:35 Strengthen the purity of this church. Help us be at peace with one another. Help us never forget that the way to peace is purity, and the way to that purity is you depositing a a way of thinking known as wisdom. Lord, we rejoice in you, and we want to be more like you, and that's our request in praying. Change us deeply.
56:58 Do surgery in us, whatever needs to happen for us to be more like your son. We thank you, Lord, for this time as a family. We give you glory and thanks in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
57:08 Church, let's stand. Let's worship this God. And if you need to even pray, say, Lord, I heard you. I I wanna be more like you. Please do that work.
57:17 I wanna leave here different. He's here. He hears us. He's a good God. You belong to Christ.
57:24 You belong to him. He doesn't give up on us in our weakness. He keeps us and perfects his work in us.
