With your Bibles open to the 11th chapter
of Matthew, I would like to mention the
fact that the lesson today is entitled, The
Pleading of the King.
The Pleading of the King.
And there are four pleas in this chapter.
There is a plea, first of all, to
John the Baptist.
Then there is a plea to the nation
as a whole.
He refers to it in verse 16, Well,
now this generation would have to encompass the
whole nation of Israel.
And so there was a plea to the
nation as a whole.
Then there is a plea to specific cities.
Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.
Then lastly, there is a plea to the
individual.
Come unto me, all ye that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.
So we have four pleas of the king
in this chapter.
Now it would not seem at first that
he made a plea to John the Baptist,
but I believe he did.
Let's read a little of that if you
please, verse 2 of this 11th chapter of
Matthew.
Now when John had heard in prison the
works of Christ, he sent two of his
disciples and said unto him, Art thou he
that should come, or do we look for
another?
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and
show John again those things which ye do
hear and see.
The blind receive their sight, the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear.
The dead are raised up, and the poor
have the gospel preached to them.
And blessed is he whosoever shall not be
offended in me.
Now some have given John the Baptist the
place of just failing faith.
But I don't believe that John's faith has
failed.
Now I know that the question would seem
to indicate that John had thought perhaps he
had been espousing the cause of the wrong
man.
But I don't believe that is the case.
I think that what John said to the
Lord Jesus by sending his disciples to him.
In the first place, I wonder why he
had any disciples.
He sent two of his disciples when he
said he must increase but I must decrease.
Why did he have two disciples that he
could even send?
I don't know.
But he had two disciples that he sent
to the Lord Jesus and he asked the
question, Are thou he that should come or
do we look for another?
Now you'll notice, please, that in verse 2
it says, Now when John had heard in
prison the works of Christ.
He'd heard all about it.
He knew what was happening.
He said, then he sent two of his
disciples and they said, Now you're to say
are thou he that should come or look
we for another.
Now the Lord distinctly says in one instance
that the works that he did bore witness
of him.
And John had heard of those.
This leads me to believe that John was
a little bit nipped, if I may use
that term, because he was in prison.
I think this was a kind of a
barbed accusation.
If you're the Messiah, why are you allowing
me to be in prison?
Now the reason that I think this, really,
is for this reason.
The Lord sent a special message back to
John.
He pleaded with him in this message, And
blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended
in me.
He had read the thoughts of John, and
John was just a little disturbed by the
fact that he was in prison.
This has been called the forgotten beatitudes.
This is a beatitude just the same as
the beatitudes mentioned in the fifth chapter of
Matthew, which are the introduction, the beatitudes are
the introduction to the firmament of the mount.
This is the beatitude.
Same word, same word in the Greek.
Blessed, extremely happy, supremely happy, is he whosoever
shall not be offended in me.
This has been the forgotten beatitude.
People forget that it's here.
But it is a beatitude.
There is a blessedness in associating to submitting
to the will of God.
Now, someone has said, well, was it the
will of God that John be in prison,
and eventually lose his life?
Well, it had to be done with God's
permission, that's for sure.
Now, John got himself into that position by
being a prophet, which he was, and rebuking
Herod.
And Herod put him in prison.
But John was chasing.
He was chasing unto this.
He wanted to be out of there.
But Christ said, I could get you out
if I wanted to.
Now, he didn't say that in so many
words, that's not a quote.
But it's hidden in these words.
Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended
in me.
Now, I think that we need this message
today.
Because there are adverse circumstances that come upon
you and me.
And I, with my own ears, have had
some Christians confess.
And I know their faith.
That they were bitter against God.
Because of the circumstances that He had permitted.
We've got to be careful.
This is the forgotten beatitude.
I hope we don't have occasion to have
it rebuked us.
Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended
in me.
John was.
The Lord knew it.
And he sends him a little personal message.
This message can come to you and to
me.
Now, instead of being offended at the Lord,
in some of the circumstances in which we
find ourselves, perhaps we could better examine our
own hearts as to why those circumstances came
about.
And how God would use those circumstances to
shape our character.
Because He does use circumstances to shape our
character.
He brings upon us those things with which
we cannot cope.
So that we will go to Him and
let Him be our strength.
Now, if you and I were to pray
and expect God to answer all our prayers.
This thought came to me one day.
I prayed for a man and he died.
And I thought, well, now maybe I better
quit praying for people.
And this thought came to me one day.
If your prayers and all of your prayers
and all of my prayers were answered.
Nobody would ever be sick.
Nobody would ever die.
Nobody would ever do anything that was wrong.
Nobody would ever have any adverse circumstances.
Do you think that's going to happen?
Not in a world like this that has
been disrupted by sin.
And because somebody dies for whom we have
prayed.
It doesn't mean that God is not still
on His throne.
Because somebody has suffered an illness with which
they would be so happy to be without.
It doesn't mean that God has left His
throne.
It didn't mean that the Lord Jesus was
insensitive to John's predicament at this time.
Do you know why?
John died a martyr.
And there is a particular reward in being
a martyr.
Martyrs have special places.
It isn't everybody that God permits to die
in the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John was a martyr.
And he purchased for himself glory.
Why was he a martyr?
Because he was faithful to the Word of
God.
Not because he was a prophet.
All right.
If we're faithful and things don't go well,
can't we take a little consolation in the
fact that we were faithful to the Lord?
That He permits us to suffer for Him?
This, I think, this forgotten beatitude.
Blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended
in need.
I think we do well to remember that
God does permit circumstances to come into our
lives which we don't care for, we don't
like.
But let's turn it into a blessing.
Let's turn it into a blessing and let
it draw us closer to our Lord Himself.
Now, to go on further, there is a
pleading to the nation.
We go down to verse 16.
Oh, I must not pass over the verses
that we have just left until we get
to verse 16.
I want to read it to you.
Verse 7.
And as they departed, Jesus began to say
unto the multitude concerning John, What went ye
out in the wilderness to see?
A reed shaken with the wind?
But what went ye out for to see?
A man clothed in soft raiment?
Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in
king's houses.
But what went ye out for to see?
A prophet?
Yea, I say unto you, more than a
prophet.
This is he of whom it is written,
Behold, I send my messenger before thy face,
which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Verily I say unto you, Among them that
are born of women there hath not risen
a greater than John the Baptist.
Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom
of heaven is greater than he.
Greater in position, not greater morally.
The kingdom of heaven, believe me, is greater
than anything that can happen to us on
this earth.
For all the prophets in the law prophesied
unto John, And if ye will receive it,
this is Elias.
Which was for to come.
Now, Elijah is still coming.
And he's going to still fulfill that scripture
written of him in Malachi chapter 4.
But for all practical purposes, John came in
the purpose, And in the tenor of Elijah's
ministry, He came rebuking, he was a prophet.
And he, believe me, he used his office.
He spoke unscathingly to those that came to
his baptism.
He called them vipers.
I've never yet called anybody a snake in
the platform that he did.
He called them snakes and vipers.
Now, he was indeed the mightiest prophet.
But notice please, The Lord Jesus did not
speak these words until after the disciples of
John had left.
The Lord knew what John could take and
what he couldn't take.
He had a good word for John.
He praised John.
But you'll notice please in verse 7, And
as they departed, Jesus began to say unto
the multitude concerning John, You know, the Lord
has to be careful with you and me,
Lest we get the big head.
He has to be careful in our spiritual
accomplishments That we don't become occupied with them.
There is a day coming when every man
shall receive praise of God.
And that's at the judgment seat of Christ.
That we'll be able to take it then.
He has to hide from us now our
effectiveness and what we do for his glory.
But I'd like to think that we're all
doing a little more sometimes than we think
we're doing.
I'd like to think that.
But the Lord is too wise.
All his wisdom is in connection with John.
He sent him to rebuke and then praise
him in the absence of his disciples.
And the Lord I'm sure is dealing wisely
with you and with me.
How wonderful.
I couldn't pass over that before we go
to verse 16.
But whereinto shall I liken this generation?
Now this applies to the whole house of
Israel.
Those to whom he administers.
This is his pleading with them.
It is like unto children sitting in the
market and calling unto their fellows and saying,
We have piped unto you, and ye have
not dent.
We have borne unto you, and ye have
not lamented.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and
they say he hath a devil.
The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and they say, Behold, a man blessed.
And the wine-giver came to public in
concern.
But with him is justified of her children.
This portion of Scripture, verses 16 to 19
included, tells us how unresponsive the Jewish people
really were.
They had two kinds, two kinds of witness.
The witness of John, where he drug them
over the coals.
He applied the lash.
His words were singing.
He was a prophet indeed.
And he called them vipers.
They had that kind of witness, but they
didn't witness to John.
They didn't rather yield to the witness of
John.
And we find that out later in the
public ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On one occasion they came to him, and
they said to the Lord, By what authority
do you do these things?
And the Lord says, I've got a question
for you.
If you answer my question, I'll answer yours.
They said, fair enough.
They didn't say that in so many words
that they had to go ahead.
And he says, the baptism of John.
Was it of God or was it of
men?
They had a little conference.
They said, now if we say that it
was from heaven, then he'll say, why didn't
you believe me?
And if we say that it was from
men, or of men, we'll get stoned because
the people all accept John as a prophet
indeed.
So they said, we can't tell.
And the Lord says, neither do I tell
you by what authority I believe.
Now here they had the witness of John
the Baptist.
And they would not admit that his ministry
was from heaven.
They didn't want it.
They were totally unresponsive.
And the Lord gives one of the mightiest
illustrations, one of the most touching telling illustrations
that you could possibly give.
He said, you're like the children sitting in
the market, calling to their fellows and saying,
we have pipes unto you, and you have
not vamped.
We have morn unto you, and you have
not lamented.
Children are so responsive.
I had an occasion once to visit with
a lady years and years ago.
She was burdened down with trouble.
And I talked with her.
She wanted to talk with me, and I
talked with her.
And she just laid her troubles out on
the table.
And she began to cry.
She had a little daughter that was there
listening to all of this, three and four
years old.
And when her mother began to cry, she
began to cry.
And she cried like her heart would break.
Just because her mother was crying.
She was responsive.
Children are that way.
Now, he says, you are like children.
What would be wrong with a child that
wouldn't be grieved if his parents were grieved?
That wouldn't be happy if his parents were
happy?
What would be wrong with that child?
He says, that's the way you are.
John came with a certain type of ministry.
Now, this sounds more like a rebuke than
pleading.
But actually he was pleading.
He's trying to put before them the unreasonableness
of their attitude.
And he's trying to put it before them
with the thought in mind that they would
receive him.
It's a plea.
It's really a plea to be accepted on
the part of the Lord.
He wanted to be accepted.
They wouldn't have you.
Now, they say of the Lord Jesus Christ.
When he came, well, they said of John,
he's got a devil.
John came neither eating nor drinking, and they
say he hath a devil.
Now, somebody said that.
The Bible says they said it.
Then they say of the Lord.
The Son of Man came eating and drinking,
and they say, Behold, a man gluttonous, and
a wine-dipper, of friends of publicans and
sinners.
But wisdom is justified of all her children.
Those that knew the Lord received the ministry
of John the Baptist, and then in turn
received the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ
because they were wise.
Wisdom is justified of all her children.
But you know, there are some people in
the world today, nothing is right when it
comes to God.
Absolutely nothing.
The time is never right.
The occasion is never right.
His dealings are never right.
They can find absolutely nothing in which they
can take comfort in God.
They are completely alienated from him, and that
was true of the Jewish race at this
time.
And I think of the unreasonableness of this.
Never a convenient time for God.
Somehow it just doesn't fit into our circumstance.
This was the generation to whom he was
addressing these things.
How unreasonable can men be?
When the Lord came and his gracious ministry
healed their sick, gave sight to the blind,
raised their dead.
Ate republicans and sinners.
Not because he was condoning their sins.
Not at all.
He wanted to make a contact with them.
They accused him.
This man received the sinners and needed wisdom.
They accused him.
Now I think there's really an attitude betrayed
in that statement.
I think they were really saying, now maybe
I'm imputing a lot of wrong things to
these scribes and Pharisees, these religious Jewish people.
Maybe I am, but I don't think I
am.
I think they're really saying, why does he
associate with these people when he could be
associating with us?
I've got that feeling.
They said, this man received the sinners and
needed wisdom.
Now, he didn't receive them because he condoned
their sins.
He wanted to take them out of their
sin.
And that was the occasion, you remember, when
the Lord said, David, behold, had no need
of the physician of David.
I'm here to help you.
I'm glad.
I'm glad that the woman at Samaria's wayside
well felt at home, felt at ease in
the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He was so approachable.
He was so accessible.
And he still is today.
The Lord Jesus is still as accessible today
as he ever has been.
And his love is great.
I think he is really pleading with his
generation, showing them their unreasonableness.
Nothing could touch them.
Nothing was right.
They did no wrong.
Then he goes on and he upbraids these
cities.
Then he began to upbraid the cities wherein
most of his mighty works were done, because
they repented not.
Chorazin, Bethsaida.
He says, if the mighty works which have
been done in you had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long
ago.
In fact, Law of Ananias.
These cities evidently were noted for their worldliness,
whereas Capernaum is likened to Sodom, which was
noted for its wickedness.
Tyre and Sidon in the Scripture.
Tyre, as far as I'm concerned.
When we read the goings-on in Tyre,
when we read of the king of Tyre
and its glory, its commerce with the world,
it was a tremendous city.
When we read of that, all I can
think of is children's progress.
Vanity there.
That's Tyre and Sidon.
Now, the Lord said, you cities, wherein my...
And I suppose that he was addressing this
to some of the inhabitants of those cities.
He says, you cities, Chorazin, or Chorazin, perhaps,
and Bethsaida, if the mighty works that have
been done in you had been done in
Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented a
long time ago.
In fact, Law of Ananias.
How hard were they?
Their responsibility was great.
I think we have to read into these
verses, and the reduce of the cities, I
think we have to read into this portion
of Scripture that light rejected brings night.
The greater your responsibility, the greater the judgment.
Now, actually, I think that these cities were
meriting these reduce because of the fact, who
was it that was in their midst?
Was it just simply a prophet?
No, it was more than a prophet.
It was the prophet, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He was in their midst.
Their responsibility was so great.
How tremendous their responsibility.
And he said Tyre and Sidon would have
repented long ago if they'd seen the things
that you've seen.
They didn't repent.
God had to bring judgment in on them.
And Tyre was totally destroyed right down to
the bedrock to the degree that in later
years, fishermen spread their nets out on the
very rock that supported the city of Tyre
so they could mend their nets.
God said it would come.
It did come.
It came, just like he said it would.
But what do you think of those that
would reject our Lord Jesus Christ and his
gracious ministry?
Oh, how great their judgment.
How terrible it is to fall into the
hands of the living God.
And then there was Capernaum.
Capernaum had a special place of privilege.
Capernaum on the northwest shores of the Sea
of Galilee was the adopted city of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Now he wanted to go down to Capernaum.
He wanted to take residence near the Sea
of Galilee because that's where the people were.
That Nazareth was an isolated small town.
And it had no reputation.
But he went and dwelt in Capernaum moved
into Capernaum and dwelt there as his adopted
city.
Now, in our day and age if a
notable comes from a certain city he imparts
a certain nobility to that city.
A certain privilege.
Now, for instance, Norfolk, Nebraska is very proud
of the fact that Johnny Carson grew up
there.
Well, that's their problem.
Ordinarily the city of a president receives a
lot of attention.
A lot of notoriety.
But this is the town that the God
of heaven and earth chose for God.
Now, I think Sodom was worse off than
Tyre in time.
And I think that the Lord used this
comparison very wisely.
Capernaum was so bad in the rejection of
our Lord Jesus Christ that the only thing
that they could be likened to was this
Sodom.
That wicked, wicked city that God destroyed in
which there is no trace today.
Destroyed down to the ground with fire and
brimstone.
Now, he said, if Sodom had had your
chance they would be on this earth to
this day.
It would have remained them to this day.
Then he says, I say unto you that
it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom in the day of judgment than
for thee.
Now, I think we have to remember that
these things were written for our learning and
admonition upon the ends of the ages to
come.
What about us?
Are we responsible to the Lord?
We certainly are.
Radio programs, on the air, programs on the
TV, you can buy a Bible and a
dime for it.
The word of God all around us.
Christian people in this land, this so-called
Christian land.
I think, I think of the judgment that
is due to this nation.
Now, there are many, many nations that don't
have our privilege.
Many, many nations where Islam is the national
religion.
They've been cut off from the word of
God, cut off.
And I think those people are going to
fare better than people in this nation who
will not have our Lord Jesus Christ as
their own personal Savior.
Oh, it is such a serious thing.
And then the Lord goes on.
And then he says in verse 25, At
that time Jesus answered and said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the
wise and the prudent, and hast revealed them
unto babe, even forefather, for so it seems
good in thy sight.
All things, now this is a tremendous verse,
verse 27, a verse of revelation All things
are delivered unto me of my Father.
And no man knoweth a son but the
father, neither knoweth any man the father.
Save the son, and he to whomsoever the
son will reveal him.
Now, to further impress upon them the importance
of what he just said, he goes on.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, and
are heavy laden, and I will give you
rest.
Now, I ask you the question.
What man would have the audacity to make
a statement like this?
Do you think that I could stand up
here or any place else and say, now
all of you people bring your troubles and
your trials to me, and I'll set your
minds at rest.
Now, this was to any individual.
No troubles to bring.
Just come to me.
That's the pleading of the Lord.
He didn't have any hearing in Israel.
The cities had rejected him.
But thank God, when that collective testimony failed,
then he goes to the individual.
And thank God that he does.
You and I as individuals have access to
our Lord Jesus Christ.
And we may come with all our troubles
and our trials.
I would like you to think, I would
like the force of this invitation, the force
of this pleading to just break in upon
the soul.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, Jew
and Gentile, that are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest.
Isn't that a statement?
I couldn't do it.
Nobody else can do it but the Son
of God.
But this is a promise.
I will give you rest.
And God has never gone back on a
promise yet.
If we'll come to the Lord with our
troubles and our trials, if we will come,
we will get rest.
I've had it happen.
And I've come and laid out my troubles
before the Lord.
And God sent a relief that I rebuke
myself.
And I said, why didn't you do that
before?
Coming to the Lord and just laying out
before Him that one who listens so patiently
to what we have to say and has
the power to do something for us.
Oh, why don't we lay hold of it
in faith and claim the promise.
I will give you rest.
Now you and I have that privilege.
Now this is real and it's current.
And we can lay hold upon it at
all times.
Now actually, in this regard of the individual,
he talks about the two classes.
Although he doesn't mention the word two.
All ye that labor under heavy laden are.
Our Lord Jesus continually had to remind the
Jewish people that they didn't have a corner
on the grace of God.
I suppose that he told one of the
most noted lawyers, Nicodemus.
I suppose that Nicodemus stood head and shoulders
above all the lawyers of Israel.
And yet it was to Nicodemus that God
said, for God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son.
But whosoever believeth in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life.
That verse was given to Nicodemus.
I know we lay claim to it.
Thank God we can.
But that verse was given to Nicodemus by
way of a rebuke.
He was rebuking the bigotry in the heart
of Nicodemus.
For God so loved the world that He
gave His only begotten Son.
Thank God for John 3.16. I'm glad
I'm in.
I'm glad I'm included.
How wonderful that He included me.
And then it's given to the unsaved.
First of all, I think verse 28 belongs
to the unsaved.
I know it does because I got saved
through it.
And I think verse 29 belongs to the
Christian because he says in verse 29, Take
my yoke upon you and learn of me
for I am meek and lowly in heart
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Now this is the invitation, the pleading to
take upon us the service of the Lord.
His yoke.
And when we do, we will find rest.
Now I think that we will find rest
because at last we have submitted to the
calling that God has made to us.
And that calling is that we might serve
Him.
That we might witness Him.
And when we submit to it, when we
take up that yoke upon us, there is
that rest that comes at the end of
our resistance.
I'm going to do what the Lord wants
me to do.
I'm going to go where He wants me
to go.
I want to say what He wants me
to say.
Father, we thank Thee this morning for the
pleadings of our Lord Jesus.
We pray that they may reach our hearts.
That we might come to Him.
That we might do His service.
And that we might bring every child that
we have to Him.
And He will give that rest that He
has promised.
Lord, may we prove this experimentally in our
lives.
We ask that we give thanks in our
Savior's precious name.
Amen.