Luke 1:76 And thou child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest: for thou shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.
Oh Friends, today being Christmas Eve, the day before we celebrate the birth of Christ, I thought it appropriate to consider the one that came just before Jesus, to blaze the trail for Him; John the Baptist. I don’t think he gets enough credit for his efforts and the important role he played in Jesus being able to easily segue into His own ministry. What a joy it must have brought Zechariah to prophecy such great things of his son, John? He’d been struck dumb during the gestation for not believing God’s promise, that his hitherto barren wife, Elisabeth would bear him a son. And confusion reigned on the eight day after his birth, at the circumcision, when they tried to name him after his father, but his mother said no, his name was John. And Zechariah’s reaction? He wrote, ‘His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:63-64) The Holy Spirit came upon him and he prophesied. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people. And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.’ He then recounted God’s promise to Abraham and the prophets to send a deliverer for his people. (Luke 68-75) This brought him to John’s role. ‘And thou child shall be called the prophet of the highest: for thou shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.’ Yes Friends, John was thought of as a prophet among prophets; the only one, besides Jesus, prophesied of before his coming. The one of whom Isaiah declared: ‘The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ (Is.40:3) He’s also the one of whom Malachi said: ‘Behold I will send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me.’ (Mal.3:1) And at the appointed time, John lived up to his purpose; he began preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ (Mat.3:2-3) Yes people, isn’t it amazing how everything eventually falls into place in the Good Book! After that, all the people in the region went out to see John, dressed in camel hair top and leather girdle, living on a diet of wild honey and locusts; ‘And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.’ (Mat.3:6) But when the Pharisees and Sadducees came, he castigated them; ‘O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance…for every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.’ (Mat.3:7-10) The same message applies to us today Friends. We need to produce good fruit, and we can only do that by sowing good seeds; activities that bear obedience to the Lord and His Word, being attached to the vine of life that’s Jesus. For John warned them, ‘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.’ (Mat.3:11) I find it strange though, that Mary and Elisabeth were cousins, making Jesus and John cousins and about the same age, but they never seem to have met or developed a relationship during their formative years. I guess that’s the way the Lord wanted it. However, when Jesus came to be baptized by John, it seems he recognized a kindred, but higher spirit, cause at first he refused to baptize Jesus, saying that Jesus should be baptizing him. But Jesus replied, ‘Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.’ (Mat3:15) To fulfill all the prophecies, Jesus had to connect Himself to John’s ministry in some outward fashion. And the Spirit of God, in the form of a dove, that symbol of everlasting peace, descended on Jesus as He rose from beneath the water, ‘and lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Mat.3:17) Thus the connection was made and Jesus began His own ministry thereafter. Unfortunately, John only heard about Jesus’ works because by then he was imprisoned, but sent two of his own followers to ask Jesus, ‘Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?’ Jesus told them, ‘Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see.’ (Mat.11:3-4) Re the blind receiving sight, lepers cleansed, the lame walking etc. Then Jesus asked the crowd around Him, what they’d gone out in the wilderness to see? ‘A reed shaken with the wind?…A man clothed in soft raiment?…A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.’ (Mat11:7-11) Yes Friends, great praise from Jesus for John, acknowledging his unique contribution, his selfless efforts to pave the way for His coming. Let’s appreciate John a little more too, for he was like the the bulldozer that first goes in to clear the land, to do the heavy, dirty work, so that a smooth, paved road can eventually be built. Much LOVE!…all believers…ought to be…like voices crying out…repent…the Lord is at hand…
Oh Friends, today being Christmas Eve, the day before we celebrate the birth of Christ, I thought it appropriate to consider the one that came just before Jesus, to blaze the trail for Him; John the Baptist. I don’t think he gets enough credit for his efforts and the important role he played in Jesus being able to easily segue into His own ministry. What a joy it must have brought Zechariah to prophecy such great things of his son, John? He’d been struck dumb during the gestation for not believing God’s promise, that his hitherto barren wife, Elisabeth would bear him a son. And confusion reigned on the eight day after his birth, at the circumcision, when they tried to name him after his father, but his mother said no, his name was John. And Zechariah’s reaction? He wrote, ‘His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:63-64) The Holy Spirit came upon him and he prophesied. ‘Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people. And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.’ He then recounted God’s promise to Abraham and the prophets to send a deliverer for his people. (Luke 68-75) This brought him to John’s role. ‘And thou child shall be called the prophet of the highest: for thou shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.’ Yes Friends, John was thought of as a prophet among prophets; the only one, besides Jesus, prophesied of before his coming. The one of whom Isaiah declared: ‘The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.’ (Is.40:3) He’s also the one of whom Malachi said: ‘Behold I will send my messenger and he will prepare the way before me.’ (Mal.3:1) And at the appointed time, John lived up to his purpose; he began preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ (Mat.3:2-3) Yes people, isn’t it amazing how everything eventually falls into place in the Good Book! After that, all the people in the region went out to see John, dressed in camel hair top and leather girdle, living on a diet of wild honey and locusts; ‘And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.’ (Mat.3:6) But when the Pharisees and Sadducees came, he castigated them; ‘O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance…for every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.’ (Mat.3:7-10) The same message applies to us today Friends. We need to produce good fruit, and we can only do that by sowing good seeds; activities that bear obedience to the Lord and His Word, being attached to the vine of life that’s Jesus. For John warned them, ‘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.’ (Mat.3:11) I find it strange though, that Mary and Elisabeth were cousins, making Jesus and John cousins and about the same age, but they never seem to have met or developed a relationship during their formative years. I guess that’s the way the Lord wanted it. However, when Jesus came to be baptized by John, it seems he recognized a kindred, but higher spirit, cause at first he refused to baptize Jesus, saying that Jesus should be baptizing him. But Jesus replied, ‘Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.’ (Mat3:15) To fulfill all the prophecies, Jesus had to connect Himself to John’s ministry in some outward fashion. And the Spirit of God, in the form of a dove, that symbol of everlasting peace, descended on Jesus as He rose from beneath the water, ‘and lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Mat.3:17) Thus the connection was made and Jesus began His own ministry thereafter. Unfortunately, John only heard about Jesus’ works because by then he was imprisoned, but sent two of his own followers to ask Jesus, ‘Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?’ Jesus told them, ‘Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see.’ (Mat.11:3-4) Re the blind receiving sight, lepers cleansed, the lame walking etc. Then Jesus asked the crowd around Him, what they’d gone out in the wilderness to see? ‘A reed shaken with the wind?…A man clothed in soft raiment?…A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.’ (Mat11:7-11) Yes Friends, great praise from Jesus for John, acknowledging his unique contribution, his selfless efforts to pave the way for His coming. Let’s appreciate John a little more too, for he was like the the bulldozer that first goes in to clear the land, to do the heavy, dirty work, so that a smooth, paved road can eventually be built. Much LOVE!…all believers…ought to be…like voices crying out…repent…the Lord is at hand…
SCRIP-BITS 