Mark 9:42-49 God Loves the Little Ones!

Mark 9:42-49  “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’  Everyone will be salted with fire."

In the above scriptures we find Jesus addressing people with attitudes so skewed toward self-interest and sin that they lead God's little ones, his children, to sin.  Rather than leading these little ones toward God and his goodness, they are corrupting his children, tempting them away from God into lives of destruction.  Jesus says it would be better for such a person to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck than to face the judgment of God.  This scripture emphatically reveals God does not tolerate interference in his divine work in his sons and daughters.  He expects people to help his little ones, not hinder them.  As Christians we must take this warning seriously.  Yes, we are all God's family, but there are also those in our community of believers who are new in Christ.  As mature Christians we should promote the work of God, not hinder or confuse it.  Sometimes in this life, as more mature Christians, we let our guard down and start talking as the world, in a faithless, fleshly manner.  Rather than exhibiting a strong persevering faith in all circumstances, we let our self-interests and discouragements take the upper hand in our testimony.  Our talk becomes worldly, not spiritual as we eyes fix on this earth, rather than on heaven.  This kind of life can lead little ones into unbelief if they question the reality of God's work in us.  Mature Christians should stay steadfast in all situations.  Jesus says, Everyone will be salted with fire.  Life's troubles and discouragements test everyone's steadfastness in Christ: we need to persevere in our faith in Jesus Christ and He will strengthen us.  We have victory in Christ, not in ourselves.  Jesus said, You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.  (Matthew 5:14-16)  The new or struggling believers need to see our lights shining brightly for the Lord.    

Jesus goes on to say that if you allow the members of your own body to lead you away from God, you should get rid of their actions in your life.  This verse does not mean to physically harm yourself, maiming yourself is not the answer to sin.  If one did such a thing, he would just walk around with a disabled body, but his heart would still be unchanged.  Actions, good or bad, originate in the heart, not in the members of our body.  The heart determines our behavior in life, not the members of our bodies: our hands, feet, or eyes.  “Are you still so dull?” Jesus asked them.  “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?  But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.  These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him ‘unclean.’”  (Matthew 15:16-20)   If we are doing wrong, if we are persuading little ones to do wrong, if we live lives of sin, our actions reflect a heart condition, not a body condition.  If the heart is inclined totally towards serving God, we will live for his pleasure; but if live by our senses and not by faith, we will find ourselves living lives that are not for the glory of God, but for ourselves.  A life lived for the flesh can lead little ones in the Lord astray and on the path to destruction.  When Christians turn toward sin, their actions are not only confusing to the little ones amongst us, but to those who are in the world.  An uncertain trumpet call will not rally anyone around us, such a call will not be productive in God's kingdom.  People of the world will consider their lives satisfactory because the Christians around them are living the same way they do, leading to deadly consequences for those who do not know Christ as their Savior.  

Brothers and sisters around this breakfast table, we are not like those who look back, tarrying by the wayside, unwilling to go forward in Christ because of troubles or faithlessness.  No, IN CHRIST, we are made whole, able to face a trial by fire.  Because we know this truth, the vicissitudes of life will not distract us from serving God wholeheartedly.  We know the Spirit of God dwells within us and keeps us pure and holy.  Our ears are tuned to his still, small voice, especially during difficult times.  We listen for his support, his encouragement, his guidance.  Our ears constantly hear, "Be not afraid, I am with you.  Take the next step in life; you are secure in me.  I will never leave you nor forsake you."  As we hear those words of assurance, we know our lives are his.  We live for him.  No hand, no foot, no eye will cause us to surrender our lives to another voice, another call.  We have a lover, who cared for us to the point of dying on the cross to save our souls from eternal death.  Therefore, we fix our hearts on God; nothing else matters to us.  Our lives rest in his life.  We are at peace with life because He is the Prince of Peace.  Little children will be nurtured by our lives for our actions point to Christ and his loving kindness and tender mercies.  Today the Lord is speaking, and we hear him say, "Be not afraid: you are living resurrected life.  I gave you this life at the cross.  The same Spirit that raised me from the dead now dwells in you, and you are alive forevermore.  Take that life and rejoice!"  That is our hope.  Fix your eyes, your attitude, your mind, your strength, your members on Christ, and you will constantly experience new life, eternal life until you come to your heavenly home.  Until that day, you will share that life in the body of Christ, working toward unity and wholeness in Christ!  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  (Ephesians 4:14-16)  Hallelujah!   

  

Mark 9:38-41 Do Good and Shine for Jesus!

Mark 9:38-41  “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”  “Do not stop him,” Jesus said.  “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.  I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

In today's passage, Jesus tells his apostles that people who earnestly support the cause of fighting the evil one by doing good in Jesus' name should be left alone.  Their actions indicate they want people freed from the enemy's kingdom of darkness, so they are on the side of the light.  However, if these people were false in their behavior, seeking their own grandiose plans, they will face the fire of hell.  Unbelievers who pretend to be the Lord's helpers while performing seemingly miraculous wonders for their own benefit have no place in God's kingdom.  Jesus said, "Not 

everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’"  (Matthew 7:21-23)  How do we know the difference between the two kinds of workers in the name of the Lord?  Jesus said false prophets may look the same on the outside: 

They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.  (Matthew 7:15)  But the fruit of their lives will be different.  They will not bear good fruit: 

love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (Galatians 5:22-23)  They will bear sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:19-21)  By observing the fruit in their lives you will know them.  How many cultish leaders have we known who are enmeshed in sin and wantonness, trying to set up a kingdom on this earth for themselves.  A typical fruit they bear that points to their waywardness as instruments of evil is their sexual immorality.  Oftentimes, we hear of leaders of cultish groups falling into this devilish wickedness.  As believers, whenever we see a person validating sexual sin, we should turn from their message, for it is anchored in the pit of hell.  

Jesus is telling the disciples that God recognizes the good intentions in people's hearts when they do good.  We see this idea very clearly in the story of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10.  At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.  He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.  One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision.  He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”  Cornelius stared at him in fear.  “What is it, Lord?” he asked.  The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.  We find in this story that Cornelius is rewarded for his good life.  God sends Peter to pray for him to receive the Holy Spirit.  God knew the fruit of Cornelius' life, his desire to serve God by serving others.  This same kind of story about God seeing good fruit in people's lives is told in Acts 9 about Tabitha: In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor.  God knew Tabitha's life of goodness and the desire of her heart to please him.  In the story in Acts, Tabitha becomes ill and dies.  The people send two men to Peter and he comes to the place where they are mourning her death.  He clears the room, perhaps to have no unbelievers present, and says to her, “Tabitha, get up.”  Tabitha is raised from the dead!  This became known all over Joppa.  God knows the intent of our hearts, whether the desires and purposes of our hearts are for our own advancement, to make us look good in the eyes of people, or if our good deeds are for God's glory and the advancement of his kingdom. 

We should go about doing good, laying down our lives for others.  The well-being of the lost should be in our minds as much as our own well-being.  We must ask ourselves if the dial of our lives is tuned in to the servant frequency or stuck on monitoring the frequency of the self-life?  Jesus told the disciples not to stop the people who were casting out demons in his name.  They were people for Jesus, lifting up his name in the midst of a wounded world.  They were not trying to glorify themselves, but serving others.  Sometimes, if our hearts are not honest with God, we desire the spotlight and a bigger dais from which to minister for our own glorification.  We want people to see how accomplished and successful we are rather than how glorious God is.  Sometimes in doing the smallest ministry, we go away counting the merits we deserve, rather than praising God for the privilege of being his instruments on Earth.  Weigh carefully your attitude when doing good.  When we set out to fulfill the will of God by serving others, we must listen to the Holy Spirit, allowing him be our guide.  If He is in control, we will not have to worry about wrong intentions.  We see very clearly in Jesus' parable about the sheep and the goats that the sheep were not aware of their good deeds.  Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’  (Matthew 25:37-40)  The fruit of our lives should be so much a part of us that we are not aware of what we do for the glory of God.  Our image should be God's image.  Our actions should be his actions.  Our words should be his words.  Paul told the Philippian church, it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.  And he went on to encourage the church that they were blameless in a crooked generation where you shine like stars in the universe!  (Philippians 2:13&15)  Today, brothers and sister, shine for Jesus and see his glory go forth in the darkness.   

Mark 9:33-37 The First Will Be the Last!

Mark 9:33-37  They came to Capernaum.  When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?”  But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.  Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”  He took a little child and had him stand among them.  Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” 

Jesus addresses the disciples' disputation about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven by saying that anyone who desires to be the greatest must be the VERY LAST, THE SERVANT OF ALL.  The idea of being greatest by being last runs counter to man's basic fallen nature.  For in the world of men, being first means you are successful in controlling your life and the lives of others.  Recognition and honor belong to those who are in control, such as rulers, leaders, and bosses, but not to those who have no power, who are always under the thumb of the powerful.  When the disciples were arguing, they were considering who should receive the most honor in the kingdom of heaven.  Who should God bless with the prominent position of being the closest to Jesus?  Of course, each of them was probably adding up the merits in his life to justify why he should be placed at Jesus' right hand.  Each was attempting to come up with the highest score, so he would be the most blessed by God.  But Jesus threw them a curve; actually, He turned their world upside down when He responded to their ideas of who should be the greatest in the kingdom of God by pointing to a child.  A child has no power: a child is not physically strong enough to force others to obey.  Yes, a child can cry, whine, and protest; but in the final analysis, a child can be ignored, for he or she cannot force adults to act.  Jesus says, Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me.  Practically, in context of what He had previously said about being the last, He is saying, whoever is a servant to these helpless, powerless ones, receives me.  Therefore, whoever makes himself last, even when comparing himself to a little child, will be considered the greatest in God's Kingdom.  

This revelation of being the least in order to be the greatest is a difficult concept for human beings to accept, for in general they spend their whole lives placating their self-willed desires.  We basically believe the world should be ordered so we receive the goodness of others in the form of deference to our needs and wants.  We believe, since we are going around once, our lives should be lived according to our needs, not necessarily for others.  We discover in the Garden of Eden, this self-willed spirit manifesting itself in Adam and Eve's decision to eat of the Tree of Knowledge.  Their decision not to obey God put them in control of their lives. They subverted God's supreme place in all of creation by acquiescing to the serpent's question: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"   By accepting the serpent's devious implication about what God really said, they exposed themselves to be like God.  Actually, their decision superimposed their will on God's will.  They became the authority in their lives.  In reality they were choosing to be like God, deciding what is good and what is evil.  Rather than being dependent on God, they became independent of God.  Sadly, the first thing we read about the consequences of being independent from God is Cain's decision to murder Abel.  Cain murdered Abel for his own reasons.  Man's independent nature would now lead him into a life of violence and death.  He would no longer be dependent upon God: He would decide what was best for him in his personal life.  In the world of his construct, he would find no rest or comfort.  In his kingdom, man would live in an environment of disharmony and death.  There would be no rest, no comfort there: no Garden of Eden.  Jesus often talked with his disciples about fruit and the will of God.  Once he said you can recognize who people are by their fruit, and He went on to say, Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  (Matthew 7:21) 

The Christian life is one of service, sacrifice.  This world is not our home, we are aliens passing through, looking to a heavenly city.  We are to live by the Spirit, not by our self-willed nature.  We are to emulate God who blesses the just and the unjust.  He provides for those who cannot provide for themselves.  He provides abundant life.  God is in the service mode at all times.  As Christians we say He is a good God.  We should also be good as He is good by serving others.  We are to take care of those who cannot provide for themselves by giving to the poor, helping the widows, providing for the orphans, visiting the sick, caring for the aliens.  Then the King will say to those on his right, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."  Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"  The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."  God is God: He does not have to be a servant to anyone.  But He chooses servanthood because of his great love for his creation.  Even though we are greatly honored as sons and daughters of the Most High, we are to be servants to the lowest of the low.  We are great when we are like God.  He made us in his likeness to carry out his purposes.  The Bible says, they will know we are Christians by our love.  Love is an action verb.  Let us display our greatness by loving the people in the world as Jesus indicated when he pointed to a little child. 

Mark 9:30-32 A Kingdom Not of This World

Mark 9:30-32  They left that place and passed through Galilee.  Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples.  He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.  They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”  But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

How could Jesus say that He was going to be betrayed into the hands of men?  How could mere men kill him, who had power over sicknesses, demons, and nature itself?  How could He who raised the dead be victimized by mere humans with their limited abilities?  How could this coming king, the Messiah, be disposed of by finite beings?  Even more important how could Jesus' wonderful ministry be understood in the context of his declaration of betrayal and death.  They did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.  No wonder they were afraid to ask, for the reality of Jesus' miraculous deeds juxtaposed with this message of death seemed to be a non sequitur.  How could such a destructive, diabolical deed of death at the hands of men bring about a Jewish kingdom of prominence or more important the eternal kingdom Jesus promised?  And what about this rising after three days?  What did that mean?  This idea was on their minds.  Earlier when Jesus healed a blind man, He began to teach them and told them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.  (Mark 8:31)  Peter was so upset he rebuked Jesus.  As men of the senses, this kind of teaching confused them, dashing their hopes of a blessing and visitation from God through Jesus.  If Jesus was not divine, if He could not bring about lasting changes to this world and to the Jewish people, then all hope was lost.  The Jewish people would remain under the hated Roman rule.  They would still be caught in the hopeless condition of sin and death.  If Jesus was not who He said He was, then where was the cure for their circumstance; where was righteousness?  These confused and disappointed men would not be ready to hear Jesus say when He stood before Pilate, My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews.  But now my kingdom is from another place.  (Jon 18:36)     

Paul says if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.  Outside of God's grace and mercy, the just consequence of the fall of mankind is a cancerous sin that always leads to eternal death.  Jesus paid the price--the penalty of death--to free us from sin by shedding his blood as a sacrifice for sin.  However, He also had to rise again, victorious over sin and death, to bring eternal life to every one of us who was dead in his or her sins.  When Christ arose from that grave, all of us who have placed our faith and hope in him arose victorious with him.  Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, understood the reason for Jesus' death and resurrection very clearly on the day the Spirit fell on all believers.  Once Peter had been confused about Jesus' death and resurrection; but full of the Spirit's enlightenment, He knew the mission of Jesus Christ.  Full of power, Peter related this good news, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.  This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.  But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.  (Acts 2:22-24)  And, God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.  Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.  For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, "The Lord said to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'"  Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”  When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”  Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”  (Acts 2:32-39)

Yes, the disciples misunderstood Jesus' message of dying and the resurrection.  They did not know Jesus' death would cleanse the temple within each of us, so the Spirit could inhabit our innermost beings with his resurrection power and life.  They could not wrap their minds around the spiritual realities of Christ's message until after the Spirit made these truths real.  When Jesus sent them out, they gave their lives willingly to carry this wonderful message of redemption: God is with us through his Spirit, and He will never leave us.  This message changed their lives and turned the world upside down.  No longer would believers hurt and kill their enemies; they would love them, bless them, pray for them.  They knew they served a God who sent the rain on the just and unjust.  They also knew their Lord said, Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  (Matthew 5:48)  In Christ, by the Spirit, they were established as perfect in God's eyes; for his Son is perfect, a Lamb without spot of blemish.  No longer would they live for themselves, knowing Jesus performed a new work in them and gave them pliable hearts.  They no longer sought a physical kingdom to rule in this world.  No, they believed for an eternal home that would never vanish, one not be won by force, but a pure gift from the hands of God.  They were no longer strangers to God, but forever known as adopted sons and daughters in the household of God with new names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  Their vision of life no longer tethered to earth, they looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.  (Hebrews 11:10)  They knew they were like the Levites of old.  Their inheritance was God himself.  No physical land for them; they inherited the very presence of God, his Spirit.  Never to be abandoned or forsaken, God himself dwelled with them.  Finally, at home: everlasting peace became their inheritance through Christ their Lord.  Every tear, every fear, and all confusion and anxiety wiped away by the hand of God.  Praise God! He is risen.  He is risen, indeed!  The redeemed will glorify the Lamb of God throughout eternity.  Amen!