Episode 2225 - What Happened

Wake up. It's time to kickst start your day with Scripture Links Daily dose of inspiration. D do. Good morning and welcome to this brand new day. This is Scripture Link'daily Dose of Inspiration for Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. And today is National Pastry Day. And that tells me it's National Dessert Day. I like pastries. I like desserts. I like anything that's sweet. So go get yourself some pastry. Celebrate National Pastry Day. It is also National Christmas Card Day. I didn't know Christmas cards was still a thing. But if you are one that still mails out Christmas cards to your family and friends, today's your day. Get them in the mail. Make sure they get them there before Christmas time. Um, in our Bible reading, I know it's been two weeks since we've been together. I, uh, had a good vacation. I hope you had a great, uh, Thanksgiving and got to spend it with friends and family and, uh, um, but I had a good two weeks off and I go to work, back to work later this week. Um, but I couldn't wait no more to get back on the broadcast. So here we are. Um, today we're going to be looking at a lot of different things. We're going to start in the Gospel of Luke, chapter number one. But before I get to that, I want to read the story out of Swindal's ultimate book of illustrations and quotes. And it's a story about mistakes because, you know, all of us make mistakes at different times. The thing is what we get out of that. But listen to the story. This is kind of funny. A woman in her 80s was determined that she would keep driving naturally. Her family was concerned about her slower reflexes. She would go out at night alone. So they were disturbed about her safety. They told her about kidnappings and muggings and carjackings. They thought that it would keep her at home, but it didn't. Instead, she went out and bought a gun, a.38 Special. She didn't know a thing about handling a gun, but she loaded it up and shoved it in her purse. She decided she would use it if someone gave her problems. Well, she was walking out of. Out of the store during the Christmas season with her packages. She looks over and sees these three guys in the car and they're slamming the door. She thinks, this is my moment. So she reaches in her purse, pulls out the gun, and walks up to the car window and says, get out of my car. Get out from behind that steering wheel. You guys move. Three guys got out and ran in three different directions. By now a crowd had gathered and they were staring at her, smiling. She was feeling pretty proud of herself. So she put the gun in her purse and got the keys out. And the keys didn't fit. It wasn't her car. That's a bad time to make a mistake right there. Gospel of Luke, chapter number one. We're gonna do a kind of a study today. And I got a lot of stuff to accomplish, so I hope I can get it all in today. But the title is. Is what Happened. And we're going to see here, we're going to look at some highlights, if you will, about John the Baptist. And we're going to see several positive things about John the Baptist. And then we're going to see something that he did right at the end of his life that makes me say, what happened to him. Let's check it out. Luke, chapter number one. Let's look at verses 39 through 41. Scripture says, and Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah and entered into the house of Zechariah and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. I'm going to stop right there because this, of course, is all before the birth of Jesus. Mary at this time is pregnant with Jesus. Um, Elizabeth was a relative of Mary, and she was with child with John the Baptist. And remember, John the Baptist and Jesus were earthly cousins. And when Mary came into the house, John the Baptist, who was still in the womb at this time, leapt in the womb when he heard the voice of Mary. So even. Even before they were walking on earth together, John knew about Jesus. And when he heard the salutation of Mary, he knew Jesus was there. And he leapt at that. He was excited about that. Let's skip over to John, chapter number one. Now, John the Baptist is out. He's starting to. To go out, and he's starting to preach to God. He's starting to preach about. About Jesus here, and he's pointing the way. And in chapter number one of John, chapter one, we're going to start reading in verse number 22. Then said they unto him, who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? Why sayest thou? What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make stray, make straight the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah. And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto him, why baptizest thou then if thou be not the Christ nor Isaiah? Neither that prophet John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom ye know not He. It is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latchets I am not worthy to, um, unloose. See, in this section of Scripture we see that John knew his mission. The Pharisees, the religious leaders, had sent some people to where he was baptizing and was challenging him and trying to question if he was the Messiah, who exactly he was that was going out and baptizing. And. And John made it clear. He said, I'm the way, I am the precursor. I am the one that's making the way straight for the Lord. He said, I'm not the Messiah, but there's one. In verse 27 he says, he it is who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoes latchets I am not worthy to unloose. Um, John knew his mission. He knew why he was there. He knew he wasn't the Messiah. And then in verses 29 through 34, we pick up these words. Let's take a look at this section. The next day John seeet Jesus coming unto him and saith, behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world. This is he of whom I said, after me cometh a man which is preferred before me. For he was before me and I knew him not, but that he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore I am come baptizing with water. And John bear record saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not. But he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on him. The same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw in bare record that this is the Son of God. So again now John not only knew his mission, but he pointed the way to Jesus. He said right in the beginning, verse 29 and 30, that's the Lamb of God. That's the guy I was talking about. And then in verse 33, he reveals how it is that he knew that Jesus was the Messiah because of what God had told him to watch out for. Watch out for the sign of the Messiah. And when John saw that, he knew that Jesus was the Son of God and he was pointing the way to him. If we go over to chapter three of the Gospel of John, and look here, starting in verse number 28. And m going to read 28. And then verse 30, he says, ye yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He must increase, but I must decrease. See, he was reminding the religious leaders that he wasn't the Messiah, but he was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. And we see him now doing all these ministry things, pointing the way to Jesus. And then if we go back to the Gospel of Luke, chapter number seven, Luke, chapter number seven. We see an interesting turn here. Let's go, let's see John, Luke, chapter 17. We'start in verse number 19. Then I'm going to read down through verse number 22. Scripture says in John, calling onto him, two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, art thou he that should come, or look we for another? When the men were come unto him, they said, john the Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, art thou he that should come, or look we for another? And in that same hour, he cured many of their infirmities and plagues and evil spirit. And, uh, unto many that were blind, he gave sight. And Jesus answering said unto them, go your way and tell John what things youe have seen and heard. How that the blind sea and the lame walked. The lepers are cleansed, the deaf here, the dead are raised to the poor. The Gospel is preached. Did you see what I'm talking about there? John the Baptist, who pointed the way to Jesus, who referred to him as the Lamb of God, who said that he is the Son of God. He seems so sure. And now he's sending two of his disciples and saying, uh, to ask Jesus, art thou he that should come, or look we for another? What had happened there? John was in prison at this moment in time, and he was facing death. He was facing being beheaded. And sometimes when we're about to face difficult times or we're going through difficult trials, a lot of times we have a tendency to question our faith. And sometimes the devil even may try and whisper in our ear, say, hey, did you really sign up for that? Can you really trust Jesus? We got to make sure that we don't let those thoughts cloud our vision of who the Messiah is, of who Jesus is. Maybe in this, the former as well as this is speculation, but maybe John had a different idea about the Messiah. You know, if we go back to chapter number three of the Gospel of Luke, now Jesus is taugh. John rather is talking to the Pharisees at this particular time. And we see Here in verse number seven of John of Luke, chapter three. I'm going to read verses seven, eight and nine. Scripture says then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him. O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance. And begin not to say to yourselves we have Abraham to our father for a say unto you that God is ableab of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees. Every tree therefore with bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. You see, maybe John pictured the Messiah as one that was going to come in wrath and judgment. That's why he was warning them here in ver in verse seven when he said who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Maybe he thought the Messiah was going to bring that wrath. Maybe he thought the Messiah. You know, at this time I believe Israel was oppressed with from the Romans. And he thought that when the Messiah came, he was going to save Israel. And that's exactly what Jesus offered, but not in the way that John expected. And sometimes we expect Jesus to act a certain way to do something a certain way. And we have that preconceived notion in our mind. And when Jesus doesn't act that way, sometimes that's going to make his question. But you see, instead of the wrath to come, John the Baptist disciples came back bringing him a message of salvation and healing. Verse 22 of chapter 7. Jesus tells his the disciples of John to go your way and tell John the things you have seen and heard. How that the blind seea, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf here the dead are raised. And um, to the poor the gospel is preached. So let me ask you this. Have you always known. I m don't want to put it that way. Have you always known that Jesus was the Messiah? I don't think that's the way I want to put my question right there. How about this? John the Baptist during his ministry pointed the way to Jesus and um, was so sure that Jesus was the Messiah. But then when he started, when he was facing death, when he was facing being beheaded, he started questioning that. You know, I spend a lot of time on social media because that's where my ministry is at primarily is on social media. And I see a lot of people that say things like, well, I was raised in church and now I don't believe anymore. And you know, all because if you read into it, you read into what they're saying, all because they have a preconceived notion of Jesus and what he should be doing. But don't let those preconceived notions. Don't let what circumstances you're going through now. Don't let the devil whisper in your ear and cause you to stumble and fall away from Jesus. You got to keep the faith and you got to keep focused on him, not what's going on around you, but keep your focus on him. You know, in illustration I use a lot of times is when Jesus was walking on water out to the disciples in the boat and they feared because they thought they were seeing a ghost. And Peter, I just love Peter. Peter says to Jesus, if it's really you, will allow me to come out to you on the water. And Jesus says, come. And Peter climbs down out of the boat and started walking on water. I don't know how far he got away from the boat. But then this scripture tells us that he felt the wind and he felt the water from the waves. And all of a sudden he took his eyes off of Jesus and put it on a circumstances and he sunk. Not because Jesus couldn't keep his promise, but because Peter took his eyes off of Jesus. And the same thing happens to every one of us when we take our eyes off him. So I don't know what you're going through now, but one thing I do know, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And now this day and age is not the time to abandon our faith in him. Keep your eyes focused on him and don't let the devil talk you out of it. Think about that as you go through this day. And remember, get into God's word and allow God's word to get into you. Then share that word with someone today. Have a blessed day.