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August 6, 2021 8:00 am
Today on Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. You go to heaven. I do, on what basis. Americans actually believe often, Hitler and Charlie Manson might be the only I'm a good guy and that's how God sees me know. There is none righteous, no not one. Olson, C. Joining us today on this additional Fellowship in the Word pastor Bill Gebhardt Fellowship in the Words the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible church located in Metairie, Louisiana Pastor Bill Gebhardt now again he shows us how God's word meets our work.
I was getting ready to go out time for the weekend to a very formal event and as the week went along got 20 end of the week and he realized that he hadn't gotten his formalwear dryclean, and he found out that it was a total mess in the cleaners that you normally use can handle it. So he remembered across time there was a cleaning establishment that had one hour cleaner and so we got discarded when across town and he brought his cars into the establishment. He filled out the claim ticket and he said to the guy he said I'll be back in a couple hours to get my calls. The guy said that no no, we can have these ready to Tuesday. Is it wait wait on the establishment, there's the sign one hour cleaner.
He said all he said that's the name of our business so we can't do that, you know, that reminded me of us, you and me were Christian. It's the name of our business.
Christian that's we call ourselves, but often we gave I can't do that we can't do that. It's the name you have.
If you were to take the term Christian and reduce it to the most simplistic description possible. But with that description be seen, especially the way we live our lives.
While you won't have to hear from me but you have to hear from the Lord. Once you open your Bibles to Mark chapter 12 Mark chapter 12 and let me give you some context of Mark 12 it's Wednesday in Mark 12 of the passion week of Jesus Christ is going to be crucified in two days. He he's been in Jerusalem since Palm Sunday his enemies are there. They have decided and worked themselves into a fervor to kill him at all costs but their fear is how do we do that because he so popular with the people. How can we have him executed and so on Tuesday he went into the temple, any claims that for the second time he said you have turned my father's house and your robbers Dan, that's what you've done. So then I decide he decides he's going to aggravate them all the more and that's what he does so in the beginning of 12. The first 11 verses, Jesus tells a story he's telling the story of the religious to the religious leaders of Israel. This the way you've always been a talk the story about someone who owns the vineyard who sends the slaves their meeting, the prophets, and you miss you abuse them. You did everything you could to stop them and then you get down to the verse six and he says he had one more to send a beloved son and he sent him last the ball to them saying they will respect my son but those vine grower said to one another.
This is the year, let us kill him, and inheritance will be ours.
He means himself and he says of them you're trying to kill me because you want the kingdom. That's not unusual. Jesus called the Pharisees, hypocrites whitewashed up with person he said because you stolen the kingdom of God. And so then what happens now that they're in a fervor. It says in verse 13 and notice what verse 12 said no and they were seeking to seize him, and yet they fear the people.
So in verse 13 it said they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodian's to him in order to trap them in a statement. Now this is interesting.
You need to know this Pharisees hate Herodian's Herodian's hate the Pharisees, the Herodian's are Greek Jews. They hate that the Pharisees are JuJu's.
They don't like the roadies but there together now and they said what we gotta do is figure way to trap him so that he'll lose favor with the people. Well, they decide to get they come up through all their thinking with this great way to trap first of all, they come and they came and said to him, teacher, we know that you are truthful and deferred no one for you are not partial to any but teach the way of God in truth, no that's called by the way, schmoozing to get pure lives there just telling them lies you like the greatest man know what. Then he dropped the question, is it lawful to pay poll tax to Caesar or not.
Now they got a subject they can really go with why how many of you like to pay taxes. We look how many you hear candidate get up say the first thing on the news.
I'm to reduce all your taxes, although for that guy you see in these people, though, the Jews hated paying a poll tax to Caesar they hated paying taxes the wrong and so he's there going to get them in this they feel so they get atonement and they said is shall we pay, or shall we not pay knowing their hypocrisy. He knew they were lying to. He said that why are you testing me, bring me at the nares. He knows what they're doing so he gets at the nares what's of the nares, a Roman coin. The nares is one days wages to a Roman work. It's a good nares and he says, whose likeness and inscription is this on the nares. They said to him at that Caesar's Jesus said to them, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God bring loss. It says, and they were amazed that he could just see them. I told you that would never work, and know not now we look like fools compared to the next group comes in some Sadducees, the Sadducees of the intellectuals of the Sanhedrin. Other wealthy, highly educated, they don't believe any of the Bible except the first five books of Moses, that's all they believe they don't believe in the rest of the Jewish Bible.
They also don't believe in a resurrection that's important understand they don't believe there's a right anyone gets resurrected and so they say that notice that Mark writes that that that there is no resurrection, and he said teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should marry the wife and raise the children.
He said, and raise up the children to his brother. What then there were seven brothers in the first took a wife, and died having no children.
The second one married or and and died having behind no children in the third likewise consult all seven left no children. Last of all the woman died.
That's Jewish tradition in law.
If you would die in that case, a woman could not be on her own. If you died is the husband of Greta brother.
The brother would take your wife and keep her so that she would have a security any and so they now notice what they say. Then then they say in the resurrection. When they rise again. Know what I tell you about Sadducees, they don't believe there's a resurrection so this has set up written all over it. You see, the ideas wait when the resurrected circle mocking the Lord and said which one is wife will she be for all seven narrator and Jesus said to them in this he says is this not the reason that you're mistaken that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God is a great insult. He said you know why you don't understand this you know the Bible and get the boys must be talking about all the Bible is talking about the books that they've memorized Genesis to Deuteronomy. He said for when they rise in the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but there like angels in heaven, but regarding the fact that the dead rise again. Have you not read in the book of Moses. See that's her hero that you'll read Moses. I thought you guys memorized the five books you even read Moses.
Nothing like what you mean by this. He said in the passage about the burning bush.
I could just imagine right out with the burning bush.
After doing this, but what what is he mean this how God spoke to him, saying, I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead. But the God of the living. You are greatly mistaken. Notice God didn't say in the burning bush. I was Abraham's God CIIII was Isaac Scott. He said I am Abraham's God would send me Abraham's raising the dead. So Jesus just buries them so he holds them often now it says in one of the scribes came, heard them arguing and recognizing that he answer them. Well, he asked him what commandment is the foremost of all know this is for all real intensive purposes.
This truly is an honest man.
He wasn't sent by the Sanhedrin. He described many listen to music while we did the Pharisees and the rodeos now look what he did to the Sadducees. This guy know stuff I want to ask him a question that I've always wanted to know if you have that in your mind you I been thinking about this for years. I love the fine someone can answer my question so that's what he asked Jesus what is the foremost commandment of all she did the Jews by a large live by the commandments. As you know the law. That's how they lived. That's the way once for them. By the time the Pharisees come along.
According to the mission and the tell med they have 613 loss 613 loss that you have to keep 248 of those are positive 365 are negative, that's quite interesting. You might wonder, why do they have 613 C my God number two well if you took the 10 Commandments in Hebrew and you gave one point credit for every Hebrew letter in the 10 Commandments get so many letters 613 so that's why they made 613 loss. Now we that's all build out the Decalogue. That's the way this is and they end up finding out what is the most important.
They had all kinds way sums of the positive laws are more important sums of the negative laws.
Some of them says our light laws and heavy laws and heavy laws are more important. Other said the first commandment of the 10 Commandments, you have no other gods before me.
That's the most important one, but everybody agreed that no one would understand this. In fact, when he actually asked the commandment here. Notice how he says what commandment is the foremost the word for what in Greek is to us is not just it is in your said he uses a completely different word in the context of the Greek text. He uses the word Porteous he means that means quality of he thought a summer time but quality here, not just identification but quality so the Lord answers him and gives him a complete shock.
First of all, Jesus didn't do what I would've probably done wait let me think about this. He just answered he said this is so obvious. This is so clear. So he said the foremost is this hero Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is with his one decision you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and he says and with all your mind and with all your strength whose equally Moses is quoting Moses he says narratives. That's the foremost now let's go back to Deuteronomy 6 for a moment. Ways quoting from you hope to place their Deuteronomy 6. And when you see this in its context. Everything about Deuteronomy.
Everything that is written about this particular book in Hebrew the book is in call Deuteronomy. If HeLa hotdog Marine and means an additional amount of words like Moses, by the way, is relatively old when he writes Deuteronomy.
He's probably just short of 120 K. His law is like broke nine of the 40 in Egypt. 40 in the wilderness than 40 and you see 40 in Egypt and they want to actually when the land of Midian was a shepherd back and do Egypt to guide Israel ended up in the wilderness because of disobedience and he died before he went into the promised land so eroded wilderness at some time and what he tells them in Deuteronomy. Is this I'm telling you people something important you're going in the land of milk and honey, if you obey God will bless you and Otilia every possible blessing because of all the blessings that all have in the land of milk and honey. But if you don't the person and ultimately when you read Deuteronomy 28 2930 you find out that God says look if you're disobedient enough to me.
I'm gonna rip you out of the land and when to disperse you over the world and everywhere you go you be hated and by the way the first time God discipline of the Assyrian captivity second time. God discipline Babylonian captivity third time they kill their own Messiah, Jesus Christ the son of God in 70 A.D. took them out of the land for 2000 years and is an amazing story to the and the Jews have been hated everywhere they've ever been. So that's all in Deuteronomy 30 says you got obey all these laws and he says it over and over again notice at the end of chapter 5, verse 33 you shall walk in all the way of the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live in that a me me well with you and that you may prolong your days in the land that you shall possess starting in chapter 6. This commandment, the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you that you might do them in the land that you're going over to process it so that you and your signing your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all his commandments which I command you all the days of your life, and that your days will be prolonged. Oh Israel. You should listen and be careful to do it.
That may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly. Just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, as promised you in the land that's flowing with milk and honey.
Now when you read that you stink this personal religious people love this. If you're religious, the first religious people love this kind all good. What I have to do a minute do everything. I'll do it as best I can. Now when you get to say the Pharisees at the time of Christ.
When they believed about the law. They believe that if you did more the law you were obedient more than you were disobedient in the scales. God except you only Americans believe the same thing and Americans and stuff all the time.
Mega Saia music you think you can go to heaven. Yeah, I do. On what basis one a pretty good guy I met Martin close probably on but I'm a pretty good guy. Americans actually believe often that Hitler and Charlie Manson might be the only two people now I'm a good guy and that's how God sees me is not of God sees so clear your know there is none righteous, no not one offs in the fall short of the glory of God. You see, it's it it's not like that. But what the Pharisees believed this idea got away the skills and if you have more positive you have are you better spend eternity with God.
You know who believe that exact same thing today is long that is as long that's all Muslims believe God will put you on the scale there's more good than there is bad urine. That's of the Pharisees believed at the time of Christ. That's almost always what religious people eat there some way that I'm gonna jump through certain mottos and do a certain amount of things to be good but so when you read Deuteronomy think all men. That's a lot of wall, but notice what it says next hero Israel. The word here she Ma if you've ever know what the Jewish Shema is important Jewish people. It's that work is an imperative mood its command here oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one which I clear the Lord is one that you might say. But I've heard Jehovah's Witnesses and people tell me there is no such thing as a triune God is just one that's all. The Lord is this just one Deuteronomy says that that word one is the word caught is not number one card means one in multiple it be like saying a cluster of grapes. It's one cluster but it's many grapes with the word a card means so he says the Lord is one. He doesn't mean signal. He said it's a group father-son Holy Spirit.
So then he says you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. And he says these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart so Jesus says is the greatest commandment is the basis of everything and Christianity.
There is nothing in Christianity even remotely support what is the single most important thing.
As Christians, you and I need to do love the Lord our God will look at that. That's what this is all about. That's what your face about more than anything and we get in the same kind of problem we keep thinking men are so many things I should be doing to not doing. I need to do more things I'd know you see, how do you if you're in Israel at the time.
How do you obey God to get all those blessings you love to see the obedience is born out of love, not duty. Duty will never work. It's not wages you love them. That's the whole point.
So if we look at it from that point of view.
Let's go back to Mark. So Jesus answers. Of the four most of this hero, Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is very very hard for religious people to accept. It's all about law, but let me explain some you and I are just as guilty. See, how do we judge people see how do you know someone who really believe in one for the Lord will be if they know a lot of Scripture. They must be walking close the Lord with a bunch of great things matter to see this hold replacer one more time this go to first Corinthians 13, you know, the chapter even if you don't even know the Bible you know this chapter because it you've attended weddings this is the wedding chapter. I'm not totally against. I even use it myself, but it's not about weddings receive. It's not what it's about. Paul's going to say some dogs that I find very convicting first Corinthians 13 verse verse if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels about now I want you to imagine us you meet me in the lobby afterwards and I say to you talk that's it I will only be able speak you in a certain way. I know you and I speak angelic language not a memory. I do it that's like, but you know it's not English you know it's not am speaking angelic language what you think about me I'm in some you think that's creepy.
I get that but what you think week. This guy speaks Angel line see he is something I we need say that's what looked what kind of Christian.
If I speak with the tongues of men and the tongues of angels, but I do not have love, I have become nothing but a noisy gong and findings. Men met nothing bathroom never on the radio ministry of fellowship in the if you ever missed one of our broadcast or maybe you just like listening to the message one more time. Remember the good a great website called one place.com that's one place.com and you can listen the Fellowship in the Word online at that website you will find on with today's broadcast but also many of her previous audio programs as well Fellowship in the Word. We are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible.
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Pastor Bill sermon. You can browse through our sermon archives defined sermon series are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for. You can listen online or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own. And remember, you can do all this absolutely free of charge. Once again our website is FVC Nola.org forecaster Bill Gebhardt and Jason Denhardt.
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