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PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE #29 JOHN THE BAPTIST THE GREATEST BORN AMONG WOMEN DATE: 1/18/2012 Wed. TEXT: Matthew 3:1 INTRODUCTION There are many personalities in the NT But none as unique as John the Baptist If we were honest, we would all have to admit that there have been times when we fished for Compliments John never fished for Compliments, Yet he was paid the highest Compliment that was ever made to anyone The Life and Ministry of the Baptist was never about him There was never any Self Promotion or Self Exaltation So how do you Measure Real Greatness? The world often confuses Greatness with Popularity Just because someone is Well Known, doesn’t necessarily make them Great Greatness is often something people associate with Position and Power Hitler had both, but there was certainly nothing Great about him John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman Real Greatness does not lie in someone’s Popularity, Position, or Power Quote: A.W. Tozer said, “True greatness lies in character, not in ability or position.” As we will see later in our study, Jesus defined John the Baptist as a Great Man He had Popularity, but it was not his Popularity that made him Great He had Power (Divine Power) but it was not his Power that made him Great (By the way, he never did any miracles) His greatness lay in The Kind of Man he was So what Kind of Man was John the Baptist? Let’s pray and find out ~~~Prayer~~~ I. HIS “ANNOUNCEMENTS” 2 Announcement given John’s coming The Lord’s coming In Matthew 3:1 we read – “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea” 2 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman John stepped out of obscurity and into the public’s eye as a preacher breaking 400 years of silence Between the book of Malachi and Matthew there are 400 years During those 400 years the voice of a prophet had not been heard But suddenly that silence was broken As declared in John 1:6 - “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John” When John started his Ministry, he was something to see He came as a preacher, but he did not look like any of the religious leader of that day Matthew 3:4 describes his Appearance – “And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey” His “garment of camel’s hair” This was a coarse and rough covering which was common to the prophets His clothes were practical and long-wearing, but far from being comfortable or fashionable He was much like the OT Prophet, Elijah in that regards 3 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman II Kings 1:8 – “… He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins …” John’s diet was “locusts and wild honey,” Possibly dried locusts fried in honey or combined in some other manner, (By the way insects are still an article of food in many Asiatic countries) His diet of locusts and wild honey was as spartan as his clothing It was nourishing, but little else When he stepped into the public view, It wasn’t done quietly, But with the Manner and the Voice of a Prophet He was sent by God with a Particular Message and Ministry First, when we consider his Announcement A. The ‘Message He Delivered’ His Message is seen in vs. 2, 3 “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” “For this is he that that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” The message of John was simple - repent! 4 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman The word “repent” means “to turn around, to change direction” It speaks of a change of the Mind and Will Quote: J.A. Broadus states that “wherever this Greek word is used in the New Testament, the reference is to changing the mind and the purpose from sin to holiness” Repentance is more than feeling sorrow because you have been caught in sin It is an act of the will and a change in the mind It is more than tears II Corinthians 7:8-10 There is a turning; a turning from sin and a turning to God Ill. Someone has written - "'Tis not enough to say, 'I'm sorry and repent' And then go on from day to day, Just as I always went. Repentance is to leave the sins we loved before, And show that we in earnest grieve by doing them no more" It was a message that called for them to turn from their sins and turn to God This was the same message of the Lord Jesus Twice in Luke 13 (3,5) Jesus said – “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish” Repentance is missing in pulpits today, 5 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman But Jesus made it clear that it is necessary John didn’t beat around the bush, cut any corners, or pull any punches Furthermore, he wasn’t afraid of anyone He was especially adamant toward the religious leaders We read in vs. 7, 8 of our text “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance” Ill. Peter Cartwright was a circuit riding Methodist preacher from Kentucky. On one occasion he was preaching when General Andrew Jackson slipped into the service. Someone reach over and tugged on his coattail and said, “General Jackson just walked in.” He kept preaching. They did it again, “General Jackson just walked in.” After about the fourth time, Cartwright whirled around and said, “You tell General Jackson then, that if he doesn’t get saved he will go to hell like anyone else” John looked at these pious and holier-than-thou religious leaders and told them to repent or they were going to hell Now, that’s some good ole fashion preaching! Regardless of what the so-called Church growth experts may say, that’s the kind of preaching we need today Instead of worrying about hurting someone’s Feelings, 6 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman Preachers need to be concerned about being Faithful to God Instead of worrying about Losing Members, Preachers need to be concerned about getting people to heaven Furthermore, we not only see – The ‘Message He Delivered’ But also B. The ‘Messiah He Declared’ The Ministry of John the Baptist was to announce the arrival of the Messiah - the Lord Jesus Christ John 1:7, 8 says of the Baptist – “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light” John’s primary purpose of his Ministry was to introduce men to the One who could save them from their sins Matthew 3:3 says that he was sent to – “Prepare ye way of the Lord” and to “make His paths straight” 7 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman The image is of someone who went before a king, and prepared things for his arrival John was sent as a herald of the coming Messiah—the Lord Jesus Christ (a bringer of news) As John preached, he told the people that the Lord was coming He said in Matthew 3:11 – “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire” Then, one day as John was baptizing, the Lord Jesus showed up The moment John saw Him, he knew who He was We read in John 1:29 – “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” The Baptist declares in John 1:30 – “This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for He was before me” One of the things that made John the Baptist a great man is that he had no other purpose in life than to Proclaim and Magnify the Lord Jesus Christ In John 3:30 he says – 8 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman “He must increase, but I must decrease” Truth: He was never trying to draw attention to himself He was always pointing people to Jesus! Greatness is never found in self-centeredness Spiritual greatness is found in those who live to make Christ known to others In all we do and say, it must never be about us We need to hide behind the cross, so that Christ, and Christ alone, gets all the glory HIS “ANNOUNCEMENTS” Secondly, let’s look at II. HIS “ARREST” The public ministry of John the Baptist was short lived In Matthew 4:12 we read – “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee” Approximately a year had passed since announced the Lamb of God to the public The reason for Matthew 14:3, 4 - John’s 9 arrest is John explained had in John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman “For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his Brother Philip’s wife” “For John had said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her” We will shortly look closer at his reason for being arrested, But first, let’s look at John while he was in prison Notice with me A. His ‘Doubt’ We are not sure how long John was in prison But while he was in prison he began to struggle with doubts We read in Matthew 11:2, 3 – “Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,” “And said unto Him, Art thou He that should come, or do we look for another?” John had publicly announced Jesus as the coming Messiah Yet now he is Perplexed and Confused John was saying in effect – “I have believed and even proclaimed you as the Messiah, but could I have been wrong?” 10 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman The words - “Art thou He that should come,”? Was a common designation for the Messiah John was Experiencing a Crisis in his Faith, (after being imprisoned for many months) John was struggling in his heart with misgivings and doubts about Jesus and if He really was the Messiah Quote: Warren Wiersbe writes: “It is not difficult to sympathize with John as he suffered in prison. He was a man of the desert, yet he was confined indoors. He was an active man, with a divine mandate to preach; yet he was silenced. He had announced judgment, and yet that judgment was slow in coming (Matt. 3:7-12). He received only partial reports of Jesus' ministry and could not see the total picture.” John was not in a place that was Conducive to living the Christian life Everything about John’s Situation and Surroundings would make it hard for anyone to keep their spirits up John was in the dungeon at the palace of Macherus This dungeon was dug deep in the earth beneath the palace There was no natural light and there was only dank, foul air to breathe He would spend about a year in that a depressing place There are many who think, that the reason for John’s doubt was due to his belief, 11 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman Let me explain Like many Jews looking for the Messiah, They believed that when He came He would set up His kingdom upon the earth This did not seem to be the course Jesus was pursuing And there appeared to be no effort to establish a Literal kingdom Whatever the case for his doubts, It is helpful to all of us to know that even men like John the Baptist were subject to Doubt and Discouragement I certainly can’t point a finger at him, For there have been times when I struggled in my own heart with things that happen I image that every believer has struggled in their heart at times with the ways of God in their life I love the answer Jesus gave to John We read in Matthew 11:4-6 – “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:” “The blind receive their sight, 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” “And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me” 12 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman Quote: Vance Havner translated Jesus’ answer this way, “Blessed is he who does not get upset with the way I do things” We may not always know what God is doing and where He is taking us in our life, But we can rest in His Love and Wisdom that He “doeth all things well” In our times of doubt, we can drop an anchor on His promise found in Psalms 72:18 “Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things” Glory! John’s ‘Doubt’ Furthermore, in his prison experience we see B. His ‘Death’ There would be no release for John Well, at least no physical release There would be an earthly release that would mean a heavenly home going John’s imprisonment would lead to his beheading We read of his execution in Matthew 14:10-12 – “And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison … 13 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman … And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus” Let’s back up now and look at the circumstances surrounding his arrest John had been arrested by Herod Antipas and thrown into the dungeon at the palace of Macherus The reason John had been arrested was for rebuking Herod for his wickedness in taking Herodias, his halfbrother Philip’s wife Herod, like his father, Herod the Great, was evil, and given to every kind of sinful excess Herodias is one of the wickedest women mentioned in the Bible, perhaps second only to Jezebel It is not known exactly when John the Baptist confronted Herod about his actions, But, both Herod and Herodias were outraged at his rebuke If it had not been for Herod’s fear of the people and how they felt about John, Herodias would have seen to it that he was executed immediately Herodias would scheme to have John executed and finally succeed when a party was held to celebrate Herod’s birthday 14 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman We read in Matthew 14:6 – “But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod” Josephus tells us the daughter’s name was Salome The scene is very revealing to the evil heart of both Herod and Herodias The kind of birthday party that was being held was more than the family gathering and blowing out candles on a cake The phrase “Herod’s birthday” actually became an euphemism for parties of excessive drinking, erotic dancing, and other unmentionable indulgences The dance of Herodias’ daughter was more than a dosydoe It was an erotic dance intended to inflame the passions of the guests who were present The word “pleased” was a euphemism describing someone being enamored (aroused) Herod in his drunken condition enamored with his stepdaughter found himself Herodias was so evil that she thought nothing of having her daughter perform such a lewd dance in front of her stepfather and the other guests One can only imagine the thoughts Herod had in mind when in Matthew 14:7 he said15 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman “Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask” His offer opened the door Herodias had been waiting for and she instructed her daughter to ask in v.8 – “Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger” Herod was sorry that he made such an oath, But we read - “And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother” One of the reasons John was such a great man is that he would not compromise with sin He was fearless when it came to proclaiming the Truth! A hallmark of greatness is spiritual boldness His stand for truth may have cost him his head, but he did not lose his life He emerged on the scene as a prophet of God and he died as a prophet He never lost his character or integrity He maintained a faithful life and witness until the day he died John is not the first Baptist preacher to upset someone I’ve made a few upset myself 16 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman Wisdom: I once heard someone say that they never wanted to make someone mad because of their disposition, But if they made them mad over their position they never thought twice about it To that I say “Amen!” (and on the other hand…) I never want to be some spiritual smart-aleck and just make people mad for the sake of making them mad However, when it comes to Truth and Sin, God save me from ever wobbling whatsoever I have actually heard some preachers say that if they took a stand, it would cost them their church If a preacher won’t take a stand, he needs running off! Can I get an “Amen” there! Quote: I think of the prayer of the old Nazarene preacher, Bud Robinson: “Oh Lord, give me a backbone as big as a saw log, ribs like the sleepers under the Church floor, put iron shoes on me and galvanized breeches, give me a rhinoceros hide for a skin, and hang a wagonload of determination up in the gable-end of my soul, and help me to sign the contract to fight the devil as long as I’ve got a fist and bite him as long as I have a tooth, then gum him till I die” Greatness is found in those who make Christ the center of all they are and all they do, As well as possessing a hatred for compromise and sin, And then being faithful to God and His Word no matter the consequences HIS “ANNOUNCEMENT” 17 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman HIS “ARREST” Last of all notice with me III. HIS “ASSESSMENT” The wise man Solomon made this statement in Proverbs 20:6 – “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” There are some who like to brag about what they have, what they have done, who they know, etc. Quote: Theodore Roosevelt was sometimes known as Roosevelt the First. One of his children said of him, “Father always had to be the center of attention. When he went to a wedding, he wanted to be the bride. When he went to a funeral, he was sorry that he couldn’t be the corpse.” I’ve known a few Roosevelt’s It is always about them For some, greatness is self-proclaimed However, on another occasion the wise man Solomon later said in Proverbs 27:2 “Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips” If there is to be any bragging, it should be others and not ourselves 18 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman If there is something in our life that is worthy of praise, let it be others who draw attention to it Another mark of greatness is that great people hardly think of themselves as being great They see themselves as anything but Great John the Baptist was called a Great man, but it did not come from himself As we have seen, Christ was the one who got all the attention in His Life and Ministry However, when an Assessment was made of John’s life, he was called Great As we conclude this study of John the Baptist, Notice with me – The Assessment given of John A. ‘Personally’ The Lord Jesus Himself gave this Personal Assessment of John the Baptist We read in Matthew 11:11 – “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist” What a recognition! The greatest ever born! 19 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman The word “verily” was a strong affirmation It is often transliterated, “Amen” Jesus and the disciples were talking about John and, Jesus said -“Amen! John is the greatest born of women” The phrase “born of women” was a ancient expression that referred to John as a human being Jesus was saying that he was the greatest human being that had ever been born As far as a human being was concerned, John had no equal The word “risen” is also interesting The word was often used of prophets who had been raised up to declare God’s Word Jesus was not only saying that John was the greatest of all human beings who had been born, But was as well, the greatest of all the prophets! I remind you that this Assessment was not given by The disciples of John, The disciples of Jesus, nor The multitudes who were familiar with John and his ministry 20 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman (No doubt they all would have spoken highly of him) This was the Lord Jesus Christ who was declaring that he was the Greatest This was no idle or insignificant complement Coming from the Lord Jesus, we know that among the greatest, John rose to the top Understanding who it was that gave this Assessment of John, Think with me for its B. ‘Preeminents’ It is one thing for others to brag on us, But the ultimate recognition came from the Lord Himself Others may call us Great, But real greatness is determined by the Lord’s approval of our life The whole world can call us great, But if we are not great in the Lord’s eyes, we are not really great The true measurement of a person’s life is never what others say about us People’s opinions can vary 21 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman One may say – “He’s a good man,” and another may say, “He’s a crook” One may say - “She’s very compassionate,” While another says - “She’s stuck up” The opinions of others are often shaped by their experiences with us, rather than what is actually true The truth is, the only opinion that really matters is the Lord’s CONCLUSION So what does the Lord say and think about us? This is what matters most and should be the only thing that matters to us I am sure all the disciples would have said John was a Great man I am not so sure they would have called him the Greatest There was one or two that may have claimed that for themselves Yet, it was Jesus who said he was the Greatest Of all that could have been said about him, What came from the Lord was the most important 22 John the Baptist – The Greatest Born Among Woman When we stand before the Lord, I will not be able to say, “Lord, so and so said I was a great man” On that day, nothing will matter except the Lord’s Assessment Matthew 25:21 - “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” It should be all that matters now HIS “ANNOUNCEMENT” HIS “ARREST” HIS “ASSESSMENT” 23