It’s Not What I Expected

As we look at our story, we see that John had been in the desert disciplining himself waiting for this special moment. And when the Word of God came to him, he came out of the desert preaching up a storm. And let me drop something in your spirit early this morning and that is whenever those who are saved and sanctified, whenever they come out of the wilderness, they will have a Word from the Lord.

The bible teaches us that John came out of the wilderness preaching like it was going out of style and people were coming from all over the place to hear him preach. His message was, “you better get you act together and repent because God is about to bring forth judgment.”

He told the religious leaders, they had to change the way they were living, because they were like snakes in the grass trying to get away from the fire. He told the crowds, the tax collectors, the soldiers, you better change what you’re doing. Quit your lying and your stealing and start loving people in the way God intended because Hell is just around the corner, and if you don’t change, you’re headed straight for it.

You know the story about how people came from all round the area to hear John preach. They would fall on their knees in repentance before God. they were having church in the streets, they were repenting of theirs sin right in the middle of the streets. They wasn’t caring who was looking, they wasn’t suppressed about how people felt. They were being baptized by John and his disciples and the size of the crowds kept going and going. In fact, He baptized so many people that they started calling him John the Baptist.

Now nothing like this had happened in Israel for years. Some were thinking John might be the Messiah. John said “No, I’m not the Messiah, but there is one coming after me who is more powerful than I am. Which I am not even worthy to untie his shoes and not only will He will baptize you with water, but he will also baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire.”

One day John the Baptist saw Jesus, and he said, “there He is, that’s him. That’s the Lamb of God. He’s the one I was telling you would come after me. I know it’s Him, because God told me, the one I see the Spirit descend upon is the Man.

I saw a dove come down from heaven and remain on Him. That’s the Christ, that’s the Messiah. Some of John’s disciples then began to go and follow Jesus. In fact, Andrew, Peter’s brother had been a disciple of John until John pointed to Jesus and said, look the Lamb of God.

Now notice that John had been sent to preach to prepare the people to receive Jesus. Even after Jesus began his ministry John continued to preach, but the crowds were getting smaller, for people were going after Jesus.

One day one of John’s disciples was a little upset by this and he told John. You know teacher, that guy you pointed out, well everybody has started going to him to be baptized. What are we going to do about this? This is not what we expected to happen.” John said listen, “I didn’t come to compete with him, and this is not a contest between the two of us. This is not a me thing or setting up my own agenda, but I came to prepare the way for Him. I know what God has called me to do, and I’m even happier for what God has called him to do. He must increase, and I must decrease. And there’s a lesson right here and that is that people has got to learn to follow Christ and not the forerunners. I said we’ve got to learn to follow the Lord and not man because man will fail you.

So, I heard that John kept on preaching. Then one day he preached a message on marriage and divorce, and Herod came up in the sermon. You remember Herod don’t you? This was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great who had tried to kill Jesus along with all the other babies in Bethlehem.

This Herod Antipas was married but there was a scandal in the palace because Herod got involved with his brother’s wife and her name was Herodias.

The problem grew when Herod then made his wife leave the palace so he could marry his brother’s wife.

The Jewish leaders were displeased with Herod for committing adultery. They were even more outraged when Herod married Herodias, because marrying your brother’s wife was condemned by the law as incest.