1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:08,760 So we're in Matthew chapter 12 and we're continuing where we 2 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:11,040 really interrupted. We had to stop and we 3 00:00:11,040 --> 00:00:12,600 interrupted what was already happening. 4 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,280 Jesus and his conversation. I don't know if you call it a 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:19,480 conversation, Jesus just bringing Thunder down on to the 6 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:24,720 Pharisees at this point, but we're going to, we're going to 7 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:29,320 read in verses 33 through 37. And before we do that, we're 8 00:00:29,320 --> 00:00:32,000 going to consider our whole context. 9 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,480 So we're continuing in the same event. 10 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:36,560 We're continuing in the same moment. 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,120 Remember what's happened here? The demon possessed man was 12 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,960 delivered by the Lord. So this is the context of what's 13 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:45,080 been taking place. Then the enemies of Christ said 14 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,880 that Jesus did his miracle miracle and did this work 15 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:52,040 through the power of the devil. And they even use the insulting 16 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:53,160 name. They said he did this with the 17 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:55,160 power of the Lord of the Flies through Beelzebel. 18 00:00:56,480 --> 00:00:59,240 And then Jesus points out that that's nonsensical, it's broken 19 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:01,080 logic. It doesn't make any sense. 20 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,920 He says if Satan is working against Satan, then his Kingdom 21 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,160 would fall. So we know this is true of 22 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:10,520 Satan's Kingdom. We know this is true of the 23 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,160 kingdoms on earth. We said this is true for a 24 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:13,480 country. It's inevitable. 25 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,760 If a country keeps dividing, it's not a negative thing to 26 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:18,200 say. It's just an inevitable thing to 27 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:19,920 say. It's just the obvious necessary 28 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:22,000 outcome when there's a lack of unity. 29 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,040 We said the same things true for households. 30 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:26,320 We need to go farther and say another thing. 31 00:01:26,320 --> 00:01:28,160 That's true. It's also true of God's Kingdom, 32 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:30,120 right? The principle applies 33 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:32,240 universally. If God's Kingdom was divided 34 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,160 against God's Kingdom, then God's Kingdom couldn't stand. 35 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,280 If God was working against God, his Kingdom would also be 36 00:01:39,280 --> 00:01:41,920 divided in full. So let's let's be real clear on 37 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:44,160 this then. If God was making people get 38 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:49,080 possessed with demons, and then God was driving out demons, He's 39 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:50,640 also working against himself, right? 40 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:54,080 I haven't pulled out any tricks. I'm being real simple and plain. 41 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:56,520 So let's take it another step further and say another plain 42 00:01:56,520 --> 00:01:58,880 and obvious thing. If God has given somebody 43 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,640 sickness and disease, and then God has also coming to heal that 44 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,400 sickness and disease. Did I do anything sneaky there? 45 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:09,000 That was pretty straightforward, right? 46 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,400 Like Satan doesn't give the demon and then pull the demon 47 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,160 away. Jesus says that's division in 48 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:15,480 his Kingdom. That's brokenness. 49 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,320 So it's also nonsensical and broken whenever we would say, 50 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,360 well, God gave you that sickness, but the Lord also, 51 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:24,360 which does he do? Which is it? 52 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,560 Well, he, he's not divided, is he? 53 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,440 Of course he's not. He's not divided against himself 54 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:30,840 and he doesn't work against himself. 55 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:33,600 So logical stuff here. If God was given sickness to 56 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,520 people and then healing people, then he would plainly be working 57 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:39,840 against himself. But if we ever as we've gone 58 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,160 through the Gospel of Matthew so far, how many people when we 59 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,800 counted them all up, how many people did Jesus give demons to 60 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:47,800 zero so far. We'll have to wait and see how 61 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,280 it ends. How many people has Jesus given 62 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,760 sickness and disease to so far in Matthew, so far, it's zero. 63 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,120 We're going to keep we're going to keep a close eye on it and 64 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:01,400 we're going to make sure as we go through the book Spoiler 0 65 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:05,320 all the way through Jesus after all this, after all that he 66 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:06,800 makes the point about a Kingdom divided. 67 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,840 He then makes the point that the Kingdom of God is upon them. 68 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,320 And how does Jesus prove that the Kingdom of God has come to 69 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:15,240 men? Jesus always connects the 70 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,200 Kingdom of God to powerful works like healing the sick and 71 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:23,040 driving out demons. So you can be sure that these 72 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:24,920 two things aren't a part of God's Kingdom. 73 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,520 Basic powers of deduction here. Simple, simple things. 74 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,440 We're just observing and reading out loud. 75 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,360 We know. We think about Luke where Jesus 76 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,440 sends out the disciples and he says go heal the sick, cast out 77 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:40,520 demons, raise the dead, and then what are you going to say? 78 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:43,600 The Kingdom of God has come upon you. 79 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,400 So these behaviors reveal the Kingdom of God. 80 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,280 You go do these things and here's the what I want you to 81 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:51,960 tell people as you do those things. 82 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,520 So the Kingdom of God bears these witnesses. 83 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:57,840 The these are the things that witness to the Kingdom of God. 84 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,800 Sickness and demons just obviously can't be a part of the 85 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,400 Kingdom of God, which is why Jesus drives them out, which is 86 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,080 why Jesus is in opposition to these things. 87 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:09,000 From there, the Lord brought us this terrifying truth. 88 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:13,240 It was the reality that people can harden their hearts so much 89 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,440 so that they get to the place that they will never repent and 90 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:18,040 therefore they can never be forgiven. 91 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:20,200 Well, why would they never repent? 92 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:22,880 Because the Holy Spirit would never again bring them the 93 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:26,000 conviction needed to repent. You don't bring repentance and 94 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,600 conviction out of yourself. You don't do that. 95 00:04:28,840 --> 00:04:32,760 Even the conviction and the guilt, the, the healthy guilt 96 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:35,640 that we would feel from the Lord, that's from the Lord, 97 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,000 that's not from you. That is a grace of God. 98 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:42,240 So I feel bad. The Lord loves you. 99 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:45,520 That's good news. If you feel nothing and you go, 100 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:49,280 I don't even care anymore, who that's super scary. 101 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:51,200 That's super, super, super, super scary. 102 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,920 That's not a good sign. What you should you should feel 103 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:56,360 something. You should feel the conviction 104 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,120 of the Lord. And if you don't, it's because 105 00:04:58,120 --> 00:04:59,840 he hasn't provided it any longer. 106 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,040 And if he hasn't provided it any longer, that means he provided 107 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,160 it so often, so graciously in such abundance, and you hardened 108 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:10,400 so many times to it that he said, now because you have 109 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:12,760 rejected and rejected and rejected and rejected and 110 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:16,240 rejected, you can't be forgiven. It's not that Christ didn't pay 111 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,120 a price for you, He most certainly did. 112 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:22,920 It's that you'll never repent. This is the grace of God coming 113 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,600 to the humble, but it's also the fear of God coming upon the 114 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,000 prideful. So the Lord brings us that 115 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,080 terrifying reality and he really is going nuclear on the 116 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:35,320 Pharisees through all of this. He is bringing harsh, harsh 117 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:38,840 rebuke because they've just, they've just revealed themselves 118 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,840 fully and completely. He's seen it, He's seen it, He's 119 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:43,600 seen it, but he's never done this to them. 120 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,400 He's rebuked them, He called them wolves, He's done some 121 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:48,200 other things, but he's never gone this far. 122 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:52,680 And now he is putting them fully on blast and it gets real ugly 123 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,480 as we get into the passage here today. 124 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,560 So in verse 33 he continues, he just said whoever sins against 125 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:00,440 the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either in this age or 126 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:03,880 in the age to come. He continues here, either make 127 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,240 the tree good and it's fruit good or make the tree bad and 128 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,320 it's fruit bad for the tree is known by its fruit. 129 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:11,520 Why are you raising your voice, pastor? 130 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:13,480 Because I doubt he was whispering at this point. 131 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:16,240 I doubt it. He didn't have the bracelet yet. 132 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,200 What would Jesus do? So he didn't know. 133 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,800 Jesus is just being full Jesus, the right thing at the right 134 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:23,520 time. And now what does he say in 135 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,040 verse 34? You brood of Vipers, How can you 136 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:30,200 speak good when you're evil? Proud of the abundance of the 137 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:34,120 heart, the mouth speaks, The good person out of his good 138 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:37,880 treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil 139 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,080 treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of 140 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,360 judgment, people will give account for every careless word 141 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:49,320 they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by 142 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,280 your words you will be condemned. 143 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,480 God, we pray that you will bring us revelation and light on Your 144 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,520 word today. Holy Spirit, minister it to us 145 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:59,920 in just the right way. Help us to see first of all 146 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:03,680 ourselves and then also give us wisdom to be as wise as a 147 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:05,480 serpent and to be as innocent as a dove. 148 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:08,600 That we will get the log out of our own eyes so that when we so 149 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,400 that we could then see clearly to be a blessing with a heart 150 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:15,200 and motive of love for others. In Jesus name we thank you, 151 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,760 Amen. Verse 33. 152 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:20,080 How do you know if a tree is healthy? 153 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,280 It gives healthy fruit the the fruits healthy. 154 00:07:23,280 --> 00:07:25,760 We say that's a healthy tree because this fruit is perfect 155 00:07:25,760 --> 00:07:28,280 and delicious and healthy. What's an unhealthy tree going 156 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:30,880 to give unhealthy fruit? Jesus still here just going 157 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,080 through logical stuff, just pointing out obvious things that 158 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,000 even nature teaches. Did you know that nature reveals 159 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,240 the Kingdom of God? It's not a it's not a separate 160 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:41,600 thing. It's not a lesser thing. 161 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,840 It is part of the testimony to the Creator. 162 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:48,320 Often times as believers, we have downplayed. 163 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,520 This has been a thing that's happened over the past recent 164 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:51,480 generations. A lot. 165 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,040 Christians have downplayed the physical world and minimized it 166 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,040 to an unhealthy degree. The physical world matters. 167 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,440 And part of the consequence of that has been the confusion and 168 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:04,080 the chaos and the perversion that has come around gender in 169 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:06,840 our culture because Christians couldn't even give plain and 170 00:08:06,840 --> 00:08:09,800 honest answers around the goodness of masculinity and the 171 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:12,200 goodness of femininity. And we just said, well, you 172 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,000 know, it's just the plumbing down there. 173 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:16,960 That's incorrect. It does include the plumbing 174 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,040 down there, but that's not all it is. 175 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,480 And we made just the physical things not preach anymore. 176 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:24,760 We said that they didn't preach to a greater reality. 177 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,360 We said, oh, men just happen to be taller, Men just happen to be 178 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,760 stronger. That preaches something, that 179 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:33,159 preaches to their responsibility to be a protector. 180 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,480 It means something. Well, women are softer, 181 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:40,840 literally softer, scientifically softer and more sensitive in 182 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,000 their skin. But that also preaches something 183 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,000 about the softness of femininity, and it communicates 184 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,360 something. But the church forever is just 185 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:48,880 going. I mean, it's all just. 186 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:50,760 We're all just interchangeable. No, we're not. 187 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:52,480 And the church wasn't clear on that. 188 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,040 So what hope was there for the world when we couldn't even 189 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:56,800 articulate masculine and feminine? 190 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:58,520 And now the world's gone. Yeah, they're all the same. 191 00:08:58,520 --> 00:08:59,520 And we're going, no, they're not. 192 00:08:59,520 --> 00:09:01,760 The world's gone. I thought you used to say they 193 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,320 were like, well, sorry we were dumb, we were cowardly. 194 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:08,840 Whatever it was, we missed it for sure. 195 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:13,160 So creation is preaching, creation is communicating, Jesus 196 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,480 is showing that look. Nature shows you what human 197 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:19,160 nature is also like. Nature shows you what the 198 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,040 Kingdom is also like. Everything is preaching. 199 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,000 Why am I not always see it? Agreed. 200 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,880 I don't always see it either. And yet God has built his 201 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:31,960 universe to bring him glory. And not just, this isn't cheap, 202 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,720 not just the wow, that's beautiful, that's good, that's 203 00:09:35,720 --> 00:09:37,480 not cheap, the sunset is not cheap. 204 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,280 And it's not just another pretty sunset. 205 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:43,040 Beauty in itself is meaningful. Beauty in itself matters. 206 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:45,880 But that's not all there is. The more we study, the more we 207 00:09:45,880 --> 00:09:48,600 look into it, the more God would would receive glory for it. 208 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,400 So Jesus is pointing out something that everyone was 209 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,320 familiar with. Guys, you know what a healthy 210 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:55,640 tree does? He is healthy fruit and he's 211 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,120 gone. You see these Pharisees over 212 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,760 here, they can't help what's coming out of their mouth is the 213 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:03,320 full reality. And Jesus having to point this 214 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:05,360 out because sometimes fruit can be deceiving. 215 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:07,880 You can deceive for a temporary season. 216 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,840 I can deceive you whenever. Our interactions are limited, 217 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,640 but the more time we spend together, it's inevitable if we 218 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,480 keep spending time together. You know, you just hang out with 219 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:19,800 me a little bit here and a little bit There you go, manager 220 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:22,200 Michael's awesome. Love that guy, like everything 221 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:25,200 just super squared away in his life and everything's wholesome 222 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,680 and holy maybe. But you know what really tell 223 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,960 the truth is being in my living room, seeing me with my wife, 224 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,040 seeing me with my children again and again and again, getting 225 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:39,080 reps in and at the picnic and at the breakfast and in our living 226 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:43,040 room and at the baseball game. And you see like you're getting 227 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:45,680 the fuller picture. And that's where you can really 228 00:10:45,680 --> 00:10:47,320 start to go, man. Now we're now the whole thing's 229 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:49,360 telling the whole tale because the Pharisees were very focused 230 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:52,400 on the outward projection. What's the outward image look 231 00:10:52,440 --> 00:10:54,160 like? How can I present to the people? 232 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:57,720 And the people had been misled by their shepherds, by their bad 233 00:10:57,720 --> 00:10:59,840 shepherds. The people thought the Pharisees 234 00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:01,920 are amazing. And Jesus said, these guys make 235 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,440 me sick. The people, what I thought they 236 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:06,840 were like the prototype. And Jesus says, no, I'm the 237 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:10,440 prototype. This is disgusting pride because 238 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:13,480 it's focused on the outward sign and it doesn't have the inward 239 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,000 change. It focuses exclusively on how 240 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,640 can I project the right thing? Jesus says, I'll tell you how to 241 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,200 project the right thing, actually be the right thing 242 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,600 inside, and then you don't have to project. 243 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:28,560 An apple tree doesn't sit there and go, how did I make an apple? 244 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,120 Apples flow out of an apple tree. 245 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,160 It's the most natural thing in the world, the fruit of the 246 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:34,720 spirit. It's the most natural thing in 247 00:11:34,720 --> 00:11:36,720 the world to flow out of a St. who walks with the Lord. 248 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,000 I got to get better at this fruit of the spirit. 249 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:43,920 That's not how the Saint walks. The one who's filled with the 250 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:46,360 spirits going. This is the natural flow of the 251 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:48,400 one who's in communion with the Lord, the one who's in the 252 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:52,120 fellowship with the Saints, the the goodness, the the Lovejoy, 253 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:54,160 peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 254 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:57,920 gentleness and self-control. Those things come out of us like 255 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:01,680 apples out of the apple tree. So Jesus is pointing out healthy 256 00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:05,120 fruit comes from a healthy tree. Jesus is telling that that 257 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:08,840 what's true in nature, in creation is also true in human 258 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,720 nature, and we should be fruit inspectors. 259 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:16,640 He's teaching the people what to look for in the Pharisees as 260 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:18,560 he's rebuking the Pharisees in front of everybody. 261 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:20,240 This is an object lesson for everybody. 262 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,520 And the Pharisees are standing there with the dunce cap on in 263 00:12:23,520 --> 00:12:25,720 front of everybody as Jesus is putting them on blast. 264 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:28,960 And he's just saying, look, here's the problem, here's 265 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:33,080 what's going on with these guys, and he's showing the inside is 266 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,360 coming out. So we should be fruit 267 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:38,680 inspectors. And who do you think we should 268 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:43,120 begin with? Should we begin with Chris or 269 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:48,960 Bailey or Matt or Hudson? I say we start with Hudson. 270 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:53,680 We should start with us. Me. 271 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,720 Be a fruit inspector. Be a judge. 272 00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:59,240 Judge yourself first. Judge yourself honestly. 273 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:03,040 Judge yourself humbly. Even Paul, Paul said. 274 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,520 My conscience is clear, he said. But that doesn't clear me before 275 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:09,360 the Lord because I might even be deceiving myself. 276 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,080 All the more reason for the need for Christian fellowship. 277 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,040 Who will love you through anything? 278 00:13:14,320 --> 00:13:16,480 Who'll go, Hey brother, I see this thing and you go. 279 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,440 I don't see that in me. Like I don't know, can we walk 280 00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:21,360 through it some? Can we, can we maybe walk down 281 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:23,800 that path a little bit? I could be wrong, but let's, 282 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,640 let's trust one another. Let's love one another through 283 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:31,640 this. So when you see, when you 284 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:34,280 recognize fruit, the first fruit you should recognize is in 285 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:39,000 yourself, but you should also then recognize fruit in others. 286 00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:43,040 You don't need to condemn them. That's not the purpose, that's 287 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:45,640 not the motive. We don't have to go full nuclear 288 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:49,520 Jesus on them, but we need to be as wise as serpents. 289 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:52,760 And the reason for that is if you're as wise as serpent, you 290 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:55,600 probably, if you're as wise as a serpent, you probably won't be 291 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,680 bitten by 1. So that's an important need for 292 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:01,360 the Saints to be as wise as a serpent. 293 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:03,280 Why? So you can recognize a serpent 294 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:06,320 be as wise as serpent. He didn't say be serpents. 295 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:07,760 Why? Because serpents have venom. 296 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,200 And the Saints, we got none of that. 297 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,640 None of that could be in us, but I need to be able to recognize 298 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:15,320 it. And the people of God who Jesus 299 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,200 loved, he said they were like sheep without a shepherd. 300 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:19,720 He hated that they were following the Pharisees. 301 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,520 And he's going, these are snakes and these people are biting them 302 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:23,880 and putting venom into the people. 303 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:26,280 And he wants the people to be as wise as serpents. 304 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:28,920 He wants his disciples to be as wise as serpents so so they can 305 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,320 recognize because people were were easily deceived. 306 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,800 We're sheep and we can be misled and we can go, man, this guy 307 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,520 says all the right things. He looks good, he sounds good. 308 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:41,840 Look at his we'll talk about ministers. 309 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:44,120 Look at his ministry. Look how big it is. 310 00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,520 The size of it clearly implies the blessing of the Lord on it, 311 00:14:48,520 --> 00:14:51,200 right? Bigger has to equal better. 312 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:57,280 It has to bigger doesn't equal. It doesn't equal evil either. 313 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:00,400 But we just have to judge fruit, and we have to know which fruit 314 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,600 to judge and how many listeners on the radio show. 315 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,080 Isn't the fruit that should be judged the fruit in this 316 00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:08,840 individual's life? We talked about this before. 317 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:10,240 How do we identify a false teacher? 318 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:13,440 Sometimes their teaching can be a bit tricky to pin down. 319 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:17,480 A snake's hard to hit, remember? But the fruit in their life, the 320 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,720 fruit of their character, is the thing that reveals everything. 321 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:23,200 And Jesus is saying the character is what's going to 322 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:24,880 speak. You give it time, it's going to 323 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:26,800 show up. So when you see a red flag, you 324 00:15:26,800 --> 00:15:30,680 don't dismiss it and you also don't need to build a bigger 325 00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:33,560 case out of it than is warranted, but don't ignore it. 326 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:38,120 So a red flag, it might not mean everything, but it don't mean 327 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:42,320 nothing. You see a red flag and a brother 328 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:44,720 or a sister in in the church, That's good. 329 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:46,400 The Lord wants you to pray for them. 330 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:48,840 You're going to see red flags in each other. 331 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:51,760 You should. You should see red flags in 332 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,920 yourself and in your family. You go. 333 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:56,960 You don't have to go defcon one on somebody. 334 00:15:57,520 --> 00:15:59,640 You can just go man. I want to pray for them. 335 00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:01,880 Lord. Thank you God, I pray that you 336 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:04,520 would bring revelation to them. I pray that you would bring 337 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:06,400 whatever it is, whatever it is that you think the Lord has 338 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:07,960 shown you, whatever it is you think you need. 339 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:09,840 Well, the purpose is for ministry. 340 00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,560 The purpose is to care for them. The Lord wants you to pray for 341 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:14,920 them. And when you're praying for 342 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:17,120 them, your heart is going to be kept pure and protected. 343 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:19,760 And then the Lord might even have you go speak with them. 344 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,080 Hey brother, I want to bring some up to you man. 345 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:23,880 This might be an awkward conversation, but can you bear 346 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:25,640 with me? Hey, sister, I want to talk to 347 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:27,480 you about something, something I noticed. 348 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:29,400 Can you bear with me on this? OK, what's up? 349 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:31,360 So. So then we move forward and we 350 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,400 begin to care for one another. If we're not wise as serpents, 351 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:39,680 we can be misled like the people were by the Pharisees because we 352 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:42,800 can get caught up in how people present themselves. 353 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:45,480 You ever been there? Man, this guy's so great. 354 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:47,640 I've been there. I've seen that before. 355 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:50,760 Like this guy is like, I like him. 356 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:54,160 I like his personality. I mean, I just get along with 357 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,480 him. He knows the word, but his wife 358 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:00,520 and kids, like, something's off. Things don't add up. 359 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,240 You ever just seen that in life? You're like, I love this. 360 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,760 And I can't reconcile something that I'm seeing. 361 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,960 Well, when we're younger, when we're more mature, when we're 362 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:11,880 less wise, we just go. That must mean nothing. 363 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:15,480 No, no, no, no, no, no, no. And you also don't have to say 364 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,520 it means everything. You just have to say give me 365 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,119 wisdom, Lord, and help me to pray, help me to proceed with 366 00:17:22,200 --> 00:17:26,280 wisdom because it it don't mean everything, but it don't mean 367 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:27,920 nothing. Well, I really like this and 368 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:29,560 like this and like this. Agreed. 369 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:32,720 And yet that doesn't mean that we should proceed. 370 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:37,040 So you know, we're thinking about right now, we're praying 371 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:38,600 through. I don't know if you saw the 372 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:39,880 announcement. I've, I've talked to you about 373 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,160 it in here, but I put it on Facebook this week how Salt 374 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,280 Church is seeking another pastor to join me in the work. 375 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:48,400 I said from day one, I told you all who were here in the very 376 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,400 beginning, it was always my intention to pastor with other 377 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,240 pastors. You'll hear me use the term 378 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,600 pastor and elder totally interchangeably, by the way. 379 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:00,440 And, and what I have in mind in that role is not the, the 380 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,360 structure of associate pastors like Joe Michael is the lead guy 381 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:09,160 and there's a bunch of other guys who do my bidding, but the 382 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:12,720 sense where we, where we really are peers and we really do 383 00:18:12,720 --> 00:18:16,160 shepherd the flock together. So I put on Facebook this week 384 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,920 just to begin to publicize that that news and that conversation. 385 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:22,120 I've had multiple people reach out. 386 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:25,040 I had a little application, a simple system to try and rule 387 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:26,680 people out. I don't waste anybody's time. 388 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:30,160 And I want to be as open with them as possible so that they 389 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,320 can be repulsed by me as soon as possible, sooner rather than 390 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,320 later, right? It's better to find out that you 391 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,160 hate Joe Michael early on. Like I, I never want to trick 392 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:39,560 anybody. Like, hey, I'll give you both 393 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:42,120 barrels right now. So now you can cast your vote. 394 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:47,240 So had a few guys reach out. But in that process, you know, 395 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:49,560 it's, it's the kind of thing where you have to be very, very, 396 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,440 very thorough. So if there, if there were to 397 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:55,200 emerge a candidate, we'll call them who I thought, this seems 398 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:57,840 promising. I'm going to go so, so, so 399 00:18:57,840 --> 00:18:59,640 thorough. I'm going to go so slowly and 400 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,560 there's going to be so much living room time with his family 401 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:07,600 and my family and references and time and time and time. 402 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:09,920 I don't want to belabor it longer than is necessary, but 403 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,400 I'm certainly going to err on that side instead of the faster 404 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:13,720 side. Why? 405 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:17,080 Because I love the flock of God and because the stakes are very 406 00:19:17,080 --> 00:19:21,680 high and we can't be, we can't, we don't want to go in blind. 407 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:23,320 Are you looking for somebody perfect? 408 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:24,920 No, you don't have a perfect pastor now. 409 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:27,280 But I am looking to know the whole truth. 410 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,560 I want to be able to make a decision knowing the whole 411 00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:32,040 truth. That's my right in this context. 412 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,280 I should be able to know everything and then I can make 413 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,440 decisions with it. So we want to, we want to 414 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,920 appoint men when God wants to appoint men and all we have to 415 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:46,640 pick from is men. There's not, there's nobody. 416 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:50,400 There's no angels and Jesus isn't going to come and serve in 417 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,760 these roles. So we have to deal with humans 418 00:19:53,080 --> 00:19:54,360 and we're going to deal with a lot of people. 419 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,760 So we're not we're not putting up barriers like the Pharisees 420 00:19:57,760 --> 00:19:59,840 did for things. We want to honor the calling of 421 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,800 God on people's lives. And yet there's a big difference 422 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:07,600 between a wise and godly process compared to the immaturity, 423 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:11,120 responsible process that would say Bob thinks he has a call on 424 00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:12,400 his life. Oh, praise the Lord. 425 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:14,400 Let's all celebrate. And Bob wants to preach next 426 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,200 week. We'll give him the pulpit like 427 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,240 that's. Those that would be obscene. 428 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,200 That would be ridiculous. That would be unwise and 429 00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,080 unhealthy. So we want to move forward wise 430 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,520 as serpent and serpents is everything that we do. 431 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,040 And we've got to give time to identify fruit. 432 00:20:30,240 --> 00:20:32,600 I wouldn't know what an apple tree look like if it was the 433 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:35,680 offseason. I wouldn't if it didn't have 434 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:37,880 apples on it or apples on in summertime. 435 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:44,840 Anybody apple fall. OK, so if it's not fall, if it's 436 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:46,800 like spring, I don't know that that's an apple tree. 437 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:50,240 Personally, I'd be like, get, let me give it some time and by 438 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:54,080 next fall, I can tell you with absolute certainty I'll be like 439 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:56,600 a master gardener. When it comes time for the fall, 440 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,360 I'll say that's an apple tree. But in the meantime, I'd say I'm 441 00:20:59,360 --> 00:21:02,800 not so sure about that. So it takes time. 442 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:08,440 Fruit and trees don't disagree. I came up with that. 443 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:10,760 I'm a real preacher now. I make stuff rhyme. 444 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:14,160 I've never had a little rhyming phrase. 445 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,520 That one's not perfect, but it's kind of close. 446 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:22,080 Fruit and trees don't disagree. We can't always immediately 447 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:24,200 identify a wolf or a snake by their teaching. 448 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:26,040 Not right away, but give the fruit some time. 449 00:21:26,520 --> 00:21:27,720 Let's keep going. Verse 34. 450 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:30,640 Y'all listening too slow. You brood of Vipers. 451 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:38,040 Not you, you brood of Vipers. How can you speak good when you 452 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,000 are evil? For out of the abundance of the 453 00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:44,040 heart, the mouth speaks. Jesus just raining down bombs at 454 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:45,280 this point in front of everybody. 455 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:49,840 Brood means offspring. So Jesus is saying you offspring 456 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,440 of snakes. That means Jesus is saying your 457 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:54,680 mama's a snake and you're a snake. 458 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:00,680 Not nice stuff, is it? That was not very nice of Jesus, 459 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:02,920 but it was very good of Jesus. Why? 460 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,960 Because Jesus is judging harsh hearts, hard hearts, cold 461 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,520 hearts, hearts that hate God. I wish, I think if he had gone 462 00:22:10,520 --> 00:22:12,120 about it a little differently. Nope. 463 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:15,000 This is what's called for at this time and in this moment. 464 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,960 This is the right thing at the right time. 465 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:19,840 And it's also a protection for all the onlookers who still 466 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:23,160 might in some degree say those Pharisees are where it's at. 467 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:25,840 I know Jesus kind of corrected him a little bit, but I think 468 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:27,200 so. Jesus removes all doubt. 469 00:22:27,200 --> 00:22:33,120 Now, you sons of snakes, your mama's a snake, your daddy's a 470 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:37,080 snake, and you're a snake and you're full of venom, there's no 471 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:39,680 longer any doubt of whether or not we should be trusting or 472 00:22:39,680 --> 00:22:41,880 following these men. You have to choose in this 473 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:43,680 moment between Jesus and the Pharisees. 474 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:47,440 If you're one of the disciples and you like Rabbi so and so, or 475 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:49,480 you're one of the just the random Jewish people who's 476 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:52,640 following around, you have to pick in this moment, Jesus is 477 00:22:52,640 --> 00:22:54,600 gone. You have to make a judgment, 478 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:56,920 right? Jesus does that all the time. 479 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,840 He's always dividing, He's always clarifying. 480 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:02,920 He's always his motive is to gather his flock to himself. 481 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:06,360 You get to pick whether or not you're going to be a part of his 482 00:23:06,360 --> 00:23:09,960 flock. So he comes on strong with the 483 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,000 whole truth that's needed in this context. 484 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:14,120 These guys are so far gone in their hearts. 485 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:17,040 This rebuke is appropriate. This wouldn't be appropriate for 486 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:19,840 your brother or sister in the church who you see one red flag 487 00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,880 with, Right. Hey, I noticed something with 488 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:23,320 you. Can we talk? 489 00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:24,640 Yeah. You brood of snakes. 490 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:26,720 Your mama's a snake. Your daddy's. 491 00:23:26,720 --> 00:23:28,040 I'm just being like Christ right now. 492 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:30,200 I can't help that. You can't receive this, brother. 493 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,760 No. So this was a this was a context 494 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:34,680 we're going to consider that everything that had happened 495 00:23:34,680 --> 00:23:38,200 leading up to this, right? So a lot of times when we're 496 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:40,640 dealing with one another, this is not where we have to go with 497 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:42,440 it. We could escalate to here, but 498 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,800 we don't ever start here. And Jesus didn't start here with 499 00:23:45,800 --> 00:23:48,880 them either. Jesus calls them evil. 500 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:51,800 And then he gives this gem verse 34. 501 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,040 Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 502 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,160 He's saying the same thing in a different way. 503 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:01,600 Out of the nature of the tree, the apple grows out of the 504 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:03,640 abundance of the heart. So your heart is overflowing 505 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:05,720 with something. You ever been told you're full 506 00:24:05,720 --> 00:24:09,120 of it, you're full of it. You're full of something, you're 507 00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:11,360 full of it, or you're full of the Holy Spirit. 508 00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,240 The mouth in particular, though, Jesus is pointing out the mouth 509 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,920 reveals the heart. Scripture has a lot to say about 510 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,320 our mouths, a lot to say about our words. 511 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:26,040 The mouth reveals the heart. The mouth is a key piece of 512 00:24:26,040 --> 00:24:29,680 fruit that reveals what's going on deeper inside of us. 513 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,080 What comes out of your mouth reveals more about your heart 514 00:24:33,240 --> 00:24:35,680 than it does about anyone or anything that you're talking 515 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:38,240 about. Sometimes we intend to reveal 516 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,080 something about someone or something. 517 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:43,600 And really, your words are always revealing what's in you. 518 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:46,840 No matter what happened, your response to it is always 519 00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:50,680 revealing your your view of it, your perspective of it. 520 00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:54,880 It's always telling us more about you, for better or worse. 521 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,120 So whatever it is you're full of, it is going to come out. 522 00:24:59,120 --> 00:25:01,520 If it's the Holy Spirit, then the fruit of the Spirit is going 523 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:03,760 to come gushing out. It's going to be the beautiful, 524 00:25:03,760 --> 00:25:07,000 wholesome thing that's needed. If your heart's overflowing with 525 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:08,920 something else, then that will come out. 526 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:11,000 And sometimes it feels like a mixture, doesn't it? 527 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,120 But if it's a mixture, it's not a mixture. 528 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:16,560 If it's a mixture, it's no longer pure. 529 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:20,600 So it's pure or it's a mixture. You go, well, it's kind of a 530 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:22,800 little bit of both, right? Meaning it's not the pure thing. 531 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,680 So This is why it's so important that we protect and guard our 532 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,800 heart, not that we just protect and guard our mouth. 533 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:32,800 I've got to do better with my mouth. 534 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:37,840 Really. My heart is what needs more and 535 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:43,520 more and more help. Verse 35, he continues, the good 536 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:46,880 person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil 537 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,520 person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 538 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,320 So another analogy here, another comparison. 539 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:57,560 He's saying we got trees, we got hearts, and now we also have 540 00:25:57,560 --> 00:25:59,040 treasures. So think about your treasure 541 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:00,360 box. Your treasure chest is your 542 00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:03,640 heart and he's saying you open it up and that's what you that's 543 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,240 the only thing you have to offer out of you got nowhere else to 544 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,880 go get anything for your mouth. Everything that comes out of 545 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:10,960 your mouth came out of your treasure chest. 546 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:12,880 Do you have a good treasure chest? 547 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:14,800 Good. We're all going to be blessed by 548 00:26:14,800 --> 00:26:16,000 it. Do you have a bad treasure 549 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,840 chest? That's all you got to offer 550 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:20,120 eventually. You can, you can hide 551 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:23,360 temporarily as the Pharisees attempted to do, but Jesus 552 00:26:23,360 --> 00:26:29,160 exposed that fully. So your treasure chest always 553 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:30,800 reveals what's in you. It's all you have to offer. 554 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,320 And you can't possibly offer something else, not forever 555 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,200 anyway. But we're not going to make this 556 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:36,920 mistake. Say I won't make this mistake. 557 00:26:38,560 --> 00:26:41,720 I don't want you to just think that I need to fix my mouth. 558 00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:45,520 No, you, you don't need to just fix your mouth. 559 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:49,440 You need to fix your heart because out of your heart come 560 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,200 the words. This is not an issue of mouth 561 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:58,240 muscles, breath, vocal cords and the sound waves that they create 562 00:26:58,240 --> 00:26:59,960 through the air that then hit eardrums. 563 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:03,720 There's the physical details of it and the physical world is 564 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,480 beautiful and good. It preaches and yet this isn't. 565 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,600 That's not the issue. It's not just the the phonetical 566 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:13,000 sounds that people hear. You don't need to just grit your 567 00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:15,400 teeth, right? Because that's trying to. 568 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:18,000 That's trying. That's another mouth solution. 569 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,600 I'm going to control this problem with my mouth. 570 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,840 No, that's only delaying the inevitable. 571 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,040 You talk to your wife that way because of what's in your heart. 572 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:30,800 You talk to your husband that way because of what's in your 573 00:27:30,800 --> 00:27:32,880 heart. You talk to your kids that way 574 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:35,400 because of what's in your heart. You talk to your parents that 575 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,200 way because of what's in your heart. 576 00:27:40,360 --> 00:27:42,480 You talk to your parents that way because of what's in your 577 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:46,760 heart. Was it good or bad as I was 578 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:48,440 saying of those things? Are you feeling convicted or are 579 00:27:48,440 --> 00:27:50,040 you feeling? Yeah, I do talk to my wife that 580 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:51,200 way because of what's in my heart. 581 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:55,240 I do talk to my husband that way and I'm what a blessing either 582 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,040 way. Someone days, it might be one 583 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,520 thing, one day it might be another thing, but you don't 584 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:01,000 need to just sew your mouth shut. 585 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:04,400 What you need to do is give more of yourself to the Lord, take 586 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,000 more of yourself to him in humility and go, Lord, I'm 587 00:28:08,000 --> 00:28:11,280 talking that way. I'm talking to my coworker that 588 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:13,040 way. I'm talking about whoever that 589 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:17,080 way because of what's in my heart, That's where the issue 590 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:18,440 is. Oh, I need to watch my mind. 591 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:22,000 I better not say anything else. Well, brother, sister, first of 592 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:23,200 all, I agree you probably shouldn't. 593 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:25,680 So that's a good thing. By all means, zip it. 594 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:29,320 And at the same time, go to the Lord with what? 595 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:31,600 With what's bubbling up, Go to the Lord with what's both. 596 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,760 So by all means, do shut up. That would be better for you. 597 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,520 That would be better for me. That would be a blessing to all 598 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:37,520 of us. And tell me when I need to shut 599 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:40,000 up as well, by the way. But that's not the final 600 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,080 solution. We haven't fixed it. 601 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:43,840 All we did was cut off one bad apple. 602 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,080 In that moment, we go. That Apple's rotten. 603 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:47,600 Ha, ha. Nothing to see here. 604 00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,280 Look at my beautiful tree. Well, where'd that apple come 605 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:53,040 from? He didn't just come from 606 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:54,960 nowhere. He came from somewhere. 607 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:56,640 Well, I don't want to deal with that. 608 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:58,880 But you should take it to the Lord. 609 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:00,880 He's going to heal it. He'll take that rod out. 610 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:02,360 There's something going on in the roots. 611 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:04,480 There's something wrong deeper in the tree. 612 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,640 But the Lord will heal that. But don't just keep snipping off 613 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:08,960 apples when you see spots on them. 614 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:14,720 Go just going to deal with that. Don't don't be a Pharisee 615 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:17,120 because eventually you keep doing that and you just got 616 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,640 nothing on your tree. So let's make the tree healthy. 617 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:24,760 You need to get your heart before the Lord in that 618 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:27,640 particular area and then actually submit to him. 619 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,400 Confess your sin to the Lord. Confession of sin is so 620 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:36,240 important, and I would encourage you also to confess your sin to 621 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:38,720 others. That's a that's a command that's 622 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:40,720 given in Scripture. Confess your sins to one another 623 00:29:40,720 --> 00:29:44,440 that you may be healed. Confess your sins to one 624 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:46,760 another. So the way I look at confession 625 00:29:46,760 --> 00:29:50,040 of sin is I confess to somebody so that it hurts. 626 00:29:51,080 --> 00:29:53,600 And I believe if you don't, when you confess sin, if it doesn't 627 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:55,360 hurt, then it's probably not going to help. 628 00:29:56,760 --> 00:30:00,200 So I confess sin up the chain of command is the way I look at it. 629 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,880 I confess sin to Pastor Ken because it stings more that way. 630 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:06,240 There's other people that I could confess to. 631 00:30:06,440 --> 00:30:09,840 There's other people that I can talk to, but there's certain 632 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:11,400 people that you like. Oh, who would that? 633 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:14,000 Who would that sting more if he had to tell? 634 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:16,080 Not not because they're going to go nuclear on you, because 635 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:18,480 they're going to give you grace. I'm talking about a Christian is 636 00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:20,240 going to go, hey, Yep, you're right. 637 00:30:20,240 --> 00:30:22,160 Your sin is so bad, Jesus had to die for it. 638 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,080 Let's take it to the Lord right now and let's get cleansed right 639 00:30:25,080 --> 00:30:28,120 now that that's who you take it to, by the way, that it needs to 640 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,200 be a person who loves the gospel and loves you and wants to see 641 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:34,720 you restored, not to go. I got some Intel that's going to 642 00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:36,240 be useful later. No, no, no. 643 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,400 This is a trusted, loving, mature St. 644 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,240 But it needs to sting. Why do you say that, Joe 645 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:42,560 Michael? I don't feel like I should feel 646 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,080 bad. Well, Jesus said that it would 647 00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:47,960 be better to cut off your hand. If your hand causes you to sin, 648 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,960 he said cut it off. Isn't that exactly the opposite 649 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:52,080 of what you're just saying, pastor? 650 00:30:52,080 --> 00:30:54,160 That we're not supposed to just cut off the thing? 651 00:30:54,440 --> 00:30:57,440 But Jesus's point wasn't literal, it was hyperbole. 652 00:30:57,680 --> 00:30:59,360 So he wasn't actually saying cut off your hand. 653 00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:01,600 How do you know? Well, all the disciples, as far 654 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:03,600 as we know, kept all their hands throughout the three years they 655 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:07,400 were they were with Christ. So he said gouge out your eye. 656 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,000 Does he really want them to gouge out their eye? 657 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:13,400 No, he's saying though your actions should be so extreme 658 00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:16,640 that it should hurt. No, I got to get get this sin 659 00:31:16,640 --> 00:31:18,280 out of my life. Are you willing to hurt for it? 660 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:19,600 No. Then you're not going to get it 661 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:21,600 out of your life. You're just not because you just 662 00:31:21,600 --> 00:31:24,040 don't want it bad enough. You hear about that hiker who 663 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:26,480 got trapped years ago hiking by himself. 664 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:29,120 The boulder came down and he was pinned against the wall. 665 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,160 It was like 5 days. He was stuck. 666 00:31:33,280 --> 00:31:36,800 I won't go too graphic here, but he decided he wanted to live 667 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,640 instead of keep his arm. So he lived, but he didn't keep 668 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:42,080 his arm. Well. 669 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,480 But I love my arm. Well, you can love your arm, but 670 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:46,960 you're staying with it and you're running out of time. 671 00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:52,760 So he eventually found a way to be free of his arm and he's 672 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:56,720 still alive today because of it. So that was a very literal sense 673 00:31:56,720 --> 00:31:59,640 of getting rid of your arm. So my point about confession of 674 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:03,800 sin is referencing Jesus's point of being willing to do whatever 675 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:06,120 it takes. The point is, are you willing to 676 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:08,360 do whatever it takes? But it wasn't Jesus's point was 677 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:12,280 not a physical focus of if your mouth causes you to sin, rip 678 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,720 your tongue out. But he also has already taught 679 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:18,360 us that a mouth doesn't cause us to sin If your eye causes you to 680 00:32:18,360 --> 00:32:20,760 sin, she said. But he's also taught us that an 681 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,480 eye doesn't cause you to sin. A heart causes you to sin. 682 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:26,880 He says, you know, if your hand calls you, but a hand doesn't 683 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,480 cause you to sin. I caused my hand actually to 684 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:32,760 cause me to say it's me, though it comes out of me. 685 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,200 It's it came out of my heart. It was out of the overflow of 686 00:32:36,200 --> 00:32:39,240 the heart that the hand touched. It was out of the overflow of 687 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,800 the heart that the mouth spoke. It was out of the overflow of 688 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:46,440 the heart that the eye looked. It was the heart that all these 689 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:48,720 places came from. So the point of confession of 690 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,240 sin is confess sin. And if it never hurts, then it's 691 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:54,600 probably not helping. And you probably can confirm 692 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:56,480 that yourself. You go, man, you're right. 693 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:59,600 I just kind of want to like keep that under wraps, like, but 694 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:02,840 maybe maybe the thing that's going to be confess your sin to 695 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:04,240 one another that you may be healed. 696 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,520 Maybe your healing would actually come from this thing. 697 00:33:07,640 --> 00:33:08,880 Deliverance comes from this thing. 698 00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:10,680 When you actually bring it into the light. 699 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:12,400 Well, I don't want to do that. But but why? 700 00:33:13,400 --> 00:33:14,840 I already know you have sin in your life. 701 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:16,240 You already know I have sin in my life. 702 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:18,880 Like you're not the hero. I'm not the hero. 703 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:22,640 We go together to the hero. You say, oh, I've done this 704 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:23,800 thing. Well, let's go to the hero. 705 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:26,160 I can't do anything with that, but I know who can. 706 00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:29,360 The Lord can. This is what a culture of race 707 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:32,040 looks like. It brings correction because 708 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:34,600 that's what grace is. That's what the Holy Spirit 709 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:36,440 does. And with the Holy Spirit, stop 710 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:39,680 showing you grace. Remember, that's unforgivable. 711 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:45,600 So now all that focus on the heart, all that focus on the 712 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:47,200 heart, it's important, it's good. 713 00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,640 But the New Testament does have quite a bit to say about our 714 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:55,640 specific words. Ephesians 429 Let no corrupting 715 00:33:55,640 --> 00:34:00,240 talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for 716 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,280 building up as fits the occasion, that it may give grace 717 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,520 to those who hear. So how do I let no corrupting 718 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:10,920 talk come out of my mouth? Do I just do a better job of 719 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,360 shutting my mouth? Well, yeah, for starters, you 720 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:18,560 know, if if tomorrow you go, oh, that is not, that is not going 721 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:21,360 to be building up. So first of all, do shut up, do 722 00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:25,000 clamp down in that moment. But more importantly, take that 723 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:28,960 thing to the Lord and go, Lord, this is so a part of who I am. 724 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,520 And I hate to even say that because that's a scary thing to 725 00:34:31,520 --> 00:34:35,960 realize, but it's already true. So Lord, get it out of me. 726 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:40,159 Grow this out of me, Build this out of me, heal this out of me. 727 00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:43,440 So clamp down when you need to clamp down. 728 00:34:43,639 --> 00:34:46,800 But know that that is a momentary and temporary solution 729 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:50,800 just while we actually pray and go, Lord, heal this tree. 730 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,600 Make this tree healthy. Make this treasure box full of 731 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,719 your treasure. God, fill me with your spirit. 732 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:58,880 Because when I'm filled with your spirit, then what comes out 733 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:00,680 of my mouth will be good for building up. 734 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:04,080 It will fit the occasion, and it will give grace to those who 735 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:08,160 hear Matthew 1511. Jesus, we'll see in a few 736 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:10,200 chapters. Jesus is going to say, it's not 737 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,880 what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes 738 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,400 out of the mouth that defiles a person. 739 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:19,120 This isn't him contradicting himself. 740 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,120 Again, how do we know what Jesus is saying? 741 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:23,880 We look at all of Scripture. We don't just say, do you got a 742 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:25,440 verse for that? We say, what does the word of 743 00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:27,200 God teach? What does the word of God 744 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:28,440 reveal? And we got to consider 745 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:30,800 everything we say, ah, I see what he's saying. 746 00:35:31,200 --> 00:35:32,560 It's out of the heart that things come. 747 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:40,080 And yes, by your words you will be justified, praise God, or by 748 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:41,360 your words, you will be condemned. 749 00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:43,280 So words matter. Why? 750 00:35:43,280 --> 00:35:45,840 Because they reveal the heart. Words don't matter because of 751 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,160 words. Words matter because they reveal 752 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,640 what's already going on. Actions matter. 753 00:35:51,040 --> 00:35:54,240 It's called fruit. And then I want to read to you 754 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:57,520 and James. We're going to start closing. 755 00:35:57,680 --> 00:36:01,120 Start closing in James chapter 3. 756 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:07,520 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you 757 00:36:07,520 --> 00:36:13,320 know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness, 758 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:20,080 for we all stumble in many ways, and if anyone does not stumble 759 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,960 in what he says, he's a perfect man, able to bridle his whole 760 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:28,040 body. If we put bits into mouths of 761 00:36:28,040 --> 00:36:31,280 horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as 762 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:33,440 well. Look at the ships also. 763 00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:37,600 Though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they're 764 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:40,880 guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot 765 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:44,520 directs. So also the tongue is a small 766 00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,200 member, yet it boasts of great things. 767 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:54,080 How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire, and the 768 00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:58,040 tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. 769 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:02,600 The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole 770 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:08,600 body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire 771 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:11,800 by hell. For every kind of beast and 772 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,280 bird, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has 773 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:18,960 been tamed by mankind. But no human being can tame the 774 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:21,560 tongue. It is a restless evil, full of 775 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,600 deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and 776 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:29,440 Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the 777 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:33,360 likeness of God. From the same mouth come 778 00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,680 blessing and cursing, my brothers. 779 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:40,400 These things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from 780 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,360 the same opening? Both fresh and salt water? 781 00:37:43,960 --> 00:37:47,560 Can a fig tree, my brother's bare olives, or a Grapevine 782 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:51,760 produce figs? No, neither can a salt pond 783 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:55,120 yield fresh water. So you see James go in both 784 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:58,200 directions. He addresses the the the shut up 785 00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:00,960 and clamp down, get control of your tongue. 786 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:04,360 And then he finishes with the root in the heart of the thing. 787 00:38:05,240 --> 00:38:05,680 What? What? 788 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:10,520 What kind of can can a fig tree give you olives? 789 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:13,120 Of course not. Can a Grapevine give you figs? 790 00:38:13,120 --> 00:38:16,160 Of course not. Can a salt pond give you fresh 791 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:17,480 water? Of course not. 792 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:20,760 So control your tongue. How do I do it? 793 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,240 By taking your heart to the Lord, confessing your sin to the 794 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:29,480 Lord, staying humble before the Lord, being willing to have the 795 00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:33,640 Lord walk you back and come back and say, hey, you know what, 796 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,920 brother, I just want to, I just want to reach out. 797 00:38:36,920 --> 00:38:39,160 And I've had to do this many times in my life as somebody who 798 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:43,120 talks for a living, for my work and as a pastor. 799 00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:47,000 Not many of you should become teachers, you know, you'll be 800 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:50,280 judged with greater strictness. These are things I take 801 00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:52,600 seriously. And many times I've had to call 802 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:55,640 somebody and follow up somebody. Hey, man, I went too far earlier 803 00:38:55,640 --> 00:38:57,520 when I said XYZ. Oh brother, man, it's all good. 804 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:01,440 I appreciate you being gracious, man, but my I'm, I'm convicted 805 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:04,480 right now and I don't even have all the details. 806 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:07,680 I just know it was wrong and and would you forget? 807 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,440 Yeah, man, I forgive you. I give you grace. 808 00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:10,880 Thank you. I appreciate that, brother. 809 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:15,760 Sometimes it's it's that simple. Maybe sometimes it's a lot more, 810 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:20,280 but not just the confession of the moment, but also the Lord 811 00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:25,320 who or protect me, protect me from that. 812 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:31,520 Get that out of me and help me to be willing to really kill 813 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:35,320 that thing. We're going to finish up back in 814 00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:39,280 chapter 12 with verses 36 and 37. 815 00:39:42,200 --> 00:39:45,320 So yes, get your heart purified by the Lord, and yes, control 816 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:50,920 your mouth. Verse 36 I tell you, on the day 817 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:54,640 of judgement, people will give account for every careless word 818 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:59,840 they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by 819 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:02,280 your words you will be condemned. 820 00:40:06,920 --> 00:40:11,080 I want to clarify, I don't think that when Jesus talks about 821 00:40:12,280 --> 00:40:16,200 careless words, I don't think this applies to every innocent 822 00:40:17,680 --> 00:40:22,360 careless word. But instead, I think it applies 823 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:26,560 to every guilty, careless word because again, we could become 824 00:40:26,560 --> 00:40:31,120 really, really, really regimented and you could go to 825 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:34,600 absurd places. You say silly things when you're 826 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:36,800 playing with your children. You say goofy. 827 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:39,680 Like there's all kinds of there's a, there's a big area 828 00:40:39,680 --> 00:40:42,560 where we have to just go, What is Jesus actually talking about? 829 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:46,400 Well, let's rewind and figure out where we were, what had just 830 00:40:46,400 --> 00:40:49,120 happened. The demon comes out and these 831 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:51,240 people go, that's of the devil and Jesus goes. 832 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:56,320 So let's consider the context. So this this wouldn't imply I'm 833 00:40:56,320 --> 00:41:00,480 teasing with a friend. I don't think now wickedness, 834 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:02,960 guilty words are a different category altogether. 835 00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:08,200 But but carefree is not the careless that I think Christ has 836 00:41:08,200 --> 00:41:10,200 in mind here. Why do you say that pastor? 837 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:13,080 He said what he said. I say that because we're looking 838 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:16,680 at everything the full context of the nuclear bombs he's 839 00:41:16,680 --> 00:41:19,960 dropping on the Pharisees, the people who he just said you're 840 00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:22,440 doomed and you can never be forgiven. 841 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:25,400 That's the context. What words is he referencing? 842 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,600 He's referencing evil words that were just spoken about Christ. 843 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:34,080 The careless evil word that's spoken, that's a dangerous word 844 00:41:34,080 --> 00:41:36,440 to speak. I'm so callous. 845 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:38,640 I'm so casual with the things of God. 846 00:41:38,640 --> 00:41:40,440 I'll speak evil about the things of God. 847 00:41:40,440 --> 00:41:44,760 Jesus said every careless word. That's the context. 848 00:41:45,080 --> 00:41:48,400 The careless word that was just spoken was he's casting out 849 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,040 demons by the power of the devil. 850 00:41:51,040 --> 00:41:53,560 So that was the example. It wasn't a father playing with 851 00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:55,320 his child saying I'm going to get you and I'm going to eat all 852 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:57,480 your fingers, ha ha, ha, ha. And you said that was a careless 853 00:41:57,480 --> 00:41:59,880 word. You'll be judged for it. 854 00:41:59,880 --> 00:42:08,040 Like, I don't think that's a fair or genuine reading of all 855 00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:11,760 that's happened here. So we look at the context, we 856 00:42:11,760 --> 00:42:14,880 see that Jesus is dropping bombs on a particular group of people, 857 00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:19,720 literally accusing them of saying they've committed the 858 00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:23,920 important, unforgivable sin. And still by your words, you 859 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,480 will be justified. And still, by your words you 860 00:42:27,480 --> 00:42:31,720 will be condemned. Everything Jesus says is true. 861 00:42:32,120 --> 00:42:35,040 We just have to fully understand what He means by what He says. 862 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,600 Everything he said is true. On the day of Judgement, people 863 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:42,200 will give an account for every careless word they speak. 864 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:46,120 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you 865 00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:49,200 will be condemned. And for the Saints, this is good 866 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:51,920 news. Again, this is an assuring word. 867 00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:54,480 Why? Well, because if you confess 868 00:42:54,480 --> 00:42:57,960 your sins, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 869 00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:00,480 and you believe in your heart that God raised him from the 870 00:43:00,480 --> 00:43:04,760 dead, you will be saved. Is it just the mouth that didn't 871 00:43:04,760 --> 00:43:06,920 know? It was the heart that believed 872 00:43:07,200 --> 00:43:09,400 and then the mount was the obvious fruit that followed. 873 00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:12,320 We don't get the cart before the horse. 874 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:15,320 This is the horse. The heart is the horse that 875 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:16,840 pulls. Put whatever you want in the 876 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:17,920 wagon. There's going to be a lot of 877 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:21,240 good things or bad things depending on the horse and where 878 00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:24,800 he's walking. But it is your confession that 879 00:43:24,800 --> 00:43:26,840 will make all the difference. When we stand before the Lord, 880 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:29,840 we get there and he says, why should I let you in? 881 00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:34,800 Jesus, the cross, the blood, your Son, that's it. 882 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:39,880 I confess, Jesus is Lord me. There's nothing I have to offer 883 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:43,160 apart from his righteousness that you imputed to me. 884 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:47,640 He is the propitiation for my sin, if you want to use the 885 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:51,720 fancy word. So Jesus is the answer. 886 00:43:51,720 --> 00:43:55,880 He is our assurance. So again, God's people should be 887 00:43:55,880 --> 00:43:57,840 comforted in reading this passage. 888 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:01,400 Many Saints, as we talked about last week, have been overwhelmed 889 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:03,840 and intimidated, saying, have I committed the unpardonable sin? 890 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:07,360 Your humility and fear of the Lord reveals that you haven't. 891 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:10,960 Well, I'm worried about my words. 892 00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:13,680 Well, you should be. Our words are to be taken 893 00:44:13,680 --> 00:44:15,160 seriously. The New Testament has a lot to 894 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:17,160 say about them. But the way to deal with your 895 00:44:17,160 --> 00:44:20,200 words is not just getting better control of the mouth. 896 00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:23,080 The the way to get better control of the mouth is to 897 00:44:23,720 --> 00:44:26,960 humble the heart and actually take yourself before the Lord 898 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,400 more and continue to renew your mind. 899 00:44:29,960 --> 00:44:31,560 Get the word of God in your heart. 900 00:44:31,560 --> 00:44:33,280 Get the word of God in your head. 901 00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:35,400 Let the Lord change you. Let the Lord shake you. 902 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:37,480 Let the Lord bless you and heal you. 903 00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:44,000 It's an assurance for the people of God to know that their inside 904 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:47,040 has already been changed. You've been made a new creation. 905 00:44:47,040 --> 00:44:49,520 If you're in Christ, that work has already been done. 906 00:44:50,240 --> 00:44:53,920 And yet because of our unrenewed mind, we do allow things into 907 00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:55,960 our heart. We do allow things in there that 908 00:44:55,960 --> 00:44:59,080 shouldn't be there. And this is the purpose of 909 00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:01,160 Saints continuing to confess their sin, which the New 910 00:45:01,160 --> 00:45:04,000 Testament teaches. Christians do sin. 911 00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:06,760 We no longer have the identity of a Sinner. 912 00:45:09,240 --> 00:45:13,280 And yet Christians still sin. We still confess sin. 913 00:45:13,400 --> 00:45:16,200 We still grow in maturity and we still point to the one who 914 00:45:16,200 --> 00:45:23,560 rescues us from sin and we confess that Jesus is Lord God. 915 00:45:23,560 --> 00:45:25,760 It is a joy and a blessing to have hearts that have been 916 00:45:25,760 --> 00:45:28,560 changed. And now we confess that Jesus is 917 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:31,680 Lord. We confess that He has saved us, 918 00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:35,000 that He has cleansed us is by His blood Lord. 919 00:45:35,000 --> 00:45:38,200 We do want to control our mouths. self-control is one of 920 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:43,040 the fruits of the Spirit. We do want to have control over 921 00:45:43,040 --> 00:45:46,160 this rudder that steers our whole life. 922 00:45:46,600 --> 00:45:49,200 We don't want our tongue to set our life on fire. 923 00:45:49,920 --> 00:45:52,920 Small fires are big fires and we don't want our tongue to be set 924 00:45:52,920 --> 00:45:55,880 on fire by hell. God, we pray that you would set 925 00:45:55,880 --> 00:45:57,560 our tongues on fire with the Holy Spirit. 926 00:45:58,480 --> 00:46:01,200 We pray that you would fill us up again with your spirit. 927 00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:05,560 God guide us into confession of sin that we would be healed that 928 00:46:05,560 --> 00:46:10,600 we would be a humble people. Confession of sin is a a mark, a 929 00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:17,280 healthy marker in the life of the believer that we would 930 00:46:17,280 --> 00:46:21,880 continually come before the throne of grace with boldness, 931 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:29,840 knowing that will be received because of Jesus that mature us 932 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:35,880 as your church give us humble hearts. 933 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:38,480 Holy Spirit, we thank you so much for the grace of your 934 00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:42,400 correction. Father, we thank you that you 935 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:44,760 discipline us. We are not illegitimate 936 00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:47,280 children, but we really are loved by our Father. 937 00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:53,200 We receive your correction, we receive your, your grace. 938 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,240 They are one in the same. Thank you for the love and the 939 00:46:56,240 --> 00:46:59,640 forgiveness. Thank you for being the Father 940 00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:04,480 who really loves us. And now the Lord bless you and 941 00:47:04,480 --> 00:47:07,840 keep you. The Lord make his face shine 942 00:47:07,840 --> 00:47:10,080 down upon you and be gracious to you. 943 00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:13,960 The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you great 944 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:17,200 peace in Jesus name, Amen.