Take a Bold Stand for the Lord Jesus Christ!
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 14:1-12
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared June 11, 2022)
MESSAGE:
*Over the last few weeks, we have been studying Matthew 13, and there Jesus began to explain His Kingdom to His followers. The Lord taught them through a series of 8 parables. For example, in Matthew 13:45-46, Jesus said, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
*Jesus wants us to know that nothing could possibly be more valuable to us than His Kingdom. And I hope you can honestly say that Jesus Christ is your king, because He is the King of all kings. I also hope you can honestly say that Jesus is your king, because the only place where we can live forever is in the Kingdom of Heaven.
*Today we begin to focus on Matthew 14, and in vs. 1-12 the Holy Spirit led Matthew to look back and tell us about the vicious murder of John the Baptist. The way John lived and died can help us take a bold stand for Jesus today.
1. FIRST: WE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE IN A GREAT SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE.
*John the Baptist reminds us that we are part of the struggle that has brought destruction and death ever since Satan rebelled against God.
*It may not seem like it when we are eating donuts in Sunday School, but Christians, we are soldiers in the greatest army the world will ever see. And though our ultimate victory is absolutely guaranteed by God, we face opposition that is dangerous and determined, so we must not be surprised by growing hostility.
*In Ephesians 6:10-13 Paul revealed our true enemies, and there he said:
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
*The devil and the other fallen angels are our true enemies, but in these days they have a massive and growing influence in the world. Many people follow the devil willingly, and many more follow him unwittingly, because of their spiritual blindness. Paul spoke of this truth in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 where he said, "If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them."
*Since these people have been spiritually blinded by the devil, many of them hate Christians with murderous passion. And why do they hate us? Jesus told us in John 15:18-21, and there the Lord said:
18. "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
19. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20. Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.
21. But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me."
*John the Baptist ran into a buzz-saw of opposition when he stood up for the Lord, and the same thing can happen to us. John took his stand against Herod the Tetrarch, and was murdered in cold blood.
*Let me remind you that there are several men in the New Testament referred to as "Herod." They weren't Jews, but natives of nearby Idumea, and they were appointed to rule by the Roman Empire. The first was known as "Herod the Great," and though he expanded the Temple in Jerusalem, he was a vicious monster of a tyrant who had zero interest in keeping God's Law. This is 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. In Luke 13:32, Jesus called him "that fox" because of his craftiness. (1)
*Jerry Shirley explained that "Herod the Tetrarch was well known for living in luxury. Jesus once warned of the dangers of the 'leaven of Herod,' which I believe is materialism and fleshly appetites. This Herod was a drunken, depraved man. His son was Herod Agrippa, who imprisoned Peter and killed the Apostle John's brother, James." (2)
*The Herods were a terribly wicked family. And vs. 1-4 here look back at the fierce and growing opposition 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 had put John in prison, but popular opinion was running against the Tetrarch, so in vs. 5 we read that "although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet."
*Then in vs. 6-8, we see 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 and seductive dance from a girl who was 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.''
*Behind-the-scenes conspiracy and intrigue. Is it any better today? I doubt it, and if we really knew all the dark things being plotted in our world we might be completely overwhelmed. But God knows what's going on, and we can always trust Him to triumph over evil!
*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."
*That's how bad it was in the first century. Could it get that bad here in the 21st century? In many places around our world, it already IS that bad. Many millions of Christians today face evil in the highest places.
*In 2020, Forbes reported that 260 million Christians live in the top 50 countries where believers face dangerous levels of persecution. I'm talking about places like North Korea, China, Somalia, Libya, and Pakistan.
*"Open Doors" reported that the number of Christians killed in 2020 went up 60% over the year before. They also reported that anti-Christian governments around the world have used COVID-19 restrictions to persecute God's Church. That's no surprise because we have also seen it here in the United States. (3)
*By God's grace, Christians in America have mostly been spared from persecution by ungodly political leaders. That's because our forefathers were mostly God-fearing Christians, and they exalted God in our founding documents. Listen to these words from our Declaration of Independence:
"IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. . ."
*By God's grace, Christians in the United States are still among the freest people in the world. But our religious liberty is under growing assault from government officials openly hostile to Bible-believing Christians.
*This hostility should not surprise us because about 60 years ago our Supreme Court voted to remove prayer and the Bible from public schools. The damage to our society has been catastrophic. Removing the truth of God's Word from schools opened the floodgate for all kinds of lies to take hold.
*Tragically, we live in what's called the "postmodern era." Many millions of people have been deceived to believe that there is no such thing as objective truth. You can have your truth, and I can have mine. They are much more likely to base their "truth" on feelings rather than facts. And they are growing ever more detached from reality.
*How bad has it gotten? In October 2018, the Christian Institute of England reported on a survey by the Coalition for Marriage. Among the 2,000 people asked, 32 percent supported self-definition of race. Nineteen percent thought it was okay for people to choose their age. They think if I get up in the morning and decide I want to be 43, I can! But for that matter, why stop there? I'll be 23.
*Ten percent of those people also said it was okay for you to choose your own species. In other words: If I get up tomorrow and decide I want to be a horse, that's what I will be. (4)
*This is the kind of nonsense people can believe when they reject the reality of truth, -- especially when they reject the greatest Truth of all: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
*Multitudes of people reject truth today. They think truth doesn't matter. But the truth is that the truth always matters. The next time I get on a plane, and the gauges say there's plenty of jet fuel in the tank, I want those gauges to be telling the truth!
*Thank God, Christians, we can always count on the truth of God's Word. We have received the eternal Truth, Jesus Christ! And we know that the truth matters to God.
*But the false teachers have been highly successful in our country over the last 50 years. Belief in God and the Bible as the true Word of God has radically declined.
*The Family Research Council reported Barna research showing that from 1991 to 2021, belief in the existence of the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect Creator God has dropped from 86% to 46%. Belief that the Bible is the reliable Word of God has dropped from 70% to 41%. And only 35% of America's young adults believe in the existence of the true and living God. (5)
*Most of these people are simply victims of the lies. But many are determined enemies of the cross. They hate us, and they will try to hurt us. So, Christians, we must recognize that we are in a great spiritual struggle.
2. WE ALSO MUST STRIVE TO LIVE BY GOD'S STANDARDS.
*John the Baptist was totally devoted to God's standards in vs. 4. There John confronted Herod about marrying his sister-in-law. And John plainly told Herod: "It is not lawful for you to have her."
*William MacDonald explained that "Herod had abandoned his wife and had been living in an adulterous, incestuous relationship with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. As a prophet of God, John the Baptist could not let this pass without rebuke. Indignantly and fearlessly, he pointed his finger at Herod and denounced him for his immorality.
*The king was angry enough to kill John, but it was not politically expedient. The people recognized John as a prophet, and might have reacted violently against John's execution. So, the tyrant settled for having his tormenter thrown into prison. (6)
*But by vs. 10 John the Baptist was dead, -- because he was totally devoted to God's standards. And God wants us to live with total devotion to Him. But what if we fall short of God's standards? And we will. What are we to do? God tells us to repent, confess our sins to Him, and trust in the Lord who died for our sins.
*God is never surprised. Jesus Christ knew about all of our sins when He died on the cross for us. He will certainly forgive anyone who turns to Him and trusts in Him for forgiveness and salvation. Trust in the Lord to save you. Then daily strive to live up to His standards of goodness, faithfulness, and love.
*This means saying "no" to our own sinful desires. Striving to live by God's standards can also mean saying "no" to a friend who wants us to do something wrong, or saying "no" to a co-worker who wants us to cut corners. And it can mean turning the other cheek, taking less than we deserve, going farther than we were asked to go, or doing the right thing when nobody else seems to care.
*Nobody else may care, but God cares, so we must strive to live by His standards!
3. WE ALSO MUST LIVE FOR THE LORD IN A SACRIFICIAL WAY.
*In vs. 9-10, Matthew wrote that "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. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison."
*John the Baptist made the greatest sacrifice for our Lord. He gave his life. In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln called this kind of sacrifice "the last full measure of devotion." And only Heaven knows how many Christians have laid down their lives for the cause of Christ.
*Talking about one of those believers, John Piper said, "There is something very powerful about a testimony where your life is at stake. That's the power we feel when we hear Richard Wurmbrand tell us of Tahir Iqbal. Tahir was a Muslim convert to Christianity who was imprisoned December 7, 1990, in Lahore, Pakistan.
*Tahir died in prison July 19, 1992. He was a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair. When asked about the possibility of being hanged he replied, 'I will kiss my rope, but will never deny my faith.'"
*John Piper added, "That kind of talk from prison is like a stiff, wakening, winter wind in the face of our drowsy, television-soaked, self-pitying kind of Christianity. It wakes us up, and makes us dress spiritually for the winter battles." (7)
*Sometimes standing up for Jesus calls us to the greatest sacrifice. And though we may never be called to physically die for Jesus, we are certainly called live in a sacrificial way every day.
*In Luke 9:22-24 Jesus began to tell His disciples about His suffering and death, and there He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it."
*Fred Craddock gave this great explanation of a sacrificial life for the Lord: "To give my life for Christ appears glorious, to pour myself out for others, to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom: 'I'll do it. I'm ready, Lord, to go out in a blaze of glory.' We think that giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1,000 bill and laying it on the table. 'Here's my life, Lord. I'm giving it all.'
*But the reality for most of us is that He sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. Then, we go through life putting out 25 cents here, and 50 cents there. We listen to the neighbor kid's troubles instead of saying, 'Get lost'. We go to a committee meeting for the church. We give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home," or we pray for others in need, we donate for missions, we help in VBS, we give testimonies about what God has done ln our lives, or we serve God in a hundred other ways.
*"Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious in this world at all. Most people won't even notice, because it's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time." Christians: We must live for the Lord in a sacrificial way. (8)
4. AND WE MUST GO TO JESUS FOR THE STRENGTH TO STAND.
*How are we ever going to find the strength to take a stand for the Lord? We must get it from the Lord Himself. This is our great lesson from the disciples of John the Baptist. In vs. 12, John's "disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus."
*After their teacher had been murdered, they paid their last respects by burying John's body, but most important of all, they "went and told Jesus."
*Norm Beckett explained that "The disciples of John were stunned and shocked, but they went to Jesus. The unexpected had happened, their world was shaken, they had lost their friend and leader, but they went and told Jesus. They were devastated, they were sad, they were discouraged, but they went and told Jesus!
*The same kind of storms can hit our lives. The unexpected can take us by surprise. Our world can shake with events that hit us with a jolt. Things can happen that cause us pain and sadness. In a sense, just like John's disciples our lives can be brutalized, this fallen world can knock us to the ground, but we can go and tell Jesus, and He will give us the strength we need!" (9)
*Keep going to Jesus Christ for the strength you need. As Paul urged in Ephesians 6:10, "Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
*Jesus Christ is the Lord God Almighty. He had the power to lay down His life for our sins and the power to take it up again. Jesus died on the cross for us and three days later rose again from the dead. And the mighty power of his resurrection is already at work in all who believe.
*That's why in Ephesians 1:19-21, Paul prayed for Christians to know:
19. . . the exceeding greatness of His (the Heavenly Father's) power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
20. which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21. far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
*In Ephesians 3:14-16, Paul also said:
14. For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15. from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16. that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.
*Christians: We can be "strong in the Lord, and the power of his might," because the Lord is our ever present source of strength. This is why in Philippians 4:13, with all of his suffering, hardship and trouble, the Apostle Paul could say: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
*And when Paul wrote his very last letter, he told Timothy this:
16. At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.
17. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
*Paul was "strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." He never could have stood in his own strength, and neither can we. We must look to the Lord.
*Kent Crockett told an old story about a pastor traveling on a bus down a bumpy road. A college student was seated next to the preacher, and he noticed that the pastor was reading his Bible.
*Almost out of the blue, the preacher asked: "Are you spiritually ready for the temptations that you will face in college?" The young man answered: "I don't have a problem with temptation. I have strong willpower."
*The preacher then took a pencil out of his pocket and said: "I can make this pencil stand up on the cover of this Bible even though the bus ride is bumpy."
*The young man said, "I'll believe it when I see it. I don't think you can do it."
-"Look, I am doing it," the pastor replied.
*"Yeah, but you didn't tell me you would hold the pencil up with your hand."
-"I didn't have to tell you," the pastor said. "Have you ever seen a pencil stand up on its own without someone holding it?"
*Then the preacher let go of the pencil. Of course, it instantly fell over and the preacher said, "The only reason you can stand, is because God is holding you up with His hand." (10)
CONCLUSION:
*So, put your trust in Jesus Christ today! Receive our crucified and risen King of Kings as your Lord and Savior. Then keep going to Jesus for the strength you need, and take a bold stand for the Lord Jesus Christ!
(1) Sources:
-WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Matthew 12:14; Mark 3:6
-Got Questions: Who were the Herodians? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herodians.html
-Got Questions: Who are the various Herods mentioned in the Bible? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herods.html
-Got Questions: What was Herod's temple? - https://www.gotquestions.org/Herod-third-temple.html
-"Jewish Palestine at the time of Jesus" - "The political situation" - Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jesus/Jewish-Palestine-at-the-time-of-Jesus
-"Bible History - The Life of Jesus in Harmony - Herod And The Herodians - THE HERODS" - https://bible-history.com/jesus/herod-and-the-herodians
(2) SermonCentral sermon "Death of a Conscience" by Jerry Shirley - Matthew 14:1-12
(3) Sources:
-"Persecuted Christians Are Not Given Much Hope In 2020" by Ewelina U. Ochab - Feb 18, 2020 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2020/02/18/persecuted-christians-are-not-given-much-hope-in-2020/?sh=7f74af646889
-"60% rise in Christians killed worldwide in 2020: Open Doors report" by Jackson Elliott, Christian Post Reporter - Thursday, January 14, 2021 - https://www.christianpost.com/news/open-doors-finds-60-rise-in-christians-killed-worldwide-in-2020.html
-For information about persecution in Nigeria, also see: "International Religious Freedom - The Crisis of Christian Persecution in Nigeria" by Lela Gilbert - February 2021 Edition - https://www.frc.org/issueanalysis/the-crisis-of-christian-persecution-in-nigeria
-HORROR: At Least 50 People Killed in "Satanic Attack" on Nigerian Catholic Church in Bloody Massacre - By Cristina Laila - Published June 5, 2022 - https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2022/06/horror-least-50-people-killed-satanic-attack-nigerian-catholic-church-bloody-massacre/
(4) "The Christian Institute" - Wilberforce House 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE12 8DG - The Christian Institute is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England as a charity. Company No. 263 4440 Charity No. 100 4774. A charity registered in Scotland. Charity No. SC039220. - Copyright The Christian Institute.
(5) Sources:
-"New Barna Research Reveals Extent of America's Loss of Faith" - June 22, 2021 - Family Research Council - by Molly Carman and David Closson - https://www.frc.org/blog/2021/06/new-barna-research-reveals-extent-americas-loss-faith
-Foundations of Freedom October 2021 - "New Insights into the Generation of Growing Influence: Millennials in America" - A Research Report by George Barna - Section: "Various Beliefs about God or A Higher Power"
(6) BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "John the Baptist Beheaded" - Matthew 14:1-12 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(7) Nov. 8, 1992 - Bethlehem Baptist Church - John Piper, Pastor - ONE LORD, ONE SPIRIT, ONE BODY FOR ALL TIME AND ALL PEOPLES
(8) Adapted from KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 2687 - SOURCE: Leadership Vol. 5, no. 4 - TITLE: The Practical Implications Of Consecration - AUTHOR: Darryl Bell, Maple Grove, Minnesota - DATE: 1984 Fall
(9) Adapted from SermonCentral sermon "Tell It to Jesus" by Norm Beckett - Matthew 14:1-12
(10) Adapted from MAKING TODAY COUNT FOR ETERNITY by Kent Crockett, Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, p. 123
