Greg Laurie - Jesus and the Doubters
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Heard a story about a father and son that walked into a hardware store. There was a big old jar full of candy sitting out there on the counter. The owner of the store said to the little boy, «Son, why don’t you grab yourself a handful of candy? It’s free». The little boy just looked up at his father. The store owner said, «Son, did you hear what I said? I said grab a handful of candy, it’s free». Again, the little boy looks up at his father. So, finally the dad reaches in, grabs a handful of candy, and they’re walking out of the hardware store. And the dad asks his boy, «Son, why didn’t you grab that handful of candy? It was free». And the little guy said to his dad, «Because dad, your hand is bigger than mine».
I like that. And that to me is a picture of God. Some people envision God as being stingy or cheap or wanting to withhold his blessings, but as we read the Bible, we find the opposite is the case. God loves to lavish his blessings on us. He wants to bless us even more than we want to be blessed. I mean, I think it’s an amazing thing that of all of the pictures Jesus could have chosen to show us what God is like, he chose to portray God as a loving Father in what we call the parable of the prodigal son. That son of the father went out and dragged the family name through the gutter and did all kinds of things he shouldn’t have done, but yet when he came to his senses and returned home, Jesus portrays his dad as someone who missed his son and ran to him and threw his arms around him and forgave him. And that was a picture from Christ of God himself.
So, you wanna know what God is like? Jesus just told you, he’s like a loving, heavenly Father that longs for relationship and friendship with us, not because he needs us. God doesn’t need us. We have nothing to offer him that he is lacking, but he does it because we need him, you see, and because he loves us. And that is why Jesus came. Jesus was God with skin on. Jesus was not just a good man, he was indeed the God man. Jesus was God spelling himself out in language we could understand. God had a face. God came near. And there’s never been anyone who has ever walked this earth more influential than Jesus Christ. You know, we may gauge a person’s influence by how many followers they have on social media or when someone is honored at an event, they’re chosen to be the man or the woman of the year.
Every December, Time Magazine releases an issue pointing out who they consider to be the person of the year. Then every ten years, they have the person of the decade. But there’s only one person that divides human history in half, and that’s Jesus Christ. That’s how significant he is. The name of Jesus is the most powerful in all of the universe. If you don’t believe me, just say his name out loud in a crowded room. You’ll get an immediate reaction. It’s a name that is above all names. But the first person I want to look at in this series, «Jesus and You,» is the cousin of Christ. We know him best as John the Baptist.
In fact, John the Baptist recognized Jesus before either one of them was even born. Because they were both in the wombs of their mothers, John in the womb of Elizabeth, Jesus in the womb of Mary. And when Mary came to visit Elizabeth, John the Baptist, not born yet but very alive and already full of that unique personality that he had, the Bible says, «Lept in the womb». So, there was an immediate connection. And even the story of John is quite a miraculous story, not on the level of Christ who was supernaturally conceived in the womb of a virgin, but John’s parents were elderly, far past the age of bearing a child, and the angel Gabriel came and announced to them that they were gonna have a son, and his name would be John, and he would be a prophet of the Most High, and he would prepare the way of the Lord.
And then when John emerged on the scene, he began his preaching ministry. It was so significant, many thought that he actually was the Messiah. The ancient historian, Josephus, actually wrote more about John than he did about Jesus. So, John was a rock star, John was a very popular figure. He would have had more followers on Instagram than Jesus had, okay. I don’t know if I’d scream at that, but the point is, he was so popular, but he had a short… what’s going on over here? Okay, so yeah. He had a short-lived ministry because his job was just sort of the end of the scene, get the attention of the people, he was hard to miss. He dressed in animal skins, his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.
So, he would have been the guy when you go out to order in a restaurant that would be problematic. There’s always one of those people, «Excuse me, I’m lactose intolerant». And they have all these issues and they want to substitute everything for everything, right? John, yeah, «You got any locust and wild honey here in this restaurant»? You know, he would have fit perfectly on «Duck Dynasty» with all those guys, right? So, you couldn’t miss John. He wasn’t dressed in the beautiful robes of the religious leaders. And in fact, he called them out without any apprehension. He said in Matthew chapter 3, verse 7, «They’re a brood of snakes facing the judgment of God».
So, John’s job, if you will, was to prepare the way of the Messiah. He was to be the voice of one crying in the wilderness. And so, one day as he’s baptizing people in the Jordan River, who shows up? Jesus himself and Jesus said, «John, I want you to baptize me». John says, «Baptize you? You should be baptizing me». And Jesus says, «No, John, you need to do this. Let this happen right now, so we can fulfill all righteousness». So, John baptized Jesus and you remember the amazing things that happened. The Holy Spirit came upon Christ in the form of a dove, and there was a voice from heaven, the Father saying, «This is my beloved Son, in whom I’m well pleased».
There you see the Trinity in action. The Son being baptized, the Holy Spirit is manifested, the Father is speaking. Now John’s job is done. As he himself said, «He must increase,» speaking of Christ, «and I must decrease». And he said to his own disciples, «Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world». In other words, boys, we’re done here. I want you to follow Jesus, and they did. And now the public ministry of Jesus is beginning. So, John is waiting because he, like most people of this time, had a misunderstanding of the role of Messiah. It was their view that when Messiah came that he would overthrow the ruling power, in this case Rome, and he would establish his kingdom of righteousness on the earth. But time is now passing.
In fact, 18 months have passed and none of this is taking place. And John is wondering, «Wait, did I get something wrong? Did I misunderstand? Is Jesus actually the Messiah»? And he finds himself discouraged and grappling with doubt. The title of my message is, «Jesus and the Doubter». So, if you’ve ever entertained doubts, you’ll connect to the story. Let’s read about it. Matthew 11 starting in verse 1, «And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to him, 'Are You the coming One, or should we look for another? ' Jesus answered and said, 'You go tell John the things that you hear and see. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and 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.'»
Let’s stop there. So, where is John? He’s in a dungeon. And why is he in a dungeon? He’s in a dungeon because he called out King Herod, who was living an immoral lifestyle. John didn’t pull his punches. It ticked off Herod, so he imprisoned this great man of God. Here’s a guy that loves to be out in the open air fulfilling his ministry, trapped in this horrible little dungeon, and he’s hearing about Jesus, but he doesn’t like what he’s hearing. «Oh, that Jesus, he’s hanging out with sinners». «Hanging out with sinners? Oh, I thought that he was gonna establish his kingdom. Did I get something wrong»?
See, the problem was he was looking at things BC, not before Christ, but before Calvary, before Jesus would wear many crowns, he would first wear the crown of thorns. Before there would be the throne, there would be the cross. And it was after Christ died and rose again, they all understood those two disciples who were discouraged on the road to Emmaus, leaving town after Christ was crucified, and happened to be joined by Jesus himself incognito, said this, «We had hoped,» past tense, «he would have been the one to deliver Israel». This paraphrase, «Yeah, he didn’t quite measure up. He let us down».
And then Jesus is like, «What’s wrong with you guys»? You know, and then he took them to the Scriptures, pointing them to all the passages that showed that this was always part of the plan. The Messiah would suffer, Messiah would die for the sin of the world, Messiah would rise again from the dead. The Messiah would return one day, and that one day is still in our future. But don’t be too quick to judge these guys because we can do the same thing.
Listen to this, sometimes we need to go through the foyer of doubt to get into the sanctuary of certainty. That’s not original to me. It’s a good statement though, isn’t it? We have to go through the foyer, we’ll say, lobby to make it easier because that’s French, foyer, foyer. We have to go through the lobby of doubt to get into the sanctuary of certainty. A French proverb says, «He who knows nothing doubts nothing». It’s also been said doubt is not the opposite of faith, it’s an element of faith. Doubt is not necessarily a sign that a person is wrong, rather it’s a sign they’re thinking.
So, it’s okay to have moments of doubt. Even great men of the Bible had their doubts. Moses was ready to quit on one occasion in complaining to God about the Israelites. He said, «If they’re gonna treat me like this, Lord, I’d appreciate it if you would just take me out, just kill me now». Little dramatic, right? Elijah was ready to quit after hearing of the threats of Jezebel. And he said, «Lord, just take my life». We all remember doubting Thomas. He wanted to see the risen Lord himself. He said, «I’ll believe him when I can put my hand in the wound in his side». Then Christ appears and he says, «That’s okay. My Lord and my God,» right? But he just wanted to know for himself, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Nothing wrong with you saying, «I want to see it for myself. I want to know it for myself». This is all part of growing. Even the great apostle Paul was discouraged. He writes about it in 2 Corinthians 1:8. He was burdened beyond measure. And he said, «We despaired even of life». So, if you’re struggling with discouragement and doubt, you are not the first, nor will you be the last. The problem with John is he had a troubled mind and a broken heart. Hey man, the guy was in a dungeon, cut him some slack. Things are not going the way he thought they would go because he misunderstood. So, he sends two friends, «Just ask Jesus this question, 'Are you the one or should we look for another? '»
Now notice how Christ responds. He refers to Old Testament prophecies that he is the Messiah, alluding to Isaiah 35 and Isaiah 61. Jesus says, Matthew 11, verse 4, «You go tell John, the blind are seeing, the lame are walking, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up». So, you could really be offended by that question, you know. The question is, «John wants to know if you’re really the one or should he look for another»? What? Hello? And so, he’s really questioning the ministry of our Lord Jesus. Could have said, «You know what? Got a little offended. My cousin’s always been a little weird, okay. Come on, let’s get real. Really locusts and wild honey, is that necessary»?
Now he didn’t do that at all. In fact, Jesus did the very opposite. He looked for this. He saw this as an opportunity to speak of the greatness of John. Look at Matthew 11, he says, «As the disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking». Matthew 11 rather, «Began talking about him to the crowds. He said, 'What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? A reed just blowing in the wind? Someone unstable with no courage? Some kind of a snowflake? This is John the Baptist, people. And I loved him, and let me tell you a little something about John,» and then he goes on to describe who John really was.
And you know, here’s what it comes down to. You know, it’s really not what others think about us or even what we think about ourselves. I’m interested in what Jesus thinks about me. Jesus had some good thoughts about John. And Jesus has some good thoughts about you too. I want you to know that. Now, we know what happens when we get bragged on by God in heaven. We saw that in the book of Job. It’s like, hey, let’s not be bragging too much in heaven, okay. After I look at the calamities that befell your servant. But you know, I love Jeremiah 29:11. I think you know that by now, I quote it quite often. But here’s what God thinks about you, «'I know the thoughts that I think toward you, ' says the Lord, 'thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.'»
See, a lot of us think God is mad at us when in reality, God is mad about us. He loves us, that’s what we see so clearly in Scripture. So, now Jesus says this about John, verse 11. Let me tell you something, «Among those born of women there has not been one greater than John the Baptist». John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets. Not only was he the last, but he was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Now that’s pretty amazing. How could John be greater than Samuel, Elijah, Isaiah, Ezekiel? John never called fire down from heaven like Elijah did. He never parted the Red Sea as Moses did. He did not write a book of the Bible like Isaiah, or Ezekiel, or even minor prophets like Micah. That doesn’t mean that he was underage Micah. Being a minor prophet just meant shorter book. He didn’t write a book. He didn’t do a miracle. But Jesus says, «Of men born of women, there has never been a greater than John the Baptist».
Why was John the greatest of the Old Testament prophets? Answer, because John and John alone was the direct forerunner of Jesus. His greatness came as a result of his closeness to Christ. And now Jesus drops his bombshell, verse 11, «And he who was least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he». What that means is, you as a Christian, in the new covenant now, are greater than John. You say, «How could I be greater than John? He was the direct forerunner. He was the voice crying in the wilderness». I know, but you see, you have a relationship with God that John did not have. John was a herald of the king. You’re a friend of the king. John was a friend of the bridegroom, you’re the bride of the bridegroom, right? So, this all happened because of the death and resurrection of Christ. So, I titled this message, «Jesus and the Doubter,» Jesus and you.
Now maybe you’re struggling with doubt right now. There’s a difference between doubt and unbelief. You know, doubt asks questions, unbelief doesn’t want answers. Doubt can be overcome and resolved, but unbelief is an act of disobedience. So, it’s okay to come with your doubts and say, «Lord, I don’t get this, help me». Like that one guy that said, «Lord, I believe, help my unbelief». So, when you’re praying about something, you say, «Lord, we’re praying for this, we’re asking this in the name of Jesus. We’re praying about this together, but Lord, we’re also saying we believe but help our unbelief». Because sometimes our faith is not as strong as it should be, but God understands that. He’ll more than meet you halfway. So, let’s wrap this up now. How did Jesus deal with doubt in the life of John and how does he wanna deal with doubt in our life?
Number one, he refocused John’s priorities. He refocused John’s priorities. John misunderstood, as I said, the mission and purpose of the coming of Christ, and it was true of the disciples as well. He refocused him. He didn’t rebuke him, he refocused him. Because the problem with John was not that he was asking too much, it’s that he was asking too little. «Hey, John, I’m gonna do something even bigger than you’re expecting. Overthrow the Romans? I’m gonna come and establish my kingdom on earth one day, and the righteousness of the Lord will fill the planet. So, it’s gonna be bigger than anything you ever dreamed».
So, he refocused his priorities. Secondly, he used this Scripture or brought John back to the Scripture. He took John back to the Bible. «Buddy, remember what the Bible says. Remember what the prophets say. You need to go back». I cannot say enough about how important the Word of God is for everything in life that you are facing. This is why we need to memorize Scripture and know Scripture. When we fall into that little pit of despair, when we’re dealing with hardship, when we’re looking for direction, really whatever you’re going through, know the Word of God. And as I’ve said to you, you need to think biblically. So, Jesus brings him back to the Bible. Coming back to the disciples on the Emmaus Road. They said to Christ, who, again, was incognito, «We were hoping Jesus would have been the one to deliver Israel, but it’s been three days since these events happened».
Jesus must have thought, «Oy vey, really? Three days, don’t you remember how many times I said, 'I, the Son of Man, will be betrayed, I’ll be crucified, and three days later I’ll rise again. Read my lips, three days.'» But the Emmaus said, «It’s been three days,» and then he took them on a guided tour of the Bible and pointed them to all of the passages that pointed to the Messiah suffering for our sin. So, what did he do? He brought them back to the Word of God. And the Bible says as they came to the end of their journey, they said, «Did not our hearts burn within us while he opened the Word on the way»?
Number three, Jesus kept right on with this purpose and asked John to not be stumbled or annoyed. He’s just saying, «Just trust me». God never promised he would inform us all about his plan ahead of time. He just promised us that he has one. And ultimately, it’s for our good and it’s for his glory. Let me say that again, God never promised he would inform us all about his plan ahead of time. He just promised that he has one and it’s ultimately for our good and it’s for his glory. I know there are things in life that don’t make sense. I know there are questions that remain unanswered. I know you have times of disappointment as a follower of Jesus, but one day it will all be made clear. And whatever you’ve lost for the kingdom of God in this life, whatever you’ve suffered will be made up to you in the next life. God has promised that in Scripture.
So, right now the Bible says, «We see through a glass darkly, but then face to face». You know, sort of like someone that has tinted glass on their car and you can’t see in. And that’s how it is sometimes, we’re trying to figure these things out. We squint our eyes, we’re trying to see, you know, what is taking place and why God is doing it. Another translation of that same verse there in 1 Corinthians 13 says, Paul speaking, «I know now in a fragmentary fashion, but then I will fully known as I am known».
Yeah, I know you have questions you want to ask God. But in that final day when we stand before God, we’ll realize he never sat on his hands because they were nailed to a cross. God’s in control. God is at work. So, if you have a doubt, you just bring it to Jesus. And that’s really to me the big story here. John had his doubts, but he brought his doubts to Jesus. And that’s what we need to do. And Jesus wants to more than meet you halfway. He came to this earth, he walked among us. He lived a perfect life, he died a perfect death. He died on the cross for our sins and he rose again. And now he stands at the door of our life, and he knocks and says, «If you’ll hear my voice and open the door, I’ll come in».
Sometimes people say, «I have a few questions, and if you can answer these questions, I’ll become a Christian». I think many times what we will see is when we become a Christian, that’s when the questions are answered. Not all of them, but I will say this, most of them, most of the big ones for sure. When you enter into this relationship with God that is available through Jesus Christ.
You know, I saw an interesting interview the other day between Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk. And what an amazing guy Elon Musk is. You know, I just saw a video of one of his rockets landing in some kind of a container of sorts. I’ve never seen anything like that before. And then all the other things that he has created. The man is an absolute genius. And so, Tucker asks Elon, who’s an engineer, knows a little bit about creating things, «Do you believe in a Creator»?
And Elon had to say he did believe in a Creator. Of course he would because creators or engineers make things for a purpose, and he realizes that all the things he makes have a purpose, and the same must be true of God as well. But then Elon said, «But I don’t know that we can really know his nature». But we can and we must. And that is what I started this message with talking about how God is a loving, heavenly Father that longs for a relationship with us, a friendship with us that comes through Christ.