Getting Real with God 2

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Getting Real with God 2</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id121.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Getting Real With God"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id134.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reality of Suffering With Christ"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Ministry Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Mark 12.1-44, Getting Real with God (pt. 2), Berean Bible Church, Nov 26, 2000am</B></div> <bR> <div> Has your knowledge of the Bible made a difference in the way you live? For the leaders of Israel, they knew the Scriptures inside and out, yet they persisted in their hypocrisy.</div> <bR> <div> <B>I. Jesus deals with the hypocritical leaders of Israel.</B></div> <div> <B>A. Jesus exposed the plot to kill him, illustrating the hypocrisy of Israel and her leaders.</B></div> <div> 1. Vss. 1-12, They acted like they honored God, but dishonored him by seeking to kill God’s son.</div> <div> 2. Vss. 13-17, They tried to turn the crowd against Jesus.</div> <div> 3. Vss. 18-27, They tried to make Jesus look ridiculous. Vs. 24 is the key. They didn’t really know the Scriptures, and they did not recognize God’s power.</div> <div> <B>B. Jesus addressed the matters of the heart and understanding.</B></div> <div> 1. Vss. 28-34, Jesus challenged them in regards to their hearts.</div> <div> a. Love for God springs from the heart.</div> <div> b. Love for others springs from the heart.</div> <div> 2. Vss. 35-37, Jesus exposed their lack of understanding about who he really was, the Son of God and the Messiah, the Anointed One of Israel.</div> <div> <B>C. Jesus gave instructions about being real with God.</B>  This was addressed to people who would willingly listen and respond.</div> <div> 1. Vss. 38-40, Don’t be like the ones who are physically rich (greedy) and spiritually poor.</div> <div> 2. Vss. 41-44, Be like the one who is spiritually rich and physically poor. What was in the poor woman’s heart was more important than the amount of money she offered – she gave all she had, because she gave her heart.</div> <div> <B>II. Application: Get Real with God by being devoted to him</B>. Have an undivided heart, vss. 29-30.</div> <div> Being real with God demands . . .</div> <div> a. Loving others, vs. 31</div> <div> b. Being humble, vs. 38-39</div> <div> c. Being generous, vs. 42</div> <bR> <div> In 1995, I read that police arrested a key member of the Aum Shinrikyo religious sect who had been wanted on kidnapping charges, and who was possibly involved in the nerve gas attack in a Tokyo subway. They found that he had undergone facial surgery to change his appearance. Wanted posters with Takeshi Matsumoto’s picture were plastered all over Japan, but he did not much resemble the photo. Surgery on Mr. Matsumoto’s eyes and a different haircut changed his appearance. And the skin of his fingertips had been sliced off so he would not leave fingerprints to match those in police records. Changing your outward appearance does not change what you are in the inside. God knows what is in inside. You can impress others by your outward appearance, but he looks at your heart and sees whether or not you are real with him.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>