Matthew 11:2-4 - Doubts

Matthew 11:2-4 (ESV)

[2] Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples [3] and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” [4] And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see:

When things don’t go the way we think they should, doubts can begin to creep in. John had introduced Jesus, but now he was sitting in prison. That wasn’t what he expected, and he began to wonder. Is this really the one? Did I get it wrong? So, what was Jesus’ advice? What are we to do with our doubts? Jesus told John’s disciples, “Have John look at me.” When things aren’t going as we expected, when doubts arise, when difficulty increases, look at Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 tells us to be “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

That’s the answer. Doubts arise because we are focused on our conditions. Fears increase because our eyes are on the temporal. Our faith becomes shaky because we are distracted by the here and now. That’s why we need to be telling each other what Jesus is doing in our lives. That’s why we need to be reminded to keep our eyes on him. Now is not forever, but Jesus is. He is the answer to our doubts. Do you doubt your salvation? It’s because you are focused on your deeds. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Your salvation is in him. Do you doubt the existence of God? Fix your eyes on Jesus. He is God made flesh who willingly went to the cross for you. Do you doubt the Bible? He is the one who sent his Spirit to give us understanding. That is the same Spirit that inspired the Bible, who guided the writers as they put their words down. Do you doubt? Fix your eyes on Jesus.

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