 Luke writes then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things and John calling two of his disciples to him sent them to Jesus saying are you the coming one or do we look for another when the men had come to him they said John the Baptist has sent us to you saying are you the coming one or do we look for another and that very hour he cured many people of their infirmities afflictions and evil spirits and many who were blind he gave sight then Jesus answered and said to them go and tell John the things you have seen and heard that the blind see the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised the poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed is he who is not offended because of me the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ was not performed in a vacuum by and large his works were done in the open so that people could not only see the works that he was performing but also judge those works later on when Jesus is standing in in trial in John 18 verse 20 Jesus says I spoke openly to the world I always taught in synagogues and in the temple where the Jews always meet and in secret I have said nothing and so Jesus's works and his words were open for public display and people would view him and judge concerning the things that he did and the things that he said so amongst those who would be witnesses of his works and those who heard his words would have been the disciples of John the Baptist now we know that John the Baptist had been sent by God to be the forerunner of Messiah in chapter one of the gospel of Luke in verses 70 76 and 77 his father Zacharias had said to John you child will be called the prophet of the highest for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins and so he was to go before Messiah he was to go before him in order that he might prepare people to meet their Messiah and so he went all about that region around the Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance and when you study the message of John the Baptist the message is very simple and it was to the point it was a message simply of the word repent repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand now this message that he was giving of repentance was directed to everyone from the lowest to the highest from the peasant to the king and ultimately he was imprisoned he was imprisoned for two basic reasons one for political reasons because Herod didn't like the fact that he was having influence on the common people and two he was imprisoned because he was preaching against the sin that was practiced by Herod himself which was the sin of adultery and so now as we are looking at this particular story here found in the Gospel of Luke now we find that John has been imprisoned he's in a fortress there in the south an area near the dead sea the fortress is called Makairis and some of his disciples are now paying him visits and and they're telling him concerning Jesus Christ the things that he's doing now he'd probably already heard some of these things because he had spoken often to Herod and according to Mark chapter 6 verse 20 when Herod would hear him well he would do many things and he would hear him gladly so undoubtedly there were times that that Herod would speak to him concerning the works of Jesus Christ and so John is aware of those things that Jesus is doing and so what happens now is there and according to verse 18 the disciples of John report to him concerning all the things that Jesus is doing and so in verse 19 John calling two of his disciples to him sent them to Jesus and they have a question are you the coming one or do we look for another what seems to be occurring here is John may be suffering from doubt there are those who say well perhaps he's simply growing impatient some would say well maybe he's just telling Jesus to be more public in his ministry that you need to be open and and John is an impatient kind of guy just waiting for the Lord to do what John thinks he's supposed to do and Jesus has not revealed himself in the way that John perhaps thinks he should and so there are some who say well perhaps he was like Jesus's brothers because Jesus's brothers didn't believe in him and and yet pushed him to to reveal himself you remember it's found in John chapter 7 verses 3 and 4 where it says his brothers therefore said to him depart from here go into Judea that your disciples also may see the works that you're doing no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly if you do these things show yourself to the world so it may be that he has a similar kind of impulse maybe he's saying to the Lord Jesus Christ get on with the work go and do the work I I recognized you as Messiah declared you to be so and perhaps he's just impatient but I don't think so I think at this point what we're dealing with and we're going to be looking at this today is the disciple doubting and what we're going to be looking at as we begin our study is dealing with doubt because I believe very strongly what is taking place here is that he is doubting something about the ministry of Jesus Christ appears to have unsettled John the Baptist now if indeed he is doubting that's understandable this is a man who's about to get his head cut off and so I can understand if he might be saying listen I just want to make sure that I get my head cut off for the right reason I would like to make sure that that if I'm going to lose my life it's it's for you know speaking the truth and anointing through baptism at least visibly demonstrating who Messiah is through my baptism I would like to know for sure that that I didn't make a mistake and so we can understand that all of us go through times of doubt all of us as believers can go through times of discouragement and I think that we can sympathize with him and understand that to a degree but let me say something very briefly but but very firmly here God does not condone doubt nowhere in the Bible does he ever condone it though I understand it God doesn't condone it and let me tell you one reason why he doesn't because when I doubt the Lord I'm doubting his goodness when I doubt the Lord I'm doubting his faithfulness and God does not want me to doubt his goodness and faithfulness to me in Deuteronomy in chapter 7 verse 9 the Bible says no therefore that the Lord your God he is God the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations God is known as the faithful God and so when I'm doubting him I'm saying basically you're not faithful to your word in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 3 Paul said the Lord is faithful who shall establish you and keep you from evil and so we know in the old as well as the New Testament that God has declared to be the faithful God and so when I doubt him when I live in doubt when I experienced out it's not that he condones it though I'm certain he understands it but in reality what I'm doing is I'm saying you are not faithful to your word you have made promises that you're not going to keep and so John undoubtedly is going through his time of trial right now and is beginning to wonder what is going on what could have contributed to John's suffering doubts about Jesus let me give you three basic things that might very well have done so three basic things one we know that he and Jesus had had no personal contact for about a year and it may be that he's at this point being alone in isolated experiencing a sense of abandonment if you don't spend time with the Lord if you don't have a personal one-on-one with him daily I guarantee you ultimately you're going to experience a sense of being distant it's not him being distant to you is that you are growing distant from him listen if you run a small rowboat off the shore and you had a rope that was tethered to the shore and tethered to the boat and you took a nap and as you took a nap that small boat that rowboat began to just drift and ultimately comes to the end of the rope and you wake up and you see that you have traveled the distance of that rope from shore and you don't have any oars or anything so you grab hold of the rope and you begin to pull on that rope I guarantee you you get closer to the shore but is it the shore that's moving or is it you the Lord doesn't move but we can drift away from him in doubt and if I'm not in fellowship with him if I'm not spending time quiet time devotions prayer time fellowship time with him I can begin to sense isolation in the case of of of john he's been in prison for about a year he has not had personal contact with the Lord and can have at that point begun to feel abandoned it reminds me of the psalmist in Psalm 22 verse 1 how the psalmist said my god my god why have you forsaken me why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning and so on the one hand he may be feeling abandoned because he hasn't had personal contact for a while second he may have a misconception concerning messiah Jesus didn't act in the way that john and others were expecting the messiah to act during the day of Jesus Christ they believed that messiah would do a variety of things they believe that the messiah would free israel from foreign bondage that he would banish all disease and affliction hunger and pain they believed that he would immediately establish a messianic kingdom that was filled with wealth and health and continual happiness but Jesus was not doing that and it's possible that he simply had a misconception concerning the messiah and then third Jesus didn't fit into the picture that john had been proclaiming according to Matthew chapter 3 verses 11 and 12 he must have pictured messiah as basically being kind of like a health fire and brimstone preacher bringing fire and judgment but instead of bringing judgment Jesus is ministering with compassion and grace and it's beginning to confuse him remember with me the first message that is recorded in Matthew that that john was speaking was repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and then when we see the the first message that Jesus is recorded speaking it's the same message repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and so he's got this mentality that messiah is going to preach in a certain way and yet he's not and so there he is sensing perhaps an abandonment with a misconception concerning messiah seeing that Jesus doesn't fit into the picture that he had been portraying him and proclaiming him to be and so what happens is he begins to have some doubt and some concern so what does he do he he wants to resolve his concern and he does so according to verse 18 by sending two disciples to speak to Jesus Christ i think that that's very very wise by the way instead of stewing in confusion he sends some people to speak to him and they come with the question and the question that they bring to him verse 19 is are you the coming one or do we look for another are you the coming one now the coming one is what is called a messianic title and and when he says or do we look for another looking for another emphasizes a sense of expectation are you the messiah that we have expected to come you see in the old testament you have this picture of messiah who is to come and you're to have an expectation to see him and receive him in the old testament book of malachi chapter three verse one god said i send my messenger he will prepare the way before me the lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple even the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight behold he is coming say at the lord of host and so there's this expectation for messiah to come Psalm 40 verses 7 through 9 this is in this is messiah actually speaking i i said lo i come in the volume of the book it's written of me i delight to do your will oh my god yes your laws within my heart i've preached righteousness in the great congregation law i have not refrained my lips oh lord you know or Zechariah 9 9 behold your king is coming to you he is just and having salvation lowly riding on a donkey a cult the full of a donkey and so the coming one is is messiah and the mentality is expectation are you the coming one or should we look for another is what they ask and so verse 20 when the minute come to him they said that john the baptist has sent us to you saying are you the coming one do we look for another that very hour he cured many people of their infirmities afflictions and evil spirits and to many who are blind he gave sight and jesus answered and said to them go and tell john the things you have seen and heard that the blind see the lame walk lepers are cleansed the death here dead are raised poor have the gospel preached to them now as they arrive on the scene jesus is busy performing works of mercy and compassion he was performing the work that he had been sent to do he was busy about his father's business Matthew tells us in chapter 8 verses 16 and 17 when evening had come they brought to him many who were demon possessed and he cast out the spirits with a word healed all who are sick that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying he himself took our infirmities bore our sicknesses so jesus who had compassion and mercy is busy performing the work that he had been sent to do as these men arrive on the scene that's what it says in verse 21 that very hour he cured many people of their infirmities afflictions evil spirits the many who were blind he gave sight and so as this is all taken place jesus answers in verse 22 and he says and i want you to notice this go and tell john the things you have seen and heard i want you to notice that his answer to them was not a yes or a no because a yes or a no answer would not have satisfied john completely what he's doing is works his works of mercy and compassion and he's performing works that require love and he's pointing to that he's not bringing at that moment judgment he's not bringing destruction what he's pointing them to is what messiah actually is intended by god to do which is to reach out to those who are hurting and minister to them there is a time of course for judgment but as jesus was there walking on the face of the earth he is busy ministering to people and caring for them and showing the mercy of god and and what he does is he wants to point out what the lord does and that's why he says for them to go and see go and say what they're seeing and what they're hearing notice how verse 22 he says go and tell john the things you've seen and heard the blind see the lame walk lepers are cleansed the deaf hear the dead are raised the poor have the gospel preached to them go and tell them what you're seeing and what you're hearing seeing and hearing there's a big debate going on in the church today i'm not going to get you involved in it tonight but there's a big debate going on not in this church by the way when i say the church i mean the church universal in the body of christ especially here in the united states there's a big argument concerning two things one is concerning the words of the gospel and two concerning the works of people one group of people is arguing basically that you need to make sure that you remain faithful to the word of god and you preach that in such a way that people can actually hear what the word of god has to say and begin to learn what the word of god has to say through studying the bible and others are saying that's not enough others are beginning to argue in today's saying that if you're going to really be a witness it's not what you say it's what you do and so they will say every person has a story and the story is more valid in some senses they will say then the just the reading of the word of god and so on the one hand you have some will say listen you have to give a verse by verse word for word teach him god's word because it equips the saints for the works of ministry well the others will say well what good does that do because you're just equipping them with intellectual knowledge and they're not performing the things that they're told to do and so if you're going to be a true christian you need to clothe the the naked you need to feed the hungry you need to visit the prisoner in jail you need to live a life that demonstrates that you actually have been bought with a price and i see that there is actually two sides of a similar coin but the bottom line is is this is if i truly have a relationship with the lord then i am going to do those things i am going to care about the poor i am going to care about the hungry i am going to care about those who are homeless i am going to care about them because jesus cares about them and so what we're ending up with today is a big argument that i think is really just it's just an inappropriate argument because if the word of god is rightly divided it's not only going to be heard it's also going to be seen and that's why jesus said tell them what you're seeing and what you're hearing you're hearing the message and you're seeing its fruit you're hearing the message and you're seeing the works because listen here in verse 22 when he says to them the blind to see the lame walk the lepers acclint the deaf here dead or raised poor have the gospel preached to them he's not just saying that in isolation he's actually giving to them insight into what the prophets had said messiah is going to do and in other words in other words the works that he points to that validates his ministry are found in the book of isiah he's saying isiah and his prophecies are coming to pass before your very eyes you're seeing god's word being lived out that's the point he's making you see in isiah 29 18 and 19 in the old testament book of isiah it says in that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll and out of the gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see once more the humble will will rejoice in the Lord the needy will rejoice in the holy one of israel or isiah 35 verses 4 and 6 say to those with fearful hearts be strong do not fear your god will come he will come with vengeance with divine retribution he will come to save you then the eyes of the blind will be opened the ears of the deaf unstopped then the lame will leap like a deer the mute tongue shout for joy water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert or isiah 61 verse 1 the spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor so jesus when he's saying go and say tell john what you have seen and what you have heard he's simply saying isiah prophesied these things and you're seeing them before your very eyes and so listen when when god really grabs hold of my heart when he really gets hold of me it's not just what i say it's going to be what i say and what i do and it's a combination and my words and my works are not going to be in conflict i was reading a quote about a gal who was talking to a a modern author who's very well known in some circle city he's a christian author and she's speaking to him and this is basically a quote his paraphrase i just read it tonight though i found fascinating she said to him you know she says i appreciate your writing and this is one of the fellows who are saying you need to take the word of god and not be concerned about memorizing it so much as doing it she says i've been i've been you know uh reading your book i bought 13 of those books and i've given them away i think they're great books she's telling this author she says i give them to my friends and she says and i think it helps us to understand what christianity really is and then she says i'm a jesus girl this is a quote i'm a jesus girl but i like my tequila shots and i found that interesting now some in this room might say yeah me too amen praise god that's the best message i've written a long time i don't want to come off like a judge and sometimes it appears that i am i just want to be practical that's really all i want to be practical see one of the things that i'm concerned about it basically just living out the word of god there's something in the scripture that says in first peter it says therefore be holy for i am holy you know and i for some reason as i study the scripture don't see jesus at it you know at a bar down in tequila shots no i did that as an unbeliever but as a christian i left that behind that's the old way of life that's the old way of being and yet this gal saying i'm a jesus girl interesting way to phrase that i'm a jesus girl but i like my tequila shots jesus would say no sweetheart no it doesn't work that way you see if you taste of the new wine tequila comes off flat if you if you tasted the new wine of the spirit of god then then then who needs the old wine if you've got the lord working in your heart and he delivered you from that then why are you going to return to that and say now that i'm saved i can go back and i can drink from that again doesn't work that way guys the lord saves us from our sin you see and his word tells us what he desires and then we by faith appropriate that and live it and so jesus could say listen john wants to know if i'm the coming one or should he go out and look for another well you let john know what you've seen because what you have seen is a fulfillment of the prophecies of messiah that you find in the book of isiah the prophecies that relate to how it's going to be when messiah comes where the blind do see when the lame do walk when the leper is cleansed when the deaf has his ears ears opened up when when when the dead are actually raised and and the poor have the gospel preached to them you go and you let them know what you have seen and then he goes on in verse 23 it's one of the most powerful scriptures i love this scripture by the way blessed is he who is not offended because of me what an interesting insight that jesus gives to us at this point you can get saved and because because you're human being because we're human beings you get saved god does a tremendous work in your life and you begin to read the bible but you're reading the bible through the the eyeglasses of your experience there are some things that that you just know that that were just not good for you it may have been things like dancing or drinking it may have been drug taking whatever those are things that are not good for you it may have been that you were a gossip and and you spoke about people all the time and tore them up and it may be that you were sexually promiscuous or or that you had an an anger problem and you get saved and as you get saved you begin to notice scriptures that say things like like you shouldn't sleep around or or you can have self-control and not grow angry or you don't need to drink anymore or whatever and and you discover and these these are the scriptures in the beginning of your walk that become very important to you you might even memorize them you you know basically where they're at in scripture because you got saved to read in the bible and and you're discovering some things about god and and what happens is you put god in a little box and he's always going to be this way and so you start to think that you got you've gotten to know god in a certain way and you start having a worship relationship with him as you know him when you first got saved but the problem is is you kind of keep him there and you kind of think that because it feels good to believe this that he must agree with you 100% and you've got full-on understanding of everything and then later on something occurs in your life where where you meet somebody and and they may have a disagreement with you on that area and and you think for sure that that they're wrong and you're right and then you find out well maybe you're not as right as you think and maybe they're not as wrong as you thought and and what happens is you begin to discover some things you begin to discover that you can't put Jesus Christ in a little box and and just keep him there controlling him because he's a lot bigger than what you think he is I believe strongly that John the Baptist had this concept of Christ that was limited to his basic understanding and expectations and when Jesus was not performing in the way that he thought that Jesus should he was stumbled I've been that way I've been disappointed in God not doing what I thought he was supposed to do I've had those times of prayer especially as a young believer where I've I've been hurt with God because he disappointed me because I thought for sure that he wouldn't allow this to happen in my life and he did and why and how could good come from this Lord you know what I wanted and and how could you've allowed the opposite to come into my life I don't understand you Lord I believe that every every believer gets to that point where they begin to discover that God is not going to be in our little little box of beliefs and one of the things that the Lord has given to me that I want to give to you tonight in a practical way that has helped me is it has all boiled down to to one thing that I've come to believe and that is that God loves me no matter what and he's just he loves me and he's just he'll do the right thing neuteronomy 32 verse 4 says he is the rock his work is perfect all his ways are justice a god of truth and without injustice righteous and upright is he the one thing that is necessary for all of us is to just trust him when I don't understand something the best thing for me to do is fall on that which I do understand and what I do understand is that God loves me and that God would not allow a thing into my life that is going to destroy me and I believe that he would never allow something into my life that'll destroy me anymore then I would allow something into the life of one of my children or my grandson that would destroy them now if I would not want my children to be harmed or my grandson to be harmed why would I think that God wants me to be harmed and so one of the things that john has to learn is that that he has a certain idea of who Jesus is but his idea of who Jesus is is not necessarily who Jesus actually is and that's why Jesus can say to him you go back and you tell him the things that you've seen and the things that you heard and these are the things that you've seen and you go back and tell him and then you tell him this blessed is the one who is not offended that word offended stumbled because of me because ultimately what I have to do is just trust him for who he is it's the wisest thing that I can do he loves me he's just he'll take care of business in the right way there have been times when I've been like Jeremiah when I've said to the Lord oh Lord I would like to speak to you concerning your judgments I'd like to give you some counsel now I realize you didn't call me up and ask me for some counsel I understand that but Lord I know that you're busy in the universe there's so many people and so many problems perhaps you haven't taken notice of something and therefore I'm certain you're grateful that I'm on the job to let you know that these things really ought to be done this way you know that guy who just cut me off Lord I really think he needs to die I mean there are things that you can do Lord that person harmed me therefore you know I want to speak to you concerning your judgments when the Lord would say who gave you permission to make those judgments see God takes in all things he considers all elements and it's always tempered by his mercy and compassion ultimately his justice will rule but the bottom line is that he is always merciful and compassionate and he gives people opportunity to the very end for them to ultimately come to him and so he says blessed is the one blessed is he who's not offended because of me now verse 24 when the messengers of John had departed he began to speak to the multitudes concerning John what did you go out into the wilderness to see a reed shaken by the wind but what did you go out to see a man clothed in soft garments indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings courts but what did you go out to see a prophet yes I say to you and more than a prophet this is he of whom it is written behold I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you for I say to you among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he and so Jesus speaks to them to offset the impression that John was a double-minded man I mean he has his men asking him are you the coming one and so he wants to offset that impression and so what he does is he gives to them qualifications for kingdom greatness and he uses John as the example notice verse 24 the question really is what do you think a man of God is what do you think a man of God is like and what you see in the life of John and you can write this one down is conviction this is a man who had conviction conviction is the key he says did you think he was a reed in other words did you think he was spineless do you think that he would move with every wind of man's opinion that he would vacillate constantly remember with me he'd be saying to them he's in prison because of his non-compromising preaching this isn't a person that is going to be moved by the slight cunning of men he's not going to be joining in the latest philosophy he's not going to be sticking his his spiritual finger into the air to test the the the climate to see where the wind is blowing so that he can flow with that wind this is a guy who speaks with conviction who knew that God had given him a message and it's a message he has to deliver and he was a man with conviction and went to God that we had more men and women who were moved by conviction rather than opinions that people have you know when Paul was writing to the Thessalonians in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 he said 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 by God to be entrusted with the gospel we're not trying to please men but God who tests our hearts he was saying listen I want to speak to you the truth and even if it causes me to lose my life and that's how John was that's why John could say Psalm 62 6 he only is my rock and my salvation he is my defense I shall not be moved so here's a person of conviction what is a man of God like what is a woman of God like they have convictions so he says in verse 25 what did you go out to see a man clothed in soft garments well when he speaks of soft garments that speaks of people who surrounded the king and what it really is a picture of his self-indulgence John was not such a man he was a common man and he ministered with humility according to Matthew 3 John wore a garment of camel's hair a leather bowed around his waist his food was locus and wild honey and so Jesus is saying he's not a self-indulgent man because a self-indulgent man will not make the sacrifices that this man has made because if you're going to serve the Lord you have to be willing to lay down whatever rights you think you have to pick up that cross follow him daily and to live in a in a in a way that may be less than you think you deserve he said John's that way then he goes on he says in verse 26 what did you go out to see a prophet I say to you more than a prophet not only was John a prophet which indeed he was but he was an object of prophecy because the word of God had spoken concerning Malachi chapter four verses five and six I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes he'll turn the hearts of the fathers to their children the hearts of the children to their fathers or also come and strike the land with the curse so Malachi had closed with a curse speaking concerning that there would be one who came who would be the forerunner of Messiah now Luke tells us in chapter one verse 17 that John fulfilled that because it says he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready of people prepared for the Lord and so this is a man this is a man with conviction this is a man with humility and this is a man who is not only a prophet but subject of prophecy and therefore is a great great man he says in verse 28 I say unto you among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist but he who is least in the kingdom of god is greater than he there's not a greater than John the Baptist now when he speaks in verse 28 of those born of women that's a way of speaking about his humanity positionally where mankind is concerned there hadn't been born one greater than he but there is one greater than he and that's the one who is least in the kingdom and the one who is least in the kingdom is Jesus himself so the one who is the greatest in the kingdom is Jesus you see in Matthew 23 11 Jesus said he who is greatest among you shall be your servant so Jesus Christ is the greatest servant therefore is the greatest in the kingdom but John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and he's the one who ties together the Old Testament and the prophecies relating to the Messiah with the New Testament when Jesus Christ has come and so as he's speaking here verse 29 when all the people heard him even the tax collectors justified God having been baptized with the baptism of John but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves not having been baptized by him I want you to see something here guys the different attitudes of the religious elite when it says Pharisees and lawyers there in verse 30 the lawyers are the experts in the law of Moses that's who is being referred to here experts in the in the mosaic law Pharisees are religious people a religious sect during the time of Christ but what you have is you have a contrast you have all the people hearing him tax collectors justifying God and notice in verse 29 they had been baptized with the baptism of John but the Pharisees Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves not having been baptized by him the different attitudes are revealed by one common thing had they or had they not received a baptism that reflected repentance the ones who had were ministered by the Lord Jesus Christ but the ones who had not received the water baptism which symbolized it re symbolized repentance rejected him so as a result the Pharisees and religious experts rejected the counsel of God what was the counsel of God the counsel of God was repent because that's what John had said remember repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand so the tax gatherers who were greatly hated by the Jews at that time actually were entering into the kingdom of heaven because they had repented but the religious individuals the Pharisees and the religious scribes rejecting the counsel of God did not receive the baptism of repentance and thus were sealed in their sin in rejecting God's counsel they were left to their own see in the bible in the new testament it makes a very very plain for us in the bible there's one way into the kingdom of God that's through Jesus Christ but to have a relationship with Jesus I have to repent and when I repent I am actually literally changing my mind about something the word repent in the original language is the word metanoia it speaks of a change of mind it's not simply an emotion it's a decision of the will and so when I hear the message of the cross when I hear that Jesus Christ came God in the flesh and died on a cross for me I'm hearing the message as I hear that message and he calls me to relationship with him he says but your sin has made a separation between you and me so there's an issue that needs to be dealt with and that is called your sin sin makes separation what you're to repent from is my mentality that I can enter into the kingdom of God through my own works and efforts what I repent from is the things that are keeping me from God but first and foremost it's my mental attitude towards him that somehow thinks that I can justify myself and so when I hear the message that says I'll have sin and fall short of the glory of God when I hear the the message that says the wages of sin is death then I begin to understand that and then by faith embrace that then I can say God be merciful unto me I'm a sinner because it's not by works of righteousness which I have done but according to your mercy you saved me through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit for it's by grace that I'm saved through faith and and that not of myself not by works lest I should boast so you mean I am to embrace by faith the price that's already been paid through Jesus Christ and I'm to repent from the life that I've lived and my ideas of how to enter into heaven and ask you to be merciful to me and the answer to that biblically is yes that's how you enter into the kingdom of God and so I say that sounds too easy and God says it's not it cost my son every drop of his blood what makes you think that was easy and so I say God forgive me because I have really I have made light of the of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and I have reduced it to almost nothing as if it was his job to do that and in this I am greatly sorrowful and I ask for your forgiveness or you can say no I'll just keep doing what I'm doing I'll do the best that I can and I'll get in one way or another by my own efforts that's the problem but when you do that the bible says you're rejecting the counsel of God because God has given you his counsel and said this is what you need to do if you do it you'll be blessed my sons as they were growing up and they still are growing up frankly but as my sons were growing up as young boys growing into young men and even to this day as a matter of fact I was having a conversation with both of my sons on different days just this last week and they will come and they will share with me some things they'll tell me you know dad this is what I'm thinking and this is how it's going or whatever they'll they'll say things to me and on occasion not all the time not every time we talk on occasion once in a blue moon I'll look at them and I'll say something like this this is something like I said just this last week to both of them in one way or another I said you know I understand that been there and son if you want to hear some advice I'm not saying you have to follow it you're a man you can decide to do what's right but if I were you this is what I would do this is how I would do it one of my sons was talking to me about a professor a professor who just this last week was standing up in class my son's going to college and and said that the Christians are responsible for all the evil in the world and that the gospel and Christians is absolutely worthless and he said that in class and my son came in and spoke to me was pretty upset and I said well is that right he says yeah and I said you know son Christians are responsible for all the evil in the world we've overwhelmed all these nations and we've destroyed them he said that's what he's saying he said I got so angry dad he said I got so angry I got up and I walked out I walked out of class he said that probably wasn't a good idea huh I said probably wasn't son I said but you know been there done that I said when I was 25 years old and I was going to college and my professors would say some boneheaded thing I said one thing you need to remember is your pain your tuition and paying their salary so you can talk to him I said no I would I said and the way I would do it is I would wait until after class and everybody had pretty much filtered out and he's lost his audience that he can be so brave in front of and then I would talk to him politely and respectfully and I said and with your professor what I would say to him is um do you know any born again Christians and I would say to him you know my father and my mother are Christians and they're nothing like what you're saying and I would say to him well what good did you do when the tsunami hit well the church I go to gave over a hundred thousand dollars in in relief and aid what good did you do personally what good did you do when Katrina hit my church gave over a hundred thousand dollars to help those people we've gone and we've sent teams to rebuild homes that were destroyed we send people into Mexico to minister to the poor we do quite a number of things I would like to know on a personal level what you do besides stand up in class and talk about Christians do you know any and that's how I would handle that and I would respectfully tell him you're a bonehead but I would say it nicely I'm just playing with you I would say that stupid yeah bonehead no no and I've done that I said son I've walked him to the car I've walked with him to the car and I said you know if you mind if I and I would share with them and I would talk to them and I'd say do you know any Christians no well my name is David and I'm a believer in Jesus Christ and so now you know one because a lot of times these fellas or these ladies don't have a single Christian person that they know I said so it's easy to stand up in front of class and be real brave and say all of these things because you think everybody's in agreement with you I said just take him alone outside be respectful introduce yourself to him I said and if you'd like I said I'll talk to him I wouldn't mind speaking to your professor and asking him why he thinks that he should use taxpayer money to destroy Christian faith I'd like to know it'd be all right I said let him know because you want to know something because I believe I believe that the word of God is true and I believe the counsel of God is to be listened to and so I told my son that I said son I'm giving you counsel now he can do what he wants with it eternity is not at stake in this case but I know what it's like to give counsel as well as to receive it to give counsel that is not received or to have counsel given to me that I didn't receive but when it comes to eternal things you need to receive the counsel of God and that's what he's talking about when he says the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves not having been baptized by him they rejected God's counsel which is repent if you repent you can enter into the kingdom of heaven if you do not you will not enter in and that's a very simple phrase there but as a result what they did is they rejected the counsel of God the Pharisees and religious experts when those who at one time were hated the tax collectors well they justified God why they were baptized with the baptism of John you can receive counsel or you can reject it and even as I shared with my sons both of them you can hear my counsel or you can reject it but if you do it your life will be blessed if you don't then you're going to learn in a different way and sometimes even harder way now that's just general life but when it comes down to the counsel of the word of God you'd better hear it because that's the only counsel that really matters