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[0:01] All right, children, you are dismissed to your classes and the rest of us. Let's get into the scriptures this morning, Matthew chapter number 12, the gospel of Matthew chapter 12, picking it up where we left off last week in the 30s.

[0:30] All right, Matthew 12, we got into this passage where Christ cast out one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb, and then he was accused of doing it by the devil.

[0:58] And so he replies, making them look foolish with some reasoning that they hadn't thought of, that if the devil casts out the devil or Satan casts out Satan, he's divided against himself.

[1:10] How shall his kingdom stand? And then he went and took a step further and said that this is blaspheming the Holy Ghost, which shall never be forgiven unto man in this world or in the world to come, because in Mark they said that he hath an unclean spirit.

[1:28] So we got into verse 33, 34. And in verse 32, it was, whosoever speaketh the word against the Son of Man and whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost.

[1:38] And he carries that thought of the words of their mouth into these next few verses. Verse number 34, O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

[1:50] And we got into these verses. I know we got into 35 even last week. But what a powerful, what a true statement out of the scriptures that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

[2:03] And it gives us light and an understanding of ourselves even. And we know from the word of God that we have a wicked heart, a desperately wicked heart. And it's deceitful above all things.

[2:15] And out of that heart comes a lot of stuff. And we'll remind you of this. Look at chapter 15 again quickly. Chapter 15 and verse number 18. Chapter 15, verse 18.

[2:33] But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart. And they defile the man, for out of the heart proceed a lot more than just the words, huh? Matter of fact, before they're ever words, sometimes they're evil thoughts.

[2:48] And even murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness blasphemies. It's what comes out of the heart. So what comes out of the mouth comes out of the heart. And I think we understand this.

[2:59] But take a look to the right a little further. Go to 2 Corinthians chapter number 10. He said back in chapter 12 of Matthew that the tree is known by his fruit.

[3:15] And it's just illustrative of what's your heart's known by the words you speak. And what comes out of your mouth. But he takes it a little further.

[3:25] What we just read in chapter 15 saying that what comes out of the mouth comes forth from the heart. And evil thoughts can be the first stage or step.

[3:37] And I don't know about you. But I like to think that I have victory over my language, over my tongue. There's been times and definitely a spell of my life where I didn't care what came out of my mouth.

[3:51] And I didn't check it at all. And I almost felt like I was a bigger man by letting stuff fly. Which was far from the truth. But I feel like the Lord has given me power over that and given me victory over that.

[4:07] But I know that it's still inside of me. Just like it's inside of you. All those words. And they're not just words that are bad words. But it's just wickedness that resides within my heart.

[4:18] And it starts with an evil thought. And I haven't gotten control or I don't know that I'll ever get rid of the thoughts. Because I won't ever get rid of that wicked heart.

[4:29] Until God gets rid of it completely in the future. By the grace of God one day. But as long as I have that filthy wicked heart inside of me. And it's still there. And Paul said it in Romans 7.

[4:41] That in my flesh dwells no good thing. And he said sin dwells in me. And as that dwells in my heart. It comes out in the form of evil thoughts. And sometimes if I don't push them down.

[4:54] It'll come out by the form of language. For instance the words are still there. They're still there. They're still there. They're right there. And they're almost right here.

[5:07] But by the grace of God. And by the spirit of God within me. I'm not going to say I am doing it. But I'm going to say God's yielding myself to him. Is keeping them words from coming forth.

[5:20] And look at 2 Corinthians chapter 11. Because out of the heart comes evil thoughts. And in 2 Corinthians chapter 10.

[5:30] Verse 5. That's what I want. 2 Corinthians 10.5. The Bible says. Casting down imaginations and every high thing. That exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. And bringing into captivity every thought.

[5:42] To the obedience of Christ. So the thoughts are there. And they're coming forth from a wicked heart. And it's your job and duty. By God's power and grace within you.

[5:52] To put it down. And to control it. To bring it into captivity. Because there's thoughts that will exalt themselves. Against the knowledge of God. Which you know.

[6:03] Is right and wrong. A lost man. Doesn't have a filter perhaps. Doesn't care. And maybe. And in some cases. Doesn't even have the knowledge. That what.

[6:14] In certain cases. Things are inappropriate. Or wrong. Or just against God. Or even blasphemies. You know how many times. The name Jesus Christ. Or God. Comes out of the mouth of a lost man. Doesn't even faze him.

[6:26] Doesn't even think twice about it. Doesn't mean anything to him. Taking the name of a holy God. In vain. But for you and I. That have the knowledge of God. We're to bring those thoughts.

[6:38] That come forth from the evil heart. Into captivity. Now come back to Matthew chapter 12. He said. How can. How. In verse 34. How can ye being evil. Speak good things.

[6:50] How can you do that. Well. You can't. Because out of your heart. Comes wickedness. And a good man. In verse 35. Out of the good treasure of the heart.

[7:00] Bringeth forth good things. And an evil man. Out of the evil treasure. Bringeth forth evil things. Now verse 36. I say unto you. That every idle word. That men shall speak.

[7:11] They shall give account thereof. In the day of judgment. For by thy words. Thou shalt be justified. And by thy words. Thou shalt be condemned. So the words that reflect.

[7:23] What's in your heart. Are a reflection of you. They're the fruit. And you'll be judged. By that fruit. Nobody's going to be judged. Just because you have a wicked heart.

[7:35] It's what you allow. To get out. Of that wicked heart. And to come forth. And act upon. And in the criminal trial. Your words. It's your testimony.

[7:46] That's what's weighed. By the judge. By the jury. The testimony. And by thy words. Thou shalt be justified. That is to be declared righteous. Or condemned.

[7:56] That is to be declared guilty. It's going to be you. It's not going to be somebody else. You know what you'll never have? Is an excuse before God. For why. You said what you said.

[8:08] Or did what you did. Or sinned the way you sinned. God is not going to allow you to say. My mom taught me to do it. My dad showed me how to do it. Or he said it was okay. Or my friends did it. You'll never have that.

[8:19] Because it's thy words. In verse 37. That's going to condemn you. And the righteous judge. Will hold you accountable. For your sin. And your guilt. And so you better have.

[8:29] You better just go in knowing that. Go in knowing that he's. This is scary too. Every idle word. Come on. Ugh. I don't even want to think about that.

[8:42] But I should. And the scripture wants me to think about that. The Lord wants to let me know. That I'm going to give an account. Of what I allow out of my mouth. And sometimes we just give ourselves a pass.

[8:55] Sometimes we think. Well I didn't do it. But you said it. Or but you thought it. Or you spread it. Or whatever the case. We'll find out that. There's a. I don't.

[9:05] I don't want to take the time for this. But this book. Talks about the tongue. An awful lot. Talks about your words. An awful lot. Go through the Proverbs. And try to find one proverb.

[9:16] One chapter. That doesn't describe your lips. Or your mouth. Or your tongue. Or something about words. It's all over the book. And we better be careful. About what we allow. To come out of our mouth.

[9:27] With some things we've justified. God may not justify. So Matthew chapter 12. And let's get. Verse number 38. So after all of this. And it's all connected.

[9:39] These words. That he's saying. Or justify. Or condemn them. Going back to what they accused him of. And even earlier in the chapter. At the beginning. When they were accusing. He and his disciples. Of transgressing the law.

[9:49] And breaking the Sabbath. And so forth. After all of this. Verse 38. Then certain of the scribes. And of the Pharisees. Answered saying. Master. We would see a sign from thee. Now I pointed out.

[10:01] The other week. That in one case. They're calling him Beelzebub. And then just a few minutes later. They're saying. Master. We would see a sign of thee. So he stopped them.

[10:13] Dead in their tracks. With the avenue. They were trying to take against him. And they found themselves. They didn't have any argument after that. They were stuck. And so they changed their tone. And now in this case.

[10:24] It's a reply of. I'd call it a guilty conscience. To say. Well then. Master. Just show us a sign. Show us something. That we can follow you.

[10:34] And believe me. As if. Really. As if. He hasn't done enough already. And I think this is. Christ is offended by this. I believe. Because. He. Replies.

[10:45] With pretty strong language. In verse 39. He answered and said unto them. An evil. An adulterous generation. Seeketh after a sign. Now how do you think. They responded to that. After they've.

[10:56] Tried to back off. And tiptoe a little bit. And then he just comes. Right back on them. With there being evil. An adulterous generation. Later. At verse 45.

[11:07] At the end of the verse. You can see the last two words. The last three words. He says. This wicked generation. So he's not going to let up on them. At all. The Jews require a sign.

[11:18] Now the Jews require a sign. To follow a man. And that goes all the way back to Moses. And that's. That's throughout the scriptures. And it even says. Paul says it in the. In the New Testament.

[11:28] In 1 Corinthians. The Jews require a sign. But that's to follow a man. Look at Luke chapter 1. What about to follow God. God himself. Should they be requiring a sign.

[11:42] For that. Or should they be able to exercise faith. And believe him. And do what he says. The principle is here.

[11:53] That man is supposed to follow. God. Without. Need of a sign. And you know what I. You and I have. We have the word of God. And so we don't need a sign.

[12:05] We don't need evidence. To support something. We got the book. And we need to exercise faith in it. Now these Jews. Needed a sign. If they were going to follow a man.

[12:16] Look at Luke chapter 1. This is Zacharias. Going into the temple. And in verse number 11. Says there appeared unto him. An angel of the Lord. Standing on the right side. Of the altar of incense. This is.

[12:27] The first time in his life. And I don't know. That he knows anybody. In the world. That's ever. Had an angel. Appear to them. To date. And so this is. Big time stuff for him.

[12:38] Eye opening. Scary stuff. Verse 12. He saw him. When he was troubled. And fear fell upon him. And the angel tells him. Don't be afraid. No. My prayers heard.

[12:49] And so he tells him. Your wife is going to have a son. She's barren. But. She's going to have a son. You're going to call him John. He's going to go before the Lord. Spirit and power of Elias. And so forth. And in verse 18.

[12:59] Look at his response. Zacharias said unto the angel. Whereby shall I know this? For I'm an old man. My wife. Well stricken. Like what you're telling me. Is not possible physically. So.

[13:10] How do I know. He's asking for a sign. How do I know this is going to be true. Because what you're telling me. Is just not going to happen. On its own. This is a miracle.

[13:21] And you're telling. So I want to see a sign. And look at the angel's response to this. He's offended. And the angel answering. In verse 19. Said unto him. I am Gabriel. Gabriel. This is my answer to you.

[13:32] You want to sign. I'm Gabriel. That stand in the presence of God. What do you mean. You want to sign. This isn't enough. That I came to you. And appeared to you.

[13:43] An angel from the presence of God. In heaven. Came to you. To talk to you. And then you want something to happen. This isn't enough. And he said. I'm sent to speak unto thee.

[13:53] And show thee these God tidings. And here's the sign. That you didn't count on. In verse 20. Behold thou shalt be dumb. And not able to speak. Until the day these things are performed. There's a sign for you.

[14:04] That wasn't. That didn't have to happen. That wasn't part of the plan. But it was him. Seeking a sign. And he didn't need to seek a sign. Because Gabriel was not a man. He was an angel of God.

[14:15] Come on. So there's Jesus Christ's response. When they say in Matthew 12. We would see a sign of thee. He doesn't need to show them a sign. He is their sign.

[14:25] He's the son of God. Come down from heaven. Working miracles. Teaching things they've never heard. Drawing them to God. And preparing. With John the bat. With all that's going on.

[14:36] How could they resist this? Yet they do. And their hearts are hardened. Yet the more. And so in verse 39. Matthew 12. He answered and said unto them. An evil and adulterous generation.

[14:48] Seeketh after a sign. And there shall no sign be given to it. But the sign of the prophet Jonas. What would that be? For as Jonas was three days. And three nights.

[14:59] In the whale's belly. So shall the son of man be three days. And three nights. In the heart of the earth. So Jesus Christ himself. Is going to be the sign. And he's going to fulfill this sign himself.

[15:12] And a few things we get out of here. Number one. One of the biggest problems that man has ever had with the Bible. Is the stories. Like Jonah and the whale.

[15:24] Oh come on. Swallowed by a whale. Three days and three nights. And spit back out. And that's just too far fetched for some people to stomach. No pun intended.

[15:37] Although. And this doesn't help me at all. I don't need this. But you can do a little bit of research. Books written on this stuff. As a matter of fact. Of men being swallowed alive. Some claim to have been in a whale for three days.

[15:49] Some men. Some 36 hours. Some 72 hours. And so. It's not that uncommon. Of a thought. But I don't even. I don't even use that as.

[15:59] To me personally. That doesn't get it. Because that's not even what the sign is. Christ died. Three days. And three nights. And so. Anyway. Jonah's a sign here. And.

[16:11] We learn a few things out of this passage. Number one. Jesus Christ. Attested to the veracity of the scripture. Vouching for. Just like Jonas. He didn't say. Well. Do you guys believe the story of Jonah?

[16:23] You guys think that ever happened? No. He just says. Just like that happened to him. It's going to happen to me. In the heart of the earth. We learn him. Vouching. For the veracity of the scripture. We also see.

[16:35] That. This is not really important here. But in Jonah chapter two. Or in Jonah one. It's called a great fish. And in Matthew chapter 12.

[16:46] It's called a whale. And for some reason. It's not even necessary. But some people. Even Christians. Say. Well. Oh. The Bible made a mistake. Because a fish is a fish.

[16:57] But a whale is a mammal. We know that. That's. That's stuff we learn in elementary school. And so that must be a mistake in the Bible. And my take is. Why is God subject to the classification.

[17:10] That man came up with. To try to sort out. The animal kingdom. If God calls. A great fish. It's because it's a great fish of the sea.

[17:21] And man. Science says. Oh no. Fish are this category. They have these characteristics all together. That's man-made stuff. By the way. God. You don't find that in the word of God. God didn't set that out. To the order.

[17:33] And phylum. Is that the word? Of all the classifications. Thank you. Well. I feel smart today. The order. And the phylum. And I don't know how to. That's all I got. All these.

[17:44] Like. The word of God is not subject to scientists. So. If that seems like a mistake to you. The mistake is not with a book. It's with them. And if they want to classify mammals and fish.

[17:55] And separate them. Have at it. Do what you want. But don't tell me the Bible made a mistake. When he calls it a great fish once. And a whale later. And it was a whale. It was a whale. And that great fish was a whale.

[18:07] And if I was standing out here on the. Over in Malibu. And saw some whales going by. And I'd say. That's a whale. Or I may not even know what it is. But it's great. Whatever it is.

[18:18] It's a great fish to me. In the sea. And there's no problem with the scripture here. It's not a mistake. And do not try to. To fit this book into anybody else.

[18:28] This book is by itself. And the language it uses. Allow it to be so. We learn more. Jonas was three days and three nights. In the whale's belly. And still shall son of man be.

[18:38] Three days and three nights. In the heart of the earth. And so what we learn here. Is the location of hell. From the scriptures. Now it's not something we're going to run references on. But every time you see it.

[18:50] It's always. Thou shalt be brought down. Down to hell. And this planet here. The heart of the earth. On the inside. No matter where you're standing. On this planet. It's always down. Even if you're up in the north pole.

[19:02] Or in the south pole. Or on the equator. It's always below your feet. As far down as you can go. To the heart of the earth. Is where you'll find hell. And you think. Well did Jesus go to hell?

[19:12] Well. According to Acts chapter 2. Want to see it? Look at Acts chapter 2. Let's get Acts 2. And then actually. Let's go to Ephesians chapter 4 first.

[19:31] A little bit of a deeper study here. We'll yield that. Before Christ died. There was compartments. In the lower parts. Of the earth. As the Bible says here.

[19:42] Where there was paradise. At the time. Abraham's bosom. And there was hell. And in Luke chapter 16. We get some light as to that. To the rich man and Lazarus.

[19:53] And I'm speaking about. Across this great gulf fixed. All right. Ephesians 4. Notice in the parentheses. Of verses 9 and 10. Speaking of Christ. Ascending up on high.

[20:05] Now that he ascended. What is it? But that he also descended first. Into the lower parts. Plural. Of the earth. He that descended. Is the same also. That ascended up far above all heavens.

[20:17] And that's the Lord Jesus Christ. So when he died. He descended. And for three days. And three nights. He said he'll be in the. Heart of the earth. Now in Acts chapter 2.

[20:29] Here's a prophecy. And we. I remember reading this. On Easter Sunday. With the resurrection of Christ. And David speaking.

[20:40] For the Lord. In the Psalms. Peter then preaches this. Message. And preaches this scripture of David. Proving that Jesus Christ. Resurrected. And that he was the one David spoke of.

[20:51] Or prophesied of. Verse 25. Acts 2. 25. For David speaketh. Concerning him. I foresaw the Lord. Always before my face. For he is on my right hand.

[21:02] That I should not be moved. Therefore did my heart rejoice. And my tongue was glad. Notice moreover also. My flesh. My body. Up in the grave. Three days and three nights. Shall rest in hope.

[21:14] Because thou wilt not leave my soul. In hell. Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one. To see corruption. He says in verse 31. He's seeing this. That is David. Seeing this before.

[21:25] Spake of the resurrection of Christ. That his soul was not left in hell. Neither did his flesh see corruption. Alright. So we learn about the location of hell.

[21:36] Anyway. It's down. Down. Down. In the heart of the earth. I don't know if you have ever heard this. And it's too ridiculous to me. That some people are duped by this.

[21:47] But the supposed drop the microphone way down. Down, down, down. Deeper into the earth's crust. And we dropped the microphone down so far.

[21:58] That if you listen closely on the recording. You can hear things that are very high pitched. And it sounds like screams. And I don't know if you've ever heard this. Or seen this. But. I mean.

[22:09] If you could see the earth itself. And how far they actually got down. And then started preaching this doctrine of hell. And they recorded men screaming in hell.

[22:21] I think you guys are so gullible. And so quick. And I know a guy who came to our church in Pennsylvania. As an evangelist. And we had a big push for a big Sunday event. And he was the special speaker.

[22:33] And he thought. I'm preaching on hell this morning. And all the. You know. This big evangelistic thrust. And he played that recording. And I just thought. Oh my goodness. What is wrong with you?

[22:44] He actually. He's like. He thought this was groundbreaking stuff. And then. I couldn't bear it. I just googled it a little bit later. And found how. Within minutes.

[22:54] Just some. Quick rebuttals. Of how foolish. That thing is. But how Christians. All over the world. Have been. Oh. This is evidence of hell. And now we need to. You know.

[23:04] Go win the loss. Because we know it's real. Like. That's just like. That. That parable I mentioned. In Luke 16. With Abraham. And the. The rich man and Lazarus. The rich man. Is like. Go home to my brother's head.

[23:15] He has Moses and the prophets. And if he won't hear them. Let him hear. That's the book. He's saying. He's got the word of God. If he won't hear them. He won't be persuaded. If one rose from the dead. And then we'll be persuaded.

[23:26] If they hear the screams. And. It's not real anyway. But. Sorry. I'm getting off on that. It is in the heart of the earth. According to the Lord Jesus Christ. One more thing. That we learn from Matthew chapter 12 here. Is the timing of the crucifixion.

[23:39] Because. Jesus Christ said. Three days. And what's the next phrase? Three nights. So. This old. Traditional. Friday.

[23:50] Roman Catholic. Celebration. Of. Good Friday. Which. What's good about. The day that Christ was. Crucified. And murdered. I mean. God turning back on him.

[24:01] Making his son. To be sin for us. And. Forsaking his son. And this is good. Friday. And the earth becoming dark. And an earthquake. And all. What in the world? And calling that a good day.

[24:13] But then. Friday. Saturday. Sunday. Is there three days. And. On the third day. He rose again. That doesn't add up at all. Believing the word of God. That doesn't add up at all. So Jesus Christ said.

[24:25] I'll be in the heart of the earth. Three days. And three nights. And when you back this up. You end up with. Wednesday. Was the crucifixion. What took place. Started Tuesday night.

[24:36] In the garden. Went. Rolled into Wednesday. Throughout the night. With these trials. Back and forth. To the high priest. To the governors. To the. Another location. Before the Sanhedrin first.

[24:47] And hours and hours. Of back and forth. Before they. Put him up on the cross. And he's on the cross. And there he is. 9 a.m. Hanging on the cross. And all the way up to noon. And throughout that day.

[24:57] And then they bring him down. Because the Sabbath. The special. And high day. According to John. Which wasn't Saturday. That's where everybody gets thrown off. Because they see the Sabbath day. Preparation for the Sabbath.

[25:08] And they don't study the book. And find out that it's a. According to John. It was a high day. A special Sabbath. Which comes. On any particular day of the week. Depending on the year. And that day would have been Thursday.

[25:20] And that would have started. Wednesday at 6 o'clock. And so he was down off of that cross. Wednesday night. Into Thursday. Thursday night.

[25:30] Friday night. And so that's three nights. Three days. And he came up. Before the Sabbath. Or at the end of the Sabbath. Which would have been Saturday. At 6 o'clock.

[25:42] So Friday at 6 is their Sabbath. And it comes. To end at Sabbath. And he's up. After that Sabbath. And when they came. Early in the morning. Before the sun dawned. He's gone.

[25:53] He's already gone. So anyway. That's all. By the way. We could take verse. And verse. And chapter. And passage. And prove that. From this text. And I just ran you through it.

[26:04] In two minutes. But you could take the Bible. And study it. And find this to be true. Believing the words of God. Instead. Let's just say it was Friday.

[26:15] And let's not ever read our Bible. Let's never study our Bible. And let's just. Follow some foolish hoax. For so long. It's sad. But we learned. The timing.

[26:26] Of the crucifixion. Also from this passage. Getting these three days. And three nights. Now. In verse. In verse 41. Christ says.

[26:37] The men of Nineveh. Shall rise in judgment. With this generation. And shall condemn it. They're going to condemn. Or declare. This generation. Of Christ rejecting Jews.

[26:48] Guilty. Because they repented. At the preaching of Jonas. And behold. A greater. Than Jonas. Is here. Now we know. This is Jonah. With an H. From the Old Testament.

[26:59] But Jonah. Coming from Hebrew. Into English. Comes out. J-O-N-A-H. Coming from. Hebrew to Greek. And then to English. It comes out.

[27:10] J-O-N-A-S. And if you've ever. Dealt with any. Translating work. Or tried to fool. With languages. You find out. It's just not as. Clean of an operation. As you would.

[27:20] Suppose it to be. And so these. Translators. Transliterated. The name. Honestly. The way they had it. Before them. In the text. In the manuscript. They had before them. And it came out.

[27:31] Jonas. And we know who it is. The one from. The Old Testament. Minor prophet. And they repented. Nineveh repented. The men of Nineveh. Repented. The preaching of Jonas.

[27:43] And behold. A greater than Jonas. Is here. Now. Yeah. He's greater than Jonas. Without a doubt. In the world. Jonah. Did not have any compassion.

[27:54] On his audience. When we read those four chapters. Back there. He didn't care for them. A lick. He didn't want to preach to them. To start. So he didn't want to leave and go. That's different than Jesus Christ.

[28:05] He willingly went. Jonah didn't go willingly. Jonah didn't care. He preached. And then he went and sat down. And just. Threw a little fit. Because. I know you God. You're going to be merciful to him.

[28:15] I don't want to see that at all. And he pouted. And he complained about the shade. Or he complained about the sun. He complained about the gorgeous. Mully grubbing. As they say. Jonah had no compassion.

[28:26] Jonah could not forgive their sin. Jesus Christ is greater than Jonah. Jonah. He was a bad example. To his converts. Of how to care for souls.

[28:38] And have compassion on them. And how to. He just showed up. And preached his message. Because he had to. And got out of there. And waited for. To see what would happen. But Jesus Christ. Became them.

[28:50] And suffered for them. And died for them. He's by far a greater. Than Jonas. Jonas suffered. Maybe a little. But Jesus Christ suffered a lot. And so then he goes on.

[29:00] To verse number 42. And gives another example. The queen of the south. Shall rise up in judgment. With this generation. And shall condemn it. For she came from the uttermost parts.

[29:10] Of the earth. To hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold. A greater than Solomon. Is here. So the queen of the south. That's in 2nd Chronicles chapter 9. She's the queen of Sheba.

[29:22] And. Jesus is greater than Solomon. And this Jew. This Gentile queen. Then. Has the right. To rise up. And to condemn.

[29:33] This generation of Jews. This Gentile queen. Can stand before these Jews. And condemn them. And say you're guilty. Because you didn't listen to Jesus Christ. Preaching to you. You ignored him.

[29:44] She went and saw Solomon. A type of Christ. Just like Jonah was a type of Christ. In the death. Burial. Resurrection. The Solomon was a type of Jesus Christ. And she came to hear him.

[29:55] And she was uninvited. She was uninvited. But she showed up to hear him. And Israel had their invitation. She came on a report. What she heard.

[30:06] And she said. I've got to see it with my eyes. I've got to see if this is real. This Gentile woman. And these Jews. They had all the evidence in their hands. At their fingertips. And they still rejected him.

[30:17] And she got there and said. Oh my goodness. The half has not been told. When I saw what was all the gold. And all the waiting of the servants. And the joy. And how they're all happy.

[30:27] And serving. Israel though. They had it right in front of them. She came from afar. And Israel. They didn't go anywhere. They had it brought to them. And still rejected it.

[30:38] She spent her money. To take that trip. And she only came to see a man. But these Jews. Had God in front of their face. Didn't spend a dime. Had him come to them. And so she absolutely has the right.

[30:50] To stand in judgment of them. Because of greater than Solomon. Is here. Now he's greater than Jonas. That preacher. He's greater than Solomon. And all the way back.

[31:01] In verse number six. He's greater than the temple. We saw that back. A couple weeks ago. I say unto you. That in this place. Is one greater than the temple. And so. Is Jesus Christ.

[31:12] Is there anything. He's greater than. Their greatest king. As far as wealthiest. And wisest. And the peaceful kingdom. That he had. He's greater than their holy buildings.

[31:24] In the book of Hebrews. That's a very intriguing. And interesting study. He is declared to be better. Than all the elements. Of the Jews religion. It starts with the angels.

[31:35] It goes through the Levitical priesthood. It carries off into the tabernacle. Into the offerings of the tabernacle. And the high priest. And all of these things. In their religion. Their scriptures.

[31:45] He's better than all of it. And here with his own mouth. He declares to this generation. I'm better. I'm greater. Than all of these things. So now we move into an illustration.

[31:56] And we'll probably have to close here shortly. In verse 43. An illustration. To Israel. Likening them. No doubt. In connection to what just happened earlier.

[32:08] Likening them to being possessed. With unclean spirits. It was them that accused him. Of having the devil in him. And so now in verse 43. When the unclean spirit. Is gone out of a man.

[32:19] He walketh through dry places. Seeking rest. And findeth none. Then he saith. I will return into my house. From whence I came out. And when he has come. He findeth it empty.

[32:29] And swept. And garnished. Then goeth he. And taketh with himself. Seven other spirits. More wicked than himself. And they enter in. Dwell there. And the last state of that man. Is worse than the first.

[32:41] Even so. Shall it be also. Unto this wicked generation. Now the way this matches. Is because this generation. Is going to end up worse off.

[32:53] Than they were before. And they're going to. They're so typical. Religion without Jesus Christ. Is a recipe for devils. Trying to be self-righteous.

[33:04] Without God. Is just a recipe. For the devilment. To come in and say. Yeah. You're right. And all the religions. Of this world. That preach religion. And works. And righteousness. Without the Lord Jesus Christ.

[33:16] That's all it is. It's devilment. The unclean spirit here. Leaves his home. The body of a man. And he can't find a place to rest.

[33:27] So he wants to come back home. But when he comes back. Says he finds it empty. Swept and garnished. Garnished meaning decorated. It's empty. As in it's vacant. No one there. It doesn't mean there's no couches there.

[33:39] It means. It's like a hotel room. That's been cleaned. And ready. It's vacancy. You know. Vacancy. The signs lit up. And he comes back.

[33:49] And sees. Hey. There's nobody here. And it's cleaned up. It's better than I left it. And sees that there's been some kind of reformation. But there's no one there. Meaning.

[34:00] No spirit of God there. For sure. So he goes and gets seven other devils. Just like saying. This is quite a place to party guys. This is a great place. And he comes in.

[34:11] And makes it a home. And they dwell there. Come to 2nd Peter chapter 2. And notice a passage here. That could apply directly to this same thought. In 2nd Peter.

[34:23] He's dealing with false teachers. From verse number 1. And the entire chapter. 2nd Peter chapter 2. And we'll pick it up in verse.

[34:41] Number 19. Because a man is overcome. Of somebody. Of the devil.

[34:52] Verse 19. While they promise them liberty. They themselves are the servants of corruption. For of whom. A person. Of whom a man is overcome. Of the same as he brought in bondage.

[35:03] For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world. Through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ. They are again entangled therein. And overcome. The latter end. Is worse with them.

[35:16] Than to the beginning. And this is not somebody that's saved. That loses their salvation in this age. Don't try. That's something that people teach from there. It's not it at all. But somebody's overcome.

[35:27] Brought into bondage. And they escape the pollutions. But then they're entangled again. And overcome. And the latter end. Just like Christ said. The last state of that man.

[35:39] Is worse than the first. And coming back to Matthew. He concludes this section by saying. Even so shall it be unto this wicked generation. What do you think God's going to do with Israel.

[35:50] When they reject his son. And he departs. What's he going to do to that nation? How is he going to receive them? They're worse off. Because they didn't have God or Christ.

[36:02] And now they had it offered. Now he's gone. They rejected it. Where's the light for them? Where's the hope for them? Is it in their righteousness? Paul said they. Going about to establish their own righteousness.

[36:14] Have not submitted themselves. Under the righteousness of God. How are they going to get any better from this? It's not going to get good for them. And they're going to get cast out. And I know I've read this to you a million times.

[36:27] In Matthew chapter 8. He says the children of the kingdom. Shall be cast into outer darkness. There shall be weeping. And gnashing of teeth. It's not going to get better for them.

[36:37] When they reject Jesus Christ. We're running out of time. So I wanted to finish the chapter. But we'll stop there. And Lord willing next week. We'll get into chapter 13. And start seeing how the kingdom of heaven.

[36:51] Is still being taught and portrayed. But now it's in mystery form. Meaning that the Jews have rejected. They've denied. They've accused them of having a devil.

[37:02] And so he's no longer going to be teaching plainly. The truths of the kingdom to them openly. Instead he's going to start to teach it in a way. That you have to have ears to hear.

[37:14] To pick this up and to get it. And so they say it takes shape. In mystery form. The teachings of the kingdom. From here on forward. All right. So we'll stop there. And come back in 10 minutes for church.