Johnny B

PRAY

When we lived in Texas, every year about this time we would start seeing grasshoppers everywhere. All the ranch trucks would have their front grills filled with them. I remember walking into Academy Sports one afternoon and looking up at the sign and seeing hundreds of them all over the sign. It was gross. We’re going to talk about a guy tonight that would have seen that and thought, “dinner!” John the Baptist ate locusts, which are a type of grasshopper. But he at least also ate honey! I don’t know if he was dipping the locusts in the honey or having it as a side dish or what. I still think it was gross.

He was sent by God for a specific purpose; to point to Jesus and tell us who He is and how we should respond.

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John the Baptist prepared us to properly recognize and respond to Jesus; repent and believe.

And really that’s the purpose of the whole book of Mark. That’s the emphasis, that Jesus is the Son of God who came to suffer and save. And understanding that is the most important thing for us to understand in all of life!

John taught people to repent and follow Jesus

1-6

This was the message he preached…

notes in Bible

verse 4

I was mowing our yard the other day and we have a swing set out back that my dad and I built for my kids and they never use it. But wasps have been known to build nests on the bottom side of this thing. It hasn’t happened all summer, but the other day I was mowing around the swing set and I noticed a wasp peeking out at from and I pulled that steering arm and got out of there!

That’s repentance!

Acts 26:20 ESV

but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

We have got to turn away from sin and turn towards God and keep doing it every day.

John’s life pointed people to Jesus

7-11

He wanted people to see Jesus, not himself. We ought to live the same way.

Our family in the past few years has developed a new tradition for road trips and that is stopping at Buc-ee’s. We will check to see if there is one before we get going. There was not on on route when we went to Hot Springs, AR this summer, but we got got on the way. We came up on a Buc-ee’s billboard and we all got excited. But then we saw that it said 700 something miles away! But they do a better job than anyone with their signs, and then we you get to the exit, there’s a big sign that says “EXIT NOW” and it’s drawing all your attention to Buc-ee’s…

notes in Bible

verse 8

John 3:30 ESV

He must increase, but I must decrease.”

verse 9

Romans 6:4 ESV

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Our lives should point people to Jesus. How are you living?

John was right about Jesus

12-15

Jesus was exactly who John said, and Jesus preached the same message; repent and believe.

Don’t you love saying I told you so? I don’t even usually say it, I’ll just look at someone with this grin. I just keep looking until they see it. Kristen hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m sure she’s gonna at some point!

John was right about Jesus! Look…

notes in Bible

verse 13

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Because of who He is, we absolutely have to respond properly! Not just say it, but with every part of our lives, our whole hearts, we must respond to Jesus!

We must repent and believe! And live that out, pointing to Jesus with our lives!