Called Great In The Kingdom Of Heaven | Frank Brancato

It's wonderful to be here with all of you this morning, and

we're grateful for your presence.

We have several of our number that are missing, either

traveling and hopefully and prayerfully not ill.

But it's great to see all of you and we're so thankful to be

together, and I've enjoyed worshiping with you so very much

so far this morning. As always as the case, I do

consider it an honor to speak concerning the word of God, and

I hope what we have to consider for just a little while this

morning would be edifying and encouraging to you.

We're continuing our series this morning on the greatest sermon

ever Priest, the Great Sermon on the Mount.

It begins in Matthew chapter 5, and the Sermon on the Mount is

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Matthew 5-6 and Seven, the Lord's masterpiece as he began

Matthew chapter five. He begins with giving

requirements for citizens in the Kingdom, and that's covered in

the 1st 12 verses, commonly known as the Beatitudes, and we

covered those things in great detail.

Then, beginning in verse 13, he gives us our job, He gives us

our responsibility. He says, I want you to go and be

the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

In other words, to have that kind of an influence on people

that are in the world, to lead them from darkness and lead them

to Jesus, which is the light. But then he's going to talk

about three things that we'll notice this morning.

Number one, he begins by talking about the law and then he talks

about the commandments, and then he talks about expectations of

righteousness. In our lesson in our passage in

Matthew chapter 5 and verse 19 we have the title that I've

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chosen, called great in the Kingdom of Heaven, Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5 and verse 19. Jesus says whoever therefore

breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches men,

shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.

But whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great

in the Kingdom of heaven. What an amazing concept.

Great in the Kingdom of heaven. And we're going to talk about

what that means just a little bit later.

But first of all, we've got to back up to verse 17 and let's

talk about what Jesus said about the law in verse 17.

He says this do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or

the prophets. Now obviously he's talking to

Jewish people in a Jewish audience on this great day, on

this great Sermon on the Mount, and among those were among those

Jews, they would have understood a whole lot about the law of

Moses. Jesus says, I didn't come to

destroy the law, and I didn't come to destroy the prophets.

I came to fulfill them. Now let's just back up and talk

about the word law. The word law in this passage is

actually a word that's actually a technical term referring to

the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus,

Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

And those books are often times called the books of Moses.

They're called the books of law because that's when God gave the

law to Moses. And thirdly, it's called the

Penitook and is talking about the first five books of the

Bible. We get that.

What about the word prophets? Well, the prophets obviously are

referring to the literary prophets that are found in the

Old Testament. And of those literary prophets,

there are 17. There are five major prophets

and there are 12 minor profits. And by the way, a major profit

wasn't more important than a minor minor profit.

You know this. A major profit was called a

major profit because the writings were longer, and a

minor profit was called a minor profit because the writings were

shorter. Those were the literary profits

that were found in the Old Testament.

OK, we understand that. But when the phrase Law and

prophets are put together, it is also referring to the Old

Testament in its entirety. What was Jesus saying?

He was saying I am the fulfillment of the Old Testament

in its entirety. Let me back up and show you what

I mean. The entire Bible is the story of

Jesus. Even in the Old Testament, it's

all about Jesus. In fact, from the book of

Genesis to the book of Malachi, those 39 books of the Old

Testament, there's one message in all the writings and all the

words, the messages. This Jesus is coming from the

book of Matthew to the book of Acts, chapter one.

The message is Jesus is here. And then in Acts chapter one,

Jesus ascends to his Father in heaven and from that point

forward all the way to the Book of Revelation, the message is

Jesus is coming again. So the whole Bible is about

Jesus. Jesus was saying I am the

fulfillment of the law and the prophets, meaning I'm the

fulfillment of even the entire Old Testament in its entirety.

Okay. Why did Jesus say these words?

I think there's two reasons why did he point this out about the

law and the prophets. I think there's two reasons, #1.

Jesus was accused many times of being against the law of Moses

because the things that he preached were different than any

man had ever preached. He was preaching new revelation.

He was preaching about a new Kingdom.

He was preaching about a new way.

So many people thought that he absolutely was against the law

of Moses. So therefore, if he's against

Moses, he rejects God. But you know Jesus is connected

to God. You remember that Bible passage

that says when Jesus speaks about himself and he says don't

call me good. He said there's one good and

that is God. Now Jesus wasn't saying I'm not

good. What he was saying is, if you're

going to call me good, you have to recognize who I am.

You have to recognize my deity. You have to recognize that I am

divine. You have to recognize that I'm

the son of God. You have to recognize that I'm

connected to God in every way. That's why he said there's only

one good, and that's God. So if you call me good, you've

got to call me and recognize what I am.

Deity. I am God the son.

I am the son of God. I'm connected to God.

Okay. So we had to undo that.

But he also had to prove to them two things also.

One, he was greater than the Law and the Prophets.

And he was also the fulfillment of all of it too.

I got to mention one passage. I'll not go into detail.

You've heard me preach on this. I'm going to be very brief, but

I have to mention one aspect of 1 passage that you know about

and it's Matthew 17. When Jesus was on the Mount of

Transfiguration. I'll Fast forward.

Transfer. Figured he is faced to shine

like the sun. Moses and Elijah were there and

Peter, James and John were there as witnesses.

We know the story, OK? Moses was there because Moses

represented the law. Elijah was there because Elijah

represented the prophets. When Jesus's face was

transfigured and his face did shine like the sun, it proved to

the witnesses Peter, James and John two things.

One, He's greater than Moses that represented the law, and

he's greater than Elijah that represented the prophets and #2

and that goes to this passage. He is the fulfillment of both

the law and the prophets. That's what Jesus said, Okay.

But then in verse 18 he says this about the law.

He said for assuredly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass

away. Now why did Jesus say that?

Why did he say till heaven and earth pass away?

Well, first of all, heaven and earth.

By the way, heaven and earth are the two most permanent physical

structures known to man, heaven and earth.

And Jesus uses these words to demonstrate the certainty of the

law's fulfillment. He is not saying that the Law of

Moses will remain until the end of time.

Because we know that that's not the case.

We know my clicker died. We know in Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

and verse 15. It says having abolished in his

flesh the enmity that is the law of commandments contained in

ordinances so as to create in himself one new man from the

two, thus making peace. So we know this there was going

to come a time when the old law of Moses would be abolished.

We know that. So when Jesus says heaven and

Ursha pass away, when he says till heaven and earth shall pass

away. He was not saying the duration

of the Law of Moses would exist until the end of time.

He was just talking about his fulfillment.

We know that was not going to end.

Go to the end of time. Look at Colossus chapter 2 and

verse 14. Having wiped out the handwriting

of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us.

And he has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to his

cross. OK, in Luke chapter 16, Jesus

Luke 16 · chapter mention

actually gives a little clarity. In Luke's chapter 16 and Luke's

account, he says it's easier for heaven and earth to pass away

than for one title of the law to fail.

So the first part of the verse is talking about fulfillment and

the second part is talking about duration and the duration is

till all be fulfilled. Then we go to this second part

of Matthew, chapter 5 and verse 18.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

He says 1 jot and one tittle will by no means pass from the

law until all be fulfilled. Now this little part here is

going to be a little review. If you remember a number of

months ago when I gave the introduction to the sermon on

the mountain, I talked about a jot, A tittle.

OK, so maybe you already know this, maybe you don't.

But what in the world's a jot? And what's the till?

And what was the Lord's point? Here it is.

When he said the word jot, it comes from the Greek word iota,

and it's the smallest letter of the alphabet.

So what he was saying is he was saying not even the smallest

letter of the alphabet or not even the least little bit of the

old law is going to pass away or be done away with until all

things are fulfilled. I got to tell you, maybe you've

heard the phrase. I know we don't say it much

lately or in our common language today, but I guarantee you when

I grew up, I heard it a lot from my dad.

You know what he would say? He would say things like this to

me. He would say you didn't do one

thing that I asked you to do. Not one iota, meaning not even

the least little bit. By the way, that's where we get

that phrase. OK?

What he's saying is not even the least little bit of the old law

will pass until all things are fulfilled.

Then he says this about a tittle.

What? The world's a tittle.

A tittle is from a Greek word that means little horn, and it

actually is the tiniest pen stroke and the tiniest pen

stroke. Here is referring to a pen

stroke that distinguishes between 2 letters that need that

to distinguish the two that look kind of the same.

Let me give you an example. In our alphabet there are two

letters, two capital letters that look the same.

But in order to distinguish between the two, we need a

tittle, and that is the capital letter C and the capital letter

G In order to make it from a C to a G, you need that little

tiny brushstroke. That little tiny pen stroke.

You need a tittle. OK, what he was saying is this.

Not even the smallest little bit of the old law is going to pass

away until all is fulfilled. OK, what is all?

What's that mean? All is talking about the death,

the burial, the resurrection of Jesus and the establishment of

the Kingdom and the establishment of the Kingdom.

Jesus is saying that through his life, his death, his burial, his

resurrection and the establishment of the Kingdom

with those things. When those things happen, then

all things are going to be fulfilled.

OKI got to make a couple of points about the Kingdom.

What's the Kingdom? OK, what's the Kingdom?

The Kingdom is the church. So what's the combination or

what's the connection between the church and heaven?

What is that? Do you remember a long, long

time ago when Jesus was walking on the face of the earth, His

disciples came to him and they said, please teach us how to

pray. And Jesus says before all was

fulfilled, before the Kingdom was established, before Acts

Acts 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, before the church was brought into existence, Jesus

taught them how to pray. He gave a model prayer for that.

And you know, often times this is called the Lord's Prayer and

it's referred to as the Lord's Prayer.

It is recited, the words are memorized and people say them

over and over and repeat them verbatim.

That's not what the Lord wanted and that's not the Lord's

purpose. And by the way, I got to tell

you, if you want to know what the Lord's Prayer is, you have

to look at the prayer that Jesus prayed.

That's his prayer When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane and

he prayed to his Father, That would be the Lord's Prayer.

In those passages that people often call the Lord's Prayer, it

was a model prayer to pray while they were still living under the

law of Moses, and they were praying in advance about the

Kingdom coming. And one of the things that they

said was this our Father, which art in heaven.

Hallow it be thy name. Then he says, thy Kingdom come,

or when the Kingdom comes your will be done on earth as it is

in heaven. So what's the combination or

what's the connection between earth and heaven?

The Church is the earthly institution of the heavenly

Kingdom. OK, simple.

What does Peter say about that? Peter says to the faithful child

of God that on that last and final day, the faithful child of

God will receive what an abundant entrance into the

everlasting Kingdom. In other words, that's where the

reward is. That's in heaven.

But the earthly institution of the heavenly Kingdom is the

church. What Jesus was saying is this.

He was saying that the old law would be in effect and nothing

would change from the old law until all would be fulfilled and

that would end or be brought forth with the establishment of

the Church. What does Fowler say?

Fowler said this. In Jesus's ministry and Kingdom,

all things of the Old Law are either actually or potentially

fulfilled. Jesus sets in motion those

principles that will accomplish God's complete purpose.

And after he died, after he rose from the dead, after he ascended

to his Father, and after an Acts chapter 2, when the church is

Acts 2 · chapter mention

established, then God's purpose was brought forth and all is

fulfilled. All right.

Now he's going to talk about commandments in Matthew 5 In 19

he says whosoever or whoever breaks one of the least of these

commandments. Now why does he bring this up?

I think his point is this, that even the least of the

commandments of God are still from God.

You know what the scribes and Pharisees were all about?

Historically, The scribes and the Pharisees were all about

this. They would minimize what they

considered a small commandment. They would maximize whatever

they would consider a big commandment.

So they would do away with or not pay attention to what they

called little, and they would only do what they considered

great or big. And what Jesus was saying is his

point is that even the least commandment of God is still from

God. Now you know this.

Remember when Jesus talked about the weight of your matters of

the law, You neglect the weight of your matter.

You know why? Because in their minds, that's

what they did. By rabbinic tradition, they

actually had things that they considered weightier or greater,

like, for example, the Sabbath, and also aspects like

circumcision. And that's why the Judaizing

teachers in the early church tried to bind various aspects of

the old law and Gentile converts, one of which was

circumcision. And they would say this, you

have to be baptized to be saved, but you have to be circumcised

in order to remain saved. And Paul had to deal with that.

So I said all that to say this, they thought some things were

weightier or more important than other things.

Jesus says no, even the smallest commandment of God is still from

God. So what did they do?

Through disobedience, deceit, and manmade traditions, the

scribes and Pharisees had mastered the art of evading the

strength of Moses Law in order to nullify its force.

Notice what it says in Mark Chapter 7.

Mark 7 · chapter mention

And he said to them all too well.

You reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your

tradition. For Moses said honor your father

and your mother, and he who curses father or mother, let him

be put to death. But you say, if a man says to

his father or mother, whatever prophet you might have received

from me is Corbin. That is a gift to God.

Then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his

mother, making the word of God of no effect through your

tradition, which you have handed down and many such things you

do. So why is Jesus talking about

disobedience? Folks, this is huge.

I think the Lord's point is this.

Disobedience is a hard habit to break.

And if you were disobedient under one dispensation, the Law

of Moses, chances are you're going to struggle with

disobedience in the new dispensation or the law of

Christ. I think that's what his point is

here. I think that's why he's

referring to disobedience. And it's really true if somebody

has the attitude of disobedience, period.

Usually they're going to be disobedient in a lot of things.

If a person is disobedient to their parents in the home, the

chances are they're going to be disobedient to the authority

that's over them in school, their principal, their teachers.

You can always tell how someone was raised based upon their

respect that they have for their parents and how it's manifested

in other ways. Disobedience is a hard habit to

break. I think the Lord knew that, and

that's why in his masterful sermon he's bringing that out

about disobedience. So he says whoever breaks one of

these least commandments and we know that any commandment from

God is still from God. And then he says this and

teaches men. So all right, you know, it's

really dangerous, isn't it? Have you ever stopped to

consider the fate of somebody that teaches somebody wrong and

leads them astray? Jesus says in Matthew 18 it were

better than a millstone were hung about his neck and he were

drowned at the depths of the sea.

It is a very serious matter. The Lord's talking about

disobeying God's commands, but then he says and teaches men

also. Do you know why?

Because when people disobey God's commands, usually they

teach others to do the same, either by word or example.

Defection, by the way, usually has collateral damage and it's

really sad. Isn't that true?

It has collateral damage. That's exactly what the scribes

and Pharisees were all about. And Jesus rebuked that kind of

behavior. What did Jesus say?

He says this. If that's the case, he shall be

called least in the Kingdom of heaven.

What does that mean? Least in the Kingdom does not

imply that God accepts minimal disobedience.

That's not what this is saying. It is also not saying.

That somebody that rejects the commands of God and rebels

against God will only be, oh, let's just say, demoted but

still have their reward. The phrase here shall be least

in the Kingdom of heaven means this.

They're not acceptable in the eyes of God.

All right, let me talk about teachers for just a moment.

Sometimes James three and one is misunderstood.

Let me talk about teachers. James says this, and James three

and verse one. My brethren, let not many of you

become teachers knowing that we shall receive stricter judgment.

That is the new King James Version.

The old King James Version says greater condemnation.

That does not mean a higher degree or worse degree of

punishment. That's not what that means at

all. In fact, this word, stricter

judgment here actually means stricter standards.

Stricter standards. Those that teach God's word are

held in a higher standard or stricter standard than those

that do not teach from God's word.

Guy and Wood said this. The lesson for us here is that

leadership involves responsibility, and the greater

the area of leadership, the greater the responsibility.

OK, James was not saying this, by the way, so don't

misunderstand me. To the men that are here.

He was not discouraging men to teach and saying don't don't

don't be a teacher. He was saying two things, please

get this though. He was saying if you're going to

be a teacher, #1 be prepared and #2 take it very seriously

because teachers are held to a stricter set of standards.

It's an awesome responsibility and that's the Lord's point.

Going back to our passage though, in Matthew though, the

words of Jesus really are condemnation those who break

God's laws and teach others as well.

So what are the qualifications of those that teach?

I've already said be prepared #2 take it seriously.

But what else in Second Timothy, chapter 2 and verse two?

2 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

And the things that you have heard from me among many

witnesses, commit these to faithful men.

That's number one. OK, if a person's going to teach

them God's word number one, they have to be a faithful man.

And you know what also goes hand in hand with this?

How about reputation? And how about influence?

I got to tell you something, folks.

You are very kindly listening to me right now.

But if my example in my reputation because of choices

that I have made in my life have damaged my influence, you're not

listening to me. Nobody listens to people that

they don't have any kind of respect for because of the life

or the example that they live. So the number one thing we have

to do is we have to be a faithful man.

And that also comes with reputation.

But remember this, what Wood said is the greater the area of

leadership, the greater responsibility.

Let's look at the greatest responsibility of all, and that

is the highest form of leadership in the church, and

that is elders. What does the Bible say about

elders in that regard? In Sectivity 2 and verse 24.

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all

men able to teach the king. James says apt to teach and app

doesn't mean willing, it means able, which means skillful.

I got to have some skill in doing that.

I got to be able to do that. Number one.

I got to be a faithful man that's prepared, that takes it

seriously, that it also is skillful in teaching, especially

if you're at the highest level of leadership.

And that's an elder. What about Titus chapter one and

verse 9, holding fast the faithful word as he has been

taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to notice

both to exhort and convict those who contradict.

That's what an elder must do, an awesome responsibility.

So what did Jesus say about this?

Though? He says this in Matthew 5 and

19, but whoever does and teaches them Jesus place is doing the

law before teaching others. And I got to tell you, have you

ever heard the saying you people say, you know, I'd rather see a

sermon than hear a sermon anytime.

It's really true and and truly, like I said about influence, you

need to see it in my life before you're going to hear it from my

mouth and accept what I'm saying or have any impact on you at

all. You know that.

Everybody knows that. OK, the point is is Jesus places

the importance of putting the law in yourself first before or

the commands in yourself first before being qualified to pass

it on. Jesus condemned the scribes and

the Pharisees for neglecting this process.

Notice what he said in Matthew 23 and three.

Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe that observe and

do but do not according to their works.

For they say and do not. And I got to tell you, not

everything about the Pharisees was bad.

We know all the negative things about the Pharisees and all

that. But there was some one very

positive thing. The Pharisees understood the

law. They knew it inside and out.

So Jesus says in this scathing sermon against scribes and

Pharisees in Matthew 23 he was saying what they say.

Do it, but don't do what they do because they say and they do

not. They live truly a hypocritical,

hypocritical life. You got to put it in yourself

first. Then Jesus says that those who

kept God's commands and teaches them are like these.

What an incredible statement. He shall be called great in the

Kingdom of heaven. Now remember this.

I don't believe for one minute that there's degrees of

punishment, and I don't believe for one minute that there's

degrees of reward. We've already established what

does it mean to be least in the Kingdom of heaven.

It means to not be acceptable or accepted in God's sight.

So the flip side of that is this.

Those that do keep God's commands and teaches people to

do the same are great in the Kingdom of heaven.

That phrase simply means this. You're acceptable to God.

You're acceptable to God. Now I got to tell you about

obedience for just a moment. I know obedience is a word that

people don't like. It's really true.

I don't know what the world's wrong with obedience.

I don't understand why people have a problem with obedience.

If somebody makes the willful choice to submit and obey

something, that is an act of strength.

That's not an act of weakness. That is an act of courage and

strength. That's wonderful.

And when it comes to submitting and obeying God, that is an act

of strength. A great example of people that

do that are Christians that submit to the will of God and

live their life according. That's a wonderful thing.

Obedience is part of our Christian life.

And you can't be saved without obedience to God, you just

can't. Now I know this, by the way.

I know this through God's grace. By the blood of Jesus, we are

forgiven and we are aided and we are helped when we mess up.

That's true. But that doesn't remove

obedience in our life. It takes full obedience.

Then he says this. He's already said this.

Now about the law. He said this about the

commandments. And now he's going to talk about

this, about righteousness. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

20, he says this. For I say to you that unless

your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and

Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven.

OK. You know, I I just imagine this

statement undoubtedly shocked the audience Jesus was talking

about. You know why?

Because the scribes and the Pharisees were known as the most

pious, most religious people in the world.

And when people looked at them, they go, oh, they're righteous.

How about the Pharisees that broaden their Philactories,

those little pouches of scripture?

And people would look at, oh, look at them, oh man, look at

them, look at them. Oh, they're righteous.

They're pious. They took the even the command

of the tithing law even to the minute aspect of even using it

toward kitchen spices. People would look at them.

Oh, they're pies. They're religious, they're

wonderful. And Jesus in the sermon says,

unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the

scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of

heaven. Okay.

What was the problem with the righteousness of the scribes and

the Pharisees? They observed the law in minute

detail, but they never applied it to their own heart.

They never applied it to themselves.

It never changed them at all. They were interested in external

purity only, rather than inward righteousness.

And Jesus openly criticizes such hypocrisy and demands more from

his followers. Jesus says this at the end of

this verse. He says if that's not the case,

you will by no means enter the Kingdom of heaven.

You know, I'm going to tell you something.

Please don't misunderstand me. You will never in your life

reach a level of perfection. No, you will not.

I preach on this. You've heard my sermon about

transformation. Transformation is not a

destination. Transformation is an upward

progress. It is a direction, and in your

life you will never be perfect. The point is this.

You have to continue to try. You have to continue to work at

it. So the Lord is not asking for

perfection that you will never achieve.

He's not saying that. He's saying live an obedient

life with obedient faith and be transformed on the inside.

Change in here and it'll manifest itself with right doing

on the outside. And by the way, that's what

godliness really is. Godliness is not perfection.

Godliness is a practical awareness of God in every aspect

of your life. And when that's the case, guess

what? It'll manifest itself in

righteousness or right doing on the outside.

What you were saying is it doesn't matter what you do on

the outside, which does matter, but it doesn't matter what you

on the outside if you only have it on the outside and it's not

really you on the inside. That's what he was saying when

he said your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the

scribes and Pharisees. In order to make heaven, we have

to be pure. On the outside.

It's righteousness that depends on personal obedience to the

faith. Now I'm going to say this too,

and I think everybody here has heard somebody say this.

If you ever heard somebody say, I'm not really a religious

person, I don't follow anything. I I'm not really into organized

religion at all. I don't.

I don't go to church, but I really love God and I really

love Jesus. And I really believe that I have

a relationship with him. But in order to love Jesus,

Jesus said this. He said if you love me, keep my

commandments. That's the demonstration of your

love. So you can say that I really

love Jesus, but it has to manifest itself in what?

Keeping his commandments. What else did Jesus say?

And verses 23 and 24, the same chapter he says, this Jesus

answered and said to him, if anyone loves me, he will keep my

word, and my Father will love him, and he will come to him and

make our home with him. He who does not love me does not

keep my words, and the word which you hear is not mine, but

the fathers who sent me. That's the point.

We have to keep the commandments of God in our Life.

OK, in conclusion, today, what's the point of the sermon on the

mountain so far? Here it is.

And remember, these things build on each other #1 If you want the

citizen requirements and the Kingdom it's in the beatitudes.

You want to go to heaven. There they are.

Once you have the proper relationship that you have with

God and Jesus Christ, that leads to #2, and that's our

responsibility. And Jesus says you are the salt

of the earth and the light of the world.

But now it's righteousness, expectations.

This is what the Lord requires. What is that?

It's very simple. What does God expect for you?

Here it is. Keep the commandments, keep His

word, and be righteous not only on the outside, but be righteous

first on the inside. That's what God wants from you

and for you in your life. And your whole life is about

obedience. And you prove your love to Him

by how you obey. You know, the first thing that a

person has to obey to be saved is the gospel.

You know, it's amazing about the gospel.

The gospel is the good news. It's the good news of the death,

burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

So when the Bible talks about obeying the gospel, how do you

obey A historic event like the gospel?

Very simple. You obey the gospel by following

what the gospel said. How do you do that?

That's the invitation. That's before us all Today.

The first thing you got to do is hear the word of God.

This is the plan of salvation, hearing the word of God.

Romans 10/17. So that faith comes by hearing

and hearing by the word of God. Upon hearing the word of God,

you have a choice. Hebrews 11 and six says we have

to believe with all of our heart, but without faith it's

impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must

believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who

diligently seek him. And by the way, when Jesus said

in Mark 1616, he who believes and is baptized will be saved,

but he who does not believe will be condemned.

That word belief means having the force to obey.

So in other words, not just believe that there is a God and

his Son. Jesus died for my sins.

It's this Believing with all my heart has the force to obey.

I believe in Jesus, so I'm going to obey him.

What else He said. He said I got to change my life.

I got to repent of my sins. Act 17 and 30.

Truly these times of ignorance, God overlooked, but now commands

all men everywhere to repent. What else did the Bible say

about what we must do? We got to confess Jesus Christ

as the Son of God. Acts 8 and 37.

Then Phillips said, if you believe with all your heart, you

may. And he answered and said, I

believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

These are steps that lead toward the point of salvation, but the

point of salvation is this to be baptized for the remission of

sins. Mark 1616.

He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does

not believe will be condemned. It's about a life of obedience.

First thing you got to do to have the blood of Jesus is obey

the gospel. If you've never taken those

steps of obedience, you can do that today.

We'd love to assist you in that. Be baptized into Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins and be saved and added to the Church

that Jesus died to purchase. Maybe you've taken those steps

of obedience. Maybe there are things in your

life that are not what they should be.

Maybe you've drifted away. Maybe you've left.

What a great time to come back. Repent of those things.

Confess those things. We'll pray with you and for you,

and God will forgive and restore.

If you want to be to class, come forward while we stand and while

we sing. We thank you.

For listening to our podcast put on by the Church of Christ at

2215 Plans Rd. in Bakersfield, if you would like any additional

information. Or you would like to receive a

free Bible correspondence course by mail?

Please e-mail us at [email protected].

Our service times are Sundays at 10:30 AM and 5:00 PM and

Wednesdays at 7:30 PM. Please make plans to join us.

We would love for you to be our honored guest.