Utah's Hope

Even the greatest prophet had a moment of uncertainty. But rather than condemn John, Jesus gave a response that may surprise some of us.

Notes:

Luke 7

John, in a moment of doubt, sent a message to Jesus,
“Are You the One, or should we look for another?”
  
Doubt is a sign that someone is thinking.
 
A French proverb says, “He who knows nothing doubts nothing.”
 
“Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith.”
 
#1 Moses was ready to quit.
 
Numbers 11:14–15
"I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. If You treat me like this, please kill me now."
 
#2 Elijah was ready to quit.
(1 Kings 19:4)
 
#3 Jesus rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith.
 
#4 Paul the Apostle was deeply discouraged.
(2 Corinthians 1:8)
 
#5 David wrote half the Psalms while angry, confused, or feeling abandoned by God.
 
#6 John the Baptist was discouraged and entertained doubts.
 
Read Luke 7:18–28
 
John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River.
 
John was in prison because of his bold preaching to King Herod.
 
In John’s mind, Jesus the Messiah would organize a revolt.
 
John was expecting political deliverance.
Jesus was bringing spiritual deliverance.
 
Sometimes we misunderstand God and His word.
  
Jesus understood John’s questions and his doubt.
 
Jesus answered John’s doubt with evidence and clarification, not condemnation.
 
Galatians 5:15
But if you are always biting and devouring one another,
watch out! Beware of destroying one another.
 
It is easier to critique than create.
It is easier to tear down instead of build up.
 
Jesus loves you and understands your questions, too.
 
Psalm 10:1
Why, O LORD, do you stand far away?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
 
Psalm 10:16 (a)
The LORD is king forever and ever.
 
Jesus defended John publicly,
when John criticized Jesus privately.
(Luke 7:24)
 
You have immeasurable value because you are God’s creation.
(1 Peter 2:9)
 
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
 
God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die on the cross so you could have a relationship with Him.
 
Doubt is a matter of the mind.
 
Unbelief is a matter of the will.
 
John was doubting, but he still believed.
 
Jesus refocused John’s priorities.
 
John’s doubts were answered by Scripture.
(Luke 7:22)
 
Stay the course when you don’t see the plan.
(Luke 7:23)
 
Luke 7:28
I tell you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!
 
John was a part of the Old Testament economy.
You are a New Testament believer.
 
John was a friend of the Bridegroom.
You are the bride of the Bridegroom.

—

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For this episode of the Oddcast Rewind, we're heading back to March of 2019. Whether you've heard this before or are listening for the first time, we hope this episode brought you some encouragement and some laughs. 
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What if the greatest shift you could make in your financial life didn’t start with budgeting, investing, or earning more . . . but with surrender? We don’t usually think about surrender as a financial word, but Jesus does. God owns everything. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West explains how yielding can transform the way we live, give, and steward our resources. Then, it’s on to your calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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What if the greatest change you could make in your financial life didn’t start with budgeting, investing, or earning more—but with surrender?

We don’t usually think of surrender as a financial word. Yet Scripture places it at the center of faithful stewardship. The life-changing truth that God owns everything reshapes how we live, give, and manage what we’ve been entrusted.

When we talk about finances, we tend to ask familiar questions: How much do I have? How much do I need? Am I doing well?

They’re natural questions—but they’re not the first question Scripture asks.

From the beginning, the Bible establishes that God is the owner. Before humanity ever managed a garden or named a creature, God formed, filled, and ruled creation. Psalm 24:1 declares it plainly: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

Simply put, God is the owner—and we are the stewards.

For many of us, that’s a familiar idea. But familiarity doesn’t always lead to surrender. We may affirm God’s ownership in theory while living as if everything depends on our effort. We say, “I worked for this,” or “I earned this.” Yet Scripture adds an essential truth: “It is He who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Even our ability to work is a gift from God.

Jesus reinforces this perspective in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14–30). A master entrusts resources to three servants. Two invest faithfully. One buries what he’s been given out of fear.

When the master returns, he doesn’t praise them for increasing his net worth—he commends their faithfulness.

That distinction matters. The world measures success by outcomes. God measures success by trust and faithfulness. If God owns everything, then we are not owners—we are managers. Scripture uses the term oikonomos, meaning household manager: someone who manages resources they didn’t create, for purposes they didn’t define, under a master they serve. At first, that may sound restrictive. In reality, it’s freeing.

If I’m not the owner, then I’m not the ultimate provider or protector. The weight shifts from my shoulders to God’s. As Ron Blue often says, “If God owns it all, you can’t lose anything.”

Ownership carries pressure. Stewardship carries trust.

When we truly embrace stewardship, ordinary financial decisions take on spiritual meaning.

The Puritan preacher Thomas Watson once wrote, “What we keep we may lose. What we give to God is kept forever.”

Paul echoes this in 1 Timothy 6:7: “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” That reality isn’t meant to discourage us—it’s meant to liberate us. When we stop clinging to what we cannot keep, we’re free to invest in what we can never lose.

If God owns everything, what does He ask of us? Jesus answers simply: “One who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much” (Luke 16:10).

Faithfulness isn’t about the size of what we manage—it’s about surrender. And surrender always begins in the heart. When we embrace God’s ownership, two gifts follow:

Where might God be inviting you to shift from being an owner to a steward? In your giving? You