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morning everyone welcome to free grace baptist church just one announcement this morning before we begin worship and that is that we will have the baptism of Abigail stare on July third Sunday July third so we praise God for that and we look forward to that Lord's Day well let's begin our worship by turning in our Bibles to psalm 84 psalm 84 our call to worship this Lord's Day morning psalm 84 beginning in verse 1 this is the word of the living and true God to the chief musician on an instrument of gas a psalm of the sons of Korah how lovely is your tabernacle Oh Lord of Hosts my soul longs yes even faints for the courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cry out for the Living God even the sparrow has found a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young even your altars o Lord of Hosts my king and my god blessed are those who dwell in your house they will still be praising you seyla blessed is the man whose strength is in you whose heart is set on pilgrimage as they pass through the valley of baka they make it a spring the rain also covers it with pools they go from strength to strength each one appears before God in zion o Lord God of hosts hear my prayer give your Oh God of Jacob say la oh God behold our shield and look upon the face of your anointed for a day in your courts is better than a thousand I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my god then dwell in the tents of wickedness for the Lord God is a son and shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly Oh Lord of Hosts blessed is the man who trusts in you amen well let's stand and sing as a church will sing in the trinity hymnal him to 80 let's stand and sing to 80 together you Oh please be seated let's go to our God in prayer let us pray Heavenly Father we come to you now in prayer in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and we do so rejoicing that your Saints can gather in this place for worship we pray that we would now hollow your name we do pray Lord God that you would give us that measure of your Holy Spirit whereby our souls are aroused unto a proper recognition of our Blessed God that we might bring to you our honor praise and honor and all glory might be given unto you now by your gathered assembly we long to every time we gather worship you in spirit and in truth that we would cast aside all things that you would help us cast aside all things that would hinder a proper focus here now as we worship Father Son and Holy Spirit we do pray that you would help us as we have gathered now to reflect with great joy upon the gospel of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ we rejoice in salvation by a triune God saves through the perfect work of the Lord Jesus Christ who in his appointed and accepted time calls forth sinners from deadness and sin to life and light in the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the work of our Savior we rejoice in that blessed biblical truth that Jesus Christ came into this world sinners to save we thank you that you did send him that he came into our lower world of shame and ignominy and sin and depravity and Lord that he lived a perfect life of obedience unto your law in the place of all those who believe in him that he died upon Calvary's tree as a substitution ery sacrifice bearing the wrath of God for all those who believe in him that upon Calvary's tree we have Christ rendering a sacrifice rendering salvation rendering a work of redemption that is not one of maybe or perhaps but our blessed Savior perfectly secured the salvation of a multitude that no man can number we rejoice Lord God that he rose again the third day that he has ascended to your right hand where he now ever lives to make intercession for his people and where he lives in sovereign Dominion where he dwells in sovereign Dominion and owns glory in the kingdom and the truly we rejoice as we look upon the world at the various the the madness of terrorism the madness of sin of oppressive governments and all of these things we rejoice in this reality that the nations of this world are the nations of our God and of his Christ and we do pray Lord God that you would vindicate your name in all the earth we pray today Lord God that you would cause by your spirit your gathered Saints around the world to how will your name to worship their God to sing the praises of Amazing Grace and to rejoice in the Lord Jesus Christ we do pray God that you would bless those in our midst who suffer physically as the list as long we pray that you would uplift each and every one you would strengthen them in body he would give them healing Lord and that you would again in the midst of affliction it caused them to rejoice in their God we do pray for those family members who are not part of this church we do pray those who are struggling physically those with disease and those with many physical issues that you would also swiftly come to them with healing but Lord God those outside of Christ that you would bring the balm of the gospel that you would bring the glory of the gospel of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ that those outside of Christ among those whom we love in our family in a families in our various friend groups we do pray that you would bring them forth from darkness to light by the glory of the gospel by the power of Amazing Grace we do ask God that you would be with those who perhaps are struggling spiritually we do pray that you would come to them that you would uplift them and that you would return unto them the joy of your salvation we would pray as well again for those around the world who suffer persecution for their belief in the Lord Jesus Christ we pray for the persecuted our persecuted brothers and sisters that you would come to them Lord that you would be with them now that you would strengthen them that you would encourage them in the midst of much violence and opposition we do pray that they would not waver that they would not wander but that you would keep them and give them the strength and endurance give them the grace Lord God to lay hold of the hope of their calling without wavering because we know that you who have brought them forth from darkness to light our faithful and you will keep them on to that great day we do pray that you would deal with their oppressors a deal with those who are your enemies Lord God the enemies of your people we do pray that you would put them down and cause them no longer to bring anger and violence against the people of Christ we would pray that you would even save some Lord God that you would cause them to turn by your grace from the madness of idolatry and the madness of oppression unto the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation in him we do pray God that you would be with those who rule over us we pray for the governments of the nations that you would cause men and women to rule with righteousness and justice and that you would Lord God for your glory sake and for the good of your people put those in power who would seek to properly rule they would no longer sanction wickedness and that they would no longer propagate error in the land but Lord God you would raise up those who would seek to be about order about righteousness and about the good things of God we do pray that you would keep your people of praying people we do pray that we would come daily to your throne of grace that we would bring supplications and prayers mingled with Thanksgiving and that we would make our requests known to you and we do pray Lord God that you would bless your people with peace we would ask God that you would again be with us now as we worship we know that the minister pastor Butler as he comes up here to open up the Bible to preach to us we would pray that you would give him strength we would ask that you would help him Lord God as he preaches to us we pray that you would give him a clarity of speech and we would pray that you would give him a fluidity of thought and all things necessary to proclaim the riches of Christ and the glories of your word and we do pray that the saints who have gathered here this morning Lord God Christians in this place that we would be encouraged and up did and instructed by you instructed by your word and that we might leave this place rejoicing in Christ and seeking to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of your blessed gospel and we do pray yet again father that this morning would be a morning of salvation we do pray that you would come with amazing grace that you would make dead sinners alive in Christ by your glory and gospel and we do pray that people who have entered in these doors this morning at enmity with you those who have entered this morning in unbelief outside of Christ that they would by your grace and for your glory leave these two doors singing the glories of Christ and singing along with us hallelujah what a savior we would ask that you would be with us now we pray that you would help us as we worship to give you that proper and do worship and we do pray that everything that is done this morning would be done in to the praise of the triune God and it's in the name of the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ that we pray amen let's stand and sing again as a church this time for 47 at to a familiar tune 447 please be seated you can turn in your Bibles to Matthew 11 for our new testament scripture reading Matthew chapter 11 once again the word of the Living God now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his twelve disciples that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities and when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ he sent two of his disciples and said to him are you the coming one or do we look for another jesus answered and said to them go and tell John the things which you hear and see the blind see in the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and the Deaf hear the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed is he who is not offended because of me as they departed Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John what did you go out into the wilderness to see a reed shaken by the wind but what did you go out to see a man clothed in soft garments indeed those who wear soft clothing are in King's houses but what did you go out to see a prophet yes I say to you and more than a prophet for this is he of whom it is written behold I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you assured lee i say to you among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he and from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John and if you are willing to receive it he is Elijah who is to come he who has ears to hear let him hear but to what shall I like in this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions and saying we played the flute for you and you did not dance we mourned to you and you did not lament for John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the Son of man came eating and drinking and they say look a glutton and a wine-bibber a friend of tax collectors and sinners but wisdom is justified by her children then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent woe to you corazon woe to you Bethsaida for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done entire inside on they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes but i say to you it will be more tolerable for tyre inside on in the day of judgment than for you and you copernum who are exalted to heaven will be brought down to Hades for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day but I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you at that time jesus answered and said I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes even so father for so it seemed good in your sight all things have been delivered to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father nor does anyone know the father except the Son and the one to whom the son wills to reveal him come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden 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 amen well just a couple observations at the beginning of Matthew chapter 11 we see John the Baptist in prison and perhaps with a little bit of unbelief wondering with regards to the Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ the Messiah if he will as as Jesus was was going about as is earthly ministry there was a messianic fever there was a unaligned messianic expectation that thought that he was going to deliver physically the oppressed of of his people from Roman oppression perhaps from Judaic perversion whatever it may be there was this expectation of a grand deliverance and though that would come we see here the Lord Jesus Christ we see him answering and bringing forth the reality and the the importance of what his ministry truly was he answers the the doubt that was going on here go and tell John the things which you hear and see the blind see the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and the Deaf hear the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed is he who is not offended because of me you see primarily the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ was about the proclamation of the gospel of himself unlike the prophets of old he is both messenger and the content of the message preached and he brings to the fore the reality that his ministry is primarily about this but also he wants to bring in to view the reality that what was going on in his ministry was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy he's not just saying he's not just saying here the blind see and the lame walk detached from Old Testament promise but rather he's bringing out Isaiah he's bringing out the Psalms and he's telling them that the promise of Isaiah is being fulfilled in their midst and if they were doubting that God would take vengeance upon his enemies and take vengeance for his people they are reminded by Christ speaking these words because it comes within the context of Isaiah 35 and we read their say to those who are fearful hearted be strong and do not fear behold your God will come with vengeance and it's after that that the Prophet says then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the eyes of the Deaf shall be unstopped God will certainly bring judgment and he brings it on his own timing doesn't bring it upon bring it by the timing of men and by the crying's of men but he brings it in his own good and proper and holy and wise timing this chapter ends with a declaration both of the unrivaled sovereignty of God but also the mercy and the grace and the kindness of God we see here that gospel Proclamation or gospel light is under the sovereign province of God we read in verse 25 I thank you Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent that is gospel truth gospel treasures and have revealed them to babes even so father for so it seemed good in your site that is ultimately where the argument with regards to the sovereignty of God and predestination ought to end right here even so father for so it seemed good in your site we have following after that these blessed words the Lord Jesus Christ come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest you see the sovereignty of God is found in a gospel proclamation where the sovereignty of God employs the means of the outward proclamation of gospel truth in order to bring forth sinners dead and sent to life and light in the Lord Jesus Christ and we see here the kindness of our blessed Savior 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 if you're here this morning and you have this burden of sin weighing down upon you that is a much much heavier burden to bear than the easy and the light burden and yoke of the Lord Jesus Christ Christ promises you come to me all of you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest you're you're under the burden of sin or you're you're under the burden of a tradition that was weighed down upon you that seemed to bar the gospel of Christ from you we see the Blessed invitation that's delivered within context of the sovereignty of god in the salvation of sinners come to me come to christ and you will have everlasting life the forgiveness of sins the burden of sin roll off your back you'll be found in him not having your own righteousness which is from the law but that righteousness which comes from God through faith in Christ let us pray Heavenly Father we thank you for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for the words of our Savior we do rejoice in the sovereignty of our Blessed triune God we know that a gospel Proclamation gospel truth gospel treasures are yours they are in your head and you deliver them to whom you will and we rejoice that you have in our own lives delivered gospel truths to us and we rejoice that in your appointed and accepted time you called many in this room from out of darkness into marvelous light we do pray this morning because it is possible only with you that you would bring forth all this morning in this room forth from darkness to light that those who stand still outside of Christ in unbelief that you would conquer their hearts by amazing grace and by the gospel of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ and that this day would be a joy-filled day of salvation we do pray Lord God that you would be mighty to act in this place and in many churches around the world and that you would this day bring forth many dead sinners to light in life in Christ and that a multitude of newly redeemed tongues would sing the praises of their Creator their Redeemer the leads Lord of their hearts and we pray in the name of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ amen or last him then before the preaching if you'll stand with me will be 582 let's stand and sing 582 together you please be seated please turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 23 matthew 23 I'll begin reading in verse 13 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 Hell 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 goal to the temple that sanctifies the goal and whoever swears by the altar it is nothing 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 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 for you pay tithes of mint and anise and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law justice and mercy and faith these you ought to have done without leaving the others undone blind guides who 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 your like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outward lay 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 had lived in the days of our fathers 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 the foot of your father's guilt serpents brood of vipers how can you escape the condemnation of hell therefore indeed i send you prophets wise men and scribes 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 they 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 in 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 till you say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord amen let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for the Sabbath day we thank you for the rest that you give us in Christ and for the rest you give us on this lord's day we pray that all that we do today would redound to the praise and glory and honor of our great God we ask that you would forgive us for our sins as we come now to Scripture we pray that you would cleanse us in the blood of the Lamb we pray for the Ministry of the Holy Spirit that we would understand are a great prophet the Lord Jesus Christ as he speaks in this passage as well God may we see its applicability here but may we see its applique ability in our own hearts and in our own lives grant us help and grace our Father we do pray for your mercy to be had in the City of Orlando we pray father that that you would comfort families who lost loved ones in this terrorist attack we pray God in heaven that that men in high places would be given wisdom on how best to rule and govern in such situations we know as pastor Porter pointed out you were sovereign in all things you are the God of heaven and earth and you are working out your purposes in this world and we would pray that in your wrath you would remember mercy that you would be pleased to do a good work through the preaching of the gospel throughout the earth today may your word run swiftly and may it be glorified and may your kingdom of grace calm and may more and more people come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and we pray that in his Most Blessed name amen well we continue in Jesus pronouncement of woes against the scribes and the Pharisees in the first century we have 8 we're using the New King James of the King James tradition that sees 8 if you have a different Bible version it's probably in your margin or it may be bracketed specifically verse 14 well we have seen in the first place that these scribes and Pharisees closed the doors of the kingdom in verse 13 we saw secondly they exploit widows and engage in pretentious prayers verse 14 we saw that they are indeed missionaries for hell verse 15 from the fourth place they pervert oaths verses 16 to 22 and last week we saw how they neglect weightier matters of the faith in verses 23 and 24 the next two are similar but there are some subtle distinctions or differences and as well you see how they flow from this fifth whoa or the fifth whoa that comes prior they tithe mint anise and cumin but they neglect justice mercy and faith on the heels of that he condemns their external ism he condemns the fact that they emphasize externals to the neglect of internals that's the sixth whoa and then the seventh is they embody hypocrisy and lawlessness itself so as I said there are to hear that are very similar in nature we're going to focus on verses 25 to 28 there is a subtle distinction in fact the second one vert the seventh will rather when they embody hypocrisy and lawlessness Jesus says it's not simply the case that they're like those cups that are filled with grime and dirt and muck on the inside but in this second analogy when he speaks of these whitewashed tombs they become contagious to others and they affect others and I think that helps us to understand going into the Olivet discourse why Christ prophesies judgment to come upon Jerusalem upon the temple specifically it's not just the religious leadership but because of the religious leaders and because of the waywardness of Israel they followed these men they were not consistent with the truth of God's Word they were not consistent with covenant faithfulness to the obligations that God had put on that and as a result they reap God's judgment visa V destruction in AD 70 by the Roman army so this is backdrop and a helpful way to understand what the Olivet discourse is is concerning when we get to chapter 24 but note first whoa number six they emphasize externals in verses 25 and 26 he says 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 now there's one of two ways we can understand this some interpreters state that Jesus is dealing literally this was a real concern between rabbi Hillel and his school and rabbi Shimon and his school there was ritual purification ritual washings in fact in chapter 15 the the religious leaders come to Jesus and they complain because his disciples eat with unwashed hands washing not only hands but bowls and dishes and cups and all those sorts of things had ritual application or ceremonial application so some suggest that Jesus is weighing in on that particular controversy and that he does side with shema who said we need to clean both the inside and the outside of the cop but then there's the metaphorical view this is the one advanced by Calvin and I agree with them I don't believe Jesus is weighing in on this rabbinic debate concerning cups and dishes he's using a metaphor he's using an analogy he is using a picture to show us what these men are really like and the picture is obvious I don't think any of you children have any difficulties understanding what Jesus says have you ever walked into your kitchen and you've reached up into the cupboard and you wanted to take out a glass for milk or water or some such beverage and it looks all nice and bright and shiny on the outside and you happen wisely to look on the inside and you see that it's not fully clean well that cup is not usable we like to appreciate the reality that the entirety of the cup must be clean before I put my delicate lips on it so you see Jesus uses a metaphor or an analogy or a word picture to illustrate something of their emphasis on the externals to the neglect of the internals Davies and Allison explain it in these words the two verses rather speak of the scribes and Pharisees metaphorically as though they were dirty cups and dishes the text concerns not utensils but people who are clean on the outside righteous to all appearances but impure on the inside so it's a very simple very common very obvious analogy or metaphor that our Lord uses the meaning of it is clear they are outwardly good they outwardly look ceremonially pure they outwardly look like they're doing all things well it's very similar to the previous whoa you tithe the mint and the anise in the comment as far as a man sitting a worship service is concerned you're doing the right thing but the man sitting in the worst worship service and watching you are observing you doesn't realize you neglect justice mercy and faith the same emphasis is here you busy yourself with the outside you busy yourself with cleaning the external you busy yourself making sure that it's all good to the appearance of men because that's their concern they want to look good before men they don't care one whit about God they are inwardly defiled or they are morally impure again Davies and Alice and I think nail to nail it here they say the same carries forward a theme found in the Sermon on the Mount what does Jesus speak to in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus speaks to the comprehensive character of God's law you know we are tempted or inclined to say well I've never actually committed adultery so therefore I'm off the hook I've never actually committed the crime of murder so therefore I'm off the hook what does Jesus do Jesus doesn't argue from the external to the internally argues from the internal to the external Davies and Allison the same cares forward a theme found in the Sermon on the Mount their anger and internal disposition is said to be the root of murder and external act and lust another internal disposition is made out to be the cause of adultery another external act thus the focus for moral Reformation must be on the heart now I don't think it takes much to see the modern or contemporary or individual application of such a condemnation so I said Jesus is showing the bankruptcy of the religious leaders and the nation as a whole showing they are right for the judgment of God most high that will come upon them in history through the Roman armies this is a result of their covenantal unfaithfulness and it was promised in Deuteronomy 28 that when they sinned against Yahweh they would be visited with raph from on high but there is a individual application here how many of us is found out or are found out in such a passage like these we busy ourselves to clean the external but there's been no moral Reformation there's been no heart change we're not born again you cannot make an orange tree and orange tree by simply you know fastening oranges to an apple tree you don't just decorate the outside of a wretched man and call him a Christian you don't just show up at church and carry a Bible and do the right things and think that somehow you are commended to God by your activity Jesus illustration Jesus metaphor Jesus a statement here is obviously applicable to each and ever one of us you are like these cups and dishes you are those who busy and our diligent to make sure you cleanse the outside but the inside is is dirty Riedel says they set out word purity and decency above inward sanctification and purity of heart as long as everything looks good on the outside things are fine as long as I'm in the right place at the right time things are fine as long as I surround myself with the rice right accouterments then everything is fine brethren that is not fine if your heart is not right with God if you are not in Christ if you do not hear the words of Matthew 11 28 where the gracious Savior has passed pastor cam said in the context of divine sovereignty says unto you come come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest some want to say well I don't know if I'm part of the decree or part of the predestinated plan come is Christ's words to you you say well I'm not sure come and you will find out that he is a gracious Savior and in line with John 637 all that the father gives me will come to me and the one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out you see that's the place where Reformation begins wasn't Geneva it's in the human heart of man you can see the consistency of Jesus all throughout these woes because this is not a foreign concept remember the Shema Deuteronomy 6 hear o Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one and you shall love the Lord your God with what your external compliance your attendance at the synagogue your your your washing with you now with all your heart with all your soul with all your strength you need to give yourselves by God's grace holy to the God of grace it's not enough to say the outside of the cup is clean but the inside is filthy and disgusting and dirty Matthew Henry makes this observation and that we are really which we are inwardly and that we are really which we are inwardly God looks upon the heart later we're going to investigate this doesn't mean you need to leave the outside of the cup dirty just like Jesus says with reference to tithing you ought not to have neglected this but you need to do the others as well see this passage or these passages teach us it is the internal and the external we're people of excess you know it's all about my heart doesn't matter what I look like doesn't matter how I function doesn't matter what I engage in so we embrace a form of what's called practical antinomianism I'll do whatever it is I want because jesus loves me so I can look like a rat I can act like a wretch I can be like a reg and everything is cool no God does actually say the outside of the cup has to be clean to Jesus does actually say you need to tie the mint and the anise and the Kona without neglecting the weightier matters of the law justice mercy and faith the connection with the preceding whoa ought to be obvious and you'll notice what is specifically you kids you go back to the kitchen you pull out this cop it says scribe or Pharisee it's all clean it's all gorgeous it's all beautiful on the outside and then when you look inside of it you see dirt you see grime and you see filth and what is it specifically that Jesus identifies in this particular passage extortion and self-indulgence extortion and excess I wouldn't want to drink a cup that had a big dose of extortion and self-indulgence in it these are bad things this is what's in the heart of these scribes and the Pharisees they say wait a minute excursion verse 14 what do they do they exploit widows you suspect that verse 14 is suspect in the tradition it's in mark it's in Luke in unquestionable passages but verse 14 indicates to us that these men were filled with extortion you say what about self indulgence I thought the scribes and the Pharisees they were the Polish sort that weren't into sacks and immorality and all those sorts of things well in the first place I think that's arguable but in the second place one lexicon defines the self-indulgence as connected to extortion says that it is a lack of self-control which shows itself in an strain desire for gain RT France says the two terms together function as what's called a Hyundai adess and I'm not trying to confuse it means two words it may mean the same thing two words that speak to the same thing so France says the two terms together function is two words that say the same thing denoting an unrestrained selfishness which rides roughshod over the rights and interests of others for later in your study you might compare Amos chapter 2 verses 6 to 8 you'll see the same sorts of things again Jesus is doing nothing new in this passage Jesus is prosecuting the Covenant Jesus is calling these sinners to account Jesus is setting the stage for the prophecy and all of it Jesus is going to pronounce judgment upon these Covenant breaking wretches and one of the reasons why is that they busy themselves cleaning the outside of the cup and inside it's extortion and self-indulgence but before we leave this whoa you need to appreciate what Jesus does next with reference to this whoa verse 26 blind Pharisee first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be clean also the first place the obvious meaning is this take care of the inside that'll take care of the outside right everybody get to take the extortion out take the self-indulgence out and the outside will hopefully follow suit it's pretty common pretty obvious and I think it reflects a common and pretty obvious interpretation of the Old Testament what is you always say to Israel in Deuteronomy 10 circumcise your hearts he say and do the Book of Jeremiah as well where's the emphasis in Solomon's Proverbs trust in the Lord with all your what outward compliant with all your heart do not lean on your own understanding but in all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths what about Solomon and in Proverbs 423 keep your own external compliance with all diligence keep your own heart Jesus Christ is teaching something that everybody already knew religion with reference to the true and living as a matter of the heart cleanse the inside of the cop and then the outside will follow suit but before we leave this point note the mercy of our Lord what he's doing here creepies giving them a call to repentance could it be that our Lord Jesus before continuing in the condemnation is making an appeal to anyone out there that's going to actually listen to him when he says to them first cleanse the inside perhaps he is intending that someone's going to say how do I do that what do you mean what's the manner by which we see cleansing Christ in His denunciations in terms of his prophetic ministry nevertheless hinges it with this prophetic compassion you see that at the end when he laments over Jerusalem judgment is coming to be sure judgment is going to be sharp it's going to be decisive it's going to be comprehensive but Jesus doesn't approach it in some callous or careless manner but he says o Jerusalem Jerusalem it affects him it causes him to lament over this city just like it caused Jeremiah when he penned the lamentations when he saw what had become of Jerusalem he doesn't rejoice say well you know the sovereignty of God the power of God it's just the way it is I mean he rejoices in those things but he laments over the city Oh of Jerusalem well Jesus is the same listen to what he says here blind Pharisee first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be clean also I hope you listen to that I hope you're paying attention right now I hope you understand that you may struggle with something that these scribes and Pharisees struggled with as long as the outside looks good everything's fine as long as my wife doesn't suspect me as long as my father doesn't suspect me as long as that pastor doesn't ask me questions or as long as those friends don't don't ask me what I really look at on my computer as long as i am externally compliant then everything is right listen to the word of our beloved savior first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be also you need to ask the question if you haven't heard it plenty of times here do you know it the way to cleanse the inside is to believe the gospel it's to come to Christ still listen to Matthew 8 11 28 it is to believe and repent and to turn to Him who alone has the power to save you from your sins as always John deal is beautiful on this passage he says so the great concern of all men should be inward purity that their hearts may be purified by faith in the blood of Christ and sprinkled from an evil conscience by the same that principles of grace and holiness be formed in them by the Spirit of God and then their outward lives and conversations being influenced thereby will be honorable and agreeable to their professions the inside of your cup is filthy right now the inside of your cup is filled with extortion or self-indulgence or pornography or disobedience to parents or adultery or murder or lies or or idolatry or blasphemy or Sabbath breaking or insubordination to governing authority if if your heart is filled with those things listen to the word of Christ first cleanse it's the means by which we are cleansed I'll of the Prophet Zechariah answer in that day there will be a fountain open for sin and uncleanness in that day the day of Messiah the day of Jesus the day of Christ sinners plunged beneath that flood lose what they lose all their guilty stains the way of purification the way of being right with God the way of scanning before the presence of the thrice holy one is not by your external cleansing of the cup it's by Christ powerful blood to wash you and to cleanse you and to purge away sin that's what you desperately need this morning that's what you most desperately need before you stand before the King of glory to give an account of deeds done in the body whether good or evil kids listen to this you saw that cop and you looked into it you probably say helm on you need to clean the GUP exactly Jesus says to the scribes and the Pharisees you need to clean the cup but the cleaning of the cup is different in this case we don't take the cup and put it in the dishwasher we don't take the cop and grab the soap so cloth and wipe it down see we can't clean the inside of this cup we can't make it right by our doings we can't make it right by by not doing those other things the only way of rightness the only way of cleansing the only way of salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone this is Paul's emphasis throughout his corpus in whom we have redemption through his blood without the shedding of blood Hebrews 9 there is no remission it's the blood of the Covenant it's the blood of Jesus Christ look at the comparison in the Old Covenant the ratification ceremony what is Moses the high priest do with reference to the blood they sprinkle the blood of the Covenant upon the persons that are there what's Jesus do on the night that he is betrayed this cup is the cup of My Blood for the nua the initiation of the inauguration of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins you know some people say you Christians are sick singing a hymn like 188 there is a fount filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains could you imagine someone who had never had contact with christianity hearing us saying that miss put yourself in their shoes I mean most of us have been brought up in some sense connected to a church or at least have heard some of the doctrine of Christianity but imagine your raw pagan you know nothing we're singing about the blood of Jesus and a happy sense you might be tempted to scratch your head and say what's wrong with those Christians do they got a screw loose somewhere but we know without the shedding of blood there is no remission and the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin they typify the shadow they pointed forward to the Lamb of God John 129 who takes away the sin of the world sinner calm you need the inside of the cup cleansed and the only means by which that cleansing will occur is in the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ don't discount this don't say you know think about this another day I'll think about this when I'm older I'll think about this when I'm I'm better I'll think about you need to think about this right now there's no guarantee you did probably hear about that shooting in Florida this morning there's no guarantee that those persons were going to make it through the day mentioned it to my neighbor this morning he said it's getting scary even to go to the grocery store there's no place safe say Butler trying to scare us no I'm not I'm trying to remind you something James set what are you but a vapor your life is here for a moment and then it's gone you young people you're not eight foot tall and you're not bulletproof old people you're not eight foot tall and you're not bulletproof we all know that I think the older people are quicker to acknowledge it though of course I can hardly get out of a chair anymore yes I know I'm not eight foot tall and bulletproof the point is the inside of the cop needs to be clean there's only one means by which that cleansing comes and it's through the blood of the one who says this to his contemporaries say why did the scribes and Pharisees repent why didn't those scribes and Pharisees asked him how why did the scribes and Pharisees flot to him he was the one they're Old Testament Scriptures pointed to obviously clearly manifestly it took some serious gymnastics exegetical gymnastics to evade the clear meaning of the Old Testament when it comes to Jesus Christ well don't mock these scribes and Pharisees if you're going to leave today with that cop still unclean you're going to continue in your life with that cop still unclean you're going to continue to plug your ears and harden your heart and resist the overture of God's grace as it comes through the Christian gospel don't mock scribes and Pharisees when you are on their side the cup is on clean come to the one who cleans notice the next one they embody hypocrisy and lawlessness and verses 27 and 28 again very much similar but some distinction note the analogy used by Jesus verse 27 woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outward ly but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness this is like the previous one an analogy a metaphor teaching illustration remember preaching ought to be interesting Jesus uses the interesting statement you're like a you're a blind guidance trains out gnats and swallows camels preaching ought to connect with people people ought to be able to you know sink their teeth into it well this was a common common known thing in this particular age the Old Covenant scriptures for bad contact with dead bodies you'll all understand that in the Book of Leviticus twice in the Book of Numbers you are not supposed to touch a dead body there were certain concessions to those very close to you but the prohibition stood you are not supposed to come into contact because that would render you ritually on pure you'd be ceremonially unclaimed so what happens in the first century maybe it happened before that but certainly it was practiced in Jesus day is that right before the Passover in the month of adar they would whitewash the tombs and they would whitewash the tomb so that the hapless pilgrims who come to Jerusalem wouldn't step on them right if it's a sin or it renders you ceremonially impure uncle' to touch a grave well it was a kindness for them to whitewash the graves so that persons who did not know the city wouldn't fall or wouldn't scab on that and contract ritual impurity the parallel in Luke 11 42 or 44 brings this out Jesus says there whoa to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for your like graves which are not seen and the men who walk over them are not aware of that so you see that validates or legitimizes the practice of whitewashing the tombs so that the persons who don't know they're there because they don't live in the city will see them and will avoid ritual contamination it's pretty obvious pretty common now some have said well he says they're beautiful so that must not mean a typical grave but it must mean the monuments that adorn the graves no I think all that the contrast needs is between the exterior of the grave and the interior of the grave and the whitewash satisfies it's beautiful compared to what's inside so that's his analogy now notice application verse 28 even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness you see they similarly with the cop clean on the outside it's whitewashed on the outside beautiful appearance on the outside everything looks a-okay on the outside I mean just go back in the context a little bit verse 5 notice all their works they do to be seen by men they make their file actress broad and enlarge the borders of their garments it's like that whitewashed tomb they look good don't they well they're engaged in that sort of formality that sort of religiosity they look good verse 14 for a pretense they make long prayers well if you and I were watching them we wouldn't know it was a pretense unless we had the divine commentary we would see long prayer's and be somewhat impressed the outside of the tomb would look good notice in verse 23 you tie the mant of anise and common mint anise and cummin which you've neglected the weightier matters of the law again we wouldn't know the neglect we would see the practice and we would be inclined to say the outside of the grave or tomb looks beautiful it looks dazzling same thing with a cop until we further inspect the cop and the inside contents thereof if we look at the outside of the cup it looks beautiful the appearance is good the same manner these men in terms of the metaphor of the tombs look good now I realize that Sunday may be a difficult day because it is a day of rest but I don't think God says during the day of rest at church you should doze off or not pay attention maybe a bit earlier to bed on a Saturday night I'm not trying to be a legalistic fundamentalist wretch I'm really not but the Lord God is present here Jesus Christ is in his church I have to suspect that if we had conference with Justin Trudeau we would do everything in our power to keep alive to keep alert to keep our eyes open even when we don't have the fondest appreciation for his service we're in the presence of the triune God brethren if the preaching is boring pinch the inside of your leg and wake up and then find a church that engages you but if it's you then wake up just wake up we've got maybe 20 more minutes it may seem like a drudgery it may seem like an eternity but I guarantee you it's not unless the Lord of glory comes in the next 20 minutes you will be able to depart in safety and in peace and return to your homes where hopefully you may get the rest that you desperately need again not trying to be a fundamentalist not trying to be illegal it's not trying to hurt your feelings by any stretch but if God is in this place and we can't keep our eyes open that reflects on what we think of him you don't want to do that now note what Jesus says even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but inside your full hypocrisy and lawlessness it's interesting in this particular section he's already condemned them for hypocrisy through and through I mean every whoa smacks of hypocrisy not the whoa but the target of the woe is called a hypocrite Jesus is and adds this statement lawlessness you've heard the word before we call it antinomianism should she say what's antinomianism it's lawlessness same thing anti na mas anti-law what do we normally suspect or think about the scribes and the Pharisees they're the champions of law no they're antinomian they're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness so you know what we think we think that the the enemy of the antinomian is the legalist and we think the enemy of the legalist is the antinomian those are common bedfellows brethren their enemy is the law of God these men are both legalistic and antinomian in one disgusting package is what Jesus is saying you'll look good on the outside your light the whitewashed tombs but inside you're full of dead men's bones you're full of corruption you're full of decay you're full of Filth you're full of worms you're full of every bad thing and visa V that is hypocrisy and lawlessness you look good but this is the content of your hearts scary statement now here's where it steps up the previous whoa here is where there is a subtle distinction because it speaks to their effect upon others what was the purpose for whitewashing the tomb what was the reason why they slathered it with white bay so that persons would not come into contact with the tomb and become ceremonially defiled you see what Jesus is saying you're like the cop that's filthy on the inside to be sure but you're also like the tomb that looks good on the outside and is filthy on the inside but in this you affect other people you contaminate others you're like a tube when persons step on you when persons touch you when persons come into contact with you it has an effect upon them the way if a person were to touch a tomb it would defile them it would render them ceremonially impure persons who come in contact with this doctrine are rendered impure they are defiled they are affected Davies and Allison scribes and Pharisees although preoccupied with matters of purity or themselves sources of impurity I love the way Chamblin describes this he says this whoa underscores the previous one again I hope you see the similarities cups and tombs this whoa underscores the previous one it also augments adore adds to it by implying that person's influenced by such teachers are at greater risk than persons made ceremonially impure from contact with tombs that there is a spiritual uncleanness even worse than that of a grave and death far worse than that experienced by the dead whose bones why in the tombs contact with these scribes and Pharisees rendered you more than ceremonially and pure it was more than a ritual uncleanness it consolidated you with this doctrine and ultimately would bring down the wrath and the fury and the judgment of God in the destruction of the city in AD 70 so you see woes six and seven or similar seven seems to augment or advance the thought that these scribes and these Pharisees and affect other people well in conclusion a few things and then we close in the first place we ought to consider again the Old Testament background we see the emphasis on the external we see it in the prototypical false worshiper King what happens when God respects Abel's offering but not Cain's King gets angry why do you think Cain gets angry well he doesn't have faith and Abel had faith that's what Hebrews 11 tells us he most likely got angry because I did what I was supposed to do I brought what I was supposed to do again that's arguable in terms of the the firstfruits of the land and whatnot but probably in his heart I satisfied the external I did what you told me and by the way God had told them Genesis 4 tells us that at the end of days they come to offer sacrifice at the end of the age but at the end of days the end of the days of the week they had watched God's pattern in the garden Sabbath was from the beginning it was made for man Gavin beers has recently said it was made for man and we're still meant ergo Sabbath is for us you see Cain does the external and God has respect for Abel King gets upset he gets angry consider the nation as a whole the nation of Israel just a few passages Jeremiah 7 8 to 11 and picking that because it's close to to home here because Jesus quotes that in Matthew chapter 21 at verse 13 Jeremiah 7 i'll just give a brief gloss on what's happening there in the temple they're doing what they're supposed to be doing externally but they've turned the house of God into a den of robbers consider Micah six we reflected upon this last week when Jesus says justice mercy and faith he's not making up a new paradigm this is micah 68 reflecting the tradition before Micah 68 is shown you O man with the Lord requires you know what God says your emphasis on externals your emphasis on sacrifice your emphasis on what shall i bring to the Lord now you need to emphasize the matter of the heart or consider the post-exilic community at the time of Malachi you want to read an F on the internal necessity of worship read Malachi chapter 1 and 2 they're going through the motions they're bringing sacrifices they're walking to the temple there they're giving these things over the priests yeah but what's fundamentally flawed they take the worst in their flock imagine you go out on a Saturday morning to go to the temple or to the tabernacle and you look at your head of cattle you say what's the worst one because I want to bring that one to God are we like that what's the worst I can possibly get away with no we don't couch it like that was what's the least I can do to you know to please God what's the bare minimum I need to believe to be a Christian what's the bare minimum I need to give you know doesn't preach to mention tithing last week other people that are scrupulous about what the Bible doesn't say ten percent know it probably says a lot more least get in the ballpark but in Malachi's day they're doing the external they're complying with the outward and not even to the case where you know let's find the main geous Johnny go to the back of the flock and grab that one that's crippled we're going to bring him to God today because he won't fetch us much at Margot or this particular family leaves and they forget Johnny on the way to the temple or tabernacle says dad we forgot an animal Oh we'll steal one from their backyard and we'll present that to God so everybody see the fall in that if you're stealing sacrifice you've got big problems sacrifice in place get this sacrifice the sacrifice feel good is sacrifice pleasurable is sacrifice an emotional high sacrifice costs that's why you take the best of your flock you don't steal from the whoever's and take their animal to the to the temple you see they had the outward in play but the N word was done it was gone it was at bakra see and lawlessness already mentioned the Old Testament background in terms of the emphasis on the internal not one famous saying in Isaiah 64 six and seven all aren't righteousness says are like filthy garments in your sight think about that brethren righteousnesses are like menstral clause in the sight of only God why because they did the outward obligatory things they went to the temple they engaged in those rituals but their hearts were not in it the Old Testament background jives specifically with what Jesus is doing here in Matthew 23 as well the second place in terms of a concluding thought the 1st century application love what r I'll says when such were the teachers what must have been the miserable darkness of the todds when such were the teachers what must have been the miserable darkness of the taught need to listen to that it's imperative upon the people of God to find people who can preach and teach the Word of God why do you think first entity threes in the Bible I think one of the only gift mentioned in that list of qualifications the rest of it is all virtue or grace or you know moral gift there's one aspect that is highlighted by Paul in terms of the man's competence to do something he must be apt to teach why because if he's not however beautiful a human being he may be however he make lowing ly fulfill all those moral attributes or fill out all those moral virtues that are indicated there the primary emphasis of the preaching and teaching ministry in the church is the preaching and the teaching ministry in the church if the people of God are not taught the truth of God then they will fall into the pit along with their blind leaders what rile says can be extrapolated and applied to our current situation when such were the teachers what must have been the miserable darkness of the taught in the third place we ought to make some contemporary application again 23 is a condemnation of the first century religious leaders but it's a warning to the church so warning to the Church of Jesus Christ in the first place we ought to consider the emphasis on external a religion to the neglect of the internal you need to ask yourself questions do I emphasize the external to the neglect of the internal do I make sure I'm in the right places do I make sure I say the right things do I make sure I go to the right events your heart is far from God wasn't this the statement of prov God through the prophet Isaiah and and imitated by our Lord Jesus these people draw near to me with their lips but their hearts are far from me you may speak Christian ease you may be able to quote the fathers you may be able to highlight our confession but if you're not born again if you're not a try a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ you're in the same boat these scribes and Pharisees are you busy to clean the outside you busy to whitewash the tomb you busy the externals and you neglect the internals you're in the same shape as the scribes and Pharisees as well we need to understand the inconsistency between the external and internal the Lord emphasizes the internal but not to the neglect of the external already touched on this a little bit well god save me I'm a believer in Jesus so it doesn't matter if I go to church doesn't matter if I tie doesn't matter if I obey God doesn't matter if I show up at church doesn't matter what I look like when I'm at church I can just do whatever I want because I'm in Jesus well Jesus says when you're in Jesus the outside of the cup is going to be clean you see there is a a remedial effect upon the external I'm not suggesting that the moment you believe the gospel you're going to look like a product of Bob Jones University your hair's going to be parted you're going to have a pen in your pocket you're going to have the tie you're going to stand upright and everything I'm not suggesting that I am suggesting what we oftentimes forget the doctrine of progressive sanctification when somebody believes the gospel of the Lord Jesus their external life starts to be cleaned up they start to clean up because of the power of the Christian message because of the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ because of the imputation of the passive and active in bedient of Jesus Christ because of what happens in us in justification sanctification inevitably follows the outside of the cup will be clean it may be a while there will be progress and brethren be very careful if everybody doesn't pop out of the womb of salvation the way you popped out of the womb doesn't necessarily mean they're not saved progressive sanctification ought to be a means by which the people of God exercise charity to others but progressive sanctification with reference to the individual ought to speak loudly there needs to be progress in your Christian life that outside of the cup ought to be transformed by the the transforming power of Christ's gospel in other words if you have been justified freely by His grace God the Holy Spirit is at work in you both to will and to do according to his good pleasure so you see the two work together it's not an either/or well I'm internally justified so I can live like a rat I'm internally justified so I can boast about my Christian Liberty to everybody I want to hear me I'm internally justified so I can you know where a grass skirt to church because I'm in G now necessarily the inside has an effect upon the outside brethren I hope you see that interplay I hope you see Jesus emphasis he's not saying just think about the inside and everything will be peachy King no tithe and uphold justice mercy and faith first clean the inside of the cup and then the outside will be cleaned you see the emphasis is holistic to use a weird word as I was voicing it it sounded pagan and neyo whatever to me unfortunate we've lost a lot of good words because weird people have co-opted them holistic wh holism of something in other words God redeems you body and soul this Paul's argument in first Corinthians 6 I wonder if there was some of this and then well you know we've been justified so it doesn't matter if we lay with prostitutes Paul says are you crazy don't you know you're joining Christ with that harlot what we've been justified so we can eat great big steaks with our brethren who struggle and watch them squirm don't do that don't offended brother for whom Jesus died Paul says I'd rather give up meat then offend someone you see that the transforming power of Christ's gospel cleanses the inside of the cop and it moves to the outside why is it that in other countries people get this but here in North America when we talking about again I mentioned mr. cool give me the illustration about people that met in Haiti in 40 degree weather in a metal hot I think you know man that's that's commitment and he says they're always went on their finest find a sunday clothes you see pictures of that right missionary reports we all love that we've got mission our airports look at the people in the third world how they show up on Sunday church so let me just rolled out of bed and put on the you know the worst thing they could find I realize people are going to say on their way home today or at lunch he was especially legalistic in fun of Ellis today wasn't he no I'm not but I'm suggesting something that I think our generation has forgotten if we believe in the triune God of the Bible will show up at church on time will show up at church and we will be there in the presence of the great cave and that will so affect us that we will pray God may our worship be acceptable to you not on us today it's got to be me my needs my felt needs everything has to serve me that's the way I I saw what Paul says in Hebrews 12 we come to God in an acceptable manner guess who defy means acceptable it's the god to whom we come he's the householder he's the owner he has the prerogatives if he says show up at eleven show up at eleven if he says you're coming to meet a great king understand you're coming to meet a great king he says tithe from your produce or tie from your first foods cough it up what problem of em is a great king do we in North America have a problem with but I the whole thing and as well we ought to be cautious and aware and guard against the twin sins of hypocrisy and lawlessness i love the way Jesus in Deitz these antinomian 'he's for antinomianism i get so sickened by people to other the Pharisees they had such a respect for the law no they didn't it was an enemy to them they hated God's law as much as anyone got to get that in your head legalism and antinomianism our bed fellows and their common opponent is the law of God it's not the case that antinomian is illegal this fight with each other I mean they may shake it up a little bit once in a while but they are joined together in their opposition to God's law Paul says we know the law is law good if one uses it lawfully first 17 18 what's one of the lawful uses of the law that the church desperately needs to recover the normative use that means that God's law is the standard of conduct conduct for God's people the Spirit indwells us the spirit fills us not so that we can willy-nilly engage or run around the field singing born free but so we can comply with the law of the living and true God when Paul wants believers in Rome to love one another where does he go to the law of God this is a manifestation that you love your brother you don't murder him you don't lay with his wife and you don't steal from him may God most high cause us to respond to the Lord Jesus in a way that is consistent with our Christian profession he said if you love me you will keep my Commandments the whole idea is that the law shows us our sin this is the pedagogical use the law shows us our wickedness the law shows us are evil and our vileness and that use of the law needs to be thundered as well from pole pets and once that log drives us to see ourselves rightly it drives us it shows us our need for Christ it shows us our need for the cross and by the grace of God we believe in the gospel of God and then what does Jesus do he points us to that law and says go with be free because that's true Liberty doing what God made you to do so brethren I hope and pray that we'll be on guard for these twin errors of hypocrisy and antinomian antinomianism or lawlessness and if you're not a believer here this morning I just want to reiterate Andrey encourage you to consider how that cup gets clean how that cop gets clean it's not through your own works it's not through your own efforts it's not through your own obedience it's not through your own moral reform that cup called your heart gets clean at the cross it's an amazing thing we see in Scripture especially in the book of Revelation those saints that come out of the tribulation their garments are bright white because they've been washed in the blood of the Lamb it's not paradoxical you don't think of blood making something white but it does the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin if you have not tasted and seemed that he is good by God's grace may you today believe on him will let us pray our Father in Heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for our Lord Jesus Christ and the emphasis that he lays down in chapter 23 I pray that you would cause us as your people the guard against hypocrisy and lawlessness cause us as your people to seek by grace to be faithful in those things you call us to and may we realize and may we reflect upon the most essential thing even our hearts before the living and true God we pray that you'd open hearts to a for unbelievers that you had cause there to be faith pointed or go exercised in in the Lord Jesus Christ we don't appeal the man I call man to believe and repent but we know the powers of God we know you make men willing in the day of your power and we pray it open their hearts and cause them to do that which is impossible with men but it's possible to you go with us now we pray and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord amen we'll close with a brief time in meditation will be distance you