If You Play with Fire, Someone’s Gonna Get Burned

by

Jesus never categorized any sins as acceptable in the life of His followers. Playing with sin has severe repercussions for our lives and great consequences for those closest to us.

Mark 9:42-50

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. 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.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 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.”

Your Sin Affects Others’ Stability (Mark 9:42)

  • We all have some person who looks up to us and some sin that could bring him or her down.
  • A personal leaning towards a particular sin could cause a complete collapse in another.
  • It would be better for me to lose my physical life than for my example to cause another to endanger his spiritual life.

Your Sin Endangers Your Eternity (Mark 9:43-48)

  • What we do is often related to where we go, and where we go is often related to what we have seen.
  • If someone shows no sign of a fight with sin, it shows no indication of a relationship with Jesus.
  • Hell is the place of eternal suffering for those resolved to defiant disobedience.
  • Be willing to take drastic measures in order to combat habitual sins.

Your Sin Diminishes Your Credibility (Mark 9:49-50)

  • Fighting our sin is costly but refusing to fight will cost even more.
    • Leviticus 2:13 – …with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
  • It’s better to burn in the fires of this world as an offering than burn in the fires of hell as a punishment.
  • Our personal examples should be stable and our covenantal relationships should be enduring.