Legalism Kills: Where’s Your Faith? - Old to New - Matthew S4E5

Amen and amen. Hope you're well. Grab your Bibles. We're going to be in Matthew chapter 12. We're actually going to back up a couple verses into Matthew chapter 11 to get a running start because if you were reading this in its original context, the chapters and verses didn't get added until later so that we could figure out where we are. And I want to say happy Mother's Day weekend. Way to go, mom. Let's give it up for the mamas. We wouldn't be here without you. You're the best. Praise God. Now, I don't really line up the text with, you know, I don't really line up the text with, you know, I don't really line up the text with, you know, I don't really line up the text with, you know, I don't really line up the text with, you know, I don't really line up the text with Hallmark weekends. In fact, the last text we're going to read is Jesus' mom, brothers and sisters come try to stop him preaching and he's like, you ain't my mama. Happy Mother's Day. So there you go. That's fun. All right. Wasn't Jesus so sweet last week? He was mean at first, especially when you were in one of those towns that he talked about like Capernaum. He was like, y'all going to hell. So he got mean. But then remember right at the end, remember how sweet he was? He said this, the greatest invitation in the history of all invitations.

Jesus says this, come to me. This is Matthew 11, 28, we got to get a running start into so we can understand the context of 12. 11, 28, he says, come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. And last week at all of our services, 239 people took on Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Praise God, right? Praise God. So just on the heels of that, okay, you would think when Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, he's been healing people. Remember, we went through the whole litany of people that he has been healing. He's been preaching, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Then he gives this beautiful invitation not to be weighed down by the yoke of the Pharisees, but by this religious activity that will just wear you out and make you exhausted. And so he says, come on, man, come to me. If you're worn out, I'm your God, come to me and I will give you rest for your soul. What a beautiful invitation. And then instead of the religious leaders, what they should be doing is showing up with cake and balloons going, yay. And instead they show up with a clipboard to try to find them doing something wrong. They should be throwing a party and instead they're throwing a fit, because he does not fit into their religious construct. And that's what we're going to talk about today. We're going to talk about the reality that legalism kills. That religious duty to try to prove yourself right before God, it's not just a bad idea, it will kill you. Chapter 12, verse 1, and at that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. If you're new to Bible study, the Jewish Sabbath was from Friday at sundown to Saturday

at sundown. This was to reflect the creation account, because in six days God created everything and then he rested, not because he was tired, but he was going to demonstrate to us that it is good to live in rhythm. And then he creates the man and woman and their very first full day of their life. Guess what they do? Rest in him. Why? Because I don't care how you order your life. If he is not preeminent in your life, your whole life will be out of order. And then when Jesus is going to resurrect from the grave, spoiler alert, by the time we get to the end of Matthew, he's going to die on a cross, be dead buried, and on the third day be resurrected on a Sunday morning known as the Lord's Day. So when the early church began to gather together, they said the Sabbath is still legit and Jesus has fulfilled this Sabbath. It's still a good idea for sure to live in that kind of rhythm that Christ has set out for us, but we are going to worship on Sunday, the first day, the Lord's Day. That's what most Christians would consider their Sabbath. Now Jesus, at this time, he's walking through a grain field on the Sabbath and his disciples were hungry and they began to pluck heads of grain to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said, look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. Well, first of all, why are they in the grain field? See the Pharisees, they're just walking around with a clipboard just being like, oh, just do something so I can be offended. Yeah. Again, I told you a few weeks ago, the Greek word for that is X. They go, you did that wrong, and I'm going to comment on that, I'm going to comment on your comment. This is what they're doing.

You're not doing it right, that's what they're saying. And they say, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath. The key question is, not lawful according to who? Not lawful according to who? This is what legalism is. Legalism is when we don't trust God. God's law, so we think we have to add to his law. It started all the way back in the Garden of Eden. If you'll remember, when the servant comes up to Eve and says, did God really say you shall not eat from this tree? Well, that's not what he said. The first thing he said is you are free to eat from every tree in the garden except this one. All of the commandments God gave, there were a bunch of thou shalts, there was only one thou shalt not, and then Eve, this is classic legalism, she says, he said that we can't eat from that tree and even if we touch it, we'll die. He didn't say anything about touching it, she just made some stuff up. Legalism is when you take the word of God and you're like, good try, and you're welcome. I'm gonna add my own preferences to your word and I'm gonna treat them like they're precepts of you. Now listen, what may be wisdom for you is a good idea for you, but if it's wise for you, but you make it salvific for somebody else, that's what legalism is.

See, so what happened is the Pharisees, what their name means is separated ones. These were biblical scholars, they know the Bible really well. Their intent was that they would set up rules about the rules about the rules so that they would be so obedient to the law that they would be untainted from this nasty world so that when the Christ, when the Messiah, when the anointed one, when the serpent crusher shows up on the scene, they would be the first ones to recognize them. The problem was is that they fell in love with the laws that they made up about the laws of God instead of the giver of the law. I mean, think about this, they're two feet from the son of God, they can smell his breath, but they don't have the breath of God in them because they can't see past their own law. So in the Bible, the Bible will say things like, remember the Sabbath and keep it holy and do no work on the Sabbath. And then they would sit down and be like, what does it mean to do no work? And the Pharisee would be like, ooh, I know what that means. The Bible will say, so do not carry a heavy load on the Sabbath. Well, what does that mean? Can you carry your clothes around?

Everybody gotta just walk around naked all day on the Sabbath? Not a terrible idea, depending on the context, but, and they were like, okay, okay, well, you can carry your clothes as long as they're on you, but you can't carry your clothes in your hand because that would be working. So you can wear your jacket, you just can't carry your jacket. Now, think about the crazy. You think God's up there be like, you better put it on, you better put it on. That, I mean, they go crazy, man. They would order, this is how many steps you can take unless you're going to get something to eat, and then that doesn't count. So what they would do is they would set up food kind of all around town so they could still run all their errands. And the moment you set up these rules by which you think makes you righteous before God, then what you will do is you'll find every loophole in them you can. This is what they're doing. And the boys are just hungry, wants something to eat. It's still true today, though. If you ever go to Israel with me, it's crazy. We're in downtown Jerusalem, we're staying at this really nice hotel.

And on Saturday, you pull up to the elevator, and there's like a Gentile elevator and a Shabbat elevator. And the deal here is that the Bible, some of the Pharisees decided that work meant fire, and if you push an electric button, somehow a little fire thing happens. So that equals work, so you can't push the button on an elevator. So if you get in that elevator, it stops on every floor. And if you get stuck there, all of a sudden, you'll really love the grace of God. Be like, what the heck are we doing? So I get on the Gentile elevator, and this little Jewish family all scuttles in there with me, on my elevator. And they're like, can you push four? Can I tell you about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? You can ride on this thing whenever you want. They got off the elevator, but whatever, man, okay? And actually, what the Bible says in Deuteronomy 23, 25, it says you can pluck grain from the field when you walk through it, just don't put a sickle to it. That's what it says. But they are making up their own rules, looking for an offense. And so they say, hey, what you guys are doing, it's not legal according to the law. Verse three, and Jesus said to them, have you not read? Let's stop right there. Do you know what a shot this is?

These dudes are pro-Bible readers. That's what they do. They are known for their interpretation of the law. And what Jesus says, have you not read, and he's gonna give some Old Testament examples that I don't have time to completely unpack, what David did when he was hungry and those who were with him, how he entered the house of God and he ate the bread of the presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the presence. Do you remember that one? Y'all wanna yell at David? And they're like, no, no, no, we like David. They go, okay, cool. Then he does it again. Have you not read, this is another shot, dude. This is like going up to a gym bro and be like, do you even lift? This is what this is. He is so insulted. They are so, have you not read in the law how on the Sabbath, the priest in the temple profaned the Sabbath? And are guiltless, verse six, and then he says this. I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. This is the kind of stuff that got Jesus killed. Something greater than the temple is here.

The reason God gave his law, listen, God's law is a gift to us. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. And a part of the reason he gave his people, the Israelites, the law, is so they would just be different than everybody else. They'd have different haircuts. They'd have different kind of clothes. Everything would be different or set apart from this world so that they would be a light in the darkness, a city on a hill, so that the whole world may know that God is the one true God. That was the reason for the holiness laws. And the temple represented the very presence of God on earth. Inside the temple, there was a room inside a room inside a room that was called the Holy of Holies. And that's where the Ark of the Covenant was. It held the broken laws of God. It's where on the Day of Atonement, the priest would consecrate himself. He would shed the blood of a lamb and sprinkle the blood over the Ark of the Covenant on the mercy seat called the Hill of Starium, which means perpetuation. And there were these two chairmen with their wings set out. It was a throne. This was the throne room of God. And so the temple represented the very presence of God. And Jesus says something greater than the temple is here. He's like, look dude, one priest on one day a year

gets to hang out in the presence of God. Ta-da, I am right here. This is what he's saying. Secondly, the temple was the centerpiece of the sacrificial system where every year, they would shed the blood of a lamb to cover the sin of the Jewish people until the next year. Jesus is saying something greater is here. I'm not here to just point to the sacrifice. I am the sacrifice. Behold, the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of anyone who would believe. And the temple was supposed to be a light to the Gentiles that they would come and see. And Jesus is saying, we're not gonna do the come and see anymore. I came on a rescue mission because I'm gonna go and make disciples of all nations. He says something greater than the temple is here. Verse seven, and if you had known what this means, he's quoting the Old Testament. I desire mercy and not sacrifice. You would have not condemned the guiltless. Here's what Jesus is saying. He said, man, you can't see the forest for the trees, boys. Again, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The law was given, the Old Testament was given to us like a babysitter, a guardian. And when you get a babysitter, what do you do? Step one, please keep them alive.

And so a big part of the law is this slave nation comes out of Egypt. They don't know how to live together. They don't know what to do. And so the law was to keep them alive because when we live in God's world, God's way, things go better. But not only was it, the other job of the babysitter is not just to keep them alive, and then you rat them out in every way that they're terrible little hellions that I know them to be. And that's what the word of God does. That's what the law of God does. It is both a map and a mirror. It's a map to show us how to rightly live before a righteous king. But then it's also a mirror so that when we look at it, we go, well, I can't pull any of this off on my own. And what God wants is hearts. What God wants is people. What God wants is you. Not just religious activity at the expense of people. That is not what he is looking for. And then he says this. For the son of man, stop right there. Daniel chapter seven, there is one coming on the clouds who is called the son of man. Jesus is saying, I'm him. Anybody that's dumb enough, if you've ever heard somebody,

they're probably on YouTube because that's where all the dumb people live. And then they just make it public for everybody to know, oh, look, that guy's not smart. And they'll say, well, Jesus never claimed to be God. Oh my goodness. He's a Hebrew. Rabbi talking to Hebrew people. So when he says things like this, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. He's saying I'm him and I'm the Lord of the Sabbath. I'm the Lord, I am God. This is what he's saying. He said I'm God, I set the rules. You wanna talk about the law? That's adorable. I wrote it. And so I do what I want. So I'm cool if my disciples grab a little grain. Dads, you ever have like rules for your kids at the house and then your kids bust you breaking the rule? And you're like that. Well, Dad, we can't have cookies before dinner. What you talking about, dude? This is my house. See the difference, dummy, is I can have a cookie. You're a moron and you'll just eat cookies and not eat dinner. So we have to have these rules because you're a moron and I'm Dad.

Give me another cookie. This is what he's saying, I'm Lord of the Sabbath. It's my house. Now, I love this part. This is why you gotta read every word, man. And he went from there and entered their synagogue. So they're out there picking grain and they get in Jesus' face and Jesus is like, oh, you wanna fight? He follows them to church, synagogue, the place that they would gather every weekend to study the word and pray prayers and teach the kids. Sound familiar? And so he rolls up into their synagogue and he goes there and he's going to prove the point that legalism kills and God wants mercy, not sacrifice. So he rolls up into their synagogue, verse 10. This one gets me animated. And a man was there with a withered hand and they, the Pharisees, asked Jesus, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him? And you're like, why does that make you mad? Here, let me tell you why it makes me mad. You think this man's proud of his withered hand? You think this man's probably got his withered hand tucked away? You know, at the core of every man, he has this question, do I have what it takes and how is this man gonna be able to work

in an agricultural society and take care of his wife and take care of his kids? This might be the thing that the man is most ashamed of, his biggest pain point. It's not just his hand, it's his heart. And what do these religious leaders do? These religious leaders don't mind shaming him in front of everybody. They don't mind using him as a pawn in order to try to catch Jesus. This is spiritual abuse. How dare they, man? This is how you know their hearts because they're trying to shame this man as a prop so that they could check some kind of religious box. Listen, 1122, not on my watch, not on this place. I love you, I'm for you. And the role of the shepherd is not to be served by the sheep. You are not here to support my ministry. My ministry is to support you, to serve you. Every single one of us here that's on staff or is a pastor or a minister, every single person that's a deacon or an elder, what our job is is to lower ourselves as low as we can to help you discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. You are not some kind of pawn, some kind of chess piece in the grand narrative of 1122. Who even cares about that?

We are here to serve you and we just gather together to serve you, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. You, to be a disciple of Jesus Christ that the whole world may know our chief shepherd and that is the posture that we take here. You need help? Tell somebody, man, we wanna help you. And when I say I love you like crazy, that's like for real. And I know you're like, well, you don't know me. I know, but I love us. And if you're part of us, man, and thank you for loving me back. That's what this thing is about. You see, these religious leaders, they care more about the laws than the love of God or the love of their fellow man. And if you ever put the laws in front of loving God and loving one another, you're playing for team Pharisee, not team Jesus. And he said to them, so they asked him, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? And they're like, ha, we got him. Man, you don't try to Jesus juke Jesus. He invented the Jesus juke. And he said to them, which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? See, Jesus knew the law, he wrote it, and he knew all of the exceptions,

all of the loopholes. that they rode in there, because in that world, if one of your sheep was in the ditch, that meant money. And when they're writing the religious rules, they're like, yeah, but you can't mess with our money. So we ain't gonna do no work unless it costs me a lot of money, and then that one's gonna be okay. So Jesus is like, all right, man, you got a sheep falls in a ditch, you taking it out? And everybody's like, all right, he got us. And of how much more value is a man than a sheep? So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. And implied in the Greek is right. And they're just like, got us again. And then he said to the man that they wanted to use as a pawn in their trick. And then Jesus is gonna, he's gonna mess with them. He says, okay, so in order to work, I gotta move my hands and do some stuff, right? Watch this. I ain't even gonna pull my hands out of my pocket for this one. And all he does is speak to the man. Because sometimes Jesus does like show and tell. You know, he'll spit and make some mud. Sometimes he does that. He does all kind of little tricks sometimes, right? This one, he don't even bring his hands up. He's like, okay, all right. And he looks at the man and he just says this.

Stretch out your hand. Now, we just read by this too quick. Some of you have a withered hand. It's not your actual hand. It's that thing you're so ashamed of. It's that past. It's that divorce. It's that abortion. It's that one you paid for. It's that promise that you broke when you swore you'd never do that again and you did it again. It's the thing that you're not sure what God would do if he saw it and the reality is he does actually see it. And he's like, I know. I know you fully and I love you fully. Stretch out your hand and look what the dude does. And the man stretched it out and it was restored healthy like the other. Here's the thing, what if the man doesn't see it? He's like, I don't know. I don't know. It's like the other. Here's the thing, what if the man doesn't stretch his hand out? What if the man doesn't trust the words of Jesus and because of his own shame and condemnation, he leaves it hidden in there and he's like, I don't know, Jesus. And the Bible doesn't say that he peeks to see if the healing happens and then brings it out.

What I think the word here is saying, it's in the obedience that the miracle happens, which I just wonder how many miracles are still tucked away in sin and shame because you don't do what he said because there's something withered in your life. Could be your marriage or your finances or an addiction or you're just crippled by fear and shame and condemnation. And you think failure is final because you've been listening to your dumb friends or your own voice or the voice of the enemy and his primary job is that he's a thief and he's a liar and he accuses the brethren. Don't you show anybody that. And Jesus says, don't you be ashamed of that. I died on the cross to make that thing whole. So what is it for you? And your next step is to quit hiding and just do what he tells you to do. Verse 14, and you would think the Pharisees would see this and say, praise God, but they don't. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Jesus how to destroy him. Listen to me, Christless religion operates by fear and control, period. That means every religion, even a Christless church ain't really a church. But anybody, any religion, world religion, cult, any demonic religion says it's about what you do to earn a right standing with God. And if you dig down deep enough,

the guys in charge with the funny hats and everything, they get to set the rules, it will always be about fear and control. And the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is about freedom, freedom from sin. Not free to sin, freedom from sin. Freedom from the penalty of sin. Once and for all, if you'll put your faith in Jesus. Freedom over the power of sin in your life as Jesus, by the power of the spirit in you and the word of God like a hammer and chisel continuously just chisels all the things in you away that don't look like Jesus. And then one day in the sweet bye-bye, when we get to glory, freedom from the very presence of sin, this is what the marker of Christianity of the gospel is, freedom. These men are ruled by fear and control. Verse 16, and Jesus aware of this. withdrew from there. You know, there's some places you might need to withdraw from because the only word you hear is accusation and condemnation and shame and you're not good enough. And Jesus is like, all right, I'm out of here. Jesus, to where this withdrew from there and many followed him and he healed them all. That's just a little casual sentence, isn't it? If everybody got healed here all at once,

I'd give you a line by line of exactly what happened but this was so commonplace in the ministry of Jesus. And he healed them all, verse 16, and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah. Jesus loves him, Isaiah. Isaiah was written 700 years before Jesus. And Isaiah prophesied that Jesus is coming, the suffering servant, the Messiah. We talked about it last week in Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. And here he quotes Isaiah, he says, behold, my servant whom I have chosen, this is talking about Jesus, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I, this is God the Father, will put my spirit on him. This is a Trinitarian verse right here. God the Father will put the Holy Spirit on God the Son, Jesus Christ. And he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break. I know I get animated, but let me tell you, you beaten up, battered, and bruised, Jesus ain't gonna break you like that. He's gentle. A smoldering wick he will not quench. Some of you feel like the flame of your faith is just barely hanging on, he ain't gonna blow it out, man. He's gentle and lowly until he brings justice to victory

and in his name the Gentiles will hope. Once again, Jesus is saying, I am him. And then he keeps going. Same context here. Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus and Jesus healed him so that the man spoke and saw. So now he's healing hands and he's casting out demons. Now I just want to remind you, a few weeks ago we were in Matthew chapter 10. And what Matthew chapter 10 told us, remember we talked about this, I do not see an expiration date on the commands of Jesus or the power of the Holy Spirit. He's the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And in Matthew chapter 10 verse seven, he said he sent out his disciples and he said, here's what you do, proclaim as you go. That means preach, saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand. We're spending the whole year on that. Jesus' sermon in all of Matthew is this, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And then he says, and here's what I want you to do, I want you to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out the demons. These are not euphemisms, this is a command. And you're saying, so pastor, are you saying we should heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out the demons? Yes, right after you preach,

the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I had dinner with two of my Mack carriers last night. And one of them picked up a side of the corner and he said, I want to tell you about something, about you, and he called me out, and I love it. Sometimes, especially when I'm talking about like Matthew chapter seven, the end of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus says, and many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name? Did we not prophesy in your name? And he goes, apart from me, I never knew you. And I will say, I've never cast out a demon. I said, the closest thing I've ever come is sending a seventh grader home from camp, right? And everybody's like, ha ha ha, okay. Because I'm trying to be cute. He said, you need to check that. Because I've seen your ministry. And so, let me clarify. Currently in my ministry, I have never, I haven't, I have yet to encounter a person where like they levitate and their head spins and they're like, and pea soup comes all out of their mouth. Okay, I haven't done that. And the demon screech as they go. But show me one and I'll go, let's go. Let's go, because Jesus told me I'm supposed to do that. But let me tell you what I have done. I have prayed and seen addictions broken. And I've seen the spirit of fear flee.

And I've seen the spirit of condemnation be lifted. And I've seen marriages resurrected to a new life. And I've seen bodies healed. And I've seen cancer be gone. And I've seen a person with suicidal thoughts that were believing the lies of the enemy, telling them they shouldn't live anymore. And I've seen that dude walk in the joy of the Lord. And if that ain't casting out a demon, I don't know what is. And so we are to get in the game, man. So Jesus casts out these demons, and the blind and the mute, man, now they see and they speak. And all the people, almost all the people, because the Pharisees aren't convinced, but all the people were amazed and they said, can this be the son of David? Here's another time where Jesus is associated with the Messianic prophecy that he's the son of David. The son of David was prophesied that one would come from your lineage that would sit on the throne and rule forever and ever and ever and ever. It's not enough that David was his great-great-great-granddad, that's not what it's talking about. This is the prophesied one that will rule forever. But when the Pharisees heard it, they're so dumb to be so smart. It's only Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons. So pay close attention, because I'm going to answer a theological question in a minute that comes up in this text that you have probably been mistaught. They are saying that's not the work of the Holy Spirit, that is the work of the devil and evil spirit. That's what they say. Verse 25, I love it. Knowing their thoughts. Ever think about that when you sit up in church?

You're like, I don't like that song. You better check yourself. Knowing their thoughts. He said to them, here's what he's saying, bro, are you dumb? This don't make no sense. Your argument, it doesn't make logical sense. Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself, how then will his kingdom stand? He's like, dude, this don't make no sense. Even the demonic kingdom can't accomplish their goals if they're just fighting with each other. Y'all are dumb. And then he says, if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, then by whom do your sons cast them out? And they're like, oh, therefore, they will be your judges. But if it is by the spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. This is the third time in one chapter where Jesus is saying, I am God. Jesus is clearly stating the spirit of God is on him, and therefore, you could know that he is the son of God. He is saying, God in the flesh is right here. That is what he is saying. And then he gives an analogy. Okay? And if you're into like deliverance ministry, you love this, but then Jesus is gonna check you here in a minute. Here's his analogy. He says, how could someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he

first binds the strong man? And he's like, that's what I just did. That the strong man, the enemy, was ruling in these two men's life, and I went in there and stomped a mud hole in them, and now look at the freedom that they have. Very loose translation. That's what he says. Then indeed, he may plunder his house. If you don't like the binary, you're not gonna love Jesus here, okay, ready? Whoever is not with me is against me. Only two categories. They ain't almost saved. Almost saved is all the way lost. Almost a Christian is all the way spiritually dead. He says, whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Jesus is clear. This is real. It's heaven or hell. If you're not saved or lost, it's team Jesus or team Satan. Those are the only two teams you can be on. C.S. Lewis says it this way, Christianity, if false, is of no importance. Paul says this in Corinthians, if Christ has not risen from the dead, we're just all wasting our time. C.S. Lewis says, Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, is of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. So choose for yourself whom you will serve. This day is team Jesus. You're either for him or you're against him. Therefore I tell you, this is the theological part I want to clear up for you. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy

against the Spirit will not be forgiven. You ever heard of the unpardonable sin? This is it. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. We see this in the life of Peter, right? Peter denies Christ, and then Peter is moved by the Spirit to repent, and he's forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. So what is the unpardonable sin? Church has taught all kind of things. There's only one unpardonable sin. To blaspheme, the role of the Holy Spirit is to point people to Jesus so that we would believe he is who he says he is, Savior. And if you don't believe that before you die, that is the sin that sends you to hell. Every other sin is forgiven at the cross for anybody who would believe would receive the right to become a child of God. There is more grace and mercy at the cross than there is sin in you. But if you reject Jesus, then you have rejected the way by which we are forgiven, which is to repent and to believe. And if you're like, well, that's harsh. Is it? Is it? I mean, if you had a terminal illness and I had the cure, but I was too afraid of what you would think about me to offer it to you, then wouldn't I be the evil one

for not offering it to you? I mean, this is it, man. And then he says, either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. Basically, here's what he's saying. If you knew the Father, you would know and recognize me. And the reason that he used the fruit analogy here, the tree and fruit, is this. If I take, this is what the Pharisees were doing, if I take a two-by-four and I nail oranges to it, it does not make it an orange tree. You gotta, this thing starts with a seed that begins to germinate and it grows deep roots, and then what is in the orange tree is manifested out on the branches. That's how fruit works. And what Jesus is saying is, it's not your good works that save you, but if you are saved by me, then I work in you and you produce from the inside out fruit of the Spirit, like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But if you just try to manufacture those things from the outside in, then see the previous chapter, it's gonna wear you out, because you don't know me. That's what he's saying. And then he looks at the religious leaders. And he says, you brood of vipers. You know what a brood of vipers is?

That's where the baby snakes grow. In my house, we are of the opinion there are no good snakes. I know, some of you are like, nah, that one's good. You should read your Bible, okay. Here's what he's saying. Oh, you do-gooders? Yeah, you don't pick grain and you try to obey all these laws so that you can present yourself righteous before God? That's what you think you are? The reason he calls him a brood of vipers is because he says, you don't recognize me because your dad is the devil. That's what he says. And then he says, how can you speak good when you are evil? And this is a scary verse. Don't memorize this one. For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Nothing slips, it only reveals what's in there. That's what he says. And here's the thing, Jesus wants your heart, not lip service. Anybody can raise their hand. Anybody can go into the beach and get baptized. Anybody can sing the songs, how great thou art. But does he have your heart? The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good and the evil person out of his evil treasure

brings forth evil. And I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they speak. Does that make you nervous? It should. Because what's specific to this context, what he's saying is out of your mouth, you just blaspheme the Holy Spirit by rejecting Jesus. That's what came out of your mouth because that is what is in your heart. Now, should you watch your mouth? That's a really good idea. And this is what's crazy about how good our God is. And the very thing that would damn us, our mouth, is the very instrument that God uses for our salvation. Oh, any good. For by your words, you will be justified and by your words, you will be condemned. So let me ask you, what comes out of your mouth toward God? You got one of two options. You can go, I got this. Whether it's by rebellion, I do what I want with who I want when I want, you ain't a God to me. Or it's even religion, no, I got this. By the works of my own hands, I will sew fig leaves together to cover my sin and shame. That's one option, I got this. The other option is this, God, I ain't got this.

Lord, save me. and says because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Not might be saved, not hope to be saved, but if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and deep down here in the wellspring of life, believe in your heart in the life, death and the resurrection of Jesus that somehow when he died on the cross, that counted for me and that flows out of your mouth and you go, Lord, save me, you will be saved. Then Jesus is going to go straight gospel by using the Old Testament. Why does he use the Old Testament? These guys are experts in the Old Testament. He's like, boys, you remember Sunday school? Uh-huh. Remember Jonah, big fish? Got it. Let's talk about that for a little bit. Verse 38, then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, this is ridiculous. Teacher, we wish to see a sign. Hey, demon possessed guys, come here. He just did it. He could get them, he could be like, hey, wither hand guy, come here. Come here, hey, you got cool waving, come here. Somebody go to Jairus' daughter.

She was dead and I brought her back. Or how about the woman I called daughter? Or the countless people in Capernaum? You see what I mean? Here's what Jesus knows, it'll never be enough. It'll never be enough. There's not a sign, there is one sign that Jesus says he will give that is enough. And I'm gonna tell you, he's got a word for us if we blow up our chest and say, all right, Lord, if you are who you say you are, I need a sign. When Jesus was being crucified between two thieves, we talk about that one legit guy all the time. The one that Alistair Begg says, the man on the middle cross said I could come, the guy that asked for a favor, that's my guy. Can't wait to meet that guy. There's another thief. I don't know the church person that identifies with him, although the majority of us show up to church the way that thief shows up on the cross. If you are who you say you are, save yourself and us with you. If you are who you say you are, then answer my prayer. And if you do, then maybe I will believe you. Jesus says, it doesn't matter what kind of sign I give. There's signs all over town, you don't believe it. He answered them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given

except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Now he doesn't have to explain it a lot. Here's two things, one is just for free. Sometimes when people are like, you believe the Bible? I'll stake my whole eternity on it. I more than believe it, I trust it. So you believe that there was a guy that got swallowed by a fish for three days? Yes. Why? Because Jesus believed it. And if you can be dead three days in the tomb, resurrect from the grave and predict it, I'm with you, man, that's my theology, okay? Secondly, here's the sign that Jesus will point to to prove he is who he says he is once again. Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Jesus is clearly pointing to his resurrection. And the resurrection is the event that all of our faith hinges on. That if you were a believer in Jesus, you don't primarily just believe in his teachings, you don't believe, you don't even have faith in faith. We understand in the historical reality there was a man named Jesus. He claimed that he was the way, the truth, the life, and no one comes to the Father except through him. He predicted his death, the Romans killed him,

and they're really good at it on the cross. He was dead and buried in the tomb for three days. They put a legion of soldiers around him, and then guess what? Three days later, the stone is rolled away, and he comes walking out, and he appears to over 500 people in Jerusalem. All Rome has to do is go get dead Jesus and hang him up there, and we got our weekends free for the rest of our lives. But they couldn't do it because he was alive. Jesus is the prototoko from the dead, the prototype. And because he resurrected from the grave, what we're about to celebrate at beach baptism is I'm praying over 2,000 people profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and we see a picture of them dying to themselves, and like Christ was resurrected, they gonna come out of that watery grave brand new. This is what he's talking about. And then he says the men of Nineveh, that's the place that Jonah went to to prophesy, and he didn't like those people. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Let me tell you about Jonah. Jonah was a reluctant prophet that brought a word from God, and Nineveh repented. Oh yeah, and he was in a fish for three days.

Jesus is the word of God. He didn't have a word from God. He is the word of God. He did not come reluctantly. The Bible says, for the joy set before him, he endured the cross. And he didn't just stay in a fish for three days. He was dead in the ground and came out of the grave and he put death to death. Jesus says, I am here. And he gives another example. The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. Here's what he's saying. People without the prophets, people without the law, people without the sacrificial system, or the history of God's faithfulness to their people, they had so much less information and they repented and turned to God and he redeemed them. But your pride will not allow you to with the son of God standing right in front of you. And I know what you're thinking. You think what I think when I read the Bible and I see the Pharisees. I'm like, how could you be so dumb? It's hard for church people to get saved because of religious pride.

That's it, man. It's hard for church people to go to heaven, especially if you think your good works earn it. You're on team Pharisee. This is why Jesus began his teaching ministry. We studied it, Sermon on the Mount. I think I've said it every single week. Blessed are the poor in spirit. The opposite of that is woe to you if you have a prideful spirit. Now, Jesus is gonna return back to his demon casting out analogy. And he says this, when the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest but finds none. And then it says, I will return to my house from which I came. But when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. But there's no one inhabiting the house. Get that? That's what he's implying. Then it goes and it brings it seven other spirits more evil than itself. And they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation. Here's what it's saying. If your life is an absolute train wreck,

you might not use the word demon oppression. I would. But if you're addicted and your life is just, I mean, it's jacked, man. Heart, soul, mind, and strength. Everything's jacked. And then by the sweat of your own brow, you clean it all up. You run the steps. You break the addiction. You clean up your life. Everything is orderly. And you go from train wreck to good citizen. And you think, I did it. But you don't surrender your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ, then what will happen is you're just gonna trade the demonic forces of sexual immorality and drugs and rebellion for a stronger demon of religious pride and arrogance and self-righteousness. And the problem is you won't even know you're oppressed. You'll think you're winning. And everybody at church tell you you're doing great. This is what we call beach ball theology. I call it, we don't. I made it up. For so long, man. In churches, God bless them, people teaching the Bible, everything with some Old Testament lesson about how you can do better.

Be more like David and more like Solomon, at least part of his life. You know. And the message I would hear over and over and over sounded something like this. God is good and you are bad. Try harder. See you next week. And I would try so hard sometimes for many days. Being a follower of Jesus, being redeemed, being saved, being filled with the Holy Spirit is not simply sin management. Now I've preached, I wrote a whole book on run over by the grace train and about how the grace of God changes everything. So I'm not saying you just act a fool and then claim Jesus as your savior. That ain't how it works. If you look at him and do what you want, then he's not your Lord. But what I am saying is that if you think, if I can just clean my life up, then I can present my life as right before God. That's the message of a demon. It's also Islam. It's also Hinduism. It's also what's taught by a Jehovah's Witness and a Mormon. If I clean myself up and here's the track, then I will stand right before God.

That is the message of a demon. Put it down here on the bottom level. Ball theology. A lot of us think that being a believer in Jesus is like holding a beach ball under the water. The beach ball's our sin and we go out to the beach. You ever try to do this? You will now, I see people at the beach now and I say, I'm like, that guy goes left-wing too. He's, oh, okay. So how long can you do it? Well, it depends on, I mean, some of you yoked up fellas for a minute, man. But what happens? You're getting tired, too much sunscreen, wave catches you, and have you ever noticed when you let go of the beach ball, it doesn't just gently return to its place, it blows up in your face, doesn't it? Gospel, the gospel is not Jesus walking down the beach going, try harder. No, man. Jesus walks up with his pocket knife because he would obviously have one and he just stabs the beach ball and sucks all of the power out of it because it has been nailed to the cross with its sin and shame and doesn't have power over you anymore. That is the gospel.

And listen, man, this makes no sense. The only reason I'm giving a salvation invitation today, because me and a bunch of people buried Bob Tebow today. Timmy's dad. And he lived his whole life so that one more person would have an opportunity to put their faith in Jesus. So maybe you've never put your faith in Jesus. And you're trying, and maybe you're trying, you're trying hard, you're like, maybe if I keep coming to church, he'll be into me, or maybe if I just, you know, learn the right words, know when to do the things, that's not it. Some of you are exhausted because the enemy is wearing you out. And that enemy may be masquerading as religious activity and it's wearing you out. And maybe today, he would say, Jesus, will you come stab this beach ball of sin and shame and just take away all the power for me, please? Because I can't do it. Would you cast it out of my life? Would you bind the strong man and not leave me empty and open to just substitute one false God for another man? But would you come into my life and take up residence and just rule and reign? Anybody ready for that? If you've never done that, I wanna give you the opportunity right now.

You're like, what do I do? Repent, believe, that's it. Repent just means, all right, old me is dead. I'm not gonna, I'm turning my back to my flesh, this world, the enemy, I'm turning my face to Jesus. And for anyone who would confess with their mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead, you will, like right now, be saved. Would you bow your head? Would you close your eyes? And if you were ready to do that, if you were ready to put your faith in Jesus, to quit fighting against him and just surrender to what he wants for you and what he wants is mercy because he was the sacrifice. If you're ready to admit it, I'm a sinner in need of a savior. I believe, I trust somehow for the very first time when Christ died on the cross, that counted for me. And today, I'm ready to confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. I wanna invite you to do that. Jesus is Lord. I wanna invite you to just lift your hand as high as you can right there and you say whatever words you wanna say. Lord Jesus, save me. Our good and gracious heavenly father, we love you because you first loved us.

Jesus, I thank you that you did not come with a list of rules for us to do better, but you came on a rescue mission for us. God, you came to bind up the strong man, the devil of hell himself, our own flesh, and this world that we have been submitted to. And when we put our faith in you, God, you bind him up, you kick him out, you forgive us of all of our sins and then you rule and reign and you take your rightful place on our very hearts. And God, I thank you that you desire mercy because you weren't looking for a sacrifice. You became the sacrifice that we might know you. Now I'm gonna give a second invitation. I don't ever do this. Keep your hands down. Bunch of you have been Christian for a long time, man. You've been following after Jesus for a long time. But you're one of us. born out, because your inner Pharisee has been rising up. And even though you know cognitively that we're saved by grace through faith and not by works, you find yourself slipping into that works-based righteousness, and you need freedom from that, because it's the enemy whispering in your ear. Is there anybody, would there be anybody, we'd be bold enough to raise their hand and say, Pastor, that's me. I fall into that Pharisaical mindset.

I look down my nose at other people. I think God's mad at me. When Jesus paid the full price, dear Jesus, I pray for freedom for your sons and daughters here. That where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And God, I pray that you would set us free. That we would be about our father's business. We would not get caught up in the civilian matters of this world and waste our life with the silliness that this world offers us. That we, because we have been rescued, that we would be on your rescue team. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. Hey, we're gonna respond to the gospel. If you would please stand to your feet. I'm gonna read the last little bit of this, because this is what just happened. This is the worst Mother's Day passage in the history of sermons. While Jesus was still speaking with the public, behold, his mom and his brothers stood outside asking to speak to him. They ain't into it. Somebody go get Jesus, he's talking like a crazy person. And he replied to the man who told him, who is my mother and who are my brothers? And stretching out his hand towards his disciples, he said, here are my mother and my brothers for whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

For all of you that just put your faith in Jesus Christ, welcome to the family of God. You have just been adopted into this family. And so we're gonna sing and we're gonna bring and we're gonna pray like everything depends on it. Because it does, let's respond.