21 11.01

SLIDE 1 The New York City Transit Company was missing a bus and a driver some years ago. For over a week, authorities searched for the man but couldn’t find him. Finally, ten days later after the man had disappeared, he was found, bus included, in Miami, FL!

The driver said, "I’d had it with the cold weather, the passengers, and my family! One day after I got off work, I thought, ‘I wonder what would happen if I just took off from driving!’" So, that’s what he did! He took off for Florida where he enjoyed the sun and surf for over a week, all by himself!

Have you ever felt like that? We get so frustrated or aggravated about life that we either want to pull our hair out (or someone else’s hair) or else run away from it all!

Maybe your marriage hasn’t gone the way you thought it would. One marriage counselor asked, “When things go wrong, do you blame each other?” The couple answered, “Not always. Sometimes we blame the children. Sometimes we blame the President and sometimes we just slam doors.” Marital bliss can sometimes turn into marital hiss!

Or maybe it’s your parenting that is getting you down. One mother said, “My son is 12 years old. He is going to be 13...IF I LET HIM!" Raising kids is a hard job.

Or it could be your job that’s getting you down. The boss joined a group of his workers at coffee time and told a series of jokes he’d heard recently. Everybody laughed loudly. Everybody, that is, except Mike. When he noticed that he was getting no reaction from Mike, the boss said, “What’s the matter, Mike? No sense of humor?”

“My sense of humor is fine,” he said. “But I don’t have to laugh. I’m quitting tomorrow.”

Did you ever have a job that you couldn’t wait to quit? Every job or occupation has its drawbacks.

Life is tough! Bills pile up, health fails, marriages crumble, people hurt you or disappoint you, your job turns out to be a bummer, etc.

And perhaps there have been times when you have even thought about quitting the Christian life. And you began to think after a period of time, “What’s the use in coming to church? Why not just drop out and do what everybody else in the world is doing?” Life is tough and sometimes very disheartening, but we must not lose heart!

During an especially trying time in the work of the China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor wrote to his wife, “We have twenty-five cents – and all the promises of God!”

And Corrie Ten Boom said, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

Please don’t lose heart! We have the greatest engineer of all who knows exactly what he is doing. Just sit still and trust him.

In our passage tonight we’ll read about a tough time John the Baptist was having. It looks like he may have felt like giving up. But he didn’t. Instead he sought out Jesus. And that’s what we should do as well.

SERMON

SLIDE 1 Have you ever had a high expectation about something only to be let down? It’s easy to do when you watch an advertisement. When a company tells you about their product they only tell you the good things about. They make it sound like a miracle product. If you believe all the hype when you buy the product, there’s a good chance you are going to be let down when you use. It’s probably not going to live up to all the hype.

This same principle applies to other areas of our lives as well.

I’m a big baseball fan. I don’t watch too many games but I can almost always tell you how the Braves are doing. Last week I changed the picture on my phone this – SLIDE 2 (Braves logo).

Right now the Braves are in second place in National League East with 20 wins. They are 6.5 games behind the first place Washington Nationals. I think that’s pretty good, especially since this time last year they were in last place with only twelve wins. Being a Braves fan I don’t necessarily have very high expectations so when they do well I’m excited.

Contrast that with my father-in-law who is a big St. Louis Cardinals fan. Jerry isn’t very excited with the way the Cardinals are playing even though they have a better record than the Braves. The Cardinals have won the second most Major League Baseball championships. He expects them to do well every season so he’s disappointed when they don’t. I don’t expect the Braves to do well so I’m excited when they aren’t in last place.

SLIDE 3 When your expectations are high and your experience is low it causes anxiety. But when your expectations are low and your experiences are high it causes great joy.

So how are your experiences in life matching with your expectations? Are you anxious or are you joyful? One way to get rid of some of your anxiety just lower your expectations. But is that the way God wants us to live? Or would he rather us change our perspective?

Your perspective changes how you see something. It changes your expectations. If your perspective as a baseball fan is of your team usually not winning championships then your expectations aren’t the same as the fan of a team that often wins championships. Those expectations color how you see the season. I’ll be excited if the Braves finish second in their division though I certainly hope for more. Jerry will be disappointed if the Cardinals don’t win their division. Your perspective affects how you interpret those events.

The same is true spiritually. Your perspective affects how you interpret the events in your life. It affects how you interpret what God is doing in the world today. Your perspective affects your expectations.

What are your expectations for this life? What do you think God should be doing in the world today? What do you think God should be doing in your life? Is God living up to those expectations?

We are in Matthew 11. The chapter begins immediately following Jesus sending out the twelve. You’ll recall Jesus spent all of chapter 10 preparing them for their mission. At that time they were to only go to the towns of the Jews. They were not to visit the towns of Gentiles or Samaritans. Jesus warned them that they would face opposition, but he also promised the God would be with them and that the Spirit would give them the words to say.

Interestingly we’re not told what happened on that trip. Instead we’re told how Jesus went out and began preaching in the towns around Galilee.

Then we come across someone whose experience probably wasn’t matching his expectations. His name is John the Baptist. John was in prison because he had been preaching against Herod. Herod had gone on a trip to Rome to visit his brother. While he was there seduced his brother’s wife. When he came home he divorced his own wife and then married his brother’s wife. Herod thought that was a good thing, but John kept preaching against it. So Herod had him arrested. Now, after some time in prison John sends a message to Jesus wondering if Jesus was the one he’d been expecting. Was Jesus the Messiah or should they be expecting someone else? Let’s listen to the answer Jesus gives.

VIDEO

SLIDE 1 Turn with me to John 3 before we get into Matthew 11. You can understand if John’s experiences weren’t matching his expectations. He’d been preaching for God preparing the way for the Messiah. When Jesus came on the scene he pointed everyone to Jesus. When his disciples complained that Jesus was drawing the crowds away from him John answered as humbly as humanly possible:

27To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:27-30)

John has done everything he can do and what is the result? He’s thrown into prison. Perhaps at first he thought it would only be temporary, but as the days, weeks, and then months drug on John’s optimism about quickly being released disappeared. John then sends a message to Jesus asking:

“Are you really the one we've been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else?”

SLIDE 2 There have been several speculations about why John might ask this question.

First, John may have been asking for the sake of his disciples. They had believed what John had taught about the need for repentance and baptism. They also believed what he’d said about Jesus being the Messiah. But now John was in prison and Jesus hadn’t done anything about it. Their expectation was that the Messiah would bring freedom and John was still in prison. Perhaps as they began to doubt John sends them to Jesus. “If you have any doubts, go and see for yourself.” And that’s what we need to do as well. We should point people to Jesus.

Second, perhaps John’s question was a question of impatience. John had preached that the ax of God’s judgment was at the root of the trees and Jesus began his ministry saying that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. If these were true then why hadn’t Jesus started doing something? Why was John still in prison. When was the day of God’s judgment going to begin? The actions of Jesus weren’t meeting the expectations of Jesus.

Or third, perhaps John’s faith was beginning to waiver. Sitting in prison John had lots of time and nothing to do. All he could do was sit and think and wonder. Was he right? Was Jesus really the one? The longer he was in prison the lesser the chance he’d ever get out. Had he placed his hope and faith in Jesus for nothing?

Whatever the reason behinds John’s question he sent some disciples to Jesus to ask: Are you the one?

And what was Jesus’ response? Jesus quotes from Isaiah 35. SLIDE 3

3Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” SLIDE 4 5Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. (Isaiah 35:3-6)

Jesus quotes part of this passage from Isaiah that points to the things he’s been doing. If John or his disciples are losing faith Jesus says: Look at what I’ve been doing. If John or his disciples are losing patience Jesus says: Look at what I’ve been doing. If I’m not meeting your expectations change your perspective and look at what’s been happening.

SLIDE 5 After the disciples of John had left Jesus turns to the crowd and begins talking about John. While Jesus says some flattering words about John he doesn’t say them until the disciples of John had left. He doesn’t send them back with these words of encouragement. Jesus is confronting their expectations about John. Jesus asks, “What were you expecting when you went to hear John preach?” Were they expecting just another teacher of the law? Were they expecting some weak kneed speaker following the latest opinion polls? Were they expecting someone dressed in the latest styles with the nicest of fabrics? Or were they going to hear a prophet? If they were going to hear a prophet then what did they expect a prophet to say? Prophets from the Old Testament certainly didn’t preach to itch the ears of their hearers. No, they spoke the truth no matter how hard it was to hear. And that’s what John the Baptist did. It’s also why he was in prison.

One of the Jewish expectations concerning the Messiah was that he would be proceeded by one like Elijah and Jesus assures the crowd that this one was John the Baptist. John was the one foretold by Old Testament prophecies.

Then Jesus talks about their expectations of him. They had complained about John. He was so serious with all that talk about God’s judgment. So they didn’t like him. But Jesus says he was almost the opposite of John and still the people complained. They complained that John was too serious, but they also complained that Jesus wasn’t serious enough. They complained about John’s emphasis on fasting, but they complained that Jesus didn’t fast enough. You just couldn’t make the people happy because you couldn’t meet their expectations.

As a result Jesus lays on them some pretty heavy condemnation. SLIDE 6 Jesus talks about Chorazin and Bethsaida. These were towns near and around the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had visited them. He had taught in them and performed miracles in them. And how did they respond? They didn’t. So Jesus said it would be better for the Gentile towns of Tyre and Sidon. If they’d heard Jesus’ teachings and seen the miracles he’d performed they would have repented of their sins. But the Jews of Chorazin and Bethsaida did nothing.

SLIDE 7 Jesus also mentioned Capernaum. Capernaum is located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. That was where Jesus lived during the three years of his ministry. They knew Jesus well. Had they responded to him? No. In fact, Jesus said if the miracles he’d performed there had been performed in Sodom, Sodom would still be around because they would have repented.

What was their problem? It was their expectations. When John sends some of his disciples to ask if Jesus was the one they were waiting for Jesus points to the things he’d been doing. Now, as Jesus criticizes these towns for their lack of faith he points to the things he’s been doing. The problem is the things he’d been doing weren’t matching their expectations. The things Jesus does, doesn’t always line up with what they are expecting. That gap was causing anxiety.

Every one of us has expectations of Jesus as well. We have expectations of what we think Jesus should be doing in our lives, in the lives of family members, and in the world around us. When those expectations aren’t met we can become disenchanted or even angry because we feel as though he’s let us down. So the question for John the Baptist, his disciples the crowds, and even for us is do our expectations line up with who Jesus really is? Are our expectations shaped by scripture or by our desires for how we’d like for life to work? If they are based on our desires we will experience disappointment, but if they are based on scripture then his actions will confirm his true identity.

Let’s get a little more specific about the expectations of John and his disciples. If you were John sitting in prison might be one of your expectations? I think I’d want to get out of there. Don’t you remember one of those other passages from Isaiah Jesus referred to? We read it Sunday evening. Early on in his ministry Jesus visited the synagogue in Nazareth on the Sabbath. Opening the scrolls he read: SLIDE 8

18The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, SLIDE 9 to set the oppressed free, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19)

What’s happening with that setting the oppressed free part?

But I think there’s more. Remember the message John was preaching. John preached about the judgment of God that would accompany the coming of the Messiah. SLIDE 10

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12)

John was waiting for God to judge the wicked and finally put everything right. In a way that’s what the crowds were waiting for to. That was their expectation for the Messiah as well. He would come and establish God’s physical kingdom on earth. He would get rid on the enemies. Who wouldn’t want that? And in the passage Jesus read in Nazareth and in the passage he referenced to with John’s disciples that is part of the message. There is an element of God’s judgment. But first, before that judgment comes, good news has to be preached to the poor. Judgment is coming, but not before his release. John and the crowds were waiting for God’s judgment and as a result were missing his grace.

William Barclay wrote: SLIDE 11

The man who waits for savage wrath will always be disappointed in Jesus, but the man who looks for love will never find his hopes defeated.

Tuesday afternoon we started getting news about the bombing in London. Someone strapped on a bomb and went to a concert where they knew thousands of young would be and blew themselves up killing almost two dozen and injuring almost sixty. Don’t we want God’s judgment?

As we look at the effects of disease in the world today aren’t we ready for God to come judge the world and finally set things right?

SLIDE 12 But before all that happens good news has to be preached to the poor. We want God’s judgment, but we have to realize that God’s judgment will be on sin and we are all sinners. We escape God’s judgment only because of the gospel. That same gospel that saves us must be continue to be preached before Jesus comes again. So what is happening in the meantime? Is God sitting back doing nothing? Jesus would say no. Lives are continuing to be touched. The problem isn’t with what God is doing but with our expectations. We need to change our perspective.

God has not promised a perfect pain-free life – at least not yet. A day will come when Jesus will return and bring a new kingdom. Revelation says that on that day there will be no more pain, no more mourning, and no more tears, but that day hasn’t come yet. And so we wait till that day. God still rules and he is still with us in whatever suffering we experience.

We must remember that we can’t come before Jesus as if we’re giving him a chance to prove himself. “Show to me that you really are who you say you are.” We are not the judge. We don’t have enough wisdom or perspective to be the judge.

Listening to atheists and their arguments about God, their biggest complaint seems to be that God doesn’t live up to their expectations. They desire a different God or something else from God. Since God doesn’t work the way they think, they cross God out. But that doesn’t make sense either. If we could understand God and how he works wouldn’t that make us equal with God? God is God because he’s greater than we are. Therefore, we’ll never be able to understand God or all that he does.

There are things at work that we cannot see. There are things God is doing even through pain and suffering that we don’t understand and may never see clearly this side of heaven. While the world often dismisses Jesus, his actions prove that he is the king of heaven and earth. If we see the ministry of Jesus as God’s word describes it we will know what we can trust him. We only need to change our perspective because our perspective will determine our expectations. God is still at work in the world today. Can you see it? If not you only need to change your perspective.