WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360 Today we are going to continue our study in the Gospel of Matthew. 00:00:05.360 --> 00:00:09.720 We've come to chapter 11 and I want us to look at the whole chapter together for a short 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:10.720 while this morning. 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:15.280 But as we begin, we can read again the first verse and then the last three verses. 00:00:15.280 --> 00:00:20.039 At the beginning it says, when Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:24.240 on from there to teach and preach in their cities. 00:00:24.240 --> 00:00:28.320 And then at the end of the chapter, Jesus concludes with these great words, come to 00:00:28.320 --> 00:00:33.000 me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.799 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart and you will 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:39.799 find rest for your souls. 00:00:39.799 --> 00:00:44.679 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. 00:00:44.679 --> 00:00:49.240 In the previous chapter, chapter 10, Jesus is preparing his disciples to go out as his 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:52.359 messengers into a mission field. 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:59.280 And as he does so, he warns them that there is one thing that they and we are guaranteed 00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:02.719 to face if we're going out with Jesus' message. 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:06.280 We're going to face obstacles. 00:01:06.280 --> 00:01:11.920 Now when we think of obstacles to Christianity, we tend to think in terms of opposition, people 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:16.760 who are hostile to the Gospel and who deliberately oppress the church. 00:01:16.760 --> 00:01:18.560 And that is a reality. 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:23.799 Jesus himself experienced it, the early church experienced it and many Christians throughout 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:28.320 the world today also experienced it. 00:01:28.320 --> 00:01:34.680 But opposition is not the only obstacle that the Christian church faces. 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:42.760 In fact, we can maybe even say that opposition is not actually the biggest of obstacles 00:01:42.760 --> 00:01:43.760 at all. 00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:49.320 The reason we can say that is because history has proved again and again and again that 00:01:49.320 --> 00:01:56.160 when the church is oppressed, it actually grows. 00:01:56.160 --> 00:02:02.400 But there are other obstacles and that's exactly what we see here in Matthew chapter 11. 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:07.960 Jesus himself, as verse one says, goes out to teach and preach. 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:14.000 And as he does so, he encounters three big hurdles. 00:02:14.000 --> 00:02:20.840 And today I want to look at these together because we encounter exactly the same thing, 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:26.759 both in terms of the culture around us, but also in our own hearts. 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:34.599 There are three big obstacles that will either stop us from coming to Jesus at all or they'll 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:40.120 hinder us as we walk with him. 00:02:40.120 --> 00:02:50.719 The three obstacles are being unsure, being unfast and being unteachable. 00:02:50.719 --> 00:02:54.400 And that's our three headings today. 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:59.439 So first of all, we see people, we see the obstacle of being unsure. 00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:04.800 Verses two to three, we read that when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:09.719 he sent word by his disciples and said to them, are you the one who is to come or shall 00:03:09.719 --> 00:03:12.439 we look for another? 00:03:12.439 --> 00:03:16.039 John the Baptist was a key figure in the Bible. 00:03:16.039 --> 00:03:20.879 And even though we read about him in the early chapters of the New Testament, he is really 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:24.840 the last of the Old Testament prophets. 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:30.640 As Jesus explains in this chapter, John is the messenger sent to announce that the Messiah 00:03:30.640 --> 00:03:32.120 is coming. 00:03:32.120 --> 00:03:34.000 Crowds flocked to hear him. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.000 He called people to repentance. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.759 He challenged the oppressive authorities of his day. 00:03:38.759 --> 00:03:40.800 He baptized Jesus. 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.840 He saw the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus as a dove. 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:50.439 And he pointed those around him to Jesus saying, behold, the Lamb of God. 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:56.319 In so many ways, John the Baptist is a giant in the Bible. 00:03:56.319 --> 00:04:00.240 And yet here we find him doubting. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:08.639 Despite all that he saw and experienced, he's now in prison and he is unsure. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:13.879 That obstacle of being unsure has been a huge challenge for the church ever since. 00:04:13.879 --> 00:04:16.480 It affects us as Christians. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:23.480 So alongside the highs of following Jesus, there's moments when I think every Christian 00:04:23.480 --> 00:04:30.640 finds himself or herself niggled by the question, is this all real? 00:04:30.640 --> 00:04:37.200 And for those of you who are maybe not yet Christians, I am fairly confident that hardly 00:04:37.200 --> 00:04:43.680 any of you, probably none of you, are thinking to yourself, I am hostile to Christianity. 00:04:43.680 --> 00:04:48.920 But I am sure that many of you are thinking, I'm just not sure. 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:50.959 I'm not opposed to Christianity. 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:58.680 I respect it, but I'm just not convinced. 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:03.120 Second obstacle we see is being unfast. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:08.519 In verses 16 to 17, Jesus says, to what shall I compare this generation? 00:05:08.519 --> 00:05:12.240 It's like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates. 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:15.079 We played the flute for you and you did not dance. 00:05:15.079 --> 00:05:19.400 We sang a dirge and you did not mourn. 00:05:19.400 --> 00:05:21.360 Here Jesus is describing the general public. 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:27.319 He speaks about this generation and then he talks about the towns and cities where he 00:05:27.319 --> 00:05:30.720 has been preaching and teaching. 00:05:30.720 --> 00:05:37.079 As he describes them, he doesn't say that they're hostile, aggressive or atheistic. 00:05:37.079 --> 00:05:39.860 None of these are the big problem. 00:05:39.860 --> 00:05:43.199 The big problem is that people aren't bothered. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:47.280 So if a flute is played, they don't dance. 00:05:47.280 --> 00:05:50.439 If a dirge is sung, they don't mourn. 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:55.360 In other words, the general public is just not fussed. 00:05:55.360 --> 00:06:00.840 There's a numbness, which means that the things that should make people either dance for joy 00:06:00.840 --> 00:06:05.160 or mourn with tears, it's just bouncing off them. 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:12.480 And instead, people are distracted, uninterested and indifferent. 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:14.240 And of course, exactly the same as through today. 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:18.280 Don't ever think that Jesus lived in a different world to what we live in. 00:06:18.280 --> 00:06:20.960 In so many ways, it was exactly the same. 00:06:20.960 --> 00:06:27.640 Today we are surrounded by a general public that is just not that fussed. 00:06:27.640 --> 00:06:34.020 And that numbness is a huge obstacle to the gospel. 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:42.120 It means that the life-changing message of Jesus is lost in a fog created by the latest 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:46.439 celebrity scoop that we need to hear about, or the latest thing that we need to buy, or 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:53.319 the latest TikTok video that we need to watch. 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:58.319 And the third obstacle is being unteachable. 00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:01.199 We see that towards the end in verses 25 and 26. 00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:03.719 Jesus says, at the same time, at that time, Jesus declared, 00:07:03.720 --> 00:07:07.400 I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you've hidden these things from the wise 00:07:07.400 --> 00:07:10.000 and understanding and revealed them to little children. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.440 Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 00:07:14.440 --> 00:07:18.680 In summing everything up in this chapter, Jesus gives this beautiful description of how 00:07:18.680 --> 00:07:26.440 God does not choose the intellectual elite to be the first recipients of the gospel. 00:07:26.440 --> 00:07:30.200 Rather, he reveals himself to people who are like little children. 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:34.319 Now, there's a lot we could say about these couple of verses. 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:39.839 I just want to focus on the fact that these verses reveal another massive obstacle to 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:44.360 the gospel, being unteachable. 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:49.199 For the religious and intellectual elite around Jesus, the fact that they were wise 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:56.599 and understanding, as it says there in verse 25, that was not an advantage to them. 00:07:56.600 --> 00:08:02.160 It was actually an obstacle because it meant that they were unteachable. 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:06.439 As Jesus went to preach and teach in the cities, as we're reading about in this chapter, these 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:11.160 people didn't listen because they didn't think that they needed to learn anything. 00:08:11.160 --> 00:08:15.560 Again, that's still an obstacle today. 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:20.800 Many people resist the teaching of Jesus, not because they're aggressively hostile, but 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:25.879 because when it comes to the big questions of life, they're already confident in their 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:28.680 own answers. 00:08:28.680 --> 00:08:33.000 And as a result, people don't want to be taught by Jesus. 00:08:33.000 --> 00:08:41.240 And yet, the whole concept of being teachable is fundamental to being a disciple of Jesus. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:42.480 That's what the word disciple means. 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:44.559 It means to be a learner. 00:08:44.559 --> 00:08:50.200 And that's exactly what we have to do in order to become disciples and to live as disciples. 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:55.080 We need to learn from Jesus. 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:58.920 But in order to learn, we need to be teachable. 00:08:58.920 --> 00:09:03.480 In order to be teachable, we need to acknowledge that there's stuff we don't know. 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:09.360 And in order to acknowledge that there's stuff we don't know, we have to show our weakness. 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:13.800 And that's probably the bit that we find the hardest. 00:09:13.800 --> 00:09:20.000 So there's these three big obstacles in Matthew chapter 11, being unsure, being unfast, being 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:22.360 unteachable. 00:09:22.360 --> 00:09:28.519 I want us to ask the question, what does all this teach us? 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:34.200 Well looking at these three categories, the obvious question is to ask which one are you? 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:42.360 But in reality, I think instead of picking one, the truth is far more likely to be that 00:09:42.360 --> 00:09:45.960 in different ways, we are all of them. 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:51.200 We all have times when we are unsure. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:55.240 When giants like John had doubts, we are the same. 00:09:55.240 --> 00:10:00.879 We all have areas of our lives where we're unfast, where we can be just as numb to things 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:03.680 that are going on around us. 00:10:03.680 --> 00:10:11.440 And we all have ways in which we're unteachable, where we would far rather be listened to than 00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:15.720 for us to have to listen to others. 00:10:15.720 --> 00:10:22.480 And this affects us whether we are Christians or not, these obstacles will prevent you from 00:10:22.480 --> 00:10:26.879 being saved if you're not yet a Christian, and these obstacles will spoil your relationship 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:31.680 with Jesus if you are already a believer. 00:10:31.680 --> 00:10:33.840 So what's the answer? 00:10:33.840 --> 00:10:37.200 What do we do? 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:44.000 Well it would be very easy for us to think that the answer is to overcome these hurdles 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:46.240 and come to Jesus. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:51.720 So if you imagine in your mind somebody who's walking home and in order to get home, they 00:10:51.720 --> 00:10:57.639 have to climb over fences and ditches and walls and eventually they'll get there. 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:03.960 So I could easily say to you, you need to jump over the ditch of being unsure. 00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:09.639 You need to push through the bog of being unfast and you need to break down the wall 00:11:09.639 --> 00:11:13.679 of being unteachable and then come to Jesus. 00:11:13.679 --> 00:11:21.719 In other words, we could say you need to overcome the obstacles and come to Jesus. 00:11:21.719 --> 00:11:27.799 But I don't think that that's what this chapter is really telling us to do. 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:34.919 The chapter is not saying overcome the obstacles and come to Jesus. 00:11:34.919 --> 00:11:43.639 The chapter is saying come to Jesus and the obstacles will disappear. 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:49.600 And that's summed up in the beautiful statement that Jesus makes at the end of the chapter. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:55.879 Jesus says, come to me and learn from me. 00:11:55.879 --> 00:12:03.679 When we face these obstacles, we need to come to Jesus and we need to learn from Him. 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:08.200 So let's look at that in terms of each of the three obstacles. 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:15.280 When you are unsure, come to Jesus and learn from Him. 00:12:15.280 --> 00:12:22.960 When John's message of uncertainty came to Jesus, Jesus responds with an amazing reply. 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:29.560 He answers them and he says, go and tell John what you hear and see. 00:12:29.560 --> 00:12:34.000 The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, 00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:38.480 the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them and blessed is the one 00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:41.360 who's not offended by me. 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:46.919 The key words I want to focus on are the words what you see and hear. 00:12:46.919 --> 00:12:57.399 In other words, Jesus points the unsure person to objective, verifiable truth. 00:12:57.399 --> 00:13:03.960 Now that's really important for us to recognize because many people think that faith means 00:13:03.960 --> 00:13:11.160 belief in something that's kind of vague and mystical and that doesn't necessarily tie 00:13:11.160 --> 00:13:13.360 in with the facts. 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:23.280 Ironically, a very clear example of this is secular humanism's approach to death. 00:13:23.280 --> 00:13:30.840 So often people with that worldview will talk about the death of loved ones in terms of 00:13:30.840 --> 00:13:34.759 people being with us or that we'll meet again. 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:41.639 Now I can completely understand why people say that because a cold, hard, purely secular 00:13:41.639 --> 00:13:46.879 view of death is something that very few people can actually live with. 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:57.360 But having that idea of something being there or the idea of a new chapter or the other 00:13:57.360 --> 00:14:02.680 side, that's not faith. 00:14:02.680 --> 00:14:06.440 That's guessing. 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:11.759 Faith in terms of how the Bible understands it is not vague or blind. 00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:16.840 It is grounded on objective, verifiable truth. 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:23.200 That's why Jesus doesn't say, tell John, keep the faith, feel the energy, be true to yourself 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:24.560 and everything will be fine. 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:32.519 No, Jesus says, tell John the facts about what you're seeing and hearing. 00:14:32.519 --> 00:14:35.479 Real blind people have received their sight. 00:14:35.479 --> 00:14:37.399 Real lame people walk. 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:40.759 Real lepers have been cleansed. 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:45.479 It's all reminding us that the gospel is grounded on objective, verifiable truth. 00:14:45.479 --> 00:14:49.359 In other words, it's based on stuff that's real. 00:14:49.359 --> 00:14:52.079 So the miracles of Jesus really happened. 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:54.759 The ministry of Jesus really happened. 00:14:54.759 --> 00:14:58.200 The betrayal, arrest and crucifixion of Jesus really happened. 00:14:58.200 --> 00:15:04.800 And most importantly of all, the resurrection of Jesus really happened. 00:15:04.800 --> 00:15:11.240 These are objective truths, real events that really happened. 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:16.600 And they're verifiable through the historical record that the Bible gives us. 00:15:16.600 --> 00:15:21.920 That's why there's such an emphasis in the New Testament on eyewitness testimony. 00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:30.639 The New Testament, especially the gospels, it's not a collection of religious meditations. 00:15:30.639 --> 00:15:36.319 These are grounded on eyewitness records. 00:15:36.319 --> 00:15:40.719 Christianity is not based on stuff that we wish was true. 00:15:40.719 --> 00:15:44.679 It's grounded on stuff that is true. 00:15:44.679 --> 00:15:49.039 Now you might be hearing me say that and you might reject that. 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:52.399 You might think, well, I don't think it's true. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:58.919 Well if that's the case, I want you just to imagine that Matthew who wrote this gospel 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:03.199 is sitting on your sofa or wherever you are just now. 00:16:03.199 --> 00:16:06.319 Imagine that he's just sitting in the room next to you. 00:16:06.319 --> 00:16:12.240 And if you're rejecting the truth of what Matthew 11 is saying, you'd have to turn to Matthew 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:16.639 and say to him, Matthew, see all this stuff that you wrote? 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:18.279 It didn't happen. 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:22.279 You were wrong. 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:31.079 I think Matthew would respond by saying to you, hold on a minute. 00:16:31.079 --> 00:16:36.799 I was there. 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:42.720 So when John comes to Jesus with his doubts and uncertainty, Jesus points him to objective 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:45.159 verifiable truth. 00:16:45.159 --> 00:16:53.199 The amazing thing about objective verifiable truth is that no matter how much you doubt, 00:16:53.199 --> 00:17:03.799 that has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the fact that it's true, doubts don't affect 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:04.799 facts. 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.039 Now some facts are hard to believe. 00:17:07.039 --> 00:17:12.799 It is hard to believe that the whole of Western Europe would go into lockdown. 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:20.519 I find it hard to believe that for every second of my life, my heart keeps beating. 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:28.680 It's hard to believe that in the last 80 years, there have been seven billion childbirths. 00:17:28.680 --> 00:17:34.879 And it's hard to believe that all around us, there is this force that you can't see or 00:17:34.879 --> 00:17:39.879 touch or smell or taste, and yet it can pull everything. 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:46.040 And the whole of the universe is held together by this force called gravity that we can't 00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:49.680 see or taste or touch. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:55.160 There are many things that we can feel unsure about, but our doubts make no difference whatsoever 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:58.240 to the fact that they're true. 00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:07.640 And that's why if you are unsure in terms of your faith, Jesus says, come to me and learn 00:18:07.640 --> 00:18:12.840 from me, learn the facts from me. 00:18:12.840 --> 00:18:15.800 We will all have doubts at times. 00:18:15.800 --> 00:18:17.480 Even the greatest have doubts. 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:21.320 John the Baptist doubted, even Elijah doubted in the Old Testament. 00:18:21.320 --> 00:18:23.360 They had incredible experiences. 00:18:23.360 --> 00:18:29.560 You might have incredible experiences, but the certainty that an incredible experience 00:18:29.560 --> 00:18:34.160 can bring at the time doesn't always last the distance. 00:18:34.160 --> 00:18:43.519 And what will last is the objective truth that if you trust in Jesus, you are safe and 00:18:43.519 --> 00:18:47.800 that he is everything you need. 00:18:47.800 --> 00:18:52.880 Often we are plagued with the same question that plagued John. 00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:56.200 Shall we look for another? 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:59.000 Some people find that Jesus is too much for them. 00:18:59.000 --> 00:19:02.720 So they recoil from the constant commitment of discipleship. 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:08.120 I think more people find that Jesus is not enough. 00:19:08.120 --> 00:19:10.000 That's true for Christians and for unbelievers. 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.480 We feel the need to look for another. 00:19:12.480 --> 00:19:16.279 So we look for security in our health or our possessions. 00:19:16.279 --> 00:19:20.160 We look for self-worth in what other people think of us. 00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:23.680 We look for attention and affirmation on social media. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:25.079 We look for hope in politics. 00:19:25.079 --> 00:19:28.799 We look for joy in sport. 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:36.359 If we are looking for meaning, security, hope and peace in another, it's because we're 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:41.200 looking at Jesus and we are unsure. 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:49.079 But if you are a Christian and you have doubts, which is probably every single Christian listening 00:19:49.079 --> 00:19:55.079 to this, if you have doubts at times, I want you to imagine that you could do what John 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:58.000 the Baptist did. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:05.480 Imagine you could send a messenger to Jesus right now in heaven and ask him, are you the 00:20:05.480 --> 00:20:10.519 Savior who is to come or should I look for another? 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:14.240 Am I really safe with you? 00:20:14.240 --> 00:20:22.640 And I think if that was to happen, Jesus would say to your messenger, go and tell them what 00:20:22.640 --> 00:20:26.920 you see and hear. 00:20:26.920 --> 00:20:32.759 Your friend would come back and would say, I saw Jesus standing at the right hand of 00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:35.080 God the Father. 00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:42.600 I heard Jesus praying to the Father and he mentioned your name loads of times. 00:20:42.600 --> 00:20:48.160 I saw your name written in permanent ink in his book of life. 00:20:48.160 --> 00:20:54.240 I saw God the Father smile when I mentioned your name. 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:59.400 I saw that they were preparing a place for you. 00:20:59.400 --> 00:21:09.880 So I think that you are definitely safe and you definitely don't need another. 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:19.759 So if you're a Christian, let me ask you the question, where do you feel at your most special? 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:21.960 What pops into your head? 00:21:21.960 --> 00:21:30.279 Lots of things can make us feel special, but where is it you feel most special? 00:21:30.279 --> 00:21:32.319 Is it with another? 00:21:32.319 --> 00:21:37.319 So is it when you do well at work or is it when you're among friends? 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:40.680 Is it when you have a good workout or exercise? 00:21:40.680 --> 00:21:45.680 Is it when you get lots of likes on Facebook or Instagram? 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:50.160 If it is, then that means that even though you're a Christian, it means that you maybe 00:21:50.160 --> 00:22:00.040 don't quite understand Christianity completely because the place where you are at your most 00:22:00.040 --> 00:22:14.480 special is when Jesus is looking at you because you are never as special anywhere as you are 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:18.960 with him. 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:24.759 Now, I feel unsure of that all the time. 00:22:24.759 --> 00:22:30.480 That's why I need to come to Jesus and learn from him. 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:37.400 And if you're not yet a Christian, please ask yourself, where are you going to go when 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:43.039 you're unsure? 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:52.680 Coming back to our second obstacle, when you are unfast, come to Jesus and learn from him. 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:57.599 Again, this obstacle confronts us whether we're Christians or not yet Christians. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:04.720 And a good way of diagnosing this question is to ask, what makes you mourn and what makes 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:07.519 you dance? 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:14.119 And all too often, the answers to those questions are things that don't actually matter very 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:15.619 much. 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:18.839 So I look at myself and I say, well, what makes me dance? 00:23:18.839 --> 00:23:21.319 And one answer is sport. 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:27.160 So I think of Andy Murray winning Wimbledon and I think, wow, that was an amazing moment. 00:23:27.160 --> 00:23:32.680 Or I think of Scotland's rugby team beating England or Scotland's football team beating 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:38.080 anyone, all these things are thrilling. 00:23:38.080 --> 00:23:42.200 But ultimately, none of them are really that important. 00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:44.720 And it's the same in terms of mourning. 00:23:44.720 --> 00:23:53.400 Every day, the news sings dirges to us about suffering and injustice in the world. 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:59.880 And yet, do we really mourn or does it just kind of bounce off us? 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:10.000 Now, Jesus responds to the obstacle of being unfast by talking about a crucial and yet perhaps 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:12.920 surprising topic. 00:24:12.920 --> 00:24:17.280 He talks about judgment. 00:24:17.280 --> 00:24:27.080 So if you are unfast, Jesus says, come to me and learn about judgment. 00:24:27.079 --> 00:24:34.359 And we see that in the chapter as he speaks about Bethsaida, Corazin and Capernaum. 00:24:34.359 --> 00:24:38.199 Now that all seems a wee bit heavy. 00:24:38.199 --> 00:24:42.359 When we hear that word judgment, it kind of makes us want to recoil a bit and it seems 00:24:42.359 --> 00:24:44.399 harsh. 00:24:44.399 --> 00:24:48.720 And it almost seems like it doesn't fit with the beautiful promises that the Gospel gives 00:24:48.720 --> 00:24:54.199 us, like the one that's on your screen from Matthew 11, 28 to 30. 00:24:54.200 --> 00:24:58.080 It's easy to think that the two things don't go together, but that's the wrong conclusion 00:24:58.080 --> 00:25:09.319 to come to because judgment, judgment from God is actually a very precious thing. 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:14.360 And I think we can actually prove that if we think about it a wee bit. 00:25:14.360 --> 00:25:21.640 When something is seriously wrong in life, we don't tend to hear people say, we demand 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:22.640 judgment. 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:27.880 I don't even know if I've ever heard that phrase in the media or around me. 00:25:27.880 --> 00:25:30.720 People don't tend to say, I want judgment. 00:25:30.720 --> 00:25:32.040 We need judgment. 00:25:32.040 --> 00:25:35.160 I long for judgment. 00:25:35.160 --> 00:25:37.840 You don't tend to hear that. 00:25:37.840 --> 00:25:46.440 Instead, what we often hear is people saying, we demand justice. 00:25:46.440 --> 00:25:51.840 And the events in America over these past few days are a really powerful example of 00:25:51.839 --> 00:25:52.839 that. 00:25:52.839 --> 00:25:56.359 People have seen something that's seriously wrong and they demand justice and they're 00:25:56.359 --> 00:26:02.119 rightly demanding that wrongs are put right. 00:26:02.119 --> 00:26:11.759 But if you look at these two phrases, we demand judgment and we demand justice, let me ask 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:20.639 you, what's the difference? 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:26.800 But the answer is nothing. 00:26:26.800 --> 00:26:33.920 That means that when Jesus responds to the unfustness of the crowds around him, when he 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:39.280 responds to that by speaking about judgment, he is not being harsh or heavy. 00:26:39.280 --> 00:26:47.360 He is actually talking about something that every single one of us craves. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:53.919 So humanity shouts, we demand justice, but do you know who demands justice more than 00:26:53.919 --> 00:26:56.879 anyone else? 00:26:56.879 --> 00:26:59.639 God. 00:26:59.639 --> 00:27:05.559 And the day of judgment that Jesus speaks about in this chapter, it's not a day of fire 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:09.240 and brimstone and divine brutality. 00:27:09.240 --> 00:27:15.240 It is a day of impeccable justice. 00:27:15.240 --> 00:27:21.839 It's the day when everything that is wrong will be called to account. 00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:25.519 And it all makes perfect sense. 00:27:25.519 --> 00:27:34.559 What's the one thing that oppression and injustice needs in order to thrive? 00:27:34.559 --> 00:27:38.519 It needs a society where people aren't fussed. 00:27:38.519 --> 00:27:46.519 Weeds don't get very far if the gardener is fussy, but if they're not bothered, then 00:27:46.519 --> 00:27:49.160 the weeds are going to thrive. 00:27:49.160 --> 00:27:55.000 That's why Jesus responds to the not botheredness of his generation by talking about judgment. 00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.359 And at the heart of that is the fact that the judgment of God is going to put right 00:27:59.359 --> 00:28:00.879 the things that are wrong. 00:28:00.879 --> 00:28:03.559 That's why God's judgment is a wonderful thing. 00:28:03.559 --> 00:28:07.879 It's putting right every single thing that is wrong. 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:14.760 And that, of course, is why Jesus is calling these towns and us to repent. 00:28:14.760 --> 00:28:17.880 Repentance is a turning away from injustice. 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:22.040 It's a turning away from everything that's wrong, and it's turning towards Jesus, the 00:28:22.040 --> 00:28:29.120 one who is righteous and just to his very core. 00:28:29.120 --> 00:28:34.800 It's all reminding us that to Jesus, right and wrong matter, injustice and oppression 00:28:34.799 --> 00:28:40.839 matter, discrimination and prejudice matter, exploitation and abuse matter. 00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:49.200 If there is one thing that's true about Jesus, he is never, ever unfust. 00:28:49.200 --> 00:28:56.759 And this is why we need to be really careful about what we can call the false security 00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:59.279 of indifference. 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:04.519 It's so easy to think that in terms of what's true or false, right or wrong, we are safer 00:29:04.519 --> 00:29:09.319 to be unfust, but it's not true. 00:29:09.319 --> 00:29:11.079 Right and wrong matter. 00:29:11.079 --> 00:29:16.039 And being unfust is not simply saying, I'm not going to enforce what I think is right. 00:29:16.039 --> 00:29:23.759 Being unfust is also saying, I'm going to turn a blind eye to what I know is wrong. 00:29:23.759 --> 00:29:30.359 And all of that is true of your religious position. 00:29:30.359 --> 00:29:37.240 It's easy to think that it's safer to be indifferent, that it's better to be unfust, 00:29:37.240 --> 00:29:42.279 but it's not true. 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:50.719 If you were asked by a reporter on a massive TV station this afternoon, what do you think 00:29:50.719 --> 00:29:53.839 of George Floyd's death? 00:29:53.839 --> 00:29:58.919 Would you want your answer to be, I'm indifferent? 00:29:58.920 --> 00:30:10.480 If on the day of judgment, God asks you, what do you think of my son's death? 00:30:10.480 --> 00:30:16.519 Do you want your answer to be, I'm indifferent? 00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:19.400 At times we're all far too unfust. 00:30:19.400 --> 00:30:25.840 Jesus is saying, come to me and learn. 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:34.359 And last of all, when you are unteachable, come to Jesus and learn from Him. 00:30:34.359 --> 00:30:38.879 Just want to comment on this very briefly because time has gone. 00:30:38.879 --> 00:30:46.639 Jesus is telling us that the answer to unteachable-ness is to come to Him, but we are to come in a certain 00:30:46.639 --> 00:30:48.439 way. 00:30:48.439 --> 00:30:54.039 We are to come to Him like children. 00:30:54.039 --> 00:30:58.759 Now we can easily think that that's a bit humiliating, and that's because so often 00:30:58.759 --> 00:31:02.839 unteachable-ness is a mask for our insecurities. 00:31:02.839 --> 00:31:09.200 But the truth is that coming to Jesus with a childlike teachable-ness is not humiliating. 00:31:09.200 --> 00:31:11.279 It's liberating. 00:31:11.279 --> 00:31:14.200 It frees us from feeling that we have to impress. 00:31:14.200 --> 00:31:17.240 It frees us from the pressure of having all the answers. 00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:20.079 It frees us from feeling that we have to prove ourselves. 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:26.679 And it's all an amazing reminder that to come to Jesus, you don't need to know everything 00:31:26.679 --> 00:31:27.679 that's in the Bible. 00:31:27.679 --> 00:31:29.799 You don't need to have all sorts of abilities and skills. 00:31:29.799 --> 00:31:34.399 You don't need to have had some kind of amazing experience, and you most definitely don't 00:31:34.399 --> 00:31:37.960 need to get up to some kind of elite standard. 00:31:37.960 --> 00:31:44.119 You just need to know that you need Him. 00:31:44.119 --> 00:31:48.319 And you can come to Him as you are. 00:31:48.319 --> 00:31:53.919 In many ways, a defining characteristic of a child is that they're dependent. 00:31:53.919 --> 00:31:57.119 And that's exactly how we come to Jesus. 00:31:57.119 --> 00:32:02.079 And that's exactly how we live our lives with Jesus. 00:32:02.079 --> 00:32:08.919 And by coming to Jesus with that childlike faith, we will learn from Him. 00:32:08.919 --> 00:32:12.119 What is it that's the key difference between children and adults? 00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:15.279 Well, the key difference is that children grow. 00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:17.399 Adults don't. 00:32:17.400 --> 00:32:22.480 And so that means that if we come to Jesus as teachable children, the result is that 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:32.560 we are going to grow under His care, His nurture, and His protection. 00:32:32.560 --> 00:32:36.960 So here are three big obstacles that we need to be aware of. 00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:39.840 And they're a reality for all of us in different ways. 00:32:39.840 --> 00:32:46.880 And the truth is that all three of these obstacles are exhausting. 00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:55.840 So being unsure is exhausting, always worrying, always doubting, always uncertain. 00:32:55.840 --> 00:33:01.280 Being unfast is actually exhausting as well, because we need to constantly distract ourselves 00:33:01.280 --> 00:33:04.400 from what really matters. 00:33:04.400 --> 00:33:08.900 And being unteachable is exhausting. 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:16.600 We need to maintain this outward appearance of being competent and capable. 00:33:16.599 --> 00:33:26.159 In the face of all of these, Jesus is saying to you, come to me and learn from me. 00:33:26.159 --> 00:33:30.159 And the result? 00:33:30.159 --> 00:33:34.480 You will find rest. 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:41.879 If you are unsure, if you're unfast, if you're unteachable, Jesus is not saying, sort yourself 00:33:41.879 --> 00:33:42.879 out. 00:33:42.880 --> 00:33:54.080 He is saying, come to me, learn from me, and I will give you rest. 00:33:54.080 --> 00:33:56.680 Amen. 00:33:56.680 --> 00:33:59.760 Let's pray. 00:33:59.760 --> 00:34:06.120 Lord Jesus, we thank you so much for these words. 00:34:06.120 --> 00:34:08.640 And we just come to you today as we are. 00:34:08.639 --> 00:34:17.599 We want to learn from you today, and we long for the rest that only you can give. 00:34:17.599 --> 00:34:20.639 Help us when we're unsure. 00:34:20.639 --> 00:34:23.239 Help us when we're unfast. 00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:25.920 Help us when we're unteachable. 00:34:25.920 --> 00:34:32.920 Draw us closer to you, and please lead us in your ways, that every day of our lives 00:34:32.920 --> 00:34:35.639 will be lived for your glory. 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:39.639 Amen.