Preparing for Joy

Psalm 145:5-10 / Matthew 11:2-15

In Prison and Questioning

John and Elijah

(Matthew 14) John had publicly condemned Herod’s affair with his brother’s wife.

1 Kings 19:9–10 “There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.””

In both cases, these men of God were part of miraculous and what can only be described as wildly successful ministries, were in danger of losing their lives, and needed assurances.

Jesus’ answer - fulfillment of scripture (John did know!)

Matthew 11:4–5 “And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 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.”

Isaiah 8, 26, 29, 35, 42, 61

Luke 4 tells of Jesus reading Isaiah and clearly stating it was about Himself

We too should look to the Word to find assurance; to find answers about who Jesus is, to see that what is going on around us is all part of God’s plan, and to see the joy that is coming with His return.

Did He create the mountains? Did He make every sea? Did He fight sin and darkness? Did He deliver me? Yes He did! Yes He can! Did He promise to return and complete His redemption of all things? Yes He did. Yes He will!

What did you expect?

The Prophet John

Matthew 3:7–9 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.”

Messiah Jesus

John 7:52 “They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.””

Matthew 13:55–57 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.””

Imperfect, Ordinary Churches

People (including CHURCH PEOPLE) have prejudices, opinions and ideas, categories and boxes that neither John, nor Jesus fit into, and often times the same about today’s churches.

People are offended, upset, and often demoralized when their ill-informed expectations are not met. This too can be remedied if we let scripture inform our thoughts and expectations.

Stick with “thus sayeth The Lord”, and you will never be disappointed; in fact, that is an important part of the purpose for God’s preserving The Word; that His People would be informed and prepared in every age until the triumphant return of Jesus!

1 Thessalonians 4:13 “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, (I want to rightly set your expectations) about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”

James 5:7–11 “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

Preparing for Joy

(Matthew 11:10) Mark 1:2 “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,”

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts.”

Psalm 146:10 “The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”

Elijah’s Message:

1 Kings 18:21 “And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word.”

John’s Message:

Matthew 3:1–2 “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

Our Message Today:

To the Lost:

The king is coming! Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus and be saved (Matt 4:17)

To the Saints:

The king is coming! Our Salvation is nearer now than when we first believed! (Romans 13:11)

Do you see? the continued proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus, the heralding of His return, it is the hope for the searching sinner and the joy of the expectant church.

The glorious return of Christ Jesus IS the Joy we await.

Luke 1:68–79 ESV

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”