March 1, 2022

Cut It Out

“Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire." 
- Matthew 18:7–9 (ESV)

Temptations. They aren't just an R&B group that wrote some great songs (honestly....they wrote some really great songs). Temptations isn't just a fancy name for pet treats either (but my pets do love them).

You know temptations. When you are trying to eat healthy and choose a salad, then a waiter or waitress walks by with a sizzling plate of fajitas, that smell so good.....and before you know it the healthy eating is taking a side seat to some sizzling, delicious fajitas (maybe that's just me and you have more will power). 

When Jesus is teaching about temptations, he isn't just talking about choosing the wrong food when trying to eat healthy because you were tricked into eating unhealthy food (although I swear nobody originally orders fajitas at first, they just walk around the restaurant with them to tempt all the patrons).

The Greek word for temptations here is "skandalov". Yep, it's where we get our word scandal, or scandalous from.  It literally means "the movable stick or trigger of a trap,  any impediment placed in the way and causing one to stumble or fall, any person or thing by which one is (entrapped) drawn into error or sin." Meaning, a temptation is intentionally put in place to cause someone to trip or fall or stumble, or to turn away from God and their faith.

Think of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. The coyote didn't buy all those acme devices to catch the roadrunner and invite him over for dinner. He wanted to destroy the roadrunner, to get rid of him forever. He wanted to knock him down, trip him up, throw him off course. That's a scandal, a temptation.

But Jesus doesn't spend too much time chastising the world for its temptations. Rather he warns us to avoid the pitfalls and traps. To cut them off and throw them away. Jesus isn't talking about physically maiming ourselves. Because the problem isn't our eyes, or hands, or feet....it's our heart. And this is where and why we are so desperate for Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.

I love how the Apostle Paul explains it in Colossians 3:1-17. Read through it this week. Don't just read it...ponder it, chew it up, sit with the thoughts of it awhile. Because in it Paul kind of likens our faith and following Jesus like clothing.

"Put off these things," Paul says. What things? Things like sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness. They may seem to give the promise of contentment and satisfaction, but in the end they will lead to your destruction.

And then Paul reminds us who we are. "You are God's chosen ones, you are holy and beloved," he says. So then, clothe yourselves with these things. Things like patience, forgiveness (the way God has forgiven you), loving, bearing one another's burdens, and letting Christ's peace rule in your hearts. Christ's.....peace.....ruling.......our hearts. That's God's plan for you. That's where He wants to lead you. And He has prepared a path for you to walk on.

But watch out, because the world wants you to have nothing to do with that. So it will throw traps, pitfalls, oil spills, balck holes....whatever it can to derail you on your walk with God. The world only wants one thing: to scandalize you and ruin you. All the while God is leading you to peace.

So it's time for an introduction. Hello rubber, I'm road. Oh hello road, I'm rubber. (yes, this is where the rubber meets the road)

What are things that seem to constantly pitfall your faith? Let's name a few: maybe it's the internet, pornography, or alcohol. Maybe it's your credit cards/money, or your social media accounts. Maybe it's the television and things like Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, and more. Maybe it's music or (gasp!) Wordle (or other games on your electronic devices). Maybe it is getting completely wrapped up in hobbies or youth sports. I know, watch out....I may have struck a nerve here with these and I need to navigate very carefully.

None of these things in and of themselves are bad (well, some things are definitely only bad). But, they can start to interfere with you growing in your faith, in you following Jesus, in you being transformed by the renewing of your mind and heart by the work of the Holy Spirit.

And what Jesus warns us to do is simply this: cut......it......out! What does that mean? If anything is getting in the way of your relationship with God, put it in a timeout and get your priorities straight. It is better to enter eternal life stripped of some things, then to shipwreck your faith because you chased after the limited, fleeting pleasures and scandals of this world.

In the end, you know you. Meaning, you know what you struggle with. You know the things that get in the way of you growing with God. The question Jesus is asking each and every one of us is this: "Are you willing to cut it out of your life for the sake of finding eternal life, joy, hope and peace in Christ?"

As God works in your hearts and minds over these things remember this: God is with you. He will never leave you. He is your strength. The Holy Spirit is the power of God living in you, enabling you to see and avoid the scandals of the world so that unhindered we can chase after God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

-Pastor Brian