SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). JESUS & JOHN’S DISCIPLES:
• An anxious request (19-21)
• An astute reply (21-23)
(2). JESUS & THE MIXED CROWD:
• An affirmation of John (24-28)
• An angry rebuke (30-35)
SERMON BODY:
Question: What do these people have in common.
• Abraham, Sarah, Moses, the Israelite nation, Gideon, Zechariah…
• And if you haven’t guessed yet, then let me add Thomas & John the Baptist to the list.
Answer: They were all doubters in the Bible.
• Abraham - When God told him he would be a father in old age.
• (Genesis chapter 17 verse :17).
• Sarah - When she heard she would be a mother in old age.
• (Genesis chapter 18 verse :12).
• Moses - When God told him to return to Egypt to lead the people
• (Exodus chapter 3 verses 10-1).
• The Israelites - When they faced difficulties in the desert
• (Exodus chapter 16 verses 1-3).
• Gideon - When told he would be a judge and leader.
• (Judges chapter 6 verses 14-23).
• Zechariah - When told he would be a father in old age.
• (Luke chapter 1 verse 18).
• Thomas - When told Jesus had risen from the dead.
• (John chapter 20 verses 24,25).
• John the Baptist – as we will see in today’s passage;
• Even the great JTB, the forerunner to Christ, had doubts!
When it comes to the subject of doubt:
• Some here today maybe surmised to now;
• That opinions among Christians vary greatly regarding doubt.
• To some, doubt is wrong and shows a lack of faith and trust in God,
• To others, it is essential to any intelligent pursuit of the truth.
• Quote: Alfred Lord Tennyson:
• “There lives more faith in honest doubt, than in all the creeds”.
• When it comes to the problem of doubt:
• I believe it is possible for both faith and doubt to coexist.
• Quote:
• "Doubts are the grappling hooks by which the mountains of truth can be scaled”.
Question: What do we mean by doubt?
Answer:
• Doubt is different to unbelief
• “Unbelief is when we know what is right, but refuse to obey and trust.”
• And unbelief is always wrong!
Ill:
• Naaman – General of the Syrian army (2 Kings chapter 5 verse 12):
• Told by the prophet of God to wash in the river Jordan seven times – but he refused;
Saying; “the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel?
Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage”.
• “Unbelief is when God says something to us, but we refuse to do it.”
• That is wrong and ‘unbelief’ in the Bible is a sin, because it is disobeying God.
Doubt is very different to unbelief
• Quote: “Doubt is when you want to believe but you are not sure you are able to.”
• And that is not a sin.
• ill: A man once came to Jesus (Mark chapter 9 verse 24) and said:
• “I believe help me over-come my unbelief!”
• In other words he wanted to express faith,
• But he was unsure if he could.
Note:
• Doubt often comes to us when we reach the limits of our understanding.
• When we cannot with our inadequate minds figure things out.
• Or when we encounter a sudden, unexpected calamity.
• When life takes us through twists and turns that make absolutely no sense.
• Or when we pray for a certain thing and the exact opposite occurs.
• Or when we obey and do what is right and suffer miserably for it.
• Or when we take a course at school or college;
• That seems to make more sense than the faith we have been raised in.
• Or when someone we respected and look up to;
• Suddenly denies the faith and walks away.
• These are the kinds of circumstances that often raise unsettling questions.
• And cause us to doubt God.
Most Christians, at one time or another have had to do battle with doubt:
• Now I believe that having doubts is not wrong!
• Often they can lead us to a deeper stronger faith.
Ill:
• By the time he was 19 years old.
• G. Campbell Morgan had already enjoyed some success as a preacher
• But then he was attacked by doubts about the Bible.
• The writings of various scientists and agnostics disturbed him
• (e.g. Charles Darwin, John Tyndall, Thomas Huxley, and Herbert Spencer).
• As he read their books and listened to debates,
• Morgan became more and more perplexed.
• Question: What did he do?
• Answer: He cancelled all preaching engagements, put all the books in a cupboard
• And locked the door,
• He then went to the bookstore and bought a brand new Bible.
He said to himself,
“I am no longer sure that this is what my father claims it to be—the Word of God.
But of this I am sure. If it be the Word of God, and if I come to it with an unprejudiced and open mind, it will bring assurance to my soul of itself.”
• The result? G. Campbell Morgan writes:
• “That Bible found me!”
• The new assurance in 1883 gave him the motivation for his preaching & teaching ministry.
• G. Campbell Morgan became pastor of Westminster Chapel in London;
• And was one of the leading Bible teachers in his day.
• He was nicknamed: "The Prince of Expositors"
Doubts are not always the enemy of the Christian:
• Sometimes it's in the depths of doubt that we discover God's richest treasures.
• Doubts can lead us on to a stronger faith
• Quote: Remember those words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson:
• “There lives more faith in honest doubt, Believe me, than in half the creeds”.
Note:
• In our Bible passage today;
• We are looking at a man called John the Baptist.
• Jesus said of him:
• “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist”.
• And yet he too still had doubts.
• The “greatness” that Jesus refers to concerning John;
• Has to do with John’s unique position in history,
• He was chosen to be the forerunner, the is the precursor,
• The opening act, the appointed messenger to Jesus.
• To paraphrase: John had the greatest gig a preacher could have!
• He was the warm-up act for Jesus.
To prepare John for that role:
• He had a number of advantages over you and me:
• John was spiritually blessed in a way many of us never were!
• e.g. An angel announced his birth,
• e.g. His conception was miraculous; born of elderly parents.
• e.g. He was also “Filled with the Holy Spirit from birth”.
• John was God's steel-tipped arrow,
• Tempered in the desert and aimed right at the heart of the nation.
• John was a prophet and like so many of the prophets,
• He found himself in mortal combat with despair and its chief envoy, doubt.
• Okay, let’s examine the passage and see why JTB doubted;
• And how Jesus responded to those doubts.
(A). Jesus and John’s Disciples.
(1). An anxious request (vs 19-21).
“John's disciples told him about all these things [the miracles at Capernaum and Nain]. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
• Now remember; the one who was asking this question;
• Is the same man who just a few months earlier,
• Had flashed his announcement like lightning across a black sky?
• "Behold, (stare, gaze) the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
• (John chapter 1 verse 29)
• Somewhere along the line:
• For John the baptiser, his exclamation point had secretly curled into a question mark:
• "Are You the Expected One?"
• John has moved from confident affirmation; “He is the one!”
• To now drowning in an unfamiliar sea of doubt.
• So he sends his disciples to Jesus to “find out if he is the one”
Quote: Max Lucado (When God Whispers Your Name):
• “John had never known doubt.
• Hunger, yes. Loneliness, often. But doubt? Never.
• Only raw conviction, ruthless pronouncements, and rugged truth.
• Such was John the Baptist. Conviction as fierce as the desert sun……….Until now.
• Now the sun is blocked. Now his courage wanes. Now the clouds come.
• And now, as he faces death, he doesn't raise a fist of victory; he raises only a question.
• His final act is not a proclamation of courage,
• But a confession of confusion: "Find out if Jesus is the Son of God or not."
• The forerunner of the Messiah is afraid of failure.
• Find out if 1've told the truth.
• Find out if 1've sent people to the right Messiah.
• Find out if 1've been right or if 1've been duped. “
Question: What caused John's fear?
• Well Luke doesn't exactly say;
• But reading between the lines we can get some possible answers.
Possible answer:
• Key is to remember John's situation.
• As Luke mentioned back in chapter 3 (vs18-20),
• King Herod had thrown John in prison.
• And the bleakness of the dungeon had most likely taken its toll on his spirit.
(a).
• Remember John was raised in the desert,
• All his life he had been an outdoors person
• He slept under an open sky;
• And the boundless spaces of the wilderness had been his constant backdrop.
• But now he is confined to a small dark, damp prison cell;
• The very opposite of what he was used to.
(b).
• He was no doubt physically drained;
• Hot in the day, cold at night with little good food and water to sustain him!
• Physical deterioration;
• Is often a major influence on a person’s mental state.
(3).
• John’s well-meaning friends could also have slanted their reports.
• Thus, planting doubt in his mind.
Quote: F.B. Meyer:
• Meyer supposes some questions about Jesus;
• That may have been drifting through the stale dungeon air:
• “Was not all power at His disposal? Did He not wield the sceptre of the house of David?
• Surely He would not let his faithful follower lie in the despair of that dark dungeon!
• In that first sermon at Nazareth, of which he had been informed,
• Was it not expressly stated; “That He would open prison-doors, and proclaim liberty to captives?”
• He would surely then send his angels to open his prison-doors, and lead him forth into the light!
• But the weeks grew to months, and still no help came.
• It was inexplicable to John's honest heart,
• And suggested the fear that he had been mistaken after all”.
(4).
• His prayers were seemingly unanswered;
• And again unanswered praying can cause us to doubt God.
(5).
• Remember John is an innocent man in prison.
• He has done nothing wrong.
• Again when we experience unfair treatment
• We question God’s justice. Is God fair?
• This can also cause us to doubt God.
So, I believe that John’s circumstances and physical condition:
• Played a key part in him having doubts concerning Jesus.
• Yet, notice how John responded to his doubts, good principle here for all of us!
• The principle is: He takes the doubts to Jesus!
• And he sends two of his disciples to check out Jesus.
(2). An Astute reply (vs 21-23):
• Ill:
• William Phelps taught English literature at Yale University for forty-one years,
• Until his retirement in 1933.
• One time it was just before Christ mas and he was marking an examination paper,
• On the answer sheet the student had written:
• “God only knows the answer to this question. Merry Christmas.”
• William Phelps returned the paper with this note:
• “God gets an A. You get an F. Happy New Year.”
• TRANSITION:
• Notice the wisdom of Jesus in the answer he gives to John’s disciples:
• He doesn't stop to lecture. He doesn't rebuke His friend.
• In fact, He doesn't say anything at first.
• Mere words cannot lift John's burden.
• Instead, Jesus lets His actions do the talking.
“At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 23Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
Notice:
• That Jesus will penetrate the thick walls of John’s doubt,
• By telling the messengers:
• "You be John's eyes and ears, you tell him you've seen and heard”.
Jesus lists six miracles for John ‘s disciples to tell him about on their return:
• The blind see.
• The lame walk.
• The lepers are cured.
• The deaf hear.
• The dead are raised.
• The poor have the gospel preached to them.
Notice what he didn’t say:
• “Tell John that I am the fulfilment of the Messianic promises of the Old Testament.”
• That is true, but he didn’t say it.
• “Tell John that I can walk on water.”
• Also true, but he didn’t say that either.
• “Tell John that I make the Pharisees look like fools.”
• Very true, but also not mentioned.
• Jesus essentially says,
• "You be John's eyes and ears, you tell him you've seen and heard”.
• Then in verse 23, for John's sake, Jesus adds a beatitude:
• “Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
Quote F.B. Meyer who says concerning this beatitude,
"This is the beatitude of the unoffended, of those who do not stumble over the mystery of God's dealings with their life."
Ill:
Many examples of them in the Bible:
• Blessed are the Jobs, who suffer yet stay faithful.
• Blessed are the Josephs, who endure unjust treatment yet refuse to live in bitterness.
• Blessed are the Hosea’s,
• Who continue to walk in obedience even though their spouses leave them.
• Blessed are the Paul’s, who pray for relief from a thorn in the flesh yet also respond,
• "His grace is sufficient for me" (see 2 Cor. 12:9).
• Blessed are all those who can live with unanswered questions,
• Who can rest in what they see, and who can wait patiently for God to reveal what they can't see.
(B). Jesus with the crowds:
(1). An affirmation of John (vs 24-28). .
“After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? 25If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. 26But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 27This is the one about whom it is written:
" 'I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.' “
28I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." “
ill:
• At his peak, he was probably the most popular American celebrity of his time;
• Author MARK TWAIN was invited to deliver a lecture in a small town in mid-America:
• Arriving in the town early;
• He decided to have his moustache trimmed and get a shave & a haircut at a local barber shop.
• He dropped in rather unassumingly and waited his turn.
• The barber, a bit preoccupied with his work and the busy day,
• Didn't notice him as the famous Mark Twain.
• As he began to trim Twain's hair, he said to his new customer,
• "You're new here. You've come to visit our city at a good time.
• Mark Twain is speaking tonight."
• The humourist responded, "Well, I guess so. That's what 1 hear."
• The barber asked, "Have you bought your ticket yet?"
• And he said, "Well, nope. Not yet:'
• The barber said, "Well, it's all sold out. So you'll have to stand to hear him speak:"'
• Just my luck;' said Mark Twain.
• "I always have to stand when that fella lectures!"
• TRANSITION:
• The people who made up the crowd (on this occasion);
• Were also unaware as to John’s identity:
• Having overheard the question of John’s disciples:
• Many may have changed their opinion about him;
• You could almost hear them saying;
• “Some strong leader John turned out to be”.
• “He sure fooled us with his shouting and theatrics by the Jordan river”.
Notice: How quickly Jesus rushes to John's defence (verses 24-25):
• He wants this crowd to get a right appreciation of who John is;
• And he uses great language to get his point home.
• "John was no reed, blown around by winds of popular opinion.
• He's no pampered prince, unaccustomed to hardship.
• He's a prophet;
• And not just that; he’s more-the greatest human being who ever lived!"
Note:
• John the Baptist is still in prison at this moment in time.
• John the Baptist is still wrestling with his doubts.
• John the Baptist is still living with uncertainty.
• John the Baptist is still unsure about Jesus.
It is as if Jesus is saying to the crowds:
“John may doubt me, but I don’t doubt him.
He’s still my man. He’s still on my team. I still believe in him.”
• Jesus affirmed his faith & belief in John the Baptist,
• While John was still in his doubts.
• Jesus knew that underneath those doubts there was genuine faith.
• Jesus is saying, “He’s still my man, doubts and all.”
• What an incredible affirmation!
• That was noted by the crowd (vs 29):
“And when all the people and the tax-gatherers heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John”.
• Like a calming tide,
• Jesus' opinion of John spreads to those in the crowd who had been his followers.
• They recognize God's hand on John's life,
• Despite the hardship he is presently enduring.
(2). An angry rebuke (vs 30-35).
“But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
31"To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other:
" 'We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you did not cry.' 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, 'He has a demon.' 34The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' 35But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
I said at the start of this sermon:
• That I do not think it is sinful or even wrong to have doubts.
• Doubts are when you want to believe but are unsure.
• In contrast to ‘doubt’ is ‘unbelief’; Which is both sinful and harmful!
• Unbelief is when you know what is true and right but refuse to accept or believe it.
• John the baptiser had doubts;
• And Jesus gently and graciously reassured him.
• But thee experts in the Law were displaying unbelief;
• And so Jesus rebukes them!
These same Pharisees who have rejected John are also pushing Jesus aside:
• They are impossible to please, verse 33 tells us they rejected John the Baptist;
• Because they thought he was so austere that he must have been devil-possessed.
• Verse 34: tells us they have rejected Jesus;
• Because they thought he was not austere enough.
• John the writer of the gospel brilliantly sums them up;
• There was just no pleasing them.
• They were like groups of complaining, restless children,
• Unwilling to play either weddings or funerals (vs 31-,32).
Verse 35 is brilliant:
• N.I.V: “But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
• N.L.B: “But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it."
• The Message: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating."
• In other words: The changed lives of God's people prove the wisdom of his ways.
• What a great punch-line to end this section:
• ill: Reminds me of the blind man in John chapter 9.
• He is on trial before the experts, they question him as to how he received his sight;
• Trying to discredit him and the one who healed him.
• “I don’t know” the former blind man replies,
• “All I know is once I was blind but now I can see”.
• End of argument.
• You cannot out argue a changed life that is standing right there in front of you!
Punch line: “But wisdom is proved right by all her children."
• Wisdoms children are all those who were wise enough;
• To take to heart the message of John and Jesus.
• Wisdoms children are all those who were wise enough;
• To take to heart the message of John and Jesus.
Question:
• Have you done that?
• Have you taken to heart the message of John and Jesus.
Ill:
• When the missionary John G. Paton was translating the Bible in the Outer Hebrides,
• He searched for the exact word to translate 'believe'.
• The islanders were cannibals; nobody trusted anybody else.
• There was no word for “trust” in their language.
• His native servant came in. “What am I doing?” Paton asked him.
• “Sitting at your desk,” the man replied.
• Paton then raised both feet off the floor and sat back on his chair.
• “What am I doing now?”
• In reply, Paton’s servant used a verb which means
• “To lean your whole weight upon.”
That was the phrase Paton used throughout John’s Gospel to translate to “believe in.”
• Finally he discovered it;
• The word he used meant "lean your whole weight upon".
Quote: C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed:
• “You never know how much you really believe anything;
• Until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death.
• It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong;
• As long as you are merely using it to cord a box.
• But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice.
• Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it?
Final Summary:
(1). Many people think doubt is the opposite of faith, but it isn’t.
• Unbelief is the opposite of faith.
• Unbelief refers to a wilful refusal to believe, while doubt refers to inner uncertainty.
(2). Many people think doubt is unforgivable, but it isn’t.
• God doesn’t condemn us when we question him.
• Both Job and David repeatedly questioned God, but they were not condemned.
• God is big enough to handle all our doubts and all our questions.
(3). Many people think struggling with God means we lack faith, but that’s not true.
• Struggling with God is a sure sign that we truly have faith.
• If we never struggle, our faith will never grow.
SERMON AUDIBLE:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=qhg51sY0qpvAFXXsBw8fx3j8OuFRWgQC
