[0:00] Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for the lovely weather. That was so nice of you to greet me all the way from South Carolina with just a lovely day out there.
[0:10] And aren't you thankful, though, there's a sun. Good to have clear weather this morning. Good to have all of you here. Thank you for braving the elements. I know some of you perhaps came a long ways. I came all the way from South Carolina.
[0:21] And but I'm so glad that you're here this morning. Good to see all of you here. Good to be back here at Bible Baptist Church. It's been two years. And it's good to good to be back here. Can I just encourage you to do something?
[0:33] I don't know how loving this church is, but it would be a very loving thing for you to look around and see who's not here and encourage them to come tomorrow night at 630. That'd be a loving thing to do, because this is where the Lord wants us.
[0:47] And I'd like to just encourage you to be in prayer about tomorrow night, 630. We're going to be meeting right past. I'm right. 630 Monday and Wednesday night. And could I just implore you to just pray? Would you please just pray for us?
[1:01] And that God would use us and that God would use this week to encourage you. Good to have you here this morning. Aren't you thankful, people, that prayer? That my mic is going in and out, isn't it?
[1:14] Not that I need one, but a little boy went to Sunday school and he had heard that if you pray for something in Jesus's name, you get it.
[1:25] He thought that is a good deal. So he went home after church and sat down and thought, I'm going to put my prayer in the form of a letter. So not only does Jesus hear it, but he'll see it too.
[1:37] So he started a letter, Dear Jesus, I've been a good boy. Could I please have a bicycle for my birthday? And he got to thinking about that and thought, no, that won't fly. He had not been a good boy.
[1:48] And so he wadded that up and threw it away and started a second letter. Dear Jesus, I've been a pretty good boy. Could I please have a bicycle for me? And I got thinking, no, he hadn't even been pretty good. So he wadded that up and threw it away and out of frustration ran to the closet, grabbed a jacket, ran down to a corner church, grabbed a statue, came running back to his bedroom, hid that statue under the bed and started a third letter.
[2:10] Dear Jesus, I've got your mama. If you ever want to see her again, give me a bicycle for my birthday. Aren't you thankful that prayer is not like that? You don't have to twist the Lord's arm and he loves to hear from you.
[2:22] I hope you pray constantly. We're commanded to pray without ceasing. And I'd like to just encourage you in your prayer life to be praying for these meetings that God would give us a great time together.
[2:32] All right. Good to see all of you. Hope you're doing well. Again, thank you for braving the elements and being here this morning. And may God use it. First of all, please, we're going to say it out loud.
[2:44] We'll say it out loud every time we get together, including the next service at one o'clock. It goes like this. Psalm 119. Psalm 119.97. Now, as I say psalm, as many of you, perhaps all of you know, it's a psalm.
[2:56] So the Jews would have sung this. They would have sung it. We're just going to say it by voice. Okay? We're just going to quote it. And it goes like this. We'll do the address before and after the verse. And the verse goes like this. Psalm 119.97.
[3:07] And the very first word is O. O. Now, folks, I don't know how well you understand language. But the word O is emotional. The psalmist is being emotional when he gives this verse.
[3:22] Ladies and gentlemen, could I remind you New Englanders that there's nothing wrong with emotion? That God created you to be excitable, to be sad, to be happy, to laugh, to cry. God made us emotional creatures.
[3:34] And there's nothing wrong with getting excited about the Word of God. We're so quick to get excited about the Red Sox. And we're so quick to get excited about the beautiful history of Maine. But how much more should we be excited about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Word of God?
[3:48] Could I get an amen? How much more should we be excited about that? And so David's excited when he says, oh. So when we're saying it to him, don't give me, oh. I want you to give a nice hearty, oh, okay?
[4:01] And it goes on and says this. Oh, how love I thy law. It is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119.97. What a cool verse.
[4:11] Isn't that neat? All right? Say it with me. Would you please reference before and after? Psalm 119.97. Oh, how love I thy law. It is my meditation all the day.
[4:23] Psalm 119.97. You did that so very well. Let's do it again just for practice, okay? One more time. Ready? Psalm 119.97. Oh, how love I thy law.
[4:34] It is my meditation all the day. Psalm 119.97. Good job. Dear Heavenly Father. Lord, thank you for this crowd. Thank you for the privilege you've given me to stand in front of them and say, thus saith the Lord.
[4:48] Lord, would you use me? God, I need help. Would you please help me to connect to this congregation? Lord, would you help them to connect to this speaker? As together we look into the living, infallible, preserved, forever living.
[5:03] Lord, speak to each and every heart. May each and every heart, whether it's a teenage heart, a child's heart, a retiree's heart, or in between. Lord, may they be open to your word this morning.
[5:14] Speak to us. Feed us. Lord, help us to leave the auditorium a little bit different on the inside than when we entered. In Jesus' name I ask it because I know it's your will. Amen.
[5:25] I'd like to invite you to go to the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke. And I'm going to be in Luke chapter 10 this morning. And if you want to be turning there, that would be great. But may I just visit with you as you're turning there.
[5:35] Let me remind you. I know you know this, but let's just remind ourselves that Luke is a medical doctor. They have a tendency to be pretty sharp. And Luke gives us all kinds of information. In fact, Luke is the largest book in the New Testament.
[5:49] And Luke gives us all kinds of information about this phenomenon in Israel called Jesus Christ. And when you come to Luke chapter 10, Jesus is very, very close to his death.
[6:01] Probably a week within his death. And he's in a synagogue in Luke chapter 10. And you have an episode that happens here. And before I start reading it, could I just remind you folks, back in Luke chapter 4, and don't turn there, I'll just give it to you by memory.
[6:14] But back in Luke chapter 4, you have a very interesting verse that says this. About Jesus, it says, And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
[6:25] Being glorified of all. Folks, what that tells us is that Jesus was a very gifted speaker. Everybody that heard him, even the New Englanders, everybody that heard him walked out of that service going, Wow, that guy's good.
[6:40] I like him. Even the teenagers liked him. Even the retirees liked him. Everybody, if you'd have heard Jesus preach, you'd have liked him. There was something winsome about him. I think some of us need to work at that.
[6:51] There ought to be something winsome about you, since you know the Lord. But there was something winsome about the Lord Jesus Christ. And what that verse also tells you, folks, is that in a synagogue, a synagogue is much conducted like you people do this Baptist church.
[7:04] I did not just show up this morning asking to take it. I got invited years ago. You had to be invited in a synagogue to be the speaker. So what you can deduct from that verse in Luke chapter 4 is that Jesus is a sought-after speaker.
[7:19] He's going all over Galilee, all over Israel, all over Judah, speaking in their synagogues, and everybody liked him. He was a phenomenal preacher. And so when we come to Luke chapter 10, friends, what you've got is Jesus in the synagogue.
[7:32] I'd like to start reading in verse number 25. If you'll look there with me, please, this morning, Luke chapter 25, excuse me, Luke chapter 10, verse 25, and the Bible tells us, And behold, and that word behold, people, tells you that this kind of caught everybody off guard.
[7:47] It was kind of sudden. Nobody was planning on this. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up. Would you look at me, please? Let me tell you about lawyers. This is important to understand in order to understand this saga.
[7:59] You've got a lawyer. Now, folks, let me tell you about lawyers. Lawyers to that economy back then in Bible times was much like lawyers today. You cannot buy a house in Maine with a lawyer.
[8:09] They're very, very significant to our economy. They're very looked up to. We've got all kinds of jokes about lawyers, don't we? But way down deep, the bottom line is this. They are very, very significant to our economy.
[8:21] They're highly educated. They're pretty smart people. And they're very important. Folks, let me tell you about a lawyer in Bible times. Because the Israelis, the Jews, were very much more loyal to Israeli law than they were to Roman law, even though they were under Roman occupation.
[8:38] They kind of despised Roman law. And they were much more loyal to Jewish law. And you can understand that, can't you? You know, we're much more loyal to what the Bible says than what our government says.
[8:49] You know, if the government told you to do something that the Bible says don't, we would much rather give our allegiance to the Bible, wouldn't we? Could I get an amen? We would much rather do that. Well, the Jews were the same way.
[9:00] They were far more interested in Bible law. They were far more interested in the synagogue law than they were in Roman law. Now, they did have to obey Roman law to a certain extent, but you might find this interesting.
[9:11] The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, they say, was caused because lawyers were teaching people. They were leading the economy in a direction that was anti-Roman.
[9:22] You don't need to obey Roman law. Ignore Roman law. Only obey Jewish law. They were preaching that for four years before the destruction. And so finally, Roman had it. And they attacked Rome with the leader Titus.
[9:35] But friends, let me tell you about Jewish law. On the books, back in Bible times, on the books, there were 613 Jewish laws. Why 613?
[9:46] Because that's how many letters there are in the Hebrew Ten Commandments. Jews are really big into numerology. And they thought that since there's 613 letters in the Ten Commandments, then we're going to have 613 laws.
[10:00] So that's what they did. There were 613 official Jewish laws on the books. And you were much more loyal to those 613 laws as a Jew than you were over Roman law.
[10:11] They were very loyal to those 613. Now, let me tell you about those laws. The Jews divided those laws into two sections. They had what they called the positive laws. There were 248 positive laws and 365 negative laws.
[10:27] Now, why 248? 248 because they believed back then, the Jews believed, that that's how many parts there were to the human anatomy. Now, we know from modern-day medicine there are far more than that.
[10:38] But back then, they believed there were 248 parts to the human anatomy. So they had 248 positive laws. They had 365 negative laws.
[10:49] And why 365? Because that's how many days there are in a solar year. So you put those two numbers together and you come up with 613 laws. And that's how many laws they felt that were to be obeyed.
[11:01] These lawyers, folks, were always the authority on those 613 laws. So all that to say this. You would never, people, ever debate a lawyer.
[11:13] They were highly esteemed in that Israeli economy. They were highly esteemed in the Jewish society. You would never debate. You would never argue with a lawyer. They were very, very significant.
[11:23] In fact, friends, the Jews felt that lawyers had a special unction with God. They had a special power about them so that they were kind of considered elite Jews.
[11:34] So much so that let me tell you about a synagogue. As Jesus is preaching in that synagogue on this Sabbath morning, he's probably standing somewhere right here in the middle because that made it easier to hear the speaker.
[11:46] They designed synagogues that way. All of you sitting here on the main floor are facing the temple, facing Jerusalem, no matter where your synagogue was. Even today, they always construct them so that the congregation, when you're worshiping, you're facing Jerusalem because that's where the temple was.
[12:00] So this synagogue where Jesus is in this morning, people are facing the temple. And he's here in the middle. And up front, people, up front in a synagogue, they don't have a baptistry.
[12:15] But they do have what they call the ark. The ark was a closet. It could be an amour. And in that amour is where you, a local congregation, kept your collection of the Bible.
[12:26] Nobody had a personal copy of the Bible unless you were very, very wealthy. And most Jews were not. Nobody had. So if you wanted to read the Bible, and they did, they read the Bible a lot.
[12:37] In fact, the lawyer people knew the Old Testament better than anybody in this room. They read the Bible a lot. But if you wanted to read the Bible during that day, you had to go to the synagogue, much like you would a library.
[12:48] The synagogue was always open every day. And there was an officer who was in charge of collecting and taking care of the scrolls. You kept, every synagogue kept their copies of the Bible in that ark.
[13:01] It was kind of a closet. It had ornate doors. It had an ornate curtain. Every synagogue to this day, folks, you can Google it. Please not right now. But you can Google it, and you can see arks in synagogues.
[13:12] There's a real fancy one in New York City. But that's where you, a local congregation, kept your copy of the Bible. So, but here's why I'm telling you this. Right in front of the ark, just kind of like you guys have like your pulpit chairs here.
[13:25] In a synagogue, they had a row of special chairs where the men who sat in those chairs were facing you. Those chairs were occupied by lawyers and scribes and Pharisees.
[13:37] By the way, a Pharisee could be a lawyer. A lawyer could be a Pharisee. A scribe could be a lawyer. A lawyer could be a scribe. There was definitely an overlap there. But those men, those official men who the Jews felt had special power, would sit in those chairs.
[13:52] And symbolically, what they were doing is telling you that the Bible came to you through those men. Through those men. So, my point is this, people. This lawyer, as he stands up, this lawyer is very, very significant.
[14:06] Everybody knew him. He's important. He's very, very honored. They had a high, he demanded high esteem. And so, he stands up in the middle of the service.
[14:16] In fact, look what it says there in verse number 25 again. It says there, and behold, again, kind of emphasizing the suddenness of this. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
[14:33] Would you look at me, please? Let's paint the scenario some more. So, here you've got Jesus. He's in the middle of his message. He's in the middle of the synagogue. And he's no doubt preaching about eternal life.
[14:44] Because he always did. We know that from Isaiah chapter 61, verses 1 and 2. That tell you what the Messiah was going to preach. And so, he's preaching salvation. And all of a sudden, in the middle of the service, boing!
[14:56] A lawyer stands up. And he says, Master. And people, that's a title of respect. I don't think that this lawyer was being disrespectful. Because the term Master is Rabbi, Rabboni.
[15:06] So, it's a title of respect. And so, I think he's really recognizing that Jesus really does know his stuff. And this lawyer wants to know what Jesus knows about eternal life.
[15:17] Well, friends, I hope you can kind of appreciate that. I can't help but think that in the middle of the service, boing! A man stands up and interrupts the message. Have you ever seen that happen?
[15:27] That would be weird, wouldn't it? Right in the middle. I had that happen to me one time. I was doing a revival in Rhode Island. Now, they're kind of weird down there. But I was in Rhode Island.
[15:39] And I was in a church. The auditorium was probably about the same size as the one you're sitting in. But it was packed. They were having what they called a friend day. Where all the congregants were encouraged to bring workmates and neighbors and relatives.
[15:52] And the place was packed. And I was waxing eloquent in a message. I don't even remember what I was preaching. I do remember I was preaching something about the flesh. You know, the flesh left against the spirit. The spirit against the flesh.
[16:03] Waxing eloquent about the fact that your body will always be your enemy spiritually. It will always work against you spiritually. And I was hitting something like that. And all of a sudden, in the middle of my message, I paused for a second.
[16:15] And I heard, wait a minute. And it was coming from a soccer mom. I'm going to guess she was in her late 30s, mid 30s, sitting right here. She was obviously a visitor. And she stopped.
[16:26] She spoke up right in the middle of my message. Wait a minute. I said, I like my body. I've spent a lot of money on my body. You could hear a pin drop.
[16:37] Whoa. I thought, Brother Steve, I thought I handled it very well. I said, well, ma'am, that's interesting. Why don't you talk to the pastor afterwards? And he'll help you with that. And then kept on with my message.
[16:48] But that was weird, people. That was weird. And could I suggest to you, Bible believers, that's kind of what happened here in the middle of the synagogue. Jesus is in the middle of a message. And all of a sudden, Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
[17:03] People, what a question. Chew on that for a moment, would you please? What a question. He's asking the giver of life, the maintainer of life, the creator of the universe, God in flesh.
[17:15] He's asking the most accurate person you could ever ask, how can I have eternal life? Now, why, people, why would that lawyer ask that? Because that was on his heart.
[17:27] And may I remind you Christians this morning, that's always on the heart of every human that's ever been created. Romans chapter 1 tells us that every human ever given life always has an inner knowledge that there is some kind of God.
[17:43] Every person has that. I get humored by atheists. Oh, there's no God. I don't believe that there's a God. But way down deep in their heart, they know they're wrong. They're always wrong.
[17:55] But that's always, they're proud of that view, and they're ever quick to espouse it. I don't believe it. It's kind of like my saying, I don't believe in air. Well, you're breathing it.
[18:06] Yeah, I don't care. I can't see it, so I don't believe in it. You know, people, your knowledge of God, like one commentarian says, is a lot like a blind boy flying a kite.
[18:17] They can't see it, but they can feel the tug. And may I remind you Americans that everybody who lives in your country has a deep down inside knowledge there's some kind of God, and I am going to spend eternity somewhere.
[18:31] People, every human ever born in this world has always been born with the knowledge that I am immortal. And I want to remind you people this morning, you are immortal.
[18:44] Every unsaved person in Ellsworth, Maine is immortal. They're going to live somewhere forever. And that lawyer knew that. He said, he knew, I'm immortal.
[18:55] Everybody in that synagogue, people had the same question on their hearts. Where am I going to spend, what's next? Where am I going to spend eternity? Every human ever born people in America, every neighbor that you've ever had, way down deep in their heart knows that they are immortal.
[19:12] They're going to spend somewhere forever. May I remind you Americans that all through history you've seen indicators of that. When a wealthy man was buried in Egypt, they were buried with a solar boat so they had something that they could sail the celestial seas in.
[19:30] Greeks, if they were wealthy, were buried with a silver coin in their mouth so they could pay the toll to get into heaven. American Indians, wherever they might have been, even here in New England, American Indians were often buried with a pony so they had something that they could ride in the eternal hunting grounds.
[19:45] Or they were buried at the top of a tree somewhere so that they were closer to heaven. All through the ages, man has always known, I am immortal. I'm going to spend somewhere forever.
[19:58] Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? And may I remind you people this morning that those Jews knew that they were going to spend eternity somewhere and forever. In fact, let me share with you something that I think you'll find very interesting.
[20:10] I'm about to take you to two different references in the Old Testament. I could take you to many. I could take you to God's. But I'm going to take you to two different references and I want everybody to turn there or I'm going to preach until two o'clock.
[20:23] All right? I want everybody to turn there. I want to take you to two major references in your Old Testament. And friends, the reason I picked these two out is because I want you to know every Jew in that synagogue was familiar with these verses.
[20:34] Every Jew that was listening to Jesus that morning knew these verses. Let me show you the first one, would you? Let's go to the book of Daniel. Go to the book of Daniel with me, would you please?
[20:44] Daniel chapter 12, which is the last chapter of Daniel. And may I remind you, friends, that Daniel is adored by the Jews. They love Daniel. Just about every single synagogue, no matter how poor it was, had a copy of Daniel.
[20:59] Because in Daniel they are told, the nation of Israel is told in the book of Daniel, and you know this, don't you? That in Daniel they're told that someday they will be the world-dominant power.
[21:10] They will be stronger than America ever thought of being. They will be the world power. They will be led by the Messiah. They'll be the world power, the number one dominant power for a thousand years.
[21:21] That's longer than any, any kingdom ever in the history of the earth. They know that. They're promised that. They're looking forward to that. And Daniel talks a lot about that. They love Daniel. But friends, if you look at Daniel chapter 12, and look with me, if you would, please, at verse number one.
[21:37] Daniel chapter 12. And again, I repeat, folks, they knew this verse. They knew this verse. Watch this, would you? Daniel chapter 12, verse number one.
[21:47] Everybody with me? Would you say amen if your Bible's open there? All right, good. All right, three of you. Here we go. Verse number one. And at that time shall Michael.
[21:57] Look at me, look at me. Would you please, Michael. Michael, Michael, Michael. What a great name. What a great name. And may I make sure that you understand that every Jew adores Michael.
[22:12] He's an archangel. He's called the prince of Israel, the protector of Israel. They love Michael. He's very revered. And this verse is one of the reasons for that.
[22:24] Let's read on, shall we? And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people.
[22:35] That would be the Jews. And there shall be a time of what, church? What is that trouble? That's the tribulation. And what's going to happen? Let's read on. Such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.
[22:50] Would you look at me, please? I think all of us, you know, for our heads not in the sand. I think all of us have heard about the persecution that the Jews have had to endure over the centuries.
[23:01] May I quickly bring to, as an example, World War II and the concentration camps where they say six million Jews were slaughtered. That's horrendous. That is absolutely monumental.
[23:14] But what you have just read, Christians, is it's going to get worse. It's going to be worse than it was during World War II for a Jew in the tribulation.
[23:25] Interesting, isn't it? That's what you just read. Let's read on, could we? Let's read on. It's a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.
[23:37] Now watch this. And at that time thy people shall be delivered. Remember, everyone that shall be found written in the what people?
[23:49] Okay, now look at me. So every Jew knows. Every Jew knows. There's some kind of book. There's some kind of book. Oh, I sure hope my name's in it, but there's some kind of book.
[24:00] I don't know if my name's in it. Look at the next verse. Look at verse 2. Watch this. Verse 2. And many of them. Note it doesn't say all. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.
[24:16] Some, not everybody, not every Jew. Some to everlasting life. And some to shame and everlasting contempt. People, that's talking about the Jews.
[24:28] Some Jews will be raised, because their name's in the book. And some Jews will be raised to an everlasting contempt. What is that contempt? Hell. Hell. Hell is going to be filled with Jews.
[24:39] Friends, every Jew knows that. The state still knows that. I'm going to spend eternity somewhere. There's some kind of book. I hope my name's in it, but I'm not sure. How can I know?
[24:50] And friends, please understand. That lawyer knew this really well, probably better than anybody in that synagogue. He knew that so well. And so he's asking Jesus, how can I know my name is in that book?
[25:00] Look, people, they are so worried about it, this may shock you, that if you ever have the opportunity of going to Israel, and I highly recommend it, it'll be the best trip you'll ever take, far better than Hawaii, far better than the Caribbean.
[25:14] Go to Israel. But when you go to Israel, one of the highlights of your trip, have you been there, Brother Steve? Okay, church would be a great birthday gift. But anyway, if you go to Israel, one of the highlights of your trip is Jerusalem.
[25:29] And seeing the old temple, it's moving. Folks, I love it. It's just so moving. I have goose pimples right now just talking about it. But let me tell you about the old city. There's a wall, huge wall that goes around like this.
[25:41] And there's a wall that goes north-south like this. And along that wall, there's a busy highway. A busy highway. And I jogged it. When I was there, I jogged this highway. And let me tell you about that wall.
[25:52] This wall is called the Eastern Wall. It's very, very significant in prophecy. Let me tell you why. In the Eastern Wall, there's a big, huge gate called the Eastern Gate.
[26:02] Prophecy tells you that someday the Messiah, when he comes to set up his millennial kingdom, he's going to land on the top of Mount Olives. Mount Olives, the Bible tells us, is going to cleave in two, creating an east-west valley.
[26:15] The Messiah is going to walk down that valley to the Eastern Gate. He's going to open the Eastern Gate and set up his earthly throne. That Eastern Gate is very significant and very important to every Jew.
[26:26] If you go to Jerusalem right now, that Eastern Gate is cemented shut. And nobody would dare do it. It's controlled by the Muslims. It is just absolutely... But along that wall, friends, along that whole area in front of the Eastern Wall is a little valley called the Kidron Valley.
[26:43] The Kidron Valley. It's very significant in your Bible. You read it over and over again in the Old Testament. If you're a wealthy Jew, you would love to be buried somewhere near the Eastern Gate.
[26:54] They believe that increases your chances. So when you see a picture of Jerusalem, there's a big gold dome thing that the people think it's a temple. It's not. It's Muslim. But you'll notice that if you look in the valley, you see just coffins and graves and tombstones and monoliths all over the place where every Jew over the last couple centuries, if they could afford it, they want to be buried somewhere near the Eastern Gate.
[27:16] In fact, there are so many bodies buried there that as I jogged on that busy road, in the gutter was human bone. I saw toe bones and finger bones because so many people over the last thousand years have been buried somewhere in the Kidron Valley.
[27:31] Let me tell you why. They believe. A Jew believes that if they're near that Eastern Gate, it's going to increase their chances of having their name in that book and being raised to eternal life like you just read.
[27:45] How sad. How sad. But friends, do you understand? Everybody in that synagogue on this Sabbath morning in Luke chapter 10 knew that. Now let me show you one other reference, okay?
[27:56] And then we'll go back to Luke chapter 10. Now turn to the hymn book, Psalm. Would you go to Psalm? Psalm 32. Hymn number 32 in your Bible. Psalm 32. And again, the Jews, everybody knew this.
[28:09] They sang it Sabbath after Sabbath. They had this entire hymn book memorized. Just like many of you have a lot of the great hymns of the faith memorized. I have a good friend who's with the Lord now who when it came to congregational singing, he never picked up a hymn book.
[28:22] He didn't have to. He had everything memorized. It was his custom, and I would highly recommend this, that when he would read his Bible for his daily devotions, at the end of his devotions, he would always read a hymn and maybe even sing it to himself.
[28:35] That's a great thing to do. But anyway, Psalm 32. The book of Psalms to the Jew is the same way. Everybody had, just about everybody, especially men, had it memorized. But Psalm 32, are you with me?
[28:46] Psalm 32. Now you've got your hymn book open to 32. I meant your Bible hymn book. Yeah. Are you kind of blonde? Yeah. Yeah, okay. So Psalm 32. Let me give my dear sister a moment to find it.
[28:58] She's a little behind the page here. Psalm 32. It's in the Old Testament. Okay, good. Good. Good. You there? Atta girl. Okay. Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed her, I probably hurt my love offering. Okay. Psalm 32.
[29:09] Everybody with me? Psalm 32. Are you there? Say amen. Amen. All right. Now watch this. Psalm 32. Now understand, every Jew would know this. This is a biggie. Verse number one. Blessed. Blessed. Would you look at me, please?
[29:21] I love that word. Blessed. You have it all through the Bible, cover to cover. You know what the word blessed means? I am going to say something that's going to shock you.
[29:32] In fact, when I do this, I'd like you to gasp. Okay? Just like that. Can you do it? Let's practice. You ready? Very good.
[29:43] Very good. You know, for a small crowd, that was large. Good job. Okay? Now, let me make a statement. Then you're going to do that. Okay? You ready? God wants his people happy.
[29:55] Yes. Gas. Don't squeak. Goodness gracious. God wants his people happy. That's, in fact, people, that's what the word blessed means. And I'm not talking about being giddy.
[30:07] I just got a new dress. I just got a new car. I just got a new house. No, that's not what we're talking about. We're talking, people, about an inner state of contentment, peace, and joy, no matter what's happening around me, that cannot be moved, that cannot be disturbed.
[30:27] Even at a funeral, there's an inner joy. I know where that person is if they're saved. What a privilege. I hope you're a happy person. If you're not a happy dude, if you're not a happy dudette, there's something wrong with you.
[30:43] There's something really wrong with you, maybe even unsaved. God wants his people happy. That's why you have, in fact, the Bible even tells us that God is blessed. God's a happy God.
[30:55] He's a happy, isn't that interesting? Oh, he's a very happy God. He wants you happy. All right? So with that in mind, let's read on. Psalm 32, verse number one. Blessed is he whose transgression, that means sin, is what, church?
[31:12] Forgiven. Whose sin is what, church? Okay. Every Jew knows that. I've got sin. Every Jew knows, should know. I've got sin. My sin needs to be forgiven.
[31:24] My sin needs to be covered. Look at verse two. Blessed, woo-hoo, is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile or guilt.
[31:38] I'm guilt-free. Happy is that man. Friend, every Jew knows that. They know they've got sin. They know they've got transgression. They know they need to be forgiven. They need their sin covered.
[31:48] They don't want to have that iniquity count against them. Every Jew knows that. So how in the world did they, how can they get to heaven? So do you understand that was on their minds? And may I suggest to you that's on your neighbor's mind?
[32:01] The most loving thing you'll ever do to your neighbor, the most loving thing that you'll do to the people you'll meet this week, is to share with them how they can have their sin covered. How they don't have to be, have a life of contempt at the end of, when it's all over.
[32:13] What a loving thing for you to do. So with that in mind, folks, are you with me? Every Jew knows that. They know they're sinners. It needs to be forgiven. There's a book. They're going to spend eternity for somewhere.
[32:24] Some will be raised to everlasting life. Some will be raised to everlasting contempt in hell. How do I know? Let's go back to Luke 10. All right. Go back to Luke 10. Thank you for everybody turning to those two references.
[32:35] Okay. We're going to turn to one more reference here in a few moments. So be ready. And then we'll be done. Okay. Romans, excuse me, Luke chapter 10. Luke chapter 10. And look what happened to people. Verse 20. We read verse 25.
[32:46] Let's go to verse 26. Now watch this. Verse 26. He said unto him, he being Jesus, he said unto him, what is written in the 613 commandments, the law, the Old Testament?
[33:04] How readest thou? People, Jesus is not being snarky. Jesus is recognizing in front of no doubt was a huge crowd.
[33:15] He's recognizing the fact that this man is a man who's distinguished. He's got a great knowledge of the Old Testament. So he is deferring back to this man.
[33:27] You're the authority, sir. You tell us. Look what the man does. The man gives an answer, people, that is really, really interesting. Look at his answer. Verse 27.
[33:38] Are you with me, everybody? Verse 27. Watch this. And he, he being the lawyer, answering said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy, and people, you're going to read all thy four times.
[33:52] Chew on that, okay? All thy. Let me start over. Verse 27. And he answering said, the lawyer answered, said, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.
[34:07] If you want to go to heaven, you need to love the Lord thy God with all thy four times, and thy neighbor as thyself. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you about that answer. It's very significant. It's called the Jews are still saying that answer today.
[34:24] In fact, let me tell you what a Jew does today. If it's a practicing Jew, they are taught in their synagogue that every morning, they're to say the Shema. Every night before they go to bed, say the Shema. They say it twice a day.
[34:36] The first phrase of the Shema is, thou shalt love the Lord, the Lord thy God is one God. And then they go into what you just read. It's called the Shema. In fact, let me tell you about a Jew. When a Jew says the Shema, they cover their eyes in the morning.
[34:50] The first thing. They cover their eyes, and they say, the Lord thy God is one God. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, with all thy strength, and thy neighbor. They say it every morning. They cover their eyes. Why do they cover their eyes?
[35:01] For the exact same reason that when you were a child, if you had good parents, they taught you that when you pray, you close your eyes. Are you aware of the fact that nowhere in the Bible does it say to do that?
[35:14] Why do we close our eyes? Because we don't want to be distracted. We want to make sure that that prayer is coming from our hearts and nothing is influencing, nothing is distracting.
[35:26] It's a deliberate concentration focus to know that it is genuine. It's to be genuine. When a Jew says the Shema, they want it to be genuine.
[35:36] And then every night, the first and last thing they do before they go to bed, before they pillow their head, they cover their eyes, and they say the Shema. Why do they say the Shema? Let me tell you why. And God has told you.
[35:48] God has given his approval on this, people. Please keep that in the back of your mind. The Shema is a marriage between two verses, one in Deuteronomy and one in Leviticus. And it summarizes the entire game, people.
[36:03] It is a brilliant summary of all the Old Testament. The whole purpose of the Old Testament is to show you that if you want your name in that book, if you want to earn your name to that book, you've got to keep the Shema, the law.
[36:19] Now, can I remind you, friends, this morning, what was the purpose of the Shema? Why did God give his approval? Okay, let's go to one more reference. I want everybody to turn there. All right?
[36:30] I want everybody to turn there. Romans chapter 3, a verse that no doubt you've heard your pastor speak on before. Romans chapter 3 is so very well known among Christians, and rightfully so. It's a wonderful chapter. But in Romans chapter 3, I want to remind you of a verse that you've read before.
[36:42] Romans chapter 3. Romans chapter 3. And look with me, if you would, please, at verse number 20. Romans chapter 3, verse number 20. You with me? Romans chapter 3. That a girl.
[36:53] Romans chapter 3. And verse number 20. She held her Bible up to show me she's in the right place. Okay. So I had to compliment her. Verse 20. Everybody there? Verse 20. Watch this. Therefore, I'm going to have you say a word out loud, church, so get ready, okay?
[37:08] Therefore, by the deeds of the Shema, the law, there shall be no flesh be, what, church? Justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of, what, church?
[37:23] The whole purpose, people. The whole purpose of the Old Testament. The whole purpose of the Shema, as they say it twice a day, is to get them to understand that they are hopeless.
[37:36] Nobody can keep the Shema. That all thy stuff, the love the Lord perfectly, the Shema. Let me read a quote to you. I don't like normally doing this with congregations, but I want to read this to you because I think that this writer so beautifully summarizes what the Shema is all about.
[37:52] Listen carefully, would you? Watch this. The all thy stuff. What does it really mean? Let me share this with you. It's calling for perfect love. Perfect love with all your, four times, remember that, means, uh-oh, I just lost it.
[38:05] What happened? My finger hit something here, and, uh, oh, I hate cell phones. Okay, I found, I'm good.
[38:16] Perfect love with all your means he is calling. Now, listen to this carefully, congregation. He is calling for perfect love with nothing left out, nothing omitted, nothing diminished, comprehensive, complete, supreme, unmixed, perfect love for God, with all your human faculties, and the same kind of love toward your neighbor.
[38:39] Do you want to be in God's kingdom? Jesus said, love God perfectly and love others perfectly. That's what God requires for eternal life. That love would be demonstrated by perfect, unwavering trust in God, perfect devotion to God, that is, to his will and his word, perfect fellowship with God, never, ever violated, never broken, never interrupted, perfect humility before God, without any taint of pride whatsoever, perfect obedience to every law that God has ever revealed, perfect hatred of sin, perfect satisfaction and delight in God's presence, perfect affection for the truth, perfect everything.
[39:16] The bottom line is, you are going to hell forever if you don't love God perfectly and love your neighbor the way you love yourself. Anybody here doing that?
[39:30] Has there anybody been ever lived that did that? One person. Who was it? Jesus Christ. Nobody can do that. Folks, the whole purpose of the Shema, the whole purpose is to get you to see, to get every Jew that's ever quoted it, to get them to see, I'm hopeless.
[39:49] I can't do this. Nobody can do that. Perfect love, perfect everything. I am in a world of hurt. That is the point that God wants to bring every single American to the point where they realize, there's nothing I can do to earn my way into that book.
[40:08] I am absolutely hopeless. Now, folks, in closing here, and give me about five more minutes and I'll be done. In closing, let me show you one of the saddest verses in the Bible.
[40:19] It's the next verse. And what a picture, people, of America. What a picture of New England. Watch this, would you? Look what it says there in verse number 29.
[40:32] But he, willing to... Next word out loud, church. Are you with me? Luke chapter 10, verse 29. Everybody there?
[40:43] I've got you back in Romans, don't I? Luke chapter 10. Sorry. My bad. Sorry. Luke chapter 10. Are you there? You're there. I see you. Good girl. Luke chapter 10, verse 29.
[40:53] One of the saddest verses of the Bible. Okay, you with me? Amen. Here we go. But he, he the lawyer, willing to, what church? Justify himself.
[41:04] Oh, lawyer. Oh, no. No. You missed the whole point. You missed it. An American. What a picture of every answer you're ever given when you ask somebody if they want to be saved.
[41:20] Well, me, a sinner? I'm not as bad as Ralph there, who two-timed on his wife. I'm not as bad as Sarah over there. She had an abortion when she was a teenager. I'm not as bad as Frank there.
[41:32] He's just always in trouble with the law. He cheats on his taxes. I'm not as bad as Hitler. Folks, you can always find somebody who's worse than you. And that's the number one answer in America.
[41:44] Why do I need the Lord? I'm not as bad as so-and-so. And that's exactly the answer that lawyer's giving. Well, I, I, I, I want, I'm, I'm okay, aren't I?
[41:55] What a sad, sad answer. A number of years ago, people, just to drive this home, a number of years ago, I used to live in Connecticut. I've lived in New England for 17 years.
[42:07] I know what you people are going through. And I was living in Connecticut. And one night, my wife sent me on an errand. It was a Tuesday night. Nine o'clock at night, there was nobody on the road.
[42:19] I don't even remember what the errand was. I don't even remember where I was going. All I remember is this, that I was running on an errand. Maybe I was running to the church. I don't know. But I came to a four-way stop. It was really dark. There was nobody around.
[42:30] It was a four-way stop. And I did what is famously referred to as a California stop. I just kind of slowly rolled through it and kept on my way. No sooner did I get through that four-way stop when then, bam, there were blue lights in my rearview mirror.
[42:44] I have no idea to this day where he was. But this policeman pulled me over. And could I just give a suggestion to you men, because you women never get pulled over. Men, when you get pulled over, keep your hands on the steering wheel.
[42:56] They want to see your hands. They want to see your hands. I kept my hands on the side. I had already gotten out my registration and my license. I had already rolled down the window. I had my hands. And this young man, young enough to be my son, walked up to my window.
[43:10] And he said, sir, are you aware of the fact that you did not stop at that four-way stop? I said, this is exactly what I said, people. I remember it vividly. I said, sir, you are right.
[43:23] I didn't stop. I was 1,000 miles away mentally. I rolled right through that. He took a step back, literally. And he said, you mean you're not going to argue with me? He said, you're the first person I've ever stopped at this four-way stop that didn't try to justify himself.
[43:41] You know what that officer did? He said, next time, make sure you stop, okay? Have a good evening. He had mercy. Mercy is you not getting what you deserve.
[43:53] That officer had mercy on me. He gave me what I didn't deserve. Freedom. Folks, that's exactly what God is looking for. He's looking for you to get to the point in your life where you say, there's nothing I can do.
[44:07] I'm in a world of hurt. I don't deserve heaven. I deserve hell. I'm a loser. And at that point, and only at that point, are you ready for Jesus Christ to rescue you when you ask him to.
[44:22] What a sad ending, people. Here, this lawyer is asking the very giver of life, and he came up with the wrong conclusion. Like 99% of America.
[44:33] God's not looking for you to justify yourself. He's looking for you to humble yourself and realize, I'm a sinner. I need forgiven. I need my sins covered.
[44:45] I'm in a world of hurt. Would you bow your heads, please? Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you, sir.