WEBVTT

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Well, as Grant shared earlier, this is Passion

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Week. Welcome. This is the most important time

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of the year on the Christian calendar. I know

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we all love Christmas, right? We love Christmas

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as a holiday, and of course, the story of the

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birth of Christ in Bethlehem, God, the Son taking

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on flesh, is a huge part of our theology, what

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we believe, but it is the cross. of Good Friday

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and the empty tomb of Resurrection Sunday that

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serve as the most important foundation of our

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faith. It is the events of Passion Week that

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are the source of our hope, our certain hope

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in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life.

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So every year at this time, we prepare our hearts

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to rejoice together in recalling the events of

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that day in Christ's time and celebrating. What

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God has done for us through Christ Jesus. And

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that is going to be a big theme that we talk

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about this morning. What has God done for us

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in Christ Jesus? As you can see by the splash

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on the screen there, the theme of our three -part

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sermon series this year fits with that vision.

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We're calling the series With Him. That is with

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Jesus. So this coming Friday, as we gather to

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remember. Both aspects of the cross, the agony

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of the cross and the glory of the cross, what

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we're going to try to do is take hold of what

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it means for Christians to be buried with him.

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And then a couple days later on Resurrection

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Sunday, we will try to examine and understand

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what it means to be raised to life with him.

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And both of those concepts, the union of Christ,

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is so essential to what we believe and how we

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live out our faith. So I hope you'll come back

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on Friday and Sunday. But first, this morning,

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we have to get ready. And so I want to start

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today by talking about the prerequisite for being

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buried with Christ and raised with Christ, and

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that is the idea of being found in Christ, being

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found in Him. And so we heard something about

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that in our call to worship just a few moments

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ago as Grant read from Philippians 3. This is

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what Paul said in Philippians 3. He counts everything

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he has as loss. Everything. His pedigree, his

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works, everything he counts as absolute loss

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for the sake of what? Gaining Christ. To be found

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in him, Paul says, is by far the greatest thing.

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that a human being can have to be found in him.

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Now, what does it mean to be found in him? Well,

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Paul says it has something to do with not having

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a righteousness of our own doing. Let me say

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that again. Not having a righteousness of our

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own doing that comes from keeping the law or

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from good deeds, but instead having a righteousness

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that comes from God. on the basis of faith alone

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in Christ. That is what it means to be found

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in him. And then in another one of his letters,

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in the book of Galatians, Paul uses this beautiful

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word picture to describe more of this. He says,

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we have clothed ourselves with Christ. Can you

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picture that in your mind? We've clothed ourselves

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with him. And then to the Colossian church, he

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writes that for the believer, our lives are now

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hidden. in Christ. Beautiful word pictures, right?

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So to be found in him means that we are covered

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by his sacrificial blood as a payment for our

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sins. And it means that this amazing divine exchange

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took place at the foot of the cross, which has

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such an amazing benefit for us. And here it is.

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Jesus takes our sin upon himself and he gives

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to us his perfect holiness. Can you think of

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anything grander or more glorious than that?

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All of our sin gets put on Christ on the cross

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and all of his perfect righteousness is imputed

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to us. And now, as God the Father looks upon

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us, he doesn't see our sin. He actually doesn't

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even see our good deeds because they're filthy

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rags before him anyway. What he sees is the perfect

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righteousness of his own son. What a... I know

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that's positional and sometimes it's hard for

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us to understand practically what that means.

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But do you believe that truth? That scripture

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says God sees us through the righteousness of

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his son. So this is the beauty of Passion Week,

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isn't it? But as we celebrate this, I also want

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to talk about a wee bit of a problem that we

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should discuss this morning. And here's what

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it is. So many people in the world today claim

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to be found in Christ. So many people across

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this world claim to be found in him. And certainly

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we do, but so do Mormons. And so do Roman Catholics.

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And so do Eastern Orthodox. And so do Jehovah's

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Witnesses. And so do Word of Faith Pentecostals

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and more. So which version of Jesus must we believe

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in? Whose version of Jesus do we have to believe

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in? Does it matter? We have to answer that question.

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Or is it just enough to say, well, look, I trust

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in Jesus. Is that enough? Well, in order to get

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us ready for the rest of Passion Week, what I

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want to do this morning is walk through a series

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of biblical events in the gospel that tells us

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exactly who Jesus claimed he was. Because it's

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not unclear in the text who Jesus claimed to

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be. We're going to look at events which will

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make it clear which version of Jesus we must

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accept and believe in if we're going to be saved.

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And so this message is gonna look a little unusual

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for the way we normally do things at Oak Hill.

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If you've been with us in the Titus series, we've

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been in Titus 2, and we're just, we're slow rolling,

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aren't we? We're just covering a verse here,

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a verse there, and then sort of practically applying

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the principles we see in the text. Today's gonna

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be the opposite. We're actually gonna read a

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lot of scripture, a lot of Matthew's gospel.

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And as we go along, I'm just gonna give you my

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running commentary on the text, and it's been

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my prayer. over the last 24 hours that some of

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it will be insightful for you and will get your

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hearts ready for Friday and Sunday. So grab your

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Bibles. We're going to Matthew chapter 20. We're

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going to start Matthew chapter 20 and especially

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beginning in verse 29. So see if you can find

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that, Matthew 20, 29. And before we start to

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read, let me give you context, which is always

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so important. This is, of course, The tail end

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of Jesus' ministry and the tail end of Jesus'

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physical life on the earth, okay? In the previous

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chapter, in chapter 19, Matthew tells us that

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Jesus and his disciples began their final journey

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down south to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.

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This would be the last time that Jesus goes to

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Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. And so this

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is my sneaky way of getting a map in this morning.

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So, because it's been too long, hasn't it? So

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we should always know something about the path

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that Jesus takes when he goes to, it varies at

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times, but we're pretty sure that what you see

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on the screen there is the path that Jesus took.

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And we'll pick up on the story as we get to verse

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29. Up in chapter 16 of Matthew's gospel, that

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purple dot way up there in the north, up in the

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Golan Heights at the base of Mount Hermon, that's

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Caesarea Philippi. That's the place where we

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have Peter's great confession of who do you say

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that I am? That takes place way up there in the

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north. So Jesus and his followers are up there.

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Then they come down to the green dot, Capernaum,

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which is his home base there on the Sea of Galilee

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for a time. And then from Capernaum, they launch

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out to travel to Jerusalem for Passover. And

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it appears that they cross over the Jordan River

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to the east side of the river in the land that

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we call Perea. And then Jesus basically follows

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the conquest route of Joshua. He comes to the

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opposite of Jericho on the eastern side of the

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river, and then he crosses the Jordan right there.

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That yellow dot is Jericho, okay? So if you've

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been to Israel, you know this. The road from

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there goes straight to Jerusalem. It's about

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15 miles away at this point. And Jericho is the

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last major city you come to. If you're going

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to Jerusalem from the east, that's the last major

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city that you come to. And so 15 miles away,

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they're going to have to walk. Remember, whenever

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you walk to Jerusalem, it's uphill. So this is

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not an easy climb. If you've been to Israel,

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you probably took that route on a bus. Much easier.

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But you still feel that slow grade going up to

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Jerusalem. Can you go to Jericho today and tour

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it? Yeah, you can, but it is part of the West

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Bank under Palestinian control. So it's always

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a bit of a risk. Some years you can go there,

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and some years it's just not safe enough. But

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Jericho, the tell, the actual archaeological

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site of the ancient city is still there today.

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It's amazing to see. So the yellow dot is Jericho,

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and of course the blue dot is Jerusalem. Good.

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So you can imagine the scene. Jesus and his followers

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are definitely not alone as they are making this

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pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. This road

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that he's on would have been packed with hundreds,

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if not thousands, of pilgrims, all going in the

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same direction, all heading towards Jerusalem

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for the feast with their sacrifices. And we know

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from other gospel accounts that at this point,

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popular excitement about Jesus is at a fever

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pitch. The rumors of his teaching with authority,

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the stories of his miraculous healings, it has

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all gone before him, and people are excited.

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The crowds are growing. So let's go to verse

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29. We'll pick up the story from there. As they

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were leaving Jericho, it says, a large crowd

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followed him, and two blind men, sitting by the

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road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried

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out. Underline what they cry out. Lord, have

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mercy on us. son of David. So they're sitting

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by the road, this prominent road that leads to

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Jerusalem. And that posture of sitting by the

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road tells us one of two things. Either A, they

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weren't pilgrims, they weren't going to Jerusalem,

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maybe because being blind, they were considered

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social outcasts and not worthy of going to Jerusalem.

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Or B, they somehow anticipated that Jesus would

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pass by this way, and they just decided to sit

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down and wait for him. Sort of an ambush, a spiritual

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ambush so that they could cry out and plead with

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him. But whichever is the case, what you hear

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in their cry there in verse 30 is fascinating.

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First they say Lord. Now we've got to be careful.

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That's kurios. It could be nothing more than

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a title of honor, like saying sir, right? That's

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not out of the ordinary. But the next phrase,

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son of David, is extremely unique. And the implications

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of that title. could not be ignored. To call

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someone the son of David was messianic. That

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was the Jewish way of acknowledging what the

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Hebrew scriptures had foretold for centuries,

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that someday one would come to Israel whose origins

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were from eternity past. One who will sit on

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David's forever throne. This has got to be a

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special person, right? He sits on an eternal

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throne, the son of David. So in their cry, and

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again, this is recorded by Matthew. He would

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have been an eyewitness. These blind men accurately

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describe who Jesus is on two accounts. First,

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his identity as Messiah and also his work. He

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is the one who has mercy. Remember, they cry

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out for what? Mercy. Well, we don't cry out to

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other human beings for that. He is the one who

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has mercy upon whom he will have mercy. Both

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the person and the work of Jesus are described.

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And what's so interesting about the encounter

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is this is so ironic. The people in that huge

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crowd that day, the people who truly see Jesus

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for who he is, are blind. The irony is thick.

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But that's consistent with how Jesus described

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a part of his mission in John 9. He said, for

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judgment I come into the world so that those

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who do not see may see. And those who do see

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may become blind. And so these men are going

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to be special. Verse 31, look how the crowd reacts.

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The crowd sternly told them to shush. The Greek

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word for shush, no, just kidding. Told them to

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be quiet. Is this not ironic as well? This is

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a sad and tragic irony. The people in the crowd

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who are supposedly, air quotes, following Jesus

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are the ones who tell these men who are in great

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need of mercy to hush up. What kind of followers

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are those? Well, this is an embarrassment, they

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think. You should not shout at the great man

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of God. Mind your manners is basically what they're

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saying here. And how often do professing Christians

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do this? We miss the forest for the trees, don't

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we? We're being more concerned about protocol

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than we are about people at times. And we should

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catch ourselves so we don't fall into this trap.

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But what's amazing about this is the rebuke from

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the crowds don't deter these men from seeking

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Jesus' attention. Back to verse 31, they cry

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out all the more, same phrase, Lord, Son of David,

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have mercy on us. So at this point, at least

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outwardly, they're showing signs of having real

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faith, right? And that expression of faith combined

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with the use of the title Son of David causes

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Jesus to stop, which is no small thing. Right?

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Because you can imagine how many people on this

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journey were shouting out for Jesus' attention.

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But this makes him stop. And considering the

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flow of the crowd, he halts the train. And you

00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:17.679
can sort of picture it. He stops. And everybody

00:14:17.679 --> 00:14:19.539
else is like, what just happened? Why are we

00:14:19.539 --> 00:14:22.840
stopping? But he stops it. It says in verse 30,

00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:26.600
Jesus stopped. And he called to these men. He

00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:30.159
said, what do you want me to do for you? Now,

00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:31.860
that seems obvious what they would want, right?

00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:34.620
But I love this. He doesn't just heal on demand.

00:14:34.879 --> 00:14:37.659
That's not the way Jesus operates. He wants to

00:14:37.659 --> 00:14:41.539
find out if this cry for help is born out of

00:14:41.539 --> 00:14:44.639
faith or born out of selfish desire. And that's,

00:14:44.639 --> 00:14:46.779
we always, whenever we pray for things, we want

00:14:46.779 --> 00:14:50.019
to check our hearts. Is this, is my request I'm

00:14:50.019 --> 00:14:52.659
laying before God, is it born out of faith or

00:14:52.659 --> 00:14:56.240
is it just selfish? What do they want? Now, if

00:14:56.240 --> 00:14:58.100
they're just beggars who are looking for alms,

00:14:58.100 --> 00:15:00.450
which is, Very common, even in Israel today,

00:15:00.549 --> 00:15:03.269
you have beggars asking for alms and then they're

00:15:03.269 --> 00:15:05.230
gonna ask for money and then we'll know the truth,

00:15:05.370 --> 00:15:07.690
right? Of course, Jesus knows the hearts of men,

00:15:07.750 --> 00:15:10.730
so he anticipates their answer. But for those

00:15:10.730 --> 00:15:13.450
watching and those listening, it's important

00:15:13.450 --> 00:15:16.929
to draw out the verbalization from these two

00:15:16.929 --> 00:15:20.169
men of what exactly they want. And verse 33 says,

00:15:20.269 --> 00:15:23.049
they say to him, Lord, we want our eyes to be

00:15:23.049 --> 00:15:25.350
open. Underline that phrase. We want our eyes

00:15:25.350 --> 00:15:27.529
to be open. And I want you to think, is there

00:15:27.529 --> 00:15:31.490
a double meaning in that? We want our eyes to

00:15:31.490 --> 00:15:34.590
be open. Obviously, they want physical sight,

00:15:34.710 --> 00:15:37.830
but is spiritual sight at play here as well?

00:15:39.289 --> 00:15:41.110
Friends, this is important to understand. Opening

00:15:41.110 --> 00:15:44.549
the eyes of the blind is prophesied over and

00:15:44.549 --> 00:15:47.669
over and over again in the Old Testament. I'll

00:15:47.669 --> 00:15:49.750
give you a couple of examples of this. We have,

00:15:49.850 --> 00:15:54.129
very simply, Psalm 146 .8. The Lord, Yahweh himself,

00:15:55.250 --> 00:15:58.730
opens the eyes of the blind. And then speaking

00:15:58.730 --> 00:16:02.190
of his Yahweh servant, the Messiah, in Isaiah

00:16:02.190 --> 00:16:06.970
42, it says, I am the Lord, that's Yahweh. I

00:16:06.970 --> 00:16:10.529
will appoint you, speaking to Messiah, as a covenant

00:16:10.529 --> 00:16:13.990
to the people, as a light to the nations, to

00:16:13.990 --> 00:16:16.529
open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from

00:16:16.529 --> 00:16:19.309
the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from

00:16:19.309 --> 00:16:23.690
their prison. So this is a mark. of the mission

00:16:23.690 --> 00:16:26.090
of Messiah when he comes. And Jesus is about

00:16:26.090 --> 00:16:28.210
to fulfill that. The miracle he's about to do

00:16:28.210 --> 00:16:31.129
will validate that Jesus of Nazareth has the

00:16:31.129 --> 00:16:34.570
power to open blind eyes, physically and spiritually.

00:16:35.330 --> 00:16:37.809
This is the meaning of why Matthew is stressing

00:16:37.809 --> 00:16:41.070
this story. But look at the motivation in verse

00:16:41.070 --> 00:16:46.730
34. Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their

00:16:46.730 --> 00:16:50.629
eyes and they immediately regained their sight.

00:16:51.309 --> 00:16:53.450
And they followed him. How beautiful is this,

00:16:53.509 --> 00:16:56.830
right? Our Savior is moved with compassion when

00:16:56.830 --> 00:16:59.529
sinners put their trust in him, when sinners

00:16:59.529 --> 00:17:03.169
trust in his power. He's moved with compassion.

00:17:03.409 --> 00:17:06.089
And it's so like Jesus to stop and do this work

00:17:06.089 --> 00:17:09.109
of compassion, especially when the majority of

00:17:09.109 --> 00:17:10.849
the people, the crowds, were basically saying,

00:17:11.029 --> 00:17:13.789
look, don't stop. These guys are beneath your

00:17:13.789 --> 00:17:16.390
dignity, great man of God. They're not worthy

00:17:16.390 --> 00:17:18.769
of your time and attention. That's exactly when

00:17:18.769 --> 00:17:23.339
Jesus says, uh -uh. These are men in need. And

00:17:23.339 --> 00:17:25.519
they're faithful men. They trust in my power.

00:17:25.859 --> 00:17:28.539
And so he stops and he does this work. And notice

00:17:28.539 --> 00:17:30.460
he doesn't just say from a distance, be healed.

00:17:30.579 --> 00:17:33.359
Like the way he touches the lepers. You can picture

00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:36.059
the scene. He goes up to these men. I'm guessing

00:17:36.059 --> 00:17:39.079
they're sitting. So he crouches down and he looks

00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:42.180
at their eyes and he touches them. He touches

00:17:42.180 --> 00:17:44.920
them. And he causes the scales to fall away.

00:17:46.410 --> 00:17:48.630
And Matthew ends the account by pointing to the

00:17:48.630 --> 00:17:50.849
best news in the whole story because physical

00:17:50.849 --> 00:17:53.670
sight only lasts for a time, right? But there's

00:17:53.670 --> 00:17:56.309
more to it. The physical healing is amazing,

00:17:56.309 --> 00:17:59.349
but even more so, now these two men get up and

00:17:59.349 --> 00:18:02.930
they follow Jesus. They become disciples themselves.

00:18:04.430 --> 00:18:06.869
So all the elements of a divine healing from

00:18:06.869 --> 00:18:09.430
God are packed into these six verses, right?

00:18:09.549 --> 00:18:12.029
You have the kind of people that Jesus heals,

00:18:12.109 --> 00:18:17.150
needy people. You have the way that the needy

00:18:17.150 --> 00:18:19.430
person approaches him by faith, right, urgently

00:18:19.430 --> 00:18:21.869
and by faith. You have the way that most people

00:18:21.869 --> 00:18:25.190
respond negatively, and then the way that Jesus

00:18:25.190 --> 00:18:28.089
responds to the needy in a very personal way,

00:18:28.269 --> 00:18:30.589
and then you have the end result, healing and

00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:34.970
discipleship, all packed into six verses. Matthew

00:18:34.970 --> 00:18:38.029
is giving us a whole bunch of information here

00:18:38.029 --> 00:18:41.869
to know who Jesus is so that when we get to the

00:18:41.869 --> 00:18:45.609
cross, That's going to have real meaning. And

00:18:45.609 --> 00:18:48.150
that reality about who he is, and by the way,

00:18:48.170 --> 00:18:50.089
up until this point in the gospel narrative,

00:18:50.250 --> 00:18:52.849
we've seen Jesus over and over again sort of

00:18:52.849 --> 00:18:56.349
downplay his identity as Messiah. In fact, he's

00:18:56.349 --> 00:18:58.930
told his closest friends to keep silent about

00:18:58.930 --> 00:19:02.549
it, but here they shout publicly, you're the

00:19:02.549 --> 00:19:04.869
son of David, and he seems to accept that title.

00:19:05.710 --> 00:19:07.730
What's going on here? Well, his time is about

00:19:07.730 --> 00:19:10.829
to come. So that reality is now gonna travel

00:19:10.829 --> 00:19:13.890
with him as he gets to Jerusalem. And so we're

00:19:13.890 --> 00:19:19.769
gonna look now, look over to chapter 21. And

00:19:19.769 --> 00:19:23.170
keep this in mind. This miracle on the road in

00:19:23.170 --> 00:19:24.970
front of these crowds is a pretty spectacular

00:19:24.970 --> 00:19:27.529
miracle. That's not something you see every day

00:19:27.529 --> 00:19:29.650
where blind guys suddenly go, boop, I can see.

00:19:30.049 --> 00:19:33.450
And then get up and follow. So the news of that

00:19:33.450 --> 00:19:36.890
healing must have traveled to Jerusalem, probably

00:19:36.890 --> 00:19:40.750
arrived even before Jesus got there. So all the

00:19:40.750 --> 00:19:42.450
heightened excitement for the miracle worker

00:19:42.450 --> 00:19:45.450
from Galilee is now, it's gone up because he's

00:19:45.450 --> 00:19:48.289
just done another miracle as Jesus comes near

00:19:48.289 --> 00:19:51.089
the city. So look at verse one of chapter 21.

00:19:51.329 --> 00:19:54.309
It says, when they had approached Jerusalem and

00:19:54.309 --> 00:19:57.089
had come to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives.

00:19:57.690 --> 00:20:00.089
Then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,

00:20:00.170 --> 00:20:02.609
go into the village opposite you, and immediately

00:20:02.609 --> 00:20:05.670
you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt

00:20:05.670 --> 00:20:08.369
with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If

00:20:08.369 --> 00:20:10.650
anyone says anything to you, you should say,

00:20:10.769 --> 00:20:13.849
the Lord has need of them, and immediately he

00:20:13.849 --> 00:20:17.930
will send them. And then Matthew gives us, I

00:20:17.930 --> 00:20:19.910
guess the best way to think of it is his inspired

00:20:19.910 --> 00:20:23.130
interpretation of why Jesus asked for the, this

00:20:23.130 --> 00:20:25.470
is kind of a strange request, isn't it? Hey,

00:20:25.509 --> 00:20:28.319
go grab me a donkey. But Matthew tells us why.

00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:32.380
He says, verse four, this took place to fulfill

00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:35.539
what was spoken through the prophet. Say to the

00:20:35.539 --> 00:20:37.599
daughter of Zion, behold, your king is coming

00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:40.740
to you, gentle and mounted on a donkey, even

00:20:40.740 --> 00:20:44.559
on a colt, the full of a beast of burden. So

00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:47.819
this is basically the combining of two different

00:20:47.819 --> 00:20:51.019
Old Testament prophecies. First from Isaiah 62,

00:20:51.380 --> 00:20:54.500
listen to how Yahweh declares the coming of salvation

00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:58.630
to Israel. Say to the daughter of Zion, lo, your

00:20:58.630 --> 00:21:02.950
salvation comes. Behold, his reward is with him.

00:21:03.549 --> 00:21:05.789
Who? Who is he talking about? Who is coming?

00:21:06.470 --> 00:21:08.849
Well, Yahweh's Messiah is coming, and he brings

00:21:08.849 --> 00:21:12.150
with him salvation and a reward for the faithful.

00:21:13.269 --> 00:21:16.029
This Messiah is special. He brings, did you catch?

00:21:16.150 --> 00:21:22.390
He brings salvation with him, according to this

00:21:22.390 --> 00:21:24.809
psalm. And then the rest of the passage. In Matthew

00:21:24.809 --> 00:21:28.049
21 comes out of this very, very specific and

00:21:28.049 --> 00:21:31.029
unique prophecy from Zechariah chapter 9 concerning

00:21:31.029 --> 00:21:36.990
the donkey. There it is. Behold, your king is

00:21:36.990 --> 00:21:41.109
coming to you. He is just and endowed with salvation.

00:21:41.109 --> 00:21:44.829
Same phrase. He comes with salvation, humble

00:21:44.829 --> 00:21:49.529
and mounted on a donkey. So we have Jesus portrayed

00:21:49.529 --> 00:21:54.089
here. Look, both the king of Israel and the donkey.

00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:58.180
Savior of Israel. Prophesied in Zechariah, coming

00:21:58.180 --> 00:22:01.980
true now in Matthew 21. So verse six says in

00:22:01.980 --> 00:22:04.279
your text that the disciples went and did just

00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:06.579
as Jesus had instructed them and they brought

00:22:06.579 --> 00:22:08.420
the donkey and the colt and they put their coats

00:22:08.420 --> 00:22:12.819
on them and Jesus sat on the coats. Now, I've

00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:16.680
always marveled at, and maybe you've tried to

00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:20.660
do this, the image that this portrays. of Jesus

00:22:20.660 --> 00:22:25.460
on the donkey. It is so filled with disparities

00:22:25.460 --> 00:22:29.720
in it. Think about this for a second. God on

00:22:29.720 --> 00:22:35.619
a donkey is a funny picture. This is a, imagine

00:22:35.619 --> 00:22:41.839
a lowly lord, a humble king. These are things

00:22:41.839 --> 00:22:44.720
that don't go together, right? They surprise

00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:47.420
us. But then when you step back and you think

00:22:47.420 --> 00:22:49.420
about it, actually it's right in line with our

00:22:49.420 --> 00:22:52.339
Christology, isn't it? Because we have the eternal

00:22:52.339 --> 00:22:56.339
son of God, right? In all of his glory, who doesn't

00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:59.720
consider that he's got to grasp onto his deity,

00:22:59.839 --> 00:23:02.880
but he empties himself and he takes on the form

00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.880
of a bondservant, becoming a man, takes on a

00:23:05.880 --> 00:23:08.319
second nature, a human nature, becomes fully

00:23:08.319 --> 00:23:12.079
man. And now we see both of his natures on display

00:23:12.079 --> 00:23:14.339
in that picture of him on a donkey, don't we?

00:23:15.369 --> 00:23:18.730
He is God on a donkey. He's God in the flesh.

00:23:18.809 --> 00:23:22.470
He is Lord. He is king. But now he rides into

00:23:22.470 --> 00:23:26.549
the city on an ornery, smelly beast of burden.

00:23:27.869 --> 00:23:31.450
Both aspects of his nature. This is an animal

00:23:31.450 --> 00:23:36.869
that is sort of marks the lower classes of Israel,

00:23:37.009 --> 00:23:40.009
right? The poor, the working class. It's not

00:23:40.009 --> 00:23:42.430
the type of an animal that a conquering Messiah

00:23:42.430 --> 00:23:46.079
would ride on. But there is an underlying message

00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:49.420
that Jesus is sending by choosing this animal.

00:23:49.619 --> 00:23:52.440
Yes, it's a fulfillment of prophecy, and Jesus

00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:55.500
would have known that, but it's also a message

00:23:55.500 --> 00:23:59.039
of peace. Jesus is saying, look, I'm not coming

00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:04.759
for war. I'm not coming to destroy. I come to

00:24:04.759 --> 00:24:07.559
bring peace between God and sinners. I come to

00:24:07.559 --> 00:24:10.980
carry the burdens of sinners, like this animal

00:24:10.980 --> 00:24:14.960
is carrying me, to carry your burdens. It's a

00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:17.240
really interesting picture, isn't it? It's not

00:24:17.240 --> 00:24:20.079
the conquering Messiah. This is the Messiah of

00:24:20.079 --> 00:24:22.440
peace. Now, the conquering Messiah is coming

00:24:22.440 --> 00:24:27.160
someday, soon, right? But not here. And back

00:24:27.160 --> 00:24:29.140
in his day, Martin Luther commented on this,

00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:31.119
and he did it in a way that I think was quite

00:24:31.119 --> 00:24:33.259
brilliant. He pointed out how, do you remember

00:24:33.259 --> 00:24:38.099
how God came to Israel at Mount Sinai? With lightning

00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:42.200
and peals of thunder and terror as he brought

00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:45.680
the law to Israel. What a picture that is. And

00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:47.519
then Luther compared that with the picture of

00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:50.799
what we see in this text. A completely different

00:24:50.799 --> 00:24:53.339
mountain. Not Mount Sinai, but the Mount of Olives.

00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:57.359
And this gospel of grace, this gospel of peace

00:24:57.359 --> 00:25:01.359
and forgiveness. God on a donkey. What a contrast.

00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:06.140
Verse 8 says, most of the crowd then spread their

00:25:06.140 --> 00:25:08.859
coats in the road and others were cutting branches

00:25:08.859 --> 00:25:12.519
from the trees. No mention of palm branches.

00:25:14.659 --> 00:25:16.680
This is for my fellow elders who've been debating,

00:25:16.759 --> 00:25:18.619
why do we call it Palm Sunday? I did this at

00:25:18.619 --> 00:25:20.579
the member meeting. Why do we call it Palm Sunday?

00:25:20.680 --> 00:25:22.380
The palms are a meaningless part of the story.

00:25:23.079 --> 00:25:27.740
In fact, Matthew doesn't even say palm. I joke

00:25:27.740 --> 00:25:30.680
we could call it Coat Sunday or Cloak Sunday

00:25:30.680 --> 00:25:33.079
or Donkey Sunday, all kinds of things, but there's

00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:35.700
no palm branches here. Okay, got that off my

00:25:35.700 --> 00:25:44.180
chest. Fair enough, but we're in Matthew. You

00:25:44.180 --> 00:25:46.299
can tell we had fun with this this last week.

00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:52.680
Okay, so they lay branches on the road and they

00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:56.099
lay coats in the road. And so this is the ancient

00:25:56.099 --> 00:25:59.180
version of creating a red carpet, right? For

00:25:59.180 --> 00:26:02.720
the celebrity who's coming into town. And it

00:26:02.720 --> 00:26:04.980
says the crowds were going ahead of him and those

00:26:04.980 --> 00:26:06.740
who followed were shouting what? What is the

00:26:06.740 --> 00:26:12.619
word in verse nine? Hosanna. Now again. This

00:26:12.619 --> 00:26:15.700
has always intrigued me as well. I ask, when

00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:17.859
you read the Bible, it's so good to ask questions.

00:26:17.900 --> 00:26:22.619
Why is that word here? Why are we giving a transliteration

00:26:22.619 --> 00:26:25.920
of a Hebrew phrase here? Why not just give us

00:26:25.920 --> 00:26:29.980
the English equivalent? And the best way to understand

00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:32.039
this is if we tried to just put it in English,

00:26:32.059 --> 00:26:34.680
it wouldn't carry the full layers of meaning

00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:39.000
that this word Hosanna means in Hebrew. Hoshiana.

00:26:39.740 --> 00:26:43.420
which is in Hebrew a desperate plea for salvation.

00:26:44.180 --> 00:26:47.420
If you were going to try to bring it into English,

00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:51.700
it would literally mean save we pray or deliver

00:26:51.700 --> 00:26:56.619
we ask. And by the time of Christ, it had become

00:26:56.619 --> 00:26:59.839
a well -known exclamation of praise to Yahweh

00:26:59.839 --> 00:27:03.720
used in particular at Passover. acknowledging

00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:07.000
how in the past the Lord had delivered Israel

00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:10.299
from slavery in Egypt, how he had saved and delivered

00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:12.940
in their time of need, and then also looking

00:27:12.940 --> 00:27:15.920
forward to a time when God again would come and

00:27:15.920 --> 00:27:19.220
rescue Israel, rescue his chosen nation. So the

00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:23.779
point of all this is this is a loaded term that

00:27:23.779 --> 00:27:26.059
the crowds are using here when they shout Hosanna.

00:27:26.440 --> 00:27:30.099
But even more, some are now... picking up on

00:27:30.099 --> 00:27:32.559
what the blind man had said of the road, not

00:27:32.559 --> 00:27:35.240
just Hosanna, but Hosanna to who? The son of

00:27:35.240 --> 00:27:40.400
David. Now this was trouble. It was one thing

00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:43.259
to say it out there on the dusty road near Jericho,

00:27:43.359 --> 00:27:48.900
but to shout son of David in Jerusalem, claiming

00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:51.140
that this man who just rode in is the rightful

00:27:51.140 --> 00:27:54.539
heir to the throne of David, that was absolutely

00:27:54.539 --> 00:28:00.690
guaranteed to create problems. because King Herod

00:28:00.690 --> 00:28:03.369
Antipas is in town for the Passover. He's not

00:28:03.369 --> 00:28:06.130
gonna like to hear that. And of course, you've

00:28:06.130 --> 00:28:09.309
got the procurator of Rome who is on high alert

00:28:09.309 --> 00:28:12.150
and listening for anything that might stir up

00:28:12.150 --> 00:28:14.450
the city. And now these people are shouting,

00:28:14.589 --> 00:28:18.410
look, the son of David. Okay, and you have to

00:28:18.410 --> 00:28:20.930
remember, Passover is already the most emotional,

00:28:21.089 --> 00:28:24.630
most nationalistic holiday on the Jewish calendar.

00:28:24.769 --> 00:28:27.470
So people are already in a frenzy. And now they've

00:28:27.470 --> 00:28:30.410
got this messianic figure riding into town and

00:28:30.410 --> 00:28:32.650
you can almost picture Pontius Pilate starting

00:28:32.650 --> 00:28:37.309
to sweat. This is not good for Rome or for the

00:28:37.309 --> 00:28:40.109
religious leaders in Jerusalem. But there's more

00:28:40.109 --> 00:28:43.089
back to verse nine. Some are also saying, blessed

00:28:43.089 --> 00:28:45.309
is he who comes in the name of the Lord. And

00:28:45.309 --> 00:28:48.660
that is straight from Psalm 118. where it says,

00:28:48.759 --> 00:28:52.079
O Lord, Hosanna, O Lord, Hosanna, blessed is

00:28:52.079 --> 00:28:54.200
he who comes in the name of the Lord. They're

00:28:54.200 --> 00:28:57.880
shouting scripture, well -known scripture, as

00:28:57.880 --> 00:29:00.259
they welcome Jesus into town. So this, you have

00:29:00.259 --> 00:29:02.720
to understand, when you read the text flatly,

00:29:02.720 --> 00:29:05.460
you can read right past it, but this whole scene

00:29:05.460 --> 00:29:10.059
is wild. It is wild, and Matthew then tells us

00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:13.519
how wild it is in verse 10. When he had entered

00:29:13.519 --> 00:29:15.559
Jerusalem, it says, all the city was stirred.

00:29:16.430 --> 00:29:19.190
And people were saying, well, who just came into

00:29:19.190 --> 00:29:22.769
town? This is bonkers. And the crowds were saying,

00:29:22.910 --> 00:29:26.450
this is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth and Galilee.

00:29:26.650 --> 00:29:30.890
Oh, I've heard about him. I've heard about his

00:29:30.890 --> 00:29:32.750
teaching. I've heard about the miracles. Oh,

00:29:33.029 --> 00:29:35.829
he's in, we should have expected that. He's in

00:29:35.829 --> 00:29:38.910
town. And a more accurate translation of the

00:29:38.910 --> 00:29:42.160
Greek word for stirred is shook. It literally,

00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:44.259
the Greek word is where we get our word seismic

00:29:44.259 --> 00:29:47.119
from, from earthquakes. The whole city is shaken

00:29:47.119 --> 00:29:51.460
by the arrival of Jesus. And now, because of

00:29:51.460 --> 00:29:56.059
that, the scene is set for this showdown, right?

00:29:56.140 --> 00:29:58.940
On the one side, you have this renowned teacher

00:29:58.940 --> 00:30:03.329
who speaks with authority, this legitimate. miracle

00:30:03.329 --> 00:30:06.089
worker who comes from way up in the north where

00:30:06.089 --> 00:30:08.410
nothing good is supposed to come out of, up in

00:30:08.410 --> 00:30:12.529
Galilee. He's a populist figure. And here he

00:30:12.529 --> 00:30:15.710
is now marching into Jerusalem with massive crowds

00:30:15.710 --> 00:30:19.289
behind him shouting messianic things. Yikes.

00:30:20.069 --> 00:30:22.150
And who's on the other side of the showdown?

00:30:22.869 --> 00:30:26.829
Well, you've got the powerful religious establishment

00:30:26.829 --> 00:30:31.319
in Judea, in Jerusalem. The seat of all power

00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:34.500
and tradition in Israel is concentrated in this

00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:38.539
one city, and it's run by a priesthood who has

00:30:38.539 --> 00:30:40.680
both the ear and the backing of the Roman security

00:30:40.680 --> 00:30:45.279
forces. So what's about to happen is inevitable.

00:30:45.480 --> 00:30:47.500
The conflict is going to happen. The outcome

00:30:47.500 --> 00:30:50.539
is inevitable because all the power is weighted

00:30:50.539 --> 00:30:55.950
to one side, earthly speaking. Let's keep going

00:30:55.950 --> 00:30:58.509
in the text. Where does Jesus go? He comes in,

00:30:58.630 --> 00:31:01.730
wild scene. Where does Jesus go first after he

00:31:01.730 --> 00:31:04.789
enters the city? Verse 12, predictably he goes

00:31:04.789 --> 00:31:08.769
straight to his father's house. And this too

00:31:08.769 --> 00:31:12.390
is a fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and

00:31:12.390 --> 00:31:15.490
a sign of Jesus' identity. Look on the screen.

00:31:15.569 --> 00:31:18.829
Look at what Malachi says. Very, very end of

00:31:18.829 --> 00:31:24.359
the Old Testament canon. Behold, I. Now, you've

00:31:24.359 --> 00:31:28.099
got to follow along here. I, the Lord, Yahweh,

00:31:28.319 --> 00:31:33.220
am going to send my messenger. And that's a reference

00:31:33.220 --> 00:31:38.279
to Elijah, who comes in the form of John the

00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:41.440
Baptist. I will send my messenger, and he will

00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:45.779
clear the way before me. Before who? Before the

00:31:45.779 --> 00:31:50.420
Lord. Before Yahweh comes, the messenger will

00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:54.109
make a way. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly

00:31:54.109 --> 00:31:58.390
come where? To his temple, the Lord's temple.

00:31:59.089 --> 00:32:01.589
And the messenger of the covenant in whom you

00:32:01.589 --> 00:32:04.890
delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord

00:32:04.890 --> 00:32:07.130
of hosts. Wait, hold on a second. We have multiple

00:32:07.130 --> 00:32:10.589
lords here. We have multiple Yahwehs. We have

00:32:10.589 --> 00:32:15.009
one who sends and one who arrives. Not two gods,

00:32:15.009 --> 00:32:17.089
but two persons who are both called the Lord.

00:32:18.640 --> 00:32:20.859
And then in the next verse, Malachi says this

00:32:20.859 --> 00:32:23.700
very ominous thing about this one who is going

00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:26.880
to come to his temple. He says, but who can endure

00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:30.619
the day of his coming? He's a judge. And who

00:32:30.619 --> 00:32:33.440
can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's

00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:37.720
fire and like fuller's soap. In other words,

00:32:37.720 --> 00:32:40.420
God is coming to his temple and judgment is coming

00:32:40.420 --> 00:32:45.119
with him. That was part of the message of John

00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:49.349
the Baptist, right? Back to Matthew 21 now. What

00:32:49.349 --> 00:32:53.390
does Jesus find when he gets to the temple? Jesus

00:32:53.390 --> 00:32:56.069
entered the temple and did what? Drove out all

00:32:56.069 --> 00:32:57.970
those who were buying and selling in the temple

00:32:57.970 --> 00:33:00.690
and overturned the tables of the money changers

00:33:00.690 --> 00:33:03.910
and the seats of those who were selling doves.

00:33:03.990 --> 00:33:07.089
Now, we all know this story, sort of, right?

00:33:07.190 --> 00:33:10.450
The details of the cleansing of the temple. If

00:33:10.450 --> 00:33:13.309
you want to understand just how aggressive Jesus

00:33:13.309 --> 00:33:17.160
is in doing this, The word that Matthew uses

00:33:17.160 --> 00:33:20.440
for drove out is the same Greek word used all

00:33:20.440 --> 00:33:22.559
over the New Testament for driving out demons.

00:33:24.480 --> 00:33:27.900
That's what he means. Now I know some of us don't

00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:29.920
like the picture of Jesus getting angry like

00:33:29.920 --> 00:33:33.039
this. It doesn't make us feel comfortable. But

00:33:33.039 --> 00:33:34.940
you have to understand this too is part of his

00:33:34.940 --> 00:33:38.799
messianic identity. It can't just be all smiles

00:33:38.799 --> 00:33:42.799
and rainbows because that's not the world. He's

00:33:42.799 --> 00:33:46.059
not just a gentle savior. Not just a humble king,

00:33:46.240 --> 00:33:48.960
he is a mighty judge. He is a refining fire.

00:33:49.460 --> 00:33:52.740
Merciful, yes, but utterly just in his holiness.

00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:56.440
And so he cleanses the temple with this righteous

00:33:56.440 --> 00:33:59.140
aggression. And look, he casts out, look, not

00:33:59.140 --> 00:34:01.539
just the money changers, not just the people

00:34:01.539 --> 00:34:04.920
selling, but the people buying as well. The people

00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:09.059
using the services of the sellers in the marketplace.

00:34:09.420 --> 00:34:11.860
And there's an important lesson for us today

00:34:11.860 --> 00:34:15.969
in this. This marketplace in the temple courts

00:34:15.969 --> 00:34:19.210
was about two things, about convenience and profit.

00:34:21.949 --> 00:34:23.690
Convenience and profit. Do we ever hear those

00:34:23.690 --> 00:34:28.449
words in the church today? How does Jesus feel

00:34:28.449 --> 00:34:30.329
about this? These are two things that are very

00:34:30.329 --> 00:34:33.329
much alive in far too many churches in our day.

00:34:34.150 --> 00:34:36.469
What Jesus saw that day in the temple courts

00:34:36.469 --> 00:34:39.900
was heartless religion. It was shady business.

00:34:40.059 --> 00:34:42.980
It was an environment of merchandising that got

00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:45.300
in the way of people truly worshiping the living

00:34:45.300 --> 00:34:49.199
God. And they're in his house of all places getting

00:34:49.199 --> 00:34:52.659
in the way of worship. And much of it done in

00:34:52.659 --> 00:34:55.780
the name of convenience. And you can picture

00:34:55.780 --> 00:34:58.460
the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the wealthy

00:34:58.460 --> 00:35:02.500
priests who ran this whole scam on the pilgrims.

00:35:02.539 --> 00:35:03.960
And you can picture them saying, well, look,

00:35:03.980 --> 00:35:06.320
guys, we're only trying to help the pilgrims

00:35:06.320 --> 00:35:09.940
here. They've gotta come from all these different

00:35:09.940 --> 00:35:12.920
places, and we don't wanna make them carry a

00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:15.780
sacrificial animal, so we're gonna make it easy

00:35:15.780 --> 00:35:18.059
for them. They're gonna come, and well, yeah,

00:35:18.079 --> 00:35:20.519
we exchange the money and make a profit on that,

00:35:20.579 --> 00:35:22.440
and well, yeah, we raise the prices, of course,

00:35:22.460 --> 00:35:24.480
because everybody's gotta make a living, right?

00:35:24.699 --> 00:35:27.300
But look how convenient it is. They can buy a

00:35:27.300 --> 00:35:30.699
dove right here. You can picture them saying

00:35:30.699 --> 00:35:34.719
that, but friends, is that the point of worship,

00:35:34.820 --> 00:35:38.269
convenience? Is that the point of sacrifice?

00:35:39.769 --> 00:35:43.050
Convenience? Is it supposed to be easy and efficient?

00:35:44.710 --> 00:35:47.329
Behind the veil of convenience then was also

00:35:47.329 --> 00:35:50.849
the Sadducees just lining their pockets with

00:35:50.849 --> 00:35:53.090
the temple tax and in the exchange of the currency

00:35:53.090 --> 00:35:55.809
and skimming off the profits of every person

00:35:55.809 --> 00:35:59.030
who sold a product there in the temple. And the

00:35:59.030 --> 00:36:02.349
reason Jesus drives out the buyers too, and we

00:36:02.349 --> 00:36:04.090
should learn from this too, by participating

00:36:04.090 --> 00:36:09.670
in that system, they are partly culpable for

00:36:09.670 --> 00:36:12.150
its existence. Because without buyers, there'd

00:36:12.150 --> 00:36:16.210
be no sellers. So Jesus is frustrated with everybody.

00:36:16.590 --> 00:36:19.670
Lacking discernment, these buyers who are looking

00:36:19.670 --> 00:36:22.670
for easy worship, convenience, fall into the

00:36:22.670 --> 00:36:26.469
trap. Just like people today. People today will

00:36:26.469 --> 00:36:28.489
go, I need to find a church. What's the most

00:36:28.489 --> 00:36:31.300
comfortable one? What's the most comfortable

00:36:31.300 --> 00:36:33.400
church I can be a part of with the nicest building

00:36:33.400 --> 00:36:35.780
and the best cup of coffee and the comfiest chair?

00:36:35.900 --> 00:36:38.179
All these things, that's what they're looking

00:36:38.179 --> 00:36:42.099
for, convenience and ease. I want a church that

00:36:42.099 --> 00:36:44.000
doesn't demand too much of me, that doesn't get

00:36:44.000 --> 00:36:47.280
in the way of my life, that doesn't ask me to

00:36:47.280 --> 00:36:50.460
do too much or to belong or to participate. I

00:36:50.460 --> 00:36:53.219
can just sit in the back row and consume. That's

00:36:53.219 --> 00:36:56.400
what I'm looking for here. Human nature doesn't

00:36:56.400 --> 00:37:02.599
change much, does it? Verse 13, and Jesus said

00:37:02.599 --> 00:37:07.199
to them, meaning everybody involved here, it's

00:37:07.199 --> 00:37:09.119
written, my house shall be called a house of

00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:11.780
prayer, but you, all of you, you're making it

00:37:11.780 --> 00:37:15.480
a robber's den. And that condemnation comes right

00:37:15.480 --> 00:37:17.980
out of God's rebuke of Israel through the prophet

00:37:17.980 --> 00:37:22.619
Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter seven, God says to

00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:26.900
his people, his fallen people, will you steal?

00:37:27.980 --> 00:37:30.739
murder and commit adultery and swear falsely

00:37:30.739 --> 00:37:34.340
and offer sacrifices to Baal and walk after other

00:37:34.340 --> 00:37:36.940
gods that you've not known and then come and

00:37:36.940 --> 00:37:39.659
stand before me in this house which is called

00:37:39.659 --> 00:37:44.559
by my name and say, we're delivered, you hypocrites.

00:37:46.340 --> 00:37:49.059
Has this house which is called by my name become

00:37:49.059 --> 00:37:53.699
a den of robbers in your sight? Do you think

00:37:53.699 --> 00:37:55.699
you can live as you please like that and then

00:37:55.699 --> 00:38:00.349
walk into my house? And throw up your hands in

00:38:00.349 --> 00:38:06.130
praise and say, God saves me. The Lord won't

00:38:06.130 --> 00:38:12.329
have it. What a question. Will you do this, Israel?

00:38:12.449 --> 00:38:13.869
And we could say the same. Will you do this,

00:38:13.949 --> 00:38:17.630
church? I read this insightful comment from a

00:38:17.630 --> 00:38:19.710
pastor in a blog post. He said, when a church

00:38:19.710 --> 00:38:23.949
exists for the comfort of its members to the

00:38:23.949 --> 00:38:27.320
exclusion of challenging its members, It becomes

00:38:27.320 --> 00:38:31.059
a hideout for spiritual thieves, not a house

00:38:31.059 --> 00:38:36.639
of worship. That's true. So we can learn from

00:38:36.639 --> 00:38:39.559
this, right? What does God require in his house?

00:38:41.179 --> 00:38:44.539
All right, continuing in verse 14. And the blind

00:38:44.539 --> 00:38:47.739
and the lame came to him in the temple, and he

00:38:47.739 --> 00:38:50.820
healed them. Look at the implication here. He

00:38:50.820 --> 00:38:53.989
drives out those seeking convenience. He drives

00:38:53.989 --> 00:38:56.789
out the wicked who are profiting from worship.

00:38:57.429 --> 00:39:01.429
And then who comes in to seek him? The people

00:39:01.429 --> 00:39:05.829
who really need to be healed. The folks who the

00:39:05.829 --> 00:39:08.230
religious establishment had kept out because

00:39:08.230 --> 00:39:10.710
they're outcasts. They're not whole. They're

00:39:10.710 --> 00:39:13.909
not worthy of being in the temple. And Jesus

00:39:13.909 --> 00:39:17.230
invites them in and he heals them. And you get

00:39:17.230 --> 00:39:19.170
another glimpse of what Isaiah promised that

00:39:19.170 --> 00:39:21.349
when the Messiah comes, he will have this great

00:39:21.349 --> 00:39:25.010
healing power. And you would think, gosh, you

00:39:25.010 --> 00:39:29.789
would think that the chief priests would gather

00:39:29.789 --> 00:39:33.429
around that healing session and just praise God,

00:39:33.710 --> 00:39:38.429
right? Wouldn't you think that? But they don't.

00:39:39.190 --> 00:39:42.929
They don't, sadly. When they see Jesus healing

00:39:42.929 --> 00:39:47.190
in the temple courts, all of their jealousy rises

00:39:47.190 --> 00:39:49.670
to the top. All of their wickedness comes out.

00:39:50.119 --> 00:39:51.760
and we see the truth of their hearts. Look at

00:39:51.760 --> 00:39:55.420
verse 15. When the chief priests and the scribes

00:39:55.420 --> 00:39:59.539
saw, and this is Matthew's inspired interpretation.

00:40:00.199 --> 00:40:03.940
When they saw the wonderful things that Jesus

00:40:03.940 --> 00:40:07.099
had done, and the children who were now shouting

00:40:07.099 --> 00:40:10.260
in the temple, what? Hosanna to the son of David.

00:40:10.300 --> 00:40:12.179
They'd heard the adults do it, and now they're

00:40:12.179 --> 00:40:15.460
doing it. Hosanna to the son of David. The chief

00:40:15.460 --> 00:40:20.110
priests become indignant. They're furious. They're

00:40:20.110 --> 00:40:23.050
not praising God for healing. They're furious.

00:40:23.710 --> 00:40:26.909
They're outraged that Jesus would do such a thing

00:40:26.909 --> 00:40:31.090
on their home turf, in their temple courts. Can

00:40:31.090 --> 00:40:33.769
you see the wickedness? Can you see the false

00:40:33.769 --> 00:40:39.610
shepherds of Israel? Verse 16, and they said

00:40:39.610 --> 00:40:42.590
to him, do you hear what these children are saying?

00:40:42.909 --> 00:40:44.809
They're literally looking at him and go, hey.

00:40:46.119 --> 00:40:48.639
You, rabbi from Galilee, are you not going to

00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:51.500
stop what they're saying? You cannot let that

00:40:51.500 --> 00:40:54.920
stand. And Jesus said to them, yeah, I will.

00:40:56.619 --> 00:40:59.440
That's what it says. Jesus said, yes, I hear

00:40:59.440 --> 00:41:03.940
what they're saying, but have you, chief priests,

00:41:04.409 --> 00:41:06.630
Have you never read, and this comes from Psalm

00:41:06.630 --> 00:41:09.010
8, a Psalm of David, have you never read that

00:41:09.010 --> 00:41:11.230
out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies,

00:41:11.429 --> 00:41:14.590
you have prepared praise for yourself? That's

00:41:14.590 --> 00:41:19.630
what's happening before your eyes. Verse 17,

00:41:19.809 --> 00:41:22.289
and he left them. And you picture he just like,

00:41:22.469 --> 00:41:26.230
I am done with you guys. And he wheels around

00:41:26.230 --> 00:41:29.090
and he went out of the city to Bethany and spent

00:41:29.090 --> 00:41:32.570
the night there. Can you feel the heat being

00:41:32.570 --> 00:41:35.599
turned up? We wonder when we get to Friday, well,

00:41:35.679 --> 00:41:39.199
why did they want him dead so badly? The heat's

00:41:39.199 --> 00:41:41.940
being turned up here. Now, from this point forward,

00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:46.000
all the way into chapter 22, what Jesus is going

00:41:46.000 --> 00:41:49.039
to do is lay judgment upon judgment upon judgment

00:41:49.039 --> 00:41:52.400
upon the religious leaders of Israel. If you

00:41:52.400 --> 00:41:54.400
thought at this point, well, you know, maybe

00:41:54.400 --> 00:41:56.920
Jesus is going to de -escalate, that's not happening.

00:41:57.920 --> 00:42:00.159
It's going to keep getting ramped up because

00:42:00.159 --> 00:42:03.699
why? Because it's time. He is sovereignly in

00:42:03.699 --> 00:42:06.460
charge of the entire time frame. And his time

00:42:06.460 --> 00:42:08.820
has come. So I'm just going to spend a few moments

00:42:08.820 --> 00:42:11.739
summarizing the judgments that come after this.

00:42:11.800 --> 00:42:14.739
If you look at verses 18 to 22 in your text,

00:42:14.860 --> 00:42:17.260
Jesus, first of all, curses a fig tree. And you're

00:42:17.260 --> 00:42:19.920
like, oh, why would you do that, a poor fig tree?

00:42:23.880 --> 00:42:30.199
I mean, what did the fig tree do? But there's

00:42:30.199 --> 00:42:32.260
a purpose here, right? He curses it because he

00:42:32.260 --> 00:42:34.619
gets to the fig tree and what? There's no fruit

00:42:34.619 --> 00:42:37.599
there. And he says, this is just like the shepherds

00:42:37.599 --> 00:42:41.679
of Israel. No spiritual fruit. And he curses

00:42:41.679 --> 00:42:46.099
it. In verses 23 to 27, this is one of the funniest

00:42:46.099 --> 00:42:47.980
stories. The chief priests try to lay a trap

00:42:47.980 --> 00:42:50.739
for Jesus. They challenge his authority to do

00:42:50.739 --> 00:42:52.960
what he did in the temple courts by driving out

00:42:52.960 --> 00:42:56.320
the market. But Jesus turns the trap on them

00:42:56.320 --> 00:42:59.099
and he stumps them. into not being able to answer

00:42:59.099 --> 00:43:01.699
a simple question. And in front of the crowds,

00:43:01.820 --> 00:43:05.199
he reveals what cowards they are, that they won't

00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:08.539
answer a simple question about believing in John

00:43:08.539 --> 00:43:10.559
the Baptist. They won't do it because they know

00:43:10.559 --> 00:43:13.619
they're now having to, like hypocrites have to

00:43:13.619 --> 00:43:15.500
do, I've got to balance. If I say this, I'm in

00:43:15.500 --> 00:43:17.599
trouble. If I say this, I'm in trouble. So I'm

00:43:17.599 --> 00:43:20.199
not going to answer. And Jesus says, look, what

00:43:20.199 --> 00:43:23.280
cowards. And then right after humiliating them,

00:43:23.380 --> 00:43:26.860
he proceeds to give them three parables. Three

00:43:26.860 --> 00:43:30.119
parables for their consideration. The first one

00:43:30.119 --> 00:43:32.579
is called the parable of the two sons. And he

00:43:32.579 --> 00:43:35.559
talks about their blindness and failing to believe

00:43:35.559 --> 00:43:38.039
all the warnings that John the Baptist issued.

00:43:38.599 --> 00:43:41.119
And here's what he says to them. He says, truly,

00:43:41.400 --> 00:43:46.219
oh, there. Truly, I say to you that tax collectors

00:43:46.219 --> 00:43:50.860
and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of

00:43:50.860 --> 00:43:54.150
God before you. He says this to their face. Now,

00:43:54.190 --> 00:43:56.889
these guys were 100 % sure they had a place in

00:43:56.889 --> 00:43:59.550
heaven and 100 % sure that tax collectors did

00:43:59.550 --> 00:44:03.110
not. Jesus says, no, if there's a line, you're

00:44:03.110 --> 00:44:08.329
behind them. For John came to you, he says, in

00:44:08.329 --> 00:44:10.909
the way of righteousness, and you did not believe

00:44:10.909 --> 00:44:14.730
him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes

00:44:14.730 --> 00:44:21.989
did. Ouch. Then the second parable is called

00:44:21.989 --> 00:44:24.030
the parable of the landowner or the parable of

00:44:24.030 --> 00:44:27.250
the vineyard in which Jesus reveals how the false

00:44:27.250 --> 00:44:31.769
leaders in Israel had historically always, always

00:44:31.769 --> 00:44:36.050
persecuted the messengers that God sent to Israel

00:44:36.050 --> 00:44:39.690
over and over again. They shut down the prophets.

00:44:39.989 --> 00:44:43.150
And in this second parable, Jesus actually lays

00:44:43.150 --> 00:44:47.090
out a prophecy that is only days away from being

00:44:47.090 --> 00:44:50.619
fulfilled. He says, He says, the owner of this

00:44:50.619 --> 00:44:52.840
vineyard sent you servant after servant, and

00:44:52.840 --> 00:44:56.139
you persecuted them. And then he sent his own

00:44:56.139 --> 00:45:01.780
son. And what did you do? You threw him out of

00:45:01.780 --> 00:45:05.219
the vineyard, outside the city walls, and you

00:45:05.219 --> 00:45:10.880
murdered him. And Jesus asks them a question

00:45:10.880 --> 00:45:15.579
then. Based on that, what will God do? And here's

00:45:15.579 --> 00:45:18.300
what it says. Therefore, when the owner of the

00:45:18.300 --> 00:45:21.980
vineyard comes, what will he do to the vine growers

00:45:21.980 --> 00:45:26.599
who murdered the son? And by sheer force of logic,

00:45:26.679 --> 00:45:30.739
Jesus actually induces these enemies to pronounce

00:45:30.739 --> 00:45:33.980
guilt upon themselves. Because he asks that question,

00:45:34.139 --> 00:45:36.119
what's the owner going to do? And they give the

00:45:36.119 --> 00:45:39.039
answer. He will bring those wretches to a wretched

00:45:39.039 --> 00:45:45.960
end. That's you. That's you. You just answered

00:45:45.960 --> 00:45:48.219
your own question and acknowledge your guilt.

00:45:48.280 --> 00:45:51.320
They don't even understand it. And then he goes

00:45:51.320 --> 00:45:54.679
on and he will rent out the vineyard to other

00:45:54.679 --> 00:45:57.599
vine growers who will pay him the proceeds at

00:45:57.599 --> 00:46:01.000
the proper seasons. Now that's a reference to

00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:03.079
the Gentiles and this is coming up in the third

00:46:03.079 --> 00:46:06.139
parable as well. The third parable is called

00:46:06.139 --> 00:46:09.559
the parable of the marriage feast, right? And

00:46:09.559 --> 00:46:13.579
here he reveals Israel's unwillingness. to respond

00:46:13.579 --> 00:46:17.239
to Yahweh's constant invitations, to come to

00:46:17.239 --> 00:46:19.679
him and participate in the building of the kingdom,

00:46:19.780 --> 00:46:22.619
how they constantly just reject the invitation

00:46:22.619 --> 00:46:24.940
and instead say, well, look, I'm about my own

00:46:24.940 --> 00:46:27.619
business. I got a farm to run. I got a business

00:46:27.619 --> 00:46:31.599
to run. So thank you, but no thank you. And so

00:46:31.599 --> 00:46:33.820
he condemns them through this. And then the king,

00:46:34.019 --> 00:46:36.480
how does the king respond to that snub? He says,

00:46:36.480 --> 00:46:39.130
well, fine. I want you to go out to everywhere.

00:46:39.230 --> 00:46:41.710
I want you to spread the invitations to my marriage

00:46:41.710 --> 00:46:44.110
feast all over the place and bring in all kinds

00:46:44.110 --> 00:46:47.449
of people. And it's a reference to how the gospel

00:46:47.449 --> 00:46:52.030
is gonna go out to the Gentiles. And among this

00:46:52.030 --> 00:46:54.809
new people, where these invitations go out to,

00:46:54.849 --> 00:46:58.989
many respond and they come to the feast. But

00:46:58.989 --> 00:47:01.889
then Jesus ends this parable in such an interesting

00:47:01.889 --> 00:47:06.449
way. And friends, it's a warning to us. And this

00:47:06.449 --> 00:47:08.309
is gonna bring us full circle as I close with

00:47:08.309 --> 00:47:13.269
this. It's a warning to us. God comes down and

00:47:13.269 --> 00:47:17.110
he reviews the dinner guests who responded to

00:47:17.110 --> 00:47:20.650
the invitation. And here's what it says. The

00:47:20.650 --> 00:47:23.269
king saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding

00:47:23.269 --> 00:47:26.650
clothes. And he said to him, friend, how did

00:47:26.650 --> 00:47:30.030
you come in here without wedding clothes? The

00:47:30.030 --> 00:47:32.010
man was speechless. He didn't respond. Then the

00:47:32.010 --> 00:47:35.079
king said to the servants, Bind that man hand

00:47:35.079 --> 00:47:37.739
and foot, throw him into the outer darkness in

00:47:37.739 --> 00:47:40.000
that place where there's weeping and gnashing

00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:43.340
of teeth for many are called but few are chosen.

00:47:43.539 --> 00:47:47.860
Now listen, this is a reference to the final

00:47:47.860 --> 00:47:50.739
judgment and the question is posed to you and

00:47:50.739 --> 00:47:54.300
I here this morning, do you have the right garment

00:47:54.300 --> 00:48:01.909
on for the wedding feast? This Gentile, came

00:48:01.909 --> 00:48:04.969
to the marriage feast with his old clothes on.

00:48:06.469 --> 00:48:08.429
And they couldn't save him. Those clothes could

00:48:08.429 --> 00:48:13.769
not save him. And he was thrown into hell. So

00:48:13.769 --> 00:48:15.889
what is the proper attire at the marriage feast?

00:48:16.309 --> 00:48:18.329
Well, this is where I started this morning in

00:48:18.329 --> 00:48:20.929
this message. I said, we have clothed ourselves

00:48:20.929 --> 00:48:25.889
with Christ. That's the garment. We are found

00:48:25.889 --> 00:48:31.480
in him. That's the garment. By faith alone, we

00:48:31.480 --> 00:48:35.760
wear the garment of Christ's righteousness. That's

00:48:35.760 --> 00:48:39.659
what's required at the marriage feast. So Jesus

00:48:39.659 --> 00:48:42.139
is telling a parable aimed at the chief priest,

00:48:42.219 --> 00:48:45.659
but adjacent aimed at us even today in the church.

00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:49.099
What garment are you wearing as you sit here

00:48:49.099 --> 00:48:53.980
this morning? He's warning us about trying to

00:48:53.980 --> 00:48:55.800
come to the marriage feast in our old clothes.

00:48:56.909 --> 00:48:59.730
relying on our own adequacy, our own good works,

00:48:59.789 --> 00:49:03.250
our own self -righteousness, that we can somehow

00:49:03.250 --> 00:49:05.429
put on filthy rags and show up at the marriage

00:49:05.429 --> 00:49:08.190
feast and fit in. And God says, no, it doesn't

00:49:08.190 --> 00:49:10.730
work that way. Those filthy rags you're wearing,

00:49:10.869 --> 00:49:15.610
that won't cut it. So unless we have the righteousness

00:49:15.610 --> 00:49:19.829
of Christ, we don't attend the marriage supper

00:49:19.829 --> 00:49:28.250
of the Lamb. Let him who has ears hear. So today's

00:49:28.250 --> 00:49:30.989
all about just setting the stage for Passion

00:49:30.989 --> 00:49:33.469
Week. Let me try to wrap up by coming back to

00:49:33.469 --> 00:49:37.329
the question I asked at the beginning. What have

00:49:37.329 --> 00:49:41.510
we seen Jesus do in his coming to Jerusalem in

00:49:41.510 --> 00:49:47.369
this final time? The short answer is we've seen

00:49:47.369 --> 00:49:51.829
Jesus do the same works that God does. And we've

00:49:51.829 --> 00:49:53.750
seen him do the works of the promised Messiah,

00:49:54.010 --> 00:49:59.119
right? Is this not who he is? He does the works

00:49:59.119 --> 00:50:01.400
of God. It is interesting in the Gospel of John,

00:50:01.480 --> 00:50:04.360
Jesus says to the crowd at one point, God is

00:50:04.360 --> 00:50:07.940
working and I'm working. I do the works of God.

00:50:08.019 --> 00:50:11.239
Why? Because I'm God. There's only one being

00:50:11.239 --> 00:50:14.340
that does the works of God. It's God. So he does

00:50:14.340 --> 00:50:16.360
the works of God and he does the works of Messiah.

00:50:16.579 --> 00:50:19.780
What does he do? He shows mercy. He has mercy

00:50:19.780 --> 00:50:24.400
to extend to human beings. He brings divine healing.

00:50:25.360 --> 00:50:29.500
He opens spiritual eyes to see. He cleanses the

00:50:29.500 --> 00:50:32.219
house of worship. He brings divine judgment,

00:50:32.280 --> 00:50:36.860
and he receives praise as king, as the eternal

00:50:36.860 --> 00:50:43.159
son of David, and as both savior and lord. That's

00:50:43.159 --> 00:50:46.739
what we must believe about Jesus if we want to

00:50:46.739 --> 00:50:51.159
be saved in the end. Back to that original question

00:50:51.159 --> 00:50:53.800
now, which version of Jesus must we believe?

00:50:55.530 --> 00:50:59.809
What we just read in Matthew. The true version

00:50:59.809 --> 00:51:03.130
of who Jesus claimed to be. And no other. And

00:51:03.130 --> 00:51:07.289
no other. Don't get this wrong. We believe what

00:51:07.289 --> 00:51:10.429
the scripture says about Jesus and not things

00:51:10.429 --> 00:51:12.449
that we make up, not things that we add to it,

00:51:12.530 --> 00:51:17.090
but what the gospels tell us. Does it matter?

00:51:17.389 --> 00:51:20.889
Does it matter which version of Jesus we have?

00:51:21.090 --> 00:51:23.860
What we believe about him? Absolutely. Because

00:51:23.860 --> 00:51:25.820
if you're trusting in anything less than what's

00:51:25.820 --> 00:51:28.500
described here in the gospel, you will not have

00:51:28.500 --> 00:51:31.940
that garment at the judgment seat of Christ.

00:51:33.460 --> 00:51:37.039
Absolutely. And this is the urgency for those

00:51:37.039 --> 00:51:41.239
of us who have friends who are Mormon or some

00:51:41.239 --> 00:51:43.940
other religious system where they don't believe

00:51:43.940 --> 00:51:46.900
this is the picture of Jesus. They won't have

00:51:46.900 --> 00:51:51.159
that garment in the last day. They won't be clothed

00:51:51.159 --> 00:51:53.670
in his righteousness. And then let me take it

00:51:53.670 --> 00:51:56.449
a step further. Beyond the person of Christ to

00:51:56.449 --> 00:51:58.230
the works of Christ. Let's say you acknowledge

00:51:58.230 --> 00:52:01.590
the truth about the person of Jesus, his identity.

00:52:01.889 --> 00:52:04.670
Then the question about his works remain. And

00:52:04.670 --> 00:52:06.869
that question is what do you believe about the

00:52:06.869 --> 00:52:08.969
sufficiency of Christ's work on your behalf?

00:52:09.230 --> 00:52:13.590
Is he enough? Is he enough or is there more that

00:52:13.590 --> 00:52:19.130
you have to do to add to who he is? If you think

00:52:19.130 --> 00:52:22.059
so, you will not have that garment. On the day

00:52:22.059 --> 00:52:25.920
of judgment. When he said on the cross, it is

00:52:25.920 --> 00:52:28.659
finished, do you accept that promise? Do you

00:52:28.659 --> 00:52:30.599
believe that promise? Or are you saying, no,

00:52:30.699 --> 00:52:33.280
no, no, no, no. It's kind of finished. I just

00:52:33.280 --> 00:52:36.599
have to add some more things to it. If so, you

00:52:36.599 --> 00:52:42.340
will not have that garment. If you're trying

00:52:42.340 --> 00:52:44.159
to earn your way to heaven, it's a fool game.

00:52:44.300 --> 00:52:47.670
It's a deadly game that will not end well. Because

00:52:47.670 --> 00:52:50.489
by trusting in your own good works, your own

00:52:50.489 --> 00:52:54.429
goodness, you nullify God's grace. Guys, understand

00:52:54.429 --> 00:52:57.769
this. What is the definition of grace? It is

00:52:57.769 --> 00:53:02.949
undeserved favor. It is unmerited favor of God.

00:53:03.170 --> 00:53:05.329
If you're going to add a bunch of things to it,

00:53:05.369 --> 00:53:08.449
you say, no thank you, I don't want grace. You've

00:53:08.449 --> 00:53:12.760
nullified it. Paul talks about this. At the end

00:53:12.760 --> 00:53:14.739
of Galatians 2, he says, if righteousness came

00:53:14.739 --> 00:53:17.679
through the law, if your righteousness comes

00:53:17.679 --> 00:53:20.099
through your good works, Jesus doesn't have to

00:53:20.099 --> 00:53:22.960
die. You can just work and work and work and

00:53:22.960 --> 00:53:25.500
earn it. So what's the point of Jesus' death?

00:53:25.719 --> 00:53:28.039
He says, therefore, I do not nullify the grace

00:53:28.039 --> 00:53:34.760
of God. My faith is in Christ alone. For the

00:53:34.760 --> 00:53:37.300
cross to remedy your sin problem, for the resurrection

00:53:37.300 --> 00:53:40.420
to give you life, you must believe in these two

00:53:40.420 --> 00:53:43.500
things that the scriptures clearly state, the

00:53:43.500 --> 00:53:46.460
true and full person of Christ and to trust in

00:53:46.460 --> 00:53:50.400
his work alone on your behalf, renouncing any

00:53:50.400 --> 00:53:53.719
merit in yourselves if you want to be clothed

00:53:53.719 --> 00:53:58.820
in his righteousness. By the way, that's why

00:53:58.820 --> 00:54:03.500
the cross is efficacious, because of who he is.

00:54:04.090 --> 00:54:06.550
And we'll find that out on Friday as we look

00:54:06.550 --> 00:54:08.969
at what it means to be united with him in death.

00:54:09.349 --> 00:54:11.010
I'm just going to close with this now because

00:54:11.010 --> 00:54:13.349
I want to come back to our call to worship. And

00:54:13.349 --> 00:54:15.309
I'm going to give you some time to read this

00:54:15.309 --> 00:54:17.449
on the screen and then just meditate on it because

00:54:17.449 --> 00:54:20.969
what Paul says in Philippians 3 is so important

00:54:20.969 --> 00:54:23.650
and just lines up with this text. Let me just

00:54:23.650 --> 00:54:25.610
read it one more time and then I'll send you

00:54:25.610 --> 00:54:28.130
guys into prayer. Whatever things were gained

00:54:28.130 --> 00:54:33.769
to me. Whatever it is, any good thing that you

00:54:33.769 --> 00:54:36.849
think you've done, whatever it is, Paul says,

00:54:36.969 --> 00:54:39.650
those things I've counted as utter loss for the

00:54:39.650 --> 00:54:42.750
sake of Christ. And more than that, I count all

00:54:42.750 --> 00:54:45.570
things to be lost in view of the surpassing value

00:54:45.570 --> 00:54:51.010
of knowing Jesus as my Lord, for whom I've suffered

00:54:51.010 --> 00:54:53.429
the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish

00:54:53.429 --> 00:54:57.250
so that I might gain him, that I might gain Christ

00:54:57.250 --> 00:55:01.219
and be found in him. Look at this now, not. having

00:55:01.219 --> 00:55:04.920
a righteousness of my own, derived from the law

00:55:04.920 --> 00:55:08.559
or from good works, but only that which is through

00:55:08.559 --> 00:55:15.139
faith in Christ. Father, we are so blown away

00:55:15.139 --> 00:55:18.719
and grateful as we sit here this morning that

00:55:18.719 --> 00:55:22.519
you have made a way for us to be righteous in

00:55:22.519 --> 00:55:27.800
your sight. The idea that we would dare to wear

00:55:27.800 --> 00:55:32.860
old clothes filthy rags to come into your presence

00:55:32.860 --> 00:55:37.300
and to trust in ourselves is so outlandish, so

00:55:37.300 --> 00:55:41.099
outrageous, so foolish that we would try to nullify

00:55:41.099 --> 00:55:45.260
the grace that you've extended to us, to simply

00:55:45.260 --> 00:55:47.940
trust in you alone and to honor you with our

00:55:47.940 --> 00:55:51.000
lives rather than working and working and working

00:55:51.000 --> 00:55:55.420
to try to pump ourselves up, to try to make it

00:55:55.420 --> 00:55:57.960
seem as though somehow we can outweigh our sin.

00:55:58.489 --> 00:56:01.789
What a fool's errand. God, you've made a way.

00:56:03.369 --> 00:56:06.889
And this text in Philippians 3 is such a powerful

00:56:06.889 --> 00:56:11.210
reminder of that. The way that Jesus taught as

00:56:11.210 --> 00:56:14.550
he came into Jerusalem on that fateful day is

00:56:14.550 --> 00:56:17.110
so beautiful in all the things that he communicates

00:56:17.110 --> 00:56:19.849
to those who have ears to hear who he is and

00:56:19.849 --> 00:56:22.550
the work that he's done. Lord, may we trust in

00:56:22.550 --> 00:56:25.289
your scriptures and not all the nonsense and

00:56:25.289 --> 00:56:28.500
the noise. that comes at us. We would come back

00:56:28.500 --> 00:56:31.320
to the scriptures as an anchor for our souls.

00:56:31.440 --> 00:56:33.440
Lord, thank you for the text this morning. Thank

00:56:33.440 --> 00:56:36.039
you for the narrative that Matthew gives us.

00:56:36.460 --> 00:56:38.820
Lord, may your spirit seal these things in our

00:56:38.820 --> 00:56:43.119
hearts. May your spirit help us to keep thinking

00:56:43.119 --> 00:56:46.179
about it, keep meditating upon it, and keep praising

00:56:46.179 --> 00:56:48.039
your name for all that you've done for us. Thank

00:56:48.039 --> 00:56:50.360
you for our time. May we now praise you from

00:56:50.360 --> 00:56:52.340
our lips, but more importantly, from our hearts

00:56:52.340 --> 00:56:54.980
as we sing more this morning. In Jesus' name

00:56:54.980 --> 00:56:55.400
we pray.