Speaker: Lud Kiramidjian Date: 1/14/23 During the final week of Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry (sometimes called the “Passion Week”), He faced intensifying opposition from enemies. Christ corrected them for their sins, but instead of repenting their resistance against Him increased. As the cycle of conflict escalated, Christ corrected them with increasing power until it reached a crescendo (when He gave them a scathing rebuke in Matthew 23:13-36). Just when the conflict had reached a climax, Jesus gave those enemies (and us who read the account) a glimpse into the emotional love and compassion He had for those He had just corrected (in Matthew 23:37-39). This message categorizes these events into the following three elements: (1) Christ’s scathing rebukes of those sinful and hard-hearted humans who opposed Him (the eight “Woes” of Matthew 23:13-36); (2) Christ’s tender and emotional expressions of love and compassion (His “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem” lament of Matthew 23:37-38); and (3) Christ’s Gospel message of hope for their ultimate future in the Kingdom of God (of Matthew 23:39). By understanding how Christ dealt with humanity in opposition to Him then, we can understand how Christ is guiding His church to follow that same pattern now. Please Note: Additional messages given in the SF Bay Area congregation may be searched by date, presenter name &/or title at https://www.ucg.org/sermons/all?group=San%20Francisco%20Bay%20Area,%20CA

Lud Kiramidjian