Confusion of a Generation
Transcript
Good morning. It's good to see you here this morning. Isn't it exciting to be here? I get to look forward to Sunday every Sunday. Just because it's so great to get to come together and worship the great God we have and do it with such enthusiasm. It's so refreshing to be able to do that.
My name is Ken Harmon. I'm one of the pastors here at Mill City Church. I want to begin this morning with sharing with you something that happened to my wife and I a long time ago. It was 1973. I just finished up my classwork at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. And we were moving back to South Carolina.
We were looking forward to having a church where I could be the full-time pastor. We were looking forward to continuing to serve the Lord. We were looking forward to starting a family. And that was going to happen soon because my wife was seven and a half weeks, I mean nine and a half months. Wait a minute. I'll get it right in a minute.
Seven and a half months pregnant. Six weeks to go. We had been back in South Carolina a couple of weeks. And one day she realized something had gone terribly wrong with the pregnancy. Went to the doctor. She was put in the hospital.
Three days later, she gave birth to our first child. Little girl. Still born. Because she had been dead for several days before she was born and because of the way they did things back then, we never even got to see her. Of course, we wondered, Lord, why did you let this happen? We're your children.
We're trying to serve you. Lord, this hurts so much. You ever felt that way? If you haven't, you will. We live in a fallen world. Bad things happen to good people.
We live in a fallen world. People do evil things to other people. Sometimes they do evil things to us. Sometimes they hurt us just because, like us, they are sinners too. You have a case one time where there was a teenage boy in the family. His teenage cousin got him into drugs because of some of the problems he already had.
Being on drugs led him to commit suicide. If you're a parent, what do you think then about a nephew? He made that happen. Sometimes our mates commit adultery. Sometimes children get kidnapped. Sometimes we're in a car wreck and the wreck was caused by a drunk driver and our back is injured and our job involved lifting.
We lose our job and we're going to be in pain for the rest of our lives. And the drunk driver gets sentenced to time served waiting for trial to six months probation. Life isn't fair. Life isn't easy. Life isn't easy. This morning we're going to look at a passage of scripture that helps us to get to get a deeper understanding that when we go through times like that, we have a deliverer.
Life isn't easy. Life isn't easy. This morning we're going to look at a passage of scripture that helps us to get to get a deeper understanding that when we go through times like that, we have a deliverer. Someone who can help us in one way or another. and we're also going to look at one of his followers who went through something very similar and so we're going to be looking at Matthew chapter 11 we're going to look at verses 1 through 24 it's on page 476 if you're looking at a pew bible and let me begin just by reading verse 1 when Jesus had finished instructing his 12 disciples he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities now we've been looking at the gospel of Matthew and past three weeks Chad has been preaching through chapter 10 of the gospel of Matthew and we've seen Jesus take his disciples instruct them how to be on mission remind them of the difficulties and challenges that they were going to face and of the strength and help that could come to them and today we're going to be looking as Jesus continues his ministry at an event that took place while he was doing that
Now I need to give you some background we're getting ready to look at a statement and some question a very important question from one of the greatest men who ever lived his name was John John like Jesus had a special birth an angel announced his birth to his father and it was really astounding because both his father and his mother were way past childbearing years so this was this was another in the you know kind of things almost like Abraham and Sarah back at the beginning of the Old Testament he was announced as one who would make ready the way for the Messiah and let me read to you what his father said right after he was born and you child will be called the prophet of the most high for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to his people and the forgiveness of their sins so this is what was prophesied about John when he was young and this is exactly what took place he became the one to prepare the way for Jesus he is the one who went out and preached to people and you know call them to repentance he prepared the way for Jesus he was he was a different sort of guy uh he lived in the wilderness he wore rough clothing he ate locust and wild honey I could do the honey not so sure about the locust you know uh you know scientists today tell us that that locust and other insects are really a good source of protein and it takes takes a lot less land and water and feed to to produce that amount of protein but you know what I don't think we're ever going to see an outback locust house it's just not going to happen insects on the barbie
But John was that kind of ascetic person he was serious about what he was doing he he proclaimed the word of God in a very powerful way he preached repentance turning from evil and and he baptized people as as a sign that they had repented that they'd turn from evil and and opened themselves up to God and when he preached he preached uh what we would call hellfire sermons now some of the scribes and pharisees some of the religious leaders of the time went out to listen to him he saw them coming knew that there were a bunch of hypocrites said you snakes who warned you to flee from the wrath to come preaching to people he would say listen unless you're a tree that's bearing the fruits of repentance the axe is already laid at the root you're getting ready to be cut down he said there's coming a time when God's going to gather the wheat into his barn and the chaff the waste product of the fruit is going to be burned with unquenchable fire and and people flocked to him because they wanted to hear that word that would lead them to a different life a higher life a better life John was a woman who was preparing the way for the Lord he was brave he would take on anybody Herod Antipas was the ruler around there in those parts then and uh he had done something that wasn't very good he had enticed his brother's wife away from his brother and married her and John let him know in no uncertain terms that that wasn't right John was brave he would he was one that would stand up against unrighteousness John knew Jesus in fact on their mother's side there were cousins and he recognized that Jesus was the Messiah he looked at him one time when Jesus was coming to him and said behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world he had a good understanding of who Jesus was and yet John pushed it a little too far one time and Herod had had enough of him and had him thrown in prison can you imagine what being in prison would have been like for John I mean he was a a man of the outdoors he was a he was a man who could take care of himself in the wilderness
He was a man who who enjoyed being among people he was a man who you know was doing what God had called him to do from the time he was a child he knew his purpose and he was fulfilling that purpose and all of a sudden here he is cooped up in a little cell probably very dark probably very filthy not able to do what God had called him to do and so he had questions why is this happening to me what's going on I thought Jesus was the Messiah I was convinced of it and yet I thought when he came he would solve all the problems we have in this world he would help those who were going through injustice and he would bring justice and he would punish the wicked and here I am in prison and Herod and his new wife well they are living in acclaim and living in luxury so with that struggle going on
He did the best possible thing he could do he sent his disciples to bring the issue to Jesus see what he thought so let's begin reading again looking at verse 2 now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ he sent word by his disciples and said to him are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another and Jesus answered them go and tell John what you hear and see 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 the good news preached to them and blessed is the one who is not offended
By me John sent a question to Jesus and Jesus took that question and he replied to it he took his John's question seriously understand something when we are going through a struggle when we are facing difficult times we can bring our request to Jesus we can share with him and he will listen because he cares he didn't condemn John for asking that question he didn't he didn't jump on him because he was struggling with what was going on
In his life he listened and he responded Jesus took him seriously even though John's question struck at the very heart of who Jesus was are you the one who is to come are you really the disciple I thought you were but now I'm beginning to wonder are you really that one John would have known the scripture John would have known
That in some of the passages from the Old Testament that look forward to the coming of the Messiah that we find things such as this where it says in that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see but he also would have known that there are prophecies
From the Bible that talk about the Messiah coming and initiating that time where there is justice listen to what Malachi had to say for behold the day is coming burning like an oven when all the arrogant and all evil doers will be stubble the day that is coming will set them ablaze says the Lord of hosts so that it will leave them neither root nor branch two different types of prophecies
John was hoping for one especially in the situation he was in Jesus replied it's the other one right now you go back and tell John what do you see and they see the blind getting their sight the lame walking the left was being cleansed the deaf hearing those things are taking place tell John the things that are happening that are blessing
People that are meeting people's needs that are they're beginning to see that with the becoming of the Messiah ultimately life is going to be better sometimes people need to have their needs met before they can absorb the gospel one relief worker said the hungry have no ears in other words
You've got to meet people's needs and then share the gospel with them that's why you see believers doing good things to help people adopting working at food banks working with crisis pregnancy centers spending money to help relief efforts when there's a disaster God's people
Respond in these ways and we're showing the same kind of love the master had and doing the same kind of work that Jesus did but notice Jesus went on and he said good news is preached to the poor because that's got to be
Part of the ministry too we don't just do something good for somebody and leave them hanging we try to go on and share the good news and if we just do a good deed without explaining that this is pointing to Jesus in one way
Or another then we've only gone half way we haven't met people's deepest needs and because we as God's people want to proclaim the gospel we will do things like give away bibles teach children in church we will
Share our faith when we have the opportunity to do so we will support efforts to start new churches we will support missionaries in other countries we do these things so that the good news of Jesus can be proclaimed and people
Can come to know who he really is and what he really can do but notice verse 6 Jesus closed his first response by John to saying and blessed is the one who is not offended by me the word offended there has the idea of stumbling
Over it John was beginning to stumble a little bit over Jesus because he wasn't doing what John thought he ought to be doing and so Jesus said be careful don't stumble over to me don't get to the place where you think you can judge what I'm
Doing and that be the final word on something in other words you've got to let Jesus be Jesus and do things in his own way and his own time and then John went on and he spoke some things
Concerning Jesus beginning with verse 7 as they went away Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John what did you go out in the wilderness to see a reed shaken by the wind what then did
You go out to see a man dressed in soft clothing behold those who wear soft clothing are in king's houses what then did you go out to see a prophet yes I tell you in more
Than a prophet this is he of whom it is written behold I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you John had attracted a lot of people he had attracted them by saying
Judgment is coming and it's coming quickly and now John was in prison and judgment hadn't come so some of the people were beginning to leave John probably some of the people who heard Jesus speak and so Jesus was telling them
About John and what it was did you go out to see a reed reed grows in marshy land it's blown away by any kind of small wind and it was something that symbolized
Weakness Jesus is saying John wasn't a reed he didn't wear soft clothing he wasn't a softie he was brave he was strong he was courageous and he was a prophet he was a prophet and more than a
Prophet he was a prophet who made ready the way of the Lord again the Old Testament says that's what he was going to do Malachi 3 1 it says behold I send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me and that's
What John was doing by calling people to take their sin seriously they were being prepared to receive Jesus as the one who could save them from their sins so he was preparing the way for the
Lord and in verses 13 and 14 it says for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John but if you're willing to accept it he is Elijah who
Is to come again there was a prophecy that Elijah would come back Malachi 4 5 behold I will send you Elijah the prophet
Before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes so people were expecting a return of Elijah now John wasn't a reincarnation of Elijah
John was in the spirit and in the power of Elijah that was able to bring people to the Lord bring people made ready for the
Lord God and then Jesus after complimenting John in all of these ways said this and this is an amazing verse look at verse 11 Jesus
Said truly I say to you among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist wow Jesus said
Nobody is greater than John but look what he goes on to say yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is
Greater than he Jesus said this man John nobody is greater than John but the least one in the kingdom of heaven is greater
Than he now what do he mean well John was there and he saw the dawn of the kingdom of heaven Jesus had come
Jesus was beginning his work of bringing the kingdom of heaven to be but John died he got beheaded before Jesus finished his ministry
So John never knew that Jesus went to the cross and paid the price for our sins John never knew that when Jesus died the
Veil of the temple was split from top to bottom God tearing apart and saying you could come into my presence now because my
Son has died John never knew that Jesus has been raised from the dead John never knew that the Holy Spirit was poured out
On all of God's people and we know those things and so we are greater than John and if we are believers we have
The Holy Spirit within us and we can do things greater than John did because we can share more about the Christ than John
Even knew we're greater than John did you realize that as a believer you are that important and you are that great Jesus went on
Verse 12 from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has surfaced violence and the violent take it by
Force that probably means that people try to take the kingdom of God that Jesus was breaking and use it for their own devices or
They were trying to force Jesus to be a political military messiah and right away do away with the wicked throw off Roman rule
And establish a kingdom an earthly kingdom that would suit what they wanted so again you get to see this question what kind of messiah
Is Jesus is Jesus a messiah who meets physical and spiritual needs is Jesus a messiah who brings judgment is Jesus the one who
Is going to come and establish perfect justice which is it what kind of messiah is Jesus one who does good deeds one who
Judges one who establish justice all of them Jesus is all of those things Jesus is the messiah who comes to us and delivers
Us from the troubles and difficulties we face now just understand he does it in different ways sometimes he does it in a remarkable
Way way we would almost call a miracle you know Jesus comes in and all of a sudden the tumor that was there is
Now gone all of a sudden the wayward son or daughter has finally come to his or her senses and come home and started
Living a life that's going to be productive sometimes Jesus changes things right away sometimes Jesus uses other people to help us so that
In the midst of our struggles and difficulties we have someone to come and walk along beside us and help us and encourage us
And guide us and support us and provide what we need sometimes Jesus gives us the grace that we need to bear up under the struggles and difficulties
That we are facing and just day by day by day somehow he's always there and he gives us just the help we through one
More day sometimes Jesus uses the difficulties and challenges that come into our lives and takes them and molds us and shapes us and
Prepares us to be more beneficial in his kingdom and more helpful in dealing with other people because joy and I went through what we
Went through when our first child was still born we know what it's like to lose something and to grieve over it and to
Hurt because of it and sometimes we can understand people and sometimes when they know that about us they know that we understand what
It's like to lose and to grieve and to hurt and to question so we can form a bond and we can help Jesus
Is the Messiah the deliverer who does come and help now Jesus is the Messiah who will return and bring judgment he will come
Back as the king of kings he will come back as the Lord of lords he will come back and destroy all evil he
Will judge all evil he will come back and bring an eternal blessing Jesus is the Messiah who will bring a new heaven and
A new earth have you ever stopped to think about what it's going to be you could open the Old Testament and see even
Reflected there some of the wonderful things that are going to take place when the Messiah comes back returns again and really establishes his
Kingdom love what Isaiah says in chapter 11 he says the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with
The young goat and the calf and the lion and the fatted calf together and a little child will lead them don't you love
That picture little kid playing with a lion the cow and the bear shall graze their young shall lie down together the lion shall
Eat straw like the ox the nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra and the weaned child shall put his hand
In the adder's den they shall neither hurt or destroy and all my holy mountain for the earth shall be full of the knowledge
Of the Lord as the waters cover the sea oh what a time what a time it's going to be no more nature red
In tooth and claw no more danger for any little child anywhere from anything no more sorrow no more crying listen to what it says
In Revelation and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold the dwelling place of God is with man and he shall dwell
With them they will be his people and God himself will be them and will be their God and he will wipe away every
Tear from their eyes and death shall be no more neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more for the former
Things have passed away one day our deliverer is going to return and he's going to make such a perfect world that we can hardly begin to imagine how wonderful it's going
To be and he loves us now and he wants all all to be saved now so the scripture goes on look at this verse 16 but to what shall I compare this
Generation it is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to their playmates we played the flute for you and you did not dance we sang
A dirge and you did not mourn for John came eating neither eating nor drinking and they said he has a demon the son
Of man came eating and drinking and they said look at him a glutton and a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners yet
Wisdom is justified by our deeds here's the picture marketplace busy to trade their goods buy the things they needed children left to play with
One another and they had their different games and so a group of children one day were saying I tell you what let's play wedding
Let's play some of this joyous and happy and a good time let's play wedding another kid said no don't want to do that
Today if you don't want to play something joyful why don't we play something sad why don't we play funeral no don't want to
Do that either and Jesus says this generation is like that in the sense that John came preaching a fiery judgment and they said don't want to
Hear that nope no part of that Jesus came as one who entered joyfully into life and he got with anybody and everybody and
He worked it so that even those who had been pushed aside now felt forgiven and accepted people said no don't want no part
Of that either sometimes no matter what God does how he approaches us what he offers we want to push it away and we
Forget that he's doing that out of love whether he's calling us to repentance or offering us eternal life and eternal blessing he's calling
Us out of love because he wants us to be forgiven he wants us to have eternal life he cares for us and there's a little bit more to the answer John had are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another
Verse 20 Jesus Jesus still speaking then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent woe to you chorizan 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
And sat cloth and ashes but I tell you it would be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you and you Capernaum will you be exalted to the heaven you will be brought down to Hades for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom it would have repainted until this day
But I tell you that it would be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you three cities where Jesus had done his ministry Jesus had done great deeds there healed cleansed wonderful things and got really no response and he said well then
You're like these cities Tyre and Sidon and Sodom who were known for their wickedness you're just like they are they didn't you know if what I'd done in them they would have changed but you're not changing don't change be judged if you don't respond to what Jesus is doing
The offers he's making the warnings he's given then it's a dangerous thing like children in the marketplace needed to respond to their friends you need to respond to Jesus maybe you need to renounce your sins maybe you need to hear a dirge be sorry for the wrong that you've
Done realize the consequences of it and realize that Jesus is the deliverer who can forgive you of your sins and give you a new start maybe if you're a child of God despite what you're going through you need to rejoice
Jesus is saying I'm here with you I care for you I'm going to get you through this and besides I've got a future waiting for you that's so wonderful you can't begin to imagine what it's going to
Be like like unrepentant cities you ignore Jesus at your own peril there can be a time when you leave this world and you're not ready man I knew was pastor in Newberry he was a member
Of the church bought and really out of the church didn't really know the Lord he was he had children as old as I was at the time so he was an older man very successful businessman hard gruff people told
Me that his mother had been such a godly woman and his wife came to church all the time she was a faithful woman but you know he just didn't seem to be too interested in that he was going to have surgery one time and they lived around the
Corner from us and so I went by his house and visited him with the wife for a while and you know before I left I said well can I have a prayer with you and he didn't really care where I had a prayer with him or not so he said well go ahead it
Will make my wife feel better later on he got sick again went to the hospital one complication after another no matter what treatment they gave him it didn't seem to work literally he was there for months I would see him went to see him one time and thought I need to talk with him again
About his relationship to the Lord he's in serious condition didn't get very far before he cut me off ah preacher I ain't interested in that stuff he died that night he had a godly mother he had a godly wife he had other people who had shared with him about Jesus
And if they wanted him to dance he wouldn't dance if they wanted him to be sorry he wouldn't be sorry he just didn't have anything to do with it people are still like that Jesus gives us the opportunity to have more than
We could ever imagine and sometimes we ain't interested in that stuff what kind of Messiah is Jesus is he is he the need beating joy bringing Messiah is he the Messiah who comes in judgment and pronounces judgment against those who will not
Turn to him because all are sinners is he the Messiah who is going to bring an end to wickedness an end to all unrighteousness an end to all evil and establish a perfect world what kind of Messiah is Jesus I think he's all of those
But the most important question is what kind of Messiah is Jesus to you will you let him deliver you from your sin will you let him walk with you through the midst of your troubles will you trust in him to provide for you
Now and provide for you for all eternity what kind of Messiah is Jesus to you now with me please for prayer heavenly father we stand amazed at Jesus Jesus the Messiah the Christ the deliverer father sometimes we struggle sometimes
We struggle with the hurts and the unfairness this old world that have come into our lives and sometimes we wonder Lord where are you father some of us here today need your comfort we need to assure us that
You are with us and that you are working for good in the midst of what we're going through some of us here today father need to repent to really admit that yes I am a sinner and I need Jesus to forgive
Me and give me eternal life some of us father may be on the verge of just walking away and not paying Jesus any attention help us to see that Jesus is the Christ is the Messiah is the deliverer and father I pray
That today when each one of us leaves this place we may be able to say Jesus is my Christ he is my Messiah he is my deliverer we pray this in Jesus name Amen