“And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” —Luke 7:19-20
This is one of the most amazing Scriptures in the Word of God. John the
Baptist had prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah. Jesus said
concerning John the Baptist in Matthew 11:11a, “Among them that are
born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.”
Yet, we see this giant of the faith discouraged here in Luke 7:19-20. John
had given his utmost to preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was John
who baptized Jesus in Matthew 3:14. It was John who proclaimed to
the people in John 1:29, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world.” John was a mighty preacher, and NOT a
yellowbellied compromiser as are most ministers today. Jesus spoke the
truth, saying it like it is. Today's shallow preachers are unwilling to
suffer reproach for the name of Christ, unwilling to be put outside the
gate with Jesus.
John the Baptist Preached Against Sin!
Lest anyone should think John the Baptist never preached against sin, one only needs to read Matthew 14:3-4, “For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.”
John preached against Herod's adultery and was arrested for it. John didn't limit his preaching to Jews. John didn't limit his preaching to believers. John didn't limit his preaching to poor people. No, if John saw a black kettle, he called the kettle black. John was no respecter of persons. John saw what he saw and spoke his mind about it. John the Baptist was a street preacher and he had no reservations about taking a stand against sin. We need John the Baptists today, to cry aloud against the woeful wickedness in America. How many Christians today are willing to be arrested for preaching against abortion or homosexuality? Not many!
Every Christian should take a stand
against open public wickedness and sin.
Even the Best Christians Become Discouraged at Times
Despite John the Baptist's uncompromising stand against sin, and His genuine loyalty for the Savior, he became discouraged in Luke 7:19-20. John was now in prison.
I can here John saying to himself ... “I've given my very best to God, and look where I end up. I don't get it. I mean, God can do anything, and yet I'm rotting in this stinking prison cell. Jesus can perform all those miracles, but he can't get me out of prison. I thought He was my friend. Is this what I get for serving God?”
Notice again what Luke 7:20 states, “John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” Wow! John was so discouraged that he even questioned weather Jesus was the Savior. He literally sent his disciples to ask Jesus if they should look for another Christ. This is amazing! The very man of God who presented Jesus as the “Lamb of God,” is now wondering if perhaps he made a big mistake? Poor John, he was really having a bad time in prison. He wasn't singing in prison like Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25). John was discouraged.
Don't be too hard on John, he was just a man. Perhaps you have felt that way at times in your Christian life. It's very easy for us as believers to get upset with God, because we know what God can do. We know and believe that God spoke the world into existence with the very Word of His mouth (2nd Peter 3:5). Yet, it is easy to ask ourselves at times ... “why won't God help me or make my life better?”
I don't think John lost his faith while in prison, I think he was just discouraged. I don't think John ever doubted Who Jesus was; but rather, he wanted Jesus to know that he was discouraged. I think most genuine Christians can relate to John's situation. Many believers sincerely serve God, but things turn out bad. Instead of putting God on trial as the unsaved world does, we need to learn to trust the Lord. God is the Potter, we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8).
If the greatest man born among
women can become utterly discouraged, then so can anyone.
“Speak the Word only”
Matthew 8:8 reads, “The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” This man had great faith in the Lord, trusting the power of Jesus' Words alone. Jesus is the living Word of God (John 1:1-3,14; Revelation 19:13). The Bible is the written Word. It was the Word of God that spoke the world into existence (2nd Peter 3:5). So many times I have said to Jesus... “speak Thou the Word only.” I want to have faith just as great as did the centurion. I don't need to see signs or proof from God of anything. I believe. I know that God can simply speak the Word from His throne and anything is possible. I pray and let my requests (Philippians 4:6) be made known to God and then I trust Him, for He knows what is best.
Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts
than your thoughts.” It is very true that God works in mysterious
ways, i.e., they are mysterious to us. We often expect God to work in
months or years; but, God often works in decades. Hindsight is
always 20/20. Looking back over my life, I can now see where God was working, when at that
particular
time I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. The future is uncharted
waters. We must learn to trust
the heart of God when we can't see the hand of God. As an example: God is not
mentioned at all in the Old Testament Book of Esther, but we see God's hand of
providence working throughout the Book.
Keep Your Eyes On Jesus
Jesus had commanded Peter to come to Him on the water. Peter left the boat and began to walk on the water. As Peter took his eyes off the Lord and focused on the tempest, winds and raging storm, he sank into the depths of the Sea. Peter immediately did the right thing by looking to Jesus and crying out, “Lord, save me!” Amen and amen! Matthew 14:30, “But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.” And Jesus did save Peter!
I am thankful that God allows us today to see this moment of desperation in John the Baptist's walk with God. John looked at the prison walls, his confinement and the dire situation. John sank into desperation and frustration. If the greatest man ever born amongst women can become discouraged, then so can any of us. I have been there, and I know you have too. Maybe you are there now. I say to you, friend, as I would have said to John, “Yes, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and you don't need to look for another.” Suffering is a part of the Christian life. Romans 8:17, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
I am completely confident that John the Baptist would have recovered from his despair in a short time. But, things went from worse to worst (as they often do in people's lives). Jesus didn't come to rescue John. John was executed by Herod! God has His reasons. John even said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” It is important for believers to realize that things won't always get better just because we are Christians. Lazarus was the righteous man in Luke 16, but he was eating out of the rich man's garbage. In Acts 12, we read that Herod beheaded the Apostle James; but, Peter was delivered by an angel from prison. Of the 12 Apostles, 11 were martyred for preaching the truth.
We read in Proverb 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” The only way to fall twice is if you get back up after the first fall. The heathen world doesn't even try to get up and live righteously for God.
Only a hypocrite, like many self-righteous Methodists, would claim that a Christian can live without any sins or faults. Sin is wrong, and we shouldn't sin; but, we are sinners, prone to rebellion and wrath. Everyone sins. A man may learn to live above reproach; but, NO man can live above sin. This is why the Apostle Paul exclaimed in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” No Christian has God's permission to sin; but as sinful human beings we will sin. The best of Christians are still people, and the best of people are still sinners (Romans 3:10, 3:23).
May we as believers keep our eyes
on the Lord Jesus Christ, as did Peter when he walked on water. When you
trust upon the Lord, the impossible can happen.
Modernist Skeptics Today Tell Us to Look for Another Jesus
“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” —2nd Corinthians 11:4
The recent book and movie, The Da Vinci Code, attacks the deity of Jesus Christ. They tell us to look for another, claiming Christ is a fraud and a deceiver. The Jesus Papers claim that Jesus wasn't actually dead when He was removed from the cross. They tell us to look for another Savior, because Jesus wasn't really crucified to death for man's sins. The evil Gospel of Judas portrays Jesus Christ as a master con artist and schemer. They tell us to look for another, claiming that Jesus was no more than a great deceiver. This is what the chief priests and Pharisees called Jesus in Matthew 27:63, “Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.” Whom say you Christ is ... lunatic? liar? or Lord? The priests and Pharisees called Him a liar.
Modernists today are working
relentlessly to assassinate Christ's character, and to discredit the truth of
God's Word. To no surprise, every sin imaginable is flourishing in the
wake of this evil—Homosexuality, abortion, gambling, alcoholism, adultery,
fornication, murder, injustice, feminism, witchcraft, indifference, et cetera.
Oprah Winfrey, whose show receives
15,000,000 to 20,000,000 viewers daily, said that
Jesus couldn't possibly be the ONLY way to
Heaven. Well the Word of God proclaims that Jesus is the ONLY
way to Heaven... “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Oprah is Hell-bound
wrong! Don't let Oprah tell you to go find another Jesus in the New Age
movement.
We DON'T Need to Look for Another!
I tell you, we DON'T need to look for another Jesus! All you need is the precious Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 1st Timothy 2:5; Revelation 3:20). No John, you don't need to look for another. Jesus PROMISED in John 11:25 that anyone who believes upon Him will live forever... “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”
And again in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” Either you believe that the Bible is God's Word or you do not. Unbelievers WILL be cast into the Lake of Fire, which is the Second Death... “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
No my friend, you don't need to look for another Jesus, you'll find the true Jesus in the Word of God (which in English is the King James Bible). All other modern Bibles attack Christ's deity by removing the Word “Godhead” and by diminishing the deity of Jesus. For more information on false Bibles, please click here.
Also, please read the last Chapter in my book about Salvation, titled Misconceptions Concerning Christ. We don't need to look for another Jesus, we have Him in the Word of God (John 5:39). The Jesus' of the world is only a good man, a prophet, a great leader; but no more. In sharp contrast, the Word of God proclaims Jesus as the Christ (John 20:31), the manifestation of the Godhead (1st Timothy 3:16) and the Son of God (John 3:16).
The Word of God proclaims Jesus as Almighty God Who came in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3,10,14; John 8:57-59; John 10:33; Colossians 1:9; 1st Timothy 3:16; Revelation 1:8). Jesus is the Creator of the universe (John 1:1-3,14).
Thank Jesus for His grace and mercy and for the precious blood which He shed for our sins! No John, you don't need to look for another. JESUS IS, THE CHRIST, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF THE LIVING GOD!
