Testy Critics and Dull Disciples, Part 1

In our study through the book of Matthew wishing the villainous crowd appear and reappear the Pharisees along with others their ill were openly critical of Jesus and on the prowl, looking to sabotage his growing reputation today on Insight for living Chuck Swindoll will show as yet another encounter with these religious zealots will expose their cynical repartee is expressed in today's religious discourse as well never grow discouraged by friends and family who poke fun at your Christian beliefs job title. Today's message testing.

Critics and dull disciples are people who live for the purpose of putting you under the law and holding you underwater until you can't survive.

They lived in the first century.

They were known as the Pharisees and Sadducees describes and not surprising they hated Jesus, who was the personification of grace and truth. We encounter them as they come to argue with him in the 16th chapter of Matthew, and it's interesting to see them before us as Jesus dealt with them. He wasn't tolerant of the he gave them no slack and because he knew them better than they even knew themselves. He simply cut to the heart of the issue when he addressed were going to look at the first 12 verses of Matthew 16 on reading from the new living translation. Follow along for the reading of the Scriptures.

One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority. He replied you know the saying red sky at night means Fairweather in the morning red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.

You know how to interpret the weather science in the sky, but you don't know how to interpret the signs of the time. Only an evil adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign with the only sign I would give them is the side of the prophet Jonah. Then Jesus left them and went away. Later, after the cross to the other side of the lake. The disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread. Watch out. Jesus warned then beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. At this, they began to argue with each other because they have not brought any bread. Jesus knew what they were saying.

So he said you have so little faith. What are you arguing with each other about having no bread. Don't you understand, even yet. Don't you remember the 5000 not fit with the loaves and the baskets of leftovers, you picked up for the 4000. I fed with seven loaves and the large baskets of leftovers, you picked up.

Why can't you understand that I'm not talking about bread. So again I say beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Then at last they understood that he wasn't speaking about the yeast in bread but about the deceptive teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees were listening to the site for living to study the book of Matthew Chuck Swindoll. Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures.

Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies another message from Chuck that he titled testee critics and dull disciples. The favorite indoor sport of many Christians is arguing a day isn't complete without a verbal fight, and sometimes the silliest thing to argue over. Have you noticed it doesn't stay limited to individual, but it grows into churches.

Churches can often become fighting churches not only fighting among themselves, but fighting with other churches what one wide writes about the town where there were three churches located on the same intersection measure drove by. You could hear one of the congregation singing. Will there be any stars any stars in my crown and across the street singing any louder. The old him. No, not one. No, not one, but the third one saying even louder. All that will be glory for me about some theologians who were arguing together over predestination as opposed to the free will of humanity that unanswerable argument that goes on and on and there was a young man who didn't really know which group he should join so he surreptitiously sort of slipped into the predestination crowd and they said how did you get in here.

He said I came up my own free will and they said you can't come here, let's reset and so he left and he wandered over to the other group but he slipped in and they said I do get in there and he said I was said, okay, lets you come of your own free will.

They answer and 100 other silly stories like that, like the two sisters who could live together and I drew a line in their small house right down the middle, right down the middle. One sister lived on one side and the other sister lived on the other side even went to the kitchen at different times without saying a word. For years they lived in. Still weak. Silence. To which I answer, give me a break. Are you arguing kind of person you like to verbally fight with others looking for reasons that disagree with it taking over things that two days later.

You can't even remember what it was about with your among those you would fit well into the group of the Pharisees and the Sadducees Pharisees set using what we don't have under that well maybe we do.

I have a friend who calls himself a recovering Pharisee, so maybe there is an semblance of that on occasion, but these groups seriously are not present. Today they're gone.

Thankfully, the Pharisees and the Sadducees were different.

However, they had one thing in common and that is they both despise Jesus. They left for the day to be out of their lives in a conspiracy would soon be underway. Planning for his death as a serious and not carnal they were. Though they wore the ropes of religious garb. The Pharisees understand live their lives according to the Munn who shot of the oral and scribal laws completely dedicated to that they believe in angels, and they also believed in the supernatural resurrection beyond death not being a political party they they were comfortable living under any governmental rule, so long as the government let them alone and and allow them to observe their own religious conviction that with the Pharisee Sadducees were different.

They rejected the oral and scribal law and they accepted only the written words of Scripture course only the Old Testament, which was in existence at that time, they did not believe in the supernatural.

They believe either in angels nor in the resurrection after death, which is why they were said Missy but I just couldn't pass that up.

It's a perfect moment to add silly but has nothing to do with what I'm trying to say. However, being a small and wealthy aristocracy. The they tolerated the Romans just so long as the Romans allowed them to retain their wealth and their privilege wealthy lifestyle. But when it came to Jesus, they would team up as we see in verse one of chapter 61 day one. It appeared that way when you lived in that day, but you can believe they had laid plans for this days before one day the plan came due so the Pharisees and the Sadducees came to test Jesus understand now, I'll stop right there.

They were the kind of people who love to argue, they all they were never satisfied with the answers they were always looking for another argument specially when dealing with Jesus and so they won't believe they will not believe, regardless. And Jesus knows that he knows that better than they know themselves, they hated that about into what were they would come in his presence every time to put into the test they want to test his power. But don't misunderstand, they knew he had demonstrated power.

Everybody who lived in the day witnessed Tinker still the storm he could walk on the sea. He could give sight to the blind. He couldn't give the paralytic new health, the ability to walk and move about, he could feed 5000. In fact, if you count everybody 25,000 at one time with a small amount of just five loose and into small fish or later 4000 I mean no one can deny the fact that he had power. But these men were there to point out the source of his power to see if you have supernatural power. It comes either from God or Satan, and you know what side they were on so the come to put into the test to see how it reads the come to test him demanding that he show them a miraculous sign from heaven to prove his authority do they want to address the issue of the realm of authority which he operated. Put some some earsplitting eye boggling incredible blazing light across the sky that we might all see Jesus is no sideshow act, and even if he had done that they would find a reason not to believe order claim that it came from the other. The other source of power, not God. He knew the so I love his reply when you know someone better than they know themselves you're able to speak to them like this isn't ugly just factual $0.20. You know the saying red sky at night means Fairweather in the morning and red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.

Maybe there was kind of a rhyme known to them at that time a red sky at night is the shepherds delight red sky in the morning is a shepherds warning near good it's doing what the weather's going to be you just know nothing of the signs of the time you refuse to see God's hand at work in my life. You refuse to see the source of my powers being from the living God. Your among the evil adulterous generation that would demand a miraculous sign there be no more and he stays with the one sign familiar to all of them as they didn't know their Old Testament the sign of Jonah. Most of you know the story of Jonah, so there's no reason to repeat it were all caught up in the fact that he was in the in him in the belly of the great fish those that extended period of time and then finally was vomited up on the shores leading to Nineveh, for he would lead the greatest revival of the Old Testament history whole city turns to God was because of the fish was because of Jonah. Jonah was the sign he lived through it. Jesus is saying I'm the sign that you must believe and I'm the one sent from God.

I am the way, the truth and the life. But you miss it altogether because you will not believe, and if you will allow me the freedom to add this I think at that point he's fed up with see what it says.

Then Jesus left them and went away. Know what he could've stayed for five more days.

10 more Denny's two more weeks and they would have been just the same. He knew that which allows me to pause and say a word to you whose seal sometimes out runs your wisdom you care about Christ you want to make it known to everyone around and you have a few who have refused to believe and so you decide you need to say more, or perhaps you need to talk louder or you need to corner them so as to convince them, please learn a lesson from Jesus.

There comes a time when in my words enough was enough.

Enough is enough I have discovered in my years on this earth that in some people saying more communicates less and conveys less of what we really want them to hear their already either on the spot or angry or for whatever reason, turned off and they may even be the type that say they want more evidence. Let's face it, you will never have enough evidence for some people, we, Jesus, the God man could have brought all kinds of evidence. He walked away.

So let me encourage you not to waste your time by pushing and pushing hard against the locked door. God has his timing his essay before them through today he has his way of bringing us to an end for our needs are so enormous we cannot do anything but soften and turn to him. But that was not the moment for this for this group for the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Jesus walked away.

Now I stay with this is easy to move quickly from this fourth verse right end of the fifth and not bring the emotion with you learn when you read your Bible and you put yourself in the sandals of those who were living in that day to bring your emotions with you think of Jesus we have been going through page after page of his incredible work with others. It's it's been phenomenal. Much of it is been miraculous. He has been a model of patients he's fed the 5040 spread the 4000 and more. He said people bring the sick by drop them off and he heals every one of them. Every one of them prior to this, there were other settings. There were other scenes. All of this has a way of not only packing into your emotional reservoir these feelings. It also has a way of exhausting. So when we get to verse five. Remember that it will help you understand not the exhaustion but the preoccupation that Jesus experiences when he's with the disciples he still thinking of what has gone on. He still remembering this the Pharisees and the Sadducees said, which is why Amy moves quickly into that within the site and they don't get it. They think about something else and we can see it just a moment, but now the. The move from the from the group of hostile appointments back with his disciples. Verse five there crossing the sea of the leak. And while doing so. Remember, Jesus thinking where it was. What's going on what's been said in the disciples who forgot to bring any bread. Jesus.

Besides, when he hears the word bread because it certainly was said among them Andrew one world and you bring the bread.

Well I did know was close to Henry over the last one leaving at the big basketful to bring at least a few loads.

What were you thinking where is your head. What about you Peter you lead the group.

You're the one this thing about it was back and forth back and forth in their arguing about bread. Jesus used bread and he says remember occupation. He says watch out beware of the use of the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the disciples are like why Pharisees. He's beware you see back where they are verse seven going to argue with each other because they hadn't brought any bread then got a bread made they don't have any way of getting bread. Jesus finally gets fed up with them and he says to them as he knew what they were saying you have so little faith moments like this are you know you like at times when your mom and dad call you and include your middle name that you know that's not going lead to a good result when they add that this is a reproof.

You have such little bread you on bread I and filled it with bread.

In fact, Gabi puts it, don't you understand, even yet. Don't you remember the 5000 fed with the five loaves. Don't you remember the 4000 not fit with the seven loaves and the large baskets of leftovers and you pick them up. Why can't you understand I'm not talking about literal brick if you're hungry, say so and you'll be will be here whatever in bread on this boat, you will have bread to let the spiritual message I'm trying to get a pro maybe it was when he raised his voice if he did and said why can't you understand I'm not talking about you know, loaves of bread. So again I say beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Watch out for that. Every time Easton mentioned in the Scriptures. It's is a reference to evil, and clearly hear their deceptive teaching and we read in verse 12. Look at it is like at long last, they understood this was sort of like all all I got.

After all, he had been saying and doing. Among them, it wasn't. It wasn't that they would not believe it was that the they were so preoccupied with the everyday stuff of life. Jesus finally had to spell it out like the story. Kent Hughes tells in his book on Mark. He says there was this man who went into a bank and said he wanted some money so the teller asked him to make out a check inside it and they would provide the money demand and want to do that. So the teller said if you will sign you will fill out and sign a check on it. I can't give you any money. The man went across the street to his other bank had the same conversation but after Vic strays with that teller who took a little different tack in his response, he grabbed the man by the ears and banged his head three times on the counter, after which the man took out his pen and he calmly wrote out and sign the check in David to the bank and the money would back the other bank and he said I got my money in the teller look incredulously and will they explained it to me now if I may.

Jesus is explaining this to his dense disciples while you talk about having no bread bang, you still not see or understand. I wore your hearts hardened of the truth of what I'm teaching, I go to remember the 5.4 thousand and finally, don't you understand I'm teaching you a spiritual lesson by all. Now we get it now. I got it simple little silly illustration but I just describe the life of too many of us far too many. Maybe you can readily identify hypothetical exchange. Most of us can you're listening to Insight for living in a message from Chuck Swindoll titled testy critics and dull disciples. And there's much more from the 16th chapter of Matthew, we need to explore so please keep listening and to see what resources we have available for today's topic, please visit us online@insightworld.org will if there's one book in Chuck's collection that is known to liberate readers from getting stuck in this rut is the one I'm going to recommend right now. Years ago Chuck wrote the grace awakening, and it continues to be a favorite too many people have allowed their well-intentioned devotion to God to morph into a performance-based lifestyle to them. Following Christ means following the rules.

Yet God offers so much more to those who truly follow his plan. We believe the biblical principles in the grace awakening if applied will shift your perspective from the bondage of legalism to freedom in Christ to purchase a copy of the grace awakening go to Insight.org/offer and then as God prompts you to give a donation, please follow his lead. There's no large church or institution that fully underwrites this nonprofit ministry which are voluntary donations that make it possible for us to provide these daily visits with Chuck to give a donation today. Call us your listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 that's 1-800-772-8888 but make no mistake, your gifts are truly making a difference. Recently we heard from a widow who lives alone. She said Chuck, my husband and I would listen to you every morning on the way to work with time our commute so that we can listen to today. I'm not able to leave the house. I'm so glad that I can still hear your program if your donation that allows us to reach grateful listeners like this one, so please give us a call again if you're listening in the United States dial 1-800-772-8888 or give a donation online@insight.org nine Dave Speight inviting you to join us again Tuesday. Chuck Swindoll continues our study in the Gospel of Matthew right here on Insight for living. The preceding message testy critics and dull disciples was copyrighted in 2016 and 2021 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2021 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. all rights are reserved worldwide.

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