I. Intro and Recap:

a.       This is the second discourse of Jesus that Matthew records.  The first one was the Sermon on the Mount.

b.      Jesus sent them out on a short-term mission, and he gives his disciples instructions on their short-term mission, but his message here seems to drift more into the long-term mission.  Which makes this somewhat tricky.

i.  How do we apply this?  Who is the audience?  When will this happen? 

ii.                        I think it’s helpful to say that chapter 10…

1.      It was happening.

2.      It has happened.

3.      It will happen.

iii.                      The words from Jesus here are telescoping.  It’s a telescoping prophecy.

1.      Persecution was happening to them.

2.      Persecution will happen to them more.

3.      Persecution will continue to happen to His disciples.

c.       In this section Jesus envisioned a long period of time when His disciples would be persecuted and yet witness to the Truth.

i.  He starts off with speaking about this mission that the 12 are about to go on, then he pans out to include all believers, and even including the Great Tribulation.

ii.                        Jesus forecasts the global holocaust that is coming upon His Church and His disciples.

iii.                      This type of telescoping prophecy is common in Scripture.

iv.                      Often times a writer will prophecy two events at the same time.

d.      This message has one point:  Expect persecution and don’t live in fear.  And that’s the outline.

II.                      Principle #1- Expect Severe Persecution (10:16-25, 34-36).

a.       The main point of this section is pretty simple: We are like sheep among wolves (10:16).

i.  This is an interesting metaphor that Jesus picks.

1.      Normally, a shepherd would protect his sheep from wolves, but Jesus is sending His sheep into the wolf pack.

2.      This is a call to the cost of discipleship.  Be prepared to live like a sheep among wolves.

3.      Acts 20:29, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock…”

4.      Mat. 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”

5.      Jesus sends them out as defenseless sheep among evil, wicked, vicious, God-haters.

ii.                        This was a promise of difficulty and tribulation and persecution.

1.      It’s like what Winston Churchill said to Great Britain after a heavy setback for the Allies,  “All I can offer you is blood, sweat, and tears” Winston Churchill.

2.      Jesus is promising that life as a disciple of His, would be like a sheep amidst wolves.

3.      Between the first and second comings, things will be bad.

b.      This promise of persecution was actually made many many years ago:

i.  The prophet Daniel predicted successive governments that get worse and worse until the Christ comes back.

ii.                        Jesus referred to this time as the “time of the Gentiles.”  Gentiles, not Jews would be large and in charge.

iii.                      The times of the gentiles would be marked by a tension between the State and God’s people.

iv.                      In the book of Daniel, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego illustrates this.

1.      These three guys are commanded to bow down and worship a statue, which represented the State.

2.      But they wouldn’t bend their knee; and they are persecuted for it.  They are thrown in to a fiery furnace.

3.      It’s an illustration for us of what life will be like for God-fearing people until Jesus comes back.

4.      The King is coming back, but in the meantime, things will not go well for followers of Jesus.

c.       So, how do we live in a hostile world?

i.  “Wise as serpents…”

1.      serpents carried the idea of clever.

2.      Be prudent.  Sensible.

3.      Don’t be naïve.

4.      Don’t be inflammatory.

5.      Avoid conflicts and attacks.

6.      Have a sense of appropriateness.

7.      Don’t be an idiot.

8.      Car dealer who was a Christian.

a.       He was committed.  He knew His bible.  But the other workers couldn’t stand him.

ii.                        “Innocent as doves…”

1.      “Innocent” lit. means “unmixed”

2.      Be different from the world.  Be holy.

3.      Prudent and innocent.

4.      Many missionaries need to practice this to literally stay alive.

5.      This saying of doves and serpents would mean that when missionaries go into a hostile situation they need to live upright morals lives, while not necessarily divulging their motives to see people saved from their sins with the Good News of Jesus.

iii.                      Bottom line:  we want to win people!

1.      1 Cor. 9:19, “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”

d.      Persecution will come from four areas:

i.  #1- Persecution from Religion. (10:17).

1.      “they will flog you in their synagogues.”

2.      Jesus experienced persecution from the religious folks.

3.      It was the religious people of the day who put Him to death.

4.      The early church was almost entirely persecuted by Jews for the first few decades.

5.      Paul is persecuted by idol makers Acts 19.

a.       Paul upset the silversmiths who made idols for Diana because they were running out of business.

6.      We know that in the end times there will be a global religious system.

a.       Babylon the Great will be a worldwide religious system.

b.      Rev. 17:5, “And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations.”

7.      What about today?

a.       Islam is increasingly a threat to Christians all over the world, and of course not only Christians, but anyone who will not submit to Mohammad and the Koran.

i.  Just last week in London a British soldier was beheaded in the middle of the day.

ii.                        The two men who did it were Muslim and were quoting the Qur’an.

iii.                      They were Muslim street preachers.

iv.                      I just ordered a book called “What every Christian needs to know about the Qur’an.”

v.                         Make no mistake about it.  For folks who believe the Qur’ran, they desire to bring you under submission to Mohammad, or else behead you.

vi.                      Maybe we will see more of this as time goes.  But Jesus certainly prophesied this would happen.

b.       Newsweek Magazine, Feb. 13th 2012, had as it’s cover “The War on Christians”  The title of the article was “The rise of Christophobia: From the one end of the Muslim world to the other, Christians are being murdered for their faith.”

1.  “We hear so often about Muslims as victims of abuse in the West and combatants in Arab Spring’s fight against tyranny.  But in fact, a wholly different kind of war is underway—an unrecognized battle costing thousands of lives.  Christians are being killed in the Islamic world because of their religion.  It is a rising genocide that ought to provoke global alarm…From blasphemy laws to brutal murders to bombings to mutilations and the burning of holy sites, Christians in many nations live in fear.”

c.       The world is a dangerous place.

ii.                        #2- Persecution from Government (10:18).

1.      “you will be dragged before governors and kings…”

2.      In the past 2000 years much of the persecution that has come against Christians has been through the State.

3.      The State has been responsible for millions of deaths.

a.       Communism and Socialism hate Christianity.

b.      “Government is ordained by God but manipulated by Satan.” MacArthur

4.      Foxe’s book of Martyrs says that the only apostle who escaped a violent death from the State was the Apostle John.

a.       He starts with Jesus, and tells the stories of persecution of the apostles from the Roman Empire, then on to the other emperor’s.  Then the persecutions and martyrs on Christian from the Catholic church on folks like Wycliffe and John Huss and Tyndale.

b.      It’s a massive chronicle of how Christians have been beaten and killed.

5.      But this persecution was promised by God.  We will be persecuted.

6.      The world will hate Christians because the world hates Christ.

a.       If you claim Christ, you have just made yourself a target.

b.      John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

7.      What about today?  How can we expect the State to persecute us?

a.       Well, first off, Paul tells us to pray for freedom and peace.  But if the Lord instead chooses to judge our nation, which we see happening, then I think we can expect:

b.      A persecution through the courts.

c.       Reckless laws will be passed.

d.      Tax-exempt status’s for churches and charitable giving will be denied.

e.       Hate-crimes will be applied to preachers who condemn the sin of homosexuality.

f.        Or, more mildly, churches will lose tax-exempt status for taking a stand on biblical principles.

g.      Maybe jail for preaching the Word?  Why not?

8.      But the Holy Spirit will direct us as we go.

9.      And for us, as Americans.  We enjoy a great measure of freedom, but are we prepared to not bend the knee to the State, if the State ever asks us to go against our conscience and the Word of God?  I hope it doesn’t, but that day may come.  And if history repeats itself, then that day WILL come.

iii.                      #3- Persecution from Family (10:21-22, 34-36).

1.      Brother will deliver brother…

2.      This may be the most difficult form of persecution.

3.      To be ostracized from your family because of Christ is no easy thing.

4.      In some places in the world, people will hold a funeral for a family member who has converted to Christianity.

5.      Even worse, they will deliver you over to death.  Brothers and fathers and mothers will do this.

6.      Jesus says, “a person’s enemies will be those of his own household…”

7.      Conflict will come on account of Jesus.

iv.                      #4- Persecution from Society (10:22).

1.      “and you will be hated by all”

a.       He isn’t implying all people, literarily, even Christians.

b.      He is saying all people, generally.  Society as a whole.

2.      The Bible makes it clear that we will true Christians will not be cool in the worlds eyes.  This is a tough pill to swallow, but the sooner you do, the better.  Christians will never be the cool kids on the block.

a.       1 Cor. 4:9-13, “…we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.”

b.      Rom. 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

3.      Homosexuality?

a.       The “Atlantic” this week made headlines with, “Support for Same-Sex Marriage has doubled since 1996.”

b.      After 103 years The Boy scouts lifted their previous ban on homosexuals and now allow gay boys to be members, although they did not lift the ban on gay leaders.  Which shows the hypocrisy of the decision.

c.       “The church’s engagement with the culture involves a host of issues, controversies, and decisions–but no issue defines our current cultural crisis as clearly as homosexuality.” Al Mohler

4.      Hollywood and the media.

a.       Will not portray Christians in a positive light.

b.      We will be seen as haters.  As bigots.  As intellectually inferior.

c.       Colleges and Universities and schools will continue to disparage Christians.

5.      The hatred and hostility will come from “all” of society and it will go from bad to worse.

6.      But let’s not play the victim, my brothers and sisters!  Let’s not cry foul and pout our way to the Promised Land!

7.      Let’s proudly bear the Name of Christ!

8.      Let’s thank God that we are considered worthy of suffering for His Name!

9.      And honestly, our suffering is nothing compared to the suffering going on in the rest of the world!

10.  Is America heading south down a moral sewage pipe?  Yea!  But why should that alarm us?  This was never meant to be a Utopia, and we are not home yet!

11.  I love America, but I love heaven more.  Maranatha!

e.       The one who endures to the end will be saved (10:23).

i.  Only those who last; only those who persevere will be saved.

1.      1 Cor. 15:1-2, “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.”

2.      Heb. 2:1, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

ii.                        “When they persecute you, flee”

1.      Don’t take it like a man if you don’t have to.

2.      Run away!

3.      You are not obligated to get arrested or imprisoned if you don’t have to.

4.      Paul did this.  When persecution became too intense, he left for another region.

iii.                      “until the Son of Man comes.”

1.      (v. 23) “This verse is among the most difficult of the NT canon.”  Carson

2.      Some feel this statement “the Son of Man comes” is the same as saying “The kingdom of God has come.”

3.      This is a clear eschatological statement.

4.      Even during the end times, during the Great Tribulation when the 144,000 Jewish preachers are preaching all over the globe.

f.        Expect Persecution because Jesus was persecuted (10:24-25).

i.  Beelzubul means “head of the house”

ii.                        It was a common name for Satan or “Prince Baal”

iii.                      Jesus was called Satan.  He was criticized for casting out demons by the prince of demons.

iv.                      We shouldn’t expect anything less.

1.      “Lord of the flies”  novel by William Golding is required reading in most High Schools and Universities.

a.       They made a film which my wife and I just watched a few months ago, a black and white, made in 1963.

b.      tell the story…

i.  In Lord of the Flies, British schoolboys are stranded on a tropical island. In an attempt to recreate the culture they left behind, they elect Ralph to lead, with the intellectual Piggy as counselor. But Jack wants to lead, too, and one-by-one, he lures the boys from civility and reason to the savage survivalism of primeval hunters. In Lord of the Flies, William Golding gives us a glimpse of the savagery that underlies even the most civilized human beings.

ii.                        These English schoolboys turn in to a pack of vicious wolves.

c.       The British officer arrives to discover the depth of their depravity.

i.  Factions, gangs, jealousy, murder, hatred.

i.  Moral of the story is that they couldn’t fix themselves.  They needed to be delivered from without.  Salvation comes from the outside.  

2.      That’s a bit of a picture of the world we live in.  It’s hostile to God.  It’s anti-Christ.  It hates God and would gladly put Him to death.  It did!

3.      So in verse 25 Jesus is telling his disciples to not expect anything less.

4.      If the world hates Jesus, and it does, then the world will hate you.

v.                         Expect persecution from religious people, expect persecution from the government, expect persecution from your family, and expect persecution from society.

vi.                      You will be like sheep amongst a pack of wolves in this world.

III.                   Principle #2- Don’t Live in Fear (10:26-33).

a.       Such statements about persecution might have freaked the disciples out.  Statements about being dragged in front of governors and kings and having family members hate you might cause some people to fear.  Starting in v. 26 Jesus tells them they need not fear.

i.  Jesus calls His disciples to be fearless, but not foolish.

ii.                        Disciples shouldn’t seek out persecution.

iii.                      Disciples shouldn’t be provocative, they should be prudent, wise as a serpent.

iv.                      BUT, there may be circumstances when they need to pick up and move town?

v.                         Maybe they thought that they needed to stockpile weapons?

vi.                      Believe it or not, Jesus seems to imply that both of those may be legitimate options…

vii.                    Just a few verses earlier Jesus tells them than moving towns because of persecution may be the right thing to do.

1.      “when they persecute you in one town, flee to the next”

viii.                  Jesus also tells the disciples in Luke’s gospel to be prepared to defend themselves.

1.      Luke 22:36, “And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.”

2.      BUT, they should NOT move out of fear, or purchase a sword out of fear.

3.      Jesus gives three reasons why they need not fear.

b.      Don’t fear people because the truth will prevail (26-27).

i.  The disciples will be vindicated.

ii.                        Teach publicly what you learn privately.

iii.                      Jesus describes the coming judgment as a time for disclosing all the secrets of individuals’ lives.

iv.                      The truth will prevail, and every knee will bow.

v.                         The gospel which was suppressed and ignored and covered by some, will be revealed and exposed.  The light will expose the darkness.

vi.                      So don’t fear.  Believers will even take part in judging unbelievers as 1 Cor. 6:2 says.

vii.                    Don’t fear, rest in the truth.

c.       Don’t fear people because God is more powerful than man (28).

i.  Physical death is nothing compared to spiritual death.

ii.                        They can take your body, but they cannot take your soul!

iii.                      I must quote William Wallace here,

1.      William Wallace: I *am* William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men... and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?

2.      Veteran: Fight? Against that? No! We will run. And we will live.

3.      William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

4.      [Scottish army cheers]

iv.                      Little bit of a stretch but you get the point.

v.                         We are to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us.  But no matter what happens, they can’t take our souls away.  They can take our bodies, but they can’t take about our freedom!

vi.                      Our eternal destiny is secure!  Have no fear.

vii.                    Prov. 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.”

1.      Fear God, not man.

2.      Fear God, not governments.

3.      Fear God, not legislation that persecutes.

4.      Fear God, not family members who hate you.

5.      Fear God, not society.

6.      Fear God, that’s wisdom.

d.      Don’t fear because God is sovereign (29-32)

i.  “not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your father.”

1.      This is staggering!

2.      The dust in the air!  The flight of the sparrow.  The cry of the baby.  The division of cells.  The rotation of the sun.  The growth of cancer cells.  The election of a President.  The loss of a job.  The path of a tornado.  The flight of an asteroid.  All do not take place without the knowledge and decision of the Lord.

3.      Prov. 16:33, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”

4.      Prov. 21:1, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”

5.      Ex. 4:11, “Then the LORD said to [Moses], “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?”

a.       Family in Michigan who’s child has spina bifida.

b.      This verse was an encouragement.

6.      Eph. 1:11, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”

ii.                        “you are of more value than many sparrows.”

1.      God cares about the birds…

2.      That thought alone should really encourage us.

3.      You are more valuable than the birds!

iii.                      This ought to give us an enormous amount of confidence even when we are like sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves.

1.      Martin Luther…

a.       Luther was n stranger to controversy.  He was like a sheep among a pack of wolves.  He lived much of his life on the run, being smuggled by friends from here to there.  Living in hiding, but not living in fear.

b.      Translating the Bible into German while he was on the run.

c.       These reformers were like sheep in the midst of a pack of wolves.

d.      Many of them were burned at the stake for such crimes as, translating the Bible into English, and other horrifying crimes.

e.       But they clung to the Providence of God.

f.        Luther rested in the promise that, “God created the sparrows; this is why not one of them will fall to the ground without His will.  God not only created human beings but also let His Dear Son suffer for them.  Therefore He will and must care for them far more than He does for the worthless sparrows.”

g.      There is no reason to fear, God cares for you more than the sparrows!

2.      Stonewall Jackson:

a.       When Phil Johnson was here last month we asked him who his favorite theologian was and he said it was R.L. Dabney.  I had heard of Dabney, and knew Phil liked him, but didn’t know much about Dabney.

b.      I was surprised when Phil mentioned that Dabney was a close personal friend of Stonewall Jackson and his chaplain during the Civil War and actually wrote Jackson’s biography.

c.       Stonewall Jackson has sort of been labeled a religious fanatic, but the reality is that he was a very committed Biblical Christian with a high view of God and His Word.

d.      His favorite pastime was to discuss theology.  He lamented fighting on Sunday’s. although he did do it, reluctantly.

e.       The NY Times had an article on Jackson a number of years ago and it said,.

i.  “Theology was the only subject he genuinely enjoyed discussing. His dispatches invariably credited an ever-kind Providence. Assigning his fate to God's hands, he acted utterly fearlessly on the battlefield -- and expected the same of everyone else in Confederate gray…it was said he preferred good Presbyterians to good soldiers.”

f.        Stonewall Jackson is legendary for his fearlessness.  In fact his name nearly synonymous with courage and bravery.  Both the North and the South acknowledged this.  Little kids grew up wanting to be like Stonewall Jackson.  He became a household name.

i.  “My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me.... That is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.” Stonewall Jackson

e.       Summary:

i.  Expect persecution.

ii.                        Don’t live in fear.

iii.                      We now live in a day and age when we need to think seriously about what it means to be a Christian in the 21st Century. We are like sheep among wolves, and the wolves are only getting hungrier.

1.      What does it mean to not live in fear?

a.       Does it mean stockpiling and self-defense classes?  Maybe…  But much more I think it means we pray for boldness and clarity and conviction and compassion.

b.      While the wolves religion, government, family, and society howl and attack and persecute, let us trust in a sovereign God who cares more about us than He does the sparrows.

c.       He is a God competent and able and coming back with a rod of iron.

d.      The Son of Man will come.  But will we be ready and will we be faithful in the meantime?

2.      “Studdard Kennedy was a chaplain during World War II.  He was often thrust into the frontlines of battle, ministering in the places of danger to his life.  One day as he was going through France, he wrote a letter to his son, who was about ten years old.

a.       “The first prayer I want my son to say for me is not, ‘God, keep Daddy safe,’ but ‘God make Daddy brave.  And if he has hard thing to do, make him strong to do them.’

b.      Son, life and death do not matter.  But right and wrong do.  Daddy dead is still Daddy still, but Daddy dishonored before God is something too awful for words.  I suppose you would like to pray for safety too, and Mother would like that, I’m sure.  Well, put it in afterwards, for it really doesn’t matter nearly as much as doing what is right.”

IV.                    Closing:

a.       “whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.”

i.  Some of you may remember that name. He was one of the founders of Youth for Christ, along with Billy Graham. And he was believed at that time to be the greatest of the preachers. Billy was kind of the second preacher. He was the great mind, he was the great presence, he had all the drama. He had it all--brilliant mind, all of that, and he became a great preacher and a great evangelist and preached to stadiums full of people and he was carrying the weight of that kind of Graham/Templeton duo in the early years. And people fell at his feet. People loved to listen to him. He was...he was basically targeted for massive success.

ii.                        Little by little it began to surface that he misrepresented Scripture. And he began to a little more, a little more out about what he thought about Scripture. It all came to a culmination when he wrote a book. The title of the book is a biography of his spiritual journey, and the title is Farewell to God by Charles Templeton. He ended up a journalist in Canada, a novelist, writer, television personality; Farewell to God.

iii.                      He first professed faith in 1936 and became an evangelist that same year. In 1945 he met Billy Graham and the two became friends, rooming and ministering together during a 1946 YFC evangelistic tour in Europe.

iv.                      But by 1948 Templeton’s life and worldview were beginning to go in a different direction than Graham’s. Doubts about the Christian faith were solidifying as he planned to enter Princeton Theological Seminary. Less than a decade later (1957), he would publicly declare that he had become an agnostic.

v.                         In his 1996 memoir, Farewell to God: My Reasons for Rejecting the Christian Faith, Templeton recounted a conversation with Graham in Montreat prior to entering seminary:

1.      They discussed the Bible, and Templeton now rejected it.

vi.                      Fifty years later, Lee Strobel had an opportunity to interview Templeton, who had just a couple of more years to live. He was in his 80s and suffering from Alzheimer’s, but still a clear conversation parter. In A Case for Faith, Strobel recounts the ending of their wide-ranging conversation.

vii.                    “And how do you assess this Jesus?” It seemed like the next logical question—but I wasn’t ready for the response it would evoke.

viii.                  Templeton’s body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable in talking about an old and dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed such a sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus.

ix.                      “He was,” Templeton began, “the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I’ve ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?”

x.                         I was taken aback. “You sound like you really care about him,” I said.

xi.                      “Well, yes, he is the most important thing in my life,” came his reply. “I . . . I . . . I . . . ,” he stuttered, searching for the right word, ‘I know it may sound strange, but I have to say . . . I adore him!” . . .

xii.                    “ . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes . . . yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don’t think of him that way, but they don’t read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There’s no question that he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is Jesus….’

xiii.                  “Uh . . . but . . . no,’ he said slowly, ‘he’s the most . . .” He stopped, then started again. “In my view,” he declared, “he is the most important human being who has ever existed.”

xiv.                  That’s when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. “And if I may put it this way,” he said as his voice began to crack, ‘I . . . miss . . . him!”

xv.                     With that tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. . . .

xvi.                  Templeton fought to compose himself. I could tell it wasn’t like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear. After a few more awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted: “Enough of that.”

V.                       The Gospel.

BI: We are sheep among wolves.

I. Intro and Recap:

a.       Up to this point in Matthew’s gospel the hostility towards Jesus has steadily increased.  Jesus has gone around Israel proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, displaying with healings and resurrections and miracles.  Like John the Baptist He is calling people to turn from sin and turn to God and escape judgment.

i.  John the Baptist is now in prison and beginning to wonder if in fact Jesus was the Messiah…

ii.                        Mat. 11:4-6, “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

b.      People were increasingly irresponsive to Jesus.

i.  You’d think it would have been the opposite.

ii.                        You would think that people would be excited and happy about these signs and miracles.  But that’s not the case.  There was an increasing hostility toward Jesus.

iii.                      Even though the masses followed Jesus, the masses did not understand that Jesus was the King and the Kingdom had arrived because the King had arrived.

iv.                      So they never repented.  They felt no need to repent.

c.       In this first section Jesus begins to denounce the cities He had travelled through and displayed the power of the kingdom, because very few repented and followed Him.

i.  It’s as if Jesus is surprised.  He’s almost seems shocked that the people were so stubborn and hard-hearted.

d.      In this passage, Jesus confronted Israel’s disbelief more openly than ever.

i.  He had done all kinds of open, public ministry, displaying the kingdom, but they overwhelmingly rejected it.

ii.  They were terrible at discerning reality.

II.                      A Warning of Judgment (11:20-24).

a.       #1- Jesus is Judge (11:20-21), “Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”

i.  “He began to denounce…”

1.      What does denounce mean?

2.      Part of Jesus ministry was denunciation.

3.      “woe to you”  “woe to you”

ii.                        Why did He denounce?

1.      They were given so much revelation, but they hardened their hearts.

2.      They did not repent.

3.      They did not repent in light of the revelation given to them.   The “mighty works.”

4.      Both these Galilean villages would have witnessed Jesus’ ministry firsthand.

5.      They have seen the miracles of Jesus; they have heard the teachings of Jesus.

6.      They have been first-row spectators to His words and deeds.  They have marveled at His authority.

iii.                      Jesus is a Judge:

1.      Jesus is a Teacher, Jesus is a Savior, Jesus is a Healer, Jesus is a Miracle-worker.  Yes.  All of that is perfectly true.

2.      But Jesus is also a Righteous Judge.

3.      The Israelites, like us, were terrible at discerning reality.

b.      We are terrible at judging ourselves:

i.  There is a fairly recent DOVE soap commercial where a women walks into a warehouse and there is a artist sketcher behind a sheet and he asks her to describe her face. 

1.      He can’t see her so she describes her nose and describes her chin and describes her lips and her forehead and her freckles and he does his best to draw it.

2.      Then he brings in another lady who only recently met this lady who was sketched by the artist and she does the same thing.  The artist asks this stranger to describe the lady she only recently met.  So she describes her features.  She describes the ladies nose and chin and hair and ears and forehead.

3.      The big moment is when the lady, who has now been drawn two times see both sketches side by side.

4.      The sketch that she describes of herself of somewhat distorted and pronounced and exaggerated.  It’s doesn’t look that nice.  But the portrait that was described by the stranger is much better looking.

5.      The point Dove is trying to make is that women tend to be too hard on themselves.  They are out of touch with how beautiful they really are.

ii.                        There was a parody on this heartwarming commercial where they did the same thing with guys.

1.      A guy walks into a warehouse and describes himself to an artist behind the veil and the men describes themselves in glowing terms.

2.      “People have said I have incredible hair.”  “My jaw is pretty square.”  “I have bold, dark eyes, sort of like a milk chocolate color.”

3.      And the sketches all come out looking like George Clooney.  Brad Pitt.  Movie stars.

4.      Then they have women describe the men and it’s the complete opposite/

5.      “His eyes sort of protrude like a grape, if that makes sense.”

6.      “His chin is sort of…well…not there….”

iii.                      It’s all sort of a hilarious parody on how women tend to be too hard on themselves and men tend to be too easy on themselves.

iv.                      Both sexes are out of touch with reality.

c.       The following statement of Jesus is not en vogue:  “Repent, or you will likewise perish.”

i.  Jesus as Judge rubs against our cultural sensibilities.

ii.                        This is offensive.  And It was offensive to them as well.

iii.                      Jesus says, in this text, “Blessed are you if you do not take offense to me.”

iv.                      Many people will hear the words of Jesus and walk away.

v.                         The reason they will walk away is because of unbelief.

d.      #2- The sin of Unbelief (11:20b).

i.  “because they did not repent…”

1.      They heard the good news of the Kingdom.  They even SAW the good news of the kingdom.  But they did not feel the need to turn from their sin.

2.      Jesus had done all kinds of miracles and He expected people to acknowledge that these were Messianic miracles.

3.      They should have recognized that God had arrived.

4.      But they refused to believe it.  They even said that Jesus was of the Devil.  They didn’t deny the power, but they refused repent.

5.      The kind of repentance Jesus was looking for was a complete change of life.  A change of thinking and a change of behavior.

6.      They should have responded to Jesus as the Lord and King and followed Him and renounced their lives.

7.      They should have bent the knee to Christ as Lord and King.  They should have bowed down.

8.      But they didn’t.

9.      They refused to repent.

ii.                        Story of not repenting:

1.      “Some years ago a murderer was sentenced to death. The murderer’s brother, to whom the State was deeply indebted for former services, besought the governor of the State for his brother’s pardon. The pardon was granted, and the man visited his brother with the pardon in his pocket. “What would you do,” he said to him, “if you received a pardon?”

2.      “The first thing I would do,” he answered, “is to track down the judge who sentenced me, and murder him; and the next thing I would do is to track down the chief witness, and murder him.”

3.      The brother rose, and left the prison with the pardon in his pocket…

4.      If there is no repentance there is no pardon.

5.      Woe to you Chorazin!  Woe to you Bethsaida!

iii.                      What is unbelief?

1.      Unbelief is not intellectual, it’s moral.  It’s closely connected to disobedience.  If someone does not believe the gospel it is usually not for intellectual reasons.  It is for moral reasons.

2.      Unbelief is a moral disobedience, not a intellectual skepticism.

3.      “Disobedience is the root of unbelief. Unbelief is the mother of further disobedience…It lies in the moral aversion of human will and in the pride of independence, which says, "who is Lord over us? Why should we have to depend on Jesus Christ?...the less one trusts, the more he disobeys; the more he disobeys, the less he trusts.”  Alexander Maclaren.

iv.                      Unbelief is different than doubt.

1.      Doubt can actually be a good thing.

2.      Skepticism is actually a good thing in many ways.

3.      It’s not a virtue to be gullible.

4.      We should have a filter.

5.      Jesus tells us to be wise as serpents.

6.      One of the marks of Evangelicals in the last 100 years has been an almost comical gullibility and lack of thinking and discernment.

7.      There is a difference between blind faith and reasonable faith. 

a.       We certainly have to display faith.  There are things that we cannot see.  But we are always believing and trusting based on historical facts.

8.      Anthony Flew:

a.       The equivalent of Richard Dawkins today.  Renowned atheist in Great Britain.

b.      After years of being an atheist, late in life he finally acknowledged that there must some Intelligent Designer of this world.

c.       “An honest man will follow the evidence….I have found the case for the empty tomb to be very convincing.”

9.      Christianity isn’t just “BELIEVE, BELIEVE, BELIEVE!”  Don’t ask questions, just believe!

10.  No, this is historical, and true, or it isn’t, and if it isn’t historically true, and you still believe it, there is nothing virtuous about that.  In fact, it’s foolish.

v.                         These town should have repented, but they sinned the sin of unbelief.

1.      Jesus says that they should have responded with sackcloth and ashes, but they actually responded with hostility and accusations, saying Jesus is empowered by Satan.

2.      Jesus is judging and rebuking them for their unbelief.  But it might help to articulate more about what this unbelief looked like.

3.      Jesus rebukes unbelief.  He has a particular disdain for the sin of unbelief. Why?

4.      Eternity is contingent on our response to Jesus.

5.      What is repentance?

a.       “Sackcloth and ashes” were common public tokens of repentance in antiquity. One who wore sackcloth donned a coarse undergarment, often made of camels’ hair. Ashes were sprinkled on one’s head

6.      What does it look like?

7.      The sin of unbelief:

a.       This is the worst sin.

b.      This is the unpardonable sin.

8.      Os Guiness gives a very helpful definition of doubt in his book “In Two Minds.” He says, "When you believe, you are in one mind and accept something as true. Unbelief is to be of one mind and reject that something is true. To doubt is to waver between the two, to believe and disbelieve at the same time, and so to be in ’two minds.’" That is what James calls, in Chapter 1, a "double minded man," or as the Chinese say, "Doubt is standing in two boats, with one foot in each."

9.      So unbelief essentially says that God cannot be trusted!

10.  Unbelief is a refusal to submit to the truth.  It’s a suppression of the truth.

11.  The truth is like a giant spring and unbelief tries to hold that spring down.  Unbelief tries to suppress the truth (Rom. 1).

vi.                      John MacArthur tells this story “In 1984 a Boeing jet crashed in Spain.  Straight into a mountain.  Investigators studied the sight and recovered the little black box.  They made an eerie discovery.  The black box had in it a voice recorder which recorded the final minutes before the fatal impact.  What they heard was an automated recording of the planes automatic warning system saying, “Pull up! Pull up! Pull up! Pull up!  Then, astoundingly, the voice of the pilot was heard snapping back, ‘Shut up Gringo!’ and he switched the system off.  In a matter of minutes the plane crashed into the side of the mountain and everyone was killed.  This is a parable of an unbelieving heart.

vii.                    “Sin blinds people from properly perceiving what is significant.” Darrell Bock

e.       #3- There will be a final day of judgment (11:22-24). “But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.”

i.  The day of judgment is inevitable.

1.      That day will come.

2.      Jesus is saying here that there is a heaven and there is a hell and all of us go to one of two places.

3.      You will either spend eternity in heaven or hell.

4.      We will all stand before the judgment seat.

5.      The judgment is coming.

6.      The Day of the Lord is coming.

7.      Pages and pages of scripture warn about this day!

8.      Almost every author in the Bible, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, warns of a the coming day of judgment.

9.      1992 referring to an event in 1985.  Early 20’s.  “1985 I wonder whether you remember me sitting in your office wondering if God would have to use a car accident or some other awful event to get my attention.  And you pointed out that the consequences of my deliberate choice to continue sinning would be nothing short of hell itself.  No one had ever told me that I was headed for hell.  Missionary kid that I was.  Saved at the age of six.  It was a turning point in my life, and I have wanted to thank you and tell you that ever since.  Every single year since 1992 I have received a Christmas card from this young lady thanking me for warning her of hell if she did not get out of this relationship.’”

10.  Are you ready to meet the Lord?

a.       Are you willing to risk your eternity on a hunch?

b.      Many people would never risk swimming with sharks, or risk their finances on gambling, or risk walking on a tightrope, or risk running a red light, but how many billions of people risk their eternal destiny on a hunch, or on your own good life?

ii.                        The day of judgment will result in degrees of punishment.

1.      “more tolerable.”

2.      “But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.”

3.      Jesus is saying that there are degrees of punishment in hell.

4.      It is also true that there will be degrees of reward in heaven.

5.      The Lord is just and He will discern the degrees of punishment or reward on that day.

6.      Colin Smith talks about the day of judgment, and says…

a.       “You may say, "Wait a minute. How can any sin deserve everlasting destruction? If God is just, how can he punish like this?"

b.      The best answer I ever heard to that question was given by a friend of mine who is a middle school pastor. He outlined the stages of the following scenario:

i.  Suppose a middle school student punches another student in class. What happens? The student is given a detention.

ii.                        Suppose during the detention, this boy punches the teacher. What happens? The student gets suspended from school.

iii.                      Suppose on the way home, the same boy punches a policeman on the nose. What happens? He finds himself in jail.

iv.                      Suppose some years later, the very same boy is in a crowd waiting to see the President of the United States. As the President passes by, the boy lunges forward to punch the President. What happens? He is shot dead by the secret service.

c.       In every case the crime is precisely the same, but the severity of the crime is measured by the one against whom it is committed. What comes from sinning against God? Answer: Everlasting destruction.

III.                   An Invitation to Rest (11:25-30).

a.       Starting in v. 25, we see Jesus now respond to the growing hostility.

i.  He responds with prayer and with an invitation.

ii.                        He finds comfort in the sovereignty of God.  He trusts His Father.

1.      “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.”

iii.                      Then He continues to invite people to come to Him and be a part of the Kingdom.

iv.                      This is obviously connected to the previous section where He denounced entire villages for NOT coming to Him in faith and repentance.

v.                         These five verses are an invitation to come and find rest in Jesus.

b.      #1- The invitation is for all people (11:25-26, 28).

i.  “you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding”

1.      These people are the achievers.  The PhD’s.  The intellectual elite.

2.      They have wisdom and learning, but their self-sufficiency has made it more difficult for them to rely on God’s wisdom, and not their own.

3.      Obviously many wise and learned people do know the truth of the Kingdom, but the point Jesus is making is that if anyone comes to the saving knowledge of the truth, it’s not by their own intellect and brain prowess.

ii.                        “and revealed them to little children”

1.      “Little children” refers to the most simple.  The humble.

2.      The Lord never intended for the gospel to only be understood by the smart folks.

3.      Jesus is deliberately making the point that the gospel is for all people.

4.      So the contrast is not literally between smart folks and children, but between proud people who have no need of Jesus, and humble people who do have need of Jesus.

5.      If you are proud, then Jesus won’t mean much to you.  You see yourself as spiritually rich.  You have no need.

6.      But if you are poor in spirit.  If you are like a child, who has needs, then Jesus will be precious to you.

iii.                      “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden.”

1.      This is a universal call.

2.      This is a call to whosoever wants it.

3.      Jesus invites all people to come to Him.

4.      Jesus just gets done rebuking people for not repenting, then he reiterates the fact that all people are welcome.  All people are invited.

5.      “no one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”

6.      The whole purpose of salvation is to know the Father and the Son.

7.      The invitation to salvation is an invitation to Christ.

8.      The invitation to rest is an invitation to Christ.

9.      The invitation to the Kingdom is an invitation to Christ.

10.  The invitation to Eternal Life is an invitation to Christ.

11.  Jesus is inviting all people to Himself.  To God.

iv.                      There is a universal element of Jesus’ invitation.

1.      John 1:11-12, “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…”

a.       That is exactly what we see happening in this section.

b.      He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him.

c.       He came to the cities of Bethsaida and Capernaum, but they rejected Him

d.      But to all who labor and are heavy laden, to all who are poor in spirit, to the little children, He gave them the right to rest in Him.

v.                         The heresy of hyper-Calvinism was that we didn’t know who the elect are, so we need not offer the gospel to all.

1.      That’s nonsense!

2.      The gospel is for all!

3.      Jesus tells the disciples at the end of Matthew’s gospel to go to all nations and proclaim the gospel to everyone!

4.      The invitation from Jesus here could not be more clear… “All!” “All!”

c.       #2- The invitation to know God is revealed by Jesus (11:25-27).

i.  Twice Jesus says that knowledge of the gospel is revealed to some people.

ii.                        “whoever the Son chooses to reveal him” (11:25, 27)

iii.                      We have here a theological tension here.

1.      In one sense, God clearly calls all people.

2.      In another sense, God is only revealed to some by the Son, whoever He chooses to reveal the Father to.

iv.                      The tension of Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility:

1.      The tendency is to emphasize one or the other.

2.      But Biblical Christianity needs to hold both in tension.

3.      Scripture regularly and without any sense of contradiction juxtaposes the themes of divine sovereignty and human responsibility.

a.       Phil 2:12–13, “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  {Gen 50:19–20; Lev 20:7–8; Jer 29:10–14; Joel 2:32}

4.      D.A. Carson:

a.       “God is absolutely sovereign, but his sovereignty never functions in Scripture to reduce human responsibility.

b.      Human beings are responsible creatures—that is, they choose, they believe, they disobey, they respond, and there is moral significance in their choices; but human responsibility never functions in Scripture to diminish God’s sovereignty or to make God absolutely contingent.”

v.                         The general invitation is to all people.  And if they ignore the call, they onus is always on them.  God is never responsible for someone’s unbelief.

vi.                      The effectual call is only to those who respond to the gospel.  And the reason they responded to the gospel, is because the Son chose to reveal it.  V. 27 is a crystal clear statement of God’s election unto salvation.

vii.                    Don’t ask me how this works because I don’t know.

viii.                  But Scripture says it’s compatible.  Divine sovereignty and human responsibility are compatible.

1.      And we always get weird when we emphasize one and not the other.

2.      Scripture emphasizes both and so should we.

ix.                      Why don’t some people believe the gospel?

1.      Answer #1-  They are blinded by Satan.

a.       (2 Cor. 4:3–4).

2.      Answer #2- The refuse to believe.  Unbelief.

3.      Answer #3- The Son has not been revealed to them.

d.      #3- The invitation is to rest in Jesus. (11:28)

i.  “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

1.      These are some of the most precious words in the Bible.

2.      These words sounds like an invitation to a spiritual Spa.

3.      Jesus equates the Christian life with spiritual rest.

ii.                        “labor and heavy laden”

1.      had the idea of someone carrying a pack all day, and they are tired.

2.      In this case Jesus is directly confronting the Pharisaism with all it’s extra rules and oddities.

3.      These extra rules were not part of the Law.  They were not Torah.

4.      Jesus is attacking the Pharisees here.

a.       The Pharisees were strict keepers of the Law.  But the actually developed a Law around the Law called the Talmud.

b.      It was a hedge.

c.       The OT had a total of 613 commandments, but the Talmud went above and beyond.

d.      For instance, the Torah says, “Don’t muzzle the ox.”  The Talmud had all kinds of rules and regulations to help you avoid breaking the Law.

i.  “don’t feed you Ox past 8pm.”

ii.                        How to wear your hat.  When to cut your fingernails.

iii.                      This was a highly traditional environment filled with external religion.

iv.                      This is a heavy load.  It’s a heavy yoke.

iii.                      So Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you…”

1.      The Pharisees yoke was heavy and burdensome.

a.       This is what Israel had become.  A heavy yoke of rules and regulations that created utter hypocrisy and emptiness.

b.      No one could do it!

c.       The absurdity of the Pharisees is seen in no better story than when they rebuke Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.

d.      They don’t deny the healing, but they dispute when He did it.

e.       Jesus basically says, “are kidding me?”

f.        You have totally neglected the weightier parts of the Law and you have missed it.

g.      Mat. 23:4, “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.” (Acts 15:10)

iv.                      Jesus’ yoke is different.  An easy yoke and a light yoke. (v. 30)

1.      It’s still work, but it’s not a burden.

2.      It’s still work.  But it’s not an exhausting drudgery of existence.

3.      1 John 5:2-3, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

4.      In other words, it’s delightful.  It’s pleasant.

5.      The Pharisees would do and then rest.  We rest and then do.

6.      We work hard not to get salvation, we work hard because we have salvation.

7.      We are people of the Spirit.

8.      John Bunyan said it well, “Run, John, run, the law commands.  But gives us neither feet nor hands,  Far better news the gospel brings: It bids us fly and gives us wings”  John Bunyan

9.      Jesus doesn’t take the yoke off.  He doesn’t say come and rest and do no work.  If anything, the one who rests in Christ does more work!  But the motivation is different.  It’s a work that is not only enabled by the Spirit, but it’s a work of gratitude not merit.  It isn’t “work hard to get salvation, but rather, work hard because you have salvation.

10.  Nonetheless, it’s so easy to put the heavy yoke of works-based righteousness back on!

e.       Story of Toronto’s Jewish community:

i.  As is the case in many large cities, Toronto's Jews have access to Hatzoloh, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to respond rapidly to emergency medical situations in Toronto's Jewish community. Though they cannot transport patients to hospital, they are able to respond to calls and to assist paramedics in providing emergency services and language translation. Though they are on-call and available 24 hours a day, there is one small change in their operations on the Sabbath when driving a vehicle is forbidden. Their job is to extend mercy and prolong life and, according to Talmudic interpretation, responding to calls does not violate the Sabbath. However, once a call is complete, they are no longer on a mission of mercy and would be in violation of the Sabbath if they were to drive. What they do instead is employ a service run by non-Jews who will drive both their vehicles and the emergency personnel back to their homes.

ii.                        The glimpse of the community that fascinates me most is the one which begins with Murray responding to a call on a hot, summer Saturday afternoon. After he completed the call and was walking back to his ambulance, he saw a man outside a neighboring home waving him over. This man led Murray into a very hot home and explained that his mentally disabled son had inadvertently turned off the air conditioning and they could not turn it back on without violating the Sabbath laws. He pointed to the thermostat and asked Murray, "Could you please turn it back on?" Murray flipped the little plastic switch and the air conditioner immediately came back to life. The man and his family were exuberant in their gratitude.

iii.                      As Murray spoke to this man, and as he speaks to other members of the community, he sometimes asks whether he should become Jewish. Wouldn't this be the path for him to live in obedience to God and to experience divine blessing? The answer is, "No! Don't become Jewish! If you become Jewish you will have to obey the law--the whole law." And the law is a heavy burden.

f.        There are other examples of this too.  Of heavy yokes and external religiosity.

i.  Roman Catholicism.

1.      Rules and regulations.

2.      It’s a works-based system.

3.      Have I done enough?  Have I done enough?  Have I done enough?

4.      “Will the scales tip in my favor?”

5.      Candles and beads really only gets you less time in purgatory.

ii.                        The same with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

1.      There are only 140,000 and they are all trying to be part of that.

2.      Good luck with that.

3.      The same could be said about Mormons.

4.      Heavy guilt.  Huge burdens of works based righteousness.

iii.                      Islam is probably the best example of modern day Phariseeism. 

1.      It’s a religion of deeds and works.

2.      It’s all based on a scale.  Weigh the balance.  Do the 5 pillars.

3.      It’s works based religion pure and simple.

4.      Sharia Law—is all about rules and regulations.

g.      What about us? Biblical Christians.  Do we do the same?

i.  We have the same tendencies!

ii.                        We can create a law around a law.

iii.                      These become “Sacred cows.”

1.      Debates over musical instruments.

2.      How we do the Lord’s Supper.

3.      Some churches even insist you need a seminary degree to preach.

4.      And what happens is that many times the sacred cows become more important than the Bible. 

5.      People are willing to let the whole church die than break with traditions. 

6.      The tradition becomes their religion.

h.      Let me give you another example:

i.  Greg Johnson of St. Louis Center for Christian Study wrote an interesting article entitled “Freedom from Quiet Time Guilt” (link).

1.      “That half hour every morning of Scriptural study and prayer is not actually commanded in the Bible.”

2.      He goes on to say, “As a theologian, I can remind us that to bind the conscience where Scripture leaves freedom is a very, very serious crime. It’s legalism rearing its ugly little head again. We’ve become legalistic about a legalistic command. This is serious.”

3.      We have somehow allowed our quiet time, in its length, depth or consistency, to become the measure of our relationship with God. But “your relationship with God—or, as I prefer to say, God’s relationship with you—is your whole life: your job, your family, your sleep, your play, your relationships, your driving, your everything. The real irony here is that we’ve become accustomed to pigeonholing our entire relationship with God into a brief devotional exercise that is not even commanded in the Bible.”

4.      We are so naturally bent towards this.

ii.                        Jerry Bridges called this the Performance Treadmill.

1.      “My observation of Christendom is that most of us tend to base our personal relationship with God on our performance instead of on His grace. If we’ve performed well—whatever “well” is in our opinion—then we expect God to bless us. If we haven’t done so well, our expectations are reduced accordingly. In this sense, we live by works rather than grace. We are saved by grace, but we are living by the “sweat” of our own performance….

2.      Living by grace instead of by works means you are free from the performance treadmill. It means God has already given you an “A” when you deserved an “F.” He has already given you a full day’s pay even though you may have worked for only one hour. It means you don’t have to perform certain spiritual disciplines to earn God’s approval. Jesus Christ has already done that for you. You are loved and accepted by God through the merit of Jesus, and you are blessed by God through the merit of Jesus. Nothing you ever do will cause Him to love you any more or any less. He loves you strictly by His grace given to you through Jesus.

3.      To live by grace is to live solely by the merit of Jesus Christ. To live by grace is to base my entire relationship with God, including my acceptance and standing with Him, on my union with Christ. It is to recognize that in myself I bring nothing of worth to my relationship with God, because even my righteous acts are like filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6). Even my best works are stained with motives and imperfect performance. I never truly love God with all my heart, and I never truly love my neighbor with the degree or consistency with which I love myself.”  Jerry Bridges

i.        Jesus says, “enough of that…come to Me all who are burden and find rest!”

i.  “rest for your souls”

1.      Those who take on the yoke of Christ.  Those who are come into a partnership with Christ, and satisfied in their souls.

2.      They find rest and relief.

a.       It’s a future rest in heaven.

b.      It’s a present rest on earth.

c.       And it’s a rest from works-based salvation.

d.      Rest from the burden of sin and guilt.

e.       A rest in the satisfaction of the finished work of Christ.

ii.                        He doesn’t tell them to come to His teaching.  Or come to His come to His doctrinal statement.  Or come to His house.

iii.                      The invitation is to come to Him.  Learn from Him.

1.      Examine His gentleness and humility.

IV.                    The Gospel OF GRACE…

BI: We are sheep among wolves.

I. Intro and Recap:

a.       In our section this morning, we will examine the Pharisees coming at Jesus with three different accusations…

i.  #1- The Pharisees are upset about a Sabbath violation (12:1–8).

ii. #2- The Pharisees are upset about a Sabbath healing (12:9-14).

iii. #3- The Pharisees think that Jesus is Satanic (12:22-29).

b.      But I want to spend the majority of time on the major point, which is their hypocrisy and rejection of Jesus the King.

c.       The big idea of chapter 12 is that the hypocritical Pharisees reject Jesus as King.

i.  And they come after Jesus with three accusations…

II.                      The Pharisees are upset about a Sabbath violation (12:1–8).

a.       Jesus and His disciples get accused of doing that is unlawful on the Sabbath (12:1-2)

i.  Now the Law made it clear that work should not be done on the Sabbath.

ii. The Sabbath was a big deal for Jews.  If you remember, the whole reason Israel went in to captivity in Babylon was because they rejected the Sabbath.

1.      In fact, God said they would be in captivity for every Sabbath year they neglected.

2.      So after the Captivity, as you can imagine, the Jews were very strict about keeping the Sabbath.  You can see why.

iii. It was one of the 10 commandments:

1.      Ex. 20:8-11, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work…”

iv. So, the Pharisees accused Jesus and His disciples of doing work on the Sabbath.

1.      According to the Pharisees, plucking wheat from its stem is reaping, rubbing the wheat in the palm of your hand is threshing, and blowing away the chaff is winnowing!

2.      That farming on the Sabbath.

b.      Jesus answers the Pharisees accusation with three examples.

i.  #1- The example of David (12:3-4).

1.      When David was hiding from Saul he asked for bread, and the only bread available was the bread that was used in the Tabernacle.

2.      This bread was normally reserved for the priests alone (Lev. 24:9).

3.      But David and the priest believed that preserving his life was more important than observing a technicality.

4.      Jesus agrees.  Mercy is more desirable than sacrifice.

ii. #2- The example of the priests (12:5).

1.      The priests in the temple were employed with work on the Sabbath.

2.      They had to work on the Sabbath.

3.      And yet they were considered blameless.

4.      So they worked on the Sabbath.  Some work had to be done on the Sabbath.

iii. #3- (The third example is Jesus, Himself) Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (12:6-8).

1.      “I tell you something greater than the temple is here…”

a.       This would have been about as shocking as saying, “Before Abaraham was, I Am.” 

b.      Or, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me…”

c.       Or, “I am the Bread of Life.”

d.      This is quite a statement.  Something greater than the temple is here.

2.      “For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

a.       In other words, “I am greater than David, I am the Lord, and I can control what can and cannot be done on it.”

b.      Yikes!  The Pharisees should have repented right then and there with sackcloth and ashes, but they didn’t!

c.       Hey guys, I make the rules here, and not only am I Lord of the Sabbath, I AM the Sabbath.

d.      As Hebrews tells us Jesus actually IS our Sabbath rest.

e.       Whether or not we should observe the Sabbath remains a conscience issue, as Paul says in Romans Rom 14:5–6.

i.  “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”

c.       The purpose of the Sabbath (12:1–7): The Sabbath was made for man, and not the reverse!

i.  Matthew doesn’t quote Jesus as saying that, but Mark does.  The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

ii.                        Further more, the purpose of ANY day should be mercy towards people.  Let’s get our priorities straight.

iii.                      We will see this more clearly in the next story…

iv.                      Jesus quotes the book of Hosea.

1.      God wants them to be merciful; he doesn’t care that much about their sacrifices.  The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So mercy is wrapped up in the heart of the Sabbath law. It’s part and parcel of the whole purpose of the Sabbath.

v.                         In other words, the Pharisees missed the point with their technicalities about reaping, threshing, and winnowing.

vi.                      They missed the point that God has designed mercy for His people, not burdens.  He has compassion for people’s basic needs unlike the Pharisees.

III.                   The Pharisees are upset about a Sabbath healing (12:9-14).

a.       Jesus notices a man with a deformed hand.

i.  Jesus is now about to enter the synagogue and he sees a man with a deformed hand.

1.      One has to wonder if the Pharisees didn’t plant the man there to see what Jesus would do.

2.      And the Pharisees ask Jesus whether it’s legal heal on the Sabbath. 

3.      They are trying to trick Him.

4.      Notice, there is no question that Jesus can heal.  It’s almost comical.  They have no doubts that He is doing supernatural things.  They have personally see this now a number of times and have heard the reports.  They have moved beyond the authenticity of his healings.

5.      Now they tests Jesus theologically.

6.      Sure, He says He loves the Law, but the Law says not to do any work on the Sabbath…

7.      What will He do…?  They want to accuse Him!

ii.                        The answer (12:11–12):

1.      Jesus replies by asking them if they would rescue a sheep on the Sabbath.

2.      He says, “Of course you would! If you had a sheep hanging from it’s tongue from a barbed wire, you would do everything you could to help the lamb!

3.      This is common sense.

4.      And how much more valuable is a person than a sheep!!!

a.       It’s the classic argument from lesser to greater.

5.      Are you asking me if it’s lawful to show mercy and do good on the Sabbath?!?!

6.      Then yea, it’s appropriate to do good and show mercy on the Sabbath.

iii.                      Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand…”

1.      And the man is healed…

2.      Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

3.      Jesus wants what’s best for His sheep.

4.      Jesus does good on the Sabbath, and on every other day…

iv.                      The Pharisees conspire how to kill him…

1.      This has to be the sharpest contrast in the NT between Jesus and the Pharisees, except for the cross of Calvary.

2.      Jesus heals a man, and they want to kill Him.

3.      This is the world’s response to Jesus.  They reject Him!

4.      This is the human hearts response to Jesus, rejection!

5.      This is a parable of a heart that the Holy Spirit has not made alive.

6.      Unless the Holy Spirit does a work in our hearts, we will reject the King.

7.     R.C. Sproul, in his book, “The Holiness of God” has a chapter titled, “God in the hands of angry sinners” and he says,

a.       “By nature, our attitude toward God is not one of mere indifference. It is a posture of malice. We oppose His government and refuse His rule over us. Our natural hearts are devoid of affection for Him; they are cold, frozen to His holiness. By nature, the love of God is not in us.… it is not enough to say that natural man views God as an enemy. We must be more precise. God is our mortal enemy. He represents the highest possible threat to our sinful desires. His repugnance to us is absolute, knowing no lesser degrees. No amount of persuasion by men or argumentation from philosophers or theologians can induce us to love God. We despise His very existence and would do anything in our power to rid the universe of His holy presence. If God were to expose His life to our hands, He would not be safe for a second. We would not ignore Him; we would destroy Him.”

v.                         The Pharisees are just like King Herod:

1.      He is terrified and wants to kill Jesus.

2.      The right king would have rejoiced to see the King of Kings, but King Herod wants to kill him.  He sees Jesus as his mortal enemy.

3.      Herod is more interested in saving his throne than saving his soul!

4.      Herod hears of these wise men who have come to worship a king, and he is immediately threatened.

vi.                      The sheer hypocrisy is staggering:

1.      These Pharisees wouldn’t dream of eating pork or lobster, but they are willing to put Jesus to death because He healed a guy on the Sabbath.

2.      These Pharisees would never over-eat or over-drink or cuss, but they conspire to kill Jesus because He healed a man on the Sabbath.

3.      This is external religion.  It’s hypocrisy.

vii.                    In his book When a Nation Forgets God, Erwin Lutzer retells one Christian's story of living in Hitler's Germany. The man wrote:

1.      I lived in Germany during the Nazi Holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. We heard stories of what was happening to the Jews, but we tried to distance ourselves from it, because what could anyone do to stop it?

2.      A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we could hear the whistle in the distance and then the wheels coming over the tracks. We became disturbed when we heard the cries coming from the train as it passed by. We realized that it was carrying Jews like cattle in the cars!

3.      Week after week the whistle would blow. We dreaded to hear the sound of those wheels because we knew that we would hear the cries of the Jews en route to a death camp. Their screams tormented us.

4.      We knew the time the train was coming, and when we heard the whistle blow we began singing hymns. By the time the train came past our church, we were singing at the top of our voices. If we heard the screams, we sang more loudly and soon we heard them no more.

5.      Years have passed, and no one talks about it anymore. But I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. God forgive me; forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians yet did nothing to intervene.

viii.                  The Pharisees would rather see a man sick than healed on the Sabbath.

1.      It’s total hypocrisy.

ix.                      James Emery White tells the following story about his visit to the Eagle and Child pub in Great Britain, the place where C. S. Lewis and his friends used to meet.

1.      One day, as I sat at my favorite little table, and another stream of tourists entered—and left—I heard the manager muttering, "Bloody Christians." I was enough of a regular to feel comfortable asking him what he meant.

2.      "Take a look at this," he said, holding up a menu.

3.      "They cost me two pounds each. Two pounds! I ordered hundreds of them, and now I only have ten because they keep getting nicked."

4.      "You mean people are stealing them?" I asked incredulously.

5.      "Yeah, the bloody Christians take the menus, while the bloody students take the spoons and ashtrays."

6.      Understanding students' obvious need for utensils, I couldn't help but ask, "Why the menus?"

7.      "I don't know, it's what they can get their hands on, I suppose," he answered. "It got so bad I started making copies of the menu that they could take—for free—but they still take the good ones."

8.      "I'm surprised they don't try and take what's on the walls, then," I mused, looking at the pictures, plaque, and particularly the framed handwritten letter from Lewis, Tolkien, and others commemorating the day they had drunk to the barmaid's health.

9.      "Oh, those aren't real," he said, "just copies. They still get taken. I'd never put the real ones up."

10.  He paused a moment, and then said, "What gets me is that all these people who come in for Lewis are supposed to be Christians, right?"

11.  Yes, I thought to myself, they are.

12.  The irony is bitter; the manager of The Eagle and Child pub holds Christians and, one would surmise, Christianity itself, in disdain because of the behavior of the Christians who flock to pay homage to Lewis. Many wouldn't dare drink a pint [of beer], but they will gladly steal.

x.                         It’s true, many Christians wouldn’t dare smoke a pipe or drink a pint, but they have no problem with abject materialism and greed.  No problem with spiritual laziness and gossip.

IV.                    The Pharisees think that Jesus is Satanic (12:22-29).

a.       By now the hearts of the Pharisees are set against Jesus.  They don’t want Him gone, they want Him dead.

i.  Starting in verse 22 we read of a demon-oppressed man who is blind and mute.

ii.                        Jesus heals him and there are two responses:

1.      “Can this be the Messiah?  Is this the Son of David?”

2.      Or (from the Pharisees)

3.      “Jesus did this because He’s empowered by Beelzebul.  Jesus is Satanic.”

4.      The first time the Pharisees claim that Satan is the source of Jesus’ miracles is in chapter 9.

b.      Jesus answers the Pharisees (12:25-29).

i.  His argument:

1.      “A city or home or kingdom divided against itself won’t last long” (12:25).

a.       How can Satan cast out Satan?

b.      “If Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting against himself” (12:26–29).

c.       Jesus confronts their unpardonable sin (12:30-32)

i.  The unpardonable sin:

1.      J. F. Walvoord captures the sense concisely: “attributing to Satan what is accomplished by the power of God”

2.      The unpardonable sin is not murder, adultery, incest, or divorce.

3.      The unpardonable sin is an unrelenting rejecting of Jesus.

4.      “The essence of the “unforgivable sin” is a refusal to accept forgiveness from Christ in the face of evidence that Jesus is the Christ. The unforgivable sin is deliberately and knowingly attributing the works of the Holy Spirit in the Messiah-Christ to Satan.”

5.      You see, if you reject Christ, the Spirit by which He saves, then you cut off the only branch that can save you.He He

6.      Moreover, professing believers who fear they have committed the unforgivable sin demonstrate a concern for their spiritual welfare which by definition proves they have not committed it.

7.      Anyone who desires God’s forgiveness for anything will receive it. Therefore, the only truly unforgivable sin is one for which the sinner refuses to seek forgiveness.

8.      It also follows that the unforgivable sin exists only for the person who maintains his refusal of God’s forgiveness throughout his lifetime. If at any time he changes his mind and desires forgiveness, Jesus’ warning no longer applies to him.

ii.                        Can I commit the unpardonable sin today?

1.      Yea, just reject the gospel.  That’s unpardonable.  Unbelief is the common denominator in hell.  It’s unpardonable.

2.      Remember unbelief is not intellectual, it’s moral.  It’s a moral refusal to bend the knee in submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

d.      Jesus condemns the Pharisees.

i.  They are corrupt fruit trees (12:33).

1.      A tree is known by its fruit.

2.      The tree is nice and green and the fruit looks good on the outside, but then you take a bite and you nearly vomit.

3.      That’s the Pharisees, they look good on the outside.  They are great at externals, but their hearts are hard toward God.

4.      They have rejected the gospel.

ii.                        They speak and condemn Jesus out of the overflow of their hearts, and Jesus says things will not go well for them at the Judgment.

V.                       Application:

a.       As I think about what to draw out of Matthew 12, I think of two main things.

i.  The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees.

ii.                        The Rejection of Jesus.

b.      Hypocrisy:

i.  The Pharisees were hypocrites:

1.      The name Pharisee is nearly synonymous with hypocrite.  For good reason.

2.      The Pharisees were examples, par excellance, of hypocrisy.

3.      Luke 18

4.      We gamble and cheat, but we balance it out with good works.

ii.                        The Pharisees cared about externals.

1.      They were in to image management and externals.

2.      They represented works-based system of religion.

iii.                      Religion by works

iv.                      Sheer hypocrisy

1.      They would rather have a man keep his withered hand than be healed on the Sabbath.

v.                         We need to careful not to be like the Pharisees:

1.      Many Christians today are totally fine partying or getting drunk, but their spiritual life is dead.

2.      Externally, they may have the appearance of being religious.  They may faithfully attend church, home group, but their spiritual life is diseased and nearly dead.

3.      It’s hypocrisy.

vi.                      OR, there can be a pride about the things we believe.

1.      I go to the right church.

2.      I take the Lord’s Supper every week.

3.      I believe in expositional preaching.

4.      I believe in a plurality of elders.

5.      I believe in church planting.

6.      I believe in a high view of Scripture.

vii.                    BUT internally, there is no life.  It’s all about the externals, but very little internal.

1.      Charles Swindoll in his book on Grace puts it this way, "You want to mess up the minds of your children? Here’s how - guaranteed! Rear them in a legalistic, tight context of external religion, where performance is more important than reality. Fake your faith. Sneak around and pretend your spirituality. Train your children to do the same. Embrace a long list of do’s and don’ts publicly but hypocritically practice them privately . . . yet never own up to the fact that its hypocrisy. Act one way but live another. And you can count on it - emotional and spiritual damage will occur." Charles Swindoll.

viii.                  There is another form of hypocrisy:

1.      It’s a hypocrisy under the guise of “authenticity.”

2.      A few years ago in Texas there were two men who robbed a bank. One wore a ski mask and the other did not. They both were captured and ultimately appeared before the judge for sentencing. The one without the mask could have stated, "Look, I know that robbing the bank was the wrong thing to do, but at least I was not hypocritical about it. I didn't try to cover up who I was. I was open and honest. That should be worth something as far as leniency is concerned." The judge sentenced both men to the same time in prison.

3.      Some people display hypocrisy under the guise of authenticity.  I’m just being real.  Or, I’m just being myself.  "I know I'm not perfect, but at least I'm not hypocritical about it."

4.      That’s the worst kind of hypocrisy.

ix.                      Jesus cares about internals—the heart.

1.      Robert Redford was walking one day through a hotel lobby. A woman saw him and followed him to the elevator. "Are you the real Robert Redford?" she asked him with great excitement. As the doors of the elevator closed, he replied, "Only when I am alone!"

c.       The Rejection of Jesus.

i.  This is really Matthew’s main point in chapter 12.  Jesus is rejected.

1.      Not much has changed today.

ii.                        We can trace the rejection of Jesus all the way through Matthew’s gospel.

iii.                      We see hostility and rejection at Jesus’ birth.

1.      Not only was there no place for Him in the Inn, but the world’s leaders wanted to kill Him.

2.      Herod, representing the world’s leaders, wanted to kill Jesus, and he ends up killing an entire village of children in the process.

iv.                      We see hostility and rejection foretold in chapter 5, in the Beatitudes.

1.      “blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”  Mat. 5:11

2.      It’s as though Jesus is priming the pump for what life will be like as His disciple.

v.                         We see it in chapter 9 when Jesus heals a demon-oppressed man who was mute.

1.      When the mute man spoke, the crowds saw it and all exclaimed, “Nothing like this has ever been done in Israel!”

2.      The Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons…”

vi.                      We see it in chapter 10, when Jesus sends them out and tells them that persecution will come.

1.      It will come from Religious people.

2.      It will come from the State.

3.      It will come from family members.

4.      It will come from all of society.

5.      Again, Jesus is clearly preparing his followers for a choppy ride ahead.

6.      John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”

vii.                    In chapter 11, John the Baptist is a little disillusioned with Jesus because John is stuck in prison.

1.      He’s thinking, “So is this the plan?...Here I sit in prison”  “why all the hostility?”  “Why all the persecution?”  “If Jesus is the Messiah, is this how things go?”

2.      “Why is the gospel to unpopular?”   “Why isn’t it more well received?”

3.      Later in chapter 11 we see Jesus denounce entire towns because they heard the gospel, and had seen him do signs and wonders, but rejected Him and the News.

4.      “Woe to you!  Woe to you!”

viii.                  But we especially see it in chapter 12.  It’s in this chapter where the Pharisees conspire to kill Jesus.

1.      This is the height of craziness and moral insanity.

2.      Rather than fall down and worship Him, they reject Him.

3.      After He heals a man with a withered hand, they conspire to kill him.

4.      The Jesus heals another demon-possed man who is blind and mute, and the Pharisees say it’s Satanic!

5.      They reason Jesus could do this is because He’s possessed by Satan.

6.      It doesn’t matter how much information they are given.

7.      It doesn’t matter how much proof they are given.

8.      It doesn’t matter how much evidence they are given.

9.      It doesn’t matter how much they hear and see.

10.  Rather than bend the knee, they sharpen their swords.

11.  If we think about it, Matthew has been showing the rejection of Jesus from the very beginning of his gospel.

12.  He is telling the story of the Good News, but the Good News wasn’t well received.  And it still isn’t…

ix.                      This hostility and rejection is all building up for chapter 13.

1.      Matthew is clearly displaying something.

2.      He is preparing for chapter 13.

3.      Where he starts speaking in parables and explains that the Good News of the gospel will have mixed reviews.

4.      The seed will be scattered.  The seed is the Word of the Good News.  But most people will not respond positively to it.

5.      The age of sowing the seed will be marked with indifference and hostility.

6.      We might be tempted to become disillusioned like John the Baptist was.

7.      “Why aren’t people responding?”  “Is this how it’s supposed to go?”

8.      Jesus is preparing them and US, for hostility and rejection.

9.      That’s the dispensation we are in now.  And age of sowing the seed, and having people yawn.  Or worse, persecute.

d.      The Rejection will be cultural.

i.  The truth will be met with more opposition and antagonism.

ii.                        This will steadily increase until the Lord returns.  It was predicted.

iii.                      Science:

1.      Think about how much we know today.  It’s marvelous.

2.      Christians should love science.  It’s the unfolding back of the curtain of God’s revelation.

3.      We know so much more about the universe than we did 100 years ago.

4.      The size of the universe.

5.      The complexity of the cell.

6.      DNA.  It’s all incredible.

7.      But has all of this revelation led to more belief? 

8.      No, it’s led to more of a rejection!  It’s led to a further hardening.  A further antagonism.

9.      It’s similar to what the Pharisees did.

a.       They were given all this revelation, from God Himself in the flesh, but they reject it.

b.      They rejected God.

iv.                      God is also being rejected in our Laws.

1.      Maybe you heard the filibuster heard ‘round the world this past week.

2.      Wendy David, State Senator from Texas, gave an 11 hour filibuster to delay the passing of a particular bill that would stop late-term abortions.

3.      She is now seen as the gladiator for feminism.

a.       There was an excellent article written by Kirsten Powers:

i.  “It’s amazing what is considered heroism these days.  A Texas legislator and her pink sneakers have been lionized for an eleventh-hour filibuster against a bill that would have made it illegal for mothers to abort babies past 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in the case of severe fetal abnormalities or to protect the life or health of the mother.  People actually cheered this.

ii.                        According to the Parents Connect website, if you are in the 25th week of your pregnancy, “Get ready for pat-a-cake! Baby’s hands are now fully developed and he spends most of his awake time groping around in the darkness of your uterus. Brain and nerve endings are developed enough now so that your baby can feel the sensation of touch.” Let’s be clear: Davis has been called a hero for trying to block a bill that would make aborting this baby illegal.”

b.      This is moral insanity, but it’s no more insane than hearing and seeing the words and works of the Messiah, and rejecting it.

v.                         That story, on the heels of the other story of the Tsunami of homosexuality and visceral antagonism to Biblical principles regarding marriage.

e.       What should be our response?

i.  We resonate with John the Baptist and ask, “Is the Good News working?  Or shall we propose another?”

ii.                        American evangelicalism has had an insecurity problem for a while.  We have tried to fight fire with fire and put our best efforts forward in politics and lobbying and legislation.

iii.                      Now.  Laws matter, especially if you a helpless baby in a womb.

iv.                      But the Church’s response to the culture, should not be with legislation and lobbying.  But it should be to cast out the seed of the Good News.

v.                         Our response to Wendy Davis and Same-Sex marriage should be, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!”  Knowing that most will reject it, we may even be hated for it, but that’s what the Lord has called us to!

vi.                      We are in the age of sewing the seed of the Gospel!  And we should expect antagonism on every front!

f.        The rejection will be personal as well.

i.  During WWI one of my predecessors at Tenth Presbyterian Church, Donald Grey Barnhouse, led the son of a prominent American family to the Lord. He was in the service, but he showed the reality of his conversion by immediately professing Christ before the soldiers of his military company. The war ended. The day came when he was to return to his pre-war life in the wealthy suburb of a large American city. He talked to Barnhouse about life with his family and expressed fear that he might soon slip back into his old habits. He was afraid that love for parents, brothers, sisters, and friends might turn him from following after Jesus Christ. Barnhouse told him that if he was careful to make public confession of his faith in Christ, he would not have to worry. He would not have to give improper friends up. They would give him up.

ii.                        As a result of this conversation the young man agreed to tell the first ten people of his old set whom he encountered that he had become a Christian. The soldier went home. Almost immediately--in fact, while he was still on the platform of the suburban station at the end of his return trip--he met a girl whom he had known socially. She was delighted to see him and asked how he was doing. He told her, "The greatest thing that could possibly happen to me has happened." "You're engaged to be married," she exclaimed. "No," he told her. "It's even better than that. I've taken the Lord Jesus Christ as my Savior." The girls' expression froze. She mumbled a few polite words and went on her way. A short time later the new Christian met a young man whom he had known before going into the service. "It's good to see you back," he declared. "We'll have some great parties now that you've returned." "I've just become a Christian," the soldier said. He was thinking, That's two! Again it was a case of a frozen smile and a quick change of conversation. After this the same circumstances were repeated with a young couple and with two more old friends. By this time word had got around, and soon some of his friends stopped seeing him. He had become peculiar, religious, and -- who knows! -- they may even have called him crazy! What had he done? Nothing but confess Christ. The same confession that had aligned him with Christ had separated him from those who did not want Jesus Christ as Savior and who, in fact, did not even want to hear about Him.   J.M Boice, Christ's Call To Discipleship, Moody, 1986, p. 122-23.

g.      Stop rejecting Jesus!  It’s not too late!

i.  Stop rejecting Jesus!  It’s not too late!

1.      “On August 30, 2005 Coast Guard Lieutenant Iain McConnell was ordered to fly his H46 helicopter to New Orleans and to keep that machine flying around the clock for what would turn out to be a heroic rescue effort. None of his crew were prepared for what they were about to see. They were ahead of every news crew in the nation. The entire city of New Orleans was under water. On their first three missions that day they saved 89 people, three dogs and two cats.

2.      On the fourth mission, despite twelve different flights to New Orleans, he and his crew were able to save no one. None! They all refused to board the helicopter. Instead they told the Coast Guard to bring them food and water. Yet they were warned that this extremely dangerous. The waters were not going to go away soon. Sadly, many of those people perished because of their refusal to be rescued.”

VI.                    The Gospel.

a.      

BI: The hypocritical Pharisees reject their king.

If you want to build something of lasting value, you need to make sure that your foundation is solid. You could have an architect draw the most creative plans for a spacious dwelling. Order the finest construction materials available. Hire the most skilled craftsmen to build your home. Install the latest appliances and electronic systems throughout the house. Decorate it with the finest furniture. But if it’s all resting on a faulty foundation, you’re wasting your money.

It’s the same spiritually. You can be a member of a church. You can even serve in that church. Outwardly, you can look like a good Christian by doing all the right things. But genuine Christianity is a matter of the heart before the God who knows our every hidden motive and thought. The joy He offers is not outward, superficial happiness based on good circumstances. It’s a deep, abiding contentment that is restricted to those who are, to use Paul’s frequent phrase, “in Christ Jesus.” To be in Christ is to be in a vital, organic, indissoluble union with Him through faith. In this brief introduction (which we might be prone to skip) to this book that develops the theme of God’s joy, the apostle gives us the solid foundation for that joy:

The foundation for joy is to be a slave of Christ and a saint in Christ in the fellowship of a local church by God’s grace.

1. The foundation for joy is to be a slave of Christ.

“Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus.” Timothy did not write this letter with Paul, as seen by the fact that Paul consistently refers to himself in the first person and to Timothy in the third person. But Timothy may have been Paul’s secretary, taking down his words as he spoke. Timothy had been with Paul, Silas, and Luke in the founding of the church in Philippi, some ten years earlier. Paul hoped to send Timothy from Rome to Philippi soon (2:19), so he wanted to give his backing to Timothy’s ministry. So he included him in his opening greeting. This greeting, by the way, follows the common pattern of that day, in which the sender identifies himself, then states to whom he is writing, then sends a cordial wish such as “grace” (charis), a take-off on the Greek greeting (charein), or “peace,” the common Hebrew greeting (shalom).

Immediately Paul identifies himself and Timothy as “bond-servants of Christ Jesus.” It’s the same word the demon-possessed servant-girl used to identify Paul and his companions when they first visited Philippi: “These men are bond-servants of the most high God” (Acts 16:17). The word means a slave and has its roots in Israel’s servitude to Egypt. When Paul refers to himself as the slave of Christ Jesus, the emphasis is on “the subordinate, obligatory and responsible nature of his service in his exclusive relation to his Lord” (R. Tuente, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. by Colin Brown, [Zondervan], 3:596).

So Paul identifies himself and Timothy right from the outset in the manner that all Christians must view themselves: “Do you not know that ... you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). To be a Christian is to be a slave, not to your own lusts, but to the Lord Jesus Christ. The foundation for knowing the abiding joy of the Lord is to recognize and submit to Jesus as your owner and Master, who has the right to command how and where you should live, how you should spend your time and money, and even how you should think. Your entire life must be focused on pleasing Him and doing His will as His slave.

James Boice points out (Philippians, An Expositional Commentary [Zondervan], p. 21) that in antiquity there were three ways a person could become a slave: by conquest; by birth; or, because of debt. He goes on to observe that we all are slaves of sin by the same three causes. Sin has conquered us, so that we are not free to do what we know is right. We are sinners by birth, being born with a nature that is hostile toward God and oriented toward pleasing self. We are sinners by debt, having run up an unpayable debt toward God who states that the wages of our sin is death.

But--and this is crucial--many people are not even aware of their condition as slaves to sin. Having been born in sin, living all their lives to gratify the selfish desires of their corrupt nature, and being unaware of the huge, unpayable debt they have run up before the holy God, they’re like the Jews who argued with Jesus that they had never been enslaved to anyone (John 8:33). But Jesus replied, “Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.... If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:34, 36). Only Jesus Christ, by His substitutionary death, can set us free from bondage to sin. But He only does it when we recognize our need and call out to Him for deliverance. Then, having been freed from sin through faith in Christ, we become enslaved to God and begin to grow in holiness (Rom. 6:22).

You may not like the idea of being enslaved to anyone. But the fact is, you are enslaved to someone or something. As Bob Dylan sang, “You gotta serve somebody.” Either you are enslaved to sin or you’re enslaved to Jesus Christ (Rom. 6:16). But, while sin is a terrible master, because it destroys and leads to death, Jesus is a kind, gracious, and loving Master. Serving Him leads to eternal life.

So the question you need to ask yourself is, “Whom am I serving?” Slaves’ lives were consumed with serving their masters. A slave didn’t clock in at 8 in the morning, put in his eight hours, and clock out for the night. He was the property of his master. He didn’t have a life of his own. He was on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, always ready to do what his master commanded, even if it was unpleasant or inconvenient. In Paul’s case, his Master’s will when he wrote Philippians was that he be in chains in prison in Rome. He could have chafed under that, complaining, “Is this any way to treat a faithful apostle?” But instead, Paul was content because he was in total submission as the slave of Christ Jesus.

Many people call themselves Christians, but the truth is, they live every day for themselves. They do not yield themselves each morning and say, “Master, I’m your slave. I’ll do your bidding at work, at home, or at play.” The starting place for experiencing God’s joy is to yield yourself daily as a slave to Jesus as your Master; and to view yourself as being on duty for Him, listening for His voice, quick to obey His commands.

2. The foundation for joy is to be a saint in Christ.

Paul writes “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.” Maybe you’re thinking, “There must have been a few outstanding Christians there who had already earned the reputation of being saints.” The idea that sainthood is the state of a few exemplary believers comes to us from the Catholic Church, but it is contrary to the New Testament usage, which applies the word to every true Christian. Paul writes to the saints in Rome, Ephesus, and even Corinth, referring to the whole church.

The word literally is “holy ones.” The basic meaning of “holy” is to be set apart, especially, to be set apart unto God. It looks at the standing of every believer before God by virtue of the fact that when a person believes in Christ’s sacrifice for his sin, God forgives all his sin and sets that person apart unto Himself. We are set apart from this evil world; we are set apart from serving ourselves; we belong to God, set apart by Him to do His will.

The late, well-known Bible teacher, Harry Ironside, in the days before airplane travel, used to spend many hours traveling by train. On one such trip, a four-day ride from the west to Chicago, he found himself in the company of a group of nuns. They liked him for his kind manner and for his interesting insights on the Bible. One day, Dr. Ironside began a discussion by asking the nuns if any of them had ever seen a saint. None of them had. He then asked if they would like to see a saint. They all said, yes, they would like to see one. Then Ironside surprised them greatly by saying, “I am a saint; I am Saint Harry.” He took them to verses in the Bible, such as this one, to show that every Christian is a saint. (Told by Boice, p. 24.)

You may laugh at the idea of Saint Harry or Saint whatever-your-name-is. But it’s an important New Testament truth that you view yourself as Saint whoever-you-are! As a saint, a person set apart unto God, you are not to withdraw into a monastery, or to withdraw from our culture, as the Amish folks do. You are to live in the culture, but to live distinctly from the culture, as one set apart unto God. Just as it would be odd for a wealthy man to live homeless on the streets, or it would be strange for an adult to spend great amounts of time playing as a child, because such behavior is opposed to their true identity, so it should be odd for a Christian, a saint, to live in the same manner as those who are not set apart unto God. Your attitudes, your values, your speech, your selfless focus, your humility, your love, your commitment to truth, should mark you as a saint in Christ Jesus.

Did you note the centrality and significance of Jesus Christ to the apostle Paul? He uses the name of Christ three times in these opening two verses, and 18 times in the first chapter. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote (The Life of Joy [Baker], p. 31),

Paul has no gospel apart from Jesus Christ. The gospel is not some vague general offer, nor is it a mere exhortation to people to live a good life; rather it tells of the things that have happened in Christ, because without Christ there is no salvation. And if Christ is not essential to your position, then according to Paul you are not a Christian. You may be very good, you may even be religious, but you cannot be a Christian. If Christ is not absolutely the core and centre, it is not Christianity, whatever else it may be.

To be “in Christ” means that all that is true of Christ is true of you. When Christ died to sin, you died. When He was raised, you were raised to newness of life in Him. Is He presently enthroned at the right hand of the Father, over all rule and authority? Then you are there in Him (Eph. 1:20-23). Just as the branch is organically connected to the vine and draws its life from it, so we are in Christ (John 15:1-6). We are to abide or live in Christ by keeping His commandments (John 15:10). After teaching this truth, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full” (John 15:11). To be a saint in Christ Jesus is foundational for true joy.

3. The foundation for joy is to be in the fellowship of a local church.

Paul writes “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.” Being a Christian is an individual matter, in that you must personally trust in Christ as your Savior. But it is also a corporate matter, because you become a member, not only of Christ, but also of His body, the church. The church worldwide consists spiritually of all who have trusted Christ, but it gathers locally in congregations organized under the godly leadership of overseers and deacons. If you are not vitally connected to a local fellowship of Christians, you are lacking a crucial part of the foundation for joy in the Lord, because you are isolated from those who can stimulate you to love and good deeds, who can encourage you to godly living as the day of the Lord draws near (Heb. 10:24-25).

Relationships among believers can be a source of great joy, but, frankly, they can also be a source of great pain. As one wag put it, “To dwell above with the saints we love, O that will be glory; but, to dwell below with the saints we know, that’s a different story!” If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, I can predict with 100 percent accuracy that you have been hurt by fellow believers. Getting hurt, of course, makes you want to draw back from the church for fear of it happening again. But if you do that, you rob yourself of joy, because God doesn’t call us to live in isolation, but in relation with other saints.

Remember, there were only two kinds of people in Philippi (or Flagstaff): the saints and the “non-saints.” While it can be painful to relate to the saints, it’s really tough to be cut off from the saints, surrounded by people who don’t care about the things of God. There were tensions in the flock in Philippi, and Paul subtly begins to address those tensions even in this opening greeting with the little word “all” (“to all the saints”). He repeats the phrase “you all” in 1:4, 7 (twice), 8, and 25. In a gentle way he seems to be saying, “What I write, I write to all who are in Christ. What I pray, I pray for you all. What I think and feel, I think and feel towards all, because you all share in God’s grace with me. You all must progress in God’s joy together.”

In the local church, God has ordained for leaders to have oversight and to serve. Two types of church officers are mentioned: overseers (“bishops”); and, deacons (the Greek word means “servants”). We don’t know for sure why Paul singles them out, but perhaps it was because the gift he had received had been sent from the church through the overseers and deacons. Or, perhaps Paul wanted to call attention to their office so that the church would submit to their role in resolving the squabbles that were threatening their unity (Heb. 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13).

Overseers are the same as elders (Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7). “Overseer” looks at the work, to watch over God’s flock; “elder” looks at the man, that he must be a man of spiritual maturity. The qualifications for this office are given in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, and are primarily godly character and the ability to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict. The primary task that the overseer/elder does is to shepherd God’s flock, which involves protecting the flock from danger, leading by example, and feeding the flock from God’s Word (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). Some elders are to devote themselves to the ministry of the Word and are thus worthy of financial support. Others concentrate more on oversight and administration (“rule well,” 1 Tim. 5:17-18), and may also work in outside jobs.

The office of deacon arose in the early church because the apostles were being drawn away from their primary ministry of prayer and the Word into administering the distribution of food to the poor among the church (Acts 6:1-6). Thus the ministry of deacons is to serve the body in practical and administrative ways that free up the elders for the work of shepherding, teaching, and prayer. The qualifications for deacons are just as high as for elders, namely, that they must be men of godly character (Acts 6:3; 1 Tim. 3:8-13). But the point is, you won’t know God’s joy unless you are part of a local fellowship, under the oversight of godly men who shepherd and serve the flock under Christ.

Thus, God’s joy is based on being a slave of Christ and a saint in Christ, in fellowship with the church of Christ. Finally,

4. The foundation for joy is to be the recipient of God’s grace and peace in Christ.

“Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1:2). As mentioned, this was a standard greeting, but it is far more than just a greeting. Perhaps Paul combined the Greek and Hebrew greetings to show that in Christ there is no distinction between Gentile or Jew. We are all one in Christ. This greeting also shows that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (His deity is implicit in the equal association of Him with the Father) are the source of both grace and peace.

Grace is, quite simply, God’s unmerited favor, shown to those who deserve His judgment. If you earn it, it’s not grace, but a wage that is due. God’s grace is extended to the ungodly who know it, not to those who think they’re deserving (Rom. 4:4-5). God’s grace is the only way to be reconciled to God. If you think you deserve a place in God’s kingdom because you’re a pretty good person, you don’t understand and have not laid hold of God’s grace. If you think things are right between you and God because you do good things for others and try to live a clean life, you have not grasped God’s grace; you are, in fact, alienated from God. God resists the proud (those who think they’re deserving), but He gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). The only way to receive God’s unmerited favor is to see yourself rightly as an undeserving sinner and call out for His grace. If you don’t know grace, you don’t know God!

Peace is the result of experiencing God’s grace. The order is important: You cannot know God’s peace without first appropriating His grace. Where God’s grace is lacking, peace will also be in short supply. Peace points to the inner well-being that comes from being reconciled to God through what He provided in Christ. Both grace and peace operate first vertically, but also horizontally. If you know God’s grace and peace, you will become a gracious, peaceable person toward others. You will show grace to them because God’s grace is real in your life. You will seek peace with them because God’s peace floods your heart, and He commands you to live at peace with others, as much as it depends on you (Rom. 12:18).

Conclusion

If you’re lacking God’s joy, I encourage you to examine your foundation. Are you a slave of Christ Jesus, in total submission to Him, seeking at all times to please Him by doing His will? If you’re living for self, you’ll lack God’s joy. Do you see yourself as a saint in Christ Jesus, set apart from this evil world unto Christ, living in union with Him? If you blend in with the world, you’ll lack God’s joy. Are you linked in fellowship with the church of Christ Jesus, serving together in the great cause of Christ? If you are isolated from the church, you will lack God’s joy.

Have you received and do you live daily in the grace of Christ Jesus? Does the thought of God’s unmerited favor, shown to you, cause you at times to well up in gratitude and love toward God? Because of His grace, does His peace flood into your soul, even in the midst of trials? If so, you’re laying a solid foundation for lasting joy in the Lord. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Amen!

Discussion Questions

1. Is there such a thing as knowing Christ as Savior, but not as Master? Can a Christian be a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-22)?
2. Why is it crucial to view yourself as a saint? What if you aren’t perfect? Are you still a saint?
3. Why is being connected to a local church not optional for the Christian?
4. Some say, “Christ died for you because you’re worthy.” Why is this totally contrary to God’s Word?

Copyright 1995, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible © The Lockman Foundation