 Matthew 16, we're going to be looking today at signs of the times. Beginning at verse 1, Matthew 16, reading to verse 4, Matthew writes, then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and testing him, asked that he would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, When it is evening, you say it will be fair weather for the sky is red. And in the morning it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and threatening hypocrites. You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. And he left them and departed. Now as we enter into our study today in Matthew chapter 16, we need to remember the context. Jesus has just fed a multitude of 4,000 men. That did not include women and children. So in order to avoid any complications, we're told that he sent away the multitudes, and then he left the area. Matthew tells us in chapter 15, verse 39, that he sent away the multitude, got into the boat, and came to the region of Magdala. But when you cross-reference that with another account found in the Gospel of Mark chapter 8, Mark 8 verse 10 tells us that Jesus came to an area called Dalmanutha. Now Dalmanutha would have been close to this city of Magdala, and so they're both correct. So while there in that area, a coalition of religious leaders have come, they've come in order to discuss and debate with Jesus Christ. They wanted to dispute him. Mark gives us a little more insight into what is taking place when he tells us in chapter 8 verse 11, that the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him. So he used the word dispute as well as the word testing. To dispute means to argue with, and testing speaks of testing someone with malicious intent. So what is provoking them to come to Jesus in order to argue and test him? Now we need to know that even as it says in verse 1, Pharisees and Sadducees, we need to know that these are people who are in positions of religious authority. And what is happening at that time is they're alarmed that Jesus is growing popularity. They're slowly becoming aware that they're in danger. They're in danger of being replaced by Jesus Christ. You see, these religious leaders had grown to love being admired as well as being followed. And they're about to lose their position of esteem in Jewish society. Jesus, when he speaks about them in Matthew 23 verses 6 and 7, speaking of them says, they love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplace, and to be called by men, rabbi, rabbi. So they're looking at Jesus, these who are hungry for man's attention, looking at Jesus, considering him to be unsophisticated, untrained, untought, and uncredentialed. In John in chapter 7 verse 15, it says that the Jewish authorities marveled saying, how does this man know letters having never studied? So when they asked the question concerning Christ, how does this man know letters having never studied? We need to know that the word letter or letters refers to Scripture. They're surprised, in other words, at his knowledge of the Bible. Because he was conversant with Scripture, he interpreted Scripture, and he taught it with clarity and wisdom. So naturally they began to wonder, how does he know Scripture so well? And secondly, they said having never studied. When he says having never studied, they're saying he's never sat at the feet of a learned rabbi. This is a man who was brought up in a trade. Jesus was only a carpenter. He's never attended university or any formal school of learning. So letters having never studied. Well, in spite of all of this, his manner of teaching was with authority as well as with a growing popularity. We saw in chapter 7 verses 28 and 29 how Matthew said, so it was when Jesus had ended these sayings that the people were astonished at his teaching for he taught as one having authority and not as the scribes. And so the scribes, the legal experts, the Pharisees, and even the Sadducees were having a problem with the Lord Jesus Christ. But according to Mark 1237, the common people heard him gladly. So his popularity became a growing threat to the authority and prestige that they had held with the people. And this is going to be revealed more completely later on in his ministry. Because when you look in John 11 verses 47 and 48, it says there, the chief priest and the Pharisees went to the council and said, what shall we do? For this man works many signs. If we let him alone like this, everyone will believe in him and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation. Later on they said in John 12 19, the Pharisees therefore said among themselves, you see that you are accomplishing nothing. Look, the world has gone after him. He has a growing popularity. He's become a growing threat. Many groups have formed a coalition to oppose him. Normally this would have been completely unheard of, by the way. They were so different from one another. On one hand you have the Pharisees, the separated one. When you look a little bit at the history of these whom I refer to as Pharisees, you'll see that the Pharisees were drawn from what was called today the blue collar or the working class. Many of them made a living from a trade, even like Paul, because we see in Acts chapter 18 verse 3 that Paul is said to be a tent maker. And so the Pharisees were normally drawn from the working class, and they had a trade to support themselves. They were very, very conservative and very fundamental in their theology. They held to religious tradition, a tradition that was equal to the revelation of Scripture, and they were looked at as being very conservative in their religion. They were the Sadducees. The Sadducees were generally drawn from the aristocratic class, and many of the high priests and chief priests were from the Sadducees. And they had made their fortunes operating lucrative temple concessions. The Sadducees carried nothing for rabbinic tradition. They had no problem compromising religious principles. Sadducees claimed to believe Scripture, but they were liberal in their theology as well as materialistic in their lifestyle. And you'll see in Acts chapter 23 verse 8 that they didn't believe in angels, immortality, resurrection or anything else that was supernatural. So what you have is you have Pharisees who were conservatives, who were in a coalition with Sadducees who were the exact opposite. But they had one thing in common, and that was a desire to see Jesus silenced. So they've conspired to put Jesus to the test and the Pharisees are in the lead. The Psalmist in chapter 38 verse 12, Psalm 3812 says, those also who seek my life lay snares for me. Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction and plan deception all the day long. And that's what's taken place here. They are laying snares before Christ. They're attempting to test him. And as it says, they came with the purpose of testing him. Again, the word testing in the Greek language speaks of testing maliciously. That's a completely foolish thing to do, by the way, to test the Lord. Proverbs 1121 says, though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished. And so here they come. And notice what they're saying here in verse 1. It says the Pharisees and Sadducees came testing him and they're asking that they show them, notice, a sign from heaven. They want to see a sign from heaven. Now why would they say, can you please show us a sign from heaven? Their belief was very simple. True prophets do heavenly signs. Demons perform earthly signs but true prophets perform heavenly signs. In John 6 verses 30 through 33 it says, they said to him, what sign will you perform then that we may see it and believe you? What work will you do? Our fathers ate the manna in the desert as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. So they're wanting a heavenly sign. Now Mark tells us that his reaction was frustration and sorrow. Mark 812 says, he sighed deeply in his spirit and said why does this generation seek a sign? Matthew says verse 2 he answered and said to them when it's evening you say it will be fair weather for the skies red and in the morning it will be foul weather today for the sky is red and threatening then he sweetly says hypocrites you know how to discern the face of the sky but you cannot discern the signs of the times the signs of the times red sky in the evening usually means good weather next day. Red sky in the morning usually means a storm is coming you can predict the natural but cannot see signs of the times and that is true to this day. You see we have experts that predict trends in every area of life the stock market as experts who predict trends fashion industry entertainment industry music industry all have experts that predict trends marriage and family experts predict trends we have experts identifying trends in education in politics and ecology real estate and you'll even get I get and I don't solicit them but they'll send it to me via email I will get organizations that have been established to send me information related to trends in religion so there are trends and predictors of trends all through every segment of our society our society is capable of identifying trends but our society remains blind to spiritual truth see I believe that the church is in a great battle right now but many are blind to it many who are professing Christians are losing sight of our reason for existence and the society that we live in doesn't see our necessity I remember receiving a letter from a neighbor when we had first moved into here a neighbor who wrote to me and was complaining because our cars were parked in their neighborhood and didn't think that the church had any value I still remember somebody posting a letter in one of the newspapers in Ontario saying how they were looking forward to the day when the church was no longer on the face of the earth and I wrote back and said it's coming it's called the rapture I'd be very happy when we are no longer here on the face of the earth because God has places here to hold back the evil and that's exactly what we do but some people are forgetting the purpose of the church I want to spend some time looking at that with you in just a moment we need to remember that Jesus gave the church what has been called a great commission we need to remember that that commission that Jesus gave to us constitutes what is called the marching orders that we've received we've received these marching orders as the church from him you can see this great commission actually as it is given to you in all four gospels as well as the book of Acts and if you took the time to see that you can see how it's pasted together you can place it together and see a more complete picture but normally what we look at is Matthew chapter 28 and in Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20 we read therefore Jesus is saying therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to obey everything I've commanded you and surely I'm with you always to the very end of the age that is what has been typically referred to as the great commission but I want you to see something about it because in many mission organizations they have used this as the commission to evangelize because Jesus said therefore go and so they will say see we the church are to go but when you read this you need to remember that the language all language has various tenses and all and they have what are called main verbs and in Matthew chapter 28 there is what is called a main verb the central verb that is to distinguish what the purpose of that is the main verb is not the word go go being a verb the main verb in that verse is make disciples and what Jesus was saying is as you go when you go where you go make disciples but what is a disciple teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you the commission of the church is to teach all things that Jesus commanded that's what our purpose is so when we go while we go and where we go as people and in faith in Christ the responsibility of the church is to teach the full counsel of God that's what the church is to do Jesus said teach them to obey all things that I have commanded well that commission is sadly disregarded today disregarded and that has occurred to the hurt of the church signs of the time what is the general condition of the church as we go today the church is in need of solid teaching as well as an emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit the church is in need of solid teaching as well as an emphasis on the power of the Holy Spirit and many pastors are not teaching the whole counsel of God to the hurt of their churches the way that you teach the whole counsel of God verse by verse chapter by chapter book by book and it's that kind of method of approaching disciple making that saturates the church with biblical knowledge as well as exhorting us to biblical practice that's what the apostle Paul clearly stated when he was speaking to the elders of the church of Ephesus in Acts chapter 20 verses 26 and 27 he said I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men for I have not shunned to declare the counsel of God I've given to you the A to the Z of God's counsel that occurs best today through a verse by verse study of the Bible when the church is taken through the Bible it develops discernment and is protected from error because God's word gives us the ability to discern between truth and error if you take notes Ephesians 4 11 through 15 says 1 who gave these gifts to the church the apostles the prophets the evangelists and the pastors and teachers their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church the body of Christ until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord measuring up to the full measure of Christ then we will no longer be like children forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or because someone has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth instead we will hold to the truth in love becoming more and more in every way like Christ who is the head of His body the church you see pastors who love the sheep will be careful to teach the whole counsel of God it's the teaching of God's Word that equips saints it's the teaching of God's Word that helps to establish a direction in life in Psalm 119 and 105 it said your Word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path so the pastor has been given the charge to give God's Word to God's people and he's called by God to faithfully give forth his Word with faith as well as conviction in Malachi when we're going through Malachi in chapter 2 verse 7 Malachi wrote the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge and from his mouth men should seek instruction because he's a messenger of the Lord Almighty when he said that the lips of the priest are to preserve that word preserve means to guard it the lips of the priest the priest is to guard God's Word he's supposed to protect it from the intrusions of error and that's why he said the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge and from his mouth men should seek instruction so people should come to the religious leader to the pastor in the New Testament sense so that they might receive instruction concerning the ways of God why is that he is a messenger of the Lord Almighty and that's how the pastor ought to be viewed and that's how the pastor ought to view himself you see it takes faithfulness to God and a love for God that provokes a person who's ministering the Word to give the whole counsel of God Paul was saying in 1 Thessalonians 2, 3 and 4 the appeal we make doesn't spring from error or impure motives nor are we trying to trick you on the contrary we speak as men approved we ought to be entrusted with the gospel we're not trying to please men but God who tests our hearts we have been listen carefully entrusted with the gospel so we don't modify it we don't change it we don't try to make it more acceptable to the hearer what our responsibility because we've been entrusted with this message what our responsibility is is to give it as it has been given to us but the problem is today many people do not want to hear it they don't want that some pastors have become hesitant to teach God's Word the whole counsel because of the way that people respond and some people can respond by getting very angry in Jeremiah chapter 1 verses 6 through 9 it reads then said I Lord God behold I cannot speak I'm a youth but the Lord said to me do not say I'm a youth for you shall go to all to whom I send you whatever I command you you shall speak do not be afraid of their faces for I am with you to deliver you says the Lord I don't want to go I'm too young I have no experience I'm wet behind the ears God says don't be saying that you're a youth what you're saying is timeless what you're saying is my Word you just give it the way I command you and I'll be with you but some pastors are afraid they're hesitant to teach God's counsel because people don't always respond well when Paul was instructing a young man by the name of Timothy he said to him you need to be faithful and you need to continually teach the Word in 2 Timothy 4 verse 2 writing to a young pastor he said to him preach the Word be ready in season and out of season convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching he said convince that means preach with conviction he said rebuke bring people into the discipline of God's guidelines he said exhort which is an appeal to action he said do it with long suffering that means patient endurance and he said and teaching, teaching produces a change of behavior see sometimes when people begin to speak about spiritual truth they speak about things that they have learned but they're not necessarily speaking about things that they do and so we have today kind of moved into what has been referred to as a Grecianized or a Greek methodology of thinking the Greeks had this belief that an assimilation of information was education so the more I know the more educated I am and that was a Greek way of thinking if I am in schools and I receive certain will-called degrees if I have been under a certain mentor who has mentored me in his ways if I'm under we'll say a Socrates or an Aristotle and I have learned the things that he says then the information that I have taken in is equal to education but the Jews didn't think that way Jesus said if you know these things blessed are you if you want if you do them that's the way of thinking it is not just information because information is just that until it's assimilation and when it's assimilation then it produces transformation and so the way that you know a passage is not only just saying I've got that information it's the transformation of the life due to that information and that's why there are many people today who say they're Christians because they have been educated in Christian churches or Christian schools but when it comes to their lifestyle they live no differently than somebody who would not even profess to know Jesus Christ because what they have is information but there's been no transformation and what is happening today is we may give information but it requires us to receive the word with faith so that there might be production of a transformed life God wants us to live differently in this dark world but there are some who are professing Christians or referred to as practical atheists meaning they may know things here but it hasn't changed things in the way that I live we receive the word of God in our head it soaks our heart and finds its application in our hands that's Christianity and there are a lot of people if you ask them are you a Christian who will say oh yeah how do you know well I was baptized so that's how you became a Christian yes I was raised in a Christian home I was baptized yeah I'm a Christian I was sharing yesterday at a men's breakfast to you before but there's repetition here and I said you know I was raised in a religious discipline so that I had a cousin in Carlos and Carlos was a Jehovah's Witness and I was raised as a Roman Catholic I had received my baptism I received my communion I received my confirmation I was raised as a Catholic being raised as a Catholic and my cousin being raised as a Jehovah's Witness argued about God faith, Jesus, religion a smoking pot that's a fact I took a hit yeah God you know God he took a hit but you're wrong so it was the blind leading the blind I was sure that what I knew was right but my life undermined everything I said I believed and there are a lot of people today who are exactly that way I believe in Jesus Christ I go to church on Christmas in Easter but they don't walk with the Lord daily you see Bible studies you do not know the signs of the times Jesus is saying and guess what a lot of believers to this day do not see the signs of the times pastors being afraid to teach the whole council of God because people get mad and hurt feelings when they're convicted and pastors are afraid to see someone disturbed and to leave forgive me this sounds mean just look at me and say oh he's just some old man he didn't know people are more into going after that Pokemon than Jesus Christ it's a fact and I'm not I'm not knocking a man you want to run around looking for Pokemon whatever I don't even know what that is all I'm seeing is people are crashing into trees and they're falling off a cliffs and I'm nuts we're more caught up with the moment than we are with eternity we're more caught up following that than Jesus Christ somebody said you know you ought to put one of those things here in the church I'll have a place to be filled with people there's probably some truth to that but see we're afraid to tell the truth but Paul said no we please God and not men and pastors are supposed to say I have someone that I have to give an account to and it isn't just to my church it's to God himself what did you do with my message I didn't like the fact that people got upset and walked out so I kind of diluted it a bit so that they keep coming back but what did you give them for their eternity oh I gave them popular speeches I gave them information did you give them my son did you equip them for works of service did you teach them who Jesus is so that they could leave and add the things of their life that are good to what they know about God well no I got tired of seeing people get up and walk out I got tired of them slamming doors I got tired of the letters I got tired of the anger and I just wanted people to come back and I thought if I just give them some soft things if I speak to them smooth words but you didn't honor my word and you see that's the signs of the times convince, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and teaching and that's why Jesus said discern the signs of the times Christians ought to be equipped to discern the signs that we're living in the times that we're living in and when we consider the church and the health of the church by and large it's really not healthy believers in Christ have slowly but surely many have become apathetic the church losing its influence what has led to that decline when we look at signs of the times what has led to that decline let me give you a few things first I've already mentioned this many pastors resist teaching the whole counsel of God the message for the moment has taken precedence over equipping the saints for eternity second, the Bible is no longer regarded as God's final authority for many it's viewed as an old book the Bible is not regarded as the truth it's one version of truth that applies only to those who believe it yet the Bible in Psalm 119 verse 160 says it like this the entirety of your word is truth every one of your righteous judgments endures forever Paul in 2 Timothy 3 16 and 17 said all scriptures given by inspiration of God it's profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction and righteousness that the men of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work how important is it for the gospel to be presented accurately Paul said in Galatians 1 verses 8 and 9 even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preach to you let him be eternally condemned as we have already said so now I say again if anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted let him be eternally condemned that's pretty strong it's a very strong word coming from the apostle Paul why because there are people who come in and dilute the message transform the message and in doing so empty the message of its power to transform there's a third thing and that is that false teachers have crept into the church and are honored now by professing Christians if I stand up and I mention somebody who's a false teacher by name oh people get so mad they do it's not that I how do I want to put this I don't want you to hate me for no reason I'll give you a good reason if you'd want but I don't really have that great a concern whether people like or dislike me with that said I at the same time don't want to hurt people's feelings either so it's kind of a it's a difficult path to walk to try and tell the truth to say it with love and prayerfully to be understood but I can tell you this that when you identify as a false there are quite a number of people who want to argue with you about it and what has happened is false teachers have crept into the church in the body of Christ you see them on TV all the time they have radio programs, magazines and I'm not speaking about the obvious cults that you're very familiar with but some who are professing the true Christ who as they're preaching a false gospel if their messages critiqued and messages that includes a reference to that and you have people who are really upset but Jeremiah chapter 5 verse 31 said it like this in Jeremiah 5 31 he said the prophets prophesy lies the priests rule by their own authority but he goes on to say in my people and my people love it this way that's the truth we're in the book of Amos I was mentioning this this last Wednesday and in Amos chapter 2 verses 11 and 12 God is pronouncing judgment on the nation of Israel and he says I raised up some of your sons as prophets and some of your young men as Nazirids the word Nazirid is in reference the word Nazirid means a consecrated one it was in reference to those within the confines of Israel who took what is called the vow of the Nazirid which was another way of saying that they were totally dedicated to the service of God and so he said some of your young men as Nazirids is it not so oh you children of Israel says the Lord but listen but you gave the Nazirids wine to drink Nazirids took a vow to abstain from wine but you gave the Nazirids wine to drink and commanded the prophets saying do not prophesy that is how the church is in many ways sadly and I love the church a member of the body of Christ universal not just Calvary Chapel I love the church I love the believers who love Jesus they're my brother, my sister I love the church I don't say this to condemn anybody but it's a truth it's the truth we have members of the church that speak the truth that's happening today that has happened in the past a fourth thing is the pastor's authority is challenged very often by people who have independent individual interpretation and so they'll say things like he said this but I believe that who is your pastor well your pastor isn't me necessarily I know that your pastor very often is the one that you're going to go to lunch with afterwards to perhaps bring up this message and convince you that what I'm saying isn't correct that's your pastor the one who's influencing you to reject what you're being taught because after all that guy's just all he's not with, he doesn't understand and Pokemon's really fun I mean that's what you're going to end up with and I know that because that's what happens I realize that so a pastor's authority is not yet even so there are those who never even read the Bible as a hobby who will come and dispute that and yet Hebrews 13 says remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith he went on in verse 17 of Hebrews 13 to say obey your leaders submit to their authority why? they keep watch over you as men who must give an account obey them so that their work will be a joy not a burden for that would be of no advantage to you so that their work would be a joy and not a burden it doesn't take a thousand people to drive a pastor out of a pulpit it takes five to ten who are constantly bickering and complaining to get him tired of the whole church and ultimately what happens is the pastor needs to understand and so do the sheep that you have an accountability for your life everyone will give an account of himself to God Paul says but at the same time I give an account for my ministry and because I give an account for my ministry to God I am going to be very serious as I divide the word because especially in these last days people will not endure healthy teaching a fifth thing false love has replaced genuine love I call that sentimentalism but that kind of false love just leave them alone, don't say anything you don't want to judge them has perverted the grace of God and the Bible tells us that Hebrews 10 24 let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good works and so rather than accepting sin in my brother or my sister in that rigid legalistic sense but I do encourage them love the Lord and listen your life isn't pleasing to God you need to line up with Scripture so that God will bless your life and wash you and cleanse you from your sin I still remember one of my friends at that time was still a friend all these years later when I said and it was a young lady she had a habit of gossiping and she just she gossiped a lot and then finally one day and this was before Facebook and so and so I said to her you know your gossip is just it's not a good thing I still remember her response when she said to me so when did God make you the Holy Spirit and I said well just recently but no I had a dream and a vision no that's how people respond even though the Scripture says this I don't like the way you said it you didn't smile at me or your heart wasn't broken we find ways to justify our sinfulness but the Bible says listen if the Holy Spirit convicts us turn from your sin so that the Lord might heal you that's not love when you allow someone to remain in sin listen I have two daughters and I have granddaughters six granddaughters and I'll be honest with you if somebody were to come to the house to try to take out one of my granddaughters or whatever if I met this guy and I knew he was a wolf what kind of love would I be showing my grandbaby if I said go out with him he's going to harm you he's going to devour your life he's going to take from you the things that are most precious and go with my blessing I knew a guy I knew a guy who was not faithful to his wife and I was aware of the situation and he and I were talking on one occasion he was not faithful to his wife he was mistreating his wife and I knew much of what was going on and I met with him and he had a daughter and I still remember speaking to him saying to him something like this you really love your daughter don't you and he says yes I do I said you really love your little girl don't you she was just a little girl at that time he goes yes I do you really love her don't you let me ask you a question what are you going to do when somebody just like you shows up at the door to take your little girl out what are you going to do when somebody just like you wants to take her out and do to her what you've been doing to your wife now is that love or is Pastor David mean that's called love that's called love I told him the truth what are you going to do what are you going to do you need to hear me because I want your life blessed by God and people don't want to hear it especially today don't make me feel bad about myself that's called conviction that's called conviction it's when the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart and saying you need to get right that's called conviction not condemnation God doesn't condemn he convicts you see many pastors are afraid of offending sensitive hearers because they're afraid they're going to leave so it leads them to water down the gospel they don't give the truth one of the things we need to remember is that Jesus never taught that being his follower was easy he said the life of a believer can be difficult it can be lonely he said in Matthew 10 34 through 36 do not think that I came to bring peace on earth I did not come to bring peace but a sword I've come to set a man against his father a daughter against her mother a daughter in law against her mother in law a man's enemies will be those of his own household a Christian life can be filled with persecution and rejection in Matthew 5 10 blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake theirs is the kingdom of heaven the Christian life is filled with trials 1 Peter 1 7 says the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it is tried with fire might be found into praise, honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ and the Christian life is filled with self-denial Jesus in verse 24 of this chapter said if any man will come after me let him deny himself take up his cross follow me his commitment to discipleship is built on one thing and it's built on his resurrection a life that is earmarked by difficulty loneliness, trials and self-denial needs an eternal goal Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 19 if in this life only we have hope in Christ we are of all men most miserable that's why we look beyond this life towards the prize again Paul said brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it but one thing I do forgetting what is behind, straining towards what is ahead I press on towards the goal to win the prize which God has called me heaven words in Christ Jesus we're in Olympic season I like the Olympics we're in Olympic season these guys you know there's some amazing athletes like Bolt that man can run and I admire him his speed is unbelievable and we have you name it any one of their events that they do from the track to the field but I'm pretty sure that these athletes who win the goal didn't just decide one day to wake up yawn, climb out of bed, put on some tracks use and go and win a gold medal I suspect that they must have worked hard with the goal of achieving that disciplining and bring their body into subjection and Paul spoke about that in 1 Corinthians 9, 24 through 27 and he said I discipline myself he said I beat my body black and blue I give myself black eyes he says less after preaching to others I might find myself to be a discard or a cast away less I find myself disqualified I raced honorably I fought honorably so that I might win the prize and he said the funny thing about these games that people are involved in is they do so to win a perishable a perishable wreath but we have an eternal that we're pressing towards listen there are some things that are worth having and one of those things that is worth having is a deep and powerful relationship with Christ that is worth having I was listening to a UFC fighter they were speaking concerning this UFC fighter and they were saying that this fighter works out 9 hours a day 3 different segments of time where they work 9 hours a day I guarantee you they didn't just get up and go out there and get into their combat and end up winning and what do they win they win this little bout says UFC on it that you could go and have made for $10 you know they also get a lot of things on top of that huge paychecks not that big but they make a lot for doing that they discipline themselves for these things now the Olympic athlete who is 25 years old wins the gold sitting in his will say Dan when he's 82 the little pot ballet and he used to be a power lifter and somebody comes over and says ah you have the gold as I do do you see it and he walks pulls it out wow that didn't last it never does what is popular today is forgotten tomorrow don't forget that what's popular today is forgotten tomorrow we were just teasing just in between service I was talking to some people in the worship team and I said I remember when they brought out I said it looked like it was like this big you used to hold it like this huge thing I almost wrote a diary and it was huge walk around you know and now you've got these small phones it just amazes me the technology and now things go and now we kind of laugh I can remember when they had what were called records and then it went to four track tapes actually reel to reel then it went to four track tapes eight track tapes then you ended up with these these things you used to put the disk in and you'd walk around and then you'd have you push random and then you'd go wow I heard that ten minutes ago the same song but it's on random or shuffle they called it and I watched the technology as it's grown and we get we're so addicted to what is new that we forget what is important what's not changing what doesn't change is the gospel what doesn't change is God's promises what doesn't change is our hope in Christ and that's why the pastor is supposed to teach the whole council of God so the body of Christ can go out and live it in a world that changes with an attitude but there are some things that don't and that's my relationship with God so in closing Jesus is pointing these Pharisees and Sadducees to his resurrection he said you cannot discern the signs of the times it should have been obvious to you he's saying that I'm Messiah remember the announcement of John the Baptist you've noticed the multitude seeking my teaching and coming for miracles these are all signs that are pointing to me he is saying as Messiah he calls them a wicked and adulterous generation that seeks after a sign now he's already spoken concerned in that in chapter 12 but remember he's referring to them as a wicked and adulterous generation wicked in that they're constantly tempting God which reveals the evil in their heart and adulterous because they're spiritually unfaithful to the Lord they're wicked and adulterous because if they faithfully followed the Lord they would have accepted them because Scripture foretold his coming he has said in John 5 46 and 47 if you believed Moses you would have believed me for he wrote about me but since you do not believe what he wrote how are you going to believe what I say so you're asking for a sign well the ultimate sign will be his victory over death that's likened to Jonah an event that Jesus by the way taught his fact and not as a story and he's making it clear Jonah is a foreshadowing of the event of my resurrection you want a sign from heaven my resurrection will be that he says in Romans 1.4 Paul says and who speaking of Jesus through the spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead Jesus Christ our Lord everything that you believe everything as a Christian that you believe resides on one central fact the resurrection if Jesus Christ was not resurrected then like Paul had already said we of all men are most miserable because we have taught that Jesus was raised from the dead everything is founded on and remain strong on that one thing keep that in mind is the resurrection of Jesus Christ everything we believe rests on that Buddha his bones are somewhere on the earth Mohammed his bones are somewhere on the earth but Jesus Christ is alive he's resurrected he sits at the right hand of the father he is resurrected and that is the sign the sign of his resurrection that we have held fast to and believe because he validates every one of his teachings that he ever gave for if Jesus Christ was not resurrected I don't believe anything he says but because he was everything he says I can believe because he didn't lie to me he told us the truth it all stands on that and that's why he points and says the sign of Jonah for even as Jonah was in the belly of that great fish three days and three nights even so the Son of Man shall be in the bowels of the earth even when he's making his but I will come out even as Jonah came out of that whale I will come out of the earth I will be resurrected that is the greatest sign and that's what you'll see amen and because they rejected the Lord they ultimately die in their sin it simply says here he left them and departed