Are You Looking for a Sign From God

Preached on May 19, 2024

Are you looking for a sign from God so that you can believe in Him? God has an answer that you need to see! Join Pastor McCrary as he shares with us the signs of God and what one can do in order to recognize them.

Introduction

There are many today that believe that God needs to prove Himself to them before they will believe in Him.  They say to God, show me a sign and I will believe.  In today’s sermon, we will see that God has already given us a sign.  God has already proven Himself to mankind!  What is the sign that God has given to us?  Why is it that you may have missed His sign?

The Sign of God

In Matthew 12:36-37, Jesus spoke with authority over who would or would not be justified on the day of judgment.  So, the religious leaders came to Jesus and said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You. (Matt. 12:38).”  In other words, they wanted Jesus to prove who He was by performing a miracle.  

What’s interesting about this is that they asked this of Jesus after some of them had just seen Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 12:22).  Others had been present when Jesus healed the man with a withered hand (Matt. 12:13-14).  In fact, by this point in Matthew’s gospel, there’s at least 14 documented occasions of Jesus’ miracles to which some of the religious leaders had been present for!  

So, did Jesus need to show them a sign to prove Himself?  Jesus said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah (Matt. 12:39).”  Jesus refused to give them the sign they wanted.  Think about it:  what good would a sign do them since they already had their minds made up about who Jesus was not?

Though He didn’t perform a miracle for them at that moment,  Jesus pointed to a future sign – the sign of Jonah. The sign of Jonah, He explained, was Jonah’s being in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights (Matt. 12:40; Jon. 1:17-2:10).  As Jonah was in its belly three days and three nights, Jesus said that the Son of Man would be in the heart of the earth.  

The death,  burial,  and resurrection of Christ is a sign (proof) of God.   You see, the resurrection of Christ proved that Jesus truly was the only begotten Son of God.  The resurrection of Christ serves as both a sign and a seal of God’s salvation.  Jesus stands as a sign of the firstborn of the resurrection of the body unto glory. 

Looking for a Sign From God

Now, something that sticks with me in Jesus’ response to the religious leaders was His statement about that generation.  Jesus said that the religious leaders were of an “evil and adulterous generation”.  The reason why it sticks with me is because I think about the generation that we are all a part of.  This is a generation that has been given a sign by God, yet, many are still looking to the heavens, looking for a sign.

You see, many are looking for a sign from God that proves that He is real.  Many are looking for a sign from God because they want to believe while others look because they doubt and don’t believe.  Then there are others looking for a sign because they are lost and in need of help.  Is it right or wrong for us to be looking for a sign from God?

Is it right or wrong

When one truly desires in their heart for God to reveal Himself to them, the Lord will do it.  How does the Lord reveal Himself to us?  

Jesus pointed to the Holy Spirit.  Jesus said, “[the Spirit of truth] will guide you into all truth and glorify (reveal) the Lord (John 16:13).”  Paul wrote, “we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God (1 Cor. 2:12).”  So, to be clear, the Lord is revealed through the Holy Spirit which is received by all who sincerely believe (John 7:37-39).  If you have not received the Spirit, you will miss God’s proof!

Like the religious leaders, there are many that think they are owed a sign of proof from God.  Who are we to think that God needs to prove Himself to us?  Who are we to think that God needs to prove Himself to us?  Does not the potter have power over the clay (Jer. 18:3-5)?

The religious leaders approached Jesus like they were the final authority over whether or not Jesus was from God.  However, the problem they faced is that they continued to overlook the signs that were given to them by God!  In John 5:31-39, Jesus provided four witnesses that proved who He was:  the Scriptures, John the Baptist, His works, and the Father.

Denying Jesus’ witness

The religious leaders denied His witness- they didn’t believe Him!  They called Jesus a liar and one that did works by the king of demons!  Think about that:  they called Jesus, His works, the Father, John the Baptist, and Scripture a lie!  

The proof provided by God was not good enough for them!  They were stubborn in their hearts and their stubbornness caused them to deny Christ.  Jesus said, “whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven (Matt. 10:33).”  

I want you to understand that God has already proven Himself to the world through Christ.  Even more is that the Lord still continues to prove Himself in many ways today.  How so?  Well, just take a moment to look at us— observe life!  Life is a miracle!  How many of us have forgotten that birth, life, is a miracle?

We have breathable air.  Our world is surrounded by an atmosphere that seals in our breathable air and it also protects us from space and radiation.  We have water, and the rain that replenishes the earth keeps the food chain going.  Lastly, I would point out the fact that we haven’t destroyed each other no matter how much we have tried, also points to God’s intervention.  God is in control!

An Evil and Adulterous Generation

No more proof is needed yet, we still question the Lord.  Are we an evil and adulterous generation?  What was it that made the religious leaders a part of an evil and adulterous generation?

Israel’s unfaithfulness to God

Throughout scripture, God’s relationship with Israel is likened to a marriage.  For example, in Isaiah 54:5, it was said to Israel, “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name.”

Now, as we know, marriage requires faith, love, and trust, right?  One who commits adultery is one who has chosen not to be faithful.  God is full of faithfulness, love, and trust so He would never commit adultery.  So, Jesus spoke of that generation having cheated on the Lord and being an unfaithful bride.  How were they unfaithful?

In Isaiah 55, God sent another invitation to Israel.  What was the invitation?  God invited all who thirst to come, and those that had no money to come and eat without money and price (Is. 55:1).  God said to Israel, “Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Hear, and you shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you (Is. 55:3).”

To be clear, God invited Israel to let their soul delight in abundance.  Whether they had money or not, they were invited to come eat, buy wine, and milk without price (Is. 55:1).  If they desired to have abundant life, all they had to do was call upon the Lord (Is. 55:6).  They were told to forsake the way of wickedness and return to Him (Is. 55:7).  

Sadly, Israel rejected the invitation as they forsook God for idols.  Then, by the time of Jesus, the religious leaders were obsessed with power and authority which is of a worldly mindset.  The house of prayer had been made into a “den of thieves” (Matt. 21:13). 

Becoming a lost generation

Again I ask:  are we part of an evil and adulterous generation?  Well, we must consider the faithfulness of the world and how we have treated the Lord’s invitation.

If you’re unaware, we have received an invitation from the Lord to join Him.  Paul wrote that through Israel’s fall – neglecting Christ – salvation has come to the world (Rom. 11:11).  So, how have we treated God’s invitation?  Have we welcomed it with open arms?

I am greatly concerned about this generation because there are many similarities to those evil and adulterous generations in scripture.  The Lord once asked Israel, “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy (Is. 55:2)?”  I believe that same question can be asked of this generation.  

One of the most disturbing things about this generation is how we are obsessed over things that do nothing for the soul.  We sing about how we’d rather have Jesus than silver and gold but how true is that?  Silver and gold is all it seems we chase after today and what good is it doing for us?  

Generations before us had a better sense of community but I feel we are further apart today rather than together.  Our hunger for silver and gold has not only caused us, as a community, to drift apart but we are drifting further away from God.  Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … for where your treasure is, there you heart will be also (Matt. 6:19, 21).”  Where’s your heart at today?

 Many are wanting to see a sign from God but they will never see it because their eyes are in the wrong place!  Like the children of Israel, many can’t see the signs of God because their sights aren’t focused on heaven!  Because their sights are on the world, they continue down a path of wickedness and God certainly can’t be found in wickedness.  

We are an evil and adulterous generation that cheats on God for the sake of the world.  As Israel forsook God for idols, this generation does the same!  Many are participating in the idol worship of celebrity, politics, and wealth.  And as I continue to see the praise of calves of gold, I can’t help but wonder what does it do for those praising those calves of gold?  

As I have gotten older, I have begun to realize just how much we have cheated ourselves out of in life for silver and gold.  Because we have cheated on God for silver and gold, we miss out on the full beauty of this world and life.  We have not only become an evil and adulterous generation, we are quickly becoming a lost generation.

Stop Cheating Yourself

Jesus’ message to the religious leaders was for them to stop being blind to the obvious and open their eyes.  If you’re looking for a sign from God today, Jesus would share the same message to you: open your eyes and observe God’s obvious signs.  God does not hide Himself from us!

Open your eyes

For the religious leaders, Jesus pointed to those of Nineveh, who Jonah ministered to after three days in the belly of the fish.  Jesus said to them, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah (Matt. 12:41).”  

Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians.  The Assyrians were a people that Jonah did not want to minister to because they conquered the northern kingdom of Israel.  They were gentiles that worshiped and served idol gods; they were pagans and heathens.  However wicked they were, at the preaching of Jonah, they opened their eyes and turned to God!  If they turned to God, it said a lot about the adulterous generation of Israel that did not turn to God.

Jesus then pointed to the “queen of the South” for another example (Matt. 12:42).  The queen of the south is a reference to the Queen of Sheba (1 Kgs. 10:1).  This was a queen that had heard of the fame of Solomon and about how his God had blessed him.  Yet, she could not believe it so she had to go and see it her own eyes.  

As with those of Nineveh, the Queen of Sheba was a gentile.  She had several questions to ask Solomon to which he answered.  After seeing and learning from him, she said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel (1 Kgs. 10:9).”    

There is nothing wrong with asking questions when one truly desires to learn.  Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Matt. 7:7-8).”  God wants to reveal Himself to you!

So, train your sights and heart in the right direction and God will be there.  The Holy Spirit will guide you to the Son!  God is still at work and He is revealing Himself to the world each day through His many blessings.  I stand before you as one of those blessings from God!  You see, I’m a miracle and a sign of God because of the fact that I’m still here.  

The fact of the matter is that all of us are signs of the Lord- we are all testimonies of God’s miracles.  So, if you’re looking for a sign from God, you don’t have to look far.  God’s signs leave no doubt that they are His.  God’s signs are powerful and true and can convince the most wicked to turn from wickedness.  So, let go of your stubbornness and see the Lord.