Self Surgery
Text: Matthew 18:7-9
Modern medicine has its place. We appreciate that God has given man the intelligence and wisdom to discover things about our mortal bodies. Much can be done to help us when we are sick. Any good doctor will tell you that doctors do not heal. They perform surgeries on the body, but the body heals by the wisdom and design of God. And while there are many types of surgeries doctors can perform today, I want to mention a few that no doctor can perform. Some surgeries can only be self-performed. What do I mean by that? Well, keep listening and you will understand what I mean. This message is titled Self Surgery. Self surgery is removing bad body parts and replacing them with good body parts. Sometimes, whether we realize it or not, we become spiritually sick. Often when that happens, it takes more than a quick fix to heal us. Sometimes, we have to take drastic measures and perform surgery to remove the offending part.
In our text, we have the Lord prescribing what I am talking about – self surgery.
Matthew 18:7-9 Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
Let’s consider some body parts we might need to replace to make us healthy children of God.
Some Might Need To Replace A Critical Eye With A Compassionate Eye
Have you ever met a Christian who acts like nobody is as spiritual as they are? That is a good symptom of a bad eye. Let me ask you, Christian. Do you live up to your own expectations of yourself? I think if we would be honest, we would have to say that we do not. So then, if we do not live up to the expectations of ourselves, how much less might others live up to our expectations of them? I have met Christians who take Deuteronomy 7:16 just a little bit out of context.
Deuteronomy 7:16 And thou shalt consume all the people which the LORD thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them:…
Have you and I ever had that attitude towards others? You might have seen someone like this. They are the ones that come up in church and say, “Did you see what sister so-in-so was wearing last Sunday? The nerve of her wearing THAT to church. Why, I wouldn’t be caught dead in that outfit!” If the truth be told, she might not know any better. She might be lost, or maybe she has never been taught that God wants us to dress modestly.
Matthew 6:22-23 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!Many Christians live in darkness not because they don’t read their Bibles; not because they don’t go to church; not because they don’t tithe – they live in darkness because their eyes are always analyzing others.
Matthew Henry said, “God sees not as man sees; and He is their master, and not we. In judging and censuring our brethren, we meddle with that which does not belong to us: we have work enough to do at home; and, if we must needs be judging, let us exercise our faculty upon our own hearts and ways.”
He who makes time to judge others, never takes time to judge himself. How would we feel if God’s eyes judge us the way our eyes judge others? Instead of a critical eye we need to learn to have a compassionate eye for others. After all, that is what God does with us. Many times God shows us compassion even though He could be critical with us.
Psalms 145:8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Jude 1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
What a difference compassion would make if Christians would spend some time showing some towards others. If you have a problem with a critical eye, and we probably all do from time to time, why not put on the surgeon’s mask and remove that critical eye, and replace it with a compassionate one?
Some Might Need To Replace A Cutting Tongue With A Courteous Tongue
Here is another one of those verses that Baptists like to take out of context:
1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue….
OK, hold on. The verse does not end there. But, sometimes you might think it does. Did you know the Bible says a lot about the tongue?
James 3:4-10 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
That passage of Scripture was written to saved people. God may have cleaned up our cursing mouth when we got saved (and I hope He did), but He did not replace our tongue. It is still there, sharp as ever, capable of forming words that can hurt and destroy others with no less precision as before we were saved. There is an old Japanese proverb that states, “A 3 inch tongue can kill a 6 foot man.” We need to be careful that our tongues do not kill others. Somebody else said, “It is a great misfortune, not to have sense enough to speak well, and judgement enough to speak little.”
Proverbs 12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
Somebody said that God placed our tongues behind a double door (teeth and lips) on purpose.
If we have a critical, cutting tongue, we need to cut it out and replace it a courteous one. To be courteous means to be polite. We ought to learn to be polite with our words. The next time you speak about another person, ask yourself one question: Would I say this if they were standing right here beside me? If the answer is yes, your words are probably good. If the answer is no, your words might be gossip! You have heard, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We not apply that same logic to our tongues? Perhaps we should speak of others as we would have them speak of us? Are you feeling any guilt? I sure am.
Some Might Need To Replace A Cowardly Foot With A Courageous Foot
This point is not talking about kicking someone. It is about something far different.
Romans 10:15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Bold does not mean arrogant or condescending. Bold means confident and sure. In the context of witnessing of your faith, it means you know what you believe and you know why you believe it. It means you have a compassionate eye for souls and a courageous foot for carrying the message of Christ to a lost and dying world.
It is amazing how some situations appear to be dangerous when they really are not. I remember a time when we were out door-knocking. We came up to a house at the end of the street. When I knocked on the door a very large, husky man came to the door and with a deep voice invited us in. As we stepped inside I noticed a very large mounted deer head on the wall. I also noticed that the man was very well armed in the house. As we sat at his table trying not to inhale his second-hand cigarette smoke, I asked him if he had hunted recently, in hopes of sparking some conversation. He looked at me and said, “oh, I don’t hunt anymore. My girlfriend is an animal rights activist.” Isn’t it amazing how looks can be deceiving? The grizzly bear before me turned out to be a Teddy bear.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
There are many areas of life where Christians ought to have courage.
Courage to witness to our friends, neighbors, and family.
Courage to dress modestly when everyone else is dressed worldly.
Courage to say No when someone asks us to sin or do something that is against God’s Word.
Courage to take a stand for what is right when we are the only ones willing to do so.
Doing right is never popular. It does not bring fame or fortune. In fact, it often brings disdain and hatred. But God said that would be the case.
Matthew 10:22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake:
John 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
The Lord never asks us to do something He has not already done. It is far better to divorce ourselves from public opinion and be what God wants us to be than to cower.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Have you considered how unashamed the lost are with their convictions? Have you ever been in a store or a mall and noticed a small teenage boy with green spiked hair, a dog collar around his neck, holes in the knees of his jeans, sideburns like Elvis, walking next to a girl with bell-bottom hip-huggers, a nose and belly-button ring and sandals with 6 inch soles? They go out in public dressed like that and never think twice about what you or I think of them. They simply don’t care! They are making a statement about themselves and they are proud of it. All the while, some Christians, who have a statement and message from God, sweat every time they hand a feeble old lady at Walt-Mart a Gospel tract. Let us not be that way. Let us replace that cowardly foot with one that is courageous for God.
Some Might Need To Replace A Carnal Mind With A Celestial Mind
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Verse 11 states that, “such were some of you.” We used to be all of those things, but now we are washed, sanctified and justified in the Lord. The Bible talks about besetting sin in Hebrews 12:1. We are told there to lay those things that beset us aside so we can run with patience the race that is set before us.
Romans 8:4-12 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Romans 8:8 tells us we cannot please God if we are carnally minded. Usually when we speak of carnality we think of gross immoral sins. But the word carnal simply means earthly or of the earth.
2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
1 Corinthians 9:11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
We can be void of immoral temptations and still be carnal. When a Christian has his affections set on the things of this life, he can be very carnal. What is a celestial mind? It is a mind fixed on heaven not on the earth.
1 Corinthians 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
It has been said that men can become so heavenly minded that they become no earthly good. I disagree with that! I think the more we set our affections on things above, the more we can accomplish for the Lord down here.
The bottom line is this:
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
If you want peace in your life, be spiritually minded. What does that mean, to be spiritually minded?
Colossians 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Do not let your love for the world cause you to forget that you are not of this world. The songwriter wrote, “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue.” He did not mean we cannot have things in this life. We just have to make sure those things do not have us! That brings me to my next point.
Some Might Need To Replace A Covetous Heart With A Contented Heart
A carnal mind stems from a covetous heart. When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro heard that Moses had brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, he came to where Moses was. When Jethro saw that Moses sat each day to judge the people of Israel, he advised him to appoint men in Israel to be judges to help Moses in his task of judging. One of the requirements of those who were to be judges was they had to hate covetousness.
Exodus 18:21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:
The reason these men were to hate covetousness was so that they would not be tempted through bribes to judge a matter unjustly. If they were covetous men, they would not be able to judge righteously.
Years ago, I heard in the news about an old woman who died in her Pittsburgh home. After several days of not seeing her come out, the neighbors called the police. Upon arrival they were forced to break open the door of the house. Inside they found the woman frozen to death, holding a bag containing thousands of dollars. Why did she die? She died because she refused to pay to have her heat turned on!
There was another woman who was being cared for by her daughter. She always told her daughter to bury her with her pillow. When the old woman finally died, her daughter went to get the pillow. To her surprise it was filled with money she never knew her mother had. She removed the money and buried the pillow with her mother, just like she asked her to do!
Now I guess it is easy to understand how lost people can be covetous. After all, the things of this life are all they have to hope for. But you and I have something more than material things.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
We have the Lord of glory who owns everything. Stop and think about this: God owns everything you and I covet after. If He wanted us to have the things we covet, it would certainly be no problem for Him to give it to us. His admonition to us is to be content.
1 Timothy 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Sometimes it takes a long time to learn a simple truth of life. Things do not bring happiness. Things do not make us content.
Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
I think some television ministries I will not mention like to use this verse to preach a prosperity gospel. But have we considered that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires will be towards Him? Our desires will be for what is good, and right, and holy. The desire comes from what we delight in.
Some Might Need To Replace A Closed Ear With A Consenting Ear
Acts 7:54-58 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
In Acts chapter seven, Stephen, one of the seven deacons of the church at Jerusalem, preached to the religious hypocrites of his day.
Acts 7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
When Stephen preached something they did not want to hear, they stopped their ears to the preaching of the Word of God. Some Christians that do not want to hear the Word of God do the very same thing. Believe it or not, preachers have to preach things that are unpleasant sometimes. Preachers have to give the Word of God, even when it is pointed directly at us.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof [negative], for correction [negative], for instruction in righteousness [positive]:
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove [negative], rebuke [negative], exhort [positive] with all longsuffering and doctrine.
A whole lot of preaching is negative because we need good, hard, negative preaching sometimes to break our cold, callas hears. A preacher said one time, “That’s not hard preaching, that’s bad living.” Did you know that some believers will sit and listen to hard preaching until they realize the preacher stepped on their toes instead of the other guy in the pew? That is when they will get offended and blame the preacher for meddling. But they were the first to shout Amen when the preacher was preaching about somebody else’s sin.
Isaiah 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
If the preacher preaches “thus saith the Lord” we need to realize he is doing what God commands him to do. I would not sit in any church where the preaching did not cause me to consider my own heart.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Preaching is a means to let God show us our own hearts by using someone else and His Word and HIs Spirit to hold up a mirror into our souls.
Some Might Need To Replace A Complacent Hand With A Commissioned Hand
It would shock us to realize how complacent we have really become. Let me ask you a question: Why did Christ leave us here on earth after we got saved? We would all agree that He left us here to be a witness and a testimony to our loved ones, neighbors and the world. How is it then that we are so complacent about that calling?
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Stop and consider the last week, month, year, or even decade of your life. Then ask yourself, “What did I do to further the kingdom of God in that time?” We need to be reminded the Gospel message is not just preached from the pulpit. It is proclaimed every time we are around lost people.
2 Corinthians 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
At the end of Paul’s life he could honestly say:
Acts 20:26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
2 Timothy 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Wow. I wish I could say those things. I wish I could claim that I am pure from the blood of all men. No, I have not given a gospel tract to every human being I have ever met. No, I have not witnessed to every soul I have come across. But the real test is this. There have been times in my life when God’s Holy Spirit has pressed on my heart to witness to someone, and I have failed to do it. Has that ever happened to you? Those are the moments I think God will hold me accountable for.
If God has spoken to your heart in this message, you can do something about it. You can perform surgery on yourself to replace a critical, cutting, cowardly, carnal, covetous, closed, and complacent heart with a compassionate, courteous, courageous, celestial, contended, consenting. and commissioned heart for God.
1 Corinthians 11:28a But let a man examine himself…
Every surgery starts with an examination. Examine yourself, dear Christian. Do you need surgery?