Curtains

Matthew 23:33-39

As Author completes now his judgement of these characters who call themselves the Sanhedrin, the leaders of Israel, who have been planning to murder their own Messiah, the curtains close in this pronouncement of Jesus.

Woe we discussed, is not a good word. Woe: oùai: a state of intense hardship or distress—‘disaster, horror.’ He makes it very clear, as they breath out murder against Jesus that it is they who should fear. He will relate to them in Matthew 25:45–46  “ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”” Its difficult for us to imagine, but ask anyone who has suffered for years, death is like a release. But what if that release never came?

That’s the greatest torture souls feel in hell: in hell, that they must live and cannot die. —John Webster

Are we righteous of ourselves? No, it is only in Christ. With this in mind, lets see what Jesus says as the curtains close on this chapter. Lets see what we ended with, Matthew 23:29–32  “ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ 31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt.” and as the curtains close on this chapter, a prophecy is given that chills those who hear it, to the core of their beings.

The Brood 33-36

Matthew 23:33–36

Mt 23:33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

How could they? In Jesus right? How do they do that? What was the first thing He taught? Matthew 4:17  “ From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

As we continue, we will see that the destruction of Jerusalem is not the only judgement/condemnation. Its in this world and the next. Jesus told them in Isaiah 8:13  tells us: “ The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.” Matthew 10:28  “ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Mt 23:34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, Mt 23:35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Paul related in Ephesians 4:7–12  “ But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,”

So when we look at the book of acts, we see prophets, pastors, teacher (wise-men, scribes) some of which Paul imprisoned when he was activley persecuting the church.

Turn to gen 4, Righteous Abel, Genesis 4:1–8  “ Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” 8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.”

Both are image bearers. Whenever we kill someone, we kill a brother. At times, when men rise up to do evil, God will enable others to be the sword, to protect the innocent. But abel was the literal brother of the man who murdered him because God liked his offering better?

Zechariah, shows us two things. Sometimes our lives are forfeit for the cause of Christ. 2 Chronicles 24:20–21  “ Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ” 21 So they conspired against him, and at the command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord.”

From beginning, middle and end of the story of God establishing His word, we have tried to kill those who would save.

Also we see that being filled with the Spirit doesn’t guarantee what we might quantify as success. But as we enter into Christ, we die to this world. You can’t kill a dead man.

Mt 23:36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

This is occuring about 33AD - it would be less than 40 years when Jerusalem would be destroyed by Titus Vespasian.

When many of them perished before Titus, they would still face the promised judgement Jesus spoke of, and they would suffer. And are suffering now.

The light has come, and they are still in love with their darkness. Their murderous rejection tears at Jesus’ heart.

See the Desolate 37-39

Matthew 23:37

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!

Jesus’ appeal is to repent and come to Him! Even those that would literally murder Him are welcomed into the kingdom. Its a powerful thing He does, this incessant grace.

Abel, Zechariah, both murdered for being faithful to Yahweh, just as many would be slain at the hands of others of the synagogue of satan, those fellowships of any religion that would kill another for the sake of spreading their ideology.

These wings - Deuteronomy 32:9–12  “ For the Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the place of His inheritance. 10 “He found him in a desert land And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle stirs up its nest, Hovers over its young, Spreading out its wings, taking them up, Carrying them on its wings, 12 So the Lord alone led him, And there was no foreign god with him.”

Psalm 91:4  “ He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”

The price for this rejection, is severe. And he makes no qualms about it.

Matthew 23:38–39 

38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 

39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

Isaiah 49:5  “ “And now the Lord says, Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, So that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength),”

Psalm 118:26–29  “ Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord. 27 God is the Lord, And He has given us light; Bind the sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will praise You; You are my God, I will exalt You. 29 Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”

We have spoken about this, and Jesus is about to launch into his explanation of this end times in chapter 24. When he will gather them and they will see Him in His glory and repent. After the world is nearly ripped in half.

John 8:12  “ Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.””

What are you walking in? LIght or dark? 1 John 1:5–10  “ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”

PEOPLE HAVE A CHOICE. TO ANSWER HIS CALL, OR NOT. TO HEAR HIS VOICE AND LIVE, OR TURN AWAY. ITS THAT SIMPLE. LOOK,

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Salvation, Rejection Of

A certain atheistic barber was conversing with a minister as they rode through the slums of a large city. Said the unbeliever, “If there is a loving God, how can he permit all this poverty, suffering, and violence among these people? Why doesn’t he save them from all this?”

Just then a disheveled bum crossed the street. He was unshaven and filthy, with long scraggly hair hanging down his neck. The minister pointed to him and said, “You are a barber and claim to be a good one, so why do you allow that man to go unkempt and unshaven?”

“Why, why …” the barber stuttered, “he never gave me a chance to fix him up.”

“Exactly,” said the minister. “Men are what they are because they reject God’s help.”

You and I can share God’s love. God can pour His Spirit out on a man. Man can continue in his love for sin. We all have a choice. Choose today.