The Plain Sermon of Heaven Rules | Elder Ang Peng Hoe

You're listening to a message to go from axt church. We hope this message

will light up your day. I've very simply entitled today's message as the plain

Sermon of Heaven Rules. Okay, you'll be wondering, what in the world

is he talking about? Okay, I was looking for Jesus's sermons. Okay,

you know science, we are like, okay, God, what was

it you want me to preach? Maybe I should preach one of your sermons?

And of course the first thing that came to my mind is, let's

preach on the Sermon on the Mound. And all of us have probably heard

sermons on the Sermon on the Mound, of course, the Beatitudes being a

big part of it. But if you realize the Sermon on the Mount is

is quite a lot of chapters. Actually, I think it's from chapter five

all the way to chapter seven or eight. So if you think our preachers

are chung, hey, Jesus can preach longer messages, long long messages,

okay. And and it was so many things. So I think if I

were to preach on the Sermon on the Mound, I probably need a few

classes Bible study classes. So I thought, okay, I'm sure there are

some thing else a little bit more concise. And then I remember in Luke,

in the book of the Gospel of Luke, of course, a sermon

on the mound is from the book on Matthew. Matthew chapter five, you

see the battitudes. There's actually something called the sermon on the plane, as

in not the aeroplane, as in the plateau, the flat land, okay.

And it's quite similar, orbit not exactly the same as the sermon on

the mound. And sometimes people actually argue that the sermon on the mound is

or the sermon on the plane is a different another gospel writer's perspective of Jesus's

teaching. It seems to cover quite similar grounds, even though if you study

it, you will realize that the one in Luke, which is what I'm

going to be referring to today, is a slightly shorter account. It's not

as long as the one in Matthew. Of course, some people like to

pick folk. They're like, oh see, he got contradiction. You know

the sermon, the two different sermons, No, not all the content is

the same. And one was preached on the mountain and the other one was

preached on the plane, you see, it contradicts, and the truth of

the matter is not all of the content of the sermons that Jesus preached are

the same. And I'm sure if there is any contradiction here at all,

it's just the obvious one that Jesus preach many, many, many messages.

It doesn't mean that he only preached one message and then that's the account.

And then on some gospel writers road it as he's preaching on a mountain.

The other one road as he's preaching on a flat plateau land. Okay,

So just take it as it is. Jesus taught on many occasions, he

taught to different crowds, and really, if it's anything that we can take

home from, this is what Jesus thought is worth hearing over and over and

over and over again. Okay, amen, So I'm looking at time.

There's no translation right now. I speak quite quickly as well, so maybe

it might be early lunch for your Okay, I don't know. Okay,

I've put your hopes all up high. Okay. Sometimes people also say this,

No, Okay, let's get into it. The message. If everybody

lived the sermons that the Lord Jesus preach whether it's on the mountain or in

the plateau. That's all you need. That's all you need. And I

agree wholeheartedly. The only problem is I've never really met anybody who does live

out jesus sermons true and true, neither of Higler. And this sermon on

the plane has to be one of the shortest ones, one of the shorter

sermons preach. But it's also one of the greatest. And when I say

shorter, it's I'm going to be reading from verse us twelve of chapter six

all the way to forty nine. That's chartla in Jesus's point of view.

Okay, So I don't mind if it's the same sermon or a different one.

It doesn't really matter. It's the Lord's teaching ultimately, and the Word

of God comes to us and it will always be a guide to us for

practical living. And so we must all endeavor to apply the Lord's teaching in

our lives. That's something that's very, very, very important. This is

how heaven can rulin us. It's the only way in which heaven can rulin

us. We keep repeating Heaven rules, Heaven rules. What does it really

mean. Well, let's let's study the Sermon on the Mound, and let's

see how Heaven can really rule in us. And I trust me when we

follow and when we abide the teachings of the Lord, that is ultimately saying

that Lord, you rule over us, you rule and reign, sovereign and

supreme, and what you say is the truth. Okay, everyone with me,

Sermon on the plane, and for me, I've just entitled the Plane

Sermon of Heaven Rules. Okay. Um. It is concerned with three relationships.

So if you break it down, you will actually see three relationships being

highlighted. The first of it is our relationship with ourselves, and then the

second one is our relationship with other people one another, and then ultimately is

our relationship with God. So when we go through the portions of scripture and

our goal through it scripture verse by verse, okay, from from versus twelve

all the way to I think forty nine, and you will actually see these

teams. And it's very important to understand relationships with our self, relationships with

one another, and also relationship with God. Ultimately, you know, when

when when when we do the benediction, we're always saying, may God's peace

be with us, ultimately, what is peace? I mean, have you

ever asked yourself what this peace mean? No, some as we sing certain

songs, whether it's a doxology and all that there will be there will be

a blessing of peace. I mean in the Middle East, that's how they

greet each other shalom or in in in Arabic, it's actually Salam is peace.

And you know, my understanding of peace is this you, It's it's

basically being in harmony. When you think about being at peace, you are

thinking about being in harmony. So when you are at peace with yourself,

basically you are in harmony with your own thoughts. If you're at peace with

one another, basically you are in harmony with one another. You are basically

dancing to the same rhythm. You are not going against one another. When

you're at peace with God, you are in rhythm with him. You're not

you're not clashing. There's no resonance being uh as the outcome because you're all

you. You maybe playing different tunes, but yet you are still in harmony

and in freedom. And so that's something that's very very important for us to

study and to understand because if at all, at any point of your life.

You are not at peace with yourself, or you're not at peace with

one another, or you're not at peace with God, then usually that spells

for trouble. Okay, Okay, let's start Luke chapter six. I'm going

to be reading firstly from verses twelve to nineteen, and this is of course

the start of the sermon of them on the Mound. This is basically some

narration first, okay, And it starts like this, Jesus chooses the twelve

apostles, So here we go. One day soon afterwards, Jesus went up

on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. At

daybreak, he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to

be apostles. Here are their names. Simon, whom he named Peter,

Andrew, Peter's brother, James, John, Philip, Bartolomeo, Matthew,

Thomas, James son of Alpheus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas

son of James, Judas Iscrit who later betrayed him. When they came down

from the mountain, the disciples stood with Jesus on a large level area,

surrounded by many of his followers and by the crowds. That's why it's called

a sermon on the plain, because he gave the sermon when he came down.

Okay, he wasn't preaching it from the mountain. Okay. So there

were people from all over Judaea, and from Jerusalem, and from as far

enough as the sea coasts of Tire and Sidon. They had come to hear

him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by evil spirits

were healed. Everyone tried to touch him because healing power went out from him,

and he healed everyone. Amen. Okay, before you consider a sermon,

look at the congregation to whom it was preached important, and then you

will realize why it's preached. Okay. So Jesus had a big congregation on

this occasion. On the one hand, that were his disciples listening to him,

and he called them, and he chose them out of the large number

of followers he already had. He actually just as chosen twelve after a night

of prayer. No, that means Jesus actually prayed through the night before choosing

the twelve. And look at this manner, look at this man. They

were ordinary. There was not a single famous rich or clever person among them.

They were very mixed men. Some of them were traitors to their nation

and others were resistance fighters for their nation. At least four sets of brothers

who were among them. They were young men. And he's not always realized

that the twelve Apostles begin their ministry in most likely they are late teens,

early twenties. And so what I can glean from this is no Christianity actually

began as a young people's movement, and this tells me that young people have

such an important role in kingdom building where Heaven rules. Very very important.

Don't ever look down at your youth, even if you're not young anymore.

You will have the next generation coming out. Let's continue to cheer them on.

Very very very important. Okay, The next group consisted of people who

had come because they had some need. So again go back to the scripture.

If you remember I was reading it. First you thought about the disappose.

Then it talks about another group who came because they had Many of them

was sick, and in those days there was very little medical services, medical

skills. Who was not what it used what it is today, and the

thought of finding health anywhere must have been like a real privilege, not in

their minds. Nor if I can go to someplace and find how who I'm

off, because I want to experience health. So there were those who were

sick, and then there were those who were demon possessed. Of course they

came to look for freedom. So this is the congregation. So Jesus look

at the congregation made up of these groups, his disciples and those who came

with the need, and he spoke to them, all, Okay, are

we there all right? Verses twenty to twenty three, And here are the

beatitudes. Okay, the more concise version of the beatitudes. But let's go

through what Jesus taught his disciples, because now it says Verse twenty. Then

Jesus turned to his disciples and said, God, blesses you who are poor,

for the Kingdom of God is yours. God blesses you who are hungry

now, for you will be satisfied. God blesses you who weep. Now,

for in due time you will laugh. What blessings await you when people

hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you as evil because you

follow the son of men. Sorry, yeah, my eyesight is feeling me.

I need this closer. Okay, so are read again? What blessing

awaits you when people hate you and exclude you and mock you and curse you

as evil because you follow the son of man. When that happens, be

happy, Yes, leap for joy, for a great reward awaits you in

heaven. And remember their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way. Okay,

I know sometimes you all think the preachers. Now, this message is

quite strong and quite harsh. This is Jesus's message, Jesus's message, and

in the first pointer, Jesus is telling us the secret of true happiness.

Wow, do you want to know how to be happy or blessed and be

at harmony with yourself? You won't like it, but this is essentially how

Jesus started. How happy are you poor? How happy are you hungry?

How happy are you who looked sad? How happy are you who are popular

people? Today? And that is how Jesus looks at life. It says

he addressed that part of the sermon to his own disciples. And who are

his disciples? Well, they were shabby, they were unhappy, they were

poor, They were quite an unpopular lot. Actually, and he said,

oh, you the happy ones here today, And then he goes on to

continue with his sermon, and he warns them, and verses twenty four says

this, let me read verses twenty four. But Woo to you who are

rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woo to you who are

well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woo to you who laugh

now or you will mourn. And we woo to you when everybody speaks well

of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. So

Jesus actually went on to turn towards those who are better dressed in a congregation,

those who are laughing and chatting, and his message, no, he

hah a bit. Then he turned to them, and then he says,

no, how terrible it is to be rich and to be well fed,

and to laugh all the time, and to be popular, very very painful

sometimes, But this is Jesus. And so here right at the beginning of

this amazing sermon, Jesus actually shows that his outlook is completely opposed to everything

that we think of the world. Says, if you can avoid being poor,

if you can avoid being hungry, then do so. If you possibly

can. If you want to be happy, you will need to be popular.

If you want to be happy, you will need money. If you

want to be happy, then go watch a sitcom or something and laugh your

head off. But that is the way to be happy. And that's how

the world teaches us to be happy. But none of that is what Jesus

says. You see, his disciples had already been following him for some months.

Already they were getting poor. Already, their clothes were getting a little

bit shabbier. Already, the ascendals are pretty worn out. And that's the

reality of it. Already they will beginning to be unpopular because of the message

that they were carrying. Already, they were beginning to feel the burden that

Jesus had for the world and to see the world true. His eyes doesn't

always make you fool of joy, does it? On the contrary, Actually,

in Isaiah fifty three, it actually says that he was a man of

sorrows and acquainted with grief. Strong words, No, Jesus, and she

thought, how happy you are if you are poor because you have followed me?

How do we even brain that? And today they want the translator,

the Mandarine translator Actually, she was trying to translate understand, how do we

understand this? And then she couldn't find the word, so she said,

how do we brain this? Yeah? Actually, how do we brain this?

But that is the implication. He's not saying that everybody who is poor

is going to be rich or everybody who is rich is going to be poor.

He's speaking to his disciples, remember this, and these things have come

because they are his disciples. So Jesus is saying, may, maybe you

are poorer than you were before, maybe you're hungrier, maybe you have burdens

that you never carried before, and maybe you have a lot of your friends.

But look at I mean you have lost a lot of your friends.

But look at how happy you are right now. That's how he's talking to

his disciples. This tells me something very profound that real happiness is not really

dependent on your present feelings. Real happiness is not related to the circumstances in

which you are placed at this very moment. You remember when he was talking

about the woo and the wool and the woo, the warning He says,

everything now now, now, don't be too happy now. And ultimately,

I believe real happiness is dependent on your future, not your present. Does

that make sense? Is one of the hardest things in life to grasp.

It sounds almost like a contradiction in terms, but Jesus knew what he was

talking about. The real reason for Christian happiness is not how we are placed

in the present, but how we are going to be in the future.

That is the biggest difference. And yes, Jesus promised that we would be

poorer in this life. He promised us loss in his life. Yes,

he did also say that we can get compensation, but he promised trouble.

He promised unpopularity for his sake. And there's this quote from an English author

which says this, No, Jesus promises disciples three things, that they will

be completely fearless, absurdly happy, and in constant trouble. How about that

for a promise. But at least this author was honest in constant trouble.

And so we come to this place where happiness is not feeling happy. Sometimes

that's how we equate it to be. It is being in a happy position.

Every Christian, no matter how low they get, no matter how they

weep, no matter how unpopular they may be. And men may insult them

and say all manner of things against them. Falsely, they can still say

I am the happiest person alive because of my future. That's the position in

which we stand as believers. So Jesus said both things. No, blessed

are you poor? Bah woo to you, rich? Blessed? Are you

hungry? But woo to you well fed? Blessed are you who weep?

Ba Woo to you who love? Blessed are you when you are unpopular?

Bah Woo to you if you are a disciple of mind and everybody speaks well

of you. Strong words. And of course Jesus is stating his own situation

because this applied to him. This is how he was. He was not

universally popular, contrary to popular belief. He wept time and time again.

You know how many times Jesus prayed until he cried. He didn't have a

place to call his own. He fasted, and he went hung agree he

was poor. In fact, when he died, he couldn't even leave his

clothes to anybody else. In fact, they were taken from him. He

had nothing to leave but his peace. And that is an amazing thing.

That's why I started off by telling us peace. What does that mean when

you are at peace? It means you are in harmony, in reedom.

This is something that only God and Jesus can live with us. So these

are truths that only believers in Jesus would accept. A person who wasn't a

Christian would laugh at it. Such a suggestion to go to the world and

say, do you want the secret of happiness? Follow Jesus until it hurts,

and oh how happy he would be everyone be like But that is the

secret. His message for those who seek their happiness in the things of this

world, those who want to be rich now and those who want to laugh

now, and those who want to be popular now, is that you have

had your easy life. In other words, are he's saying this, no,

which would you rather do or which would you rather go through? Would

you rather go through a tough time in this life and look forward to glory

and wealth and everything that lies beyond for those whom God loves? Or would

you rather have your good time here and do without it forever afterwards? We

have to ask ourselves that question. You need to be at peace and in

harmony with yourself to be able to live in accordance to Jesus' sermon you need

to and that means that you need to be assured of what lies a hte

in the future. That's important. Okay. Harmony with ourselves. Okay,

Now let's look at a second relationship. It says harmony with other people.

That's how I'm going to term it. Okay, be at peace with other

people. And there are two things that Jesus talks about here. He talks

about concern and he talks about criticism. And these things will determine how you

get on with other people. How deep is your concern for other people and

how harsh is your criticism for them? Okay, why do I say this?

Let us read on leok chapter six, reading from verses twenty seven to

thirty six again. Now I'm just reading true the scripture. If y'all have

never read it true like that before, it's interesting. So many things are

broken down into different parts, but here it is. It says love for

enemies verse twenty seven. But to you who are listening, I say,

love your enemies, Do good to those who hate you, Bless those who

curse you, Pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on

one chick turn to them the other. Also, it's if someone takes your

coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks

you. And if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it

back due to others as you have them due to you. Wow. But

study too. If you love those who love you, what credit is dead

to you, even sinners love those who love them. And if you do

good to those who are good to you, what credit is dead to you?

Even sinners do that. And if you learn to those from whom you

expect repayment, what credit is dead to you, even sinners learn to sinners

expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to

them, and learn to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your

reward will be great, and you will be children of the most High,

because he is kind to the ungrateful, and wickul be merciful, just as

your father is merciful. Wow. First, it's the matter of concern,

and Jesus here is actually talking about our concern for our enemies. A lot

of times we don't look at it from that anger. Jesus sure knows how

the said of standard right. It's not those who like you, your friends,

those who hate you, But it's actually those who hate you and those

who curse you and those who mistreat you. He's asking you to take into

consideration this group of people. Your concerned for them, These people who hate

you, curse you, mistreat you. Will decide whether you have learned relationships

with other people or not. Anybody can get home with those who love them,

that's what he's saying. Anybody can relate to nice people. Anyone can

invite someone to their home if they are in a position of being invited back.

All of us who like that, right. But there are plenty of

good deeds done by people who are not believers. There are plenty of love

outside the church. We see that in families, and we see that among

friends. But Jesus teaches us that the kind of love that is the secret

of real harmony when it comes to relationships with one another, is the love

that can be concerned for those in whom there will be no response except abuse.

Think about it, Think about it. I know it's quite quite shattering

to discover human nature like this, but this is us. This is human

nature. What Jesus is teaching here is a love that expects nothing back whatever,

a love that will land to people and not even expect to get back,

A love that returns kindness for hate, a love that suffers long and

it's kind. A love that returns good for evil. That's what he's talking

about. And what we call the Golden rule comes in this point. You

all heard of the golden rule, golden rule, and have you noticed that

Actually a lot of times people quote the Golden rule a little bit wrongly in

that sense. You ask somebody what they think the golden rule is, and

they will usually say, there is never due to anyone else what you don't

want them to do to you. But you notice that that's in the negative

form. Actually, a lot of religions, a lot of world religions teach

us it in the negative from and then, of course along came Jesus with

something unique, and he says, this due to others what you want them

to do to you, and that is quite different. Actually, again,

never do to anyone else what you don't want them to do to you,

versus do to others what you want them to do to you. It's a

difference between Jesus's teaching and the world's philosophy. See the world's philosophy is this,

I'm all right, I've never done nobody no harm. But that's in

the negative. Jesus's philosophy is this, did you do them any good?

So the golden rule is in the positive. Due to others as you would

have them do to you, whatever they do to you. So you see,

love is not a matter of feelings. Love is not a matter of

falling in love. Love is not something that just happens to you. Sometimes

that's how we define love. Love is actually something you decide to do.

It's a whole different understanding and philosophy. There is a kind of love between

man and women, for example, or between close friends, which is reciprocal,

is responsive. Happens to a lot of us. So you fall in

love or you like that person, and then there is this two way communication.

But when Jesus spoke of love, he wasn't thinking of that kind of

love. He was thinking of the kind of love that goes on loving whatever

is done to you. That is a kind of love you don't find naturally.

It doesn't occur to us in our flesh. It is not a thing

that happens to us. It is a thing that you do or you don't

do. And that's what makes Jesus difference. That's what a gappy love really

is. When you talk about a gappy love, you know, it's not

your normal brotherly love, reciprocal love, which is I don't know which is

that Philadelphia or Philo or one of it. It's not your erotic love,

which is the eros kind of love. But a gappy love is simply I

like to define it as this is love in action, is something that you

do, and it's a choice. And when Jesus said I love the world,

he didn't just say I love you, I love you, I love

you and then he walked away. Ideals, he actually went to the cross

and died for us. It's an action and he's something that was done,

and he's not a natural kind of love. And so concern for your enemies

the first part. Let's move to Jesus's second point about our relationship with one

another. So, yeah, he's talking about relationship with one another. Now,

namely, this is criticism of our friends. Let's read on your stay

with me. Okay, okay, I'm doing good for time. I'm just

preaching Jesus's sermon. Actually, it's not even my sermon okay, verse thirty

seven to forty two. It says this is entitled do not judge others.

Okay. So he says this, do not judge, and you will not

be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive

and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you.

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be

poured out into your lap. For with the measure you used, it will

be measured to you. He also told them this parable. Can the blind

lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit. The student

is not a birth the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be

like their teacher. Why do you look at the spec of sawdust in your

brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How

can you say to your brother brother, let me take the spect out of

your eye when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye,

you hypocrite. First take the plank out of your eye, and then you

will see clearly to remove the spect from your brother's eye. Wow again Jesus'

sermon. The funny thing is this, No criticism works in this way that

you will find yourself criticizing the people closest to you more than anyone else.

Do you realize that you think true? You think true who you have criticized

the past week, just this week, last week? And you didn't go

and criticize some random person in Timbuktu, or in China or in Africa.

No, no, you you probably criticize someone close to you. And the

reason why we do it to people near to us is because what happens when

we criticize someone, It basically brings the person down a few levels, and

then it lifts us up a few levels. And that is the ultimate truth.

And no truth hurts some times, but I find myself doing that.

I mean, you don't you're not critical or someone, and then the funnel

is being lifted up. No, it's like, and then no, you're

you're criticizing someone. So again you're lifting someone up, putting someone down,

and lifting yourself up. So you don't really criticize someone down the road,

someone you don't really know, know someone from another church as much as you

do to your own. And that's the natural thing. Think about it,

And if you're not careful, you become more critical of the people closest to

you actually without even realizing, because it isn't your enemies you criticize. It's

usually your friends that you criticize. And that is why Jesus, speaking of

our concern for our enemy initially now goes on to speak about criticizing our brother.

You see her. This is opposite from the world. Again, the

world has this deep concern for friends and criticism for enemies. But Christians need

to go one step further and let us look at what Jesus says. Let's

look at what Jesus say. So the world talks about criticism for enemies,

concerned for friends, Jesus talk about concern for enemies, criticism for your against

your brother. Let's look at what Jesus says about that. He gives too

simple illustration. The first one is this supposing you went out in the street

and you saw two people each with the stake. They were trying to help

each other across to cross the road, and then both finished up in the

long tung. Okay, that's that's what the illustration is saying. Quite sad,

right, But you know, when you try to help someone else,

you have got to watch carefully that you are not so blind that you can't

really see either yourself. Very very very very important. Your criticism may just

be or your criticism may be just a blind man leading a blind man.

That's what the scripture is saying. You're both falling a ditch together, you're

both falling to the long tongue together. And it is said, but a

lot of our criticism comes under this category. It's like science. We don't

know better, and we are leading each other down this destructive path. And

the other illustration that Jesus uses here is this, there's a man walking on

the road with a big balang stuck in his eye. Okay, let's let's

put it in some cultural context. Now. He stops a passer by and

says, excuse me, there's a little strand of hair in your eye.

And Jesus sometimes uses humor as well. But when you have loved at the

joke, then you realize that actually you're laughing at yourself. In fact,

you can only really see the fault in your brother clearly if you have got

rid of the faults in yourself first. Ultimately, so you realize how desperately

deceitful the heart is. Jesus is actually teaching that we will learn about harmony

in relationships with one another when you are concerned for your enemies and you do

not criticize your friends. It's important now when he says a judge, not

that you be not judge. He does not mean that you must renounce all

critical faculties. I mean that there is still that critical faculties. If he

meant that, If if he meant that, we will never have to examine

each other in a positive manner anymore. It's going to be quite harder.

Okay, you can't examine each other, you know. I can't write reference

for someone to go and work somewhere else, because again that those are critical

faculties sometimes when we are writing reference, No, when you are being examined

in a school, I don't know. I'm sure you'd have assessments in school.

No, you know he's not talking about that. But say, what

Jesus is actually talking about is damning. Condemning. It means a writing someone

off, saying he's beyond redemption. It means saying he is hopeless. We

can do anything with him. Basically, only God has the right to be

such a judge. None of us have that right to play that role.

And one of the most frightening things that Jesus ever said is right here.

No, that with what measure you judge, you shall be judge strong.

In other words, are he's saying at the day of judgment or where we

see meet Peter at the poly gates. I don't know if that's true,

okay, but anyway, the day of judgment when you stand before your creator

and all he has to do is play back the recording of the false we

have found in other people and then to examine your life the way you have

criticized others. That's what the scripture is essentially saying. And that's what he

meant when he said, I judge you by your own outlook. If you

condemn this in others, then it is wrong. I will therefore examine your

life by what you believe to be wrong is strong. And I can tell

you this. I don't know if any of us can stand before God if

that is how he is to judge, For we know we have condemned in

others what there is in our own hearts. We have all done that.

We all done that. And I stand here openly and readily confess to you

just last week or So God, God, God, criticize others and not

some stranger in a place I don't know. No, No, probably someone

I know pretty well. Or we must learn this secret of harmony with other

people. Very very very important. Again, concern for your enemies, be

careful not to criticize. Is your brethren your brother? Amen. Finally,

there is the secret of holiness before God. Again, I told you it's

in three portions, your relationship with yourself, your relationship with one another,

and then your relationship with God. And this is very practical because now Jesus

starts to speak in pictures so that his hearers could see. He wanted them

to see some truth. So this is what he sayer. This is what

he says versus forty tree to forty five. An lt gives the title the

tree and its fruit. Okay, no good tree bears bad food, nor

does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own

fruit. People do not pick figs from torn bushes or grapes from briers.

A good man brings good things out of the goods thought up in his heart,

and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stoughed up in

his heart. For the mouth spicks what the heart is full of. It

is the law of nature that the tree can only produce after its own kinda.

Okay, you can't have a Durian tree and then it's spitting out ticus.

Okay, it doesn't happen that way. What the tree is that will

be it's produced. It is also the law of human nature. What is

thought up in your heart will come out of your mount. Which is why

Jesus said on another occasion, every man will be judged by the idle words

that proceed that from his mouth. That's in Matthew chapter thirteen. So what

is so important about the mouth? Well, Jesus actually teaches is every man

and woman over the years. What happens is we build up a treasury in

our hearts. It's like a treasure chest. Thoughts are staught in your heart,

all your experiences of life, all thought in your heart, and then

when you open your mouth, the treasure will come out. I don't know

whether it's good or bad treasure, but it comes out. And the things

you have start will eventually come out. As a man thinks in his heart,

soul is he And so Jesus is saying, a bad tree can't produce

good fruit, and a good tree can't produce bad fruit, So you need

to check what's in your heart. But then he gives a further warning.

He says that the things that come out of the mouth can sometimes be unreal.

So, uh, normally, in casual conversations, the things that come

out will be from your heart. Let me say, if I talk very

candidly or science, that's not my wife Science very resked when she goes out

with me because she knows I quite candied on the way I thought. She's

like, I don't know this person. The thing come out of my mouth

already, and then she's like, I don't know this person. I'm like,

hey, La, but but there's me, La, but really is

the content of my heart half the time wanting to find that people make fun

of people? You know that that kind of thing. So our casual conversations

know the things that come out will be from your heart. But in the

formal and official circles, what you say may not always be your heart.

On when you're having a very formal conversation, I mean, if you're meeting

the art going at all, or you're meeting some politician, you've got there's

probably some form of decorum to observe and politeness even though maybe you want to

Yeah, maybe it's not what you mean. No, and it's nice to

meet you. Actually you know, I hate you. But this is the

big danger in religion that you see things that are not from the heart.

It's like having fixed prayers, but they are meaningless. One is, when

you are not consciously controlling your mouth, your heart is revealed. Sometimes when

you are consciously controlling your mouth, it can actually very easily lead to hypocrisy.

That's something that we need to guard and be very very careful of.

Does that make sense. I'm almost done. Thanks Alex. Now for the

climax of the passage. And basically, you will never get fruit without roots.

So going deep down and he's going deep down into the invisible Jesus actually

changes the picture, not from fruit to foundation. And he tells us the

secret of holiness before God is not the number of sermons who have listened to.

Okay, why do I say this? The last three verses forty six

to forty nine, And when I read this, then the band can come

up almost then it says, there's a building on a solid foundation. Why

do you call me Lord Lord, and do not do what I say.

As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into

practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a

man building a house who ducked down deep and laid the foundation on rock.

When a flood came, the torrent struck that house, but could not shake

it because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and

does not put them into practice is like a man who builds a house on

the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it

collapse and its restruction was complete. So everything rests on what you do with

the teaching ultimately. And Jesus actually finishes this sermon with an illustration from his

days as a carpenter. You'll remember Jesus is a comp better basically built.

He built houses unlucky. He builds things, and he's teaching us that when

you listen to preaching, you are building something as you listen. If you

enjoy that sermon and you're moved by it, then you go away and you

do absolutely nothing about it. You have built a house that looks all right,

a life that looks very Christian. You may live in that life for

quite some time, but then when chrisis comes, your Christian life will collapse

because it has no base, it has no foundation. But if you listen

to the sermon and listen to the word of God, and then you go

away and you do something about it, then it will be. Yes,

it will be hard work, it will require effort. You have to dig

deep to know who God really is. But you realize when chrisis comes your

Christian life, who will stand? And that is the secret of holiness before

God to listen to his word and to do something about it. Application you

know, since I think about it. No, a lot of times we

argue or we don't need to do anything to be safe. Right, Nothing

we can do to deserve salvation, Nothing we can do to deserve God's grace.

It's true. It's true. That is scripture that there's no there's no

law that you can fulfill that will afford you salvation. You can go and

earn it in that manner. Nothing you can do to deserve it. But

it doesn't say that you don't need to do anything to receive it. Right.

Grace is a gift. If you go on saying I don't need to

do anything to receive grace. Then I think something is fundamentally not right because

we need to receive the gift. If if I put a gift in front

of you and you say, I can't do anything because I already it's already

on me. You got to receive. You need to do something. It's

what I call human responsibility. And yes, I believe in divine sovereignty.

I believe that God has divinely predestined different things to take place and happen.

But it doesn't take away the fact that we have a part to play in

responding because if not the scripture, it's all there, the sermons are all

there. But that doesn't mean we are all safe, does it? And

so I pray. I pray that while yes, there is nothing we can

do to deserve salvation, but we still must receive God's saving grace. There

is an active part for us to pray. So let's conclude. Let's conclude.

Let's conclude this plane sermon that heaven rules. Okay, sermon on the

plane. Firstly, is this in your relationship with yourself? Follow Christ until

it hurts, then you will be happy in your secured future. I keep

you not do you really believe in eternity because that is the future that we

have in the Lord Jesus Christ. So in your relationship with yourself, follow

Christ until he hurts. Then you will be happy in your secure future.

In your relationship with others, have a concern for your enemies and refrain from

criticizing your brothers and your friends. Can we try to do that? And

then the third thing is this, The secret of holiness with God is to

bear the fruit that comes from having roots and having a foundation in Christ,

Jesus, who is our rock of ages. If you dig deep and find

Jesus and you root yourself to him, that's what it means. Now that

the whole it's not really a parable in John fifteen that says that you remain

in me the vineyard the vines, sorry, not the vineyard. You remain

with me. You abide in me, and you will continue to draw from

me. So if you dig deep and you find yourself attached to the main

vine, you will bear fruits. And he has been saying no. When

we actually read scriptures, it acts as a mirror. It does that to

me. When I read scriptures, it convicts me because sometimes I see my

dead and I see my stains, and sometimes it leaves me with this dilemma

because when I read through the life and the teaching of Christ, I know

that it's right. I know that it is the truth. I know that

it is the way, I know that it is life. But I just

cannot do it. And that's why people don't live out the Sermon on the

Mound. Well, at least they don't live it out until they find Jesus.

Nobody does live like this, like how Jesus preach, until Jesus forgives

their sin and begins his work in their heart and then begins to live his

life in them. I'm telling you it's not us, because if we were

to do it by ourselves, it's not even next to its impossible. It

is completely impossible. For all the good things we have read in this passage,

it's perfectly true of Jesus. He's not giving you this whole make believe

things. No, never really can happen. No no, no, he's

he is showing you what he did. And remember this. No, they

spat on him, they whipped him, they mocked him, they laughed at

him. Eventually they nailed him to a tree. And what was his response,

he said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they

do. Amazing He's teaching us all this, and of course you think what

they are. Can I even follow that? Because that is that is loving

action, And probably we are like, oh, it's impossible to follow suit

what Jesus did. But not long after that, one of the early Christians

who was to be stoned to death showed that he can now himself live out

Jesus's sermon, and as the first Christian martyr. Stephen is his name,

I think it's in ex. Chapter seven, Right before he breathed his last

he actually said this, Lord, do not hold this sin against them?

Is it possible? Yes, with Jesus, because we have seen it happened.

So whatever that Jesus is teaching us is not a standard in which we

will never will be able to reach. Because he's saying that again, remember

this, when it says that my yoke is light, we must understand how

the yong works. It's not. It's not you go and letch on to

Jesus and then you get him to drag you, because trust me, if

you're going to go through, he's burdens. I don't think any of us

can take it. But what he's saying is this no that the yong is

actually two ends to it. So he's saying that I'm not asking you to

pull my burdens. I'm saying that I will pull the burdens that you have

a long site you I will be by your side. That's why it's a

site by sight thing. And we can't do any of this by ourselves.

It's only when Christ is next to us and we are pulling. He's saying,

go and go, and we walk alongside. We walk in rhyedom,

we walk in harmony. That is what peace really means. Ultimately, so

it is possible to live out the sermon on the mound or the sermon on

the plane, but not possible by ourselves. You will only do it with

Jesus. We hope you've been blessed by this message. For more information on

our church, please visit x Church to RG. We are also active on

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week, a hit for you. God bless