WHAT MADE JOHN THE BAPTIST GREAT?
MATTHEW 11:1-11
Introduction: When we think of the greatest men and women of the Bible, we think of Moses, Abraham, David, Sarah, Ruth, Elijah, Peter, and Paul. Yet, Jesus Christ said that no one had ever been born who is greater than John the Baptist. What made John stand out that Christ singles him out as the greatest human being born up to that point in time?
I. He was Spirit-filled
A. Luke 1:15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
B. Most Christians tend to minimize the Holy Spirit’s role in their lives. They need to realize that it was the Holy Spirit who drew them to belief in Jesus Christ. It is the Holy Spirit Who wants to works in their life to mold them into the image of Christ. It is the Holy Spirit who intercedes for them and stands as their Advocate. One cannot live successfully as a Christian apart from the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.
C. Every believer is indwelled by the Spirit, but not every believer is controlled by the Spirit.
D. Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”
E. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means to have opened yourself to the Spirit, committing every area of your life to Christ, seeking to glorify God in everything, and dedicated to do God’s will.
F. “May not a single moment of my life be spent outside the light, love and joy of God’s presence and not a moment without the entire surrender of my self as a vessel for Him to fill full of His Spirit and His love.” - Andrew Murray.
G. You have probably been in a restaurant where the waitress has asked, "Can I warm up your coffee for you?" The cup may be half-full and cold after sitting on the table for a while. When she pours the new coffee in, she refills and warms up the cup. Maybe you are spiritually cold and empty. It doesn’t have to stay that way. Quit trying to live in your own power and strength. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit right now. (Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 93)
II. He lived a Separated life
A. Matthew 3:4 “And John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.”
B. John’s food and clothing was far from fashionable. He lived a strict, separated and disciplined life. He did not conform to the world around him.
C. Matthew 11:18 “For John came neither eating nor drinking…”
D. Mark 6:20 “...Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man…”
E. We need to fashion our lives from a heavenly perspective not based on this world’s.
F. An advertising billboard campaign in Los Angeles by New York fashion house Charivari displayed these words: "Just because you live in LA it doesn’t mean you have to dress that way." Just because we live the world doesn’t mean that we have to be like the world.
G. Philippians 1:27 “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”
III. He was Steadfast in his stand
A. John the Baptist was uncompromising when it came to truth and righteousness.
B. His messages were not watered down or permissive. He called sin - sin and confronted the issue of sin regardless whether he was speaking to the people, the priests, or the politician. , confronted backsliders with the nearness of eternity and compelled men to fruits of righteousness and obedience to the word of God.
C. Luke 3:7-9 “Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ’We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
D. Luke 1:17 tells us that John came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Elijah was known for his bold uncompromising stand for the Word of God. Remember his confrontations with Ahab and the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel. John had this same boldness.
E. In Luke 3:19 we read that Herod was “rebuked by him (John) concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done”
F. "There was a time when the church was very powerful--in the time when the early Christians rejoiced at being deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed . . . Whenever the early Christians entered a town, the people in power became disturbed and immediately sought to convict the Christians for being "disturbers of the peace" or "outside agitators" . . . Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound . . . If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century. " – Martin Luther King, "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
G. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 “But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.”
H. A department store had a policy of "Free Shipping" for their customers. There were, however, a couple of restrictions on that policy. First, the item had to meet certain weight limits; it couldn’t weigh more than 5 pounds. Second, the shipping address of the order had to be within the Continental US; it can’t go to Alaska, Hawaii, or a foreign country. On one occasion, a salesperson deliberately broke that rule in order to "look good" to a customer. He sold about 3 dozen sets of mini-blinds to a customer, and gave the customer "Free Shipping," despite the fact that the total order weighed in at nearly 70 pounds . . . and was being shipped to Alaska! The total cost of shipping for which the store was responsible came to nearly $200 - more than the cost of the order itself! The store lost a lot of money on that sale . . . all because one salesperson was more concerned with PLEASING someone than with doing the right thing. The moral of the story? It’s not profitable to only be concerned with pleasing others. When it comes to the kingdom of God Jesus made it patently clear to us that his message would not be a crowd-pleaser; not when Jesus demonstrated with his own trial and execution that the gospel message, when presented in its fullest, purest form, is an out-and-out offense to others. Being profitable for Christ is not about personal success. It’s not about everyone being comfortable with me; it’s about everyone being confronted with Him.
IV. He was Submissive to the God’s Will
A. John recognized early in life God’s call on his life and gave himself completely into it.
B. John was humble. He refused to accept names and titles that men tried to put on him.
C. 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?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." 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?" He said: "I am ’The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Make straight the way of the Lord," ’as the prophet Isaiah said.”
D. John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
E. The early years of the 19th century were troubled times in the German confederation. Rumors of revolution and rioting had the federated government in panic. Klemens von Metternich, the chief statesman of the confederation, ordered thousands of young men drafted into the army to guard the borders and put down internal revolts. Across the countryside, young men in uniform tramped off to an unknown destiny. In one German village stood a grand old stone-walled church with and ornately carved facade, beautiful stained glass, and a stately pipe-organ. The organ was famed throughout the region for its beautiful, rich tone. One day the aged caretaker of the church was interrupted during his chores by a knock on the great oak door of the sanctuary. He opened the door to find a young man in uniform on the steps. “Sir, I have a favor to ask,” the young soldier began. “Would you please permit me to play the organ for one hour?” “I’m sorry, young man,” the caretaker replied. “No one but our own organist is permitted to play the organ.” “But sir, I’ve heard so much about the organ of this church, and I’ve walked so many miles just to see it, just to play it for a single hour!” The aged man paused, then shook his head sadly. “Please” the soldier pleaded. “My commander gave me a 24-hour leave. In a few more days we move to another province where the fighting is expected to be heavy. This may be the last chance in my life to play the organ.” The caretaker reluctantly nodded. He swung the door open and beckoned the soldier inside. Then he took a key from his pocket and held it out to the soldier. “The organ is locked,” he said. “Here is the key.” The soldier took the key and unlocked the ornate cabinet of the organ. Then he began to play. A billow of majestic chords rolled from the great golden pipes of the organ. The caretaker stood transfixed as the glorious music washed over him, bringing tears to his eyes. He moved to one of the pews and sat down, as if entranced. Within minutes, people from the village gathered at the church doorway and peered in. Removing their hats, the villagers stepped into the sanctuary and sat down to listen. Streams of beautiful music filled the sanctuary for one hour. Then the gifted fingers of the organist struck a final chord and lifted from the keyboard. The young man closed and locked the keyboard cabinet. As he stood and turned, he was surprised to see that the church had nearly filled with parishioners who had laid aside their chores to listen to his music. Humbly receiving their compliments, the young soldier walked down the center aisle to return the key to the caretaker. “Thank you,” the young man whispered. The old man rose to his feet and took the key. “Thank you,” he answered, grasping the young soldier’s gifted hands. “Young man that was the most beautiful music these old ears have ever heard. What is your name?” “My name is Felix,” replied the solder. “Felix Mendelssohn.” The old caretaker’s eyes widened as he realize whose hands he grasped—the hands of the young man who, before he was 20 years old, had become one of the most celebrated composers on the European continent. The old man’s gaze followed the young soldier as he left the church and disappeared into the village street. “To think,” the old man wondered aloud, “the master was here and I almost failed to give him the key!” So it is with us. The Master is here. God is with us. His grace envelops us. If you give him the key to your heart, he can make unimaginably beautiful music in your life—music that will make the world stop, listen, and wonder. The Master is here and he is ready to transform us by his grace. He is ready to give us a new beginning. It is not only our duty but our joy to give him the key to all that we are and have. – Ron Lee Davis, Courage to Begin Again, (Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR; 1978), pp. 184-186
V. He was a Soul Winner
A. John 1:6-8 “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”
B. In John 5:35 Jesus Christ called John “a burning and shining light”.
C. Luke 1:16 said that he would “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.” Like John that is our calling. Christ said “you shall be witnesses to Me.”
D. Norman Cates shared the humorous story of a guy who prayed this prayer every morning: "Lord, if you want me to witness to someone today, please give me a sign to show me who it is." One day he found himself on a bus when a big, burly man sat next to him. The bus was nearly empty but this guy sat next to our praying friend. The timid Christian anxiously waited for his stop so he could exit the bus. But before he could get very nervous about the man next to him, the big guy burst into tears and began to weep. He then cried out with a loud voice, "I need to be saved. I’m a lost sinner and I need the Lord. Won’t somebody tell me how to be saved?" He turned to the Christian and pleaded, "Can you show me how to be saved?" The believer immediately bowed his head and prayed, "Lord, is this a sign?" Are you looking for a "sign" to start witnessing? It can be found in Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8. - (Deacon, Jan.-March 1995, p. 34) By way of the Gospel Radio Group
E. General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once told his students, "If I had my choice, I wouldn’t send you to school, I’d send you to Hell for 5 minutes and you’d come back real soul winners."
F. Daniel 12:3 “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
