[0:00] All right, please join me in Luke chapter number 6. What a great song. Those young ladies, so small young ladies, come up here and then they sing and then they not only fill the room with their voices, but they fill our heart with a love for our Lord.
[0:14] And that's my prayer, that God would tune our heart to praise His name. And that's what I would love for Him to do. Every one of you in here, my prayer for you today, if you come in here today believing or not yet believing, that we would leap here with our hearts tuned to praise His holy name.
[0:30] So many things I'm excited about today. I love a good meal and I love when Lang is cooking. David Burkhart, choir director, said he was going to do the 18-foot jump that we have set up for the kids over here.
[0:41] And I'm going to hold him to that, all right? So I look forward to seeing that. In related news, there will not be choir practice this afternoon, just in case. I love seeing all of you on Sunday morning.
[0:54] I love hearing God's praises sung. And I just love to get to talk about Jesus with people that know and love Him and also people that do not yet know why we love Him so much.
[1:06] Just love to get to talk about our Lord. And that's what you allow me the opportunity to do today. And when we leave here, we are going to sing how deep the Father's love as we close the day because I experience it on such a deep level and I'm so grateful for it.
[1:20] So kind of a review last week, we got into what we call the Sermon on the Mount. And if I was to give a title the last week, I would call it, let me level with you because that's what Jesus did. He did the full disclosure to the disciples.
[1:31] Had Thatcher and a group of friends over here. Thatcher said, nobody will ever sit with me again if you call on them to come up because they're sitting with me. But I looked at them, as Jesus said, and He says, you know, you're going to be poor, you're going to be hungry, you're going to be ridiculed, but we're going to call that blessedness.
[1:46] We're going to say you're blessed because in knowing you'll know Jesus and you're following Jesus. And that's what Jesus said. He talked about the blessings that came, but even though there was a hard life that was going to be lived out by them.
[1:59] The portion before that was a review of all the disciples that were called. And one of them is named Matthew, which was also called Levi. And before we got to this story, the previous story was at his house and Levi had a lot of friends over and those people were celebrating and getting to know Jesus.
[2:17] And then now we're in this story and then we're celebrating our version of Levi's luau because we gather around the table knowing that Jesus, that the Holy Spirit is present in this place as well.
[2:29] And so we're reviewing here, Levi had come to that. And then we've already read today that people had come from Tyre and Sidon. People had come from everywhere. Up to over 150 miles away, people had come to this moment where Jesus is going to speak, where He's up on a mountain.
[2:45] The disciples are following Him. He has a large crowd of people around Him, speaking to people at different levels. Those that He had already called to be apostles are there. Those that are kind of watching on from the distance, meaning that they're not exactly sure who Jesus is.
[2:58] We see a lot of that in the Bible. Those that have not yet believed that He was the Messiah. But some as far as 150 miles have come. I'm always amazed Tyre and Sidon. These are places on the coast.
[3:09] These are places on the beach. Sometimes I'll meet people that move to Alpharetta from the beach and I'm thinking, really, this must be a really nice place. Because if I was born on a beach, I would probably still be on the beach, right? And so these people left the beach to come inland so that they could hear what was going on.
[3:23] The fame of Jesus had spread and now people were coming. And we see that Jesus, what He's teaching, was not just subtracting a little bit from religion, but He was completely replacing some of the things that they had believed.
[3:36] Some of their false teaching that was given to them. We saw how He handled the Sabbath day differently. We saw how He understood fasting differently than they did. And so if you're new to teaching from Jesus, let me show you a few things.
[3:48] At the end of this story, in Matthew chapter number 7, verse number 28, it says, And it came to pass when Jesus had ended these sayings. The people were astonished at His doctrine. When Jesus finishes the sermon that I'm giving today, today is not my sermon.
[4:02] Today is a sermon that Jesus preached. And I'm going to share that with you, how wonderful it is to let Jesus preach His own sermon to you today. But when Jesus preached, they were astonished at His teaching and specifically at the authority in which He spoke.
[4:16] He didn't just know stuff about God. He is God. He didn't just give suggestions. He said, There's either life in what I say or there's death in ignoring it. There's either blessings laid before you or cursings.
[4:28] And so they were astonished by the way that He spoke. When Jesus speaks, He calls people to action. Luke chapter number 4, verses 28 and 29, it says, And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city, and led Him into the brow of the hill, wherein their city was built, that they may cast Him down headlong.
[4:49] When Jesus taught with this authority, people responded, even to the point that they wanted to kill Him before the time had come. I'm really hoping that's not how things end today.
[5:01] All right? For me, as I share Jesus' message with you, but honestly, if I have an option between the two, between you wanting to kill me and you ignoring the message of Jesus and Christian love towards you, I'd much rather you respond than ignore it.
[5:14] And when we hear the teachings of Jesus, you can be filled with wrath or you can be filled with hope, but you cannot ignore it as if it's the teaching of men. Luke 6, 46 and 47, Jesus explains, these are His words at the end of the sermon, And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
[5:33] Whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings and doeth them, I will show you to whom He is like. Jesus demands a verdict when He teach. And we give you an opportunity today.
[5:43] Here, if you're with us today, if you're watching online, the words of Jesus that you're about to hear, they demand a decision in your life. And so we'll see why Jesus, why He teaches, why He has such authority.
[5:55] We read verses 17 through 26. We looked at what we call the Beatitudes. Then we get into a portion in which we call where the woe is given. These four different woes that are in response to the blessing.
[6:08] Stanley Jones was a famous Methodist missionary. He did a lot of work in India. He was invited to Emory University to speak on systematic theology. And a student asked him and they said, what do you think about the Sermon on the Mount?
[6:21] What's some thoughts that you have about it? And all the kids took out their pen, the right, because they knew this great theologian, what would be his thoughts about it. And he said this, he says, at first sight, you felt they turned everything upside down.
[6:35] At second sight, you understand that they turn everything right side up. The first time you read them, they are impossible. The second time you read them, nothing else is possible. Jesus turns everything upside down, or better said, right side up.
[6:50] And that's what He does through the Sermon on the Mount. What you think about love, you're wrong. What you thought about this, you're wrong. What you thought about sacrifice, you're wrong. What you thought about attention, what you thought about having, being celebrated, what you thought about being satisfied in this world, what you thought about wealth, what you thought about all these things, all those things were wrong, because you're going to find that I am the treasure of this world.
[7:11] Blessed be the poor, blessed be that hunger, blessed be that weep, blessed be when men hate you. The treasure that is going to be set them apart, not dietary laws, not Sabbath rules, but the fact that they had been with Jesus was going to be the distinctive mark upon these disciples.
[7:28] And that's where we left. So I left you with this last week, summarizing Jesus' words. You're going to be blessed even when you're poor because you understand that I'm the real treasure. You're going to be blessed even when you're hungry because you understand that I am the bread of life.
[7:42] You're going to be blessed even when you're weeping because you know that I've come, came to bring joy, and expressible and full of glory. You're going to be blessed even when you're friendless because I am the friend of sinners and I will never leave or forsake you.
[7:54] You're going to be blessed even when you're persecuted for my sake because frankly, I am worth it. The blessings of following Jesus out are opposite of what the world would tell you blessings are.
[8:06] And it says not just when, and then when you are ridiculed for the sake of Christ, you should leap with joy because we are associated with him. And so now the key isn't about being poor, we know, but it's about being his disciples.
[8:19] And he lifted up his eyes unto the disciples. I mean, if being poor was the job, that would be very easy. All of us could be poor by the end of the day. Just give me access to your bank account, spends a little bit of time with me, give my wife your credit card, send her the Target for an afternoon.
[8:33] You would come back and I can make all of you poor, all right, very quickly. So if being poor made you blessed, we could get there very quickly. But that wasn't what it was. It was saying that you are my disciples, that even if you are poor, you are blessed.
[8:48] But poverty doesn't bring the blessings, but living for the son of man's sake, for cast out your name as evil for the son of man's sake. So poverty, hunger, sorrow, rejection, a blessing, riches, satisfaction, happiness, popularity, a curse.
[9:04] He's turning everything upside right. Right. So here's the four woes. The rich, the satisfied, and the happy, and the celebrated. There is a woe unto you.
[9:15] Woe is not a word that we use very often, unless you rode a horse and carriage to get here the day. You might have had to use woe a few times, and appropriate use of it, right, is to say, hey horse, if you're not listening, there's going to be a punishment for you here.
[9:27] But we don't use woe very often. But in the Bible, when the prophets warned people of condemnation, they would often begin with the word woe. Woe refers to unrelenting sorrow, pain, and agony, the kind that cannot be relieved.
[9:41] Woe crushes a person. And when prophets pronounce a woe against people, the woe comes at the hand of God's condemnation. So we need to listen carefully, right? We come today, invite us to have a party, and to celebrate, and to eat, and to be satisfied.
[9:56] And then now here at 1110, just a little bit before the meal, I'm telling you, woe to you that are satisfied and content and that are not hungry. So it's going to be very important that we understand what Jesus is saying or not.
[10:07] We should leave here today and make ourselves poor, skip out on the meal, not have any laughter, if that was what Jesus was saying. But we'll see here in verse 24, but woe unto you that are rich, for you have received your consolation.
[10:19] We're not speaking of financial wealth. Abraham, Job, others in the Bible were people that would be considered wealthy, that the ability to gain wealth is a gift from God. But in contrast, what does it mean to not be rich in this way?
[10:32] Blessed are the poor in spirit. The poor will be blessed because they are needy. But the rich who believe that they are good enough have already received their consolation. You're getting, because you think you have everything in this world, you're getting all that you think that you need.
[10:46] That is your consolation. Here's an example of a rich man, maybe not one that you would think about, but it comes from Matthew 6 too. Therefore, when thou dost thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.
[11:01] Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. They have their consolation. They are living as rich people who say, I don't need anything. I have everything that I need.
[11:12] And how impossible is it if you come to God rich in your heart, so full that you don't think that you need anything? The Bible not only says it's difficult, the Bible says it's impossible.
[11:23] In Luke chapter number 18, verse 25, what does it say? That it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle and then for a rich person to come to know the Lord, to know Christ, because when we come to Him, we cannot come rich, we cannot come full, but we must come broken and poor.
[11:42] And so the danger in money is not the money in itself, but it's the love that becomes a competing love. 1 Timothy 6, 10, for the love of money is the root of all evil. I'm sure you've heard it said many times that money is the root of all evil, but the verse says it's the love of money, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through the many sorrows, that competing love that we have in our heart to gain wealth, competing with a brokenness to say, God, you are my treasure.
[12:11] And if you have that today, the words of Jesus are woe unto you, that He must be your treasure. Another group of people here is verse 25, woe unto you that are full, for you shall hunger.
[12:22] And so we're talking about those that are satisfied, that are full. The poor in spirit mourn their sinful state and hunger for a closer relationship with God. The rich in spirit already satisfied with their lot in life.
[12:34] The song these young ladies said was just so wonderful, right? As a deer that would thirst for water is what the Bible tells us that we ought to come to God, that we hunger and we thirst for Him.
[12:46] And so there's a contrast here, blessed with those that are hunger, that are hungry. The hungry talking about people who don't have any food, He's talking about people who are hungry for righteousness. Blessed are those that feel that emptiness.
[12:58] Blessed are those who know that they aren't righteous. They feel it, they are starved for it. What a description of what we felt when that conviction came upon our lives.
[13:10] The day that my teenage sister shared with me the gospel of Jesus and told me, it doesn't matter that you're a good kid. It doesn't matter to me that you're nice to the neighbors.
[13:21] It doesn't matter to me that you don't say bad words. It doesn't matter to me that all these things, that you are empty and that you should hunger for righteousness. When Thatcher was born, I wrote some articles for an online newspaper and I'm sure seven people read it around here, the coming patch.
[13:39] And one of the things I wrote was the fear of raising my kids in Alpharetta because in the bigness of the city, there's a real danger of having a small worldview. Is that because everything seems to be connected oftentimes with happiness.
[13:53] Is that we have everything that you could ever want and if there's anything that we want, they will tax us and they will give it to us, right? Everything that you can ever imagine is around here. But that's the danger is that we would be satisfied, that I would raise kids that are satisfied with all that's around them and they would never know what it's like, the hunger.
[14:13] We said on the passage about fasting. Many times we don't know what fasting is like. We don't know what it means when the Bible says hunger for the things of God because we forgot what hunger was like, period, right?
[14:25] And do you know what, remember what it's like to hunger for Him. And so the struggle of earthly riches provide. Verse 21 of Mark 10 says, Then Jesus, beholding Him, loved Him and said unto Him, One thing thou lackest.
[14:35] Go thy way and sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor that thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come and take up the cross and follow me. And He was sad at that saying and went away grieved for He had great possessions.
[14:48] The problem here, it says that one thing thou lacked, man had everything that earth could give for him, right? But what was the thing that he lacked? It was the thing that he could only get from God, forgiveness of sins.
[14:59] And that He had great possessions wasn't the problem, but that great possessions had Him. And because they had Him, He could not hunger for the things that He was missing. Verse 25, Woe unto you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.
[15:14] And I am so glad that this is not condemnation towards laughing. Laughing is one of my favorite things to do. And I know T. Wayne. T. Wayne would have been in a lot of trouble today if laughing was a problem.
[15:25] He loves the laugh, all right? And so not pronouncing judgment on happy people, that would be absurd. If you're satisfied with your life, you will never seek to know the creator of the universe. One of my favorite films of all time has this Robin Hood and he is a fox, all right?
[15:41] It's the cartoon version of Robin Hood, all right? And there's a song that gets in my head a lot and I whistle it. I don't think I could right now. But it goes like this. Every town has its ups and downs.
[15:53] Sometimes ups outnumber the downs, but not in Nottingham. Thank you so much, right, Dudley? Wow, that's a deep voice. I really thought God had spoken for a moment, all right, Dudley over there.
[16:05] But not in Nottingham. And so it says, sometimes your ups outnumber your downs. That's where I like to live. I like to live when my ups outnumber my downs in life.
[16:16] And God has given us all things to enjoy and that we have a joy about our lives. But there's no joy, there's no happiness outside of him. Jesus speaking to the scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew 23, verse 27, it says, But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
[16:34] For you are likened to whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and are of uncleanliness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous on the men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
[16:48] That you appear to be one thing, but you're not. That you are dead on the inside. There's no real joy and happiness. There's no contentment. You are not satisfied because you have not found your righteousness in him.
[16:59] So all you can do is paint a picture of hypocrisy that is there. And often times in the church we are criticized for being people that are hypocritical, but we also know there's hypocritical people at Walmart, there's hypocritical people at work, there's hypocritical people you look at in the mirror, and anybody that is saying that my life is complete and full outside of Jesus, then you are hypocritical.
[17:21] If you profess to be a believer or not, and Jesus said that, you are a hypocrite here to pretend to be these things. So Jesus is not calling that man away from a treasure, but he's calling them to a real treasure, a treasure that is in heaven, Mark 10, 21, to take up our cross and to follow him.
[17:39] And what he is doing, he is providing a real and an eternal joy. He's not taking away pleasure, but he's satisfying us with him. So laughter is not forbidden, as we already saw in Luke, that we should leap with joy and the opportunity to follow Jesus.
[17:53] We should be the happiest of all people. We should be the most satisfied of all people. We should see ourselves as the most rich of all people. And so it's a laughter that is respectful to the Son of Man.
[18:05] And any laughter and foolishness in this world that is not in reverence to the Son of Man will lead to mourning. Living a life of shallowness where you're just enjoying the day, eat, drink, and marry because that's all there is underneath the Son.
[18:20] But there's more than a life underneath the Son. And there's the God. And then the last woe we have here is the celebrated. Woe unto you, verse 26, when all men shall speak well of you, for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
[18:34] We like it when people speak well about us. This is directed probably to the temple priest and to the scribes. They loved adoration, the money that would have been made of them, the power that they had. Here is priest, and we love it.
[18:45] And they said, woe unto you, because remember, there was another group of people that they spoke well of, and that was the false prophets. But verse 20 said, Luke 10, but rather rejoice.
[18:57] It says, notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven. You want to be known anywhere in this world?
[19:10] It's not in the newspaper. You want to be known anywhere in this world, in this universe? Rejoice today, brothers and sisters in Christ, that your name is written in heaven because it's the only headline that will ever matter in all of eternity.
[19:25] It's the only celebration that you could ever have is that the God of heaven would know you. That's an incredible thing. That is something that we can offer you today through the gospel is that your name can be written in heaven.
[19:39] That is what we should rejoice in. The disciples said, we're casting out demons, we're casting out all these things, and it's so great to be able to have this in Luke 9. God is going to give them authority. It's so great. And Jesus said, that is not what you should be rejoicing in.
[19:53] There's nothing on this earth that is of greater value than your name is written. And I'm praying today that every one of you have your name written down in heaven. And if not, today would be the day. If you're listening online, I pray that you would not let a moment pass where you would not decide that you would make a decision to respond to Jesus in faith here.
[20:11] And so he is offering us so much more than we can imagine, not less. So earthly riches, we have something better. We put up treasure in heaven where neither moth nor dust has crept. Temporarily satisfied, we find the bread of life where we will hunger no more.
[20:25] Being happy today, we get an eternal joy and a contentment in finding joy in someone that will never die. Remember when I told you about the story of the rich man? Why is it that Jesus offers something greater to us?
[20:38] I hope you didn't miss in verse number 21, it says, Then Jesus beholding him loved him and said unto him, Not one thing thou lackest. Jesus looked upon this rich man that thought he had everything and when he looked at him, he loved him.
[20:54] You know, I told you a few weeks ago that Jesus loves all the children of the world and he loves all the tax collectors of the world and he loves all of them no matter how much they're an outcast in this world, but Jesus also loves those today that are rich, that are satisfied, and they're happy, and they're celebrated and he looks upon them today and he loves them.
[21:15] Jesus loves all the people of the world enough to tell them the truth. Just because God loves all the children does not mean that we're all his children, but he loves all of us and so the context here is that Jesus loves this man who feels satisfied without him.
[21:29] A man who says, I don't need you for contentment. I have everything that I could ever need. I am rich. I'm satisfied. I'm happy. I do not need Jesus. When Jesus looked at that man, in that condition, Jesus loved him and he loved me when he saw me and he loves you today and so there's more than a luau being offered you today.
[21:47] There is a kingdom that is being offered from God. Luke 12, 32, Fear not, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that you have and give alms and provide yourselves bags which wax not old and treasures in heaven that felleth not.
[22:01] Where there no thief approaches, neither moth does corrupt. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Fear not, little flock. It's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
[22:13] He is a king. He is a shepherd. But it's his good pleasure today to give you the kingdom. So all those things that have filled your heart outside of him, do whatever it takes to remove them from your life.
[22:26] Sell them. Take them the goodwill. Turn your back on them. Say that all these things that I once satisfied me, I have turned my back on them. And in you alone, Jesus, do I put my faith and trust.
[22:36] In you I will call myself rich. In you I will be satisfied. In you I will find laughter. And all the things that I could ever want from this world are found in you. The father's good pleasure. It's why in Isaiah 53, speaking about the son headed to the cross, speaking about the father who said the travail of his soul, he would be satisfied.
[22:56] Jesus in Hebrews 12, 2, as Jesus was looking to the cross, it said for the joy set before him because it was God's good pleasure that his son would die in our place.
[23:07] And so we have a motivation that's set before us. It says, now you hunger, but you shall laugh. He's replacing what we have now for something in the future. But the reward is not just laughter in the future and not just being satisfied in heaven someday, but the reward is God himself.
[23:24] John 17, verse 3, and this is life eternal, that you may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. That is satisfaction.
[23:35] That is wealth. That is laughter. That is joy. That is not just the path to getting those things. That is life. Knowing Jesus is life.
[23:46] And it can start for you today. But there's also a great warning. For you have received your consolation, but one day you will mourn and you will weep. If you're satisfied with the things of this world, if you're happy to be celebrated and rich outside of Jesus and not knowing him, you have your consolation.
[24:04] You are living your best life now and you don't have any thoughts of the one to come. Someday there will be a mourning and there will be a weeping that is going to happen. And so, through this, we can understand the love of God, that we can witness the grace of God that would abound in our hearts and joy, that we're motivated here that he would give us, that your reward shall be great.
[24:25] But our reward, when I put my faith in Jesus, it's not a selfish kind of reward that I'm looking for, but it's the kind of love that says, I want other people to enjoy this. That I know that there's a reward for me and I'm motivated knowing someday that there's a reward for me isn't a selfish one where I'm only worried about myself, but it's a reward that I get to share with every one of you, that I get to tell you about, that we can share in here.
[24:48] Moses said, it was said about Moses in Hebrews like this, and Moses about, in Hebrews 11, speaking of Moses, it says, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
[25:04] I know that there's a day that's coming where there will be a great reward that is set for me, but I am not just thinking about that. I'm thinking about how I can share that with you here today, because I think of the reward that is in heaven, that is offered to me by Christ, which is chiefly to know him and to enjoy him for all eternity, but also I know that I have turned my back upon these things that the world has to offer, that I would count them as a reproach as in comparison to Christ, that I would not want these things that the world offers.
[25:36] And so Moses doesn't want the consolations of riches that are offered to him, but he wants what would be given to him by God. And every one of you in here, you were not once a child in a basket who was raised in a kingdom, who had a choice to have all the wealth of Egypt and that had to make a decision, but you are a person today that has all kinds of temporary riches in front of you and you can say, I will either associate myself and find my contentment in all the things of this world and the world's creating new things every moment to help you be satisfied and they will always be promoting to you that they're going to be satisfied.
[26:13] And so you're either going to have to make a decision like Moses and say, I'm either going to find my happiness and be associated with the things of this world or I'm going to count them as a reproach and I'm going to look for the things that are God and hear.
[26:27] And so Jesus is speaking here and people, why would he speak in parables? In Matthew 13, he says that. He's explaining to them verse 13, 13, therefore I speak to them in parables because seeing they see not and hearing they hear not neither do they understand.
[26:42] Jesus speaks in parables because he's wanting to know, will you listen and will you reverence me? Will you listen? Will you dismiss the words that I have that I say as unimportant? The day Jesus preaches his message from the Sermon on the Mount and if you mount and he wasn't playing baseball, right, from the Sermon on the Mount and as Jesus preaches that message to you the day and speaking in parables, the question is, do you have ears to hear?
[27:07] Are you listening? Do you have a reverence for him? Do you know that he is the creator of the universe? Do you know that there's a blessing offered to you but there's also a woe that is to you? And then not only did he speak in parables but he also speaks in real literal stories in Luke chapter number 16.
[27:24] He gives a story about a man named Lazarus that when he dies and here's the story that he gives and Abraham said, son, remember thou that thou in thy lifetime receivest the good things and likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented.
[27:42] There was a story, a real story of a man named Lazarus that in heaven he had all the satisfaction he needed because he's found his contentment and trust in Christ but there was a rich man that on earth he had everything that he could ever imagine but he didn't turn to Christ and now he is tormented and he has nothing and that's how Jesus turns everything upside right.
[28:05] It is the great reversal that things are not as they presently seem. In that same story it says, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.
[28:18] This poor beggar man he hungered here on earth but today he is completely satisfied and one day I will sit with this beggar man at a marriage feast that is prepared and I will know that that man has not hungered since the day that he has been in the presence of Jesus but on earth he hungered and now he is satisfied and I ask you have you ever hungered for the righteousness that can only be given to you by Jesus Christ or have you lived your entire life believing what you're eating from the things of this world will be enough and if you're satisfied today you will be hungry for all eternity but if you hunger and thirst for him today you will be satisfied not only today but forever.
[29:05] Today no matter where you came in here you can pray that you would see yourself as poor and hungry outside of Jesus and you must recognize that you're undeserving but a recipient of God's love and so that's why later we will sing how deep the Father's love and it is for every one of us and the story does not start with this with you and what you have done but it starts with all that he has done.
[29:32] I close today with one of my favorite stories by Alistair Begg some of you know it that exemplifies the truth that we're speaking about today in here and surely if you might come to the piano so the story as you know Jesus is upon the cross and he has two men upon him that are both guilty of the sins that they committed but one of them they're cursing at him and swearing at him but one man puts his faith in Christ doesn't he that day and so the way the story goes and I just love it the man gets to heaven and he goes upon the gates and they say why should you be allowed into this place right why should you be allowed into heaven and this isn't how heaven is going to be but it makes for a good story right and so the man comes and he says why should I allow you into heaven why should you be here were you ever baptized or did you ever go did you ever teach a bible study did you ever go through foundations at Vision Baptist Church did you do any of these things what could you tell me about the preservation of scriptures and he says you know I don't know about those things and he would say and he asked him some more questions and he says on what merit should you be allowed never being part of all these things not knowing these things why should you be here the day and he said the man on the middle cross said I could come how wonderful is that the only reason
[30:49] I will ever get to go to heaven is not based on merit but I recognized that I was hungry and thirsty and I received the righteousness of God and someday when I enter into heaven my answer is the man on the middle cross said I could come because I came to him hungry and poor and not satisfied with the things of this world and I want you to know the day that the man on the middle cross he says you could come he'd need to meet Jesus Christ today I don't know where you're at but I want to urge you the day that if there's anyone in here the day that does know Jesus Christ doesn't matter if you grew up in church or you're just visiting with us or you're watching on life the man on the middle cross said you could come and you need to put your faith and trust in him you need to stop holding on to the religion you need to stop holding on to what somebody told you about the past and you need to recognize that without him you are broken and you're undone and you will live in poverty and you will be hungry for all eternity but the day you can be satisfied in him and I will beg you to respond to this message let's pray together heavenly father
[31:52] I pray the day Lord not knowing the hearts of people in here but knowing that if there is someone in here the day that has never come to you hungry and thirsty that today would be the day they would recognize their need of you and that they would hunger and thirst after you Lord now in this moment and that they would not find satisfaction in anything else Lord I pray that you would bind Satan from this place protect the minds and the hearts of people that have decisions that need to be made with every head bowed and every eye closed and as the piano was beginning to pray I want to urge you the day to make a decision for Jesus Christ I want to urge you to come hungry and to come thirsty today and this is how I'm going to ask you to respond if you're watching online I'm going to ask that you would reach out to us so that I could meet with you this week and we could get together but if you're in this room today there's a couple of them back a man and a woman with the word of God they will take you to a room they will privately answer all of your questions and you just tell them they are hungry and you are thirsty and from the word of God they will show you where you can eat today and where you can find satisfaction so can I urge you today and hear today if you do not know
[33:03] Jesus Christ would you get up out of your seat would you go to the back of this room would you get the answers that you so desperately need about Jesus as the invitation continues and we give you plenty of time we'd never do anything to embarrass you I speak to a moment here as believers there is nothing in this world that will ever satisfy you are satisfied in Jesus at the gospel don't be going to him to this world for anything else would you rejoice today would you recognize that you are rich and you are content and you can laugh now in the name of the son of Jesus Christ and would you thank him for the fullness would you go back into that time in your life where you were once empty and hungry and take a moment and just realize that your heart is now full and overflowing and let that overflow go out into this world I'm going to take a moment and pray for you and hear them that are unbelieving and that today would be the day of salvation and here in a moment I'll come back and close us with a word of prayer before Chris leads us in a song and let that ...
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