The Dirge, the Dance, and the End of the World

—Matthew 11:7–15

Andrew Fountain – Oct 14, 2018

Goal

To see how some strange words of Jesus
are deeply relevant for us.

Outline

The Funeral Dirge: John the Baptist and
the Dance: Jesus
The Past: the same pattern
The Future: the End of the World

Matthew 11:7–19

Some children want to play but they are having trouble getting the others to join in
- Let’s play weddings... (No, we don’t feel like it)
- ok, well let’s play funerals then... (No! We don’t want to play funerals!)
John the Baptist’s message was:
- “You need to turn away from the bad things you are doing now, and turn back to God”
- “If you don’t, God will judge you”
- Then did not like this message, and John was killed in the end
Jesus’ message was about a new kingdom
- of justice and healing, freedom and forgiveness
- Where the poor and oppressed would be exalted over their wealthy oppressors
- Where there would be a wedding feast ushering in a new era
God is about the most amazing project
- to turn mourning into dancing,
- to turn death into life
- to turn funerals into a wedding
But Jesus is saying that people don’t want to hear either message
People don’t want to hear the negative things that God says—that we are accountable to him and one day everyone will be judged
- But neither do they take seriously the positive things
- God is calling out to them but they won’t listen
So the song of mourning is John the Baptist. He is a forerunner, preparing the way for Jesus
You actually have to play both games
- You accept the forerunner’s warnings, and you can go to the party
- There is a death, and then a wedding
We could end the sermon here
- And talk about the amazing party that Jesus has prepared for us
- Jesus is the bridgroom, and all of God’s people who have ever lived, are somehow united into the bride
- And he will wipe all the tears from our eyes.
- but we are not going to stop, we are going to continue...

Matthew 11:10–15 cont’d

This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.
Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John,
and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

John 1:12–13

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:5–8

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

cf Matt 11:11 “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ”

Outline

The Funeral Dirge: John the Baptist and
the Dance: Jesus
The past: the same pattern
The future: the End of the World

He worn rough clothing and lived a very basic lifestyle “Clothes made of camel’s hair and a leather belt”
There’s a story back in the Old Testament (2 Kings 1:7,8) about the king’s servants who encountered a prophet.
- When they got back to the king he said:
  “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?”
  
  “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.”
  
  And he said, “That would be Elijah!”
But John was preparing the way for Jesus, who was Elijah preparing the way for?
- Just as John pointed out Jesus, and then baptized him, launching his ministry,
- So Elijah commissioned Elisha (“God is my salvation”)
- Elisha was a “Jesus” figure.
  - He made food multiply, healed lepers, raised the dead, opened blind eyes
- Now Elijah called fire down from heaven and destroyed his enemies (A very John the Baptist thing to do)
- But Elisha was very different. Story of a great Syrian army, he prayed they would be blind, told them to get down off their chariots and he led them into the city
  - Shall we kill them all? No, give them a great feast. God opened their eyes they ate the feast, went home, and never again raided the nation.
- Wow! How like Jesus! If you are not a follower of Jesus this afternoon, this is what he offers... (forgive)

Moses

In this passage we only have the connection between John the Baptist and Elijah mentioned
- But very often in the Bible, Moses and Elijah are put together

Moses, Elijah & John

		prepares the way for	from	to
Moses	➜	Joshua (=Saviour)	Slavery	Promised Land
Elijah	➜	Elisha (=My God saves)	Judgement	Grace
John	➜	Jesus (=Saviour)	Old Kingdom	New Kingdom

Each one is going up a level from the previous
- So we are not living in the days of Elijah (sorry Robin Mark)
But Jesus takes us to a new order

Some remarkable parallels

The Spirit was on him
Lived in the Wilderness
Preached prophetic warnings
Had a king as arch-enemy
Successor was “saviour”
Heard from God about successor and commissioned him
Moses & John the Baptist:
- Supernatural events at birth
- Prepared the way for successor
- Lived at the end of era
- Next era was a “new order”
- Didn’t live to see new era

Outline

The Funeral Dirge: John the Baptist and
the Dance: Jesus
The past: the same pattern with Elijah & Moses
The future: the End of the World

The Two Witnesses

We are now going to look at a passage in Revelation
- This is a notoriously hard book, but I have had the joy of teaching courses on Revelation on many occasions and have been able to study it in depth.
- Although on the surface it seems hard, and even weird, when you study it in depth you see that virtually all the images are build on other parts of God’s Word,
  - and the meaning in Revelation can be understoon from what it means in the rest of Scripture
- That is not to say there are still many difficulties, but I like to concentrate on what is clear and not get sidetracked by the elements that are obscure
In Revelation 11, we have a pictorial parable of the last days
Jesus is about to return
- Just as John the Baptist prepared the way the first time, there will be a preparer the second
- People sometimes use the word “forerunner” (careful about...)
- Who will it be? Can you guess?

Moses, Elijah, John & ?

		prepares the way for	from	to
Moses	➜	Joshua (=Saviour)	Slavery	Promised Land
Elijah	➜	Elisha (=My God saves)	Judgement	Grace
John	➜	Jesus (=Saviour)	Old Kingdom	New Kingdom
?	➜	Return of Jesus	Old Creation	New Creation

Finally we go beyond time and into eternity

Witnesses

John 1:

A man came, sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that everyone might believe through him…
On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.”
Why two? Mat 18:16 “…at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.”

Revelation 11:3–15

I think that the return of Jesus will probably be in our lifetimes (because the rate of change is unsustainable)
We are probably the generation that will welcome Jesus’s return
The negative:
- Be prepared—there are tough times ahead!
- some of us may be called to suffer (although none of us can truly be hurt)
The positive
- Increasing empowerment in signs, wonders and prophecy
- Then we will move from this old earth, to a new heaven and a new earth
The calling—a new identity!
- There is a special calling on us to be a testimony to the power of Jesus
- We prepare the way by pointing out Jesus
- We prepare the way by gathering a people for Jesus’ return
You might say “I didn’t sign up for this! I was just told that being a Christian took away your problems and gave you a nice happy life”
- I would not be a faithful pastor if I didn’t warn you, and teach you about what is coming!
This old earth is getting worn out
- The New Creation is coming
- This generation, I believe, is called to prepare the way for the new
  - Prepare for empowerment by the Spirit greater than Moses, greater than Elijah, greater than John
  - Prepare to be faithful as witnesses
  - Some of us may suffer, some even die (for a brief time—we can’t be permanently killed)
- But what is coming will be so amazing, so bright and full of joy
  - All our mourning will be turned into dancing!

What should I do?

Step into your identity as a witness.
This has always been our identity since Jesus called us to be in Acts 1, but...
Negative: There are some tough times ahead, so be prepared (the dance is coming)
Some of us here may be called to suffer, but none of us can ultimately be hurt
Positive: Increasing empowerment thought God’s Spirit
Positive++: What is coming is going to be so much better than what we have now that it just doesn’t compare
-Moses: ➜, John the B. ➜, A far greater step for us
A calling, to be a witness
- We are called to prepare the way simply by pointing to Jesus. We are pointers.
  I believe there will be a big ingathering—Jesus won’t come back to a failed church

When he comes we will be so full of joy that all our mourning will be turned into dancing