The Things that God Hates 8: One Who Sows Discord among Brothers

Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Corinthians 3:1-4; Matthew 5:9-12.

This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 3, 2021.

This morning, we will look at the last thing on the list of things that God hates in Proverbs 6.  It ends with describing a person who sows discord, or strife, among brothers.

God hates the sowing of discord among brothers

This image of sowing begs the question, “How does one sow discord, strife, and conflict among brothers?”  Or, we could also ask it this way.  “Just what does a discord seed look like?”

Perhaps it is simply a question about another person in their absence, perhaps about their motives, or a remark about them.  We might tell a story about them that we have heard, maybe even completely slandering them.  It might be less aggressive by stirring up the irritations that others already have against the absent person.  We really are only limited in this hated sin by our imagination, and people have honed this craft to an art.

Today, I want to look at the passage in 1 Corinthians 3 to bring out some things involved in this issue.  Paul is speaking to the conflicts and strife that were going on in the church at Corinth.  He puts his finger on their main problem: spiritual immaturity.  Though a person cannot become any more saved than they are, we may or may not become spiritually mature.

Paul pictures spiritual maturity as receiving nourishment from God’s Word.  Just like a newborn baby cannot digest complex foods and must drink milk, so a new Christian cannot immediately digest much of God’s Word.  They need to feed on the simple milk of the Gospel until they have grown enough to take in the deeper things of God.  The proper effect of God’s Word will be spiritual growth, as opposed to remaining carnal, or focused upon the flesh and its desires.  Thus, spiritual maturity involves putting off carnal motivations, carnal thinking, and the actions that come with them, and putting on the mind of Christ taught within God’s Word.  A spiritually mature person has motivations and thinking that come from God and His Word.  They do the actions that have good spiritual impact upon themselves and others.  Many in the Corinthian church were sowing seeds of conflict among the body of Christ, and Paul knew that this was breaking God’s heart, something that He hated.

Though spiritual immaturity is the main problem for the Corinthian church, there are other possible reasons why a person might sow discord.  A person may simply not be saved.  Jesus speaks in a parable (Matthew 13:24-40) about his enemy sowing “tares” in among the wheat.  These would be people who are carnal because they are not born again by God’s Spirit.  They have not been regenerated spiritually.

Of course, this is often the first accusation against others when you are carnal.  It is easy to always believe the other person must not be saved when there is conflict.  The spiritually mature person recognizes that even godly people can disagree on issues.  However, we would be asleep at the wheel if we didn’t recognize that the external Church has many tares that have been sown into it by the enemy, and some of them are leaders.

Sometimes the sowing originates within the group as we have described, and sometimes it comes from outside of the group.  Paul spoke of this in his farewell message to the elders of the Ephesian church.

“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.  Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.”  -Acts 20:29-31 (NKJV)

The savage wolves can come in among you, but they can also be government leaders giving decrees that cause problems in the group.  It is easy to miss the true source of conflict and only see the surface reasons.  It is important for us to step into spiritual maturity by checking our own motives first.  Line them up against God’s Word so that they can be purified.  Then, look for any deeper causes for the conflict that are not readily obvious.  Conflict always pushes us to rush our judgments, but this is not the will of God, nor the character of Christ.

In the end, we must learn to see through the schemes of the devil.  Our true enemy is him and his evil spiritual forces.  They are arrayed against the Church, and they use all manner of people: power hungry secular leaders, spiritually immature believers, con-artists, false prophets, etc.  The devil has schemes and a mode of operating that become more evident as we spiritually mature.  Whether whispering into the ear of Cain about his brother Abel, or catching Ahab’s eye with Jezebel, his strategies are generally the same, but his tactics are manifold.

So, what does God love?  Let’s go to Matthew 5:9-12 for that.

God loves those who promote peace between others

Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God.  Jesus, the Unique Son of God, came to earth on a peace mission, and so we are sent forth as his ambassadors also offering peace.  We are to speak peace from God to those we meet.  It is when we have peace with God that peace with one another is possible.  Do not fool yourself.  True peace is not possible among those who reject God and His Anointed One, Jesus.

There is a kind of anti-peace that is promoted by the antichrist system of this world.  The anti-peace is not a peace at all, but it can result in a cessation of some strife.  The Pax Romana (peace of Rome) protected many nations from invasion by others.  However, they were always under the strife of Roman rule, and were conquered by them in the first place.  If this is your definition of peace, then you can keep it.

True peace is built upon the foundation of a healthy fear of God and His judgment.  It is not a fear that God will be capricious, but that God will not be mocked or fooled.  He is not swayed by our words to Him.  He judges in truth, reality.  Anti-peace is built upon the foundation of the fear of man, and the powers of this earth.

Jesus said that if you stand for true peace with Him, then the world will hate you.  The world offers a false gospel that delivers a false peace.  Look around you.  You see groups trying to build Utopia without God, without truth.  Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:3, “When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.  But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief!”

When Jesus says that we shall be called “sons of God,” he leaves off just who will call us sons of God.  In fact, the next two verses talk about persecution.  Who is the “they” who will revile and persecute the peacemakers?  It is the world and all those who are one spirit with the false peace.  Christians are makers of true peace, and thus God is not ashamed to call them His sons, but the world that loves false peace uses worse epithets for us.  This persecution will come from outside of the Church and from within it.  It has always been so.  The early Jewish believers in Jesus the Messiah were persecuted by other Jews who claimed to love God.  In the Middle Ages of Europe, Christians were often persecuted by other Christians who had power and authority, both religious and secular.

Don’t kid yourself.  A new morality is being raised up even today that is not of God.  Slowly, but surely, many denominations and Christians are moving from God’s Truth, to the anti-truth.  May God help us not to be caught up in our conflicts with one another and lose sight of the true enemy and his tricks.  The enemy is even now coming after believers that cling to the old ways of Jesus.  The heat is being turned up.

Ultimately, Jesus promises a reward for those who promote true peace and pay the price for it in persecution.  Not only will they be called the sons of God by him, but a day of manifesting just who are the sons of God is coming.  We will share in the glory of Christ as he returns to earth in order to set up the kingdom that God has given him. 

Now, your reward comes from the one you are serving.  If we serve ourselves, and thus the world, we will receive the world’s rewards.  The world will call us peacemakers and sons of God, but it will all be a lie.  For those who fear God and work for true peace, God has a reward that outweighs any difficulties, tears, and trials on this earth.

Yes, in some ways, we are already sons of God who are participating in his kingdom.  However, the terminology is “reward.”  Rewards are handed out after a contest, or project.  Jesus is pointing us to a point after the Resurrection in which we will stand beside him in his kingdom, a true utopia that will last for 1,000 years.  The world that has rejected God’s peace offer sees His peace emissaries as those who are obstructing the peace that they envision.  Christian, you must get used to being labeled by this world the opposite of what you truly are.  No, it is not fair, but it is part of the path ahead of us.  We can ignore their aspersions against us not in a sinful obstinacy, but in a steadfast, faithful determination to please our Lord Jesus!

Sowing Discord audio

Peace on Earth

Luke 2:8-14.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 20, 2020.

I pray that you will have a wonderful Christmas this year because you have put your faith in Jesus.  If we thought we lacked peace in this world before now, 2020 has become a year to highlight that fact.  The turmoil of a pandemic that has spread worldwide has many in a panic.  The turmoil within the United States of America due to this, plus: the impeachment hearings, pandemic, race riots, and now questionable and corrupt elections, seems to be building.

If it weren’t for Jesus, there would not be a lot of hope in this world. Yet, there are many who are still doubling down on man’s ability to create Utopia without Jesus and God.  Mankind as a whole has rejected the path of peace that God the Father has offered it.  However, for all of those who embrace Jesus, we have peace with God, and we can have a peace that passes all understanding within our hearts because of it.

Let’s look at the story of the shepherds and hear the message that the angels brought that wonderful night.

When angels show up

Our story begins with shepherds doing normal shepherd things.  It is night and they are sleeping in the fields with their sheep.  Perhaps, they have a small fire to ward off the evening chill.  Suddenly an angel appears to them.  Now, the appearance of angels in the Bible is often accompanied by fright, which is often due to the unexpected suddenness of their appearance.  It is not generally what they look like that gives them away, but rather what they say and do.  Otherwise, we are often told that they look like men.

Hebrews 1:14 makes it clear that part of the job of angels is to serve those who will inherit salvation.  On this evening, God chose to send angels to these lowly shepherds in order to give them a message that is good.  However, it is not always a good thing when angels show up. 

These interdimensional beings are quite powerful.  God sometimes sends them to mete out judgment.  God sent two angels to Sodom in order to test their wickedness and to save Lot and his family.  In Genesis 19:13, the angel says that “the Lord has sent us to destroy it [Sodom and the surrounding cities].”  Yes, God gave the decree, but it is carried out by two angels. 

In 2 Kings 19, the Angel of the Lord slew 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night who were camped outside of Jerusalem in siege of it.  Also, the book of Revelation has the angels working hand in hand with Jesus in order to carry out his Trumpet Judgments, and the Bowls of Wrath.  Lastly, Jesus tells us that, at the end of the age, angels will gather out of the kingdom all those who practice lawlessness (Matthew 13:41).  Thus, when angels show up for judgment, it is a bad thing for those being judged.

Of course, that evening with the shepherd, God was giving grace to Israel and to the whole world.  When God sends angels for grace, it is good for those who are receiving it.  The angels were there to testify to a gracious message.  In fact, that is what the word angel means, “messenger.”  At first, there is one angel with the whole area lit up with what is described as the Lord’s glory.  Later, as if to emphasize the point, a multitude of the heavenly host, or army, join in at the end before all of them going back to heaven. 

It seems quite clear that the Old Testament prophets make the case that Israel did not merit the gift of the Messiah by their great loyalty and good works.  In case this seems uncharitable towards Israel, we can say that the other nations of the world had not merited it either.  These angels came bearing the news that the Messiah was now here to save mankind!  The statement is, “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.”  Now, that was a glorious day!

When the Savior shows up

The incarnation is an amazing message in itself.  God does not send a servant, an angel, to do the great work of salvation.  Rather, He sends His Son who takes on the nature of a man in order to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.  Finally, after so many centuries of waiting for Messiah, he was there!

There is a certain parallel between how God is working with the Church today and what He was doing with Israel in those days.  Just as Israel waited centuries for the coming of Messiah, so the Church of Jesus is waiting for him to return.  And, just as it happened then, it will happen again.  Some will not be ready for his return.  We are in jeopardy of losing hope and surrendering to faithlessness and compromise.  Strengthen yourselves this morning because good things happen for those who are prepared for the arrival of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah.

The message of the angel states that a savior has been born that day in the city of David, which was Bethlehem.  The word for Savior and the verb, saving, that goes along with it are used throughout the Bible.  It is a general term that is understood best by the context.  For a person who is wounded or sick, a savior is one who heals and cures.  For a nation that is oppressed by an enemy, it a military deliverer who brings victory and freedom.  For a person who is in bondage spiritually, it is freedom and cleansing from that sin. 

Jesus is a savior in every way that the word can be used.  His emphasis in those days was to provide for our spiritual malady, and to weaken the power of our spiritual enemy.  One day he will return to set the world free from those who love wickedness, and the tyranny that results.  Though Jesus came as a Jew who was born within the kingdom of Judea, he had come to save Israel and anyone from the nations who would believe upon him, that is put their faith upon him.  So, each time you think that something needs fixing, either in your life or around you, rejoice that we have a mighty savior who has come and given us the greatest gift of God that we could desire, himself.  And, where the Lord is, there is freedom.

The angel also calls the Savior, Christ the Lord.  Christ is Greek and Messiah is Hebrew.  They both mean “anointed one.”  Jesus is anointed by God to be the perfect Voice of God, the perfect High Priest, and the perfect King.  Each of these roles were commenced with an anointing.  The outward ritual of anointing was to symbolize the spiritual anointing that God did Himself by His Holy Spirit.  The Spirit would be supplied to enable the person to fulfill the role that God had given them.  With Jesus, the Spirit of God was without measure.  He was not just a prophet, a high priest, and a king.  Rather, he was the final word, the final sacrifice, and the final coronation!

God had anointed him to be the Saving Lord for mankind.  He has the power to deliver us from ourselves and from the spiritual enemy that holds us captive.  One day, he will be Lord over all the earth.  The question today is this.  Is he lord of your life right now?  In Jesus, God has set the question before all people.  Here is your Savior.  Will you embrace him?  Let us fully embrace the Anointed One who is even now interceding on our behalf before the throne of God.

At this point, we have all of the angels showing up and saying, “Glory to God in the highest!”  Glory involves the opinion, or estimation that is held by others.  This can be congruent to the nature of the person or incongruent.  A person who is truly worthy of glory should receive glory from others and those who are not worthy, should receive none.  Yet, people often receive glory when they do not deserve it.

Our Father in Heaven is the most glorious being, and the incarnation of His Son on earth to save us is its ultimate proof.  However, not all beings in heaven or on earth glorify him as they should.  Here, the angels give glory to God who dwells in the highest place.  In the Old Testament, this is typically stated as “the Most High God.”  This statement is in contrast to the next statement.  God in the Highest place should receive glory because men who are on earth are receiving peace and goodwill.

At that point in history, both the Gentiles and Israel had proven that they do not deserve God’s goodness.  Yet here, we are told that peace and goodwill are now “among men.”  Jesus represents the peace of God, and is described in Isaiah 9 as the Prince of Peace.  He also represents the goodwill of God.  We should have received His wrath, but instead we get His favor and the most valuable thing that was dear to Him.  The word for “goodwill,” or “favor,” is related to the word for glory.  There is a poetic connection intended.  God thinks good things about us, or at least makes it possible.  And, therein lies the rub.  We must put our faith in Him and keep it there to have that peace and favor.

Today, the temptation is to view the message of the birth of Jesus as rubbish and no longer helpful.  It doesn’t look peaceful down here!  However, that is because multitudes are refusing to take hold of it.  Let me leave us with this.  Through Jesus, God has made peace available to you.  First, you have peace with Him.  You are no longer His enemy and under His judgment.  Instead, you are now under His favor because of your faith in Jesus, the Savior that He sent.  Second, this can give you peace in your heart in the midst of turmoil because God’s favor gives you a solid future, hope.  Do you have this hope today?  May God bring us all to the place where we see our sin, and yet also see His love giving us grace despite it.  Merry Christmas!

Peace on Earth audio

Who Is My Savior?

Mark 11:1-11.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020.

This week, we are approaching the Passover celebration.  On this day, we celebrate what is typically called The Triumphal Entry.  One way of looking at this day is that we are celebrating this event as it should have been.  Jesus should have been received as the Messiah by his people.  This should have ushered in a time of peace in the world.  Instead, he was rejected and the world entered into a time that the Bible calls, “The Beginning of Sorrows,” and also, “The Birth Pains.”  Here, almost 2,000 years later, those pains are only increasing in intensity.

It is generally clear that mankind needs saving from its sins, though not all will use those words.  However, less clear to each of us is God’s contention in the Bible that all individuals are in need of saving, none excluded.  Christ came in such a way as to put the solution in front of each of us.  On that Sunday so many years ago, Jesus put the question before Israel as a whole, and yet also before each Israelite.  Who is my savior?  What is my choice?  Let’s look at our passage and work through these things.

The preparations of the Savior (vs. 1-6)

Our story opens with the arrival of Jesus in the Jerusalem district for his last time.  Within a week, he will be crucified on the cross.  He stops at this point to make some final preparations in order to enter the city.

However, we should take note that the previous 3 ½ years of the ministry of Jesus was all about preparing Israel for this day of choice.  Every miracle and every amazing teaching had been about preparing the hearts of Israel for a day of decision.  I don’t just mean the 24-hour period we call the Triumphal Entry.  I mean the whole week. 

Israel was being tested and they didn’t know it.  Most of them loved the idea of a Savior, a Messiah, but they did not love the idea of what Christ came to do.  He came to offer himself as a sacrificial lamb to deal with our sins, when they wanted a ferocious warrior to deal with their enemies.  Does that sound familiar?  Isn’t there a part in all of us that would rather have our enemies crushed than to expose and deal with our sins?  This is what this is all about.  It is about a choice that I must make regarding what I think can save me, or fix my life and my future.

Thus, it is important what we choose in the moment, but all momentary decisions will be tested.  You can make the right decision when it is easy, but your resolve to do the right thing will be tested.  Israel went from seemingly choosing Jesus to rejecting him in less than a week.  Their choice of Jesus was not nearly as strong as it may appear in our story today.  Ultimately, we are pulled away from faith in Jesus by the ways of this world, its power and prestige, its money and technology.  When you are fearful that the way of Jesus may not save you anymore, these are the things you will flail about and grasp tightly.  Yes, God had made great preparations leading up to that moment, just as He has made great preparations leading up to the moment that you were presented with the Gospel.  Yes, embrace Jesus, but also know that your embrace of him is going to be tested.

When Jesus stops near the Mt. of Olives, there are two villages that he stops at.  Their names are quite symbolic.  Bethphage means “House of green figs,” and Bethany means “House of my sorrow.”  Jesus had come to Israel expecting ripe fruit, but it was still green, inedible.  He came to those who were his own and should have embraced him with open arms, but they became to him a house of sorrow.  These things give more light on the whole incident following our passage today where Jesus curses a fig tree that had no ripe figs.  More on that at a different time.

The last preparation involves sending a couple of disciples out to secure a donkey’s colt.  From Matthew 21:7, we know that both the colt and the mother are involved.  Some details are left out or missing in Marks account, but it appears they were left out for the disciples too.  Jesus is not advocating stealing here.  Rather, he is telling them to get something and when they do exactly what he says, it goes exactly as he said it would.  A truism of life is that God often has us do things that do not make sense to us, like love our enemies, and forgive those who harm us.  However, he knows what he is doing.  He is preparing us to do what he has for us.  In these times, the lack of details regarding the benefit to these things often causes us to balk.  Yet, if we simply obey, we will eventually find that our Lord had everything figured out ahead of time, and we simply needed to trust his directions.  Whoever this owner is, he is willing to let the Lord borrow his donkeys, and Jesus knew that he would.  Now that the preparations have been made, Jesus is ready to head into Jerusalem.

The presentation of the Savior (vs. 7-10)

Up to this point, Jesus has resisted any attempt to present himself formally as a potential king for Israel.  However, on this day, he not only allows it, but he orchestrates it.  He is now forcing the issue and the question within Israel about the question of his identity.  Is he the Messiah or not?  This is a presentation event in which Jesus clearly presents himself to Israel; let me be your savior.

He purposefully sets up the imagery as one of a lowly person (humble) coming in peace.  He rides down the hillside of the Mt. of Olives, crosses the Kidron valley, and then up into the city on a donkey’s colt.  It is Matthew who connects this event to the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. There it is said, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold your King is coming to you; he is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, a foal of a donkey.”  Apparently, they didn’t make the connection when it was happening.  They just knew that Jesus was finally doing something that looked like he was ready to take control.  They are ready for the Kingdom of God to begin.

Now, the riding of a donkey is in contrast to riding on a horse.  A horse has connotations of war, power, and prestige, whereas a donkey has connotations of humility and peacefulness.  Zechariah had revealed to Israel that, when the Savior came, he would come in such a way.  When we contrast this image with the one of Jesus coming on the clouds of heaven and riding a white horse in Revelation 19, the message is clear.  He was not here for war all those years ago.  He had come to do a far dirtier job than Mike Rowe could ever conceive.  It would be like a boxing match where they are introducing the boxers.  “In this corner, we have…” (someone who does not look like they will win).  Though many of Israel were excited on that day, it is clear that Jesus is still a mystery to them.  What kind of Savior was he?

Let’s look at the crowds and their praise of Jesus.  There are two dynamics going on in this crowd.  In Mark, it only focuses on the disciples of Jesus (more than just the 12) excitedly running ahead of him, around him, and behind him.  They are rejoicing as Zechariah said they should, but for uninformed reasons.  They believe he is here to kick out the Romans, wicked priests, and Herod.  They think he is going to set all things right in society.  The second dynamic is that word had gone ahead into the city, and so, crowds were coming out from Jerusalem to meet him.  Among these crowds, there were some religious Pharisees who did not think Jesus was the Messiah at all.

In Luke 19:39, we are told that the Pharisees objected to the things that the disciples were hollering about Jesus.  They shout to Jesus that he should make them shut-up.  Jesus is very humble, but there comes a time when some things must be done.  Jesus had to present himself to Israel as a potential savior because it was the Father’s will.  It was the reason he had come.  Israel had to have a choice.  Thus, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees who are trying to rebuke him.  “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”

The crowds can be right, but the crowds can also be wrong.  They are easily driven to shout with praise on one day and then shout with anger on another.  The point is not what the people around you are doing.  The point is always, what does God want me to do?  Just as God was presenting His Son Jesus to Israel during the week leading up to Passover, so He presents Jesus to us today.  He doesn’t look like we think that he should, and some people may be shouting his praises for all the wrong reasons.  The main point is what does God want you to do with Jesus.  He wants you to embrace him in faith, and rejoice in the fact that he has come to save you!

The phrases that these disciples are shouting out, are chosen purposefully.  They come from Psalm 118 and were understood by all to be referring to the Messiah.  Psalm 118:25 gives us the Hebrew phrase translated “Cause us to be saved, now!”  The Greek transliteration is Hosanna!  What a cry, that not only was on the lips of Israel that day, but is on the minds of people all across this world, today.  We want someone to rise up and save us from our problems and the problems of this world.

The second thing they are shouting comes from Psalm 118:26, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”  They are using biblical words from the prophecy that predicts his coming in order to praise him.  Oh Church, may we learn to take time just to stop and praise the Lord Jesus for what he has done and what he will do!  Sometimes we don’t know what words to use, but the Bible supplies us with many wonderful ways of praising the Lord Jesus.

The disciples and the crowds believe that Jesus has been sent from the Father and they are asking him to start saving them.  Some of these cries mention the kingdom of David.  In other words, they are ready for the Romans to be expelled and the Kingdom of David to be restored to the full promises that God gave to him.  Let’s look at verse 11 and bring this to a close.

The investigation of the Savior (vs. 11)

It may not have been quite so clear that day, but Jesus then takes time to investigate this place that is crying out for his salvation, both the city and its place of worship.  It is at this point that we sometimes forget that when we are making an investigation of Jesus as to his worthiness as a Savior, he also is making an investigation of us as to our worthiness as a disciple.

Luke 19:41-42 tells us that Jesus weeps as he approaches the city, but they are not tears of happiness.  He says, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!  But now they are hidden from your eyes.”  We may not realize it, but there are things that would make for our peace, whether in America, or in our individual lives, but we have to have the wisdom to choose them.  Be careful that you are not manipulated into rashly supporting things that actually make for your own harm, or the harm of our nation.  Jesus goes on to use another phrase in Luke 19.  This was their “day of visitation,” not of a friend wanting to chat, but of our Lord coming to inspect.

Israel had waited for the Messiah to come for so long, and now he was here, but he had come to make an inspection, and they weren’t ready.  Always remember that choice is a saw that cuts both ways.  Jesus has presented himself to you to investigate and to choose, or not to choose, as your savior.  Yet, at the same time, he is investigating you.  What is really going on in that heart of yours?  You say you want righteousness and salvation, but what do you really want?  What will you really choose when put to the test?  They were not ready for their surprise inspection that day, and I dare say that the United States of America is not ready today if Jesus were to come and investigate us.  Friend, you had better make sure that you are ready to stand before the Lord, before he shows up.  Only repentance and faith in him can save us and bring us into his grace.

Jesus then enters the city and goes into the temple compound.  He simply looks around at everything.  It is fitting that he should not rashly judge the things that he is seeing there.  The next several days will be filled with him coming into the temple area and confronting the things that were wrong with Israel.  It may feel anticlimactic, but the true climax was coming at the end of the week, when he would hang on a cross for them and for us.

The day ends with Jesus simply going back to Bethany to stay the night.  In the morning, he will return to Jerusalem to teach in the Temple area.  He will do this several days in a row.  At the same time, the city will increase with people coming from all around the world for the Passover feast.  This dynamic forces the hands of the religious leaders.  Jesus is being too audacious.  They can’t let this continue, or at least that is what they think.

We can get lost dreaming about what the world would be like if they had simply embraced Jesus as Messiah that week.  It is similar to dreaming about what the world would be like if Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned, or if early American settlers had not used slavery.  We can look backwards and blame all our problems on those who sinned before us in a never ending “if only…”  However, you can’t unspill spilled milk.  You can only ask the Lord to help you clean up the mess and move forward.  Sin is a mess that we can’t clean up on our own, whether as a world or as an individual.  God has put the humble and peaceful Jesus in front of you, and asks you to choose him as your savior.  He doesn’t always lead in the way that we think he should lead, but follow him to the end, we must! 

The day is coming when Jesus will split the skies and return to this earth as a glorious, conquering king.  Whether I am alive on this earth on that day, or not, is immaterial.  I will still be held accountable for my choice.  Choose this day whom you will serve because not choosing Jesus is the same as choosing what this world is offering.  It is offering unending worthless things that eat up your life and leave you empty in the end.  Come to Jesus and let him be your savior today!

Who is my Savior audio

The Danger of Causing Someone to Stumble

Mark 9:42-50.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on Sunday, February 02, 2020

How do I treat other people?  Our passage is specifically about how Christians treat each other.  Our culture has developed a blasé attitude regarding the issue of how our words and actions affect other people.  Some even become very heated in their statements that it’s their problem and not my responsibility.  They should be stronger or better than that, appears to be their response.

Here, Jesus shuts the door on the propriety of a brazen attitude towards the affect our words and actions have upon others, especially other believers.  We are going to be held accountable, and there will be no excuses that will work.  May God help us to take these matters seriously because we are going to be a challenge to one another even if we are doing our best.  There is no call for making it worse through neglect, or purposeful intent.

Jesus warns against tripping others up spiritually

In verses 42-48, it is clear that this is the climactic instruction from Jesus to his disciples concerning their interest in which of them is the greatest of his disciples (vss. 33-37).  He first challenged them with the illustration of a small child. Then he dealt with their attitude towards a believer in Jesus who was not a part of their group (38-41).  This passage puts the capstone on the warning that Jesus is giving to his disciples, and us by extension.  They were in danger of being a stumbling block to one another and they needed to quit it.

Let’s deal with what is meant by the words “to fall into sin” or “cause to stumble,” in verse 42.  Both translations are correct.  The word is literally “to put a stumbling block in front of someone and is typically used metaphorically for causing someone to sin.  The KJV uses the word “to offend,” which meant “to strike against.”  This isn’t a bad translation either, for its time, but the normal usage of this English word can mislead us today.  The focus is not on how our actions and words can make a person feel, though that is a subset of the issues involved.  Rather, it is about the fact that our words and actions can cause a person to spiritually stumble and fall into sin.  To be fair, we should also note that it is not particularly about our intention either.  Whether intentional or not, our words and actions can be like a stumbling block that trips a person up.  Some people are particularly agile in this area and do not fall into sin, whereas, others are not. 

It is clear that Jesus is rebuking their attitudes towards each other within the group, and also with others who were not a part of the group.  Their attitudes would lead to a multitude of sins and the ruination of what Jesus was laying his life down in order to build.

The first warning is given through the reference of a horrible, unthinkable death.  For clarity in this section, I will use the terms the offender and the offended.  Jesus warns us that it is better to have a horrible death of a millstone tied to your neck and be thrown into the sea than to be a cause for the stumbling of another.  Such a death is the ancient equivalent to the mob putting your feet in cement and tossing you in the river.  It would involve the terror and horror of being murdered through drowning. 

All of us would agree that this would be an undesirable death, but not all of us would agree about how deserving of judgment our actions are toward another.  We tend to see our actions as innocent and the actions of others as fraught with injustice.  Could you imagine if the game of football didn’t have referees, but instead every player and the coaches all had their own flags?  What chaos that would be.  We are ready to “throw the flag” on everything others do and vehemently contest the flags that they throw against us.  Jesus is warning us that it is foolish to remain in such a state.  You will stand before God one day and give account for how you treated others.  He who is the judge of all men, both the living and the dead, takes these things seriously.  It is better to have a horrible death without causing others to stumble than it is to have a wonderful death, and then face the judge having lived carelessly.

We should also notice that Jesus ties this warning back to the image of the little child standing in their midst.  “These little ones who believe in me” are not just about physical age, but also about spiritual age.  Young believers of any age do not have as much spiritual growth and more easily stumble.  If we are focused on our greatness then we tend to only care for ourselves.

We must ask ourselves if our words and actions help others to believe in Jesus, or could they be a source of stumbling into sin for them?  The warning is very strong, and is against treating this lightly.

The second warning is reiterated three times.  However, there is a textual issue in these verses.  Depending on what Bible version you are using, you may be missing some of the verses that are in some of the older translations.  There is no conspiracy to get rid of any doctrines.  It is a matter of determining what Mark exactly wrote.  Let’s look at this textual issue further.

Here is a brief layout of the warning:

43.  If your hand causes you to sin…

                44. Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

45.  If your foot causes you to sin…

                46.  Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

47.  If your eye causes you to sin…

                48.  Where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

The three sections are identical except for a different part of the body being mentioned.  People often sin with their hands, feet, eyes, and Jesus could have continued.  In between each is a quote from Isaiah 66:24 regarding their worm and the fire that is unquenchable.  When the KJV was written, they had a particular number of known Greek manuscripts from which to determine what the text originally said.  The scholars of that day felt the repetition of verses 44, 46, and 48 were original.  There have been many more manuscripts discovered over the years since then (the most famous being the Dead Sea Scrolls).  Some of these manuscripts do not have verse 44 and 46, but they do have verse 48.  To many scholars today, it appears that the statement of verses 44 and 46 were not originally there.  That means it was only stated once at the end.  Of course, the repetitive structure of this teaching would imply that it applies at those places too.

Whether such scholars are right in this judgment or not, notice that the absence of verses 44 and 46 do not change the meaning and their presence is definitely implied.  The absence or presence of these verses, therefore, are not a problem for the biblical reader.  Nothing is lost or gained in either decision.  Now, let’s get to the particulars of this second warning.

Verses 43 through 48 all represent a reiterative, second warning.  This warning can be taken as towards the offender and the offended.  It begs the question of what exactly is “causing” us to sin.  In the end, no one can make me sin by being offensive, or by being such that stirs up the desire in me to offend them.  The issues of sin are deeper than what others have done to me.  Notice that the thing that causes me to sin here is not another person, but rather parts of my own body, a hand, a foot, and an eye. 

The structure of this warning draws us into the deeper issues such as who do I blame?  It is easy to blame others for my sin, but James 1:14 tells us, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”  Yet, the warning mentions the parts of our body that are often used to act out the sin.  It would definitely be harder to sin without hands, feet and eyes (and we could add brains at this point).  Jesus is using the obvious external things to connect to the hidden internal things that cause us to sin.  It is not the presence of a hand that causes a person to steal, but the internal evil desire takes advantage of the fact that they do have hands.

What Jesus does here is extremely powerful.  We can all imagine the horrors of cutting our own hand or foot off.  Yikes!  I do not believe that Jesus ever intended that people would actually do this.  However, neither do I want to mitigate the power of what he is doing.  Such a drastic act is extremely rare.  There is a story of a hiker, Aron Ralston, whose hand was pinned by rock in Utah.  He could not get free, until he imagined the possibility of cutting his hand off.  He lives today because of his courage.  Most people would have died in that same spot.  To the degree that the outward physical act seems outrageous, is the degree to which we should go in fighting against the internal.  In fact, it begs the question of effective ways to fight against strongly entrenched desires.  It can be a combination of drastic external and internal changes that set us free from the control of sin in our life.

The person addicted to pornography does not need to gouge their eyes out, but they do need to get drastic about cutting off things in their hearts and in their daily activity.  They need to get drastic about their computer usage, and accountability to other people in their life.  We can say things like: “But I need to have my smart phone with a data plan,” or “There is no verse that says I can’t have a computer!”  Yet, all of such things are only the protestations of a corrupt desire.  We must get drastic because our sin can cause us to go to hell.    It is better to live this life without something and make it to heaven than to keep it and end up in hell because of it.  Which is more important to you?

The word for hell in this passage is “Gehenna” in the Greek.  It translates a Hebrew word that means the Valley of Hinnom.  In the past, the English word “hell” was used to translate several Greek words, which has caused much confusion.  The word “Hades” refers to the grave, a spiritual holding place for all who have died.  There they await the judgment.  It is not properly hell.  However, the condition that one experiences in the grave is clearly connected to a person’s eventual judgment.  Thus, the rich man of Luke 16:23 was in torments in Hades.  It was hot and he desired just a drop of water from the finger of Lazarus who was in the paradise of Abraham’s bosom.

Gehenna literally refers to the valley southwest of Jerusalem, which connects with the Kidron valley which comes from the east side of Jerusalem.  Let me just list some Old Testament passages that will give us background to the sinister connotations of Gehenna.  2 Chronicles 28:3; 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31-32; 32:35. At one point in Israel’s history, a place called Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom (GeHinnom/Gehenna) had an altar or a high place to the false god Molech.  There many Israelites, including some of their kings, burned their children as sacrifices to the false god of the Ammonites in hopes of fertility in crops and more children, and in hope of success in war.  The idea is that you show the god your devotion and he rewards you with these other things.  We may shudder at child sacrifice, but it really is an extremely pragmatic proposition.  This was always called an abomination, thing of abhorrence, to the God of Israel, the One True God.  Isaiah particularly uses Topheth as a picture of the burning wrath of God that was coming for the wicked.  Isaiah 30:33 and 66:24 are his descriptions of something that is more than a place on earth of judgment on the wicked, but is a judgment of a fire that never goes out.

Gehenna properly connects to the Lake of Fire in the book of Revelation, not the grave.  There we see it is the Second Death that all men and spirits must face.  We will either be judged worthy to enter into eternal life, or we will be given eternal judgment.  Whether you think such a judgment is warranted or not, we must hear the warning of Jesus.  It is better to go through this life without something that keeps leading us to sin, than to end up in the Lake of Fire with that thing.  What good do eyes do me if I am in the Lake of Fire?  None whatsoever.  The emphasis is not so much that you will go to heaven without your hand, etc.  This says nothing about resurrection.  The emphasis is on your condition when you “enter” the next stage.  I enter life as a man who had lost his hand, but I avoid the Lake of Fire because of my sacrifices in this life.  I won’t continue on this theme. 

Let me just end it by saying that Jesus spoke of Gehenna to religious people and always as a warning that was intended to shock them out of lethargy concerning their sin.  You do not see him trying to scare those who don’t know God with the reality of hell.

Don’t let the trials of this life rob you of peace with one another

We need to bring this to a close, so let’s quickly look at these last two verses.  The desire to be the greatest threatened to rob the disciples of peace between each other in this life, and potentially peace internally in the life to come.  Jesus challenges us not to let the trials of this life rob us of our peace.

When he says that everyone will be seasoned with fire, he uses imagery that represents the trials and occasions of stumbling into sin that come upon us in this life.  We would probably use the word “peppered.”  We are peppered with fiery trials and temptations in this life.  It is impossible to avoid them.  We can focus upon the people who put the stumbling blocks in front of us and blame them, but that won’t deliver us from the temptations.  You can’t avoid it through the blame game.  You must deal with sin in your own life, or become a casualty to it.

Thus, our lives are called to be a sacrifice (living sacrifice) here on this earth.  The lives of the righteous are a sacrifice in the sense that we go through these fiery trials for the glory of God and in honor of him.  We become an acceptable sacrifice that is pleasing to God when we put our faith in Jesus, pick up our cross, and follow him.  The lives of the wicked are a sacrifice in the sense that they are an unacceptable sacrifice that is not pleasing to God.  Thus, eternity is not pictured as being salted with fire, but being immersed in a Lake of Fire with no moments of reprieve.  We must not kid ourselves that hell describes our life here without God.  No, such is only a foretaste of something far worse, walled off from the goodness of God.

To follow Jesus is compared to remaining salty.  In Colossians 4:6, Paul says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”  The more that we live out the godly character of Jesus, the more that we will have peace with one another.  Of course, it takes two to tango.  So, you can only focus upon your part of the equation.  I don’t want to be a source of trial that causes you to sin.

Gehenna is the negative motivation for not wanting to hurt one another.  However, peace and eternal life are the real motivations that ought to spur us on to love and forgiveness with each other.  Ultimately, we need to see that we will not have rest, in this life or the next, until we desire to be like Jesus more than we desire the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, and the pride of this life.

Causing to Stumble Audio