The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness - John 1:6-8, 15-28
Intro. The John of our Gospel of study is not John the Baptist, but John the Apostle.
I. The Clarification of His Person - John 1:6-8, 15-28
A. He was the Forerunner - Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal. 3 - church, Must note, Elijah will still come before final judgment of Mal. 4
John is the fulfillment of the forefunner, with the spirit of Elijah.
In vs. 19-28, John is questioned. Messiah, Elijah or another prophet coming back from the dead? People today still argue over John the Baptist
A great prophet (OT or NT?) Matthew 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. (Transitional prophet) He was the forerunner!
B. He was Faithful
1. He had a Godly Heritage - Luke 1:5-14
He had some to follow! Let's live in a way that others can trust us.
- His Parents were Holy - Luke 1: 5-6 Ro 3:22-24 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
- They were Faithful - vs. 8-9
2. He lived with Godly Character - Luke 1:15-17
- His Separation (Nazarite from the womb, like Samson) - vs. 15
- Personal Separation (wine and strong drink)
- Spiritual Separation - God prophesied of John's life.
This does not mean that He was saved before he was born, but God said that he would be "filled" or "bathed in, influenced or affected." By the prophecy of the angel, Zacharias and Elizabeth knew that their Son would be holy before God!
II. His Call to Service - John 1:6, Luke 1:17b, 76-80
(John has been born and this is Zacharias speaking)
A. His Father's Prophecy- Luke 1:17b, 76
1. John would see Lives changed for the Coming of the Messiah - vs. 17b
He could not save them, but he was a Voice of one crying in the wilderness
2. He would Knowledge to those who did not know - vs. 76
2Co 4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
B. His Fervent Preaching - He proclaimed a Godly Message - John 1:15-18
1. The Preeminence of Christ - vs. 15
2. The Provision of Christ - Grace and Truth - vs. 16-17
3. The Proclamation of Christ - vs. 18
"He hath declared him" Christ, and only Christ can do so!
John was Clear in His Message - Mt. 14:4 - He made no apology for preaching against the sin of Caesar Philip! And he went to prison and died for it.
C. His Faithfulness Proclaimed - The Proclamation of Jesus - The Compliment of God - Mt. 11:10 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
III. The Companionship He Sought for His Followers - John had preached that grace and truth were only by Christ. His followers were about to be wounded and alone - they needed truth and grace!
Mt. 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. I do not believe this questioning was for John himself - in this, and in Luke, John sent his disciples and they asked "do we look for another." John had accepted, but in the face of adversity, his disciples struggled.
A. The Confirmations of John the Baptist
1. He had the Confidence of Christ being the Messiah
2. He had the Conviction - Behold, the Lamb of God
3. He had the Clarity - He witnessed the Baptism of Christ with the signs from Heaven! (Voice from heaven!)
B. The Confirmation for His Followers -
This question was put, not upon his own account, but his disciples, that they might have from the mouth of Christ a full and satisfactory answer, which would remove all their doubts and questions. Also, such a meeting attached them to Christ. And if John was the forerunner, why did he suffer his forerunner and chief minister to lie in prison? Three chapters later, in Matthew, John would die! We see his disciples not forsake him, in Mt. 14.
A. They were Faithful through Pain - they did not run.
1. Think of the Denial - Hard to believe this had happened.
2. Think of the Danger - Would Herod come after them all?
B. They were Faithful to be Present - they came - that simple.
1. O that we would be faithful to just be there!
2. O that we would be faithful to stand through their pain.
C. They were Faithful to Persevere - through their pain....
1. They Came and took the body - probably took it away from where it had been discarded - The awful task fo taking the headless body of their friend.
2. They Buried their teacher, not leaving him to a dishonorable burial.
Faithful friends in the toughest of times!
All of this was hard - but the circumstances did not stop them from being faithful.
Prior to this, while John was in prison, he sent them to KNOW Jesus! WHY?
John knew they would need Jesus!
These same disciples would be shaken more by John's death. Mt. 14:12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
Even in Prison, John pointed others to Christ!
Concl. I mentioned this in a past sermon: The first time Christ came, John was the forerunner. Who are the forerunners before He comes again?
Are the events around the world merely proof that the coming of Jesus could be today? Who will warn others?
Each of us are now called to be forerunners of the Gospel. There are many in our city, in our nation, and around the world who have never heard the glorious story of how they can have there sins washed away.
Will we accept the Godly Calling to be a witness. Just as John the Baptist cried to the world that Jesus was coming, we should be crying that he is coming again.
Will we recognize where we are in the span of time, we have come to this time, to be forerunners of Jesus Christ!
We must stand for what is right in a day like today, like John the Baptist. But we must not lose our song! Stand for the truth, we will preach the truth, and we must be forerunners to Christ - knowing, we shall see Him face to face.
Are you a child of God? Jesus could come for His church any second.
Child of God, are we faithful forerunners of Christ?
Disclaimer: A man once told me that if it is true, it is not new. If it is new, it is not true. We all know there is nothing new under the sun. With that said, I glean ideas for my sermons from God’s Word, my own work, and then I refer to many other sources. Any similarity to my sermons and others, where credit is not given, is either coincidental, or an unintentional mistake on my part. As none of us have a corner on the wisdom and teaching of God’s Word, it is my desire that any of my outlines be an encouragement, a help, and hopefully a motivation for others to preach God’s Word clearly. Please feel free to use any portion of my sermons if they can be of help to you and your ministry. I purposely include a skeleton outline, and not my full text, for this purpose. It is all for His Glory.
