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Thank you very much. All right, well good evening everyone. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Welcome to Mountain Baptist Church. Are you weary? Are you heavy-hearted? Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. Are you grieving over joys departed? Tell it to Jesus alone. Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. Is a friend that's well known? You've no other such a friend or brother. Tell it to Jesus alone. Do the tears flow down your cheeks unbidden? Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. Have you sins that two men's eyes are hidden? Tell it to Jesus alone. Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. He is a friend that's well known. You've no other such a friend or brother. Tell it to Jesus alone. Do you fear the gathering clouds of sorrow? Tell it to Jesus. Tell it Jesus. Are you anxious? What shall be tomorrow? Tell it to Jesus alone. Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. He is a friend that's well known. You've no other such a friend or brother. Tell it to Jesus alone. Are you troubled at the thought of dying? Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. For Christ's coming kingdom are you sighing? Tell it to Jesus alone. Tell it to Jesus. Tell it to Jesus. He is a friend that's well known. You've no other such a friend or brother. Tell it to Jesus alone. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, Lord, we just want to thank you again just for a beautiful Wednesday night that we get to meet in your house and to hear your word preached. I pray, Lord, that you would just be with our pastor. Feel him with your power and spirit. Give us ears to hear and hearts to obey. I pray, Lord, all of us in Jesus' name, Amen. You may be seated and turn in your songbooks to song 277. Song 277 in your songbooks. We'll sing Only Trust Him. Song 277. Come, every soul, by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord. And he will surely give you rest by trusting in his word. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. For Jesus shed his precious blood. Rich blessings to be stole. Plunge now into the crimson flood that washes white as snow. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. Yes, Jesus is the truth away that leads you into rest. Believe in him without delay. You are fully blessed. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. Come then and join this holy band and unto glory go. To dwell in that celestial land where joys in mortal flow. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. Amen. Well, welcome to Mount Baptist Church on this Wednesday evening. And just some announcements here. Just be in prayer for those that may not be feeling well still. I know some of my kids, well my wife had a cough, but some of my kids are having a sore throat, so we're kind of just being cautious. They seem to be doing fine, but you never know. But with the allergy stuff and it's dry and all that, who knows what's going around there. But just be in prayer for those I know that are still getting over this stomach sickness and everything. But, Lord willing, everybody will get better. We can all be here at church all together again. But in upcoming services, everything should be normal this Sunday. So be in your places there. And then we'll have our sowing time as well at 1 p.m. And then the regional sowing time is just be on the church group there to know when everybody's meeting up or if there's any delays or anything like that. And then we have the women's prayer meeting coming up this Saturday. And this Sunday as well, we're planning on having a lot of baptisms. So as far as I think Henry, Anna, Jaylen, Alesco, and I think Kendall, McCloy. And so anybody that needs to get baptized, obviously the water will be ready. So hopefully we can warm it up though. So it's not cold. But yeah, so we're planning on having baptisms this Sunday. Obviously we can have baptisms any time we want to. But we're kind of trying to make sure that the water's warm and not freezing. And then sowing marathons that we have coming up. We have the June 10th one that Brother Charles is leading up in Philadelphia. And then on June 24th we have the Indianapolis sowing marathon. And so we're going to try to get some more details with that. We need to get with the guys that are out there in Indianapolis to see where we're going to be meeting up at. We have a location or we have some locations that we're going to be dealing with. So as far as the sowing goes, I think we're going to be figuring that out really soon. But as far as the meet up, we need to figure out how many people are planning on coming. I think there's a bunch. There's people from Canada coming. There's people from Ohio coming. And obviously there's a bunch of people in Indianapolis. So it's probably going to be a pretty big turnout. So pretty excited to see. And then some people have reached out that are wanting to go sowing for the first time. And they've been wanting to go sowing. But just trying to learn and all that stuff. So just be in prayer for it. Obviously be in prayer for the one that's in Philadelphia as well. Because there's also people coming to that as well that may be first time sowing winners and all that. But just be in prayer for these sowing marathons. Especially those that live out in those areas that maybe don't have a sowing church that they're going to. Or anything like that. That this could be a blessing to them. And so just be in prayer for that. And then as far as our chapter memory for the month, we have Psalm 120. And so today's the last day. So actually I was trying to get it memorized today. But I might bleed into tomorrow. But it's not that many verses. But it's a short psalm. But it's a good psalm to have memorized. And then John 524 is the memory verse for the week. And so I love that. It's one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I use it out sowing all the time. But definitely, it's a longer one. But it's a good one as far as sowing is concerned. And then as far as our pregnancy, on the pregnancy list there. Be in prayer for Tiara Lesko, Amanda Spina, Jennifer Simes. And be in prayer for maybe any ladies that we don't know about. And so just be in prayer that everything goes well there. Who's reading tonight? David? So you're our Luke guy. I feel like it's been pretty much every Wednesday. So Luke 14 is what we're getting into tonight. The offering box is in the back there if you want to give a tie to their offering. And then the mother and baby room is for the mothers and babies only. But Brother Dave is going to sing one more song before we get to the scripture reading. All right. Take your song books and turn to song 377. Song 377 in your song books will sing Rescue the Perishing. Song 377. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Snatch them from pity, from sin and the grave. We bore the erring ones, lift up the fallen. Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Though they are slighting him, still he is waiting. Waiting the penitent child to receive. Plead with them earnestly, plead with them gently. He will forgive if they only believe. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter. Feelings lie burdened, their grace can restore. Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness. Cords that are broken will vibrate once more. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. Rescue the perishing, duty demands it. Strength for thy labor the Lord will provide. Back to the narrow way, patiently win them. Tell the poor wanderer, Savior has died. Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save. All right, take your Bibles and turn to Luke, chapter number 14. Luke, chapter number 14, we'll have Brother David read that for us. Luke 14, if you've found your place, say amen. And the Bible reads, and it came to pass as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, but they watched him. Behold, there was a certain man before him who said the dropsy. And Jesus answered being spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it awful to heal on the Sabbath day? And they held their peace, and he took him and healed them and let him go. And he answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, which he marked how they chose out of the chief room, saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to go to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of them. And he that bade thee and him come to say to thee, Give this man place, and thou begin with saying to take the lowest room. For when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade becometh, you may say unto thee, Friend, go by, that thou shalt have worship in the presence of them that said it meet with thee, whosoever exalteth themselves to be abased, and he that humblest himself to be exalted. Then said he to him that bade him, Red not make us to dinner, or suffer, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again, and their recognitions be made unto thee. But when thou makest a feast, call the pearl, the maim, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. And when one of them that sat and meet with them heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat who read in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto them, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many, and sent his servant at supper a time to say to them that are bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must need to go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came, and sewed his load of these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, Grow out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring up hither the pearl, the maim, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. The Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hills, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, that none of those men who serve bidden shall taste my supper. And there went great multitude with them, and he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sister, yea, in his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. The rich of you, intending to build a tower, seteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it. Lest, halfway, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it, begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make a row against another king, seteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able of ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other was yet a great way off, he sent them amasses, and desired conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you, that forsakeeth not all that he hath, cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if salt have lost his saviour, for it shall be seasoned. It is neither fifth of the land, nor yet for the downhill, but man cast it out, he that hath the ears to hear, let him hear. This very dear Lord, thank you for this opportunity to come back to church. Amen. Amen. So you're there in Luke chapter 14. We are continuing our study through the book of Luke here. And in chapter 14 verse 1 here, we see that Jesus is healing a man with the dropsy. And it's on the Sabbath day, so this is a common theme that we see throughout all the gospels as far as that goes. I don't believe that's the only day that he was healing people, but it's brought up a lot because this is usually where the contention is coming, and why people are against him when it comes to him healing people. But in verse 1 here it says, and it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, and they watched him, behold there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. Now what's interesting about this is in the chapter right before this, we're dealing with the door being shut, and it says we ate and drank with thee and you taught in the streets. And you think about who ultimately most of the people that were rejecting him were, I mean obviously most of the people rejected him, but specifically those are the Pharisees and Sadducees and the religious leaders and all that, the scribes. And so he's in this chief Pharisee's house, so I mean that chief Pharisee can definitely be one of those people that's saying, you know, didn't we eat and drink with you, you taught in our streets, I mean Jesus was literally in his house. And notice what it says here, so there's this man that's before him that has the dropsy. Now the dropsy is like modern, like kind of modernly called edema, it has to do with like fluid being kind of under your skin kind of thing. A lot of times pregnant ladies will get this, at least my wife a lot of times, especially when she gets into third trimester, is that like her ankles will turn into cankles, sorry Holly, but what happens is it kind of fills up with fluid. And if you've ever seen one of those Stretch Armstrong dolls, when you push it, it kind of just sinks in and it stays there. That's kind of what edema is, is where basically it's kind of like got this fluid, so it's really kind of fun actually. So whenever Holly's in her third trimester, I'm always just kind of pushing on her ankle and just watching the skin go down, but it doesn't go back up for a while. Anyway, so the dropsy, I'm sure this is probably a little more serious than what maybe pregnant ladies are dealing with when they're dealing with this. But basically it's dealing with something like that, and obviously that can be debilitating I'm sure if it's in an extreme case and all that. But in verse 3 here it says, And Jesus answering, spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? So Jesus is kind of heading them off at the pass when it comes to, they haven't accused him, he hasn't healed them yet, but before he even heals them or they have time to say anything, he's asking them a question as far as whether it's lawful to heal on the Sabbath day. Remember what happened in chapter 13 is you had the woman that was bowed together with that spirit of infirmity, and they were basically accusing him for healing her, so he's kind of hitting them up before he even does anything. And it says in verse 4, And they held their peace, and he took him and healed him and let him go, and answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things. Very similar example is chapter 13, because chapter 13, it's just a chapter before this, in verse 15 it says, The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath lose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? So notice how it's like using the same animals, but in this case you're dealing with like an animal falling into a pit and you're pulling it out. In the other case it's like, you know, you gotta feed it, you gotta give them water, right? So the idea is that, and I could give you a whole bunch of different examples, but Jesus gives a lot of different ways of describing the fact of why it's right to heal somebody on the Sabbath day. Why is it, you know, lawful to do good on the Sabbath day? But he's just constantly having to justify the fact that he's, you know, right for healing this person. Which we're kind of looking at is like, this is ridiculous that they would be against him for healing somebody on the Sabbath day, but there's so many different ways that Jesus proves why it would be right for him to do that. So, but in this case, you know, they're not saying anything. He kind of heads them off at the pass and then they're just like, not going to say anything. And then after he does it, they don't say anything. And this really makes me think of the fact of like what the Bible says about holding fast the faithful word, as he had been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to convince, to exhort and convince the gainsayers, and how it talks about that you may, whose mouths must be stopped, and stopping the mouths of the gainsayers, and really just kind of putting them to silence. And God's word puts the gainsayers to silence. And they can't say anything before, they can't say anything after. So it's just kind of an interesting passage where a lot of times they'll be saying something, or they'll try to say, you know, like in the last passage he's like, well, six days someone can come get healed. But not on the Sabbath day, you know. And then he calls that person out as a hypocrite. In this case, they don't even say anything to him. But obviously he knows their hearts, he knows what they're thinking, all that. Now go to verse 7, so go down to verse 7, Luke chapter 14 verse 7. This is a good lesson right here about being humble. And notice what leads off what he's about to say. And it's always interesting to see like why Jesus ends up saying something, right, or why he brings up a certain subject or a teaching. And notice what it says in verse 7. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms saying unto them. So notice that he says this to them because he notices, like he's marking, he's kind of recognizing, hey, they're picking out the chief rooms to sit in, okay. And so notice what he says here in verse 8. He says, when thou are bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him. And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, give this man place, and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou are bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room, that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher. Then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit and meet with thee, for whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humblest himself shall be exalted. And this is a great principle. I mean, actually, I have a story that fits perfectly with this, meaning at my younger brother's wedding, I remember my cousin Steven came to the wedding, and it was just him, and basically, obviously, Joseph and I were in the wedding, we were in the groomsmen or whatever, and so we were kind of helping people get seated and all that stuff. And basically, Steven's like sitting in the back, and I remember going up to him and like, hey, you know, like just saying hi to him, and obviously, I'm like, what are you doing back here? I said, get up here where like my dad's at, and like, you know, and all this stuff. And so I moved him up to the front, and I'm like thinking of the story, I'm like, this is literally the story, right? Well, he's like in the back, but obviously, you know, Steven's close to my dad and all that stuff, and so, but that's, you know, but you can think about like if he were to sit up there and we're like, hey, sorry, you know, like, this is, we need a space for like our grandparents or something like that, we need you to move back, and if everybody's already there and everybody's packed in, he may have to go all the way to the back. Does that make sense? Because it's not necessarily that you're like telling him, get to the lowest room where you belong. It's the idea that you're like all there, everybody's in their seats, and at that point, like the only option is the lowest room, right? And at that point, you're kind of like going all the way down. And so anyway, the idea here is that basically, put yourself in lowest state and let someone else bring you up. And go to Proverbs chapter 25, Proverbs chapter 25. Proverbs 25 actually teaches the same principle. Imagine that, the Bible's consistent, you know, these principles and this wisdom is obviously throughout the whole Bible, but the idea of abasing yourself, humbling yourself, don't think too highly of yourself, right? The idea is like don't think that you're something when you're nothing, right? You know, the idea of like just because you're in a position of authority, just because I'm a pastor doesn't mean that I like, I joke around, you know, about like, although if it's Brother Dave, then I, you know, we're going out sorting, I'm like I get shotgun, pulling rank, you know. But honestly, you know, it's not like, well pastor gets the front seat and he doesn't, you know, he can't take the back seat. No, you know, put me in the back, I won't be throwing up when I get there. But, you know, the idea there is that it's not like I need, you know, should have special treatment or I think that I should have special treatment just because of my office, right? Or the position of authority. The same thing would apply with anybody else, right? Is the fact that, let's say you're at your job or anything, you know, maybe you're in a position of authority, is it beneath you to take out the trash? You know, is it beneath you to do things that maybe aren't your duty or anything like that? The idea there is that basically don't think too highly of yourself, right? Don't think that you deserve to be in that high up kind of, you know, respect, if you will. And listen, if you are worthy of that, then let others basically exalt you. Don't exalt yourself, let others exalt you, and the Lord will exalt you ultimately for doing that. But in Proverbs chapter 25 and verse 6 it says, Proverbs 25 and verse 6 says, Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king, and stand not in the place of great men. For better it is that it be said unto thee, come up hither, than that thou shouldest be put lower in the presence of the prince, whom thine eyes have seen. Kind of the same principle, right? The idea of like, just let them bring you up into their presence, right? Or into that presence, you know, and not trying to put yourself in there, okay? And so, just kind of a good principle, I mean if, you know, obviously just taking it at face value, you go to a wedding, don't just, you know, don't just take the front seat, you know, take the back seat. And if those that are having the wedding want you to be in the front seat, they'll bring you up. And if they don't, so be it. And you shouldn't be like, oh man, you know, why did they bring me up front, do they not like me? No, just be, don't worry about it, don't think that you should be up front. The idea here is not just that, so this, you do it so this happens, right? The mindset should be, I should be in the lowest room. I shouldn't be in the highest room. Why should I be in the highest room? Like, the mindset of abasing yourself needs to be there and not doing it just so that the end game is you're exalted, okay? But no, this is that, you know, if we keep that mindset of basing ourselves or basically, you know, keeping ourselves of low esteem kind of thing, the ultimate end game of that will be that God will exalt us if no one else does in this life, right? Proverbs 27 verse 2 says this, Proverbs 27 verse 2, it says, Let another man praise thee in thine own mouth, a stranger not thine own lips. I can't help but think of Trump when I read this verse. Can you, I mean, I've never, I don't want to say never, never is a strong word, okay? But I'll say this, he is in the top of people that I've ever seen that have praised himself more than anybody that I've ever heard. It's disgusting when you hear it, right? Just, listen, I'm the best. You know, I'm the best president to ever live, you know, like it's just like everything he says, I'm just like, it's just, I'm embarrassed for him because I know like how I feel about it. And I know I'm not the only person in the world that looks at him and be like, that's disgusting. Like, what is he doing? Like even people that support him have to look at him and be like, ah, kind of feel uncomfortable. It's like cringe. It's just cringe worthy all the time. You're just like, ah. You know, if I got up here and I was just like, listen, I know so much about the Bible. I'm so good looking and, you know, I'm just, I'm one of the best soul winners. I'm the best soul winner. I mean, one of the best. I'm the best soul winner, right? And you just kept going on this diatribe of like how you're the best at everything. Everybody's going to look at me and be like, you're an idiot, right? Like what are you talking about? And so when it comes to this, you shouldn't be just, that's why interviews are so awkward, right? When you go to a job interview, they're like, tell us why we should hire you. And you're just like, I'm a hard worker. And you're just like, ah, you know, I don't like saying that about myself. You know, like hopefully people think I'm a hard, you know, hopefully I am a hard worker, you know. And it's just like any time that you happen to like promote yourself, it is uncomfortable. And if it's not uncomfortable, you need to get right with God, okay? Because if you're just like, man, I just love promoting myself. I love just, you know, praising myself. You know, even Jesus talks about not proclaiming his own glory. But the Father is the one that exalts him into glory. And that's a whole other sermon for another day, but 1 Peter 5 says this in verse 5. It says, likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you, be subject one to another and be clothed with humility. For God resists at the proud and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore into the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. And there's many other verses on this idea of humbling yourself, abasing yourself, and that God will exalt you. But you know what? It's not, a lot of times, you know, obviously in the life to come, and you know, God, you know, when we get to heaven, there's going to be a lot of exaltation, exalting because of the fact of abasing ourselves in this life. But a lot of times, people will exalt you in this life because you are humble. And so this is a great principle of just being humble, not thinking highly of yourself, right? Not being high-minded, right? You know, like, I'm owed this, I'm entitled to this. And in America, this is a big problem. Like, across America, there's this entitlement type of mentality of I'm owed this, I deserve this respect, and you know what? It's a bunch of garbage. We need to all have the mindset that we don't, we're not owed anything, and that, you know what, just be humble, and let God exalt you. If no one else exalts you, let God do it. But ultimately, I believe in life, if you're a humble person, you're a hard worker, and you're righteous, other people will exalt you, right? Other people will speak up for you. And that's what you want, right? Listen, I don't want to go around and tell people, like, hey, listen, I'm a great pastor. You know, I preach great sermons. And honestly, I don't believe that, okay? I don't think I'm the worst preacher in the world, okay? Hopefully not. But at the same time, like, I don't think by any stretch of the imagination I'm, like, one of the best, or even close to that, okay? I think that I have a lot to learn, I have a lot to get better at, you know, I'm nowhere close to where I want to be when it comes to being a preacher, or the Bible knowledge, or, you know, a soul winner, or anything like that. I think that I have a long way to go to even get close to what a lot of great men have done when it comes to being a good preacher, a good pastor, and all that. But listen, if other people say that about me, so be it. You know, and a lot of times people have said that about me. I don't, I think that they're too kind, to say the least, right? When people say that, or say, you're my favorite preacher, I'm like, it's kind of embarrassing, you know, like, when people say that to me. And not that many people have said that to me, but some people have said that. And listen, I'm glad I could be a blessing to others, but at the same time, like, I just can't, I can't believe it, and I don't believe it, and I refuse to believe it, because I don't want to have the mindset of, like, I'm a great preacher. You know, like, I'm somewhere up here. But, you know, everybody should, we should all have this mentality of, like, hey, we're trying to do the best we can, we're trying to, you know, I'm not, like, self-deprecating all the time, right? I'm not just, like, I'm scum, you know? I don't know anything about the Bible, you know? I'm a novice, it's like, whoa buddy, you know? Like, obviously, you know, tone it down a little bit with abasing yourself, right? At the same time, though, in our minds, we should always be thinking, we don't want to have that Laodicean attitude of, I have need of nothing. And I think that idea of just constantly saying, hey, I haven't arrived. And whether it's Bible knowledge, whether it's in our, you know, like, in husbands, whether that's with loving our wives, you know, fathers, whether that's, you know, rearing our children, we haven't arrived. And ladies, you can say the same when it comes to loving your husbands or raising your children. The idea is that we haven't arrived and we need to keep that humble attitude so that we're constantly trying to excel. Listen, if you've already reached the peak, then where are you going? And in order to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, you have to have not attained it yet. And so in order to keep pressing toward the mark, realize that you haven't attained, you haven't arrived, okay? So in Luke chapter 14 and verse 12 here, he kind of moves from like a wedding to then he goes on to talk about if you have a dinner or supper. It says in verse 12, it says, then said he also to him that bade him, when thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen nor thy rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again in a recompense maybe. And you may say, you know, what's the relevance? Like, how did he switch into this? Because the idea of wanting recognition, you know, of the idea of being in that chief room or being exalted and wanting that, you know, instant recognition and respect and basically it's a recompense that's being given to you. The same applies when it comes to if you're, you know, kind and good to those that can repay you or will repay you. And I don't believe this is negating saying like you can't actually eat supper with your friends, right? Like you can't have dinner like, sorry guys, can't have dinner because we're friends, you know. I don't think that that's what this means. I think it's stating here though is that how much greater reward will you have in heaven if you do things for people that can't repay you. And that's kind of the principle here is that instead of doing things so that you can get this kind of immediate recompense, it's like, oh, I had you over for dinner and then you had me over dinner, you know. It's kind of like this instant recompense. And whereas if you have dinner for people that you know aren't going to be able to, you know, reciprocate that, notice what it says in verse 13. But when thou makest the feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be blessed, for they cannot recompense thee, for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. So it's just showing you, you know, how much more recompense. Like if you have, if you're, you know, you have friends and you kind of like help that person out, they help you out, right? And it's kind of like this give and take type of relationship. But you're more blessed if you do good to those that don't recompense you. Or either don't, won't, or can't, right? Now go to Luke chapter 6. You say won't. Because it gets into the principle of loving your enemies, doing good to those that persecute you. You know, if you're doing good to your enemy, you can't really be expecting a recompense, do you? You're just, you're obviously doing it knowing that you're probably not going to get anything out of this, you know. But knowing this is that you'll get a reward in heaven. And you might end up getting something out of it because you could end up turning the heart of that enemy and with basically doing good, you know, overcoming evil with good. And sometimes, you know, that actually does work out. But either way, you'll get a recompense in heaven for doing it. But in Luke chapter 6 and verse 31, it says, And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank had ye? For sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank had ye? For sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank had ye? For sinners also lend to sinners to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again. So notice how there's like multiple things that are stated here. It's not just enemies, but it's kind of like enemies just doing good to people, lending to people. The idea is just expecting nothing in return, right? And listen, we should have this attitude even when we have friends over, right? If I have friends over and say, hey, you know, we're going to have dinner, you want to come over? I should be thinking like I don't care if they ever do this for me, right? It shouldn't be like, you know, I got your back, you got mine. You know, it's like, or you scratch my back, I scratch yours. You know, that's the wrong attitude to have. It should be, hey, I just want to be a blessing to you. And if you never repay me, that's not the point. You know, it's like I'm not looking for repayment. I'm not doing it for recompense. You think about, you know, going out soul winning too, a lot of times, you know, we go out soul winning in places that we're never going to see these people again. When we go out to Philadelphia, you know, or we go out to Indianapolis, you know, a lot of these people that we knock on the door, we're never going to see them again. And if they get saved, we'll see them in heaven, obviously. But the idea there is that there's no recompense. It's not like we're going there so they'll come to our church, right? Hey, drive five hours, you know, to our church or whatever it is to Philadelphia. I'm not sure what the distance is to Philadelphia, but either way, you know, we need to have this attitude. And a lot of people, they don't understand, like, why would you come out here? Why are you out here? Like, your church is like 300 miles away. Like, what are you doing? But if you understand that it's not about an instant recompense, it's about them. It's about them getting saved. And I believe God will recompense our labor and love and all that when it comes to soul winning, but ultimately, you know what, we should have the mindset it doesn't matter. I don't care if I get any recompense for those that get saved. I believe God will. But ultimately, it shouldn't be, if that's your reason for going out soul winning, then keep doing it. You know what I mean? But I think that a better heart would be, I want to go out there because they need to get saved, because I care about them. You know, I want them to get saved and I want them to go to hell. And getting a recompense is just a bonus. It's just like, oh, you know, that's great, you know. And obviously, I'm sure we'll rejoice, but then it goes on to say, And your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the highest, for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your father also is merciful. And the world is going on. There's someone in the roof that we don't know about, Quasimodo up there. So when it comes to this, it's just basically stating that you'll have a great reward, and that God is merciful, and we need to be merciful. When it comes to our enemies, we can be merciful to our enemies. And just be merciful to the poor, to those that don't have any means to recompense or anything like that. Go to Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter 12. You know, it says in Philippians chapter 2, you're going to Romans 12 verse 9, Philippians chapter 2 says, Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. And that's really kind of the idea, is that we need to be esteeming others better than us, than ourselves, and putting them higher. And you think about being meek. Being meek, I believe, is that definition right there, Esteeming others better than yourself. And obviously Jesus came, and he was meek and lowly, and if you think about it, he said, Jesus says, I came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Meaning to serve, right? He didn't come so that others would serve him, but he would serve them. And that's the attitude that we should have, you know, in the Christian life. And Romans chapter 12 and verse 9, it says, Let love be without the simulation, abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love, and honor preferring one another. Not slothful in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing in incident prayer. Notice this, distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality. Bless them what persecute you, bless and curse not, rejoice with them that do rejoice, weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another, mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate, be not wise in your own conceits. And it's just the idea of not being high-minded, and just not thinking you're something when you're nothing, right? Not, you know, he that thinketh that he knoweth anything, knoweth nothing as he ought to know. You know, this idea of having this mindset that you've arrived, and obviously, esteeming yourself better than others, you know, we need to esteem others better than ourselves, okay? So, I believe that's what Jesus is teaching here, with the idea of helping others that can't help you. You're not getting anything out of it besides just helping them, okay? Go to Luke chapter 14 and verse 15. So, you think about it, Jesus is bringing up a wedding, then he brings up a supper, right, or a feast, so then someone brings up kind of like an eating or a feast to Jesus about doing it in the kingdom of God, which then brings up another story that Jesus brings up. So, you kind of see how these things kind of come about. It's not like it's just out of nowhere he's saying this stuff. But in verse 15, it says, And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper and bade many, and sent his servant at suppertime to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. So, basically, this guy comes up and states, blessed are those that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. And then Jesus is taking what he says and basically, he's not negating that those people are blessed, but he's going to talk about who's actually going to eat it, though. Who's actually going to eat bread in the kingdom of God. Because that's the question, it's not like, obviously blessed are those that eat in the kingdom of God, but who's going to do it? Who's actually going to be eating bread in the kingdom of God? And it says that basically, he's saying, Come, for all things are now ready. Verse 18, And they all, with one consent, began to make excuse. Now, this is clearly definitely paralleling the fact that he came into his own and received a nod. So, when it comes to this, that's true. But this still happens today. So, a lot of times there is this idea of the children of Israel and how they rejected him, and then obviously, not all of them, but a lot of them rejected him, but then the idea of going to the Gentiles and they'll hear and all that. And that principle is definitely there, and that definitely fits the context. But this is still true to today, where people are making excuse on coming to the kingdom of God. You think about it as soul winning. You think about it as just in general. Everybody's got an excuse, right? And look at these excuses, right? The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go see it. I pray thee, have me excused. So, is he just staring at it? He doesn't say he's working it. He says, I must go see it. It's like, I'm going to go stare at my property. Okay? Cool. Sounds like a great excuse for not coming to the feast. When you understand the implications of this feast, we're talking about heaven and hell here. Think about going out soul winning, and it's just like, I can't come, I'm watching the game. I can't listen right now. I got this going on. And some people have legitimate excuses. They're literally going to work, or they're doing something right. Now, obviously, we would all look at them and say, well, obviously, going to heaven is more important than any of that, and I agree with you. But at the same time, you can understand people not knowing the gravity of the situation, and saying, hey, I'm on my way doing this, or I'm dealing with five kids right now by myself. I can't take the time to talk about this right now. But a lot of people, there's some lame excuses out there, right? And these just make me laugh, and it's kind of sad at the same time, because these lame excuses have been from the beginning of time. There's nothing new under the sun, right? I have a piece of land, I must go see it. I can't come. And it says, please have me excused. It says in verse 19, it says, another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them. I pray thee, have me excused. At least that person's doing work, you know? At least that person's like, you can kind of understand where they're coming from. But at the same time, is that more important than this feast? Is that more important than getting saved, right? It says in verse 21, it says, so that, I'm sorry, in verse 20, it says, and another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come. Well, that just makes sense. I'm married, I can't come? It's like, what? That one's the most ridiculous to me. It's like, I've married a wife, and I can't come, obviously. It's like, is it because your wife doesn't want to come? Is it, like, why, bring her, like, what are you talking about? So, but then it goes on to say, so that servant came and showed his lord these things, then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. Now, you know, the thing that's interesting, and how this kind of goes back to the story before that, is the fact that the poor, the maimed, and the halt, and the blind, they actually, they come. And if you think about this, in Israel, when Jesus was coming out to his own, and his own received him not, who did receive him? The poor, the fisherman, you know, obviously you had Matthew the public, and you had exceptions, like Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, you have exceptions to the rule, but ultimately, most of the people were not, like, high-end nobility, okay? And so, you think about, like, all the blind, and the maimed, and the halt, and the sick, and the possessed devils that were getting healed, that those were the ones that were believing on him. The lepers. And how that applies to, okay, all these people were given an excuse, we can't come, we can't come, we can't come. But, out of those people, they end up going and finding those that had all these issues. But God had made the poor rich in faith. And this really comes out through the mindset, right? Kind of going back to the idea of abasing yourself, the poor, the maimed, the blind, and those that had those type of infirmities, they are forced to have that abased mindset. They're forced into that position, therefore, their mindset is there to receive it. So, you may say, you know, it's blessed to be rich. No, not really, in this life. Actually, being rich could be a curse. Because then, how hard is it for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven? Because how hard is it for someone that trusts and riches to enter into the kingdom of heaven? It's hard to trust in the Lord when you have all the things in this world that you need. But the poor, on the other hand, they're kind of already forced into trusting God to get them through life. And then when salvation's on the table, it's like, well, of course I need that. And so, you kind of see, obviously, why they would be the ones that would come. And it says in verse 22, and the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. So, notice that they were coming in, but there's still room. It says, and the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled. Now, I believe this is, if you were to look at kind of the timeline of events, this is where you're going out to the Gentiles, right? Is that, by and large, those of Israel did not accept Him. But the poor, the maimed, you know, the halt, you know, like all those, those ones were the ones accepting Him. But then, they went out to the Gentiles, and the Gentiles were the ones receiving it. And then it goes on to say in verse 24, For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper. So, that kind of comes full circle, right? Because the guy's saying blessed is He that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. And he's giving this stark warning in the fact that you better come when you're bidden. This kind of goes back to the idea that there's going to come a time where, you know what, that door's shut. And a lot of that, that door was shut on a lot of people in Israel. And, you know, you can go to Romans 11 where it talks about how their eyes were darkened, and that they're, you know, that they'd be turned back all way and all this, and dealing with the curse that was put upon them. And that blindness in part was put on Israel, and how that would apply to this. But the idea of just, you know, they all gave excuse, but you know what, they're without excuse. Go to Romans chapter 1, Romans chapter 1. And ultimately, anybody that goes to hell is without excuse. Anybody, and everybody that goes to hell is without excuse. God is not willing that any should perish. He'll have all men to come to repentance. It says that he'll have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And so I believe that God gives the ability for every single person in this world to go to heaven. And if you don't end up going, you're without excuse. You say, well, what about children? Well, they're innocent. So, yes, they would go. But there comes a point where you would die spiritually when you understand the knowledge of the law, and that you've sinned against God, the knowledge of good and evil when it comes to that, that you need to get saved. And specifically here in Romans chapter 1 and verse 18, it says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Notice this, who hold the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has showed it unto them. So these people, it's been showed unto them. They hold the truth in unrighteousness. So they have the truth, they're holding it, but they're not believing it. They're not trusting in it. God showed it unto them. Notice in verse 20, it says, For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power in Godhead, so that they are without excuse. So they gave excuse, but there is no excuse. There's no excuse to not go to the feast, to not eat bread in the kingdom of God. There's no excuse, and they are without excuse. And how much more are those without excuse that heard a clear presentation of the gospel? I mean, think about that. Those that knew what it took to be saved. There are people, I believe, that die and go to hell that don't hear a clear presentation of the gospel. But how much more are you without excuse? And I believe those people are without excuse as well, but at the same time, how much more are those that had the opportunity to just pull the trigger on salvation? And they don't. So go to Luke chapter 14 and verse 25. Luke chapter 14 and verse 25. Luke chapter 14 and verse 25. In verse 25 it says, And there went great multitudes with him, and he turned and said unto them, If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yea, in his own life also he cannot be my disciple, and whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he hath sufficient to finish it? Lest, happily, after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, all that behold it began to mock him, saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. So all this is really talking about what? Getting saved? Is that what this is talking about? Talking about being a disciple. This is not talking about salvation. This is talking about being a disciple. And being a disciple does not equate salvation. Listen, Judas was a disciple. That doesn't mean that he was saved. And if you're saved, that doesn't mean you're a disciple. Go to John chapter 8 and verse 31. So the first thing to note here is that we're talking about being a disciple. We're not talking about salvation. So being a disciple is something you do after you believe and get saved. And let me just prove that to you in John chapter 8 and verse 31. John chapter 8 and verse 31, it says, Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him. Now that's the narrator speaking right there. The narrator saying that Jesus said to those Jews which believed on him. Okay, so are these believers or not? Clearly believers. If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed? So notice the condition to being a disciple is to continue in his word. But they're already believers. See there's this false idea that, well, no, you're not really a believer. You've got to prove being a believer by, you know, basically continuing in his word. No, you prove that you're a disciple by continuing in his word. Let me give you some other scriptures on being a disciple. You can go there if you want. But in John 13 and verse 35, John 13 and verse 35, John 13 and verse 35 says, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love one to another. Now does it say have love one to another and thou shalt be saved? Does it say continue in my word and thou shalt be saved? No, but it does say if you want to be his disciple, then you need to continue in his word. It does say that if you want to be his disciple, you need to have love one to another. And in John 15 and verse 8 says this, John 15 and verse 8, Herein is my Father glorified that you bear much fruit, so shall you be my disciples. Does it say you have to bear much fruit so that you can be saved? Thou shalt bear much fruit and thou shalt be saved. No, but it does say that if you want to be his disciple, you need to bear much fruit. So bearing fruit, having love one to another, and obviously continuing in his word. But then Luke is stating, okay, here's some other stipulations. You need to forsake all. You need to take up his cross and follow him. And what it says in this passage is to hate father, mother, wife going down the line. Now you say, should I hate my father? Should I hate my mother? Well, what you have to understand, and go to Matthew chapter 10. Let me show you a parallel passage to this. Is that sometimes in the Bible, there will be a statement that applies to certain people. It doesn't apply to everybody. You know, sometimes there are statements that are made that are just made for married people, right? Like if I said love your wife, like does that mean everybody has a wife? It's like, well, no, those that have wives, you need to love them, right? And also know this is that if the Bible is saying in one place, you need to hate your wife. But then everywhere else, it's like you need to love your wife. You need to, you know, you need to provide for her. You need to, you know, lay down your life for her, right? Then you have to understand that there must be something else that's being stated here. There must be a condition. There must be something that there's an exception here, right? Because I don't believe, one, the Bible, God's not the author of confusion, okay? And it's not like, well, you need to love and hate your wife. It's like, how do I do that, right? Like how do I love and hate her, okay? And let me just show you Matthew chapter 10, first of all. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 34. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 34. Then I'll explain it as far as what I believe, why he's saying hate. And I do believe it means hate. Like you would use hate anywhere else in the Bible, okay? But notice what it says in Matthew chapter 34. It says, think not that I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross and follows after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it. So you could look at these passages and say, well, I think they're just completely paralleled, and they mean, basically, you equate the two. So when it says, you know, you need to hate your father, mother, wife, going down the line, that just means that you need to love God more. I don't believe that's the case. I think in some cases, you can look at parallel passages, and you can see synonyms that are being used. For example, when it says in the parable of the sower, you know, it talks about the seed that fell on the stoneing ground. It says that when it fell on the sinner, immediately they received it. And in Matthew, it says, an anon they received it with gladness. An anon means immediately. And so you can cross-reference those and be like, okay, anon means immediately. Or you'll see, like, bring forth fruits meat for repentance, or bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. And you're like, okay, meat, worthy, you know, synonyms kind of talk about the same thing, right? I don't believe this is, you know, talking about the same group of people. What I believe this is stating is that most of the time, you're to love God more than you love your wife, your children, and everything else. That actually fits perfectly with everything else in the Bible, is that to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, it needs to be number one, okay? That doesn't mean you don't love your wife, you don't love your children down the line, right? You say, well, what's Luke 14 talking about? Well, I believe Luke 14 is talking about, in the case where, think about this, if in your own household, your foes or your enemies are in your own household, think about it in the end, times where there's going to be people, that your own family are going to try to put you to death, okay? An extreme example, you know, you have people taking the mark of the beast, family members taking the mark of the beast, and they're trying to get you to be put to death, right? The question is, are you to love someone that hates the Lord? Like Nabal, you know, obviously was a child of the devil, but think about this, when Jehoshaphat was rebuked, it said, shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord? Therefore is wrath upon them from before the Lord. So think about this, if you have a father that hates the Lord, but you're not willing to hate them, like the Bible says, do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? It doesn't mean that you're not saved, but it's saying you can't be a disciple though. And so that's a hard pill to swallow when it comes to a family member, right? Because you think about like, well, you know, you think about all these haters of God out there, it's not that hard to hate someone that hates the Lord if you're not related to them, you don't know them, right? But if it's someone that's like close kin, that's where it really gets hard, okay? And these are hard statements in the fact that, you know, you need to take up your cross daily and all that. But here's the thing, do you need to forsake your wife if she loves the Lord and is following the Lord? And you're walking together in agreement? Do you need to hate your wife if she loves the Lord? That doesn't make any sense, but it does make sense if your wife hated God, or your child hated God, or your, you know, or friend or something like that, right? You know, dealing with just down the line of different people that you're obviously supposed to love God more than them, but in some circumstances, there is a case where you may have to hate them in order to be his disciple, okay? So that's the key, is that obviously there are saved people that love people that hate the Lord, that help the ungodly, that are at enmity with God because their friendship with the world. There are Christians that are in that state, but guess what? They're not a disciple. And they can put on their profile, I'm a follower of Jesus, I'm a disciple of Christ, no you're not. And not saying that the person's not saved, they believe on Christ, and they believe it's eternal life, and they can't lose their salvation, they're saved. But listen, if you are, if you're not loving one another, if you're not continuing his word, if you're not bearing fruit, and you're not, and you're loving those that hate God, you can't be his disciple. That's what the Bible teaches. And you need to count the cost. You want to be his disciple? Count the cost of what that means. That means you're going to lose family members. That means you're going to lose friends. That means that you're going to lose people around you that normally would have been your friend, but because you're taking a stance of the Bible when it comes to who you're to love and who you're to hate, and that you love God more than them, or in these cases that in order to love God you need to hate evil. So you can't be his disciple if you love those things that you're supposed to hate. And you say, well, why doesn't it say, well, in some cases? Well, in the Bible, you have to take the Bible as a whole. You know what the Bible says in Exodus chapter 20? Thou shalt not kill. Do you know you have to take that in a whole of the Bible? If you just pull that out of context, you'll be like, I can't kill any animals. It says thou shalt not kill. I can't kill a beast. I can't kill an ox. I can't kill, you know, anything. Except for the next chapter tells you to do it. Like literally you get all these, Leviticus, what are you to do? It says thou shalt not kill. Except for the fact that Jesus states in Matthew chapter 19, when talking about that, it says thou shalt do no murder. So when it says thou shalt not kill, it's manifest that we're talking about murder. And this happens a lot throughout the Bible, okay? When it says thou shalt not covet, what are we talking about? We're talking about lust, right? But yet the Bible says in another place, covet ye earnestly the best gifts, right? We use that term a lot saying I covet your prayers, you know? Because covet can mean desire, but if I said thou shalt not covet, I had not known lust, except the law has said thou shalt not covet. But you have to take the Bible as a whole. You know, in 1 Corinthians 15, an example of this is where it says that God is going to put all things under Jesus' feet, okay? And it says in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 27 about that, it says For he hath put all things under his feet. So who are we talking about? God the Father is putting all things under the Son's feet, right? But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted which did put all things under him. Does that make sense? Like, what if that phrase wasn't there? We can get it. We can understand that, right? We can understand that, like, listen, there's a hierarchy. The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost. When he says he put all things under him, we know we're not talking about the Father being put under him. But it's stating this, like clarifying it, right? And I believe that happens a lot in the Bible where it'll make a statement, all things are put under him, but it's known that we're not talking about the Father, right? There's an exception to this. And when it says if any man hate not his father, mother, wife, it's known, it's manifest that we're talking about those that hate the Lord. Because the only place in the Bible where it tells us to hate somebody is when it says do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee. Does that make sense? Like, you have to take the Bible in context. So that's the only group of people that can fit that bill and for it to be consistent and all that. So that's what I believe about that. And that's a hard saying, you know, and listen, praise the Lord, I don't have anybody in my close family that I have to, like, hate, you know, to be his disciple, praise the Lord. But there are people in extended family that, yeah, I have to, if I want to be his disciple, you know, if I want to be, you know, following him and continuing in his word. Now, go back to Luke chapter 14, Luke chapter 14 and verse 34. And we'll finish off the chapter here. Now, listen, if someone has a different interpretation to that and they say, well, no, I think that that hate there means love less and that it's equated with Matthew 10. You know, I'm not saying that person is, you know, a bad preacher or, you know, they're out to lunch. I understand where they're coming from. But at the same time, when it says hate, I believe it means hate. But what does it say in the original language? It says hate. Well, if you go back to the Greek, it says this, which means hate. Well, thanks. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I feel like a lot of times when people go back to the Greek, they should be called Captain Obvious, right? Because they'll go back to the Greek and be like, well, the Greek word for believe is pistevo, which means believe. Now, let's continue on. It's like, why did you do that? What was the point? It's like Captain Obvious, okay. Well, you could have just not gone down that rabbit trail. But it means hate. I believe it means hate. So when it says hate, I believe it means that, okay? So, and that's my explanation for it, is that we're talking about those that hate the Lord. And if that's the case, if the shoe fits, wear it. That's what it really comes down to. If the shoe fits, then you need to wear it. Now, in Luke chapter 14, verse 34, it says, salt is good, but if the salt had lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dung hill, but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Now, I don't believe it's just by coincidence that it's mentioned after talking about being a disciple. Because being the salt of the earth, I believe you are the salt of the earth, but you need to be, it's kind of like the idea of like, spiritually speaking, you're the salt of the earth, but speaking, you're light of the world, right? Because in Matthew chapter five, it says something similar about it. It says, ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt had lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted, it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden underfoot of men. And the idea is that it says it's good for nothing, meaning that a Christian that is not salty, essentially, is good for nothing. Think about it. I mean, a Christian that is not continuing his word, being fruitful, and going back to the fruitful in John chapter 15, you know what it states about the branch that doesn't bring forth fruit? It's cast off, and it's burned, right? It's kind of the same kind of analogy to a certain extent. The idea is that salt, you know, if it's not salty, that you don't have that savor of the saltiness, I'm not putting it on my food. I'm just going to dump it out. And so, that's the same idea, and I don't think that salt equates to the light of the world. I think there are two things that work. They're complementary of each other, okay? Meaning that it's the light of the world, when it talks about that, it talks about letting your light shine, that they may see your good works, but I believe that the salt is something added on to that, okay? And go to Colossians chapter 4, Colossians chapter 4. And I'll read another place in Mark chapter 9 dealing with this. Mark chapter 9 verse 50 says, Salt is good, but if the salt had lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another. See, the idea here is that when Jesus is talking about there's variance between father and mother, but you still want to have peace, right? He didn't come to send peace, right? He didn't come to send peace, but division, variance, right? The idea is that if at all possible, live peacefully with all men, right? As much as lie within us, but the idea is that that saltiness is that aspect of us that causes division that basically is not going to be the unifying portion of what we're doing, right? And meaning that we're coming out from among them, we're being separate, all of that, right? But then Colossians chapter 4 and verse 6, specifically with our speech, it says in verse 6, Let your speech be all way with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. The idea of having salt, but also having peace with all men, right? Having your speech is with grace, but it's got that saltiness to it, right? It's like you're, when we go out soul winning, for example, you're here to be gentle and in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, right? So you're doing it with grace, meekness, gentleness, graciousness, right? But there's salt in what you're saying, right? When you say, hey, listen, we're all sinners, that's salty. You've committed a sin. You know, do you admit that you've sinned before? That's salty. Hey, the punishment for sin is hell. That's salty, right? Even the aspect of the fact of what the cure is or the salvation is, that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. That's salty, right? Like Jesus alone. If you believe that you can lose your salvation, you're not saved. Salt, right? There's saltiness within, but you would all say that, hey, Jesus saved us from our sins and that we just have to believe on him for salvation. That's gracious, right? That's good. Like to us that are saved, I mean, it's the power of God. There's nothing salty about that to us, right? To us that are believers. But to unbelievers, that's very salty. But that salt is good. And that's my Monica verse. Salt is good. And that should be a banner. We should have that somewhere. We should have that in the kitchen. That just says salt is good. Mark 9, 50, A. But when it comes to this, I do think that that links up with being a disciple. If you want to be his disciple, then you need to be salty. You need to be the light of the world. You need to bear fruit. You need to continue in his word. You need to love God more than your family members. And in some cases, there may be a case where you may actually have to hate a family member because they hate God to be his disciple. You have to pick up his cross daily and follow him to be his disciple. And listen, you can be his disciple and then you can literally just stop picking up the cross, stop being fruitful, and guess what? You're still saved, but you can't say that you're his disciple. You can't say that you're following him and doing what you should be doing and that you're his disciple at that point. Until you start picking up that cross and doing what you should be doing. So that's what the passage is talking about. Let's end with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you today. Thank you for your word. Thank you for the chapter here in Luke. And just pray that you'd help us to apply it to our lives. Help us to be humble. Help us to have a mind that we have based ourselves on a daily basis. And we praise you and thank you that you exalt us in those times. And we just pray that you'd help us to be the soul of the earth. And that you'd help us to be your disciples. And Lord, help us to follow you and to put you above everything. Lord, we love you. We pray all this in Jesus Christ's name. Amen. I pray that Dave will come and sing one more song and that it will be dismissed. Alright, take your song books and turn to song 375. Song 375, we'll sing Work for the Night is Coming. If you would stand, we'll sing song 375. Work for the night is coming Work through the morning hours Work while the dew is sparkling Work mid springing flowers Work when the day grows brighter Work in the glowing sun Work for the night is coming When man's work is done Work for the night is coming Work through the sunny noon Fill brightest hours with labor Rest come sure and soon Give every flying minute Something to keep in store Work for the night is coming When man works no more Work for the night is coming Under the sunset skies While their bright tents are glowing Work for daylight flies Work till the last beam faded Faded to shine no more Work for the night is darkening When man's work is done