Understanding Jesus | Matthew 11:1-19 | Pastor Neil McClendon

Neil McClendon, Lead Pastor
Grand Parkway Baptist Church

Understanding Jesus
Matthew 11:1-19

1. Doubt is part of an authentic faith journey, v.1-6
• Jude 1:22

How to have mercy on those who are doubting...
a)Realize that doubt is part of deepened faith
b)Don’t manufacture answers
c)Focus on essentials not non-essentials
d)Don’t throw out everything over one thing
e)Don’t hurry people up
f) Clarify the role sin plays in this process

2. Truth tellers stand out in a culture of liars, v. 7-11
Things that require explanation...
1) “A reed shaken by the wind?”
2) “A man dressed in soft clothing?”
3) “Yet the one who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater then he.”
• Matthew 13:16-17

3. The Kingdom is indestructibly present, v. 12-15
• Malachi 4:5
• Luke 1:16-17

4. Jesus came to fulfill prophecy not preferences, v. 16-19

• Ephesians 5:15-21

Seven characteristics of wisdom...
1)time management
2)experiences the will of God
3)controls appetites
4)experiences fullness
5)worships
6)practices gratitude
7)submission

Mental worship...
1. Do you have questions about Christianity that are still unanswered?
2. When is the last time you saw the Gospel?
3. Was there a time in your life where you were more honest than you are now?
4. Do you ever find it hard to speak up for the truth? Is that more about not knowing what to say
or not wanting to say it?
5. Of the characteristics of wisdom, which most needs your

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Doubt is part of an authentic faith journey. It's the first six verses. John the Baptist is in prison and he is locked up in a Herod Antipas' prison. He's fixing to die. We'll get to that in chapter 14. He's gonna die by getting his head cut off because he spoke up for the truth, okay? But he's in prison and he's kind of getting to the end and he's kind of doing some life reflection and he's like, hey, listen, would you to his disciples? Hey, would you go ask Jesus, are you the Messiah? Are you the one to come? Are you the one we should be looking for? Or should we expect somebody else? Now, the Bible also just told us that John's the greatest man ever born of a woman, and yet he had some doubts. Now, you say, What do you mean? Doubt is part of an authentic faith journey. It doesn't mean you're not a Christian, it doesn't mean God's mad at you have some doubts. It just means you're probably trying to own your faith. All right.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

This podcast is brought to you by Grand Parkway Baptist Church, helping people to know, enjoy, and glorify God. For more information about Grand Parkway, visit our website at grandparkway.org.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

Amen, amen. Let's pray together, church. Uh Lord, we're just uh singing what we've experienced. And uh I pray for those in this room who've never experienced it, that even in this moment, even in this uh in this sermon, Lord, you'd reveal it to them. Uh Lord, we just want to remind ourselves that you you provide not just for us, but for our kids. Sometimes we believe you provide for us because we've tasted and seen it and they haven't. We get worried about them. You're gonna provide for them in ways that are beyond above and beyond ways you provided for us. Our job is to prepare them. Your responsibility and your role is to put is to provide for them. Your name is Jehovah Jrewah, the Lord our God who provides. Our name is Mom and Dad. So let us stay in our lane and let you occupy your space. And so, Lord, we understand that you resurrected then, and we need you to resurrect now. We need you to resurrect some marriages in this room. We need you to resurrect some faith in this room. Some people's faith is a little peckish today. It doesn't need a shot of caffeine. It goes, it needs a good watering at the foundation level. And so, Lord, do that from your word and by your spirit, we pray in Jesus' name. And everyone said, Amen. Amen. Have a seat. You got a Bible. I invite you to take it and open up to Matthew chapter 11. If you're our guest, we're we're going through the book of Matthew. Uh, and we're up to chapter 11. I'm gonna talk to you this morning about understanding Jesus. Understanding Jesus, because sometimes Jesus is not hard to understand, he's hard to submit to because he did not come to win an argument, he came to demonstrate a reality. So he was not threatened by people and their nonsense, okay? And so understanding Jesus, now this hits close to home for me because sometimes people in my life find it hard to understand me. Uh, like I have a neighbor that said to me a while back. He said, Hey man, you water your yard a lot, okay? Are you aware of how much you water your yard? And I said, I water my yard for seven minutes every morning at five in the morning. It goes to five different zones. But what you don't understand is I'm not watering my yard in this heat stroke. I'm watering my foundation. And he looked at me like, say, what? And I said, Yeah, I'm not here to water my grass. My grass gets watered as an extension of me watering my foundation. Because if your foundation dries out, those soils start shifting. Pretty soon, doors don't close. You got cracks in the wall or cracks in the brick, and he's like walking over to his sprinkler system to turn it on. Because he prides himself on how much money he does not spend. And I'm like, hey, I don't mind watering my grass, okay? Because I'm not watering my grass, I'm watering my foundation. Why are you telling us that? Because the sermon this morning is about watering your foundation, not watering your grass. It's one of these things you need to let into deep places, because it'll sell some things in you if you let it. So, understanding Jesus, Matthew 11, verse 1, it says, When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now, when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent uh word to his disciples and said to him, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? And Jesus answered them, You go and tell John what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, 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. As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd concerning John. What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed taken 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? Now, three times Jesus has asked this question. What did you go out to see? What did you go out to see? And they're like, All right, all right, all right. What are you doing? Then he asked the third time, What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, and who will prepare your way before you? Truly I say to you, among those born of a woman there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent take it, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophet and the laws prophesied until John. And if you're willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to their playmate. We played the flute for you and you did not dance. We sang a dirge and you did not mourn. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look at him, a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. Let me say it again. Jesus did not come to win an argument, he came to display a reality. That's why he says, What it sounds like soft kind of things, kind of not very masculine things. He says, like, uh, if you're willing to accept it. He says at the end, yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. He asked the question three times, what did you go out to see? And they're like, We don't know, dude. Tell us, okay? Because again, Jesus didn't come to win arguments, he came to demonstrate a reality. Four things in the text that help you understand the life and ministry of Jesus. Number one is this that doubt isn't a part of it's part of an authentic faith journey. Doubt is part of an authentic faith journey. It's the first six verses, John the Baptist is in prison, and he is locked up and a Herod Antipas' prison. He's fixing to die. We'll get to that in chapter 14. He's gonna die by getting his head cut off because he spoke up for the truth, okay? But he's in prison and he's kind of getting to the end, and he's kind of doing some life reflection, and he's like, hey, listen, would you to his disciples, hey, would you go ask Jesus? Are you the Messiah? Are you the one to come? Are you the one we should be looking for? Or should we expect somebody else? Now, the Bible also just told us that John's the greatest man ever born of a woman, and yet he had some doubts. Now, you say, What do you mean doubt is part of an authentic faith journey? It doesn't mean you're not a Christian, it doesn't mean God's mad at you have some doubts, it just means you're probably trying to own your faith. All right. People in the Bible doubted some things, not just here, but in Jude 22, it has this little phrase, it seems like a throwaway phrase at the end. He's kind of given some practical instructions, and he says, Have mercy on those who doubt. And have mercy on those who doubt. Because if you've been a Christian a long time, one of the hardest things for you and I to do is to have mercy who do not on people who do not understand what you understand. Does that make sense to anybody besides me? When you've been a Christian a long time, you you you you kind of lose mercy and you get a little prideful. And so it's hard to bear with people. And years ago, I read an article by a guy named Michael Patton, and he talked about, hey, doubt's just part of the human experience. Let's give these guys a break. And he gave some practical tips. I want to list them for you here. That hey, how to have mercy on people that are doubting, okay? Here's the first thing he says. He says, realize that doubt is part of deepened faith. It's part of deepened faith. Their faith is growing because here's the thing: the more you mature as a questi as a Christian, the questions don't get go away, they don't get smaller, they actually become get bigger in some cases. And so as your faith deepens, you will ask better questions. That's not a bad thing. Secondly, he says, Don't manufacture answers. I ask it like this hey, what does this make untrue? I don't come up with answers. People say, Why I got a problem with this and that. Okay, what does this make untrue? Does it make everything untrue or just this one thing here? Here's a third practical tip: focus on essentials, not non-essentials. Is this central to the gospel? Does this alter the birth, uh, the life, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus? Okay, here's the fourth thing. Don't throw out everything over one thing. I ask this question, and people come to me, and I hear a lot of doubt from people. I ask, okay, given the fact that you doubt this, what can you hold on to? What can you hold on to? Somebody said to me, Well, I just I just have a problem with Jesus being born a virgin. He just finished his freshman year in college. And he came back, he had all the answers. He said, I took a philosophy class, bro, and I just no way. And I said, Okay, so what can you hold on to? And what problems does you not believe in in this create for you? I don't know what problem creates for me. Actually, it frees me up. And I said, Hold on to that. Just hold on to that. We'll get to that in just a minute. Here's the next one. Uh, don't hurry people up. Uh, they will be what you mean. I don't want to try to hurry people through doubt because they will become a resource for other people who struggle with doubt down the road. Some people come to me and I'm like, I'll meet with them and I say, Hey, would you like to have lunch with somebody that was right where you are two years ago? And they're like, actually, that that would be helpful. Here's the last one. Clarify the role that sin plays in the pro in this process. Clarify the role that sin plays in this process, like the guy that said, I no longer believe in the virgin birth. I grew up in church, I was told I took a class of college and it just can't be true. And I asked him a very simple question. I said, Hey, what does this give you permission to do? He said, I don't know what you're saying. I said, Sometimes the issue is not doubt. You want to create space to go do what you want to do, so you have to doubt something. He's like, Well, what do you mean? I said, You do not believe in the virgin birth. Okay, here's the problem with the virgin birth. If you do not believe in the virgin birth, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit. He had a mother but not a father. That's what the virgin birth is. And because he did not have an earthly father, he did not inherit a sin nature. And so he was born sinless, he lived sinless, and he died sinless for sinners like you and me. And the guy goes, Well, I mean, if he's not a virgin birth isn't real, then Jesus didn't die for sins, and so sin doesn't matter because nothing can be done about it. Nothing matters. And I said, There's your problem. You want to push this to where nothing matters so you can do what you really want to do. And he's like, Oh, you're confusing me, or you're losing this discussion. But again, I'm not here to win an argument. I'm just here to tell you, ask yourself the real question. It's not, was Jesus born or the virgin? The real question is, what does doubting the virgin birth give you permission to do? And the answer is whatever you want. This is the essence of your problem because it is the it is the core of your desire. Doubt, people always ask me, how does doubt happen? And I have the same answer every time. It's real simple. Doubt happens when you hear more than you see. This is what Jesus said. And they said, Hey, are you the one to come, or should we expect someone else? Look at what Jesus said. He said, Go tell John what you hear and what you see. If you come to church and you hear a lot, but you don't see it lived out, eventually you'll start doubting too. You have to experience, you have to see the gospel actually lived out on the daily, on the regular. Because he lists this list of random sound and things. Look what he says there. He says, Go tell John what you hear and you see. He says, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. This is just a sidebar. Look at me. There is no definition of the gospel in the kingdom that doesn't affect what happens to the poor. If you're if our living out the gospel is not, this is why we did a food drive for helping hands of rich men. That's why we'll continue to give to them. We give them on the monthly. Why? Because one of the manifestations of the gospel is that the poor get helped. If all that happens is that we fill up notebooks with information, but the poor in our city don't get helped, we are not seeing the gospel. Okay? And so if you hear more than you see, you're going to doubt. Then he gives us list of the damn, damn, blah, blah, blah. These are all things back in the book of Isaiah, a book in the Old Testament, where they prophesied. They said, hey, when the Messiah comes, he's going to do these things. Remember, Jesus didn't come to win an argument, he came to demonstrate a reality. So Jesus just does these things. This is why he says to them, hey, you go tell John what you hear and what you see. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear. What do you point to in your life as evidence of the gospel? You got to have some things that we point to just to kind of say, hey, this is why, this is why Jesus could say at the end of this little section, verse 6, hey, blessed is the one who is not offended by me. Blessed is one who doesn't stumble over me. Translation, Jesus says in no uncertain terms, I am not your problem. If you're doubting, I am not your problem. Okay? Second thing we need to see to understand Jesus, truth tellers stand out in a culture of liars. Truth tellers stand out in a culture of liars. What do you mean? John was the first prophet to come on the scene in 400 years. 400 years. Let me ask you a question. You ever ask some of your friends a question? And when they start talking, you know they're lying to you? Say amen. Yes. Everybody longs for the truth. Everyone in this room, you wish this to God. You had somebody in your life you could go to and say, hey, don't hold back. I mean, don't be a jerk, but tell me the truth. Uh and I tell people I begin most counseling sessions with a prayer, and I pray this, Lord, Holy Spirit, you're here. Jesus said, When you come, you lead us in the truth, lead us in all truth, into the truth, all truth, because the truth sets us free. Everything else is us choosing to live in bondage. And so, as a truth teller stand out in a culture of liars, no prophets for 400 years, and John comes on the scene, and people are swarming to him. That's why earlier in Matthew's gospel, he was out in the wilderness. He didn't get 40 acres of land by the interstate and build a mega church. No, he's out in the middle of nowhere, and people are running out to him, wanting to be baptized. The Pharisees are like, hey, he's out there baptized, let's go. And he goes, Yeah, you brood of vipers who told you to flee from the wrath to come. You go and bring forth fruit and keep of repentance, and then I'll baptize you. Get out of here. He didn't know how to pat his numbers and dump people. Why? Why were people going to the wilderness? Because they long for the truth. Who do you go to if you want to hear the truth? The whole truth and nothing but the truth. Truth tellers stand out in a culture of liars. Man came to me not too long ago and he said, Hey, uh, I don't go to your church. He called and said, I don't go to your church, but can I come see you? I said, I see a limited number of people because I'm not running a free counseling service. I'm pastoring a church and I prioritize my people over everybody else. But next week I have an opening, I can see you. He comes, he walks in and sits down. Tell me why you're here. Well, I go to church every Sunday and I hate it. I said, I know, bro, me too. He goes, No, I'm being serious. I said, Okay, why do you hate church? He said, Well, I don't know. That's what I'm here to figure out. Because I mean, I said, tell me your spiritual history. Well, when I was 14, summer after my seventh grade, I'm my eighth grade year, probably high school. I went to camp, and me and my me and a couple of my buddies, we gave our life to Christ. I remember I prayed the prayer, pretty emotional. I think that was really real because I was sincere, bro. I was sincere. And I said, and then what happened? And I said, now by the way, how old are you? 37. So at 14, you you prayed a prayer, and you think it's when you came to faith, and now you're 37. What happened from 14 to 37? And he said, Not much. And I said, Okay, he said, I got in high school, fell into the wrong crowd, started smoking them Democratic cigarettes, and then it just got worse, and then I went those Republican cigarettes. And then I went to college, and he goes, Dude, I was way off the reservation. I didn't go to school at all. Got out, got a job, met a girl at work, we got married, had a few kids, and my wife starts freaking out on me, and I said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you mean? She starts like nagging me to go to church. I said, By the way, parenthood is designed by God to stop you in your tracks and make you realize you need a power greater than yourself to do this. And he's like, Yeah, bro. I mean, I think she loves the kids more than she loves me. I said, She probably does. Because they're probably easier. He's like, Well, that's not why I'm here. Okay, okay. So, so 14, how old are you? You're 37, okay. So, so nothing, and you hate church, and anything else about your spiritual life? And he goes, No, he goes, So, so I mean, I mean, I'm a Christian, right? And I said, I do not hear in you the fruit of conversion. I wouldn't think about, am I a Christian? I would think about have you ever been converted? Now I did I pray a prayer, which is never nowhere in the Bible, but has the Spirit of God ever hijacked your life such that you could never get over it? He goes, What do you mean? And I said, Who is a beautiful woman besides your wife? And he went, What? I said, just stay with me, okay? Who's a beautiful woman besides your wife? And he goes, Oh, Ella Langley. If you know who Ella Langley is, say amen. If you don't, she's that beat-down, haggard old woman. I brought a picture of her this morning. This is Ella Langley, right here. Yeah, don't make that noise unless you're single. Uh yes. That's Ella Langley. She's a country singer, he's choosing Texas. I can tell by the Yeah, that is Ella Langley. And the guy is looking at me, Brandon Freidelick, like, what? What? I mean, what do we do? I said, yes. So Ella Lang, you think she's yeah, she's I think she's a beautiful woman. Okay, so at 14 you prayed a prayer. You're 37, nothing in between. What you just told me, 14, 23 years later, you've told me that for 23 years you've been married to that and you've never consummated the relationship. You got nothing to show for it. You ain't got no fruit of your love, nothing. No pictures, no mementos. Hey, hey, I took her to the beach in a bikini, and I was like, I know, right? Is God good? Nothing. Nothing. He's like, dude, I don't get what you're saying. What I'm saying is the Spirit of God loves the people of God, and the people of God love the things of God. And when those two come together out of that beautiful collision, you get Christianity. You pray in a prayer at some West Texas youth camp because you were mad because you looked at porn. That doesn't amount to conversion. That's self-loathing and self-hatred, but conversion produces affection. So you're saying I'm not a Christian. I'm saying that I don't see the fruit of the Spirit in you. Because you're telling me you're married to Ella Langley for 23 years and you ain't put a hand on her? I mean, has anybody ever told you you're judgmental? To which I responded, has anybody ever loved you enough to say you've probably never been converted? You go to church every Sunday because you want to be a good role model to your kids. You don't think your kids see right through you? Come on. And by the way, that undertoe you feel in the room, is some of you kind of go, well, I've been married to Ella Langley and I ain't never kissed her either. Well. Yeah, see, truth tellers stand out in a culture of liars. It's one thing for other people to lie. Make sure. I'm not saying you do, but make sure you don't lie to yourself. See, you gotta understand, this is why John the Baptist stood out. He was a truth teller. He was in prison because he publicly criticized Herod Antipas, who married this woman named Herodias, who is his half-brother Philip's former wife and his niece. Yeah, got a little East Texas right there. Did you feel that? Yeah. And all John the Baptist did was kind of raise his hand. Everybody else is like, hey man, you do you, bro. I got my truth, you got your truth. Who am I to judge you? I ain't here to judge you, man. God is God in love, right? Amen, brother. Yeah, okay, good. Let's just give each other permission to do whatever we want. Who needs absolutes? We have opinions. And John the Baptist comes like some guy who won alone 10 seasons in a row. I watched one episode of Alone, the very first one. And I picked the winner every time. It ain't the guy with all the gadgets, it's a guy that got he's missing some side teeth because he smoked meth and he lived in a bus out in the woods. It looks like he eats squirrels for breakfast. And he's like, when I get that money. I'm like, ding, he ain't got a compass. He got a knife and a spear that he made out in the woods. And I'm like, that guy's gonna win. He doesn't know what R E I is. And he wins every year. The guy I picked. I'm like, that guy right there. Why I tell you, John the Baptist was that guy. Okay, this is why Jesus had to say some things like three times. He said, what things he got to explain in this little section. What did you go out to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What Jesus is saying to him is, hey, John the Baptist ain't a politician. You can't make a donation and then get him to say whatever you want to say. He's not a jukebox, he does not play request. You go out to see a reed checking by the wind. Ask yourself, are you a reed check in by the wind? Do you just bend with the with the with the whims of whoever you're having lunch with? And then Jesus says, This. 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. Look at me. This is what gets amiss. John the Baptist is in Herod's house in prison down in the basement. He's the king of the. And Jesus is clowning on Herod. He goes, Hey, bro, that guy does not, he does not own a pearl snap poncho. He wears soft clothes and sits around and eats fruit salad all day. He'd never had beef jerky and a marlboro red. Give me a break. And people are like, Jesus is making fun of Herod. Yes, he is. Because he's a soft man who wears soft clothes. Hey, students, you don't want to wear soft clothes. It ain't good. Girls today want a man, not a boy. Just man up, ladybug. Just man up. Stop getting in touch with your feminine side. If you've got a feminine side, we got a problem. You got some gender dysphoria. Yes. Hey, by the way, women come to me all the time. I'm talking from 15 to 55 and go, where are all the men in America, Neil? Well, they're getting in touch with their side, having a decaf mocha frapuccino at Starbucks. And taking the Cosmo pop quiz to see if they're, you know, an acceptable male. How about just be yourself and embrace rejection until you meet the person that goes, oh, you too? Let's go, girl. Let's go. God, we're such sissies. Jesus said it. What'd you have to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? This dude wears like the uh the the the hide of a woolly mammoth that he killed on a Tuesday and didn't post it on socials. Because he ate the thing for a month. And then Jesus asked the question again: What did you go out to see? Translation, what did you expect? Look at me. Don't miss this. The gospel expects Christians to be truth tellers. This is why Jesus said, Matthew 5, remember this? Who among you lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel? But you put it on a lampstand so it gives light to the whole room. John the Baptist burned with such white hot passion for God, he gave light to a whole nation. This is why people ran to him. Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't stop baptizing. I'm coming. Whatever you got, boy, I want some of that. Who relates that way to you? Or do they tell you, Oh, I love what you've done with your kitchen? Really? That's the greatest thing anybody's ever said to you. Oh, I love this outdoor space. Oh, God, is this what Jesus died for? And then he says this. This is the last thing I gotta explain. You still with me? Did I lose you there? Listen, women come to me all the time, they're like, hey, where are the men? And why can men stop looking at porn? Because they're boys. They can't face the vulnerability of coming to a woman. You can go over here, give you the sensation of being a man without the responsibility of being a man. Here's the thing, students: you meet a woman, she needs you to be responsible. Just grow up, say no to this little boy behavior, and yes to a woman. You won't need porn. Did you feel what just happened here? Y'all are like, we should go to Second Baptist. He's a much nicer man. And he dresses in soft clothing, but I digress. Yes. Now, by the way, what does it mean? What shh, I love everybody. It's a good church. They're going through some stuff. Let's pray for them. I'm not hating on the guy. But look at me. What does it mean that Jesus says to you? He said, hey, whoever's least in the kingdom of God of heaven is greater than John the Baptist. That's another thing you gotta understand. Look at me. John the Baptist, I mean, water your foundation here. John the Baptist was a forerunner of Jesus. He got people ready for the king and the kingdom, but he did not get to be a part of the kingdom. He longed to see and hear what you and I see and hear and take for granted. When you wake up on Sunday morning, you go, Hey, are we going to church today? People long to see and hear. What do you mean, Matthew 13 says this, verse 16, but blessed are your eyes, for they see and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people, John the Baptist, long to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Here's the third thing you're gonna understand, Jesus. The kingdom is indestructibly present. Verse 12, he says, This from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent and the violent take it by force. By the way, that has been so misappropriated to a men's retreat. Just stop. That's not what it means in oh, yeah, we're gonna be violent, go out in the woods and push over trees and run chainsaws and pile up and have a bonfire. Really? You think that's what this is about? No, he's saying the kingdom of God has suffered violence. People have been violent towards Christians since the beginning. I'm talking to a friend this week, and he's telling about he saw a debate between this Christian and atheist and the atheist, and this is their big silver bullet. The atheist goes, What makes you think your God and your religion is the one true religion of all the world religions? And the Christian just looked at him and said, You are the biggest evidence that my religion is the only true religion because atheism attacks Christianity, not Islam, not Confucianism, not Hinduism, not Buddhism. You all come against Christianity because it's the one true religion. And the atheist just looked at him and went, and the debate was over. That's why they take God's name in vain. No one ever cusses Allah, no one ever cusses Vishna. Yeah, I'm like, I don't know. I think my kid goes to school and across the street over here. No, no. Why? Because the kingdom's indestructibly present and it suffers violence, okay? And it doesn't shrink back from that. Okay? He says it so it suffers violence, and the violence takes it by force, for all the prophets in the law prophesied until John. And if you're willing to accept it, hear this. Here's why. You like people every once in a while say to me, You should like be more hardcore. And I'm like, what? Wear a cowboy hat? Stop sending me videos. I see the guy, he's a good guy. I'm like, whatever. Uh Jesus says things like, Hey, if you're willing to accept it, because why is it is he soft? No, he's look at me. If you don't accept it, it ain't gonna affect Jesus, it ain't gonna affect me, it's just gonna affect you. He says, if you're willing to accept it, this is the freedom and the authority that the truth brings with it. If you're willing to accept it, he is Elijah. Who is to come? He who has ears to hear, let him hear. That's another pansy statement, Jesus said. He who has ears to hear. Jesus is like, hey, I didn't come to win an argument, I came to display a reality. And if you don't, if you can't get a whiff of this reality and it put a hunger in you, an appetite in you, I can't help you, man. I don't know what to do. Jesus says, hey, he's the least in the kingdom of heaven, it's greater than John the Baptist, because he went before Jesus, kind of like Elijah in the Old Testament. He's not the reincarnation of Elijah, okay? He he he's he was a part. John the Baptist was not part of the kingdom. He got people ready. That's why you are better. This is why the kingdom can be indestructibly present, okay? There's no more need for prophets. The thing I've been telling you about for a long time is here. The gift of prophecy still exists, but the office of the prophet is no more because John the Baptist was the last one. So anybody that comes along and says, I'm a prophet from God, get away from them. They're a false prophet. John the Baptist was the last. Put in the category of the office of prophet. He said, He is the Elijah to come. That means that John is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy that the prophet Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah. At a cause kid, tell me one time, he said, Yeah, I used to believe the Bible, but I do so no longer because it doesn't support reincarnation. And John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah. And I'm like, How much pot did you smoke to get that one? And he goes, You know what you mean? And I said, Yeah, I know what you're saying, but I do not agree with what you mean. He went, Come again? I said, I know what you're saying, but I do not agree with what you're saying, what you're inferring. Malachi chapter 4, here's the prophecy. He says, Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Okay, great. Luke chapter 1, the angel appears to John the Baptist's dad, Zechariah, and he says, This of his son, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. He said, I don't know what you mean. It's kind of like football season. I don't know if you know football season's coming. There's this building sense of anticipation. Some of you ladies are like, one more weekend, and I'm gonna be a widow for 18 weeks. Thank you, Lord. So, hey cowboy fans, yes, you got about eight weeks to your mathematically eliminate for the playoffs. Enjoy it. Enjoy, anticipate it. I'm at B Dubs last week having lunch with a friend. They got 18 TVs, football games playing. He goes, Is this like live? Is this no? That's we so anticipate football season. Those are games from last year. And there are men and they're like, Oh, I don't know what's gonna happen.

unknown 31:33

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

Why am I telling you this? I'm telling you this because he says, Hey, this is not about anticipating anymore, it's about experiencing. What you've only heard about is here now, and it's available. And whoever has ears to hear it, let him hear, okay? For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you're willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And the people were like, What? Oh, what are you saying? Because look at me. They would rather push it off in the future than admit that it's right here right now, and they don't want it. And some of you in this room, this is why you attack Christianity. You find a problem with it. It's out there in the future, and I got a problem. Because deep in your heart, you got no desire for translation. You've been married to Ella Langley for 23 years and you never kissed her. You never took her out and showed her off. Yeah. But I'm married to Ella Langley. Look at me. No, you're not. You want us to think you are, but you ain't got nothing to show for that. Here's the last thing the Bible says Jesus came to fulfill prophecy, not preferences. It's verses 16 to 19, where Jesus says, But to what shall I compare this generation? If you want to have a great conversation, ask each other this today. Hey, what would Jesus compare you to? Somebody's choking already. That didn't even go down, Pastor. But but Jesus says, but to what shall I compare this generation? And then he's like, then he describes them. Here's what he says. He says, hey, it's like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, hey, we played the flute for you and you did not dance. That's the ministry of John the Baptist. He was too austere. Hey, we played the flute for you, didn't dance. We sang a dirge and you did not mourn. That's the ministry of Jesus. Like, what do you mean? For John came either eating or drinking. They say, He has a demon and the Son of Man, that's Jesus, came eating and drinking, and they say, Look at him. A glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Has anybody ever accused you of any of that? You're not living as free as you should. Look at it again. A glutton and a drunkard and a friend of tax collectors and sinners. And then Jesus says this, yet wisdom is justified by her deeds. That's the nail in the coffin for these people. Again, Jesus did not come to win arguments. He came to display and demonstrate a reality. It is an understatement to say that Jesus was not corresponding to Jewish messianic expectations. And he said, I don't care. I'm going to be proved right. Wisdom is proved right by what it does, not what it says or puts on the bumper sticker on the back of the truck. I'm going to be proved right, and you guys are going to be proved wrong. Because wisdom is justified by her deeds. Now remember last week I said that there's about four or five themes that run all through the Bible. You remember that? Say amen. One of them is wisdom. One of them is just, hey, this is what wisdom looks like. Now, by the way, he says, wisdom is right by deed. This is not just here, but over in the book of Ephesians. Me and my discipleship partner, we're reading through the book of Ephesians right now. If you get to Ephesians chapter 5, verse 15, it says this. Look carefully then how you walk. Not as unwise, but it's wise. Now stop right there. The Bible's very practical. He says, look carefully then how you walk, how you live. Not as unwise, but as wise. Now the Bible doesn't just give us a vague description and go, so hey, you better not be unwise. No. Then it unpacks seven characteristics of wisdom. He says, This, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Did you get them? They're right there. You're like, oh, that was kind of fast. I don't know. I brought them for you. Seven characteristics of wisdom, and we'll be done this morning. You still with me say amen. What are they? He says, first of all, hey, look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise. How do wise people live and make the best use of time, time management? Secondly, they experience the will of God. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. If you're consistently frustrated, dissatisfied, like that was great, but yeah, I'm still hungry. You're probably living in your will, not in God's will. Thirdly, they control their appetites. A wise person controls their appetite. Where do you get that? Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. He doesn't say, oh, don't drink wine. He says, Hey, don't get drunk. Don't be like a 16-year-old kid. I had 12 beers. Oh, okay, great. Control your appetites. Do you have any appetites that concern you as you said in this room? Fourthly, a wise person experiences fullness, but be filled with the Spirit. Number five, they worship, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. They practice gratitude. Verse 20, giving thanks always and for everything. Giving thanks always and for everything. What do you find hard to thank God for? And then finally, they live in submission. Verse 21, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Now look at me, and I'm done. You still with me? Say amen. Now, verse 21 says, submitting out of uh to one another out of reverence for Christ. This isn't a part of Ephesians where it's talking about, hey, as Christians, this is how you relate to each other. But men's favorite verse is about six verses later where it says, wives, submit to your husband in all things. And men though they'll throw that down, like, that's right, baby. The Bible says that you should submit to me in all things. Yeah, it does. Yes, because the Bible believes in male headship. But it also believes if you're two Christians, you should mutually submit to one another. You're welcome. Hey man, let me say this to you, because I love you. I ain't hating on you. You don't just need positional authority, you need personal authority. You can't, positional authority is you appeal to what the Bible says, and your wife just rolls her eyes, like, really? You're quoting the Bible to justify why I should not have an opinion? Wow. You're like a fat man trying to sell me slim fast. No, but look at me. If you have personal authority, not just positional authority, well, maybe the Bible says this. Submission's not an issue. It's just not. It's just not. Yeah, I lead my family, look at me, and I'm done. And there's sometimes my wife's right about things, and I'm wrong. And I have to say, you know what? I think you're right about this. Look at me. Get ready to call Al Moller. I have to submit myself to my wife's what she's saying because it's true. You feel it in here. No. Hey, looking, listen. If you don't practice mutual submission, you'll end up married to a suppressed woman. And you don't want to be married to a suppressed woman. It's like shaking up a coke. Eventually you open the top on it. Yeah. And you say things like, she's just crazy. I mean, she needs medication. Her emotions are out of control. No, she's a suppressed woman because she's never been validated by a man. Let's pray together. If you're a guest, just relax. We like to teach the Bible and then give you some space to think about it. Some questions come on the screen. That's just for your consideration, contemplation. Let's just take a minute and just think before we're dismissed. Lord, just in my spirit, it feels like in this room there's some suppressed women who've never been seen and supported. And I pray for necessary conversations and forgiveness where necessary. And uh Lord, the thing about knowing you is that we get to know you and we understand you, and then we experience what we know and understand, and then we enjoy it. And so increase our may what happened in this room today increase our capacity to enjoy you. Not just know stuff. We want to know you, we want to understand you, but we want to enjoy you because you came to be enjoyed. And so for that we're grateful. So we say thanks in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 40:56

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