You Want a Sign, I'll Show You a Sign - a message about appreciating the depth of who Jesus was

"When am I going to use this in real life?" was a question that I posed to a math teacher of mine in college. The question stemmed from frustration and curiosity. I was taking a calculus class and was struggling. Looking back, I probably wasn't putting in the necessary "out-of-class" time I needed to really understand it. It was my freshman year and my adjustment to college was starting to show, academically.

There are simply classes that one must take in their educational career that one really does not understand the depth of the reason for those classes. Your list may vary a bit differently with mine; however, I am confident you have a "list."

Sunday, we discussed Matthew 11:38-45 where the Pharisees are asking for a sign and Jesus responds. Jesus responds in a way that shows his "haters" there may be a sign, but they need to understand there is much more depth than realized to this sign He will give.

The sign is given, but the realization of what the sign is greater than can they can imagine. Here are some applications that you can choose from to use this week...

• Desiring vs. Demanding ~ When the Pharisees demanded a sign, they had a motive that was from an evil heart. When we are asking God with a demanding spirit, we are being representative of their kind of spirit. However, if we are simply confused by life and are wishing that God would show us a sign for clarity sake, our motive is coming from a truer heart. May we not get down on ourselves when we are wanting to see God involved in our life!
• Not Understanding ~ When Jesus tells them the illustrations about Jonah and the Queen of the South and points out that the people of those days would plead with them to cause them to turn around. Who would it be that would come back and tell you to keep the faith? These are the signs that Jesus gives to the Pharisees. Sometimes a sign may not be good enough to turn people around. That is when we really do not understand the depth of our faith. May we positive examples to those around us this week to show who is our Lord!
• Staying Occupied ~ The text describes a situation when demons come out a person, there is an opening that is later taken up by eight other demons. May we keep our minds occupied with Him. If our momentum has wavered we are susceptible to things that are of evil influence, now that we have a space available in our lives. Keep your minds on God, don't let the space be unoccupied and let the evil in!

God is good at giving us what we want...even when it is not what we need. When Jesus responds to us in this manner we should be careful what we are receiving! Need a sign? Watch out what you get!

Now it's your turn...When have you wanted a sign from God? What were the circumstances?