Moving Through Matthew (Matthew 33-42)
Moving Through Matthew • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 28 viewsNotes
Transcript
Moving Through Matthew (Matthew 33-42)
Moving Through Matthew (Matthew 33-42)
*Last week we ended in Matthew 12:32, which we we left, we left in the middle of a conversation that Jesus was having with the Pharisees.
The crowd was amazed by the miracle of the oppressed man. When they saw that he could speak and see they asked (12:23)
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
But the Pharisees had a different reaction (12:24)
Matthew 12:24
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
They had seen the same thing that the people saw. They had witnesses the same miracle. Why did they respond like this? If we go back to Matthew 12:14 we see the reason
14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
They could not get their minds wrapped around the fact that this man, Jesus, was the Son of God, the one they were waiting, even the Pharisees.
And Jesus highlights the importance of not blaspheming. He says in (12:31-32)
31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
And we talked about the difference between blaspheming Jesus, and blaspheming the Holy Spirit. And here it is...
Those who blaspheme:
Jesus: always have the chance to be forgiven until the time they leave this earth.
The Holy Spirit: (turn away from his calling) will not be forgiven while they are here on earth, or at the judgement.
When your ears here the gospel presented and it does not make a difference in your life, you just go onto live like any other day… that is blaspheming the call of the holy Spirit on your life.
So finishes those words in verse 32, but he isn’t finished with the Pharisees, and the conversation picks up in verse (33).
Matthew 12:33-37
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
(Pray)
(Pray)
So as Jesus continues to speak with them he uses fruit as an example. And we have already seen Jesus talk about fruit before. (Matthew 7:16-19)
16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
This may seem to be the same message because he is talking about fruit. But back here in chapter 7 as he is teaching his disciples to test their character by the way they carry themselves. Here Jesus will use the example of fruit specifically to see their character through their words. He is pointing to the fact that a true Christian has a radical heart change and it is seen in the things they say and how they use their words.
He says in verse 33: Matthew 12:33
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
Then there is no doubt of which tree he knew the Pharisees to be..
Matthew 12:34 (ESV)
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
He looks at them and calls them snakes. They are using the poison from their own pride to blind the people.
These Pharisees have allowed their own own pride to speak out that this was not the Messiah. And they had influence. If you were a Jewish person living in that day and in the crowd during these times that the Pharisees confronted Jesus, you may have doubted yourself. They were the leaders of the community and what more, they were representatives of God to the people, not by a design from God, but by a design of themselves. But nevertheless, they were seen as the religious elite and people looked to them.
Matthew 12:34-35
Matthew 12:34–35 (ESV)
34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
And their words showed their character. And their character was bad fruit. A bad tree producing bad fruit, and handing it to the people to eat and saying it was good.
Then points again to the things they say, and shows there will be accountability in they way they use them.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
For every lie, every blaspheme, and every evil thing they did against the Messiah, they will pay for when they leave this place.
This week I did a little research on the Pharisees. We know is Scripture that there isn’t anything good about them. And I wondered are there any Pharisees today? Are they still around as a people, still believing that Jesus was not the Messiah? What I found was that the Pharisees as a group of religious leaders existed until AD 164. So they continued until about 130 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. After reading that I wondered, did any of them change their mind? After Jesus was resurrected, did any of them see the risen Jesus? Did any of them see the change in Paul (a former Pharisee ) and believe in Jesus, totally changing from what they believed before? And the answer is, I don’t know. Did they take that bad fruit all the way to the grave, or did they turn to the truth, Jesus Christ, and a bad tree became a good tree?
One thing we can depend on is if they didn’t, they were condemned with they came face to face with him in eternity.
Now we are going to return a little later to the words we say, but for now lets move forward...
Jesus had just said some strong words to the scribes and Pharisee, and yet they are still there asking another question,
Matthew 12:38–42 (ESV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
Jesus for the second time gives a public announcement about his coming resurrection. In John 2:19
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
But on this occasion he was clear what would happen in three days.....HE WOULD RISE FROM THE DEAD.
Why did they want a sign? Another sign? These could have been different from this that said he was a demon for healing the demon oppressed man, but still, everyone in the region knew he was performing miracles.
But Jesus turned their request for a sign around. They wanted a miracle, but he had a word for them. He points back to the Old Testament story of Jonah, one they were very familiar with.
Hey say do you remember what happened to Jonah. He was in the belly of a fish for 3 days… but the Son of Man will be in the ground for three days. He emerged from the fish, Jesus will emerge from the grave.
Then he points to the time that they will stand before God… Matthew 12:41
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
On that day, those in Nineveh will condemn these Pharisees because of their non-belief. Why? Because they turned to God by faith and the coming of Jonah.... but these scribes and Pharisees turned away from Jesus… the true Messiah. Or as Jesus says (41)
Matthew 12:41
Matthew 12:41 (ESV)
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
And he also points to someone else they hold in high regard…Solomon… Matthew 12:42
42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
In the bloodline of Israel, Solomon was the wisest and richest of anyone. They looked upon Solomon and Jonah and honored them with great esteem. Important people not only in their nations history, but also in their religious beliefs and background.
Yet the greatest in the nations history and religious background stands in front of them, and they cannot even see him for who he is.
There a couple I want to point to this morning.
Words that point other to Jesus or away from Jesus. (Matthew 12:36-37)
Matthew 12:36-37
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Now in the context of the conversation that day to the Pharisees, Jesus was condemning them with leading people away from the Messiah because of the words they were saying.
The application is still true for us today. By the words you say, are you leading people to a relationship with Jesus or are you pushing them away. I am not only talking about by presenting the gospel, but I am also talk about your conversations, the things you talk about. Will this help you one day share the gospel with them, or is it going against what you believe and what would honor God? Because it is clear that God has something for you with the way you use yoru words...
Matthew 12:36–37 (ESV)
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Each of us need to choose: will I allow my words to point someone to Jesus, or will my words point people away from Jesus.
2. Faith is the Factor (Matthew 12:41-42)
Jonah & Solomon…something greater then them
The people of the Bible in the Old Testament had to be justified by their faith. They knew the Messiah would come some day, the Scriptures said it, but they would not live to see him. Today we are the same. We can’t see him, even though we see him through Scripture, but we know Him because of the Bible and by our faith.
Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
Believing without seeing is the definition of faith. The Pharisees said that they wanted a sign. I believe I can safely say that if I never say a sign for the rest of my life, I would still have faith that there is a God, and he loved me so much that he sent his Son for me, and because I have faith, I follow him, and one day I will be with him.