Date:   10/09/05

Text:   Mark 9:42-50

Title:   Xtreme Demand

Theme: The believers are Jesus' representatives on earth, therefore he has great

  expectations from those who follow him.

Introduction:

  Every one has a story to tell about his experience with Rita. There were the brave ones. You decided to stay put and see Rita squarely in the face. Or you were determined to drive 10/17/26 or even 30 hours until you reached your destination. Then there were also the wise ones. You bragged about how after driving 8 hours and then decided to turn around and got home in 20 minutes. You may think you were wise in turning back, but others considered you as dillydallying; and indecisive.

  However, as I listened to different stories about your experiences with Rita, one common thread began to appear. Families took in friends and adult children to provide shelters for them. Many of us left, because of the elderly parents or young children. We wanted to keep our ‘little ones' out of harms' way. We brought our friends along with us. Several cars traveled together so we can help each other out on the way. Family members and friends from all over the world called either to urge you to leave and make sure you were alright. My own children repeatedly urged us to leave even after we turned around. The thread that weaves through these experiences is one of care and looking out for each other.

  This is the same thread that weaves through many of Jesus' teachings. In our study of Mark last Sunday, while the disciples were arguing who was the greatest among them, Jesus explained to them the greatest of them was to be a servant to all. He is to care for those in the community of the believers.

  In today's passage, we shall continue to see as Christ's disciples and followers, how we are to live in our relationships with one another.

I.   As followers of Jesus Christ, the believers are to look out for the ‘little ones' among us.

  Vs.42, “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. ” A Roman historian wrote that some of the rebellion leaders in Jesus' time were tied to large millstones and thrown into the sea and drowned. So the disciples knew the severity of Jesus'' warning. It is a strong warning to all those who may through their teaching and behavior cause a new believer or someone who may be weak in faith to stray away from God.

  It hurts my heart deeply to see preachers mishandling God's word. They take the word, empty it of its original meaning, taking it out of context and turning it into messages that are attractive to our ears, palpable to our taste and stimulating to our emotions. Yet it is totally void of truth. People listen and follow them. To such preachers, Jesus says, “ 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 .”.

  Very often we see how young believers are turned off or scared away by the temper of those older Christians. In Ken Hughes book on Mark, he told a story about George Fox, the Quaker. As George was seeking God, he asked advice from an older minister. The minister began to advise Fox, but when young Fox accidentally stepped on a flower, the minister fell into a rage. Fox concluded that he would find no help here, and went somewhere else to seek help.

  You probably have seen Christians and seekers being turned off by an unforgiving spirit, a dishonest business transaction, crude language, immoral behavior and malicious gossip. Many have left the church; some have put aside their search for truth. You may be one of the victims, but by God's grace, you have returned. But many have never returned.

  Jesus wants us, his followers to look out for the weak and vulnerable ones among us. Don't let our behavior, temper, and words cause them to move away from God. On the contrary, we are to be their examples in their pursuit of truth and godliness.

II.   As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to look out for our personal holiness.

  Jesus not only wants us not to cause others to stumble but he also wants us not to stumble ourselves. Vs. 43-47, “ 43 "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." 45 "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." 47 "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," 48 "‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.'” Jesus is saying, if your hand, foot and eye causes you to sin, then get rid of them. Because if we continue to sin without true repentance, then it is evident that we may not have that faith in the first place. And the logical conclusion will be eternal punishment. Jesus wants us to be holy because he is holy. The focus here is: as followers of Jesus Christ, there must be a willingness to get rid of sins at all cost. Yes, we must not cause others to stumble, but we must also watch out for ourselves, for our personal holiness.

  In May, 2003, the 27 year old Aron Ralston was trapped by a 800-1000 lb rock for five days in a remote desert canyon in eastern Utah . His right arm was pinned by the rock in a 3 foot wide slot. After being trapped for 5 days and running out of water, he realized that he had to do something drastic. He took out his pocket life and cut through his own arm below the elbow. He later got down to the bottom of the canyon and hiked out to meet the rescuers. He was willing to set himself free, to save his life , at all cost.

  It is this kind of determination Jesus wants us to have towards sins in life. He wants us to be holy because he is holy. The scripture is very explicit on sins. It leaves no room for imagination or excuses . Colossians 3:5,8,9, “sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry….anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, …...” Ephesians 4:31, “..bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander…..all malice.” These are the sins we are to get rid of.

  Very often, I find present day believers very intolerant towards people who are different from us. We like to associate with people with similar tastes, thinking, background and temperaments. On the other hand we are tolerant towards wrong doctrines, teachings that are contrary to the scriptures. We are also tolerant towards sins in our lives. We call them occasional mishaps, mistakes, so no big deal.

  However, Jesus'' teaching is very clear on this, isn't it? We are to take drastic actions to get rid of the sins in life. We are to get rid of sins at all cost. To some it means to throw away certain magazines, to turn off the TV, to remove certain programs or websites from our computers. Or to install a software so that a trusted friend will have a copy of all the web sites we visit everyday. Or it may mean to swallow our pride in order to reconcile with another brother or sister.

  Jesus has some very extreme demand on his followers : get rid of sins in our lives at all cost.

III.   As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to look out for the good of our community.

  We need to pay attention to our personal holiness so that we will not be a stumbling block to others. We are to get rid of sins, to be holy at all costs. Why? In vs.49, “ 49 "For everyone will be salted with fire." Salted with fire carries the imagery of purification. Every believer will go through times of trials. Trials are often God's means of cleansing his people and his church. In times of crisis, the church can falter or the church is being purified and standing stronger. So, don't wait till the day of trial and then get rid of the sins , do it now.

  Not only are we to rid sins at all cost, but Jesus here also explained to us the result of this. vs. 50, “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.” Salt is to preserve food, bring flavor to food and to prevent or delay the decaying process. The Jews have a saying, “The world cannot survive without salt”. In war time China , there was a government department that would make sure salt was equally distributed in all provinces.

  It is hard to imagine salt losing its taste. However, in the Dead Sea area, when salt is mixed with gypsum and other chemicals found in the marsh land area, it will acquire a stale taste.

  You see, Jesus calls his followers to be light and salt in the world. We are to bring flavor into life. We are to stop or slow down the decaying process in our society. But if we are polluted with sins, then we will lose our function and purpose in this world. In this vs. Jesus reminds the followers, the community of believers that there mu st be salt among them, and one evidence of the presence of salt is: living in peace with each other.

  We are to look out for the good of the ‘little ones', those who are new or weak in faith, those who are seeking the truth. We are also to look out for our own personal holiness. Now, we are to look out for the good of the community we are in. What is one thing most important in this community? Be at peace with one another. This is a recurring theme in the Bible. When Jesus died on the cross, he broke down the walls between men and God, and between men and men. Because of his cross, we are brought together and are reconciled to each other.

  Our immediate world is not a place of peace. We have unresolved conflicts between husbands and wives, parent and children, and among siblings. We have unresolved conflicts because we don't see eye to eye on issues. We have conflicts because of our personality differences. We are not at peace with each other because we tolerate sins in our lives. We tolerate the sins of resentment, bitterness, unforgiving spirit, anger, lack of self control and pride. Because of this tolerance, we, the salt, have lost our saltiness. For this reason, Jesus says, have salt in yourselves. Get rid of these sins so we can be at peace with each other.

Conclusion:

  When Hurricane Rita came, we reached out to help each other. The strong, the capable ones, reached out to help the elderly, the children and the helpless ones. Many times, the young and the strong endured the inconveniences in order to bring the weak and helpless to a safer place; parents reaching out to help their adult children and their families. Very often, we saw by the roadside, local residents and churches, setting up tables for free water and even offering shelter. One the highway turned into parking lot, as we ‘walked' our cars, strangers are talking to each other. There was a sense of community, looking out for the good of each other.

  This is what Christ wants his followers to be. He has called us individually to come and follow him. As we come to him, we are also a part of the community. In this community, He wants us to look out for the good of each other. To be sensitive to those who are new or weak in faith. He wants us to live in a community marked by peace and harmony. How? He wants us to get rid of the sins in our lives at all cost. It is an Xtreme demand.