John the Baptist Mat 11:2-3 “When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, ”Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?" John the Baptist doubted…Why?

John the Baptist Mat 14:1-4 “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus, and he said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him. Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for john had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her."

Why did John the Baptist doubt? Difficult situation (In Mat 3:1-12, he preached the word boldly and prepared the way for Mesiah and now he is in prison…) Unmet Expectation (Isaiah 61:1 – “…has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the aptives and release from darkness for the prisoners…”) – that Messiah WILL and SOON release them and bring judgment Limited Knowledge/ Perception Point 2 He, in part, was looking for the Messiah as the conquering king because everyone else was. The same sort of influences affects us. Consider how we view the world. Americans have enjoyed both prosperity and freedom unknown throughout most of human history, yet because this is what we have always known, we take that for granted. Consider the kinds of things we consider to be trials. What are things we do complain about? Having to wait more than 30 minutes to see a doctor. Having two cars and one of them breaks down. Going to the market and finding they are out of the sale item. Eating too much and having to lose weight. Having the air conditioner break down, etc. Our perspective of life is skewed by our society. We expect life to be easy and we consider things to be doubt causing trials when those things are minor inconveniences compared to what most of the world goes through daily. Our view of God is affected as well. The idea of Him as the benevolent grandfather of the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel taught by so many of the TV preachers on TBN would not make it in most of the world. It is successful here only because we are affected by our society which markets everything, so Jesus is packaged and sold in the marketplace as the means to the good life. No wonder doubt arises so quickly among so many who call themselves Christians when all they are really going through is some inconvenience. Point 3 John, like all the other godly men of his time, did not understand the first coming of the Messiah as the suffering servant. The Scriptures declared that message, but it was a message overshadowed by the other Scripture picturing the Messiah as the conquering king. John had an incomplete understanding of God’s revelation. We are so often in the same situation as John. A large part of our doubt comes not so much from the difficult circumstances themselves, but not understanding why we are going through them. Our doubt arises with those questions of "why is this happening?" "How does this fit with what the Scriptures say?" "Doesn’t such and such a verse say thus, and if so, then why is this and that going on?" Part of that incomplete revelation is directly related to our lack of knowledge and understanding of God’s word. I have dealt with people many times that quote verses such as John 14:14, "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it," along with the last part of John 10:10, ". . . I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly," and they are questioning why their life has troubles in it. Often selections from the Psalms are added like, "Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4)," "No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent" (Psalm 91:10).

God has no problem with doubt when it brings us CLOSER to Him and it STRENGTHENS our faith Doubt can lead us to sin when it makes us FURTHER from Him

Doubt can bring us closer to Him when… Seek answer from Him (In Mat 11:2-3 “When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask Him: ”Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”

Doubt can bring us closer to Him when… 2. Receive Biblical Revelation (Mat 11:4-5) Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor (Isaiah 29:18-19, 35:5-6, 61:1) – Jesus gave enough “EVIDENCE” for people to believe Him

Doubt can bring us closer to Him when… 3. Submit joyfully (Mat 11:6) Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me” Jesus did not answer John the Baptist the way He wanted it but Jesus helped him to trust in Him