“Serious Matters”
September 28th, 2009 Posted in SermonsThe Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
“Serious Matters”
September 27, 2009
Sermon Text: Mark 9:38-50 [show]Mark 9:38-50
John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another." (ESV)
Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Sin is a serious matter. That may not be a surprise to you, but you would not know it living in this world of ours where almost everything goes… where almost everything and anything is condoned… or at least overlooked. There is much to which the outside world turns “a blind eye.”
It is the eye that is blinded by sin. The eye tempted, distracted and deceived by Satan and his demons, the forces of evil that are relentless… that are always at work.
Speaking of demons, St. John said to our Lord, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” (Mark 9:38-41 [show]Mark 9:38-41
John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. (ESV))
Dearly beloved, there is indeed a spiritual battle underway, a spiritual war still to be fought. But it is not against those who are also “on our side”… that is, the side of Christ… those who are likewise Christians… who live by Christ’s Word… who call upon His name… who use His name in good, right and salutary ways… including the casting out of demons.
Even though they are not physically one of us, part of our group, our following… our community of faith… if they are not against us, as Christ says, then they are for us.
Don’t try to stop them… Jesus is saying here. If you want to stop someone, stop the sinner. If you want to stop something, stop sinning and the proclivity to sin, the desire to sin, the inclination to sin.
In our text, our Lord still has in His midst the child He had called forward, called to Himself, to make a point about greatness and the whole aspect of being first. Now, in talking about the serious matter of sin, He states,
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’”
(Mark 9:42-48 [show]Mark 9:42-48
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 'where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' (ESV))
Ok then. That about sums up how serious sin is. It is not to be taken lightly. It is not to be addressed in a mild or casual manner. All of what is written here… all that Christ calls for…. are serious measures, drastic measures!
Being thrown into the sea with a heavy piece of stone tied around your neck? Cutting off your hand? Your foot? Tearing out your eye?
All of this is indeed radical and it stands in stark opposition to doing nothing about sin which is what the majority of people all around us are doing (or should I say, not doing).
The message here… the lesson here for all of us is to listen up… to pay attention to the whole issue of sin… that which separates you from God… and that which is the one and only answer to sin.
How sad and ridiculous it is for those who look at these passages apart from all of Holy Scripture… apart from all that Christ Jesus says to us… and they end up coming to the conclusion that what the Lord is calling for here is self-mutilation.
Not at all. Not at all. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Christ is calling for serious action to deal with a serious matter, namely sin. And He does it out of love so that you and I and all people will never experience the serious consequence of sin, namely eternal hell where “worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
Sadly, many people have read into this Gospel lesson what THEY think THEY have to do… about wounds which they must inflict upon themselves or have others do it for them.
They fail to see that, yes, something serious has be done about their sin and the never-ending act of sinning, but it is only in Christ Jesus… in His name and by His power… the power of His Holy Spirit… that something can be done about… will be done about it.
And yes, all of this does involve the bearing of great weight, the inflicting of wounds, the piercing of hands and feet, the spilling of blood. But not ours… rather His… our Lord’s. It was the very Son of God, our Savior, Jesus Christ who endured it all in our stead… in our place… for us… on the cross!
In the Book of Isaiah, the Word of God tells us, “He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.”
(Isaiah 53:5 [show]Isaiah 53:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.)
With His stripes we are healed… HEALED! Made whole and holy in our Lord Jesus. His victory over sin, death and the devil is our victory. In Christ, we have forgiveness of all our sins and what is more, we have the power to resist sin, overcome sin… to daily drown that which our Lord makes abundantly clear is a very serious matter… that which separates us from God… that which separates us from heaven and eternal life.
I am talking about the sin of having other gods… of putting something, anything before God… of using God’s name in vain… of not keeping the Sabbath day holy… of not honoring our parents and those in authority… of committing murder even if it is only in our hearts or because of what we failed to do or did not try to prevent (including the killing of unborn babies by the millions).
I am talking about not being faithful to your spouse… of having sex outside of marriage… of living together outside of marriage… of engaging in homosexual relationships or condoning the same.
I am talking about stealing… of bearing false witness… of gossiping… of bickering… of complaining… of coveting… and the list goes on.
Can we who have been forgiven of sin, still give into sin… go on in sin, continue to sin? Of course… but to our great peril. We would be fools to take it so lightly or dismiss it… rationalize it… saying that, “After all, everyone is doing it”… or … “At least I am not as bad as some people.”
Not once but twice in the Book of Proverbs we are told that “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”
(Proverbs 14:12, 16 [show]Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,
but a fool is reckless and careless.:25)
My friends, thanks be to God that not everyone is doing it… not everyone is giving into sin, living in sin, continuing in sin. And those who do… who continue to do and persist in them… are going to hell.
If you do not like hearing that, too bad. You need to hear it, just as you need to hear this text. And even more so your friends, family, acquaintances and millions of people you do not even know.
They need to hear the starkness of God’s Law, but also the sweetness of His Gospel… the good news of forgiveness and salvation that is there for all people in Jesus Christ.
Indeed, this is all a serious matter. Please give it your utmost attention. Don’t go out of here and not give it another thought.
Yes, this is a serious matter… and eternal life and death matter. And thankfully, in Christ, this is also a joyful matter… one with the best of endings. Or should I say “beginnings?” Amen!
May the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.
Amen.
“Serious Matters”
9/27 /09 The Rev. Mark H. Hein
St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church, Lockport, IL