We’re not to be passive. Jesus says you are to cut your hand off. Listen, it is by the Spirit that we put to death the deeds of the body. But you’re not to be passive. Jesus is saying you’ve got to do it. He’s not saying God will do it for you. He’s not saying expect the church to do it for you.
You know what? We have had people leave this church who have gone out either through discipline or they’ve just packed up and left and walked away immersed in sin who have blamed the elders. I have not been given the knife to cut your hand off. Yes, there’s a place for teaching. There’s a place for counsel. You have that responsibility. If you don’t take your hand off, it is not my fault. It is not James’ fault. And it is not somebody else’s fault down the aisle from you. You have a responsibility to amputate. And if you don’t, you go to hell. That’s what it says.
We have a personal responsibility here not to be passive. You must be proactive. You must be intentional. You must face your life with purpose. You must attack with purpose. You must be deliberate. You must identify the causes of sin in your life, and cut them off and throw them away from you.
And God doesn’t make deals. I want to tell you this too. God doesn’t tell you that it’s okay to pluck out your right eye when it’s your right hand that offends. You get what I’m saying here? Have you ever noticed, sometimes we have a tendency to do that? We feel like in our conscience, God is telling me that this thing over here is what really needs to be cut off. And we start cutting off over here. You know what we’re wanting to do? Well, Lord, will this appease You? He knows where our real idols are. He knows the things that have roots that go down deepest into our heart, and He’ll push that aside and say, “I want that thing right there.”
Excerpt taken from the full sermon: Our Lord’s Most Aggressive Command for Holiness
