Three Big Obstacles

Thank you very much indeed, Callum, and it's a great privilege to be here with you this evening.

It's lovely to see you all again, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to help Callum out and to be with you tonight.

When I mentioned to Carloway this morning that I was preaching in Stornoway tonight, somebody said to me,

are you preaching James McKeever out?

And I hadn't really thought of that.

No, I'm not really here to do that, but I do want to take the opportunity to give my very, very best wishes to James and Donna

and to express my sincere thanks for all that he's done for the congregation here,

but also for the church more widely in many, many years of faithful service to the Lord.

Well, we're here to worship God together, and we rejoice that we come together in the name of our risen Saviour, Jesus.

And we're going to sing to his praise from Psalm 95 in the Scottish Psalter on page 357.

Psalm 95 in the Scottish Psalter, page 357, singing verses 1 to 6.

O come, let us sing to the Lord.

Come, let us, everyone, a joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation.

And that's the amazing privilege that we have as we gather to worship again this evening.

We are coming together.

We are singing to the Lord.

We are bringing our joyful noise before him.

So we'll do that as we stand and sing together.

O come, let us sing to the Lord.

Come, let us, everyone, a joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation.

Let us, everyone, a joyful noise.

Make a joyful noise.

For God, a great God and great King, above all gods he is.

The Lord, a great God and great King, above all gods he is.

Yes, God.

Together you more, a brings ofこの zeal.

At Christ, Peter.

You know a gráfic illustrator.

It sing to this church.

You may what?

O come, please, all thoughts it suaắtest.

O come and let us worship him, let us bow down with all.

And honor it before the Lord, our maker let us call.

Let's pray together.

Father, we are so thankful that we can come to you this evening, that we can come and gather together publicly,

that we can meet together in the name of your son, Jesus, and that we can come together knowing that you've promised to be here.

And as we come into your presence, we come to worship you.

We come before you, our maker.

We come to bow down before you.

And we are so, so thankful that we have this privilege.

It's such a brilliant way for us to start a new week, to come together morning and evening on the first day of the week,

to rejoice in the reality of Jesus's resurrection,

to come together and to be renewed and refreshed in the joy and peace and hope of the gospel,

and to be reminded of everything that you have done for us through your son.

We're so thankful that we can come here to worship you, knowing that you're present with us,

that by your spirit you are always with us, that you've promised to never leave us nor forsake us.

You've promised to be with us all the days to the very end of the age.

And Father, we just thank you for that so much because we acknowledge before you tonight that we need you so, so much.

And so often we wonder and we go our own way and we come tonight confessing our sin before you.

We come acknowledging that our thoughts and our words and our actions are so often short of what your word commands.

So often we do stuff that we should not do and we fail to do the things that we should.

And we're frustrated and disappointed in ourselves.

And we come to you with repentant hearts, confessing our sins.

But we also come on the, we come standing not on our own strength,

but we come standing on the promises of the gospel,

that the blood of Jesus Christ washes away every sin.

And that in you we can have perfect redemption.

And in you we can have healing and cleansing and restoration.

And so we come so thankful that the gospel gives us hope.

And we come, Father, and you to be,

to be, for our hearts to be cleansed and renewed and refreshed

in the truth and the joy of the gospel of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so we come to worship you and we come also to hear your voice.

And we pray, Father, that you'd be preparing our hearts to hear your word.

We pray that we would be receptive to it, that our minds would be attentive,

that we would have understanding, that we'd be able to see how we can apply your word to our lives.

And we pray that your word would be pressed right into our hearts

so that it would shape the way that we think and the way that we speak and the way we react

and the things that we aim for and the things that we long for would all be shaped by your word.

And so we pray that you would speak to every single one of us

and that your word would be reaching each one of us

and we know that your word will not return to you empty.

We thank you for everybody who's here tonight.

We pray, Father, that your blessing would be upon each one.

And we come all from very different circumstances.

And we come with just this week will have been different for all of us.

For some, it might have been a really good week.

For some, a really hard week.

For some, maybe a mixture of joys and sorrows.

And we come to you with different burdens and different fears, different doubts, different anxieties.

And we just come and lay it all before you.

And, Father, we don't want to hide anything from you.

We know that we can't and we don't want to.

We just want to lay our hearts open before you.

And we pray for every single person here that every single one would hear your voice speaking to them

and would know the nearness of your presence.

And that you would draw us all closer to you.

That for all of us who are following you, that we would be renewed and refreshed in our walk as disciples.

For those who have maybe wandered from you or feel that their faith is fading

or that their love is growing cold.

We pray that you would renew them and refresh them and wrap your arms around them and you tonight.

And for any here who maybe do not yet know you, for those who are seeking you,

or for those who are maybe just really not sure at all.

We pray, Father, that you would open our eyes and reveal yourself to us

in the most powerful way that we've ever experienced.

And that your word would just press into all of our hearts

and that you would meet with us and speak to us and draw us closer to you.

We pray for the congregation here that you would bless them in all the work that they are doing.

And as they reach such a significant milestone with James retiring,

we pray for the congregation that they would be so aware that pastors are always only ever under shepherds,

that the great shepherd is Jesus Christ and he is the same yesterday, today and forever.

And may they know the stability of your promises and your presence.

And we pray that as they look ahead to the future, as they seek your guidance,

we pray that they will be renewed and energized and strengthened for the work that you've given them to do.

And we pray for all the work of the gospel here,

that this congregation would continue to be a beacon of hope and light and joy to the town of Stornoway.

And we pray that the years to come would be years of great renewal and refreshing for this congregation

and for the whole town, that there would be spiritual awakening

and that the reality of eternity would be pressed onto people's hearts

and that people would come to hear the good news of Jesus

and come to find the hope and the peace and security that only he can give.

And so please bless the work of the gospel here.

We pray for James and Donna, that you would bless them abundantly as they move into this new chapter.

And we pray that their retirement would be a refreshing time,

but also a very, very fruitful time as they continue to serve you.

And we pray too for Colm and for Joanne as they serve you here,

that they would be upheld and strengthened by you

and that you'd bless all the work that they're doing for you.

And everybody else involved in the congregation, the elders and deacons,

everybody involved in the different activities that happen each week,

we pray that they'd be renewed, encouraged, energized and strengthened by you

as they continue the work of the gospel here.

And what we pray for this congregation, we pray for the church worldwide.

And we thank you that as we gather this evening,

we gather as part of a family of believers that extends all across the world.

And we pray that you would build up your church all across the nations.

And we pray that you would especially help those who are facing opposition and persecution,

but also maybe help those churches in areas where they've maybe felt things declining over recent years.

We pray for renewal and we pray that your church would just thrive this week and in all the weeks that lie ahead.

We pray all of these things, Father, so that your name would be glorified.

And we pray that this week and every week of our lives would be lived for you.

And we ask that you would bless us anew and have mercy on us in our time together just now.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

We're going to sing again this time from the Sing Psalms version of Psalm 57,

and that's on page 75.

Sing Psalms version of Psalm 57, and we're going to sing from verse 7 to the end of the psalm.

My heart is steadfast, Lord, with music I will sing.

Awake, my soul, wake harp and lyre, my song the dawn will bring.

If you know Psalm 57, you'll know the early part of it speaks a lot about being in distress and calling out to God for help.

And then these last verses just speak of the assurance and stability that God gives us in his great love.

So we'll stand and sing verses 7 to 11 to God's praise.

My heart is steadfast, Lord, with music I will sing.

Awake, my soul, wake harp and lyre, my song the dawn will bring.

Among the nations, Lord, to you I will give praise.

Among the peoples of the earth, my songs of you I'll raise.

Great is your steadfast love, which reaches to the sky.

Your constant faithfulness, O Lord, extends to heaven high.

Above the highest ends, O God, exalted thee.

And over all the earth, the hope, display your majesty.

Reading this evening is from Matthew chapter 11.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

Thank you.

Matthew 11, and we'll read the whole chapter together.

When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

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 shall we look for another?

And Jesus answered them, Go and tell John what you hear and see.

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear.

And the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.

As they went away, 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 in soft clothing?

Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in king's houses.

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.

Truly, I say to you, among those born of women, there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.

Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,

and the violent take it by force.

For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John,

and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

But to what shall I compare this generation?

It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates.

We played the flute for you, and you did not dance.

We sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, he is a demon.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, look at him,

a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.

Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.

Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done,

because they did not repent.

Woe to you, Chorazin!

Woe to you, Bethsaida!

For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?

You will be brought down to Hades.

For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom,

it would have remained until this day.

But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment

for the land of Sodom than for you.

At that time, Jesus declared,

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding

and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father,

and no one knows the Son except the Father,

and no one knows the Father except the Son,

and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

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.

For my yoke is easy,

and my burden is light.

Amen.

May God add his blessing to the reading of his word.

Well, before we come back to that chapter,

we're going to sing again,

this time from Psalm 36 in the Scottish Psalter

on page 251.

Psalm 36 on page 251,

singing from verse 5.

Thy mercy, Lord, is in the heavens.

Thy truth doth reach the clouds.

Thy justice is like mountains great.

Thy judgments deep as floods.

Five to nine,

and we'll stand and sing together to God's praise.

Thy mercy, Lord, is in the heavens.

Thy truth doth reach the clouds.

Thy justice is like mountains great.

Thy judgments deep as floods.

Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

How precious is thy grace.

Therefore, in shadow of thy wings,

and sons their trust shall place.

They with the badness of thy heart

shall be well satisfied.

From rivers of thy pleasures,

the will drink to them provide.

Because of life,

the fountain pure

remains alone with thee.

And in that purest light of thine,

we clearly light shall see.

Amen.

Just as we turn to God's word,

let's pray for a moment.

Father, we pray that as your word is open before us,

that we will be open before you.

Please give us ears to hear.

Please give us minds that understand.

And please give us hearts that burn with love for you

and for one another.

Amen.

Well, I'd like us to turn together to Matthew chapter 11.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

And I want us to look at the whole chapter.

So as we start,

perhaps we can read again the very first verse

and then the last couple of verses as well.

So starting at verse 1, we read,

when Jesus had finished instructing his 12 disciples,

he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.

And then going all the way down to verse 28,

we hear the very famous words that Jesus said,

Come to me,

all who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

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.

For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

At this time in Jesus' ministry,

he has sent his disciples out

to go proclaiming the message of the kingdom of God.

And you see in the previous chapter

that Jesus spends a lot of time

preparing his disciples for that work.

They are to go out as his messengers.

And as Jesus gets them ready,

and as he prepares them to go out as his messengers,

he warns them that as they go out

with the message of the gospel,

there's one thing that they and we

are guaranteed to find

in the mission field that we go into.

They're going to find obstacles.

Now, when we think about obstacles to Christianity,

we can immediately think of opposition.

So we think of people who are opposed to the gospel,

people who are hostile to the church,

and people who will deliberately try to hinder

and oppress the work that Jesus

has given his people to do.

And that is a reality.

That does happen.

Jesus himself experienced it.

The early church experienced it.

And many Christians today around the world

also experience it.

But opposition, external opposition to the gospel

is not the only obstacle that Christianity faces.

And I think we can maybe even say

that external opposition

is not the biggest obstacle that we face.

And I think one of the reasons we can say that

is because if you look at the history of the church,

one thing that you'll discover

that's very, very true again and again

is that when the church is oppressed,

it actually grows.

And the efforts to stop the advance of the kingdom

has never, ever stopped Jesus

from building his church.

And so if we're thinking about obstacles

in front of the gospel,

stuff that happens out there

and particularly hostility and opposition

towards the gospel

is not necessarily the biggest problem.

And that's because there's other obstacles

that can get away of the gospel.

And that's exactly what we find

in Matthew chapter 11.

Matthew 11 · chapter mention

We read that Jesus goes out preaching and teaching

and as he does so,

he encounters three big hurdles.

And I want us to think about these together

because we encounter exactly the same thing.

We see these hurdles in the people around us

and we also see them in our own hearts.

And these are obstacles

that will either stop us from coming to Jesus

or if we are following Jesus,

they will hinder us as we try to walk with him.

What are they?

Well, the three big obstacles

we're going to think about tonight are

being unsure,

being unfust,

and being unteachable.

Unsure,

unfust,

unteachable.

We see all of these in this chapter

and so I'll explain a little bit more

about what they mean

to begin with

and then we'll see what lessons

we can learn from them.

So number one,

being unsure.

We see that at the very beginning of the chapter.

If you look again at verse two,

we see,

when John the Baptist 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 shall we look for another?

John the Baptist is one of the most important figures

in the Bible

and it's important to remember

that even though we read about John the Baptist

in the early chapters of the New Testament,

really John is the last of the Old Testament prophets.

And as Jesus explains in this chapter,

he is the messenger that is sent to announce

that the Messiah is coming.

And if you know about the story of John the Baptist,

you'll know that he preached in the middle of nowhere

but crowds flocked to hear him.

He called people to repentance.

He challenged the authorities

who were oppressing people at that time.

He baptized Jesus.

He saw the Holy Spirit descend on him like a dove

and he pointed people to Jesus saying,

that's him.

Behold,

the Lamb of God.

And so in terms of the Bible

and in terms of theology,

John the Baptist is a giant

and yet here we find him doubting.

He's unsure.

Despite all that he saw,

despite all that he experienced,

now he's in prison

and he's just not sure.

And that obstacle of being unsure

has been a huge challenge for the church ever since.

It affects us as Christians so often.

And so although I'm sure every believer in here

can think of moments where things felt great,

think of high moments in their experience

when they felt confident and strong

and so assured

and so certain that God was there

and so aware of his love.

There's maybe times when you can think of that

and yet I'm sure there's been many times

when you thought,

is this real?

Can I be sure about this?

Am I a Christian?

Does God ever actually hear me?

Is he even there?

And for people who aren't yet Christians,

I'm fairly confident

that there are very few people,

if anybody in here tonight,

who says,

I am philosophically hostile to Christianity.

I object to it on philosophical grounds.

I am opposed to that message

and I am not willing to consider it.

I doubt anybody in here is thinking like that

but I am sure that there are people in here tonight

or people watching online

and they're saying,

I'm just not sure.

I'm not opposed to Christianity.

In fact, I respect it.

But I'm just not convinced.

So often we face that obstacle of being unsure.

Second obstacle Jesus encountered

is the obstacle of people being unfussed.

You see that in verse 16 and 17.

Jesus says,

But to what shall I compare this generation?

It's like children sitting in the marketplaces

and calling to their playmates,

We played the flute for you

and you did not dance.

We sang a dirge

and you did not mourn.

Here, Jesus is describing the general public,

the people that he has been encountering,

this generation as he calls them,

in verse 16.

And then in verse 20 to 24,

he talks about the towns

where he has visited

and where he's preached.

And in describing these places,

he doesn't say that they're hostile.

He doesn't say that they're aggressive.

He doesn't say that they're atheists.

None of these are the problem.

The big problem

is that people just aren't bothered.

So if a flute is played,

they don't dance.

If a dirge is sung,

they don't mourn.

In other words,

the general public

is just not that fussed.

And that numbness

in the public

that means that

the stuff that should make them

either dance for joy

or mourn

just bounces off them.

They're not interested.

They're not fussed.

They're not bothered.

And instead,

people are distracted,

uninterested,

indifferent.

And of course,

you can see straight away

that it's exactly the same today.

Don't ever think

that Jesus lived

in a different world

from the world

that we live in.

It's exactly the same

just now.

Today,

we are surrounded

by a general public

that is just not that fussed.

that numbness.

And that numbness

is a huge,

huge obstacle

to the gospel.

And so often we see that,

that the life-changing message

of Jesus,

the best news

that the world

has ever heard

is just lost

in a fog

created by,

I don't know,

the latest big celebrity news

that's come out

or the latest thing

that we need to buy

or the latest video

that you need to see

on TikTok

or whatever it might be.

It's so easy

for us to stumble

at the obstacle

of being unfussed.

And then the third obstacle

that Jesus encountered

in this chapter

is people

who were unteachable.

You see that

in verses 25 to 26.

At that time,

Jesus declared,

I thank you, Father,

Lord of heaven and earth,

that you've hidden

these things

from the wise

and understanding

and revealed them

to little children.

Yes, Father,

for such

was your gracious will.

In summing up everything

in this chapter,

Jesus gives this

beautiful description

of how God

does not choose

the intellectual elite

of the day.

He doesn't choose

the experts

to be the first recipients

of the gospel.

And as he does that,

he insists

that instead

the gospel

is being revealed

to people

who are like

little children.

It's not for the big,

important,

know-it-alls.

It's for the people

who will come

like a child.

And there's loads

that we could say

about that.

I want to focus

on the fact

that these verses

are revealing

and reinforcing

another massive obstacle

to the gospel,

the obstacle

of being unteachable.

For the religious leaders,

for the intellectual elite,

the fact that they were wise

and understanding

was not actually

an advantage.

It was an obstacle

because it meant

that they were

unteachable.

They thought they knew it all

and so they weren't

willing to listen.

Jesus went to preach

and teach

in their cities.

People ignored him

because they didn't think

that they needed

to learn anything.

And again,

that's still a massive obstacle

that we face today.

Many people resist

the teaching of Jesus

not because they're

aggressive and hostile

but because

when it comes to

the big questions of life,

they're already confident

in their own answers.

They're settled in their mind

and they do not feel

that they need to be taught

by Jesus.

And yet,

the whole concept

of being teachable

is fundamental

to being a disciple of Jesus.

That's what the word

disciple means.

It means to be a learner.

And that's exactly

what we have to do

in order to become disciples

and in order to live

as disciples.

We need to learn

from Jesus.

But in order to learn,

we need to be teachable.

In order to be teachable,

we need to acknowledge

that there's stuff

that we don't know.

In order to acknowledge

that there's stuff

that we don't know,

we have to admit

our weaknesses.

And that's maybe

the hardest thing of all.

So often,

we're held back

by the obstacle

of being unteachable.

And so these are

the three big obstacles

that you see in this chapter.

Being unsure,

being unfust,

being unteachable.

What's all of that

teaching us tonight?

Well, looking at

these three categories,

the obvious question

that you can start with

is saying,

well, which one are you?

Are you unsure?

Or are you unfust?

Or are you unteachable?

And thinking,

well, which one of these

categories do I fall into?

Am I like John the Baptist?

Am I like the crowds

that weren't responding?

Am I like the religious

elite that refused

to listen?

And we might think,

well, maybe I'm more

in this category.

You might think of other people

and think, well,

they're definitely

in that category.

Do you know

what the truth is?

I think the truth is

that rather than

picking one,

I think that

in lots of different ways,

we are all of them.

These are traps

that we all fall into.

These are obstacles

that we all trip up over.

And that's true

whether you're a Christian

or whether you're not sure yet

if you're a Christian

or not.

We all have times

when we're unsure.

John the Baptist had doubts.

We're the same.

We all have areas

of our lives

that are important to God

but we're just not

that fussed about.

Things that we just

try not to think about

that we'd rather

just stay numb to.

And we all have ways

in which we're unteachable.

We've all got ways

in which we'd far rather

people listen to us

than we would listen

to them.

And these obstacles

are serious

because they will

prevent you

from becoming a Christian

if you're not yet a Christian.

And they will hinder you

in your walk with Jesus

if you are already

a believer.

They'll spoil your relationship

with your Savior.

So what's the answer?

What do we do?

Well, when we talk

about stuff like this

it's very easy

to start saying

well, you need to

rid your life

of obstacles

and you need

to come to Jesus.

And in many ways

you think

well that's maybe

what the pattern

of the chapter

is saying

because you've got

that great call

at the end

where Jesus asks us

to come to him

and we're thinking

okay, right

I can see these hurdles

in my life

I need to overcome them

and get back to Jesus.

And so

you kind of almost imagine

you're on a journey

home

and you're crossing

maybe you're going

across the moor

or something

maybe it's just because

I've driven from Carly

I'm thinking in these terms

but you've got to

climb over

all sorts of obstacles

you've got to get over

fences and ditches

and walls

and you'll get there.

And so

I could say to you

if you can

jump over the ditch

of being unsure

if you can push

through the bog

of being unfussed

if you can break

down the wall

of being unteachable

then you'll get

to Jesus

and then everything

will be fine.

I could stand here

and say

you need to overcome

the obstacles

and come to Jesus.

It would be so easy

to say that

but I don't think

that's what this chapter

is saying

and I don't think

that that's what

the gospel

is telling us to do.

the gospel

is not saying

overcome the obstacles

and get to Jesus.

The gospel

is saying

come to Jesus

and the obstacles

will disappear.

And that's summed up

in the amazing words

that Jesus makes

at the end

of the chapter

in verse 28.

Come to me

all who labor

and are heavy laden

and I will give you rest.

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.

Jesus is saying

come to me

and learn from me.

And that's what

we need to do

when we face

these obstacles

we need to go

straight to Jesus

and learn from him.

And these obstacles

will disappear.

So that means

when you are unsure

come to Jesus

and learn from him.

You see something

so amazing

in this chapter

that when John's message

of uncertainty

comes to Jesus

Jesus gives him

such a brilliant reply.

He says to them

in verse 4

go and tell John

what you hear

and see.

The blind receive

their sight

and the lame walk.

Lepers are cleansed

and the deaf hear

and the dead are raised up

and the poor have good news

preached to them

and blessed is the one

who is not offended

by me.

The key words are these

go and tell them

what you see

and hear.

In other words

Jesus points

the unsure person

to objective

verifiable truth.

Now this is

incredibly important

in terms of

our understanding

of Christianity

and our whole

view of the gospel

because so many people

get this wrong.

So many people

think that faith

is believing

in something

that's vague

and mystical

and something

that doesn't

necessarily tie in

with the facts

so we think

well yes

I've got facts

over here

but I've got

my faith

over here

and I'm just

going to hold

on to that

even though

it doesn't

align with the facts.

That's not the gospel.

That is not the gospel.

That's not the way

Christianity works.

In fact

if you want

the best example

of that kind

of separation

between faith

and facts

one place

where you see it

quite tragically

is in secular

humanism's

approach to death

because you will see

people who are

humanists

whose world view

is saying

that there is no God

that there is nothing

supernatural

that there is nothing

beyond this life

and yet when someone

they love dies

they will say

that they're with us

that they're watching

over us

that we'll meet again

and I can completely

understand why people

are saying that

because a cold

harsh

consistently secular

view of death

is something that

very few people

can actually live with

but that idea

that there's something

that idea

that we'll meet again

that idea

that there's

another side

that's not faith

that's guessing

faith in terms

of how the Bible

understands it

is not guesswork

it's not vague

it's not blind

it is grounded

on objective

verifiable truth

and that's why

when John comes

with his doubts

Jesus doesn't say

to him

keep the faith

feel the energy

be true to yourself

and everything

will be fine

he doesn't talk

like that

instead Jesus

says to the messenger

go and tell John

the facts

about what you've

seen

and heard

real blind people

have received

their sight

real lame people

walk

real people

who are lepers

have been cleansed

and it's all

reminding us

that the gospel

is grounded

on objective

verifiable truth

in other words

it's grounded

on stuff

that's real

the miracles

of Jesus

really happened

the ministry

of Jesus

really happened

the betrayal

arrest

and crucifixion

of Jesus

really happened

and most importantly

of all the resurrection

of Jesus

really happened

these are

objective truths

they're real events

that really happened

and they're verifiable

through the historical record

that the Bible gives us

and that's why

eyewitness testimony

is at the heart

of the gospel

it's the heart

at the heart

of the New Testament's message

the New Testament

is not a collection

of religious meditations

it's an eyewitness record

Christianity

is not grounded

on stuff

that we hope

is true

it's grounded

on stuff

that is

true

and you might

be skeptical

of that

maybe you do

reject it

maybe you know

people

who reject it

if that's the case

I want you to imagine

that Matthew

was sitting next to you

right now

that he was sitting

in the pew next to you

and if you're watching

at home

sitting on the sofa

beside you

and you could turn

to him and say

Matthew

see all this stuff

you wrote

it didn't happen

you were wrong

I think if you said that

Matthew would say to you

hold on a minute

I was there

I was there

and I saw it

and when John

comes to Jesus

with his doubts

and his uncertainty

that's what Jesus

is pointing him towards

verifiable

objective

truth

and the amazing

thing about this

you might think

why is Thomas

going on about this

the thing that's so

important about this

about objective

verifiable truth

is that it means

that no matter

how much you doubt

that has absolutely

no bearing

whatsoever

on the fact

that it's true

doubts don't

change facts

doubts don't

change the truth

some facts

some facts

are hard

to believe

I find it

hard to believe

that my heart

beats every single

second of my life

since my mother's womb

I find it hard

to believe that

that it's just

beating

when you're standing

here it's beating

more like this

and your heart

is beating

and beating

and beating

and beating

I find it hard

to believe

that in the last

80 odd years

there's been

7 billion

child births

on planet earth

but it's true

I find it hard

to believe

that there's

this thing

that I can't

taste

I can't see

I can't smell

I can't touch

I can't feel

and it keeps

all of us

on the ground

and in fact

it holds

the universe

and the orbiting

of planets

and everything

together

gravity

I find it hard

to sometimes

believe

that there's

this thing

that I can't

feel

that it can

still pull

me to the

ground

but my

doubts

have no

effect

whatsoever

on the fact

that these

things are

true

and that's

so true

about the

gospel

because your

doubts

which we

all have

your doubts

have no

effect

whatsoever

on the fact

that all of

this is

true

and that's

why if

you're unsure

Jesus is

saying come

to me

and learn

from me

learn the

facts

from me

everyone

doubts

the greatest

doubt

John the

Baptist

doubted

and he was

fulfilling

the prophetic

appearance

of Elijah

Elijah

doubted

as well

if you look

at his

life

these guys

all had

incredible

experiences

and you

have maybe

had incredible

experiences

but the

certainty

and the

high of

those

incredible

experiences

don't always

last the

distance

but what

will last

is objective

truth

the fact

that you

are safe

and the

fact that if

you're trusting

in Jesus

he is

everything

that you

need

often we

are plagued

by the

same question

as John

that question

shall I

look for

another

shall I

look for

another

so some

people find

that Jesus

is too

much for

them

and they're

like I

don't really

want to

know about

Jesus

and they

just

kind of

push him

away

I think

more

people

find that

Jesus is

not enough

for them

and that's

true for

Christians

and it's

true for

unbelievers

and we

feel this

need to

look for

another

we think

yes I've

got Jesus

but should

I look

for another

and so we

look for

security

in our

health

or in

our

possessions

we look

for a

sense of

self-worth

and identity

in what

other people

think of

us

we look

for attention

and affirmation

on social

media

we look

for hope

in politics

we look

for joy

in sport

and

if we are

doing that

if we are

looking for

meaning and

security and

hope and

peace in

another

it's because

we're looking

at Jesus

and we're

unsure

we're unsure

that he's

enough

and we

all do

that from

time to

time we

all struggle

with doubts

but if

you are

struggling

with doubts

if you're

a Christian

who is

struggling

with doubts

I want

you to

imagine

that right

now you

could do

what John

the Baptist

did

remember John

the Baptist

got one of

his friends

to say go

and ask

him

go and ask

him

and so I

want you to

imagine that

you can do

the same

imagine that

right now you

could send a

messenger to

Jesus in

heaven and

say are you

the saviour

who is to

come or

should I look

for another

am I really

safe and

secure with

you and

I think that

if you did

that Jesus

would say to

your messenger

go and tell

them what

you see and

hear and

your friend

would come

back saying

I saw

Jesus at

the right

hand of the

father and

I heard him

praying to

the father and

he mentioned

your name

loads of

times and

I saw your

name written

in permanent

ink in his

book of

life and

I saw

God the

father smile

when I

mentioned your

name and

I saw that

they were

preparing a

place for

you and

when you

think about

all that you

realize I

don't need to

look for

another in

Jesus I

have everything

that I

need

another way to

think about

it is to

ask the

question where

do you feel

you're most

special what

when I ask

that question

what pops

into your

head where

do you feel

that you're

most special

now there's

lots of

things that

make us

feel special

but where

do you feel

at your

most special

is it with

another so

is it when

you do well

at work and

you come on

thinking I've

done really

well at work

today is it

when you get

really good

results in

school is it

when you're

getting on

really well

with your

friends is it

when you go

and get

some exercise

is it when

you get lots

of attention

on social

media if

it is then

it means that

even if you're

a Christian you

don't understand

Christianity

well enough

yet because

the place

where you are

at your

most special

is when

Jesus is

looking at

you

that is

when you

are at

your

most

special

most

precious

because

you are

never

as special

anywhere

else

as you

are to

him

and all

of this

is reminding

us that

when we

are unsure

when we

feel like

our faith

is wobbling

we don't

need to

fix those

doubts

in order

to get

back to

Jesus

we just

need to

get back

to

Jesus

and come

to him

and learn

from him

and he

will take

all those

doubts

away

that's such

an important

reminder for

us as

Christians

and if

someone's

not yet

a Christian

when you

doubt

where do

you go

where do

you go

when you're

unsure

when you're

unsure

about life

and death

and time

and eternity

and life

and meaning

and purpose

and who

you really

are

if you are

unsure

about that

stuff

where do

you go

when you're

unfussed

is our

second hurdle

the second

ones are

much quicker

I won't be

as long

with these

when you're

unfussed

what do

you do

you come

straight to

Jesus

and learn

from him

now this

obstacle again

confronts us

as Christians

and it

confronts us

if we're

not yet

a Christian

and a good

way of

diagnosing

this question

of being

unfussed

is to

ask yourself

what makes

you mourn

and what

makes you

dance

what makes

you mourn

and what

makes you

dance

and all

too often

the answer

to those

two questions

is that

it's stuff

that actually

doesn't matter

very much

so if I

ask myself

the question

what makes

me dance

the answer

the instinctive

answer is

sport

so I

I was

hoping

that I'd

be dancing

on Friday

night

I was

actually

it was

a dirge

on Friday

night

when Scotland

played

Germany

but if Scotland

win if they can

get something

against Switzerland

and if they can

beat Hungary

I'll be dancing

in my heart

with joy

and it's the same

with lots of other

sporting things

I'm sure loads of

people here are the same

but you know

it doesn't really

matter does it

it's not really

that important

and the same

same thing happens

in terms of mourning

except the other

way around

every day the news

is singing dirges

to us

of all sorts of

stuff that's going

on in the world

we see suffering

and injustice

and oppression

and yet I ask

myself

do I really mourn

when I see that

or does it just

bounce off me

I just

see it

again and again

and it just

bounces off me

and sometimes

I realise that

I dance about

things that don't

really matter

and I fail to mourn

about things that do

Jesus responds

to that obstacle

of being unfussed

by talking about

a crucial

but probably

a surprising topic

he talks about

judgement

and so

if you are

unfussed

Jesus is saying

come to me

and learn

about judgement

now

you hear that

and you think

oh man

that sounds a bit

heavy

and we kind of

recoil from that

idea of judgement

and you know

when you look at

Matthew 11

you have these

beautiful words

at the end

where Jesus is saying

come to me

all who labour

and are heavy laden

and then you just

look a few verses

back and he's talking

about all sorts

of judgement

and you think

how can these

things go together

but we mustn't

come to that

conclusion

we mustn't

think that

these things

are incompatible

what we have

to remember

is judgement

is actually

an incredibly

precious thing

and I think

that we can

prove that

I think we can

prove that

judgement is

a very precious

thing

when we see

something that

is seriously

wrong in life

we don't hear

people say

we demand

judgement

people don't

tend to say

I want judgement

I need judgement

I long

for judgement

people don't

tend to say

that

instead they

say something

else

they say

we demand

justice

people see

something that's

seriously wrong

and they demand

justice

they crave

justice

they want

the wrong

to be put

right

but look at

those two

phrases

we demand

judgement

we demand

justice

what's the

difference

nothing

it's talking

about the

same thing

it's talking

about exactly

the same

thing

that means

that when

Jesus responds

to our

unfussedness

by teaching

about judgement

he's not

being harsh

or heavy

he's actually

talking about

something

that every

human heart

craves

humanity

shouts

we demand

justice

when we

see something

that's wrong

do you know

who demands

justice

most of

all

God

and that's

why the

day of

judgement

that this

chapter

speaks

about

is not

a day

of fire

and brimstone

and divine

brutality

it is a

day of

impeccable

justice

it's a

day when

everything

that's wrong

will be

called

to account

and all

of that

makes perfect

sense

what is the

one thing

that oppression

and injustice

need in order

to thrive

if you think

about a

society where

corruption

oppression

injustice

thrives

what's the

one thing

that's

needed for

that to

happen

you need

a society

where people

aren't

fussed

and they

just turn

a blind

eye

while all

these things

begin to

emerge

weeds

don't get

very far

in a

garden

if the

gardener

is very

fussy

but they'll

thrive

if he's

not bothered

and that's

why Jesus

responds to

the not

botheredness

of this

generation

by talking

about

judgement

and at

the heart

of that

is the

fact that

the

judgement

of God

is going

to put

right the

things

that are

wrong