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good morning everyone welcome to free grace baptist church one announcement before we begin worship just a reminder that the directories are on the back table just at the back of the church there in the the foyer a there's 11 section is a phone numbers the other is email addresses I I said last Sunday that if you could just have a review it and put initials and check marks if the information is correct not a whole lot of initials and check marks on the sheets so you could listen to me that'd be great now if you could just go back there at some point and put in an initial or a check mark on there that would be helpful if the information is correct if you'd like a change to it you could just a scratch out what's there right the current information new phone number on the one side or email address on the other if you could do that to today great if not today please feel the liberty of conscience to do it next Lord's Day that's fine as well let's begin our worship that oh one other thing sorry excuse me if you're not on there and you'd like to be in the directory you can as well put to your information on the sheets their name and then and then the relevant information let's please begin worship then if you can turn in your Bibles with me to Psalm 8 Psalm 8 will be our call to worship this morning psalm eight the word of a living and true God to the chief musician on the instrument of gas a psalm of David o Lord our God how excellent is your name in all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies that you may silence the enemy and the Avenger when I consider your heavens the work of your fingers the moon and the stars which you have ordained what is man that you are mindful of him and the Son of man that you visit him for you have made him a little lower than the Angels and you have crowned him with glory and honor you have made him to have dominion over the works of your hands you have put all things under his feet all sheep and oxen even the beasts of the field the birds of the air and the fish of the sea that passed through the paths of the Seas o Lord our Lord how excellent is your name in all the earth amen well let's stand and sing together as a church you can turn in your larger hymn books to 109 that's him number 109 and we'll all stand and sing that together please be seated will now go to our God in prayer just a couple of those things that we can pray for a reminder an email went out with regards to Don neufeld who had a severe stroke recently he's in Vancouver General Hospital presently Karen is there with him as well we can pray for dawn most certainly and for the neufeld family we can also remember jail ditto in our prayers good news with regards to her heart her heart as well we can pray those there's a cyst on the lungs I believe it is that would need to be remove or be good to be removed we can pray for God's blessing with regards to the heart and for further strengthen and growth and health for a jail ditto and for the diddle family well let's go to our great God in prayer let us pray our righteous and our Holy Father we come to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the spirit with joy in our hearts that we can gather together in this place this morning to worship our God and we would pray yet again that you would help us to do so rightly we pray that you would send your spirit tending unto our souls that we might approach you with reverence and godly fear we pray God that your name would be hallowed here and in all the earth we would pray that you would be as you are the rightful recipient of all honor and praise from the lips and from the hearts of your people we would pray God that in this place this morning we would come to you bringing you those spiritual sacrifices acceptable to you through Christ Jesus the Lord and we do pray God that you would help us again to worship you as we ought and knowing that you deserve most certainly the praises of your people we would ask that you would cause us now to rejoice in Christ Jesus the Lord and in your glorious gospel we know that we are not saved that we are not believers by virtue of the deeds done in holiness of heart we know that we are not saved by works of righteousness which we have done we recognize humbly so that salvation from first to last midst and throughout is from a triune God who saves without a helper and we rejoice that you have called those here this morning who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ unto the saving of their souls that you have called us from out of darkness unto marvelous light that we were once dead in our trespasses and in our sins walking according to the course of this world according to the Prince of the power of the air that now works and the sons of disobedience that we were once all children of Wrath just like the others following after the lusts of our mind and the lusts of our hearts we rejoice that even though we were dead in trespasses and sins you made us alive together with Christ by grace we have been saved and that according to your kindness and your eternal and unchanging love we do pray that you would cause us to sing the praises of such a glorious gospel that to affect that salvation Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save he lived a life of perfect obedience unto your law he died a death of perfect substitution ery in sacrificial atonement his death upon that tree was not one of maybe or perhaps but in so dying upon Calvary's cross he secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number all those whom you had given unto Christ and we rejoice in that we rejoice that we can be accounted among that number and we do pray that you would cause us to rejoice in the resurrection of our Savior we know that he did not remain in the grave but on the third day he rose again and power in him great victory he ascended to your right hand where ya now ever lives to intercede for the Saints we do rejoice in this truth and we would pray that our hearts would arise as that him is that him calls that our hearts would arise unto worship of our God that we would have no fear knowing that an intercessory mediator comes before you buy his blood on behalf of all of his people in Christ we have a perfect Savior we pray that you would bless this day of worship that you would bless this day of worship around the world we would pray that our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ would be rejoicing in you would be singing your praises and would be hearing the word preached and we do pray that not only in this place but around the world the a true and saving word the true and saving Christ and that true and saving message of Amazing Grace would be preached from each and every pulpit that is yours and we would pray that multitudes of sinners would hear and believe and we would pray that your multitude of saints would hear and be all the more instructed and encouraged in their walk with Christ we would pray for those of our brothers and sisters that are in nations where there is much persecution we would ask God that you would be with them each and every one strengthening them in their walk that they would cause them by your grace and for your glory to lay hold with great strength upon the hope of their calling that they would be remaining steadfast on to the very end even in the midst of persecution and we pray that you would save persecutors you would save those who are yours bring them on to faith in Christ those who are not we pray that you would cast them down and take them out of the way we do pray that you would vindicate your name in all the earth that you would deal with the government's and the nations of the world you would cause rulers to rule and righteousness and justice and inequity and we pray that those who will not that you would cast them down so that they may not no longer bring perversion among the nations and we would ask God that you would be now with those who are near to us we think of dawn Neufeld we would pray God that you would be with our brother in the hospital we pray that you attend to his body that you would stitch and mend the wounds of the physical man back together in the midst of such physical trial we would yet again pray that you would strengthen him in the inner man in the midst of this affliction 10 done to his soul that he might be resigned unto that glorious principle that the judge of all the earth does right and that you work all things Lord God for the good of those who love you to those who are the called according to your purpose might he rejoice in this affliction and made he sing the praises of our Christ we would pray as well that you'd be with Karen be with Emily and Sarah as they bring hopefully bring words of comfort and as they deal with this physical affliction of their fall we do pray that you'd strengthen them that each and every one would be holy resign done to your will and that they would joyfully be resigned unto their triune God in all things and be rejoicing in their Christ we would pray that you'd be with Jael we would ask that you would strengthen this young one that we thank you and we rejoice in her heart as well we pray that you would continue to deal with those problems that she does have we pray that you would guide the hands and and instruct the wisdom of those doctors dealing with her we do pray that you'd bring much comfort to the ditto family as well help them to be prayerful with Thanksgiving might they be anxious in this might they not be anxious in this Lord but come to you with their prayers and supplications and we know that your peace is given to all those of your people who come to you in prayer and we do pray that you would grant that unto them with all others Lord who struggle physically do please strengthen do he'll attend to those who are yours that they might know strengthen we do pray all for all of these as well in the midst of affliction that they would nevertheless be rejoicing in their God we do pray God that you would now be with the preacher as he comes up here in a number of moments we would ask that you would be with him that you would help him as he grips this pulpit we do know Lord that ministers of your gospel lean not upon physical and human strength but rather they rely upon the strength that the triune God affords and we would again ask that you would help him pastor Butler as he opens his viable help him to know your aid into pre 12 of things of the risen Christ we would ask that you would be with those gathered who are your saints that you would strengthen them by word and spirit and those who entered in these two doors outside of Christ in unbelief we would yet again pray that you would come upon the wings of victorious grace that you would save sinners young and old to the praise of your glorious grace and it's in Christ's name that we pray amen let's stand and sing hymn number 173 173 let's all stand and sing that together you please be seated can turn in your Bibles to revelation 11 the eleventh chapter of Revelation our new testament scripture reading this morning once again the word of the living and true God revelation 11 beginning in verse 1 then I was given a reed like a measuring rod and the angel stood saying rise and measure the temple of God the altar and those who worship there but leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it for it has been given to the Gentiles and they will tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months and I will give power to my two witnesses and they will prophesy 1260 days clothed in sackcloth these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the god of the earth and if anyone wants to harm them fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies and if anyone wants to harm them he must be killed in this manner these have power to shut heaven so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy and they have power over waters to turn them to blood and to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they desire when they finish their testimony the Beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them overcome them and kill them and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified then those from the people's tribes tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days and not allow their dead bodies to be put into the graves put into graves and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them make merry and send gifts to one another because these two prophets for mention excuse me tormented those who dwell on the earth now after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them and they stood on their feet and great fear fell on those who saw them and they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them come up here and they ascended to heaven and a cloud and their enemies saw them in the same hour there was a great earthquake and a tenth of the city fell in the earthquake seven thousand people were killed and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven the second woe is past behold the third woe is coming quickly then the seventh angel sounded and there were loud voices in heaven saying the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever and the 24 elders felt excuse me in the 24 elders who SAT before God on their Thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God saying we give you thanks O Lord God Almighty the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and rained the nations were angry and your wrath has come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that you should reward your servants the prophets and the Saints and those who fear your names small and great and should destroy those who destroy the earth then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the Ark of his covenant was seen in his temple and there were lightnings noises thunderings and earthquake and great hail amen well just two observations you see the the folly in the madness of those who reject the gospel of Christ and the the sinful and wicked giddiness if you will that comes when servants of God are seen to be defeated verse 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them make merry and send gifts to one another because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth there is not just this sense there is the reality that those who proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ do torment those who hear that Proclamation now while there certainly will be differences between these prophets being spoken of in first century Jerusalem and our time today we no longer work after signs and miracles and and and mighty deeds done supernaturally speaking but we do have the Blessed reality that the ministers of the gospel proclaim the the risen and exalted Christ this one who died for sinners and rose again and so the words of truth can come to the ears of unbelieving on Penton sinners and it can be as torment because they hear of this God infinite eternal and unchangeable in His Holiness in his justice they hear of themselves being dead in their trespasses and in their sins wholly unable to affect anything unto God and yet they also hear of this Savior this one who comes who died for sinners and rose again if you believe in him you will have everlasting life but if you do not believe he will dash you to pieces as a Potter's vessel this comes as torment to the years of those opposed to the glorious God of heaven and earth it isn't it a glorious thing than to consider salvation if you're here this morning and you are in Christ Jesus you have been brought from out of this place of madness out of this place of making merry the the the evil things that would come upon ministers of the gospel even the death of a preacher of the gospel you came from a place that that would make you sing with joy to a place where you rejoice in these who bring torment upon those who reject the gospel where you where you believe on the Christ that these tormentors preached where you believe on the Blessed triune God that empowered these prophets to proclaim the riches and the excellencies of Christ what a blessed thing to be turned from verse 10 people to those who humbly rejoice with godly fear and the God of heaven and earth notices well the God of heaven and earth we been studying worship in our morning sessions and one of the things that is repeated time and again is that our worship unto our great God is to be done with reverence and with godly fear we don't stumble and stroll into worship with our hands in our pockets chewing bubblegum and juggling bowling balls we come into the worship of the living and true God with reverence and godly fear we are to enter into these pulpits and sit down and prepare ourselves to worship not not because we are checking off the boxes of liturgy as we discuss this morning but with genuine and joyful hearts of cheerful compliance we approach our God because he is a God who is described here we give you thanks O Lord God Almighty the one who is and who was and who is to come because you have taken your great power and rain the nations were angry and your wrath has come and the time of the dead that they should be judged that you should reward your servants the prophets and the Saints and those who fear your name small and great and should destroy those who destroy the earth he's not talking here about destroying those who are you know the destroying those who pollute the earth with litter on the streets of Vancouver he's talking peculiarly about those who would pervert proper religion reject the Lord of glory and continue on with the abominations of temple sacrifices and all of those things opposed to the true and living God but then notice what we have here then the temple of God was opened in heaven and the Ark of his covenant was seen in his temple and there were lightnings noises thunderings and earthquake and great hail you see we worship the God of Sinai we worship the god of thunderings and threatenings we worship the god of earthquakes in great hail we worship a god mighty in his power absolute in all of his perfections and so now as we continue with worship the brothers and sisters hopefully you do so with a reverence and godly fear because of the God that we worship this god of threatenings and thunderings and earthquakes the god of Sinai is also the god of Calvary the god of that blessed mount who has sent his savior into the world our Savior into the world his son into this world to die for sinners and to rise again Saints rejoice in that inferior God godly fear reverence sinners here this morning fear that God fear the god of threatenings earthquakes thunderings and great hail that you might by grace come to that blessed mount of calvary safely in christ jesus believe on him and you will be saved let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for your scriptures we rejoice in your revelation to men we pray that you would cause us as we continue in worship to do so with reverence and godly fear we thank you for the God who you are God who you have were sealed revealed yourself to be in the Holy Scriptures and we would ask that you continue with us in worship causing us to engage in that worship with a cheerful compliance rejoicing in the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ returning unto you those things that are your do that you might receive all on or in all glory and all praise and we pray in Christ's precious name amen well let's stand and sing that our final him before the preaching is 592 let's stand and sing 592 together you you please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 21 Matthew 21 our focus this morning is on the second part of the cleansing of the temple last week we considered specifically verses 13 and 12 and 13 when our Lord went in and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple and overturn the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves we saw how the Lord Jesus does this in accordance with the prophet Isaiah in Chapter 56 verse 7 concerning the real purpose of God's house and then Jeremiah 7 and verse 11 the reality that the people of God are the professing people of God had engaged in hypocrisy so this morning will pick up verses 14 to 17 but i do want to read beginning in chapter 21 at verse 1 now when they drew near jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the mount of olives then jesus sent two disciples saying to them go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied and a Colt with her loose them and bring them to me and if anyone says anything to you you shall say the Lord has need of them and immediately he will send them all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet saying tell the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a Colt the full of a donkey so the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them they brought the donkey and the Colt laid their clothes on them and set him on them and a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out saying Hosanna to the son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord xana in the highest when he had common to Jerusalem all the city was moved saying who is this so the multitude said this is Jesus the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves and he said to them it is written my house shall be called a house of prayer but you have made it a den of thieves then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and He healed them but when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying out in the temple and saying Hosanna to the son of David they were indignant and said to him do you hear what these are saying and Jesus said to them yes have you never read out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and he lodged there amen we'll let us pray father we thank you for this time to gather together we pray for the Ministry of your Holy Spirit now to guide to illumine and to instruct us may we marvel and stand amazed at the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ that son of David the one who is worthy to be praised and glorified and honored we ask that you would forgive us for all of our sins and our transgressions she would cleanse us in that precious blood the Prophet said in that day there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness and certainly those of us who know this grace are more appreciative each and every day the Newton said I know two things I am a great Center the Christ is a great Savior and in this our God we we rejoice and we pray that now we would admire this one who came from heaven to save his people from their sins we thank you that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and to take his people into that eternal bless with father son and spirit we pray as well for any and all who are outside of Christ that today would be the day of salvation God we pray that you would grant your spirit powerfully bring the conviction of sin that is necessary and bring that faith so that sinners can close with the Lord Jesus Christ and we pray this in his Most Blessed name amen well as we have considered several times our Lord and his ministry announced that he would go to Jerusalem and now he is in Jerusalem he makes this triumphal entry recorded in the first part of Matthew chapter 21 in fulfillment of the prophets Isaiah and Zechariah specifically Zechariah 99 tell the daughter of Zion behold your king is coming to you lowly and sitting on a donkey a cult the foal of a donkey the people respond to that by crying out Hosanna to the son of David and most likely the people that were crying out were Galileans who had come down from the north at the same time that Jesus had in order to be in Jerusalem for the Passover fees and of course the people that dwell in Jerusalem ask the question who is this man and they ask it not what is his name or what is his you know background but what manner of man is that summing the people are praising the people are celebrating the people are saying that he is indeed the son of David and on the heels of that verse 11 they announce that this is Jesus the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee and as a prophet Christ now comes to the temple and in a manner very similar to the Prophet Jeremiah the Lord Jesus Christ brings an indictment and he brings judgment to bear upon those who are prostituting the worship of the Living God remember Jesus does this in fulfillment of several passages most notably Malachi chapter 3 and the messenger whom you seek will come to his house or to his temple and he will bring judgment so the Lord Christ brings purity or cleansing to be sure remember he's also signifying or or or a foreshadowing a judgment that is ultimately to come upon Jerusalem and so Jesus drives these people out and now pick up the narrative specifically in verses 14 to 17 where we notice to specifics first the healing of the blind and the lame after this activity in which he drives out the money changers so the healing of the blind and the lame and then in the next place the anger of the religious leaders you were living in Galilee and Jerusalem rather in the first century you certainly wouldn't want to invite these Pharisees to your party I mean they're a real bummer these men are a real drag these men are a real downer they are indignant with the Lord Christ not because he flipped tables over not because he drove money changers out not because he indicted the people for their wretchedness and conducting themselves as criminals and yet seeking refuge in the house of God know what really angers the Pharisees is that our beloved Christ heals the blind in the land what really angers these Pharisees is that our beloved Christ is the object of infant praise so as I said these are the sorts of men you certainly don't want to invite to your happy event because they'll rain all over it but note in the first place the healing of the blind and the lame verse 14 then the blind and the lame came to him in the temple now as I mentioned before Matthew and Jesus know the Old Testament a lot better than we do when we read this particular statement in this particular context it might cause us to consider another passage in the Old Testament second Samuel chapter 5 second samuel chapter 5 is an interesting portion of Scripture because it there tells us that David assumes the king of the kingdom or the throne not just in Judah but also over all Israel so David consolidates power in terms of the northern tribes and in terms of the southern tribes and then entering intriguingly enough they go into Jerusalem in order to conquered Jerusalem and to set that place up as the political and religious capital of Israel if you look at a map it makes a lot of sense Jerusalem is about right in the middle so you've got access to both north and south but before they can take the city there's a group of people called the Jebusites they were the ones that originally inhabited Jerusalem now obviously the jebusites didn't want David to take their city you'll get that right your job you cite you're chilling in Jerusalem and gave it comes along to take it from you you're going to try and resist him and it's intriguing because the Jeb you cite sort of chai or jeer at David they said even are lame and our blind will be able to keep you out of the city kind of an interesting thing we'll send the weakest will send the most miserable will send the ones that have no strength whatsoever and they'll be able to keep you out of Jerusalem of course David and his men go in and utterly destroy the job you sites and they conquered Jerusalem and as a result David refers to the line and the blame that his soul hate it or at least the author does now I don't believe that David hated lame and blind man I really don't believe that I believe he was a man full of compassion probably a reference to the jeering Jebusites they function like these lame and blind men some of the older commentators say the black but I keep wanting to say the blame in the mind the lame and the blind they were the idols of the jebusites but I think it's more appropriate to see him as the judges sites themselves and then a proverb developed that the lame and the blind were no longer allowed in the house I can't refer to the temple because they've just conquered Jerusalem and haven't built the temple yet could it have been a reference to David's house whose house we don't know but later interpreters and in fact the Qumran community specifically interpreted that passage literally and would not allow the lane and the blind to go into the temple there's a prohibition leviticus twenty one that lame and blind man could not function as priests there's nothing written in terms of keeping them out of the temple so what some have speculated or have seen in this particular passage again not suggesting that david was a wretch who went out of his way to hurt the lame and the blind but in light of the fact that that statement second Samuel five had been applied in such a way as to keep the lame and the blind out of the house of God what the author is doing here is showing us that David's greater son is in fact present if it was the case at one point in time that lame men and blind men were kept out of the house under Christ the Lord such is not the case under Christ the Lord he heals them under Christ the Lord he gives them blessing he gives them psyched and he gives them health to their legs certainly the people seem to understand it this way because the children the baby is the infant they list the praise once again Hosanna to the son of David the Messianic overtones in this particular section of Holy Scripture is huge Christ is the Davidic Sun Christ is the one promised at second Samuel 7 Christ is the one that will be stationed upon a throne and his kingdom will have no end Christ has come and he has announced this boy coming on a donkey and here by his reception of the blind and the way and as well notice with reference to these blind and lame they came to him in the temple we saw this in Matthew 20 at the end of the chapter when jesus heals those two blind men remember when Jesus calls them to himself and he says what do you want and they said we want to see that's just unheard of no one stops you in the street a homeless man doesn't stop you in the street and say I need something and when you ask him what is it that you need or want I want to see he knows that you can't do that the best he's going to get is five or ten or twenty bucks depending on how generous you feel at that particular time but these men ask specifically of the son of David that they can see that they would have sight that they would have vision and in the same way these blind men these lame men they come to him in the temple and then notice what the end of verse 14 says something we expect as we follow Jesus history in Matthew's Gospel and he healed then it's amazing isn't it this is the last public healing in the Gospel of Matthew there's been a whole bunch of them prior to this especially in that section in Matthew chapter 9 but here specifically he heals these blind men he heals these lame man what does this do in the context it affirms his authority it confirms who he is remember I said there are foolish preachers today that say or claim that Jesus never asserted that he was the Messiah Jesus conspicuously asserts that he is the Messiah by word and in this passage by deed the fact that he comes on the donkey's colt into Jerusalem affirms that he is Messiah the fact that he has now healed these blind in these lame in the temple confirms that he is the Messiah Isaiah the prophet in chapter 35 Isaiah 61 one already applied to Jesus Christ in Matthew 11 4 and five indicates that the man whom god would San would heal people he would heal the blind he would heal the lame he would render aid he would render support he would show himself the Christ of God Most High Calvin says in order to proclaim that the rights and honour of Messiah truly belong to him concerning the healing of these men for by these marks the prophecies described in in other words imagine this I wander into downtown chilliwack and a group of people start saying well it's the son of day Hosanna to the son of David I can't heal anybody to confirm that can i I can't heal anyone to affirm that or to verify or to validate that on the heels of the cries concerning lisanna to the son of David the fact that he gives sight to the blind the fact that he gives the ability to walk to the lame hopefully the persons around there are understanding all too clearly what he is saying he is saying I am the Christ of God I am the Messiah prophesied i am the Davidic sod promised in second samuel seven to rule and to reign over an eternal Kingdom in the glory of my father that's what's happening in this passage Gill says which miracles he brought in confirmation of the doctrine he preached as well I think Matthew is picking up a theme that he's picked up our or that he set forth many times previously who does Jesus target with his mercy in the passage is not the religious leaders their indignant with him and when he departs from them we ought to read that in a turn in sort of a judgmental way if Jesus did that today University students would cry University students would be damaged they would pout he turned his back on me that's exactly what he did it was a mark of judgment you're safe space notwithstanding or the micro aggression you think it was or the trigger that really bothers you our Lord Christ overturned tables our Lord Christ turned his back upon wicked man our Lord Christ would not fit in a politically correct culture and neither ultimately should his preachers because they are not to be prissy dainty man who are afraid to press the truth claims of Jesus but they need to crawl out they need to spare not they need to lift up their voices like a trumpet and they need to bring the truth of God's Word to bear even if people sniffle wine cry complain pain and need therapy there's a University where a man it was a wesleyan university so I suppose it was Christian and one of the students was offended because of the sermon out of first Corinthians 13 the love chapter you say how in the world could anybody be offended by that well because it made me feel bad because I don't love like I ought then repent of your sin and shut your mouth and don't ever try to get a preacher stopped for proclaiming the truth as it is in Jesus Christ Jesus Christ would not be embraced in our PC culture Jesus Christ would not be welcomed in pulpits today because Jesus Christ had the wherewithal to turn his back on the religious leaders he turns his back to them but notice who he shows mercy to to the downtrodden and poor to the blind and to the layman to the children isn't this what he prays praises the father floor in Matthew 11 I bless the ER I thank the god lord of heaven and earth that doubt its hide these things from the wise and prudent but you did strim on to beige even so father for thus it was well pleasing in your sight that doesn't necessarily mean people that are you know six months old but babe like people humble people the lonely people the downtrodden the poor Matthew chapter 18 when the disciples are jockeying for position who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven what does Jesus do he grabs a child that he sets it it sets him in the midst of that and he says if you want to be great in the kingdom of heaven you need to be like this child Jesus is flushing this out in his own ministry here in Jerusalem he is demonstrating kindness and compassion not to these religious leaders now that's not to say if they don't repent they don't forsake their sin they won't find mercy of course they will praise God Almighty that the Lord Most High not only saves the downtrodden and the poor and the wretch but he also saves the self-righteous wretch he also speaks a word concerning the older brother with reference to the prodigal son in some ways as Davis says the older brother is one we ought to be focused on in the story of the prodigal son but that's a whole different story but notice Jesus shows this mercy and this grace to the downtrodden and poor and as well it is an assertion of his authority and in verse 23 guess what the religious leaders are going to deal with him on by whose authority do you do these things that becomes crucial that becomes sort of the foundation of the framework for the ensuing battles between Christ and these religious leaders now notice in the second place we've seen the healing the blind and the lame notice in the second place the anger of the religious leaders in verses 15 to 17 but when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying out in the temple and saying Hosanna in the son of David they were indignant and said to him do you hear what these are saying note the acts they witnessed they saw him turn tables over they saw him drive money changers out they heard him say that you have made my father's house or my house rather notice how Jesus does that interchangeably in John 216 he speaks of my father's house here in Matthew 21 he speaks of my house he had heard that are they had heard HAMP basically denounce their practice and evidence that you think they'd get indignant about that you think they'd get angry about that I'm sure they did but it's expressed here after he heals people and after young children praise Him it isn't that terrible never seen animosity against Christ and you just wonder why is that I mean as Peter describes Jesus in acts 10 his sermon before Cornelius he describes Jesus as a man who went about doing good he was a man who went about doing good why all the hate why all the opposition why all the rejection why are people indignant why are people angry to the fiber of their beings with this Jesus who is the Christ because Wally went out doing what was good he also exposed the evil of that which was back in John's Gospel Jesus says the darkness doesn't come to the light last it's evil deeds be exposed it's the doctrine of sin it's the reality of total depravity it is the reality of a total inability on the part of dead sinners to merit favor with God that's the only thing that can logically explain why grown men would be upset when my lame people and blind people are healed think about it if you were one of the lame of the blind I can see I can walk and they're angry at the man who did this for you in Luke's Gospel there's an instant instance where a woman comes to be healed on the Sabbath day and the lord jesus heals her in the synagogue on the Sabbath day do you know how the synagogue ruler responds oh isn't it great we've witnessed the power and authority of Jesus isn't it great that this one that it was hunched over with CM for these 18 years has now been freed no he's indignant and he reproves the synagogue and he sets six days you should come to get healed but the seventh is the day of rest I mean you talk about down or men you're blind or you're lame and the in the temple you've been healed by our Christ you're joining the chorus of praise with the Galileans and with these beds or these infants are these young people rather people that could voice praise and then these Pharisees are upset at the man who healed you you probably rub your heads and what's the matter here what they do that's what the text indicates to us the blind I'm sorry verse 15 but when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he had did and the children crying out in the temple and saying Hosanna to the son of David they were indignant and said to him do you hear what these are saying their anger is expressed at our Lord Jesus Christ because they saw wonderful things and heard children crying out in praise to him in Mark's Gospel 1118 same passage parallel passage a couple other details says an the scribes and the chief priests heard it and saw sought rather how they might destroy him you see what Matthew is doing for us here matthew is preemptively explaining the passion narrative to us Jesus according to Matthew 20 28 is the son of man who did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many Matthew is starting to build the case as to how Jesus will give his life because if we follow Jesus the hero in the narrative up to this point we might be inclined to say what manner of men would ever try and kill him who would want to rid the earth of a man who heals lame people a man who heals blind people who in their right mind would want to destroy somebody who walks on the water who multiplies loves who multiplies fish who feeds the poor who raises the dead why in the world would anybody want to do that so Matthew is building the case so that by the time we get into the heart of Jerusalem in the heart of the passion and we hear these people say away with him away with him crucify him or track it we understand we now know how it is he's going to give his life a ransom for many he's not going to give his life in some sanitized way he's not going to give his life on some Island he's not going to give his life dying of old age he's going to give his life at a violent and in a bloody manner he is going to be mocked he's going to be beaten he's going to be abused he's going to have Fornes driven into his head he's going to be nailed to the cross and treated like a criminal he is going to be treated like scum that's what our Savior does when he gives his life a ransom for many if you are not a Christian here this morning you ought to get your mind wrapped around that sometimes person say well I don't know if I can come to Christ go to Christ Christ came into this world sinners to save send it beautiful he heals the law of the land in the blind he receives the praise of children he's a friend of the downtrodden and poor there's no one more downtrodden and poor than an unbelieving sinner if you hear the gospel by God's grace believe it don't continue in your rejection and your rebellion you may sit this morning as an unbeliever condemning the actions of these religious leaders why would they reject him why would they despise him why would they be indignant in their hearts but you have to come to grips with the reality that you're on their side you may not express it in the same way you may not show the same anger but there's two where are those two groups of people with reference to Christ Matthew 12 30 he who is not with me is against me so if you continue impenitent and you continue in unbelief and you continue in rejection and rebellion you were on the side of these wretched man that would ultimately cry away with them away with him crucify him that's it there's two positions there is in Christ and there is out of Christ if you are out of price this morning may I plead with you to come to Christ why will you die why will you continue why reject the offer of mercy why reject the offer of gospel blessing what is it about sin that's so tantalizing what is it about wickedness that has your heart what is it about the prospect of hell that doesn't terrify you the prospect of the wrath and fury and judgment of a holy and righteous God oh don't reject Jesus like these men don't reject Jesus like these men who with bitter anger and hardness of hearts show this anger to him ultimately by calling for crucifixion repent believe the gospel look and live as Jesus Christ says just as the serpent was lift it up in the wilderness so must the Son of Man also be lifted up how was one saved when they got bit by those serpents in the Book of Numbers it wasn't by they're dragging themselves to the brazen cross in order to the brazen serpent it wasn't by them biting out and sucking out the the venom of the serpents and then coming to that brazen serpent you see that's how sinners play now well I'm told the look and live but you know I got to fix this and I got to do this and I'm going to suck out this venom and I have fixed my leg before I I go to that bright now you need to calm you need to look at with this is you know we say this probably every week hopefully your parents say this every night hopefully you hear it more than even that young people children believe life isn't good outside of Christ life is miserable outside of Christ I mean there is a way which seems right unto a man but its end is destruction you see sin has a deceiving power and influence over the heart so that running with this group of friends or smoking this particular type of drug or or drinking this particular thing or pursuing this particular Idol you know there's a stance where in that brings a degree of comfort but it's wise it's falsehood the idol can never deliver spiritual benefit the idol never brings deliverance the idol never brings redemption Redemption is to be found in Christ alone and the emphasis in the Bible again is not dragged yourself to the cross not suck the venom out yourself not buck up and try a bit harder but look and live that was precisely the council given by Moses when the brazen serpent was lifted up if Moses says look and live and Jesus says look and live why do you doubt the warrant to look and live God command you to believe on his son first John 3 then why in the world will you say well I don't know if I'm supposed to believe look and live these men are upset because of Jesus goodness his kindness his claims to not only Messiahship but to being David son and even being deity notice specifically what they ask at the end of verse 16 they said to him do you hear what these are saying now note Christ's response he affirms it and he makes an appeal notice I'm jesus said to them yes don't you love that jesus said to them yes and what they're saying I understand the implications I know what's involved there question insinuate something like this do you realize that these little kids are calling you the son of David do you realize that you are accepting praise from the group of little children do you realize that what they are saying is reserved for God alone do you realize that by accepting this you are making a claim to being David song to affirming what they are saying David Jesus says yes jesus knows the score he knows what's happening he understands from the moment he sits on that donkey's colt and he rides into Jerusalem he is preaching a symbolic parable he is preaching that he is the man God ordained to come to save his people from their sins I love his answer yes of course I know what's happening course I understand the issues of course I affirm what they're doing of course i receive it unto myself now note his appeal he says have you never read this is such a dig I mean it's a nice dick but it's a dig nonetheless imagine you were physicist and you were working on a particular problem in your lab and you came against something that was quite difficult and you ask one of your colleagues and the answer was quite obvious and quite simple and they said something to the effect have you never worked out 2 plus 2 i'd be a bit of an insult wouldn't it i'm a quantum physicist i know my stuff how dare you but these are rabbis these are the doctors of the law these are teachers remember Jesus does this in Matthew nide with reference to his expression of compassion and mercy to sinners he points them back to the Prophet Hosea he says you need to go and learn what this means I desire mercy rather than sacrifice you need to go back and study the basics the foundational principles in essence he does that here have you never read of course they had read Psalm 8 of course they were familiar with Psalm 8 you see what Jews did was read scripture what Jews did was riha rehearse and recite Scripture what Jews did was sing scripture there chanted or sing it in the synagogue and prior to that in the temple they were psalm singers you don't think they ever came across soul mate you think they're baffled and they're perplexed and they're amazed and they're suggesting that while you he's right we went from seven to nine we never bought of course they knew what psalm eight was but no Christ's appeal and the application of soul made to Christ himself it's amazing isn't it now you know why people in Jerusalem said who is this man what kind of a man is this just like his disciples when they witnessed him walk on the water and hush the way hush the waves and the wind they said who is he yes his name is Jesus he's from Nazareth that we've got but who can talk to the weather and make it stop who can make waves stop who comes in the name of the Lord like this man this is the bastard in Jerusalem and now they up it and they say very specifically do you hear what these are saying you need to give an accounting you need to explain this if these children are lisping the praise of God and they are addressing it to you and calling you the son of David these are angry men these are indignant men they want him to account for this they want him to explain and Jesus says yes have you never read this is what was spoken by the Prophet out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise knocks chamblin says in its original context their soul mate children ascribed strength strengthened and praise are sort of used interchangeably if we ascribe strength to Yahweh it evolves into ascribing praise to Yahweh so you might look at your English translation and see a little bit of a lastic nison in translating the wording there but strength and praise and honor those things are all involved with what is happening in Psalm 8 out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise champlin says there saw me children ascribed strength to Yahweh for the wonders of his creation here they praise him for the recreated power he has vested in the son of David quite like that some interpreters come to this and they say well Psalm 8 wasn't messianic but the New Testament tells us it was messianic the New Testament authors received at his messianic who's the soul mate man of Hebrews 2 it's our Lord Jesus they take saw me and they apply it to him as perfect man and these babes these infants these nursing ones they list the praise of the son of David and these men with their anger and their indignation say have you heard what they're saying to you and Christ says yes it's just what the Prophet said actually what David wrote concerning David's greater son it truly is beautiful as well chamblin says the cry of the children both assaults and condemns the religious leaders on the Eve you see the implication i think that we ought to conclude or draw out at this point as if children recognize this if the masses from galilea galilee recognize this if the peoples are praising in BOS Anna son of David if the lame and the blind are in fact healed by him as has been demonstrated what is the implication why aren't you religious leaders doing the same thing why aren't you joining this chorus of praise why aren't you celebrating Israel's Messiah having come why aren't you waving palm branches to why are you taking robes and garments often laying them on the ground to roll out the red carpet for Messiah the king of Israel and we might extend that even further if these young children are lisping the praise of Christ and these Galileans are lisping the praise of Christ and and certain ones here in Jerusalem as well they're crying Hosanna to the son of David it underscores the fact that he is worthy it underscores the fact as the but as the bride bride says in the Song of Solomon that he's altogether lovely in chief among 10,000 he'll brethren as Prazeres and worshippers of Christ if anybody ever says why do you do that because he's altogether lovely in chief among ten thousand why do you do that because he saved me from my sins why do you do that because in his blood I have been washed because by his life I have been made righteous because by his death and resurrection I have been saved the question isn't why do I worship Him the question is why don't you worship Him you see brethren this Christ is altogether lovely out of the mouths of babes and nursing infants you have perfected praise the Lord Christ acknowledges that he is the proper object of praise he as well again acknowledges that he is the Messiah the son of David the one who comes in fulfillment of God's Holy Word he underscores his heart he underscores his compassion he underscores with reference to the targets of his mercy what has been a repeated lesson in Matthew's Gospel lowly ones the non righteous doesn't Jesus say this in Matthew chapter and I I didn't come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance isn't that music in your ears as a sinner does it make you happy you look around at the world today and there's a whole lot of foolishness going on isn't there I just alluded to some and the University I think you see it in Ottawa you see it in the White House you see it in political leaders you see it from you know the White House and whatever they call it an Ottawa down to the ghetto there's a lot of folly and a lot of stupidity out there and the way people think and live and conduct themselves you know we don't preach an answer to stupidity but we preach an answer to the problem of sin isn't it beautiful and wonderful and thankfully in the transforming of our minds hopefully we lose a bit of that folly as we are transformed and conformed into the image of Jesus Christ the church has the gospel the church has the good news of salvation the church preaches the blood of Jesus the church preaches the Davidic King that is the most noble calling on the face of the earth and for the church to give that up to try and join in politics or to try and join in a particular thing that the church has not been tasked with is to sacrifice the best for something infinitely inferior I'm not saying Christians shouldn't be involved I'm not saying Christians shouldn't be concerned I'm not saying that Christians shouldn't have opinions and views and feed those opinions and views with the scripture and have a proper biblical world in my view but the church as charged preaches applaud of our Lord Jesus Christ the issue isn't why do you worship Christ the issue is why and notice as I said his departure in verse 17 then he left them and went out of the city to Bethany and he lodged there now there's a practical reason Jerusalem was swamped during feast time and most of the pilgrims would have to leave and find a place to stay elsewhere Jesus goes to Bethany Mary Martha and Lazarus lived there John 12-1 tells us he stayed with his dear friends and brethren but as we've understood and as we have seen and as we know that this confrontation is developing and it will grow stronger to the point where in Matthew 23 Jesus pronounces woes upon these scribes and these Pharisees he calls them hypocrites he calls them broods of vipers again something that this politically correct edge would never put up with do you know you hurt their feelings by calling them a bag of snakes there's an interesting section and luke's gospel when Jesus is reproving the religious leaders and then one of the lawyers gets offended and the lawyer says do you know Lord when you say this you offend me too and Jesus says woe to you lawyers don't want to forget about you don't want to confine my condemnation to the religious leaders alone you lawyers are messed up and you lawyers need to repent you see dainty prissy Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible he is the king of glory he is the warrior of Israel is the god of heaven and earth and this is what he asserts this is what he claims and when he turns his back upon these men he is engaged in judgment well in summary or in conclusion just a couple of thoughts and then we'll close in the first place as we take the whole passage I take the whole of the passage as I mentioned last week whatever Matthew means describing Jesus as me as he does in Matthew 11 as lowly as he does in Matthew 11 and make in here when he rides in to Jerusalem on this donkeys called whatever Matthew means by me he certainly does not mean passive it took Christ energy effort and some righteous indignation to flip the tables over it took Jesus zeal that had consumed him for his father's house in that first temple cleansing to make a whip of cords and to drive out these beasts brethren that's the Jesus depicted in Holy Scripture he doesn't come dancing and prancing along with a wand to bless us and if you know spread dust all over us to do good things he is the Christ of God and yes he is lowly and yes he is me but he is not to be trifled with he is not to be rebelled against he is not to be rejected because as we read in the second song those who reject him he will dash them to pieces like a Potter's vessel this Christ is full of grace full of mercy full of compassion full of kindness but full of terror and full of judgment remember that scene in Revelation chapter 6 as they're trying to escape the judgment of God it's an amazing scene it says basically that every man called upon the mountains and the rocks to cover them imagine if you know that if you knew there was such a judgment coming right now that you would drive however long it took to get over to mount sham to stand at the base of it and call on mount sham to crumble and to cover you that would have to be some sort of judgment wouldn't it let me just go with me here for a moment wouldn't it if I would rather have a mountain fall on me and rocks cover me that must mean that the danger that is beyond that is far more terrifying that's what they do in revelation 6 they cry to the mount the rods to fall upon them and to cover them from the wrath of the Lamb let that sink in to your soul the wrath of the Lamb Jesus gentle meek and mild wields rod of iron and he does dash those who do not repent you say oh now you're trying to scare us if that's what it takes then be scared and flee into the arms of Mercy the Messiah who is meat is not a pushover there is a time for driving wicked men out and turning over tables as well we sang the song 592 that song celebrates Christ and His threefold office Christ as our prophet Christ is our King and Christ is our priest isn't he when we trace the trajectory of Matthew's Gospel at this particular point he enters into Jerusalem has a key he goes into the temple as a prophet and the rest of the narrative will describe for us how he functions as a priest when he is on that cross when he is bearing the sin of the world when he is knowing something of the wrath and fury of God most high he is both priest and victim he is both offeror and he offered he is our prophet priest and King in the pratha the Evangelist matthew underscores that for us very clearly as well the Lord Jesus highlights his deity in accepting the praise of children and by showing the applicability of Psalm 82 himself don't make any mistake about it these religious leaders knew the implications of what Jesus was doing that's why didn't they didn't get nicer to him well now we get it oh you're the Messiah you're the son of David you're the soul mate oh yeah well it was just a terrible misunderstanding no this is the beginning of something that's going to escalate to the point where the city cries out away with him away with them crucify him they understood the implications of his theology they understood the implications of his affirming that soul mate was indeed directed to him and as we consider that as the people of God in this particular instance note what Psalm 8 1 says pastor kim read it at the outset of worship Oh Yahweh our Lord how excellent is your name in all the earth who have set your glory above the heavens for Jesus to take this title to himself for Jesus to say that soul mate speaks concerning him is to underscore something concerning the blessedness of the triune God one in essence three persons Blessed father son and spirit what is predicated concerning God is applicable to the person into the work of the Lord Jesus Christ he receives this on to himself because he is divine He is God and he is to be praised and worshiped and then just to conclude I want to mention once again something I think we visited in the course of this sermon and we visit a lot I hope that when we preach or when we speak and we say no not a believer you should come to Christ that's not just because there's you know Roman 17 where Paul says every time you preach make sure you say this there's no sort of reformed baptist headquarters out there that you know sends email reminders on Sunday morning I'll make sure you tell people they need to believe the gospel there's no book sort of an order form that we have you know the big book of reformed baptist theology okay make sure that it it's a genuine desire that Sooners don't go to hell the genuine desire that the God of heaven earth is worshipping glorified as he is worthy you see for every sinner that flees to the mercy of christ there's one last blasphemer on this earth there's one less you know debauched person whose speed cell against our beloved Savior and that's a good thing because god is the lord of heaven and earth god made this world and all things in it for his glory but we all like sheep have gone astray the only way back is through the blood of the cross the only way back to God is through belief in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ so please take this home think through it consider these things and realize that Christ alone is the hope and the help for your soul will let us pray father we thank you for your word and we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ and for his ministry of mercy on behalf of his people we ask that you would cause us to praise cause us to sing cause us to celebrate in light of the son of David who has come to save us from our sins and God we pray that wherever this gospel is preached today that many would turn from their idols to the true and living God that many would be called out of darkness into marvelous light Lord we can't appeal to the many in their free will so we appeal to a sovereign God a God who is able to make men willing in the day of his power when we genuinely desire that you would display that power in our midst in our church and in other churches here in chilliwack and throughout the earth god get glory in the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ and we pray and his Most Blessed name Amen close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed you you