John The Baptist: A Faith That Challenges Others

John the Baptist

Prayer / Announcements

We are moving to the New Testament this week with our character series. Last week we looked at David, and really just a main highlight as he fought Goliath, and a couple other key instances. We solidified that he was a man after God’s own heart, despite his humanity. And that is the point, we can truly love God, and charge after God even in our broken humanity.

Maybe even more so than David as we have the Holy Spirit living in us. David didn’t.

As much as David is a key figure in the OT, John the Baptist is a key figure in the NT. John the Baptist, or John the Baptizer in some translations. He is a little obscure, but not if you really look and pay close attention.

What do we know about John? Go - no cheating

Slide

Hebrews 11:35–38 “35 Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.”

John was beheaded for speaking truth.

John was born just before Jesus. If you remember his father was a priest, Zechariah, and his mother Elizabeth. His birth was foretold by an angel like Jesus birth in Luke 1. Remember his dad could not talk because he didn’t believe Gabriel. When Mary came over to see her relative, perhaps a cousin, the baby in Elisabeths stomach leaps in the womb.

He later has a ministry in the wilderness where John preaches, and amasses a pretty large following. He is a person who lives in the dessert and lives off the land. John may have been part of the Essenes.

Who are the Essenes:

Separatists: The Essenes withdrew from society—especially from the Temple in Jerusalem, which they believed was corrupt. Many lived in monastic-like communities in the wilderness, especially near Qumran by the Dead Sea.

Strict purity laws: They emphasized ritual purity, celibacy (in some groups), and strict adherence to the Law.

Apocalyptic worldview: They believed the end of the age was near and were awaiting two Messiahs—one priestly and one kingly.

Communal living: They held property in common, shared meals, and lived a highly ordered and disciplined life.

We don’t have proof of this, and the Essenes are not named in the bible though almost all historians of antiquity mention them in great detail. The essenes would have been, like the pharisees, saducees, and zealots. A jewish sect.

Slide

Matthew 3:1–6 “1 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.’ ” 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.”

Set Apart By God

For cross reference this is found in

Isaiah 40:3–5 “3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; 5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Like Jesus we don’t have any details of Johns life so when we see him here in Matthew, he is a grown man, and Jesus is just getting ready to start His earthly ministry. Notice the description of John. Camel hair, leather belt, locusts and honey. John is likened to Elijah often.

Not just the fact of how he looked, It was said of Elijah that he had a leather belt, and was a hairy man, but also the fact that they both had a pattern of boldly calling Israel to repentance.

Luke 1:17 “17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.””

He made no small stir among the nation. John had a large following and if you look at the verses 5-6 you see it was Jerusalem, Judea, and all the region that were coming out to him. He had a following and was known.

John, in the Spirit of God of course, brought about national revival that lasted well beyond his life, he left a legacy. Josephus actually wrote more about John the Baptist than he did about Jesus. His work is evident even in the book of Acts which would have been 30-40 years after his death.

Acts 18:25 “25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.”

Acts 19:3 “3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.””

His Baptism was different. He could not be called “the Baptizer” if it was a normal thing.

Baptism was practiced in the Jewish community already in the form of ceremonial immersions, but typically it was only among Gentiles who wished to become Jews. For a Jew in John’s day to submit to baptism was essentially to say, “I confess that I am as far away from God as a Gentile and I need to get right with Him.” This was a real work of the Holy Spirit.

There is almost a sense that John is baptizing people into the kingdom of God that he so adamantly proclaimed was at hand. Jesus had the same message by the way. The kingdom of Heaven is here, now. John was almost saying forget about the Jewish rituals, just like a gentile forgets about their former life, and be baptized into the kingdom.

Romans 6:3-4 “3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

This later would be baptized into Christ Himself, his death and resurrection.

Its important to know that John was not baptizing people for salvation. This was a preparation of the Kingdom, it was a turning away from what they knew, and how they lived and thought, to God, and the coming Messiah.

Preached Repentance and Prepared the Way

Repent!!

Johns message was repent. The baptism was to show repentance had taken place. Think of Repent as an action not a feeling. You can be repentant in your heart and mind, but that will lead to repentance which is an action. A change of direction of a persons life.

We think of John with this message of Repentance but he was merely the forerunner as we have already looked at.

Matthew 3:1–2 “1 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!””

Matthew 4:17 “17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.””

Mark 6:12 “12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.”

Luke 24:46–47 “46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Acts 2:38 “38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 26:19–20 “19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.”

Repentance is a way of living, it is a constant turning from the world of sin and self, to God and His Kingdom work within the world.

Why is it important for us to help prepare the way of the Lord to those around us?

Courage to Confront Sin

Matthew 3:7–10 “7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

John is one of those guys that understands the mission and goes all in. It didn’t matter who liked him, who followed him, or what the outcome was. His job was to proclaim the message of the coming messiah. To Prepare the way.

The religious elites the Pharisees and Sadducees come out to Johns desert party, and get called out. Remember these are the same people that later kill Jesus, so think powerful politician, is who John is speaking to.

Whats his message. Stop pretending!! They are coming out for show, Who warned you to flee the wrath to come? Stop appearing anxious like you can’t wait for Messiah to get here and come on the scene. You are coming out here for show, bear fruit.

They were going through the motions, with no true life change. Sound familiar? We are called to be disciples of Jesus, to live our life in a way that others know we are not of this world. The Spirit of God is living in each believer and we should be displaying fruit of the Spirit, but sadly that is not the case for many Christians.

Then John give them a scathing judgement. 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

They thought since I am in Abraham that is enough. He was calling them to stop trusting their Jewish heritage, stop believing that your blood line leads to heaven, it doesn’t. God can raise up children of Abraham from stones.

None of this well my dad was a pastor, or my grandparents helped start that church and lived a christian life for 50 years so I’m good.

Definitely some foreshadowing going on here. Jesus is know as the Chief Cornerstone, Stone that was rejected, The rock the church is built upon. And we know that those that are in Christ, Gentiles included, are in Abraham.

Those that trust in heritage…will not get pruned, or trimmed up, no they get an ax to the roots and burned up in the fire.

Johns boldness is also observed and well known when he confronts Herod. This ultimately is what costs him his life.

Matthew 14:3–5 “3 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4 Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.”

Humble in the Spotlight

Matthew 3:11–12 “11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.””

John understood his mission, his message, and had the faith to carry out the task. He also understood his position in all of this. He is the forerunner, not the toyota, the voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way. John had huge crowds, some thought he was the messiah.

John tells them no, not me, you got the wrong guy. Christ, or Messiah is coming, thats the guy. John had a following, and this statement about the sandals was a jewish understanding that John was saying I’m your Rabbi, or Teacher, the one coming is My Rabbi.

John 3:26–30 “26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

We have a hard time sharing the spotlight. John did not. He had a faith that was sure in who Jesus the Messiah was, and what his role was.

Faith can Waiver

Matthew 11:7–11 “7 As they departed, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet. 10 For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

That means everyone up to that point, Noah, Joshua, Rahab, David, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, all the greats, John tops them all. Wow what a statement!!

This statement comes as part of a larger narrative when Jesus says this out loud to the crowds regarding John.

Matthew 11:2–6 “2 And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: 5 The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.””

John this great herald of the kingdom, the proclaimer of truth in the face of society and cultural giants, wavered in his faith. This one that had been so sure, and pointed to Jesus in such a powerful way…had doubts.

What are we to take away from this? Has there been a time when your faith has wavered?