Mark 9:30-50 "Lessons From the Road"

Good Morning Calvary Chapel Lake City!

I hope many of you will join us tonight for Christmas caroling.

Come out and witness special moments of parents with their kids… hearing songs about Jesus… planting seeds in their hearts… of the meaning of the season. Very much this is an outreach event.

And, then join us for food and fellowship.

Starting in February, the Elders and I would like to add two additional opportunities for fellowship and outreach.

For Men, we plan to re-launch a monthly Saturday morning breakfast with various men rotating to share their testimony or a message from the word.

And, For All… we plan to begin partnering with other ministries in the community… or doing a community project… or both.

More to come on both of these… and please pray about serving on these teams.

Well… let’s now open the word… God’s outreach to our hearts. Today, we are in Mark 9. Mark 9:30-50.

We left off where Jesus had come down… off the Mount of Transfiguration…

A glorious mountaintop experience… which would contrast a valley low.

As Jesus found the disciples in the heat of an argument with Jewish scribes…

… a desperate Father spoke up explaining the disciples had failed to exorcise a demon from his ONLY SON…

Which opened a door for Jesus to show mercy to the Father, to teach the disciples, to witness to the multitudes, and to silence the scribes.

It was an account about faith and doubt… summed up in the Father’s very real and raw profession, “Lord I believe; help my unbelief!”

After Jesus cast out the demon, He and the disciples went into a house privately, where they inquired about their failure…

And, Jesus explained it was because of their unbelief… plus this was an especially difficult kind of demon that required one to be dedicated to prayer and fasting…

Pressing into the spiritual, not arguing in the flesh.

We pick up today, where Jesus and the disciples travel through Galilee and will land in Capernaum…

On the road the disciples argue about who would be the greatest…

Lot’s of arguing with these guys…

But, this sets the stage for another teaching moment… where Jesus talks to them about true greatness and some other topics as well…

Thus, our message title for today is “Lessons From the Road.”

Let’s Pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage today.

Mark 9:30-50 “Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” 32 But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. 35 And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.” 36 Then He took a little child and set him in the midst of them. And when He had taken him in His arms, He said to them, 37 “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

38 Now John answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side. 41 For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.

42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—44 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched—46 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire—48 where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Praise God for His word! Please be seated.

We start today in V30 where “they” (Jesus and the Twelve) departed from “there and passed through Galilee”…

In V28, they had entered “the house”…

“The house” typically refers to Peter’s house in Capernaum, but our group could easily have been in a house in Caesarea Philippi as well.

Difficult to say.

But, for certain… they passed through the region of the Galilee… and arrived in Capernaum in V33… on the Sea of Galilee.

V30, also mentions Jesus “did not want anyone to know it.”

Jesus’ public ministry was winding down in this third year… and His attention was upon discipling the disciples.

There is a time and a season to look out… and a time to look in. Jesus right now was looking in… focusing on His own.

And, He had another hard lesson for them… a prophetic teaching…

We see in V31 Jesus “taught His disciple”… so I imagine He sat down for this lesson.

It was customary for a Rabbi to stand to preach, and sit to teach… and He is teaching them now.

Luke records Jesus began this teaching with the word recorded in Luke 9:44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.”

I love how Jesus add emphasis… “Let these words sink down into your ears...”

They needed this, because despite Jesus sharing this same prophetic prediction now many times over… they still didn’t get it…

Luke would add “they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying.”

In just one of the previous scenes… in Mark 8… Jesus spoke about His upcoming suffering… rejection… death… and resurrection…

But, notice the new piece of information in V31… His betrayal…

This new information about Jesus being betrayed was not something they had heard before… no wonder they didn’t understand.

This was a lot to take in. Who would betray Jesus?

Betrayal suggests that one close to you would turn against you.

One you thought a friend… is now an enemy… somehow they’ve be seduced to betray you.

And, look at the tensing about this betrayal…

Mark wrote, “…the Son is being betrayed [futuristic present] into the hands of men...”

Futuristic present… meaning although the betrayal is yet future… it’s also presently happening.

The wheels were in motion… presently in Mark 9 the betrayal was already a seedling in the heart… a thought in the mind…

Jesus had a brother walking with Him… smiling in his face… but seed of corruption was in his heart…

And, by whom? Who would betray Jesus?

Of course… Judas Iscariot… who is the well documented betrayer.

As early as Mark 3, when listing the names of the twelve… Mark 3:19 records “… and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him...”

In Mark 14… Mary honors Jesus and anoints His feet with the expensive oil of spikenard…

The parallel account in John…

John 12:4-6, reads “But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.”

Judas, again named the betrayer… corrupted by the love of money…

In the next scene we read in Mark 14:10 “Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Him to them.”

Then the Last Supper… Jesus again announced He would be betrayed… and Judas was so good at covering his intentions… that the other disciples wondered individually if they were the betrayer.

Manipulators and betrayers are not good company to keep. They will mess with your mind. Purge them from your life.

Jesus identified Judas as the betrayer by handing him a piece of bread… and Satan entered Judas.

Certainly, in his free will and corrupted heart, Judas chose to walk this road of betrayal, but also divine prophecy was being fulfilled…

The Messiah’s betrayal for thirty pieces of silver was foretold in Zech 11:12-13…

And, in Ps 41:9… it is written… “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up His heel against me."

God sovereign will is always unfolding. And, God would use this betrayal for the good of the world.

In the following scene at the Mount of Olives… Jesus said to the Eleven… “See, My betrayer is at hand.”

And, Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.

And, so often a betrayer will approach with an act of kindness… discern well friends.

Clearly… Judas Iscariot is the one to betray… and clearly going back to Mark 9:31 Jesus said, “The Son of Man is being betrayed...”

Amazing to think that there was already a stirring of betrayal happening in the heart of Judas.

And, that’s so like people who betray…

They are dishonest and wicked… they linger close to the Lord… they pretend like they are a disciple… but they intend to betray at the opportune moment… Just like Judas.

If your heart is being swayed by something in the world right now… money… power… lust… whatever it might be…

Know this… Judas betrayed the Lord for thirty pieces of silver and it wrecked him.

It didn’t satisfy… the guilt and remorse ate him up… he threw the money back into the temple… fulfilling the prophesy of Zech 11… and hung himself.

There was NO JOY… no satisfaction in the attainment of his worldly desire.

Turn from that pursuit friend.

One last observation about V31… the word “betrayed” in Gk paradidōmi by def. means “to hand over, or to deliver over...”

I asked, “Who betrayed Jesus?” Who delivered Jesus over?

Of course in one sense it was Judas Iscariot… but in His sovereign plan to redeem sinful mankind back to Him…

We read that it was NOT Judas who delivered Jesus, we read that it was God who delivered over Jesus…

Rom 8:32 declares, God “… did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all”

Peter declared in Acts 2:23 Jesus was “… delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God...”

Why? For our redemption according to Romans 4:25 which states Jesus was “… delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

Isa 53:6 declares, “… the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

Even as early as Origen “betrayed” was interpreted to mean “delivered up by God.”

So, was it Judas that betrayed or was it God who delivered over Jesus?

Well. Both. Judas betrayed our Lord, but behind the scenes… Judas played a part in a bigger prophetic and sovereign plan of God…

That in His love for you and I… He made a way back to Him…

As mentioned earlier, the word “betrayed” in Gk is paradidōmi…

It’s a compound word…

para meaning “from or beside”…

and didōmi meaning “to give.”

There’s a famous verse that also uses that same Gk word didōmi “to give”…

Jn 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave [didōmi] His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Who gave Jesus over? It was God and He did it because He loves you and wants to be with you eternally.

Remember that… because as we go on… we are going to read about what happens when one rejects God.

God made a way… a preferential choice… He gave His Son… He delivered Him over…

You just need to accept the free gift of God… salvation through faith in Christ Jesus… and you will not perish but will have everlasting life.

Continuing in Mark… V33… now in Capernaum… “in the house”... Peter’s house no doubt.

Jesus’ public ministry had ended, so they will not tarry here long, but they’re here at this time…

And Jesus wants to press into why the disciples were arguing… Jesus asks, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?”

Some Bible translations substitute the word “discussing” instead of “disputing”, but there was indeed a hot discussion… an argument… a dispute…

V34 records why they were arguing, “… on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.”

So, along the road… the disciples enter into this weird discussion…

“When Jesus establishes His kingdom, I know I’m going to sit at the right hand because I walked on water and I was on the Mount of Transfiguration...”

“No, I’m going to be the greatest because ‘you’re ugly, and Jesus likes me best.”

I’m mean really… what was this discussion?

Let me ask you… Have any of you ever had an argument with other believers about who would be the greatest? You or them?

Show of hands… don’t be shy… nothing to be embarrassed about…

For the record… NO hands are raised.

It should be noted that selfish ambition is not just a curse of the world, but also a plague of the church…

Paul knew about this… Four times in his epistles... he warned against selfish ambition…

In Phil 2:3 Paul exhorted, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

Paul himself was a victim to others who even served the Lord with wrong motives…

In Phil 1:15-17 Paul wrote of this offense, “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: 16 The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; 17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.”

In Paul’s day, some engaged in Christian service with wrong heart motives…

And in every generation since… there are those who want to advance themselves… or their church or denomination… or religious sect… it’s called “sectarianism” and it’s divisive.

This self seeking attitude creeps into the hearts of people and it corrupts.

When a person desires position… or power… and that becomes more important than other people… an infection infiltrates their heart and becomes like a cancer that spreads.

If they obtain the position they desire, they often become an abusive leader.

And, if they don’t obtain the position, so often they stir up trouble… gossiping and slandering the work of God…

But, either way… the Lord knows how to deal with these people…

He removes branches that do not bear fruit in Jesus.

And, while the Disciples are showing glimmers of this selfish heart issue in our passage today… what they needed was NOT to be cut off… but to be discipled…

But, here in V33… selfish ambition is on display as they bicker about who will be the greatest…

Back to this dispute… after Jesus asks them in V33 ‘what they disputed about’…

I love their response in V34 “But they kept silent...”

Their response is NO RESPONSE.

They were ashamed… and right they should have been because Jesus had just poured out His heart sharing about His betrayal, death and resurrection…

And, they want to vie for position in the Kingdom…

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” Jer 17:9

And, now… with that… school is about to begin for the Disciples… in V35 Jesus will sit down… the posture of a teacher…

He will call the Twelve to Himself… and Jesus will teach them Seven Lessons… starting with True Kingdom Greatness… He begins in V35 saying, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Lesson 1: To be great in the kingdom of God, one must lose selfish-ambition… greatness in the kingdom is not about status, but about service.

If you want to be first… first Gk prōtos meaning “foremost”… the first in importance… the chief or principal person…

To be first, you must be a servant of all… servant Gk diakŏnŏs- the same word that at least 16x in Paul’s epistles is translated as “minister.”

A very important lesson for these Twelve Apostles… who certainly were called into ministry…

… a very important lesson for any of you who feel called into ministry…

… and generally speaking a good principle for all of us.

When Jesus taught parables, often He ended a lesson stating, “…the last will be first, and the first last…”

God sees and raises up the humble heart, but will humble the proud.

The disciples were being humbled in this moment.

A lesson Jesus would soon repeat… when He demonstrated “servant leadership” as Jesus humbled Himself and washed the disciples feet.

There was no one greater then Jesus in the Kingdom of God, and yet… the first voluntarily became last to serve us all.

In VSS 36-37, Jesus now takes a child in His arms with the disciples gathered around… and says, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me, receives not Me but Him who sent Me.”

As an object lesson, Jesus now takes a child to demonstrate another facet of true kingdom greatness.

In this patriarchal society, children were not regarded as they are now. The family was built around the patriarch… not the child.

Children had little rights… they were often seen, but not heard.

In the previous lesson, Jesus taught to be last… now He takes the last and tells the disciples not only to be last, but to receive (to welcome, to accept) the last.

Lesson Two: True greatness in the kingdom of God is kindness in Jesus’ name… even to the least esteemed people.

Notice, this is not just kindness for kindness sake.

Jesus says in V36, “Whoever receives one of these little children in My name receives Me…”

An act of kindness to receive those who are least esteemed without mentioning the name of Jesus falls short of True Kingdom greatness.

Just like in the Beatitudes, when in Matt 5:11-12, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven...”

Sometimes Christians get persecuted not for the name of Jesus, but because they have some weird idea that is not God’s idea.

Blessed are you when you act in the name of Jesus… when you receive the least of these in the name of Jesus…

In V38, John speaks up… a rare occurence where John is in the limelight… typically it’s Peter…

John speaks up… I guess about what he perceives is another act of kingdom greatness, but he will be corrected.

John says, “Teacher, we saw someone who does not follow us casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow us.”

Given the context of this lesson, I wonder if John thinks forbidding the man was a good act… a service to the Lord.

What did the disciples say to this guy? “Hey, you can’t cast out demons in Jesus’ name… you’re not part of our denomination!”

Here’s another example today about sectarianism.

“If you want to do good works in Jesus’ name, you have to be part of our group!”

“We’re the Church of… WE FOLLOWED JESUS FIRST!” So, there…

Chuck Smith is credited saying, “I have found that the more spiritual a person becomes, the less denominational he is.”

I thought I heard Chuck give credit to G. Campbell Morgan for that saying, but whoever said it… it’s true.

I don’t think there will be sections for various denominations in heaven.

The man who was casting out demons was a Godly man… he was doing a good work… why forbid him?

Why stop him from removing a demonic presence from the lives of people just because he’s not in your group?

Were the disciples still a little bitter that this man was succeed in casting out demons… when they had just failed in V18?

Today… people get all worked up about the service or the style of other Christians…

When they have a different system for church government…

Or a different eschatology…

Or their view on spiritual gifts…

Or their worship style… their teaching style… their ministries… how they conduct their ministries… the list goes on…

Let them alone… if they’re not teaching heresy… and the only issue is a difference in style… let them alone.

Regarding the man casting out demons in Jesus’ name… Jesus responded to John in VSS 39-40 “Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. 40 For he who is not against us is on our side.”

Lesson Three: Christian Unity is found in Jesus Christ.

A person who has an authentic encounter with Jesus…

A person the Holy Spirit uses to perform a miracle through…

This encounter will have such a tremendous impact on their life…

That they are not likely to soon speak evil about Jesus…

Their life will become a living epistle… written by the Spirit of the living God… their heart will forever be changed.

They will not be against Jesus… even if they form their own denomination.

We should rejoice when a person or a family chooses to follow Jesus… even if they are part of a different church family.

Notice the context… the focal point is NOT Christian salvation… the focal point is Christian service.

And, people get so worked up about this… they think their way is best.

I obviously love Calvary Chapel… and it’s because I’ve never related to God and His word… and experienced His presence more than I have here than anywhere else.

And, that’s just me… and many of you…

We’re not a denomination, but a fellowship of churches that have a particular laid back style… and share common distinctives…

Which are the best way we know how to interpret the Bible and apply the scriptures to our lives…

There are several CORE BELIEFS that all true churches share…

A belief in one God in Three persons…

Jesus is the incarnate God who lived a perfect, sinless life… and died to pay the penalty for our sins… and then He rose again three days later.

Salvation comes by grace through faith alone in Christ Jesus.

And, God gave us His inerrant word which we know as the Bible.

True Christians will agree on these… but beyond these core beliefs… the rest are preferences.

Writing on Christian freedoms, in Rom 14:4, Paul wrote, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls.”

If the issue is preferences… or freedoms that we have in style… it’s not our place to forbid others…

Jesus did not stop the man casting out demons in HIS name… he was on Jesus’ side.

In V41, Jesus uses this continues the Lesson… taking the principle of unity a step further… and will again teach on kindness in the name of Jesus…

“For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name [He said it again], because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Lesson Four: It’s appropriate to be kind to other Christians.

It’s a pretty simple thing… at least in our country… to give someone else a cup of water…

But, that’s not all that’s happening here… THIS KIND PERSON gives a cup of water IN JESUS’ NAME for HIS glory… to YOU… BECAUSE you are a Christian.

They honor the name of Jesus… and the unity you share…

And note: there is a reward that will not be taken away… no doubt a Bema Seat reward…

For God see’s the heart and the intents… the motives of all people…

And, He rewards when our Christian acts of service are done for His name’s sake… for His glory.

Now… moving into VSS 42-48… Jesus will teach the disciples… in the form of a warning… about how important eternal life is…

The first warning in V42 is a great segue between the previous lesson and this one…

Perhaps still using a child as an object lesson…

But, more likely speaking about children of God in general… “little ones who believe in me”… meaning followers of Jesus…

V42 reads, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.”

I don’t think Jesus is playing around here… that’s a pretty stern warning.

Lesson Five: Do not stumble Christians… there will be a price to pay.

Matt 18:7 adds, “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”

Understand… that this kind of stumbling is far greater than wounding the weak conscience of another believer by exercising one’s liberties… as Paul warned against in 1 Cor 8 and Rom 14…

Where Paul spoke about food and to “not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”

Paul even said that sinning against other Christians by wounding their weak conscience is a sin against Christ.

That’s sin… that’s missing the mark.

And, that’s bad, but that not Jesus’ warning here.

When Jesus talks about causing a believer to stumbling… he uses the Gk word skandalizō… where we get our word “scandalous.”

It means “to put a snare”… or “to fall away.”

This is an offense so egregious… that it causes a believer to fall away from the Lord.

And, that’s why Jesus sound like he is a bit gangster… threatening future judgment…

Judgment even worse then having a large millstone… one so big that donkeys had to turn it, to grind grain…

Imagine that several hundred pound stone tied around your neck and the force pulling you down into the depths of the sea where you would drowned to death.

Jesus is saying that’s a better fate then what He has in store for the person who causes a believer to fall away from Him.

I think about many industries that cater to sin…

Those involved in sinful industries (porn, alcohol, drugs)… industries that enslave people… they lay a snare before believers…

It would be better for the industry leaders and workers to turn from this… to repent… the wealth they make in their industry is not worth the… worse than a millstone death judgement they will face.

Those who are steering Christians into the philosophy of the world… and away from the truth of God… they need to turn.

Judgment is coming.

Those who are taking advantage of others… abusing children… abusing women… financially manipulators…

They deviously get their claws into other people… and when they cause a person to blame God and distance themselves from Him…

God has a special kind of terrible judgment reserved for them.

Which leads to the next lesson speaking about Hell…

… and just how terrible of a place it is. Whatever sacrifice must be made in this lifetime… whatever discipline employed… it’s worth it to avoid that place of eternal torment.

Lesson Six: Avoid hell at all cost.

This is an appropriate lesson given that Jesus just warned that a fate worse than a millstone tied around ones neck and being tossed in the sea would be the fate of those who would stumble God’s children.

Now He gives a glimpse of that terrible judgment.

In Matthew 5, Jesus used similar imagery of plucking out ones eye or cutting off the hand to avoid falling into sin… falling away from God… and going to hell.

And, in both lessons… Jesus is not speaking literally… but extremely…

It’s a lesson of extremes… better to lose the things you value most in life… your eye… your foot… your hand…

Then to enter into hell whole.

Besides, it doesn’t work to physically remove body parts to eliminate lustful or sinful thoughts…

Sin is not an issue of the eye… it’s an issue of the heart.

And, what a person needs is heart surgery. The great physician needs to remove the stony heart and give them a heart of flesh.

Much of this teaching ties right back to to the same concept Jesus taught at the end of Mark 8… when He taught on discipleship…

“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Discipleship is a dying to live… putting to death the old man… with is denying oneself… and taking up the cross.

This is cutting off the flesh…

Following Jesus and putting to death the flesh life… grants eternal life… and that disciple will not know hell.

They will know life… and take note in V43 when Jesus says “It is better for you to enter into life maimed”....

He’s talking about eternal life.

He repeats the saying in V45… “It is better for you to enter life lame”… again eternal life.

In V47, He doesn’t say “life”… He says “It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye… ”

Because “life” and the “kingdom of God” are synonymous.

In God’s economy, Life is eternal and Death is eternal…

Life is heaven… Death is hell. Because the eternal spiritual state of mankind is foremost… our physical state… this physical life is but a vapor… it’s but a drop in an ocean of eternity.

And, so three times He speaks about life… eternal life… and three times He warns about hell… eternal death…

First, note that “hell” in these verses is not “hades.” It’s the Gk word ‘Gehenna’ (gĕĕnna)…

It’s a word that has a Hebrew origin which translates as the Valley of Hinnom.

Which carries symbolism of hell, but is also an actual valley along the southwestern side of Jerusalem.

It looks back to wicked king Ahaz who in 2 Chron 28 was recording ‘burning incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burning his children in the fire’…

Wicked king Manasseh did the same in 2 Chr 33.

Human sacrifice of babies was part of Molech worship.

Jeremiah… in Jer 7… was instructed by the LORD to take up a lamentation for the wicked generation of Judah who also built high places in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom… also known as “Tophet” or the “Valley of Slaughter”… for they also burned their sons and daughters in the fire…

There’s a lot of articles that this site WAS NOT a trash dump where fires were burned perpetually… as it often taught.

But, in 2 Kings 23, good king Josiah defiled the Valley of Hinnom and many others in his reforms of the land.

And, for sure this was a wicked place… which Jesus chose to look back to in His use of the word “Hell” in VSS 43, 45 and 47.

And, when Jesus describes hell, 3x He also repeats the phrase, “… where Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.’

There is a teaching called annihilationism which “is the belief that unbelievers will not experience an eternity of suffering in hell, but will instead be “extinguished” after death.” (GotQuestions.org)

But, the Bible doesn’t know this. You really have to torture the text to try to make this work.

Hell is eternal… “the worm does not die”… enemies of God in scripture are sometime stricken with worms that eat them from the inside out…

And, the worms in hell DO not die.

And, the fire is not quenched.

The Book of Revelation titles eternal hell the “Lake of Fire”…

It’s called the “second death” in Rev 21:8 … because if you’re not born again spiritually… there is a physical and then a spiritual death.

“Born twice, die once… Born once, die twice.” You’ve heard that before.

In Rev 20:10 the devil is cast into the Lake of Fire (that’s his end… he loses)… and the verse reads that he and his unholy trinity “will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

They are not extinguished.

And, the following verses in Rev 20 describe the Great White Throne judgment…

Where books were opened to judge the dead according to their works…

Rev 20:15 reads, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Rev 13:8 calls it the “Book of Life of the Lamb”…

Because Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world… and by placing your faith in Him…

Your name is inscribed in His Book of Life…

And, you won’t know hell. Because you’ll be staring Jesus face to face hearing “well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your lord.”

The choice is yours… and look if you don’t like all this talk about hell… you’d like it even less if God never warned you and you found yourself there.

He’s honest about eternity… and He made a way for you to find yourself on the right side of eternity.

Through faith in His Son.

Wrapping up… Jesus lays out one final lesson…

Lesson Seven: Be Salty and Have Peace.

VSS 49-50  “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

What an enigma! There are about 15 interpretations to these verses, so if you don’t like what I suggest… go find your own interpretation…

Given the context of discipleship… sacrifice…

Being “seasoned with fire” likely refers to being “tested with fire.” (which is how the NLT translates that verse).

This is an expectation for disciples. The fire of testing to burn out dross…

Or the fires of tribulation and suffering from persecution in the world… which Jesus promised.

Not a fun lesson for the disciples, but it was what lie ahead.

And Salt… was essential for life… no refrigeration in those days… salt preserved.

And, Jesus says “salt is good” and “have salt in yourselves”…

Earlier He said in Matt 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth.”

Your Christian life acts as a preservative to this earth, just as salt preserves meat.

And, your life as a Christian is one of turning from the world… which is sacrifice…

Jesus said, “every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.”

Which was the case with OT sacrifices… Lev 2:13 states, “With all your offerings you shall offer salt.”

And the NT equation is your life… Paul wrote in Rom 12:1, “… present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service...”

Worship team come…

When a Christian lives like this… they’ve been through the fire of testing…

And they are a living sacrifice… the salt of the earth…

In their humility and service, they are not going to be wondering about who is the greatest in the kingdom… as the disciples did…

The end result will be Jesus’ closing words “and have peace with one another.”

No more bickering and pride about who is the greatest guys… have peace with one another.

Let’s Pray!

I imagine the disciples walked away from these lessons with some fresh perspective.

And, I hope that was true in your lives as well today.

If you need prayer for anything… especially to accept Jesus as Lord… come pray with me today.

God bless your week ahead!