CHARACTERS OF JOHN’S GOSPEL – JOHN THE BAPTIST
Message:- WE MUST EAT LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY TO PLEASE GOD
PART 1: THE PERSON AND CHARACTER OF JOHN THE BAPTISER
We will look at the life of this man who stands out in his generation. He makes an appearance in the Gospels of Matthew and John, and then passes from the scene after his execution. There was an incident recorded in Luke where John the Baptist sent two of his disciples to enquire of Jesus, if He was the Expected One (another time, cover why this happened), and at the end of the conversation, they left, then Jesus spoke to the crowd and one thing he said was this - Luke 7 v 28 I say to you, among those born of women, there is no one greater than John, yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” John was an outstanding man and today we will look at who he was.
(a). A Man Sent. John 1 v 6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. Ministry is worthless unless a man is sent by God.
(b). A Careful Witness. John 1 v 7 He came for a witness that he might bear witness of (testify to) the light, that all might believe through him.
(c). The Testifier. John 1 v 15 John testified of Him, and cried out saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”
(d). A Man of Humility. John 1 v 19-24 This is the witness of John when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” and he confessed and did not deny, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ,” and they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” and he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” and he answered, “No.” They said then to him, “Who are you so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. That is a lonely position, speaking in the desolate places to a people desolate in spirit. His ministry was to the people in the wilderness of sin, who needed a great light to shine on them.
(e). A Voice. John 1 v 23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” That is all God wants, a voice for Him; not showmanship and entertainment; not a well cut figure; not a show actor, or a public relations speaker – just a voice in the wilderness.
(f). The Road Builder. John 1 v 23 He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” John was preparing the paths the Lord would expand. John was ensuring the crooked was made straight, in preparation.
(g). A Man of Further Humility. John 1 v 27 It is He who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.”
(h). A Man of Further Testimony. John 1 v 32 and John bore witness saying, “I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and He remained upon Him. The NIV also uses testify. His testimony was of the Holy Spirit descending and remaining, in other words, the Lord anointed Jesus for His ministry.
(i). The Affirmer. John 1 v 34 and I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”
(j). The Preacher. Matthew 3 v 1-2 Now in those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” His preaching was to point to Jesus as the Lamb of God. That is the great example for us. Remember Paul said, “We preach Christ and Him crucified.” Preaching is with the authority of the Holy Spirit.
(k). Resilient and Modest. Matthew 3 v 4 Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt about his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey. He dressed modestly, even simply by our standards. Camel hair/skin is more endurable than sheepskin. His diet may not appeal to too many people, but you must note this – it was the provision of the God in heaven. He did not eat food of man’s providing. Spiritually, we must be fed directly by the Lord, but we must be willing to do that. It is good to hear ministry and teaching from gifted and godly preachers, such as we have at Keswick Conventions; and to listen to great speakers who have been recorded, but all of that is processed food, all of it second hand. The Lord wants you to feed on the locusts and wild honey, that is, to take up the bible and wait on the Lord, and meditate in His word for what the Lord will give you. Search the scriptures and enter into the deeper things of God. Study! Study! 2Timothy 2 v 15 Be diligent (to be eager; to apply yourself) to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately (to cut straight; to cut in a straight line) the word of truth. When God gave the manna in the wilderness in Exodus, each one had to go gather his own provisions. You could not get your neighbour or your pastor to gather for you. If you forget everything today, just remember this – apply yourself to gather your own manna from the bible. Gather your daily provision. Don’t forget to feed on the locusts and wild honey also.
You might think good teachers and preachers of the word are gifted, and that might be true, but believe me, they have all studied and meditated on the word and have fed themselves on the word. It is God who gives the enabling to give out what has already been taken in (and that is the gift). Any great preacher or teacher has studied the bible often and consistently. Like muscles are developed through exercise and some program, so too, no one will know the bible by just lounging around.
(l). Fearless, Brave and Direct. Matthew 3:7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? The Pharisees and Sadducees were formidable and threatening, but John was filled with the Spirit and spoke boldly and openly for God. Do not fear the enemy.
(m). A Man Who Knew His Place. Matthew 3 v 13-15 Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John to be baptised by him, but John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptised by You, and do You come to me?” Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him. A man of God knows his station. Only when pride lifts up his heart, then that man thinks of himself what he ought not think. His self-importance is elevated, as is his attitude. God will not use a proud man who thinks he is something before God. Meekness, sobriety, humility, self-effacing, gentleness are words associated with people of God, and the more God uses a man, then the more those qualities must be evident.
PART 2: A LOOK AT JOHN’S MINISTRY IN THE LIGHT OF HIS PERSON AND CHARACTER
We are going to discover what lay at the heart of this man’s ministry, and what was the role the Lord gave him to do,
[1]. John 1 v 7 says that John came to testify about the light. What could this mean? In the few verses before this one, the Apostle John had been explaining that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Light who came into the darkness, and the dark world and the darkness of people’s souls, could not overcome the light. Through life comes light as John also added in verse 4. All these are fundamental truths, for there is a very real battle between light and darkness. John’s role was to testify to that light. This ministry of John the Baptiser, was that all might believe through the Lord Jesus, and therefore John was the forerunner to point out the way.
[2]. John 1 v 15. John stated that the Lord was of higher rank than he was because Jesus was the pre-existent One. I can not emphasise enough, that a person can not be effective for God unless he is personally acquainted with the Lord. Firstly he must be one of His own saved people, and he must know the Lord in a personal way. You can’t instruct people about an unknown quantity. If you minister the gospel to other people, you must first be ministered to yourselves. I wonder sometimes what it is that some ministers are aiming at, in their so called career, but it is not to the Lord who must be personally known. John knew his own worthlessness at even loosening the sandals of the Lord. He knew his rank. In some institutes of so called Christian learning and training in the world, I think some lecturers think they have a higher rank than Christ. Ego is a dangerous thing. Where do we see inflated, almost explosive egos? Ever heard of Rudd, Turnbull, Campbell Newman, Keating? Welcome to Parliament.
In that verse, the Baptiser speaks of Christ’s existence before his. He does not say that Jesus was eternal, but I am certain John knew all about the Lord. He knew his scriptures and they taught Christ’s divinity.
[3]. John 1 v 27. Returning to the loosening of the thongs that tied the sandals, John uses the word “unworthy” and therefore he is saying that the Lord is Majestic and Magnificent and Mighty. Some think he possibly belonged to a devout group of men known as the Essenes who lived in the wilderness by themselves, totally isolated from other Jews, and from the rest of the community, and as their Scrolls reveal, saw themselves as the new sacred community, waiting for the time, when ... they imagine that the Temple would be reconstituted and reconstructed and rebuilt.... and a new and better priestly group would take over the Temple in Jerusalem. They were responsible for those Dead Sea Scrolls. It is most unlikely John was one of them, but he did share some views. What John did share, was a deep knowledge of the scriptures, so He certainly knew the texts concerning the Messiah.
[4]. John 1 v 29. Maybe the greatest ministry of John was to point the people to the Lord. To be more specific, to point the way to the Lamb of God, the exact role of the forerunner. All ministry, no matter what it is, must point to the Lord, never to self. A servant must understand the one he serves. John knew why the Lord had come, knew it crystal clear. He knew the passages in Isaiah. The blind leaders of the blind of John’s day and the same blind leaders of our day lead people into darkness. That happens when you don’t know the light as John did. Only those who walk in light can point the way to the Light of the World.
[5]. John 1 v 34. This is the first reference to Jesus being the Son of God in N.T. history. The next reference was at His temptation. Only a true witness could speak of what he sees and knows. In John’s case, the Holy Spirit revealed all to John, so in absolute boldness, he was able to state there and then, that this One, the Lamb of God, is also the Son of God. I find it good when you meet affirmative Christians, not wishy-washy ones or “maybe” ones. Let us become like Paul who wrote - 2Timothy 1 v 12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. I love the old prophets, who took their stand – “Thus says the Lord”.
[6]. John 3 v 30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.” John’s ministry was to decrease. In fact his ministry was for the purpose of decreasing. As a result of knowing his place, and decreasing his own significance for the sake of Christ, we have the following outcome - John 1 v 35-40 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked upon Jesus as He walked and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus, and Jesus turned and beheld them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” and they said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” They came therefore and saw where He was staying and they stayed with Him that day for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Selfishness and puffed-up importance would have seen John trying to keep his own disciples, but no, he was joyous to point all people to the Lamb of God. We must never make a name for ourselves, build up an edifice for our name, or for a denomination. We must always be decreasing our own ways and earthly position, in order that Christ might increase. Too much church business in the world is run with the world’s program and with the world’s values attached to it. Consider this important passage from Paul - 2Corinthians 8 v 9 for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
Paul also penned one of my favourite passages of scripture: this is the Lord decreasing as it were - Philippians 2 v 5-11 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. John the Baptist knew the importance of genuine humility and so must we. This is not forcing ourselves unto a humility mould like a marshmallow, but a genuine work of God in each of our hearts.
[7]. Matthew 3 v 2 - “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” John’s preaching involved repentance and action. It meant turning away from sin and turning to faith in Jehovah, and repenting of sin in the waters of baptism in the Jordan. Christian baptism is not the same as John’s baptism. Many of the fundamental Christian words of the bible are being forgotten in our churches, among them, repentance, holiness, surrender, transformation and consecration. It has become politically incorrect to challenge people, or to disturb their own beliefs, no matter how wayward they might be, or to make them uncomfortable about their lack of commitment to the Lord. How many challenges have you heard from preachers, for people to repent from sin and be saved; or to dedicate one’s life to the Lord in a renewed commitment; or for Christians to repent from a carnal lifestyle? You will at the Keswick meetings usually.
John the Baptiser was committed to the message God gave him. He knew his God because he spent time in study and reflection. His locusts and wild honey were provisions from the Lord for his sustenance. The Lord has provided His word for us to sustain us in our desert, for this country is becoming a spiritual desert. Take your own locusts and wild honey. Gather it all first hand from the Lord. Show yourself a student of the word.
ronaldf@aapt.net.au
