Transcript

From Commendation to Condemnation

Matthew 11:16-24
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Pastor Randy Smith

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What is Jesus presently doing in heaven? John Piper reminds us of what we often forget. "Christ is our attorney and His portfolio is His propitiation. He stands before His Father in heaven, and every time we sin, He doesn't make a new propitiation. He doesn't die again and again. Instead He opens His portfolio and lays the exhibits of Good Friday on the bench before the Judge. Photographs of the crown of thorns, the lashing, the mocking soldiers, the agonies of the cross, and the final cry of victory: It is finished" (Sermon, Feb. 10. 1985).

This morning we sang:

And now for me He stands,
Before the Father's throne.
He shows His wounded hands
And names me as His own.

Norman J. Clayton

If we are in Christ Jesus, the Scriptures testify that we may stand before God with the confidence that nothing will ever separate us from His love. He is for us (Rom. 8:31). As Paul said in Romans 8, "Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us" (Rom. 8:33-34).

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! Lover of my soul;
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah! what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

J. Wilbur Chapman

Last week we saw a wonderful testimony of the advocating work of our Savior, how Jesus stood up for one of His own. We know how He assures us that we are never snatched out of the Father's hand (Jn. 10:29), but we often forget that His care for us extends to even the smallest matters of life. Last week we were given a sweet foretaste, a small but encouraging glimpse, "of the confession which He will make of His people before the assembled world when He presents them faultless at the last day before His Father's throne" (J.C. Ryle).

You will remember John the Baptist asked a question dressed with doubt (Mt. 11:3). Yet before anybody was given the chance to malign John's character, Jesus came to his rescue and defended His friend. As a matter of fact, He even went so far in verse 11 to say, "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!" Unconditional love, unending faithfulness and untiring advocacy - true for John, true for you if you are in Christ Jesus!

We witnessed that last week in verses 1-11. In verse 12, Jesus states the success of John's ministry. In verse 13, Jesus states the culmination of John's ministry. And in verse 14, Jesus states the glory of John's ministry. Yet the hero of this story is not John, but Jesus Christ. He is the One who stands by His servants and pleads their case. And half of this chapter in this gospel has been devoted to making that point crystal clear for an eternal reminder. John was a faithful servant, but what made John truly great was the Savior he worshipped and the message he proclaimed. John should be respected and the message he brought should be received. That is why Jesus closes this section in verse 15 by saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

But what about those who don't hear? Jesus stands by His own, but the question we must now ask is how does Jesus respond to those who reject Him? Here is where we will devote our attention this morning - blessing and vindication for those who turn to the Lord, fear and condemnation for those who do not.

We will first examine the attitude of the rejecting society, and then turn our attention to the response of the Savior toward their rejection.

1. THE ATTITUDE OF THE SOCIETY

The first point, what was the attitude of the society toward Jesus (cf. Lk. 7:31-35)?

We commonly hear people say, "If Jesus showed Himself to me, I'd receive Him." "If Jesus did a miracle before my eyes, I'd believe Him." "If Jesus said in my presence what is written in the Bible, I'd follow Him." Well, if those comments are true, we'd have to suppose that everybody in the first century who came in contact with His ministry became a disciple. Yet of all those people who were eyewitnesses of His presence and His miracles and His teachings, very few, perhaps a lesser percentage than professing Christians in America, became His followers. Most of our Lord's generation rejected Him.

Look at verse 16, "But to what shall I compare this generation?" In other words, what is an illustration that comes to mind, a good analogy, that best describes the way this generation has treated Me? Jesus says, verses 16 and 17, "It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'"

Though unclear to us, Jesus obviously chose a story that would have been familiar to His listeners. They were well aware of the games children would play in the open air of marketplace while the more intense adult activities of community went on around them. Long before the days of video games and television sets, children were forced to be creative. And when you have very little money for even the most primitive toys, they needed to be especially creative. Kids mimic their parents, so two of their more common games were playing wedding and playing funeral. Unlike the other religious leaders, Jesus cared for the children (Mt. 19:14). Jesus watched the children. And Jesus saw within the children's activities a perfect object lesson.

So place yourself in the crowded marketplace, the agora. The dirty smell of animals permeates the air. The clamor of many voices creates a consistent roar in the background. Your mom and dad are working their fruit stand. Abraham's father is looking for work. Mary's parents are purchasing seed for their farm. And Miriam practically lives there because her house is next door. All of you are playing funeral. You have some black clothes draped on your shoulders. You are wailing on the top of your lungs. And you even created a makeshift casket that you all take turns going inside.

Soon two new boys are seen sitting on a nearby bench. They appear to be a little critical, but you assume that is only because they are being excluded. So out of the goodness of your heart, you invite them to join in the funeral. Together (as Jesus said) you sing a dirge, but neither of them mourn. Well, you assume, possibly they are not into sad games. Immediately you suggest the game is changed to "Wedding." You gather the mock clothes, pick a few wildflowers, appoint a bride and groom and being to play your flute. However, neither of these fellows dances.

No matter what you do, they refuse to play along. Regardless of the spectrum, they will not be satisfied nor will they participate. All they want to do is find fault with your activities. All they want to do is criticize.

Adults are no better. If you want a modern illustration consider life in the church.

"I don't want to have a picnic outside it's too hot." "O.K., we'll do it in the church." "No, it's too stuffy!"

"We need more prayer meetings around here." "Why don't you come to the ones we already have?" "I'm too busy!"

"I'm think you are covering something up by not sharing more about that situation." "O.K., here is what the individual did." "I can't believe you just gossiped about that person."

I think you get the point. You simply can't win! As hard as you try, some people are just impossible to please. You know what I am talking about, the Bible (especially Proverbs) warns us of them often: critical spirits, fault-finders, obstinate minds and unreasonable hearts. They exist today and according to Jesus, they existed back then.

Let's recall the illustration Jesus provided regarding the children as we get to our Lord's point.

Verse 18, "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!'"

John was not a man who could have been accused of living a worldly lifestyle. You know of his attire and his diet. The Bible says he drank no liquor (Lk. 3:15). You know of his limited contact with others. I do not see him attending too many dinner parties. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy. And the message he hammered home was one of repentance. Regardless of whom you were made no difference to John. His clarion call was that you had better get your life right with God.

Though he was true prophet (Mt. 11:9), most wanted nothing to do with him because they wanted nothing to do with his message. So how could they dismiss John and therefore invalidate his message? "He has a demon, come on guys, let's leave this madman alone."

So if John came in the funeral mode and they rejected him, surely people would receive Jesus who came in the wedding mode, right? Verse 19, "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'"

Same message, but Jesus was completely unlike John. He spoke with great tenderness. He went to their parties. I believe He laughed and sang and participated in the conversation. But He too brought God's message that the world wanted no part of. So how did they dismiss Jesus? "He's a glutton and a drunkard and He enjoys the company of immoral people." In other words, "We don't need to spend our time with a sinful and social misfit."

Once again, critical attitudes with no consistency. People that received both ends of the spectrum, and people like the children at the marketplace that were still impossible to please. People like the stubborn kids who found it easier to voice their discontent rather than simply join in and play the game. But from an adult perspective and God's perspective, they were the ones who were playing the games with God's messengers and in the process they rejected two of His greatest spokesmen.

But despite the fact that both of these servants were rejected by the people, Jesus says in verse 19, "Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." There is no doubt that the validity of God's truth will come out at the end, but even now the verse says, wisdom is vindicated by the lifestyles of those who follow God in the present. John and Jesus were severely criticized, but their actions acknowledge that they were the ones on the right track. Remember friends, a righteous lifestyle validates the message and vindicates the Gospel!

Wisdom (God's message) will be vindicated by her deeds (God's transformed children) in the present. But how will Jesus be ultimately be vindicated in the future? What will happen to those who hear His message and reject it calling Him a "sinner" and His premier messenger, "demon-possessed?" Jesus clearly tells us. For that answer, we turn to the second point: "The Response of the Savior."

2. THE RESPONSE OF THE SAVIOR

Look with me at verse 20. "Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent."

He does not say He condemned these cities because they did not "invite Jesus into their heart" or did not "walk an aisle" or did not "acknowledge they were a sinner" or did not "pray the prayer." These cities were condemned for one reason and one reason alone: "because they did not repent." Simply put, they refused to turn from their sin and embrace God with all their mind and heart and actions. They refused to submit to Jesus Christ as Lord, loving His righteousness more than they love their sin. They didn't repent! They preferred to live according to their sinful nature and according to Romans 8:13, "If you are living according to the flesh, you must die." God is not looking to simply get people into heaven. In addition to saving people from hell, He is looking to save people from their sin. Salvation means repentance, turning to God and progressively conforming to the image of Jesus Christ.

Two cities are called out in verse 21, Chorazin and Bethsaida. Both these cities are Jewish cites, both heavily exposed to the ministry of Jesus Christ. I find no record of them aggressively opposing the ministry. They were people who witnessed the teaching and miracles and simply went on with life indifferent to what they witnessed. So the condemnation and woe that Jesus pronounces on these cities is not so much because of what they did, but rather because of what they failed to do. They witnessed the full revelation of the Gospel and simply did nothing - they refused to repent (cf. Mt. 3:2; 4:17).

Now for indifferent people, comments like that may not spark a reaction. Yet what Jesus said after the woes would have definitely touched a nerve. Verse 21 in its entirety: "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes."

Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north on the Mediterranean. They were seaport villages and with their location and industry naturally came the loose and immoral living. They are frequently denounced in the Old Testament for their unrighteousness and Baal worship (cf. Jo. 3:4; Am. 1:9-10). They were notorious in the eyes of the Jew with a reputation for spiritual filth and heathenism.

Yet as immoral and idolatrous as these people were, Jesus says in verse 21 that they would have repented with deep contrition if they would have witnessed what was seen in the Jewish cities of Chorazin and Bethsaida where Jesus did His work. In other words, "You guys are worse than them!"

And if that didn't turn enough heads, you can imagine their fury when He made the comment recorded in verse 22: "Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you."

The shock and the implication for the Jews is fairly straightforward. But if we dig a little deeper we can glean some interesting facts that are worthy to ponder. First, God as the omniscient Judge knows how people would have responded if provided different circumstances. Second, God does not owe revelation to anyone nor is there and injustice in withholding it. Third, there will be a final day of judgment. All people will be called to give account at the "Great White Throne" (Rev. 20:10) based upon what they did with Jesus Christ. Fourth, people will be judged based upon the light they received. Since Tyre and Sidon were less exposed to the Gospel they will receive a lesser judgment. Fifth, by implication we can assume that there are different degrees of punishment in hell and even different degrees of blessedness in heaven. Sixth, basic morality apart from Christ does not gain favor with God. The Jews were more moral than the Gentiles, yet their judgment was more severe.

Let's consider our country for a moment. More exposure to Christ's message than possibly any other country. And what have people done with the revelation? Most are no different than Chorazin and Bethsaida. Most are not antagonistic, just simply indifferent. They go to work, play with their kids, enjoy their hobbies even attend their churches and then go to their beds as if Jesus never existed. Based on the verses we just read, I can only imagine the degree of judgment they will be facing if they don't repent.

Let's go even further. How about the people that hear the message in our country and then attack Jesus? They mock His servants (like the old-timers did John the Baptist) and they blaspheme the Savior Himself. The old-timers said Jesus was a glutton and drunkard; today we simply use His holy name as an expression of excitement or portray Him in our television shows in a way that totally demeans His character. What the producers of "Family Guy" have recently done in adding a cartoon Jesus to their show is absolutely appalling. I cannot understand why more professing Christians are not outraged. Yet Jesus will not be silent. He will have the final word.

Let's go even further. How about people who attend this church? I have said it before and I'll say it again. If you are serious about honoring God, I believe this is the place to be. However, if you are not, you are in a very dangerous environment. You are exposed to the truth of God's Word continually. You have received tremendous light. To reject it, according to verse 21 and 22 is to only bring greater judgment upon yourself.

The writers to the Hebrews said: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries" (Heb. 10:23-27).

Jesus is not done. This time the cities are different. He chose Capernaum, one of the most predominate cities in the Gospel narratives, a place that Jesus chose as His base, a place that was under the full blaze of the Gospel. In comparison to Capernaum, Jesus chose Sodom. Arguably the most corrupt city in human history (Gen. 18-19; cf. Eze. 16:48). Different cities but the same point. Verses 23 and 24, "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."

As it was said, "They just left Him standing in the rain as they passed by. It didn't matter to them. They had a languid interest in His teaching. His miracles entertained them and nothing more. His providential goodness never touched their hearts. His doctrine produced no change in their lives. Self-satisfied, complacent, whether in the form of Pharisaic self-righteousness or popular indifference is condemned by Christ as the grossest of evils. On the outside they were eminently respectable, but hell will be hotter for them than for Sodomites" (Quoted by John MacArthur).

There are only two alternatives. The two outcomes stand side-by-side in Matthew 11.

Last week we witnessed the love and kindness of Jesus Christ. We observed the lengths that He went to defend His people. Such advocacy is only a foretaste of the One that will present them faultless (Eph. 5:27; Col. 1:22) and confess them before the Father (Mt. 10:32; Rev. 3:5), before the Throne on Judgment Day.

This week, by way of complete contrast, we saw the fate of those who reject Jesus Christ. Rather than receive His loving embrace, they are awaiting His wrath for rejecting the Savior of the world.

My friends, which side are you on this morning? Have you repented? Is Jesus your Savior or your Judge?