Luke 16:13-18 

 

(13)  "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."  

 

(14)  "And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him."  

 

(15)  "And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God."

 

(16)  "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."  

 

(17)  "And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."  

 

(18)  "Whosoever putteth away his wife, and marrieth another, committeth adultery: and whosoever marrieth her that is put away from her husband committeth adultery."

 

In the above passage we read this morning, Jesus attacked the entire error of the Pharisees, the strictest and very powerful sect of Jews.

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He saw how these Pharisees were USING GOD’S LAW to vaunt themselves up in the eyes of the people in order to gain respect and self-glory.

He then spoke of causing someone to commit adultery if departs from a marriage.

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Many think this is out of place, but really it is part of the same conversation.

Then Jesus spoke of the rich man and Lazarus.

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It is not a lesson about hell, but rather about how the esteem of men in this world may give you peace now, but it is better to walk the way of Life and deny self now to gain everlasting peace.

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It is about self-exaltation as opposed to KINGDOM Christianity.
But notice how Jesus spoke of adultery when talking about Law and Kingdom.

Jesus was removing the LAW from the people since the KINGDOM PREACHING had come instead.

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Since LAW was what Pharisees were using to exalt themselves, they took it as a personal attack from Jesus, and desired to kill Him as time went on.

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But the issue of adultery was mentioned here.

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Some think this is out of context, and should be put in the Sermon on the Mount.

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Jesus just said it’s easier for heaven and earth to pass than Law to fail.

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Time is not an issue when it comes to law as it is with heaven and earth.

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WHAT  FREES US FROM LAW.

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That is why Jesus mentioned marriage and adultery.

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Look how Paul connected Adultery and marriage with Law.
 

 

Romans 7:1-4 

 

(1)  "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth?"

 

(2)  "For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband."

 

(3)  "So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man."  

 

(4)  "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

Notice LAW and MARRIAGE bind a person so long as they are alive.

DEATH ALONE breaks that up, except for the cause of fornication that Jesus noted.

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But Paul stressed the issue of DEATH here.

Kingdom preaching is DEATH BY THE CROSS to resurrect and live a Life freed from Law.

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Heaven and earth cannot outlast Law to see it end, but Kingdom Preaching DID!

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It is not a matter of being able to endure longer than Law, but rather ending Law by DEATH.

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This is how Jesus destroyed the power of the devil with the devil’s own power of death.

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The devil thought he had us sin, we had to die.

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But Jesus took that doom of death and worked it against the devil by saying HIS DEATH WOULD COUNT FOR ALL OUR DEATHS, and had us pay its penalty and YET STILL LIVE!

You can no more escape LAW than you can easily escape a MARRIAGE and marry someone else.

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Aside from the issue of adultery, DEATH is the biggest reason people become freed from marriage.

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Paul used that to say that freedom from LAW was just as serious and complicated.

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But instead of the other dying so you can remarry, in this case with Law YOU DIE WITH CHRIST, since law only has power over you so long as you are alive.

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AND KINGDOM PREACHING is preaching about DEATH OF SELF to free you from Law and DEATH TO SELF is actually the very thing that PHARISEES cannot stand.

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They desire to get identity and glory and awe from PEOPLE.

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They use LAW and the things of God to do it.

FLESH HATES KINGDOM PREACHING.

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You have no chance to exalt yourself if you are going into the Kingdom.

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If you seek self-glory, you will not enter the Kingdom any more than the folks who cried LORD LORD, and did wonders in Jesus’ name, but instead did their OWN WILL AND NOT THE FATHER’S WILL.

This morning we emphasized how Satan knew that getting Eve focused on self exaltation, by making her think she did not have the status she could have, would plug her life so full of herself that God could not manifest through her.

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He knew the KINGDOM opportunity in Adam and Eve was ruined when these people focused upon themselves so much.

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So he made her feel insecure by asking her if God really did say something.

Then to feel inferior by saying SHE COULD BE LIKE GOD, implying she was not.

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SHE WAS LIKE GOD!
 

Genesis 1:26   "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

And we are COMPLETE IN CHRIST!
 

Colossians 2:9-10   

 

(9)  "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."  

 

(10)  "And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."

When someone is used of God powerfully, anyone who is dedicated to the KINGDOM will rejoice and be filled with praise to the Lord!

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But people who seek to exalt self and abuse God and his blessings, God\ will become JEALOUS.

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We should watch out for jealousy.

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Always be on guard against it.

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Use the truth of WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST to combat against WHO WE ARE IN THE WORLD.

It is so easy to slip into wanting to IMPRESS PEOPLE, and this is where we exalt ourselves.

In God’s Kingdom, CHRIST IS EXALTED, and you cannot exalt self, so those who exalt self are not allowed in.

Look how people can start so well and lose it IN THE KINGDOM.
When David sinned, he made no excuses like Adam in trying to defend HIMSELF.
 

Psalms 51:1-4

 

(1)  "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions."

 

(2)  "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin."

 

(3)  "For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me."

 

(4)  "Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest."

NO SELF DEFENCE.

2 Samuel 12:13  "And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die."

No lying and defense.
 

Some people seek identity with a certain TEACHING that they feel impresses others.

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They feel offended to think you might have to teach them something about that issue since they’ve chosen to associate their identity with that subject, and they feel superior to others since they feel they know more about that subject than others.

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And when you try to tell them something about it they feel you are robbing them of their confidence.

The only people who impressed Paul were the new creation people.

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He spent his time around new creations in Christ.

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Philippians 3:7-10

 

(7) "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ."

 

(8)  "Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"  

 

(9)  "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:"

 

(10)  "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;"

What is GAIN TO SELF IS LOSS TO CHRIST.

 

People look to build their confidence in the things of the flesh.

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Preachers want to get confidence in themselves with big churches.

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It looks like desire for the Kingdom but it is often actually THEIR OWN KINGDOM.

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Even in working for God we get the attitude that "I'll show them," in order to impress people and make them realize we did the right thing they may have disagreed with.

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It is not really seeking God's glory, but our own.

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Satan loves religion when these things go on.

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When we seek to exalt ourselves it exalts his kingdom of SELF!

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He started it and he loves to brag about how HIS WAY is best!

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It exalts HIMSELF.
 

Romans 15:1-3  

 

(1)  "We then who are strong are obligated to bear with the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves."  

 

(2)  "Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification."

 

(3)  "For even Christ did not please Himself;" but as it is written, "The reproaches of those reproaching You fell on Me."

 

• We feel insecure and unsafe, and we seek to get esteem of people in order to feel good about ourselves.

• Kids join gangs.

• People take up cigarettes.

• Others buy bigger cars and houses.

• Keep up with the Jones'.

• Get a higher position in the company.

• Hold onto a position in church.

 

We need to instead say, "No, I am going to be spiritual and get the esteem of God, and consider those things to be carnal and manifestations of carnal Christianity."

 

What is gain to me is loss to Christ.

 

What impresses people is loss to Christ.

 

What impresses God is what is always going to be gain to Christ.
 

Romans 8:31-33 

 

(31)  "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"

 

(32)  "He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up on behalf of us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" 

 

Romans 8:17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."