Slugging It Out with Caustic Critics, Part 2

Today, from Chuck Swindoll on Insight for Living. How gracious God has been not to give us what we deserve.

Why? Because God is patient. He patiently waits to carry out His plan. He waits for us to change. He waits for us to open our hearts to His will, to stop being so selfish and stubborn and letting Him have His way. Aren't you glad that God, by His very nature, is patient? Because of His grace, He often withholds the punishment we deserve. Today on Insight for Living, we'll observe that Jesus is long-suffering, yes, but when rebellion persists, justice kicks in. Chuck Swindoll cites Matthew chapter 21 as proof. When Jesus garnered more and more popularity, the religious leaders of His day grew more and more jealous. Their skepticism escalated into outright mocking, and before long, Jesus reached His limit and called them out.

Chuck titled today's message, Slugging It Out with Caustic Critics. In Flanders Field, the poppies grow between the crosses, row on row that mark their place. And then the sky, the birds still bravely singing, fly. In burial plots all around this world there are white crosses under which there are the remains of very brave men and women who gave their last full measure of devotion. And today, this weekend, we pause to give you thanks for each one.

And there are those who live on, and we who stand today are in that number. And we thank you for the privilege of serving and loving those who did serve. We thank you for things learned. We thank you for the price of sacrifice, for the depth of life that comes only from being in that place where heavy weapons are carried and the battle is engaged and the enemy is fought and liberty is won. Thank you for those all around us and beyond our own shores who this day live in the memory of those years when they served. We give you our thanks for raising up men and women like this. May you continue to do so. And may you continue to lead and give parents courage to prepare their sons and daughters for what may be for them a time of sacrifice. May we not take our cues from our politically correct culture, but from these brave souls who have served faithfully and died sacrificially. Thank you for those who lead our land. Give them guidance.

Use the counsel of wise people around them to caution them lest they make flawed decisions or lest they act in a rash and hurried manner. May their leadership become strong, marked by integrity, honed by compassion, directed by courage and discernment. But you, our Father, you are the one who leads and only you can do that from the inside out. You're the Savior like a shepherd. You lead us and we count on you for that and to do that for the rest of our lives. And we tell you today we will listen and we will follow. Bless the offering as we give now that the work of ministry might continue here and beyond these walls into this community, around this state, into this country and beyond our shores that others might know the joy of Christ as the shepherd to lead them as well. In his name we pray and for his sake we give our gifts. Every one sin. Amen.

You're listening to Insight for Living. To study the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scripture studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. And now the message from Chuck that he titled Slugging it Out with Caustic Critics. Unfortunately as Jesus reached age 33 the pressure mounted and the hatred of those around him grew to where virtually every word was questioned and every act was doubted. It wasn't a miracle for God, it was a phony act.

He doesn't speak for God, he speaks for himself. And more and more and more were said and the crowds however didn't believe that. And so it was this voice of small group of critics who were interestingly in leadership over the religious world and the great number of people who were following Jesus who loved him and believed in him.

So they were in a dilemma knowing that if they moved too quickly to arrest him they would be mobbed by the people who believed in him. It was this give and take. It was really, Jesus was really the punching bag in this verbal fight.

And I use words that are used in a boxing ring on purpose because that's the kind of setting it is. By the time the final week arrived enough was enough, no longer time to turn the other cheek. He needed to be as firm and as aggressive as they and he became that and we admire him for it. Remember what happened the last time we were together in the scenes of Matthew? He came in and he turned over the tables of the money changers and he drove out the animals that were being sold for an extortion kind of amount of money. And those who were exchanging money for an incredibly high rate, he got rid of those people and he set the doves free and it became fruit basket turnover. I mean there were there were animals running, there were people running, there were tables turned over and it was really really a scene held there in that court of the Gentiles. Well the Pharisees who were the target of his attack, they were like the mafia and the leading high priest was like the godfather and they because of what he was doing they hated him all the more so they came to him regarding his authority. Look at verse 23 of Matthew 21, you'll now get the context. When Jesus returned to the temple, that's where he turned over the tables and all the chairs and driven them out, he began teaching again and notice who showed up. The leading priests and elders came up to him and they demanded by what authority do you do these things? Hey who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to come in and take over like this?

That's the idea. Who gave you the right? It's a question of authority. So Jesus rather than bowing before them or letting them have their say decided he'd face off with them. He took off his gloves and he said I'll tell you about what authority I do these things if you will simply answer a question.

So they say what's the question? Verse 25, did John's authority to baptize come from heaven or was it merely human? You answer that referring to John the baptizer and they thought as the verses say if we say it was from heaven then they'll ask why didn't you believe him because they made life miserable for John. By now John has been beheaded so we can't say he spoke from God but if we say it was from man we'll be mobbed because the people believed John was a prophet so they were impaled on the horns of a dilemma.

So they answer whatever school child does whenever he gets pushed in a corner and doesn't quite know. We don't know. See the answer at the end of verse 27 or the middle of it?

We don't know. They knew but they weren't men enough to say so but Jesus took them at their word and turned tables on them then he said I won't tell you about what authority I do these things. I love that.

Turned about fair play we would say today. However I have more to tell you Jesus would say I want to tell you a couple of stories and he starts by telling them this first story. Look closely verse 28. What do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy son go out and work in the vineyard today. The son answered no I won't go but later he changed his mind and he went anyway. I call this son the I won't but did son.

His first response was nope but later he decided to go and work in the vineyard. So the father told the other son I'm in verse 30 will you go and he said yes sir I will but he didn't go. I called him the I will but didn't son. So we got two sons. The first one was turned off at first but he later went. The second son was turned on at first but he didn't go later because he changed his mind he wasn't going to go. This isn't about sons and vineyards this is about those who are hearing the story. Look closely Jesus said 31 which of the two obeyed the father? They replied well the first one. Look at Jesus answer.

He explained the meaning I'll tell you the truth. Corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you do. For John the baptizer came and showed you the right way to live but you didn't believe him.

You were that second son. You acted like you would listen in your robes of hypocritical righteousness but down deep inside you didn't listen. While tax collectors and prostitutes at first turned him off but then realized later he was telling the truth and they did. Even when you saw this happening you refused to believe in and repent of your sins so he nails them. All your hypocrisy doesn't doesn't fool me. You look like you were interested but you weren't.

You hated John just like you hate me. By the way may I add this religion isn't your friend. Sounds like heresy doesn't it? I didn't say Christianity I said religion.

Man-made effort done with a lot of cliches and a lot of emphasis on what you do for God. That kind of religion goes nowhere with God. He takes greater delight in the tax collector and the prostitute who says I have nothing in the world to offer. I'm an absolute and abject sinful individual. I am corrupt. I am immoral.

I am ashamed of my family. The truth is I'm sinful to the core but if you offer me hope I will take it and Jesus will take anyone who will come like that. He's not turned off by these things.

What turns him on is that we will believe in him and not deny the fact that we are for whatever reason sinful and we acknowledge it. Now that leads to a second story. By now the Pharisees and scribes and religious leaders are standing with their mouths open so he says listen to another story verse 33.

I want to identify who these people are as we go along so you'll see the analogy. A certain landowner planted a vineyard. Who's the landowner? Not to be God the Father.

He owns it all. The vineyard would have to be the nation Israel. The people over whom these leaders served and led and so the landowner planted this vineyard and built a wall around it so he made it a unique body of people the nation that he loves and he put everything together to make it work and then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers that would be the leaders who were called to watch over the vineyard and he moved to another country so God left it in the hands of human leaders.

Look at what they did. At the time of grape harvest he sent his servants to collect his share of the crops. I suggest these would be the prophets. Those prophets who came often to cleanse the nation to identify their idolatrous ways to call a sin a sin a spade a spade so he sent them the farmers grabbed them and beat them and killed one and stoned another so it's a picture of the persecution of the prophets and if that wasn't enough he sent a large group of his servants there were more prophets who came to collect for him the results were the same. Now look closely finally finally verse 37 the owner sent his son thinking surely they'll respect my son. Now if the landowner is the God the father then the son of the landowner would obviously be Jesus but he doesn't identify himself he just says the son was sent to the vineyard and look at this when the farmers saw his son coming they said to one another here comes the heir to the estate let's kill him and get the estate for ourselves and they grabbed and dragged him out of this vineyard and they murdered him a little one week ahead prophecy that's what's going to happen soon as they nailed Jesus to the cross. When the owner of the vineyard returns that's God coming to shore up the accounts Jesus asked what do you think he will do to those farmers? Well these leaders are listening to the story and they're there with the right answer even though they're oblivious to what it is really saying they reply well he'll put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him the share of the crop after each harvest. No doubt a reference to turning over the blessings that would have gone to Israel to the Gentiles Jesus asked didn't you ever read the scriptures and he quotes from Psalm 118 if they knew nothing else they knew the scriptures though they certainly didn't interpret them correctly the stone the builders rejected and has now become the cornerstone this is the Lord's doing and it's wonderful to see I tell you the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit it won't be you Israel it'll be Gentile nations anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces he's either your cornerstone or the crushing stone depending on what you do with him he will crush anyone it falls on now they got it all of a sudden it landed full force next verse the leading priests and the Pharisees heard the parable and they realized he was telling the story against them they were the wicked farmers they were the ones the story was about they wanted to arrest him then but they couldn't because the the crowd was all hanging on every word and they would have mobbed them if they had tried to taken to take away the prophet the first lesson I learned from this is that God is very patient think how long he has put up with Israel over the history of the Old Testament how often they wander how often they leave their monotheistic walk with the living God and move into idolatry how often they turn against the prophets how often they went their own way and and and he patiently worked with them and patiently sent leaders that would bring them back he sent judges that would relieve them and deliver them and then he sent kings that would do that and prophets that would do that how patient God is God's wheels grind slowly but exceedingly fine before I stay in just the scene of the scriptures let me say it to every one of you and to me God's patient with us look back over your life do a flashback on your past check out your own faithfulness or lack of such how gracious God has been not to give us what we deserve my answer is often when someone asks how I'm doing I'll often say a statement that's not original with me I'll say better than I deserve and I mean that my life is better than I deserve so is yours why because God is patient he patiently waits to carry out his plan he waits for us to change he waits for us to open our hearts to his will to stop being so selfish and stubborn and letting him have his way he patiently waits during the time we didn't know him and we were struggling with the gospel message and he patiently waited those years as we wrestled with the truth and weren't ready to accept it here's the second lesson I learned God's patience has a limit oh he loves us he loves us with an infinite amount of love never doubted but the other side of that coin is God's justice there comes a day when that long suffering patience runs out and justice lands hard justice as the prophet writes rolls down some of you have gone through it you could tell the story yourself and it was a very unpleasant experience where are you in this are you on the patient side of God's waiting or is it turning a corner and things are going against you and you still haven't trusted in his son as your savior chuck swindoll has much more he'd like to say about today's topic and we urge you to keep listening this is insight for living featuring an in-depth study of the book of matthew chuck titled this portion of our study founded on matthew chapter 21 slugging it out with caustic critics and to learn more about chuck swindoll or this ministry please visit us online at insight world.org before we move ahead i'd like to draw your attention to a helpful book chuck swindoll selected for you over the course of a study in matthew we've come across a number of references to the justice of God and the fairness of his actions and in today's politically charged climate these words are surfacing in our conversations as it relates to social justice and even the world view that is often called critical race theory well when chuck finished reading a new book called fault lines by fellow pastor votey bacham he immediately wanted to share it with you chuck said whether you're a lay person who's trying to engage in sensitive conversations on race or a pastor who's grappling with a polarized congregation you want to read fault lines you can purchase a copy right now by going to insight.org slash offer in closing i'll remind you that your generous donations are what empower insight for living to deliver these daily bible studies when you give you're actually making it possible for someone you may never meet in places you will likely never visit to have access to this life-giving bible teaching so thanks for giving generously to this non-profit ministry chuck's teaching is heard around the globe and in fact in eight languages other than english and we're able to do so in part through your generosity to give a donation today call us if you're listening in the united states call 800-772-8888 that's 800-772-8888 or to give a generous donation today online please visit insight.org thank you for your generous support you've heard him teach about the holy land using word pictures to make us feel like we're actually strolling through the old city learning about jerusalem is fascinating for sure but seeing the land of israel with your own eyes is life-changing in fact it's absolutely magnificent and now you can see israel with chuck swindoll and the gracious hosts and experts assembled by insight for living ministries join us on an unforgettable 12-day tour march 6 through 17 2022 at special sites along the way i will teach from god's word we'll worship at the mount of beatitudes and share the lord's table at the garden tomb in fact we'll sail the sea of galilee together and we'll visit places where jesus walked and talked to learn more call 1-888-447-0444 just imagine walking along those sacred sites and seeing the bible come to life before your very eyes mark your calendar for march 6 through 17 2022 and make your reservation by calling 1-888-447-0444 or go to insight.org events insight for living ministries tour to israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend i'm wayne shepherd sitting in for dave spiker join us again tomorrow when our study in matthew continues on insight for living with chuck swindoll the preceding message slugging it out with caustic critics was copyrighted in 2017 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by charles r swindoll inc all rights are reserved worldwide duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.