Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. You see, what is your expectation of Jesus in your life?
Because I am almost certain that when you have evidences of doubt, it's always because you have a wrong expectation of Christ. You have this expectation that Christ is going to do something that He's never promised. You see, you have an expectation. He's going to do it. Did He say that? Did He promise that?
No, but that's my expectation. Whenever you have wrong expectations, you can learn to doubt the goodness and the love or the truth. You can doubt those kinds of things. Personal tragedy, popular influences, lack of information, and wrong expectation can cause us to doubt. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt. Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. Think of the culture we live in, some of the influence we get from out there.
Have you ever heard this? Well, if there is a God, and this God loves you, and this God can do anything, then how could He let that happen? How could a God who loves you allow that to happen? You see, if there is a God out there, really, why would anything like this happen in the world? You get this kind of thing all the time. In other words, it begins you to doubt the goodness of God.
Why does those things happen? You see, why would God allow that to happen? And if you're within the context of the church, you can run into all kinds of things, but one of the things you could run into is this whole health, wealth, and success theology. If you think about that way that works, if you're a child of God, this is what you should be getting. You see, you should be unbelievably healthy, not immortal, but almost.
You should have the kind of money that you don't need a wallet, you need a wheelbarrow. You know, and everything you touch should turn to gold. You're a success. Jesus wants you to be a success, but then reality hits your life.
You're not really that healthy. You're pretty much middle class, lower middle class, upper middle class, and you're fighting it. You see, and everything you touch hasn't turned to success.
In fact, it's turned to something else. You see, when you believe that kind of thing and you're influenced by that, you end up extremely doubting. You see, you doubt, I feel so sorry for people in that particular culture because the whole idea is they're blaming themselves. Why? Why doesn't God love me like this?
Why am I not prosperous? Why? And so they doubt. Personal tragedy, popular influences, and a third thing, John had a lack of information. He had a lack of information.
Now you say, what? How could he do that? Please understand who he is. John doesn't have a New Testament. You have it, but John doesn't. He doesn't have the information. John has no information that the kingdom will be rejected. That Jesus Christ then will begin what if Paul calls the mysterious or the mystery called the church Gentiles and grafted in with Jews into the body of Christ.
He has no concept of that. In fact, the apostle Paul said that none of the disciples knew that until he came. John didn't have any of that. John kept waiting for the Messiah.
He didn't lack the information. He didn't know there'd be a church age. He kept thinking that the first coming and the second coming were just one coming.
Let me show you and illustrate that in another way. Go with me to Luke 24. Luke 24. This is after the crucifixion and then after the resurrection.
And you'll see this in play. Verse 13. Dr. Luke writes this. He says, And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which is about seven miles from Jerusalem. And as they were talking with each other about all the things which had taken place. He says, And while they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself approached them, began traveling with them.
This is the resurrected Christ. It says, But their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. And he said to them, What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?
What are you guys talking about? And they stood still and looked sad. They're heartbroken.
They're extremely disappointed. Now, we're going to reveal something here. One of them named Cleopas answer, and he said to him, Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which happened here in these days? And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, The things about Jesus, the Nazarene, who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word and in sight of God and all the people, and how the chief priest and our rulers delivered him to the sentence of death and crucified him. Watch this.
Lack of information starts showing up. But we were hoping that it was he who was going to redeem Israel. Same idea. We thought he was kicking the Romans out. He was going to redeem our country.
Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happen. He said, But also some women among among us amazed us. And when they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body, they came saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. And some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him. So we even heard the testimony of the women, but they still have this doubt.
They still don't quite understand us at all. And he said to them, Oh, foolish men. Slow of heart to believe.
What's that mean? Slow of heart to believe. Doubting. Why are you doubting? Oh, foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken. Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into his glory? Don't you know the information?
Don't you know the way it's supposed to be? He was supposed to suffer. Then, beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures. The greatest Bible study there ever was. Could you imagine that Jesus Christ starts in Genesis and goes to Malachi and says, let me tell you what this says.
Amazing. And they approached the village where they were going, and he acted as though he were going to go further. And it says and but they urged him, saying, stay with us, for it is getting toward evening and the day is now nearly over. So he went to stay with them. And when he had reclined at the table with them, he took the bread and he blessed it. And breaking it, he began giving it to them a little bit like the Last Supper. And it says then that after he had done that and then he says in verse thirty one, and then their eyes were open and they recognized him and then he vanished from their sight. Hey, that's where to go. He just vanished from their sight. Now, here's what's so neat. Having bread with them, he's right there.
It's cheap. He's gone. Now, what would you want to talk about? If you were one of the two guys, did you see that or didn't you see it? He was right here and now he's gone.
That's not what they say. Even though he vanished right in front of them. Verse thirty two, they said to one another, were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us on the road, while he was explaining the scriptures to us? Now I get it. Now I understand. Now I know who he was and what he had to go through. Now I know. Now I have the information. Now I'm not doubting. Do you realize how much of the doubt you have in your life is because you don't have the information?
You don't know the word of God well enough and so you doubt. And if it's influenced at all by our popular culture, it makes it worse. And if you're going through a personal tragedy, it makes it even worse than that.
Personal tragedy, popular influences, lack of information, all causes the doubt. And one more for John and for ourselves. And it relates to the others. We've sort of wrong expectation. You have a completely wrong expectation of how the Lord should be working in your life. Turn with me to Malachi chapter four, the last chapter of the Old Testament.
Malachi four. This is where John gets his expectation of what he thought Jesus Christ was going to do. And by the way, now you can tell why he was so fired up. In Chapter four and verse one, it says, We're behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace. And all the arrogant and every evil doer will be chaff.
Well. And the day is coming and will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. What a description. In fact, it's the description of Revelation 19, the second coming of our Lord. And the judgment that he brings. It says, But for you who fear my name, the son of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. You will tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day in which I am preparing, says the Lord of hosts. Remember the law of Moses, my servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all of Israel. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.
That's where they got their idea. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. And he says, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse. That's John.
That's his expectations. You see, that's why he was a fire and brimstone kind of guy. He said, I'm the guy heralding in the truth of these verses. That's why he began a sermon like most pastors probably never would think about it. You brood of vipers.
I thought about doing it, but I don't think that would be a good way to do it. But that's how he starts. You brood of vipers. Who warned you?
See, it's sort of like snakes on a fire and, you know, going across the land or slithering. Who warned you because a fire is coming? John had that expectation. That's what's going to happen. That's the way it's going to go. He's coming with a winnowing fork in his hand, an axe.
And you're going to get yours. And then Jesus came. And he's full of compassion and mercy and love and healing. Now, imagine from John's point of view, scratching his head. We don't have a problem with that, but John says this is when he comes. And look what I'm seeing.
It's something else. You see, what is your expectation of Jesus in your life? Because I am almost certain that if you have evidences of doubt, it's always because you have a wrong expectation of Christ. You have this expectation that Christ is going to do something that he's never promised. You see, you have an expectation he's going to do. Did he say that? Did he promise that?
No, but that's my expectation. Whenever you have wrong expectations, you can learn to doubt the goodness and the love or the truth. You can doubt those kinds of things. Personal tragedy, popular influences, lack of information, and wrong expectation can cause us to doubt. How does Jesus respond to doubt?
Maybe not in a way you would have thought at all. Let's go back to Luke 7, back to Luke 7 where we started. Back to verse 20 when John asked the question. And when the men came to Jesus, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, are you the expected one or do we look for someone else? And boy, don't miss this.
We miss things by just not reading the text. This is an observation, just a clear observation that changes everything. At that very time. At that very time. Right then.
It's an amazing spastic. Right then. At that very time. For these two guys.
For these two men. At that very time. He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits and he gave sight to many who were blind. At that very time. He says to them, watch this. And he does it. One of the highest intensities of his miracle all the way through Scripture and we overlook it.
Right at that very time, he begins to do all of this. And he answered and he said to them, these two men, he says to them, go and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive sight.
The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Blessed, happy is he who does not take offense at me. You go tell John what you saw.
Wow. By the way, when you go through that list. You start realizing, wait, these things show up in the Old Testament. John knew the Old Testament. These things show up in Isaiah 26 and Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. These things show up that this is what the Messiah is going to do. You go tell John what you've seen.
Wow. And when the messengers had left. Jesus spoke to the crowds. Now, could you imagine that the crowd of people overhearing all this? John the Baptist comes to his messengers come. They say and people hear it. John wants to know if he's the Messiah.
Now, you could just imagine people. Some people would say, wow, John's so good. Maybe he's not the Messiah.
But a lot of people would have said, what? Just like you, what's wrong with John? Why would John ask such a stupid question? You say, why would John have doubts? So Jesus does this for the two and says, now you go tell John. I mean, you could just imagine the whispers and the smiles and everybody sort of talking like, hey, put John in this place, didn't he? And Jesus says, don't you underestimate John. Don't you dare.
Don't you underestimate doubt either. Watch. And when the messengers of John had left, he began to speak to the crowds about John and said, what did you go out in the wilderness to see? Whenever you want to see John, a little reed shaken by the wind. That's not John. He says, but what did you go out and see, a man dressed in soft clothing? Well, that's not John. Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury and are found in royal palaces. That's not John. He said, but what did you go out and see? A prophet.
Yes, I say to you. One who is a lot more than a prophet. John is just not a prophet.
He's not just Malachi. John's the herald. He's the herald of the Messiah.
You see, don't don't even think badly of John at all. He says, this is the one of whom it is written. Behold, I send my messenger ahead of you. He said, it will prepare your way before you.
Malachi three one. John is John has done his job. He prepared the way. Then this statement. And I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John. On the natural plane, there is no one greater than John.
He says, yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. But on the natural plane, John is as great a man as you would ever want to find. Notice that Jesus never said a word about John's doubt.
Not at all. In fact, he affirmed John. You know, you and I have so much more information than John ever did. You know so much more than John, this great prophet. You should know the Old Testament and the New. You know the difference between the first and second coming. You see, everything you want to know God has given you through his revelation.
He has given us all the information that we have. But there's something else, too. Don't doubt the value of doubt. Don't doubt the value of doubt. See, doubt is a really good starting place.
It's a very poor ending place. Be honest. Be transparent. Express your doubt. And then seek out the truth.
Find the information. You see, one thing I know about John, when they went back and told him, they never had to tell him twice. Got it.
He's the Messiah. I understand it. You see, whenever you begin to fully understand the Word of God, whenever you begin to fully realize who Jesus Christ is, trust will replace your doubt. Don't underestimate the value of doubt. Let's pray. Father, I'm afraid, as I said earlier, doubt is something we almost all experience but we never talk about.
The one thing we don't want to do is appear to be unspiritual. Father, I thank you for this great example of John the Baptist. I thank you for the fact that due to the circumstances of his life and the culture in which he lived and his own understanding and expectations, he had a moment of doubt. Father, I pray for those in the room right now who are going through personal tragedy and doubting whether the Lord really loves them, whether he really cares about their circumstances, whether they're being influenced by popular culture and telling them that if they just have enough faith, everything is always perfect. You'll always be healed.
You'll always be rich. I pray, Father, that if someone is struggling with doubt in their own lives as to with regard to the truth, that they search the Scriptures because in them, Father, we find the mind of Christ and in them we find the answers just like the men on the road to Emmaus. And when we find that, I would pray that our hearts would burn as well, that we would take the doubt we had and we would replace it with trust in you. Father, I thank you for the fact that even though one day I'll be fully conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, I am not a finished product yet.
And in my image of God and in my humanity, there are times where I raise questions that reveal the doubt of my heart. Father, I pray that as I do that, I do so with integrity and allow the Word of God and the Spirit of God and the people of God to replace my doubt with lifelong trust, bedrock trust in you. We pray this for your glory and for our good.
In Christ's name, amen. Please listen to Fellowship in the Word online. At that website, you will find not only today's broadcast, but also many of our previous audio programs as well. At Fellowship in the Word, we are thankful for those who financially support our ministry and make this broadcast possible. We ask all of our listeners to prayerfully consider how you might help this radio ministry continue its broadcast on this radio station by supporting us monthly or with just a one-time gift. Support for our ministry can be sent to Please listen to Word, 4600 Clearview Parkway, Metairie, Louisiana 7006. If you would be interested in hearing today's message in its original format, that is as a sermon that Pastor Bill delivered during a Sunday morning service at Fellowship Bible Church, then you should visit our website, fbcnola.org.
That's fbcnola.org. At our website, you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word. .
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