God's Preperation
John the Baptist: The Forerunner of Christ • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 12 viewsGod always has a plan and always has a messsage of hope. We have to choos to hear it.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning and welcome back.
If you were here last week, you may recall that I had said we would be talking about Stewardship for the next several weeks.
Well, it turns out I was wrong.
Before last week’s service I had a great burden about Stewardship and I thought that this was the direction that God was wanting us to go.
However, after the service and as I began to prepare for this week, I felt the Lord had dealt with what He needed to deal with and we should move on.
So, this morning we are going to start looking at one of most influential prophets in the Bible.
And we are not going to be looking at Isaiah or Jeremiah, but rather we are going to look at the last of the Old Testament Prophets, that was actually born and ministered during Jesus’ lifetime.
And that person we will be looking at is none other than John the Baptist.
John the Baptist is known as many different things, most commonly the Forerunner of Jesus.
Or the one that came before Jesus to announce Him and to prepare the way.
And even though John was actually a prophet that followed somewhat the tradition of the Old Testament, he was much more than that.
And if we dig into John the Baptist a bit, I think we will learn a little bit more about how influential and inspiring to Jesus and to use that he actually was.
And this morning though, we are going to start in the Old Testament, in actually if you want to start turning there.
And as you are turning there, I would life for us to consider the types of people that inspire us.
All throughout our history there have been great men and women who have inspired us with their courage.
Men like Patrick Henry, who said, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”
And Abraham Lincoln, who reminded us that our nation was “Conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
And Martin Luther King, who dreamt of the day when his children would be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
In biblical history, great men have inspired us as well.
Think of Joshua standing before the people saying, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Or the Apostle Paul who said, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
Or Jesus, saying, “Greater love has no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends.”
And we need inspiration like this. People with this character:
● They encourage us.
● And give us hope.
● They help us to see how we might live our lives better,
● at a higher level,
● with greater intentionality,
● and purpose,
● and usefulness to the Lord.
John the Baptist was all of these things, but he didn’t see himself as an inspiration.
He saw himself as just doing what God called him to do.
And John was spoke about long before he was ever born, which is where comes into play.
So, if you have found in your Bibles, I’d invite you to stand with me if you are able as we read verses 1-11.
Isaiah writes . . .
Scripture Focus
Scripture Focus
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. 3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” 6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever.” 9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah
Background-Who Was John the Baptist?
Background-Who Was John the Baptist?
So, we know parts of this passage because it has become synonomous with who John the Baptist was and what his mission was.
But how much do we really know about the man, John the Baptist?
Was he alway a wild haired prophet?
Why was he the one called and not someone else?
What made him so special?
First, John’s father was named Zechariah and was a cousin to Jesus.
John also was six months older than Jesus.
And of course we know that John was announced as the Forerunner of Jesus (what we just read actually).
But what else is there to him?
Jesus actually thought very highly of John, calling him the “greatest among those born of women” in .
This is because Jesus equated John with Elijah that Malachi spoke of . . .
5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.
And Jesus said . . .
14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.
Jesus also said . . .
26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
All of these things, of course, pointing to John’s mission.
But John was also very qualified to carry out this mission.
John was actually a Rabbi, which in fact was very rare during Jesus’ day.
Today there are thousands of Rabbis, but historians say that within the 50 years before Jesus and 50 years after Jesus there were less than a dozen true, qualified Rabbis.
This is because to become a Rabbi, you had to memorize and mater the entire Jewish Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament).
You also had to be given the authority directly from God, which was confirmed by an established Rabbi.
So there were not very many of them around and they were in fact highly respected.
This is one reason when John called them a brood of vipers in , it carried some weight and was more offensive than if one of us had said it.
John had actually, legitimate authority as a Jewish Rabbi.
And John used that authority to do what?
To announce and pronounce Jesus as the Christ.
John actually said . . .
16 John answered them all, “I baptise you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.
John also said . . .
30 He must become greater; I must become less.
John 3:30
So through all of this John is lifting up Jesus and placing authority where it should be—with Jesus.
And that is where many in Christian leadership fail.
They enjoy a measure of success and begin to gain some authority and they mistakenly lift themselves up instead of lifting Jesus up.
They forget that it is only because of the grace of God they are able to do what they do to begin with.
And as you are “amening” that statement, it’s not isolated to just Christian leadership, many Christians develop this same attitude.
Things go well for a while and we get the “big head” forgetting to be humble before the Lord.
And that is when we generally will get ourselves into some trouble.
We think that we have risen above sin and above failure and we end up flat on our faces.
And we need to remember that always . . .
30 He must become greater; I must become less.
John’s Message of Hope
John’s Message of Hope
So, that gives us a glimpse into John’s background but what is it about his message that is so special?
Anyone could have announced Jesus as “The Christ.”
Now albeit, John had much more authority, but it didn’t have to be a Rabbi doing it.
Thing thing about John’s message though was that it was more than just announcing Jesus.
John’s message was one that restored hope to a people who had lost hope.
Which is where the passage from comes into play.
And to really understand the message we have to understand a little bit about what was going on during that time.
Now during that time, the people of Israel were divided into two kingdoms. The kingdom of the north was called “Israel,” and the kingdom of the south was called “Judah.”
At that time, the nation of Iran, which was then called “Assyria,” was strong and aggressive and on the march. They were conquering and gobbling up the nations around them…
It was a frightening time if you lived in the vicinity.
So, God does what He always does when His people are in peril: He sends them a prophet, a spokesmen, to speak to them on His behalf.
God sends Isaiah the prophet to speak to the kingdom of the south.
For 36 chapters, Isaiah warns them that Assyria is coming and they will be judged for their sins.
Then, in chapter 37, Judah’s king, Hezekiah, seeks Isaiah’s counsel, and prays.
He asks God to forgive the people and prolong their days in the land. And God does.
God told Hezekiah, “Because you asked, I will postpone my judgment on Judah. Their punishment will not come by the hands of the Assyrians, but by the hands of the Babylonians, years in the future.”
Now we had talked about the Assyrians, but not yet about the Babylonians.
Now, Babylonia is modern day Iraq.
And even though God delivered them from the Assyrians, they still would not change their ways so God, through Isaiah sounds the alarm.
5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. 7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
And God tells them this, years in advance, giving them the opportunity to repent and turn from their ways.
But they do like we do so many times.
Things get bad and we turn to God.
Things get better and we forget God until things turn bad again.
Which is exactly why this judgement is coming on Judah.
The Assyrians took care of Israel and now the Babylonians will take care of Judah.
All because they would not repent.
Not a very hopeful message is it.
Where is hope found in all of this.
Look at again now . . .
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
God is telling them that the suffering will not continue forever.
That there will be an end to it.
That deliverance will come.
And how will they know?
3 A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
Isaiah 40:3-
That voice will tell us that the deliverer is coming and that we should make preparations for His arrival.
And when he arrives . . .
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Also . . .
9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” 10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. 11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Isaiah 40:9-
Point 3
Point 3
Altar Call
Altar Call
Meaning that He is not going to to abandon us.
Even in our darkest hour, He will be there.
And when we are discouraged by life, guess what, we may not hear it always but God is not silent.
God is not just standing by watching us suffer.
God is with us.
And even though we may not know or understand, God always, always has a plan.
And there is always a message of hope from God, because the message of Jesus Christ is always active and always relevant.
Always.
So, this morning I wonder, who is discouraged?
Who has considered giving up?
Who has considered quitting?
Who has “lost their faith” and thought about just walking away from God.
Maybe you think God has abandoned you.
I am here to tell you that he has not.
I am here to tell you that He is right here.
All you have to do is come to Him.
Are you willing to do that this morning?
Are you willing to come?
Our altar is open and available, will you choose to use it today?