Speaker 1: Hi, it's Pastor Jonathan and thanks for downloading the FBC El Dorado Sermon Podcast.
Speaker 1: We hope today's message will challenge and help you take the next step as you follow Jesus.
Speaker 1: It's good to be with you here today at First Baptist Church of El Dorado.
Speaker 1: Becky and I always look forward to being in South Arkansas, which, of course, I've told you for years is our home and we love it, and El Dorado was the capital of South Arkansas.
Speaker 1: As far as I'm concerned, going up in Cullendale, and Becky growing up in Elliott, this is the big town, this is where we'd come if we're doing something special or whatever it would be, and so I've had great respect for this church and for this community for a long, long time and it's really good to be with you today and I'm grateful for the opportunity.
Speaker 1: I want you to turn your Bibles to the gospel of Luke, and we're going to look in the seventh chapter in just a few moments.
Speaker 1: Before we get there, I want to introduce it by just talking a moment about John the Baptist, one of the most interesting, arresting characters and all of God's work.
Speaker 1: John the Baptist you know he was prophesied before he was born.
Speaker 1: Remember the angel appearing to his father, zacharias, and telling him in an old age he was going to have a son and the son was going to be.
Speaker 1: Interestingly, in chapter one of Luke, about verse 13, 15, somewhere in there, that from birth he would be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 1: From birth, john the Baptist Talked about the life that he had lived, what he would eat, what he wouldn't drink, these kinds of things.
Speaker 1: And then his mother, you remember, went to see Mary and she said when she walked in and saw Mary, who was the mother of our Lord, the baby leaped within me when I came in here.
Speaker 1: Then the Bible says in Luke 1, about verse 43, 45, somewhere in there, that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and from those moments, even before they were born, jesus and John the Baptist lives were linked together.
Speaker 1: They mirrored each other John the Baptist, the messenger, the forerunner, the one to prepare the way of the Lord, and Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
Speaker 1: There's an interesting verse and you don't need to turn to it.
Speaker 1: I'll read it, passage from John, chapter one, in verse 29,.
Speaker 1: I want you to put this in your mind as well as a beautiful song that Mary Pat sang.
Speaker 1: I looked today, when I came in at the Lord of service, so when she was singing.
Speaker 1: That's my closing illustration.
Speaker 1: So help me, you know, sometimes preachers of comedy reminds them of a good story.
Speaker 1: Well, I had this one before I knew she was singing, and so I'm going to give you a little back story of that song as we conclude.
Speaker 1: Jesus and John were now young men and Jesus was inaugurating his earthly ministry and remember, he came to John to be baptized and John said of him, john, chapter one in verse 29,.
Speaker 1: The next day, john saw Jesus coming toward him and said Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Speaker 1: This is he of whom I said After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.
Speaker 1: I did not know him, but that he should be revealed to Israel.
Speaker 1: Before I came, baptizing with water, and John bore witness, saying I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove and he remained upon him.
Speaker 1: I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me upon whom you see the spirit descending and remaining on him, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, holy Spirit living in John, directing him and his mother.
Speaker 1: After Pentecost and all of us as believers, when we're saved, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our lives.
Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit was bearing witness.
Speaker 1: I want you to hear verse 34.
Speaker 1: This is John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: It's important with the passage I'm going to read next.
Speaker 1: John the Baptist said, and I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God Powerful, isn't it powerful?
Speaker 1: Luke, chapter seven, and reading it causes me to ask this question what happened to John the Baptist?
Speaker 1: Have you ever said that about people?
Speaker 1: I know you have.
Speaker 1: What happened to them?
Speaker 1: What happened?
Speaker 1: Maybe something bad had happened, maybe something different, but whatever it may be, maybe some reversal of fortune, maybe some bad choices what happened?
Speaker 1: Well, you can't read Luke chapter seven without kind of asking a question, or one similar to that about John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: What is it that happened to John the Baptist?
Speaker 1: So what we're going to see now, beginning in verse 18 of Luke chapter seven, is what happened, what was going on?
Speaker 1: Matthew wrote about it too.
Speaker 1: Matthew said that he was in prison because he had rebuked Herod Antipas, because he had taken his brother's wife.
Speaker 1: Do you remember that story and how that?
Speaker 1: New Testament scholars think that John the Baptist probably had been in prison now, about six months or so, damp, dark, for a guy who loved the outdoors and the wilderness to be confined in prison for this time and more to come.
Speaker 1: And so we see a question that's going to be asked.
Speaker 1: John's going to ask a question.
Speaker 1: He's going to send his disciples to ask Jesus this question.
Speaker 1: Jesus is going to give an answer maybe not an answer that you might expect and then the Lord is going to close our passage that we studied this morning with another testimony John.
Speaker 1: I just read a testimony about Jesus.
Speaker 1: At the end, jesus is going to give a testimony about John.
Speaker 1: So, following your Bibles, if you would, luke, chapter seven, chapter seven, beginning in verse 18, the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things, all these things that were happening.
Speaker 1: For instance, at this particular time, jesus had just raised the widow of Nain's son.
Speaker 1: Luke, chapter seven, records that he had healed the centurion servant, healed him, brought him up, raised him.
Speaker 1: Luke, chapter seven Jesus is doing these things.
Speaker 1: So they're reporting to what Jesus was doing to John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: They came to see him in prison.
Speaker 1: Here's what Jesus is doing.
Speaker 1: Here's what we hear.
Speaker 1: John, verse 19, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus, saying are you the coming one or do we look for another?
Speaker 1: And when the men came to Jesus, they said exactly what John had told them to say.
Speaker 1: John the Baptist has sent us to you saying are you the coming one or do we look for another?
Speaker 1: What happened to John when Jesus was baptized?
Speaker 1: What did he say?
Speaker 1: I testify and see what's happened.
Speaker 1: The one who sent me to baptize said the one who.
Speaker 1: The dove rest upon, the Holy spirit rest upon him, and I'm testifying to you that this is the son of God, son of God, messiah, christ, all you, somewhat interchangeably, this is the sent one, this is the anointed one.
Speaker 1: I testify of that.
Speaker 1: But now he said guys, I want you to go to Jesus and I want you to ask him.
Speaker 1: I want you to ask him.
Speaker 1: Tell him, I'm asking, I'm sending you.
Speaker 1: Ask him, are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another?
Speaker 1: Should we look for another?
Speaker 1: That's the question that he asked and it's a penetrating question.
Speaker 1: And it's a question that, if we're not careful, we'd be troubling.
Speaker 1: Dr Luke, who wrote the gospel of Luke and acts, had no question about Jesus being the son of God.
Speaker 1: His gospel, the acts testified of that.
Speaker 1: But in his honesty, as a doctor who was given to meticulous detail, he wrote about the humanity of people along the way.
Speaker 1: He didn't hide our questions, our doubts, our sins, our frailties, our faults.
Speaker 1: And so it was with John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: I had a seminary professor who always referred to the Bible as a divine human book.
Speaker 1: And this shows you the divine human book Jesus, divine God, and man, divine human.
Speaker 1: But it also shows John, human John, at this particular time in his life.
Speaker 1: You don't see him right now, do you as the messenger, as the prophet, as the preacher about repent, repent.
Speaker 1: You know he preached repentance.
Speaker 1: What you see now?
Speaker 1: As a man who seems to have lost his way.
Speaker 1: He's lost his way, at least temporarily.
Speaker 1: I mean, even if you had been in John's place and had thought those thoughts, would you send people to Jesus and say to Jesus John the Baptist wants to know.
Speaker 1: Of all people, john the Baptist wants to know are you the coming one, are you the one we've been expecting, or do we need to look for somebody else?
Speaker 1: Well, I want to just give you some thoughts of what may have happened to John.
Speaker 1: His circumstances had changed.
Speaker 1: That's one thing John's used to being out and about and preaching, living off the land, free to come and go as he pleases, and now he's in a damp, dark prison cell.
Speaker 1: His circumstances has changed Two or three other things.
Speaker 1: Perhaps we see that his impatience has gotten the best of him.
Speaker 1: You're probably like maybe I am, some of you.
Speaker 1: God's been working on giving you patience all your life and we're still not quite there.
Speaker 1: Yet John was maybe one that was impatient.
Speaker 1: He preached a message of judgment, judgments coming.
Speaker 1: The one who's coming is going to take the axe and put it to the root.
Speaker 1: Oh, he expected, even in the all of that, that Rome would be overthrown.
Speaker 1: True, I'm sure he threw that in.
Speaker 1: And what did Jesus do?
Speaker 1: He comes with a message of mercy and love of all people and caring about everybody.
Speaker 1: And maybe he just got impatient with the way that Jesus was doing things.
Speaker 1: And and, of course, the, the evolution, the, the movement is just going too slow.
Speaker 1: And he was impatient.
Speaker 1: Something else he was no doubt tired and weary, discouraged, even depressed About his situation, about what he thought was going to take place.
Speaker 1: He was just down, he was at a tough time.
Speaker 1: And one other thing I would just mention.
Speaker 1: I think it may well be that he was fearful of the future.
Speaker 1: He was fearful it didn't end well for him on this side and he was just concerned, just fearful.
Speaker 1: Circumstances changed, impatient down, fearful about the future.
Speaker 1: Can you identify with John?
Speaker 1: I can, I can identify with him.
Speaker 1: What about for you and me?
Speaker 1: Yes, identify with John, I can, I can identify with him.
Speaker 1: What about for you and me?
Speaker 1: What happens when our circumstances change?
Speaker 1: When things are good, what do we say?
Speaker 1: Thank Jesus, thank God.
Speaker 1: And when things go south on us, things are not good, what do we say then?
Speaker 1: Why me, why me, why us?
Speaker 1: Same God in control, same Jesus loves us.
Speaker 1: But when our circumstances change so often it's the circumstances that impact us so greatly.
Speaker 1: Then what we know foundationally to be true about God and about Jesus and about His work.
Speaker 1: But circumstances change, we can get down, we can get discouraged, we can be depressed just as well.
Speaker 1: Like John the Baptist, we want Jesus to exact justice on people, judgment on people, with one exception me.
Speaker 1: Judge everybody else, but meet me with mercy, with mercy.
Speaker 1: We're a lot like John the Baptist asking the question, being concerned, wondering.
Speaker 1: And then there's something else.
Speaker 1: Friends, we too get fearful about the future, don't we?
Speaker 1: Different seasons of life, we're concerned about different things, naturally Part of the human experience.
Speaker 1: We may be fearful about something related to our family, or about our finances, or about our health, or about our coming, passing from this world death, and it causes some alarm, some fear within us.
Speaker 1: Through all these years I've learned where to go to in those questions about the future and being fearful.
Speaker 1: That's a good time to live in the Psalms.
Speaker 1: To live in the Psalms.
Speaker 1: You'll find strength and you'll find hope.
Speaker 1: In fact, I jotted a few things down taken out of two Psalms Psalm 34, psalm 46, and talking about God.
Speaker 1: Now listen to this and David and the other writers of Psalm.
Speaker 1: They knew about discouragement and sin and failings and all that stuff and fear.
Speaker 1: Here's some of the ways God has referred to in just two Psalms.
Speaker 1: God is our refuge, our fortress, our resting place, our rock, our shield, our deliverer, my glory, my hiding place, my shepherd, my light, my redeemer, my tower, my hope, my Father.
Speaker 1: Now, if you just, in that condition, begin to recite who God is, that helps, doesn't it?
Speaker 1: When you begin to think about God and all those attributes and all the way that he's known, that helps us, that squares us up.
Speaker 1: That hits the reset button for us.
Speaker 1: So the question that the disciples of John accurately delivered are you the one to come or should we expect another?
Speaker 1: Another way of saying it would have been you're not quite matching up to what we thought the Messiah would be.
Speaker 1: They didn't go there.
Speaker 1: But that's the question, isn't it?
Speaker 1: Are you the one to come, or should we look for another?
Speaker 1: Well, let's look at the answer that Jesus gave.
Speaker 1: It's an answer that you may not expect.
Speaker 1: I would not expect.
Speaker 1: It's probably not an answer that we would have given.
Speaker 1: It would have been in our Lord's shoes, which, of course, thank God, we're not.
Speaker 1: We would have said something like this John, how much do I have to do to prove to you who I am?
Speaker 1: I mean, how far do we have to go?
Speaker 1: How often do we have to have this conversation?
Speaker 1: When are you ever gonna learn?
Speaker 1: Don't you have any faith?
Speaker 1: On and on, we could go, but not Jesus.
Speaker 1: Look with me, beginning in verse 21.
Speaker 1: And that very hour, that very hour, the time that he came to ask the questions of the disciples, in that very hour, jesus cured many of infirmities, afflictions and evil spirits, and to many blind he gave sight.
Speaker 1: So while John is in prison asking these questions, jesus is out doing what Jesus came to do.
Speaker 1: I mentioned to you about the Centurion servant, about the widow of names son being raised, but those are just examples.
Speaker 1: It's not an exhaustive list of all Jesus was doing.
Speaker 1: So in this very time period, jesus was doing all of these things.
Speaker 1: So Jesus very interesting, very interesting to me did not reprimand John, neither did he rebuke John.
Speaker 1: That would have been an easy thing to do, wouldn't it?
Speaker 1: He did not reprimand him.
Speaker 1: He did not rebuke him.
Speaker 1: What did he do?
Speaker 1: He reminded him.
Speaker 1: He just reminded him and I would say, gently reminded him.
Speaker 1: Jesus answered verse 22, and said go and tell John the things you have seen and heard that the blind see the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them and post-scripts.
Speaker 1: And blessed is he who is not offended because of me, blessed is he who does not stumble because of me.
Speaker 1: Jesus said Now you can tie this in Luke's gospel back to the first, we could say the first recorded public message of Jesus.
Speaker 1: When he went home he went back to his home area where he had grown up and he taught them in his first sermon what he had come to do.
Speaker 1: And that's what Jesus still wants to do.
Speaker 1: Luke said, in this very hour, he was doing those things when Jesus gave this message.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna read just a part of he was saying those things.
Speaker 1: And, friends, brothers and sisters, today, in this very hour, jesus still wants to do the same things and hear what he was doing, what Jesus announced to the home congregation.
Speaker 1: The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
Speaker 1: He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable, the acceptable year of the Lord, the year of the Lord.
Speaker 1: That's what he came to do.
Speaker 1: Interesting answer, isn't it?
Speaker 1: Did Jesus know what John was feeling?
Speaker 1: Well, the Bible in the New Testament, another place, says Jesus didn't have any need for people to tell him about men or humankind, we could say, because he knew what was in the heart of people.
Speaker 1: Jesus knew, but he had known of the struggle of John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: He would know Jesus responded to his disciples in different ways at different times, just like he responds to us with your children.
Speaker 1: You sometimes need to treat your children differently, why they're just made.
Speaker 1: Different Coaches know how to deal with the athletes.
Speaker 1: Some need a kick in the pants.
Speaker 1: That's the way you communicate with them and they understand that.
Speaker 1: Others respond when they just know you're disappointed, you blew an assignment.
Speaker 1: You could do better than that.
Speaker 1: You're better than that.
Speaker 1: Just a word and they crush you.
Speaker 1: Something they wanna do better.
Speaker 1: Jesus is like that with you and me.
Speaker 1: He knows how we're made, he knows how to communicate to us and he knew where John was, and what John did not need at this time was the proverbial kick in the pants.
Speaker 1: He did not need him to say, oh, come on, john, be a man, strengthen yourself, don't quit now, don't be a quitter on me.
Speaker 1: But that's not what he did.
Speaker 1: And then he gave a powerful testimony about John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: Now, friends, this is a very powerful testimony that he gave to John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: This may be at about the lowest point.
Speaker 1: John had ever been the lowest point and the people kinda got the gist of it.
Speaker 1: I mean, there have been people around when the disciples asked the question and they might've been thinking, oh, my goodness, what has happened to John, that rough, strong, loud preacher of repentance.
Speaker 1: And Jesus just reminds them of what he's doing.
Speaker 1: Then he gives a testimony about John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: Jesus said verse 24, the messengers of John departed.
Speaker 1: He began to speak.
Speaker 1: Look, it's the multitude concerning John, a lot of people, a multitude.
Speaker 1: And he said to them, he asked them what?
Speaker 1: Did you go out into the wilderness to see A reed shaken by the wind?
Speaker 1: Sometimes you wonder and you need to go back to the context of the day what would a wreath shaken by the wind be in that wilderness area, that part of the world?
Speaker 1: It'd be common, a common sight.
Speaker 1: Did you go out there to see a common sight, a common man, a wreath as common as a wreath shaken in the wind.
Speaker 1: But what did you go out to see?
Speaker 1: A man clothed in soft garments.
Speaker 1: Did you go out to see a guy who was luxuriously dressed, tailored suit, whatever it may be?
Speaker 1: Did you go out to see somebody like that?
Speaker 1: No, he said.
Speaker 1: Indeed, those who are gorgeously apparel and live in luxury are in the king's courts.
Speaker 1: But what did you go out to see?
Speaker 1: A prophet, yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet, and he quotes Malachi Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way before you.
Speaker 1: And look at what Jesus said, for I say to you, among those born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: It's awesome what Jesus did for John.
Speaker 1: I'm telling you that, in my mind, what Jesus said and what was reported, no doubt back to John by somebody, was enough to see him the rest of the way.
Speaker 1: And when the king decided to take his head and usher him into heaven that way, I don't think John was down a bit like he was at this particular point, and Jesus said what did you go to see?
Speaker 1: A common person?
Speaker 1: Did you go to see a person of means and position and prestige, or did you go to see a prophet?
Speaker 1: He said that's what you went to see.
Speaker 1: And then Jesus gives this highest word of love appreciation.
Speaker 1: Jesus said I want to tell you something about John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: There's not been a greater person born of woman than John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: Was that not a soothing balm for a troubled guy?
Speaker 1: A man who in his heart of hearts knew but needed a word, who seemed to be getting off track a little bit, who was discouraged, who was depressed, who was impatient, who was fearful.
Speaker 1: And what did Jesus do?
Speaker 1: He didn't play off any of that.
Speaker 1: He just told him, john, this is who I am you tell, remind John who I am and then remind John of what I think of him.
Speaker 1: Remind John of what I think of him.
Speaker 1: I mentioned the song that Mary Pat sang.
Speaker 1: Jim Simba and his wife have served a Brooklyn Tabernacle, new York City, for many years.
Speaker 1: In fact, at our state convention in October, simba scheduled to speak the pastor that come to speak to us a time or two.
Speaker 1: Like everybody, they went through, have gone through, continued through, like we all do, tough and challenging times, some of our own making, some that are not, but everybody faces them.
Speaker 1: Years ago, when this song was written, jim and his wife were going through a terrible time because of the rebellious nature and action of one of their children, and he recounts in one of his books how that for two and a half years he struggled.
Speaker 1: He just struggled with it, didn't know what to do, but as a preacher he knew what he had to do.
Speaker 1: So he put on the front, put on the face, said the things a preacher's supposed to do, did the things a preacher's supposed to do, took care of the folks, tried to minister the best he could, but inside he was grieving, as was his wife.
Speaker 1: During that time, his wife had serious surgery.
Speaker 1: As if things couldn't get worse, they did.
Speaker 1: And during this difficult time he didn't know what to do.
Speaker 1: And his wife talked.
Speaker 1: And his wife said let's leave Brooklyn, let's get our family out of here, let's go somewhere else, let's try to help our kids, let's do something.
Speaker 1: And he said, during that time, the evil one the devil, however he did it came to him.
Speaker 1: He said, or whispered to him and said you can have your big church and you can have your great choir, but I've already got one of your kids and I'm going to get the other two as well.
Speaker 1: It was at this time that his wife went to the piano and began to write a song that you have heard beautifully sung today.
Speaker 1: Let me remind you of some of the words in this context and in the context of John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: In my moments of fear, through every pain, every tear, there's a God.
Speaker 1: There's a God who's been faithful to me when my strength was all gone, when my heart had no song.
Speaker 1: Still in love, he's proved faithful to me.
Speaker 1: Every word he's promised is true.
Speaker 1: What I thought was impossible, I see my God do.
Speaker 1: He's been faithful, faithful to me.
Speaker 1: Looking back, his love and mercy.
Speaker 1: I see, though in my heart I have questioned, even failed to believe.
Speaker 1: Yet he's been faithful, faithful to me, and the symbolists continue on and God's grace and mercy is enough.
Speaker 1: Back to John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: The guys returned to the disciples.
Speaker 1: They said John, we told him.
Speaker 1: In fact, we were careful.
Speaker 1: We asked exactly the question with the same words that you told us to ask.
Speaker 1: We asked him and he said remind John the Baptist of this Blind folks are seeing, the lame are walking, the oppressed are being set free and the gospel is being preached to the poor.
Speaker 1: And they report back.
Speaker 1: And they said not only that, we saw some of the evidence of all of that while we were there.
Speaker 1: Well, john says just imagine with me.
Speaker 1: Did he say anything else?
Speaker 1: And they smile and said yeah, they did.
Speaker 1: John must have thought oh boy, here comes the main part of it.
Speaker 1: Here it comes.
Speaker 1: He said John, jesus said of all the people ever born, there's never been a greater man than you, born of woman.
Speaker 1: What would you do or say if you were John?
Speaker 1: Some of us would weep, some of us would laugh, some of us might say oh, come on, that's not funny.
Speaker 1: I like to think, and I guess, well, I know, we'll wait to heaven.
Speaker 1: I'll wait to heaven to find out for sure.
Speaker 1: Here's what I think happened, I think, when John the Baptist heard that, he stood a little taller, threw out his chest a little bit and smiled a broad smile and thought to himself that's Jesus.
Speaker 1: That's Jesus, that's the one that's come, that's the Son of God, only the Son of God.
Speaker 1: That is Jesus.
Speaker 1: Would you bow with me please?
Speaker 1: Now?
Speaker 1: There's no doubt that even now, or in the past or in the future, we need Jesus to show up to us, for us, and he will.
Speaker 1: And you might think that when he does, he's going to come just simply to judge you, to criticize you, to condemn you.
Speaker 1: But I want to tell you something Jesus came to seek and save those who are lost, those who've lost their way, just like John the Baptist.
Speaker 1: And he loves you like nobody else loves you.
Speaker 1: He really does.
Speaker 1: He knows you.
Speaker 1: I like to say he knows us better than anybody, he knows us best and still loves us the most.
Speaker 1: Today you might just need to hear him say to you I love you, I'm for you, I believe in you, I'm here to help you, and if so, you just speak with him.
Speaker 1: It may be in the balcony, the main floor.
Speaker 1: There's an individual, a couple of family that you know.
Speaker 1: This is where the Lord has led you to link your life, to become a part of this church family, to serve and worship together, to impact Delta Rata, south Arkansas and, through your giving and going, impact the world for Jesus.
Speaker 1: Would you come?
Speaker 1: Brian will be at the front to receive you any decision, or you may just need him to pray with you to the Lord, whatever it is.
Speaker 1: Father, thank you for this time of worship and thank you for the worship time, the praise, the singing.
Speaker 1: Thank you for opening your word together.
Speaker 1: Now, bless Lord, this word and this worship service to the hearts and lives of people.
Speaker 1: Help them to respond.
Speaker 1: Help them to respond in a way that would honor Jesus but also Lord, that would allow Jesus to help them right where they are.
Speaker 1: In Jesus name, I pray amen.