God's Way To Measure Our Lives Series

God's Way to Measure Our Lives

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 11:12-27

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared February 24, 2022)

(Revised Feb. 26 to expand section on repentance.)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 11. In this chapter, John the Baptist had been suffering in prison for months. He was an innocent man locked up in a prison worse that we can imagine, and he would soon be sentenced to death. John had gone through so much hardship that he began to question if Jesus was truly the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. And in vs. 2-3 John sent two of his disciples to make sure about Jesus.

*Then in vs. 4-6

4. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:

5. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

6. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.''

*This was the perfect answer to John's question, because Jesus quoted two of Isaiah's prophecies about the coming Messiah. One was from Isaiah 35:5-6 and the other from Isaiah 61:1. Both of these prophecies were written about 700 years before Jesus was born, and John's disciples could see the indisputable proof that Jesus was fulfilling them all. (1)

*In vs. 7-11, John's disciples left to give him their report, and Jesus began to speak to the multitudes. Here Jesus measured John's life and said this to the crowd:

7. . . "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

8. But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

9. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

10. For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'

11. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

*The Lord declared John's greatness as the prophet who had come to prepare the way for the Messiah. But there were many people in that multitude who had rejected John's message. Many of them were also rejecting the promised Messiah. That man is Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, and only Savior of the world.

*The Lord went on to warn them of the horrible danger they faced by rejecting Him. Jesus was measuring their lives, but these verses also show us how to measure our lives. Please keep this in mind as we read Matthew 11:12-27.

MESSAGE:

*You know, there are a lot of different ways to measure things. Back when our kids were very small, and we were on the road, they would ask that famous question: "How much longer until we get there?"

*Well, they really didn't have a good concept of how long an hour was. But they did know how long a Big Bird show was, so we would say something like, "It's 4 more Big Bird shows," and they would get it.

*People measure things in a lot of different ways, and God is measuring things too. His measurements are the ones that matter, and in these verses, the Lord gives us four good ways to measure our lives. All we have to do is answer four questions.

1. THE FIRST QUESTION IS: HAVE I REJECTED GOD'S REPRESENTATIVES?

*That's what Jesus was getting at in vs. 12-19, where He said:

12. . . "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." (The NIV says, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.")

13. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

14. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come.

15. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

16. But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions,

17. and saying: 'We played the flute for you, And you did not dance; we mourned to you, And you did not lament.'

18. For John came neither eating nor drinking. . . (That means John didn't eat or drink things forbidden by the Old Testament Nazarite vow.)

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