A Dialogue with Deceivers, Part 2

While it's true that Jesus showed extravagant compassion to those who suffered is also true that Jesus unleashed his anger upon those who misconstrued the true Jesus by his very nature is both loving and fair today on Insight for living swindle invites us to follow along in Matthew 22 as we observe the teachings of Jesus in this passage we see both sides of his divine character, love and justice from his brand-new study in the book of Matthew titled today's message a dialogue with deceivers and we begin with prayer father meet our needs as you use your people do so, remind us over and over of the great benefits that come to us and with those benefits, responsibility, may we be known as generous followers of Jesus, Lord, I give you thanks for your protection, we thank you for those who watch over our safety. All those who serve in law enforcement all those who guide our country and those who protect us on foreign fields give great courage, wisdom, determination may that protection be faithfully administered regardless of what a few may say by way of criticism hold us all our father close to you through this time as we trust you as we abide in you, as we rely on you for protection of these are gifts to you and we give them with gratitude. Thank you for our occupation. Find favor in the giver as well as the gift for we give out of love for you because we believe in what the ministry is doing and as it is being carried out here as well as a in the name of Jesus Christ we pray in that same vein, you and everyone said amen Insight for living to download Chuck Swindoll's searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to inside world.org/studies Chuck titled today's message a dialogue with deceivers and we begin in Matthew 22 is first story is about a feast is a banquet verse two tells us that the kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of the King that would be God's and stories are all symbols of a deeper truth. The king is God.

Read on. He's preparing a great wedding feast for his son who would that be God's son is Jesus. This is about God the father and God the son, offering a plan of salvation to a body of people his own nation the nation of the Jews as they would hear the invitation, not read what happens when the banquet was ready. Salvation was made available with the story of eternal life was made clear in the sun was there available for them to see him here. He said his service to notify those who were invited and they refused to come. John 111 he came to his own, but what is on not receive him to the bank was made available. Salvation is open any sentence other service to tell members for the feast has been prepared and the bulls are ready in the fattening time cattle have been killed and it's already for the guests who would been invited, but the sub ignored it and some went their own way to do work on their own farm and in their own business and and others had the audacity to seize the messengers verse six and insulting and even kill them. That would be a reference to the killing of the prophets, so the Lord says of those those servants are worthy of coming to my feast over the door. Everybody per se. He said it was servants, the wedding feast is ready. Yes I've invited aren't worthy of honor. So now go out of the street corners and invite everyone you see in the service brought in everyone they can find good and bad alike in the banquet hall was filled with guests you don't see their I see the door of salvation opening to the Gentiles is a little vignette is a story within the story. I don't want you to miss begins in verse 11, and remember we got deceivers listening we got those who hate him listening so there illustrated in this intruder. He came on his own accord and desired to where Woody Wonderware when the king came in to me to guess, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothing for wedding, so he asked how is it that you got here without wedding clothes and the man had no reply begins as you're outta here and he describes weeping and gnashing of teeth for go further, let me say here that if this is in fact the symbol of salvation. I think it is the not believe the clothing first for this wedding is imputed righteousness. The only way we come to God's banquet is to come his way. He calls the shots is feast reasons. I want you to have the righteousness of my son I will give it to you when you come by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ and we are imputed with righteousness.

It's a righteousness that is undeserved but it is the righteousness of Christ credited to our account.

That's our clothing that's what we where in order to step into the Lord's heaven and to find our home there. Ultimately this guy did want to come that way. You want to come is only the sunlight like a Pharisee to tell us to come through Christ we don't accept this Christ. This Jesus as Messiah will will want that that stuff. He offers he's a fake he's not the real thing.

And so their ultimate future is described in being bound and thrown into darkness ultimately help just call it what it is that there is a verse you quoted all your life and in the world was found.

Verse 14.

Many are called, and few are chosen.

Whatever that means.

You look at it you think you do I really know what that means. Think about me, to be called a nachos, but a change to words and you get it. Many are invited, but few accept this is not a calling as a call to salvation. This is a calling, as if invited to the feast because God invites all to come, he's not willing that any should perish, and make the offer available to our friends, the people at work. The people at school.

Those of you know that we've grown up with and we have the privilege of sharing the gospel and we tell them again. Whosoever will make him calm. Got a calm like Christ described it come through him to the cross and there are many who don't accept it. They've been invited, but they've not accepted called, but they do not chosen to come you go to come God's way or you don't get in now the Pharisees as my father would say it just about have their belly full of they. They sat there long enough, listening, and they decided we we got up we got up we got a put an end to this.

Let let's let let let's trick him into the wrong words and will arrest him right now. Right now, enough of this, they felt on the spot long enough so verse 15 look carefully you'll see deception the conspiracy being plan. Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. See that this is called deception. This is called planning a hypocritical way to trip up Jesus notice is not a public meeting. Conspiracies are never public meetings. They plan this conspiracy behind-the-scenes with one another and here's what they're going to do. Verse 16. They send some of the disciples along with the supporters of Herod to meet with Jesus and now there in front of it.

Look at how they approach and remember they're the ones you hated are the ones who cannot stand the thought of his living on as he's been living with ministry going on with the crowd following a look at how they approach it, teacher, we know how honest you are.

You teach the way of God. Truthfully you are impartial and you don't play favorites.

This is called in Texas term blowing smoke. Okay, this is called verbal hypocrisy.

They don't even one word of it. Not one word.

Without this much this my sounding garage so that they can speak it before them.

So the Mowgli are the crowd will hear what they're saying to Jesus.

So you are just the greatest you're the best. No one no one like you, we would wiggle the question here, but it was missing.

Tell us what you think about this. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not not not being Jewish you you won't get the immediately you you you won't get the punch of the question is a loaded question.

Their motive is is evil there words are dripping with phony flattery and now the question is loaded.

If he says no do not pay tax pay the poll tax to Caesar that he start an insurrection they can arrest him for that. The Romans were forever watching out for those that were in the lead a rebellion against Caesar. If he says yes pay taxes to Caesar, there would be those many followers who would say he's considering Caesar worthy of one support. He's a graven image were not the worst of agreement were not to support graven images so he's hung up here and is hung there either ways going to be seen as wrong and they know it, so they think we got it right where we wanted but what they don't realize is there dealing with the son of God, wise beyond words. So he says to them, whose picture I says to them, show me the coin used for the tax so they pulled out a denarius is a little small coin with an image of probably in light of where they had been taught various of the, the Emperor and his title which was an adulation of some kind naming him as is the Almighty and in they look at the Roman coin and they handed it to him and so he looks at it and he says whose picture and title are stamped on it.

They could tell them just like you could tell whose images on a panic or on a nickel. They know an answer quickly.

They think we we we got little Caesars Caesars images on that point.

Well then he said give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and and and give to God what belongs to God. You can't hear it, but down inside they're going because his first of all, the word give as Matthew writes, it is a word to give back as one would pay a debt limit taxes like paying the debt for your right to be a citizen and the poll taxes taken and has been taken down through the centuries and the taxes must be paid in nieces pay back what you need to pay but don't forget that you must also give to God what he should receive another part of the Gospels, Jesus is described as being wise as a serpent and harmless as a debtors.

A perfect example. The answer is disarming. In fact, he begins by calling a what they were. I love that verse 18. Look at it.

They came to him with all that flattery is response to the flattery you hypocrites now before you think there's not much to it when the last time you called anybody a hypocrite to her face or his face. I would grant that not a person in this room is done that you just don't do that. That's a very strong insulting word I may say to an individual what you're suggesting is hypocritical, but I don't know. I can't remember looking a person in the face and going you hypocrite that takes think God's that takes confidence in you know what didn't have a word to answer you. In fact, he goes on to say, why are you trying to trap me. I see through this get back to Caesar what you should give to God what you should give to God and I love the end. His reply amazed them and they went away. You know what's interesting is when you really catch a hypocrite and callable spade a spade.

They'll never give you the truth. In return, you know what your right I'm guilty as charged. They don't say that they just walk away. When we learn from this.

Let me switch it to where we are today. These are what deceivers will never tell you not going to tell you today. The first thing I learned is since God is sovereign. It's his banquet this anyone hearing me right now who struggles with the plan of salvation of you can struggle all you wish, but the plan is the plan as set forth by the sovereign God.

He's not wanting anyone to perish, but he's determined a banquet that would come according to his invitation, and these are the terms you must acknowledge that your sinful, you realize that you cannot in your sinful condition claimed the heaven of your heavenly home to be with God forever.

You got a deal with your sin somehow what you cannot do because you're simple, through and through, so you must come to Christ, who alone can take care of your sin.

And when you do come to Christ you submit to him and you enthrone him and take yourself off the throne of your life you give him first place. It's his banquet. That's how you come to his feast. It's his sovereign right to call the shots is the second thing we learn. Since God is just, it's his right to determine who attends and who can't. It's his right.

You may not like it.

You may not think it's fair you may think it sounds terribly arbitrary or narrow, but Jesus said it best I am the way, the truth of the life.

No one comes to the father but through me to get specific no president of any country comes to God except through Christ, no ambassador representing any country comes to God except through Christ know Bridget Bridget mind that can invent and 10 discover incredible things can come to God except through Christ and no person like you were me can come to God except through Christ.

God is just.

If we fail to follow his plan.

There's hell to pay. It's either heaven on his terms or it's hell on your terms. Frankly, I'm your best friend to tell you that those who will tell you this not true or not your friends based of the Scriptures. Those of the options and God is just. He doesn't want you to perish you want you to take the invitation if you don't you can see what will happen is the third since God is God to him.

We owe our highest allegiance to him.

We owe our highest allegiance. No other one, do we worship and all gods are not the same. In this pluralistic world where other religions were to attempt to make you think were all ultimately serving the same God. There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Since God is God to him. We owe him our tree will our highest allegiance. He alone is the one I worship to worship another is idolatry is its error and we can't go there. Plain and simple said an offer. Years ago I enjoyed a relationship with Ron blue. He still our friend. We were just engaged with some of the things Ron would do is it. He was a financial planner and a Christian man and helped a number of people get underway so they could handle their finances better and we needed help and he helped us in and we are very grateful. Ron blue taught me a principal that I quoted hundreds of times and you probably have heard me quoted Cynthia and I said to one another regularly. God owns it all say that with me okay God owns it all.

One more time. God owns it all. All all your children, your parents, your belongings, your help. All he owns it all. You truly acknowledge that it's an easy what that would do to solve your selfishness and all of us are born selfish, never known of a child growing up saying here take mine. Please what I hear is me because I only know you owns it all and I'll tell you what you can live so much of these when you finally come to terms with it new stops whiten all the stuff that is preoccupied your life for too long and and say Lord that years to him all my life and breath and all the joy I have.

He makes me triumph over the graven saves me from the grave and saves me from the Greek to him I owe my life my breath and all the joy I have. God owns it all. Since God is sovereign.

It's his banquet. Since God is just, he's got the right to determine who comes to his banquet and who won't who will come can't get in. And third, since God is God.

He deserves my highest allegiance to sit right there and close your eyes will you sit right there. Close your eyes. Are you absolutely absolutely certain beyond the shadow of a doubt, absolutely positive that Christ lives in your life that you have trusted him to forgive your sins and to prepare you a home in heaven.

Are you absolutely certain of that. If you are not you can be simple simple plan of prayer really where you say Lord I come to you, just like I am all these many things in my life that I can clean up. I trust you to clean up. I turned from them and not turn to you and I trust you and you alone because I believe in Jesus Christ as my own one and only Savior. Thank you for coming to live in my life right now you pray that prayer you could no eternal life is not great. You can be sure of a home in heaven.

The feast is for you father make this time of worship deeply meaningful. Remove from us anything that would interrupt our thoughts, our time of focus on your son make it meaningful father, especially for those who would just come to New Year's. Give them a sense of peace and assurance that they now are part of.

We accept these elements, the bread and in remembrance of Jesus's name amen you're listening to Insight for living truck title today study in Matthew 22 a dialogue with deceivers and to discover a variety of resources available on today's topic, please visit us online@insideworld.org. As you look forward to the weekend. Perhaps will take some extra time to browse to the variety of free Bible study resources at your disposal.

For instance, you've likely heard us mention the searching the Scriptures studies online. These are interactive, meaning you can type your thoughts directly into the document or feel free to print out the PDF and use the notes in your personal quiet times to access the searching the Scriptures guide for Chuck's daily teaching go to Insight.org/studies.

In addition, Chuck is recommending an insightful book. My pastor and author of Odie Baucom.

It's called faultlines is written for anyone who truly wants to understand how to engage in grace filled conversations about justice from a biblical perspective again.

The book is called faultlines and you'll find all the details for requesting a copy Insight.org/offer.

We are deeply grateful to those who understand that these daily programs are made possible through voluntary contributions from people who value Chuck's teaching want to see Insight for living. Continue sure note, we received the solicitor said Chuck.

When I was stationed at Dover Air Force Base, a voice came across the radio that saved me from self-destructing and then he adds tearing up, thinking of how short my life could have been if you had not been there on that cold waiting. If I ever get the chance to meet you. I would like to thank you personally, but we don't get to meet on this side of glory will be asking Jesus where you're sitting very one more person to God to save to give a donation right now because if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8888 or online, go to insight and shepherd sitting in for my friend Dave Speicher and invite you to join us Monday when Chuck Swindoll continues her studying the book of Matthew on Insight for living in the preceding message dialogue with deceivers is copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R.

Swindoll. All rights reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited