First Evangelical Free Church Sioux City, Iowa

Matthew 11:1-19 What Shall We Do With Jesus?

A message to John, about John, and for us. Please click here to listen to the sermon.

• A Message to John
  • Matthew 11:1-3 As Jesus goes about preaching and teaching in the town of Galilee, John sends his disciples to ask Jesus whether He is truly the ________. Why does John do this? To clarify whether - in spite of expectations - Jesus is really who John thinks that He is.
  • Matthew 11:4-6 Notice Jesus' response: it isn't simply "yes," but rather it is an answer by way of proof. "John, here's what I've done - match it up with Scripture." Jesus is not what John or anybody else expected, but expectations should be adjusted to match Scripture, not our preferences.
• A Message About John
  • Matthew 11:7-10 Lest the crowd think that John is wishy-washy and unsure of his support of Jesus, we see that Christ goes on to affirm John's place in God's grand plan. John isn't simply some sort of pawn, unsure of himself, but instead he is a prophet of God, the forerunner and scout of Jesus.
  • Matthew 11:11-15 John is great because of prophecies about him and his role in history, but not so great that he eclipses those who hear Christ and respond to the kingdom. That same kingdom is spreading despite all odds and only those who respond ___________ will be a part of it.
  • Matthew 11:16-19 Two related pictures are now given of those who reject not just John, but Jesus as well: John proclaimed repentance and mourning over sin, Jesus proclaimed grace and freedom. Two sides of the same "repent and believe" coin. And yet the crowds did not definitively respond to either message.
• A Message For Us
  • First things first: do not delay - trust Christ this day.
  • Understand John's role to point us towards Jesus. Realize that we have blessings that even John didn't have.
  • Lastly, are we like Jesus - are we a "friend to sinners?"