1 00:00:02,736 --> 00:00:03,503 Before we get into 2 00:00:03,503 --> 00:00:06,706 Matthew five, we're going to make it through the rest of the chapter. 3 00:00:06,706 --> 00:00:08,508 It's going to be challenging. 4 00:00:08,508 --> 00:00:10,510 It's going to push us. 5 00:00:10,510 --> 00:00:13,146 You're going to be okay. 6 00:00:13,146 --> 00:00:14,948 But it's going to be challenging for us. 7 00:00:14,948 --> 00:00:18,251 But before we get into it, I just want to say thank you. 8 00:00:18,685 --> 00:00:21,588 For some people in our church, I know Jeff McClure 9 00:00:21,588 --> 00:00:25,792 and his guys have been working every morning to get stuff set up for us. 10 00:00:25,792 --> 00:00:29,562 But beyond that, renovating the upstairs room 11 00:00:29,562 --> 00:00:32,866 and making it really nice for our students. 12 00:00:33,867 --> 00:00:35,835 Just been doing a fantastic job. 13 00:00:35,835 --> 00:00:38,805 So, Jeff and your guys, thank you very much. Appreciate you. 14 00:00:38,805 --> 00:00:44,310 I know, Tom, Tom Chevelle has been doing, renovation 15 00:00:44,310 --> 00:00:48,014 work in multiple different suites and multiple places around here. 16 00:00:48,014 --> 00:00:52,419 He's he he he's currently got a big project 17 00:00:52,419 --> 00:00:55,989 with a bathroom renovation here, and then new carpet and some other rooms. 18 00:00:55,989 --> 00:00:58,992 And he's really been working overtime, 19 00:00:59,159 --> 00:01:01,795 to, to help improve some things in the facility. 20 00:01:01,795 --> 00:01:03,096 Really appreciate him as well. 21 00:01:03,096 --> 00:01:05,098 It's good for us to stop and honor these guys. 22 00:01:06,366 --> 00:01:06,933 And then I know 23 00:01:06,933 --> 00:01:09,936 just the the course of this week, 24 00:01:10,170 --> 00:01:13,840 has been really busy for some in our church and some ministries. 25 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:18,178 I know that Michael Rondon, our next gen pastor, together with Trish 26 00:01:18,178 --> 00:01:23,049 and with Ali, we've had a really busy week on them. 27 00:01:23,049 --> 00:01:27,720 On Monday, they did a huge junior high Thanksgiving, 28 00:01:28,655 --> 00:01:31,191 dinner event extravaganza, 29 00:01:31,191 --> 00:01:36,162 followed up on Wednesday with, high school progressive dinner, 30 00:01:36,396 --> 00:01:40,567 followed up on Thursday night with young adult 31 00:01:40,834 --> 00:01:46,005 Friendsgiving dinner and then back at it Sunday mornings for three services. 32 00:01:46,005 --> 00:01:48,641 Just really working overtime as well. 33 00:01:48,641 --> 00:01:51,778 I hope you understand how many people 34 00:01:51,978 --> 00:01:58,084 and how much work and man and woman hours, go into the ministries and, 35 00:01:58,084 --> 00:02:01,087 and the things around here just want to honor all of these. 36 00:02:01,855 --> 00:02:02,856 Added to that, 37 00:02:04,390 --> 00:02:05,692 I want to introduce you 38 00:02:05,692 --> 00:02:09,095 to our church planters and our missionaries, 39 00:02:09,896 --> 00:02:13,733 both in the United States and around the world, in other countries, 40 00:02:13,967 --> 00:02:15,368 so you can get to know them. 41 00:02:15,368 --> 00:02:17,670 I they're very near and dear to my heart. 42 00:02:17,670 --> 00:02:20,540 I've been with them on multiple occasions for years and years and years. 43 00:02:20,540 --> 00:02:21,641 You haven't. 44 00:02:21,641 --> 00:02:25,111 And so I want you to get to know them, for a couple reasons. 45 00:02:25,111 --> 00:02:27,780 One, because I want you to keep them in your prayers. 46 00:02:27,780 --> 00:02:30,750 I want when we mentioned what's going on in Cuba and Guatemala 47 00:02:30,750 --> 00:02:34,087 and all these other places that it resonates with your mind and your heart, 48 00:02:34,621 --> 00:02:39,792 but also because from now until Christmas Eve, I'm going to ask you to prayerfully 49 00:02:39,792 --> 00:02:44,597 consider and then sacrifice over and above your regular tithes and offerings 50 00:02:45,231 --> 00:02:50,036 and give on the app to evangelism slash church planting 51 00:02:50,436 --> 00:02:54,407 so that at the end of the year, we can bless these planters 52 00:02:54,407 --> 00:02:57,977 and pastors and missionaries with an extra gift. 53 00:02:57,977 --> 00:03:00,980 We support them all regularly, generously. 54 00:03:01,214 --> 00:03:04,817 But I want to go over and above what we normally do to be able to bless them. 55 00:03:05,151 --> 00:03:08,388 And I'm asking for the church for an extra $20,000 56 00:03:08,721 --> 00:03:12,592 between now and Christmas Eve, so we can bless all of these. 57 00:03:12,592 --> 00:03:13,993 And I want to introduce you to as. 58 00:03:13,993 --> 00:03:16,396 So every Sunday I'm going to introduce you to some of these. 59 00:03:16,396 --> 00:03:19,666 And this first one I introduce to you is O'Neill and Heidi. 60 00:03:20,667 --> 00:03:22,202 That is their two wives. 61 00:03:22,202 --> 00:03:25,205 And, O'Neill and Heidi's new son in law. 62 00:03:25,972 --> 00:03:30,276 They are our lead church planters in Cuba. 63 00:03:31,444 --> 00:03:34,948 And when I first started the church planting work in Cuba 64 00:03:34,948 --> 00:03:39,886 back in 2008, really ramped it up in 2015, 2016. 65 00:03:40,186 --> 00:03:44,591 And in the last decade, they have, recruited, trained and, 66 00:03:45,091 --> 00:03:49,128 church planters and planted 120 churches on the island in the past decade. 67 00:03:49,529 --> 00:03:54,634 They're doing incredible work in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. 68 00:03:54,968 --> 00:03:57,203 They love their people. They love the island. 69 00:03:57,203 --> 00:03:59,839 They love the Lord. They want to see Cuba one day. Jesus. 70 00:03:59,839 --> 00:04:03,843 That's one of the events they did for the children in their little community. 71 00:04:04,010 --> 00:04:06,813 That church building there, we paid for, 72 00:04:06,813 --> 00:04:10,016 they built it, but we we paid for that to, to do that. 73 00:04:10,016 --> 00:04:12,018 They're they're putting it to great use. 74 00:04:12,018 --> 00:04:13,553 It's another picture of some of the ministry 75 00:04:13,553 --> 00:04:15,321 that they've been doing there on the island. 76 00:04:16,990 --> 00:04:17,557 And a place called 77 00:04:17,557 --> 00:04:20,560 Trinidad few hours outside of Havana. 78 00:04:20,827 --> 00:04:22,929 Feeding the kids. Tell them about Jesus. 79 00:04:22,929 --> 00:04:24,264 They're just doing incredible work. 80 00:04:24,264 --> 00:04:27,700 And so we just want to make sure that we continue to be able to bless them. 81 00:04:27,867 --> 00:04:30,837 So keep Heidi and O'Neill in your prayers and the ministry 82 00:04:30,837 --> 00:04:33,973 that is doing there and support them generously. 83 00:04:33,973 --> 00:04:35,241 You got it. 84 00:04:35,241 --> 00:04:36,042 Yeah. 85 00:04:36,042 --> 00:04:38,911 Hey, Matthew five, we're going to I'm going to start in verse 17. 86 00:04:38,911 --> 00:04:40,513 We're going to make it all the way through verse 48. 87 00:04:40,513 --> 00:04:42,782 So I'm going to go fast. 88 00:04:42,782 --> 00:04:45,752 Last week we talked about the Beatitudes, 89 00:04:46,252 --> 00:04:49,656 these statements that Jesus said, blessed are you when you. 90 00:04:49,656 --> 00:04:52,892 And he started with blessed are those who, 91 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:57,864 those who are poor in spirit, who realize the poverty 92 00:04:57,864 --> 00:05:02,101 of their own spirit because there lead them to mourn over sin. 93 00:05:02,402 --> 00:05:05,371 And so you followed up with, blessed are those who mourn, for they'll be comforted, 94 00:05:05,471 --> 00:05:07,173 bless those who hire and thirst for righteousness. 95 00:05:07,173 --> 00:05:08,441 And he went through those beatitudes. 96 00:05:09,409 --> 00:05:10,877 We get to this place in 97 00:05:10,877 --> 00:05:13,880 verse 17 after the Beatitudes, 98 00:05:14,814 --> 00:05:18,651 where he's he's going to flesh out, for us, 99 00:05:18,951 --> 00:05:22,188 and he's really going to push us on what it means 100 00:05:22,188 --> 00:05:25,191 to live this kingdom ethic. 101 00:05:25,191 --> 00:05:27,026 And so in verse 17, I'm just going, 102 00:05:27,026 --> 00:05:30,029 I'm going to read big chunks and then we'll talk about them, 103 00:05:30,830 --> 00:05:31,531 about these church. 104 00:05:31,531 --> 00:05:35,068 But let me just read verses 17 through 20. 105 00:05:36,102 --> 00:05:38,104 Jesus says, 106 00:05:38,104 --> 00:05:40,807 do not think that I've come to abolish the law or the prophets. 107 00:05:40,807 --> 00:05:42,875 I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. 108 00:05:42,875 --> 00:05:47,013 For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota 109 00:05:47,013 --> 00:05:50,950 nor a dot will pass from the law until it is until all is accomplished. 110 00:05:51,384 --> 00:05:54,454 Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments 111 00:05:54,454 --> 00:05:57,890 and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. 112 00:05:57,890 --> 00:06:00,960 But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great 113 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:01,861 in the kingdom of heaven. 114 00:06:01,861 --> 00:06:02,662 Here's verse 20. 115 00:06:02,662 --> 00:06:04,530 We talked about this a couple weeks ago, 116 00:06:04,530 --> 00:06:07,300 for I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes 117 00:06:07,300 --> 00:06:10,303 and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 118 00:06:10,436 --> 00:06:13,806 We start in verse 17 when Jesus says, I have not come to abolish 119 00:06:13,806 --> 00:06:14,941 the law or the prophets. 120 00:06:16,309 --> 00:06:18,811 But I've come to fulfill them. 121 00:06:18,811 --> 00:06:21,481 What he's saying here is the Old Testament. 122 00:06:21,481 --> 00:06:24,684 All the commands and all terms that are still legit, 123 00:06:26,052 --> 00:06:27,453 didn't come to do away with them. 124 00:06:27,453 --> 00:06:29,088 I didn't come to supersede them. 125 00:06:29,088 --> 00:06:31,057 I didn't come to say, hey, that's the Old Testament. 126 00:06:31,057 --> 00:06:32,492 Doesn't matter anymore. 127 00:06:32,492 --> 00:06:35,161 They're they're they're they're stable. They're firm. 128 00:06:35,161 --> 00:06:36,863 They're eternal. No doubt. 129 00:06:36,863 --> 00:06:39,031 I didn't come to destroy them or cast them off. 130 00:06:39,031 --> 00:06:40,967 I came to fulfill them. 131 00:06:40,967 --> 00:06:45,071 And when he says fulfilled, he says it means I will complete them. 132 00:06:45,738 --> 00:06:48,741 And so Jesus is going to complete 133 00:06:48,841 --> 00:06:51,911 all of the commands in the Old Testament in his own life. 134 00:06:52,912 --> 00:06:56,149 He is the fulfillment of all the commands of God. 135 00:06:57,183 --> 00:06:58,684 And he says, you need to understand this. 136 00:06:58,684 --> 00:07:00,720 The Old Testament is legit. 137 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,725 It's stable, it's sturdy, it's eternal, and it is all fulfilled in me. 138 00:07:06,058 --> 00:07:08,094 We can't do away with the Old Testament, 139 00:07:09,228 --> 00:07:11,264 but I'm going to fulfill it. 140 00:07:11,264 --> 00:07:12,198 And so he makes us do. 141 00:07:12,198 --> 00:07:16,869 And then he says this not one iota or dot some translations. 142 00:07:16,869 --> 00:07:21,541 Or maybe your footnote says not one jot or tittle will pass away from the law 143 00:07:21,741 --> 00:07:26,546 until all is accomplished, when he uses those words, a jot or tittle 144 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,350 a jot was the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. 145 00:07:32,251 --> 00:07:36,322 A tittle was like the dot of an eye or the crossing of a t. 146 00:07:36,789 --> 00:07:40,593 And so what he's saying here is the law of God. 147 00:07:40,593 --> 00:07:43,996 Even the smallest, most, my nudist point of it 148 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:47,133 will all be fulfilled and it's fulfilled in me. 149 00:07:47,133 --> 00:07:50,102 You can't bypass a single little thing 150 00:07:50,403 --> 00:07:53,406 of God's immutable law. 151 00:07:53,539 --> 00:07:55,708 It's all going to be fulfilled. 152 00:07:55,708 --> 00:07:58,277 And he says, when you, when you, when you know 153 00:07:58,277 --> 00:08:01,280 these, when you do these, when you teach these, 154 00:08:02,548 --> 00:08:05,551 that's a good thing. 155 00:08:05,651 --> 00:08:07,019 And then verse 20 156 00:08:07,019 --> 00:08:10,022 he says, and we talked about this a couple of weeks ago, 157 00:08:10,256 --> 00:08:14,060 unless your righteousness exceeds that 158 00:08:14,060 --> 00:08:17,063 of the scribes and the Pharisees, you don't get into the kingdom. 159 00:08:18,297 --> 00:08:19,732 All these commands are legit. 160 00:08:19,732 --> 00:08:21,634 They're all eternal. They all remain. 161 00:08:21,634 --> 00:08:23,536 Not one of them is going to pass away 162 00:08:23,536 --> 00:08:27,773 unless your righteousness in obeying them exceeds the scribes and Pharisees. 163 00:08:28,007 --> 00:08:30,476 You don't get in. 164 00:08:30,476 --> 00:08:33,346 Those of you who were here a couple weeks ago, we talked about that. 165 00:08:33,346 --> 00:08:34,881 That was a pretty tough thing. 166 00:08:34,881 --> 00:08:38,117 And we and we started to understand what his intent was behind that. 167 00:08:38,351 --> 00:08:41,354 If you weren't here a couple of weeks ago, you need to listen to that message. 168 00:08:42,688 --> 00:08:45,558 But that's the standard in verse 20 169 00:08:45,558 --> 00:08:48,694 that are righteousness according to the law 170 00:08:49,662 --> 00:08:52,565 exceeds that of scribes and Pharisees. 171 00:08:52,565 --> 00:08:55,201 But that, of course, in verse 20, that's the standard. 172 00:08:55,201 --> 00:08:58,204 And now in verse 21, 173 00:08:58,204 --> 00:09:01,207 he'll walk us through six illustrations 174 00:09:02,675 --> 00:09:06,812 of what righteous living is, and Matthew 522 standard. 175 00:09:06,946 --> 00:09:09,849 And then in verses 21 through 47, our six illustrations 176 00:09:09,849 --> 00:09:12,818 that should serve to show one proof 177 00:09:12,818 --> 00:09:15,821 that were guilty of breaking the standard. 178 00:09:16,122 --> 00:09:18,558 Secondly, that all outward 179 00:09:18,558 --> 00:09:21,594 bad begins with inward bad. 180 00:09:22,295 --> 00:09:24,130 It's just not about what we do. 181 00:09:24,130 --> 00:09:26,632 It's about our motivations. 182 00:09:26,632 --> 00:09:30,202 And thirdly, that we judge by outward acts, but God judges 183 00:09:30,202 --> 00:09:32,371 by inward motivations. 184 00:09:32,371 --> 00:09:35,908 And so these next six illustrations are going to prove. 185 00:09:36,108 --> 00:09:39,045 There Jesus proved to these three things 186 00:09:39,045 --> 00:09:40,780 that every one of us 187 00:09:40,780 --> 00:09:43,783 guilty of breaking the standard. 188 00:09:44,750 --> 00:09:46,485 That though we look at what people 189 00:09:46,485 --> 00:09:49,488 do, God looks at the intents of the heart, 190 00:09:49,722 --> 00:09:53,326 and all the outward bad is simply result of inward bad. 191 00:09:53,326 --> 00:09:53,893 First. 192 00:09:56,062 --> 00:09:57,930 And so 193 00:09:57,930 --> 00:09:58,497 here we go. 194 00:09:58,497 --> 00:10:01,500 You ready? 195 00:10:01,534 --> 00:10:02,602 Yep. Okay. 196 00:10:02,602 --> 00:10:03,936 I got about seven yeses. 197 00:10:03,936 --> 00:10:06,939 I'm keeping track of you. Who? 198 00:10:07,306 --> 00:10:07,807 Here's. 199 00:10:07,807 --> 00:10:10,810 Here's the danger as we go through this, 200 00:10:11,944 --> 00:10:13,813 your am I tendency will be 201 00:10:13,813 --> 00:10:16,816 to make excuses for ourselves 202 00:10:17,016 --> 00:10:20,019 and to explain things away 203 00:10:20,052 --> 00:10:22,088 and to say, well, I realize that's what that says, 204 00:10:22,088 --> 00:10:25,091 but my story is different. 205 00:10:26,292 --> 00:10:29,295 See, what was going on for me is 206 00:10:30,463 --> 00:10:32,798 and we're going to be tempted 207 00:10:32,798 --> 00:10:35,801 to put up some walls and some barriers. 208 00:10:35,935 --> 00:10:38,938 And so that might be true for other people or not, 209 00:10:38,938 --> 00:10:41,941 or that's not really what he meant, 210 00:10:41,974 --> 00:10:45,311 because what we're going to see here is going to threaten 211 00:10:46,646 --> 00:10:48,981 our self-sufficiency, 212 00:10:48,981 --> 00:10:52,118 and it's going to threaten our own self righteousness. 213 00:10:52,118 --> 00:10:55,021 And that's the point. 214 00:10:55,021 --> 00:10:56,255 And it's not going to be easy. 215 00:10:56,255 --> 00:10:57,123 It's not going to be fun. 216 00:10:58,290 --> 00:11:01,293 But understand. 217 00:11:01,293 --> 00:11:02,228 That the bad 218 00:11:02,228 --> 00:11:07,733 news of the law has to be first, so that the good news of grace 219 00:11:08,167 --> 00:11:10,770 can be beautiful. 220 00:11:10,770 --> 00:11:13,773 And so with that. 221 00:11:14,073 --> 00:11:16,776 Verses 21 through 26, 222 00:11:16,776 --> 00:11:18,778 you have heard that it was said to those of old, 223 00:11:18,778 --> 00:11:22,148 you shall not murder, and whoever murders will be liable to judgment. 224 00:11:22,148 --> 00:11:23,115 But I say to you 225 00:11:23,115 --> 00:11:26,552 that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment. 226 00:11:26,819 --> 00:11:29,755 Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council, 227 00:11:29,755 --> 00:11:34,060 and whoever says, you fool, will be liable to the hell of fire. 228 00:11:34,660 --> 00:11:37,329 So if you're offering your gift at the altar and there, remember that 229 00:11:37,329 --> 00:11:38,731 your brother has something against you, 230 00:11:38,731 --> 00:11:42,702 leave your gift there before the altar and go first. 231 00:11:42,702 --> 00:11:45,738 Be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 232 00:11:46,038 --> 00:11:50,409 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, 233 00:11:50,409 --> 00:11:54,113 lest your accuser hand you over to the judge and the judge of the guard, 234 00:11:54,213 --> 00:11:55,314 and you be put in prison. 235 00:11:55,314 --> 00:12:00,686 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you've paid the last penny. 236 00:12:01,020 --> 00:12:03,956 The first thing he deals with is anger. 237 00:12:05,624 --> 00:12:07,560 And I love the way Jesus said. 238 00:12:07,560 --> 00:12:10,563 He says, you've heard it said to us, but I say, 239 00:12:10,996 --> 00:12:13,999 what he's saying here is, I have a 40. 240 00:12:14,734 --> 00:12:18,003 There's no other teacher until before Jesus. 241 00:12:18,003 --> 00:12:18,637 That said, 242 00:12:18,637 --> 00:12:23,042 this is what this is what you you know, this is this is just return irritation. 243 00:12:23,042 --> 00:12:25,978 But I'm telling you, nobody's ever said that before. 244 00:12:25,978 --> 00:12:28,981 So Jesus steps in and says, I have authority 245 00:12:29,315 --> 00:12:32,118 because I am the fulfillment of the law. 246 00:12:32,118 --> 00:12:35,121 So though you may have heard, I'm telling you 247 00:12:35,454 --> 00:12:38,124 because he's the fulfillment of it 248 00:12:38,124 --> 00:12:41,127 and the first thing he starts with is this issue of anger. 249 00:12:41,761 --> 00:12:44,730 He says, you've heard it said, don't murder, 250 00:12:44,730 --> 00:12:47,600 and whoever commits murder is liable to judgment. 251 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:48,768 But let me just make this point. 252 00:12:49,769 --> 00:12:52,772 Please notice that the one, 253 00:12:52,772 --> 00:12:56,776 the commandment here of the Ten Commandments is about murder, not killing. 254 00:12:57,610 --> 00:13:00,246 The command is not thou shalt not kill. 255 00:13:00,246 --> 00:13:02,548 The command is thou shalt not murder. 256 00:13:02,548 --> 00:13:04,884 And there's a huge difference. 257 00:13:04,884 --> 00:13:08,721 And it so gripes me when culture talks 258 00:13:08,721 --> 00:13:12,491 about the Ten Commandments and the Bible saying, thou shalt not kill. 259 00:13:12,491 --> 00:13:14,860 That's not what it says. 260 00:13:14,860 --> 00:13:17,496 It's a it's about murder. 261 00:13:17,496 --> 00:13:19,565 And that's important for a couple reasons. 262 00:13:19,565 --> 00:13:23,669 One, because in Genesis, God institutes 263 00:13:24,136 --> 00:13:27,139 the death penalty for murder. 264 00:13:27,807 --> 00:13:31,143 So it's not about killing, it's about murder. 265 00:13:31,143 --> 00:13:32,311 Do you understand? 266 00:13:32,311 --> 00:13:35,314 So let's not be ignorant with what the Bible talks about. 267 00:13:35,815 --> 00:13:37,683 So whoever commits murders. 268 00:13:37,683 --> 00:13:41,187 But I tell you, everyone choose anger with his brothers liable to judgment. 269 00:13:41,187 --> 00:13:44,290 Whoever insults his brother are liable to counsel or says, you fool, 270 00:13:44,290 --> 00:13:47,293 liable to the fires of hell. 271 00:13:47,359 --> 00:13:50,162 Jesus is talking about two different things in our relationships 272 00:13:50,162 --> 00:13:51,764 with each other. We get upset with each other. 273 00:13:52,765 --> 00:13:54,633 Some of your Bibles might have this 274 00:13:54,633 --> 00:13:59,338 this little footnote that says, whoever says to his brother Raka 275 00:14:00,339 --> 00:14:03,342 during your Bible, say that, yeah, raga, 276 00:14:04,109 --> 00:14:07,112 when's the last time you'll tell someone said raga? 277 00:14:07,713 --> 00:14:10,950 Like it doesn't make any sense to us and it doesn't translate well. 278 00:14:11,350 --> 00:14:14,286 Jesus is talking about two different things. 279 00:14:14,286 --> 00:14:17,289 He's talking about one. 280 00:14:18,924 --> 00:14:20,759 Insulting someone, 281 00:14:20,759 --> 00:14:23,762 showing contempt for their intelligence. 282 00:14:24,029 --> 00:14:25,931 You know what this is like? 283 00:14:25,931 --> 00:14:28,133 Freaking idiot. 284 00:14:28,133 --> 00:14:29,969 Okay. 285 00:14:29,969 --> 00:14:32,471 And secondly, he's talking about showing contempt 286 00:14:32,471 --> 00:14:35,474 for their character. 287 00:14:36,375 --> 00:14:39,044 They have no morals. 288 00:14:39,044 --> 00:14:41,580 I don't care about people. 289 00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:43,382 That's what he's talking about. 290 00:14:43,382 --> 00:14:47,052 He said, you think the command is just about killing, murdering somebody? 291 00:14:47,052 --> 00:14:49,188 It's not about that. 292 00:14:49,188 --> 00:14:50,923 It's about when you when you 293 00:14:50,923 --> 00:14:54,693 so disagree with someone, your response is you're freaking idiot. 294 00:14:55,661 --> 00:14:58,664 Well. 295 00:14:59,031 --> 00:14:59,632 Or you just have. 296 00:14:59,632 --> 00:15:02,334 No, they just don't care about people. 297 00:15:02,334 --> 00:15:04,803 You have no morals. 298 00:15:04,803 --> 00:15:07,439 And what amazes me 299 00:15:07,439 --> 00:15:10,542 is how similar this is to our two political parties. 300 00:15:14,013 --> 00:15:14,647 Because there's one 301 00:15:14,647 --> 00:15:17,650 political party, they're saying you guys are just idiots. 302 00:15:18,083 --> 00:15:21,086 You've lost your minds 303 00:15:21,220 --> 00:15:22,922 and the other political party and so you can't. 304 00:15:22,922 --> 00:15:25,925 You have no morals, you don't care about people. 305 00:15:28,861 --> 00:15:30,462 Right. 306 00:15:30,462 --> 00:15:33,265 And have all of our self-righteousness. 307 00:15:33,265 --> 00:15:35,968 We have upheld our party line 308 00:15:35,968 --> 00:15:38,971 and said of the other 309 00:15:39,204 --> 00:15:40,739 people have lost their minds. 310 00:15:40,739 --> 00:15:43,409 Just idiots. 311 00:15:43,409 --> 00:15:43,809 Right? 312 00:15:43,809 --> 00:15:46,812 Then Jesus says you're guilty of the fires of hell. 313 00:15:50,082 --> 00:15:52,384 We can't live up to the standard of 314 00:15:52,384 --> 00:15:55,287 verse 20. 315 00:15:55,287 --> 00:15:56,455 We're guilty. 316 00:15:56,455 --> 00:15:57,723 Do you understand that? 317 00:15:57,723 --> 00:15:59,792 Yeah. 318 00:15:59,792 --> 00:16:00,926 And our self righteousness. 319 00:16:00,926 --> 00:16:02,161 I've never murdered anybody. 320 00:16:02,161 --> 00:16:04,530 And Jesus says, yeah, because that's not what this is about. 321 00:16:08,534 --> 00:16:11,537 Guilty. 322 00:16:11,670 --> 00:16:14,640 You stand condemned. 323 00:16:15,274 --> 00:16:16,342 So much so he says, look, 324 00:16:16,342 --> 00:16:19,345 if you're a church and you're doing some work for the church, 325 00:16:19,678 --> 00:16:21,780 and you realize that someone else has something 326 00:16:21,780 --> 00:16:25,384 to get you, stop what you're doing and go be reconciled with him. 327 00:16:25,517 --> 00:16:28,520 He doesn't say, if you have something to get somebody else, he says, 328 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:32,191 if someone else has some against you, stop what you're doing and go be recorded. 329 00:16:32,324 --> 00:16:35,327 You know the fastest way to be reconciled with somebody 330 00:16:35,427 --> 00:16:39,465 say, look, I understand that you, for whatever reason I've offended you. 331 00:16:39,465 --> 00:16:42,468 I'm sorry. 332 00:16:42,534 --> 00:16:45,070 Accept responsibility. 333 00:16:45,070 --> 00:16:47,940 Even if you think you're in the right. 334 00:16:47,940 --> 00:16:51,043 The fastest way to be reconciled to say, look, I realize that that 335 00:16:51,043 --> 00:16:52,778 that I've done so. 336 00:16:52,778 --> 00:16:54,913 I don't even know it. But all I need you. Look. I'm sorry. 337 00:16:54,913 --> 00:16:55,981 Will you please forgive me? 338 00:16:57,416 --> 00:16:58,684 Won't you even know what you did? 339 00:16:58,684 --> 00:17:02,254 No, I don't, but obviously I'm guilty, so I just ask your forgiveness. 340 00:17:02,454 --> 00:17:05,457 I've done this to multiple people and they don't know how to handle it. 341 00:17:06,258 --> 00:17:07,593 Well, you need to understand what you did. 342 00:17:07,593 --> 00:17:08,427 No, I really don't. 343 00:17:08,427 --> 00:17:09,661 I just need to ask your forgiveness. 344 00:17:09,661 --> 00:17:12,331 Because I'm probably guilty, 345 00:17:12,331 --> 00:17:13,532 and it just so disarms them. 346 00:17:13,532 --> 00:17:14,133 They don't know what to do. 347 00:17:14,133 --> 00:17:16,902 They want to prove themselves right and just and righteous, like whatever. 348 00:17:16,902 --> 00:17:19,204 So fine. 349 00:17:19,204 --> 00:17:20,839 I'm sorry. 350 00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:22,908 Forgive me. 351 00:17:22,908 --> 00:17:25,911 Then they're on the hook to forgive me. 352 00:17:26,645 --> 00:17:28,347 And so what? Jesus, there's. 353 00:17:28,347 --> 00:17:32,451 Even if you're doing something at church, go be reconciled. 354 00:17:32,518 --> 00:17:34,753 Because if you don't seek reconciliation, 355 00:17:34,753 --> 00:17:37,756 he puts it in terms of the judge in prison, 356 00:17:38,357 --> 00:17:41,794 if we don't seek reconciliation with people and we have this grudge, 357 00:17:42,061 --> 00:17:46,632 we'll live in the prison of unforgiveness and broken relationships. 358 00:17:46,665 --> 00:17:49,902 We don't get out of that until it's fixed. 359 00:17:53,472 --> 00:17:56,608 So you don't think what he's saying is, don't think the good work 360 00:17:56,608 --> 00:17:59,778 you do for God overrides the bad relationships with people? 361 00:18:02,114 --> 00:18:05,117 That's what he's saying. 362 00:18:05,150 --> 00:18:08,454 I've been around church a long time, and I see it so often. 363 00:18:08,921 --> 00:18:11,490 We're husbands and wives 364 00:18:11,490 --> 00:18:14,493 just are just mean to each other 365 00:18:15,294 --> 00:18:18,697 and not getting along, and their marriage is in shambles. 366 00:18:18,697 --> 00:18:21,700 But boy, they work hard at church. 367 00:18:22,134 --> 00:18:24,403 And Jesus would say, you know, don't think that your work 368 00:18:24,403 --> 00:18:27,539 at church overrides your bad relationship with your spouse. 369 00:18:27,539 --> 00:18:30,542 It doesn't. 370 00:18:32,444 --> 00:18:35,447 And so we're guilty. 371 00:18:36,048 --> 00:18:39,051 Got it. 372 00:18:39,485 --> 00:18:42,488 That's one illustration of six. 373 00:18:42,588 --> 00:18:45,591 Let's look at the second one. 374 00:18:46,592 --> 00:18:48,827 Verse 27, lust. 375 00:18:48,827 --> 00:18:51,830 You have heard that it was said, you shall not commit adultery. 376 00:18:51,930 --> 00:18:55,067 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent 377 00:18:55,067 --> 00:18:58,070 has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 378 00:18:58,203 --> 00:19:01,807 If you're right, it causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away, 379 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:03,208 for it's better that you lose 380 00:19:03,208 --> 00:19:06,211 one of your members than that your whole body is thrown into hell. 381 00:19:06,378 --> 00:19:10,015 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away, for 382 00:19:10,015 --> 00:19:12,651 it is better that you lose one of your members than that 383 00:19:12,651 --> 00:19:16,021 your whole bodies go, your whole body go to hell and to hell 384 00:19:17,356 --> 00:19:18,323 again. 385 00:19:18,323 --> 00:19:20,759 This is what you think it is, 386 00:19:20,759 --> 00:19:22,094 because I'm the fulfillment of it. 387 00:19:22,094 --> 00:19:25,097 Let me tell you what it really is. 388 00:19:26,398 --> 00:19:28,901 This obviously seems to be directed at men. Men? 389 00:19:28,901 --> 00:19:30,769 Do you look at a woman lustfully? 390 00:19:30,769 --> 00:19:32,738 You've already committed adultery. Let me just say this. 391 00:19:32,738 --> 00:19:33,872 Let me stop right there. Let me. 392 00:19:33,872 --> 00:19:36,074 Just let me make this clear. 393 00:19:36,074 --> 00:19:38,377 When I was growing up 394 00:19:38,377 --> 00:19:41,446 in church, high school kids, we all. 395 00:19:41,446 --> 00:19:42,948 You always wonder where the line is. 396 00:19:42,948 --> 00:19:45,417 Like how close you're going to get to the line and still be okay. 397 00:19:45,417 --> 00:19:46,418 Right? 398 00:19:46,418 --> 00:19:48,387 Like how close to the fire before I get burned? 399 00:19:48,387 --> 00:19:50,389 How close to the edge, like fall off the cliff? 400 00:19:50,389 --> 00:19:52,057 How close can I get? 401 00:19:52,057 --> 00:19:57,996 And we would look at passages like this and the idea behind it was, okay. So 402 00:19:59,198 --> 00:20:00,399 if thinking 403 00:20:00,399 --> 00:20:03,569 lustful thoughts about a girl is same as doing it, and I'm guilty 404 00:20:03,569 --> 00:20:06,705 for thinking I might as well do it because I'm guilty anyway, right? 405 00:20:08,407 --> 00:20:10,676 Does that make sense to anybody like you? 406 00:20:10,676 --> 00:20:11,109 Fine. 407 00:20:11,109 --> 00:20:13,712 If I'm guilty for thinking it, and without the fun, 408 00:20:13,712 --> 00:20:15,480 I might as well be guilty and have the fun. 409 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,350 So that's not what he's saying. 410 00:20:18,350 --> 00:20:21,353 It's always worse to do it, okay? 411 00:20:21,853 --> 00:20:24,957 Being angry at someone is not as bad as killing someone. 412 00:20:24,957 --> 00:20:27,960 Please don't make that assumption. 413 00:20:27,993 --> 00:20:31,530 Thinking lustful thoughts is not as bad as committing adultery. 414 00:20:31,530 --> 00:20:33,565 It's not as bad. 415 00:20:33,565 --> 00:20:36,101 And this is this is where some intellectual people 416 00:20:36,101 --> 00:20:38,370 have a difficult with because they don't understand. 417 00:20:38,370 --> 00:20:42,241 And this is where some ignorant people really misrepresent scripture. 418 00:20:42,241 --> 00:20:43,475 They're not the same. 419 00:20:45,210 --> 00:20:47,946 Killing somebody is much worse than someone. 420 00:20:47,946 --> 00:20:50,949 Rather, the. 421 00:20:52,251 --> 00:20:55,254 Committee in adultery is much worse. 422 00:20:56,822 --> 00:20:59,691 Like someone said, you can't keep birds from flying over your head, 423 00:20:59,691 --> 00:21:02,694 but you can keep from building a nest in your hair. 424 00:21:03,128 --> 00:21:06,131 But actually doing it is a lot worse. 425 00:21:06,898 --> 00:21:09,401 So. So let's just be clear about that now. 426 00:21:09,401 --> 00:21:14,206 They both break God's standard, but humanly one's a lot worse than the other. 427 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:17,342 And he's saying men, 428 00:21:17,342 --> 00:21:21,113 when you lust after someone like you haven't done it, 429 00:21:21,113 --> 00:21:24,983 but in your heart you've separate yourself from your spouse. 430 00:21:26,118 --> 00:21:28,120 But just so that I'm an equal 431 00:21:28,120 --> 00:21:31,123 or gender offender, 432 00:21:31,223 --> 00:21:33,492 that sounded really bad. 433 00:21:33,492 --> 00:21:36,295 Just so I offend everybody. 434 00:21:36,295 --> 00:21:38,997 Women understand 435 00:21:38,997 --> 00:21:41,967 when you look at that other man 436 00:21:41,967 --> 00:21:45,837 and wish man, I wish my husband was more understand. 437 00:21:45,837 --> 00:21:47,306 I wish they communicate like that. 438 00:21:47,306 --> 00:21:50,008 I wish they were more hand. I wish they were more sensitive 439 00:21:51,810 --> 00:21:52,344 women. 440 00:21:52,344 --> 00:21:55,347 You've left your husband. 441 00:21:55,580 --> 00:21:59,484 You've lusted after the character of another man. 442 00:22:00,719 --> 00:22:04,289 And so we have to be careful that we understand 443 00:22:04,289 --> 00:22:07,292 Scripture. 444 00:22:07,993 --> 00:22:11,063 Men lust sexually, women lust 445 00:22:12,531 --> 00:22:15,534 for a better character. 446 00:22:15,834 --> 00:22:18,837 And Jesus says, you've left. 447 00:22:19,771 --> 00:22:22,741 A guilty. 448 00:22:22,741 --> 00:22:25,510 And he says these words that are just they're shocking. 449 00:22:25,510 --> 00:22:27,846 If you're right, it causes you to sin. 450 00:22:27,846 --> 00:22:30,082 Poke it out 451 00:22:30,082 --> 00:22:32,150 your right hand. Cut it off. 452 00:22:32,150 --> 00:22:36,321 Listen, he's not talking about self-mutilation, mutilation. 453 00:22:36,488 --> 00:22:38,523 He's not talking about that. And here's the problem. 454 00:22:38,523 --> 00:22:41,526 Because self-mutilation doesn't go far enough. 455 00:22:41,993 --> 00:22:44,996 It's not extreme enough 456 00:22:45,030 --> 00:22:46,231 because you can pluck out your eye 457 00:22:46,231 --> 00:22:49,201 and cut off your hand and still sin. 458 00:22:50,435 --> 00:22:52,471 Early church, father name origin, 459 00:22:52,471 --> 00:22:55,440 brilliant theologian. 460 00:22:56,041 --> 00:22:57,142 Incredibly smart, 461 00:22:57,142 --> 00:23:00,145 who suffered from sexual lust 462 00:23:00,345 --> 00:23:03,348 and had himself castrated 463 00:23:03,782 --> 00:23:05,817 because he took this so literally. 464 00:23:06,918 --> 00:23:09,821 The problem is, it doesn't go far enough. 465 00:23:09,821 --> 00:23:12,457 When Jesus says, you're right eye, your right hand. 466 00:23:12,457 --> 00:23:18,997 Here's here's the point in that culture, the right was the treasured thing. 467 00:23:18,997 --> 00:23:22,000 It was the like the son of my right hand. 468 00:23:22,267 --> 00:23:24,136 It was the favored thing. 469 00:23:24,136 --> 00:23:25,871 It was the strong thing. 470 00:23:25,871 --> 00:23:29,941 And what he's saying is, even if that thing is your favorite thing, 471 00:23:29,941 --> 00:23:32,944 your treasured thing, and it keeps you from living 472 00:23:32,944 --> 00:23:35,947 righteously, get rid of it. 473 00:23:36,515 --> 00:23:39,384 That thing that is most valuable to you. 474 00:23:39,384 --> 00:23:41,186 The thing is, you can't live without. 475 00:23:41,186 --> 00:23:43,822 If it keeps you from being righteous, get rid of it. 476 00:23:43,822 --> 00:23:46,825 I wonder. 477 00:23:47,492 --> 00:23:50,495 If that thing that is so valuable. 478 00:23:52,931 --> 00:23:55,934 The right hand that we can't live without. 479 00:23:56,968 --> 00:23:59,971 Causes unrighteousness. 480 00:24:00,705 --> 00:24:02,774 Amen. 481 00:24:02,774 --> 00:24:04,209 To follow here. 482 00:24:04,209 --> 00:24:06,745 Yes, this is what Jesus is talking about. 483 00:24:09,781 --> 00:24:12,751 And he says, listen, you're you're guilty. 484 00:24:13,485 --> 00:24:15,854 You stand condemned. 485 00:24:15,854 --> 00:24:18,156 You broken the standard. 486 00:24:18,156 --> 00:24:19,925 You're not living up to the standard of the scribes 487 00:24:19,925 --> 00:24:22,928 and Pharisees. 488 00:24:27,632 --> 00:24:28,733 You okay? 489 00:24:28,733 --> 00:24:31,169 Yeah. This. 490 00:24:31,169 --> 00:24:33,872 There's two of the six. 491 00:24:33,872 --> 00:24:36,842 Let's go to number three. 492 00:24:37,309 --> 00:24:38,109 It was also said 493 00:24:38,109 --> 00:24:41,313 whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. 494 00:24:41,313 --> 00:24:44,382 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, 495 00:24:44,382 --> 00:24:49,020 except on the ground of sexual immorality, immorality, makes her commit adultery. 496 00:24:49,020 --> 00:24:51,490 And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 497 00:24:51,490 --> 00:24:54,493 This is not a popular passage in this culture. 498 00:24:58,330 --> 00:25:01,333 And yet Jesus addresses it. 499 00:25:01,466 --> 00:25:03,068 He says, you've thought about one thing. 500 00:25:03,068 --> 00:25:06,071 I'm telling you. 501 00:25:06,872 --> 00:25:10,108 Part of the difficulty in in this day 502 00:25:10,108 --> 00:25:13,545 when Jesus was was preaching this message, there were two schools of thought. 503 00:25:14,279 --> 00:25:17,215 There were two religious schools of thought, two teachings. 504 00:25:17,215 --> 00:25:20,919 One was from Rabbi Hillel and one was from Rabbi Shimei. 505 00:25:21,987 --> 00:25:24,155 And they were the the teachers of Israel. 506 00:25:24,155 --> 00:25:25,323 They were called. 507 00:25:25,323 --> 00:25:26,892 And Rabbi Hillel. 508 00:25:26,892 --> 00:25:31,930 His interpretation of God's law was very liberal, very generous. 509 00:25:32,864 --> 00:25:35,867 And so in his liberality and generosity 510 00:25:36,234 --> 00:25:40,305 he said that when the Bible talks about a woman 511 00:25:40,472 --> 00:25:44,376 displeasing or being immoral, that could be any number of things. 512 00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:47,379 So vast was his reasons. 513 00:25:47,512 --> 00:25:49,247 Allowances for divorce. 514 00:25:49,247 --> 00:25:53,552 He thought that if a woman overseas and the food or burnt the bread 515 00:25:53,552 --> 00:25:56,555 that was immoral and you could divorce her, 516 00:25:57,856 --> 00:25:59,691 it's like woman 517 00:25:59,691 --> 00:26:02,093 I said 518 00:26:02,093 --> 00:26:04,195 paprika, not garlic. 519 00:26:04,195 --> 00:26:07,065 Now get out. 520 00:26:07,065 --> 00:26:09,334 That's how broad. 521 00:26:09,334 --> 00:26:12,437 And so women had no protection whatsoever? No. 522 00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:15,974 The school of Shimei was very conservative and strict. 523 00:26:16,608 --> 00:26:19,110 And he said the only reasons for divorce, 524 00:26:19,110 --> 00:26:23,048 the only allowances for divorce, is for sexual morality, with witnesses. 525 00:26:24,816 --> 00:26:27,819 So they had to be witnesses. 526 00:26:27,886 --> 00:26:30,989 And so the women were stuck in this place of like, 527 00:26:31,423 --> 00:26:34,426 I have no protection. 528 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:37,662 And Jesus says, listen, we got it. 529 00:26:37,662 --> 00:26:40,665 We have to understand the sanctity of marriage 530 00:26:41,833 --> 00:26:43,902 biblically. 531 00:26:43,902 --> 00:26:47,172 The Bible says God hates divorce, 532 00:26:48,406 --> 00:26:51,543 and every divorce at the seed of it 533 00:26:51,843 --> 00:26:54,613 is the result of sin. 534 00:26:54,613 --> 00:26:56,681 And so God hates it. 535 00:26:56,681 --> 00:26:59,651 Now God gives one allowance for divorce, 536 00:26:59,651 --> 00:27:02,654 not as a command that if this happens, you must. 537 00:27:03,655 --> 00:27:06,725 But the Bible says because of the hardness of man's heart, 538 00:27:07,692 --> 00:27:12,063 because they will not allow reconciliation or repentance and change. 539 00:27:12,631 --> 00:27:16,768 There's one allowance and it's the case of sexual immorality. 540 00:27:16,768 --> 00:27:22,040 The difficulty when Jesus uses these words is sexual immorality is so broad. 541 00:27:22,907 --> 00:27:25,310 It could be it's so broad. 542 00:27:25,310 --> 00:27:26,544 It's not specific. 543 00:27:27,846 --> 00:27:28,647 There was one 544 00:27:28,647 --> 00:27:31,816 thought that even if one is married, there's two couples married, 545 00:27:31,816 --> 00:27:35,186 and then one finds out that one did something before they were married. 546 00:27:36,121 --> 00:27:37,455 It's immoral. 547 00:27:37,455 --> 00:27:40,458 And so you can retroactively divorce them. 548 00:27:41,026 --> 00:27:44,396 And so what Jesus is saying here is, look, marriage is sacred 549 00:27:45,363 --> 00:27:48,366 and it's supposed to be permanent. 550 00:27:48,800 --> 00:27:52,604 So here's the thing, my dear friend, if you are in a marriage 551 00:27:52,604 --> 00:27:55,607 now, stay in it. 552 00:27:57,809 --> 00:28:00,812 Stay in it. 553 00:28:01,579 --> 00:28:02,580 Don't think that. 554 00:28:02,580 --> 00:28:05,350 Well, I married a divorced person. Now it says are committed to like marriage. 555 00:28:05,350 --> 00:28:06,117 Will get divorced now. 556 00:28:06,117 --> 00:28:09,120 No, don't do it a second time. 557 00:28:12,057 --> 00:28:15,293 Keep holy and pure the sanctity of marriage. 558 00:28:16,895 --> 00:28:19,531 It's not to be trifled with. 559 00:28:19,531 --> 00:28:22,534 It's not to be entered into lightly. 560 00:28:23,668 --> 00:28:26,638 God hates divorce. 561 00:28:26,638 --> 00:28:29,941 And here's, here's, here's let's just go a little deeper level. 562 00:28:31,443 --> 00:28:34,546 There are some who have not been divorced. 563 00:28:34,546 --> 00:28:38,283 They're still married, but they're living a divorced life 564 00:28:38,817 --> 00:28:41,820 in their marriage. 565 00:28:42,987 --> 00:28:45,190 Completely separated from each other. 566 00:28:45,190 --> 00:28:48,393 Emotionally, physically, relationally, 567 00:28:48,593 --> 00:28:51,596 spiritually. 568 00:28:57,402 --> 00:29:00,405 And that is not the intent of the father 569 00:29:00,872 --> 00:29:03,842 to understand. 570 00:29:03,842 --> 00:29:06,077 And so he's he's just like, look at this, you guys. 571 00:29:06,077 --> 00:29:09,080 You're you're just guilty. 572 00:29:10,915 --> 00:29:11,783 Here's the fourth thing. 573 00:29:11,783 --> 00:29:13,318 Oaths. 574 00:29:13,318 --> 00:29:16,888 Again, you've heard that it is said to those of you shall not swear falsely, 575 00:29:17,088 --> 00:29:19,891 but shall perform to the Lord what you've sworn. 576 00:29:19,891 --> 00:29:22,794 But I say to you, do not take an oath at all, either 577 00:29:22,794 --> 00:29:25,196 by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by earth, for 578 00:29:25,196 --> 00:29:28,700 it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 579 00:29:28,967 --> 00:29:32,470 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one 580 00:29:32,470 --> 00:29:36,007 hair white or black, apparently, or even make one hair grow. 581 00:29:37,175 --> 00:29:38,409 Let what? 582 00:29:38,409 --> 00:29:39,778 You gotta keep up with me. 583 00:29:39,778 --> 00:29:42,814 Let what you say be simply yes or no. 584 00:29:42,814 --> 00:29:46,050 Anything more than this comes from evil. 585 00:29:46,050 --> 00:29:48,720 Here's what he saying when he says you've heard it. 586 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:52,824 It was said, you shall not swear falsely, but before him to the Lord. 587 00:29:52,824 --> 00:29:55,827 What you've sworn, what the practice was. 588 00:29:56,227 --> 00:29:59,230 They can make any oath or promise. 589 00:29:59,297 --> 00:30:02,801 As long as they didn't promise to the Lord, they didn't have to keep it. 590 00:30:03,935 --> 00:30:07,438 And so all these promises and contracts, an oath that they would take 591 00:30:07,639 --> 00:30:11,142 if they didn't say in the name of the Lord, they weren't liable for them. 592 00:30:11,943 --> 00:30:15,780 And so you had all these shysters and everybody looking for loopholes. 593 00:30:16,414 --> 00:30:18,216 There's a way to get out of my commitment. 594 00:30:18,216 --> 00:30:19,350 I tell people all the time, 595 00:30:19,350 --> 00:30:20,618 be careful about your commitments, 596 00:30:20,618 --> 00:30:22,987 because it's easier to get into one than out of one. 597 00:30:22,987 --> 00:30:25,990 And what Jesus is saying is, quit being hypocritical. 598 00:30:25,990 --> 00:30:27,458 Quit looking for loopholes. 599 00:30:27,458 --> 00:30:30,195 Quit looking for reasons why you don't have to keep your word. 600 00:30:30,195 --> 00:30:31,496 You should be such people 601 00:30:31,496 --> 00:30:35,567 of integrity and character that all you have to say is yes or no. 602 00:30:35,567 --> 00:30:38,002 And everybody believes you and everybody trusts you. 603 00:30:38,002 --> 00:30:38,970 That's character. 604 00:30:40,371 --> 00:30:43,241 That's a righteous life. 605 00:30:43,241 --> 00:30:44,108 You understand? 606 00:30:44,108 --> 00:30:45,810 You know, 607 00:30:45,810 --> 00:30:48,413 and I don't know if there's anybody here that has lived 608 00:30:48,413 --> 00:30:52,784 such a life of integrity and righteousness from day one to now, 609 00:30:54,719 --> 00:30:57,722 that everything we say 610 00:30:57,856 --> 00:31:00,859 is 100% truthful and believable. 611 00:31:02,126 --> 00:31:04,095 And so you and I 612 00:31:04,095 --> 00:31:06,831 are guilty. 613 00:31:06,831 --> 00:31:09,200 We cannot pull the standard of verse 614 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:12,203 20 exceeds the righteousness. Wow. 615 00:31:16,975 --> 00:31:18,843 Look at this in verse 38. 616 00:31:18,843 --> 00:31:21,646 You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. 617 00:31:21,646 --> 00:31:24,649 But I say to you, because I'm the fulfillment of this whole thing, 618 00:31:24,949 --> 00:31:26,851 do not resist the one who is evil. 619 00:31:26,851 --> 00:31:29,921 But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 620 00:31:30,622 --> 00:31:32,924 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, 621 00:31:32,924 --> 00:31:34,993 let him have your cloak as well. 622 00:31:34,993 --> 00:31:37,996 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 623 00:31:38,029 --> 00:31:41,199 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one 624 00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:44,035 who would borrow from you. This is tough. 625 00:31:46,137 --> 00:31:46,738 An eye for an eye. 626 00:31:46,738 --> 00:31:49,440 Tooth for a tooth. 627 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:51,476 Someone slaps you on the right cheek. 628 00:31:51,476 --> 00:31:52,010 Give me the other. 629 00:31:52,010 --> 00:31:55,013 Also. 630 00:31:57,148 --> 00:32:00,051 When Jesus says if someone slaps you on the right cheek, give your other cheek. 631 00:32:00,051 --> 00:32:03,054 He's not talking about physical assault. 632 00:32:03,254 --> 00:32:05,056 In that culture, this was an insult. 633 00:32:05,056 --> 00:32:07,191 It wasn't a physical thing. 634 00:32:07,191 --> 00:32:10,028 It was like, 635 00:32:10,028 --> 00:32:10,395 so what? 636 00:32:10,395 --> 00:32:11,963 He he's not talking about someone 637 00:32:11,963 --> 00:32:14,966 takes a baseball bat to your ribcage, give him your back. 638 00:32:16,434 --> 00:32:19,437 It's only when someone insults you, 639 00:32:19,771 --> 00:32:22,707 get over it. 640 00:32:22,707 --> 00:32:24,943 Accept it. 641 00:32:24,943 --> 00:32:27,946 Let him insult you. 642 00:32:28,379 --> 00:32:30,248 The backhanded slap is equal to an insult. 643 00:32:30,248 --> 00:32:32,050 It wasn't a physical attack. 644 00:32:32,050 --> 00:32:34,919 And so, dear friends, 645 00:32:34,919 --> 00:32:37,922 when someone offends us and insults us. 646 00:32:46,164 --> 00:32:46,798 Why do we? 647 00:32:46,798 --> 00:32:48,666 Why do we feel like we have to? 648 00:32:48,666 --> 00:32:49,901 Oh, yeah. Well. 649 00:32:53,571 --> 00:32:58,042 Why? We 650 00:32:58,042 --> 00:33:01,045 that insecure? 651 00:33:04,248 --> 00:33:05,750 So. So let me ask you this. 652 00:33:05,750 --> 00:33:08,753 What happens when someone insults your kid? 653 00:33:12,557 --> 00:33:15,560 Look, about right. 654 00:33:17,628 --> 00:33:20,631 Don't resist the stuff. 655 00:33:20,732 --> 00:33:21,933 You want a model of this? 656 00:33:21,933 --> 00:33:24,902 How about Jesus? 657 00:33:26,838 --> 00:33:29,841 That's the standard. 658 00:33:32,176 --> 00:33:34,746 If anyone insults you, 659 00:33:34,746 --> 00:33:37,749 give him another opportunity. 660 00:33:38,349 --> 00:33:39,851 You don't have to defend yourself. 661 00:33:39,851 --> 00:33:42,353 All right. 662 00:33:42,353 --> 00:33:43,488 Then I would take your tunic. 663 00:33:43,488 --> 00:33:46,324 Give me your cloak. 664 00:33:46,324 --> 00:33:46,657 So, one. 665 00:33:46,657 --> 00:33:49,560 One message to go, one mouth to go with him voluntarily. 666 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:51,696 A second one, 667 00:33:51,696 --> 00:33:54,699 what he's saying is be willing to suffer loss 668 00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:57,502 and to get taken advantage of personally. 669 00:33:57,502 --> 00:33:59,670 That's what he's saying. 670 00:33:59,670 --> 00:34:03,307 Be willing to be taken advantage of. 671 00:34:07,245 --> 00:34:08,312 You got it. 672 00:34:08,312 --> 00:34:11,282 This is. 673 00:34:11,349 --> 00:34:12,850 Two of you okay? 674 00:34:12,850 --> 00:34:13,684 Yeah. 675 00:34:13,684 --> 00:34:16,687 Without retaliation. 676 00:34:17,522 --> 00:34:20,525 Now, he's not talking about evil. 677 00:34:21,292 --> 00:34:24,228 Government's job is to restrain evil. 678 00:34:24,228 --> 00:34:25,730 But Romans talks about that. 679 00:34:25,730 --> 00:34:28,232 That's the job of government to restrain evil. 680 00:34:28,232 --> 00:34:30,001 He's not talking about letting evil run amuck. 681 00:34:32,970 --> 00:34:33,571 But he is 682 00:34:33,571 --> 00:34:36,541 talking about us patiently enduring insults 683 00:34:37,542 --> 00:34:38,242 and suffering. 684 00:34:38,242 --> 00:34:40,545 Loss. 685 00:34:40,545 --> 00:34:42,747 You look at this and you think, who can live this way? 686 00:34:42,747 --> 00:34:45,750 Who can live this way? 687 00:34:47,151 --> 00:34:50,154 It's an incredible kingdom ethic. 688 00:34:51,389 --> 00:34:52,590 And we're guilty of breaking it. 689 00:34:52,590 --> 00:34:55,593 Look at this. 690 00:34:56,194 --> 00:34:57,929 You've heard that it was said, you shall not, 691 00:34:57,929 --> 00:34:59,597 Or you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 692 00:34:59,597 --> 00:35:02,600 But I say to you, because I'm the fulfillment of this whole thing, 693 00:35:03,134 --> 00:35:05,503 love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 694 00:35:05,503 --> 00:35:08,206 so that you may be sons of your father who is in heaven. 695 00:35:08,206 --> 00:35:10,374 For he makes the sun rise on the evil 696 00:35:10,374 --> 00:35:14,045 and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 697 00:35:14,612 --> 00:35:17,215 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? 698 00:35:17,215 --> 00:35:19,417 Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 699 00:35:19,417 --> 00:35:22,720 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing that others 700 00:35:22,720 --> 00:35:25,990 do not even the Gentiles do the same like he sent people. 701 00:35:26,090 --> 00:35:29,327 People who aren't living by the kingdom ethic, ethic are good to those 702 00:35:29,327 --> 00:35:30,595 who are good to them. 703 00:35:30,595 --> 00:35:33,698 So when you're good to those who are good to you, what good is that? 704 00:35:33,965 --> 00:35:35,967 There's no difference. 705 00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:40,204 It was taught, listen, if someone is good to you, be good to them. 706 00:35:40,204 --> 00:35:43,141 But if they're bad to you, you have no obligation to be good to them. 707 00:35:43,141 --> 00:35:44,242 That's what was taught. 708 00:35:45,243 --> 00:35:47,712 Jesus says, that's not. 709 00:35:47,712 --> 00:35:49,914 That's not my kingdom. 710 00:35:49,914 --> 00:35:52,750 My kingdom is 711 00:35:52,750 --> 00:35:55,286 that for your enemies. 712 00:35:55,286 --> 00:35:58,289 Your enemies are still your neighbor, 713 00:35:58,289 --> 00:36:00,758 and you must love your neighbor. 714 00:36:00,758 --> 00:36:04,428 And for those who are your enemies, you pray for them 715 00:36:05,096 --> 00:36:08,099 and you do good to them. 716 00:36:08,166 --> 00:36:11,169 You don't respond with kind. 717 00:36:17,808 --> 00:36:20,578 Your enemies, you love them. 718 00:36:20,578 --> 00:36:22,413 Bless them. 719 00:36:22,413 --> 00:36:23,948 You do good to them. 720 00:36:23,948 --> 00:36:27,151 You pray for them because even your enemies 721 00:36:27,151 --> 00:36:31,255 are your neighbors, and God's grace extends even to your enemies. 722 00:36:32,490 --> 00:36:35,493 He makes the sun shine on the just and the unjust, 723 00:36:36,394 --> 00:36:38,563 and gives rain 724 00:36:38,563 --> 00:36:41,399 to your friends and your enemies. 725 00:36:41,399 --> 00:36:44,101 And because his grace is common, grace 726 00:36:44,101 --> 00:36:46,771 extended to your enemies, then so does 727 00:36:46,771 --> 00:36:49,740 your goodness and your prayers. 728 00:36:50,274 --> 00:36:53,277 A tough kingdom ethic, isn't it? 729 00:36:55,780 --> 00:36:57,648 And Jesus teaches us this 730 00:36:57,648 --> 00:37:00,952 so that we realize how much we've broken it, 731 00:37:02,420 --> 00:37:05,423 and we stand guilty. 732 00:37:08,492 --> 00:37:10,962 And then look what he does. 733 00:37:10,962 --> 00:37:13,231 Verse 48, 734 00:37:13,231 --> 00:37:15,833 pull up verse 48 on the slide. 735 00:37:15,833 --> 00:37:18,069 You therefore 736 00:37:18,069 --> 00:37:19,470 must be what? 737 00:37:19,470 --> 00:37:22,473 Or faith? Wow! 738 00:37:22,707 --> 00:37:25,710 As your heavenly father is, what faith? 739 00:37:27,144 --> 00:37:29,447 So the first standard 740 00:37:29,447 --> 00:37:32,149 was the scribes and the Pharisees. 741 00:37:32,149 --> 00:37:35,753 And then Jesus goes through six things that says, you're guilty. 742 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:38,689 You can't even live up to that standard. 743 00:37:38,689 --> 00:37:42,660 And now Jesus raises the standard to not of the righteousness 744 00:37:42,660 --> 00:37:46,330 of the scribes of the Pharisees, but to the perfection of the father. 745 00:37:47,732 --> 00:37:53,771 Now you must be perfect, just as your father is perfect. 746 00:37:54,071 --> 00:37:57,842 Every one of us, no matter what you say of these six 747 00:37:57,842 --> 00:38:00,845 in your self-righteousness, I have not committed any of those. 748 00:38:00,845 --> 00:38:03,347 None of us can live up to perfection of the father. 749 00:38:05,016 --> 00:38:08,019 And that's the new standard. 750 00:38:09,754 --> 00:38:12,757 So, dear friends. 751 00:38:14,625 --> 00:38:17,628 Guilty. 752 00:38:19,130 --> 00:38:20,064 As much as 753 00:38:20,064 --> 00:38:25,002 we would like to explain away what perfect means, and believe me, 754 00:38:25,002 --> 00:38:29,307 I've heard so many teachers and so many Christians try to explain that away. 755 00:38:29,340 --> 00:38:32,009 It doesn't mean perfection because God knows we can't be perfect. 756 00:38:32,009 --> 00:38:35,446 What it means is completeness and you can't explain it away. 757 00:38:37,481 --> 00:38:39,050 You cannot explain it away. 758 00:38:39,050 --> 00:38:43,187 It means literally perfect and complete moral character. 759 00:38:46,557 --> 00:38:49,560 Any of us. 760 00:38:51,429 --> 00:38:54,432 And yet God says this is the new standard. 761 00:38:55,232 --> 00:38:58,069 So even if you thought 762 00:38:58,069 --> 00:39:01,072 you were better than the scribes and Pharisees, 763 00:39:02,306 --> 00:39:04,308 you're going to sit there and say, 764 00:39:04,308 --> 00:39:08,045 you have a better character than God Almighty. 765 00:39:08,713 --> 00:39:11,716 How dare you! 766 00:39:12,249 --> 00:39:15,252 So every one of us sit here 767 00:39:15,386 --> 00:39:18,389 guilty and condemned. 768 00:39:18,789 --> 00:39:19,557 Happy Sunday. 769 00:39:22,793 --> 00:39:25,796 So if this is the standard, what do we do? 770 00:39:28,132 --> 00:39:30,601 We need another way 771 00:39:30,601 --> 00:39:31,435 to be righteous. 772 00:39:31,435 --> 00:39:34,438 We need another way to be holy. 773 00:39:34,472 --> 00:39:37,475 Because Jesus has just proven you can't do it. 774 00:39:38,275 --> 00:39:41,679 And when you realize that this is the standard 775 00:39:41,679 --> 00:39:46,951 and you realize how guilty you are, this is why Jesus started the Beatitudes. 776 00:39:47,451 --> 00:39:50,454 Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, 777 00:39:51,322 --> 00:39:53,924 because it will lead them to mourn over their spiritual state. 778 00:39:53,924 --> 00:39:56,927 And so blessed are you when you mourn, 779 00:39:56,961 --> 00:39:59,964 because you will lead you to hunger and thirst for righteousness. 780 00:40:00,731 --> 00:40:03,467 That's why he started that way, 781 00:40:03,467 --> 00:40:06,837 so he could get us to the place of mourning over our own unrighteousness 782 00:40:06,971 --> 00:40:09,974 and admit I need another way. 783 00:40:10,708 --> 00:40:13,411 And so thanks be to God 784 00:40:13,411 --> 00:40:14,578 for our sake, 785 00:40:15,513 --> 00:40:18,516 because I cannot be righteous. 786 00:40:19,550 --> 00:40:23,788 He made him Jesus to be sin who knew no sin, 787 00:40:24,722 --> 00:40:28,292 so that in him I might become the righteousness of God. 788 00:40:29,827 --> 00:40:33,531 So God said, Carl, you are incapable of my standard, 789 00:40:34,231 --> 00:40:37,001 and I have proven it to you time and time and time again. 790 00:40:37,001 --> 00:40:40,004 You stand condemned and guilty. 791 00:40:41,005 --> 00:40:44,341 You have no way to be right with me in yourself. 792 00:40:44,341 --> 00:40:46,744 And so I'm going to take my son. 793 00:40:46,744 --> 00:40:48,512 I'm going to take all your unrighteousness. 794 00:40:48,512 --> 00:40:52,349 I'm going to put it on him, and then I'm going to take all of his righteousness. 795 00:40:52,349 --> 00:40:56,720 And I'm put on the Bible calls it imputation imputed to me. 796 00:40:57,321 --> 00:40:58,322 Look what the Bible says, 797 00:40:58,322 --> 00:41:02,693 so that I become the righteous, not that I become a righteous person. 798 00:41:03,394 --> 00:41:06,630 I become the righteousness of God. 799 00:41:07,965 --> 00:41:11,402 Perfect as he is not perfect in behavior. 800 00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:14,872 But when Jesus, when God looks at me, 801 00:41:14,872 --> 00:41:18,576 he sees the righteousness of His Son and releases his son. 802 00:41:18,576 --> 00:41:21,579 He sees the unrighteousness of me. 803 00:41:22,580 --> 00:41:25,115 The good news after the bad news. 804 00:41:25,115 --> 00:41:29,286 For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation 805 00:41:30,421 --> 00:41:33,390 before I wore filthy rags, 806 00:41:33,891 --> 00:41:36,660 and he's covered me with the robe of righteousness. 807 00:41:36,660 --> 00:41:38,762 I'm covered in it 808 00:41:38,762 --> 00:41:41,298 not because of what I've done, 809 00:41:41,298 --> 00:41:44,935 but because of what God has imputed to me, because of his Son. 810 00:41:45,603 --> 00:41:47,505 Do you understand? 811 00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:50,508 Yeah, that's good news. 812 00:41:50,574 --> 00:41:53,143 Because when I look at myself, 813 00:41:53,143 --> 00:41:56,046 I'm more in. 814 00:41:56,046 --> 00:41:57,114 Because I understand how poor 815 00:41:57,114 --> 00:42:00,117 in spirit I am. 816 00:42:00,184 --> 00:42:03,187 But because of what Jesus has done. 817 00:42:04,154 --> 00:42:07,258 Now God sees me as the righteousness of His Son. 818 00:42:09,393 --> 00:42:10,461 And because that 819 00:42:10,461 --> 00:42:14,698 transaction has taken place, my response then is this 820 00:42:16,634 --> 00:42:19,136 put on Jesus. 821 00:42:19,136 --> 00:42:21,639 And when you've done that, now, here's the choice. 822 00:42:21,639 --> 00:42:25,376 Now make no provision for the flesh to gratify his desires. 823 00:42:27,211 --> 00:42:30,147 Now, because of what I'm not, so that all be righteous, 824 00:42:30,147 --> 00:42:33,150 but because I've been made righteous. Now. 825 00:42:34,285 --> 00:42:37,321 I will go through my own choice 826 00:42:38,489 --> 00:42:40,257 to not lust. 827 00:42:40,257 --> 00:42:43,260 Do not break my vows to not retaliate. 828 00:42:44,194 --> 00:42:46,597 I will make no provision 829 00:42:46,597 --> 00:42:50,801 to gratify my natural sinful desires. 830 00:42:51,735 --> 00:42:56,840 Not so that will be righteous, but because I've been made righteous. 831 00:42:58,175 --> 00:43:01,045 Do you understand? 832 00:43:01,045 --> 00:43:04,048 See, religion is man's attempt to get to God. 833 00:43:04,815 --> 00:43:07,818 Christianity is God. 834 00:43:09,119 --> 00:43:11,422 Coming to man. 835 00:43:11,422 --> 00:43:14,058 And through that, Jesus 836 00:43:14,058 --> 00:43:17,061 coming to earth, dying on the cross. 837 00:43:17,061 --> 00:43:21,131 When I accept that, accept my own spiritual depravity 838 00:43:21,599 --> 00:43:24,501 and accept his covering of me. 839 00:43:24,501 --> 00:43:28,072 Now I stand before God, though guilty, as if. 840 00:43:30,841 --> 00:43:33,844 I'm completely righteous. 841 00:43:35,112 --> 00:43:38,115 And that's the good news. 842 00:43:38,349 --> 00:43:40,351 Everything up to that point. 843 00:43:40,351 --> 00:43:42,853 Bad news. 844 00:43:42,853 --> 00:43:45,623 But we have to have the bad news of the law 845 00:43:45,623 --> 00:43:48,626 to get to the good news of the gospel. 846 00:43:50,494 --> 00:43:54,131 You can appear before God Almighty. 847 00:43:55,599 --> 00:43:57,234 Have me completely justified 848 00:43:57,234 --> 00:44:00,237 if you're sinned. 849 00:44:00,337 --> 00:44:03,340 And completely righteous before him. 850 00:44:06,377 --> 00:44:09,380 Because of what Jesus has done. 851 00:44:10,381 --> 00:44:13,984 But you have to admit your own depravity. 852 00:44:14,785 --> 00:44:17,388 Repent of your sin 853 00:44:17,388 --> 00:44:20,391 and accept him as the leader of your life. 854 00:44:22,593 --> 00:44:24,895 And in that 855 00:44:24,895 --> 00:44:27,631 is great liberation 856 00:44:27,631 --> 00:44:30,601 and joy. 857 00:44:31,802 --> 00:44:32,803 Why don't you pray with me, father? 858 00:44:32,803 --> 00:44:35,806 Thank you. 859 00:44:36,707 --> 00:44:39,710 You are so good to us 860 00:44:39,710 --> 00:44:42,513 to give us the bad news, 861 00:44:42,513 --> 00:44:45,482 so that we can understand the good news. 862 00:44:47,418 --> 00:44:48,318 And, father, you've made it 863 00:44:48,318 --> 00:44:52,389 abundantly clear that in and of ourselves we are guilty and condemned. 864 00:44:54,792 --> 00:44:56,527 And so I thank you for that realization. 865 00:44:56,527 --> 00:44:59,063 It's hard. It's difficult. 866 00:44:59,063 --> 00:45:02,066 We don't want to accept it, but it's the truth. 867 00:45:03,233 --> 00:45:04,635 I thank you that you don't leave us in 868 00:45:04,635 --> 00:45:07,638 that place. 869 00:45:08,238 --> 00:45:10,808 That you've given us this opportunity to be made right with you 870 00:45:10,808 --> 00:45:13,811 through what Jesus has done, what your son's done. 871 00:45:15,512 --> 00:45:18,649 God, I pray that nobody here misses this. 872 00:45:20,684 --> 00:45:21,785 Oh, we all accept it. 873 00:45:21,785 --> 00:45:24,788 So, father, thank you that you hear our hearts. 874 00:45:26,457 --> 00:45:26,957 And I hear, 875 00:45:26,957 --> 00:45:29,960 I think as you hear the hearts that are going to pray right now, 876 00:45:30,360 --> 00:45:33,363 if you've never accepted the righteousness of Jesus over your life, 877 00:45:35,165 --> 00:45:37,234 if you've never repented of your sin, accepted him, 878 00:45:37,234 --> 00:45:40,237 I invite you to do that right now and just. 879 00:45:41,138 --> 00:45:42,473 Between you and the father, 880 00:45:42,473 --> 00:45:46,076 would you just say, God, I admit it, I stand guilty. 881 00:45:48,345 --> 00:45:49,446 You know of myself. 882 00:45:49,446 --> 00:45:52,449 I'm condemned and I have no hope. 883 00:45:52,783 --> 00:45:55,786 I admit it, it's bad news. 884 00:45:56,587 --> 00:45:59,590 But I thank you for the good news of Jesus. 885 00:46:00,991 --> 00:46:02,693 I accept what Jesus did 886 00:46:02,693 --> 00:46:05,696 on the cross to forgive my sin. 887 00:46:07,831 --> 00:46:08,932 I confess my sin. 888 00:46:08,932 --> 00:46:11,935 I repent of it, and I accept what Jesus did 889 00:46:12,736 --> 00:46:14,071 to purchase my forgiveness. 890 00:46:14,071 --> 00:46:17,007 I accept it. 891 00:46:17,007 --> 00:46:18,609 Jesus, I invite you into my life. 892 00:46:18,609 --> 00:46:21,612 I want to follow you. 893 00:46:22,780 --> 00:46:25,582 And I want to do everything I can do, 894 00:46:25,582 --> 00:46:28,552 not to gratify my own natural desires anymore. 895 00:46:28,552 --> 00:46:31,555 They've led me astray too much. 896 00:46:32,022 --> 00:46:35,025 And this morning I'm giving myself to you. 897 00:46:38,428 --> 00:46:38,796 Father, 898 00:46:38,796 --> 00:46:41,799 I thank you for the opportunity you've given us to be right with you. 899 00:46:42,032 --> 00:46:43,100 Because of what you've done up. 900 00:46:43,100 --> 00:46:46,003 We do. 901 00:46:46,003 --> 00:46:48,372 Help us live in a way that's worthy of that. 902 00:46:48,372 --> 00:46:50,574 Now, in your name, I pray. Amen. 903 00:46:53,143 --> 00:46:56,146 You okay? 904 00:46:59,183 --> 00:47:01,084 Here's my ask. 905 00:47:01,084 --> 00:47:04,087 We're going to move into a Christmas season next Sunday. 906 00:47:04,588 --> 00:47:06,790 So we're going to push pause on Matthew for a little bit. 907 00:47:06,790 --> 00:47:07,791 We'll come back to it. 908 00:47:07,791 --> 00:47:09,893 Finish up the sermon on the Mount. 909 00:47:09,893 --> 00:47:12,763 But we're going to go through these elements of of Christmas 910 00:47:12,763 --> 00:47:15,766 and what it really means to have Jesus 911 00:47:15,866 --> 00:47:18,802 come to earth to, to, to set in motion 912 00:47:18,802 --> 00:47:21,805 all the stuff we've talked about this justification being right with God. 913 00:47:22,573 --> 00:47:24,675 And so during Christmas 914 00:47:24,675 --> 00:47:27,744 time, people will come to church if someone just invites them. 915 00:47:28,512 --> 00:47:30,080 Okay, so understand how this works. 916 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:32,883 You're already here. 917 00:47:32,883 --> 00:47:34,785 People who aren't here will come to church 918 00:47:34,785 --> 00:47:38,689 if someone invites them here because you're already here. 919 00:47:38,689 --> 00:47:40,657 What does that mean? That you now become? 920 00:47:42,292 --> 00:47:43,660 Invite us. 921 00:47:43,660 --> 00:47:47,030 And so if you know people in your huddle that don't go to church 922 00:47:47,030 --> 00:47:48,465 regularly, invite them. 923 00:47:48,465 --> 00:47:51,668 As we go through this Christmas series, you understand? 924 00:47:52,436 --> 00:47:53,403 Yeah. 925 00:47:53,403 --> 00:47:55,539 All right, I love you. 926 00:47:55,539 --> 00:47:56,840 I'm proud of you. 927 00:47:56,840 --> 00:47:59,843 You did a good job going through Matthew five today. 928 00:48:00,611 --> 00:48:04,815 I realize it was bad news up front, but we got to the good news at the end, right? 929 00:48:05,182 --> 00:48:06,583 That's the gospel. Let's sing.