“LIFE HAS MANY TWISTS AND TURNS AND OFTEN THEY CAN BE PAINFUL. ONE GREAT MAN OF THE PAST EXPERIENCED THESE IN A WAY THAT IS VERY HELPFUL TO MANY OF US TODAY.”

 I’m Dennis Finnan , host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about a man God called great, but experienced the perils of such painful twists in the path of life…

… Almost everyone is familiar with what in the Bible is called the Beatitudes. These are the dynamic sayings Jesus Christ known a the Sermon on the Mount, preached thousands of years ago on a hillside of Capernaum . This ‘sermon’ was a series of talks, probably covering several days of preaching. In it, Jesus revealed God’s expectations of the law of Moses, explaining that God requires faithful and sincere obedience, not mere ceremonial religion. The Sermon on the Mount challenged the beliefs and teachings of the proud and legalistic religious leaders of the day. Jesus’ preaching called people back to the messages of the Old Testament prophets who, like Jesus, had taught that God wants heartfelt obedience, not mere legalistic observance of laws and rituals, which the Jewish leaders had turned the faith into.

These most well-known and provocative portions of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount sets forth principles that will become universal only during the coming Millennial Kingdom . Jesus expected believers of his own day and ours as well to follow those principles. Matt. 5:1–12, called the “Beatitudes” gives us eight sayings that speak of God’s offer of special blessings or extraordinary happiness He said will come from…

1.     Recognizing your need for God in your every day life (spiritual poverty) (5:3)

2.     Mourning and repentance over your sins (5:4)

3.     Submitting all your life to divine authority (5:5)

4.     Desiring God’s justice or righteousness (5:6)

5.     Showing loving mercy to others who don’t deserve it (5:7)

6.     Maintaining a pure and clean heart according to God’s standards (5:8)

7.     Working for reconciliation with God and His peace to rule in this world (5:9)

8.     Rejoicing in the face of persecution ( 5:10 –12)[Luke 6:20 –49]

These are the series of eight special “blessings” from God, promised to those who exhibit in their lives, theses attributes of  God, promised to reign in Christ’s coming kingdom.”
However, tucked away in another portion of Matthew’s gospel is a very short and little Beatitude that is often missed. Although small and short, it is an important one that was given to one of the Bible greatest servants of God, John the Baptist. In a moment after another musical pause, I’ll return to talk with you this often overlooked and “FORGOTTEN BEATITUDE,” stay tuned…

… My message today is centered around one verse of Scripture. It is Mathew 11:6, where we come across Jesus’ additional beatitude given especially on behalf of one of His greatest servants, John the Baptist. As to the context of it, opposition against the ministry of Jesus. Even John the Baptist had stumbled over the way Jesus was performing, and the outworking of His ministry. As a result, John experienced some serious misunderstanding. At first the opposition to Jesus’ teachings was inner grumbling by the Jewish leaders, but later it would become outward anger and hatred.  However like the Lord Jesus, John was outspoken and at one point, he spoke publicly against the wicked and immoral incestuous marriage of King Herod to his brother’s wife Herodias. We read of this in,

Mat 14:3-5 (NIV)  Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4 for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.

While John was in prison alone and seemingly defeated in his ministry. He like other great prophets experienced something akin to a nervous breakdown. I think of Elijah, ( 1 Kings 19:3-10) that great Old Testament prophet whom John followed. He collapsed under a Juniper tree and there God had to feed him and rest him. Exhausted and nerves shattered he began to think he was the only saint left alive. Now here is John the Baptist the fearless fiery preacher in the wilderness cast down, imprisoned, lonely, and as we say today “down in the dumps;” Surely, Jesus would rescue him he thought; Surely, he would be released. Yet no such deliverance came. Poor John, like so many of us while we are “down in the dumps” of life, we too begin to dwell on the worst and most negative aspects of our life; and, if we are Christians we at times question our relationship with God’s love. So what does John do in this emotionally depressed state? He calls for his disciples to send a message to Jesus. He told them to find him and ask,

Mat 11:3 (NIV)  "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

How sad it was for him at this moment, for he began to doubt the messiahship of Jesus. Previous to this, John had preached a victorious Messiah, but now John did not see Jesus performing as he had anticipated. Indeed, Jesus was not carrying on the way of a great and triumphant victor, but his ministry seemed meek and lowly, going about just doing good. John began to wonder and soon worry took hold, and doubt seeped into his heart and mind. In a sense, this was the onset of a measure of failing faith. John in his depression and mental state began doubting God’s love, His care, His plans, and even His power for him. Truly John the Baptist was experiencing what today we call a real emotional breakdown.

Now, how did the Lord respond to this? Did He rebuke John? Did he chastise him? Did he say I’ll pray for you brother, or send him a tract? The answer is no. For God understands all the difficulties of life we experience as we follow Him, and He knows the pressures and pain we suffer as a result. As such, when John doubted Jesus, Jesus gave the highest praise for him. We read in,

Mat 11:11 (NIV)  I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

God the Son, Jesus Christ knows all about us, he knows we are but composed of the dust of the earth with a grain of divine life mixed in. Knowing John’s frame and remembering this, Jesus doesn’t rebuke John but rather calls John to “rethink” his faulty conclusion based on circumstances. Just because Jesus was not performing the way John imagined Him to do, did not mean that the man Christ Jesus, was not the infinite God man. You see the Bible remind us,

Isa 55:9 (NIV)  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We must never try to out think God and His plans and ways. God, knowing all things, is never caught short, never behind in His plans and purposes. Nothing happens in the life of a believer that God has not foreseen and allowed to fit perfectly in His plans for the future. John’s imprisonment, and the curtailing of his ministry was part of God’s permissive will. As such, Jesus called John to rethink his faulty concepts about Jesus’ Messiahship. He said to John’s disciples,

Mat 11:4-5 (NIV) "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Jesus in effect told John to look at the miraculous work Christ was doing and realize He was preparing hearts to fully accept His Messiahship and deity, for only God could perform the miraculous acts He did. Thus, Jesus pointed to his acts of healing the blind, lame, deaf, and leprous, raising the dead, and preaching the Good News to the poor. With so much evidence, Jesus’ identity should have been obvious—Jesus expected his courageous forerunner to come to the correct conclusion. Moreover, these words Jesus spoke reflect Isaiah 35:5–6, where Isaiah prophesied of the final kingdom, and the Messiah’s arrival was the first phase of this coming kingdom.

In other more simpler words, Jesus was saying to His faithful servant John the Baptist, “I’m right on schedule, John. It might not be as you plan, but it is My plan.” John suffered what many of us do too. We often make plans or expect the outworking of them to be according to our schedule. But God’s timetable is different, and we must accept it. If we believe God is sovereign, than we must also believe nothing can hinder Him or His plan for eternity and more closely our lives. When we get “down in the dumps,” and everything seems to be crushing in on us, take heart and remember God’s love and God’s plan. We read in the Bible,

Jer 29:11 (NIV)  For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God’s plans are greater than anything in this world, and all that is in this world is passing away. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, that is you have surrendered your heart and life to Him trusting Him alone for your salvation and forgiveness before God, then God is making plans for you in eternity, and just using this life as a means of preparing you for it.

Yet the fact remains we can indeed suffer in this life to portions that can cause us to breakdown, to quit, to run away, or withdraw from everything. So my friend, when such times in life come upon you, the words of Jesus that followed should comfort you. Here Jesus gives John this forgotten beatitude,

Mat 11:6 (NIV)  Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Now we have to define this word “blessed.” I like the Amplified Version of the Bible that tells us its meaning. We read this verse as,

Mat 11:6 (Amp) “And blessed (happy, fortunate, and ^fto be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the Truth.”

God says, the one who in the midst of their afflictions, their losses, their emotional or physical distresses and troubles realizes that God is always in control, that God’s love will never fail or leave you, that God is working out a plan through your negative experiences to bring you ultimate joy, happiness, pleasure and peace –  and as such you will not stumble, will not collapse, nor fall.

Oh, how we all need to learn this forgotten beatitude. It teaches us we must accept God’s ways, His plans, and workings even when they seem pointless, impossible or even destructive. Job who suffered more than anyone did this when he said,

Job 13:15 (NASB)  "Though He slay me, I will hope in Him…”

Through all the loss and pain Job suffered he was not willing to think God didn’t love him. He struggled with such thoughts but did not let them rule him. So he trusted God in spite of circumstances and the consequences he experienced from life. Now God did not explain suffering to Job. Rather, he gave Job revelation which is always better than explanations.

We must trust God not only through the sunshine but the dark clouds, and the fierce storms of life that come too. The truth is, Christ never fails anyone who loves Him, and His plans are always for their good. As such, John the Baptist accepted the words of Jesus and accepted his place and imprisonment.

My friend make sure you do not become offended by the way God works in your life. Make sure you are not preplanning the way God is to work in your ministry, your family, your job, your retirement years, even your health, home and heart. The truth is, regardless of how much we work towards a righteous society and saving the world, the world is not being converted to Christ, nor is God transforming social order. Yet, He the great God of creation, and the God of salvation for sinners is right on schedule and His plans are in no way curtailed or delayed.

The most important thing you or anyone can do first of all is to realize your sin is the greatest offense to God. That this offense against the purity and perfection of God, has brought a penalty. The bible says,

Ezek 18:4 (NASB)  “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.

Rom 3:23 (NASB)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom 6:23 (NASB)  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The greatest love God could ever show us that He cares for us all is, to become our substitute and pay the sin penalty for our transgressions and disobedience. Jesus Christ is that sin bearer and He came for that purpose and fulfilled it.

John 10:10 (NIV) “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

This Forgotten Beatitude is a perpetual reminder that true happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction in life does not come by pleasant happenings, but by the fact that we know we are safe in the arms of God in spite of the unpleasant ones that befall us. Are you safe in the arms of Jesus? Is He your Savior and your God? If so, John the apostle’s later words are true for you,

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)  Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

We need not be offended when life comes crushing down on us, or we experience emotional pressures that seem to destroy everything we hold dear. God is working on schedule, he is still saving souls, reaching out to those in distress, and giving hope and comfort to all who receive Him. Let us therefore take our stand as John the Baptist did on the Word of God. Let us speak out when appropriate regardless of the consequences. Let us faithfully walk in the wisdom of God’s Word and obey its precepts at all times, knowing God is with us, and His plan is on schedule and we shall overcome all things through Him. Yes indeed, if we paraphrase Mat. 11:6 we will conclude,

      Mat 11:6 (Paraphrased)  Blessed [happy, satisfied, content]  is the man who does not lose heart or faith because negative things come into his life, and cause him to doubt God’s love, power, plans, and purposes.”

May God’s goodness and grace, may His love and perfect plan for your life unfold before your eyes giving you great faith to believe through the “valleys of the shadow of death,” we all experience one time or another. And may God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ be your great possession now and forever more. Amen…

…In closing, this “FORGOTTEN BEATITUDE,” in Matt. 11:6 should not be interpreted as a rebuke to John the Baptist. Everyone’s faith needs to be confirmed and strengthened at times. It is one thing to have a temporary lapse of faith and quite another to be permanently stumbled as to the true identity of the Lord Jesus. No single chapter is the story of a man’s life. Taking John’s life in its totality, we find a record of faithfulness and perseverance. This my friend God wants to be seen in you. Bu first we all must be sure we have trusted Christ alone for our salvation and eternal life. Do you know Jesus Christ personally? Have you prayed for God’s forgiveness of all your sins based solely on Christ’s sin payment death? If not now is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time. Right now wherever you are, look up to heaven and cry out to God the Son, Jesus Christ and ask for this and His gift of life eternal. The bible says,

John 3:16 (NIV)  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Once you receive God’s forgiveness it is forever, as well as His promise to you to be with Him forever too. This gives great help, hope and comfort when life gets tough and its twists are painful. God is in control and He will see you through as the closing song has said. May God so bless ever heart today with these words of hope and promise. Amen.

 

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f Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.