The Law and the Gospel

Scripture Reading

Luke 16:14–18 NIV84

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight. 16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. 18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Introduction

As we come to this passage in Luke 16, it’s really important that we understand the context within Luke’s Gospel, and the flow and development through this section of Luke’s Gospel.

This passage from Luke 16:14-18 is not a simple one to understand. We see statements by Jesus that on first glance appear to have no relevance to surrounding statements. In the NIV, we find this heading above verses 16-18: “Additional Teachings…” as if these are just random teachings of Jesus that are thrown into the middle of the text, because Luke couldn’t find anywhere else to slot them in.

That is certainly not the case. There is a flow and development in terms of the thinking and teaching of Jesus and Luke, and we do need to see that, and then interpret these verses in light of that flow.

Since the beginning of chapter 15 of Luke, we have been considering together Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees and teachers of the law as they grumbled against Jesus due to him associating with Tax Collectors and sinners. In the eyes of the religious elite, Jesus was associating with the rif-raf of society. They were considered to be unclean. They were seen to be unworthy of God. They were considered to be defiled because of their lifestyle. Certainly, the religious leaders did not believe at all that God’s favor was upon them.

Jesus confronted this manner of thinking by reminding the religious leaders of the purpose for which he had come. He had come into the world in order to save sinners. He had come in order to save those who were lost. He had come, not to save the healthy, but the sick.

He also used three parables to convey this truth, particularly emphasizing the fact that it was the lost that he had come to rescue.... those who knew they needed a rescuer.

Following this teaching, Jesus turned his attention to his disicples, and started teaching them important truths concerning worldly wealth, and how one ought to use that wealth in order to store up treasures in heaven.

We saw last time we were in Luke’s Gospel that Jesus emphasized to his disciples that the world was very shrewd in using their money to help themselves in life, but that very often, those who claim to be worshipping and serving God are not very shrewd in using their time / possessions etc. to provide for their future in glory, or to ensure that they receive eternal rewards.

We saw last time how important it is for a professing Christian to demonstrate their profession of faith through their stewardship of what the Lord has entrusted into their care. In particularly, there was an emphasis on being oriented towards others.

Verse 14 of that passage then picks up at this point. As Jesus had been conveying this teaching on worldly wealth, the Pharisees and teachers of the law were standing by next to Jesus as he was teaching, and we will find that they respond in a particular way. And that response leads to Jesus confronting them once again.

As we approach this text, I do want to once again highlight a couple of important points, simply due to the complexity of the current verses.

Jesus Confronts these Pharisees and teachers on the fact that they love money. That’s what the discussion is actually initiated upon.

Further to this, Jesus will confront the reliance of these religious teachers upon the law in order to win the favour of God. They were very much dependent on the law, and what they beleived was their strong obedience to the law, in order to win the favour of God. Jesus confronts that here.

And so, what Jesus will do through our present text is that he will confront them on their own love for money, and their reliance on the law in order to win God’s approval, and show them that they are dangerously far away from the kingdome of God.

Keep in mind, immediately after what we will look at this morning, Jesus continues to teach on riches, and on distinctions between the rich man and Lazrarus… the rich man having a comfortable life now, Lazarus a miserable one. So the topic of riches is still very much being addressed.

Also, what we will find through the parable in the rich man and Lazarus, is that the rich man, after finding himself in a place of eternal torment, would try to warn his family of the importance of preparing appropriately for the approaching kingdom. He wanted to send Lazarus to his fathers household in order to warn his family members about what was coming. But he was told...

Luke 16:29 NIV84

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

So, we have here these threads of worldly wealth and what is done with this wealth. We also have these threads of the law, and righteousness under the law. We also have this idea in the background of those who are deemed unworthy by the self-righteous, and how God views them.

All of these threads must be kept in mind as we come to this present text, in order that we can understand the thinking of Jesus, and why he says what he says.

1. The Gospel Confronts Worldly Standards (v.14)

In verse 14, we find the reaction of the religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees…

Luke 16:14 NIV84

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

A couple of things to take note of.

Firstly, the Pharisees are described as “loving money.” They had a love for money, which is precisely what Jesus had been confronting through his parable of the Shrewd Mananger.

Before we go any further, we should ask ourselves the question: would the Pharisees agree with this evaluation or not? Would they consider themselves to be “lovers of money?” Probably not!

But the fact is that Jesus understood that they had hearts that were drawn to the wealth of this world. Their hearts were attached to what they could attain in this life.

The verse in our present text makes it clear that these religious leaders loved money. In Matthew’s Gospel, we read another rebuke of Jesus:

Matthew 23:25 NIV84

25 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.

The Pharisees were those who were greedy. They certainly loved to keep the law, and to put on a show of obedience for people to watch, so that these people would think that they were great people.

There was another aspect playing into this to some extent, however...

As religious leaders, one of the beliefs that they held to was that when a person was wealthy, they had a the favour of God upon their lives. In their minds, God’s financial blessing was upon those with whom He was pleased. Within their religious worldview as Jews, this was directly linked to how God viewed that person.

In other words, they viewed a person with great personal wealth to have the favour of God upon them, while the person with little was clearly under the judgment and wrath of God. This is very little different to the health, wealth and prosperity gospel teaching of our day.

As these Pharisees were thus listening to Jesus teach on worldly wealth, as the Pharisees looked at Jesus, they would have been of the view that God was not particularly pleased with him. After all, he didn’t own much. He was very poor. He had no place to lay his head. And here he was, teaching about the importance of giving away wealth and storing up treasures in heaven.

But here was a very serious concern for them from the side of Jesus. Their hearts were divided. Recall verse 13 of this chapter....

Luke 16:13 NIV84

13 “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

You cannot have a divided heart in serving God. Either you serve God, and everything else of the world is a far second, and subservient to that service, or you are not truly serving God at all.

Jesus was very radical in his calls.

The Pharisees had hearts that were captivated by the things of the world. Now, think about this for a moment. They were extremely religious people. They went to great lengths to try and place God. They deemed it extremely important to live a life that please God. But JEsus tells them that they are far removed from where they ought to be.

Just practially speaking, we need to see if we identify with these Pharisees at all, or to what extent we do. It’s really easy to self-deceived. And I simply want to encourage us all to consider our hearts - not just as a once off - but that we’d ask the Lord to search us in order to see if this is perhaps our approach without us realising it.

This leads us to consider our second main point…

2. The Gospel Confronts Self-Justification (v.15)

We find this point very clearly made in verse 15 of our text…

Luke 16:15 NIV84

15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

Now, keep in mind that that context of this passage and the surrounding passages is that of worldly wealth. The Pharisees are those who are described as loving money, the worldly wealth against which Jesus is teaching.

And notice that Jesus goes straight to the heart in terms of confronting these religious leaders. They were those who would put up a show in order to make themselves look good in the eyes of the world around them. They would carry out as diligently as possible the Old Testament laws and commands, usually in accordance with the traditions of the rabbinical teachings, in order to gain favour in the eyes of God and man.

Part of this would have been to give their basic contributions to the Temple. They would have paid what they needed to, but it was mostly in order to look good in the eyes of the people around them. It was all for show. For a show to the people, and even for a show to God...” They certainly didn’t want to neglect bringing what God had called them to bring.

But again, this was all a works-based righteousness that they were after. They believed that by doing these good things, they could to some extent merit the favour of God. At the same time, they wanted to enjoy the benefits of serving God, but the benefits that were limited to this world.

Let me bring this into modern contexts. There are many people today who will emphasize the importance of going to church. They will emphasize the importance of being a good person (and usually that’s what they determine as good).

Sometimes parents will put a very high standard on their children for behaviour, appearances, what they do and don’t do, who they hang around with or don’t hang around with. And in one sense, this is part of raising up children in an appropriate manner. But very quickly, the standard that they’ve set up becomes equated with God’s law, and any perceived departure from that becomes something that angers them, or leads them to believe that they’re failures. Their own sense of worth and accomplishment becomes bound up in their child’s performance.

Now, that’s just one example. It could happen in many other areas. Some people place their hope in the standard of life that they want to maintain. As long as I have these things in life, drive this level of car, earn this level of income, then everything is fine and I’m happy. But when suddenly life goes bad, and these things are taken away, or we can’t maintain the standard, depression hits and people feel that they have no worth and value. They struggle with the belief that they’ve been rejected by God. etc.

Why? Because they’ve got a Pseudo-Saviour. Yes, they claim to believe in God, and that Jesus is the Saviour. But when you start digging below the surface to what’s going on in their hearts, you find something that’s out of place.

Notice Jesus’ words here again. “God knows your hearts.”

God is always looking at the heart of man, rather than appearances. And this has always been the case. Remember the account of Samuel being sent to annoint a King for Israel, even while Saul was still king. And God sent him to the house of Jesse, and said, bring your sons… Samuel (a prophet of God!!!) sees Eliab being brought, he looks at him and says, “surely the Lord’s anointed is before me.”

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV84

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

We can fool many people with our outward appearances. We play act, and make ourselves look good when we’re around people. But God is interested in our hearts, and we cannot fool him. He knows our hearts. Psalm 139 says that

Psalm 139:16 NASB95

16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

God knows our hearts. God saw the hearts of the Pharisees, and knew that these men were far from him.

Notice what Jesus goes on to say…

Luke 16:15 (NIV84)

...What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.

To the average person, to the average Jew of that day, the Pharisees were the epitome of good, and of submission to and obedience to God. They had an immensely high standard. They were highly respected in the eyes of society in general. But God saw beneath that. God saw hearts that were far from him.

God saw the pride of their hearts. God saw the self-righteousness. God saw that their hearts were divided, and that they really had their affections set on the world, rather than on God himself.

God saw their selfishness, and that they didn’t really care about society around them, and about the needs of others, but rather for their own needs.

3. The Gospel Brings About that which is New (v.16)

As we move on, we find that Jesus turns his attention to the Law and the Prophets, and contrasts that with the good news of the kingdom of God. In verse 16 we read…

Luke 16:16 NIV84

16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

What Jesus is doing here is he’s drawing a distinction between two different periods of time. Two different periods of the unfolding purposes of God.

The first is the time of the Law and the Prophets. This refers to the Covenant that God entered into with Israel at Mount Sinai, where the Law was given to them by which they were to live. In the Scriptures, you will often find this reference to the Law, or the Law and the Prophets, or the Law, the Prophets and the Writings… and very often they refer to much the same thing.

Essentially, this was the Scriptures of the Old Testament. It was God’s revelation of His character, and the revealed will for His people. God had given Israel a law to live by.

We need to keep in mind here that the Pharisees were those who held the law of God in very high regard. They wanted to keep it. They saw much of the backsliding of Israel, and the waywardness of the people of God. They saw God bringing about the punishment upon His people because of their failure to live in obedience to Him. And in response, they had set themselves apart for obedience unto God, and were seeking to live perfectly in obedience as they waited for the promised Messiah, who they believed was to be a political Messiah.

They held to the law. They also held to the oral traditions that were handed down - which were far more detailed in terms of what was and what was not allowed. But in all of this, they really believed that they were living in a manner pleasing to God.

But notice what Jesus says. He says that the law and the prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the Gospel of the kingdom of God is preached.

Now, just one comment at this point. There’s been plenty of discussion surrounding John, and whether he belongs to the former (the Law and the Prophets) or whether he falls into the latter (the Gospel of the Kingdom). That’s not a point that we need to get too caught up on. John really served as the transitional person from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.

In respect to the Old Covenant, John is the last of the prophets.

Luke 1:17 NIV84

17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 1:76 NIV84

76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

On the other hand, John would be the one to preach the Gospel of the kingdom even as Christ came to bring in the kingdom of God...

Matthew 3:1–2 NIV84

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

In this sense, John the Baptist was really the bridge between something Old, transferring to something New. We do need to see this.

What Jesus is emphasizing here is the fact that there is a new paradigm being brought about. Yes, the law and prophets were proclaimed. That was taught. Yes, you Pharisees are seeking to live by this law, and doing your utmost. But something new is here. Something different is here. The Gospel of the Kingdom - the Good News of the kingdom is now being proclaimed.

But along with that (as we will see) is something that is radically different. Notice that the word “Good News” is mentioned.

And immediately, we need to ask why this was good news? What was this good news that was now being brought proclaimed?

In the context, the Pharisees were trying to win God’s favour by obedience to the law. But what JEsus is saying is that they cannot. It’s simply not good enough. The righteousness that is needed is so far beyond where you are with your good works and attempted obedience to the law.

Their hearts were far from God...

In Romans 3, Paul spoke about this Gospel and the significance of it…

Romans 3:21–24 NIV84

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Notice the distinction here in Romans 3. There is certainly the Law and the Prophets. But they were testifying to something. They were pointing forward to something greater. Yes, there is an important place for the Law and the Prophets in terms of demonstrating the holiness of God, and His righteous standards. But the Law and the Prophets could not be kept by man such that God’s righteousness would be attained. Even by the most diligent of the students of the law.

This leads us to consider our 4th main point...

4. The Gospel Presents an Urgent Call Demanding a Response (v.16b)

At the end of verse 16 we read...

Luke 16:16 (NIV84)

16 “...the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Now, there are a great number of different positions given as to what Jesus was actually meaning here.

Could be translated with the emphasis on the fact that the Gospel is being opposed… faces opposition.

Could mean that all kinds of people are trying to force their own way to be a part of the kingdom…

I don’t have the time to outline all of those possible positions, and their strengths and weaknesses.

Another way of translating this phrase is: “And all are urged insistently to come in...”

In this context, we must keep in mind that the Pharisees were seeking to gain entry into the kingdom by their obedience to the Law and the Prophets. They were seeking win the approval of God through their own righteous lifestyles.

What they didn’t perceive in themselves was the self-righteousness, and how calloused their hearts actually were. They did not perceive themselves to be in opposition to God. They didn’t take cogniscance of the fact that God was not merely interested in external appearances and surface-level obdience, but in complete submission and obedience through a willing heart.

The point here is that entrance to the Kingdom cannot be done on one’s own terms, or according to one’s own merits and ability.

The only way to gain access to the kingdom is through that which was procalimed by Christ - the Gospel message of the kingdom.

The force of this phrase is also to the effect that this Gospel message is being strongly proclaimed, and in the words of the ESV footnote… “Everyone is forcefully urged into it...”

In the context of the Pharisees… you need to stop seeking your own way to earn the favour of God, and you are cautioned and warned to ensure that you enter through the Narrow Gate...

This leads us to the fifth main point.

5. The Gospel is Brought to Bring Fulfilment (v.17)

In verse 17, we read these words…

Luke 16:17 NIV84

17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

There are two important things that we must consider in the context of this verse.

In the first place, we need to see something of the continuing significance and value of the law. When Jesus says that it is easier for heaven and earth to disappear, it is easier for creation itself to disappear that for the Word of God, the law of God to not be fulfilled.

As Christ says these words, he emphasizes this by saying that not even the least stroke of the pen will drop away. The word that he used refers to the mark that differentiates two very similar letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In English, consider the captial letter E compared to the capital letter F. One little line makes a significant difference.

What Jesus is saying is that God’s law cannot simply be done away with. Even in the context of what He’s just said - that the “Law and the Prophets” were proclaimed until John, and now the Gospel of the Kingdom is proclaimed - it does not mean that there is no law, or that anyone can continue to live as they please. Keep in mind, that in some way, in some form, the law of God has to continue.

Even as Christians today, we must accept this to be true. The Christian can never say that there is no law to live by. Jesus Himself outlined the royal law - love God and love neighbour. But those commands were not simply New Testament commands - they came from the Old Testament (e.g. Deut 6:5; Lev 19:18).

God called the nation Israel to be holy, as He was holy. That is repeated in the New Testament...

1 Peter 1:15–16 NIV84

15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

In this sense, Christ was not coming in opposition to the Law of God. The Pharisees could never say to Jesus that he was opposed to God’s law and revealed will. He certainly was not. In fact, he plainly states here that it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for God’s law to be made null and void.

But we need to see beyond this. As we consider the context of the teaching of Jesus, and the Pharisees emphasis on obedience to this law, Christ was also pointing out to them that their efforts were insufficient. They were trying to look good - both in the eyes of God and man - but God was looking at their hearts. He knew that they were not committed to Him. He knew that their hearts were far from Him.

In this sense, even though they tried with all diligence, they could not keep this law of God. And Christ, in pointing to the Gospel of the kingdom, is teaching that part of the newness of the Gospel message is that one would come that would keep the law in its entirety. Not only would He come and keep the law in terms of outward appearance, but even in terms of the heart.

Jesus came as the Son of God, and He came to do the will of His father in Heaven, in perfect obedience, from the heart.

In the parallel statement by Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, he says...

Matthew 5:18 NIV84

18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Two verses later, he says...

Matthew 5:20 NIV84

20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount is very well known for emphasizing a righteousness that seems nearly impossible (in human terms it is impossible) to attain. In other words, Jesus was teaching a hightened requirement in terms of the law of God, beyond what the religious leaders imagined.

The Pharisees thought that by working hard to obey, God would be pleased. And yes, there should be an effort towards obedience. Yes, it’s good and proper to seek to obey God.

But even then, our hearts are typically far from God. And this was the case with the religious leaders.

Jesus comes, proclaiming a glorious Gospel message - even to tax collectors and sinners - and calls them to enter the kingdom by repentance and faith. In the eyes of the Pharisees, this is madness. How could these filthy people enter the kingdom of God...

And Jesus says, you’re all filthy. He says to them, you’ve heard that it was said, “Do no murder...” And you all think you’re not murderers.... And then he says, “But I say to you...”

Jesus was heightening the requirements of the law. He was demonstrating to them that they had far too low a view of God’s requirements and standards.

But at the same time, Christ was coming to fulfil the law. He was coming to be the one that would perfectly obey the law and the prophets. And He would do it in the most beautiful and kind and gentle way.

We often think of obedience to the Law as harsh and rigid and unforgiving. Those who “hold to the Law” are some of the coldest people we know… no relationship. How different Jesus was. He perfectly obeyed, and he perfectly loved. He walked in obedience, and he poured out his mercy and kindness upon those who were undeserving. This is profound.

Finally…

6. The Gospel Calls for Humble Submission (v.18)

Once we see the context of what we’ve been looking at, verse 18 becomes a little bit easier to understand. Jesus goes to just one of the commands of the Old Testament, of the Law and the Prophets, and he uses it to demonstrate His authority, and the sense in which the requirements of the law were far beyond what the Pharisees perceived in their own minds…

Luke 16:18 NIV84

18 “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

It’s straight forward. It’s plain. Jesus was not specifically trying to give a lesson on divorce and remarriage in this context. He was using this as an example.

There were different schools of thought in terms of what the Pharisees believed about marriage and divorce. But essentially, the religious leaders themselves would try to find loopholes and ways to get around the law.

In the Old Testament law… Deut 24:1....

Deuteronomy 24:1 NIV84

1 If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house,

.... and it goes on to outline how a man should treat her, and what it acceptable or not acceptable.

But what happened was the religious leaders took this as a means of divorcing for just about any reason. There was some debate around this… different schools of thought. Hillel was the most liberal in this sense, and taught that a wife burning her husband’s food was sufficient grounds for divorce.

But either way, what Jesus is saying by this verse being included here is that the heart of man is not committed to the ways of God. There are these loopholes, copouts… ways to get around God’s law.

And this is the point. Jesus is saying to the Pharisees, you think that you’re really good because you obey God’s law in your own minds. But even the very standard that you’re using to determine your obedience is insufficient. God’s Law requires far beyond what you’re doing. God requires a heart devoted to Him. A heart of humility that is fully submissive to Him, rather than self-centered and driven by selfishness in every way.

And Jesus once again heightens the requirements of the Law… not because the Law has changed, but simply because he points out that this is really what God has required all along.

In Matthew 19, the Pharisees specifically confronted Jesus on this question of divorce… And can a man divorce for any reason. Essentially, God reminds them that man and woman were created to be one… and what God has brought together, man should not separate.

Matthew 19:7–9 NIV84

7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

And so, in our text in Luke, Jesus is emphasizing the true requirements of the Law of God. He is emphasizing the extent of the obedience that God’s Law required. And he’s pointing out to the Pharisees that they are not quite as good as what they claim to be.

He’s also emphasizing the need for submission to the Gospel message, and the need to be found in Christ. The focus now needs to become Jesus Christ. Only Christ can fulfil the Law in all its requirements. Only Christ can perfectly obey God from His heart, without any bending or manipulation of the righteous requirements of the Law of God. Therefore, the only way to come to God is through the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Application / Conclusion

Friends, we need to see our need of the Gospel. Too often, well-meaning people (even well-meaning professing Christians) are living under the law through their efforts in life.

Yes, they claim to be in Christ, but at the same time they are driven by a performance trap. They are heavily weighed down with guilt and shame. They believe that they are not good enough.

So often, this belief is covered over with a portrayal to others that they are good enough. They live behind a mask of hypocrisy, trying to convince the world around them that they’re pretty good people… but they still live burdened.

The call of the Gospel is this… you cannot please God through your own righteous efforts. You cannot earn the favour of God.

What you can do is rest in Christ, trust in Him for mercy and forgiveness, and abide Him. Your identity and worth should be bound up in Christ, the merciful Saviour.

When you do that, and you continue to do that, you will find that His Spirit at work in you will begin to transform you. Your desire for holiness will increase. Your love for others will increase. You will begin to serve others out of a heart that is transformed and willing. You will find that your emphasis upon and your love for the things of this world fade away.

But we need to search our hearts in this matter. We need to ask what our motives are.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 NIV84

1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Who are these people? They have a form of godliness (showing the world that they are Christians) but their lives are marked by their insecurities and their efforts to win the praises of man through self-exaltation. They self-promoting, self-exalting… and that always comes at the cost of putting others down. Not good!!

Friends, Christ came to fulfil the Law. Our only hope is to be found in Christ, not having a righteousness of our own, but a righteousness that is through faith in Christ.

A call to those here....

Are you weary and burdened by your sin?

Are you weary from trying to live up to the standards of people around you...

Are you weary of trying to fit in with the church… because you want to be found in Christ, but you feel that you don’t measure up…

Please talk to one of the Elders if this is where you are…

We are called to rest in Christ… only then will we see the transformation of heart and life that is so needed.