Always Trust In The Goodness Of God! Series

Always Trust in the Goodness of God!

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 14:1-14; Mark 6:7-34

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared June 22, 2022)

BACKGROUND:

*Matthew 14:1-14 reports on the terrible murder of John the Baptist. Herod the Tetrarch had John arrested, thrown into prison, and eventually beheaded, simply because this prophet took a bold stand for God's Law.

*The Herods were an extremely wicked family. They weren't Jews, but natives of nearby Idumea, appointed to rule by the Roman Empire. The first was known as "Herod the Great," a monster of a tyrant who had zero interest in keeping God's Law. He was the Herod who tried to kill young Jesus by murdering all the infant boys in Bethlehem.

*The Herod here in Matthew 14 was Herod the Great's son. His name was Antipas, and "tetrarch" was his title because he ruled one fourth of his father's kingdom. This Herod was a drunken, depraved man. His son was Herod Agrippa, who imprisoned Peter and killed the Apostle John's brother, James." (1)

*Matthew 14:1-4 began to look back at the terrible injustice John the Baptist faced from this family:

1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus

2. And said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.''

3. For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

4. For John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her.''

*Herod put John in prison, but the people were outraged about it, so vs. 5 tells us that "although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet."

*Then vs. 6-8 show us behind-the-scenes conspiracy and intrigue:

6. But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. (This was most likely a very lewd dance from a girl no more that 12 to 14 years old.)

7. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

8. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter.''

*Next in vs. 9-10, we see the deadly poison of pride:

9. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him at the table, he commanded it to be given to her.

10. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison.

*And in vs. 11, we see the bottomless depths of depravity, because John's "head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother."

*Verses 12-14 tell us what happened next, and through these verses we will focus on the infinite goodness of our God. Please think about this as we read Matthew 14:12-14.

MESSAGE:

*Church: As far as I know, there are only 3 things that God can't do:

-In 2 Timothy 2:13, Paul said: "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself."

-Then in Titus 1:2, Paul said that we Christians are "in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began."

-And James 1:13 says "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil. . ."

*In short: God cannot sin, because He is always good in every way. In Psalm 25:6-7 David prayed, ":

6. Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, For they have been from eternity past.

7. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness' sake, O LORD.

*Psalm 33:5 says that "the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD." Psalm 34:8 urges us to "taste and see that the LORD is good," and "blessed is the man who trusts in him." In the New Testament, James 1:17 tells us that: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights."

*Every bit of the good in our lives is a gracious gift from God, so we should always trust in His goodness. Today's Scripture helps us see why.

1. TRUST GOD FIRST, BECAUSE HE HATES INJUSTICE.

*Proverbs 6:16-19 gives us a list of 7 things the LORD hates: "A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren."

*That Scripture sounds like a checklist of the injustice suffered by John the Baptist. He had done nothing that deserved prison and death. But John was cruelly murdered by a proud, corrupt ruler, who went along with his scheming, vengeful wife.