My friend Shar (who is a youth leader over here) has a daughter who is not living up to all the truth she has. Basically, she knows Jesus is real and she believes in the Bible but she wants to party it up while she is in college. She says, " Mom, I don't have a story." Now you know what she is talking about when she says story. She's talking about that big testimony in which God intervenes in the life in a very remarkable way. She parties waiting for God's big reveal. Unfortunately, this reminds me of all the times when Jesus was asked for a sign, or what we will call a "big reveal", so that people would know He is who he says He is.
In Matthew 12, he tells them the only sign would be the sign of Jonah. Luke 11 presents the same sign of Jonah. The sign of Jonah points towards the death of Christ (3 days in the belly of the earth) and to the life of Christ (testifies as a prophet). In Matthew 16, he adds an implication that there are signs available but they are foolish for not discerning them. In Mark 8, he denies them any sign, outright. In John 2, he presents the controversial "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" which again points towards his death. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 that the Jews asked for a sign, but Jesus was a stumbling block for them.
It seems as if whenever people who have knowledge of God ask God for a sign in order for them to believe, they do not receive a sign in the way they want it. This is not good because the Jewish nation, teachers and all, rejected Christ to the point of capital punishment and it stands as their condemnation. People who are knowledgeable of Jesus but reject Him because they believe God has not revealed Himself to them should be wary. Chances are they will never receive the sign they request as they reject God. In fact, they are preparing themselves to reject God later on. Be wary my friends because through out the Bible there are stories of people who knew God but insisted on departing from God's will and died without receiving any big reveal.
In Matthew 12, he tells them the only sign would be the sign of Jonah. Luke 11 presents the same sign of Jonah. The sign of Jonah points towards the death of Christ (3 days in the belly of the earth) and to the life of Christ (testifies as a prophet). In Matthew 16, he adds an implication that there are signs available but they are foolish for not discerning them. In Mark 8, he denies them any sign, outright. In John 2, he presents the controversial "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" which again points towards his death. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 that the Jews asked for a sign, but Jesus was a stumbling block for them.
It seems as if whenever people who have knowledge of God ask God for a sign in order for them to believe, they do not receive a sign in the way they want it. This is not good because the Jewish nation, teachers and all, rejected Christ to the point of capital punishment and it stands as their condemnation. People who are knowledgeable of Jesus but reject Him because they believe God has not revealed Himself to them should be wary. Chances are they will never receive the sign they request as they reject God. In fact, they are preparing themselves to reject God later on. Be wary my friends because through out the Bible there are stories of people who knew God but insisted on departing from God's will and died without receiving any big reveal.
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