https://youtu.be/haGlz7ulCtM

Matthew 12:31-32

Have you ever seen in a movie when they say, “under no circumstances do this” and then interrupted?

This is a very contested and often misunderstood scripture in the Bible. You better get this rightIN this verse Jesus says- you can do anything and be forgiven except for one thingNow if I were you- I’d want to know what that one thing is. We serve a God that forgives sin and welcomes us into his kingdom- but there actually is something he wont forgive? Yes. Get this RIGHTWhat does the term blasphemy even mean?Basically “defiant irreverence”- you are rebellious in heart and action have no holy reverence of God or willfully degrading things that are of GodBlasphemy is also attributing evil to God, or denouncing good as not of himThis defiant irreverence is the unique sin of openly mocking God and intentionally speaking evil against God. Defaming him. Mocking him. Your mouth speaking. Your lifestyle speaking. Direct rebelliousness towards God’s holy ways. You don’t want to do this. God does not like itIn a worldly sense it would be like a child who is well cared for saying they aren’t or that their parents acted with impure motives or intent. Speaking against their character and powerIt is when God moves and we say he didn’t. Someone isn’t forgiven, that move wasn’t of the spirit, that God is evil for what he has done, that God doesn’t exist, that God doesn’t saveLev 24:16 had the punishment of death by stoning for blasphemyIn the book of Revelation blasphemy is described as the characteristic of those who are rebellious and oppose God- I’m always surprised when professing Christians blaspheme God- He’s watching. Blasphemy is serious business. Its not something to be toyed with or allowed. God will forgive blasphemy, Jesus said that people would be forgiven of it if it is confessed and repented of. blasphemer who repents can be forgiven- paul was a blasphemer. But there’s one thing NOT forgiven1 Timothy 1:13-14 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.“Christ Jesus came into the world,” the apostle continues, “to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (v. 15). Peter blasphemed Christ with curses (Mark 14:71) and was forgiven and restored.Even a believer can blaspheme, since any thought or word that sullies or defames the Lord’s name constitutes blasphemy. To question God’s goodness, wisdom, fairness, truthfulness, love, or faithfulness is a form of blasphemy. All of that is forgivable by grace. IF YOU REPENT1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”).Now to our verse- 31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.Scholars have debated and continue to debate the meaning of this verse. Lets go through them All are bad. Don’t do any of them. I think we can agree what the essence of the sin is 

There is a blasphemy that can be forgiven, there is a blasphemy that cannot

The blasphemy that CAN be forgiven is one that you have repented of and asked forgiveness ofGods heart- 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.Those words were written by the Apostle Peter—and if anyone was guilty of denying Christ, it was Peter.

https://youtu.be/1cWn5smD8GY

We are All in the Same Boat   (Romans 3:9-20)    *All verses in NKJV*

- In 1912, the RMS Titanic made its maiden voyage from South Hampton England to New York.

- The Titanic was the most luxurious and technologically advanced passenger ship in the world, and actively marketed as the world’s first and last “Unsinkable Ship.” Ironically, it hit an iceberg 4 days into the journey and sank, killing 1,517 of the men, women, and children who were on board.

- The youngest victim was 13 months, and the oldest was 74 years old.

- The Titanic was capable of carrying 48 lifeboats but was only equipped with 20 at the time. This was enough for less than half of the passengers on board, and when the lifeboats were deployed, most ended up only about half full. They had room for 1,100, but only 712 survived the ship sinking.

- According to witness accounts, the ship’s orchestra of 8 musicians, continued to play during the whole evacuation, in an attempt to calm the passengers. They played until the very end, and all of them perished. By many reports, the last song they played was, “Nearer, my God, to Thee.”

- They were all in the same boat. People from every demographic died. Rich, poor, old, young, passengers, crew members, servants, and officers. The richest man on the boat, and the Captain.

* WE are all in the same boat too! The world wants us to focus on our differences, but spiritually speaking, we are the same. We are all just arranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic.

- In the Book of Romans, The Apostle Paul is saying the same thing. At the end of the day, whether Jew or Gentile, our fate is the same. Our sin has condemned us all to death!

- Our only hope is salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone!

Read Romans 3:9-20

1. This is what Paul is saying.

- In the Book of Romans, The Apostle Paul is speaking to a Jewish audience. He speaks to them with credibility because he is also Jewish and trained in the religious law.

- The Jews know they are God’s people, and they are well versed in the law of Moses. They believe they are saved because God chose them, and the law, but Paul is telling them where they are wrong.

- Romans 2:1, Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

- The Jews should not be condemning the behavior of the Gentiles, all the while thinking that they are safe from the consequences of their own sinful behaviors.

- God does not play favorites, and we all will be held to the same standard.

- Romans 3:1-2, What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? 2 Much in every way! Chiefly because to them were committed the oracles (scriptures) of God.

- If, like Paul says in Chapter 2, The Jews can’t count on their history with God for salvation, and following the law won’t make them righteous, what’s so good about being a Jew?

- Paul tells them they have the advantage over the gentiles because they have the Word of God. They know the truth. They just need to start obeying the truth.

- So, the Jews might be thinking that if they are God’s chosen, and they have God’s word, and this gives them the advantage, that it makes them better people than the gentiles, but Paul says, “NO!”

- I think this is similar to how many Christians act these day...

https://youtu.be/dIRUoA05fIc

Matt 12:22-30Abraham Lincoln in the “house divided speech” famously quoted this scripture and said “a house divided cannot stand” in regards to slavery- "A house divided against itself cannot stand."I believe this  government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.The 16th President quoted the Bible to describe what we all know- you can’t live in duality. You cant. Something will always overtake the other- you can’t live in a divided state and expect to flourishWe see Jesus addressing the pharisees (not quoting Lincoln) and using the example of a divided kingdom in regards to the deliverance of someone from demons- You cant live a divided lifeToday we live in a divided America- or at least an America that loves divisiveness and a “us v them’ mentality- its not sustainable. You can’t live divided. Not in a nation, home, relationship, work. One side always wins out or the house itself is destroyed and no longer exists.every city or house divided against itself will not stand.In these short momentes, lets see what divides a house and how you can get some unity

What divides a house

Struggles for power Divide a house24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”Pharisees did not want things to change and they did not want Jesus to do what he was doingThe pharisees were the power brokers of the day so when Jesus showed up, they really didn’t care about the truthfulness of his claims, because he was an threat to their structural powerLets drift back to 12:14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him.- Judaism was in a rift then and now because of the rejection of Messiah-This is not the mindset of someone who is trying to find out the truth of the matter. These were learned Jews who knew Moses/the prophets and chose to ignore the messianic claims of Jesus.John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.Mark 3:6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.I don’t know much, but I know human nature and what I know is that groups that have no importance that suddenly have importance will fight to keep their importance- and will reject attacks on themIf you are at your job and what you do is seemingly insignificant, and all of sudden you’re important- you like that- and you don’t want to lose that- MeHealth in the Army v now- Public Health, CDC, Fire 9/11So when I see the pharisees- they aren’t even listening to the claims of Jesus- they just want to maintain their power.What does it mean to youStruggle for power in your life is between you and Jesus Luke 9:23-24 READThis is THE struggle for all who are not Christians, and those who are-If you’re here and you’re not a Christian- you’re in a power struggle with God- you don’t want to submit because you want to control your own life you don’t want something or someone to control youSo you resist- you fight- you don’t give yourself over to it. Be it from Trust, fear, worry, ignorance- whatever- your ‘house’ is not really divided in this sense- but your heart may beFor the believer- The “house divided” can be a daily, hourly mindset that we all constantly struggle with- How deeply am I going to honor God with my life? Mind, actions, resources etc? whom do I serveAnd the proverbial devil on the shoulder is constantly there- “should I be thinking about this” “how should I respond” and sometimes you give yourself over the flesh- and that becomes a divided houseJ...

Matthew 12:15-21 Jesus just gets done preaching on the sabbath and then he tries to get away, many follow him, he heals them, and then he warns them to not make him knows to fulfill prophecyThis is beginning to show the turning of the story towards crucifixion. Jesus knew what was going to happen- so he was telling his followers to cover for him. We, as Christian people are going through the hardest time I have seen in my lifeA time where our faith is being tested more than any other time in the past 30 yearsThe fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah towards Jesus is a promise fulfilled that gave those earliest disciples hope, and it should give us hope as well. ”Till He sends forth justice to victory”

God chose Jesus- God chose you for Victory

V18 Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!It was God’s design and plan that he would choose Jesus, send Jesus, be Jesus, redeem the world. “Till He sends forth justice to victory;”This has been God’s plan since the beginning of time- “let us make man in our own image” Part of making sense of this world is the understanding that God is working out his planPsalm 33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations.Jesus is the plan- God sent his son (himself) to redeem the world- this should give you hopeRomans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.In due time! People went 700 years without hearing from God- and here he is! God chose himWhat does it mean to youIf God chose Jesus, and is running the show- then God chose you! And that means VICTORYYou’ve heard the “before I formed you in the womb I knew you” and “the plans I have for you”And that’s true! It may not be what you expect it to be or what you want it to be- but he chose you! And that should give you a measure of hope in this hopeless world to know he chose you!Ephesians 1:4-5 READ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, That means- before the earth was created- God knew that you would exist- that he would call you and you would live for him- You’re not just some cog in massive wheel- God KNOWS you1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, - Man- I hold on to that- I’m SPECIAL- The God of the universe chose ME- I don’t think I’m better than anyone- but I sure am glad whose I am- I am HIS- He owns me and I LOVE ITI have sat in situations- thought- ‘how did I end up here’ Because he CHOSE ME FOR VICTORYJohn 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; Romans 8:29 John 15:16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you Deuteronomy 7:6 SAYS a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.Are you reflecting on that? Are you letting that minister to you? Because its TRUE- VICTORY

Jesus had the spirit of God- you have the spirit of God for Victory

“I will put My Spirit upon Him” is the promise of Isaiah and the fulfillment found in “this is my son in whom I am well pleased’ and ‘ the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove’ John 1:32 And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.The Trinity- Father, Son, Holy Spirit are 3 in 1. They are the Godhead and work in concertJesus worked through the power of the Holy Spirit while he was on this Earth. How it worked. But Jesus didn’t expect that we would walk through life through our own power- no wayWe needed and need the Holy Spirit to be able to walk on this earth We NEED YOU HOLY SPIRITGalatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”When we cry out to God in faith, we receive the spirit of adoption and his SPIRIT to help usRom 8:9 But you are not in...

https://youtu.be/ZPX9o7PO7Qg

Taking advantage of the advantage                                                           Romans 3:1-8

What’s your opinion of God?My old understanding – Strict GodMy new understanding

Recap

Paul anticipated what they were thinking – Read their mailWhat is the advantage of being Jew?Actually, great in many aspectsThey were trusted with the Oracle of the Word of GodPaul stating the fact and not trying to discredit who they are – He does a great jobHe is not against the Jews just like Pastors are not against usYou have advantage, however without Jesus its all a wasteWithout true understanding of the Heart of God, they/we cannot benefit from the knowledgeIf someone did not believe or was unfaithful would that invalidate Gods Word or His FaithfulnessCircumcision – Simply cutting or external sign and no change on the insideLet God be found true (as He will be) though every person be found a liarAs it is written – Psalms 51:4 ( Nkjv) Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight - That You may be found just [a]when You speak, And blameless when You judgeDavid is owning up to his sins and accepting the consequences of themOur unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God – NOTThe unrighteousness man enhances the righteousness of God – WrongThe Black background with a picture in the fore-frontThe darker the sin the more we show God’s gloryLike the people who glorify their past lifeGod is not wrong with inflicting His Wrath on such peopleWrong teaching – If through my lies, God’s truth is magnified and abounded to His Glory – why am I being Judged? Story of JudasSome Jews say – Let do evil so that good may come out of itGods Judgement is on themPeople don’t listen well- They listen to respondWe jump into conclusion based on our selfishnessChallenging to understandToday’s Jews look alike:Great churchGood teachingPeaceful countryBible in our own language – commentariesLittle to no hardship in this countryJews grew up hearing the Word of God, head knowledge vs heart knowledgeIf the Israelites did not make it to the promised land, does that make God not true?God does not lie – Titus 1:2(NLT) This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to[a] those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives. 2 This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world beganThis eternal life is not a wish, but a hope. In this sense, hope is an anticipation founded not on wishful thinking, but on a promise from the God who cannot lieMan will not be judged based on what man says, but by what the WORD of God says i.e. – The standard of GodDon’t abuse GracePeople will interpret however they want to suit their wishes and understanding – World around us nowPaul is attempting to make them think but it’s a futile attempt – Trying to debate the mask/vaccine mandatesIt happens all the time, when you preach a Word and people misinterpret itIsaiah 40:8 (Nkjv) The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands foreverThe Word of the Lord abides forever – no debateRomans 9:15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassionThere is never any injustice with the LordSo, if God is not a liar, does not change His standards, is righteous, has compassion of who He chooses, is Just, - He has shown all these characters and proven them over and recorded them in 66 books, what’s the confusion?Here it is – our PerceptionJesus can’t get honor in His townMark 6: 1-6 (NLT) Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. 2 The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue,

Matthew 12:1-14

https://youtu.be/QoJzWZAEhtQ

Remember that Jesus just finished talking about taking up His yoke and His burden, then will you find rest for your souls. The safety, security and rest that we search for in only found in being yoked with Jesus- following His way, obeying His Word, staying on that narrow path of affliction

Being in the corn-fields, the disciples began to pluck the ears of corn: the law of God allowed it, 

Deuteronomy 23:25 When you come into your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not use a sickle on your neighbor’s standing grain.

 The Pharisees did not quarrel with them for taking another man's corn, but for doing it on the sabbath day. Christ came to free his followers, not only from the corruptions of the Pharisees, but from their unscriptural rules, and justified what they did. 

The Pharisees distinguished themselves from the Sadducees by their zeal for the traditions of men, which they held to be equal to the Word of God. With the completion of the Mishnah (written compilation of the oral law, rituals, and traditions) in about A.D. 200, and the Talmud (the combination of the Mishnah and the Gemara [three centuries of the rabbis’ commentary on the Mishnah]) in about A.D. 500, the Pharisees’ teaching became virtually synonymous with Judaism. Ironically, it was their zeal for the law that caused the Pharisees to become focused on rituals and externally keeping the law. They abandoned true religion of the heart for mere outward behavior modification and ritual, leading Jesus to scathingly denounce their pseudospirituality: The complex set of man-made rules and regulations was a crushing, unbearable burden.

Matthew 15:9  “And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

The word "doctrines," here, means the requirements of religion - things to be believed and practiced in religion. God only has a right to declare what shall be done in His service; but they held their traditions to be superior to the written word of God, and taught them as doctrines to be binding 

Jesus meets a group of these Pharisees, most likely spies sent from Jerusalem to find an accusation against Him and Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of man. These words assert that the Sabbath (Hebrew word meaning to repose, desist from exertion) came within the limits of His jurisdiction as the Messiah, just as the power to forgive sins had been claimed by Him under the same title.  This title Son of Man asserts the authority of Him who bears it to determine how the Sabbath is to be observed in the Kingdom of God. He had this authority from the beginning:

Daniel 7:13-14 13 “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Thus Jesus declares to these men that as the Son of Man, He has authority over all things- even the Sabbath

Mark 2:27-28  And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

The Sabbath is one of the 10 commandments. The first four reveal our duty to God, the last six reveal our duty to man. The command to keep the Sabbath is the 4th, falling under our moral duty to God.

https://youtu.be/rQQlnOhwMQs

Intro story

 You could say, his heart had not been circumcised for the Lord

Now you might be thinking, that’s a weird way to phrase it

Generally speaking it would be, but since we go through the bible verse by verse this is where we are landing in the scriptures today

Romans 2:25-29

25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your [a]written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose [b]praise is not from men but from God.

When I started in ministry about 15 years ago I never once thought that one day I would have to prepare a message about circumcision

But here we are.

In the last month I have learned more about it than I ever thought I would, now you get to hear it too

Circumcision is mentioned about 100 times between the old testament and the new

This discussion about circumcision happens a few times in the new testament

Often when we hear circumcision we just think of a medical practice

But to God and the jewish people it was so much more than that

Circumcision was a direct covenant between God and His people

People probably don’t think of this or even realize, well I didn’t anyway, that this covenant was the beginning of Gods chosen people

This covenant to Abraham created a whole lineage that was set apart by God and for Him

As long as they upheld the covenant God gave to Abraham they would be set apart

Lets look in genesis to see the start of the covenant

It’s a lot of scripture but it is important to understand

Genesis 17:1-22

17 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am [a]Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” 3 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: 4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of [b]many nations. 5 No longer shall your name be called [c]Abram, but your name shall be [d]Abraham; for I have made you a father of [e]many nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. 8 Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in[f] which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

9 And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; 11 and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins,

https://youtu.be/FxQmR7X3nOE

Matt 11:25-29Jesus is talking to the multitudes here and his making some pretty bold statements- he’s saying here- he’s been talking to people who can and will hear him, these people know he’s Father God, and that if they would believe in them they’d have a better lifeHere’s the subtext of this passage- The sense of biblical rest is knowing that everything we toil for on this earth is meaningless- You can’t enter into the rest of Jesus if you still have one leg in the world and half of your heart in the worldThis is the struggle of man for thousands of years- My favorite book is Ecclesiasties- because it encapsulates so well the idea that only following God satisfies- everything else is pointless1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.2 “Vanity[a] of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” 3 What profit has a man from all his laborIn which he [b]toils under the sun?4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.And we, like the writer of Ecc, and these multitudes sitting with Jesus- find ourselves in this same tension at times- will the things of this world satisfy me more than Jesus- And if you’re toiling for the things of this world you may find it to be meaningless as wellHave you ever worked for something, got it and it didn’t satisfy? You still felt empty?That’s the ethos of this world- and if you really boil it down- you either pay for an item, an experience or a necessity. That’s about it. And I hope through this covidness that you’ve learned what to value- I hope you’ve learned what you need and don’t need. Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.

Knowing Jesus is the greatest thing

V25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.Much like now- those people who are “educated” and “influential” have a demeanor of “we know better than you religious rubes and yokels” There’s literally a sense from them that if we would just be as smart as them, we wouldn’t need to have the crutch of spirituality and we could really liveIt was the same back then- and bless God- God in his infinite wisdom says- you know what- I’m not going to worry about these self grandiose people who think they don’t need me- I’m going to those who I know will receive it. Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.This is historical normalcy- people who refuse to the simplicity of the call of God- and live in a rebellion they need not live in- Jeremiah 5:21 ‘Hear this now, O foolish people, Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not, And who have ears and hear not:Why do people live this way? Mostly rebellion. Selfishness. They don’t want to submit to God and his ways. And they love immorality- they like living contrary to the edicts of God. David prophesies  Psalm 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.God has always gone to the underdog. To the outcast. To the fringe people. The brokenPsalm 34:18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me [a]to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captivesAnd recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;What does it mean to youBless God that you k...

https://youtu.be/_1aqn8i7ywU

The whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God                               Romans 2:17-24

Paul is talking to Jews:You who call yourself Jews (NLT), calling them out to the equivalent of “you who call yourself ChristiansYou say you relying on God and are actually tightYou claim that you know Him and simply because you have been taught His lawYou are convinced that you can guide the blind and you are a light on top of the mountainYou think you can instruct the ignorant and teach the young ones about God’s waysYou are certain the God’s law give you some kind of an advantage (Complete knowledge and truth)If you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself?You tell others not to”Steal – but do you stealCommit adultery – But do you?Condemn idolatry – use stolen items from pagan templesYou are proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking itWhat would Paul write about todays Christians? About you and IGod what should I speak about?What happened?What happen to a group that has knowledge, that the Word was not second hand? It was straight from GodAnd now they are a group that bringing dishonor to GodHow do they go from thirsting for the Word and knowledge of God to being oblivious?How do we go from, being a Christian nation to removing God from every part of our lives?A word that is written in their heads and not their heartsHead knowledge but lack wisdom – that comes from the LordProverbs 1:7 (NKJV) The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,But fools despise wisdom and instructionProverbs 8:11-12 (NKJV) For wisdom is better than rubies,And all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her. 12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence(carefulness), And find out knowledge and discretionLack of Spiritual growth – if you are not growing, you are dyingWe have to cultivate and allow pruning in our lives to make sure that we are producing fruitsPastor Matt said that you got to show fruits, we have to look for fruits – especially fruits of repentanceWe know the Word; we have the Holy Spirit …yet we ignore the nudging of HimPastor Crystal preached spoke about the Word will Excuse you or accuse youPaul explains that their conscience (Work of the law that is written in their hearts) is enough to condemn them or justify them (us)In this Passage: The Jews in the time of Paul were extremely proud and confident that God gave His Holy law to them as a nationUntouchable – Pride and Spiritual pride is one of the most dangerous form of prideTheir status – How they look, who they associate with/support/ offendThe more they had the law, the further away from the truth they were going – they worshiped the created not the creatorPastor Tim, said some of you don’t need to read another passage /pray more, just need to put in practice what they learntGod applies His law to both our actions and our attitudes. Sometimes we only want our attitudes evaluated, and sometimes only our actions. God will hold us accountable for both motives and actions ~ Enduring words Remember that God is going to Judge “the real you”Homework - Matthew 5:19-48Murder is bad – Angry with someoneSacrifice – Stop and go reconcileAdultery – Don’t look at a woman lustfully

Who is willing to stand for the truth? (The whole truth and nothing but the truth…so help me God) – not todays truthHonor GodDeuteronomy 6:5-7 (NKJV) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise upGod knows our hearts and demands Honor and reverential fearNumbers 16 – Story of Korah (Sacrifice)Acts 5 - Ananias and Sapphira thought they could deceive God and get away with itAllow Him to sear...

https://youtu.be/MvizZuUdwAQ

Matt 11:20-24 Here's what I want you to get out of this sermon- You need to repent. Right now. What does that mean? It means to turn from your sin and turn towards God. It means to receive forgiveness by faith. Walk in the grace that Jesus provides. Live securely in his GraceOften times I get feedback that I talk about repentance too much or that is all I talk about- We go through the Bible. That’s what we do here. Book by book. Chapter by chapter. Line by line.- and this book talks about repentance a lot because God wants you in rel. with him. This book is intended to draw you to God. It is its purpose. Its why I say it’s a holiness storyEzekiel 14:6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations.Joel 2:12“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”Matthew 3:8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,Acts 3:19 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,The reason the sermons always talk about repentance is that the Bible always talks about itThe whole Idea of a sermon is that there is something you don’t know or something that you aren’t doing that needs to change. Unless its just an informational sermon. I don’t do thoseSo at this point in the story- Jesus has just been talking to his disciples and now he begins to rebuke entire cities for rejecting his message- Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”This passage- is contrasting three Jewish towns where he has performed many signs, with three Gentile cities known for such extraordinary wickedness as to deserve God's destruction,on the Day of Judgment the Jewish towns will be judged more harshly, because of their greater unwillingness to repent even though they saw Jesus and his miracles. 

If you don’t repent, Jesus will rebuke you

Jesus rebukes those who don’t repent- and he is doing it here in Matthew 11:20Matthew 11:20 Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in youNow rebuke just means correction- and Jesus spent much of his preaching time correcting wrong thoughts, ideas and motives- he rebuked a lot. But here it’s a whole cityChorazin is part of the “evangelical triangle” with Capernum and BethsaidaJesus rebukes them for their lack of repentance- not for the sins they performedHis rebuke is because they were ones who saw his miracles, saw his power, experienced God in the flesh- but they didn’t repent. They didn’t turn towards God in thankfulnessCan you imagine, Jesus rebuking the whole city? (in formation- all getting smoked after chapel) Remember- Jesus is stern with them and rebukes them  in love- sternness does not equal unloving- Sternly rebuking someone can sometimes be the most loving thing you can doProverbs 27:5 Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.This is quite loving because he’s giving them an opportunity to fix it before its too late. Man- he lays it on thick- Tyre and Sidon were cities that OT prophets pronounced God’s judgement on- and Jesus says- “They’ll be better than you” Think of worst city- they’ll be betterWhat does it mean to youHow’s the city of you? Has Jesus done a bunch of miracles in your life but you haven’t turned?Non-believer- right now- turn to him- He’s given you so much. Believer- don’t forget! But also remember- a message about repentance is to root out “if there be any inquity in me” secure. Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.