Join us for our sermon titled “Eat This Book: Keep The Main Course, The Main Course,” where we dive deep into the metaphorical language used in the Bible to underscore the severe consequences of sin and the profound nature of God’s kingdom. This message will explore significant passages such as Mark 9:43-48, emphasizing the drastic measures suggested for avoiding sin and its eternal consequences. We also delve into various similes and metaphors across the Bible, from the vivid descriptions of Jesus in Revelation to the parables illustrating the kingdom of heaven. The sermon will challenge you to prioritize the essential truths of the scripture, avoiding distractions and focusing on what truly matters in our spiritual journey
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Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life
maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be
quenched—
Mark 9:44 where ‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter
life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall
never be quenched—
Mark 9:46 where ‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter
the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell
fire—
Mark 9:48 where ‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
Rule #12: Don’t Major on the Minors or Minor on the Majors, but Keep the Main Thing,
the Main Thing and the Plain Things are the Main Things
In a CBS morning interview, Joel Osteen was asked the question:
Do you feel like you’re cheating people by not telling them about the Hell part?
Or repentance part?”
Joel Osteen answered: “No, I really don’t, because it’s a different approach.
You know, it’s not hellfire and brimstone. But I say most people are beaten down
enough by life. They already feel guilty enough … My goal is to make God good
and let them know, hey, I tell them all the time, God’s smiling down on you right now.
You’re his child. He’s got a great plan for your life. You can overcome mistakes,
and to me, that draws people to God.”
The Bible uses similes to describe Jesus
Revelation 1:14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His
eyes like a flame of fire;
Revelation 1:15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice
as the sound of many waters.
Jesus incorporated numerous similes into His parables to help us understand:
Mark 4:30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with
what parable shall we picture it?
Matthew 13:31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven
is like a mustard seed …”
Matthew 13:33 Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like
leaven, …”
Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field …”
Matthew 13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful
pearls, …”
Matthew 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet …”
1 Peter 1:24 “… All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
Job 9:18 He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.
Isaiah 40:15 “Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust
on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Psalm 17:8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow
of Your wings,
Job 19:20 My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the
skin of my teeth.
Daniel 5:5 In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote
opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the
king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
Exodus 31:18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai,
He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the
finger of God.
Genesis 8:11 Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly
plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded
from the earth.
Psalm 34:15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
Psalm 34:16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither
his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Deuteronomy 1:28 Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our
heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and
walled up to heaven …
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life
maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be
quenched—
Mark 9:44 where ‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter
life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall
never be quenched—
Mark 9:46 where ‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
Mark 9:47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter
the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell
hell fire—
Mark 9:48 where ‘Their worm does not die
And the fire is not quenched.’
The hand symbolizes what is done, the foot where one goes, and the eye what is seen.
Romans 8:13 “…by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body …”
Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth:
fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Mark 9:44 where ‘Their worm does not die.
Mark 9:46 where ‘Their worm does not die.
Mark 9:48 where ‘Their worm does not die.
Verses 44, 46, and 48 are a direct reference to Isaiah 66:24,
Isaiah 66:24 “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who
have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not
quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
The Hearse Song by Harley Poe
Don’t ever laugh as a Hearse goes by
For you may be the next to die
They wrap you up in a big white sheet
From your head down to your feet
They put you in a big black box
And cover you up with dirt and rocks
And all goes well for about a week
And then your coffin begins to leak
And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
The worms play pinochle on your snout
They eat your eyes, they eat your nose
They eat the jelly between your toes
A big green worm with rolling eyes
Crawls in your stomach and out your eyes
Your stomach turns a slimy green
And puss comes out like whipping cream
You spread it on a slice of bread
And that’s what you eat when your dead
And the worms crawl out and the worms crawl in
The worms that crawl in are lean and thin
The ones that crawl out are fat and stout
Your eyes fall in and your hair falls out
Your brain comes tumbling down your snout
And the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out
They crawl all over your dirty snout
Your chest caves in and your eyes pop out
And your brain turns to sauerkraut
They invite their friends, and their friends too
They all come down to chew on you
And this is what it is to die
I hope you had a nice goodbye
Did you ever think as a Hearse goes by
That you may be the next to die
And your eyes fall out and your teeth decay
And that is the end of a perfect… day
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the
people.
The fire that shall never be quenched, and the fire is not quenched
Lyrics “And When I Die”
Now troubles are many there’re as deep as a well
I can swear there ain’t no Heaven but I pray there ain’t no hell
But I’ll never know by livin’ only my dyin’ will tell.
Charles F. Kettering said,”We should all be concerned about future because we will
have to spend the rest of our lives there.”
Mark 9:43 “… It is better for you to enter into life maimed … than to go to hell
Mark 9:45 “…It is better for you to enter life lame, than … to be cast into hell
Mark 9:47 “…It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye …than to be
cast into hell fire
Jeremiah 4:14 O Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved.
How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
