The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Matthew 8:5-13, 11:1-30, Luke 7
Act 3: God’s New Covenant People
Scene 2: Christ’s Ministry; God’s True King Manifests His Kingdom
Background Information: Matthew 8:5-13, 11:1-30, Luke 7
John was a gritty man. He lived an austere physical life. More than that, he was not a man who was swayed, like weeds blowing in the wind, by the opinions of others. He knew who he was and what God had called him to be; he truly was a great man. But he was a man, and men (and women) can leak hope and perspective. Sitting in a prison cell, awaiting judgment for telling the truth, he is able to track the ministry of Jesus through his own disciples. He sent a puzzling message to Jesus from prison: “Are you the Messiah or not?” At the Lord’s baptism, John seemed clear as to who Jesus was. Why doubt now? Perhaps Jesus didn’t live up to John’s own expectations. Jesus was hanging out with sinners; he was eating at banquets and not fasting. There is another factor at play: John was probably surprised to have been taken from his effective ministry and thrown into a dark prison cell. In difficult circumstances, when things do not go as we thought they would or should, it is common to begin to doubt some things we thought that we knew to be true. Jesus said that no one in history exceeded John’s greatness. Not that he was of more worth to God than others, but his faithfulness and effectiveness as a forerunner to the gospel were without peer. However, the least citizen in the Kingdom of God is greater than John. John was the greatest of those who foretold the coming of the Kingdom, but those who are citizens of the Kingdom are even greater. Jesus is not saying that John did not believe and enter the Kingdom, but he is giving us a compare and contrast between the Old and New Covenant. To be a great Old Testament prophet or king is nothing compared to being a simple New Testament citizen of the kingdom of Christ. John was experiencing a crisis of faith. Will he believe his circumstances? Will he trust his own perceptions of what the Messiah would be? When your own life becomes confusing and circumstances make you doubt what you thought you knew to be true, hold firm to your faith. Perhaps you believed something that was not true, and God is using suffering to correct your thinking. Perhaps you just need to hold to the truth in the midst of a time of testing. Don’t doubt in the dark what God has spoken clearly in the light.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for our Sunday morning gathering. Ask God to speak through Terry and Ask God to empower us to live faithfully under the Lordship of Christ. Pray for those who attend the service who are not born again.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.