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Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken, #1

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

Oct 19, 2014


by: Jack Lash Series: Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken | Scripture: Matthew 13:16–13:17

I. Introduction
A. First of all, let me explain what this series is all about. I’ve wanted to preach this for a long time but I’ve struggled re: what to call it.
B. The first name I came up with was What NT Believers Are, but then I thought of “Glorious things of thee are spoken,” words are taken from a hymn by John Newton.
C. My dear friends, the Bible says things about us that we need to know, things which are more precious than anything anyone will ever say to you, no matter how much they love and treasure you. And the next three weeks we’re going to look at some of those things.
II. Matthew 13:16–17 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
A. Jesus has been teaching in parables, which were sometimes very confusing. Some walked away without understanding what Jesus was talking about. And so the disciples wanted to know why Jesus was using this method.
1. Matthew 13:10–11 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”
2. Jesus went on to say: “This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.’ For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.” (Matthew 13:13–15)
B. Then he turns to his disciples and says in v.16, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.”
1. If you see, it’s because God opened your eyes. If you hear, it’s because God opened your ears.
2. You see, people are blind and deaf in sin — unless God performs a miracle.
3. Jesus isn’t talking here about the value of seeing and hearing Him in an earthly sense. The people who listen to His parables and walk away without getting it are not the blessed ones. It’s the ones who know God because God has been revealed to them:
a. Matthew 11:25–27 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
4. We can also see this in Luke 11:27–28, the story of a woman who cried out Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
a. If there was anyone who was close to Jesus, it was His mother. She carried Him in her womb for nine months. She nursed Him at her breast. If seeing and hearing Jesus was the greatest blessing, then Mary got the best of all. But when the woman says this to Jesus, He replies, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
5. It’s not that kind of seeing or hearing that’s so much of a blessing, but the gift of seeing in a spiritual sense.
C. Then Jesus utters more amazing words in v.17: “For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
1. Jesus moves from talking about the wonder of having your eyes miraculously opened to the privilege of seeing Jesus.
2. “many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see”
a. He’s talking about the faithful remnant in the OT — they waiting for this for 1000's of years.
b. The prophets were told enough to know that that there was something tremendous coming, something that would change everything. They yearned for it, but they never saw it.
c. They were stuck with symbols: animals, kings, prophets, high priests: all very imperfect, all very earthly. Now the reality has come. Righteousness has arrived in a person! And love has walked among us! Excellence has strolled into town!
d. All of these ideals, all of these principles which man — at his best — aspires to, they all suddenly show up in person form, in the person of Jesus!
e. He is not just a new hero, a new great leader. He is the fulfillment of what heroism and leadership are. He is the greater Solomon, the greater Jonah, the greater David, the greater Moses, the greater Abraham, the greater Adam, the greater Noah, etc.
f. God hasn’t just sent help. God Himself has shown up in the form of a man!
g. It’s not just that someone came to show us life, but life came in the form of a man!
h. It’s not just that someone came to show us the way, but a Man came who is the way!
i. It’s not just that someone came to teach us the truth, but a Person came who is the truth!
j. It’s not just that someone came to give us what we need, but One came who is what we need!
k. You can’t overemphasize the importance of this arrival.
3. You may think, “But I haven’t seen God! I’ve never seen Jesus.”
a. You get it in book form and in spiritual form. But you get it.
b. And Jesus said that getting it in these forms is in some ways even better than seeing it with your eyes: John 20:29 “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
c. And Peter said, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory.” (1Peter 1:8)
d. In fact, one of the disciples Jesus was saying this to repeated it to his Christian friends who had never seen Jesus with their eyes or heard him with their ears. (1Peter 1:10-12)
e. Over and over again, the people who are spoken of as most blessed are not those who necessarily saw and heard Jesus in person. It’s the ones who come to know Jesus.
4. “many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see and to hear what you hear”
a. Much better people than you and I longed to see what we see.
b. Many prophets longed to see what you see and did not see it. They did not, you do.
c. We often think about going up to the saints of old to ask questions when we see them in heaven. But what if they gather around us to ask, “What was it like to live in the age of Christ? What was it like to live your life knowing about the Son of God?”
III. Application
A. If you know Jesus, your eyes are doubly-blessed.
1. You live in the day of Jesus.
2. Your eyes have been opened to see Jesus.
B. If you know Jesus, you are the envy of mankind.
C. One of the most sickening aspects of our nature is the tendency to forget how blessed we are and take for granted things which are enormously precious privileges.
1. Spoiled people make us sick, don’t they? And yet, it’s us!
D. Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.