Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #204. The Question You Feel, But You're Not Allowed to Ask... and the Perspective Shift You Need | Matthew 9, 11, Luke 7

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#204. The Question You Feel, But You're Not Allowed to Ask... and the Perspective Shift You Need | Matthew 9, 11, Luke 7 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  I'm Stephanie Hickox Do the promises of Scripture ever feel so different from your life that you almost feel mocked as you try to meditate upon them?
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  in today's episode, we're talking about Matthew chapters 9 through 11 and Luke chapter 7 In this wrestling between the promises on the pages of our Bible And the tension and the friction we experience on this earth, this provides
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  a perfect backdrop for us to study John the Baptist as he was in prison, and in today's scripture, we'll focus on Matthew chapter 11 and I'm gonna ask a question that might feel absolutely wrong to even utter but
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  I heard a message on this almost two decades ago and I found it was a topic I needed to wrestle with The question is, have you ever been disappointed with Jesus?
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  Okay, I warned you.
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  I know it feels wrong to even ask and I'm gonna tell you what the right answer is from the get-go so that you're not terrified that I'm leading you astray The truth is you might be disappointed with the
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  circumstances that Jesus has allowed in your life right now.
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  You might be disappointed by the lack of rescue Jesus has provided, but you won't be.
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  When you reach eternity and you stand in the presence of your Savior There won't be a hint of disappointment When you face difficult circumstances and you choose to stay steadfast to the Lord Jesus Christ, living in light of
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  eternity instead of your current reality, that honors Him deeply.
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  This is what it means to walk in faith One of my favorite verses is Romans 5:5 And hope does not put us to shame because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has
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  been given to us.
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  Another translation says, and hope does not disappoint because of God's love."
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  If you're wrestling with that tension, feeling that there are things in life you're disappointed, they are not turning out the way you expected.
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  You thought, If I follow God and I honor and obey Him, He will do this.
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  I'll reap what I sow."
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  I just wanna speak to those of you that can resonate with that.
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  And I'm not trying to be dramatic.
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  Hopefully that's not the banner over your life, but I just know so many people that are wrestling with difficult circumstances, and if they were each to zoom in On this moment in time, they might find themselves disappointed But
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  if we zoom out and look in light of eternity, we can trust that God is going to work these things for good.
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  Very quick recap.
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  What we already know about John is that from before the time he was born, he was called to be set apart everything that he ate and drank and did was in submission to God's call over his life.
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  He was filled with the Holy Spirit he is very aware that his very purpose in life is just to pave the way for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ but this call of faithfulness to God has led
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  John into a prison cell before we begin in chapter 11, let's not miss what happened in Matthew 4:12 This occurs right after the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.
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  Now, when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee.
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  Okay.
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  Jesus finds out John has been arrested, and instead of going to rescue him He goes to a more inconspicuous location.
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  He goes away from the danger himself Jesus knows God has given a short amount of time to carry out his mission, he needed to walk in wisdom.
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  He's not abandoning John in his time of need.
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  He's being faithful to God's call over his life Let's try to understand where John was coming from and what Jesus calls him to beginning in Matthew chapter 11 verse 2.
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  Now, when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, He sent word by his disciples and said to him, Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
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  And Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see.
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  The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk.
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  Lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
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  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
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  Jesus is referring to messianic prophecies that John would've absolutely known, specifically Isaiah 35 do you remember that when Jesus read the Messianic scripture in the synagogue, and he declared, This has been fulfilled in your hearing."
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  He read Isaiah 61, which clearly says, He has come to bring liberty to the captives."
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  But in the list Jesus just gave us, He doesn't mention anything about breaking the bonds of captivity for His followers This is intentional, and John would've noticed its absence.
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  But Jesus says, Blessed is the one who is not offended by me."
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  In a sense, He's saying, "Blessed is the one who had a different expectation and yet still follows me."
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  See, when John said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," he also said that Jesus had His winnowing fork in His hand and that He was ready on the threshing floor.
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  terms are probably a little bit lost on us, but he meant Jesus is coming to judge.
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  And are you surprised that that was his expectation after reading through the Old Testament?
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  That's absolutely what God promises the Messiah will do.
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  But John didn't understand that Jesus would come first to heal, restore, and redeem, and His second coming would brings judgment John's expectations of who Jesus would be and what his role for the kingdom would look like.
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  Have been wrong.
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  and John is wrestling with this dissonance some commentaries say that it would be completely wrong to assume that John was experiencing doubt at this point.
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  he's just asking for clarity because he believed Jesus was coming in judgment I think that's valid.
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  I would agree and tend to think that John was more disappointed, disillusioned, and even despairing.
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  He's not doubting Jesus.
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  He's wondering why he's in a prison cell and in sending his disciples Jesus doesn't say, Hey, it's gonna work out just like you'd hoped."
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  Instead, he tells John, You'll be blessed if you do not turn away when your faith is tested Continuing in verse seven, as they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John.
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  What did you go out into the wilderness to see?
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  A reed shaken by the wind?
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  What then did you go out to see?
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  A man dressed in soft clothing?
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  Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
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  What then did you go out to see?
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  A prophet?
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  Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
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  This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.
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  Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.
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  Yet the one who is the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
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  From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
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  For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
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  And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come I'm not sure if any of that resonates with you, but maybe like me, you feel like you can take a deep breath by being
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  honest, maybe it reminds you of David running for his life in the Psalms, saying, "Hey, God, I know you have good things promised for me, but this doesn't feel like it yet.
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  Yet I will hope in you."
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  Your faith and perseverance in the midst of trials and exhaustion and disappointments is so honoring to your Lord it makes me think of a verse that Jesus will say shortly, blessed is he who does not see and yet
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  believes."
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  The world might tell you that you're a fool, and the enemy might be whispering that to you too but when you cry out to the Lord in honesty and say I can't always see, and yet I believe You
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  may be exactly where he wants you.
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  With that, Let's look to the end of the chapter and the verse is, "Every mom I know needs to hear."
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  Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
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  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
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  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light As I mentioned at the beginning, this verse almost seems to mock me Really, Lord?
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  Is your yoke easy?
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  Is your burden light?
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  First, we need to understand yoke you may think about the yoke that's put on oxen to enable them to do the agricultural work i'm not gonna pretend to be a farming expert here.
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  But they'd have that yoke upon them, and Jesus is saying, "My yoke is light."
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  I mean, if you've ever seen one in real life, they look pretty heavy.
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  but also the set of instructions that a rabbi would give his disciples was known as his yoke And what Jesus is doing in the Gospels is explaining how God's yoke and God's call on our lives is full of
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  liberty and free from legalism.
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  that when we understand that Jesus Christ has paid for our sins That He does not require perfection or good works alone, but that He wants to walk with us and have that relationship transform who we are, that frees
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  us up.
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  That's what makes the burden light If you picture the yoke upon the ox's shoulders once again, think about Jesus holding it with you.
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  you may feel that what God is requiring you right now is more than you can bear.
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  It might even make you think of that well-known poem, Footprints in the Sand, when a man's looking back on his life and he notices that in the hardest times, there's only one set of footprints in the sand.
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  And he says, "God, where were you?"
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  And Jesus responds, It was then that I carried you the things that you could never do, Jesus has already done for you and you and I get the challenge of walking with an eternal perspective That reality is life-changing
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  It does not take away the heart of the day-to-day, and thankfully Jesus didn't promise to do that.
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  He very clearly acknowledged he would call us to hard things, but he promised to go with us Hebrews 13 tells us that God will never, never, never leave us So if you today find yourself In a disappointing season
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  or in a season that's more than you can take, Can you picture Christ walking with you?
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  Just as He carried His crushing cross, He carries a yoke that you and I could never carry on our own.
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  May that reality transform the way that we view any burden He has allowed to be upon our shoulders because we know we're not alone Heavenly Father We praise you for an opportunity To reveal that we are fully devoted
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  to you.
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  When we don't see the fruit of our obedience, when we're trying to parent consistently and it just doesn't seem to be working When we try to honor you and everything seems to blow up in our face.
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  We thank you that you see and you know, and that this experience is not the end of the story.
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  I pray that you would fill every mom listening with faith and hope in the goodness of your plan.
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  we thank you that you are a redeemer, Lord Jesus And we confidently declare that you are able to work all things for good and for your glory I specifically pray for the moms that feel weary and the yoke
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  upon their shoulders feels heavy Lord Jesus, supernaturally lift that burden, may they feel you walking with them, enabling them to love and serve well I also pray that they would not just feel that they are servants for Your
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  glory, but that they would know they are Your treasured daughters That you delight to walk with them and that you have paved the way for an eternity of paradise we love you, Jesus.
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  It's in your name we pray.