Defeating Doubt
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If you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 11. Tonight we are picking up in Matthew where we left off last fall. For those who either don’t remember what the previous series was about, or for those who missed it all together, let me take a moment to catch you up to speed.
Last year, we covered Matthew 8-10. The title of that series was ‘Unrecognized Authority’. Who remembers and is willing to summarize that series for the group?
Jesus preformed many signs and wonders… many healings, calmed the storm, and casting out demons…those miracles clearly pointed to Jesus’ divine authority. But throughout those chapters, the people who saw Jesus repeatedly missed the point of Jesus miracles. Even his own disciples said this after Jesus calmed the wind and the sea,
27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”
While most people didn’t recognize Jesus’ authority, there were some who did… and those who did recognize Jesus were those who we wouldn’t have expected to…
Roman Centurion - faith greater than anyone in Israel
A group of demons - Identify Jesus as the Son of God
And two blind men - Identify Jesus as the Son of David - a title that was a reference to the Messiah
People didn’t recognize Jesus’ authority… but things get worse as we continue in Matthew. In the next three chapters we will see that not only to people not understand who Jesus is… but they are offended by him.
So this is what we are calling our new series… a rock of offense.
Let’s for the reading of God’s word.
1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 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. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Let’s pray.
Think to a time, when you had high hopes for something only to be disappointed because things didn’t turn out the way that you wanted.
Maybe you wanted a certain gift for your birthday, but when your birthday rolled around you didn’t get what you actually wanted.
Perhaps you thought that the summer would be a relaxing time of vacation and time well spent with friends. But summer came, and went and it wasn’t nearly what you hoped it would be.
Maybe you were waiting for years for that movie to come out… and the hype was built us and you were really excited. But when the movie finally came out, it was a total bust.
Life is full of unmet expectations. And that’s what tonights text is all about. Tonight’s Scripture is about those who put their hope in the Messiah to make things right again. It’s about those who believed that Jesus would redeem the the world. It’s about those who believed that Jesus would bring an end to evil and suffering. Those who come to Jesus do so because they believe these things. Such was the case for John the Baptist.
Listen to the message that John the Baptist preached before Jesus began his ministry.
1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Why did it mean for the kingdom of heaven to be at hand? It’t meant God’s reign of righteousness was quick to come, and that those who were evil would be brought to an end… Listen to what John preached concerning the wicked.
7 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. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
John the Baptist preached that God’s wrath was coming against those who do not repent of their sin.
John preached that God would cut down those who do not produce good fruit in their life.
And John said that this judgment was quickly coming. - listen to how John described it,
11 “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. 12 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.”
John believed that God would soon gather the righteous - here described as the wheat. And he believed that God would soon burn the unrighteous who are like the chaff.
And when would this happen? John believed that the one who would bring judgment against the wicked was coming soon after him.
And so we read in the next verses
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
John even announced his arrival like this,
29 The next day he 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 ranks before me, because he was before me.’
John the Baptist, was a man of faith who feared God. He believed that Jesus was the very Son of God who had been sent to redeem the righteous and punish the wicked. We might say that John had high hopes and expectations for Jesus’ arrival.
But John’s hopes and expectations for the Messiah weren’t fully met. In tonight’s text it’s not the wicked who are being cut down, but the righteous...
Tonight’s text starts like this,
1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Understand what is going on here… Jesus had just instructed his disciples to go and announce that the kingdom of heaven was at hand… this is the same message that John was announcing… the disciples went and healed the sick, rose the dead, cleansed lepers and to cast out demons.
So what John was announcing back in chapter three is really coming to pass.... Jesus kingdom of righteousness had finally arrived.
And now in 11.1 we find out that his kingdom is spreading to all these other cities.
By the end of Matthew 9, crowds had heard of Jesus and had come to him by the masses because of the message that he proclaimed and the miracles that he preformed. And at that point, Jesus ministry had primarily happened in one town. But by this point in Matthew, Jesus ministry had multiplied greatly, and with it his reputation would have been spread far and wide as he and his disciples were preaching in many other cities.
With his growing reputation, the news of Jesus reached John the Baptist as well. But at this point, John was no longer baptizing, but instead he was in prison… this was not what he expected to happen.
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
John heard that Jesus was doing all these mighty works… John knew that Jesus was healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead. But what about John? What about the forerunner of the Son of God? Had Jesus forgotten about him? Because John wasn’t being redeemed from his problem. Instead he was stuck in prison.
So John asked, are you the one who is to come or shall we look for another?
Here’s what I want us to see,
1. Hardship can produce doubt.
1. Hardship can produce doubt.
Remember, John believed Jesus was the one to punish the wicked and redeem those who are righteous. But instead, John has been imprisoned calling the wicked king Herod to account. This was hardly what John expected to happen.
So John is wondering… should we look for another?
The same happens for so many who put their faith in Jesus. They believe in him thinking that he will make their problems go away. But after following they find out that following Jesus is not as easy as they thought it would be. And so they then turn away from Jesus thinking that they were wrong about what they believed.
We all need to know what to expect when we follow Jesus… Yes his yoke is easy and his burden is light… but following Jesus requires that we pick up a cross all the same.
So know what it costs to follow Jesus. Following Jesus entails all kinds of hardships. Like John the Baptist, you might be mistreated, hated and persecuted for following Jesus. You will still loose loved ones, you will still get sick, and you will still die. But this does not mean.
We heard this two weeks ago from 1 Peter, but it’s worth hearing again,
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
Don’t think it strange if you are suffering… and don’t let your troubles lead to doubt. Suffering is all a part of the journey in the Christian life. Know that now, so that you don’t give way to unbelief.
Why do we need to understand that hardship can lead to doubt? Well, if we are to defeat doubt in our life, we need to start by understanding that suffering in this life is all a part of the Christian life.
Let’s keep going.
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 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.
John is wrestling with doubt in prison…
If we are wrestling with our own doubts in Jesus we have a model to follow in these verses. So for now I want us to understand this point.
2. The fight against doubt is won through the gospel.
2. The fight against doubt is won through the gospel.
What John is doing here, and Jesus response to John is sure to give help for when we are wrestling with unbelief.
So first off, what does John do in his time of doubt? He goes to the Lord himself.
Know that we have greater access to today than John did when he was in prison. For while John had to send his disciples to Jesus due to his imprisonment, we can seek Jesus at any time from any place.
For we have two indispensible tools to use in our time of doubt. We have prayer and the Word. So when have doubt, go to the Lord so that he might strengthen your unbelief. Go to him in prayer and ask him for help. Go to his Word and hear God speak there. For our God surely reveals himself to all who seek him… Jesus has told us,
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
When we go to Jesus he will answer us, just as he did for John. So are you struggling with doubt? Then start by going to Jesus… but don’t stop there.
Next, if you are struggling with unbelief, then go to Jesus and look at his power. Listen to how Jesus responded to John’s doubt.
4 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.
Faith replaces doubt when we behold Jesus’ power. In these verses, Jesus is recounting the many mighty deeds that he has done through chapters 8 and 9. And surely John had heard about what Jesus had done. And so it is for each of us who struggle with doubt… we know what Jesus has done… but when we doubt, it is owing to our forgetfulness of his might. So return to Jesus again, and look his mighty works so that you might know that he can help you in whatever trouble you are facing.
But Jesus is not just telling John of his power… Jesus is quoting the prophet Isaiah here. Jesus is saying… “the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and deaf are able to hear. The dead are raised, and the poor hear good news preached to them.
With this list of works in mind listen to the OT prophet describe the work of the Messiah.
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
18 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.
19 The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel.
19 Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise.
You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
For your dew is a dew of light,
and the earth will give birth to the dead.
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
So when John has his doubts, and Jesus tells the disciples to report of his deeds… what is Jesus doing? He is in effect telling John that Jesus is who he thinks he is… so don’t go on looking for another, for the Messiah is in their midst.
All the works of Jesus testify to who he is… and those works show us that Jesus fulfilled all that the prophets said would happen.
So if you are struggling with doubt… go to the promises of God… read of what God said he would do. For every promise that he has made will come to pass.
And after you go to Jesus, behold his power, and remember his promises… all you have left to do is wait in hope. And so Jesus concludes.
6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
In the next few months as we go through these chapters of Matthew, we will hear of many who will take offense at Jesus.
Even in this moment, John in his doubt is close to disbelief, because Jesus is not doing what he expected him to do…
Remember what Isaiah said?
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
John is in prion… will Jesus free him from his bondage?
For those who know the story, John will die in prison at the hands of Harod…
Jesus wasn’t going to do what John expected him to do. For Jesus wasn’t going to overthrow those who are evil, but instead he too would be killed by wicked men much like John was. But this didn’t mean that Jesus would not go on to do all that the Prophets said he would do… it simply means that the work of redemption is not complete.
There is still a day coming, when death will be no more, nor will there be mourning, nor crying, or pain anymore… but that day has yet to come.
So in the meantime, we are to hear Jesus’ words here.
6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
3. Those who believe in Jesus will follow him and wait on his timing.
3. Those who believe in Jesus will follow him and wait on his timing.
What does it mean to not be offended by Jesus?
Those who are offended, stop following Jesus and look instead to another believing that there is another who will redeem them instead.
Those who take offense at Jesus pursue everything else as a means to easing their pain… Let that not be the case for us, but instead, look to him for in the end, he will give you perfect life that is free from all hardship…
but until then we must wait on his perfect timing… it might not look like what you expected. But in the end, heaven will be better than any of us could have possibly imagined.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
Let us not stumble in offence, but instead wait in hope and faith knowing that the Lord will not put us to shame.