Tempered by Trials
Sermon # 9
John The Baptist: Learning to Step Out of the
Way
The original “man
of mystery” title belongs not to Austin Powers but to John the Baptist. John the
Baptist was great man yet one shrouded in mystery. Jesus said of him in Matthew 11:7-11,
“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? (8) But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in
soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. (9) But what did you go out to see? A
prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. (10) For this is he of whom it is
written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who
will prepare Your way before You.’ (11) “Assuredly, I say to you, among
those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Charles Swindoll
concisely states John’s three responsibilities; “to clear the way for the Lord, to prepare the way for the Lord
and to get out of the way of the Lord.” [Charles Swindoll. John the Baptizer.
(Bible Study Guide) (Anaheim, Calif: Insight for Living, 1991) p. 3]
First, He Was A Man
With A Mission
He Had A Unique Birth (Luke 1:13-15a) “But
the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for
your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his
name John. (14) And you will have joy and gladness, and many will
rejoice at his birth. (15) For he will be great in the sight
of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.”
He Had A Unique
Ministry (Isa. 40:3-5) “The
voice of one crying in the
(Mal 3:1) “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will
prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to
His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.”
He Had A Unique Enabling (Luke 1:15)
“…. He will also be filled with the Holy
Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
He Had Was Uniquely
Prepared (Lu1:80) “So
the child
grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day
of his manifestation to Israel.”
Secondly, He Was A Man Who
Pointed Others To Jesus
As an adult, John lived in the wilderness,
dressed in animal hides, and ate what he could scavenge from the land (Matt. 3:4). He then
appeared near the river Jordan and began to preach. His ministry had two main themes: the
promised Messiah was about to appear, and his listeners must repent and change their ways
to be ready for Him.
What
an army of priest had not been able to accomplish in 400 years – one man, sent by God
did in six months.
(Luke 3:2-3, 7-8, 15-18)
He preached against
the legalism of the Pharisees and their 600 plus life of rules. He preached against the
liberal Sadducee’s, who didn’t believe in eternity, or the supernatural or the
resurrection. He looked them in the eye and called them “snakes.” Hardly a
people pleaser.
Third, He Was A Man Who
Was Big Enough To Step Aside
John baptized many
people and they thronged to hear him. But John constantly sought to downplay his own
significance.
(Matt 3: 11-12) “I indeed baptize you with
water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I
am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit and fire. (12) ?His winnowing fan is in His hand,
and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn;
but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
John was God’s man with God’s
message and they came to him one day and said “Just exactly who are you.” (John
1:19-23) “Now this is the testimony of John, when the
Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” (20) He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” (21) And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”
He said, “I am not.” “Are you Isaiah the Prophet?” And he answered,
“No.” (22) Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may
give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” (23) He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’as the prophet Isaiah said.”
John baptizes Jesus
(Matt 3:13-15)
John’s testimony concerning Jesus (John 1:29-30) “The next day John saw
Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (30) This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man
who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
From the point onward
the crowds that had been following John began to diminish. Instead of seeking out the man
from the desert they were now turning to the Man from Galilee.
John however, could
not have been happier. (John 3:29-30) “He who was the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the
bridegroom who stand and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s
voice. Therefore this joy mine is fulfilled. (30) He must increase but I must decrease.”
John says “My joy is complete!”
John’s whole purpose in life was to introduce others to Jesus. He was simply a
living signpost pointing the way to Jesus.
Fourth, He Was A Man Who
Was Greater Than His Doubts
I am sure that all of us here have doubted,
stumbled at the way God’s plans seem to be unfolding in your life. You and I have
questioned His leadings and his dealings in our lives. There are times when what is
happening in our lives is just a mystery to us and have felt that the Lord has let us down
or at the very least that he hasn’t worked things out the way we would have desired.
John knew who Jesus was but in prison, doubt
began to worm its way into his heart. The reports that John’s disciples brought about
Jesus did not always jive with John’s expectations of how he was to work. The reports
were perplexing and unsettling to John’s mind.
(Matt 11:2-6)
In
effect Jesus says to John. “John you may not
understand, why I do the things I do. And you may not understand or agree with my timing,
but John you can trust me.”
Are you discouraged in your service to the
Lord? Are you downhearted? Then Look no further than the example of John.
John performed no
miracles, but throughout his life he faithfully followed the path God had chosen for him
and in the end Jesus commended his life as he did not other. In Matthew 11:11, he said, “Assuredly, I say to you, among
those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist…”
Sometimes we
debate the question of who was greater: Abraham, Moses, or David. Jesus declares that John
is greater than anyone in the past. No one topped John the Baptist.
“Notwithstanding he that is
least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” When the Lord Jesus came, He began
calling out a group of people who are even greater than John the Baptist. How can they be
greater? Because they are in Christ and clothed with His righteousness.
Josephus records that Herod arrested and
executed John because he feared his popularity might lead to a revolt. The Gospels reveal
it was because John spoke out against Herod’s immoral marriage to Herodias, the wife
of his brother Philip (Mark 6:17–19).