40 Matthew 18-19 - Pastor Chuck Smith - C2000 Series

now at the same time there came disciples to Jesus saying who's the greatest in the kingdom of heaven oh boy how they long for this it you talking about motivation and and you know the disciples were not pure in their motivations they were always wrangling about well I'm going to be bigger than you I'll be better than you I'll have a better place in you you know and and their motivations were not always the purest and the many times were arguing about these things the greatest in fact even the mothers of the disciples sometimes got in on this and said Lord when you come in your kingdom would you let one of my sons be on your right time the other left little Jewish mothers wanting to set up their boys and on it that's very typical god bless him and so the disciples came and said who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom and Jesus called a little child unto Him and he set the child in the middle of them and he said verily I say unto you except you be converted and become as little children you shall not even enter the kingdom of heaven whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven the true path to greatness is always the path of humility he that exalteth himself shall be abased he that humbleth himself shall be exalted humble thyself in the eyes of the Lord and he shall lift you up jesus takes a child and says look you got to become like a little child if you're even going to enter the kingdom of heaven and so if you'll hum yourself as a little child that person will be the greatest the path to greatness is the path of servanthood how important that we learn to serve that we not be looking for ourselves but we only be looking for our Lord and to exalt him and whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receives me oh how the Lord loves the little children how he loves their beautiful little faces how he loves that simple faith and trust that is in the heart of a child there's something about their innocence II and simplicity that is absolutely glorious I love it but he said whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea I love Jesus he's a man's man sounds like the Mafia here but I'm all for it I mean he's straight I think that the most heinous sin anyone can commit is to seek to destroy the faith of a child in God that is one of the worst sins that anyone could ever commit to take this pure little child with its simplicity and trust in God and deliberately seek to destroy that child's faith in God in Jesus Christ Jesus and look it'd be better for a man if you just took a millstone and these mill stones weigh about three four hundred pounds tie it around his neck and toss him into the sea better that that happened to him then he offend destroy the faith of one of these little ones who believe in me woe unto the world because of offenses for it must needs be the defense has come but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh be careful offenses are going to come but be careful that you're not the cause of the offenses wherefore if your hand offends you then cut it all cast it from you it is better for you to enter into life halt or maimed rather than having two hands or two feet and to be cast into the everlasting fire if thy I offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes be cast into hell fire so take heed that you despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in heaven and I love this their angels do always behold the face of my father which is in heaven the angels that have been given charge over us to keep us in all of our ways the angels who are watching over our little children their faces are before the father continually there in heaven beseeching the father for these precious little ones this business of thy hand offend thee in all is is something that Jesus meant to be repugnant he means it to be shocking to maim my own body to me is a very repugnant idea to lose a hand to lose an eye by my own doing is just a horribly repugnant thought and Jesus wanted it to be he did not literally mean that we are to cut off our hand or to pluck out our I but he is only illustrating how vital it is that we enter the kingdom of heaven it is worth more than having a whole body as we were talking to you last Sunday about the trapping of muskrats how that if you catch them by their paw they'll turn around and gnaw their leg off and leave the pond the trap again that's a you know kind of a thought that sort of gives us a we react mentally to that as horrible but yet how wise as far as the muskrat is concerned for he figures better to be a free muskrat with three paws than having four paws be tacked on a fir board so Jesus is saying much the same thing here in a in a if there's something in your life that is causing you to stumble if there's something in your life that is creating an offense cut it out get rid of it sometimes when a person comes in to the office and sits down and begins to pour out their story they say well Chuck I'm really in a mess I never thought it would happen to me and I can't understand it but man I'm involved in an affair and and I don't know what to do it you know it's just ripping me apart it's tearing me up my wife doesn't know it and and I just don't know what to do about it no I say to them point-blank cut it off not tomorrow right now cut it off oh but I don't cut it off I said if I were a surgeon and you came to me and you said oh I'm having these lumps under my arm and they're sore and and and they really bother me if I didn't bother to take the biopsies and determine whether or not you had cancer of the lymph nodes but I just at all you know probably you've got cancer in your lymph nodes but you know that's a painful operation we don't you know we don't want to go through the pain of it why don't we just sort of take aspirin and so you won't feel the pain and and forget about it why you'd file a malpractice suit against me for quackery saying well you know just let it go and see what happens and I said now you're coming to me with a spiritual malady that is more deadly than cancer I'm the surgeon and I'm telling you we've got to operate immediately your life depends on it you've got to cut it out and if there is some sin that you're tolerating allowing playing with and and messing around with you cannot do it Jesus is saying cut it off better to go through life maimed than in the hellhole then Jesus in verse 11 says so beautifully for the Son of man has come to save that which was lost I love that we'll get to that when we get to Luke's Gospel and it amplifies it a little further now Jesus said what do you think if a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray will he not leave the ninety-nine and go into the mountains and seek the one which has gone astray and if it so happens that he finds it verily I send you he rejoices more for the one sheep than for the 99 which never went astray even so it is not the will of your father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish your father is watching over them their angel faces to behold the face of the father continually and he isn't willing that any of them perish be careful that you do not offend one of those little ones who believes and trust in him moreover Jesus said if your brother trespasses against you go and tell him the fault between you and him alone and if he hears you then you've gained your brother this is the way differences are to be resolved and settled within the church now if he does not hear you then take with you one or two witnesses so that by so that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established take another person with you or another two people with you and face them with the issue again and if he neglects to hear them then take it before the church but if he neglects to hear the church then let him be as a heathen a publican and up right sinner rank sinner verily I send to you whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven again I say to you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my father which is in heaven so here Jesus is speaking about loosing and binding loosing the work of God binding the work of Satan and then declaring that if two of us so the value of Prayer together an agreement in prayer now most of our prayer is done in private but there are times when agreement in prayer is extremely valuable and I encourage every one of you to have a prayer partner someone that when something really is troubling you you have someone that can pray with you and bear that burden with you for if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask it will be done for them by My Father which is in heaven the power of agreement in prayer then Jesus goes on with this two or three concept he said for where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them so the simplest form of the church is just two or three people getting together to worship the Lord to pray together and whenever there are two there are always three wherever there are three visibly present there's always four jesus said I am in the midst of them I think that it is important that we have and somehow can conceptualize this Jesus isn't like some today who say well the crowds too small I'm not going to go out there tonight you know he said if two or three are gathered I'll be there now what you need to conceptualize and to realize is the fact that Jesus is here tonight now if you have a real need and you knew Jesus was there what would you do is a healer hard problems and don't you know that if you could see him if he actually stood here visibly if you could reach out and touch him you know that the problems would all go he could do it you know he can do it so many times you probably wish oh if I could only be at Capernaum Minh and Jesus was there and if I could only you know just have him lay his hands on me hey he is here the fact that you cannot see him is of no importance a he would be here in the midst of us and you can reach out by faith and touch him tonight and he will reach out and touch you all you have to do is make that contact of faith with him he's here realize that bring before him your need believe him and trust him and he will work in you then came Peter to him and said Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him seven times now I imagine that Peter at this point thought you know I'm really setting a great example here I'm sure that he was stretching in his own mind his knowledge of his own ability to forgive I'm sure when he said seven times he was going far beyond what he knew he could do I'm sure Peter was thinking well I might be able to forgive a guy a couple of times but it'll sound good to the other disciples if I say seven you know and Jesus will fry say look here's the guy that's really getting the lesson listen to him fellas Peters really got it here you know Lord how often shall I forgive my brother the very same offense he's doing the same thing seven times jesus said unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven high 490 now what Jesus is pointing out basically is that forgiveness is not a matter of mathematics it's a matter of spirit that you should have the spirit of forgiveness and I'm certain that he is certain that if you take the 490 that you'll lose count before you ever get there and you'll just realize hey it isn't a matter of numbers it's a matter of spirit I'm to have the spirit of forgiveness and then Jesus went on to illustrate it he said therefore is the Kingdom of Heaven likened to a certain King which would take account of his servants and when he had begun to reckon one was brought unto Him which owed him ten thousand talents about sixteen million dollars but in as much as he did not have any money to pay his LORD commanded him to be sold his wife and his children and all that he had in order that a partial payment might be made and the servant therefore fell down and worshiped him saying O Lord have patience with me and I will pay you all then the Lord of that servant was moved with compassion and he freed him and he forgave him the dead but the same servant went out and found one of his fellow-servants which owed him a hundred pence about three thousand dollars and he laid his hands on him and took him by the throat saying you pay me what you owe me and the fellow servant fell down at his feet and he begged him saying have patience with me and I will pay you everything but he would not he had him cast into the debtors prison until he should pay the debt so when his fellow servants saw what was done they were very grieved and they came and told their Lord all that he did then his Lord after that he had called him said unto Him o you wicked servant I forgave you all that debt because you desired me to should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant even as I had pity on you and his Lord was angry and delivered him over to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due from him so likewise so my heavenly father do also unto you if you careful note from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses heavy duty lesson on forgiveness now the analogy is very clear and obvious God has forgiven you so very much all of your past sins who are you to hold a little grudge or a grievance against your brother not forgive him because of some slight or some mean thing that he has said about you or some dirty thing that he has done to you who are you to hold this bitterness and unforgiving spirit Jesus said look if you don't forgive them from your heart your father won't forgive you your debt now that is heavy you say well explain it to us I can't you want me to explain it away I can't you say well doesn't that works then forgiveness on works I don't know what it is but it's the word of Jesus and you better take heed now the Lord has never commanded us to do anything but what he will not give us the capacity to do it if we are willing the problem is we are not often willing to forgive the Lord is saying it's got to be more than just a forgive forgiving of words oh I forgive you you know but you do that again I forgive you but I won't forget I'll bury the hatchet but I'll leave the handle showing so I can grab it whenever I need it the forgiveness is from the heart forgiveness is a matter of heart it's a matter of spirit and in as much as God has commanded it God will give me the capacity if I am willing but I've got to be willing and so I have to pray O God give to me that spirit of forgiveness God I am bitter God I am angry with what they done I have done Lord I am upset over this thing and I don't want to forgive I want vengeance God but I know that that is not of You Father give to me the spirit of forgiveness give to me forgiveness in my heart God take away this bitterness take away this unforgiving spirit that I have and I will receive God's help if I am willing but I must be willing but I must do it that is a must now it came to pass when Jesus had finished these sayings he departed from Galilee and he came to the coasts of Judea now that is the borders of Judea so he's moving south towards Jerusalem for Jerusalem lies in the area of Judea which is in the southern kingdom so he's left the area of naturally and Psyche coram in the north and has come down now to the area of Judah there beyond Jordan and great multitudes followed him and He healed them there then the Pharisees also came unto him and noticed this they were tempting him this is a test question it is a leading question it is a question of entrapment they are trying to trap Jesus in his words and it is important that you realize that this is a trap questioned by the Pharisees so they came unto Him tempting him or trapping him and saying unto Him is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause now under the Mosaic law it says if a man finds an uncleanness and his wife and he is not content to remain with her let him give her a writing of a bill of divorcement now what is meant by finding an uncleanness in her according to the liberal theologians of those days and uncleanness could be her not fixing the kind of breakfast you enjoy so if she you know boiled the egg too long and the yolk was too hard you can say that's it I've had it I divorce you and you can handle the paper and she had to leave I mean she had no recourse she was just out and so they had applied a very liberal interpretation to this finding and uncleanness in her other of the rabbi's said that the uncleanness was a moral uncleanness he discovered she was not a virgin when you married her or if she would break the marriage vow that it was a moral uncleanness and so there was the division among the scribes and Pharisees of - to which of the two schools they subscribed whether Hallel who took the very narrow moral uncleanness or the other schools very much broader view so they were questioning Jesus is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause and he answered and said unto them have you not read that he which made them in the beginning now notice Jesus is going back not to the law but he's going back to the beginning he who made them in the beginning made them male and female now there's quite a move on foot today to change what God has done they'll never be successful god help poor sick humanity I don't know there's any transvestites here but I cannot for the life of me understand that kind of a sickness really God made the male and female and said for this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife and they too shall be one flesh wherefore they are no more - but they are one there is a unity that is brought about by marriage where the two become one flesh of course that is literally true in your offspring the two of you have become one flesh in your offspring as 23 of the chromosomes come from each of you to begin that new life how beautiful you dads can say that's your kid you know take care of him because he's half yours - 23 chromosomes from you and so it is a perfect combination the two shall become one flesh wherefore they are no more to bethere one what therefore God hath joined together let not man by a writing of divorcement or whatever put asunder now in those days women didn't have the power of divorce and that's why God said don't let mam but as a sunder don't let man break it God has made the two of you one now don't let a man break that by writing out a divorcement for his wife now they said unto him and now picture the trap closing that he's fallen into it to me you know because it was a trap question and he fell right into it all right we got him now and they said unto him why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement and to put her away now all of them recognized that the law that Moses gave came from God if anything was inspired in the Bible it was the law of Moses and there were many of them that only believed that that part and today still many only believe that the first five books of the Bible are inspired but they all hold that that is the inspired Word God gave us the law by Moses now you are contradicting God you see this is the whole idea to put him in contradicting what God said and God said let him put her away and you're saying you can't you shouldn't if God has joined you together you shouldn't break it by writing out a divorcement so you're against God is the whole idea and Jesus said unto them Moses because of the hardness of your hearts allowed you to put away your wives but again he's going back before Moses ever came on the scene from the beginning it was not so you know sin the first part he said in the beginning God made the male and female now he's saying in the beginning it wasn't so Moses because of the hardness of your heart gave the law for divorcing but in the beginning this was not God's intention in the beginning this is not what God desired or planned and I send to you now Moses said but I say whosoever shall put away his wife except it be for fornication and notice he does make the exception and shall marry another commits adultery and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery his disciples said to him Lord if that's the case better than a guide not marry now Jesus is being very straight he's telling you what is God's original plan for me and one marriage for life in the beginning this is what God intended when he made the male and female that the two become one so that the children will always have both parents and the security of a home and a home environment in which to grow up and wherever that breaks down we find its effects throughout our entire social structure and we see it today the tremendous breakdown in our society in the social order because of the divided families and the children are always hurt as a byproduct of this division now Jesus did give the one cause and that one cause is fornication and in that case the innocent party would be free to remarry very plainly declares that if they put away their wife except for fornication and marry another but the exception is there now Jesus said unto his disciples when they were shocked at the straightness of his declaration all men cannot receive this saying except to those to whom it is given now this is the next saying they sign about for there are some who are eunuchs which were so born from their mother's womb there are others who are eunuchs which were made eunuchs of men and there be some eunuchs which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake if you're able to receive it let him receive it I'm not able so I just let it go I'm not a eunuch nor do I desire to be then were there brought unto Him little children that he should put his hands on them and pray for them and his disciples rebuked them that is the parents that were bringing them but jesus said allow the little children don't forbid them to come to me for as such is the kingdom of heaven and he laid his hands on them and he departed from there oh I can get just such a beautiful picture of Jesus and the little children thronging around him and the love and the interest that he had in these little ones and here's the disciples thinking they were protect names at all don't don't want to lord your little kids she said wait a minute they get all the way Peter let that little one come to me don't forbid him such as the kingdom of heaven laid his hands on them bless them Oh love it and behold one came and said to him good master what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life well here is the moralist we see them today people who are looking for some work whereby they might obtain the gift of eternal life there are always those who are wanting to work their way into God's favor work their way into God's blessings if you'll just pray then God will bless you if you'll just fast and God will bless you if you'll just give then God will bless you how many 1 a blessing then dig deep and give tonight you know and there are always those who want to do some work to obtain God's blessing upon their lives what good work must I do that I may inherit eternal life there's not a single work that you can do Jesus later said with man it's impossible there's no way that you can do any kind of a work that will save you salvation eternal life is the gift of God and it's not of works lest any man should boast we are his workmanship and jesus said unto him why callest thou me good there is none good but one that is God now here he said good master jesus said why did you call me good there's only one that is good and that is God now obviously Jesus is saying one of two things he is saying I am no good or he is saying I am God which do you think he is saying what he is doing is trying to awaken the consciousness of this man to the fact that he has received a divine revelation he's getting close why did you call me good the reason why you call me good is because you though you don't realize that have recognized something about me why did you call me good you remember when Peter said thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God Jesus said blessed that are you simon barjona flesh and blood did not reveal this to you Jesus is saying much the same hey why did you call me good flesh and blood didn't reveal this there's a divine revelation here you call me good but there is only one that is good and that is God you call me good because I am God you've recognized something here what must I do to have this eternal life this age you're biting life this quality of life that you have this quality that I'm observing and I'm drawn to and Jesus is beginning to point out the way first of all the recognition of Who I am why did you call me good there's none good but God and he said in and Jesus said but if you will enter into life keep the commandments and he said unto Him which and Jesus said also do no murder thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not steal thou shalt not bear false witness honor thy father and thy mother and that's what love thy neighbor as thyself notice now nothing is said of the first table of the law nothing is said of man's relationship to God he did not give him the first four commandments they also have no other gods before me I shall not make any graven images to bow down to them to worship them I don't know what him got all my buttons thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain and remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy he did it bring out any of the first for man's relationship with God he only dealt with man's relationship with man because this man was a moralist he was that typical man who was looking for a good work that he might do in order to inherit eternal life he was used to doing good works that his life was spent in doing good works and so Jesus gave to him those Commandments that dealt with his relationship with fellow man and as Jesus splashed these before his eyes he answered and said unto him all of these have I kept from my youth but what lack I yet know here's a man who is rich he is a moralist he's kept his relationship with his fellow men all that it should be throughout his life he's tried to do the good thing the right thing to his fellow man and yet he is conscious that there is a lack in his life I don't yet have what you have what lack I yet he was conscious that there was still a lack in his own life that there must be something more than just living a good life and being wealthy what lack I yet and Jesus said unto him if you will be complete totally complete perfect then go and sell what you have and give it to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me now I'd like to read to you what Jesus is essentially saying to him if you will be perfect or complete come follow me the rest is only incidental with the rest there is no universal application that was an individual commandment to that man it is not a universal application this was not a requirement to any person who is going to be complete or to have eternal life it doesn't mean that you've got to sell everything you have and distribute it to the poor now in the early church there was a movement of this sort it ended in financial disaster it also and ended in some personal calamities when the church first started people were very excited what about what was happening and they were anticipating the Lord to return immediately and a lot of them began to sell their properties and bring the price and lay it at the Apostles feet and there was one couple Ananias and Sapphira who sold their property and they brought him part of the money and put it at Peters feet and Peter said hey wait a minute why have you conspired in your heart to lie against the Holy Spirit you're not lied against man you buy it against God as long as the property was yours did anyone require you to sell it and even after you sold it no one required that you bring everything in but yet you're making this pretence of bringing everything you're trying to deceive God and and so there was Swift judgment upon Ananias and his wife Sapphira not because they didn't bring everything Peter makes it very clear that they weren't required to sell their possessions they weren't required to bring the money in it was something that people did out of their own volition and freewill and so Jesus when he says go and sell what you haven't distribute it to the poor is not making a universal demand for those who would have eternal life what is the universal demand is come and follow me you cannot have eternal life apart from following Jesus Christ but he will always put the finger on whatever it is in your life that's keeping you from following him and with the case of this rich young ruler the thing that was keeping him from following Jesus Christ was his riches that was his God Jesus said you cannot serve God and Mammon you can't have two masters if you have a false god that is controlling your life then you've got to go and get rid of it whatever it be and you've got to have the true God on the throne of your life Jesus says come follow me why did you call me good there's only one good that's God you call me good because you recognize that I'm God not follow me get rid of the false gods get rid of the empty gods follow me the true and the Living God and it's important that you observe this because a lot of people make a big deal over you know what you got to go and sell everything you have and distribute to the poor and all not so that is not of universal application the universal application is come follow me he is the way to completeness he is the way to eternal life there is not any real life apart from him now when the young man heard that saying he went away sorrowful for he had great possessions sorry because he was so rich then said Jesus unto his disciples verily I send to you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven and again I say it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God and when his disciples heard it they were exceedingly amazed saying who then can be saved and with and Jesus beheld them and said unto them with men it's impossible but with God all things are possible now when you go over to Israel today the guides when you get to the oh the Church of the Nativity they will show you a little sub gate under the gate into the church and they'll tell you that that little sub gate was called the eye of the needle and that in the gates of the cities they always had this little sub gate which was called the eye of the needle and in order to get the camel through it they had to take all of the burden off of the camel's back and it had to get down on the ground and a couple guys behind it pushing and one guy in front of pulling had to get it to squeeze through this little eye of the gate in or the eye of the needle in the gate and they say now that's you know what Jesus was talking about isn't that interesting they make it a possibility if you struggle hard enough and if you grunt and groan enough you can actually save yourself a lot of people would like to have you think that but Jesus points out that that is entirely false he's talking not about some little gate that you can buy a lot of effort and grunts and groans squeeze and get through he's talking about an eye of a needle that a woman is sewing with and you try and get a camel through that and that's why the disciples have Lord who then can be saved and note Jesus said what with man it is impossible remember that he didn't say you've got a strain you got a struggle you got a grunt and groan give it your best he is saying it's impossible men cannot save himself the moralist cannot save himself no man by good works can save himself no man by a good work can inherit age abiding eternal life it is a gift of God and it is only wrought by a miracle of God in our hearts and lies for though it is impossible with man with God all things are possible it's even possible to save you and God has done the impossible in saving us tonight and remember that with man it is impossible that eliminates the moralist completely you cannot by your good works obtain for yourself a place in the kingdom of God you've got to come as a little child and be converted and just simply trust in Jesus then answered Peter and said unto Him O Lord we've forsaken all and followed you what are we going to have there for easy are always looking for that now what I got coming Lord am I going to be the greatest jesus said unto them verily I say unto you that you which have followed me in the regeneration the recreation in making this new order when the son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory ye also shall sit upon the twelve Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel now in heaven John saw the throne of God in their 2424 Thrones around the throne of God upon which were seated 24 elders there are many who believe that those 24 elders are actually representative of the church and of course if so then twelve of them would be the apostles there are some problems with that interpretation but it is at least one of the interpretations that has been suggested for those 24 Thrones lesser Thrones about the throne of God but nonetheless Jesus said that they will be sitting upon twelve Thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel and everyone that hath forsaken now you've said you've forsaken all to follow me but everyone who has forsaken his house or his brothers or sisters or his father or his mother or his wife or his children or lands for my name's sake if you've done it for his name's sake that is your wife will not follow you in your commitment total commitment to Jesus Christ and as Paul said if the unbelieving husband is not content to remain let him depart no one has left these things forsaken these things for my sake but what he shall receive a hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life so not only does he give you a hundredfold now but then eternal life to boot but many that are first shall be last I think that he is here referring actually to the Jewish nation to whom the gospel was to be preached first Paul said I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ the power of God unto salvation to all that believed to the Jew first and also to the Greek but it was to go to the Jew first and then to the Gentiles now they're going to be judging the 12 tribes why because the 12 tribes basically rejected the Messiah so those that were first shall be last and they that are last that is the Gentiles shall be first and so in that kingdom that Jesus establishes we shall be one with him joint heirs with the son of the glorious kingdom of God throughout eternity the gospel came to us last but we have the first privileges in his glorious kingdom who have believed on Jesus Christ where we who believe in Jesus Christ are neither Jews nor Greeks barbarian Scythian bond or free but Christ is everything we are a whole new nationality we are new creatures in Christ Jesus we are a new creation a new race of people so you really can't say well I am a Irishman or an Englishman or a Scotchman you must say I'm a Christian you're a new race you see we're not related any more to the whatever ethnic group we came from we're all one in Jesus Christ we now relate to a new source well you know that's my old Irish temper oh no no that old Irish temper died when the old man died and you became a Christian can't pass it off now on the old Irish temper anymore you're a new creature in Christ you're a new creation you're a new race of people in our Lord Jesus Christ and so the last many that our first shall be last and the last shall be first next week will continue in the next three chapters of Matthew's Gospel shall we pray father again we thank you for your word truly it is a lamp unto our feet a light into our path may we walk in its light be obedient unto its truths that we Lord would not seek to mold and shape your word to our concepts but that we would have our concepts molded and shaped by your word help us father that we might bend our necks to the authority of your truth rather than trying to bend the truth to fit our loose lifestyles Jesus let thy word penetrate our hearts and give us O God a spirit of obedience and a spirit of forgiveness in Jesus name we pray amen

Channel: Ken Zenk

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Length: 58min 26sec (3506 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 08 2013