“We want to see a Miraculous Sign” Matthew 12:39-42

Believing in God! “If God would just give me a sign…”

Believing in God! “If God would just give me a sign…” 3 rd Wave, “Signs and Wonders”: “the Gospel can be communicated more effectively to unbelievers if accompanied by supernatural manifestations brought on by the Holy Spirit (such as prophecy and healing)”

Matthew 12: Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." 39 He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Matthew 12: For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.

Matthew 12: The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.

Seeking Signs! Why would Jesus not give them their sign?

1: They were seeking from an unbelieving heart “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!” (39) Spiritual Adultery Hypocrisy

1: They were seeking from an unbelieving heart “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!” (39) they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”(24) …said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you”(38)

1: They were seeking from an unbelieving heart “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!” (39) Their request was only an excuse NOT to believe. They were already determined to destroy Him.

Signs: Some Observations

1.Signs can help unbelief (John 2:23, 4:47-53)

Signs: Some Observations 1.Signs can help unbelief (John 2:23, 4:47-53) 2.Signs are NOT necessary for belief (John 4:39-41, 8:30)

Signs: Some Observations 1.Signs can help unbelief (John 2:23, 4:47-53) 2.Signs are NOT necessary for belief (John 4:39-41, 8:30) 3.Signs CANNOT MAKE anyone believe (Matt 28:17, John 12:37)

Signs: Some Observations A heart that is decidedly against God will not find reason to believe through miracles Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things”

1: They were seeking from an unbelieving heart “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign!” (39) The problem is not a lack of signs. It is a lack of a believing heart.

Seeking Signs! Why would Jesus not give them a sign?

Seeking Signs!

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39)

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39) Jonah had become the sign. (Luk 11:29) (Seen clearly in Jonah 2)

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39) Jonah had become the sign of the Judgement and Mercy of God Judgement and Mercy

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39) Jonah had become the sign of the Judgement and Mercy of God Nineveh believed and repented. “Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish” (Jon 3:9)

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39) There is only One Sign that can save anyone: The Sign of Jonah Salvation through Judgement & Mercy

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39) There is only One Sign that can save anyone: …known as “The Gospel” (40) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39)

2: They were looking for the wrong sign. “But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” (39) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. (Rom 1:16)