Even a man of great faith and conviction, John the Baptist, had a time when he battled doubts and disappointment. When we are tempted to doubt because we are disappointed with Jesus, we must remember that Jesus is the King of God's kingdom not ours. The message was given on Nov 10, 2013 at New City Church in Calgary by Pastor John Ferguson. For more info, go to www.NewCityChurch.ca.

1. What Are You Looking For?
~ Luke 7:18-35
image: kayugee

2. God Gives Us His Words of Eternal Life
Today’s Scripture:
Luke 7:18-35
Found on page 863 - 864 in our guest Bibles.

3. This is eternal life,
that they know you
the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom
you have sent.
~ Jesus of Nazareth, in
the Gospel John, 17:3

4. “Nothing is more easily taken
for granted than a faith that
is unchallenged. As long as
things go our way, we
continue with a confidence in
God that seems strong and
healthy. We assume that,
spiritually, things are fine.
But what happens when our
trust is severely challenged?

5. “What happens when life
crashes down on us with
shattering force? When
tensions in important
relationships seem utterly
unresolvable? When health
or job problems isolate us
with no one but God—and
he doesn’t show up?”

6. Luke 7:18-19
The disciples of John reported all
these things to him. And John, calling
two of his disciples to him, sent them
to the Lord, saying, “Are you the
one who is to come, or shall we
look for another...?”

7. “I baptize you with water, but HE WHO IS MIGHTIER THAN I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I
am not worthy to untie. HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU
with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing
fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff
HE WILL BURN WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE.”
~ John the Baptist, in the Gospel of Luke, 3:16-17

8. Luke 7:20-21
And when the men had come to him,
they said, “John the Baptist has sent
us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one
who is to come, or shall we look for
another?’” In that hour, he healed
many people of diseases and

9. Luke 7:21
plagues and evil spirits, and on many
who were blind he bestowed sight....”

10. Jesus’ Miracles are
Signs of the Kingdom
1
A reversal of the curse
2
A foretaste of heaven

11. Luke 7:22
And he answered them, “Go and tell
John what you have seen and heard:
the blind receive their sight, the lame
walk, lepers are cleansed, and the
deaf hear, the dead are raised up,
the poor have good news preached
to them....”

12. Luke 7:23
“...And blessed is the one who is not
offended by me....”

13. Luke 7:24-25
When John’s messengers had gone,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds
concerning John: “What did you go
out into the wilderness to see? A
reed shaken by the wind? What then
did you go out to see? A man dressed

14. Luke 7:25
...in soft clothing? Behold, those who
are dressed in splendid clothing and
live in luxury are in king’s courts....

15. Luke 7:26-27
What then did you go out to see? A
prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more
than a prophet. This is he of whom
it is written, ‘Behold, I send my
messenger before your face, who
will prepare your way before you....’

16. Luke 7:28
I tell you, among those born of
women none is greater than John.
Yet the one who is least in the
kingdom of God is greater than
he.”

17. Luke 7:29-30
(When all the people heard this, and
the tax collectors too, they declared
God just, having been baptized with
the baptism of John, but the Pharisees
and the lawyers rejected the purpose
of God for themselves, not having
been baptized by him.)

18. “John’s baptism had
become a spiritual
continental divide in
Israel. John’s baptism
required confession and
repentance of one’s sins,
and one’s willingness or
unwillingness to do so
made all the difference.”

19. Luke 7:31-32
“To what shall I compare the people
of this generation, and what are they
like? They are like children sitting in
the marketplace and calling to one
another, ‘We played the flute for you,
and you did not dance; we sang a
dirge, and you did not weep.’

20. Luke 7:33-34
For John the Baptist has come eating
no bread and drinking no wine, and
you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son
of Man has come eating and drinking
and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton
and a drunkard, a friend of tax
collectors and sinners...!’

22. Luke 7:35
Yet wisdom is justified by all her
children.”

23. Important Question
Why does Luke include this
event in his historical
biography of Jesus?

24. Main Idea
When we are tempted to doubt
because we are disappointed
with Jesus, we must remember
that Jesus is the King of God’s
Kingdom, not ours.

25. 1 Prize Christ’s Kingdom
over our own

26. Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right
~ Samuel Rodigast, 1676
Whate’er my God ordains is right
Holy His will abideth
I will be still whate’er He does
And follow where He guideth
He is my God though dark my road
He holds me that I shall not fall
Wherefore to Him I leave it all

27. Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right
~ Samuel Rodigast, 1676
Whate’er my God ordains is right
He never will deceive me
He leads me by the proper path
I know He will not leave me
I take content what He hath sent
His hand can turn my griefs away
And patiently I wait his day

28. Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right
~ Samuel Rodigast, 1676
Whate’er my God ordains is right
Though now this cup in drinking
May bitter seem to my faint heart
I take it all, unshrinking
My God is true each morn anew
Sweet comfort yet shall fill my heart
And pain and sorrow shall depart

29. Whate’er My God Ordains Is Right
~ Samuel Rodigast, 1676
Whate’er my God ordains is right
Here shall my stand be taken
Though sorrow, need, or death be mine
Yet I am not forsaken
My Father’s care is round me there
He holds me that I shall not fall
And so to Him I leave it all

30. 2
Battle doubt
by trusting
God’s heart

31. God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
When you don’t understand
When you can’t see his hand
When you can’t trace his plan
Trust his heart
~ Bobbie Mason

32. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?

33. “That I am not my own, but belong in body
and soul, in life and in death, not to myself
but to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ, who
at the cost of his own blood has fully paid
for all my sins and completely freed me
from the dominion of the devil...;”

34. “...that he protects me so well
that without the will of my Father in heaven
not a hair can fall from my head;
indeed, that everything must fit his purpose
for my salvation....”

35. flickr images courtesy of:
Kayugee: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37831703@N00/4655277889/
Marcin Brzezinski: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35355198@N05/3626256142/
other images:
Photos.com: Ivan Ponomarev/ 154308390