All of us have doubts in life, don’t we? How about honest doubts about your faith at times?
- Is Jesus who he said he was?
- Did he really come to save us—was that necessary … or, as seems to be popular these days, does everyone really go to heaven anyway and all Jesus was was a good teacher, with a miracle or two thrown in for good measure?
- Was he truly the Son of God who was resurrected on the third day … or, as many still believe, was his body just stolen?
- How do we account, then, for the post-resurrection appearances that were many and varied … not to mention, the miracles?
Again, if we’re truly honest with ourselves, with God, and with others … every single one of us have had doubts at one time or another, haven’t we? And the truth is that Jesus’ cousin—John the Baptist—had honest questions, too. Yes, even the great John the Baptist had his days of doubt! Let’s listen to what happened after he was thrown in to prison (and Jesus returned to Galilee—that we talked about last week). Here’s what Matthew records of the event…
When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he went out to teach and preach in towns throughout the region. 2 John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 “Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?” 4 Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’” – Matthew 11:1-6 (NLT)
Jesus, now in Galilee, had just got done sending out the 12 apostles, with instructions on what to do as they traveled from town to town sharing the GOOD NEWS about Jesus. And, then John the Baptist’s disciples came to him, didn’t they? Why? Because John suddenly—due to both his misconceptions of the Messiah and his current circumstances—had doubts about his ‘cuz’… Folks,
WHEN DOUBTS INVADE YOUR LIFE… I want to begin here today by saying this: Doubt is one of those facts of life that will come … at some point; just listen once again: Verses 2-3 tell us, “John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, 3 ‘Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’” Why was John asking his disciples to go and ‘double-check’ on Jesus, just to make sure? He seemed so confident at Jesus’ baptism… He seemed so confident preaching to the masses about the Messiah who was to come… And he seemed so confident when he was letting people know the ‘kingdom of heaven’ was near! So, what was happening here?
Well, my best hunch is that John must have been thinking … if I am the Messiah’s forerunner and Jesus is the Messiah, then why am I in prison? If the Messiah was ‘coming to destroy his enemies,’ then why do I feel defeated instead of victorious? And, why is my life turning out the way it is (and how many of us have ever asked that question)? You can see, due to the reality of John’s circumstances, why he might question if Jesus was indeed the Messiah that God’s people had hoped for… Even John the Baptist, whom Jesus said was one of the greatest men to ever live, had doubts… And, doubts have a way of creeping into all of our lives too, don’t they?
Lord Halifax, a former foreign secretary of Great Britain, once shared a railway compartment with two prim-looking spinster sisters. A few moments before reaching his destination the train passed through a tunnel. In the utter darkness Halifax kissed the back of his hand noisily several times…
When the train drew into the station, he rose, lifted his hat, and in a gentlemanly way said: “May I thank whichever one of you two ladies I am indebted to for the charming incident in the tunnel.” He then beat a hasty retreat, leaving the two sisters glaring at each other in disbelief. Can you imagine what they were thinking?
Folks, doubts can invade our lives when we least expect it … or understand it! It’s one of the Enemy’s favorite games—to get us to doubt, a doubt that can at least temporarily displace our faith! What are we to do? WHEN DOUBTS INVADE YOUR LIFE…
IT’S TIME TO TURN TO YOUR SAVIOR! Again, in verses 4-6, we find Jesus’ answer to John: “Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen—5 the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 6 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.’” God blesses those, folks, who turn to him! He is the real thing—the Messiah who was to come! He is the real thing—the one who came to heal the blind, lame and deaf… He is the real thing—the Messiah who did come to SAVE, but not necessarily like everyone thought he would…
Folks, IF YOU ARE EVER IN DOUBT, what we need to do is to LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE… First,
Look at the evidence in God’s word… That’s what Matthew did! Matthew knew this scripture, from the Prophet Isaiah. He also knew that why Jesus was quoting what he was quoting in his response to John … was because he knew that John knew this scripture, too:
“With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. 4 Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.’ 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!” – Isaiah 35:3-6a (NLT)
And, that is exactly what the disciples (including Matthew) were witnessing! Again, John knew this scripture, too! He just needed someone to ‘connect the dots’ for him; Jesus obliged… So, folks, KNOW YOUR SCRIPTURE & then look to it for the evidence you need to feed your faith! Also…
Look at the evidence in your life (or in the lives of others)… In other words, look at the evidence of ‘changed lives!’ That’s what Jesus was encouraging John to do…
A short while ago, I was talking with my brother Stan (pastor from Boscobel) about the new diet that my doctor put me on. My comment was ‘it worked.’ His comment was, “Well, yes. You’re a walking witness to that!” What came to my mind was ‘spiritually, that’s what we need to be to others, too!’
In the E.T. Class, the final written project is to write a spiritual journey of our lives. We guide those in class to write about their life BEFORE Christ … and AFTER Christ. There should be a significant difference—no matter what age you are. Folks, for those who knew me before I allowed Christ to be Lord of my life … they absolutely can’t believe that God called me to be a pastor! The Rom they knew was a very angry person … who didn’t really care about anyone but himself. The Rom they see today—THANK GOD—is just not the same. BEFORE Christ … was quite a bit different than … AFTER CHRIST!
When doubts arise in our lives … we need to look at the evidence of what God has done in our own lives … or in the lives of others we know! That’s what Matthew did too, I’m sure. As he was witnessing these things himself, he looked to his own life that had been changed…
- BEFORE CHRIST … Mathew was a tax collector … a betrayer of his own people … a cheat … a thief…
- AFTER CHRIST … Matthew was a man who was absolutely sold-out for Jesus … following now in his ways—Christ-centered, instead of self-centered in his life…
I’m sure that those who knew Matthew BEFORE CHRIST couldn’t believe what God had called him to do with his life either…When in doubt, look to the evidence!
Folks, John had honest doubts about Jesus. So have others along the way, including one John Wesley—founder of the Methodist movement. And quite frankly … if it can happen to them, it can also happen to us. The question is: What are we going to do with our doubts? Here’s my prayer today; please listen…
O For a Faith
O for a faith that will not shrink,’tho pressed by every foe—that will not tremble on the brink of any earthly woe!
That will not murmur nor complain, beneath the chastening rod … but, in the hour of grief or pain will lean upon its God;
A faith that shines more bright and clear when tempests rage without, that when in danger knows no fear—in darkness (that darkness we spoke of last week) feels no doubt…
That’s my prayer for each one of us—that even in times of darkness in our lives, we will not fall to doubt, because we know the Savior—the one who can save us! When in doubt … turn to YOUR Savior! The evidence shows … he’s been here … and he is here! He’s still busy changing lives… And, he still is … THE MIRACLE MAN today!