 open your Bible to Mark chapter 12. We're gonna be looking today at verses 35 through 40. And in fact, what we have here is in verses 35 to 37, you have one section that will flow into a second in verses 38 through 40. So we'll be looking at that together this morning as we continue our series here in the gospel of Mark. So I'll begin reading to you at verse 35, now read to verse 37, we'll get into our study. Mark chapter 12, beginning at verse 35, reading to verse 37. Mark writes, Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, how is it that the scribe say that the Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Spirit, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool. Therefore David himself calls him Lord, how is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly. And so let me lay the foundation and then we'll get into our study here. We're gonna be looking at two segments of scripture verses 35 through 37. And then again, as mentioned, verses 38 through 40. And so you see these as events that are actually, they collapse into something that's occurring concurrent. What we have in Mark's gospel is the Lord ministering to people. And as we've seen, his opponents have asked him three questions. The first question they had asked was whether it was lawful to pay a tax to Rome. You know, it said lawful to pay a tax to Caesar. And we saw Jesus' response to that. And then the second question concerned the resurrection from the dead. The third question that we've seen relates to the greatest command. And so we've looked at those portions of scripture and we've seen Jesus as he's responded to that. Well, Luke reveals how they responded to him after he answered them. In Luke 20 verses 39 and 40, it says, some of the scribes answered and said, teacher, you have spoken well. But Luke went on to say, but after that they dared not question him anymore. In other words, they became silent. They didn't wanna ask any further questions to the Lord and they withdrew. So now he's beginning to question them. Now, why would the Lord be asking them questions? You see, he's not being petty and he's not being vindictive. He's not a small minded man. He's certainly not just saying, well, you've offended me by asking me questions. Therefore, I'm gonna turn the tables on you and make you look bad. That's not the reason he's doing that. He's doing this because this is his last week on earth. They need to decide who he is. What we're seeing here is an act of grace. He's graciously giving them an opportunity to come to him. Now, the Bible in 2 Peter verses 9 in chapter three says, the Lord is not slow about his promises. Some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but wants everyone to repent. He's showing great patience in this. He's giving people great opportunity to come to faith in him. It's not that he's petty. It's not that he's vindictive. It's that he's giving them in a gracious way a further opportunity. I thank God that he was patient with me. And again, I didn't realize how young I was when I got saved. I was 20. There are others who are raised in a Christian home. There are others who've never known any other faith other than the faith of Christ. But he gave me 20 years, 20 years for me to come to faith in him. He's very patient. We've had people in this fellowship who have gotten saved at the age of 80. God gave him 80 years patiently waiting for him. So the Lord doesn't want any to perish. He wants everybody to come to repentance. And so the Lord wants these people and he's given them opportunity. He wants them to come to faith in him. In second Peter three, verse 15, the apostle said, remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave to him. And so God is patient. So I would ask how long has he waited for some of us here? How long has he waited for someone we're watching online? How many years has he given people opportunity to awaken in their sin and say, Lord, be merciful to me, I'm a sinner. Well, that's what we're watching here in this particular story where the Lord Jesus Christ has been responding to questions even though the people who are asking him these questions are belligerent and are rejecting him. He's giving them a patient response and now he's asking them a question that's gonna cause them to have to consider where they stand with him. When you look at the patience of God, you can look into the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible and you can look at what's taking place in the earlier years of man's history on earth. And when you look at chapter six, the Bible tells us there in Genesis six that the earth had grown terribly wicked and the earth was ripe for judgment. In Genesis six, verse five, it says, the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time. There may be a great discovery, a great invention, guys, and you know this, but it's not too long until that great invention or discovery is used for evil purposes. I don't know how many of you may remember or realize that what used to be called moving pictures, very often when the moving pictures were first beginning to be produced were used as gospel presentations, they were used for good. And then pictures that were taken to family and friends, those were used for good, but it didn't take very long for man to begin using it for evil, producing pornography and various things like that. The radio and other things were used for good to broadcast the gospel throughout the world, but it wasn't too long until that broadcast was twisted to have something that was profane. That's what happens. Anything new, it doesn't take a moment until it's used for the wrong thing. So the internet and the variety of things that we have, all those things, phones in our pocket that for people who were young, that's been something that they've always experienced for somebody like myself. I saw that develop over time and what at one time was used for good can be now used for evil. That camera on your phone that could be sent sending your grandchild, the picture of grandchild to somebody can also be used for the wrong reasons. We know that, why? Because the imagination of man is evil consistently and constantly. That's why in the early days it was that way too at the beginning and it makes it very clear when it says that the Lord God saw, the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time and that was then and that is now. In the same passage in Genesis chapter six verse three, it says, the Lord said, my spirit will not contend with man forever for he is mortal. His day shall be 120 years. He was saying in 120 years, judgment is coming. Peter responds to that actually writes referring to that in first Peter three verse 20. He speaks of God waiting patiently while Noah was building the ark. He speaks of Noah as being a preacher of righteousness. And so it had never rained on the face of the earth and God patiently waited while he was building the ark and was actually preaching a message of repentance. And then ultimately, well, the animals got into the ark. The ark was closed. God himself closes the ark and judgment came. God will be keeping his promise. And so Jesus is ministering here and he's trying to reach people still to this day. Notice how it begins in verse 35, how Mark says, Jesus answered and said, while he was in the temple. Jesus is in the temple courtyard there in Jerusalem and he's instructing those who will listen. But he now asks a question of a religious group called the Pharisees. Now these Pharisees are huddled off to the side. They're considering what they're gonna do next. Matthew 2241 says that they were gathered together. So they're considering what to do next. Now he had just taught the greatest commandment was to love God and to love others. He said to love God and to love your neighbor, fulfill the law of God. So he's now fulfilling this commandment by in love, pointing them to himself. What he's doing is loving them and telling them the truth about salvation. Now the Pharisees during the day of Christ were ensnared by a system that was built on good works. They weren't really aware of the grace of God. And Paul clearly stated something concerning that when he was writing Titus chapter three verse five and he said that he saved us not by the righteous deeds we had done but according to his mercy through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. It wasn't works of righteousness which we have done but it's God saving us. You see we don't save ourselves, we need him to save us. The Pharisees had built a works righteousness system. And in building this works righteousness system they didn't understand what grace is, they didn't understand the grace and love of God. And so Jesus is asking them a question. Why? Because without Christ no Pharisee or anybody else will ever be saved. What he's doing is he's calling them to salvation by him and through him. Again in Acts chapter four verse 12 the apostle Peter said neither is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. No other name. We're Christians. It's the name of Christ that we have trusted in and believed it's the work of Christ on the cross. It's the redemption that he want for us and we can't be saved any other way. You can't be saved through your good works because there's none good. No, not one. You can't be saved through any other name. It's the name of Christ and that's what Jesus is teaching here. That's what he's causing us to understand. He asks them a question. They need to come to a decision about him and it's the most important question anybody must ever answer. Now notice he's asking this question to the Pharisees but he's doing so in front of the people and it's a question that centers on the Messiah. It says in verse 35 he answered and said while he taught in the temple how is it that the scribes say that the Christ the Messiah is the son of David. The Christ is a Greek way of speaking of the Messiah the Messiah or anointed one. How is it that the scribes say that the Christ Messiah is the son of David? Why do religious scholars call Messiah son of David? Now Matthew gives us a clear picture of how Jesus posed the question. He gives us more of the order. In Matthew 22 42, what do you think about the Christ Jesus said? Whose son is he? They said to him the son of David. So he responds and he says how is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? Now what he's about to do right now? He's about to inform them that Messiah is not simply a man. Messiah is not simply a prophet. Messiah is not simply a teacher. Messiah is not just a good human being. That's what he's about to teach them. Messiah is not just a man. Now even today many Jews believe the Messiah whom they believe has yet to come. Many Jews believe that Messiah is simply a man. I remember in our first one of our first trips to Israel back I believe it was around 1983 or so. We had a guy, his name was David. And so I got to know him a little bit. We had a conversation. I asked him the question. I said, because he was an Orthodox Jewish man. So I asked him a question. I said, David, why do you have difficulty with Jesus Christ as Messiah? Why from a Jewish perspective, do you have a problem with Jesus Christ as Messiah? I wanted to know. And David told me, he says because we believe that Messiah is a prophet, is a human being. We believe that you Christians in referring to Messiah as God in the flesh are actually violating the commandments of God where he states to us that no graven image of anything in heaven should appear on earth. He says, so we believe that you are, you are actually wrong in your belief because Messiah is gonna be like Moses. Now in Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 15, it reads and Moses wrote this, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen. So they believe that Messiah is a human being, which is interesting and this is what we're looking at today because that makes Israel vulnerable to anti-Christ. You see, as we've studied before together, the anti-Christ is going to be regarded in a messianic way as a Messiah. And that is how man will be deceived. In 2 Thessalonians, Paul wrote this in chapter two verses nine and 10. He said, the coming of the lawless one, which is another name for the anti-Christ, the coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved. And so the anti-Christ is going to come, he has a false prophet, and they're going to convince the world that the beast is Messiah. Now, when Jesus is asking this particular question, he's clarifying that he is more than simply a prophet, he is more than simply a good man. He's pointing out some things and in doing so, he's actually quoting David, the king. Now, the Pharisees knew that Messiah would be from King David's line. 1,000 years earlier, God had made a promise to David the king. It's found in 2 Samuel chapter seven verses 12 and 13. The promise was when your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your seed to succeed you, who will come from your own body and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. So that was a promise that God had made to David. The Psalmists in Psalm 89, three and four said it like this. He said, you said I have made a covenant with my chosen one. I have sworn to David, my servant. I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations. So Jesus is asking the question, again, the Pharisees knew that Messiah was from King David's line. So he says, how is it that the scribes, how is it that the religious leaders, the lawyers, say that the Christ is the son of David? Your own teachers, in other words, say Messiah is the son of David. So he's asking that question. They knew that God had made a promise to King David but they also knew that Jesus was called son of David. We saw this in chapter 10 of Mark verses 46 and 47. That's one example. It says, they came to Jericho. As he went out of Jericho with his disciples in a great multitude, blind by Demias, the son of Temias, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and to say, Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me. So he's calling them to decide. Is he the son of David? Is Jesus Messiah? Now notice verse 36, he says, for David himself said, by the Holy Spirit, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. So he now quotes scripture. But I want you to see verse 36. Notice how he said, David himself said, by the Holy Spirit. David was writing under the inspiration of the Spirit of God and under God's inspiration called Messiah, his Lord. His inspiration, Jesus is making it clear by saying by the Holy Spirit, his inspiration was the Holy Spirit. It was not a human insight and it was not a human emotion. So if Messiah is simply a man, why does David declare him to be Lord? And that's the question he's asking. And he says, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand. So that shows that David spoke of Messiah as his Lord. Now this is a prophetic picture of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as his ascension. The right hand refers to a position of co-equality and rank and authority. And so Messiah is seated in the most holy place at the right hand of the Father. In Hebrews 12 verse two, it says, looking into Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despised in the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. And so Jesus is asking this question, why did he say that? Why did the Lord say to his Lord, sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your footstool? Why did he do that? Now it's interesting when he says till I make your enemies your footstool because he's pointing out all who reject Christ will be subdued by him as and become as his footstool. In other words, all who reject Jesus ultimately lie helpless before him. He's pointing to the fact Messiah is gonna completely triumph over those who reject him. And that would include these men who are rejecting him even as they speak into them. In Psalm 2, 11 and 12, it says, serve the Lord with fear. Rejoice with trembling, but he goes on to say, kiss the son lest he be angry and you perish in the way when his wrath is kindled. But a little blessed are all those who put their trust in him. And so you don't want to fall into the hands of an angry God is what he's saying because the enemies of Christ will be subdued. In Philippians 2, 9 through 11, God exalted him. God exalted Jesus to the highest place, gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father. You see this teaching here, the things that we're looking at, the thing that Christ is saying, that's the thing that causes people so much problems with evangelical Christians like us. Because a lot of people will say, well, you know, as long as you believe in something, that's a good thing, believe in something. Well, what if I believe in a cosmic grape? Is that a good thing? I mean, that's something. So when we begin to say that and we say it's just as long as you believe, what if you're believing the wrong thing? And so the Bible is very clear and this is something I had to learn as a new believer to be honest with you because this idea that all roads lead to God is in a new one. This is something that many people have been teaching and believing for centuries. All roads ultimately lead to God. Well, that's true in one form. All will stand before the throne of God and give an account of themselves. But the bottom line is what you say of Jesus, who's son is he, that matters. It's not that you can say, well, he's a great man because he was, it's not that you can say he was a miracle worker, he was. It's not that you can simply say he was a great teacher. Of course he was. He did all of these things and even more. But is he the son of God? Is he your Messiah? Have you committed yourself to him? Has his blood washed and cleansed you from all sin? Has he written your name in the Lamb's book of life? Those things matter because ultimately every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. We all will bow. All of us will. I do so willingly, but all will. And that's what the scripture teaches. This is that simple. And so he's making it very clear. And in verse 37, when he says that David himself calls him Lord, how is he then his son? My father respected me and thought it was his past but he never called me his Lord. And David most certainly wouldn't call his son his Lord unless there was something greater than that going on. And so the point he's making is Messiah is more than a physical descendant of King David. Messiah is actually David's Lord. He is David's son by human birth, but he is David's Lord by divine nature. And he's saying whoever rejects me, Jesus is saying, whoever rejects me rejects David's Lord, the Messiah. Now as he's saying this, the common people are listening. The average folk, the ordinary people, and as they're listening, they're responding. Notice the second portion of verse 37, the common people heard him gladly. The things that he had to say were moving them. It is very true that the average is the ordinary people, the blue collars if we wanna call them that anymore. It is the ordinary people who most often respond to the teaching of Christ. The intellectuals and the great, the rich, and the powerful, the famous, they don't. Not that none of them do. There are those who see that, that the money that they thought would make them happy never has. I was listening to a great philosopher named Mike Tyson. And he said this, and it struck me, Mike Tyson said, those who think money will make them happy have never had money. That's interesting. Those who think money will make them happy have never had money. Because Mike Tyson went through millions of dollars. If anybody can speak with experience about just blowing all of his money, Mike Tyson could do that. And he said, I want something more than that. And the interviewer was asking him, what do you want? He says, I just want to love my children. I just want love. I wanna be loved by people. That matters. Nobody on the hospital bed about to die has ever said, I wish I had a few more million dollars. They never laid their say, and I wish I had a new car. They don't say that. They never have why, because they're facing eternity. And so all of us will one day do the same. We one day will face eternity. Now the common people who haven't been ensnared by the desires of this world to the point that they've been captured by it and follow that. Well, as they're listening to Jesus, they're hearing him speak to these people who in many ways have burdened them with laws that they themselves will not keep and rules and obligations that they themselves don't obey. We have the same kind of thing today. You understand it? I do too. You need to wear a mask and not go into a restaurant. Then there are pictures of this person and several friends in a mask. And you say, no, what is it rules for thee but not for me? Is that how it works? We see that. You need to be careful. We all have to make a little sacrifice. Some of us have heard recently some say on TV. I've heard that we all have to make a little sacrifice. But wait a minute, you just jumped in a plane. You just went to a very well place with the $20 million place that you're gonna be staying for a few days with your son and family and nobody's paying a cent to do that. Are you really gonna tell me I need to just toughen up a little bit because you don't even pump your own gas. You don't even pay for your own meals. How do you know what I feel? And a lot of people, ordinary people, average people, you know, you're standing there and I don't wanna make you upset right now, just a little bit, not that much. But we understand that, don't we? When you go and you start pumping gas in your car and you're looking at what used to be this and now it's that. You know, I have a long life now and I can look back and I can tell you, I remember when I was upset at paying 30 cents a gallon. Some of you remember that, you old people. Can you let your mind cast back for a while? When you could fill your tank for three and a half dollars? See, so we see this. And then you go and you spend $100 to fill up your tank and you ask yourself and then you have someone on TV saying, well, you just need to, oh, wait a minute. No, you come and you fill my tank up with your money instead of my money that you're using to pay for yourself and then maybe we'll understand it. See, so again, I know I'm not supposed to make you mad but why not, just a little bit. Because it's true. And the common people heard him gladly. Somebody finally is saying something we all think. That's what Jesus was doing. Somebody is simply saying what we already think. The common people heard him gladly and they saw. They saw him as more than an ordinary man. They weren't saying that his miracles were done by Satan as the religious elite were saying at that time. Jesus walked on water. Who does that? Jesus raised the dead back to life. Who does that? Jesus multiplied fish and loaves and fed thousands. Who does that? Whoever spoke with the gracious words that Jesus spoke. Whoever did the amazing things that Jesus did. They saw it but the religious leaders who were afraid to lose their position, they said, no, he doesn't do that. Oh, it's by the power of Satan that he does that or we don't believe that. And so the common people are listening as Jesus is putting them in their place. And you and I would probably be standing there smiling too saying, get him, Jesus, get him. We probably would. Well, as this is all going on and they're listening to him, notice verse 38. He said to them in his teaching, beware of the scribes who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, the best places at feasts, who devour widow's houses and for a pretense, make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation. So he's saying this in his teaching and he's saying beware. So what he's doing now is Jesus is moving from the beliefs of the scribes to their behavior. You need to remember that belief always produces behavior. What you believe is what you do. Belief always produces behavior. And if you believe bad doctrine, you will have a poorly lived life. You see, what you believe is what you do. It's like the invisible. Your beliefs become visible. Your beliefs are incarnated in your behavior. Like it says in Proverbs 20 verse 11, even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and right. Even a child, you can see what they're doing and know who they are, what their character is. Rebellion is bound up in the heart of a child and they demonstrate what they believe by the way they live. And so Jesus is speaking about that. Again, there are surveys after surveys I've been in ministry for a long time and I've looked up surveys many times and Americans' belief in God in the United States is getting lower than it used to be. But there are still many people, a high percentage of people who claim to be Christians because they had a survey. The survey said, what is your religious belief? And they answered Christian. A large percentage of Americans still profess to be Christians in that way. And so it's not always true that they're Christian because they may say they believe these things but do they act as if they do? And so Jesus is dealing with hypocrisy. And I want you to see this with me for a moment. Imagine how these scribes are reacting because Jesus is openly rebuking them. He is not saying it behind closed doors. He's saying in front of the common people who are listening carefully to what he's saying. Some may say, well, that seems to be wrong. Well, Proverbs 27.5 says open rebuke is better than love that is concealed. And so he's speaking in an open fashion to these people. Notice again, verse 38, beware of the scribes. But as he's saying, do not imitate the hypocrisy, guard against their teachings. Beware of their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is a word that you all are familiar with. We all know the word. The origin speaks concerning the actor, the hypocrite, the one who would wear tragedy or happiness, joy. They wore masks whenever they were performing and they were called the hypocrite, the actor. And so he's saying, be careful of hypocrisy. I remember I was talking to my wife and John in between service and I was remembering something that I thought, I'm gonna tell everybody that because it made me laugh, so I'll tell you. If you don't laugh, I'll cry. But yeah, many years ago, I have a cousin, his name is Ray. And my cousin Ray invited Marie and me to come to a performance that he was in at his church. It was a choir. So they had the risers and all of them were standing on like three rows of risers and we happened to be seated to his direct right. And then there were people like yourselves there but we were on the direct right to him. So I could see him plainly. I wasn't more than 15 feet from him. And there they were. I still remember they were singing songs and it was supposed to be some kind of evangelistic outreach and all. And so Ray was there and they had this, and he was in the bottom tier, the first step up. And they had a song called Don't Be a Phony. It was on hypocrisy, Don't Be a Phony. I still remember it, because every one of them had popsicle sticks and they had a piece of paper on the popsicle stick like that, we'll say. And it had a face with two eyes and a happy face. Then it would turn around and it was two eyes with a sad face. I'll never forget, it was extremely creative. But anyway, so they're doing that. And so all of these are about 30 of them and they're all singing and they're trying to keep rhythm as they're doing it and they're singing Don't Be a Phony. But the problem is they only gave him a popsicle stick. He didn't have the mask. And so everybody had this mask with eyes except for my cousin. And he kept on looking at me like, what am I gonna do? And I was telling me about that because of the hypocrisy, Don't Be a Phony. And while they were having this great old thing, one of my friends, his name was Ray, was on the last tier and he was trying to keep his rhythm which he didn't have any. He was rhythm challenged and he was trying to move back and forth. He got so into the song, he took a step back. But he was on the top row. And yeah, don't say, oh, it was funny. Because he flew off that thing, he hit the ground. And the funny thing about it is he first looks at us because we can see him and we're just good. I like that. So anyway, I'll get back to the Bible study. I was thinking about that hypocrisy, wearing masks. And Jesus is speaking about that and he says, beware of them. Why? Because the things they do, they're doing to be seen by men. He says, what they are is they are seeking attention. Matthew, giving us the same insight in chapter 23 verse five says all their works they do to be seen by men. That's hypocrisy. You see, all their religious fervor is on the outside. It's not something that burns from within and he speaks concerning this and it's the outside thing. So he says again in verse 38, he says, who desired to go around in long robes. Now, when he says long robes, they're long flowing robes. They were normally worn by royalty or by priests. And so they like to wear their righteousness on the outside, but they're hypocrites. It's an outside thing, not an inside thing because true righteousness comes from within and expresses itself on the outside. These people like to wear symbols of righteousness and they go around getting attention. You see, a genuine believer is not to be clothed in that way with those kinds of garments. According to Colossians chapter three verse 12, the genuine believer is to be clothed with as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved. They are to be clothed with compassion and kindness with humility, gentleness and with patience. These are things that express what God's kingdom is all about, not just the outer garment, but the inner heart. He says in verse 38, they love greetings in the marketplace. They like open recognition. They like prominence. They like people to recognize them and they say, oh, there are so-and-so, how are you? They love that. In Matthew 23 verse seven, Jesus said they love greetings in the marketplaces and to be called by men, rabbi, rabbi, which is an exalted title. It's something that they like. They wanted the honor of that. They wanted the title. Genuine believers don't seek special titles or attention from man. In 1 Corinthians four verse one, Paul said it like this, let a man so consider us as servants of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God. We're servants. We're not some exalted one, reigning and ruling right now, Paul was saying. We're just servants of Christ. That's what we are. Humility is very attractive. It really is. Humility is very attractive. But arrogance puts you off. People who think that they're special because they have something, a talent of some sort or money, a position of some sort, that's just not the way to handle that. My father was a very humble man. I'll say this quickly. My dad was a very humble man. My dad told me this and I've never forgotten. My dad didn't really give me lectures and he didn't give me verbal training at all. But when he did, I listened extra carefully because my dad, when he spoke to me, he taught me his ways in that fashion. And he said this to me and I've never forgotten and I'll say it to you. Some of you might resonate with this, others perhaps may not. But my father said it like this. He says, son, I don't stand in line for any man. He says, the way I look at it, he goes, they put their pants on just like I do, one leg at a time. That was my dad. That was just his humble way of saying, don't get caught up with men. Don't get caught up with people because they may have money or a position or some kind of fame. Don't get caught up with that. Because the people who at one time were so famous when I was a kid, they're all dying right now. They all are. And Marie and I talk about this a lot. I'll say, my goodness, that one's done. Another one bites the dust. I mean, that's what's happening, you know. And so you're only here on the face of the earth for a short time and then you're gone. Keep that in mind. And so these people are looking for attention and Paul says, no, a true person is in clothes with long robes. A righteous person is clothed with the various things that demonstrate that they know the Lord. Because what we are, a servants of God. Notice again in verse 39, they love the best seats in the synagogues. The best seats in the synagogues were in front of the platform on which the prayers and the readings would occur. And when they were up there in the front, they got attention from the people. The people would see them and they were there facing them. But a genuine believer doesn't seek personal glory or special attention. Once again, it's like what John said in John 3, verse 30. John the Baptist said, he must increase, but I must decrease. So we have to be careful that we don't seek positions or attention. I don't know if this will make sense. I'll say it quickly. When I go to pastors conferences over the years, I've been going to pastors conferences for a long time. And when you go to pastors conferences, sometimes what they do is they'll give you a badge and you put your name and the church you're from. It's just a way of identification. They'll use that for you to enter in and out of certain places and also you have a badge and I'm not one who likes to wear badges like that. I just don't. And I was at a pastors conference and I wasn't wearing my badge and I started to walk in to a room and one of the ushers who were there who were told, don't let anybody in if not wearing a badge. As I was about to walk in, he stopped me. Now see, a lot of people know, I don't know how to say this because it sounds arrogant. As I'm hearing myself say it, it sounds arrogant. Forgive me if it comes off that way, but people know our name and know my name because I've been in ministry for a long time and in Calvary for a long time. They know my name and I was on the radio and have been on the radio in various places for many years. And so they know my voice. I just ran into somebody in a supermarket just this Friday. I was looking for olives and olive oil. No, I was no, Popeye. No, I was looking for olives and I walked up to a lady and I figured, well, you'd know a supermarket better than I do probably. You know, I'm a bit of a chauvinist, I guess, but I asked her, I said, do you know where the olives are? And she goes, I have a photographic memory. And I said, oh boy. And she said, I do too, but the film never developed. But I said, so she says, I have a photographic memory. So she says, I have a photographic memory. And she told me where it was. She was exactly right. I said, thank you so much. She says, may I ask you a question? I said, yes. She says, are you David Rosales? And I said, she goes, are you a pastor? I said, yeah. She says, I recognize your voice. She said, I'll listen to you for years on the radio. I said, really? How sweet. What's your name? She said, and I said, you never send an offering. I don't have time. No, I didn't say that. I'm playing with you. So I said, how sweet. See, so I've heard that, Marie and I've heard that many times on airplanes, name it, because they hear your voice. And they know your voice, but they don't know you. And so I didn't like wearing badges for years because people sometimes will treat you differently when they think you're something. I don't like that. So I wanna sit at a table with people where I can fellowship with them without them treating me differently. Because believe it or not, sometimes they do. Even pastors can. And I don't like that. I like to have real fellowship. And so this guy's telling me, where's your badge? Where's your badge? And I said, I don't need no stinking badges. I really did. I said, I don't need no stinking badges. And he goes, all right, you gotta be an example. I said, of what? But anyway, I put the badge on. Anyway, I had to. Because sometimes people like that attention. They want people to know. It's been said that the most beautiful sound in anyone's ears is the sound of their name on somebody else's lips. It's that attention that people want. And sometimes when you're serving the Lord, you may want that attention. And he says, no, these are people who are seeking attention. He says in verse 39, they love the best places at feasts. He goes on and he speaks concerning the fact that verse 40, they devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. These were people who would approach the widows. Actually, the widows would approach them and they would say, I have a need. Would you pray for me? But there was always this idea that an offering should be given to the person praying. So if the widow gave a lot of money, he'd make a long prayer. If she gave him a little, he'd say, God help this woman. It would be a short prayer. But if she gave a lot of money, he'd go into a long prayer. That's what Jesus is calling hypocrisy. It's hypocrisy. He said, for a pretense, they make long prayers. They take money that should have supported that widow and their families. Isaiah 5611 says it like this, they are greedy dogs. They never have enough. They're shepherds who lack understanding. They all turn to their own way. Each seeks his own gain. You see, true faith cares for those in true need. Now he says they receive greater condemnation. Why? Because they have greater responsibility. Like Luke 1248, the second portion of that verse says, from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Greatness in the kingdom is built on service to the king. And Christians are to humbly serve the Lord and give him glory. At the end, when he's rewarding us, we simply will say we're unworthy servants. We have only done our duty. As it's been said, we have merited nothing. We have not benefited God or laid him under any obligation. If he rewards us, it's a matter of unmerited favor. And John Newton once said, I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ. And the brightest evidence is that he is indeed our master. Love and humility. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ's Lord to the glory of God, the Father. We need to learn to bow our knee now and to confess now because after all, all we are is servants. And that's what Jesus has called us to be. Our Father, we ask that as we