Rejecting Glory Matthew 11:16-24

What you learn from an early age is that there is truth and there is falsehood

You see the sinful nature of a child Children learn that they can tell a lie and try to get away with it

It's convenient to tell a lie and not get in trouble I remember when I was in elementary school mean that several other students copied off of our neighbors paper

And one of the teachers saw us, and he gave us that speech that told us you can't do this

But we did it because we wanted the teacher to think that we really did the work to earn the grade

So as you think about truth, and as we think about falsehood, what is a good definition of truth a

Good definition is this that which corresponds to reality? Another way to say it is truth is what really happened

For example to say that the United States fought against the

Soviet Union during World War two is false We were allies with them

To say that John Kennedy was accidentally killed is false. He was murdered

To say that the Sun rises in the West is false. It rises in the east

To say that God Created the universe is true To say that humanity is sinful and deserving of punishment is true

To say that God sent his son Jesus on the cross to die for sinners is true

To say that Jesus is coming again to gather his people and judge the world is true

Once again truth is that which corresponds to reality

What did happen? What is happening? And what will happen? But we live in a world that doesn't value truth

Many people only embrace truth if it's convenient and not following the facts no matter what as one should

But there are people out there who still care about truth Christians, right? One who cares about the truth ask questions and finds answers to those questions as Christians we are people of the truth

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me

This book right here. It's it's the focus of Sunday mornings. It's the focus of our lives

It's the highest standard of truth in this world if Something does not agree with it, then it's false

Most people have no problem accepting the truth That the Soviet Union were allies with the u .s.

During World War two or that John Kennedy was murdered or that the Sun rises in the

East However truth goes much deeper than the facts. I just mentioned

Every human must be interested in finding the truth to life's deepest questions

I've heard this described succinctly as four big questions. They are this how did we get here?

What is wrong with this world? What is the solution to what is wrong and where are we going?

Every worldview has to answer these four questions and Only one worldview is succinctly and correctly

Sufficiently does and that is the foundation of this church the Bible I've already explained those facts to you.

God created the world mankind fell into sin God sent his son Jesus to rescue us and to bring us into fellowship with God and Jesus is coming back to establish his forever kingdom with his people

Now these are the most glorious truths in the universe, however, they're also very controversial

Satan could have been happy forever in heaven, but he threw it all away because he wanted to be

God Humans can be happy forever, but they don't want to be because they want to be

God This is the story of life Either God is on the throne or we are on the throne and Most choose the latter

We want to be on the throne Most desire to live for oneself.

And so the great truths of life are inconvenience So people have no problem accepting the fact that the

Sun rises in the east or two plus two equals four But have a problem with the statements that the

Bible and Only the Bible has the answers to life's deepest questions

It is offensive to the rebellious sinful human heart so many never bow their knee to God, but go their own way and Any rejection they put forward they say it's an intellectual pursuit.

It's not it's a heart issue And this rejection of the truth as the truth was presented to a person was the experience of God's greatest spokesmen in the first century

They were rejected Largely speaking John the Baptist and the greatest spokesmen of all the

God -man Jesus were rejected They spoke the glorious truth, but people didn't want it this morning

We are going to see this hostile reception to these glorious truths At this time.

I encourage you to turn in by with me to Matthew 11 We are going to be looking at verses 17 through 24 as we continue our sermon series through Matthew And if you're using a red

Bible in the pews is on page 970 This sermon is titled rejecting glory

And here's our big idea unbelievers

That reject the truth will pay the ultimate price Unbelievers that reject the truth will pay the ultimate price and we'll see two types of unbelievers described

In this text this morning, but before we jump in Let me give you a little recap of where we were two weeks ago last week

Larry Forsberg preached and I heard from any of you that that was a wonderful blessing to hear from him But two weeks ago was the last time we were in Matthew and that Sunday We finished a two -week sermon from the first 15 verses of chapter 11 and in that passage

We learned about John the Baptist and our big big idea was this To better understand

John the Baptist is to better understand the Messiah and we saw five reasons why

We saw that he became perplexed about Christ's ministry

His misunderstanding is corrected by Christ his ministry as the forerunner is Authenticated by Christ his greatness is tied to the greatness of Christ And lastly the fifth reason is this his ministry faced the same hostility as Christ Now this leads us to our text once again this morning and we'll begin by reading verses 16 and 17

These are the words of Jesus But to what shall I compare this generation

It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates

We played the flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge and you did not mourn

So Jesus here he begins by saying To what shall

I compare this generation? To start a section with these words to what shall I compare was a common

Jewish expression found in their tradition rabbis use this expression to introduce an illustration that pictures a reality and Jesus is asking.

What is this generation like? We will answer that in a little bit, but let's first look at the word generation a

Generation, of course means a people living within a certain time period in this room.

We have several generations represented however Here the

Greek word for generation carries the meaning of a group of people very like each other in pursuits and in character what

Jesus specifically means here is the wickedness of the Jews at this time in the first century a

Chapter after this one in chapter 12 verse 38 the scribes and the Pharisees asked

Jesus for a sign They asked him for a sign even though he had already given them numerous signs

Jesus Jesus responded back to them with a strong rebuke in Chapter 12 verse 39 where he said an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign

But no sign will be given to it except the sign of the Prophet Jonah The sign of the

Prophet Jonah is that Jesus died was buried for three days and then rose again

That's the sign that they needed to hear and that's the sign they didn't want So what

Jesus is saying is what shall I compare this wicked generation to? Remember, these are the ones who have been opposing

Jesus from early on in his ministry and he tells us what this generation is like with this

Illustration that we see in these two verses versus 16 and 17 Jesus compares the

Jews of this time to children sitting in the marketplaces

The marketplace At this time was it was the central place of activity if you wanted to have socialization if you wanted to do business

This is where you went You went to the marketplace As The adults sold in the marketplace, of course, the kids have to do something right the kids have to entertain themselves somehow

Just like in our day in the first century the two biggest social events two of the biggest social events in society were weddings and funerals and Children like to play wedding and Funeral so so they would sing a song they would play a dirge across the street

Aletheia has played weddings many times with the princesses and princes that we own In fact,

I think I've done more weddings across the street that I have in my own life at a church And this is what kids do and this is the illustration that Jesus is using the kids are pretending

To do a wedding and a funeral and Jesus communicates this in verse 17 by saying we played the flute for you and we sang a dirge a

Flute is what is played at a wedding and a dirge is played at a funeral The children expected the other children to dance when they played the flute and they expected the other children to pretend to mourn when they played the dirge

But when the wedding game was played the children were upset That they weren't playing the other game.

Okay. So when the wedding was played, well, why don't we play? The funeral when the funeral was played.

Why don't we play? the wedding It's almost a daily exercise for Brianne and I to ask

Do you want to do this? And of course, what do they say? No, we want to do something else, right?

So the children have not changed much over thousands of years But we expect children to behave this way

They're children. The tragedy is when adults behave this way one of the saddest realities of life is when adults act like children an

Adult is supposed to be wise and a great example for younger generations But so often they are not

I Am great. I am grateful for the many wise older people we have in this church But there are many older people in this world who are fools and younger ones should not learn from them

These Jews in the first century are a sad story They lived in an extraordinary time in History and yet their sinful hearts led their story to be a tragic one

And may we not be like them One author compared these children to people who complain about God's Church, but really don't have a legitimate complaint

He wrote some of those who refused to believe the gospel covered their unbelief with criticism

Jesus compared them to foolish children Sitting in the marketplace who objected to everything the other children did

They were like many people today who find fault with whatever the preacher and other church leaders do

No matter what is said or done such people pick it apart and use the objection whether real or imagined as an excuse for rejection

Because they have no saving relationship to Christ They refuse to receive his truth or serve his church, but they love to harp against both

This is so common in our world people say those church leaders are the problem

Everything they do is wrong or those church people are the problem people say I'm done with the church

Now there may be a legitimate complaints, but sometimes there's not and really what is going on is

The person making the complaint against the truth and against the church is an unbeliever

Who is really against God and no matter what the church does everything turns into a complaint? When I was in high school the church that I was a part of had a major church split

Many left the church fewer stayed and some never went back to church and yet still called themselves

Christians The people in the last group said I can do this Christian thing alone and yet God tells us in his word

That we need to be a part of a church body The church is always imperfect and some are healthier than others

But God always wants his children to be committed to a local body of believers People who say that they are done with church.

It is not the church That is the problem, but their unbelief is the problem they get to the point where nothing the church does will ever be satisfactory

They're like children in the marketplace saying why don't you do this or why don't you do that? When that isn't the problem

The heart is the problem El Paso used to say the heart of the matter is the heart is the matter

Now as we have already seen in Matthew the Jews Largely rejected

Jesus and as we've seen more recently they of course did not receive the forerunner to Jesus John the

Baptist in verses 18 and 19 Jesus explains their critical thinking

About the Messiah and his kingdom offer He says this For John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the son of man came eating and drinking and they say look at him a glutton and a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners

Let's stop right there in these verses Jesus explains their complaints in the cases of John and Jesus whatever they did was wrong

John lived a very clean lifestyle He's like one of those Christians who doesn't drink doesn't dance doesn't go to movies doesn't play cards now

John was not a Pharisee a Pharisee says that you can never do any of these things and Adding morality to the

Bible The Pharisees that's what they did Now as the unbelieving

Jews looked at John they could not make worldly charges against the man because he lived such a clean lifestyle

But they didn't like his message They didn't like the truth that he brought before them so they came up with a charge against him

That was completely off the wall. They said he has a demon

As we think about the wedding and funeral illustrations that Jesus gave John's life and message was like a funeral he brought a message of repentance and judgment and If one did not repent

They would be doomed and his lifestyle was one of abstaining from worldly pleasures

So John played the judge, but they didn't want it Then Jesus explains the reception that he received from the

Jews since Jesus hung out with sinners and Feasted they accused him of being a glutton and a drunkard

We already saw Jesus do this in the Gospel of Matthew and Matthew chapter 9 verse 10 we learned we learned that as Jesus reclined at the table in the house behold many tax collectors and Sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples

Now even though Jesus spent time with those who wore sin on their sleeves the tax collectors the drunkards the prostitutes

This did not mean that he took part Of course he did not take part First John 3 5 says that in him there is no sin we must

Hold to the sinlessness of Christ because if Christ is not sinless then we are doomed forever

He needed to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins But the

Jews slandered Jesus by saying he's just like the gluttons and drunkards that he hangs out with That's what slander does you tell lies about people

Jesus lifestyle was different from John's John the Baptist lived a life of chastity

Well, Jesus participated in the normal social activities of society where they would have been feasting and drinking

But the Jews slandered Jesus here in verse 19 saying he's something he is not It is true that he was a friend of tax collectors and sinners as he shared the gospel with them

But he never joined them in their wickedness Jesus life was like the wedding and so they made a false charge against him.

He played the flute, but they didn't want it Once again, just like the children nothing would satisfy them

This was the climate of the Jewish world that Jesus and John lived in They accused the life of chastity of John and the life of feasting of Jesus Nothing they did satisfy the unbelieving

Jews, but the unbelieving Jews did not think that they were the problem It was those prophets of God Who were calling them to repent that were the problem the unbelieving

Jews thought we don't have a demon like John and We live a clean life

Unlike Jesus we keep all these laws and all these extra laws That we added we are the ones truly following God.

We are the true offspring of Abraham But what a tragedy

Truth was right before their eyes glory was right before their eyes

But they wanted none of it They wanted to be on the throne not

God and Yet they deceived themselves into thinking that they were the ones really following God But in reality they were bound for hell

After highlighting the Jews rejection of him and his message Jesus said at the end of verse 19 yet wisdom is justified by her deeds

We see here the Greek word Sophia means wisdom. I know we have we have a Sophia in this church

Now wisdom and holiness are very closely related Wisdom is understanding the right way to go and the right thing to do you can be wise and still do sinful things

For example Solomon is the greatest example of this. He was the wisest man who ever lived and Yet he plunged into an immoral lifestyle for many years in his later life

He did not live out the wisdom that he had Yet the wise will live out some holiness and it is

God's design that the wise Would be very holy in other words, you know the right way to go

So you pursue it? But one who is a fool and does not know the right way to go will never be holy

Foolishness always leads to wickedness These Jews who are making these charges against John and Jesus are fools

They went to thought they were fools, but they are fools They do not understand the right way to go.

They do not understand the way of God They do not understand the world and so their deeds will be right in line with their foolishness

Their foolishness leads them to make these ridiculous claims about John and Jesus Jesus is a glutton and a drunkard

John has a demon that's wickedness that comes from their foolishness

In our world sometimes we have to ask is there any wisdom left It makes you think of the conversation that God had with Abraham as they overlooked

Sodom Are there any righteous people left in this town? A number of us men went to a men's retreat at the beginning of April In fact a couple of the men are here today.

Good to see you And I found it very encouraging God's working in Polk County Polk County is not a forsaken place.

Like many places are becoming in America and I preached a pretty controversial sermon and I Didn't know what the response would be and I called out the evil of the country and the evil of the church and I was

So encouraged to see that many of the men agreed the men are standing for Christ.

No matter what happens around them We have a legion of men women Children in this area who are not bowing their knee to bail

But are loving God with all their heart and loving others We have many people that are wise and as a result are living holy lives for the

Lord in These trying times what a great thing it would be if people flocked to an area like this

Where there's no wisdom and flock to sound biblical churches leaving the corruption behind Jesus says wisdom is justified by her deeds and made people see the difference between foolishness and wisdom between unrighteousness and holiness

The lives of John and Jesus were in stark contrast to that of the unbelieving

Jews who slandered them And this goes without saying Jesus is the standard of wisdom and holiness

Okay, Jesus is the standard of wisdom and holiness in this world

There is no other standard besides him Wisdom is also justified by its fruit the fruit of the

Jewish leadership is one of dead religion and the fruit of John and Jesus is one of life as They ministered people what people's lives were transformed and no one could deny it the world makes lots of charges against Christians, but they can't question a changed life and they can't question the fruit of healthy churches as People are transformed this leads to others who are transformed as contagious

The Christian life is contagious as people leave lives of foolishness and unrighteousness

To live lives of wisdom and holiness and in the end the critics voices

Hold no water So unbelievers that reject the truth of Jesus will pay the ultimate price and the first type of unbeliever

We have looked at are those who are critical when exposed to it Here's the second type of unbeliever who reject the truth of Jesus and will pay the ultimate price

Those who are indifferent When exposed to it those who are indifferent when exposed to it

We'll see this in verses 20 through 24 Now the big problem as we saw in the previous point is that all these glorious things were done before them before these

Jews The glorious truth of God's work was presented before them and they didn't want it

They preferred darkness over light and unrighteousness over righteousness The people who rejected him were those in high positions and also common people

And you've heard me say before That much of Jesus ministry was spent out in the sticks.

It was it was in northern Israel in the Galilean region His hometown was

Nazareth and his hub during this time would have been Peter's home in the city of Capernaum In verse 20 tells us that he called these places out for their rejection, let's look at verse 20

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent

So as Jesus went to these places He healed many he cast out demons and the most important thing

He did was he offered hope and he offered the solution to spiritual bondage as We have seen

John the Baptist preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins and Jesus did the same thing

They preached the gospel of the kingdom that said the only way You will be residents of this future kingdom is if you repent

Turn from your sins and put your trust in this Messiah Now some received this message

But most did not and what we see in the next verses is Jesus rebuke of those places where he preached

They saw glory and they would experience glory if they receive the glory that they saw

That's the offer right you're presented with glory. Do you want this because if you receive it

It's going to be the greatest thing that there is But if you reject it, it's the worst second

Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 10 through 12 describes the preference of unbelievers when when given truth

That passage says this they refuse to love the truth and so be saved Therefore God sends them a strong delusion

So that they may believe what is false in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness

Now this is a prophecy about the end times about Delusion that a strong delusion that's going to be sent over these people who reject

Christ during the final tribulation But this happens always when one sees the beauty of Christ and chooses darkness over his light

Did you see that they took pleasure in? unrighteousness But God created us to have pleasure in righteousness

To understand what true majesty in beauty is To love what is truly lovely and to hate what is unlovely

But unbelievers do not love the truth and they do not love what is lovely when

I was younger I Used to think that secular music was better than Christian And what it shows is where my heart was at that time.

I Pleasure in a false beauty of secular music than in true beauty, but one of the reasons

I thought this One of the reasons I thought this was because Much of the

Christian music I grew up with wasn't very good. I thought it was good

But it wasn't very good the Christian music Was trying to have a secular ring to it and putting shallow

Christian words to the tune All right, lots of repetition Sounding like a sounding like a rock show

But as I have grown in my walk with the Lord What I have learned is that true Christian music is far superior to secular

This is so because true Christian music is truly beautiful By God's standard while much of the secular music is a false beauty now, not all secular music is bad

For example, I love the Lord of the Rings soundtrack that music is beautiful and I believe it's honoring to God Even though there aren't any lyrics to it

There's a beauty to that music. That's not vain and I think that the Lord of the

Rings Music is more honoring to God than a lot of the so -called

Christian music out there No, that might that might be surprising to you But think about that One is well done while the other makes music that does not capture the true beauty of God and his world

Something something to think about but the greatest music in the history of the world is

Christian music that honors God through its beautiful sound and through rich truths that it conveys and We try to do our best to sing these songs on Sunday morning

Some of these songs are old But some are new the age of it doesn't matter. Just as long as it as it meets that criteria

Whether old or new the words are rich with biblical depth combined with the beautiful music that brings glory to God Come thou fount of every blessing

To in my heart to sing thy grace streams of mercy

Never see seen call for songs of loudest praise

Look, I'm gonna stop right there, but Is that beautiful? That's music

And that's Sean's favorite song to The world can't match that They can't match the weight of it that the gravity of it the majesty of it and The truth that the lyrics put forth

Everyone here in dwelt with the Holy Spirit is drawn to true beauty because you know beauty because you know the beautiful one

You love God You love his truth. You see it as wonderful and glorious But the unbeliever does not see this

The unbeliever delights in falsehood in Unrighteousness and delights in a false beauty that in God's eyes is ugly

When Jesus came on the scene in the first century many did not want the truth

They saw the glory, but their hearts did not treasure the glory they saw For these people

Jesus has a very strong response He talks about them here in verses 21 through 24

This is what he says Woe to you Karazin woe to you Bethsaida for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon They would have repented long ago and sackcloth and ashes

But I tell you it'll be more bearable on that day on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you

And you Capernaum Will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom it would have remained until this day

But I tell you that it'll be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you

So the cities here that he's talking about these cities in the Galilean region known as Karazin and Bethsaida were two cities that Jesus ministered in in two cities that largely

Rejected him and the third one here Capernaum as well He didn't spend a lot of time in Jerusalem as I told you this is where he spent his time

God became flesh and the people wanted nothing to do with their Creator The very one who was keeping them alive

Giving them breath to breathe. They didn't want anything to do it. You see a problem with that And what

Jesus says is if the works that you saw the glory that you saw

Were shown to Tyre and Sidon they would have repented long ago. So who were these these two cities sire?

Tyre and Sidon They were Phoenician cities located on the shores of the Mediterranean The Old Testament prophets prophesied judgment upon these cities that they did not repent for their bail worship and their arrogance

Ezekiel predicted their destruction in Ezekiel 26 through 28 and the destruction was fulfilled exactly how

Ezekiel predicted Now Jesus is not talking about the virtue of Tyre and Sidon it is somehow these were great people

And they just didn't repent What's the difference between Tyre and Sidon in the cities that Jesus ministered in the difference is?

Kharazin and Bethsaida had more Information one had the

God -man present and the other did not One saw more truth and the other saw less one saw more glory and the other saw less

This is the reason that Jesus gives as to why the punishment pronounced that the final judgment will be more severe

For the cities that he ministered to than these in the Old Testament The more information one has the more accountable one will be

This is the principle set forth in Luke 12 48 as Jesus says the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating

Everyone to whom much was given of much will be required and from him to whom they entrusted much they will demand the more

Not too long ago I explained to you That not everyone's experience in heaven will be the same those who do more

Faithful work here on earth will have a better experience in the age to come

This is the same for people's experience in hell Those who are more wicked will receive a greater punishment while those who do less wicked will receive a lesser

Punishment God gives everyone what they deserve But what

Jesus tells us here is that one's experience in hell will also depend on how much they knew

This is sobering to think about Someone who grew up in the church and Rejected Christ Will have a worse experience in hell than someone who did not grow up in the church

But remained an unbeliever all the way through In verse 23 Jesus says the same thing about Capernaum He says will you be exalted to heaven then he says no you won't

You'll be brought down to Hades and what made what Hades means here is future eternal punishment in hell

The people in Capernaum were Jews who thought they had it all together We're good

Jews. We're offspring of Abraham but they rejected Jesus and did not repent when the kingdom was offered to them and Jesus tells them remarkably that the unbelievers of Capernaum who rejected

Jesus will have a worse experience in hell than Sodom and Sodom yes, you heard that right

We know about Sodom When we were going through Genesis a couple years ago Genesis 19 talks about Sodom Sodom was a bad

Place and in modern times when we think of a bad city a wicked city in America or around the world

We compare it to what? Sodom But as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah the neighbor in town were

Jesus says in verse 23 that if the mighty works done in you have been done in Sodom It would have remained until this day

But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you

What Jesus is saying here is that the miracles he performed in Capernaum in? the

Galilean region during his ministry were so Amazing that the people in Sodom would have believed if they had seen them.

This is very sobering to think about The people in Capernaum were law -abiding

Jews They would have been good neighbors But they were self -righteous and rejected the glory of Jesus in his message.

They received far more information about God and his truth than Sodom and Yet they hated it.

They said we don't want it We don't want your glory.

We want the glory of unrighteousness of falsehood in God's eyes a nominal

Christian who knows the truth and yet is indifferent toward it is worse off Than pagans who know little to nothing about Christianity This is a sobering application

We should be more outraged at cultural Christianity and dead religion than we are at the godless pagan

Society in our country and in our world but I contend you that I think our pull is more to To shout at the pagan society and less to shout at cultural

Christianity Even though we should address the evil of society

We should and I think if you don't it's probably because we're afraid of what's gonna happen to us If we do we should address the evil society, but are we?

Outraged at what God is outraged about are we outraged at cultural

Christianity and dead? religion I was at a

I was at A church that I would call dead religion a while back and I'm telling you

God hates it where God is present.

There's life He he hates it. If we go through the motions if we do our rituals

Every how could people make the same mistakes as the Jews in the first century, but we see it today He hated it the enemy hates it now

The last thing I want this church to be is dead religion When you come here, you shouldn't feel that and if we do we need to wake up and think about this

Dead religion. It's not just something that Has flooded the liberal Protestantism and in the

Roman Catholic Church It's made its way into evangelical churches as well The person who never reads their

Bible never prays Rarely comes to church has no obvious love for God or his people and is outwardly upright so a good neighbor is

More abhorrent to God Than the pagan society then

Sodom and places like Sodom and This is so because one person received much more knowledge of God and said, you know what?

Not that impressed But I'll be a cultural Christian. I'll Sneak my foot in the door a little bit

God hates that all this information should transform you

But it doesn't to the one who is a cultural

Christian In my prayer that no one here would be That we'd be real

Disciples of Jesus Christ who would love the truth embrace the truth and are transformed by the truth

If anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation the old has gone the new has come You've been gripped in such a way where you never will go back

To your old ways So outward religion is worthy of greater judgment than the irreligious who live a very sinful lifestyle

It's because of how much information you received And what you did with it? So unbelievers to summarize our sermon here today

Unbelievers that reject the truth of Jesus will pay the ultimate price and we've seen two types of unbelievers The first type are those who are critical when exposed to it

The second type are those who are indifferent when exposed to it. It is a blessing to receive the

Word of God Those who receive it Will live forever in eternal glory with God But to the one who rejects will be cursed for rejecting and for many in this world life is a tragedy

We have to be honest about that. The whole point of life is The truth of Jesus Christ.

The truth is put before people and so many don't want it and my prayer is that everyone in this room would be on that path to glory and Anyone listening that you'd be on that path to glory seeing the glory receiving the glory

Not delighting in falsehood not delighting in wickedness So we have seen many intense passages in Matthew from chapter 10 to this chapter

But next Sunday is a nice change of pace Jesus tells us there is only one place to find rest and It's in him and I look forward to looking at that with you is that verse of the month that I talked about is tied

With the passage we're going to look at next Sunday. Let's bow our heads in prayer father

There are places in the Bible that we might be shy to go to and this is one of them

This is one of them It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living

God for the one who rejects the truth as Hebrews says There needs to be warnings the alarm needs to sound

Because people need to treasure Christ with all their heart Lord you created the universe to be worshipped to be loved to be adored not for people

To criticize the truth or to be indifferent toward it, but to embrace it and to love it and to live it

And I pray that we would do that Lord that we'd be a shining example of that that our church would be in this community use this

Text Lord that we just looked at Right where people need it this morning in Jesus name.