Matthew 11:2-3………Working

Matthew 11:2-3………Working

11:2 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, (Healing people. he sent his disciples. 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (For Complete Expository Get the Book) 

Extended Sermons

“Teaches how Jesus is the right source to go to with of our questions, doubts, and struggles” → Did you know you can bring your frustrations to God in prayer without fear of judgment. He’s not intimidated by your honesty, offended by your questions, or surprised by your emotions. In fact, He invites them. God would rather have the real you—with your disappointments, confusion, and raw edges—than a polished version of you pretending everything is fine. Scripture is full of people who poured out their frustrations to God: David, Jeremiah, Job, Hannah, even John the Baptist. And not once did God push them away. He met them in it. Sometimes the very prayer that begins with frustration becomes the place where God brings clarity, peace, and unexpected strength. He doesn’t shame you for feeling overwhelmed; He draws near to you in it.

“Warms against putting God in a box in the way we think He should work. (God’s plans are bigger & better than the boxes we put Him in) “ ⇒ We often set our goals and map things out in our lives and then we pray “God bless my plans, and make it happen Lord.” Not realizing that God has something far better than we could ever have imagined. The opposite can also be true. Maybe we have right expectation but the wrong timing. We’re thinking the right things about God and His plans for us but the timing is not right. God gives us a vision for the future in what He wants to do through our lives. But we don’t see all of the time it will take between when He promises or shows us that thing and when it actually comes to fulfillment. Remember Abraham, God had said through your seed, your descendants, I’m going to bless the entire world. And what happens Abraham gets impatient in waiting for God to fulfill His promise and has a child through his maidservant Hagar.

“This is not saying having questions or experiencing a crise of    faith means you lack faith. It just means your human. So don’t feel guilty when doubt creeps in because everyone goes through it at   one time or another.  In fact “doubt” is not the lack of faith, it’s the element of “faith”. God sees doubt as a seeking and searching heart. Doubt can be a positive force in our lives. It can lead us to grow spiritually stronger in our faith.” ⇒ It’s been said; Devout believers wrestle with their faith. Developing believers reason through their faith. And Determined believers remain in their faith. So if your struggling with matters of faith as they call it. Wrestle with it, reason through it, and remain in it. The Bible tells us that doubt is the first step toward faith (Hebrews 11:6). Without doubt, we would never question our beliefs or push ourselves to grow spiritually. Doubt can also be a sign of humility. When we doubt our own ability to do something, it shows that we are willing to rely on God’s strength instead of our own. Ultimately, doubt is not a bad thing. It’s part of the human experience and it can actually lead us closer to God if we let it. So next time you’re feeling doubtful, remember that it’s okay to question things. And don’t be afraid to ask God for help along the way.

More Notes & Applications

Teaches God may not move the way you expect, but He always moves according to His perfect purpose and plan.

Teaches how we can have great faith and integrity and still have all the warts that go with it as well. (Strong faith doesn’t mean were going to be invincible, that were never going to have a bad day!)

Teaches how sometimes it’s hard to accept the difficult things God allows in our lives. (See trials as God working a new thing in your life)

Warns against faulty & unbiblical expectations of God. (No where in the bible does God promise us a life free of hardships & suffering.)

Teaches how sometimes we can misunderstand our calling and ministry work the Lord has for us.

Calls for seeing that we not allowing our sentiments or expectations to second guess God’s love and care.

Warns against thinking coming to Christ means a life of prosperity and wealth.

Warns if not careful we can allow our trials and hardships to second guess our faith. (Will you trust that God is in control of things regardless of the circumstances?)

Displays how all of us can have at times of questioning, doubting, and impatience with God.

Teaches just as Biblical characters are full of flaws and misunderstandings . So to with us, we may be flawed and doubting and still used as mighty instruments of God.

Warns when we isolated ourselves from Church and Christian fellowship, doubts can fester and grow.

Note: It can be a bit confusing why was John the Baptist now doubting because in chapter 3, John seemed to acknowledge Jesus’ identity and even heard the voice from Heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (3:17). He even said to the crowds “Look the Son of God who takes away the sins of the world”-(John 1:29 ) So why is John now doubting and longer confident? The answer can be found in John’s circumstances. It is one thing to have intellectual acknowledge, especially when things are going good in your life. But difficulty and hardship test us, discourage us, and introduce doubts into once strongly affirmed convictions. Another thing is we don’t know how long John had been in prison, but it may have been the case that his tough circumstances led him to doubt.

Note: Some commentators think John’s question had been for his disciples sake, allowing them to hear it straight from Jesus’ own lips of who He is. That John wanted his disciples to leave off following himself and follow Jesus. So he sent them to Jesus to see for themselves the great things Jesus was doing. (Note: Those who hold to this view: Ambrose, Luther, Calvin, Beza, Matthew Poole.) Many argue against this view due to the fact that Jesus tells John’s disciples to “Go back and report to John”. Therefore since the question comes from the John, the answer must go back to John. If it was just for John’s disciples they need not return, nor would they want to return, they would have started following Jesus that very moment.

Note: nSome people think that faith means never doubting. They think that faith means always being on top, and believing that the absolute best will come out of every situation. The truth is that faith often means living with doubt, and continuing to do the things that God has called us to do, day after day, and year after year, long after the novelty and adventure has worn off. One of the most important texts of scripture declares, “Let us not grow weary in doing good! (cf. Gal. 6:9)