The Man Who Pointed People To Jesus

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)