Matthew 11:1-19 | Expectations | Matthew Dodd

we continue our study in the Gospel of Matthew we're gonna be in Matthew chapter 11 looking at the first 19 verses so if you have your Bible please turn with me to Matthew chapter 11 titled my message tonight is expectations expectations please join me as I pray father we thank you so much for the privilege that we have to come and study your word right now and we pray father God that you would open our hearts to understand who you are more to understand your heart for us understand your plan for our lives that we would line up with who you are as you've revealed yourself from your word and my prayer father for every single one of us Lord is this that we just fall more in love with Jesus that's why we're here Lord just to meet with you and to be changed in your presence Holy Spirit please fall afresh on us Lord and just reign over this time that we would leave with our cups filled to overflowing having been in your presence studying your Holy Word in Jesus name we pray and all of God's people said amen well it's so good to be back you know last week I was gone and you may be wondering where I was at I'm so glad you asked I was uh actually in Southern California my wife and I had a plan we had it all worked out you see for our daughter's sixth birthday we thought we would take her to Disneyland okay that that would be kind of her birthday gift and there was a family in our church that was so generous they had a timeshare they said hey whenever you want to go let us know well we'll make arrangements like well praise God the doors are just opening up and we thought well we'll just drive down there and we'll drive back and and we'll just have a great time with our little girl as she goes to Disneyland for the very first time and everything was going great until we crossed the Oregon California border I don't know what's wrong with California I really don't but the moment we cross that border all of a sudden our little girl starts complaining of abdominal pain but not like motion sickness only something else was really going on so we're getting concerned about it we're trying to pump it with fluids but already she's like I want to turn back and go home well honey we can't go home you know we're going to Disneyland you know and so then we get down there and maybe it's because of the air and and whatnot she gets a huge head cold and so she's coughing like a truck driver I mean she's you know she just sounds terrible and then the day we're at Disneyland have you heard of pinkeye before you know how contagious pinkeye is all of a sudden we're looking at her and her eyes are swelling up and and I'm not trying to throw anyone under the bus here but I think it was Sleeping Beauty's fault I'm just telling you right now her eyes looked a little puffy and I think she gave conjunctivitis to my little girl okay I don't know that but I want to blame somebody okay so I'm literally on the submarine ride calling our doctor for a prescription and two hours into Disneyland guess what my daughter says can we go back to the hotel it's like what in the world is going on and maybe you notice I'm a little bit sick right now you can hear to my voice that's what happens when a six-year-old coughs in your face all the time okay but I love what my wife said because we had all these expectations of what this trip would be and all the memories that we would make and all of a sudden this is going completely in a different direction and she said honey we just need to make lemonade out of lemons and she was right that just changed my perspective okay god this is gonna be what you want it to be and we're gonna trust you in that and we call people to pray and we ended up being at Disneyland longer than two hours we actually went to six o'clock that evening by God's grace but you know expectations are an interesting thing one dictionary to find the term expectation as a feeling or a belief about how successful or good someone or something will be and whether it's spoken our unspoken we all have expectations right and it's also true that we have certain expectations of God that he will be a certain way or that he will act a certain way but problems arise when our expectations of God don't match up with our experiences and for some their faith is severely damaged or they even become shipwrecked and the question is is there an answer a remedy a solution so that our expectations of God line up with who he is rather than our experiences tonight we're gonna discover the answer by looking at a man who was the greatest prophet under the Old Covenant John the Baptist and how Jesus ministered to him when John's expectations of Jesus didn't line up with his experience let's begin in verse 1 of Matthew chapter 11 when Jesus had finished giving instructions to his 12 disciples he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities now when John while in prison heard of the works of Christ he sent word by his disciples and said to him are you the expected one or shall we look for someone else jesus answered and said to them go and report to John what you hear and see the blind receive sight and the lame walk the lepers are cleansed and the Deaf hear and the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them blessed is he who does not take offense at me as these men were going away Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John what did you go out into the wilderness to see a reed shaken by the wind but what did you go out to see a man dressed in soft clothing those who wear soft clothing are in King's palaces but what did you go out to see a prophet yes I tell you and one who is more than a prophet this is the one about whom it is written behold I send my messenger ahead of you who will prepare your way before you truly I say to you among those born of women there has none not yet arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he from the days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force for all the prophets in the law prophesied until John and if you're willing to accept it John himself is Elijah who was to come he who has ears to hear let him hear verse 16 but what shall I compare this generation it is like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to other children is say we played the flute for you and you did not dance we sang a dirge and you did not mourn for John came neither eating nor drinking and they say he has a demon the son of man came eating and drinking and they say behold a gluttonous man and a drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds now in Matthew chapter 10 we are told and we studied a couple of weeks ago that Jesus selected twelve of his disciples to be his apostles and we noted also two weeks ago that before the twelve could be his apostles meaning those who are sent out they first needed to be his disciples those who are taught you see being a disciple is more than just being a student because it involves a wholehearted commitment to applying the teachings of Jesus Christ to one's life now after he sent out the twelve he himself Jesus departed from the region of the Sea of to teach and preach in their cities according to verse 1 of chapter 11 and it's at this point that two of John the Baptist disciples approached Jesus with a question from John get this in verse three are you the expected one or shall we look for someone else and maybe you're like me you read this and you shake your head and you wonder how could this be John the Baptist I mean he's the one who declared behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and now this very same one is questioning who Jesus is it's expectations it all comes down to expectations but here we get a glimpse into what God's heart is for us when he knows that our expectations don't line up with who he is and how he's described himself in His Word and we see here in verses 1 through 6 something so powerful that we need to take heart because it's easy for us to beat ourselves up when we realize our expectations don't line up with who God is in the Word of God and it's this our Lord is a compassionate God our Lord is a compassionate God now context is helpful here John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas he was the son of Herod the Great and according to Matthew chapter 14 verses 3 and 4 Herod Antipas put John in prison because John rebuked him for taking his brother's wife to be his wife and John at this point he's been in prison for more than a year he's discouraged he's disappointed and he he questioned maybe maybe he made a mistake I mean if he's supposed to be the messenger who went before Messiah and Jesus is the Messiah the why is he still if Jesus is the Messiah the one who had separate is John said the wheat from the chaff and purged Israel from her sin then why did Jesus minister to tax collectors and cast demons out of prostitutes so he asked should we look for someone else someone of a different kind and at this point we might expect Jesus to be disappointed in John or that he would reply with a sharp rebuke but here we see the heart of our Savior because he responded with compassion in fact throughout the scripture we see that God comforts the discouraged and if you're here tonight and you're feeling weary you're feeling broken down I want you to know God loves you he has compassionate for you and he wants to comfort you this evening and we all know what discouragement looks like when our expectations aren't met John John's expectation of what the Messiah would do was different than what he was witnessing in and what he was experiencing and it's easy for us to have unfulfilled expectations as well many people come to God thinking that God should do things this way or that way which should be interpreted what my way right I want it my way all we say your kingdom come Lord your will be done but deep down we get disappointed because it's not my way Jesus I'm sure he shocked the Jewish leaders when he touched the lepers and he ate with tax collectors and sinners you know many people at one time or another may have thought now if I was the Messiah I would do things this way right but I want to be really clear here you're not Messiah and I'm not Messiah praise God for that amen you're not God and I'm not God praise God for that as well because we would mess things up but people have these expectations and yet God is making it very clear right before them here's the answer all the miracles of Jesus are pointing to the fact that he's the one his message is declaring that he is the one and when you look at verses 16 through 19 it clearly paints this picture for some were complaining that John was too strict to removed so they said he had a demon but then they said of Jesus well he hangs out with tax collectors and sinners so they called him a glutton and a drunkard here's the deal people expect God to respond to their expectations when they should trust in what God is doing instead you see God won't dance to our tune we must let his song resonate in our hearts amen it's not about Lord you follow my way the safest place to be the best place to be the strongest surest place to be is where God is and Trust in his heart for us now there are many examples of great men who became discouraged at one time or another and I want to share these with you because I want you to know if you feel the Scourge you're not alone there's hope god ministered to them he wants to minister to you as well for instance Moses became so discouraged because Israel continually grumbled against him and God that finally when he had had enough he said to God in numbers chapter 11 verses 11 and 15 why have you been so hard on your servant and why have I not found favor in your sight that you've laid the burden of all this people on me so if you're gonna deal thus with me please kill me at once this is Moses the one who pardon the Red Sea but even he became discouraged he says if I found favor in your sight do not let me see my wretchedness if you're discouraged you're not alone but God didn't give up on him and he won't give up on you either prophet Jeremiah you know what his nickname was the weeping prophet the weeping prophet he was so discouraged at one point he cursed the day that he was born Jeremiah 20 verse 14 cursed be the day when I was born let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me oh how brokenhearted he was I wish I never experienced the light of day Jeremiah saying I wish I never successfully took my first breath I tell you the enemy comes to rob kill and destroy he wants to ruin what God is building into our lives but if you're discouraged I want you to know there's hope because our God is for us he's not against us Elijah the great great prophet here he ran for his life after Jezebel threatened him he asked God to take his life but God answered Elijah and comfort him just like Jesus comforted John and God comforts us too because that's who he is can I get a witness second Corinthians 1 verses three through four says this blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ the father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God notice how Paul describes God he's the God of all comfort who can comfort us in any affliction so what must we do bring all our cares before the Lord because he cares for us nothing's too difficult for the Lord we need to leave room in our hearts for God to move to bring encouragement to bring healing into our lives he even ministers to the depressed Paul speaks of himself being in that place in 2nd Corinthians 7:2 six-way says but God who comforts the depressed comforted us I don't know how dark it is for you right now but I want you to know that our God loves you he is for you and he wants to bring you out of that dark place and into a place of light and freedom and liberty in Christ and we see this here with Jesus notice how he comforted John for there's great application for our lives as well because Jesus used the word to strengthen faith Jesus used the word of God to strengthen John's faith Jesus responded to John's question with an answer that was intended to strengthen his faith by leaving no doubt in his heart that Jesus is the expected one Israel's Messiah he tells the two disciples go tell John what you hear and see the blind receive sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the Deaf hear the dead are raised and the poor have the gospel proclaimed to them now John the Baptist would immediately understand that Jesus was quoting from the prophets of the Old Testament who under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit declared what Messiah would do to confirm that he was the expected one the one who has authority over sickness disease nature the demonic realm and death itself listen to these two passages here Isaiah 29 18 and 19 on that day the Deaf will hear the words of a book and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see the afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One Israel praise God Isaiah 35 verses 3 through 6 encourage the exhausted that's a good work for today and strengthen the feeble say to those with anxious heart take courage fear not behold your God will save you then the eyes of the blind will be open and the ears of the Deaf will be unstopped then the lame will leap like a deer and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy these verses along with others should have moved the hearts by the way of the Jewish leaders of that day for each gave testimony to the authority of God so that they would know their Messiah Jesus had come and so what is Jesus doing here he's pointing John back to the Word of God to remind him that God may men may not be doing what John expected but God was doing what he had promised that's the most important thing you know 9 years ago my wife Heidi and I we got married here at the church actually it was before actually during their building remodel is right over there that's where the stage used to be and pastor rich did the ceremony and it was a beautiful beautiful ceremony I'll never forget at one point the ceremony he asked us do you believe it's God's will for you to be married I said immediately yes thankfully my wife said yes to its big relief but right after that he said you know if it's God's will now that means it'll be God's will a year from now five years from now 30 years from now until you go home it is God's will cuz God never changes but in marriage it'll be good days they'll be bad days and I'll never forget the next set of words that he gave he said so I I ask you this question so that you don't doubt in the dark what God has revealed in the light don't doubt in the dark when our God has revealed to us in the light in times of discouragement it's easy to lose sight of God's purpose and promise and begin to doubt God's heart and plan for our lives but God's word brings comfort because it shines light into the darkness and suddenly we're able to see things clearly again and understand that our God is with us and that he is for us when I was living in Dallas I went to Dallas Theological Seminary one of my professors there was one of my favorite professors of all time dr. Lanier burns he was the chair of the systematic theology department and he was just this man of great energy he did invite the students over to his home to hang out and fellowship and talk about the Bible together I mean one moment he'd be preaching to a bunch of pastors and missionaries and people just want to grow in the Word of God and the next moment he'd be outside having a lunch with the homeless person I loved his heart he would always lean into it when he taught the Word of God and I remember I remember him sharing a story about a very difficult point in his life been a long semester and he had finished upgrading the exams and and all the papers and he went home that night and his wife said to him Lanier you need to get into the word you haven't been in the word and he said to his wife what do you mean I'm in the word all the time I study the Bible I I'm a professor of theology at Dallas Theological Seminary what do you mean I'm not in the word as she goes you haven't been in the word for yourself your eyes are cloudy well he took to heart what she had to say and he thought you know I'm just gonna get alone just need to be alone with the Lord and with the Word of God he came back a few hours later and he said thank you so much for telling me that I feel better now and she goes I know your eyes are clear isn't that what the word does life can feel so heavy so overwhelming then you go into the presence of God and you study his word and a weight is lifted now all of a sudden there's clarity where there's been confusion that is the Ministry of the Holy Spirit through his word psalm 119 verse 50 says this is my comfort in my affliction that your word has revived me that your word has revived me but it can't revive us if we're not in it now for those who also feel like expectations are not being met the second thing we see in this passage is found in verses 7 through 19 I believe we need to remember who we are in Jesus remember who you are in Jesus after the the disciples of John went away Jesus turned to the crowd and spoke to them about John and his great service for God's kingdom which leads us here to some difficult words of Jesus words that reveal and this is important God's perspective of what he's done through Jesus Christ through the New Covenant the first thing that stands out here is that John was the greatest under the Old Covenant in verse 11 jesus said of John among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist what an amazing statement that John was without peer all under the Old Covenant from Moses until that day John's the greatest jesus said he says of John that he was not a reed shaken by the wind meaning that John was a man of conviction he's grounded in the word oh sure right now he's going through a difficult Spach but he's a man of conviction he was not tossed here and there prevailing opinions of the day and you know what the same should be true for us as believers in Jesus Christ Ephesians 4:14 says as a result we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men by the craftiness in deceitful scheming John wasn't concerned about popularity or the approval of men nor was he concerned about the latest fashion or food trends okay I mean let's be honest his wardrobe consisted of camels hair garment okay and his diet consisted of honey and locusts so you're not gonna see him hosting the Food Network okay nothing like that at all he was a prophet but even more than a prophet he was the one who had the privilege to introduce God's Messiah he is the one and jesus said he is Elijah who is to come not just because he looked like Elijah or he dressed like Elijah but because he came in the spirit and power of Elijah Gabriel the angel the Archangel said to Zechariah before the conception of John the Baptist in Luke 1:17 he said this of John it is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the father's back to the children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord now why do I bring this up because Heaven's opinion of who we are is so different than what we think of ourselves or what others may think of us it's so true God values you and he values me in a way that the world doesn't value us but their opinion doesn't matter all that matters is God's opinion and we understand from the Word of God his ways are higher than our ways his thoughts are higher than our thoughts Isaiah 55 verses 8 and 9 tells us for my thoughts are not your nor are your ways my ways declares the Lord for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts one of the sayings that Pastor Rich's shared that I treasure my heart is this it really is a prayer for from me for you and for us all he says if we could only fully understand how much God loves us it would change us forever we just had God's perspective we just understood God's heart it would liberate us it would change how we look at every moment of every day because we know that God is for us now what's interesting is is John is the greatest under the Old Covenant but then Jesus goes on to say that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John but the least is greater than John and this is one of those amazing sayings of Jesus that he was least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist what does this mean it means this that John was the last and greatest of all the prophets under the Old Covenant but everyone who enters into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ has received greater blessings and promises let me explain this Ephesians 1:3 Paul says blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ look at this who's blessed us with every and in the Greek that word every means every every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ think about that we are blessed with not just some blessings it's not just for some elite within the Christian family every Christian is blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews eight verse 6 but now he has obtained Jesus a more excellent ministry by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant which has been enacted on better promises I want to explain this you see the Old Covenant it was all about man's ability to be right with God if I obey the laws then I will be blessed but if I break the law then I'll be judged well how well did Israel do how well do any of us do none of us can keep the law perfectly so while the Old Covenant was intact God promises in Jeremiah 31 a new covenant that he would write his law on our hearts he'd give us a new heart a new spirit he would forgive all of our sins but it had nothing to do with our performance and had everything to do with our Savior Jesus Christ and his perfect work at Calvary once and for all when he died on the cross for our sin and how do we receive every spiritual blessing is it because I say 100 Hail Marys or 20 our fathers no I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Savior that he died on the cross for my sin and I am saved and brought into the family of God better blessings better promises because all our sin past present and future it's under the blood of Jesus Christ and we have a hope and a future our God is with us he's for us and someday we'll stand before him and we don't have to wonder if he's going to be fickle and turned against us the last minute he is for us and he will love us with an everlasting love he's adopted us into the family of God so get this we can actually call our Father Abba Father daddy we can have an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father we've been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise and we've been raised up with him and we're seated with Christ even right now we're in Christ right now seated in the heavenly places because Christ is in us and we are in Christ Paul listen to his prayer in Ephesians 1 18 through 21 he says I prayed he's speaking to the church at Ephesus but I believe it's a church for the church to pray for the church today I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you will know what is the hope of this calling what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe these aren't accordance with the working of the strength of his might which he brought about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all rule and authority and power and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the age to come I pray that your eyes are open if you could only see how much God loves you and the blessings that we have in Christ it would change our lives we need to know and remember who we are in Christ Ephesians 2 4 through 7 but God being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our transgressions made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus what do we take from this that God doesn't measure us according to our latest failings who's perfect here none right he measures us according to the fact that we're in his son Jesus Christ here's a deal we make a mess of our lives when we forget what God says and who we are in his son and we need to have our hearts lined up with God's heart we need to embrace God's plan and not treat God like he's some genie in a bottle whose subject to our plans and expectations amen we need to make it our rare the words of Psalm 86 verse 11 and closing teach me your way O Lord that I may rely on your faithfulness give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name let's pray father God we thank you so much for the privilege to be in your word right now and father God you know the hearts of those who are here and I pray or any who are discouraged or any who feel like they're in a dark place for any who feel like expectations haven't been met aren't being met that you would minister to them that you would encourage them and like the psalmist we pray teach us your way Lord and give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name church with eyes closed and heads bowed if if you're here today in your saying lord I want you to teach me your way and I want an undivided heart that instead of becoming discouraged when things don't line up the way I think they should I run to you and know that you're a good father and you love me with an everlasting love you cheer for me and not against me would you just raise your hand and declare that to the Lord Lord I do I'm going to trust you teach me I invite you teach me your ways give me an undivided heart Lord I raised my hand to or we want to walk strong we want to walk intimately with you we want to walk in your life because where there is your presence there's life and freedom evermore we pray this in Jesus name and all of God's people said Amen can we give thanks to our

Channel: Calvary Chapel Worship Center - Hillsboro, Oregon

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Keywords: The Bible, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Holy, Pastor Rich Jones, Pastor Matthew Dodd, Calvary Chapel, Faith, Grace, Revival, Truth, Prayer, Salvation, Calvary Chapel Hillsboro, Genesis, Matthew, Expectations

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Length: 37min 32sec (2252 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 04 2018