Are you a Voice or an Echo

John 1:19–23 ESV

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

John 1:19-

I want to talk to you tonight alongs these lines.

Are you a Voice or are you an echo?

Do you sound like everything else or are you rising as a voice of hope and healing for your generation?

Pray

We need voices in this generation;

A “voice” is something that is original

A “voice” is something that is sincere

but an echo is just something that is repeated .

John the Baptist was a single voice in his day among 1000 of voices that were nothing but echo’s

Make no mistake about it

It took guts then and it’s gonna take guts now

It takes a made of mind to be a voice

It takes courage to swim against the current

It takes resolve to create an atmosphere with my words that let people know that there is hope beyond their despair...................

The scene of this passage of scripture was tense

there was no prophetic voice for four hundred years,

from the book of Malachi to Matthew; heaven had been lock down

For four hundred years the nation of Israel had been in a spiritual famine

They were in trouble

Although the scriptures tell us that John the baptist had come out of the wilderness

It was really the nation of Israel that were in the wilderness spiritually.

Geographically they were in the wildederness

Politically

Socailly

Economically

Religiously

John is called by God out of this wilderness to teach and preach to people

He was called by God; but he had to come out of the wilderness.

and I want to tell you that you can’t stay in the wilderness

Compromise

Depression

Fear

Lust

The enemy wants you to live your life in a wilderness place.

He wants you to live in compromise

He wants you to live in Depression

He wants you to live in Fear

He wants you to live in Lust

But God is calling you out of the wilderness.

Just like He did John

John came out declaring; I’ve survived the wilderness

I’ve made it through some stuff and I’m here with a word from heaven.

Listen friend

When you come through some stuff

When you survived some long nights

When you survived the attack of the enemy

When you know “what it’s like” to come through addiction

When you know “what it’s like” to come through a rough family life

When you know “what it’s like” to go through your parents getting divorced.

When you know “what it’s like” to be abused

When you know “what it’s like” to not have your mom or your dad not present in your life

When you know “what it’s like” to wrestle with the enemy

Oh come on somebody.

When you know what it’s like to come out of the wilderness

The you can say: “If I made it, then so can you”.

When you made it through the wilderness then you will have a fresh word;

A testimony

You will be able to say Look what the Lord has done.

and if He’s done it for me; He’ll do it for you

You won’t have a problem talking about the goodness of God

H

You won’t have a problem telling others about the faithfulness of God.......................

being a voice

Here John is;

He came out of the wilderness and the nation had turned into a spiritual wilderness

Go back and study the history to see how they got to this condition

and you’ll find a man by the name of Antioc Epephes.

Around 170 BC; this man Antioc took over Jerusalem

He polluted the temple and he made the jews sacrifice animals to idols.

He built a statue of Jupiter, where the altar of burnt offerings should’ve been.

He burned the scriptures publically.

He prohibited the worship of Jehovah God.

And this society had plunged into a smoregesboard of immorality

and then in 37bc a man by the name of “Herod the great” came on the scene.

He betrayed the nation to the Romans

He fostered the idol worship of false gods and immorality of all kinds

He Massacred religious and noble people

He was a blood thirsty man

He was a self consumed ruler

This is the same man that had all the babies murdered at the time of Jesus birth.

It was in this atmosphere; that a man by the name of John steps on the scene

What I want you to understand tonight is that God will always have a man

God will always have a woman

God will always have a voice

He will always have that someone that will speak hope right in the midst of darkness.

and John steps out after four hundred years of empty echos

can I tell you

It’s in this atmosphere of our present day

In this day of echo’s on every corner

we are desperate for voices

This generation needs a voice .

This generation need a voice .

This generation needs to hear somebody rise up with a voice of hope and healing and help.

A generation that is plagued with sin in every crevice

sexual immorality like open sewers.

Churches are performing gay marriages

pornography is more readily available now than ever before on planet earth,

I read an article that said that $3,776 dollars is spent on pornography per second in America today

We are in a wilderness.

People are confused.

People are untrusting of each other.

this generation does not need more echo’s.

God gives us some voices

People at your schools need to hear some voices,

Your families need to hear some voices

I’m not talking about a social voice

I’m not talking about a political voice

I’m not talking a seeker sensitive voice

But a voice of someone that has been in the presence of the Lord,

A voice that will stand and declare right from wrong’

A voice that will stand with their feet on solid ground and their shoulders square; proclaiming; “this the way of the Lord”,

The truths is that the church has got to rise up in power.

There is so many that have problems; that nothing or no one can fix except we have a move of God.

There is so many people; depending on us to stand and be that voice

we can’t sit back

When you got people on instagram that have millions of followers ; who are literally discipling their followers in rebellion, and immorality.

those followers are being indoctrinated in rebellion and immorality.

There must a rise from within the Church

we can only hope that that person is a voice and not an echo.

but Im afraid there are way more echos than voices.

From within the Church

Some passionate people

Who are no ashamed of Jesus Christ

Who is not afraid to tell a generation that there is still a redeemer.

There is still hope

There is still righteousness

oh friend

He can heal a nation

He can put your broken world back together

He can restore your family

He can take lust right out of your heart

He’ll save your momma and your daddy

He’ll save your brother and your sister

He’ll give you a new beginning

He’ll give you a new life

He’ll put a new song in your heart

Where are the voices

Let me tell you something tonight

We don’t need any more dope dealers

we need some hope dealers.

So many youth groups are following echo’s

You have to have this

you have to do it like that

You got to play this song or that song

I’ve made up in my mind a long time ago

That as long as I have “this platform\

As long as I am at the helm of this youth group

we are not going to follow the echo’s

but rather

We’re going to be the voice

The voice of one crying in the wilderness

Clear the way for the Lord’s Coming.

But what you need to understand

That when you become that voice; there will be those that are going to come against you

and there is a reason for that

You don’t hear of people coming against the mormons

You don’t hear of people coming against the muslims

You won’t run into resistance for speaking about buddaah,

But when you begin to speak the name Jesus

You’ll find resistance on every side

why

Because the enemy ain’t worried about all the other religions

But when you begin to speak the truth.

You see friend

There ain’t but one way for a man to make it to heaven

and thats way is found in Jesus

He is the way

He is the truth

He is the life.

No one come to the father unless they go through Jesus.

Think about it for a minute

It’s not recorded anywhere in history

about people being persecuted for worshipping Idols

It’s not recorded anywhere about people being persecuted for worshipping the statue of Jupiter.

But when John step on the scene.

You might as well get ready

Because you’re gonna run into resistance

But

But we gotta get tough

There is enough limp wristed preachers

God is looking for some Johns

Real men

Not afraid to get a little dirty

Not afraid to eat some locust if thats what it takes.

Men that is oozing with passion

to preach the message of hope

the message of redemption.

The message that will change a life

The that will Rescue those from the grip of the enemy

Oh I don’t want to be an echo

I want to be a voice

Here’s what John said when they asked him who he was

He said; I am the voice of one.

one that is crying in the wilderness.

What’s so significant about that is:

He was willing to do what it took to get the job done.

John come out of no where

came on the scene

Wearing camel hair as his cloths

He ate locust and honey.

Can I tell you something tonight;

John stood out.

Everybody knew that there was something different about him.

He didn’t look like everybody else

He did’t act like everybody else,

He didn’ talk like everybody else

Friend you and I need to be different

We are called to be different.

We were chosen to be different

I give you permission tonight to be different

I give you permission tonight to be “One that is crying out”

People are lost and they need a voice.

P

They need somebody that will be different

They don’t need another echo

But they need a voice

a voice of truth

Up and down the hallways at your school are people who need a voice.

Chances are you gonna rub shoulders with somebody who is contemplating taken their own life.

They need a voice

Your gonna rub shoulders with somebody that has been put down by heir parents and they feel worthless

They need a voice

Your gonna rub shoulders with somebody that is living a lie.

They need a voice

Your gonna rub shoulders with someone that has been bullied all their life

They need a voice.

Your gonna rub shoulders with someone who’s mom and dad are going through a divorce.

They need a voice.

Your gonna rub shoulders with someone that is struggling with homosexuality or lesbianism

They need a voice

Your gonna rub shoulders with someone who has been abused.

They need a voice.

Your gonna rub shoulders with someone that is in a sexual relationship

They need a voice.

Your gonna rub shoulders with someone that struggles with depression

they need a voice.

is there anybody that’s willing to be that voice

don’t matter if you get picked on or talked about

don’t matter if you stand out as a religious fanatic

Somebody needs a voice.

I’ve made up my mind; I’m gonna be a voice

Preparing the way of the Lord