Perry Stone - 3 Kingdom Blockers
Summary:
In this message from Israel, the preacher warns that even religious affiliation or claiming to be Christian isn’t enough if one’s life doesn’t align with true faith, using Jesus' words in Matthew 8:10–12 about the centurion’s great faith and the danger of being cast out despite being «sons of the kingdom.» He highlights three things that can keep people out of the Kingdom: hypocrisy (preaching one thing but living another), refusing to forgive others (as unforgiveness blocks God’s forgiveness), and doing nothing—failing to repent and personally accept Jesus. The urgent call is to genuine repentance, forgiveness, and a real relationship with Christ to ensure entry into heaven.
Greeting from Israel
I want to welcome the worldwide audience of Manifest. You know where I’m at; you can tell by the rocks behind me. Where in the world are there rocks that look like this, except Israel? I’d say about six to seven months out of the year, we take programs in Israel. We bring tour groups here, and people ask me, «How many times do you go?»
We go for two weeks: a Partners Tour and a Main Tour, and we tape about 30 programs. Hopefully, God has given us another beautiful day. These are our partners, the partners of our ministry. We have a Partners-only tour, and don’t tell them, but we see things other people don’t. Okay, but I won’t tell anybody that if you won’t tell anybody.
I just opened up a can of worms for everybody else that comes with me. You understand what I did? Okay, I want to give a scripture to you, and I’m going to announce the subject I’m going to share with you on the program today: Matthew 8:10–12.
Scripture and Main Warning
When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed him, «Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel. And I say to you that many will come from the East and West, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven. But the sons of the Kingdom will be cast into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.»
I want to make a statement: you can be a member of a church and still die lost. Right? You can say you’re a Christian with your mouth only, and if your actions do not line up with the New Testament, you will be judged and condemned at the Judgment. So, here’s what I want to share with you for the next few moments: three things that will keep you out of the Kingdom.
Religious Groups in Jesus' Day
Three things that are going to keep you out of the Kingdom: First of all, I think a lot of times when we read the New Testament from a Western mindset, we don’t realize the type of people Jesus had to deal with in his day. There were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the doctors of the law, and the scribes. Let me talk to you for a moment about who they were.
The word «Pharisee» means someone who is separated or the separated ones. They were separated in the sense that they took the law of Moses and interpreted it very strictly and literally. The second group, which was actually, to some extent, opposite of the Pharisees in their beliefs, were the Sadducees.
Now, the Sadducees, again, their name means «the righteous ones, » and so this particular group was like the elite group—they were the wealthy group, the kind of high-up group. The funny thing about them is that they did not believe in angels, demons, devils, or evil spirits, nor did they believe in the human spirit’s resurrection, so they were always fighting with the Pharisees.
Common vs. Religious People
These are the two big groups Jesus had to deal with in his day. The third group consisted of the scribes and the doctors of the law. The doctors of the law were those who interpreted the law in legal cases, and scribes were those who penned the parchments; they would copy the scrolls in great detail.
If you read the New Testament, it’s interesting that the common people always accepted Christ everywhere he went, while the religious people did not. I want to tell you something: that’s how it is today. Some of the meanest people in the world, I hate to tell you this, are religious people.
Some of the meanest things going on in the world are done in the name of God. People are beheading others in the name of God while shouting praise to God. How in the world can you give praise to God when you’re acting like a devil, cutting people’s heads off? That doesn’t even make sense—it’s not even common sense, much less biblical sense—it’s against the Word of God.
Jesus' Problem with Pharisees
So let’s talk about this for just a moment. Before I do, let me tell you about the problem Jesus had with the Pharisees. Here’s a group of men that took the five books of Moses, interpreted them very literally, wore their prayer shawls, wore their phylacteries on their heads, prayed, and fasted about two times a week.
Yet, at the same time, when it came time to watch the miracles of Jesus, they would get into discussions like this: «He just told a guy to take up his bed and walk; he can’t be of God.» Why not? «Because a man should not carry his bed on the Sabbath.» Here’s a blind man who says, «Well, he can’t be of God.» Why not? «Because he healed a blind man on the Sabbath.»
They got so caught up with the method that they missed the miracle. You’ll discover that people today will do the same thing. If God does a miracle today, which He still does, and someone stands and testifies, you’ll hear people in the church say, «Well, I’ll believe it if he gets a doctor’s confirmation.» Well, the doctor said he was healed. «I don’t know about that; let’s see what happens six months from now.»
Hypocrisy Exposed
I mean, this is horrible—the unbelief that people have. I could preach on unbelief keeping you out of the Kingdom, but that’s not where we’re going to go in a minute. So, the point I want to make is simply this: the thing Jesus dealt with was a group of men that taught against murder, saying it was a sin according to the law, and yet they had Christ put on the cross.
Here’s a group of men that claimed to believe in the supernatural; they even believed in the resurrection. Yet, when Lazarus was raised from the dead, they wanted to kill Lazarus to get rid of the evidence that he had been resurrected. Now, how can you say you believe in the resurrection, but when somebody is resurrected, you want to kill the person who was raised from the dead to prove it didn’t happen? This is called hypocrisy. Stay with me; this is called hypocrisy.
Here’s another example: they believed in the law. They were very strict men; they’d fight you over the law, they’d beat you over it, or they’d stone you over it. The trial of Jesus was totally illegal. It was done at night; he was not allowed to bring his own witnesses. It was a totally illegal trial, and they permitted it.
Issues in the Modern Church
The other thing is this: they were strict observers of what the Scripture taught, yet at the same time, they continually twisted the words of Jesus when he would teach or preach. Now, I’m going to say something about the church. Often, the church accepts praise that God does not accept because the Bible says you cannot honor Him with your lips while your heart is far from Him.
You can go through the motions: «Hallelujah, praise the Lord, I love you, Jesus, » but if it’s not coming from the heart, it’s not accepted in heaven. The second thing is this: the church often accepts members who have no real relationship with God. You pardon me for saying this, but I get so tired of churches that aren’t pursuing a real sinner.
They’re not after an unbeliever because, as they come in, they come in as baby Christians. When you have babies, you’ve got to change diapers, and you’ve got to get the milk hot; when you have babies, you’ve got to correct them. So what they want is business people with money. Come on now, somebody at home, and then they want to put them on a board because they’ve got money. Oh, watch out, pastors, don’t you get mad at me.
The Ark and Church Leadership
You know the Ark of the Covenant was supposed to be carried on the shoulders of the priests, right? In other words, the presence of God should be borne by the priests who walk with Him. But you know what? One time, Israel got all messed up, forgot what God’s process was, and they put the Ark on an ox cart.
You know what an ox cart is, right? Boards and big wheels. Excuse me; I didn’t mean to offend you with boards and big wheels. Good congregations end up being run by boards and big wheels. The board decides what the pastor preaches, the board decides what is sung, the board decides how much offering should be distributed, and the board decides who is in and who is out, and who is not.
Then you’ve got the big wheels, which are the financial backers. Now, there’s nothing wrong with having wealthy people who support our ministry. There’s nothing wrong with being rich, as long as being rich doesn’t have a hold of you. There’s nothing wrong with being rich, as long as you’re not trusting in uncertain riches the way Jesus said.
Missing God’s Move
What happens is that in the time of Jesus, the blessings that were all around were missed because the religious crowd didn’t come the way they expected. For example, think about this for just a moment: the disciples had been with Jesus for quite some time. They’re on the Sea of Galilee one night when Jesus comes walking on the water.
First of all, they get totally terrified; the reason they got terrified was that there was a tradition in Jesus’ day about the Sea of Galilee. If you were fishing at night and you saw an apparition on the lake, it meant the spirit of a dead fisherman whose boat had sunk there years ago was coming to tell you that your boat was going down next.
So when they see Jesus walking on the water and they see a figure, they panic, right? You with me? Because they’re saying, «Uh oh, we’re next!» They’re scared to death. Then finally, Jesus says something, and Peter says, «I think it’s the Lord.» The funniest statement in the world: «Lord, if it’s you, bid me come.» Hello! Okay, what if it’s not Him, Peter? What if it’s not Him? You going to sink? You going to drown? «Lord, if it’s you, bid me come.»
When God Moves Differently
I just could preach right there, but let me move on. What messed these guys up was this: it was Jesus, but He came in a different form than they were used to. They were not used to Him coming or walking on the water. He’d never done that before. The reason churches cannot have revival is when God begins to move in that church by the Holy Spirit.
Oftentimes he will start doing things they’re not used to. People start getting blessed; they’re not used to seeing certain people get blessed. Strangers start coming and taking your seat. When Jesus shows up in a form you’re not accustomed to, you know what they called Jesus when he appeared in a form they weren’t used to? They said, «It’s a spirit!» They weren’t claiming it was an angel; they were saying it’s a dead man or a demon.
Some people today call things that God is doing demonic and claim things that God is doing are evil. Can I just say something to you with all the love I can in my heart? Speaking in tongues and praising God is not of the devil. Charismatics and Pentecostals are not your enemies; we’re brothers and sisters.
Worship Styles and Discernment
So when you see people worshiping and you say, «We can’t do that around here. That’s not of God, » or clapping their hands, and you say, «Don’t do that around here. That’s not of God, » there are even some people—oh, I’m going to get some letters on this, but I’m just feeling bold, so this is how it goes. Can I tell you, I love Southern Gospel music? I was raised on it. I love camp meeting music; I probably love it better than anyone.
But there are some Christians who think God only sings Southern Gospel. They don’t like praise and worship that comes from the Bible. I had a guy one time who had those things in his ears in church; he plugged them up and I said, «What’s the deal with you?» He said, «I don’t like this stuff being sung on the screen.» I said, «It’s all from the Bible!» You know what he told me? «I don’t care if it is from the Bible; I don’t like it.»
Let me tell you about that guy: he was going deaf, and the doctor couldn’t tell why. I said, «You know what? God might have let him go deaf because he doesn’t like to hear your music.» So I’m just getting weird today; I’m preaching like I’m back home with my homeboys. You understand what I’m saying? I’m getting a little off track, so let me pull it back in.
Be Careful Judging God’s Work
The point I want to make is: be careful what you say is not of God. I know there are four living creatures in heaven: an ox, an eagle, a lion, and a man. I know they’re crying «Holy, holy, holy!» but that is not a Southern Gospel quartet. I mean some people are going to get to heaven and say, «Come listen to this great song, 'Holy, Holy, Holy' from these four living creatures!»
I’m not making fun of your music. What I’m trying to say is: be careful what you say is or isn’t of God. The Pharisees said Jesus was not of God, and he was. The Pharisees said that his miracles were not of God, and they were. The religious people of his day said he was a hoax and not real, but he was.
You have to discern what is and is not of God by going back to the Word of God, period—not someone’s interpretation, but what it says itself. Alright, I know I’ve gone way off the message; let’s pull it back in. Here we go.
First: Hypocrisy
Number one, here’s something that will keep you out of the Kingdom of God: being a total hypocrite. Now, the Greek word «hypocrite» in Greek originally meant someone who was a stage actor. A stage actor would hold a mask in front of them while the real person stood behind the mask. So, the original meaning of hypocrite is someone who wears a mask.
Today, we say a hypocrite is two-faced; why do we say two-faced? Because it comes from a real face and a fake face. Now, I want to talk to you for about two minutes about hypocrisy and explain something very important because the Holy Spirit put this on my heart. There are people who struggle with a weakness but really love Jesus.
There are people who struggle with addictions, and they really love Jesus. There are people who have habits, and they love the Lord. They come to church and are battling a habit. Now listen: just because a person has a bondage of the flesh that they’re dealing with does not make them a hypocrite. What it makes them is a Christian who is struggling.
Struggle vs. Hypocrisy
Now the point is that a lot of times, people seek deliverance. What they need is discipline. So, sometimes when people are praying, «I want to be delivered, » they need discipline. Let me talk to the men for a moment. If you look at pornography every week or every other day and you’re struggling with pornography, guess what? You don’t need deliverance from pornography; you need discipline not to look.
You need…well, that’s good preaching, whether you believe it or not. Now you may end up with a spirit inside you that needs deliverance, but I’m talking about the discipline, which says, «No, I can’t do that.» However, hypocrisy, as defined in the New Testament, is when you preach to others to do things but do the opposite.
That’s why Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites. In other words, to say you don’t drink but then to go drink, or to say you don’t do this but then you go do this—that’s what hypocrisy is: to teach someone to live one way while you choose the opposite. So, if you live in hypocrisy on a consistent basis and you die in that hypocrisy, then that can keep you out of the Kingdom of God. That’s a fearful thing to think about, to be quite honest.
Second: Unforgiveness
Now, let me tell you the second thing that can keep you out of the Kingdom of God, and that is: not forgiving others who have offended you. This is the biggest issue the body of Christ deals with, at least in North America: being offended and remaining in that offense for weeks, months, days, and even years. Let me give you the verses: «For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours.» Matthew 6:14–15.
Then in Mark 11:25–26: «When you stand praying, if you have ought against any, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you.» So, there are some verses that say this in the New Testament: you can’t even give a gift and expect your financial gift to be blessed by God until you first release people.
You cannot even be… This is heavy. Jesus said, «I will be limited in how I can forgive you until you first forgive others.» Now, I know a lot of people say stuff like this: «Well, you just don’t know how bad they hurt me.» Really? Did they put nails in your side? Did they put a spear in your side? Did they put crowns of thorns on your head? Did they nail your hands to a tree? Did they nail your feet to a tree? Did they take a whip and beat you 39 times on your back? Well then, come and tell me how bad it was because I’m going to tell you the man who had all that done to him looked down at the people who did it and said, «Father, forgive them for they don’t even know what they’re doing.»
Jesus as Example of Forgiveness
So, the point is: Jesus—why did Jesus do that? Number one, to be our example. He went through the worst things a human being could ever endure: mental anguish, torment, torture, physical pain, and still forgave those who did it to Him. Number one was to say to us, «If I can forgive them for doing this, guys, you can forgive somebody for saying your dress was ugly, or for saying your hair didn’t look good.»
I’m talking about frivolous things here. There are more serious matters, and I understand abuse and terrible things happen to people growing up. But what you have to realize is: you might think that the person—you were abused as a young girl—you may think that the person who abused you just went on with their life and nothing happened.
But I had a woman come to me years ago, and she said, «I had a relative who sexually molested me from age five and threatened to kill my parents if I ever told.» She said, «I was sacrificed on the altar of silence all my life. This old man gets on his deathbed and begs me, ‘Please, I need to apologize to you because I’m about to step into eternity, and I’m going to hell unless you forgive me.’»
The Power of Releasing Forgiveness
I understand she didn’t want to go; she wanted him to go to hell. Finally, she shows up, and he says, «I need to tell you something privately. You think I lived my entire life and just went on with it, but every day of my life, I was tortured. Every day of my life, I was tormented. I thought about this but never knew how to repent until the end of my life.»
Sometimes you think that person—you think that because you forgive someone, you have exempted them from what they’ve done, or you’re justifying what they did. That is not the issue. You have to understand that if that person does not truly repent, they will have to answer to God for what they did to you.
Forgiveness is not just for the person; forgiveness is more for you so that you can move forward in your life. You can continue moving on in your blessing because here’s what Paul did: Paul was a murderer. Do you understand? Paul consented to the death of Stephen, had the papers to arrest Christians. Paul said, «I’ve caused many to blaspheme, » and yet later when Paul got converted, many in the church folks didn’t believe he was converted because they thought he was faking it just to get inside the church to arrest everybody.
Forgetting the Past
So they write him, and he writes in the Bible, «I have wronged no man.» What? Are you kidding me, Paul? You had a guy killed named Stephen! You were arresting Christians! You were causing people to blaspheme! Here was Paul’s secret in Philippians: «Forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forward to those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.»
So Paul knew that the only way for him to go forward was not to look back at what he was or what he did but to understand that was the old man. This man has been crucified. That old man is on the cross with Jesus, and a new man came out of the grave with him. When I went down in the water of baptism, I took all the old stuff and buried it. It’s gone, brother. Hallelujah!
People say all the time, «Well, people have skeletons in their closets.» You know, people have things in their past. Sure, they do. But for everybody redeemed by Jesus Christ, there’s blood on those bones. The devil can’t get those bones; there’s blood on those bones. Hallelujah! The blood of Jesus has covered you!
Releasing the Past Completely
I’ll go a step further. For all of us who are believers: if you find someone who says to you, «I am sorry, and I repent, » once repentance takes place and God forgives them and it’s removed according to Isaiah, it’s wrong for you to bring it up again. Now, if they decide to use their testimony to talk about where they’ve been, that’s their business because Paul did that.
But I’m talking about when they’ve been forgiven; for you to bring it up later… I had an old preacher tell me one time, «Something horrible happened to my family, and years later, I told somebody what had happened. An angel of God came to me in a dream and said, ‘You have sinned because you brought up something God has forgotten and forgiven. You must repent.’»
The next morning, they came to me—this was a preacher I was preaching for—and said, «Brother, I apologize for telling you that. I hadn’t told anybody that in years; nobody even knew. It was a sin for me to talk about it.» So that’s what I want you to understand: you’ve got to release people. If you don’t release it, it can actually hinder you from entering the Kingdom.
Third: Doing Nothing
Listen: there’s nobody on earth worth holding a grudge against to keep you out of the Kingdom. Let them go, turn them over to God, and say, «God, you take them. I’m done with it. Hallelujah! I’m moving on.» Now, the third thing that will keep you out of the Kingdom is simply doing nothing—not repenting, not turning to God, and not asking Jesus into your heart and life.
So, in this next minute, I want to ask you a question: how is your personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Folks, listen to me. I’m in the Holy Land. Do you understand? Everywhere we walk here is about one man that walked here: Jesus. Bethlehem is about Jesus. Do you know Galilee is about Jesus? Tiberias is about Jesus. Capernaum, Magdala, Korazim—millions of tourists that come here come for one reason—not to see a bunch of rocks, but because there was somebody called Jesus who was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead here.
If He is alive, then you are responsible to understand that He died but rose again, and no one has done that in history on their own except for Him. And so, how do you repent? You just say, «God, I’m a sinner. I want to change my direction. I want to change my thinking. I want to think like You; I want to think like Your Word. I want to follow You, and I want to serve You.»
Call to Repentance
A lot of times, at the end of our tapes, we will lead people in a sinner’s prayer, and we have thousands—we have thousands of converts here in Israel—people who have come to the Lord in Israel. We’re going to meet them during this trip, by the way. You’re going to get to meet some of our converts.
So, I want to say something to you: it’s time to get right with God. Don’t let anything keep you out of the Kingdom. Praise God! Let’s all just praise God while we’re going off. Hey, I’ve got something for you! Please stay tuned to Manifest. Let me wrap it up in just a few minutes. Praise God!