The NXR Podcast - THE SERMON - Jews, Muslims, & Hindus Don’t Know God

00:00:00.000 amen please join me in standing for the reading of god's word this morning we continue our series

00:00:04.660 through the gospel according to matthew our text for today is matthew chapter 11 verses 25

00:00:09.580 through verses 30. again that's matthew chapter 11 verses 25 through 30 is our text for today

00:00:17.440 i'll read our text in its entirety when i finish reading the text i'm going to say this is the

00:00:21.100 word of the lord at which point i would appreciate very much if you would respond by saying thanks

00:00:25.640 be to God. One final time our text for today is the gospel according to Matthew chapter 11 verses

00:00:31.320 25 through 30. The Bible says this, at that time Jesus declared, I thank you Father, Lord of heaven

00:00:38.380 and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to

00:00:45.240 little children. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over

00:00:52.340 to me by my father and no one knows the son except the father and no one knows the father

00:00:59.220 except the son and anyone to whom the son chooses to reveal him come to me all who are who labor

00:01:08.340 and who are heavy laden and I will give you rest take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am

00:01:16.940 gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden

00:01:24.640 is light. This is the word of the Lord. All right, please be seated. We'll go ahead and dive right in.

00:01:31.880 The first phrase that I want us to focus on is when Christ says, I thank you, Father, that you

00:01:37.820 have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little

00:01:42.820 children. I do believe that there is a literal application in this regard of little children.

00:01:50.520 God does regenerate and save, not always, but I believe in Christian households quite often

00:01:56.720 little children. It is not a biblical concept that we should assume that God will always wait

00:02:06.760 till adulthood before saving a person. So there are quite literally little children who God has

00:02:14.560 revealed his gracious will to. That God has revealed Christ to. But the first thing that I want us to

00:02:22.200 look at in this first portion of our text is that God has chosen to hide certain things. Things

00:02:28.660 pertaining to Christ. Pertaining to salvation from the wise and understanding. From the wise

00:02:35.380 and understanding. Now this is one of those moments where we to really get the proper sense

00:02:40.840 of what Jesus is saying we have to read this and understand that he is being sarcastic. When he says

00:02:47.060 the wise and understanding he's mocking his opponents. He is mocking the religious rulers 0.99

00:02:52.240 of that day who presupposed that they were wise and understanding but according to Christ 0.78

00:02:59.700 their wisdom is mere foolishness they are not in the actual sense wise or understanding if they

00:03:07.140 were then they would have received christ they would have received him as messiah they would

00:03:12.240 have honored him as the son of god but they did not and so jesus is not paying them a compliment

00:03:18.700 if anything he is mocking them through sarcasm wise and understanding so they think but not in

00:03:26.580 reality in your notes i've written the following god deliberately hides saving truth from the wise

00:03:32.720 and prudent i put that in quotation marks in parentheses to describe this group the wise and

00:03:38.980 prudent it is those who are proud in their own intellect or their own self-righteousness they

00:03:46.180 think that they're smart or they think that they're moral going on not due to arbitrary will

00:03:53.380 It's not capricious on the part of God. It's not baseless without reason. It's not arbitrary.

00:04:00.580 But God does, in fact, hide and reserve saving truth from the alleged wise and prudent based on his righteous judgment.

00:04:10.560 It is just that God does this. Man is blinded by sin and proud by nature.

00:04:17.780 This is the doctrine of total depravity. Not to be confused with utter depravity. The doctrine of total depravity does not insist that people do as much evil outwardly as they possibly could every moment of every day of their lives. That would be utter depravity.

00:04:35.100 But total depravity says that the unbeliever, while being totally depraved, can do outwardly moral things that outwardly align with the law of God. 0.99

00:04:45.940 But they'll never do these things for the glory of God. 0.99

00:04:48.940 They'll never do these things with a reliance upon the grace of God.

00:04:52.280 They'll never do these things in a way that is truly pleasing to God because they cannot and they will not do these things in faith.

00:05:00.540 Romans chapter 14 says that anything that does not proceed from faith is sin.

00:05:06.760 Anything that does not proceed from faith is sin.

00:05:10.160 You can cure cancer sinfully.

00:05:13.160 You can help the whole world sinfully.

00:05:16.560 If it does not proceed from faith, then it is sin.

00:05:20.000 And I think the best way that I've ever been able to define or explain that phrase,

00:05:25.300 to do something in faith is to define it as follows to do something in faith is to do it

00:05:32.720 with a reliance on God's grace and a desire for God's glory for the unbeliever he's going to do

00:05:39.720 something with a reliance on self and for self glory or at best perhaps we could give him credit

00:05:47.400 for doing something with a reliance on mankind,

00:05:51.300 a reliance on all his team, his co-workers,

00:05:54.480 and a desire for the glory and the good of mankind. 1.00

00:06:00.300 But what the unbeliever will never do and can never do 0.61

00:06:03.600 is any good thing with a reliance on God's grace

00:06:07.460 and a desire for God's glory.

00:06:09.860 He could do it with a reliance on the strength of humanity

00:06:12.340 and the good and glory of mankind.

00:06:14.860 One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

00:06:19.620 But that's different than saying everything, every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights.

00:06:27.100 I would not have breath in my own lungs if it was not for the grace of God.

00:06:30.760 I'm entirely dependent on God and the provision that he gives.

00:06:35.720 And so it's all because of God's grace.

00:06:38.420 And I'm doing things for the betterment of humanity.

00:06:41.060 I'm living a life in such a way that it would bless my neighbor, but I'm ultimately doing it for the glory of God, for the glory of God.

00:06:51.400 Even what Connor was talking about throughout the liturgy of loving God.

00:06:56.260 Now, it's not a true biblical love for God, but claiming to love God at the expense of obeying God, juxtaposing love for God against the law of God.

00:07:09.480 Often what people who fall into this category, this pit, what they're ultimately doing is they say, well, I'm loving God while disregarding his law.

00:07:20.400 What they're really doing is they've elevated love for neighbor above love for God.

00:07:24.700 They've actually and they would claim, well, I'm I'm loving my neighbor.

00:07:28.320 I'm obeying God's law.

00:07:29.860 But they're actually committing idolatry.

00:07:32.480 They love their neighbor more than God.

00:07:35.620 St. Augustine was the one who argued that when it comes to sin, all sin ultimately is simply a result, a consequence of misordered affections, misordered loves.

00:07:47.420 So we've talked in the past about the auto amoris, the order of love.

00:07:53.860 And, you know, that we're not actually called to love 8.2 billion people equally.

00:07:58.980 You know that, right?

00:08:00.260 You can't because the scripture is helpful.

00:08:04.720 The scripture is specific in multiple places throughout the New Testament.

00:08:09.860 Love, genuine love is defined as something that's tangible.

00:08:13.360 It's not just sentiment.

00:08:15.140 It's not just vibes and feels.

00:08:17.840 First John says that the one who claims to love God but does not love his brother.

00:08:22.620 And notice there, it doesn't say stranger.

00:08:25.040 But does not love his brother has denied the faith. 0.99

00:08:28.860 He's a liar and the truth is not in him.

00:08:33.040 But then John, in his first epistle, goes further to flesh out what it looks like. 0.97

00:08:38.060 And so does James, for that matter.

00:08:39.720 James does a wonderful job in his epistle talking about what does it look like to love your brother.

00:08:45.700 And what does he say?

00:08:47.000 He gives physical descriptors.

00:08:49.200 He gives a definition, a description that is tangible, that's actual.

00:08:56.000 Right. So James says, if you say to your brother, be well fed and warm and I wish you well, you know, thoughts and prayers.

00:09:07.980 You have not loved your brother. No, if he's naked, you have to clothe him, not clothing him metaphorically with compliments, but actual clothes.

00:09:18.240 Right. If he's hungry, you have to feed him. Well, but I did feed him with this this wonderful word salad.

00:09:25.480 no actual food you need to actually feed him and if you don't then according to scripture

00:09:32.580 you have not loved him so now going back to this universal love for neighbor you cannot love if

00:09:41.140 love is defined by scripture as being actual physical and tangible you not because of sinfulness

00:09:48.680 fallenness, but because of creatureliness, finitude, in your finitude, you cannot biblically love. If

00:09:56.600 biblical love is in deed and not mere word, you cannot biblically love 8.2 billion people. It can't

00:10:03.160 be done. It can't be. If you love all the kids in Williamson County, it will force you and love them

00:10:12.640 indeed, not mere word, it will force you by way of consequence to hate your own children. Your own

00:10:19.920 children will be naked and starving because you're loving all the kids in Williamson County,

00:10:26.640 splitting up your paycheck every two weeks, giving an equal portion so that everybody gets just

00:10:33.000 enough to be benefited, not at all. It's not what the Bible teaches. So the order of Morse is that

00:10:40.640 there is a hierarchy. There's a triage of loves. The commandment to love our neighbor, in that,

00:10:48.140 baked in that, it assumes that we love our family first. In terms of human beings, I love my wife

00:10:55.240 more than anyone. After that, my children. After that, my parents. After that, extended family.

00:11:01.120 After that, my local church. After that, my city, my town, and then state. After that, my country.

00:11:10.180 After that, I go broader.

00:11:12.520 But in terms of priority, I'm going to prioritize those who God in his providence has bound me to.

00:11:20.600 Those that he's bound me to.

00:11:22.080 Now, Augustine says that if you want to fix the mess and have properly ordered loves,

00:11:30.600 the first thing that you start with is God at the top.

00:11:34.540 So yes, there is a triage of human obligation.

00:11:37.680 But the first solution to ensure that we are loving the right people at the right amount, in the right ways, at the right times, is to put the first piece in order first.

00:11:50.160 And that is our love for God.

00:11:52.120 And what I've found time and time again is for those who substitute the law of God for love, they juxtapose and pit at odds God's law and love.

00:12:07.660 Ultimately, what they've done, they'll cite scriptures about love for neighbor all day long.

00:12:12.540 But ultimately, what they've done is they've committed idolatry.

00:12:15.520 They love neighbor more than God.

00:12:17.660 And the reason why they get it wrong, have you ever seen, you know, on social media, the heat map, right, the liberal, and this is proven, they've done survey after survey, it's really, it's fascinating, it's hilarious, and it's also very sad.

00:12:32.900 But you talk to the average liberal and and you'll see it's like it's it shows like so here's the center yourself and and everything and everyone closest to you.

00:12:45.900 And then it broadens out, you know, so it's like it's you, it's your wife, it's your children, it's your extended family, it's your local communities, it's your town.

00:12:55.660 And then it's your, you know, your state and then it's your country. And then, you know, and then it goes to the world, you know, the people in Uganda. And then it gets even broader than that. Then it's like rocks and trees and smelt fish that are endangered. You know, it's like, hey, I can care about the smelt fish and this many million people will will die of thirst or I can love these people and lose a smelt fish. 0.74

00:13:20.600 the liberal is like fish give me the fish you know like liberals just like you know like the

00:13:26.760 the crucifixion of christ give us barabbas right the murderer give us that guy crucify jesus so

00:13:33.500 do the liberals like give us the smelt fish man save the smelt fish but this many people will

00:13:38.700 die of thirst there'll be droughts that uh that doesn't matter so this heat map it's really funny

00:13:43.740 But it's basically, it gets broader the further out it gets.

00:13:49.640 And that's the average liberal.

00:13:50.980 The average liberal, their order of morse is smelt fish, bees, right?

00:13:57.580 You've got to love the bees. 0.93

00:13:58.660 We do need bees.

00:14:00.200 But the liberal is going to put bees above children, right?

00:14:03.720 The conservative is going to say, I like bees, but I like my children more.

00:14:07.980 So it's the smelt fish, it's the bees, it's the trees, it's the rocks, it's the grass.

00:14:13.740 Then it's, you know, I mean, it's almost like they get a ruler out with like, like an atlas.

00:14:18.980 And what is the furthest distance, right?

00:14:21.260 I don't want to go too far because then I would go around and get closer back to home.

00:14:25.540 What's the furthest continent?

00:14:27.560 What's the furthest country, the furthest town away from the town I live in?

00:14:31.520 Okay, then those people there after the smelt fish and the trees and the rocks, those people are my top priority.

00:14:37.420 And then these people and then these people and then these people.

00:14:39.840 And eventually it's like gets to, you know, and and then there's my mom and dad, you know, and and my point is to say that loving God first is the solution.

00:14:52.620 It's loving God first that ultimately solves this problem.

00:14:58.240 And so with all this, we have to recognize that ultimately it's a spiritual matter in the sense that it's not just intellect.

00:15:10.280 It's not just capacity or ability that that people just find out, you know, the right formula, that they find out the right way to prioritize all their commitments in life.

00:15:25.280 Ultimately, what it comes down to is God has to reveal himself to you through Christ and cause birth in you a love for him that supersedes all other loves.

00:15:37.120 if he doesn't, if he doesn't, then you will love neighbor above God. And for the one who loves

00:15:43.940 their neighbor above God, this is what I found. They always will love their furthest neighbor

00:15:49.560 first. That's the formula. That's what I'm trying to explain. You have to love God first. And in

00:15:56.220 order to love God first, he has to first love you. First John 4, 19 says we love because he first

00:16:01.580 loved us if you don't truly love God because you're it has not been revealed to you through

00:16:07.680 Christ God's love for you in the beloved if that has not happened then you will always be quoting

00:16:14.280 the verses of scripture about neighbor but at the expense of loving God and so then when it gets

00:16:20.360 into the neighbor category conveniently and it's not a coincidence but conveniently it will always

00:16:27.380 be a love for the neighbor that you've never seen, the neighbor that you've never known,

00:16:33.440 the neighbor that you have no interaction with. And the reason why it always plays out this way

00:16:39.020 is because it's a facade, because it's easy. It's easy to love people in theory. That's what James

00:16:48.480 is talking about, is that you can't just, if you love people in theory, then you're not loving

00:16:53.640 people. You must love people in practice. The reason why the liberal always selects at the

00:17:00.420 highest echelon of their love for neighbor, the neighbor that they have never seen and never will,

00:17:06.900 is because that's the kind of love that is in word only and not deed. It's an easy, attainable

00:17:14.880 love. It's a love that doesn't require anything. The only action that it requires ever, it doesn't

00:17:21.780 require any of your money it doesn't require any of your effort any of your time the only action

00:17:26.340 that it ever requires if any action at all is getting out you know once a year to vote to make

00:17:32.800 sure that somebody else has to give their money to love the person that you claim to love

00:17:36.480 and that's about it so it all has to start with God that's what Augustine was arguing is in the

00:17:44.260 order of Morris if you want to get you know the second and third and fourth and fifth rung in

00:17:49.980 proper order, you have to first start with the top rung, which is God. You must love God more than

00:17:57.640 anyone, more than self, more than wife, more than children, more than anyone. A love for God. And

00:18:05.040 this love for God only comes by his sovereign revelation. Apart from that, everyone is totally

00:18:14.020 depraved. Everyone is spiritually blind, spiritually deaf. They cannot see. They cannot hear. And this 1.00

00:18:23.440 isn't something that Jesus did to us, just for the record. This total depravity, this spiritual

00:18:29.060 blindness, this is not something that God imposed upon us. I think that the gospel of John, chapter

00:18:37.080 3 verse 16 17 18 is really helpful really verses 16 all the way through 21 but we know verse 16

00:18:45.960 probably most of us by heart for God so loved the world he gave his only son and whoever should

00:18:51.520 believe in him shall not perish but have eternal life but then it goes on and says for God did not

00:18:57.700 send his son in the first coming of Christ to the earth he did not send his son in order to condemn

00:19:03.720 the world, but that in order that the world might be saved through him. And then it goes on, I believe

00:19:09.520 now verse 18, and says, for anyone who believes in him is not condemned, who believes in Christ is

00:19:17.420 not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already. So when Jesus entered the world

00:19:24.620 as a son of God, the light of the world, he didn't bring condemnation with him, but he simply exposed

00:19:31.400 all those who were already condemned.

00:19:34.200 So what condemned them?

00:19:35.900 Christ didn't condemn them.

00:19:37.820 Christ didn't bring condemnation.

00:19:39.580 What condemned them was their precondition of sin,

00:19:46.500 their precondition of pride,

00:19:49.320 their precondition of spiritual blindness.

00:19:53.100 And that's what we're seeing in our text today, 0.91

00:19:55.340 that God reveals truth to those who are babes,

00:19:59.580 those who are children,

00:20:02.220 That is, those who are of low esteem, those who are humble, those who are willing to be taught by the Spirit.

00:20:11.080 And God does this by way of divine election.

00:20:14.980 It is God who chooses to reveal and not man discovering.

00:20:20.820 God reveals. It is not man who discovers.

00:20:23.720 God takes the initiative.

00:20:26.360 Romans chapter 3, we quote this often. I quote this often.

00:20:29.780 But the description of fallen man, apart from saving grace in Christ Jesus, is not a pretty description.

00:20:38.100 The biblical anthropology view of man is not flattering.

00:20:42.900 Describes him as his throat being like an open grave, that he lies and waits for blood.

00:20:48.780 But another part of that description, Romans 3, is that no one seeks for God.

00:20:54.240 No one seeks for God.

00:20:55.920 The idea that I found Jesus is a misnomer.

00:20:59.780 There are only those who have been found by Jesus.

00:21:04.200 No one seeks for God.

00:21:05.500 And that's what our text is saying.

00:21:07.380 Verse 25, at that time, Jesus declared,

00:21:10.340 I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

00:21:12.540 that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding

00:21:16.620 and revealed them to little children.

00:21:20.900 Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

00:21:24.540 Later on, as we go further in the gospel narratives,

00:21:27.460 the disciples asked Jesus

00:21:30.000 why do you speak in parables

00:21:31.640 and he explicitly answers them

00:21:34.180 by saying

00:21:34.920 because a lot of times

00:21:36.660 we're under the impression

00:21:37.680 I've heard lots of pastors say this

00:21:41.160 they'll say

00:21:42.240 well Joel sermons should be

00:21:44.760 really really simple

00:21:46.900 and mostly

00:21:49.640 about 80-90% stories

00:21:51.980 and analogies

00:21:53.480 because that's how Jesus preached

00:21:57.420 And you're like, that's how Jesus preached?

00:21:59.340 And what they're referring to is the parables.

00:22:02.620 Jesus told parables as helpful, simple illustrations

00:22:07.340 so that people could understand,

00:22:10.260 says the evangelical pastor.

00:22:12.660 But Jesus said in the Bible,

00:22:16.460 it shows how many pastors have actually read the book.

00:22:20.260 But Jesus says when he's confronted by the disciples,

00:22:23.200 why do you speak in parables?

00:22:24.920 Jesus says, so that the prophecies of Isaiah might be fulfilled,

00:22:28.520 that they would be ever seen, but never perceiving.

00:22:32.960 Ever hearing, but never understanding.

00:22:37.820 So why does Jesus speak in parables?

00:22:40.120 He speaks in parables to make sure that his sermons are misunderstood.

00:22:44.980 What? Why?

00:22:47.560 Because there are people who are condemned by their sin,

00:22:52.400 that God in His sovereignty

00:22:54.600 has chosen not to reveal

00:22:56.420 saving faith too.

00:22:58.760 And Jesus, in honor of His Father,

00:23:01.300 is going to ensure

00:23:02.460 that prophecy is fulfilled

00:23:04.400 and that these people die 0.99

00:23:06.140 in their spiritual blindness 1.00

00:23:07.260 and go to hell forever 0.99

00:23:09.680 to the praise of God's glorious justice. 1.00

00:23:13.740 Whoa.

00:23:15.440 Sounds terrible. 0.90

00:23:17.040 Sounds biblical.

00:23:18.080 Terribly biblical.

00:23:20.000 But that is what's going on.

00:23:22.400 And that's what Jesus is referencing in our text today.

00:23:27.320 I thank you, Father.

00:23:28.860 Notice he doesn't just, because you would think that, you know,

00:23:32.000 Jesus, who is sugar and spice and the author of everything nice, 0.89

00:23:35.580 you know, the Palestinian version of Mr. Rogers, 0.93

00:23:38.180 you would think that Jesus would say,

00:23:40.620 I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

00:23:42.740 that you have revealed these things to even little children.

00:23:48.720 He does say that, but it's not all he says.

00:23:51.300 He first says, I thank you that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding.

00:23:58.060 This is Jesus praying in front of his disciples, and he's praying to the Father and thanking him.

00:24:06.420 God, I thank you that you have taken the truth, the only truth.

00:24:14.380 The only truth that has the power to save a man's soul from hell.

00:24:19.180 And I thank you, God, that you took this truth, the only hope of salvation that people have, and you veiled it and hid it and have kept it away from these guys over here who call themselves wise and pretend to have understanding.

00:24:39.740 I thank you that you've done that so that they might die in their sin.

00:24:44.920 based Jesus.

00:24:49.080 He is not the author of sugar and spice

00:24:51.420 and everything nice.

00:24:53.180 Jesus is the God-man.

00:24:56.480 And he loves people dearly,

00:24:59.180 but never at the expense of justice and truth.

00:25:04.360 Let God be true and every man a liar.

00:25:07.320 So Jesus is thanking his father

00:25:09.000 for hiding things from some

00:25:11.320 and revealing those same things to others.

00:25:15.140 That's the first part of our text.

00:25:17.660 Now he begins to flesh this concept out a little bit more.

00:25:21.380 Look at the phrase in our text,

00:25:22.860 all things have been handed over to me by my father.

00:25:26.820 That's the beginning of verse 27.

00:25:28.400 All things have been handed over to me by my father

00:25:31.860 and no one knows the son except the father.

00:25:35.060 We'll get there in a moment.

00:25:37.440 I've written in your notes this,

00:25:38.600 All knowledge, power, and revelation are entrusted to Jesus Christ.

00:25:44.400 He is the sole mediator.

00:25:46.920 There is one God and one mediator between God and man,

00:25:50.540 the God, man, Christ, Jesus.

00:25:52.680 There's no other mediator.

00:25:55.020 There's no other go-between.

00:25:57.640 We have, on the one hand, a thrice holy God

00:26:00.280 who is terrible in His judgments, as the Scripture says,

00:26:05.140 and as even Exodus 20 that we read earlier in our liturgy says,

00:26:10.120 by no means will pardon the wicked.

00:26:14.320 Now he pardons the wicked every time he saves a soul

00:26:17.340 by grace through faith in Christ.

00:26:19.320 But what that means is he will not turn a blind eye to wickedness.

00:26:23.240 He will not pardon the wicked by any other means but by Jesus.

00:26:27.660 So we have a God who does not sweep sin under the rug.

00:26:31.120 He does not turn a blind eye to moral failure.

00:26:34.420 He does not put his finger on the scale to tip it, to weigh it in our favor.

00:26:42.000 He is just, perfectly just, and he will not compromise his justice.

00:26:48.740 That's one of the most terrifying truths in all the universe about God, is that he's just.

00:26:55.040 Because God is just, millions and millions of people are in hell, and millions more will join them.

00:27:03.300 because God is just

00:27:05.580 and only because God is merciful.

00:27:10.840 His mercy coupled with His justice

00:27:13.580 are there millions of people in heaven

00:27:16.120 and millions more to join them.

00:27:19.340 It's only on the basis of His mercy,

00:27:21.820 not justice.

00:27:23.840 If God were to grant us justice,

00:27:26.800 all of our hearts would stop this very moment

00:27:30.040 and we would awaken in a conscience eternal torment

00:27:33.760 under the wrath of God in hell forever.

00:27:37.320 It's only on the basis of mercy that we have salvation.

00:27:42.640 But in God's judgment, or in His justice rather,

00:27:47.140 many will perish under His wrath.

00:27:49.980 And the only mediator, the only Savior,

00:27:53.100 the only go-between, between a thrice holy,

00:27:56.140 perfectly just God, and sinful men who have committed treason against God, the only mediator

00:28:03.300 is Christ. There's no other go-between, no other mediator. Mary is not a mediator. Saints are not

00:28:13.840 a mediator. Your parents, your friends are not a mediator. Ministers are not a mediator.

00:28:21.160 the catholic priest or the protestant pastor are not mediators there is one god and one mediator

00:28:32.280 between man and god and that is christ jesus he is the only savior there is no co-redemptrix

00:28:40.960 no co-savior, only Christ.

00:28:46.620 And according to Christ, no one knows the Father,

00:28:50.280 except for Him, the Son.

00:28:53.100 And outside of Him, that is Christ,

00:28:55.680 there is nothing but blindness.

00:28:59.000 Furthermore, our text says,

00:29:01.140 to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him to.

00:29:04.700 This is a decisive statement

00:29:06.980 of what is known theologically

00:29:09.180 as effectual calling.

00:29:11.980 That is, that the initiative in salvation

00:29:15.120 lies not in man's choosing,

00:29:18.000 not in man's work or his will,

00:29:21.980 but rather in Christ's sovereign will.

00:29:25.520 Let's go back to the text.

00:29:26.700 Start in verse 27.

00:29:28.600 All things have been handed over to me by my Father,

00:29:31.380 and no one knows the Son except the Father,

00:29:34.360 and no one knows the Father except the Son,

00:29:38.020 and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

00:29:44.340 So there's only one category of people

00:29:47.160 that know the Father, that know God.

00:29:49.880 God the Father.

00:29:51.240 No one knows God except for Jesus

00:29:53.840 and those that Jesus chooses to reveal his Father to.

00:29:58.480 Which means that if you don't know Jesus,

00:30:02.200 and not just you've heard of Jesus,

00:30:03.980 but know Jesus as the Messiah,

00:30:06.220 know Jesus as the Son of God,

00:30:09.680 then you don't know God the Father. 0.99

00:30:12.460 That means that Jews do not know God. 0.99

00:30:15.540 It means that Muslims do not know God. 1.00

00:30:19.040 Muslims do, objectively. 1.00

00:30:20.640 I mean, this is just a fact.

00:30:22.140 Objectively, they have 0.99

00:30:24.160 a less hostile view of Jesus than Jews. 1.00

00:30:30.640 That's true. 1.00

00:30:32.600 But Muslims are not on our team.

00:30:36.220 Well, but we honor him as a prophet.

00:30:39.640 We're not saying that he's in hell.

00:30:43.760 We honor him as a good man and a prophet.

00:30:47.420 Yes, but is he God?

00:30:49.580 And for that matter, we can go on. 1.00

00:30:51.920 Mormons do not know God.

00:30:55.340 Mormons believe that Jesus is an archangel, Michael,

00:31:00.640 and that he's not the creator who is forever to be praised,

00:31:04.180 but that he is the first created being.

00:31:08.080 So they believe that Jesus is not eternal

00:31:10.940 and he is not God

00:31:13.580 but rather a first, not capital G God

00:31:16.820 but the first created being.

00:31:20.280 And therefore, they don't know Jesus.

00:31:23.040 They don't know Jesus for who he is.

00:31:25.920 The Christ, the anointed one.

00:31:28.200 The Messiah, the promised one.

00:31:30.760 The Savior, but here's a big one.

00:31:33.020 the son of God eternally begotten son of God in the beginning was the word and that is Christ

00:31:43.360 the logos the word and the word was with God and the word was God Jesus is the word who from the

00:31:53.180 beginning has been with God and was God. Anyone who denies the eternality of Christ and the

00:32:02.920 exclusivity of Christ and the supremacy of Christ and the deity of Christ does not know Christ.

00:32:12.020 And if they do not know Christ, they do not know the Father. They don't know God. This idea of

00:32:19.880 Abrahamic religions? No. No. Well, there are Muslims, there are Jews, and there are Christians.

00:32:27.480 And there's a lot in common. There is nothing in common. Nothing in common. What fellowship can 0.98

00:32:33.140 light have with darkness? What partnership does Beelzebub have with Christ? None. They worship

00:32:41.760 demons. Jews worship demons. Muslims worship demons. Mormons worship demons. Jehovah's Witness 1.00

00:32:50.440 worships demons. Hindus worship demons. Buddhists worship demons. Secularists worship demons. 1.00

00:32:59.680 There is one truth. There is one God, and He has one Son. And Jesus, the Son of God, said,

00:33:09.280 I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one gets to the Father but through me. Period. And that's

00:33:19.000 what Jesus is saying in our text. No one knows the Son but the Father. But also, no one knows the

00:33:26.480 Father except the Son. And who else? Only those whom the Son chooses to reveal him to. So it's not a

00:33:37.820 picture of all of humanity having an equal fighting chance you know there's jesus and then

00:33:45.260 there's mankind and we're all on a spiritual journey and for those of us who are noble-hearted

00:33:52.140 you know and diligent and and and really try and humble well those of us will find jesus

00:34:01.540 And if we find Jesus, then Jesus will show us his dad.

00:34:06.400 No, that's not what the text says.

00:34:09.260 No one knows the son except the father.

00:34:11.240 No one knows the father except the son.

00:34:13.300 And those who find the son, no.

00:34:15.760 And those whom the son reveals him to.

00:34:21.520 Why do people go to hell?

00:34:24.260 Because they're sinners, yes.

00:34:26.320 But we can also equally truthfully say,

00:34:28.880 why do people go to hell?

00:34:30.440 because the Son chose not to reveal the Father to them.

00:34:37.800 I thank you, Father, that you have hidden these things

00:34:42.080 from the wise and understanding.

00:34:45.460 I thank you, Father, that among these religious rulers

00:34:50.260 who have been a thorn in my side, 1.00

00:34:54.000 opposing me and mocking me at every turn, 0.99

00:34:57.560 I thank you, Father, that they'll be in hell. 0.70

00:35:02.460 You've hidden these things from them.

00:35:05.880 But you've given and revealed these things

00:35:08.720 to the ones who worked hard to find them.

00:35:11.120 No, to babes, to children.

00:35:15.740 Yes, again, I think there's a literal sense.

00:35:18.300 Children can be saved.

00:35:19.800 But the big idea of what Jesus is saying

00:35:22.080 is not the literal sense, but the spiritual sense.

00:35:24.640 Notice the contrast.

00:35:29.080 Why is an understanding spiritually blind?

00:35:32.440 And why?

00:35:33.880 Because the Father hid something.

00:35:37.380 The initiative is on God.

00:35:39.960 He hid it.

00:35:41.100 Over here, who are the ones who see clearly,

00:35:45.300 who have revelation?

00:35:47.660 Babes, infants, children.

00:35:50.840 And why?

00:35:51.820 Because they found it.

00:35:52.980 They achieved it.

00:35:54.280 No.

00:35:54.640 because it was revealed. And the language of this group of people to whom salvific truth has been

00:36:02.440 revealed is used by Christ as babes and children to put all the more emphasis on the father and

00:36:11.940 the son for revealing. The babe doesn't achieve this. No, if the babe knows, it's only because

00:36:19.760 the Father reveals, and because the Son reveals the Father. This is the way that salvation works.

00:36:27.840 This is what is known as the effectual call. And yet, it's important, theology, we distinguish,

00:36:37.760 but we want to be balanced. We want to have the whole truth. There is such a thing also,

00:36:43.780 And we find it actually right here, virtually in the same breath as Christ is teaching us in our text today.

00:36:51.660 We have the effectual call that only some are called truly unto salvation and receive salvation.

00:37:00.200 Only those whom the Son reveals the Father to.

00:37:03.740 But we also have in our text immediately afterwards the universal call.

00:37:10.680 The universal call is not the effectual call.

00:37:13.780 The universal call goes out to all, but it does not save all.

00:37:20.520 It goes out to all, and it is heard by all, not necessarily with spiritual ears and true hearing,

00:37:28.160 but it is heard by all people so that all are without an excuse, that all stand rightfully, justly condemned by God,

00:37:38.620 if not having been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone.

00:37:43.180 But there is this universal call that is sufficient to universally condemn, to universally damn.

00:37:52.120 But it is only the effectual call that does not go to all, but goes rather to some that is sufficient to save.

00:37:59.900 I'll say that again. There are two calls, a broad net, a universal call that is not sufficient to save, but sufficient to damn.

00:38:09.020 and then there is an effectual call a subgroup of the whole the effectual call is what saves

00:38:16.440 the effectual call is jesus a description of it in our text that we've just read verse 27

00:38:23.060 is jesus supernaturally revealing his father to those who are of lowly estate to those who are

00:38:32.180 the spiritual humble. Those who are spiritually

00:38:36.420 impoverished. This is what Jesus taught earlier in the book of Matthew. 1.00

00:38:40.220 Matthew chapter 5, the Beatitudes. Blessed are the

00:38:44.240 poor in spirit. For they

00:38:47.680 will be made rich in faith. It's the poor in spirit that

00:38:52.140 God is pleased to reveal Himself to.

00:38:56.580 And so they are indeed blessed.

00:38:59.060 But woe to the prideful, woe to those who claim to have understanding, for they will hear the universal call that goes out to all.

00:39:12.060 But they will not be given the effectual call, the revelation of God through his son, and they will die in their sin.

00:39:22.320 So here's the universal call.

00:39:24.580 Jesus says, verse 28, come to me, all who labor.

00:39:29.060 all who are heavy laden

00:39:33.080 and I will give you rest.

00:39:36.600 Now when Jesus says this,

00:39:38.640 He's speaking to all.

00:39:40.700 He's speaking to everyone.

00:39:42.580 The same people who opposed Him

00:39:45.060 at that moment.

00:39:46.940 This call is coming to them.

00:39:49.960 It's not just coming to the crowd,

00:39:52.640 to the fishermen,

00:39:53.560 to the peasants, 0.99

00:39:55.840 to the plebs, 0.65

00:39:57.360 But it's coming even to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the religious rulers, and the lawyers. 0.97

00:40:05.060 It's coming to them as well.

00:40:08.780 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden.

00:40:13.840 In your notes, I've written this.

00:40:15.040 This represents a universal call to all who feel the weight of sin and the weight of the law.

00:40:21.820 However, although this is a universal call,

00:40:24.740 Christ invites not all indiscriminately.

00:40:29.160 You know that God shows discrimination.

00:40:33.320 You know that, right?

00:40:35.120 God is an unapologetic discriminator.

00:40:40.320 Constantly discriminating.

00:40:42.500 And it is His prerogative and His right to do so.

00:40:46.620 God is not egalitarian.

00:40:49.780 And God is not a universalist.

00:40:52.980 God is not a supporter of our sacred democracy.

00:40:57.620 He is not a God who supports 20th century liberalism.

00:41:01.200 God has always shown discrimination.

00:41:04.700 And even here, Christ is discriminating.

00:41:08.100 All throughout His earthly ministry, He discriminates.

00:41:11.260 So He says all, anyone who is burdened down by the weight of sin and the law,

00:41:17.660 Come, come to me.

00:41:21.060 There is a free invitation.

00:41:24.620 Christ invites, but he does not give the effectual invitation,

00:41:30.060 the effectual call indiscriminately,

00:41:32.620 but specifically to those who are truly humbled by their misery and guilt.

00:41:41.500 So the call is universal and yet also effectual.

00:41:45.860 Universal to all who hear, but effectual only to those who are burdened by their guilt.

00:41:55.240 And this is so important.

00:41:58.260 It's funny.

00:41:59.900 It feels as though it's a sense of divine irony.

00:42:04.360 But one of the greatest sources of assurance of salvation that I've experienced over the years is my guilt.

00:42:15.860 If I ever got to a place where I just thought that I was above everything,

00:42:21.660 that I no longer felt guilt and shame,

00:42:28.820 like real shame for sin, for my sin,

00:42:32.820 not just sin as some ethereal entity floating out there,

00:42:38.480 universal sin of humanity.

00:42:40.000 No, Joel's sin.

00:42:41.140 If I ever got to the point that I didn't actually feel shame and guilt and misery for sin,

00:42:50.380 then I would probably begin to doubt whether or not I've actually been forgiven of sin.

00:43:00.420 Read throughout church history. Read the Reformers. Read the Puritans. 0.51

00:43:04.860 One of the things that they longed for most when they thought about eternity,

00:43:09.400 It wasn't just being free from death as a consequence of sin, or free from sickness, or even being reunited with children that had died in infancy, or their wife that passed away in childbirth.

00:43:25.560 It wasn't just a desire to be in heaven so that there'd be no more lack and no more poverty.

00:43:32.160 And the greatest desire of many of the most righteous men throughout church history,

00:43:38.060 when they thought of eternity, when they thought of heaven,

00:43:40.920 is they desperately wanted to be free from sin.

00:43:47.760 They were miserable over their sin.

00:43:51.180 more than sickness,

00:43:54.180 more than death,

00:43:56.800 more than the loss of loved ones,

00:43:59.360 more than global wars,

00:44:01.060 more than corrupt politics,

00:44:05.540 their greatest grief,

00:44:08.220 daily grief,

00:44:10.040 was, woe is me.

00:44:13.100 I'm a sinner.

00:44:15.220 I hate, I hate that I continue

00:44:19.040 to do that which i do not want to do and the good that i long to do this i cannot carry out oh what

00:44:26.180 a wretched man i am who will save me from this body of death i don't believe that romans chapter

00:44:32.020 seven was written by saint paul under the inspiration of the holy spirit pre-conversion

00:44:38.640 i believe all those things i just said i do believe it was written by saint paul under the

00:44:43.360 inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but post-conversion. I believe that Paul wrote this in Romans 7

00:44:50.360 as a Christian. And as a Christian, Paul says, as an apostle, he says, the good I want to do,

00:44:57.980 this I cannot do. And the evil that I do not want to do, this I find myself still doing.

00:45:05.000 Oh, what a wretched man I am. Brothers and sisters, when was the last time you were legitimately

00:45:11.640 grieved by you and not someone else.

00:45:16.640 Grieved by your sin.

00:45:20.840 Distraught over your shortcomings.

00:45:24.400 Because the moment that you're not

00:45:26.920 is the moment when real doubt

00:45:30.000 should come into your mind

00:45:32.200 over whether or not you belong to Christ.

00:45:36.460 Because the one who the universal call

00:45:39.060 becomes specific and effectual for is the one who when they hear the universal call come to me all

00:45:47.440 who are weary all who are heavy laden all who are tired under the burden of sin your sin the ones

00:45:59.100 who are actually of christ belong to christ are the ones who are powerfully propelled to run

00:46:06.260 towards christ to answer that call because they are weary of their sin and not merely weary of

00:46:13.040 the sin and consequences of sin that comes from someone else now that said i'm weary of both

00:46:21.520 so i'm not saying that you're not allowed to notice that we live in a fallen world of course

00:46:28.160 we do and you're allowed to notice that when it comes to some of the atrocities in the world

00:46:35.080 in the same way that I said God's not egalitarian?

00:46:39.280 Well, neither is the devil, turns out.

00:46:43.300 The devil, in terms of temporally in this world,

00:46:46.940 he does not use everyone equally.

00:46:50.680 When I look at the world, it's not just like,

00:46:52.880 man, it's just a perfect division of guilt

00:46:56.400 in terms of temporal consequences of the world

00:46:58.980 split across 8.2 billion people.

00:47:02.260 No, it's not.

00:47:03.100 no of course some people cause more destruction and harm and corruption than others all people

00:47:11.740 are totally depraved that's the inward spiritual reality of man apart from saving faith in jesus

00:47:17.940 but in terms of outward manifestations of sin and their temporal causes no that's never been equal

00:47:28.500 and I'm not trying to reopen a wound here it's just it's a good example and so I'm going to

00:47:34.300 speak respectfully but I am going to use the example we can talk about it Lord knows everybody

00:47:38.720 else talked about it so I'm allowed to talk about it too but one of the reasons I didn't sign the

00:47:43.360 Antioch declaration was there was a few different statements that I thought were were very bad just

00:47:48.580 just on its face bad theology but one in particular was it said that we affirm that Judaism

00:47:54.980 is no more pernicious

00:47:57.420 than any other false world religion. 1.00

00:48:01.340 And I couldn't sign it

00:48:03.100 because I'm not a liberal.

00:48:04.720 I'm not an egalitarian.

00:48:08.340 I actually believe in hierarchy.

00:48:11.000 I believe in a hierarchy of good.

00:48:13.100 I believe in a hierarchy of evil.

00:48:15.240 I can't sign a statement 1.00

00:48:16.860 that says Judaism

00:48:18.420 over centuries and centuries and centuries 0.86

00:48:23.120 has caused the same exact degree

00:48:27.080 of temporal, right, in the earth,

00:48:30.460 not eternal, spiritual,

00:48:32.380 but the same exact degree

00:48:33.860 of temporal, earthly consequences

00:48:36.620 as Mormonism. 1.00

00:48:41.200 It's not just wrong. 0.99

00:48:43.040 It's actually laughable.

00:48:44.740 It's embarrassing.

00:48:46.240 That is an embarrassing statement

00:48:47.840 for a pastor or a theologian

00:48:50.600 to sign your name to. 1.00

00:48:53.120 You should be embarrassed that all false religions are equal. 1.00

00:49:00.560 And the document wasn't just saying that they're equal in their ability to separate you eternally from the Lord. 1.00

00:49:07.900 That's something that I could agree with.

00:49:10.820 All sin is equal in the sense that if not forgiven by Christ,

00:49:17.000 you will be separated from eternity from God for a white lie or for being a serial killer. 0.81

00:49:23.120 And likewise, not just all sin, but also all false religions are equal in the eternal sense that apart from repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, every false religion, whether it's you and 14 other people with the religion of our Savior Zog, you know, and you're waiting for this alien to come back, or whether it's, you know, you and a couple, you know, billion Muslims, all false religions are equal in the eternal ultimate sense of separating you from God. 0.92

00:49:52.960 But not all sin, we know this, not all sin is equal in its earthly consequences, and not all false religions are equal in the detriment and destruction that they cause in a temporal sense. We know that. I thought we knew that. 0.93

00:50:09.280 so yes you can still reject liberalism reject egalitarianism and say i believe that god

00:50:19.380 created a hierarchical world and hierarchy when it's good means that everyone is doing good but

00:50:25.500 some people do more good than others and not only is god hierarchical but so is the devil

00:50:33.160 The devil is not an egalitarian either.

00:50:35.740 And so some people, when they do bad, it's really, really bad.

00:50:40.120 And other people, when they do bad, again, apart from grace,

00:50:43.360 apart from forgiveness, apart from faith in Jesus, they'll go to hell.

00:50:46.780 But the temporal, practical, physical consequences of this guy's bad deed

00:50:52.860 doesn't necessarily cause as much temporal harm as this other guy's bad deed.

00:50:58.760 right the atom bomb is a little bit more consequential

00:51:03.940 than a boy who stole a snickers from a convenience store right

00:51:09.720 can we recognize that surely surely

00:51:12.700 so yes you can believe that other people are sinners

00:51:19.720 and that some of these individuals especially if they're in positions of

00:51:25.620 leadership, the corruption and sin that they commit makes life really bad for a lot of people.

00:51:33.260 I believe that. I'll never stop believing that. But what I also believe, and I don't just encourage,

00:51:40.440 I demand that you believe too, along with me, is that your sin,

00:51:48.460 your sin is the biggest enemy you have. 0.99

00:51:55.620 And you must, you must be made miserable. 0.86

00:52:01.020 A godly, divine, righteous misery over your sin. 1.00

00:52:08.280 Or you will die in your sin and go to hell. 0.93

00:52:12.960 And I want to provide political application. 0.97

00:52:16.740 I want to provide how we should think culturally.

00:52:20.600 And I want to be honest when a lot of other ministers are not.

00:52:24.140 and be willing to say,

00:52:26.000 yeah, there are some people

00:52:29.200 that are doing some really bad things

00:52:31.220 and it's not equal.

00:52:33.580 But I've failed you as a pastor

00:52:35.820 if I do all that.

00:52:39.580 But I do it in such a way

00:52:41.640 that it assuages your own guilt

00:52:46.140 over your own sin

00:52:47.560 or even distracts you

00:52:49.520 over your own guilt

00:52:50.880 for your own sin.

00:52:52.460 all who are heavy laden and weary come to me jesus says and i will give you rest

00:52:59.400 the jewish religious leaders of that day they did not go they did not go to christ but here's the

00:53:06.840 thing in terms of being weary of other people's sins they were actually weary of other people's

00:53:13.760 sins if you had sat there and talked to them said are you weary not of your own sin but are you

00:53:19.520 weary of the sins and the the terrible corruption of others and they would have talked to you ad

00:53:24.760 nauseum about the romans oh yes the deep profound corruption of the romans and the way that they've

00:53:32.500 oppressed us the jews under their thumb and they've done this and they've done that and they 0.51

00:53:37.520 they would have they would have been able to talk to you give lectures for hours and hours symposiums 0.93

00:53:43.440 about being weary, being heavy laden under someone else's sin, but not their own.

00:53:53.240 The call that Jesus gives is universal, but the only ones who answer it are those who receive

00:54:00.640 not merely the universal call, but the effectual call. And the distinction between the two,

00:54:05.880 the one who has truly received the effectual call from Christ because they've received a

00:54:10.920 revelation of the father from christ is the one who is weary not merely under sin universally or

00:54:17.720 sin from someone else but their own sin as we try to change the world in a positive way

00:54:26.760 for the glory of god and for the good of his people we have to be discerning we have to be

00:54:34.700 able to see okay this is a problem this over here is a much bigger problem right you you can't be a

00:54:42.480 doctor or work in medicine if somebody comes in they got hit by a truck and you're like all right

00:54:48.740 you know they're bleeding out gaping wounds their heart has stopped and you bust out a nail file

00:54:55.000 and say first I see a hangnail here and if we could just just you know kind of shave that down

00:55:00.960 we might be able to save his life. 0.97

00:55:04.120 That would be ridiculous, right? 0.97

00:55:06.780 You triage. 0.60

00:55:08.180 You start with this thing is the most important thing.

00:55:11.760 This is the most threatening thing.

00:55:13.380 If we want to be effective Christians,

00:55:15.300 we have to be able to do that.

00:55:17.480 Discernment's not just permissible.

00:55:19.520 God doesn't say in his word,

00:55:20.660 you're allowed to discriminate on a righteous basis

00:55:24.880 because you're allowed to exercise righteous discernment.

00:55:27.960 God doesn't just make it permissible.

00:55:29.420 He doesn't just allow us.

00:55:30.360 he commands us you want to be a faithful disciple of Jesus you must be discerning discerning and

00:55:37.020 then you must act in accordance with that spiritual discernment which necessarily will

00:55:42.120 result in discrimination you must not just allowed you must and simultaneously we've got

00:55:50.680 to walk and chew gum at the same time we've got to be able to do both do that and feel godly sorrow

00:55:59.260 over your sin.

00:56:01.520 Godly sorrow,

00:56:03.220 which produces repentance,

00:56:05.900 which leads to life.

00:56:10.600 Never lose.

00:56:12.900 Never forget

00:56:13.920 the first time

00:56:18.240 that the Lord brought conviction

00:56:20.120 to bear on your heart

00:56:21.600 over your sin.

00:56:24.220 Don't lose that.

00:56:26.920 Don't become proud.

00:56:28.640 Don't become calloused.

00:56:31.300 Stay nimble.

00:56:34.320 Stay humble.

00:56:36.560 Stay soft-hearted.

00:56:40.140 And yet at the same time,

00:56:42.920 stay shrewd.

00:56:44.620 Stay wise.

00:56:47.100 Stay discerning.

00:56:50.680 Right?

00:56:51.020 Innocent as doves.

00:56:53.500 Shrewd as vipers. 0.98

00:56:54.960 the godly christian must be both they must be both lastly for my yoke is easy and my burden is light 0.83

00:57:05.340 why there's one point i want to make here and we'll be done in your notes i wrote this christ

00:57:10.160 is not suggesting that god has a lower standard for holiness than the pharisees did what makes

00:57:16.120 christ's burden light because he's speaking in contrast here when he says my my yoke is easy 0.98

00:57:22.960 my burden is like he's he's saying um in comparison to these religious rulers he's speaking to them

00:57:31.080 and to the crowd he's speaking to everyone but he's he's essentially saying this some of you guys

00:57:37.860 are are exhausting you're tired you're exasperated

00:57:44.340 under these guys' rules.

00:57:50.560 And if that's you, if you're heavy laden

00:57:53.040 and you're weary and you're tired,

00:57:55.980 then come to me and I'll give you rest.

00:57:59.220 Take my yoke upon you because it's light.

00:58:01.580 My burden is light and my yoke is easy.

00:58:05.580 But here's the thing, and we've got to be careful.

00:58:08.740 Because if we're not careful, this is where, again,

00:58:10.720 the modern evangelical seeps in false doctrine because they'll look at that and they'll say,

00:58:16.400 okay, so the Pharisees were heavy. They gave heavy moral burdens and they had lots and lots of rules,

00:58:26.000 lots of laws. Jesus, he says, it's the words of Jesus. I'm being faithful to Jesus. He says his

00:58:32.940 burden is light, and his yoke is easy. So, conclusion, Jesus, who is God, so God has a lower moral

00:58:42.440 standard than the Pharisees. No. No, Jesus says elsewhere, he says, if your righteousness does not

00:58:51.380 exceed that of the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. So no, this is not Jesus saying,

00:58:59.640 hey these guys they're real sticklers for the law and you're worn out probably but come to me

00:59:07.340 you'll you'll enjoy my class you'll enjoy my my moral expectations because i've set the bar

00:59:16.000 really low because i don't really care about holiness i don't really care about morality

00:59:22.100 i just care about vibes and feels thoughts and prayers love that is not what jesus is saying

00:59:29.100 so then what but he's also not a liar it's jesus after all so it really is a light burden and it

00:59:35.960 really is an easy yoke so how how can god have the highest standard of holiness far above the

00:59:41.900 pharisees right i mean that's the whole sermon on the mount we talked through that he's like you've

00:59:46.420 heard it was said but i tell you it's harder you've heard it was said but i tell you it's harder

00:59:51.060 you've heard it was said outwardly do this that and the other but i tell you inwardly you have to

00:59:56.260 be perfectly pure in heart and thought. Every thought, Hebrew says, every single thought will

01:00:03.300 be laid bare one day when we stand before the Lord. God does not lower the bar. He raises the

01:00:10.940 standard to a little, a little thing called absolute perfection. So then how in the world

01:00:20.120 could Jesus say, because he doesn't lie, how can he be raising the bar and speaking truthfully at

01:00:25.620 the same time saying, but this will be easier, and this will be lighter. One reason, very simple.

01:00:32.660 Look at Matthew chapter 23, verse 2, 3, and 4. This describes Jesus' opponents, and we'll see the

01:00:39.240 contrast between them and Christ. Here it is. The scribes and the Pharisees, they sit on Moses's seat.

01:00:45.980 so do and observe what they tell you but do not the works they do jesus is saying they actually 0.55

01:00:56.060 have the right doctrine in many regards in terms of the moral doctrine of of what is the law of

01:01:02.800 moses that and therefore the law of god so do what they say but not what they do because they're

01:01:09.620 hypocrites they don't do it themselves and then he goes on he says they preach but do not practice

01:01:16.160 And look at this, verse 4. 0.97

01:01:18.080 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders.

01:01:25.560 But they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

01:01:31.720 What makes Jesus' burden, light, and his yoke easy?

01:01:36.760 Because he lowers the bar? No, he raises it.

01:01:40.100 The difference is that the religious rulers, these Jews, 1.00

01:01:44.140 they would not help to lift the burden at all they actually had a lower stand they actually 0.85

01:01:50.040 made the law more achievable not less right what would they do they say uh where the law actually

01:01:56.220 says don't swear neither by heaven nor by earth but let your yes be yes and you know be no and

01:02:03.480 they they're not they're not raising the bar they add more rules just they're like the irs you know

01:02:09.060 why the irs adds more rules so that there will be less rules for them so but technically you know

01:02:16.860 and code c4 blah blah blah blah blah blah blah i get all your money thank you please please and

01:02:21.880 thank you all right have a nice day that's you they add more rules so that they are actually

01:02:27.100 bound by less rules same with the pharisees well if you swear by the temple that's technically okay

01:02:32.840 just don't swear by the gold of the temple so they're adding another rule but what in essence

01:02:37.760 what does it do? Is that raising the moral bar or lowering it? It's lowering it. So yes,

01:02:44.320 they had a lot of rules, but they actually lowered God's standard of morality. So they

01:02:49.540 had a lower standard, but their burden is heavier. Lower standard, heavier burden. Why?

01:02:58.180 Because they don't ever help to lift the burden. Not even with a finger. What makes Jesus burden

01:03:04.820 light he lifts it that's the whole thing that's that's a whole enchilada what makes god's thrice

01:03:14.640 holy perfect standard inside and out thoughts feelings actions for an entire lifetime perfect

01:03:24.140 moral perfection what could possibly make this burden this yoke light and easy because jesus

01:03:33.460 gives you a lot more than a finger to lift it. He gave his whole life. He didn't just give a finger.

01:03:41.240 He gave both hands, both feet, his back torn to shreds, the spear in his side, thorn of crowns on

01:03:49.940 his head. He lifts the burden. It's not that moral standards were lowered. It's that Jesus lifts it

01:03:59.300 for you he provides grace every time you fall and forgiveness for every trespass and every sin

01:04:08.300 he cleanses by his blood each iniquity and by the holy spirit he sends from the father and the son

01:04:16.940 they send the third member of the trinity the holy spirit to indwell you that your body is now a

01:04:23.100 temple of the Holy Spirit. And the Spirit empowers you each morning, fresh mercy, fresh grace, fresh

01:04:29.680 vigor to live in holiness. And when you fail to be brought up in righteousness and forgiven time

01:04:36.200 and time again, that's what makes his burden light. That's what makes his yoke easy. God expects

01:04:43.820 perfection from us, but he gave perfection for us. He gave us Jesus.

01:04:53.100 You need Jesus. Receive Jesus. And you won't unless you are weary and heavy laden and struggling with

01:05:04.420 righteous misery over your sin and not just someone else's. Let's pray. Father, thank you

01:05:11.780 for your word. Bless it to your people. For Christ's sake, amen.

The NXR Podcast - August 19, 2025

THE SERMON - Jews, Muslims, & Hindus Don’t Know God

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript