Cut Off Sin Or Suffer Hell
Notes
Transcript
INTRODUCTION
We come now to the last section in Mark chapter 9
Please take your Bible and turn to Mark 9:42-50
As we look at this last section, we are going to hear language that some would consider “severe, extreme, and forceful” (MacArthur)
Some would even say it’s “radical” (MacArthur)
But this keeps with the nature of our Lord’s repeated calls to discipleship
He has already charged people:
to repent (Matt.4:17)
to deny themselves (Matt.16:24)—even to the point of suffering or dying for His sake (Matt.10:38)
to be willing to forsake all family ties (Luke 14:26-27)
to hate their own lives (Luke 14:26) in the sense of being willing to lose them (John 12:25)
to forsake everything (Luke 5:11, 27-28)
to unconditionally follow Him (John 12:26)
All of this is radical
But some will say the text before us this morning is even more radical than all the others
There are three words that I want you to think about as we look at this text this morning:
Stumble (v.42; cf. vv.43, 45, 47)
Cut (vv.43-48)
Salt (vv.49-50)
These three things Jesus talks about in this last section
Listen as I read Mark 9:42-50
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.
43 “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,
44 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
45 “If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell,
46 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
47 “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast 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 becomes unsalty, with what will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
This is one of the most sobering passages in all of Scripture
Notice how Jesus speaks here — there is no softening of His words, no attempt to make His teaching more acceptable
Instead, He uses vivid imagery: millstones, cutting off limbs, gouging out eyes, unquenchable fire, and salt
These are not the words of exaggeration, but of warning
Our Lord wants His disciples to grasp the eternal seriousness of sin
The great danger for us is that we often treat sin far too lightly
We excuse it, rationalize it, or delay dealing with it
But Jesus says sin is so destructive that it would be better to lose your hand, your foot, or even your eye than to let sin master you and drag you to hell
In other words, nothing is worth keeping if it keeps you from Christ
And so in this passage, Jesus presses home three lessons using three pictures: the danger of stumbling, the necessity of amputation, and the preserving influence of salt
Each of these calls us to a radical response to sin and a radical devotion to Him
So Jesus begins with our first word…
Stumble (v.42)
The word “stumble” occurs once in verse 42, 43, 45, 47
In the first part of verse 42, we hear four things:
We hear the offender, the offended, the offense, and the punishment
First…
The Offender (v.42a)
is anyone who causes “one of these little ones who believe to stumble”
If you ever become the offender hear this
You’re inviting judgment worse than death
Proverbs 6:19 says God hates “a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.”
These are people who “cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned” (Rom.16:17)
They are not “slaves” of “our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.18)
They are slaves to “their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting” (v.18)
If this happens to you, you are to “turn away from them” (v.17)
So beware if you are the offender to one of these little ones who believe in Jesus
This is “vivid” language
R.C. Sproul says, "Jesus uses vivid imagery to underscore spiritual harm" (St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary on Mark)
This is a warning to those who persecute you and speak evil of you
John Calvin said, "Christ denounces punishment against any who give offense" (Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists)
In other words, Christ strongly condemns anyone who leads others into sin, especially believers (“little ones”), and declares that God’s punishment for such an offense will be severe
Notice next…
The Offended (v.42b)
are the “ones who believe”
Matthew says they are those “who believe in Me” (Mat.18:6)
The word “believe” (pistuo) means to “trust”
This present, active, participle means they continue to trust
They continue to believe
Their belief is ongoing and active at all times
The phrase “little ones” is a family term to describe believers
We are God’s “little ones”—His children
And if you mess with His little ones, severe judgment awaits you
Scripture uses other family terms to describe believers, we are called:
children of God (Jn.1:12)
sons of God (Rom.8:14)
heirs of God (Rom.8:17)
brethren (Heb.2:11)
beloved (Rom.1:7)
Now we get to the heart of verse 42. Notice now…
The Offense (v.42c)
That’s found in one word: “stumble”
The offender “causes” these “little ones” “to stumble”
The verb “stumble” (skandalizo) means, “to entrap, ensnare”
The word is commonly used to mean “to cause to sin, lead into sin,” either by bad example or direct seduction
It denotes the causing of a moral fall resulting in serious damage (Hiebert)
skandalizo is also used in the active sense which conveys the idea to cause to do wrong, to entice to commit sin
It means to be led into sin, to be caused to do wrong
It means to be offended (Mt 11:6), the idea being that one is taking offense at Jesus and/or refusing to believe in Him
It can also mean to furnish an occasion for some to be shocked, angered, or offended (Mt 17:27)
Skandalizo is derived from skandalon which refers to “a stick in a trap on which the bait is placed and which springs up and shuts the trap at the touch of the careless, unwary animal”
It follows that the idea is to put a stumbling block or impediment in one's way, upon which another may trip and fall
John MacArthur says, “to cause such a one to stumble is to lead them into sin or apostasy” (MNTC, Mark)
Romans 14:13, “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.”
1 Corinthians 8 (Don’t offend the weaker brother)
Even teachers are given this warning in James 3:1–2, “1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. 2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.”
Luke 17:1-2 notes offenses damnable for the one through whom they come
Mark echoes this in verse 42…
The Punishment (v.42d)
“It would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea”
Picture a massive stone dragging one under waves of the sea, like irreversible regret
This emphasizes severity over physical death
R.C. Sproul said, "The millstone illustrates a fate worse than death—eternal condemnation.”
John Calvin said, “If you value your life, take care not to ruin God's sons.”
Israel was given a charge in Exodus 23:33 to not ensnare others in sin, implying judgment
The nations (Canaanites, Amorites, etc.) were not to live among Israel
The danger was not military but spiritual corruption: if left, these nations would tempt Israel into idolatry
The phrase “it is certain to be a snare” highlights the inevitability of compromise when God’s people cohabit with pagan worshipers
It is better to be drowned with a “heavy millstone” than to face God’s eternal wrath
The literal reading from the Greek is it “is better for him if a millstone turned by a donkey is hung”
A millstone (mylos onikos) was both extremely hard and exceedingly heavy weighing up to 3300 pounds
This large flat stone was turned by a donkey in the process of grinding grain
This was the top stone of two large grinding stones
It had a hole in the middle for the grain to pass through, and was drawn by a donkey (Gilbrant)
In the book of Job, God mentions the millstone in His description of a beast called Leviathan
This animal was so strong that God compared its impenetrable skin to a millstone: “Its chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone” (Job 41:24)
A millstone was also used an instrument of death in Judges 9:53
A woman killed Gideon’s son Abimelech by dropping an upper millstone (the runner stone) from a tower
The stone landed on his head and crushed his skull (Judges 9:53; 2 Samuel 11:21)
The millstone was in fact so integral a part of society that the Mosaic Law forbade taking someone’s millstone in pledge (Deuteronomy 24:6). The millstone was needed to grind grain to make bread and sustain life, so taking someone’s millstone would be like taking his or her life in pledge. (Got Questions)
To offend willfully even the most obscure, insignificant, or weak believer is a matter of most serious consequence
Physical death of the most repulsive sort would be preferable to causing one of Jesus' disciples to stumble
Jesus said if you cause another believer to sin, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and he had been cast into the sea”
It would have been better to be drowned to death…suffocated to death!
This statement “must have shocked His hearers." (MacArthur)
If that didn’t, what He says next does…
That takes us to our second word…
Amputation (vv.43-48)
This also appears in Matthew 18:8-14 and Matthew 5:29-30
If the previous warning dealt with the dread consequences of ensnaring others, this passage deals with the even more horrible consequences of ensnaring one's self!
The previous passage warned of a horrible death in time, but the present warns of a indescribable death in eternity “where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (vv.44, 46, 48)
There are three areas where amputation is needed: the hand (v.43), the foot (v.45) and the eye (v.47)
Before I say this is figurative and not literal language, let me ask you, “Is there any other passage in Scripture that requires the physical amputation of your body part in order to avoid hell?” The answer is No!
So if this is figurative language then what does this represent? Spiritual amputation
The word “cut” (apokopto) means “to amputate, mutilate” (NSDHGW), “to castrate oneself” (CGEDNT)
This is not physical amputation, it’s spiritual amputation
The reason for it is represented in the hands, feet, and eyes
The causes are internal temptation symbolized by the hand, foot, and eye
James addresses this by speaking about it as the source of temptation. It’s not external but internal (James 1:13-18)
The hands symbolizes “actions” or deeds that lead to sin like theft, violence, or greed (The actions are listed in Colossians 3:5)
The feet represents “direction” in where and with whom one walks (Ps.1; Ps.119:105; Gal.5:16)
The eye represents internal “desires” (Job 31:1; James 1:14; 1 John 2:15-17)
The idea of cutting it off represents a radical response to “sin”
These three internal temptations entrap you (skandalizo)
We just heard what happens to those who cause believers to fall into sin
And now we hear about the radical cutting off of sin in your own life to avoid hell
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke I. Demanding Requirements of Discipleship (9:43–50)
The main point of vv. 43–50 is that it is so important to enter into life—i.e., eternal life, eschatological life—
This is a call for ruthless elimination
We must eliminate anything in our life that causes sin
So we have to “deal violently with sin”
We must “mortify the lusts of the flesh” (Calvin) (Col.3:5)
We must “flee from” it
Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:22, “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
The actions of all three members are warned
Listen to the warning in verses 44, 46, and 48
Verses 44 and 46 do not appear in the early mss
But they are identical to verse 48
Most likely they were added by a scribe for emphasis, to bring attention to the radical nature of such a command
You must cut off sin if you want to avoid hell
It’s radical but it’s also insightful
The only ones who can cut off sin are believers
Unbelievers are slaves of sin
Listen to Romans 6:6–7, “6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.”
He continues in Romans 6:12–14, “12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
He says it again in Romans 6:17–18, “17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”
You couldn’t do any of this an an unbeliever
Even the past tense is used in Ephesians 2:1–3, “1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”
When describing the Corinthians, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, “9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
What’s the warning Jesus gives for not cutting off sin? Hell
Hell is mentioned in verse 44, 46, and 48
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke I. Demanding Requirements of Discipleship (9:43–50)
The word translated “hell” is gehenna, a Greek form of the Hebrew words gê hinnōm (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of the city of Jerusalem, which was used in OT times for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf.
John Chrysostom said, The “pains of hell” are not the greatest part of hell. The “loss of heaven” is the weightiest woe of hell.
Vance Havner said, “When I pastored a country church, a farmer didn’t like the sermons I preached on hell. He said, “Preach about the meek and lowly Jesus.” I said, “That’s where I got my information about hell.”
The national anthem of hell is, “I Did It My Way.” (Peter Kreeft)
Salt (vv.49-50)
“49 “For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 “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.””
Salt and fire are connected to the Old Testament Sacrifices
“Fire tests all” (MacArthur) because “it purfies” (Sproul)
It’s mentioned in the burnt offering in Ezra 6:9
Salt, which is a preservative, was added to the sacrifices when they were burned as a symbol of God’s enduring covenant
The offering in view here is the grain offering
God commanded the people of Israel in Leviticus 2:13, “‘Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season 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 salt.”
There were 5 Old Testament offerings that was an offering of consecration: burnt, peace, sin, guilt, and grain
This symbolized total devotion to the Lord
As salt symbolized God’s enduring faithfulness, believers are to make a long-term, enduring, permanent sacrifice of their lives to God
Romans 12:1, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Salt is good
Since there was no refrigeration, salt was used as a preservative for food
But if salt was gathered from the Dead Sea, it was contaminated with gypsum
If it wasn’t properly processed, it would lose its effectiveness as a preservative and become “unsalty” and tastless (Lk.14:34)
It could not be made salty again
Luke 14:35, “It is useless either for the soil or for the manure pile; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””
Have salt in yourselves
This is a call to radical obedience
It’s a call to a holy life preserved by righteousness
Jesus ends with where it all began
Be at peace with one another
This was a fitting challenge to those “proud, self-serving, hypercompetitive men who were constantly bickering over which of them was the greatest” (MacArthur)
When we live this way, we are a witness to the world
Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”
John Calvin said, “Christians must retain virtue to promote peace.”
CONCLUSION
Guard against offending
Amputate sin
Purify as salt
Christ enables this through the cross
Romans 6:6, “knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.”
Repent and apply this to your life today
Gospel
Let’s pray
