Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to Matthew chapter 11, the portion
we read. And reading from our text, verse
four. Jesus answered and said unto
them, go and show John again those things which ye do here. and see Matthew 11 and verse
4 and especially those words go and show John again. This morning we spoke of the
epistle to the Hebrews and how the apostle desired to set before
them strong mate and the teachings, the deeper teachings of God.
But he said to them in Hebrews 5 verse 12, that when for the
time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you
again, which be the first principles of the oracles of God. Now become
such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. And A reminder it is not just
those that are coming to the faith that know nothing about
the things of God and having to have them explained like a
child at school that has the first principles of reading and
writing and maths and those building blocks upon what everything else
is built upon. There are those that have known
those things and yet have to go back and be refreshed and
strengthened in those foundation principles, even in natural things,
but in the things of God. We had that this morning in Hebrews
and now we have. John the Baptist, who so clearly
pointed to our Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, as the one
that should come. And now in prison, he is sending
his disciples and asking, are thou he that should come, or
do we look for another and our text is our Lord's answer to
John. There are several different thoughts
as to what John was actually saying here. Some, as it were,
don't like to think that John the Baptist could be in doubt
or darkness to ask something like this and there are other
reasons for it. But I don't think so. He was
very clear as to who the Lord Jesus Christ was at the beginning. And his very question, the anticipation
of who was to come, and the very supposition if the Lord wasn't
he, then there is to be another. He needed reassuring, The Lord
gave him that reassurance. He strengthened his faith and
it was very, very needful for him. So I want to look at this
word as in a way that may be an encouragement, a strength
to those though not in maybe a literal prison, maybe there
are those. that are in a literal prison,
even joining with us this evening. But if it is not literal, then
in a spiritual prison, in darkness, and cannot get free from that,
cannot get out of their doubts, cannot get out of their fears,
cannot escape their unbelief, that this may be a help to you,
and especially if you have in the past made a profession or
been able to see so clearly and to believe and to even teach
others and yet now be feeling those doubts and tossed about
and in darkness and in need. I believe these passages are
set before us in the Word for the help of the people of God
And in the spirit of the gospel, the loving kindness of our Lord,
how he deals with these matters. He doesn't send back to John
in a severe reproof or riling upon him, but he helps him. And that is what the gospel is.
It's a help. It's a help to sinners. And yet
at the same time, During this chapter here, there's most severe
pronouncements upon those who have seen the wonderful works
of the Lord and yet did not repent, they were unmoved by them. But
here is John the Baptist who had been witness to them, had
heard them, and it was those works that were again set before
him by the Lord, ordered, as that which should be a comfort,
a reassurance unto his soul. So I want to look with the Lord's
help firstly to consider the man in prison. And though in
this case is John the Baptist, yet may we think a little of
the person who may be in prison in an equivalent way. in a spiritual
way. But secondly, the question of
the man in prison, are thou he that should come, or do we look
for another? And then thirdly, Christ's answer
to the man in prison. Jesus answered and said unto
them, go and show John again. those things which ye do hear
and see. And he follows with those things
that were being done. The blind receive their sight,
and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me. But firstly, the man in prison. We read at the end of the Old
Testament, the prophecy concerning John the Baptist. Behold, in Malachi chapter four,
verse five, behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before
the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he shall
turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth
with a curse. And our Lord was clear as he
spoke of John in this chapter, that this is Elias which was
for to come. He very clearly identifies him
as that which was pointed to in the Old Testament, a forerunner,
a preparer, and to make the way plain before our Lord. We think of how clear the birth
of John the Baptist was. The Gospel according to Luke
begins with this, not with the birth of our Lord, but with the
birth of John the Baptist entwined with our Lord. John Baptist was
six months older than our Lord was. And the word then that was
given and told to Zacharias as he administered was that he should
have a son and that he should call him John. But Zacharias, he says unto the
angel, whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife
well stricken in years." And the angel then said that because
he did not believe those words that were spoken, that he would
be dumb until the words were fulfilled. So Zacharias, John's
father, was dumb until the time that he was born. asked for a writing tablet and
said his name was John. And then his lips were loosed,
he spake and then glorified God and praised God. And so the foretelling of his birth is very
clearly set forth in scripture. And we have the time when Elizabeth
goes to Mary, being told of her expecting our Lord. And in verse
41 of Luke 1, we have it that when Elizabeth heard the salutation
of Mary, the babe leapt in her womb, that is John Baptist. Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Ghost, And she spoke with a loud voice
and said, blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb. Whence is this to me that the
mother of my Lord should come to me? And so the witness, even
from the womb, of John the Baptist and of he that should go before
our Lord. We have the account of the ministry
as well in Luke chapter 3 and verse 2. We have John the son
of Zacharias in the wilderness and then he's coming into all
the country about Jordan preaching the baptism of repentance for
the remission of sins. If ever there is a very clear
setting forth of his office, of his first ministry, of his
pointing to Christ. It is very clear, very prominent
in the scriptures. We mentioned this morning at
the start of the gospel, according to John, how that John Baptist
came and twice there He's pointing out the Lord Jesus Christ. We have in verse 29, The next
day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb
of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. This is he
of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before
me, for he was before me. And I knew him not, but he that
he should be manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptising
with water." And we have as well in the 36th verse, and the next
day, after John stood and two of his disciples, and looking
upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God. This is the man that is in prison,
This is what our Lord speaks of in this chapter as being the
one that should go before him and that there is none greater
than John the Baptist amongst the prophets. He says in verse
11, Verily I say unto you, among them that are born of women,
There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist, notwithstanding
he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And what our Lord was meaning
on a couple of counts, one, that John was really amongst the prophets,
he was pointing to Christ, the last of the prophets, that was
to actually point literally to him, behold thee, Lamb of God. All of the prophets did point
to his coming, but John was the last of those. And so as well
when he speaks about those that are least in the kingdom of heaven,
he's speaking of gospel days or the kingdom of heaven. John
did not see our Lord crucified, risen again, or the Holy Spirit
come and the blessing of gospel days. He saw it by faith but
did not actually see it. And I often like to think of
it as well, what is emphasised is the office that John held. But what is more important than
any office that a man might hold is that he himself is a believer. that he himself is saved. We are not saved because we are
prophets or ministers or deacons or elders. We are saved because
we are called and we are brought to repent. and believe. And that is first and vital before
any office is entered into. It's the most solemn thing that
there are those that the fact that they are never being called,
they are not really born again of the Spirit and it's masked
because they have gifts, they have an office in the Church
of God, that they are not really possessors of what they set forth. But John the Baptist, he was.
He was a possessor of it. He had that office. And here
we have him in prison. Why was he in prison? Because
of his faithful warning of Herod that he should not take to wife
his brother's wife. He should not commit adultery
in that way. And so Herod had him put in prison. Later on, Herod had him killed. John the Baptist would have had
very little warning of that. Herod's birthday, and Herodias'
daughter danced before him, and he promised to give her whatsoever
that she would ask. And she asked the head of John
the Baptist, and he sent and had him beheaded in the prison. And you think, what an end for
one that was so wonderfully used and so blessed, that God should
choose that this should be his end. The scriptures seem to indicate
that John was in prison for just under two years. Our Lord's ministry spanned over
some four Passovers. The last Passover, of course,
being the one where he died on the cross. And so we read with
John 3, 24, which was about the time of the first Passover, that
John was not yet cast into prison. But when we come to the Gospel
according to Mark, where we read of his death and the occasion
surrounding it, then we find that that is placed just before
the feeding of 5,000. And that equates to John 6 and
verse 4, which places that time about the time of the third Passover,
which was a year before the crucifixion. So it's roughly just under two
years that John the Baptist would have been in prison. So the man
that is in prison here is very clearly set forth in scripture
as being the one chosen to immediately go before Christ, who clearly
pointed him out, who clearly believed, who even leapt in the
womb at the salutation of Mary. And yet here we find him in prison,
and no doubt in darkness of soul to actually ask these things
and to use his disciples to go and send this question to our
Lord. May we be reminded in this, however
blessed and however favoured the Lord's dear people may be,
There is no saying at how low one may get when the Lord withdraws
his spirit, when they are left in darkness, when they are perhaps
tempted by the devil, when they have times of very, very severe
trial. And we're not told what was going
through John Baptist's mind, some of them think that, well,
he was thinking like the disciples before our Lord was taken up
into heaven that expected that the kingdom would turn again
to Israel. They'd been brought out of the
Romans' hand. And some surmising that John
is thinking that, well, if all of these works are done, then
why is he in prison? But I don't feel that this is
so. But I do know that for a man
to be asking what we consider in the next place, he is in a
low place. And yet he's come from a place
of a real high standing, a real place, a real believer. And may
just the thought of this be a help to some this evening. when you
may look back to former years and you think, well, I don't
have the light that I had then. I don't have the clear belief
that I had then. I don't have the assurance that
I had then. There are those questions that
you may even be embarrassed to ask and to, as John here laid
himself bare before his own disciples as he used his messengers to
bring it. Our Lord never cast a cloud over
the reality of John Baptist. True belief in him, the tenderness,
the love, the care that he showed to him, and the Scriptures bearing
witness of it as the reality of it, you may not be able to
see as so clear. Some Lord's dear people may have
wrote diaries, you can look back upon what you've passed through
to refresh your mind. Others may have others that will
refresh them as to what they have been through and what they
have done. But here the Lord does not take
that line in a way to reassure John the Baptist, not his path
experience, but again pointing to Christ, pointing to himself. But I don't want to pass from
the first point except to emphasize how one may be in darkness that
truly is a child of God, Be in doubts over things that they
may fear. Why should I be in doubt over
them? Why should I be questioning in
these ways? And be in a position spiritually,
as it were, bound hand and foot in prison. No liberty. No freedom. No joy. No light. All darkness. And for John the Baptist, he
did not know when, when that his life would end, whether he
would be set free. That was no doubt hidden from
him as well. So thinking of this morning and
the need to go back to first principles, and then the word
here of one in darkness or unbelief may be an encouragement to any
in those situations that really you've got to go
right back to the beginning. Got to hear again, learn again,
taught again, established again. I want to look then secondly
at the question of the man in prison. We read in verse 2 that John
heard in the prison the works of Christ. This is what triggered
the question. So he sent two of his disciples,
that is the disciples of John, and said unto him, It's interesting
how it is set before us. Not the disciples said unto him,
that is what happened, but John said unto him. Really the disciples
in the asking, they disappear, they become a messenger. This
is a principle often in the gospel, the minister, is the messenger. The Lord speaks to his people
through them and that comes later. These messengers, they not only
bring the question so that it is, John says unto him, aren't
thou he that should come or do we look for another? But those
then messengers are the ones that bring the word of our Lord
back to John. But the question centres around
Christ, who he is. Are thou he that should come?
It appears in this John Baptist doesn't question whether there
should be one that should come. There should be. The whole scriptures
points to Christ and the Jews themselves had no doubt that
there was expected one to come. And the woman at the Well of
Samaria, she says that when he comes he shall tell us all things. And when she then says to the
Samaritans about Christ, about Messiah, when Messiah cometh
he shall tell us all things. She says, come see a man that
told me all things that ever I did is not this, the Christ. There was that expectation. And with John the Baptist, first
ministry, there was an expectation, was he the Christ? And John had
to dispel that. He was not, but he was sent before. And yet here, this is the question,
aren't there he that should come? or do we look for another? How
many in the Jewish nation, they're still walking in this path. They did not believe that Jesus
of Nazareth was he that should come and they are still looking
for another. And there to be that time that
is foretold in Romans and right through the scriptures really,
that that nation shall be grafted in again and that they shall
know that Jesus is the Christ and that there is none other
name given among men whereby we must be saved. But you see
what was the urgent inquiry, what was the important thing
Should John, should any, trust in Jesus of Nazareth? Was he
truly the one to trust in? Was he truly the Christ? If he
was not, then most certainly they should let go of holding
on to him and look for another. But if he was, then to cleave
to him. You know, when many went back
and walked no more with Christ, when he was teaching the vital
necessity of eating the flesh and drinking the blood of our
Lord, he said to the disciples, will ye also go away? And Peter
says, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. And because of that surety that
he was the Christ, though no doubt there's many things that
they didn't understand either, yet they still claimed to him
and would not go to another. To whom shall we go? We cannot
go to another because we believe that thou art he. And so this
question, it all centered around Christ and to who he was. Our Lord asked the disciples
at one time, whom say men that I the Son of Man am? There's
various answers as to who he was. And our Lord then said to
the disciples, but whom say ye that I am? And it was Peter that
answered on behalf really of the all, that thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. And our Lord said to him, blessed
art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood hath not revealed
it unto thee, but my Father, which is in heaven. And it is
this very same point that John the Baptist wanted to have confirmed
and strengthened, which is a point revealed from heaven, that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of the living God. All that are brought
to trust in him for time, for eternity, for their souls, for
salvation, must be persuaded of that, that he is one in whom
they may can, must, trust, and to not be in any doubt of that. Art thou he that should come,
or do we look for another? One of our hymns says, what think
ye of Christ is the test. Try both our state and our frame. You cannot be
right in the rest unless you be right in him. And it is a
question to us, what think we of Christ? Who do we say that
he is? Are we able to answer the question
that John the Baptist asked of our Lord? Have we ever considered
it or thought it? Have we ever had that the Lord
has been revealed to us through the scriptures? We can say, well,
we've learned of him all our days. We've been taught in Sabbath
schools. We've heard it preached again
and again. But our Lord was very clear with
Peter that flesh and blood does not reveal this. but the God's
Father. The Father in heaven reveals
His Son, and He is revealed through the ministry, through preaching.
He was to the eunuch through the preaching of Philip of Isaiah
53. How persuaded are we that Jesus
is the Christ, the Son of the living God? How persuaded are
we that there is no looking of anywhere else. There's none other
name given among men whereby we must be saved. So this question, it really centers upon what is
absolutely vital. Our view of Christ, our trust
in Christ, God's provision for sinners, the one who was to die
in their place to suffer the wrath of God due to their sin. Yes, John the Baptist's sin.
John the Baptist was a man, a sinner, and Christ was to die for his
sin and put away his sin on Calvary's tree. All that is set forth in the
scriptures of what Christ should do for his people to save them
from their sins is bound up in this question. Do we believe
in him and what he has done and what he has accomplished? You know, when we get into low
places, in one sense it takes away all unnecessary questions. A man that is at ease or one
that does not have conviction of sin or trouble with sin and
an evil heart can easily be taken up with all sorts of controversies
in science, opinions about this or that, and able to argue about
many, many things. But you bring a person into real
soul trouble, into darkness and trial and temptation and painfully
feeling the unbelief of the heart. And then it just sweeps away
and casts away all of those empty questions and things that are
clogging up men's time and energy and minds that are unprofitable
things, that countless millions go into a everlasting perdition,
having been religious people all their days, maybe have had
much more to say about religion than those who have really been
truly called. But when the Lord brings into
the fire and into temptation, and into a low place and it brings
a soul to want the truth and to want that which is absolutely
vital and to be sure of that and to not come short in that. We may ask ourselves in this,
how do our trials work for us? What effect does it have? Not
only burning up, all that is dross in us, but burning up all
that is of a false religion and of just the externals, and bringing
us for the one thing needful, the one thing needful, faith
in Christ. By grace, ye are saved through
faith, and not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. And it
is central here then with John the Baptist to be asking this
question, are thou he that should come or do we look for another?
And implied in this, he wanted that assurance. He wanted that
comfort, he wanted that belief. This was what he, in prison,
in darkness, in unbelief, wanted cleared up and settled in his
mind. How much does it bear resemblance
to what we need settled in our own hearts and in our own minds? I want to look then at the answer
that Christ gave to the man in prison. Our text says, Jesus
answered and said unto them, go and show John again those
things which ye do hear and see." And we might say, well, the whole
reason why John sent to Christ and asked this question, because
he had heard in the prison the works of Christ. How much good
will it be to send him an answer with, again, hearing of the works
of Christ? There's a couple of things that
make all the difference. One, it is that those that are
bringing this message, they were actually witnesses of it. So we read in another account
that the same hour, the Lord did these things. And so he says,
In our text, go and show John again those things which ye do
hear and see. They were actually witnesses
of what Christ was doing. And they had to convey to John
what they were actually had witnessed and seen. And so whereas John
had heard in the prison the works of Christ, Here now he has the
witnesses, two witnesses, and to testify of what they had seen
happening. But the most important is this,
that they come with a commission from the Lord. The Lord is sending
this. It is his answer. You know, we
might have exactly the same truths that are set forth From the pulpit,
we have it in the scriptures under one sermon. Some believe
the word spoken, some believe not. As many as were ordained
unto eternal life believed. Where the word comes with power,
and it is the Lord that takes the word that is spoken in preaching
and brings that with power and authority in the heart, the same
way As this was sent direct to John Baptist, so it is sent direct
to the people of God. In one way, it is not the words
that are spoken, but the power attending it. Paul says of the
Thessalonians that the word came not in word only, but in demonstration
of the Spirit and in power. And that is what we We might
think, well, we want a sermon on something different, and we
want a more eloquent preacher, but what we want is the authority
of the Lord. My word shall not return unto
me void, it shall accomplish the thing whereto I sent it. We have a real contrast in this
chapter where our Lord So he proves those cities where most
of his mighty works were done. Corazon, Bethesda, Bethsaida,
Tyre and Sidon. He says that if those works that
had been done in them had been done in other places, or Tyre-in-Sydon
was one of the ones that he said if it had been done there, they
would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. And yet here he is bringing not
the works that they are seeing firsthand, is bring the testimony
of these to the man in prison. And I've no doubt, as the Lord
sent this to him, it was the answer he needed, the comfort
he needed, the reassurance he needed. Our Lord said when he
spoke of Lazarus and the rich man, if they hear not Moses and
the prophets, neither will they believe, even if one did rise
from the dead. The works of our Lord, the miracles
that he did, they testified of who he was. Our Lord said that. The works that I do, they are
they which testify of me. The Father bore witness of him,
and so those things. The man that had been born blind,
he says, why, herein is a marvellous thing. Ye know not whence he
is, and that he hath opened mine eyes. Was it ever? known that
a man that had been born blind could be made to see. And so
those things that our Lord was doing, the blind receiving their
sight, the lame walking, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised up, those are all impossible for
man to do. And then he says, and the poor
have the gospel preached to them. Those very clear evidences that
he was truly Christ, and then the poor, the gospel preached. You see the design of this chapter,
because our Lord speaks of those cities that had these wonderful
works done and how solemn it would be in the day of judgment
because they did not repent. And then he speaks about the
poor and rejoices that these things are hidden from the wise
and prudent and revealed unto babes. The sovereignty of God
in teaching about himself, in opening up the word, in blessing
that which he'd done so that souls are brought to And so this
is the answer. He points to those things that
none could do but Christ alone. How many times in scripture have
we those situations where the testimony is that this is the
work of God or the thing proceedeth from the Lord or this is the
Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. And the Lord is
known by his works, by his judgment, by those things he has done.
The scriptures bear testimony of it, but also his work in our
lives as well. The Lord working in us to will
and to do of his own good pleasure. The Lord knows how to send a
suitable answer to his people in prison and in darkness. If
you, if I, if we are in darkness at this time, don't dictate to
the Lord. John the Baptist didn't say,
if thou art the Christ, do this, do that. He didn't prescribe,
he just asked. And the Lord decided how he would
answer. And he answers in a way As we
said, it was almost exact the reason that prompted, and yet
this time it was with power. And may we know the difference
between times we hear the word with no power and times we hear
it with power, times we hear it with a witness from heaven,
and other times we think, is that really the same word? Is
it really? what moved us before. What we
need is that witness from heaven. The Lord was not silent to John
Baptist. The psalmist says, be not silent
unto me, lest if thou be silent to me I become like them that
go down into the pen. John Baptist heard from the Lord. And may you and I in our darkness
hear from the Lord. Though we may be so ashamed of
our unbelief, our darkness, and even having to ask some of the
questions that we ask, yet may we have the assurance and comfort
that we hear from the Lord again, that we see Him again, and that
we have the line of the gospel again in our souls. For may the
Lord bless this word, though we be like the man in prison,
And I have the questions of the man in prison.