CLICK TO LISTEN: 058 The Danger of Indifference (Matthew 11 ,16-24)

The Danger of Indifference
Matthew 11:16-24
July 24, 2011

As you know we are studying Matthew’s gospel
And presently we are in the middle of a section in which
Matthew chronicles the response that Jesus received from the world.

We already learned in Matthew 10
That the response to Jesus would not be favorable.

We’ve heard the promises of hatred and mocking and prison and death.
It seems that those promises from Jesus are coming true all too quickly.

According to verse 1, Jesus has departed from the twelve to go and teach and preach in all the cities of Israel.
He is looking for those lost, distressed, and dispirited sheep.

And a couple of weeks ago we witnessed an event
That really pressed the issue.

John the Baptist sent his disciples to find out if
Jesus really was “the Expected One”

Jesus answered by pointing to His obvious fruit.
Without directly saying it, Jesus reassured John that He was indeed the Messiah John had previously thought Him to be.

Of course this confrontation let the cat out of the bag
And Jesus must deal with the crowd who overheard the scenario.

So (as we saw last week) Jesus turned to the crowd
And introduced the truth about John the Baptist.

• John was no “feel good” preacher who told people what they wanted to hear.
• John was no “prosperity” preacher who told people how to get rich.
• John was a prophet who told people to repent.

Furthermore John was the long-awaited forerunner to the Messiah.
That meant that Jesus is without a doubt the Messiah who was to come.

To which Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And that statement both closes one issue and opens another.

DID THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL HAVE EARS?
Absolutely.

DID THEY HEAR?
I’m afraid not.

You see their problem has always been ears that don’t hear
And eyes that don’t see.

Way back even in Isaiah’s day God told him:
Isaiah 6:9-10 “He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.”

Incidentally no Old Testament passage is more referenced
In the New Testament than that one.

Time and time again the indifference of Israel reared its ugly head.

In fact by Matthew 13 Jesus will quote that passage directly.
Matthew 13:13-15 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING,BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

That passage would be quoted several more times in the New Testament. (At least two more times by Jesus in Mark 8 and John 9)
And several times by the apostle Paul.

The reason of course is because Israel continued to prove it true.

Time and time again those who preached the truth to Israel
Found them not to be ignorant people, nor immoral people,
But indifferent people.

They were a people with ready access to the revelation of God,
But they were a people who refused to hear it or see it.

And that is why Jesus gave the truth about John and ultimately Himself and then said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus knew everyone wouldn’t listen to what He just said.
Everyone wouldn’t believe what He just revealed.

And that is why Jesus continues on in His sermon.
And what He does here is both reveal the presence and the problem
Of the indifference of Israel.

And we can learn a great lesson here.

We live in a world that thinks ignorance is a bad problem.
• We push education…
• We monitor education…
• We proved limitless ways of gaining education…

And certainly ignorance can be a problem.

Perhaps no verse states it more clearly than:
Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”

People who are ignorant of the way of salvation cannot be saved,
And certainly in that sense ignorance is a problem.

Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being My priest. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

And so ignorance can be a problem.

Our world also thinks immorality is a problem (though that mindset is changing)

And certainly immorality is a problem.
It brings both natural and divine consequences.

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

And so both of ignorance and immorality are problems.

But according to Jesus, neither is as big a problem as indifference.

HOW DO I KNOW?
Because Jesus says in our passage this morning that the indifferent
Will suffer more in eternity than both the ignorant and the immoral.

The judgment is stricter on the indifferent than on any other person.
And that is who Israel is.

3 things:
#1 THE COMPARISON
Matthew 11:16-19a

“But to what shall I compare this generation?”

That question did not just come off the top of His head as some suspect.
He is building on the comparison He just did with John.

Remember up in verses 7-8 He asked what He should compare John to.

Should I compare John to a reed shaken by the wind?
Should I compare John to a man in a king’s palace?
Ultimately the answer was no, John was a prophet.

Jesus is building on that here.

Now asking, “to what shall I compare this generation?”

Imagine if Jesus entered this morning and asked,
“What can I compare you people to?”

And He wastes no time in settling their curiosity.
“it is like children sitting in the market places,”

John received a favorable comparison from Jesus,
This generation certainly did not.

Their comparison was “it is like children”

And I suppose you could twist that to be a good thing.
You could suppose Jesus was speaking of the innocence of a child…
You could suppose Jesus was talking about the simple faith of a child…

But Jesus is not here speaking of a child’s innocence or faith.
Jesus is here speaking of a child’s selfishness.

While children can be innocent and children can demonstrate great trust,
Children also have a propensity to be selfish.

And that is what Jesus references here.
(possibly even pointing out some children doing this very thing)

“it is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to other children, and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’”

Now this isn’t a hard comparison.
We all know children love to play games which emulate grown-up activity.
Kids love to play “store”
Kids love to play “house”
Little girls have “tea parties” and little boys “work with their tools”

In Jesus’ day kids played the same types of games,
Only then they played “funeral” and they played “wedding”.

And with good reason.
Funerals and weddings were about the most excitement
Children saw on a regular basis.

Each lasted about a week, and each involved large numbers of people.
But because they were kids, you know there were times when one kid wanted to play funeral and the others wanted to play wedding.

To which a kid says, “I’ll take my ball and go home”
“If you aren’t gonna do it my way, then I’m not playing”

And any adult watching those kids understands that it is merely selfishness, and you go and talk to the child and say, “You are going to have to do what others want if you want to be able to play.”

We’ve all seen this incident before.
And Jesus says, “That is what you are like”.

You are like a bunch of spoiled children
Who are only interested in doing what you want,
But unwilling to change in order to take part with everyone else.

You try to force everyone to do things your way,
And yet you are unwilling to adapt your desires for someone else.

Specifically Jesus referred to the kingdom.
Remember last week back in verse 12?
“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”

And we talked about how men were trying to force their way into the kingdom by changing the kingdom.

• They were maligning the righteous standard of God.
• They were seeking to omit certain truths.
• They were trying to force God’s kingdom to conform to their standards instead
of the other way around.

And Jesus say, you are just like a bunch of spoiled selfish kids,
Unwilling to change in order to enter the kingdom.

Well that is obviously a pretty harsh rebuke.

DO YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE OF THIS JESUS?
(18-19) “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

The evidence is that you don’t listen to anyone.

John came abstaining from all worldly desires (some see this as “playing the funeral game”) and commanding you to repent.

But you wouldn’t listen to John, and wrote him off as demon possessed.
Jesus came befriending sinners (some see this as “playing the wedding game”) and calling for you to love one another,

But you didn’t want to do that so you wrote Him off as being a drunkard.

Jesus and John both preached about entering the kingdom.
Both came and told you how to play the game God’s way.
But because of your selfishness…
Because of your spoiled nature…
You would listen to neither of them.

You wouldn’t listen to John and you won’t listen to Me.

You are like spoiled kids who would rather John and I
Change our standards to fit your desires.

Jesus exposed a people who were utterly unsubmissive
And unwilling to enter the kingdom according to God’s standards.

Jesus would give another parable of this later in Matthew’s gospel.
TURN TO: MATTHEW 22:1-13

It is the same issue, unwilling to listen, unwilling to change.

So first we see The Comparison
#2 THE CORRECTION
Matthew 11:19b

“Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
And this is a very harsh but accurate statement.

DO YOU KNOW WHY THESE PEOPLE REFUSED TO CHANGE?
They were certain they were correct.

They were sure that they were right and could not possibly be wrong and therefore unwilling to listen or yield.

I run across this all the time as I witness to people
And hear them tell me about all their far-fetched beliefs.

After I listen to what all they believe I often ask them this question,
“If what you believed was wrong, would you want to know?”

Most say, “Yes” to that question,
But very few ever listen to anything I have to say after that.

They are certain they are correct, they are certain that they are wise.
They are unwilling to listen.
That was certainly Israel’s mindset.

Remember what Paul said about them in Romans 2?
Romans 2:17-20 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,”

The Jews were certain they were wise.
And that certainty even led them to refuse John the Baptist
And argue with the Son of God Himself.

They were so wise in their own estimation
That they wouldn’t even listen to God in the flesh.

Instead they tried to force God to alter His kingdom
To fit their understanding.

They thought themselves to be wise.
Jesus says, “No” – “wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

• In other words saying you are wise doesn’t cut it.
• Assuming you are wise doesn’t cut it.
• Pretending you are wise doesn’t cut it.

WHAT DOES VINDICATE WISDOM?
“deeds”

When you do what is wise then you can be called wise.

James 3:13-18 “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

True wisdom is shown through its “good behavior” and its “deeds”.
Claiming to be wise means nothing if you do not do what is wise.

Now let me ask you a question.

WHAT COULD THESE PEOPLE HAVE DONE THAT WOULD HAVE DEMONSTRATED WISDOM?

They could have listened to John the Baptist and repented.
They could have listened to Jesus and followed Him.

But these people didn’t do that.
They called John a demoniac and Jesus a drunk.

So they rejected the forerunner and they rejected the Messiah.
I think I can go on record as stating, that was not wise.

It is not wise to cling to the sin God commands you to let go.
It is not wise to reject the only Savior this world will ever have.

In fact Jesus even appeals to this sort of logic later:
Matthew 16:25-27 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”

DO YOU HEAR JESUS ASKING FOR WISDOM?

These people weren’t wise.
They were selfish, naïve, foolish children
And they proved it by their rejection of both John and Jesus.

And friend that is too obvious an application to pass up.

John the Baptist came to prepare a man for his encounter with Jesus.

That preparation included taking value of all you have and all you are,
And realizing that none of it was as important as entering God’s kingdom.

He then called you to lay aside anything that might hinder you
From following Jesus when He called.

If it is your pride – lay it down
If it is your money – give it away
If it is your family – leave them behind
John was preparing you to make it easier for you
To follow Jesus when He called.

Jesus then came asking men to follow Him.
He told men to lose this life.
He told men to choose Him over family.
He told men to choose Him over fortune.

IT IS WISE TO FOLLOW
Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell — and great was its fall.”
Let me encourage you not to just claim wisdom, but to prove it.

Forsake this life and follow Jesus.
Turn from sin and embrace righteousness.
Prove yourself a wise man.

The Comparison, The Correction
#3 THE CONDEMNATION
Matthew 11:20-24

And here comes one of the most jaw-dropping statements
Jesus ever made to the crowds of Israel.

He started “to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done”

He denounced them “because they would not repent”

In other words He denounced them for their foolishness.
He denounced them because they wouldn’t do what was wise.

And that is bad enough.
But Jesus takes it to the extreme.
(21) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

Now we don’t have time to go into a full sketch of Tyre and Sidon.

Just let me remind you that they were pagan port cities.
(that should paint a pretty good image for you)

They are continually condemned by God throughout Scripture.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, and Zechariah
All pronounced judgment on them.

There was no mistaking that God was not pleased with these pagan cities.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE MAIN PROBLEM OF TYRE AND SIDON WAS?
Ignorance.

“if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon…”
They never saw all the miracles of God.
They didn’t have near the access to truth that Israel had.

Now, this didn’t stop their judgment.
They had the testimony of creation and this is enough.

But compared to Israel their problem was ignorance.
Jesus even goes on to say, if they had had all the knowledge Israel had, “they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

So doing the math we can say:
• Tyre and Sidon were more ignorant than Israel.
• Israel was more indifferent than Tyre and Sidon.

And:
(22) “Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.”

They were ignorant, but you are indifferent and therefore
Your judgment will be worse than theirs.
And then Jesus has another comparison.
(23) “And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.”

Notice first of all that Jesus corrects their misconception about going to heaven.

Now again, we know Sodom.
That vile city in which the men tried to have homosexual sex with God’s angelic messenger and ultimately had fire and brimstone rained upon them.

THEIR PROBLEM WAS IMMORALITY

(24) “Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

Sodom was immoral, but Israel was indifferent
And so Israel’s judgment will be worse.

Now the ignorant are judged…
And the immoral are judged…
But the most severe judgment is reserved for the indifferent.

Luke 12:42-48 “And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

And here is vitally important truth.
God isn’t just looking for you to have knowledge.
Hell will be filled with knowledgeable people.

In fact the worst punishment in hell will be on those most knowledgeable.

God is looking for you to exercise wisdom.
He is looking for you to act on what you know.
He is looking for you do what He says.

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

Knowing Jesus is Lord is nothing.
Obeying Jesus as Lord is everything.

And I think it is vitally important that we all understand this.
Aside from Israel, can you think of a nation
that has had more access to the truth of God than us?

America is an educated nation.
• We have access to the gospel.
• There are churches scattered throughout this land.
• There are numerous Christian radio stations.
• There are numerous Christian television stations.
• Most of us have several copies of God’s word.

But America has grown indifferent to that truth.
And indifference is far more dangerous than ignorance.

And the same is true for immorality.
We imagine that God is angry with abortion doctors
And homosexuals and greedy lawyers and politicians.

And certainly God judges those things.
But the hottest parts of hell won’t be reserved for those people.

The hottest parts of hell is reserved for the church crowd
Who had full access to the truth but who never obeyed it.

The most lashes are reserved for those
With eyes but who refused to see
And for those with ears but who refused to hear.

The point is, don’t be indifferent to the truth of God.
Be wise and prove it by doing what Christ says.

Turn from your sin, and follow Jesus.
“wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

CLICK TO LISTEN: 057 Accepting The Truth About John (Matthew 11 ,7-15)

Accepting the Truth about John the Baptist
Matthew 11:7-15
July 17, 2011

When we began our study of Matthew’s gospel,
I told you that Matthew’s purpose was clear.

He wanted the world to know that Jesus is king.

Certainly Matthew knew Jesus to be king, he proved that on the day he left his tax booth and forsook all to follow Him.

Matthew was submitted to the king of Israel.
He wrote his gospel that he might share that news with all the world.

And Matthew has pulled no punches.
We’ve seen His lineage, His birth, His forerunner, His coronation, His testing, etc.

Matthew has been jumping up and down, waving his arms,
Shooting off flare guns declaring that Jesus is the King.

Matthew has declared it, but up until this point, JESUS HAS NOT.

In fact Jesus has been strangely silent as to His true identity.

You may even remember after He healed the two blind men:
Matthew 9:30 “And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them: “See that no one knows about this!”

Jesus has yet to publicly declare who He is.
That is all about to change.

You see last week an event happened that has let the cat out of the bag.
Jesus was forced to re-prove Himself to John the Baptist.

John was alone in prison, and due to his suffering and unmet expectations, John was struggling in his faith.

He actually asked a shocking question to Jesus, “Are You the Expected On, or shall we look for someone else?”

And we talked last week about how strange this was to come from John,
For John boldly declared to all that Jesus was the Messiah.

It’s funny how a little suffering and a few surprises
Can cause you to doubt what you once knew for certain.

John was doubting and he was doubting publicly.

You see Jesus was on the mission field.
Up in verse 1 “He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

You and I know that Jesus was in search of those lost sheep
He spotted back in chapter 9.

This was a very public time for Jesus, and in the middle of that public ministry, John’s disciples make a very public spectacle.

They approach Jesus in front of everyone and say,
“Hey, John wants to know if You are for real, or if he missed it on You.”

Well you remember that Jesus quickly answered the skepticism of John.

(4-6) “Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

John’s disciples asked, “Are You the Messiah?”
Jesus said, “Look around, what do you think?”

He even gave a subtle rebuke to John warning him
That happiness was not found in denial.

And so John was answered, but the cat was out of the bag.

Can’t you imagine the crowd standing around.
“What did He just say?”
“Did He just claim to be the Messiah?”
“Is this the One we’ve been waiting for?”

I’m sure all eyes were steadily fixed on Jesus
And all ears were eager to hear what He would say.

Perhaps He would turn to the crowd and say, “Boy that John is a crazy one isn’t he? He actually thought I was the Messiah.”

But that is not what He does.
(VERSE 7) “As the men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,”

They wanted an explanation, here it comes.
Only Jesus is not going to say that John was crazy.

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”

Jesus begins by helping them remember what they thought about John.

You see the people did crazy things for John.
They left the city and traveled out into the wilderness.
There are people in our day who won’t drive 5 minutes in an air-conditioned car to listen to the word of God, yet all these people faced the elements to hear him.

Jesus wants to know why.
WHY DID YOU GO?

“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?”

You understand His imagery.
A reed is not sturdy, as the wind blows it rocks to and fro.
A reed succumbs to any pressure put on it…
A reed gives way to any external force…

“Did you go out to see a wishy-washy man?”
“Did you go to hear a man who would tell you what you wanted to hear?”
Many people do that today.

2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,”

Well the masses were flocking to John and Jesus wants to know why.
Was he funny?
Did he tell you what you wanted to hear?
Was he entertaining?

And of course you know the answer.
NOT IN THE LEAST

John preached about as unpopular a message as a man can preach.
He told people to repent.
He told people they didn’t measure up.
He told people they weren’t good enough.

If that wasn’t enough,
John even challenged the rock solid Jewish establishment.

John was calling for baptism
WHY?

Baptism is how a Gentile converted to Judaism.
John was in effect telling all these Jews that they were such lousy Jews
that they actually needed to be baptized.

Remember his message to the religious elite?
Luke 3:7-9 “So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
It is obvious that they did not go to hear “A reed shaken by the wind?”
John was no such reed.

Well if he wasn’t a reed, what was he?
(VERSE 8) “But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing?”

The obvious answer is no.
Matthew 3:4 “Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”

John was no wealthy man.
He didn’t dress in fine clothes.

“Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces!”
Certainly John wasn’t there.

But what Jesus was really asking,
Was did you go to listen to some prosperity preacher?

We’ve seen them today haven’t we?
Men who wear $10,000 suits promising that God gave it to them, and for a small love donation to their ministry God will bless you in much the same way.

It is foolish to us, but obviously people flock to that sort of doctrine.
Prosperity gospel churches are some of the largest in America.

And so Jesus wants to know,
Did you go listen to him because of his promise of prosperity?

And certainly that wasn’t the case.

John didn’t tell people how to get more money in God’s name,
John told people to give their money up.

Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”

That is just the opposite of the prosperity gospel.
They most certainly did not flock to John to find out how to get rich.

So if you didn’t go to be entertained…
And if you didn’t go to learn how to get rich…
THEN WHY DID YOU GO?
(VERSE 9) “But what did you go out to see? A prophet?”

Then did you go to hear the actual words of God?
“Yes”

That is exactly why you went to John.
• You didn’t go because he told you what you wanted to hear, you went because he told you what you needed to hear.

• You didn’t go because you wanted to be rich on this earth, you went because you wanted to be rich in eternity.

• You went to see a true prophet of God.

That is what John was.
Now of course the people knew this,
But Jesus has purposely brought it back to their attention.

Now Jesus is going to take what they know of John and build on it.
“Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet.”

Jesus says, “I know you went to see a prophet, but what you didn’t realize is that John is much more than just a prophet.”

WHO IS HE?
(VERSE 10) “This is the one about whom it is written, ‘BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.’”

Jesus says, John is not just an ordinary prophet,
John actually functions in a dual role.
John is also the forerunner.

Malachi 4:1-6 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of hosts, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.” “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the LORD of hosts. “Remember the law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD. “He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”

The Old Testament ended with the promise of the coming Messiah,
And also with the promise that Elijah would come before Him.

Jesus says, “John was more than a prophet, he was also the forerunner.”

So John was a prophet and after John the Messiah was coming.
So Jesus continues.
(VERSE 11a) “Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!”

Now that is a strange statement.
Most people read that statement to mean that
There was never another human as righteous and good as John.

And I certainly couldn’t refute that.
Filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb…
Totally forsook the comforts of this world…
Spoke the word of God without compromise…
Even died a martyr’s death for his boldness…

John was certainly a good man.
Of course John was not without fault, for just last week
We saw him struggle with doubt and get a rebuke from Jesus.

But John was a good man.
And that is what most point out there.

But that is not necessarily the point that Jesus is making.

After pointing out that John was a prophet Jesus was in effect saying, “And as far as men go, you could do no better than to follow John”.

Everyone who chose to follow him and listen to him
Made a great decision, for I can’t think of another single human
Who would have been better.

“Yet”
(But)

I hope you notice the catch there.

John is certainly a great man and choosing to follow him is a great idea, “Yet, the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN?

Following John is great, but following John is not the goal.
Entering the kingdom is the goal.
And if you will recall many have missed this goal.
After all, we just saw last week that even though Jesus is preaching
John still has disciples.

It was those same disciples who argued with Jesus
About fasting back in chapter 9.
And so obviously people were right to recognize who John was,
But it is obvious that they have still missed the point.

Even John pointed this out.
John 3:26-30 “And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.” John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘ I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Even John knew that following him was not the goal.

And that means that if you chose to follow John,
You have done well, but if that is all you have done,
Then you have missed the point.

You could find no greater man to follow than John,
But that pales in comparison to entering the kingdom of heaven.

“the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

You see men didn’t just need to go out and listen to John,
They needed to understand who he was and do what he said.
But that is not what men did.

In fact listen to what Jesus says next:
(VERSES 12-13) “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Luke 16:16-17 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”

According to Luke, John marked the end of the Old Testament prophets concerning the coming kingdom.

After John the kingdom arrived.
And then people tried to force their way into it.

HOW DID THEY DO THAT?
While Luke didn’t specifically say, he did imply it.

“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.”
Luke indicates that people were trying to force their way in
By nullifying the word of God.

They were in effect, trying to lower God’s demanded standard of righteousness.

And we know this is true.
We learned in the Sermon on the Mount
How men had made all of God’s Laws external.

They didn’t murder or commit adultery, but they did hate and lust.
Furthermore all of their righteousness was merely external for show,
Including their giving, fasting, and praying.

They were trying to lower God’s standard low enough
To where they could enter.

This is what Jesus meant by “the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.”

They try to force their way in through their own means.

So here is the point Jesus is making.

John marked the last Old Testament prophet.
“For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John.”

You see up until John the kingdom was always future
And so it was always revealed through prophecy.

But after John, the kingdom arrived
And there was no longer need for prophecy.
Now there was a need for a decision.

In short people had been told for years that the kingdom was coming
And that they should be ready for it.

Now it was here and they had to choose whether or not they would enter.

The tragedy is instead entering according to God’s righteous standard,
By faith in the Messiah.

They were instead trying to manipulate and malign the divine standard
And force their way in.

That means the kingdom was here, but men were not entering in.

WHY?
Because while they were enamored with John,
They did not do what he said.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT JOHN SAID?
John 3:31-36 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. “What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony. “He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John told the people to believe in the Son.
John told the people to obey the Son.

This was the way to enter the kingdom.
Forsake all and follow Jesus.
But instead of doing that, the people tried to force their own way in.

In other words, they didn’t accept the kingdom
Because they didn’t accept what John said about it.

And there is the crux of Jesus mini-sermon.

You are enamored with John and are certain he is a prophet,
But you have yet to do what he said.

Matthew 21:23-27 “When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. “The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Luke 7:30 “But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John.”

John 3:32 “What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.”

Jesus point has become clear.
You know John is a prophet, but you have yet to do what He said.

Acts 19:4 “Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

JESUS IS SAYING

If you will open your eyes and see who John is,
Then it will be obvious to you who I am.
That is why Jesus says what He does next:
(VERSES 14-15) “And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

And there is the question.
Are you willing to see that John was more than a prophet?
Then are you willing to see the One that came after Him?
Do you realize who that makes Me?
What are you going to do with Me?

And for the first time Jesus has revealed who He is.

SO WHAT IS THE POINT FOR US?
The same as it was for them.

DO YOU GET IT?
JESUS IS THE KING

And please understand that is not just some empty title.
If He is King then He must be submitted to.

You must let go of your life and serve Him.
You must let go of your life and follow Him.
And if He is the King then you must bow to Him and serve Him.

There is no room for lip service…
There is no room for half-hearted religion…
There is no room for part-time commitment…

You see, there are many who want to enter,
But they try to manipulate the standard.
Oh, I can enter and keep my wealth…
Oh, I can enter and keep my safety…
Oh, I can enter without ever telling anyone about Christ…

Well it is true that none of those things can earn your entrance,
But let me assure you it is impossible to follow Jesus
And not do at least some of them.

I have read the Scriptures over and over,
And I have yet to find a true disciple
That Jesus allowed to keep his old way of life.

And yet many today still try.
Thinking they can substitute a little church attendance
For true devotion to Christ.

It will never work!
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

Luke 13:22-30 “And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. “Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘ Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘ I do not know where you are from.’ “Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’; and He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; DEPART FROM ME, ALL YOU EVILDOERS.’ “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. “And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. “And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”

You must fully surrender to Jesus.

You see Jesus had been preaching in this town,
No doubt He had told them all about the cost of the kingdom.

But the only thing left for them was to determine
If Jesus knew what He was talking about.

Was He for real?

That is why He said:
“If you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.”

The question for you and I today is “are you willing to accept it”?

Are you willing to accept that Jesus is King?
Are you willing to accept that He is the only Savior?
Are you willing to accept that His truth is truth?
Are you willing to accept His terms and conditions?
Are you willing to leave all and follow Him?

That is the decision we are each faced with,

That is the truth about John.
He was a good man, you could follow no better,
But if you haven’t trusted in the One John pointed to,
Then he is nothing more than the prophet you have yet to obey.

Don’t just recognize who John is, do what He said.
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

CLICK TO LISTEN: 056 The Doubters Beatitude (Matthew 11 ,1-6)

The Doubters Beatitude
Matthew 11:1-6
July 10, 2011am

This morning we continue to talk about the sobering reality
That Jesus has revealed to us in chapter 10.
And that reality is that persecution is expected.

2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

It is impossible to have come from a study of Matthew 10,
Where Jesus talks very straight about what we can expect from the world,
And then somehow expect a life of popularity and ease.

And according to Matthew 10 that can range anywhere
From rejection, to slander, to division, to betrayal, to arrest, to trial,
To flogging, to imprisonment, even to death.

You may not be tortured and killed for your faith,
But if you truly confess Christ in this world,
Some form of persecution will most certainly occur.

And now that He has preached His insightful sermon on what to expect,
It is now time for the ministry to begin.

In fact, that is what Matthew records Jesus doing in verse 1.
“When Jesus finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

And that alone is a great verse.

Jesus knew better than anyone what to expect from the world.

He knew what was coming, and yet “He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”

He didn’t just tell others what needed to be done,
He did what needed to be done.

• He also went looking for the lost sheep.
• Here He was leaving the 99 and going in search of the one.
• He was facing the danger and obeying anyway.

We love His prayer in the garden, “not My will, but Yours be done.”
And here we realize that He lived that way every day of His life,
Not just in the garden.

What a tremendous example He is.

But none the less, ministry has begun.
The followers of Christ have been sent out into a world that will hate them.

Chapter 11 begins a section that proves what Jesus just taught.
It is a section that reveals the rejection of the world.

But it is also a chapter that proves the persecution of the messengers.

For the first incident we see is John the Baptist in prison.
What Jesus promised has already come to pass.

And Matthew uses John as an example
For how to handle it when persecution happens.

Matthew knew persecution was real.
(By the time he penned this gospel, he certainly knew)

So it is important to him to show us how to handle it.

Now there are three things I want us to see in our text this morning.
#1 A SHOCKING REALITY
Matthew 11:2-3

Here we read of an event
That is really quite shocking when you think about it.

It is not that John the Baptist is in prison.
For one thing we already knew it,
But beyond that we could sort of expect it.

Luke 3:19-20 “But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”

Herod was sleeping with his brother’s wife and John confronted him.

And John didn’t stop there.
Also “because of all the wicked things which [he] had done,”

John was a bold preacher of the truth,
And a man not afraid to declare the need for repentance.

He was literally one who took what was whispered in his ear
And proclaimed it upon the housetops.

And John’s faithfulness landed him in prison.
But that is not all that shocking.

The shocking part is what John does from prison.
“he sent word by his disciples and said to [Jesus], “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”

Now that may not be a strange question in and of itself,
But it is extremely strange coming off the lips of John.

“Are You the Messiah or not?”

We could expect that question from a lot of people, but not from John.

TURN TO: JOHN 1:29-37

I mean there, not only is John still preaching about Jesus,
But he points Him out again, and even sends his own disciples after him.

Certainly John would not have made that declaration if he weren’t certain.

TURN TO: JOHN 3:25-36

There John willfully states that
My ministry needs to get out of the way of His ministry.

And then John preached the gospel that in order to be saved
A person must believe in and obey Jesus.

John was a beacon of conviction.
He was certain of who Jesus was.

And now John sends the question to Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”

The reality here is that even John the Baptist,
• The greatest man born of woman,
• The forerunner of Jesus,
• The Elijah who was to come,
• The man who confronted scribes, Pharisees, and even Herod,
• The man filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb,
Even he reached a point in his life where he doubted who Jesus was.

And I think it is important that you and I see why he did.
Matthew’s text gives us several clues as to why John was doubting.

1) SUFFERING
“Now when John, while imprisoned…”

One of the most obvious reasons for John’s confusion
Was that he was suffering.

While Jesus and His disciples were out preaching and working miracles, John was stuck in prison.

He was suffering.
And that is certainly a reason why people begin to doubt Jesus.

Perhaps you are familiar with a man named Job.
• Now Job worshiped…
• Job never cursed God…
• But that does not mean Job never struggled or even waivered.

Listen to some of what Job had to say:
Job 3:11-16 “Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire? “Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I should suck? “For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest, With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves; Or with princes who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver. “Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants that never saw light.”

That is pretty tough.

Job 13:3 “But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.”

And even later when Job’s friends try to silence Job by saying he must have done something wrong, and that God is right to do this.

Listen to what Job says:
Job 13:7-8 “Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him? “Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?”

It is clear that Job was struggling with who God was,
And he struggled because of his suffering.

That is why John is struggling.
John was suffering and that caused him to doubt Jesus.

There is a second reason he doubted.
2) SECLUSION
“Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ…”

Notice John didn’t see the works, he only heard the works.
John was separated.

Furthermore of all the people on Jesus’ side
John appears to be the only one in prison.

The disciples are all out preaching and working miracles,
But not John, he is in prison.

He is not only suffering, but he is suffering alone.
He is suffering in seclusion.
And that certainly causes a person to doubt.
It makes one think, that maybe I was wrong…
But it can even make one think that God got it wrong…

And John isn’t the one to ever walk in those shoes.

REMEMBER ELIJAH?
Straight off the victory at Mt. Carmel, he was so certain that God was sending revival, that he outran Ahab back to Jezreel.

Only there he didn’t find revival, he found Jezebel,
Who promised to kill him.

1 Kings 19:3-4 “And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”

And when Elijah finally made it to the mountain of God
And could confront God, remember what he said?

1 Kings 19:14 “Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

Elijah was doubting because he suffered alone.
It didn’t make sense to him that God would allow the most faithful to suffer.
It didn’t make sense that he should be martyred while Ahab ran free.

It wasn’t just that he was suffering, but that “I alone am left”.
Elijah was suffering alone and that caused him to doubt.

Certainly that is why John is doubting.

Suffering, Seclusion
3) SEDUCTION
“and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”

WHO WAS JOHN LOOKING FOR?
“the Expected One”

That alone tells us that John had certain expectations.
Now maybe someone had told him what to expect from Messiah.
Maybe he had created his own expectations.

But whatever he had come to expect,
It is obvious, that his expectations were unfulfilled.
Someone had seduced him.
Perhaps he had seduced himself.
But for whatever reason, John was expecting something
That Jesus clearly did not do.

And it caused John to doubt.

Certainly we could throw Job and Elijah into this boat as well.
Both suffered and suffered alone,
And both got the opposite of what they expected out of life.

BUT AN EVEN GREATER EXAMPLE OF THIS IS JEREMIAH.

Jeremiah actually accused God of lying to him.
Jeremiah 20:7-8 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long.”

(Now God had promised back in chapter 1 that they would fight against him,
but obviously Jeremiah did not expect that.)

And this unfulfilled expectation, this false seduction
Caused him doubt and despair as well.

Jeremiah 20:14-18 “Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, “A baby boy has been born to you!” And made him very happy. But let that man be like the cities Which the LORD overthrew without relenting, And let him hear an outcry in the morning And a shout of alarm at noon; Because he did not kill me before birth, So that my mother would have been my grave, And her womb ever pregnant. Why did I ever come forth from the womb To look on trouble and sorrow, So that my days have been spent in shame?”

That is despair isn’t it?

And that was the same as John the Baptist.
He didn’t get what he expected and therefore he was doubting Jesus.

That is why we study chapter 10 so hard, so our expectations are correct.

That is why we preach so much against the prosperity gospel.
Joel Olsteen can talk all day about the “big things” God has coming your way,
But it leaves a congregation confused when that “big thing” turns out to be prison.

The truth is that we can expect what Jesus promised,
And that is hatred and persecution.

It wasn’t what John expected, but it is what he received.
AND IT CAUSED EVEN HIM TO DOUBT.

And that is a shocking reality.
(Perhaps we should open our eyes and see that the suffering Jesus promised in chapter 10 is real, and perhaps we should do a better job of readying ourselves for it.)

A Shocking Reality
#2 SIMPLE REMINDER
Matthew 11:4-5

Here Jesus answers the disciples of John
“Go and report to John what you hear and see:”

Jesus puts His fruit back on display for John.

NOW DID JOHN KNOW ABOUT JESUS’ FRUIT?
Sure He did.

John knew Jesus was righteous
Before he ever knew Jesus was the Messiah.

If you will remember John says himself that He did not know Jesus was the Messiah until after the dove descended on Him after His baptism.

Yet before Jesus was ever baptized
John declared himself unworthy to do so.

John saw the fruit in Jesus.
Beyond that verse 2 said, “John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ…”

John knew about the fruit of Jesus.
This was not knew information.

Yet Jesus says to report it again.
(5) “the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.”

• Tell John about that blind guy and how he saw you.
• Tell John about that lame man who walked with you.
• Tell John about the leper who was cleansed.
• Tell John about that deaf man who listened to you.
• Tell John about that dead man who talked with you.
• And tell John about all the people who are hearing the gospel.

Now none of that was new to John,
So it wasn’t like John was getting new proof from Jesus.

No, what Jesus was doing was reminding John
Of what he already knew to be true.

You see suffering has a way of distorting our thinking.
Suffering alone, and suffering contrary to what we expected
Really has a way of distorting our thinking.

Jesus just reminds John of why he believed in the first place.

WE MUST DO THE SAME.

WE KNOW JESUS IS THE MESSIAH
• His miracles…
• His fulfilled prophecy…
• The testimony of those who followed Him…
• The testimony of the Spirit within us…

BEYOND THAT HE HAS TOLD US WHAT WE CAN EXPECT

Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

Listen to what Jesus told the disciples in John’s gospel.
John 15:20-21 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”

John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”

It is important to have something to cling to.

Now John didn’t know why Christ allowed him to be in prison…
Anymore than Job didn’t know why he suffered…
And Jeremiah didn’t know why he was hated…
And Elijah didn’t know why he was hated…

They didn’t know why (those purposes belong to God)
But if they would remember what they had seen and heard,
There was no reason to doubt who their God was.

Jesus didn’t satisfy John’s curiosity, but He did solidify his faith.
Don’t let your suffering cause you to doubt who Jesus is.
Remember His miracles…
Remember His promises…

And let your faith be strengthened.

I’ve always liked the 77th Psalm in this regard.

Psalms 77:7-10 “Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah. Then I said, “It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”

That is despair.
HOW DOES HE FIX IT?
Psalms 77:11-15 “I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. You have by Your power redeemed Your people,The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.”

And we could continue reading the rest of Psalm 77 and even
Into Psalm 78 and see how he remembered his way out of doubt.

It is no doubt what the hymn writer had in mind when he wrote:
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by.

So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is over all; count your many blessings, angels will attend, help and comfort give you till your journey’s end.”

When you suffer, remember that Jesus said it was expected
And don’t doubt who He is.

A Shocking Reality, A Simple Reminder
#3 A SUBTLE REBUKE
Matthew 11:6

Here Jesus gives John his own personal beatitude.
This is the beatitude of the persecuted.
Here it is “THE DOUBTER’S BEATITUDE”

We read all the “Blessed are” statements of Matthew 5.

Here is one for the persecuted.
“And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
“blessed” can be translated “happy”.
The NIV translates “take offense” as “fall away”.

Jesus is saying to John.
“Happy is he who does not fall away because of Me.”
“Happy is the man who doesn’t quit because following Me is too hard.”

And of course He is right.

When we follow Jesus the opposition is real,
And the immediate temptation is to turn your back on Jesus
And seek momentary safety and comfort.
But there is no happiness found there.

According to Matthew 10, all that causes is for Jesus to deny you.

There is no happiness found in falling away from Jesus.
• Just ask Peter, who wept bitterly.
• Just ask Judas who went out and hanged himself.

It can be hard, but there is no joy found in quitting.
Falling away or quitting is a false relief.
It is Satan’s apple, it looks appealing, but it is the way of death.

Jesus reveals that true happiness is found in perseverance.
True blessing is found in endurance.
True joy is found in faithfulness.

And this by the way was a subtle rebuke to John.

John was in the early stages of denying Jesus.
(doubt is the first stage)
And so Jesus subtly rebukes his way of thinking.

And if you are wondering, yes all those other men in Scripture that we mentioned earlier; they all got rebuked too.

Elijah?
1 Kings 19:15-18 “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

Elijah’s ministry was over.

Jeremiah?
Jeremiah 15:19-21 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. “Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD. “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”

Jeremiah could continue only if he repented.

Job? (He got the worst brow beating of all)

Job 38:1-3 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!”

(Then Job gets 4 chapters of harsh rebuke)
Job 42:1-6 “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”

The point is they all were corrected, even John.
They were all rebuked, some harshly, some subtly,
But they were all quickly taught that questioning God is not OK.

You see God has already told us what to expect.
WHY?

So that we will trust Him when it happens.

We sang a great song earlier.
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”

Is that not what Jesus just told John?

John, I’m not asking you to understand,
But I am asking you to trust Me.
If you want to be happy, you will just have to trust Me.

Now, we know what happened to John.
He was beheaded (and it grieved Jesus)
But we also know where John is now.

He has rejoiced for everyday since his death that he didn’t fall away.
What a great decision to stick it out!
That is the decision we must all make as well.

Know the truth so you are given to false expectations.
Don’t be surprised if you suffer and suffer alone.
“And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”

CLICK TO LISTEN: 055 The Choice (Matthew 10 ,32-42)

The Choice
Matthew 10:32-42
July 3, 2011

We’ve been studying recently a very difficult passage.
Jesus is preparing His disciples for the world they will minister in.

Jesus has recognized the pitiful state of the sheep of Israel.
And He recognized the need for someone to search for them.

As Jesus sent out His twelve disciples to perform this task,
He has been very open and honest
About what sort of treatment they can expect.

HE DID NOT WANT THEM TO GO
WITH FALSE HOPES AND UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS.

So He has told them straight.
• While you are valuable to Me, you will not be valuable in the world.
• They will hate you.
• They will arrest you.
• They will scourge you.
• They will imprison you.
• They will kill you.

• Your own family will betray you.
• And everyone will hate you.

And the reason is because they all hate Me.
(25b) “If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of His household.”

Of course, even in the midst of this danger,
Jesus also noted that obedience is still required.

(28) “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

AND THESE ARE ALL GOOD REMINDERS FOR US.

It is often preached that Christianity will make your life wonderful.
They claim Christianity should provide health, wealth, and happiness.

But Jesus says the opposite here.
He says that Christianity has in store for you
Exactly what it had in store for Him.

So if you want to know what expect from life as a Christian,

To enter this world, Jesus had to empty all thoughts of self.

Philippians 2:6-7 “Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

To enter Christianity, you will have to empty yourself as well.

To be obedient to God, He had to humble Himself.

Philippians 2:8 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

He had to humble Himself, so will you.

Being obedient to God didn’t mean fame, it meant persecution.

John 7:7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.”

It will mean the same for a follower of Jesus.

Following God meant a life of sacrifice for Jesus.

Matthew 8:20 “Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

It will mean the same for us.

Jesus earthly life was not an easy one,
So we don’t think that life as a Christian will be easy either.

If God allowed the Son of God to walk around poor and homeless,
What would be in store for His follower?

If God would allow the Son of God to be nailed to a cross and killed,
What would God allow for His follower?

Don’t enter Christianity under false pretenses.
Living as a Christian is living as Christ in the world.

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.”

We can expect in our lives all that Jesus endured in His.

AND AFTER THIS LIFE WE CAN EXPECT THE SAME AS WELL
Christ was also glorified.

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that ever tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

He was glorified, so will we be.

Don’t follow Christ because some preacher told you it was easy.

We aren’t promised freedom from sickness.
We are promised the grace to endure it.
We aren’t promised riches.
We are promised the provision of our needs.
We aren’t promised freedom from persecution.
We are promised that He will be there with us.

If you take Jesus, all your problems won’t go away.
All your eternal problems will go away.

If you follow Christ, this life may be difficult,
But eternity won’t be.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

SO WE HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE.
We either choose comfort in this life, or comfort in the next.
We either choose destruction in this life, or destruction in the next.

THAT CHOICE IS THE CRUX OF OUR PASSAGE THIS MORNING

This morning we will look at what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus.
#1 THE CHARACTERISTIC OF A DISCIPLE
Matthew 10:32-33
Jesus has portrayed the persecution that will come for following Him.
It will be bad.

However, Jesus says we should choose Him anyway.
WHY?

Because the way we confess Him,
Determines the way He will confess us.

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”

NOW ISN’T THAT WHAT WE WANT?
• Haven’t we always said that we need an advocate?
• Haven’t we always realized that someone must come to our aid?
• Haven’t we always said it would be Jesus?

1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;”

That is exactly what we want.
Someone who will stand in our place

Well here Jesus says, “Sure, I’ll confess you before the Father, so long as you confess Me before the world.”

But you see there is also a flip side to this concept.

“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.”

Now that is a horrifying thought.
In fact we’ve already studied what I think to be
The most terrifying passage in all of Scripture.

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’”

That is precisely what we are talking about here.
People who get to the end and stand in the judgment.

They learn they are guilty before God and so instantly they run to Jesus.
“Hey Jesus, tell God that you know us”

And what a horrifying thought to hear Jesus say,
“I never knew you”

No one in the world wants to have that sort of thing happen.
Even the guys in that passage start pleading with Him,
Trying to convince Him of who they are.

But we learn that you can’t meet Jesus during the judgment,
If you want Him, you must confess Him now.

“Today is the day of salvation”
But let’s talk about this a little more.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CONFESS HIM?
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DENY HIM?

How do we deny Jesus?
Better to ask
How would Jesus deny us?

1) He could just flat out deny you.
Just flat out tell people, He wants nothing to do with you.
(like He did with those self-righteous earlier)

Some people deny Him like that.

2) He could avoid a direct question about you.
Judge says, “Does anyone know Rory?”
And He could just remain silent.

SILENCE IS DENYING A PERSON.
Why Would He Be Silent?

A) Maybe He is surrounded by the cool people in heaven,
and He doesn’t want them to know He knows you.

B) Maybe the relationship is too much work,
and He is too lazy to speak up right now.

C) Maybe He’ll just put off confessing you until tomorrow.

NONE OF US WANT JESUS TO DO THAT TO US.
WE SHOULDN’T DO THAT TO HIM.

So despite the danger and the hardship,
Jesus tells us to go out and confess Him anyway.
For that is what we ask Him to do for us.

You see the difference between a true disciple and a false one,
Is in their confession.

That is the characteristic of a disciple.
A disciple of Jesus knows the cost and confesses Him anyway.

THOSE WHO DON’T CONFESS ARE NOT TRUE DISCIPLES.

The Characteristic of a disciple
#2 THE COST OF A DISCIPLE
Matthew 10:34-36
And here we have another one of those statements
Where Jesus clarifies a major misconception.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth;”

And this is something that the disciples obviously thought.

Now first off, they were in one sense correct to believe
The Messiah would bring peace on the earth.

Isaiah 9:7 “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

Part of the Messianic promise is in fact world peace.

The problem is not that they misinterpreted that passage.
The problem was that they failed to learn
All the passages regarding Messiah.

They obviously overlooked all the suffering servant passages in Isaiah.
And even here Jesus reveals that they overlooked a prophecy of Micah.

In short, they did what the “prosperity gospel” preachers do today.
They claim all the blessings and benefits and promises of Scripture,
And totally disregard the promises of suffering and hardship.

To do that causes you to be caught off guard.

You may remember, even after this passage
The disciples still didn’t grasp what Jesus said,
For later in Matthew 16 when Jesus tells them He is going to the cross,
Peter seems shocked saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”

They had a misconception that following Jesus would be a life of ease,
And so Jesus corrects that misconception.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Don’t think everything will just be wonderful,
There is a definite division that will occur if you choose to follow Christ.

THERE IS A DEFINITE COST TO FOLLOWING ME
“For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”
Jesus is quoting an ignored prophecy from Micah 7.

And what Jesus spoke of us that before there is world peace,
There will first be extreme division.

And it can be a division
That can penetrate even the most sacred relationships.

Jesus lets them know that following Him could actually cost them
Their relationship with even their family.

This is why we call it a narrow gate.
Hopefully your father and mother and son and daughter will enter it too, but if they do they will also go on their own.

You cannot enter the gate as a family.
And the fact is that some families are divided there.

THERE CAN BE A DEFINITE COST TO FOLLOWING JESUS.

The Characteristics of a Disciple, The Cost of a Disciple
#3 THE CHOICE OF A DISCIPLE
Matthew 10:37-39

SO WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE

• Jesus says we must choose who we love.
• Jesus says we must choose who we want a relationship with.
• Jesus says we must choose where we want comfort.

And the reality is that if you choose anything over Jesus,
Then you don’t get Him.

It is the epitome of what God meant when He said,
“I am a jealous God…”

In other words to choose something over Him
Is the equivalent of denying Him.

A disciple must choose Jesus over every other thing.

And then Jesus gives THREE THINGS
That routinely cause people to deny Him.

SEPARATION FROM FAMILY
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
THREAT OF SUFFERING
(38) “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Just before Jesus time,
There was a Jewish insurrection against Rome by a zealot named Judas.
The Romans easily stopped the insurrection, but to make a statement,
The Roman general Varus ordered over 2,000 Jews to be crucified.

It is said that the crosses lined the roads of Galilee from one end to the other. (MacArthur, John, “The MacArthur New Testament Commentary; Matthew 8-15, Moody Press, Chicago, Ill, 1985, pg.233)

When Jesus said take up your cross, they knew what it meant.

They had to be willing to suffer for Him.
They had to be willing to endure the harshest of treatment.

LOSS OF LIFE
(39) “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

Now certainly that could refer to physical death.
(the cross certainly would be)

But there is more to losing your life than just physical death.
A Christian is called to die to self.
Paul said, “I die daily”

• It can be your occupation (like Matthew)
• It can be your reputation (like Paul)

There are many ways in which following Jesus
Will cost us life as we know it.

• Many have confessed Christ, and then moved across the world on mission.
• Many have confessed Him and very quickly changed occupations.
• Many have confessed and accepted a dramatic change in income.
• Many have confessed and as a result given up their fame or popularity.

Confessing Jesus costs you your life.
And many aren’t willing to follow that far.

THE QUESTION IS WILL YOU?

“So your telling me that one way or another, I’m gonna have suffering.”
(either here or for eternity)
“Why did God make it like that?”

God didn’t make it like that. We made it like that.
We chose to have the choice.

God created a persecution free world.

Remember, man wanted a choice.
We wanted to be like God,
We wanted knowledge of good and evil.
(Adam and Eve)

Because of that, there is a choice to be made.

SO NOW WE MUST CHOOSE WHO WE LOVE MORE.
Jesus or Everything Else
What will you choose?

A true disciple chooses Jesus over every other single relationship, over every single comfort, even over life itself.

A true disciple is characterized by confession of Christ.
A true disciple must pay the cost of persecution.
A true disciple chooses Christ above everything else.

#4 THE COMPENSATION OF A DISCIPLE
Matthew 10:39-42

Persecution is a real consequence of living for Jesus.
However, so is Heavenly Compensation

If you choose to keep your life on earth, you have forfeited life for eternity.
If you choose to sacrifice your life,
Then you will receive your life for eternity.

“Losers finders, Keepers weepers”

Jim Elliot – “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

You cannot lose anything, that God will not reward you.

Now, I know that Jesus is speaking directly to the twelve disciples,
but if you’ll notice, He extends this offer to all who hear this message.

(40) “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

If we will but surrender our life in this world,
We will gain it come eternity.

AND NOT EVEN THE SMALLEST SACRIFICE WILL GO UNREWARDED
“And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”

A disciple will be compensated.

Mark 10:28-30 “Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother of father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.”

So that is it, very clearly and simply.

Do you choose the present or the future?
Do you follow Christ, or silently deny?

The notion that we can have this world and the next
Is just not a part of the gospel that Jesus preached.

I know it is popular on television today, but Jesus never offered it.

Jesus was very clear.
Lose this life and find life for eternity.
Keep this life and lost if for all eternity.

You must be willing to surrender all to Jesus.

Matthew 10:32-33 “Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny Him before My Father who is in heaven.”

 

 

“Let’s go to church.” Ever hear those words before?  You probably have, you may even be the one in your circle who says it.  But why do we?  What is the purpose for gathering together with other believers on a weekly basis?  What are we striving to accomplish?  Believe it or not, there are distinct reasons for why we gather, and there are specific purposes we are to fulfill.  These purposes are so important that a failure to understand and fulfill them can actually cause God to quit attending. “I hate, I reject your festivals, Nor do I delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain offerings, I will not accept them; And I will not even look at the peace offerings of your fatlings. Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.” (Amos 5:21-23)  Could the church today face the same danger of Israel in the Old Testament?  Ask the church at Ephesus who had left their first love and were in danger of no longer being a church (Rev. 2:5).  Ask the church at Laodicea who made God so sick He wanted to vomit (Rev. 3:6).  The point is that there is a purpose to be fulfilled when we gather together and it matters that we fulfill it.  Join us on Sunday mornings for the next few weeks as we search the Scriptures to see what those purposes are.