The Baptizer
Gospel of John Series
CCCAG February 4th, 2018
Introduce one of the most unique men in the New Testament. We see much of his life and ministry in the Gospel of John, but we will also use several other scriptures to highlight this man’s life
Scripture- John 1:6-9, 19-28 (Various)
Begin with Prayer
Introduction
In 1994 I had one of the most interesting jobs in the world- I did the onsite medical for a renaissance fair. If you have never been to one or heard of one, it’s an event where people dress and act as they did in the middle ages. All the food is of the time era, the talk is all Shakespearean in nature, and there is even a king and queen that rule over that area.
One of the best parts about a Renaissance Faire is the duels. Knights in armor will come out and duel each other in sword matches, archery matches, and the most exciting of all- the mounted joust where two knights riding horses will ride at each other with lances and try to knock each other off the horses.
There is an introduction to each match where a herald will come out to introduce his knights. The herald will list his knight’s lineage-recounting his famous ancestors, his experience in war and tournaments, and the mighty deeds he has done. All of this is an attempt to get the crowd excited and looking forward to seeing this mighty hero come and defeat the dastardly villain on the other side of the field.
In biblical times, they had something very similar in the local Colosseums. Whenever a gladiator would come out, his herald would come first to introduce him to the crowd, getting them riled up into a frenzy to see their hero getting ready to go into battle.
So, most famous hero ever to live was our Lord Jesus, and It is fitting that the He also had a herald.
Today we are going to be focusing on the life and ministry of John the Baptizer. There are several things about his life and ministry that shine through the ages and show us how we should live for God.
The first thing we want to look at are the circumstances regarding his birth and early life
I. Birth of John
A. John’s birth was foretold in the last book of the Old Testament.
Put yourself in the place of the people in Israel during the time of Roman rule. It’s been over 400 years since there has been any hint of God showing favor, or giving a word through a prophet. The last prophet on record, Malachi, gives an exciting promise- that the greatest OT prophet of all will return to usher in the Messiah.
This is what Malachi says-
Mal 4:5-6 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
So we see the nature and mission that John will have. He is compared to Elijah, and Elijah’s whole ministry dealt with restoring the proper worship of God to the nation.
John’s life, his ministry, and his mission were all set before he was even conceived, and that brings us to another point about John’s birth-
2nd thing about John’s birth is It was Miraculous
John’s parents were Zechariah and Elizabeth. They were getting up there in age, most likely they had already joined AARP. They were a couple that had never been able to have children, and Elizabeth was well beyond childbearing years.
Zechariah was a priest, doing what priests do- tending to the temple, making sure the candles were taken care of in the holy place. He was alone when the Angel Gabriel paid him a visit.
Gabriel is the announcing angel. He is the one that carries the very words of God to deliver to humanity so when he shows up, you listen and believe. Gabriel tells John you are going to have a son, and he is to fulfill the Nazarite vow in being set apart for God’s work.
Nazarite vow was- no wine, no haircuts, no woman, no touching anything that could make them unclean.
Zechariah is amazed, and like many of his ancestors doubted what the angel told him. Because of his doubt, Gabriel declares that he will be unable to speak until after the birth of his son.
We always look at that as a negative- Zechariah messed up and received a punishment from God, but look at it from his wife’s perspective-
Think about that- what a blessing for Elizabeth! Finally, pregnant, probably in her 60’s or 70’s with the cultural shame of barrenness wiped away from her, and a husband who couldn’t talk. Pregnant with peace and quiet!
And the woman here said, Amen!
About 6 months into the pregnancy, Elizabeth gets a visit from her niece Mary who just found out she is pregnant. As soon as Mary walks into the room, the preborn John starts practicing for that musical RiverDance- kicking up a storm- its like he grabs the umbilical cord and bungie jumps from the top of the uterus to the bottom. Elizabeth recognizes this as John already crying out from the womb- “There is Jesus! There is Jesus!” Not even born yet, and already proclaiming who the Messiah will be.
Then John is born. In his younger years it’s very possible that he and Jesus knew each other played together…maybe they had a game similar to our cowboys and Indians- Egyptians versus Hebrews.
Upon reaching Bar Mizpah age- the age when Hebrew boys were considered to be adults, about 14 years old and would chose their career, John heads into the wilderness, fulfilling his Nazarite vow to avoid anything that will bring ritual, ceremonial, or moral uncleanliness to him.
About 15 years later, a wild-eyed man with hair below his waist comes walking out of the wilderness. Locust parts in his beard, honey stuck to his hair, probably doesn’t smell very good.
He finds the nearest rock near some people he can find, climbs up it, and starts yelling “REPENT, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!” at the top of his lungs.
I was thinking about how this had to look to the people, and especially the religious leaders.
Imagine for a moment that I got called into work for an emergency on a Sunday morning. Pastor Roger isn’t available, so I call the district office, and they have a guy in the area that could fill in for the service. He will be there as soon as he can.
1015, Sunday school ends and no speaker.
1025 comes around, and no one is here yet.
1030, and still no fill in speaker.
James, Keith, and Conrad huddle and decide to start service hoping he shows up. At 1045, you hear the front door open, and you smell something a little funky. Then you see the guy the district sent walk up the middle of the aisle…a few flies following him. His hair is long, unkept, and full of dirt, his clothes are rags and barely covering the areas that need covering. He spins around at the altar, revealing a long beard with insect parts tangled in it, and honey & dirt matting down his mustache. He looks at you with wild eyes and yells at the top of his lungs,
“Repent you sinners, for God’s kingdom is coming.
Thus ends my message. Amen. I’ll be down at the canoe landing for anyone who wants to be baptized into repentance.”
This is exactly how Israel felt. For 400 years they have waited for Malachi’s prophecy to come true.
They are waiting for Elijah to come. Religious leaders begging God for help, for a sign, or anything that tells them that God is still interested in them.
And they get John.
I sometimes wonder how many times we write off the crazy looking and sounding people in life. Can you imagine John the Baptizer applying for a pastoral position today?
There is a story of a student attending Central Bible College. The student body was informed that chapel was mandatory that day as they had a special speaker, so he was walking to chapel along the main walk when he spotted a homeless man sitting next to the sidewalk near the chapel, asking everyone for help. His hair was matted and filthy, his clothes torn and old, boots with holes in them, and you could smell him a block away- old wine and cigarettes. Bible students and faculty walked around him, off the sidewalk and into the grass to avoid him staring straight ahead and ignoring his pleas for money so he could eat.
This student was moved to compassion for him, and talked with him and told him, “Look, I have to go to chapel for school- there is a special speaker and attendance is mandatory for us, and I don’t have any cash with me. If you come with me, after chapel I’ll take you to get something to eat with my debit card.” The man followed the student to chapel, and after they got there seemed to disappear. The student looked around for him but couldn’t find him and went to sit down for the service.
After the worship time a man they had never seen before walked to the pulpit dragging a suitcase behind him. Without saying a word, he opened the suitcase for everyone to see, and slowly pulled out and placed on the altar out ragged clothes which stunk like wine and cigarettes, a wig which was filthy and matted, makeup, and dirty boots.
He stood up and opened his bible to Matthew 25 and read the words of Jesus-
35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
He slowly closed his bible, and said, “If you as future pastors cannot follow this simple command from our Lord, then resign from this college right now and pursue something else in life because you are not called to the Gospel ministry”
And he ended the service.
I tell you this story (Again) in the light of John the baptizer because we are too quick to judge people from their outward appearance. We are too fast to declare a person unworthy of our attention or deserving of whatever fate their decisions have brought into their lives.
May I remind everyone here- we all deserve hell. ALL have sinned and have fallen short of God’s requirements. No equivocations, no excuses, and no extenuating circumstances will move the judge of all humanity when we stand before HIM one day to give an account of our lives.
Only through the grace of Jesus will we be saved from what we deserve.
John the Baptizer was a wakeup call to a nation. A simple message that was echoed and continued by Jesus for whom he was preparing the way- repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.
The church really messes this up when we try to add any other message than the one given to us to proclaim.
Everything John did in ministry revolved around this simple truth.
You remember what Jesus said about John-
Luke 7:28 I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John;
That includes Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Samuel, Elijah, or any other Old Testament figure. That is high praise from our LORD.
It’s because-
II. John knew it was not about him
John knew he was only a herald- one who proclaims the magnificence of someone who comes after his message is complete. Most commentators believe that John preached less than a year. Think about that- 16 years of barely surviving, praying and seeking God, and when you finally get to get out in front of people- it’s over in less than a year.
It would be like going to bible college and seminary for 6 years, only to preach a few weeks before it is over and you are executed.
But John knew His mission. He saw himself this way-
And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
A little cultural context for us-
When you entered a rich man’s home, there was a servant assigned to remove your sandals and to wash your feet. We are talking about 1st century Israel- streets are pressed dirt. Human and animal excrement flowed in the ditches next to these roads, and were often tracked up on the road to be picked up by those walking the roads. Needless to say, your feet were filthy, smelly, and disgusting after even a short walk.
The servant assigned that job was the least of all servants in that house. This was the servant that if he or she died in their sleep the night before, wouldn’t be missed for a long time as they were generally considered worthless to the master.
That is how John thought of himself and that is how he proclaimed himself to the people. He didn’t want any glory for himself but wanted it all to go to Jesus.
That’s how our lives should be organized- to give the maximum glory to our LORD Jesus.
Let’s look at-
III. What John Said about Jesus
In the year he was active, John set the stage for how people should view Jesus.
Remember, the Jewish expectation was that the Messiah would be a king- a military leader that would restore Israel to it’s former glory as the world’s superpower.
John’s message was-
Jesus is the anointed one-
The phrase anointed one refers to royalty, kingship, and authority. All the kings in the Old Testament were anointed kings- they had a priest pronounce a blessing over them as they poured the anointing oil over their heads, symbolizing God’s favor and presence.
The application for what John says is that Jesus is the final King of Israel- the one who will forever carry the title of King of Kings and LORD of Lords.
Jesus is the son of God
This is another reference to kingship, but also one that meshes together kingship with priesthood. Jesus was not to be seen just as a secular ruler, but one who brings the nation back to God Almighty.
Jesus is the lamb of God
This brings into focus the mission of Jesus. It wasn’t to restore the secular fortunes of Israel or anyone else. Too many people today want this Jesus- one who will make me rich and prosperous for a lifetime while ignoring that it will ruin our eternity. The lamb of God refers to the Passover lamb- the animal that was sacrificed when the death angel came to Egypt- those with the covering of the blood of the lamb were saved from death.
That was Jesus’ mission on earth- to be our covering so that death will pass over us, and we will not suffer eternal death in hell for our sins of we believe in HIM for our salvation.
Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit
After dying for our sins and rescuing us from the fires of hell, Jesus restored what was taken from us at the Garden of Eden- the indwelling presence of God within us, and the power of God being available for us.
One was restored right after Jesus rose from the dead-
In John 20, Jesus appears to the disciples after His resurrection and says in verse 22, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. That was the restoration of what was taken from humanity in the Garden of Eden. Remember- Genesis 3 states that after they ate the forbidden fruit they realized that they were naked, but it wasn’t physical nakedness that they were referring to- that’s all they had known since creation. The nakedness being referred to in Genesis 3 is referring to the spiritual that was stripped from them when the sinned. Humanity was created to be the place where the Holy Spirit was to reside, and the Holy Spirit couldn’t reside in a temple that was in rebellion against God. Jesus paid for that rebellion so that the human heart could be cleaned from it’s rebellion and sin, and the Holy Spirit took up residence inside those who believe again.
The second part of that is the power and authority of God- that was what was restored in Acts chapter 2. Remember, God gave dominion over this planet to humanity. That dominion was stripped and corrupted when Adam and Eve sinned. Acts chapter 2 is about receiving that back from God- the power to be changed, live holy, and know the mind of God so we can exercise His will and power on this earth.
John preached Jesus in all of HIS fullness-
Anointed one
Son of God
Lamb of God
Baptizer in the Holy Spirit and Fire
That is how John set the stage for Jesus to come in the hearts of minds of the people.
Lastly, I want to look at-
IV. John’s final example to us- End of life doubt reflecting his desire to see his mission accomplished.
I want to end our study in John’s life today with looking at a moment before His execution at the hands of the evil king Herod.
Let’s read about it
Mat 11:2-5 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
A lot of commentators and pastors have use this to say that John doubted toward the end of his ministry- that he was locked up after a very short time doing the work that God prepared him to do and now he is wondering if it was all in vain, or maybe they need to break him out of jail so he can continue to proclaim the message.
I don’t think so.
Just knowing John through the Gospel accounts, I submit to you this wasn’t doubt. John isn’t doubting so much who Jesus is as he is looking for affirmation that his work is complete.
That’s the final lesson I want to take from John’s life- that all of us would work for the Kingdom of God until we receive word from the LORD- “Well done good and faithful servant- enter into the joy of your master”
Conclusion
Altar Call
