What are you Pointing to?

John The Baptist

Son of Zechariah and Elizabeth

Jesus’ cousin on Mary’s side

He was of priestly decent, but was complete opposite of what priests had become

He is the fulfillment of

John The Baptist Knew Who He Was

“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (v23)

“I baptize with water” (v26)

A list of who the Bible says you are: https://bible.org/article/who-does-god-say-i-am

John The Baptist Knew Who He Was Not

“‘Are you Elijah?’ He said ‘I am not’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered ‘No’” (v21)

“The straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (v27)

John The Baptist Knew His Job

To prepare the way for the Lord (v23)

To point to Jesus (v29)

To bare witness to what God was doing (v32)

John the Baptist, that locust eating, wild honey chewing, sackcloth wearing father of the faith. There is so much we can learn from John the baptist and his life. Today, I just want us to consider these opening verses about him.

First, let’s build a little profile of JTB. JTB was the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth and one of the most famous miraculous births. Remember, it was late in life that Elizabeth was told she would have a child and Zechariah doubted, so he was made mute until John’s birth for not believing in the power of God. John had the pedigree as well, he was from the priestly line, so he had the heritage of the faith. We also know that John was a pillar of faith. In fact, Jesus himself said in that JTB was the greatest man that ever lived.

What was it about JTB that made Jesus say these things? What was it that made John the greatest man that ever lived? Well, today I want us to consider that question and I want to show you some of what I think John’s life can teach us today.

John knew who he was- You probably know Ted Giannoulas even if you’ve never heard his name. He has been the San Diego Chicken for 30 years. He originated the character as a college student, but Ted is getting older. At age 50, being the Chicken has been his life and his whole identity. His face is never photographed unless he is in costume. No one knows the real Ted. He has no family. At first, he loved his alter ego. "I discovered an untapped personality in that suit," he said. "It was like, now I have freedom. Now I’m no longer Ted." But there is a price to pay. Dave Raymond, who for years wore the costume of the Philly Phanatic, said, "[Giannoulas] was the first and the funniest, and I have nothing but respect for him. But if you’re not careful, you can lose yourself in that suit." Ted himself says, "I have plenty of Chicken stories. I’m afraid I don’t have any Ted stories."

Many of us spend our lives never understanding who we are in Jesus. If you picked up the sermon notes today you will see a link on them to a website that has a list of the things the Bible says about you. Here are some of my favorites.

Part of the reason that many Christians walk around in states of fear, depression, and anxiety is because they never fully understand or live into who they are in Christ. This was not the case with JTB, though. No, he shows us what it looks like when a man is completely sold out to who they are in Christ.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mk 6:30–33.

#2- John the Baptist Knew Who He Was Not- William Barclay once noted that it was from the ground of pride that all other sins grow. But pride can be quite tricky, many times we do not even realize how it effects us.

After going on a diet, a woman was really feeling good about herself, especially when she was able to fit into a pair of jeans she had outgrown long ago. "Look, look!" she shouted while running downstairs to show her husband. "I can wear my old jeans again!"

Her husband looked at her for a long time, obviously struggling with knowing what to say. Finally, he just had to say it.

"Darling, I love you, but those are my jeans."

Sometimes in life we get it wrong.

You see, John the Baptist had a successful ministry because he knew who was in charge- who was God and who was not.

#3- John The Baptist Knew His Job - Because of these things, John knew his job, and he did his job well. I might argue that this passage teaches us the three most important tasks as have a followers of Jesus.

To prepare the way of the Lord- Did you know that in Memphis Tennessee there is still a law in the books that says it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists.” This is the first of our tasks. To prepare the way of the Lord.How do we prepare the way of the Lord? In repentance. When we turn from sin Jesus can draw near.

Did you know that in Memphis Tennessee there is still a law in the books that says it is illegal for a woman to drive by herself; "a man must walk or run in front of the vehicle, waving a red flag in order to warn approaching pedestrians and motorists.” This is the first of our tasks. To prepare the way of the Lord.How do we prepare the way of the Lord? In repentance. When we turn from sin Jesus can draw near.

Her husband looked at her for a long time, obviously struggling with knowing what to say. Finally, he just had to say it.

This is the first of our tasks. To prepare the way of the Lord.How do we prepare the way of the Lord? In repentance. When we turn from sin Jesus can draw near.

"Darling, I love you, but those are my jeans."

Sometimes in life we get it wrong.

To point to Jesus- Where is God? God is here. The problem is that there are times that we cannot recognize what God is doing.

To bare witness to what God is doing

So, my biggest question for you today is what is your life pointing to? Every moment of every day we are using our lives to point at something. We point at our kids, “Hey everyone, look how great my kids are!”

Today you were not given a bulletin- and do you know why? Because even our church stuff can miss the point. How many times can the bulletin get in the way? It becomes a checklist of what we are supposed to do in church. We dont think of the why, just the what.