Jesus, Are You The One? Series

Jesus, Are You The One?

Powerful Passages

OKAY – this morning (10/3/2021) we are going to unpack another powerful passage from the Living and Active, sharper than a double edge sword, able to equip us for every good work… Word of God.

The passage is Matthew 3:1-11

The conversation is called, ‘Jesus, Are You The One’

OKAY – let’s do this…

HERE ARE – the first three verses of the powerful passage that we are going to dive into this morning.

After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee. When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

- Matthew 11:1-3

Prayer

QUESTION…

• Have you ever been disappointed?

• Have you ever been confused?

• Have you ever been discouraged? Disillusioned?

• Have you ever pulled out the calculator of your life… started punching in numbers and found out that things were not even close to adding up?

• Do you ever have doubts… about - your choices, your decisions, about your life?

• Do you ever have questions about God?

Like… why does He move and act so powerfully in some lives and in other lives ‘seem’ to be detached and indifferent.

• Have you ever had thoughts like these…

LORD, I don’t get it… I don’t understand, this is not at all what I expected, do you see, do you care…

are you the one?”

B/S – if you answered yes to any of these questions you are not the first and you are not alone… there is a room full of us. AMEN?! When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

OKAY – let’s do this.

MGCC - I want to share with you 4 things that this encounter that John the Baptist had with Jesus 2000 years ago, reveals about FAITH… and about those times when we are not so sure or certain anymore… FIRST - it reveals that;

Everyone At Times Will Have Doubts

NOW – I don’t know about you…

BUT IF I – were asked to pick someone who would question whether or not Jesus was the Messiah - John the Baptist would probably be the last person I would choose…

AFTER ALL - they were family, cousins, they grew up together… I MEAN - when John was still in his mother womb (6 months after conception), he knew who Jesus was…

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb,

QUESTION - who leaped in the womb?

• Fetal tissue

• The products of conception

• A woman’s choice

the baby leaped in her womb,

‘Brephos’ –

• Luke 2:16 – “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger”

• Luke 18:15 – “People were also bringing babies to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them”

• Acts 7:19 – “He dealt treacherously with our people and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die.”

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. – Luke 1:41-44

BUT NOW - 30 years later John was starting to have some major doubts. Why? What’s going on?

Let’s see if we can figure this thing out…

NOW – at the age of 30 John began thundering in the Judean desert… Huge crowds, a great multitudes came out to see this wild man who wore clothes made of camel’s skin (not the height of fashion even in Jesus day)

and who ate nothing but locust and wild honey

(I think the wild honey was to help get the locust down).

John’s message was that the kingdom of God was at hand that the Messiah was here and that they best get ready….

AND GUYS – let there be no doubt about it John was one bold dude… I MEAN – when the religious leaders and Pharisees came out to the desert to checkout what all the commotion was about John look at them and said;

“You brood of vipers!

(AND – in case you are wondering the term brood of vipers is not a term of endearment…)