Confrontation and Confirmation

Well, in our study of Matthew, we increasingly see Jesus in conflict with the religious establishment, with the Pharisees and the scribes. Recently in our study, we've seen that the Pharisees criticized the disciples of Jesus for eating grain on the fields on the Sabbath day. They also have criticized Jesus when He healed the man with a withered hand in the synagogue, as He also did that on the Sabbath. And we also saw not only are they critical, that's bad enough, but they're actually conspiring to kill Him. And so we read in Matthew 12 verse 14, the Pharisees went out, that is out of the synagogue, after seeing the miracle of Jesus, and conspired against Him how to destroy Him.

Amazing statement. To those who have eyes to see, to those who have ears to hear, the evidence in front of them is incontrovertible. These men, the scribes and the Pharisees, have studied the Bible, the Old Testament. They know the Old Testament Scriptures. They have memorized part of it, but they miss seeing the One of whom all of Scripture speaks, namely our Lord Jesus Christ.

All of the Old Testament is pointing to this man, the God-man, the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the living God. God with us, Immanuel, as we're going to be celebrating over Christmas, they miss that. And we saw last week that their hostility against Jesus reaches a feverish pitch as they say that Jesus is the Prince of Demons.

Think of that. They look at Jesus and say, we know how you can cast out demons because you yourself are the Prince of Demons. They are in spiritual darkness, and their hatred of Jesus is going to climax in His being nailed to an old rugged cross at Calvary, Golgotha, the place of the skull. Paul writes in Ephesians 6 verse 12, of the cosmic powers over this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. The cosmic powers over this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil. And those who do evil love the darkness rather than light. In Ephesians 5, Paul encourages those who are following Jesus to walk as children of light and take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness. There is light and there is darkness. Followers of Jesus are not to walk in the darkness, are not to partake as it were of the fruits of darkness, but are to walk in the light.

So the beginning of this message I challenge every single one of you. Are you walking in darkness? Or are you walking in the light? You say, well I'm a follower of Jesus.

Again the question is, think back over this last week or two, this last month. So any part of your life, any facet of your life perhaps which you hide, but it is the darkness. And you know it's the darkness.

You know it's wrong. Do not walk in the darkness, but follow Jesus who is the light of the world. And the passage that we're going to look at today, it's an unusual passage, but it will help us I believe to live in the light and to turn from the darkness. Each day you are to keep your eyes on Jesus and as you follow Jesus you have this assurance that He never ever leads you into the darkness. So keep following Jesus. When I as a teenager used to sometimes argue with my father as to what I could or couldn't do, my father one time said to me, well as long as you're following Jesus, go ahead.

That made me pause. Is Jesus going to lead you into such and such a place? Can you follow Jesus and do such and such a thing?

That's it. He is the light of the world. He says that he who follows me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the life of light.

Now we're going to see the characteristics of those who are hostile to Jesus, of those who are in the darkness, and then finally the characteristics of those who are members of the family of God and what a difference. Let's first read in our Bibles verses 33 through 37 where we will learn that evil words come from evil hearts. Evil words come from evil hearts. Here's the Word of God to us today. Matthew chapter 12 verse 33, Jesus is speaking and says either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad.

For the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you speak good when you're evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, the good person out of his good treasure brings forth good and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned. Evil words come from evil hearts.

You know this is true. Our words reveal our hearts and Jesus gives a simple illustration here in verse 33. Here is a tree. Some person says this is a good tree, you can put a label on it, good tree, but if its fruit is bad, if its fruit is evil it's a bad tree. You can say all you like about it. If the tree could speak it would say I'm a good tree, but when you taste its fruit it's bad.

Do you get the point? You can say you're good, Pharisees. You can say you're good, sitting here at Calvary Church. You can say you are a follower of Jesus, but if the fruit is bad, you are bad. Verse 33, for the tree is known by its fruit.

You know that. Earlier Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount to beware of false prophets and teachers. He says thus you shall recognize them by their fruits. Here are the Pharisees. They seem very pious. They seem very religious. They seem very good with their long flowing robes, their long prayers, their recitation of Scripture on the face of it.

They are good people. We are the Pharisees. We are the scribes.

We are good. We are religious. But, says Jesus, your words are demonstrating that you are in fact evil. Verse 34, did you notice it? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Their accusation that Jesus is in league with the devil, their conspiracy to destroy him are proofs evidences of their evil heart. So he calls them a brood of vipers. You're snakes. You're dangerous. You're evil. Oh, you say you're good. Some people say you're good.

You stand up in the synagogue, but your words demonstrate that in fact you are evil. Here is someone you meet for the first time. Comes to your workplace. And in the course of your work you spend quite a bit of time with them. You have no idea about this person until they speak, until they act. And they can call themselves anything they like. They can say they're good. They can say they're religious.

They can say they're a Christian. They can say anything they want, but their heart is revealed, you know this, by what they say, by how they act, by their conduct. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. So I have to ask you, what about your heart?

How's your heart? You may profess to be a follower of Jesus. You may make all kinds of statements about yourself. You may get other people to say about you, this person is such and such, but Jesus is saying if your words are corrupt, if they're blasphemous, if they're evil, you in fact are evil. Our words and our conduct reveal our hearts. Very convicting, isn't it? Now look at verses 36 and 37 where Jesus drives at home that God holds us accountable for our words, for by your words you will be justified, verse 37, and by your words you will be condemned.

The hostile attacks by the Pharisees against Jesus reveal their hearts. Words are important, aren't they? What about your speech? Are you honest? Don't make promises you can't keep. Do you lie? Children, do you lie to your parents? Business people, do you lie to your employer? Do you lie to your customers?

Do you lie to your wife, to your husband? Don't lie. Don't curse.

Men, do you hear me? Don't curse. Can you imagine little children brought up in a home where the father loses his temper quite frequently and curses and shouts abuse at his wife? And here are two or three-year-old children and they hear their father cursing the mother. Some of you may have been brought up in that kind of home.

What damage is done? Don't curse. Don't blaspheme.

Don't use crude language. James says in James 1, verse 26, if anyone thinks he's religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Don't say that you're a good person, but when you speak, your words are evil. The power of words. With our words, we can encourage someone, can't we? Words of kindness, words of healing, words of encouragement, words of constructive criticism.

These are all very helpful. All of us have been blessed, haven't we, by someone just saying a word of encouragement, a kind word, a note of thanks. Words impact us profoundly. What about your words?

Are they kind, encouraging, critic? The same tongue that can bless God can also curse. That tongue of yours can be crude, destructive, unkind, and even blasphemous. Some of you are familiar with the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the old Persian poet, I think in the 10th or 11th century, he writes, the moving finger writes, and having writ moves on, nor all thy piety nor wit shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out a word of it. My mother used to quote that to us. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, a wise Persian poet.

Notice this, the moving finger, it keeps writing. And you might want to take that back, that letter you wrote, that email you wrote, that Twitter you wrote, that note on social media, that comment, that word you said, but it's there, it's out, and all of your tears can't wash it out. I understand God can forgive it. But the impact of your words, that's what the Persian poet is saying, that's what the Word of God is saying, that the impact of our words are incalculable, and Jesus is saying, you will be held account for by your words, you'll be justified by your words, you'll be condemned. No, we're not saved, please understand, we're not saved on the basis of our speech. We're not saved on our conduct by being an encouraging, nice person.

That's not the point. The point is this, that our words, our actions demonstrate our heart, demonstrate our faith, the reality of our faith in Jesus Christ. Fact, evil words come from evil hearts.

You can know the tree by its fruit, not by the label on it, but by the reality of what the person says and how they act. We live in a culture where over the last few years is becoming very harsh, isn't it? Extreme, unkind rhetoric. Social media makes it much worse, doesn't it? What people say on social media, what is said, and the crudities, and words that would never, ever be said on television even 20 years ago are now said openly and they're adopted by whole culture. That people use words and expressions which are crude, which are nasty, and which are very, very unkind.

Do you have that kind of talk? It's not even in the community of believers, doesn't it? Some of the nastiest, most abusive, can I say, evil letters, emails which I've received or my fellow leaders in the church have received here and other churches have come from professing believers of Jesus Christ.

And you wonder, how can this individual who says they're a believer in Jesus Christ write such nasty, unkind, harsh, and often untrue statements? Don't do that. Stop it.

You're getting involved in a fight with someone on social media, stop it. Listen to Paul. Paul says for the Christian, our words are to give grace to those who hear. Are my words gracious? Are my words kind? Think of this, that you have the ability to give grace to someone, to display grace.

A soft answer turns away wrath. And you say, well, I'm the kind of person who just tells it as it is. I shoot from the hip. Well, stop shooting from the hip. Stop it. We're to be slow to speak. Don't pride yourself that you're the kind of individual who just tells it as it is.

No, don't tell it as it is. Be thoughtful. Be kind. Jesus was the most righteous, the most holy, the strongest man. He wasn't some kind of wimp, but they marveled at the gracious words that proceeded from his lips. Have you ever been in a situation, perhaps in a meeting, which perhaps was getting a little out of hand and someone speaks words of grace? Yes, with truth. What a difference. Has there ever been a situation in your home where there was an argument going on between two people, husband, wife, parent, child, brother, sister, and someone speaks words of grace?

Grace. Proverbs 12 18 says, there is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts. It's like stabbing someone with a sword time and time and time again.

And they can even be proud of the fact that they can use the sword. There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Our homes need healing. You got problems at home?

Something in the family, some relationships a bit off? What's going to bring healing? One way is to do it with kind, gracious words. Yes, truthful words, of course. Always, always speak truth, but bring healing with words.

The opposite, evil words come from evil hearts. Now, as we look on at verses 38 through 45, we see that an evil generation, this generation with evil words, refuses to repent. In spite of the evidence, some people do not repent. Verse 38, this is fascinating, at least I think so. Some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, teacher, we wish to see a sign from you. But he answered them, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it.

For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. You picture the Lord surrounded by his critics. Imagine the disciples hearing this. Imagine Matthew hearing it and now recording it in sacred Scripture. The scribes and the Pharisees, verse 38, we want to see a sign from you, teacher. Sounds very nice, doesn't it? We want a spectacular sign.

You think, what more do they want? They've seen the miracles of Jesus. They were there in the synagogue. They saw for themselves the man's hand being healed.

They saw Jesus casting out the demons. They'd heard his teaching, but they still want a spectacular sign, a sign from heaven, they're going to say in chapter 16, verse 1, something spectacular, but Jesus isn't that kind of person. He's not the entertainer. He's not out to be a celebrity. He's not a circus performer. His miracles are not to draw attention to himself and say, look what I can do.

No. He's not a magician. His miracles are done in the power of the Spirit to help those in need, not to impress the skeptic. And Jesus, as he answers, describes them, how this must have shocked them as an evil and adulterous generation seek for a sign. No, the very, your very request demonstrates your heart is hard and is unbelieving. They've got a sign, and the only sign is the sign of the prophet Jonah. You're one of these people always looking for a sign, some writing in the sky, something spectacular. You'll believe if God does this and such.

Is that the kind of person you are? I mean, you've had all of the evidence. You've looked at the evidence, but it's not enough for you.

You want something more, and you become quite argumentative sometimes with your Christian friends and say, well, I want God to do something. If God did this, I would then believe. No, you wouldn't.

You wouldn't. Jesus says in other contexts, even if someone rose from the dead, they still would not believe. The problem is not with the evidence.

They have all of the evidence. The problem is not with the teaching of Jesus. He's a master teacher. What's the problem?

The problem is they're evil, hard hearts. And says Jesus, you've got the sign. You've got the sign of the prophet Jonah. Remember Jonah, the runaway prophet? He's told to go and preach repentance to the Ninevites.

The Ninevites, the Assyrians, fierce warriors. History records that they literally skinned people alive. Anyone signing up for that mission trip? You're going to people and if they don't like you, what do they do?

They skin you alive. Is there another go trip I could go on? Yes, there is. There's a boat, in fact, going to Tarshish. And so Jonah jumps on the boat, runs away from God. He doesn't want to go to the Ninevites.

Who would want to go? But God hasn't finished with Jonah. Remember he gets thrown overboard in the storm. And right there, there's a great fish, this kind of submarine in the Mediterranean.

Not the yellow submarine of Ringo Starr, but another submarine. And it's right there, a big fish, and it swallows up Jonah. And for three days and three nights, he's in the belly of the fish. As Jesus says, Jesus believes the story. It's not a whale of a tale. It's a tale of a whale and it's true. And Jesus is giving authenticity to the story of Jonah. The whale throws up Jonah. And what does Jonah do? He then goes to Nineveh. What's his message?

It's a tough one. Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown. If you don't repent, God is going to judge you. And an astounding thing happens, miraculous thing. These hard warriors, these pagans, they repent at the preaching of Jonah.

That's your sign. What's the point? The Ninevites, the pagans, they repented at the preaching of Jonah. But something greater than Jonah is here.

Something and certainly someone, not a prophet of God, but the Son of God. God incarnate is right there in their midst. And you're not pagans. You know your Bible. You've heard the evidence. You've had opportunities much more than the Ninevites and you still have not repented.

That's the point. The Ninevites repent, but these religious leaders and that generation are so hard that they continue in their unrepentant hostility to Jesus. The sign of Jonah should have been enough. No, Jonah didn't perform a sign.

He is the sign. And Jesus will be three days and three nights, verse 40, in the heart of the earth and he will be raised from the dead. Jonah came out of the great fish alive. Yes, he's a prophet of God, but someone greater than Jonah, something the kingdom of God is right in your midst. That's greater than Jonah. In Jonah's case, there was a kind of, we could say today, a virtual resurrection.

He was thrown up by the fish. But with Jesus, there's going to be an actual bodily resurrection of the dead to demonstrate that he's truly God. Yes, they're going to crucify him.

Yes, he's going to be buried. But on the third day, he's going to be raised from the dead as the living God, demonstrating that he's greater than the forces of darkness and is alive forevermore. And this one, the very Messiah is in their midst, the chosen servant of God who brings salvation. He's greater than Jonah, and you still don't believe.

And you still want another sign? Furthermore, verse 42, Jesus talks about the queen of the south. Who's she? She's the queen of Sheba. She's also a Gentile. Where does she come from? She comes from probably what we know today as Yemen, down in Arabia.

And think of this woman. She hears of the wisdom of Solomon. He's in Jerusalem.

He's hundreds and hundreds of miles away. She hears of his wisdom. She hears of his wealth, and she says, I've got to go and see this man. And so she travels, not by air, not by car, by camel. And she brings camels all that way in the desert.

Can you imagine going all of that way through what we call Saudi Arabia into what we call today Jordan, and finally into Israel. And she has this meeting, and she has time with Solomon himself, the wisest man who ever lived. And what's her response? This Gentile queen, this woman, who's not raised like the Pharisees in the Old Testament Scriptures. Ah, but she's open to God. She's seeking truth. And as she leaves, she says, you know, the half is not being told. His wisdom is far greater, and his riches are far greater than were reported to me when I was in Sheba.

This is amazing. And she blesses the God of Israel, a pagan woman. And at the day of judgment, she's going to rise, says Jesus, and she's going to condemn this generation. Think of the little privilege that she had, and she believed. And think of the great privileges you've had as the Pharisees, and you still do not believe, and behold, someone greater than Solomon is in your midst. Yes, Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, but now in their midst is God Himself, who's all wise, who knows everything about everything. He's there right in their midst, and still they are opposed.

Still they're going to destroy Him. Still their hearts are harder. And they're looking for a sign rather than listening and responding to Jesus. Turning from the truth hardens the heart. Is that true with you?

Is your heart hard? Think of all of your privileges. Many of you have been raised in a Christian home. Many of you have sat on these pews for a long time, but perhaps you still have not repented.

Perhaps you're still arguing with God, arguing with others, saying, I want a sign. Notice the story Jesus tells, verse 43, when the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came, and when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it, think of this, seven other spirits more evil than itself. And they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also it will be with this evil generation. Turning from the truth hardens the heart. And Jesus gives this rather strange parable illustration of the unclean, restless spirit leaving the person. He cleans up the house, he leaves the house for a while, and he goes back, and the house is in order, and he brings with it seven more evil spirits.

In fact, more evil than itself. So the last state of that person is worse than the first. See there can be no neutrality in following Jesus. Some of you, as it were, have made such adjustments in life, have cleaned up your life, as it were, but you've never experienced the supernatural power of God. You've gone through the formalities of religion, perhaps, but your heart has not been changed by the Spirit of God. See there can be no neutrality regarding Jesus.

You leave the house empty, as it were, and there's going to be problems. You want to sit on the fence. You say, well, one day I'll make up my mind.

When is that day? What more evidence do you want? What's your problem?

Why are you waiting? This is an individual who may have made some changes but has never responded to the power and the truth of God. I've seen people like this. They are drawn, as it were, to Christ. They come and they even enjoy the worship. They sing some of the hymns in the contemporary songs and there's something about the Christian faith and there's something about the church and there's something about Jesus that attracts them, and they come, but they only go so far. They're attracted at some level, and you could say they're on the very edge of the kingdom of God. Outwardly they seem very, very close, but they don't accept Christ. And I've seen people like that go back and back and back into the darkness, and their subsequent condition is worse than it was before.

You say, how does that happen? You know, the Word of God is supernatural. It's sharper than a two-edged sword.

And the Word of God, as you read it at your home, as you're exposed to it perhaps in a Bible study, as you listen to the preaching of the Word, the Word of God is either softening your heart or hardening it. It's the same word. It's like the sun which melts the butter and hardens the clay. The sun is unchanged.

The properties of the sun don't change. The truth is the same. Two people are sitting here. One of them, their heart is soft. The other, their heart is hardened. The truth as it were bounces off them. They're always thinking of an objection. They're critical over it. Or perhaps they're saying, yeah, that's true. There's something in that.

I must explore that further. But they never trust Christ. I ask you, well, why are you sitting on the fence? That sin in your life, that darkness in your life, why do you continue to play with it?

You know it's wrong. And the difficulty is if it isn't dealt with, it will take over your life. We see that very, very forcibly with someone who is involved in alcohol and drugs. They think they can control it. Every alcoholic says, oh, I can stop it anytime I want. But then they find they can't. Similarly with the drug addict. Similarly with the person who goes into sexual immorality.

And before they know it, they are controlled by whether it's the alcohol, the drugs, their own sexuality or money or whatever the particular sin is, and they become worse and worse and worse. Hardened yes by the Word of God. How many times in Scripture do we read today if you hear His voice?

Do not harden your heart. Today is the day of salvation. Tomorrow is the word of the devil. The word of Jesus is today. Get right with God today. Get on your knees today. Repent of that sin. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ today, not tomorrow. What more do you want? There's no more sign. There's no more evidence.

You've heard it. The question is, will you trust Christ? Will you live a life in the light? Similarly in verses 46 through 50, we see those forgiven are in God's eternal family. How wonderful and obey God. Verse 46, while He was still speaking to the people, behold His mother and His brother stood outside asking to speak to Him. But He replied to the man who told Him, who is my mother and who are my brothers? And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. These are encouraging words, aren't they? Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.

Those forgiven are in the family of God, the eternal family of God and obey God. Over these last few days, most of us have been with our family and friends. That's wonderful. It's cool to have strong family ties. All of us appreciate that. And when these relationships are broken or if a loved one passes on, it's very difficult, isn't it? But we value the family, our actual family.

I certainly do. But Jesus is saying something very profound, that the spiritual family, the family of God is greater, is more important than the physical family. My younger brother, who I love dearly, who's standing here, would say, I'm not a follower of Christ. Can I have fellowship with Him?

At a certain level, yes, but another level, no. He's not in the family of God. And so here is you, new to Calvary. We welcome some new members today, as it were, our new brothers and sisters. And what a bond we have in Christ. If you've traveled, you understand that. You go on a mission trip.

You spend some time with people in another country and immediately there's a bond. No, they're not in your physical family. More importantly, they're in the spiritual. They're in the family of God, and they are in this wonderful, eternal family. Now, you notice, incidentally, I'll just touch on this, Jesus has brothers. Some people dispute that and say, believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary, which is that Mary was a virgin not only before Jesus was born.

That is certainly true. We certainly believe that, but they say that Mary was a virgin throughout her entire life. We'll think a little of Mary tonight at the Advent service. And they say that Jesus was Mary's only child. That has no biblical support. Look back at Matthew 1, at the end of Matthew 1, the word to Joseph, and it says in verse 25 of Matthew 1 that Joseph knew her, that is Mary, not until she had given birth to a son and he called his name Jesus. Yes, before Jesus was born, there was no marital relationship between Joseph and Mary.

That is true. Jesus is conceived as born of a virgin. We believe that and believe that strongly, but after the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary had children. It refers to his brothers, his mothers and brothers standing at verse 46. In Matthew 13 verse 56, we read of the sisters of Jesus.

So the idea that Mary is perpetually a virgin has no biblical support. But what is the point that Jesus is making here? Is he being disrespectful to his human family? No, he loved Mary. He's going to make provision for her right from the cross as he entrusts her to John. No, Jesus loves his mother. We are to honor our father and mother.

That's not the point. The point is this, that spiritual relationships are eternal and have a higher priority than human relationships. Jesus is going to say that if you can't leave your father or mother and follow me, you're not worthy of me. That our love for Christ is to be number one. Of course we're to love our family. Of course we're to honor our parents. But our first love, our primary love is to love Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

And when that is right, everything falls into place. You say, well, how do you get into the family of God? Is it by joining Calvary Church?

No. You can join Calvary Church. You can be a member of Calvary Church and still not a member of the family of God. You say, well, I've got to be baptized. We had three people being baptized at the earlier service. Is that the way? Does my baptism get me into the family of God?

No. Baptism is a sign. Those who are becoming members today are already in the family of God. How did I become a Monroe? I was born into the Monroe family.

My father, Thomas Monroe, he's my father. I'm born into a physical family. How do I get into the family of God? I've got to be born into the family of God. I've got to be born again.

Have you heard that expression? Jesus says unless someone is born again, they won't enter. They will not see the kingdom of God. What is the Father's will here? It says, whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister. What is the will of the Father? Jesus answers that question.

A very good question. I hope you're asking it in John 6. John 6, verse 40, here is the will of the Father. John 6, verse 40, for this is the will of my Father.

Are you listening? That everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. That's it. This is the will of God for you. This is the first step. This is the essential step, that you look on the Son, that the Father is saying, look at the Son. Trust my Son. Put your faith in my Son. Turn from the dark and embrace the light of my Son, and when you have that, you have eternal life. But those who receive Christ, who believe in His name, become part of the family of God. That is, you must be saved. You must turn from your sin and believe in Jesus Christ. Have you done that?

Have you done that? Some of you come here and you say, well, I was brought up in this home. I was a member of such and such a church. That's wonderful.

That's not the question. Do you personally know Christ? You point to a time when you cried out to Christ for salvation and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and your safety.

If you haven't done that, I urge you to do it now, to do it today, not tomorrow. Now notice what Jesus says here. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister. That is, now that I'm in the family of God, I am to obey God.

I am to resemble my family. Two brothers were playing the guitar, John Brannan and his brother, whose name I don't know, visiting. And Goodney, beginning of the service, says to me, they must be brothers. How would you know they're brothers? If you saw them, it's obvious.

When I came in, I saw the one who wasn't a member here, and I thought John must have trimmed up his beard and done something to his hair. But they look so similar. I could invite some of your families up here and line you up, and it would be obvious that these children are all in the one family.

Why? There is a family resemblance. Retaining their individual personality, yes, being different, certainly not identical, but there's a family resemblance. And if you're a follower of Jesus Christ, there is that family resemblance. One is, we don't speak evil words in the context. One is, we obey the Savior. Jesus himself says, if you love me, you'll do what? You'll keep my commandments.

There's the test. If you love someone, you seek to please them. If you love someone, you don't disregard what they say.

That's not an act of love. You listen to them. You want to spend time with them. That's a characteristic of true love, even in a human relationship, isn't it?

Singles, if you're dating someone and you're beginning to fall in love, or are in love, you want to spend time with that person. You value what they say. You want to get to know them. You don't insult them. You don't abuse them with your words. And as we follow Jesus, something wonderful under the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit, we're becoming more and more like Jesus.

No, I don't mean physically. And how wonderful to see that at Calvary over the years, of people who are becoming more and more like Jesus. And isn't that what our world needs?

I think our world is weary of our words. Wonderful to go around saying I'm a Christian, but much better to display it with your kindness, with your love. Yes, speaking the truth.

Not being a wimp, absolutely not. Standing strong for Christ. Not compromising. Not going into the darkness, but living a life of righteousness and displaying the beauty and the glory and the excellency of our lovely Lord Jesus Christ. Don't we follow a lovely Savior? His words and His actions as we read. And as we read them, we love Him more and more and say, I want to be like that. I want to be someone who brings blessing and healing and kindness to that person. So I ask you, you say you're a follower of Christ.

Is there a family resemblance? Are you like the Savior? Do you know how the wonderful privilege of being a Christian is that you have a Heavenly Father who loves you? I know God loves everyone, but God has a special love for those in His family. Parents, I know you love the neighbor's kids and you love me, but there's a special love you have for your children and certainly your grandchildren, don't you? And our Heavenly Father, once we're in that family, He's a special love for us and He cares for us and He watches over us.

And we have instant access into His presence. Someone called me yesterday with a terrible emergency and I prayed with a dear woman and what do we do? We go to our Heavenly Father and say, we can't handle this situation. We don't know what to do, Lord, but you do. Help us. Give wisdom.

Guide us. What a privilege of coming into the very throne room of God in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ and God never says, well, you didn't make an appointment. Go away, it's Thanksgiving weekend.

I'm having a weekend off. He never says that. He says you come boldly in your time of need and as a member of the family, this is incredible, isn't it? We are joint heirs with God. We're heirs of God. We're joint heirs with Jesus Christ. All that the Father gives to the Son, He gives to us, that we're blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ, that this is my Heavenly Father.

I'm part of the family of God. Go and show this world what it means to follow Jesus, not just by your words, but by your actions and your kindness so that others would be drawn to Him and that over this Christmas period, we would have the joy of seeing many come to the Savior and lives being transformed in His name. Father, help us to do that.

This is difficult for us. We confess that all of us are sometimes drawn into the darkness with our words, with our actions, and with our thoughts. May the light of the gospel shine brightly in our hearts today as we listen to the Savior. May our love for the Savior grow and may we display and proclaim Him. There are some here who have never made that step of coming to Christ. May they look to Him, open their hearts to see the Savior, dying for their sins, being buried and rising again. We ask it in Christ's name. Amen.