Dealing with Doubt

Welcome, please open your Bibles to Matthew 11.

Beginning next week, Blessed Be- A study of Ephesians- Grab your Scripture Journal.

Major thank you and shout out to Corey Hadden.

Connection to Oscar’s sermon last week- extreme prayer, prayer immersed in faith.

What happens when our faith feels weak?

Mark 9- boy with an unclean spirit.

Mark 9:22-24- And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

Does this not often mirror our own faith? Present but incomplete. Faith exists but is weak, or sick, even in the most dire of circumstances.

C.S. Lewis- “Now faith is the art of holding onto things our reason has accepted, in spite of our change of moods.”

Read Matthew 11:1-6- When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

Pray.

Text can pretty easily be broken into three sections: John’s current condition, John’s sending of his disciples, and Jesus’ response to John’s disciples.

Let’s look at each and see what we can draw from it

1. John’s doubts mirror our own.

John asks if Jesus is the promised Messiah, the coming King who would restore Israel.

We have to recognize what seems to be absurd about what we have read.

Last left John in Matthew 3- challenging religious leaders over their own sinfulness, proclaiming the Messiah who was to come.

Matthew 3:11-12- “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Obeys Jesus in baptizing Jesus, and in chapter 4 is arrested.

This is the John the Baptist to whom we have been introduced.

Our text likely comes as a bit of a surprise, and rightly so.

Is it possible that a hero like the faith could ask Jesus such a question? Are you who I believed you to be?

Perhaps we are to find a bit of encouragement here. Doubt plagues all of us.

We have faith, but we desire that it would be built up.

The seeds of doubt in our account of John mirror what often gives us doubt as well- our expectations have not been met.

Consider what John believes of the Messiah- what will happen when He comes- winnowing fork in hand, chaff will burn.

John’s expectation is likely one of judgement for the evildoers, salvation and peace for the faithful. Yet here he is imprisoned while Herod sits on the throne.

What John knew to be true of Jesus didn’t match what he was experiencing.

A couple of things to mention about John’s circumstances here.

First, I think it wise to notice John’s imprisonment.

Carrying on in obedience to God, doing what he was born to do, and imprisoned- due to his truthfulness.

John has no control over his circumstances here- He has gone from his beloved ministry to imprisoned, all for his obedience to God.

Reminded today that the same is true for us. Everything can be going well when tragedy strikes.

Our text assumes brokenness, and we are reminded that it’s a reality for each of us.

When this happens, doubt forms. Faith takes a hit. None of us are immune.

Second, Consider our own doubts- What we know to be true of Jesus does not match what we experience.

We know that Jesus loves His family, but we don’t feel loved. We know that Jesus cares about justice, yet we see so little of it.

The very same seeds that led to John’s doubt create doubt within our own hearts.

We cannot believe what we know to be true.

When we doubt, we find ourselves in good company.

This morning is meant to be an encouragement, so how does John move beyond His doubt? He investigates.

2. John’s investigation beckons our own.

John asks the question. He is doubting whether Jesus is the Messiah. So he asks.

But he goes an extra mile. Remember in Matthew 7- Ask, seek, knock.

Progression- Where do you believe God to be?

John cannot simply ask, and truly, he can’t seek. He can’t even really knock, so he does what is next. He sends.

If John doesn’t know what to think of Jesus, then He looks to Jesus.

He gets past himself.

Daniel Doriani- “John changed his opinions of his opinions.”

Consider what he could have done. He could have given a much louder voice to his own thoughts, fears, and doubts. And it would have made sense for him to do so. He is behind locked doors, after all.

In some ways, John could have turned narcissistic- his own understanding of his circumstances could have been everything to him.

He doesn’t amplify his own voice, he amplifies the voice of Jesus by seeking it out.

John’s doubts mirror our own, but John’s investigation beckons our own investigation.

Questions about Jesus? Where do you turn?

Joseph Parker- “Go then immediately to Christ, make yourselves perfectly familiar with every word and title in the four gospels; do not dimly and vaguely refer to portions, parts, and aspects of those gospels, but have them in you as a living word, easy of allusion, literal in your quotations, perfect in your recollections, and then say what you think of this Man.”

Parker here envisions an obsession with Jesus. We can imagine this.

Ali investigating new things immediately and thoroughly.

Our questions of the person and work of Christ are of the utmost importance. The core of our existence. Who are we? Who are we to be? To whom do we belong?

Dive in. Immerse yourself in Jesus. Ask, seek, knock, pursue.

Does Jesus respond to such a question?

3. Jesus’ answer gives us direction and hope.

The disciples of John come and ask their question. Jesus sends them back with an incredible answer.

Look around. What explains what is happening?

Quotes passages from Isaiah that are messianic in nature.

Isaiah 29:18-19- In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the LORD, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 35:5-6- Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Jesus is fulfilling Scripture.

Are you the One who is to come? Are you who we are expecting? Yes, and it’s proven in what you see in my ministry.

Jesus answers the doubts of John by opening John’s eyes to who Jesus is and what Jesus has done.

Important because we tend to want something else in answer to our doubts. We want explanation. We want reasons. John is given none.

Instead, John is given the reality of what Jesus is doing.

All of your questions will not be answered, all of your doubts will not disappear, but you will be reminded of who Jesus is and what He has done.

In our doubt, we need to be reminded of who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done and is doing.

OT idea- remember. NT idea- remember.

Jesus highlights restoration- blind can see, lame walk, lepers healed, deaf hear.

The work of Jesus is restorative in nature. This is what we seek. Where is Jesus at work.

In my times of greatest doubt, what is of most encouragement is to see the work of Jesus in those around me. Sinners saved.

Conclusion- Matthew 11:6- “And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”

skandalizo- To cause one to stumble, to become irritated, to cause displeasure at a thing.

Blessed, or happy, or complete, is the one who doesn’t stumble over Jesus and become displeased with him.

This is where John never became guilty. He could have rotted in his displeasure.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24- For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Why is Jesus, and for that matter the gospel itself, a stumbling block,

John Calvin- “What hinders them from coming to Christ? It is because he appears with his cross, disfigured and despised, and exposed to the reproaches of the world; because he calls us to share in his afflictions; because his glory and majesty, being spiritual, are despised by the world; and in a word, because his doctrine is totally at variance with our senses.”

This year, we will have doubts. But may we be a people whose eyes are open to the realities to which Christ has called us. The realities that He Himself has lived. The realities of His Kingdom. And may we be a people who seek Jesus in faith. Sometimes weakened by doubt, but never the less in constant pursuit.