Latest / HBCWestminster / 2.7.21 Luke 12:1-12 Pastor Danny Gardner

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2.7.21 Luke 12:1-12 Pastor Danny Gardner · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  If you have your Bibles, you can open to Luke chapter 12. Our text this morning will be verses one through 12, and we're just gonna jump straight in. I've titled this morning's message, The Trinity is the Cure for Hypocrisy. The Trinity is the Cure for Hypocrisy. Allow me to read our text, and if you're able to stand in honor of God's word, I would ask you to do that now, beginning in verse one. In the meantime.
• 0:24
  When so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and whatever you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear.
• 0:54
  Fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not. You are of more value than many sparrows. And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man, will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
• 1:21
  And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Allow me to pray for us. And this morning I borrow a very simple prayer. Lord Jesus, we are blind. Be thou our light.
• 1:51
  We are ignorant, be thou our wisdom. We are self-willed, be thou our mind. Open our ears to grasp quickly the Spirit's voice and delightfully after his beckoning hand may we follow. And it's in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Thank you, church. You can have a seat. Well, you have undoubtedly noticed the sudden cultural fascination our society has with zombies.
• 2:22
  Which I still don't totally get. Movies and television series have been making a whole lot of money depicting end-time world events where zombies kind of take over the world and the few remaining humans have to defend themselves against them. Video games have even jumped onto the wagon where players can shoot as many zombies as they can before eventually being eaten.
• 2:44
  I see Jeeps and trucks around town with stickers on them that say their drivers declaring their drivers to be zombie killers. You can purchase an axe mounted inside of one of those window box window frames. You can hang it on your wall that says in case of zombie apocalypse, break glass. People are into this. I was watching with my wife, one of those property shows where a guy was actually purchasing an island.
• 3:11
  because he honestly believed that the zombie apocalypse was imminent. And he said, everyone knows zombies can't swim. He was dead serious, Church. He thought that the zombies were going to take over and he was going to retreat to this island. And he says, and everyone knows zombies can't swim. And I thought, man, no, everyone knows zombies aren't real, dude. There's something wrong with you. You can even buy zombie Nerf guns in the toy aisle, I guess, designed to kill all of the zombies that are made out of Nerf.
• 3:42
  i don't know can i confess something i don't enjoy those shows those video games i don't play the video games they're honestly they're disturbing to me i don't even like the images but there's an interesting connection made in the book of ephesians in chapter 2 and can i ask us to turn there for just a moment there's a weird statement that the apostle paul makes in ephesians chapter 2
• 4:06
  beginning in verse one. And look what he says, Ephesians 2 in verse one. This is the famous, the context is the famous, right? These are the by grace through faith verses, but look what he says in verse one. It says, you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked. Did you catch that? Let me read it again. You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked. Did he just say the walking dead? He just said that.
• 4:33
  Crazy. I hate to burst bubbles here. Church, zombies aren't real, at least physically. Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 27 says, it is destined for man to die once and after that face judgment. The Bible says that after we die, we go and stand before the judgment seat of Christ. That is what the Bible says. There is no living after physical death. There are no real physical zombies. But Ephesians chapter 2 really says it's an interesting statement, almost like there are.
• 5:04
  Spiritually speaking, zombies. Dead on the inside, right? Did you catch that? Walking around as if alive. The walking dead. We said last week that the Pharisaical lawyers believed that the law had been given by God in order to show man's great potential for goodness. Completely contrary to what Romans chapter 3 and verse 20 says.
• 5:29
  that by works of the law, no man will be justified. So the Pharisaical lawyers had said that they believed they could work their way to heaven, earn favor with God by being righteous, by living according to their own code of conduct, as opposed to what Romans 3 says, which is you will never work your way into justification. But these Pharisees had invested so much in their false religion. They were in so deep.
• 5:55
  That rather than forsaking that false religion in repentance and being saved, they chose instead to crucify the true Savior. And that's where we pick up this morning in verse 1. It says, in the meantime, in the meantime. In other words, during that same time period. And you say, well, which time period? This was the period.
• 6:16
  of woes right the three woes to the pharisees then the three woes to the lawyers this was the time period when jesus had that lunch that kind of altered the course for the remainder of his earthly ministry we talked about this resolution that the pharisaical lawyers had after this lunch go back up just a couple of verses look at verse 53 of chapter 11 as he went away from there after this lunch was over
• 6:45
  The scribes and the Pharisees began to press him hard and to provoke him to speak about many things, lying in wait for him to catch him in something he might say. From that moment, they resolved to get rid of him. They resolved to destroy him. From the moment that Christ pronounced his judgment on the Pharisees and lawyers, they actively sought to remove him. They claimed to be wise, but they were fools. They claimed to have knowledge. They did not. They claimed to speak for God.
• 7:15
  They did not. They claimed that Christ used the power of the devil to cast out demons, and yet they, by their preaching of a false gospel, actually became unwitting emissaries of Satan. And notice verse 1 continues, in the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another.
• 7:38
  Now, this makes sense because of how angry the Pharisees had become. They were hoping that they could maybe manipulate the crowds and even come to destroy Jesus, kill Jesus in this frenzy of a crowd. It has been said that persons are smart, but people are stupid. You ever heard anybody say that? Individual persons are smart, but when you lump them all together, something crazy happens. And my generation would have called it a mob mentality.
• 8:06
  Mob mentality. Individuals who would never have normally stolen, never would have vandalized, never would have under normal circumstances hurt another person, but in the midst of an unthinking populace now find themselves participating in those very things which another time they would have condemned. They just become unthinking. And this mob, this group, this many thousands of people had become unruly.
• 8:34
  and violent and in the midst of that look what jesus does they were trampling on one another verse 1 picks up he began to say to his disciples first and so what he does is in the midst of this violent mob christ begins a sermon he begins to preach and notice that his discourse which begins at the end of verse 1 with the word beware actually goes all the way to chapter 13 and verse 9.
• 9:03
  This whole time this one sermon this one discourse it is called We're actually gonna study for the next several weeks, but don't be deceived Don't be don't be confused by that because this is all one event This is gonna be one sermon that takes place in one moment in time, but we'll cover the next two chapters You're gonna notice in chapter 12 in verse 1. It says many thousands of people there is a crowd chapter 12 in verse 13 Someone in the crowd interrupted him. Okay, and so somebody's gonna yell during the same event
• 9:33
  Go to chapter 12 and verse 41. Peter then interrupts him, okay? Same event, same teaching discourse. Go to chapter 12 and verse 54. He also said to the crowds, same crowd. He's going to continue to preach. Go to chapter 13 and verse 2. And he answered them. This is the same crowd that is the same group. And so for a chapter and a half, Jesus begins a sermon. And throughout,
• 10:01
  this chapter and the next, there is what Pastor John MacArthur calls an escalating backdrop of judgment. It is a sermon about judgment. If we were to put it into musical terms, we may say the base note
• 10:18
  of christ's sermon is a warning he may touch on other things but the base note tying it all together is a warning he's going to warn that the hour is near he's going to warn that those who don't believe will be punished and this morning we have the first of his warnings when he gathers his disciples together and says simply beware of the leaven of the pharisees which is hypocrisy in other words he says watch out for hypocrisy
• 10:49
  In the middle of the angry mob, he addressed his small group of followers saying, watch yourselves, protect yourselves against their leaven. Now, the word leaven, the Greek word zymes, it's where we get the English word enzyme. You can hear it in there, zymes. Is the rising agent used to bake bread?
• 11:12
  It's that fermented old dough that is added to the new dough to make the new dough like the old dough. It is alive. And once it's added, it spreads uncontrollably and rapidly. I quoted Jude verse 23 last week.
• 11:31
  when it says to snatch others from the fire. Do you remember that from last week? Snatch others, reach in there and grab them out. I said, we are the world's alarm clock. Like we are the world's fire alarm. Don't be afraid about waking them up. There's no just transporting them from hell to heaven without disturbing anything. We are the world's alarm clock. Snatch others from the fire, Jude 23 says. But listen to how that same verse ends. Snatch others from the fire to others show mercy.
• 11:57
  hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Now, the original language is so graphic in that verse that honestly, my grandmother, were she still alive, probably would have frowned on what I'm about to say. The translators of the ESV have been gentle in Jude verse 23, understanding that that verse would at some point be quoted from a pulpit. And so they translated it as the garment stained by the flesh. Okay, it sounds almost formal.
• 12:27
  But the original language literally calls it horribly stained dirty underwear. That's literally what it would be translated as. Horribly stained dirty undergarments. The garments stained by the flesh. And in your dealing with the world, Jude says, be careful because you are in essence reaching out and grabbing a hold of dirty underwear.
• 12:54
  He's like, don't get any on you, right? Be careful. And this is Christ's warning about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Same idea. He likens it to leaven. It's like what Jude would have called dirty underwear. I mean, it's gross. You don't want to get any on you. Now, we often define hypocrisy as saying one thing but doing another. But I think the true definition goes much deeper than that. And honestly, church, I think we're going to discover that hypocrisy plagues the human condition.
• 13:26
  In order for us to understand the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, I think we must first ask, who are the Pharisees? Who are these guys? We hear that name all the time. I've actually been preaching about Jesus's woes to the Pharisees. I never actually told you who they are. Who were the Pharisees? The Pharisees were a religious sect in Judaism, which began a little less than 200 years before Christ, before these events. They banded together in an effort, these Pharisees,
• 13:56
  banded together in an effort to combat the corruption of a group of Jewish people known as the Hasmoneans. The Hasmoneans were like a Jewish dynasty, a Jewish aristocracy at the time in the mid-2nd century BC. They were really, these Hasmoneans, more Greek than Hebrew. They were openly willing to compromise in order to gain the favor of their occupiers.
• 14:21
  What began as a small rebellion by one famous family known as the Maccabees, who began the Maccabean Revolt, which you've probably heard of at some point. They started as a kind of small band, one rebel family, grew to become a national revolt, which ended up ultimately with the Jews throwing off Greek occupation and being able to call their own shots. Supporting that Maccabean Revolt was a group of religious zealots known as the Hasidim.
• 14:50
  The Hasidim or the pious ones, that's what that means. The isolated ones, the set apart, the righteous ones. By the time of the revolt's end, these Hasidim had separated into multiple factions, what we call sects. Some of these Hasidim went into the desert where they would remain altogether separate from the rest of society. These were known as the Essenes.
• 15:17
  whose most notable accomplishment, and undoubtedly you've heard of this, the Essenes were the ones who probably were the scribes who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. That was those guys, the Essenes. But also out of this new political and religious freedom came the Pharisees. The Pharisees' singular focus was to return to the purity of worship. You say, well, that's a good thing, right? I mean, that's a good thing. They wanted pure
• 15:47
  worship. The Pharisees' desire was to call the people of Israel to a high standard of moral conduct. You'd say, well, that's a good thing. No more compromise.
• 15:58
  The Pharisees desired to walk in obedience to God's law. That's a good thing. But over the course of time, hypocrisy crept in. And although their outward conformity to the law was undeniable, their hearts had drifted far from God. Did you catch that?
• 16:19
  They became so involved in trying to figure out the minutia of God's word that it never penetrated their hearts. They were so concerned with the letter of the law that they forgot the spirit of the law. They became what Jesus describes in Matthew chapter 15 and verse eight when he says, these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They had become like the church at Ephesus in Revelation chapter two. They looked great on the outside,
• 16:50
  But inwardly, they didn't love the Lord. They'd lost their first love. Pastor Chuck Smith says this. He says, it is interesting how long the outward observances can go on long after death takes place inside. Did you catch that? Oh, that's good.
• 17:12
  It's interesting how long the outward observances can go on long after death takes place inside. In other words, you can continue to go through the spiritual motions for a long time, long after you've lost your love for the Lord. It's in essence like Pastor Chuck Smith saying they were like spiritual zombies. Looked alive on the outside, but on the inside, they were dead.
• 17:42
  They were worshippers. They looked like worshippers, but they were really zombie worshippers. They weren't worshipping zombies. You understand what I mean. They were zombie worshippers, alive on the outside, dead on the inside. They were like chickens with their heads cut off, running around. Their bodies are running around. They don't even know that they're dead. It would be easy to think, well, it's a good thing. Those Pharisees are gone. It's a good thing.
• 18:08
  We don't have to worry about the likes of them anymore, these zombie worshipers. But Christ's warning here and repeated elsewhere was what J.C. Ryle says was intended to be a standing caution to his whole church in every age and in every part of the world. J.C. Ryle says, listen, that wasn't just for them, that warning against hypocrisy. That warning was for us.
• 18:33
  J.C. Ryle continues, we mustn't forget that the principles of the Pharisees are deeply ingrained in human nature. It is a subtle leaven which the natural heart is always ready to receive. In other words, every Christian in every place and at every time must be aware of the danger of hypocrisy, both from the outside and, J.C. Ryle says, from the inside. The Pharisees are not extinct.
• 19:03
  You want to know what hypocrisy is? Hypocrisy is zombie worship. It is the spiritual walking dead. It is looking alive on the outside, being dead on the inside. And so, okay, if we know what hypocrisy is, how do we defend against that hypocrisy in our own lives? Hypocrites.
• 19:24
  bring dishonor to themselves and to God. And it stands to reason, therefore, that a surefire remedy against hypocrisy is to bring honor rather than dishonor to God, right? That makes sense. Bring honor to God and you will be defended against hypocrisy. And in the text before us, Christ himself challenges us to bring honor to the Godhead in the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In other words,
• 19:50
  Honoring the Trinity is the cure for hypocrisy, which takes us to the text. Notice first, how and why should we honor the Father? How and why to honor the Father? And look in verse two. Actually, you know what? Let's start in verse five. How do we bring honor to God? Verse five very simply says, fear him. How do you bring honor to the Father? Verse five says,
• 20:17
  Fear him. And you say, well, why? Isn't he my friend? Why would I fear him? The answer is threefold, and we find it beginning in verse 2 first, because God will uncover what is hidden. Look in verse 2. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be made known. Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light. What you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. Zombie worshipers fear man, but they have no fear of God.
• 20:48
  The problem with being motivated by a fear of man is that you will be tempted to hide the parts of your life which are not pleasing to man. In other words, you'll be tempted to act fake. But we find here in verses 2 and 3, the reality with God is very different. What we thought were private conversations in what is called the inner rooms or private rooms will be proclaimed from the rooftops.
• 21:14
  Houses in ancient Israel had flat rooftops with a small wall like a knee-high wall around them so that those rooftops could be used as like patios. And in the evenings when the sun had gone down and the weather was beginning to cool, families would go up to the roofs where they would enjoy the cool evening breeze. And so imagine what it would be like if the one you had confided in
• 21:39
  inside the innermost room of your house, like your closet, if you had told somebody a secret in that closet, if they went up on the roof as the families all over town were enjoying the cool evening breeze and began yelling your secrets. Do you guys remember last year when your neighbors were howling at 8 p.m. every evening?
• 22:06
  What a weird phenomenon. We are such weird people. It was so, I don't know, it was supposed to be showing like solidarity or something. My son thought it was hilarious. And so every night for like two, three weeks straight, we'd go outside at 8 p.m. wherever we were and we'd howl. And you could hear people all over town howling at 8 p.m. It was incredible.
• 22:27
  in that evening cool breeze that evening cool the coolness of the evening how far sound could travel i mean you could hear people miles away howling several neighborhoods away you could hear them howling and now somebody over there and now somebody over there and so imagine this now instead of howling imagine somebody just screaming screaming all of the secrets that they know hey
• 22:56
  You'll never guess what Hallie thinks. You'll never guess what Pearson just did. You'll never guess, right? Can you imagine? Just airing the family laundry off of the rooftop. You know, church, in God's sight, in God's sight, no one gets away with anything. What you thought was hidden, God sees. What you thought was secret, God hears. And therefore, it is impossible to be fake in our worship of him because he will never be impressed.
• 23:27
  We will never be able to hide the nasty bits of our lives from his sight. So that's first, why should we fear God? Because he will uncover what is hidden. But notice also, we should fear God because God really will punish people in hell. Look at verse four. I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do. I will warn you whom to fear.
• 23:53
  Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. You know, almost every American believes there is a heaven, but the doctrine of hell has fallen on hard times. Many, I think because it is just too unpleasant to think about, have erased hell from their theologies. Many, many who claim the name of Christ don't believe in hell. Many others have chosen to erase God entirely because they
• 24:23
  and I quote, just can't believe in a God who would send someone there. I just can't believe in a God like that. And so I'm just not going to believe in God at all. But church, scripture does not allow us this luxury. Christ taught not only that hell is real, but he also taught that God really will punish evildoers by sending them there. Why should I fear God? Because he really will punish people in hell. But notice also, why should I fear God? Because he knows everything. He knows everything. Look at verse six.
• 24:53
  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Even the numbers of your head, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, you are of more value than many sparrows. Now, Christ already said that God sees everything, but here he says that he also knows everything. He's completely omniscient.
• 25:18
  You run down this trail long enough, you'll go cross-eyed, I think, trying to figure out the omniscience of God, the complexity of God's understanding in his creation, in his sustaining grace. Everyone knows I love to fly fish. I have not been shy about that fact. I love it. It's what I would do on every one of my days off if I could. I really enjoy it. And I and a few other guys from church this last Monday went fishing, and we did okay. We didn't catch very many, but we did okay. We had fun.
• 25:46
  As I was standing along the shore of this big river, I was standing next to this massive hole in the river trying to catch these fish. And I could see them. I could see them, but I couldn't catch them. And it caused me to ponder about the lives of those fish. God knows them. Every single one of them. I could see them down there. And I thought, you know what, God? You know. You know every single one of those fish. You know their histories. You can recall the days that they hatched.
• 26:15
  Isn't that crazy? He knows everything about them. He was there after they hatched and grew. When they're about this long, they're called fingerlings. He remembers when they were fingerlings. He remembers when they were so small that they had to hide in the shallows so that larger fish couldn't come and eat them. He was there when they got large enough to spawn themselves and start new generations. He was there last week.
• 26:44
  as I ran these tiny, tiny, tiny little flies called Mice's shrimp. Tiny, tiny, tiny little flies. Mice's shrimp passed their faces in an effort that they would take one and I could catch them. And then I thought, well, you know what's crazy too? He was also there when those little Mice's shrimp were hatched and they began to eat and grow. And Mice's shrimp, which are significantly smaller than one of your fingernails, eat what are called copepods.
• 27:14
  Copepods are microscopic crustaceans. You can't even see them. They're smaller than the eye can pick up. And that's what these tiny, micey shrimp, which are about this big, eat these microscopic crustaceans called copepods that both live, they live in both fresh and salt water. And what's crazy about this is that God was there when those copepods hatched and began to eat. And church, I don't often give you homework.
• 27:41
  But here's something I would encourage you to do this week. Read as a family, as a family around your table, read this week, Job 38 to 41, four chapters, Job 38 to 41 as Job and his misery. You remember Job, Job was the guy who lost everything, right? He's sitting there in pain. And as he considers that God might not actually know what he's doing.
• 28:04
  He's really considering like, God, are you really there? Are you really in control? Do you really know what you're doing? Because I'm hurting here. And God answers Job out of the whirlwind, chapter 38 says, and begins to question Job. Do you remember these questions? He says, okay, Job, I've got some questions for you. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? And where were you when I made the oceans? And where were you the day that I commanded the sun to rise? That very first day, where were you?
• 28:35
  Where were you when I call forth rain? Where are you when I command lightning and it strikes in the exact instant and place the location of my bidding? Where were you? And then I began to think, instead of putting Job's name in there, I just want to put my name in there. It's like God is saying, where were you, Danny?
• 28:54
  Where were you when I commanded the algae to bloom so that the copepod could eat, so that the myces shrimp can eat, so that the trout can eat, so that you can go fishing with your buddies on your day off?
• 29:11
  Do you see what we think is just a very simple, I'm just fishing with my buddies. I'm just taking a day off, just enjoying my day off. In order for me to go and do that, the complexity of God's sustaining and creative grace is astounding. It's baffling. It's almost overwhelming. Where were you, Danny? I'll tell you where you were. You were sleeping. That's where you were.
• 29:31
  When I was growing the algae so that the copepod, so that the micey shrimp could eat, so that the trout can eat, so that you could go fly fishing, you know what you were doing? You were back at home scurrying around, panicking, thinking that I've lost control. But you know what? I never lose control. I never lose control. You see what I'm getting at? He was there.
• 29:54
  Nothing escapes his notice. Nothing escapes his knowledge. Christ even says, when a sparrow falls, God is there. When a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear it? Yes, God does. He's there. He's there all the time. He knows everything. How do we bring honor to the Father? By fearing him. Why? Because he will uncover what is hidden. He will punish evildoers in hell and church. He knows everything.
• 30:23
  That's first. But notice second, why and how, how and why to honor the son. That's how to honor the father. How and why to honor the son. We honor the father by fearing him, but we honor the son by confessing him. Look at verse eight. I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the son of man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. But the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels.
• 30:52
  of god now christ himself defines what it means to confess him just a couple of chapters ago with luke chapter 9 he said deny yourself take up your cross daily and follow me confession of christ
• 31:07
  is not merely attending church and mouthing the words to worship songs. I know that's what our culture thinks. They claim to be Christians because they go to church occasionally and know a few worship songs. But church, that is not confessing Christ. Rather, it is an aligning yourself with him. It is counting yourself among his people. It is becoming a productive member of his body.
• 31:32
  Submitting all aspects of your life to his sovereign will, that is confessing Christ. It was what Paul meant in Romans chapter 1 and verse 16 when he said, I will not be ashamed of the gospel. It is what the people in the book of Hebrews experienced in chapter 10 when they, because of their association with Christ, joyfully had their goods and property confiscated. That is confessing Christ. It is what the early apostles rejoiced over when they, in Acts chapter 5,
• 32:02
  were beaten and threatened for preaching in jesus name confessing christ is the stonings and rejection that the newly appointed elders in the churches at antioch and lystra and iconium in acts chapter 14 willfully volunteered for you say well man if that's confessing christ i am not interested why why would i do that i mean if that's confessing christ i'm out
• 32:30
  But look again at verses eight and nine. Why would I confess Christ? Why would I do that? Verse eight says, because if you acknowledge Christ before men, he'll acknowledge you before God. If you deny Christ before men, he will deny you before God. My eternal destiny is determined by my confession of Christ. Why confess him? Because my eternal destiny is determined by my confession of Christ. That's it.
• 33:00
  I know, church, 80 years seems like a long time. 80 years seems like a full life. But church, compared to eternity, our 80 earthly years will seem like a blip. In fact, I think that we will be in heaven for so long that there will be a time when it will be difficult to remember earth and our earthly lives. Like, I can't even remember stuff that happened last week.
• 33:29
  Can you imagine? What about after we've been in heaven for 10,000 years and somebody approaches you in heaven and says, do you remember that time we all went to the mall? That was cool. Like, no, I don't remember. Like, what are you talking about? What's a mall? What about after 100,000 years and a million years? You know how long eternity is? Compared to that tiny little sliver of 80 years on earth, man, eternity is so long.
• 33:59
  Many of you know that my mom was recently hospitalized with pneumonia. And praise the Lord, she is recovering, she is at home, and we rejoice. But there was a point when things looked pretty bleak. She laid there in ICU. She and I began to talk about heaven, and she was asking me what I thought it would be like. I told her this. I said, Mom, you know, I think the first moment that you're there, the very first moment,
• 34:25
  When you pass from this life to the next and you have been in heaven for one second, you're going to look around and see and feel and experience how good it is. And you're going to ask yourself, why did I push and fight so long to stay on earth? That's what I think it's going to be like. Why did I fight to stay there? I wish I had come here so long ago. It is so good. And there will be a day, church,
• 34:53
  When the Lord will usher you into paradise. There will be a day when you are so excited about what is ahead of you that you will not be concerned in the slightest about what you left behind. And all of that is determined by our confession of Christ. We honor Christ by confessing him and are changed eternally for it. That's second. But notice finally how and why to honor the Holy Spirit.
• 35:18
  We honor the father by fearing him. We honor the son by confessing him We honor the spirit by listening to him and look at verse 12 now verse 10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven But the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities Do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say
• 35:50
  One pastor has said that every Christian is a converted blasphemer. Every Christian is a converted blasphemer. Romans chapter 3 and verse 10 says none is righteous, no one understands, no one seeks for God. Romans chapter 3 and verse 23, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The reality, church, is we all were rebels. We all are sheep. All of us. We've all gone astray. We have turned each of us to our own way.
• 36:17
  OK, that is the reality. That is the human condition. And if that is the case, if Christ has been offered as a worthy substitute, but every one of us is so desperately sick, wicked, debauched and beyond cure and cannot carry ourselves to Christ for salvation, then how can ever anyone be saved? Can you imagine like you've already drowned and now you're in the bottom of the ocean?
• 36:46
  You're dead. You're laying down there in the bottom of the ocean, but Christ, the life raft, is there. You can be saved by Christ. There he is. He's the life raft up here. You say, well, that doesn't do me any good. I'm dead in the bottom of the ocean. I can't swim up there and get in the boat. Answer, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit's job is to reveal the Son to mankind. In other words, the Holy Spirit's job.
• 37:16
  is to get you from the bottom of the ocean up into the boat jesus is the savior jesus is the way that we can be forgiven but the holy spirit's job is to connect you to him the holy spirit does the inspiring and illuminating of scripture he also convicts us of sin when scripture says that no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him
• 37:44
  That is what it means. The Father sent the Holy Spirit to draw believers to Christ. The Holy Spirit sent by God draws unbelieving sinners to salvation in Jesus' name. And notice verse 10 says that if you blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, you will not...
• 38:07
  be forgiven and people are always so concerned about the unpardonable sin and have i committed the unpardonable sin but this is what it means what christ means when he says that there is an unforgivable sin what he means is that if you act in rebellion and by by rebelling against god reject the spirit's work right if you reject the spirit's work then you cannot be forgiven
• 38:35
  It is unpardonable. Why? Because there is nobody to get you from the bottom of the ocean into the lifeboat. Do you see what he's saying? It is unpardonable. You can't ever be forgiven of it because forgiveness is found in Christ, which the Holy Spirit does. So if you reject, if you blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. It's actually not that hard to understand.
• 38:56
  We can't be saved if we reject the Holy Spirit because he is the one who quickens our hearts. He is the one who gives us life. If we reject the Spirit, we also reject the forgiveness offered in Jesus' name. And notice verse 11. When they bring you before the rulers and the synagogues and the authorities, don't be anxious about how to defend yourself. Verse 12 says, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what to say. Not only does the Holy Spirit inspire the scriptures and convict us of sin,
• 39:23
  but he also teaches us how to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Listen to how one pastor summarizes these truths. He says, humanity can be divided into two categories. Those who seek honor for themselves and those who seek to honor the triune God. The former received their reward in this life and after death, they will receive eternal punishment. The latter
• 39:52
  Having believed the Spirit's testimony to the Son will receive eternal honor from the Father in the heavens glory. Beware, church. Beware the dirty zombie underwear.
• 40:09
  Beware. I said, wow. You know, I considered titling my sermon that, Dirty Zombie Underwear. I just couldn't imagine putting that out there on YouTube. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to do it. Honestly, if I had done it, we'd have gotten a million views, okay? But that is what Jesus is saying. Watch yourselves.
• 40:30
  Protect yourselves, guard yourselves against the hypocrisy that is out there and not only out there, but in here. Guard yourselves against it by bringing honor to the Father by fearing him, by bringing honor to the Son by confessing him, and by bringing honor to the Spirit by listening to him. And Lord, I pray that every time your word is preached from this church, that you would be honored by it, that it would be rightly divided, and that your word would be living and active in our hearts.
• 41:00
  Use your word to change how we live, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.