Introduction
We are going to end our series, “Less is More with God.” But my hope is that over these past few weeks, you got your mind and heart wrapped around that Bible Principle. It is a principle that can be found over and over throughout the Bible. Let’s take a look at a couple of those Scriptures.
Matthew 10:39 (NIV)
39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
John 3:30 (NKJV)
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
The thing about this Biblical principle is that the world doesn’t get it. The world’s principle is: more is more and less is certainly less. But to the Christian, it makes perfect sense that less is more with God.
Today, John is going to teach us a whole different lesson but just as valuable a lesson as we close out our series. John is in prison, in our passage today, because he confronted Herod the tetrarch about taking his brother’s wife. Herod has him arrested, and John is thinking to himself that this should not be- I am the forerunner of Christ, and being that forerunner lands me in jail! And so he is starting to second guess if Jesus is the Messiah. To know for sure, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus if you are the Messiah. John was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah when He came to the wilderness to be baptized. Remember, John said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John was convinced that Jesus is the Messiah when John’s own disciples began to question the role of Jesus. But now in prison, John is second-guessing if that is true.
I am sure that there have been times in your life that you have second-guessed God. How many of you have second-guessed God? So, I think this sermon will be relevant to everyone here. Let’s begin by reading our Scripture.
Scripture reading
Matthew 11:2-11 (NIV)
2 When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples
3 to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see:
5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
7 As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
8 If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings' palaces.
9 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
10 This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
11 I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
point #1
We think God’s will for our lives should always be straight as we define straight, but God’s straight might involve some crooked paths along the way.
John was ministering in the desert, teaching the people about the coming Messiah. He got the privilege of baptizing the Messiah. After Jesus left John, John continued to baptize in the region of Salim, as we saw last week. When his disciples had doubts about Jesus, John was a stalwart of the faith, and he told them just how it is. Jesus must increase, and I must decrease.
John’s straight path as he saw it was probably ministering to the people in the countryside until the day he died. John had no idea that his serving Christ would end him up in jail and eventually beheaded. So he is second-guessing Jesus because his life took a crooked path.
This leads us to the Scripture that we need to make a mental note of. It is found in Ecclesiastes 7:13 (NIV)
13 Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?
Listen, sometimes the straight path to be more like Christ involves a crooked road. Jesus says, in our passage, we just read, that there is no one greater than John the Baptist. But how did he get there? The man of the wilderness is now in jail. Following Jesus had put John on a crooked road. A road that John was second-guessing as to why he was even on it.
But I need to remind myself always that God does not need to operate by my definition of straight. God says my crooked path is perfectly right. But in our minds, we say that is messed up. And God says to each one of us: “Who is smarter?” Me or you.
Think about the very life of Christ- His straight path involved a crooked path. It involved a detour to Golgatha’ hill where He would hang on a cross. How crooked a path is that- that the King of Kings had to die on a cross. But in the eyes of the Father, it was perfectly straight.
So, why should our paths be straight as we define straight?
point #2
Jesus’ response to John is that crooked paths are part of the plan for your life as He confirms to John that He is the Messiah.
4 Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see:
5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
You got to catch this. John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask if you are indeed the Messiah. And you can not tell me that somewhere in the conversion between Jesus and the disciples that the disciples tell Jesus, John is in prison. And Jesus’ response is, “go back and tell John what you see and hear.” Not a word is mentioned by Jesus that I will speak a word from here, and the jail cell doors will swing wide open. Not a word is said that I will come back with you and make sure that John gets released from prison.
Instead, Jesus says, go back and tells John what you see and hear: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. “
And by Jesus tells John’s disciple that response, Jesus is quoting from the Old Testament, fully confirming to John that He is the Messiah. Everything is going according to plan.
Isaiah 29:18 (NIV)
18 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.
Isaiah 35:6 (NIV)
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy...
So, we have a picture here of Jesus, confirming that He is the Messiah. Since all those things are happening (the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk), it would be no problem for Jesus to get John out of prison. But, He doesn’t take John off the crooked path because that path will bring him in closer fellowship with God even though John does not understand why this is happening.
We know, because Jesus confirms it, this situation John is in is bringing John in closer fellowship with Jesus by Jesus’ own statement at the end of this section that there is no one greater born of woman than John the Baptist.
Romans 8:17 (NIV)
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Maybe in your life, God has kept you on the crooked road a little longer than you would like because He is conforming you to the image of His Son. If God did that in John’s life, He might do that in your life as well.
point #3
There is a warning in verse 6 we need to heed. If you fail to realize that following Jesus will sometimes put you on the crooked road, you will trip up in your Christian walk.
6 Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
Another way to say that is: “Blessed is the one who does not get tripped up over me.” Those who fail to understand what God is doing in their lives are in big trouble. They are likely to trip up and put their Christianity on the back burner.
God places you on that crooked road, you don’t understand what He is doing in your life, and you start telling yourself Christianity is too hard. It is not worth it. And you begin to push away from God. You think to yourself: I became a Christian; my path ought to be straight. It ought to be clear sailing here on out. I was not expecting this crooked road.
Oh, but the person who understands that God sometimes puts you on the crooked road, he or she grows in leaps and bounds.
And you can not read your Bible and not see that God sometimes puts you on the crooked road.
Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:25 (NIV)
25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.
Conclusion
Today, some of you may be on the crocked road. It does not mean that God has abandoned; it actually means that God wants to bless you. He wants to make you more like His Son. Oh, the crooked road is not easy, but God will give you the strength to walk it.
