John—the man and his message 08/21/22

Series: Prepare the Way—John the Baptist

John—the man and his message

Mark 1; Luke 3; John 1

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one greater than John the Baptist has appeared...”

 Matthew 11:11

JTB facts

Other than Jesus, only John the Baptist’s birth and death are detailed in the New Testament.  Three of the four gospels begin with John the Baptist. 

John had mass appeal; some suggest he baptized 300,000 in two years.  John had disciplesthroughout the world. Like Jesus, John is considered a prophet in both Islam and Christianity.

the man

·      He took a Nazarite vow.  

·      He had a unique dress, diet, and home. 

·      His ministry style was confrontational.

his message

He preached repentance and the need for forgiveness.  

aphesis =  send away, let go, pardon

metanoia = change of mind

He asked people to be baptized to signify this repentance.

He taught that real change happened in the heart and not through external conformity. 

He focused on a coming Messiah.

A voice of one crying out: Prepare the way of the Lord in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.

Isaiah 40:3

Applications for Us

1.    God uses the unlikely among us to accomplish His purposes. 

2.    We need external help to fix our internal problem.

3.    We must be careful not to confuse messengers with the Messiah. 

4.    Like John, we can point people to Christ.

John 1:1-9