We have quite a few of our numbers that are missing today
due to illness or traveling. But we are grateful for your
presence and I hope and pray that what we have to consider
this morning for a little while would be encouraging and
edifying to you. Now, just a reason for the
lesson. I don't know how long ago it
was, but I preached on Matthew chapter, 23 was the last sermon
our Lord ever preached. And it was really amazing.
This sermon. In fact, it was the Lord
scathing rebuke upon scribes and Pharisees who pretended to be
one thing on the outside. But inside that's not who they
were. In fact, Jesus actually calls
them Hypocrites, Hypocrites for real, they pretended to be
something they never really intended to be.
And so I preached a sermon entitled neglecting the
weightier matters of the law and the weightier matters that Jesus
calls. He calls them, Justice, mercy
and Faith. So the reason for the lesson, a
very, very dear friend of mine asked by way of a request.
Would I preach on the subject of what actually is, Justice,
mercy, and faith. And what are those things look
like in our life? Was it something brand-new that
Jesus came? With in Matthew chapter 23 or
has it always existed, did it go back all the way back to the
very beginning under the law of Moses?
What was Jesus say? Why did he say it in the context
that he gave it? And how does it apply to you?
And I today and I'm going to ask you to do something for me.
Please, you may have in your mind, a basic definition of
justice, a basic definition of mercy, and a basic definition of
faith and I'm going to ask you this.
Please cast that aside. And don't draw any conclusions
or make any definitions until. We look at these words from the
Bible, we're going to actually be reflecting back on the Book
of Micah and we're going to notice in the Hebrew what those
words actually meant. And how does it apply today?
And I think you may have a little bit of a different
perspective on what Justice mercy, and Faith, really is.
Now, the only way that we're going to be able to understand
the context of Justice, mercy and faith is to understand the
context of what Jesus said prior to that.
So I'm not going to get bogged down in the particulars of these
passages. I've already taught on these
passages before I will narrate through them.
So we have an understanding and we lay a foundation, and then we
can move forward together and my hope and prayer is when we leave
here today, we can understand what Justice mercy and faith is
how we Applied in our life and how we can be better in the
future than we've ever been, in days gone by.
That's my hope. That's my prayer.
Let's begin. Matthew 23.
Jesus says, woe to you scribes and Pharisees.
And then he says the words, the word Hypocrites.
I want to just slide this in. I've been here for a lot of
years and you've heard me say this many times, I'm going to
say it again. You already know what's coming.
I think the word hypocrite is the most overused and abused
word. In the English language, that
people use as an indictment on someone who professes to be a
Christian, but makes a mistake. That is not a hypocrite.
We are not perfect. We all make mistakes, we all
sinned. We all fall short of the glory
of God. All of, that's true a person
that's trying to do. What's right?
And makes a mistake as not a hypocrite.
I'm going to slide this into, this was free.
You know what I found in my life, maybe you've seen the same
thing, but often times people use the word Hypocrites, and
they use it against somebody else, to justify their own
inactivity and lack of service to God, for example, I don't go
to church because there's Hypocrites over there.
I don't want to be like the Hypocrites.
I'll just live my life like I do because I don't want to be like
those churchgoers they're Hypocrites.
In other words, it's used as a wuwei or a tool to justify their
own inactivity. All right.
All that being said, Jesus is going to talk about people that
are truly our Hypocrites. They were scribes and they were
Pharisees and this is why. I notice what Jesus says, you
give tithe of mint and anise, and cumin.
Now, what is MIT Anderson cumin? I'll just say it this way.
They were kitchen spices, and, you know what they did, they
actually grew up in the kitchen and clay pots, mint, and anise,
and cumin. Let me talk about tithing for
just a moment, okay, tithing was a requirement given by God in
the Old Testament and the word tide means 10th, by the way.
That's where we get the term. 10% or people talk about 10%
talk about tithing. It's because the word tithe
means tenth. What did God required God
required that the, that the people of the children of Israel
would give a tenth of all that the land produced?
Now. Did god require them to include
the kitchen spices in the tithing of a tenth of?
What the land produced that's irrelevant.
That's not the point. Jesus was not saying they were
wrong in making the tithe extend to the kitchen spices.
It is never wrong to give to God, What he was saying is you
people are great in doing the things that everybody can see,
and Pat you on the back for, you've even taken the tithes
requirement and even to the nth degree and even made it to the
kitchen spices. And you can just imagine he's
saying this by the way, the Lord saying you're great at taking
them. It anise and cumin and going,
OK? 9 for me, one for God, nine for
me, one for God, 94, me one, forgot.
He said you're great at that butt.
In doing that, you've also neglected, the weightier matters
of the law. I got to say some but wait here.
You know, the word weightier was a rabbinical term.
What do I mean by that? God gave specific commands in
the Old Testament. He gave specific requirements in
the Old Testament rabbinic tradition decided, what
requirements were weightier and what we're not so waiting.
Let me give you two examples really quickly.
One of those weightier Matters by rabbinic, tradition was
circumcision. And by the way, that's why when
the church was established, even though Jesus Took the old Lon,
And nailed it to his cross. According to the book of
Colossians when the church was established Jewish people by
Blood who formerly had ancestors that lived under the law of
Moses considering rabbinic tradition that circumcision was
a way to your matter what they do.
They tried to bring about certain aspects of the Old Law
of Moses and bind it on the poor Gentiles that they hated.
Anyway, we call those Judy, izing Christians or people
trying to bring aspects of the Old Law and binding it on.
Gentiles, what actually did they do, this is what they said.
They told the Gentiles you have to be baptized to be saved,
which is true. But then they said, you got to
be circumcised to remain saved and the Apostle Paul had to
correct. All of that, all of that was
wrong, okay? You don't have to be circumcised
to remain safe. Why do they do it?
Because tradition said, rabbinic tradition, it was a weightier
matter. Number two, example, way to your
matter. Rabbinic tradition said that the
Sabbath was a weightier matter. You got to keep the Sabbath.
Incidentally, Jesus nailed the Sabbath to his cross to and were
no longer under the Sabbath law. We don't recognize the seventh
day or Saturday, okay. That's why they hated Jesus.
One of the reasons one, he said, I am the Son of God, but there
was another reason because of the way he handled the Sabbath
day. You know what Jesus said about
the Sabbath, I'll do anything. I want to on the Sabbath.
I'm greater than the With I'm lord of the Sabbath and Jesus
marked the transition between the Sabbath day of the Old
Testament. And the first day of the week of
the New Testament, he marked that transition.
Why did they hate him? Because they said the Sabbath
was a weightier matter. That Jesus didn't call those
things away to your matter. What did Jesus actually say?
Jesus said the weightier matters are these Justice mercy and
faith He said what you're doing is you are good at keeping the
details, which is important. Please get that. but you're
neglecting the weightier matters of Justice, mercy and faith, and
by doing that, you're making your sacrifice, you're making
what you're doing with the details insignificant I have to
make a point before we go any further please, and I'm going to
tell you why we tell you why, because I read all kinds of
Articles. When I Was preparing this
lesson, I was doing this study, I just Googled it.
I Googled, Matthew 23, I wanted to Google stuff about in The
Book of Micah, which we're going to get to in a minute and I
wanted to find out what is the general interpretation that
people have in the world about Matthew 23 about what Jesus
actually saying, and I can't begin to tell you how many
people wrote What matters is Justice, mercy and faith and the
details don't matter. That is not true.
Please get this. Jesus is saying the details and
the weightier matters of Justice.
Mercy and Faith are equally required and equally important.
And, you know, we're going to find out later on our lesson.
If you truly by way of what these words mean, are people of
Justice, mercy, and Faith, guess what you're going to do, you're
going to keep the details. They go together.
Alright.
Both important. What about the scribes and
Pharisees, though? The he called Hypocrites.
They were not people who Justice mercy and Faith.
Now, this was not anything new by the way about Justice, mercy
and Faith. It actually goes back to the
Book of Micah and that what Jesus is doing is Jesus is
quoting Micah. And Micah specifically is
quoting the general requirements in Deuteronomy chapter 10 will
get to them. So this was nothing new.
This goes all the way back in the Book of Micah chapter 6 and
verse 8. This is what Micah the Minor
Prophets said. He has shown you o man, what is
good and what does the Lord require of you?
But to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.
Now what we're going to show them later on.
Is when Jesus said Faith, it's the same thing as Mike is saying
walking humbly with your God. It's the same thing.
That's why I asked you to please.
Just if you have an idea of a definition of these things, just
put it aside for just a moment. We're going to get to those
specifics. Okay.
What Jesus was saying, is this what he was saying is by
neglecting the weightier matters of Justice, mercy and Faith.
He's going to describe them in three ways and I'm going to be
brief. This is what he said by doing
that your mission. Point.
This is what you're doing. You're like blind guides who
strain out a gnat and swallow a camel, okay.
Quickly wine at and why camel? Why did our brilliant Lord?
Why did the master use Nat and camel?
You know why? Because the neck in the Old
Testament was the smallest of all unclean things.
A camo in the Old Testament was the largest of unclean.
Thanks, man was not allowed to ever ingest, or eat something
that was unclean and for something not to be.
The unclean it had to chew its cud, and it had to have a cloven
hoof. Somebody said what time we'll
wait, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, camel.
They choose our cut. You've seen a camel chewing.
Its cud right true, but they don't have a cloven hoof.
They were unclean. Jesus is telling them
masterfully. Something they would totally
understand. He said by keeping the details,
which is good, but neglecting the weightier matters of
Justice, mercy and Faith. What's your like is?
You're like A blind guide who straining out the smallest of
unclean things but you're swallowing the greatest, you're
swallowing the camel. All right.
I got to talk about straining out in that.
You've heard me say this before, but I gotta say it again.
I think it's a little funny. They were so concerned about not
eating the net, these Pharisees, they would take a strainer cloth
and put it over a cup. They would take the beverage in
a pitcher, and they would pour the beverage through the
strainer cloth. So, in that couldn't
accidentally get the cut before they drank it.
One scholar said that, I read, he said some of these fastidious
Pharisees would drink, then the beverage through clenched teeth
like this. So they wouldn't accidentally
get one of them little guys in their mouth and swallow it and
be guilty of swallowing something that was unclean even
the smallest of unclean things and they just flick it out of
the teeth Jesus Says, by neglecting Justice.
Mercy and Faith. You know what you are?
You're like a blind guide. Your straightening out the net
but you're swallowing the camel. You don't get it now.
Interesting about this, the second thing he describes them.
He said you're straight out of that swallow, Campbell by doing
here, but this also, what he says, woe to you.
Scribes Pharisees. And oh, oh, oh here's the word.
Again, Hypocrites for you cleanse.
The outside of the cup and dish but inside they are full of
extortion and self-indulgent. This is not a new passage, this
is not a New Concept you know exactly what I'm going to say.
But I say quickly notice please. What you're doing is and I hope
you get the point, he's using these things metaphorically to
describe them self. He said, you're washing the
outside of the cup you're taking that cup and you're polishing
the outside to a mirror shine, but inside it's dirty.
In other words, you are not on the inside what you appear on
the outside. That's one thing.
But then Jesus says cup and Dish.
Let us not go fast by this word dish.
This word dish is not just any ordinary dish and it's not just
something that's connected to the cup.
Historically they have dinner parties back in those days, by
the way. And this dish that the Lord was
talking about here was a very special dish because people knew
at all the guests of a dinner party.
They knew that if the servant brought out this special dish
and they could tell by the outside of the dish, what was
coming, guess what they thought they were going to get the
Delicacies, were now going to be served.
And in other words, when they saw the dish on the outside,
they believe something specials coming on the inside.
That's what Jesus says you are. You're like a cup that you
polish on the outside but that's not you on the inside.
You're like the dish that people think, oh, by your outward
appearance by the outward, way that you're acting, that's
really you and some specials coming.
But that's not the case. That is not you.
What did Jesus say for them to do?
This is what Jesus said you should have done.
First cleanse, the inside of the cup.
And the outside may be clean. Also, you take a cup.
You submerge it. In the sink and soapy water, you
clean the inside Arch, are you're already automatically.
Get me outside too. Are you kind of getting the
point? Clean the inside first?
Fix your inside, be authentic, make sure that's really you.
Oh, but there's more, there's one more example and then we're
gonna move on one more example quickly.
In verse 27. He said, this is you, by the
way, when you neglect the weightier matters of the law of
Justice, mercy and Faith woe to you scribes Pharisees.
There's that word again. Hypocrites for you are like
whitewashed tombs. Little background in Jerusalem
after the spring rains and right before the Passover time.
You know what they would do, they would take lime powder and
they would mix it with water and they would go to all these
Graves and they would paint the two moves.
White one historian said that around Passover time when the
Sun was shining, people always people coming into Jerusalem for
the Passover. They would come in and they
would see these beautiful Graves died.
The countryside Jesus said That's you on the outside, you
appear to be beautiful but that's not used to tell you what
you are. You're like Dead Man's Bones.
It's all you are in the inside. Why did they do that, though?
What was the reason for whitewashing the to knows?
They did it for a very practical reason in the Old Testament.
God said that if somebody would touch a grave or touch the bones
of a dead person, they would be ceremonially unclean.
I think it was for seven days if I'm not mistaken.
A person coming in to Jerusalem at Passover time would never
want to be ceremonially unclean and not be able to participate.
So what they did is they painted the graves Sometimes they would
pay the whole grave sometime, they would paint the mouth of
it. Sometimes the front of the cave
and sometimes they would just paint Bones on it.
A picture of Bones and other words don't touch it.
You know what Jesus says that is you you beautiful on the outside
but inside you are dead men's bones, that's all you are.
A scathing rebuke very serious matter.
Jesus said this in verse 28, even so you outwardly appear
righteous to men, but inside you're full of hypocrisy and
lawlessness. Okay, so in summary, he said, by
neglecting the weightier matters and I'm finished with the
background by neglected, the weightier matters, you've done
three things, you're the like the blind guides is straight out
of that swell, the camel. You like the guy that polishes
the outside the company inside filthy and you are like
whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside.
But inside, you are rotten like Dead Man's Bones.
All right, what do we learn? What do we learn from this?
We learned for things. God, always looks at the heart.
Always. Looks at the heart.
If we fix the inside, we fix the outside.
Number three. Don't appear beautiful on the
outside, but inwardly be rotten like Dead Man's Bones.
Don't do that. Number four.
Let's keep the commands of God. But don't neglect, the weightier
matters of Justice, mercy and faith.
And I'm going to say it again. The details and the weightier
matters are both required and both equally important got to do
it all. All right. so, what is justice?
What is Mercy? And what's Faith?
Again, we go back to the prophet Micah.
And Jesus was not saying anything new, by the way, all
the way back to the prophet Micah.
Here's the passage again, where he spent time on this again
after this too. He has shown you o man, what is
good and what does the Lord? Require.
This is not a suggestion. This is a requirement.
It has always been a requirement, you know, sometimes
what we think in our mind, we think under the Old Law or in
the Old Testament, God just gave him a list.
As long as they did the list, they fulfilled the requirement.
But only in the New Testament do other things matter.
Not so and the reason we think that sometimes is because Jesus
said you have heard that it has been said, You shall not commit
murder. But I say unto you, whoever
hates his brother or is angry, with his brother Without a Cause
All of those things, you've committed murder already in your
heart. Jesus said you have heard that
it has been said You shall not commit adultery but I say unto
you Amanda looks at a woman to lust after her has committed
adultery already in his heart. Sometimes we think the inward
side or the inward stuff was only taught in the O in the New
Testament and not the old and that's not true all the way back
in the Book of Micah. He's saying this this is what
the lord requires. Do justly, love, mercy, and walk
humbly with your God. The prophet Micah makes it
almost Well, it's not a Verbatim quote, but what it is, it is
specifics about what is taught in Deuteronomy in general.
He gets very specific about what Deuteronomy teaches in general.
Have they been honestly respected?
It would have prevented the leaders from being cruel to
others Committee cruelties Against the poor.
And if they would have kept those weightier Matters by the
way, then their sacrifices would have been acceptable to God.
Which is so important me, ask you something.
Do you want your sacrifice to God?
To be counted. Or to be meaningless.
I'm about you, but I want all the extra credit I can get.
So I want my obedient service to God, to be counted.
I don't want my obedient service to God, to be counted
meaningless because I'm not the person I'm supposed to be, I
don't want that again. It always existed.
It was always required and this is very important to in
understanding this passage because in study of all of this
and in looking at what people think about what this means, so
many people wrote little articles that said, all that
matters is how you treat other people.
If you're a good person, Person and you treat others good.
That's all that God requires, that's not true.
He requires so much more. So we need to understand the
context and it's always existed. Some say there's nothing else
needed and that's not true, but it always existed.
The concept of Justice, mercy and faith in general was given
in Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 12.
Again, here's the generality. My kid got specific.
I'll read the passage and now, Israel, what does the Lord your
God require of you? But to Fear the lord, your God
and walk in all his ways and to love him to serve your lord,
your God, with all your heart, with all your soul.
Let's talk about God's justice and God's mercy for just a
moment. Remember that song?
Justice and mercy met on Calvary?
One of the lines of that song say the righteousness of God,
demanded judgment. But the goodness of his heart,
revealed his love. So what we understand that to
mean is this God's justice should have been that?
We are lost A punishment has to be given because we should be
lost. Because we sin because we have
sinned. It should have been that.
All mankind is lost eternally because of sin.
But like the song says mercy and judgment met on Calvary.
Instead of God, giving us Justice.
He extended Mercy. And He sent Jesus to die for the
sins of the world. I'm so thankful for that, aren't
you? More on that though.
Let's go. Let's go further.
How about more words to that song?
This is this But all my sins had blocked.
My soul from heaven. So Jesus had to come down from
above. There was no way to keep my soul
from dying. Death was the only sentence
there could be but Jesus saw my guilt and heard my crying.
And became the perfect sacrifice for me.
Justice and mercy met on Calvary, where the pure and
perfect savior took my place, pardon and forgiveness covered,
all of my unrighteousness and every drop of blood was full of
grace. Do you realize that when it
comes to your salvation to things?
Apply Mercy. And Grace.
What's the difference? They both apply Mercy is God not
giving us what we deserve that's to be lost.
Grace is giving us what we don't deserve that salvation.
Grace is unmerited, favor, meaning we don't deserve it.
Grace of Salvation is a gift. But that gift isn't free.
You say it again, the gift is not free.
There had to be a price and there is and there was we
understand the ultimate price the ultimate price is Jesus
dying on the cross. Absolutely.
That was God, extending Mercy, Jesus bought our service
salvation. He purchased our Salvation, he
paved, the way he gave us hope because he died on the cross.
That is the ultimate ultimate price that was paid.
But that's not the only price that has to get paid.
Guess what? Every one of you and me too we
got a price to pay to if we want the gift that comes from God by
grace, that is not free. You got to pay your price too.
you know, that prices Obedience. Yeah, God requires something
from you. And as for the rest of your
life. and if you want the gift of Salvation, which is by Grace,
which we don't deserve, We have to obey.
You know, the Bible says, there's none righteous.
No, not one. But because of our obedient
faith in our obedient actions, in our works of obedience in
honor to God. God looks as at us as though, we
were righteous. And then we get the gift.
And that's everlasting life. Salvation is a gift but it is
not free. So Okay preacher.
You said all that, what I want to know is this what's Justice
mercy and Faith to us? That's what I want to know.
What is it to us today? What does that look like in our
life? Well, first of all, the word
justice means, Well, we go to become like again, he has shown
you o man. What is good?
And what does the Lord require? But to do justly.
Same thing as Justice. And by the way, do you see how
Micah phrased it do? Justly, it's an action frames.
It means you got to do something.
You have to do something to be people of Justice.
It's not just an opinion, it's not just being fair in your
mind. It is something you have to do
being just is to do. Justly, what does that mean?
The word Justice Means get this. In means to uphold what is
Right? According to the will of God.
That's what Justice is. Now, sometimes this is what we
do. Sometimes we try to uphold what
we think is right. But that's not what Justice
Means. To be people of Justice Means to
uphold what is Right? According to the will of God.
In other words, it doesn't matter when I think God requires
a sacrifice of life. So, by the way, being people of
Justice requires sacrifice of life, more upholding, what is
Right? Often requires the sacrifice of
personal aims and ambitions, So for me to be a person of
Justice, I have to uphold what is Right?
According to the will of God, and that might mean, I've got a
sacrifice personal aims and ambitions, Hard to do.
What that means, though. Oh, you mean Justice doesn't?
Just mean being kind of fair know.
It is about being fair. It does apply to our
relationships but more on that later.
But in definition being, just means to uphold what is Right?
According to the will of God, no matter what and put yourself
aside. What else?
The next one? And sometimes people do this,
sometimes people separate Justice from Mercy.
I'm going to give you an example in just a moment.
God never separates Justice from Mercy.
Please get that. What is Mercy?
Justice is upholding? What is Right?
According to the will of God. Mercy.
Is that Justice? Which God wants is based on
kindness and mercy? They go together.
Do you know when our society listen to this?
Please our society thinks that for something to be Justice or
for justice to be served. If somebody commits a crime or
something like that is for the full weight of the law to be
extended upon them and they received the full maximum
punishment. Let me give you an example.
There was a young man who took a gun.
And he went into a liquor store to rob the liquor store.
He didn't mean to kill anybody, he didn't intend to kill
anybody. He took a gun.
He was a dumb kid, he made a terrible mistake.
He goes into the liquor store with the gun to scare the man,
so the man would give him the money.
He would just leave and not even you never have to use the gun.
You know what happened? While he was in there.
He accidentally shot and killed a lady.
Who was just in the store. He was just she was just in the
store. The husband wanted Justice.
You can understand that. You can understand why the
husband wanted Justice. The husband wanted the full
weight of the law extended. Against this person.
The court systems were merciful to the young man.
He paid his price. He went to prison.
But he had a lesser sentence. And the husband of the victim
was so Furious that he took the gun and tried to kill the young
man. Because he said Justice was not
served. That's not true just because
Mercy is extended doesn't mean Justice was not served.
Justice, and mercy were always combined by God.
They were always connected together.
Always. Sometimes, we need to remember
that. And I think it would help us.
Tremendously and how we treat each other?
Remember they go together? Justice and mercy.
Go together. Hang on.
One second. Okay, what about Mercy, though?
The Hebrew word and Micah points to conduct.
There's that word again which is becoming those who are Covenant
Brothers. Loving Mercy is an active
quality. It is translating Mercy in the
deeps. That's how they go together.
Justice and mercy. All right.
What about faith? Faith or walking humbly before
your lord means this measured and careful conduct.
Are you kind of getting the point here?
It has everything to do with how you are, and what you are, and
who you are, and how you behave and what you do.
You can't separate what you do from what you are.
And what we are in the inside, should be the manifestation on
the outside. It should come out that way of
what we are in the inside and that's who people want to see in
our life. Justice Means of holding, what's
right? According to the will of God,
all connected to kindness and mercy and faith, meaning
measured and careful conduct. It's a matter of deferring to
the weigh-in will of God as revealed in his word.
You know, something about that. Micah his point was if they
would have kept these three qualities.
Then they would not have had a problem, but in not keeping
Justice, mercy and Faith. It made their sacrifices
meaningless and I want to illustrate it like this.
Good deeds for the wrong motive. Or the wrong attitude.
Are meaningless. if I do something for Jack, And I give
Jack a hundred bucks. But I don't give Jack a hundred
bucks because he needs it. I don't give Jack a hundred
bucks because I love him. I don't give Jack a hundred
bucks to help him on the side. I give Jack a hundred bucks
because I want everybody to know what I did for Jack.
Pat me on the back you know Jesus said you have your reward
for all those Pharisees that would pray with outstretched
hands in the synagogue to be seen of men he said you've got
your reward whatever praise you get from man but don't think
you're getting anything from God.
If I do that project for all the wrong motive and all the wrong
reasons, why? Got a rotten attitude as I'm
handing it to him. You injection want to do give
the money back. Because deeds done with a rotten
attitude or the wrong motive. Are meaningless.
And so is your sacrifice to God. It's meaningless.
It's so important that everything is part of it in our
life, all right? Let's go.
Back to Matthew 23, where all this began?
Woe to you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites.
What were they doing wrong? They pay tithe of mint and anise
and cumin, but they have neglected, the weightier matters
of Justice, mercy and faith. And I'm gonna say it again.
The details and the weightier matters.
They are both equal and they are both required.
And I'm glad I didn't say that. Jesus.
Did you ready for Jesus? I'm ready, quote, Jesus.
Here we go. These you ought to have done
without leaving the others undone.
You got to do it all. What's the Lord actually sang in
this. Here, it is in summary.
The Lord is saying Justice, mercy.
And Faith was keeping the details with the right motive.
It's about being authentic and not just going through the
motions to be seen by others or because you get the credit.
It's about not only being a Christian on the outside, but
being Christian on the inside. Number four, get this.
This will be our last closing point it includes, but is not
limited to doing good, and right to our fellow, man, it's the
concept of second Mi religion. It's the concept of Second Mile
religion. In Luke chapter, 10 beginning in
verse 25, listen to this. These were the words that were
spoken. And written in Luke 10 before
Jesus gives an amazing story, he said and behold a certain lawyer
stood up and testing him saying teacher, what shall I do to
inherit eternal life. He said to him what is written
in the law and what is your reading of it?
So he answered and said, You shall love the Lord, your God
with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength, and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself,
and he said to him, you've answered rightly do this.
And you will live, but notice beliefs, but he wanting to
justify himself said to Jesus. And who is my neighbor?
Are you getting the point? This man?
Wanted eternal life. Jesus said, you got to love your
As yourself, he quoted the law. Jesus says, what do you mean by
that? How do you read it?
When it came to the point of loving your neighbor as
yourself. Do you know what this man
actually says? He says, okay, well, who is my
neighbor I don't know what to do that.
So give me the bare minimum. If you could tell me who he is,
I want to do it because I want eternal life, but just give me
that guy. Tell me who he is.
Folks, listen to me, please don't let this ever become you.
Is your service to God the bare minimum or are you giving it
everything you've got? Are you a bare minimum?
Requirement person? Well, the only a have to do
Sunday morning. Okay, just give me the bare
minimum. I want to go to heaven.
I want eternal life. Just give me that bear, man.
Or does your obedience extend to giving it everything?
You've got to the Lord? We've already noticed.
What happens when you don't give everything to the Lord, you get
a scathing rebuke from the Lord. We don't want that.
Jesus said in response to this this was an absolutely amazing
story. I'm going to be so brief.
Jesus says it was a man that came from Jerusalem one day and
he went down to Jericho. And on that Jericho Road, it was
a road that lasted about 15 miles that descended.
I'm told about 3,000 feet. It was rough and Rocky terrain.
It was Rife with robbers and Highwaymen.
And the Bible says, Jesus said, there was a man on that road and
he fell among Thieves. And they beat him and they left
him for dead. And Jesus says, and oh, by the
way, a priest comes by And the Bible says, when the priest saw
him listen to the language when he saw him.
He passed by on the other side. Don't you think that just maybe
that man was laying there for dead looks up and sees a
priestesses? Oh he'll stop.
You know why? He's a worshiper of God.
Somebody might say that about you, oh, he'll help me.
He's a Christian. He's a worshiper of God.
But he passes by on the other side.
Then Jesus says the levite comes.
And by the way, this is worse. Maybe he's taking all of Levi, a
worker in the temple, he'll stop.
The Bible says that the levite walks over and looks at him.
And then he passed by on the other side.
But then Jesus says, here comes a Samaritan, the combination of
a Jew, and a gentile, and the Jews hated Samaritans.
Samaritan comes and he has compassion on him.
He gets off Eva's animal. He takes all oil.
And he pours oil in his wounds from additional and soothing
purposes. He takes bandages, and he binds
them up and whines them up. He puts him on his animal, he
takes him into the end, he stays all night with him.
And the next day, you know, he does, he goes to the Innkeeper
and he reaches in his pouch. I mean, that Pockets back down.
So obviously pouch, he reaches in his pouch here we took out To
Denari. I that is to day's wages.
I want you to ask yourself. How much do you make in two
days? And you get the gist of what I'm
about to say. He reaches in his pouch takes
two days wages out and gives it to The Innkeeper.
And he said, take care of this man.
That he didn't even know. And then he said, and if it's
not enough, when I come back, I'll pay the rest.
Brilliant. Jesus, thank you.
And then he said this. So which of these three do you
think was neighbor to him who fell among Thieves?
He said, he who showed Mercy on him, then Jesus said to him go
and do likewise You know, something folks, we have a debt
of love. That we need to pay.
We have a debt of love that we owe that is never paid off and
that's because of what the Lord has done for us.
Because of What the Lord Has Done, you're the song at the
cross. The word say, but drops of grief
could never repay. The debt of love.
I owe. Here.
Lord, I Give Myself Away. It's all that I can do.
We have a debt of love for everyone.
And you never pay it off. I'm going to give you a passage
and then we're going to go to our invitation.
Getting give you a passage. Romans chapter 13 and what we do
is we stop right here. We quote this passage.
Oh no man! Anything and then we stopped
right there. And the reason we stop right
there. We stop right there because We
say what that passage is talking about and it's right right
there. Oh no man.
Anything meaning if I oh Jack you jack again, if I oh Jack, I
need to pee Jack. And I need to make payments or
do whatever I got to do to pay a debt that I owe to Jack.
So owing no, man. Anything means pay your
obligations and you pay them off until when until they're paid
off, if the person forgives the debt you no longer.
Oh, it's paid off. Okay.
So you pay your debts until they're paid off but there's
more Oh, no, man. Anything.
In other words, don't be indebted by not taking care of
your responsibilities. Except To love one another.
That's the dead of love that we must pay on for the rest of our
life and it will never be paid off.
Why? Because the person deserves it?
No, because of Jesus. Because of what the Lord has
done because of what God extended Mercy on the cross and
said, Jesus died for your sins because of that, we have a debt
of love that we will never pay off. then he says, For he who
loves another has fulfilled, the law.
This does not mean, all you have to do is love your fellow man
and you fulfilled all the laws of God.
That's not what that means. It's very specific here in this
context. Oh no man, anything except to
love one. Another love is the context.
For he who loves one another which is the context has
fulfilled. The law was the law, the law of
love. You have fulfilled the law of
love. Wow.
So Justice mercy and Grace. Is keeping the details with the
proper mode of an attitude. It's serving God, with every
fiber of your being with everything you got, it's being
authentic, not only on the outside, but the inside is that
too and it's being the right, kind of person to your fellow,
man. It's all included, all of that
is included. In the weightier matters.
In closing. Remember when I said mercy and
Grace go together but they're different.
God's Mercy is that he doesn't give us what we deserve it has
to be lost. Grace is giving us, what?
We don't deserve that salvation and that's a gift, but it's not
free. But what I said, Our price that
we pay the Lord already paid his price, but the price that we
have to pay is obedience. The first thing you have to obey
You've got to obey the gospel. I want you to listen very
closely right now. If you want to go to heaven, I'm
going to tell you exactly what you have to do.
If you don't do this folks, you can't go to heaven.
You have to obey the gospel first then instead obedient life
for the rest of your life, but it begins with the gospel.
How do you do that? So simple, you got to hear the
word of God, Romans, 10:17. So, faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the word of God, you've done that today, you've
heard the word of God, and when you hear the word of God, you
got a choice to make. Everybody has a choice.
The Bible says in Hebrews 11 and 6, you gotta believe with all
your heart. Let me ask you something.
Do you believe, surely you do? Surely you do you gotta believe?
Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe?
Jesus is son of God. Surely you did.
Without faith. It's impossible to please him
for. He who comes to God, must
believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek him. What else?
You got to make a change in your life.
You got to repent of your sins acts 17:30.
Truly these times of ignorance, God overlooked but now commands
all men everywhere to repent Then you must say these precious
words. You have to confess that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God acts 8:37.
Then Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may.
And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God. All of these four steps are
prerequisites to the point of salvation, but you're not saved
yet. If you're going to obey the
gospel, here it is. You got to be baptized for the
remission of your sins. Mark 16:16.
He who believes and is baptized, will be saved.
But he, who does not believe will be condemned.
Do you believe in Jesus Today? Show you do.
If that's the case step out in obedience, repent of your sins
confess, his name as the Son of God.
Be baptized in water today for the remission of your sins obey,
the gospel and start your path, pay the price, start your path,
as a Christian. Maybe you've taken those steps,
maybe you fall on, what a great time to come back right now.
Today, repent of those things confess, those things will pray
with you and for you and God will forgive and restore be
wanted me to class come forward. While we stand most We thank you
for listening to our podcast, put on by the Church of Christ
at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
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