Sermon: Putting Our Sin to Death

The Gospel of Nice Versus the Scandalous Call of Jesus

Hey everybody, I'm Pastor Jeff Durbin with Apologia Church. I want to thank you all so much for watching the content right here on Apologia Studios channel. What you're about to watch is a sermon a message from Apologia Church's worship service.

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So thank you again so much for watching these and sharing them. God bless you Matthew 18. So this of course i've been saying it since we started the Service today worship today. This is a scandalous message.

It is scandalous. And I think it's scandalous not because it is scandalous not because in truth. It's scandalous. It's or it's out of character for jesus or the biblical prophets and apostles. It's scandalous in our day.

This is scandalous message in our day. It's a normative message for faithful churches throughout history. This is something that faithful men and women of god have been Understanding and taking in and being changed by for 2 000 years As a matter of fact preaching on this message.

There would be no.

Real.

Reason to give sort of the things that i've been giving today the Introduction to the whole story if we were during the time of the puritans early on in the history of this nation. You're all familiar.

Of course with the great awakening and the words of the greatest american theologian in history Jonathan edwards if you don't know him get to know jonathan edwards, you know, of course you're familiar with His sermon that he preached.

Sort of off the cuff. He just wrote it down quickly on something sinners in the hands what. We don't like to think about an angry god today god isn't angry what's he mad about i'm i'm fine. As I am right i'm good as it goes.

It was actually interesting this uh last week or so. Uh, the famous actor chris pratt, you know chris pratt from all of his films. It's not an advertisement for chris bat pratt. It's just something that I found interesting and striking actually when he received his award At the mtv awards one of the things he said in terms of his nine tips of life for him being You know telling the next generation what they need to understand Interesting thought that he had he said essentially that people are going to tell you you're perfect just as you are.

He says you're not perfect just as you are now. I I think it's interesting because that's so Countercultural to be telling people in our generation that you are not fine. So far as it goes you are actually broken you are not righteous as you are you're not good you need healing.

Something is wrong. We're told constantly through media and at every level that you are fine as good as it goes god loves you Just as you are. There's no need to be changed whatever your Identity is whether you're a an adulterer a liar whether you are somebody confused about your gender you are Fine so far as it goes you are perfect as you are it's countercultural today.

To actually say no something is actually wrong. But that was of course the message of jesus the prophets the apostles the entire world view world and life view. They had was that god is the creator. He is holy.

He is good. He is righteous and blameless and we.

Are.

Not.

The Human Condition, Sin, and the Need for Change

Something's wrong. Something went wrong. Awry. At the beginning of the story god created us upright, but the bible says we sought out many devices. We've plunged ourselves into sin and depravity. It says in the bible in jeremiah 17 9 the heart is deceitful Above all things and desperately wicked who can know it.

Some translations say sick beyond.

Cure.

Something is wrong with us and the story here from jesus Isn't different than the story throughout the rest of the bible. It's not different than we see in faithful preaching throughout history. You have stories in history of christians going into nations and preaching to pagan societies that did not know god.

They were lost without hope and without god in the world. And these christians lay their lives down to preach hard messages. You have messages. Or or parts of our history. This is amazing. Uh, my son sage he loves this he's a big history buff loves the history of christianity.

He used to share stories with me. He was learning um from george grant about history of christianity and bold men and women of god who would go into pagan societies where they worshipped.

Gods.

That were so strong and mighty and the christians looked for ways. To actually oppose the will and power of that god, right? What does this god have power over and the people would say over this thing.

Right over this item over here and the christians would go and chop it down. Right, like come on to the mat. Let's go bring your gods to the mat. Let's see which god has the power and the might when the hawaiian kingdom Was converted to christ and the queen of hawaii was converted to christ.

She actually went to the top of a volcano. And threw into the volcano the identity of their idols and their gods like that's the kind of resistance righteous resistance That believers have had throughout history.

They have laid their lives down sacrificially. They've said the hard and tough things to their culture all around them. But we don't live in those days anymore brothers and sisters. I believe that we have days ahead of us coming Where jesus will put his enemies under his feet.

He is going to win the world. This is not a message of pessimism. Everyone hear me on that. This is not a message of pessimism. This is a message of ultimate optimism, but we have to face what's in front of us today.

And that is this matthew 18 is scandalous. Today why. Because we abide today in evangelicalism by the gospel of nice. That's the gospel. Jesus wants you to be nice. He wants you to be sweet. Jesus loves you just like you are.

No transformation necessary. We even have believers who will actually preach the gospel today that jesus is righteous and blameless and lived perfectly and obeyed the law of god. Died for sins and he rose again from the dead, but it is possible for you to be a carnal christian.

We have that message propagated today even by believers who faithfully proclaim the life death and resurrection of jesus. They teach that you need to turn to christ in faith and trust in him for salvation, but they say If you just pray this magic prayer.

Then that means that your ticket is punched you are quote unquote saved for heaven one day. Nothing matters after that god isn't concerned with any transformation in your life. Nothing has to happen in your life because you prayed that magic prayer.

That is false. It is not the gospel. And if you've bought into that gospel, I want to encourage you today with this this message is god's grace in your life. It is the grace of god in your life for you to receive his words that challenge you and convict you and change you.

Jesus says harsh things today. Jesus is the one who distributes candy chocolate milk and precious moments dolls. That's jesus today. He's the jesus who wears a dress. He is the original hippie. Jesus would never confront you.

Jesus doesn't want to challenge you or to change you. Jesus loves you so much. He will love you to death. Literally, that's the jesus of today. We have a great sin in the church today, and that is that we have the evangelical sin of the gospel of nice.

Now don't get me wrong. This is very important. I am not advocating in any way and this needs to be said. I'm not advocating in any way that we be unnaturally or unrighteously mean-spirited or unkind as a matter of fact.

I think that if you're the kind of person that is just so sharp and unkind that you are constantly trying to wound people. Then you are in fact in sin. Jesus calls us to love our enemies love our neighbors.

The bible says to be gentle and patient and to love people into the truth. But sometimes love has to actually say the hard Thing to get through that heart of stone to change it from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh all god's work.

There's a famous story. I love this story of um. Of a church that was part of a denomination and uh, they had lost their pastor. They had let him go and they called the head of the denomination and they said hey.

We want a fire and brimstone preacher. Send us the fire and brimstone preacher, please and so the head of the denomination says great i'm gonna find the fire and brimstone preacher and He sends the first preacher a couple weeks go by they fire that guy.

They call the denomination again, and they say send us a fire and brimstone preacher, please fire and brimstone. Give us the cutting messages. And so he says, okay, let me find that preacher and he sends that preacher out and a couple months later He's gone they call again send us a fire and brimstone preacher and they say he's oh fine I sent you several already, but i'll give you another one.

They send the guy. Years goes by. And this guy finally years later goes, you know, this is weird i'm just this is bothering me now. He stayed there forever and they asked for one. I sent him they asked for another.

I sent him they sent this guy. And he says I want to know why like why they keep this guy the hellfire and brimstone guy. So the guy calls the church he says I just gotta ask you, you know I you asked for hellfire and brimstone and I sent you one and I sent you another and then I sent you one.

You know, you kept him but you you can the other ones like what's the deal? Like they were all fire and brimstone and they said oh no. No. Yes, they were all fire and brimstone. But the last one you sent, uh, he acted like he didn't want us to go there.

Do you see?

There's a there's a there's a means and a way of faithfulness to the truth that does not. Get excited about the fact that there is an actual place called hell. There's a way to preach faithfully on hell.

That doesn't act like you want people to go there that you're relishing in the fact that people are perishing and dying and going to. Go to a place called gehenna. So there is a message like this matthew chapter 18 that I would categorize as a church shrinkage message.

It's the kind of message that jesus preached. Please understand this. It's the kind of message that jesus preached that did in fact shrink his movement. You see jesus preached messages not to fill the pews or to expand the audience.

He preached messages to glorify god and to love people and sometimes that resulted in the church actually shrinking or nearly disappearing. Jesus did this a number of times. But you see one of the things one of my brothers and heroes said is there's a difference between being a faithful church and a successful.

Church.

You can be a quote-unquote successful church that has large amounts of people lots of programs lots of capital. Lots of means but not in fact be a faithful church. You can in fact be a faithful church that is considerably small.

But devastating in your work because you are in fact faithful. As a matter of fact, I will take as a pastor the faithful church of 50. Over the unfaithful successful church of 50 000. I will do it any day.

Because that faithful church of 50 will punch a bigger hole in the kingdom of darkness than the successful church of 50 000 ever will. And that's the truth. This is in fact one of those moments in jesus life and ministry.

We have to be honest with ourselves and say jesus said it. He taught it. He said it he meant it. Jesus is either as c .s lewis says lord liar or lunatic. If he is in fact lord if he is curious if he is yahweh come in the flesh.

Then we ought to be hanging on every word and we ought to let every word of jesus actually impact us and transform us. Do you believe brothers and sisters that when jesus says something hard to you? He says it because he loves you.

Do you believe that when he says something hard to you? It's because he is trying to shape you into his image. Then we need to hear him. Jesus does this often. I'll give you an example. Keep your finger at matthew chapter 18 so you can see the consistency here go from matthew to luke luke 13.

Luke 13 1 just as an example to see this isn't an offhand unusual comment for jesus. I just want you to see sort of a pattern of jesus not of mean-spiritedness. But of faithfulness and of saying hard things.

Luke 13 Verse 1. There was some present at the very time who told him about the galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices and he answered them. Do you think that these galileans were worse sinners than all the other galileans?

Because they suffered in this way. No, I tell you but unless you repent. You will all likewise perish. Or those 18 on whom the tower in siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in jerusalem?

No, I tell you but unless you repent. You will all likewise.

Perish.

And he told this parable a man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vine dressers look for three years. Now i've come seeking fruit on this fig tree and I find none cut it down.

Why should it use up the ground? And he answered him sir. Let it alone this year also until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year well and good, but if not you can cut it down.

Another text just look over one section. Luke 14 25. Another example of jesus preaching church shrinkage. Messages, this is when we often talk about an apology of church. Luke 14 25. Now great crowds accompanied him and turned and he turned and said to them great crowds huge movements great crowds sometimes listen thousands thousands upon thousands upon thousands.

When jesus jesus fed the quote 5 000 that was only counting a portion of who he fed we're talking about. 20 000 people were there before jesus. This is massive. You hear stories about george whitfield, right?

George whitfield people used to go for like days to travel to go hear george whitfield preach. The man preached over 18 000 sermons in his life. They used to when he was crossing the pond from the united states to england.

They used to bring boats together on sunday just to hear george whitfield preach on the way to america or back to england. He would preach at times to crowds of 15 000 18 000 people and they rushed In throngs to get to hear whitfield jesus.

This was same sort of situation kind of normative to have thousands of people and jesus turns. Here's an opportunity for massive growth in the church, right? I mean if he was watch if he was a charlatan or a con artist.

This is the moment to just say what needs to be said to keep these numbers. Jesus turns and says to them if anyone comes to me. And does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters.

Yes, and even his own life. He cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost whether he has enough to complete it.

Otherwise when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish all who see it begin to mock him. Saying this man began to build and was not able to finish or what king going out to encounter another King in war will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with 10 000 to meet him who comes against him with 20 000.

And if not while the other is yet a great way off. He sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore any one of you who does not renounce all that he has Cannot be my disciple.

Did you hear that?

Yeah, like we have to just stop for a second and like really consider have I ever thought about the gospel call in that way. Like if you have anybody in your life that you love more above jesus He says this with love to you love strong serrated edge He says you love them more than me.

You're not worthy to be my disciple. Don't come. Don't come. Jesus says if you love anybody in comparison more to me Then do not come to me. If you do not come to die Then do not come to me. If you don't contemplate and count the cost of what it means to follow me then do Not come to me.

You see jesus stands up before crowds of people and watch he actually Loves people enough to try and talk them out of coming to him.

Right.

Like we just want to get as many people as possible to check the box to sign the card to raise the hand to pray. The prayer we just want the numbers because that to us is success. But jesus actually says it's not about the numbers.

It's about faithfulness. It's about truth. And he says this let me tell you why you should not follow me. How do you know that jesus Is not a charlatan i'd say that's one of the indicators. He's not a charlatan.

The fact that he's trying to talk people out of coming to him. Do not come to me don't do it. If you haven't counted the cost. If you love anybody in comparison more jesus preaches the church shrinkage messages.

Go back to matthew. I'll show you one more text to show you this isn't out of character for jesus. I want you to see matthew chapter 22 another example. We are going to unpack this in the future, but I want you to hear the kinds of things that jesus says.

Matthew chapter 22 verse 1 and again Jesus spoke to them in parables saying the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. And sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

Again, he sent other servants saying tell those who are invited see I prepared my dinner. My oxen my fat calves have been slaughtered. Everything is ready. Come come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention and went off.

One to his farm and other his business and while the rest seized his servants treated them shamefully and killed them. The king was angry. And he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready. But those invited were not worthy. Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find. And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found both bad and good.

So the wedding hall was filled with guests, but when the king came in to look at the guests. He saw there a man who had no wedding garment and he said to him friend. How'd you get in here without a wedding garment?

And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants. Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness in that place. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but few are chosen.

Make a decision as a christian. To believe this jesus to follow this christ. To follow the christ who tells the truth about the world about god about you about me about the future. To believe jesus here or do not this is one of those church shrinkage moments ready.

If you don't accept this christ. Who talks about binding people unbelievers and casting them into the lake of fire. If you don't believe in this christ, then I say this abandon this whole thing altogether.

Because it is not worth being almost christian. It is not worth being a.

Pseudo-believer.

What is it worth to live a life believing in a false christ? Having a false gospel and dying a death that you stay Dead and separated from god because you followed a christ that was not the true christ.

This is jesus take him at his word or Walk away like the great crowds. You see what's interesting is when jesus turned away the great crowds with these kinds of statements. His disciples actually say to him when the church has now shrunk from thousands to 12.

Right thousands to 12. They leave. And jesus would turn to the disciples left that god had transformed. That god had illuminated and he says do you also want to go? Do you also want to go. And they said what they said.

Where are we gonna go you have the words of what eternal life? You see god had done something listen in them. That they understood what this all meant, right? This is fleeting this. This moment my body my flesh.

My life is fleeting all that matters ultimately at the end is god. He's the center of it all my walk my relationship with him. The disciples had been transformed by god's grace chosen by god to understand that jesus was the centerpiece of it all.

He was the source of all life. He was the ultimate end of all things the ultimate treasure the ultimate satisfaction. Their eyes were open. They saw it. And that's why they could receive the hard statements where are we going to go jesus you have the words of eternal life.

You're all I want. You're all I want.

And when we stand brothers and sisters on the last day before the throne of jesus covered in his love Sung over by him. We will fully understand. The beauty of this salvation that he is the centerpiece of everything the foundation of it all.

So there is a couple examples of jesus speaking like this so we can see that it is not out of character for jesus. I want to say that as we get to this text here. Before we open it where jesus talks about Cutting out.

Your eye cutting off your hand cutting off the foot and casting it from you. It is better to enter into life maimed than to be thrown into the hell of fire when he talks about gehenna I just want to say at the beginning of this.

Because it's true. You've probably heard it before and that's that jesus spoke more on the details of hell Than he ever did about heaven. You know, what's interesting is I love the questions about heaven.

Somebody asked a question, uh yesterday on facebook. I don't usually interact a lot on facebook as a kind of a general rule. But I saw someone answer ask a question. I thought I gotta answer that because I think it's important and they asked a question.

They were like, do you think that we're going to eat in heaven? Which I thought was such an interesting question because. Isn't it obvious that when we're on the new heavens and new earth fully renewed and resurrected bodies that we're going to eat?

Isn't it obvious like what are you going to do with your intestines for all eternity? Like god gave it to you for a reason. Don't you believe in a final resurrection? Yes, we're going to eat and that means watch.

I believe that people that are really bad at cooking will one day in glory be great. Because there's a lot of time That goes by but here's the point. I'm only bringing it up to say this. This is interesting.

The reason we have so many questions about what ultimately heaven will be like one day. And the new heavens and new earth all renewed and everything the reason we have so many questions. Do you know this is because god does not give us a lot of details.

Except to say this to get you excited. Let me whet your appetite for heaven one day. No eye has seen. No ear has heard. It's never entered into the mind of man what god has prepared for those who love him.

So try your best to imagine what life will be like with god on this earth here and resurrected bodies for all eternity saved. No sin, no sorrow. No depravity. No brokenness. No conflict. No gossip. No bitterness.

No discontentment. Try to imagine ready do it. Imagine the best thing riding lions and giraffes and swimming with sharks. Joy, like we know all that you want to do and you're not even close. You haven't touched it.

Jesus says it you haven't even touched it. You don't have it yet but the reason we have to have these questions about what will we do in heaven one day in the eternal state is because Jesus doesn't give us a lot of details.

We have some but not a lot. You know, we do have details of you know, we do have details of.

Hell.

We actually have some pretty vivid details. About the experience of hell. Jesus did speak more about hell than he ever did about heaven. That is the truth. Now as we get to the text we already went through the first portion I'll just say quickly when jesus talks about the little children.

We've already done this last week. Little children. There is synonymous for Christians for believers. We're not to read this and think this is literally jesus talking simply about little children. Don't cause little children to stumble into sin.

Some of your moms are like, oh, thank god. Okay had some moments this week. Um. It's not that's not the point here. Jesus is using the child here as a metaphor. He brings a child to him receive the child receive me and don't cause these little ones to stumble.

This is a beautiful intimate moment where jesus actually relates his relationship to us.

Like children.

What do you do with your kids?

You love them.

You protect them smile at them. Right, they make you laugh like you're in awe of kids. Kids are beautiful and cute and we recognize there's sort of like a lowliness. To us when we get around a baby or a small child, right?

It's all of a sudden the human being no matter how hard they are they melt. With a child because you recognize the need to protect this child to love this child. To be there for this child you treat the child like a weaker thing, right?

And you protect that child you guard that child. That's why we get so angry as p as as adults when we see these videos come out online like secret videos hidden videos of some babysitter or some Nursery abusing a child we get indignant, right?

Because that child deserves our love and protection not that kind of abuse. And jesus says this is how you relate to me. This you're like a child in the kingdom. When you receive a child you receive me.

And then jesus relates sin and leading people into sin. To the issue of children. Little children here are.

Believers.

And in verse 5 jesus says whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. You receive jesus saying this you receive my people. You're receiving me. When you receive believers and love them and you bring them in you're receiving jesus.

Jesus even says that in matthew 25 the picture of the last day the judgment jesus actually gives us a story people who. Um you I was thirsty you gave me something to drink, right? I was hungry. You gave me something to eat.

I was in prison and you visited me and the believers are like when when I don't when did I? Give you something to drink and to eat and visit you and jesus says when you did it to the least of these you did It unto me.

Jesus says when you receive these little ones you receive me, but whoever causes. One of these little ones who believe in me to sin. That's the issue. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin.

It'd be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the sea.

Leading Believers into Sin and the Millstone Warning

So.

Foundationally jesus is speaking here now about his children you if you love them. If you belong to them, this is what jesus says To people that would cause you to go into sin.

He says it'd be better.

For the person that causes my children to sin To be fastened with a millstone around their neck and be cast into the depth of the sea. It's watch this is what just is mind-boggling. Listen to this. It would be.

Better.

Than a millstone around your neck and being cast into the sea. What's a millstone? Well doesn't mean much to us today. It did then. They caught it. Instantly. You've got to be kidding me a millstone. A millstone is what they would use in this day to actually grind.

Things for food. And the only way you can get a millstone to turn. To grind was to take a beast of burden. A strong beast that would work for you to pull this thing so that it would grind. It was huge heavy and it ground things kyle.

Here's a picture of an ancient millstone. This thing could not be picked up by a human being. It was something that you needed to have an animal that was strong to actually pull and to move. And so jesus says.

In the context where they could understand how heavy this was. And what a dramatic statement that this is he says if you cause a believer to sin. If you are the source of the temptation to go into sin.

It would be better.

Better for you to have one of these heavy millstones fastened around your neck and you to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Because listen It would be better to have a quick.

Painful.

Inescapable death. Than what I have in store for you in judgment. If you lead one of my little ones Into sin, this is how passionately committed the lord. Jesus is to the welfare. To the spiritual well-being of his children.

He says it would be better for this thing to be put around your neck and cast in depth to see. I've said to you guys many times before that one of my Fears, I don't i'm not really a person ruled by fear.

Um at all. But one of my fears that does cause anxiety is the ocean. Not not the not the beach. Like that doesn't it does it does me a little bit right like sharks and stuff. That that'll get me a little bit.

Um. When uh zach and I.

Were.

On our missions trip. We were so busy the entire time. We didn't really have time. We're in kawaii. We didn't really have time to do anything except uh ministry eat and then that's it. But I thought okay.

Well, we're in kawaii like we're here for a week. It'd be a shame if we didn't get a chance to at least stand on the beach for a minute and like put our feet In or go on the water. So we like committed like one day.

We've got like 20 minutes to try to get into the water and uh, we like fought to make this happen. So we get there and we only have like 20 minutes and so zach and I go into the water. He's ahead of me and we go into the water and i'm swimming.

There's fish everywhere and all of a sudden all the fish scatter from me. Now usually they kind of hang out like these fish don't even they chill around humans. They're like you probably have food i'm good.