Dying from Within

Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook, 2009 Edition November 29, 2009: Dying from the inside Out

Introduction: Are you dealing with terrible sin inwardly and yet you’re going through your daily routine convincing others everything is fine? You know you can’t keep it up long because it’s eating away at you. Today we are going to study a passage which describes for us King Herod, a man who died from the inside out. We are going to see how his inner sense of right and wrong—his conscience—went from confused to seared to hardened.

1. A Confused Conscience (vv. 17–20). Herod made numerous wrong decisions in his life. He made decisions not based on what was right, but based on what would bring him power and prestige and pleasure. Herodias had been the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip. The early church historian Josephus helps shed further light about what was going on in this family. On one occasion, while he was visiting his brother Philip, Herod had an affair with Philip’s wife, Herodias. Herod and Herodias decided to divorce their spouses and to marry each other. So Herodias became Herod’s wife and moved into the palace. John had the courage to call this relationship what it was: sinful! Herodias wanted to kill John, but Herod protected him because he feared to touch him. Herod was struggling with sin and he compromised his conscience. He put John in prison because it silenced John’s continual criticism of his sinful practices. But he also was afraid to kill John and in a strange way, he was actually attracted to this courageous preacher of God’s Word.

2. A Seared Conscience (vv. 21–28). Herodias had been plotting, trying to find a way to kill John; it was Herod’s birthday. All the who’s who in society were there. Toward the end of the banquet, when p 346 everyone had had their fill of wine, Herodias sent her daughter in to entertain the guests with a dance that was no doubt erotic. Herod responded just as Herodias knew he would, offering the young girl anything she wanted up to half his kingdom (vv. 22–23). The girl took her mother’s advice to ask for John’s head. Herod was sorry (v. 26); his conscience was still working to some degree, but ultimately Herod seared his conscience because of his lust and because of his pride: “because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her” (v. 26). Spiritual truth would never again have the effect on him that it had up to that point in his life. Mark’s account of Herod’s life ends here but we see elsewhere in Scripture that this is not the end of the story.

3. A Hardened Conscience (Luke 23:6–12). After John was dead, Herod continued to die from the inside out. Remember, Herod used to enjoy listening to John. At one point he showed some signs of spiritual interest, but he allowed his sinful impulses to carry the day. Now, Herod finally got to meet Jesus. The text says he was “very glad” when he saw Jesus. Why? Because he was seeking spiritual truth? No, the text tells us Herod wanted to be entertained; he wanted to see Jesus perform a great miracle. Christ did not respond to his improper motives, and then Herod mocked Him. Here is a picture of a man who has died from the inside out—one who has gone from some interest in the truth to a man who ignores the truth to a man who mocks the truth. That’s what sin does to us: the longer we harbor it, the harder it becomes to leave it. It first confuses our conscience, then sears our conscience, and then can ultimately harden our conscience. The longer one waits to repent, to turn from his or her sin, the harder it becomes to repent.

Conclusion: What about you? Are you dying from the inside out? Are you living for self or for Christ? If you are living for self, the Bible says you are heading for the experience of Herod—the experience of being very sorry one day. As the Scriptures say, “today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts …” (Heb. 3:15).

Introduction

Would you join me this morning in a small imagination exercise? I want you to imagine enjoying a nice lunch on a beautiful day on the beach next to whatever your preferred body of water is. The weather is spectacular, the food is great, and everything as far as you know is just perfect in that moment. Suddenly, as if out of no where you don’t quite feel like yourself. The next thing you know, you are standing and walking toward the water and you don’t know why. Everything in your mind is screaming for your body to stop, but your legs keep walking closer and closer to the water. Before you know it, you find yourself thrown into the water and without full control of your body, you begin to sink, wondering why and how you have become a passenger in your own body.

This might sound like an episode of the Twilight Zone, but what I’ve just described to you is the exact situation that many crickets around the world find themselves in.

You see, crickets fall prey to a parasite called a hairworm that starts and ends its life in the water. They lay eggs which are eaten by mayflies, which carry the parasite to land to be eaten by crickets. Once the parasite is in the Cricket, it begins to eat the cricket from the inside. But it doesn’t kill it, the parasite knows that it needs to be in water to reproduce, so it overrides the brain of the cricket to go against every instinct that it has to stay away from bodies of water, and soon the cricket finds itself throwing itself into a body of water where it drowns and the hairworm emerges to begin the cycle all over again.

That’s a terrifying parasite, if you are a cricket.

But we as humans actually are faced with something even more terrifying in its destructive capability: SIN.

Back in June we looked at answering the question, “What is Sin anyway?” during which we looked at how sin shatters God’s shalom with us. How Sin is missing the mark and falling short of the Goal that God has set for all of us and that the wages of sin is death.

This morning we are going to be in looking at one of many real life examples of the progression of sin in someones life who allows it to continue untreated.

We are going to see from the life of a man named Herod Antipas who was the seventh son of Herod the Great. Herod had a great amount of power and influence, yet we read in scripture that he was living in sinful rebellion against God and how when he was faced with the chance and the opportunity to change, he instead chose to remain in his sin, and ultimately this decision compounded sin upon sin which killed Herod from within like a parasite.

We discover in the life of Herod how sin, when it is allowed to continue in our lives confuses our consciences, sears our consciences, and eventually hardens our consciences leading us to our spiritual deaths.

Herod Antipas, seventh son of Herod the Great, spent

A Confused Conscience (vv. 17–20)

Mark 6:17–20 ESV

17 For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

Herod was not a Jew, but John bravely and lovingly declared that what Herod was doing was sinful in the sight of God.

Leviticus 18:16 ESV

16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.

Herodias had been the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip. The early historian Josephus helps shed further light about what was going on in this family. On one occasion, while he was visiting his brother Philip, Herod had an affair with Philip’s wife, Herodias. Herod and Herodias decided to divorce their spouses and to marry each other. So Herodias became Herod’s wife and moved into the palace.

And as far as Herod was concerned, Why not do this? It made them both happy apparently. Life is short, why not do what makes you “happy.”

Herod made numerous wrong decisions in his life. He made decisions not based on what was right, but based on what would bring him power and prestige and pleasure. Herodias had been the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip. The early church historian Josephus helps shed further light about what was going on in this family. On one occasion, while he was visiting his brother Philip, Herod had an affair with Philip’s wife, Herodias. Herod and Herodias decided to divorce their spouses and to marry each other. So Herodias became Herod’s wife and moved into the palace. John had the courage to call this relationship what it was: sinful! Herodias wanted to kill John, but Herod protected him because he feared to touch him. Herod was struggling with sin and he compromised his conscience.

Herod made numerous wrong decisions in his life. He made decisions not based on what was right, but based on what would bring him power and prestige and pleasure. Herodias had been the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip. The early church historian Josephus helps shed further light about what was going on in this family. On one occasion, while he was visiting his brother Philip, Herod had an affair with Philip’s wife, Herodias. Herod and Herodias decided to divorce their spouses and to marry each other. So Herodias became Herod’s wife and moved into the palace. John had the courage to call this relationship what it was: sinful! Herodias wanted to kill John, but Herod protected him because he feared to touch him. Herod was struggling with sin and he compromised his conscience.

Then along comes this John fellow that people are calling a prophet and he’s yelling at me that I’m sinning against God! The scriptures say in verse 20 that this greatly perplexed Herod, and I think most people’s experience with the Gospel message does the same, especially given the culture we are currently in.

We live in a world that says, “You do you! Do whatever makes you happy! follow your heart!

I think most people’s experience with the Gospel

Now when you are raised up hearing this and all of a sudden someone comes along and quotes Jeremiah

Jeremiah 17:9 ESV

9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Well that’s perplexing. That confuses your conscience, your moral sense of right and wrong begins to be questioned.

But this isn’t just something that happens to someone else, everyone of us face this at some point in our lives. Scripture tells us

Romans 3:23 ESV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

And so we at the moment we sin are confronted with this moment of confusion. Now ideally, if we were raised in the church and with parents who have trained us up in the word of God, we quickly understand that our next steps should be repentance of those sins and seeking forgiveness.

But often times it is much harder. The world stands on one side as Herodias, demanding that we silence God’s word. That we put to death God’s messengers. But on the other side is the natural desire for us to be with our God.

This moment of confusion is critically important, and we see the emotional struggle happening in Herod. He tried to accomplish both tasks in keeping John alive and gladly hearing him, and satisfying his sinful relationship with his wife.

When we refuse to take a stand for what’s right in those moments.

When we choose sin over righteousness, we add a layer

A Seared Conscience (vv. 21–28)

Mark 6:21–28 ESV

21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison 28 and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

Herodias had been plotting, trying to find a way to kill John; it was Herod’s birthday. All the who’s who in society were there. Toward the end of the banquet, when everyone had had their fill of wine, Herodias sent her daughter in to entertain the guests with a dance that was no doubt erotic. Herod responded just as Herodias knew he would, offering the young girl anything she wanted up to half his kingdom (vv. 22–23). The girl took her mother’s advice to ask for John’s head. Herod was sorry (v. 26); his conscience was still working to some degree, but ultimately Herod seared his conscience because of his lust and because of his pride: “because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her” (v. 26). Spiritual truth would never again have the effect on him that it had up to that point in his life. Mark’s account of Herod’s life ends here but we see elsewhere in Scripture that this is not the end of the story.

1 Timothy 4:2 ESV

2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

A Hardened Conscience ()

Luke 23:6–12 ESV

6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other.

After John was dead, Herod continued to die from the inside out. Remember, Herod used to enjoy listening to John. At one point he showed some signs of spiritual interest, but he allowed his sinful impulses to carry the day. Now, Herod finally got to meet Jesus.

The text says he was “very glad” when he saw Jesus. Why?

Because he was seeking spiritual truth? Because he longed for the chance to be forgiven for his past sins?

No, the text tells us Herod wanted to be entertained; he wanted to see Jesus perform a great miracle. Christ did not respond to his improper motives, and then Herod mocked Him. Here is a picture of a man who has died from the inside out—one who has gone from some interest in the truth to a man who ignores the truth to a man who mocks the truth. That’s what sin does to us: the longer we harbor it, the harder it becomes to leave it. It first confuses our conscience, then sears our conscience, and then can ultimately harden our conscience. The longer one waits to repent, to turn from his or her sin, the harder it becomes to repent.

Hebrews 3:12–14 ESV

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Hebrews 3:12

Conclusion

What about you? Are you dying from the inside out? Are you living for self or for Christ? If you are living for self, the Bible says you are heading for the experience of Herod—the experience of being very sorry one day. As the Scriptures say, “today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts …” ().