1 00:00:00,201 --> 00:00:04,093 Open your Bibles to Mark chapter 9. 2 00:00:04,094 --> 00:00:09,043 The title of my sermon this morning is: 3 00:00:09,044 --> 00:00:15,843 Our Lord's Most Aggressive Demand For Holiness. 4 00:00:15,844 --> 00:00:23,323 Mark chapter 9 verse 43. 5 00:00:23,324 --> 00:00:30,863 Before we read let's pray once more. (P) 6 00:00:30,864 --> 00:00:36,551 Father, undoubtedly there are 10,000 reasons that You give us to sing Your praise. 7 00:00:36,552 --> 00:00:41,513 And, Lord, I pray that we would have many more reasons 8 00:00:41,514 --> 00:00:44,563 in hearing Your Word after this meeting, 9 00:00:44,564 --> 00:00:51,418 being under the sound of the Word this very day. 10 00:00:52,344 --> 00:01:01,660 Father, we pray that You would feed us. 11 00:01:01,661 --> 00:01:11,568 Man doesn't live by bread alone, and we need what You have to feed us with. 12 00:01:11,569 --> 00:01:16,666 I ask for that in Christ's name. Amen. (P) 13 00:01:17,224 --> 00:01:24,345 Our Lord's Most Aggressive Demand For Holiness. 14 00:01:24,346 --> 00:01:30,808 Oh, you could argue that, perhaps; but I don't know that you'd... 15 00:01:30,809 --> 00:01:44,235 [Microphone disruption] 16 00:01:44,236 --> 00:01:49,204 But Mark 9:43 - 17 00:01:49,207 --> 00:01:53,187 I can't imagine that we read these words and then you would want to argue with me 18 00:01:53,188 --> 00:01:59,598 that there's something more expressive, more dogmatic, more to the point, 19 00:01:59,599 --> 00:02:07,250 that our Lord has ever said regarding holiness. 20 00:02:07,251 --> 00:02:10,913 These are strong words. (P) 21 00:02:10,913 --> 00:02:15,706 Mark 9:43. 22 00:02:15,707 --> 00:02:23,024 Let me just tell you right off that this is one of those places 23 00:02:23,025 --> 00:02:30,682 where your ESV is actually going to go from verse 43 to verse 45 to verse 47, 24 00:02:30,683 --> 00:02:35,747 and you're gonna say, "Hey wait, where's 44? where's 46?" 25 00:02:35,748 --> 00:02:47,832 Well, verse 48 in some manuscripts, including the KJV and the NKJV, 26 00:02:47,833 --> 00:02:58,154 verse 48 is what you find in verses 44 and 46. 27 00:02:58,155 --> 00:03:01,259 So it's not like it's not here, it's here. 28 00:03:01,260 --> 00:03:04,334 It's just if you are holding a King James Bible, 29 00:03:04,334 --> 00:03:08,414 you're going to see the same statement made 3 times. 30 00:03:08,415 --> 00:03:11,447 I'm going to read it according to the ESV, 31 00:03:11,448 --> 00:03:14,181 but you know, I just want you to know what's there. 32 00:03:14,182 --> 00:03:19,872 It is a textual issue, but it's not like something is lost. 33 00:03:19,873 --> 00:03:26,306 Verse 48 is here, it's here in all of our Scriptures, 34 00:03:26,307 --> 00:03:30,890 just so you have an idea about what's being omitted there. (P) 35 00:03:30,891 --> 00:03:41,850 Mark 9:43, "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. 36 00:03:41,851 --> 00:03:50,120 It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, 37 00:03:50,121 --> 00:03:54,432 to the unquenchable fire. 38 00:03:54,433 --> 00:03:59,811 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. 39 00:03:59,812 --> 00:04:08,891 It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 40 00:04:08,892 --> 00:04:19,075 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. 41 00:04:19,076 --> 00:04:24,607 It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye 42 00:04:24,608 --> 00:04:28,717 than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 43 00:04:28,725 --> 00:04:37,564 where their worm does not die." 44 00:04:38,578 --> 00:04:45,876 Isn't it interesting that here in our ESV anyway, 45 00:04:45,877 --> 00:04:48,011 I didn't specifically look at this, 46 00:04:48,012 --> 00:04:55,161 but isn't it interesting that 'their' is not T-H-E-R-E? 47 00:04:55,170 --> 00:05:02,377 It's T-H-E-I-R. 48 00:05:03,033 --> 00:05:08,222 Isn't it amazing that there are some people, some even in this room, 49 00:05:08,223 --> 00:05:15,747 who have worms assigned to them? Their worm. 50 00:05:15,748 --> 00:05:21,308 It's the worm that chews and gnaws you. 51 00:05:21,309 --> 00:05:29,417 Their worm does not die – 52 00:05:29,418 --> 00:05:34,996 that is an expression of the unending reality of hell. 53 00:05:34,997 --> 00:05:37,080 You know why the worm doesn't die? 54 00:05:37,081 --> 00:05:40,837 Because it's always got something to eat. 55 00:05:40,838 --> 00:05:46,134 It's never totally consumed. 56 00:05:46,135 --> 00:05:50,961 "And the fire is not quenched." Why? 57 00:05:50,962 --> 00:05:58,680 It's got something – there's fuel, perpetually, ongoing. (P) 58 00:05:58,681 --> 00:06:05,278 Our Lord's Most Aggressive Demand For Holiness. 59 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:10,547 And you know, this kind of language isn't just found here in Mark 9. 60 00:06:10,548 --> 00:06:17,102 It's also found in Matthew 5. It's also found in Matthew 18. 61 00:06:17,103 --> 00:06:21,137 Now we know this, that what we have in our New Testament, 62 00:06:21,138 --> 00:06:24,153 you remember what John said? 63 00:06:24,154 --> 00:06:30,593 Listen, if we took everything that Jesus did and said, and we put it in books, 64 00:06:30,594 --> 00:06:33,002 John didn't think the world could contain them. 65 00:06:33,003 --> 00:06:42,004 We have little snapshots, little summaries, of what Jesus said. 66 00:06:42,005 --> 00:06:48,254 The very fact that this kind of language shows up three times in the Gospels, 67 00:06:48,255 --> 00:06:53,144 it probably was something Jesus said pretty often when He talked. 68 00:06:53,145 --> 00:06:58,611 Pretty common to His teaching. Common expression. (P) 69 00:06:58,612 --> 00:07:06,835 If we are honest, there's nothing gentle about these verses. 70 00:07:06,836 --> 00:07:13,186 Jesus, yes He is called the meek and lowly One, 71 00:07:13,187 --> 00:07:15,862 but I'll tell you what this meek and lowly One did. 72 00:07:15,863 --> 00:07:24,362 He looked men directly in the eye, and He said, and He warned: 73 00:07:24,363 --> 00:07:33,556 "You – you – will be thrown into hell, not gently placed there. 74 00:07:33,557 --> 00:07:45,988 You will be thrown into unquenchable fire unless you cut off hands that cause sin, 75 00:07:45,989 --> 00:07:51,716 and feet that cause sin, and eyeballs that cause sin." 76 00:07:51,717 --> 00:07:54,357 That's what He says. 77 00:07:54,358 --> 00:07:58,239 That's serious. 78 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:07,435 And if we're honest, we might just stop and say, 79 00:08:07,436 --> 00:08:11,905 "This doesn't feel much like grace. 80 00:08:11,906 --> 00:08:16,726 It sounds like it's saying I have to work; I have to do something; 81 00:08:16,727 --> 00:08:19,682 I have to work at amputating, 82 00:08:19,683 --> 00:08:25,651 and work at gouging out eyes, tearing out, in order to avoid hell." 83 00:08:25,652 --> 00:08:28,888 And listen, if that's what it sounds like it's saying to you, 84 00:08:28,889 --> 00:08:32,125 well I think you're right on target. 85 00:08:32,126 --> 00:08:38,509 If words have any meaning, that is exactly what Jesus is saying in these statements. (P) 86 00:08:38,510 --> 00:08:41,626 These are conditional statements. 87 00:08:41,628 --> 00:08:47,830 You will go to hell if certain things are true about your life. 88 00:08:47,831 --> 00:08:53,687 You will avoid unquenchable fire if certain other things are true about your life. 89 00:08:53,688 --> 00:08:57,083 That is exactly what He is saying. 90 00:08:57,084 --> 00:09:01,063 And isn't it interesting, He doesn't talk in third person. 91 00:09:01,064 --> 00:09:06,787 You know what I mean? First person is me, second person is you, 92 00:09:06,788 --> 00:09:09,662 third person is somebody else. 93 00:09:09,663 --> 00:09:13,774 He doesn't talk in third-person language. He rarely did. 94 00:09:13,775 --> 00:09:18,616 He isn't talking about some guy over there, 95 00:09:18,617 --> 00:09:23,824 far away in another place or long ago at another time, 96 00:09:23,825 --> 00:09:28,148 who might have done this thing, that thing or another, or been like Adolf Hitler. 97 00:09:28,149 --> 00:09:30,462 That's not what He is saying. 98 00:09:30,463 --> 00:09:38,311 He is saying, "You. You." – direct second person approach. 99 00:09:38,312 --> 00:09:41,944 It is your hand – you. 100 00:09:41,945 --> 00:09:47,897 It's your hand, it's your foot, and it's your eye that are the issue here, 101 00:09:47,898 --> 00:09:52,570 and you are the one who will go to hell if it's not cut off. 102 00:09:52,571 --> 00:09:55,232 Pretty direct stuff. Very personal. 103 00:09:55,233 --> 00:09:56,623 There's no dodging this. 104 00:09:56,624 --> 00:10:00,799 Well, people do dodge it, but if you just take Jesus at face value 105 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:07,459 and listen to His words, He is speaking to you, He is speaking to me. (P) 106 00:10:07,460 --> 00:10:10,871 Now the first thing that I want to stress here is this: 107 00:10:10,872 --> 00:10:19,834 This is obviously a metaphor. 108 00:10:19,835 --> 00:10:30,526 When He talks about cutting off a hand, cutting off a foot, tearing out an eye, 109 00:10:30,527 --> 00:10:35,301 obviously it's not literal. 110 00:10:35,302 --> 00:10:37,330 Now I probably don't even need to explain that 111 00:10:37,331 --> 00:10:41,540 because it's obvious by looking at you people that you don't think it's literal. 112 00:10:41,541 --> 00:10:48,213 If you did, you would look different than you look. 113 00:10:48,214 --> 00:10:50,768 But Jesus often spoke in metaphors. 114 00:10:50,769 --> 00:10:53,133 He spoke in hyperbole. 115 00:10:53,134 --> 00:10:58,355 I mean, He spoke like we do, and He used expressions of language. 116 00:10:58,356 --> 00:11:06,432 I mean, if anybody used expressiveness in language, our Lord Jesus Christ did. 117 00:11:06,433 --> 00:11:12,243 "We must feed on His flesh and drink His blood if we would have eternal life." 118 00:11:12,244 --> 00:11:14,091 Scripture is full of metaphors. 119 00:11:14,092 --> 00:11:18,540 "We must hate mother and father." Full of hyperbole. 120 00:11:18,541 --> 00:11:23,956 But one dead giveaway that this is not to be taken literally 121 00:11:23,957 --> 00:11:28,082 is simply comparing scripture with scripture. 122 00:11:28,083 --> 00:11:29,083 What do I mean? 123 00:11:29,084 --> 00:11:32,042 Well, if you go over to Colossians chapter 2, do you know what Paul said? 124 00:11:32,043 --> 00:11:35,479 Don't turn there please, but you know what Paul said? 125 00:11:35,480 --> 00:11:46,290 He said, "Severity to the body is of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh." 126 00:11:46,291 --> 00:11:52,611 We're told by Paul that any kind of severity to this body, 127 00:11:52,612 --> 00:11:56,206 any mutilation of this body, any asceticism, 128 00:11:56,207 --> 00:11:59,809 it doesn't kill the flesh. 129 00:11:59,810 --> 00:12:02,912 It doesn't make you more holy, it doesn't make you more righteous. 130 00:12:02,912 --> 00:12:07,099 It doesn't stop the indulgence of the flesh. (P) 131 00:12:07,101 --> 00:12:11,194 You all know who Origen was? You've probably heard that word. 132 00:12:11,195 --> 00:12:14,206 I'm not here to argue whether he was a heretic or not a heretic, 133 00:12:14,214 --> 00:12:15,711 some people say both ways. 134 00:12:15,712 --> 00:12:21,189 But it is reported that he was doing harm to his body. 135 00:12:21,190 --> 00:12:28,261 Because he was so grabbed hold of by lust, 136 00:12:28,262 --> 00:12:33,047 he actually sought to do harm to his body. 137 00:12:33,048 --> 00:12:35,732 And he eventually gave it up. 138 00:12:35,733 --> 00:12:39,879 And you know what the primary reason was? He saw that it didn't work. 139 00:12:39,880 --> 00:12:47,004 He saw that however asceticism or harm or severity to the body, [it didn't work]. 140 00:12:47,005 --> 00:12:50,026 And some of you may have read this. 141 00:12:50,027 --> 00:12:55,947 I believe it was Lloyd-Jones' days in Sanfields before he went to Westminster Chapel. 142 00:12:55,948 --> 00:13:00,623 A woman came up to him one time with an empty eye socket. 143 00:13:00,624 --> 00:13:02,770 And upon speaking to her, 144 00:13:02,771 --> 00:13:06,097 Lloyd-Jones was not convinced this was the most godly woman he ever met. 145 00:13:06,098 --> 00:13:08,496 She actually had gouged out her own eye, 146 00:13:08,497 --> 00:13:12,579 alluding to this passage or one of the parallel passages. 147 00:13:12,580 --> 00:13:19,514 He did not think she was holy, he thought she was weird. (P) 148 00:13:20,669 --> 00:13:26,103 Anyway, the reality is, asceticism in Scripture is said to be of no value. 149 00:13:26,104 --> 00:13:30,109 But I mean, if this were to be taken literally, 150 00:13:30,110 --> 00:13:33,984 we'd know who the true Christians were in our church, wouldn't we? 151 00:13:33,985 --> 00:13:36,232 We would know it by their empty eye sockets 152 00:13:36,233 --> 00:13:39,172 and those that have the prosthetic devices. 153 00:13:39,173 --> 00:13:42,233 But the thing is, where would it stop? 154 00:13:42,234 --> 00:13:46,592 Because, certainly, if you gouge out your right eye, listen, 155 00:13:46,593 --> 00:13:49,997 are you going to now find sin dead? 156 00:13:49,998 --> 00:13:52,928 It won't be long before you'll be taking the left eye. 157 00:13:52,929 --> 00:13:56,942 And if you cut off the right hand, you know what you're going to find? 158 00:13:56,943 --> 00:14:00,863 You're going to figure out how to use the stump to do the same stuff. 159 00:14:00,864 --> 00:14:03,992 And now you're gonna start pairing away on your body 160 00:14:03,993 --> 00:14:05,714 till your whole body is just a stump. 161 00:14:05,715 --> 00:14:10,827 And what if you get to the place where you say, "Oh no, my mind, that's the real problem," 162 00:14:10,828 --> 00:14:12,811 what are you gonna do? Lobotomy? 163 00:14:12,812 --> 00:14:14,724 or you're just going to take your head off altogether? 164 00:14:14,724 --> 00:14:19,720 Obviously, this becomes totally ridiculous. (P) 165 00:14:19,721 --> 00:14:23,474 Yes, this is imagery. 166 00:14:23,475 --> 00:14:29,363 But I tell you, you know this: it's radical imagery 167 00:14:29,364 --> 00:14:35,973 because He is calling for something radical in your life. 168 00:14:35,974 --> 00:14:39,698 This is life and death imagery. 169 00:14:39,699 --> 00:14:45,071 Listen, everybody in this room wants to wake up, because this deals with you. 170 00:14:45,072 --> 00:14:52,307 And it deals with you going to hell or not going to hell. 171 00:14:52,308 --> 00:14:55,506 I was just talking to a sister before the first service. 172 00:14:55,507 --> 00:14:59,880 You know about the fear of hell. Jesus used the fear of hell. 173 00:14:59,881 --> 00:15:04,420 Now He appeals to mankind other ways, 174 00:15:04,421 --> 00:15:12,842 but you know the Lord Jesus appealed to our best interest in not going to hell. 175 00:15:12,843 --> 00:15:16,366 Fear of hell. You know what the reality is? 176 00:15:16,367 --> 00:15:23,761 Those who go to heaven attack their own sin right at the root cause. 177 00:15:23,762 --> 00:15:29,222 Those who get thrown into hell in the end, 178 00:15:29,223 --> 00:15:33,948 they may come to church, you may be here now. 179 00:15:33,949 --> 00:15:38,351 These four walls don't protect you. 180 00:15:38,352 --> 00:15:42,203 Religion doesn't protect here. 181 00:15:42,204 --> 00:15:50,489 If you're casual about your sin, you are in danger. 182 00:15:50,490 --> 00:15:52,732 That's what Jesus says. 183 00:15:52,733 --> 00:15:59,443 You continue down that path, He shows you where it leads. (P) 184 00:15:59,444 --> 00:16:04,484 So let me ask you something. 185 00:16:04,485 --> 00:16:06,589 We might think this: 186 00:16:06,590 --> 00:16:20,533 "Hey, doesn't Scripture say we are saved by grace through faith, this is not of ourselves? 187 00:16:20,534 --> 00:16:28,514 Doesn't Scripture say that it's not by our works, but it's a gift of God? 188 00:16:28,515 --> 00:16:32,918 I mean, wouldn't you think the Lord would have at least 189 00:16:32,919 --> 00:16:38,199 tried to make this statement sound more like grace than what it sounds like?" 190 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:40,591 Well, let me tell you something. 191 00:16:40,592 --> 00:16:49,505 This is exactly where multitudes of professing Christians go wrong. 192 00:16:49,506 --> 00:16:58,386 It's precisely because people cannot find how this can be grace, 193 00:16:58,387 --> 00:17:04,685 where the connection is with grace. 194 00:17:04,693 --> 00:17:15,030 I'll tell you, people who just cannot find the connection with these verses and grace, 195 00:17:15,031 --> 00:17:22,253 it is oftentimes a dead giveaway that they're not partakers of grace. 196 00:17:22,255 --> 00:17:35,856 Look, the truth is, grace produces individuals who amputate sin. (P) 197 00:17:35,857 --> 00:17:39,088 Now you think with me here. 198 00:17:39,089 --> 00:17:49,285 "They're going to call His name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins." 199 00:17:49,286 --> 00:17:53,515 People say, "Oh yeah, that means from hell, that means from the penalty of sins." 200 00:17:53,516 --> 00:17:55,781 That is not what the text says. 201 00:17:55,782 --> 00:17:58,308 It doesn't say that they're going to call His name Jesus 202 00:17:58,309 --> 00:18:01,604 because He's going to save His people from the penalty of their sins. 203 00:18:01,605 --> 00:18:04,515 He does save His people from the penalty of their sins, 204 00:18:04,516 --> 00:18:06,891 but that isn't what the text is saying. 205 00:18:06,892 --> 00:18:11,676 It says He's going to save them from their sins. 206 00:18:11,677 --> 00:18:18,918 I'll tell you this, Peter hits on this, 1 Peter 2:24, what do you have? 207 00:18:18,919 --> 00:18:36,537 Jesus Christ, He Himself, bore in His own body; 208 00:18:36,538 --> 00:18:38,482 He bore our sins there. 209 00:18:38,483 --> 00:18:44,498 He bore the punishment of God there in Himself. 210 00:18:44,499 --> 00:18:49,853 "He bore our sins in His body on the tree," Why? 211 00:18:49,854 --> 00:18:55,017 "So that we might die to sin and live to righteousness." 212 00:18:55,018 --> 00:18:57,271 Now you listen to that. 213 00:18:57,272 --> 00:19:04,234 By His name, by His crucifixion, do you know what Scripture tells us? 214 00:19:04,235 --> 00:19:09,215 "He came that we might die to sin." (P) 215 00:19:09,216 --> 00:19:18,063 If you take 1 Peter 2:24, and you just put it in Mark 9 terminology, 216 00:19:18,064 --> 00:19:21,150 let me tell you how it reads: 217 00:19:21,151 --> 00:19:30,295 Jesus Christ bore in His body on that tree, 218 00:19:30,296 --> 00:19:37,631 He bore our sins that we might amputate the cause of sins in our life 219 00:19:37,632 --> 00:19:39,613 and live to righteousness. 220 00:19:39,614 --> 00:19:42,328 That's exactly what that text says. 221 00:19:42,329 --> 00:19:45,622 It's exactly the truth of Mark 9. 222 00:19:45,623 --> 00:19:48,625 This is what grace does. 223 00:19:48,626 --> 00:19:55,562 And you see, the person who comes along and does not get that radical with his sin, 224 00:19:55,563 --> 00:19:58,899 is showing that the Christ who came to this earth 225 00:19:58,900 --> 00:20:02,147 to save His people from their sins, 226 00:20:02,148 --> 00:20:06,006 that isn't happening there. 227 00:20:06,007 --> 00:20:10,310 And that means that they're not trusting Christ, 228 00:20:10,311 --> 00:20:16,978 because to trust Christ is to have Christ go to work on you. (P) 229 00:20:16,979 --> 00:20:22,308 Now that's the first thing: just think about what Christ came to do – 230 00:20:22,309 --> 00:20:29,047 to bear our sins in His body on that tree, that we might die to sin. 231 00:20:29,048 --> 00:20:33,139 But think with me here. 232 00:20:33,140 --> 00:20:38,992 A radical change of desire, have you ever read Galatians 5:24? 233 00:20:38,993 --> 00:20:48,718 "If we belong to Christ, we have crucified the flesh (our flesh) 234 00:20:48,719 --> 00:20:55,195 with its - what? - passions and its desires." 235 00:20:55,196 --> 00:21:00,411 Listen: "If we belong to Christ" – you see, this is it. 236 00:21:00,412 --> 00:21:03,884 He has come to purchase a people. 237 00:21:03,885 --> 00:21:08,370 He has come to die for them, to break the power of sin in their life, 238 00:21:08,371 --> 00:21:11,051 that they might live to righteousness. 239 00:21:11,052 --> 00:21:16,668 He's come to make you altogether new, so that you have new desires. 240 00:21:16,669 --> 00:21:19,812 Those old desires are crucified. 241 00:21:19,813 --> 00:21:25,966 Listen, if you say, "Well, I was a non-Christian, I was controlled by sin. 242 00:21:25,967 --> 00:21:29,762 I became a Christian, and you know, I come to church now, 243 00:21:29,763 --> 00:21:33,774 but really, I'm just as controlled by sin as I was then," 244 00:21:33,775 --> 00:21:36,213 you're on your way to hell. 245 00:21:36,214 --> 00:21:39,185 That's what this is saying. 246 00:21:39,186 --> 00:21:44,165 You're deceived. You're on your way to hell. (P) 247 00:21:44,166 --> 00:21:51,089 But here is what happens: The desires of the flesh, crucified. 248 00:21:51,090 --> 00:21:53,755 But that's the negative side, let's go to the positive side. 249 00:21:53,756 --> 00:21:57,424 You remember what was said in the Sermon on the Mount? 250 00:21:57,425 --> 00:22:01,873 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, 251 00:22:01,874 --> 00:22:03,565 for they shall be satisfied." 252 00:22:03,566 --> 00:22:04,906 You see, that's the opposite. 253 00:22:04,907 --> 00:22:08,481 Now you think about hunger and thirst. 254 00:22:08,482 --> 00:22:13,547 You see what's the driving factor in this? 255 00:22:13,548 --> 00:22:18,872 Hunger. Thirst. They are constant. 256 00:22:18,873 --> 00:22:23,287 You can eat now, you're going to be hungry again before the end of the day. 257 00:22:23,288 --> 00:22:27,305 Hunger and thirst keep coming. 258 00:22:27,306 --> 00:22:29,139 It was hot yesterday. 259 00:22:29,140 --> 00:22:31,888 I went for a bike ride, and I was really thirsty. 260 00:22:31,889 --> 00:22:34,441 I couldn't get enough yesterday; 261 00:22:34,442 --> 00:22:37,732 kept having to put away the water and the orange juice. 262 00:22:37,733 --> 00:22:39,397 Thirst. 263 00:22:39,398 --> 00:22:42,078 You know what happens when you really are hungry? 264 00:22:42,079 --> 00:22:45,954 I mean, you're hungry! You're thirsty! 265 00:22:45,955 --> 00:22:48,444 You're gonna get at that water. 266 00:22:48,445 --> 00:22:55,866 And if a hand or a foot or an eye stands in the way of what you really want, 267 00:22:55,867 --> 00:23:00,531 you're gonna get those things out of the way. 268 00:23:00,532 --> 00:23:04,710 That's the thing about hunger and thirst, they're unrelenting. 269 00:23:04,711 --> 00:23:09,646 They drive us. They move us. (P) 270 00:23:09,647 --> 00:23:12,476 Or how about this: The Holy Spirit. 271 00:23:12,477 --> 00:23:18,314 You see, once you have trusted Christ, 272 00:23:18,315 --> 00:23:21,844 you know the reality that we find in Scripture? 273 00:23:21,845 --> 00:23:26,618 We find that if you belong to Christ, you have the Holy Spirit. 274 00:23:26,619 --> 00:23:29,731 If you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're none of His. 275 00:23:29,732 --> 00:23:32,705 And if you have the Holy Spirit, you know what Scripture says? 276 00:23:32,706 --> 00:23:35,960 "If you live according to the flesh, you will die. 277 00:23:35,961 --> 00:23:41,849 But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 278 00:23:41,850 --> 00:23:43,919 Well, how is that? 279 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:49,293 By the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body. 280 00:23:49,294 --> 00:23:52,863 That's life. That's the same reality that we get here. 281 00:23:52,864 --> 00:23:54,197 It's the same thing. 282 00:23:54,198 --> 00:23:57,229 One of the most obvious evidences of being a Christian: 283 00:23:57,230 --> 00:24:02,219 the Spirit of Almighty God enables you to put sin to death. (P) 284 00:24:02,220 --> 00:24:07,067 Or how about this: Fear. 285 00:24:07,068 --> 00:24:12,469 Do you know that in Jeremiah 32, 286 00:24:12,470 --> 00:24:17,973 you have one of those passages that deals with the New Covenant. 287 00:24:17,974 --> 00:24:20,532 Let me read it to you, you don't have to turn there, but let me read it. 288 00:24:20,533 --> 00:24:25,441 Jeremiah 32:40, "I will make with them an everlasting covenant 289 00:24:25,442 --> 00:24:28,453 (this is the New Covenant), 290 00:24:28,454 --> 00:24:31,549 that I will not turn away from doing good to them." 291 00:24:31,550 --> 00:24:41,264 Now notice this: "And I will put the fear of Me in their hearts, 292 00:24:41,265 --> 00:24:44,571 that they may not turn from Me." 293 00:24:44,572 --> 00:24:46,661 It's the fear that I want you to see. 294 00:24:46,662 --> 00:24:53,625 If you belong to Christ, God has put His fear in you. 295 00:24:53,626 --> 00:24:55,603 Do you know what that means? 296 00:24:55,604 --> 00:25:03,430 That means that when you hear Jesus say, "Cut off that hand or go to hell," 297 00:25:03,431 --> 00:25:06,880 the Christian fears. 298 00:25:06,881 --> 00:25:10,676 We have a fear, we have a healthy fear of the warnings in Scripture; 299 00:25:10,677 --> 00:25:13,232 and we turn away. 300 00:25:13,233 --> 00:25:15,003 I heard Charles Leiter say it one time, 301 00:25:15,004 --> 00:25:18,158 it's like these warning signs that there's a cliff right there, 302 00:25:18,159 --> 00:25:19,377 and you got these signs. 303 00:25:19,378 --> 00:25:23,504 The Christian reads the signs, and he fears and turns away; 304 00:25:23,505 --> 00:25:25,754 and therefore doesn't go over the cliff. 305 00:25:25,755 --> 00:25:28,894 Whereas the unbeliever, he doesn't regard the sign; 306 00:25:28,895 --> 00:25:33,877 and he goes over and plays on the edge, and he eventually falls over that edge. (P) 307 00:25:33,878 --> 00:25:38,396 You see, some people here, I can tell you 308 00:25:38,397 --> 00:25:41,326 that if you don't attack the cause of sin in your life, 309 00:25:41,327 --> 00:25:42,840 you're going to go to hell. 310 00:25:42,841 --> 00:25:46,086 And you're going to go out, and you're going to play and dabble with sin, 311 00:25:46,087 --> 00:25:47,576 because there's no fear. 312 00:25:47,577 --> 00:25:50,548 You're going to be casual about your sin, you're just going to go out. 313 00:25:50,549 --> 00:25:52,038 And you're going to end up in hell, 314 00:25:52,039 --> 00:25:54,279 and you're going to say, when it's too late, 315 00:25:54,280 --> 00:26:02,663 "Oh, you know what? What God preached that day in March of 2018, that was true!" 316 00:26:02,664 --> 00:26:05,268 But you know what? It does you no good to figure it out then. 317 00:26:05,269 --> 00:26:10,488 Today is the day to figure this out, the reality of this. 318 00:26:10,489 --> 00:26:14,836 You do not want to downplay our Lord's threats. 319 00:26:14,837 --> 00:26:22,435 I know that many find it hard to take Christ at face value when He says this. 320 00:26:22,436 --> 00:26:26,067 You know why? Because of the doctrine of justification by faith. 321 00:26:26,068 --> 00:26:29,889 And we say, "Hey, I believe. I've been justified. 322 00:26:29,890 --> 00:26:34,822 These words don't have application to me." 323 00:26:34,823 --> 00:26:39,689 If you do that, you are on the path to deceiving yourself. (P) 324 00:26:39,690 --> 00:26:44,195 Listen, the doctrine of justification by faith is very real. 325 00:26:44,196 --> 00:26:48,759 We love it, we embrace it. 326 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:52,586 But I'll tell you this, if you're justified, you have the Holy Spirit; 327 00:26:52,587 --> 00:26:55,525 and you'll put the deeds of the body to death. 328 00:26:55,526 --> 00:27:03,444 If you are justified by faith, you have the fear of God in you; 329 00:27:03,445 --> 00:27:07,489 and you will take these warnings seriously. 330 00:27:07,490 --> 00:27:10,433 If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ 331 00:27:10,434 --> 00:27:14,954 and your sins are pardoned by grace, 332 00:27:14,955 --> 00:27:21,449 then you are embracing the Christ who said that He has come and laid down His life, 333 00:27:21,450 --> 00:27:24,437 that you might die to sin. 334 00:27:24,438 --> 00:27:27,048 These things are a reality. (P) 335 00:27:27,049 --> 00:27:32,037 To the lost: I know we've got, maybe, girls from the Grace House, 336 00:27:32,038 --> 00:27:37,652 we've got children who come here because your parents bring you here, 337 00:27:37,653 --> 00:27:41,596 there's friends that visit: 338 00:27:41,597 --> 00:27:47,434 if the truth be known, if the truth be told, you don't know the Lord. 339 00:27:47,435 --> 00:27:51,097 You're here for one reason or another, 340 00:27:51,098 --> 00:27:53,535 but it's not because you're a Christian. 341 00:27:53,536 --> 00:27:57,160 It's not because you really desire to come here and worship Christ. 342 00:27:57,161 --> 00:27:59,600 There's some other reason that you've come. 343 00:27:59,601 --> 00:28:04,139 What I want you to do is just listen to me right now. 344 00:28:04,140 --> 00:28:06,134 Look at the stakes. 345 00:28:06,135 --> 00:28:11,844 Look at what's at stake: You going to hell. 346 00:28:11,845 --> 00:28:14,666 Unquenchable fire. That's what at stake. 347 00:28:14,667 --> 00:28:19,646 God throws people into hell, who live in sin and love their sin. 348 00:28:19,647 --> 00:28:23,718 Make no mistake. Make none. (P) 349 00:28:23,719 --> 00:28:26,915 And here's what I want to tell you. 350 00:28:26,916 --> 00:28:33,314 To come to Christ by faith does not make all your problems go away. 351 00:28:33,315 --> 00:28:36,726 In fact, as some people have said before, 352 00:28:36,727 --> 00:28:40,504 sometimes it's coming to Christ that really causes all the problems to come. 353 00:28:40,505 --> 00:28:42,549 All hell breaks loose against you. 354 00:28:42,550 --> 00:28:44,634 I want to tell you this: 355 00:28:44,635 --> 00:28:50,528 If you lay down your weapons and you surrender to being saved by Christ, 356 00:28:50,529 --> 00:28:53,708 (I mean, saved, not just from hell, saved from your sin – 357 00:28:53,709 --> 00:28:54,968 He's going to break the power, 358 00:28:54,977 --> 00:28:57,243 and He's going to take the idols out of your life); 359 00:28:57,244 --> 00:29:04,096 if you're willing to lay down your weapons fighting against Him, and surrender to Him, 360 00:29:04,097 --> 00:29:11,805 I want you to know, life will become a fierce battle. 361 00:29:11,806 --> 00:29:14,801 It will not be easy. 362 00:29:14,802 --> 00:29:20,119 The battle for righteousness is radical, it is violent. 363 00:29:20,120 --> 00:29:24,176 You must attack sin. 364 00:29:24,177 --> 00:29:26,465 That's what your life will look like. (P) 365 00:29:26,466 --> 00:29:30,376 The Christian life is all-out battle. 366 00:29:30,377 --> 00:29:33,593 I'm not going to try to sell you on a bill of goods. 367 00:29:33,594 --> 00:29:39,162 There are shiny-teeth preachers who will tell you, 368 00:29:39,163 --> 00:29:42,906 "Oh, it's just your best life now, and you can come, 369 00:29:42,907 --> 00:29:46,614 and it will all be good, and your problems go away." 370 00:29:46,615 --> 00:29:50,212 You know, there's the preachers that will tell you, 371 00:29:50,213 --> 00:29:52,111 "You become a Christian, and you tithe, 372 00:29:52,112 --> 00:29:55,447 and then God's going to give you your Cardillac (car)." 373 00:29:55,448 --> 00:30:04,048 No, I'll tell you this: if you come to Christ, Satan is coming after you; 374 00:30:04,049 --> 00:30:07,774 and sin is going to try to reign in your mortal bodies; 375 00:30:07,775 --> 00:30:11,786 and the world is going to try to draw you away; 376 00:30:11,787 --> 00:30:19,198 and your own family members, Christ said He brings a sword in the family. 377 00:30:19,199 --> 00:30:22,958 And you know what? As James said in the first hour, 378 00:30:22,959 --> 00:30:29,425 it will be appointed to you to suffer for Christ's sake (Phillipians 1:29). 379 00:30:29,426 --> 00:30:31,044 You know what Scripture says? 380 00:30:31,045 --> 00:30:36,663 Through much tribulation we inherit the kingdom (Acts 14:22). (P) 381 00:30:36,664 --> 00:30:40,328 I'm just going to tell you the reality right upfront. 382 00:30:40,329 --> 00:30:44,833 The Christian life is full of sighs and moans and difficulties. 383 00:30:44,834 --> 00:30:53,673 If it's full of joy... it's tough. 384 00:30:53,674 --> 00:30:55,290 You will not get everything you want. 385 00:30:55,291 --> 00:30:59,964 In fact, you will have to abandon many of your own agendas and your plans, 386 00:30:59,965 --> 00:31:03,094 but Christ is good and He's a gentle Master. 387 00:31:03,095 --> 00:31:08,759 But I'll tell you, even though He's gentle, He will lead you through the fire. 388 00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:14,972 But it's okay, because He has designed the fire to purify you. 389 00:31:14,973 --> 00:31:19,270 And in the end, there's eternal life, there's glory, 390 00:31:19,271 --> 00:31:21,626 every tear is wiped away. 391 00:31:21,627 --> 00:31:26,563 You see, the hard part is now; for eternity, it's good. 392 00:31:26,564 --> 00:31:27,861 Paradise. 393 00:31:27,862 --> 00:31:31,030 You see, the devil, he switches it the other way around: 394 00:31:31,031 --> 00:31:36,120 "Oh! You need sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll. 395 00:31:36,121 --> 00:31:39,120 That's what you need. That will make life fun." 396 00:31:39,121 --> 00:31:42,727 You see, the devil, he wants to give you all the good now. 397 00:31:42,728 --> 00:31:47,144 You remember how it was: "The pleasures of sin for a season." 398 00:31:47,145 --> 00:31:51,425 Or you think of Moses: "The treasures of Egypt." 399 00:31:51,426 --> 00:31:53,609 "Look what you can have now." 400 00:31:53,610 --> 00:31:56,448 He said to Jesus, "Oh, you just fall down and worship me, 401 00:31:56,449 --> 00:32:01,001 you can have all these kingdoms of the world." 402 00:32:01,002 --> 00:32:06,224 You see, that's how he is, but in the end there's death. (P) 403 00:32:06,225 --> 00:32:08,934 We're not going to deceive you. 404 00:32:08,935 --> 00:32:13,057 But I'll tell you this: You come to Christ, 405 00:32:13,058 --> 00:32:15,960 He doesn't just save you from the penalty of sin, 406 00:32:15,961 --> 00:32:19,546 He saves you from sin. 407 00:32:19,547 --> 00:32:23,652 You see, don't go to Him just because you don't want to go to hell. 408 00:32:23,653 --> 00:32:26,165 That is a good reason to go to Him, 409 00:32:26,166 --> 00:32:32,683 but you need to know how He saves – He saves to the uttermost. Always. 410 00:32:32,684 --> 00:32:34,554 And if you don't want to be saved to the uttermost, 411 00:32:34,555 --> 00:32:35,533 you see, this is the problem: 412 00:32:35,534 --> 00:32:39,523 you've got lots of people that say, "Ah, I want to hold on to my sin, 413 00:32:39,524 --> 00:32:41,727 but I don't want to go to hell in the end." 414 00:32:41,728 --> 00:32:45,631 Guess what? You can't have it both ways like that. 415 00:32:45,632 --> 00:32:47,202 You will perish. 416 00:32:47,203 --> 00:32:55,402 If you try to go down that path, you will not succeed. (P) 417 00:32:55,403 --> 00:33:00,424 Well, let's personalise this. Let's look at our text, Mark 9, 418 00:33:00,425 --> 00:33:05,864 "If your hand causes you to sin..." 419 00:33:05,865 --> 00:33:09,881 Verse 45, "If your foot causes you to sin..." 420 00:33:09,882 --> 00:33:15,060 Verse 47, "If your eye..." 421 00:33:15,061 --> 00:33:18,601 This is your hand. 422 00:33:18,602 --> 00:33:25,846 This is something that's true of you. 423 00:33:25,847 --> 00:33:34,666 You are the one being called to engage in this radical and persistent attack on your own sin. 424 00:33:34,667 --> 00:33:38,030 And really, I mean, we could say it this way: Fight or go to hell. 425 00:33:38,031 --> 00:33:42,977 You say, "Ah, that just grates on me. That doesn't sound like grace." 426 00:33:42,978 --> 00:33:44,046 Well, it is. 427 00:33:44,047 --> 00:33:52,739 And it's true: you fight and you succeed, 428 00:33:52,740 --> 00:33:59,510 because the Spirit enables you and Christ is for you, 429 00:33:59,511 --> 00:34:02,010 and you don't go to hell. 430 00:34:02,018 --> 00:34:09,083 Or you don't fight, and you embrace your sin (even if you're religious), and you go to hell. 431 00:34:09,085 --> 00:34:11,579 I mean, it's a reality. (P) 432 00:34:11,580 --> 00:34:16,389 Beloved brethren, this is a wake-up call, 433 00:34:16,414 --> 00:34:18,779 because you need to think about your life. 434 00:34:18,780 --> 00:34:22,143 You need to think about what's true. 435 00:34:22,143 --> 00:34:26,043 If the doctrine of justification by faith has put you to sleep, 436 00:34:26,043 --> 00:34:30,004 where you feel, "Oh, my sins are forgiven, I don't have to take this seriously. 437 00:34:30,005 --> 00:34:31,871 I can be lax about my sins," 438 00:34:31,873 --> 00:34:37,164 may these words shake you out of that death slumber. 439 00:34:37,165 --> 00:34:45,771 How many, how many professing Christians just are shocked: 440 00:34:45,772 --> 00:34:50,784 "LORD! LORD! We were at Grace that day! 441 00:34:50,784 --> 00:34:54,819 I have served when they had meals there! 442 00:34:54,820 --> 00:35:00,086 I went with David to the ministry!" 443 00:35:00,087 --> 00:35:02,447 Remember what He said? 444 00:35:02,448 --> 00:35:11,426 "Depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness (or iniquity)." 445 00:35:11,427 --> 00:35:13,836 What does that mean? 446 00:35:13,837 --> 00:35:16,462 They didn't fight sin. 447 00:35:16,463 --> 00:35:19,535 They were lawless. 448 00:35:19,536 --> 00:35:20,960 They didn't fight, 449 00:35:20,961 --> 00:35:25,775 they didn't amputate the causes of lawlessness. 450 00:35:25,776 --> 00:35:28,811 They went to church. They were involved in the ministry. 451 00:35:28,812 --> 00:35:33,155 Don't let religion deceive you. 452 00:35:33,156 --> 00:35:49,872 Sin – Christ died, that we might die also; die to sin and live to righteousness. 453 00:35:49,873 --> 00:35:51,664 "I never knew you." (P) 454 00:35:51,665 --> 00:35:53,742 And you know, the thing about this is, 455 00:35:53,743 --> 00:35:58,146 Jesus says this is going to be true of many – many church goers, 456 00:35:58,147 --> 00:36:03,830 many religious people; not just a few, many. 457 00:36:03,831 --> 00:36:07,632 That means we've got people in here, I know it, 458 00:36:07,633 --> 00:36:10,622 you're not going to take this message seriously, 459 00:36:10,623 --> 00:36:13,119 you're going to go out and be casual about your sin. 460 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:18,848 You're somehow going to convince yourself, "I'm okay," 461 00:36:18,849 --> 00:36:28,391 or, "Well, I heard him and I am concerned, but I am not going to deal with it today." 462 00:36:28,392 --> 00:36:32,170 And you know, the devil is that way. 463 00:36:32,171 --> 00:36:36,334 We heard recently from Craig about the devil picking up the seed. 464 00:36:36,335 --> 00:36:40,810 It's not the devil always coming and saying, "That's not true, that's not true, that's not true." 465 00:36:40,811 --> 00:36:44,995 You know how he picks up the seed oftentimes? 466 00:36:44,996 --> 00:36:50,750 "That was altogether true; but you're young, 467 00:36:50,751 --> 00:36:56,861 you're healthy, take care of it tomorrow. 468 00:36:56,862 --> 00:36:58,763 Live it up today. 469 00:36:58,764 --> 00:37:05,209 Take care of it when you get a few more years behind you." 470 00:37:05,210 --> 00:37:09,521 And you know, people like that wake up in hell all the time, 471 00:37:09,522 --> 00:37:13,619 and it's too late. (P) 472 00:37:13,620 --> 00:37:18,851 I want you to think, does this describe you? 473 00:37:18,852 --> 00:37:25,751 Be honest. Look at yourself in the mirror. 474 00:37:25,752 --> 00:37:31,397 Can you say this about yourself from the time you've been saved? 475 00:37:31,398 --> 00:37:36,243 I mean, I can go back. I was saved in 1990, and I can do the math; 476 00:37:36,244 --> 00:37:40,317 here it is, I'll be 28 years old in the Lord. 477 00:37:40,318 --> 00:37:47,258 Can I see during that time, that I had to eliminate – 478 00:37:47,259 --> 00:37:52,395 now if you think: hands, feet, eyes, they're valuable. 479 00:37:52,396 --> 00:37:56,049 So it means it's things that are difficult to get rid off. 480 00:37:56,050 --> 00:37:58,381 It's things that are precious to us. 481 00:37:58,538 --> 00:38:01,343 It's things that are valuable to us. 482 00:38:01,552 --> 00:38:06,193 It's things that are attached to us. 483 00:38:06,194 --> 00:38:10,253 It feels like it's part of us. 484 00:38:10,254 --> 00:38:17,989 Oh, I remember so well the devil speaking: "You can't give up those friends. 485 00:38:17,990 --> 00:38:22,795 You can't give up that lifestyle, that's who you are." 486 00:38:22,796 --> 00:38:26,499 "Yeah, that's right." 487 00:38:26,500 --> 00:38:28,699 But then I would hear words like this: 488 00:38:28,700 --> 00:38:36,587 "What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?" 489 00:38:36,588 --> 00:38:39,761 I was caught. 490 00:38:41,065 --> 00:38:44,832 Has your life resembled this? 491 00:38:44,833 --> 00:38:50,559 Have there been major things that you've had to eradicate, 492 00:38:50,560 --> 00:38:54,111 that you've had to take violent action against? 493 00:38:54,112 --> 00:38:55,826 You know, one of the first things: 494 00:38:55,827 --> 00:38:59,671 we've got to identify these things, and we've got to be honest about them. 495 00:38:59,672 --> 00:39:00,993 So much dishonesty. 496 00:39:00,994 --> 00:39:03,353 You know, you can look at something in your life, 497 00:39:03,354 --> 00:39:06,465 and it's dragging you hellward; 498 00:39:06,466 --> 00:39:13,401 and you look at it and you say, "No, it's not. It's not. It's okay." 499 00:39:13,402 --> 00:39:16,797 And so you justify this thing. (P) 500 00:39:16,798 --> 00:39:19,605 Sin – what are we talking about? – Sin. 501 00:39:19,606 --> 00:39:25,077 Sin is lawlessness. It's breaking God's commandments. 502 00:39:25,078 --> 00:39:27,322 Sin is wrongdoing. 503 00:39:27,323 --> 00:39:31,187 Sin is anything that's contrary to the character of God. 504 00:39:31,188 --> 00:39:37,062 You know what Scripture says? "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." 505 00:39:37,078 --> 00:39:40,200 Faith – what does that mean? 506 00:39:40,201 --> 00:39:44,333 Do you believe that you have liberty to do it? 507 00:39:44,334 --> 00:39:47,655 You know, that comes right on the heels of eating meat, 508 00:39:47,656 --> 00:39:51,127 drinking wine, observing days. 509 00:39:51,128 --> 00:39:57,628 When you look at something, do you say, "Yeah, I feel like I have liberty to do this." 510 00:39:57,629 --> 00:40:01,118 But if your conscience is telling you, "No, you shouldn't be doing this," 511 00:40:01,119 --> 00:40:04,005 and you keep saying, "Be quiet, other Christians can do this. 512 00:40:04,006 --> 00:40:05,138 I know I can do this," 513 00:40:05,139 --> 00:40:07,212 but your conscience keeps... 514 00:40:07,213 --> 00:40:13,007 If it's not of faith, if you can't say "I believe that God is pleased" – 515 00:40:13,008 --> 00:40:17,473 whatsoever you do, whether you eat or drink, you are to do it to the glory of God. 516 00:40:17,474 --> 00:40:21,512 And you know, Romans 14, some eat to the glory of God, 517 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:23,362 and some don't eat to the glory of God. 518 00:40:23,371 --> 00:40:25,970 Some observe the day to the glory of God, some don't. 519 00:40:25,971 --> 00:40:29,726 We need to be certain, because you know what all of this does? 520 00:40:29,734 --> 00:40:32,020 You know what all of this is? 521 00:40:32,021 --> 00:40:35,455 All of this, remember what Jesus said, 522 00:40:35,456 --> 00:40:38,116 "It's not everybody that says to me, 'Lord, Lord', 523 00:40:38,117 --> 00:40:43,220 it's those who do the will of My Father." 524 00:40:43,221 --> 00:40:45,597 You know that's what this is all about? 525 00:40:45,598 --> 00:40:52,185 It's everything in your life that is not according to the will of God. 526 00:40:52,186 --> 00:40:55,218 That's what sin is. 527 00:40:55,219 --> 00:41:00,299 Those who inherit the kingdom are those who do the will of the Father. 528 00:41:00,300 --> 00:41:04,281 That's what Jesus taught. 529 00:41:05,281 --> 00:41:08,138 We're not to be passive. 530 00:41:08,139 --> 00:41:12,668 Jesus says, "You are to cut your hand off." 531 00:41:12,669 --> 00:41:16,695 Listen, it is by the Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body, 532 00:41:16,696 --> 00:41:18,450 but you're not to be passive. 533 00:41:18,451 --> 00:41:20,958 Jesus is saying, you've got to do it. 534 00:41:20,959 --> 00:41:22,998 He's not saying God will do it for you. 535 00:41:22,999 --> 00:41:27,497 He's not saying, expect the church to do it for you. (P) 536 00:41:27,498 --> 00:41:30,965 You know what? We have had people leave this church, 537 00:41:30,966 --> 00:41:34,329 who have gone out either through discipline, 538 00:41:34,330 --> 00:41:40,865 or they've just packed up and left and walked away immersed in sin, 539 00:41:40,866 --> 00:41:46,516 who have blamed the elders. 540 00:41:46,517 --> 00:41:52,535 I have not been given the knife to cut your hand off. 541 00:41:52,536 --> 00:41:55,843 Yes, there's a place for teaching, there's a place for counsel. 542 00:41:55,844 --> 00:41:58,053 You have that responsibility. 543 00:41:58,054 --> 00:42:04,130 If you don't take your hand off, it is not my fault, it is not James' fault, 544 00:42:04,131 --> 00:42:09,443 and it is not somebody else's fault down the aisle from you. 545 00:42:09,444 --> 00:42:12,935 You have a responsibility to amputate, 546 00:42:12,936 --> 00:42:16,456 and if you don't, you go to hell. 547 00:42:16,457 --> 00:42:18,798 That's what it says. 548 00:42:18,799 --> 00:42:25,030 We have a personal responsibility here not to be passive. 549 00:42:25,031 --> 00:42:29,751 You must be proactive. 550 00:42:29,752 --> 00:42:32,874 You must be intentional. 551 00:42:32,875 --> 00:42:38,112 You must face your life with purpose. 552 00:42:38,113 --> 00:42:41,562 You must attack with purpose. 553 00:42:41,563 --> 00:42:44,881 You must be deliberate. 554 00:42:44,882 --> 00:42:49,373 You must identify the causes of sin in your life, 555 00:42:49,374 --> 00:42:53,592 and cut them off, and throw them away from you. 556 00:42:53,593 --> 00:42:55,562 And God doesn't make deals. 557 00:42:55,563 --> 00:42:57,117 I want to tell you this too: 558 00:42:57,118 --> 00:43:00,361 God doesn't tell you that it's okay to pluck out your right eye, 559 00:43:00,362 --> 00:43:02,809 when it's your right hand that offends. 560 00:43:02,810 --> 00:43:04,355 You get what I'm saying here? 561 00:43:04,356 --> 00:43:07,813 Ever notice, sometimes we have a tendency to do that? 562 00:43:07,814 --> 00:43:11,416 We feel like, in our conscience, God is telling me this thing over here 563 00:43:11,417 --> 00:43:17,197 is what really needs to be cut off, and we start cutting off over here. 564 00:43:17,198 --> 00:43:20,166 You know what we're wanting to do? 565 00:43:20,167 --> 00:43:24,225 "Well, Lord, will this appease you?" 566 00:43:24,226 --> 00:43:27,110 He knows where our real idols are. 567 00:43:27,111 --> 00:43:31,911 He knows the things that have roots that go down deepest into our heart. 568 00:43:31,912 --> 00:43:37,037 And He'll push that aside, and say, "I want that thing right there." 569 00:43:37,038 --> 00:43:40,682 And then, we try to convince ourselves, "Oh, He didn't say that. 570 00:43:40,683 --> 00:43:43,272 There's just my conscience, my conscience is ill-informed, 571 00:43:43,273 --> 00:43:51,083 because I know I got brothers and sisters who seem to have a clear conscience to do this." 572 00:43:51,084 --> 00:43:53,463 Don't fall for that. (P) 573 00:43:53,464 --> 00:43:56,621 God doesn't make deals, because I'll tell you this: 574 00:43:56,622 --> 00:44:01,433 God doesn't tell us all to go offer our children up on Mount Moriah, but He told one man. 575 00:44:01,434 --> 00:44:05,519 God doesn't tell us all to go sell all of our possessions, but He told that to one man, 576 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,283 because, you know what the thing is? 577 00:44:07,284 --> 00:44:10,387 God is a personal God, and God personally knows each of us. 578 00:44:10,388 --> 00:44:11,870 And He knows the thing. 579 00:44:11,871 --> 00:44:14,020 You know, you've got things in your life that... 580 00:44:14,021 --> 00:44:17,088 I can remember the first time I heard Eric say 581 00:44:17,089 --> 00:44:20,690 that it was an idol to him to graffitti things. 582 00:44:20,691 --> 00:44:23,997 Never felt that in my life. 583 00:44:23,998 --> 00:44:28,198 I mean, if God told me, "You can't graffitti anymore," 584 00:44:28,199 --> 00:44:34,156 it'd be like, "Good, we got that one taken care of very easily." 585 00:44:34,157 --> 00:44:35,795 But for me it's something else. 586 00:44:35,796 --> 00:44:39,045 And it may be something that Eric says, "Men, I've never struggled with that in my life." 587 00:44:39,046 --> 00:44:49,864 Isn't it amazing the things, sometimes, that become an entanglement of our souls? 588 00:44:49,865 --> 00:44:52,440 Almost ludicrous things, sometimes. (P) 589 00:44:52,441 --> 00:44:55,777 These verbs here, aorist imperatives, 590 00:44:55,778 --> 00:44:59,217 it means it is a commandment, it is a commandment to you; 591 00:44:59,218 --> 00:45:02,909 and it is to be done by you immediately. 592 00:45:02,910 --> 00:45:06,245 You are not to procrastinate on this thing. 593 00:45:06,246 --> 00:45:10,009 When there is something in your life that is causing you to sin, 594 00:45:10,010 --> 00:45:14,061 you need to get rid of it and stop justifying. 595 00:45:14,062 --> 00:45:20,765 This is serious: if you justify, you will justify yourself into hell. 596 00:45:20,766 --> 00:45:23,453 That is what Christ is saying. 597 00:45:23,454 --> 00:45:27,658 I'll tell you this, too: It doesn't say "wound your hand," 598 00:45:27,659 --> 00:45:31,976 it doesn't say "slap your hand." 599 00:45:31,977 --> 00:45:39,736 Let me tell you this, sin – we see this in Romans 6 – 600 00:45:39,737 --> 00:45:45,629 sin seeks to reign in your mortal bodies; 601 00:45:45,630 --> 00:45:51,742 and if you don't kill it and cast it away, 602 00:45:51,743 --> 00:45:55,137 your little efforts to slap it, 603 00:45:55,138 --> 00:46:03,067 to do anything less than what is being commanded here, 604 00:46:03,068 --> 00:46:08,224 sin will thrive and it will kill you. 605 00:46:08,225 --> 00:46:12,807 That's the issue. (P) 606 00:46:18,757 --> 00:46:30,120 I just recently heard a story about these nomads in the Sahara Desert. 607 00:46:30,121 --> 00:46:36,414 And they're shepherds (I forget the exact name of the people), 608 00:46:36,415 --> 00:46:42,294 but they shepherd, I think they have goats, they have camels for sure. 609 00:46:42,295 --> 00:46:43,976 They live out there in the Sahara Desert, 610 00:46:43,984 --> 00:46:47,890 where it just seems like hardly nothing could survive. 611 00:46:47,891 --> 00:46:49,932 They've got these puff adders – 612 00:46:49,933 --> 00:46:57,470 really poisonous, kind of sidewinder, poisonous snakes. 613 00:46:57,471 --> 00:47:03,412 And one of the boys was out tending the animals, 614 00:47:03,413 --> 00:47:10,085 and he was bit in the finger by one of these puff adders. 615 00:47:10,085 --> 00:47:14,448 His people in this traveling nomadic tribe, 616 00:47:14,449 --> 00:47:18,676 they don't have anti-toxins, anti-venom. 617 00:47:18,677 --> 00:47:21,010 You know what they had to do? 618 00:47:21,011 --> 00:47:25,173 Immediately, what did they have to do? 619 00:47:25,174 --> 00:47:28,149 They cut his finger off. 620 00:47:28,150 --> 00:47:35,069 He got bit in the finger, they had to cut it off, immediately. 621 00:47:35,070 --> 00:47:39,996 You see, we look at that and we recognize, "Oh yeah, yeah." 622 00:47:39,997 --> 00:47:42,194 We recognize, there was urgency. 623 00:47:42,195 --> 00:47:46,331 We recognize, much better to lose one finger than to lose your life. 624 00:47:46,332 --> 00:47:53,039 Isn't it amazing we will then turn around to our souls, and sin; 625 00:47:53,040 --> 00:48:02,031 and we will not be as intense, we will not be as quick, as urgent? 626 00:48:02,032 --> 00:48:04,118 Isn't that amazing? Why? 627 00:48:04,119 --> 00:48:06,460 Because we take the one very seriously because we know, 628 00:48:06,461 --> 00:48:10,472 "If you don't cut that finger off, my boy is going to die!" 629 00:48:10,473 --> 00:48:15,651 Yeah, but that's exactly what Jesus is saying in a spiritual sense. 630 00:48:15,652 --> 00:48:20,416 And if you think that poison in that finger 631 00:48:20,417 --> 00:48:25,823 is more to be feared than the poison in sin, you are wrong. 632 00:48:25,824 --> 00:48:30,286 And I'll tell you, there's a multitude in hell right now, 633 00:48:30,287 --> 00:48:33,050 if they could stand here they would shriek, 634 00:48:33,051 --> 00:48:39,024 they would scream at you: "What a fool I was! 635 00:48:39,025 --> 00:48:41,900 I actually did think that poison in a finger 636 00:48:41,901 --> 00:48:45,768 would be far worse than what sin could do to me. 637 00:48:45,769 --> 00:48:49,100 And it's dragged me to hell." (P) 638 00:48:49,101 --> 00:48:53,934 Look, you notice what Jesus does? 639 00:48:53,935 --> 00:48:56,157 He doesn't start by saying: 640 00:48:56,158 --> 00:48:59,558 "Oh, you're Christians, so this doesn't apply to you. 641 00:48:59,559 --> 00:49:02,826 You non-Christians, you better take this seriously." 642 00:49:02,827 --> 00:49:05,047 You know, He did not deal with people like that. 643 00:49:05,048 --> 00:49:06,376 We tend to deal like that. 644 00:49:06,377 --> 00:49:09,416 "Well, I'm a Christian, that can't be true of me." 645 00:49:09,417 --> 00:49:13,017 Jesus didn't talk to people that way. 646 00:49:13,018 --> 00:49:17,356 He looked at the realities of life, and He said, 647 00:49:17,357 --> 00:49:24,074 "If this is true, then we can come to conclusions about what we really are." 648 00:49:24,075 --> 00:49:27,800 You don't want to start in the wrong place. (P) 649 00:49:27,801 --> 00:49:30,924 I would just say this also. 650 00:49:30,925 --> 00:49:37,470 You notice you're not told to pluck your neighbor's eyeball out. 651 00:49:37,471 --> 00:49:40,661 It's amazing, the hypocrisy. 652 00:49:40,662 --> 00:49:43,112 Of course, Jesus deals with this 653 00:49:43,113 --> 00:49:47,354 when He deals with the speck and the beam in the eye. 654 00:49:47,355 --> 00:49:49,955 I mean, why deal with that? 655 00:49:49,956 --> 00:49:55,586 Because we have a tendency to be able to see what's wrong in other people 656 00:49:55,587 --> 00:49:59,728 better than we can see what's wrong in ourselves, oftentimes. 657 00:49:59,729 --> 00:50:04,100 Yes, there is a place to help others and protect others and deal with sin in others, 658 00:50:04,101 --> 00:50:06,241 but the primary calling here is: 659 00:50:06,241 --> 00:50:11,455 "you deal with the causes of sin in your life". (P) 660 00:50:11,456 --> 00:50:20,060 Well, very quickly, what sort of hands, what sort of feet, 661 00:50:20,061 --> 00:50:26,069 what sort of eyes, typically take men to hell? 662 00:50:26,069 --> 00:50:28,511 In fact, we might just say this: 663 00:50:28,512 --> 00:50:39,452 what sort of feet, hands, and eyes, take people in the church to hell? 664 00:50:39,453 --> 00:50:44,470 because that's what we're dealing with. 665 00:50:46,353 --> 00:50:56,337 Let me give you a big one: False professions. 666 00:50:56,338 --> 00:51:06,307 Do you know Jesus said to some religious folks in John 5, 667 00:51:06,308 --> 00:51:11,874 "How can you be saved, when you desire the glory of men 668 00:51:11,875 --> 00:51:14,748 more than the glory that comes from God?" 669 00:51:14,749 --> 00:51:17,381 Have you ever read that? 670 00:51:17,382 --> 00:51:23,183 Do you know what I have found is true? 671 00:51:23,184 --> 00:51:28,284 If people say, "I'm not really saved," 672 00:51:28,284 --> 00:51:35,737 they're afraid that they're going to be treated as an outsider; 673 00:51:35,737 --> 00:51:42,117 they're afraid that they're going to be exposed; 674 00:51:42,117 --> 00:51:43,961 because people want to be accepted. 675 00:51:43,961 --> 00:51:48,316 And there is this sense that if I come clean... 676 00:51:48,316 --> 00:51:55,912 There are some of you that profess to be Christians, 677 00:51:55,912 --> 00:51:59,919 you know deep down inside, 678 00:51:59,920 --> 00:52:05,569 you may come here because of the social life, 679 00:52:05,569 --> 00:52:12,182 you may come here because you're really trying to please God 680 00:52:12,182 --> 00:52:16,970 and somehow pay your sins off; 681 00:52:16,970 --> 00:52:19,403 but you hold to a false profession, 682 00:52:19,404 --> 00:52:25,137 and you would rather die and go to hell with that false profession than give it up. 683 00:52:25,138 --> 00:52:29,719 Chop it off. Be done with it. (P) 684 00:52:29,720 --> 00:52:37,336 It is amazing, people who know, they know deep inside, 685 00:52:37,337 --> 00:52:40,737 they don't want righteousness, they love their sin. 686 00:52:40,738 --> 00:52:45,074 They know inside, they don't have a love for the Lord Jesus Christ. 687 00:52:45,075 --> 00:52:49,138 They love themselves. They like to be accepted by people. 688 00:52:49,139 --> 00:52:56,413 The church often accepts people that society, at large, doesn't accept. 689 00:52:56,414 --> 00:52:58,804 And so, people can be attracted into the church. 690 00:52:58,805 --> 00:53:03,433 There's lots of reasons that lost people kind of migrate in, 691 00:53:03,434 --> 00:53:05,520 not the least of which, 692 00:53:05,521 --> 00:53:10,858 just the hope that somehow religion is going to save me in the end. 693 00:53:10,859 --> 00:53:14,883 A fear of hell. 694 00:53:16,156 --> 00:53:21,815 There are false professions in this church, I am certain of it, 695 00:53:21,815 --> 00:53:24,235 that are like a foot. 696 00:53:24,236 --> 00:53:25,553 It's causing you to sin. 697 00:53:25,554 --> 00:53:27,706 You know the kind of sin it's causing you? 698 00:53:27,707 --> 00:53:29,741 Deception. Hypocrisy. 699 00:53:29,742 --> 00:53:34,637 You're just a hypocrite, you're not what you say you are. 700 00:53:34,638 --> 00:53:38,388 Don't go to hell holding on to that. 701 00:53:38,389 --> 00:53:39,378 Cut it off. 702 00:53:39,378 --> 00:53:42,086 If you know it's true, because listen, 703 00:53:42,087 --> 00:53:46,554 the first step to being right with Christ is honesty. 704 00:53:46,555 --> 00:53:48,421 It's honesty. 705 00:53:48,422 --> 00:53:51,481 And if you're not being honest with the folks in the church, 706 00:53:51,482 --> 00:53:56,793 I guarantee you're not being honest with the Lord. (P) 707 00:53:56,794 --> 00:53:58,929 How about this, this is a big one: 708 00:53:58,930 --> 00:54:07,858 When Jesus Himself says, "You cannot serve God and mammon (or money)." 709 00:54:07,859 --> 00:54:08,935 That's a big one. 710 00:54:08,936 --> 00:54:11,076 You remember what Jesus said? 711 00:54:11,077 --> 00:54:18,374 "O, it is hard for the rich to enter the kingdom." 712 00:54:18,375 --> 00:54:19,985 You know why it is? 713 00:54:19,986 --> 00:54:25,769 Rich young ruler. They won't cut it off. 714 00:54:25,770 --> 00:54:31,172 Listen, we have professing Christians in this room, 715 00:54:31,173 --> 00:54:37,937 you hear Jesus say, "Don't lay up treasures on this earth; 716 00:54:37,937 --> 00:54:39,291 lay up treasure in heaven." 717 00:54:39,292 --> 00:54:45,389 You also hear Him, Luke 12, "Sell your possessions." 718 00:54:45,390 --> 00:54:50,511 That wasn't just said to the rich young ruler, that's said to all of us. 719 00:54:50,512 --> 00:54:53,086 But you don't hear that. 720 00:54:53,087 --> 00:54:57,986 The truth is, you want stuff, you want a lifestyle, 721 00:54:57,987 --> 00:55:00,371 and you hold on to it. 722 00:55:00,372 --> 00:55:05,393 Be careful, covetousness is idolatry. 723 00:55:05,393 --> 00:55:13,898 And if you don't amputate; you see, you can comfort yourself, 724 00:55:13,899 --> 00:55:19,992 "Jesus never said to me personally what He said to the rich young ruler." 725 00:55:19,993 --> 00:55:22,547 I would say, yes He did. 726 00:55:22,548 --> 00:55:26,559 He does in Luke 12. 727 00:55:26,560 --> 00:55:32,713 You know, we read that; the rich, yep, Americans, by and large, are rich. 728 00:55:32,714 --> 00:55:34,284 All you gotta do is travel around the world. 729 00:55:34,285 --> 00:55:37,320 All you gotta do is pack up next time people go down to Reynosa, 730 00:55:37,321 --> 00:55:41,141 or take a trip over to Nepal, or wherever it is. 731 00:55:41,142 --> 00:55:44,133 You go down and see the Wilkinsons down there in Saltillo, 732 00:55:44,134 --> 00:55:45,611 and you go out to Santa Margarita. 733 00:55:45,612 --> 00:55:50,062 All you have to do is look around. Americans are wealthy. 734 00:55:50,063 --> 00:55:56,400 And Jesus said, "It's very difficult for wealthy people to get there." 735 00:55:56,401 --> 00:56:04,919 You know why they won't cut off? There is a reliance: people trust money. 736 00:56:04,919 --> 00:56:10,318 And Christ allows no competitors. (P) 737 00:56:10,319 --> 00:56:12,594 Are you really willing to live by faith? 738 00:56:12,594 --> 00:56:16,996 Are you really willing to trust the Lord? 739 00:56:16,996 --> 00:56:19,343 Look, I'm not saying that having some savings, 740 00:56:19,344 --> 00:56:22,488 I'm not saying that thinking about how your wife is going to be taken care of 741 00:56:22,489 --> 00:56:30,328 when you guys get into your 60s and 70s and maybe 80s or 90s. 742 00:56:30,329 --> 00:56:32,795 There's a place to take care of your household. 743 00:56:32,795 --> 00:56:37,323 There's a place, but just be careful. 744 00:56:37,324 --> 00:56:40,117 Family relationships: 745 00:56:40,118 --> 00:56:42,818 when Jesus said "you need to hate your mother and father", 746 00:56:42,819 --> 00:56:46,487 when He talked about "a sword is coming", 747 00:56:46,488 --> 00:56:50,360 that is something people wanting to please their parents, 748 00:56:50,361 --> 00:56:52,950 people wanting to please their children. 749 00:56:52,951 --> 00:56:55,384 They will go to hell for those things. 750 00:56:55,385 --> 00:57:01,162 Jesus said, right at that point, "Let the dead bury their dead." 751 00:57:01,163 --> 00:57:03,603 I'll tell you this, young people, 752 00:57:03,604 --> 00:57:07,804 you got parents that are not Christians, you are to honor them. 753 00:57:07,805 --> 00:57:11,853 Honoring your parents, very good, very biblical. 754 00:57:11,853 --> 00:57:13,516 But you be careful, 755 00:57:13,517 --> 00:57:15,952 when those parents want you to go down a path 756 00:57:15,953 --> 00:57:21,304 that you know Christ does not want you to go down, 757 00:57:21,305 --> 00:57:25,399 you need to stand for Christ's truth. 758 00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:27,251 Jesus said, "Follow Me." 759 00:57:27,252 --> 00:57:30,700 If you're not willing to follow Him, just like, rememer those guys, 760 00:57:30,701 --> 00:57:32,584 "Let me go home and say 'goodbye' to the family; 761 00:57:32,669 --> 00:57:34,501 let me go home and bury my father," 762 00:57:34,502 --> 00:57:38,889 and Jesus is like, "No. No." 763 00:57:38,889 --> 00:57:41,938 You better hear that. 764 00:57:41,938 --> 00:57:48,176 People will cling to family relationships and go to hell. (P) 765 00:57:48,176 --> 00:57:49,789 My own life: 766 00:57:49,789 --> 00:57:54,249 Jesus said that I need to hate my own life. I need to die. 767 00:57:54,249 --> 00:57:57,258 You know what that means? 768 00:57:57,259 --> 00:58:05,679 It means I take my ambitions, and my goals, and my plans; 769 00:58:05,679 --> 00:58:09,034 and I put them on the altar. 770 00:58:09,035 --> 00:58:10,414 You know what? 771 00:58:10,414 --> 00:58:15,924 People who say, "I'm going to do it my way," they go to hell. 772 00:58:15,925 --> 00:58:21,960 Who is the guy that sang that? He's in hell. Bank on it. 773 00:58:21,961 --> 00:58:26,768 "How can you say that?! He might have been converted in the last hour!" 774 00:58:26,769 --> 00:58:31,154 Yes, if he was converted in the last hours of his life, then he did not. 775 00:58:31,154 --> 00:58:37,850 But if he died the way he lived, if he died the way he sang, he is in hell; 776 00:58:37,851 --> 00:58:42,575 because you don't live the Christian life your way. 777 00:58:42,575 --> 00:58:45,305 It's surrender. 778 00:58:45,305 --> 00:58:54,600 Jesus said it: "If you don't forsake all that you have, you cannot be My disciple." 779 00:58:54,601 --> 00:58:58,539 You can create a different Christ, 780 00:58:58,539 --> 00:59:01,910 but that's what the Christ of Scripture said. 781 00:59:01,911 --> 00:59:05,742 You can say, "I don't believe it." You'll go to hell. 782 00:59:05,743 --> 00:59:07,555 It's surrender. (P) 783 00:59:07,556 --> 00:59:10,681 You say again, "Is this really grace?" 784 00:59:10,682 --> 00:59:18,105 Yes, yes, because you have to remember, Christ came to save, 785 00:59:18,106 --> 00:59:23,872 and He means to save you from every thing that's bad and wrong. 786 00:59:23,873 --> 00:59:32,416 And any thing that's not according to His will and His purpose in guiding your life, is wrong and bad. 787 00:59:32,417 --> 00:59:37,158 And listen, He is good. You can trust Him. 788 00:59:37,159 --> 00:59:40,860 He often, just like the trials we heard about in the first hour, 789 00:59:40,861 --> 00:59:43,652 "No, Lord, I'd rather not go down that path." 790 00:59:43,653 --> 00:59:46,430 But you know what, that's the path you need to go down. 791 00:59:46,431 --> 00:59:51,839 Why? Because it's best, and it is going to make you most like Christ. (P) 792 00:59:51,840 --> 00:59:54,196 This is close to false professions, 793 00:59:54,197 --> 00:59:57,864 but there are those who need to give up false religion. 794 00:59:57,865 --> 01:00:00,444 They need to give up bad teaching. 795 01:00:00,445 --> 01:00:06,590 There are those who need to cut off bad companionship. 796 01:00:06,591 --> 01:00:14,760 You do not want to say, "Yeah, I hang out with brother so and so. 797 01:00:14,760 --> 01:00:17,874 Hey, he's part of the church." 798 01:00:17,874 --> 01:00:22,927 Yeah, but I'll tell you, if that's a cause of sin in your life, you need to cut it off. 799 01:00:22,927 --> 01:00:24,448 You need to be honest. 800 01:00:24,449 --> 01:00:29,527 We can justify, "Oh, but they're a Christian. They're in the church." 801 01:00:29,528 --> 01:00:33,537 If they're leading you to sin, cut it off. 802 01:00:33,538 --> 01:00:36,263 Cut off what leads you to sin. (P) 803 01:00:36,264 --> 01:00:38,535 Whatsoever is not of faith. 804 01:00:38,536 --> 01:00:41,114 You want to live a life of faith. 805 01:00:41,114 --> 01:00:47,323 I mean, look, if you know that having too much money in the bank 806 01:00:47,324 --> 01:00:51,548 causes you not to live by faith... Look at your life, 807 01:00:51,549 --> 01:00:56,390 if there are things that challenge you living by faith, be rid of it. 808 01:00:56,391 --> 01:00:58,738 It's not healthy. It's not good. (P) 809 01:00:58,739 --> 01:01:04,207 Let's talk about sexual sin here. 810 01:01:04,208 --> 01:01:08,236 I guarantee, I guarantee, 811 01:01:08,237 --> 01:01:13,369 there are going to be professing Christians – professing – 812 01:01:13,369 --> 01:01:15,430 I'm not saying true ones, but they're professing, 813 01:01:15,431 --> 01:01:19,448 and to all of us they look true and genuine right now. 814 01:01:19,449 --> 01:01:21,248 You will not give up your cellphone, 815 01:01:21,249 --> 01:01:23,523 you will not give up your laptop computer, 816 01:01:23,524 --> 01:01:27,437 and you will go to hell. 817 01:01:28,453 --> 01:01:35,510 Now listen, Jesus isn't just dealing specifically with sin itself – 818 01:01:35,511 --> 01:01:41,142 yes, it's sin that He is interested in having rid off your life – 819 01:01:41,143 --> 01:01:45,537 but it's causes to sin. 820 01:01:45,538 --> 01:01:48,384 You know what? 821 01:01:48,385 --> 01:01:54,334 If your phone, your computer, your iPad, your iPod; 822 01:01:54,335 --> 01:02:05,727 if they're continuously sources of sin and you can't control it, get rid of it. 823 01:02:05,728 --> 01:02:10,239 You say, "Ah, ah, ah. I won't be able to do Facebook." 824 01:02:10,240 --> 01:02:14,614 You know another thing we need to get rid of? It's time-wasters. 825 01:02:14,615 --> 01:02:20,891 You ever really let that resonate with you, what Craig said a couple of weeks ago? 826 01:02:20,892 --> 01:02:30,017 That third type of soil, the thorns choked, so that it wasn't fruitful. 827 01:02:30,018 --> 01:02:32,976 Imagine how many people waste their time on the Internet, 828 01:02:32,977 --> 01:02:35,392 and their life is going to end up being unfruitful. 829 01:02:35,393 --> 01:02:39,200 And as Craig rightly said, these are people that don't bear fruit. 830 01:02:39,201 --> 01:02:44,031 In the end they're not genuine. (P) 831 01:02:45,210 --> 01:02:48,010 Are you ready to take Christ at His words? 832 01:02:48,011 --> 01:02:52,425 Look, if you look and you say, "That television, you know what? 833 01:02:52,426 --> 01:02:57,255 I make these resolutions: it's NOT going to lead me into sin." 834 01:02:57,255 --> 01:03:00,852 But then, it is. It is. 835 01:03:00,853 --> 01:03:06,639 You know what? We are in the first generation. 836 01:03:06,640 --> 01:03:09,364 My oldest daughter, born in 1994. 837 01:03:09,365 --> 01:03:11,591 In the beginning I didn't have to deal with the Internet. 838 01:03:11,592 --> 01:03:14,165 We didn't get our first computer until '99. 839 01:03:14,166 --> 01:03:22,326 The Internet was terribly slow, that old dial-up something. 840 01:03:22,327 --> 01:03:31,400 So, what has happened is, in the last two decades, 841 01:03:31,401 --> 01:03:35,083 we are in a place now where we have communication 842 01:03:35,083 --> 01:03:39,514 coming at us with an accessibility. 843 01:03:39,515 --> 01:03:42,923 Let me tell you something, parents: 844 01:03:42,923 --> 01:03:48,462 Every single young man who gets saved, 845 01:03:48,462 --> 01:03:52,677 will tell you he viewed Internet pornography. 846 01:03:52,677 --> 01:04:02,467 I suspect that every one of you parents that has a child who lives at home, 847 01:04:02,467 --> 01:04:06,667 who is old enough for you to allow free access on the Internet, 848 01:04:06,668 --> 01:04:09,511 I suspect if I pulled them aside and asked them, 849 01:04:09,511 --> 01:04:14,348 if they were honest, they've viewed it. 850 01:04:14,348 --> 01:04:18,160 That's a reality. (P) 851 01:04:18,160 --> 01:04:20,116 What are we doing? 852 01:04:20,116 --> 01:04:23,324 You see, we are caught by this because these things come, 853 01:04:23,324 --> 01:04:26,817 you know, the technology comes degree by degree. 854 01:04:26,818 --> 01:04:33,072 And suddenly, we look up, and we're like the frogs being boiled away in the boiling water. 855 01:04:33,073 --> 01:04:35,781 What are you allowing into your family? 856 01:04:35,782 --> 01:04:41,774 What are you allowing as far as the TV, as far as cellphones? 857 01:04:41,775 --> 01:04:44,849 You say, "Really? Are those things that need to be cut off 858 01:04:44,850 --> 01:04:47,917 or we go to hell, or our children go to hell?" 859 01:04:47,918 --> 01:04:49,686 Listen, are you not hearing Jesus? 860 01:04:49,687 --> 01:04:52,755 If something causes you to sin, you need to cut it off. 861 01:04:52,756 --> 01:04:56,008 You say, "Well, how can I communicate with people by email then?" 862 01:04:56,008 --> 01:04:58,180 Well, maybe you don't need to! 863 01:04:58,181 --> 01:05:03,652 Listen, would you want to carry your laptop, 864 01:05:03,653 --> 01:05:07,244 you know, you got it down there in the flames with you, 865 01:05:07,245 --> 01:05:10,775 unquenchable fire, weeping and gnashing of teeth? 866 01:05:10,776 --> 01:05:12,188 "Well, I wouldn't give it up." 867 01:05:12,189 --> 01:05:16,034 Why? "Well, I had to communicate with my friends." 868 01:05:16,035 --> 01:05:17,497 I mean, it's amazing! 869 01:05:17,498 --> 01:05:21,107 I watched a documentary the other day 870 01:05:21,108 --> 01:05:24,723 on all the refugees around the world, including the Syrians. 871 01:05:24,724 --> 01:05:26,550 I'm trying to see these people, 872 01:05:26,551 --> 01:05:28,738 people coming across from Afghanistan, 873 01:05:28,739 --> 01:05:32,083 and coming out of Iraq, and coming from Syria, 874 01:05:32,083 --> 01:05:33,719 into all these countries. 875 01:05:33,720 --> 01:05:35,938 And they're out there walking around, 876 01:05:35,939 --> 01:05:39,701 they have nothing but a tent and the clothes on their backs, 877 01:05:39,702 --> 01:05:43,063 and they've got cellphones! 878 01:05:43,064 --> 01:05:46,441 Everybody is gotta have a cellphone! 879 01:05:46,442 --> 01:05:49,609 I'm driving up Commerce; I'm driving by somebody; 880 01:05:49,610 --> 01:05:52,951 I'm recognizing you know, the guy, it's during the day, 881 01:05:52,952 --> 01:05:55,879 he's on the street, he probably doesn't have a job, 882 01:05:55,879 --> 01:05:59,030 he's got a cellphone. (P) 883 01:05:59,031 --> 01:06:01,232 What are we gonna do? We're Christians. 884 01:06:01,233 --> 01:06:05,555 Christ has given us instruction: sever! 885 01:06:05,556 --> 01:06:07,973 You say, "Aaaah! I could never give up my TV." 886 01:06:07,974 --> 01:06:12,911 Well, you see, that attitude is exactly what takes people to hell. 887 01:06:12,912 --> 01:06:14,958 Our attitude needs to be: 888 01:06:14,959 --> 01:06:21,865 "We will amputate anything we identify in our lives that threatens us 889 01:06:21,865 --> 01:06:23,786 or threatens our children. 890 01:06:23,787 --> 01:06:27,229 Anything that is a cause of sin, it's gonna go!" 891 01:06:27,230 --> 01:06:29,928 And He doesn't say you can just cut it off and leave it there. 892 01:06:29,929 --> 01:06:32,644 He says, "You throw that thing away! 893 01:06:32,645 --> 01:06:36,665 You gouge it out and cast it from you!" 894 01:06:36,666 --> 01:06:44,325 Listen, if this is not how you are going to live, then die and go to hell. 895 01:06:44,326 --> 01:06:47,589 That's basically what Christ is saying. 896 01:06:47,589 --> 01:06:48,856 Radical action. (P) 897 01:06:48,857 --> 01:06:56,097 Now look, I'm not saying that that means every Christian needs to go and throw their TV out, 898 01:06:56,098 --> 01:06:59,010 or that every Christian needs to go get rid of the computer. 899 01:06:59,010 --> 01:07:01,991 I'm saying, if it is a constant cause of you to sin, 900 01:07:01,992 --> 01:07:05,110 and you cannot get control over that thing, then maybe... 901 01:07:05,111 --> 01:07:08,498 You know, it's like some of my friends that I had when I was a young believer. 902 01:07:08,499 --> 01:07:11,820 I recognize, I wanted to evangelize these guys, 903 01:07:11,821 --> 01:07:14,692 but whenever I got around them I got drinking. 904 01:07:14,693 --> 01:07:18,293 Finally, I recognized that I'm not strong enough to be around them. 905 01:07:18,293 --> 01:07:20,212 Now I can be around them. 906 01:07:20,213 --> 01:07:21,712 It may be the same with the computer. 907 01:07:21,713 --> 01:07:24,174 You may have to say, "I can't be around a computer." 908 01:07:24,175 --> 01:07:27,591 Five years from now you may say, "It's not a problem to me." 909 01:07:27,591 --> 01:07:31,361 The issue is, what causes you to sin? 910 01:07:31,362 --> 01:07:33,862 And you need to destroy, and put to death, 911 01:07:33,863 --> 01:07:36,022 and amputate, and cast away, 912 01:07:36,023 --> 01:07:41,747 those things that are temptations to you and that lead you to fall. (P) 913 01:07:41,748 --> 01:07:46,598 Look: hell, do you see it in this verse? 914 01:07:46,598 --> 01:07:48,746 Just hang with me a second. 915 01:07:48,747 --> 01:07:53,540 Hell, you know what Christ is saying? Hell is real. 916 01:07:53,541 --> 01:07:56,042 Sometimes people would say, "Oh, that Old Testament God." 917 01:07:56,043 --> 01:07:58,721 Did you hear what was read in the Bible reading today? 918 01:07:58,722 --> 01:08:03,433 Those 23,000 fell dead in the wilderness because of their sexual sin. 919 01:08:03,434 --> 01:08:09,310 And what God says to us New Testament believers, that's an example for us. (P) 920 01:08:09,311 --> 01:08:12,379 Let me tell you about the God you're going to stand before on Judgment Day. 921 01:08:12,380 --> 01:08:20,974 It's the God who killed every single person in this world, except for eight souls, 922 01:08:20,975 --> 01:08:24,772 when He saw that every imagination of the hearts of these people in this world 923 01:08:24,772 --> 01:08:26,572 were only evil continually. 924 01:08:26,573 --> 01:08:28,992 He dropped them all dead through a flood. 925 01:08:28,993 --> 01:08:31,740 That's the kind of God we're dealing with. 926 01:08:31,741 --> 01:08:37,635 He is a just God, and He deals with sin, and hell is real, and hell is severe. 927 01:08:37,636 --> 01:08:41,077 There is a fire that does not quench. 928 01:08:41,078 --> 01:08:44,078 There is weeping. There is gnashing of teeth. 929 01:08:44,078 --> 01:08:46,270 There is a worm that does not die. 930 01:08:46,272 --> 01:08:51,301 This thing is forever: don't think that the fires will ever be quenched. 931 01:08:51,301 --> 01:08:54,769 It is forever, and it is forever, and it is forever. 932 01:08:54,770 --> 01:08:59,004 God looks and He sees the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah; 933 01:08:59,005 --> 01:09:03,447 He drops down hellfire, brimstone. 934 01:09:03,448 --> 01:09:09,943 Do you know that this God takes His own people, Israel; 935 01:09:09,943 --> 01:09:15,215 and out in that wilderness, because of their unbelief, they die. 936 01:09:15,216 --> 01:09:18,158 And that's the argument of Hebrews 3 and 4. 937 01:09:18,158 --> 01:09:22,885 God killed them because of their unbelief. 938 01:09:22,886 --> 01:09:25,452 This is the kind of God we're dealing with. 939 01:09:25,453 --> 01:09:29,487 You can make up your own god, a make-believe god, 940 01:09:29,488 --> 01:09:32,219 who will not throw you into hell for your sins. 941 01:09:32,220 --> 01:09:36,108 But that god is not going to be there to help you on the Day of Judgment. 942 01:09:36,108 --> 01:09:39,830 The God you're going to come before is the God of Scripture, 943 01:09:39,830 --> 01:09:42,751 and He is the God that throws sinners into hell. 944 01:09:42,752 --> 01:09:45,152 This is real. (P) 945 01:09:45,153 --> 01:09:50,706 Now listen, this battle is not something we do in our own strength. 946 01:09:50,707 --> 01:09:56,627 Christ said to us, "Without Me, you can do nothing." 947 01:09:56,627 --> 01:10:02,364 This is a battle that we fight, clinging to Him, trusting Him, 948 01:10:02,365 --> 01:10:07,193 looking to the power that's unleashed in His death on that cross, 949 01:10:07,193 --> 01:10:11,034 that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. 950 01:10:11,035 --> 01:10:12,122 It's trusting. 951 01:10:12,123 --> 01:10:18,916 This Holy Spirit at work within us, He's going to give us the desires 952 01:10:18,916 --> 01:10:21,146 and the power and the ability. 953 01:10:21,147 --> 01:10:26,276 But it's all out battle. It's all out amputation. It's fierce. 954 01:10:26,276 --> 01:10:29,766 Don't play with sin. 955 01:10:29,767 --> 01:10:31,640 You know what? 956 01:10:31,641 --> 01:10:41,286 Every person here ought to be able to look across the landscape of their conscience, 957 01:10:41,286 --> 01:10:49,398 and find nothing, nothing, that is standing between you and God right now. 958 01:10:49,398 --> 01:10:50,344 Nothing. 959 01:10:50,345 --> 01:10:54,620 If you know of something, attack it. 960 01:10:54,621 --> 01:11:00,040 If you can go week after week with this thing, you know it, 961 01:11:00,041 --> 01:11:07,474 you know it's not right, you just go week after week, year after year, 962 01:11:07,475 --> 01:11:09,732 what am I going to say to you? 963 01:11:09,733 --> 01:11:13,855 You've got this thing you won't amputate; 964 01:11:13,856 --> 01:11:18,424 look at yourself in the reflection of this passage, what is it saying? 965 01:11:18,425 --> 01:11:23,374 Should I assure you, "O don't worry, brother. Don't worry, sister. It's okay. 966 01:11:23,375 --> 01:11:28,060 Afterall, we're justified by faith." 967 01:11:28,061 --> 01:11:31,501 No, no, no, that's not what you want to do. 968 01:11:31,502 --> 01:11:34,089 I would say to you, you are in danger. 969 01:11:34,090 --> 01:11:39,841 Attack that thing immediately. Put it to death. (P) 970 01:11:39,842 --> 01:11:42,844 You say, "What if it rises up again?" 971 01:11:42,845 --> 01:11:44,990 Okay, attack it again. 972 01:11:44,991 --> 01:11:46,783 It raises its head, take that head off. 973 01:11:46,784 --> 01:11:49,502 It raises its head again, take that head off. 974 01:11:49,503 --> 01:11:50,503 It's a battle. 975 01:11:50,504 --> 01:11:55,585 I'm not talking about perfection here, but this is all out battle. 976 01:11:55,586 --> 01:11:58,944 The kingdom of heaven is taken by violence. 977 01:11:58,945 --> 01:12:01,249 This kind of violence. 978 01:12:01,250 --> 01:12:04,391 Make no mistake. 979 01:12:04,392 --> 01:12:09,413 Don't hide behind your profession. 980 01:12:09,414 --> 01:12:21,894 If there is no sincere battle with sin, trust in Christ, go to battle. 981 01:12:21,894 --> 01:12:24,939 Resting in Him, we fight. 982 01:12:24,940 --> 01:12:29,056 Without Him, we can do nothing. (P) 983 01:12:29,057 --> 01:12:40,244 Father, I pray the reality of this might seize upon us all and grip us. 984 01:12:40,245 --> 01:12:48,458 Give us a wartime, a militant mentality, 985 01:12:48,459 --> 01:12:51,561 in this fight for holiness to the death. 986 01:12:51,562 --> 01:12:57,998 I pray in Christ's name, help us to be a holy church, 987 01:12:57,999 --> 01:13:01,142 to live in the power of the cross – 988 01:13:01,143 --> 01:13:05,968 dying to sin, living unto righteousness. 989 01:13:05,969 --> 01:13:12,110 Lord, I pray that the intensity of our hunger and thirst for righteousness... 990 01:13:12,111 --> 01:13:14,760 Lord, I pray for a revival. 991 01:13:14,761 --> 01:13:19,552 I pray for a movement of the Spirit 992 01:13:19,553 --> 01:13:25,609 that would just intensify the hunger we have to be like Christ. 993 01:13:25,609 --> 01:13:27,890 I ask this in His name. Amen.