Doubt

[00:00:00] So today we continue through the Book of Matthew. [00:00:06] So far this year we've had Dan and Phil and Megan, and we've looked at chapter 10 where Jesus sends out the 12 disciples and give them direct instructions he gives them for this new ministry that they're heading into. [00:00:25] Now we come to chapter 11 that Colleen kindly read for us. [00:00:33] I want to let you know just in advance that towards the end of the message I will be using verses from the King James. If that causes any issues for somebody, I apologise. Now our focus this morning is on doubt. [00:00:51] What it is, who suffers from it and how we can overcome it. [00:00:58] A doubt, free truth. [00:01:00] Oswald Chambers once said, doubt is not a sign necessarily that a man is wrong, but it is a sign a man is thinking. [00:01:09] A man or woman that thinks through difficult seasons. [00:01:16] Reading from chapter 11, verse 1. [00:01:19] After Jesus had finished instructing his 12 disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the town of Galilee. [00:01:29] Up until now, through the Book of Matthew, Jesus has been predominantly teaching, for example, the Sermon on the Mount in chapter five. [00:01:42] But from now on he focuses more on preaching, often using parables to share the gospel message. [00:01:50] Verse 2 goes on to say, When John, I.e. john the Baptist, heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else? [00:02:06] To understand John's situation and his unusual question, we need to go back a step to Matthew 3:1. [00:02:16] In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near. [00:02:25] This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him. [00:02:39] John the Baptist is no ordinary Jewish man. [00:02:44] We read in Luke 1 of his miraculous birth and in verse 15 he is to never take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. [00:03:00] Jesus said of John, I tell you the truth, among those born of women, there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. [00:03:11] Matthew 11:11. [00:03:14] John's greatness was not from any special talent, gift or even holiness. [00:03:23] His greatness was from the fact that God had given him the honour to introduce the Messiah to the world. [00:03:32] He was also the prophet who would break the 430 year silence that it is often referred to between the Old and New Testaments. [00:03:43] He was the last prophet who predicted the coming of Christ. [00:03:47] His preaching was the end of the law and the beginning of the promise. And he baptized Jesus the Son of God. [00:03:58] We also learn in Matthew 3, 4, John's clothes were made of camel's hair and he had a belt of leather around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. [00:04:14] This guy is the real deal. [00:04:18] Miraculous birth filled with the Holy Spirit. [00:04:22] Home in the Aro Judean desert, living on critters and honey, announcing the coming of a long awaited Messiah and calling sinners to repent and be baptized. [00:04:38] When we pick up John's story, he has been imprisoned by King Herod for calling him out over an adulterous relationship we had with his brother's wife. [00:04:50] John was not a man who overlooked sin in the world around him, knowing the damage it does to people's lives. [00:04:59] His calling was to turn people from their sin and wickedness into the light that was coming. [00:05:08] But being obedient to your calling as a child of God does not come without a cost. [00:05:15] Dr. Phil shared two weeks back the price that men and women have paid for their faith and are paying to this day, even to death. [00:05:28] John knew his calling. It had him put in prison. And not just any ordinary prison. [00:05:34] According to the Jewish historian Josephus, it was a dungeon in a town called Machaerus. It's around eight kilometres east of the Dead Sea. [00:05:44] It was an old Herodian palace turned into a fortress. [00:05:49] It's out in the desert, it's hot, up to 50 degrees each day and dry. [00:05:58] William Barclay, the Scottish author, wrote, John was a child of the desert. [00:06:05] All his life he had lived in the wild open spaces with the clean wind on his face and the spacious vault of the sky has his roof. [00:06:15] Now he's confined within the four narrow walls of an underground dungeon. [00:06:21] For a man like John, who had probably never lived in a house, this must have been an agony. [00:06:34] So why now is this powerful, confident, godly man, seemingly uncertain of who Jesus is? [00:06:45] He sends his disciples to ask him, are you the one who was to come? [00:06:53] The One to Come is a messianic title. It's in Mark 1:7. John again says, after me will come one more powerful than I. [00:07:02] Luke 3:16 from the king James, but one mightier than I cometh and Hebrews 10:37, and he that shall come will come. [00:07:14] John is asking, are you truly the Messiah? [00:07:21] This is John, who was there at Jesus baptism, where we read in Matthew 4:16. At that moment heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. [00:07:38] And a voice from heaven said, this is my son, whom I love. [00:07:43] With him I am well pleased. [00:07:49] This is John, who, even at a distance, said twice to his disciples in the Book of John, chapter one. Look, the Lamb of God. [00:07:59] And this is John, who, when questioned by some of the Pharisees, said, I baptize you with water. But among you stands one you do not know. [00:08:11] He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. From verse 27, and again in verse 34, I have seen and testify this is the Son of God. [00:08:29] Make no mistake, John knew who Jesus was. [00:08:34] But his circumstances and his suffering were taking a toll. [00:08:41] After over a year in a dark, stifling, hot dungeon, he began to question the truth. [00:08:51] You see, when John the Baptist began his ministry on the banks of the Jordan river, calling all people to repentance and baptizing them with water, he explained what the Christ, once he arrived, would do. [00:09:06] In a warning to the Sadducees and Pharisees, those who would not repent, he said from Matthew 3:7, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath, produce fruit in keeping with repentance. [00:09:22] The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. [00:09:31] I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come one who is more powerful than I. [00:09:37] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. [00:09:42] His winnowing fork is in his hand and will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. [00:09:58] What John was saying way back then is the same gospel message for us now. [00:10:07] Repent and believe in Jesus, and you will be saved. [00:10:15] Today. If you're weighing up, if this Christian life is for you, or maybe you're asking in your life, is this all that there is? [00:10:26] Can I encourage you to simply call out to God? [00:10:30] Ask him to forgive you of your sin, that is, your mistakes, your disappointments, and the life you have been living for yourself. [00:10:42] Repent. [00:10:44] That is simply to turn away from your own ways and commit your life to God. [00:10:51] And because Jesus paid for your sin on the cross, you have his promise that if you will then believe in him, you will receive the Holy Spirit and be saved. [00:11:06] Today could be the day that changes your life forever. For the better. [00:11:16] John had done all God had asked him to do. [00:11:20] Throughout his life. He had been faultlessly obedient to the call on his life. [00:11:25] Without fear or compromise, he had announced the glorious coming of the Messiah. [00:11:32] He had refrained from drinking any fermented drink. He had been filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He had taken the Nazarite vow, the highest of spiritual commitment possible. [00:11:43] He was a true saint, faithful, holy, selfless and loyal. [00:11:50] Now he's in prison. [00:11:52] Was this his reward? [00:11:56] God? If you are the God of all comfort, who cares? Why am I going through this? [00:12:03] Didn't you promise in Isaiah 61:1 2 that Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release the from darkness the prisoners? [00:12:18] Sadly, at this time in Israel, Jesus was not being received as the Messiah by the majority of Israelites. [00:12:26] Plus there was a strong resistance from the Pharisees and Sadducees and those who opposed him. [00:12:32] John is in prison. He sees no evidence of the Messiah coming with power. No axe, no winnowing fork and no fire. [00:12:44] So perhaps he's not the Messiah. [00:12:49] John begins to doubt like John. Do you have doubts? [00:12:59] Ch Burgin said, I do not believe there ever existed a Christian yet who did not now and then doubt his interest in Jesus. [00:13:10] I think when a man says I never doubt, it's time for us to doubt him. [00:13:18] John MacArthur said, Doubt comes from our inability to deal with difficult circumstances. [00:13:27] Doubt is an enemy to our faith. [00:13:32] Here we have one of the greatest prophets and obedient servants of God becoming unsure of the truth he had built and lived his whole life on. [00:13:44] I don't know about you, but I am somewhat reassured that if a man like John struggled with doubt, that at least I'm in good company. [00:13:58] Have you ever noticed how the devil uses the little doubts first, like in the book of Genesis? You may recall how he deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. He began by sowing doubt. [00:14:13] Did God really say, you must not eat from any tree in the garden? [00:14:20] As soon as she entertained that thought that God may just possibly be unreliable, she was done. [00:14:31] And sadly, we are all or can all be easily led away from our God given purpose. [00:14:41] Doubt is the seed of a lie. [00:14:45] Have you ever heard in your head there is nothing wrong with one piece of chocolate? [00:14:54] That is doubt. The seed of a lie. [00:14:57] God would not want me to be late for work. So just a few kilometres over the limit is nothing. [00:15:04] It is the seed of a lie. [00:15:11] You say it is just some harmless flirting. [00:15:16] The seed of a lie. [00:15:21] For John, that seed was just maybe. [00:15:25] Is it is possible that Jesus is not the Messiah? [00:15:32] The seed of doubt can stop us moving forward and we can begin to procrastinate. [00:15:38] You know that sick feeling you get when you cannot see your way forward. [00:15:43] In that moment, each direction seems cut off, you do not have an answer, and you begin to feel like no one can help, perhaps even God. [00:15:57] In preparation for this morning, I listened to a sermon on these passages from a guy named Skip Heisig. [00:16:05] He is the senior pastor at Calvary Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. [00:16:10] In itself was a title and he spoke of four types of doubt, three of which John experienced and one he did not consider. If you have ever experienced any one of these, the first being experiential doubt. [00:16:31] The disappointed doubter God failed to meet your expectation. A loved one died, the long term relationship failed. [00:16:41] You have a persistent sin you can't get victory over and you feel like God has let you down. [00:16:50] For John, it was that he was imprisoned. His experience is that God had not come through for him. [00:16:58] Max Lucado said Clouds of doubt are created when the warm moist air of our expectations meet the cold air of God's silence. [00:17:13] Clouds of doubt are created when the warm moist air of our expectations meet the cold air of God's silence. [00:17:27] The second doubt is intellectual doubt. My believing would require more information than I now have. [00:17:34] I need evidence of God creation or I have questions like how can a loving God allow bad things to happen? [00:17:44] John's understanding was that when the Messiah came, he would bless those who repent and he is going to judge those who don't. [00:17:54] And he is asking where is that? [00:17:59] But perhaps he had less understanding of the full meaning of the scriptures that spoke of the servant's suffering. [00:18:08] The third type of doubt is what Heidzig called societal doubts. [00:18:13] We have friends, colleagues, sportspeople, movie stars who have, for the better part, a secular atheistic worldview. [00:18:23] And their beliefs can influence some of us to doubt. [00:18:28] The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:14, again from the King James but the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. [00:18:41] Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. [00:18:46] Like it or not, we are exposed to the worldly views around us. [00:18:51] As we heard earlier, so many in Israel at this time opposed Jesus. That pressure would have also been felt by John. [00:19:02] So we have experiential doubt, intellectual doubt, and we have societal doubts. [00:19:07] And as we said, John experienced each one of those. [00:19:11] But this one he did not. The final doubt is moral doubt. [00:19:17] The moral doubter perpetuates the myth of uncertainty to avoid changing his or her personal lifestyle. [00:19:26] You can tell I didn't write this. There's too many long words. [00:19:29] The moral doubter perpetuates the myth of uncertainty to avoid changing his or her personal life. [00:19:40] The moral doubter is the person who wants to doubt, who looks for reasons to doubt. [00:19:47] For if there is a God and that God is supreme, I cannot do what I want to do, Which means eventually I will have to stand before that God and be judged. [00:20:05] And I don't want that. [00:20:10] Romans 1:18 calls this suppressing the truth by their wickedness. [00:20:18] Have you met someone like that? [00:20:21] Someone who refuses to acknowledge God because to do so would mean they might have to change. [00:20:32] Just before we hear how Jesus answered John's questions There are two points about John that I think would be helpful for us when we face our doubts. [00:20:47] Firstly, you'll notice John did not ask Jesus to change his circumstances. [00:20:53] He's languishing in a pit in the desert and has been for over a year. [00:20:57] He may well be forgiven for asking Jesus to bring about a miracle and free him from that place, but he doesn't. [00:21:09] It appears that his deepest concern is not for his own comfort, but for his faith, the reassurance that the Messiah is the Coming One and that he does not need to look any further. [00:21:28] Can you say with confidence like John, that your faith is your greatest priority? [00:21:41] Secondly, I want you to notice where John goes to for help, who he turns to in his hour of deepest discomfort and need. [00:21:53] He could have had his disciples go to numerous people who had witnessed what Jesus was doing and got an answer like that that he was after. [00:22:03] But we read in Amos 5. 4 God speaking through the prophet says, seek me and live. [00:22:10] This is an invitation for us to go directly to the source of all power, authority, and wisdom. [00:22:17] John may not have understood completely his situation, but what knowledge he had of the Messiah was that he alone is the ultimate source for of all wisdom. [00:22:34] From Matthew 11:4, Jesus replied, Go back and report to John what you hear and see. [00:22:43] The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the and the good news is preached to the poor. [00:22:58] Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. [00:23:05] Jesus does not rebuke John for his question. [00:23:09] There is no shame towards John. In his answer. [00:23:13] Jesus answers him directly and with tact and with tenderness. [00:23:21] When the disciples asked Jesus, are you the one to come? [00:23:25] He could have simply said yes and it would have been true. [00:23:31] But he knew John wanted confirmation, not just information. [00:23:36] John was hurting. [00:23:38] All that he had believed was going to happen, that he believed should have happened, had not. [00:23:46] That is the simple reason he's asking. [00:23:49] Jesus answered him practically. [00:23:51] He says, go back and report what you see and hear. [00:23:57] Practical proof. [00:23:59] The blind see, the deaf hear, the dead are alive. [00:24:06] In the book of Luke, we have the parallel account of the same story in Luke 7:19 23, but Luke has a detail that Matthew does not, and that is in verse 21. [00:24:18] And in that same hour he cured many of the infirmities and plagues of evil spirits. [00:24:25] And unto many that were blind, he gave sight. [00:24:31] I believe it's possible, although I wasn't there. I cannot say for certain, but when we read in that same hour, I believe that Jesus did these things right before their eyes while they were there with him, giving them an even greater confirmation of what Jesus was doing. [00:24:55] And Jesus answered John patiently from verse six. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. [00:25:04] This is a blessing on those who will persevere, those who will hold firm even when we do not receive what we believe we could have or should have. [00:25:15] We are reminded in Hebrews 11, where the heroes of our faith, Abel, Enoch, Noah and Abraham and others, never got to receive what was promised. [00:25:28] From verse 13. All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised. They only saw them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. [00:25:45] Jesus Words are also a reminder to us to be patient with those who ask questions. [00:25:54] Always answer patiently. [00:25:57] You may be helping someone through their doubts. [00:26:03] Skip Heitzig said, never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. [00:26:10] If you have doubts in the darkness, remember the most vulnerable place you will be is in isolation. [00:26:18] Be like John. [00:26:20] Share your doubts with those close to you and always take them to the source of the light. [00:26:26] Jesus to close from Deuteronomy 29:29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us, to our children forever that we may follow all the words of his law. [00:26:49] Are you OK with knowing? [00:26:52] With only knowing and receiving what God has for you? [00:26:59] John would never get all the answers. He would be beheaded in prison soon after this exchange. [00:27:08] God has revealed only what you need to know. [00:27:13] Are you happy with that? [00:27:19] Work through your doubts well, because out of the other side of them is confidence. [00:27:26] Confidence to live for Christ and serve him boldly. [00:27:32] Thank you.