Please join with me now to the New Testament and to the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16, beginning in verse 10. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much. And he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided him. And he said to them, you are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts, for what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time, the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery. And whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. Let us pray. Great God and Heavenly Father, you speak to us from above and your word truly is arresting to us. We who are used to lies, we who are used to deceptions, we who indeed justify ourselves before men, are not used to having these things exposed to the light. But Lord, we desperately need that to be. We desperately need all of man's religion to be exposed for what it is. completely and utterly wrong, and Lord, for your word to be vindicated as the very source of truth, the very definition of all that is right and life-giving as well. So we pray, Heavenly Father, that you would bless our preaching and our reception of this, your word this day. We ask in Jesus' name, amen. We come now to this middle section of Luke chapter 16. It's in between two major sections of this chapter. And there's the parable of the shrewd, sometimes called the unjust servant in the first half. And then there is the story of Lazarus and the rich man in hell in the final portion. And we're in the middle portion, which sometimes people wonder how these things all come to be together. How is it? What is the connection? What is the thing that enables them to be grouped as they are in the inspired and inerrant Word of God? Well, Jesus begins this section speaking to his disciples. We know from the very first verse he also said to his disciples. So he's speaking first and foremost to his disciples. But the Pharisees were also there listening and a certain statement caught their ear. Verse 13, no servant can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and man. And you know the Pharisees took great exception to that statement. And as an aside, you can certainly learn a lot about someone by what they are offended, sometimes even more than the things they approve. You can learn so much by the things that they find offensive. Well, anyways, this was the occasion for Jesus then to rebuke them and to correct them. This is one of the great themes of the Gospel of Luke. He is continually correcting the misunderstanding of the Pharisees. And in God's great purposes, we have so much of the truth that we know precisely because the Pharisees were wrong about something and Jesus took the occasion. to clarify the occasion to be, you know, they weren't very good at teaching, but there were wonderful points of contrast. There were wonderful foils for the Lord Jesus to say that which was true. They provided the black darkness of the canvas in order that this master artist might paint his wonderful picture of light on that backdrop. Now, I was, for that reason, going to call this sermon The Problem with the Pharisees' Religion. And of course, as I pointed out and I recognize myself, this all began with a statement made not to the Pharisees, but to his own disciples. So it's not really the religion of the Pharisees. They took offense at it, but it was directed towards the disciples. It was not just an element of the disciples' religion, false religion. But it was of the default settings of mankind in general. He was addressing man's religion, as he so often does. Now what is man's religion? Well, we could speak this is what the gospel is really about. It's to correct our misunderstanding. It's to correct our default settings of the human heart that we could call man's religion. But I would say it's this. It is the attempt, the impossible attempt, to reconcile two things that are irreconcilable. To pacify God while also pleasing ourselves. That's the basic idea. Everyone knows there's a God. Even those who say the loudest that there is no God, they know there is one. That's what Romans chapter one says. It is impossible not to know that. They must try to keep that knowledge down because it is forever being demonstrated in creation and in their own hearts and their own conscience. And so there must be some attempt to pacify God because they know he's there. Yet on the other hand, we seek to please ourselves. We know he's there and we want to pacify him to some extent, but we don't really want to change anything that's important to us. We'll throw a little crust here and there to God, but we ourselves want to run the show. That's what man's religion is all about. In a veneer of attention to God, But we're still calling the shots rather than submitting to God. Well, this is impossible. And Jesus is pointing out just how impossible it is. And therefore, what we see is that man's religion is not just slightly wrong on a few things. When you look at it carefully, it is completely wrong, and it is wrong on every count. That's the title of the sermon. Man's religion, wrong on every count. And there are five counts this morning before us. Again, if you look at this middle section, some people even imagine that somebody, maybe Luke made a mistake, this material didn't really belong in this point, but of course we know that's not the case. Actually, these statements are all different statements having to do with man's religion. That's what it has in common, all these misapprehensions. And the five points are these. One, you can, these are the wrong ideas of man's religion, okay? These are things that are to be corrected. One, you can serve God and money. Two, what matters is what people see. Three, God has the same values we do. Four, God's word is adjustable. And five, God's kingdom is low priority. Those are five elements of man's religion. They're all wrong. Wrong on every count. So first of all, you can serve God and money. That's the idea. But Jesus says in verse 13, no servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided him. Now, first of all, again, we notice Luke's note that they were lovers of money. It would seem that this is no secret. Certainly no great attempt was made to hide that fact. This was a respectable sin back then, and it's a respectable sin today. Because no real harm comes from it. You know, we have that idea, unless you're harming someone, there's no harm, no foul, there's no sin involved. There's no real harm from it. And in some ways, it seems to benefit society. It makes people respectable and all the rest of it. But beyond that, I would say it seems to be a usual part of man's religion, because lacking true faith in a God who will provide for all of your needs and has promised never to leave you nor forsake you, lacking that faith. We have to find some other means of security, some other means of provision for us, and that is in material things. And it's not good enough just to have them flow through our hands. We must stockpile them. We must secure them forever. We must have a place just like that rich farmer. We must build greater and greater storehouses, so we never have to worry about what's going to happen, and we never have to rely upon God, whom we don't really believe in anyways. No one can serve two masters. See, that's the thing. Because in doing so, in making material things an alternative, a viable alternative in their sight to God, again, they're throwing him a sop here and there. But actually, the thing that they have their investment in, the thing that they have their desire is turned towards, and the thing that they think is really going to help them is money, material things. And so money necessarily becomes their master, their God. Of course it does. If you're saying, you know, okay, I've got God and money, and I'm not so sure about God's ability to provide for me, but I know that money and material things will do the trick. And so when push comes to shove, then surely you do what money tells you to do. And Jesus is pointing out the simple fact that even in ordinary concerns, it is impossible to really have two masters. No servant can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. Okay, again, there's the basic level of impossibility from a practical standpoint. That surely these two masters, they're not always going to agree, otherwise they'd be one master. But they're not always going to agree. And the question is, can you do both what they say at the same time? And the answer is no, that's impossible, you can't do it. But even beyond the basic practical impossibility, there's a matter of the heart, you see. Because he's saying, you either love the one and hate the other. Because it's not merely a matter of competing time or practical concerns. It's a matter of affections. It's a matter of where our heart is. You see, that was the thing. They were lovers of money. They didn't just possess money. Nowhere, nowhere, nowhere in God's word does it ever say it is wrong to possess money or even material things of any description. There's not a single place where that is categorically called wrong. Their problem was that they were lovers of money. Because their heart was drawn to their master, their master that provides them. You can almost see them. There is God money and God money is beneficent and his golden hands bestowing good to them. And they loved this God money and they worshipped him and they served him and if God money told them to do something, they would do it. And if God, the real God was over there saying to do something, now it's in his word. then they would find some way to chuck that word away, and they would do what God money told them to do. See? It's our heart. It's our heart. That brings us to our second point. And this, again, these are misconceptions. These are elements of man's religion. These are things that are not true. What matters is what people see. All right, that's our second point. What matters is what people see. Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard these things and they derided him. Now that's, first of all, a bit crazy, that these creatures of the dust would dare to rise up, not merely and only in rebellion, but they'd go as far as to deride their master, their lord, their maker. On one hand, that's beyond comprehension, that anyone would dare to do that. But on the other hand, it's little wonder, because you see, God isn't really their God at all. That's Jesus' point. So it's no surprise that when they encounter Christ, they are deriding him. They're just doing exactly what Jesus said that would happen, right? They're being loyal to one God, and they are despising the other God. That's exactly what they're doing. Jesus said it was going to happen. And so they're fulfilling even in that same breath. They're despising the other God, the other master. But verse 15, he said to them, you are those who justify yourselves before men. Because that's another feature of man's religion. They're thinking that what matters is what people can see. And as long as we're seen as being good and that our actions are somehow justifiable before men, then we are okay. And that's, by the way, exactly what the Pharisees did. They were very good at it. They were experts in clearing themselves, experts in justifying all their actions. It didn't matter what they did. They could end up doing precisely opposite to what God's word very clearly told them to do. And they would say it was actually a virtue. One example is the whole deal of Corbin, whereby God's word made it very clear that people should take care of their parents in their old age. And they said, well, there's a little exception to that, which is if you give money to the temple, if you give money to God in that sense. Because again, they wanted to be seen to give great amounts because everyone was watching one another to see how much gold you'd put into the treasury. And they wanted a way to be seen, not because they love God, but again, because they wanted the praise of man. And so they did this, and they said, well, if you do that, you don't actually have to help your parents at all. And so they would end up doing precisely opposite to what God's stated intent was for them. And many such things they did, many such things they did. We're not being covetous. We're being wise, we're providing for our families here, that's what we're doing. And the people around them nodded their heads, and they thought, and therefore, that they were fine. They were those who justified themselves before men. Well, they were wrong on multiple levels. Notice Christ replied, but God knows your heart. See, the evidence that's going to be examined on that last day is not merely the outward appearance of what we do, because that's what they were experts at, the outward appearance. The evidence is not going to be restrained to just the outward appearance, but certainly the reality of what we did, and beyond the reality, our actual heart in so doing. And the place where all this evidence is going to count is not the court of man's opinion. They were wrong on that. Man's opinion doesn't actually count for much, ultimately. but of God's judgment, you see. And that brings us to our third point. As I say, what matters is what people see, that's wrong. But I think that's sort of based on the third misconception, that God has the same values that we do. God has the same values we do, not true. Verse 13, for what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. You see, now their love of money was not merely tolerated. It was probably esteemed among men of that day. And there are many such things back then and many such things today. There are many things that are gonna be highly esteemed among men. God doesn't think that they're so great. In fact, what he says is that they are an abomination in the sight of God. Now, that word abomination is rather special. It's not all that frequent in God's Word, but some of the places that we find it, for instance, are in the mini-apocalypse in Mark 13, 14. When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing where it ought not, Let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee the mountains." So this great thing, this great consummation and epitome of all that is terrible, all that is against God, the abomination of desolation. And likewise, there's a couple places in Revelation. The whore of Babylon, right? In Revelation 17.4, the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication. It's almost the personification of God money, there arrayed in purple and scarlet. And in her hand, the golden cup handed out for people to drink. And what's in it? Abominations. Abominations. And on her forehead, her name was written, Mystery Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and of the abominations of the earth. See that abomination again. Well, this is in the sight of man. Now just think, of course, when Babylon, which is a picture of the world, and all of her rebellion and idolatry against the Lord. Babylon is holding out her golden cup, and all the world thinks that this cup is the greatest thing. It is the things to be desired. It is the things to be worked after, to be slaved after. And in God's sight, it is an abomination. Now that is so important for us to understand today. Because that mistake, that base element of man's religion, that God has the same values we do, is utterly false. Utterly false. And we should not let ourselves fall into that mistake. Well, fourthly, that's somewhat related also then to our fourth element of worldly religion or man's religion, which is that God's word is adjustable. It says in verse 17, and it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery. And again you say, what do these things have in common? It doesn't seem to necessarily flow. But he's pointing out an element in which the Pharisees thought was true, but were actually wrong. Just as they were wrong with regard to money, just as they were wrong with regard to the outward appearance of things, so it is they're wrong with regard to the issue of divorce. This is yet another thing the Pharisees justified themselves in and denied the word of God through. They had all sort of exception clauses that would allow them to get divorced. This is the situation in Matthew 19. The Pharisees came to him, testing him and saying to him, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason? Right? That's the test. And he answered and said to them, have you not read that he who made them at the beginning made them male and female and said, for this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. So then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Then they said to him, because they're very good at this, they're not amateurs, they're very good at justifying themselves, why then did Moses command to give a certificate of divorce and to put her away? He said to them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife except for sexual immorality and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery. Okay, now we'll just stop there. So this is another element of the Pharisees' religion, which is God's word plainly says that the two shall become one. God's word plainly says that this is God's intention from the very beginning, and they lay this aside on their bogus justifications. All right, so it's the religion of the Pharisees. No, it isn't. Keep reading. In verse 10 of Matthew 19, his disciples said to him, if such is the case of the man with his wife, it is better not to marry. You see, that was in their hearts too. The desire to be able to do whatever they wanted when push came to shove, even though they understood the basic idea was, of course, that man and wife should be together forever in this world. Yet they themselves were happy that there were exceptions in this society. That pleased them because they didn't want to be stuck in a marriage that they didn't like. This is the religion of man. And the bigger problem here, you see, the bigger problem is that they think that God's word is somehow adjustable, right? That although it says this, we can always find some exception here or there, we can play one thing off another, and there will always be some exception that applies to me, because that's all we care about. We don't care about invalidating the whole of the word of God. Well, some people do, I guess, with the same general objection or the same objective in mind. And maybe that's their means to an end. But really, all the thing that we care about is this moment is that there is some exception to be found because of our situation, our time, our culture is different enough that we get to do the thing that we want to do on this occasion. The word of God is not settled forever, but it's adjustable according to our conditions and our situation. Now, I hope you understand that this flaw, this fallacy is pervasive in our day. Now, I'd say it always has been, but it is extremely prominent in our day. And I was just reminding, as we have our friends from the Netherlands here, I was reminded of another denomination, a different one, and some recent considerations as to whether something should be done or not. And there's something that should be, that was under question, is something that God's word makes utterly, completely plain. There's not a single thing that God's word could make so plain as what this particular issue is. It is utterly black and white. And the basis upon which the committee that was discussing this was, is not does God's word say it or not, but what is our culture like? What is our culture thinking about this? How has our culture changed from when this word was first written? And the idea is, therefore, we have an exception based on the fact that culture has changed. Well, this is an element of man's religion rearing its ugly head. God's word is not adjustable. God's word is not adjustable in the slightest because look at how the Lord responds. All right? It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away. than for one tittle of the law to fail. That's the thing. That's what precedes verse 18. He is pointing out to them that although you are always looking for exceptions for yourselves, and though you will always find some reason to imagine that God's word is no longer in full force, It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail. Now, that one tittle, that's the smallest character that could possibly made in the language. It would seem to be so insignificant, but this is the degree to which God puts his claim on his own word and says it is all perfect. Nothing can be added or taken away from it, not a sentence, not a word, not even a single stroke of the pen. And if you think that God's word is adjustable according to your situation, your convenience, and actually your own rebellion, then you're wrong. God's word is not adjustable in the slightest. And fifthly, the kingdom of God is low priority. Just thinking of that list again. What is this man's religion that's wrong on every count? We've said that you can serve money, God and money. That's not true. What matters is what people see. That's not true. God has the same values as we do. God's word is adjustable. Those things are certainly not true. And finally, fifthly, the kingdom of God is low priority. That's another element of man's religion. Well, in verse 16, it says, the law and the prophets were until John, and since that time, the kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it. Well, again, you have to understand that this has perfect continuity with what has been said before. One of the Pharisees' great problems is that they're always there sitting like this on the sidelines, looking at this, looking down their long noses to Jesus, seeing what he's going to say, passing judgment on what he says, and always forever standing outside. Even when one of them probably comes to faith, he comes at night, not wanting to be seen. And even he, Nicodemus I'm speaking of, takes these very tentative steps And that was the idea. We want to just be on the sideline because this thing that you're speaking of, we want to take our time to think about it and to pass judgment upon it. And it's not really a high priority for us. It's a low priority. And Jesus' response reminds us that this is no low priority. Since that time, the kingdom of God, look, the law and the prophets were there for a long time, but now since the time of John the Baptist, let's say last year or something along those lines or two years ago, since the time the kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it, and it's even stronger in the parallel passage in Matthew. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. And that word violent or pressing is actually the same word in both passages. The idea is using force, okay? Using force. It's no small thing. It's not an indifferent matter. It's not something that you take or leave. The kingdom of God is something that you press into. It is a pressing matter. You notice in Revelation 21.8, some people don't understand this. as it first of all explains who are in the kingdom of heaven, and it says in Revelation 21.8, those who are outside. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. And people say, I understand the murderers, they belong there. I understand the sexually immoral, they belong there. And maybe the sorcerers and so forth, What I don't understand is the cowardly. What's wrong with being cowardly? This is what's wrong with it. The kingdom of God is there for the bold to take by force, to be pressed into, you see. It is not something for the cowards to sit by and pass judgment and wait for another week and another month and another year. It is something to be seized upon when the opportunity passes by before it passes you by. See, that's the issue with the Pharisees. For all their bluster, they were not bold people. They were cowards. They were cowards. The kingdom of God, you see, passed before them. The opportunity was there. And in their cowardice, their fear of man, for instance, their fear of man plays a big part in it. They put it on a low priority. On their list of things to do, they had a low priority assigned to the kingdom of God. They had other things, for instance, God money is up here. A good opinion of men around us, that's up here. Getting away with things like divorcing our wives for any old reason. All those things have high priority. passing judgment on Jesus, that has some, but the idea of coming into the kingdom of God of which Jesus is presenting, that was very, very low priority. And even those who are considering these things in their hearts, and there were some that were doing so, some that the spirit of God was striving with, we know that there were such. Unfortunately, it was all very low priority. But Jesus says, no, the kingdom is something that must be pressed into. The violent are taking it by force. And you Pharisees, in your false religion, are standing on the sidelines. Well, what is the kingdom of God actually like? It's like what he says in Matthew 13, 44. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he goes and he sells all that he has, and he buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls. who when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. That's the way the kingdom actually is. It's a pressing matter. It is an exceedingly valuable opportunity to be seized upon with all of your heart and soul, reserving nothing at all. And if it's not like that, you won't have it. You won't have it. And this is one of the reasons why this is one of the greatest of mistakes of man's religion. Man's religion makes many, many mistakes. But in all those, putting God's kingdom as a low priority is perhaps the worst. Because they could be forgiven all the rest of it, couldn't they? They could be forgiven all the rest of it if merely they said, now the kingdom has come, now the opportunity is before me, and I'll seize upon it no matter what. And all these other things, they would be corrected on, and they would be forgiven. As Jesus says, even blasphemy against, the Son of God will be forgiven. But they would not, because other things were always more important. Well, man's religion, it's wrong on every count. Every part of it is wrong. The idea of serving both God and money, impossible. The idea of what matters is what people can see is so wrongheaded. And the concept that God has the very same values that we do couldn't be any more wrong. There are polar opposites, what God values and what man values. Even worse than that is the idea that God's word is adjustable according to the times and the seasons and the circumstances, not at all. It stands forever and no one part of it, not even the small stroke of a pen could ever fail. But even most tragic is that God's kingdom is such a low priority. Well, how do we respond to these things? I would say first and foremost is that we ought to be bold. If that's the worst of it, then we should be the opposite of it. We've got to be bold. As I've said on other occasions, Christianity is not a religion for cowards. Okay, we're not asking for people to blow themselves up, certainly not. No, we're asking for something far more courageous than that, actually. I don't think it actually takes all that much courage. If you think you're going to earn eternity, falsely so, of course, in a false religion, by going and, at a moment of your choosing, going to blow yourself up, it's not all that courageous of an act, actually. No, the Christian religion requires that you are willing, if God indeed brings such things to be, for you to be killed. as you remain faithful to his word. And that takes real courage, real courage. Now, I want to say that the kingdom of God is far too valuable a thing to just take or leave. It's not something that you can, by the way, even if it was something that could be had by a wait and see approach, a tentative approach, if it could be had that way, it still wouldn't make sense. It still wouldn't make sense because it's just so valuable. As I say, some of you know what it means to find a good bargain on something. Bargains to be had in the shops and in the stores and the malls. And maybe you've been watching the price of something and finally something that you've been wanting comes from something with three figures and down to two figures and maybe even to one figure. And you say, I can't possibly pass that up. It is a fleeting opportunity of the highest magnitude. I must get it now. Friends, if you know how to do that with material things, then please do that with the kingdom of God. The kingdom is far too valuable to take or leave. And I would say beyond it, it isn't something that can be had with a take or leave attitude anyways. Jesus has made it absolutely clear that when you come to him, you must embrace him entirely and you must leave behind. your other sources of security and good, you must actually let go of the dock and step into his boat. You cannot have one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat. You must let go. And for that reason, it is a religion for the bold. Now, I would say there are many, many weak people among us. Jesus has made it very, very clear that this is religion for the weak. He seemed to particularly pick some weak men, some of which had an appearance of being very strong like Peter, but maybe weren't so much so in reality. It's always a religion for the weak. but for the weak who through the power of God are enabled to have the courage to reach for that handle and to let go of what is beneath them. And to throw themselves wholeheartedly in the mercy and the grace of their Savior when the kingdom is preached before them. And that is your situation. It's a fleeting opportunity. I think sometimes God even retracts the offer from people when they've passed on it one too many times. When they've said, well, I'll think about it again, I'll think about it again. And I think that God does not allow his gospel to be so despised. He doesn't always cast his pearls before swine. He doesn't allow it to be trampled under the foot of men. But rather his prophets, his ministers sometimes shake off the dust from their clothing and leave you as you are. This is a fleeting opportunity. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. So we should be bold to believe in the gospel. And secondly, I think we should be very suspicious of worldly values, okay? If we have just heard what Jesus has said and if we believe it, then what are the implications? He has already said in very plain terms that what is highly esteemed before men is an abomination before God. So what then are the chances that those things that we find that are highly esteemed among men are really and truly actually going to be that good and something that we should be basing our lives around? How can we be so sure? Well, I'm not saying that it's impossible, but I'm just saying it's not likely that it's going to be an unmitigated good thing in the sight of God. And therefore, we should be very, very suspicious. In fact, sometimes the things that we find very much approved in our culture are the things that we should sit back and be critical about and say, is this really something that God is going to be so pleased with us concerning? Now, as I say, many, many things are lawful for Christians. Paul goes as far as to say all things are lawful for me. And what he means is, of course, of indifferent things, not things that break the commandments, but indifferent things of dress and eating and drinking and so forth. But the question is, are they edifying? And are there things that are permitted that can be taken to an extent that is unedifying? We've already said that money is a supreme example, is a perfect example. Nothing wrong with having it, nothing wrong even with having lots of it. But the problem is, is there a point at which our attitude towards money and material things becomes unedifying, unhelpful, begins to divide our loyalties between God and mammon? Now the Pharisees were very happy to kid themselves that God was somehow smiling on their covetousness and their hoarding of money. But we should be more clear-minded than that. We should always be asking the question, not merely is this lawful, many things are lawful, or even could this be edifying for someone in the right circumstances, but rather is this edifying for me right now? That's the question that we should be asking, because we should be suspicious of those things that the world so values. Thirdly, and finally, we should have supreme confidence in the word of God. On the one hand, it's a rebuke to man's religion that is always looking for an exception and always hoping that things will change in accordance with their own proclivities. It's a plastic nose and we can shape it in any way we want. It's a rebuke to all that. But on the other hand, it is a great assurance and wonderful source of confidence for we who believe. Isn't it wonderful that not one jot or tittle of the whole Word of God will ever fail? Because it doesn't just mean that, of course, the immediate direct thing was the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not commit adultery. No part of that is ever going to fail. It will remain in force, and those who disobey that command will be held accountable. But you know what else is true? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. John 3.16, those sorts of things as well are going to be. Those promises that we find in Revelation, those promises, those things are also going to be true as well. Not one jot or tittle of them is going to fail. When John 1 says that those who receive Christ are going to be sons of God forever, we know that's not going to fail. Isn't that great? And we should have wonderful confidence in God's permanent word. We have no confidence in man's religion. And we should root out every little bit of it that remains in us, because it's not just false a little bit, a little bit wrong. It is wrong as a whole, and in every part, it is wrong on every count. But God's word and his religion is correct on every tiny little point to the extent of even the small stroke of the pen. We can be thankful for that. Let's pray. Lord, we are thankful indeed for your goodness to us, undeserving sinners that we are. And Lord, we know that it is not just the Pharisees, but we ourselves who harbor many such things. Religion of man, this default settings of a human heart, they are deep seated within us. And so Lord, we know that many of these false ideas in various ways have been true of us in times past. But Lord, we pray that we would turn aside from them, knowing how wrong they are. And Lord, in particular, we pray if we have been, as the Pharisees, waiting on the sidelines, listening to the word, but withholding any action and reserving judgment for another day, how heavenly Father, we pray that we would be bold enough, you would enable us to be bold enough to embrace the gospel as it is given to us, the gospel of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. And Lord, we pray that we'd also be then, as Christians, clear-minded as to the world's religion, clear-minded that these things which are that most highly valued in the sight of the world are not always, in fact, very rarely, esteemed in your sight. And very frequently, these things, in fact, are abominations in your sight. And so, Heavenly Father, we pray that we would turn aside from them. And furthermore, Lord, we pray that our rest, our resting place, would be on the very solid foundation of the living word of God, which is inspired and without error in every minor detail. And so, Lord, that we would have our salvation to be secure as well, as we know it is. We ask this in Christ's name. Amen.