#117 Jesus Warns Against Temptation.

Matthew 18:7 KJV

7 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!

Matthew 18:8 KJV

8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

Matthew 18:9 KJV

9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Principles for being a disciple of Christ.

Intro.

I. Principle 1. 33-37. Treat all men equally. no favoritism. special emphasis on those that need the most help.

Children

Hippies (Jesus Revolution)

Addicts, etc.

The outcast.

II. Principle 2. 38-41

Do not condemn other Christians.

III. 42. 3rd Principle for being a disciple of Christ. Do not be a stumbling block for Others.

Mark 9:42 KJV

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Could be little children.

Those new in the faith.

those that are struggling.

Instead of causing people to sin, help them, encourage them.

Aquila and pricilla are great examples.

Acts 18:24–28 KJV

24 And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26 And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: 28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

IV. 43-48. The 4th Principle of being a Disciple of Christ. Do not be a stumbling block for yourself.

Jesus talked about the consequences of making or helping other people stumble. Now He is talking not making our selves stumble.

We spend most of our lives talking about other people’s sins and how bad they are. But Jesus is now talking about our own personal sins.

Mark 9:43 KJV

43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Metaphor for removing sin from your life.

Do not let anything come between you and God. Deal with it immediately.

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Exposition

“As a surgeon does not hesitate to cut off a gangrenous hand to save a life, so evil and destructive practices, though precious to us as a very part of our lives, must be sacrificed to save the soul [person].”614

Only you know about the sin in your life. Only you know what tempts you.

Mark 9:44 KJV

44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Isaiah 66:22–24 KJV

22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. 23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. 24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

The Gospel of Mark (Further Sayings on Discipleship (9:42–50))

In Isaiah the clause describes the state in which the dead bodies of God’s enemies will be seen, presumably envisaged as decomposing and burning on the battlefield. The combination of fire and worms as the fate of the wicked is echoed in Jdt. 16:17; Ben Sira 7:17

Jesus talks about hell more than anyone else in the New Testament.

God sent prophets to warn His people to repent and turn back to Him or face Judgement.

Jesus is prophet , priest and king. Here is fulling His role as prophet warning the people of impending judgment.

It is much better to avoid the sin before it happens as opposed to dealing with it after happens.

Yes, if you repent and confess your sins, God will forgive you. The penalty for sin has been paid but the earthly consequences still remain.

Mark 9:45 KJV

45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mark 9:46 KJV

46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Mark 9:47 KJV

47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Mark 9:48 KJV

48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

V. 50. The 5th principle of being a disciple of Christ. Trials and testing will help us grow as disciples of Christ.

Mark 9:49 KJV

49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Leviticus 2:13 KJV

13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.

The Gospel of Mark Further Sayings on Discipleship (9:42–50)

These enigmatic words,75 we may reasonably assume from their context, relate to the cost of taking up the cross to follow Jesus.

This verse only appears in Mark.

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Exposition

God will subject everyone to fiery trials. He does this to believers and unbelievers alike during their earthly lives (James 1:1–18). He will also do this to believers’ works when they stand before the judgment seat of Christ (cf. Matt. 25:14–46; 1 Cor. 3:10–15). He will do this to unbelievers when they stand before Him at the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11–15). This seems to me to be the best interpretation. It takes “everyone” literally and is consistent with other revelation.

The Gospel of Mark Further Sayings on Discipleship (9:42–50)

To be ‘salted with fire’ seems then to evoke the imagery of temple sacrifice, but the victims who are ‘salted’ are now the worshippers themselves. Their dedication to the service of their suffering Messiah is like that of a burnt offering, total and irrevocable.

The Gospel of Mark Further Sayings on Discipleship (9:42–50)

In this context it speaks of one who follows Jesus as totally dedicated to God’s service, and warns that such dedication will inevitably be costly in terms of personal suffering.77

VI. 50.l A disciple of Christ must maintain their saltiness.

Mark 9:50 KJV

50 Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Matthew 5:13 KJV

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

If salt lost its flavor would you put it on your food?

The Gospel of Mark Further Sayings on Discipleship (9:42–50)

Among the various uses for salt in the ancient world the most prominent are as a preservative or cleansing agent or as flavouring.78 In either case it symbolises the beneficial (καλόν) influence of the disciple on society, most obviously in Mt. 5:13 with the declaration ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς.79 Salt was a necessity of life: ‘The world cannot endure without salt’ (Sop. 15:8; cf. Ben Sira 39:26).

Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible Exposition

Jesus continued to use salt as a figure for testing. He said that tests from God, like salt on food, are good for us. Salt preserves food, prevents decay, and enhances flavor. The trials that God allows people to experience should have similar beneficial effects on them (cf. James 1:2–4). However, if salt becomes bland, it will not achieve its intended results (cf. Matt. 5:13).

Mark 11. A Warning against Offenses (9:42–50)

Here the allusion is to salt used in domestic life. “Salt is good” in that it is a necessity for life and a preservative. Christians are likewise a source of spiritual life for the world. They restrain evil and thus preserve the moral order. Christians, however, can and sometimes do cease to function as the “salt” of the world, and it is against this that Jesus warned.

The Gospel of Mark Further Sayings on Discipleship (9:42–50)

So disciples who have lost the ‘salting’ (v. 49) that makes them καλόν are no longer effective. The threat of being ‘thrown out’ which follows this saying in Matthew and Luke is absent in Mark, but the thought may nevertheless be inferred from the threat of γέεννα and unquenchable fire in vv. 43–48

Application.

Do not be a stumbling block to others.

Do not be a stumbling block to yourself.

Trials and testing help us grow as disciples.

We have to make an impact in this world or be cast into the dung heap.

Are you willing to pay the cost of being a disciple of Christ?

Tonight we will continue looking at the cost of discipleship. We will look at Luke 14:25-35.