Obstacles to the Gospel
April 6, 2025

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Pastor Jason

Mark 12:13-17
13Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words.14They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?
15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
16They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.

  • “It ain’t nothing til I call it”

  • Obstacles to the Gospel

  • V13 - catch him in his words-trap him

  • V15 - He knew their hypocrisy - their intent

  • When religious people twist the words of Jesus, it becomes an obstacle to the gospel.

  • When we follow Jesus, we adjust our lives to His gospel and when we get that backwards we become an obstacle to the message of the gospel.

  • A self-preserving church is an obstacle to the gospel message of Jesus.

  • A church with a hidden hypocritical agenda is a barrier and obstacle to people coming to faith in Christ.

  • When we filter our bible through the lens of our politics, instead of our politics through the lens of our bible, it becomes an obstacle for the gospel to be preached.

Mark 12:15-17
15Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”
But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.”
16They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
“Caesar’s,” they replied.
17Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.

  • Image

  • Eikon

  • God made man in his image, in his likeness in his icon.

  • Give to God what is God’s or everything with God’s image on it, everything in His likeness, give that to Him.

  • “And they were amazed at him”

  • When we as a church, as individuals and collectively as a church take everything in our lives that define us and we give it to God, we remove those things from being obstacles to the gospel.