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9 Dec 18
The Way of Hope
Advent - a time of celebrating the arrival of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus, the Son of the Living God; Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
Jesus, Iēsous in Greek.
Yehosu in Hebrew.
His name means Yahweh saves.
Advent reminds us that God desires to save, thus God became man.
Jesus – He shall be called Immanuel - God with us.
Jesus,
He took on flesh to save souls.
He became a fellow sojourner.
He walked our roads.
Ate our food.
Lived our lives.
He no longer looked “down” at us from heaven, but was born of the virgin Mary that He might look at us face to face - eye to eye.
The God who saves us, is indeed the God who is with us.
Yet, God alone does not save.
God saves in a collaborative effort with His people.
God saves the world through His Son and in partnership with His Church.
If you are in Christ, then you are a member of His Church, and you have a part to play in saving the world.
Advent should remind us that the season is more about salvation than silver and gold.
Christmas, perhaps more than any other season should remind us that God collaborates with people and the universe to proclaim His Son as the Savior.
Let’s look at John the Baptist this morning and see how God collaborates with people.
I want to briefly answer 5 questions about John – Who, What, When, Where and Why.
Who was John?
What did he do?
When did he arrive?
Where did he go?
And Why John?
1. Who was John?
John was a Baptist, but Jesus was a Nazarene
(charter member).
John was called the Baptist because ….
Jesus was called a Nazarene because ….
John’s parents where Zechariah and Elizabeth – both righteous in God’s sight and of priestly lineage.
Elizabeth was a relative of Mary - which made John a relative of Jesus - probably cousins.
So they knew each other growing up.
John was a man dedicated to the Lord by his parents, and by his own choice.
He was full of the Holy Spirit.
He was an evangelist and prophet.
Jesus called him the greatest – even greater then Mohamad Ali.
Ali floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee.
John ate butterflies and locusts and stole honey from bees.
You tell me, who was greater.
(If you don’t get that ….)
John’s ministry and message were so powerful and convicting that people asked if he was the Messiah.
John said, “No, but thanks for the compliment.
One more powerful than I is on the way.”
People from all over came to see John – they began to repent and be baptized under his ministry.
Here’s what we need to know about John - He knew the Messiah; therefore, he knew himself.
Consequently,
He knew he was a partner in the scheme of redemption.
God alone rarely saves alone.
He saves the world through partnership with people.
How well do you know the Messiah?
The more you know Him, the more you will know yourself, and consequently, you will know your place in the scheme of redemption.
Answer this – what is my place in the scheme of redemption?
How am I in partnership with God to proclaim Christ?
2. What did John do?
John evangelized, baptized – he was a human pesticide.
In
We understand that God chose John and filled John with His Spirit, but look at
He received a word from God and then went and shared that word, that message.
So, here’s the question – and everyone should answer –
What is my word from God? What is my message?
I am convinced that every Christian has a message to share.
What’s your message?
What are your experiences with God and revelations from God? That’s your message!
For example, I know the devil is powerless against confession.
When we confess, God works.
I can tell that with conviction because I’ve experienced it.
When I share my story, with conviction – it’s powerful.
Same is true for you!
So, what did John do?
He told his message – and in so doing, he prepared the way for the Lord and helped people see God’s salvation (v6).
If you are in Christ, you have a message, a story – share it.
That’s where the conviction and power is.
I think we get timid when we get away from our story (includes the gospel).
But when we share the truths of what God has done in our lives – powerful!
3. When Did John Arrive?
John’s birth and ministry was the collision (or collaboration) of man’s prayer and God’s plan.
In Luke 1, Gabriel the angel told Zechariah, “Your prayer has been heard.”
What that prayer was, we don’t know, but we’re confident it was connected to John and the Messiah.
He prayed!
But John’s arrival was also the result of God’s plan.
Roughly 700 years earlier, the prophet Isaiah wrote about the one who would come before the Messiah and prepare His the way.
The four gospel writers and Jesus himself testified that John the Baptist was indeed the one whom Isaiah wrote about.
Think about it – the universe (stars, planets etc.) had to be in the right place at the right time for the birth of the Christ.
The magi had to be in the right place at the right time to see the right stars.
Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph had to be in the right place at the right time – and do you know what at the right time.
The birth of John – the birth of Christ – John’s ministry, Jesus’ ministry –
The entire scheme of redemption had to be coordinated with absolute precision on a microscopic and a macrocosmic level.
When did John arrive?
Precisely when God intended.
The entire universe, people, places, events, history fixated upon that one event – the cross.
So everything had to be at just the right time.
With that truth in mind, what do you need to hear from God right now?
4.
Where Did John Go?
John’s life and ministry was centered around the Jordan River and in the wilderness.
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