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God's Way to Measure Our Lives
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 11:12-27
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared February 24, 2022)
(Revised Feb. 26 to expand section on repentance.)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 11.
In this chapter, John the Baptist had been suffering in prison for months.
He was an innocent man locked up in a prison worse that we can imagine, and he would soon be sentenced to death.
John had gone through so much hardship that he began to question if Jesus was truly the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.
And in vs. 2-3 John sent two of his disciples to make sure about Jesus.
*Then in vs. 4-6
4. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5.
The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6.
And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.''
*This was the perfect answer to John's question, because Jesus quoted two of Isaiah's prophecies about the coming Messiah.
One was from Isaiah 35:5-6 and the other from Isaiah 61:1.
Both of these prophecies were written about 700 years before Jesus was born, and John's disciples could see the indisputable proof that Jesus was fulfilling them all.
(1)
*In vs. 7-11, John's disciples left to give him their report, and Jesus began to speak to the multitudes.
Here Jesus measured John's life and said this to the crowd:
7. . .
"What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
A reed shaken by the wind?
8.
But what did you go out to see?
A man clothed in soft garments?
Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9.
But what did you go out to see?
A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
10.
For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'
11.
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
*The Lord declared John's greatness as the prophet who had come to prepare the way for the Messiah.
But there were many people in that multitude who had rejected John's message.
Many of them were also rejecting the promised Messiah.
That man is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and only Savior of the world.
*The Lord went on to warn them of the horrible danger they faced by rejecting Him.
Jesus was measuring their lives, but these verses also show us how to measure our lives.
Please keep this in mind as we read Matthew 11:12-27.
MESSAGE:
*You know, there are a lot of different ways to measure things.
Back when our kids were very small, and we were on the road, they would ask that famous question: "How much longer until we get there?"
*Well, they really didn't have a good concept of how long an hour was.
But they did know how long a Big Bird show was, so we would say something like, "It's 4 more Big Bird shows," and they would get it.
*People measure things in a lot of different ways, and God is measuring things too.
His measurements are the ones that matter, and in these verses, the Lord gives us four good ways to measure our lives.
All we have to do is answer four questions.
1. THE FIRST QUESTION IS: HAVE I REJECTED GOD'S REPRESENTATIVES?
*That's what Jesus was getting at in vs. 12-19, where He said:
12. . .
"From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."
(The NIV says, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.")
13. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
14.
And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.
15.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
16.
But to what shall I liken this generation?
It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,
17. and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; we mourned to you, And you did not lament.'
18.
For John came neither eating nor drinking. . .
(That means John didn't eat or drink things forbidden by the Old Testament Nazarite vow.)
18.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'
19.
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'
But wisdom is justified by her children.''
*In these verses Jesus used a short parable to explain Himself.
Parables are basically earthly stories with a heavenly meaning, and the Lord told 40 to 50 during His 3-year ministry.
*Here the Lord spoke of two groups of children in the marketplace.
One group wanted to play, and they came up with a couple of ideas.
But none of their suggestions were good enough for that other group of stubborn children.
They rejected every idea the first group had.
*Albert Barnes explained that "Nothing pleased them.
And so, the first group complained about it.
In effect, they said, 'We have made every effort to please you!
We played the flute to you.
We played lively tunes.
We encouraged you to play cheerful sports, but you would not join us!
Then we tried imitating the sad music of funerals.
But you wouldn't play that game either.
Nothing pleases you!'
*Jesus used this parable to describe that generation of people.
The Lord basically told them, 'John the Baptist came one way, neither eating nor drinking, and you were not pleased with him.
On the other hand, I, the Son of man, have come eating and drinking, or living like regular people.
And you are still dissatisfied!
In fact, you are even less pleased.
*You make malicious and false statements about Me.
You abuse Me for not doing the very things that displeased you about John.
Nothing pleases you people!
You are fickle and abusive.'"
(2)
*What a terrible way to treat God the Father!
They rejected all of His representatives.
This was true of the prophets like John the Baptist, and doubly true of the greatest Prophet, the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
*In Matthew 21, Jesus talked about this same kind of rejection.
There, the Lord told another parable to the chief priests and elders, and Jesus said:
33.
"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.
And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
34.
Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit.
35.
And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.
36.
Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.
37. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.'
38.
But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'
39.
And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40.
Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?''
41.
They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.''
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