The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and it says, tempting, tempting. These two different sects of Jewish religious leaders and teachers among the Jews were in disagreement with each other. They had little in common. They bickered and argued and fought and debated and despised one another. Their doctrine was different. The Sadducees did not believe there would be a resurrection of the dead, and the Pharisees did. And they were bitter enemies, really, but they were united in one cause. They hated God's Son. And that's true today.

All the different religions have different nuances to them. But I guarantee you, you tell any of them who Christ really is, they're not going to be happy with you. They're not gonna be happy. I don't know if any of you have any experience with that. But unless the Lord has mercy on them, and we should tell them, we should, at every opportunity, be witnesses of the true savior and his power to save from the scriptures. But people that are bitter enemies in every other way will unite to despise the Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4.26, the kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth they were together against. of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, Pontius Pilate, the Gentiles, the people of Israel, they wouldn't have anything to even do with one another. But they were gathered together. They were gathered together. Religious reprobates have never changed. God's people have not changed. God has not changed. Godless secularists have not changed, not in their nature, but neither has God changed, and look what they did.

For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. So in this, in our text, they tried to trip him up. They went about trying to trip him up in his speech and to try to trick him into saying something that would discredit him, but they're just doing his will. These ones that say, oh, I don't believe in, you know, in the election, or that makes me a puppet.

They were his puppets. He did exactly what he wanted to do with them. He used them to display his glory. He used them to show forth his wisdom. He had them talk for the purpose of shutting them up so we'd find out something about who he is tonight. Wise Solomon wrote, Proverbs 16, for the Lord hath made all things for himself.

Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Is this the God that we worship? Not popular. Absolutely despised by religion. And yet we sing. His praises, we rejoice to have such a God to rule over us, the God of all grace. All the reprobate evil forces of this world rise up against him and he laughs. I would never characterize it that way, that God would laugh and mock his enemies. except the scripture does. Read Psalm chapter two, you'll know. You'll see it again if you've seen it. The Pharisees and Sadducees were always following the Lord around, not to learn anything. There were many that did. There were many that were, that would follow him around and sit at his feet.

Those that, when his family was outside and they said, your family, your mother and your brothers want to talk with you. And he said, who is my mother and who are my brethren? And he said, it's these who are sitting here, listening to me speak the words of eternal life. There were those who did follow him for that, but not the religious people. Matthew 22, 15, then went the Pharisees and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians. Saying, they tried, there's a specific example.

Master, we know that thou art true. That's the Judas kids. When somebody's too nice, you know what's coming, don't you? We know that thou art true and teach us the way of God in truth. Neither carest thou for any man, for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, what thinkest thou?

Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?" You see, then this is the same context. They went about to entangle him. If they can get him to say, no, Caesar deserves nothing. We have no allegiance to Caesar. Then they can charge him with insurrection. He's a tax evader.

But Jesus perceived their wickedness and said, why tempt ye me, you hypocrites? What an answer. And in spite of this teaching in scripture, that religion is the most evil thing in God's world, that most people think that any place that has a stained glass window is a church. The scriptures say plainly that religion is the most horrible evil on God's earth. And yet, oh, look how religious they are. Why are people drawn to what the Lord has exposed as corrupt and wicked and vile and evil and anti-Christ? Oh, they have a cross on their belly. Oh. Yeah, that's the Pharisees. They made a show of religion. They had outward symbols and things like that because they had no truth or grace on the inside. They had to make it look good because it wasn't good.

Anybody that says Jesus or God or heaven or hell or grace is a preacher sent from God. We're warned in God's word. God's people aren't worried about the outcome. We know that the Lord uses them. He manipulates them. He did at the cross and He did in our text. He did everywhere He went. He orchestrated every one of these encounters, every one of these stories, every one of these miracles, every one of these conversations to show forth His wisdom and glory.

We're going to talk about the sign of Jonas. That's a story of grace. That's a story of rebellion and evil. And I'll decide, right from the Garden of Eden, I know what God said, but I'll decide what's good and evil. I have a free will. Really. How did Jonas' free will work out for him?

And then in the next passage of scripture, he says, beware of them, beware of their doctrine, beware of religion. But people don't. If they see what they're looking for, if they have a program for the young people and they have a great choir, I love to show off my singing voice. So they just jump right in the deep end. The Lord said, beware. Listen to what they're saying. Beware their doctrine, their teaching.

It doesn't matter what they've got for the young people. It's all about their teaching. It doesn't matter if it's a beautiful building and big grounds and they employ all these people and they have to ride around in golf carts. They have such a big religious empire. Beware of their teaching.

What do they say? The ones that are going around talking about God, the Lord Jesus said specifically, that's the ones you've got to watch for. There wasn't anybody going around talking about God and things from the Scripture, but the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And the Lord said, watch out for them. What a lesson that is for us and to teach our children and our friends.

Religious, shallow, godless, foolish man has not changed in this regard too. People love a sign. They're looking for a sign. The Word of God is not enough. The rich man, and I always forget, I think it's Luke chapter 16, where he said, send Lazarus to tell my brothers because I don't want them coming here. And if somebody comes back from the dead, if they see a sign, they'll believe. And Abraham said, no, they won't. No, they won't.

They have the scriptures. They have the word of God. People have a Bible. in their living room and one in their bedroom drawer probably, and they're saying, oh, that cloud looks like the Virgin Mary, I believe. Really? That's where we've sunk to. That's what we are by nature. The Jews said to the Lord Jesus once, Moses made bread fall down from heaven. What are you going to do for us? What sign showest thou then that we may see and believe? John 6 30. What does thou work?

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert as it is written. He gave them bread from heaven to eat. And the Lord said, Moses didn't give you that. There's two things you need to understand. Moses didn't give you that bread. I did. I did. And secondly, I am the bread that came down from heaven. Moses and those people ate that bread and they died and they died. But if you eat the bread that I give you. And the bread that I give you is my self. that I give for the life of the world."

And the Lord was saying to those Jews, that was your sign? You're looking for a sign? What about that one? That bread shows forth the glory of God's Son who comes down and gives life to dead sinners. Read the Scriptures. He was always rebuking them. How? Don't you know the Scriptures? Show us a sign. What about that one? I am that bread that came down. What about the manna? What about that sign? You're in the desert of sin. You're starving to death. All of your resources equals painful, horrible death. Who can be saved? With you it's impossible, but God sent bread from heaven and gave life.

There's your sign right there. And he referred them to Jonas, says, we'll see. The same things, you already have the sign. The sign of the times is, of all times, is that Christ is all. That Christ is what you need. Christ is the bread. Christ is the one of whom Jonah spake when he said, salvation of the Lord. And look at verse two, he answered and said to them, when it's evening, you say it's going to be fair weather because the sky is red. And in the morning, it'll be foul weather today for the sky is red and lowering. And that's true.

People figure out things, don't they? We figured out that certain bacteria can heal diseases and things, and we've discovered them and we use them in antibiotics. We use them in medicines. We can predict the weather sometimes, 10 days in advance, sometimes not so much, but you get a pretty good idea. They say a cold front's coming in, it's gonna be 20 degrees three nights from now, it's gonna be cold, it's pretty much accurate.

You can read the sky. In earthly things, you're a bunch of geniuses. But spiritually, one plus one, you can't make it make two. You see what he's saying there? You hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky, but can you not discern the signs of the times? You don't understand anything about spiritual things. You think if I put on a magic show for you, then you'll you'll believe and you know, you'll be saved.

That's not how sinners are saved. They're saved by eating the bread that came down from heaven. And they're saved by the one that Jonah cried to in the belly of the whale and said, the weeds are wrapped around my head and I'm undone, I'm a goner. But he looked to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord saved him. And you know what he said? The Lord saved me. It's pretty simple, isn't it? Salvations of the Lord.

What I did got me in the horrible situation of spending three days and three nights in the belly of a big fish without any hope. You're talking about being at the mercy, at the mercy of God. You can't discern anything spiritual You think that just seeing some kind of magic or something is gonna be the answer to all your problems. In natural things, I'm glad that men can figure out all kinds of stuff.

That's the wisdom of the Lord. That's the Lord giving them understanding to know those things. We don't figure anything out. The Lord gives us that. And it's the same way in spiritual things. If you're gonna figure anything out, if you're gonna know anything about Christ, God and His Christ, and sin, and how sin's got to be put away by the Lord Jesus, and how He did that on Calvary, and how God saves sinners by the person of Christ. You don't have to give it to you. To them it is given.

When it comes to the truth of God's Son, the most important truth in the world, by the way, people dedicate their lives to trying to figure out, you know, what whales do and where they go in the wintertime or something. That always amazes me. You know, you could admire somebody for giving their whole life to learning and doing one thing well. But when it's finding out you know, the migration pattern of a whale, it's kind of like, couldn't you have maybe studied a cure for cancer instead of that, you know? But people give their whole lives to that.

But when it comes to the truth of God, who he is, Christ, the answer to every question worth asking in this world, nobody's interested. Nobody's interested. And when the Lord does give somebody an interest and they study it and find out who God is and tell everybody, they hate him for it. The only thing really worth discovering in this world is who Christ is.

I guarantee it. And look, I was, I was telling Vicki the other night, I probably depressed all the young people that were here. We don't have any, well, I mean, not that y'all aren't young, but, but the other night there were quite a few of our children here. And, uh, I was saying how that you're going to find out when you're old, that it's all vanity. And I was, I thought that was probably pretty depressing, but, uh, I meant if, you know, if you don't know the Lord, it's just the truth.

Of course, life is full of wonder and beauty and happiness But without Christ What shall it profit if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul? What will it profit you? To find out who Christ is and be the best whatever you are for his glory for the good of others To be a blessing, to be a witness. John the Baptist sent his servants to ask the Lord, are you him? Or am I looking for somebody else?

You know, that's where the rubber meets the road right there. I mean, you can complain about John's unbelief and all that. I mean, he pointed and said, there's the Lamb of God. He pointed people to Christ, and here he is, doubting. That's why John said, his shoes, I'm not even worthy to unloose. He wasn't whistling Dixie when he said that. The greatest man ever born of a woman, according to the Lord himself, wasn't worth shooting. or does that leave me? Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

And what did the Lord say? He referred him to the scriptures, didn't he? Tell him that the blind receive their sight, and the lame are walking, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them. And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me, Here's what the Lord is saying to them now.

They asked a sign of him to prove who he was. He said, you have discernment in natural things, but in spiritual things, God Almighty can stand toe to toe with you and you don't recognize him. And we're not either. Unless God reveals himself to us, no man knoweth a father save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him.

That's what we're praying for, y'all. When we get on our face before God and plead for our children and those that we love, we're saying, Lord, open their eyes that they might see. Open their hearts. to receive your truth, reveal yourself to them, have mercy on their soul, wash their sins away, like the publican, be propitious to me on the mercy seat. Let your precious blood speak for me before the throne of God. We cry that for them.

He didn't say, blessed is the man who's able to look at the signs and figure out, no, no. Blessed is he that's not offended in me, that sees who he is and bows, that hears his gospel and by God's grace believes. You know, in John, I believe it's John 5, 31 through 40, we won't turn there, but the Lord said to the Pharisees, I quote this a lot, you'll be somewhat familiar with it. He said, the scriptures are they, you search the scriptures. That's what you do.

You're scriptural doctors and all kinds of, have all kinds of pedigree and scriptural scholars. but the scriptures testify of me and you won't come to me. So how much have you learned? If that's the case, if all the scriptures say, go to Christ and you search your whole life, the scriptures, but you won't go to Christ.

That's what he accused them of being completely blind. And he said to them, This is not a, this is not some kind of a game. This is not some kind of a puzzle that people work out. You know, they like, religion likes to come up with these different puzzles from the scripture and oh man, you take that piece and that piece and look what it look. No, no. Take any of it and find out who Christ is. He said, you search the Scriptures because in them you think you have life, but they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me that you might have life. Christ is life. The Lord didn't say you can't figure out that the Scriptures are talking about me. He said, you will not come to me. You will not come to me. The word will there means to purpose, to desire, to wish, to love. It was simple to see who he was. He proved who he was. Everything he did was in fulfillment of the scripture, was it not? Everything he said was in fulfillment of the scripture. It wasn't that they didn't see that.

It's that they did not love to think of him When they met him, they despised him because he was God and they weren't. He said, if I hadn't come, if I had not come, then you would have had a cloak for your sin. Your true condition before God, you could have played games about it. You could have convinced yourself. You could have fooled yourself about it. But now that I'm come, now that the light is come, you can't hide your sin, you've got to bow or get mad. And they got mad.

But you see there, it wasn't a lack of information, it was a lack of will, will. And our Lord didn't say now either, if they just, you know, didn't understand, our Lord is kind. He's gracious, but he didn't say, oh, you poor sinners, you just don't understand, you know, let me explain it to you. No, he said, you hypocrites, you snakes, you hypocrites, you know who I am and you won't glorify me as God. Those who believed the gospel that John preached, In John 10 41, many resorted unto John. Oh, they resorted unto Christ. Many resorted to the Lord. If you look at the context of John 10 41, it's the Lord they're talking about.

It says many resorted unto him and said, John did no miracle. He wasn't flashy. He was just wearing an old animal skin and just a rough, rough as a cob. And he didn't do any miracle. But all things that John spake of this man were true. He told us the truth about God's Son, and many believed on him there. Many believed on him. And yet, what's religion said? Show us a sign. John didn't do any, he never showed anybody a sign, and he was the greatest man born of a woman. But everything he said about the Son of God was the truth. and many believed by that truth that John preached.

That's how God does it. Now we know in our heads that Christ, the Christ that we preach here is the Christ. He's the Christ of the Bible. We take one verse at a time, and we go through the scripture, And the difference between the religion of this world and the Christ we preach is clear as a bell. Clear as a bell.

We know what we are, we know from God's word, we know that we're not just hopeless, but we're helpless. That's key. It's one thing to be hopeless and God's just waiting on you to do something about it. That's not what lost is. That's not what salvation is.

You know that God's sovereign. You know what the title God means. He's in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. He's send by hand. It's not shortened that it can't save. He doeth according to his will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can say his hand. And you know that Christ has authority. He revealed it. He went out of his way, so to speak, to reveal. I have power on this earth to forgive your sins. You've seen the leper come to him and say, Lord, if you will, you can make me whole.

You know that the son of man, that our loved ones are in his hand to do with them whatsoever he pleases. He's not ever waiting on anybody to do anything. And we know he's the good shepherd. We know that he giveth his life for the sheep. We know that he has a people. He laid down his life for his people. Because his precious blood is shed to redeem them, they shall never perish, he said. I give my life for the sheep and they shall never perish. That's cause and effect.

You know that if Christ died for you, that no one can condemn you. There can be no charge laid against you because it is Christ that died. And you know that all this book is written that you might believe on the Son of God and that believing, you might have life through his name. So my question is, same as the Lord Jesus, questions don't get better than this one. Do you believe on the Son of God? You know the facts. You know the doctrine. But do you believe on the Son of God?

He said to them, a wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given unto it but the sign of the prophet Jonas. In other words, they have the scriptures. Let them believe. And he left them and departed. He referred them to the gospel, and then he went away. You notice he didn't say an ignorant generation. He said an adulterous generation.

There are a lot of things that the Lord didn't say, but notice the words which describe those here who seek a sign, because this is the reason that they do. Not because they're sincerely looking into the matter and they think, well, I just need some proof, you know. They didn't come there that day to do that. The Lord gives us the answer to that, don't they?

The Lord had told them the truth. He said that, and listen to John 10, 24. Then came the Jews round about him and said unto him, how long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. And Jesus answered them, I told you. I told you. The Lord Jesus Christ telling sinners who he was, exactly who he was, resulted in what?

Doubt. How long do you make us to doubt? They doubted because who he was didn't match up with who they thought he ought to be. That's why there's such thing as false religion, because the Jesus Christ of this Bible doesn't match up with who people think he ought to be. And so they make one up in their imagination and they twist the scriptures to prop him up.

He answered and said, I told you and you believe not. That's why he called him hypocrites instead of poor little ignorant people. The works that I do in my father's name, they bear witness of me, but you believe not because you are not of my sheep, as I told you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

And he told them, you have the sign, he said, I've told you. And here he told them in our text, you have the sign of the prophet Jonah. You have Moses and the prophets. Our Lord said in the language of, and I was right, it is Luke 16, but in the language of that, he told the Pharisees in our text, you have the prophet Jonas.

So therefore, If you hear not Jonah, you will not believe, though one comes back from the dead, though I show you a sign from heaven like you're asking for. That's not how faith is given. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God, by the word of God. That's why he told them in their hearing the word of God. What did Jonah say?

Look at Matthew 12 and we'll Matthew chapter 12, verse 38. Matthew 12, 38. And certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall no sign be given of it but the sign of the prophet Jonas.

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas. And behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

You see? They repented when Jonas preached, and now here's the one who Jonas preached, preaching unto you, and you won't repent. I told you, and you didn't believe me. You didn't believe me. Jonah, the Lord said, preached the gospel. He preached the gospel.

Jonah was a type of Christ, as we saw there, in that he was three days, three nights in the belly of the whale. He came out of that whale. And it was the grace of God. And that same grace of the risen son of God is bestowed upon his people by grace through faith. It's not of ourselves, but the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.

You remember what Jonah said, we won't have time to preach the gospel from the book of Jonah. But you remember what he said when the people on that ship, they were in trouble and Jonah said, I'm the problem. Throw me overboard, it'll be fine. They said, what must we do to be saved? And Jonah said, I've got to die for you to be saved. I gotta die.

And he was three days and three nights in the deep and then came out alive. And here's the conclusion of it all. We can't make every point from the book of Jonah, but we can make this one. Here's the conclusion of the whole thing. Jonah said that salvation is of the Lord. What must I do to be saved? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. May God give us grace to believe. Amen.