Slugging It Out with Caustic Critics, Part 2

Today from Chuck Swindoll on Insight for living a gracious God is not to give us what we deserve because God is patient, he patiently waits to carry out his plan waits for us to train you waits for us to our hearts to his will to stop being so selfish and stubborn letting him have his way.

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 will observe that Jesus is long-suffering yes, but when rebellion persists. Justice kicks in.

Chuck Swindoll sites Matthew chapter 21 is proof when Jesus garnered more and more popularity religious leaders of his day grew more and more jealous. Their skepticism escalated to outright mark. Before long, Jesus reached his limit call them out.

Chuck titled today's message slugging it out with caustic planners feel the poppies grow between the crosses row on row marker place within 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 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 of those who live on and we stand today or 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 in the battle is engaged in. The enemy is fought in liberty is one thank you for those all around us and beyond our own shores.

To 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 at time of sacrifice. Maybe 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 and give them guidance use the Council of wise people around them to Carson them unless they make flawed decisions or less. They act in our rash and hurried manner.

May their leadership become strong, marked by integrity hold by compassion directed by courage and discernment.

But you are father you are the one who leads and only you can do that from the inside out near 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 Leslie offering as we give now that work of ministry might continue here and beyond these walls into this community around the state into this country and beyond our shores that others might know the joy of Christ is the shepherd to lead them as well in his name we pray for his sake. We give our gifts.

Everyone said amen Insight for living the book of Matthew with Chuck Swindoll.

Be sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to inside world.org/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 hatred of those around him grew rarer virtually every word was questioned and every act was doubted it wasn't a miracle from God.

It was a phony act as a screen for God speaks for himself and more and more and more reset in the crowds however didn't believe that resort was this voice of small group of critics who were interestingly 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 delusional knowing that if they move too quickly to arrest him. They would be Moloch to buy the people. He believed it was this give-and-take was really Jesus was really the punching bag in this verbal flight 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 me as firm and as aggressive as they and he became that and we admire them for it. Never what happened the last time we were together in the seas 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 we set the doves free and and it became fruit basket turnover. I mean there were there were animals running there were people running there were tables turnover in and it was really, really seen hello there and 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 because of what he was doing that hated him all the more so they came to him regarding his authority in verse 23 of Matthew 21 you will now get the context over Jesus returned to the temple this worry turn over the tables of chairs and driven about. He began teaching again.

I notice you showed up.

The leading priests and elders came up to him and they demanded by what authority do you do these thing 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 to questionable foreign Jesus rather than bowing before them or letting them have their say decided to face off with. He took off his gloves. These are not about what authority I do these things if you will simply answer a question so they say what's the question.

Verse 25 to John's authority to baptize come from heaven or was it merely human. You answer that, referring to John the baptize and they thought as the verses say if we say it was from heaven. Then they'll ask what it will you believe in because they made life miserable for John by now John is been beheaded, we can say you spoke from God.

But if we say it was from man will be Moloch because the people believe John was a prophet so they were impaled on the horns of a dilemma. So the answer whatever schoolchild does whenever he gets pushed in the corner didn't quite know we don't know the answer. At the end of verse 27 or the middle of it.

We don't know. They knew with a ward man enough to say so.

But Jesus took him at their word and turntables on them that he said I won't tell you about what authority I do these things.

I love turnabout is fair play. We would say today, however, I have more to tell you, Jesus would say I will tell you a couple stories and he starts by telling them this first story looked closely. Verse 28 what you think about this.

A man with two sons told the older boy son go out and work in the vineyard today. The sun answered no.

I will go, but later he changed his mind and he went anyway, I called his son the I won't, but did son. His first response was no, but later he decided to go and work in the vineyard.

So the father told the other son I'm in verse 30 when 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 know later as he changed his mind. He would not go. This is about sons and vineyards. This is about those who are hearing the story looked closely, Jesus said 31. Which of the two obeyed the father. They replied well the first look at Jesus answer explained the meaning I tell you the truth corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes would 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 it. You are that second son you acted like he would listen in your robes of hypocritical righteousness, but down deep inside you didn't listen while tax collectors and prostitutes.

At first turned them off, but then realized later, he was telling the truth they did. Even when you saw this happening. You refuse to believe in and repent of your sent some emails 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 beat me by the way, may I had this religion is in your friend sound like heresy, doesn't it. I didn't say Christianity is said religion, man-made effort done with a lot of clichés and a lot of emphasis on what you do for God, 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 simple individual.

I am corrupt I am immoral. I am ashamed of my family. The truth is, I'm simple to the core, but if you offer me hope. I will take it in Jesus will take anyone who will come like that. He's not turned off by these things. What turns them on, is that we will believe in him and not deny the fact that we are, for whatever reason, simple, and we acknowledge now that leads to a second-story by now the Pharisees and scribes and religious leaders are standing with their mouths open source is another story. Verse 33: identify who these people are as we go along, so you will see the analogy of a certain landowner planted a vineyard, whose the landowner had to be God the father. He owns it all. The vineyard would have to be the nation of Israel, the people over whom these leaders serve and lead and so yeah landowner planted this vineyard in build wall around us. We made it a unique body of people, the nation that he loves and he put everything together to make it work. Then he released 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 got lifted in the hands of human leaders. Look at what they did is a time of great harvest. He sent his servants to collect a share of the crops suggest these would be the prophets. Those prophets who came often to cleanse the nation to identify their idolatrous ways to call us in the sand a spade a spade. So we sent them the farmers grab them and beat them until one installed another sorts of picture of the persecution of the prophets that wasn't enough, he sent a larger group of his servants.

There were more profits who came to collect for him that were the results for the sake not look closely. Finally, finally, verse 37.

The owner sent his son, thinking surely they'll respect my son no. If the landowner is the God the father and the son of the landowner would obviously be Jesus, but he does not know if I'm Selby, just as the sun 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 with the owner of the vineyard returns. That's God coming to shore up the accounts Jesus asked what you think he will do to those farmers will these these leaders are listening to the story and in their there were the right answer even though their oblivious to what it is really saying they reply when you put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to other who will give him a share of the crop. After each harvest, no doubt, a reference to turning over the blessings it would've gone to Israel to the Gentiles.

Jesus asked did you ever read the Scriptures and the 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 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, Italy Gentile nation anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces easily or 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 that they couldn't because the crowd was all hanging on every word and they would've loved them if they 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 will wonder how often they leave their monotheistic walk with the living God and move into idolatry.

How often the turn against the prophets how often they went their own way and he patiently worked with them and patiently sent leaders that would bring them back EC sent judges that would relieve them and deliver them and then he sent kings that would do that and prophets that would do that help patient God is God squeals grind slowly but exceedingly fine before I stay in just the scene of the Scriptures.

Let me see to everyone of you and to me.patient with us look back over your life.

Do a flashback on your past.

Check out your own faithfulness or lack of such a gracious God is been not to give us what we deserve. My answer is often when someone asks how I'm doing. I will often say a statement is 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 is the second lesson I learned God's patience has a limit. All he loves us he loves us with an implement amount of love never doubted, but the other side of that coin is God's justice becomes a day when that long-suffering patience runs out in just his lands homered justice as the prophet writes rules down some of you have gone through it. You could tell the story yourself.

It was a very unpleasant experience. Where are you in this or you on the patient's 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 is receiving your Chuck Swindoll has much more he liked 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@insightworld.org before we move ahead. I'd like to draw your attention to helpful book Chuck Swindoll selected for you. Over the course of the study in Matthew come across a number of references to the justice of God and the fairness of his actions in today's politically charged climate. These words are surfacing in our conversations as it relates to social justice, and even the worldview that is often called critical race theory well when Chuck finished reading a new book called faultlines by fellow pastor Bodie Baucom immediately wanted to share with you. Chuck said with your layperson, who's trying to engage in sensitive conversations on race or a pastor who is grappling with a polarized congregation. You want to read. You can purchase a copy right now by going to insight.org/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 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 nonprofit ministry checks.

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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 6-17, 2022 at special sites along the way, I will teach from God's word will worship at the Mount of Beatitudes and share the Lord's table at the garden to impact will Sail the Sea of Galilee together and will visit places where Jesus walked and talked to learn more or call 1-888-447-0444.

Just imagine walking along the sacred sites and seeing the Bible come to life before your very mark your calendar for March 6-17, 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 choose to attend. I'm Wayne Sheppard sitting in for Dave Speicher join us again tomorrow. In 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