As you're turning to Luke chapter 11 this morning, I want to ask a few questions to gauge your mind and your heart in preparing for the message. Are you satisfied with Christ? Is Christ enough for you today? Are you resting in who Christ is? As proclaimed in song that we just sang, There aren't enough names that can touch the hem of the garment to do him justice. And yet, as we read in Revelation 19, he is faithful and he is true, always faithful even when we aren't and always true even when we are not. Are you satisfied with Christ? This morning, we're going to consider again the a story surrounding Jesus casting out a mute demon and giving a man the right to speak, and the crowd's response to that particular event. This morning, we'll begin looking at verse 29 and go through verse 32. When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, this generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign. that no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. The Queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them. For she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah. And behold, something greater than Jonah is here. This is inspired in Aaron's infallible word of God. Let's pray. Father, I pray this day that we be reminded that Christ is enough. All that we need to have a right relationship with you, all that we need to have a relationship with you, has already been given in the Christ we celebrate at the Lord's table in a moment. And it's in his name that we pray. Amen. Again, over the past few weeks, we've seen that Jesus has been dealing with the hard hearts, if you will, hearts so hard that Though they were eyewitnesses to this exorcism, this healing of the mute victim of Satan, some dismissed the miracle out of hand, and some sought to attribute the very power of the healing itself that Jesus gave to Beelzebub, the prince of demons. Verse 15. Others asked for a sign from heaven. Verse 16. Over the past few weeks, we've seen Jesus' response to the accusation that he cast out the demon and was in league with Satan himself. And he reasoned with them, and he demonstrated how illogical their surmise was on that day, in verses 17 through 22. The passage this morning, and I would suggest even in the next week, he begins to deal with those that were asking for a sign, requesting a sign from heaven. It was a hard-hearted request, a wicked, evil request for a miraculous sign. And what we see in our text is, for these people and for us, that rather demanding that Jesus prove himself more or prove himself once again, they and we ought to be satisfied with what is already proven, what he's already done, what he's already demonstrated, what he's already shown. It is enough. And we see that in two ways. Simple outline this morning in verse twenty nine. We we see the people seeking something more. They weren't satisfied to this point that all that had taken place in the life of Christ and all the miracles and all of the signs. If we take the the harmony accounts with the Gospel of John, there are seven of them. We're up to three or four at this point. They weren't satisfied. It's almost as if they're saying, we just need one more proof, and then we will. One more sign, and then we'll take a leap of faith, if you will. Well, in our text, Jesus points them away from something more and seeks, secondly, to point them to something greater, to himself and things that had already been done and accomplished. through him that would be accomplished through him, and he gives two examples of those that sought Christ and the truth that we'll consider in a moment. First, we'll consider something more. Here, Jesus deals with their request for a sign. They're trying to test Jesus. And as I've said before, the reason for the test is to trip him up, to try to get him to contradict himself or somehow point to something that would prove that he's not who he says he is. In other words, the test was not for truth. The test was trying to get him to fail, you see. To help get a better understanding of this, by the way, You talked a lot about signs in Sunday school, so we'll rest there. The sign points to the thing signified and it needs to be fulfilled and all of these types of things. But to help us understand where this thinking is even coming from and to demonstrate how wicked and evil it really is. We look at Deuteronomy chapter 13. I invite you to turn there this morning, Deuteronomy chapter 13, as I read the first five verses there. Deuteronomy, chapter 13, this is certainly things that these people would have learned from their childhood in order to make sure that they were following the father and not chasing after other guys. Deuteronomy, chapter 13, verse one. If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, And the sign of the wonder that he tells you comes to pass. And if he says, let us go after other gods which you have not known and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear Him, and keep His commandments, and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst." There it is. They thought that Jesus was in league with Satan himself. This prophet or dreamer, if they were considering Jesus to be, that had risen up in their midst, they in their mind are merely obeying what they learned from Deuteronomy chapter 13. That if he says what comes to pass, but somewhere along the way he's leading you away from God, he needs to be put to death. The evil needs to be removed from your midst. This is what's happening when they were seeking to test Jesus. It was not to see or verify if what he said was true. It was more than that. It was to put him to death because in their mind he was leading them away from God the Father. That's the context by which the Jews and the Pharisees approached Jesus seeking the sign to test him. It was a request to put to Jesus actually amounts in him doing something to prove that he's not a false prophet and that he's in God's favor. Kim Riddlebarger noted, Quote, such a demand is not only a personal insult to the first order, it's the clearest proof yet that the Pharisees are absolutely blind to the truth. Unquote. They witnessed the miracle themselves. They saw Jesus cast the demon out. And they attributed the source of it all, the power of it all, to Satan rather than to God. And now we learn that in fact, there's a trick behind their question. If Jesus performs yet another sign for them, they will use it to invoke the sanction of Deuteronomy 13.5, that he's a false teacher. And they will follow Deuteronomy 13.5 and attempt to have Jesus put to death. Jesus knows their thoughts. Jesus knows their motives. Jesus knows their hearts. There's nothing that remains hidden from him. He will not do what they want. Besides, what on earth could Jesus do now that would convince them anymore that he is, in fact, who he claims to be? What more can he do than he'd already done? What more could he demonstrate than he'd already shown? Even after Jesus raises from the grave, they still try to find some reason to account for that other than it is God the Father who raised him from the dead to verify and to vindicate his son. They would reject him, even with an empty tomb. That is what the Pharisees were up to. Make no mistake about it. They wanted to justify their own self-righteousness. Just like Satan, just like the demons, they were in league together in trying to get Jesus to somehow fail, and yet they were without excuse. They certainly could not plead ignorance, nor could they say that God had not given them sufficient information along the way to make an informed and instructed decision to believe on Him. The problem wasn't a lack of evidence. The problem wasn't that they needed one more proof, one more sign. The problem was their heart. The real issue where all of this began is that Jesus called them sinners. Jesus told them in the first words of ministry, repent. And from that point forward, the tests began. The request for signs began. The denial of who he is began, because who was he to say that they who are children of Abraham, safe already as being of the children of Israel, what do they need to repent for? That was for the Gentiles, not for them. And so you can see what they're trying to do. So we see that the problem is the heart. And further, Jesus acted without seeking their approval, and it offended them. Again, Riddlebarger points out, Quote, it is not that Jesus failed to give them a reason to believe. He had. It is that Jesus summons men who think themselves to be righteous to repent, exposing them to be sinners just like the rest of us. And this call to repent infuriates them. How dare Jesus speak of the Pharisees, and by implication the Jews, as sinners? Unquote. Now, lest we get too harsh with the Jews and the Pharisees. What about us? What about a person that you confront with their sin? It's interesting to me that when I confront an unbeliever with their sin, there's no argument. They may disagree. They may think that there's not a need for Christ. They may reject the gospel, but they don't hate me. But when I confront a confessing believer, A righteous person in their sin? Well, who do you think you are? Just because you're the pastor of the church. That's where the resilience comes from. That's where the animosity begins to build. And that describes a sinful man's heart. They're never satisfied with the righteous requirements of God, but they want to somehow maintain their own self-righteousness. Anything that crips their style is repulsive to them. They would rather live according to their own schemes, their own puzzle, if you will, seeking to make themselves right with God, comfortable, comfortable in their own sinfulness. Rather than admit their sinfulness, rather than confess their sins, and turn to God to be cleansed, rather than following Christ, they would rather be right where they are in their self-righteousness. Anything else requires too much. They'd have to change their lifestyle. They'd have to obey the law of God that we sang about earlier. They'd have to serve Christ and the Spirit rather than their own flesh. And so sinful man, apart from Christ, continues To test. One more sign. One more thing to prove that somehow what you say is true and that I need to place my faith in you. See, at the end of the day, the Pharisees were not really interested in science. They weren't really interested in miracles either. They were simply interested in confirming themselves in their unbelief. Jeff Thomas from England, Aberystwyth. We have the privilege of being able to see him next week in Los Angeles at the Banner Conference, and I would encourage you. He's preaching our Deep South Founders Conference in January, and it may be one of the last times you get to see one of the greatest Reformed Baptist preachers that ever lived. He's getting up in age, maturing years, and I love Jeff Thomas. I want to quote what he says here that really reveals the wickedness of the demand that the Pharisees were making. He says, this is the basis on which we'll believe in you, they said. If you perform a miracle right now, we'll become your disciples. Let him send the sun back a few degrees. Let a shower of stars fall from heaven. Let the sea be parted. They laid down conditions for receiving him as the son of God. He had to do what they said and when they said it. And if he passed their test, then they might serve him. Let him prove to us that he's the incarnate son of God, they say. Of course, this attitude turns everything upside down. In our experience of our lives, it isn't God who's being tested. We are being tested. Don't try to reverse things. Don't say, I'm putting God to the test. I don't know if he's all he's cracked up to be, whether he exists and whether he loves me or not. So God has to do certain things, and if he does, he'll pass muster. That's not how it can be. You have to realize that the Bible is actually testing us and the Christ of the New Testament is searching us every time we get close to it. The question is, are you willing to follow Christ? We don't put him to the test. He raised Jairus' daughter. He drives out a demon from a Greek woman's girl. He even walks on the water and feeds the multitudes. And every time he does something like that, he's testing us. I've done all of this, and you're still not satisfied. You still want more. You're always seeking more. And so we sing, what more can he do than he's already done? Does that describe you this morning? Your heart. One more evidence. One more requirement of Jesus. One more proof that he is who he says he is. You need to understand this morning that Jesus is who he says he is. Period. And if you die apart from repenting of your sins, If you die apart from turning to him by faith, of trusting in him and him alone to make you righteous, then you will face eternal judgment of God in all of your unrighteousness. You will remain under his wrath for all eternity. You see, again, the problem wasn't the paucity of evidence for these people, and the problem is not the paucity of evidence for you. He is. the Son of God, and He's demonstrated it time and time again. Again, the problem is your heart. You're at enmity with God. You're His enemy, and He is your enemy. You hate God and you love yourself, is what the Bible says. Now again, there's probably somebody here this morning, you're offended by that. I'm just a messenger. God said it. And why would it offend you if you're at church this morning? You see, it's a heart, a heart that seeks more evidence, more results, evidence that demands a verdict. As Josh McDowell once wrote many years ago, Jesus said to them, no more signs, no more signs. It's enough that you've seen, it's enough that I've given, except one, the sign of Jonah. which is where he begins to point them away from their wanting something more and pointing to himself, something greater than you could ever know apart from faith. And he does that beginning in verses 30 through 32, something greater. He points them to the greater, not the more. They had all that they needed to believe. They didn't need more. And as was his custom, and as ought to be our custom, he pointed to his greatness as he is as Messiah and Christ and Lord and Savior. Jesus declared that he would be like Jonah to them in verse 30. That was the sign. Well, how is this so? How is it that Jonah was the sign? Now, we know that Jesus and Jonah were both preachers of righteousness. preach to unbelievers to repent and suddenly Jesus statement there. It's the preaching that's the sign. Now, don't misunderstand. There were places where the preaching was the sign, but not here. Jesus said Jonah himself is the sign. So the deeper significance here is a reference to Jonah's death. and his burial and his resurrection when he was tossed over the side of the ship in an apparent death. Our children have been singing it somewhere or she's getting into school. I don't know which, but Malia has been singing about Jonah and offending God and being tossed over the side of the boat. There was a reason for that. He'd offended God. He was guilty. And that's what happens here. He's tossed over to his apparent death in the sea. We all know the story, right? And by the way, just to clarify, this really happened? This isn't some myth or story just to get us to try to see something. Jonah really got tossed overboard. He really got swallowed by a big fish and he was really in there for three days and spit out. Sign of Jonah's seeming death experience is literally fulfilled, and it does point to the same thing signified. Jonah was the sign pointing to Jesus. The sign of Jonah's seeming death experience was fulfilled in Jesus' death on the cross at the hands of the Romans. It was fulfilled in his burial by Joseph and Nicodemus. And it was fulfilled in this glorious resurrection, three days in the tomb. That's exactly what Jesus said in Matthew's account in Matthew chapter 12, where he said, for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The sign pointing to the sea signified. If the sign never is fulfilled in signification, then the sign is empty. Christ fulfilled it. The great and grand design that Jesus gives to all, and especially to those who think they need miraculous signs or one more thing in order to believe, He just points them to His death, burial, and resurrection. That was still future in our account. He had just unveiled for one of the first times that He was going to die at the hands of Godless men and be raised again on the third day. But not to us. Not only has it happened in time, it's been written down. And not only has it been written down, but it's been preached and proclaimed now for over 2,000 years and for 17 and a half years from this pulpit. Every Sunday, Christ. Every Sunday evening when we had it, Christ. Every Sunday school lesson, Christ. Every Wednesday night, Christ, Christ, Christ. Don't ask for more, because we have nothing else to give. Paul said, I preach Christ crucified. And that's enough. That's enough. That's the gospel. The apostle Paul himself crystallized it in writing in 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4. I deliver to you as a first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He didn't make it up. Where did He get it from? The Scriptures. And that is the foundation. That is what is the minimal that needs to be understood. in preaching Christ, of first importance, he said. If you're here this morning waiting for one more proof, one more sign, then you're only asking to seek and to justify your own sinfulness. There will be no more signs. The last prophecy to be fulfilled is when Jesus comes again. And when he comes again, it's not for salvation. It's not to offer hope, it's in judgment and wrath. It's too late. Well, he gives, then, a couple of evidences that should have been enough for them as examples. The first is the Queen of the South in verse 31. He rebuked the Jews in using her as an example. He said, the queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And behold, something greater than Solomon is here. So I read and reread this account again, which you find, by the way, in both 1 Kings chapter 10 and again in 2 Chronicles chapter 9. I was reminded of. The numerous stories that we've heard. Gerald's been to Romania. He's heard how they would walk three miles in the snow just to hear the gospel proclaimed. Three miles back. Now, I choose to believe that this isn't a grandpa's tale, that I used to have to walk four miles in the snow to school and uphill and four miles home uphill. Stretch your head and go, how does that work? No, what it's a picture of is when people had never heard the gospel. It's a hunger and a thirst that they would walk through hot coals in order to get to hear it proclaimed. The Queen of the South, the Queen of Sheba, only knew in part. By the way, this is the area of what is modern-day Yemen. You don't get any more reprobate in our world than modern-day Yemen. This is where she originated. 1 Kings 10, when she heard of the fame concerning Solomon, she came to test him with hard questions. Does that sound familiar? She came to test. The difference in this woman and the testing that we see of the Jews and the Pharisees is they were trying to get him to fail. She was seeking truth. She wanted to truly know more. She didn't question in her heart She was seeking to verify. And so she sets out on this journey, came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, if you only get that word in the Bible, with camels bearing spices, very much gold and precious stones. Does this sound like she's trying to trip him up? She's pringing. Expensive gifts, just like when Jesus was born, the kings from the east brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. They came believing, so was she. Solomon answered all of her questions. There was nothing hidden from the king that he did not explain to her. And when the Queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he built, the food on his table, she said to the king, the report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came with my own eyes and I'd seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpassed the report that I'd heard. Dear friends, we're going to experience that one day. When we come with a right heart, seeking truth, seeking Christ, one day when we stand before Him, whoo, the half we didn't know concerning the glory of heaven and all that awaited us. I didn't believe it until I'd seen it with my own eyes. Your wisdom, your prosperity surpass it all. Happier are your men, happier are your servants who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom. Blessed be the Lord your God. See what happened? It drove her to worship. Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel, because the Lord loved Israel forever. He has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness. In her own land, again, southern Arabia then, Yemen now, months away by caravan. This wasn't just across the street. the queen that heard of this man named Solomon. And she goes at an immense cost, with great danger, and she didn't ignore what she heard. She did not ignore what she saw. She did not ignore the wisdom and greatness of Solomon, yet the Jews were ignoring one greater than Solomon, Christ himself. And she wanted to see, the Jews wanted to see, More. She came seeking. They came testing in a negative way. She was looking for answers to verify what had been said. The Jews were questioning with the desire that he would not be verified so that they would be justified in denying him. You see the difference. This is what Jesus is trying to get them to understand. The Queen of Sheba had gone through considerable discomfort and danger to hear Solomon. And she praised the God of Israel for encounter her encounter. The Jews, on the other hand, had everything given to them. They didn't have to go anywhere. He was in their midst. The only danger that came in hearing him came from who? Them. They had all of the advantages that no other man on the face of the earth had ever had. Again, hear the Apostle Paul in Romans. They are Israelites. To them belonged the adoption. To them belonged the glory. To them belonged the covenants. To them belonged the giving of the law. To them belonged the worship. To them belonged the promises. To them belonged the patriarchs. And from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ. They had it all given to them. The Gentiles did not have it. They were not part of what he calls the Commonwealth of Israel. Now that doesn't mean that some Gentiles didn't gravitate to them along the way, but they had everything. God's grace, God's mercy, and God's faithfulness had been demonstrated time and time and time again to them and no one else. And it was from them The promised Messiah would come. This is what the Queen of the South did not deny concerning Solomon. And yet Jesus said, one much greater than him, the King of kings is here. Then the men of Nineveh, in verse 32, he went on to say the men of Nineveh would rise up at the judgment. with this generation of cadets. Same words concerning the Queen of the South. For they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. Again, Jonah chapter 3, you remember the story after the fish fits Jonah out on dry land? In chapter 2, he comes to the end of that chapter, and he confesses his sin, and he goes to Nineveh as he was instructed in the first place, and he preached Repentance. And they repented. Imagine that. Gentiles, Ninevites, repented. When the king heard it, he made an event. And they wept in ashes, demonstrating their repentance. Jonah's preaching was simple and to the point. And the Ninevites, despite their untaught Gentile consciences, again, they didn't have all the stuff that we just talked about that the Israelites had. Regardless of that, they responded. Jesus' preaching was too plain. It was, in their minds, laced with unmatched eloquence Yet the scribes and the Pharisees did not repent. The accusations of the Ninevites would be brought against these people. Listen, the gospel is simple. It's not easy. In fact, it's impossible apart from the spirit of God. But God won't be blamed. The content of the gospel is simple. God is holy. You are not. You ascend against a holy God, separated from Him at conception. You are guilty by birth and under His wrath. And unless you receive the only way that God, that Father has provided, that you might be reconciled to Him, that being Christ and His work perfectly on your behalf. And His blood that we celebrate in a moment, a sacrifice for you, then you will die under his wrath. You receive him by faith. You trust. You believe in something, as Luther said, outside of yourself. What Christ has done, not what you have done. That was the problem with the Pharisees. The gospel is not hard. It's simple. There's some here this morning that have heard it and they know it. In their minds, they know the content of the gospel. You stand under greater judgment than someone that's never heard it before. Just like the Pharisees, you continue to sit under the preaching and the teaching of the word, and you're not like the Ninevites. For the first time that they heard it, repented. The men of Nineveh heard it and they believed it. How much more would they be judged for not hearing Jesus, these Pharisees? How much more will you be judged for not listening to that which has been proclaimed? So let me close. They asked for a sign that would prove that what Jesus said of himself was true. Remember, if the prophecy was true, then that which was prophesied would come true. That was the beginning of the test. But more here, if they're leading you astray. Jesus granted the request one last time, the sign of Jonah. What we celebrate at the Lord's table is that proof. Jesus died. He was buried and he rose again from the grave on the third day. What did the Jews do with that sign? They denied it. Someone stole him. He didn't really die on the cross. He just swooned. He got up, walked out under his own power. So on and so forth. What do you believe? What do you believe concerning these things? Do you believe that he is the Christ, the son of God? He's come into the world for our salvation. This is what he asked Martha, John chapter 11, in the raising of Lazarus. He said, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live. And everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? He asked. And she said to him, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world. we celebrate at the Lord's table this morning is somewhat of a sign, if you will. It's a picture. It's an illustration that points to Christ, who he is and what he's done and why that matters. The spirit of Christ is really present here with us. There's nothing about the bread or the juice that is salvific in any sense. It is simply to point to the death and the necessity of the sacrifice of Christ for us. Another is baptism. We celebrate baptism because it does point to the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord, and our identifying with our sins have been buried with Him, and we have been raised to walk in freedom and forgiveness forever and ever and ever. And every time you see that, As an unbeliever this morning, you see a believer sitting next to you taking the bread and taking the cup and you reject it, you reject him. And every time you see a baptism taking place and you think it's just people getting wet in water, you reject Christ. And every time you hear the preaching of the gospel that you need Christ as your savior, you reject Christ and he is coming again. That's for the unbelievers. But for us, this is a celebration of the freedom that we have in Him. It is a demonstration as we partake that we truly do believe that our sins have been forgiven and we have been set free for freedom in Christ. And that is the desire of this pastor's heart, that all would know Him, not not more about him. And yes, we want to know more of him, but not in the sense that these Jews did. Are you satisfied? Are you satisfied? As Jeff Thomas reminded us, when God tests you, when it gets difficult, are you satisfied with him? I truly believe it's in our times of suffering How satisfied we are with Christ really comes to the fore. That's where our faith is proven, right? Where do you run? I say to the guys at Brother Brian, do you run to the rock, little R, or do you run to the rock, big R? Do you run to the bottle, or do you run to Christ? That's the test. Is Christ enough for you? That's correct. Father, we just simply are reminded this morning, what more can you do than you've already done? And the answer is nothing. The words, it is finished, means all that is necessary for us to have a relationship with God as our Father has already been accomplished. Father, I pray that the Spirit of God would convict, convince, and instruct the need for Christ. And Father, even as believers, in those times where we seem to be more satisfied in our own works, Father, may we run to the cross. May we be reminded that it's in our weakness that your strength is most now. And that your grace is sufficient to save us and to keep us safe. It's in the name of Christ I pray. Amen.