The Sin of Indifference
Notes
Transcript
Intro; Often as christians and even non-christians we like to rank sin from worst to least. Even though the scriptures do not mention a ranking of sin. But if we were to rank sin just for the sake of argument, what would your list look like?
Unbelief/rejecting the Holy Spirit
Cursing the name of God
Homosexuality
Murder [including abortion]
Child molestation
Coveting
God looks at all sin as rebellion against His righteousness. That is why Jesus died for all sin.
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
But it is something to note that even though God doesn’t rank sin like we often do, the Lord does put different degrees on the punishment of sin. And the one sin that is going to be judged as worst of all is the “Sin of Indifference.”
Text; Mt. 11:20-24
20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
1. More Tolerable; 22, 24
1. More Tolerable; 22, 24
Jesus begins a rebuke of the cities in which He has done most of his preaching, healing and miracles in because of their failure to repent. And in doing so He uses the phrase “more tolerable” two times.
Tolerable- bearable, endurable
Though all these cities mentioned are rebuked by Jesus for their failure to repent, and all will be judged in their sin, their judgments will be different.
There is nothing good about judgment to hell!
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—
23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
Tolerable for eternity doesn’t sound like any relief to me
2. Sin of Indifference; 21-24
2. Sin of Indifference; 21-24
Jesus names 6 cities/towns used in His narrative about the Sin of Indifference; Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Tyre, Sidon and Sodom.
And He makes two truths clear: there will be degrees of punishment in hell, and among those given the severest punishment will be those who have received divine revelation, been the most religious and outwardly upright, but are indifferent to the truth.
Indifference- lack of interest
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum all three were near the Sea of Galilee’s northwest shore only miles apart where Jesus’ most significant miracles took place.
By contrast, three terribly wicked Gentile cities—Tyre and Sidon, cities on the Phoenician coast 35 and 60 miles from the Sea of Galilee, and Sodom more than 100 miles south.
[v. 21-22] For Jesus to tell the Galilean Jews of Chorazin and Bethsaida that the corrupt, wicked pagan towns of Tyre and Sidon will be better off in the judgment than they was hard to swallow!
Tyre was used in scripture to picture Satan!
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you.
If Jesus would have done in those cities what He did in Chorazin and Bethsaida, they would have humbled themselves and repented like Nineveh did at the preaching of Jonah!
[v. 23-24] But Capernaum was the guiltiest.
Jesus made His headquarters in this prosperous fishing village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. He performed more miracles and preached more sermons in and around Capernaum than at any other place during His entire ministry. It was there that He raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead and healed the nobleman’s son. It was here that He healed the demoniac, Peter’s mother-in-law, the woman with the hemorrhage, the two blind men, the centurion’s servant, the dumb demoniac, and the paralytic who was lowered through the roof by his friends. Yet those works had little impact on the people.
Jesus said that the miracles He performed in Capernaum were so amazing that, if they occurred in Sodom, … it would have remained to this day. The people of Sodom would have repented of their sin, turned to God, and been spared destruction. But they didn’t have the privilege!
Capernaum exceeded Chorazin and Bethsaida in privilege, and Sodom exceeded Tyre and Sidon in wickedness. In these striking and sobering contrasts, Jesus makes plain that people who are the most blessed by God will receive the worst punishment if they reject Him. Judgment against the moral abominations of Sodom will be exceeded by judgment against the spiritual indifference of Capernaum.
MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985–1989). Matthew (Vol. 2, p. 265). Moody Press.
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
What about the gospel saturated society of America, I wonder how it’s going to fare compared to other nations in the judgment?
If Hell will be hotter for the upright unbelievers of Capernaum more than the crude and immoral unbelievers of Sodom, America is in trouble!
3. Degrees of Punishment;
3. Degrees of Punishment;
42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Jesus gives us the understanding of the degrees of punishment for sin for those who will be tormented in Hell.
[v.42] Making children stumble. To commit the Sin of Indifference and to cause a child to stumble is the worst!
Not only will judgment be eternal “worm does not die and fire shall never be quenched”, but that worm will eat at them throughout all eternity.
Worm- maggots that eat at the dead
The worm that will be of greater punishment to Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum is that they had knowledge of TRUTH, but were indifferent to it!
The worm that will be of greater punishment in Hell to those who have had the privilege of hearing the Gospel will gnaw at them throughout eternity because they failed to believe!
Close;
J. Vernon McGee gives great insight about the Sin of Indifference;
Light creates responsibility. The Lord never had a ministry in Tyre or Sidon, nor did He have His headquarters there. But He spent a lot of time in the area of Chorazin and Bethsaida, and He holds them responsible for the light which He gave them. It is my understanding that there will be degrees of punishment as well as degrees of reward at the time of God’s judgment. Even in our own day, there are many folk who have had a glorious opportunity to receive Christ, but they have turned their backs on Him.
Without going into detail, let me say this: I do not know what God will do with that person on a little island in the South Pacific who has never heard the gospel and bows down and worships an image. I do know what God is going to do with that person who comes and sits in church Sunday after Sunday and hears the gospel and does nothing about it.
McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, p. 158). Thomas Nelson.
