Fight Against Bearing a False Witness (Mark 9:42–50)

CPT: Jesus warns his disciples on the seriousness of sin and encourages love for one another.

Purpose: As we are preaching through the Gospel of Mark, we are in a part of teaching how to be a follower of Jesus (Mark 8:34-9:50). The overall theme over these last few weeks is how to follow Jesus.

Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow Jesus, strive for the kingdom

Grow in challenges to faith through prayer

Develop in greatness through learning to serve

Fight against bearing a false witness

CPS: Fight against bearing a false witness.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to yourself.

Fight against bearing a false witness by loving God and others.

Introduction

Attention

We will talk today about bearing a false witness. Being an accurate witness of who Christ is to the world is so important today. We need to fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to the world. The world needs an accurate depiction of what it means to follow Jesus.

In my previous line of work, I had the opportunity to be a witness multiple times. As a police officer, part of my job was to testify at trials. I testified in criminal court, and I testified a lot in traffic court.

As a police officer, you want to give an accurate testimony, to the best of your ability. Towards the end of my career, I was working traffic in my area and writing a lot of traffic tickets. Yes, sorry.

Occasionally, I would pull over someone who was quite upset that I had the audacity to pull them over, and would use expressive, colorful language to express their displeasure at getting a ticket.

I would want to make sure that I wrote detailed, accurate notes on these tickets, because people that got upset tended to fight the ticket, and I wanted to make sure that I gave the most accurate testimony possible at their hearing.

I remember one gentleman that I pulled over. He had disobeyed a no left turn sign. He made the left turn, and then I pulled him over. He was quite expressive that he was not happy that I pulled him over. He told me that I should go fight some real (put in an expressive word here) crime. I gave him his ticket, and he went on his way.

He got a notification to go to traffic court, and sure enough, he was there fighting the ticket. So I went before the judge, and was meticulous to give an accurate description of the incident before the judge. My vehicle was on the NE corner of Grand Concourse and E Fordham Rd, facing SB. At the intersection, there is a no left turn sign on the SW and NW corner facing traffic on Fordham Rd going WB. It was free of graffiti and debris and clearly visible. I observed the driver driving his vehicle on the NE corner of the intersection driving WB on Fordham Rd make a left turn to drive SB on Grand Concourse. Judge, just so you know that I remember the details of this case accurately, the driver did state after getting the ticket, “Why don’t you go fight some real (put in expressive word here) crime?”

The judge looked at the defendant, and the defendant didn’t have anything to say about his driving. He didn’t argue against it. He was just angry. The judge asked him three times, “Is there anything you want to say to the officer?” Three times, the defendant said, “No.” The ticket was an $80 ticket. The judge said, “Guilty, $250.” It was a proud moment in my career.

Why did I share this story? This is a small example of the necessity of giving an accurate testimony. That’s just a career. What about our lives in Christ? Do we give an accurate testimony of who Jesus is in our life to others?

We are continuing in our series on the Gospel of Mark. Today, we are in Mark 9:42-50. In these verses, we are going to talk about fighting against bearing a false witness, or in a more positive way, how to give an accurate testimony of Christ in our life.

Everything from Mark 8:34 to today, the Lord has given a masterclass on what it means to follow Jesus. A few weeks ago, I preached a sermon named “What does it mean to follow Jesus,” where the Lord taught about denying yourself, taking up your cross, following him, and striving for his kingdom. Next, I preached a sermon called, “The Great Challenge of Faith,” where the Lord encourages us to overcome the great challenge of faith through prayer. Next, I preached a sermon called, “The Definition of Greatness,” where the Lord states that greatness is in learning to serve, where if you want to be first, be last and a servant of all. Today, we’ll talk about fighting against bearing a false witness.

I want to set up where we are in this text. There was an argument between the disciples, where they were arguing over who was the greatest. The Lord brought a child and puts the child in the middle and says in Mark 9:37 “37 Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”

Right after that, the disciples try to justify themselves. They describe an interaction with a man who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus. The Lord told them, Mark 9:39-41: “39 Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us. 41 And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ—truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”

All of that is important as we transition into these next verses. Mark 9:42-50:

Mark 9:42–50 CSB

42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 “And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

These are hard words from the Lord, but important and needed words. We are going to talk about fighting against bearing a false witness of Christ.

The first thing we’ll see,

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others.

Remember what happened right before this text. That’s important for understanding the text today. The disciples stopped a man from casting out demons in the name of Jesus. Jesus said, “Don’t stop him.” He said if anyone gives you a cup of water in my name, he won’t lose his reward.

In essence, one set of Christians is going to another Christian and saying, “Hey, you are doing something that is reserved for us to do.” It would be like, as if I went up to a Christian who was preaching on a street corner, and I said, “Hey, you know, I went to seminary for four years to do this. You can’t just go on a street corner and preach, you’ve got to go through this process.”

The Lord is saying, “Don’t stop him,” meaning, “Don’t do things to trip him up. He has put his faith in me.” So that brings us to this statement in Mark 9:42:

Mark 9:42 CSB

42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

A few verses earlier than this, Jesus had put a child among them, so people think of this verse in the context of a child, since he says “little ones.” But after that, the Lord speaks of an another person, presumably older than a child, saying “Don’t stop him.” That is the context.

I don’t believe this is just about children, but anyone, we should fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others. The Twelve were representing Christ when they told another believer to stop doing things in the name of Christ, acting in a way that Christ would not do. This could trip up another believer, make him walk away feeling defeated, especially with the position of the Twelve.

In other words, let us not be the reason or the excuse someone uses to not believe in Jesus. We hear this all the time. People say, “I don’t want to be a Christian, because I know so-and-so, and if that’s what a Christian is, I don’t want to be that.” This is a hard statement from the Lord. Thank God for his grace.

The picture of a heavy millstone is, they would have these large stones to grind grain. There were some of these that were too heavy for humans. They would use an animal such as a donkey to pull this stone to grind grain.

The Lord is saying, it would be better to put one of those around your neck and be thrown into the sea.

I can’t help but think of Jonah here. Jonah was someone who was trying to run away from God. His life was not giving an accurate testimony of God’s grace. God had told him to go preach to Nineveh, but instead, he ran the opposite direction. He got in a boat and tried to get away. A storm rose around him.

He was caught up in rebellion against God, and as he was getting away, and notice that the discipline against him didn’t just affect him, but those with him in the boat, the sailors. He tells the soldiers in Jonah 1:12:

Jonah 1:12 CSB

12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.”

Jonah realizes that his own rebellion is putting others in danger. He is thrown over, the sailors get a glimpse of who God is as the storm calms down. By God’s grace, Jonah is swallowed up by a big fish, spit up on the beach, and allowed to continue on to Nineveh.

It says in Hebrews 12:5-7:

Hebrews 12:5–7 CSB

5 And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: My son, do not take the Lord’s discipline lightly or lose heart when you are reproved by him, 6 for the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he receives. 7 Endure suffering as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline?

There may be a time as a follower of Christ that we rebel and fall away. That may even affect others around us, wondering, didn’t they use to be a Christian? But the Lord will discipline his children, if we are his. He will bring us back.

If we are caught up in rebellion, there will be storms. The Lord will discipline us for our good, to bring us back to a relationship with him, because he loves and cares for his children, and will not lose any of his people.

As a Christian, be careful how your actions affect others. Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others.

Just the other day, there was a news story of a woman who was a musician. She was a singer who recorded dance music. She didn’t have the look that the record companies were looking for for music videos, but she had a great voice. One day, she was watching music videos on TV, this was back in the 90s. She heard a song come on, and she recognized the song. She recognized the voice. That was her song, her voice. But the woman on the screen was not her. There was a woman dancing and lip-syncing, moving her mouth on the video to a song that was not hers. So the woman contacted the record company and sued.

She was upset about a record company bearing a false witness to others about her song. What about us when we bear a false witness of Christ to others? When we wear the Christian shirt, say Christian lines, but fail to live a Christian life to others.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others.

Second,

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to yourself.

Look at these next verses, tough verses to deal with.

Mark 9:43–48 CSB

43 “And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

First, a couple of textual things. The newer translations, like the CSB and ESV, don’t include verses 44 and 46. That’s because they are not in the earliest manuscripts that we have. In translating from Greek to English, the earliest manuscripts get us closest to the original text. Later manuscripts have verses 44 and 46, which is a repetition of Mark 9:48 “48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

The Lord talks about your hand, your foot, or your eye. One commentator wrote, “The hand might suggest our deeds, the foot our walk, and the eye the things we crave” [(William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1345.]. John uses a similar three-fold way to make a point in 1 John 2:16 “16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.” It’s a Hebrew way to emphasize a point.

The Lord is speaking to the individual, the hand, the foot, the eye, and saying, “What is the product of your life?”. What is it that is pulling you away from God? What are you holding on to?

You look at this text and wonder, “Is he talking about a saved person, or an unsaved person?” If it’s a saved person, it would seem to implicate that a saved person can fall away and go to hell. But it’s important to compare Scripture with Scripture.

I believe the testimony of Scripture states that once someone is saved, they are saved forever. Look at these Scriptures:

John 10:26–29 CSB

26 But you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Or look at Romans 8:38-39:

Romans 8:38–39 CSB

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or look at Philippians 1:6:

Philippians 1:6 CSB

6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Or look at 1 Peter 1:5:

1 Peter 1:5 CSB

5 You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Through the testimony of Scripture, once someone is in Christ, you are saved. There is nothing, no created power, that will take up away from Christ, not even you. The cross is sufficient to cover all of our sins. If you could take away your salvation, than the cross wasn’t sufficient. It would need the cross and your will-power. No, the Lord’s work on the cross is enough. He is powerful to save. The God who started a good work in you will complete it.

So who is the Lord talking to in Mark 9:43-48? He is talking to the Twelve. Remember, they are not all saved. Remember that Judas is among this group. I believe he is saying to examine yourself. Are you truly a follower of Jesus? Are you saved?

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to yourself. Examine yourself. Is there sin in your life that is holding you back from committing to Jesus? Is there something that you don’t want to let go of? Remember, you are not a Christian because you sit in a pew on Sunday. You are not a Christian because you went to a Christian school, or grew up in a Christian family. You are not a Christian because you got caught up in a moment on a Sunday and some preacher said, “I see that hand.”

Being a Christian says there is a supernatural work of God in your life. The Holy Spirit has touched your heart, and he resides in you. That is a radical thing. You will make mistakes, because you still live in the world with temptations around you. You live in the tension of this fallen flesh. But there will be fruit in your life. You’ll say, “I’m a work in progress, but I am not the person I used to be. There is a something brand new in my life. The old has gone, the new has come.”

The Bible says there will be people in hell who thought they were Christians in this life. In one of the most sobering verses, Jesus says in Matthew 7:22-23:

Matthew 7:22–23 CSB

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

There are many denominations in the Christian world, but there is only one church that matters, and it is the body of believers that Jesus knows. Are you a part of the body of Christ, the true church?

When I became a Christian, I subscribed to a magazine called Christianity Today. There used to be these things called magazines, you would get them in the mail. One month, it had an article about hell, and it got me thinking.

I loved going to see my pastor. He was my mentor, and I would visit him once a month at church in his office. He was a great pastor and would preach well. I would see my pastor with questions, and I brought this article with me to his office.

I asked him, “If we truly believe that there is this place that exists for all of eternity. It’s a place where people go. There are only two places after death, heaven and hell. We are saying that not some, but most people are going to hell. The road is wide leading to destruction, and many are going down that path. There is a narrow path to life, and only a few find it.

In that place called hell, people exist forever in a conscious, aware, state of what’s happening, forever in a state of anguish. Pastor, why are we not going up to people, shaking them up, and saying, “Listen to me! You are on your way to hell. Run to the cross!”

I went to my pastor and said, “Pastor, how come I’ve never heard you preach about hell?” Now, I didn’t realize that was a stinging thing to say to him. But that Sunday, we got a hell message.

And let’s role play a bit. Suppose you were Satan. You are angry with God. You observe that God creates humans, and he loves them. So, you seek out to destroy what God created. You get them to sin. More people come in the world, and more people are sinning. People are corrupted with sin, and you feel like you’re winning. Now, you know the final end for yourself. God is not hiding it. It’s written written right in the book, that in the end, there is a lake of fire reserved for the devil and his angels, and everyone who is not written in the book of life will go there.

Now, you would want as many people as possible not to be aware of the reality of hell. You might get people to believe it is a fairy tale. Maybe you get them to diminish it’s reality. They would say things like, “The world is going to hell in a hand basket.” Or, “My life is hell.” Or you would love this one, “I don’t think a loving God would send people to hell.” You would want to get as many people as possible to ignore the reality of hell.

The Lord used a picture to describe hell. The word here is Gehenna, a place in the southwest area of Jerusalem. In this valley, the ancient Israelites had rebelled against God so much that they had started sacrificing children to a idol named Molech. So King Josiah in his reforms in 2 Kings 23 turned the place into a dump and set it on fire. This because a perpetual dump, where people would bring the dead carcass of animals, where worms would eat the carcasses. The worms constantly had a food supply because people would keep bring dead things. It was on fire, and it was a fire that never ran out, because there was constant fuel for the fire with the trash.

This is the picture that he uses to describe the future place for people not in Christ. It is described in Rev 20:15 as a “lake of fire.” In Mark 9:43, it is an “unquenchable fire.” In Matt. 8:12 it is a place of “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In 2 Thess. 1:9 it is a place “of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength” In Rev. 14:10-11 it is a place of “torment.” In Matt. 25:46 it is a place of “eternal punishment.”

If you believe in Christ, if you believe in heaven, then hell must exist, too. What are you being saved from? You are saved from eternal punishment, an eternal separation from God in hell.

The Lord says, “Know that you are in me. Examine yourself.” If there is a sin that is holding you back from truly following Jesus, let it go and put your faith in Jesus. Run to the cross.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to yourself.

Last,

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ by loving God and others.

The Lord finishes his statement this way in Mark 9:49-50:

Mark 9:49–50 CSB

49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

Verse 49 is difficult. Commentators have different takes on it, depending on who the everyone is that Jesus is referring to. But the focus is on salt, and verse 49 is a transition statement to verse 50.

Salt is a preservative, something that preserves things. In the full context, we are talking about Christians bearing witness to others and the fruit of your life. What is the testimony of your life?

The Lord has given his church power to preserve his church. He has given his church the Spirit of God. He has given his church his Word, his promises. He has given the church new life in him.

He has given the church the power to live the Christian life, but how is the church using that power? Are they relying on the power of God in their daily life?

How can the church have salt among ourselves? Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God and love others. If we will be a peace with one another, we will do that when we love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength, and when we love others as we love ourselves.

Notice that Christ moves from an individual, battling with sin, to the community, be at peace with one another. Christianity is not a lone ranger religion. We are meant to be among one another.

Technology has thrown our world upside down. We have been grappling with all of this new technology, even in the church. Technology is good if its used correctly.

We have live streaming cameras here. The live stream is good. It has its purpose. Its meant for those who are shut-in, who can’t make it to church, maybe because they are sick. We want to give what we can. If you are curious about Catalyst, and you want to explore what a service would look and sound like, you can watch a live-stream to give you an introduction.

That’s good, and useful, but it’s not church. Watching a live stream online is not church. Watching me online is not going to church. I am part of the church, but I’m not the whole church. Coming to church is coming to be a part of this body of believers. That is a physical thing.

We work out our Christianity among other believers. We grow in Christ among other believers. We live at peace with one another when we spend time together in physical space. Church is the smiles, the hugs, the prayers, the love, the conversations, all the things that happen together in this church family.

Church is a group of broken people, loving God, and loving others together, because of the love of God working in their life.

The world wants to know if Jesus has a real impact on a life. They need Christians who fight against bearing a false witness. They need Christians who bear an accurate testimony of the work of God in their life. They need Christians who follow Jesus, who love God with all their heart, who love their family, who love their church, and who love others.

Church, live out your Christianity and be an accurate testimony of the love of Christ to the world.

Conclusion

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to others.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ to yourself.

Fight against bearing a false witness of Christ by loving God and others.

Conclude

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!