The Sin of Demanding Signs

The Sin of Demanding Signs

Matthew 12:38-42

When we read a text like this we may wonder if we have created a great sin. Most of us have asked God for a sign. To be clear the context this morning is unbelievers who refuse to believe in Jesus and demand He give them more proof that He is the Messiah.

We usually ask the Lord for a sign because we want some clarity in the will of God. We think of men like Gideon who asked for a sign from the Lord and received it. When we do things like that, we may not be rejecting Christ, but we are certainly not living in faith. The truth is we normally ask for a sign because we:

Have grown impatient with the Lord.

Are lazy in our study of Scripture

Afraid to do what we know is right

As believers we shouldn’t be asking God for signs. We should be studying the Word and patiently applying its principles to the situations of our life. The will of God may not always be clear, but the Word of God is always clear. If our focus is the Word of God and obeying it, we will find ourselves in the will of God.

This morning we will look at a group of people who did not care about the Word of God, the will of God or the Son of God. They revealed that by ignoring the Word of God, forsaking the will of God and rejecting the Son of God. We’re going to consider three things in this text:

1. It is a wicked thing to demand signs from God (38-39).

2. God has given the world the ultimate sign (40).

3. Many have believed God with less proof than we have (41-42).

I. It is a wicked thing to demand signs from God (38-39).

A. The religious leaders demand Jesus give them a sign.

They have already seen many signs.

People have been healed.

Demons have been cast out of people.

Why continue to ask Him?

1. It could be they are asking Him to do a miracle they believe would be too hard for Satan to do.

Illustration: Pharaohs magicians were able to copy some of the miracles performed by Moses. But there were others they could not replicate:

Dust into gnats. The magicians told Pharaoh “This is the finger of God” (Ex. 8:19).

2. It could be they were entertained by Jesus power.

There were those who treated Jesus like He was a carnival act.

Illustration: After being Beaten Jesus was sent by Pilate to King Herod.

Herod was excited to see Jesus. Luke 23:8 says :

“And when Herod saw Jesus he was exceeding glad…”

Now why was He glad?

Hear some great wisdom?

Find salvation for his own soul?

Grant Him justice and release Him?

No. The text says:

“For he was desirous to see Him of a long season, because he heard many things of Him, and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him.”

Not only did Jesus not perform a miracle for Herod, He wouldn’t even speak to Him.

3. Ultimately they continued to demand signs because they didn’t believe Jesus.

They needed no more proof. They had:

The Scriptures

John the Baptist

The voice from heaven

The miracles

In rejecting Christ they were rejecting:

The Scriptures- they testified of Christ

The prophets- John the Baptist was the last OT prophet foretold by Isaiah & Malcahi as the voice crying in the wilderness and the forerunner of the Messiah.

God- He is the One who shouted from the heavens “This is My beloved Son”

B. True virtue is measured by our response to Christ.

Jesus said an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.

1. They’re evil just like their father the devil.

Satan did the same thing to Jesus in the wilderness that they are doing to Him now (Matthew 4).

Satan said, “Do a miracle!”

Turn these stones into bread!

Jump off the top of the temple!

It’s devilish to demand that God prove Himself. When we do it says more about us than it does God.

Sarah Silverman illustration: Comedian

Watched video of her telling a story. She was in New York and saw some kids coming out of a Catholic School. She yelled at them “There’s no hell!” She said a boy looked back and said “What?”

She replied, “I’m an adult and I promise you there’s no hell.”

And then she said to the camera “If there’s Hell, may God strike me dead right, right now,”.

She waited a moment, looked up and said “See, No God.”

It was unsetting to watch. It was absolute evil. Sarah Silverman was making the same mistake as the Pharisees. She thought she could demand that God do a sign and God would do what she asked. She didn’t prove that God doesn’t exist. She just proved He’s extremely kind and patient with her.

2. They’re adulterous.

In the OT turning from God was called adultery because the Jewish people were in covenant with him, just as a married couple is in covenant with one another. Idolatry was called whoredom and adultery.

These religious leaders were committing spiritual adultery because in rejecting Christ they were rejecting the God of the OT.

No matter how many rules these religious leaders kept they were evil and adulterous because they rejected Christ.

C. Jesus will not be manipulated into continually proving Himself. Look at the end of verse 39 “there shall no sign be given it”

The heavens already declare His glory.

The Scriptures already tell His story.

He was confirmed by the prophets, miracles and a voice from heaven.

Yet they said More! More! More!

II. God has given the world the ultimate sign (40).

A. The story of Jonah was a miraculous story they believed.

1. He was a reluctant prophet. God said “Go!” he said “No!”

He hopped on a ship going the opposite way of Nineveh.

God sent a storm. Jonah was tossed overboard. He sank to the bottom of the ocean. God could have left him on the bottom of the ocean floor. But by His grace God sent an enormous fish to swallow him up. After three days he was vomited from the fish’s belly. He swam to shore and found himself in the city God had called him to preach to.

He preached the same sermon over a period of days. It was eight words long. “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”

2. He was a successful prophet.

In terms of spiritual success, he was the most successful. Over 100,000 people were saved. In fact, you could argue he is the only prophet who ever had any real conversions from his preaching.

Nobody listened to Isaiah.

Nobody listened to Jeremiah.

Nobody listened to Ezekiel.

Everybody listened to Jonah.

B. The story of Jonah is one the religious leaders should take to heart.

1. The story is about the mercy of God. Not only on the Ninevites, but on Jonah.

Jonah hated the Ninevites

Jonah disobeyed God

Jonah was mad when God saved the Ninevites

Jonah hoped God would change His mind and kill the Ninevites even after He had saved them.

Yet God sent salvation to Jonah in the form of that great fish. The fish wasn’t Jonah’s judgment. It was his salvation.

2. The religious leaders were a lot like Jonah.

They had become hard hearted toward people.

They had a religious title but no real spiritual fruit.

They rejected the plan of God to save Gentile nations.

They believed in judgment for everyone else but mercy for themselves.

3. God sent the religious leaders salvation.

Not in the form of a fish. God sent Christ. They were on a ship headed to hell but God has sent Christ to rescue them.

C. Jonah was a historical person who foreshadowed Christ.

They believed in Jonah.

They believed he was a real person.

They believed he disobeyed God.

They believed he was swallowed up by a fish.

They believed he was vomited out on the shores of Nineveh.

They believed he preached to the Ninevites.

They believed the Ninevites were saved.

Why did they believe this? Two reasons:

The testimony of Scripture.

The testimony of eyewitnesses.

Why should they believe in Christ? For the same two reasons:

The testimony of Scripture- prophecies fulfilled.

The testimony of eyewitnesses- His birth, His baptism, His miraculous life, His resurrection.

How could they believe in Jonah but not believe in Jesus? They had more proof in the validity of Jesus than they did of Jonah.

They saw Jesus brutally murdered. They watched it happen. Jesus walked among them for forty days after He rose from the dead. He was seen by more than 500 people at one time. Their only answer to the resurrection was to invent a story that Jesus disciples had stolen His body.

They knew Christ died.

They knew Christ was buried.

They knew Christ rose from the dead.

We know that Christ has risen as well.

We have the testimony of Scripture.

We have the testimony of eyewitnesses who have shared this story with others.

Jesus isn’t gonna come every few years, die again and resurrect again so we’ll all believe Him. He has left us plenty of evidence to prove Himself.

800 years later the Jews still believed Jonah had been in the belly of the fish for three days and then resurrected.

2000 years later we still believe Jesus was dead and buried in a tomb and rose three days later.

God has given the world the ultimate sign in the resurrection of Jesus. The Jews believed Scripture and eyewitnesses in the case of Jonah and we believe the same in the case of Jesus.

III. Many have believed God with less proof than we have been given (41-42).

A. Jesus is greater than Jonah.

He is greater in His person- Jonah was a sinful man Jesus is the sinless Son of God.

He is greater in His obedience -Jesus perfectly obeyed every command Jonah rebelled against God.

He is greater in His love- Jesus loves Jew and Gentile, Jonah hated the Ninevites.

He is greater in His preaching- Jesus preached deep and marvelous messages Jonah preached eight simple words.

He is greater in His knowledge- Christ predicted His own death burial and resurrection, Jonah was taken completely off-guard.

He is greater in His resurrection- Jonah rose and died again later, Jesus rose and ascended to the right hand of the Father.

Yet despite all this the Ninevites believed Jonah and the religious leaders didn’t believe Jesus. We could only assume if the Ninevites had lived in Jesus day they would have certainly believed Him because they believed one who was far less than Him.

B. Jesus is greater than Solomon.

Jesus reminds them of the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (the south). Solomon’s fame had spread. He was wealthy and he was wise.

Sheba was about 1200 miles to the south of Israel. This Queen traveled all those miles to meet and speak with Solomon. After hearing him and seeing all his riches she praised the God of Israel (1 Kings 10). She was converted just as the Ninevites were.

Jesus is greater than Solomon.

He is greater in His wisdom- The words of Jesus are far greater than the words of Solomon.

He is greater in His wealth- Solomon died and left everything behind. Jesus owns the heavens and the earth.

He is greater in His righteousness- Solomon had sinful vices, Jesus is without sin.

The Queen of Sheba would have been more amazed at Jesus than she was at Solomon.

C. Those who embrace Christ will stand as witnesses against those who reject Him.

Jesus says that on the day of judgment the Ninevites and the Queen of Sheba will stand as witnesses for the prosecution against the religious leaders.

Can you imagine the Ninevites being called to the witness stand ion the trial of the religious leaders?

Did you believe this Jewish prophet when he spoke to you of God? We did.

You believed this man even though he came:

Unwillingly

Preached imperfectly

Had no love for you

Hoped that you might die

We did.

Now imagine the Queen of Sheba called to the stand:

Did you travel 1200 miles to hear the words of a Jewish King you had never met? I did

Did you step down from your own throne and approach his? I did.

Did you turn from your pagan gods and embrace Solomon’s God after hearing his teaching? I did.

Your honor we have the testimony of Gentiles who believed and repented when they heard the truth spoken through sinful men. No let us turn our attention to these Jewish religious leaders:

They were raised as strict Jews

They were educated in the Scriptures

The Son of God went to them:

Willingly

Preached to them perfectly

Loved them passionately

Hoped they might live forever

Traveled from heaven to see them

Stepped down from His own throne to approach them

Yet they refused to believe. These Gentiles were given substandard witnesses to the truth, yet they believed. These religious leaders were given the perfect standard of truth, yet they refused to believe. It is clear from the witness of these Gentile converts that these men have no excuse for their unbelief and should be found guilty.

That’s quite a scene Jesus paints!

What is the point? The point is to embrace the proof God has given you concerning Jesus.

People will always find a reason not to believe. The reason?

Sin

People want to live sinful lives.

If you are demanding a sign from God to believe you need to look at your heart. Your problem is not a lack of proof. Your problem is a love of sin.

We will not get a greater sign than we have already been given. If you want believe the sign of the resurrection there is no sign God could give you to convince you Christ is the way. If you continue to reject Christ, specifically if you have been raised to believe in Him. I want to encourage you to do something:

Consider all the people who have believed.

The Queen of Sheba- uninvited, she came.

The Ninevites- an awful example for a preacher, yet they came.

Gentiles as witnesses to the Jews would be the equivalent of people who were never raised in church as witnesses against those who were.

Think about that.

They came to Christ even though they didn’t have the privileges of learning about Him from a family who cherished Him.