An Evil Generation

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Steven Lee
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

0:20Well welcome to our newcomers and visitors joining us perhaps for the first time. Uh, we believe that God speaks through his word, the Bible. And so this is part of why we prioritize the consecutive exposition of scripture. We just move from one passage to the next, working all the way through the entire book of the Bible. And so we're right now in Matthew chapter 12 and we're looking at verse 38 to 45 this morning. Jesus has a word of warning, so maybe we have ears to hear in eyes to see. Would you join me as I pray and ask the Lord for help?

1:02Father in heaven we pray that you would come in power this morning. Help us to see what you want us to see. Help us to behold what you want us to behold and we pray that Christ would get all the glory. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. One of our favorite spots as a family is to visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Michigan. I wonder how many of you have been there. There's this particular spot called the Lake Michigan Overlook. It's on the Pierce stocking scenic drive and the overlook is about 450 feet above Lake Michigan and it has some of the most amazing and breathtaking views.

1:55One of my kids many years ago said this would be a good place for someone to propose. And they were right. This area is wide open to the public and you can hike down the steep and sandy slope all the way to the bottom where Lake Michigan lies. But there's a sign nearby and this sign says, warning, avoid getting stuck at the bottom. Mark Lake levels are high. The only way out is up. Rescues cost $3,000. Keep yourself and our rescuers out of danger. So if you ignore the sign, you could end up paying a hefty price. No, we did not climb down. It's not that kind of story. So failing to see or heed the warning signs can have dire consequences.

2:51It's true of the dashboard lights in your car. That's true of the biohazard sign at the hospital or the high voltage sign on the electric fence. Refusing to heed a sign can have serious and even fatal consequences. And this is the warning that Jesus gives in our passage here in Matthew, the Pharisees have failed to see sign after sign after sign that reveals Jesus as the Messiah. They can't connect the dots. Jesus is saying these things, he's doing these miracles and somehow the Pharisees can't recognize that Jesus is sent from God. They harden their hearts. And in this passage, the rejection of the Pharisees scribes comes to a bit of a climax.

3:41I want you to turn in your Bibles to Matthew 12. Look at verse 24. We're rewinding a little bit, but I think it's important to see sort of the flow of this. Jesus had just healed this demon oppressed man. We looked at this last week and they say in verse 23, can this be the son of David Messianic expectations? But the Pharisees respond in verse 24. It is only by be eligible the prince of demons that this man casts out demons. In other words, Jesus is not doing miracles, he's just demon possessed. Now if you look with me all the way to verse 45 of our passage, this will become more clear later.

4:30But I think Jesus is actually turning the tables on the Pharisees. He tells this parable of an unclean spirit. And then the very last line says this. So also will it be with this evil generation. What he's saying is, no, I am indeed not demon possessed. But you in fact are. That's what Jesus is saying here in this passage. So the primary warning of our passage this morning is that every generation that rejects Jesus is of Satan. Every generation that rejects Jesus is of Satan. He's already said back in verse 30, you're either with me or you are against me. You can't remain neutral. And the scribes and Pharisees had this front row seat to seeing Jesus hearing his teaching and they still will not submit to him.

5:28And their hardheartedness reveals that they are actually of their father, the devil. So our passage warns us this morning. It warns us and every generation not to neglect the signs that Jesus is the Messiah and the Lord. You're supposed to see the signs, you're supposed to hear his preaching and you're supposed to be able to connect the dots to say that Jesus is indeed the Lord and the Savior. It's a warning to not harden our hearts this morning. So our plan is to walk through this passage in three steps, three parts here. There's a demand, then there's a denunciation, and then there is the decline, a demand denunciation and decline.

6:14So look with me at verses 38 and 39 here we get the demand and love for you to follow along in your Bible. Verse 38. Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him saying, teacher, we wish to see a sign from you, but he answered them an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. So at first glance, if we just back up, it seems like the scribes and Pharisees are being rather reasonable. They call him teacher, that's that's a respectful term. They ask for a sign to kind of validate his authority and his teaching and it seems to be a rather innocent request like Jesus seems to escalate it unnecessarily.

7:02But I think that's wrong. This is not a genuine request. It's actually a test that the Pharisees have set up for Jesus because back in verse 25, we saw that Jesus knows their thoughts. He can read their minds and he calls them in verse 34, A brood of vipers. You're a bunch of lying deceiving snakes and their accusations against Jesus in verse 34 and 35 reveal the wickedness of their hearts. He says, out of the mouth the heart speaks and what's coming out of your mouth reveals that deep down in your heart you are evil. So that's what Jesus has said up to this point. And so when they say we wish to see a sign, what they're saying is, Jesus, everything else you've done, we don't believe it.

7:50It's not valid. We wanna see another one. And you can see how ridiculous this is. 'cause back in verse 22, what has Jesus done? He's healed a demon possessed man who's blind and mu, he's just done an amazing glorious miracle that no one else has done. And they're like, do another one be our dancing monkey. Is the idea here, those other miracles aren't valid? Do another one to prove that you are the Messiah. We want something bigger and better. Jesus. There's a similar passage in Matthew chapter 16 verse one. You don't have to turn there but I'll read it for us and and it's right after Jesus had just fed 4,000 men and then there's women and children.

8:35So probably 10,000 people. And and then he goes away, gets in a boat and the scribes and Pharisees actually it says the Pharisees and the Sadducees come to Jesus. And Matthew 16, one says, they came to test Jesus and they asked him, show them a sign from heaven. They asked him to show them a sign from heaven. Same idea. He's just done in this incredible miracle of feeding thousands of people from just a few loaves of bread and fish and yet it reveals their hardheartedness. So I think that's what's going on here in our passage. It it's a little bit like Pharaoh in the Exodus. Many of you're familiar with Pharaoh in the Exodus, Moses goes and says, let my people go.

9:22And the Lord tells Moses and Aaron, this is Exodus seven verse nine. He says, Pharaoh is gonna say to you, prove yourselves by doing a sign. And then he follows that up in verse 13 of Exodus seven. He says, but Pharaoh's heart will be hardened and he will not listen to you. The same idea here, Pharaoh had the best of front row seats. This is like court side. He got to see signs upon signs upon wonders. Some of the most amazing miracles ever described in the scriptures Pharaoh got to see, but did he turn? No. This is an example of someone who wants more evidence, more proof, more signs with no intention of believing.

10:11Paul teaches that in the last days there will be people, this is second Timothy three, seven who are always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. So that is a picture of what's going on that sets the context. Their hearts are hardened, they reject Jesus. They want more proofs, but they have no intention of believing. And this unfortunately is the spirit of our age. There are people out there who have read the scriptures, who have seen the logic of uh, the scriptures, the evidence, the proofs validating the Bible. And yet because it contradicts their preconceived ideas that they reject it outright.

10:54And and the question for us this morning is, are we in danger of being like these scribes and Pharisees? We want Jesus to answer our prayers and to give us signs and miracles. And then, and then I'll finally believe there's probably been opportunities where we've been a little bit like a Gideon setting the fleece out and then pulling the fleece back in and saying, Lord, we want you to show us more signs and miracles and then I'll know which way to go. Well, are we coming to him with a mercenary faith? I'll only believe if you do what I want. This is, this passage is a warning not to be like that.

11:37Where we make demands of God, we give him ultimatums. Jesus says the doubting Thomas in John 2029, have you believed because you've seen me? He said, blessed are those who have not seen and have yet believed. Now, Jesus responded, verse 39, look there with me. He says, an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah by calling them this evil and adulterous generation. That's not just Jesus coming up with that. He's hearkening back to the wilderness generation in the Exodus and in Deuteronomy, in Deuteronomy 1 35, they're called an evil generation in 32 5, it's called a crooked and twisted generation.

12:23In 32 20, they're called a perverse generation in whom is no faithfulness. In other words, Jesus is likening this generation that's contemporaries with him to this wicked generation that refused God as their shepherd, as he led them out of slavery into the promised land. So Jesus refuses their demand. He will not give them a miracle just to appease their desires. He will not be their dancing monkey, if you will, but he says you'll only get the sign of the prophet Jonah. So what is that? That's when we turn to our second part, the denunciation in verses 40 to 42. So look with me at verse 40. He says, for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, the Mena of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah.

13:23And behold something greater than Jonah is here. Now, my guess is in a group this size, many of us are familiar with the story of Jonah, but if not, let me just kind of give you a little bit of an overview. God calls his prophet, Jonah tells him to go to the city of Nineveh and he says, preach and tell them that my judgment is coming upon them because of their wickedness. And Jonah wants nothing to do with that. So he gets in a boat and goes the opposite direction in order to run away from God. And a storm overtakes this boat and the sailors are fearing for their life and they tell Jonah to cry out to his God and he doesn't do it.

14:01And they say, what can stop this? And Jonah's like, I know what's going on. Throw me overboard. They throw him overboard and a great fish swallows him up, presumably a whale. And after three days and three nights in this fish, he's vomited up on land. And finally Jonah kind of gets the message and he is like, maybe I should go. And so he goes, goes to Nineveh, preaches a very simple kind of sermon saying judgment is coming, you ought to repent. And the people of nineva do great repentance, sackcloth and ashes and great morning and and and the surprise of the story of Jonah as Jonah's like, I knew that would happen.

14:41That's exactly why I didn't want to go. I hate these people. I don't want them to be forgiven. So that's the story of Jonah. Now I want you to notice several things, uh, about Jesus' comment on Jonah. The first is that Jonah is a real person there. There's bible scholars out there that would say, well, the the book of Jonah, that's just the fable. That that's just the myth that certainly couldn't have happened. Jesus is God incarnate, the wisest man on the face of the earth and he affirms Jonah as a historical reality and that is helpful for us and our faith. Second, Jesus affirms that a final judgment is indeed coming, that the men of Nineveh who are long dead will rise up at the final judgment and condemn.

15:26They'll serve as witnesses against the unbelief of Jesus generation. They repented with minimal evidence. And yet this generation refuses to respond to the preaching of Jesus himself. Now back to the question, what is the sign of the prophet Jonah? I think it's this Jonah. His preaching was validated by his supernatural delivery from death, right? The the people of Nineveh conceivably heard about what happened to Jonah on his way there, how he got swallowed up and vomited out. And now he comes and he preaches and they're like, we should listen to this guy 'cause he's just spent three days in the heart of a fish.

16:12And Jesus says, in the same way, his preaching will be authenticated by an even greater deliverance from death, his crucifixion. So Jesus reveals that his death and resurrection will be the ultimate sign in all of human history that reveals Jesus authority and power and identity. There will be no other sign, no other miracle, no other teaching that will be more powerful, more striking than this singular sign. Jesus will die at the cross and he will fulfill the entire sacrificial system, shedding his blood as the lamb of God to forgive sin. And Jesus will reveal his authority at the cross to defeat sin, to defeat Satan and to defeat death itself.

17:05And he will prove his identity as the Lord and as the Messiah, as God the father raises Jesus from the dead in order to vindicate him and to say, this is my beloved son. Listen to him because everything he said is true and because of that I'm causing him to rise again from the dead. Jesus is saying that will be the sign. Now what do we make of the three days and three nights? Some people point to something like this and they say, this is where the Bible gets it wrong, right? We we commonly understand that Jesus was buried in a sense on a Friday night, Friday dusk until dawn on Sunday. So maybe 36 hours.

17:52But Jewish tradition and rabbinical thought often considered a partial day essentially to be a full day. And so Jesus was in the grave a portion of Friday, all day Saturday and then a portion on Sunday making it three days. And that would often be described as three days and three nights. It's equivalent, if you will. So it's not a contradiction. Now Jesus says in verse 42, look with me there, the queen of the south, he gives a second example. Now the queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold something greater than Solomon is here.

18:33Now the queen of the south is the queen of Sheba and you can read about that in one Kings chapter 10 verses one to 13 or two. Chronicles chapter nine, verses one to 12. I'm not gonna read it, but the short version is that she had heard of the wisdom of Solomon. She comes and second king, excuse me, one kings 10, one says, she came to test Solomon with hard questions and as she was testing him, she saw the wisdom of Solomon on display. And what does she conclude? She concludes this one, Kings 10, nine, blessed be the Lord your God who is delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel. In other words, the queen of Shiva comes and she meets Solomon tests his wisdom and she's immediately able to conclude God's with you.

19:25God has blessed you with this wisdom. This is not just the wisdom of man. And at the final judgment, Jesus says, she too will rise up as a witness in the final judgment. And she'll say, even I this Gentile was able to see that Solomon's wisdom had come from God. And yet this generation, Jesus generation couldn't tell that Jesus' wisdom is the very wisdom of God incarnate. Even I could tell that God's wisdom was with Solomon. How could you not? In both of these denunciations and condemnations, it concludes something greater than Jonah is here. Something greater than Solomon is here. Jesus is arguing his case from the lesser to the greater He.

20:12He's saying if the Ninevites responded to such kind of be garaged preaching as Jonah, he didn't even want to go. He didn't actually even want to convince the people he was preaching to. If the Ninevites responded to that preaching, how much more should Jesus generation respond to his preaching, his miracles and the signs and wonders that he's doing? If the queen of Shiva was able to discern the wisdom of God in Solomon, how much more should that generation be able to discern the wisdom of God in Jesus?

20:47I want you to see something though. Turn back to chapter 12, verse six, chapter 12 verse six. Very similar line is what we've seen something greater than Jonah, something greater than Solomon. What does he say? Verse six, I tell you this is Jesus speaking something greater than the temple is here. So what has Jesus just done in this chapter? Something greater than the temple is here. So what's the temple signify the priesthood. What does Jonah signify the prophets and what does Solomon signify? Kings Jesus saying, I am the prophet, priest and king who has come. I fulfill all of the longings and desires of Israel where a prophet who would come and speak for God and a priest who would come, I mediate between God and man and a king who would come to rule and reign and to enact God's perfect plan on earth.

21:49Jesus is saying I am that greater prophet, priest and king who has come to rule and to reign. Now this leads to our third section in verse 43 to 45. Now first glance, and maybe when you heard it read, you were like, this seems really disconnected in in if you have an ESV Bible, like a paper Bible, analog Bible here, uh, which I encourage you to bring by the way, I think it's great to bring paper Bible so that we can see the scriptures. Uh, if you look at verse 43 to 45, it probably has a heading if you have a ESV uh, English standard version, it says Return of an unclean spirit almost seems like a disconnected portion, but I think this is continuing the previous section, so I'm gonna read it again and then we're gonna see how when the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.

22:45Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came. And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept and put in order. Then it goes and brings with its seven other spirits more evil than itself and they enter and dwell there and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation. Notice with me back in chapter 12 verse 22, Jesus had just performed in exorcism. He cast out a demon and now he tells a parable about an exorcism to sum up how Israel has rejected their messiah. And you can kind of see the connection. He's just called them this evil generation, evil and adulterous generation.

23:32And then in the last line there he says, so also will it be with this evil generation. Now what, what's this parable about? Well, the parable is rather straightforward other than the fact that it deals with the demonic realm very simply, an unclean spirit is cast out of a man and it goes and it wanders about with no place to rest. After it doesn't find anything, it comes back and it sees that nothing else has filled in this man. He's a kind of empty. And so then he brings seven under other spirits, if you will, uh, more evil than itself. And then it indwells this person and it leaves this person worse off than before.

24:10And in the parable, the individual represents the Jewish people, this particular generation of Jesus. And Jesus has said, I've bound Satan. You see that? Remember back in verse 29, I've bound Satan, I've bound the strong man. And then what has Jesus been doing? He's been casting out demons left and right. He's showing that the demonic powers are not more powerful than the Messiah. He's come to exercise authority to over the demonic realm. But Jesus says these demonic powers will return to indwell Israel. And when it returns, it discovers that they're like a cleaned house, a spiritual vacuum there, there's nothing else there.

24:53It's like if you own a house in an abandoned abandoned house in a bad part of town, very quickly it could become a place for, you know, the unhoused and squatters and drug activity and prostitution. And so the idea here is the demon returns with seven others. This number of fullness, more evil and the people are much worse off. Jesus' Point is this, you cannot remain neutral. Refusing to take sides is not a good thing when you're confronted with the truth of Jesus. And this is a startling warning because Jesus is speaking to the ultra religious scribes and Pharisees who care about the law and yet their hardness of heart will only grow worse and worse.

25:43They refuse to receive and believe Jesus. And it's not just a mistake, it's not just a mistake. It's hardheartedness that loves the world and hates God. And the same is true today. Do we see the authority and the power and the identity of Jesus? Can we discern from his teaching as we hear his word, are we waiting for more proof and more evidence, more answer prayers, more signs and wonders? Or have we bowed the knee and come to submit to King Jesus without Christ and the power of his indwelling spirit? We would otherwise be prisoners of the spirit of this age. And so Jesus warning is for every generation, not just his generation, that if you refuse to put your faith and hope in Jesus, you will have another master.

26:39You will. And it will be Satan. Jesus warns that evil escalates and sinfulness will only grow worse. We see that in Romans one. As people reject the knowledge of God, he gives them over to their wicked desires. And we see this in our world, a culture that rejects God's good design for marriage and for sex and for gender will just devolve into chaos of the sexual revolution. Polygamy LGBTQ plus insanity, gambling will, will snowball into financial ruin. Pornography goes down this slippery slope into more risky and extreme stuff. And behavior, violence begets more violence. Jesus is revealing that underneath every culture that rejects Jesus is ruled by the ruler of this world, which is Satan.

27:37And there's some in our world who are saying, well, some cultures are especially evil. You know, we can see problems in Islam or we can see problems with urban fatherlessness. And yet Jesus is making really clear every culture without him is destitute and lost. That's the point. And this is Israel's situation. They've rejected their Messiah and in doing so, they're being given over to Satan to what is evil and to base. And this passage is a stark warning for us this morning. It's not just fun and games. We live in a world where there are indeed angels and demons and cosmic powers and rulers and spiritual forces of evil.

28:23And there's only two sides. You're either with Jesus or you're upon of the demonic spirit of this age. You're either engaged in a spiritual battle with the forces of Jesus or we're succumbing to Satan's rule over the invisible realm. Our world is much more than what we can see and and there's a deep fascination with the underworld in our world today. Just you can go to the movies, we're moving towards October. So people have their Halloween decorations out and I was driving around shoreview yesterday and I see these like nine foot tall skeletons that people have in their front yards. It's just crazy.

29:08But there's, there's these, this fascination with skulls and skeletons and witches and goblins, and I think it reveals something more than we would like to admit. We live in a world where there are demonic forces at work and we just know it. And so you're either with Jesus or you're being ruled as a pawn of Satan. So at one level, our passage is not particularly uplifting this morning, it's a stark warning to us and to our generation and to every generation. Do not neglect how great a salvation we have received. Don't neglect the greatest sign that has ever been put on display for mankind to see.

29:59It's the cross of Christ where Jesus has come to die as the lamb of God. And we're supposed to see that like the Ninevites saw Jonah come and preach and they said, we better listen to this guy because he's just been through all of this. And in the same way we're supposed to read the scriptures, see the cross and say we should heed what this word says. Every generation that rejects Jesus is of Satan. There is no sitting on the fence. You're either fully on Jesus' side or you're against him. Let me draw out two applications for us this morning. The first is beware of rejecting Jesus. Beware of rejecting Jesus.

30:48Uh, the Pharisees reject the ample evidence that they have that Jesus is the Messiah. They want more, but in reality they have no desire to know Christ. And so this passage warns us of this attitude of skepticism and disbelief. Beware of demanding that God makes sense to you. Beware of demanding signs and wonders of God, beware of giving God ultimatums. Beware of the deadly posture of just sitting on the fence and not picking sides. Beware of rejecting the greatest sign the cross of Christ and saying, well, I wanna see another if we do so who will rise up at the final judgment and condemn us?

31:38I want you to see something. Jesus parable here likens the Pharisees to the man he just healed in. In chapter 12 verse 22. It says, Jesus healed the demon oppressed man who was blind and mute. He was mute conceivably because he was also deaf. And now the Pharisees are actually the demon possessed man who are blind to Jesus and who are also deaf and mute. Let's not be like that second application. See the sign of the Messiah and belief. See the sign of the Messiah and belief we've received the greatest sign in the death and resurrection of Jesus. And I believe that if anyone here this morning is an unbeliever who is just kind of looking in or visiting or has heard about rumblings of maybe, maybe I should go to church and maybe I should gather with other believers or with believers in general.

32:39If you pick up your Bible and read and say, with a authentic heartfelt desire, speak, oh Lord, he will indeed answer. Jesus himself says, ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives the one who seeks finds and the one who knocks it will be opened. The encouragement is if you're not trusting in Jesus, take up your Bible and read and see Jesus and hear his teaching in verse 40. Jesus alludes to his death and burial and resurrection. And for the Pharisees and probably Jesus disciples at the time, they did not know where he was going with that.

33:25Like what sign is this that Jesus is talking about? And yet we see that Jesus is unfolding his glorious plan of redemption where he will indeed be the lamb of God. He will satisfy the wrath of God and pay for sins, and he will conquer sin, death and Satan. And so we are to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a stern reminder. Well, for all those who are trusting in Christ this morning, this is a glorious reminder for what we have in Jesus. The the fear that verse 43 and 40 to 45 sort of kind of instinctively bring out like, oh, I don't want to be that empty vessel so that seven other spirits more evil, take root.

34:17That just can't happen to God's people. And praise God for that reality. If you are believing in Christ, it means that we have been in dwell by the Holy Spirit, something greater dwells within us. We have a divine helper and the spirit dwells in us and will be with us. It means that we don't have to fear persecution or suffering or trials because the very same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, the very same power that accomplished that greatest of miracles is the same spirit that dwells inside of us right now. And so if we need power to overcome sin, if we need power to overcome anxiety and fear and anger, we have the very spirit of God.

35:07Jesus says, I will never leave you nor will I forsake you. The reason I'm leaving is because I'm sending you someone even better, the Holy Spirit that will indwell every single one of my children. And in the moments that you need it most, it will bring to mind those truths that will serve as a balm for your soul. If you're put on trial before courts, it'll give you words. He will give you words to say The Spirit enables us to walk by faith this morning. This is a glorious comfort to God's children.

35:45The one in us is greater than the one out there. So the thing that we should remember that though we live in a world where Satan is real, his demonic powers are real. There are cosmic powers and rulers and authorities that are at work in, in sowing chaos and and moving people towards even more and more wickedness. We have the very spirit of God in us. We do not need to be afraid. We, we don't go fearfully cautiously, but we go with the authority and with the power, and with our identity rooted and grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ. So that when Jesus gets to Matthew 28, what does he say? Go. Go.

36:39Therefore, why all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me Because now I am the resurrected and ascended Lord Christ. And I've given that same authority to all of my people. And so we go in the power of the Holy Spirit and we proclaim this good news to the very ends of the earth. We are not afraid of demonic powers because in the end, Christ will conquer the gospel prevails, and Jesus will win and take a bride for himself. Amen. Amen. Let's pray. Father, oh, we delight to know that you rule and you reign, that the one in us is greater than the prince of the power of this age, and that you will never leave us, nor will you forsake us.

37:32And now you've commissioned us and sent us with your power, inel by your spirit to speak a word of good news so that many would come to believe, oh, break the chains of Satan that are holding many in bondage and cause them to see afresh the glory and the majesty of the power and authority of Jesus and Jesus alone. We pray this in your name. Amen.

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Sermon Text

Matthew 12:38-45

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