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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to Matthew chapter 11. Matthew chapter 11 as we continue 
our study through Matthew's gospel. While you're turning there, I'll 
just remind you of what we considered last week. Remember, there are 
three sections here in chapter 11, beginning at verse 2 and 
ending at verse 19. Specifically, revolving around 
or dealing with John the Baptist. The first section in verses 2 
to 6, John the Baptist sitting in his prison cell sends his 
disciples to ask the Lord Jesus, are you the coming one or do 
we look for another? And then after receiving his 
response, Jesus then gives his assessment of John the Baptist 
in verses 7 to 15. And then this section ends in 
chapter 11 verses 16 to 19, where Jesus indicts the generation. He indicts Israel specifically 
for having rejected both his testimony and the testimony of 
John the Baptist. So that's a bit of a map as to 
what we're looking at this morning. Specifically, we'll take up that 
center section. the Lord Jesus' assessment of 
John the Baptist in verses 7 to 19. But I'll just begin reading 
in verse 1, read to verse 19. Now, it came to pass when Jesus 
finished commanding his 12 disciples that he departed from there to 
teach and to preach in their cities. And when John had heard 
in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 
and said to him, are you the coming one or do we look for 
another? Jesus answered and said to them, 
go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see 
in 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 who is not 
offended because of me. As they departed, Jesus began 
to say to the multitudes concerning John, What did you go out into 
the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But 
what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? 
Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. But what 
did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, 
and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is 
written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare 
your way before you. Assuredly, I say to you, among 
those born of women, there has not risen one greater than John 
the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom 
of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the 
Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence. The 
violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the 
law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive 
it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let 
him hear. But to what shall I liken this 
generation? It is like children sitting in 
the marketplaces and calling to their companions and saying, 
we played the flute for you and you did not dance. We mourn to 
you and you did not lament. For John came, neither eating 
nor drinking, and they say, he has a demon. The son of man came, 
eating and drinking, and they say, look, a glutton and a wine-bibber, 
a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is justified 
by her children. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for your written word, and we pray now that the 
Spirit of God would guide our study and our minds that you 
would shine the light upon the page of scripture, that we may 
understand your truth. Do forgive us now for all of 
our sins and unrighteousness and anything that would cloud 
our understanding, anything that would darken our minds. God, 
wash us afresh in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's 
in his name that we pray, amen. The Bible, as many of you know, 
is one book, obviously, as we have it in our particular laps, 
but it's actually a collection of 66 books. And the relationship 
of the two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament, 
are played out right before us in this particular passage. of 
the things that Jesus says concerning John the Baptist are not just 
about John the Baptist, but it's again about the relationship 
between the Old Testament to the New Testament. Now, broadly 
speaking, the Old Testament records the history of God's people in 
Old Covenant Israel. The New Testament, again very 
broadly, speaks of the New Covenant reality with Christ and with 
His people, the Church. And if we were to look at these 
two testaments, or if we were to look at these two parts, the 
one is promise, the Old Testament. The other is fulfillment, the 
New Testament. The one is anticipation, the 
Old Testament. The new is realization. And I think it's helpful for 
us to keep that in our minds as we approach some of these 
sayings by the Lord Jesus Christ. concerning John the Baptist, 
in terms of him being great, and yet the person that is least 
in the kingdom of heaven exceeds John. Again, that's not necessarily 
by way of their morality or their ethics or their place or station 
in life, but it's this fact that those in the New Covenant, those 
in this blessed situation because of Christ, exceed what Old Covenant 
Israel had. Again, not in terms of salvation, 
not in terms of the communion with God, but in terms of being 
on this side of the cross and enjoying the fullness of our 
Lord Jesus. It's a bit of an introduction. 
Let's look specifically now at verses 7 to 15. The Lord speaks glowingly of 
John the Baptist here. It's a beautiful statement. It's 
a wonderful, excellent account. Remember that when John sent 
his disciples, to ask Jesus, are you the coming one or do 
we look for another? He is not doubting that Jesus 
is the Messiah. He does not doubt that Jesus 
is the Christ. He does not doubt that Jesus 
fulfills those prophecies. What John struggles with is that 
when the Old Testament announced that the Messiah would come, 
he would come with overwhelming judgment. He would come with 
overwhelming force. He would come to destroy his 
enemies. So John is sitting in Herod's 
prison, and he realizes that he has not seen freedom. He realizes that the Messiah 
has come, he's heard these good things, and yet he still sits 
in this jail cell. It causes him to wonder, not 
about who Christ is, but about his agenda, about the way he 
is going to carry out his task. So Jesus sends the disciples 
back to tell John, this is what you've seen and heard. He's gone 
about doing good things, those things recorded in chapters 8 
and 9. He preaches the gospel to the 
poor, those things recorded in his doctrinal sayings. So John 
is not doubtful concerning who Jesus is, but he's doubtful about 
what Jesus is doing. And not even so much what he's 
doing, but what he's not doing. He hasn't brought this overwhelming 
judgment. So Jesus answers him graciously, 
gently cautions him against this strain of thought in verse 6. Blessed is he who is not offended 
because of me. And now speaks glowingly of him. He doesn't want the multitudes 
to have the wrong understanding. He doesn't want the multitudes 
to have a bad view of who John the Baptist is. And that's what 
he does here in verses 7 to 15. And the first thing he does is 
he posed these several questions. He poses these several questions. 
It's rhetorical because he knows what he wants to assert concerning 
the Baptist. The first thing he says, what 
did you go out to the wilderness to see? Now remember, the nation 
of Israel understood there was something unique about John. 
Remember the situation that they found themselves in. There had 
been about 400 years of silence, about 400 years between the Old 
Testament and the New Testament where there was no prophetic 
voice. Remember in the history of Israel, it was a time marked 
by the prophets. You had the Old Testament men 
like Elijah, you had Elisha, you had Micah, you had Habakkuk, 
you had Zephaniah and Haggai, all of these men that would preach 
to the nation. So after this 400 year period 
of silence, there is this voice of one crying in the wilderness. 
So the people went out to see him. The people understood, they 
knew at least enough to realize that this was a man sent by God. 
And so Jesus appeals to that. He says, what did you go out 
into the wilderness to see? Did you go out to see a reed 
shaken by the wind? Did you go out to see a man who 
does not have determination? A man who can be bought and paid 
for? A man who adjusts his message 
concerning the redemptive history of God Almighty and His work 
in time and history? Did you go out to see a man who 
is one thing on one day and one thing on another day? Don't even 
entertain for a moment that this John sitting in a prison cell 
is a reed shaken by the wind. There used to be a man on CNN. 
Pastor Cam refers to him as the suspended one. His name is Larry 
King. He's retired now. It was common 
for Mr. King to invite evangelical preachers 
to sit on his stage and he would ask them questions. He'd ask 
them things about homosexuality. He'd ask them things about the 
exclusivity of the gospel of Jesus Christ for salvation. And 
when he'd invite these leaders on, you'd get a mixed bag in 
terms of response. The suspended one would ask them, 
the particulars, sorry Ken, taking your thunder here, and then they 
would state their response. If you invited the Baptist to 
this particular stage, you would not get varied responses. You 
would not get weak-kneed responses. You would not get a man who cowers 
to the prevailing opinions of his age. You would not get a 
man who affirms non-homosexuality on one day, and then affirms 
it on another day. You would not get a man who at 
the one point says, yes, Jesus alone is the way of salvation. 
And then the next time he's on, he would say, well, you know, 
I was a bit wrong, or I was a bit off. I think it is more broad 
in terms of its approach. No, he's not a reed shaken by 
the wind. He is not a vacillating orator, 
to use the language of C.H. Spurgeon. but rather he is the 
thunderous voice of one crying in the wilderness. So Jesus, 
as I said, answers the Baptist, he gently cautions the Baptist, 
and now he honors the Baptist before these multitudes so they 
don't have a faulty opinion and view of this particular man. He's not a reed shaken in the 
wind. He's not a here-today-gone-tomorrow sort of a guy. You know where 
he stands. Don't you appreciate that about 
people? Even if you disagree with them, 
at least they are unshakable and they are unmovable. I think 
the Baptist here sets forth a good example of what preachers ought 
to be. We are not coming simply to offer 
up some suggestions for a happier life. We are not coming simply 
to peddle principles so that you may have more benefit in 
your life. We come as voices crying in the 
wilderness that God is a holy God, that man has sinned against 
Him and stands under that wrath of God. And the only way of hope, 
the only way of safety, the only way of salvation is Christ, to 
believe on Him, to repent from your sin, and to find the joy 
of being found in Him. Not having your own righteousness, 
which is from the law, but having that righteousness which is given 
by God, and the instrument of reception is faith in Christ 
the Lord. We need men like John the Baptist. We need men that are not like 
reeds shaken in the wind. And he keeps on this line of 
questioning. He says, but what did you go 
out to see? Verse 8, a man clothed in soft 
garments. Is that what you want? I mean, 
you remember that description of John. Go back for just a moment 
to John chapter 3. I mean, when we meet John the 
Baptist in the wilderness in Matthew chapter 3, he is truly 
Elijah. He is truly this man. I mean, 
the Old Testament describes Elijah in similar detail. Verse 4 of 
chapter 3. Now, John himself was clothed 
in camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his 
food was locusts and wild honey. What did you go out to see? Did 
you go out to see a man clothed in soft garments? Did you go 
out to see a prissy man? Did you go out to see an effeminate 
man? Did you go out to see a man who 
had more product in his hair than fire in his heart? Did you 
go out to see a man who was bought and paid for by the royal court? Did you go out to see a man who 
was willing to sacrifice his beliefs to please Herod Antipas? No, you went out to see a man 
that preached a sermon that would ultimately cost him his head. 
Remember, John the Baptist, before Herod, said to him, it is not 
lawful for you to have your brother Philip's wife. Well, that's what 
everybody's doing today, John. You can't actually expect men 
to be faithful to their wives. You can't actually expect that 
in Washington or in Ottawa, men exercise monogamy. I mean, come 
on, John, you are preaching a system of antiquated truth. This just 
does not jive with what we find here. Herod Antipas liked his 
brother Philip's wife, so he took her as his own. John stands 
before him, finger-pointed, and says, it is not lawful. It is wrong. You have broken 
the commandment of God Most High. That's why he's in prison. That's 
why he's ultimately going to die. That is precisely the issue. So Jesus says, when you went 
out to that wilderness, did you go to see a reed shaken by the 
wind? No. Did you go out to see a soft, 
prissy man that was bought and paid for? Was a royal yes-man? No. And then Jesus makes this 
statement. It's beautiful. Jesus says, verse 
8, Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 
This is a great statement. Where is John the Baptist currently? He is in Herod Antipas' fortress. There's probably a sly dig at 
that reality going on here. But you didn't go to see that. 
He's not in there because he's soft and prissy. He's in there 
because he preached the law of God unflinchingly and unwaveringly, 
and he testified concerning the Lord Christ Himself. So you see, 
Jesus is promoting, or provoking rather, their interest in this 
particular issue. Spurgeon says, John was hated 
for his plain rebukes, and revenge against him burned in the heart 
of one near the throne, because he knew not how to be silent 
in the presence of royal sin. Love that? John knew not how 
to be silent in the presence of royal sin. Often thought at 
times, these evangelical leaders that get close to these high 
officials in the government. What are they talking about? 
What are they discussing? What are they engaged in, in 
terms of their conversation? If it was a Baptist, he'd say, 
it's not lawful for you to do thus and thus. It's not lawful 
for you to pursue this particular woman, this particular course. 
It is not lawful because it is offensive against the living 
and true God. So go back to the context. Jesus 
says, what did you go out to the wilderness to see? Did you 
go to see a reed shaken by the wind? Did you go to see a man 
clothed in soft garments? No, rather you went to see a 
prophet. You had heard there was this 
man dressed in camel hair, wearing a leather belt, eating locusts 
and wild honey. That was probably as surprising 
for them as it would be for us. The garden variety Israelite 
didn't live out in the wilderness wearing camel hair, wearing leather 
belts, and eating honey and locusts. We read this and we say, well, 
you know, that's just the way it was. It was an oddity then 
as it would be now. They heard that he was preaching 
repentance. He was announcing the coming of the kingdom. So 
they went out there to hear a prophet. And this is when Jesus says, 
yes, I tell you a prophet, but even more than a prophet. This 
is the Baptist that was prophesied concerning the coming of God's 
kingdom. So that's the questions. Notice 
now specifically the answers given by the Lord. Verse 10, 
he highlights John's role in salvation history. Notice back 
at verse 9, Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet, for 
this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before 
your face, who will prepare your way before you. Probably an amalgamation 
of two texts, Exodus 23, 20, and Malachi 3, 1. We looked at 
Malachi 3 last week in our Sunday evening service. What was the 
point of the prophecy? The point of the prophecy was 
simply this. The children of Israel were blaspheming 
God. The children of Israel, according 
to chapter 2 in Malachi, were saying, where is the God of justice? God delights in that which is 
evil. God doesn't care about what's going on in the world 
today. They were calling into question the attributes of God. 
They were calling into question the providence of God. They made 
it sound like they wanted God to interpose and to bring judgment. And so that's chapter 3, verse 
1. Behold, I send my servant, Yahweh of Israel says. He will 
announce the coming of this messenger of the covenant, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. So when Jesus says that he is 
greater or more than a prophet, it is because he himself is subject, 
a subject of prophecy. He's more than a prophet because 
he not only announces the coming of the kingdom, but he has a 
particular role in the coming of the kingdom. You see why? 
He's more than a prophet. I mean, Isaiah spoke glowing 
things about Jesus. Micah spoke glowing things about 
Jesus. Jeremiah spoke glowing things 
about Jesus. And yet we read here in chapter 
11 and verse 9, he's more than a prophet. Because he himself is subject. 
He is the subject of Malachi 3.1. He is the subject of Malachi 
4, 5. He is this one that would come 
and be in most close proximity to the one who would bring in 
the kingdom. He's more than a prophet. He 
is the one that God used as his forerunner. You go back to Isaiah 
40 and verse 1, which is quoted in Matthew 3. He is the voice 
of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the paths of God. That's what he's doing. He's 
here calling them to make straight the paths of God, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. There's a shift in the pronouns 
as well. Notice in verse 10, Behold, I 
send my messenger before your face. It's talking about Christ, 
who will prepare your way before you. In the original prophecy 
in Malachi 3, it's my face, it's my way, it's me. You see, God 
the Lord, the first person of the Trinity, the Father, now 
speaks this to His Son and says that this messenger, John the 
Baptist, He will come to prepare your way before you. There is 
an ascription here of the deity of our Lord Jesus. He is God! God manifests in the flesh. Veiled 
in flesh, the Godhead, see? We sing it in December. Hail 
the incarnate deity. That's what he's speaking of 
here. And that's why Jesus, as he speaks these things, yes, 
is defending John, but he's making a statement about himself. He 
is saying the days that were anticipated have come. The days that were promised are 
here. So in defending John, he is speaking 
as well concerning his agenda, concerning his program, concerning 
his person, and concerning his work. He speaks of John's role 
in salvation history in verse 10. Now notice, he speaks of 
John in terms of his relation to the kingdom of heaven in verses 
11 to 13. One commentator says with reference 
to verse 12, There is no way to make this verse simple. There 
is no way to make this verse simple. Verse 12 is a difficult 
verse. You probably come here this morning 
understanding verse 12 to go in a particular direction. You 
may hear me take this verse in a bit of a different direction. 
Suffice it to say of the four views on verse 12, Those who 
hold either one of them can go to heaven. It's a beautiful thing. We go to heaven because of the 
grace of God poured out on us through the Lord Jesus Christ. 
What is justification? Justification is not our proper 
understanding of Matthew 11, verse 12. I'm not saying it's 
unimportant. I just want to make sure that 
if I take a different position, you don't condemn me. If you 
want to talk after, we can talk. And for those of you who might 
be wondering, justification is an act of God's free grace wherein 
he pardons all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in his 
sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received 
by faith alone. You see, as I said, what Jesus 
is doing here in his assessment of the Baptist, notice I keep 
stressing he was John the Baptist, not John the Presbyterian. Just 
kidding to my dear brothers who are Presbyterian. No harm, no 
foul. It's not a reason why we're Baptists. 
It's because John was the Baptist. There's a bigger covenantal reason 
as to why we're Baptists. But notice, as he is speaking 
so well of John, he's teaching people. Remember? He's with the 
multitudes. Verse 7, as they departed, Jesus 
began to say to the multitudes concerning John. He's teaching 
the multitudes concerning John. He's teaching the multitudes 
something concerning John in his place relative to redemptive 
history. Notice verse 11. He speaks of 
the greatness of John. Assuredly, I say to you, among 
those born of women, there has not risen one greater than John 
the Baptist. Isn't that a beautiful statement? Before the multitudes begin to 
entertain that John is doubtful John, that John is struggling 
with the Messiah, that John is struggling with this whole plan 
of God in terms of salvation, Jesus says to this multitudes, 
I tell you, assuredly, it's an amen statement. He underscores 
it. He highlights. There's never been one greater. 
Born of a woman, there has never been one greater than John the 
Baptist. That's an amazing statement, 
isn't it? Again, I think it's because of John's position in 
redemptive history. He's closer to Jesus. He's closer 
to the cross. He's closer to fulfillment. He's 
closer to the reality. He's closer to all the things 
that we read in these gospel accounts. Then notice what he 
goes on to say in verse 11. I say to you, among those born 
of women, there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist, 
but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Again, you've got to think eras. 
You've got to think time frames. As great as the Baptist was, 
as privileged as he was, as much of a voice crying out for God 
as he was, he essentially belonged to the old era. And now us, us 
least ones, us little ones, us not as great in terms of usefulness 
or place in redemptive history, the least who is in the new era, 
the least who is in the new covenant, is greater than him. I don't 
think you'll struggle with this if you recall Hebrews chapter 
7 and 8. What does the author say there 
concerning the old covenant and concerning the new? He says the 
new covenant is a better covenant. It's founded on better promises 
and it affords a better hope. There is a difference between 
the old and the new. And what we find here in Jesus' 
statement is that the least of us who are participants in this 
new covenant era greater than the Baptist himself. And we may 
not do as great of things. We may not go out and be as wonderful 
as he was in terms of a human being. He's talking about eras. John's purpose was to announce. Jesus' purpose was to fulfill. John's purpose was to promise. 
Jesus comes to make good. This is why Paul can say of Christ, 
all the promises of God are yea and amen in him. It's truly amazing. Later in the kingdom parables 
in Matthew 13, the Lord Jesus will tell his disciples, but 
blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear. For assuredly I say to you that 
many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and 
did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. This whole idea of anticipation 
and realization. And John and Jesus intersect 
in salvation history. That's what's glorious about 
this passage. There's a perfect example of 
this whole idea, too, that Jesus just says. That's Matthew 13, 
16, and 17, by the way. For surely I say to you that 
many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see and 
did not see it and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. 
There's another man recorded in the pages of the gospel that 
lived at that intersection as well. We're introduced to him 
in Luke's gospel, in Luke chapter 2. And it only tells us a little 
bit about this particular man. His name was Simeon. And Luke 
tells us that he was just and devout. I mean, as far as a brief 
description, I don't think you could get better. I mean, if 
that was on your gravestone, that would be quite a good thing, 
I think. He was just and devout. Just toward men, devout toward 
God. He lived in light of the Old 
Testament writings. It tells us something else about 
this Simeon. He was waiting for the consolation 
of Israel. He was waiting for the hope of 
Israel. He was waiting for God's salvation 
to come to Israel. And it's at this particular time 
that Mary comes walking into the temple, cradling in her arms 
the babe Christ. What does Simeon do at that point? 
He goes over to Mary, and I've often wondered in my head how 
this played out. I don't think he jerked the baby 
from her arms. I don't think any mother worth 
their salt would let someone jerk the baby from their arms. 
Maybe it was his face. Maybe it was his appearance. 
Maybe she knew who he was, this man that was waiting for the 
consolation of Israel. At any rate, he takes the baby, 
cradles the baby in his arms, and he says, Lord, Lord, now 
you can let your servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have 
seen your salvation. The light unto the Gentiles and 
the glory of your people Israel. It's a perfect man, sort of living 
in that transition state, where he's an old covenant saint. He 
has all of the blessings of being found in Christ, in terms of 
looking forward to the promise. But he has not come to that place 
of realization. And he does so when he holds 
that baby. And when he does, he says, now 
I can depart in peace. I'm ready to go. I'm ready to 
go. You see, this was a unique time 
in redemptive history. Everyone that the law and the 
prophets wrote about, or the one that the law and the prophets 
wrote about is standing before these multitudes. The one that has just spoken 
about all the good deeds that he has done, spoken about preaching 
the gospel to the poor. He's teaching the multitudes, 
I'm the one that Isaiah wrote of. I'm the one that Jeremiah 
spoke of. I'm the one that the Baptist 
was pointing unto. Notice verse 12. And from the 
days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers 
violence and the violent take it by force. Again. Several interpretations. Here's 
how I understand it. The first element is positive. From the days of John the Baptist, 
now it hinges on the interpretation of the verb used. Here the verb 
in the New King James is passive. So the kingdom suffers violence. I think it's actually a middle 
voice. And that means that the kingdom 
forcefully advances. It forcefully advances by the 
power of God. It forcefully advances, not through 
military might. Christians don't cut heads off 
of people in order to propagate the kingdom. This struck me on 
Wednesday night, as we often do before we have our Bible study. 
We read Voice of the Martyrs, sort of hear about what's going 
on in other lands. Pastor Cam prayed for the persecuted 
church this morning. Our brothers and sisters suffer. 
Our brothers and sisters get their heads chopped off. They 
get in prison. They have issues. They have problems. 
They have trials. Very often, I'm not going to 
say always, but very often the perpetrators of this persecution 
are Muslims. Interestingly, in India, there's 
Hindus. They don't just bang tambourines 
and wear orange robes and speak about peace. They persecute the 
people of God in India. You know, it dawned on me probably 
there was not an assembly of Muslims gathered together on 
Wednesday night reading their voice of the martyrs about Christians 
cutting off the heads of Muslims. You see, we don't advance the 
kingdom through the sword, the physical sword. We advance the 
kingdom through the spiritual sword, which is the word of truth. 
when Christ will later declare in Matthew 16, I will build my 
church. And the gates of hell shall not 
prevail against it. It's not because we have bigger 
tanks, we have bigger arsenals, we have bigger guns, or we have 
better ammunition. It is because we preach Christ 
and Him crucified. To the Jews, a stumbling block. 
To the great foolishness. But to those who are being saved, 
Christ, the wisdom and power of God. So I take the first phrase 
of the first statement in Matthew 11-12 in a positive way. And 
from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven 
forcefully advances. Through the proclamation of the 
truth, through prayer, through all those things that God has 
ordained for the advancement of this kingdom, it will march 
on. I take the second clause negatively. Notice, and the violent take 
it by force. The violent try to plunder it. The violent try to destroy it. The violent don't like it, and 
the violent want to eradicate it from the earth. We've got 
a positive statement, the kingdom of heaven advances forcefully, 
but violent men try to stop it. They're opposed to it. They resist 
it. They want to get it out of the 
world. And I think this makes sense 
in the context. Because as we know from the days 
of John, the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing. Through 
his preaching, through Jesus' preaching, through the apostles' 
preaching, through the continual preaching of the gospel conducted 
in our own era, the kingdom of God does what? Advances! Remember that statement in Matthew 
16 I just alluded to. We misunderstand that statement. 
When Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell 
shall not prevail against it. What do gates do? Gates are a 
defense mechanism, isn't it? Or aren't they? Gates don't go 
out and try to advance. Gates try to protect. The image 
that Jesus portrays of the church in Matthew 16 is she's advancing, 
she's battering on those gates, she is leveling destruction upon 
those gates. Those gates will not withstand. In other words, every time a 
sinner is converted, every time someone believes the gospel, 
the kingdom of darkness is plundered. The kingdom of darkness is not 
successful. Paul uses this language in Colossians 
1. He has transferred you, he has 
translated you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom 
of the son of his love. How does he do that? Through 
preaching of the gospel, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. 
So what we have since the days of John is the kingdom forcefully 
advancing and we see wicked men, ungodly men, unholy men trying 
to destroy it. This makes sense in the context. 
The fact that John is in prison and not all opposition has been 
swept away. Right? Ungodly men try to plunder, 
they try to seize, they try to destroy. Vis-a-vis John sitting 
in a prison. The warning given in several 
places in Matthew chapter 10. Remember when Jesus sends out 
his disciples. Does he say, wherever you go, 
people are going to throw down rose petals so that you can just 
march across their city streets. Does Jesus say that life as an 
apostle is going to be one long golf game? And in there you get 
to witness to people, they'll all love what you're saying and 
they'll all come to Jesus Christ and be saved. No, he promises 
them there will be persecution. He promises them there will be 
trial. He promises them there will be 
assaults on their lives. Chapters 11 and 12 record varying 
responses to the Lord Christ. Most of it is negative. Most 
of it is rising opposition. Most of it fits with what he 
says here in verse 12. The kingdom of heaven advances 
forcefully, but violent men try to stop it. And then an interesting 
statement in verse 25 of Matthew 11. I thank you, Father, Lord 
of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from 
the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Who enters 
the kingdom of heaven? Babes. Not violent, zealous, 
earnest men. Most of the times we're babes 
lying in our blood that God comes and raises up and gives us new 
life and pushes us into the kingdom. So the violent men at the end 
of verse 12 are not men who are earnestly seeking after the kingdom, 
they are men who are earnestly seeking to oppose the kingdom. 
And the rising opposition is becoming one of the primary themes 
in Matthew's gospel. Look at Matthew 12 at verse 14. Then the Pharisees went out and 
plotted against him how they might destroy him. Doesn't this become center stage 
throughout Matthew? I mean, you can't understand 
Matthew 26 and 27 without this background. You can't understand 
the passion. You can't understand the crown 
of thorns. You can't understand the chants of the crowd, away 
with him, away with him, crucify him. You can't understand the 
crucifixion itself until you see it in the backdrop. The Lord 
Christ preached the kingdom of heaven, and men opposed it. Men refused it. Men despised 
it. Men ultimately delivered up Christ 
for crucifixion. Violent men seek to plunder it. And then notice, verse 13. For all the prophets in the law 
prophesied until John. That's one of those statements. 
It's a bit brief. I know there's a little more teachiness to this, 
but I want you to appreciate in terms of what's going on in 
salvation history here. You know, verse 13 appears like 
one of those statements that just sort of fills in some blanks. 
Of course, we know that. All the prophets and the law 
prophesied until John. All the prophets and the law. 
That's the entirety of the Old Testament, right? The entirety 
of the Old Testament, those 39 books of the Old Testament, they 
prophesied until John. What's the point? What is Jesus' point? Until John, because I'm here. Until John, because the kingdom 
has arrived. Until John, because fulfillment 
has come. Again, He's teaching these multitudes 
something about Himself here. He's defending, He's vindicating, 
He's honoring John. It's a beautiful thing in Matthew 
10, 32, Jesus makes this promise, whoever confesses Me before men, 
the Son of Man will confess Him before His Father on that day. 
You see, Jesus not only confesses His people to the Father, He 
confesses His people to people. And that's what He's doing here. 
But he's teaching these multitudes that fulfillment has come. The 
Messiah is here. The Lord Christ is present. Verse 
14, and if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who 
is to come. Malachi 3, Malachi 4. That's what he underscores here. Now, John the Baptist was not 
a reincarnation. In fact, if you look at John's 
gospel, they ask him, are you Elijah? And he says, no. People 
say, wow, we have a contradiction here. Probably John figured they 
would think he was a reincarnation. Luke 1.17 tells us that this 
man came in the spirit and in the power of Elijah. And when 
Jesus says, if you are able to receive it, he is Elijah the 
prophet. He is again making a statement 
concerning John, concerning Malachi's prophecy, but concerning himself. If John is Elijah, and he's announced 
as messenger of the covenant, then Jesus is this messenger 
of the covenant, and you can look forward to the refining, 
you can look forward to the judgment, and you can look forward to the 
purifying of the sons of Levi that is promised there in Malachi 
3. Again, he is preaching redemptive 
truth as it focuses in. and centers upon him. In the 
last section, we won't consider the final verses this morning. 
I was gonna try to take us to verse 19, but we will stop here 
at verse 15. Notice, it is an exhortation 
to hear. An exhortation to hear. He who 
has ears to hear, let him hear. He will do this in Matthew 13 
when he gives the parables. He will say, he who has ears 
to hear, let him hear. Now, Jesus does not just throw 
this out in terms of Bible study. If you have ears to hear, that's 
a good thing. I just want you to understand. 
I just want you to listen. I just want you to start connecting 
dots in terms of Old and New Testament. But rather, what Jesus 
says is, he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Let him hear and 
respond. If what John has testified is 
true, if what John has said concerning Jesus is right, If what I've 
explained in this section makes sense, then repent and believe. You see, Christ doesn't just 
throw Bible information out there so that you can go home and sit 
down over a ham sandwich and say, wasn't that interesting, 
the relationship between the Old and the New Testament? Jesus 
sets this information out there so that you, as a sinner, may 
find hope, may find forgiveness, may find mercy, may find grace, 
may find salvation in Himself. He who has ears to hear, let 
him hear. Don't resist, don't reject, don't 
stay away, don't let it just swirl around in your head and 
say, that was interesting, but believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. Spurgeon says it this way, he 
says, through the hearing ear, the divine blessing comes to 
the soul. Therefore, hear and your soul 
shall live. Our Lord and King who made the 
ear has a right to demand its attention to his voice. He who 
has an ear. He who has it, let him hear. Respond. Believe. Don't tarry. Don't wait. Don't 
resist. Because it's absolutely crucial 
that you make peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
There's only one name given under heaven among men by which we 
must be saved. It is not Allah. It is not Muhammad. It is not Hinduism. It is not 
Sikhism. It is not atheism. It is Christ 
alone. That's the point. He who has 
ears to hear, let him hear. Believe and live. Remember John's 
opening statement when they saw him there in the wilderness. 
What did he say? A reed shaken by the wind and 
a man clothed in soft garments would not begin his message with 
repent. Right? He wouldn't do that. Hey, how you doing? What's going 
on? What are your felt needs? How 
can I serve you? John doesn't have time for that. 
The kingdom of heaven is upon us! Repent! Flee! Run! Hide! Seek refuge! Go to the one alone who can save 
you from your sins! Because it is the case. Not only 
does the Messiah do good deeds, but that judgment does come. It may not be right now, it may 
not be tomorrow, but it is certainly coming. The wrath and fury of 
God Most High will come upon men. That's why the Baptist says 
repent. Interesting, when Jesus starts 
his public ministry back in Matthew 4, how does he begin? Hi, I'm 
Jesus. Let me tell you a few stories. 
Let me entertain you. Let me be your body. Let me be 
your friend. No, when Jesus begins his public 
ministry, it's on the same note. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven 
is at hand. He says to them, he says to us, 
he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Well, in conclusion, 
we find the truth concerning God's kingdom set forth in this 
passage. It is present. It is here. It is upon us. Not in its fullness, 
not in its consummate glory. We await that. It is in the future. The presence of the kingdom is 
now. The Lord Christ is referred to in Revelation chapter 1 as 
the ruler over the kings of the earth. The psalmist says that 
God's kingdom rules over all. It's present now. Its progress 
is indicated in this passage as well. The kingdom forcefully 
advances. It cannot be stopped. It cannot 
be thwarted. It cannot be sidetracked or derailed. I think there's a world of encouragement 
in this understanding of verse 12a. I think there's a world 
of encouragement in Matthew 16. Very often we as Christians get 
paralyzed about what we see. Well, it seems like everything's 
just bad, and it is. It seems like the church is never 
advancing. It does. It seems like the kingdom 
is not going forward as it ought to be. If it is forcefully advancing 
through God, then certainly we shouldn't have trials. We shouldn't 
have difficulties. We shouldn't have problems. We 
are children of the king, and therefore we are entitled to 
every good thing there is. John the Baptist was sitting 
in a prison cell while Jesus taught this message. God uses 
trials, God uses difficulties, God uses hardships in our lives 
to conform us more and more to the image of his only begotten 
son. We need to be encouraged that 
the kingdom is advancing. We need to pray in that regard. 
We need to ask God to bless the word as it goes forth. Pastor 
Cam did as he prayed this morning. God bless the Word. What did 
the apostles put the emphasis on? Pray that the Word would 
run swiftly and be glorified. So many things just sidetracked 
the church. We've got to be respectable. 
We've got to look a particular way. We've got to do a particular 
thing. We've got to be this. We've got to be... We've got 
to preach the Word. That's the vehicle by which the Kingdom 
of God Almighty advances, preaching and prayer. Paul says, the weapons 
of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty for the pulling 
down of strongholds. What are those weapons? Preaching 
and prayer. Second thing we learn from this 
passage. The importance of John the Baptist. We, like those multitudes, 
need to be instructed that when we ask this question, are you 
the coming one, or do we wait for another? He's not wavering. 
He's not shaken. He's not a soft, effeminate man. Rather, he is a sturdy, rugged, 
godly man who fulfilled and heralded redemptive history. John Aswell 
announced the coming of the Messiah. I already touched on this a bit, 
but I think it needs to be touched on again. John sets the example 
of what we ought to look for in terms of preachers. He was 
not a reed shaken by the wind. Ryle says he was bold, unflinching 
witness to the truth. Is that what you want? Is that 
what we need? Is a bold, unflinching witness 
to the truth? Not a whale, you know, it could 
go either way. There's certain things that can 
go either way. There are four interpretations on verse 12. 
There's not four interpretations on believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ and you shall be saved. For a man to waver on that, he 
has compromised. John doesn't compromise. John 
was not bought and paid for by the royal court. I mentioned, 
I think it was on a Wednesday night, somebody said they actually 
think this is true. Or no, it was a Saturday morning. 
I think it was Brother Steele that affirmed that this might 
be the case. There's a reality show coming out called Millionaire 
Preachers. Let me just repeat that. Millionaire 
Preachers. And unfortunately, guess where 
it's done? LA, California. Every bad thing comes from Los 
Angeles, right? I hail from LA County. Millionaire 
preachers. I remember a millionaire preacher 
making a statement about his need for $2,000 shoes because 
his feet were so sensitive and so delicate. If the guy's got 
a medical problem and he needs some sort of boot to help his 
feet, praise God, that wasn't the context. I drive a Rolls 
Royce and I have $2,000 shoes because I'm a child of the king 
and whatever I want, I get. Would you go out to the wilderness 
to see a man dressed in soft garments? Men like that are for 
the king's house. We need preachers that are more 
consumed with and concerned about the word of God than with what 
people think. He was not afraid to rebuke royal 
sin. and preach a sermon that would 
cost him his head. That's what Rolf Barnard calls 
that sermon. It's a sermon that costs the 
preacher his head. What happens? Herodias' wife 
doesn't like the fact that John says, you must not. Her daughter 
does a nice dance. Herod says, whatever you want, 
you can have it. What's mommy say? Ask for the 
head of John the Baptist. Boy, there's mother of the year 
for you. But terrible woman. So what happens? Herod wants 
to please mama, and they bring John's head on a plate. John 
the Baptist. These guys stand up and say, 
I need $2,000 shoes for my delicate feet. You know, we could boil down 
the Baptist in one statement, and that's found in his words 
in John 3.30. He was governed by a singular 
principle. He was governed by a singular 
truth. He was moved. He was motivated. He was ruled 
by this. With reference to Christ, he 
said, he must increase, but I must decrease. That's it. John the Baptist sets forth. 
It is about Jesus Christ, not about him, not about his kingdom, 
not about his welfare, not about his well-being, not about his 
comfort. It's about Christ's increase 
and his decrease. That's what matters to the Baptist 
himself. And then thirdly and finally 
in this passage, we learn the greater importance of the Lord 
Jesus. John's important, Jesus excels. If John is instrumental, Jesus 
is everything. The Baptist announces the coming 
salvation of God, Christ is the salvation of God. The Baptist 
announced the coming of God Himself. Christ is God Himself. The Lord Jesus is the one who 
performed the deeds and spoke the truth, indicated in verses 
4 and 5, recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures. Christ 
is the one that the prophets and that the law testified concerning. They all spoke until John. They 
all pointed to Him. They all terminated upon the 
Lord Jesus Christ. He is the object of prophecy. And the Lord Jesus Christ far 
exceeds all prophets, he far exceeds all kings, he far exceeds 
all other priests, because he himself is God, the second person 
of the blessed Trinity, come into time, come into space, come 
in to our flesh, to live in obedience to his father's law, and to die 
as a sacrifice at Calvary. And then he says, all those who 
look to him, all those who believe on him, will have everlasting 
life. So this morning, I want you to 
understand the differences, the relationship between the two 
testaments. I want you to appreciate just 
how important and how great a man John the Baptist was. But I want 
you to understand how great and how important and how absolutely 
necessary Jesus Christ is. Believe on him and you will be 
saved. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your mercy 
and your grace and for this opportunity to gather together. We do pray 
that you would take these things and apply them to our hearts 
and our lives. Help us, God, to have ears to 
hear and lives that respond. I pray that you would go with 
us now, that you would cause your face to shine upon each 
one of us and give us great peace. And we pray through Jesus Christ, 
your son. Amen.