Scripture referenced
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Luke 3:21-22 Brian reads over Ian at baptism, God declares his beloved son
21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Keep this verse
Matthew 12:1-14
central text read aloud, disciples picking grain and healing of withered hand
1 At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.
2 But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”
3 But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him;
4 how he entered into God’s house, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
5 Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless?
6 But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you wouldn’t have condemned the guiltless.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
9 He departed there, and went into their synagogue.
10 And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” that they might accuse him.
11 He said to them, “What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it, and lift it out?
12 Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.”
13 Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him.
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2 Corinthians 2:14-16
fragrance of Christ perceived differently by those being saved versus those perishing
14 Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place.
15 For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish;
16 to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
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Ephesians 6:12
Jake references rulers and principalities, spiritual battle behind the Pharisees
12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
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Hosea 6:6
congregation member connects it to Matthew 12:7, God desires love and knowledge over sacrifice
6 For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
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Matthew 21:44
anyone who stumbles on the stone is broken, anyone it falls on is crushed, only two options
44 He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust.”
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Luke 21:1-4
Connor reads the poor widow giving two coins, God looks at the heart not the outward amount
1 He looked up, and saw the rich people who were putting their gifts into the treasury.
2 He saw a certain poor widow casting in two small brass coins.
3 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow put in more than all of them,
4 for all these put in gifts for God from their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.”
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This week Brian picked up where last week's conversation left off, returning to Matthew 12 to look at the same scene from a different angle. Where last week focused on the freedom the disciples were walking in, this week the message pressed into the harder question: why did the exact same encounter with Jesus produce such violently opposite reactions?
What was said
Brian started by laying out how much the disciples and the Pharisees actually had in common in those verses. Both groups were present with Jesus in the grain fields. Both heard him speak. Both walked into the synagogue. Both witnessed the healing of the man with the withered hand. Both heard Jesus teach again. Five points of identical experience, and yet one group left satisfied and the other left plotting to kill him.
The difference, Brian argued, had everything to do with posture, not proximity. The disciples admitted their hunger and their poverty. The Pharisees saw, in the way that scripture consistently uses seeing as a tell for flesh-driven desire. From that moment of seeing, they protested, accused, questioned, and finally conspired. The pattern tracks across the whole passage and across the whole of scripture.
To explain why the same encounter produces such different responses, Brian brought in 2 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul describes the knowledge of Christ as a fragrance that smells like life to those who are being saved and like death to those who are perishing. He used Greeley, Colorado as a simple illustration: everyone smells the same thing, but whether it reads as terrible or as the smell of money depends entirely on who you are and what you are oriented toward.
From there Brian was direct about the binary nature of a response to Jesus. He said there is no neutral ground. Treating Jesus as a decent historical figure while withholding surrender is not a third option. It is, functionally, the same road the Pharisees were on. Indifference, he said, is a slow version of what verse 14 describes.
Brian then read Matthew 21:44, where Jesus says that anyone who stumbles over the stone will be broken to pieces, and that the stone will crush anyone it falls on. He asked the room to find a third option in that verse, and sat with the silence. The only available choice, he said, is which direction you fall. You can fall on the rock and be broken on your own terms, which is what surrender looks like, or the rock falls on you.
Brian closed the body of the message by pointing out that the question at the end of a person's life is not about finances, vertical feet skied, charitable work, or any metric the world tracks. The only question, he said, is what you did with Jesus. He then gave the room a moment to respond, either coming to faith for the first time or rededicating a life that had drifted into practical indifference.
Touch points
Things you could actually do this week.
- Pick up one of the books or podcasts Brian shared on the slide last week and spend time with it this week.
- Bring a connect card home and fill out a prayer request for someone in your life who is intellectually close to faith but has not yet made that heart-level surrender.
- Sit with Matthew 12:1-14 on your own and ask yourself honestly which group you look more like right now, the disciples or the Pharisees, and take that answer to Jesus in prayer.
- If you raised your hand or stood up during the invitation, find Lanisha or another member of the prayer team this week and let them pray with you in person.
- Take a moment each day this week to soften your heart toward Jesus, as Brian put it, by listening for his voice and telling him you are open to his leadership.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Brian pointed out that the disciples and the Pharisees shared at least five things in common during those two encounters with Jesus, yet walked away completely differently. What do you think made the difference, and where do you see yourself in that comparison?
- Brian described the disciples as admitting their poverty by gleaning the edges of the field, while the Pharisees saw the same situation and protested. What does it look like in your own life to admit your poverty before Jesus rather than defend your position?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Resumen en español
El mensaje resumido, en español.
El pastor Brian regresó al pasaje de Mateo 12 que la congregación había estudiado la semana anterior. Esta vez, en lugar de enfocarse en los discípulos y la libertad que experimentaron al caminar con Jesús, el mensaje se centró en los fariseos. Brian señaló que ambos grupos, los discípulos y los fariseos, estuvieron presentes en el campo de trigo y en la sinagoga, escucharon las palabras de Jesús y vieron el milagro de la mano sana. Pero solo un grupo satisfizo su hambre y vivió en libertad. El otro salió a conspirar cómo destruir a Jesús.
La clave del mensaje está en 2 Corintios 2:14-16, donde Pablo describe el evangelio como un perfume que huele diferente según quien lo recibe. Para los que están siendo salvos, es fragancia de vida. Para los que están pereciendo, es olor a muerte. Brian usó esa imagen para explicar por qué dos grupos de personas pueden estar ante el mismo Jesús, escuchar las mismas palabras, ver los mismos milagros, y salir con reacciones completamente opuestas. No existe una postura neutral frente a Jesús, y vivir como si la hubiera equivale, en la práctica, a rechazarlo.
Brian cerró con Mateo 21:44, donde Jesús habla de la piedra sobre la que uno puede caer y quedar destrozado, o que puede caer sobre uno y aplastarlo. Solo hay dos opciones: rendirse a Jesús y ser quebrantado para ser reconstruido, o resistirlo. Invitó a quienes sintieran la necesidad de entregar o volver a entregar su vida a Jesús a ponerse de pie como declaración pública.
Pasajes bíblicos usados:
- Mateo 12:1-14
- Mateo 21:44
- 2 Corintios 2:14-16
- Lucas 3:21-22
- Lucas 21 (la ofrenda de la viuda pobre, mencionada durante los anuncios)
- Oseas 6:6 (mencionado por una persona de la congregación)
Read the full transcript 9,335 words
Good
morning. Let's stand together. Let's fix our hearts and our minds on why we're here today. Amen? Plenty of seats in the front row.
Plenty of seats in the front row. Let me pray for us. Lord Jesus, this morning we come before you. We tell you that we're here for you. Come and meet us today.
Meet us right where we are. Come by your spirit and change us today. Refine us today. Convict us today. Wrap us in your love today.
So we worship you in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Let's sing the hymn this morning.
Yes, we have. To worship you in spirit and in truth. Oh, Jesus. Oh, are here. We're here for you.
You. Here for you. Alright. Lift up your hands. Oh, lift up
Oh, Jesus. We are here. We're here for you. You alone
you. Gathered in this place to honor you, to worship, to worship you in spirit and in truth. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. We are here.
We're here for you. Oh, yeah. We've gathered in this place to honor you. Oh, to worship you in spirit and in truth. Oh, Jesus.
Oh, Jesus. We are here. We're here for you. Oh, we're here for you today. Oh, yeah.
We've gathered in this place to honor you, to worship, to worship you in spirit and in truth. Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. We are here. We're here for you.
Oh, Jesus. We are here. We're here for you. We've gathered here. We've gathered in this place to honor you, to worship, to worship you in spirit and in truth.
Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus, we are here. We're here for you. Oh, yes, Lord.
Just take a minute and just write where you are with your eyes closed. Just talk to him this morning. Just exhale. Just fix your eyes, your heart. Let your spirit align with what he wants to do in this place today, what he wants to do with you today, what he wants to speak to you, just give him permission.
But we just say thank you today. Thank you for all that you are, for who you are. Thank you. When I don't know what else to say, say Jesus, thank you. I love you.
Search my heart. If there would be anything in me today that would keep me from entering into your presence, bring it to my mind. Through your loving kindness, let me be quick to repent.
Let's
just make this a prayer. Just tell him this morning why we're here.
Oh, Jesus, we are here. We're here for you. Oh, yeah. We've gathered in this place to honor you, to worship, to worship you in spirit and in truth. Oh, Oh, Jesus, we are here.
We're here for you. One more time.
Thank you Jesus. So express your gratitude to him this morning. Let's sing that chorus again. And when we say, I throw up my hands in praise, you know, I'm thinking about the playoff football game today and how everyone's gonna be going crazy and we have no problem acting a fool and and worshiping our teams and getting all excited. And as we sing this, let this not just be words to a song.
However you are feeling led, the posture of your heart, let your outward expression be an example of that. If you just need to kneel, if you need to lift your hands before him, even if you don't feel like it in honor of who he is today. Let's just express our gratitude with our how we are posture in worship today. Amen? Does that make sense?
I'm not gonna tell you when we say throw up our hands. Of course, I would love nothing more for everybody's spirit just be like, I can't control myself like we're at a football game. But you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. You worship freely in this place. Okay?
There's full permission. Amen? Let's sing this. When I throw up my hands. You.
Oh, come on my soul. Oh, don't you get shy on me. Lift up your song because you got a lion inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the lord. One more
tell you we love you. We tell you thank you today with our words, with our song. You are so good to us. You are so worthy. I love you, Lord.
I will sing of the goodness
of God. Sing all my life. Let's sing it just our voices. Come on.
I will say of the goodness of God.
Oh, Lord, we sing. We sing today. We sing of your goodness because you are worthy, worthy, worthy. We tell you we love you today. We ask that you would come, speak to us through your word today.
We worship you by honoring your word that's preached today. Let it change us. Let your word change us today. That we would leave those swinging saloon doors different than we came in today. Amen?
Because we met with him in Jesus name and everybody said, amen. Good worshipers. Yes. Give the Lord praise. Amen.
Alright. Well, grab a donut if you didn't get one. Get your bible out and let's get into God's word together. Greet somebody this morning. Say good morning.
It's a good day to be in the house of the Lord.
Good to see you. All right. Good morning. Good morning. So good to see y'all this morning.
If your if your car was in a nice heated garage this morning, good for you. You're all here. You made it. You made it. That is fantastic.
Worship this morning. Where's Lizzie? Oh, there she is. And b, wasn't that just so good this morning? You know, you get out of worship what you put into it.
And despite the week that you've had, despite the weekend that you've had, despite the night you might have had last night, when you come into the house of the Lord with a heart that is open and ready to receive from him. When worship is just tender and dulcid this morning, you can encounter the presence of the lord in a way that is transformative. And so thank you, Lisa and Bea and team for worship this morning. That was great. I need to do, one other thing really quickly, and I wanna I'm gonna look up this verse.
I know I probably I think I could find it manually. Next to Lanisha, that's Ethan. Right? Ian. Ian.
Ian. Ian. I got something for you, buddy. Okay? Brace yourself.
Where is it? Maybe is it maybe it's Luke. Yes. Great. So in Luke chapter three, Ian, and you don't need to turn there.
This is for you. But in verse 21, John the Baptist is baptizing people in the Jordan River, and then Jesus comes along to be baptized. And in verse 21, it says, one day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened up, and the Holy Spirit in bodily form descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, you are my dearly, loved son, and you bring me great joy.
So God speaks this over Jesus. But today, during worship, as I'm kind of, like, prowling around in the back there, there was a moment where I saw you raise your hands just in worship to the Lord. And I don't know what was going on in your heart with you and him, but I just heard the voice of the Holy Spirit whisper to my heart that he would say over you, you are my dearly loved son, and with you, I am well pleased. So now let yes. So Lanisha, will we put a hand on him, and Kelsey?
And then, well, maybe just a few other men just stand up and put hands on Ian. Yeah. I know you would be quick to do that. Thank you. Thank you.
And let's just pray over Ian for just a moment. I'm gonna be still.
Thank you. Jesus, we love you.
God, would you release a tangible encounter into Ian's heart this morning of that verse that he would not just hear it, not just think about it or know about it, but experience your great love for him. That he would hear with the ears of his heart that you are his beloved son, and with you that he is well pleased. With him, you are well pleased. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Everybody said, amen.
Okay. Yes. We promise the heat's on. And if you are really cold, the front row is nice and hot. Today?
Today, just give it a second. The word's going to heat you right up. There's a connect card in your seat. If you are new or visiting, we would love to have a record of your visit. We talk to y'all all the time.
This is a way for you to talk back to us. And on the back there, there's an opportunity to fill out. If you have a prayer request, you can fill that out, and all the connect cards, go into that little black box right there by the doors as you leave. And if you're not on the tribe text blast, that's also a great way, to stay in touch with what's going on, where we're meeting, and all those good things like that. So you can fill that out.
Last week, we had a conversation. So I'm gonna give you a quick test. And I don't know if this test is a greater reflection on you or on me, maybe depending on how well you do on the test. But so last week was it just last week I showed you the screen with the slides in those different resources? Or was that the week before?
Last week.
Last week. Alright. Alright. So here's your test. How many of you availed yourself to any of those resources?
That's that's on you. How many people
were how many people were here last week?
Oh, if I okay. Alright. If you weren't here last week, you get a free pass. You're exempt from this test. But the rest of y'all so so so just if you're like, what?
So last week, we were talking about this idea of freedom, and we're going to revisit that same story this week. But last week, we were talking about when we live life not in proximity, but in relationship with Jesus, he changes our lives. He transforms our heart. He sets us free from religious dogma, enabling us to walk in great, great freedom, but the cost is it stretches and or we need to buy a new wineskin in order to contain the new wine of freedom that Jesus pours out over our life. And then at the end of the message, I gave you, like, an exhaustive list of resources that that I have come across in the last maybe two years or so, books that I've read, podcasts, documentary film series, teaching series, that that have all stretched my wineskin and or invited me to adopt a a whole new wineskin in order to receive the new wine of what god is doing in my life and tribe and around the world.
And so in that in that list, I had a bunch of books and authors and even pictures. Yeah. If we want to spoon feed them hey. Alright. Let's give it to them.
Let's give them to them really good. So I told you whoops. That was dad voice for a second.
If you'll remember
So so I I was pretty quick, and the best thing I I said, the best thing you could do is, like, take a picture of it. And I know I know that you're quick with your phones. Yeah. Okay. Let's, yeah, let's go through it just really quickly one more time.
So these are these are three books. Take a picture really quick. Let's keep going. And we can blast it out. We can keep going.
Thank you. These are some other books. David Pawson, don't know if you've read him. This one will really oh, wait. Go back one.
Sorry. Once saved, always saved, question mark. Oh, that'll stretch your wineskin. Alright. Now we can keep going forward.
This book is if there was one book, do that one.
Harrison Ford is not the author.
I love that. That's great. And then it'll come back. A slightly questionable author of questionable reputation, only because he's our dear friend. But when a Jew rules the world, oh, man.
That'll that's a really good one. The Islamic Antichrist. This is a teaching series, Maranatha Global Bible Study. That one is fantastic. Oh, and if you really wanna, like, get way out there, blurry creatures as a podcast,
it's a good one.
Chris, have you checked out that podcast? I have. Bro. Interesting. It's hey.
With all of this stuff, eat the meat and spit out the bones. Today. Thank you so much, Andy. Today, we're going to go back to the text that we were in. And while I was preaching last week, preaching, I prefer the term conversation.
As we were having a conversation last week, while we were having that conversation, in the midst of the conversation, I felt the Holy Spirit say, hey. You gotta preach the whole gospel. It's gotta be the full gospel. Have you ever been in the South and anybody ever asked you if you're full gospel? I have loved Jesus for a long time.
And and when we moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, somebody came up to me and said, hey, brother. Are you full gospel? And I didn't know how to answer. Are you sure? I don't know.
You gotta ask somebody in Tulsa. I think it has to do with, like, the gifts of the spirit. Right? You full gospel? But it was just really cute.
So I heard the Holy Spirit last week say, you need to preach the full gospel. And we're gonna go back to that today, to the story that we read last week. And before we read the text, I just want to I might have used my dad voice for just a second, but I want to please hear my heart in what we're going to talk about today, that I love you. I am for you. I believe in you.
I always tell you, you got this. I am a upbeat, positive guy. My challenge today is to deliver some content and to have a conversation with you today that you might find very challenging. But if you are challenged, please, Lord, let it be from the word and not from my words or my delivery. Okay.
With that being said, you can write the title of this morning's conversation at the top of your notes. The title for this morning's conversation is Smell Something? I get to have a little bit of fun. Right? The title of this morning's conversation, you can write at the top of your notes, is Shh, Smell Something?
And we're going to read Matthew chapter 12, and let's go there. And who has the mic in the room this morning? Aright. Cat. Thank you.
Matthew chapter 12. And would somebody please begin reading in verse one? You can read a few verses and then hand it off. We will go all the way to verse 14. Matthew chapter 12 verse one through 14.
Who would like to kick us off?
At that time, Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, look, your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.
Man, that was short. Yeah.
It's a
short read. He answered,
haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven't you read in the law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you have known what these words mean, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the innocent, for the son of man is lord of the Sabbath.
Going on from that going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath? He said to them, if any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep? Therefore, is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.
Then he said to the man, stretch out your hand, and the man stretched it out. And it was restored, healthy like the other. But the pharisees went out and conspired against him how to dis how to destroy him. Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from
Fourteen to to in the 14. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
You did it. You get full credit. I'm so excited. I do want today to be a conversation. So if you're new to Tribe, when I use that word, if you're not quite sure what it means, what it means, what I mean by that is I would like us to have a conversation, a dialogue, if you will, instead of just a monologue.
So if you have questions, comments, or connections, if you just raise your hand, please, I'm inviting you to interrupt me by raising your hand. We have the mic in the room that you see Kat has. She'll bring the mic to you, and you can ask question, comment, or you have a a connection. We want to hear from you because it does a couple of things. Number one, it helps you to engage with the content of what we're talking about.
Because if you now have permission to participate, you're more likely to be engaged with the text. Because as you read it, you're like, well, wait. This is making me think of okay. Well, perhaps we wanna hear that. Or I wonder what Jesus meant by, well, that's a great question that you have because if you have that question, you're probably not the only one to ask it.
Just be brave and ask the question, and everybody else would be like, I'm so glad that they asked. We have a mic so that not only can we hear your voice, but all of our families that are watching livestream. And a quick howdy to Lee and Colleen, Martin. I know that it's been cold in Arizona where you are, but this morning, I think we had you beat. So all of our families that watch on the livestream, if they're traveling or away for the winter, get to participate in the conversation as well.
So with that in mind, here's what the bottom line from last week was. The takeaway bottom line from last week is being with Jesus sets us free from the constraints of an old religious wineskin. We see that evidenced by the actions of the disciples. As they were walking along, they were hungry. They picked grains of wheat, rolled it in their hands to separate the wheat from the chaff, blew off the chaff, and threw back a quick little snack.
The dis the Pharisees, when they saw that, they lost their mind. How could you do that? You are breaking religious law. If the law was given by God and if you, teacher, man of God, claim to be the son of God, wouldn't you be the most adherent to the structure, the rules, and the laws? And here your disciples are.
Notice they didn't pick a fight with Jesus. They just they just went for the easier target of the disciples. There was a comment last week that says, in my imagination, I picture Jesus picking up handfuls of wheat also and rubbing them and eating the kernel, and then the disciples are like, we can do that? Oh my gosh. We can do that.
And then they do that as well. It is not in the text, but it was a it was a it was a nice imaginative suggestion that could add color to the text. The pharisees go after the disciples. The disciples had experienced, were walking in, testing out their legs in this new realm of freedom. What was it about being with Jesus that they experienced such an inward dramatic level of freedom that there was an outward expression of what the establishment would consider breaking the laws, but the disciples experienced as freedom.
So that's what we talked about last week was this idea of freedom. And we then went right to from the grain fields, Jesus the text says that Jesus went from the fields. Maybe he took a detour. Maybe he was on his way to the synagogue, but he goes straight into the synagogue where he continues to confront that old wineskin of a religious spirit that says things have to be a certain way. And if they're not, it's wrong.
Jesus teaches, and then I love his style. While he's teaching, he doesn't say, and now everybody be quiet because I'm about to perform a miracle. He doesn't say, now if the lights would come down and the worship team would come up, we got he's teaching, and then he goes, oh, yeah. Hey. By the way, dude, stretch out your hand.
Show him. Healed. The grain, the healing of the man with the withered hand, the brilliant teaching, The disciples, we saw their reaction and what they were walking in, and that's what we focused on last week. This week, we have to talk about the Pharisees. What does verse 14 say?
You can summarize it or tell just just tell me. You don't need the mic. What was their reaction to encountering Jesus? What'd they wanna
do? Kill him. Quickly.
Quickly. Why? Why? This is a rhetorical question, not for you to raise your hand at this moment, but consider what they the what the disciples were doing and experiencing, what Jesus said, the miracle that was performed. And the Pharisees wanted to kill him.
We have to look at the the the full story. Jake, come on.
I just like the word destroy really, like, stood out to me and, like, even talking about, like, kill. Like, the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. And seeing that and, like, even, like, reading the gospel, whenever I look at the pharisees, I'm tempted to be like, oh, like, the pharisees, they're evil. Like, they're the bad guys. And, like, the verse in Ephesians invites us to see, like, we're not at battle against, like, flesh and blood, but, like, that of the rulers and principalities and, like, in the spiritual realm.
And, like, I always need to remind myself, like, not to, like, always be upset with the Pharisees, but be up understand that there's a spiritual battle going on in and through them.
I like that. I like that. Right here.
Backing this up a little bit, this is Matthew's narrative. Right?
Correct.
How does he know what the Pharisees went out and talked about? There's a real split here from he was in the room to now he's talking about something happened when he wasn't in the room.
Two I would have two answers. Number one, Matthew is not writing real time as he's observing. The account of the gospel of Matthew was put together, and some would say it was the first of the synoptic gospels, academic word, that was written through eyewitness accounts, testimonies, and we have we have recorded in the gospels several different examples of Pharisees believing in the message of Jesus who would then be sympathetic to sharing their story, not perhaps their their testimony, and here's the story arc of three years. Here's what was going on. And we have at least one Pharisee by name that is recorded becoming a follower and a disciple of Jesus and very well could have been with those gathered in the upper room and interviewed by Matthew to get this insight.
And the name of that Pharisee is Nicodemus. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
So maybe this was a detail given specifically by Nicodemus. But that's a great question, and here's why I like that question, is you are not taking the text at face value. You're thinking, how did Matthew get that detail? I love that you're digging in and considering the text. So let's do this.
Let's look at the text together, and I want us to see all of the similarities that occurred between the the disciples and the pharisees in just this short passage. I don't think I have this up on the screen, but let's look. Both of the groups were present with Jesus in the wheat field. Both of the groups heard the words of Jesus. In the beginning was the word, the word was with God, and the word was God.
Jesus isn't just like, you know, like, randomly letting his thumbs fly, just tweeting just to tweet. Every word that comes out of his mouth is life. The Pharisees heard the words just like the disciples did. Both groups were in church from the wheat field into the synagogue. Both the disciples who were following Jesus and the Pharisees, both groups were in church.
You cannot run the distinction line of, like, everybody in here because you're in church automatically means something. It don't mean nothing. Both groups saw the miracle of the withered hand. Imagine hearing the words of Jesus, seeing the miracle, and then you still have verse 14. And then both groups heard Jesus speak again in church.
He spoke out in the wheat field. He goes to church. He speaks again. There's a miracle. Had you have you stopped to consider how many similarities that is?
That's five similarities in just those few verses. Let me say them again. Both groups were present with Jesus in the wheat field. Both groups heard Jesus speak. Both groups went to church or were in church, the the synagogue.
Both groups saw the miracle. Both groups heard Jesus speak again, but there was a pretty big difference. Listen to the difference. Only one group satisfied their hunger. Only one group satisfied their hunger.
Only one group admitted their poverty. Now remember last week, we talked about we we jumped over to the Old Testament, and we talked about a a provision in the law that says if you are a landowner and a farmer, when your crops rise to maturity and you go to harvest the field, what should you not do to that field? Cut right the edges. Don't do it. And the reason for it was a welfare provision in the beautiful Mosaic law that was not giving out free handouts.
You still had to go and put forth some effort. But the law said, when you harvest your fields, don't harvest all the way to the edge of the field, but leave along the edges of your field so that the poor and the needy among you can go out and glean the fields. And after the harvesters have come through, then the poor and needy will be able to have something that they can also harvest for themselves as well. It is it is reasonable it is reasonable to conclude that the mindset and the mentality of the disciples as they were picking those heads of wheat, if the if the field of wheat is ripe for the harvest, what's the farmer gonna do? Harvest.
Why wait around? This is not like like Catan where you need to wait your turn. As soon as it's ripe, you harvest. And so it is it is it is reasonable to conclude from looking at the text and understanding the context of history that the field had already been harvested. And so the disciples were just taking the leftovers.
And who took the leftovers on the edges of the field? The poor and needy. That's where that comes from. One group satisfied their hunger. One group admitted their poverty.
And probably eating something else. And what? They were eating something else. The bread of life. Not deceived.
They were Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I know.
I'm picking up what you're putting down. I'm riding the bus you're driving. They were eating something else, not just the grains of wheat, but feeding on the presence of being with Jesus, experiencing freedom. One group saw with their eyes. Now this is a let's look at that verse really quick.
Verse chapter 12 verse two. But some Pharisees saw them do it and protested. When you see that word saw in the Old Testament and New Testament, not saw, but saw, there should be a literary or no. No. No.
Thematic hyperlink that connects that word with all different kinds of stories. Jesus says, or or the New Testament talks about walking by faith and not by sight. We see all the way back in the garden that Eve saw the fruit, that it was pleasing to the eye, and that established a thematic precedent all throughout scripture that whenever a person sees something and they desire it, thematically, we should conclude that this person is being led by their flesh. The sin of Achan. Remember, he sees the idols, and he wants to hide it.
David sees Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop. We could we could name example after example after example of a person seeing, desire being aroused, and then from their flesh being motivated goes and grabs it. When you read that verse, verse two, the Pharisees saw uh-oh. Now if you wanted to be a stickler, did Jesus ever see, and was he there are five or six examples of Jesus seeing, but that doesn't mean that he was all of a sudden, like, motivated by his flesh. Are you are you with me?
We we have to be careful about applying thematic laws to the text so that we don't, like, get off into a weird spot. But you're with me. Right? Jesus saw the crowds and, what, had compassion on them. Right?
So in this instance, the pharisees see what's happening. There it is a thematic tell or nod or indication or clue that these guys are walking in the flesh. One group saw. Okay. Let's go.
One group satisfied their hunger. One group admitted their poverty. One group saw. One group protested and accused and complained. One group questioned Jesus, trying to intellectually outsmart him, and one group plotted to kill him.
Now why do we have two groups of people? Both groups were human. Both groups were contemporaries with one another. They were alive at the same time. Both groups were working with the same cultural and and five senses framework.
Right? Like, there's so much even footing here. There's so much similarities that we just read. But then there are a lot of differences. The big question is why?
Why are there these two different reactions? The answer we can begin to unravel is in second Corinthians. So let's all turn to second Corinthians chapter two verse 14. And I know, Brian, that you're thinking like, okay. What does this sermon title have to do with our conversation today?
Hold on to your beanie. It's coming. It's on the screen here. But thank God oh, yeah. It's too cold for that TV.
But thank God, he has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere like a sweet perfume. Our lives are like a Christ like our lives are a Christ like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.
But to those who are being saved, we are a life giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task? Anybody familiar with the town in Colorado called Greeley? So so You should ask if anyone's from Greeley. Oh, yes.
Anybody well, no. You're you know exactly where I'm going with this. So so Greeley, Colorado is a huge livestock lot and and yard. And for dozens and dozens of miles outside the city limit of Greeley, Colorado, it smells like a livestock yard. And if you're if you're driving on I 25 between Boulder and Fort Collins, like, even the wind's blowing just right, you can get a whiff of that.
And everybody not from Greeley goes, oh my gosh. It reeks. It stinks so bad. Everybody living in Greeley says that's the smell of Money. Money.
Well done. Same fragrance. To those who are being saved, the message of Jesus is a sweet and pleasing aroma, Challenging at times, certainly. If your heart is soft, if you're willing to submit to the leadership of Jesus, it is a life giving fragrance. And this is the stepping on the your toes part.
If your heart is hard, if you think you have no need for him, if you don't believe in his divinity, he is the fragrance of death. I have no need for Jesus. Wouldn't it be great if that were as bad as your reaction gets? But because we are not born to talk a little psychology with you for a moment, we are not born tabula rasa, a clean slate, morally neutral, as many would like to teach and say. There are even those that would say we are born morally upright, standing pure, and righteous.
But when we submit ourselves to societal norms and then break those arbitrary man made constructs, then then that's when we fall in. We're we're we're bad people. And the best thing to do is to remove those moral restraints, and then we just get to be good people. People who who subscribe to that, people who profess that, people who teach that, people who are proponents of that have never raised a toddler. Did you have to teach your child to lie?
Did you have to teach your child to be selfish? Did you have to teach your child to be mean? To steal. To steal? Did you take that cookie?
And the crumbs are all on their mouth. Yes, please.
That sweet little angel Joseph. Not Joseph.
I like to look at scripture. What we're reading in chapter 12 of Matthew is to me like a classic head knowledge verse heart knowledge, which we talk about all the time at Tribe, that 18 inch drop. But I actually I like to read scripture and then say, okay. The lowest hanging fruit is to be like, those Pharisees, what idiots. You know?
Like, of course. Mhmm. Because we have this hindsight is twenty twenty, and we have the whole picture, and we know Jesus, but I like to put myself in their shoes, and I actually have some compassion for them until they're held accountable. But I think, gosh, first of all, we only know what we know. Right?
And they were keeping the law. Like now, I'm not talking, it's void of the spirit and everything, but they were doing what they were supposed to do. So my compassion comes from, and relating it to today's times, there's so many people you talk with, and you're like, why aren't you getting it? And they're so smart intellectually, but it just hasn't made that drop. The spiritual eyes or ears of their heart have not been awakened to the Holy Spirit or Jesus and how he's moving Because I don't know, I just I see it and I'm like, Okay, this helps me not to be like, yeah, just let Him eat.
You're not seeing anything. But if you're looking at miracles and if the Son of God is talking to you and you still have like a wedge or a block that's keeping your heart from being open, that's what I want to pay attention to as a believer with people around me. You know, if you're not getting it and you're smart, what is that wedge? And so, of course, we pray and we ask the Holy Spirit, to reveal things to us, and we do our best at explaining. But this chapter 12 verse seven, when it says, I want you to show mercy, Jesus says, not offer sacrifice, that would have blown their minds in disbelief because that's what they've always done.
But then I thought of Hosea six:six when he's saying God's words and he says, I want you to show love, not offer sacrifice. And God says, I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. But just like Adam, you broke my covenant and betrayed my trust. And the Pharisees would have known that too, but it's just a classic head knowledge versus heart knowledge, and it makes me, as a believer, aware of those around me outside of your spouse where communication can be an issue. Nobody else?
Just me, maybe? But it's like, why aren't you getting it? You know, men and women, why aren't you getting it? And that, to me, makes me have compassion for those around me. Like, well, let's help you get it.
Let's not just think you're strange. You know what I mean?
Jesus, the ultimate let's help you get it guy. His his life in his ministry was, even though his words were extremely challenging, he had the lowest barrier of entry of approachability and and ability to comprehend of anybody. Jesus said, forbid not the little children to come unto me. And unless you have the faith like a child, you have no chance of of having a a relationship with me. And so just to be clear, I know this is not what you were saying, but what if what if Jesus were only comprehendible, apprehendible by the intellectually elite.
Oh, you don't have a college degree? Sorry. Oh, you haven't been to seminary? I mean, I can, like, draw you a stick figure, but I don't expect you to, you know that's why the word became flesh and dwelt among us, so that he could live the human experience. We do not have to go up to him intellectually or geographically.
I mean, you gotta you gotta make a pilgrimage to Mecca. You gotta go here. Oh, in order to understand god, it costs you about $37,000. L Ron Hubbard. Only, only look at all of the other religious leaders, figures, people that claim to be the messiah.
They all came with a prescriptive formula for how you can earn your way up to heaven. Only Jesus is the one that said, I'm coming down to them. But this is the real the real heat of the message. And and let me say the real heat of the message. The real heat of the message is everyone within the sound of my voice this morning, everyone that listens to the podcast or watches the livestream, everyone that has lived in The United States, you've all heard the message of Jesus.
And he is the single most polarizing figure, historical figure, contemporary figure in all of human history. And your response to Jesus can only be binary. You are fooling yourself if you think that you can have a neutral reaction to Jesus. You are fooling yourself. He's a good guy.
He's got some good things to say. He throws out, you know, some some some good things. It is it is it wrong to do good? No. It's good to do good.
That's a good thing. But your reaction to him being king of kings and lord of lords, if your reaction is neutral or indifferent, you're on the fast track to conspiring in your heart how you may kill him. I would never when you when you dismiss him, when you come up with excuses for failing to follow him, you are discrediting him. You are no different than the Pharisees. Because whoever has to worry about or deal with a dead person, they're dead.
Maybe you go and put a flower at his grave twice a year, once on Christmas and once on Easter. I wish I wish that every single person who encountered Jesus would just there was allowance or room to just be like, wow. What a great guy. I may think about following him more in the future. He never allowed for that in his words or in his life.
The Bible says that his eyes burn like fire. That same fire refines gold, and it burns up heat with heat, chaff and wood, hay, and straw. For just a moment, this is me coming to sit with you hearing and feeling the heat of the words that are coming from here. I sympathize and I empathize with the listener of the of of the person that interacts with with that verse in Matthew, the chapter the verses in Matthew and in in this passage right here. I wish it could be another way, an additional way.
I wish there could be an additional way. But that is not who he is or how he rolls. I'm gonna go to one more verse, then we'll land the plane. And this is not in sequential order, but it's in Matthew chapter 21 verse 44. Jesus is speaking of himself, And he says this.
Anyone who stumbles over that stone and he's speaking of his his words, his teaching, his actions, his miracles, his life, prophecies about him, anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces. That might be a reason why you have decided or are deciding in your heart to kill him. It's him or me. You've you've come in contact with him enough to realize that it's him or me, and he gonna he not me. He gonna die.
But you gotta keep reading, and it will crush anyone it falls on. Now can somebody in that one verse, and you can just raise your hand, can you see a third option there? Do you see a third option? Is there a third option there? Search it.
Forwards, backwards, Greek, King James version. There's only two options. You can fall surrendering your life to Jesus and at the cost of death to yourself, you'll be smashed to pieces. But then you will be able to walk through fields of grain, picking up wheat, being fed, being in the presence of Jesus, and you experience freedom. This is really the essence of the of the gospel and of Christianity.
Right? In order to live, you gotta die. Or the other option, like we saw in the pharisees, who Jesus was the fragrance of death because they realized they were being confronted. Somebody's gotta die here. Jesus will never ever ever ever share the stage or the spotlight with anyone.
At his return, the Bible says that even the stars in the heavens will be like, I'm a sit this one out. You got this. Read about it. Standing at the end of your life before a holy god, the judge of eternity in the universe says, what did you do with my son? That that's the only question.
He ain't gonna care about your bank account. He ain't gonna care about the how much vert you stacked in one season. He's not gonna carry care about the orphans that you held in your arms. He's not gonna carry a care one bit about how many subscribers or likes you had. He's gonna ask you, what did you do with my son?
And he's looking for one thing, righteousness that comes only from a relationship with his son. And if you have that, then he's like, oh, man. Let's talk about reward. How many orphans did you hold? Perhaps maybe somebody in hearing the sound of my voice this morning, you are upset and angry with my words.
I've just fallen in the footsteps of my master. My plea to you, and this is the last thing that I'm gonna say before we press a pause on the blistering, and we'll pick up some more heat next week because I got a little more. Save it for next week. Pastorally. Now my plea for you is that you would, in the best way that you know how, soften your heart to Jesus.
Don't resist his leadership. Open up your heart to consider him. Listen to his invitation to come and lay down your life. Now listen to his words personally to you right now. Listen for his voice.
Speak to us. Let's do this just really quickly. Maybe in your heart, you're like, I I I need to respond something. We won't take long at all. But if you are sensing the conviction of the Holy Spirit that you have been living your life thinking that there is a third option, that I'll just keep Jesus kinda like I'm neutral towards you.
He's a good guy. But you've not surrendered your life to Jesus. Or you're thinking like, man, there was a time when I I I did. But in the last years or whatever, I've really just been living either making excuses that that in essence, would would murder Jesus. I have dismissed him, discounted him, discredited him, or I've lived neutral.
Today, from the word and our conversation, I need to do one of two things. Either, a, invite Jesus into my heart for the very first time. That's called getting saved. Or I need to rededicate my life to Jesus. And you feel that, like, I need to do something.
Well, here's what you could do. You could stand up right where you are in this room full of people that have surrendered their life to Jesus. And quite possibly, a good number of spectators that are here checking things out. All are welcome. But if you feel like you need to respond to today's message to either rededicate your life to Jesus or get saved for the very first time, just stand up.
Anybody? Window of opportunity for today and this moment is now closed. You had your chance. The Bible says that as long as it's called today, it's the day of salvation. You just missed your public opportunity to make a a public profession of faith.
In this opportunity, perhaps there'll be another one. I don't have a crystal ball I can't see. Jesus, help each and every one of us when we encounter you to fall on the rock that is Jesus. Thank you for smashing my life to pieces and dismantling everything that I had carefully constructed about my life. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My life belongs to you, and I invite you, Jesus, to reconstruct and rebuild my life that would bring glory and honor to your name. And on behalf of all of us that know the beauty of the pain of falling on the rock to be broken by you, Jesus, we thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for being that stumbling block that we would fall on and be shattered to pieces so that you can rebuild our life. Take just a moment and tell him thank you.
Thank you. Thank you. Jesus, I love you.
Sweet Lissy. Sweet, sweet Lissy. Are you sure you don't wanna give them one more try? Nope. Connor, would you come up, share some offering and announcements with us, and then we'll scurry out of here?
When Brian was talking about the head knowledge versus heart knowledge, something came up for me, and it's, Luke 21. This is the story of well, I'll just read it. While Jesus was in the temple, he watched the rich people drop in their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins. I tell you the truth, Jesus said, this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.
For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has. This isn't just a thing about salvation. God always, all throughout the Bible says, I don't look at the outward appearance. All of David's brothers, I don't look at the outward appearance. I look at the heart.
And I think that's the calling for all of us, specifically with our tithes. It could be so easy, especially with all the technology, to just have the 10%, like, auto taken out every month. And God doesn't want just that 10% of our lives. He wants every single piece of us. And it requires a lot of prayer and a lot of asking him to be like, God, what do you want me to give?
Because sometimes that might just be the 10% because that's enough, and sometimes it might be every single dollar you have. And that's scary, but God is faithful and he will always provide and there will always be a good reason for it. And it will change lives and it'll change your life. I mean, of this is talk about freedom and the freedom of Jesus, the freedom of the gospel is a freedom that comes only when we relinquish our control. And for a lot of us, that doesn't feel like freedom right off the bat.
But if you've tasted it, you've seen it, and you know it is freedom. So bow your heads and pray with me as we pray for the offering. Father God, we surrender all that we have to you, all that we are to you, God. We give you permission to work in our lives, God, and to use our resources to further your kingdom here in this town and to the uttermost bounds of the earth, God. We wanna partner with you on what you are doing, God.
So use us. Bless and multiply what we give, God. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. We don't pass buckets here at Tribe, but we do have a little drop box right by the swinging saloon doors.
You guys can give cash or check that way. There's a give tab on our website, or you can give through your smartphone by just opening up a new text to 84321. You text any dollar amount. The first time, you'll have to do a little bit of setup, but then from then on, it's as easy as texting a friend. As far as a couple announcements, our big one today, is goes right in line with this kind of stuff, is we don't just give with our finances.
We can also give with our time. And I don't know about you, but my parents were big on being a part of a family was giving your time to the family. And we get the opportunity and the great privilege of getting to serve each other in this space. And so we've got a whole bunch of sign up sheets on that table over there, for areas like Tribe Kids, which meets in the back, with Kelsey. We got a prayer team with Lanisha that's here every week getting things done.
And then we pray all the connect cards. We got a hospitality team that helps with set up and tear down because this room has to be converted from a bar from the night before and then put all the way back as soon as we're done. And we would love for you guys to be a part of it. It's not a requirement, but it means you get to be an extra part of this family. So yeah.
Love it. Let's do it.
We're gonna pray we'll get you out of here. Liz, did you have a quick money talk for us?
Oh, I was just gonna mention that as I'm getting all our tax stuff in the mail, if you've ever given online or the text to give, you can access your giving at any point. You just log in how you give and you can just hit year end statement. So you don't have to wait for one in the mail. You can just get that. If you gave in check or cash, those will be emailed by Friday.
And we also have been working diligently to be transparent with all of tribe's finances. So by the end of the week, I'm pointing at Bob because he's the finance guy, we will be sending that out as well by the end of week, all of tribe's sort of 2024 financial reports. So you can watch for that. That's great. We'll just send a link on the triblast so you can just look at it.
We won't mail it, but so if you don't aren't on the triblast and you want that or want any other things, just fill out a connect card.
That's great. I I was thinking about you were whispering to me, give him one more chance. Give him one more chance. And I said, no. Brian would love to give you $20,100,000 more chances even right now.
But I heard the Holy Spirit say, the window's closed, not my church.
For a public declaration.
For a public declaration. If you'd stand up, I'd love to pray for you. And Lanisha, is right there. Will you wave your hand? At the end of service, if you would go towards that bison skull corner, that's how we orient ourselves here, mule deer, moose, elk antlers.
But over by the bison skull, if there's anything that you need prayer for, including maybe the Holy Spirit would give you one more chance to invite him into your heart and make him the leader of your life. Or if there's anything else that you need prayer for, Lanisha will be in that back corner. She and her team would love to pray for you. And can I pray for you really quickly? Lord Jesus, thank you so much that you are so good.
Thank you so much that you are the way, the truth, and the life in a town, in a city that is blinking lights and blaring. We offer life. We offer life. No capacity to fulfill. Thank you for the men and women in this room that are onto the true authentic and genuine source of life, and that is you, Jesus.
Thank you for the freedom that you provide to us. I command a blessing over each and every person here within the sound of my voice. Freedom. Freedom. Freedom in Jesus of Nazareth.
We pray these things. In Jesus' name, the strong son of God. And everybody said Amen. I love you so very much. Have a great week.
Stay warm. And remember, you got this.
Topics
Freedom From ReligionHeart Vs Head KnowledgePharisees Vs DisciplesReligious RulesResponding To JesusSalvation Decision
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