 Today, we're in chapter 17 of Matthew. We're going to be looking at verses 22 through 27 as we continue our verse by verse study of the Gospel of Matthew. And what we'll do this morning is I will look at verses 22 and 23. I'll spend a considerable amount of time looking at that and some of the applications. Then we'll move into verse 24 and we'll look at up to verse 27. In fact, you're really getting two separate studies today. So 22 and 23 will make up one study. Verses 24 through 27 will make up the second. So let's begin looking at this together by looking at verses 22 and 23. Matthew chapter 17. Matthew writes, Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, The Son of man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And the third day, he will be raised up. They were exceedingly sorrowful. Now at this point, as we're looking at Matthew and we're here in chapter 17, at this point, Jesus is entering the last six months of his ministry. And this would be ministry specifically related to his ministry to his disciples. So at this point in Matthew's account of the life of Christ, he begins to spend less time with the multitudes and more time with his disciples. He's giving them further instruction concerning the kingdom, but he especially in this passage will refer to his upcoming death. Now we know that Jesus has just delivered a young boy from demonic possession. And in Luke chapter 9, verse 43, Luke records the response that says they were amazed. They were amazed at the mighty power of God. So Jesus's authority and work of deliverance caused these people to be greatly amazed. They were continually amazed at his mighty works on behalf of those who are in need. Now by this time, this response of being amazed has become commonplace. We saw it when Jesus, for example, raised Jeres's daughter from the dead. Mark chapter 5, verse 42 says immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was 12 years of age. They were overcome with great amazement. In Matthew 9, verses 32 and 33, it says while they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel. So these amazing works are intended to verify Jesus's claim to be the Son of God, to be the Messiah. Everybody once said this. They said, without miracles, you would have in Jesus a teacher and an example. But with the miracles, you have a savior from your sins. So Jesus is performing miracles. It is causing great amazement amongst the people. And Jesus has just delivered a young boy from a demonic possession. So after delivering him, Jesus left the northern border area and he now begins to go south. Mark tells us in chapter 9, verse 30, they departed from there, passed through Galilee, because he didn't want anyone to know it. He did not want people to know that he was in Galilee because he wanted to privately spend time and teach his disciples. They needed time alone with him. He needed time alone with them in order that he might further instruct them. One of the verses I have that is a ministry verse for me here in this church is found in Mark's Gospel chapter 3, verse 14. In Mark chapter 3, verse 14, it simply says he appointed 12 that they might be with him, that they might be with him. From the very beginning of this ministry, I felt it important for me as a minister to spend time with people who were in key positions of ministry. I began by having Tuesday night meetings with a few guys. I moved into having staff meetings on Tuesday and have been doing so for 35 years now. And so I will meet on Monday with Jared, then I meet on Monday for an hour with my secretary. On Tuesday, I meet with several select staff members and then on Tuesday after that meeting, I will give devotions to our church staff. I've been doing that kind of thing now for 35 years because I took out of Mark chapter 3, verse 14 the knowledge that Jesus Christ intended not only to instruct verbally but also to demonstrate physically what ministry actually is. You see ministry is more than simply coming in and receiving a Bible study because Jesus taught many people, these disciples of Jesus, these apostles needed more than the simple instruction, they needed to see the Word made flesh. In other words, they needed to see the teachings of the gospel as they're lived out in a human being. Jesus is the one who gives the gospel and thus he spends time with his disciples to not only instruct them intellectually but to encourage them to do these kinds of things. That's why he could say, if you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. You see instruction is more than simply receiving and writing notes on a blank piece of paper. Instruction is receiving and acting upon those things. The Greeks believed that you became knowledgeable, the Greek society believed that you became knowledgeable if you received instruction. The Jews understood it differently. The Jews understood that instruction is known when it is behaved. They know that instruction has occurred and knowledge is there when somebody's life changes. And even to this day, we have Christians who think that they are well instructed because they have a lot of notes in the notebooks. But the fact is the note in the notebook has to be transferred to the heart. God intends, in other words, to write his word on the tablets of man's flesh. He wants us, in other words, to know from the inside why we do or do not do certain things. The Pharisees were good at not doing certain things but not so good at doing the things that were necessary. And what God wants to do is he wants to do a work in us. He wants us to take what is being taught in Bible studies like this and transform lives so that people may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Jesus spent time with his disciples in order that they would not only be given instruction but that they might be able to catch those things so it's taught as well as caught. And so Jesus wants to spend time with his men. He's there in the Galilee area and now he's beginning to instruct them and he's sharing with them concerning things that they don't necessarily want to hear. Now he's been preparing them for something that is going to take place but up to this point they have yet to understand. They didn't yet grasp what he was saying and because they didn't grasp what he was saying, he repeated himself. The thought that he would suffer, the thought that he would die, that was simply too painful for them. They did not want to hear this. In Luke 9.44 Jesus said, Let these sayings sink down into your ears, for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. In other words, that which concerns my sufferings and death are of utmost importance and this you must definitely understand. Jesus 22 and 23 contain the third mention of Jesus's death in Matthew. He's already spoken of this in Matthew 16, 21, as well as Matthew 17, verse 12 and again at this point he's preparing his disciples for his soon departure. Now as painful as it is for them, Jesus once again shares with them what is about to happen. Notice with me he says he will be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him and then he says he'll be raised on the third day. Pain and sorrow. Pain and sorrow are going to be followed by incredible joy. That is how you grow by the way. I'll share a few things with you right now that people don't want to hear. I'll sing. No, I'll share with you some things that people don't want to hear. Because we don't want to hear these kinds of things the way the disciples don't want to hear about the cost of being a disciple. It's natural for us to revolt against the idea that we actually have something that profits us, that we learn from going through pain and sorrow. The fact is, do you want to be deep with the Lord? And if you want to be deep with the Lord, remember this, the one who wants to go, the one who wants to be deep with the Lord will go through deep things. One of my professors whom I, to this day, love very deeply, his name was Dr. Moore at Biola. Dr. Moore, one time, said in one of my classes that I was taken there as a young man at Biola, he said, have you ever said, I want to be on fire for the Lord? That was a phrase that we used to use in the Jesus movement. I want to be on fire for Jesus. So he said that. Have you ever said, I want to be on fire for the Lord? Well, naturally, I, as a young man, understood that phrase and I nodded my head in appreciation. Yeah, I want to be on fire for the Lord. He says, never forget, fire burns and fire destroys. That was meat that I wasn't ready to receive. I didn't get it. What do you mean, fire burns and fire destroys? But it does. Do you want to be on fire for the Lord? Are you willing to go through what you need to go through to be on fire for the Lord? It costs. The cost of discipleship is not small. Jesus said, unless a man picks up his cross daily and follows him, that he cannot be his disciple. To be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ means that you're going to go through things that will deepen your faith. And the fact is, and the sad fact is, is many people don't want to go through deep things and therefore they don't mind being shallow in their faith. For them, it's just a matter of like, I'm going to make it into the kingdom of God. That's all I really care about. My name's written in the Lamb book of life. But me, I don't want to simply make it in. I don't want to come in through the skin of my teeth. I don't want to just step in. I want to come in victoriously. And that means that there's going to be a price. There's going to be a cost. It's exacted. And the bottom line is, is when you're going to follow the Lord, if you want to be deep, you will go through deep things. There will be times of sorrow. There will be times of pain. There will be times of grief. There will be times that you might cry yourself to sleep. But one of the psalms that the Lord gave to me a long time ago is Psalm 30, verse five, where it says, Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. And the Lord will work through you, and He will work in you. And you will become that kind of person that you want to be. You want to be deep, you will go through deep things. And that's not something you necessarily signed up for. When you got saved, you wanted to go forward and continue going forward. And the Lord, and every day is going to be a great day. Every day is a happy day. Every day is a joyful day. There's no reason why you can't have joy in the midst of sorrow, but it's something you learned to have. It's something that happens over time where you begin to cast your care on the Lord, and you begin to realize He cares for you. And in the midst of your pain, in the midst of your suffering, in the midst of your sorrow, the Lord is always there. But you're going to go through some things if you want to be deep. And the Lord is teaching His men these things. And the men don't want to hear it. They don't want to hear this kind of thing. They don't want Jesus to die. They don't want Jesus being betrayed. They don't want any of that. And yet He has to repeat Himself because they're not yet hearing Him. Pain and sorrow can be followed by incredible joy. In John chapter 16, verses 21 and 22, Jesus said it like this. He said, a woman when she's in labor has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Before you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, your heart will rejoice, your joy. No one will take from you a woman when she's in travail, going through labor. That is, I hear a very painful time. I have prayed the Jewish prayer many times. Thank you, God, that I was not born a woman because going through something like that would be incredible. Let's face it. I'll put it this way. If we men were the ones who had the babies, there would be no overpopulation. I guarantee that. There would be no overpopulation. We would have one maybe, maybe. And so Jesus uses that as an illustration and He says, a woman going through travail has anguish, but she forgets the pain the minute they hand that baby to her. I've seen that four times with my wife that she goes through this time of travail, this time of physical pain, of labor, and then they bring that baby in and they put the baby under those lights, that little ink, whatever it is, it looks like a slow cooker. They put the baby in that with the lights on and clean the baby up and take that chalky substance off and then they hand this cross-eyed, ugly little thing to you and you say, oh, Jesus healed this ugly face. One of my kids, when they were born and came out of that birth canal, their head was like a cone and I looked at this alien and I said, oh, and the doctor says, don't worry, it will round out. I said, oh, you read my mind. I was thinking, oh, I could use this kid for darts. You know, oh, man, you know, oh, oh, my, my, my, but you know, Marie, Marie really, you know, the minute that, well, they would hand the baby to me, I would look at the baby and then I would hand that baby to my wife and a moment before I had seen the drama that she was going through and that smile that came upon her face when she held that baby. She was saying it. He said, when a woman goes through travail, there's a lot of sorrow, but she forgets it immediately once that baby is born. Joy comes in the morning, hold fast. The Lord is teaching you things through your pain. You will walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but he doesn't say you will live in it. You walk through it. You will proceed through that valley and God has an end that is sufficient for the travail. Just wait on the Lord and Jesus is teaching. He is saying to his men, this is what's going to happen. I will be betrayed. They will kill me, but I will be raised on the third day and they don't want to hear this. This is something too deep for them. I don't want to hear that the man who walks on water will be placed on a cross. I don't want to hear that he will be put inside of a tomb. I don't want to hear that I will lose him, and so they don't want to hear this at all. Yet Jesus is saying, no, this is necessary. This is what's going to take place. As this happens, one of the things that I've discovered about the Lord is that I am not alone when I go through the things that I go through, and you're not alone either. One of the words that is used to describe Jesus, one of the titles, if you will, that I've grown to embrace that I think is so descriptive is when it has been said of Jesus that he is our wounded, he is our wounded healer, our wounded healer. He suffered, and as Jesus suffered, Jesus knows how to suffer alongside of us. He understands us, and he knows how to bring us to healing. In Isaiah chapter 53 verse 3, speaking of Messiah, prophecy written 700 years plus before Christ. In Isaiah 53 verse 3 it says it like this, concerning Messiah. He is despised, rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from him. He was despised. We did not esteem him. This is written concerning Messiah. Notice how he's described. Isaiah speaks of the Messiah, that the Messiah will be despised and rejected. The word despised means vile or worthless. It speaks of despicable. The word rejected means not worth defending, not worth caring for. It speaks of being unwanted. Jesus Christ is worthless and unwanted is what it says concerning him, the Messiah who is to come. In John chapter 1 verses 10 and 11 it says he was in the world. The world was made through him, and the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. And so that was our wounded healer, rejected and despised by man, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. And it speaks of him being a man of sorrows and acquainted. The word acquainted means to be acquainted by experience. He had a depth of understanding of not only physical, but he also understood emotional pain. Jesus wept over individuals. He had a friend by the name of Lazarus who died and one of the sweetest, most powerful verses in John's Gospel and perhaps the New Testament or the entire Bible is when he was standing there at his grave and it simply says Jesus wept. He wept over his friend Lazarus and he wept over a city called Jerusalem. Jesus wept over individuals as well as cities. Jesus weeps because of the pain. And this is one who's acquainted with grief, but how did they respond to the one acquainted with grief? It says we hit us, we're our faces from him, we rejected him. We wanted nothing to do with him. You see that in the history of Israel and how Jesus ultimately will end up in a cross. In Psalm 69 verses 19 and 20, the Psalmist said, you know my reproach, my shame, my dishonor. My adversaries are all before you. Reproach has broken my heart. I am full of heaviness. I looked for someone to take pity, but there was none for comforters, but I found none. Have you ever felt alone? Have you ever felt that where somebody who can at least understand, where somebody who could weep with me when I'm going through this pain, but I can find none? Jesus understands that. Jesus was experiencing that himself. And that helps me to be honest with you in my time of need because he's the one that I go to who understands when I experience rejection. In Matthew 11 28, Jesus said it like this. He said, come to me, all you who labor in our heavy laden, I will give you rest. You won't find rest in the world, but you will find rest in the Lord Jesus Christ. Somebody once said when your world seems to be falling apart, look to Jesus who holds everything together. And that's what we do. While Jesus was speaking here, he says, I'm going to be betrayed, killed, but I will be resurrected. I will be betrayed. The word betrayed means to be delivered up treacherously. It speaks of causing someone to be taken. Now the Psalmist spoke about the pain of betrayal in Psalm 55 verses 12 through 14, when he said it is not an enemy who taunts me. I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me. I could have hidden from them. Instead it is you, my equal, my companion, close friend. What good fellowship we enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God. If it was an enemy, if it was somebody who was resisting me, somebody who didn't like me, well, I expect that. I expect that. I expect somebody who hates me to not do me good. I just expect that. That's the way it is. Let's face it. And so when somebody who doesn't like you says things of you that hurt you or cause you pain, where's the surprise in that? But that person you used to go to church with, that person you used to fellowship with, that person you would call up for prayer requests, that person that you had that sweet fellowship in the house of God, when that person turns against you, that's when it breaks your heart. Because if you're anything like me, you don't let many people into that inner circle of relationship, most of us have barriers that we establish and we have what are called concentric circles of relationship. Even Jesus had concentric circles of relationship. There were multitudes. Then he had the 70, then he had the 12, then he had the three. Sometimes it was the two. John went so far as to say that he was the one whom Jesus loved. There were concentric circles of relationship. You have them, I have them. You have people you work with or people you live nearby, you have people you go to school with. There are people that you may nod your head at or you might say hello to, but it just continues moving in until you have that closest relationship, a deepest friendship, a husband, a wife, a family, the children. If some person on the outer layer of my relationship says, I think Pastor David stinks, I'll say, okay, next. But if Marie said, you know, sweetheart, got to tell you, you stink, that would hurt a little bit more because she is in the inner circle. So some of us in this room have had relationships with people that we loved deeply and they have let you down. Well, remember one thing, man will always let you down, man does, that's just the way it is. None of us is perfect. Not a single one of us in this room can say I have never disappointed somebody else. That's just a fact of life, isn't it? We fail. We don't necessarily want to. It's not like we got up this morning and said, now how many people can I hurt before I go to sleep tonight? We don't do that, but we will hurt in word, we will hurt sometimes in things we've done, we'll hurt people. That happens. Well, that happens. And if a stranger is rude to me, that's one thing. But if a friend is, is not kind to me, that's an entirely different thing here. Jesus understands. He understands when you put your head on your pillow at night and you say, Lord, my heart is breaking right now. One whom I call the dear friend, one whom I love with all of my heart is turned against me. Well, you know what blesses me is to know in the end that I have a savior who understands that. He understands that. On the night that Jesus was betrayed at the Passover supper, Jesus made it very clear that he knew who would betray him. In John 13, 18 and 19, he said, I'm not referring to all of you. I know those I've chosen, but this is to fulfill the scripture. He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me. I am telling you now before it happens so that when it does happen, you will believe that I am he. Jesus understood betrayal and he made it clear I will be betrayed. Secondly, he said they will kill me. They did kill him, but the fact is he yielded up his life as a sacrifice for us. Jesus in John 12, 24 said it like this, I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. One, I will be betrayed. Two, I will be killed, but there will be fruit to that. And then third, the third day, he said he will be raised from the dead. He'll be resurrected. The Psalmist in Psalm 1610 said it like this, you will not leave my soul and shield, nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. So betrayal and death, darkness will be overcome by the light. The night will be overcome by the morning. And though weeping may endure for a night, joy will come in the morning. Now, what's the response? How do they respond to this? Well, it says it very clearly in verse 23, they were exceedingly sorrowful. Now, Mark 932 says they did not understand this saying and were afraid to ask Him. Luke 945 says they did not understand this saying. It was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. So they're filled with grief. They're afraid to ask the meaning that is behind these statements because the meaning is concealed from them. That all contributes to them being unable to grasp what Jesus is trying to teach them. Now, they're sorrow and their fear is understandable. But it is also a revelation or an expression of unbelief. In John 14 verses 28 and 29, Jesus said, you heard me say I am going away and I'm coming back to you. If you loved me, you would be glad that I'm going to the Father for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens so that when it does happen, you will believe. Now, we had just seen a father of a demon-possessed boy approach the Lord Jesus Christ and said, I brought my child to your men, but they were unable to cast this demon out of them. The demon throws them in the water. The demon throws them in the fire to destroy him. I asked them for help. They were unable to deliver him. And Jesus begins to minister as we remember that story. We just looked at it together just recently. And as Jesus is speaking, he says to him, all things are possible to the one who believes. And what is it that that man said? He said, Lord, I believe, help down my unbelief. You see, God does not reward us on the basis of unbelief. He understands us that we have it and we're frail. But he doesn't want us to remain in unbelief. He wants us to progress into a deeper faith. And right now, these men, because they're going through sorrow, are unable to grasp. And the same is hidden from them. They're not able to understand this is still something to be revealed in the future. And yet they're so sorrowful over this that the Lord Jesus Christ has ministered to them. And he does not want them to remain in unbelief any more than he would want you or me to remain in unbelief. He has not come so that I might be unbelieving but believing. And so once again, he's preparing them for what is about to take place. But their response again, they were exceedingly sorrowful. That's your first message. Let's go to the second verse 24. When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, does your teacher not pay the temple tax? He said, yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him saying, what do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes from their own sons? Or from strangers? Peter said to him, from strangers. Jesus said to him, then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money. Take that and give it to them for me and you. I think I'll go fishing today. When we look at this, this is what is referred to as instruction concerning temple tax. Notice as we begin this that Jesus leads his disciples back to the town of Capernaum, which was on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. While he's there, these collectors approach Peter with a question. Now, this story is found only in Matthew. And that helps us, it makes sense, rather, because Matthew was at one time a tax collector. And so he would be inspired by the spirit to keep this in his gospel because of his testimony, for sure. Jesus has returned to Capernaum. That's where his headquarters is. The Jewish officials know that he is there. He's more than likely living in the home of Peter at that time. Peter is recognized as a citizen of the city. And that's why he would be approached by these men. I want you to notice how they pose this question. Notice that this question is posed in what is called the negative. Does your teacher not pay the temple tax, is how they ask the question. Now, the temple tax. The temple tax was a tax that was paid that went towards the upkeep of the temple. The tax was originally established for maintenance of the tabernacle. But it was used to defray the cost of temple services, supplies, incidentals. Because such structures require upkeep and they should be maintained. Now, Moses wrote concerning this kind of maintenance tax in Exodus 30 verses 14 through 16. He says, all who have reached their 20th birthday must give this offering to the Lord. When this offering is given to the Lord to make atonement for yourselves, the rich must not give more and the poor must not give less. Use this money for the care of the tabernacle. It will bring you, the Israelites, to the Lord's attention and it will make atonement for your lives. This particular tax was equal to two days wages. So these collectors are apparently challenging Jesus's obedience. Peter knew that Jesus was submitted to authority to his father. So he answered that Jesus does pay the tax. Now notice with me, Peter gives an answer for Jesus, but not from Jesus and there's a difference. He didn't have the authority to speak for the Lord, but he thought he knew his heart on the matter. He was an application. It's not always wise to answer for someone when you do not know for sure what that answer would be. Sometimes it's wiser not to give an answer than to give the wrong one, don't you think? There was a time when there was a pastor's school that was out of Calvary Chapel Coast of Mesa. And on occasion we would get a phone call from the dean, we'll say over the school and he would say, can I bring some of my men who are in training to become pastors to your church on a Saturday and they'll attend services on Sunday so they can ask questions and see how the church operates. And on one particular occasion they were here on a Saturday. And what they would do is we would give them a full tour, if you will. We'd take them through classrooms, we'd take them into all the buildings, share with them a little bit about the origins of the church, things like that, because they're going to go out and plant a church. And then we'd have a question and answer time. And so I still remember before we built this particular structure here, we were in the chapel and we were seated up in the platform area and I and three or four of my assistants were there and questions were being asked. And one of the men asked a question of me but one of my men decided to answer. And so he answered the question and as he answered the question I sat there waiting for him to finish and then when he finished giving the answer I smiled at him and I said interesting answer but that's not what my answer would be. And then I gave what my answer would be pertaining to that. One of the things that is very wise for people to know is you don't answer on behalf of somebody who has the answer. And when Peter is answering in the name of the Lord he's overstepping his bounds. Now he more than likely believed that he knew exactly how Jesus would answer such a question but it's never really wise to answer for somebody when that person can answer for themselves. I was visiting many years ago now with my pastor, my pastor was Chuck Smith. Now I was visiting with my pastor Chuck and one of the things Pastor Chuck said to me that I've always remembered was I do not like Chuck said I do not like people misrepresenting me. Now as a pastor he didn't like it when people would speak in his name and be incorrect. Jesus is now anticipating what took place in the life of Peter because Peter has been asked a question and Peter felt that he could answer on behalf of the Lord but that was wrong and that's why Jesus speaks to him in verse 25 and says to him what do you think Simon from whom do the kings of the earth receive? Who do they take customs or taxes? Did they resume from their sons or from strangers? That's why Jesus speaks to him in that way. Notice with me how he begins this in verse 25. Notice he says what do you think Simon? Simon is Peter's old name. In John 1.42 Jesus said that I'm going to call you Peter and in Matthew chapter 16 verse 18 he reiterated that. Notice with me he is now referring to him as Simon because Simon is not speaking under the authority of the Lord. He anticipates Peter's question and he asks do kings tax their own children? Well the answer is no. Children are normally cared for by their parents not the other way around. I don't know what you're like I'll be kind of open I never am am I I'll be open for a moment I don't know what you're like you may be a hundred percent different and that's okay it's no it's no big deal but if I take my kids out even as adults I don't like them paying the bill I don't I'm their dad I pay for them they're my kids I don't like them paying the bill that's why I never take them out or we go to McDonald's but do you know what I mean I I've never been comfortable with that I don't want my kids pulling their wallet out paying for me there are even commercials like that where a father's with the son and the father's thinking as the son's trying to pay for the bill the father's thinking is it time for him to be doing this I don't I'm not one who I'm not comfortable with that I just am not why well second Corinthians 1214 says this Paul speaking I am ready to visit you for the third time and I will not be a burden to you because what I want is not your possessions but you after all children should not have to save up for their parents but parents for their children so I would prefer caring for my children even though they're adults and they certainly could care for me and so with that in mind there's a sense here where Jesus is saying listen does it make sense to tax your own children because to tax them is to tax yourself when my children were small and it was my birthday or it was a Christmas or whatever and they're gonna buy gifts they didn't have any income so they're they they're gonna go out and buy me a gift who who's gonna pay for this gift so they'd say daddy what do you want I'd say nothing and made card you know I love you daddy that's cool you know my kids even when I was small used to tease with them they'd say daddy what do you want I'd say what I want you can't afford so just give me a card you know I've never I've never really even from the time they were small been very comfortable with that why because I think it's my responsibility to care for them it is not yet theirs to care for me and in this particular case here the Lord is asking the question do you tax your own children does a king tax his own children well of course not why because the tax them is to tax yourself so the children of royalty don't pay taxes they're free from paying them well he goes on in verse 27 and this to me is interesting nevertheless last we offend them go to the sea cast in a hook take the fish that comes up first when you have opened its mouth you will find a piece of money take that give it to them for me and you let's look at this for just a moment never the last verse 27 last we offend them now earlier in chapter 15 the disciples had approached Jesus after Jesus had done some works and and been sharing and all and and speaking of the Pharisees they came to Jesus and they had said to him do you not know that you offended them did you not know that you offended them and at that time when they said that Jesus had offended these men these leaders and all Jesus was very clear that it really didn't matter because in Matthew 15 verse 14 Jesus said let him alone they are blind leaders of the blind and if the blind leads the blind both will fall into a ditch so at that time Jesus said I'm aware of the fact that I have offended them but just leave them alone no problem at all there are times there are times that when you speak the truth and people get offended that you have to just leave that in the hands of the Lord speak truth speak it with compassion and love don't intentionally try and hurt somebody's feelings and then leave it in the hands of the Lord to do with it as he wills there are times when you just say leave him alone and that's what the Lord was doing there you see there's no need to go out of your way to provoke somebody even when the cause is just there are times when it's simply wiser to remain silent in James 1 19 and 20 it says so then my beloved brethren let every man be swift to hear slow to speak slow to wrath for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God again Jesus has just revealed himself to be the son of God he's reminded them that he was a conqueror of death he'd be resurrected and at this point here he's saying I don't want to offend them I don't desire to bring an offense to them last we offend them this is what you'll do now let me be practical with you for a moment here and say it like this to learn to speak the truth and love is not an easy thing it can be very difficult especially if you come from a background where you were raised with a permission to speak your mind as I was my background is different and I realize that than other people's I of course every one of us has a different background I realize that in my home as I grew up if I had something that was of an opinion or whatever my mother never told me don't share it she never did now I was to speak it with respect but I had the right to give my opinion there were times as a young person going through my rebellious stages that that I was obnoxious and arrogant and and mean spirited and all and and that's part of growing up learning not to be that way but I was very open and all and and that's how what I brought into ministry so when I first began this ministry in the earlier days I was extremely outspoken and I would say it the way that I felt it and and and it took a long time it's taken a long time for me to learn to speak the truth in love I don't I don't even know if I'm successful at that now I mean it's been for many years that I've been trying to learn to take the truth and and and to speak it with love and compassion and I haven't always been successful many years ago now before this building was built in we had just begun to occupy the chapel so it had been in the early 90s I was given a study in the chapel on a Sunday morning and and I teased my wife anybody who knows me knows that if I love you and I feel comfortable with you I can tease you and I do tease people every once in a while and and but I I tease you if I know you if I don't know you I have a tendency of not teasing you I don't want to hurt your feelings but if I've known you for a while I will tease you and that's just and and the more I tease you you can say you know this guy must really love me that's a fact so I'm real careful now it's gonna take a while to develop this but I'm real careful about my wife I love my wife and I think anybody who knows David Rosales knows that he loves Marie everybody who knows me knows that and very seldom in all the years that I've pastored this church or top Bible studies have I very seldom ever teased her because I want people to love and respect her and I don't want them to get the wrong impression so you very seldom perhaps you some of you probably have never even heard me I will on occasion maybe say something silly about my wife she's pretty much hands-off with my teasing but one Sunday morning I teased her she knows how deeply her husband loves her the church should know I thought after the Bible study a lady walks up to me and says I am greatly offended I said really in what way where did I do the way you spoke about your wife today you demeaned her and I said really I said I am so sorry that you were offended that you felt I demean my wife I said anybody in this fellowship knows I love my wife and and if you feel I offended her I'm sorry that I said is this your first time here she said yes oh so you wouldn't know how deeply I love my wife I said I want you to know I really love her and I would never offend her or make fun of her in a way to make it look bad well that's better oh really where did you go to church before you came here me I ask she goes I go to the religious science church I said that's a cult now if you want to be offended you have a right so the Lord taught me a long time ago yeah to speak the truth in love now I learned my lesson that day this was 20 some years ago and he said bad move son bad move you shouldn't speak like that listen we need to be careful not to be offensive intentionally we may be speaking the truth but how we presented can be greatly offensive as a matter of fact the way we speak it sometimes will cause people to turn away from what is true simply because we have chosen to say something that is offensive to them and so we need to learn to speak the truth in love because because God loves the world and God wants people saved and if I misrepresent him if I'm presenting him to people in a way that doesn't help them to see the gracious kind loving heart of the father then I'm not succeeding yes there are times that we have to take the word and we will rightly divide it and present it for what it says we've been going through the book of Amos the book of Amos is a book of judgment from chapter 1 we just finished chapter 7 we're in chapter 8 this week judgment after judgment after judgment and I was just sharing on Wednesday you know be honest with you if I had opportunity to choose the studies that I was going to teach and not go word for word through the Bible I would I would spend most of my time on concentrating on compassion and grace because those are the things that resonated my soul because I've been praying for so many years God make me compassionate help me understand your grace for years years and years I've been praying that so I gravitate to God showing mercy to a woman who is caught in adultery I gravitate to people who are in pain and I see Jesus ministering to them and healing them and forgiving them those are the people in the Bible that I look at and I say oh Lord you're so kind you're so good you're so gracious I have to remember that he's gracious to all and Jesus said lest we offend them it isn't time to be in their face if you will so this is what we'll do go to the sea cast in a hook take that fish you'll find a piece of money because my father will provide for the tax himself and in the mouth of this fish is what is called a stator a stator was a was a money that was the exact temple tax for two persons so Peter you're gonna find a fish it's gonna have a stator it's gonna have enough to pay for both you and for me and in doing so Peter has been reminded that Jesus is Lord over creation he exercises his knowledge of everything tells Peter to go fish receive the cash and that would have reinforced his lesson to the Apostle and what Jesus would be teaching him is one I am God's rightful son and two greatness in the kingdom derive some service and humility notice how Jesus said lest we offend them that should motivate us to exercise meekness and wisdom in our dealing with others exercise meekness and wisdom you want to win people to the Lord truth sets them free but speak it with love