Today, on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. I asked you this morning, do you ever have any doubts? About the Christian faith. And do you ever wonder really, is Jesus really God? The reality is her faith sometimes wavers and Doubts.
Alright. Welcome to the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Do you ever have doubts about the Christian faith? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Is he really the only way to heaven?
Today, on the verdict, you might be surprised to learn that one of the most famous men of God had doubts. but sometimes doubt can help us to examine and strengthen our faith. Let's learn more as we join Pastor John Monroe with his message titled, A Great Man Doubts. When I was 16 or 17, I received a book on John the Baptist. which had a great impact on me.
I still have the book in my library. I was fascinated by this man who was so strong who prepared people for the Messiah, and who then was beheaded by an evil king. What a story! But today we'll learn. That this great man, we know as John the Baptist, had a time in his life.
when he had doubts. He was imprisoned and then wondered if Jesus was the Messiah. If Jesus was the Messiah, Why was John not liberated from prison? Most of us have had doubts about our faith. I think you'll find today's message very helpful as we look at a great man who had doubts.
In a previous church, one of the deacons made an appointment to see me in my office at church. And uh at the end of the meeting, which lasted, I suppose for forty-five minutes or so, As he was leaving, he looked at my library, my many books, and he pulled a book. Uh from the shelf, which was on the resurrection. of Jesus. And he surprised me by asking this question.
He said to me, I often wonder if Jesus really rose from the dead. What do you think? Laos taken aback by the question, particularly as he spent the last almost hour criticising one of the church's ministries. But I replied that I certainly did believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that that is one of the great foundational truths of Orthodox Christianity. That Paul, as he describes the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15, says that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again according to the scriptures.
And I I offered to Uh discuss the question with him. I offered to lend him the book on the resurrection that he had picked up. And he simply shook his head. and left my office. Here was a church leader, a deacon in the church, involved in ministry, a member of the church for many years.
but on his own admission had doubts. about the resurrection. of Jesus. He wasn't the first to have such doubts. One of Jesus' disciples, Thomas, also doubted the resurrection of Jesus, you may recall, and who took a special appearance of the resurrected Christ.
Before Thomas could exclaim with this magnificent statement, my Lord and my God. Yes, he believed that not only did Christ die for his sins and was buried, but bodily rose from the dead. I asked you this morning, do you ever have any doubts? About the Christian faith. Do you have a doubt?
The resurrection? Do you ever doubt that this book, the Bible, is in fact The word of God. Did you ever doubt that Jesus is the only way? of Salvation? And do you ever wonder really, is Jesus really God The reality is our faith sometimes wavers and falters.
And doubts. Arise. You know, these doubts can be very helpful if they cause us humbly to look for answers. If they cause us to re-examine our faith, is what one ancient theologian called the sunnier side of doubts. Yes, doubts can be helpful if they drive us.
to look for solid and wise answers. In our passage today, we're going to deal with a man who had He was a great man, a wonderful man. A man who had a unique ministry in the redemptive purposes of the gospel. We've met this man before. His name is John The Baptist.
In chapter 10. As we saw over the last couple of weeks, Jesus is sending out his disciples with the gospel. and warning them of serious persecution, of hostility. And now we read of a of a man, of a faithful man who is imprisoned. because of his fearless Pre-check.
But in prison His doubts. about who Jesus is. Let's open our Bibles. To Matthew chapter 11, as we're going through the Gospel of Matthew consecutively, and we're gonna read, first of all, The first three verses of Matthew chapter When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, that's chapter 10. He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Notice. That the priority of Jesus was not to perform miracles. He did that. His priority was to teach and Preach. A priority day?
Can I say, which characterized the early church and which also should characterize every true church to preach? and teach. Verse 2 now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ. This is the first time since Matthew chapter 2 that Matthew has used the word Christ, Messiah. He began his gospel by saying that Jesus is the Christ.
When the wise men come in Matthew 2, they are wondering where the Christ, where the Messiah is born. But here again, Matthew refers through the voice of John to say regarding Jesus. He describes him as the deeds of the Christ, the Messiah. He sent word. by his disciples and said to him, Are you the one who's to come Or shall we look for another?
John Has doubts.
Now, as I say, we've met John the Baptist before. Remember, he came preaching in the wilderness. His message was clear. His message was authoritative. His message was urgent.
What was his message? Repent. for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. What a message! God's voice, as it were, had been silent for 400 years, and now comes a prophet, in fact the greatest of the prophets, and declares with great urgency, with great passion.
Repent. The kingdom of heaven Is at hand. He's dressed like a prophet. He's wearing a garment, we're told, of camel's hair. He's got a belt around.
His waist. He's a rather strange character. He lives in the wilderness. He eats locusts and wild honey. And many responded to his message and came to the river Jordan as they confessed their sins and were baptized.
But John, of course. Did not want just an outward profession. He didn't want the people just to go through some kind of ritual. He urged them to demonstrate that they had truly got right with God by bearing fruit, he says, in keeping with repentance. What was John doing?
Well, in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy, John was preparing the way of the Lord. He's a forerunner. He's the advanced man. The Lord is coming, and John is going ahead of him to prepare. the way and john Has the inestimable Privilege of baptizing.
Jesus in the River Jordan. It wouldn't have been amazing to be there. It's the Lord. is standing in the The River Jordan. And John is going to baptize him.
and does baptize them and the heavens open. And God the Father speaks this. is my beloved son in whom I'm well pleased. John was there, John Herder. John also saw that dove coming.
representing the Spirit and lighting upon Jesus. He was there, he saw it, he'd heard. The voice Of God. And as we read about John, this amazing character One of his outstanding characteristics is his. Humility.
John was not the kind of preacher that promoted himself. He didn't want to be, we would say, in contemporary terms, he didn't want to be a celebrity. No, he realized that he was a voice. You don't see a voice. Jesus is described as the word.
You see a word. But John is a voice crying in the wilderness. His life is not about himself. No, he keeps pointing people to someone else, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, and says. In John 3, he must increase.
That's Jesus. And I must. Decrease. Jesus must become more important and I must become less Important. A good lesson for all preachers, a good lesson for everyone.
that Jesus It's all important. I merely The voice crying. In the wilderness. And as we've been reminded this morning, his great ministry is to point people to Jesus and say, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Can you hear John?
He's got his disciples, he's got his followers. But in a sense, he's saying, no, it's not about me. I want you to look at someone else. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin. of the world.
What a magnificent man. A lovely man. A fearless preacher. Man who comes filled with the Spirit. Uh but now He's in prison.
And in prison, he has doubts. We read that in verse 2. When John heard in prison about the deeds of The Messiah.
Now think of it, John. Is a man who loves the open air. He's a man's man. He lived in the wilderness and now. Because he had the courage.
to even to go to King Herod and to challenge him about his moral life.
Now he's confined. in a dark dungeon. Which must have been very, very depressing to man. who loved the sun and the open air. But some some of you As I have been in one of our trips to Israel and Jordan, we saw the dungeon, we saw the prison where John was.
There it is. It's in present-day Jordan. And to the right-hand side of the screen, to the right-hand side of the road, there's an inlet there. And that is the fortress. And Josephus says that that is where John the Baptist was imprisoned.
It's on the east side of the Dead Sea, as I say, in present-day Jordan, and we visited it. Uh we walked up that road. and looked inside To the dungeon, a terrible place. John, has this magnificent ministry, but it comes to a very abrupt end. He's still a young man, he's in his early 30s.
And in prison he hears about the deeds. Of the Christ. Yes, the ministry of Jesus is continuing. He hears from his disciples, but now his is at an end. He's not one of the twelve.
He's not being sent out by Jesus to preach and to perform miracles. He's in a dark dungeon in a fortress. It just seems so unfair, doesn't it?
Furthermore, John had preached that judgment was coming. He had preached about the axe being laid to the root of the trees. But where was the acts of judgment? It didn't seem that God's judgment was now coming on people who hadn't repented. Where was the kingdom of heaven?
He had preached the kingdom of heaven is at hand. He thought the kingdom of heaven was going to come in Jesus, but there was no sign of it. What was happening? Life seems unfair here. Your life has kind of closed in and you become in the dark, perhaps depressed, discouraged.
because of events which are totally out of your control. And you start tasking these Questions. Notice the question John asked. It was a... It was a very insightful question.
He got right to the heart of the matter. Verse three. Uh When you come to Jesus, ask him this question, he tells his disciples. Are you the one who's to come? Or shall we look for...
Another. Is Jesus really the Messiah? Is he really the Christ? I mean, after all, the Messiah is meant to set up his kingdom on earth. He's meant to bring deliverance to those in prison.
And here I am still in prison. And there's no sign of the Messiah.
So Is Jesus really the Messiah or? Do they get it wrong? Should I look for Someone else, a man. A great man. has doubts.
John has doubts.
Now let's read. of Jesus' commendation. Verse four. Just listen. to have Jesus answers.
So beautifully. And ask How would you answer? If one of your brothers or sisters Had doubts. Jesus answered, Go and tell John. What you hear and see.
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up. And the poor have good news preached to them, and blessed is the one who is not offended by me. As they went away, Jesus began to Speak. to the crowds.
Now let's just stop there. Think first of all of Jesus answers to the disciples of John. Notice what Jesus does not do. Jesus does not condemn. or criticize.
John. Isn't it the case? That we who are followers of Christ must to our shame.
Sometimes say how quick. We pass judgment on people.
Sometimes without even knowing all of the facts. how quick we are to criticize. how quick we are to malign often good people, often behind their backs. What does Jesus do? Jesus points to the evidence that he is the Christ.
that he is in fact the long promised Messiah. How do you do that?
Well, the Old Testament prophets. had said That when the Messiah comes, he would open the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. Let's read that. For example, in Isaiah thirty-five.
Nowhere. In the Old Testament do we read of a blind man receiving his sight? Just think: if someone came to Calvary who was blind from birth. And I could give them sight. You'd be pretty impressed by that, wouldn't you?
Incredible, wouldn't it? That's what Jesus did. And several times. But here's the prophet. As I know he's writing, 750 years before the birth of the Messiah.
Isaiah 35 verse 4, say to those who have an anxious heart, Anyone anxious today? Be strong. Fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With the recompense of God, he will come and save you.
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness and streams. In the desert. And then Isaiah 61.
Chapter 61. Towards the end of Isaiah's prophecy. Isaiah 61, verse 1: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. This is going to be quoted. In the Gospels.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has set me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are. Yeah. What does Jesus say? Verse four Go and tell John.
What you hear. And see. That is the teaching of Jesus. And the mighty deeds of Jesus, the miracles of Jesus, authenticate that he is the true Messiah. Anyone can say they're the Messiah.
Anyone can make a claim, but it's another thing to authenticate it by your teaching and by your healing. And that's exactly what Jesus says. Tell John, listen, the blind see. The lame walk. Lepers are cleansed.
Deaf here. In fact, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preach to them. No, there is no question that Jesus is the Son of God, that he is the true Messiah. Here is the evidence. You've heard it, you've seen it.
Go and tell John what you hear and see. And verse 6, the blessing comes to those who are not offended. but rather have personal faith In Jesus The Messiah. And then Jesus' commendation of John to the crowds. First he speaks to John's disciples, now he speaks to the crowds.
Verse 7. And as they went away, John's disciples Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John. He's going to speak. about a man who has doubts. A man who is in prison questioning whether he is the Messiah.
What's he going to say to the crowds? What did you go out in the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind, What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? But those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written. Jesus is quoting Malachi 3 verse 1 behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist, yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, The kingdom of heaven has suffered violence. And the violent take it by force. For all the law, for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you're willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.
He who has ears to hear, Let him. Here. Isn't that magnificent? commendation of a man. Who has doubts?
Jesus now challenges the crowds then regarding John. And they knew John. He's saying, Many of you went out into the wilderness to see John. I mean, what did you think of John then? Did you see a kind of fickle, wimpy kind of individual, a reed shaken by the wind?
Was he the kind of preacher? Jesus asked the crowd, was he the kind of preacher that changed his message to suit the people? Like the politician who sees-reads the polls and sees the way society is going and then says, Well, this is what I believe. Was that kind of That kind of attitude. Characteristic of John?
A reed shaken by the wind?
Someone who changes his message to make it popular to the crowds? Is that kind of person? No, do you know he was dressed as a prophet? And John came in the spirit of Elijah. He comes in the very fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets.
Yes, he is my forerunner. He's a prophet now The Prophet was at the very top of the spiritual hierarchy. But John, Jesus says, is in fact more than a prophet. More than a prophet. greater than a prophet and and and you're doubting Yes, says Jesus, in fact.
Among those born of women, there has not arisen a greater than John the Baptist. Poor statement. This is the verdict featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe. There's still more to hear when John returns in just a moment, so stay with us. From matters of truth and identity, to the subjects of love and grace, our world seems more confused than ever.
but to find truth and certainty about who we are and find peace, we must turn our attention away from the world and look to the Word of God. To help you do that, John wrote a booklet titled Eternal Security, Finding Certainty in a Chaotic World. Through this special resource, John shares his personal testimony, along with a careful examination of Scripture, to offer us clarity on matters of eternity. Get your copy today by visiting our website at theverdict.org. While you're there, consider making an investment in this Bible teaching ministry.
Whether it's $5, $50, or more, your gift today helps cover the cost of sharing these gospel messages to listeners around the world. And if you haven't already, be sure to subscribe to the Verdict Podcast, featuring John's weekly podcast exclusive called Avizandam. It's available wherever you get your podcasts, or simply go to our website. Again, that's theverdict.org. The verdict is a ministry of Calvary Church in South Charlotte.
We're located on the corner of Highway 51 and Ray Road. If you've been looking for a church home or a community to help you grow in your walk with Christ, We invite you to join us for our Sunday services. For more details about Calvary and our service times, visit theverdict.org.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe.
Well, what's your vandate? What doubts have you had about your faith? Having doubts doesn't mean that you don't have faith. Doubts can be destructive or they can help us to examine our faith more deeply and in this way our faith is strengthened. Don't you love the way Jesus handled the question John's disciples had?
Isn't this very encouraging for us? If you have doubts today, read the Word of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. There are answers to your questions. And may your faith be strengthened.
Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
