As we begin our study this morning.
And as we look at this verse in Matthew, chapter 23, and verse
23. Jesus begins by saying woe to
you scribes and Pharisees and then he calls them Hypocrites.
And the first reason that he calls them Hypocrites from the
things that will discuss this morning.
He said, you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin.
What does all that mean? Well, first of all the word MIT
there, if you look in the original Greek word, it actually
is translated as Sweet smelling. In other words, you're talking
about something that is in the kitchen.
For example, you're talking about a sweet-smelling mint
leaf, okay? Number two, what about anise?
You know, that word actually means Dill, you know, like a
dill pickle, something that you would have for flavor watch what
they were doing. Oh, they were so meticulous.
They were very meticulous in tithing and they would actually
tithe of mint leaves. They would tithe of Flavored ill
and they would also tie the 10% of what he's called cumin and
cumin actually is a very small herb.
Now, little background about Old Testament law, and I'll be brief
about this under the Old Testament law.
God instructed, his people, obviously, to give one tenth of
all of their crops and we understand that the governmental
structure at the time, was that of a theocracy now?
What's that? What is The Theocratic
government. A theocracy is a form of
government that is Ron or governed by priests that do.
So, in the name of, or for God and the Commonwealth of Israel
was actually a theocracy from Moses all the way until saw was
elected to be king. So at the time of this writing,
we are talking about something that is is referring back to the
days of typing. Something else, too.
I know that the religious world the denominational world today,
still has they use the phrase? Tithing in fact, they call it
tithing and offerings but the word tithing actually means a
tip. That's what the definition of
the word actually is and nowhere in the New Testament.
Are we required to give a tenth of all that we have or a tenth
of our income? What were required to do and
we're going to do that in just a little while.
We give a free will offering That which we have purposed in
our heart as we have been prospered.
So let us give, so it's not a percentage, it's the heart
that's being judged in the New Testament.
Now, going back to the Old Law because Jesus was still living
under the Old Law and we talked about the idea of tithing.
And what did God actually say in Leviticus 27:30?
This is actually, what was really required.
And all the time of the land, whether of the seed of the land
or of the fruit of the tree, it is the Lord's and the end of
that passage actually says it is, Holy to the Lord.
What else? How about Deuteronomy chapter 14
and verse 22. You shall truly tithe.
Get this of all the increase of your grain that the field
produces year by year. Did God say anything about
kitchen spices? Did God say anything at all
about things that we're are used to season food?
Why? No, he didn't say that at all.
Are you kind of getting the picture of what Jesus is talking
about? I read one scholar.
You know what he called them? These Pharisees and scribes,
then Jesus was talking to he called them wooden literal
assists. I don't know what that means,
but he called them wouldn't literally lifts.
And what they would do is they took the command to give a tenth
or tithe, they would take it to a ridiculous extreme and they
would even have kids Chicken pox, and they would grow what
they grow. Some mint leaves in there.
You know, they would do. Oh, wait a minute, I've got a
tie 129 for me, one for God. Oh what about this deal over
here? It'd be the same thing as a
pickle over here. You got Dill, you got a flavor
there 9 for me, one for God. What about this over here?
What about this? Tiny little herb, and by the way
it was a tiny little herb used for seasoning.
Let me get that out and what they would do meticulously and
by the way. So everybody could see, they
would take urmi and one forgot. That's what they would do.
They took it to the Absurd. Jesus was talking about.
Something different. John MacArthur actually said
this way. And his commentary.
He said these men magnify the insignificant and they minimize
the essential. There are things that are
ridiculous. There are things that are really
insignificant, but we'll talk about that in just a minute.
The idea of this though, even though an outwardly Jesus was
saying to them outwardly it appears that their Pious, it
appears that they're doing a great thing, right?
But what the Lord is going to say, is no, wait a minute,
you're rotten on the inside. You didn't fix the inside.
That is the entire theme of what he's talking about.
The difference between Tween how somebody is on the outside and
what they really are on the inside and all the examples were
going to use in this sermon deal with that very thing, the
outside and the inside. And what we're going to find is,
it doesn't matter. What we are in the outside, if
we're rotting on the inside, it's not enough.
It's not good enough, you know what you're called?
If that is the case, he calls them Hypocrites.
All right? They did the things that they
would get credit for, you don't know.
Kid growing up your, my dad, you say.
I remember I would go do something and I got to tell you,
you know, sometimes when you're a kid, you want the immediate
gratification or satisfaction of someone, giving you praise when
you do something. And I remember my father used to
tell me this all the time, he used to say, you know, the
greatest things that we ever do and if you want to ever judge
what you do, And the significance of it.
He said the greatest things that we do in our life, we do when we
don't get any credit. In other words, what would you
do if no one was watching. That's kind of what I think
about these Pharisees. What would they do when no one
was watching, when they wouldn't get any credit, when they would
get the credit? Just with the did not answer me
one for God. see, even the kitchen spices, we pay tithes on
But then he says this, there's something else watch this.
You have neglected, the weightier matters of the law and
then he says, what the weightier matters are, he said, Justice,
mercy, and faith. You cannot exist as a faithful
child of God, without Justice, mercy and faith.
Now, that's what he says. He says, you are neglecting the
weightier matters of the law. Interesting about the word
weightier. That word weightier is a
rabbinical word. What do I mean by that?
It's a fancy way of saying things that are governed by
rabbinic tradition. Okay.
In other words there was what God required and then the
rabbi's which were Jewish Scholars rabbinic tradition
based upon their own, codification of the Jews, they
would have other things that they would add kind of like,
carrying your bed on the Sabbath.
Right. Well, you know what, a
rabbinical word was the word weightier.
And what they would say is and God didn't, what they would say
is under the Old Law of Moses, there are things.
For example, that are really not that big a deal.
But then there are some other commands by God, that they
called weightier. You know what?
One of them was circumcision, you know what, another one was
keeping the Sabbath, and that's why they hated Jesus.
He said, I'm their son of God. They couldn't stand it and the
way he dealt with the Sabbath and Jesus said I am greater than
the Sabbath. I'm lord of the Sabbath and they
hated him for it. You know why?
Because based upon rabbinic tradition of rabbinical word.
They called that a weightier thing.
You know what Jesus says, let me tell you what, the way in your
thing is it ain't seventh. It's this Justice Mercy.
And faith. You've neglected, those things,
you know, Jesus didn't just pick these out of the air.
And this is nothing new. You probably know the scripture.
It's in the Book of Micah. And this is what the Book of
Micah says, that Jesus didn't just grab these three things out
of the air. In Micah chapter 6 and verse 8
he has shown you o man, what is good and what does the Lord
require of you notice? But to do justly to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God do you see that?
He said you've neglected the weightier matters of the law
like justice. What did Michael say?
Micah said, do justly, they were not like that they were not just
people. They were unjust people.
They were Unholy people. They did.
Things to people. How about this?
What about Mercy? Well, Micah says, you got to
love Mercy. They were unmerciful.
I gotta say just as a little aside here.
We need to be really careful sometimes when we don't have
mercy for someone else. Because I'm haunted by the words
of Matthew chapter 7, misunderstood by the religious
World religious world says, don't judge.
It's not what he said, what he said is the manner in which you
judge it shall be judged and you again. so, if I don't have any
Mercy in my heart, if I have no forgiveness in my heart, the
scary thing is and I need forgiveness.
And so do you the scary thing is I'm not going to have
forgiveness from God. If I don't forgive others and
have mercy in my heart, I'm going to tell you don't fall
into the category. Please of being a Pharisee and
thinking it could never happen to you, don't do that.
What about this walking? Humbly with your God.
You know, that is. That's Faith.
You see that? Where they people of Faith?
Nope. Sure weren't.
They were, they followed the works of the law.
They judged everything by their own Merit and works of the law.
Jesus says you've neglected the weightier matters of the law now
then verse 20 the end of this verse verse 23 because I got to
say you know what people do they miss quote this verse and you
know what they say See Jesus even said you don't have to obey
any kind of commands. Just have this just have
Justice, mercy and Faith. That's not what he said.
What he said is this the very next line?
I didn't make this up. It's what the Lord said these
you ought to have done. Done without leaving the others
undone. In other words, you still have
to obey the law but she got to add these weightier matters and
don't do without them. You have to do it all.
Now the Lord was not saying what you got to do is you should have
counted out the seeds and the seasoning and all of that.
That's not what he meant, what he meant is, you should have
kept the laws about the tithe that was a command of God and he
had to keep that. But along the way, while doing
it, you should have not neglected, the weightier matters
of the law. You should have done it all.
That's what he said. Sometimes people quote that
verse is a you know what, we don't obey anything.
All we gotta do is have faith. Love Mercy, Justice.
It's not what you said. Keep the weightier matters and
also give attention to. The proper matters of tithing is
what he was saying and then in verse 23 and verse 24, He says,
blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
That's from the new King James. And, by the way, that's exactly
how it renders it in the original.
And I have to tell you that in my life, I've kind of
misunderstood that, and from the King James, it actually says it
a little bit differently in the King James.
It says, you strain at a gnat Now, if you strain at something
to me in my mind, maybe not you but to me it sounds as though
you were straining or re you are pushing back away from.
I don't know you're straining against it, but that's not what
Jesus was saying. He is continuing on the thought,
you have neglected, the weightier matters of the law and
what did you do by counting all the spices but neglecting the
way to your things of the law? What you've done is you have
strained out a gnat and swallowed it a camel.
All right, it goes further. What's the word strain me?
What does it mean? The word strain comes from the
Greek word, that means to filter and incidentally in the Old
Testament, the smallest unclean creature was in that.
Let's talk about unclean creatures.
So we get kind of some perspective here in Leviticus 11
and 42 whatever crawls on its belly.
Whatever goes on all fours. Whatever has many feet among all
creeping things that creep on the earth.
These you shall not eat for they are.
Are an abomination. You know what?
The smallest one was Annette. You know what they would do?
I'll tell you in just a minute. Let's talk about the biggest
one. Talk about the biggest one,
Leviticus 11 for, and I'm gonna tell you what they would do
about the net in Leviticus 11 and verse 4.
Nevertheless, these you should not eat among those that chew
the cud or those that have cloven Hooves the camel because
it chews the cud and does not have cloven, hoofs is unclean
unto you. So the two things, the smallest
in the biggest that were unclean to a Jew was an that and the
biggest was a camel. The Lord said, by neglecting the
weightier matters of the law, you know what you're doing?
You are straining out the gnat and you're swallowing a camel.
Now. Little background on that little
background. I read this these, The Strain
their beverages. And incidentally, when they
would make wine when they would do that, they stomp on the
grapes, do all that. And they would take the fruit of
the vine. They would take the juice, the
beverage, the liquid, and obviously, they don't didn't
have things that we have in our society about cleanliness and
being able to keep things sterile, and all that.
So, you know what happens sometimes?
Sometimes bugs flew into the juice, okay.
The smallest of which was an that and then you wait, and we
can't mean that's in there. So, what they would do, they
would take a straining cloth and they would place it over top of
that. And then we pour into, or
through the straining cloth in the juice.
So they can make sure they didn't swallow one of those tiny
little unclean, guys. Okay, so whatever do before they
drank it. John MacArthur said this though.
I thought this was rather interesting.
So you have all these guys, straining Beverages and then
John MacArthur said this, he said, but some fastidious
Pharisees, drink their wine through clenched teeth in order
to filter out any impurities and then pick the net out of their
teeth. So, in other words, going, the
extra mile at strain to the straining cloth and then drink,
the drink cookers and drink and let the liquid go through, keep
your teeth together. So your double straining, don't
let the net down then pick the net of the teeth.
Come on. Going through all of that.
But having their priorities inverted, Anahuac confused.
In other words, Jesus is saying you're afraid to eat the tenth
mint leaf. But you're allowing hypocrisy
dishonesty cruelty, and greed, in your life.
But that's not all. This is incredible, but that's
not all verse 25. He says, once again woe to you
scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites.
Why? Because you cleanse the outside
of the cup and dish? But inside they are full of
extortion. And self-indulgence the word
dish in the original comes to my interesting Greek word, and it
has to do with a plate that was used to serve Delicacies.
Now, you clean the outside of the dish is what he's saying?
Oh, you polish the outside of that thing?
Man you got the outside of that cup.
Just shining like crazy. But what you have put inside you
got by hell extortion. In other words, here's the
example. Somebody comes to a banquet and
you serve them. Oh, you got a beautiful shiny
cup. But inside is filled with things
that they're going to eat, or drink or whatever that you
stole. That you extorted from somebody
else dishonesty. That's the example here about
what he's saying. In other words, your ministry
looks pipe, so it looks Pious. The whole thing is based on
taking advantage of other people making merchandise of others,
Now, Jesus is teaching here that while these religious leaders
are concerned, we ceremonies they make them in appear to be
pure. They are impure in the heart.
And I'll tell you something, folks.
Our life on the outside. Has to reflect our being on the
inside. They didn't do that.
They appeared to be one way on the outside.
But Jesus did. What we can't do, he called them
down on it. Now, you're rotten inside,
that's what you are. And he told them that in this
final sermon, incidentally, sometimes people say, oh, don't
ever preach anything - I'm going to tell you something.
When we preach things that are negative and we preach against
are, please hear me, please hear me.
We have to do so and season our words with salt and do so, in a
productive manner, we don't ever want to use the pulpit as a
weapon or be mean and hateful. But I'm going to tell you there
are times when to stand for the truth and preach that which is
right and when we do we have to preach it straight but we have
to preach it. As the Bible says and season are
words with salt speak, the truth in love.
Some people say don't ever preach one negative thing at
all. Just preach Jesus and that's it.
Do you know who's preaching this sermon in Matthew 23?
It's the Lord himself. Let me just ask you.
You think this is Harsh? I don't think I can get away
with this. If I did it woe to you scribes
Pharisees Hypocrites, and lay them out.
That's the epitome of love doing that.
That is the greatest love ever demonstrated by.
Anyone was Jesus. That's what Jesus said in the
entire chapter. Chapter 23, if we get things
right on the inside, you've heard me say this before, if we
get things right on the inside, it will automatically translate
into things right on the outside.
If however, we cultivate only the outward facade, please get
this, the outward facade. That is an actor, that is a
hypocrite. Did hear what I said, cultivate
the facade on the outside. Now, I'm going to tell you,
you've heard me say people make mistakes and they get blamed for
being hypocrite. That doesn't make him a
hypocrite. That is true.
But what I just said is, when you cultivate a facade and you
never really intended to be that person, that's a hypocrite.
That's a play actor that somebody doing something or
behaving in a way that they appear to be one way and
they're, they're not. But, you know, people look on
the outside and the Pharisees did that, they look to the
outside. You know what?
The Lord looks on. Looks on the heart.
What about this passage right here?
First? Samuel 16 and 7, but the Lord
said to Samuel, do not. Look at his appearance or his
physical stature because I have refused him for the.
Lord does not see as a man sees for a man, looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
And one of the most sobering things and I have to come to the
realization about in my life is. The Lord knows my heart and I
can't hide it. I can't hide my heart.
I can't. I just can't.
Jesus continues with this thought.
Next verse 26, notice He says blind Pharisees Hypocrites,
there's that word again. And then he says, first cleanse,
the inside of the cup and dish that the outside of them may be
clean. Also now picture it this way, I
think everybody here will understand okay.
If I got a coffee mug, okay, and it's dirty inside now.
And I take a sponge or whatever and I hold it up.
I dip the sponge in water, I buff the outside.
I've done nothing to the inside at all.
If I am first cleansing the outside, only I'm not doing
anything for the inside. If however, I take that coffee
mug and I got the sink there and it's full of Suds and nice hot
water. I submerged this cup in that
water. It goes on the inside, guess
what? I've taken care of the inside,
it automatically takes. Care of the outside.
That's what the Lord meant. Cleanse the inside.
And the outside will be fixed. Fix it on the inside.
Wash the inside of the cup. And the and the outside will be
fixed. Then he says this.
This is really an amazing passage in verse 27.
Again, woe to you scribes and Pharisees and hypocrites.
And then he said this, he said you are like whitewashed tombs
now. Please follow this.
He says, you are also guilty of deception and I'm going to use
the word and I'm going to prove it to you by the example that he
gives you are guilty of Contaminating, others.
You're guilty of contaminating, others you're doing so by
deception. And, you know, very sadly that
fills the religious world today deception and it contaminates,
all of those that come and touch or contact with that false
teacher. Now, listen to this, Jesus
condemns these Pharisees for spiritually can contaminating
everyone that they touch. In other words, you are not what
you claim to be. And the example, he uses is Is
whitewashed tombs. What does that mean?
That Terry is a painter I was one.
Okay, 20, I don't know, 27 years ago, whatever, 25 years ago, six
years ago, came in the painting trade.
And one of the fads back then was whitewashed cabinets.
And we would even and one of the, one of the fads was red oak
wood and then you take a white Platinum stain.
And you they called it whitewash.
You would whitewash the outside and if you add white Platinum
stain to a red cabinet. You got pink, that was a huge
fad and number of years ago. So that's what I think about
when I think about whitewash but whitewashing this passage is not
Platinum stain, whitewashing. This passage means that they
they went out to these tombs and they smeared lime powder on them
lime powder. Now, there was a reason.
Every Spring after the early rain ceased, And you know what?
Rain does rain would wash away, things like, lime powder.
And by the way, it was about the 15th of Adar.
You know what that is? That's the first part of March.
So, every first part of March, after the rains, you what they
do. They'd look out over Jerusalem,
and they would find a bunch of houses, a bunch of walls, and
most importantly tombs out there with no whitewash.
You know, why? Because the rain washed it away.
So here they come. They got the lime powder in head
and they go out and smear it all over these tombs.
In fact, I also read that sometimes the whitewash was
smeared on caves and Limestone tombs for those that were more
prominent and they did. So for preparation of the
Passover, let me tell you why. When people came to Jerusalem
for the Passover, they came from everywhere.
Now, picture this hundreds thousands, I don't know.
People came to Jerusalem for the time of the Passover.
The people that live there in Jerusalem, they wanted to create
something that was beautiful. You see this appear beautiful
outward lie. So instead of having these old
nasty looking Graves out there, they would go to these tombs and
they would smear lime powder on it.
So when you I walked into Jerusalem, all the beauty of it,
it was all white. I read one scholar that said you
can find white sepulchres that dot the mountains and hillsides
all throughout when you came into Jerusalem during this time,
But that's not the main reason they did it.
That's not the main reason. That's not the main reason that
they did. So they actually went out.
And they put whitewash on the tombs.
So people that came to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover
would not inadvertently or accidentally touch the tomb and
be ceremonially unclean for seven days.
That's why they're going to the Passover.
They don't to be unclean so they would mark it with sometimes the
entire tomb being whitewashed. Other times.
I read, you know, they did, they actually painted Bones on the
grave White Bones? So people that would walk by,
oh, I got to stay away from that.
I better not touch that grave. Okay.
Now, And be defiled. I didn't just grab that notice.
This passage here from the Old Testament, numbers, 19, and 16
Whoever in the field opened whoever in the open field.
Touches one who is slain by a sword, or who has died or a bone
of a man, or a grave shall be unclean.
Seven days. That's the reason right there.
So, they painted the sepulchres. Now, that's the example that
he's using. He's using that as an example,
when you came in Jerusalem, they were beautiful.
They were claiming their own white tombs everywhere dazzling
in the Sun, but they weren't what they appear to be.
You know why? You know what they were?
They were just a grave. I'm going to tell you, I have
you. I would imagine in your
lifetime, you've been called some names.
You've been called some things I've been called some things.
And what if the Lord called you a tomb?
Because the only thing inside of you is dead men's bones, what if
the Lord looking at my life said, you know what, you've got
this facade, you're beautiful on the outside, in the eyes of
others, but I know yet, No, I know you.
You're full of dead men's bones, and uncleanness.
That's what he told them. Now inside are full of dead
men's bones. now, the next verse verse 28, Even so you also
outwardly appear righteous. You appear to be righteous men
but inside you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
That's the example that he uses. He uses the to just like
whitewashing the two on the outside.
What do you got in the inside dead men's bones?
What about you, what about you? He says I'm telling you this
because here's the example on the outside you appear
righteous. That's a whitewashed tomb but
inside you're full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
That's Dead. Man's Bones.
You just did you just a grief? You're dead inside.
And by the way, the word Lawless means to disregard the law of
God. Make no mistake about it, folks
and don't let anyone talk you out of it.
Just because we are supposed to be those of Justice.
Mercy, love, peace, faith, and all of that.
As the weightier matters, it doesn't mean that we are not
required to follow the laws of God.
He said your Lawless. And that simply means you
disregard the laws of God. Anybody who touches you?
Here's his point is contaminated.
You know, very sadly. There are many false teachers
doing the very same thing. They're contaminating innocent
people. But then the last one, the last
one that he uses these false, spiritual leaders are cursed for
pretension pretension. What I'm saying is pretending to
be so much better than everybody else.
You know, if you go all the way back to when Satan and a third
of the hosts of Heaven were cast out of Heaven.
God has always hated Pride. God is not okay with me acting
or thinking that I'm better than Dave Morgan.
I don't just use that example, he's not okay with that.
He's not okay with that at all. God is never okay for us to be
filled with pretension. The last thing, he blessed him
with his this, you're guilty of all of the things I just said,
but there's more. There's more you sit in a
position or a place that you act as though you are better than
other people. Especially those of the past.
Notice what happens. God always hates Pride.
So he says you appear outwardly to appear righteous as righteous
man, inside your full of hypocrisy of lawlessness.
Then he says this woe to you scribes and Pharisees
hypocrites. Because why?
Because you build the tombs of the prophets and Adorn The
Monuments of the righteous. What does that mean?
Okay, I had to do a little reading for that.
If, you know that at that time what they would do is it was a
big deal for juice to do this man that had already died.
Let me just call them Heroes of the past.
It might be something like Terry went are he's preaching his
series on Heroes of Faith. In other words except lockers or
tombs. Or Graves of men that have lived
before that were great, man. Now, this is what Jesus says of
all things. He says this.
Oh, you are great at this, by the way, still hypocrite, you're
great at this. You build tombs of the prophets.
In other words, you build these monuments for those that have
already died. Of the righteous.
He's referring to the practice of rebuild rebuilding in
remembrance those things for past heroes.
In fact, I read this that even today, even today on the lower
slope of the Mount of Olives. Even today you can find tombs
that are built in honor of the prophets.
And if you've been there and seen that, you know, exactly
what I'm talking about. Robertson said it this way, this
is exactly what you find today. And it's when Jesus was
speaking, notice what Robertson said the tombs in the Kidron
Valley that are now named in honor of Zechariah Absalom and
Jehoshaphat. For example, they were all built
at the same time that Jesus said this.
So Jesus is saying, oh, you Hypocrites.
Oh, you're great at building these These monuments.
You're great at that. Yeah, you're great at that.
Really big at lifting up the heroes from the past, lifting
them up with memorials and monuments.
Okay. And they even said this, if we
had lived in the days of our fathers, we would have not been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets, we're better
than them. We didn't ever done that.
We have never done that. I've heard people say, I don't
understand how the apostles for such Jesus.
I could I wouldn't ever done it. I demand it right in there.
Yeah. No you weren't no you wouldn't.
No you wouldn't. First of all you can't know what
you would ever do in a situation you never been in but no you
wouldn't it was prophesied. Jesus would do it alone so you
would have done it too. if Peter can mess up, I guarantee you,
Frank brancato can Yeah, that was a special man.
There I am not. What I'm saying is this, you
know what they were saying they he says oh you build these
monuments for all these heroes in the past and that but you sit
back and say, oh, I don't ever done what they did?
My father's did I would have never done a thing to the
prophets of old that were killed by my forefathers.
I would have never even thought of it like there holier than
thou or it would be Beyond them to do that.
The print the pretense here of ugly spiritual Pride, great at
building monuments great at honoring men in the past and
claiming to be. Be better than their fathers,
they would have never done that. You know what Jesus says here's
a direct hit and I'm almost finished but here is a direct
hit and you know, the Lord never beat around the bush he made
direct hits and he does it right here.
Amazing verse, you know he says therefore you are what Witnesses
against yourself. You know why it's the idea of
like, father, like son They were plotting to kill the greatest
Prophet ever. Yeah, they were plotting to kill
the greatest Prophet ever. They were bragging and boasting.
We would have never killed those prophets of old.
Like our fathers didn't know we were better than that.
Jesus said, you know what you are?
You're a witness against yourself, why?
Because the plot was already in place.
The plan was already in place, they had to get rid of Jesus.
Now, I'm going to tell you something, there's an next
verse. That I love.
Because you've heard me preach. How many times you have heard me
preach that? Jesus Christ was no man's
victim, you've heard me say it. You have heard me say that in
great detail, many times. That he was totally in control.
We go to the Garden of Gethsemane.
He commands them to leave these alone and all that.
We know all that, right? This is the first place I can
see that it started. Watch this in verse 32, he says
fill up then the measure of your father's guilt.
What's fill up mean? It means this, it means do it.
You are already your Witnesses against yourself because you're
plotting to kill the Son of God. So you know what?
I'm going to tell you do it. That's what the word Philip
means. It is a, it is a word that is
commanding to them. It is emphatic, in the sentence
me. Meaning he is, commanding them,
do it. Now who's got the power, who's
in control? He said, do it.
Do it. Scheming to kill the greatest
Prophet. You know when you look at his
life from then on he's totally in control when he's before
Pilate pilate says don't you understand what I can do
against? You said you know what, you
wouldn't have that Authority if it wasn't for my father.
Jesus says, no man takes my life.
I lay it down myself. All the things in which he did,
he commanded them and orchestrated all of them to do
exactly what God's plan was. And Jesus saw it to the very end
and right here, right now, do you remember, when I said, the
reason that I wanted to preach this series is what happened
from Sunday when they said Hosanna to Friday when they said
crucify him? Thursday and Friday, crucify
him. Well, I'ma tell you, he laid him
out, pretty good in this sermon and then you already said, you
are the Fulfillment. You are the full measure of the
father's guilt. You are so do it.
Scholars, tell us that perhaps there was nothing to happen on
Wednesday. In fact, some Scholars say that
maybe the triumphal entry happened on Monday.
So that there was something that happened every day.
We don't need to know that we've proven that the triumphal entry
happened on Sunday. I believe that.
And if that means, there was nothing recorded on Wednesday.
So what So what? But we're nearing they were
coming right to the end of Tuesday now and this is the
sermon that they heard the last sermon.
Jesus preached, I'm finished this morning.
Thank you so much for your kind listening.
I hope something was said that was both edifying and
encouraging to you. As always is the case, My Hope
and prayer is that it would cause you to have a greater
appreciation for Jesus and for all that he has done for us in
our life, and be better in the future than we've been in days
gone by