1 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
2 Now while in prison, John heard about the works of Christ, and he sent word by his disciples, 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is any person who does not take offense at Me.”
7 As these disciples of John were going away, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ palaces! 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:
‘Behold, I am sending My messenger ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’
11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come. 15 The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.
TODAY'S TAKEAWAY
All people fall short of God's grace and need His salvation in order to enjoy and experience a personal relationship with Him for all eternity. And it doesn't matter who you are or how "good" you think you are, we all struggle with sin. "Sin" is a term used in archery, meaning to miss the mark. God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin. Even with just "a little bit of sin" means that we are not holy! We are not perfect.
That was the bad news. And if a person just stops listening at that point, they will be left feeling hopeless and offended. But here is the good news. Jesus died for all sin, and for all people, of all time, so that when anyone humbly repents of their sin and believes in Him, we are saved, reborn, cleansed by His blood, forgiven of all sin (and remembered no more), and covered by His righteousness!
Now, even after becoming a believer, we will still sin. No one is above this. Even though the disciples (apostles) walked with the Lord Jesus in flesh, they struggled. Even though John the Baptist had baptized Jesus and heard God's voice, the prophet, John the Baptist struggled, as we see in the verses above. This is why God offers us His grace - and patience. This is why God gives each believer His indwelling Holy Spirit to help us, guide us, empower us, as well as convict us when we stumble... because we will stumble and doubt.
We will mess up, and as soon as we realize, it is to our benefit to confess our sins. And it is okay to doubt and ask questions, but the latter should always follow the former. To just remain in doubt leads to more doubt, and more doubt, and then to hopelessness and destruction... So, just like John the Baptist did, it is important that we continue to go to God and His word and ask questions and continue to seek His truth, in order to establish a trust that leads to confidence in the Lord God. In fact, we are told in God's word...
(Philippians 2:12) So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
While Christianity is a journey of growth, the most important aspect of our faith is growing closer to the Lord in a personal relationship! The more we get to know Him, the more we will trust and obey Him. The more we trust and obey Him, the more we will get to know Him! There is absolutely no doubt that God loves and cares for us!!!
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