Challenge, Charge, Confronted

Yeah Luke chapter 20 in seeking to give a title for the message

I I tried to be On spot by using alliteration and so the title of the message is challenge charge and confronted three

C's So I want to read with You this morning the first eight verses of Luke chapter 20

And I will say this that we will move around in the Gospels just a little bit this morning to help support the thoughts

From what I believe is set before us in this chapter. So let's just read and again.

I read New King James Luke chapter 20 verse 1

Now it happened on one of those days as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel that the chief priests and the scribes together with the elders confronted him and Spoke to him saying tell us by what authority you are doing these things

Well, who is he who gave you this authority? But he answered and said to them.

I will ask you one thing and answer me The baptism of John was it from heaven or from men?

And they reasoned among themselves saying if we say from heaven, he will say why then?

Did you not believe him? But if we say from men all the people will stone us for they are persuaded that God That John was a prophet

So they asked that they did not know where it was from and Jesus said to them

Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.

Let us just ask God's blessing again Our Father in God now we come to this point in our worship and we pray

Oh God that you would come down among us Holy Spirit That you would help us that you would meet our need this morning to Hear you in your word

Not only just to hear you Lord, but to be transformed by that very word

So Lord, we ask you to help us With meekness to receive the engrafted word, which is able to save our souls

So Lord be pleased as only you can roll up your sleeves Lord work amongst us work in us

May we all grow in the grace and the knowledge of that one who so loved us that he gave himself for it

We ask in his name and for his Glory and for our own eternal good. Amen Let me just try to help us understand the setting and and Then we'll move a little bit further on but the setting certainly is that the

Savior is now entering the last days of his earthly ministry he has moved through Jerusalem to Jerusalem and he has but a few days left among us in that sense as far as his earthly ministry and You can read that in the other accounts in the gospel

Similar accounts in Matthew and Mark, but I've chosen to look at it from Luke's standpoint

And if and if you think about it Jesus his face is set like a flint towards Jerusalem It's amazing how in that way the

Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God and the Son of Man Had that very purpose laid upon him before the foundation of the world and now it's coming to pass in History and in time and his face is set

Towards Jerusalem and nothing's going to hinder him From fulfilling the purpose of which he came

If you think about it all the things that have gone on before this point

He has healed He has ministered to so many he's manifested if you will the power of God He's he's taken the lost and and made them found.

He's taken the broken and and healed them He's taken the blind and now they see the deaf they hear and even dead are raised back to life

And now he is in that final few days

Before that cross it says in verse 1 and I just want to make this side note and You want to discuss it later we can it says now it happened on one of those days as he taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel

That the chief priests and the scribes and the elders Confronted him and I and I just wanted to make this remark.

I do believe there's a difference between teaching and preaching. I Believe that teaching is mainly and I'm not saying they don't have

Ingredients that are similar but to me teaching is instruction and Preaching is proclamation

Now again, you might not agree with that. I do see that in the scriptures not only here

But in in other places, but I just wanted to at least mention that to you. I Also want to mention this that as we go through the

Gospels particularly the synoptic Gospels, right Matthew Mark Luke That as you go through the

Gospels, it's amazing how there is if you will been two groups

That have surrounded him two groups and it's a picture to me of of the condition of all men if you will there have been those who have

Been his disciples and they desire to what they desire to follow him.

They desire to to Learn from him they desire to be with him and then there's this other group

And again, you might say well, that's a little bit too broad. I say it's not The other group is those that oppose him

Those that seek only to undermine him those that seek only if you will to oppose him and rebel against them and I think that's a picture if you will of the condition of men for all time

That there really is if you think about it my friends There's only two groups of people those that follow and those that rebel those that want to be with him please him and those that want to resist them and challenge him and This is drawn out in this

First eight verses of chapter 20 and that is really what I want to Focus in on this morning that there are that this group that desires to resist

This group that that I will hopefully set forth that challenge

Christ and not only do they challenge then they charge Christ and Then ultimately they are confronted by Christ and And that that group is a picture again and it's given to us

Here as those that as It says they are the scribes. They are the elders.

They're the Pharisees. Basically, it's the Sanhedrin. It's the ruling class It's those that thought that they were the tip of the spear

It's those that thought that they had the authority To keep the people in bondage under their rule and their dominion and they make no pretense in Seeking to challenge

The Son of Man You notice it says here that they came into the temple as Jesus was teaching in the temple that They came to him and I believe they came to him at this point with a whole

Lot of energy You notice it doesn't doesn't say at least in Luke's account doesn't say they called him teacher

Doesn't say they called him rabbi at this point if you think about it at this point

It is in in the movement of of God's redemptive purposes in Christ these

Pharisees scribes and elders they are They're looking for blood and I will say this and I'm gonna could say this over and over again as we go through this that ultimately

If we are not the followers of Christ, then we are in that sense

Seeking for blood now you might say you can't characterize all the people that have ever lived on the two simple categories

Yes Because that's what the Word of God does He says either you are for me

Or you are what? Against me Jesus makes that dichotomy.

God has been making that dichotomy since the beginning of time We're the ones that try to throw all this other stuff into the mix to me it's almost as silly as Where we're having a dispute in our day in our society in our country and all over the world about gender

And it's not enough just to have male and female now we got to have 42 letters in between stupidity ungodliness

But there's only really been those two kinds of people and they and as the scribes and the Pharisees Seek to keep the people in bondage and and and seek to challenge the authority of Christ That they are really nothing more than deceitful workers they are nothing more if you will then then wolves in sheep's clothing and As we go through this and and you think about it.

They only seek to undermine the truth Do we realize that do we realize that today?

All over the world there are those who preach Christ out of sincerity and there are those who preach

Christ To seek to confound the truth now it might come in many many different messages

But again, there are only two kinds of preachers those that will preach the truth as well as they know it and Those who will seek to preach error to undermine the truth of the gospel

And so as we meet these this morning, that's where they are there

They have only one goal and that goal is to destroy truth

And I say this to you in that I hope you will understand there's nothing new under the

Sun you know, we think that we live in the day of of absolute newness and Things listen friends.

There's always been those who would desire to see the light Grow brighter and there have always been those who seek to have nothing but darkness there have always been those who have

Proclaimed and sought to follow what is good and there have always been those who have sought to follow.

What is evil as Sure as there's clean and unclean is as sure as people today

Are either of the group that follows or the group that seeks to challenge and charge and Undermine and ultimately to destroy the news of the gospel and I think we would agree history has proven that You think about it and you think about it historically in the life of the church

There have been times when it seemed as if the gospel was gaining ground And men were

Being drawn closer to God and then there's other times in history Throughout the ages where we see that it almost seems as if the darkness was crowding out the light

Again, it's because there have always been just two kinds of people and in this passage this morning

I want to ask you to think about something Because I think there's a tendency. So let me just read this again with you

Now what happened on in on one of those days as he taught in the temple He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel that the chief priests and the scribes

Together with the elders confronted him and spoke to him saying tell us by what authority you are doing these things

Or who is he who gave you this authority? But he answered and said to them.

I will ask you one thing answer me to baptism of John Was it from heaven or from men and I want you to think about this

I do not believe that this is just a way of Continuing the narrative if you will and I think sometimes there's a tendency as we read especially in the

Gospels which are pretty much a narrative of the certain aspects of the life of Christ that there's a tendency at times to think of it as as Almost as if it's just trying to get us

It's like a bridge when you read some things and it's trying to get us to the next great event

But I believe that these verses as I've looked at them and Been reflecting on them that these verses really yield a whole lot of insight not only into the way of the

Lord Jesus Christ, but into the way of the hearts of men and so I'm going to ask us to think about these three thoughts of charging

Challenging charging and being confronted and with this in mind

To examine ourselves Where do we stand?

Are we those that? desire to follow Or we those that desire to confront now you might say well

I'm here in church this morning. So of course, I'm here to follow. Well friends just because you're here

In and of itself does not mean that you're not confronting and challenging

God And so I hope that we can examine ourselves and think about what is the characteristic of my life?

You know it if you read through the Old Testament, you certainly would see that that's the way they

Treated all the prophets, isn't it? The people who were opposed to God did they not treat the prophets that God sent in the same way?

Matter of fact if you read in this very chapter the parallel of the wicked vine dresses.

That's what he talks about how There was sent to them servants and And how they resisted and there's always been that there always been those who taught and preached the the the

Word of God And and there were always those who received it and there were always those that what challenged it

Charged them with not speaking the truth and ultimately they were confronted by God, weren't they?

And so again, I say to you as we look at this passage and let us not think that it's it's

Something that is Not taking place since the beginning and I want to say something this morning before I even get further on and when

I say this this morning, I The way you respond to this is going to be dependent and reflective of your position in other words if you are a follower of Christ Then you're going to respond to what

I'm about to say in a certain way and if you are one of those that continually seek to challenge and Charge God with being unjust or charge

God with with error You're going to respond in a different way now, here's what

I want to ask you to think about Here's what I want to say God never loses

God never loses you asked the

Pharisees and the Sanhedrin and the muckety mucks Who thought that they were on the ones that had to be listened to?

Asked them in 70 AD What they thought when

Jerusalem was leveled when the

Jews suffered unbelievable judgment God never

Loses and so if you and I challenge and you and I charge

Be aware you will be confronted they were confronted in that day

Well, maybe an even brother Mike had brought up some of it this morning in Sunday school I mean you go back into the days of the flood as the ark was being built

Until that day that God put him in the ark and the waters began to rise and guess what?

It didn't matter what the people then thought or how they felt Did it and I say that to you this morning

This is not about how you think or about how you feel this is about how we respond to truth or you could think about it in in that day when

God redeemed his people out of the hands of Pharaoh and How they came to the

Red Sea and how God parted the sea and how the children of Israel passed over on dry ground and how

Pharaoh and his chariots and his and his Soldiers and all his all his power entered into the

Red Sea and and Lo and behold the chariot wheels began to come off And then the waters began to cover them up and guess what?

It didn't matter what they thought at that point Didn't matter how they were feeling

It mattered that their challenge was met remember

Pharaoh who is the Lord that I should serve him Well, that sounds like a challenge

Well, he found out didn't he and you can go on and on and think about all the examples in the scriptures of how

It's always been that way that there been those that seek to oppose and then there's been those who seek to follow and the opposers

Seem to have this this similar activity. They challenge they charge and then they're confronted

You know what Psalm 2 says? Doesn't Psalm 2 tell us that the kings of the earth set themselves against the

Lord and against his anointed and They take counsel together And you remember what it says?

Which is it's absolutely amazing. If you think about it, they're doing all this to challenge

God to challenge God's Word to challenge God's rule to challenge

God's directives Remember what it says says he that sits in the heaven

Shall have Confronted by God It's pretty much in this chapter to my friends if you read through the rest of this chapter

Just making a point if you read through the rest of the chapter The the Pharisees are going to come up to him and they're going to start challenging him about paying taxes and brother

Mike brought that up too and then you're going to find the

Sadducees they're going to come and and They're going to start challenging him about whose wife is going to be had in the resurrection because the brothers died and they couldn't raise up any seed and Well, I'll tell you what challenges of God could come up with some amazing things and then you can read through the end of the chapter and and you'll see that It talks about the scribes and the

Pharisees and those that wanted to sit in the special seats those that desired to be

Looked at and walked around in long robes and and they're confronted So as you think about these things and as we go through this,

I want us to think about first of all, if you will What they say when they challenge him

There it is again he spoke to them verse 2 and Spoke to him

Saying tell us by what authority you are doing these things or who is he?

Who gave you this authority? There has been continual opposition

I'm gonna ask you to turn and I want to look at a couple of places to To draw this out and the first is in if you will go to Matthew chapter 12, just looking we'll stay in the

Gospels Matthew chapter 12.

I want us to see something. So if you will look at me from look with me from verse 38

They say to him Then some of the scribes and the Pharisees answered saying teacher

We want to see a sign from you He answered and said to them and evil and an adulterous generation

Seek after a sign and no sign will be given you except the sign of the prophet

Jonah Let's think about that for a minute. They have followed

Christ In almost every place he was just think about that You read through the

Gospels wherever you find the disciples. Guess what? The Pharisees and the scribes and the elders and those that wanted to challenge him were not far behind They seemed to enter into almost every single

Account given to us apart from those where Jesus took the disciples alone and They say to him

We want to see a sign from you. Have they not seen the authority and the power of Christ?

Did he not heal the man with the withered arm, I don't know about you, but if I saw someone whose arm was

Withered away, and then I saw someone whose arm was fully restored. I would take it as a sign of something

They saw leopards cleansed They saw the centurion servant restored

They have seen these things they have been witnessed to it and yet they have the audacity

To challenge the authority of the Son of God and request a sign

What is wrong with them,

I'll tell you what's wrong with them they have hard hearts You know what friends?

nothing will change a hardened heart, but the grace of God a Heart of stone is a heart of stone

They've seen men receive sight. They've seen the dumb speak. They've seen all this and yet they want more

It's the same way today there are people that want to just challenge the Word of God And challenge the the truth of God and their sign seekers, and they'll never be satisfied

When I brought out in the rich man and Lazarus Send someone back from the dead listen if they don't believe

Moses and the prophets They won't believe even if they saw the sign of someone returning from the dead now again

One of the things about preaching is at least you get to say what you want to say till people start disagreeing with you later

So I want to say something else I've always thought this

I always thought that as the Sun rises Not every day, but as the

Sun rises many times The sky becomes pink for a short period of time

I think we've all probably seen that I've always taken that as a sign of the blood of Christ.

That's just me I've always seen it as God Demonstrating That as as the

Sun rises The cost was the blood of his son and and it's even in the sunsets

Now I understand and brother

Mike had brought up the idea of a rainbow and and I think that that could be Something else is that not a sign from heaven?

of God's faithfulness of God's promise of God's Enduring word now

I know there's all kinds of science behind all these things and it's reflection and reflection of the

Sun and the light and the particles and Globally cup, but I will submit this to you if God painted a cross across the sky

It wouldn't be long before Signseekers would say we want to see two crosses

Because a sign seeker is not satisfied with the Word of God and they weren't satisfied with Christ By whose authority do you do this?

You remember what they thought about Jesus? This is Joseph's son His father's a carpenter.

Where did he get these? truths that he speaks of He's not like us

We certainly didn't give him a diploma. He didn't graduate from our school and so they seek a sign

It's an amazing answer. Isn't what Jesus said an Evil and adulterous generation seek a sign you you and I need to ask ourselves

Even as God's people Is that all we want is for God to give us signs

Is that all we need in our life is we need to to be encouraged by signs concerning his authority now

I Want to say this I'm not saying that we don't need encouragement

I'm not saying That we who are frail that we who are weak that we who are so Movable and changeable and and so ruled by emotions and this thing and that thing that we don't need encouragement and if you will confirmation from our

God I thought about I Thought about Gideon Remember Gideon and God had called him to be a judge and God had raised him up to to fight for Israel and and There's that section in there right of Gideon with the fleece remember that oh

Lord, I'm not really sure that you really want me to do this. So could you help me out?

Could you give me a sign? How about if I wake up in the morning and the fleece is dry and the ground is wet and God does that?

Remember Gideon again. Oh Lord, please don't get angry with me But how about we do it the other way

How about tonight the the fleece is wet and the ground is dry and God did it.

I believe there's a reason for That is that Gideon was looking for confirmation.

He wasn't seeking Confrontation listen my friends this morning if you came here for confirmation

Then God will give it to you, but if you came here this morning for confrontation

God will give that to you you see because again and I just love to say it.

So I must say it again. God never loses God's the ultimate victor

God has no enemies God does whatever he pleases to do in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth

And there are none that could stay his hand and there are none that could say to him. What are you doing?

Listen, I'm not a Calvinist just for the sake of being called the Calvinist I'm a

Calvinist because I believe in the sovereignty of God and and I say this

To all of us be careful about challenging the truth of God's Word Be careful about challenging the truth to God's Word.

Well here they are and and they're seeking a sign Well, let me ask you to just turn real quick to mark chapter 11 here's another instance of them challenging

Christ walk chapter 11 Again, these accounts run especially through the synoptic

Gospels and You could find similar Wording But I just want us to see it again and in this one now in mark chapter 11 he has he's been teaching he has fed if you will he's fed the the

The fourth I'm sorry mark chapter 8. I knew I was looking in the wrong place mark chapter 8 He has fed the four thousand and he's he's

I don't know about you, but that would be a sign wouldn't you think? What do you got there fellas, oh, we got a couple of fish and a couple of loaves of bread, okay

I'm Sarah. How'd the boy sit down? I'll tell you what I'll go to Publix and buy that kind of bread

I'll go buy those fish if they're gonna feed 4 ,000 So he said the 4 ,000 and look at verse 11 and the

Pharisees came out and they began to dispute with him Seeking from him a sign from Evan testing him

But he sighed deeply in his spirit and said why does this generation seek a sign?

Surely I say unto you no sign Shall be given to this generation

See the heart of unbelief is always challenging God the heart of unbelief is always

Challenging God it always seeks to put God on trial

It's always desirous to take God from his throne and to exalt himself on That very throne that he takes

God off of because if you think about it What was really at the very heart and I said it it was hardness of heart

But the the reality was the scribes the Pharisees the elders the

Sanhedrin all of them Them their main Opposition was this we will not have this man to rule over us

We will not have this man

To rule over us. Let me ask you a question friends.

Why are we here this morning? Why are we here this morning?

Are we here? Because we want To follow Christ or are we here because we want to challenge him

Challenge his authority Challenge his word challenge his truth Why are we here to worship?

To praise Or to tear down are we here to fight against the

Lord friends? Well, what I just don't like what's going on in my life and so I challenge you to fix it

I'm not saying we shouldn't pray to God to to heal us and to help us and to and to cause us to grow in grace but be careful because it is a fine line between seeking

God to comfort us and challenging God When we don't like what happens or sign seeker

I've heard that haven't you heard it a million times? Well, I don't know what to do. God. Send me a sign

God do I go left or do I go right? Can you can you send me a sign?

Now I'm not saying we shouldn't ask God for direction I'm just saying be careful when it crosses and it becomes a challenge rather than a prayer

But anyway, that's that's where these guys are at Real quick John chapter 2.

I was just trying to make the point that they challenge They constantly challenge John chapter 2 look at it real quick John chapter 2 and and this is again.

He's turned the water into wine. I don't know about you That's pretty cool

Now it says in verse 13 now the Passover the Jews was at hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem And he found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves and money changers doing business

And when he made a whip of cords he drove them out of the temple with the sheep and the oxen and poured out to change his money and Overturned the tables and he said to those who sold does take these things away.

Do not make my father's house a house of merchandise Says the disciples remembered that it was written zeal for your house is eaten up has eaten me up And so the

Jews answered and said to him What sign do you show us?

Since you do these things Again Challenging and we're going to see very shortly.

Not only do they challenge But it's not long after challenging that you begin to charge

But here they are again What sign do you show us?

Since you do these things, I guess it wasn't enough when

Jesus was baptized by John and saw the dove descending on him Yeah, that's not enough wasn't a big enough sign like I said

God puts one cross in the sky before you know it people want two crosses and Then they want two crosses in a temple

Before you know it they'll they'll have every day. It'll be the challenge of the day as if God is as If God is some genie in a bottle that we call when we want something

And then when we Satisfied with whatever we wanted that we put God back in the bottle until we need them again or want them again here they are and again,

I say to you they thought he was nothing more than Jesus son and and These are the same men in Luke 20

They are nothing but those who seek to trap undermine tear down hurt dishonor

Exalt themselves Sound like they were speaking in tongues for a second here.

Why are we here today friends? Are we here to to bow before him?

Or are we here to challenge his authority in our lives? And that leads as I said in the second place to charging

God and challenging and charging God are the same family by the way

These men in Luke 20 are now going to lay a charge against him

Concerning his authority. Who is he? Who are you to do such things?

Who are you to tell us how to? teach the truth

By what authority do you do these things? You cannot be who you say you are

You cannot be the one sent by the father You cannot be the one who has been prophesied since the the very beginning in the garden

You can't be him. You're not like us You didn't go to our school now,

I'll tell you what you look at the churches and sometimes Unfortunately, that's what we do especially when we seek to call ministers

Well, we see your resume and can you tell us what what school you went to What seminary did you attend?

And if it's the wrong one in many churches Next I'll say this and I know this for a fact.

I know my brother. Mike has not been through some Have you been through seminary? I'm didn't think so I'll tell you what

If there's anybody that i'm willing to sit on there and learn the word of god from his brother mike

You didn't have to go to seminary Just had to be with christ but not these

These are the ones who now want to charge Who are you who are you to tell us anything about anything go back to luke 11 luke 11 in luke chapter 11 and We got to pick up a little speed here.

So Let me just ask us to think about this Check this out verse 14

He was casting out a demon And it was mute And so it was when the demon had gone out that the mute spoke and the multitudes marveled

They were amazed at the authority of christ They were amazed at the power

Of the son of god the son of man, but look at verse 15

But some of them said he cast out demons by beelzebub the ruler of the demons

And others testing him sought from him a sign from heaven You believe that why he cast out demons by the power of the demons

Listen my friends

If you and I are going to live a life of challenging god, it won't be long before we start charging god with being unjust or god being wrong or god missing the mark

And I do believe it happens in that way in our day because you see man still thinks

That he's the victim Man is not the victim

God is the victim God is the one who's been sinned against We're the criminal

And so that's usually happens when you start making False charges you get things backwards upside down and inside out and so as you read this and and they he goes on he talks about how could how could

Demons cast out demons and all those other things If you will just quickly look down and and go down to verse 53 in this chapter because jesus will confront them

There's the woes on the lawyers and the scribes and the pharisees and look at verse 53 And he said these things to them and the scribes and the pharisees began to assail him vehemently and to cross

Examine him about many things lying in wait For him and seeking to catch him in something he might say that they might accuse him

Friends is that Is that the character of our own lives that we're always challenging god

We're always seeking to charge god You ever talk to believers?

I mean you ever talk to an unbeliever when they witnessed a conversion of a man's heart

Just think about it When people come to christ when people all of a sudden are changed by the grace of god

How many times you have you heard people say well? You know, they were going through a rough time and and they needed a crutch and so I guess

Jesus is a crutch Not jesus is the lord of glory

Not jesus takes dead men's souls and bring them to life. No, they just needed a crutch

And so they were leaning on on religion Well, let's say things like this.

They'll say well, you know what? This is just a fad This this will pass they'll come back to their senses

Sooner or later. They'll come to their right mind And all they do

Is challenge and charge the lord of glory? Well, i'll tell you what

I needed a crutch. I needed help

I needed a savior. I needed a redeemer. I needed someone to love me

I need someone to cause me to understand that I was headed to hell that authority saved me

How about you but not these men and These pharisees and scribes and they thought they were the tip of the spear

They thought everybody should follow them They thought that if If only the people would like them well

I'm out of time, but I wanted to at least touch this last point and that is

In luke chapter go back to luke chapter 20. Just one second more So they're challenging and they charge the answer

The way they're confronted by christ is absolutely amazing. Look Verse two and spoke to him saying tell us by what authority you are doing these things or who is he who gave you this authority

But he answered and said to them I will ask you one thing and answer me

The baptism of john was it from heaven? or from men

Listen, my friends You and I cannot no one can outsmart

God the one who is the personification of wisdom can never be

Challenged without being confronted. They must have thought they got him and he turns it around on them

Doesn't he matter of fact in in matthew's account? I believe it's matthew's account He says to them you answer me this question and then i'll answer you

The baptism of john was it from heaven? Well, was it from men? Do you remember when they questioned him again about paying taxes?

Should you pay taxes to caesar you remember the wisdom of god Whose inscriptions aren't it boys?

We're under unto caesar the things that are caesar's and unto god the things that are god silenced them

Nothing left for them to say Put your tail between your legs and run boys What about the adulterous woman remember when they brought the adulterous woman?

Hey, we got her we caught her in the very act What do you think?

Should we? He you see if he said to them That they should punish her then he would have been accused for because jews didn't have that right to do that Romans did

And if he if he went the other way, they would have said you're not agreeing with the law of moses

So what does jesus say? Let him without sin cast the first stone confronted

Stop dead in their tracks You see my friends

God confronts men day by day You might not think so God confronts men day by day

God confronts men moment by moment god confronts men with the truth of his son second by second

God confronts men with their guilt for sin God confronts men for their rebellion

God confronts men For their confrontation with him and again i'm gonna say again

God never loses god is always the victor

Isn't that great? listen Smile with me friends. Is that god always victorious?

At least I know we're We're thinking along the same lines And so he confronts them and just like god confronts men god says

I often think Of that scripture in ecclesiastes ecclesiastes where it says because Sentence against an evil work

Is not executed speedily The sons of the hearts of men are fully set to do evil

As if god is not going to confront them Well next time you think that god doesn't confront people

Go to a cemetery next time you think that god's authority can be rightfully challenged consider all those

That are long gone and forgotten Let me end it this way.

I'm going to read one scripture real close If you're here today and you can tune continue to challenge and charge god

I assure you Unless you repent You will likewise perish

It doesn't matter what I think Doesn't matter what you think It does matter what god says

And I assure you this if you are here today and you've given yourself to him be assured that one day

He will come and receive you to himself and and where he is there you will be also

Isn't that cool? And the word of god is so cool All right, let me close with this and it's in isaiah 65 and if you wanted to turn there i'm in verse 11

If not, just listen As god says this but you are those who forsake the lord

Who forget my holy mountain? Who prepare a table for gad who furnish a drink offering for memni?

Therefore I will number you for the sword And you shall all bow down to the slaughter because when

I called You did not answer when I spoke You did not hear

But did evil before my eyes and chose that in which I do not delight therefore

Thus says the lord god behold my servants shall eat But you shall be hungry

My servants shall drink But you shall be thirsty my servants shall rejoice but you shall be ashamed

Behold, my servant shall sing for joy of heart But you shall cry for sorrow of heart and wail for grief of spirit and you shall leave your name as a curse

To my chosen May god enable us

To be less and less like this world and more and more like the son of god who

Did always the things to please the father? Let's just pray Our father in god.

Thank you again for our time together. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your truth Thank you for your grace lord Thank you that you have sought us out we who we who were so dead in our own sin and you came and quickened us and Holy spirit you gave us life and you took that heart of flesh

I mean that heart of stone and you put it in the heart of flesh. Oh god help us to grow Help us to be more like him help us to to be less like the world help us to emulate and follow the example

Of the one Even as I often say lord who so loved us that he gave himself for us in his name.