Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 26:1-30 (Click title for audio access)

"Values: Ours And His!"  •  2.27.11  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- Matthew's gospel has taken us along on an amazing journey which culminates in what we have before us now. His entire gospel has been leading us here to these momentous chapters.

- For the Christian, these are the chapters that make up their entire lives. What happens now ratifies everything that Matthew has been trying to prove!

- In essence, our Christianity would be empty and meaningless without the contents of these final chapters of Matthew.

- Today, I want us to consider one word that will help guide us through this first section of Matthew 26: Value.

Text

•  Matthew 26:1,2  :  "Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, 'You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.'"  : Jesus has just finished telling the disciples of His coming glory in the Olivet Discourse.

- Think about the shock of being brought back to their immediate present. "I will be King then, but I'll be crucified by the end of the week!"

- Jesus has told His disciples of His sufferings three times before this. He reveals now that it would occur this Passover day, just two days from this point.

- It's important here to understand that God is setting the table. He is saying when things will take place. It is going according to His plan.

- In Matthew 16:21 and Matthew 20:18, He tells them that the elders, the chief priests and scribes will be responsible for what is about to take place.

- He will be crucified on the Passover, a day inaugurated by the Lord thousands of years earlier, when He led the people of Israel out of captivity from Egypt.

- The people were to select a sacrificial lamb four days in advance without spot or blemish. It was to be slain for an entire family.

- It's blood would be spread out over their doors, on the top and sides. When the Angel of Death came, if He saw the blood, He would Passover the house.

- This whole historical episode was give as a picture of who Christ would be. He would fulfill the type and be the Lamb that was without spot or blemish, signifying both His sinless birth and life.

- Jesus would be chosen just like one of the lambs from flocks around Israel, though the men that chose his death would miss the significance.

- Jesus had been presented on Monday in His Triumphal entry and He will die exactly during the time when thousands of Passover lambs were slain on Friday, perfectly fulfilling the type.

•  Matthew 26:3-5  :  "Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him. But they said, 'Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.'"  : Matthew gives us a view of what is happening in the meantime over in the palace of the High Priest.

- Caiaphas was the High Priest, by marriage into a family and by Roman appointment. A testament to his political prowess was his longevity, serving almost two decades.

- This group of people with him were likely the aristocratic party of the Sadducees.

- The number one item on their agenda was how they would kill Jesus. As a people, Israel did not have the ability to carry out capital punishment.

- Complicating the matter was the innocence of Jesus, therefore trickery was needed.

- The timing was also a factor. The city of Jerusalem swelled in size as the Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread brought in over 2 million people, many very enamored with Jesus.

- If Jesus was taken, there would be a riot, which could result in a violent Roman response.

- They wanted to do something quickly, but not that quickly. They thought they'd wait 8 days.

- The irony is that they are supposed to desire to cooperate with God in His program. By not wanting to cooperate in recognizing Jesus, they are in fact, cooperating with God's program!

- Here is all their religion in action: Let's find a way to kill Jesus! That's the spirit of religion right there: Let's get Jesus out of the way! He just complicates things!

- They had tried to trap Him in His words, and had been bested every time.

- They knew that they could not beat Him and they were not going to join Him, so the only thing left to do was to kill Him. They wanted badly to do it right then!

- To these Sadducees, Jesus was worthy of death.

•  Matthew 26:6,7  :  "And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table."  :  Bethany is a small village near the mount of olives, and was the home of Simon the leper.

- Matthew organizes his material according to topic, not chronology. This episode might have happened several days before but it will serve an important purpose.

- Jesus had healed this man Simon and now he had brought Jesus into His home, a fitting picture of what should happen.

- According to the other gospel accounts, Lazarus, and his sisters were there as well.

- While they were in the house, this unnamed woman interjected herself. The other gospels identify her as Mary. She came in with a purpose and a desire to give something special to the Lord.

- She brought an alabaster flask, meaning a carved piece of soft stone, imported from Egypt and artfully crafted, filled with a valuable oil.

- The word "costly" would better be translated "very precious," speaking of it's profound value. Most commentators tell us that It would have been the equivalent of one man's yearly wage.

- She came straight to Jesus, broke the seal of this and poured it on His head. In those days, visitors would be annointed with fragrant oil because of the dynamics of personal hygiene.

- She poured all of it out upon Jesus! Every drop was used for her Master. Without hesitation, she poured out this valuable oil upon Jesus.

- She came with the direct intention of taking that which was most valuable to her and pouring it out on Jesus. What is your response to this? What would your thoughts be at this moment?

•  Matthew 26:8,9  :  "But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, 'Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.'"  :  His disciples. The men closest to Him. The men who loved Him the most witnessed this and they were beyond themselves.

- "What a waste of money!" This woman's expression of worship unto the Lord, was seen as a waste by His disciples!

- Sometimes even the most spiritual men can find reasons to discount a believer's expression of love toward the Lord.

- In this case, they offered the thought that they could have used the sale of this oil to give to the poor, a noble gesture on the surface, to be sure.

- The Apostle John mentions that the person behind this line of thinking was Judas the treasurer, who was liberal when it came to helping Himself!

- Here, the disciples give an alternative to worship. There's no value in just pouring this out on Jesus. Let's pool our resource and give to those who have nothing!

•  Matthew 26:10-13  :  "But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, 'Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always. For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.'"  :  Jesus acknowledges that this woman had done a good work for Him. What had been done?

- She came intentionally. She offered what was most valuable to her freely. She did this in the view of His friends and disciples publically. She did this according to her faith. She did it for His burial.

- When the disciples worried themselves about the poor, still not understanding how imminent Christ's death was, this woman took advantage of the moment to show that she heard His Word.

- She had heard it, believed it and acted upon it!

- The poor, or any other social activity that worshippers want to embrace, will always be around. For all the programs and fund raising, povery on earth has not been erased.

- We must take advantage of the opportunity to bless people in front of us, but never as a substitute and never before the priority of the good work of worshipping Jesus.

- Whenever we see Mary, she is at the feet of Jesus and is commended by Jesus for it!

- There must be a priority in the heart of those who love Jesus to pour out their best upon Him.

- That is the message of priority that she teaches us today. To Mary, Jesus was worth it all!

•  Matthew 26:14-16  :  "Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, 'What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?' And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him."  :  One of the twelve. One of the chosen men. One of the guys who has been privy to the most amount of information.

- He has watched the Lord live and sleep. He has heard all of His teachings. He has seen all of His miracles and wonders. But now, Judas has seen enough.

- There are those who are willing to find some noble cause for Judas' betrayal. It really seems that his was simply a love of money. It's not crazy; Men have betrayed their Lord for less!

- When Judas saw that Jesus was willing to be party to a great amount of waste. The oil that would have brought Him a great amount of money, slipped through His fingers.

- Now, the reality is sinking in: Jesus is going to die and the opportunity to make money off of Him is going to die right along with Him. It's time to get out.

- This is where Judas found his final source of revenue. He went to the Lord's enemies to find out what they would give him for Jesus.

- What would they give Him? What did they value Jesus at? Thirty pieces of silver. This was the price of an animal and the price of a slave!

- It's worth noting the difference between the value that the worshipper placed on Christ, and the value that these supposed worshippers put upon Christ.

- From that point on, knowing the price that Jesus' betrayal would bring, Judas waited for the right opportunity. He would be the answer to the Caiaphas' problem.

- To Judas, Jesus was worth the price of a slave!

•  Matthew 26:17-19  :  "Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, 'Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?' And He said, 'Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, 'My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.' So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover."  : Jesus ate of the Passover on the same day, Thursday evening, but at an earlier hour before lambs were slain. This was a Galilean custom.

- Some will wonder about this being the first day of the Feast. "I thought that the Passover happened first?" In Christ's time, the Passover and Feast were often lumped into one.

- Because of the crowds, finding a place to celebrate this Passover would be difficult.

- God had worked in the heart of this anonymous man to let the Lord have His final Passover celebration with His disciples.

- Jesus is nebulous with His disciples, likely to throw Judas off of the scent.

- When the disciples came to this man, he was ready to receive the disciples, who promptly prepared the Passover meal.

•  Matthew 26:20-22  : "When evening had come, He sat down with the twelve. Now as they were eating, He said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.' And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, 'Lord, is it I?'"  :  Here is the early part of the evening, the beginning of the Passover day in the Jewish mindset. It was here, at this table that the Lord reveals this sinister plot.

- You can almost see these men sitting there, in the middle of chewing, when Jesus drops the bomb on them. "Without a doubt, one of you will betray me."

- It's "see food" all over the table! These men are shocked and dismayed. Indeed, each man thinking about what that meant was literally, violently thrown into deep sorrow!

- It went from moments of laughter, to great grief in one statement! One of His own would betray Him. As a testament to their own failings, each man wondered aloud, "Is it me?"

- This testifies not only to their own awareness of weakness, but also to the fact that Judas did not necessarily stand out as the obvious choice! He played his part well, at least to the disciples.

- It's not like Peter stood up and said, "Oh, by one of you, you mean Judas! Yeah, we know!"

- None of the men immediately suspected that it would be him.

•  Matthew 26:23-25  :  "He answered and said, 'He who dipped his hand with Me in the dish will betray Me. The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.' Then Judas, who was betraying Him, answered and said, 'Rabbi, is it I?' He said to him, 'You have said it.'" : The picture in our minds is a table that these 12 men sat on the floor around.

- There were common dishes around the table that one could dip their bread into.

- Each of them had likely dipped into the dish with Him. It seems that the point was that this man was close enough to share this meal with.

- Jesus tells them that this betrayal was prophecied before this was happening.

- Even here, Jesus still reaches out to Judas and warns him: Don't do it! There is no way to make such a thing worse.

- When it came time for Judas, who was already in the midst of betraying Jesus, to come to Him and ask, Jesus simply said, "You have said it!" Judas was found out.

•  Matthew 26:26-30  :  "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.' Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.' And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives."  :  This brings us to this amazing passage. Jesus took the bread and broke it.

- He did this in order to pass it out, not to signify being broken. The scripture is clear that not one bone of His body was broken.

- He passed it around to His disciples and said "Take, eat, this is my body." Some have taken this to mean that Jesus changed this bread into His body. This is called "transubstantiation."

- Others believe that the bread and wine come alongside the physical bread and wine, a doctrine called "consubstantiation." This bread simply represents His body, given for them.

- The substance however, should be our faith that recognizes this symbol correctly. This body was slain for our sin.

- Then He took the cup and identified it as symbolizing His blood. They were to drink from that cup together.

- No Jewish man would ever drink literal blood and Jesus identifies this in the next verse as the fruit of the vine. It symbolizes His blood that was shed for us.

- From the beginning of God's revelation, the standard for every sacrifice and covenant has been blood. This new agreement between God and man will be forged in the blood of Christ.

- Notice: It is shed for many for the remission of sins! In all the world, for all of time, only many have received this gift. It is freely available to all, but specifically able to remit the sins of believers!

- This covenant will last from this point on, until believers drink it again with Christ in His Kingdom, where we will drink to remember!

Conclusion

- The religious people thought that Jesus was worthy of death. Some only want their ceremony and self-imposed religion.

- Mary, the true worshipper showed that she believed that Jesus was worthy of all.

- Judas valued Christ as worthy what he could gain out of his relationship to Him. "What does Christianity offer me?"

- Men and women had given their assessment of Christ's value to them. Today, what is His value to you?

- Now, this matters little, as the real point is this: In the midst of these flawed human thoughts about Jesus, what really mattered was not how we valued Him, but how He valued us!

- Throughout this entire section, what we have seen is God's dogged determinism to face the cross and bring about the redemption of souls.

- He has left nothing to chance, citing the when, where and by what method, Jesus would surrender His perfect life for us. Every detail shows the careful concern God had in offering Christ.

- We might be tempted to glory in our choice of Him, but we might better give thanks for His choice of us!

Thursday Night Bible Study

Exodus 20:12-17 

"Table For Two?"  •  2.24.11  •  Calvary Christian Fellowship, Thursday Night Study

Intro.

- Last week, we began to examine the 10 Commandments. Just the name alone gives weight to the subject matter. These are 10 general statements given by God Himself comprising His law!

- His people are the recipients of the foundation points for the entirety of the law that is about to be exposed.

- Commentators are divided on how one should divide the two tablets of the law. Several see a 5 and 5 split, though, I have taken a 4 and 6 split.

- The first table in my mind, ends with the 4th commandment. It begins with a command to have no other gods in the presence of Almighty God!

- He is to have an exclusive relationship with His people, who were not to add other gods to the mix, a genuine temptation in that day. They were to trust and dedicate themselves to Him alone.

- The second command is an injunction against worshipping the real God in a false way. God does not want His people to worship an image of Him.

- We want to be fully impressed with God and never take for granted that we know enough of His character and person.

- The third command prohibits taking the Lord's name in vain. We are not to take our relationship with the Lord lightly. His authority must extend and be final in every area of our lives.

- Finally, last week, we saw that the Lord commands His people to rest. For the people of Israel, this was a literal day of each week. For us, this is fulfilled in Christ, who is our real Sabbath.

- This brings us to the second table of the law, that which governs our relationships with one another. God begins with our most significant original relationship.

Text

•  Exodus 20:12  :  "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."  :  This command of the Lord's is unique, in that among the 10, it is the only one of the final table that is positive in nature.

- It is the second one of it's kind, as the the command to keep the sabbath was also positive in nature. The rest of the commandments are written in prohibitive language, ie. "You shall not..."

- Additionally, it is also unique in that it is the only command with a positive promise.

- Worshipping God falsely brings about a terrible promise of sin visiting generations of people. This command gives a promise of life extension.

- Finally, it's notable that the 3rd commandment deals with the perspective of Fathers and their legacy. This commandment deals with the perspective of children and their life.

- They are to honor their Father and Mother. There is no other word in any translattion. Every Bible translation has the word "honor" in it.

- The word "honor" in the original language points to something "heavy" or "weighty." The concept can refer to piling up burdens upon someone, or to pile on blessings.

- One who is rebellious might point to a bit of a technicality, but this obviously refers to the latter. Honor means to pile on blessing upon blessing upon our parents.

- One other commentator mentioned that this refers to assessing an appropriate value to the relationship mentioned. We might say, "You haven't given me an ounce of respect!"

- God is saying in an opposite way, that we are to give a "ton of respect" toward our parents.

- Today, you, in your context, understanding the dynamics of your relationship, honor your Father and Mother.

- There are at least two areas that are given that show honor to our parental units. The clue is that this verse is repeated and these are connected to it. This makes them explicit.

- The first area that shows honor to our parents biblically, is in terms of tangible help.

- Jesus chided the religious leaders for teaching the people to reserve money for God, so that they could keep it out of the hands of their needy parents.

•  Matthew 15:5,6 (NLT)  :  "But you say, `You don't need to honor your parents by caring for their needs if you give the money to God instead.' and so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct commandment of God."

- We honor our parents by helping them when they need our assistance. If you are in a position to financially help, that is wonderful. If you have time, give it. If you have talent, lend it!

- This is a practical way to honor our parents. We are to put a priority on our family.

- We also honor them by listening to them, by giving them a place of expression in our lives. Paul expresses this thought to the Ephesians.

•  Ephesians 6:1  :  "Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do."

- That word "obey" is a word picture connected to this Greek word of a porter coming to the door to listen to one who is knocking.

- We show honor to our parents when we pay attention to what they are trying to say in our lives. In many cases, we'd do well to obey, especially when our parents give godly counsel.

- But what about non-Christian parents? Admittedly, these statements are written to a covenant community and it's fair to reason that these parents belong to the Lord.

- I believe that the Lord would have us honor our non-Christian parents in the same way that we would honor any non-Christian relationship.

- We help when it's possible and we listen to the heart of what's being said. When it lines up with scripture, we do it. If it does not, then we must obey God first.

- Finally, we honor our parents by living a life that honors their intentions for us. Look through the Proverbs and you'll see several verses that speak about dishonoring parents in various ways.

- The intention of a child who honors the Lord, does what he or she can, to honor their parents and not bring shame upon them.

- God promises that with our obedience to our parents that there comes an assurance of long life in the land that He is giving them.

- This seems to refer to the peace that comes with the steadiness of this relationship. Principally, this likely refers to a society built upon children who respect authority.

- Kids who honor their parents, honor their society! It's good for all. Of course, the opposite is just as true: Kids who have no desire to honor their parents, have little desire to honor society!

- I might mention another application of what might be stated here.

- Think about how much angst there is in the lives of those who do not have healthy family relationships.

- How difficult is it for kids with strained parental relationships? How difficult is it for kids to navigate through relationships with absentee Fathers or Mothers?

- These statements are not meant to condemn, but are meant to encourage: Parents need be worthy of honor and kids need to seek to honor their parents!

•  Exodus 20:13  :  "You shall not murder."  :  It would seem that one would not have to say this, but if you consider their history, you might see the logic.

- The first sin recorded after the fall was fratricide. Not long after that, Lamech killed somebody for injurying him. Soon, violence filled the earth and God had to bring the flood of judgment.

- Consider how life was treated among the Egyptians. Their leader Moses had killed an Egyptian and buried him in the sand.

- Life it seems, was treated as a cheap commodity. As a society, we're not much better today.

- This commandment comes against pre-meditated murder and negligence. At the same time, this would also include our societies embrace of other types of murder that are en vogue.

- Murder includes pre-meditated, pre-arranged killing. It also includes abortion. I heard a statistic that blew my mind today: Every 3 minutes, two abortions are committed in the world!

- That statistic came from a sermon done in 2003. The latest data that I could find was in 2005 and at that time there were 1.21 million abortions performed in the U.S.

- Of those, 80 percent who had an abortion were unwed women. 47 percent had had a previous abortion. And most staggering, almost 50 percent of those women claimed to be Protestant![i]

- Beyond abortion, there is euthanasia, or mercy killing. Add to this, the epidemic of self-murder, known as suicide. These are all pre-meditated murders.

- As a society, we have a large sin debt in this category!

- Most of us can feel relaxed knowing that we have not committed this sin. But there is more to it than the actual act. Jesus speaks to this in the sermon on the mount.

•  Matthew 5:21,22  :  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire."

- Jesus tells us that God had heart attitudes in mind when He spoke these commands. Don't let anger simmer in your heart against your brother.

- When Jesus says this, He is exposing what happens in our hearts that is equivalent to an action by our bodies.

- We may wish someone dead, but lack the courage to carry out the act. That is the same as murder in the eyes of God. We need to carefully guard our hearts in this area.

- If we are to be guiltless of this, we must constantly commit our feelings of anger to the Lord, and trust Him for vindication and vengeance.

•  Exodus 20:14  :  "You shall not commit adultery."  : In order to really understand this, it's best for us to turn to Ephesians 5. 

- Paul lays out a beautiful picture of what husbands and wives are to be toward each other in the Lord.

- They are to submit to each other, the wife is to give her husband the lead and he is to love her as Christ loves the church.

- Then Paul adds the following words to his exposition, giving it it's ultimate meaning.

•  Ephesians 5:32,33  :  "This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."

- Christian marriage is to be a living illustration of the type of intimate relationship that the Lord has with His church.

- When we live out the Lord's vision, we are giving the world a picture of what they are missing.

- Now the word "adultery" is a picture of turning oneself to another. It's used about 40 times in the scripture and many of those times refer to the nation of Israel turning toward idolatry.

- When one looks up the origin of the word "adultery" one will find the concept of corrupting or polluting something. It means to mar or change the intended image.

- This is what happens when someone becomes involved in what has become the "act of adultery," which most believe refers to illlicit sexual activity with someone who is not your spouse

- In the same way that life was to be valued in the commandment against murder, so also was the marriage vow to be valued among God's people.

- Where does God see adultery happening? It begins way before it begins...if you know what I mean! The Lord Jesus gave us a greater view of what adultery actually is in the mind of God.

•  Matthew 5:27,28  :  "You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

- Just as in command not to murder, there is a prohibition on intent. Adultery begins with the seed of lust in the initial look.

- We can do nothing about the initial look. We can do something about prolonging it or finding new angles to look at!

- Adultery seems to bring such pleasure, but is indeed one of the enemy's most potent weapons when it comes to destroying lives.

- Among the many prohibitions seen in the commandments, we recognize that the Lord makes these statements as a Father warning His children of horrible choices that can be made in this life.

- There is an intention that God has in every relationship. Don't adulterate, pollute the picture that He desires to paint!

•  Exodus 20:15,16  :  "You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."  :  The order of these commandments moves from relationships with parents, to society, to marriage and now to neighbors.

- Theft was an issue that needed a commandment. There is to be respect of another's property that does not belong to you.

- Stealing can come in the form of physically removing another's property. Did you "borrow" something recently? Did you take a longer lunch than is given? Ever leave early?

- All of that is stealing from employers, neighbors, friends, companies, etc.

- We can also steal from the Lord who gives us an additional application through the prophets.

- Turn over to Malachi 3. The prophet speaks against the generation that returned to the land of Israel, but that had spent most of their energy on their own houses and lives to the neglect of God.

•  Malachi 3:8-10  :  "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,' says the Lord of hosts, 'If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing  That there will not be room enough to receive it."

- One could even go further and say that it's a robbery of God if we refuse to serve Him, given that we belong to Him because of the redemption price that He paid for us!

- Let us not be guilty of robbing the Lord of what is rightfully His!

- Bearing false witness refers to circulating a false report. This can be done by actively lying about somebody purposely.

- There are people who willfully take a story and spread it about another person that is blatantly not true. On the other hand, one can do this passively by refusing to clear matters up.

- This is done when we choose to sit by silently.

• Exodus 20:17  :  "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s."  : The law does not just govern action, but it governs attitude. This command let's us know that.

- To covet means to desire that which is not ours. It literally means "to pant over."

˚  "Covetousness works like this: the eyes look upon an object, the mind admires it, the will goes over to it, and the body moves in to possess it."   Guzik

- This could come in several forms. You could covet your neighbor's wife, noting how attractive or how amiable she is.

- You could covet your neighbor's male servant if he worked harder or more efficiently than your own servant did.

- The same could be true of his femaie servant. Who hasn't wanted better employees!?

- When I think about oxen or donkeys, I think about tools or transportation. "Look at that tractor" or "look at that fast vehicle!"

- The Lord says that this covers everything in your neighbor's possession.

Conclusion

- In conclusion, let me offer some final words. The commandments stem from the heart of God, who is the Father of this nation of people, and our Father as well.

- He knows that the life that He intends for you and I.

- Other gods, worshipping falsely, taking His name in vain and not resting in Christ, mars the relationship picture that He wants you to enjoy with Him.

- Along the same lines, dishonoring parents, having unreconciled anger towards others, adulterating our marriages, stealing, lying and coveting, all mar the picture that He has planned for our human relationships!

- As we look at these commands, the temptation is to fall heavy under the weight of guilt. That is the principal use of the law. It shows us that we cannot be justified.

- But just because we know that, does not mean that we cannot look in the same mirror and seek God's help to conform ourselves to His standard. That is what sanctification is all about.

- His law is perfect, converting the soul at His new birth, and changing Him along His life into the image of His Son Jesus.

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[i] http://www.abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics/

Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 25:31-46 (Click title for audio access)

“And Then The Judgment” • 2.20.11 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- Matthew has spent the last two chapters on Christ's last sermon, called the Olivet Discourse.

- It describes one of the most troubling periods that will come in human history, but that will give way to one of the greatest eras that man could ever know.

- After the Great Tribulation comes the Millenial reign of Christ. In this final section of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus will describe what it will be like, beginning on the day of His return.

- While there is much here that is specific to the time, there are practical applications that apply in any age that we can grab onto for our own.

Text

• Matthew 25:31 : “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.” : This verse is glorious. Jesus coming in His glory to sit on the throne of glory!

- Take note of the word "when." This is not theory. This is going to happen. It’s inevitable. It will take place and it will happen on this earth after the seven years of tribulation have occurred.

- He will come in His glory, which refers to His majesty, His splendour, His dignity. His first coming was in humility and service. This second coming will be the opposite.

- It is the ultimate moment of royalty, as Christ becomes the ruler of all the earth, sitting on His glorious throne in the city of Jerusalem!

- When He first came, He came without angelic backup. He could have called them, but He did not. This time, He'll come with all the angels. The world will see the Lord and the angels physically!

- When He came first, He came to serve. This time, He will begin to rule. The King of Redemption will sit and offer Himself to the citizens of Earth, physically, for a thousand years!

- This will be an amazing, wonderful time for those who have believed upon Him. The believers who have lived through the tribulation, many of them Jews, have clung onto dear life.

- They are the ones who have been hiding in the darkness, holding out while the Antichrist has hunted them. The vision of Christ's return will be the greatest sight they have ever seen.

- For those who have hated Him, it will be quite another story.

• Matthew 25:32,33 : "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left." : This is called the "Judgment Of The Nations." It is the first of three judgments, the other two being the Bema Seat Judgment for rewards and then, the White Throne Judgment.

- The analogy that is being employed would be familiar to those in that part of the world. Any shepherd would allow the sheep and the goats to be together during the day.

- At night time, the shepherd would take the two animal groups and separate them.

- In that moment, the tables will be radically and permanently turned. For all of history, these many nations stood in judgment of Christ, wondering if He was worthy of their life and trust.

- Would they honor Him in their hearts and confess Him with their lips? They had had their chance to do so. Now, Jesus stands in judgment of them, declaring whether or not they will have life!

- The right hand in scripture points to favor and inheritance. You will recall in our study of Genesis that Jacob put his right hand on Ephraim, who received the greater portion of inheritance.

- The sheep are the favored ones with the inheritance!

- If there is any verse that puts the pulse in missionary achievement, it's this one.

- The hard work, much of it unknown and unappreciated, that missionaries around the world have done, will pay off as many will be ushered to safety.

- The missionaries that will have the greatest influence in the tribulation period will be 144,000 born again, Jewish Greg Lauries! Their work will be priceless in bringing people to their Messiah.

- At the same time, I imagine many people from various nations, who will have been brought the gospel at a much earlier time, who will bear the fruits of righteousness in that troubling time.

- There will be people who were rescued by the message of Christ, brought to them by foreign men and women, who sacrificed their livelihoods and their comfort to bring the good news of Christ.

- The Great Shepherd will take His sheep and bring them into the pen where they will be safe forever in the care of their God.

- The opposite will be true of the goats, representing those which were wicked and antichrist. They will be moved to the left, reserved for judgment.

- These will be those who refused the supremacy of Christ. At that time, there will be no doubt of Christ's role in history.

• Matthew 25:34-36 : "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’" : Jesus tells the people on His right hand, those that have been declared righteous, that they are blessed by His Father. This is a wonderful description of God's people, the ones Jesus calls "elect."

- They are invited to enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom that has been prepared for them.

- Think about the concept of being blessed by a great person. They just want to give you something and the greater the person, the greater the resource, the greater the gift.

- What is given to you is great, but is a fraction of that person's resource. Consider the blessing given by the one who created the universe!

- When you are blessed of the Father, there is no limit to what His children will receive! What will we receive? The Kingdom.

- It has been prepared for us from the foundation of the world! Wait! I thought that it was being prepared from the time when Jesus left! Jesus is currently, like the bridegroom, preparing a place.

- However, In the mind of God, all plans were made before the earth was founded. "We'll make earth and people. They'll rebel, but we'll save them. Those who receive will share in our joy!"

- In the mind of God, all that was left was the actual unfolding of history. This Kingdom, eternally in His mind, will finally be opened for those that it has been prepared for.

- Why does He call them blessed? Why are they now invited into the Kingdom of God? Because of how they responded in the world!

- Understand that Jesus is not listing off a list of works that people can do to receive salvation. No work that we do will ever move the heart of God. However, these people are people of real faith.

- Their faith is seen by what they have done and to whom it was done. In each case, they did something for people that could not pay them back.

- They saw the hungry, physically and spiritually, and they gave sustenance. They bought meals or they took time to explain something of the Lord's heart for them.

- They saw the thirsty, physically and spiritually, and they gave a drink. They gave them a cold drink on a hot day, or refreshed their souls with a word of encouragement.

- They saw the stranger with no resource and they gave them shelter! They paid for motel stays or offered a room in their home. They brought them into the church and offered them fellowship.

- They saw nakedness, better translated "poorly clothed" and responded. They bought or gave clothes. They offered the life of God through Christ and clothed a person with His righteousness.

- They saw sickness and they didn't turn away. They made hospital visits, called or attended to the ill. They prayed for healing and wouldn't stop until they saw God's answer, yes or no!

- They saw prisoners and they came. They visited and shared the love of God where that love was the least available, to the ones most desperate for it.

- This does not mean that one person did all of this or that every person did this to the exclusion of the rest of their life. It means that this group of people took on these issues.

- Those who were righteous demonstrated why they were righteous by responding to the needs that were in front of them.

- At every point, did you see yourself? Maybe you saw yourself in one category more than another. Maybe you saw yourself in several categories all at once.

- The point is that Jesus is telling these people that they did all of this to Him. He'll explain in a few verses.

• Matthew 25:37-40 : "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’" : Who are these people? The Righteous! I about fell out of my seat when I heard an expositor that I trust say that these were moral people.

- His reasoning is that God wants moral people in His Kingdom! No. God wants people who share His heart and act like He acts in His Kingdom! Those are RIGHTEOUS people!

- Look at how they answer the Lord's statement: When did we do these things? There are 5 great insights to take note of here which teach us about righteous action.

- First, when they did these things, they did them for the people that they saw.

- They saw need and they responded. They did not look away. Instead, they took from their own resource and did something about what they saw. They seized opportunity.

- Notice secondly: None of this was major output! They gave practically. There were no buildings constructed or charities founded. It was food, a drink, some clothes, etc.

- People who were sick, were visited, not healed! People who were in prison were seen, not freed! These people did not do anything particularly great.

- A third insight: They did not remember what it was they had done! They did not keep count! They did not do this for attention or for a reward! They gave out of genuine concern.

- Contrast this with the attitude of those who come to Christ boasting of their deeds. "We did this and that in your name." Those people sought to impress Christ. These people are different!

- Because they were impressed with Christ, they did these things without looking for reward.

- Notice a fourth insight: When they had done what they had done, they did it to the least of these of Christ's brethren. They gave charitably.

- These were not great men or women. They are lowly, seemingly insignificant. But what is done good or bad to Christians, Christ's brethren, is done to Christ Himself!

- There is a union that comes with knowing Christ that is supernatural. His blood makes us family in Him, making us brothers. Jesus is our big brother!

- When we care for one of His family, even those who are the least thought of, the most insignificant, we are showing care, as it were to Christ Himself.

- Think of it on the opposite end of the scale. When Paul was persecuting Christians, He was persecuting Christ.

- Notice this fifth and final insight: While the righteous forgot about their deeds, the Lord did not! They gave without thought of reward. He saw what was done! He recorded it!

- During our lifetime, there may not be a reward to be found. Our brethren may not be in any position to repay us, and the true child of God will not have it anyway.

- But on that day, every thing that we have ever done in a selfless desire to bless another, will be remembered by the Lord and rewarded!

• Matthew 25:41 : "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:" : The righteous on His right will begin to enjoy the benefits of their blessing. The opposite will be true for those on the left!

- "Depart from Me, you cursed." This word "depart" is interesting. One use of the word "poryuo" is to describe a journey that has already been established. To say "depart" is to say, "keep going."

- In other words, "Continue now the journey that you have begun!" The wicked had forsaken the Lord. Their decision had been made long before this moment.

- Jesus consigns them to the path that they had chosen for themselves.

- He had called the ones on the right to be gathered to Him. These He tells to depart. He calls the righteous ones, "Blessed." These, He calls "cursed" or "doomed."

- Their lives are now permanently ruined for eternity! They are eternally doomed.

- Jesus speaking, had called the righteous into the place of blessing that the Father intended for them from the foundations of the earth. He tells the wicked, go into the fire prepared for the devil!

- Please understand this: Hell is not made for man. It was made as a place of punishment for the devil and the angels that followed his rebellious lead in Revelation 12.

- When a person lives out a life of rebellion against the Lord, the only place that journey leads is the everlasting fires of hell!

- The word "everlasting" means "that which has always been and will always be!" Hell is just as eternal as heaven! There will be no escape and there will be rehabilitation.

- What is it that they were condemned for? It might surprise you.

• Matthew 25:42-46 : "for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.'" : These people had the same opportunities, but had the opposite response.

- These people may refer specifically to the one who had the opportunity to help God's people during the tribulation period, but the application goes much farther.

- The goats had a chance to offer of themselves, but couldn't because they do not share the same spirit as Christ! They know nothing of it.

- They are calloused and hard hearted, seeking their own and never giving it a second thought.

- Please notice: Their judgment is not based on what they did to the Lord. It's what they refused to do! Their sin was not one of commission, but of ommission!

• James 4:17 : "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

- They knew what to do, but the turned a blind eye! The foolish virgins were left out because they did not have enough oil. One Talent Tom was condemned because he buried his master's money.

- The goats are condemned because they didn't give of themselves, revealing a lack of Christ's spirit within them!

- These are going into everlasting punishment. There will be no reprieve. There will be no relief. But the righteous will go into eternal life. Where will those closest to us be?

Conclusion

- I'd like us to close this morning looking at this final set of verses. Turn to Galatian 6 and listen to these words from the Apostle Paul.

• Galatians 6:6-10 : "Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."