The Danger of Not Being Members

Josh Clink

Clarify, Unify, Glorify in Matthew • Sermon • Submitted 7 months ago • Presented 8 months ago

Matthew 23

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ME (A hook):

I remember vividly as a kid,

The first time I ever rode on a roller coaster.

It was the superman coaster at Darien Lake.

After a long wait in line,

We finally got our seat in the very front car!

Then as the train starts to go,

It is this long…slow…ascent to the top.

As we are going up and up and up,

My fear climbs with it.

But for my dad,

His excitement is what is climbing.

And I remember,

Just before we reached the very top,

My dad leans over to me,

And with this giant grin, says,

“What goes up must come down!”

Seconds later,

He was right!

We reached the top,

And down we went!

Much faster than the slow ascent to the top.

That is what Matthew has felt like.

For 22 chapters it has been slowly going up and up and up.

But what goes up must come down.

Ch. 23 feels like the top of the roller coaster,

Where things start going down much faster than they went up.

But like any good roller coaster,

Matthew doesn’t just go straight down.

There are some unexpected twists and turn in the remaining chapters,

And Lord willing we will get there over the next month and a half.

But this morning,

In ch. 23,

The quick downturn teaches us the Danger of Not Being Members.

This is one of the most difficult passages in Matthew,

Not in terms of understanding what Jesus is saying.

But it is difficult in terms of how confronting Jesus’ message is.

It cuts straight down to our souls.

One commentary introduces the chapter this way:

“Jesus’ words in this passage fly from His lips like claps of thunder and spears of lightning. Out of His mouth on this occasion came the most fearful and dreadful statements that Jesus uttered on earth.”

In this chapter,

Jesus calls the scribes and Pharisees:

Hypocrites, sons of hell, blind guides, fools, robbers, self-indulgent, whitewashed tombs, snakes, vipers, persecutors, and murderers.

And the temptation is to hear this,

Then shake our head and think,

“Those scribes and Pharisees were really messed up for Christ to speak to them this way.”

But it is important we remember,

These guys were well regarded leaders in their day.

And the danger is,

They sincerely believed what they were teaching and doing was right and good.

That is why this chapter confronts us with the Danger of Not Being Members.

Slide

So, our outline is broken up into three parts.

First, we see,

Several Judgments (vs. 1-28)

One Last Judgment (vs. 29-36)

Certain Judgment (vs. 37-39)

When Jesus returns, will you receive certain judgment or certain salvation?

Slide

Just because Jesus is addressing the scribes and Pharisees in this chapter,

Does not mean His warnings do not apply to us.

So, before looking at this passage,

Let us consider two warnings.

First, the sincerity of the religious leaders warns us that,

It is possible for us to believe we are doing what God wants,

Obeying God’s Word,

And following God’s will,

All the while we are deceived by our own evil hearts,

And face certain judgment.

In one sense,

It is so tempting to imagine the scribes and Pharisees as fictional characters.

But they were real people,

Who really believed they were doing what God wanted,

Obeying God’s Word,

And following God’s will.

That is part of what makes this chapter so difficult.

Jesus’ statements of judgment demonstrates,

No matter how sincere we may be,

We all can be deceived by our own evil hearts,

And face certain judgment.

This is no light judgment.

In our chapter,

Jesus warns of condemnation and damnation,

To people who thought they were serving God.

Slide

A second warning,

It is tempting for us to only think of other people who need to hear Christ’s judgments.

But first and foremost,

This chapter should humble us,

And force us into deep self-reflection.

Because Jesus is condemning this religiousness that tries to please God with one’s own work or efforts.

Whether that is another religion like Islam or Hinduism,

Or a misapplied form of Christianity,

The gospel clearly teaches,

That apart from God’s gracious intervention,

We are all condemned to eternal damnation.

That is why any one of us can believe we are doing what God wants,

Obeying God’s Word,

And following God’s will,

While being deceived by our own evil hearts,

And face certain judgment.

That is why we can’t think of the scribes and Pharisees as fictional characters,

Nor can we first think of others as we read this chapter.

Instead we must ask ourselves,

“Have I missed it?”

“Where am I being deceived by my evil heart?”

So, to help with this,

As we look at Christ’s judgment sayings this morning,

I am including personal questions for self-reflection.

But don’t answer these questions too quickly.

Don’t be quick to assume,

“Well, that’s not me.”

Don’t be too proud to pause and consider the sin in your heart.

To take the time to honestly ask yourself these questions,

To sit and meditate,

To ask God to expose your blind spots,

Bring your heart to the light,

And be rescued from your own evil heart.

Because God is merciful,

And He uses this difficult chapter for our good,

For us to confess sin,

Which He promises to forgive and cleanse us of.

WE (Why does this matter to us?):

So, with all that in mind,

Slide

Let us look at the first several judgments in vs. 1-28.

Our passage begins with Jesus addressing the crowd,

Including His disciples,

With a description of the scribes and Pharisees.

We have encountered the Pharisees multiple times in Matthew’s Gospel already.

So, by now, we have a relatively good handle on them.

But we may be less familiar with scribes.

During OT times,

A scribe was essentially a legal office.

They acted as secretaries who prepared and issued legal decrees.

Since not everyone knew how to read and write,

Those who were educated would fill the role of scribe.

As a result,

They were considered men of high authority and influence.

In later OT times,

After the Jews lost their independence,

Scribes became almost entirely devoted to multiplying copies of the law,

And teaching it to others.

By the time we get to the NT,

They had essentially been engulfed as a sect within the Pharisees,

Who together,

Had been supplementing God’s law with their own traditions,

Thereby obscuring the law.

Yet, by saying the scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat in vs. 2,

Jesus is recognizing the legitimate teaching office they hold.

That is why in vs. 3,

He says to do what they say,

To observe their teaching,

Specifically regarding their OT teaching.

However, He was not saying to obey all their traditions.

He has already criticized many of their beliefs earlier in Matthew.

And again,

He prohibits here,

Doing what they do.

Because they don’t practice what they preach.

Slide

This leads to our first question,

Do we practice what we preach?

The irony here,

Is the scribes and Pharisees have the authority of Moses to teach God’s Word.

And even though Jesus affirms their teaching,

He condemns their actions.

As Jesus continues in vs. 4,

They made their traditions into fences around the law,

Establishing rules so strict,

That they became heavy burdens,

That were impossible to carry.

Yet, here they were,

Piling these rules onto the shoulders of others,

While being completely unwilling to lift a finger to carry the burdens themselves.

This is why Jesus repeatedly calls them hypocrites.

Now, the Bible is clear,

None of us are perfect,

None of us are completely holy.

As a pastor,

I have a responsibility to teach God’s Word,

And to call the body to certain things in response.

But in doing this,

I do not pretend to perfectly carry out everything I call the body to do.

Nonetheless, it is crucial I seek to practice what I preach,

And that is what I strive to do.

How about you?

Is there consistency between what you say and how you live?

As a parent,

At work,

In school,

In your marriage,

Or among your friends,

Is this true of you?

We must be committed to do what we call others to do.

We must beware of any hypocritical inconsistency.

We must practice what we preach.

Slide

A second question comes from vs. 5-7,

Are we content with God’s approval?

Or do we desire the applause of people?

In vs. 5,

Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of doing everything just to be seen by others.

He says this is the reason they make their phylacteries big and their fringes long.

The idea of phylacteries comes from Exodus 13:9,

Where God told Moses to tell His children during the Passover feast,

“It shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth.”

God is speaking to Moses using figurative language.

But Jewish leaders took it literally.

So, they would write passages of God’s law,

And religious prayers on parchment,

Then put them in these small leather cases,

Which became known as phylacteries.

Then, they would take their phylacteries and attach them to their hand or around their forehead,

As a ritualistic reminder of their covenantal commitment to God’s Word.

But by the time we get to Matthew,

They were making their phylacteries so big,

To show everyone how much of God’s law was in their mouth,

As a pretentious display of religiousness,

While simultaneously drawing attention away from God and His Word.

So, Jesus is reprimanding these corrupt leaders,

For loving their own power,

Their own prestige,

And the applause of people.

The question for us, then,

Is whether we are content with God’s approval.

It can be very dangerous to hunger for the applause of people.

Because when we get it,

Our sinful flesh really enjoys it.

But it just leaves us wanting more and more and more.

And in turn,

God’s approval in Christ becomes less and less satisfying.

But the Bible calls us to be content with God’s grace.

So much so, it tells us to die to what others might say about us.

Our hearts can only cultivate this posture by the Spirit.

So, pray He would produce this in you,

And in our body as a church.

For me personally,

I would ask you to please pray this for me.

Slide

Next, in vs. 8,

Jesus introduces a teaching about discipleship,

Where we also get our third question from,

Do we assert our superiority over others?

Especially to the point we overtake Christ’s authority.

Jesus says the scribes and Pharisees take delight in having others call them rabbi, father, and teacher.

Therefore, He seems to prohibit the use of these titles.

However, the Bible as a whole, shows this is not an absolute prohibition,

Because these terms are used to refer to God’s people several times throughout the NT in Acts, Corinthians, Timothy, and Titus.

So, it is not like He is denouncing spiritual leadership within His body.

Instead, He is clearly rebuking the temptation for human leaders,

To assert their authority over others,

To the point where they are asserting themselves over Christ’s authority.

That is exactly what the scribes and Pharisees were doing here,

They were flaunting the titles of rabbi, teacher, and father,

To encourage their superiority,

Drawing people to themselves and away from Christ.

The root of this is the sin of clearly pride.

Since pride is such a dangerous sin,

Slide

I would like to share another list of helpful diagnostic questions from David Platt,

“Does your heart delight in receiving honor over other people?

Do you find comfort whenever you feel that you are in a better or higher position than someone else?

Are you prone to, even in your own mind, exalt yourself above others?

Do you compare yourself with other people, subconsciously measuring yourself against them to discern your own level of spirituality?”

C.S. Lewis also often warns about pride in his writings.

He defines pride as self-conceit,

And says it is the great sin.

In Mere Christianity, he warns,

“If you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed.”

Like Platt’s last question,

Lewis also warned how comparison and competition are deeply intertwined with pride.

Slide

He wrote,

“Now what you want to get clear is that pride is essentially competitive—is competitive by its very nature…Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say that people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. If every one else became equally rich, or clever, or good-looking there would be nothing to be proud about. It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest.”

Lewis gets at this idea that we have this natural proclivity to compete against one another,

To measure ourselves against our neighbor.

And the results of this sinful habit is damning in both ways.

Especially in the context of spirituality.

Because when we think we are more spiritual than others,

We feed that pride and ego.

But when we think we are less spiritual than others,

We will feed despair and hopelessness.

But either way,

We are condemned.

Our sinful hearts puts us all on level ground,

And if we are saved,

The Bible says we are all fellow members of Christ’s body,

Made equal before God through Christ,

Only Christ is superior.

So, Lewis adds the remedy to this problem,

“If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realise that one is proud.”

May we all first realize this.

Then, may God help us to live, lead, and relate to one another in ways that affirm our equality as fellow members of Christ’s body.

Slide

This naturally leads into our next question from vs. 11-12.

Do we humbly serve others,

Or are we too focused on ourselves?

This is not the first time Jesus shared this concept in Matthew.

He takes every worldly idea of leadership,

And flips it on His head.

God humbles whoever exalts themselves,

And exalts whoever humbles themselves.

This principle is perhaps most clearly expressed in the way we serve others.

Are we always looking for ways to serve others?

Or do we tend to think,

“What would be best for me in this situation?”

Slide

Our next question comes from the first two of Jesus’ proclamation of woes,

Starting in vs. 13.

These statements of judgment,

Pronounce God’s justice against His people,

And declares the imminent realization of the covenantal curses from the OT prophets.

But don’t miss Jesus’ purpose behind all these warnings.

It is to express God’s concern for His people,

And His desire for them to repent.

That is why Jesus uses the term, “woe.”

It was the term used by OT prophets to express imminent condemnation.

So, the Pharisees would have heard this word and recognized it immediately.

But notice how the moment Jesus has their attention,

He calls them hypocrites.

This is not the first time He has said this to them.

And He does not hide the reason why He says it.

They claim to have a relationship with God,

To love righteousness,

To believe His Word.

But in their heart,

They are so engulfed with their self-seeking ways,

That they have deceived themselves.

They are not even aware that they are hypocrites.

And it is from their hypocrisy that we get our next question,

Are we hindering people’s salvation?

This gets at the heart of what the scribes and Pharisees were doing.

He says they were shutting the kingdom in people’s faces,

Preventing people from salvation in Christ.

Again, this was not their intent or goal.

They were sincere in what they were doing.

Jesus acknowledges in vs. 15,

How they were willing to travel over land and sea to make followers.

These guys were giving their lives to spread the message they believed was true.

But there message was a hopeless form of earning salvation.

And in spreading their message,

They were turning people away from Christ.

So, not only were they not saved,

They were preventing others from salvation as well.

The gospel clearly teaches,

Faith in Christ is the only means of salvation.

But instead of trusting and teaching this gospel,

They were striving for self-righteousness through legalism.

Sadly, they were deceiving their followers to be legalistic just like them,

Keeping them from receiving righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Therefore,

Jesus says,

They are making their followers twice as much children of hell.

So, we must ask ourselves,

Can this be true of us as well?

Are we hindering salvation by deceiving potential members?

Both the NT and church history show how prominent false teachers are.

Sometimes, these false teachers have intentionally malicious motives.

Other times, they are sincere but deceived.

But regardless the motive,

The result is the same,

People are being deceived.

We have some popular preachers and teachers in our world today,

Who spread teachings that completely neglect the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Teachers who do not cling to Jesus for mercy,

Rather, they use His Name to get what they want.

But we also have people who claim to be Christian,

And in all sincerity,

Tell others that they need to act a certain way,

Or do something specific,

Or stop a certain lifestyle to get saved.

But this is not what the gospel teaches.

And when we promote this,

We are just like the scribes and Pharisees.

We are hindering people’s salvation.

Because people will believe these teachings.

And that is why they are so dangerous.

Slide

Next, vs. 16-24 lists two more woes,

From which we get our next question,

Are we more concerned with religious details than with practical ministry?

Jesus warns against focusing on less important things,

While ignoring more important things.

One way we do this,

Is by justifying sin according to our tradition,

Rather than fleeing sin according to God’s truth.

This is what Jesus confronts in vs. 16.

He calls the scribes and Pharisees blind guides,

To illustrate how they were being false teachers.

Specifically, in the way the teach about oaths.

The type of oath He is referring to is a formal and binding promise to God.

They should not be made flippantly.

Yet, these leaders treat them like a child who has their fingers crossed behind their back,

When they make a promise.

One commentary says:

“At a more fundamental level, breaking an oath is tantamount to breaking faith with Yahweh [God].”

And that is what the scribes and Pharisees are doing.

They are breaking faith with God,

They are taking His Name in vain.

They are using oaths to manipulate others.

Swearing by the temple, altar, and heaven,

But saying these oaths aren’t binding,

Only oaths by the gold in the temple,

The sacrifice on the altar,

And the God who lives in heaven were binding.

Slide

So, these leaders were making up their own rules of what they could swear by yet not be bound.

They were saying that people only had to keep their oaths under certain circumstances.

It was such a corrupt system,

It allowed them to create and take advantage of their own loopholes,

To justify their own lies,

And manipulate others.

So, Jesus’ rebuke is clear,

Going back to His sermon on the mount,

God desires truth and uprightness and honesty in all our words.

So, breaking any oath leaves you accountable to Him.

In fact,

Jesus’ point is that oaths should not be necessary,

Because we should not treat false speech as if it is socially acceptable.

These man-made rules about oaths are just an attempt to justify sin.

It is like saying,

“Yea, I know this is technically sin, but everyone does it so it is okay.”

This is true with little white lies,

Or gossip,

Or gluttony,

Or materialism.

We will justify sins like these.

Because they are common, familiar, or comfortable.

But Jesus says here He wants His members truthful and honest in all things.

So, instead of justifying sin according to our tradition,

We must flee from all sin according to God’s truth.

Because it is all repulsive to God.

Slide

The danger of justifying sin like this,

Is how it leads us to priding ourselves in our ability to follow the laws we find convenient,

Rather than pouring ourselves out in love like Jesus.

That is what Jesus is getting at in vs. 23.

Referring to the OT,

He acknowledges how the scribes and Pharisees meticulously tithed their ten percent of everything,

Even their tiniest little herbs.

Now, don’t misunderstand,

He is not discouraging these things.

He said these things should be done.

But He does rebuke them for obsessing over ritualistic matters so much,

That they neglected the more important matters of the law:

What Micah 6:8 says includes justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Jesus’ point is that God’s people were failing to give justice to the poor,

And to express kindness to the needy,

Because they were failing to walk humbly with God.

This is a challenging and humbling rebuke from Jesus.

Studies estimate that nearly half of the world’s population lives on less than $2 a day.

Other estimates believe about 1 billion people living below the poverty line.

Statistics like this show that it makes no sense for us to pride ourselves on obeying the parts of God’s Word that are convenient for us.

Because there is such a great need to show justice and mercy,

Both here in Afton,

And all around the world.

But the point is not that these more convenient aspects of God’s Word are unimportant.

Jesus says these things should be done.

However, he does say that it is even more important that we express mercy and justice,

Which requires us to pour ourselves out in love like Jesus.

So, the question is not so much whether or not we are willing to step our of our comfort zones,

And get our hands dirty doing practical ministry.

The question that gets to the heart level asks,

Are we content to spend our lives doing what we find easy or convenient or comfortable?

I fear as Christians,

We are far too content with settling with what we find easy or convenient or comfortable.

Jesus says doing this is like straining a gnat out of your drink,

But leaving a camel to gulp down.

It is wrongly directing our attention,

Obsessing over tiny, ritualistic, or convenient matters,

But overlooking more important ones.

Slide

Jesus’ next two woes can once again be combined into another question,

Are we focused on outward cleanliness rather than inward holiness?

We have seen this from the religious leaders all throughout Matthew.

They observe principles and practices on the outside,

But they neglect humility and purity on the inside.

So, once again,

Jesus fiercely reminds them that purity always begins in the heart.

He makes this comparison using dishes.

He tells the religious leaders that you don’t just clean the outside of a cup,

And drink out of it.

No, you clean the inside first,

Then the outside can also be cleaned.

But the scribes and Pharisees are obsessed with their outward ritualistic actions,

That they neglect their inward spiritual purity.

Likewise, when we focus only on the outside,

When our faith is only about external improvement,

Then we become,

Slide

As Jesus says in vs. 27,

Whitewashed tombs.

On the outside,

We appear beautiful.

But inside,

We are full of death and impurity.

This is what we must remember as members of Christ’s body,

Religiousness is a subtle and dangerous way of covering up spiritual deadness.

We go to church,

And connect group,

And read our Bibles,

And go through all the motions,

Checking off all the boxes.

But we miss the point altogether.

In all this outward work of moral goodness,

We are covering up the curse of sin that lies in our hearts.

That is why we must consider these difficult questions.

Questions like,

Is there truly life inside me?

Is there inner transformation empowering these outward actions?

Is my heart genuinely changed?

Do I truly desire Christ more than I desire the things of this world?

Is love and affection for Christ what motivates my obedience?

Does being a member of Christ’s body feel more like a duty for me?

Or is it a genuine delight?

These are good and important questions.

And what Jesus shows,

Is that for the scribes and Pharisees,

The answer is no to all of them.

Their righteousness on the outside just hid what is inside,

Hypocrisy, lawlessness, and corruption.

Like whitewashed tombs,

Despite their outward beauty,

They are defiled inside.

GOD (Teach the text):

Slide

In vs. 29-36, Jesus gives One Last Judgment.

In vs. 29,

He mentions the tombs of the prophets.

Throughout Israel’s history,

Monuments were often raised up for the prophets.

The idea behind this,

Was to say that our generation will never do what the previous generations did to the prophets.

What was that exactly?

Jesus says they persecuted and killed the prophets.

So, these first century leaders believed they would never do this,

They would never do what their ancestors did.

But Jesus says they are guilty of doing the exact same thing.

They had persecuted John the Baptist,

Jesus,

And His disciples.

So, they are testifying against themselves,

Condemning themselves to hell.

And history would go on to prove Jesus correct.

The religious leaders go on to murder members of the early church.

Slide

Just as Jesus says in vs. 34,

He sent prophets, sages, and scribes,

And the religious leaders crucify and flog and hound them.

This is what unfolds in the book of Acts.

Therefore, in vs. 35-36,

Jesus warns this generation that they would suffer God’s wrath,

For the way they have abused the righteous.

He gives a climactic overview from Abel to Zechariah.

From Abel,

The first person in the OT killed for righteousness sake,

To Zechariah,

The last person in the OT killed for righteousness sake,

Jesus says,

These Jewish leaders are responsible for their murders.

Because they are identified with their murderous ancestors,

By persecuting Christ,

But also,

Because they will soon murder their promised Savior.

So, Jesus’ point is that the culmination of Israel’s opposition to God and His Word,

Is evident in the generation of Jews during Jesus’ day.

When He says this,

It is just days away from the Jewish leaders inciting the crowds to have Jesus crucified.

So, this is why Jesus has pronounced woe, condemnation, judgment on these Jewish leaders.

But once again,

I mentioned at the start of this passage,

How it is easy for us to read these judgments,

And just shake our heads,

Saying, “tsk, tsk, tsk” to the scribes and Pharisees.

But my hope is that the questions we have asked this morning,

Would make you realize Jesus’ warnings are not as irrelevant to you as you might wish.

As we come to the climax of Jesus’ warnings to the scribes and Pharisees,

To the crowds that will shout for Christ’s crucifixion,

That we are made aware of a dangerous reality:

We are them.

You and I have a heart that would murder our Savior.

And if you think any differently,

You are only kidding yourself.

You and I would not be innocent spectators of Christ’s murder.

We would be plotting, scheming, betraying, bargaining, handing Jesus over,

And crying out for Him to be crucified.

Slide

As the Sidewalk Prophets express well in their song, You Love Me Anyway,

“I am the thorn in your crown...I am the sweat from your brow...I am the nail in your wrist...I am Judas' kiss...See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd for your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking ground. Yes then, I turned away with the smile on my face with this sin in my heart tried to bury your grace and then alone in the night, I still called out for you So ashamed of my life, my life, my life.”

Friends, we have all rebelled against God.

We have all turned from Him.

We have all rejected His Word.

And likewise,

We have all rejected Jesus Christ.

Therefore, the Bible teaches,

No matter how sincere you might be,

No matter how hard you try,

No matter what you do,

Each and every one of our hearts deserve God’s wrath and judgment.

YOU (Response):

So, although this certain judgment in vs. 37-39 speaks specifically to the Jews of Jesus’ day,

The Bible says the reality of certain judgment is applicable to you and I as well.

Slide

Here in the closing verses,

Jesus announces to Jerusalem that their rejection of Him leads to certain judgment.

This is a sobering declaration.

It is the danger of not being members.

Because God’s judgment is certain if you continue to rebel against your Savior.

The house Jesus refers to in vs. 38 is the temple,

It is where God dwells on earth.

Yet, He says it will be utterly desolate,

Abandoned.

God will not be there.

Which history proved true in one sense,

When the city and the temple were destroyed in AD 70.

But this abandonment and desolation was foreshadowing the eternal judgment of hell.

Although this has been a difficult chapter,

God’s justice and righteousness is fundamental to the gospel.

But the gospel also teaches how He makes salvation for sinners possible.

As we begin to wrap up this morning,

I would like to invite the music team up.

As they do,

Look again at vs. 37,

Jesus calls out saying,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem…How often I wanted to gather your children together,

As a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing.”

In multiple Psalms and Isaiah,

The image of a hen sheltering her chicks,

Portrays God’s protection of His people.

So, listen to Jesus say this you,

“How often I wanted to gather you together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.”

Hear His patient and merciful call to you.

Salvation is possible if you come to Him,

If you are willing.

So, come to Jesus today,

Right now,

In repentance and trust,

And just as God’s judgment is certain,

Salvation through Him is certain.

The Bible says,

By God’s grace,

Through faith in Christ,

You become a member of Christ’s body.

And through this,

The exaltation of Jesus for all eternity is also certain.

This is what Jesus is alluding to when He leaves the temple in vs. 39,

Saying they will not see Him again,

Then quoting Psalm 118:26.

Slide

This is one final implication of certain judgment,

But it is also an implication of certain promises to His new people,

His body,

The church.

Because Jesus has promised to come back.

And when He does,

The Bible says,

Every knee will bow,

And every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

The question is,

When He does return,

Will you receive certain judgment?

Or certain salvation?

The only way to receive salvation is to bow your knee,

And confess Him as Lord before that day comes.

If you do not do this,

No matter how sincere your religiousness might be,

You face the danger of not being a member of Christ’s body.

But praise God,

That He has made salvation certain through Jesus Christ.

Pray.

WE (Paint a picture of the future):

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