Did Jesus Mean We Should Cut Off Our Hands? - Apples of Gold - May 15, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for May 15, 2008

“Did Jesus Mean We Should Cut Off Our Hands?”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

Jesus said, “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”*

He also said to cut off your foot or gouge out your eye if they cause you to sin.

Now that’s some bloody, horrible imagery.  Why’d He get so graphic?

One reason was to pound home the horrors of “hell” and “eternal fire.”**  He was basically saying, “Hey, whatever it takes, you don’t want to go to hell.”

Have you ever tried to stop sinning?  Have you noticed it’s not easy?  In Romans 7, Paul said that sin was at work in the members of his body.

There is something within us that leans toward sin.  Have you ever driven a car that was out of balance?  You work to keep it straight, but it fights you.  That’s what life is like in this flesh.  Even when we have the best intentions, something just pulls us off course.

So should we start hacking off body parts?

For example, if your eyes cause you to lust, will blinding yourself stop all the lust?  No, because lust doesn’t come from your eyes.  Jesus said in Mark 7 that evil thoughts and immorality come from within, from our hearts.

So sin is not really a body problem, it’s a heart problem.  You can attack your body all day, but you won’t get to the sin problem until you get to your heart.

So what can we do about our hearts? 

Romans 2 talks about an “unrepentant heart.”  So what we need to do is repent of our sins.

Then, in our hearts, we need to believe in Jesus, that He is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead.***

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, Acts 15 says He purifies our hearts.

Ephesians 3 says that Jesus comes to live in our hearts, and that triggers an avalanche of good things.

Romans 5 says God gives us His Holy Spirit, and pours His love into our hearts.

Second Corinthians 1 says that God’s Spirit is in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  It’s God’s “seal of ownership” on us.

So the answer to the sin problem is not butchering your body, because sin starts in your heart.  We have to deal with the source of the sin.

We do that by repenting and believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Then God’s Holy Spirit comes into our hearts.  It’s God’s way of sealing our future, and we are no longer in danger of hell.

Now I wish that was the end of the story, and we never had to battle sin again.  Unfortunately, even though we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, our flesh still pulls toward sin.

So now what?  Now do we start cutting off body parts?

No.  Romans 6:13 has a much better plan.  “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather…offer the parts of your body to (God) as instruments of righteousness.”

If you notice that your eyes are causing you to sin, don’t attack your eyes.  Instead pray this little prayer, “Lord, I offer up my eyes to you as instruments of righteousness.”

What will your eyes be doing as “instruments of righteousness”?  Many things.  They can be used to study God’s Word.  They can be used to look around for needs to meet, for people to help. 

If your hand is prone to sin, don’t cut it off.  Just pray this little prayer, “Lord, I offer up this hand to you as an instrument of righteousness.”

“Well, Doug, that’s a bit of an oversimplification, don’t you think?”

Look.  If you are a Christian, then you already have all the tools you need to overcome sin.  The Holy Spirit within you is the awesome power of God! 

And the battle to overcome sin is not some battle of the titans.  There is only one titan, God.  So this little prayer handles sin like a sledgehammer handles a cell phone – it disables it, to put it mildly. 

So when you feel pulled toward sin, when your flesh wants to drag you down, put this little prayer to work.

“Lord, I offer up my body as an instrument of righteousness.”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 
 * Matthew 5:30
** Matthew 18:8
*** Romans 10

© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000
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