SPEAKER_00: Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.
SPEAKER_00: You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.
SPEAKER_01: Well, good morning.
SPEAKER_01: Great to see you.
SPEAKER_01: We uh are going to continue our series in questions we ask Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: We've been looking this month at questions uh that folks have uh in real life circumstances asked Jesus and have seen how those compare and relate to real life questions that we ask in our lives in those moments where we just go, Lord, are you there?
SPEAKER_01: Lord, you hear my prayer?
SPEAKER_01: Lord, why is this working this way?
SPEAKER_01: And so we ask those questions.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to turn with me in your Bibles to Luke chapter 7.
SPEAKER_01: We'll look at question four.
SPEAKER_01: While you're turning, I want to invite you to listen to one of our new podcasts.
SPEAKER_01: You got a chance to meet uh Adam Wood and Tristan Weaver this morning during the welcome.
SPEAKER_01: And uh we have a new podcast that Tristan was a guest on this week.
SPEAKER_01: A couple of our guys are starting, have started a podcast.
SPEAKER_01: Uh it's called From Seat to Street, and you'll find it on our website and all those places where you connect with us.
SPEAKER_01: And what they're doing, it's members of our staff and members of our congregation like Tristan last week, who are just talking through applications from the Sunday message.
SPEAKER_01: So it's a nice kind of follow-up, a way to connect.
SPEAKER_01: It's a nice way to get to know more of our staff folks and some of our lay folks.
SPEAKER_01: Last week was a really, really good episode, and uh it was great.
SPEAKER_01: We had two of our staff guys, and Tristan bailed them out in the conversation.
SPEAKER_01: So you should check that out.
SPEAKER_01: And uh and we uh we pray that's a blessing to you as you're walking through the week.
SPEAKER_01: Well, here we are in uh Luke chapter 7.
SPEAKER_01: We find Jesus ministering, and then in verse 18, you find where our question comes from today.
SPEAKER_01: Then John's disciples told him about all these things.
SPEAKER_01: So let me set this up for you.
SPEAKER_01: The John there we're talking about, you'll see in a moment, is John the Baptist.
SPEAKER_01: So Jesus has been healing people, he's just raised a woman's son from the dead.
SPEAKER_01: He's doing all this ministry, and you ask, why in the world does John not know what's happening, and why do his followers have to tell him what's going on?
SPEAKER_01: Because you think John and Jesus were close.
SPEAKER_01: They were actually cousins, if you know the story of John the Baptist.
SPEAKER_01: Um, John actually was a cousin of Jesus, and then he began preaching about the Messiah who would come, and he identified Jesus as the Messiah, and then he actually conducted Jesus' baptism.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says that he was kind of a rough country guy, strong, you know, sort of uh just hard preaching, calling people to repentance.
SPEAKER_01: Now, why does John not know what was happening?
SPEAKER_01: Well, actually, we understand from the story of the Gospels, John did not know what was happening because John was actually in prison.
SPEAKER_01: He was not where he could have followed the ministry of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: So why was John the Baptist in prison?
SPEAKER_01: Well, in those days, you know, Rome is ruling Israel, and what they would do when they are taking over these nations, many times they would set up kind of a puppet government, and it would try to integrate the people that they had conquered, try to keep them where they were manageable, and they didn't have rebellions and all that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_01: And so they had put in place a guy named Herod who is king, and you've heard stories of Herod at Jesus' birth, Herod at Jesus' crucifixion, that kind of a deal.
SPEAKER_01: Well, Herod was a louse.
SPEAKER_01: He was a pretty rotten man.
SPEAKER_01: Uh he was evil, he didn't follow the Lord, uh, he was Jewish, but he didn't follow Jewish law.
SPEAKER_01: He was just a rotten political type figure.
SPEAKER_01: And what the Bible tells us what happened is Herod uh took a fancy to his brother's wife.
SPEAKER_01: And so he got enough connected with his brother's wife that he divorced his own wife, made his brother divorce his wife, and then he married his sister-in-law.
SPEAKER_01: Now I have a sister-in-law, and I'm still trying to figure out this story here, right?
SPEAKER_01: Got that.
SPEAKER_01: No, I actually have two sister-in-laws, and they're both wonderful, so they are.
SPEAKER_01: But I don't I don't really get obviously it's just wrong, it's evil, it's immoral.
SPEAKER_01: And so John, in preaching repentance, John the Baptist preaches against this.
SPEAKER_01: And I mean he calls out sin and he calls out Herod and his wife for this sin.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible tells us that she got really mad about it, and so she uh convinced Herod to arrest John the Baptist.
SPEAKER_01: So he is in prison because of preaching against this immorality.
SPEAKER_01: And in fact, if you were to continue to read after this, John does not actually get out of prison.
SPEAKER_01: What happens is uh Herod throws this wild Bacchanalian, you know, terrible party.
SPEAKER_01: Think, you know, frat party at Ole Miss or somewhere.
SPEAKER_01: The worst possible rotten type of thing you can imagine, right?
SPEAKER_01: That's where it happens.
SPEAKER_01: Some of y'all been to Ole Miss, you know what I'm talking about, right?
SPEAKER_01: And so you got this horrible thing going on, everybody's drinking, people are dancing.
SPEAKER_01: Uh, Herod's wife's daughter dances in a very suggestive, sort of terrible, you know, fashion, and he takes a fancy to his wife's daughter.
SPEAKER_01: Now, this is how rotten this guy is.
SPEAKER_01: He is so taken in with his wife's daughter that after she's done, he says, I will give you anything.
SPEAKER_01: I will, up to half my kingdom I will give you.
SPEAKER_01: Now that's terrible.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible says she goes back to mom and says, Mom, I got this blank check from your husband.
SPEAKER_01: What do you think I should ask for?
SPEAKER_01: And she, Mom says, I want John the Baptist's head on a platter.
SPEAKER_01: And so that's where this story comes from.
SPEAKER_01: So he literally cuts off his head and delivers it to his wife on a platter.
SPEAKER_01: And so that's where John is.
SPEAKER_01: And so John is not able to follow what's happening because of this experience.
SPEAKER_01: So the Bible says in verse 18, John's disciples told him about all that Jesus was doing.
SPEAKER_01: From prison then, John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?
SPEAKER_01: So John is clearly in this prison and he is struggling.
SPEAKER_01: He is doubting, he's questioning, he's struggling there.
SPEAKER_01: When the men reached Jesus, they said, John the Baptist sent us to ask you, are you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?
SPEAKER_01: At that time Jesus then healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and he granted sight to many blind people, and he replied to them, Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard.
SPEAKER_01: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.
SPEAKER_01: And anyone who was not offended because of me is blessed.
SPEAKER_01: After John's messengers left, I mean note, he didn't say, I'll rescue you from prison, everything will be all right, or whatever.
SPEAKER_01: He just says, Go back and tell them what you saw, and don't be offended by me.
SPEAKER_01: After John's messengers left, he began to speak to the crowds about John.
SPEAKER_01: What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
SPEAKER_01: A reed swaying in the wind.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, right here, the people around are watching this, and they hear John's followers clearly ask this question, and they think, John's been preaching, John's been pointing him out as the Messiah, and now all of a sudden John is questioning, is Jesus the Messiah?
SPEAKER_01: And the crowd doesn't know what to think.
SPEAKER_01: They understand this because of the fame of John the Baptist and all of that, so they're asking what's going on.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus looks at them and he asks a rhetorical question, trying to explain how great he holds John in esteem.
SPEAKER_01: He says, ask this rhetorical question, what did you go out in the wilderness to see?
SPEAKER_01: A reed swaying in the wind?
SPEAKER_01: When did you go out?
SPEAKER_01: What then did you go out to see?
SPEAKER_01: A man dressed in soft robes.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, John was not.
SPEAKER_01: John was strong.
SPEAKER_01: He was dressed in animal skins, he was fiery, he was all that.
SPEAKER_01: And he's saying, look, you know you didn't go out there to see some milk toast guy dressed up in whatever.
SPEAKER_01: You went out to see John.
SPEAKER_01: And you saw him.
SPEAKER_01: Look, those who are splendidly dressed and live in luxury are in royal palaces.
SPEAKER_01: What then did you go out to see?
SPEAKER_01: A prophet?
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
SPEAKER_01: I tell you, and far more than a prophet.
SPEAKER_01: This is the one it is written about.
SPEAKER_01: And there was a prophecy that when Jesus came, the Messiah came, there would be a messenger who would point him out and prepare the way.
SPEAKER_01: And so he says, Look, Jesus quotes this scripture from Malachi, look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you.
SPEAKER_01: He will prepare your way before you.
SPEAKER_01: He is saying, John is the messenger prophesied in the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_01: I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John.
SPEAKER_01: But the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
SPEAKER_01: So what is Jesus saying here?
SPEAKER_01: Here's the question that we get in this story.
SPEAKER_01: Technically, the question that John asks is, are you the one, or should I look somewhere else?
SPEAKER_01: But I think inherent in John's question, fundamentally in what he's asking, he is in prison.
SPEAKER_01: And he's saying, Listen, if you're doing all this stuff and I'm in prison, I'm your follower, I'm your preacher, I'm your messenger, on top of that, I'm your cousin.
SPEAKER_01: We have a relationship.
SPEAKER_01: Why am I still here?
SPEAKER_01: What's going on that I'm stuck in in prison for preaching the gospel and pointing people to you, and you've left me here.
SPEAKER_01: If you're the Savior, why haven't you rescued me?
SPEAKER_01: And I think there are times in our lives where we ask this question Things are not going great, doctor gives a bad report, there's a riff at work, there's some kind of struggle going on, your kids are doing this, or your marriage has got this going on.
SPEAKER_01: And you pray, you ask the Lord, and there's a struggle.
SPEAKER_01: We had an incredible email this week from someone uh watching on television.
SPEAKER_01: We love our folks watching on television and watching on the internet, and we get lots of correspondence.
SPEAKER_01: It's fabulous.
SPEAKER_01: Keep doing that.
SPEAKER_01: And somebody asked the question this week.
SPEAKER_01: They said, Listen, Pastor Greg, you told us last week that we are to bring our prayers and our desperation to Jesus, and they'll answer.
SPEAKER_01: So last week, you remember we talked about the disciples couldn't cast out the demons, and they said, Why not?
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus said, You can only do this through prayer and fasting.
SPEAKER_01: And we encourage everyone, bring your needs to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: They said, Listen, I think it's an incredible question that we all have times in our lives that we ask.
SPEAKER_01: Pastor, I have brought this to Jesus and I haven't gotten an answer.
SPEAKER_01: I'm still in prison.
SPEAKER_01: I'm still sick.
SPEAKER_01: This struggle is still here.
SPEAKER_01: This relationship is still here.
SPEAKER_01: If you're the Savior, why haven't you rescued me?
SPEAKER_01: You promise to answer prayer, why haven't you?
SPEAKER_01: And here's the answer Jesus gives.
SPEAKER_01: Basically says, trust me beyond your circumstances, even if I do not answer the way you want in this moment.
SPEAKER_01: You see, here, Jesus doesn't say, I'll get you out.
SPEAKER_01: He doesn't encourage him, he doesn't tell him it's going to be okay.
SPEAKER_01: And ultimately what we know is John got his head chopped off.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus is saying, look, tell him that I am the Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: Tell him that I am who he asked for.
SPEAKER_01: And in essence, what Jesus is saying is, listen, I'm enough.
SPEAKER_01: I'm enough.
SPEAKER_01: So let's break this down a little bit.
SPEAKER_01: Because I think this is really, really vital for us to understand to encourage our faith.
SPEAKER_01: Truth number one is this Jesus does not always answer or work the way we want or ask him to do it.
SPEAKER_01: Here John is really asking if you're the Messiah, why am I stuck here?
SPEAKER_01: You're the Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: I'm doubting, I'm struggling, this is not going the way I thought.
SPEAKER_01: You didn't answer the way you want.
SPEAKER_01: And sure enough, Jesus does not answer his question in the way John probably wants.
SPEAKER_01: John would prefer to be out of prison.
SPEAKER_01: He would prefer not to go through this.
SPEAKER_01: He would prefer not to have this.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus doesn't even give him a word of encouragement.
SPEAKER_01: He just says, go back and tell him that I am him.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, God does not promise that this faith journey is going to be smooth.
SPEAKER_01: Things are going to continue to happen.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, we live in a fallen world.
SPEAKER_01: Our world struggles because of the impact of sin.
SPEAKER_01: If you are saved and you know Jesus as your Savior, when you came to Him and you trusted Him as your Savior, the Bible knows we all tells us we all are sinners.
SPEAKER_01: We've all sinned and fallen short of God's glory.
SPEAKER_01: We are all sinners by nature, by birth, and by choice.
SPEAKER_01: And because of that, our sin must be judged.
SPEAKER_01: But Jesus loved us, stepped out of heaven, went and died on the cross to pay the price for our sins.
SPEAKER_01: When you come and give your life to Jesus, you are giving him your sin, and he is giving you his righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: A spiritual exchange occurs where you place your faith in him, you trust his death to pay the price for your sin.
SPEAKER_01: He does that, then he gives you his righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: When I was a nine and a half-year-old boy, I gave my life to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And now when God sees me from heaven, he looks at me through the shed blood of Jesus, and I'm clean under the blood of Jesus because I've been forgiven.
SPEAKER_01: But that doesn't mean that I am automatically changed.
SPEAKER_01: There are many days I look like lost Greg instead of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm in this transformation process, and we still struggle with temptation and doubts and things that we can't defeat.
SPEAKER_01: And why do I do this?
SPEAKER_01: And why do I want that?
SPEAKER_01: We still struggle with that.
SPEAKER_01: We live in a fallen world with our own struggles that are trying, Jesus is trying to transform in our lives, and then we live around people who have the same struggles.
SPEAKER_01: We are around people who are lost and they're sinners and they're doing what sinners do.
SPEAKER_01: And we're surrounded, even in church, by people just like I am who are trying to grow and trying to overcome those struggles, and there's all this stuff going on, and it doesn't always go well.
SPEAKER_01: It's not always going to go well.
SPEAKER_01: And so many times people come to Jesus and they have a struggle and they're trying to get relief from this struggle, and if Jesus doesn't fix it the way they want, they back away and they say, Well, I've tried that and it doesn't work.
SPEAKER_01: And here's a story where we see Jesus does not answer John's need like John would want him to.
SPEAKER_01: And that's a common part of life.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, death is going to happen.
SPEAKER_01: One day I am going to pass away and go to heaven unless Jesus comes first.
SPEAKER_01: When is that going to be?
SPEAKER_01: I have no idea.
SPEAKER_01: Now, my mom lives in Memphis, and so every time I get on I-40 between Little Rock and Memphis, you know, there's a 50-50 shot whether I'm going to make it to Memphis or heaven, right?
SPEAKER_01: Y'all have been on I-40, it's the way it looks.
SPEAKER_01: I don't know when it's going to happen, but it's going to happen at some point, right?
SPEAKER_01: And so nothing is going to change that.
SPEAKER_01: The Bible makes it clear those things are going to happen.
SPEAKER_01: Struggles are going to happen.
SPEAKER_01: It is the result of sin and it impacts everything around us.
SPEAKER_01: And so we come to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus didn't come just to make life better.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus came to save us from our sin.
SPEAKER_01: He came to give us eternal life.
SPEAKER_01: He came to walk in relationship with us through the garbage that happens in life.
SPEAKER_01: It happens.
SPEAKER_01: And so sometimes we come and Jesus answers our prayer the way we asked it.
SPEAKER_01: But other times we come to Jesus and He does not answer it the way we ask.
SPEAKER_01: So what do we do in that?
SPEAKER_01: He doesn't always do it that way.
SPEAKER_01: Well, truth number two says this.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is always the primary answer to our prayers.
SPEAKER_01: When we come to Jesus, as we've been talking about the last couple of weeks, you bring your desperation, you bring your need to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Now we pushed that last week because so many times people don't bring their prayers to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the book of James says you have not because you ask not.
SPEAKER_01: And so we have to push, push, push to get people to ask the prayers and get people to come to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Encourage people to pray and stir their heart for prayer and encourage them to come to Jesus and encourage them to come to Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And then when someone does, sometimes when we're dealing with this question, he didn't answer the way I want him to.
SPEAKER_01: We have to understand he does answer our prayer.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus always answered our prayers and he's promised to answer our prayers.
SPEAKER_01: But sometimes the answer is not what we thought, but it is always Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He is the primary answer to our prayers.
SPEAKER_01: Now look how Jesus explains this to John the Baptist.
SPEAKER_01: John asks, This is all going on.
SPEAKER_01: This is not happening the way I thought it would.
SPEAKER_01: Are you really the Messiah?
SPEAKER_01: And he struggles with this doubt.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus' response is fascinating.
SPEAKER_01: He tells those followers, you go back and tell John what you saw.
SPEAKER_01: And then he quotes, this is a quote from the Old Testament.
SPEAKER_01: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news.
SPEAKER_01: These are quotes from the prophet Isaiah, primarily in chapters 35 and 61.
SPEAKER_01: And he is prophesying about the Redeemer who would come, and he literally says, the Redeemer will give the blind their sight.
SPEAKER_01: The Redeemer will make the lame to walk.
SPEAKER_01: The Redeemer will preach to the poor and the afflicted and encourage and elevate them and give them the good news.
SPEAKER_01: And so what Jesus says, when John asks this question, aren't you the one?
SPEAKER_01: Because my thought as John the Baptist is, if you were, you would take care of this.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus says, go back and tell him what he will know.
SPEAKER_01: He will recognize this prophecy from Isaiah.
SPEAKER_01: As a preacher, John the Baptist will know.
SPEAKER_01: And you tell him, I healed the lame, I made the blind to see.
SPEAKER_01: I helped people to walk.
SPEAKER_01: I preached good news to the poor and the afflicted.
SPEAKER_01: And you tell him you saw this.
SPEAKER_01: And you quote that scripture that I, Jesus, am fulfilling the prophecy of the Redeemer.
SPEAKER_01: And he will know and be encouraged that I am He.
SPEAKER_01: And so what Jesus answered to John is what you've seen and what you've heard is real.
SPEAKER_01: Your faith is in the right person.
SPEAKER_01: My answer to you, John, in the midst of this circumstance, is that you have me as your redeemer.
SPEAKER_01: And so many times in our lives we need to understand it is not God fixing this or that, it is giving us Jesus Himself.
SPEAKER_01: The most important thing that we need to receive is Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: The most important answer to our doubts is that Jesus is real and he is the Redeemer.
SPEAKER_01: The most important answer to every question you will ever ask is Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He is the answer to every question.
SPEAKER_01: If he is greater than death and sin, if he is able to heal the sick and make the lame to walk and the blind to see, if he's able to cast out demons, if he's able to carry us through the struggles, then what that means is Jesus is what we need more than anything else or anyone else.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes people will come to my office and they'll say, Pastor, I got this, I got this medical report.
SPEAKER_01: It's not good.
SPEAKER_01: Will you pray for healing for me?
SPEAKER_01: And we'll say, Yeah, we'll be glad to.
SPEAKER_01: We pray for healing all the time.
SPEAKER_01: Not even just when we go to the hospitals.
SPEAKER_01: We'll meet together, we'll pray, we'll pray with folks.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes we'll come together, we'll anoint them with oil, as the Bible says in James.
SPEAKER_01: That's just a picture of the Holy Spirit, and we'll pray over them.
SPEAKER_01: Sometimes classes will gather together and pray over someone.
SPEAKER_01: So there's lots of times someone's come to me and said, Pastor, when you pray over me, this is not good.
SPEAKER_01: I said, Yes, I will pray for them.
SPEAKER_01: And sometimes God heals and sometimes he does not.
SPEAKER_01: And so the question is then, Pastor, how do I how what do I do now?
SPEAKER_01: I said, Well, here's the answer.
SPEAKER_01: If it doesn't go well, you've given your life to Jesus, the one who raises from the dead and gives eternal life.
SPEAKER_01: And the way to be encouraged in this journey is Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Or sometimes Jesus heals as the great physician, and if he's going to heal you, it's only Jesus who will heal you.
SPEAKER_01: And so the answer is the same, whichever approach and whichever destination occurs.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is the answer.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is the path.
SPEAKER_01: I get this question often.
SPEAKER_01: People will come in and say, Pastor, our marriage is falling apart, is struggling, and I don't know what to do.
SPEAKER_01: I'm in this situation, it's awful.
SPEAKER_01: What do we do?
SPEAKER_01: And I'll say, here's the deal: marriage is a picture of salvation.
SPEAKER_01: And so Jesus is the hope for every marriage.
SPEAKER_01: So if your marriage is going to be healed, it is Jesus who will do it.
SPEAKER_01: If your spouse or whatever situation goes the other way and the marriage is dissolved and comes apart, how are you going to recover from that?
SPEAKER_01: Jesus will be the one who heals your heart.
SPEAKER_01: And so what is the answer?
SPEAKER_01: It is always the person of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: Regardless of the destination, Jesus is the one.
SPEAKER_01: And so Jesus' answer to John is not, it will be okay, I'll get you out of prison, this is going to happen.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus' answer to John is, John, I am the Redeemer.
SPEAKER_01: Trust in me.
SPEAKER_01: I've got you.
SPEAKER_01: Trust in me.
SPEAKER_01: And he builds his faith.
SPEAKER_01: He encourages him to place his faith in Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And that brings us to truth number three.
SPEAKER_01: We need to learn to trust in Jesus and that he will work in grace whether we receive relief or not.
SPEAKER_01: Whether we see his hand in that moment or not.
SPEAKER_01: John dies, but John goes to heaven.
SPEAKER_01: John stays in prison, but John is now encouraged that Jesus loves him, Jesus knows him, and all the things that Jesus promised him are real.
SPEAKER_01: The minute that John's lifeblood began to leap out because he was severed, he immediately was in the presence of God the Father because of his faith in the person of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: The minute John walked into heaven, he saw that every promise that God had ever made to him was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: John understood.
SPEAKER_01: When John was in that prison and he was struggling and he didn't know what to happen and his doubts were happening, he got this word where Jesus says, I am, keep your trust in me.
SPEAKER_01: And John could go forward and face what he was facing.
SPEAKER_01: Here's what I also love about this.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, John learned to trust in Jesus, whatever's happening.
SPEAKER_01: When he's got these doubts, he's got these questions, Jesus never rejects his question.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus never goes, tells those guys to go back and tell John, what is the deal, John?
SPEAKER_01: Why are you asking this question?
SPEAKER_01: Jesus doesn't show up in prison and go, cuz, what is wrong with you?
SPEAKER_01: Don't you know who I am?
SPEAKER_01: Instead, Jesus answers the question in an incredibly powerful, factual, biblical way.
SPEAKER_01: He made the lane to walk, and he said, go back and tell them, just as Isaiah said, the Redeemer will make the lane to walk.
SPEAKER_01: He raised someone from the dead in the story just before this.
SPEAKER_01: He made the blind to see.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, Go back and quote Isaiah again to John.
SPEAKER_01: The Redeemer will make the blind to see.
SPEAKER_01: He told John the answer that John needed.
SPEAKER_01: I am Jesus and I am with you.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, I love this part.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is looking at the people around and they're struggling with why has John lost his faith?
SPEAKER_01: And I thought Jesus was clear about who the Messiah was, and now he's asking the Messiah deal.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus turns to cry and he goes, Listen, I'm going to take care of John.
SPEAKER_01: I've got his back.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, you went to the woods to see a real prophet and you knew he was a prophet, and I'm telling you that he was an answer to prophecy.
SPEAKER_01: And I, Jesus, am telling you that there's been no other man who was that great than John the Baptist.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus protects his reputation.
SPEAKER_01: He protects his testimony.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus steps in and he is moving with grace and protecting John and answering John and responding to John and answering to his prayers.
SPEAKER_01: He never stops him from asking.
SPEAKER_01: He never pushes him away.
SPEAKER_01: He never lets him be ridiculed by someone else.
SPEAKER_01: He works and he protects John.
SPEAKER_01: This is also a beautiful part.
SPEAKER_01: John has to send these men to go ask Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And you know that they're thinking, you know, this is a problem.
SPEAKER_01: We've never seen John like this.
SPEAKER_01: Boy, John's really down.
SPEAKER_01: Why is John so down?
SPEAKER_01: I don't know, man, he's in prison.
SPEAKER_01: Well, why is he, you know, he asked us, did you hear what he told us to ask Jesus?
SPEAKER_01: Is he really the Messiah?
SPEAKER_01: The guy said, well, we better go ask him.
SPEAKER_01: So they go ask him, and they're asking through this and they're working through this.
SPEAKER_01: And they're thinking, now Jesus is not even answering properly.
SPEAKER_01: Like he's not going to go fix this situation.
SPEAKER_01: He's not going to go pull John out of prison.
SPEAKER_01: What's going on with this?
SPEAKER_01: And they're struggling with all this.
SPEAKER_01: And in the midst of this, Jesus not only understands the crowd, but he understands these men, and he is speaking to them as well as John.
SPEAKER_01: He is trying to step in and help everyone's faith and strengthen them all of this.
SPEAKER_01: And here's what Jesus says anyone who is not offended because of me is blessed.
SPEAKER_01: See, here's the deal.
SPEAKER_01: There's a trap when we come to Jesus and we expect Jesus to answer questions the way we want him to.
SPEAKER_01: I'm struggling with this.
SPEAKER_01: It's not responding the way I want it to.
SPEAKER_01: So we have this question.
SPEAKER_01: Are you hearing me?
SPEAKER_01: Are you there?
SPEAKER_01: Is this real?
SPEAKER_01: Why are you not doing this?
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus, if he's not going to always answer the way we want him to, but he's always going to answer with him, it then is a part of our faith journey not to reject and push back on Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: There are times people come to church and they go, I want Jesus to fix this, and it doesn't get fixed the way they want, or as fast as they want, or how they want.
SPEAKER_01: And then they go, Jesus is not real.
SPEAKER_01: I'm just not going to pay attention to that.
SPEAKER_01: You see, they fall into a trap because they are offended by Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: They are reacting to his not doing it the way they want, and they fall into a trap to have their faith struggle or to reject him.
SPEAKER_01: And this is a beautiful word picture here, this word offense.
SPEAKER_01: What it means is I'm offended by him and it causes me to fall in a trap.
SPEAKER_01: I see him and I am trapped in this cycle of now I'm going to reject Jesus, or I'm not going to pay attention, or I'm going to walk away.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus is encouraging those men, and he's encouraging John, listen, don't push back because I didn't answer the way you wanted to.
SPEAKER_01: I am answering you with the best answer that you can get.
SPEAKER_01: I am answering you with myself.
SPEAKER_01: And you can trust me in every situation and whatever's happening.
SPEAKER_01: Why do we know that?
SPEAKER_01: Because he is the Messiah who saves us for eternity.
SPEAKER_01: He cleanses us, he pays the price for our sins.
SPEAKER_01: He raises us from the dead with eternal life.
SPEAKER_01: He walks through the middle of everything with us.
SPEAKER_01: There was a moment in Paul's ministry where he was struggling with this question.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, the Bible gives us so many times where people are in the midst of a difficult circumstance, and instead of alleviating the struggles, Jesus steps in and walks through it with them.
SPEAKER_01: We sang a few minutes ago about Jesus as our fourth man in the fire.
SPEAKER_01: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went into the fire and refused to reject Jesus because they trusted the promise of the Messiah.
SPEAKER_01: Stephen was stoned, and there he died in the midst of stoning.
SPEAKER_01: But Jesus, the Bible says he looked up and he saw Jesus, and he spoke to Jesus as he went to heaven.
SPEAKER_01: You see, so many times Jesus steps into our moments.
SPEAKER_01: Paul describes one in the book of 2 Corinthians.
SPEAKER_01: He's writing a letter to talk to the people in Corinth and their churches who were supporting his missionary journeys.
SPEAKER_01: And the Bible tells us that after his introduction in chapter 1, he says, This I don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, he says, I'm writing you this letter.
SPEAKER_01: There's not internet, there's not Twitter, there's not TikTok.
SPEAKER_01: You couldn't have gone on Instagram and found out what we were going through.
SPEAKER_01: I want to tell you what happened so you'll know.
SPEAKER_01: He says, we were completely overwhelmed beyond our strength so that we even despaired of life.
SPEAKER_01: It was so bad, church family, that we thought we were gonna die.
SPEAKER_01: In fact, he says, indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves.
SPEAKER_01: In other words, we knew we were gonna die.
SPEAKER_01: This was it.
SPEAKER_01: It was over.
SPEAKER_01: We knew one day we'd die for preaching the gospel, and so here it is, here's where we're gonna die.
SPEAKER_01: And listen to what he says.
SPEAKER_01: So that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead.
SPEAKER_01: Paul says, listen, we were fine with it.
SPEAKER_01: If we were gonna die in prison, that's fine.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna wake up in heaven.
SPEAKER_01: God has us, he's gonna take care of us, he's gonna carry this through us, and if we don't see it here, we're gonna see it on the other side because we know Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: He is the Savior and the God who raises from the dead.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, Listen, we were in this circumstance so that we would place our faith in him and not in ourselves or something else.
SPEAKER_01: There's another time, famous time, when Paul is talking about a struggle in his life, and the Bible refers to it as a thorn in the flesh, and we don't know exactly what that is.
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of speculation, but it was something that was difficult.
SPEAKER_01: And what he says is, I was praying through this, and three times I begged God to take it away, but he would not take it away, and he left it in my life so that I would trust in him and he would be my strength.
SPEAKER_01: You see, Jesus is always gonna work whether we see the relief or not.
SPEAKER_01: He is doing things around us.
SPEAKER_01: He may be ministering to people around us, he may be encouraging John because John's followers needed to trust in Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: They needed to shift their allegiance from John the Baptist, the pastor where they were saved, to the Savior Himself.
SPEAKER_01: And so they needed to see John die for his faith, and in that realize that John placed his faith in Jesus, and Jesus was enough regardless of what happens, and they then place their faith in Jesus because Jesus is enough.
SPEAKER_01: And we've got to be in our walk, in our time with Jesus, where Jesus is enough.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we have worship in all of our services.
SPEAKER_01: Because we need a time corporately where we are encouraging each other to look to Jesus, to be reminded of things like in this service, he is our good shepherd.
SPEAKER_01: The goodness of God is always in play.
SPEAKER_01: He is the one who's the fourth man in the fire, and whatever I'm going through, he is there.
SPEAKER_01: Or as we sang in the other campus this morning, we sang about heaven and when we're worshiping him and he is seated on the throne and be reminded that he is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords, that he holds the keys to death and hell.
SPEAKER_01: He is the Alpha and the Omega.
SPEAKER_01: We need to be in that.
SPEAKER_01: You need a quiet time where you're in the Word every day because you need to be focused on the person of Jesus and you need to know who Jesus is because when you get in the middle of that fire, sometimes he does not answer the prayer the way you want to, but he gives you the greatest answer he could ever give, and that is himself.
SPEAKER_01: And he is enough.
SPEAKER_01: I want to read to you the lyrics of what is one of my favorite songs.
SPEAKER_01: I told the Chaffee Campus this morning, if I was Maverick, I would sing it to you.
SPEAKER_01: But clearly I am not.
SPEAKER_01: But it's incredible.
SPEAKER_01: It's a song called Even If By Mercy Me.
SPEAKER_01: And I want you to listen to these lyrics.
SPEAKER_01: They say sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some.
SPEAKER_01: And right now, right now, I'm losing bad.
SPEAKER_01: I've stood on this stage, the singer singing this song, I've stood on this stage night after night, reminding the broken it'll be alright.
SPEAKER_01: But right now, right now I just can't do that.
SPEAKER_01: It's easy to sing when there's nothing to bring me down.
SPEAKER_01: But what will I say when I'm held to the flame like I am right now?
SPEAKER_01: I know you're able.
SPEAKER_01: And I know you can save through the fire with your mighty hand.
SPEAKER_01: But even if you don't, my hope is you alone.
SPEAKER_01: They say it only takes a little faith to move a mountain.
SPEAKER_01: It's a good thing.
SPEAKER_01: A little faith is all I have right now.
SPEAKER_01: But God, when you choose to leave mountains unmovable, oh give me the strength to be able to sing it is well with my soul.
SPEAKER_01: I know you're able, and I know you can.
SPEAKER_01: But even if you don't, my hope is you alone.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus is the answer to every question.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to bow your heads as we close this morning.
SPEAKER_01: And if you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior, I pray that the Holy Spirit has spoken to your heart and puttied the cracks of the things I messed up so that you will understand and see from this incredible passage that Jesus is enough.
SPEAKER_01: He's enough to save you.
SPEAKER_01: He's enough if you're struggling in a circumstance and have doubts.
SPEAKER_01: He's enough to receive your questions and to protect you in the middle of that time of questioning.
SPEAKER_01: If you've never accepted Jesus as your Savior, I'm going to invite you this morning to place your faith and trust in him.
SPEAKER_01: He did die on the cross for you.
SPEAKER_01: He did pay the price for your sin.
SPEAKER_01: If you trust in him, he will take your sin and wipe it away and give you forgiveness and his righteousness.
SPEAKER_01: If you will trust in him, the person of Jesus and what he's done for you, he will save you.
SPEAKER_01: If you're a brother and sister in Christ, you're already saved, but maybe you're being held to the fire, as that song says.
SPEAKER_01: And you needed to be reminded that Jesus is enough.
SPEAKER_01: We're going to pray.
SPEAKER_01: We'll have pastors at the head of our aisles.
SPEAKER_01: If you'd like to be saved, I want to invite you to come.
SPEAKER_01: If you need to pray, come and let us pray with you.
SPEAKER_01: There'll be people at the altar.
SPEAKER_01: We'll be here to pray with you.
SPEAKER_01: Listen, I just want to encourage you to respond today that Jesus is enough.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, we love you and we thank you for this incredible picture and how it speaks to us in times of questioning.
SPEAKER_01: It's easy when things are good, but when it's more difficult and we're not sure, we know that however Jesus answers, that He is in the midst of the answer and that He is enough.
SPEAKER_01: I pray you'll encourage our folks with this picture from Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And Lord, this morning, if there's someone who needs to be saved, I pray they'll come.
SPEAKER_01: They'll come to Jesus because our hope is in him.
SPEAKER_00: We pray this in the saving name of Jesus, and all God's people said, We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Chapter and First, the Bible Teaching Ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church.