I. THE POWER OF A ROMANCED HEART – MATTHEW 11 A. Lovesickness – the romanced heart. The lovesick heart is the heart given to prayer, fasting, giving, and bearing of hardship to bring the gospel to others. Spiritual violence = radical abandonment. B. Context of Matthew 11:1-6 – John sends his disciples to Jesus. He was not wavering. He sends his disciples on fact-finding; leadership excellence. C. Offended at God:
D. Jesus speaks to the multitudes regarding John.
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. (Matthew 11:7-8) 1. If John doesn’t know who Jesus is then the Father not a good teacher. 2. When God asks a question – He wants people to know the answer 3. Wants people to know where they are:
b. What did you go out to see? c. Are you serious? Sincerity and curiosity not enough. d. What matters is if something radical and violent awakened in your spirit. II. THREE SUPERNATURAL GENERATIONS IN REDEMPTIVE HISTORY A. A supernatural generation is a generation in which the majority of the people witness the power of God in a regular basis. (unusual supernatural activity; radical transition on how God deals with His people) B. Three supernatural generations:
2. Generation of the apostles – establishing the New Covenant. 3. Generation that the Lord returns – the end of the age. III. PRINCIPLE – SUPERNATURAL GENERATION A. Greater privileges – the privileges increase dramatically but so does the responsibility for dedication. When God gives more He longs for a greater partnership with Himself. B. Greater response to God – extravagant response. C. Greater safety – giving more privilege results in requiring more for protection from the counter attack of the enemy. D. Jesus asks if they understood the meaning of their generation. What did the presence of John mean for them? IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LAST GENERATION A. John is more than a prophet. John was a statement from heaven of a transitional generation.
C. We must be inspired to be radical lovers of God because we understood the hour and we responded accordingly. V. THE KINGDOM SUFFERS VIOLENCE
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 and the violent take it by force. (Matthew 11:11-12) A. Jesus describes John as the premier example of radical obedience in a transitional generation. John the Baptist was the picture of the ultimate measure of intensity with God. B. Spiritual violence means holy spiritual intensity. C. Jesus rewards spiritual intensity. D. When move from flesh it is violent to the flesh E. Violent = not automatic; not natural; resistance that is pressed through F. Religion will say it is legalism. VI. INTRODUCTION FOR FULLNESS A. The scripture speaks of our introduction into faith.
B. There is another manifestation of grace called the fullness of God. C. The basis for the fullness of grace is hunger. D. The fullness of grace is not received but taken. E. The willingness to receive new things from God can be costly. (Can’t live without it; you have to have it.)
F. A rebuke to a transitional generation
G. The wedding song and the dirge
their companions, and saying: ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we mourned to you, and you did not lament’. (Matthew 11:16-17) H. We enter into the paradox of the dance and the dirge before God. The two sides of abandonment. The paradox of lovesickness and abandonment. On one side we are rejoicing with great rejoicing and on the other side we enter into the sufferings of Christ Jesus. We weep with great sorrow and yet we dance with great joy. We know two realities in one heart. VII. FASTING – JOHN’S LIFESTYLE
A. Religion said demonized and dangerous. B. There is no such thing as spiritual violence that is unrelated to the grace of fasting. C. Fasting is not just about food. It includes several areas of our life. D. Jesus describes holy love as violence because it is disruptive and violent. Spiritual intensity is disruptive. It disrupts our life. It disrupts the status quo that we have grown accustomed to. E. Wisdom will be openly displayed for all to see in due time.
friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children” (Matthew 11:19) F. The fasting controversy with John’s disciples – Matthew 9:14-17 G. The Bridegroom fast – increases the tenderizing of our heart and increases our spiritual intensity. It insulates us from discontentment and from longing for other things. Fasting will change our emotional chemistry. H. Anybody can fast – fasting requires no special abilities, education, money etc. All we do is nothing. I. The different type of fasting in the bible. J. Servicing the Lord with prayer and fasting
and this woman, was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. (Luke 2:36-37) K. John the Baptist, the model forerunner, only called the people to three things: to fast, to pray, to give their money to the poor.
(Matthew 9:14) Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1) “He (John) answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise”. (Luke 3:11) substantial realms of human strength.
2. Money is a source of power. 3. Food and physical strength are a source of power. M. The three main activities that Jesus highlighted in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6, speak of money, prayer, and fasting. It is not a coincidence that these were only three activities that John the Baptist preached on. N. Bridegroom fast – joyful feasts (Zechariah 8:18-21) |