What to do with a Wounded Faith

What to do with a Wounded Faith.

Matthew 11:1-14

Faith is fragile. It gets bruised. It can be easily wounded by simple things. A kid gets sick, a skipped promotion, a hurt marriage. Sometimes our own bodies aches, hurts and sickness can cause our faith to suffer.

When faith is wounded, we are susceptible to believing lies.

• If God is silent, he must be absent.
• If I suffer without relief, it must mean God doesn’t care.
• My hurt is evidence that there is no God.
• God doesn’t care about all the work I did for him. There’s no point in serving.

What Happened:

• Herod Antipas went to visit his brother Philip and his wife. He fell in love with her (her name was Herodias) and brought her home with him.
• When he got back (with Philip’s wife!) he divorced his current wife and sent her back. She was the daughter of the king of Arabia. This started a war that would have destroyed Herod had the Romans not come in to rescue him.
• John the Baptist said that what Herod had done was sinful.
• Angry at John’s sermon and accusation, Herod had John thrown in prison.

What do I do with a wounded faith? Get close to

In 1899, Lous Klopsch published the first Red Letter edition of the New Testament. Klopsch was the editor of the Christian Herold Magazine. When he read Luke 22:20, this is my blood, he thought they should publish that verse in red to represent blood. Then he thought it would be helpful to have all the worlds of Jesus in red.

• Jesus’ words are (John 6:68)
• Jesus’ words are (Luke 6:47)
• Jesus’ words are (Matthew 8:1-13)
• Jesus’ words are (Matthew 24:35)

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice.” (John 10:27)

Why I need Jesus’ Words in My Life:

1. Jesus’ words open my eyes

God was at work where John couldn’t see it. In fact, the very moment in world history that God was the most present, John didn’t see.

2. Jesus words show me (Matthew 11:6)

• Do not look at circumstances to understand God.
• Pain can cause me to misunderstand God: (John)
• Greek, “Scandalizo,” to Take offense. Left to your emotions, you will misunderstand God.
• God is by nature “immutable.”
• God describes his unchanging nature in Exodus 34:5-7.

3. Jesus Words remind me God sees (Matthew 11:7-8)

• Jesus doesn’t double down on John in a season of spiritual doubt.
• Jesus didn’t forget how John had served him.
• When life hurts, I never have to remind the Lord of all I’ve done for him. He remembers.

4. Jesus’ Words Call me (Matthew 11:9-14)

• Jesus declared the greatest man who ever lived to be the humble John the Baptist.
• Good news, there’s still openings for greatness. You just have to serve God humbly.
• That God exalts the humble, and humbles the proud is called by theologians, “The Great Reversal.” It is a teaching unique to Scripture, that we do not get ahead by putting ourselves forward, but by humbly seeking God and obeying Him.
• We evaluate based on temporal worldly things. Finances, fame, rank. Jesus said John was the greatest ever born! Amazing, since he lived what appears to be a very unspectacular life!
• People who don’t look great in this world might be great in God’s Kingdom.
• My circumstances don’t reflect how God feels about me. (Matthew 11:13-14) Jesus said that this humble man John filled the role of John the Baptist! He is the fulfillment of Elijah that was to come. (Malachi 4:5)
• Jesus’ words and opinion of my life are mor important than anyone else’s; including my own. I need to “Red Letter” my life.
• We may not even see impact of obeying Jesus Words:

5. Jesus’ Words Give Me Hope that (Matthew 11:12)

• MacArthur translates that, “The kingdom of heaven is vigorously pressing itself forward, and violent people are attacking it.”
• It may look like Herod will get away with it, but Jesus’ promise is that he is at war with the evil in this world.

See the importance of Jesus’ Word.

Read a Gospel.

I need Jesus unfiltered.