people to whom he was preaching. That generation, like ours, was
a very religious generation, had their synagogues and temples
and priest sacrifices, feast days, holy days. They're very
dedicated to these things. But he says, how shall I Where
unto shall I liken this generation? They're like children sitting
in the markets, calling to their fellows, saying, We've piped
unto you, and you have not danced. We've mourned unto you, and you
have not lamented. For John the Baptist came neither
eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son
of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold, a man gluttonous,
a winebibber, friend of publicans and sinners. Our Lord compared
these people to children in a marketplace, brought there by their parents.
Their parents would prepare their vegetables and their fruits and
their arts and crafts and bring them to the market. They do that
today in Mexico and other countries, bring their children. Many of
them have several children, and while the parents are busy selling
their their produce and their arts and crafts, the children
are generally entertained or taught by someone in a certain
place. And these children are not happy
with the situation, not happy with what they're hearing. And
someone complains, says, we piped to you, we played cheerful, happy
music, and you haven't danced. And when we tried another away
and we mourn to you and you haven't lamented, we've told you sad
stories and you haven't cried. And our Lord said this generation
is like that. John the Baptist was a man sent
from God, no question about that. The Bible says a man sent from
God whose name was John. And John came with a message
of repentance, with a message of repentance and restitution. Let's go back a few chapters
and read some of John's message. It was a solemn message. John
did no miracle, not one. But he preached. He preached
a solemn and serious, condemning message, called on them to repent. In Matthew 3, verse 1, in those
days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
Repent! Repent ye, for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. And this is he that was spoken
of by the prophet Isaiah, chapter 40. Isaiah said, the voice of
one crying in the wilderness, prepare you the way of the Lord,
make his path straight. And this same John had a raiment
of camel's hair. Our Lord had a beautiful robe
woven without seam. John had camel's hair and a leather
girdle about his loins. A rough man, out in the wilderness.
And he ate locusts and wild honey. He didn't come into town very
often. Lived out there in the wilderness. And people went out
to hear him. They knew he was a prophet. They
knew he was sent from God. Our Lord said one time to the
Pharisees, John's baptism, John's baptism, was it from heaven or
was it of men? And that bunch of Pharisees wouldn't
answer him. Because they knew John was a
prophet. And they knew if they said it
was from heaven, he'd say, why didn't you obey him? And if we
say it's from earth, these people would jump, straddle our necks.
So they didn't answer anything. So this man John, he says, they
went out to him, then went out to him, Jerusalem, and all Judea.
You talk about crowds. Herod went to Herod, the king. And they were baptized of him
in Jordan, confessing their sins. Now watch. And when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to hear him, they weren't
baptized, they just came to hear him, he said to them, your generation
of snakes, vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to
come? That's a pretty hard sermon. Bring forth therefore fruits
Neat are sufficient for repentance. And don't go around here saying
we have Abraham as our father. God is able of these stones to
raise up children of Abraham. Well, they heard him. What did
they say about him? He has a devil. That's too hard. That's just
too hard. He has a devil. Well, our Lord
Jesus came. The Son of Man came eating and
drinking. Our Lord came, one of the first
things he did when he left Nazareth and came to a certain Cana, that's
the town, he went to a wedding. Went to a wedding, people there
from everywhere, a couple getting married. The Lord Jesus went
to a wedding. And they ran out of wine. And Mary's mother was
there, and his brothers and sisters, everybody was there. It wasn't
anybody. And his mother came to him and
said, they're out of wine. And that was a terrible social
blunder to run out of wine with all those people there. It's
like running out of food now. And he said, woman, what have
I to do with thee? Mine hour has not yet come. It's not the
hour for me to manifest my power and glory and what God sent me
to do. But nevertheless, she went to
someone and said, whatever he tells you to do, you do. So he
told them to fill pots with water. And he turned that water into
wine, such delicious wine that the governor of the feast bragged
on the host. He said, you know, most people
serve the best wine first, and then when everybody's had all
they can hold, he brings out the worst stuff. But you've saved
the best of life. Our Lord made the best wine and
gave it to them. Can you imagine John the Baptist
even being there? But the Lord was there. And turn
to Matthew 9, just back a couple of pages. Matthew 9. Here's another incident. Matthew
9, verse 9. And Jesus, as Jesus passed forth
from thence, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the receipt
of custom. Matthew was a tax collector.
He was a Jew working for the Romans. He was a publican, hated,
despised of everybody. Matthew was despised. because
he was a traitor. And our Lord said to Matthew,
follow me. And Matthew arose and followed
him. And the next verse, it came to
pass as he sat at meet in the house, in whose house? In Matthew's
house. Matthew, when he followed Christ,
he invited all of his old friends and cohorts and business partners
and everybody he knew to come to his house and listen to this
man. Like some of you, when you hear the gospel, you want your
friends to come hear this book, man. So they wanted them to come
hear Jesus Christ, and Christ was there. He came. He was surrounded
by this bunch of publicans and sinners. Matthew's friends. Now read on. He sat at meat,
and behold, many publicans and sinners came. I know these were
Matthew's friends, because he was a publican, and they were
too. And sinners came and sat down with Christ Jesus and his
disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it,
they said, why does your master eat with publicans and sinners? Why does your master, why does
he congregate with people like that? John the Baptist would
have had the whip of the law tearing them apart, because that
was his ministry. God sent him to shut everybody's
mouth, to strip them, and he stripped them. He whipped it
off of them. But our Lord was sitting there with these people,
ministering to them. And when Jesus heard that, he
said, they that behold need not a position, but they that are
sick. You're going to learn what that means. I will have mercy. I've come to show mercy. I'll
have mercy, not sacrifice. Not all your doings and deeds
and duties and sacrifices. I've come not to call you righteous
people, but sinners to repentance. I've come to call them to repentance. And you know what they said about
him? They went out to hear John and said, he's got a devil. What
did they say about our Lord? He's worldly. He's a wine-bipper. He's a gluttonous man. He doesn't
fast. He's a friend of publicans and
sinners. And that's when Christ said in verse 19, the last line,
this powerful, powerful line, listen, wisdom, true, God-given
understanding, wisdom. is justified of her children.
Wisdom. What is wisdom? Well, I'll tell
you what wisdom is. Let's look at 1 Corinthians.
Wisdom. First of all, wisdom is Christ. Wisdom is Christ crucified. Wisdom
is the gospel of God revealed in Christ Jesus. He has made
unto us wisdom. In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse
23. We preach the gospel of Christ
crucified. To the Jews, it's a stumbling
block. To the Greeks, it's foolishness.
But to them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, Jesus,
is. What is wisdom? Is. He is both
the power of God and he is the sum and substance of the wisdom
of God. It's Christ. 1 Corinthians 1.30,
listen, Of God are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom. A man who does not know Christ
does not know wisdom, does not have wisdom, is not a man of
wisdom. He's made unto us wisdom. 1 Corinthians
2, verse 7, listen, I cross the page. We speak the wisdom of God. I'm
preaching wisdom right now. God's wisdom. We preach it in
a mystery. Even his hidden wisdom, which
God ordained before the world under our glory, which none of
the princes, leaders, kings of this world knew. They didn't
know the truth of God, the wisdom of God. Because had they known
it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. Let him be
crucified. If they had been wise men, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But verse 14 says, But the natural
man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, a foolishness
to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. Turn to Luke 11. Here's another verse I want you
to look at in regard to this matter of wisdom. What is wisdom? Luke 11, verse 49. Luke 11, 49. Therefore, also
saith the wisdom of God, God's wisdom is speaking, I will send
them prophets and apostles. And some of them they'll slay
and persecute, that the blood of all the prophets which was
shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this
generation." The wisdom of God. I'll send them prophets, preachers,
and they won't receive them. But he said wisdom, the true
wisdom of God is justified. What does that mean there, it's
justified? Wisdom is justified. It means this, wisdom is vindicated. Wisdom is regarded as wisdom. It's acknowledged. It's received. In other words, of our children,
those who are wise, know wisdom when they hear it. Those who
are part of God, recognize wisdom when they hear it. Those to whom
God has revealed his wisdom, when they hear wisdom, they say,
that's so. I'll show you an example of that in Luke 7. Turn to Luke
7. And sometimes the people you
think who have wisdom don't have it, and those whom you think
do not have wisdom, they have it. Wisdom is to be taught of
God. Wisdom is Christ. Wisdom is the
truth of God in Christ Jesus. And children of wisdom recognize
it. They receive it. My sheep hear
my voice. Another shepherd they'll not
follow. Now look at Luke 7, verse 29. And all the people that heard
him, heard John the Baptist, that's correct, verse 28, I say
unto you among those that are born of women, is not a greater
prophet than John the Baptist. For he that is least in the kingdom
of God is greater than he. And all the people that heard
him and the publicans justified God. There's that word again,
wisdom is justified. vindicated, acknowledged, these
people acknowledged God, received the word, being baptized with
the baptism of John. These were the common people,
publicans, sinners. But the Pharisees and the lawyers,
men who were noted for their so-called wisdom, who were graduates
of the best theological training schools, who were assumed to
be men of wisdom, they rejected the counsel of God. They refused
it, and refused to be baptized of John. They rejected the counsel
of God against themselves, being not baptized of John. So wisdom is acknowledged and received
and recognized by children of Our Lord said, no man can come
to me except my Father draw him. And all that come to me are taught
of God. He that is taught of God cometh
unto me. So that's what he's saying here.
Christ, the wisdom of God, is received, believed, acknowledged,
rejoiced in by everybody who's a child of wisdom. A person to
whom God's given wisdom. That wisdom's Christ. The only
enemies of wisdom are the ignorant. That's exactly it. The only enemies
of wisdom are ignorant people. They do not know. Had they known
it, they would not have crucified him. All right, look at verse
20. Then began he to upbraid the
cities, wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they
repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe
unto thee, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were
done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented. But I say unto you, now watch this, it shall be more
tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for
you. Verse 24, I say it shall be more tolerable for the land
of Sodom even in the day of judgment than for thee. Now what does
that mean? Well, I really looked at this and have been looking
at it a long time. And I cannot open for you all
the mysteries that are involved in these words and all that our
Lord is teaching here. There's no way I can comprehend
or understand all that he's saying here. But I do know two things
that he's saying here. Number one, there are no degrees
of glory, happiness, or station in heaven among the redeemed.
There's no difference. No degrees of glory and happiness
and reward and joy among the believers. It's just not so.
And I'll show you that back here in verse 11. Our Lord said this
in verse 11 in this same message. Verily I say unto you, among
them that are born of women, there is not risen a greater
than John the Baptist. John the Baptist was filled with
the Spirit from his mother's womb. John the Baptist was miraculously
born of parents too old to have children. John the Baptist was
the forerunner of Christ. John the Baptist was the last
of the Old Testament prophets. John the Baptist was a martyr
for the gospel he preached. And yet, and Christ said he's
great, there's nobody greater than he among women. Notwithstanding,
he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
First should be last, last should be first. And our Lord illustrated,
I told you he's a master illustrator. He illustrated that. That believers,
everybody here, will be as great, loved as much, exalted as high
as the Apostle Paul, Moses, Noah, name them, Abraham, David. There
are no degrees in glory. And our Lord illustrated it this
way. He said there was a rich man, a householder, who had vineyards. And he went out at six o'clock
in the morning, and he saw a fellow standing around the marketplace
idle. And he said, why are you standing here idle? They said,
we've got no job. He said, I'll hire you. I'll pay you a certain
amount, a penny. I think that's the word used,
but that's irrelevant to this day. But anyway, I'll pay you
a penny. And they went to there and they
started working in the vineyard. He went out at 9 a.m. and some
more fellas stand there. He said, why are you standing
here idly? He said, nobody's hiring us. He said, I'll hire you. Go
to work. Go down to my vineyard and start working. He did that
at 12 o'clock. He hired some more. He did it
at 3 o'clock, at 5 o'clock. One hour till quitting time.
He went down to that place and there were standing some fellas.
He said, you don't have a job? No, sir. I'll hire you. I'll
pay you a penny. Go work. They only worked an
hour. When the day was ending, 6 o'clock,
he came out with his money, he lined them up. He said, line
them up, the last person. Remember what he said? He that
was hired at 5 o'clock, put him in front of the line. The guy
that was hired at 6 a.m., been there all day long, Frank, 12
hours, sweating, laboring, back bent, put him at the end of the
line. God's going to teach us it's
all of grace. Somewhere or other. I don't know
how we're going to learn it. But it's not of works lest any
man should boast. Put him at the end of the line.
And when they came through, he gave them everyone the same thing. And one of those fellas had worked
all day from six o'clock. He saw him give that man that
worked one hour the same thing he gave him. He said, that's
not right. And the master of the house said,
how much did I promise you when I hired you? He said a penny.
Is that what I gave you? That's what you gave me. Can I not do with my own what
I will? Are you jealous and envious because
I'm generous? Is that your problem? Is that
your problem? I hear these preachers always
promising rewards to people who do certain things. They're going
to be elevated in heaven gifts. Wait a minute now. Our envy must
not dictate the generosity of God. I'll be gracious to whom
I'll be gracious. I'll be merciful to whom I will
be merciful. And I'll tell you this, it's a joy to work 12 hours
in the master's vineyard. I'm glad I was there so early,
aren't you? I'm glad I was there early to his glory. That's fine. But now that's what he's talking
about. He that's greatest in the kingdom of heaven is least.
He's at least as great as John. Children. You've got children. Which one do you love the most?
Come on, Preacher, don't even talk like that. That's right.
And don't you talk about God that way either. You love them
the same. Actually, the little handicapped
one maybe is loved more. Or helped more anyway, isn't
it? That's right. God will be merciful. He's a
good father. Here's the second thing I see
in this. Now I'm persuaded there are no degrees in glory. But
I'm not prepared to say that there are degrees of condemnation. I'm not prepared to say that.
Wrath and judgment. Because death is death, isn't
it? Eternal death is eternal death.
It can't be any worse than eternal death. Tell me how it can be
worse. To be separated from God is to be separated from God whether
you're a hundred miles or a thousand miles from God. You're away from
God. Darkness is darkness. Death is death. Separation is
separation. Condemnation is condemnation.
No matter how far. But I'll tell you this. A loss
to some people is greater than a loss to others. A loss to some is greater than
a loss to others. Take the angels, for example.
Turn to 1 Peter 2. I want you to look at something
here. 1 Peter 2, verse 4. The angels that fell. The angels that fell. That's
2 Peter. 2 Peter 2. Now these angels that fell, where
were they before they fell? They were in the presence of
God. They were in heaven. Lucifer, their leader, was the
sun of the morning, exalted above the stars. The place the angels
occupied is awesome. That's where they were. It says
in 2 Peter 2 verse 4, If God spared not the angels at sin,
but cast them down to hell, and delivered them in the chains
of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. Can you imagine what
judgment and condemnation is to these people, these angels?
Considering what they heard, what they saw, where they were,
and now, darkness? I just imagine that judgment
is the most offensive and awful thing that they could endure. And Sodom, who's never seen the
glory of God, doesn't realize the loss. It's more tolerable
for Sodom than for those angels. That's right. Well, what about
Judas? Turn to Matthew 27. Let's look
at Judas a minute, see what judgment is for a man like Judas. He was
an apostle, he was a bosom friend with Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. He sat at the feet of Christ
for three and a half years. He kissed the very door of heaven.
Jesus Christ is the door. Judas walked up and kissed him
one time. You talk about a person of prestige and a person to whom God permitted
so many glorious things. Look at Matthew 27 verse 3. Judas, which had betrayed him,
when he saw that he was condemned, when he saw what? He was condemned.
How did he react? He repented himself. He brought
the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priest. This money was
burning his hands, burning his heart. He set out singing, and
I betrayed innocent blood. They said, what's that to us?
He threw down the silver pieces in the temple and departed and
went out and hanged himself. Here's a man in such desperate
depression of not what's happened to me. That's what our Lord is saying,
I believe. When he says to these cities,
who saw him turn the water into wine, who saw him heal the blind,
who saw him make the lame to walk, who heard that golden voice
preaching the kingdom of God, exposed to so much, like Judas,
kiss into their door of heaven, and then hear God say, depart
from me, I never knew you. You talk about a loss. And I
say anybody sitting here this morning has listened to the gospel
how many times. You've sat and sang these songs
with those who know God. You might have lived with a person
in a home, a person, a dear person who knows God. Walk with them. I tell you, judgment for such
a person, if he doesn't know Christ, will be a reflection
of what was, what is, and what might have been. That's what
makes it bad. What might have been. And I think maybe that's what
he's saying. When he says, as far as you in which the mighty
works have been done, to whom the mighty works have been shown,
to whom the mighty gospel has been preached. Well, I tell you,
if Sodom had heard what you heard, they would have repented. So
it's going to be easier for Sodom. When God says depart, then for you, when God says depart,
oh, my God, what have I done? Went out and hanged himself. I believe that's what that's
saying. At that time, verse 25, our Lord
answered. I don't know who he answered. He and his father communed, I'm
sure, but they never said anything. But the father might have spoken
to the Lord, because he answered, and he said, I thank you, Father. I thank you. I thank you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth. Thou hast hid these things from
the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. And the time I
have, let me point out something about this. Sovereign grace, it's like I
was talking a while ago about God says, is it not lawful for
me to do with my own what I will? Sovereign grace, when a person
realizes that all he is, all he has, all he ever will be,
is by the sovereign, electing, effectual grace of God in Christ
Jesus. And he never wearies of that
message, of that gospel, or thinking about that, that mercy and grace. And it's a cause for great gratitude.
Every time the Apostle Paul talks about election, he does so with
gratitude. He said, I thank God for you
brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning
chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit
and belief in the truth. He said to the Ephesians, Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in the heaven is in Christ, according
as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world,
that we should be whole. I thank God. And here our Lord
Jesus said, Father, I thank you. I thank you. I thank you, Father. I thank you, Father. So grace
is gratitude, and grace is the cause. Listen to this. He credits
the Father with everything that's done. Follow with me. Verse 25,
Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven
and earth, because you hid these things from the wise and prudent.
Who hid them? The Father. That's what he said. Read on. And thou hast revealed
them to babes. Who revealed them? The Father. It seemed good in thy sight.
Father, it was your will that did it, it's your purpose, and
it was wisdom to you. It seemed good in your sight
to hide these things from certain people and reveal it to others. Then he says, all things are
delivered unto me of my Father. Who delivered everything to Christ?
Who vested everything in Christ? The Father. All things are vested
in me of my Father. But they're never considered
a part. Listen to him here, though. And no man knoweth the Son, but
the Father, and no man knoweth the Father, but the Son. And
he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." They're one. As
the Father quickeneth the dead, even so the Son quickeneth whom
he will. He that honoreth the Son honoreth
the Father. He that honoreth not the Son
honoreth not the Father that sent him. So we're one. I thank
you, Father. You've hid these things. You've
revealed these things. You vested these things in me,
it seemed good in your sight." Now watch this. How does God have the right to
do that? Go back to verse 25. At that time Jesus answered and
said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth. That's
his right. He's the Lord of heaven and earth. He created all things for his
glory and for his pleasure. He's the Lord of heaven and earth.
And every person who's saved, one old-timer I read this week
said this, every child of wisdom, this is wisdom, the wisdom of
God in Christ. And wisdom is justified over
children. Everybody who receives this and
understands it is a child of wisdom. God has taught it to
you. And everybody learns two things. Both of them start with
the letter S. He learns his sin and his Savior. What sin is and who his Savior
is. He learns those two. He learns
who he is and who God is. He prays two prayers. Lord, show
me myself. Don't spare anything, show me
myself, then Lord show me thyself, and don't spare anything. Let
that preacher show me my sin like I've never seen it, and
my savior like I've never seen him. Let that preacher show me
who I am and who God is, and let the word of God show me myself. Our Lord said, I preached on
this last Sunday on television, the Holy Spirit, when he's come,
he'll convince the world of sin. Of righteousness and judgment,
he's going to convince them. What's the next thing he's going
to do? And he'll take the things of mine and show them to you.
He's going to show you two things. The Holy Spirit came to reveal
two things, sin and the Savior. The exceeding sinfulness of sin
and the exceeding greatness of the Savior. The sinfulness of sin and the
sinfulness of men make sovereign grace a necessity. With men it's impossible. And
the sovereignty of God makes sovereign grace a dead certainty. That's right. Whom he foreknew
He predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son. And
whom he predestinated, whom he called, he justified. And bless
your heart, whom he justified, he had glorified. That's dead
certainty. Because it depends not upon you, but him. Not upon
your will, but his. Not upon your work, but his.
Not upon his purpose, your purpose, but his. That's right. To whom are these things hid?
You've hid it from the wise and the prudent. Wise men after the
flash think they're wise. They profess themselves to be
wise. Who said they were wise? They
did. They did. But this wisdom is in Christ
Jesus, my beloved Son. And thou hast revealed these
things. Let me show you something here. To whom is it revealed? He said, Thou hast hid these
things from the wise and prudent, but you revealed them. See, it's
by revelation. This understanding of the truth
is a revelation of God. And tonight I'm going to preach
from Matthew 16. Flesh and blood didn't reveal that to you, but
my father. To whom has he revealed it? To babes. To babes. I love these children. I love
the children. And there's several things lovable
about them. Number one, they're dependent
and they know it. I'm talking about the little
ones now. They're dependent on us for everything they have and
they know it. Secondly, they have little knowledge. They don't know everything and
they admit it. And thirdly, they're teachable
and they'll listen. That's a babe. They're dependent. And they know it. And they have
little knowledge. And they admit it. And they teach
it while they're listening. And then when they see something
magnificent, with wide-eyed wonder, they'll believe it. With wide-eyed wonder. And that's
a baby in Christ, that's just another way of describing God's
little children. They're willing to learn, they're
anxious to learn. So he said, this being true of
you, verse 28, you come to me. A certain kind of people are
invited there, you that labor and are heavy laden, you that
are weary of sin, you that are thirsty, you that are hungry,
you come to me. I'll give you rest. And you take
my yoke upon you, and you spend your time learning of me." Now
notice, that didn't say learning about me. I saw a translation
not long ago that said, take my yoke upon you and learn from
me. I learned from him, but the lesson
is him. I learned of him. Of him. That's totally different. learn
from me. You can learn from me, but you
don't want to learn of me. You want to learn of Him. And the knowledge of Christ never
stops. You learn of me, and you'll really
find rest. The more you learn of me, the
more rest you'll find. I'm meek and lowly of heart,
and you'll find rest under your soles, and my yoke's easy. My burden's light.