From http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Believer's%20Corner/another.htm
Should We Look for Another?
by David J. Stewart
"And John calling unto 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 Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?" -Luke 7:19-20
This is one of the most amazing Scriptures in the Word of God. John the Baptist had prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah. Therefore, Jesus said concerning John the Baptist ... "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist..." Yet, we see this giant of the faith faltering here in Luke 7:19-20. John had given his utmost to preaching the Gospel of repentance and faith towards Jesus Christ. It was John who baptized Jesus (Matthew 3:14). It was John who proclaimed to the people in John 1:29 ... "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John was a mighty preacher, and NOT a yellowbellied compromiser concerning sin.
John the Baptist Preached Against Sin!
Lest anyone should think John the Baptist never preached against sin, one only needs to read Matthew 14:3-4, "For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her." John preached against Herod's adultery, and was arrested for it. John didn't limit his preaching to Jews. John didn't limit his preaching to believers. John didn't limit his preaching to poor people. No, if John saw a black kettle, he called the kettle black. John was no respecter of persons. John saw what he saw, and spoke his mind about it. John the Baptist was a street preacher, and he had no reservations about taking a stand against sin. We need many more John the Baptists today. How many Christians today are willing to be arrested for preaching against abortion or homosexuality? Not many.
Every Christian should take a stand against sin, one way or another.
Even the Best of Christians Fall
Yet, despite John's uncompromising stand against sin, and His genuine loyalty for the Savior--his faith faltered in Luke 7:19-20. John was now in prison. I can here John now ... "I've given my very best to God, and look where I end up. I don't get it. I mean, God can do anything, and yet I'm rotting in this stinking prison cell. Jesus can perform all those miracles, but he can't get me out of prison. I thought He was my friend. Is this what I get for serving God?" Notice again what Luke 7:20 states, "John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?" Wow! John was so discouraged that He even questioned weather Jesus was the Savior. He literally sent his disciples to ask Jesus if they should look for someone else. This is amazing! The very man of God who presented Jesus as the "Lamb of God," is now wondering if perhaps he made a big mistake. Poor John, he was really having a bad time in prison. He wasn't singing in prison like Paul and Silas (Acts 16:25). John was doubting. Of course, Paul had his own faults; but discouragement wasn't one of them.
Don't be too hard on John, he was just a man. Perhaps you have felt that way at times in your Christian life. It's very easy for us as believers to get upset with God, because we know what God can do. We know and believe that God spoke the world into existence with the very Word of His mouth (2nd Peter 3:5). Yet, it is easy to ask ourselves at times ... "why won't God do thus-and-so?" Matthew 8:8 reads, "The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed." This man had great faith in the Lord, trusting the power of Jesus' Words alone. Those who trust in the Word of God today, are equally trusting the Savior. Jesus is the Living Word of God (John 1:1; Revelation 19:13). So many times I have found myself asking Jesus to ... "speak the Word only" ... and I know everything will be better. However, things don't always get better. This can be frustrating. What I had to learn, and what all believers need to learn, is that God does things in His own time, and in His own way. This is clearly stated in Isaiah 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." It is very true that God works in mysterious ways, i.e., they are mysterious to us. We often expect God to works in hours and days; but, God sometimes works in months and years. Hindsight is always 20/20. Looking back over my life, I can now see where God was working, when at that particular time I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. We must learn to trust the heart of God, when we can't see the hand of God. As an example: God is not mentioned at all in the Old Testament Book of Esther, but we see God's hand of providence working throughout the Book.
I am thankful that God allows us today, to see this moment of desperation in John the Baptist's walk with God. If the greatest man ever born amongst women can falter in his faith, then so can any of us. I am completely confident that John the Baptist would have recovered from his despair in a short time. But, things went from worse to worst. Jesus didn't come to rescue John. John was executed by Herod! God has His reasons. It is important for believers to realize that things won't always get better just because we are Christians. Lazarus was the righteous man in Luke 16, and he was eating out of the garbage. In Acts 12, we read that Herod beheaded the Apostle James; but, Peter was delivered by an angel from prison. Of the 12 Apostles, 11 were martyred for preaching the truth.
We read in Proverb 24:16, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief." A prerequisite to being a just man is to "fall." How can you rise again if you don't fall? I say this, not to condone to sin; but to encourage the fallen that you now have the opportunity to RISE up and try again. Only a hypocrite, like many self-righteous Methodists, would claim that a Christian can live without any sins or faults. Sin is wrong, and we shouldn't sin; but, we are sinners, prone to rebellion and wrath. A man may learn to live above reproach; but, NO man can live above sin. This is why the Apostle Paul exclaimed in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" No Christian has a license to sin; but, as sinful human beings, we will. The best of Christians are still people, and the best of people are still sinners (Romans 3:10,3:23).
Modernist Skeptics Today Tell Us to Look for Another Jesus
"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." -2nd Corinthians 11:4
The recent book and movie, The Da Vinci Code, attacks the deity of Jesus Christ. They tell us to look for another, claiming Christ is a fraud and a deceiver. The Jesus Papers claim that Jesus wasn't actually dead when He was removed from the cross. They tell us to look for another Savior, because Jesus wasn't really crucified to death for man's sins. The Gospel of Judas portrays Jesus Christ as a master con artist and schemer. They tell us to look for another, claiming that Jesus was no more than a great deceiver. This is what the chief priests and Pharisees called Jesus in Matthew 27:63, "Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again." Whom say you Christ is ... lunatic? liar? or Lord? The priests and Pharisees called Him a liar.
Modernists today are working relentlessly to assassinate Christ's character, and to discredit the truth of God's Word. To no surprise, every sin imaginable is flourishing in the wake of this evil--Homosexuality, abortion, gambling, alcoholism, adultery, fornication, murder, injustice, feminism, witchcraft, indifference, etc.. Oprah Winfrey, who's show receives 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 millions daily, said that Jesus couldn't possibly be the ONLY way to Heaven. Well the Word of God proclaims that Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven ,"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Oprah is Hell-bound wrong! Don't let Oprah tell you to go find another Jesus in the New Age movement.
We DON'T Need to Look for Another!
I tell you, we DON'T need to look for another Jesus! All you need is the precious Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 1st Timothy 2:5; Revelation 3:20). No John, you don't need to look for another. Jesus PROMISED in John 11:25 that anyone who believes upon Him will live forever ... "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." And again in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Either you believe that the Bible is God's Word, or you do not. Unbelievers WILL be cast into the Lake of Fire, which is the Second Death ... "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
No my friend, you don't need to look for another Jesus, you'll find the True Jesus in the Word of God (which in English is the King James Bible). All other modern Bibles attack Christ's deity by removing the Word "Godhead," and by diminishing the deity of Jesus. For more information on false Bible, please click here. Also, please read the last Chapter in my book on Salvation, titled Misconceptions Concerning Christ. We don't need to look for another Jesus, we have Him in the Word of God. The Jesus' of the world is only a good man, a prophet, a great leader; but, no more. In sharp contrast, the Word of God declares Jesus Christ as God Almighty (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3,10,14; John 8:57-59; John 10:33; Colossians 1:9; 1st Timothy 3:16; Revelation 1:8). Jesus is the Christ, the Creator of the universe, the Son of God, and our Heavenly High Priest. Thank Jesus for His mercies and for the precious blood which He shed for our sins. No John, you don't need to look for another. JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD!
Ye Must Be Born Again!
2 comments:
Have you ever questioned Paul?
I seriously believe Paul was a false apostle as:
1. He wasn’t ordained an apostle by Christ (Mat 10)
2. He didn’t qualify to be an apostle (Acts 1:16-26)
3. Paul’s doctrine is proven false:
After Christ died and rose he appeared to his apostles. The gospels record him as appearing to the “eleven” (remember, Judas had died), but Paul’s doctrine is in clear error as he tells us that Christ appeared to the “twelve”:
Paul said twelve:
1 Corinthians 15:4-6
4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve
Mark said eleven:
Mark 16:14: Afterward he (Christ) appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat
Matthew said eleven:
Matt 28:16-18:
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Luke’s mentions the “eleven”:
2And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. 3And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 5And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 7Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. 8And they remembered his words, 9And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
Acts mentions eleven:
Acts 1:26:
26And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Paul is a liar, and a proven false witness. Christ, in Revelation 2:2 commends the church of Epheus for figuring out false aposles. He said, “…thou hast tried them which say they are apsostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. Remember, Paul preached at Epheus.
Fact 4:
The apostles did not believe Paul was a disciple:
Acts 9:26
26And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.
After Barnabas told the apostles that Paul had “seen the Lord” and that he preached boldy in the name of Jesus, the Apostles didn’t tell him to join them, but they sent him home to Tarsus. Remember, Jesus told us (Mat 13:57) that a prophet is not without honour except in his own country and in his own house . The apostles sent Paul to a place that no one would believe him.
Paul's caught in a lie about his conversion:
There are 2 different stories. In one version he said that Christ told him to go to Damascus and that it would be there that Christ would reveal more to him. In the other version, Christ did the opposite. Compare Acts 22 with Acts 26
Jesus tells apostles to "heal", Paul blinded a man:
Acts 13:11, Paul said:
"11And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand."
Jesus, confirms twelve apostles, not 13:
Revelation 21:14:
14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
Jesus told the church of Ephesus they knew who the false apostles were:
To the Church of Ephesus, Revelation 2:2:
2I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Paul told Ephesus he was an apostle:
Ephesians 1:1
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus
Paul admits his doctrine had troubles being accepted in Ephesus:
Acts 19:8,9:
8And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. 9But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
I have much, much more on my website going into faith works and law too. If you want to see more, just go to my site: www.returntorighteousness.blogspot.com
You are beyond stupid. You seek truth? How? by only looking and citing one source- the Bible. That's like seeking shit in a pile of shit. Sure, you found it, "truth" but it's still shit. Be educated...look for other views.. other information..other facts. Last I've checked the Bible is not a book of facts.. its a book of faith. Faith and facts aren't the same. The books of facts are academic ones..such as History, and the various Sciences. Go read them if you want to seek facts.
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