The Depths of Unbelief

This sermon is from Grace Fellowship Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. To access other sermons or to learn more about us, please visit our website at graceedmonton .ca.

Thank you again, Jason, for reading that. Thank you to the musicians. Well, welcome to Grace Fellowship Church. Welcome, everyone. It's good to see everyone again. We're blessed to have everybody here, anybody on Zoom, if you guys have managed to tune in.

I thought this afternoon, by way of introduction, that I would actually keep it really short and actually not give you much of an introduction. It's a little bit of a departure, but I wanted to really just get into the text.

Mark’s Efficient Writing and the Theme of Bold Proclamation

We have a lot to get to. But if I can give a little introduction to the passage, I would say the Gospel of Mark can be summarized by talking about the efficiency of the way that Mark writes. Mark is a very efficient writer.

There's a lot that's said in as few words as possible. He's got a great economy of words. He says a lot without being wordy. In today's passage, we're going to see that Mark talks about two categories of people.

There's two of them. By doing this, Mark is going to bring us this comparison that we compare these two groups in. And by doing so, we get to see what we ought to do and what we ought not to do. So if we're going to take the main thrust of this message, if we're going to look at just the main theme that is going to drive this message, is that Jesus Christ demands a bold proclamation.

If there's a theme that's going to drive the text, it's this, that Jesus requires a bold proclamation. Because otherwise, if we don't do that, what we'll see is that we fall into another group, the group that we're going to examine today.

We're going to join ourselves with those who are ignorant, with the scoffers, and the ashamed. But before we get into the text, let's pray. Dear Father, Lord, thank you. Thank you for your good word. Lord, thank you, Father, that you've preserved it through the ages, Lord, that we would benefit from the misgivings, from the sins of others, Lord, that you teach us through these things.

That, Father, that we have your word present and alive today, Father, that teaches us and guides us. Lord, Father, that as we study it and we read it, Lord, that we would be obedient, Lord, that we would serve you, that we would see what it is you have said to us, Lord, and that we would obey.

Lord, we ask you for your help, Lord, that you would open up our hearts, that you would open up, Lord, our souls, that your Holy Spirit, Father, would implant this word to us, Father. I can only reach the ears of those listening.

Father, it is the Holy Spirit who implants this message, Father, who causes the salvation of spirits, Lord, of souls to come to repentance and to obey. Father, I pray that we would be humble, Lord, that we would come to you with nothing but humility, Lord, and seeking to honour you to the highest.

Lord, we thank you for this time. We thank you, Lord. We ask that you help us, Lord, from apart from you, Lord, we can do nothing. Lord, that I would preach nothing outside of the Bible, Lord, that apart from the Bible, I would have nothing else to say.

Lord, I thank you for this time. I thank you for those that you've brought. I ask that you bless us, Lord. I also ask that you bless my throat, Lord, and that, Father, you give me the strength to preach through this nasal cough that seems to have come upon me today.

But, Lord, ultimately, Lord, this is your day. This is your victory. So it is in the name of Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

So, like I said, I wasn't lying. We're going to get right into the text. We do have a lot to get to, but it's really good stuff. If you're looking at your bulletins, you should have a handout, and I think I got these to Shane in time.

If not, then you're just going to have to pay attention. So the first point we're going to look at is this. Jesus is Lord and undivided. Jesus is Lord and undivided. So if we're picking up on our narrative, we're starting back in verse 22, as my brother Jason read.

So as it states in the text, as we're looking at verse 22, the scribes came down from Jerusalem, and they were likely visiting Capernaum. It's not clearly stated in the text, but it's likely these scribes had come from Jerusalem and plotted their way, all the way to Capernaum, to address Jesus Christ, who is preaching and teaching there.

But before we really get into the text, we have to look at verse 22. We're just going to pause there for a moment, because we really have to examine what it is the scribes are accusing Jesus of, and the kind of insult they're bringing to him.

So let's just read verse 22.

It says this,.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, He is possessed by Beelzebul, and by the prince of demons, he casts out demons. I started today by saying, by making the point that the Gospel of Mark is a very efficient gospel.

There's a lot that's said. And he says, of all the gospels, it is the shortest one. But we have to be really careful, because Mark writes with an efficiency that is absolutely spectacular. When you start to study and look at the nuance of the text, it is quite staggering.

So what we need to do is unpack what is actually being said here. We have to notice what actual insult they're calling Jesus Christ. Right at the very end of that verse, they call them Beelzebul. Beelzebul, there's different pronunciations.

That term literally means prince of demons, like it says in verse 22. And during New Testament time, it was used synonymously with Satan. So they are calling Jesus Christ Satan. But remember, Mark is writing this with the intent to really get in between the verses.

He really wants us to know that this is weighty. To call Jesus Christ Beelzebul means a lot more than we might first think about. And actually, this has its roots in the Old Testament. For those of you taking notes and keeping up, I would say, turn your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 1.

2 Kings chapter 1, verse 2 starts this way. And I'm just going to read it. It says, Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick. So the king Ahaziah falls and he's sick as a result of his injury.

It goes on. It says, So he sent messengers telling them, go and inquire of Beelzebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness. So I'm going to pause right there. But if you're paying attention, you're going to notice that this verse references the god of Ekron, who is called Baal.

It's not Beelzebub or Beelzebul, but Baal. In the Old Testament, if you guys remember, if you guys have read thus far or can remember, the nation of Canaan worshipped the god Baal. This was their god.

And actually, this god was known for having perverse forms of sacrifice and worship. They would offer human blood sacrifices along with other forms of perverted worship. And this was their god. This is the one that they sought power of.

And as a side note, Ahaziah is beseeching this god. Instead of going to Yahweh or the god of Israel, he's going to this puny god. So I want you to keep that in mind. So as you look in the Old Testament, what you're going to notice is that the Baal isn't viewed highly.

The authors of the Old Testament have made the point that Baal is not to be regarded highly. You will see that in the Old Testament that they worship Baal and that Israel turns away from following God and will worship these Old Testament gods that leads them down a path of idolatry and destruction.

But they don't look highly upon these gods. And you've got to make that really clear here. So when Ahaziah calls upon Baalzebub, he's calling upon the god Baal. And actually, this term Baalzebub means, in the Old Testament, lord of the flies.

Or in some historians also say dung god. So the god of poop, if you guys can think about it like that. So the flies that fly from this god, this is what they called him. Now it's possible, because of the way that disease and sickness work, that this name was given to the god Baal because the diseases and sickness that would come from poor hygiene and pestilence and all these terrible things from not washing your hands and just general sickness, this name was given to him, Baalzebub.

That's one reason why they might call him this. However, historians will look at this name and they would say that another reason is somewhat of a sarcastic. It's a sarcastic reason, somewhat of a pejorative, or it's a negative way of referring to a god Baal.

Remember, the Israelites didn't look highly upon this god because they worship Yahweh, the lord of hosts. They worship the god almighty. They don't worship Baal. So this term could likely be a term of an insult to the Canaanites and to the god of Ekron.

So when they call him lord of flies, they literally mean, well, this is the god of poop. This is the god of disease. He's not a very high god. This is actually a really weak god. So now we have to trace that back from the Old Testament and we've got to run this vine all the way to the New Testament.

So if we're following this train of thought, these scribes are lawyers. They've read up on the Old Testament scripture. They know what this term means. It's a heavy laden term. If we're running that vine and we follow all the way back to the New Testament in our text today, you have to recognize that what they're calling him is a very low insult.

They've completely misunderstood Jesus Christ. Completely. By calling him Beelzebul, they're equating Jesus Christ to Baal, the lord of the flies. And not just that, Beelzebub or Beelzebul, the New Testament version, also calls him a prince of demons.

He's not even the king of demons. It's a weighty term. They've completely misunderstood Jesus Christ. He's misrepresented all over the place. So this is a really weighty insult. And Jesus Christ knows this.

He's the lord of the scriptures, after all. Picking up in our text, this is what Jesus does. He understands exactly what his scribes have called him. He understands that they have not given him a very...

Even in regards to demons, he's not a very high demon. This is a very low view of Jesus Christ. These scribes really are digging the dagger deep into him. But this is what he responds with in verses 23 to 26.

Let's read. It says, So we're going to look at these verses. We're going to examine these. We're going to pause here. But if you'll notice, this is the first parable that we see in Mark. Jesus uses this parable to confront the argument of the scribes.

And for those who don't know, a parable is a story or an analogy used to convey a point. We see these all over the place in the Old Testament. Most of them are known from the New Testament, but we see them all over in scripture.

Some Bible dictionaries define parables as an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. They have heavy, latent figures of speech, and Jesus Christ is using that to disarm the scribes in this instance. Also, as an aside, it's important to note that Mark has very few parables, especially in comparison to Matthew and Luke.

John has a couple, but they're not formally called parables. But Mark has very few. So that means that when we stumble upon one, when we come upon one in scripture, especially in the book of Mark, where he has very little, our ears need to perk up.

We need to understand what exactly Jesus Christ is saying. So looking at the argument, Jesus Christ addresses the logical trap that the scribes have walked into. They've stepped into something here. And the question is, how can a kingdom stand divided?

You need to think about that for a moment. Jesus Christ is asking a very rhetorical question. How can a kingdom stand divided? By declaring Jesus Christ as a prince of demons, the scribes have insinuated that Satan has gone to war with himself, with his own kingdom, which is completely foolish.

If you read those verses again, read them again and note the emphasis. And he called Jesus, he called to them and said to them in parables, how can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. Notice the repetition, notice the action being emphasized here.

He cannot stand. There are three forms of this that he says. He cannot stand. He cannot stand. He cannot stand. And by the end of verse 26, if this is the case, if Satan has declared war on himself, and you see all these demons being cast out, these miraculous works, verse 26, he is coming to an end.

It's really helpful to maybe illustrate this point, how foolish it really is when the scribes have accused Jesus Christ of this, and they've essentially walked into this by looking at somewhat like an analogy or practical example.

And maybe I'll ask some of the kids here. Do you guys enjoy playing board games? Yes, we have some board game players.

Okay.

Do you guys play Risk? I know some of the older adults or older kids play Risk, and I've heard a story here and there. Risk is fun. The Lord knows how much time I've spent playing Risk in group homes and with different kids.

And if I've got to be honest, I'm not very good at it. I'd probably lose if I played against some of the best guys here. But there's something about Risk that is very enjoyable. I like military history, but one of the things about military history that is fascinating is looking at all the ways that history reveals strategy and the way to win things.

So if you're looking at Risk, one of the reasons that Risk is so enjoyable is something called the fog of war. Are you guys familiar with that? Yeah, the fog of war. This is something that if you're used to playing card games or games where your friend is your foe until your foe is your friend.

This is kind of the idea. Risk is enjoyable for this reason. There's a military type named Lonsdale Augustus Hale. He described the fog of war as the state of governance in which commanders frequently find themselves as regards to the real strength and position, but note this, not only of their foes, but also of their friends.

So what brings the thrill of this game, Risk and any other games, there's so many that exist like this, the thrill of the game is knowing that who's a friend now might be a foe later. If we're looking back into our Bibles, if we look at a biblical example of what this looks like, I'll have you guys turn to 2 Chronicles 20.

In 2 Chronicles 20, I don't have the time to go through the whole of this chapter, which is unfortunate, but the major thrust of this text is that Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel at the time, of Judah, I believe, and the nation of Israel are surrounded and overwhelmed by the warring nations around them.

They're being besieged. They're about to go into the heavy battle and they're about to lose. So like I said, for the sake of time, I can't really get into all the specifics, but they're surrounded. They're fighting a losing battle.

Because of this, as a result of what's going to take place, if the Lord does not intervene, they will not survive. Jehoshaphat calls for a nationwide fast and prayer and the whole nation beseeches the Lord.

They go to the Lord in prayer and fasting and they seek him. And as a result, the Lord answers their prayers. In verses 22 to 23, again, if you're keeping notes,.

Note this.

This is really important. We see the outcome of that answered prayer. So picking up at 22, it says,. And when they began to sing and praise, this is the nation praising and singing, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah so that they were routed.

They were utterly defeated. For the men, in verse 23,. For the men of Ammon and Moab rose against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had made an effort or made an end to the inhabitants of Seir, once that one army was defeated, they all helped destroy one another.

And they go to war against one another, completely annihilating every single opponent from friends to foes. If we look at this practical example of what it says in the Old Testament scriptures, we have to understand that what the scribes are saying is utterly foolish.

It's totally crazy that they would assume that Satan was driving out his own demons for the sake of the Lord's kingdom. Satan is not for the Lord in any sense. He's not going to do something that benefits the Lord.

And Jesus Christ knows this. But this is where we're going to find our own application. What these scribes fail to understand, in many ways, is that they fail to understand the Jesus of Scripture. We need to understand the Jesus of Scripture.

That is how we're going to apply this text, these first few verses. We need to understand Jesus Christ as he is revealed in his scriptures. Jesus Christ is sovereign and he is undivided. The scribes and his family, as we're going to see in the next few verses, fail to understand the sovereign God that Jesus Christ is.

Look at verse 27. Look at what Jesus Christ says in his parable.

He says,.

Jesus Christ is the one who binds up the enemy. He's the one who binds the enemy. It is by his grace and his strength that he rescues his people, that he plunders the house of Satan and he rescues, he ransoms his people.

What the scribes fail to understand, in their hate for Jesus Christ, they completely mischaracterize him and they miss this. It is by Jesus Christ alone, by his strength alone, by grace alone, by his blood alone, that he ransoms and he rescues those that are plundered from Satan's crypts.

Brothers and sisters, we have a very strong foe. We have to recognize this too. We have a very strong enemy. Ephesians 6, 12 says, We're dealing with a real enemy. I think most of us understand that. This is a very real enemy, a real threat.

And it's not one that we take lightly. We are dealing with a real enemy. And this enemy is also undivided. He seeks to undo everything that God does. He truly hates God's people and the Lord himself. But we serve a God who is much, much greater.

We need to understand him. We can't be like the scribes that fail completely in this manner or in any sense. We have to know him for who he is. We have to know the totality of Jesus Christ. We need to understand him from his scriptures, that he is sovereign Lord, and the one who has bound up his enemy, the enemy of the church, and how he rescues his people.

We need to understand this God. So looking at our notes again, we have a lot to get to, so we're just going to keep going here. We'll get to more of this in a minute. But the second point, again, if you're keeping notes in your bulletins, the second point is this.

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit and the Fear of Unforgivable Sin

Blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you blaspheme Jesus Christ. If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you blaspheme Jesus Christ. So if we're looking at this narrative and how it's playing out, Jesus Christ has been judged by the scribes.

They have come their way from Jerusalem, and we can imagine this. This is likely a far walk. This is a plan that was concocted all the way from the pits of Jerusalem, all the way to Capernaum. And they have devised this plan, and they have rendered this thinking they have Jesus Christ, and they haven't figured out.

When they arrive, they deliver their verdict unto Jesus Christ. And look at what Jesus does in return. Verses 28 to 30. Jesus replying to them.

He says,.

He has an unclean spirit. On my drive here, I was speaking with Daryl. Daryl asked me, What are you preaching on today? And I told him the text, and he read it in the car, and then he said to me, Oh, so an eternal sin.

So this is what you're preaching on today. And I said, yeah, I am. This is a technical text. And to be fair, there's more that I'm preaching on, but this is the part that people hone in on, and this is not by accident.

Like Daryl, or myself even, some of you, I'm going to say, had the misfortune of knowing me as an unbeliever. The Lord redeemed me, but some of you in this room knew me before that. Some of you knew me in my unbelief and in the way that I hated the Lord.

So, when I read this text as a believer, this eternal sin, this condemnation to me, was this something that applied to me? You can understand, and rightfully so, when the Word of God comes to bear on a human heart, this is a weighty, weighty warning.

There's a lot here. I can understand that this is a crippling fear that people have when they read this passage, because I was crippled by this. But the question we need to ask ourselves is this, what is the text saying?

We need to understand it. Does this blasphemy truly constitute, or is it truly an unforgivable sin, and there's no grace for it? What does Jesus Christ mean by this? And the answer is that there's two answers.

Well, two interpretations. So this is where it gets a little bit technical, and as I intend to do, I'm going to give you both. I'm going to give you both interpretations. And after the fact, you guys can come and tell me which one you think you hold to a little bit more, and you guys can feel free to roast me if you'd like.

But there are two big interpretations to this unforgivable sin. The first interpretation is a historical view on the passage. So this looks deeply at the historical context of the passage that's taking place.

So that's the first view.

The second view is one that refers to the context of the greater whole of Scripture. If you're looking at the New Testament, you're looking at different ways that warnings like this are used in the Bible, and it's going to the whole of Scripture.

This is the second view. I have to admit, both views have their merits. They're both strong views. In certain cases, really, having at least an understanding of both views does give us a better perspective on this passage.

So regardless of the view that you might come to after having some study, or having referenced your own notes, or looking at this text again, Lord willing, there is application for everyone. Even today, we're going to walk away with some application because this text cannot be ignored.

We have to understand what this says. So right now, let's try to get into the text. So the historical interpretation. So the first view is the interpretation that takes a lot more of a literal reading of verse 29.

When you're looking at what is taking place here, you're looking at it much more literally. Within this passage of Scripture, we have the fact that Jesus used parables. If you guys haven't heard this, there's much to be said about this.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to get into this. But Jesus Christ uses parables, which serve as an indicator that Jesus Christ is hardening the souls of those around him. That might sound kind of ironic, but Jesus Christ, through his instruction, is hardening the souls of those around.

That is one use of the parables. So like I said, I can't totally get into it. But if you look a little bit further into the book of Mark, chapter 4. Mark chapter 4, verse 10 and 12, it says this.

It says,.

And when he was alone, Jesus Christ, those around him with the twelve, asked him about the parables. And he said, Jesus Christ said this to them, To you has been given the secret of kingdom of God. But for those outside, everything is in parables.

Verse 12, That they may indeed see, but not perceive, and may indeed hear, but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. Verse 12 is crucial, because one of the uses of parables is that Jesus Christ used them to harden those around him as he was preaching and teaching.

In particular, when it says that they may indeed see, but not perceive, may indeed hear, but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven. This is a strong argument for this view, that Jesus Christ is hardening those around him.

Another thing that would point to this view of the validity of this historical view, as I've called it, is that this is a really unique time in redemptive history. We need to take a step back for a moment.

If I could almost put you guys in sandals and take you back 2 ,000 years, what we would see, again, if we step back, is that this is a really unique time in redemptive history. Absolutely amazing time.

If we think about it in context, Jesus Christ is performing wonderful signs, wondrous things, miracles, and he's preaching the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus Christ is the master expositor. There is no one better a preacher than Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ authored the Word. Jesus Christ fulfilled the Word. Jesus Christ is the Word, John 1 .1. So, in his foreknowledge and total understanding of the human heart, Jesus Christ knew who would come to him.

Like I said, take a step back with me for a moment and just consider the context. Jesus Christ's ministry took place for approximately three years. Jesus Christ began his ministry after being baptized in the River Jordan all the way to his crucifixion his resurrection and ascension.

Jesus Christ's ministry on earth took place for about three years. And think about in this time what was taking place. This is, like I said, a special time where you're witnessing amazing works, miracles, just amazing things.

If you think about it, if we really stop to consider what is taking place and look what their response is, look at the response. They blaspheme him. Imagine witnessing everything that took place and your response is that you blaspheme the Lord Jesus Christ.

All the good that he's doing is attributed to evil. Just think about that for a moment. So, it stands to reason from this view that these men would never come to repentance. If you could not see the good that Jesus Christ is doing, if you could not behold him as God, if you could not be convinced, witnessing all the miraculous things that are taking place, you will not come to repentance.

And justifiably,.

Jesus Christ renders his judgment for their sin of unbelief. So, that's the historical view. So, that's the first view. And there's, like I said, I'm doing just a quick flyby of this interpretation. There's much more, like I said, we'll talk about this after, no doubt, but there's a lot to look at here.

So, now we're going to look at the other view. We're going to look at the second view that says that this warning passage and the uses of these warning passages have to be taken in context with all of the New Scripture or the New Testament.

So, we're looking at this passage, we look at many other similar passages like this in the New Testament and what we do with those. So, this view holds that blaspheming the Holy Spirit is a lifelong denial of the open invitation of grace.

So, those who would hold this view, they would defend it by saying that they have to look at the work of the Holy Spirit. They look at, for example, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and what it is the Holy Spirit does.

The Holy Spirit applies salvation to the sinner's heart. If you're looking for notes, speak to me after if you've missed any of these, there's a lot I'm going to go through in a little bit here, but try to keep up with me as we go through this.

John 16, verses 8 to 11, it says this. I've just got to find myself here. It says, and when he comes, this is the Holy Spirit, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in me, concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no longer.

Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. So, the first thing the Holy Spirit does is convict. It's convict sinners of sin and draw to the cross of Christ. If we're looking at Ephesians, just flip with me to Ephesians chapter 1 real quick, and you look at verses, let's read from 16 to 17, just for context, it says this.

Sorry, Ephesians 1, 16, it says, I do not cease to give thanks for you. Remembering you in my prayers that the God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of glory may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.

Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.

What are the riches.

Of the glorious inheritance of the saints? I wish I could read that more, but I have to stop here for the sake of time. But this is, this is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and compels people to repentance.

So in other words, as they continue to reject Jesus Christ, so people who would hold this view say, as you continue to reject the Holy Spirit, you blaspheme the Holy Spirit, you in turn reject Jesus Christ because the Holy Spirit bears witness to the work of Jesus Christ, applies that salvation to the hearts of sinners.

And if you follow this, this daily occurrence, this hour, minute to minute occurrence of denying the Holy Spirit, rejecting the call, the conviction of sin, rejecting his, the call of grace, the open invitation.

If you're looking at this, eventually this individual will continue to reject the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit by extension, and they will die. Once you die, you are dead. You can't repent. So what was once a sin that the Lord Jesus Christ extends his open hand.

With full grace.

To forgive you of, the moment you are dead, you cannot repent of sin. You're no different than the, than the greedy merchant in Luke 12. In the parable of the greedy merchant, Luke 12, sorry, Luke chapter 12, verse 20,.

It says,.

But God said to him, this is God speaking to the greedy merchant, he says, fool, this night your soul is required of you and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? You take someone who is so in love with the world that rejects, that they reject Jesus Christ.

They reject the calling of the Holy Spirit. Eventually they will be called to account like this greedy merchant. So, like I said, by extension, if you hold this view,.

This is the,.

This is the logical conclusion. This is the unforgivable sin. You get to the end of your life and you have not repented of sin. You've rejected the Holy Spirit. Then you've committed an unforgivable sin.

There is no other salvation other than the repentance of Christ or repent and turn to Christ. So that's what people would say of this view.

Okay.

So anyways, after looking at that, regardless of the view you hold, so regardless of you fall on this side or that side, there is application here for everyone. This is where we have to understand that this, that these warnings have application for us even today.

From,.

If you're going to ask me from my perspective,.

Which,.

Which view I would hold, they're both really convincing and actually they're both really compelling. There's a good amount of evidence for both on each side. If you caught me on a different day or if you were to convince me, I might go one way over the other.

Right now,.

Just based on just the reading of the text, I would say that I would hold that the second view that you, that these warning passages need to be interpreted in light of the whole of Scripture. But like I said, this is something that if you guys have an opinion.

The other way,.

I look forward to talking about this.

After the fact.

But if we're going to talk.

About application.

Really quickly, we're going to, we're going to have to apply this in some way and it's this. We need to guard our minds and our hearts on how we view Christ. We need to guard our hearts.

And our minds.

When we think about Christ. If you believe, if you will hold that this judgment that Jesus Christ is rendering here is only for a specific time of redemptive history, you don't get a pass from this passage.

You don't get one. Because the application here is are you honoring Christ in all that you do and think? Let's apply this text inwardly now. Let's look at us. Do I honor Christ in what I do and what I think?

Matthew chapter 13 verse 34 says, You brood of vipers, this is Jesus Christ talking again to the Pharisees.

He says,.

You brood of vipers, how can you speak good when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So let's apply this.

Let's look,.

Let's use this to come to bear on us. Do our hearts swell with praises for the Lord? Think about that on a daily occurrence. Do you rise with your heart swelling for the Lord? Or have we grown cold? Are we filling our cup with living waters?