​It’s difficult to appreciate just how good the good news truly is without first working through the bad news. Part of that was the responsibility of John the Baptist. He prepared the way for the good news of Jesus Christ by preaching repentance, which meant bringing to the forefront the bad news of sin. 

Some readily received the bad news that they were sinners, which prepared them to receive the good news of complete forgiveness and the gift of righteousness. But some rejected the good news of Jesus Christ because they rejected the reality that they were sinners. In their self-righteousness, they were unable to believe, receive, and respond.

Watch our study from Sunday as we continue our study in Matthew, once again examining the parallel passage in Luke and considering what Jesus has to say about self-righteousness.

​We often view suffering or the silence of God as a mark of His disapproval or the presence of sin in our lives. But as we consider the life of John the Baptist, we know this is not the case because of God’s grace. 

Jesus thought that John was a great man and knew that he was full of faith and faithfulness, but still allowed him to suffer just like Job (who God offered up to Satan in Job 1:8 and 2:3). In His great grace and for His good reasons, God allowed both of them to suffer in this life and seemed silent in their suffering. And yet, there was a time when He told both of them the same thing amid their suffering: “I AM who I AM.”

That is the answer to the suffering we endure in this earthly life. God is who He said He is. He is gracious. His grace has more to do with who He is and who we are in Him. If God wants to allow a season of earthly suffering so that He can perfect something precious and eternal in you, wouldn’t you desire that, too?

Probably not—but God does not ask for our permission. He gives us the Scriptures so that while suffering, we can be assured of His character and continue to learn the secret of being content in any and every situation. It comes down to who He is and who we are in Him. Nothing we endure in this earthly life could ever separate us from that eternal and immutable truth. 

If you are an adopted son or daughter of the King, settle in your heart who God is and who you are in Him. Knowing His identity and your identity in Him is essential so that you can stand knowing that the wind and waves will never move you from who you are forever in Him. 

In Him, you are greater than even John the Baptist. In Him, you are His son, His daughter. He loves you as much as He loves His Son, Jesus. When the wind blows strong, the waves crash all around, and a season of suffering starts to sway you—remember who God is and who you are forever in Him: inseparable!

​John the Baptist was the greatest prophet, and yet he still needed to learn how to be content in any and every situation, that God’s grace is sufficient, and that His power is made perfect in weakness.

And yet, John still wondered about Jesus: “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” This wondering and doubt is something that we struggle with, too. Jesus’ answer should be enough for us, but we are still learning the same things that John was learning.

But God’s grace is just as sufficient for us as it was for John—enough for our pleading, wondering, and doubting. Even if His answer seems stern, God is always with you, for you, and in your corner.

Watch our study in Matthew 11:7-15 (and parallel passage in Luke 7:18-28) as we consider just how inseparable God is from those who love Him—even in the midst of our circumstances.

“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 

What prompted John the Baptist to ask this question of Jesus? Maybe it was because he was in prison. Maybe it was because Jesus seemed to be helping everyone else except him. Or did John get it all wrong? Was Jesus who John thought He was?

Keep in mind the things that John might have had in mind when he proposed this question. He was the faithful forerunner of The Messiah. He was the greatest prophet under the Old Covenant. He was the greatest man born among women. He was even related to Jesus! But despite all of this, it seems that Jesus wasn’t doing anything for John.

But Jesus does not always do what we think He should do. Faith has less to do with what He can do for us and more to do with Who He really is—whether or not He does what we want Him to do. 

Tough questions— like the one John asked and the ones we ask—can have tougher answers. But this is what it’s like at times as we’re learning to let His perfect love drive out fear. It’s not always pleasant—it’s terrifying and wonderful, all at the same time as we continue to comprehend what sovereign grace looks like and who God is: “I AM who I AM.”

“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” This is the tough question that John the Baptist asked Jesus. But he didn’t ask Jesus directly because he was in prison. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, Who didn’t even give an answer right away. 

Have you ever endured so much pain and uncertainty that you desperately attempt to muster up enough strength and faith to move the hand of God? In those times, does it seem like the Lord is silent towards you but responding to everyone else? It’s enough to question whether God is actually God…or if it’s time to look for another.

Watch our study in Matthew 11:1-6 and Luke 7:11-23 as we consider the tougher answer Jesus gives to John's tough question.

​Jesus sees what happens to you. In His omniscience and for His purposes, He doesn’t always shield us from the awful, painful, or unjust things that happen to us. Jesus Himself was falsely accused of being possessed by Beelzebub. And if Jesus was falsely accused, then we can prepare ourselves to be falsely accused as well (Matthew 10:25).

So what should we do? We can take care of our character and let God take care of our reputation. We cannot manage everyone’s perception of us—that would take all of our time and energy (and we’d end up failing and falling right into the trap of the enemy).

Although God may not immediately rescue you or remove you from the difficulty, you can entrust yourself entirely to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23), freeing yourself to give yourself wholly to Him and to His will for your life.

Resist the urge to manage your own reputation. Refuse to fear those who hurl false accusations and insults at you. Refrain from getting into the ring or into the mud to retaliate. Be steadfastly committed to sharing God’s life-giving, life-changing word. Beating the darkness never works. Give yourself to shining the light. 

​In Matthew 10, we read of Jesus sending the twelve Apostles on their first mission trip and giving them several Christian principles to put into practice. In those principles, we learn that what Jesus was sending them to do had no guarantee of total success. There was a chance that people would treat them poorly.

But what often draws us into a deeper and more reliant relationship with Jesus is the pain that comes when people treat us poorly. Not everyone will listen when you share the love of Jesus with them. As Jesus experienced, some may betray and even persecute you—including the very people that you laid down your life to serve. 

Watch our study from this past Sunday as we considered Matthew 10:27-42 and learned even more Christian principles on mission.