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good morning everyone welcome to free grace baptist church for visitors with us this morning and everyone else welcome back it's good to be back in the house of the Lord for the worship of our triune God before we get to that we have a number of announcements here the first is that it is the fellowship luncheon today so all are welcome regulars visitors whoever you are hearing my voice right now you're welcome to come to the luncheon it's after the morning service up in the back fellowship hall so again everyone is welcome to come and enjoy some food and conversation when you do go up there remember to line up against the back wall there too to foster some proper order and not block the door so if you can go up there as soon as possible as well after the morning service that would be excellent secondly a reminder that Elise Rempel is sought membership so we can continue to encourage her and speak with her as you find opportunity thirdly Abigail stare Abigail stare wants to be baptized in joined the church which is wonderful to hear we can praise God for that and talk to her and encourage her as well it's always a joy for believers to seek after baptism and to join the local church so we can rejoice in that and then lastly we'd like to thank everyone who was able to show up for the church work day yesterday it was good to have a couple handfuls of folks there helping clean this place and and keep it maintained so a big thanks to all who were able to come as well children for for coming and helping us thank you it was good to see little three footers buzzing around helping to clean the church so thank you for for coming and helping well let's begin our worshiped and as we turn to the worship of our Blessed God let's turn in our Bibles to call ourselves to that worship with their reading the scriptures from Isaiah 45 you can turn there with me Isaiah chapter 45 beginning in verse 18 Isaiah 45 beginning in verse 18 this is the word of the living and true God for thus says the Lord who created the heavens who is God who formed the earth and made it who has established it who did not create it in vain who formed it to be inhabited I am the Lord and there is no other I have not spoken in secret in a dark place of the earth I did not say to the seed of Jacob seek me in vain I the LORD speak righteousness I declare things that are right assemble yourselves and come draw near together you who have escaped from the nation's they have no knowledge who carry the wood of their carved image and pray to a god that cannot save tell and bring forth your case yes let them take counsel together who has declared this from ancient time who has told it from that time have not I the Lord and there is no other God besides me adjust God and a savior there is none besides me look to me and be saved all you ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other I have sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return that to me every knee shall bow every tongue shall take an oath he shall say surely in the lord I have righteousness and strength to him men shall come and all shall be ashamed who are incensed against him in the Lord all the descendants of Israel shall be justified and she'll glory amen well let's stand and sing our first him is going to be 1 33 in the larger hymnal that's 133 let's stand as a church and sing together you let's go to our God in prayer we can pray for a number of things of course as well we can rejoice in another baby born to us Jude cruel born to melissa and Lake of course we can rejoice in that let's go to our Lord in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now in prayer rejoicing that we can do so through the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ truly God we would ask you now to help us by your spirit to properly hallo your name truly your name should be hallowed here and in all the earth and we do pray that you would raise the hearts that you would arouse the spirits that you would lift the voices of your Saints calling them to worship you to honor you and to give you all do praise we do worship You Father Son and Holy Spirit we know that you as we read this morning are the only living and true God there is none other besides you and we rejoice in you and would ask that you would help us to worship you were right this morning that you would by your spirit assist us to cast off all things that would hinder your worship we want our thoughts not to wander but rather to be attentive we pray that you would cause us to worship you in spirit and in truth that thoughts of the past week and of the upcoming one would not intrude upon the worship of our great God we do pray that you'd help us now and we know that we can come to you except ibly only through the Lord Jesus Christ and we know that in him alone is salvation we thank you that you did send him in the fullness of the times born of a woman and born under the law to redeem those who were under the law that we might receive adoption as sons we rejoice along with Paul and that faithful saying that is worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into this world sinners to save and we thank you that we can be called among that number as those who have been brought forth from darkness to light we know that Christ and in him alone is salvation that were not saved by deeds of righteousness which we have done but rather according to your mercy you saved us and we know that Christ Jesus in him we have that obedience that righteousness that avails with you does not come from ourselves but rather from him alone who performed perfectly the law of God we know that we have the forgiveness of sins by virtue of the perfect shedding of the blood of the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you that upon Calvary's tree Jesus Christ so died so as to perfectly secure the salvation of a multitude that no man can number and that in him we have the forgiveness of sins we rejoice in that blessed victorious resurrection from the dead on the third day we thank you that he arose with great power and victory and that he has ascended to your right hand where he does ever live to make intercession for his people and we thank you that we are the blessed recipients of his intercessory work we know that in him we have our all in all we do pray that you would help us to rejoice in Christ Jesus in the forgiveness of sins and everlasting life that we have through him and him alone we would pray God that you'd be with those in our midst here who require a prayer for those physical things sickness illness a disease injury recovery from surgery all of these things Lord God we do pray that you would bless and watch over each and every one of your dear Saints our dear Saints in this place whether here with us or unable to join that you would strengthen them in body you would strengthen them daily increase their their growth and health and we do just pray that in the midst of suffering you would cause them to rejoice in you we thank you for this most recent birth we thank you for the birth of Jude we do just pray that you'd watch over this young one that you would just cause him to grow day after day with great health and strength and we do pray that in due time you would by your spirit and gospel bring him forth from death to life in Christ Jesus the Lord we do pray God that you would watch over each and every one recently born and those currently in the womb we do just pray that you would protect them that you would guard them that you would cause those mothers presently pregnant that he would give them strength daily Lord we pray that you would build their anticipation in that in due time their babies would come forth with no issue and we do just pray that they would and all of us would rejoice and these blessed gifts that you give unto your people we do pray for us with all of our children that you would help us to instruct them to raise them up in the things of Christ Jesus the Lord and we do pray that at a young age they would own the name of our Creator and rejoice in our Redeemer we do pray Lord that you would be with those around the world who suffer persecution for the name of Christ there are many hundreds thousands who suffer under the hands of oppressors and who suffer under the the hateful tyranny of those who would seek to even put them to death we do pray that you would gird up and strengthen our brothers and sisters in Christ that you would cause them in the in the midst of these things to remain steadfast to lay hold of the hope of their calling without wavering and we do pray that they would be strong even unto that final day we do pray that they would know the comfort of their triune God and that they would look with great confidence and courage upon the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world they would know that in him they have their all in all in all spiritual blessings we do pray that you would deal swiftly with those who do persecute your people we pray that you would bring temporal judgment upon them that you would cause them to wither away as the snail you would cause them to stumble like drunken men that they may not bring violence in opposition to the people of Christ we do pray for those who rule over us Lord that you would also deal with them we pray that you would raise up those who would exercise rule in the land according to righteousness justice and equity and that you would put down those who would seek to propagate wickedness and madness in the land we do pray that you would save victorious Lee this day and each and every day Lord that your name would go victorious throughout the ends of the earth that your gospel would be proclaimed that sinners would be saved Lord God and that more and more tongues would sing the praises of our redeeming Christ we do pray then that you would now be with us as we continue in worship we pray Lord God that you would be with pastor Butler as he brings your word we know that the minister of the gospel that preaches in a pulpit requires not his own strength but that which you give to your minister and we do pray that you would come with much grace and strengthen that the spirit would be present in aiding the preacher to open the Bible and to proclaim rich things from your Holy or we do pray that Lord your Saints gathered here this morning would be instructed would be well equipped by spirit and word to go into this upcoming week to rejoice in Christ daily and to live unto your glory daily as well we do pray that you would be here upon those wings of victorious grace bringing forth dead sinners to life in Christ Jesus we longed to see in midst of this gathered assembly we longed to see those who are outside of Christ brought to belief in our blessed Savior so we do pray that you would be here that you would save and that because it is only possible with you God that each and every tongue would leave these two doors this morning singing the praises of their triune God we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen let's stand and sing our next him it's going to be a 453 let's stand and sing for 53 together you you this is Matthew 9 beginning in verse 1 once again the word of the living and true God so he got into a boat crossed over and came to his own City then behold they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic son be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you and at once some of the scribes said within themselves this man blasphemes but Jesus knowing their thought said why do you think evil in your hearts for which is easier to say your sins are forgiven you or to say a rise and walk but that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins then he said to the paralytic arise take up your bed and go to your house and he arose and departed to his house now when the multitude saw it they marveled and glorified God who had given such power to men as Jesus passed on from there he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he arose and followed him now it happened as jesus sat at the table in the house that behold many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples and when the Pharisee saw it they said to his disciples why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners when Jesus heard that he said to them those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick but go and learn what this means I desire mercy and not sacrifice for I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance then the disciples of John came to him saying why do we end the Pharisees fast often but your disciples do not fast and Jesus said to them can the friend can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them but the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them and then they will fast no one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment for the patch pulls away from the garment and the terror is made worse nor do they put new wine into old wineskins or else the wineskins break the wine is spilled and the wine skins are ruined but they put new wine into new wineskins and bow are preserved amen it's a very interesting thing we read in verse 9 and the author himself giving a just a simple and brief recounting of his own bringing into the life in the Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ as we read there as jesus passed on from there this is verse 9 he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office and he said to him follow me so he arose and followed him we should note here among other things that Matthew is indicating in a way that this book isn't about him one verse dedicated to the author the book is dedicated to it is the accounting of the life and the times and the glory of the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and so there's just a brief introduction of Matthew to this narrative but it's very interesting what follows no doubt this is the stuff of what Matthew himself would rejoice in your teacher eats with tax collectors and sinners Matthew the the Blessed recipient of the saving grace of God through the mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of those tax collectors that Jesus would come would sit with would eat with and would save and bring to glory no doubt Matthew rejoices and that and notice we have an obvious instance again of the power and the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ last time when we're at a number of times ago when we read from chapter 8 that Jesus Christ calming the Seas he calms the storm so that the waves are still and it's a instance of it's a demonstration of his unmitigated deity and we have that again in this next instance where he forgives the sins of this paralytic it's the human mind to Marvel after physical signs done visible signs miracles and and those sorts of things but the miracle of miracles in view and this narrative is the forgiveness of sins by Jesus Christ the Lord notice we have his unmitigated deity demonstrated in verse 4 Jesus knowing their thoughts it's just a passing portion of the narrative but we have Christ there in his omniscience Jesus knowing their thoughts and then this Blessid demonstration of the power on earth to forgive sins arise take up your bed and go to your house if you're if you're here this morning it is miraculous that Christ healed the paralytic and he was able to arise and walk and take up as mad but the miracle of miracles is the forgiveness of sins if you know your own heart you know that you've transgressed the laws of a sovereign and glorious creator that you deserve eternal punishment yet Christ comes and he forgives the sins of his people know that in Christ you have a perfect Savior and close with him let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for Christ Jesus the Lord we rejoice and what we're able to read in this portion of your revelation we do sing the praises of Christ and rejoice in the forgiveness of sins and we pray that you would daily impress that the glory of the forgiveness of sins upon our hearts that we might live unto your glory and live in a manner worthy of our calling we do pray that you would again by your grace and for your glory make dead sinners alive this morning in Christ Jesus the Lord they might leave this place singing the praises of our blessed Redeemer and it's in his name that we pray amen our final him then before the preaching you can stand with me will sing 298 298 let's stand and sing that him together you join with me in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 23 Matthew chapter 23 our focus this morning will be verses 1 to 12 I'll begin reading in verse 1 then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples saying the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses see therefore whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do but do not do according to their works for they say and do not do for they bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers but all their works they do to be seen by men they make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments they love the best places it feasts the best seats in the synagogues greetings in the marketplace is an to be called by man rabbi rabbi but you do not be called rabbi for one is your teacher the Christ and you are all brethren do not call anyone on earth your father for one is your father he who is in heaven and do not be called teachers for one is your teacher the Christ but he who is greatest among you shall be your servant and whoever exalts himself will be humbled and Hugh humbles himself will be exalted amen let us pray father we thank you for the word of God and we pray now for the Ministry of your Holy Spirit we acknowledge our need before you our lord jesus said that apart from him we can do nothing and certainly as it comes to study scripture we need the spirit we need Christ we need that ministry from on high so we cry out to you Lord God to take your word and to make it applicable in our own hearts and in our own line we also pray that you would forgive us for all of our sins and unrighteousness certainly when we look at your law or when we look at these passages of scripture that condemn an outward form certainly we see our own sin and we confess that to you now pray for cleansing in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ we would ask thee would continually conform us onto the image of your beloved son cause us Lord God to by the spirit put to death the deeds of the body so that we might live that we might conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent with holy scripture God our hearts desire and earnest please that any outside of Christ today would be saved we know it is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone and it's a work of God alone so we would pray to you sovereign omnipotent father that you would have your way in the hearts of sinners in this place and as well god in other places throughout the earth we pray that your word would run swiftly and be glorified and that more and more people would come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and we pray in his Most Blessed name amen well as we come to chapter 23 we ought to remind ourselves of what happened prior to that fact chapter 23 is a bit of a transition chapter it concludes what we saw in chapters 21 and 22 and it sets the stage of the background for the prophecy of judgment that's coming in chapters 24 and 25 essentially what we have in 23 is Jesus warning concerning the religious leaders here in verses 1 to 12 and then we have his woes of condemnation pronounced upon these leaders in verses 13 230 he then summarizes or brings to conclusion the judgment of God upon these persons beginning in verse 31 and so we see a bit of movement verses 1 to 12 are addressed to the crowds and the disciples vs 13 to 36 are addressed to these religious leaders that that are occupying the temple courts at this particular time and then verses 37 to 39 are a lament over Jerusalem and as I said sets the stage for the prophecy of judgment that comes in the all of it discourse in chapter 24 now if you've read chapter 23 in your lives you'll know that Jesus doesn't pull punches I don't believe Jesus would be very popular today if he said the same sorts of things as he says in chapter 23 he pronounces whoa that's the opposite of blessing we might say you know may you be blessed of God whoa is may you be cursed of God may the wrath of God come upon you may bad things beat your Porsche Jesus calls them a brood of vipers again something that I don't think would be very popular today he calls them hypocrites repetitively and repetitiously and wants to make sure they understand the nature of his condemnation in fact this chapter is such that some otha often or some in the history of the church have described it this way one particular man said that chapter 23 is the most unchristian chapter in Matthew another said it is the unloved liest chapter in the gospel persons of course that think that any language we're in sin or sinners are condemned is obviously unlovely or unchristian this is a failure to reckon with God's hatred God's detestation God's despising of sin God condemns sin God condemns sinners and that is precisely what we find here as well it's just simple ignorance of the Old Testament remember some time ago when we looked at the parable of the vineyard in Matthew 21 I showed that Isaiah does the same sort of thing in Isaiah 5 he likens Israel to a vineyard that is unfruitful and as a result they reap the judgment of God well following that parable of the vineyard guess what Isaiah the prophet does he issues woes of condemnation upon that generation Jesus is acting in like fashion he sets forth this parable of the vineyard in chapter 21 and now he pronounces woes of condemnation upon these hypocrites in chapter 23 well as I said we'll look at verses 1 to 12 this morning under 2 considerations first the warning concerning the religious leaders in verses 127 and then the exhortation specifically to the disciples in verses 8 to 12 and essentially we could boil it down to two words pride and humility Jesus condemns pride in verses 127 and Jesus promotes humility I knew that sounds a bit oxymoronic we don't promote humility but rather he is steaming it or showing his favour toward it humble character is what is pleasing in the sight of God so that is in essence what we have in verses 1 to 12 note first with reference to the warning concerning the religious leaders the setting it's still Tuesday of the Passion Week the Lord Christ is in Jerusalem he is in the temple court specifically in chapter 21 they ask him about his authority Jesus silences them and then he gives three parables that highlight their condemnation and then there is direct confrontation four of them between Jesus and these religious leaders and so now Jesus in the temple courts addresses both the multitudes and his disciples and in the first place you ought to appreciate that Jesus affirms their office the religious leaders notice in verses 2 and 3 a he says the scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses see therefore whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do now scribes and Pharisees here probably doesn't refer to every single one of them but rather as France says it the focus of this chapters notes not so much on individual scribes and Pharisees as on the nature of the movement that they represent it it is the religious leadership in Israel specifically in Jerusalem that is the target of Jesus condemnation and reproof the Lord Christ does not take it well when persons abominate his law when persons engage in hypocrisy when persons engaged in the sorts of things that are condemned here Christ will condemn them and I think we need to have ears to hear this as well note that he says that these scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat I don't think the idea here is directly passive in nature it's not the case that you could trace back to Moses their particular pedigree it probably means the way we refer to it today man holds the chair of philosophy at a particular University the idea is is that they are the official teachers in Israel they occupy Moses eat some have seen the stone seat that sat at the synagogue that the teacher would sit down in but I don't think that's necessary probably a metaphor they occupy the place of Moses in terms of teaching in terms of instruction and note the wisdom of our Lord as he affirms their office because there are two tendencies that we the people of God have at the end of chapter 22 Jesus bested these religious leaders so people may now be inclined not to listen to them at all in other words if we find out one bad thing about a person we might write them off forever Jesus doesn't do that he affirms their office in so far as they teach the truth of God insofar as these men will occupy the seat of Moses teach the truth as it's been revealed to Moses you need to do you need to observe you need to keep that as Gil says good doctorate is not the worst for being taught by bad men these men occupy Moses seat and insofar as they teach the truth the Lord Jesus says you are to do and observe what they tell you that is precisely the emphasis in verse 3 therefore whatever they tell you to observe that observe and do in other words it doesn't matter if the Word of God comes to you from balans ass if the Word of God comes to you from the dog next score or the Word of God comes to you from a bad man you ought to do what God commands regardless of the vessel by which the truth proceeds it will never do for you on the day of judgment to say you know I'm not going to do what God said through his servant because a servant is imperfect no you can't argue that if the servant nevertheless preaches the truth as it is in Jesus you are duty-bound to the truth our affections are our demands our wills are our pattern of conduct is not tied to a man it is tied to what God's Word says so you see Jesus affirming their office on the one hand whatever they tell you as they teach accurately you need to do what they say but now notice he goes on to qualify with reference to these men 3b he says but do not do according to their works in other words there's a disconnect when they sit in Moses eat and they read the scripture properly and they interpret it accordingly you need to observe and do that but don't follow their practice don't do what these men do don't walk behind them as patterns of life it's a very serious charge that he levels at these at these scribes and Pharisees in this instance it's a terrible thing isn't it from man to preach and not do stinking just as I was about to come up here three things terrify preachers one the law of God to preaching and three preaching on leadership or on those who actually preach and each I think that's the emphasis that will glean from verses 1 to 12 will see the emphasis is certainly upon all of us we're not to be hypocrites we're not to be legal asst we're not to exalt ourselves who we're not to be engaged in outward show and all those sorts of things but it's particularly applicable to teachers of God's Word to sit in Moses see and to practice the that the works of the devil is incongruous they these men had Moses seat but they didn't have Moses heart they didn't have his humility they didn't have his godliness they didn't have his righteousness they didn't do the things that he himself said for them to do McShane said and a holy Minister is an awful weapon in the hand of God and certainly when ministers come to passages like these which are condemning of Pete of teachers it's a terrifying and a fearful thing so why James says let not many of you become teachers why because we shall receive a stricter judgment to occupy Moses seed or to preach the Word of the Living God and then to go out live like the devil himself is absolutely contrary to the spirit of God's Word and this is precisely what is in view in this particular passage and then Jesus Heights highlights several reasons why the disciples why the crowds or to follow what they say accurately but then he says in 3b but do not do according to their works now notice there are four reasons here that he condemns in the first place hypocrisy hypocrisy isn't that the textbook description of Apocrypha at the end of verse 34 they say and do not do sin that Apocrypha is not wearing the mask isn't that being full of lies and deceit hypocrisy characterized the scribes and the Pharisees hypocrisy can at times characterize the professing people of God we're not to do that we ought to let our yes PS on our no be no we say we hold allegiance to the truth of God's Word we need to walk in lockstep to God's Word these men are condemn they're called a brood of vipers they're called sons of hell they're called proselytes who go out and make men sons of hell because of in the first place they are hypocrites there is a formalism there is an external ism there is this outward show that Jesus will later condemn you're like whitewashed tombs it looks beautiful on the outside but inside it's full of dead men's bones or like that cup that you have taken pains to to polish the outside and yet inside it's filled with filth and muck and garbage and bad things you see hypocrisy brethren is something that can settle in the heart of a man when we pay lip service to the word of the Living God but we don't walk in lockstep when we disobeyed when we transgress when we do not act upon those things we know and we hear and we receive the Christian life is always going to be marked to some degree by hypocrisy none of us live as we ought none of us live as well as we know but there is a difference between having that settle in our heart and making peace with it or seeking by the grace of God to root it out to destroy it and not to engage in the sorts of external ISM that so often characterized Judaism that so characterized these scribes in these Pharisees that would eventually bring the wrath of God down to bare upon that generation that's what chapter 24 is all about it's a prophecy of judgment in the first place concerning Jerusalem and her temple because she had engaged in this sort of whoredom this sort of apostasy this sort of rejection this sort of professing the one and true of the one true Living God but living as hypocrites notice what Jesus goes on to say these men are legalists verse 44 they bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers now Jesus doesn't say everything they teach is accurate in fact in Matthew 15 Jesus does condemn their external ism so while they sit on Moses seat they may accurately teach the Ten Commandments but it's the addendum it's the addition it's the protection that they add it's these additional burdens that they heap upon men you see this is condemn scribes and Pharisees you're not equal to God we talked about this a little bit in the last hour you know it's really bad when we make our preferences or we make our additions to God's law God's law that sets up us up as rival lawmakers it asserts an arrogance of an authority that God has never entrusted to us you know some to some degree God's law it doesn't speak to every single jot and tittle of your life there are some things we're in there is Liberty and I think that terrifies the people of God we're afraid that the idea and the reality that God has given us Liberty in this particular area God's not afraid God's not worried God knows that his spirit will do these things I've been thinking amusing recently upon the political climate nor you know in our country and in America government is so involved at every step of the way I don't even know how it would be if they weren't involved it's a sense where I think the heart of men naturally inclined to addenda it inclines to being told what to do in every jot and tittle of your life you don't need God to tell you whether or not you can have a shoehorn you want to have a shoehorn have a shore and if you don't want a shoehorn don't have a shoe on God doesn't legislate with reference to whether you eat meat or don't eat me Romans 14 if you eat do it to the glory of God don't take that porterhouse and waft it before your non meat-eating brother and saying you need to enjoy it not on do that but if you're a non meat-eating brother don't judge him because he's eating a porterhouse you see it's not the case that we have this detailed code that regulates every jot and tiddle of our lives but these scribes and Pharisees attempted to do that the Sabbath in Matthew 12 they were such fastidious people when it came to the Sabbath that they were upset when jesus healed someone on the Sabbath that's terrible brethren fact in Luke's account the synagogue official chides the people six days you labor it and do all your work the Sabbath is arrest under God so you come on those six days and get healed what what are you talking about what an example of the rest of God and the healing of a man with a born with a hand that is withered you see brethren these men as the scripture says they bind heavy burdens hard to bear again not the genuine law of God remember in Matthew 5 21 248 you have heard that it was said but I say to you Jesus is not pity himself against Moses he's bidding himself against Pharisaic abuse these men heat things up and know what Jesus says they do not do according I'm sorry they bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers I think this goes in two ways one they don't even do this they heap up all these burdens and they themselves don't even do this probably some of them tried perhaps it goes this way as well they didn't help people you don't just keep up burdens and say you know suck it up and deal with it knuckle under and if you complain we r you know ousting you from the Senate help these men help these women and note that it's absolutely contrary to the spirit of christ as it is revealed to us in Matthew chapter 11 notice in Matthew 11 verse 28 come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden christ says that he is the remedy for such folk and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light the Pharisees and the scribes are just the opposite they bind heavy burdens hard to bear they lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers so you see what Jesus does is in contrasting the experience or so in contrast to experience the kind yoke and light burden of following Jesus those who follow the scribes and the Pharisees put these heavy burdens on people enslave them put them under bondage so you see Jesus says do what they say and so far as it's accurate but don't do as they do and so far as it's hypocritical and insofar as it's legalistic but no snow distr Lee insofar as its religious show that's the thrust of verse 5 but all their works they do to be seen by men they make their phylacteries broad and large the borders of their garments that's religious show Christ has already condemned this in Matthew 6 remember those men that give alms and call attention to what they give notice there's not a bell behind the bar next to the box back there we don't require you to bang the bell so everybody can see your deposit into the box there's not a trumpet sort of hanging down from the truck the Hatrack so you can you know give a little good to do when you put an offering in the box so that persons can see you prayer go into your closet don't do it on Facebook go into your closet don't stand on the street corner this isn't a condemnation of corporate prayer would to God that more men engaged in corporate prayer but it's the spirit of a man who stands on the corner and prays in order to be seen by men Jesus further condemns those fast and when they fast they looked sad and they look pathetic and when person say why are you sad and pathetic you're able to say because I'm fasting Jesus says don't do that an orient your face with oil wash up look happy don't try to you know get men to see how holy and righteous and godly you are well that's the same thing that is done here note the patheticness of this in verse 5 but all their works they do to be seen by men if your religion is about being seen by man you are pathetic I am pathetic if that's my mindset the things that we do if it is to be done or if it is done in order to be seen by men that's terrible and he mentions to practical illustrations file actress and borders on the garment both have to do with the law of God a file actory kids was a box and in that box you would put four passages of scripture to from Exodus and two from Deuteronomy and you would take that box and you would bind it to your arm or you would put it on your forehead and the idea being is to keep the law of God before you it's a great tactic it's a great technique it's a great idea and what about these borders on the garments numbers 15 Deuteronomy 22 12 they were to make these tassels on their garments such that they would be reminded of the law in order to do it now ironically both these things are to set the law of God before the eyes of these scribes and Pharisees but ironically they don't do the law of God they violate the law of God while they're trying to do the law of God it's always the problem with legalism trying to honor God by your own works now they did the file actress bigger so that people would see them but this is bizarre isn't it everybody awake there seems to be this slug nation is I turn the fans on a firm believer that the Spurgeon was right the next best thing to grace in the heart is oxygen in the brain wake up pay attention and let's get what Jesus is it has application for us we may not have file actress we may not wear these garments but brethren we do things for show they want to be seen by men the bigger the file actory the more the praise of men the longer the tassels the more the praise the man it's kind of like a big Bible I go to thrift stores I look for books and I see those big honkin family bibles so just for you know my own edification or instruction I wondered what the font size is in those I didn't look at one of them i looked at it on amazon it's a 12-point font in the shipping weight is five pounds now if you have to that Bible around because you're almost as blind as a bat and that 12-point font really assist you then praise God but if you slept that around so that people will say he's got a Bible or you swept it around so people say look how big his Bible is you have sinned the sin of the scribes and the Pharisees they're not file actress they are not tassels but it is an attempt to garner the gaze of men upon your religion whether it be in giving whether it being praying whether it be in fasting whether it be in the size of the Bible that you schlep around are you doing it for God or for men woe to you scribes and Pharisees Jesus will condemn when we get to the woes we ought not to be surprised that he speaks in such harsh tones or such severe tones rather because of what we see in this passage it's pathetic that's sin wrapped around a man's heart wow I hope that so-and-so sees this might be Facebook well I hope everybody sees that I you know I did my my devotions or you might post an Instagram with your coffee company or your Bible with the clear implication that was me doing devotions stop they may not be file actress they may not be tassels but it may be sick the same spirit of the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus condemns don't do what they do don't practice what they do when insofar as they speak the law of Moses appropriately yes by all means esteem that receive it and obey it but when they're walking around with big file actress and long tassels so that everybody will see them and prize them and praise them for their their extra special religion don't be like that you know brethren the better off or the bed of a situation is just be simple and mind your own business I love Paul in first Thessalonians just aspire to work with your hands and mind your own business I mean we are socially media connected age somebody in Timbuktu can know what I had for breakfast this morning and instead of saying you know that might be a legitimate way for me to connect with somebody in Timbuktu or keep in touch with family we exploit it to pursue or to parade my religion I've often thought about this with the you know the weightlifting community I don't care that you did legs today that does not move me one bit could the same be said for how many chapters you read in today knows your pastor I like to know that you're reading your Bible that's encouraging but brethren to do it in the spirit of the scribes and the Pharisees what Jesus condemns here has to be bad doesn't it has to be wrong pride can take something that is good and exploit it for wicked ends John Calvin says and in this boasting there was displayed and offensive ambition look at my file arteries look at my tassels a man's worth does not depend on the size of its phylacteries or as tassels does not depend on the validation of others doesn't depend on whether everybody knows you read your Bible this morning or not it's that you receive food from the hand of god that is settled in your soul and it's something that will nourish you for the day perhaps if you're using rain you read first Peter chapter 2 this morning and you're a young man and you're going to hide 211 in your heart that says you need to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul you're going to realize that what the world promotes in terms of lost and sex and all of that is something that is waging war against your soul you're going to think back to the salt or in psalm 119 when he says I have hid your word in my heart why so that I can impress everybody on facebook so that I can be the big winner at my next Bible fact trivia game notes so that I might not sin against you you see brethren we do not do our religion to be seen by men we do what God has put in our hearts for his glory and for his honor and for his praise that's the emphasis of the text and the notice finally terms of their condemnation self exaltation I hope you see the recurring theme throughout with legalism with Apocrypha with religious so and certainly with self exaltation what is the mothers sin from whence these flow pride take all the verses 127 and say don't be proud notice the self exaltation they desire notoriety and this is sad to verse 6 they love they love the best seats at feast not because they're closer to the food I mean I don't think any of us are out when we go to a wedding reception and we hear that blessed statement your tables next alright we get to eat that's not what's driving these men where person sat was a mark of notoriety or honor and they loved it that's the verb they love it what do you love you love God you love his ordinances do you love the word no i love the best places at feasts i love when people see me and they think I'm superior I love when people see me and they think I'm really something I love that that's what these men would say now if they were exposed look at secondly they love the best places in the synagogues now brethren I've noticed in my life that the emptiest seats in all the world are the front rows in a Baptist Church don't know why that is but it just seems to be the case but in this context the place you sat in the synagogue indicated prestige there was notoriety associated with James deals with this in James too if a rich man comes and you say oh I want you to come sit up front and then some guy comes it that's in tattered clothing well well you could just sit in the back what does that reflect it reflects position it reflects places of honor it reflects notoriety and for these scribes and the Pharisees one of their sins is that they loved the best places in the synagogue's no thirdly they can't even go to the market to buy fruit and vegetables without self exaltation they love to be greeted in the marketplaces with rabbi now this isn't a simple greeting of respect and esteem this is something that feeds and drives their a ego self exaltation they go out to buy fruits and vegetables in the hopes that somebody will see them and say rabbi and treat them as a superior being and notice he goes on to say and to be called by man rabbi the use of the title rabbi now the use itself is not condemned and I do promise that we'll deal with the use of titles I mean we can leave this passage and say there ought to be no titles ever and that's a legitimate interpretation and if we land there we land there but in this context John 326 John the Baptist was called rabbi by his disciple certainly Jesus is called rabbi throughout the the gospel records and specifically here identifies himself as the rabbi the term was an honorary title for outstanding teachers of the law and it literally meant my great one Jesus is not disparaging the legitimate first Thessalonians 5 esteem those who have the rule over you he's not discouraging that he is discouraging the sweat a sick twisted demented mind set where a guy feeds his ego by being called rabbi by thinking he's something special because he's called rabbi my thinking he's a bit higher up the food chain because he's called rabbi Jesus says don't practice what these men do insofar as they teach the law of God accurately you need to submit these men occupy Moses see and you need to do what they say that it's true but don't follow their practice because they engage in hypocrisy they engage in legalism they engage in religious show and they engage in this self exaltation that is so obvious and so plain and so clear isn't it everybody see it's an easy passage isn't it it's easy to miss step with two it's easy to engage in hypocrisy it's easy to engage in legalism it's easy to engage in religious show and it's easy to engage in self exaltation oh yes I just love it when people call me this that or the other you get offended if they don't use your title remind them that the right reverend doctor remind them that your Holy Father terrible I mean I know how papers can read chapter 23 and come out thinking he's okay with their structure with their hierarchy with the Holy Fathers with the lesser fathers with the Archbishop's with the Deacons this and the the Cardinals that and the hats and everything they've got going on it seems to fly contra to what Jesus teaches here there ought not to be hierarchy there are not to be self exaltation when you come into this place brethren the one exalt it is God the one exalted and enthroned descry story of the Christian faith is not that we have the super extra special men that governs say from Brooklyn or that govern say from Salt Lake City or that govern francais from you know whatever the Reformed Baptist capital of the world happens to be it's the glory of the reality that it's Christ alone that is exalted in the church slaves and masters are brethren workers and employers are brethren brothers and sisters brethren we're all reduced to confess in Blessid obedience the exaltation of Jesus Christ and these men flew contrary to that now notice secondly the exhortation to the disciples he says to them reject all self exaltation and he speaks specifically to the use of titles why because titles argue hierarchy if you call this one rabbi and you call this one father and you call this one master what is it going to inculcate a hierarchy the first place he says do not be called rabbi it's not your title you're not supreme you're not over them the reason for this is because you have one rabbi the Christ the Lord Jesus he was presently in their midst he would ascend on high he would be enthroned at the right hand of the father he is the rabbi the teacher of his church but notice as well he says and you're all brothers you're all brethren there's an equality you see when a man wears the hat and occupies the position and starts to throw his weight around that betrays the spirit of this passage again there is a place for a steam there is a place for honor there is a place as we're commanded elsewhere in Scripture we are certainly to do so but we need to take heed to this God hates pride God opposes the proud but he gives grace to the humble and Christ says there is to be no rank there is to be no power structure verse 8 but you the contrast car far from what these guys are doing do not be called rabbi for one is your teacher the Christ and you are all brethren that's the way the church should look now there's ministers I I really hate the connotation that we have with the word minister in the hands of men it's become an abusive title what's the word Minister actually mean it means to serve it means to minister right do you think of a minister in the government round do you think of servant you might because you're you know of a nobler character than I but I typically don't when I think of a man is a politician and I hear the suggestion that he's a minister a prime minister for instance I think just the opposite and in the church he's the minister he's the meanest that means servant that means taking off the outer garment washing the nasty feet of your brothers and sisters like your master did that means helping that means caring that means giving that's what Jesus teaches in the passage do you want to be great in God's kingdom you know the path to greatness not seminary not saying seminaries bad not Sunday School not saying sunday schools bad you know what the path to greatness in God's kingdom is its service it's doing things when nobody's around to parade to praise you it's doing things when nobody sees what you're doing but you and God alone you want to be great in God's kingdom sacrifice everything you've learned in the school of the world and come to Christ because he's going to say you need to get your hands dirty and you need to get busy serving I've often been intrigued by this concept in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ you know you hear people say huh want to use my gifts what exercise my gifts it's been my observation that not many have the gift of showing up and doing things that nobody else wants to do oh there there and thankfully so but the rank-and-file of God's people want to exercise their gifts don't necessarily mean by that they want to pull the pump out of underneath that that floor in the women's room and take out the pump that is for fecal matter and urine and reach their hands down in there and pull out a rack that's not my ministry you see that's not what I've been called to you see did my experience another gift that seems to go uncie's de pon is the gift liberality the gift of liberality yes they're out there and praise God for them but it seems to be in short supply generosity smile at somebody once in a while well you know that's not my gift what about making good on commitments and showing up at church that could be a gift couldn't it it's a great benefit and the boon to the body when the bodies present trying to walk around the street we're walking on the block without a foot would be quite difficult I need that foot we all need one another in the context of the church why do feed or fingers or hands or eyes or ears they well I'd have to show up today please show up that's your gift what should be you see Jesus is saying there is to be no hierarchy a shoe it's good old fashioned word s you at shoe the the title of Rabbi he also says do not call anyone on earth your father do not do that now he's not saying you know sons today or daughter state I don't call your dad dad I call your dad father the idea is this you know hierarchy which the use of titles fosters you have one father God Almighty and he's in heaven therefore don't apply that term to others who are equals note how Jesus argues for this sort of principle in the context of the church with theology and with christology considering God the Father is consider who God the Son is that ought to flow down into the context of the church and it ought to that destroy this whole hierarchical approach where we've got new to the Holy Father and we've got all these other sort of lesser fathers all the way down to you know the schlubs that sit in the pew that's not what God says the church is to be I've shared with many of you many times as I said last week after 19 years you get the same illustrations I could see some of you running out of here after badi saying I can hear that one again but this particular one with reference to John Jasper that man that black slave who was converted by God most high and he was in a tobacco factory and he's cutting apart the tobacco doing his work in the south in the United States of America in the 1800s and God saved him he had heard a sermon god blessed it and he got saved so you know what he does when he gets saved he does what everybody does when they get saved they start telling others about being safe right they start telling others about the gospel they found the pearl of great price and they want to present it to others well that's causing a bit of stir on the tobacco you know for factory their factory floor and so Jasper's summoned to the Masters office and he goes up there the master says what are you doing he says well the Lord Gord saved my soul that's how the words are written in the book in ebonics I guess we might call it in our 21st century setting the master says to him the Lord God has saved my soul to you are my brother I want you to leave from this place and I want you to never stop telling people on how the Lord God saved your soul and Jasper was able to say at the end of his life and I never did I will do so until my last expiring breath masters and slaves come to the same supper masters and slaves feast on the same bread and wine masters and slaves call each other brothers don't we have a taste of that here people from different backgrounds different social status different ethnic background we're all one in Christ still hierarchy there's no hat no signs of prestige there's no special parking out there no status well attached to that the ministers drinking fountain or that's the ministers bathroom it's not that way and the use of titles can foster that if we're not careful Jesus says don't be called rabbi don't be called father or don't call others father but he says don't be called t teacher it's a different Greek word it probably has the idea of professor or mentor or instructor or the really high and Noble one in that regard and Jesus again in verse 10 says and do not be called teachers for one is your teacher the Christ does it militate against Paul saying their pastor teachers in the church Jesus is suggesting something completely opposite than to the identification of an office he is condemning the self exaltation of man who would be pronounced with woes who crave it who desire it who instead of going for carrots want to meet a parishioner who says rabbi or who puts the phylacteries on not so they can be reminded of those select passages or lengthens their tassels not so they can be reminded of the entirety of God's law but so that people can see them and people can esteem them and people can go home and say wow he's flying lack trees are big if that's what you are reduced to in your religion it's wicked on the one hand and it's pathetic we dealt with that last hour it's pathetic to be a fault finder and a nitpicker in christ church isn't it Jim more time on your hands if you have that much time on your hands I'm sure somebody has a job that you can do so that you don't hock you put your days with that sort of a if you're planning and plotting and building and developing larger file actress or larger tassels you've got too much time on your hands and you've got a craving for something here in Jesus Christ our Lord condemns and now notice he not only says that we are to reject self exaltation but he highlights in conclusion what we are to imitate or pursue it is an ethic and joined upon us already in Matthew's Gospel Matthew 20 24 to 28 again Christ is paradigmatic the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many known verses 11 and 12 but he who is greatest among you shall be your servant see I don't think we define greatness that way we certainly don't in the world I mean who's the great one the guy who's built big companies the guy who's got the most money the guy who has the most accouterments we call him great the same in the church all I guys been to seminary well he's great that guy's a preacher wow he's great now don't do that the path to greatness in Christ's Kingdom missed through servants listen Calvin he said he therefore declares that the highest honor in the church is not government but service John dill says service is the way to honor he that would be most esteemed ought to do the most work and the man that has the most grace and the greatest gift ought to employ them for the use and the benefit of others so if you want to be great and I don't think there's anything necessarily wrong with wanting to be great in the sense of this way if you want to be great because people call you rabbi or you want to be great because they saw your long tassels or you want to be great because you love the best seats in the market player in the in the fiefs and in the synagogue that's a greatness that's not to be pursued but a greatness through service I want to serve my brethren I want to serve my master I want to do so without the eyes of man I want to do so without the praise of man I want to do so for the glory of god that's perfectly legit and then Jesus ends with that saying that promise of eschatology in verse 12 and whoever exalts himself will be humbled and He Who humbles himself will be exalted that is a common principle rehearsed throughout again throughout the gospel narratives by our Lord Jesus it finds its tap roots and Old Testament tacts visa vie the proverbs job we see it repeated in the New Testament those who exalt themselves will be humbled you see that's your lot if you love the praise of men that's your lot if you want to be prized by men that is your lot if you engage in this occurs in practice you will be humbled that means brought low and i think it points to s katana or to the final day judgment from God Most High he says and he who humbles himself will be exalted spurgeon said the way to rise is to sink self the lower we fall in our own esteem the higher shall we rise in our masters estimation Spurgeon just said in one line everything I've been trying to say for the last 30 minutes but I hope you get it hope you understand pride bad vs. 127 humility good verses 8 to 12 I mean that would be a good way for you to answer today at lunch kids what was the sermon about pride bad humility good trying to reduce you to the sounds of a caveman or what not you can use in articles and conjunctions and other things in there as well but that's the summary pride is condemned by God vs 127 humility is promoted by Christ in it vs 8 to12 just want to conclude with a few thoughts first the folly involved in false religion we'd all agree that what these men are engaged in in terms of their practices false religion the first place the wretchedness of their sin it's wretched legalism or hypocrisy legalism religious show and self exaltation those are bad things brethren never in the Bible do you find these commended never in the Bible do you find God speaking well if apocrypha God speaking well of legalism god speaking well of just do your religion to be shown and god speaking well of sexy self exaltation these are bad things it's wretched I wouldn't treat all brothers and sisters in Christ to think through this and ask the question are these things present in my heart do I have this tendency I would suggest that we most likely do this idea of hypocrisy can any of us say yes I'm engaged in perfect exact entire and perpetual obedience to the law well no I'm not so probably on the hypocrite at least in some place but legalism what about adding to the law of God making that someone else's burden maybe you don't do that praise God whom all blessings flow but there's a lot of people in the church that do do that so let's pick on them just kidding this attempt to bind men's consciences with things that aren't God's law you can't do that it is condemned to take away from the law of God but it's also condemned in Proverbs to add to the law of God what about religious show I'm going to church today because I want my mom to see my dad to see me I want my pastor to see now that's not what's in your heart I'm going to church because that's where I hear about Jesus and I want to be where Jesus is what about self exaltation what drives us is it person's esteem of us or is it God's approbation of us I hope it's the latter Davies and Allison say that Christian history has demonstrated that all the vices here attributed to the scribes and Pharisees have attached themselves to Christians and in abundance now are the use of titles or is the use of titles condemned I think not completely again if you don't want to call me pastor that's fine i answered a gym that's the name my mother gave me but it is a helpful identifier in lieu of the guy who works at the church and teaches the word of god pastor serves nicely to just sort of fill that out I almost chose the song for this morning faith of our fathers but then I thought no we might need to sing faith of those guys who preceded us and tried to keep to the Word of God that just doesn't work Paul was a spiritual father to Timothy Paul was a spiritual father to the Corinthians but Paul wasn't sick twisted and demented and have them say well you address me as the right reverend paul or the holy father Paul no it's an attitude it's a mindset it's a disposition Paul the Apostle it's not arrogant he certainly identifying who he is under God to the churches the prophet Isaiah Isaiah didn't have some Swit sick twisted fascinate everybody around him call him profit it's a mindset self exaltation titles aren't necessarily condemned it's the attitude that drives the use of that if it creates a hierarchical structure if it reduces to 2 not that the Equality that brothers and sisters have in Christ if we think there's some some sacred pecking order in the life of the church get rid of the titles if that's what it fosters get rid of the hats get rid of the parking spots get rid of the celebrity culture and if this passage doesn't speak to that very thing I mean it's become except that we talk about celebrity pastors as if they were the rolling stones or whoever you know back in the history of fame and fortune brethren I don't think this passage gives credence to that caliber of man well did you hear so and so did you read his blog did you get his podcast as if the rabbi has spoken XKCD drah brethren faithful exposition of the word of God 16 ounces to the pound whether it comes from him or whether it comes from Balaam's ass is still authoritative it is inspired it's infallible and inerrant and we are subject to it it doesn't matter if a guy with a big hat or a big Twitter following he's got a million followers he must be right is that what we've been reduced you is that what we've come to is that how we measure the mark of a man is that he has twitter followers or he got that on his facebook post what happened to the approbation of God what happened to the smile of our Lord what happened to a good conscience before God and man what happened to those things that the Bible enjoins are the marks of the measure of a man not the sorts of things that we put stock and trade into secondly we ought to hear this passage deal with false teachers royal says above all it is an awful evidence of the guilt of unfaithful teachers so long as the world stands this chapter ought to be a warning and a beacon to all ministers of religion no sins are so sinful as theirs in the sight of Christ it's terrifying it's terrifying passage and it certainly does teach those who preach or teach the Bible that they need to preach it and live accordingly they need to live by the grace of God according to the Word of God that they preach listen to Matthew Henry he says those are of all sinners most inexcusable that allow themselves allow in themselves the sins they condemn in others he says this does especially touch wicked ministers for what greater hypocrisy can there be then depress that upon others which they themselves disbelieve and disobey so it does seem like such a debate betrayal when a man falls into sin a pastor a preacher man who sought to preach the Word of God it turns out you know next week he was seen here he was seen there he was doing this or is doing that it's a letdown why because you have a reasonable expectation that the people who are telling you one thing or at least trying to live by that one thing don't you Henry says this and I think this is beautiful when in the pulpit preaching so well that it is a pity they should ever come out but when out of the pulpit living so ill that it is a pity they should ever come in he says like bells that call others to church but hang out of it themselves terrifying I wonder if this is why Paul tells several churches in his correspondence brethren pray for us I wonder if this is why James says let not many of you become because we shall incur a stricter judgment I mean it's one thing to get something wrong in a particular job and profession that may have major ramifications but if preachers of the gospel get things wrong it has major ramifications for the persons that hear them and as we learn in this passage if we preach up in the pulpit and then go live contrary in the world that is to help men on their way to hell we need to guard we need to watch we need to pray and finally to any at all hear that do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you may think I forgot about you this morning but I want you to notice what it says of these religious leaders in verse 5 i'm sorry in verse 44 they bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers I do think the attentive reader of Matthew's Gospel should hear the echo of Matthew 11 here Matthew 11 28 to 30 I've already hurt rehearsed it I've already read it you need to hear what the Savior says he says come to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden that doesn't mean physically doesn't mean you had a late night last night Jr woke up four times and you had the cloth clothe him and diaper him and wipe up vomit so you're tired the smoke that's not what it means the weariness and the heavy laden ness is because of sin that's your problem this morning it's not your parents it's not your kids it's not society it's not the Prime Minister it's not the environment it's not those vicious Christians who try and tell you the truth your problem this morning outside of Christ is seeing you are weary and heavy late and loaded down with it it's a burden that you cannot part with to burden you can't remove by you're trying while you're doing by your working by your your best intentions and efforts the only way this burden is loosed is by heating the words of the Savior come to me he says all you who are weary and heavy-laden and what will he do listen to the promise of the text he says I will give you rest now want you just to listen and hear what Christ says in this passage some of you may have been raised in traditions where Jesus says come and I will give you rest and traditions may say no don't go because he won't give you rest listen to jesus vs your tradition listen to christ the authoritative preacher the rabbi the teacher the master the mentor the professor that has rights to sit in moses eat heed his word this morning you have sinned you have been found out you need remedy and that remedy is to be found in Christ cop is what Christ says how do we come I can't fly in a rocket ship to get to heaven the Bible tells us to believe on Him we walk by faith not by sight we come to the Savior we close with the Savior through faith and repentance those Grace's that God Himself gets you say but no nobody come to Christ but that's not come to Christ that's not going to fix it come to Christ talk to anybody in this church who has a history a past a record of great sin against a great God and listen to them with probably a gleam in her eye and a tear down their cheat talking about how jesus paid it all Jesus took it all Jesus took on himself the punishment that was due for our sins and because of his grace because of his mercy I have everlasting life please come to the Savior Paul says you will not be disappointed you will not be put to shame you will have everlasting life will let us pray our Father we thank you for the word of God and we thank you for this condemnation of Pride and for this promotion or or well treatment of humility God if we are mindful of our own hearts and our own Bibles and these things we will see ourselves in a passage like this and we will confess that we are the man and we will ask for forgiveness and for cleansing in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ the heart's desire and earnest plea is that if there are any here that are not saved you by grace would reach down and free them and deliver them by the power of the gospel of our Lord Jesus send the spirit to do what is impossible with men and we ask this through Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation then I'll come back up and will thank the Lord for the food that we're about to partake in you