God Wants to Give Us the Greatest Life
The Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 11:1-12
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared February 22, 2022)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 11. In the last chapter, the Lord chose His twelve Apostles and sent them on a mission to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. In Matthew 10:7, Jesus commanded them to preach that the kingdom of Heaven was at hand. And to confirm this vital truth, Jesus gave the Apostles the power to perform mighty miracles. In Matthew 10:8 Jesus told them to, "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons . . ."
*Before Jesus sent them out, He gave them some key instructions that still apply to His followers today. Now in Matthew 11, the twelve disciples have gone on their mission, but Jesus also left to go and preach in their cities.
*By now, John the Baptist had been in prison for months. And in vs. 2-6 we will see that John sent two of his disciples to make sure that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Matthew 14:1-13 will look back to give us the details of John's arrest and execution by Herod the tetrarch. We don't know exactly how long John was in prison before his death, but I have seen estimates of two years. (1)
*Here in Matthew 11, John was still suffering in prison. He was going through the worst days of his life, and all of us will go through hard days. But God wants to give us the greatest life we can possibly have, and today's Scripture shows us how to get it. Please think about this as we read Matthew 11:1-12.
MESSAGE:
*How's your life going today? Pastor Steve Brown wrote about a car he saw one day on the way home. It was the ugliest car he had ever seen. Steve said this car wasn't just ugly. It was ugly on top of ugly. That car had a big gash on one side, and one door was held together with wire. Several other body parts were almost completely rusted out. The car's muffler was so loose that it hit the street with every bump, sending sparks flying in every direction. Steve couldn't tell the original color, because the rust was so bad, and so much of the car had been painted over with different colors.
*But the most interesting thing about the car was the bumper sticker. It said: "This is not an abandoned car." Christians: Sometimes we may feel just about as junked up as that car. But the Lord has not abandoned us! He loves us, and He wants to give is the greatest life we can possibly have. How can we get there? (2)
1. FIRST: GO TO GOD FOR THE ANSWERS YOU NEED.
*John the Baptist was under maximum stress in vs. 2. He is an innocent man locked up in a prison worse than we can imagine, and he would soon be sentenced to death.
*David Leininger explained that "John's ministry had begun in the wilderness where he lived on a diet of locusts and wild honey. He wore the clothes of a prophet, camel's hair and a leather belt.
*John preached the need for repentance in preparation for the coming of the promised Messiah. John also called on people to be baptized in recognition of their cleansing. He preached fairness and sharing: a person who had two coats should give one to someone who had none. Tax collectors were warned to collect no more than their due. Soldiers were instructed to rob no one and be content with their wages." (3)
*But John's career was ending in disaster, or at least it seemed to be from the world's point of view. William Barclay explained that "It was not John's habit to soften the truth for any man. He was incapable of seeing evil without rebuking it, and his fearless preaching had put John in danger.
*Herod Antipas of Galilee had paid a visit to his brother in Rome. During that visit he seduced his brother's wife. He came home again, dismissed his own wife, and married the sister-in-law whom he had lured away from her husband.
*Publicly and sternly John rebuked Herod, and Herod took his revenge. John the Baptist was thrown into the dungeon in the mountains near the Dead Sea. For any man that would have been a terrible fate, but for John the Baptist it was worse than for most. He was a child of the desert. All his life John had lived in the wide-open spaces, with the clean wind on his face and the sky for his roof.
*And now he was confined within the four narrow walls of an underground dungeon. For a man like John, this must have been agony." (4)
*John was under so much stress that he began to question if Jesus really was the Savior promised in the Old Testament. In the beginning of the Lord's ministry, John had been absolutely sure about Jesus. John 1:29-34 gives this report:
29. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
30. This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.'
31. I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.''
32. And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
33. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
34. And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.''
*Matthew 3:17 tells us that at the same time, "suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'''
*Back then, John had no doubts that Jesus was the Messiah. But now John the Baptist was in prison. And yes, he had heard about the wonderful works that the Lord had done, but now John had questions. I'm sure he wondered what was going on. Why am I still in prison? And in vs. 3, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?"
*What happens when things don't turn out the way we wanted them to, or expected them to? What happens when we find ourselves in a terrible crisis? We should do what John the Baptist did. Take it to Jesus. Take all of your questions to Jesus. Go to God for the answers you need. That's how to have the greatest life.
2. AND KEEP TELLING THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS.
*This is the command the Lord gave to John's followers in vs. 4-5:
4. Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them."
*This was the perfect answer to John's question in vs. 3: "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?'' It was the perfect answer because here Jesus quoted two of Isaiah's prophecies about the coming Messiah. In Isaiah 35:5-6 the prophet wrote this about the Messiah: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing . . ." Then in Isaiah 61:1 the prophet quoted the Messiah saying, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor . . ."
*Both of these prophecies were written about 700 years before Jesus was born, and John's disciples could see the indisputable proof that Jesus was fulfilling them all. That's why Jesus told them to "go and tell John." (5)
*Now God wants us to do everything we possibly can to keep spreading the good news about Jesus Christ. Many times, God will connect us with people like John the Baptist: People who are discouraged and hurting, people who are in trouble, people who are having all kinds of problems in life.
*God puts us in their lives for a reason: He wants us to help them. He wants us to go to them with encouraging, evangelistic words about what Jesus has done in our world, and in our lives. Jesus especially wants us to tell people about the power and love of the cross: How He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, how He rose again from the dead, and how He will save everyone who trusts in Him.
*Robert Dumas was an inspirational example to me. I got to know Robert, because his son was one of our church members at McClendon Baptist Church. Robert passed away after a long battle with cancer. But he was a man with strong faith, and he never quit trying to tell people about Jesus.
*Rick Warren's book "Purpose Driven Life" was a big thing at the time, and they bought two cases of the books at Sam's, because Robert loved to give them away when he was in the hospital.
*One time, Robert's daughter Pam told me about the last night her dad was in the hospital. It was 2 o'clock in the morning, just four days before he died. But her dad spoke to his nurse about the Lord, and Robert gave him one of those books. Pam said that the nurse was profoundly grateful. He told Pam's dad that no one had ever done anything like that before.
*People like that nurse are everywhere, and nobody has talked to them yet. But we can, because we know Jesus Christ, and God will give us all kinds of opportunities to talk to people about Jesus.
*Jesus tells us to "Go and tell," because He knows that it can change people's lives forever. Keep telling the good news about Jesus Christ. That's how to have the greatest life.
3. AND KEEP TRUSTING JESUS WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.
*This is the key message Jesus had for John the Baptist in vs. 4-6. Again, the Lord said:
4. . . "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see:
5. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
6. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.''
*That word "offended" is "skandalizo" in the original language. It's where we get our word "scandal," and the original idea was something that makes us stumble or fall away or lose trust in someone. Here Jesus was telling John that sometimes things won't get better, but we must not get tripped up by that. (6)
*Terrible things were happening to John, but the Lord's message to him and to us is: Keep your faith. Keep believing in Jesus, even when He doesn't meet your expectations. Keep trusting in the Lord! Never give up on God's Word. Never give up on God's promises. Never give up on God's plan for your family.
*This truth was brought home to me in a powerful way 18 years ago. It happened when I helped with a funeral at the Living Way Apostolic Church in West Monroe. They had prayed long and hard for this lady to be healed, but the Lord was ready for her to go home to Heaven.
*And on the day of the funeral Pastor Carl Shurte reminded us of this time when John the Baptist was in prison. Things looked grim, and they were grim. John knew that Jesus had done many miracles, but when his rescue did not come, John began to doubt. And John asked that key question in vs. 3: "Are you the One?"
*Pastor Shurte wanted us to see that Jesus was telling John, "Yes, I am the One. There is nothing I can't do. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk. The lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. But John, even if I don't do those things, -- blessed is he, who doesn't get offended in me."
*In other words: "John I could come up there and set you free from prison. I could even do it without coming up there. But John I am not going to do that. In fact, you are not getting out of prison. And you are going to be executed. But John: Blessed is he, who doesn't get offended with me."
*Walking out to the car, I told Pastor Shurte that I appreciated his insight from those verses. And he said, "That Scripture first started to mean a lot to me when my 19-year-old son went swimming and drowned."
*I was greatly moved that day by Pastor Shurte's humble faith. That grieving father found out that he could keep trusting in the Lord, even on the darkest days of his life. And Christians: We can too! Keep trusting in Jesus when things go wrong. That's how to have the greatest life.
4. BUT ALSO START LOOKING AT LIFE FROM GOD'S POINT OF VIEW.
*How are you going to measure your life? What is your standard? The only standard that really counts is God's standard. So, think about your life from God's point of view. What a difference this makes!
*We can see it in vs. 7-11. Here Jesus measured John's life and said this to the multitudes:
7. . . "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
8. But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
9. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.
10. For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way before You.'
11. Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
*Don't worry about what the world thinks of you. It's not about the clothes and the car. Start paying attention to what God thinks. When we walk in the ways of the Lord, we will be infinitely better off both today and forever.
*By the grace of God, we can live a great life. And because we live on the resurrection side of the cross, we can have an abundance that John the Baptist never knew. We have the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ living in us, and God wants us to let His life overflow from us.
*God wants us to live like Paul urged us to live in Philippians 2:1-5. Please listen to it today from the Living Bible. There Paul asked:
1. Is there any such thing as Christians cheering each other up? Do you love me enough to want to help me? Does it mean anything to you that we are brothers in the Lord, sharing the same Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic at all?
2. Then make me truly happy by loving each other and agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, working together with one heart and mind and purpose.
3. Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself.
4. Don't just think about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and in what they are doing.
5. Your attitude should be the kind that was shown us by Jesus Christ.
*That's looking at life from God's point of view, and that's how to have the greatest life.
5. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO PURSUE GOD'S KINGDOM WITH GREAT PASSION.
*Be passionate about the things of God. This is what Jesus was talking about in vs. 12 when He said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."
*The NIV here probably makes more sense to us, because there Jesus said, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."
*The Kingdom of Heaven is not a lackadaisical, take it or leave it kind of thing. If we realize the value of God's Kingdom, we will eagerly do all we can to pursue it. We will be passionate for the Kingdom.
*In Matthew 13:44-46, Jesus told some parables to help us understand the passion we ought to have for the Kingdom of Heaven. There Jesus said:
44. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
46. who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
*When we realize the value of the Kingdom, we will eagerly do all we can to pursue it. We will be passionate, even desperate for God's Kingdom.
*Think of the passion a good parent has when one of their children goes missing. Leighton Ford told about the time his little girl, Debbie Jean, was lost. His wife had left Debbie and her four-year-old brother with Leighton while Mom went to the store. Suddenly Debbie was gone.
*A neighbor's child saw her heading toward her school which was only a few hundred yards away. They looked at the school, and no Debbie Jean. While his wife checked the shopping center across the street, Leighton Ford went to the principal, and they looked through the classrooms. There was no sign of her.
*Panic gripped Leighton's heart. He remembered stories about men picking up little girls. He wondered if he ought to call the police. He walked up and down the road calling her name.
*Half an hour later when he had just about reached the end of his rope, the little girl came around the corner of the school, -- smiling. The explanation was simple but hard to take. She had gone to the candy store just beyond the school. There she met a friend, and had gone on to her friend's home a half mile away.
*Later, after the thunder, lightning, and tears were over, Dad reflected on the incident. During the nearly two hours that Debbie was missing, nothing else mattered. In his study were books to be read, letters to be answered, articles to be written, planning to be done. But all that was forgotten. He could think of only one thing, -- his lost little girl. He had only one prayer, and he prayed it a thousand times: "Oh God, help me to find her." (7)
*Leighton had great passion, because He knew the value of his child. And we will have great passion when we realize the value of God's Kingdom. God help us to have it!
CONCLUSION:
*I promise you that all of us can have a better life, and God wants to give us the greatest life of all! God wants to give us His abundant, eternal life. So, put your trust in Jesus Christ. Receive Him as your Lord and Savior. Then start living by His Word, and you will begin to see the great things God wants to do in you, for you and through you.
(1) Sources:
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry" - Matthew 4:12-17 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BIBLE ENCYCLOPEDIA - James Orr, M.A., D.D., General Editor - Published in 1915, 1939; public domain - Topic: John the Baptist - VI. Imprisonment and Death. - 1. The Time - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
(2) JUMPING HURDLES, HITTING GLITCHES, OVERCOMING SETBACKS by Steve Brown" - Colorado Springs: Navpress Publishing Group, 1992 - p. 62
(3) Collected Sermons, David E. Leininger, ChristianGlobe Networks, Inc., 2005, 0-000-0000-16 - Source: Sermons.com sermon "The Incomparable Christ" by David Leininger - Matthew 11:2-11
(4) BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition (C) Copyright 1975 William Barclay - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - "The Accent of Confidence" - Matthew11:1-6 - https://www.primobibleverses.com/view/william-barclay/the-six-accents-in-the-voice-of-jesus-matthew-111-30
(5) Adapted from EXPLORING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "His Question Answered" - Matthew 11:4-6 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(6) Sources:
-STRONG'S HEBREW AND GREEK DICTIONARIES - from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D. - Published in 1890; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-THAYER'S GREEK DEFINITIONS - Published in 1886, 1889; public domain. - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-EXPLORING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW by John Phillips, Kregal Publications, Grand Rapids - "His Question Answered" - Matthew 11:4-6 - Downloaded to "Bible Study 6" from Olive Tree Bible Software, Inc.
(7) Leighton Ford, in his book THE CHRISTIAN PERSUADER - Source: KERUX ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION - ID Number: 3114 - From Dynamic Preaching sermon by Dr. John W. Keith, Oak Ridge, TN - www.sermons.com Disk, Spring 1992 "A" - TITLE: Empowerment - DATE: 04/01/1992
