THE MAN WHO POINTED PEOPLE TO JESUS
JOHN 1:19-29
Have you ever wondered who is the greatest preacher in the world? Jesus on one occasion passed his divine judgment and He named John the Baptist.(Luke 7:28) For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
Why would Jesus call John the greatest? One might thing, it might be Moses, or Elijah, or Elisha, but why John ? Was it for some great miracle he had did? No, for John did no miracles.
John 10:31 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
John healed no sick, raised no dead, fed no hungry crowd, walked on no water, cast out no demons, Yet Jesus said, he is the greatest? Well for one thing, John just preached Jesus. (Greatest thing you can ever do is tell someone about Jesus)
Today, let us look together at some reasons why John was great in the sight of Jesus.
I-JOHN WAS GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS A CHOSEN MAN:
John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
1. The word, “send” is the same word in v-19 which means to be commissioned for a special task or mission.
2. The story of John being called goes all the way back before his birth. His parents had praying for a child for many years, and when God answered their parents, He told them to name him “John”
3. These Godly parents who the Bible say were Spirit-filled brought him in the right way, taught him the right way. They didn’t leave it to him, but they took the lead.
3. After years of service in South Africa, the famous missionary Robert Moffat returned to Scotland to recruit helpers. When he arrived at the church one cold wintry night, he was dismayed that only a small group had come out to hear him. What bothered him even more was that the only people in attendance were ladies. Although he was grateful for their interest, he had hoped to challenge men. He had chosen as his text Proverbs 8:4, "Unto you, O men I call." In his discouragement he almost failed to notice one small boy in the loft pumping the bellows of the organ. Moffat felt frustrated as he gave the message, for he realized that very few women could be expected to undergo the rigorous life in undeveloped jungles. But God works in mysterious ways.
Although no one volunteered that evening, the young fellow assisting the organist was deeply moved by the challenge. As a result, he promised God he would follow in the footsteps of this pioneer missionary. And he remained true to his vow. When he grew up, he went and ministered to the unreached tribes of Africa. His name was David Livingstone! Moffat never ceased to wonder that his appeal which he had intended for men had stirred a young boy, who eventually became a mighty power of God.
4.An examining committee of ministers once met to determine the qualifications of Billy Sunday for ordination as a Gospel minister. Among other questions fired at the world famous baseball player was a request that he identify a well-known church father and define some of his writings. Billy was stumped. After fumbling around for a moment, he looked up with a twinkle in his eye and said, "I never heard of him. He was never on my team." The learned theologians deliberated together, but found it hard to make a decision. Finally, one of them moved that Billy Sunday be recommended for ordination, adding, "He has already won more souls for Christ than the whole shebang of us put together." The secret---he was sent by God.
II-JOHN WAS GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS A CLEAN MAN:
Luke 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
1. That is, shall be a Nazarite, or "a separated one" . As the leper was the living symbol of sin, so was the Nazarite of holiness
2. In other words, he was separated from the world, and it sins so he could be effective for God and His work.
3. The trouble with our world today, many don’t want to live a clean life.
4. I heard about a man in the doctor’s office who was told if he did not quit drinking that he would lose his leg. He said, I would rather lose my leg give up my pleasure of drinking. (He was blinded by the devil for the Bible says Pleasure is only for a season)
5. General Dean before he was executed by the North Koreans was allowed to write a letter to his family just before he was shot. And in the letter, he told his son, Keep your life pure before God.
6. The time I had trouble with our vacuum cleaner working. It just quit and lost its power. I found out the trouble was the bag was full dirt, causing the power to be knocked off. (uncleanness will knock off our spiritual power too.)
Matthew 11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.
7. If you live a pure life for God they will make fun of you too. But I don’t care what the world says or what everybody else is doing, I want to live a clean life that would please Our Lord. (They could laugh at John’s clothes and his diet, but not at his soul, for it was clean.)
III-JOHN WAS GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS A CONSUMED MAN:
John 5:35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
1. In order for John to shine for God, first, he had to burn for God. He was willing to put all his energy into the work of God.
2. Some want to shine for God but they are not willing to pay the price for being able to shine for Him.
3. The story of the three preachers waiting at the train station to catch their train to their missions work. A Professor asked them what part of the train represented their passion for the Lord’s work. One said, a whistle, the other, a wheel, the other, apiece of coal, I want to burn for God.
4. It had been 430 years since there had been a prophet of God and when they came to the Jordan river and heard him preach, they heard a man that was on fire for God.
5. I heard about a preacher who went to pastor a small church. The name of the town was Shanghai, Mo. It wasn’t long until the church was smaller than when he began. In fact it finally got to the place where his congregation on Sunday morning was one old lady. The problem : "He can’t preach. All he does is give book reports on Zane Grey novels. (Well not John, he preached Jesus with passion)
6. On Christmas afternoon, the Pastor’s wife dropped into an easy chair saying, "Boy! Am I ever tried." Her husband looked over at her & said, "I had to conduct two special services last night, three today, & give a total of five sermons. Why are you so tired?"
"Dearest," she replied, "I had to listen to all of them."
7. Some pastors preach "longhorn sermons," a point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in between.
8. Mr. Wesley, at the age of 87, in a letter to Alexander Mather, uttered these thrilling words: "Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen: such alone will shake the gates of hell, and set up the Kingdom on Heaven upon earth."
IV-JOHN WAS GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS A CONVICTED MAN:
Matthew 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
1. John came preaching that Jesus was coming but also judgement was coming and they needed to get ready by repenting.
2. If you heard John preach, you know he had not read the book, “How to win friends and influence people”. For in verse seven, he calls them “vipers”.
3. But John could not be silent when confronted with sin. It would later cost him his silent when confronted them king.
4. John was telling them that the first step to God is repentance from sin.
5. Billy Graham tells the story of how he and his wife were once invited to the home of some wealthy socialites. They had gathered together a large group of their neighboring vacationers for a party, and asked me if I would say a few words. I explained the gospel simply and briefly, reminding them that pleasure and possessions are not lasting - that only the person who knows Jesus Christ as Savior can now true happiness. As I concluded, one attractive woman known for her casual morals and high life style, young and smartly dressed, laughed gaily. "But, Billy," she protested, "What about those of us who are perfectly happy?" From God’s point of view, that woman was spiritually wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked, as the years ahead were soon to prove. Christ says to people like her as well, "Repent!"
6.Theodore Epp, founder of Back to the Bible radio ministry, realized something was wrong when he stopped receiving critical mail. Convicted that he was not challenging the flock enough, he changed his preaching. "I’m afraid that when I’m pleasing everybody, I’m not pleasing the Lord," he later said, "and pleasing the Lord is what counts."
V-JOHN WAS GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS A CONTENTED MAN:
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
1. John say he was just a voice, he must decrease. He was willing to give way to Jesus, to let Him receive the glory.
2. When I played football, we ran the single wing offense. One of the positions in the backfield was the blocking back. He never carried the ball, but just blocked for the ball carrier. He never received any glory, but he did it because he was a team player. (That what John was)
3. John was like the old time telephone operator, when they connected you to your party, they just got out of the way.
4. A father and his small son strolled down the street in Chicago past the place where a skyscraper was being constructed. Glancing up, they saw men at work on a high story of the building. "Father," said the little boy, "What are those little boys doing up there?" "Those are not little boys, son. They’re grown men." "But why do they look so small?" "Because they’re so high," his father answered. After a pause the boy asked, "Then, Father, when they get to heaven there won’t be anything left of them, will there?" It’s so true. The nearer we come to Christ the less others see of us and the more they see of Christ.
VI-JOHN WAS GREAT BECAUSE HE WAS A COMMITED MAN:
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
1. He had been send to bear witness of the true light, Jesus, and that what we see him doing. It is one thing to be called, it is another to accept it and be committed to it.
2. You and I are to like bird dogs, as they point to a group of birds, we are point people to Jesus, who is the Lamb of God.
3. Bill stopped in at Abie’s little general store, looking for a bottle of mustard. The shelves were loaded with salt -- bags and bags of salt. Abie said he had some mustard, but that he would have to go down to the cellar to find it. Bill went down with him, and there to his surprise were still more bags of salt. Everywhere he looked he could see salt.
"Say," said Bill, "you must sell a lot of salt in this store!"
"Nah," said Abie sourly. "I can’t sell no salt. But that feller who sells me salt -- boy, can he sell salt!" (You and I ought to be selling or convincing People that Jesus is the way)
CONCLUSION-There are three types of Christians who respond to the call of service: 1. Rowboat Christians -- have to be pushed. 2. Sailboat Christians -- always go with wind. 3. Steamboat Christians -- make up their minds where they ought to o and go there regardless of wind and weather.
