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Mark 1:1-8 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Today we're going to look at John the Baptist, or as I prefer to call him John the Baptizer.
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! Let's read together the first eight verses. Mark chapter 1.
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The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
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Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way.
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The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
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Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
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John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
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And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him,
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and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
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Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and wore a leather belt around his waist,
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and ate locusts and wild honey.
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And he preached, saying,
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After me comes he who is mightier than I,
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the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down,
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and untie.
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I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.
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Let's pray together.
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Father, certainly this morning we can echo the writing of the hymnists.
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We need you.
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We need you in this hour to bless the preaching of your word,
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for our hearing, for your sake.
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We pray this in Christ's name.
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Amen.
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So, today we're going to look a bit at who is John.
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Last week, who was Mark?
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Here we see who is John.
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But I want you to be very clear and remember that this is ultimately a story about Jesus Christ.
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But it's important, I think, that we know a little bit of the background.
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We see here in verse 4 that John appears.
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And he appears as the fulfillment of prophecy, as the foretold prophet.
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So, firstly, John was the foretold prophet.
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We see this bit of prophecy here in verse 2 and verse 3,
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which is kind of a mash-up.
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We know it's attributed here in Mark to Isaiah,
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but it's actually a bit of a combination of two.
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Verse 2 is the first part of Malachi 3.1,
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which reads in the ESV,
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Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
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And then verse 3 in Mark is from Isaiah 40, verse 3,
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which says,
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A voice cries,
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In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord.
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Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
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And these two verses together are commonly used,
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both in Matthew and in Luke,
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to prove who John the baptizer was,
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that he was this foretold prophet.
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Now, to clarify for you,
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as it says, as written in Isaiah, the prophet,
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it was very common when this was done,
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when two different prophecies were put together,
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to use the greater prophet,
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the prophet that had had more influence,
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that people would have been more familiar with,
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and to attribute the prophecy to that man.
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So this is a very common thing done in Hebrew writing.
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The writers of the New Testament quote sometimes exactly from the Hebrew.
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Sometimes they quote from the Septuagint,
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which is the Greek translation of the Old Testament.
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They would have had at this time.
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Sometimes they make sort of a general reference to a text.
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And sometimes it's an interpretive reference.
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This is what we see here.
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If you carefully were listening to me,
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quoting to you Malachi 3.1 and Isaiah 43,
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you saw that it wasn't the exact wording,
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but rather an interpretive reference.
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Remember that the New Testament writers were inspired,
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carried along by the Spirit of God to write this,
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and therefore we can take their interpretations as inspired
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to help us find meaning and help us understand the Old Testament text.
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So it's a common thing that's happening.
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As you're reading through your New Testament,
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and you're really checking out those cross references,
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and you're going back to the Old Testament,
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so that's not exactly what this says.
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It is.
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Because this was common practice that these people did
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as they were carried along by the Spirit of God.
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So we see that he is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy,
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and this is the extent of the argument that Mark makes in that regard.
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He gives us two verses put together as they were commonly done to say,
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this John, John the Baptizer,
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is the one that the Old Testament was telling us about,
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that Malachi the prophet and Isaiah the prophet said would come
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and make the way, would be the predecessor for Jesus Christ.
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Now I say to you, this is proof enough.
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There it is.
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Need he say more?
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Some of the other Gospel accounts make a more extensive case
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for who John the Baptizer was,
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that he was in fact this foretold prophet.
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But I want to remind you that Mark, most likely,
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it's widely accepted,
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wrote this Gospel account from Rome,
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more than likely in a Roman prison,
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for Roman Christians or a Roman audience to convince them.
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He didn't need to use the Old Testament in an extensive fashion.
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It wouldn't have meant that much to them.
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So it's important, I think, just to pause at this moment
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and recognize that it's important for us to look at a letter intended audience.
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Why is it that Mark did it in this way?
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It gives us two verses to say,
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this is John.
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This is the foretold prophet.
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And so we see this here in verse 2 and verse 3.
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Now, let's get down to verse 6 for a moment as we ask this question,
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who was John?
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There is certainly much that could be said about John the Baptizer.
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Right?
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Matthew, Luke, even John, the Gospel of John,
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speak of John rather extensively.
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And they report to us a number of interesting facts about him.
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Firstly, he was miraculously conceived
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because his parents were too old and had been barren.
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He was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb.
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It's a unique thing in this day.
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He was a relative of Jesus.
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He was the culmination of Old Testament prophetic history,
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the last prophet,
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and there hadn't been a prophet for 400 years.
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This is John the Baptizer.
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Jesus said in Matthew 1.11,
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He's the greatest man that ever lived up until His time.
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Why?
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Because He was the predecessor.
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He was the herald for Jesus Christ.
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Jesus Himself said He's the greatest man that ever lived up until His time.
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There's much that could be said about John the Baptizer,
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but Mark doesn't mention any of this, does he?
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He doesn't mention any of it.
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In verse 6, He gives us some seemingly obscure facts.
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The things that I have read over the years and just thought made John an odd guy.
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Right?
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He was clothed with camel's hair,
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wore a leather belt around his waist,
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and ate locusts and wild honey.
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What an oddball.
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But there's significance to this.
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The reason that the descriptive things that were given by Mark as just this is very, very important.
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So recognize, we need to hone in on these things.
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Firstly, we need to see that He was in the wilderness.
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Right?
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It doesn't actually say that in verse 6.
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I think we're up in verse 4.
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Right?
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But we need to recognize that He was in fact in the wilderness,
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which was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 43 and Micah 1.3 that we saw in verse 3.
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Right?
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He'd be the voice of one crying in the wilderness.
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So here we see the fulfillment of that.
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But why would He have been in the wilderness?
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It seems to me that it would have been more beneficial for John to have planted himself somewhere in the city
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where there were more people.
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That's typically a good habit if you're trying to perpetuate something,
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trying to get truth going, some sort of a movement, to be with people.
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Right?
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I wouldn't suggest to any of you that you go off in the wilderness to be a gospel herald.
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It's really not the best place to be.
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Go park on the AT and just talk to people who walk by you occasionally.
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Right?
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It's good to be around people.
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Be on campus.
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Be in your workplaces.
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Be in your neighborhoods.
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That's where people are.
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So why is it that He's in the wilderness and people are coming out to Him?
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You remember the wilderness at the first exodus when the people of God were led out of captivity,
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which was symbolic.
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It was a foreshadowing of the full and final salvation we have in Christ.
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The wilderness was a place of trial and judgment.
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So they're being called back out to the wilderness for the very same reason.
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A great quote I'm going to read to you, and I could not find the author of the quote.
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I found it attributed to somebody, but I don't think this person exists.
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I couldn't find any information about them anyway.
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So I'm just going to say to an unknown author, but this is very good.
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Listen carefully.
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The summons to be baptized in the Jordan means that Israel must once more come to the wilderness.
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As Israel long ago had been separated from Egypt by a pilgrimage through the waters of the Red Sea,
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the nation is exhorted again to exercise separation.
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The people are called to a second exodus in preparation for a new covenant with God.
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As the people heed John's call and go out to him in the desert,
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far more is involved than contrition and confession.
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They returned to a place of judgment, the wilderness,
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where the status of Israel as God's beloved son must be reestablished in the exchange of pride for humility.
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The willingness to return to the wilderness signifies the acknowledgement of Israel's history
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as one of disobedience and rebellion and a desire to begin once more.
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So not only is this a fulfillment of the prophecy,
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which I would say is the most important reason John was in the wilderness,
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but it was also a beckoning for people to come back to a place of humility,
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a place of recognition.
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Israel existed, dwelt in the desert for 40 years because of their disobedience.
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They come out once again to the wilderness to meet with him,
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to hear his preaching, and to be baptized.
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We see a record in verse 6, as I said, that he was dressed oddly.
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That he was dressed oddly.
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Certainly there could have been some practical application to him being clothed in camel's hair.
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In the desert it gets very cold at night.
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You may not realize that.
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Very hot in the day, but very cold at night.
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But the reference here is not to a hide.
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This wasn't a camel's hide.
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This would have been camel's hair woven.
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It's common.
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This happened, right?
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Coats and things were made of this type of material.
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And this is what he's wearing.
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Camel's hair and a leather belt.
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This was the garb.
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This was the uniform of prophets.
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There had yet been a prophet for 400 years.
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And John comes on the scene,
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and he knows that to be taken as a prophet,
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he must dress as a prophet.
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So catch this.
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Let me show you the evidence of this.
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Zechariah 13.4.
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Speaking of a day when false prophecy will cease,
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there's a prophecy about false prophecy ceasing,
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says he, being the false prophet,
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will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.
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2 Kings 1.8, when we meet Elijah the prophet,
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says he wore a garment of hair with a belt of leather about his waist.
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Elijah set the dress code for prophets.
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This was the way they set themselves apart from the people.
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They wore a rough clothing.
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Rather than a fine cotton, they wore rough clothing.
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Would have been similar to somebody clothing themselves in sackcloth.
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Uncomfortable cloth.
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This was the garb.
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This was the uniform of a prophet.
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And that's why Mark records it for us here.
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If you think about this,
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and I hope maybe at least a few of your minds were drawn to Jesus' words in Matthew 7.15,
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where he says,
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Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing,
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but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
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Very clever turn of phrase for Jesus,
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because the false prophets would have in fact come
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in some woven form of animal fur
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to say to the people,
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I am a prophet.
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But the heart is what matters in this case.
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So, he was dressed oddly, to be sure,
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but to set himself apart.
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As a prophet for God.
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John did not wish to be associated with the people,
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but rather with the prophets.
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Look at this prophecy in Malachi 4, 5, and 6 concerning John.
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Behold, I will send you Elijah,
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the prophet,
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before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
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And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children,
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and the hearts of children to their fathers,
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lest I come and strike the land with a decree
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of utter destruction.
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This is Malachi prophesying much time has passed
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since Elijah was on the scene.
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And here it says,
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Behold, I will send you Elijah,
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one like Elijah,
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the one we know as John,
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the baptizer.
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Now, as a side note,
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it's of some significance,
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but we also see that he ate oddly.
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He ate locusts and honey.
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These would have been plentiful things for him to eat in the desert.
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Would have been things that the average individual would not have ate as their set-apart diet.
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And so again, he's separating himself from the people.
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Incidentally, if you care about this,
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Leviticus 11, 22,
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the locusts were one of the only insects that God permitted people to eat in this day.
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So locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers were permissible in this way.
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I thought it was very interesting information about how they cooked them.
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All kinds of ways.
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I thought of the scene in Forrest Gump,
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all the different ways you can cook shrimp.
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They did all kinds of things with them.
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They roasted them.
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They ground them up and put them in flour.
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It's a good source of protein.
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Took off the legs and the wings,
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and did all kinds of things with the locusts.
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And this is what John ate.
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Plentiful supply of locusts and honey would have been there for him.
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Good protein and carbohydrate complement there.
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So this is what John is doing.
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This is why Mark chooses to share this information with us.
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So here's how we see it.
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We see John as a prophet in the line of Elijah,
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sent from God to herald the coming of the king.
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So that's who John was secondly.
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John was the herald of the king.
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We'll go back to verse 1.
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And recall his language here.
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The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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The Son of God.
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And this word gospel is the word euangelion.
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Euangelion.
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And now as he's writing to a primarily Gentile population,
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in Rome there would have been Jews as well.
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And they would have really understood this term.
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It meant generally good news.
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We know that.
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Gospel.
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Good news.
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It meant that generally.
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And was used in that way throughout history.
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Throughout both Hebrew and Greek writing.
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In a very general sense.
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But it more often was specifically used to speak of the coming of a God king.
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We have a couple of Old Testament examples of that.
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I read these to you last week.
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Isaiah 40 chapter 9.
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Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion.
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Herald of good news.
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Here's the word.
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In the Greek, in the Septuagint, would have been this word.
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Would have been translated that way.
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Lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem.
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Herald of good news.
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Euangelion.
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Lift it up.
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Fear not.
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Say to the cities of Judah,
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Behold your God.
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So here they are heralding God.
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Isaiah 52.7 says,
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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news.
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Euangelion.
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Who publishes peace.
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Who brings good news of happiness.
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Who publishes salvation.
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Who says to Zion,
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Your God reigns.
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Again, heralding the God king who will come.
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There also would have been a very clear understanding of this term in Greek culture.
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In Gentile culture.
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In Rome as well.
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Listen to this inscription from 9 B.C.
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Okay, so track the timeline there.
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Pre-Christ, 9 B.C.
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Listen to this inscription.
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The providence which has ordered the whole of our life,
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Showing concern and zeal,
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Has ordained the most perfect consummation for human life,
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By giving to it Augustus.
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Caesar Augustus.
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By filling him with virtue for doing the work of a benefactor among men,
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And by sending in him, as it were,
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A savior for us and those who come after us,
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To make war cease,
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To create order everywhere,
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The birthday of the God Augustus
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Is the beginning for the world of the good news,
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Of the gospel that has come to men through him.
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So this inscription, apparently,
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Etched on Caesar Augustus' birthday,
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Uses that very same term,
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Of course, in this manner,
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Speaking of Caesar Augustus.
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They worshipped him as a God-king.
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So they would have understood this term as well,
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This euangelion, right?
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That this was a good news of the coming of a king
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That was not just a king,
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But God who would reign.
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A lot of significance, right?
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In that little word,
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Right there at the beginning of the gospel of Mark.
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The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
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The Son of God.
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And here we see him ascribing to Jesus
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As Yeshua, the God who saves,
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As Christ, the anointed one, right?
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The king who saves,
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And as the Son of God,
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Who has equality then with God.
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You see now the power and the thrust of verse 1.
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And then he goes right on to tell us about
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John the baptizer,
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The one who is coming to tell us of this
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God-king,
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Who is coming to reign.
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Turn to Luke chapter 1.
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This is the record of the angel coming to Zechariah,
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Who was John the baptizer's father.
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Beginning in verse 13,
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It says,
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Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
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For your prayer has been heard,
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And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
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John.
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And you shall call his name John,
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And you will have joy and gladness,
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And many will rejoice at his birth.
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For he will be great before the Lord.
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And he must not drink wine or strong drink,
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And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,
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Even from his mother's womb.
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And he will turn many of the children of Israel
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To the Lord their God.
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And he will go before him
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In the spirit and power of Elijah.
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There he is again, Elijah.
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To turn the heart to the fathers,
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To the children,
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And the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,
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To make ready for the Lord
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A people prepared.
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So here's the work that he's about doing, right?
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Heralding the coming of this king,
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The Lord,
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The one who will come and reign,
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To make them ready for his reign.
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So what was he saying to prepare the people?
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What was it that he was preaching
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To prepare the people
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For the coming of Jesus?
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We see in verse 4,
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Excuse me, I'm going to back up a sec.
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Firstly, judgment.
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Not found necessarily in verse 4,
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But we see that in verse 4,
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He was preaching a baptism of repentance
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For the forgiveness of sins.
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Why do we need forgiveness of sins
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If there is no judgment?
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Okay, so there's my connection for you.
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Right?
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But turn down to Luke chapter 3.
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To show you some of what he was saying.
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We'll step out of Mark
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To give you a little bit of weight
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To what was being preached
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By John the baptizer.
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Beginning in verse 7,
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He said therefore to the crowds
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That came out to be baptized by him,
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You brood of vipers,
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Who warned you to flee
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From the wrath to come?
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Bear fruits in keeping with repentance
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And do not begin to say to yourselves,
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We have Abraham as our father.
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For I tell you,
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God is able from these stones
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To raise up children for Abraham.
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Even now the axe is laid
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To the root of the tree.
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Every tree therefore
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That does not bear good fruit
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Is cut down and thrown into the fire.
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Right?
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Don't come out here
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Making claims
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That just because you're a Jew
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You have salvation.
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Right?
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You must bear fruit
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In keeping with repentance.
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That's what he's saying.
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He's preaching judgment to them.
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And then skip down to verse 15.
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As the people were in expectation
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And all were questioning
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In their hearts concerning John
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Whether he might be the Christ,
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John answered them all saying,
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I baptize you with water,
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But he who is mightier than I
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Is coming,
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The strap of whose sandals
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I'm not worthy to untie,
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He will baptize you
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With the Holy Spirit
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And fire.
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His winnowing fork
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Is in his hand
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To clear his threshing floor
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And to gather the wheat
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Into his barn.
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But the chaff he will burn
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With unquenchable fire.
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So here he is
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Preaching this judgment
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Upon the people
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That are coming out to him.
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Because of your sin,
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Because of your offense to God,
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You will be destroyed.
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Right?
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So here we see
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As he's preaching
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A baptism of repentance
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For the forgiveness of sins,
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This is why.
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Right?
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It's this teaching of judgment
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That he's bringing upon them.
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That God will in fact
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Judge the wicked.
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Secondly,
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He's also preaching
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Repentance.
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I flipped my notes this morning
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So I apologize for the
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Previous misspeak.
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He's preaching repentance.
22:08
A baptism of repentance
22:10
For the forgiveness of sins.
22:12
Now at this point,
22:12
This is where I'd like to explain to you
22:13
Why I like to call him
22:14
John the Baptizer.
22:15
Right?
22:16
This was a signifying mark for him.
22:18
Certainly appropriate to him
22:19
As he was in the wilderness
22:20
Baptizing
22:21
In the Jordan River.
22:24
Right?
22:24
It's a way to set him apart.
22:25
There were a lot of Johns
22:26
In this day.
22:27
A couple of years ago
22:28
We would have said that
22:29
Of our church as well.
22:30
Lots of Johns
22:30
In our church.
22:33
Right?
22:33
So this is a way of
22:33
Setting him apart.
22:35
Right?
22:35
John was not the first Baptist.
22:38
To be clear.
22:39
Right?
22:39
I think he would have
22:40
Agreed with us.
22:41
But he was not
22:42
The first Baptist.
22:43
He was simply
22:43
John who baptized.
22:46
Right?
22:46
John the Baptizer.
22:48
Right?
22:49
But what is this
22:50
Baptism that he's doing?
22:52
What is this
22:52
Pre-Christ
22:54
Baptism
22:55
That we're observing
22:55
At this point?
22:56
Because we understand
22:57
Baptism to be
22:58
A symbol
22:59
A picture
23:00
Of what Christ
23:01
Has accomplished
23:01
On our behalf
23:02
With his death
23:04
And his resurrection.
23:06
Right?
23:06
Romans 6
23:07
3-4 says
23:08
Do you not know
23:09
That all of us
23:09
Who have been baptized
23:10
Into Christ Jesus
23:11
Were baptized
23:12
Into his death?
23:13
We were buried
23:14
Therefore with him
23:15
By baptism
23:15
Into death
23:16
In order that
23:17
Just as Christ
23:18
Was raised from the dead
23:19
By the glory of the Father
23:20
We too might walk
23:21
In the newness of life.
23:23
Okay?
23:23
So here we have
23:24
The picture
23:25
That Paul's laying out
23:26
For us
23:26
About what baptism
23:27
Is meant to symbolize
23:28
To show people
23:29
What has taken place
23:30
In our hearts.
23:32
Right?
23:33
But Christ has yet to be
23:34
Killed and buried
23:37
And resurrected.
23:38
Right?
23:38
So what is this baptism
23:39
That John is performing
23:41
In the wilderness?
23:42
There was a practice
23:45
Called proselytite baptism
23:48
And that would have been
23:50
For somebody
23:50
Who was not
23:51
Of Jewish descent
23:52
But was a Gentile
23:54
And wanted to come
23:55
And worship God
23:56
With the Jews.
23:57
Right?
23:58
As they saw rightly
23:59
To worship the God
24:00
Of the Hebrews
24:01
And wanted to be included
24:03
In that community
24:04
Of faith.
24:05
It's called
24:06
Proselytite baptism.
24:08
Right?
24:09
It was a very uncommon thing.
24:11
Very, very rarely happened.
24:13
But by and large
24:15
Up until this point
24:16
Until Christ sends the gospel
24:19
Out to the world.
24:20
Right?
24:20
Israel had been very closed off
24:22
To the nations.
24:23
They were really meant
24:23
To be that way.
24:24
We talked about that
24:25
In Nehemiah
24:25
That they were meant
24:26
To be a people
24:26
Set apart for God's glory.
24:28
So it's very rare
24:29
That God brought
24:30
Into the family
24:31
Into the community
24:33
Somebody in this way.
24:36
But recognize
24:36
Who's coming out.
24:38
Verse 5
24:39
And all the country
24:40
Of Judea
24:40
And all Samaria
24:41
A vast number of people
24:43
We don't read these
24:44
Alls as literal
24:45
Alls
24:46
But a vast number
24:47
Of people
24:47
Are coming out.
24:48
People of Jewish descent
24:50
Judea and Jerusalem.
24:52
Right?
24:53
I think I just said
24:53
Samaria.
24:54
Excuse me.
24:54
Judea and Jerusalem
24:55
They're coming out
24:57
To be baptized
24:58
With a proselytite
25:01
Baptism.
25:02
Which was to say
25:04
They recognized
25:05
Their offense
25:07
Against God
25:08
To the degree
25:09
That they saw
25:10
That they ought
25:11
Not be treated
25:12
As the people of God.
25:13
That they should be
25:14
Treated as a Gentile
25:16
Outside of this
25:17
Community
25:18
This covenant community.
25:19
They were seeing
25:20
That it was more
25:22
Than just
25:22
Their Jewish descent
25:24
That made them
25:25
Right before God.
25:26
But rather
25:27
Repentance of sin
25:29
And righteous living.
25:32
Catch that.
25:33
That's important.
25:33
This was
25:35
For these Jews
25:36
Radical repentance.
25:38
Seeing this
25:39
To be the case
25:40
Was a huge
25:42
Deal
25:42
For them.
25:44
Now
25:45
What John
25:46
Was doing for them
25:47
Was simply
25:48
To prepare them
25:49
For the Christ.
25:51
Simply to prepare them
25:52
For what was happening.
25:52
This was not
25:53
Forgiveness
25:53
Of their sins.
25:55
Right?
25:56
But it was to prepare
25:56
Their hearts
25:57
For the gospel
25:58
That was coming
25:59
To them
26:00
In the person
26:01
And work
26:01
Of Jesus Christ.
26:03
Okay?
26:04
So be careful
26:04
At that step.
26:06
Right?
26:06
This was not
26:07
John had a special
26:08
A special time
26:09
Where he got to
26:10
Baptize people
26:10
And that forgave
26:11
Their sins.
26:11
It didn't.
26:12
In fact
26:12
We have a record here
26:13
That all the country
26:15
Of Judea
26:15
And all Jerusalem
26:17
Were coming out to him
26:18
Listening to his teaching
26:19
Receiving his baptism.
26:21
How many people
26:22
After Christ is crucified
26:23
Do we see waiting
26:24
Upon him
26:25
Afterwards?
26:26
Right?
26:27
120.
26:29
So was there
26:30
True
26:31
Genuine
26:32
Repentance
26:33
On their part?
26:35
No.
26:36
But this was a step
26:37
To prepare them
26:38
For what was to come.
26:41
Most of these people
26:42
Came out
26:43
Thinking
26:44
They were repenting
26:45
And in fact
26:46
Weren't.
26:46
But this was what
26:47
Was going on.
26:47
This is proselytite
26:48
Baptism.
26:49
This is why
26:50
He was baptizing
26:51
In this way.
26:54
Thirdly
26:54
John was preaching
26:55
Jesus Christ.
26:57
I'm getting to you next.
26:59
Verse 8
27:00
We see that
27:01
John baptized
27:02
With water
27:02
But Jesus
27:03
Will baptize
27:05
With the Holy Spirit.
27:07
We're not referring here
27:08
To some
27:09
Pentecostal
27:10
Second baptism.
27:11
It's not at all
27:11
What's being talked about here.
27:13
This is the washing
27:14
Of regeneration
27:15
And the renewing
27:17
Of the Holy Spirit
27:17
Of Titus chapter 3.
27:19
This is the new covenant
27:20
Purification
27:21
Cleansing
27:22
Transformation
27:23
Regeneration
27:24
New birth.
27:27
And John says to them
27:28
I can't give you that.
27:30
I can prepare the way.
27:32
I can herald
27:33
The coming king.
27:34
The one
27:34
Who can come
27:35
And give to you
27:37
New hearts.
27:38
The one that will
27:39
Come to you
27:40
And bring you
27:40
The Holy Spirit.
27:42
I can't do that.
27:43
I can prepare your hearts.
27:44
I can maybe
27:44
Massage them a little bit
27:45
To get you prepared
27:46
For the coming
27:47
Of the king
27:48
Who can give you
27:49
The spirit.
27:52
This is why
27:53
He says
27:53
He's not even
27:54
Worthy to untie
27:56
Jesus' sandals.
27:59
It was not his point
28:00
To get people
28:00
To worship him.
28:01
It was his point
28:01
To get people
28:02
To worship
28:03
The Christ.
28:05
Right?
28:05
Now understand
28:06
That this task
28:08
That he says
28:08
That he is below
28:09
Would have been
28:11
The lowest
28:12
Possible task
28:13
For any slave
28:15
In Jewish culture.
28:17
This would have been
28:17
The lowliest
28:19
Of the low task.
28:20
The reason that
28:21
Jesus washed
28:21
The disciples' feet
28:22
Would have been this.
28:23
You did not
28:24
Want to be around
28:24
Feet at this time.
28:26
I think as a culture
28:27
Now we probably
28:28
Understand that more
28:29
Because all of you
28:31
Wear Chacos
28:32
All summer.
28:33
And your feet
28:34
Stink.
28:35
Right?
28:35
We at least
28:36
Get the benefit
28:36
Of bathing
28:37
And soap
28:38
For our sandals
28:39
And can do things
28:40
Like that.
28:40
They didn't do that
28:41
As often
28:42
In this case.
28:43
And their feet
28:44
Stunk.
28:45
Right?
28:45
They were dirty.
28:47
Filthy.
28:47
So the job
28:48
For a slave
28:49
To untie
28:50
Somebody's sandals
28:51
Was a low job.
28:53
In fact
28:53
Most masters
28:54
Didn't require
28:55
That of any
28:55
Of their slaves.
28:56
They thought
28:56
It so belittling
28:58
They didn't even
28:58
Ask them to do it.
29:00
They would untie
29:00
Their sandals
29:01
Themselves
29:02
And then let
29:03
The slave
29:03
Wash their feet.
29:04
Right?
29:05
So this is
29:05
An incredibly
29:06
Subservient thing.
29:08
And what John
29:08
Is saying is
29:09
I'm not even
29:10
Worthy
29:11
To do that.
29:12
Right?
29:12
Think of the
29:13
Most humble person
29:15
In our society.
29:16
I am more humble
29:17
Than that
29:18
Compared to
29:19
This Christ.
29:22
Right?
29:22
John was a great man.
29:24
Jesus himself said
29:25
That John was a great man.
29:27
Filled with the spirit
29:28
From his mother's womb.
29:30
Right?
29:30
Accomplishing
29:31
Great things
29:32
For the coming
29:33
Of the kingdom.
29:33
The first prophet
29:34
In 400 years.
29:35
And he says
29:36
Compared to the one
29:37
Who is coming
29:37
I am
29:39
Nothing.
29:40
His aim
29:41
Was to point
29:42
People
29:43
To Christ.
29:46
We see the record
29:47
Of the words here.
29:48
John chapter 3
29:49
Verse 28 through 30.
29:50
John the baptizer
29:51
Speaking.
29:53
He says
29:53
I am not the Christ.
29:54
People were speculating that.
29:55
They thought maybe he was.
29:57
He says
29:57
I am not the Christ
29:58
But I have been sent
29:59
Before him.
30:00
The one who has the bride
30:02
Is the bridegroom.
30:03
The friend of the bridegroom
30:04
Who stands and hears him
30:06
Rejoices greatly
30:07
At the bridegroom's voice.
30:08
That's John.
30:09
The friend of the bridegroom.
30:11
Therefore
30:11
This joy of mine
30:13
Is now complete.
30:14
He must increase
30:15
But I must decrease.
30:17
He must be made great.
30:19
Stop coming
30:20
And looking to me.
30:21
Stop worshipping me.
30:22
I am simply
30:23
John the baptizer.
30:24
The one you need to worship
30:25
Is Jesus.
30:27
The Christ.
30:29
And that's what he was
30:30
Out there doing.
30:31
Preaching this.
30:32
Judgment.
30:33
The repentance of sin.
30:35
And Jesus Christ
30:36
In whom we find
30:37
Our forgiveness.
30:38
Jesus.
30:40
Jesus.
30:41
The coming king.
30:42
Jesus.
30:43
The one who would come
30:44
And rule
30:45
In the hearts of men.
30:46
Who would bring his kingdom
30:47
To earth in a way
30:48
That nobody thought
30:50
As they reviewed
30:51
The Old Testament text.
30:52
They thought he would come
30:53
In a charge
30:54
With an army.
30:56
Conquer Rome.
30:57
Send them back
30:58
Cowering.
31:00
Instead he came
31:01
And brought his kingdom
31:01
To rule in the hearts
31:02
Of the men.
31:03
And that is the kingdom
31:03
We are part of
31:04
This morning.
31:06
We are part of
31:07
This kingdom.
31:09
So John was the
31:10
Foretold prophet
31:11
Who came to herald
31:12
The coming
31:13
Of a new king.
31:16
It's good news.
31:17
Isn't it?
31:18
That is good news.
31:21
A king who would usher
31:21
A kingdom
31:22
Of forgiveness
31:23
For sins.
31:24
John foretold
31:24
The coming of
31:25
Jesus Christ
31:26
Who would be
31:27
The great climax
31:28
Of redemptive history.
31:30
The Jesus that we
31:31
Have placed our faith in
31:32
For the forgiveness
31:33
Of our sins.
31:34
The source of our life.
31:36
Our joy.
31:37
Our comfort.
31:39
Our peace.
31:41
He is to us
31:41
Our great prophet.
31:43
Our atoning priest.
31:45
And our glorious king.
31:48
And now it has been
31:49
Given to us
31:50
As those who are
31:52
Filled by the spirit
31:53
By the work of Christ.
31:56
Much like John
31:57
Was filled by the spirit.
31:59
To also be heralds
32:01
Of our king
32:02
Who is coming
32:04
Again
32:04
To return.
32:06
This is the place
32:06
We find ourselves in.
32:07
He has come
32:08
Brought the kingdom.
32:09
He's coming
32:10
To complete
32:11
That work.
32:13
Right?
32:13
And that is our
32:14
Task now.
32:15
In that way
32:16
John's a very unique
32:17
Character in the
32:18
Biblical narrative.
32:19
But in that way
32:20
We should be
32:21
Just like him.
32:23
Making much of Christ.
32:25
Making very little
32:26
Of ourselves.
32:27
Right?
32:27
I fail if you look at me
32:28
On Sunday morning.
32:30
Right?
32:30
If you look at me
32:30
And think
32:31
Nathan's a great speaker.
32:33
But if you do that
32:34
I failed
32:35
At my job.
32:36
Right?
32:36
But if you look
32:37
To Christ
32:38
And you say
32:38
Christ is a great savior.
32:40
He is a king
32:41
Worth worshipping.
32:42
Then I have succeeded.
32:44
Right?
32:44
I must decrease.
32:45
He must increase.
32:47
Right?
32:47
All of us
32:48
Must do this
32:49
For the sake of the kingdom
32:50
Our good
32:51
And God's glory.
32:53
Let's pray together.
32:53
Amen.
32:54
Amen.
32:54
Amen.
32:56
Amen.
32:58
Amen.