Sermon Central
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It's All About Relationship
Contributed by Jon Mackinney on May 27, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: It's great to know tht this great God of ours, rather than invite us to unremitting labor to earn His favor, calls us to relationship that is restful.
Passage: Matthew 1:25-30
Intro: This is a fascinating little passage that is incredibly theological.
1. deals with the nature and exclusivity of Jesus, as well as the perplexing questions of election, clarity of revelation, and invitation.
2. I hope you will bear with me as I seek to understand the Word of God and the plan of God.
3. I was told in seminary never to preach questions, but on some issues you just have to break the rules!
4. let’s dive into a passage which most of the guys I looked at ignored in favor of vv28-30!
5. tempting, but we won’t yield!
I. A Mystery Explained, (I Hope)
1. several things to notice about v25
2. Jesus is happy about the truth expressed here.
3. includes two things: the hiding of “these things” from some people, and the revealing of them to others.
4. “these things,” in context, clearly point to the revelation about Jesus referred to earlier.
5. saw last week, some responded appropriately, others not.
6. v26, Jesus liked it, God is pleased by it.
7. first blush, run to the “election” debate and interpret based on our viewpoint.
8. but let’s break it down
9. first, notice the active sense of the verbs, “you have hidden, have revealed”
10. now our tendency is to jump directly to God’s elective purposes, but we need to slow down.
11. first thing, this “hiding and revealing” is very specific.
12. “from the wise and learned”, “to little children.”
13. don’t focus on earned degrees here, or age.
PP “The contrast here is between those who are self-sufficient and deem themselves wise and those who are dependent and love to be taught.”
DA Carson
14. but recognize the glimmer of cause and effect here.
15. hidden specifically from the wise (proud, arrogant)
16. and revealed to those who are willing to listen and learn.
17. 2nd thing we need to remember is that there has been some revelation from God that He refers to as completely clear, unhidden
PP Romans 1:19-20 “made it plain”
18. so there has been some revelation from God that has been absolutely clear; enough to hold people accountable for their response.
19. we don’t have to equate revelation or hiddeness with final election or non- election
20. if something is hidden from you, you can’t understand the code.
PP string of code
21. in this case, the wise and learned have rejected the clear revelation of God and now look for truth where it cannot be found, where it is very actively “hidden” from them .
22. and the “little children” who believe the unhidden truth now are enabled to access the further revelation of Jesus.
23. Did God enable them to see? Maybe.
24. does not mean they must respond, but they can understand it.
25. whatever the final understanding, Jesus is pleased with the plan and purpose of God.
II. In the End, It’s All About Jesus
1. v27 is an amazing. Much like another verse we love:
PP John 14:6
2. but look at this amazing statement!
3. God’s entire plan, revelation, judgment, redemption has been entrusted to Jesus.
PP We entrust our money to this thing!
4. The Father and the Son have exclusive relational knowledge of each other, and if you want to know either one of them, you have to go thru the other.
5. God opens our eyes (reveals) the Son to us, and the Son then opens our eyes to know the Father.
6. and all this is consistent with the hiding revealing mystery we have already looked at.
7. He is “the Word of God”, the character and nature of God in human flesh, the perfect embodiment of the desire of God to be reconciled to His lost and dying children.
8. is it any wonder that the Bible calls Him:
PP Revelation 1:17b-18,
9. when our eyes are opened, when the truth is revealed, we see Jesus!
III. The Incredible Invitation to Relationship
1. we can’t miss the amazing intimacy of these statements!
2. starting in v27, with the “me, my”
3. and then it crescendos like a mighty orchestra
4. “Come to me, all who are weary.”
5. weary of what? Chasing Satan’s silly substitutes, finding nothing but dust at the end of a road filled with promises that turned out to be lies.
6. tired of banging around the jail cell picking up one toy and then another, only to find emptiness.
Il) talked to a guy at FTH who was desperate to quit drinking. It had cost him everything.
7. and to that person and everyone else that Satan has deluded, but whose eyes are being opened to see the true nature of the darkness, Jesus offers….himself!
