Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. We are, we must admit, difficult although it is, that we are rather easily misled, easily deceived. And then our passages we're going to read now. The Lord Jesus gives a very stern warning. Against false.
Teaching. Welcome to the Verdict with Pastor John Monroe. The world is full of lies, half-truths, and misleading claims about who Jesus is and the way of salvation. Today, on the verdict, we're going to learn that saving faith and true spiritual understanding hinges on your perspective of the cross of Christ.
Now, as we continue our study in Matthew, here's Pastor John Monroe with a message titled, Beware of False Teaching. Last time. We saw the Lord Jesus giving warning against false teaching. In the opening verses of Matthew 16, he's in dialogue with the Pharisees and Sadducees, whose hypocrisy and stubborn attitudes prevented spiritual understanding. They are faced with the truth.
They're aware of the miracles and teaching of Jesus, but continue to harden their hearts. In their hypocrisy they're adding to the word of God. These are legalists. But they're blind to the Messiah. who is right in front of them.
Can you imagine? These are the religious leaders of the day. It's easy for us to be so caught up with our own religious rituals, our critical attitudes, our judgmentalism that we miss seeing and understanding spiritual truth. Today we'll learn what is essential for spiritual understanding. Throughout scripture, there are many warnings against false teachers.
Matthew chapter 16 then. And I'm going to read the first. Twelve verses. Matthew 16. Verse one.
The Pharisees and Sadducees came and to test him They asked him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them. When it is evening, you say it will be fair weather. For the sky is red. And in the morning it will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky But you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign. But no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.
So he left them. and departed. When the disciples reached the other side, They had forgotten to bring any bread. Jesus said to them, Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. And they began discussing it among themselves, saying, We brought no bread.
But Jesus, aware of this, said, O you of little faith, Why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? do not yet perceive Do you not yet remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered? How is it? that you fail to understand that they did not speak about bread.
Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then they understood. that he did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread. But of the teaching. of the Pharisees.
and Sadducees.
Now that's an intriguing portion of scripture. Isn't it? I want us to learn, first of all, from this passage, that sinful and stubborn attitudes prevent spiritual. Understanding. That it's all too possible to hear the word of God.
But because of our attitudes, we fail to understand. We hear at one level. But we totally miss this spiritual Truth. The disciples now are going to begin to understand who Jesus is. Although they recognize that he's the son of the living God, they still do not understand what kind of Messiah, what kind of Christ he is.
And in particular, they don't understand that he comes as the suffering. Messiah. Read with me from verse 21. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem. And suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
But Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord. This shall never happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan. For you're a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God.
But on the things. of man. They understand that Jesus is the Christ. But they don't understand what kind Of Christ, he is. He didn't come.
Primarily to heal. He comes. as the saviour. He comes. as Jesus.
Who's going to die? for the sins of his people. He comes. as the suffering Messiah.
Now I notice verse 21. From that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed. and on the third day be raised. He must Go to Jerusalem. His suffering.
His killing. are divine necessities as prophesied in the Old Testament. This incidentally is the first direct announcement of the cross. in Matthew's gospel. And did you notice that Jesus rebukes.
Peter. Or rather, Peter rebuk rebukes Jesus. Verse twenty-four. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, Far be it from you, Lord, this will never. happened.
Peter. A few moments ago, You said that Jesus is the Christ. the Son of the Living God. And now you're rebuking him? Peter is still not seeing clearly.
In particular, Peter doesn't want the cross. He does want to follow Jesus, but he wants to follow on his own terms. He wants the Christ, but he doesn't want the cross of Christ. Christ. In a sense.
He's saying to Jesus, I know better. There's another way. You don't need to be killed. You don't need to be... crucified, there is a better way.
And Jesus has to correct. The disciples' misunderstanding of his true identity. Notice what he says in verse 23: get behind me, Satan. You're a hindrance to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.
Now this is this is absolutely essential. It's absolutely essential we get this point. The cross. It's central. to the mission of Jesus.
It's very interesting. That is Jesus in chapter 4. Verse seven. Matthew 4 verse 17 it says from that time Same expressions we have in verse 21 of chapter 16. From that time, The context in chapter 4 is: Jesus has been baptized, he's gone into the wilderness, he's been tempted by Satan, and now he begins, from that time, he begins to announce the kingdom of God.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And as he does that, Satan is trying to stop him. Here, as he announces that he's going to die, that he must go to Jerusalem, again the devil, get you behind me, Satan. The devil is trying to stop him going to the cross. Have you noticed You have, haven't you?
But when God is at work in your life, the devil's there as well. He tries to divide, he tries to hinder us. He tries to harass harass us. Or the devil, the world, unbelievers are quite happy with a Christianity without a cross. But the cross and the resurrection, notice Verse 21: That Jesus says he must be killed and on the third day be raised.
The cross and the resurrection are essential to the Christian faith, and Jesus is now going to teach the Twelve rather than the crowd. What it means To follow heaven. He's going to teach them from now on the way of discipleship. And he's going to do that by teaching them that the way of discipleship is the way of the cross. We're going to see that particularly in verse 24.
Through twenty Eight in a couple of weeks, when Jesus says, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow. Me. The shadow of the cross. is now over the rest of Matthew. But why must he suffer?
Why must he be killed on the cross? It was very, very important. That we understand that at the top of the agenda. Is not political action, it's not social justice, it's not self-help techniques, it's not inspirational storytelling, it is the cross of Christ. That is of supreme importance.
Isn't that what Jesus is saying? You say, why is that so important? Because the cross And Satan does all he can to distract us from this. The cross is essential for the salvation of sinners. Without the death and burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there is no authentic Christianity.
And the message of the cross. That Satan Wanted to stamp out and still wants to stamp out the message of the cross. was the message that the apostles preached. Look over in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 1.
And 1 Corinthians 2. I'm saying That the message of the cross is of supreme Importance. Nothing. Nothing. can put that into a secondary position.
1 Corinthians 1, verse 18. Here's the Paul. For the word of the cross, Lagos is it? For the word, the preaching of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. Verse 23, but we preach Christ crucified.
There's two of chapter two. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Apostles of Jesus Christ. did not preach a message of self-help. They did not preach a message of human potential.
They did not preach a message of prosperity. They did not preach a message of politics. They preached the message of the cross. It was a message of the cross. And Paul is saying, God uses the folly, the foolishness of preaching.
to bring people to saving faith. Christ Crucified. And the cross of Christ then must be central. Have you noticed? In so many of our churches.
And so much of Christianity. The cross of Christ, while not being actively denied, is being put in a subordinate position. Notice what happens. Verse 22 of 1st Corinthians 1 For Jews demand Signs. There we have it again.
Same word. As in Matthew 16, the Pharisees and the Sadducees say, Come and show us a sign. That is a spectacular sign. Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom. You've got one group seeking signs.
You've got another group seeking wisdom. And what does the apostle do? Could he do signs? Yes, he's an apostle. Could he preach with words of man's wisdom?
Yes. his training, his intellect. Are beyond peer. Of course, he could have debated the Greeks at their own level with all their philosophy and speculative philosophy and ideas. He doesn't do that.
One six signs. One seeks wisdom. Paul says, We preach Christ. Crucified. I love that.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees demand a sign. There's still those who want that today, don't they? They want something sensational. When they come to church, it seems as if the top of their agenda is excitement, is something that is sensational. You know, that's an indication of immaturity.
At best, and unbelief. At worst. That's the Jews. They seek Signs. What does Paul do?
He does what his Savior is instructing us to do, is to preach. Christ. Paul doesn't preach traditions. The Jews' problem was pride of their religion. He doesn't preach speculative wisdom.
The Greek problem was pride of intellect. He preaches Christ. Crucified. Instead of Paul presenting a message of human power and of human wisdom, he preaches to Jews and Greeks a message, and it's the same message, the message of the cross, which they both regard as weak. Foolish and offensive.
And that's still the case today. But the cross of Christ is God's only way of salvation. The cross of Christ is the only way of being saved. Again, verse 18, 1 Corinthians 1, the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God. It's the only way of salvation in the gospel.
in the preaching of Christ crucified. There is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Have you noticed? But unbelievers. We'll happily discuss and even accept An uncrucified Jesus?
A Jesus who's a moral teacher. A Jesus who's a prophet of love. A Jesus who's a guru who leads us into more enlightenment. A Jesus who's an inspiring example of love. Oh, they'll happily embrace that kind of Jesus.
You see, an uncrucified Jesus rarely offends anyone. An uncrucified Jesus is politically correct. An uncrucified Jesus is tolerant of the most bizarre. of conduct. But an uncrucified Jesus is false teaching.
An uncrucified Jesus never saves. An uncrucified Jesus is not the gospel. And so we stand, I trust, as church has always stood. that we preach Christ. And him.
Crucified. What does our Lord Jesus say in John 3, verse 14? As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must The Son of Man be lifted up. That whoever believes in him will have everlasting life. He must, he says.
Go to Jerusalem. He must be lifted up, referring to his crucifixion. Paul says in Romans five eight But God shows his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Central to Paul's teaching is Christ crucified. What does Peter say in in 1 Peter 3, 18?
But Christ also suffered once for sins. The just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. What does the writer of Hebrews say in Hebrews 10, verse 12? But when Christ had offered for all time, A single sacrifice for sins. He sat down.
At the right hand of God, how magnificently. Our blessed Savior makes one single sacrifice for all time for sinners. His work is complete. He sits down at the Father's right hand. Have you grasped that?
The Pharisees couldn't. The disciples are finding it difficult. It is very, very important that we understand at the very center of our faith, and no one can divert us. From this, or should divert us so that we spend our time in other things that's central to the gospel. is Christ.
crucified. As a boy going to school, we used to sing. There is a green hill far away. without a city wall Where the dear Lord was crucified. Who died to save us all?
There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin. He only could unlock the gate of heaven. And I just said My dear friend, if you're going to be in heaven is going to be through the way of the cross. It's going to be through you humbly. coming as millions and millions have done down through the centuries.
that you come humbly That's why we have a cross on the ceiling. Not just something that looks good, something that reminds us that this is the very center of our faith. And the way to begin to follow Christ It is to come the way of the cross. Peter is saying, No, no, no, you don't need to be killed. You don't need a cross.
We can just follow you. You can keep on doing the miracles. We can get rid of the Romans and we'll be right with you, Jesus. Jesus says no. I must.
Go to Jerusalem. I must be killed. And on the third day I will rise again. Of course, that was prophesied in the Old Testament scriptures. What's your personal response to Jesus?
You're either perishing Are you being saved? There's no middle ground. See, the cross deals not just with the symptoms of sin or felt needs. and our selfish desires, but rather the root problem, our sinful heart. In the false gospel, Jesus is presented in all kinds of ways.
Perhaps as a guru to enlighten us through life, as a kind of business partner to help us be successful in life. As a kind of therapist, To give us psychological help in tough times and all of that, and absolutely not, at the center of. A faith. At the very center of the Christian faith. is Jesus.
crucified Buried. Risen. Seated at the Father's right hand and soon coming for his bride, the church. And without the cross, there is no salvation of sinners. The cross.
always humbles us. and exalts Our Saviour. False religion, false teaching always exalts the individual. Oh, here's an individual who's got these wonderful insights. He had this vision.
He had this vision from God. God told him this. What a wonderful person. Notice how. The glory goes to the individual.
But with the cross We're all on the same level. Sinners. Saved. By grace, are you saved? We received Christ.
As your Saviour. Or do you only have a partial understanding of who Jesus is? You see, but you don't see clearly. You hear, but you don't hear plainly. As we close, we ask God, to soften your heart.
Open your eyes. And perhaps if you're a following Christ, You've had your eyes off Christ and you've been following yourself and your. Sinful desires. And you're going a false way. I'm saying today there is no authentic Christianity without the cross.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. comes to forgive our sins. to transform our lives. And through his spirit to empower us to do God's will for our lives. What are we to do?
We're to trust them. Will you trust them? For salvation. Will you trust them with that problem? You're worrying about bread, as it were, like the disciples.
and the supreme bread maker is with you. You're worried. Let me remind you that Christ is with you, the all-powerful. Christ, so trust them. Love him.
Follow him. Follow him the way. Of the cross. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us.
From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever. but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help he do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your verdict? What do you think of the cross of Christ? we saw that coming to the cross is essential for spiritual understanding. essential for salvation. People love to talk about Jesus, but many have not understood the importance of the cross of Christ.
The cross is the only way of salvation, for cleansing and forgiveness of sin.
So Come to the cross. And see the Lord Jesus dying for your sins. Understand he was buried and rose again. Trust him and follow him. and allow him to transform your heart and your mind.
Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
