"The Forgotten Beatitude"

Hi there, this is long Solomon and I like to welcome you to our program today. You know it's a tremendous honor the God's given us to be on stations all around the nation bringing the truths of God's word as it is uncompromising and straightforward and I'm so glad you tuned in to listen and be part of that. Thanks again for your support and your generosity that keeps us on the radio and now let's get to the word of God is expected that things really go a certain way and then they didn't go that way, you, you know, having things go will you expect to really mess up your whole day.

In fact, I tell you not having things go the way you expect really shaky safety and that's what's going to happen with fellow named John the Baptist were to see this morning where when things didn't go the way you expected it really shook him up and Jesus response to them and teaches them a great spiritual lesson that not only is good for John.

The good for us and I hope you'll follow along and they will talk about will really change your life and your perspective on life. As a result.

Now let's look first 18 chapter 7 John's disciples told him about all these things all what things will all the things that Jesus was doing healing and raising people from the dead. Knowledge comes God and calling two of them. He sent them to the Lord to ask are you the one who was coming or should we expect someone else stop there for second the understand John's question is question is Jesus. Are you the Messiah, or should we be looking for somebody else.

Not all people can you fathom that is John the Baptist asking this question. I mean, remember John the Baptist was the one who introduced Jesus Christ tomorrow.

He was the one whose mission it was to proclaim the appearance of the Messiah to the world. So, of all people. How could John the Baptist be the one who's asking him Jesus. Are you really the Messiah do not you know John, this appears to somebody else coming the reason he asked that question is found in the fact that he had to send two of his disciples to ask Jesus as with verse 19 says you see what any going south. The reason is that he was incarcerated.

John is in jail. That's Whiting going so Luke chapter 3 verse 19 and when John rebuked Herod was the king because of erroneous. His brother's wife. He was living with his brothers wife anyone supposed to be. She one divorce today just one supposed to happen and all the other evil things he had done.

Herod added to all those evil things by locking John up in prison. See here's the point when Jesus Christ first appeared John proclaiming as the Messiah and John had some expert Tatian says the key word about what was to happen next, look here in chapter 3 verse 16 he meaning Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork will be in his hand to clear his threshing floor of all trash and you will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff. The useless part of the wheat with unquenchable fire.

See John expected that when the Messiah came, Jesus would clean house. He would winnow his threshing floor. Many would sweep and clean up all trash he would gather the wheat in the barn and he would take the unusable part of the wheat and he burn it up with unquenchable fire. People like Harry would be out of there. People like Pontius Pilate would be kicked out the Romans would be run out of Israel, the kingdom of God would be set up and there would be a reign of righteousness and godliness that would happen. And so John's expectations based on some very good Old Testament teaching John in response went out and began to rebuke Herod and say to him you don't deserve to have your brothers wife.

This is wrong. This is sin, you shouldn't be doing this and expected Jesus to back him up. But what ended up happening was John ended up being thrown in jail and he was rotting in jail. The Jewish people rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah.

The Romans were not thrown out of Israel, or even close. And this day of vengeance. The John the Baptist had been expecting wasn't anywhere on the horizon.

So John begins to wonder if maybe he doesn't know. I mean, maybe the train came true when he missed so he sends to Jesus and says Jesus you know are you really the Messiah. Maybe the somebody else coming… Miss something here in the translation. How could John of all people ask this question listen, the answer is because things were not going the way John expected to see that that's the most important thing here because of you is that you miss what makes the passage go. John had a set of expectations and Jesus was not doing it the way John expected it to go and as a result, it should John up and he began to wonder what your gosh, maybe they got this holding wrong that what is Jesus say in response to ensure maximum seven with the answer that he gives well. He gives two answers to John I one was hey John not to worry. All I really am the Messiah, relax verse 21 at that very time, Jesus cured many web diseases and sicknesses and evil spirits and gave sight to many who were blind and then he replied to John's messengers, you go back and report to John what you seen and heard that the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured to death. Here, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor, and why would Jesus answer John's question like this. What you have other rascals on the used to go how can I be sure in the world is constantly changing. How can I be sure we sing it now okay well you know the song well, that's what John was asking about Jesus. How can I be sure you're really the Messiah and the answer is a God and given a whole list in the Old Testament whole list of signs that would identify the Messiah. Really, you can go back if you want. We don't have time this morning and read them.

Isaiah 35 is the key passage in Isaiah 35 it says that the Messiah will do this. He will help the blind to see people because the deaf to hear he will cause the lame to walk in Isaiah 61 says he will preach the gospel to the poor. Now John knew the Old Testament. John knew his Bible and by taking the disciples of John out and doing all of this in their site and say no you go back and tell John that I got all six of these things were Jesus was doing was sending a message to John big time and his message was this on.

On the one all right. You can relax that signs are here so you can be sure I really am the Messiah. Don't worry John, you didn't get it wrong I really am the guy you look and that's the message you sent to John.

John, you don't have to worry on who I say I am not. It was a second message you sent to John and that's found in verse 23 he said, and John. By the way, Blessed is the person who does not fall away on account of me. The King James will say, Blessed is the person who doesn't stumble on account of me salon. I don't get it. Try to say that verse doesn't make any sense to me. What Jesus was saying was this John you know what shaking you up. How which taken you up is that I'm not running the show exactly the way you expected me to run the show but John, I'm running the show. The way I want to run the show, John. I'm running the show the way, I know, it's best to run the show and John Blessed is the person who lets me run my business. My way and say what he saying, Blessed is the person John who lets me run my business. My way grants after the great Southern preacher calls this the forgotten the attitude you member all the Beatitudes to begin blessed, blessed, blessed, blessed are the poor in spirit. Blessed are those who mourn Blessed are you when people you know persecute you. Blessed are those long and all those in Matthew chapter 5. This is the only one is not in that list San Saba because of the forgotten beatitude, but this one is just as powerful and just as life-changing as the rest of them and this is the message that Jesus sends back to John in prison. John it's not going the way you expected.

That's all right. It's going the way I wanted to go, and blessed is the person who lets me run my business my way. John's going to need this beatitude folks for John things are going go from bad to worse as they really help or to turn back and let me show you. Matthew chapter 14 if you're using our copy. The Bible is page 692 Matthew chapter 14 verse three, Matthew 14, verse three, page 692 ready verse three.

Now Herod arrested John and bound him and put him imprisoned.

Now we know that already bright. We Artie seen them anything because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife for John had been saying to him.

It's not lawful for you to have her see John at his expectations went out expected Jesus to vacuum up movies in jail. ^ Wanted to kill John but he was afraid of the people because the people thought John was a prophet now in Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for them, and pleased Herod so much that he promised with an oath to give her what ever she asked for.

If your parents don't ever do this. Don't ever tell your kid they can have whatever they ask for.

That's a big mistake and still take you up on it. Always say will see that the classic answer to stick with will see. And you cannot go wrong. Okay now prompted by her mother. This girl prompted by her mother. She said give me on a platter that head of John the Baptist, the king was distressed because he made an oath and because his dinner guests were there and he didn't want to embarrass himself. Of course he ordered that her request be granted and they had John beheaded in the prison's head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl who carried it to her mother. This is not the kind of woman you wanted for an but can you imagine what the scene was imprisoned when they came to get John that they they tied his hands behind his back right and enforcing down onto his knees and they laid his head over sideways on the chopping block and then that guard stood over top of image of that middle accent like busy while he was up in the air. Get ready to come down what you think John was saying himself down on his knees with his head on a block. I have a feeling he was saying, Blessed is the mentalist God runs businesses, witnesses, mammas, goblins and the Lord run your business your way. Laura shall be know what you're doing, pleasant, and was not a it was over. John need this beatitude but you know what we need John the Baptist in heaven. I think John's been say to you.

Blessed is the person who let God run his business is way my job was done. It was time for me to go here I am up in heaven and join the rewards of having serve God faithfully.

It was okay to cut my head off was all part of the plan of God I know regrets that was the message Jesus wanted to get across to this man and this message you want to get across to you and me. Now that's the end of our passage, but it leads us to ask the question. Very good. So why I wasn't back there. I'm not in jail wasn't cut my head off. Oh well, listen to me talk you got that, whether we realize it or not friends. All of us have expectation about how God ought to run things in our life is so no I don't guess you do.

Yes, you do usually goes on like this. I expect that God should keep me healthy and strong forever. I expected God to keep my family healthy and strong forever. I have the expectation that God should make my career prosperous and that God should provide me with the financial wherewithal to do anything I want to do when I want to do and how I want to do it. That's my expectation. I expect God was going to make my cargo 200,000 miles without ever needing a repair.

I expect that I expect God to rescue me from every stupid mistake I make and that God should extricate me from every cow pie. I step in and help me come out smelling like polo.

If I'm a man, or Chanel number five is on the leg. I expect that God should never let anything bad happen to my children. I expect that God should always let the God-fearing politicians with. I expect that God should never let any of my appliances break give a been there with the washing machine on the fritz and what you say to God, you say now God could you let this happen to me this is not a good time for my washing machine to bright well by the way when is a good time down there is never a good time. That's why God should never let it happen and I've had conversations like that about my disposal all my dishwasher and my microwave and my stove and you name it. My dryer having see if you're Christian. Our expectation is our appliances gone forever rest the world. Appliances break, but God somehow keeps ours going forever. We never have to fix it may be expected to marry that girl friend of that boyfriend and God didn't have to work out that way. Or maybe you expected that marriage to go on forever and it just didn't work out that way for maybe expected to have children. By this time in your life that you don't some of us expected God should fulfill us with the spirit to control our life that when we walk on the golf course. We should scratch their head that I walk out on the course and I go, you can shoot 72. I know you can so you can shoot 72. Why can't I shoot 72. I know it can be done and I always shoot 72 by downhole 10 or 11 always shoot 72 hello friends.

Did you notice that none of those expectations that I just named include anything bad happening to you.

If you pick that up we always expect God to do all the right stuff was, nobody ever says God I have the expectation that the day on the wreck my car, you should do that for me.

Nobody does.

But you know when something does happen when God does fail to comply with our expectations. When things happen that upset allowable card as they did with John the Baptist. Isn't it true that we often struggle just like John did. I think so for honest and you know what usually respond in one of two ways either number one it shakes our faith. Remember Moses who went out to deliver the children of Israel went out and killed an Egyptian and then presented himself to the Israelites is that here I am, guys are merely jet out 20 expected them to say and what they said is, maybe you ruler and a judge over us will punch you in charge Jack outta here, so we went off.

It was a fugitive for 40 years in the wilderness.

The truth is that when God appeared to him in the burning bush.

Remember Moses said God can do that I can do that because it was 40 years ago you thought you could do that Moses and no no no, but I was 40 years ago got a lot of orders on the bridge since then. I can do it anymore and shook his faith or his God doesn't do things the way we expect the other thing we tend to do is to take matters in our own hands and say well you know God is not working out the way he needs to which by definition means the way I expected to. Therefore, God needs my help.

Therefore, I need to get involved.

Manipulative thing to get it to go the way that I know it all go anyway and maybe God and agree but God will once we working on my way. Abraham's great example of that member got to say Randy can have a son you can have sunny Can-Am son you have a song to me while he ran not have a son. Finally, Abraham said well you know I don't know when God is going to come through on this but I can keep going almost 100 years old. I got a make a thought here. So when got Hagar, Sarah's handmade and he made a son named Ishmael that was in the sun God had in mind at all what God wanted Abraham to do was wait and wait and wait on the plan of God.

God knew what he was doing the boy Ishmael cause a lot of problems for Isaac.

There was a lot of conflict between these children in between their races and all because Abraham took things into his own hands and regretted it. Just like we always do when we take things in our own hands and you know friends. Just think how much less complicated.

The world would be to Dave Abraham hadn't done that.

Just think what the Middle East might look like today if Abraham had done that, in contrast to Abraham took matters into his own hand and Moses, who led a completely shake his faith. I'd like to offer you the example of Shadrach me shack and Abednego remember those three fellows number King Nebuchadnezzar set up his huge statue of himself and then he said that fellows are brought in the brass band and when the brass band starts. Here's the deal.

Everybody's going to get on her knees and bow down to my statue you know in your body does that have a big party and everything will be great, but just in case you don't do that.

We got this fire over here about a thousand degrees and will throw you in it and incinerate you so there's a program, fellows, and so then he said all right maestro hit it and the band started with visitors and the liars and all these other things that I do have a clue what they are and then everybody bow down, except for three people remember who they were direct shack that I know so the king says all way minute while soft, soft music, soft music coming fellows and so they come over and and he says to them.

A cool hand Luke.

What we have to. Here is a failure to communicate. Fellows let me try this one more time with you.

See the statue caravan bow down okay. Very simple.

Don't take a rocket scientist to get this all right you got it right. Okay guys get so they visitors or an alarm, and all those other things start up thereby bows down Shadrach me shack, Abednego still standing there looking tense as all claimant. Claimant was wrong with you because we have a learning disability or what's wrong with you people did you get this book with a sick child like me second.

Abednego, verse 16 replied to the King Nebuchadnezzar will need to defend ourselves before you about this. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace. The God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your handle King.

This was their expectation. Here's what they were expecting you frozen their God's going to save us. God's deliverance when I watch but they say even if he doesn't owe there is an interesting state, even if we fry up so bad that you can't even find any of us anymore can even find our teeth into the dental records King even if that happens, we want you to know that even if God doesn't do it the way we expect we will not serve your God, we will not worship the image of goal and we will not bow down to use you got that King. In other words, what they were saying is, God can run his world anyway wants to run his world would like to see him on his world by saving us from this fire. But if God decides not to run his world. That way that's perfectly okay with us is God's world. He can run. Anyway, wants, and either way were sticking with God were trusting God where obeying God. Let the chips fall where they may not. This is the point that Jesus is trying to get across to John. John doesn't matter whether I do it the way you expect. You need to stick with me. I know what I'm doing and this is the point that God wants to get across to you and me if we Christians today so I get along with talking fatalism here right playlist okay so Ross Rob, whatever will be to know song fatalism what is fatalism say when I'm talking fatalism here. Fatalism says nobody is running the world hates all random. It's all chance. Nobody has any control over it. So you might as well just take it as a comical nobody knew anything about it anyway. That's fatalism. This is not what Jesus is trying to talk to John and you and me about what Jesus is saying is that he is running the world is not the nobody is one of the world.

Jesus, as I'm running the world and I got completely out of control.

I knew exactly what I'm doing. I'm doing exactly what is best for you. I'm doing exactly what is best for the plan of God in this world, even if it doesn't meet with your expectations. So I'm asking you to follow me and trust me and submit to me because I'm running the world and I'm doing it right, friends, fatalism is not the issue here, the issue is the Lordship of Jesus Christ over every area of our life, including our expectation.

God wants to get you and me as Christians to the place where we have given God permission to run our lives. Anyway, he deems best where we decided that our job is not to dictate to God how we should run his business, but that our job is to obey him and be loyal to him and follow him regardless whether we agree with his choices, or like his choices over the weed. Best regards, try to get you some on this stupid nobody lives like this is impossible to live this way.

No it isn't Shadrach me shack and Abednego live like this, thousands of other Christians down through the centuries of live like this and friend you can live like this to with God's help, so can I you and I will make the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The central issue of our lives. We can live like this.

If you're here in your Christian never forget that God's business is taking.

God's business is running your life and making it turn out right. That's God's business is your father, and it may not always go the way you expect but remember what Jesus told John Blessed is the person who left Iran my business my way, dear friend. Maybe you're here this morning and things are going exactly the way you expected in your life. Maybe you have some tragedy here. You've got some real heartache and pain in your life and you said I have are what expected it would be like this that's all right. God knew it all the time. Nothing has surprised God blessed is the person who lifts God run his business his way and if you let God run your life is what they believe me, there will never be a day that you will live to regret it may be some short-term pain and some short-term loss will always be long-term happiness and long-term benefit. Let God run your life is busy his way. You pick which your father thank you for the word of God this morning and thank you for not sanitizing so that the real people that we see in it.

Never have a problem never have a struggle never have a failure lore that would be no help to us. Thank you for telling us about the real problems in the real struggles and failures of people even like John the Baptist so that we can identify and so that we can benefit from what you taught him Lord Jesus I pray that you would take this great truth. We talked about this morning. The Lordship of Christ, the forgotten beatitude Blessed is the person who lets you run your business your way. And Lord Jesus, that we would appropriate that for our lives and we would imprinted in our brain, and more than it would change the way we think about our lives more. Jesus teaches that you never do anything except that it's for good that you love so deeply. Father I pray that we would have what it takes from you to follow you and be loyal to you and obey you. Even when things don't go the way weeks because we've given you permission to run our lives the way you deem best. Thank you for speaking to our hearts this morning.

Lord may change our lives. We pray these things in Jesus maintenance. I went with Dr. Lon Solomon said plan is in our arrangement of lines found in ministering to listen to today's message, or for more information visit our website. Lon Solomon ministries.org. Thank you for your support. If you would like to contact – please visit our website or call at 866788777 we had people join us next time in line to answer one of life's mission much