The text before us today is Mark chapter 12, verse 38 through 44.
Now, let me remind you before we read this where we are.
! We're in the Passion Week.
Jesus is now in Jerusalem.
On Friday, He will be crucified.
And this is Wednesday.
And we've been here for a while now in Wednesday.
And we'll be here for about a month more.
On Monday, He entered into Jerusalem.
The praise of the people.
The triumphal entry is what it's often called.
Tuesday, He goes back in.
He goes out for a while.
He goes back in.
He takes over the temple by overturning the money changers' tables
and stopping the court of Gentiles from being used as a thoroughfare.
And then on Wednesday, He's now encountered this wave of confrontations.
First from the Pharisees, along with a political group called the Herodians.
Then the Sadducees.
And then a scribe.
One who's a professional in the law.
And in verse 34 of chapter 12, we see,
And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.
Because all who had come to Him, who had sought to make a fool of Him,
He turned back around and made fools of them.
And so they've ceased asking questions.
And in verse 35, He then begins to teach.
Let's read together, beginning in verse 38.
And in His teaching, He said,
Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes
and like greetings in the marketplaces
and have the best seats in the synagogues
and the places of honor at feasts,
who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers.
They will receive the greater condemnation.
And He sat down opposite the treasury
and watched the people putting money into the offering box.
Many rich people put in large sums.
And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins,
which make a penny.
And He called His disciples to Him and said to them,
Truly I say to you,
this poor widow has put in more than all those
who are contributing to the offering box,
for they all contributed out of their abundance,
but she, out of her poverty,
has put in everything she had,
all she had to live on.
This is God's Word to us.
It was written for His good,
or excuse me, for His glory,
and our good.
My brain is still catching up this morning.
We would all do well to listen to it
in order to believe its promises
and obey its commands.
Let's pray together.
Father God, we certainly do praise You this morning
for the blessing of Your Word,
for becoming an author,
for inspiring men by Your Spirit
to pen these words for us today.
Father, we ask for a great miracle in my speaking,
that You would guard me from air,
that I would lead people well by Your Word.
And we also ask for a great miracle in the hearing,
that the Spirit would apply the words that I speak
concerning Your Word
to people's hearts appropriately,
that they might respond appropriately.
All of this to the praise of Your glorious name.
And we pray this in Christ's name.
Amen.
So, as I said, we are in Wednesday.
And just to give you a little bit of an idea
of where we're headed to,
at the end of chapter 12,
Jesus heads out of the temple
and continues to teach about the end of all things
through the end of chapter 13.
Beginning of chapter 14,
we'll then get into Thursday.
I've managed to sit down and plot out the timeline
for the rest of Mark.
And praise God,
we get to actually preach on the resurrection on Easter.
I'm so thankful that it turned out in that way.
So you may be asking,
why is it that these two texts are placed together?
Why 38 through 40 and then 41 through 44?
Because certainly those two things
seem to be able to stand alone.
And we could.
It could be preached that way.
Though I think you'll find,
and I'll hope to show you,
the great theme that exists
between the two of them.
They are actually tied together thematically.
I'm not doing that just to keep the timeline
of getting us to the resurrection on Easter.
Very important that we wrap our minds around
why Jesus says the one,
and then He says the next.
And the major theme that ties it together
is this nature,
this situation that's before them
of these false teachers.
Jesus here calls them scribes.
For a particular group,
although they weren't an official religious group,
they weren't an official political faction,
they were just the extra learned men.
Most likely Pharisees.
This was typically the case.
These men were experts in the law.
They knew the law very, very well.
They were the theologians,
so to speak, of the day.
John MacArthur said,
the Jews had a saying
that Moses received the law
and gave it to Joshua.
Joshua received the law
and gave it to the elders.
The elders received the law
and gave it to the prophets.
The prophets received the law
and gave it to the scribes.
They were the professionals.
They were the experts of this day.
And everybody trusted them
and hung on what it was they had to say
concerning the law.
But Jesus gives to us
a very strong warning
concerning these men.
He says to us,
beware of the scribes.
Strong warning.
And let me say to you
that as a general habit,
it is healthy and right
to be known for what we're for
rather than for what we're against.
Although,
there's a great deal of value at times.
From time to time to stop
and to recognize the wrong
in order to maintain the right.
And this is what Jesus is doing here.
He's making a very emphatic point
to the disciples
and those others
that are listening to Him
that this is not the way
to worship God.
There's a right way
to worship the right God.
And these men
really worship themselves,
but in this pursuit
of worshiping God,
were doing so wrongly.
In fact, they were apostate.
They were outside
any favor of God's blessing.
And they were leading the people
in the same way.
Jesus says some very stark things
about them
that they are sons of Satan
and they're making sons of Satan.
Matthew 23, 15 says,
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites!
For you travel across sea and land
to make a single proselytite
or convert.
And when he becomes
a proselytite,
you make him twice as much
a child of hell
as yourselves.
They were leading people astray.
And you have to understand
that there's not a continuum
for the way in which people are led.
You either are going to lead people
in the way of God
or you're going to lead people
in the way of Satan.
And that's where these men
find themselves.
Now, there's a scope to this warning
which exists all throughout
the Scriptures.
I'll give you one Old Testament example.
Ezekiel 13,
false prophets are condemned.
And in chapter 14,
idolatrous elders are condemned
for the way in which
they led the people astray.
Jesus said in Matthew 7, 15,
beware of false prophets
who come to you
in sheep's clothing,
but inwardly are ravenous wolves
dressed up.
They look good on the outside,
but truly they come
to devour and to destroy.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11,
verse 13 through 15,
for such men are false apostles,
deceitful workmen,
disguising themselves
as apostles of Christ.
And no wonder,
for even Satan disguises himself
as an angel of light.
So it is no surprise
of his servants
also disguise themselves
as servants of righteousness.
Put on the dressings,
the trappings of good,
but ultimately,
they're aimed at evil.
Paul makes an emphatic charge
to Timothy in 1 Timothy
on a number of occasions.
I'll let you read those
on your own later.
Chapter 1, verses 3 through 7.
Chapter 4, verses 1 and 2.
Chapter 6, verses 3 through 5.
The major charge to him
is that he preserve sound doctrine
among the church at Ephesus.
Peter also gives warning to this
in 2 Peter 2, verse 1.
But false prophets
also arose among the people,
just as there will be
false teachers among you
who will secretly bring in
destructive heresies,
even denying the Master
who bought them,
bringing upon themselves
swift destruction.
1 John 4, verse 1.
Many false prophets
have gone out into the world.
And so this is to be
the reality of things,
that in this day,
there was warning about it
in the Old Testament.
Jesus said it would be true.
Certainly there are scribes
in this day
that he is giving strong
warning against.
And the apostles warn
in those churches
it would be true
as well as in our day.
And it's certainly
our experience at this
is the case.
Many false teachers
leading people ultimately astray.
And we tend to categorically
put some people way off,
way off in left field
who do this very thing.
But there really isn't a spectrum.
This makes me tremble.
I want to rightly handle
the Word of God.
I cannot say to you
that I have never erred.
I am sure that I have.
Probably someday
I will go back
and listen to some old
recording of a sermon
and ask that it all be destroyed
because I messed it up.
If we do not walk in the truth,
then we walk in a lie.
Any believable lie
contains within it
some measure of truth.
This is the great deception of Satan.
He takes things that are true
and he distorts them.
Things that are bizarrely false
no one believes.
It's a very bizarre lie
and no one would ever believe it.
But if you anchor it
in some truth,
then it becomes believable.
And this is the great deception
of Satan.
And therefore,
all men who even speak
some truth,
but yet mixed within it lies,
are they themselves not liars?
Servants of Satan.
It's a great strong warning here.
Beware.
This is the exhortation
that Jesus is giving to us.
Beware.
The explicit thing
that He's trying to tell us.
But what can we draw out
of who these people are?
How can we help to identify
these people?
And He gives to us
some nature.
So we see a warning
firstly in verse 38.
Then going on,
verse 38,
and into the following,
we see the nature
of their hypocrisy.
It says,
to like to walk around
in long robes
and like greetings
in the marketplaces
and have the best seats
in the synagogues
and the places of honor
at feasts
who devour widows' houses
and for pretense
make long prayers.
These men like to walk around
in their ceremonial robes,
these long decorative robes
so they can be picked out
of a crowd
so you can see them coming
and know that here comes
a great learned man,
a wonderful follower of God.
In the parallel passage,
Matthew 23,
Matthew records
that they make their fringes long.
At the bottom of these robes
were blue fringes.
In fact,
it was commanded
in Numbers 15
that the Jewish people
were to put little blue tassels
on the bottom of their robes
to identify themselves as Jews
and to identify themselves
as those who gave their attention
to God
and their attention
to God's word.
It was meant to be a reminder
of this very thing.
In fact,
in Matthew 9,
verse 20,
most of you are familiar
with the miracle
of the woman
with the discharge of blood
who touches the fringes
of Jesus' garment.
That's what she touched
were these tassels
that would have been
on the edge
of his garment.
So it wasn't wrong
to do that,
but these men
were elevating.
They were making
their tassels extra long
to say to others,
we are extra devoted.
We are extra followers
of God.
Please pay attention to us
and what it is
we have to say.
They like to walk around
in these long robes
and they like to receive
greetings
in the marketplaces.
Now,
he's not talking here
about people saying
hello to them.
I like it when people say
hello to me.
He's talking about
pomp and circumstance
type of greetings.
Again,
in the parallel passage,
Matthew 23,
verse 7,
it adds that they like
to be called
rabbi
or teacher
or my master.
This is a great,
high,
elevated title
given to these men,
which is why
I don't care much
at all for titles.
You'll never hear me
call myself
Pastor Nathan.
My email
just is Nathan
at our website.
If you want to call me
Pastor,
I consider that an honor,
but I don't seek out
that type of thing.
This type of title
is a lot like
people who earn
PhDs
or doctors of ministry
and want to be called
doctor.
Now,
clearly,
it is a lot of work.
It's a massive amount
of work to earn
these degrees
and MD,
I will include
in that.
And in some sense,
these people deserve
to be called
doctor.
In fact,
I will call
anybody doctor
until they ask me
to do it.
They deserve
some commendation
for them,
but as soon as
somebody says,
oh,
excuse me,
that's doctor
so-and-so,
well,
they have just
ensured that
I will never
call them
doctor so-and-so.
We get on a
first-name basis
at that point.
This is what
these men
are looking for.
Oh,
great,
learned doctor,
rabbi,
let us step
out of your way
and let you
pass.
This type of
honor is what
they sought
in the market
places.
In addition to
that,
they sought
the best seats
in the synagogues
and the places
of honor
at feasts.
They wanted
to be placed
first in all
of their social
circumstances.
When they gathered
for worship
together and
when they gathered
to eat food,
they wanted
to be placed
at the very
highest place
to be shown
honor in that
way.
Jesus has
been speaking
directly against
this type
of attitude
leading up
to our text
today.
Flip back
just a couple
of pages
starting in
Mark 8,
verse 34.
I've shown you
this theme
a number of times.
I want to show
you to it once more.
Mark 8,
34-36.
If anyone
would come
after me,
let him deny
himself
and take up
his cross
and follow me.
This is
antithesis
to long
fringed
robes
and seeking
honor in
things.
Verse 35,
for whoever
would save
his life
will lose it,
but whoever
loses his life
for my sake
in the Gospels
will save it.
For what
does it
profit a man
to gain
the whole
world
and to
forfeit
his soul?
To gain
all of that
honor,
but yet
to be found
outside the
faith.
Chapter 9,
verse 35,
If anyone
will be
first,
he must
be last
of all
and servant
of all.
Not self-exalting,
but self-emptying
in service
to others.
Chapter 10,
verse 44
and 45,
and Jesus
then gives
to us
the extent
of this
sacrifice.
Whoever
would be
first among
you must
be slave
of all.
For even
the Son
of Man
came
not to
be served,
but to
serve,
and to
give his
life
as a
ransom
for many.
To show
honor to
other people,
to love
them even
to the
point
of death.
Jesus
told a
parable
that's
recorded
in Luke
chapter 14,
beginning
in verse
7.
He says,
Now he
told a
parable
to those
that were
invited
when he
noticed
how they
chose
the
places
of honor,
saying
to them,
When you
are invited
by someone
to a
wedding
feast,
do not
sit down
in a
place
of honor,
lest
someone
more
distinguished
than
you
be invited
by him.
And he
who
invited
you
both
will
come
and
say
to
you,
Give
your
place
to
this
person,
and
then
you
will
begin
with
shame
to
take
the
lowest
place.
But
when
you
are
invited,
go
and
sit
in
the
lowest
place,
so that
when
your
host
comes,
he
may
say
to
you,
friend,
move
up
higher.
Then
you
will
be
honored
in
the
presence
of
all
who
sit
at
table
with
you.
For
everyone
who
exalts
himself
will
be
humbled,
and
he
who
humbles
himself
will
be
exalted.
And
he's
speaking
an
indictment
on
these
men
who
place
themselves
in
positions
of
honor.
And
the
groomsmen
will
come
to
them
one
day
and
put
them
in
the
lowliest
of
places.
That
is
the
place
of
eternal
destruction.
They
thought
that
they
deserved
the
favor
of
God,
that
they
as we
ought
to,
putting
ourselves
in
the
lowliest
place.
Certainly
we
deserve
eternal
damnation
for our
sin,
and yet
the
groom
will
come
to
us
and
say,
please
come
and
sit
in
this
honored
place.
Jesus
was
never
self-exalting.
In fact,
he was
constantly
self-abasing,
constantly
pointing to
God the
Father as
the source
of all
the things
that he
did.
He
did
nothing
on his
own
initiative.
John
records this
for us
again and
again.
He
acted,
and he
only
spoke
as he
saw
the
Father
doing.
He
exalted
the
Father
in
all
that
he
did.
Isn't
it
interesting
that we
live in
a day
and age
that if
you're
going to
be
popular
in the
Christian
world,
you have
to be
self-exalting
instead
of self-emptying?
You have
to be
incredibly
active
with your
blogs
and your
Twitter
feed,
and you
have to
be
constantly
touting
all the
things
that you
know
and all
that you
can
do.
Adfinitum,
if you're
going to
be popular
in this
day,
I want to
be like
Jesus,
and I
also don't
like
social media.
It works
out,
right?
Now it
says,
please don't
draw that as
a direct
connection,
right?
It says
that they
like to
walk around.
Now there's
an interesting
verb here,
they like,
and it means
more so than
just what we
would think of
as like,
that they
desire these
things,
that they
love these
things,
right?
This is the
very existence
of their
being,
this type
of praise
being heaped
upon them.
And so,
as Jesus
is saying
to them
and to
us,
beware of
the scribes,
beware of
these false
teachers,
he's saying
to them,
beware of
people who
are self-exalting.
Beware of
people who
are self-exalting.
Now we'll
skip down
for a moment
and see
that they
also make
a pretense
of long
prayers.
They make
a pretense
of long
prayers.
For the
sake of
appearance
would be
another way
to say
that.
Some of
your
translations
may.
For the
sake of
appearance,
they make
long
prayers.
When Jesus
teaches the
disciples how
to pray,
Matthew 6,
5 says,
and when you
pray,
you must not
be like
the hypocrites.
That's who he's
referring to.
For they love
to stand and
pray in the
synagogues
and at the
street corners.
They may be
seen by
others.
Truly I
say to you,
they have
received their
reward.
They like to
put on the
pretense.
They like to
act righteous
on the
outside and
like to do
so in such
a way that
everyone can
see it.
Not in the
quiet,
hidden,
secret places,
but out where
everyone can
see.
And they put a
great show
on so that
they will be
praised.
Jesus says
beware of the
scribes,
the false
teachers.
Beware of
people who
merely put on
the appearance
of holiness.
And then
lastly,
in the
nature,
we see that
these men
devour
widows'
houses.
They devour
widows'
houses.
Now,
for the sake
of time,
I won't
develop thematically
for you all
of God's
commands to
care for
widows,
but they
are many,
20 to 30
different times
in the Old
Testament.
There are
commands to
care for
widows,
to look out
for them.
And these
men were
doing the
very opposite
of that.
As they
still believed,
even though
they were
under Roman
rule,
that they
lived a
theocracy,
in many
ways,
these men
ruled.
They were
part of
the ruling
class,
the Sanhedrin,
those who
sat in
judgment over
Israel,
and they
were experts
in the
law,
and so
they did
things,
they managed
to do
things in
being asked
to help
with estates
from these
widows.
They did
manipulative
things to
take advantage
of them.
They took
advantage of
their
property,
they would
stay at
their homes,
and eat
their food,
and they
would find
ways in
which to
actually keep
their
property.
Above and
beyond that,
they developed
a system that
wasn't just
oppressive to
widows,
but all people
generally,
which said that
you must buy
the favor of
God.
There were
13 offering
boxes in
the temple
where you
would put
your money
to buy
God's
favor.
And this
was a
system that
presumably
the people
didn't care
for.
I think
they knew
that they
were being
swindled,
which is
likely why
they began
to pay
attention to
Jesus when
he overturned
the money
changers table.
They liked
that.
Here was a
man who
was coming
and flying
in the face
of all
that was
being done
in the
name of
God
to take
advantage
of the
people,
and they
began to
listen.
This is
why these
groups of
men,
these religious
leaders,
were so
offended at
what Jesus
was doing
because he
was disrupting
that system.
He was
cutting off
their flow
of income
in this
way.
The more
I study,
Mark,
the more
I understand
I could
actually put
myself in
the shoes
of these
religious
leaders,
why they
would have
been so
upset at
Jesus,
even to
the point
of death.
They
worshipped
themselves.
They worshipped
the system
they had
established.
They worshipped
all of the
fame and
honor that
came to
them,
and Jesus
came to
destroy
that kind
of self
exaltation.
So they
devoured
widows'
houses,
the very
lowliest
of society
that should
have been
cared for
and supported
by the
law of
God.
They did
the very
opposite
of that
thing
with the
structure
that they
created.
This is
true in
our day
as well.
Many
false
teachers,
most of
them that
you can
see on
TV,
not all
but most
on TV,
who just
want a
little seed
gift,
just want
you to
order up
the prayer
rug,
which is
a piece
of paper
strangely,
right?
That are
going to
give you
some kind
of a
thing
that's
going to
bless
you
more.
If they
could just
wring a
little bit
more out
of you.
You know
some of
these people.
Joel Osteen,
Joyce Meyer,
T.D.
Jakes,
Benny Hinn,
Creflo Dollar,
!
The list can
go on and
on and
on.
Beware of
these people.
As I said
to you though,
we tend to
put them
categorically
off in one
place.
It's not
just them.
There are
many others
who do
this as
well that
just don't
have the
name or
the scope
that they
have.
So beware of
the scribes,
the false
teachers.
Beware of
people who
take advantage
of the less
advantaged.
Who don't
serve,
but are
served.
And so
this is the
nature of
their hypocrisy.
We've got a
strong warning
against people
like this.
And then we
see in
verse 40
their final
condemnation.
The text
says they
will receive
the greater
condemnation.
2 Corinthians
11.15
says their
end will
correspond to
their deeds.
And as I
read to you
2 Peter 2.1
I'll read it
to you again.
But false
prophets also
arose among
the people,
just as there
will be false
teachers among
you, who
will secretly
bring in
destructive
heresies, even
denying the
master who
bought them,
bringing upon
themselves swift
destruction.
And there's a
great deal of
encouragement in
that, and seeing
that there is in
fact a
condemnation for
these men,
because even
as we are to
beware them,
and I will
show you some
other places
that we are
actually supposed
to battle
against them,
that one day,
fully and
finally, God
will be
vindicated.
In fact,
Peter says
that their
destruction will
be swift.
Not in our
terms, certainly.
There are many
men, I would
gladly see their
destruction come
now, that they
would quit leading
so many people
astray, but their
destruction will
in fact be
swift.
Things will be
made right in
that day.
And this is the
final place for
these men, damned
for eternity,
because they used
the name in our
day of Jesus
Christ to
perpetuate their
own kingdoms.
Now, verse
41 through
44.
So Jesus
goes out, he
sits out opposite
the treasury,
and he watched
the people putting
money into the
offering box.
Many rich people
put in large
sums, and a
poor widow came
and put in two
small copper coins
which make a
penny.
And he called
to his disciples
to him and
said to them,
truly I say to
you, this poor
widow has put in
more than all
those who are
contributing to
the offering box,
for they all
contributed out
of their abundance,
but she, out of
her poverty, has
put in everything
she had, all she
had to live on.
She puts in
there what is the
equivalent of a
one-sixty-fourth of
a denarius, which
a denarius was a
day's wage.
To give you an
idea of how little
money this was,
one-sixty-fourth of
a denarius, and
this seems to be all
that she has left
in the world.
These coins that
she puts in are
the two of the
smallest coins used
by Jews.
insignificant from
everybody else's
perspective.
Now, how does the
one connect to the
other?
You've probably heard
this preached.
I believe I've used
it as an example
of sacrificial
giving, of the
faith that it
takes to give,
of seeking first
the kingdom of
God and all of
our needs will be
added to us, but
that is not at
all what this
text is about.
It's not even
kind of.
what it's about.
In fact, we tend
to want to run
to juxtapose the
rich against her,
but Jesus never
condemns the rich
here.
In fact, he says
that they give
well.
They're giving a
lot out of their
abundance.
It's not the
point at all.
What he's doing
is he's pointing
to the fact that
she is a victim
of this system.
She is a victim
of the scribes,
believing that
she must come
and buy God's
blessing.
She has given
every single
bit that she
has.
She's given it
all away.
She now no
longer has any
money to support
herself because
she's given it
now to the
temple worship,
to the apostate
temple worship.
Jesus here is not
supporting giving
good offerings in
our churches,
although you should.
That's not what
he's doing in
this case.
Every sermon
you've heard preached
out of this likely
had the right
point made,
but taught
someplace else
in Scripture.
Jesus is simply
finding a physical
example in the
temple court of
the very thing
he's been saying.
He's saying,
see, beware the
scribes.
Look, case in
point, they devour
widows' houses.
Luke 16, 14,
Jesus says that
the Pharisees are
lovers of money.
They have failed
to love the
people.
They have failed
to lead the
people in the
truth, but
rather they
seek what
they can gain
from them,
not what they
can give to
them.
And this is
the case
with the
widow's
offering.
Now I hope
that by her
faith God
was good to
her in this,
but this act
is not what
bought her
God's favor.
She's a victim
of this very
thing.
What is the
application for
us today?
Rightly so,
we've said it.
Beware.
Beware of the
false teachers.
This warning is
explicit here in
our text today.
Avoid the
teachings of
these people.
Let me say to
you, the call
here is not to
avoid these
people altogether,
to ignore them,
but rather to
avoid their
teachings.
Be very,
very careful
what people
like this
perpetuate with
their mouths.
Watch what
they say.
Be careful of
their example.
Beware.
In fact,
Jesus gives an
example of
not just
avoidance,
right, but
he is
constantly
engaging with
these people.
We've seen
that quite
extensively here
in chapter
12.
He stands
firm and
he contends
for the
truth.
Turn with
me, if you
will, in
closing to
Jude, the
book of
Jude.
Right
towards the
end of
your New
Testament.
Jude has
no chapters
or one
chapter,
whichever
you prefer
to say.
Jude is
James'
brother.
Verse 3
and 4,
he writes,
Beloved,
although I
was very
eager to
write to
you about
our common
salvation,
I found
it necessary
to write
appealing to
you to
contend for
the faith
that was
once for
all delivered
to the
saints.
For certain
people have
crept in
unnoticed
who long
ago were
designated
for this
condemnation,
ungodly
people who
pervert the
grace of
our God
into
sensuality
and deny
our only
Master
and Lord,
Jesus
Christ.
So his
very longing
is that he
can talk
about what
he's for.
I really
wanted to
write to
you is what
he's saying.
It was my
eager desire
to write to
you about
our common
salvation.
I just
wanted to
write to
you and
talk about
the goodness
of the
gospel of
Jesus
Christ.
However,
it's
necessitated.
There's an
importance,
an emphasis
placed upon
me because
people are
coming in
and they're
leading you
astray.
Therefore,
I've come
to set
you straight.
This letter
is aimed
at that
very
thing.
Contend
for the
faith.
Beware of
the false
teachers,
but contend
for the
faith.
And how
do we
do that?
Number
one,
by searching
the scriptures
for ourselves.
Search the
scriptures for
yourself.
In Acts
17,
11-12,
we see a
little story
of Paul and
Silas being
in Berea.
Many of you
are familiar
with the
Bereans.
A little
mention of
them.
Verse 11,
Now these
Jews,
being the
Bereans,
were more
noble than
those in
Thessalonica.
They received
the word
with all
eagerness,
examining the
scriptures daily
to see if
these things
were so.
They're talking
about the
gospel proclamation
there.
And therefore,
verse 12,
many of them
therefore believed.
They carefully
scrutinized.
They studied it
for themselves
to see if
what the
apostles were
saying concerning
the scriptures
was true.
How will
you be able
to identify
a false
teacher if
you don't
know the
teaching itself?
And beloved,
this is not
a laborsome
task.
This is an
incredible book
and it is so
varied in its
themes,
in its
stylistic
expertise.
It's a
beautifully
written book.
It is not
that hard
to know
your scriptures.
I shared
with you a
number of
weeks ago
that the
average college
student,
and I know
none of you
are this
kind of
average,
but spends
106
minutes per
day on
social media.
So if you
just took,
I'm not saying
social media is
all bad,
right?
It's okay to
spend some
time on
social media,
but let's
just say
theoretically
that you
did that
twice in
a week,
and the
rest of
the week
you devoted
that time,
that 106
minutes,
across,
let's give
you a couple
weeks off,
let's say
50 weeks
of the year.
Do you know
how many times
you could read
the scriptures
that time
through?
Average reading
speed of 250
words per
minute,
eight and a
half times.
Eight and a
half times.
We piddle
away time
on unimportant,
unnecessary
things,
and we neglect
to know our
scriptures.
How are we
to contend
for the
faith if we
do not
know our
faith?
We get
that we
have a
belief,
but what
does it
mean?
And what
are all
of its
intricacies
and complexity?
Get after
searching the
scriptures
for yourself.
And then
turn,
I shouldn't
say turn,
you're probably
on the same
page,
Jude 17-23,
and I'll
give you
two more
points.
So contend
for the
faith by
number one,
searching the
scriptures
for yourself,
and let's
read beginning
of verse 17.
But you
must remember,
beloved,
the predictions
of the
apostles of
our Lord
Jesus Christ.
They said
to you,
in the last
time there
will be
scoffers
following
their own
ungodly
passions.
It is
these who
cause
divisions,
worldly
people,
devoid of
the
spirit.
But you,
beloved,
building
yourselves up
in your
most holy
faith,
studying the
scriptures,
and praying
in the
Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves
in the
love of
God,
waiting for
the mercy
of our
Lord Jesus
Christ that
leads to
eternal
life.
And have
mercy on
those who
doubt,
save others
by snatching
them out
of the
fire,
to others
show mercy
with fear,
hating even
the garment
stained by
the flesh.
So firstly,
search the
scriptures for
yourself.
We even
see that
as in
verse 20,
Jude writes,
building yourselves
up in your
most holy
faith.
Secondly,
pray.
It is by
the grace
of God,
given to us
by his
Holy Spirit,
that we are
maintained in
the truth.
That I have
understood
anything true
in this world
is a great
gift of
God.
My mind
and my heart
will be just
as darkened
as these
scribes if it
weren't for
the Lord.
So pray.
Pray that we
would have
right understanding.
Pray that we
would be able
to open up
the scriptures
and have our
minds illuminated
by the Spirit.
This is a
possible thing.
It's a promised
thing given
to us as
Christians.
Pray.
We are
dependent on
God to
rightly maintain
the truth.
Let me add
to that as
a step outside
of Jude's
exhortation,
but let's
also pray for
these false
teachers.
That God
would do the
same for
them.
That all of
those under
their influence
would be
rightly
turned.
Now likely
their churches,
their following
would die
away.
However,
maybe some.
Maybe some
would be
converted.
Maybe some
would follow
in the way
of God.
What a
wonderful thing
it would be
if Joel Osteen
one Sunday
got up and
repented of
everything that
he's been
teaching and
rightly taught
the gospel.
Let's pray
for these
people.
And thirdly,
teach the
truth.
Verse 22
and 23.
People are
going to
doubt.
People are
not going
to understand
the truth.
They're
going to be
following some
of these
teachers.
We must
teach the
truth.
You have
it.
You have
the truth.
Teach the
truth.
Find every
opportunity to
lead people
rightly, to
lead them
away from
those that
will lead
them astray
and lead
them in
the way
of God.
Now likely
very few of
us will
have chance
to encounter
the large
false prophets
of this
world.
Certainly
given the
opportunity,
teach them
as well.
If I'm
ever given
the chance,
I certainly
would be
glad to.
I will be
content with
teaching you
and teaching
those around
me at
this point.
So search
the scriptures
for yourself.
Pray that
God would
illuminate your
mind to
understand and
to keep
you, hold
you fast
to the
truth, and
then turn
and teach
that truth.
Now as we
are on the
Sunday before
Thanksgiving,
aren't you
thankful today
that we're
not counted
amongst the
scribes and
the false
teachers?
I am.
It is a
great wait to
get up each
week and to
teach the
word of God.
It is the
struggle of my
week to
rightly understand
it so that I
don't err, so
that I don't
lead you astray
in any measure.
It is a
blessing to be
found in
the truth.
And I don't
know all of
your different
spheres and
all the
things that
you're being
taken off to
into this
week.
I know many
people have
difficult family
situations,
unbelieving
parents, maybe
the believing
parents that
just seem to
not quite get
it are the
most challenging
of all.
Go and
contend for
the faith
this week.
Rejoice in
the good news
of the gospel
of Jesus
Christ and
share that
with those
around you.
Let's pray
together.