Jesus Gave Three Responses To The Pharisees' Challenge

1) He wasn’t going to be their puppet and try and come up with some miracle that they would accept. Instead He would give them the ultimate sign in just a few years, the resurrection of the dead, victory over death and hell

"For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40)

The prophet Jonah had experienced something similar when he was spit up onto the beach near Ninevah.

God told Jonah to warn the Ninevites that they were about to be destroyed by God unless they repented of their sin. Jonah’s bizarre appearance, bleached out by the stomach juices of a fish, must have unnerved them. The Ninevites were fish worshippers. To them Jonah was like a man resurrected from the dead, and they believed his message – all Ninevah repented.

Jesus was infinitely greater than Jonah. When Jesus rose from the dead, that would be the Pharisees’ call to repentance. But they didn’t.

--> How much worse it is now that the resurrection has been established. The Ninevites will judge those today who ask for irrefutable proof when the resurrection stands proven these last two thousand year

2) The Queen of Sheba traveled at great expense to marvel at Solomon’s kingdom and his wisdom.

Jesus’ wisdom was infinitely greater than Solomon’s, and His kingdom infinitely more wonderful. Yet the Queen of Sheba would stand one day in judgment over the Pharisees who had the Son of God Himself right in front of them and remained nonplused.

--> How much worse for those today who can put their hand on a Bible wherever they go, hear good teaching on the t.v., the radio, the internet, go to any number of worship services on any day of the week, yet remain unmoved.

3) Jesus revealed their dangerously empty hearts. The Pharisees had continued the legacy of Ezra’s day,
+ Keeping Israel clean from idols,
+ Slavishly observing the Sabbath,
+ Obeying every possible nuance of God’s law to tithe,
...To fast,
......To keep the holy days.
But

"When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

"Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.

"Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.

"That is how it will be with this wicked generation." (Matthew 12:43-45)

It's not enough to live a clean and disciplined life and mouth a lot of holy words.

Jesus said there must be someone who lives in the home of your heart, as the owner. Otherwise Satan will just move right back in again, and matters will be even worse.

The new owner has to be stronger than Satan. The new owner is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Demons can't possess a Christian because of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Whoever is not with the Lord Jesus Christ is against Him

The miracles of Jesus point to who Jesus is. However, an unwillingness to believe reveals a hard heart.

Failure to believe the message of Christ has serious consequences, because there is no neutral zone.

You are either with Jesus, in the kingdom of God or you are with His enemy, Satan, under his rod of death and bound for his eventual destination of hell. Jesus has pre-eminence over even death and hell, and only He has the power to release you from the strong man’s house.

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Jesus warned the Pharisees that their words gave evidence of the evil in their hearts. The sin against the Holy Spirit is not a matter of speech; the words spoken are only evidence of a sin-filled heart

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

"You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?

"For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." (Matthew 12:33-35)

Jesus wasn’t talking about a single act, He was talking about their whole way of being, their harvest of bad fruit. The Pharisees had no sense of their personal sin.

Everybody will one day have to face all the things they said in those unguarded mome when the real you comes out. It’s not the words. It’s what’s inside you that matters.

Being called vipers, having their sin pointed out, being called to judgment was something the Pharisees could not stand.
Never mind that
+ Jesus spoke with authority,
+ That everything He did, including even just being born was fulfillment of scripture,
+ That the power of God in the miracles authenticated everything Jesus said,
+ And that God’s Holy Spirit was approving and affirming all Jesus taught.

They wanted to find a way to get out of having to accept Him and what He had just said to them. They wanted to reassert their superiority and authority over Him. So they said,

"Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." (Matthew 12:38)

Don’t you and I get the same thing today from people who don’t like what they’re hearing?
Give me one good intellectual argument for believing the Bible,
...Give me some proof that the Bible is true, that it’s reliable,
......Give me some irrefutable evidence that this is God’s word,
.........That it’s divine,
............That it’s relevant,
...............Or has anything to do with me....

Or how about this: before you and I judge the Pharisees, think about the times we’ve asked God for a sign because what we already know from His word was not to our liking.

--> Unless God makes my spouse initiates conversation, I’m not going to say I’m sorry.

--> If God doesn’t let me get caught, that must mean He’s okay with my doing (whatever it is).

--> When have you ignored God's word on something and asked for a sign instead?

People look for signs, but God looks for obedient faith.

Their hearts were committing adultery against God. They pretended to be faithful to God, to obey God’s laws and to worship Him. But in reality they were in love with their own position in life, seeing themselves as the cream, owners and rulers of God’s people.

In reality they kept the people away from God by making Him seem like a mean and cruel master who valued sacrifice over mercy.

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What Is The Unforgivable Sin?

But what is this terrible thing that Jesus talked about next,
23:31-32)
Was it limited to the Pharisees, or can such an unforgivable sin be committed today, and if so, how?

The context of this passage is the Lord's indictment of the Pharisees for attributing the origin of His power and the validity of His claims to the devil.

The unforgivable sin is the rejection of the true power behind The Lord Jesus Christ's miracles. To assign miracles to Satan, not the Holy Spirit, is to reject the One who draws us to Christ. To repudiate the work of the Spirit, and reject the witness of the Holy Spirit was to remain in their sin. Notice what Jesus says in verse 32, such a thing “will not” -- not “can not” but “will not” -- be forgiven. God will not where you will not.

As long as you’re concerned that you’ve committed the unforgivable sin, that is a sure sign that you haven’t. Satan, the accuser and father of lies, will try to convince you that there is something that really could separate you from the love of God. He will try to make you discouraged, convincing you that you’ve gone too far.

But experiencing grief over sin is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said the sin He was talking about will not be forgiven.
* Can a believer do something that would forfeit his or her salvation?
* Can God change His mind about something like that?

Go back to Romans chapter 8. Right at the end of that chapter the apostle Paul declares that nothing – nothing on earth, nothing in heaven – can separate us from God’s love.

Salvation does not find its power in your and my faithfulness; it is rooted in the faithfulness of God to His own Son Who died for us!

When Christ died on the cross, how many of our sins were future?
-> If all our sins were future
--> And Christ died for all our sins,
---> Then no future sin can cancel out what Christ has accomplished.

Since the whole debt has already been paid, no sin can separate us from God. Think of the great comfort in what Jesus was saying. Every sin will be forgiven except the one you and I will never commit! All others will be forgiven!

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Jesus' Response to the Pharisees In Three Parts

1) Satan is a formidable enemy. Sometimes a person tries to resist evil without first submitting to God, and Satan pays no attention to that. Jesus said

"If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26)

Satan wouldn't be very likely to drive himself out, because that would divide his own kingdom and weaken his base of power. Only someone more powerful than Satan would be able to rescue the people in his possession – only the power of God Himself could do it.

Anyway, this accusation was illogical from the Pharisees’ own point of view too, since there were Jewish exorcists - you can read about them in Acts - who were apparently successful.

Jesus asked them,

"And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges." (Matthew 12:27

2) Satan is a terrible enemy, but he is not omnipotent, as God is. He can’t do everything. In fact, he can only do what God will permit. The devil and his demons have been defeated by Christ's triumph at the cross. Death and hell no longer have any hold over God’s people.

"But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." (Matthew 12:28)

Only God has the power and the authority to drive out Satan, or to hold him back. All throughout the New Testament, demons recognized Christ as the Holy One of God, and were afraid of Jesus; they had to obey His authorit

3) Jesus was the only one strong enough to tie up the strong man and rob the world of the people he oppressed,

“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house." (Matthew 12:29)

and bring them into the kingdom of God where they would be free for all eternity. There is no neutral place.

Either you belong to Jesus, who has come into the strong man’s house to rescue you and free you from him, or you are a prisoner of the strong man

“Whoever is not with me is against me" (Matthew 12:30

What’s more, you are either with Jesus, gathering those who want to be free, or you are against Jesus, preventing others from being rescued

"...and whoever does not gather with me scatters" (Matthew 12:30)

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The Pharisees Accuse Jesus of Working With The Devil

The man who was brought to Jesus was in pretty rough shape. He was blind, he couldn’t speak, and he was being oppressed by a demon. When Jesus delivered him,

All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:23)

but the Pharisees accused Jesus of using the devil’s power,

They said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” (Matthew 12:24)

From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus was driving out demons from demon-possessed and demon-oppressed people. And just as early in the Lord's ministry, the Pharisees had begun dismissing this by saying that Jesus had been driving out demons by the permission, or the power, or both, of the prince of demons.

Satan is a real person. Interestingly, a lot of people don’t believe this – The Barna Research group found that in 2007 more than half of all adults surveyed in the United States, 57%, said that the devil, or Satan, is not a living being but is actually only a symbol of evil.

In that same survey Barna discovered that nearly half of all born-again Christians, 46%, denied Satan's existence.

Yet both the Pharisees and Jesus acknowledged that Satan was a real person, the prince of demons whom they referred to as Beelzebub, which means "lord of the flies" in Hebrew, and was meant as a mockery of the actual title "Prince Baal."

Scripture talks about a spiritual being, an angel named Lucifer, who was accompanied by a large angelic force in a rebellion against God. Isaiah 14 describes the thoughts that went on in Lucifer's mind, "I will make myself like the Most High." He was the most powerful, the most beautiful, of all the angels. His name meant "light-bearer," "shining one," "Son of the Dawn," and he aspired to the throne of God.

He wanted God's possession of and dominion over all the universe, with earth as his footstool.

Jesus said He saw Satan, which means "adversary," fall like lightning from heaven when God cast him out.

Demons are also real, and powerful. A third of God's angels became demons when they were cast out of heaven with Satan and made this earth their dark world. Since that time Satan has been referred to as
- The prince of darkness,
- The father of lies,
- The accuser,
- The beguiling serpent,
- A murderer.

The Bible describes him as a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, and the demons as having the primary purpose of possessing or oppressing humans and tormenting us.

The New Testament describes demons as causing physical as well as mental ailments. They have superior knowledge, supernatural strength and an ability to foretell the future. The devil is fierce, powerful, evil and all the more dangerous because he is a spiritual being; he is invisible.

Satan continues his rebellion against God, seeking in every way to usurp God's position as king. As soon as he had successfully enticed the first man and woman to disobey God, he took ownership of the world and now receives worship from it.

Jesus acknowledged that the world, that people themselves, are occupied by a strong man who possesses them. Satan's rod is death, and he leads the whole world into sin and corruption, using the world to oppose God.

And this was the Pharisees’ official verdict concerning Jesus. No, they said to the gathered crowd of people. This is not the Son of David, the Messiah we’ve been waiting for. This man is possessed of the devil.

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Blended Gospels: Jesus Casts Out A Demon

Then [Jesus] went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind."

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, "Can this be the Son of David?"

But when the Pharisees, and the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, heard it, they said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons."

Knowing their thoughts, [Jesus] called them to him and said to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, it is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

"And if Satan has risen up against himself, Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? He cannot stand, but is coming to an end.

"And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

"Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.

"Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

"Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come but is guilty of an eternal sin—

"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

For they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

[Blended Gospels, Matthew 12:22-37, Mark 3:2022-30, ESV]

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God Does Not Leave Sin Unpunished

When John was beheaded, all the seventy people Jesus had sent out with the gospel had also just come back to debrief with Him.

They were very tired, having not even had time to eat. It was Passover, there were many more thousands of people than usual in Jerusalem at that time. Emotions were already high. John’s death made matters even worse.

They had to have felt shock that John had been killed in such a terrible way, grief that they had not been with him, anguish over God allowing a good man to die and a bad man to prosper, sorrow and loss over such a dear friend.

What crash of emotions after the heady successes they had experienced in the mission field! So often it happens that way, after a spiritual success Satan rips the rug out.
* What to do you do when something knocks you to your knees?

John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it, laying it in a tomb. Then they went and told Jesus. (Matthew 14:12, Mark 6:29, blended gospels)

John’s disciples knew they could come to Jesus in their trouble and sorrow, knowing He would give them His deep understanding and loving sympathy.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place (Matthew 14:13)

At first glance, you might miss the significance of Jesus' response. Let it sink in.

Herod had many opportunities to change, but refused until it was too late.

Jesus moved out of Herod’s province and into Philip’s province next door, taking the gospel message with Him.

Not long after this, Herod was badly defeated in war by his ex-father-in-law, the king of Petra. (Remember him? Herod had quickly divorced the king of Petra's daughter so he could move Herodias into the palace.)

In His judgment, God allows sin to run its course

In fact Rome had to come bail Herod out. Many people saw this as God’s judgement against Herod. Years later his nephew, Herod Agrippa (who also happened to be Herodias’ brother) gained control of Judea and was crowned a king.

Herodias made Herod so miserable about not becoming a king too, that he went to Rome to ask Caligula, the new emperor, to make him a king. Instead, Herod was stripped of his power and his wealth, and exiled to the savages of Gaul for the rest of his life.

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The Night John The Baptist Died

Finally, one night, Herodias recognized her opportunity. It was right before the Passover, and Herod was having a big party. There was drinking and carousing, and high spirits.

Herodias knew she could manipulate her daughter into getting what she wanted. So she sent Salome into the party to do some pole dancing, hoping a drunk and lustful Herod would make rash promises.

He did.

There are two lessons for us here.
1) The first is from Herod. He was distressed. But his pride and his lust for Salome got the better of him
– He didn’t want to appear weak in front of his drinking buddies,
- And the apostle Mark says he didn’t want to refuse his stepdaughter,
So he immediately sent out the execution order.

What do you do in the heat of the moment?
* What influences your decision-making process?
* Do you step back?
* Do you pray?
* Do you think the situation through with biblical principles in mind?

Herod didn’t take time to consider the consequences, he acted immediately.

He wanted to appear powerful, more powerful even than God’s prophet.

He wanted to appear a man of decision.

He wanted to take young Salome to his bed.

His conscience was bothering him, but he was used to indulging his emotions and his appetites, even when it was wrong.

2) The second lesson comes from Herodias. What a powerful influence you and I have on our children!

There’s no hint Herodias’ conscience was bothering her. In her world sex was how you got what you wanted, so she was teaching her daughter the ropes.

Remember that Salome had grown up in the decadent world of the Roman wealthy and nobility: debauched parties, open prostitution of girls, boys and women, gladiator games.

Sex in the bath houses, orgies, "toga parties," these were all part of the notorious ancient social scene. Watching people be sliced through, heads flying off, wild animals tearing victims to shreds was part of her regular entertainment. Dancing for her father and his lascivious party boys, then receiving John’s head on a platter may have just been one more thrilling episode in her life.

What are you and I teaching our kids without even thinking about it?
--> What are they learning about sex and violence from t.v.,
...from movies,
......from video games?

Clearly the culture of Rome had corrupted and desensitized Herodias and her daughter. What are we letting the culture around us desensitize us to?

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Background on Herod

On the night that the Lord Jesus was born, Herod the Great ruled all of Palestine.

Herod the Great was the one the wise men came to asking about the baby and the star.

Herod the Great was the one who ordered the slaughter of all the baby boys in Bethlehem. It was no big deal to him. He had numerous sons and daughters of his own, by ten wives, and he killed them, too, when he thought they were getting in his way.

When Herod the great died He divided Judea into three portions and, with Rome’s permission, divvied these portions out among three of his surviving sons:

--> Archelaus got Judea and Samaria;

--> Philip got Trachonitis and Ituraea;

--> and Herod Antipas got Galilee and Peraea.

--> A fourth son, named Herod Philip, received money as his portion and lived in Rome.

It was at this time that an angel came to Joseph and told him it was safe to move back to Nazareth.

The year before John the Baptist was beheaded Herod Antipas went to Rome to visit his brother, Herod Philip and began to admire Philip’s wife, Herodias.

We’re going to see a biblical principle played out in what happened next.

Sin begins with what is cherished in the heart

The Bible says that we are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us. Our desires make us sin, and when sin is finished with us, it leaves us dead [James 1:14-15] Herod and Herodias had a lifestyle of indulging their sinful desires. Their sin was full blown, but we all have sin to deal with, and there are lessons to be learned here from their bad example.

Who knows who seduced who, but Herod and Herodias ended up having an affair, and Herod brought her and her teenaged daughter Salome back with him to Galilee.

One problem.

Herod was already married to a princess whose father ruled Petra, right next door to Palestine. Herod divorced this wife to get rid of her and sent her back to Petra so he could move Herodias into his palace.

John the Baptist boldly denounced what Herod and Herodias had done, and that made them mad.
* How do you respond to someone who has just pointed out sin in your life?
* Do you get mad?
* Do you want to get them back?

For the next ten months Herodias nursed a grudge against John the Baptist and wanted to kill him. The only person standing in her way was her new husband.

See, Herod liked to listen to John even though what John said often puzzled and even sometimes offended him.

- And he was afraid of John since he knew that the Baptist was a righteous and holy man,
- and he was afraid of what the people might do if John were killed, since the people considered the Baptist a prophet.

So Herod protected John.

He imprisoned him in one of his palace fortresses, but he let John’s disciples have free access to minister to John.

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Blended Gospels: John The Baptist's Death

Finally an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.

For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."

And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom."

And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?"

And she said, "The head of John the Baptist."

And prompted by her mother, she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."

And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and buried it, laying it in a tomb, and they went and told Jesus.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself.

[Blended Gospels, Matthew 14:6-13, Mark 6:21-29, ESV]

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Blended Gospels: Women Support Jesus

Soon afterward Jesus went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities:
1) Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
2) and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager,
3) and Susanna,
4) and many others,
who provided for them out of their means.

[Blended Gospels, Luke 8:1-3, ESV]
____________________________________________________________

Just some observations that will help to clarify truth from tradition:

1) Luke is the only one to note, in his gospel, that certain women supported Jesus' movement out of their own means. This is one of many specific references about the importance of women to the Lord, in Luke's account.

2) In particular, Joanna, being the wife of Herod Antipas's manager, was probably affluent andm for that matter, influential as well. Note that the Lord Jesus had an inside source to Herod's affairs.

3) Luke included both Mary Magdalene and Joanna among the women who discovered the empty tomb in Luke 24:10.

4) Notice that Luke did not identify Mary Magdalene with the sinful woman described in the previous story.

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Jesus Forgives Sin

The woman who had entered Simon the Pharisee's home to perfume Jesus' feet was a notorious sinner. Traditionally she has been called a prostitute, but the text is not so specific. She was probably not Mary Magdalene, who was introduced after this story.

In the ancient world it apparently was common to allow people to enter the home where a meal was being held in honor of a major teacher, or speaker. Nobody was shocked that the woman came in. What scandalized everyone is that she got close to Jesus and He let her anoint Him.

What she did came at great personal cost
1) The perfume she used was both precious and expensive. Anointing ran deep in Jewish custom, being practiced at civic feasts and used for the purification of priests or the tabernacle. If this perfume was nard, it would have cost three hundred denarii, or about a year's salary, per pound!

2) Her tears were an expression of overwhelming gratitude, love and joy. She already knew of His forgiveness

3) Undoing her hair was culturally shocking. Symbolically, she lay herself entirely bare before the Lord, kissing His feet with a tender intimacy that offended every person in the room save one...the Lord Himself.

Simon the Pharisee expected such brazen behavior from the woman, but he found Jesus' acceptance of this worship both outrageous and intolerable.

What he thought revealed the depth of self-righteousness in his heart: If this man Jesus really were a prophet, then he would know what kind of woman was touching him, and He wouldn't have allowed it.

Obviously, Simon said to himself, Jesus is no prophet because look at this sickening display being enacted right here in his banquet hall. Jesus not only had not rebuked the woman, He in fact seemed to be enjoying her kisses. Simon concluded that Jesus must be of a very low class Himself.

Pharisees maintained that if spiritual people were to guard purity and testimony, then they certainly could not associate with sinners.

Jesus saw the situation completely differently.
1) Simon doubted Jesus was a prophet because He had allowed a notorious sinner to cover Him with her affection. But Jesus proved He was a seer by discerning Simon's secret thoughts.

2) Simon scorned Jesus' lack of rebuke towards sin, yet Jesus gently rebuked Simon's sin with His parable.

3) Simon thought Jesus to be a very low class of person, yet by forgiving sin Jesus revealed Himself to be of the very highest order, God Himself.

4) Simon had no love nor appreciation for Jesus because he had no sense of personal sin. On the contrary, Simon now viewed himself to be far Jesus' superior. So Jesus showed that appreciation and love flow from the one who has been forgiven a great debt.

Great forgiveness provides the opportunity for great love

As one author put it, "When God forgives a notorious sinner for much sin, the realization of such bountiful forgiveness means the potential for great love."

Simon showed how little he thought of Jesus
- By not having His feet washed.
- Simon did not even greet Jesus with the customary Mediterranean kiss on each cheek shown to friends and welcome guests,
- Let alone put oil on Jesus head, as he would have with an honored dignitary.

But this woman had
- Washed Jesus' feet with her own tears.
- Far more than the ceremonial greeting, she had covered Jesus' feet with her kisses.
- And rather than anoint His head with customary oil, she had poured out rich and costly nard on His feet.

What the woman had done went far beyond the call of custom and good manners (which Simon the Pharisee had failed to meet even the minimum for).

In contrast to Simon's desultory throughtlessness, her actions reflected heartfelt gratitude, tender love, overflowing joy and a deep sense of humility.

Jesus then explained that this woman's sins were forgiven because of her great love for Him. It was not her works which saved her. It was her love, which was expressed in these acts.

This was even more offensive and troubling! Bad enough that Jesus would receive this known sinner in a Pharisee's home. Far, far worse that He should presume the place of God and dare to announce her sins forgiven!

The Pharisees knew the significance behind Jesus' statement. They knew no mere man had the right to forgive sin, so they asked each other, behind trembling hands, "Who is this who even forgives sin?"

If Jesus had the authority to forgive sin, then he was far more than a prophet. They didn't dare to even form in their minds the implications of what Jesus had said.

So Jesus made it all the more clear for them by saying to the woman -- and to no one esle in that room -- "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

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Blended Gospels: A Woman Bringing Perfume

One of the Pharisees asked [Jesus] to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table.

And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."

And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."

And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?"

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt."

And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.

"Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."

And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, "Who is this, who even forgives sins?"

And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

[Blended Gospels, Luke 7:36-50, ESV]

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"Come To Me, You Who Are Weary"

Having said the negative, Jesus now gave the positive, beginning with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to His Father

“I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do." (Matthew 11:25-26)

Those who come with a childlike heart, open, trusting and humble, are the ones who are going to understand and receive the gospel, rather than those who have a sense of self importance, who delight in their own mental abilities, and mistake their knowledge for wisdom.

Jesus explained God’s plan of revelation:

“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." (Matthew 11:27)

Only Jesus can show the way to the Father.

Jesus saw people burdened with trying to please God,
...getting right with God,
......using all the methods that the Pharisees were insisting on.
.........It was a great load of rules, and they were weary with trying,
............sensing, deep down, that none of it was working...

Jesus offered rest, freedom from trying and never succeeding.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Think about the yoke as what rabbis called their way of understanding and living by scripture, which they expected all their disciples to take on themselves.

The Pharisees' yoke was heavy. It made people bone weary with trying to labor under it.

Jesus’ yoke is light, it’s freeing, it’s enabling so that your work becomes joy. Jesus’ yoke fits perfectly because we are designed to wear His yoke, and His yoke is designed for us.

Jesus gives wisdom and rest to those who come to Him

Following Jesus brings relief from sin’s burdens. Those who follow Jesus find that Jesus’ yoke brings equilibrium and Jesus’ power.

* In what ways can you say that you have taken on Jesus' yoke?

* An encounter with Jesus demands a response – what’s yours?

* Do you believe in Him Have you said yes to Him?

* Will you serve Him, and co-labor with Him in the harvest?

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Some Thoughts on Judgment

Jesus' teaching on the fate of Tyre, Sidon and Sodom, as compared with Bethsaida, Chorazim and Capernaum, seem to indicate that there are degrees of punishment in the judgment of God.

Though there is not a lot written in the New Testament about this teaching, it does show that even in judgement God is just and fair.

Judgment is meted out according to the light given to the individual.

Indifference to the claims of Christ are a terrible sin. An encounter with Jesus demands a response, and not to respond is to decide against Jesus.

When Jesus speaks of judgement, we know there will be judgement. God’s judgement goes clear back to the story of humankind's fall from original righteousness and communion with God, found in Genesis 3. The first man and woman had the opportunity to grow in the knowledge of good and evil through obedience to the goodness of God and His word. But they were tempted to
1) Doubt God's goodness
2) Question God's word
3) Desire to be "as God" thinking one could have God's position and authority.

After their fall, Adam and Eve showed the effects of sin by hiding from God and by blaming others for their own wrongdoing. God judged the man and the woman in specific and distinct ways, but the chief judgement was the penalty of death which God had said would be the result of they chose to eat from the forbidden tree.

1) Their spirits died. Their deep communion with God was broken, which they proved by running away from God when He came to them in the Garden.
2) Their souls died. They experienced a break down of their originally righteous and good character as they suppressed the truth and laid the blame for their own sin on someone else.
3) Their bodies died. God said, "Dust you are, and to dust you will return," and eventually both Adam and Eve, as well as all their offspring, died.

These three aspects of death are eternal unless they are overcome by the work of the Messiah. In Christ we
1) Receive a new spirit, by the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit, which loves God
2) Receive a new soul, which begins to live for God,
3) Eventually every believer will receive a new body patterned on the resurrection body of Jesus, and has now a deposit on that resurrection power to live by faith.

Those who refuse to respond to Jesus will be judged. Many people today hear God’s word, and remain unmoved. They witness God’s power in someone else’s life and say, that’s okay for you, but it isn’t for me. They remain indifferent.

Rather than get special exemption from judgement, those who know God, and know His law have an even greater responsibility to obey God and honor Him.

When are you guilty of refusing to repent, and count on your standing with God instead to get you by?

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Jesus Denounces Coldness

Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.

"And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

The two key words in this section are “repent” and “judgment.”

Jesus was saying: Because you were given evidence and you refused to repent, you are under the judgment of God for either not deciding for God, or for rejecting His offer of rescue.

Jesus pronounced judgement on Bethsaida, Chorazin and Capernaum. Bethsaida was the home town for five of His disciples. Jesus healed a blind man there, and very near there Jesus fed 5,000 people.

Not much is known about Chorazin.

Jesus had made Capernaum His home town, and many miracles were performed there.

Tyre and Sidon were infamous for their wickedness, and Sodom was considered the epitome of wickedness, yet Tyre, Sidon and Sodom would have repented had they been given the same level of evidence as Jesus was now giving these towns

Read the above passage again. God did judge those wicked cities of old, as recorded in scripture, and Tyre, Sidon and Sodom certainly will be judged by God on the last day, since all people can know God
* Through the witness of creation,
* Through the witness of their own consciences,
* and through an instinctive law of righteousness that God has written into every person's heart.

But why will it be more bearable for those pagan cities than for the people of these Jewish towns?

Because the Jews had far more than the Gentiles.
--> They had God's law,
--> They had His wisdom and prophecies recorded in scripture,
--> They had the temple and the sacrifices,
--> They had God's covenants.

And they had the long prophesied Messiah

Jesus was God incarnate, He was authenticating His deity, but the people were blase, unimpressed, they didn’t want to hear His message. Jesus was heartbroken in His anger over their refusal to repent.

Jesus didn't fit the profile His own people had crafted for their ideal Messiah. So they rejected Him. The people most privileged and able to know the Savior were the people most hardened to receiving Him.

Who would those people be today? People who are religious without actually believing what God's word has to say. People who are more enamored with their religious traditions, and their own good deeds and relgious activity, than they are with God.

Where do you stand in comparison with Tyre, Sidon and Sodom?

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Jesus Then Taught The Crowds

What The Lord Jesus said next is difficult to understand,

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12)

- It could mean that the gospel had been forcefully advancing in spite of opposition.

- Or, it could mean that the gospel was being violently opposed.

Either way John was like Elijah in that he called people’s attention to their sins, and called people back to God, to make a decision to follow God rather than the gods of this world.

John was not a reincarnation of Elijah.

The Bible never teaches that reincarnation is any kind of a possibility at all. What Jesus referred to here was John’s function. In Luke 1:16-17 an angel told John’s father that John would go before the Messiah in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the disobedient and to make the people ready for the Lord.

If people accepted that, then they also needed to accept that Jesus was Messiah

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matthew 11:15

But, Jesus went on to tell the people, you people don’t listen, you don’t accept, you’re never happy with what you hear.

People did not want to hear God’s message, they wanted to call the tune and have God sing the song they wanted to hear.

They had complained that John was too austere, so they called him a demon.
On the other hand, they complained that Jesus was too familiar, so they called him a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of sinners.

"Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds."(Matthew 11:19

Wisdom is proved right by actions. You will be able to assess God’s wisdom by what He does. Jesus’ miracles authenticated who He claimed to be.

Jesus gives answers to doubters who come to Him

* Where do you turn with your questions?

The best place to go for answers is scripture, God’s word. You will find the answers about Who He is, and what He promises to do for you and for me.

God may provide answers through other means
- Maybe in a Bible study group,
- Or your pastor’s sermon,
- Or an event in your life,
- Or a talk with a friend.

But the best place to go for clarification and finding out the truth is in God’s word itself, praying that God will help you understand.

Scripture isn’t necessarily going to give you specific instructions about where to go tomorrow, what job to take, how to work out a particular situation – but scripture will provide insight into God’s character, His ways, and what He has provided for you.

Through that you will have the beginning of your answers.

Jesus is also kind, His answers will be more than you asked or imagined, Jesus will encourage you whether through a friend, or answer to prayer, or something you hear on the radio, or read.....look for the encouragement that God provides

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Jesus' Answer to John

Jesus answered John from the prophetic book of Isaiah,

"Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them." (Matthew 11:4-5)

that’s the text John the Baptist most often preached from. Sinners must be restored first before God will come to rule the earth in righteousness. Jesus was about the business of bringing restoration

Jesus was not condescending, not judgmental, not impatient. Instead He spoke gently and clearly to John’s disciples, teaching from the very same scriptures that John knew best, and understood.

Jesus did not condemn John, who, after all, of all people, had the very best reasons not to doubt. And Jesus does not condemn you or me, either, when we doubt, so long as we come to Him with our questions and listen to His answers.

Doubt is a mind game, and the antidote for doubt is truth.

Jesus was telling John “I’m working My plan, just trust Me,” then He gave a gentle warning,

"And blessed is the one who is not offended by me." (Matthew 11:6)

An encounter with Jesus always demands a response. John’s response must have been a continuing response of faith. We know he stood firm for the truth to the end.

Jesus gave John more than he asked or imagined in commending his ministry and his faith: John was truly a prophet in every sense of the word – he was strong, powerful, fearless, unswerving, uncompromising. He even looked like a prophet.

Jesus said,

"This is he of whom it is written,

'Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.'

"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist." (Matthew 11:10-11)

Not only was John filling the characterization of a prophet, he gave the message of a prophet, he was the very one Malachi had prophesied would come right before the Messiah.

--> He was the greatest among prophets in that he had the greatest role, he had the privilege of announcing Jesus the Messiah.

But as great as John the Baptist was, he would not live to see, and understand, the rest of the gospel unfold.

Those who have been born again, after the cross, are greater than John the Baptist because you and I, and all those who follow Christ, have the full gospel, the whole story, and we have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We may not have greater character than John, but we do have the understanding and ability to bring the full good news to others.

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Why Did John the Baptist Question Jesus?

After sending the disciples off to preach and teach in pairs, Jesus began to teach in the disciples' hometowns. This is where John the Baptist’s disciples found Him and asked Him the question their rabbi, John the Baptist, had given them:

"Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" (Matthew 11:3)

John was genuinely doubting whether the message he’d preached was all true, and the person he’d introduced was really the Messiah. Doubt is not sin unless you ignore the evidence and stay where you are in your doubt.

John had been tirelessly promoting the good news of repentance and salvation through Messiah, and many people were repenting and being baptized. The pinnacle of his ministry was to baptize Messiah, and work side by side with Christ, flanking Jerusalem, preaching and baptizing.

Then John was arrested and imprisoned. He had his disciples left, but everything else was suddenly, shockingly, taken away – his ministry, the wide open desert where he lived, his place as prophet and co-laborer with Messiah.

And Jesus seemed to be doing nothing about it.

Could this really be Messiah, Who was supposed to come and right all wrongs, to rule in righteousness, to “open prison’s doors and set the captives free”? John was a captive, he was Jesus' strongest advocate, and yet he was not being set free.

Why do we doubt?
1) Difficult circumstances John was in the worst possible place with no rescue in sight

2) Incomplete knowledge John knew only just a little bit more than all the Old Testament prophets, since he knew that Jesus was Messiah, the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.

John was not going to see the crucifixion or the resurrection. He didn’t understand the entire scope of what God was doing

3) Unfulfilled expectations When John was prophesying about Jesus he the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit, and He would judge. John expected this to happen during his life time, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit didn’t come until Pentecost, and the day of judgement is still future to us right now.

* What, in your life, is disappointing to you right now? Does it feel the opposite of what you expected God's promises would look like?

* Where do you go with your disappointments and doubts? Do you ask God for insight?

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Blended Gospels: John The Baptist's Question

Now when John's disciples reported all these things to him in prison, about the deeds of the Christ, John called two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

And when the men had come to [Jesus], they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, 'Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?'"

In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight.

And he answered them, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are dressed in splendid clothing and live in luxury are in kings’ courts.

"What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,

"'Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.'

"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come."

(When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, having been baptized with the baptism of John, but the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the purpose of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.)

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

"To what then shall I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another,

"'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not weep.'

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is justified by all her children."

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

"And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.

"But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

[Blended Gospels, Matthew 11:2-30 and Luke 7:18-35, ESV]

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Blended Gospels: A Widow's Son Is Restored to Life

Soon afterward [Jesus] went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."

Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."

And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!"

And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

[Blended Gospels Luke 7:11-17, ESV]

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Blended Gospels: A Centurian's Servant Is Healed

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.

When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, appealing to him, "Lord, [the centurian's] servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly," they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue."

And [Jesus] said to him, "I will come and heal him."

And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you.

"But only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

When Jesus heard this, he marveled and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith."

"I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed."

And the servant was healed at that very moment.

And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well.

[Blended Gospels: Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10, ESV]

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Jesus' Authority

Everyone who heard Jesus recognized that what He was teaching came straight from God

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 (Matthew 7:28-29)

The scribes and Pharisees spoke from “the authorities” of past rabbis and experts of the law. But Jesus spoke with the voice of God Himself.

God’s wisdom comes with obeying His word

Hearing what’s right is not enough.

Knowing what’s right is not enough.

You need to have it inside you, be a part of you because you are obeying what’s right, you’re living it.

** The more you obey that which is right, the more you will be able to recognize that which is wrong. **

The two roads help you and me to examine the cost of our profession of faith. Is the way hard, is there a cost?

The two trees help us to see whether our lives are really changed – is there spiritual fruit?

The two houses give assurance that true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will last – there will be strength, wisdom and courage for the crises of life, and there will be the assurance of God welcoming us into heaven on the last day.

Review what the Lord Jesus Christ is saying to you in these commands and warnings. Take one thing and apply it before this day is done; God will help you, by His spirit.

* Jesus may be saying you have to stop judging someone,

* Or you may need to persevere in prayer about something, specially in asking for wisdom.

* God may be calling you to love someone else the way you want them to love you.

* Could be God is pointing out where you have chosen the wide gate instead of the narrow gate.

* Could be you‘ve been learning a lot in studying the Bible but you haven’t been obeying it.

How ready are you to go to the next level with God and do what Jesus is teaching you as He enables you?

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Wrong Foundation

4) The Lord Jesus Christ's fourth warning was to watch out that you don’t build on the wrong foundation for life, which is anything else besides God’s Son
The real key to this verse is not hearing, or even understanding Jesus’ teaching.

-->The real key, the crux of the matter, is whether you put Jesus’ teaching into practice in your life<--

Wisdom is not the extent of what you know. Ph.D’s in theology will not make you wise. Putting into practice Jesus’ words, Who speaks with authority, will make you wise.

Only storms will reveal the quality of the foundation upon which your house has been built

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

"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.

"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.

"And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." (Matthew 7:24-27)

The foundation is the application of Jesus’ teaching.

* The foolish person maybe applies what the Lord Jesus says to everybody else.

* The foolish person will have an intellectual understanding of Jesus’ teaching.

* In fact, by Jesus’ definition, a person can even be teaching Jesus’ words to others, but if they are not applying Jesus’ words to their own lives, they are foolish, and when crises hit, they will discover that they have no wisdom to deal with it.

What are the storms in your life revealing about the foundation you’ve built on?

The two houses can also represent the end of this life, when God will call all people to judgment.

There are false teachers at the gate that leads to the broad way of self-indulgence, making it easy for people to enter.

But when judgement comes, all those houses built on sand will be swept away and nothing will be left. The final test is not what we think of ourselves, or what other people think of us. The final test is what will God say?

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Wrong Focus

3) The Lord Jesus Christ's third warning was to watch out for the wrong assumptions about good deeds, which ignore relationship with God’s Son

The test for a claim to Christianity is whether or not we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

"On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

"And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' (Matthew 7:21-23)

There are two vital points here.
1) The first is that only the person who does the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven. Flip with me to the Gospel of John,

Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:28-29)

The will of the Father is to believe in His Son.

2) The second point is the critical, vital, importance of being known by the Lord Jesus, to be intimately connected with Him, made one with Him.

God’s wisdom comes to those who have His Spirit

Spiritual discernment comes from a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

How do you know whether you have a personal relationship with Christ?

Tell God, “I want to make sure about my relationship with you. I want Your Spirit to tell me in my inner being that I am Yours. I confess that I am sinful person, and I know I deserve Your judgement. I know I stand condemned, and that I deserve the punishment that sin earns. I understand that I am I am helpless to change that.”

Ask Jesus to save you from the punishment you deserve, and believe with confidence that He will do that, He will save you because you know that He is God the Son and He came to earth specifically to save you from the judgement of your sin, because He loves you so much more than you could ever even imagine.

Ask Jesus to give you new life by coming into your life, by putting His Holy Spirit into your heart.

Tell Jesus you are ready to submit to His authority in your life, as He gives you the power to do it. You know you can’t do it by yourself, but when He puts His spirit in you, you will obey what His spirit says; as He enables, you will work it out.

Jesus says that whoever comes to him He will take to himself, so believe it, it is true, count on His peace and affirmation.

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Wrong Teachers

2) The Lord Jesus Christ's second warning was to watch out for the wrong teachers, who undermine God’s Son's teaching

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Matthew 7:15)

Not all teachers are true, truth can be violated.

False teachers usually conceal their hostility to the gospel, and will try to blend in with true believers. They’ll use the right language, all the same words, and will talk a good line. So we need discernment to recognize the true sheep from wolves dressed up like sheep.

One clue would be whether they teach
--> The narrow gate and closeness with Christ, living under His authority, or
--> The broad road, which caters to our own sense of importance, indulges our desires and is permissive.

Ultimately false teachers are not interested in helping people, they’re interested in helping themselves to fame, or popularity, or power and influence, or wealth, or some other gain by exploiting people. That road leads to destruction.

Two trees,

"You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit." (Matthew 7:16-18

You may not see it right away, but once the fruit begins to mature, you will begin to see the difference between fruit that is healthy for you and fruit that is poisonous

1) Look at the way they live – are they following the narrow way in their lifestyle?
2) Listen to their words: do they glorify God, or themselves?
3) Look at the people who have been applying their teaching, what is the fruit in their lives?

Do you recognize the fruit of the Spirit?

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Is serving the Lord Jesus Christ the focus of their lives?

Or are they all about the blessings, earthly prosperity, or power, or some other bonus that they say comes from being a Christian?
4) Listen to what they teach – is it scriptural?
- Do they teach the denial of self, or promotion of self?
- Do they teach the cross, or do they teach that life on earth is supposed to be like heaven?

What kind of tree are you?
* What are you teaching your children?
* What do your children see in your own lifestyle?
* Can you recognize the fruit of your teaching, your character, and your lifestyle in your children?

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Is The "Narrow Gate" Legalism?

How often do you deny yourself in the course of an ordinary day?

How often do let go of your own rights, as you view them, for the sake of what’s better for someone else?

People, as a rule, don’t like discipline and self-sacrifice, so this narrow way is often accused of being legalism.

What have you accused as being legalistic, recently?

Legalism exalts law above grace.
* Legalism elevates human rules and traditions to the level of divine law.
* Legalism binds God’s people where God has left them free and this was the Pharisees’ way – they counted on their scrupulous observance of God’s law and their own added regulations to earn their way into the kingdom of heaven, and condemned everyone who did not do as they did.

The Pharisees’ way certainly looked like the narrow gate.

How discerning are you about the difference between the narrow gate and the wide gate?

Legalism majors on the minors and minors on the majors, it is really adhering to the letter of the law to the exclusion of the spirit of the law, which makes it doable for the few very disciplined people, and just about too hard for everyone else.

The narrow gate Jesus is talking about is totally the opposite. He is the gate, and through Him God puts His Spirit in us to obey His word completely, in spirit and in truth.

Compared to Jesus’ gate, legalism becomes the broad gate, because it is doable without the Holy Spirit living in you.

Humbling yourself to Jesus’ strict authority, and willingly obeying even the spirit of His commands will be hard.
* Denying yourself,
* Disciplining yourself,
* Self-sacrifice for the sake of others,
* Giving up your rights for someone else is hard.

But Jesus’ road leads to life.

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Wrong Gate

Jesus’ warnings begin with two gates,

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many." (Matthew 7:13)

God the Father will become the of each person who believes in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Narrow Gate.

Watch out for the wrong gate, it won't lead you into the kingdom of heaven, it will lead you to destruction.

Jesus is saying, "Make the right decisions because it will affect the whole rest of your life."

We all have a bias for sin, inherited from Adam, we all have the tendency to act out that sin, every day. Those who come to Christ for forgiveness in this life will never have to face judgment, they entered the narrow gate of Jesus. Those who reject Jesus Christ as savior from sin and Lord of life will be judged for all their sin, including the sin of unbelief.

There are only two gates, there’s no neutral zone. Not deciding is really deciding to enter through the broad gate.

"For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matthew 7:14)

The word “narrow” in the first quote does mean “narrow.” But in the second quote “narrow” means “tribulation.”

“The way of discipleship is narrow, restricting, because it is the way of persecution and opposition”

Entrance into the kingdom of heaven is through this narrow gate, under the strict authority of Jesus, through persecution and tribulation.

Jesus says there is no way to the Father but through Him. When you want to begin a new phase of your life with the Lord, as a Christian, you want to go deeper, a new level of a life of faith, then it will mean denying yourself and taking up your cross to follow Jesus.

* Living out the Gospel is the narrow way.

* Being permissive is the broad way.

It's hard to obey Jesus' teachings; it's easy to be permissive and tell people what they like to hear, and indulge their wants.

As parents, you know what that kind of parenting leads to. The Bible says "The Lord corrects the people He loves and disciplines those He calls His own."

The Bible continues this teaching by saying "Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats His children. Don't all parents correct their children? God corrects all of His children, and if He doesn't correct you, then you don't really belong to Him."

Jesus pointed out that any one of us earthly parents, as flawed as we are, feed our children with good food and; we don't give them what is bad for them, or dangerous for them.

Scripture teaches that "Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because He wants us to be holy, as He is. It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace."

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Blended Gospels: Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside, Warnings

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits, for each tree is known by its own fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

"A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

"The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you? Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

"On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'

"And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

"Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a wise man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, it did not fall because it had been well built and because it had been founded on the rock.

"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 -- ground without a foundation. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and when the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and great was the fall of it, and the ruin of that house was great.

"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."

[Blended Gospels: Matthew 7:13-29, Luke 6:44-49, ESV]

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Fourth Command, The Golden Rule

4) The Lord Jesus’ fourth command was to reverence God the Father, Creator of us all by doing to others what we would have them do to us,

"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 7:12)

Just as you and I ask God for good gifts, and He gives them, so we must share those good things with others:
* Love,
* Forgiveness,
* Grace and
* Mercy

Who in your life are you having a relationship problem with?

After reviewing Jesus' four commands in Matthew 7:1-12, what on your own side is the Lord showing you, you might change?

1) Are you judgmental of them right now?

2) Are you talking about things that frustrate them, and draws the worst out in them?

3) Do you need discernment in what they need, and wisdom in how to help them?

4) Are you loving them the way you would like them to love you?

God’s wisdom comes with prayer

What have you given up praying about?

Would you be willing to start praying about it again, and this time not only ask God for what you need, but keenly search for His response, and keep knocking until He opens the door and gives you the good thing you need?

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Third Command, Ask-Seek-Knock

How do you and I gain discernment to tell who to talk with and what to talk about?
3) The Lord Jesus’ third command was to pray,
Since He is the Sustainer of all things by the power of His word, it is wise to pray to your Father in heaven, Who will give you the good you need

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)

Ask – The word “pray” means to ask, ask for the specific things you need.

* You know that you can’t get whatever it is for yourself.

* If God doesn’t give it, you know you will have to live without it.

* So you ask in expectation, in faith, continually, waiting for God to give wisdom, discernment (James 1:5-7)

Seek – Is to look for.
* You are alert to where God’s hands will be at work, providing for you what you are asking of Him.

* You are determined not to miss it, no matter how unexpected a place it might come.

* Look for God’s will about the things you are asking Him for. As you search you will discover what the good is that God is answering your prayer with

Knock – Is the active, diligent pursuit of God’s way.

* As you seek out and find God’s will on a matter, go and knock on that door.

* You don’t throw the door open and take what’s inside, but you knock until God opens that door for you and gives you what He has for you. Knock patiently and expectantly, trusting in God’s timing.

This is what Jesus does with you, knocking on the door of your heart, patiently and lovingly, until you open the door of your heart and invite Him in to fellowship with you.

The actual verb tense in the Greek holds the meaning that we are to be continually praying:
- Keep on asking,
- Keep on seeking,
- Keep on knocking
............reverently.

Jesus promises that God, Who is good, wise, loving and powerful, He will certainly give you what you need to live for Him.

"For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:8-11)

Jesus was referring to the little round limestone stones on the shore of Lake Galilee which were exactly the shape and color of little loaves; and to eels, which were often drawn up along with other fish, in the nets, but which were considered unclean to eat, since they had no scales.

The Father will give you what you need, and what your heart desires for, deep down. He won’t give you counterfeit bread, and counterfeit meat, He will give you the real thing.

God never changes. He is completely good, without any shadow of meanness or darkness in Him, and God is consistently good.

God’s goodness is not arbitrary or capricious, God’s goodness flows from the perfection of His character. The Bible explains that every good and perfect gift comes from God.

He is not only the standard for goodness, He is the source of all goodness.

What are you asking God for right now?

God will always answer your prayers, but He will answer in His way. God’s way is perfect wisdom and perfect love.

God will sometimes allow suffering, trouble, grief, all kinds of things you didn’t realize you were praying for, but don’t be discouraged. The Father is answering your deep need:
1) For the sense of His presence,
2) For His comfort and courage,
3) For His strength and spiritual power,
4) For maturity in your character,
5) For depth in your personality,
6) For a capacity to love and forgive that begins to match His own.

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside: Second Command, Keep What Is Sacred

2) The Lord Jesus’ second command was to Reverence the Father by not giving what is sacred to those who despise God,

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces." (Matthew 7:6)

Pearls are formed slowly over time, layer by beautiful layer, covering a grain of sand that started out as an irritant in the oyster. The pearls in our lives start out as something that hurts, and as we hear God’s word and obey it He begins to layer that hurt with His comfort and wisdom.

Pearls can refer to personal insight into God’s word, God’s enabling and equipping, what you receive from God in prayer; your life in Christ. What is sacred can refer to what belongs to God, such as being involved in God’s work.

Dogs and pigs in ancient times referred to people who had given clear evidence that they rejected God with scorn and had a hardened contempt towards the things of God. In this verse that includes the rejection of God’s Son

The dogs and swine Jesus was referring to were wild creatures, not pets or farm animals. They were usually ravenously hungry, and often dangerous. If you got close enough to a dog or a pig to give them something it better have been something they could eat. Pearls would just frustrate them and make them turn on you.

– Be wise in choosing your audience for quoting a particular scripture, sharing a deep personal insight from God’s word, or a burden God has placed on your heart.

– Be wise in offering something sacred, like the Lord’s table, or a leadership position to someone who is not a Christian, or who is not dealing with some sin in their life, even if in every other way they seem like nice, capable people.

God’s wisdom is expressed in humility and love

We need to use wisdom in love and tenderness when we help other people.
* Don’t judge, but do use sober thinking, guided by God’s word and His Spirit, discerning what is right or wrong, true or false, good or bad.

* Humbly receive God’s conviction and correction in your own life and gently help to restore fellow believers from sin.

* Be wise about what you share with people who clearly reject Jesus and are turned off by the things of God. They may not be ready to receive the gospel in words, but you can love them with God’s love.

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside, How Not To Judge

The Lord Jesus Christ's command not to judge has often been misinterpreted to mean accepting people in every condition without any thought of what is good or bad, true or false, right or wrong.

We’re afraid of being called "intolerant" or "phobic."

"Not judging" has become, in our society, a completely permissive attitude, afraid to use sober discernment in the matter of right and wrong.

That is not what Jesus is saying here. The apostle Paul gave some further insight,

"Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:1)

Those of you who are spiritual should gently lead the person who is trapped in sin back to the right path. You and I obey the law of Christ when we offer each other a helping hand in this way. How do we do this?

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye" (Matthew 7:3-5)

We not only need God’s wisdom in recognizing sin, we also need God’s compassion in order to truly help someone.

--> You and I can’t help someone else when we’re blind to our own problems and issues, and when we’re busy feeling superior, or dislike the other person.<-- The desire to correct needs to be transformed into the desire to help, encourage and restore.

Let the Holy Spirit bring to your mind some of the people you might be judging in your heart.
1) Put yourself in the place of the other person you are tending to judge

2) Give that person the benefit of the doubt

3) Try and see yourself from that person’s point of view

4) Ask God to remove any bit of dislike and superior attitude by flooding you with His agape love for that person

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Jesus' Sermon On The Mountainside, Judging Others

If I were to ask you what you thought the biggest need in the Christian community were today, what would you say? What do Christians today need more than anything else?

What would you say to wisdom?
* Wouldn’t you like to know how to respond to the people in your life in a way that would actually help them?

* Wouldn’t you like to know when you should speak, and when you should keep quiet?

* Who to listen to and who not to?

* What things you should do and what you shouldn’t in a given situation?

In this last section of the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus gives four commands and four warnings.

The commands come in the first half, the warnings in second half, and all have to do with right conduct in relationship with others, and with God the Father, the first Person of the trinity.

1) Jesus first command was to: Reverence God the Father, Judge of all people, by not judging others,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged." (Matthew 7:1

“Few activities in life rival the thrill of passing judgment on another human being.” That’s one author’s comment. Think about it.
- “Oh, the nerve of that person!”

- “Well, I wasn’t raised like that!”

- “Who died and made him king?!”

In our minds we condemn people who thwart us, get in our way, annoy us, irritate us. The chief reason judging people is so satisfying is that I’m affirmed as being the better person – I know better than they do, I do better than they do. No matter what I’ve done, or how bad I am, I can always find someone else who is worse.

If they seem better than me, then with just a little bit of hunting, I’ll be able to find some flaw in them that I don’t see in myself, which automatically makes me better than they are in my mind.

- “She thinks she’s so perfect, but I wouldn’t go out in public with my bra strap showing, like she does!”

- “Everyone thinks he’s so nice, but I saw him be rude just yesterday morning!”

- “I wouldn’t let my children do what they let their children do.”

That’s why we love to read about famous, beautiful, perfect people toppling, or hear about some spiritual giant falling into sin. They seemed better than me, but now that they’ve fallen, it turns out I’m better than even that person! Without having improved in any way at all, I am all of a sudden better than them, and boy does that feel good.

But there’s a consequence to all this forbidden pleasure,

"For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:2

+ Give love and you’ll receive it,
+ Give mercy and you’ll receive it, you and I reap what we sow.

BUT

If we indulge in judging, we better get ready to be judged and if we want to escape judgement then we better not judge at all.

Instead, you and I need to remind each other all the time of God’s grace.

Wisdom finds its source, the Bible says, in a reverent awe of God. He alone can read hearts and knows the true motives, and He alone has the right to judge, since He really is pure, perfect, all-wise, all-knowing and the Creator of us all.

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