00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

00:25 Weekend Plans and Family Updates

01:06 Revisiting Past Discussions

01:54 Exciting Plans for Next Year

02:37 Diving into Matthew 11

02:48 Understanding the Kingdom of Heaven

04:35 Judgment and Eternal Consequences

08:25 Jesus' Invitation: Gentle and Lowly

10:43 The Assurance of Salvation

13:25 Concluding Thoughts and Prayer

Hey, welcome back to another

edition of the daily Bible podcast.

2

Shorter edition today.

3

That's scary.

4

Guaranteed or your money back.

5

Like every other episode, we say

that cause every other episode we

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get long, it's usually the first one

out of the gate that we go along.

7

Yeah.

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We have lots of say, I guess,

well, but this time I'm

9

guaranteeing their money back.

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If we don't do it because we only have

one chapter to cover that's right.

11

So we'll see how that works.

12

Well, yeah, I mean, Yeah.

13

Yeah, it's a it's Saturday

and, uh, We got a lot going on.

14

I think I've got a kid

with a soccer game today.

15

I've got to get him to a soccer game and.

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Um, our wives are still on

retreat until later this evening.

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And so I'll, I still got stuff to

do so the kids are going to be,

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they're going to give him some

food, some kibble and some water.

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Uh, Bulla cable, a bowl of water.

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Toys and just say, Hey, don't

rent, don't burn down the house.

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Just put all the sharp knives at pie

so that they can't get them kind of,

22

yeah, that's going to be part of it.

23

Yeah.

24

Yeah.

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The ferry.

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Fair enough.

27

There you go.

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So like, you just want

to jump right in it.

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Just knocked this one out.

30

No.

31

Well, is there, is there a pressing

thing that you want to bring up on that?

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I'm all in.

33

I mean, I don't have anything

particularly pressing today.

34

Okay.

35

Well, some of this is also kind

of rehashing some of the ground

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we covered yesterday with John.

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Yes.

38

So there's, there's, um, a little

bit of wiggle room here and I

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still think we could be under

30 minutes is what I'm saying.

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I think we sell some, some time.

41

Well, that's fair.

42

I don't have anything pressing.

43

There's nothing weighing on me.

44

I feel like we exhausted it all yesterday.

45

I don't know that we did.

46

I think we were every.

47

We covered everything that we

could possibly cover yesterday.

48

Yeah, probably not, but okay.

49

I'm happy to jump in.

50

Let's do it.

51

Yeah.

52

Um, Yeah, I'm just, I mean, I'm

trying to think now, now you put the

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pressure on, because I feel like I

need to have something and I just know.

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I hear nobody talk about, you know,

maybe, uh, give us an update from

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the ladies, how everything's going.

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So it's great.

57

It is the best it's ever been.

58

Wow.

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It's the greatest women's

retreat campus, north, Texas.

60

Yeah, we can say that

with complete confidence.

61

Yep.

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We can yeah, a hundred percent.

63

So we'll see.

64

Uh, so some people didn't hear it, but we

are doing this Bible plan again next year.

65

Oh, yeah.

66

Yeah, we talked about that a

couple episodes ago, but yeah,

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we're doing this again next year.

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And I've we've, we've heard good things.

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So.

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I'm excited about it.

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I think it's a great plan.

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Yeah, I really wish there was a new

Testament component all year long.

73

And so maybe I'll just add that

to my list, to keep reading.

74

Maybe I'll do this.

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Throughout the whole year.

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So I'll go through the new

Testament a couple of times

77

because I really, I missed that.

78

Yeah, I understand what we're

doing and it's super helpful, but

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I really want that NT component.

80

Yep.

81

Yeah.

82

I was talking to somebody

the other day at lunch.

83

He was kind of saying that they were like,

That's a little bit easier to supplement

84

with the new Testament than it is.

85

To be in the new Testament, try to

supplement with the old Testament.

86

Yeah.

87

Psalms and Proverbs, you can

mix those in pretty easily.

88

Right.

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Which have a lot of plans do.

90

Yeah.

91

Yeah.

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All right, that's it.

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Matthew 11.

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Here we go.

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Okay.

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Opens up John, the Baptist inquiry.

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We just talked about this literally

like for us five minutes ago.

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But for them yesterday.

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We just covered this ground.

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Um, but let's talk about Matthew 11,

verse 12, cause this is different.

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Jesus says this weird kind

of enigmatic statement here

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about the kingdom of heaven.

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He says the kingdom of heaven.

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Has suffered violence.

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He says this from the days of John

the Baptist until now the kingdom

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of heaven has suffered violence

and the violent take it by force.

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Um, what in the world does this mean?

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Uh, Luke 16, 16 is where

some people will go.

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And Luke 16, 16.

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It says this it's a similar

tax, but I think it's different.

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He says, Jesus, there says the law

and the prophets were until John

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since then, the good news of the

kingdom of God is preached and

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everyone forces his way into it.

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Um, that it's that idea of the, the

way is narrow and hard in, in it's

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that perseverance to, to force your way

into it, to get into the kingdom there.

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I don't think it's the same thing here.

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I think this is a different context.

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He's talking about John, the Baptist,

John, the Baptist is in prison.

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John, the Baptist is suffering.

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John.

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The Baptist is asking, Hey.

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What's going on.

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It seems to be that here, Jesus is saying.

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The kingdom is going to come, but

not in the way that you think about.

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And right now the world's system.

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The opposition of the world is about

the opposition in the destruction.

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And the prevention of

the kingdom of heaven.

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And so, uh, there is violence that's there

and the violent are not going to take it

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by force in the sense of conquering it.

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But they're going to try, they're going to

do everything they can to try to overcome

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what God is trying to do in the world.

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Presently.

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That's.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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That makes sense.

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Uh, that seems to be here at

least, but you'll find others that

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say, no, this is parallel with

Luke 16, 16, and this is about.

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Th that the ESP doesn't necessarily

translate it the right way here.

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It should be about.

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It's a good thing to.

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That he's talking about, Christians are

forcing their way into the kingdom, right?

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I don't think that's what

what's happening here.

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I think it's it's no, this is the world's

opposition against this sounds, right?

145

Yeah.

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Well, he moves on from this

then in verses 20 through 24.

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And he talks about these cities of whoa.

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Um, this is an important section for us

because this informs our understanding

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of at least in, in part of eternity.

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And what eternity is

specifically for those that are.

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Our last is going to be you like.

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Um, there are gradations of judgment

and punishment in an eternal

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damnation, not everybody's going

to suffer under the same amount.

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A lot of times we'll say all sin is sin.

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And I know what we mean by that,

that, that we can't rationalize

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a small sin and be like, it's no

big deal because it's not murder.

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In in, um, the one hand.

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Yes.

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All sin is sin.

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But not all sin is equal.

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Have the same degree of punishment as

what we see here in scripture, because

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Jesus is saying basically here, look.

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Corey's in what are you best?

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Uh Bethsaida whoa, do you, because if,

what was done in, you had been done in

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Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented.

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And so it's going to be more tolerable

for them in hell than it's going

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to be for you in hell, because

you're exposed to a greater degree

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of truth and they were exposed to.

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And so it's not that

their sins were less, but.

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They didn't have the same truth,

the same realities that you've had.

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And so there, your punishment's

going to be worse than theirs.

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Same thing when he talks about Capernaum.

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And Sodom and Gomorrah, um, Yeah.

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So th there are gradations in

hell for those that are there now.

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My conviction is it's all eternal.

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There's not gradations in the

sense that some people will

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suffer for a less amount of time.

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But the degree of suffering is going

to be lesser for some than others.

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None of it desirable.

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None of it pleasurable.

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None of it.

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Good.

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But there are gradations there.

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So, according to the way that

you're bringing this up, you're

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saying that there's a everyone

suffering, suffering, eternally.

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Um, but not everyone's going to

suffer to the same degree eternally.

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Right.

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Is that right?

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Right.

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Yeah.

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So I think that's important to see here

that there is all sin does condemn, but

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not all sin condemns in equal measure.

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Right.

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Uh, Hitler will suffer more

assuming that he's in hell because

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of his sin against the Lord.

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He'll suffer more than whoever else.

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John DOE average, who hasn't committed,

you know, 11 million murders.

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Or at least as responsible

for those things.

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So it's important to understand that

God, God is just, and he's fair in

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the way that he dispenses justice.

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And part of that is going to be

a matter of trust on our part,

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because some of us are going to look

at that and say, well, man, that.

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To suffer.

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Eternally seems really rough, especially,

you know, they've only sent it for

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70 years or 60 years, whatever it is.

206

Um, to that, I would say, I don't

know that people stop sending in

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hell once your fate is sealed.

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I don't, I don't have any reason to

believe that people stop sending.

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And I think that's an important

qualifier, because even if you could

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say, even, even if you could say, well,

God is being unjust by making people.

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I stay there for the rest of eternity.

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I'm assuming.

213

Uh, yeah, I guess even if you still

have to put up with the idea that

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people are still sending against God,

they're still rebelling against him.

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They still hate him.

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The weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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Um, the weeping is not

necessarily tears of sadness.

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Like, oh, I wish I could repent.

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Right now we've been, could be tears

of pain coming from their suffering.

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And the gnashing of teeth typically

has done where are mad at somebody

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arguing to gnashing of teeth.

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So it doesn't seem like

they're very happy with God.

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Which would be sinful to be angry at

God for your sin and your, your just

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punishment would be, it would be a sin

and therefore continuing in sin, therefore

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they can compound their suffering.

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Yeah.

227

So.

228

In one of our upcoming readings, it's

actually going to use that phrase,

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weeping and gnashing of teeth a few times.

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So I was looking at that we're gnashing

and we get from the same word there,

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they get the, the idea of, of chattering.

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So like you're cold, your

teeth are chattering together.

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And so some have suggested

that it's the cold temperatures

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that they're experiencing were.

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Uh, that seems like more of a stretch

to me, that, to, to grab that one.

236

Okay.

237

Um, yeah.

238

No, I, yeah.

239

I think a fire seems to suggest warm.

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Yeah.

241

Yeah, I would agree.

242

Yeah, that'd be a weird thing.

243

I would agree with you.

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I think on that it's uh, yeah.

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Th the continuing rebellion.

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Um, as they're suffering.

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Uh, versus 25 to 30.

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Um, I titled this one, gentle and lowly.

249

Um, or which is how Jesus reveals himself.

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They come to me and I'll give you rest.

251

Okay.

252

Fine.

253

Uh, well, the ESV title did that.

254

You didn't, unless you're admitted.

255

I happen to do the same thing.

256

Anyways, uh, this is the passage where

Jesus calls people to come to him.

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And I, and I think here's

what I think is going on here.

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Um, When he talks about his YOKA

being light and his burden being easy.

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Um, What he's alluding to here is I

believe a contrast between the, the

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system that all of the Jewish people.

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I had been enduring under

the heavy burdens that the

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Pharisees had placed upon them.

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I mean, Jesus.

264

Elsewhere confronts the farrier

season says, you know, you, you pile

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on all these burdens on people and

you make them twice as much as son

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of hell as they were to begin with.

267

Um, and, and the weight of that.

268

Contrast it to what truly following Jesus.

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It looks like an understanding, the

freedom that we have in Christ and the

270

ease of the burden that he came not to

abolish the law, but to fulfill the law.

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On our behalf and to do what

the law couldn't do by declaring

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us to be righteous in the Lord.

273

That to me is how I've always

understood this passage.

274

This is an invitation not into like, okay.

275

Christianity is easy for the rest of

my life, but this is an invitation

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to take off the yoke and the burden

of having to feel like we have

277

to justify ourselves before God.

278

I realized that we get the

righteousness of Christ, which

279

is what allows us to rest.

280

In him and into enjoy that from him.

281

And to add onto that, because I

would agree with that entirely.

282

When we have that kind of

relationship with God, it actually.

283

Energizes and empowers our obedience.

284

Because when we experienced this full

acceptance, This complete justification.

285

I'm now able to say.

286

I want to do righteousness.

287

I want to live in a way

that is pleasing to him.

288

So even though the, the, the gate

is narrow and the way is hard.

289

Um, and we wouldn't deny that.

290

Um, it comes from the place of saying,

man, it is hard to be obedient.

291

It is hard to be holy, but it

comes from the place of saying,

292

man, I'm accepted though.

293

Yeah.

294

My acceptance before God is not

contingent upon those things.

295

Right.

296

My acceptance has been completed

and is full and forever.

297

And now I want to strive forward

and I want to grow in holiness and

298

that is hard and it's challenging.

299

I'm going to battle my flesh

for the rest of my life.

300

But it's a, it's a battle that we

joyfully engaging because I've got rested.

301

My soul.

302

I've got, I've got a light burden.

303

According to Christ.

304

I am.

305

Fully accepted in the beloved.

306

Yeah.

307

We had an interesting conversation

at our community group this past

308

week about that idea of Jesus

praying for us and praying for our

309

faith, that our faith may not fail.

310

And along those lines, because it was this

idea of that, that we are in the Bible

311

tells us this and says this, we are at the

same time saved being saved, and we will

312

ultimately be saved in the future sense.

313

So we have been saved past tense.

314

We are being saved presently and we will

ultimately be fully saved in the future.

315

And part of what's keeping us on

that narrow road is the fact that

316

Jesus is praying for our faith, that

our faith would not fail the way he

317

was praying for Peter Saint Peter.

318

I've prayed for you that

your faith may not fail.

319

And so we, we get to follow him and

are we going to do it perfectly?

320

No, we're not going to do it

perfectly, but the way is hard.

321

The way is narrow in what keeps

it from being the same burden that

322

the Pharisees and the Pharisees

were like, Hey, here, you, you got

323

to keep yourself righteous enough.

324

Jesus is not looking at you saying, Hey,

you got to keep yourself righteous enough.

325

Uh, yeah, he's calling you to follow him.

326

And at the same time you saying

I'm going to pray for you that

327

you're going to be able to do this.

328

And because his prayers may

have, James says the prayer of a

329

righteous person accomplishes much.

330

The, the prayers of Jesus, the

righteous one par exsalonce, how

331

much does that accomplish for us?

332

It's it's perfect.

333

And it's working, right?

334

So we can have security and

comfort that we are going to be

335

delivered ultimately into glory

because Jesus is praying for us.

336

Um, and because he's, he's praying

for us, our faith is going to remain

337

intact and we are going to stay on

the narrow road as we strive after

338

obeying him and following him.

339

Because he is the one that,

uh, that has come for us and

340

in provide it for us that way.

341

Yeah, I'm thankful for that fact, man.

342

I don't have to.

343

I mean, I do, I do fear saying I do fear

doing something stupid and dishonoring

344

Christ, but ultimately my confidence

is not in my performance again.

345

It's in his security, his, he,

as we sing, he will hold me fast.

346

Um, even when my strength grows

weary and I feel like I'm going

347

to let go, he won't let go of me.

348

Right.

349

And ultimately that's what gives me

confidence that I will not let go

350

because he's the one who's calling.

351

He's a he's through me.

352

And by my spirit, by his

spirit connected to me.

353

Is, it allows me to cling to him.

354

I don't take great confidence in, yeah.

355

I used an illustration.

356

I don't know if it was very

good, but of going to Disneyland.

357

Once you park at Disneyland,

you're at Disneyland, but

358

you're not yet at Disneyland.

359

You got to get on the tram

and the train is taking you to

360

Disneyland from the parking garage.

361

And then you were ultimately

delivered into Disneyland.

362

Once you walked through the gates.

363

So you could say I'm at Disneyland.

364

I've, I've arrived at Disneyland.

365

And when you pull into the parking

garage, but you're not yet there.

366

You still gotta, you

still gotta get there now.

367

You're your entrance is

going to be guaranteed.

368

You're going to make it there.

369

But you still got to ride the tram

and get through the gates there.

370

Okay.

371

Yeah.

372

Okay.

373

There's there's there's holes there,

but whatever it came to me in.

374

You should work on that and listen.

375

I don't even like Disneyland.

376

Yeah, you do know.

377

I really don't.

378

Everybody does.

379

No.

380

I D I don't know.

381

I don't.

382

When you don't, there's more sanctified.

383

You become, the more you would like to do.

384

I don't like Disneyland.

385

You will like it.

386

I don't Disney world.

387

There's too many people anyways.

388

Uh, let's pray.

389

And then w what's our time.

390

That's right.

391

It's right there.

392

What is our 35 minutes?

393

Not accurate 65 seconds.

394

No.

395

No, we're we're we're we did well,

that'd be 3,620 minutes on this one.

396

Okay.

397

If I pray in week one chapter.

398

One chapter though.

399

We're here.

400

We're at like 12 minutes

of chapter right now.

401

Okay.

402

All right.

403

We're going to pray.

404

Got thanks for your word.

405

Thanks for this thing.

406

For these realities thinks that.

407

That Christ is.

408

Um, gentle and lowly in that

his yoke is one that we can take

409

upon him, take upon ourselves.

410

Um, and it is light and it's easy in the

sense that it's not, uh, laborious because

411

the spirit working in and through us,

but, but the way is hard and that is true.

412

And that's why we're so thankful

that the sustaining power to stay

413

the course is not ours, but yours.

414

Uh, as you enable us to

continue to, to desire.

415

The things of the Lord.

416

So we pray that we'd be mindful

of that grateful of that.

417

And we thank you for

this in Christ's name.

418

Amen.

419

All right.

420

Can you bring your Bibles to me

again tomorrow for another episode

421

of the daily Bible podcast?