Mark 9:38-50

[Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] okay well last week we looked at the subject of humility the lack thereof and the opposite of the word humility is pride so we talked about as we saw the disciples are discussing which one of them was the greatest and so we looked at that mindset and how subtle that is for us how ironic and exciting and fun it was for me that on that next day monday i was in a parking lot and take a look at this bumper sticker that i saw on the back of a car holiness without humility is pride i was like where were you last week before my sermon you know it was just like wow and again i have no idea where they got that sticker but isn't that awesome that's so awesome and i think that's again a message that people need to see and be reminded of is that you know when you have zeal without love you know the bible says you're just a noisy gong a clanging symbol and uh so it was a great little reminder as i saw that and i was excited but if you look at verse 35 of mark 9 we notice jesus responds to the pride problem he says whoever wants to be first he shall be what last and we circled it not in one word but in all three last of all last of all and what servant of all those are to be seen as one word okay very important last of all you're the last of the last and you are the servant of the servants that's what jesus says if you want to be authentic you start by on your knees and we serve that is truly how we find god's kingdom that upside down kingdom we talked about and then in order to illustrate this he it says whoever receives one child like this in my name receives me and whoever receives me does not receive me but he who sent me and so now he's taking us into a theological camp of who he is he is the god incarnate standing there in front of them so the one that said let there be light is the one that's saying this is whom you serve and this is how you serve when you minister even to the least of these brethren you're doing it as unto me god said and so the key to this passage we saw last week was receives and remember i gave you a comparison between the word take and receive recently did your vows might have said i take you ali hopefully didn't the word receive if i would have done it would have been received that's all i'm saying i receive key word because take entitlement conquest but when we get to receive it's a gift it's something that's not an obligatory it's something that we don't deserve if you deserve it it's not a gift and that brings you to a point of humility so the point is did we recognize here today that we have received the gift of god what do we have that we've not received and yet so many of us walk around with this christian mindset of of being able to look down and critique and criticize other churches denominations this or that and again the whole point of jesus is saying why what do you have on what do you stand on to look down on a brother or sister because all we like sheep have gone astray amen and so here he sets this whole thing and that is why galatians 5 13 we were going to sum up the message last week for you were called to freedom brethren only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh but through what love what are we supposed to do serve one another again why we gather together so we can serve one another so we can serve our three seeds when we have our celebrations and then our community when we are in our small groups and we're doing these things that we're serving one another and then our compassion where we serve on our community and we love out in that way so here's the thing last week the message that we saw that jesus was teaching them was on the subject of pride and humility well today's message as he takes them to the next step as he's still continually speaking let's be reminded here that this is still the same sermon it took us a week but it was just continual flow for jesus here and here's the thing to be reminded of today's message is on temptation and here's the temptation when i talk about temptation the temptation on the subject of temptation is to look around and see everyone else and where they're where they're having a problem with temptation so this isn't my child my husband my wife this isn't that time this is lord speak to me because every one of us is vulnerable in this area amen because last week what was the temptation it was the temptation to judge others oh how subtle and being prideful without knowing it and my key point for us was that if we are prideful then that means we are not joyful because he said and my joy is complete in you my joy is full and i said is that you when people say how you doing hey joy fall i am so full of god's grace that i know that i have been given more than i deserve and therefore if we are prideful we are definitely not joyful and that is why we need to validate it by bringing ourselves up puffing ourselves up in some way so what did jesus teach us the first principle of greatness he taught his disciples was to treat remember all people what equally we need to treat all people equally and illustrate that as i said jesus takes this little kid and puts him in his arms and remember in this culture remember they were even trying to shun the kids away from jesus he was like what are you doing stop stop because they were the least of the least and so here he is he holds this child to give them this understanding and to bring it into mind so to illustrate it we're to treat all people there's no one who was less than in my kingdom but then the second principle we're going to learn today and that is this to stop seeking to make divisions and distinctions that's our problem and god is saying for us to stop it stop seeking whether you realize it or not to make divisions and distinctions so let's pick up at verse 33 i mean verse 38 and let's go on so john said to him teacher we saw someone casting out demons what does it say there in your name and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us new king james says we forbade him the niv says we told him to stop because he was not one of us so john comes up to jesus and calls him rabbi teacher and then he begins to report an attempt by the disciples to stop this anonymous exorcist from driving out demons in jesus name now we're chuckling now but think of it they've been talking about who's the greatest well i'm gonna well that's not peter james and john but because i have this and so you know there are special needs that's why they need more time with jesus and all all the things that people are trying to make in their discussions with one another and these these things and and all sudden now he he he's speaking to them and they say hey you know by the way jesus we saw somebody out there trying to cast out demons in your name and we told him to stop why what was the reason he was not one of us now here's the thing apparently this guy was a disciple but he was not one of the 12 commissioned by jesus to do that work remember several weeks ago he said hey go out two by two go out and do these things so he gave them this commission and so now they've been given this commission by god and you know into the jesus or they're the ones that have been told to do it and they see somebody else doing it now notice with me their issue is not the man's misuse of jesus's name like the sons of skiva when they were saying hey we command you to come out by the jesus when paul preaches now you don't even know the guy and boom the demons came out their issue is not that jesus's name was being used wrong listen to me their issue was his unauthorized use of jesus name hear me now he wasn't doing it our way if you've been in church longer than three weeks then you should understand what i'm saying remember i said last week sadly the church has been the bastion of division and we try to make distinguishing about their this and where that and these types of things you see the thing that i find most ironic is why would they also be a little upset about it because unlike them when they were trying to get the demon out of the young possessed boy apparently this guy was having success so not only was he doing it differently but demons were leaving in the name of jesus now let's let's get this clear in our head you see he was successful so this tells me it's a revealer right now of this narrow sense of elitism that these 12 had in other words they loved everybody and they tolerated everybody but they made sure it came out in a conversation that they were part of the 12. hey how you doing yeah nathaniel yeah you know 1 to 12. and uh you know boom boom boom you know as i was uh following jesus you know with the other 11 that he called you know just whatever ways that we would want to start dropping this title or position here it is it's coming out the problem is that they are still struggling with the greater than mentality as i share with you today it should be more like this the me is greater than you the way in which the majority of folks act and very much sometimes the majority of time is me is greater than you and you would say no no no no that's not true pastor well again if you've noticed what's wrong with other people including even here today hello hello except if you had there but by the grace of god go i that's a whole different story am i making any sense see when i begin to think that i can look out and judge down to look down on then that must make me think well we often do this we see this often in christianity when we have this attitude towards others who are not traveling with us our issue is jesus he was doing these things and miracles were happenings but he wasn't one of us he was not traveling with us following us well we do that when people don't follow us theologically when people don't follow us denominationally oh well you know that person yeah he's a post-tribber oh you know those folks over there that guy he's an old earth guy you know he doesn't really believe in the bible you know or them they're pentecostal they like run around and fall down and stuff and because someone is traveling the road differently we make a distinction now think about it what did it say he says he was casting out demons demons work for okay it wasn't a true question okay satan okay do we have to go all the way back to the tape okay in the beginning god all right there was a serpent and the serpent said okay now here we are he's in the name what did we learn last week what were we reminded what does it mean to do something in the name look ahead it means in the authority of it means in the command of means in the manner of so think about it he is doing these things casting out demons and they are leaving by the authority of the name of jesus by the command that flows from the authority of jesus and in the manner in the compassion for those who are struggling with this possession wow this is what this guy is doing and there's taking issue with it now notice verse 39 but jesus said do not hinder him for there is no one who shall perform a miracle in my name you won't want to circle that and be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me for it is not for excuse me for he who is not against us is what for us i want to encourage you to underline our circle against us and for us because what jesus is saying is that there's no room for neutrality somebody here today watching online you're like you know it's cool i'm not here even though that's fine and that's your trip and so on and so forth but you know i'm just not really a religious person yeah you are that's your religion that's your religion and so that's your belief system that's what you're putting all your eggs in and so forth so he says you're either for or against us undecided means you're not for therefore you are against are you hearing me so there's the thing that we need to recognize that jesus is saying so what was he teaching his disciples there's no way someone can be anointed by god and by using his name and having miracles flow out and at the same time be working against him was it not jesus himself responding to the pharisees when they said well he's casting out demons by by the power of satan so like why would satan cast out demons a house divided can't stand and so he's clearly bringing them to the whole point like hello guys here's the key though this man did not follow jesus exactly the same way as the 12 he nevertheless followed him truly and stood against satan amen so that means people of different movements denominations so on and so forth we need to remember as has been stated for years and years and years most often given attributed to augustine but it isn't actually his quote but this is what it says in the essentials unity meaning what does it mean to be saved how are is one born again is jesus god those are things in the essentials we have unity but in the non-essentials what liberty hey you feel in that direction great you want to lean towards that are these things that are non-essentials i don't have to have a hundred percent in order to have fellowship with them and in all things what charity and charity is what word love okay it says the king jameth wordiff but in all things love and you're like say why are you making such a big point of this because you have no idea how much flack i get from people because of the other pastors that i hang out with in the pastor's round table and other coalitions that i'm working together on well you know what that person they're at this and they're that and free trip and they're supposed to be there's a pentecostal and oh my gosh i also have in that prayer group father frank and bishop silva oh my gosh the things that i get called really have you heard them pray do you hear their heart when they're speaking to oh but catholics believe this have you heard this man pray have you heard the heart of this individual meaning all of us can be involved in a movement and not completely grab every single thing that movement teaches i know that because i was a presbyterian for years and i did not embrace all the things in the pc usa here's a shocker i'm an ordained southern baptist minister and i was a southern baptist preacher hallelujah you have to say jesus you've got to be a little link on there jesus you got to call everybody brother but i was the southern baptist but i shook my booty i danced me and my wife would like to dance my point is each person we greet individually we accept individually and we're kindred with them in jesus christ i take every person for whom they are and go from there amen we don't stop at the doors in the essentials unity non-essentials liberty but in all things love love love love verse 41 jesus continues to say four whoever gives you going back to the disciples now they're looking down on somebody here listen whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as a follower of christ christ is what word meshach which is messiah so there he's claiming himself to be messiah again he says so if someone does something nice for you because you're a follower of the messiah truly i say to you he shall not lose his reward and church i just want to stand up in front of us here and remind all of us listening in anywhere that there are so few things that we should be taking seriously in this life there are so few things that should really get your drama drama drama drama really and yet so often we want to fight we want to take issue over anything and everything and the world sees this and sees no distinction and wonders why would i want to be in or part of that father forgive us because we want to be about your word your will and your way nothing more and nothing less amen so those of you in the election extremely disappointed worried fright whatever just want to remind you that god is spelt g-o-d not g-o-p amen i had the young adults right here last night and someone says yeah i had people saying you can't be a christian if you voted this way or if you supported this person you can't be a christian and there's people saying that i'm like um time out um uh do christians make mistakes then they're like can't even christians be deceived about something hello so if you made a mistake in voting for the wrong person may god have mercy on your soul thank you for laughing because folks the main thing is to keep the main thing welcome to christianity not churchy entity you see he says whoever will give a cup of water what did he say earlier in verse 35 if anyone wants to be first they shall be last of all and the servant of all i pray you looked around this week and said how can i serve my spouse my friend my neighbor how can i do something that's a step out intentional servitude you see because jesus says and whoever causes one of these little ones there in verse 42. now stop right here and then look up again and the reason why i wanted you to get this is that i showed you last week it says he picked up a little child it's still the same sentence so again it took us a week to get here but he still got the kid in his hands okay so even least greater and he goes if you love one just like one of these and then he goes on to say now and whoever causes one of these little ones that little guy that he's got in his arm right there who believed to stumble it would be better for him if with a heavy millstone hung around his neck he had been cast into the sea now for those of you who have not been to israel with us let me clarify some things for you because that is one scary statement jesus is now clearly making a contrast for all of us jesus is saying hey when we are striving to be the greatest the only way that someone can achieve a a higher echelon a higher position the only way that we can seek to be the greatest is by hurting others are you hearing me if you fight to win then there's always going to be my husband man he's such a loser well that told me more about you dear lady than it did your husband because now i see how you've chipped him down over and over and over and over and over and over you fight to win you point out everything he does wrong clearly making sure every time he left the toilet seat up he made sure he knew about it on and on and on and on or vice versa so jesus is saying you know you want to be the greatest you're a servant because when you're trying to be the greatest you're going to hurt others you're going to climb over people and he says and when you do that when you cause someone else to stumble it's better that a millstone now let me show you what that is that's a millstone and for you to get a little understanding that pole comes straight out and a donkey goes around and circled and they would take the grain and they would throw it all inside it and it would come around and he would grind and it'd grind everything in there to a pulp and then they'd be able to take the wheat and throw it up in the air or if they wanted to do some with the different wines they would do it that way this thing is so huge that it takes an animal a donkey to roll all the way around and when jesus says if you're calling yourself christian but not living christian and causing others to profane the name of jesus saying why would i want to be christian he's saying man you know what it would be better for that person to have this huge assassin heavy millstone around your neck and thrown in the sea and why is that such a frightening analogy because folks you got a millstone around your neck and you're in the sea you're not coming up you're not coming up see jesus takes very seriously the reputation of father father did moses was not allowed into the promised land he says why because he misrepresented me you made me look angry i wasn't angry you were angry so he didn't get in to the promised land and so jesus is speaking to bring a scary awareness to the subtlety of pride and arrogance that we think is an okay sin that we give permission to because the longer we're christian the better we are at hiding sin or at least giving it a different name you see teachers of the word home groups beware parents beware you and me beware because here's the dealio salvation how someone is born again well romans 10 9-10 if we believe in our heart that jesus is lord and confess with our mouth we shall be saved amen salvation is the work of god but don't forget that christianity salvation the work of jesus christ only but christianity folks in my experience has been more caught than taught now you think about that one of the hardest things to deal with folks is tradition i had even a little bit of that um just this week when someone was saying well why do you this and so on and so forth and what they were coming from was a platform of my church always did it this way it's the very same thing we stopped them because he wasn't following us he wasn't a part of us doing it our way and so we need to understand that little tradition thing that we get subtle sucked into and it's so subtle and so let's be mindful of this right here that when people are looking at you and i what image of christianity are they getting when i was a young kid our youth pastor used to say you may be the only bible someone's reading what kind of gospel are they getting and so jesus is saying it's great that you love the lord it's great that you have zeal for jesus it's great for these things but we do all things in love and we recognize that we're not out to be making distinctions there is a temptation there in fact matthew even adds this in his account of this in matthew 18 look overhead he says woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks for it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come but woe to that one through whom stumbling blocks come you see the first one the first woe was a lamentation he's saying we we live in a fallen world we have to go to secular schools we have to work with secular bosses we live in a world and please don't expect non-christians to act like christians i would just like to see christians act like christians but we're expecting them to live in a way we have a different they have a completely different mindset so the first woe is woe to the world because in the secular world we have to live and there's going to be this pain and suffering because of selfishness and pride so forth but the second woe is a woe of condemnation it's clearly stating that there is a day of reckoning that's what he's saying here but woe to the one through whom this stumbling block comes just being reminded of what paul wrote in the book of hebrews in chapter 9 verse 27 in as much as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes what judgment avert good verse for all of us to know when someone's saying well hey you know my my uh house is haunted by my grandmother or i had a spirit and so on and so for the family memory will according to the bible that's not your grandma it's a demonic activity manifesting that but it was wonderful it was kind it was peaceful i felt her love yeah and the bible says that the enemy can come as an angel of light who better to deceive you let's get it real if a spirit showed up and said come to me you'd be out the door but if it's grandma and grandma was saying hi honey i've had to deal with that manifestation many many times and help people get set free folks understand jesus is making the connection of the temptation the action and that judgment because then he takes it even further find me now verse 43 and if your hand causes you to stumble cut it off it is better for you to enter life crippled than having your two hands to go into hell into the unquenchable fire now let me read verse 44 where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched let me address that first verses 44 46 and 48 may be missing in some of your bibles the numbers will be there and it will have the marks on it why because i've told you a bazillion times there's no one more critical critiqueful of the bible than the christian because we want to make sure what we're getting is the word of god nothing more nothing less well that same sentence where the worm never dies is not found in all of the earliest manuscripts so whether it was missed by one or added by another because it's not darren's ball barons they put it in parentheses now as you look at the scripture where the worm does not die and the fire does not quench it's not a single contradiction doctrinally at all amen so it's not an issue but nonetheless we have these distinctions because we want you to know when you're reading the bible oh it's been copied so many times and how does it say hogwash 26 000 handwritten manuscripts of greek we know exactly what it said all the way dating back to 30 years after the original was written so that's important for us to know but what i want you to note is this look at verse 43 with me it says and if what's the next word your what hand causes you to stumble please circle the word your and you if your hand causes you to stumble it says cut it off notice everything we heard about the moment before was about stumbling others and now jesus takes a whole different shift on temptation oh it's easy to want to validate ourselves amongst other people and and do these things and look down and judge and be critical you know and become a pharisee oh yeah we can do these things and we're stumbling others when we do this but now he's talking about stumbling ourselves he then says and if your foot causes you to stumble cut it off and it's better for you to enter life lame than having two feet and be cast into hell verse 47 and if your eye causes you to stumble cast it out it is better for you to enter the kingdom of god with one eye than having two eyes and what does it say to be cast into hell here it is it's speaking right here he's saying listen there is going to be a judgment a consequence of the stumbling the stumbling of others or even ourselves succumbing to temptation and each time he says cut it out cut out the hand cut out the eye cut out the foot now here's the key hear me now everybody it's a metaphor it's a metaphor it's a metaphor it's a metaphor and for all of my edumacated i'll give you the definition right here webster's definition of metaphor a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them as in drowning in money you don't need a snorkel if you're drowning in money okay so this is not intended to be taken literal are you hearing me amen well you think that i wouldn't have to make such a big point about this but we have all the time people who do these things who mutilate themselves because they've succumbed time and time again to temptation and the enemy comes in and says well doesn't the scripture say you're doing this stuff and people will tear out their own eyes because they've been continually going back to porn they will do these things because satan remember knows how to quote scripture he did it to jesus he just knows how to use it out of context amen you see eye hand foot are metaphors folks especially in the jewish culture in fact if you paid attention to matthew's gospel he even gives the detail of right eye which is even more clear that we're talking a metaphor because it is a semitic metaphor listen to me for the entrance of wrong thought the right eye was what they would say this is the place where wrong thought comes in it first starts within your eye it is the organ in which wrong thought is stimulated isn't this garen's i mean this is so true isn't it the eyeball is the organ that wrong thinking wrong thought these things they come in and they're stimulating i mean look at all the tv look at all the movies look at what kids are able to do to kids now going on the campuses and wearing black coats and blasting others and doing all these they've seen it a million times in this movie or in this program or that or when it comes to the ads everything in the ads is about sex and sex cells and all this seduction that's here and so the eye season hey you're not complete if you don't have these genes on your butt you can't get a date if you're not using this product you are not of value and so they begin to bring all the stuff into the eye you ever notice how you're in a good mood before you go into the mall and as you walk through the mall your job sucks and you're not paid enough hmm like oh that's nice oh look at that oh wow and you're looking all these things i mean that don't even get me started at the car lot good name you see this truck and it's lifted in the tire you're like oh that truck oh how's that price tag folks job said it this way in job 31 i made a covenant with my eyes how then could i gaze at a virgin i told my eyes my eyes were for my wife and my wife alone i'm not gonna be staring at another young gal first john 2 16 for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from father but is from the world and so he's talking about when we see these things then it creates this desire this want and then he talks about the hand why would we cut the hand because the hand represents the limb by which these things are put into action so the eye sees and it creates the wrong thought and the desire and the want and then the hand puts it to action i know you've heard this before let's be reminded again you sow a thought you reap an act you sow an act you reap a habit you sow a habit you will reap a character you sow a character and you will reap your destiny nobody goes from a to k it's a to b b to c c to d and we just work down one step at a time and many of you in this very room many of you watching with us right now you found yourself at jkl mnop and how did i get here because when i was a junior higher i said i would never get past b but satan subtlety temptation and jesus is warning not that we just stumble others but we will stumble self now again this term cut off does not mean physical mutilation number one reason why it doesn't solve a thing i am so grateful for a man named origen of alexander he was in the first century origen of alexandria is a scholar famous scholar if you've done any church history you know about him and his brilliance and how he did many treaties against false doctrine and such but this man of god a monk found himself coming home one time from church going back to where the monastery was and saw some pretty ladies walking on the road he saw them was attracted to them his mind took it further and he was so appalled at himself that he went home and he castrated himself and said no i do not want anywhere because his body had a physiological reaction to the attraction he went home and he castrated himself but it was origen himself who wrote it didn't change a thing because the sex organ isn't below the belt it's right here this is your greatest sex organ the mind and so that didn't change and by the way when you want to come to the subject of eyes well ray charles in his own words said and i quote and if you know his biography i'm blind but i'm extremely lustful so not even being able to see so the point of the matter is these physical masculations are not what god is talking about no no so then the question you're asking me is then what does it mean to cut out these things to cut out the hand the eye the foe what is this all about jesus is saying this and hear me clearly he's saying to all of us deal violently and directly with any part of your being meaning your hobbies your activities your schedule even your location deal with whatever you need to that makes you stumble cut it out tear it out throw it from you now let me take that whole sentence that i said and just put a little bit more nuggets on your first to grasp this he says deal violently meaning intentionally not just passively well you know i know i probably shouldn't be drinking as much i know i shouldn't be really doing this as much and so he's saying no no nothing's going to happen on the tomorrow nothing's going to happen on the tomorrow when you recognize what is causing you to stumble that's the key what may cause this person to stumble is not gonna be the same thing that's gonna cause this person to stumble or that person to stumble i had never ever been tempted at all for drugs just no desire not even there at all to this day never been drunk never been whatever that's not been my issue but trust me i got them shush [Laughter] but hey how about your hobbies how about your activities how about your schedule your schedule is so full up that you don't have the time for god remember being too busy to serve being too busy to be in the word what is too busy again oh yeah totally over occupied being under satan's yoke t-o-o-b-u-s-y hmm have you had time to be still and know that he's god what's causing you and by the way i also have down here location remember lot he pinched his tent but when he pitched his tent he had the opening facing what sodom and he went from being way outside but just looking at it story ends with him having to flee from it because he was inside what is it you know what it is you know it needs to remove if you need to get rid of that computer get rid of it oh but i need it for work we have ways to fix it you just got to get real you got to get ready your activities hobbies maybe some of you guys surfing has become difficult because of the plethora of ladies in the water that aren't exactly wearing full suits anymore if it becomes an issue it might be something that needs to be laid at the altar or you go find spots like i do where nobody stay waves might not be as good but the brain is much better martin luther put it this way you cannot keep the birds from flying over your head but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair we live in this fallen world folks but we can do the right precautions what do we mean by this well first corinthians 6 18 flee immorality every other sin that a man commits is outside the body but the immoral man sins against what his own body first corinthians 10 14 therefore my beloved flee from now idolatry first immorality flee from idolatry first timothy 6 10. for the love of money and we've talked about that it's not money the love of money this means greed is the root of all sorts of evil and some by longing for it more power more money more position have wandered away from the faith and check it out and pierced themselves with many pangs why would god allow this how could this happen if god who pierced two verse 11 but flee from these things you man of god you woman of god and pursue righteousness godliness faith love perseverance and gentleness oh i love how this is telling me not just what not to do but telling me what to do what is the remedy as we saw last week second timothy 2 22 now flee from youthful lust and pursue righteousness faith james 4 7 tells me this submit therefore to god resist the devil and what he will flee from you huh i gave you four verses on god saying hey flee from these things and it says if you flee from these things in god's word will and way then the enemy himself will then flee from you amen you see flee cut it off tear it out throw it from you these are the counsel that god is saying on the things that would stumble you for example when he listed he talked about these four things immorality idolatry greed and youthful lust well in immorality we have a culture that just completely loves to worship the body we just need to worship the body the whole time trust me that ain't me turn it off they're love okay that guy's got the bricks i got the mortar you know so we're just you know but we got to spend all this time and then our looks and then also the pleasure of the body so not just our looks but then i need to have this people tell me i need sex or i need these things this is the immorality what are the things that are around you that's feeding this the idolatry we want more and more things the greed we want more money more more power the youthful lust meaning the wants i want this and i want that these things if you begin to place yourself around them these will be fed i told the young students last night i mentioned and reminded them what c.s lewis said we have two natures within us the old and the new and it's like two dogs and the one that's strongest is the one you feed the most do you realize today that i'm telling you when you tell me man it's so hard being a christian what you are subtly saying is is that temptation is so strong and around you but the reason why it is is you've done nothing to make it not be it's time to deal violently aggressively get an accountability group speak to someone ask someone to come and help you with your computer or to help you with this circumstance or change a place of occupation whatever it is flirting with the secretary it's starting to get kind of crazy hey it's better to not be paid that month than to be finding yourself paid as according to the bible and then you lead your family and others down a path of hellish circumstances am i making any sense church amen what does he say flee but then he tells me what to do pursue acts or pursue righteousness faith love and peace with those who call on the lord from a pure heart all right we're almost done here he says for everyone will be salted with fire salt is good but if the salt becomes unsalty with what will you make it salty again have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another again one of those passages that when we read it we're like huh i'm on a low sodium diet i don't get this very cultural first of all put this in your margin real salt as opposed to those that are the impure mixers real salt cannot lose its saltiness so by definition when it says lose its saltiness that tells us that it's one of the impure most often the coastal type of salt if you've ever been to the dead sea with me remember there's these huge clumps of salt all the way down and much larger than that and you see them and every single time i got somebody i'm sure joe you were probably one of them who tried to get some of that salt and sneak it into a little bag and to bring it home and by the time you even leave israel you got nothing but a bag of nothing it just disappears just deteriorates just powder it's not real real salt it just won't hold its shape it just collapses and he's saying something this salted this salt with fire what does it mean salt with fire he's just told us about the things that we need to be aware of and aggressively say i'm not going to allow this to bite me i want to remove it from my life and then he says salted with fire what did these young hebrews hear him saying leviticus 2 13 every grain offering of yours moreover shall be seasoned with salt so that the salt of the covenant of your god shall not be lacking from your grain offering with all your offerings you shall offer what salt the sacrifices were to be seasoned with salt every acceptable sacrifice must be sprinkled with salt the bible says why to express symbolically its soundness its sweetness wholesomeness and its acceptability but it had to be burnt first it was first put on the altar and what fire roasted some of you are saying right now oh this sermon is too hot maybe just maybe it's where god is saying listen we are disciples of jesus christ and as disciples of jesus christ we are living sacrifices amen romans 12. so romans 12 word tells me right away present your bodies as living sacrifices well if we are these living sacrifices then we too will be seasoned with salt they're purifying fire of trials first peter 1 6 in this you greatly rejoice even though now for a little while if necessary you have been distressed by various trials that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold notices things here that we've been talking about temptations of all these different things which is perishable even though tested by fire may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of jesus christ meaning these trials in our lives they will purge out what is contrary to god's will but it will preserve in our lives what is god's will this salt here is making a distinguish of a disciple and a non-disciple it's how you continue through the fire and how you come out on the other side see a true disciple of jesus christ will maintain allegiance to jesus at all cost at all cost amen that's what we're talking about when we say we're going to do churches where the bible says the church i want to honor christ i want to serve him i've been crucified with christ no longer i live but christ lives in me see a true disciple will follow jesus at all close including listen to me now our removal of destructive influences if it's your eye move what you're looking at if it's your hand you're doing things disconnect your foot stop going to those places can i just tell you right now it's a lot harder to be in a diet when you're in the candy store amen so stop parking your car in front of seas by lungs bark it way over on the other side i'm usually not tempted by whole foods [Laughter] can i get an amen okay what am i saying put it this way put that slide up for us carly it is better for you every one of you here right now it is better for you it is better for you to enter the kingdom of god without you know what that is then having it and be cast into hell jesus says no one can serve two masters he didn't say you shouldn't serve he said you can't he says you're gonna love one and hate the other so as jesus is bringing these cautions these warnings he does only for one reason that is he's chosen these disciples just as he has chosen these disciples and as he loves you he's trying to protect you so here is the warning that i want to give to us today exposure to the sun may prevent burning amen warning exposure to the son may prevent burning so if you have asked jesus christ to forgive you you've asked him to be your savior if you believe that he died on that cross for your sin as well then hear me jesus has taken away the sting of death temptation and it sting that's still up to you that's up to you for as we saw in 1st timothy 6 and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many a pang god ordained that you would be here today god ordained that you would be here listening to this service whether it's been just a real attitude problem and just calling a lot of people a lot of names and a lot of things god wants to put us in check who are we to judge who are we to state who are we to such to make statements of others the subtlety of thinking greater than thou the temptation there but then the things that we've placed around us the things that we have made friends with therefore they're not as drastic there are folks listening to me right now here and there who you've wandered from the faith you are not where you once were in your spiritual life in fact your spiritual you then would have probably slapped you around today but the subtleties of what you've put around then you don't look so bad because if i keep myself around compromise then i'm not as bad as that that's not god's kingdom how is your stoke how's your fire are you joyful see one is churchianity the other i'm talking about is christianity the one that just gets you up every day what do you what gets you up an alarm clock or a calling do you know that you are loved your fearfully and wonderful me that you are forgiven therefore i can take care of whatever else is going on this day because the main thing is the main thing christ in me the hope of all glory i'm just asking is that you is is that what you have or do you have a moral code and a book that you can quote and so today how intentionally passively i mean intentionally aggressively actively that's the word i was going for have you set up to make a covenant with your eyes to guard your heart in mind in christ jesus so that nothing will steal your stoke let me say this and then i'm done no one takes your joy you give it away no one takes your peace you give it away no one takes your conania with jesus christ you give it away come just as you are hear the spirit call amen i know for me i've had a lot of things the holy spirit working on me this week and convicting me i get this sermon a whole lot longer than you do i was about 10 hours on this one i had a lot of listening to do but i want to just be full on so if you have yet to actually just surrender to jesus christ that's where it starts there can't be two bosses so if you know that he's god but he's not your god and why do i know why do you know he's not your god because you're not listening to him is that which you obey that what you think about most that's your god so if jesus christ is not your god your savior and lord then would you just ask him ask him jesus would you forgive me of my sin and be my savior if you want to pray that would you let me know right now because i'm going to pray for all of us and by letting me know the bible says confess before men and i will confess you before the father so by letting me know you're saying pastor pray for me because i want to know what that means i want to step in the fullness of being a child of god a christian recognizing he alone can save me what he did on the cross anyone here just say you know what pray for me i want to become born again today christian there's a hand over there right on my brother right on might cut you anybody else let's get right over here amen amen amen let's do it father god i just thank you for your great great amazing grace there is none that is righteous no not one and forgive us lord when we somehow subtly slip into that role for us to judge we must be coming from the stem of the all-knowing for how do we know what's going on or why it's going on or the hurt within the deception so father teach us to keep the main thing the main thing that you love us and that you've saved us and that you love the people around us and you want to save them as well and the good news has been given to us forgive us when we have used discernment to criticize rather than to pray and evangelize forgive us lord when we have been passive about the abilities to serve this generation forgive us lord for not calling sin sin we call it a problem a struggle but the power of heaven can only come when it's acknowledged the way heaven acknowledges it help us lord to confess our sins knowing that you are faithful and you are just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness lord some today had a luke 15 17 moment when the prodigal came to his senses and realized there's so much more in my father's house what am i out here eating with the pigs for so for those who have wandered come home just like his story he's standing there waiting to run and throw his arms around you come to jesus come to father and if today you want to ask him to be your savior you do just that you ask him it's not a plan or a program and no no it's an honest heart but just mention something like this to jesus dear jesus thank you for dying on the cross for my sin please forgive me and be my lord and savior please give me your holy spirit to come in and upon me so i will know how to live as your child today i come home oh father for all of us whether it was the first time or whether it's recognized adrift and we returned the compass the moral compass back to you your word your will and your way may rejoice in your great love and your still amazing grace aloha my name is jason and i'm the media director here at one love and i want to say thank you today for tuning in we hope you were inspired and strengthened with today's celebration if you are new to one love we want to encourage you to visit us online at onelove.org and fill out a connect card so we can keep you up to date with all the things that are happening here while you're there you can also learn more about one love submit prayer requests or see more about the studies throughout the bible there are many ways to stay united during this time of separation and we encourage you to take the first step if you're watching today's celebration via youtube and you want to stay more informed about the new content on this channel hit the subscribe button below most importantly if you've made that decision to follow christ today we would love to hear from you you can email us at office onelove.org or call us at 808-955-9335 and let us pray with you our ministry leaders are ready to serve you one last thing if you want to learn more about the good news of jesus christ check out goodnewshawaii.com there you'll find five short videos about living a life in christ and a free discipleship booklet designed to encourage your new faith mahalo for tuning in into one love today we hope you were blessed by our time together aloha

Channel: One Love Ministries

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Id: 8F6jCjwkBL0

Length: 61min 46sec (3706 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 10 2020