"The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’" At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."
Good Morning my beloved,
We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a privilege to have you here with us today. Please join us in praying for those who are being persecuted, that their faith would endure, even as they witness to those who are persecuting them. Our prayers know no boundaries, no boarders, they can go where we cannot. Also, I humbly ask that you would pray that God's Word and this ministry would reach those who need it most, wherever they may be. In a world filled with uncertainties, statistics show there are countless millions of people around the world who are longing for hope and searching for spiritual guidance and fulfillment. Your faithful prayers play a vital part in creating new pathways to ensure that our ministry extends its reach, breaking through barriers and for God's Truth to touch lives, whether they are in major cities or remote villages.
If you have recently received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please write or text to let us know so that we can pray for you. Also, let us know if you would allow us to share your story. Each one of us have been blessed with a unique testimony. We'd love to hear from you.
The Gospel isn't merely a set of moral principles; it's a profound life-altering encounter with God, the One Who created us, Himself. Only the Gospel has the supernatural extraordinary ability to bring unity, produce repentance and effect authentic transformation, from the inside out, rather than an external superficial change of behavior. It not only has the transformative power to reshape our individual lives, but potential to bring change those in our communities and the world at large, by fostering empathy, and encouraging selfless acts of kindness, providing the foundation for unity and a true sense of purpose in peoples lives.
The Gospel doesn't shy away from the reality of human sin, instead, it confronts us with our brokenness, our failings, and our need for forgiveness, but rather than condemnation, it offers grace, mercy, and the opportunity for genuine repentance leading to relationship with Jesus Christ, Who willingly and selflessly sacrificed Himself in a profound act of love to reconcile us to God; which is the real catalyst for lasting change. One single kind, selfless act of love has the potential to inspire lasting change in the hearts of the receiver, encouraging others to live lives of compassion.
Let's pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank for Your precious Word. Help us, Lord, to see Your truth clearly, to believe it, to grasp its profound significance in its entirety, to speak it boldly with conviction, and to live it out convincingly, so that we become known in our communities as people of integrity and ethical conduct rather than being labeled as hypocrites, inspiring others embrace to Christ, fostering a genuine transformation in their own lives. Lord, help us to trust You and deliver us from the doubt that so often debilitates us, crippling our worship. Thank You for reminding us that even the greatest of men, like John the Baptist have struggled and we pray that we might learn from this marvelous account.
In Christ's name we ask and pray
Amen
Today's Message: Are You the Expected One
Have you ever questioned something you once thought you were sure about, because there were some certain aspects that just didn't fit with what you anticipated? I believe that many of us have experience this at some point in our lives, especially when we're faced with situations that once seemed clear no longer seem to align with what they initially appeared to be. Perhaps, some of you were looking for a career, and you come across a job opportunity that initially appeared to be the perfect fit, but the more information you gathered, you began to question whether or not it was something you were suited for, leading you to reevaluate your initial assumptions. Or perhaps you met someone that you were initially certain that you've found a compatible partner, only to discover that your values and life goals were drastically differing, prompting you to reevaluate its long-term potential.
Even after His Resurrection Thomas doubted saying "Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." And in John 20:29, Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed."
This passage serves as a powerful reminder that, as humans, our expectations can often blind us to the unexpected ways in which God might act, even from a man of such profound faith as John the Baptist, who had dedicated his life to preparing the way for the Messiah, found himself questioning, as he struggled to reconcile his expectations with the unfolding reality before him. In fact, things appear to be going in the opposite direction. Israel had long waited for the Messiah to come, it's already been determined that He is the Messiah, the Deliverer of Israel, the expected King, why was He not overthrowing the Romans, and establishing His Kingdom? Why is He being rejected and hated by the religious establishment.
Doubt is something that still occurs, even in the life of a believer. How often do we, like John the Baptist, find ourselves bound by the limitations of our own human understanding how we believe God should act? We construct elaborate plans of how our lives should unfold, when and how our prayers should be answered. Yet, when the divine response arrives, it comes in a manner that defies our preconceived notions, often leaving us bewildered, questioning, perhaps even doubting our faith. I have found in my own experiences, when we surrender control of our limited perspectives and our rigid expectations, and place our trust in God's perfect wisdom, we discover the transformative power of His boundless grace and love that defines the very essence of His nature. In other words, it's most often in the unexpected that we discover the extraordinary.
In Isaiah 55:8, He reminds us, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord." A stark and humbling reminder of the infinite chasm that separates a finite humanity from the Divine. Therefore, I believe we must seek His guidance in all that we do, acknowledging with awe and reverence, that our limited human perspectives are at best flawed, and merely a dim reflection of the infinite wisdom of God. This incredible journey of faith is an invitation to approach the throne of grace with humility and hope, letting go of our limited understanding and embracing the vastness of His wisdom, far beyond our comprehension, allowing His unconditional love and transformative power to mold and shape us, like clay in the Potter’s hands being turned into a beautiful masterpiece. A transformation that I believe can be best seen in the way we interact with others, the daily decisions we make, and the peace we find in trusting His divine plans.
Astonishingly, this situation with John the Baptist, where he sends his disciples to question Jesus about His messianic identity, is exactly like the one that Mark records where Jesus confronted a father with a demon-possessed boy, and the father cried out and said, "Lord, I do believe, help my unbelief." I believe that it's in those moments of vulnerability, when we confess our need for God's help, that our faith begins to deepen and grow. He invites us all to cry out in times of doubt, "Lord, I do believe, help my unbelief!"
What does it mean to believe? It means that we believe that everything that the Bible says about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is absolutely true and everything that He says about Himself with a firm conviction and any claim that contradicts what the Bible says is without hesitation unquestionably false. Genuine believers regard the biblical narrative as the supreme Truth, as the authoritative word of God, with unwavering confidence, influencing their decisions, values, and interactions with the world around them. In other words, being a believer goes well beyond simply attending church services. It's about wholeheartedly dedicating every aspect of your existence to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. He is not some helpful addition to our lives, He is the reason for our lives, the source of our existence.
Open your Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to the Gospel of Luke chapter 7, Luke 7:18-23, where we have the great privilege to read the story in the Gospel of Luke, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, where even John the Baptist, the greatest man that ever lived up until his time, had doubts. A profound reminder that even in the midst of doubt and uncertainty, hope remains, because even though we may not always receive the answers we seek, we are surrounded by signs of God's presence and precious promises. Let us witnesses to the hope that is found in the One whom we have never seen and have never heard but speaks to us through His Word. I now invite you to follow along with me as I read the text to set it in our minds. Let's open up our hearts and listen for what the Spirit of God has to say to each of us today about Jesus, Who brings sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and life to the dead. Luke 7:18-23.
"The disciples of John reported to him about all these things. Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’" At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."
Let's look at verse 18, "The disciples of John reported to him about all these things." John the Baptist understood that he was to fulfill the prophecies of Malachi concerning the forerunner to the Messiah, and He spoke of the coming of Messiah without knowing exactly who He was. However, the divine events that occurred during Jesus' baptism made it very clear that Jesus was the Expected One. Now, some of John's followers, have gone to tell him about the miracles Jesus is doing.
Verse 19, "Summoning two of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, "Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?" Here is a man who all his life, had lived in the open, boldly proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, who baptized Jesus, and who witnessed the heavens open and the Spirit descend, and heard the voice of the Father from heaven saying, "You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased," when John was baptizing Jesus. And, he pointed the finger to Jesus, declaring, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Yet, while he was confined to a dark and stuffy prison, facing uncertainty and despair, with nothing to do but wonder, he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if He is indeed the Expected One.
This passage reminds us that even the strongest among us can waver when we're faced with trials and tribulations, that often it is our expectations that shape our limited understanding of reality. John expected that the long awaited Messiah would liberate him from imprisonment and restore Israel’s glory, freeing them from Roman oppression. Yet, Jesus' ministry was unfolding in ways that were completely unexpected. It’s natural to question things when they don’t align with our understanding, but it seems rather odd coming from the mouth of John the Baptist, considering they were relatives, surely he would have heard the stories about the virgin birth of Jesus. It makes me wonder, how many times do we miss what God is actually doing in our lives, because in our limited understanding, we are expecting Him to do something else? When we encounter doubts, it's not necessarily a sign of weak faith, it is an invitation for us to turn our eyes to Christ, to seek clarity and a deeper understanding. Interestingly enough, John's question is not one of disbelief, but rather a plea for reassurance, born of imprisonment and isolation and a cry for confirmation from the only One Who can resolve his question.
Verse 20, "When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’" Notice that "Are You the Expected One" is capitalized, it's because it is a proper noun, it is a title for the Messiah. He is also called the Coming One in the Old Testament. Like all Jews, John didn't understand that there's a huge gap between two pivotal events in Christian theology: the First Coming of Jesus Christ and His anticipated Second Coming. In His first coming, Jesus demonstrates attributes such as compassion, mercy and kindness, culminating in His sacrificial death on the cross, for the sins of those who place their faith in Him, and His prophesied Second Coming marked by divine justice and retribution, in which He demonstrates fury, wrath, judgment and fire, as a powerful, as the Sovereign Righteous Judge.
As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is the Expected One, the promised Messiah Who fulfills the ancient prophecies in Scripture. As a humble servant of the One True Living God, I am convinced that the answer is found not in human speculation or in intellectual debates, but in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and evidenced by the many miracles He performed. Our relationship with Christ is defined by what we believe to be true about Him, so it is imperative to know the Truth about Who Jesus is according to Word of God, not from some other place.
Frankly, many who identify as Christians today hold a skewed perception of Jesus Christ largely because a large majority of pastors are failing to preach the more challenging and profound truths about Jesus, Who did not shy away from addressing the issue of sin, He confronted the issue of sin head on, by graciously balancing grace and truth, forgiving sins while simultaneously urging those He forgave to change their ways, saying "From now on sin no more," emphasizing the importance of allowing His teachings to guide future decisions and actions, starkly different from a misconstrued message today that suggests, "Now that your sins are forgiven, you can go ahead and sin some more." As a result, the consequences of this misrepresentation are evident in the problems that plague our world, which are dramatically increasing, we’re losing our youth and the souls of our nation. The solution to the sin that plagues our society, is not found in the government, but in the person of Jesus Christ.
Verses 21-22, "At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. And He answered and said to them, "Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them." Notice that Jesus' response is not a simple "yes" or "no." Instead, He tells them to report to John what you saw firsthand, pointing to the miraculous works that He performs as evidence of His identity. Certainly John would have known that Jesus was fulfilling Old Testament prophecy, the blind receiving sight and the Gospel being preached to the poor comes from Isaiah 61. I believe if John would have managed to reach the other side of the cross, he wouldn't have asked that question, but he didn't make it that far before his journey was tragically cut short when he was beheaded. Just as John's disciples were called to witness to him the miraculous works which they had seen, we too are called to witness the wondrous works of God in our own lives to those around us.
That brings us to verse 23, "Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me." This seemingly simple verse is laden with profound implications; Don't be offended by the Truth, hindered by your human understanding, which can often act as a barrier, don't be skeptical, look beyond the messenger, recognizing human fallibility and don't allow the messengers imperfections to get in the way of a divine message being conveyed, just embrace the message itself with an open mind, setting aside any preconceived notions, just believe the Truth and obey the Truth, and you will be eternally blessed.
If you are genuinely saved, you have eternal life, and will never come under judgment. You have passed out of death in to life. In John 5:24, Jesus assures us, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My Word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." According to the teaching of Jesus, salvation is forever. Listen as I read John 6:35-40, "Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." God predestined it, He keeps us, and since He secures it nothing can remove it.
And, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Paul tells us, " Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass."
These passages and more, remind us that our salvation is forever, so once you are saved, you are saved forever. However, chances are, if you've seriously contemplated your faith and what it means to follow Jesus Christ, you’ve had some questions, or even some doubts at one time or another. Maybe you've doubted whether or not God has really forgiven you, because what you've done is just too bad to be forgiven, or maybe you've wondered why your prayer doesn't seem to be getting answered, causing you to doubt your salvation when things go wrong, thinking that God’s abandoned you or He's not listening or He just doesn't care, rather than believing that God is using your current situation for your spiritual growth. Do you believe? Does the Holy Spirit illuminate the Scripture, providing you with deeper understanding? Are you sensitive to sin? Does the Holy Spirit convict you of your sin and moral failures? Do you recognize God’s hand in your trials? That’s all the ongoing witness of the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers do not experience that, they can't because they’re not God’s children, the Holy Spirit's isn't working in them. As followers of Christ, we can no longer afford to remain silent about sin because we're afraid it might offend someone. If we really and truly care about them, we have to speak the truth, in love just Jesus did. In fact, He offended so many people by speaking the truth, they crucified Him.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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