Turn with me then. We're now still in Luke 7. We're going to be reading verses 18-23 today. I have been very blessed in my time of preparation. So many thoughts that God has given, and I pray that somehow by the help of the Lord, I will be able to convey at least some of them to you in a way that has been brought to me, and I know that that is going to require the help of the Holy Spirit. It's not something I can do on my own, but I have very much enjoyed the time in preparation, and now we ask the Lord to be with us as we try to share with you the things that He's brought to our minds on this passage. Luke 7, verse 18. The disciples of John reported all these things to him, and John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?' And when the men had come to him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?' In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, And tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive their sight. The lame walk. Lepers are cleansed. And the deaf hear. The dead are raised up. The poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me. The title for our message today is the question, Abbreviated that John the Baptist disciples asked Jesus that John the Baptist himself is asking. Are you the one? Are you the one? This is a This is an important question That might go without saying This is a a dangerous question. It's a surprising question. Perhaps it is to you. It has been to me in times past when reading this, thinking, why would John the Baptist ask this question? Was he doubting? Was he uncertain? This man who we read about in the early chapters of Luke, dedicated his life to being the forerunner of Christ himself, who lived in the desert and ate locusts and wild honey and wore humble clothing. This is a question that is surprising, I think. But John the Baptist, as you know, is now in prison. He's been delivered there for speaking truth to those who had the ability to imprison him, and he is in prison, and I believe he likely has a sense that he's probably not going to leave, or at least he knows that's a very real chance. negative and difficult circumstances has a way of forcing this kind of question to the surface. Are you the one? Are you the one, Jesus? Are you the one that we've been looking for or should we look for another? Jesus answers the question by demonstrating His power, and we'll get into some of that as we go on our way this morning. He shows signs and wonders. He gives them demonstrated proof that He is and was indeed the One. But it's a dangerous question, and it's a question I think that sometimes, and we might say more about this later, It's a question that many religious people sometimes are unwilling to really ask. Satisfied with Sunday school questions and Sunday school answers. Satisfied with just going through the motions. But not really asking a question like this one. Jesus, are you the one Maybe you have that question. Maybe you know some people who do have this question, and I want to encourage the question. We ought not be afraid of such a question as this. Are you the one? And I would like to look at this together this morning and see the question and look at it closely and look how Jesus answers it and then look at what we're to take away from it. But as we've said, this is indeed a surprising question from John the Baptist, the faithful forerunner of Christ. And you know what? Even the most faithful among us can have this question. Are you the One? I've been convinced beyond doubt in my own mind that Jesus is indeed the One. He is the Savior of the world. He is the Son of God. I know Him and He knows me. I am His and He is mine. And I am saved by the grace of God through the sacrifice of this one on the cross. And I know this. But listen, John the Baptist sitting in prison asks an honest question because in some sense as well, the fulfillment of all that was said about the Messiah in defense of John has not been fulfilled yet. And so John asks this honest question. It's a probing question, a surprising question, and in prison, perhaps knowing that he was facing a death sentence. And in that circumstances, this question is presented and it's brought to the forefront and John the Baptist, unable to go to Jesus himself, sends others and says, are you the one The one we've been looking for. Or should we be looking for someone else? This difficult circumstance that he was in brings this question out. You know, this might be said to be something of a question that leaves room for an answer both directions, and I suppose that it does. But of course, Jesus, the way he answers, removes any doubt. But it is an honest question that we ask. But John the Baptist, even in his powerful witness for Christ. It was John the Baptist who said at Jesus' baptism when he came, he said, Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. But here, some time later, he is in prison and he sends people to ask, Are you the one? Some commentators and preachers will say he's asking for the benefit of his disciples. Perhaps there's room to think that but I think it's a perhaps even more directly a question that John is asking Are you the one because he wants it answered? And again the great irony among many religious people is that they are unwilling to ask such a direct question This dangerous question that if answered in a certain way Would render their whole lives somewhat meaningless. But listen, if you are unwilling to confront the possibility that you're wrong, you will never experience the comfort of being right. One of the things that has eroded, I believe, spiritual maturity Among so many today is our unwillingness to wrestle with questions like this one, because what if somebody came in here today, a preacher himself, one like John the Baptist, he would look at it and say, he is a man of God, and he says, is Jesus the one? Because you see, so many people assume they know the answer, but they've never really asked the question. So many think that they have the Sunday school answer. Who is the Son of God? Well, Jesus of Nazareth. You know that in your mind. You've been taught that perhaps. You've been raised in a Christian culture and you know the right answers. But do you know? Do you know that Jesus is the one? Are you convinced? Are you willing and have you delved into the depths of that question as deep as it will take you? Have you confronted the reality that your life will end and that there is an eternity that you will step into? And have you really asked the question, Jesus, are you the one or are you resting on answers that you've only partially believed in because you've been unwilling to confront the reality of the question itself. Honest faith must come from honest questions. Anything less than that is dishonesty. Jesus, are you the one? And this question is so vitally important for us today because the answer to this question answers so many of the other questions in our lives. As human beings, we have these questions. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? What is the meaning of all of this? There's got to be more to life than what we experience in our physical senses. What is the answer to these questions? Well, the answer to this question that John the Baptist asks will provide light to answer all of those others. Jesus, are you the one? If the answer to that question is yes, and I believe that it is, but if that is your answer as well, then does it not shed light on all the other questions of life? What should my life be about? What should my energies go toward? What should I think about from moment to moment? How should I align my work and my family, my relationships, my hobbies, my habits, my desires, my will? All of these questions that we are given agency, by the way, to control. They are informed by the answer to this question. Jesus, are you the one? The answer is yes. But John asked it, and I believe he asked it honestly, and I believe a lot of people today have this question honestly. You know, I'll grant the agnostic this much. At least he's trying to be honest when he says, I don't know if there is a God. You see, the atheist claims that there is no God, and the irony of that is they state that without any ability to prove it, and then point a finger at the Christian saying, you can't prove what you believe. Well, neither can the atheist. And at least the agnostic will say, I don't know. I don't know, but I want to challenge the agnostic a little bit here. Do you really want to base your life on the answer, I don't know? Do you really? Is that satisfying to your heart and to your human spirit? Do you want to live your whole life going, I don't know? What's the purpose of life? I don't know. What's the meaning? I don't know. What happens when I die? I don't know. Why did I have children? What meaning is there in all of this under the sun? I don't know. That's the agnostic's answer. And at least it's honest. I'll give them that. And a lot of people, that's an honor. I don't know. But I ask you, is your ignorance of the answer? And I don't say that as an accusatory or in a derogatory way. I'm ignorant of many things. But is ignorance of not knowing the answer to the question, Jesus, are you the one? Is that OK? Are you truly okay with that answer? I don't know. Are you going to step out of this life after your body breathes the last oxygen in and that heart beats for the last time? Are you going to bridge that gap from here to there? I don't know. I don't know. And I ask you this question as well today. Do you know the answer to John's question? Jesus, are you the one? Are you the one that brings life from death? Are you the one that forgives sin? Are you the one who died so that I might be saved? Are you the one who loves me more than I can comprehend? Are you the one who gave me life in the first place? Are you the one who has known me and shaped me, informed me in my mother's womb, and has watched over me my whole life, and will watch over me until the day that I leave this world? Are you the one? Only you can answer that question. I might say this again in a minute. When John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus and they said to him this question, John wants to know, are you the one? Did Jesus say, oh, go talk to Peter. He'll straighten you out. No. He says, watch and then go tell. So many people today, when they ask the question, and they're honestly asking it, is Jesus the one? And they're given horrible advice. Go talk to this preacher. He'll straighten you out. Listen, you need to talk to God. You need to know Jesus as the one who is who He said He is. Not was merely who He was. Is who He is. As He is at the right hand of the Father right now. All the other questions of your life are going to hinge on this one. Are you the one? I encourage you to bring your questions like this, by the way, to God. And I encourage you to be willing to ask them. Don't hide behind fear. Because again, if you're unwilling to confront the idea that you're wrong, you will never really know the comfort of being right and the peace that comes with that. You'll never really know the peace and the resting of your heart and your life and your eternity in the hands of God because you know Him. We're told in verse 21 that in that hour, He didn't waste any time, Jesus doesn't. He's asked the question. Can you kind of see Jesus in your mind's eye as He looks at them and acknowledges the question? But in that hour, he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits. And on many who were blind, he bestowed sight. And he answered them, go and tell John what you've seen and heard. In that hour, he performs works that identify him as, yes, I am the one. You see, scripture that Bible that you're holding in your hands, that is in your home, from Genesis to Revelation, there's not another book, or we should say 66 other books like them. There's not another one. You see, in that hour, Jesus performs many miracles. but he does so in fulfillment of what had been written about him for hundreds and hundreds of years in the Scripture. Scripture's coherence, its consistency internally across centuries and across many authors, is a proof and an evidence that Jesus is the one. From Genesis 3.15, all the way forward, we are shown glimpses of the Messiah. Genesis 3.15, God says, I'm going to send one who is going to crush the serpent's head. It's like He draws an outline of the Messiah, and we know what He's going to do. Isaiah then begins, and we'll read some of those scriptures, to fill in that outline, and he tells us more about the Messiah. And now, in Luke chapter 7, hundreds of years of prophecy, all the way back to Genesis chapter 3, verse 15, when God Himself prophesied of this One, Jesus says, Oh, you want to know if I am the One? then let me show you that I am the one. I am going to demonstrate to you that I am the one that has been prophesied. In Isaiah 35 verses 5 and 6, we read 100, 700 to 800 years before this day in Luke chapter 7, Isaiah wrote this, 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. Isaiah 61.1 The Lord, the Spirit of the Lord God, is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound. Isaiah 29, 18 and 19, In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The meek shall attain fresh joy in the Lord, and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. Genesis 3.15, all the way back there, as God Himself prophesies of this one. And these disciples of John the Baptist come on this day and they say, Jesus, are you the one or do we look for another? And he says, watch and learn. But I say this to you, he provides proof. Faith is not blind. That's a misunderstanding of faith in my assessment. Faith is not a whim. Faith is not based on things that are incoherent. Faith is not mysticism. The Holy Spirit is not a wind that blows through the room in a mystical kind of way. He can sometimes be perceived in that way. I don't dismiss that. And He comes upon us like the wind. And Jesus even describes it a little bit that way in John chapter 3. The wind blows where it listeth. You can hear the sound thereof, but you can't tell where it's coming from or where it's going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit. And Jesus likens the Holy Spirit that way, that all of a sudden, There's this fresh understanding from God Himself in the Holy Spirit. But faith is given facts. Jesus gives them a demonstration of the truth. Different prophets for centuries had prophesied His coming. And so there were different prophets. There were different centuries. There was yet only one Messiah. And Jesus said, Him. Yes, I'm the One. I'm the One that all of this is about. I'm the One who was there in the beginning with God, the Father, as we shaped creation. I am the One. I am the expected One. I'm the One who's been expected to come. And I say this to you today, He yet remains the expected One, does He not? I expect him again. I'm expecting him again. I'm expecting him to come just like he said he would. I don't know when, that's not mine to tell. But I know that he's coming and I'm expecting him to. Oh, that I would live differently if I truly, though, understood that and felt that from day to day. He is still the expected one. His first coming ended the expectation of thousands of years. His second coming is going to do the same. It's going to end our expectation and our faith. and expectation will end in sight in reality. But is that not exactly what happened here on this day with John the Baptist's disciples? Are you the one? He doesn't just say, yes, go tell John I'm the one. He doesn't do that. He gives him proof. Gives him proof. And after giving them proof, he tells them, go and tell what you have seen and heard. It's like he is saying this. You've seen it. You've heard it now. Weigh the evidence and go report. Weigh the evidence. Verse 22, he answered them, go and tell John what you have seen and heard. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them." Weigh that evidence. Go and tell what you have seen and heard. Weigh it. Note it. Examine it closely. Some people today, they say there's no evidence that Christianity is true. And I say to that, that is merely a dismissal of the abundant evidence that is available to anyone willing to look There is abundant evidence that supports the fact that Jesus is the one, because there are countless testimonies, are there not, of how Jesus has changed the lives of so many people. We've heard him about changing the lives of some of our friends and family members. We've heard of the changed lives of many famous people in history. C.S. Lewis is one that comes to mind, an avowed atheist. One day meets the one and becomes one of the most powerfully used apologists in Christianity that the world's ever seen and is still blessing people today. That was a changed life. That's evidence. That's proof. I read recently the story of Nikki Cruz, and maybe you know the name if you've read The Cross and the Switchblade, a gang member in the early 60s in New York, and this was a man that even the criminals would avoid. David Wilkerson, as he went and shared the gospel with him, he'd be beaten up. Cruz would beat him up time and again, and Wilkerson would just try to keep telling Nikki Cruz, Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you. He'd beat him again. Jesus loves you. You know what happened? One day there was enough of a gap in Nikki Cruz's heart to open, just enough light came through. And I'm paraphrasing all of this, but I can just imagine there's just this, there's just enough light to ask the question, what if it's true? What if Jesus is alive and he does love me and he is the son of God? Is he the one? when Mickey Crews got saved and became a powerful witness for the Lord. There's countless examples all around you if you're willing to look at it. Weigh the evidence. The evidence today has changed lives. The evidence then was the works that Jesus did. And by the way, I would say this to you as well. I've said it in different ways in the past, and I want to say it again. Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus born of Mary, Jesus born in Bethlehem, a documented historical fact, Jesus who performed all of these miracles, Jesus who did all these incredible things, His resurrection, of course, being the penultimate demonstration of His power over death. If these things were demonstrably, provably untrue, don't you think they would have been by now? Don't you think they would have been then? Don't you think that perhaps as you weigh evidence in your own mind and heart, don't you think that if Jesus Christ wasn't who he said he was, it would have been easily identifiable? And in that first century, there would have been all kinds of people come up and say, he didn't rise from the grave. They stole his body. I saw it. Here's his body. We know it's true. Or don't you think one of those blind men would have said, look, it was all a hoax. I've been able to see all my life it was just a hoax like Benny Hinn, who's been proven again and again of being a charlatan and claiming to heal people that he never does. Don't you think one of those people who were healed of a disease, cast out a demon, lame, and now could walk, don't you think one of them would have said, no, don't throw your life away following that man Jesus. It was all a hoax. Well, there isn't that proof Jesus' name would have faded into history. Unknown by most, in my opinion and my evaluation of the evidence, he would have faded into unknown status, but he didn't. People in the first century died carrying his message because they had seen him and they knew he was the one. They knew the answer to this question, and so too must you. But as you weigh the evidence, and as so many will claim there's no evidence to Christianity, I say to you, you're just simply unwilling to look at the evidence that is there. You know, we used to believe that evidence was something beyond what you could physically measure. We used to. We're in such a materialistic, scientific mindset today. And by the way, I love science. I think we should study it diligently, because at the end of the day, what you're going to find is God. It's no danger there. But in our materialistic world, we believe that the only things that are real are physical things. Many who discount Christianity are just unwilling to examine the evidence because they are unwilling to understand that evidence goes beyond what is physically measurable. And it goes to what a human being experiences and thus knows. In the 1900s, the very early 1900s, seeds of this had been sown in the late 1800s. But in the early 1900s, the fruit started to be born of this damnable heresy, to be honest, this idea that you could simply, by your own volition alone, without the working of God in your heart, become a child of God and check the box and do the thing. And Christianity suffered greatly because what it removed was the experiential reality of what it means to know God and turned it into mere religious academics. instead of, I know the answer. Is he the one? Yeah, he's the one. I can give you facts. He's changed my life. He's changed other people's lives. History would not remember him today if he wasn't, in my opinion. Just evidence after evidence after evidence, but neither can we fully prove because it requires faith. But faith formed in fact. And it's a fact because it's experienced in our hearts. And that is just as real as anything else. That's what I would say to you. But again, our material-minded age says only what is measurable is real. Yet, do we not routinely know realities beyond those kinds of things? Love. Trust. Let me ask you this. How do you prove you're hurting? No, I mean prove it. How do you prove? We have someone who knows a lot more about medicine in here today than I do, but how do you prove the pain that a person is claiming to feel? How do you prove how much I love someone? Well, are those things, are they not real? Do they not exist? Do you not experience them? And are they then not real? And I know we're getting into deep waters that I'm unqualified, perhaps, to speak to except this. When I was 11 years old, God became real to me because He saved my soul. He took me from being burdened in sin and knew that I was justly bound for a judgment of hell because of my sin against him, but he forgave me. He gave me peace, and he set my feet on a rock spiritually. He established my goings. He has been with me through these years. I have turned my face from him, but he has never forsaken me. I came to know Him that day. And on that day, on that hillside in southwest Missouri, for the very first time, though I had heard of Him again and again and again in sermon and in lessons in Sunday school, on that day, if somebody asked me, is Jesus the one? It was that day that experientially I could say, yes, He is the one. I have proof. I've been taught the scriptures. They are consistent and they are coherent. And some might say, well, a Muslim could say the same about the Qur'an. Oh, no, they can't. No, they can't. The Qur'an is not internally consistent. It is not coherent in and of itself. It does not paint a single picture. That's why there's so many different flavors of it, from extremism to less than so. It just depends on which passage and which surah you're reading. The Bible tells one story over thousands of years. Is Jesus the one? Yes, He is. It's a dangerous question and it's one that must be answered by you for yourself. Because again, Jesus... Don't ever, don't ever let somebody... When you come to that question, is Jesus the one? And maybe it's... You know He is, but you just, like David, you need to be reset. And I'm not talking about losing your salvation, but I'm telling you this, that this life is a constant warfare with sin, and maybe you strayed a bit from God and from Christ. You know the answer, but you want to feel it again. Then don't let anybody point you to anybody other than the One. Because when these disciples came to Jesus and asked, He didn't tell them, go check with Peter. He didn't say, go talk to John. He didn't say, you need to go talk to Matthew. He's got a really good hold of the genealogies and He can prove it to you. It's not what He said. He said, look at me. What have I done? Jesus doesn't just claim to be the expected one. He demonstrates that He is. You've seen and you have heard, so weigh the evidence and speak. Weigh the evidence. Having asked and seen and been sent to tell, he reminds us all to remember this. Blessed is he who is not offended. by me. What is that about? How does that fit? Has that verse ever struck you as odd in the setting? It's perfectly set, as all scripture is. But what does he mean? Why did he put this here? And I'll close with this thought. It might take me a few minutes to get through it, but listen. He says, blessed are those who are not offended. Blessed is the one who is not offended by me. That word offended is scandalesio, I believe, if I remember correctly. And it means to be offended, but it also means to stumble. Blessed is he who doesn't stumble at who I am. Who I am. I am the one But do you want to know why so many people miss Him and missed Him then? Because they were expecting things of the One instead of simply expecting the One. What do I mean by that? I mean that they expected the One to behave in a certain way. They expected Him to be a certain way. Blessed is the one who does not in his own expectation form me, but knows me for who and what I am. Who knows me and who I know. Who knows me by experience and in humility comes to me and acknowledges who I am. Isn't it the ones Aren't the ones Jesus is going to say, depart from Me, isn't it going to be because He's going to say, I never knew you? I never knew you. And listen, if Jesus says, I never knew you, you never knew Him. I never knew you. There was no experience between the two of us where you came to acknowledge that I am the one and that you relinquished all of your expectations of me and simply submitted to me. Because that's what I require. Because I am God. And you are my creation and I love you. And the best thing for you is submission to your God and love of Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Faith calls upon us to expect Him and humility demands that we surrender what we expect from Him. Many missed Him at His first coming. Some because they weren't expecting Him at all, but many others because they were blinded by their expectations of the Messiah rather than just expecting the Messiah, look, the same danger persists today. It lurks today. Our expectation is of a person, not his promises. Our expectation of the One is of Him, not what He does. I'm not waiting for heaven for its marvels. though I'm sure it will be full of marvels. That's not where my expectation is, though. I'm not waiting for heaven because of those things. I'm not waiting for heaven because, well, wow, after all, I'm going to live forever there. I'm not waiting for heaven because of the immortality. That's not why I'm waiting. That's not why I know Jesus is the one. That's not what drives me. I hope it's not what drives you. I'm afraid it is what drives some. I'm going to do the thing. I'm going to be a good person because I want the things that the One who is to come promised He was going to bring with Him. That's the wrong idea. You need to be waiting for the One. I'm not waiting for heaven for its marvels. I'm not waiting for heaven because of the longevity and the health that I'm going to fear. I'm not waiting because some songwriter said that I've got a mansion over there. It's not why I'm waiting. It's not why I'm expecting. Not when I'm rightly thinking anyway. I'm waiting because I expect the one who died for me to come like he said he would. and my expectations of Him are set aside. You know, I think sometimes even after that we're saved, we can have our walk with the Lord hindered because we are expecting things of Him and from Him rather than just expecting Him. Lord, I'm here. I don't know what you want to do with me today. I don't know what your plan is. I don't know what's going to happen when I leave this house. I don't know what's going to go on at work. I don't know what's going to happen with this problem that I'm worried about. I don't know what's going to happen in this situation where a person is concerned with their health, and I too am concerned for them. I don't know what's going to happen there. I don't know, Lord, what's going to happen. I don't expect anything of you and from you. I have requests to make to you, but I am expecting, Lord, you, because you are the one that I'm expecting, regardless of any expectation that I might bring. Don't stumble over the kind of Messiah that you're expecting and miss the one who really is alive today and is desiring to be with and near you. Jesus, are you the one? If Jesus is who he said he is, every other question in your life is going to find an answer. It is. The reason that you don't have answers to those other questions is because you've not yet answered this question that John the Baptist asked and had his disciples ask for him to Jesus. Are you the one? And Jesus proved to them beyond any doubt to them. And I believe, although nothing is said in Scripture about these men and what they said, they simply reported what they were told to report, no doubt. But it's an honest question, and yes, it's a dangerous question, but you need to be willing to ask it. You need to know the answer for yourself, that He is the One, that He's the One that's going to bring me into His presence one day, sooner rather than later. I don't know when that hour is, I don't know what the circumstances around my death will be, but the moment that I meet it, I am going to be taken into the very presence of the One, Jesus Christ. Do you know the One? Do you know the answer to this question? Have you seen Him? Have you heard Him? Has He provided the evidence to your heart that was enough for you to say yes? And that in faith you have placed your trust in Him. And in repentance you have acknowledged your sin. That is the Gospel message. The whole reason Jesus came into the world is because the world was lost in sin and in iniquity and in rebellion against the God that had created it. But Jesus came to set that all right again by being the willing, perfect, spotless sacrifice that satisfied the law and the judgment and the justice of God on the cross of Calvary. And he now offers it to all who will come to him and acknowledge him as the one. I pray that in your heart you know that, that He is the One for you, because He is indeed the One.