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Entry & End Times, Week 8
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I want to start by sharing something personal. This morning has been rough for me, but right now I feel nothing but gratitude. Before we dive into God's Word, I need to honor a few people who are with us today.
First, I want to recognize my mother, Sharon Mitchell. The doctors told her she could never have children because of a damaged cervix. But she was a woman of faith and prayer. She laid her hands on the prayers of Hannah and believed God, saying, "God, if you give me a son, I will give him back to you." God performed a creative miracle in her womb and gave her a son. God didn't stop there—He also blessed her with my sister Mary. What an incredible testimony of faith!
I also want to honor Miss Ivy McGregor, a brilliant global consultant for Fortune 500 corporations, who has traveled all the way from Houston to be with us today.
And I want to recognize one of my closest friends and one of America's greatest pastors, Pastor Tim Timberlake. He pastors Celebration Church in Florida, and his friendship and counsel have been invaluable to me during this season.
If you're a guest with us today, we welcome you to 2819 Church. If you're a digital disciple watching live from across America and around the world, we welcome you. And if you're not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, we want you to know that you can belong before you believe. Our prayer is that as you sit in these holy gatherings, a day will come when you surrender your life to Christ and your name will be recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life.
We are in Week 8 of a series called "Entry and End Times." We're studying the final days of Jesus' life—His final actions and final words. Our text today comes from Matthew 22:15-22.
As I've been meditating on this text, I've been reminded of a publication called The Voice of the Martyrs. It chronicles the stories of persecuted Christians around the world who don't enjoy the freedoms we take for granted. These are brothers and sisters wrestling with a real and present tension between God and government—living under tyrannical leaders who are hostile toward Christianity, forced to decide whether to obey God or obey the state.
I've seen this firsthand in Turkey, where Christianity barely exists. We had to honor the laws of the nation while also wrestling with questions of faith and obedience.
Here in America, we got a taste of this during the pandemic. Do we gather or do we obey the government's orders? Do we take the vaccine? Do we wear a mask? That tension was real.
But let me tell you something: A day is coming in America when that tension will heat up. Laws will be passed against Scripture. The government will call biblical teaching "hate speech." They will say, "If you preach that from the pulpit, it is illegal." We will face a decision: Do we obey God, or do we obey presidents?
In the Great Tribulation, people will face an even starker choice. When the Antichrist comes to power, they will have to decide: Do we take the mark of the beast? If we don't take the mark, we can't buy, we can't sell, no house, no 401k, no job, no gas, no food. But we will have Christ. Will Christ be enough for you?
This is the tension at the center of our text.
Let me set the stage. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Sunday. He will be crucified on Friday. He cursed the fig tree as a sign of judgment on Israel. He went to the temple and cleansed it—driving out those who had turned God's house into a den of financial corruption. He healed in the temple. He taught in the temple.
Then the Pharisees—the spiritual leaders of Israel—confronted Him. They should have been leading people closer to God, but they were leading people closer to themselves. We see this happening in churches all across America today. Pastors and ministers are building altars to themselves, creating idols to themselves. Everything they do is about themselves. They're not exalting Christ; they're exalting man. They're not reading Scripture Christologically; they're mining it for personal blessings.
Jesus confronted them, asking, "Who gave you this authority?" They couldn't answer. Then He unleashed three parables on them—all pronouncing judgment:
Jesus made sure they heard the truth. They rejected all three.
Now comes the critical moment. You would think that after hearing such clear judgment, they would repent. But no. Instead, they plot how to trap Jesus.
"Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his word." (Matthew 22:15)
They did not repent. Their hearts were hardened. They heard truth and refused to turn. This reveals the great depravity of the human heart whose hearts are so hardened they cannot hear truth, will not repent, and will not turn. This is a dangerous place to be.
When your heart is so hardened that nobody can correct you, you are in danger. When you can't be coached, can't be counseled, can't be told anything, that's a sign your heart is calloused. When someone comes to you with correction and you always have an excuse, always push back, always clap back—you are not coachable. And that is a dangerous place.
The Pharisees lacked something crucial: conviction. I was preaching in Dallas recently when a young man came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, "Pastor, can you pray for me? I feel convicted." I said, "That's good! There's nothing to pray about. You're in a good place."
You see, conviction is different from condemnation. There is no condemnation in Christ, but there is conviction. When you feel the Holy Spirit convicting you, that is a sign that God is being a father to you. That is God loving you. A loving father disciplines his children.
But the Pharisees felt no conviction. Their hearts were seared. They were drunk on pride and envy, which dulls the heart to sin. They were so jealous of Christ that they couldn't hear the Word of God.
So they devised a plan. They sent their disciples—young men, teenagers, early twenties—to Jesus as covert operatives. They thought maybe Jesus wouldn't recognize them. Maybe He'd go easier on them because they were young. They sent these operatives along with the Herodians.
Now, this is remarkable. The Pharisees and Herodians were enemies. The Pharisees were a Jewish sect that hated Rome, hated Roman law, hated Roman taxes. The Herodians were pro-Rome, descendants of King Herod, the puppet king set up by Rome. These groups hated each other. But look what happened: common opposition to truth made enemies into allies.
This is something you need to protect yourself from: acquired offense. This is when someone you have no conflict with comes to you and sours your heart about that person. Suddenly you hate someone you had no problem with before. They did this to the Herodians. They went and poisoned their hearts about Jesus so they would join forces to trap Him.
Now watch how they approach Jesus. Look at verse 16:
"Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances." (Matthew 22:16)
They call Him "Teacher." They come with words of affection and endearment. Then they butter Him up. They try to inflate His ego. They try to sweet-talk Him.
This is a common tactic: people come to you with lips smooth as oil, but inside their hearts they are wicked. Some of you have an affinity for people who are serpents. You're deceived by their charm, their smile, their title. They have smooth lips, but inside, they are dark and evil.
Here's what I want to tell you: You need discernment. Discernment comes over time. The more you spend in God's Word, the more time you spend in prayer, the more time you spend with the Holy Spirit, the more your discernment increases. When you talk to people who are serpents, you'll feel something off in your soul. You'll be shaking their hand and thinking, "Something is not right with this person."
Your discernment has to be stronger than your insecurities. Some of you are so insecure. Someone comes and tells you that you're beautiful, you're talented, you're amazing, and you get inflated by that flattery. Then the snake wraps around you and squeezes the life out of you. Years later you're nursing a broken heart.
The Scripture warns us:
"A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet." (Proverbs 29:5)
You need to be careful not to be snared by people who butter you up on the outside but don't have your best interest on the inside.
You need people in your life who love you enough to tell you the truth. How do you have a best friend who can't correct you? If your best friend is a "yes friend," if they have to walk on eggshells to tell you the truth about an area where you need to grow—that's not a friend, that's a plant.
Now, here's the key thing: Everything the Pharisees said about Jesus was true. He is a teacher. He is true. He does teach the way of God truthfully. He doesn't care about people's opinions. He's not swayed by appearances. But their lips were full of evil and their hearts were full of evil.
That's why you have to be careful with people who keep telling you things you want to hear. Why are they trying to get close? Why are they flattering you? Why weren't they paying you attention last year, and now all of a sudden you're amazing? What do they really want? Do they want your platform? Do they want access to your circle? Do they want a collaboration?
Remember: You owe everybody love, but you don't owe everybody access. Access must be earned through consistency, faithfulness, and godliness.
"Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Proverbs 4:23)
You guard it with the Word. You guard it with prayer. You guard it with discernment. You guard it with accountability. You better have a friend with a real prayer life. You better have a friend who knows Jesus for real and will tell you the truth.
After they think they've softened Jesus up with flattery, they pull out their dagger:
"Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matthew 22:17)
On the surface, this seems like a simple question. But in the first century, this is a bombshell. The Jews are living under Roman occupation, and they hate the taxation system of Rome. The taxes are heavy and burdensome. There's a tax for everything. Some of those taxes fund the Roman Empire—mail, roads, military, peace, aqueducts. But some taxes inflate the pockets of the Caesars. Some taxes support temples to false gods.
The people of Israel felt crushed and weighted down by these taxes. This was the issue of the day.
Now watch the trap: If Jesus says, "Pay your taxes," He sides with the Herodians and angers all the Jews who hate taxes. He loses credibility with thousands of people. If He says, "Don't pay taxes," He sides with the Pharisees and angers the Herodians, who will instantly report Him to the king as an insurrectionist. Either way, He's trapped. Either way, He's in trouble.
But watch how Jesus responds:
"But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, 'Why put me to the test, you hypocrites?'" (Matthew 22:18)
First, notice this: Jesus was aware of their malice. That's discernment. That's what you need. He saw right through their trap.
Second, notice He calls them what they are: hypocrites. He doesn't soften it. He doesn't say, "You young Pharisees" or "You Herodians." He calls them exactly what they are. Sometimes you can't be afraid to call people exactly what they are.
I remember a situation in our ministry where a man was blocking us from moving forward. One of my staffers said, "Maybe we should just pray for him." I said, "No, he's a son of the devil. He's a plant of Satan." So I called our prayer team and said, "Get the whole prayer team. We need to pray against this son of Satan."
We got on our knees that night and prayed: "Lord, we pray against this operative of the devil. We pray you would remove him from that place. We pray you would expose his evil. We pray you would shine the light on him. Lord, let the work of the church go forward."
The next day, he lost his position. The people he worked for found out he was a liar and removed him. The work continued.
If you want to be so soft, so emotional, so caught up in cupcake devotionals that when the devil sends someone into your life, you don't have the strength to pray against them—you're in trouble. There are people the devil plants. There are people in your job, in your family, even people with your last name, whom the devil has planted to frustrate you. And you need to know how to pray: "Lord, remove them. Break their flesh. Expose their evil."
"A demonic plot that's brought to the light is already halfway defeated." [Applause]
When people come around me, I feel what's on them. They don't even know. I shake their hand, but I won't be their friend, because access has to be earned.
Now watch what Jesus does:
"Show me the coin for the tax." (Matthew 22:19)
They brought Him a denarius. A denarius was a silver coin worth a day's wage. On one side was minted the figure of Caesar. On the other side was an inscription saying Caesar was the son of God.
The Jews hated this coin. This coin was blasphemous to them. It violated the second commandment—"You shall make no graven images." Every time they carried it, they carried something blasphemous in their pocket. And they hated paying taxes with it.
But Jesus asks to see it. He already knew what was on it. He said, "Show me the coin." Then He asked:
"Whose likeness and inscription is this?" (Matthew 22:20)
They said, "Caesar's."
"Therefore, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)
This statement is one of the most famous statements Jesus ever made. During the Reformation, it gave rise to the distinction between the authority of the church and the state. The Founding Fathers used it to create the doctrine of separation of church and state—designed not to help the government, but to keep the government from infringing on faith.
Now, pay close attention to the language. In the Greek, the word "render" means to give back to somebody what you owe them. Jesus is saying: Since Caesar minted his image on the coin, the coin belongs to Caesar. Give back to Caesar what you owe him. That coin is his. Give it back.
This is Christ creating the Christian ethic of being submissive to governmental authority. What we owe the government is taxes, compliance with laws, following ordinances—don't park in a handicapped spot if you're not handicapped, don't cheat on your taxes, don't bend documents to get more on your Pell Grant.
Jesus was teaching us to be model citizens. I want you to be the type of citizen under any government that you obey the law to such a degree that when people see you, they say, "Something is different about that person." The laws are tough, but you obey. The laws are difficult, but you obey.
I remember when I was 15 walking down Hollis Avenue in Queens. An Italian officer drove by, looked me in the eye, and I looked at him. He came around the block, jumped out of his car, grabbed me by my neck, and smashed me against a brick wall. He put his Glock to the back of my head and said, "Say something."
In that moment, I heard my mother's voice in my head: "Son, obey God. Obey authority. Obey the cops. Stop getting in trouble with the police."
In that moment, I had to decide: Would my ego be stronger, or my submission? I could flex and provoke authority. Or I could submit and walk away with my life.
I chose submission, and I lived.
Now, I know there are bad cops. We know that. There are evil people in every industry. But not every killing is because of a bad cop. Some of it is because we have not taught our children to be obedient to authority.
After Jesus rose, His followers taught this same truth. The Apostle Paul wrote:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." (Romans 13:1-2)
"For the rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to those who are bad. Would you have no fear for the one in authority? Then do what is good and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain." (Romans 13:3-4)
Peter wrote:
"Be subject to the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and praise those who do good." (1 Peter 2:13-14)
The teaching is clear: Be a model citizen. Pay your taxes. Obey authority. Don't have a rebellious spirit.
But there is a time to disobey authority. It's found in Acts 4. Peter and John went to the temple, prayed, and healed a man. The Pharisees told them, "Stop preaching in the name of Jesus." Peter and John responded: "Whether it's right for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judge. But we cannot stop preaching the name of Jesus."
We disobey authority when the laws of the land cause us to disobey God.
But now notice the second part of Jesus' statement:
"And render to God the things that are God's." (Matthew 22:21)
This is a parallel statement. Jesus takes a coin and asks, "Whose image is on the coin?" Caesar's. Since Caesar minted his image on the coin, the coin belongs to him. Give it back to him.
But here's the hidden question: Whose image is on you?
Genesis 1:26 tells us:
"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness." (Genesis 1:26)
Since God minted His image on you, you belong to God. Since Caesar's image is on the coin, Caesar gets the coin. Since God's image is on you, God gets you. And what you owe God is everything.
"You know what the Lord wants from you since you've been minted in His image? He wants your whole life. In totality." [Applause]
But here's the reality: There are thousands of us who have not rendered unto God everything that belongs to Him.
He can't tell you what to do with your money. He can't tell you what to do with your marriage. He can't tell you what to do with your children. He can't tell you what to do with your dreams. Your will is stronger than His. Your dreams are stronger than Him.
You have all these areas of your heart that you won't let God into. You're holding people in unforgiveness for years, but the Scripture says forgive. You've got past trauma, but you won't let Him heal. You won't let Him tell you how to handle your budget. You won't let Him direct your marriage.
The truth is, you have not rendered unto God your whole self. You have not given yourself to God in totality.
You know what I am today? A free man. And you know why I'm a free man? Because God has burned my will out of me. Every desire that's outside of His will for me, He's burned that out.
And now I can say, "God, have your way in my marriage. Have your way with my children. Have your way with my ministry. Have your way, Lord."
There's freedom, blessing, and healing on the other side of full surrender.
You already know. You preach, you sing, you talk, you post, but you've got areas of your heart that aren't fully rendered unto God. You've got unforgiveness in there. He can't tell you what to do with your money. You don't serve. You don't give. You don't pray. You don't read His Word. You don't listen for His direction in your marriage.
You do a little bit of God and a little bit of you. You have not rendered unto Him. But His image is on you. You belong to Him. And since He minted His image on your face, the only response of the one who minted His image on you is a heart fully surrendered in totality.
Right now, in this room, I see you. I see you, brother. I see you, sister. There are people all across this place who know there's an area of your heart where you have not fully surrendered to God.
You know you still hold unforgiveness. You're still angry with somebody. You still hold trauma. You won't let Him heal. You still won't tell Him what to do with your money. You still won't let Him disciple you into everything He's told you in this Word.
You already know who you are.
There's an area you need to lay on the altar today. Something with your marriage. Something with your finances. Something with unforgiveness. Some business, some ministry, something you have not fully surrendered to God.
On the other side of surrender is healing. On the other side is freedom.
If that's you—if there's one area you say, "God, I'm about to render this completely to you"—I want to pray for you. Will you stand to your feet? If I'm not talking to you, stay in your seat.
[Pastoral prayer follows, calling for full surrender and healing in all areas of life]
Father, right now in the name of the Holy One, I pray over every son and daughter who has an area of their heart they need to lay on the altar before You. Something with their marriage, something with their friends, something with their finances, something with unforgiveness, some business, some ministry—something they have not fully surrendered to You.
Lord, in this moment, would You draw them to Yourself? Would You give them the grace to fully surrender that part of their heart to You?
Father, we want healing. Father, we want freedom. Father, we want revelation. Father, we want to walk out of the prison we've been in for so many years.
Give them the grace to surrender right now, Lord. I pray the brothers and sisters would hurl themselves on the altar and be fully surrendered to You. Let their wills be surrendered, their businesses, their families, their children. Let it all be surrendered.
I pray freedom and healing in areas we've kept back from You. Doors opening, cages opening, people running out of here free.
Catch the tears that are falling in this room. Today is the day they forgive somebody they've been holding for a long time. Today is the day they forgive that trauma they've been holding. Today is the day they say, "Lord, not my will, but Yours be done."
I pray that over them in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Father, bless the gift and the giver and those who will be faithful to sow into this ministry so we could continue to push the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Amen.
