Matthew 11:1-24

Seizing the Kingdom

The proclamation of both John the Baptist and Jesus had been one of coming judgment -“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”” (Matthew 3:1–2, HCSB); “When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to the place of his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:7–10, HCSB) “After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, preaching the good news of God: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the good news!”” (Mark 1:14–15, HCSB)

For nearly 40 years as a pastor I have said - and heard it said - If God doesn’t judge America soon, He will owe Sodom and Gomorrah an apology!

Now, 40 plus years later sin has multiplied in ways we never dreamed possible. Where is this judgment of which John the Baptist and Jesus spoke of?

As we look at Matthew 11 let me caution us: be careful of what you ask!

Are You the ‘One to Come?’ Vs 1-6

Having nothing but time on his hands John was wondering about the kingdom that had been so costly to him. Where was this promised judgment? Where was this promised blazing fire from God?

Jesus’ response to John’s disciples was meant to be comforting: “Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.”” (Matthew 11:4–6, HCSB)

Matthew 11:4–6 HCSB

Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news. And if anyone is not offended because of Me, he is blessed.”

I wonder…was this the answer John wanted to hear? Jesus was doing all sorts of great things, large crowds were following Jesus. However, there was no evident judgment, no evidence of God winnowing the field, clearing the hearts and lives of His people for His majestic entrance into the world.

Where is the Kingdom of God? vs 7-15

Most everyone listening to Jesus had the same question. If God’s judgment was so near, where was it?

Most of those to whom Jesus spoke were looking for some massive movement from God. Knowing their own history, many were expecting a climactic battle between Jesus and both the corrupt Jewish leadership and the purely evil Roman empire.

Jesus destroys the common assumptions as to how the Kingdom of God will come to pass.

First, (vs 7-11) the coming kingdom demands strong, determined, called, and empowered people like John the Baptist.

The call on John’s life began even prior to his conception. Zechariah and Elizabeth were given clear instructions as to how their son was to be raised. John would be raised for a specific assignment, one that would require convictions and courage far deeper than others expressed.

However, as Jesus, notes the kingdom is not about supermen and wonderwomen. No, the weakest among us, the least significant are as crucial to the advancing of the Kingdom as the mightiest and boldest!

A dear friend of my family served in WW 2 as a logistics officer. His task was to determine how ships carrying troops and supplies from the US to North Africa, Italy, and France and Europe. He spoke often of his disappointment that he was not able to engage in actual warfare.

Yet, think about this: had his job not been done to the best of his ability - and hundreds and thousands of others whose name will never be recorded among medal winners - how would those on the ground have received food, ammunition, and the other supplies they needed?

Second, the Kingdom is advancing in the same way it always has: with energy and strength against the adversary who is fighting each and every advance..

One of the most effective strategies of our adversary has been to persuade the people of God that someone else is responsible for the work of advancing the kingdom.

The enemy has convinced many believers that their job is to sit in a building, talk about Jesus, give money, complain about how things aren’t like they used to be.

Jesus’ words in vs 12 are challenging. The original language points to this understanding of Jesus’ words, as shared by one theologian:

from the time of John the Baptist (as explained above) until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing; and violent or rapacious men have been trying (conative present) to plunder it—so Pamment (pp. 227f.)

Carson, D. A. (1984). Matthew. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke (Vol. 8, p. 267). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

John the Baptist’s appearance marks the beginning of a new season of advance of the Kingdom of God. His teaching was not universally approved of by either the Jewish religious leaders or the political leaders of the day.

The kingdom of God is forcefully advancing. The kingdom of this world, clearly under the authority of the enemy WILL NOT STAND IDLY BY AND ALLOW GOD’S KINGDOM TO BE UNOPPOSED.

Will we ever learn? vs 16-24

John the Baptist was seen as a severe disciplinarian - only pointing people’s failures and challenging people to repent.

Jesus was regarded as One who spent too much time with those who were disrespected, those who were unqualified, those who were meant to be overlooked and cast aside. Jesus ate too much, drank too much, attended far too many parties. Jesus hung out with (gasp) sinners!

The OT prophets were directed by God to speak against Tyre and Sidon as examples of a people who had totally rejected God and His purposes.

The towns Jesus identifies were places where He had healed, driven out demons, and forcefully declared the presence of the Kingdom of God with power.

Jesus identified Sodom as reminder of the depth of depravity.

Jesus’ words here should be heard as addressed to us as well.

We long for the blessing and benefit of the Kingdom of God - the banqueting table, the peace that passes understanding, being re-united with loved ones, spending an eternity with Jesus in the presence of the Father and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus reminds all who hear Him that His deeds - as remarkable and wonderful and powerful as they are - call us to repentance.

Today, most of the physical ailments we experience are the result of our poor choices. Many of the challenges our communities face are not the fault of the government, nor are they the fault of some system. The breakdowns we see all around us are the result of sin - unconfessed; sin that we hide rather than repent of; sin that we hide in darkness rather than expose to the light of God’s Word.

So What?

The people to whom John the Baptist and Jesus spoke looked for a kingdom to come that would relieve the grinding poverty. political insignificance, and military weakness in which they lived.

There were always movements afoot seeking to overthrow Rome - at least one of the twelve whom Jesus called ‘apostles’ was known as a ‘zealot’ because he and others were actively engaged in seeking to throw off the burden of Roman occupation.

Both John and Jesus spoke of the nearness of God’s kingdom. Indeed, it is is so near, where is the evidence of this kingdom?

2,000 years later, though we are not as ‘oppressed’ and overwhelmed as we like to think we are, we still wonder - where is the evidence of the Kingdom of God? We are thrilled when we hear accounts of God healing people. When we are able to share accounts of God’s powerful intervention in people’s lives we celebrate!

Listening carefully to Jesus - in this passage as well as others - we need to rethink the evidence of the Kingdom of God.

A CLASH OF KINGDOMS

Are we prepared for the coming Kingdom of God?

a). Refine your expectations

The Kingdom of God will exceed our expectations. God is the one who is capable of doing more than we ask or think.

Let’s let go our expectations that heaven will be like the USA only better.

Let go our expectation that heaven is like the life we live now but better.

Recognize that what God has in store cannot be explained - hence the confusing language of men like Isaiah, Ezekiel, John the Disciple, Daniel, and so on.

b). Be ready for the conflict to come

We have been spoiled. For most of our lives all Americans shared a common vocabulary, one that was informed by God’s Word and the principles found in His Word.

That is no longer true. Spend one day in an elementary or secondary school, spend a few hours on any college campus and you will quickly learn how different the language spoken in those places is from the one we grew up speaking.

In Jesus’ temptation, recorded in Matthew 4 we read how the adversary used Biblical language to persuade Jesus to disobey His Father.

That experience was a conflict often repeated in Jesus’ days on earth. We are given a glimpse into the intensity of this conflict in Matthew 26:36-following. There Jesus speaks of the internal conflict: “Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow —to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.”” (Matthew 26:38, HCSB)

We can no longer run from the clash of kingdoms. We can - and are instructed - to pray for God to come, and for Him to come quickly.

In the meantime, we can no longer pretend that the conflict is for a future generation. We are the ones to whom Jesus is calling today - not our children or grandchildren, not the teens and young adults. We - those sitting here and watching on video - we are the warriors.

John had the courage to ask- Are you the One? Are we willing to ask God to make Himself known?

Jesus reminds us that Kingdom is present - and it doesn’t really matter if we can ‘see’ it or not. The kingdom is present!

The places Jesus demonstrated the kingdom of God most vividly were filled with the hardest hearts. Will you ask God to soften your heart to see what He is doing?

Will we join Him in His activity or will we hold so tightly to our preferences and expectations that we totally miss what God is doing?