Sermon Response Guide
PRIMARY SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 11:1-19 ESV
1 When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
Key Points
- The King and his Kingdom are:
1) Elusive - We misunderstand the Kingdom because we misunderstand the King. Christ and his Kingdom rarely come as we expect.
2) Offensive - If we agree with Jesus on everything, it is not Jesus we are following. To be offended by Jesus is the first step in understanding what he is really all about.
3) Subversive - Our King Jesus will overthrow the kingdom of darkness, but not like any kingdom of this world. The Kingdom of God does not advance by force, but by faith in the face of suffering. - John the Baptist knew Jesus was the Messiah, but now that John is in prison and things are not going like he thought they should, he is doubting.
- God does not change because our circumstances have.
- God is always at work in our lives, even when we cannot see him or it does not make sense.
- At some point, we are going to have to read our bibles – recognizing the Bible is the source of truth and ultimately, every verse points us to Jesus.
- If we want to live lives of purpose, we must live for something beyond ourselves and someone who will outlast us.
- As Christians, we live for our King Jesus and his Kingdom of heaven.
Memory Verse
Ask God to write this word on your heart this week:
“And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
-Matthew 11:6 ESV
Questions for Reflection
Take time to reflect and respond to these questions on your own in the presence of the Holy Spirit, or with trusted friends or family members:
1: Doubt is to unbelief as temptation is to sin. We will be tempted, but may we not allow our temptations to become sin. Likewise, we will doubt, but may we not allow our doubts to become unbelief. Practically speaking, how do you think we can do that?
2: Doubting is part of the process of faith, one of the marks of faith, and proof of faith in Jesus. How have you seen this truth play out in your own life?
3: When you have questions, what do you tend to do with them? Do you go to God first in prayer? Do you look for God’s word for you in God’s word for us (the Bible)?
4: Based on what you have gotten to know about God so far, why do you think God welcomes our questions?
5: Review our primary Scripture from last Sunday’s message, Matthew 3:13-17. What did John the Baptist see with his own eyes and hear with his own ears when he baptized Jesus?
6: Read Luke 1:39-45. Considering that Jesus was in Mary’s womb and John the Baptist was in Elizabeth’s womb, what do you think is significant about this encounter between the two women and their two babies in utero?
7: How are you encouraged to know John the Baptist – the new Elijah sent to prepare the way for Christ’s coming, the baby who recognized Jesus before he was born, the one who baptized Jesus and heard God the Father delight in his Son from heaven – doubted the person and the purpose of God when he was imprisoned?
8: Now that you have heard today’s message from Matthew 11, what do you think God wants you to do with it?
Pray
Lord, thank you for being strong enough to carry our doubts, and loving enough to carry us as we doubt. Free us from the false beliefs we have adopted to make us more comfortable with you. Give us a hunger to seek you in your word, and show us more of who you are as we do.
**Note: We invite you to pray with us in Ellis Chapel Monday through Friday from 11am to 1pm through April 15, 2022.
