show us a sign

Matt 16: 1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.

2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

Now the Pharisees and the Sadducees – were the ruling class of Jesus’ day . . . they were not really interested in finding out what was “right or

wrong” . . . but they were interested in the power which their current positions provided to them as the religious leaders of the children of Abraham . .

The motive behind their request “shew us a sign” was not a desire to know the Truth . . . but rather it was a desire to discredit Jesus in an attempt to

remove a threat to the power which they enjoyed “over the people” as the religious leaders of The Jewish nation . . .

Notice what we read of such men in II Peter 2: 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

A false teacher is one who pretends . . . a false teacher is a fake or a person that is playing a part . . . these actors were doing things in secret . . .

While they pretended to be ministering to the people . . . they were in fact in the process of betraying the people in plain sight . . . they carried

out this pretense of being a Christian minister by secretly introducing heresy (which refer to teachings that are simply not true) . . . a heresy in

the church refers to teachings which are not healthy . . . or to teachings that are of a destructive nature to the love and the unity of God’s people . . .

The phrase “even denying the Lord that bought them . . .” refers to how these actors repeatedly deny their savior . . . Now obviously – the false

teacher is not going to stand up before the congregation and say something to the effect . . . I deny the God that saved my soul . . . but we

should understand that The WORD IS God . . . and the WORD was God . . . the same was in the beginning with GOD . . .

Our attitude toward the WORD is in all respects our attitude toward God HIMSELF . . . if we respect the WORD then we also respect GOD . . .

If we deny the WORD – then we also deny the God of that WORD . . .

Titus 1: 16 They profess that they know God; BUT IN WORKS they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.  

The works which denied “the Lord that bought them . . .” was the repeated introduction of “heresy” into the church for the purpose of making

themselves more appealing (more attractive) to the people . . .

II Peter 2: 2 And many shall follow their pernicious (malicious or harmful) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of . . . to speak evil of the Truth is to DENY the God of that truth . . .

3 And through covetousness (greed) shall they with feigned (artificial) words make merchandise of you (they will take advantage of you) whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Shew me a sign and I will believe . . . shew me a sign

and I will change my way of teaching – I will go back to the OLD way and start following you . . .

I have a hold over the people . . . I have deceived them – they like me - they have made my life easy and do not intend to take my mask off . . .

Jesus could see into the hearts of these false prophets and His reply to them is . . .

Matt 16: 2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Now what “signs of the times” do you suppose Jesus was referring to . . .

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

II Tim 4: 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables (referring to the heresy that the false prophet repeatedly introduces).   

Now we cannot lay the blame for such a condition solely at the feet of the pretenders . . . an actor has to have

an audience . . . you see birds of a feather flock together . . . if our love for the truth has begun to wax cold – and if in its place we have fallen in love

with religion . . . we will turn aside from those who teach the TRUTH  – and we will seek in their place a pretender . . . 2Ti 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

The idea of “suffering” so that we might also reign with Him refers to how “we suffer” when we deny what we are by nature . . .

The man who denies the natural tendency which we all have to “overlook” the truth when it is to our advantage to do so . . . the man who denies the

greed in his heart that leads him to take advantage of the trust that others have placed in him – the man who denies the desire to be in charge – the

man who denies the desire to teach only what others want to hear . . . this is the man who will reign with God in the heavenly kingdom of Jesus

Christ . . . but the man who refuses this type of self-denial as he “denies” the truth in order to gain

popularity . . . he may be popular in church – he may be popular in the community . . . but he will NOT be popular in heaven . . . he may be saved –

but to deny our saviour in this manner – is to guarantee that when we go to heaven – we will go there in shame - with empty hands – having forsaken the reward of the righteous . . .

II Cor 3: 14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Matt 16: 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.

Jesus left these whose only interest in their religion was how to make themselves popular with the people . . . we did not say that these pretenders

were sent to hell . . . but having denied Jesus by their works – Jesus will deny them rewards in the day of judgment . . . has Jesus left you to find 

your own reward in success and popularity . . . or is Jesus standing beside you – and giving you comfort as you deny the world in order to follow His Truth?