Sermons

“Have you ever felt isolated?”

Isolation causes despair and depression, causing people to lose a grip on reality.

• Ukrainians are suffering under siege now at war with Russia.
  • Our dear family the Bondars feel this; family preparing bomb shelters.
  • I taught outside of Kiev [Irpin].
  • A strategic city being bombed.

 

• News media early highlights of Ukrainians struggling to grasp reality.
  • What is happening to them.
  • Being at war.

 

• Brothers and sisters in X, in the church, caught on both Russian and Ukrainian boarders. “Our countries are at war!”

 

• A TMAI Urgent Prayer Request, says their missionaries plan to stay in Ukraine, remain “in-country” to “help during what could Ukraine’s greatest time of need.”

 

Missionary faculty member: “We have made some contingency plans because it seems like the wise thing to do, like buying some non-perishable food, water, a propane stove, and packing ‘bomb shelter backpacks’ that are ready to go. But as Christians we are not here to survive. We are here to love the Lord with all our hearts and joyously give everything we’ve got toward the fame of the Almighty.’”

 

• Also, Alex and Ekaterina Prokopenko, who grew up in Sumara, Russia.
  • Alex pastors and leads their TMAI.
  • Training Russian pastors to exposit Scripture.

 

• Couple videos I watched are sad.
  • A missile streaks across the sky bombs the end of a city block.
    • Most disconcerting was how people continued about their business in unhurried fashion.
    • Passive acceptance of a new reality.

 

• Another video of a father/soldier saying goodbye to his 3-year-old daughter, assuming he will die in battle.

 

• Men, women, and children either having a train ticket out or stuck.

This is the expectation of wartime living.

• In times of war, isolation is a silent killer.
  • Describes John’s reality while in prison for preaching.
  • Isolation leading to doubting the Lord.

Setting the right expectation as a believer is greatest investment for your spiritual life.

• Consider the cost.
  • You are not John the Baptist.
  • Neither are you expected to be.

 

• Jesus’ point is no one really is.
• All believers called to take his same path.

James says of John’s predecessor, Elijah.

^ESV  James 5:17 Elijah was a man ^awith a nature like ours, and ^bhe prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for ^cthree years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

• John was unique and set apart.
  • Last Old Testament prophet.
  • Took Nazarite Vow.

 

• But, “…a man with a nature like ours.”
  • John the Baptist in prison, facing execution, musing.
  • Reminiscing about his life.

John, put in prison by Herod.

• Herodias, manipulating through daughter, ordered his head be chopped off.
  • John in jail for 1 year, now facing execution.
  • John, now facing extreme doubts.

 

“If John the Baptist can doubt Jesus, anyone can doubt Jesus.”

^ESV  Matthew 11:11 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.

• John, not only doubting Jesus but life’s calling and mission.

Matthew’s agenda is to deal with the issue of “doubt” in general.

• By contrast, prove Jesus is truly the King. Messiah.
  • Jesus indicts his disciples in Matthew:

“O you of little faith” and “How long will you doubt?”

• (Mt. 8:26; 14:31; 21:21; 28:17; Mk. 11:23; 16:11; Lk. 12:28).
  • Disciples in the boat.
  • Jesus’ walks on water.
  • Move mountains.
  • How much will he cloth you, O you of little faith.
  • Some doubted at Great Commission.
  • Some heard Jesus was alive…would not believe it.

 

• Jesus is never pleased with doubt (cf. Peter in Acts 10:19-20).
  • Peter questioned vision at Joppa.
  • Inwardly perplexed.
  • Pondering the vision.

 

• James warns against doubting, being doubleminded (cf. Jas. 1:6; cf. Eph. 4:14).
  • Like a wave of the sea, tossed by the wind.
  • Every wind of doctrine, tossed to and fro by the waves.

Jesus proved he is the One; by his teaching, miracles, and precision fulfillments.

• Point is proofs are never enough.

 

• Must embrace Jesus as Lord by faith!

 

• Matthew targets believers who are the doubters.
  • Believers are the only ones who can doubt in this way.
    • Unbelievers are never doubters
    • They are deniers.

 

• Often too quickly doubt the doubters.
  • Father demon possessed boy.
  • “If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

^ESV  Mark 9:24 Immediately the father of the child cried out¹ and said, “I believe; ^ahelp my unbelief!”

 “What doubting look like?”

• John was asking,
  • “What did it mean to be John the Baptist?”

 

• Musing how he ended up this way, in prison.

“What was John expecting?” This is John’s end of his life crisis.

• We are learning a lesson on expectations from the life of John the Baptist.

 

• How Jesus revives John by turning doubt back into faith!
  • A retrospective.
  • John’s process to revive.

 

Prop: Reminiscing four stages of John’s life.  

1. Landing in prison for preaching truth (vv. 1-3)

Jesus practices what he has just told his disciples to do (v. 1).

• The ultimate practice what you preach.
  • Moving into battle “teaching and preaching” in the cities of Galilee.
  • Not to mention the 12 preaching in Galilee (cf. 10:5-6).

 

• While Jesus is up and running, John is shut down and isolated.

A noteworthy contrast: Jesus’ battle on the outside, John’s battle on the inside.

• John introduced Christ.
  • He would bring fierce judgment, “burn[ing] chaff with unquenchable fire” (Mt. 3:12).
  • Leaving John confused by this turn of events.

 

• Jesus’ healing ministry, bringing refreshment, while John sits in prison.

[Barclay] He was the child of the desert; all his life he had living in the wide-open spaces, with the clean wind on his face and the spacious vault of the sky for his roof. And now he was confined within the four narrow walls of an underground dungeon. For a man like John, who had probably never lived in a house, this must have been agony. In Carlisle Castle there is a little cell. Once long ago they had put a border chieftain in that cell and had left him for years. In that cell there is one little window, which is placed too high for a man to look out of it when he is standing on the floor. On the ledge of the window, in the stone, there are two depressions worn away. They ware the marks of the hands of the border chieftain, the places where, day after day, he had lifted himself up by placing his hands on the ledge that he might look out on the green dales across which he would never ride again. John must have been like that; and there is nothing to wonder at, and still less to criticize, in the fact that questions began to form themselves in John’s mind.

“What happened with John?”

• This is a “Buyer’s Remorse”
  • “Humanly speaking the career of John ends in disaster.”
  • “…Fiery and courageous…Fearless and aggressive…faithful to call sin, sin.”

John’s approach confirms our mission is not trying to reform politics.

• Not why he went to jail.
  • He did not preach against Herod’s sin, to make Herod a better Herod.
  • He was dealing with sin, not politics.

Temptation is to make our mission political reform!

• Never the Christian’s agenda because it is a failed agenda.
  • “The ship is going down” [MacArthur].
    • We do not have to engage politics.
    • We do not have to.

 

• Preach Christ, politics will engage you.
  • Always a fine line drawn between reforming politics.
  • And calling out sin in our world.

 

• Difference is motivation. 

• Modelled by the prophets.
• Modelled by Christ.
• Modelled by Paul.
• Modelled by NT Church.

 

Back to John.

• On a trip to Rome, Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee, had taken a liking to Herodias, the wife of brother Philip, and seduced her.
  • Returning to Galilee,
    • Herod divorced his wife and married Herodias.
    • John the Baptist heard it.
    • Publicly confronted Herod’s sin.
    • Was thrown in prison.

 

• Herod’s fear of John’s with the populous, kept John from being immediate execution (Matt. 14:5).
  • John imprisoned at an old fort, Machaerus.
    • Located in desolation.
    • 5 miles east, 15 miles south of northern end of Dead Sea.
  • Dark stifling hot/desert dungeon, a basic pit.

After 18 months of open-air preaching, free-spirit in wilderness, John was now confined and isolated.

• Prison for a year when he sent 2 disciples to Jesus.

 

• Will unpack whole story in detail when come to Matthew 14.
  • Matthew’s retrospective of John.
  • Through the eyes of Herod.

Common struggle to persevere in faith, to continue believing.

• If John the Baptist can doubt the Lord, anyone can doubt the Lord.
  • The forerunner of Christ, who pointed out the Messiah.
  • “No one greater” – “He is Elijah who is to come.”

 

• Incomparable phrases about a man who was never meant to be replicated.
  • An example of someone who affected the conscience of the culture.
  • Preaching against Herod, landing himself in prison, awaiting execution.

 

• While behind bars kept John on the inside, Jesus is preaching on the outside.
  • The battle you might face might not only be on the outside.
  • But might be about isolation on the inside.

Important to know that John did not keep his struggle to himself on the inside an implode. No.

• Instead of imploding with doubt, John gave vent to his concerns by “sending word [to Jesus] by his disciples” (v. 2).
  • John sent his doubts and concerns to Jesus by way of his messengers!
    • Disciples of John.

 

• “We likewise should cast our cares upon him because he cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7).

“How bad was it for John?” “What did John have to fight through?” Matthew 14:1-12 will give more details of John’s dramatic trial. Nevertheless, verses 4-6 account for John’s heart cry!

2. Crying for help when hope was lost (vv. 4-6)

John, through disciples, poses a poignant question: “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

• “What a bold and risky question to ask Jesus!”
  • If answer is yes…Now what?
  • John asking this question comes down to Desperation.

John’s open-air preaching ministry (of 18 mos) was abruptly shut down.

• Jesus being out there, while John is in here.
  • John’s reality was clouded by being jailed.
    • Prison meant isolation from Jesus and from Jesus’ ministry.
    • John was in “solitary confinement.”

 

• Though, being cousins 6 months apart, growing up in the same region,
  • Must have known each other.
  • Still, John had limited exposure to Jesus’ miracles.

Though John baptized Jesus, seeing heaven come down, this limited exposure to Jesus’ miracles (divine validation), had caught up to him.

• Both (John and Jesus) baptized people, but in different regions.
  • Acts records the “disciples of John” (cf. Acts 19:1-7).
    • Converted in different regions.
    • Those still in need of the full story of Jesus’ DBR.

 

• Of the full ministry of the Holy Spirit, post Christ’s resurrection and ascension.

With isolation, John had no way of “hearing and seeing” the fruit of Jesus’ ministry among the people.

• Miracles on the scale of Messiah, only attributable to Messiah (now along with the Apostles) that were now taking place.
  • People born blind, receiving sight.
    • Miracle never recorded in the Old Testament.
    • The lame walk, and lepers cleansed, and the deaf hearing.
    • The dead raised, all predicted miracles from Old Testament Scripture.

 

• Jesus wisely prompts John’s thinking back to the Old Testament Word of God as the reference point to what Jesus fulfilled.

^ESV  Luke 4:16-20 ^aAnd he came to ^bNazareth, where he had been brought up. And ^cas was his custom, ^dhe went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up ^eto read. ¹⁷ And ^athe scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,^{18 ab}“The Spirit of the Lord ^bis upon me, because he has anointed me to ^cproclaim good news to the poor. ^dHe has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and ^erecovering of sight to the blind, ^fto set at liberty those who are oppressed,^{19 a}to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and ^asat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were ^bfixed on him.

 

^ESV  Isaiah 61:1-2 ^aThe Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has ^banointed me to bring good news to the poor;¹ he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and ^cthe opening of the prison to those who are bound;^{2 2 a}to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, ^band the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;

 

When doubts flood in, Jesus is validated by the Word of God. (Isaiah 29:18, 19; 35:5-10).

^ESV  Isaiah 29:18 In that day ^athe deaf shall hear ^bthe words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness ^cthe eyes of the blind shall see.

 

^ESV  Isaiah 35:5 ^aThen the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

 

Jesus makes the question as to whether John was exposed to miracles before in prison mute – by introducing the Scripture!

• Validation for Jesus comes by the Spirit, or you miss the point for what solves doubting?
  • Doubts arise from a single issue: Isolation.
    • Not only physical isolation.
    • Spiritual isolation!

 

• Isolation can pose a real problem for people in Alaska.
• Disconnected from the rest, here and beyond.

Modern technology has been shrunk down in size.

• Deeper problems begin when people isolate themselves from the Church.

 

• Denying yourself fellowship for any period of time opens the door for doubting the Lord.

^ESV  Hebrews 10:24-25 And ^alet us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

^{25 a}not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and ^ball the more as you see ^cthe Day drawing near.

Passively or actively isolating away from believers literally forsakes the Body of Christ.

 

• Passive isolation from seeing Christ’s power.
  • “What do I mean by this?”
    • Not physical miracles.
    • Physical miracle ministry as the norm passed with the Apostles.

 

• The New Testament moderates this expectation.
  • Narrating Christ’s departure and coming Spirit as a New Covenant age.
    • The Spirit moves with especial power.
    • Observable through the eyes of faith.

 

• Think about it.
  • Someone comes clear from being blinded by their sin.
    • Lost but now see.
    • This is a miracle.

 

• People battered by sin now walk a new path of holiness.
  • By the Holy Spirit.
  • This is a miracle.

 

• Spiritual leprosy, cleansed, ears opened to hear Truth, people raised from spiritual death, new creations in Christ, all this is miraculous.

 

• All from having “good news…preached to them” (v. 5).

 

• The “poor” made rich in faith.

John’s isolation of Jesus’ ministry reminds me of our present-day exposure to miracles.

• This veil over Jesus’ miracle ministry.
  • Like the buffering of John’s cell walls,
  • Same veil, keeping us from seeing the power of God on the physical face.

 

• False doctrine recycles in every generation of the church, begging for a physical “sign!” to validate Jesus as real!

 

 “We’re is the stuff  so I can believe it” [Wimber].

^ESV  Matthew 12:39 But he answered them, ^ab“An evil and ^badulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

 

^ESV  Matthew 16:4 ^aAn evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So ^bhe left them and departed.

 

Today in the church we have a very apparent ministry of the Holy Spirit.

• Yes, the Holy Spirit is always present at conversion but when Jesus left and the Holy Spirit initiated the church, we were given an enhanced access to the Spirit that we did not have before.

I say with caution and respect the analogy comes to mind for how the Spirit worked under the Old Covenant to the New. The Spirit’s presence hovered over creation. Was manifest as the Shekinah glory lead the children of Israel through the wilderness. Then was manifest in Tabernacle and Temple, hovering over the Holy of Holies, behind the veil. He came upon prophets and Kings empowering preaching and leadership and always quickened people alive when they believed.

This once limited access to the LORD’s power and presence could be likened to our former telephones, connected by a cord to the wall. More modern, to dial up that we would initiate and wait as modems squawked haunting sounds. Where now we have unlimited data via satellite or wifi in this new age of connection.

A new phase that will not go backward, what I am comparing to our access to the Holy Spirit. Not through high priests, with veiled faces. No. God’s evident presence lives in our lives, where we have the vision by faith engage Scripture and see, hear, and commune directly with God, anywhere, and anytime.  

This is the evident ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer!

• We encourage and enhance in each other’s lives as we gather.
  • Jesus felt no need to go farther with an explanation to John.
    • Assuming how strong John’s faith was.
    • (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13).

 

• He doesn’t run this to ground with John out of respect for him and on the power of God’s Word to engage his heart by the Spirit.

 

• Battling doubt and exercising faith is every believer’s struggle.
  • Find comfort knowing believers are the only one’s capable of this kind of struggle.
  • This version of doubting.

John though in an unhealthy space [“Buyer’s Remorse”] nevertheless did what we all should do.

With great humility, John, being at the end, reached out to Jesus for help and Jesus strengthened his resolve to believe!