Today's message looks at the words of John the Baptist from Matthew 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 although a deep believer came to a point where he had his doubts. Such big doubts that he had his own disciples travel 100 miles to ask Jesus that question.
Matthew 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."
These are words from the Old Testament's prophecies, Jesus quoted from Isaiah 35:5-6 "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy."
And Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor."
Jesus quoted these verses about the prophecies of the Messiah to show that He was the Messiah, that He and the prophecies were one.
John's disciples are still listening as Jesus goes on and says in Matthew 11:11-15 "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist...For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear."
Again, these words are quotes from Old Testament Scriptures found in Malachi 3:1, Malachi 4:45-6 and Isaiah 40:3 that tell about the one who will prepare the way for the coming Messiah. These are words about John the Baptist.
The Controversy: What kind of Messiah?
⁃ Will he be prophetic, priestly or kingly?
⁃ Will he be a Messiah of mercy or judgment?
⁃ Would he suffer or reign?
⁃ Will there be 2 Messiahs who come once or 1 Messiah who comes twice?
The Biblical Evidence for Messiah:
⁃ Birthplace Micah 5:2
⁃ Lineage Isaiah 11:1
⁃ Miracles Deuteronomy 18:15
⁃ Sacrifice Leviticus 17:11
⁃ Resurrection Isaiah 53:11
We close with Pastor's heartfelt encouragement to let the word of God speak to our hearts, to search the scriptures and find what Jesus the Messiah has to say to us.
No matter who you are, think about this: If Jesus really is who He claimed to be, there is nothing more important than knowing Him and being known by Him.
Jesus is different than what we expected….
But
He is exactly what the Bible predicted!
If God loved us so much He was willing to take on human flesh and fulfill everything spoken beforehand by the prophets, lay down His life on a cross, rise from the grave and announce forgiveness to all who believe, who would reject such an offer?
It's true He was different than what was expected, but He is exactly what was predicted and He's coming back! Therefore, we need to know Him and be known by Him.
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