Art Thou He that Should Come?
A Sermon on Matthew 11:2-6
Scripture
2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things …
Sermon Description
In this sermon on Matthew 11:2–6 titled “Art Thou He that Should Come?” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-looks at the question John the Baptist asked during his imprisonment. Getting the answer correct to this question is of the highest importance, but it is an answer that makes many people feel ashamed. Dr. Lloyd-Jones shows that it is impossible for the natural person not to be ashamed of the answer. Many people have preconceived notions about how Jesus was to redeem humanity. Some believed He was to be a great military leader, while others see Him as a good, passive, and moral teacher. Jesus’s actions are ones that turn logic on its head and show that His ways are so much higher than humanity’s ways. Jesus did not come to this earth to answer to people, but so that they could turn to Him for the forgiveness of their sin.
Sermon Breakdown
- John the Baptist was troubled and offended by Jesus because Jesus was not doing what John expected the Messiah to do.
- John expected the Messiah to take political action, gather an army, overthrow Roman rule and establish himself as an earthly king in Jerusalem.
- Jesus was instead preaching in Galilee, healing the sick, and ministering to the poor. This offended John and caused him to question if Jesus was really the Messiah.
- Many people today are also offended by Jesus because he does not do what they expect him to do. They expect him to solve world problems and make their lives easier.
- Sin blinds us and causes us to have wrong expectations of Jesus. We need to see our own need for salvation and see Jesus as he really is.
- John had not properly understood the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. The prophecies pointed to a suffering servant, not an earthly king.
- John was also troubled by Jesus not rescuing him from prison. He allowed personal circumstances to cause him to stumble.
- We must accept all of Jesus - both his power and glory as well as his humility and suffering. We cannot pick and choose what we like about him.
- Jesus' miracles, teaching, and sacrificial death prove he is the Son of God and the only Savior. We must see him as he truly is.
- Salvation comes as a free gift, not by our own efforts. We must come to Jesus as helpless sinners in need of grace.
- If we are offended by Jesus at any point, it shows we do not fully grasp our own sin and need for salvation. We are still relying on ourselves instead of Jesus alone.
- We must go to Jesus with our questions and doubts so he can enlighten us through the Holy Spirit. We will then see Jesus in his full glory and rejoice in him.
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Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.