THE REJECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

 By Donnie Swaggart

Matthew 11:20-24 — “Then began He to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty Works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto you, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty Works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of Judgement, than for you. And you, Capernaum, which are exalted unto Heaven, shall be brought down to Hell: for if the might Works, which had been done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of Judgment, than for you.”

 

Verse 1 of the Eleventh Chapter of Matthew begins with the statement, “He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.” This speaks of all of Galilee. In this statement we see the Mission of Christ while on this Earth, which was to proclaim the Gospel and, as well, to die on Calvary. The mission of the modern Church must be the same today. We are here to proclaim to a lost world that Jesus Christ is the Saviour and the only Saviour.

           

The Ministry to which I have been called to be a part of, “Jimmy Swaggart Ministries”, has been given a Divine Mandate to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the entirety of the world. Yes, I said the entirety of the world. He has called us to do this through the following means:

 

•          Television (both the Daily and Weekly Telecasts)

•          SonLife Radio

•          Family Worship Center (the nerve center of the Ministry)

•          World Evangelism Bible College & Seminary

•          The Expositor’s Study Bible

•          The Commentaries and Study Guides

•          Music

 

All of these outreaches are undertaken with one goal in mind, the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

The proof of the Lord’s Message, Ministry, and Person (the Message and the Man cannot be separated) is found in Verse 20 of the Eleventh Chapter. The Scripture uses the term “mighty Works.” And what were those mighty Works?

“The blind see, the lame walk, lepers cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the Gospel preached unto them.” The True Gospel produces true results, both physical and spiritual. Understand, a ministry is only a Ministry in God’s Eyes, if it produces the same fruit as the Lord’s Ministry produced.

 

 “He began to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty Works were done, because they repented not.” His rebuke of them was because in spite of all His mighty Works, they still refused to repent. The word “upbraid” means, “to defame, to rail out, to chide, to taunt, to reproach.” In other words, He was angry. The God of Love is also a God of Wrath and Judgment when His Grace and Mercy are rejected. Their rejection was a willful rejection. They saw Him, they heard Him, they witnessed the Miracles, yet they rejected Him.

 

 Repentance is more than just confessing to the Lord that something is wrong, but true Repentance is confessing to the Lord what we actually are. Repentance speaks of the state of one’s being.

 

 “Woe unto Chorazin! woe unto Bethsaida!” The word “woe” speaks of extreme grief on the part of the Lord. He “grieved” because of their stubbornness that would lead to their destruction. As I said, their refusal to repent was in spite of the visible and tangible proof before their very eyes. Understand, the entrance of the Gospel never leaves one neutral. The Gospel rejected brings death, the Gospel accepted brings Life and Joy (see Acts 8:8).

 

 Now the Lord turns His Attention to Capernaum, the city chosen to be His Headquarters. This is an emphatic statement by the Lord reserving for this city the worst judgment of all. Why? Capernaum was His Place of abode, specifically chosen by the Lord to be His Place, His Headquarters, thereby making this city the most favored place in the entire Earth. He said to them, “Thou are exalted unto Heaven.” This speaks of Capernaum’s great material prosperity. They were a port city, a city of trade and commerce. Money was more important to them than Salvation. He then said, “Shall be brought down to Hell.” This has two meanings:

 

A. All of these cities in this area, except Tiberius, were destroyed by Rome a few years later.

B. Most of its inhabitants went to Hell lost, yet their Saviour was in their midst, and they rejected Him.

 

 To reject Jesus Christ brings damnation. To reject Jesus Christ is to accept Satan and eternal damnation. To reject Jesus Christ is to accept the darkness. To reject Jesus Christ is to accept bondage and heartache. To reject Jesus Christ is to reject Salvation, Healing, Deliverance, Joy, and Peace.

 

 As these cities of old rejected Jesus Christ, so too is America rejecting Jesus Christ. Our nation is sick, diseased, and riddled through and through by sin. However, the real sin, is that which is called the Church today who also reject Jesus Christ. The vast majority of the so-called Church has rejected the Word of God, thereby rejecting the Christ of the Bible. The Jesus Christ they preach and present is not the Jesus Christ of the Bible. They have rejected the Cross, they have rejected the Holy Spirit, and they have rejected the Word of God, presenting to the world a Christ that is accepting every religion and every type of worship that man can come up with.

 

America and the Church must repent, and return to the Cross. But before America can repent, the Church must repent. The Holy Spirit said in I Peter 4:17: “For the time is come that Judgment must begin at the House of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them who obey not the Gospel of God?” Let us pray for Revival in our midst. Let us pray that the Church will repent and return to the God of the Bible and then America can have more of God.

 

                                    Your Evangelist, Donnie Swaggart