Sermon Tone Analysis

Opening Prayer

Reading of the Text

John 1:

Who is John the Baptist?

The forerunner of Jesus Christ.

Born to elderly parents, Zechariah and Elizabeth (relative of Mary, making Jesus his causin) of the Aaronic line.

His public ministry began in the Judean wilderness with a call to repentance and baptism.

His ministry is seen as a fulfilment of OT prophecy (fulfilled Malachi and Isaiah’s prophecy), in preparation for the ministry of Jesus Christ.

We see this in the New Testament in the Gospels of Matthew and John

He was executed by Herod.

Lessons learned for our personal lives from John the Baptist

Answering the Call on Our Life

Witnessing to The World

True Humility

Answering the Call on Our Life

Accepting His Role of Forerunner and Witness

God calls and sends out his people into the world.

Though some are specially commissioned by God, confirmed by the church and compelled by the gospel message to missionary service, all believers are called to share the good news of the gospel.

Examples from the Old Testament:

Examples from the New Testament:

Accepting our Calling Illustration

ONE of the reasons so many of us are unfulfilled is that we are driving in the wrong lane.

We operate in lanes of life that were never designed for us.

We operate in purposes that were never designed for us.

All exits are good exits, but not all exits are your exits.

We don’t get off at exits for no good reason when we are driving.

We decide to get off at exits because they take us to our intended destination.

We take exits that will lead us to where we are supposed to go.

Many people miss their purpose because they take any old exit where they see lights.

We should only take exits that take us toward our destiny, our purpose, or our calling.

Accepting the Nazarite Vow

Witnessing to The World

Gospel Truth

Witnessing is a task for all God’s people

Witnessing is a major aspect of Christian living

Importance of Witnessing Illustration

WHEN the Titanic went under, three messages had been sent that said to watch out for the icebergs.

Because everything looked all right, the folks taking the message never passed it on.

They never sent the warning out to people who needed to hear and, as a result, over fifteen hundred people lost their lives.

The folks who knew kept quiet.

Another tragedy of the Titanic was that the lifeboats, designed to carry people away from the sinking ship, were only half full.

People who had made it to safety in the lifeboats didn’t want to turn around and go pick up people who were dying.

They didn’t want to take the risk of panicking people flipping over their boat.

So the people who were saved and safe kept on going.

Fifteen hundred people didn’t have to die, but they did.

The folks who were saved didn’t want to go back because it was risky.

Sharing the gospel has risks—the risk of rejection, the risk of being made fun of, the risk of being called “holier than thou,” the risk of being called “Reverend,” the risk of being avoided, the risk of being asked questions you don’t know the answer to.

Yes, there are risks, but when someone is dying, offering them the gift of salvation is worth the risk.

WHEN the Titanic went under, three messages had been sent that said to watch out for the icebergs.

Because everything looked all right, the folks taking the message never passed it on.

They never sent the warning out to people who needed to hear and, as a result, over fifteen hundred people lost their lives.

The folks who knew kept quiet.

Another tragedy of the Titanic was that the lifeboats, designed to carry people away from the sinking ship, were only half full.

People who had made it to safety in the lifeboats didn’t want to turn around and go pick up people who were dying.

They didn’t want to take the risk of panicking people flipping over their boat.

So the people who were saved and safe kept on going.

Fifteen hundred people didn’t have to die, but they did.

The folks who were saved didn’t want to go back because it was risky.

Sharing the gospel has risks—the risk of rejection, the risk of being made fun of, the risk of being called “holier than thou,” the risk of being called “Reverend,” the risk of being avoided, the risk of being asked questions you don’t know the answer to.

Yes, there are risks, but when someone is dying, offering them the gift of salvation is worth the risk.

Calling out Sin

Other examples of calling out sin in Scripture:

True Humility

Simple Lifestlye

Sacrificing Personal Ministry.

He recognizes that his own ministry must decrease, while that of Jesus Christ will increase.

Sacrificing Personal Ministry

Not Afraid to Ask the Difficult Questions

He sent his disciples to question Jesus Christ while he was in prison.

John needed reassurance that his expectations about Jesus had been well-founded.

John needed reassurance that his expectations about Jesus Christ had been well-founded.

Humility Illustration

WHEN weightlifters want to strengthen their legs, there is no exercise that competes with the squat.

You put the weights on your shoulders and you go down, up and down, up and down, in order to build strength in your legs.

In order to build your hamstrings, in order to build your legs, you’ve got to squat.

Most of us don’t get low enough.

We’re not growing stronger because we’re not willing to bend.

Closing Thoughts

Jesus being God reveals just how expensive our sin debt truly was as it took God's sacrifice (God the Father offering up His Son and Jesus the Word to be willing to offer up Himself) to restore our relationship with Him.

Answering the call on your life if you have not done so already.

It is not too late.

Make sure you are always witnessing.

This is the duty of all believers.

Remember what we are witnessing about.

Always remember humility.

If Christ, the Almighty God of the universe can lower Himself, born in humility, display a life of service and die for our sake, we have no excuse.

Closing Illustration​

TWO brothers went away to college.

One brother became a farmer.

The other became a brilliant, wealthy lawyer.

The lawyer brother visited the farmer brother on the farm.

He said, “I can’t believe you’ve not made anything of your life.

You’re out here on a farm.

Look at me.

Look where I am.

I’m on Wall Street.

I’m an investor in the stock market.

I have clients who are millionaires.

Here you are, stuck out here on the farm.

I wonder what the difference between us is.”