The Anticipation

Introduction

Many of us experienced times when you really longing to see someone could come into your help when you are in trouble. Or you wished that something would happen in order to change your situation from chaos into calm and pleasing scene. But what happen if all your anticipation eventually being denied and even ended up worse than before?

I remember many years ago when I was voluntary helping a drug rehab centre by providing bible studies, prayers and pastoral helps. Knowing that we are not experts, the board of directors decided to employ someone who had successfully gone through the rehabilitation process to look after the 10 to 15 inmates. At the beginning, we found the person employed was doing quite well. However, when times go by, we realised something wrong somewhere. Eventually we tried to confront him and unfortunately failed. He not only left the centre, but brought the whole group of people went against us and started his own ministry. He really disappointed us as we held high expectation from him.

Another similar case happened about the same time when I wanted to go full force for mission. I prepared and arranged an assistant minister to take over. After two years of his taking over, we were so disappointed to see the church goers drop to less than half of the origin.

The passage we read today talks about John the Baptist sent his disciples to query whether Jesus was the Messiah promised. As a forerunner of Christ and a preacher of the coming of God’s kingdom, he was expecting to see not only people repent and turned to God, he could have also expected the arrival of God’s kingdom as many people did. However, the reality was that though many turned their evil ways and repent, yet there were so many things that beyond his control as though God was somehow absent from the scene. John was imprisoned. The queen wanted to kill him.

1. John the Baptist doubted about the Kingdom of God

As I preached last Sunday, John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ. He preached the message of repentance as the Kingdom of God is at hand. His repentance message was not only for ordinary people only. He preached the same message in the palace too but of course the outcome was disastrous. He rebuked King Harold of committed adultery as he married to his sister-in-law Herodias. The price of such preaching was his life - John was beheaded at last. Imagine yourself preaching that the Kingdom of God is at hand and yet there is no sign of any presence of God. John’s doubts were understandable. If God’s kingdom is at hand, there must have something happened. May be God would send some angels to get John out of prison at least. The best perhaps would be God sending his army from heaven to overthrow Harold’s kingship, or send fire from heaven to burn all enemies to ashes as Elijah witnessed once. But nothing of this kind happened, not even till John was beheaded. What a lesson of longsuffering!

2. John the Baptist doubted the righteousness of God

“The righteous suffers” is one of the widely discussed and debated topics in human’s philosophy and theology. Psalms 34:19 - The righteous person may have many troubles, …Job was a righteous person. Yet he suffered from losing possessions initially and then his 7 children’s lives. Later, Job suffered also physically with skin disease that no ordinary person able to bear. Many of the Old Testament prophets were persecuted even to death. “If God is righteous, why does he allow all these to happen? If God is good, why does he allow wars, famine, sickness and all sorts of things to take place?” are questions asked all the time.

3. John the Baptist doubted the Person of Christ

John’s baptism introduced Jesus as Christ and Lamb of God before. But he was imprisoned, he started to doubt Jesus. He sent his disciples and asked Jesus “Are you the one is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Obviously John doubted Jesus’ deity as the Christ sent by God. What a serious contradiction with what he preached and what he believed. Many a times we preach on one thing and believe in another. Preaching with words is far more easier than preaching by our souls.

4. Jesus’ responds to John

By God’s grace, Jesus did not rebuke John of his disbelief. Instead Jesus affirmed John by encouraging him to think of the great things he performed: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. (Matt 11:5).

That is to say, Jesus is alive. He is the God who performs miracles all the time. Many a times we find difficult to tell others who Jesus is, but no one can dispute how Jesus had blessed you! This is the testimonies we can share with our friends. Of course your testimonies must be true and match with your repentance.

Conclusion

a. The righteous suffers because we share not only the life in Christ, we also share his sufferings.

Phil 1:29 - For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him…

b. Suffering is part of life for us to grow in our faith.

James 1: 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

c. Suffering proves the genuineness of our faith.

1 Peter 1: 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

d. Suffering helps us to yearn for future glory yet to come.

Rom 8: 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. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

Let us press on with the promise of Christ to be with us forever till He returned.

Do not leave out the second part of Psalms 34:19 - The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all…