Speaker: Dustin Scott

Passage: Matthew 11:7-12:8

THE HEART OF REPENTANCE – MATTHEW 11 & 12

The Lord’s tenderness is in the room today. I was really excited to teach Revelation 20. I was amped to teach about this often-debated passage of Scripture where people go into their crazy premillennial, amillennial, postmillennial stuff, and I was interested in exploring it without the lenses of those particular perspectives. 

But lo and behold, I sense that the Lord has changed plans, and we’re supposed to go somewhere else. He’s the Lord of the Church. He gets to make those decisions. 

I want to talk this morning about repentance, but with a different lens than we’ve been exploring throughout the Book of Revelation, or perhaps just a different angle of repentance. How many of you, like me, have been reading the Book of Revelation and thinking, Lord, could You please stop? I’ve repented of this, I’ve repented of that, I’ve repented of this, and somehow I’m not running out of things to repent of. 

Revelation is a tough book, it’s a challenging book, but it’s a worthwhile book. And this morning, I want to explore repentance but from the angle of the Lord’s gracious and tender heart towards His people. 

BECOMING COLD TO VOICE OF THE LORD

There’s a danger in the Kingdom, and the danger is this: the more we walk with the Lord, the more we partake of the Christian faith, the more we adopt a Christian lifestyle, you would think that as believers spend time with the Lord, walk with the Lord, they would become more open to His voice, more surrendered to His voice, more full of the perspective of His compassion and His service and His love. 

But an interesting thing so often happens in the people of God: it happened in the people of Israel, and it happens in the Church today, where the more time spent in the Kingdom, the colder and more resistant we become to the voice of the Lord. It’s very possible to become more and more religious and less and less obedient, and so we’ll be talking about that this morning. 

There are some in the room who I am friends with, who are young believers– you’ve walked with the Lord for a handful of months. There are others who have walked with the Lord for many years. 

I was born into a Baptist family. I could joke that I was born into the baptismal, but that’s not right. I was actually born onto a pew where I was told that infants couldn’t be baptized again and again and again. That was my childhood experience. 

And when I would go to youth camp, I would see the students beside me weeping. Some would be confessing drug addictions. Others would be confessing that they had a sexual relationship with their girlfriend. And me, as a Baptist kid, would think, Man, it’d be nice to have a girlfriend. 

Even though I’m younger, my hair is gradually getting grayer, and even though it’s a while until I get to pull Social Security– or maybe it won’t exist when I’m ready to take it out. Who knows? I’ve seen this tendency in myself and in others: that the more time spent in His Kingdom, the colder and more resistant we become to His voice. 

So how, in the words of Jesus as He’s speaking to the church of Ephesus in Revelation, do we reclaim our first love? How do we go back to that place of surrender? Where, when the Lord said, Go, we went. When the Lord said, Stop, we stopped. When He said, Go to the left or go to the right, our decision was to immediately follow His voice. How do we recover that? We recover it by remembering the generous, loving, and trustworthy heart of God.

MATTHEW 11:7-12:8

We’ll be exploring that today in Matthew chapters 11 through 12. I’ll be reading verse 7 of 11 through verse 8 of 12. And because it’s a longer passage of Scripture, I’m not going to make you stand for it. 

It says, “As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? And what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written. “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and violent people take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who has come. Let anyone with ears listen!’” That’s a familiar phrase. 

“‘But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we wailed, but you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon;” And the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and of sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’ 

“Then he began to reproach the cities which most of his deeds of power had been done in, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on that day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.’ 

“At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and you have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him, 

“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon yourself, and learn from me; for I am gentle and I am humble of heart, you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ 

“At that time–” we’re almost there, guys– “Jesus went to the grain fields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. When the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ‘Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath.’ And he said to them, ‘Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? How he entered the house of God and they ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for him or his companions to eat, but only the priests. Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests in the temple break the sabbath yet are held guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is the lord of the sabbath.’”

Let’s pray. Holy Spirit, we’re going to need Your help, because I was not planning on this passage. So, would You teach us? Would You guide us? Would You allow us to hear what Your voice is speaking to us as a church? 

Lord, as we embrace the discipline of repentance, would You reveal to us Your tender, trustworthy heart? That You can be trusted with our life, that You are gentle, You are kind, You are merciful, You’re compassionate. 

As we, as a church, seek to recover our first love, this so frequently referenced idea in the Book of Revelation, would You lead us? Would You guide us? Would You give us ears to hear what Your Spirit is saying to the church? We ask this in Your name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And everyone said, Amen. 

JESUS REJECTED BY HIS OWN PEOPLE

It’s easy when reading these passages to forget the audience. If we go back to the first century, Jesus came to His own people at the time in Judea– the Jews. When He would say parables, which are so familiar in the life of the Church today– like the parable of the prodigal son– we hear a story about a young man who turns to sin and then is restored by the generous heart of his father.

But in the first century, they would have understood the nuance of this story. When we see things like the younger brother going to a foreign land to squander his father’s inheritance with prostitutes and to live with pigs, Jesus was painting a picture. He was painting a picture of two different people groups. 

There was the younger brother who lived with the pigs and in sexual sin. Who did that brother represent? He represented the Gentiles, the land which had not yet entered into relationship with God. 

And when He depicted this older brother who is resentful towards his father’s generosity and forgiveness, who is He depicting at this time? The Jewish people who were resisting God’s plan of salvation. 

And as we look at various passages of the New Testament, like John 1, it would say of Jesus that He came to His own people, and yet they did not recognize Him. There was a hardness of heart here. The people of God had become more in love with their histories, the idea of God, the traditions of God, that they no longer desired the voice and life of God. And we would error if we think that we, as the people of God today, don’t suffer that same temptation and danger. 

BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE

John the Baptist is spoken of in this passage. What was his role in the ministry of Jesus? He was foretold from the Old Testament Scriptures to be the way-maker for the ministry of the Lord. What does that mean? Well, the prophet Malachi said that a time was coming when a prophet would consummate the era of the law and the prophets and make way for God’s coming Kingdom, and his name was John. 

And John would baptize his followers, just like Jesus would have His disciples baptized. But John’s baptism was a different baptism. It was the baptism of repentance which shows us a principle: repentance always precedes the salvation life of God. In order to have the life of Jesus, we have to live a life of repentance.

We find that in this passage, as John was proclaiming this gospel of repentance, was there anyone who was listening among God’s people? Were there any who would hear the voice of the Lord, or were they caught in their own ideas and traditions? Jesus says in this passage that certain cities like Chorazin and Bethsaida and Judea were resisting God’s truth and God’s voice in this time. 

And I think it’s interesting– I’m going to use a big word here, and hopefully, I can say it right. It’s a little too big for me. I sometimes think we eschatologicalize the judgment of God. What do I mean by that? We tend to think God’s judgment comes when I die. God’s judgment comes when the earth ends one day. God’s judgment comes when history has been brought to consummation. 

But what’s interesting in this passage is it does not appear that Jesus is talking about the ultimate judgment of God; He’s talking about the judgment which would befall Judea in that very generation. That the sins of God’s people were going to wreak havoc in their lives. 

And rather than being harsh, rather than being aggressive, rather than being that taxing father who is always assessing what is wrong in his children, the Lord’s posture towards His people here is, I wish that you would repent so that it didn’t have to go that way. My heart is not for judgment, it’s not for turmoil, it’s not for the unnecessary suffering of sin. It’s so interesting. 

THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES TEST JESUS

Sometimes, the Scribes and the Pharisees would come to Jesus– those were two distinct groups or vocations in Judaism, we sometimes conflate them together. They would come to Jesus, and they would sometimes ask Him questions. 

Like in Matthew 19, the Pharisees come to Jesus, and they’re asking Him the question: is it lawful for us to divorce our wives for any reason and remarry? They were using a particular precept of the Book of Deuteronomy, which was under open debate at the time to discuss that question. 

Now, were the Pharisees looking for restoration? Were the Pharisees looking for forgiveness? Were the Pharisees caught in this mess of life where they had no idea how to repent or obey God? Why were they coming to the Lord asking this question? I don’t think they had good intentions. 

Why? If we look at the life of John the Baptist, he confronts a certain king for marrying his brother’s wife. And when John the Baptist does that, what ultimately happens to John? He gets beheaded. 

What are the Pharisees trying to do here? Are they trying to learn? Are they trying to walk the process of repentance? Are they trying to find the Lord’s new life? Are they trying to trap Jesus so that He can experience the same fate as John and the voice of the Lord can go silent? 

They fell more in love with their ideas of God, the rituals of God, the outward benefits of being a part of God’s people, that they didn’t actually want to hear the Lord’s voice. And the same danger exists for us today. We fall into patterns where our answer is, God, I like the way I’m living. I don’t want to trust You with my life. I’d rather live on my own terms. 

JESUS OFFERS US REST

And what does Jesus say in response to this whole mess? He gives a promise: “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I’m gentle and I’m humble in heart, you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” 

You know what the tragedy is when we refuse the path of repentance? Is that we’re choosing the hard way, we’re choosing the difficult way, we’re choosing the way of agony and heartbreak and regret and devastation. And the Lord’s answer to us is, “I am gentle and humble of heart. Come to me and I’ll lift that burden off you, and I’ll give you rest.” 

At this time, the Greek word pherō– it’s the verb we get this word for burden from– it was the idea of slaves who would be carrying their master’s heavy equipment through the countryside. And you can imagine that as a first-century Jew or first-century Roman, you would have been accustomed to seeing slaves weighed down by all this equipment. 

And Jesus’s answer is, Hey, that sin in your life, hey, those temptations and addictions and wayward desires in your life, I, as the Lord, see it, and I see that those things are crushing you. Let me lift them off you. 

The Pharisees aren’t letting them off the hook, and so they come after Him again for His disciples’ commission of the great crime of plucking grain on the Sabbath. Which seems ridiculous to us, it shows how ridiculous our human traditions can become. 

Even studying Revelation 20 and looking at this premillennialism, postmillennialism, amillennialism, whatever millennialism, the tragedy is, Christians have split entire churches over this stuff. Relationships have been broken over this stuff. 

Instead of coming back to the center of the Gospel, which is God’s heart is compassionate and merciful towards us, and if we repent, He gives us new life. That’s what this story is all about. Jesus puts it so succinctly by quoting from the Septuagint Scriptures and saying, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” 

ARE WE RESISTING THE VOICE OF THE LORD?

So, I would invite us to consider, as we ask the question: where in my life am I living my own way and resisting the voice of the Lord? Ask yourself the question: what mercy are you missing out on? What gentleness are you missing out on? What tender love from God are you missing out on because of that stubbornness? God’s heart is not that we would live that way. 

And the danger of the Christian life is that sometimes we become so religious that we lose our ability to follow the voice of God. The outside looks beautiful; the inside becomes more and more wayward. 

What do the Scriptures say about God’s people? The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn. It grows brighter and brighter. God’s intention for us is that we would become more surrendered, more faithful, more committed to His way. 

So, my question to you this morning is, where are you refusing to trust Him? What are you refusing to give Him control of? 

It takes me back to a moment when I was nineteen. I told you I grew up a good Baptist, but that didn’t keep me from being a bad Baptist. I was nineteen, I was driving to work– I worked for the City of Loveland at the time, for their parks and rec department. 

And I had the dignified job of spraying the ball fields with my little go-kart painter. That was my job. And I had to wake up at 4:00 am to get there in time so that I could get the fields painted before the game started. 

And I was living with my girlfriend, hiding it from my good Baptist parents. I was living a life of sin, lukewarmness, and non-commitment. And I was driving to work and something positive and encouraging, maybe KLove, I’m not sure, was playing on the radio. 

And like the moment in Acts 2, where it says Peter was preaching and the Jewish audience from all over the world was there, and they were cut to the heart. I was cut to the heart in that moment. 

I said to the Lord, I’m so tired of being a fraud. I’m so tired of claiming Your name and refusing to follow You. I’m ready to live the way You asked us to because when You gave us the free gift of Your eternal life, that demanded everything of us. So, why am I not living that way? 

But time goes by, responsibilities go by, distractions go by, concerns go by, and it becomes so easy to lose that first love. 

So, where is the Lord inviting you back to His tenderness and His compassion? Where is He inviting you to trust Him again? Maybe you’re here, and you’re in a real mess. Any of you ever been in one of those before? And you’re looking at the Scriptures, and you’re like, I don’t even think this singular verse over here and this singular verse over here can solve the mess that I’m in. 

God can do anything with humility and repentance. He won’t do anything in you if your posture is arrogance, idolatry, the conception of your own ideas and your own rituals and your own religiosity. What He needs is a broken and contrite heart. And if He has that, He can do anything through you. 

So, as we partake of the bread and the cup, I would invite you to consider, Lord, where have I resisted Your voice and where do I need to repent and follow You again? There’s elements in the front and in the back. Let’s partake of the bread and the cup together.