Children's church ages four years old through the fourth grade can be dismissed out the back. If you would take your Bible and turn to Matthew 11, Matthew chapter 11, and we are continuing our study here on the book of Matthew. Entering here the 11th chapter. And if you look at chapter 10 and really what we are expecting, I think if you were to write a book and if you were concluding chapter 10, what you'd almost expect to see is some information about where and what the disciples are doing, right? Chapter 10 is about the disciples being sent, the instructions of what they are supposed to be doing when they are sent. But when you get to chapter 11, it is not on the disciples, the focus remains on Jesus, right? Matthew here is not writing to inform us about other groups. He's writing here to inform us about Jesus and his ministry. So yes, he has sent out his disciples and he has done that and they have now left. And then we have in chapter 11, An opportunity for him to to speak with others disciples right with John's disciples We'll see that here as we look at the first six verses of Matthew starting in verse 1 of Matthew 11 Now it came to pass when Jesus finished commanding his twelve disciples that he departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities and And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, are you the coming one? Or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said to them, go and tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me." You may be wondering about this passage of scripture and thinking, okay, I see a struggle here that John the Baptist is having, but how does this really apply to my life? Or what can I really grasp or get from this for me? Well, maybe your life is not turning out the way you thought it would. You know, maybe you got a college degree, and now you're in a job that has nothing to do with the degree that you went after, and the passion that you thought you had, you are not able to do. Maybe you, at this point in your life, were expecting to not only be married, but have a child, or two, or three, or four, or five. And none of those things are coming about and you're wondering, hey, this isn't what I expected. Maybe you are married and your marriage isn't what you thought it would be. It's not as easy and joyful as you just expected. Things don't just come easy. Maybe you struggle with that. And I think part of what is going on here in these six verses is John is doubting. He's doubting what is happening in his life. Things are not turning out the way he anticipated, being the forerunner. Of the messiah look at that in the way his he sends his disciples to ask this question Are you the coming one? Are you the messiah is the question? Now think back with me here, this is john the baptist He was obviously we remember we know this from from scripture that he was uh cousins with jesus He baptized Jesus. We see that earlier in the book of Matthew. And when he baptized Jesus, he came up out of the water and he heard what from heaven? The voice of God proclaiming that this is his beloved son in whom he is well pleased. He saw the dove alighting on Jesus. Excuse me, the Holy Spirit like a dove. coming down on Jesus. Okay, these are things he witnessed. He knows who this is. In John 1, verse 29, John the Baptist has confidence to say, behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. This is prior to this doubting here. He knows Jesus. But where does he find himself now? He finds himself in prison. He has essentially confronted Herod or spoken out against Herod's sin in being with his brother's wife. and taking her for his own, and he's put into prison. Things aren't turning out the way John expected. You know, and some of this is due because he had this unfulfilled expectation, right? Thinking of the Messiah, looking back in his Old Testament into the scriptures and seeing that the Messiah would come, and then he would set up a kingdom that he would reign forever. But that's not what John is seeing. Matter of fact, he's seeing the opposite. He's now in prison for teaching and preaching this Messiah. There also seems to be increasing hostility towards the gospel. Look at Matthew 10, just the previous chapter here. And we see in verse 17, look, Jesus even promises this. In verse 17, he says, but beware of men, he's speaking to his disciples, he's sending them out, right? Beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for my name's sake, for my sake, and as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak. Right. He's speaking there of persecution that will come. That's not what John the Baptist expected. Yes, Jesus was aware and even warned his disciples this would would come. You know, but even if you look at verse verse one. And we see the disciples there as they're leaving their cities. And you think, well, what about their cities, the ones that they're leaving? Who is going to preach the gospel to them? Well, verse one tells us that it's Jesus. After commanding them, he departs there and teaches and preaches in their cities, in the disciples. Cities, when God calls you to another ministry and you worry about the work or the groundwork that you've laid, wherever you may be, if he calls you elsewhere, just know that God will take care and provide the continuation of that ministry. Discouragements are inevitable. Doubt and trial. These discouragements will come. It's how we handle them that is the problem. Oftentimes we think of doubt as being a very bad thing, right? Doubting. We think of Doubting Thomas, and oh, that's terrible. What a terrible name to be called, Doubting Thomas. And doubt is so much of a negative thing, but often it's not always bad. All right, it's not always bad to doubt. It means that man is thinking, right? And struggling through an issue, trying to figure out. It is a sign of life. Sometimes when we doubt, you know, really, I don't want you to avoid doubting. No, I want you to struggle through it, to find answers, to come out. Confirmed that God is trustworthy and faithful As you look at this passage of scripture that is exactly what Jesus offers to John in presenting what he does to his disciples John here struggling again With doubting of who Christ is although he is fully aware of who he is from his own statements You know, but let's not be too hard on John at this point in his life, especially thinking in our own lives of changing circumstances. When circumstances change in our life, we become uneasy. Whether we get diagnosed with some type of disease, you know, an illness that goes on continually, there's uneasiness that goes along with that. When we see our children grow up and go to college, there's uneasiness with that. When some of our folks here have had their children grow up and then go to the mission field, I'm sure there's uneasiness. Saying goodbye to those children, even though, you know, with today's technology, yeah, you can still see them, but it's different when they're overseas. They're living in a different country. There's uneasiness when circumstances change. You lose a job. You change jobs. You know, I don't think anyone really, me of most people, I think, get this, right? I am uneasy when my circumstances change. Think about this. I'm still going to the same church that I did when I was a boy, right? I'm going to, I still go here. I grew up here. I still go here. I go to the same Walmart that I went to when I was a boy, right? I know where everything is. And it's just the way, I go to the one in Riverdale. You ever go to that Walmart there on Round Lake Boulevard? That thing is a mess. Don't go in there. I can't figure it out. I just get uneasy. It's not what I expect. You know, you see big box stores, they do that. They set up all their stores the same way because they want you to feel like your circumstances are the same. you're comfortable there. It's because our human nature is when circumstances change, we become uneasy. And we begin to wonder, well, does this story even have what I need? I'm outta here. Right, and we begin to doubt in small things like that in our life, but we must understand that when circumstances in our life change, we can spiritually doubt as well. begin to question what God is doing. Is he present? Does he care? John the Baptist is there. Yes, because of this unfulfilled expectation that yeah, the Messiah isn't doing exactly what I was expecting him to do. the increasing hostility towards the gospel. You know, when Jesus first came onto the scene and was healing people, he was kind of the in thing to do to follow Jesus. But kind of the honeymoon period, the early part of that is wearing off. And you see here the Pharisees and some of the crowds even saying, you know, I don't really know if I'm buying into that. And there is, and we'll continue to see it in the book of Matthew, that people are falling away. The popularity is going down. I think John is seeing the initial parts of that. But he's also dealing with some personal pain. William Barclay, in his commentary, gives this opinion about John the Baptist and his life. Think of this man, grew up or lived in the desert, right? In the wilderness, the people had to go out to him to hear his preaching. This uniquely dressed man, camel hair and a leather belt and sandals, eating honey and locusts in the wilderness, baptizing those who repent. This man who's used to wide open spaces being essentially on his own, except for when people come to hear him, hear his message, is now confined to these four walls of the prison. William Barclay notes that there was a prisoner in Ireland a century ago. And there was a small window in the prison cell of this Irish prisoner. And that window looked out over the sea, and it was just above where that man could reach, where he couldn't see out of it. He had to pull himself up to see out that window. And after years of being in that prison, when this man finally passed, they looked at that windowsill and saw imprints of where his fingers were looking out. Because this Irish farmer longed to be out in the vast open spaces. Barclay wonders, was that how John the Baptist was? This personal, physical pain of being locked up. Hopelessness. Of impending death. And he begins to doubt. What have I done with my life? Was any of it worth it? Is this the one? Is Jesus the one? You know, He does the right thing. When we are discouraged, when we doubt, where do you turn? Do what John does and turn and question Christ. Turn to God with those doubts. He turns, he sends his disciples to go and ask, Jesus, are you the coming one? Or do we look for another? We saw, first of all, that discouragement is inevitable, verses 1 through 3. Discouragement will come. So how do we deal with it? That's our second point here, verses four through six. Hope is essential. Hope is essential. Have you ever seen those videos on Facebook where they show, like a colorblind person, they have these neat little glasses, for those who are severely colorblind, that trick the eyes into seeing color. Right, they're able to do whatever it takes to make the eye, for those who can't see red or greens, and then they put these glasses on them and to see their faces light up. when they can see true color, green trees and grass, right? And they show them putting them on for the first time and the way they look. Or those who are deaf and put a hearing aid in for the first time, right? They bring them to third world countries or to young children and they put them in their ears I saw it with a mother with her child, like a two-year-old. And they put the hearing aid in the two-year-old's ear, and the mom says, hello. And that two-year-old, who cannot communicate, right, not being able to hear, turns to her mom. And it brings tears to your eyes that they can see and hear. Now think of that situation and how you respond when you see those videos with the technology we have today. Jesus answers and says to John's disciples, tell John the things which you hear and see. The blind see, the lame walk. Lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up. Think of those things. The response that the deaf would have when hearing for the first time. Blind people seeing. Tell him what you see. God is at work all around us. Notice it. You know, he's at work today. In our lives. Notice the things that he is doing, you know. Think of some of the things that he is doing. You received the gospel. If you've accepted Christ as your Savior, it was not by yourself. God did that in you. He worked in your heart. to turn you to Him. The fact that we are meeting here today is by the grace and power of God. Yeah, you know, we don't really recognize it because it's so easy and comes so freely to us that we have the Word of God in front of us. That we can carry it in our pockets, several versions of it. in different languages even, with the technology we have today. That's in part because of the power of God. So if we see, first of all, that God, right, the hope that we have is that God is all around us and He is working around us. The second thing that Jesus is going to point John to, and really it's kind of in the same things that he's showing him, is that he points him to God's Word. Right? And part of what he's doing in showing him the actions which he's doing as Messiah are to point him to that he's fulfilling Scripture. So he points him back to Scripture. It says, read my word, know my word. Let's look at a couple of passages that really quote or are pointing to these passages of scripture that John would have known. Isaiah 35. Isaiah 35, verses five and six. referring to the future glory of Zion in chapter 35. In the book of Isaiah, it says in verse five, then the eyes of the blind shall be opened. The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongue of the dumb sing. For water shall burst forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. When he's saying there, look at what you see, the lame healed, the blind see, the deaf hear. This is fulfilling the scripture of what the Messiah will do, Isaiah 61. In verse one, Isaiah 61. It says, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me, the coming one, the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Really, the actions that he's showing to John the Baptist are fulfilling of those passages in Isaiah. This is what you'd expect the coming one to do. And I am doing those things. So, John, who am I? Am I the coming one? As Jesus points him to this, he doesn't give him really the yes or no, because it's John's choice to believe in him. Jesus is offering each one of us the gift of salvation through himself, through his work. And he's saying, here it is, come take it. It's not forced on any one of us. You've seen what I have done for you. Will you receive the gift of eternal life? Will you trust in me and in my grace for your life? Our only source of genuine hope is Jesus Christ. So we see here Jesus pointing in the scriptures to his work and who he is. And he concludes this with verse 6, and he says, And blessed is he who is not offended because of me. When you are discouraged and when you doubt, turn to Christ. Look for Him in your life. So what are some steps that we can go to when we are doubting, when we do struggle, when circumstances do change and we feel that downturn happening internally. You know, maybe we're holding it together outwardly, and too often we do this, right, where we are struggling. Maybe we're struggling even on the way to church. Struggling with your kids, you know, yelling or arguing and trying to get a hold of them. Then you come to church, someone says, hey, how are you doing? I'm doing fine. You know, I understand that's kind of just a way in which we greet one another. And yeah, there's something to be said for, you know, not just unloading on someone who's just greeting you. But at the same point, when we come together, that ought not to be the case. You know, to be true about how we're feeling, just as John the Baptist is here. and questioning what is going on. You know, things are kind of swirling in my life right now. Please keep me in your prayers. As I search what God wants me to do, identify the source of discouragement. Right, that's our first step. Identify that source. You know, is it your job or someone at work? Is it how things are turning out in your life? And you pondering, well, what if? What if I would've taken a different path? What if I would've said no to that job? What is the source of that discouragement? Identify it. When you do identify it, cast that burden on the Lord. Right, we have the ability to pray to the One who's in control of all things. Take that burden and share it with Him. And when you do, don't just leave it there and just, you know, complain or lament to God what is happening in your life, but truly seek His help. And in part of doing that is to see His presence around you. You know, how do you go about seeing God's presence around you, right? This seems like a mystical thing, but really the blessings that you have are from God. Think of things that you are thankful for, maybe before bed, three or four things that God has provided for you, blessings in your life. Thank Him for the work that He has done in providing those things for you. Then fourthly, trust God with the outcome of your struggles. This, really, that's where the linchpin is. Right? Some of these things are pretty easy. Identifying the scourge. I mean, you know, you probably already know what it is. You can tell God about it. Well, he knows too, right? So I can tell him. Yeah, I know he's working around me and I see what he has done and the gift of salvation in my life. But to turn over the outcome of these struggles to him to truly submit that, hey, if he doesn't want me to ever get married, I gotta be okay with that. If I don't ever get a job in my field, that is all right. I am going to please him in whatever area I work. If I get passed up for every promotion, that's okay. I leave it to God. Do you submit when outcomes don't turn out the way you want them to? When, like John the Baptist, you feel like you are imprisoned You trust that God is in control and continue to faithfully love and serve Him. That's what you're called to do. Trust His Word. Leave the outcome to Him. You know, that doesn't leave you out of responsibility, right? No, that means doing what you're called to do, to be obedient in the efforts that you are called to. And when you are doing right in those efforts, the outcome will be up to God. Be working to improve certain parts of your life. Whether it be physically, mentally, be improving in these areas. Be working towards better physical fitness. Be working towards growing in your knowledge of Christ through the study of God's word. Be working in increasing your education for your career field so you can better do your job. Seeking to improve ourselves to glorify God in all areas of our life. But when we become discouraged, when things don't turn out in those areas the way we expected, I'm not losing that weight. My diabetic numbers aren't any better. Nothing seems to be working as I expected. No, leave the outcome to God. You do what is right. Don't be offended because of Christ. Trust in Him. Leave the outcome to Him. Let's pray. Father, we do thank You for Your Word. Lord, we understand the difficult task here that we have when circumstances don't turn out the way that we would In our minds, I desire them to be. May we know your hand is at work. Help us to see it, to trust it, to be guided by it. We thank you that you did send your son to pay sin's penalty in our place. The Lord, even when we go through negative circumstances, help us understand we deserve much worse. It is only by your grace that we are where we are. To trust that you have and are working out what is best for your children who love you. Lord, if there's any here today who are doubting what their purpose is today, what their life looks like, Lord, if there's anyone doubting their salvation, your mere existence, Help them to know that they can turn to you with those doubts. And ask you to show yourself to them, to make yourself known. You will be faithful in doing that. Lord, help us to trust in that and to leave the outcomes to You. But to faithfully submit to Your Word, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.