The Strangest of All Gifts: A Beheading, Part 3

Today on Insight for living from Chuck Swindoll one final word.

Do you work in a company where you must do wrong to follow orders. You're in the wrong company you have friends who are you to do wrong things. You have wrong friend stay with them long enough. Cultivate rationalization and you will find you no longer have a moral compass earlier this week Chuck Swindoll said this about.

He said. Oedipus and his wicked wife Herodias are the Bonnie and Clyde of the New Testament also called them the Mafia family. The first century's point is clear. They were up to no good.

Today on Insight for living. Chuck will support his convictions about this road couple by exposing the treachery that fuel their behavior. Occasionally contacts will begin with helpful highlights from yesterday's program to title this message, the strangest of all, give beheading back to Matthew 14 verse six.

Here is where the plot thickens and gets really ugly birthday party for Harry before you think of your son or daughter's birthday party. I need to stop you and have you think of a stag party. One man writes Roman nobles frequently held stag parties in which gluttony excessive drinking, erotic dancing and sexual indulgence were, verse six tells us about it and reread at that party for Herod Herodias is daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him. He says to her about to give you whatever you want, tell me what you want. Mark adds up to half my kingdom. She didn't know what to say and notice verse eight, at her mother's urging. If you are sick you will read that she went back to her mother to find out what she should ask for. I believe it was at that moment Salome pieced it all together. Shirley and her growing up years. She had heard her mother as she spoke with this enormous grudge against the baptizer and she hears her mother make this request. I want the head of John the baptizer.

Please observe in verse nine he regretted what he had said woman wanted me to get back when you say something stupid. The best thing you can do following. It is that was a stupid statement and admitted in front of those rat unless of course you're caught in the peer pressure of what others may think he would lose face for after all, it's his party use the chain.

How could he do that. So Herod because of the vow he had made. Notice how it reads in front of his guests, he issued the necessary order as the man is beheaded and his hand is brought on a tray. Please observe not given to Herod Oedipus who made the request but given to the one who was the reason for the request. She took the head on the tree to her mother and we read at the end of verse 12 they came for the body and buried it, and then they went and told Jesus what happened for the terminal moment for our Lord, out of the blue the disciples come quickly and described to him. The scene taken that body of the deer man buried it and now they tell the Savior of the forerunners death, one who had baptized him and we read words that describe grief as soon as Jesus heard the news. He left in a boat to a remote area to be alone the morning in his as we will see next time was a huge crowd comes in.

Jesus moves into another scene we will look back and we've we've rehearsed the setting we have seen this event in all its lewdness and ugliness mother listens to draw from it. Believe it or not, Herodias the wife Herod Oedipus the husband, Salome, the dancer all teacher something we can take with us from this day on even the whole story makes a statement to everyone by way of application. Listen carefully as we all look within Herodias the wife teaches us how dangerous is revision. How wrong is holding a grudge. It led to murder, shameless, senseless.

Needless murder. She didn't flinch your nurse a grudge long enough. There is no limit to what you will go to get even or to get back. It's like I get aggressive cancer growing within your mind and within your emotion. How much better it is to accept the reproof that someone gave you that you at the time resented how much better it would have been in your case. When that person offended you, for you to forgive even though they may never ask for. I mean the alternative is you suffer the consequences for everything wrong done against you. You must be able to be big enough to get past. If you do not read the end of Matthew 18 and you will read that you will be turned over to torture the inner torture rings that eat away like an acid on your peace and contentment. Herodias is eaten all with the torture rings of her grudge.

She teaches us how dangerous is revenge plus by now must have wondered why on earth in Hilo with her, but there indeed now really T because of the power of repayment. Let it go. Let it go.

If you have trouble doing that. Remember what our Lord is done for you.

He knows everything no one else does. He knows every thing you have done that was wrong and as far as East is from the west removes those transgressions from us.

God doesn't carry a grudge. How foolish of us to do so. Herodias teaches how dangerous is revision Herod Oedipus teaches us something else. How powerful is peer pressure how powerful his peer pressure, whom I didn't go back in an incorrect statement utilized in the stock Salome before she left the room. The people around them fearing what they would think or say, not realizing that folks respect you more when you acknowledge a foolish statement or wrong act loses it. Herod Oedipus himself. John's eternity is secure. As soon as he stopped breathing on this earth, he took up residence in the presence of the father.

Same with us when we die. Herod Oedipus teaches us how powerful is peer pressure before I move on I have to ask you living under the intimidation of pure pressure what others may say or think it's cool that her that's coming from your classmates. What someone or others may say about your decision regarding your own faith in Christ. So you decided the best way to continue here is just take a vow of silence wrong, you're bowing to peer pressure.

Peer pressure keeping you from telling the truth to someone else. Why would you use of that truth sets people free doesn't mean you become more popular, but it does mean that you are rewarded for doing what is right without being afraid of that, Herod, Oedipus teaches us how powerful is peer pressure.

Salome even teaches us something.

How treacherous is rationalization. Rationalization that's how she got involved in all this. She didn't carry the grudge. Her mother did when she heard the mother's request. She put the pieces together. She's smart enough to know what this is all about. How could she be involved. Rationalization check the word in the dictionary. It means to devise self satisfying but incorrect reasons for one's behavior again to devise self satisfying but incorrect reasons for one's behavior. It's been called the Adolf Eichmann syndrome. One of the books I read this past summer. During my time away was hunting Eichmann fascinating book about the man who played such a vital part in the extermination of millions of Jews horrible horrible creature to the core. He took orders from him or took his orders from Hitler and he orchestrated much of it. He choreographed some of it even photographic sessions of such horrible atrocities. What is interesting is that when they finally caught him in Buenos Aires and secretly flew him back to the state of Israel to stand trial. He was calm as he could have been, they were shocked to see how calm and the reason was five words. I was only following orders. That's call rationalization.

How could I don't like wouldn't do such a thing. Why would he say when they were ready to hang in.

Don't put a hold on my face. I'll not grimace and he stood calmly as the trap door open and his neck snapped without a hood. I was only following orders. But this is in the lesson about Eichmann.

This is about Salome and you and me the power of rationalization is shocking. You can by rationalizing talk yourself into the worst kind of acts and if you get good enough at it. Your pulse will not even rise you will remain calm as you can be because you rationalize your way out of any responsibility.

I was only following orders.

One final word to you who work in a company where you must do wrong to follow orders. You're in the wrong company you have friends who urge you to do wrong things. You have wrong friend stay with them long enough, you will cultivate rationalization and you will find you no longer have a moral compass. There is no line between right and wrong. It's all rationalize Salome teaches us how treacherous is rationalization the whole story. The whole sordid story teaches. Is this how addictive is sin. How addictive is sin. I won't do it. But if we were to go back to the original Mafia family.

Can you imagine this dysfunction in that family. Beginning with the Godfather of the family. Could you imagine the piling up of sin upon sin sin upon sin and the addiction of it as it wraps its way around the sons. The daughters the marriage partners. The children. The story is captivating, while also treacherous as it unfolds.

The extensive addiction of growing sin. I don't have many little sayings in my study at home. After a while they all sort of run together, but I do have one that I have written and put on my printer not my copyright by my computer and I see it every day I look at it every day. I'm reminded of it every day.

It says three things. Sin will take you farther than you want to go. Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay. Sin will cost you more than you want to pay. Why would I have that in front of me up because I want to finish my life will I don't want the end of my life to be a reproach on the name of Christ or on this fine congregation, because I know I have a nature just as wicked and just as evil as anyone.

You could name. If I were to give in and begin the process that describe why it's only a matter of time that I be covering up those things that would be exposed after my death, and so I remember how addictive sin is. And if I cultivate a taste for it where it becomes to me secretly delicious which can easily happen at a computer or in the imaginations of my mind, or even in the quietness of my own study where no one is around, Connor finished no thanks my constant prayer is Lord Lord God keep me clean. Remind me to keep short accounts shortly.

Over and over how weak I am, so that I will lean hard on you and not bring shame to the Swindoll family or to the people to whom I now minister and you have such a vital part in my life. Sin will take you farther than you want to go to keep you longer than you want to stay a question for you want to pay change the pronoun to become very personal.

It will take me farther into keep me longer. It'll cost me much more you see that's the reason that when we come to the Lord's table. The instructions are so clear that each one examine himself and then let him or her take of the bread and drink from the cup. It's a time of self-examination before you worship the one who paid the price for our sin dying in our place is to care that right now that with me when you sitting right where you are is a good perfect place to do your own self search. Are you certain you know the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you absolutely certain he's your Savior that you have trusted him, the one who is cleansed, you from all unrighteousness. Go there first. Otherwise, you really should not partake in the Lord's table. These elements are for those who know Christ. Secondly, let's say you know Christ. Other things going on that you not have not made right made right with the Lord and made right with others is the addiction begun to travel so long that you begun to rationalize around now's the time. Stop first, let him examine himself and then eat the bread and drink the cup, that's for you right now you are father that you love us with an infinite amount of finesse.

The reason you tell us the truth.

That's the reason you preserve stories like this you don't hide from us the reality of life and you've not done so today make this time extremely meaningful because we have washed our heart's before we spread from this, in the name of Jesus. We worship a man listening to Insight for living Chuck Swindoll titled today's message, the strangest of all gifts, a beheading to learn more about this ministry. Please visit us online@insightworld.org when Chuck concluded this message originally delivered at Stone Breyer Community Church. The congregation had been gathered around the Lord's table for a time of worship.

What followed was a quiet time of reflection, confession and praise will few things are more meaningful than allowing God's spirit to speak to us when we sit in his presence and listen if you're looking for a devotional book to guide you in these moments, we highly recommend perfect trust by Chuck Swindoll. It specifically written to instill confidence in God. When we feel like our circumstances are completely out of control. Perfect trust is well suited for our post-pandemic times. Even though our world appears to be making a comeback in terms of the virus that swept across the globe, the hardship and damages caused is far from over. Most of us have stories to tell that illustrate the way in which covert is undermined their sense of security will evenly text devotional book perfect trust will restore your confidence in the one who has the whole world in his hands, and you can purchase a copy right now by going to Insight.org/offer again is called perfect trust.

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Join us again Friday when Chuck swindle all present a message called eating a miracle for dinner on Insight for living. The preceding message, the strangest of all gifts, a beheading was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindle all rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited