Last Call for Repentance
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Jesus and His Sent Ones
Jesus and His Sent Ones
“Matt 10-12”
Began with Jesus sending the 12 and Jesus continuing ministry
Will end with Jesus retreating from the crowds and calling out judgment
Last Call for Repentance.
Last Call for Repentance.
Jesus and Nicodemus - Must Be Born Again.
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Knowledge and goodness are not enough. We must be born again.
Repentance is a discovery of the evil of sin, a mourning that we have committed it, a resolution to forsake it.
A change of mind which makes a man love what once he hated, and hate what once he loved. - Charles Spurgeon
Last Call for Repentance.
Last Call for Repentance.
Textual Context - Matthew 12:38-45
Textual Context - Matthew 12:38-45
Confrontation has been raging over a year
By the time it is done, Jesus will withdrawl from the Pharisees and veil his message from their minds. Why? Because they will not hear it.
Review Matthew 12
Sabbath Breaking - grain & withered hand (vs. 1-14)
Scriptural Support from Isaiah (vs. 15-21)
Demonic Defeat (vs. 22-23)
Satanic Sinner (vs. 24-29)
Unpardonable Sin (vs. 30-32) - Its not that Jesus is refusing repentance; rather, they have fully experienced the love, actions, teaching, and character of Jesus, and they won’t repent.
Evil Words Reflect Evil Heart (vs. 33-37)
Climax of confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisee
Climax of confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisee
Jesus has defeated death
Jesus has defeated death
Vs. 38 - Some Scribes and Pharisees
Specialized Group - “some”
Scribes
under the Mosaic Covenant, they were experts of the Law
Prosecuting Attorney
Vs. 38 - Demanded a Sign -
continually strive for; includes hostility
Matthew 16:1 - similar episode
And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.
Demand a sign in the heavens
A Sign is not the Problem
Jesus had allowed a sign as a confirmation (Matt 9:6)
Greatest sign - his resurrection.
Dishonest request is the Problem
heart is being revealed…
Not a desire to determine if Jesus is the Messiah
Prove that He isn’t. Jesus will have nothing to do with that.
Vs. 39-40 - Sign of Victory
Sign of Victory… Actually Two (vs. 39-41)
Miracle of Resurrection
Divinity of Jesus as demonstrated by Miracle of Resurrection
Jonah Miraculously Defeated Physical Death
Jonah is a Type…
theological term that means an event or person who foreshadows a greater theological truth.
Adam (Romans 5:19),
The bronze serpent (John 3:14)
Jonah (Matt 12:39)
Jonah is Lesser
Humanity is much more enamored by Jonah’s temporary escape from death, but so quickly diminish Jesus’ eternal defeat of death.
Miracle of Repentance - Jonah 3:4-6
Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
Ninevites miraculously repented and defeated spiritual death
Gentiles; Evil, Wicked, Brutal, No previous revelation about God… Yet they repented!
This is a supernatural work of God… No one seeks after God
God, Grant Repentance.... 2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
Persistence in Prayer
Persistence in Ministry
Persistence in Preaching and Teaching and Sharing and Hoping.
Queen of South - Sign of Response - Matthew 12:42
Accountability
Queen of the South (Sheba) - 1 Kings 10:1-13
Arabian queen… wealthy beyond imagination… 2nd to Solomon
Heard of Solomon’s wisdom… traveled the great distance to hear his words
Gentile… Godless.. no revelation… Yet she sought God’s Council
This was a rebuke of the Pharisees
Summarize: With greater revelation comes greater opportunity and accountability
Greater than the Temple (12:6);
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (12:8);
Greater than Prophet Jonah (12:41);
Greater than King Solomon (12:42).
Greater than the message that came in the Old Testament…
these men are without excuse… Neither are we.
But what happens if we don’t?
Jesus shares a cautionary tale.
Jesus has slayed sin
Jesus has slayed sin
Exorcism Parable (vs. 43-45)
Parable: Earthly Story with a spiritual meaning.
This is an other world story with an earthly meaning.
Not a discourse about demonology…
doctrine of demons…
warning to those who are listening (this generation vs. 45)
Whole conversation began with Jesus casting a demon from a man (vs. 22)
Situation
Man inhabited by an evil spirit; the spirit leaves;
waterless place - synonym for desert (remember temptation of Jesus), but returns with seven other spirits
Now worse off!
Many of Jesus listeners had benefited from the ministry of Jesus, but few have repented
Sin was not slayed in their life; rather, it was “cleaned up”
Calling out hardened unbelief… hearing, appreciating, benefiting… but not repenting.
Brings to mind Jesus call out of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (vs. 31)and perhaps one of the strongest warning passages in the Bible
Lesson
Rebirth, not resolutions, brings the death of sin.
Resolutions, without rebirth, brings the power of sin.
Imagine… If everyone in the world would quit sinning right now, there wouldn’t be any more Christians in the next minute or day.
Quitting sin does not make a follower of Christ - Regeneration does.
Regeneration includes Repentance over sin and Faith in Jesus Christ
Morality without Rebirth destroys Any Change
Little bit of religious reform will inoculate you to God’s Forgiveness
Forget your brokenness
Forget your helplessness
Forget your nee for forgiveness
Last Call for Repentance
Last Call for Repentance
So, What is our message?
You must be born again.
John 3:3 - You must be born again
John 3:8 - You don’t need to explain it
John 3:14 - You just need to Point to Jesus Christ