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Matthew 7:21-29 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Remember that Jesus is not speaking in chapter 7 to the ear religious.
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! He is speaking to those who think that they are part of the kingdom of heaven, but are not citizens thereof.
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He is warning those in my hearing today to not be deceived by others and in today's text to not deceive themselves.
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He is warning us to escape final judgment.
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By placing saving faith in his person and in his work.
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He is exhorting us to find our righteousness in him and in him alone.
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The one and the only one who can grant us perfect righteousness.
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He has said in Matthew chapter 5 and verse 20,
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For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, those perceived to be the most righteous, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
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And then later in chapter 5, verse 48, he says,
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You therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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So how are we to have this exceeding righteousness?
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How are we to be perfect?
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Jesus does not leave us without the answer to those most pressing of questions.
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So join me this morning as we look at our text as he continues to unfold that answer.
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Matthew chapter 7, verse 21 through 29.
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Beloved, this is God's word to us.
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It was written for his glory and our good.
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And so we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and to obey its commands.
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Jesus says,
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Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
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And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.
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And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
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And the rain fell and the rain fell and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it.
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And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching for he was teaching them as one who had authority and not as their scribes.
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I want to begin our study today by considering the builders of verses 24 through 27.
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As Jesus is employing them as an analogy for what he has been teaching from verse 13 and down through verse 23.
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Let's begin by looking at their similarities.
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How are these two builders the same?
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And then we will better be able to look at their differences together.
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So first there similarities.
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Jesus says in both verse 24 and in verse 26, everyone who hears these words of mine.
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So both builders hear these words.
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Jesus is certainly referring to the words that he has just spoken.
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Those words that we have been studying for the past so many months.
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But I also believe that we should understand this more broadly.
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Jesus is speaking of the whole of the word of God.
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This full, declarative, redemptive work that God has given to us in the scripture.
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Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, verse 17 through 19.
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Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
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This was a common way to speak of the Jewish Bible, our Old Testament.
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He says, I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
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And then he goes on to say in verse 19.
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Therefore, whoever relaxes on one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same.
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Will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
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But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great.
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In the kingdom of heaven.
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So Jesus is not the abolisher, but the fulfiller of words that should be taught and obeyed.
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Before Jesus is crucified, he promises that he will send the Holy Spirit to teach you all things.
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And bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
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That's John chapter 14, verse 26.
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And then upon his resurrection, he commands his disciples to make disciples of all nations,
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teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
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Matthew 28 and verse 20.
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We believe that we have that teaching in our New Testament.
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So we have the Old Testament commended to us to be taught and obeyed.
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And we have the New Testament commended to us to be taught and obeyed.
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The Apostle Paul states in Romans chapter 10 and verse 17.
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So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.
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So we are to be hearers and doers of the word of Christ.
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Both of the Sermon on the Mount and the broader context as well.
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Both men, both builders in today's text are hearers of the word of Christ.
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They are also both men who build houses.
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These are figurative houses, not literal houses.
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We see that also in verse 24 and in verse 26.
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We should understand these houses to be lives, specifically religious lives.
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These are houses built in response to hearing the words of Christ.
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Both houses are built to stand.
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We get no inclination in the text at all that one house was built to stand and one house was built by design to not stand.
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Both houses are built to stand.
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Both builders have confidence that their houses will stand.
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But one man's confidence is in the Lord and the other man's confidence is in himself.
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So both men hear the words of Christ.
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Both men build houses based on the words of Christ.
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And Jesus' exclusion of other details should lead us to understand that both houses are built in the same location.
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They certainly both experience the same storm with the same materials.
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We have no reason to think that the circumstances of these men's lives are any different.
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That is to say, right?
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They're just examples of two ways.
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Narrow, difficult path and broad, easy way.
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We're meant to understand that the great difference between these two men is what happens when the storm comes.
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John wrote of his vision in Revelation chapter 20, verse 12 and verse 15 of the final judgment.
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This is the storm here that Jesus is referring to.
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I have heard verses 24 through 27 preached way too many times about standing against the storms of life.
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That is not what this text is about.
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The scripture has much to say about such things.
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Many wonderful places we can go to find peace and comfort and tools to pick up to stand the storms of life.
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That is not what this text is about.
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This is about final judgment.
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This is about previously in our text.
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Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father on that day.
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This is an eschatological text.
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This is referring to that final day of judgment.
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What religious house will stand and what religious house will be demolished?
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That's the weight of the text that's before us.
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Today.
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So Revelation chapter 20, verse 12 and then verse 15.
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John wrote of his vision.
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This is the judgment that Jesus is talking about in our text.
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This is the judgment that Jesus is talking about in our text today.
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And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life.
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He was thrown into the lake of fire.
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This is the judgment that Jesus is talking about in our text today.
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And so this is a storm that we will all experience.
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Will your house stand on that great day of judgment?
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And to help you think about in our text today.
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And to help you think about that this morning, we should consider the differences between these two builders.
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First, one builder is declared wise in verse 24.
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He has wisdom.
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And the other declared foolish in verse 26.
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On the criteria that the wise man hears these words of mine, these words of Christ, and does them.
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And the foolish man hears these words of mine, and does not do them.
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So Jesus declares wise the hearer and doer of his word.
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And foolish the mere hearer of his word.
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James borrows language from Jesus in James chapter 1 verses 22 and following.
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Where he wrote,
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But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
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For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer,
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he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
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For he looks at himself and goes away at once, forgets what he looks like.
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But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres,
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being no hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
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You see, beloved, what we do proceeds from who we are.
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James is saying that if you are one who perseveres to the end and stands in the judgment,
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you are a disciple of Jesus Christ and a disciple of Jesus Christ hears the words of Christ and does them.
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Peter wrote in 2 Peter chapter 1 verse 5 and following.
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Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge and knowledge with self-control and self-control with steadfastness and steadfastness with godliness.
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And godliness with brotherly affection and brotherly affection with love.
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For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.
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And then verse 10.
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Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election.
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For if you practice these qualities, you will never fall.
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If you find yourself doubting your salvation or find a brother or sister doubting their salvation,
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do not say to them,
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tell me about the day you walked the aisle.
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Open the front of your Bible and look at the date that you wrote down when you made a profession of faith in Christ.
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The scripture doesn't do this and neither should we.
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We should say, hey, turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 1 verses 5 through 10.
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And let's consider your life.
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Let's stop and think.
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Are these qualities yours and increasing or are they not?
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Other texts do this well for us also.
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The whole book of 1 John serves us in this way.
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Peter in 2 Peter chapter 1 is in essence saying that you show yourself to be one who perseveres,
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one who is called and elect by doing the word of Christ.
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Now, I am not, nor will I ever suggest that we are saved by our works.
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That is not what James or Peter are suggesting.
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And neither is our Lord in his Sermon on the Mount.
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But it is not just the doer of the word of Christ,
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but the doer of the word of Christ who is in Christ who is saved.
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We throw ourselves on his righteousness.
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Our status is changed.
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This is the great doctrine of regeneration.
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We become new creations.
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And out of our new selves, we act.
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How do we know if we have a new self?
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We measure how it is that we act.
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Am I a doer of the word of Christ,
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taking full confidence not in my doing,
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but in his work on my behalf?
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Take a look up the text a bit.
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Matthew chapter 7 at verse 22.
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On that day, many will say to me,
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Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name
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and cast out demons in your name
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and do many mighty works in your name?
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Jesus does not condemn these particular declarations
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of good works.
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It's difficult for us to know
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by what power these men did these things.
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There are some clear examples in the Scripture
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of people doing works that appeared to be works of God
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but were done by the hand of Satan in their lives.
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I think this still exists in our day.
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People do miraculous things.
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They do it in the name of God,
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but they're really doing it under a different power altogether.
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There are many who, under their own power,
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just do outwardly good-looking things.
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We don't know exactly what's going on here,
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but Jesus does not say,
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those are not the good works that I required of you.
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He doesn't condemn those particular good works.
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So we can gather that the works mentioned
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are in fact works of obedience.
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What does Jesus tell us He will say
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in that future day in verse 23?
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What will be the condition of their acceptance
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into His kingdom?
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The works?
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He says,
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And then I will declare to them,
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I never knew you.
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Depart from me,
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you workers of lawlessness.
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So they did works,
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but they didn't do works in Christ.
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They weren't in Him.
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He never knew them.
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The foolish man builds a house
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that he believes will stand in the last day,
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but it will not
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because the foolish man is not known by Jesus Christ.
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This is the man who built his house on the sand,
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the shifting sand of his works.
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We must be so very careful at this point.
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Jesus is teaching that it is altogether possible
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to appear to be following Christ
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with our actions.
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You can have every confidence
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that you are in Christ because of your works,
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but this can be a self-confidence,
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a self-righteousness.
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You can also declare all of the right theology
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and not be in Christ.
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Verse 21,
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Jesus says,
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Not everyone who says to me,
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Lord, Lord,
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will enter the kingdom of heaven.
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This is a statement of careful theological accuracy.
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It was common in Jesus' day
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to call someone Lord
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as a matter of respect or of honor.
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Your boss may have been called Lord.
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The governor may have been called Lord.
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Military generals would have been called Lord.
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But to call Jesus Lord, Lord
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suggests much more than mere human respect.
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It suggests that it is altogether possible
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to mentally ascend to the divinity of Jesus Christ
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and to not place saving faith in Him.
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More broadly, it means that we can have this book
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so figured out,
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just like the Pharisees who searched it diligently
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but failed to come to Christ.
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This book is a precious book.
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If you've been here long at all,
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you know how much I love the Scripture.
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But this is a book that points us to our Creator.
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We know God and we know Christ through this book.
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And we can so fail to know the book
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and not know the author of it.
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There's a difference between knowing God
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and really knowing about Him.
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As a church who is in a tradition
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that loves study and we should,
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cares deeply about theology as we should,
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wants to make sure things are just so-so as we should,
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we have to be very careful
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that we don't think that knowing things
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makes us righteous before God.
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It's knowing Christ and being known by Him
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that approves us before God.
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In Matthew chapter 13, verse 24 through 30,
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Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the tares,
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which should be absolutely jarring to us.
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And I want you to turn there with me.
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Matthew chapter 13, just a few pages.
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This parable, I think, stands beside the parable of the soils.
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So the parable of the soils,
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we see there's four different soils
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and we're sowing, the word is being sown
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and it gets accepted in various ways,
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ways that we can observe now.
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But this is the one that stands eschatologically next to it.
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Well, what about the end?
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That's what Jesus says.
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The kingdom of heaven may be compared
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to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
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But while his men were sleeping,
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his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat
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and went away.
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So when the plants came up and bore grain,
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then the weeds appeared also.
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And the servants of the master of the house
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came and said to him,
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Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
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How then does it have weeds?
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He said to them,
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An enemy has done this.
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So the servant said to him,
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Then do you want us to go and gather them?
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But he said,
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No, less than gathering the weeds,
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you root up the wheat along with them.
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Let both grow together until the harvest.
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And at harvest time,
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I will tell the reapers,
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Gather the weeds first
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and bind them in bundles to be burned,
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but gather the wheat into my barn.
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There was a common weed of the day called a tare.
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And it looked exactly like wheat
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until it was time for the wheat to bear fruit.
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Until it went to grain.
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And the tares did not go to grain in the same way.
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And so it is very possible what Jesus is saying
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is that we can look around
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and we can all look the same.
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Good seed sowed in good soil.
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And yet amongst us,
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There are people who are confident in what they know
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and in what they do
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who are not in Christ.
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Will not bear the fruit of righteousness.
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Isn't that jarring?
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It is to me.
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And it should cause us to put our hands
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to the labor of discipleship.
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Helping each other follow Christ.
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Helping each other be confident
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of our calling and election.
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Growing up in righteousness.
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Right?
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Lest at the end
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we be shown to be a tare.
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A weed that is gathered
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and thrown into the fire.
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We can be theologically astute
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and zealous for good works
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and have Jesus declare to us
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on the final day of judgment,
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I never knew you.
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Depart from me,
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you workers of lawlessness.
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Unless the foundation of our lives
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is built on the rock.
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What is this rock?
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It's Jesus Himself.
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His person and His completed work.
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Just as Peter declares that,
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just after, excuse me,
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Jesus declares that Jesus is the Christ.
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In Matthew 16, verse 18,
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Jesus says,
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And I tell you,
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you are Peter,
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and on this rock
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I will build my church,
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and the gates of hell
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shall not prevail against it.
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Right?
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I want to think,
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although it probably didn't happen
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for them at this time,
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but I want to think
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that the disciples' brains
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just exploded
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because they connected back
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to the Sermon on the Mount.
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The rock!
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And they went,
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listen to Him,
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His metaphors are consistent,
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it's fantastic.
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Jesus is the rock
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on which our lives
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must be built
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if we're to stand
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in final judgment.
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In Matthew chapter 7,
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Jesus is the narrow gate
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that must be found
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and entered,
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and He is the rock
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on which our houses
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must be built
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if we are to stand.
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The surface of the land
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of Jesus' home
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was largely,
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and still is,
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sand,
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and the substrate,
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the underlayer,
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of the land of Jesus' home,
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still is,
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was largely sand.
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So in order to build
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a solid home,
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builders of His day
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would have to dig down
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through the sand
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to find the bedrock.
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They would have to go
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and search for it
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and do this work
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of clearing out
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the shifting land
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to find the solid land
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on which to build.
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It is with this reality
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in mind
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that Jesus says
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the wise man
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built his house
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on the rock.
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They understand
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this analogy.
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If you've built a house
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or you're building a house,
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we know
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that we have to build
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our foundations
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below the frost line.
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Otherwise,
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our foundations
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will crack.
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If you haven't,
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you have no idea
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what I'm talking about.
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In Georgia,
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it's not very deep.
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Our foundations
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don't go very deep
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in Georgia
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because the frost
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doesn't go very deep
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in Georgia.
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In other places,
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boy,
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do you have to
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dig a foundation
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to make sure
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your house's foundation
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doesn't crack.
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So it's into this context
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that Jesus is speaking.
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They all know exactly
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what he's talking about.
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How a house
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on the rock
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is stable
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and a house
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on the sand
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is not.
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Jesus
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is the rock.
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We cannot build
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religious lives
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with any measure
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of self-confidence,
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any measure
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of self-confidence,
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but rather
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with confidence
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in Jesus.
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It is with a confidence
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in his completed work
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that we work
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and evidence
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our confidence.
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It's because of
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who he makes us
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that we work.
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Spurgeon once said,
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faith and works
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are bound up
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in the same bundle.
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He that obeys God
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trusts God
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and he that trusts God
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obeys God.
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He that is without faith
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is without works
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and he that is without works
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is without faith.
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And Jesus says
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in John chapter 14
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verse 15,
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if you love me,
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you will keep
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my commandments.
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So there is a wise builder
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and a foolish builder.
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Both experienced
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the same storm
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in the final judgment.
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And how did they fare
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in that storm?
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The wise man's house
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did not fall
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because it had been
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founded on the rock.
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Verse 25.
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The foolish man's house
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fell
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and great
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was the fall of it.
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We are builders,
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all of us.
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Will your house
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stand in the judgment
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or will it experience
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a great fall?
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Not many preachers
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these days
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like to speak
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of judgment.
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It's a most unpleasant thing,
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isn't it,
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to talk about
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the eternal state
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of souls
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who aren't found
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in Jesus Christ.
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I suggest
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that that's happening
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so prevalently
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in our day
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because
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they are far too
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concerned with
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pleasing their listeners
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and want people
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to come
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and feel good
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about coming
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to church.
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And as
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Thomas Watson,
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a Puritan preacher,
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said,
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this is on your bulletin,
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guilty men
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do not love
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to hear
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of the day
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of judgment.
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Which would be
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to suggest
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that those
27:14
who are found
27:15
in Christ
27:15
do.
27:16
That final day
27:17
where we will be
27:18
given to the kingdom
27:20
of God
27:21
in our entirety.
27:23
But I have to tell you,
27:25
church,
27:25
my concern this morning
27:26
is not that you
27:27
be pleased with me.
27:29
I don't really care
27:31
if it means
27:33
that your soul
27:34
is headed
27:35
towards destruction.
27:36
If your soul
27:39
be not saved,
27:41
why does it matter
27:42
if you like me?
27:45
I want you instead
27:46
this morning
27:46
to have an unshakable
27:47
confidence
27:48
that your house
27:50
is built
27:50
upon the rock
27:52
because that final
27:54
storm is
27:55
coming.
27:57
The scripture
27:58
promises it
27:58
to us.
28:00
The writer of Hebrews
28:01
says in Hebrews 9
28:02
and verse 27,
28:04
it is appointed
28:05
for man
28:06
to die
28:06
once
28:07
and after
28:08
that
28:08
comes
28:09
judgment.
28:11
This is a sure
28:12
thing.
28:14
If you are not
28:15
found in Christ
28:15
on that day
28:16
of judgment,
28:18
it is a very
28:18
frightful
28:19
thing.
28:21
You ought to
28:22
tremble
28:23
at the idea
28:24
that there will be
28:25
a final judgment
28:26
for you
28:27
and that you
28:27
could be
28:28
separated from God
28:29
forever.
28:31
Jesus said
28:32
in Luke 13
28:33
verse 28
28:34
that the place
28:35
those cast
28:36
from the Lord's
28:36
presence
28:37
will be full
28:38
of weeping
28:39
and the gnashing
28:40
of teeth.
28:43
It is a lake
28:43
of fire,
28:44
a place
28:44
of torment
28:46
for those
28:46
who are enemies
28:47
of our most
28:48
holy God.
28:51
Flee
28:51
from the wrath
28:52
of God
28:53
to God
28:54
in Christ.
28:57
Place your faith
28:58
in Jesus.
28:59
the same
29:00
way,
29:00
I think
29:01
that Ray
29:01
Comfort
29:01
uses this
29:02
analogy a lot,
29:03
the same
29:03
way that
29:04
a parachuter,
29:05
a parachutist,
29:06
I think is the
29:07
right term,
29:09
trusts in a
29:09
parachute.
29:11
The other
29:11
day I
29:12
flew a
29:13
pretend plane
29:13
in our living
29:14
room and
29:14
had my boys
29:15
putting on
29:15
backpacks and
29:16
jumping off
29:16
the couch
29:17
to talk about
29:18
what it means
29:19
to believe
29:20
in Jesus.
29:22
To trust
29:23
that He
29:24
will catch
29:24
you at the
29:25
end.
29:26
That you
29:27
will be found
29:27
in Him
29:28
and His
29:28
righteousness
29:29
will be
29:30
yours.
29:31
And the
29:31
penalty for
29:31
your sin
29:32
was paid
29:32
by Him
29:33
on the
29:34
cross
29:34
to believe
29:35
in that
29:35
way that
29:36
you would
29:36
toss yourself
29:37
out of
29:39
the plane.
29:40
Flee
29:41
from the
29:42
wrath of
29:42
God
29:42
to God
29:44
in Christ.
29:46
Enter by
29:46
the narrow
29:47
gate.
29:48
Do not
29:48
be deceived
29:49
by others
29:50
or deceive
29:51
yourselves.
29:53
It is
29:54
confident
29:55
faith
29:56
in the
29:57
person and
29:57
work of
29:57
Christ.
29:58
evidenced
29:58
by
29:59
obedience
29:59
that will
30:01
see us
30:01
through the
30:01
judgment
30:01
of God
30:02
and into
30:03
His
30:03
blessed
30:04
presence
30:04
forever.
30:07
Matthew
30:08
concludes
30:08
his record
30:09
of Jesus'
30:10
sermon
30:10
by writing,
30:12
And when
30:12
Jesus finished
30:13
these sayings,
30:14
the crowds
30:15
were astonished
30:16
at His
30:17
teaching,
30:17
for He
30:18
is teaching
30:18
them as
30:19
one who
30:19
had authority
30:20
and not
30:20
as their
30:21
scribes.
30:22
They were
30:23
amazed.
30:24
They were
30:26
dumbfounded.
30:28
This was a
30:28
big teaching
30:30
that they
30:30
had heard.
30:33
No one
30:33
had spoken
30:33
such strong
30:34
declarations
30:35
about the
30:35
kingdom of
30:36
God as
30:37
Jesus had.
30:38
No one
30:39
had corrected
30:39
the common
30:40
misunderstandings
30:41
of the law
30:41
as Jesus
30:42
had.
30:43
No one
30:44
had placed
30:44
such high
30:45
standards of
30:46
righteousness
30:46
and then
30:47
declared
30:47
themselves
30:48
the righteous
30:49
answer
30:50
as Jesus
30:51
had.
30:53
No one
30:53
had so
30:54
warned
30:54
against
30:55
false
30:55
prophets
30:56
and
30:56
false
30:57
believers
30:58
as
30:59
Jesus
30:59
had.
31:01
Jesus'
31:01
listeners
31:02
were amazed
31:03
at the
31:03
authority
31:04
that He
31:04
spoke with.
31:06
But Jesus'
31:07
listeners
31:07
in His
31:08
day
31:09
and in
31:10
ours
31:11
need more
31:12
than
31:12
amazement.
31:14
We need
31:15
belief.
31:18
There were
31:18
many in
31:19
Jesus'
31:19
hearing
31:20
in His
31:21
day,
31:21
and there
31:21
have been
31:21
many since
31:22
that have
31:24
read and
31:24
have studied
31:25
and have
31:25
poured over
31:26
the Sermon
31:26
on the
31:27
Mount and
31:27
are amazed
31:28
by its
31:30
teaching.
31:31
There are
31:31
many in
31:31
our day
31:32
that pick
31:32
it up
31:32
as a
31:33
good
31:33
moralistic
31:34
guide for
31:35
life.
31:37
We
31:37
shouldn't
31:37
just be
31:37
amazed
31:38
at His
31:39
words.
31:39
We need
31:39
to believe
31:40
in His
31:42
words
31:42
and do
31:44
them.
31:45
We need
31:46
to be
31:46
like the
31:48
Peter of
31:48
John
31:49
chapter 6
31:50
after
31:51
Jesus
31:52
had said
31:52
many
31:53
difficult
31:53
things.
31:54
He said
31:54
all kinds
31:54
of stuff
31:55
about eating
31:55
His
31:55
flesh
31:55
and drinking
31:56
His
31:56
blood
31:56
and people
31:57
are getting
31:57
a little
31:57
bit weirded
31:58
out
31:58
by Jesus.
32:01
Many
32:01
abandoned.
32:03
The
32:03
disciples
32:03
left in
32:04
droves.
32:06
And
32:06
Jesus
32:07
says,
32:07
what the
32:07
text says,
32:08
verse 66,
32:10
after this
32:10
many of the
32:11
disciples turned
32:11
back and no
32:12
longer walked
32:13
with Him.
32:14
So Jesus
32:15
said to
32:16
the twelve,
32:17
do you
32:18
want to
32:18
go away
32:19
as well?
32:20
Simon
32:21
Peter answered
32:21
Him,
32:22
Lord,
32:24
this is who
32:24
we want
32:24
to be.
32:25
This is who
32:25
we want
32:26
to be.
32:26
The
32:26
Peter of
32:27
John
32:28
chapter 6,
32:28
Lord,
32:29
to whom
32:29
shall we
32:30
go?
32:31
You
32:32
have the
32:32
words of
32:33
eternal
32:33
life and
32:34
we have
32:35
believed
32:35
and have
32:36
come to
32:37
know that
32:38
you are
32:39
the Holy
32:39
One of
32:40
God.
32:42
May we
32:43
be those
32:43
who
32:43
declare
32:44
Jesus
32:44
as the
32:45
Holy One
32:46
of God,
32:46
the Christ,
32:48
the narrow
32:48
gate and
32:49
the rock.
32:50
And may we
32:51
enter by
32:51
Him and
32:53
build our
32:53
houses on
32:55
Him into
32:56
the eternal
32:57
rest of
32:58
God.
32:59
Let's pray
33:00
together.