God Sends Messengers Because Salvation Is a Choice (Matthew 23:29-36).

Class Outline:

Wednesday November 5, 2025

 

Main idea: The cup of the wrath of God is filling as it did in Israel, yet some will be saved by the gospel revealed by those whom God sends to the world.

 

Intro / Review:

 

You are a messenger not unlike the Lord during His final week.

 

MAT 23:29-30

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'”

 

Repeated, boisterous vowing about innocence usually means the person is guilty. 

 

You can’t lie to God or fool Him. Only a fool would think they could, which is what Christ calls them in vs. 17.

 

MAT 23:36

“So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.”

 

Ironically the verb “testify” is where we get our word martyr.

 

The most foolish thing in history is for God’s covenant nation to murder their covenant, Messiah King. These blind fools were rapidly filling up the cup of God’s wrath. 

 

MAT 23:32

“Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.”

 

Fill up then - through the murder of Christ and the murder and persecution of those He is sending. 

 

He knows His execution is coming (how many times did He tell His disciples?) PSA 22:16; ISA 53:5

 

wrath: Not a boiling over of pent-up anger, but judgment. 

 

This is Israel’s cup:

 

This is not the first time they filled it. 

 

North (Israel / Ephraim) cup filled by idolatry (721 BC destroyed by Assyrians).

 

South (Judah) cup filled by idolatry (586 BC destroyed by Babylonians).

 

EZE 23:31

'You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give her cup into your hand.

 

Jerusalem cup filled with legalism of oral traditions (70 AD destroyed by Romans).

 

In both cases (idolatry and legalism) they did not love their neighbor, or love God, or keep His law - leading to murdering God’s messengers. 

 

Israel filled three cups, or one cup three times (721 BC; 586 BC; 70 AD) so 3X you’re out? No way! The nation of Israel has a future. (ROM 11:1; ROM 11:25). 

 

Cup of the nations:

 

The Sovereign Lord has given all nations their cup. (JER 25:17-26).

 

Judah, Egypt, Babylon, Philistines, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, Sidon, Arabia, and more.

 

No one can predict when a cup will be full.

 

Only looking back can we see the inevitable pattern. 

 

US has a cup. Cyclical history points to a crisis in 2030s. 

 

Do not fear. God upholds the righteous. 

 

MAT 23:31-33

“So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.  32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers.  33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”

 

How will you (plural) escape the judgment of hell?

 

Serpents, brood of vipers - only Christ judges. 

 

Leave all judgment to Him.. MAT 7:1

 

Though Jerusalem’s doom is irreversible, and though practically all the leadership will not escape judgment in hell; the offer of repentance and salvation is still given - after the cross. 

 

ACT 2:37-42. 

 

ACT 3:17 - to the people in the same place Jesus taught. 

 

ACT 4:8-12 - to the rulers. 

 

Wake up! Our heralding is like Christ (without judgment). 

 

We awaken with the gospel. 

 

It is a heartbreaking mission many times; persecution and rejection. 

 

The importance of maturing: the mature who overcome the flesh, world, and devil are the most effective witnesses. (example: Peter and John; ACT 4:13). 

 

How do we mature? Word and Holy Spirit mixed with faith. 

 

It didn’t take them too long. Dive in!

 

The Lord’s final week is a blueprint for our witnessing ministries. 

 

He rode into Jerusalem (humble), cleansed the temple (bold), He taught (true, teaching all), while giving the good news.

 

Not all go down with the ship. The gospel is the lifeboats. As they say in the movies, “Man the boats.” We are begging people to get into the boats. 

 

2CO 5:20

we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God

 

We are like the Lord Jesus, offering peace to the people who would murder us. “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” 

 

We need to mature, or our witness will only work in good times with people who like us. That’s too small a field for a missionary. 

 

The hypocrisy in people and the rejection of the Lord is an ugly reality in our world, and it has always been. Idolatry or legalism or any ideology leads people to the same place: misery, hatred, fear. You and I have the Healer and His good news.