If Your Hand Causes You to Sin
Better to enter life
Mark 9:43-48
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— 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— 47 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, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— 48 where “Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched.”
The higher good
Nothing in this life is worth the loss of eternal life.
Jesus speaks of two destinies
| Enter into life | Go to hell |
| Enter the kingdom of God | Enter unquenchable fire |
The duration is the same
Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Passing pleasures
Hebrews 11:24-25
24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
What is sin worth?
Are a few moments of pleasure worth an eternity in hell?
See sin as heaven sees it
Do not manage what Jesus says to remove.
Cut off the occasion of sin
Do not give the devil a foot-hold. Resist him. Do not give sin opportunity.
Choose the greater good
Anything that stands in the way of eternal life must be put out of the way.
Discussion
- What does it mean to sacrifice the lesser good for the higher good?
- Why do you think Jesus used this method of overstatement for this topic?
- Why is it difficult, even for Christians, to forego the pleasures of this world in order to reach heaven?
- How does Jesus’ teaching demonstrate the horrible nature of sin?
- What are some practical ways that sin can be avoided?
Truly Converted
Next Time