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welcome to everyone we have just a couple of announcements before we begin in the first place a reminder that Elise rempel has applied for church membership so if you have not gotten to know her please do so and then Abigail stare wants to be baptized and joined the church as well well for our call to worship this morning you can turn in your Bibles to psalm 119 psalm 119 specifically vs. 81 to 88 psalm 119 beginning in verse 81 my soul faints for your salvation but I hope in your word my eyes fail from searching your word saying when will you comfort me for I have become like a wineskin in smoke yet I do not forget your statutes how many are the days of your servant when will you execute judgment on those who persecute me the proud of dug pits forming which is not according to your law all your commandments are faithful they persecute me wrongfully help me they almost made an end of me on earth but I did not forsake your precepts revive me according to your loving-kindness so that I may keep the testimony of your mouth amen well please turn in your Trinity salter to solve 96 your red Trinity salter Psalm 96 will stand as we sing together mhm Oh you you you you let us pray or Great God and our Holy Father we come before you now and we confess your majesty and your excellence and your glory and your power we see your works of creation and Providence we see your work of salvation we come in a special way on this Sabbath day to rejoice in what you have done concerning your people we give all praise and glory to You Father Son and Holy Spirit for you alone are worthy you are a great king and worthy to be praised and honored does the Prophet asks as the seer asks in Revelation who would not fear thee O king of the nation's for indeed it is why do we know because of sin and depravity and wretchedness men do not bow to you as they ought and how we praise you for your amazing in your sovereign grace that has taught our hearts to fear and may it be the case today that we would come before you in an acceptable manner with reverence and with joy and with Thanksgiving as we address so great and glorious of God we confess that you are from everlasting to everlasting we confess that heaven is your your throne and earth is your footstool that you are the God of majesty and sovereign strength and power we would pray today that all that we do would be for your for your glory and honor we would come to the Father through the mediation of the Sun by the power of the Holy Spirit so that God would be all in all in this place does we consider your holiness as we consider your righteousness god we see our own sinfulness and we confess that now to you we thank you for the promise of the scripture that if we confess our sins you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and as david says in the psalter that if you lord should mark iniquities O Lord who could stand but with you there is forgiveness that you may be feared may this be the effect upon our hearts this morning may we with glad hearts and may we with reverence come before you for those who have come to this place this morning that are outside of Christ we pray that today would be the day of salvation we know God with you all things are possible in the salvation of sinners is certainly something you have purpose before the foundation of the world a great multitude that no man can number we pray today that in this place sooners would be brought forth by your word of truth through the power of your Holy Spirit to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior God be merciful and be gracious and have your way in our midst and as the psalmist ends the section we read may you revive us in your loving kindness may you revive us according to your word and may you cause us Lord God even now to take every thought captive to the obedience of Jesus Christ our Lord we confess not only the the sins of this past week but even as we come before you and worship we are prone to wander and prone to leave the God that we love we would pray that you'd help us to focus help us by your spirit to worship you a right to do so in spirit and in truth so that you may be praised we ask that you would look with favor upon this local church we thank you that we not only have God but we have one another and may we encourage one another and exhort one another daily while it is called today lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin we rejoice in your eternal or in your spiritual mercies to us and we rejoice in the temporal mercies what a joy and delight to see all these little babies coming into the church today what a delight that you have blessed your people that you have watched over our dear sisters and over these little ones and God we pray that they would one day confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we pray that for all of our children our young people we know this is the one thing needful in their lives to bow before the holy God of heaven and earth to come to God through Jesus Christ the Lord and I pray that as the word goes forth today capture their minds and their hearts and cause them to take heed to your word we asked you would look with favor upon those in our midst to our ill we commit them to you into the word of your grace and pray that though the outer man decays day by day there a man would be renewed that they would be strengthened that they would know the nearness of Jesus Christ an intimate communion with him we ask our Father for each and every one of us we all have spiritual trials and temptations and and things that we battle and we would confess to you God our helplessness in the need that we have for the Lord Jesus so supply what is lacking in our hearts and grant us grace in these things Lord God we asked you'd bless other churches here in this town we thank you that we're not alone we pray that you'd prosper these other places that the gospel would go forth and that souls would be saved and that the people of God would be more and more conformed into the image of Christ we pray father as well that you would be merciful throughout the world that your word would run swiftly and be glorified that it would not return to you void but it would accomplish the purpose for which you sent it namely the glory of god through the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of God's people we would ask as we were reminded in the last hour to pray for the governing authorities to those or for those who have rule over us as Paul tells us in 1st Timothy we pray first and foremost that men in high places would fear God that they would bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ David gave that counsel the judges and the Kings around Israel in the second Psalm and we pray that counsel would go forth today that they would kiss the son they would bow before the Son of God lest he be angry and they perish in his way his wrath is kindled but a little we asked you would restrain them from further acts of corruption from engaging in things that are that are wicked and godless and we would pray against the sins of abortion and sodomy in euthanasia we pray these things would be criminalized instead instead of subsidized and celebrated God we pray that in your wrath you would remember mercy and not only would you revive your churches but you'd awaken those who are dead in their trespasses and sins be merciful today we pray and send forth your glorious gospel conquering and to conquer and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well please turn in your Trinity hymnal to number 4 37 for 37 again we'll stand as we sing together you you you you know you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 9 for our scripture reading this morning Matthew chapter 9 will pick up at verse 18 essentially what we have in this section of the the gospel account in chapters 5 to 7 the Sermon on the Mount it ends with a summary statement that the people were amazed because Jesus taught as one having Authority so in Christ's words there is Authority in chapters 9 and 10 we see in Christ's acts there is Authority he goes about engaged in miracle-working and again the miracles were not calculated to simply dazzle the eyes of men but rather to affirm and authenticate that he was God's man bringing God's Word to bear upon that generation Matthew 9 beginning in verse 18 while he spoke these things to them behold the ruler came and worshiped him saying my daughter has just died but come and lay her hand on her and she will live so Jesus arose and followed him and so did his disciples and suddenly a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment for she said to herself if only I may touch His garment I shall be made well but Jesus turned around and when he saw her he said be of good cheer daughter your faith has made you well and the woman was made well from that hour when Jesus came into the rulers house and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing he said to them make room for the girl is not dead but sleeping and they ridiculed him but when the crowd was put outside he went in and took her by the hand and the girl arose and the report of this went out into all that land when Jesus departed from there two blind men followed him crying out and saying son of David have mercy on us and when he had come into the house the blind man came to him and Jesus said to them do you believe that I am able to do this they said to him yes Lord then he touched their eyes saying according to your faith let it be to you and their eyes were open and Jesus sternly warned them saying see that no one knows it but when they had departed they spread the news about him in all that country as they went out behold they brought to him a man mute and demon possessed and when the demon was cast out the mute spoke and the multitudes marveled saying it was never seen like this in Israel but the Pharisee said he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons then Jesus went about all the cities and villages teaching in their synagogues preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people but when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no Shepherd then he said to his disciples the harvest truly is plentiful but the laborers are few therefore pray the lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest amen well as I said it's actually chapters 8 and 9 the display of Christ power and authority through his deeds and we see that riddled throughout this particular chapter this woman is healed this child is raised from the debt two blind men are healed and have their eyes eye sight restored to then and then this demon-possessed man is healed by the Lord Jesus Christ now notice the response of the Pharisees in verse 34 the Pharisee said he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons if you back up just a little bit in chapter 9 at verse 15 when Jesus is speaking to his disciples or to these to the disciples about their joy can the friends of the bridegroom morn 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 I think that's one of the first announcements by our Savior in Matthew's Gospel that he will be taken away from that that is a foreshadowing of the crucifixion that is to come and from this time and even prior we see this mounting opposition the Lord Jesus and the controversy against the Pharisees scribes all of the religious leaders there in Israel these men said that he was demon-possessed these men said that he engaged in the sorts of things he did by the power of the devil himself this morning we look to our exposition we'll look at chapter 23 and see that that has come to a head and Jesus speaks very condemning Lee of these religious leaders will see that in just a few moments but notice as well what the text underscores as we leave chapter 9 the kindness and the mercy and the goodness of our Savior verse 36 when he saw the multitudes he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no Shepherd that's the Lord Christ as he looks upon the multitudes there is this paying there is this touch in his own heart of arts concerning the scattered state of the people in this covenant community and then note he says to his disciples the harvest truly is plentiful but the laborers are few therefore pray the lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest we need to take seriously this admonition by our Lord it's not the case that we live in a christianized world it's not the case that the person's all over the earth or in vital communion with God through Jesus Christ we ought to take likewise heed to the situation of those who are scattered and we ought to pray that God the Lord would raise up laborers to send them out into the harvest field and there is a close connection between chapters 9 and 10 Jesus tells his disciples to pray and then Jesus sends out the twelve on this missionary endeavor and we can trust God that the same process of the same sort of order is known today we pray to god the lord of the harvest and we trust God that he will equip men and that he will send man in order to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the earth will let us pray our Father we thank you for your word and we pray that you would give us ears to hear and hearts to receive it that these things would be edifying and strengthening to us and god cause us to reflect upon the character of our Savior in this passage help us God as we live in a world that is filled with sin and wretchedness and depravity that we would be moved to passion that we would be prayerful to the lord of the harvest to raise up men to equip men and to send men forth that they may proclaim the gospel of jesus christ throughout the earth to that end God we pray for those Christians living in countries where there is such severe persecution we ask God that you would give grace and strength to your people that do suffer give them perseverance in the midst of such things and God may you use them to communicate the truth of the gospel to those who would persecute and we pray these things through Jesus Christ our Lord amen well for our final him before the preaching you can turn to number 220 number 220 and your Trinity hindle will stand as we sing together we can turn to Matthew chapter 23 Matthew chapter 23 continue our exposition of Matthew's Gospel I want to read beginning in verse 13 set it back into its context and then look specifically at what is going on here with Jesus teaching beginning in chapter 23 at verse 13 here now the word of the Living in the true God but woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for you neither go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you devour widows houses and for pretence make long prayers therefore you will receive greater condemnation woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you travel land and sea to win one proselyte and when he is one you make him twice as much a son of El as yourselves woe to you blind guides who say whoever swears by the temple it is nothing but whoever swears by the goal of the temple he is obliged to perform it fools and blind for which is greater the gold or the temple that sanctifies the goal and whoever swears by the altar it is nothing but whoever swears by the gift that is on it he is obliged to perform it fools and blind for which is greater the gift of the altar that sanctifies the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift therefore he who swears by the altar swears by it and by all things on it he who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it and he who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites if you pay the tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law justice and mercy and faith these uova you ought to have done without leaving the others undone blind guides strain out a gnat and swallow a camel woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish but inside they're full of extortion and self-indulgence blind Pharisee first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be clean also woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you're like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outward ly but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous and say if we lived in the days of our father as we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets fill up then the measure of your father's guilt serpents brood of vipers how can you escape the condemnation of El therefore indeed i send you prophets wise men inscribes some of them you will kill and crucify and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of zechariah son of barack aya whom you murdered between the temple and the altar assuredly I say to you all these things will come upon this generation o Jerusalem Jerusalem the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her how often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were not willing see your house is left to you desolate for I say to you you shall see me no more to you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord amen will let us pray father we thank you for the written word and we pray now for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit we confess our dullness and our hardness and our own remaining corruption and pray that you would indeed forgive that you would Claire clear these things away and cause us to receive with Thanksgiving your word we pray God that you would be glorified in this endeavor that you would be pleased to bless the word as it goes forth and may your Holy Spirit the Blessed spirit of the living and true God truly rush upon us and cause us to receive these things and we pray through Christ our Lord amen well just a reminder of the particular context we are in the Passion Week the Lord Jesus enters into Jerusalem as recorded for us in Matthew chapter 21 he curses the fig tree and then he indeed engages in this controversy or controversies with the religious leaders on the Tuesday of the Passion Week it begins when they challenged him by asking him by what authority does the things that he does so Jesus silenced is then and then he tells three parables that are calculated to demonstrate that these men are guilty before the living and true God it then goes on to record for us for controversies in terms of a of a verbal confrontation between the Lord Jesus and between these religious leaders remember that in chapter 22 they come to him they asked him question they come to him they ask him a question they come to him again they ask him a question he's able to refute them each and every time and then he poses the last question concerning the identity of the Messiah the identity of the Lord's Christ and he appeals to David and the Psalter to do so that brings us to chapter 23 again it's still the Passion Week it's still the Tuesday the Lord Jesus is now going to directly condemn the religious leaders remember in 23 verses 1 to 12 he speaks to the multitudes and he speaks to the disciples and he cautions them he warns them he tells them and so far as they sit on Moses seat and they accurately teach the Word of God do what they say observe it but he says do not follow their practice because they're hypocritical they are men that say one thing and act in another way there man who who pile up the burdens upon people burdens that they themselves don't carry and burdens they don't try to help others carry he tells them he warns them to watch out for these men and here in chapter 23 beginning at first verse 13 these leaders must have come back into his area they must have come back into his focus and so now he speaks directly to these men in a series of woes if you have the King James of the New King James there are eight was if you have a modern addition you have seven woes your will make in verse 14 may be in brackets or it may be in the margin there's a bit of a variant reading there I'm going to take it the way we have it in the New King James with the eight woes but having said that we're going to look at the first whoa this morning as I try and again set it in its context and try and demonstrate that what we have here is Christ functioning as God's prophet so I want to look at two things this morning in the first place the precedent for his action the precedent that means what happened before to bring us to this particular point and then secondly the pronouncement of woes upon the religious leaders I'll define whoa a little bit more in a little more detail in just a moment but for now just consider it the opposite of blessing if we were to say blessed be you that's a good thing if we say woe to you that's a bad thing so kids at least keep that bit in your mind at this point when Jesus says woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites he is not wishing good things upon them he is not pronouncing happy days for them he is not giving them God's blessing but he is telling them exactly the opposite this has led a couple of men to consider this chapter this way they've said it's the unlovely escap tur in the gospel or it's the most unchristian chapter in matthew because jesus uses strong stern language pointed against strong stern sinners it is a lovely chapter it is a Christian chapter the Lord Christ is operating consistently with the holiness and the righteousness and the Justice of God most high severe heresy calls for severe condemnation and that is precisely what the Lord Christ is engaged in now note the precedent for his action before we get to verse 13 I think his office in view is that of profit if I were to ask you this morning what are the three offices of Jesus Christ I trust most of you would be able to tell me he's a prophet he's a priest and he's a king well we'll see his priestly office further along in the Passion Week when Christ dies when Christ goes to the cross to sacrifice for sinners that is the priestly function of Christ we see his regal his royal authority his kingly office when he comes triumphal II into Jerusalem he comes in accordance with Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9 he's riding on that donkey's colt and he is being praised by the people as well Matthew's Gospel signs off on that high note of the kingly office of Jesus all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me not some authority not a bit of authority not a partial authority but all authority in heaven and on earth it's the ground or the foundation upon which the Great Commission follows Jesus says as a result of me being invested with all authority you go therefore and make disciples of all the nations but it's the prophetic office that's in view in this particular instance and we've met with Christ as profit previously go back to Matthew 17 for just a moment Matthew chapter 17 just want us to see that Christ is speaking here as a prophet of God to men but it had bomb inated the law of God notice in Matthew 17 they're up on the Mount of Transfiguration and in verse 5 while he was still speaking behold a bright cloud overshadowed them and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased hear him I think sometimes persons come to the Mount of Transfiguration and they read this declaration by the father and they might actually here well don't listen to Moses and don't listen to Elijah that's not the point when the Lord God most high displays his public affirmation of his son and he says this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased and then he says hear him that is reminiscent of a process of a promise that has already come in scripture in Deuteronomy chapter 18 at the hands of Moses there was an announcement of a prophet who was to come Deuteronomy 18 15 says the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst from your brethren and then Moses ends with him you shall hear so it's no accident that on the Mount of Transfiguration the father says hear him it's reminiscent of Deuteronomy 18 15 this is the prophet promised and sent by God to do the bidding of God in this particular situation notice in Matthew 21 when the Lord Christ enters triumphal II into Jerusalem notice what happens when the persons ask who is this in 21 10 so the multitude said this is Jesus the Prophet from Nazareth of Galilee so as we approach these woes of condemnation we need to hear them come from the mouth of Christ the Prophet there's even a further precedence for this in the Old Testament prophets in the prophet Ibaka in chapter 2 verses 6 to 9 there are a series of woes that are pronounced upon sinners we see six was pronounced by Isaiah in Isaiah chapter five and if you link Isaiah 5 and this section and Matthew together you will see strong similarities I don't think any of us should miss the connection in Isaiah chapter 5 verses 1 to 7 the Prophet tells a parable about a vineyard and about God's displeasure with the nation of Israel for not having tended to that vineyard well Jesus does that in Matthew 21 verses 33 246 then the prophet after giving that parable after giving that parable of the vineyard pronounces woes of condemnation upon his generation for having sinned against God and broken covenant responsibilities well that's what Christ is doing here in Matthew 23 13 233 after Isaiah concludes the parable and concludes the pronouncement of the woes he pronounces judgment upon his generation upon the people of Israel that were guilty of violating God's law that's what Christ us here that is precisely the same emphasis notice in verse 34 therefore Andy I send you prophets wise men scribed some of them you will kill and crucify and then he says in verse 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of zechariah son of Barack ayah this makes sense in the Hebrew canon because Abel is found in Genesis and Zechariah is found in second chronicles the Hebrew cannon is structured with Genesis as the first book and second chronicles is the last book so Jesus is literally giving us an A to Z the measure of the guilt had been filled up and now they were going to read the judgment and justice of god most I for their infidelity primarily seen in the rejection of God's Messiah and then Jesus closes in verse 36 by saying assuredly I say to you all these things will come upon this generation so you really shouldn't miss what Christ is doing in terms of pronouncing these woes functioning as a prophet the way that Isaiah did very specifically now note secondly the pronouncement of woes verses 13 2 33 but as I said we're going to focus on verse 13 in the first place the word means horror can think opposite of blessing blessing good whoa bad it's probably the best and easiest way that you can remember this whoa can be an interjection of pain whoa can be a distress and a warning chamblin says that here the whoa joins deepest sorrow to sternest warning Carson says it is neither vindictive nor spiteful so much as judicial that's what's underscored here it's the judicial character of Christ work as a prophet coming on behalf of God suing the nation of Israel as God's prosecuting attorney and showing them where they have fallen short and where they have sinned against God he says Jesus the Messiah pronounces judgment Osbourne says that garland another commentator notes a strong impress or e aspect imprecatory means to call God's wrath and curse down upon someone he notes a strong and predatory aspect stemming from the whoa Oracle's of the Old Testament he says thus Jesus is pronouncing prophetic judgment on the leaders and the planned Vengeance of God on them for their sins this is our contacts this is what's happening so that we don't engage in the sorts of silliness that I referenced earlier to come to this chapter and say well this is unlovely this is unbecoming as if somehow we're more godly and more upright and somehow know to use language better than the Lord of glory himself how dare we ever say that what Christ is God is on lovely or it somehow unsavory or it's inconsistent with the spirit of love and gentleness and mildness that our Lord displays that gentleness and that mildness is not ever divorced from justice from judgment from wrath it's a very fitting description in Revelation chapter 6 when the strong man of the earth and men all over the earth are calling upon the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and to hide them from what from the wrath of the Lamb you reject Christ as Lord and Savior you reject the prophet of mercy by God you reject the gospel call and you will meet Jesus Christ as judge you will meet Jesus Christ and he will say those words depart from me I never knew you in many respects chapter 23 hopefully under God will awaken will cause us to reflect upon the reality that this isn't games we're not playing games when we gather together and we preach the gospel in this first whoa we see what steak these Pharisees and scribes they slammed the door in the faces of men that were seeking access to the kingdom of heaven that's what's at stake that's why he's so stern that's why he's so pointed that's why the judgment is so hot in this particular passage because these men who had charged Jesus with being demon-possessed were barring people from entering into the very kingdom of heaven itself we need to see that note secondly the meaning of woe secondly the target identified it's the religious leaders in our text scribes and Pharisees but we're not supposed to believe that Jesus doesn't include Sadducees but the Jesus doesn't include the elders I think scribes and Pharisees here serves as a bit of theological shorthand to identify the religious leadership of Israel in the first century that were charged with teaching the law of God accurately fact they occupied Moses seat according two versus two and three but they distorted Moses teaching Moses announces even on the plains of Moab the new command on New Covenant in Deuteronomy 30 Christ has promised throughout the Torah Christ has promised throughout the law throughout the writings throughout the prophets Christ is everywhere present in Genesis through to Malachi and our English Bibles Christ is there but these men neglect that so Jesus targets them notice how he describes that they're called hypocrites in each whoa except 17 times total can I vote for or i would think that jesus would be thrown off of any university campus in modern America or Canada because he offends the delicate sensitivities of the individuals who can't deal with reality if somebody's a hypocrite it's not a sin to call them a hypocrite when Jesus calls them fools you might remember in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus condemns calling persons fools not if they really are if you say phool aur acha to a brother in christ over something that is non-essential you shouldn't do that it's the charge of murder it's guilty a like murder is because it reveals the hardness and the anger in your heart but when Christ calls fools fools there's no sin there there's no contradiction there there's no inconsistency there he calls them hypocrites he calls them blind guides twice in verses 16 and 24 blind guides just imagine that just think about that for one quick second a blind god did you see the oxymoronic nature of that you don't typically hire a guide because he can't see you typically hire a guy who not only can see but can navigate you want someone competent you want someone able you want someone proficient you want someone that's going to make sure you don't fall into the the place that you are trying to avoid you don't hire a blind guide you don't follow a blind guide sometimes I hear about Reformed churches well they're so boring I go to this other place because there's pizzazz you know I think it's incumbent upon gospel preachers to preach in a way that is interesting I mean if the Word of God is what it is it is a very interesting thing so preachers ought to labour to be understood and to make it interesting why in the world would we try and bore people but sometimes i think the charge does not stick oh it's boring so i'm going to go to this other place where there's razzmatazz yet but that's a blind guide leading blind man into ditches I'd rather have less razzmatazz and a last bit of pizzazz with a safe guide drug leading me on to the kingdom of heaven we're so foolish in North America today we seek after what the flesh desires with the flesh craves and what we believe our our felt needs I've got to be satisfied I've got to be taken care of I've got to be pandered to and there's just a whole host of churches out there that will do that very thing but if they're blind guides brethren you're going to fall into the into the canyon I think of the the Grand Canyon I've always wanted to take one of those borough rides down to the base of the of the canyon or the to the bottom of the canyon but I wouldn't want a blind guide I wouldn't want the guy on the borough in front of me to have the dark sunglasses in one of those poles I want to make sure of any recently had his eyes checked and he could what right a burro and he could navigate the canyon because I don't want to topple to my death and yet purses will go to churches where there's pizzazz where r felt needs are met where there's an emotional higher rush but they are not being guided safely to heaven I think what Osbourne says is correct Christ has two purposes here in Matthew 23 to condemn the wretchedness of Israel in the first century when Jesus the Messiah comes he comes to his own and they receive him not but they crucify the Lord of glory but the second purpose is to warn the church don't follow blind guides don't go after fools don't go after Benny Hinn I mean the garage pagan knows he's a fool how can a pro a professing Christian actually have truck with such nonsense why is it that these guys come in these humongous auditoriums filled with souls because of the pizzazz because of the razzmatazz yeah but they're lining a leading man off to the pit we have to take that into consideration one thing I hope that pastor cam and I always try to be or safe guides you may not get the razzmatazz you may not get the pizzazz every one of your felt needs may not be met the Brethren hopefully we'll be safe guides to you on your way to heaven because that's the purpose for the pastoral ministry it's to preach the word to be ready in season and out of season to convince rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and teaching to realize that a time will come when men not will not endure sound doctrine but because they have itching ears they're going to heap up teachers that are more than happy to scratch them to cater to those felt needs well that's not the way it's going to be here I hope that doesn't mean we hate you and don't want your felt needs to be realized in us and achieved and don't want you to be happy of course do you know how happiness is achieved in the Christian soul through the appropriation of the Word of God the longer I live brethren the more I experienced this world the more I am absolutely convinced that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God that's why there's been an emphasis of late I hope it's not guilt manipulation and I hope it's not nagging but I realize at times I make these sort of impassioned pleas for persons to show up at church now outsiders would say well pastors have a vested interest in that because persons who show up for church bring money or they bring some sort of you know accolades or they help the man with his prestige no that's not why I want you to show up a church because man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God you need to eat what is provided to you in the public context of the corporate worship of God you need to eat the supper that is afforded to you by the divine householder who gathers us together so that we can feast as we rebuild rooms now for the ego of the elders or for the financial well-being of the church it's for your joy public worship to be preferred over the private place is what Puritans taught there's been this resurgence in this delight and puritan literature and reformed theology then our churches ought to reflect it with vibrancy and with presents and with that zeal that David exhibits in Psalm 122 I was glad when they said unto me let us go to the house of the Lord not oh what a burden oh what a thread oh what a terrible thing brethren it's a joyful delightful thing to gather under God's Word it's no better privilege for the creature than to hear the word of his creator and for us a redeemer he refers to them as fools and blind twice Moe Roy where we get our word that's what Jesus calls that now that might be a forbidden word for some of you children if you were to call your sibling that I could hear your parents say you're not supposed to say that Jesus is God in the flesh and for him to pronounce on somebody you can rest assured they deserved it as well he calls them serpents and broods a brood of vipers once you see what I'm saying that Jesus would not be welcomed into your safe space I mean we're offended over the smallest things anymore aren't we everybody's offended about everything we're so delicately blaspheme God as a culture we mock Christ as a culture we are violently opposed to the word of truth as a culture but it really hurt my feelings by saying this in my university setting we can't even study history anymore because somebody somewhere is going to be offended we can't do anything so I suggest that Jesus would not be a welcomed addition to any cultural univer Nicole a university in our culture probably would have trouble fitting into some churches as well he does not pull any punches I think as this brief survey ought to show for us the implication of this is that the seriousness of religious heresy is magnified they are hypocrites they are blind guides they're fools and blind they are serpents brood of vipers wants it shows the severity and the enormity of their sin of heresy and it shows just how serious a matter it is and I think there is as well a necessity to warn people and to condemn heresy John Calvin says this in his commentary he says hence we may infer how cruel is the mildness of those who dislike our via ments he's dealing with the saw these of his day oh you can't say that Calvin don't you know the Pope will be offended you can't save that Calvin don't you know those priests will be offended you can't use such vehemence against your opposition because we need to be gentle and meek and mild and all for that we need to be gentle and meek and mild until someone denies the Lord Jesus Christ then they deserve a whoa Calvin goes on to say they are displeased to see harshness and severity used towards the wolves which are constantly with open mouths tearing and devouring the sheep and yet they see the poor sheep deceived by a vain disguise freely throwing themselves into the jaws of the wolves unless the pastor who desires to save them and endeavors to rescue them from destruction drive them away with a loud voice I think his imagery or the metaphor is suggestive I have never shepherded sheep but I have to think that if I was and I was gazing in the distance at my little flock of sheep and a wolf started to run to them I wouldn't just mildly and kindly say to that wolf would you please stop would you please spare them would you please not feast on them would you please not go after their blood no I would run I would take my shepherd's staff I would scream at the wolf and try to beat it in the head to stop him so Jesus is doing here and it's far more serious remember he looked upon them he had compassion because what they were like sheep having no Shepherd we have our answer why because the man who was supposed to be the Shepherd's had charged the Messiah with being demon-possessed had resisted him every step of the way had rejected the very law of Moses that they supposedly sat in the seat of Moses to teach and they themselves were blind guides to those in Israel and that brings us to this first whoa notice they closed the doors of the kingdom verse 13 I think that we spend time here because it summarizes all the rest the others are very specific and very vivid in the very detail but in many respects verse 13 sorta serves as a capstone or a summary statement of their crime he says woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you shot up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for you neither going yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in Christ came to do what Christ came to throw open the doors of the kingdom of Evan Christ it is very after the baptism after he goes into the wilderness when he embarks on his public ministry what does he say he says repent for the kingdom of heaven is what it's at hand Christ flings the gates open he flings the doors open the Messiah of God has arrived the one in whom all the promises of God are yeah and a man has arrived the one who is going to be that that master doorkeeper to bring sinners to the Father through his own intercession that one comes to open the kingdom of heaven these men close it the word can be translated literally they slam the door in the face off you ever had that happen anyone ever slammed the door in your face say well no that's never happened and he good on you when that happens you'll be able to enter in a little bit to what's going on here these scribes and Pharisees these hypocrites slam the door in the faces of men who were seeking in the kingdom of heaven now they didn't have absolute authority it is metaphorical to a large degree back in Matthew 16 when Jesus gives the keys of the kingdom to Peter and thus to the church he doesn't mean they have absolute authority in other words we don't make the decision as to who enters in its metaphorical as you preach the gospel as you proclaim the truth as you set Christ crucified before people God Most High brings them through that preaching he brings them through the power of His Holy Spirit to enter into that Kingdom so they didn't have sovereign Authority like what Gil says here says it's in terms of them slamming the door in the faces of people he says not eternal life and happiness the entrance into which can neither be open North shot by men those whom God determines to bring tether shall have an entrance abundantly ministered to them in spite of the opposition of men and of devils so even if a Pharisee or Skrine were to stand before one of the elect of God the Lord God Almighty would bring them at don't ever miss that it's a metaphor though in their religious doings in their religious ministry in the way they preached and the way they talked and the way they spoke instead of opening up that kingdom of heaven they slam the door in the faces of men notice the result of this verse 13 for you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for you neither go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in you don't go ahead you've rejected you have stayed away you have resisted the Lord Christ you've resisted the law that you have supposedly been teaching Genesis 3 Genesis 22 exodus throughout leviticus numbers deuteronomy christ is filled up in those passages people that say i don't want to read the Old Testament because I want to learn about Jesus if you're not reading the Old Testament you're not learning about Jesus it's just that simple what do they do they've denied themselves access you neither enter in but look at what else they're doing you don't allow seekers to enter as well this is terrible Jesus spoke to this in Matthew 15 he says if a blind man leads a blind man both will fall into a pit sometimes you hear hear this well you know people can't be blamed because they listen to joel osteen people can't be blamed because they listen to benny hinn according to Jesus they can they're not there at gunpoint I don't think Benny Hinn or joel osteen has goons out there with aks putting it in the faces of people and say you need to sit under this heresy if that were the case I might cut the listener a little slack but they go there because they're felt needs are catered to they go there because they're inspired do you come here to get inspired you're probably sorely wanting hopefully you come to be instructed what happened to that aren't way to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ not grow in our experience not grow in our emotional stability and paradoxically paradoxically went to paradoxically when we grow in the grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus our emotional life is typically more stable our experiences of God are far more real because they're founded in truth and not block and this is what God has purposed for his people these men block the very doors of heaven before these these seekers after entrance Davies and Allison say this whoa appropriately preface 'as the series is a sort of summary of the whole the scribes and pharisees despite their religious efforts neither enter the kingdom nor allow others to do so I love what they say next they are not leaders but Miss leaders they are not leaders but Miss leaders they have missed led the people because they have taken their eyes off of Jesus and they have indeed confused them with a twisted hermeneutic imposed upon the scripture wherein fuzziness and distortion and all manner of wickedness flows from I just want to invest the manner by which they do this so he says you shot up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for you neither go in yourselves nor do you allow those who are entering to go in I think there's you know ample evidence up to this point to sort of fill in the blanks how do they do that when did they ascend to heaven do they slam the doors they tell people let's get together and study you know the Satanic Bible they get together and you know brainwash the the hapless Souls that populated Israel in the first century how did they do it well there are several things that I think we ought to conclude in the first place their hypocrisy their hypocrisy I think this is an addition I don't think this is the primary emphasis because this Gil says good truth doesn't suffer even though it comes from bad man but hypocrisy you got to consider that in illiterate state or an ill age where literacy was not as high and Bibles were not as prevalent but not everybody had their you know Cambridge New King James Bible that they they took home after synagogue worship on Saturday so you had to pay attention you had to listen in the synagogue and you would also study you would see you would look at the lives of people and when the scribes and the Pharisees are living like the way Jesus describes here their hypocrisy is evident isn't it they say one thing but they engage in another I remember it's an Andrew Boehner's book or Horatius bone are one of those brothers literally those brothers but one of our brothers spiritually in words to winners of souls he quotes someone who said men know that if religion means anything then it means everything right men know that if religion means anything if God Christ the spirit the Bible justification by faith glorification to come sanctification in the present if that means anything to us it's going to mean everything isn't it so I'm always surprised when persons don't have this desire to be where the Word of God is in persons don't read their Bibles or persons don't pray I'm not saying this as a nag there's a guilt manipulator you but there should be that that that longing that hunger that search for righteousness that desire to be where God is and he has promised in a special way to be a new covenant dwelling which is the church it's the Church of God described as the house of God in first Timothy 3 15 now I don't doubt that God is present in our homes God is omniscient to be sure omnipresent to be sure but God has promised in a special way to be accessed by his people the father through the song by the spirit on the Lord's Day this is a good thing in persons that have no desire for that they betray that confession if religion means anything it means everything so you're watching these hypocrites live like the devil and I'm not talking about a little bit i mean if anybody followed you during the day and they kept a list and you know notepad and pan i wouldn't want to see that list at the end of the day would you I mean some of you probably see me walking down Broadway say wow that looks good yeah you don't know what's going on in the Hat what if somebody followed you around all day and wrote down everything hypocrisy it'd be a pretty discouraging adventure wouldn't it let me show you what I got on you today no that's not under at ification they're talking about that I'm not talking about the remaining sin that we have in our lives that that that Romans 7 situation that Galatians 5 17 the spirit lusts against the flesh the flesh against the spirit these to a contrary to one another so that you don't do the things that you want not talking about that I'm talking about an overarching theme of hypocrisy in your life do you profess faith in Christ and live as far from Christ as you possibly can because if so you are a hypocrite as well one of the other things by which they slam the door in the faces of men was legalism legitimate classic textbook definition I know that we oftentimes bandy somebody illegal is because they don't do the same sorts of things we do oh he's illegal this because he doesn't do this that might be a but these guys really were legalists how did they teach entrance into the kingdom of heaven by the works of the law did the Old Testament did the Torah teach that by the works of the law no it always pointed men to the Redeemer to the Christ to the Messiah it's a purpose or one of the purpose for the law was to drive men to their to see their need for the Savior and these men he bought burdens upon the shoulders of others that they themselves don't even move a finger to help with as well they engaged in doctrinal heresy we'll see that in a moment when we get to why I think is the main reason doctrinal heresy again in our modern setting theology Shmi ology who cares you're standing at the very top of the Grand Canyon and you're looking at that guide that's going to take you down to the base and he says yeah I looked online I googled how to do this that's not going to instill confidence in you is it you're not jumping on that burles back and ready to shimmy down that hill to go into the base of the canyon people don't care about what is most important today that's a generalization don't go home and cry say Jim said I don't get her well if you don't then take it to heart but if you do and I'm generalizing take it the way I'm specifying we don't care witness worship today we don't care do we ever ask the question again now we specifically we generically or generally do we ever ask the question what does God want and worship what does God demand in worship how is god to be worshipped is that a question that's wrestled with but do we say how about just doing this because it'll make people feel good or how about offering this because it'll make people happy or how about this because it will market our church 12 what's God say Hebrews 12 tells us there's an acceptable acceptable way to worship you know who defines that acceptable way not us we have trouble getting out of bed some mornings brethren do we have the ability to conceive how the creature approaches the creator or do we listen to what the Creator tells us in his written word that is the case doctrinal heresy got off the beaten path there sorry another way is doctrinal deviation I think this is sometimes more dangerous doctrinal deviation heresy is when somebody just says something completely false like the Jehovah's Witnesses they say Jesus is a creature that's completely false I think most Christians are able to see that it's obvious right I mentioned Benny Hinn and joel osteen those profits of proud of a profit and and esteem in our own day I think most Christians would be able to say yes something's not right there but it's the deviation it's the subtleties in a man's doctrine even as we move through these woes will see that the scribes and the Pharisees weren't completely out in left field they perverted the way men should can engage in oaths they perverted the system of tithing but even Jesus himself these you up to have done without leaning the others on done so they didn't get everything wrong again I think this is oftentimes pervasive many respects the federal vision may be more dangerous because of its doctrinal deviation than a Benny Han or a joel osteen or even jehovah's witnesses because we can see that they're not even on our radar but these other guys quote Calvin they quote the catechisms they quote the concession that they sound like they know what they're talking about they speak covenant theology I think in some ways the scribes and the Pharisees were like that they were not so outlandish they were not so whacked out I mean even go back to the controversy in chapter 22 jesus is on the side of the Pharisee when it comes to the doctrine of the resurrection when the Sadducees come and they present that story 2 g's is about the woman who was married and all of her husband's died and whose wife will she be in the resurrection Jesus gave the same response at the Pharisees would have given there is a hope beyond the grave so they weren't completely wrong and I think that's what you need to be on the lookout for this is why we encourage you read the confession of faith it's not the inspired and fallible Word of God but it's an accurate summary statement of those things most surely believed among us it's like guardrails on the street if I'm going up one of those mountain passes I quite like to see a guard rail keeping me from veering off into the abyss and the confessions and the Creed's that have been developed in the history of the Christian Church they function like that they help keep us on the road so we don't end up going off into the abyss it will help us to spot doctrinal deviation and hopefully not to engage in it the primary emphasis in our text the primary emphasis throughout Matthew's Gospel and yeah the entirety of the bible is that they rejected the Messiahship of the Lord Jesus Christ that's how they slammed the door in the faces of men that were seeking entrance to the kingdom of heaven that's how they themselves denied entrance into the kingdom of heaven they didn't listen to Moses they said we're going to sit in Moses eat and we're going to teach Moses words but when I'm going to listen to Moses then listen to the promise in the garden in Genesis 3 15 they didn't see the typology and in Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 they didn't hear the Shiloh prophecy in Genesis 49 didn't receive the typology involved in the book of Exodus they certainly missed the Day of Atonement when the priest splashes of the priest takes the blood pours it out on the mercy seat in that Holy of Holies they weren't listening they didn't hear the writings they weren't paying attention to David when he said them you know my lord said to the Lord said to my lord sit at my right hand until make your enemies your footstool that was the text at the end of chapter 22 that Jesus brings upon that he says to them specifically who is David's son who is he and they missed it this was their error this was their sin this was their rebellion and they're great heresy is that they rejected the Messiahship of Jesus they rejected the fact that he was the one sent from God to save his people from their sins they didn't heed the scriptures they were charged to teach from Moses see they didn't heed the warnings of John the Baptist what does the Baptist say to them out of the wilderness and in Matthew chapter 3 tells them to repent pointing the finger to the Lord of glory didn't heed the words of the Lord Jesus Christ himself the parallel in Luke 1152 Jesus says woe to you lawyers we have taken away the key of knowledge you did not enter in yourselves and those who are entering in you hinder you've taken away the key of knowledge the knowledge of the truth concerning the Messiah concerning the Lord Christ concerning the reality that he is the one the Old Testament prophecy would come to save his people from their sins Carson says concerning the last controversy in 22 41 246 reveals the real failure the teachers of the law and the Pharisees do not enter the kingdom because they refuse to recognize who Jesus is and that brings it to a real practical level for each and every one of us here do you recognize who Jesus is not do you recognize that we should go to church because our mom and dad's tell us to do so though that is a good reason children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right when they come at you know hopefully 5 a.m. on a sunday morning and get you out of batt you say yes I'm just kidding not 5am you'll babe but do you recognize who Jesus is do you recognize what scripture says do you realize he's the one that is told off in Genesis chapter 3 Adam and Eve make a master things don't they Adam eat serum bells against God he violates the covenant of words he plunges himself and his posterity into a place of sin and depravity and God comes with promise God says there will be a seed of a woman and that seed of a woman is going to crush the head of the serpent the skull-crushing seed of the woman is going to deal the death blow and bring many sons to glory do you recognize that you see Christ as altogether lovely chief among 10,000 do you see Christ is the god man do you see Christ as the one who's to the cross not because he's a sinner not because he's a criminal not because he violated any laws but he goes to the cross for us those two words ought to make anyone who recognizes Jesus very happy for us for us men and for our salvation he came down that's what a recognition of Christ will promote that's what it is to recognize Jesus these men had blinders on these men slam the door in the faces of any who would seek you can see that in several places in the gospel records in Matthew chapter 9 Matthew allez we just read we just read this didn't we what does Jesus do he cast out a demon some poor pathetic man had been demon-possessed and the demon is cast out you think the Pharisees could have for a moment set praise God you're no longer possessed by a demon do you think these heartless wretches could have for a moment entertained a little bit of human compassion and just been thrilled with the reality that a formerly possessed man was no longer possessed no not these guys they're hypocrites woe to them they say that Jesus demon-possessed what's Jesus say in Matthew 11 concerning the popular reception of him among the religious leaders John the Baptist came he didn't eat or drink and you said he had a demon Jesus comes the Son of Man comes and he eats and he drinks and you call him a wine-bibber a glutton and I think when we looked at that passage i might appointed you to Deuteronomy 21 I think what Jesus is suggesting in that passage is that the religious leaders called him the incorrigible son a wine-bibber and a glutton and thus he is susceptible to the death penalty what happens in Matthew 12 jesus heals on the Sabbath again could these thankless base wretches for just one brief moment say to the persons who were healed praise god you're no longer in misery know who does he think he is healing on the Sabbath day well he's the Lord of the Sabbath and he knows specifically what Sabbath observance looks like you hypocrites what's it say in 12 they plotted how they might kill him try on that last whoa they say oh we wouldn't be like our murderous fathers we've built the monuments to the prophets we wouldn't be like those who murdered able we wouldn't be like those who murdered Zechariah Jesus says you are witnesses against yourselves because in the fact that they were going to say crucify him crucify him to the greatest prophet of all times they are right in line in solidarity with these murderous fathers so I ask do you recognize Jesus have you by grace believed on Jesus have you by grace repented from your sins have you by grace been able to say I have the kingdom of heaven confirmed you see it's not did you go to seminary have you memorized the Catechism those are good things but have you believed the gospel this is the primary emphasis this is the stress this is wherein they slammed the door to themselves and to others it's because they've rejected the Lord Jesus Christ Davies and Allison say this then indict them not as simply wrong but contagiously wrong this is the problem with religious heresy it's contagious isn't it you ever wonder why Paul says after two or three warnings reject a divisive and a factious man why because if he's allowed to flourish in the context of the local church the gangrene is going to spread I don't know what it is brethren well I do know what it is it's sin and even in the heart of the people of God the remaining corruption we tend to gravitate toward that which is dark we gravitate toward that which is wrong we gravitate toward that which is contrary to the Holy Scripture so if we allow heresy to prosper in the context of the church we can't assume that everything's going to be okay now reject him get him out don't let him spew forth that christ-rejecting para see Henry Matthew says they were sworn he's not actually named Henry Matthew kids he's named matthew henry i just wanted to clarify that they were sworn enemies to the gospel of christ and consequently to the salvation of the souls of men so in the first instance with our message today this simple question are you entering the kingdom of heaven if the answer is no then may I say to you with all of the authority of God's Holy Word to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to look to him and to live remember that instance in the book of numbers when the people were murmuring and grumbling and complaining so God sent all of these snakes and these snakes bit the people and Moses interceded and God says I want you to erect a brazen serpent in the wilderness and when the people look what will they do they'll live not when the people dragged themselves over there not when the people suck the venom out spit it and then went not when the people gathered together in harmony and said let's go to that serpent when they looked they lived you see why is that important because Jesus uses that as an analogy Jesus uses that as a metaphor Jesus used as a comparison with his own ministry in John 3 just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so must the Son of Man be lifted up what's the implication as men looked and lived at the serpent so men look and live at the Christ that's my encouragement to you this morning believe believe the gospel I don't care how old you are I don't care how young you are I know this you ain't sinner the only remedy for sin is in that fountain that has opened up for sin and uncleanness this morning's readings if you're a mcshay night was in first John one doesn't first John 1 thrill your hearts every time you read it or first John one thrill your heart every time you consider it when John says if we confess our sins he is what he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness if you're an unbeliever here this morning may I tell you there is nothing better there's nothing more joyous than to be able to sing my sin or the Bliss of this glorious thought my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise the Lord praise the Lord this first woe is pronounced upon those who would slam the door in the faces of those seeking the kingdom of heaven in hopefully an attitude of opening the door I say Eve on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall enter the kingdom of heaven you shall enter eternal life you will go to that place that is described for us in Revelation 21 and 22 those who have the spirit read that passage of those passages and their hearts leap for joy how could it not when you read of a place when God Himself will wipe away every tear from her eyes there's a lot of Tears in this world isn't there there's a little heartache in this world yeah everybody out there and our own sin so your own sin grieve you sort of disgust you don't you ever just think why in the world what I have had that thought why in the world would I be prone to wander and prone to leave the god I love guys shared one time with reference to that him Robert Robinson wrote that come thou fount of every blessing the beginning of his Christian experience well Robert Robinson went through some very dark and some very difficult times near the end of his life he's on a stagecoach and a woman knows who he is and a woman says wow I love that him it's a beautiful him it's a pleasant to him and he says woman if I could have the piece that I had when I compose that him now I would give anything for it he learned from experience prone to wander prone to leave the god I love doesn't it make your heart leap for joy in Revelation 21 22 when God's going to wipe away every tear from your eyes there's going to be no more sorrow it's gonna be no more pain there's any been only suffering in our prayer meetings most often on Sunday mornings and on Wednesday night we have a lot of brethren in our church that need prayer if you're not showing up at the prayer meetings on Sunday morning and on Wednesday and I sure hope you prayed for them privately I sure hope you're bringing these things before the God of heaven and earth for in terms of the family altar I don't just send out emails because that's what pastor should do it's what the hope and the intent that you'll pray for them you know I'm not New Jerusalem there's no more prayer meetings because so-and-so is having this surgery there's no more prayer meetings in terms of so-and-so because their husbands or their wives treated them terribly no more prayer meetings in terms of you know this person just lost everything economically or financially and they're wiped out so going to be that way there's no more sorrow there's no more pain no more suffering but you what the chief and crown blessing is besides seeing Jesus I'm talking about in terms of our earthly experience no more death no death no death we're so used to death we're not jumping out of our pews at this particular point brethren we weren't created to die the wages of sin is death in the New Jerusalem there's no more sin we're going to be confirmed in righteousness because of the doing and the dying and the rising of our blessed Redeemer and that my friend or my brethren is the chief blessing in heaven you get to be with Christ he is the darling of heaven he is the gem of heaven he is that precious bride groom that saw Solomon describes in the song of songs he is that one that is altogether lovely he is that one that is chief among ten thousand and we will be in his presence forever so do not tarry do not wait do not listen to the doctrinal deviations that you've heard in your past I think a hyper Calvinism it's a bit of a doctrinal deviation there's truth in hyper Calvinism God is sovereign and you're totally depraved yeah but there is a deviation when men aren't crash to flee to Christ when men aren't told to believe the gospel when men aren't told to run to look to live there is deviation deviation in a sort of a religious approach to God that adds works to salvation notice what you're not getting today I want you to go out and believe on Jesus and go get circumcised believe on Jesus and subscribe to the seven sacraments of the papal I am not telling you that because we're but we're saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone works are a consequence not a condition believe and be saved will let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for your word and we thank you for the clarity of our Lord Jesus Christ there's no mistaking what he is condemning in the passage like this I pray that all over the earth today the gospel would be preached and the gates of heaven itself would be thrown open and that you and your mercy and your grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit would seek and save that which is lost we know God that you are sovereign we know that what is impossible with men is possible to you and even as the word has gone forth here this morning we we appeal to you I don't appeal to sinners I don't appeal to those outside of Christ in terms of thinking they have the ability but I pray to you Most High God that you would come on the heel on the wings of Amazing Grace and do that which is in an utter impossibility for anyone here save to the uttermost and be glorified in this and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time of meditation and be dismissed you