Learning from History: Is Your Faith Built on the Rock?

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
Oh, Father, Lord, we do stand humbled and amazed in your presence because you are the God who is over everything, who is in control of everything, and there is nothing that is greater than you.
[00:00:17] There is nothing that is too great for you.
[00:00:23] Lord, we claim and hold on to and in
[00:00:27] What you had told to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18, where you asked them a rhetorical question, Is anything too hard for Jehovah, for the Lord God Almighty?
[00:00:42] And the answer is always no.
[00:00:46] We thank you that you are the God that calls the things that are not as though they already were, that you want us to look to you in faith and look to your Son,
[00:00:58] For he is the one who forgives sin.
[00:01:00] He is the one who gives eternal life, who has paid the penalty for sin for us so that we do not have to pay it ourselves.
[00:01:12] And it is because of Christ that we are able to stand before you.
[00:01:15] And as we repent of our sins in the name of Jesus, we are completely forgiven.
[00:01:22] We are justified.
[00:01:23] We are sanctified.
[00:01:24] We are made holy.
[00:01:25] And Lord,
[00:01:28] We fall before you.
[00:01:29] We cast our crowns before you and proclaim our love and our gratitude to you in our worship.
[00:01:39] And Lord, we ask that you would be with us now, that you would move within us and move within your people by the Holy Spirit.
[00:01:48] And Lord, that you would draw us close to Christ.
[00:01:53] You would draw us in Your Word, that You would make Your Word come alive in us.
[00:02:00] And Lord, that we would seek You with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
[00:02:07] Lord, we thank You for that You are the God who is with us and will never leave us, that You are the one that answers prayer,
[00:02:17] And Lord, we thank you in how you have been with our people in this past week and difficulties that they have experienced.
[00:02:27] And Lord, that they know your saving and your healing power, your encouragement and your mercy.
[00:02:34] And Lord, we pray that you would make that known all the more.
[00:02:38] That we would come to you and claim you and say that we trust in you and you alone.
[00:02:47] Because when we do that, Lord, we see you do great and mighty things in our midst, not because of ourselves, but because we are seeking you and because of your mercy and grace.
[00:03:02] Lord, we ask that you would be with our nation this morning and in this time.
[00:03:08] Lord, we pray even as there is unrest now throughout our nation,
[00:03:14] Lord, we pray for what is going on in Minnesota and in other parts of our nation.
[00:03:23] Lord, we do pray for your mercy and for your healing.
[00:03:29] And Lord, that you would help people in our country to seek you and to hunger and to thirst for Christ and for the Word.
[00:03:41] For Jesus and the Gospel is the only answer to the division and to the difficulties that we are facing now.
[00:03:52] Christ is the only hope for our nation, and people need to turn to Him.
[00:03:58] Lord, we pray that You would bring comfort and healing to those that are in need, but Lord, we ask that You would turn their hearts to the Lord Jesus.
[00:04:11] We pray for President Trump.
[00:04:12] We pray for our leaders.
[00:04:15] Lord, we pray for our government that they would seek you.
[00:04:20] For you are the only one that can bring true peace and answers and wisdom.
[00:04:27] Lord, we ask that you will be with our missionaries.
[00:04:32] Lord, from our denomination that we have sent out to the uttermost parts of the globe.
[00:04:39] Lord, we pray for the Vandalians in Lithuania.
[00:04:44] And Lord, thank you for the work that Frank and Emily are doing there in bringing renewal and revitalization to the Reformed Church.
[00:04:55] Actually, it's not them doing it, but in them being faithful to you
[00:05:00] In going to you and teaching people your word and pointing people to Christ, Lord, you are the one who is doing that.
[00:05:07] We pray that you would do that more.
[00:05:11] And Lord, we ask that you would be with other missionaries.
[00:05:15] Lord, we pray for missionaries that are coming to the United States.
[00:05:19] Lord, let us join with them in testifying of Christ and the good news.
[00:05:26] Jesus and of his salvation that we might be missionaries here to our own people and Lord that we might testify of the mercy and grace of Christ in what you have done to us Lord we pray for persecuted Christians around the world Lord we pray for even what is going on in what is going on in
[00:05:56] I ran and Lord asked that you would bring healing there and again Lord that you would bring your salvation that you would have people turn to Christ and in Israel for Jews to turn to Jesus that they would claim him as the Messiah Lord we pray for salvation all over the world and Lord we ask that you would light a fire within us to live for Christ in him alone
[00:06:25] Lord, we pray for prayer needs within our church.
[00:06:30] Lord, we pray for those that have been dealing with illness, that you would be with them, that you would heal them, strengthen them, and raise them up.
[00:06:39] Lord, we ask that you would continue to be with Joni.
[00:06:42] And Lord, we're thankful that she is here and is doing better.
[00:06:46] But Lord, pray for your total healing for her and for Angelo.
[00:06:51] We're thankful that Peggy is here as well.
[00:06:55] And Lord, ask that you would bless her, that you would give healing and strength to her lungs.
[00:07:01] Lord, we pray for Larry.
[00:07:04] Lord, we're thankful that Ron Churchill is here as well.
[00:07:07] Pray for healing for him and for Emilio.
[00:07:11] And thank you that he is here after such serious surgery.
[00:07:14] Lord, we pray that you would help to restore him.
[00:07:19] Lord, we pray for Jason Richards' mother.
[00:07:22] Pray for Audie Chambers for physical needs that he has that you would be with him and his friend Reva and Lord that you would heal her of this cancer.
[00:07:36] Lord, we pray for many others that you would be with them.
[00:07:41] We do want to pray for friends of Wendy Williams, Dawson, and Shelby who lost their child a couple weeks ago, a one-year-old child.
[00:07:52] Lord, please comfort them.
[00:07:54] Please come alongside them.
[00:07:56] And Lord, please also bring salvation.
[00:07:59] Lord, we pray for another friend of hers and loss of her father.
[00:08:02] Lord, we lift up to you so many needs here.
[00:08:06] And Lord, you are so faithful to show us grace and mercy that we do not deserve.
[00:08:13] We fall upon you.
[00:08:14] Pray for Pastor Joseph now as he comes and preaches your word.
[00:08:19] Lord, that you would move in us by the Holy Spirit.
[00:08:22] We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
[00:08:25] Amen.

[00:08:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
You would turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 10 as we resume our redemptive history survey.
[00:08:47] The one book in the New Testament that is the best for us to understand the relationship between the Old and New would be Hebrews.
[00:08:57] And if you want to know why, come Tuesday nights at 7 p.m.
[00:09:02] The best section of a New Testament book, a selected just section, to show the real interrelationship in the old and new, is right here, our text today, 1 Corinthians chapter 10.
[00:09:17] And we're going to be looking specifically at verses 1 through 14.
[00:09:23] Our sermon titled, These Things Were Written for Our Admonition.
[00:09:31] Let's read the text, 1 Corinthians 10, 1 through 14.
[00:09:37] Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and the sea, and did all eat the same spiritual meat, and did all drink the same spiritual drink.
[00:09:53] For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ.
[00:10:00] But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
[00:10:04] Now these things were our examples to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
[00:10:11] Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
[00:10:18] Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
[00:10:24] neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer now all these things happen unto them for in samples and they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall
[00:10:51] There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man.
[00:10:55] But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
[00:11:06] Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
[00:11:12] May God add his blessing and understanding to the reading of this, his holy word.
[00:11:19] Of course, 1 Corinthians 10 is in the context of what we've read in the whole previous book, and if you remember, Paul is writing the church at Corinth.
[00:11:28] Corinth is a church primarily made up of Gentile converts, and these sins were very common to them and not known as sin in their previous religion and certainly in their culture.
[00:11:40] Fornication was actually part of their religion.
[00:11:43] There were thousands of temple prostitutes in that town.
[00:11:48] Fornication was tied in with their religion.
[00:11:52] Idolatry, of course, was the key of their religion.
[00:11:57] And so all of these problems that are being mentioned, Paul is recounting what took place in the Israelites that came out of Egypt.
[00:12:05] and he's saying these things are examples for you to learn the same spiritual lesson i want you to see that he is talking to the church so it's not just for corinth it's for us as well
[00:12:20] And really, he is taking this beautiful picture of what God has done.
[00:12:26] Now before anyone loses me, I want you to get this at least today.
[00:12:31] And that is that our God is so wonderful and so high and so great that he arranged everything that's happened up until now, the very history of humankind, he arranged it
[00:12:45] To be a lesson specifically for you and me in this church and those who are Christians.
[00:12:52] All of history is designed for what?
[00:12:54] So that Christians can learn from it how to glorify Him.
[00:12:59] And so the Old Testament wanderings of the Israelites in the wilderness, coming out of Egypt, Pharaoh, and crossing the Red Sea, and moving to the Promised Land, all of that was right and true and historical, but that was not the end.
[00:13:15] The end is for us to learn from it how to better follow Jesus Christ.
[00:13:22] That's what he says in this text.
[00:13:23] It's really rather amazing.
[00:13:25] And only God can control history to do that.
[00:13:29] Who else do you know can control history?
[00:13:32] People can say history is good to teach us, but how many of them can control history?
[00:13:38] Not even Donald Trump.
[00:13:39] I mean, you know, whoever's your favorite president, whoever's your favorite king, whoever's your most powerful individual, even they are under Christ.
[00:13:52] Even though they don't know it.
[00:13:54] Even Nebuchadnezzar, who was not a believer, and yet God was using him specifically, the Bible says, to punish his own people.
[00:14:02] And so, history is in God's hands.
[00:14:04] Why?
[00:14:05] Because it is his story.
[00:14:08] History, his story.
[00:14:12] Not her story or anyone else's story, his story.
[00:14:15] And so that's what we have here.
[00:14:18] And Paul is going back in this beautiful picture.
[00:14:20] If you're not familiar with it, bear with me just for a moment.
[00:14:23] In God's providence, bringing the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and then taking them through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land, God did it this way because this is a picture of the Christian life.
[00:14:38] If you're truly a Christian, before you're a Christian, the Bible says in Ephesians 2, we were in bondage to the prince of the power of the air.
[00:14:48] We were not born again.
[00:14:49] We were in bondage.
[00:14:51] Bondage is slavery.
[00:14:52] And who was the god of this world with a little g?
[00:14:55] Satan.
[00:14:56] And so all who are not born again, it's like the Israelites, in slaves, in bondage in Egypt, and Pharaoh was the emblem of Satan.
[00:15:05] God comes and delivers his people with a strong arm and outstretched hand.
[00:15:11] And how does he deliver?
[00:15:12] What's the final stroke that delivers them from bondage in Egypt?
[00:15:17] The death of the firstborn.
[00:15:20] And how do the Israelites escape the death of the firstborn?
[00:15:24] Through the
[00:15:26] The Passover lamb.
[00:15:29] And who is our Passover lamb sacrificed for us according to this book in 1 Corinthians 5-7?
[00:15:36] Jesus Christ is our Passover lamb sacrificed for us.
[00:15:39] You see how that is pointing to Christ?
[00:15:41] And so the Israelites are saved, the Passover lamb.
[00:15:44] And after you're saved, what's the next thing that should happen?
[00:15:48] Well, if you're in a Baptist church, for sure, you get baptized.
[00:15:52] And so what happens to the Israelites?
[00:15:55] After their Passover, they're saved, they go through the Red Sea.
[00:15:59] Bible says they were baptized in the Red Sea.
[00:16:02] We just read that.
[00:16:03] That's an emblem of baptism.
[00:16:05] And then once you're born again, you're saved, you're baptized, you're on your way now to where?
[00:16:11] Heaven.
[00:16:12] But you have a journey.
[00:16:14] And where were they on their way to?
[00:16:16] Israel, which at that time was known as the Promised Land.
[00:16:21] And that's a picture of heaven.
[00:16:22] And so all of this was designed by God to teach us.
[00:16:26] And that's what Paul says.
[00:16:27] Do you see this?
[00:16:30] What powerful language in verse 6.
[00:16:33] Now, these things were our examples.
[00:16:37] Who?
[00:16:38] The New Testament church, including us.
[00:16:40] To the intent that we should not lust after evil things.
[00:16:43] Again, in verse 11, notice.
[00:16:45] Verse 11.
[00:16:46] Now, all these things happened unto them for in samples.
[00:16:51] In samples, or examples in verse 6.
[00:16:53] It's the same Greek word which underlies it, which is tupos.
[00:16:58] Tupos is where we get our English word, what?
[00:17:01] Type.
[00:17:02] These are types, typology.
[00:17:05] They are real, literal events that were typologically pointing forward to their fulfillment in Christ, our Passover lamb sacrificed for us.
[00:17:16] The Holy Spirit baptizing us with water, but of course with fire, and our journey to heaven itself.
[00:17:23] These are types.
[00:17:25] and so Paul is saying there is some things we need to learn here let us as it's been said by more than one historian those who are ignorant of history are what bound or doomed to repeat it Paul is saying here listen to the history okay and by the way in this case this history is not just recorded but it was made by God for you
[00:17:51] Have you ever been in churches or places where they focus on the New Testament, not so much on the Old?
[00:17:56] Well, that's a problem because the New Testament tells us the Old was written for us.
[00:18:00] And that's what it says right here.
[00:18:02] There's a lot for us to learn.
[00:18:03] Amen?
[00:18:04] So let's get started.
[00:18:05] Okay.
[00:18:06] So, these people that are being discussed
[00:18:12] Our church people, the Israelites.
[00:18:15] How do we know they're church people, if you will?
[00:18:17] Well, notice in the chapter, they were all that passed through the sea, verse 1, they were all baptized unto Moses.
[00:18:26] Typologically, Moses didn't say, I baptize you in the name of me.
[00:18:30] No, this is a typological thing.
[00:18:32] When they go through the Red Sea, they were baptized to Moses.
[00:18:35] Church people get baptized.
[00:18:36] They were baptized.
[00:18:37] Not only that, notice verse 3.
[00:18:38] They all did eat the same spiritual meat.
[00:18:42] And then they all did eat, drink the same spiritual drink.
[00:18:45] What does that make you think of in church?
[00:18:48] Eat the same meat, drink the same, okay?
[00:18:51] Because they're church people.
[00:18:52] All of them.
[00:18:53] And they did, didn't they?
[00:18:55] What meat did they eat?
[00:18:57] All eat the same in the wilderness.
[00:18:58] There was no golden corral.
[00:19:00] Manna.
[00:19:02] And where did they drink when they didn't have anything?
[00:19:05] Water from where?
[00:19:06] From Iraq.
[00:19:08] That's where my father's from.
[00:19:09] No.
[00:19:10] From a rock.
[00:19:13] And that rock, if you look here, look in the text.
[00:19:18] He said it, I don't know.
[00:19:19] So, verse 4.
[00:19:21] And did all drink the same spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock.
[00:19:28] that followed them and that rock was... You mean Christ was with the Israelites in the desert?
[00:19:36] I thought he didn't show up until Christmas, 2000 years later, the New Testament.
[00:19:41] You ever heard anybody say, well, I like the New Testament better because that's where we found Jesus, you know?
[00:19:45] Or Old Testament.
[00:19:47] It's like people are thinking Jesus is up there in heaven just, you know, waiting for the New Testament to show up.
[00:19:54] Forgive me, Lord, but he's not.
[00:19:56] He's all through the Old Testament, and specifically, he was with the Israelites in their wilderness wandering.
[00:20:03] Now, not Jesus of Nazareth, if you will, although he becomes Jesus of Nazareth when he takes on human flesh, but the second person of the Trinity, the Son of God, has always existed from eternity past, because he is God.
[00:20:15] And he showed up and he appeared in many different ways to the Israelites before the New Testament.
[00:20:21] By the way, Stephen tells us in Acts chapter 7, if you read it carefully, that the God that appeared to Moses in the bush was actually Jesus.
[00:20:30] Interesting.
[00:20:31] All right.
[00:20:32] So, these are church people.
[00:20:35] Well, they're church people, surely they're going to go to heaven, right?
[00:20:39] And for them, typologically, what was heaven?
[00:20:43] The Promised Land.
[00:20:45] Did they all get there?
[00:20:48] Did most of them get there?
[00:20:53] So far, are you with me?
[00:20:55] All of this is typological of the church.
[00:20:58] If the percentage of people in the church that made it to the promised land is the same percentage of people in the church that are going to go to heaven, that'd be pretty low, wouldn't it?
[00:21:12] Yeah, of 600,000 men that came out, there was two that made it.
[00:21:17] What's that percentage?
[00:21:18] Somebody figure that one out for us.
[00:21:20] So, certainly we don't necessarily go that way, but the point is still valid because look what he says.
[00:21:27] These are church people, but notice in verse 5, But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
[00:21:37] Do you mean to tell me that God is not pleased with some people in church?
[00:21:41] I mean, they're in church.
[00:21:42] Aren't they doing better than most Americans?
[00:21:45] How could you not be pleased with church people?
[00:21:47] That's what it says.
[00:21:49] And, by the way, I include pastors in that as well.
[00:21:55] Not Pastor Andy, but me.
[00:21:59] But with many of them God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
[00:22:04] And he's saying, look, all of these people were, if you will, baptized.
[00:22:08] All of these people, if you will, were eating of the Lord's Supper.
[00:22:12] All of these people were the covenant people of God.
[00:22:14] They were in church, if you will, but most of them did not make it to heaven.
[00:22:20] That's what he's saying.
[00:22:22] And so he's saying, take heed, because this is a lesson that was specifically written for us to take heed.
[00:22:29] And he's telling the church at Corinth and he's telling us as well.
[00:22:33] Notice again verse 6.
[00:22:37] Now these things were our examples to the intent.
[00:22:42] So God made these things examples for us.
[00:22:45] Examples for what?
[00:22:47] What does the Bible say?
[00:22:48] To the intent of what?
[00:22:49] That we should number one, here it is verse 6, not lust after evil things as they lusted.
[00:22:56] And what were they lusting over?
[00:22:59] Evil things?
[00:23:01] They didn't have internet pornography.
[00:23:02] What were they looking at?
[00:23:03] What were they doing?
[00:23:04] Let's go back.
[00:23:05] Exodus chapter 17.
[00:23:06] Sometimes we put in our minds categories of things that are evil and things that are not.
[00:23:11] But let me make it very simple for you.
[00:23:15] If it's not something that pleases the Lord, if it's something different from what God has said, it is evil.
[00:23:23] That can even be something that appears good in man's eyes.
[00:23:27] Here's an example, Exodus chapter 17, verse 1 through 7.
[00:23:32] They come out of the wilderness.
[00:23:34] Everything's great.
[00:23:35] Well, not quite because there's a mixed multitude.
[00:23:38] There's people that have come out who are doubting the Lord, who are tempting the Lord.
[00:23:42] Are they church people?
[00:23:43] Yeah.
[00:23:44] Of course, you haven't been in a church where anybody doubts the Lord or tempts the Lord or causes problems.
[00:23:49] But in this day, they actually had that kind of stuff.
[00:23:52] And so, what are they doing?
[00:23:54] Exodus 17, verse 1.
[00:23:55] And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of sin after their journeys according to the commandment of the Lord and pitched in Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.
[00:24:07] Now, is water evil?
[00:24:08] Certainly not.
[00:24:10] Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink.
[00:24:16] And Moses said with them, Why chide ye with me?
[00:24:19] Wherefore do you tempt the Lord?
[00:24:23] And the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this, that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?
[00:24:36] And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people?
[00:24:39] They be almost ready to stone me.
[00:24:42] And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, take with thee of the elders of Israel, and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, and it parts,
[00:24:51] In that case, he's referring back to when he smote the river in Egypt, the Nile had turned to blood, in thine hand and go.
[00:25:00] Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, and the people may drink.
[00:25:11] And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
[00:25:15] And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?
[00:25:25] Notice, what were they lusting after?
[00:25:28] Water.
[00:25:29] Is water an evil thing?
[00:25:32] But it says in the reference is they lusted after evil things.
[00:25:37] Why was it evil?
[00:25:39] Because they were not trusting the Lord.
[00:25:41] You just saw God do the ten plagues on Egypt.
[00:25:45] You just saw God open the Red Sea.
[00:25:48] You walked through the Red Sea.
[00:25:50] You saw Pharaoh's army drowned in the Red Sea.
[00:25:53] You see a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
[00:25:58] All of these miracles and everything that's been said so far.
[00:26:01] And now, as soon as you begin to get thirsty, you begin to murmur, discontented,
[00:26:07] Is the Lord with us or not?
[00:26:09] Tempting Moses, tempting God, and so though they lusted after water, which is good for the body, they lusted after it in a way of not seeking the Lord, not asking God, not waiting on Him.
[00:26:26] For us to lust after things the Lord does not provide, and not to seek Him, and not to honor Him, and to glorify Him in what He has told and promised is wicked.
[00:26:36] And so he's saying,
[00:26:37] That's a lesson for us.
[00:26:40] Are you fulfilled today?
[00:26:43] Well, Pastor Joseph, once I get this kind of job, then I'll be settled.
[00:26:48] Or once I get this kind of house, then I'll be settled.
[00:26:51] Or once I get this much in the bank, then I'll be okay.
[00:26:54] Or once I finish this, or finish that, or... What is it in your life?
[00:27:00] Or once I get a happier family, or once I find a preacher better than you, or I don't know.
[00:27:08] What is it?
[00:27:09] What is it that you think is going to fulfill you?
[00:27:13] And if it's anything but Christ, I have to disappoint you, you're absolutely wrong, it'll never fulfill you.
[00:27:19] Because we are made in the image of God, who is infinite and eternal.
[00:27:22] And we have an infinite hole in us, if you will, and the only thing that can fill an infinite hole is an infinite, and that's only God.
[00:27:29] you can continue to multiply as many finite things money and and women or men and cars and educations and jobs and prestige and you name it and you'll be unfulfilled you'll be miserable and you'll die like so many other very wealthy popular people who died in great depression sometimes suicide with all that the world seeks after and yet they were still unfulfilled no we must have christ
[00:27:59] And so it's better to die of physical thirst and have Christ than to have all the water in the world and be completely dry spiritually.
[00:28:10] After all, Christ himself said on the cross, I thirst.
[00:28:14] He thirsted so that we might be filled who believe in him.
[00:28:18] For they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was?
[00:28:24] Christ is a rock?
[00:28:27] By the way, very strange, we don't believe this, but there's some old Jewish traditions because the Bible talks about the Jews drinking from a rock in the wilderness in more than one place, more than one time.
[00:28:39] So some of the old Jewish traditions said there was a big, huge rock and whenever they would go, that rock would just roll right after them and show up right beside the people and when it was time again, let's do it again, here it comes, you know.
[00:28:54] Now we don't believe that's the way it worked, although initially there is a rock.
[00:28:58] But that rock, though it was physical, that was an emblem and a type of Jesus Christ who is the rock of our salvation.
[00:29:08] And so we see that we are being warned not to fall into this
[00:29:13] same pattern these people you know have you ever heard someone say well if i just was there if i could have just seen those miracles if i could just if god would just show up if jesus was just here with me you'd do the same darn thing look at look at what they got to see because faith doesn't come by seeing faith comes by hearing hearing what the word of god not by seeing usually seeing causes a problem yeah but you have to hear hear the by the way how was the heavens and the earth created
[00:29:42] He spoke it into existence.
[00:29:45] And so, so too, salvation.
[00:29:48] Faith cometh by hearing.
[00:29:49] Hearing what?
[00:29:49] The Word of God.
[00:29:51] And so we need to remember that.
[00:29:53] Now, so why were these things written?
[00:29:56] For our admonition.
[00:29:57] For what?
[00:29:58] Number one, not to lust after evil things as they lusted.
[00:30:01] Verse 6.
[00:30:01] Verse 7.
[00:30:03] Neither be ye idolaters.
[00:30:06] Some of you are saying, check.
[00:30:07] I don't have a totem pole in my backyard.
[00:30:11] You know, I don't have an elephant with seven arms and a crown on his head in my house.
[00:30:16] I don't bow down to any idols.
[00:30:18] I'm good, Pastor Joseph.
[00:30:19] Can we move on?
[00:30:21] Well, is there anything in your life that comes before Jesus?
[00:30:26] And by the way, it's very simple to say, no, no, I love Jesus more than anything.
[00:30:33] Let me take a look at your finances.
[00:30:35] Does it show it?
[00:30:37] Let me look at your bank statements, your credit card.
[00:30:40] Are most of the purchases and most of the outgoes going to be to missions and to the church?
[00:30:45] Or is it something else?
[00:30:47] Or how about your time?
[00:30:50] We already talked about church attendance, but not just church attendance.
[00:30:54] How much time in prayer?
[00:30:56] How much time in the Word?
[00:30:57] How much time seeking the Lord and serving the Lord specifically?
[00:31:02] And then how much time are you doing other things?
[00:31:06] Now remember, an idol doesn't have to be a totem pole.
[00:31:11] It doesn't even have to be something bad.
[00:31:13] It could be something good.
[00:31:15] Is family a good thing?
[00:31:18] It's supposed to be.
[00:31:20] Can it become an idol?
[00:31:22] I'm sorry Pastor Joseph can't come to church.
[00:31:25] Kids got soccer this Sunday.
[00:31:27] Okay, well, I'll see you next Sunday.
[00:31:29] Oh, sorry, the other one's got cheerleading.
[00:31:31] Oh, well, what about the next Sunday?
[00:31:32] Well, you know, we're going to go to the beach.
[00:31:34] Oh, well, what about the next Sunday?
[00:31:35] We're going to go to the mountains.
[00:31:37] Well, what about the next Sunday?
[00:31:38] Well, I have to let you know.
[00:31:42] You say, well, church isn't God.
[00:31:45] Well, then what is?
[00:31:50] It's easy to say, I love God more than anything.
[00:31:53] Show me.
[00:31:55] You have faith?
[00:31:56] Show it by your works.
[00:31:59] And if the works don't show it, what does James say?
[00:32:01] Faith without works is?
[00:32:02] Faith.
[00:32:03] These people all say, we're the people of the Lord, we're the people of the Lord.
[00:32:06] But as soon as it got a little hard, they're fighting against the Lord.
[00:32:10] It's one thing to complain against Moses and Aaron, but there's two or three places where it says, they fought against God, or they complained against the Lord.
[00:32:20] Folks, that's just not smart.
[00:32:23] The guy that you just saw do all of this, he's more than a guy.
[00:32:26] The man, the God in heaven who created light in the Israelites' home when there was complete darkness over the whole country of Egypt for three nights and three days, opened the Israelite door, LED.
[00:32:40] Closed it, pitch black.
[00:32:43] And it was better than LED because he created light before there was even sun, moon, or stars.
[00:32:49] And you're going to argue with this?
[00:32:53] What's the point?
[00:32:54] Remember the story of Job?
[00:32:55] What's the whole point of Job?
[00:32:56] If you're reading in a chronological reading, you should be reading Job.
[00:32:59] What's the whole point of Job?
[00:33:00] You should understand.
[00:33:01] Job's saying, hey, I hadn't done anything wrong.
[00:33:03] I hadn't done anything wrong.
[00:33:04] Why did these things happen to me?
[00:33:05] I hadn't done anything wrong.
[00:33:06] I wish God would show up so I could plead my case before God.
[00:33:09] Come on, God, show up.
[00:33:10] I want to show you.
[00:33:11] I hadn't done anything wrong.
[00:33:12] I hadn't done anything wrong.
[00:33:12] God shows up.
[00:33:16] I repent in dust and ashes.
[00:33:18] I got nothing more to say.
[00:33:20] He shuts up.
[00:33:22] Why?
[00:33:23] because he gets a revelation of who God really is.
[00:33:27] How big and glorious and wonderful God is and how small we are in comparison.
[00:33:33] You say, I don't like feeling small.
[00:33:35] That's okay because the more distance between a big God and a small you,
[00:33:40] Exalts the Great Salvation and Savior Jesus Christ and what He's done for you and for me.
[00:33:47] Amen?
[00:33:48] And so we are not to lust after evil things as they lusted.
[00:33:52] Number 6.
[00:33:52] Number 7.
[00:33:53] We are not to commit idolatry.
[00:33:58] 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 7.
[00:34:04] Neither be ye idolaters as were some of them.
[00:34:07] And in their case,
[00:34:09] They actually were bowing down to a golden calf, remember?
[00:34:14] This is very interesting.
[00:34:18] Pastor Joseph, I don't have a golden calf.
[00:34:20] Check.
[00:34:20] Wait a minute.
[00:34:22] Wait a minute.
[00:34:24] What did they call that golden calf?
[00:34:27] Remember, Moses is up and he's getting the Ten Commandments.
[00:34:31] The people, oh, we don't know, you know, 40 days, we don't know what happened to this guy Moses.
[00:34:37] Aaron, make for us a golden calf, you know, so they take off their gold earrings and everything.
[00:34:42] Aaron makes a golden calf.
[00:34:43] Of course, when Moses shows up, Aaron acts clueless, right?
[00:34:45] He says, well, you know, we just threw the gold in and out came this calf, but...
[00:34:50] He made the calf, and He told them to worship the calf.
[00:34:55] Remember?
[00:34:56] Now turn with me just briefly.
[00:34:58] I want you to see this one verse.
[00:34:59] If you turn back to the evidence in Exodus chapter 32.
[00:35:03] Now, you know, I like the Charlton Heston movie.
[00:35:06] Those of you who are older know what I'm talking about.
[00:35:09] Great movie, but it's not all accurate and in order.
[00:35:13] Exodus chapter 32, verse 1 through 6.
[00:35:16] You can go back and read it, but for time's sake, I just want to show you this one verse.
[00:35:21] So after Aaron makes the golden calf, he says this in verse 5 of Exodus chapter 32.
[00:35:30] And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it.
[00:35:35] That's the golden calf.
[00:35:38] And Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.
[00:35:45] L-O-R-D, all caps, which is Jehovah, the name of God.
[00:35:51] It is the unmistakable name of the God of Israel.
[00:35:54] They made a golden idol, but they called it the right name.
[00:35:58] So was God pleased because they made a God of the right name?
[00:36:02] Great judgment.
[00:36:05] I follow Jesus, but my Jesus would never condemn anyone.
[00:36:10] I believe in Jesus.
[00:36:12] My Jesus would never send anyone to hell.
[00:36:15] I believe in Jesus.
[00:36:17] He would never say an unkind word to anyone.
[00:36:20] Well, you haven't read your Bible lately.
[00:36:23] Just because you say you follow Jesus, but that Jesus is not the God of the Bible, you're committing the very same sin of idolatry that the Israelites were.
[00:36:32] Oh, I love Jesus.
[00:36:33] I love Jesus.
[00:36:34] He gets me.
[00:36:35] Yes, I'm a drunkard and I'm a this and I'm a that and a liar and a songwriter and all that kind of stuff, but it's cool because He gets me.
[00:36:43] That's not the God of the Bible.
[00:36:45] You can call him Jesus all day long, but you're blaspheming.
[00:36:48] You're taking the name of the Lord your God in vain, the third commandment.
[00:36:51] You are blaspheming him and you are committing the sin of idolatry.
[00:36:55] This is not the God of the Bible.
[00:36:59] Jesus is not pleased for you to bow down to a golden calf and call it Jesus.
[00:37:03] He's not going to accept that.
[00:37:05] Do you understand?
[00:37:07] Now you don't have to have a golden calf to be committing idolatry.
[00:37:12] Pastor Joe, this is awful hard.
[00:37:14] Yeah, but talk to Paul.
[00:37:15] Paul says this was all done for us to learn.
[00:37:20] So I'm here not to say, I'm here to say, look, this is learning that we can benefit from because if you're truly born again, you're on your way.
[00:37:32] You're on your way.
[00:37:34] Where did all of these problems happen?
[00:37:36] In the wilderness, which is between being born again and getting to heaven.
[00:37:41] And if you're saved, where are you?
[00:37:43] Between being saved and getting to heaven.
[00:37:46] Nothing could be more pertinent or appropriate for us to learn.
[00:37:52] And so continuing on, back in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, Neither let us commit fornication.
[00:38:01] Verse 8.
[00:38:02] Now, unfortunately, most people don't know what fornication is anymore.
[00:38:09] Any sexual interactions between people outside of the confines of a biblical marriage is fornication.
[00:38:22] People who are living together and having sexual relations, that's called fornication.
[00:38:28] Fornication is a sin in of itself, but the context of the fornication here has to do with idolatry.
[00:38:37] Because as I mentioned before, many of the idol worship religions, part of the religious rites was having sexual relations with these different people, as sordid as that is.
[00:38:50] And remember, spiritually speaking, the greatest sin of all is what?
[00:38:57] What's the first commandment out of the ten?
[00:39:02] Have no other gods before me.
[00:39:04] If you have another God, that's called idolatry.
[00:39:07] That's the first and the worst.
[00:39:08] And when Jesus sums it up and says all of this is summed up in two, love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, okay?
[00:39:14] So if you have an idol, you're breaking the first and the most important commandment, right?
[00:39:19] So spiritually speaking, Israel in the Old Testament, the church in the New Testament are married to God.
[00:39:25] If we are spiritually looking at anything else, then we are cheating on God.
[00:39:30] And this is why fornication is such a horrible thing.
[00:39:33] By the way, real quickly, Balaam, another Iraqi, he was a prophet, but he wasn't a godly man.
[00:39:42] I know that's a strange thing, but it's a truth in the Bible.
[00:39:44] You can read about it in the book of Numbers.
[00:39:46] And Balak, the king of the Moabites, he called them to come and curse Israel.
[00:39:53] He couldn't do it.
[00:39:54] He could only say what God told him.
[00:39:56] He actually blesses Israel many times.
[00:39:58] But if you read a little bit later in Numbers, though Balaam was unable to curse Israel, he told Balak a way to get back at Israel.
[00:40:08] He says, well, I couldn't curse him, but here's an idea.
[00:40:10] What did he do?
[00:40:12] He says, get all the...
[00:40:14] This is not word for word.
[00:40:15] Go back and read it yourself.
[00:40:17] Get all the prettiest young girls you can in Moab and send them over there to those Israelite men, especially the young guys don't have a wife, you know, and entice them to be involved in relations.
[00:40:31] And the Moabite religion and the relations had to do with the spiritual idolatry.
[00:40:36] So if you can get their hearts entangled with these women, and then just like Solomon, then they will steal their hearts away to a false god.
[00:40:46] Balaam told him to do that and guess what?
[00:40:49] It worked.
[00:40:50] And God brought great judgment on the Israelites because of that.
[00:40:55] You can read it in Numbers 25, 1 through 9.
[00:40:59] Great judgment.
[00:41:00] Many were killed by a great plague from the Lord because of, yes, the sin of fornication, physical, but even more so what that leads to, in this case, idolatry.
[00:41:14] And how that is emblematic of us loving something more than God.
[00:41:19] If you love something more than God, that's called an idol.
[00:41:26] Okay?
[00:41:26] Alright, continuing on.
[00:41:28] Neither, verse 9, let us tempt Christ.
[00:41:32] I find this very interesting.
[00:41:34] Notice, verse 9.
[00:41:35] Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents.
[00:41:42] Don't tempt Christ.
[00:41:44] It says they tempted Christ.
[00:41:46] Was Christ in the wilderness 1400 years before Christmas, before Mary?
[00:41:51] Yes!
[00:41:52] Christ was, and it says that they tempted Christ.
[00:41:56] How?
[00:41:57] Let's look back quickly, if you would, in Numbers, again, chapter 21.
[00:42:00] In Numbers, chapter 21, we find, once again, the people, the church people, were not pleased with God and His prophet,
[00:42:16] Numbers chapter 21, let's just look at verses 4 through 9.
[00:42:21] Numbers 21 verse 4, And the journey, they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
[00:42:33] It was tough.
[00:42:33] It was a difficult way.
[00:42:36] By the way, who is the way?
[00:42:40] He says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
[00:42:43] No man comes to the Father except by me.
[00:42:45] We talked about being fulfilled.
[00:42:47] If you're unfulfilled, are you a Christian?
[00:42:51] If you have Jesus, what more do you want?
[00:42:55] Isn't Jesus enough?
[00:42:57] Yeah, but once I get a bigger house, I'll feel a lot better.
[00:42:59] So Jesus is not enough.
[00:43:02] Is he enough or is he not enough?
[00:43:04] For these people he wasn't enough.
[00:43:06] They're discouraged because of the way, they're murmuring, they're upset, they're whatever, and so what happens?
[00:43:11] Here we go, the same cycle again.
[00:43:13] They're discouraged because of the way, verse 5, And the people spake against God, not smart, and against Moses, Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?
[00:43:24] When did they tempt Christ?
[00:43:26] The word Christ is not here, but it says that they spoke against God.
[00:43:29] Who is Christ?
[00:43:30] God.
[00:43:31] They spoke against God.
[00:43:32] He was there, Christ.
[00:43:33] He spoke against God and Moses, Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness?
[00:43:37] For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loatheth this light bread.
[00:43:43] After a while, manna...
[00:43:44] Man is not good enough.
[00:43:46] You know, we want prime rib, whatever.
[00:43:48] Quail, meat, whatever they want.
[00:43:50] And so, how does the Lord respond here?
[00:43:53] Thank God he doesn't respond this way to us today.
[00:43:56] But it's the same God of the Old and the New Testament.
[00:43:58] Never, never misunderstand that.
[00:44:00] God, the Bible in the New Testament says, I am the first and the last, right?
[00:44:05] I'm the Alpha, the Omega.
[00:44:06] I am the Lord.
[00:44:07] I change not.
[00:44:08] I'm the same yesterday, today, and forever.
[00:44:12] And so what does God do to these people in Numbers 21, verse 6?
[00:44:19] And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died.
[00:44:26] The Lord did that?
[00:44:28] Yes, He did.
[00:44:29] Why?
[00:44:30] Because of their sin, because of their wickedness, because of their idolatry, because of their continued unrepentance, because of their pride, and because they're actually now tempting God Himself.
[00:44:43] Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee.
[00:44:53] Pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us.
[00:44:58] And Moses prayed for the people.
[00:45:01] And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
[00:45:15] Moses made a serpent of brass, put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if any, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
[00:45:28] You know, you look at the Israelites and you say, when are you guys going to get it?
[00:45:33] Well, what if the Israelites could look at us?
[00:45:37] Would they say, oh, we wish we were great like them?
[00:45:39] Or would they say, oh, no, they're doing the same thing that we did.
[00:45:42] Can they learn?
[00:45:43] Didn't they read Paul's epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 10?
[00:45:51] Now, here's the one that you think, well, this doesn't matter.
[00:45:53] Neither let us murmur.
[00:45:56] Murmuring.
[00:45:57] They ever murmur?
[00:45:58] That's in verse 10.
[00:46:00] You know, as Israelites got killed for murmuring.
[00:46:04] Murmuring is not a good thing, especially against the Lord.
[00:46:08] It shows discontent.
[00:46:10] We talked about, are you fulfilled?
[00:46:11] Are you content?
[00:46:12] If not, why?
[00:46:13] These people had, can you imagine?
[00:46:15] The cloud by day, you're in a desert, it's hot.
[00:46:18] The cloud spreads over, keeps you cool.
[00:46:21] In the desert, I understand it gets cold at nighttime.
[00:46:23] That's okay.
[00:46:24] Pillar of fire at night to keep you warm.
[00:46:27] What more do you want?
[00:46:28] Food.
[00:46:28] There's no cows out here.
[00:46:29] There's no plants.
[00:46:30] That's okay.
[00:46:31] I'll send it, rain it down from heaven.
[00:46:32] Here you go.
[00:46:33] Perfect.
[00:46:34] Check the FDA.
[00:46:35] Everything you need for nutrition is in this manner.
[00:46:37] Enjoy.
[00:46:38] I'm sure it was.
[00:46:39] More than that.
[00:46:41] We're thirsty.
[00:46:42] Oh, you want water?
[00:46:42] Here.
[00:46:43] Here's a rock.
[00:46:44] All the water you want.
[00:46:46] And then even, well, we want meat.
[00:46:48] Here's quail.
[00:46:49] So much that it's going to come out of your nose.
[00:46:51] You're going to have more meat than you can dream of.
[00:46:54] Everything you want, and you still complain, like a little baby with a rattle.
[00:46:58] Ah, we want this, we want that.
[00:47:02] Why?
[00:47:04] I think the reason for their discontent is the same for some who might be here today.
[00:47:10] To them, God is not enough.
[00:47:13] And if God is not enough, that means you don't know Him.
[00:47:17] Because to know Him is to stand in awe.
[00:47:21] And no matter what you go through, He is your joy.
[00:47:24] He is your strength.
[00:47:26] He is the one that carries you through.
[00:47:28] Neither let us murmur.
[00:47:30] You can read about it in Numbers 16, how they murmured against God and how God again brought judgment upon them.
[00:47:38] Look at verse 11.
[00:47:39] Now all these things happen unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition.
[00:47:47] Who?
[00:47:48] New Testament Christians.
[00:47:49] That's us.
[00:47:50] Upon whom the ends of the world are come.
[00:47:52] In other words, everything that happened before Christ was pointing to Christ.
[00:47:56] all of the lines of history all of human history from creation all converge in one point the birth perfect life death bell and resurrection of our lord jesus christ then from there they go out and here we are on the other side the church and so all of that was pointing towards christ and now we are to look back at that example and what are we supposed to gain from it verse
[00:48:25] 12.
[00:48:26] Wherefore, Pastor Joseph, I'm good.
[00:48:29] I got this.
[00:48:30] I got it.
[00:48:31] I'm okay.
[00:48:32] I hope somebody else here learned something.
[00:48:36] Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
[00:48:45] These are very sobering words.
[00:48:48] But there's an encouragement here.
[00:48:50] There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man.
[00:48:54] But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above your able, but with the temptation will also provide a way of escape that you may be able to bear it.
[00:49:04] So praise God.
[00:49:05] No matter what we face, God is enough.
[00:49:08] God is able.
[00:49:09] His power, all power in heaven and earth has been given unto me, now therefore you go.
[00:49:14] Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.
[00:49:17] I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengtheneth me.
[00:49:19] The devil himself is below in the sense that if I'm operating in the power of Jesus Christ who is made far above all principalities and powers, Ephesians 1 and every name that is named, he is the name above all names.
[00:49:32] And so that's encouraging.
[00:49:34] And that also leaves us no excuse.
[00:49:36] And so we are to walk in a way that is pleasing to the Lord because we need to remember where we were before we were born again.
[00:49:45] In bondage.
[00:49:48] And we need to remember where we're headed, which is absolute perfect freedom in Christ.
[00:49:55] Love and joy and peace.
[00:49:57] No more Facebook.
[00:49:58] No more bad news.
[00:50:00] No more nothing bad whatsoever.
[00:50:02] It's going to be wonderful.
[00:50:03] It's going to be glorious in the presence of God Himself.
[00:50:08] And it'll never become boring because all eternity we'll be trying to understand more and more of every facet of His infinite beauty and glory and perfections
[00:50:18] Oh, how wonderful!
[00:50:19] Oh, how glorious!
[00:50:21] I'm looking forward to that.
[00:50:23] I hope you are.
[00:50:25] Keep all of that in mind.
[00:50:26] And this is to help you along the way.
[00:50:30] We can't just bury our hands.
[00:50:32] Nothing bad is going to happen to me.
[00:50:33] Nothing bad is going to happen to me.
[00:50:34] I know the Lord.
[00:50:36] But what happens when it does?
[00:50:39] I know a lot of people that say that.
[00:50:40] But what happens when it does?
[00:50:43] Are you going to trust God or not?
[00:50:46] Is God enough?
[00:50:48] or not.
[00:50:50] Now, the conclusion of the message.
[00:50:55] That rock, oh I'm sorry, let's read verse, we read verse 13, 14.
[00:50:59] Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
[00:51:03] Notice in verse 4, that rock that followed them was Christ.
[00:51:07] We already said we don't believe in a physical rock that rolled around and followed the people of Israel.
[00:51:13] Because the rock was Christ.
[00:51:16] And that's the truth.
[00:51:17] And we need to understand the importance of this before we finish the message for us today.
[00:51:22] You say, I'm not very built up, Pastor Joseph.
[00:51:24] That just brought a lot of conviction and I'm just not.
[00:51:27] Well, stay with me and get something out of this here.
[00:51:31] There's a lot here.
[00:51:33] Now, are there going to be few that are saved or many?
[00:51:38] More people going to heaven or more people are going to hell according to Jesus?
[00:51:43] What do you think?
[00:51:46] You go out here and ask people, I think most of them would say they're going to heaven, or they hope so.
[00:51:51] What does Jesus say?
[00:51:52] Luke chapter 13, he was actually asked this very question.
[00:51:57] Luke chapter 13 verse 22, he was asked, are there many that are going to be saved?
[00:52:05] What does Jesus say?
[00:52:07] and by the way this is very important because remember all of these people that were Israelites were church people but just a handful made it to paradise, to heaven if you will, to Israel which was the promised land at that time and that is a picture of heaven and so how does that relate to what Jesus says about us going to heaven?
[00:52:28] Luke chapter 13 verse 22
[00:52:31] And he went through the cities and villages teaching and journeying towards Jerusalem, then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved?
[00:52:41] So here's the question.
[00:52:42] I mean, is it going to be a huge amount or just a few?
[00:52:47] Jesus says this, strive to enter in at the straight gate.
[00:52:51] What's a straight gate?
[00:52:52] You ever heard of a straight jacket?
[00:52:54] That's the word there in English.
[00:52:56] The straight, the narrow gate.
[00:52:58] Strive to enter in at the straight gate, for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.
[00:53:03] Who's going to seek to enter in and not be able?
[00:53:07] Church people.
[00:53:09] Isn't that what it said?
[00:53:13] Because people outside the church aren't striving, are they?
[00:53:16] Ah, that Jew at Jesus stuff, forget that.
[00:53:18] But the people in the church.
[00:53:22] When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut the door, verse 25, you begin to stand without and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us.
[00:53:30] And he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence you are.
[00:53:35] Then shall you begin to say, We've eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.
[00:53:40] But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are.
[00:53:45] Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
[00:53:49] Who's he talking to?
[00:53:51] Church people.
[00:53:52] How do we know?
[00:53:53] Because it's the only people who are going to call him Lord.
[00:53:56] It's the only people who are striving to enter in through that gate which is Jesus.
[00:54:02] And then he goes on to say, There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out.
[00:54:13] Lord have mercy.
[00:54:15] Matthew chapter 7, a parallel passage, real quick.
[00:54:19] Matthew chapter 7, beginning just 13 and 14.
[00:54:23] Jesus speaks to the same issue, though he didn't have the question in the text.
[00:54:29] Matthew 7, out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, let every word be established.
[00:54:33] Here's number two, Matthew 7, 13.
[00:54:35] Enter ye in at the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.
[00:54:43] Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth into life, and few there be that find it.
[00:54:51] Now I'd like to say that every single one of you is on your way.
[00:54:56] And I know a lot of you, and I have high hopes.
[00:55:00] I have high hopes for myself.
[00:55:03] But some of you I don't know.
[00:55:05] And according to Jesus, if every one of us was to go to heaven, that would be awfully different than what he has said.
[00:55:14] Now let me give you one more passage in Matthew, and then we go to John and we're done.
[00:55:21] 7, we're still in 7, 21 through 27.
[00:55:25] Listen to this, please.
[00:55:27] Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in the kingdom of heaven.
[00:55:33] but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven are you doing the will of the father many will say to me in that day lord lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out devils and in thy name done many wonderful works and then will i profess unto them i never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity who's he talking to church people
[00:55:58] Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man which built his house upon a rock.
[00:56:20] Why a rock?
[00:56:22] Because he's the rock that was in the wilderness, and from him comes life.
[00:56:28] Without water we die.
[00:56:30] Build your life upon the rock.
[00:56:33] Who is the rock?
[00:56:34] Jesus Christ.
[00:56:36] Those who come and hear and do my will are like a man to build his house upon a rock.
[00:56:42] and notice what he says he says built a house upon a rock verse 25 and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon the house and it fell not for it was founded upon a rock yes we have problems in life as long as we're in this flesh we're going to have problems we can't deny it to do so is insanity but by god and through christ no matter what storm comes against me no matter what devil of hell
[00:57:05] I will overcome, because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world, because I have the armor of God, because I have the promise of the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, and because I have the promise of Romans 8, 28, that he causes all things to work together for good.
[00:57:20] Everything's not good, but my God causes all things, even the bad things, to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose, and by his grace, that's me.
[00:57:30] How about you?
[00:57:32] And if so, we can face life without fear.
[00:57:39] Because Christ came to deliver us from that too, amen?
[00:57:43] And then Christ says this, finish this out here.
[00:57:47] But everyone that heareth, verse 26, these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand.
[00:57:56] And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
[00:58:04] So, he's talking about two groups of people, both in the church.
[00:58:09] One, because why both in the church?
[00:58:12] The two groups of people, what differentiates them?
[00:58:14] Both of them come and hear.
[00:58:16] Go back and read the text.
[00:58:18] Both come and hear.
[00:58:19] I'm looking at a group of people that come and hear.
[00:58:22] But I don't know which ones of you do.
[00:58:24] I know a little bit, but not much.
[00:58:26] Some of you I don't know.
[00:58:27] And so I see you, and it looks like you all got ears, and you're hearing.
[00:58:33] But whether or not you're doing, I don't know.
[00:58:35] How does Jesus differentiate?
[00:58:37] The ones that do are the ones that have their house on the rock.
[00:58:40] Not because the doing gets them saved, but the doing is evidence that they are saved.
[00:58:46] You see?
[00:58:49] You got it?
[00:58:51] And building your house on a rock.
[00:58:52] And here's where we end in the Gospel of John.
[00:58:57] Jesus, was he there in the wilderness 1400 years before he was born?
[00:59:01] Yeah, the second person of the Trinity.
[00:59:02] He was there.
[00:59:04] He was the rock that they drank from, yes.
[00:59:07] And remember, when they were striving with God about this rock, no, about no water, God tells Moses, go to the rock, strike the rock, and out will come water.
[00:59:20] Isn't that interesting?
[00:59:22] Yeah, it's very interesting.
[00:59:25] And that water gave them life, didn't it?
[00:59:28] Jesus is the rock.
[00:59:31] Strike the rock.
[00:59:31] Who's supposed to strike it?
[00:59:34] Moses.
[00:59:34] Moses represents what?
[00:59:37] The law of God that condemns you and me and should have struck us struck him on the cross.
[00:59:47] And if you read John 19, they break the legs of one on this side and one on that side to hasten the death of the crucifixion.
[00:59:54] When they came to Jesus, they didn't break his legs, but what did they do?
[00:59:57] They pierced his side and out came water and blood.
[01:00:04] What struck him?
[01:00:05] The law.
[01:00:07] The chastisement of our peace was upon him.
[01:00:09] He was wounded for our transgressions.
[01:00:13] He who knew no sin became sin, so that we might become the righteous of God in Christ Jesus.
[01:00:19] He was made a curse for us, as it is written in the law in Deuteronomy, Cursed is everyone that hangeth upon a tree, so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us, the Gentiles, through faith in Jesus Christ, the rock that was smitten, so out might come life-giving water.
[01:00:35] Symbolizing the Spirit of God and regeneration.
[01:00:37] Jesus says in John chapter 7, If any of you thirst, come unto me, and out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water.
[01:00:49] He is that rock.
[01:00:50] He is the one that brings us salvation.
[01:00:53] And how did he die?
[01:00:54] Moses, who represents the law.
[01:00:56] The law that is supposed to smite us, smote him.
[01:00:59] But out came the life-giving water.
[01:01:03] of the Spirit of God to all who would receive it.
[01:01:07] Praise the Lord.
[01:01:09] In John 6, he says, I'm the bread.
[01:01:11] They say, hey, Jesus, real quickly, he fed the 5,000?
[01:01:15] He said, this is great.
[01:01:16] Don't have to go to Golden Corral.
[01:01:17] I just go to Jesus, and it's free.
[01:01:20] And so there's this big crowd.
[01:01:21] Jesus has a megachurch.
[01:01:23] 5,000 plus.
[01:01:25] They're so excited they want to make him king.
[01:01:28] Hey, this is socialism on steroids.
[01:01:30] We'll have food forever and it's free.
[01:01:31] We only have to pay taxes.
[01:01:34] Jesus hides himself, goes up in the mountain and prays.
[01:01:37] Walks across the water that night, goes on the other side.
[01:01:40] They're all looking for the free handout.
[01:01:43] You know, where's my snap?
[01:01:45] Where's my food stamps?
[01:01:48] No, they can't find it.
[01:01:49] They go to Jesus.
[01:01:50] Oh, Jesus!
[01:01:52] Jesus!
[01:01:53] How about another miracle, Jesus?
[01:01:55] Hey, you know, Moses gave bread from heaven.
[01:01:57] Can you do that one?
[01:01:59] That's a paraphrase, but that's there.
[01:02:01] He said, you're seeking me for the wrong reasons.
[01:02:05] And he tells them, they say, well, you know, Moses brought that bread down.
[01:02:08] He says, Moses didn't give you the true bread, but the Father in heaven.
[01:02:13] He says, I am the bread which come down from him.
[01:02:17] If any man eat of me, right, then he will have eternal life.
[01:02:22] This is the will of the Father, that you believe on him who God hath sent.
[01:02:27] We dine on Christ.
[01:02:29] We partake of his body.
[01:02:31] We partake of his blood.
[01:02:32] We receive the living water of the Holy Spirit of God by grace, through faith, in the work that Jesus Christ has done for us.
[01:02:41] This is the answer, brothers and sisters.
[01:02:43] Christ is the rock.
[01:02:45] He was with the Israelites.
[01:02:47] giving them physical life but if you're born again he's in us animating us with spiritual life day by day the very glory of god the very power of god inside of us to the holy spirit day by day week by week year by year no matter what comes praise god we don't have to be afraid because you know what i know where i came from
[01:03:14] I know where I'm headed and even more I know that he is more than able and has promised that he's not only the author but he is the finisher of my faith and I just can't wait to see him at the finish line with open arms praise God hallelujah like Stephen who is being getting ready to be stoned
[01:03:41] He says, Behold, I see the Son of God at the right hand, and they stopped their ears and ran after him and threw stones.
[01:03:51] He might have got out if he didn't say that.
[01:03:53] But how many of you know that when you see that, you can't help but shout, Praise God!
[01:04:01] For what He's done in us.
[01:04:02] Praise God we're on the journey.
[01:04:04] And praise God if you've truly trusted in Him, believed on Him, repented of your sins, and are daily seeking to honor and glorify Him and be free from these snares and pitfalls of those that came before us.
[01:04:21] By the grace of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, and by the Word of God, and by His love, and by His joy, and by His peace, and by the faith that He gives us, and by the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit, we press, we enter in to that eternal rest that is laid up for us.
[01:04:41] A throne set aside for you.
[01:04:44] A crown set aside for you.
[01:04:47] And even as Spurgeon said in his devotion, I believe it was yesterday morning, There's a mansion in heaven with your name on it.
[01:04:57] Set aside for such a one as this.
[01:05:00] Is that you?
[01:05:01] Praise God.
[01:05:02] Hallelujah.
[01:05:02] What we have to look forward to.
[01:05:05] In context of what Christ has already done for us, is doing through us, and will perfect in us on that glorious day of his appearing.
[01:05:13] Amen?
[01:05:14] To him be the glory, honor, and praise.
[01:05:20] We're going to sing our final hymn, Love Divine, Our Love's Excelling, number 21 in the hymnal.
[01:05:26] Before we do, let's pray.
[01:05:28] Dear Heavenly Father, please help us as we look back at the sins and errors of those that you saved.
[01:05:36] Lord, that we might not repeat them, but that we might be encouraged
[01:05:40] Even as you were with them, you are in us.
[01:05:44] You loved us, you gave yourself for us, and your lifeblood is now in us by faith that we might have everlasting life through you that begins even when we're born again.
[01:05:57] May your joy be our strength.
[01:06:00] May we live glorious for you.
[01:06:02] And may we love you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, for you first loved us with the perfect love through your Son Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray and we sing.
[01:06:13] Amen.