A UNIQUENESS EXHIBITED
LUKE 1:5-20
INTRODUCTION TO SERIES:
I want to make what might be a surprising statement: John the Baptist was the greatest man who ever lived with the exception of Jesus Christ. Now to some, that statement would not just be surprising, it would be absurd. Because they evaluate greatness in terms of fame, power, wealth, worldly prestige.. qualities that John the Baptist, did not have. “Certainly,” they would say, “John the Baptist could not be compared to Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, Gandi?” But even as a Christian, you might wonder about the veracity of saying that John the Baptist is the greatest man to ever live except Jesus. "Look Tim, John was a significant Bible character but he performed no miracles, he wrote no book, he reigned over no kingdom. John was a great man but was he greater than Abraham, Moses, David. Paul? Saying he was the greatest man, sounds like an exaggeration, in fact, it sounds like something a preacher would say to introduce a series about John the Baptist.”
But I’m not just expressing an opinion that maybe John was the greatest man who ever lived, I am absolutely certain of it. Listen to Jesus as it is recorded in Mt 11:11- "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.." Jesus, who as the Son of God knew all men.. past, present and future. And He didn’t exaggerate. He didn’t say, "I think John’s great." He said, "I tell you the truth..(A phrase of emphasis) There has never been anyone born of a woman.. that includes everybody.. there is no one greater than John the Baptist."
Now, that ought to really peak our interest. That should make us ask: “What made John so great? What was there about this man that elicited such high praise from the Lord Himself?” You see, true greatness is not determined by how much we’ve pleased men but by how much we have pleased God. 1 Thess. 2:4- "we’re not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts." So for the next few weeks I want us to study why John the Baptist merited such tribute from Jesus. I want to look at this man’s "Marks of Greatness" and in so doing see how we can live a life that pleases God too.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON:
The first mark of greatness I want us to see is the uniqueness that John exhibited. John was compared to the prophet Elijah but he was like no one else. And I believe in this day and age it is so important that we show the world that we are no-one’s clone except God’s. It is so easy to be squeezed & trapped into this world’s mold. Eph. 5:1- "Be imitators of God" If you want to please God and reach your full potential as a follower of Christ, you must demonstrate a uniqueness to the world that shows you are truly His. How was John unique?
I. HIS UNIQUE BIRTH:
He was unique in His birth. Steve read for us the account of John’s beginning. But the story actually starts in the O.T. The book of Isaiah describes his work and in Malachi 4:5-6, he wrote:“See, I send you the prophet Elijah. He will turn the hearts of the Fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to the fathers.” Now, Malachi wasn’t saying Elijah was returning from the dead but simply predicting that one would come like Elijah that would turn people’s hearts back to what was right. In-between that prophecy and the actual birth of John there was 400 years of silence. But God broke that divine stillness by giving a son to parents who were thought to be too old to have children. Zechariah and Elizabeth, are described in vs:7 as being, "both well along in years." Now, we are a little concerned about pregnancies when they happen in their late 40’s, but the scholars suggest that due to the phrase in vs:7 which literally means "stricken in years" and the statement that Zechariah uses in vs:18, that Elizabeth might of been in her 60’s, maybe even 70’s! Whatever her exact age, both had given up hope of ever having any children. Notice vs:6.. even though they may have been older they "were upright in the sight of God.." Apparently, like Mary & Joseph, the parents of Jesus, one of the reasons they received this blessing was because they had a right relationship to God. That statement made me wonder.. “Have I missed any of God’ s blessings because I haven’t been as upright with God as I should?”
Well, one special day when Zechariah was serving in the temple, the angel Gabriel appeared to him. Vs:13- "Do not be afraid Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John." Zechariah was both startled and skeptical. He questions the angel- vs:18- "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." Notice the tact. He doesn’t say, "I’m an old man and my wife’s an old lady!" He said, "I’m old and my wife is... experienced and mature too." But while he was tactful he was not real smart. He basically questions the veracity of an angel! Can you see Gabriel bristling a bit when he replied to his question? Vs:19- "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news." "What do you need? I mean, how often in ones life does an angel appear and give you a message? But since you want proof. V.20- "..you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at the proper time." “You want to be sure Zech? Okay, you won’t be able to explain one detail of this, with words.”
When Zechariah came out of the worship area the people knew something extraordinary had happened because now couldn’t speak but had to communicate with hand signals. And v.24 is extremely interesting- "After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for 5 months remained in seclusion." Now, I would of expected her to remain secluded at the end of her pregnancy, after she began showing.. I mean an old lady pregnant? But Elizabeth secluded herself at the start, apparently to meditate on what God had done for her or at least because who would believe she was pregnant when there was no physical evidence? But once the 5 months were up and she began to show she came out and was able to physically demonstrate what God had done for her! Can’t you just see her with one of those sweatshirts with an arrow.. “Baby.” Vs:25- "’The lord has done this for me, she said. ’In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace..’" And then, just as predicted, Vs:57 tells us that Elizabeth gave birth to a son. All her friends and relatives rejoiced with her and asked, "What are you going to name the child? Zechariah Jr.?" Elizabeth said in v.60- "No! His name is John." And they said to her, ’There is no one among your relatives who has that name.’" You see, even his name was going to be unique. He wasn’t going to be like his father. And so they appealed to Zechariah. But to their astonishment Zechariah wrote these words.. "His name is John." And at that moment, the Bible says, his tongue was loosed and he began praising God. Vs:65- "The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ’What then is this child going to be?’ For the Lord’s hand was with him."
You know there is a sense in which every person is unique. There are no two children born exactly alike. Like fingerprints, DNA studies reveal that every person has a chemical composition that is unlike everyone else. In Law Enforcement, when we investigated homicide cases we worked very closely with forensic experts who could help us identify someone by “trace” evident.. hair, saliva, blood, fibers. Even identical twins aren’t. And that illustrates just how valuable we are to God. I am not just another one of the millions of people born in 1951. I am one of a kind. And there is no one exactly like you. God made you and then threw away the mold. In the entrance-way of our home we have a painting by G. Harvey. It is the picture of a father and daughter on horseback in the mountains, reflecting on God’s majesty. But that print is limited. After every print is sold they will print no more. And because it is limited it is rare and ask any antique dealer.. rarity always increases the value of something. Well, that’s you! You are rare.. you are an original created by the God of the universe. Psa. 139:14-16- "I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." That speaks of our value to God and reminds us that our uniqueness should give us an opportunity to praise the One who has created us so unique. Dr. Suess had the right idea in his poem.. "Happy Birthday to me." "If you’d never been born, well, then what would you be? You might be a fish or a toad on a tree. You might be a door knob or 3 baked potatoes; you might be a bag of hard grained tomatoes. Or worse than all that why you might be a wasn’t. A wasn’t has no fun at all, no he doesn’t. A wasn’t just isn’t, he just isn’t present. But you.. you are you.. now isn’t that pleasant? Today you are you and that’s trueer than true. There’s no one alive who is youer than you. Shout loud, I’m lucky I am what I am and that’s a great thing to be. If I say so myself, Happy Birthday to me." Now, while I don’t think Dr. Suess is a great theologian, we should recognize how fortunate we are because the Creator has made us unique and that shows how valuable we are to Him. Now with our uniqueness comes a responsibility to use who we are to God’s glory. That’s what John did. See we not only see his uniqueness in his birth but also in ...
II. HIS UNIQUE MISSION:
The angel said to Zechariah in vss:16-17- "Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." John was commissioned by God to be the forerunner of Christ. His job was to prepare people for Jesus’ coming. Mark quotes Isaiah’s prophecy.. John will be.. "a voice of one calling in the desert, ’Prepare the way of the Lord, make a straight path for Him.’" You see, John was Jesus’ advance man. He was going to preach so that when Jesus came people’s hearts would be ready. Notice in vs:17 two things John was to do to prepare people’s hearts.
(1) Turn the hearts of the Fathers to their children. One of the characteristics of a Godless society is the Fathers neglect or abandonment of their children. This is certainly being seen in our culture where child abuse, broken homes and teen-age pregnancy is at an all time high. One of the characteristics of spiritual society is when father’s genuinely care about what happens to their offspring and will not put pride, prestige or personal power ahead of that.
(2) Turn the disobedient to the wisdom of righteous. The rebellious would come to see the stupidity of sin and would repent, turn to God under John’s preaching and live wisely. Then they would be ready for the coming of the Lord. Charles Swindoll wrote: "John’s job was to prepare the way, then get out of the way." He was to make the paths smooth and straight. Did you ever wonder why so many people came to hear Jesus? Certainly it was due partly to Him & His content, but it was also partly due to the fact that they were ready for Him!” John never forgot his mission: to point others to Jesus! He said, "There’s one coming whose going to be so great that I won’t be worthy to tie his sandals." "There he is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." And He remained true to that mission from the start.. He even leapt for joy in his mother’s womb because Mary, carrying Jesus, had entered the room! When asked in John 3 what he thought about the fact that everyone was going out to Jesus rather than him John said in vs:30- "He must become greater; I must become less." John never lost sight of his mission to point others to Jesus.
One of the marks of greatness in a person is that they have a sense of direction. They know whose they are, who they are and why they are here. A Christian knows that his or her primary purpose in life is to glorify Jesus Christ in everything. Keeping that perspective helps everything else fall into place. You see, John was not a Mountain Man that preached. He was a preacher who looked like a Mt. Man. Big difference. Let me ask you.. Are you a business man who attends Church? Or are you a committed follower of Christ who happens to support himself in business? Big difference. Are you a career woman who is a member of the church? Or are you a committed Christian who shares her faith in the market place? Big difference. Are you a homemaker, mother who shows up in church each week? Or are you a wife and/or mom who concentrates on pleasing Jesus no matter what frustrations confront you? Big difference. Paul wrote in Col.3:17- "..whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.."
The same can be said for a church. A healthy church is one who understands whose they are and knows where they are headed. Our purpose is “making and maturing disciples (learners, followers) of Christ.” And so we must screen all that we do through that purpose. Back in April we changed the Lord’s Supper from the middle of the service to the end. We didn’t do that just to make a change. We said, “We want to make it as comfortable as possible for people to make a decision for Christ. If they know that they will be taken to a quiet place where they can talk to concerned decision counselors rather than sit on the front row and hurriedly have to explain their need it may help them. It also may help those who are Christian’s to seek prayer and counsel in a time that the Holy Spirit has pricked them. Not to mention it will help us get the correct information. So we moved the Lord’s Supper to the end so while we partake those that do make decisions can be helped. Now, I commend you for accepting that change. I know not everyone likes it.. But God has not called us to be comfortable, but He has commissioned us to point others to Jesus! We don’t have to dress like John or have his diet but we must do everything we can to complete the purpose that has been given us! For we, as individuals and as a church have a unique mission... to point others to “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!”
III. A UNIQUE LIFESTYLE:
Not only did John have a unique beginning and mission but he also had a unique lifestyle. So much about this man was different. He had a unique appearance. Mk. 1:6- "John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist.." That’s different - camel’s hair - leather belt. John was a rugged looking man, very austere in appearance. He never blow dried his hair or had a manicure. He was unrefined. As Christians we are to be distinctive in our appearance too. 1 Tim. 2:9 tells us that women are to dress modestly, making their inner self more beautiful than their outer self. Why the emphasis on women? It’s not for you girls as much as it is us men. We’re the ones stimulated by the visual. Ladies: “modesty helps you keep the proper perspective on outer and inner qualities and helps keep us out of trouble.” But both men and women that claim Christ are to be distinctive in way they dress... modest even if it is not the "hot style" of the day.
And John was unique in his commitment. Mk. 1:6- “..he ate locusts and wild honey." Is that balanced? Locust maybe for protein. honey for carbohydrates? But it wasn’t just his food it was what he drank too. John had taken a vow of abstinence. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that he was never to let wine or fermented drink to touch his lips. That was distinctive. And he lived in a unique area too. Lk.1:80 tells us that John.. "lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel." That’s different. If anything you’d think he’d go to the city. I mean if you want to make a big impact, you go to the people, you don’t make them come to you. It wasn’t very “user friendly”. John wanted people to come because of content not because of glitz & glamor. You see John was committed in every area to being what God wanted him to be.
And I believe that one of the marks of greatness for a Christian is still living a distinctive lifestyle from the world. Rom. 12:2- "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed.." J.B. Phillips translates that verse.. "Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.." So many times today the church is emulating the world, rather than the other way around. And let’s face it. It’s hard to not get squeezed into the world’s mold. We too can get caught up with being primarily concerned with the approval of others over the approval of God. We’re lonely or insecure, so we look to be people pleasers.. we think that the Bible is too restrictive or unfair.. so we fashion His Word to our liking. But the Christian, who would be great by God’s assessment must have the courage to be a non-conformist. Our diet is to be temperate no matter how gluttonous or drunk others might like to get. Our talk is to be pure.. regardless of how others would like to gossip or run down others, we don’t engage nor do we listen. Rather we apply Eph. 4:29- making our talk wholesome, saying only those things which build others up. We are to be in the world but not of the world. And we will not have an impact for Jesus on those we come in contact with until we do as John did.. be unique, distinctive in our lifestyle.
IV. A UNIQUE MESSAGE:
One other unique quality.. his message. Mark tells us that 1000’s of people came out to hear John. Now, you would think that if a man attracted huge crowds that his message would be always one of encouragement with lots of cute stories... lots of positive strokes. You know, delightful soft-sell sermons that made people feel good about themselves. No way! Lk. 3:7- "John said to the crowds coming out to him to be baptized.. "You brood of vipers!" Good intro.. How long do you think the elders would wait to call me on the carpet if I started my sermon with.. "You bunch of snakes in the grass! You hypocrites!" Not very long.. But John said, "You brood of vipers. Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.." John’s words were not soft sell, but sobering and strict. He called people to repentance.. to a life worthy of the God who had made them and wanted to save them. John’s words were not false flattery but true testimony. That’s why 1000’s came to hear him. Not because they were being stroked, far from it. But because they knew what he was saying was true! People realistically know that there’s something wrong in their lives.. it’s called sin. And beloved, we may not be called today to use the same style as John.. but we are called to use the same message as John. To call sin, sin. To point people to look at their lives in light of God’s Word. You see John’s message was not only a cry of penitence but it was a call of promise. Yes, he pointed out their sin.. but then he pointed them to the One who would take away their sin. He pointed out the Savior...
If we are going to be great in God’s estimation we too must hold on to our unique message. There are so many churches that are not doing that. Many are watering down the message in order not to offend. But beloved, whether it is in the arena of pre-marital sex, or homosexuality, or abortion or whatever would change the Bible to placate the carnal... We have a responsibility to hold out the truth of God’s Word in it’s original form. Our culture may call that narrow, intolerant, bigoted, puritanical, unprogressive.. but when Jesus saw it in John the Baptist He called it. GREATNESS...
John was unique in his birth and so are you. He was unique in his mission and we have been given a unique purpose too. He was a non-conformist in his lifestyle and we must not allow the world to squeeze us in its mold. And he gave a distinctive message and we are to continue to speak the truth in love.
Do you want to be great? Don’t try to be someone you are not.. that negates your uniqueness. Somebody said, "God made us all original and then we spend a great our time trying to be like everybody else." Don’t be a copy, be the original person God created you to be. God made you unique, He’s given you unique talents.. a unique opportunity to uniquely perform the tasks that honor God above all else. Paul said it this way in 2 Cor. 5:9- "So we make it our goal to please Him." Will you turn your hearts to "the wisdom of righteousness.." To be ready and prepared for the Lord.
