Wednesday, December 08, 2004
John the baptist
Mathew 3 time
3 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
John the Baptist was the cousin of Jesus. He was the one whom led to the King. Here is a man that the Lord Jesus called the greatest man that ever lived. Of all the Old Testament the Lord saw John the Baptist the Greatest man that ever lived. John was a man that did not live a life that made him rich, He was a preacher that made it clear. God is not into your sin and you need to repent and change your life. Johns message like his life was simple.
4 Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.[1]
John was not one that was into being in style. He hung out in the wild and dressed in camel’s skins and he had a leather belt. He did not eat the best diet either he ate locust and honey. But he was focused on his mission and that was to prepare the people for a King and that was Jesus. John did what we need to do, get our life right and get ready for Jesus to work in it. John did not mess around, he knows Gods will for his life and he did it. I see that John was humble. He did not live a life that the people are living today. Look at Benny Hinn, he lives in a home that is millions of dollars and John lived in the wild. How come people follow people like Hinn does not live the life. John the Baptist lived a life that was righteous. If you were to be baptized by John you had to repent and believe.
Six things demonstrate the true greatness of John.
(1) He was filled with and controlled by the Spirit, even from “his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15b).
John was controlled in the Lord. He did not walk out of the spirit He was in the Lord and kept his sin account clean. We need to always be controlled in the Lord. We do that by keeping our nose in the bible and praying confessing to God all our sins.
(2) He was obedient to God’s Word. From childhood he followed God’s will, and from it he never wavered.
We learn we need to keep in the word and follow it, We do not need wavier but we keep walking in the word and obey it all our life’s. If we come to know Jesus early in life no need to go astray because we are blessed to stay true to the call of the Lord. What a testomny for the folks those come to the Lord and stay true.
(3) He was self-controlled, drinking neither “wine or liquor” (Luke 1:15a). In his food, dress, and life-style he was temperate and austere.
Is drinking a sin? I think it is unwise and I wont do it. It is not that it is sin it is it looks bad. We ought not use any drugs unless they are a need. Drinking in the growing Christian is not a good thing. Do not do it.
(4) He was humble. His purpose was to announce the king, not to act kingly or take for himself any of the king’s prerogatives. Speaking of Jesus, John said, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals” (Mark 1:7), and on a later occasion, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
John does not hog any kind of glory. He gives it all to the Lord. If I say it was me and not Jesus I am taking his rightful glory. I want to give him all the glory. Jesus is God and I need to honor that.
5) He courageously and faithfully proclaimed God’s Word, thundering it across the wilderness as long as he was free to preach, to whomever would listen.
We need to live in a way that makes others ask us y. Jesus did not ask me to go to work and condemn he asked me to be faithful to his call and that is to live alone for him and draw others. I am not the one working it is Jesus using my life to make his word known.
(6) Finally, he was faithful in winning people to Christ, in turning “back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16). He stands as a pattern for all who seek genuine greatness.
He won souls. I want to win souls to. In the bible it said it is wise to win souls to the Lord and really is there a better thing to win a soul for all times. We do not win them Jesus wins them.
Shadman Live like John
