CHILDREN IN THE MARKETPLACE

Text: Luke 7:31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
Luke 7:32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
Luke 7:33 For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil.
Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
Luke 7:35 But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Intro: Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. [with]
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

They ‘rejected the counsel’ of God- Same thing Paul said he did not do, In
Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
[frustrate = to set aside as of no use.]

Why were they NOT baptized by John?
Mat 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:
Mat 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
They were dumber than a bunch of rocks!
This led Jesus to ask the rhetorical question of .
Luke 7:31 And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like?
Children in the market place.

A. Oblivious [blind] to the business going on.
1.The shouts of the vendors.
Isa 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

2.As slaves are sold and redeemed.
Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.

3. Even the proclamation of the approaching king is ignored!
Psa 24:7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.
Psa 24:9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.
Psa 24:10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
When the trumpet sounds the approaching of the Royal Party, it is time to pay attention! You could get hurt if you aren’t ready!

B. They play on in their futile, self centered games, engrossed in vanity.

1. In science they search, but only become more and more confused. A germ, if found on Mars, would be greeted with great glee, but any evidence of a mighty God is jeered.

2. The astronomers still play ‘hide and seek’ with ‘someone who may be out there’ and ignore the one who calls from heaven itself!

3. In social experiments, seeking ‘equality for all men’ while studiously ignoring the one place true equality is to be found.
Acts 15:7 And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Acts 15:8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Acts 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

1 Cor 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1 Cor 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1 Cor 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

II. Their foolish minds darkened.
Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Eph 4:18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

[Man of faith sees farther on his knees than an atheist can see through the Hubble Telescope!.
Prayer of Elisha for his servant,
2 Ki 6:17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

A. Like foolish children they listen too late.

1. The rich man. Luke 16

2. The multitude who will see Christ as the heavens are rolled back as a scroll..
Isa 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

Rev 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
Rev 6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
Rev 6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
Rev 6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
Rev 6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
Rev 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

3. Steven saw the same thing and was comforted by it!
Acts 7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
Acts 7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

B. Those who now think themselves to be more competent to judge facts than God is, will stand before Him!
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

III. Conclusion; Isn’t it time to get serious and quit playing games with God?

NO ONE LISTENED
God spoke to Egypt; No one listened.
He turned the water into blood;
Sent the plagues that killed the firstborn,
Then drowned their army in the flood.
They finally listened!

He bare Israel up, as on eagles’ wings;
Gave them manna, fed them quail;
They drank the water from the rock;
Heard His promise, "I’ll not fail."
They didn’t listen

They heard the thunder on the mountain,
Felt it tremble ‘neath their feet;
Saw Korah swallowed by the earth,
And Aachan, his judgment meet.
They didn’t listen.

They heard God’s word for forty years,
Yet doubted the promised land,
Till one by one their fathers died,
To be buried in the sand.
Their children finally listened!

God sent His Son, said, "Hear ye Him."
He taught of sin and loss,
Of repentance and believing,
Cried "Forgive them" from the cross.
Only a few listened!

Christ sent His church to preach the gospel;
Martyrs praised Him as they died.
Before our eyes, events occur
Just as prophesied.
Many won’t listen!

Someday He’ll shake the earth and heaven,
Move each mountain from its place;
Before Him every knee shall bow;
All the lost shall see His face!
They’ll cry for mercy, He won’t listen.

They’ll see the one who pleaded, "come";
The one they would not hear.
The words, "Depart ye wicked"
Will strike their hearts with fear!
It’s too late, but they’ll listen!

fcc!