Sermons - Cornerstone Christian Fellowship

From Time To Time - Part Thirty Eight

Aug 11, 2024 by: John Herbert | Series: From Time to Time

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Mt 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

We will continue our study concerning the outer darkness this week.

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Sunday August 11th 2024
From Time to Time – Part 38

1). Mt 8:11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Last week we saw the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’, used for the first time in Matthew Chapter 8, used in relation to the sons of the Kingdom, national Israel, to whom the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens was being made at that time. An offer first made by John the Baptist – Mt 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.’ ”

Then by Jesus following John’s imprisonment - Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Also, by the twelve as they were sent – Mt 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

And finally, by the seventy, when they were also sent – Lk 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go………… 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

The phrase, ‘the outer darkness’, appears only two other times in the Scriptures, both in Matthew’s Gospel, making this phrase exclusive to Matthew’s Gospel.
	a). There is an allusion to outer darkness, without using the phrase itself, in Luke’s Gospel, found in parallel verses to those from Matthew Chapter 8, which we began with today – Lk 13:28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. 29 They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. 30 And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.”

‘Cast out’ in Matthew and ‘thrust out’ in Luke are a translation of the exact same word in the original language. In Matthew, the place where the sons of the Kingdom are ‘cast out’, is said to be the outer darkness, the darkness outside. In Luke, these same individuals are shown to be ‘thrust out’, thrust outside, of the place where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the prophets will be found, sitting down in ‘the Kingdom of God’ with those who have ‘come from the east and the west, from the north and the south’.
	b). And if we put that seen in these two Gospel accounts together, we can see that those to whom the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens is being made, the sons of the Kingdom, if they are unfaithful, will find themselves on the outside of a place that will be occupied by those who are faithful. A place that is said to be, the darkness, outside, outside of the location where the One who is ‘the Light of the world’, will be found.
	c). We can establish then, that the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’, is used exclusively in connection with those to whom the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens is being made, the sons of the Kingdom. And in Matthew Chapter 8 this can only be the Jewish people, as the Kingdom of the heavens had not been taken from them at this point. But when it comes to the second use of the phrase, in Matthew Chapter 22, we will find that there are some significant changes –
Mt 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

It is in the Matthew 13 parables in relation to those who hear the Word of the Kingdom, those who are part of the one new man in Christ, that we find the phrase, ‘the sons of the Kingdom’ again. These are the same individuals pictured through those who come from the east and the west, the north and the south who will sit down in the Kingdom. A people other than Israel, who God will train as sons for rulership. And this transition from one group of ‘sons’, national Israel, to another, Christians, we will see as we continue.

2). Last week, we had set the context in which the verses leading into the use of the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’, in Matthew Chapter 22, have to be understood. And as we returned to the end of Matthew Chapter 21 to do this, we had studied the parable of the wicked vinedressers. A parable that presents a concise history of the Jewish people’s unfaithfulness and disobedience, from the inception of the nation in Egypt in Moses’ day, to the crucifixion, to AD 70, through to the Tribulation.
	a). All of which led into the direct and final statement to the Jewish people, that followed on from the point of no return that they had reached in Matthew Chapter 12 – Mt 12:31 “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

Mt 21:43 “Therefore I say to you [the Jews], the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation [other than Israel] bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” 45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

And from v46 we go straight into Matthew Chapter 22, where the Lord gave another parable. A parable that provides the same detail as that given in the parable of the wicked vinedressers, but presenting this detail from a different but complimentary viewpoint, this time with a focus on a royal wedding – Mt 22:1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’ 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are called out of the called.”

Let’s now go back through this adding some explanation as we go - Mt 22:1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king[who can only be God the Father] who arranged a marriage for his son [the Lord Jesus Christ], 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.

This is the call to repentance given to Israel by the prophets, as we had seen last time in the parable of the wicked vinedressers – 
Mt 21:34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.” ’ 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them.

These verses again show the continued ministry of the prophets to call national Israel to repentance, along with the indifference of the people to their message and their persecution of the messengers – 
Mt 21:36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them.

7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 
These verses take us to that which the religious leaders said in response to the Lord question to them in Chapter 21, an answer by the Jewish leaders that prophetically voiced what would happen to the nation in 70AD, and looked further into their future, anticipating the tribulation that is to come -  Mt 21:40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?” 41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” The finality of the events presented here point to the setting aside of the Jewish people with respect to the Kingdom of the heavens, and the creation of a new nation, other than Israel, that would produce the fruit from faithful obedience that the Jews had failed to do.

8 Then he said to his servants,

This is a reference to the present ministry of the Holy Spirit which began when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, to search out a bride for the Son from among the Gentiles, those located in the east and west and the north and south. And by extension, would also include the ministry of the Apostles and those who would come after them.

‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. [Israel set aside] 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.’

Those in the highways are the same as those who come from the east and the west and from the north and the south that we have seen previously in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels. The good seed, the sons of the Kingdom, from Matthew 13. Those primarily taken from the Gentile nations to receive that which Israel had rejected.

10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good And the wedding hall was filled with guests.

This we can also see in the parable of the dragnet in Matthew Chapter 13 – Mt 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.

We will be careful to note here that this is NOT a picture of the marriage supper of the Lamb, as only those with wedding garments will be found there. Let’s just remember that this is a parable that deals with those who are invited to the wedding of the King’s Son. And that’s as far as we need to take it.

11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment.

This is a Judgment Seat picture. The wedding guest without a wedding garment would be one of those, both bad and good, who had been gathered from the highways, from the east and the west, from the north and the south. One of those sown on good ground. The parable had previously dealt with the indifference toward and rejection of an invitation to the wedding by those who were originally invited, resulting in their exclusion. And the guest without a garment continues the same theme, only this time from a Christian perspective.

12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless.

Literally, we should understand this as the guest could say nothing, because he knew he was supposed to have a wedding garment but had done nothing to get one. In this he would equate with the unprofitable servant who did nothing with that entrusted to him by his master in the parables of the talents and the minas. We would also see him in the one who was not taken alongside as an intimate companion, in the servant who became evil, and in the five foolish virgins one of the bad who were thrown away.

13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are called out of the called.”

And it is of course, in relation to the unprofitable servant from the parable of the talents, that we have seen the third use of the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’ – Mt 25:30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

And again, it is clear for us to see that the ‘outer darkness’ is a phrase used to describe the final outcome of the individual who is offered a position in the Kingdom of the heavens, yet through their unfaithfulness display a contempt for the offer that can only have a negative consequence, pictured through the type of Esau. This is why we see it used in relation to the Jews in Matthew Chapter 8 when the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens was still open to them and why it is then used in relation to unfaithful Christians once the Kingdom of the heavens was taken from the Jews and offered to the one new man in Christ instead. And as we have just seen, the parable of the wedding guest provides the same concise overview of Jewish history with regards to unfaithfulness and disobedience as the parable of the wicked vinedressers did but following the finality of the announcement made in Matthew 21:43 which follows it, the parable of the wedding guest brings into view the nation other than Israel to whom the Kingdom would be offered, alluded to previously in Matthew Chapters 8 and 21, those who would have the opportunity to become the bride for Christ. But what we also see, is that with respect to unfaithfulness, whether Jew or Christian where the Kingdom of the heavens is concerned, God is entirely consistent.
 
3). Now, there is something that we should keep in mind because we have spent a great deal of time in previous studies looking at darkness in connection with the spiritual darkness of this age, that which is under the remit of the god of this world. And what we should keep in mind is that the outer darkness and the spiritual darkness of this age are not the same thing.
	a). The outer darkness has to do with a location in connection with the shame to be felt by the unfaithful Christian who will be naked and ashamed, much as we have seen with Lot after he had been removed from the cities of the plain - Ge 19:30 Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar. And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

And the location and the shame to be experienced by the unfaithful Christian have to do with one thing only, the forfeited position of rulership in the Millennial Kingdom that could have been theirs but is now lost for all time. And during the Millennial Kingdom it will no longer be this Age, but the Age to come. The spiritual darkness of this Age will be gone. Satan and his angels will be cast into the pit, Gentile world power will be no more, and the One who is the Light of the World will be seated on His own throne with His coheirs in the New Jerusalem above and on His father David’s throne in the Jerusalem below.
	b). And we might remember from a previous study that the phrase, ‘the outer darkness’, should literally be translated ‘the darkness, the outer’. And we had noted at the time that the emphasis placed on this darkness pointed us to a very particular darkness that is to be seen in an antithetical respect to a very particular light. A darkness where the light is absent.
	c). We can look at a couple of things from the Lord’s first advent that may well help us with our understanding of the outer darkness –
Jn 9:4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

And we can take these verses to the night of the Lord’s betrayal – 
Jn 13:27 Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” 28 But no one at the table knew for what reason He said this to him. 29 For some thought, because Judas had the money box, that Jesus had said to him, “Buy those things we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 Having received the piece of bread, he then went out immediately. And it was night.

In John Chapter 9 the works that Jesus refers to are the works that point to the spiritual healing and spiritual provision to be experienced by the nation should they repent. And all of this of course is inseparable from the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens that was being offered to the nation. The whole purpose for these works was to bring the nation to repentance, to change their collective mind concerning their centuries of unfaithfulness and disobedience and to receive the Christ as He had presented Himself to the nation as both King and Messiah – Mt 11:1 Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities. 2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Jn 10:37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

All the while Jesus remained in the world it was ‘day’, a time when His work could continue to be done, a time when repentance for the Jewish people remained a possibility. On the night of His betrayal though, His crucifixion and return to the right hand of the Father was inevitable. And we can see from John Chapter 13, that as soon as Judas went out from the place where the Light of the World was, into the darkness outside to betray Him, the Scripture simply states, ‘And it was night’.
	d). This would now be the time when the work, and the purpose for it came to an end. The One who is the Light of the World would be gone. The work He did in relation to ‘day’ was finished. The Jewish people from that time were not only separated from the Light of the World but separated from repentance and the deliverance repentance would bring until the time when they will look on the One whom they pierced.
	e). The reference to night then, in John Chapter 13, has to do with separation and exclusion. National Israel’s betrayal of their Messiah, epitomized through the actions of Judas, brought exclusion from the Kingdom of the heavens that had been offered to them and separation from national deliverance that would last for two-thousand years. National Israel, through their actions, find themselves even today, outside of the realm where the Light of the World is to be found, and estranged from the Word that would be a lamp to their feet and a light to their path.
	f). And although all of this must be placed within the time of the present spiritual darkness, this time of spiritual darkness is not what is seen in John Chapter 9 and John Chapter 13, but separation and exclusion.

4). Keeping what we have just looked at with national Israel in mind we can now turn to the second event from the Lord’s first Advent that will perhaps give us the clearest picture yet of how we should understand the outer darkness. And this will take us to the night of the Lord’s betrayal once again – Mt 26:69 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” 71 And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” 73 And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly.

Jn 18:25 Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” 26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” 27 Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

Lk 22:59 Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are saying!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 62 So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

These no doubt are very familiar verses for us that deal with Peter’s denial of the Lord and the place he subsequently found himself. We will keep in mind though, that this denial of his Lord did not come out of nowhere. It wasn’t just a sudden aberration. Rather there are a sequence of events that led up to this that made Peter’s denial of the Lord an inevitable conclusion to them. And these events and Peter’s subsequent experience will be of great value for us in our own race of the faith.

This will have to wait until next time though, if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.

From Time To Time - Part Thirty Eight

Refresh A Recap from the Sermon

From Time To Time - Part Thirty Eight

Aug 11, 2024

Speaker: John Herbert

Series: From Time to Time

Category: Sunday Morning

Refresh
A Recap from the Sermon