CLICK TO LISTEN: 056 The Doubters Beatitude (Matthew 11 ,1-6)
The Doubters Beatitude
Matthew 11:1-6
July 10, 2011am
This morning we continue to talk about the sobering reality
That Jesus has revealed to us in chapter 10.
And that reality is that persecution is expected.
2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
It is impossible to have come from a study of Matthew 10,
Where Jesus talks very straight about what we can expect from the world,
And then somehow expect a life of popularity and ease.
And according to Matthew 10 that can range anywhere
From rejection, to slander, to division, to betrayal, to arrest, to trial,
To flogging, to imprisonment, even to death.
You may not be tortured and killed for your faith,
But if you truly confess Christ in this world,
Some form of persecution will most certainly occur.
And now that He has preached His insightful sermon on what to expect,
It is now time for the ministry to begin.
In fact, that is what Matthew records Jesus doing in verse 1.
“When Jesus finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”
And that alone is a great verse.
Jesus knew better than anyone what to expect from the world.
He knew what was coming, and yet “He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.”
He didn’t just tell others what needed to be done,
He did what needed to be done.
• He also went looking for the lost sheep.
• Here He was leaving the 99 and going in search of the one.
• He was facing the danger and obeying anyway.
We love His prayer in the garden, “not My will, but Yours be done.”
And here we realize that He lived that way every day of His life,
Not just in the garden.
What a tremendous example He is.
But none the less, ministry has begun.
The followers of Christ have been sent out into a world that will hate them.
Chapter 11 begins a section that proves what Jesus just taught.
It is a section that reveals the rejection of the world.
But it is also a chapter that proves the persecution of the messengers.
For the first incident we see is John the Baptist in prison.
What Jesus promised has already come to pass.
And Matthew uses John as an example
For how to handle it when persecution happens.
Matthew knew persecution was real.
(By the time he penned this gospel, he certainly knew)
So it is important to him to show us how to handle it.
Now there are three things I want us to see in our text this morning.
#1 A SHOCKING REALITY
Matthew 11:2-3
Here we read of an event
That is really quite shocking when you think about it.
It is not that John the Baptist is in prison.
For one thing we already knew it,
But beyond that we could sort of expect it.
Luke 3:19-20 “But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison.”
Herod was sleeping with his brother’s wife and John confronted him.
And John didn’t stop there.
Also “because of all the wicked things which [he] had done,”
John was a bold preacher of the truth,
And a man not afraid to declare the need for repentance.
He was literally one who took what was whispered in his ear
And proclaimed it upon the housetops.
And John’s faithfulness landed him in prison.
But that is not all that shocking.
The shocking part is what John does from prison.
“he sent word by his disciples and said to [Jesus], “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”
Now that may not be a strange question in and of itself,
But it is extremely strange coming off the lips of John.
“Are You the Messiah or not?”
We could expect that question from a lot of people, but not from John.
TURN TO: JOHN 1:29-37
I mean there, not only is John still preaching about Jesus,
But he points Him out again, and even sends his own disciples after him.
Certainly John would not have made that declaration if he weren’t certain.
TURN TO: JOHN 3:25-36
There John willfully states that
My ministry needs to get out of the way of His ministry.
And then John preached the gospel that in order to be saved
A person must believe in and obey Jesus.
John was a beacon of conviction.
He was certain of who Jesus was.
And now John sends the question to Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”
The reality here is that even John the Baptist,
• The greatest man born of woman,
• The forerunner of Jesus,
• The Elijah who was to come,
• The man who confronted scribes, Pharisees, and even Herod,
• The man filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother’s womb,
Even he reached a point in his life where he doubted who Jesus was.
And I think it is important that you and I see why he did.
Matthew’s text gives us several clues as to why John was doubting.
1) SUFFERING
“Now when John, while imprisoned…”
One of the most obvious reasons for John’s confusion
Was that he was suffering.
While Jesus and His disciples were out preaching and working miracles, John was stuck in prison.
He was suffering.
And that is certainly a reason why people begin to doubt Jesus.
Perhaps you are familiar with a man named Job.
• Now Job worshiped…
• Job never cursed God…
• But that does not mean Job never struggled or even waivered.
Listen to some of what Job had to say:
Job 3:11-16 “Why did I not die at birth, Come forth from the womb and expire? “Why did the knees receive me, And why the breasts, that I should suck? “For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept then, I would have been at rest, With kings and with counselors of the earth, Who rebuilt ruins for themselves; Or with princes who had gold, Who were filling their houses with silver. “Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be, As infants that never saw light.”
That is pretty tough.
Job 13:3 “But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to argue with God.”
And even later when Job’s friends try to silence Job by saying he must have done something wrong, and that God is right to do this.
Listen to what Job says:
Job 13:7-8 “Will you speak what is unjust for God, And speak what is deceitful for Him? “Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God?”
It is clear that Job was struggling with who God was,
And he struggled because of his suffering.
That is why John is struggling.
John was suffering and that caused him to doubt Jesus.
There is a second reason he doubted.
2) SECLUSION
“Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ…”
Notice John didn’t see the works, he only heard the works.
John was separated.
Furthermore of all the people on Jesus’ side
John appears to be the only one in prison.
The disciples are all out preaching and working miracles,
But not John, he is in prison.
He is not only suffering, but he is suffering alone.
He is suffering in seclusion.
And that certainly causes a person to doubt.
It makes one think, that maybe I was wrong…
But it can even make one think that God got it wrong…
And John isn’t the one to ever walk in those shoes.
REMEMBER ELIJAH?
Straight off the victory at Mt. Carmel, he was so certain that God was sending revival, that he outran Ahab back to Jezreel.
Only there he didn’t find revival, he found Jezebel,
Who promised to kill him.
1 Kings 19:3-4 “And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree; and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers.”
And when Elijah finally made it to the mountain of God
And could confront God, remember what he said?
1 Kings 19:14 “Then he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
Elijah was doubting because he suffered alone.
It didn’t make sense to him that God would allow the most faithful to suffer.
It didn’t make sense that he should be martyred while Ahab ran free.
It wasn’t just that he was suffering, but that “I alone am left”.
Elijah was suffering alone and that caused him to doubt.
Certainly that is why John is doubting.
Suffering, Seclusion
3) SEDUCTION
“and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”
WHO WAS JOHN LOOKING FOR?
“the Expected One”
That alone tells us that John had certain expectations.
Now maybe someone had told him what to expect from Messiah.
Maybe he had created his own expectations.
But whatever he had come to expect,
It is obvious, that his expectations were unfulfilled.
Someone had seduced him.
Perhaps he had seduced himself.
But for whatever reason, John was expecting something
That Jesus clearly did not do.
And it caused John to doubt.
Certainly we could throw Job and Elijah into this boat as well.
Both suffered and suffered alone,
And both got the opposite of what they expected out of life.
BUT AN EVEN GREATER EXAMPLE OF THIS IS JEREMIAH.
Jeremiah actually accused God of lying to him.
Jeremiah 20:7-8 “O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long.”
(Now God had promised back in chapter 1 that they would fight against him,
but obviously Jeremiah did not expect that.)
And this unfulfilled expectation, this false seduction
Caused him doubt and despair as well.
Jeremiah 20:14-18 “Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me! Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, “A baby boy has been born to you!” And made him very happy. But let that man be like the cities Which the LORD overthrew without relenting, And let him hear an outcry in the morning And a shout of alarm at noon; Because he did not kill me before birth, So that my mother would have been my grave, And her womb ever pregnant. Why did I ever come forth from the womb To look on trouble and sorrow, So that my days have been spent in shame?”
That is despair isn’t it?
And that was the same as John the Baptist.
He didn’t get what he expected and therefore he was doubting Jesus.
That is why we study chapter 10 so hard, so our expectations are correct.
That is why we preach so much against the prosperity gospel.
Joel Olsteen can talk all day about the “big things” God has coming your way,
But it leaves a congregation confused when that “big thing” turns out to be prison.
The truth is that we can expect what Jesus promised,
And that is hatred and persecution.
It wasn’t what John expected, but it is what he received.
AND IT CAUSED EVEN HIM TO DOUBT.
And that is a shocking reality.
(Perhaps we should open our eyes and see that the suffering Jesus promised in chapter 10 is real, and perhaps we should do a better job of readying ourselves for it.)
A Shocking Reality
#2 SIMPLE REMINDER
Matthew 11:4-5
Here Jesus answers the disciples of John
“Go and report to John what you hear and see:”
Jesus puts His fruit back on display for John.
NOW DID JOHN KNOW ABOUT JESUS’ FRUIT?
Sure He did.
John knew Jesus was righteous
Before he ever knew Jesus was the Messiah.
If you will remember John says himself that He did not know Jesus was the Messiah until after the dove descended on Him after His baptism.
Yet before Jesus was ever baptized
John declared himself unworthy to do so.
John saw the fruit in Jesus.
Beyond that verse 2 said, “John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ…”
John knew about the fruit of Jesus.
This was not knew information.
Yet Jesus says to report it again.
(5) “the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM.”
• Tell John about that blind guy and how he saw you.
• Tell John about that lame man who walked with you.
• Tell John about the leper who was cleansed.
• Tell John about that deaf man who listened to you.
• Tell John about that dead man who talked with you.
• And tell John about all the people who are hearing the gospel.
Now none of that was new to John,
So it wasn’t like John was getting new proof from Jesus.
No, what Jesus was doing was reminding John
Of what he already knew to be true.
You see suffering has a way of distorting our thinking.
Suffering alone, and suffering contrary to what we expected
Really has a way of distorting our thinking.
Jesus just reminds John of why he believed in the first place.
WE MUST DO THE SAME.
WE KNOW JESUS IS THE MESSIAH
• His miracles…
• His fulfilled prophecy…
• The testimony of those who followed Him…
• The testimony of the Spirit within us…
BEYOND THAT HE HAS TOLD US WHAT WE CAN EXPECT
Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 10:21-22 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”
Listen to what Jesus told the disciples in John’s gospel.
John 15:20-21 “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.”
John 16:1-4 “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God. “These things they will do because they have not known the Father or Me. “But these things I have spoken to you, so that when their hour comes, you may remember that I told you of them. These things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you.”
It is important to have something to cling to.
Now John didn’t know why Christ allowed him to be in prison…
Anymore than Job didn’t know why he suffered…
And Jeremiah didn’t know why he was hated…
And Elijah didn’t know why he was hated…
They didn’t know why (those purposes belong to God)
But if they would remember what they had seen and heard,
There was no reason to doubt who their God was.
Jesus didn’t satisfy John’s curiosity, but He did solidify his faith.
Don’t let your suffering cause you to doubt who Jesus is.
Remember His miracles…
Remember His promises…
And let your faith be strengthened.
I’ve always liked the 77th Psalm in this regard.
Psalms 77:7-10 “Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious, Or has He in anger withdrawn His compassion? Selah. Then I said, “It is my grief, That the right hand of the Most High has changed.”
That is despair.
HOW DOES HE FIX IT?
Psalms 77:11-15 “I shall remember the deeds of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work And muse on Your deeds. Your way, O God, is holy; What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. You have by Your power redeemed Your people,The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.”
And we could continue reading the rest of Psalm 77 and even
Into Psalm 78 and see how he remembered his way out of doubt.
It is no doubt what the hymn writer had in mind when he wrote:
“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, when you are discouraged thinking all is lost, count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by.
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, do not be discouraged, God is over all; count your many blessings, angels will attend, help and comfort give you till your journey’s end.”
When you suffer, remember that Jesus said it was expected
And don’t doubt who He is.
A Shocking Reality, A Simple Reminder
#3 A SUBTLE REBUKE
Matthew 11:6
Here Jesus gives John his own personal beatitude.
This is the beatitude of the persecuted.
Here it is “THE DOUBTER’S BEATITUDE”
We read all the “Blessed are” statements of Matthew 5.
Here is one for the persecuted.
“And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
“blessed” can be translated “happy”.
The NIV translates “take offense” as “fall away”.
Jesus is saying to John.
“Happy is he who does not fall away because of Me.”
“Happy is the man who doesn’t quit because following Me is too hard.”
And of course He is right.
When we follow Jesus the opposition is real,
And the immediate temptation is to turn your back on Jesus
And seek momentary safety and comfort.
But there is no happiness found there.
According to Matthew 10, all that causes is for Jesus to deny you.
There is no happiness found in falling away from Jesus.
• Just ask Peter, who wept bitterly.
• Just ask Judas who went out and hanged himself.
It can be hard, but there is no joy found in quitting.
Falling away or quitting is a false relief.
It is Satan’s apple, it looks appealing, but it is the way of death.
Jesus reveals that true happiness is found in perseverance.
True blessing is found in endurance.
True joy is found in faithfulness.
And this by the way was a subtle rebuke to John.
John was in the early stages of denying Jesus.
(doubt is the first stage)
And so Jesus subtly rebukes his way of thinking.
And if you are wondering, yes all those other men in Scripture that we mentioned earlier; they all got rebuked too.
Elijah?
1 Kings 19:15-18 “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
Elijah’s ministry was over.
Jeremiah?
Jeremiah 15:19-21 “Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you — Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them. “Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the LORD. “So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.”
Jeremiah could continue only if he repented.
Job? (He got the worst brow beating of all)
Job 38:1-3 “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!”
(Then Job gets 4 chapters of harsh rebuke)
Job 42:1-6 “Then Job answered the LORD and said, “I know that You can do all things, And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”
The point is they all were corrected, even John.
They were all rebuked, some harshly, some subtly,
But they were all quickly taught that questioning God is not OK.
You see God has already told us what to expect.
WHY?
So that we will trust Him when it happens.
We sang a great song earlier.
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey.”
Is that not what Jesus just told John?
John, I’m not asking you to understand,
But I am asking you to trust Me.
If you want to be happy, you will just have to trust Me.
Now, we know what happened to John.
He was beheaded (and it grieved Jesus)
But we also know where John is now.
He has rejoiced for everyday since his death that he didn’t fall away.
What a great decision to stick it out!
That is the decision we must all make as well.
Know the truth so you are given to false expectations.
Don’t be surprised if you suffer and suffer alone.
“And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
