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Let's turn today to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 13

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and verse 44.

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In our previous studies we have been considering

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the parables of the kingdom of heaven.

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And we saw that this is the kingdom

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of heaven in its outward expression as we

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see it here on earth.

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And therefore we saw that it contains good

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seed and bad seed as well.

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The children of God and the children of

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the devil sitting together in the same church,

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hypocrites.

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And then we read in verse 41 that

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the son of man will send forth his

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angels and sort out.

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The two gather the stumbling blocks, the compromisers,

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everything that offends and those who live in

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sin and cast them into a furnace of

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fire.

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Verse 42, in that place there shall be

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weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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There are many people who sit in the

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church today who will finally end up in

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hell because they lived in sin, they caused

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offense to others, they lived as back biters

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and gossipers and many other evil things in

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their hidden life.

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Remember, Jesus spoke about hell more than anyone

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else.

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He spoke about that furnace of fire, verse

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42, in which there will be weeping and

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gnashing of teeth.

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There was no preacher that this world has

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ever seen who preached so much about hell

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as Jesus.

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There was reason for that because he knew

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more about hell than any of us.

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He could see it.

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He had seen it.

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He had seen the end result of people

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who had lived in sin.

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And he was so concerned, he warned people

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about this furnace of fire where there would

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be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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And it's good for us also not to

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so misunderstand the love of God that we

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don't warn people, as Jesus did, about this

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furnace of fire where there shall be weeping

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and gnashing of teeth in the day when

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the righteous will be separated finally and will

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shine forth as the sun.

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That is why sin is serious.

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It leads people to a furnace of fire.

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And going to meetings and appearing to be

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righteous and singing the right hymns and saying

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the right language and saying we are born

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again will not help us if we are

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not seeking to be free from sin in

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our life.

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It's not religion that takes people to heaven.

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No.

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It is a life.

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It is repentance from sin.

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There are many religious people who go to

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many, many meetings who will finally go to

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that furnace of fire because they did not

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repent from sin.

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It's righteousness that leads us into that kingdom.

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It's the righteous who will shine forth, we

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read in verse 43, as the sun, not

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the religious.

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Religious people go to hell.

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Righteous people go into heaven, into the presence

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of the Father.

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Those who have turned from sin and who

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have first been justified by faith in Christ,

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having the righteousness of Christ imputed to their

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account, and then who have partaken of that

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righteousness in their life, that is the proof

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that they are justified.

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If God justifies a person, He sanctifies them.

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If a person is not being sanctified, it's

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the clearest proof that he is not really

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justified.

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His faith is a counterfeit.

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In that day the righteous will shine.

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This is where the wheat and the tares

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look so alike.

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Verse 44.

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Then Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven, and

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here He is speaking about the treasure hidden

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in the field, speaking about the wholehearted disciple,

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just like in the two parables in verses

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31 to 33, He spoke about the opposite

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of this, the compromisers who corrupt the church.

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Here He spoke two parables in verses 44

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to 46, of those who are wholehearted, who

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are the core of a church, the true

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church in the midst of what is known

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as the church.

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The real church, in God's eyes, is a

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small group of brothers and sisters in the

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midst of a large system, which is known

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as the church by the world.

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In every place that is true.

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In every congregation of people, the real church

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is a much smaller core, and it's very

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important in every church that we belong to

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that core of people whom God considers to

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be the church, and not what the people

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around us consider to be the church.

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That's a very small number compared to the

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other who are like the fringe people who

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sit on the outside.

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They sit in the meeting, but in God's

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eyes, they are on the outside.

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It's the core that God looks for, and

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the core consists of people like those described

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in verses 44 to 46, these two parables,

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and all the others consist of the people

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described in the earlier two parables, who are

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like the birds of the air sitting in

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the church, and who have been leavened by

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Babylon the great woman.

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But here it speaks about those who kept

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themselves pure, and how did they keep themselves

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pure?

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We read in verse 44, The kingdom of

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heaven is like a treasure hidden in the

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field, which a man found and hid, and

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from joy over it he goes and sells

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all that he has, and buys that field.

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What is this field?

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The field is, we can say, the true

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kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God,

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as it is found in the Lord Jesus

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Christ, in whom that kingdom was personified.

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And for a person to get this, here

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the price is told us.

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Forgiveness of sins is free.

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You don't have to pay any money for

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it.

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You don't have to sell all that you

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have to get forgiveness of sins.

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It's free.

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The baptism in the Holy Spirit, that's free.

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God gives a treaty.

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In fact, on the day of Pentecost, all

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that Peter said was, Repent, and you can

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receive forgiveness of sins, and also the gift

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of the Holy Spirit.

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But, if we want God's kingdom, that righteousness

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and peace and joy, Romans 14, 17 says,

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the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace

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and joy in the Holy Spirit.

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If we want the fullness of the power

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of the Holy Spirit, that brings righteousness and

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peace and joy, not just that enables us

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to speak in tongues, but that brings righteousness

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and peace and joy into our life, and

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floods our life with it, then we have

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to pay a price.

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Here it speaks about something which you can't

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get free.

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Here is something that is bought.

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Obviously, this is not referring to forgiveness of

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sins.

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It's a false teaching to say that we

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have to buy forgiveness of sins, or buy

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the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

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But here is something we have to buy.

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You have to sell all that you have,

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and buy.

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Notice the word Jesus uses, you've got to

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buy this field.

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Again, the second parable teaches the same thing.

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He's like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and

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upon finding one pearl of great value, he

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went and sold all that he had and

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bought it.

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Notice the word again, he buys it, he

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buys it, he pays a price for it.

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And the price is, in both parables, this

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little phrase, all that he has.

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All that he has, all that he possesses.

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To understand this, we need to look at

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one of the conditions of discipleship that Jesus

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spoke in Luke chapter 14 and verse 33.

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He said, No one of you can be

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my disciple, Luke 14, 33, who does not

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give up all that he possesses.

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Does that mean we are to be hermits,

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and give up our clothes, and give up

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our house, and give up marriage, and give

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up our children?

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Because we have all these things.

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There is a difference in having and possessing.

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Having in the sense of having as my

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own.

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What did this man seeking the field do?

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He collected all that he had, and gave

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it to the owner of the field, and

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bought the field.

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What did the man seeking pearl, this wonderful

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pearl, do?

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He gave to the owner of that pearl,

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all that he had, and got the pearl.

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We can say the owner of the kingdom

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of God is God.

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So to get the kingdom, we have to

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give all that we have to God, in

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order to get the kingdom.

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That is the meaning of those two parables.

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The owner of the field and of the

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pearl of great price is God, and we

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have to give him all that we have.

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That is the meaning of Luke 14.33.

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That we don't possess anything as our own

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in future.

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And this is best illustrated in the story

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of Abraham, who possessed Isaac.

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He was the darling of his heart.

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He was probably an idol in Abraham's life.

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And God said, give him up.

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And Abraham gave up Isaac to God on

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a mountain one morning.

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He didn't kill him, because God said, don't

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kill him.

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But I see that you have given him

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up to me.

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From now on, he is no longer yours.

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He is mine.

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He lives in your house.

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You can have him, but you can't possess

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him, because he is mine.

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That is how we must hold everything that

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we have on earth.

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Your possessions, you can have them, but you

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can't possess them.

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Your children, you can have them, but you

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can't possess them.

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Your house, you can have it, but you

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can't possess it.

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That is the mark of a disciple.

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He doesn't become a hermit and run off

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to the mountains.

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No, he has.

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Isaac in his house, but he doesn't possess

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Isaac.

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Because he has laid all his Isaacs on

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the altar.

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Everything that is valuable, your job, you can

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have your job, you don't have to give

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it up.

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But you shouldn't possess it.

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It shouldn't be as though your job is

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everything to you.

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If God wants you to give it up,

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you should be willing to give it up.

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And you shouldn't make your profession everything, to

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be a God in your life.

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This is what it means to pay the

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price.

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And we need to make a checklist of

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everything that we consider valuable.

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That list can be different for different people.

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Because some people consider one thing valuable, some

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people consider another.

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And make a checklist if you want to

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be a wholehearted disciple.

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And list all the things that you consider

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valuable.

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Your bank account, your house, your property, your

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00:10:19,740 --> 00:10:23,580
vehicle, your job perhaps, your children, your wife,

275
00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:24,180
your partner.

276
00:10:24,540 --> 00:10:25,980
Make a list if you are really sincere.

277
00:10:25,980 --> 00:10:28,660
And go through that list and lay every

278
00:10:28,660 --> 00:10:29,660
one of those on the altar.

279
00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,400
Then you can possess the kingdom and be

280
00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:35,660
a part of that core that God is

281
00:10:35,660 --> 00:10:37,280
building in every congregation.

282
00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:39,980
To the leader of the church in Laodicea

283
00:10:39,980 --> 00:10:42,100
and to the whole church, also Jesus said,

284
00:10:43,060 --> 00:10:44,840
I advise you to buy from me gold

285
00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:48,600
refined in the fire, white garments and eye

286
00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:48,940
salve.

287
00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,440
You have to buy these things, we read

288
00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:53,260
in Revelation 3 and verse 18.

289
00:10:53,260 --> 00:10:55,460
There are things we get free from Jesus.

290
00:10:56,080 --> 00:10:57,760
There are other things we have to buy.

291
00:10:57,940 --> 00:10:59,840
And the price is to lay everything that

292
00:10:59,840 --> 00:11:00,580
you have on the altar.

293
00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:03,300
And say, Lord it's yours, it's no longer

294
00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:03,640
mine.

295
00:11:04,100 --> 00:11:05,520
And then we become a part of the

296
00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:06,580
core of God's kingdom.

297
00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:10,540
Let's turn today to Matthew's Gospel chapter 13

298
00:11:10,540 --> 00:11:13,000
and verse 47.

299
00:11:14,060 --> 00:11:16,360
We have been going through these parables that

300
00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:19,480
Jesus spoke concerning the kingdom of heaven.

301
00:11:21,380 --> 00:11:22,700
In these last studies.

302
00:11:24,260 --> 00:11:26,120
And we saw that Jesus is referring to

303
00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:28,060
the kingdom of heaven and its outward expression.

304
00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:29,820
And that becomes very clear when we consider

305
00:11:29,820 --> 00:11:31,180
this last parable.

306
00:11:33,060 --> 00:11:34,660
It's like a dragnet, he said.

307
00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,240
But the interesting thing is, this dragnet, when

308
00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:38,480
it is cast into the sea, which is

309
00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,420
the world, gathers fish of every kind.

310
00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:44,180
And when it was filled, they drew it

311
00:11:44,180 --> 00:11:44,780
up on the beach.

312
00:11:44,780 --> 00:11:47,440
And they sat down and, unfortunately, there was

313
00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:48,900
good fish as well as bad fish in

314
00:11:48,900 --> 00:11:50,380
the net.

315
00:11:50,680 --> 00:11:52,140
And they put the good fish into containers.

316
00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:54,080
And the bad they threw back into the

317
00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:54,300
sea.

318
00:11:55,380 --> 00:11:56,180
They threw away.

319
00:11:57,340 --> 00:11:58,800
So will it be at the end of

320
00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:00,700
the age, the angel shall come forth and

321
00:12:00,700 --> 00:12:03,140
take out the wicked from among the righteous.

322
00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,020
The wicked are found in the midst of

323
00:12:06,020 --> 00:12:07,500
the righteous and will cast them into the

324
00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:08,180
furnace of fire.

325
00:12:09,020 --> 00:12:10,760
And there shall be weeping and gnashing of

326
00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:10,920
teeth.

327
00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,160
The second time Jesus speaks about this furnace

328
00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:13,680
of fire.

329
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,120
He had spoken about it earlier in verse

330
00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:16,600
42.

331
00:12:16,780 --> 00:12:18,320
And he emphasizes this weeping.

332
00:12:20,020 --> 00:12:22,120
Regret that they lived before the face of

333
00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:22,320
men.

334
00:12:22,520 --> 00:12:23,880
Regret that they lived in sin.

335
00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,440
Regret that they didn't turn from sin despite

336
00:12:26,440 --> 00:12:28,000
all the good words they had heard.

337
00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:33,220
Gnashing of teeth in pain and suffering in

338
00:12:33,220 --> 00:12:34,020
an eternal hell.

339
00:12:36,260 --> 00:12:37,380
And Jesus spoke about it.

340
00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:43,500
And if we are those who take God's

341
00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:45,580
word seriously, we will find that there is

342
00:12:45,580 --> 00:12:47,080
a very healthy warning here.

343
00:12:47,500 --> 00:12:49,200
For all who go for meetings in certain

344
00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:49,540
churches.

345
00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:52,960
That in the dragnet of the kingdom of

346
00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:53,200
heaven.

347
00:12:53,640 --> 00:12:55,100
He is not speaking about the world now.

348
00:12:55,940 --> 00:12:57,920
The kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet,

349
00:12:57,960 --> 00:12:58,960
he said in verse 47.

350
00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,820
And in that dragnet, the sea is the

351
00:13:01,820 --> 00:13:02,200
world.

352
00:13:02,980 --> 00:13:04,820
This net is cast into the sea.

353
00:13:04,820 --> 00:13:06,880
I will make you fishes of men, Jesus

354
00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:08,360
told Peter.

355
00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,420
And they dragged this net.

356
00:13:10,500 --> 00:13:11,680
This is how they caught fish in those

357
00:13:11,680 --> 00:13:11,880
days.

358
00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:13,820
They put the net in and pulled it

359
00:13:13,820 --> 00:13:14,040
in.

360
00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,160
And when they pulled it in, there were

361
00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:19,100
fish that were good, fish that were bad.

362
00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:20,900
The bad fish are those who did not

363
00:13:20,900 --> 00:13:21,220
repent.

364
00:13:22,460 --> 00:13:24,920
Those in whom the seed did not produce

365
00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:25,320
fruit.

366
00:13:27,060 --> 00:13:28,720
Those which had no depth of earth.

367
00:13:29,220 --> 00:13:30,940
Those which were choked by the thorns.

368
00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:34,840
Those which allowed the seed to be taken

369
00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:35,800
away by the birds.

370
00:13:37,340 --> 00:13:40,880
The bad fish were those who, like the

371
00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:43,240
mustard tree, grew up to be big in

372
00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:44,600
the eyes of men, but not pure in

373
00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:45,400
the eyes of God.

374
00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,040
For those who allowed the leaven of sin

375
00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,260
and compromise to corrupt their whole life.

376
00:13:50,820 --> 00:13:52,600
And became part of a system that was

377
00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:53,260
compromising.

378
00:13:56,290 --> 00:13:58,570
But finally it sorted out.

379
00:13:59,490 --> 00:14:01,190
And the wicked will be taken out from

380
00:14:01,190 --> 00:14:01,730
among the righteous.

381
00:14:01,730 --> 00:14:04,790
Exactly like He said earlier on in verse

382
00:14:04,790 --> 00:14:05,210
41.

383
00:14:05,350 --> 00:14:06,730
The Son of Man will send His angels

384
00:14:06,730 --> 00:14:08,350
and gather out of His kingdom all the

385
00:14:08,350 --> 00:14:09,050
stumbling blocks.

386
00:14:09,250 --> 00:14:10,470
And all those who commit lawlessness.

387
00:14:10,710 --> 00:14:11,750
All those who live in sin.

388
00:14:12,650 --> 00:14:14,290
All those who do not turn from sin

389
00:14:14,290 --> 00:14:14,730
in their life.

390
00:14:14,850 --> 00:14:16,950
Sin is a very serious thing, dear friends.

391
00:14:18,150 --> 00:14:20,010
God sent His Son into the world to

392
00:14:20,010 --> 00:14:21,590
save us from sin.

393
00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:23,930
Not to save us from hell.

394
00:14:24,730 --> 00:14:26,510
There is no verse in the Bible which

395
00:14:26,510 --> 00:14:28,490
says Jesus came to save us from hell.

396
00:14:28,930 --> 00:14:31,010
But there are many verses which teach that

397
00:14:31,010 --> 00:14:32,590
He came to save us from sin.

398
00:14:32,930 --> 00:14:34,250
In fact, in the very first page of

399
00:14:34,250 --> 00:14:34,590
the Bible.

400
00:14:36,870 --> 00:14:38,690
The very first page of the New Testament.

401
00:14:39,810 --> 00:14:40,370
We read.

402
00:14:40,890 --> 00:14:42,350
Thou shalt call His name Jesus.

403
00:14:42,610 --> 00:14:45,610
Matthew 1.21 For He shall save His

404
00:14:45,610 --> 00:14:46,570
people not from hell.

405
00:14:46,690 --> 00:14:47,070
Mark you.

406
00:14:47,670 --> 00:14:48,810
But from their sin.

407
00:14:49,770 --> 00:14:51,170
Sin is a very serious thing.

408
00:14:51,310 --> 00:14:52,810
And Jesus came to save His people from

409
00:14:52,810 --> 00:14:53,190
that.

410
00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:57,040
And those who take that message.

411
00:14:57,600 --> 00:14:58,620
They will be the good fish.

412
00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:02,360
Those who allow Jesus to save them from

413
00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:02,820
the sin.

414
00:15:03,740 --> 00:15:04,520
In their life.

415
00:15:06,820 --> 00:15:07,420
And the others.

416
00:15:08,180 --> 00:15:09,580
Who only have religion.

417
00:15:09,940 --> 00:15:11,820
Who only have an outward form of godliness.

418
00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:14,560
But not the power of God unto salvation

419
00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:15,120
from sin.

420
00:15:15,220 --> 00:15:16,080
Which the gospel is.

421
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:19,200
They will be cast into furnace of fire.

422
00:15:19,340 --> 00:15:20,980
And we need to remember that not everybody

423
00:15:20,980 --> 00:15:22,280
who says he is born again.

424
00:15:22,500 --> 00:15:23,200
Is born again.

425
00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:26,840
Unfortunately today there are many people who say

426
00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:27,560
they are born again.

427
00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:28,600
Who are not born again.

428
00:15:29,220 --> 00:15:29,660
Really.

429
00:15:29,660 --> 00:15:32,260
Because they have not truly repented.

430
00:15:32,540 --> 00:15:34,280
There is a shallow gospel that is being

431
00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:34,960
preached today.

432
00:15:35,380 --> 00:15:37,660
Which does not have the element of repentance

433
00:15:37,660 --> 00:15:38,280
in it.

434
00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:40,500
And that is what makes it a counterfeit.

435
00:15:41,200 --> 00:15:43,240
Just like a counterfeit currency note.

436
00:15:43,420 --> 00:15:46,040
Will not have that little strip.

437
00:15:46,540 --> 00:15:47,800
In the middle of the paper.

438
00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:50,920
Which a genuine currency note has.

439
00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:52,220
A little strip.

440
00:15:54,620 --> 00:15:56,340
That thin strip that you can see.

441
00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:58,600
When you lift up a hundred rupee note

442
00:15:58,600 --> 00:15:59,440
into the light.

443
00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:01,620
Like a wire.

444
00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:04,400
That is not there in a counterfeit note.

445
00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:08,240
That element of repentance is missing.

446
00:16:10,080 --> 00:16:13,000
We know that that is a counterfeit conversion.

447
00:16:14,180 --> 00:16:16,480
True conversion will always have that element of

448
00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:17,440
repentance in it.

449
00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:19,300
A turning from sin.

450
00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,300
A mourning over sin.

451
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:23,780
The fact that you fall into sin.

452
00:16:24,380 --> 00:16:25,860
Is not the serious thing.

453
00:16:26,340 --> 00:16:28,660
The serious thing is that you do not

454
00:16:28,660 --> 00:16:30,280
mourn when you fall into sin.

455
00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:31,800
You may fall.

456
00:16:32,220 --> 00:16:33,260
But if you mourn.

457
00:16:33,540 --> 00:16:34,980
And you desire to turn from it.

458
00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:35,920
You are alright.

459
00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:37,800
There is hope for you.

460
00:16:38,500 --> 00:16:39,380
But if you can sin.

461
00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:41,280
Particularly sin in the private life.

462
00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:41,940
In the thought life.

463
00:16:42,060 --> 00:16:43,640
And you do not turn from it.

464
00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:45,260
That is a very serious condition.

465
00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,760
That is like a man having leprosy in

466
00:16:47,760 --> 00:16:48,280
the conscience.

467
00:16:48,580 --> 00:16:50,020
That his conscience does not trouble him.

468
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:52,460
He can sleep peacefully at night even though

469
00:16:52,460 --> 00:16:53,060
he has sinned.

470
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:55,580
Take that seriously dear friends.

471
00:16:55,580 --> 00:16:56,720
It is not a light thing.

472
00:16:57,980 --> 00:17:00,100
We shall discover the end of the age.

473
00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:02,540
Many who are first will be last.

474
00:17:02,660 --> 00:17:04,140
And many who are last will be first.

475
00:17:05,319 --> 00:17:07,380
Those whom we despised as not clever and

476
00:17:07,380 --> 00:17:07,700
smart.

477
00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:09,560
May end up first because they repented of

478
00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:09,800
sin.

479
00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:11,880
And those who were clever and smart in

480
00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:12,339
the church.

481
00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:13,839
But who did not turn from sin.

482
00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:15,060
We shall discover our last.

483
00:17:17,500 --> 00:17:20,400
And then Jesus spoke to his disciples and

484
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:20,619
said.

485
00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:22,339
Have you understood all these things?

486
00:17:23,339 --> 00:17:24,599
They said to him yes.

487
00:17:25,420 --> 00:17:26,480
And he said to them.

488
00:17:26,540 --> 00:17:28,600
Therefore every scribe.

489
00:17:28,700 --> 00:17:30,200
A scribe is a Bible scholar.

490
00:17:30,700 --> 00:17:32,060
A man who studies the Bible.

491
00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:33,500
It is very important to study the Bible.

492
00:17:34,100 --> 00:17:36,020
But Jesus spoke about more than studying the

493
00:17:36,020 --> 00:17:36,200
Bible.

494
00:17:36,820 --> 00:17:38,920
He said every scribe who has become a

495
00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:39,300
disciple.

496
00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:42,620
The Bible scholar must become a disciple.

497
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,380
It is not enough to study the Bible.

498
00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:48,340
It is also necessary to obey it.

499
00:17:48,780 --> 00:17:49,980
That is how you become a disciple.

500
00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:51,340
Otherwise you remain a scribe.

501
00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,220
You cannot become a part of the kingdom

502
00:17:55,220 --> 00:17:56,480
of heaven as a scribe.

503
00:17:57,020 --> 00:17:58,880
You can be among the bad fish as

504
00:17:58,880 --> 00:17:59,520
a scribe.

505
00:17:59,860 --> 00:18:02,600
You can be among that corrupted leavened system

506
00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:03,320
as a scribe.

507
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:06,880
You can be among that unnaturally grown mustard

508
00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:07,860
tree as a scribe.

509
00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,420
You can be among that bad ground as

510
00:18:10,420 --> 00:18:11,000
a scribe.

511
00:18:11,260 --> 00:18:12,980
But the scribe it says must become a

512
00:18:12,980 --> 00:18:14,580
disciple of the kingdom of heaven.

513
00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,120
You see how he concluded this section on

514
00:18:18,120 --> 00:18:18,620
the parables.

515
00:18:19,180 --> 00:18:21,280
He is speaking about scribes.

516
00:18:21,980 --> 00:18:24,000
And then he says the scribe must become

517
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:25,420
a disciple of the kingdom of heaven.

518
00:18:25,980 --> 00:18:28,480
Otherwise he remains like the bad seed, the

519
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:30,880
tares which are sown by the enemy.

520
00:18:31,860 --> 00:18:33,660
Like the leavened system.

521
00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:37,540
Like that which is big and great in

522
00:18:37,540 --> 00:18:38,340
the eyes of men.

523
00:18:39,220 --> 00:18:41,300
Where the birds of the air, the agents

524
00:18:41,300 --> 00:18:42,420
of Satan come and live.

525
00:18:43,780 --> 00:18:45,760
It is not enough to be a scribe.

526
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:51,120
Every scribe who has become a disciple of

527
00:18:51,120 --> 00:18:51,760
the kingdom of heaven.

528
00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:53,820
That is he has fulfilled the condition of

529
00:18:53,820 --> 00:18:57,040
discipleship in Luke 14.33. He has forsaken

530
00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,440
everything and made Jesus supreme in his life.

531
00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:02,060
He is like a head of a household.

532
00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:03,540
He can have a ministry then.

533
00:19:04,260 --> 00:19:06,000
Bringing out of his treasure of his life

534
00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:08,180
things new and old.

535
00:19:08,460 --> 00:19:13,000
Fresh revelations and revelations received years ago.

536
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:17,200
But everything can be brought forth powerfully, anointedly

537
00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:19,580
only if you are a disciple.

538
00:19:20,020 --> 00:19:23,560
Now this verse teaches that Bible scholars cannot

539
00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,700
bring forth spiritual revelations if they have not

540
00:19:26,700 --> 00:19:27,440
become disciples.

541
00:19:28,580 --> 00:19:30,240
A scribe, we could read that as a

542
00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:30,740
Bible scholar.

543
00:19:30,980 --> 00:19:33,600
Every person who studies the Bible must become

544
00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:34,100
a disciple.

545
00:19:34,780 --> 00:19:37,100
And then only he can bring forth out

546
00:19:37,100 --> 00:19:37,700
of his treasure.

547
00:19:37,820 --> 00:19:38,900
Otherwise he has no treasure.

548
00:19:40,020 --> 00:19:41,420
Bible knowledge is not a treasure.

549
00:19:42,580 --> 00:19:44,140
Bible knowledge we can say is only a

550
00:19:44,140 --> 00:19:45,060
photograph of a treasure.

551
00:19:45,940 --> 00:19:47,800
It becomes a treasure when you become a

552
00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:49,060
disciple of the kingdom of heaven.

553
00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,400
When you allow that truth to sink into

554
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:53,000
your life.

555
00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:55,620
And it brings obedience in your life.

556
00:19:55,740 --> 00:19:57,220
Then you can bring forth out of your

557
00:19:57,220 --> 00:19:59,480
treasure of your life new revelations.

558
00:20:00,380 --> 00:20:01,220
And they will be fresh.

559
00:20:01,660 --> 00:20:03,120
And even the old revelations that you got

560
00:20:03,120 --> 00:20:04,520
ten years ago will also be fresh.

561
00:20:04,580 --> 00:20:06,220
Because there will be an anointing on it.

562
00:20:08,300 --> 00:20:11,160
And it came about, verse 53, Matthew 13,

563
00:20:11,260 --> 00:20:11,640
53.

564
00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:13,800
When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed

565
00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:14,320
from there.

566
00:20:14,740 --> 00:20:16,680
And coming to his hometown, he began teaching

567
00:20:16,680 --> 00:20:17,680
them in their synagogue.

568
00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:20,180
So that they were astonished and said, where

569
00:20:20,180 --> 00:20:21,660
did this man get this wisdom and these

570
00:20:21,660 --> 00:20:22,540
miraculous powers?

571
00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:24,440
They had seen Jesus grow up in Nazareth

572
00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:25,120
as a little boy.

573
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:29,980
And like the proverb says, familiarity breeds contempt.

574
00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:32,480
They were familiar with him from childhood and

575
00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:33,240
they despised him.

576
00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:35,700
Isn't this the carpenter's son?

577
00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,160
How can a carpenter's son be a man

578
00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:39,600
of God?

579
00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:41,500
They despised him because of his job.

580
00:20:42,180 --> 00:20:43,860
They despised him because of his origin.

581
00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:44,860
Because of his family.

582
00:20:45,940 --> 00:20:47,460
Is not his mother called Mary and his

583
00:20:47,460 --> 00:20:48,960
brothers James, Joseph, Simon, Judas?

584
00:20:49,060 --> 00:20:50,160
They are all ordinary people here.

585
00:20:50,260 --> 00:20:51,280
His sisters are with us.

586
00:20:51,900 --> 00:20:53,420
This is one of the verses that teaches

587
00:20:53,420 --> 00:20:55,760
us that Jesus had blood brothers.

588
00:20:55,900 --> 00:20:56,860
At least four of them.

589
00:20:57,500 --> 00:20:58,780
And sisters, we don't know how many.

590
00:20:58,880 --> 00:20:59,780
It means at least two.

591
00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:02,200
In other words, Jesus grew up in a

592
00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:03,980
family of at least seven children.

593
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:05,920
Of which he was the eldest.

594
00:21:07,060 --> 00:21:09,300
Mary had six other children, at least, if

595
00:21:09,300 --> 00:21:09,780
not more.

596
00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:12,420
And they are all with us.

597
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:13,840
They are very ordinary people.

598
00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:15,680
Where did this man get all these things?

599
00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:17,360
And it says they took offense at him.

600
00:21:19,100 --> 00:21:20,900
But Jesus said to them, a prophet is

601
00:21:20,900 --> 00:21:23,080
not without honor except in his hometown and

602
00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:23,880
in his own household.

603
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:24,760
They despised him.

604
00:21:25,380 --> 00:21:28,080
We read in John 7 that the brothers

605
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:29,860
of Jesus, the blood brothers of Jesus, spoke

606
00:21:29,860 --> 00:21:30,860
very rudely to him.

607
00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:32,660
But the loss was theirs.

608
00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:35,400
He did not do many miracles there because

609
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:36,360
of their unbelief.

610
00:21:37,080 --> 00:21:38,020
Think of that statement.

611
00:21:39,540 --> 00:21:41,840
Many miracles that Jesus wanted to do could

612
00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:43,200
not be done because they didn't believe.

613
00:21:43,620 --> 00:21:45,280
Think if we faced that statement in the

614
00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:46,860
day of judgment, that the Lord wanted to

615
00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:48,260
do many things for you.

616
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:50,300
But he could not do it because of

617
00:21:50,300 --> 00:21:51,940
your unbelief, because of your familiarity.

618
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:54,780
Don't be so familiar with the word that

619
00:21:54,780 --> 00:21:55,540
you are unbelieving.

620
00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:58,800
The important thing is faith, not knowledge.

621
00:21:59,220 --> 00:22:00,660
The important thing is to be a disciple,

622
00:22:00,980 --> 00:22:01,840
not a scribe.

623
00:22:02,780 --> 00:22:04,720
May it never be said of us that

624
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:06,660
Jesus could not do miracles in our life

625
00:22:06,660 --> 00:22:09,160
because of our unbelief.

626
00:22:09,260 --> 00:22:11,920
But may we be men of faith, not

627
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:13,540
just Bible scholars, but disciples.

628
00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,380
Let's turn today to Matthew's Gospel chapter 14

629
00:22:16,380 --> 00:22:17,280
and verse 1.

630
00:22:18,380 --> 00:22:21,000
At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard the

631
00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,080
news about Jesus and said to his servants,

632
00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:25,540
This is John the Baptist.

633
00:22:25,940 --> 00:22:28,140
He has risen from the dead, and that

634
00:22:28,140 --> 00:22:30,900
is why miraculous powers are at work in

635
00:22:30,900 --> 00:22:31,160
him.

636
00:22:32,180 --> 00:22:34,000
For Herod had seized John and bound him

637
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:35,500
and put him in prison on account of

638
00:22:35,500 --> 00:22:37,160
Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.

639
00:22:38,220 --> 00:22:39,840
For John had been saying to him, It

640
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,260
is not lawful for you to have her.

641
00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:44,740
And although he wanted to put him to

642
00:22:44,740 --> 00:22:48,540
death, he feared the multitude because they regarded

643
00:22:48,540 --> 00:22:49,640
him as a prophet.

644
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,620
But when Herod's birthday came, the daughter of

645
00:22:53,620 --> 00:22:55,800
Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.

646
00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:58,760
Thereupon he promised with an oath to give

647
00:22:58,760 --> 00:22:59,740
her whatever she asked.

648
00:22:59,900 --> 00:23:01,880
And having been prompted by her mother, she

649
00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,480
said, Give me here on a platter the

650
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:05,360
head of John the Baptist.

651
00:23:06,580 --> 00:23:08,540
And although he was grieved, the king commanded

652
00:23:08,540 --> 00:23:10,100
it to be given because of his oaths

653
00:23:10,100 --> 00:23:11,280
and because of his dinner guests.

654
00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,000
And he sent and had John beheaded in

655
00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:13,320
the prison.

656
00:23:14,180 --> 00:23:15,760
And his head was brought on a platter

657
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:17,120
and given to the girl, and she brought

658
00:23:17,120 --> 00:23:17,680
it to her mother.

659
00:23:18,300 --> 00:23:20,220
And his disciples came and took away the

660
00:23:20,220 --> 00:23:21,760
body and buried it, and they went and

661
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:22,660
reported to Jesus.

662
00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,980
Here we see a number of things concerning

663
00:23:27,980 --> 00:23:29,700
the character of Herod.

664
00:23:31,580 --> 00:23:35,540
And it's because of the way he conducted

665
00:23:35,540 --> 00:23:39,960
himself that later on we read that when

666
00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:45,480
Jesus stood before Herod, in Luke 23, verse

667
00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:49,340
8 and 9, the same Herod was very

668
00:23:49,340 --> 00:23:51,660
eager to see Jesus and was hoping to

669
00:23:51,660 --> 00:23:53,240
see some miracle Jesus did.

670
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,480
But even though Herod asked Jesus many questions

671
00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,040
and Herod was a mighty king, Jesus answered

672
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:01,800
him nothing.

673
00:24:02,780 --> 00:24:05,020
He never spoke a word to Herod.

674
00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:07,440
Jesus answered the high priest.

675
00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:08,620
He answered Pilate.

676
00:24:09,420 --> 00:24:11,520
But he never answered Herod one word, and

677
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:12,520
that's very significant.

678
00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:18,340
And the reason lies in a spiritual principle

679
00:24:18,340 --> 00:24:19,580
that we need to understand.

680
00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:24,140
It's possible for a person to have heard

681
00:24:24,140 --> 00:24:27,960
the truth for so long that he can

682
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:31,460
cross a line where God does not speak

683
00:24:31,460 --> 00:24:32,260
to him anymore.

684
00:24:32,400 --> 00:24:35,740
He has gone beyond the possibility of repentance.

685
00:24:36,980 --> 00:24:39,460
This is partly the meaning of the sin

686
00:24:39,460 --> 00:24:42,120
against the Holy Spirit, which does not have

687
00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:42,720
any forgiveness.

688
00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:47,760
Because Herod had crossed the line and there

689
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,500
was no need for Jesus to do anything

690
00:24:51,500 --> 00:24:52,620
for him.

691
00:24:53,540 --> 00:24:55,380
Jesus would certainly not do a miracle to

692
00:24:55,380 --> 00:24:59,140
demonstrate anything to Herod, much less would he

693
00:24:59,140 --> 00:25:02,300
even speak a word to him.

694
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:04,900
No, he wouldn't do a miracle.

695
00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:06,060
He wouldn't even speak a word.

696
00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:10,220
But we read here the reason for it

697
00:25:10,220 --> 00:25:11,160
in Matthew 14.

698
00:25:13,180 --> 00:25:15,260
Herod's conscience troubled him when he heard about

699
00:25:15,260 --> 00:25:19,440
Jesus because he had done something wrong in

700
00:25:19,440 --> 00:25:20,320
killing John the Baptist.

701
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:23,360
And when he heard about Jesus, he felt

702
00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:25,820
that this is John the Baptist risen from

703
00:25:25,820 --> 00:25:26,160
the dead.

704
00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,760
It's amazing how the things that we do

705
00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,140
wrong begin to affect us in our conscience

706
00:25:34,140 --> 00:25:36,860
and trouble us so that anything that happens,

707
00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,380
we say, ah, this is because of the

708
00:25:39,380 --> 00:25:41,940
wrong that I did at such and such

709
00:25:41,940 --> 00:25:42,260
a time.

710
00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:44,860
And there you can see the indication of

711
00:25:44,860 --> 00:25:47,300
a conscience that is not right with God

712
00:25:47,300 --> 00:25:47,980
and with men.

713
00:25:48,700 --> 00:25:51,880
When you feel that something has happened because

714
00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:55,600
of something else that you have done, this

715
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,080
is how it was with Herod concerning John

716
00:25:58,080 --> 00:25:58,540
the Baptist.

717
00:25:59,720 --> 00:26:02,180
He never was at rest in his conscience.

718
00:26:03,860 --> 00:26:05,600
And it's a very serious thing to go

719
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:06,560
against our conscience.

720
00:26:07,820 --> 00:26:09,120
And we can see why did he do

721
00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:09,340
it.

722
00:26:10,900 --> 00:26:14,520
It says here in verse 3, Herod seized

723
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,020
John and bound him and put him in

724
00:26:18,020 --> 00:26:20,000
prison on account of Herodias.

725
00:26:20,900 --> 00:26:24,620
Now Herod himself did not want to put

726
00:26:24,620 --> 00:26:25,300
John in prison.

727
00:26:26,380 --> 00:26:29,420
But because he had married his brother's wife

728
00:26:29,420 --> 00:26:34,700
or taken her, even if he was not

729
00:26:34,700 --> 00:26:38,300
lawfully married to her, living with her, and

730
00:26:38,300 --> 00:26:40,500
John the Baptist, fiery prophet that he was,

731
00:26:41,140 --> 00:26:43,600
not afraid of any king, told Herod straight

732
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,920
to his face, it is not lawful for

733
00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:46,560
you to have her.

734
00:26:49,190 --> 00:26:51,970
And Herod himself was probably convinced of that.

735
00:26:53,150 --> 00:27:01,540
We read in Mark's Gospel, chapter 6, in

736
00:27:01,540 --> 00:27:07,040
verse 20, that Herod was perplexed when he

737
00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:08,100
heard John the Baptist.

738
00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,880
Herod was afraid of John, Mark 6, 20,

739
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,700
knowing that he was a righteous and holy

740
00:27:13,700 --> 00:27:14,100
man.

741
00:27:15,020 --> 00:27:18,600
It's amazing, this godless king Herod was afraid

742
00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:20,080
of John the Baptist because he was a

743
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:20,980
righteous and holy man.

744
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,440
Many people are afraid of Herod, but Herod

745
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:25,000
himself was afraid of John the Baptist.

746
00:27:25,300 --> 00:27:26,960
Only because he was a righteous and holy

747
00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:27,220
man.

748
00:27:27,300 --> 00:27:30,980
There's a tremendous power in righteousness and holiness

749
00:27:30,980 --> 00:27:33,320
that puts a fear even into kings.

750
00:27:34,740 --> 00:27:36,240
And so Herod kept him safe.

751
00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:37,460
And when he heard him, he was very

752
00:27:37,460 --> 00:27:39,920
perplexed, we read Mark 6, 20, but he

753
00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,080
used to enjoy listening to him.

754
00:27:43,100 --> 00:27:46,340
So, obviously, Herod listened to John the Baptist

755
00:27:46,340 --> 00:27:49,360
frequently, but he never obeyed.

756
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:52,400
The fact that a person likes to listen

757
00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:55,740
to a God-fearing, fiery preacher like John

758
00:27:55,740 --> 00:27:58,560
the Baptist does not necessarily mean that he

759
00:27:58,560 --> 00:27:59,040
is spiritual.

760
00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:03,000
Many people enjoy listening to fiery sermons, but

761
00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:04,860
they're not spiritual, they're no more spiritual than

762
00:28:04,860 --> 00:28:05,120
Herod.

763
00:28:06,940 --> 00:28:11,660
But, because Herod was so henpecked by his

764
00:28:11,660 --> 00:28:14,600
wife, his new wife, his brother's wife actually,

765
00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:22,110
Herodias, Herodias kept on harassing Herod to kill

766
00:28:22,110 --> 00:28:22,930
John the Baptist.

767
00:28:24,250 --> 00:28:29,230
And Herod meekly submitted to his wife, like

768
00:28:29,230 --> 00:28:31,530
many foolish husbands do when their wives prompt

769
00:28:31,530 --> 00:28:32,690
them to do something wrong.

770
00:28:34,070 --> 00:28:38,230
And, but we read that he would not

771
00:28:38,230 --> 00:28:39,090
put him to death.

772
00:28:39,450 --> 00:28:42,990
Again, the reason given in verse 5 is

773
00:28:42,990 --> 00:28:45,810
Matthew 14, 5, that Herod feared the multitude.

774
00:28:47,470 --> 00:28:49,570
He was afraid of the opinions of men.

775
00:28:50,450 --> 00:28:52,250
He was influenced by the opinion of his

776
00:28:52,250 --> 00:28:52,590
wife.

777
00:28:53,710 --> 00:28:55,830
He was influenced by the opinion of people.

778
00:28:57,170 --> 00:28:59,130
He played to the gallery, as they say.

779
00:28:59,830 --> 00:29:02,570
He was interested in his own honor, his

780
00:29:02,570 --> 00:29:05,030
reputation, and his position, and for that he

781
00:29:05,030 --> 00:29:06,890
was willing to sacrifice his conscience.

782
00:29:08,170 --> 00:29:10,870
No wonder Jesus never spoke one word to

783
00:29:10,870 --> 00:29:12,650
him when he stood before him later on.

784
00:29:13,710 --> 00:29:15,430
When people are like that, that they are

785
00:29:15,430 --> 00:29:18,470
willing to sacrifice their conscience for the sake

786
00:29:18,470 --> 00:29:20,690
of their own honor and position and reputation,

787
00:29:20,870 --> 00:29:22,450
we can be fairly sure that God will

788
00:29:22,450 --> 00:29:23,650
never speak to such a person.

789
00:29:23,650 --> 00:29:29,160
And we read here, because the multitude regarded

790
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:31,940
John the Baptist as a prophet, Herod was

791
00:29:31,940 --> 00:29:35,400
afraid as to what people would say or

792
00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,040
think about him, and therefore he kept him

793
00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:37,480
alive.

794
00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,260
He was tossed between the opinions of the

795
00:29:40,260 --> 00:29:41,920
multitude and the opinion of Herodias.

796
00:29:43,910 --> 00:29:45,250
And then we read something else.

797
00:29:46,770 --> 00:29:49,830
We read about Herod celebrating his birthday.

798
00:29:51,510 --> 00:29:56,890
The Bible records only heathen people making grand

799
00:29:56,890 --> 00:30:01,010
public celebrations of their birthdays.

800
00:30:01,870 --> 00:30:05,270
One was Pharaoh, and the other was Herod.

801
00:30:06,530 --> 00:30:09,650
God never asked us to celebrate the birthday

802
00:30:09,650 --> 00:30:13,590
of Jesus Christ like Pharaoh and Herod celebrated

803
00:30:13,590 --> 00:30:14,190
their birthdays.

804
00:30:15,170 --> 00:30:16,690
Jesus is never meant to be put in

805
00:30:16,690 --> 00:30:18,530
the same category as Pharaoh and Herod.

806
00:30:19,130 --> 00:30:22,950
That is the teaching of a Christendom that's

807
00:30:22,950 --> 00:30:24,950
drifted away from the word of God.

808
00:30:26,270 --> 00:30:28,890
It's Herod and Pharaoh who celebrated their birthdays

809
00:30:28,890 --> 00:30:32,250
in grand style, making a great feast.

810
00:30:33,550 --> 00:30:34,890
And we read at the time of this

811
00:30:34,890 --> 00:30:39,510
birthday, when he made this great feast, he

812
00:30:39,510 --> 00:30:42,770
was so happy with the dancing of the

813
00:30:42,770 --> 00:30:46,570
daughter of Herodias that he promised her anything

814
00:30:46,570 --> 00:30:48,710
that she asked for.

815
00:30:49,970 --> 00:30:51,990
And she was prompted by her mother and

816
00:30:51,990 --> 00:30:53,410
asked for the head of John the Baptist.

817
00:30:53,590 --> 00:30:55,170
And notice what's written in verse 9.

818
00:30:55,890 --> 00:30:57,910
He did not want to kill John the

819
00:30:57,910 --> 00:31:02,550
Baptist, but again he was concerned about his

820
00:31:02,550 --> 00:31:07,850
opinion, his reputation in the eyes of his

821
00:31:07,850 --> 00:31:09,650
dinner guests, we read in verse 9.

822
00:31:10,090 --> 00:31:12,690
He was concerned about the opinions of men.

823
00:31:13,570 --> 00:31:15,490
And because he was concerned about the opinions

824
00:31:15,490 --> 00:31:20,510
of men, we read that he was willing

825
00:31:20,510 --> 00:31:22,490
again to sacrifice his conscience.

826
00:31:23,430 --> 00:31:25,410
And he had John beheaded in the prison.

827
00:31:25,410 --> 00:31:28,870
This passage of scripture is a tremendous warning

828
00:31:28,870 --> 00:31:36,110
to us to be careful about going against

829
00:31:36,110 --> 00:31:38,410
the still small voice of conscience.

830
00:31:39,550 --> 00:31:42,910
Never to sacrifice that to seek to please

831
00:31:42,910 --> 00:31:43,510
others.

832
00:31:45,270 --> 00:31:51,190
And so at the feast itself, John's head

833
00:31:51,190 --> 00:31:53,830
was brought on a platter and given to

834
00:31:53,830 --> 00:31:54,250
the girl.

835
00:31:54,910 --> 00:31:57,630
And she brought it to her mother.

836
00:31:59,170 --> 00:32:01,650
And it's amazing that this man Herod could

837
00:32:01,650 --> 00:32:04,470
live after all that and never be bothered,

838
00:32:04,690 --> 00:32:08,110
never feel that he had done something wrong.

839
00:32:08,210 --> 00:32:09,990
It's possible for a person to go against

840
00:32:09,990 --> 00:32:12,970
his conscience once, twice, three times, four times

841
00:32:12,970 --> 00:32:14,230
and still his conscience speaks.

842
00:32:15,010 --> 00:32:18,290
Apparently, even though he had listened to John

843
00:32:18,290 --> 00:32:21,270
the Baptist so often and disregarded it, yet

844
00:32:21,270 --> 00:32:24,250
his conscience still spoke to him because it

845
00:32:24,250 --> 00:32:26,530
says he was grieved in verse 9.

846
00:32:26,650 --> 00:32:29,350
He was grieved because there was still the

847
00:32:29,350 --> 00:32:30,890
voice of conscience speaking to him.

848
00:32:31,710 --> 00:32:35,770
But then he finally crossed the line and

849
00:32:35,770 --> 00:32:36,970
he killed John the Baptist.

850
00:32:38,030 --> 00:32:40,150
And we can say after that God didn't

851
00:32:40,150 --> 00:32:41,130
speak to him anymore.

852
00:32:42,330 --> 00:32:44,710
The word of God speaks about people crossing

853
00:32:44,710 --> 00:32:46,910
a line where they have heard and heard

854
00:32:46,910 --> 00:32:49,390
and heard and heard the truth so often.

855
00:32:50,070 --> 00:32:53,290
And they harden their hearts and they can

856
00:32:53,290 --> 00:32:54,010
no longer hear.

857
00:32:54,850 --> 00:32:56,630
That's a very dangerous possibility.

858
00:32:56,810 --> 00:32:58,430
The word of God warns us today if

859
00:32:58,430 --> 00:33:01,370
you hear his voice, harden not your hearts

860
00:33:01,370 --> 00:33:04,490
like the people did in the wilderness.

861
00:33:05,430 --> 00:33:07,430
And that's a warning that we can get

862
00:33:07,430 --> 00:33:09,370
from the life of Herod as well.

863
00:33:09,630 --> 00:33:12,690
Let's turn today to Matthew's Gospel chapter 14

864
00:33:12,690 --> 00:33:15,730
and verse 13.

865
00:33:16,410 --> 00:33:18,650
In our last study we were considering how

866
00:33:18,650 --> 00:33:21,510
Herod put John the Baptist to death.

867
00:33:22,630 --> 00:33:24,590
We read here that in verse 12 that

868
00:33:24,590 --> 00:33:26,230
the disciples came and took away the body

869
00:33:26,230 --> 00:33:27,010
and buried it.

870
00:33:27,550 --> 00:33:29,410
And they went and reported this fact to

871
00:33:29,410 --> 00:33:29,710
Jesus.

872
00:33:30,870 --> 00:33:33,950
And when Jesus heard it, he withdrew from

873
00:33:33,950 --> 00:33:36,190
there in a boat to a lonely place

874
00:33:36,190 --> 00:33:37,710
by himself.

875
00:33:38,650 --> 00:33:40,910
When the multitudes heard of this, they followed

876
00:33:40,910 --> 00:33:45,050
him on foot from the cities.

877
00:33:46,610 --> 00:33:48,270
And when he came out, he saw a

878
00:33:48,270 --> 00:33:52,010
great multitude and felt compassion for them and

879
00:33:52,010 --> 00:33:53,250
healed their sick.

880
00:33:55,270 --> 00:33:57,830
We read something here which shows us the

881
00:33:57,830 --> 00:34:00,230
humanity of Jesus.

882
00:34:01,040 --> 00:34:03,550
How he had emptied himself when he came

883
00:34:03,550 --> 00:34:08,489
down to earth of that perfect, complete knowledge

884
00:34:08,489 --> 00:34:09,949
of all things that God has.

885
00:34:10,350 --> 00:34:12,770
Omniscience that he gave up.

886
00:34:13,790 --> 00:34:15,370
He knew about the death of John the

887
00:34:15,370 --> 00:34:17,830
Baptist only when the disciples came and reported

888
00:34:17,830 --> 00:34:18,370
it to him.

889
00:34:19,370 --> 00:34:23,150
God knows everything, but Jesus had emptied himself

890
00:34:23,150 --> 00:34:23,850
of that.

891
00:34:24,909 --> 00:34:29,330
And when he heard about it, he felt

892
00:34:29,330 --> 00:34:33,489
the feelings that we as human beings feel

893
00:34:33,489 --> 00:34:36,530
when someone who had been so close and

894
00:34:36,530 --> 00:34:39,790
so faithful had finally been martyred.

895
00:34:40,929 --> 00:34:43,870
He withdrew to a lonely place by himself,

896
00:34:44,030 --> 00:34:45,530
no doubt to be quiet with his father.

897
00:34:47,010 --> 00:34:51,469
But he would not allow the sorrow to

898
00:34:51,469 --> 00:34:54,130
take so much of his time.

899
00:34:54,310 --> 00:34:55,850
He saw that he had a ministry to

900
00:34:55,850 --> 00:34:57,470
fulfill and he saw a great multitude.

901
00:34:58,390 --> 00:35:00,170
We read in verse 14, and felt compassion

902
00:35:00,170 --> 00:35:01,370
for them and healed their sick.

903
00:35:02,770 --> 00:35:06,170
A lesson for us and an example that

904
00:35:06,170 --> 00:35:08,730
even when we face sorrow, we are not

905
00:35:08,730 --> 00:35:10,770
to let it overwhelm us so much that

906
00:35:10,770 --> 00:35:14,150
we fail to discharge the ministry that our

907
00:35:14,150 --> 00:35:16,650
father has appointed for us.

908
00:35:17,570 --> 00:35:19,530
When it was evening, the disciples came to

909
00:35:19,530 --> 00:35:21,470
him, saying, The place is desolate and the

910
00:35:21,470 --> 00:35:22,630
time is already past.

911
00:35:23,390 --> 00:35:25,430
So send the multitudes away that they may

912
00:35:25,430 --> 00:35:28,350
go into the villages and buy food for

913
00:35:28,350 --> 00:35:28,790
themselves.

914
00:35:30,330 --> 00:35:32,150
And Jesus said to them, They do not

915
00:35:32,150 --> 00:35:32,930
need to go away.

916
00:35:33,210 --> 00:35:35,210
You give them something to eat.

917
00:35:36,470 --> 00:35:38,270
And they said, We have here only five

918
00:35:38,270 --> 00:35:39,090
loaves and two fish.

919
00:35:39,130 --> 00:35:40,490
And he said, Bring them here to me.

920
00:35:41,230 --> 00:35:43,270
And ordering the multitude to recline on the

921
00:35:43,270 --> 00:35:44,710
grass, he took the five loaves and the

922
00:35:44,710 --> 00:35:46,310
two fish, and looking up toward heaven, he

923
00:35:46,310 --> 00:35:47,030
blessed the food.

924
00:35:48,350 --> 00:35:50,030
And breaking the loaves, he gave them to

925
00:35:50,030 --> 00:35:51,750
the disciples, and the disciples gave to the

926
00:35:51,750 --> 00:35:52,210
multitudes.

927
00:35:53,310 --> 00:35:55,110
They all ate and were satisfied, and they

928
00:35:55,110 --> 00:35:56,750
picked up what was left over of the

929
00:35:56,750 --> 00:35:59,650
broken pieces, twelve full baskets.

930
00:36:01,370 --> 00:36:03,110
There were about five thousand men who ate,

931
00:36:03,250 --> 00:36:04,370
aside from women and children.

932
00:36:05,770 --> 00:36:08,130
That last verse indicates there probably were about

933
00:36:08,130 --> 00:36:10,030
ten thousand people there who were fed, five

934
00:36:10,030 --> 00:36:13,050
thousand men alone, it says, beside women and

935
00:36:13,050 --> 00:36:13,350
children.

936
00:36:14,650 --> 00:36:15,810
And there are a number of things that

937
00:36:15,810 --> 00:36:17,890
we learn here concerning the attitude of Jesus

938
00:36:17,890 --> 00:36:19,470
to people who are in any type of

939
00:36:19,470 --> 00:36:19,910
need.

940
00:36:20,050 --> 00:36:24,130
And that includes material, physical need as well.

941
00:36:25,030 --> 00:36:26,970
God is not only interested in our spiritual

942
00:36:26,970 --> 00:36:27,490
needs.

943
00:36:28,210 --> 00:36:30,070
He is interested in our physical needs, our

944
00:36:30,070 --> 00:36:31,710
financial needs, our material needs.

945
00:36:32,110 --> 00:36:33,730
He is very much interested in them because

946
00:36:33,730 --> 00:36:36,670
he knows that we need these things to

947
00:36:36,670 --> 00:36:37,230
live on the earth.

948
00:36:37,230 --> 00:36:38,850
He knows that we need food, we need

949
00:36:38,850 --> 00:36:40,770
clothing, we need money, we need a house,

950
00:36:42,090 --> 00:36:43,970
we need to educate our children.

951
00:36:44,110 --> 00:36:45,490
He knows all those things, and he is

952
00:36:45,490 --> 00:36:46,450
concerned about them.

953
00:36:47,330 --> 00:36:48,790
Jesus taught us to pray, give us this

954
00:36:48,790 --> 00:36:49,910
day our daily bread.

955
00:36:50,810 --> 00:36:52,570
And that's a very spiritual prayer, to pray.

956
00:36:52,670 --> 00:36:55,430
It's perfectly right to pray to God for

957
00:36:55,430 --> 00:36:56,970
our material necessities.

958
00:36:57,850 --> 00:37:00,650
It's quite another thing to pray for luxuries

959
00:37:00,650 --> 00:37:02,630
or for unnecessary things.

960
00:37:03,170 --> 00:37:05,510
And also, Jesus taught us to pray for

961
00:37:05,510 --> 00:37:07,650
material things after we had prayed first for

962
00:37:07,650 --> 00:37:10,290
the hallowing of his name, the coming of

963
00:37:10,290 --> 00:37:12,250
his kingdom, and the fulfilling of his will.

964
00:37:12,670 --> 00:37:14,730
So there's nothing wrong in praying for material

965
00:37:14,730 --> 00:37:16,970
things, provided it is put in the proper

966
00:37:16,970 --> 00:37:20,370
place next to the kingdom of God and

967
00:37:20,370 --> 00:37:20,930
his righteousness.

968
00:37:22,290 --> 00:37:24,590
And we see a demonstration of that here,

969
00:37:24,670 --> 00:37:27,490
that when the disciples who wanted to pass

970
00:37:27,490 --> 00:37:29,310
on the responsibility of feeding them came on

971
00:37:29,310 --> 00:37:32,010
to the people themselves, said, send these people

972
00:37:32,010 --> 00:37:32,630
to the villages.

973
00:37:33,850 --> 00:37:36,150
In another passage it says that these people

974
00:37:36,150 --> 00:37:37,970
had been a number of days without food.

975
00:37:38,470 --> 00:37:41,050
It's quite amazing how so many people followed

976
00:37:41,050 --> 00:37:42,250
Jesus to hear his word.

977
00:37:44,130 --> 00:37:46,130
And Jesus had compassion on them.

978
00:37:48,610 --> 00:37:50,650
Give them something to eat, he said.

979
00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:56,420
And we read from John's gospel that they

980
00:37:56,420 --> 00:37:58,680
brought a little lad who had five loaves

981
00:37:58,680 --> 00:37:59,680
and two fish with him.

982
00:38:00,980 --> 00:38:03,280
And it's very interesting to see something here,

983
00:38:03,380 --> 00:38:05,920
that Jesus, who could have easily created bread

984
00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:09,160
from nothing, did not do that.

985
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,880
And that is a spiritual lesson for us.

986
00:38:13,720 --> 00:38:16,780
The Lord always wants to work in partnership

987
00:38:16,780 --> 00:38:18,300
with human beings.

988
00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:21,400
He could have evangelized the world without the

989
00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:23,040
help of any human beings, but he chooses

990
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:23,660
to use us.

991
00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:27,060
He could have blessed others without any human

992
00:38:27,060 --> 00:38:30,260
instrumentality, but he always uses a human instrumentality

993
00:38:30,260 --> 00:38:30,720
to bless.

994
00:38:32,060 --> 00:38:33,240
And that's what we see here.

995
00:38:33,460 --> 00:38:38,520
He's using a little lad to bless the

996
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:38,800
multitude.

997
00:38:40,620 --> 00:38:43,000
And one can imagine that little lad going

998
00:38:43,000 --> 00:38:44,700
home and saying that Jesus and he fed

999
00:38:44,700 --> 00:38:45,100
the multitude.

1000
00:38:45,300 --> 00:38:46,000
And that was true.

1001
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:50,740
It was his gift of five loaves and

1002
00:38:50,740 --> 00:38:52,720
two fish, which was probably sufficient just for

1003
00:38:52,720 --> 00:38:56,540
himself, which enabled Jesus to feed the multitude.

1004
00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:00,880
Not because he could not have done it

1005
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,260
without that, but because he wanted to do

1006
00:39:03,260 --> 00:39:06,720
it with the cooperation of one human being

1007
00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:07,220
at least.

1008
00:39:07,420 --> 00:39:08,780
And this is a fundamental principle.

1009
00:39:08,940 --> 00:39:11,380
You remember in the marriage of Cana, he

1010
00:39:11,380 --> 00:39:14,440
could have created the wine from nothing, but

1011
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:16,260
he asked the servants to fill the water

1012
00:39:16,260 --> 00:39:20,660
pots of stone with water and turn the

1013
00:39:20,660 --> 00:39:21,480
water into wine.

1014
00:39:21,940 --> 00:39:23,160
An act of cooperation.

1015
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:25,500
Jesus always works in partnership with us.

1016
00:39:25,500 --> 00:39:27,940
Take my yoke upon you, we studied in

1017
00:39:27,940 --> 00:39:28,480
Matthew 11.

1018
00:39:29,300 --> 00:39:32,800
It's a partnership, a fellowship with Jesus in

1019
00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:34,760
which we fulfill our ministry.

1020
00:39:36,420 --> 00:39:37,860
And he doesn't need much.

1021
00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:41,000
Five loaves and two fish look like an

1022
00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:45,100
insignificantly small amount of food to feed a

1023
00:39:45,100 --> 00:39:48,020
great multitude, but that's enough.

1024
00:39:48,820 --> 00:39:50,740
And that's an encouragement to every one of

1025
00:39:50,740 --> 00:39:53,160
us, that when you look at the need

1026
00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:57,120
and you look at your own resources, your

1027
00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:01,020
own resources may look pitifully small compared to

1028
00:40:01,020 --> 00:40:02,360
the need, whatever the need is.

1029
00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:04,740
Maybe a need in your home, maybe a

1030
00:40:04,740 --> 00:40:06,840
need in your children, it may be a

1031
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:08,000
need in your church, it may be a

1032
00:40:08,000 --> 00:40:10,000
need in your area, and you look at

1033
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:11,860
your own resources and they are so small.

1034
00:40:12,840 --> 00:40:17,800
If you keep that for yourself, of course,

1035
00:40:17,900 --> 00:40:18,820
you'll only feed yourself.

1036
00:40:19,420 --> 00:40:21,720
But if you give your all to Jesus,

1037
00:40:22,540 --> 00:40:23,760
he can feed a multitude.

1038
00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:25,940
There's another lesson here.

1039
00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:29,460
It's those who give everything that they have

1040
00:40:29,460 --> 00:40:32,580
to the Lord, who are used by God

1041
00:40:32,580 --> 00:40:33,820
to bless the multitude.

1042
00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,140
Do you give everything that you have to

1043
00:40:37,140 --> 00:40:38,900
the Lord, like this little lad?

1044
00:40:39,220 --> 00:40:41,860
Then he can use it to bless the

1045
00:40:41,860 --> 00:40:42,100
multitude.

1046
00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:46,020
There are people who give ten percent to

1047
00:40:46,020 --> 00:40:46,320
God.

1048
00:40:47,220 --> 00:40:48,360
That was Old Testament.

1049
00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:51,760
In the New Testament, we're not called to

1050
00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:52,380
give ten percent.

1051
00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:54,120
We're called to give everything.

1052
00:40:54,900 --> 00:40:56,280
And when we give everything to the Lord,

1053
00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:58,920
it's not that our needs are not met.

1054
00:40:59,660 --> 00:41:01,860
In fact, this boy who gave five loaves

1055
00:41:01,860 --> 00:41:04,180
and two fish could have had ten loaves

1056
00:41:04,180 --> 00:41:05,620
and four fish if he wanted afterwards.

1057
00:41:06,420 --> 00:41:08,140
He gets back not only what he gave,

1058
00:41:08,220 --> 00:41:09,480
but more than what he gave, and in

1059
00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:12,780
addition, the multitudes are fed too.

1060
00:41:12,860 --> 00:41:14,440
And that's a lesson, that if you give

1061
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:15,840
your all to the Lord, you'll find not

1062
00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:17,300
only your own needs are met, but God

1063
00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:19,420
can use you to bless the multitudes.

1064
00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:22,820
And here is where very, very few people

1065
00:41:22,820 --> 00:41:23,600
give their all.

1066
00:41:23,720 --> 00:41:26,060
So many people seek their own, even among

1067
00:41:26,060 --> 00:41:26,440
believers.

1068
00:41:27,340 --> 00:41:29,720
They're always keeping back for themselves, and that's

1069
00:41:29,720 --> 00:41:31,480
why God cannot use them to bless the

1070
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:31,900
multitudes.

1071
00:41:33,700 --> 00:41:38,040
And we read here that the disciples took

1072
00:41:38,040 --> 00:41:39,820
the food and gave it to the multitudes.

1073
00:41:39,820 --> 00:41:42,160
And there again, we learn another lesson, that

1074
00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:44,300
Jesus did not ask for volunteers.

1075
00:41:45,560 --> 00:41:47,340
One would think that a more efficient way

1076
00:41:47,340 --> 00:41:49,060
of distributing the food would be to ask

1077
00:41:49,060 --> 00:41:52,920
for five hundred volunteers, and the job would

1078
00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:53,700
have been done quicker.

1079
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:56,480
But he didn't ask for volunteers.

1080
00:41:56,780 --> 00:41:59,100
He asked his twelve disciples to feed these

1081
00:41:59,100 --> 00:41:59,920
ten thousand people.

1082
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:02,800
Not the most efficient way of doing it,

1083
00:42:03,420 --> 00:42:04,780
but the most spiritual way.

1084
00:42:05,220 --> 00:42:09,260
Because in God's service, there are no volunteers.

1085
00:42:10,420 --> 00:42:12,020
You cannot volunteer to serve the Lord.

1086
00:42:12,660 --> 00:42:13,580
You have to be called.

1087
00:42:14,300 --> 00:42:16,960
If God doesn't call you, you cannot serve

1088
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:17,160
him.

1089
00:42:18,060 --> 00:42:20,320
You cannot go and bless the multitude just

1090
00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:21,180
because you want to.

1091
00:42:21,760 --> 00:42:24,120
You cannot volunteer in saying, Well, Lord, here

1092
00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:25,800
I am, I would like to serve you

1093
00:42:25,800 --> 00:42:26,380
full time.

1094
00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:28,200
He may not want you to serve full

1095
00:42:28,200 --> 00:42:29,480
time, then you better sit down.

1096
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:33,680
No, Jesus called his disciples, and only to

1097
00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:37,080
them did he give the food.

1098
00:42:37,620 --> 00:42:39,280
And here is the reason for such a

1099
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:42,800
lot of shallowness and hollowness in the ministry

1100
00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:44,560
of the word today.

1101
00:42:44,780 --> 00:42:46,760
Many are preaching who have not been called.

1102
00:42:46,940 --> 00:42:47,680
They have volunteered.

1103
00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:49,560
We cannot volunteer.

1104
00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:52,340
Jesus did not ask for volunteers.

1105
00:42:52,620 --> 00:42:54,860
He gave the food to the disciples, and

1106
00:42:54,860 --> 00:42:56,500
the disciples gave to the multitudes.

1107
00:42:56,500 --> 00:42:59,220
And remember, the disciples were hungry too.

1108
00:42:59,620 --> 00:43:01,320
They had also been without food for a

1109
00:43:01,320 --> 00:43:02,040
number of days.

1110
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:05,000
And one can imagine the disciples thinking, I

1111
00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:06,520
hope there is something left for us after

1112
00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:07,540
all these people have eaten.

1113
00:43:08,480 --> 00:43:10,420
But the Lord took care of them.

1114
00:43:11,420 --> 00:43:16,840
We read that after everybody was fed, the

1115
00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:21,820
Lord had made such an abundance, and he

1116
00:43:21,820 --> 00:43:24,040
asked the disciples to pick up what was

1117
00:43:24,040 --> 00:43:24,480
remaining.

1118
00:43:25,060 --> 00:43:28,520
What was remaining does not mean the broken

1119
00:43:28,520 --> 00:43:30,700
bones of the fish and the crumbs of

1120
00:43:30,700 --> 00:43:31,020
the bread.

1121
00:43:31,140 --> 00:43:33,000
No, this was fresh bread and fish that

1122
00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:34,940
had been multiplied in excess of what was

1123
00:43:34,940 --> 00:43:35,200
needed.

1124
00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:37,680
Good bread and fish.

1125
00:43:38,240 --> 00:43:41,920
And they collected twelve baskets, one for each

1126
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:43,420
of the disciples to take home.

1127
00:43:43,860 --> 00:43:46,700
That is how God rewards those who serve

1128
00:43:46,700 --> 00:43:46,900
him.

1129
00:43:47,220 --> 00:43:50,500
If we serve him unselfishly and faithfully, you

1130
00:43:50,500 --> 00:43:51,720
can be sure that there will be a

1131
00:43:51,720 --> 00:43:53,520
basket full left for you at the end

1132
00:43:53,520 --> 00:43:54,120
of your life.

1133
00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:56,760
None of your needs or your family's needs

1134
00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:59,380
will ever go wanting, when you have served

1135
00:43:59,380 --> 00:44:01,560
the others unselfishly.

1136
00:44:01,900 --> 00:44:04,540
Let's turn today to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 14,

1137
00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:05,540
and verse 22.

1138
00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,880
And immediately, that is immediately after he had

1139
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:14,020
fed the five thousand men, beside women and

1140
00:44:14,020 --> 00:44:18,250
children, and after they had all gone home,

1141
00:44:18,550 --> 00:44:20,550
it says he made the disciples get into

1142
00:44:20,550 --> 00:44:22,410
the boat, and go ahead of him to

1143
00:44:22,410 --> 00:44:24,150
the other side while he sent the multitudes

1144
00:44:24,150 --> 00:44:24,510
away.

1145
00:44:25,230 --> 00:44:27,690
And after he had sent the multitudes away,

1146
00:44:27,810 --> 00:44:29,090
he went up to the mountain by himself

1147
00:44:29,090 --> 00:44:29,570
to pray.

1148
00:44:31,170 --> 00:44:32,510
Notice something here.

1149
00:44:33,290 --> 00:44:38,010
Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the

1150
00:44:38,010 --> 00:44:40,610
boat, and go ahead of him.

1151
00:44:41,090 --> 00:44:43,610
The literal word there is he compelled them,

1152
00:44:44,830 --> 00:44:47,350
which seems to give the indication that they

1153
00:44:47,350 --> 00:44:48,270
did not want to go.

1154
00:44:49,390 --> 00:44:52,590
But since he compelled them, they went.

1155
00:44:53,570 --> 00:44:58,570
And that's a very significant statement, which we

1156
00:44:58,570 --> 00:45:00,110
shall consider in a moment as we go

1157
00:45:00,110 --> 00:45:01,570
on with what happened later on.

1158
00:45:02,090 --> 00:45:03,930
But notice this just for the time being,

1159
00:45:04,010 --> 00:45:05,350
that he compelled them.

1160
00:45:06,450 --> 00:45:07,830
He insisted that they go.

1161
00:45:09,290 --> 00:45:11,610
Sometimes the Lord tells us to go somewhere,

1162
00:45:11,710 --> 00:45:12,530
and we don't want to go.

1163
00:45:13,690 --> 00:45:15,930
And then he compels us, of course we

1164
00:45:15,930 --> 00:45:17,870
can still refuse him, because he doesn't take

1165
00:45:17,870 --> 00:45:18,690
away our free will.

1166
00:45:18,690 --> 00:45:21,030
He urges us, he will not catch us

1167
00:45:21,030 --> 00:45:22,810
by the neck and push us into the

1168
00:45:22,810 --> 00:45:24,670
boat, but he says, you must go, I

1169
00:45:24,670 --> 00:45:25,170
want you to go.

1170
00:45:25,290 --> 00:45:26,710
And you say, no Lord, I don't really

1171
00:45:26,710 --> 00:45:27,370
feel like going.

1172
00:45:28,210 --> 00:45:29,250
But the Lord says, no, I want you

1173
00:45:29,250 --> 00:45:29,550
to go.

1174
00:45:30,370 --> 00:45:31,930
That's the meaning of he compelled them.

1175
00:45:32,230 --> 00:45:33,170
And they obeyed.

1176
00:45:33,690 --> 00:45:35,170
And they got in and went.

1177
00:45:37,170 --> 00:45:38,970
And then he sent the multitudes away.

1178
00:45:39,130 --> 00:45:40,850
And after sending the multitudes away, he went

1179
00:45:40,850 --> 00:45:42,470
up to the mountain by himself to pray.

1180
00:45:42,630 --> 00:45:44,030
And when it was evening, he was there

1181
00:45:44,030 --> 00:45:44,350
alone.

1182
00:45:45,490 --> 00:45:49,610
We see here that Jesus often sought time

1183
00:45:49,610 --> 00:45:50,130
to pray.

1184
00:45:50,710 --> 00:45:53,950
He was very, very keen on finding time

1185
00:45:53,950 --> 00:45:54,650
alone to pray.

1186
00:45:55,290 --> 00:45:57,230
Now notice, Jesus was not praying for material

1187
00:45:57,230 --> 00:45:57,590
things.

1188
00:45:57,830 --> 00:45:59,370
Most believers, when they pray, they are praying

1189
00:45:59,370 --> 00:46:02,270
for some material thing or some healing, usually

1190
00:46:02,270 --> 00:46:03,970
something which has no eternal value.

1191
00:46:04,990 --> 00:46:07,730
Jesus prayed for things which had eternal value.

1192
00:46:07,850 --> 00:46:10,270
He was more concerned about the things of

1193
00:46:10,270 --> 00:46:11,310
eternity and of heaven.

1194
00:46:12,830 --> 00:46:15,970
And notice also this fact, that Jesus was

1195
00:46:15,970 --> 00:46:17,050
one who had never sinned.

1196
00:46:17,230 --> 00:46:20,690
In all those years, it was not that

1197
00:46:20,690 --> 00:46:23,470
he was praying because he wanted restoration of

1198
00:46:23,470 --> 00:46:25,030
fellowship with the Father, because it had been

1199
00:46:25,030 --> 00:46:25,850
broken in some way.

1200
00:46:25,930 --> 00:46:27,510
His fellowship with the Father was never broken.

1201
00:46:27,970 --> 00:46:29,230
All through his earthly life.

1202
00:46:30,390 --> 00:46:32,570
And yet, we read of a time when

1203
00:46:32,570 --> 00:46:33,690
he spent a whole night in prayer.

1204
00:46:34,030 --> 00:46:35,750
We read of times when he would slip

1205
00:46:35,750 --> 00:46:37,910
away from multitudes and his disciples and be

1206
00:46:37,910 --> 00:46:38,970
alone and pray.

1207
00:46:38,970 --> 00:46:40,750
We also read of a time when he

1208
00:46:40,750 --> 00:46:42,930
was praying with his disciples present.

1209
00:46:43,170 --> 00:46:45,150
That was a time when the disciples, after

1210
00:46:45,150 --> 00:46:46,870
hearing him, said, Lord, teach us also to

1211
00:46:46,870 --> 00:46:47,890
pray the way you pray.

1212
00:46:48,610 --> 00:46:50,230
So we see that he prayed in public,

1213
00:46:50,930 --> 00:46:52,850
he prayed in private, quite a lot in

1214
00:46:52,850 --> 00:46:53,150
private.

1215
00:46:53,710 --> 00:46:55,450
He would often slip away into the wilderness

1216
00:46:55,450 --> 00:46:57,490
and pray, we read in Luke 5.16.

1217
00:46:58,350 --> 00:47:00,370
Just like tourists, when they come to some

1218
00:47:00,370 --> 00:47:02,170
new place, they want to see what are

1219
00:47:02,170 --> 00:47:03,230
the sights to be seen.

1220
00:47:03,830 --> 00:47:05,650
Jesus, whenever he came to a new place,

1221
00:47:05,730 --> 00:47:07,290
he'd find out if there was some convenient

1222
00:47:07,290 --> 00:47:08,830
quiet place where he could go and pray.

1223
00:47:09,330 --> 00:47:12,210
That's the difference between tourists and disciples of

1224
00:47:12,210 --> 00:47:12,490
Jesus.

1225
00:47:13,550 --> 00:47:15,990
Jesus was looking for place where he could

1226
00:47:15,990 --> 00:47:17,770
be quiet to pray.

1227
00:47:19,090 --> 00:47:21,030
And many of us may live in homes

1228
00:47:21,030 --> 00:47:24,210
where we don't have a room to ourselves

1229
00:47:24,210 --> 00:47:24,790
to pray.

1230
00:47:25,970 --> 00:47:27,990
But if we are wholehearted, God will show

1231
00:47:27,990 --> 00:47:29,770
us some place where we can be alone.

1232
00:47:30,550 --> 00:47:31,830
And we can be alone with him.

1233
00:47:32,370 --> 00:47:34,490
And I believe that the greatest incentive to

1234
00:47:34,490 --> 00:47:36,770
prayer is the fact that Jesus himself, the

1235
00:47:36,770 --> 00:47:38,790
one who had never sinned, the one who

1236
00:47:38,790 --> 00:47:41,550
walked in perfect fellowship with the Father, needed

1237
00:47:41,550 --> 00:47:43,690
to spend time alone with his Father.

1238
00:47:44,490 --> 00:47:46,410
Otherwise he could never have lived the life

1239
00:47:46,410 --> 00:47:51,810
that he lived of purity and fulfilled the

1240
00:47:51,810 --> 00:47:53,490
ministry that the Father had for him.

1241
00:47:54,930 --> 00:47:57,190
And we read further in verse 24.

1242
00:47:57,850 --> 00:48:00,270
As the boat in which the disciples had

1243
00:48:00,270 --> 00:48:04,290
been compelled to go was a number of

1244
00:48:04,290 --> 00:48:07,310
yards away from the land, hundreds of yards

1245
00:48:07,310 --> 00:48:10,550
away, many stadia means each stadion was 200

1246
00:48:10,550 --> 00:48:13,210
yards, hundreds of yards away from the land,

1247
00:48:14,090 --> 00:48:16,310
it was battered by the waves, for the

1248
00:48:16,310 --> 00:48:17,210
wind was contrary.

1249
00:48:18,330 --> 00:48:20,870
Notice that when Jesus compels us to go

1250
00:48:20,870 --> 00:48:23,750
in some direction, as we read earlier on

1251
00:48:23,750 --> 00:48:28,250
in verse 22, the wind is not necessarily

1252
00:48:28,250 --> 00:48:31,450
going to be smooth and calm, the waves

1253
00:48:31,450 --> 00:48:34,190
are not going to be calm and quiet.

1254
00:48:34,770 --> 00:48:35,210
No.

1255
00:48:37,030 --> 00:48:39,350
Many people think that when we follow Jesus

1256
00:48:39,350 --> 00:48:41,650
and obey him, life will become easy.

1257
00:48:42,170 --> 00:48:42,990
Quite the contrary.

1258
00:48:43,770 --> 00:48:45,230
He compelled them to go and when they

1259
00:48:45,230 --> 00:48:47,390
went in the boat, they found that the

1260
00:48:47,390 --> 00:48:48,990
waves were battering the boat and the wind

1261
00:48:48,990 --> 00:48:49,530
was contrary.

1262
00:48:49,670 --> 00:48:51,370
And that's very often our experience in life,

1263
00:48:51,430 --> 00:48:54,670
that when we obey the Lord, we find

1264
00:48:54,670 --> 00:48:57,490
we run into problems, we run into difficulties,

1265
00:48:57,890 --> 00:48:59,010
we run into storms.

1266
00:48:59,910 --> 00:49:02,530
And God has designed them to teach us

1267
00:49:02,530 --> 00:49:02,970
a lesson.

1268
00:49:04,470 --> 00:49:06,010
Who are the people who have the easiest

1269
00:49:06,010 --> 00:49:06,730
time in the world?

1270
00:49:06,850 --> 00:49:07,350
It's the sinners.

1271
00:49:07,690 --> 00:49:09,330
It's the people who disobey the Lord completely.

1272
00:49:10,350 --> 00:49:12,330
Jesus did not say, in the world you'll

1273
00:49:12,330 --> 00:49:13,190
have an easy time.

1274
00:49:13,310 --> 00:49:14,170
But what did he say?

1275
00:49:14,790 --> 00:49:17,470
He said in John 16.33, In the

1276
00:49:17,470 --> 00:49:21,110
world you shall have tribulation, but in me

1277
00:49:21,110 --> 00:49:22,290
you will have peace.

1278
00:49:22,490 --> 00:49:24,450
Be of good cheer, for I have overcome

1279
00:49:24,450 --> 00:49:25,010
the world.

1280
00:49:25,650 --> 00:49:27,810
He himself faced tribulation and persecution.

1281
00:49:29,010 --> 00:49:30,710
And he does not allow us to face

1282
00:49:30,710 --> 00:49:32,690
any temptation that he has not faced himself.

1283
00:49:32,990 --> 00:49:36,010
For we read in Hebrews 4.15, that

1284
00:49:36,010 --> 00:49:37,990
he was tempted in all points exactly like

1285
00:49:37,990 --> 00:49:38,450
we are.

1286
00:49:38,630 --> 00:49:39,510
And he did not sin.

1287
00:49:40,550 --> 00:49:42,450
So he does not send us into any

1288
00:49:42,450 --> 00:49:44,150
trial without going ahead himself.

1289
00:49:45,670 --> 00:49:47,830
And just like here, we read that he

1290
00:49:47,830 --> 00:49:50,670
sent the disciples in the boat, compelled them

1291
00:49:50,670 --> 00:49:53,430
to go, and they faced this contrary wind

1292
00:49:53,430 --> 00:49:55,270
and the battering of the waves.

1293
00:49:55,350 --> 00:49:56,550
But where was Jesus himself?

1294
00:49:56,650 --> 00:49:58,210
He was on the mountain praying for them.

1295
00:49:58,850 --> 00:50:00,910
And that's a beautiful picture, when Jesus has

1296
00:50:00,910 --> 00:50:03,150
thrust us out into the world, and we

1297
00:50:03,150 --> 00:50:04,650
find in the world the wind is contrary

1298
00:50:04,650 --> 00:50:06,110
and the waves are battering us, we can

1299
00:50:06,110 --> 00:50:07,970
remember that there's one who's standing on high

1300
00:50:07,970 --> 00:50:09,830
at the right hand of the Father praying

1301
00:50:09,830 --> 00:50:10,290
for us.

1302
00:50:10,830 --> 00:50:11,910
And that's our comfort.

1303
00:50:12,110 --> 00:50:12,790
We're not alone.

1304
00:50:12,790 --> 00:50:15,650
And he's also sent his Holy Spirit to

1305
00:50:15,650 --> 00:50:17,230
be with us, which is something better than

1306
00:50:17,230 --> 00:50:18,850
what those disciples had in the boat.

1307
00:50:20,190 --> 00:50:21,410
And in the fourth watch of the night,

1308
00:50:21,530 --> 00:50:23,110
he came to them walking upon the sea.

1309
00:50:23,290 --> 00:50:26,550
In the middle of the storm, we shall

1310
00:50:26,550 --> 00:50:29,150
find the presence of the Lord there to

1311
00:50:29,150 --> 00:50:29,950
encourage us.

1312
00:50:31,370 --> 00:50:33,530
And when the disciples saw him walking on

1313
00:50:33,530 --> 00:50:35,570
the sea, they were frightened, saying it's a

1314
00:50:35,570 --> 00:50:37,250
ghost, and they cried out for fear.

1315
00:50:38,110 --> 00:50:39,090
They were very human.

1316
00:50:40,090 --> 00:50:42,510
And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Take

1317
00:50:42,510 --> 00:50:44,370
courage, it is I, do not be afraid.

1318
00:50:45,330 --> 00:50:46,910
And dear friends, that's what we need to

1319
00:50:46,910 --> 00:50:48,530
hear in the middle of every storm, and

1320
00:50:48,530 --> 00:50:52,170
when the waves are battering our life, we

1321
00:50:52,170 --> 00:50:54,270
need to hear the Lord speaking to us,

1322
00:50:54,330 --> 00:50:57,270
saying, Take courage and don't be afraid, for

1323
00:50:57,270 --> 00:50:57,770
I'm here.

1324
00:50:58,350 --> 00:51:00,230
In the middle of the storm, when the

1325
00:51:00,230 --> 00:51:03,030
waves are battering you, the Lord says, I'm

1326
00:51:03,030 --> 00:51:03,330
here.

1327
00:51:04,290 --> 00:51:05,490
You don't have to be scared.

1328
00:51:06,790 --> 00:51:08,870
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if

1329
00:51:08,870 --> 00:51:10,350
it's you, command me to come to you

1330
00:51:10,350 --> 00:51:12,990
on the water, because Jesus was walking on

1331
00:51:12,990 --> 00:51:13,530
the water.

1332
00:51:14,990 --> 00:51:16,870
Now, this is not because he was the

1333
00:51:16,870 --> 00:51:17,530
Son of God.

1334
00:51:17,670 --> 00:51:19,230
He was the Son of God, no doubt.

1335
00:51:20,310 --> 00:51:22,490
But remember, he had given up those powers

1336
00:51:22,490 --> 00:51:23,490
when he came to earth.

1337
00:51:23,570 --> 00:51:24,510
He came as a man.

1338
00:51:25,230 --> 00:51:27,650
It was as a man with the supernatural

1339
00:51:27,650 --> 00:51:30,270
ability that the Holy Spirit gave him that

1340
00:51:30,270 --> 00:51:31,850
he walked on the sea and overcame the

1341
00:51:31,850 --> 00:51:32,550
law of gravity.

1342
00:51:33,710 --> 00:51:35,910
And the proof of that is that he

1343
00:51:35,910 --> 00:51:37,650
told Peter that Peter could do the same.

1344
00:51:37,790 --> 00:51:40,090
Peter was not the Son of God, but

1345
00:51:40,090 --> 00:51:41,690
Peter also walked on the water with the

1346
00:51:41,690 --> 00:51:43,350
same power that Jesus walked on the water.

1347
00:51:44,210 --> 00:51:46,130
And that is the significant thing for us.

1348
00:51:46,970 --> 00:51:49,130
And what an experience that was for Peter.

1349
00:51:49,890 --> 00:51:51,890
To come out of the boat, Jesus said,

1350
00:51:51,970 --> 00:51:52,210
Come.

1351
00:51:53,670 --> 00:51:55,250
And Peter got out of the boat and

1352
00:51:55,250 --> 00:51:57,210
walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

1353
00:51:58,330 --> 00:52:00,930
What Jesus was saying is, as I overcome

1354
00:52:00,930 --> 00:52:02,670
the law of gravity, Peter, you can also

1355
00:52:02,670 --> 00:52:04,090
overcome if you look at me and have

1356
00:52:04,090 --> 00:52:04,670
faith in me.

1357
00:52:06,090 --> 00:52:08,050
And the spiritual application of that for us

1358
00:52:08,050 --> 00:52:10,310
is, there is another law which is very

1359
00:52:10,310 --> 00:52:11,550
similar to the law of gravity.

1360
00:52:11,750 --> 00:52:13,510
It's called the law of sin and death

1361
00:52:13,510 --> 00:52:14,750
in Romans chapter 8.

1362
00:52:15,390 --> 00:52:17,030
The law of sin and death also pulls

1363
00:52:17,030 --> 00:52:19,150
us down into sin, just like the law

1364
00:52:19,150 --> 00:52:20,410
of gravity pulls us down.

1365
00:52:21,450 --> 00:52:23,230
And the interesting thing is Jesus, when he

1366
00:52:23,230 --> 00:52:25,570
came to earth in our flesh, was tempted

1367
00:52:25,570 --> 00:52:28,150
and was subject to this law of sin

1368
00:52:28,150 --> 00:52:28,910
and death as well.

1369
00:52:29,290 --> 00:52:30,430
But he never sank.

1370
00:52:31,170 --> 00:52:32,050
He overcame.

1371
00:52:32,170 --> 00:52:35,230
He was tempted, pulled by sin downwards.

1372
00:52:35,890 --> 00:52:39,310
But he overcame and triumphed and walked in

1373
00:52:39,310 --> 00:52:40,330
triumph every moment.

1374
00:52:41,390 --> 00:52:43,690
And the message to us is, the miracle

1375
00:52:43,690 --> 00:52:46,190
here is not just that Jesus walked on

1376
00:52:46,190 --> 00:52:47,870
the water, but a far greater miracle is

1377
00:52:47,870 --> 00:52:49,250
that Peter walked on the water too.

1378
00:52:50,330 --> 00:52:53,050
That Jesus overcame sin, the law of sin

1379
00:52:53,050 --> 00:52:54,170
and death, is that a great thing?

1380
00:52:54,210 --> 00:52:55,970
It is, because he had our flesh.

1381
00:52:56,490 --> 00:52:58,130
But the greater thing is that we too

1382
00:52:58,130 --> 00:52:59,330
can follow in his footsteps.

1383
00:53:00,050 --> 00:53:02,290
And overcome that same law of sin and

1384
00:53:02,290 --> 00:53:02,470
death.

1385
00:53:02,630 --> 00:53:04,530
Romans 8 too says, the law of the

1386
00:53:04,530 --> 00:53:08,130
spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set

1387
00:53:08,130 --> 00:53:09,550
me free from the law of sin and

1388
00:53:09,550 --> 00:53:09,770
death.

1389
00:53:09,870 --> 00:53:12,690
And we can take an illustration from the

1390
00:53:12,690 --> 00:53:13,630
flight of the aeroplane.

1391
00:53:14,150 --> 00:53:17,810
We can say the law of aerodynamics has

1392
00:53:17,810 --> 00:53:21,050
overcome the law of gravity so that 1

1393
00:53:21,050 --> 00:53:23,810
,000 tons of steel flies in the air

1394
00:53:23,810 --> 00:53:25,130
without any effort almost.

1395
00:53:26,130 --> 00:53:29,890
Because the law of aerodynamics overcomes the law

1396
00:53:29,890 --> 00:53:30,590
of gravity.

1397
00:53:31,230 --> 00:53:34,630
That's what Paul says in Romans 8 too.

1398
00:53:34,730 --> 00:53:36,830
The law of the spirit of life in

1399
00:53:36,830 --> 00:53:38,990
Christ Jesus, that when I experience that same

1400
00:53:38,990 --> 00:53:41,010
life that Jesus had, that I receive it

1401
00:53:41,010 --> 00:53:43,090
through the Holy Spirit, it gives me the

1402
00:53:43,090 --> 00:53:45,550
power to overcome the law of sin and

1403
00:53:45,550 --> 00:53:45,950
death.

1404
00:53:46,090 --> 00:53:47,110
Just like the birds.

1405
00:53:47,730 --> 00:53:50,190
God's put a life into those birds that

1406
00:53:50,190 --> 00:53:51,510
can overcome the law of sin.

1407
00:53:52,250 --> 00:53:54,270
And he can put a life that can

1408
00:53:54,270 --> 00:53:55,250
overcome the law of gravity.

1409
00:53:56,210 --> 00:53:57,910
God can put the life of Jesus in

1410
00:53:57,910 --> 00:53:59,050
us in the same way so that we

1411
00:53:59,050 --> 00:54:00,930
can overcome the power of sin.

1412
00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:05,520
But it depends on our looking unto Jesus.

1413
00:54:06,100 --> 00:54:08,580
Because we read here that when Peter stopped

1414
00:54:08,580 --> 00:54:10,500
looking at Jesus and started looking at the

1415
00:54:10,500 --> 00:54:13,880
wind and the waves, he said, Lord, save

1416
00:54:13,880 --> 00:54:14,060
me.

1417
00:54:14,100 --> 00:54:14,940
He began to sink.

1418
00:54:15,920 --> 00:54:17,480
And we do begin to sink when we

1419
00:54:17,480 --> 00:54:19,380
turn our eyes away from Jesus unto the

1420
00:54:19,380 --> 00:54:22,240
trial or the sorrow or the difficulty or

1421
00:54:22,240 --> 00:54:22,800
the temptation.

1422
00:54:23,880 --> 00:54:25,580
But in that moment too, if we say,

1423
00:54:25,620 --> 00:54:27,820
Lord, save me, Jesus is still there to

1424
00:54:27,820 --> 00:54:30,100
stretch out his hand and to take a

1425
00:54:30,100 --> 00:54:30,780
hold of us.

1426
00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:33,140
He said to him in verse 31, Oh,

1427
00:54:33,200 --> 00:54:33,900
you of little faith.

1428
00:54:33,980 --> 00:54:34,740
Why did you doubt?

1429
00:54:35,300 --> 00:54:36,740
Everything depends on faith.

1430
00:54:37,420 --> 00:54:39,560
If you can have faith that the Lord

1431
00:54:39,560 --> 00:54:41,620
can enable you to walk in triumph in

1432
00:54:41,620 --> 00:54:44,160
every situation, like it says in 2 Corinthians

1433
00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:47,000
2.14, Paul had it that way, we

1434
00:54:47,000 --> 00:54:48,120
too can walk in triumph.

1435
00:54:48,120 --> 00:54:50,460
If we look to him and say, Lord,

1436
00:54:50,760 --> 00:54:53,900
you'll give me grace to overcome as you

1437
00:54:53,900 --> 00:54:54,600
overcame.