The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 11 verses 45 through 57.

Tony Clark: And I've seen where men and women allow the money making business to take them away from serving at church. And Jesus comes. I am telling you every time he will come to that job and overturn your tables. And the way that looks is he will overturn that table where that job closes down or they lose funding for that position or or or you know now all of a sudden they move the job out of the country and now you're without a job. My point is don't become like Annas where you allow a job or a position to take you away from serving in God's house the church.

Oh, I've seen this happen too many times. Too many times. We allow some job, some thing to take them away, some money making pyramid scheme, some kind of thing that all of a sudden people who are serving the Lord no longer can you get caught up by listening to Bible study CDs or something in the car because now you got to listen to some guru who is up the pyramid where you trying to go. You got to listen to him talk. No longer can you come to church. Now you got to go to meetings where this guru is there and he's he's the head over all of them.

You got this big meeting. I've seen it happen time and time again. Some money making scheme, some money making business, some job take you away from the the the duties here at church. And now all of a sudden now we don't see you because you too busy chasing that thing, that money making thing. And you've turned the religious duties of the temple over to other people while you go and chase some money making scheme. Oh, I've seen it. I've seen it happen. Jesus will come and overturn your tables. He will come and overturn that job.

He will come and overturn that company and come and overturn that position and then you're without a job. Then all of a sudden we see you here and now we said what happened? Oh, I lost my job. I had lost my position. Hey, it happens. I've seen it happen too many times. I've seen where guys who were called to ministry, guys who had a heart for God and the church they were serving, they got caught up in some money making scheme. And next you know we stop seeing them. We don't see them around. Bro, are you still you know you get those you know you listening in your car?

Oh, no, you know what you know I got to listen to this this person you know this person is where I'm trying to go. They they where I'm trying to be you know. And I've seen it happen too many times. You're Annas. You're Annas. You've turned the religious duties of the church over to other people. You just drop it and hope that other people pick it up while you go chase some money making scheme. I've seen it happen. God will come and overturn your tables and overturn that job and overturn cuz he's you will not let you put anything before him.

He will not. God said he wouldn't. And I've just seen it happen so you better heed it now. You better heed it now. Oh, God is speaking to somebody right now cuz you're about to pursue something that's taking you away from what's important. And Annas because of the money turned his religious duties over to Caiaphas, his son-in-law, so he can focus on the business. Oh, I tell you better be mindful. Better be mindful of those things. So this is because let me just say this because jobs, positions and all that stuff they come and go.

They come and go. Because this is why verse 49 says Caiaphas being high priest that year. See the reason why he said that year is because when Rome had conquered uh and conquered the world they were conquered Israel as well. If the high priest was there and he was not following the protocol of Rome or what Rome wanted them to follow they booted them out and put a high priest in who the one whom whom they can manipulate. If they will put one if you won't do it we get somebody in who will do it.

And that's why he said that he was high priest that year because if he didn't do what Rome wanted him to do that will be the last year he will be high priest. So that shows us that these jobs, these duty stations, these positions that we we we throw God away for to to have they're so fragile. They come and go. They here one minute and gone the next. The point is don't you sell out your responsibilities here at the church or God for some job or some money making pyramid business. Don't sell out. Don't sell out because Jesus is still able to overturn tables today.

And he'll overturn that thing and then you left you left looking silly when all of a sudden all that all of God and all that you gave up the Lord you gave up now for this business or this job and now the job is gone. Now you're looking silly. Oh, see Jesus will accept you back. That's the thing. He'll accept you back. He will. Put your tail between your legs. He will. He still will. Now not me. I would have been different. I said go on out there. No, you want to be out there. No, I want you to stay out there a little longer.

You ought to be thankful I'm not God. Amen. Amen. So Caiaphas said in verse 50 that it was expedient for us that one man should die for the people and not that the a whole nation should perish. Then verse 51 says now this he did not say on his own authority but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation. Now in their devious minds it was better to allow one man Jesus to die than have the whole nation perish by Rome. Now here is where the socialist mindset comes in that says the good of the masses is to be preferred over the good of the individual.

Oh, please keep this in mind. This statement is so true and followed by the world today. They would rather fire you than get the company in trouble. They would rather let you perish than have the media come down on them or the company for what you said or what you stand for. There's no loyalty, no more loyalty. There's no more togetherness. There's no more I got your back. No, you offended certain people or groups. You are on your own. The good of the company is to be preferred over the good of you, the individual. This is the world's mindset, the world's mentality.

This is it's a different world we live in today. There's no more as we say in the Marine Corps there's no more esprit de corps. There's no more togetherness. You know we got I got your back. You watch you watch my back. I'll watch your back. No. They will sell you out because the good of the company is to be preferred over the good of you, the individual. That 's the socialist mindset. Now something else I want to bring to your attention and and it is what is said in verse 51 that Caiaphas didn't say these things on his own authority but being high priest he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation.

He prophesied which means he spoke forth the words of God. In other words, God spoke through him in this instance. And this is something that we have talked about on Wednesday nights as we're in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers how God can use anyone to speak his truth. He used a donkey to rebuke Balaam in Numbers chapter 22. In other words, we need to be careful that we don't begin to think that if a person isn't born again they cannot speak God's truth. That's just not true. God used an ungodly king Abimelech to rebuke Abraham for saying that his wife Sarah was his sister.

Oh, you got to understand that Sarah Sarah was a looker. She was some kind of beauty. At 90 years old she was so beautiful, still at 90 that when they came into Egypt people was like whoa, did you see who just came in the city? That's did you see her? And they went and told Abimelech about her. Said man, you got to see this one. Whoa. 90 years old. So of course he does what a a man took her took Sarah as a into his harem. And all of a sudden that night God spoke to him in a dream.

And all God said was this, Abimelech you're a dead man. He said whoa, whoa. What are you talking about? My dead man. Said you have another man's wife. No, no. He said now God you know in the integrity of my heart he said she was his sister. Said that's another man's wife. So that morning he got up and rebuked Abraham. Abraham, what are you doing? You told me that she was your sister. You lied. And rebuked him. And God spoke through Abimelech to rebuke Abraham and said you're a liar. You lied. Oh, God is speaking today because there are many people today that you're calling your living girlfriend, your living partner, your wife or your husband and they're not your husband and they're not your wife.

You're not married to them but you're like here here's my wifey here. It's a wifey. And God will rebuke you too. He's rebuking you now for that sort of mess. That is not your wife. That is not your husband. That is your living your playing house. And God is rebuking you today for that mess. And stop going around calling them your husband. They my husband at home. That's not your husband. Unless you got all the proper you know that's not your husband and it's not your wife and God is rebuking you today just like God rebuked Abraham.

He's rebuking you for that mess. I don't care what the world says. Well, you lived together for seven years. Yes, that's my common law. That law may be coming today. It ain't coming in the eyes of God and stop saying that and you're lying for it and God is rebuking you today for that. That's sort of foolishness. That's foolishness. Stop playing house. And and I'm telling you ladies I'm telling you it's an old saying but it's so true they will not buy the cow when they getting the milk for free. They won't buy it. That's an old saying.

Maybe some of you all got No, what does what does that mean? You know. Somebody explain it to you. Somebody will. So God can use your ungodly boss, coworker, neighbor or family member to speak truth to you and to me. It hurts more when God uses these people but nonetheless he uses people like this like he used Caiaphas. Look at verses 53 and 54. Then from that day on they plotted to put him to death. Therefore, Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews but went from there into the country near the wilderness to a city called Ephraim.

And there remained with his disciples. Now we see from verse 53 all because the resurrection of Lazarus and them wanting to keep their position they plotted to put Jesus to death. See once again not everyone will be impressed or happy at the miracle that God did in your life. Now they are going to be watching you closely to try to put you to death or get you fired. They going to be watching you now. Now according to verse 54 Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews but went from there into the country near the wilderness to a city called Ephraim and remained with his disciples.

Now Ephraim was located about 4 miles northeast of Bethel on the edge of the wilderness and approximately 12 miles from Jerusalem. So it was far enough away from Jerusalem where he can get away from the trouble but he was close enough to to get back and forth. Now we may have to do the same thing he Jesus did here. When you see that this kind of plotting against you on your job you too may not be able to walk openly among them like verse 54 describes. You may have to retreat to your Ephraim and remain there with other disciples of the believers on the job just like Jesus did.

You may have to do this because they're going to watch your every move. They going to watch every little thing you say. And you may have to find some other believers, some other disciples of the Lord in order to um uh hang out with them uh for a season. Now look what he says there in um verses 55 to 57. It says and the Passover of the Jews was near and and many went from the country up from Jerusalem before the Passover to purify themselves. And then they sought Jesus and spoke among them as they stood in the temple.

What do you think that he will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a command that if anyone knew where he was that he should report it that they might seize him. Now in these verses we see the feast of Passover approaching in verse 55. I want you to notice notice something. I want you to notice how it is called the Passover of the Jews. As I've mentioned before not the Passover of the Lord. It is now the Passover of the Jews. You say so what? It is now a ritual.

No longer does it mean anything to them. It was just an annual ritual. Or my question is has church become that for you? Has it become just a weekly ritual and for some many of you it's not even weekly? It's just every now and then ritual that you do. No longer is church what it's supposed to be. And the question is has has it lost something? Has church lost something for you and for your family like it obviously did for the Jews? Passover was one of three feasts that everyone had to come to Jerusalem to worship.

And therefore as we come to church has church lost something for you? And all of a sudden you know you looking and you want to okay you know I got so much to do I got you know okay I got as soon as I finish here I got to okay hurry up hurry up hurry up. Has it lost something for you? And then then you think oh well maybe I got to change churches. But like I've always said wherever you go there you are. It's not the changing of the church is you. You the you the issue.

It's lost something for you. And you think the church oh the church is changed, the church is different. No, it's you. You have lost something. Then now all of a sudden as it was the Passover of the Jews it's just the church of pastor Tony. And you think now I got to go to the church of somebody else down the road and really it's you. And you have to look at yourself in the mirror. It's you. It's not us. We still doing our thing. You we we didn't change. You did. It remind me of the story of the young couple.

You know they were driving in the car together. And she was you know he was at this steering wheel and just she was all snugged up all up under him right here. He driving you know she's all right here. Couple got older. Time went on. Been married several years, decades. All of a sudden they pull up on a light and they see a young couple see you know just hugged up and the wife said you remember when we used to be like that? She just he he said yeah, I remember. She said you know just what happened?

He said you moved. See it was her. She's now over here. She used to be the one over here. She the one moved. There's nothing wrong with us. You moved. You changed. Things changed for you. Now you trying to blame it on us and throw shade on us and that well it's the church the church change. No, it's you. And you trying to put it on us and you can put on us all you want and you'll be bouncing around all over the place and until you look in the mirror and say it's me, it's me.

It's me. So Passover it was called the Passover of the Jews. And Passover was one of three feasts that everyone had to come to Jerusalem to worship. Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, tells us according to Jewish records that they would sacrifice at least 250,000 sheep during this time. So since one lamb was sacrificed for every household of 10 people uh there could have been approximately 2.5 million people flooding into Jerusalem to purify themselves according to the end of verse 55. And the same thing is true for us whether you believe it or not. One of the reasons why we come to church is to purify ourselves collectively.

Psalm 119 verse 9 says how can a young man cleanse his way by taking heed according to the word? John 15:3 you're clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. Ephesians 5:26 washing her by the water of the word. And the word of God cleanses us and when we come together as a church to get taught the word of God it is purifying us from the dirt of the world. The Bible says in James 1:27 is not on the screen for you note takers, keep yourselves unspotted from the world. Meaning that the world seeks to get its spots its dirt on us.

Is and and through his dirty jokes and inappropriate comments and his blasphemous things that they say about God and Jesus and the Bible and they seek to get us dirty. So we come together collectively to get washed and cleansed by the word of God. And so if you call yourself paying church a guest appearance once every six months or once a year can you imagine how much dirt you come in here with? You come in here dirty. And you try to dress it up by putting on some nice clothing on the outside but you filthy.

We see it. Dirt all on your face. Looking like Pig Pen. That's that's if you 40 you and you know who Pig Pen is. If you don't know Pig Pen just just ask somebody. Got a little bit of gray. Yeah. And you and you dirty. And when we come together collectively it's to be washed with the word of God. And this is why church is so important. So as the people were there notice I want you to notice this. As the people were there they sought Jesus and ask in verse 56 do you think that he will come to the feast?

They ask because verse 57 according to verse 57 the chief priest had already put it out that if anyone knew where Jesus was they were to report it to them so they could arrest him. May we follow the example of those people in verse 56 when we come together may we come to seek Jesus and not come to seek a husband or wife or to seek a partner or to seek some financial blessing, some financial gift. Our church outside we have people come for all kind of reasons. And the last thing they're coming for is to seek Jesus.

They come and they're seeking for a handout. So they come and try to pilfer from people as they're going to their cars in the parking lot or they try to come in and give some sob story to try to get some kind of financial thing. And they come here for every other reason other than to seek Jesus. I'm tired of sowing my wild oats so I'm going to come give me a good church girl. So let me go to church. They ain't coming to seek Jesus. They coming to get a good church girl. And here's the thing.

Now if seeking Jesus you find a wife or you find a husband oh that's okay because the Bible says in Matthew 6:33 seek you first the kingdom and his righteousness and all these other things that you're worried about will be added unto you but your priorities got to be right. You got to come to seek Jesus. That's the first thing. Come and seek the Lord like we see them doing in these verses. Let me conclude with this. Not impressed. There will be people who will not be happy or impressed with the miraculous work Jesus has done in your life like we saw in these verses.

I believe that we're living in a time where people will try to plot against us because of our stance for the Bible and for Jesus Christ. They will gather a council against you and plot to get you fired. And you may have to find you and Ephraim to retreat to like Jesus did because you will not be able to walk openly among them like verse 54 says. Finally don't allow some money making business to take you away from the work of the Lord like Annas did because Jesus did it then and he still does it today.

He will overturn tables. Jesus will not allow us to put anything before him. The Bible says you shall not have you shall have no other God before me. Whatever it is we put in front of God becomes a God. And he will and he still overturn tables. Maybe that's what the Lord is doing in your life today. And he's not doing it to be mean. He he does it because he loves us. And he wants to be first in our lives. And may we put him first because I don't want to see God overturn tables in your life and overturn your job and overturn your business and overturn your company and overturn whatever it is he's going to overturn that you've placed in front of him.

I don't want to see that happen to you. I just pray you put him first. You put him first. He's worthy to be put first. Worthy is the lamb that was slain. Worthy is God. May we put him first in our lives. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for this time you've given us. Lord, we just pray that you're moving our hearts. Dear God, I just pray for those who have laid down their responsibilities of serving you for a money making business. Lord, I just pray do a work in hearts, do a work in lives today.

Lord, we just pray that you help us, Lord. Forgive us for putting things first in front of you. And Lord, I pray if there's anyone here who've never really repented of their sin and and and made you the Lord of their life I pray that today they will believe you died on the cross and was buried and rose again. Lord, I pray because you said if they confess that and believe in their heart they shall be saved. Do a work in hearts and minds today in Jesus name. Amen.

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