Matthew 16:1-4, Robert Canipe

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Robert Canipe- FBC Newton, NC

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Well, Chris is not here and Rob is not here. So you get the third string but Don't worry.
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You're in good hands. I've had my coffee and I've had my brain filled this morning Okay, those things covered up to just about right now
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The rest of the service there's no promises But I will say this
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I know who I am so we will will trust in the spirit this morning That he'll he'll work through he's already been working praise him for the songs that we've sung the
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Supper that we've taken. He's already been working And I want to give this caveat. Oh, I didn't put it on the
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The picture, but if you want to write down the title when
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I come up for this week It could change next week. But for this week reading the signs if you want to give it a title
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But before I get started, I want to give give this caveat I'm so thankful for the conversation
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That I had this morning That some folks were listening to the podcast that we do and we talked about how there's differing
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Opinions that are that are brought forth and it was said that they're food food for thought things to think about and so what
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I want to offer you today is sometimes or most of the time if if I'm up here and I'm allowed to preach and the
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Lord gives me that opportunity and I may say some things or bring things up that you may have never heard before it may be different than what you've heard before you may disagree with and I'll just ask that you take it as food for thought
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And think about those things so if you will Join me with joy as we look at God's Word this morning.
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We're going to open up to Matthew chapter 16 Rob last week so kindly
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Shared with us the the feeding the feeding of the 4 ,000 the the seven loaves and fish and then
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Rob dropped Jesus off across the Sea of Galilee in the region of Magadon and that's where Rob left us last week.
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So now we are in Matthew chapter 16 verses 1 through 4 and let's read that together
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The Pharisees and Sadducees came up and Testing Jesus they asked him to show them a sign from heaven
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But he replied to them when it is evening You say it will be fair weather for the skies red and in the morning there will be a storm today
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For the skies red and threatening Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky?
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But cannot discern the signs of the times an Evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and a sign will not be given it except the sign of Jonah And he left them and went away.
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I've got my spectacles up here just in case You never know what might happen a big theme here in this portion is seeing and not seeing
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Jesus and the scriptures often use seeing in different ways to see literally or to understand
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And it caused me to reflect on my own life about how I see things I see the beauty in my children
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So I'll take a picture and I'll show it everybody else to see how beautiful my children are or I see the beauty in My wife and then
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I think about the idea of I can never say this word Familiarity if you understand what
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I'm saying familiarity I think about how that creeps in in marriage and it sads me so much how
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Familiarity creeps in marriage and then it causes us not to see it clouds our mind and it causes us not to see
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Anymore the beauty of our wife or husband But I want to see
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And continue to see that beauty. I See the beauty of a sunset And I think about how wonderful it is, but seeing the beauty of the sunset also helps me to see and Understand the glory of God and his goodness and how powerful he is
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Those are just some examples, of course from my life. Here are some examples from Scripture just a few verses
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From Matthew the book that we're going through today Matthew 5a blessed are the pure in heart for they will see
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God Let your light shine before me and in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven
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Matthew 7 to 5 you hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye and Then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye
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Matthew 8 4 and Jesus said to him see that you tell No one but go show yourself to the priest and present present the offering that Moses commanded you to testimony
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Then also think about where Jesus says Unless you're born again, you will not see the kingdom of heaven.
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So it's it's used many many times in Scripture and in different ways but I don't think
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I Don't think that this is the main point of this passage. I Think seeing and not seeing is a symptom that they have of a greater inward trouble
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But I don't think it's the main point of the passage Matthew is the book of the kingdom
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Matthew is trying to present to us that Jesus is King so I think it's imperative as we walk through Matthew and as we continue to Go verse by verse and we look through all these chapters and verses in Matthew that we take
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Matthew's intention and That's what we try to pull out from the text
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Matthew is the gospel of the kingdom and Matthew's trying to show us that Jesus is King So I think we will arrive at our main point from that information
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That Jesus is King And I'm not gonna spool it I'll let you know when we get there what
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I think the main point of the text is So looking at the first verse in chapter 16 the
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Pharisees and Sadducees came up now this was this was a pretty common pattern for the
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Pharisees as We've already been through Matthew up to chapter 16
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We've seen the Pharisees coming up to Jesus and oftentimes is the scribes and Pharisees scribes and Pharisees so this is a pretty common occurrence, but what's not a common occurrence is that it's the
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Pharisees and Sadducees This is only the second appearance of the
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Sadducees in Matthew these two groups were polar opposites the
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Sadducees were They had higher positions of power and authority The Pharisees were more among the people and the teachers of the people they were they were polar opposites
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They they disagreed on on a ton of things. They didn't work together and the
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Sadducees Very rarely came out of Jerusalem So in this scenario where you have the
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Pharisees and the Sadducees who's left Jerusalem to come up To see Jesus is a very rare occurrence and it's very strange and peculiar peculiar especially since they don't work with the
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Pharisees and It's amazing that the time that they do work with the Pharisees is to come against Jesus They do find unity in that So, why is it that the
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Sadducees are coming up? Why were they called upon to come up to work here with the
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Pharisees? One of the big differences between the Pharisees and Sadducees is that the
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Sadducees they did not believe in the resurrection and I think that's From what
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I'm seeing and I'll use that word One of our words they seen from what I see
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That could be one of the reasons why the Sadducees were called upon to come work With the
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Pharisees you see a couple couple verses earlier a couple chapters earlier You run into Herod and Herod heard of Jesus and the works of Jesus and Herod makes this comment.
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He says This is John raised from the from the dead. That's why he has all this power
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So if Herod is spreading this rumor around that this is Really John the
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Baptist raised from the dead. That's why he has all these powers and that connection with the Sadducees not believing
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Believing in the resurrection that that's might be one of the reasons why they came with the Pharisees The first appearance that you have with the
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Sadducees is at the beginning of Matthew When John the Baptist is on the scene, he's baptizing and all of Jerusalem It says along with Sadducees come to see
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John the Baptist and they could be coming to see what he's all about or if he is the Messiah and Then if you do have this rumor from here that it might be
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John the Baptist resurrected It could be a good reason why the Sadducees felt the need to come back out
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They'd already went out to see him once they may be coming out to see if it's him but whatever their reason is for coming out it was to come against Jesus and To test him to tempt him to trap him
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They did not go to tempt him or to test him because they believed
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They were going to tempt trap test Jesus Because of their unbelief if they were to call upon a sign from him
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Asking him to substantiate who he was and He failed Then they had him so they were coming out because their unbelief to trap him to tempt him to stop him
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But what was this sign from heaven that they were talking about? I think most of us if we were just Doing a regular general reading of this passage most of us we would interpret this to mean that all the
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Pharisees and Sadducees were looking for a Just a general sign that you could claim that this was from God You couldn't do this in any other circumstance.
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There's no question that this came from God But he had already been doing those things that could only come from God and it may be true that That's what they were asking for a sign that only could come from God Matthew doesn't specifically say that and I think it's okay to look at other options about what kind of sign from heaven that they were looking for from Jesus The first one is this if you look at the context
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What's the analogy that Jesus gives you see the sky in the evening? It's red in the morning.
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It's red and this is what it means It could have been that the Pharisees and Sadducees were asking him for a a physical sign
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That Maybe he could rearrange the constellations or he could cause the
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Sun to go dark or He could paint the sky a different color That was the context that's the analogy that Jesus used it could be that they were looking for an actual physical sign
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I mean Jesus had already walked on water He had changed water into wine He had multiplied multiplied food out of nothing he had done all this healing from sickness and infirmities
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And he's already done all this other earthly type stuff. Maybe they were looking for a physical sign
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Now these other two probably weren't things that the Sadducees and Pharisees were actually looking for I Put them in here because they were so obvious because it has the word sign in it
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But what it does tell us with these other two examples is that This is how the
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Pharisees and Sadducees should have been operating This is the connections that they should have been making.
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So for example Were they looking for the sign of Emanuel? What's the sign of Emanuel Isaiah 7 14?
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The Lord himself will give you a sign a virgin will be with child very son.
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I call him Emanuel the sign of Emanuel now that they probably weren't looking or asking for that sign, but as an example this is how the they should have been making connections with the
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Old Testament a second one would be you remember the angels that came to the shepherds glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill to men and This will be a sign to you that the child will be wrapped in swallowing clothes lying in a manger
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This is how their mind should have been working and making these connections Here's my next example is another is one of those
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Controversial examples. I'm I'm inserting things into my my sermon to give you food for thought.
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So so take it as food for thought Later in Matthew chapter 24
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Jesus will be telling his disciples about a sign that he's drawing from the
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Old Testament And this sign specifically comes out of the book of Daniel Matthew chapter 24 verse 30 and the sign of the
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Son of Man will appear in the sky and Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see and here's the sign in the sky
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They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds or come Yeah coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory
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Of course, we've not got to Matthew chapter 24 and and they have not heard this yet but again
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This is the connection. This is how they should have been making connections with the Old Testament. I Do want us to read where Jesus gets that so if you will flip quickly to Daniel chapter 7 those of you who have
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Had discussions with me about eschatology eschatology just means the study of in things or in times
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I Enjoy inserting things about eschatology in here. So this is this is food for thought so remember
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Jesus is quoting pulling from Daniel in Matthew 24, this is where he's pulling from and There to be looking for this sign in the sky of the
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Son of Man coming on the clouds Daniel 7 verses 13 through 14 and I hope it challenges you to challenges you to think
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I Kept looking in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven one light the
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Son of Man was coming and he came up To the ancient of days and was presented before him and To him was given dominion glory in a kingdom that all the peoples and nations
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Men of every language might serve him his dominion is everlasting dominion, which will not pass away
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And his kingdom is one which will never be destroyed so the passage that Jesus is quoting in Matthew chapter 24 is that of Daniel 7 and The Pharisees and Sadducees could be saying show us the sign that we're hearing about in Daniel and Jesus could have done it right there on the spot
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The Son of Man will be coming up in the clouds going to the ancient of days
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Could have been asking for that sign, but whatever sign that they were looking for we don't know these are just examples
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We do know that their motivation was to test temp and trap Jesus to stop him
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That was their motivation. That was number one the test number number two versus two and three the reveal
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Jesus said when it is evening You say it will be fair weather For the skies red and in the morning there will be a storm today for the sky is red and threatening
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Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky but cannot discern the signs of the times?
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This is why I said earlier that Jesus using this analogy speaks to a physical sign as a possibility
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But what I believe Jesus is saying to them here in this analogy is that discerning whether or not
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Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy that he's the Coming Messiah that he's the
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Son of Man that he's the Son of God Should be as easy and obvious to you religious leaders as being able to Read the sky and predict the weather
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But since they can't see it shows how blind they are and it actually shows us the depravity of man
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Who we really are apart from Christ that we can't see apart from Christ What were the signs that they should have been able to see and Here again,
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I'm talking about the connections that they should have been making as religious leaders They should have been able to do what the author of Hebrews does
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Hebrews is known as one of the most biblical books in the Old Testament. Why because it quotes the Old Testament so much
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Revelation being the most biblical book in the New Testament because it quotes the
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Old Testament the most But Hebrews quoting the Old Testament is saying look
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Jesus Fulfilled this and Jesus fulfilled that and since he fulfilled this and fulfilled that he's greater than those things that you had
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He's greater than that thing that you had so this should have been the connection that the
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Pharisees and Sadducees should have been making as they Because they knew their Old Testament They knew it and they should have been making these connections that the author of Hebrews made
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We could go back to the beginning of Matthew and these religious leaders should have been doing what
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Matthew has done If you if you go back to the portions of Matthew that we've already been through you'll see where especially at the beginning
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You'll see where Matthew says This was done to fulfill this and he quotes an
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Old Testament passage and Again, just trying to show you that the connection that they should have been making just like Matthew does
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This was done to fulfill that which was in the Old Testament If you look at a matter
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Matthew chapter 11 verse 4 through 6 Among all the others that we've mentioned
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You'll remember the story of John John the Baptist and he says Can you go ask and see if he's the one that we're really supposed to be looking for?
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So his his disciples go to Jesus and Jesus says report back to John and this is what you were to tell
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John The blind received sight and the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and the deaf here
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The dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them and blessed
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It is he who does not take offense at me. These were all things prophesied that he fulfilled as the
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Messiah Jesus is saying John and your disciples Look at these signs that affirm and confirm who
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I am who I say I am Pharisees and Sadducees should have been doing the same thing.
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I've got one more for you one more challenging thought for you and it should have been a sign that the
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Pharisees and Sadducees been looking for as I've already brought up Daniel. I love to have
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Daniel close by when I'm reading Matthew The religious leaders should have known or they didn't know their
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Old Testament front to back they would have known Daniel as well Let me share something with you in Daniel that the religious leaders should have been seeing themselves in a portion of Daniel Daniel is reminding his original audience that They were in exile in Babylon and He's saying to his original audience
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He says this 70 years that God promised we would be in exile. It's coming to an end
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Being encouraged is coming to an end We've almost made it and then they did make it and God's promise was fulfilled
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That those 70 years God promised they would be in exile was exactly that and then they really were released
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Soon after that in Daniel Daniel gives a prophecy of the future of a 70 weeks most scholars are all scholars agree that it's
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To be interpreted as 70 weeks of years Many today and you may be familiar with this many today put a gap in between the 69th and 70th week in Daniel but Daniel doesn't do that and God didn't do that in the 70 years of exile and he didn't he didn't do that with the 70 weeks
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In fact, it reads as if it should be a continuous length of time and I believe from what
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I see that this is one of the reasons why the Magi Knew when to be looking for the
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Messiah to come because if you look in Daniel Daniel knew and worked with the wise men in Babylon and that information that Daniel gave to the wise men in Babylon is
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Could have been carried down through the ages and That's how they knew to look for the
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Messiah to come and when to look for him But if you look at Daniel in the 70 weeks
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It says that from the time of the decree of the temple to be rebuilt It'll be 70 weeks of years.
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Well in Ezra chapter 5 Cyrus decrees the temple to be rebuilt and it was and if you calculate the time
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And I'm just sharing with you what the Pharisees and Sadducees should have been doing Exactly what the Magi did if you calculate that time look it up one continuous 70 weeks of years the 69th week would have landed on the baptism of Jesus and Then in Daniel it says in the middle of that three and a half years an event will happen that will put an end to sacrifice
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What happened three and a half years later in the middle of that week Jesus was crucified putting an end to the need of sacrifices and Then the 70th week started when
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Stephen was stoned and he looked up in the clouds Opened up and he saw Jesus at the right hand of the father the place of authority
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And so it all fits it all works together But I and I insert that kind of as a personal enjoyment of eschatology, but It's also to show what the religious leader should have been doing what they should have known what they should have seen
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But they didn't One of the greatest signs that I see
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And you can flip over to it in Matthew chapter 12 just a few chapters back This is a really great sign
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Matthew chapter 12 verses 24 through 28, and this is the last one But when the
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Pharisees heard this they said this man cast out demons by Beelzebub The ruler of the demons and knowing their thoughts
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Jesus said to him any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste and Any city or house divided against itself will not stand if Satan cast out
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Satan He is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
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If I by Beelzebub Cast out demons by whom do your sons cast out cast them out for this reason?
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They will be your judges But if I cast out demons by the
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Spirit of God Then here's the sign then the kingdom of God has come upon so when you see
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The Son of Man Demons being cast out by the Spirit of God Which is what was happening because the other way the way they were thinking is not logical and he's showing them that you can't
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Satan can't cast out Satan his house will fall it'll be a house divided I'm casting out demons by the
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Spirit of God and when you see demons being cast out by the Spirit of God You've seen the kingdom come and the kingdom is here
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And that's what Jesus says at the beginning of Matthew in the beginning of Mark repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand
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To me one of the greatest signs that they should have should have been clicking for them. They should have been looking for Verse 4
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We'll look at the judgment and Jesus authority verse 4 an Evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign and a sign will not be given it except the sign of Jonah They left them and went away
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Because of their desire to see Additional signs Jesus called them evil for the religious leaders.
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The grace of God was not enough They wanted
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Jesus on their own terms Most of us are probably familiar with the fact that the the
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Jewish leaders People of Israel at that time. They were looking for a and I think they still are a political military leader
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To come in and make Israel The greatest kingdom and to conquer they didn't want the
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Jesus of the Bible. They didn't want to do things God's way and Once again, they reject
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God's way So Jesus calls them them evil for seeking additional signs because of their unbelief
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Jesus calls them adulterous If one is not trusting in God Their trust is somewhere else
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Jesus calls them evil and adulterous From what
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I see These words are a pronouncement of judgment by Jesus on these people
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This judgment is reiterated in Matthew chapter 21 first in in verses 31 and 32
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Which of the two did the will of his father they said the first Jesus said to them
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Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God Before you for John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him
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But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe in him and you here's a word seeing this did not even feel remorse after so as I as to believe in him and Then 42 and 44
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Jesus said to them. Did you never read in the scriptures? The stone was which the builders rejected this became the chief cornerstone
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This came about from the Lord and it is marvelous. Here's a word in our eyes
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Therefore I say to you the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and give to a people producing fruit of it and He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls it will scatter him like dust
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So this was a pronouncement of judgment by Jesus To these people.
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So what does it mean that this type of generation? This even adulterous generation will not be given a sign.
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I Think it's very similar to their Relationship with the other signs that they were supposed to be seeing and looking for and understanding except in this case
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Their blindness is not going to come from themselves Jesus says you will not see he is causing their blindness the these future signs that have yet to be fulfilled
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Jesus says you will not be given understanding you will not see them
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Though these signs will be visible to the eye. Jesus will not entrust Understanding to them to this generation to see and understand them.
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Jesus condemned them for not seeing The signs that they should have been understood that were right in front of it their faces
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Jesus does however allow them to see and understand one sign He will give them the sign of Jonah But I don't think this is an act of mercy.
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I think this is an act of condemnation and I also think by giving them this sign the sign of Jonah is
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Where we see Jesus Revealing his authority his kingship and now we get to our main point of the text
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Not you revealing where Jesus revealed his authority and his a kingship his kingship
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And let me show you what I how I see that this question had actually been asked a little earlier
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Minus the Sadducees remember earlier was the Scribes and Pharisees Let show us a sign
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And Jesus answered them in a very similar Judgment type way this evil and adulterous generation
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You will not see a sign except for the sign of Jonah except in Matthew chapter 12
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He explains what the sign of Jonah is that he doesn't explain here and What is that sign of Jonah?
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How does Jesus explain it? He says that Jonah as Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights
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Jesus will be in the heart of the earth For three days and three nights. There's the sign of Jonah.
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What happened on the third day? He doesn't stay in the heart of the earth
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Jesus conquers death Jesus is alive. Jesus is risen. He doesn't stay there.
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He's out of there praise the Lord He is risen and he is alive. He is our Savior by Jesus conquering death rising from the grave
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He reveals to them and to us His authority his kingship by conquering death doing something that no one else can do and Of course, this would be the one of the ultimate signs that he is from God Therefore showing that he is authority also to make this judgment upon them
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That they are evil for their adulterous and the kingdom will be taken from them and given to somebody else
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And what does this say to the Sadducees? The Sadducees who didn't believe in the resurrection
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That they'll be given the ability to understand this one sign in the future the sign of Jonah.
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I Think Jesus is saying you you Sadducees that don't believe in the resurrection
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You will remember and you will understand this sign and when you see me on the other side
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You'll know that I've conquered death You'll know that I am who
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I say I am that I'm King of Kings and Lord of Lords Hallelujah So as we close, let me ask you this.
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So how do you and I see Jesus? Do we honor him as the king that he is?
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Is it evidence in our live? Is it evident in our lives? We need to educate and I'm gonna read this because I don't want to miss out any not that What I write is important or any good
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I just don't want to stumble over it and I'll I want to hear it and I want you to be able to hear it, too We need to educate ourselves and our children to see the glory of God and Christ authority in math in Science in art and in history.
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We need to show the glory of God in Christ authority in Serving God at our jobs in our families and in our church
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Jesus is the king over all the gates of hell will not prevail against the oncoming
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Church of Jesus Christ They shall know Jesus is
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King by our love for one another When we are slow to speak and quick to listen
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They will know that he is King when we are humble and show mercy They will know
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Jesus is King when we serve each other They will know that Jesus is
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King when we confront sin and false teaching and lies They will know
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Jesus is King when men act like men and women act like women they will know
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Jesus is King when we love our wives and respect and submit to our husbands
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They will know Jesus is King when children obey their parents. They'll know
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Jesus as King Because we have died to ourselves and been granted new life in Jesus Christ Let's pray together
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Father thank you for this passage of Scripture father.
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Thank you for teaching us. Thank you for teaching me Father I pray that you would edify us this morning with with your word that we may go out from here prepared
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To let people see that Jesus is King Through our lives our daily lives
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With the confidence that you are going with us and the gates of hell that try to stop us will not prevail
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But you have gained it earned it won it the victory
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It's already been accomplished in Jesus name. Thanks Robert.
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Would you all stand with us, please? I Will sing of my
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Redeemer and his wondrous Love to me on the cruel cross he suffered from the curse to set me free sing oh sing of my
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Redeemer with this Blood he purchased me on the cross
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He sealed my pardon Paid the debt
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And made me free I will tell the wondrous story
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How my lost Is day to say in his boundless Love and mercy he the ransom freely gave sing oh sing of my
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Redeemer with his blood He purchased me on the cross
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He sealed my pardon Paid the debt
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And made me free I Will praise my dear
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Redeemer his triumphant Power I'll tell how the victory
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Giveth over sin and death and hell sing oh sing of my
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Redeemer with his blood He purchased me on the cross
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He sealed my pardon Paid the debt
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And made me free I will sing of my
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Redeemer and his Heavenly love for me
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He from death to life hath brought me son of God with him to be sing oh sing of my
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Redeemer with his blood He purchased me on the cross
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He sealed my pardon Paid the debt
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And made me free Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blame us with Great joy to the only