This is a summary of the sermon preached on January 25, 2026.
- Date: Sunday January 25, 2026
- Venue: A Sunday service at Saitama International Church
- Title: "Human thoughts and God’s thoughts"
- Scripture: Luke 7:18-35 1
目次
Introduction
God always answers prayers and requests that are in accordance with His will—according to His timing and in His way (1 John 5:14).
On the other hand, even if we pray repeatedly, God is not obligated to answer prayers that are self-centered and not aligned with His will (cf. James 4:2-3).
In that sense,
As we reflect on our own prayer lives, I suspect I am not alone in feeling that there are many times when what we desire and what God wills seem very far apart.
In today’s Scripture passage, we clearly see this gap between human thinking and God’s thinking.
The thoughts of John the Baptist, the crowds, and the religious leaders were all significantly different from the thoughts of God.
In particular, there was
Through today’s passage, I would like us to
The Thoughts of John the Baptist and the Thoughts of God
Luke 7:18 introduces us to a man named John.
This is not John the disciple of Jesus, but John the Baptist—the one who baptized Jesus (Luke 3:21; Matthew 3:13-17).
John proclaimed that the coming Messiah would baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire and would bring judgment (Luke 3:16-17).
However, the Jesus whom John believed to be “the one who is to come” was healing the sick and driving out evil spirits, as we see in Luke 7:21 (cf. Luke 4:40-41; 6:18).
Because of this,
Yet,
Jesus responded by pointing to these works as fulfillment of prophecy (Luke 7:22; cf. Isaiah 35:5-6; 26:19; 61:1).
Jesus was indeed the Messiah John had been waiting for.
However,
That said, John’s understanding was not entirely wrong.
After His death and resurrection, Jesus had sent the Holy Spirit and baptizes believers with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4; 11:15).
And when Jesus returns at the end of the age, He will judge all people (Acts 17:31).
What we see here is that
The gap between human expectations and God’s purposes in salvation is clearly evident.
The Thoughts of the Crowds and the Thoughts of God
Next, let us consider the thoughts of the crowds.
Many people regarded John the Baptist as a prophet, and some even received baptism from him (Luke 7:26, 29; cf. 20:6).
Yet Jesus declared that
Furthermore, Jesus said that
Why was John considered so great?
It was because his role in God’s plan of salvation was uniquely significant.
He was the one sent ahead to prepare the way for the Messiah (Luke 7:27; cf. Malachi 3:1).
And yet,
Once again, we see the gap between human perception and God’s redemptive purposes.
The Thoughts of the Religious Leaders and the Thoughts of God
Finally, let us consider the religious leaders.
Jesus said that
Using a parable, Jesus rebuked those who neither accepted John nor believed in Him.
John was condemned for his ascetic lifestyle, and Jesus was slandered for eating and drinking with sinners.
These accusations arose because
Here again, the gap between human thinking and God’s thinking is unmistakable.
Conclusion and Application
In today’s passage, we have seen clearly the great divide between human thoughts and God’s thoughts regarding salvation.
John the Baptist’s understanding of the Messiah differed significantly from God’s promised and revealed Messiah.
The crowds saw John merely as a prophet, yet God had entrusted him with an extraordinarily important role in His redemptive plan.
Jesus, meanwhile, came to establish a kingdom of God unlike anything humanity had ever imagined.
And the religious leaders’ expectations of the Messiah and prophets stood in sharp contrast to God’s actual work through Jesus and John.
Even John the Baptist, whom Jesus called “more than a prophet,” did not fully grasp God’s purposes.
And
If you find yourself praying again and again and feeling that God is not answering your prayers, I encourage you first to
If they are self-centered and not according to His will, God is not obligated to answer them.
Even so, God is rich in love, grace, and mercy, and there may be times when He answers despite our self-centered natures.
But more often than not, unanswered prayer calls us to realignment rather than resentment.
If you are unsure whether your prayer aligns with God’s will,
There may be times when even after praying for guidance, God’s will remains unclear.
There may also be times when you are confident your prayer is in accordance with His will, yet the answer seems delayed.
In those moments, you may begin to wonder whether God is truly listening.
When that happens,
In Jesus’ time, no one—not even the disciples—imagined that the Messiah would be crucified and die.
Still less did they imagine that He would rise from the dead.
Yet
There may be seasons when you pray and pray, yet circumstances worsen rather than improve.
You may feel lost and uncertain.
You may even begin to question whether God hears your prayers—or whether God is there at all.
In such moments,
Bibliography and Notes
- Bock, Darrell L. Luke 1:1-9:50. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Bk House, 1994.
Darrell L. Bock, Baker Academic (1994/12/1) - Edwards, James R. The Gospel According to Luke. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2015.
James R. Edwards, Eerdmans Pub Co (2015/5/1) - France, R. T. Luke. Teach the Text Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2013.
