Sermon in Seattle 12.07.2009

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, let us quieten this morning in opening prayer and thanksgiving.

Dear Heavenly Father, we Thy children, and once again this morning I come before Thee with much thanks. We thank Thee, dear Father, that we can as Thy children gather about Thy holy and precious Word, that we can freely come to services to be in the hearing of Thy undying, unperishing, everlasting Word. And that, dear Father, that Thou hast given us, Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus, to die for our sins and the sins of the entire world. Hear our thanks this morning, dear Father.

And we also wish to remember to thank Thee, dear Father, for the many temporal blessings in our lives. All that we have has come from Thy hand. The food that we eat and the homes that we live in and the daily bread that we earn. It is all from Thee, dear Father. And we wish to thank Thee again this morning.

And we would yet pray this morning also, dear Father, for Thy continued blessing. That above all, dear Father, that Thou would protect and preserve each one of us in faith on this way which leads one day toward Thee in heaven. Give us strength to believe. And help us to journey according to Thy will.

And we also would pray on behalf of our nation for our leaders in this land that we dwell and where all of Thy children dwell. That wherever they may be gathered, that we could freely gather about Thy Word. Could come to the services and freely worship Thee. We pray for this continued blessing, dear Father.

And also for all those serving in our country's armed forces. Protect them and above all, protect them in faith, dear Father. Give them strength to continue believing. And those on sick beds, those with illnesses, those that cannot be at the services. Protect and uplift them also, dear Father.

And we pray this morning also for Thy service blessing. That Thou would open Thy Word according to Thy will. And that Thou would bless our services this morning and all of the services of Thy children. And if there would be those on the outside hearing this Word, dear Father, open their ears. And if it would be Thy will that they could come unto repentance all those on the outside that would seek. And those prodigal sons and daughters, open their hearts that they could come unto repentance and care for the sin of unbelief.

But all of these things, dear Father, we ask in the name of Thy dear Son, our Lord Jesus, and yet pray as He has taught us. Saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

For our study of God's Word this morning, we will hear from the 11th chapter of Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew. The first five verses. And these words are in Jesus' name as follows.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ, He sent two of His disciples, and said unto Him, Art thou he that should come? Or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear. The dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them.

Amen. Amen.

First of all, in the beginning, I wish to extend a warm welcome to you brothers and sisters from other areas to our services here. It is good to have you here with us. Also would like to share greetings to any of you that most all of us here were able to be last weekend at summer services there, but some here in our congregation were not able to make it. And many warm greetings of love and God's peace from services there. All of you, brothers and sisters, that were there, I'm sure, would join with me that it was good to be there.

And also, last evening, many of us here also were able to be again in Longview at my brother-in-law Ward and Mandy's wedding. Many warm greetings of love and God's peace again from there. It was nice to be there and they had a nice wedding there with many wedding guests.

This text that we have before us, I'm sure, is familiar to all of us. It's not specifically set aside. It's not related to this Sunday. But in searching for a text, it came to mind. Here, we see this, how Jesus had been teaching his disciples. He departed thence to teach and to preach in these different cities. It tells us here of this John being in prison.

We could ask him, well, who is this John? Was it the John the disciple? We know actually that from God's word and from the Bible here that it wasn't John the disciple, but rather it was John the Baptist. And how already early in John's life, it was God's plan that this John, John the Baptist, would go before Jesus, meaning he would go into the areas where Jesus lived and dwelled and preached, and he would speak of this one that would come.

And in the other Gospels even, in the Gospel of Luke, he records and tells us how that John's mother was Elizabeth, and we remember from God's word how Jesus' mother was Mary, and how when both of these, when Jesus and John were in their mother's womb, Elizabeth went to visit Mary, and she had heard Mary's speech, and when Elizabeth came into Mary's midst there, went to visit her, Luke records for us here, in the first chapter of Luke, in the 41st verse, and it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, and then she went on to speak how this Holy One would be born, the Savior, and she related to Mary, further on here in the 44th verse, for lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutations sounded in my ears, the babe leapt in my womb for joy.

So already before they were born, John could see, through faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the Savior was there in his midst. And then John was born, and he was that one that it was, this wasn't an accident either, but it was according to Scripture. The Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled when this happened.

John was then born, and he went on to be this voice crying in the wilderness, and further on in the Gospel of Luke. It tells us here in the third chapter, and it relates to this Old Testament prophecy in the fourth verse here. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah, the prophet, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his path straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low. The crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

And then, so John the Baptist, he did go about and do this work. All of the Gospels tell of this, even also in Matthew earlier, tells of how John was perhaps different in an outward sense. For here earlier in Matthew in the third chapter, it tells again how he was this voice of one crying in the wilderness. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey. And he went and he spoke that Jesus would come.

And here further on in Matthew, he tells the people, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but he that cometh after me, and he's speaking about Jesus, is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.

And we know then from Scripture even how John the Baptist had this task to even baptize the Lord Jesus. And when Jesus asked him that he had to baptize him, what was John's response? Hear further in Matthew in the third chapter also, it tells us about this. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Here was his Lord and Savior, Jesus. I'm sure John felt his own unworthiness. How could I baptize you? But Jesus instructed John here in this following verse, and Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

So John was obedient and he baptized the Lord Jesus. And God's word tells us then when Jesus was baptized what happened. We remember, we can recall here even from scripture, and Jesus when he was baptized went up straightway out of the water and lo, the heavens were opened unto him and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.

This was the Lord of life, the good shepherd, the Lord Jesus. And he had come to do this work, the work of his father that the heavenly father had sent him to do.

And this John the Baptist went before Jesus speaking how Jesus would come. And John spoke to the people of Jesus. And here further back in the Gospel of Luke, it also tells us how John spoke of repentance and he admonished the people. And this wasn't John's word. This was God's word John spoke through the power of the Holy Spirit. It wasn't of his own power or strength.

Just as throughout time, even to today, it is none of the servants who speak the word, their power or strength. But it is God's word and God's power through the power of the Holy Spirit. And this word then is quickened by the Holy Spirit.

John in his preaching then went on to speak. Here in Luke it tells us in the third chapter also in the 18th and 19th and 20th verses tells us in this way and many other things in his exhortation preach he unto the people. He's speaking about John the Baptist here. But Herod the Tetrarch being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife and for all the evils which Herod had done added yet this above all that he shut up John in prison.

So we see here and it brings us to our text that when John was preaching this word it being instant in season and out of season without reproach he spoke to Herod and Herod had taken his brother Philip's wife as his wife and John preached this as sin and they didn't like to hear this and they had John shut up in prison.

And this is even how it is though God's word tells us how the writer to the Hebrews makes this comparison of God's word as a sword and in the fourth chapter of Hebrews the writer makes this comparison for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

So in speaking here the truth in their unbelief they didn't want to hear and they had John thrown in prison.

And we see then in our text that John was here in prison and what happened then to John? Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ he sent two of his disciples and said unto him art thou he that should come or do we look for another?

John began to doubt. He even had doubted this far that is this even Jesus? And here how did Jesus answer? Did he send the disciples back to John? Well, don't ask John what's the matter with him? We see that this wasn't the response of our Lord Jesus but Jesus reminded John with love with grace in this way he said Jesus answered and said unto them go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see. The blind receive their sight and the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.

Jesus with love reminded John of even that Old Testament scripture. These words that Jesus spoke were also prophesied in the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah many hundreds of years before John and Jesus lived had even spoken of this same matter.

We could find that portion here in God's word of this prophecy that Jesus reminded John of in the 35th chapter of Isaiah the fifth and the sixth verses. We see here dear brothers and sisters even the miracle of God's word the oneness and the completeness between the Old Testament and the New.

For here hundreds of years before John and Jesus walked on the earth the Old Testament prophet spoken this way in the fifth and sixth verses then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped then shall the lame man leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumb sing for in the wilderness shall waters break out and streams in the desert.

Isn't this even a miracle dear brothers and sisters how we see this oneness in God's word how Jesus referred to this prophecy and reminded John he had these doubts he wondered and he questioned and is it any different for you or I today?

I know for myself speaking for myself anyways that how many times we can doubt and we can wonder the enemy of souls comes to whisper so often and wants us to doubt and to question he would make us even in our time he would come to whisper these questions is it truly the understanding of God's kingdom that as believers we do not wear earrings or dye our hair is it true or why would it be so that we would have such large families did God really intend it this way and many many questions we all have wrestled with these even this matter that could it really be that there is only one true kingdom but these are your brothers and sisters the whispers and the lies of the enemy of soul he would wish us to doubt and to question and to think of matters to approach matters with our own mind and our own reason and understanding which are completely contrary to faith.

And we see that how long has the enemy of souls been up to these tricks ask these kind of questions it goes back to the very beginning to the garden of Eden when he even said unto the woman yea hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden she had been given this instruction and she even told him Eve told the serpent here and the woman said unto the serpent we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it lest ye die.

So Eve had been given this instruction and the enemy came there to make her to question her and to make her doubt and ultimately we know how she then listened to these questions and these lies for he came in and said and the serpent said unto the woman ye shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil.

He lied to her here and we know from God's word how she then was tempted and fell and then brought about that fall where her husband Adam fell and we have had as children of today this inherited sin from the fall for there is nothing good in us dear brother and sister.

God's word even speaks how there is none that doeth good no not one but yet we're not left dear brothers and sisters in such a condition for what did Jesus say here to John? He spoke of these miracles and he spoke the most important part here how the poor have the gospel preached to them.

The poor have the gospel preached to them dear brother and sister this morning as you find yourself perhaps having had many doubts or doubts even right up to this moment temptations and sins be uplifted and be assured this morning and encouraged to believe all of these latest journey faults and sins and doubts forgiven in Jesus name and precious one believe this gospel unto peace freedom and joy.

This is the Lord Jesus we have dear brothers sisters as we heard again and again that services last weekend and we're assured and fed again and again with these living waters that have no end that are abundant and limitless and Jesus even earlier in his sermon on the mount we can even remember these words how he related in this way that blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled and blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Here fellow traveler be uplifted this morning and assured that your journey does yet continue heavenward.

We have these examples even here in scripture how we are reminded that even these former travelers as John the Baptist and many others we see in scripture we're no different than you or I that they carried the same sin corrupt flesh and they fell and they doubted even we remember the disciples how they sighed unto Jesus that Lord increase our faith.

We can even join in this prayer this morning that Lord increase our faith. We can pray that God would protect and preserve each one of us on this way which leads towards heaven.

And we need not have understanding in all matters we are not saved by understanding but we are only saved by faith. We only need to comprehend this that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that our sins are forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus.

And when we are able to believe sins forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus this strengthens our faith. We are then able to continue yet for a moment yet for a footstep believing and traveling gathering those blood drops of Jesus.

And we need not then even worry about tomorrow or later today for we can't look forward and I don't know how it's been with you but certainly for me and how quick we are to again doubt to again wonder to again fall when we hear and believe the gospel we make those new promises and we wish to believe but how quick it seems sometimes that just right away we're again falling.

But isn't it precious dear brother and sister that there is no limit that as often as we need we can hear this gospel can believe sins forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus.

So yet be uplifted this morning and believe sins forgiven in the name and the blood of Jesus. Do not travel with sin building and allowing to dwell on the heart and the conscience. Go to a brother and sister with those matters that burden fellow travelers in faith and free yourself and be free.

This gospel is our life and our source of strength and I too even coming here feeling my own many sins and many doubts wish also to hear the same gospel you brothers and sisters bless me also I desire to believe along with you dear brothers and sisters.

It pays to believe and we as God's children having been given this greatest of gifts can be so thankful that we dwell in a good place here in God's kingdom the dwelling place of sinners but pardoned sinners in Jesus name.

Amen. Amen.

Lord lift up his raptures upon us and give us peace in name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.