Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:20-30

Transcription

1 Messages of Judgment and Mercy Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:20-30 Our Lord is the perfect combination of justice and mercy. He rebukes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. All who reject the Lord are condemned, but those who humbly receive Him are saved now and forever. 1. Christ s condemnation of unbelief (vs ) Jesus rebuked three cities for their stubborn unbelief. The cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were located near the northern part of the Sea of Galilee. The people in these cities didn t attack Jesus, run Him out of town, or take any action against Him. They simply ignored Him. While Jesus taught, preached, and performed mighty miracles in their cities, they just carried on with life as usual. His ministry didn t affect them at all. One of the saddest statements in Scripture is John 1: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. From a human point of view, their indifference didn t appear to be such a terrible sin, but in the Lord s estimation, unbelief and indifference were sins worthy of condemnation and severe judgment. John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Jesus condemned these Galilean cities for their sin of indifference. This was a sin of omission. They were not spiritually awakened by His mighty works nor did they repent; therefore, Jesus said they were guilty and condemned. In fact, Jesus said it would be worse for them on the day of judgment than for the cities of Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom. These were pagan, Gentile cities known for their wickedness. Jesus said that if He had ministered in these cities, they would have repented. This was a testimony of Christ s omniscience. He not only knew everything that was actual, but that which was possible. Christ stressed the relationship of spiritual privilege and accountability. A. Greater privilege involves greater responsibility Jesus mentioned three privileged cities and three wicked cities. What could be worse than the sins of Sodom? The sins of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. People are responsible for the spiritual truth they have. All people have some spiritual light. Some people have more light (truth) than others. We are all accountable for accepting, believing, and obeying the truth. B. Greater privilege deserves greater punishment According to Jesus there will be degrees of punishment. Twice He says it will be more tolerable on the judgment day for some than for others. At the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) everyone will be judged out of the books and according to their works. One of the factors in God s judgment will be the spiritual truth people actually had in their lifetime and their response to that truth. All people have the light of creation and conscience. Some people have the greater light of Scripture. Some people, including those to whom Christ spoke, had the bright light of His life and ministry. 2. God s revelation of truth (vs )

2 In verse 25, Jesus answered and said, which is a Hebrew expression that means He spoke openly rather than privately. His prayer to the Father was meant to be heard by those around Him. This was one of Christ s prayers recorded in Scripture. The Bible records several occasions when Jesus gave thanks to the Father (to be considered at the conclusion of this lesson). Jesus addressed the Father as Lord of heaven and earth, a name first recorded in Genesis 14:19. A. The Father reveals truth only to babes These things (vs. 25) refers to His teaching about the kingdom of God. This was the whole focus of His ministry. Even during the forty days between His resurrection and ascension into Heaven Jesus spoke of things concerning the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). He revealed truth to those who were willing to receive it rather than revealing it to the wise and prudent. MacArthur s comments are helpful: The contrast between wise and intelligent and babes is not between the knowledgeable and the ignorant, the educated and the uneducated, the brilliant and the simpleminded. It is a contrast between those who think they can save themselves by their own human wisdom, resources, and achievement and those who know they cannot. It is a comparison between those who rely on themselves and those who rely on God. People who are famous, highly educated, wealthy, powerful, or talented are often difficult to reach for Christ, simply because human accomplishments easily lead to pride and pride leads to selfsufficiency and self-satisfaction (Matthew 8-15, ). B. Only Jesus reveals truth about the Father Jesus equates Himself with God by referring to Him as my Father. In essence He and the Father are one. They are inseparable, although they are not identical. Only the Father fully knows and understands the Son. Only Jesus fully knows and understands the Father. Therefore only the Father can reveal the truth about His Son and only the Son can reveal the truth about the Father. John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 6: No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. 46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. It is instructive to see the parallel account of Christ s statement about the Father and its context as found in Luke 10: Christ s invitation to salvation (vs ) A. His invitation to spiritual rest Come unto me and I will give you rest B. His invitation to spiritual discipleship Take my yoke upon you and learn of me my yoke is easy There is something we must get rid of: the burden of sin. Jesus calls it rest (rest unto your souls). There is something we take hold of: the yoke of our relationship and discipleship with Christ. As we are yoked together with Christ, we learn of Him and have fellowship with Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, not heavy. 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). Christ s invitation is in the form of a command. The Gospel is good news that must be received and obeyed.

3 When Jesus Gave Thanks: He thanked the Father for meeting physical needs John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. He thanked the Father for hearing and answering prayer John 11: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. He thanked the Father for concealing and revealing spiritual truth Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. He thanked the Father for providing eternal salvation Luke 22: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

4 Messages of Judgment and Mercy Gospel of Matthew Matthew 11:20-30 Our Lord is the perfect combination of justice and mercy. He rebukes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. All who reject the Lord are condemned, but those who humbly receive Him are saved now and forever. 1. Christ s (vs ) Jesus rebuked three cities for their stubborn unbelief. The cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were located near the northern part of the Sea of Galilee. The people in these cities didn t attack Jesus, run Him out of town, or take any action against Him. They simply ignored Him. While Jesus taught, preached, and performed mighty miracles in their cities, they just carried on with life as usual. His ministry didn t affect them at all. One of the saddest statements in Scripture is John 1: He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. From a human point of view, their indifference didn t appear to be such a terrible sin, but in the Lord s estimation, unbelief and indifference were sins worthy of condemnation and severe judgment. John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Christ stressed the relationship of spiritual privilege and accountability. A. Greater privilege People are responsible for the spiritual truth they have. All people have some spiritual light. Some people have more light (truth) than others. We are all accountable for accepting, believing, and obeying the truth. B. Greater privilege At the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) everyone will be judged out of the books and according to their works. One of the factors in God s judgment will be the spiritual truth people actually had in their lifetime and their response to that truth. 2. God s (vs ) This was one of Christ s prayers recorded in Scripture. The Bible records several occasions when Jesus gave thanks to the Father (to be considered at the conclusion of this lesson). A. The Father MacArthur s comments are helpful: The contrast between wise and intelligent and babes is not between the knowledgeable and the ignorant, the educated and the uneducated, the brilliant and the simpleminded. It is a contrast between those who think they can save themselves by their own human wisdom, resources, and achievement and those who know they cannot. It is a comparison between those who rely on themselves and those who rely on God. People who are famous, highly educated, wealthy, powerful, or talented are often difficult to reach for Christ, simply because human accomplishments easily lead to pride and pride leads to selfsufficiency and self-satisfaction (Matthew 8-15, ).

5 B. Only Jesus Jesus equates Himself with God by referring to Him as my Father. In essence He and the Father are one. They are inseparable, although they are not identical. Only the Father fully knows and understands the Son. Only Jesus fully knows and understands the Father. Therefore only the Father can reveal the truth about His Son and only the Son can reveal the truth about the Father. John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. It is instructive to see the parallel account of Christ s statement about the Father and its context as found in Luke 10: Christ s (vs ) A. His invitation Come unto me and I will give you rest B. His invitation Take my yoke upon you and learn of me my yoke is easy As we are yoked together with Christ, we learn of Him and have fellowship with Him. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, not heavy. 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (burdensome). When Jesus Gave Thanks: John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. John 11: Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42 And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Luke 22: And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: 18 For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. 19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.