John the Baptist | Pastor William Hixson

There's a cost for contending for the

faith once delivered to the saints.

There's a price to pay if you want to do

that accurately

and sufficiently

and biblically.

And John paid the price.

And remember Jesus was baptized by

someone who what separated from the

apostate system.

It was someone who did that that God

used to introduce Jesus to that nation.

So John and Jesus both were a great

rebuke for the system that had it

started well but had been corrupted. And

when Jesus cleansed the temple in the

beginning of his ministry and then

cleansed it again at the end of his

ministry, it's a shocking thing. Things

hadn't changed after three years of

Jesus teaching.

Uh

and so you know the there was no change.

The people who were in charge of the

temple were doing the same things that

they were doing that Jesus rebuked in

the beginning.

So there's nothing like voting with your

feet.

And there was an emphasis in John's

ministry of separation. The New

Testament starts out with that. And by

being baptized by John,

then Jesus was baptized by one that was

rebuking the whole thing.

Now that gives him legitimacy before God

because God accepted his baptism

by John.

We can call it ecclesiastical

separation. There was no church in the

Old Testament in my theology. But it,

you know what I'm talking about, a

separation from a religious system

that's gone corrupt.

And so, um, when you got Sadducees that

don't even believe in the resurrection

in charge and they don't believe in in

they they're misusing the system and

making money hand over fist off of

people coming to worship. Uh, and

they're willing to kill Jesus just so

they can keep their place.

Uh, those people were the ones in

charge. And when false people get in

charge, you're it's over.

So,

we will never have a revival

unless we're willing to be outside the

camp.

And that's what the whole book of

Hebrews says. The whole book of Hebrews,

the first 13 chapters are get to get you

to the end.

Go to him. Jesus is outside the camp.

Let's go to Jesus outside the camp.

Jesus was baptized outside the camp. He

started his ministry outside the camp.

And so it's important to know that. So

this baptism that John was doing, it

emphasize separation. Now, obviously, it

was emphasizing your sinners and you

need to be forgiven. But it it is

preaching that message in the context of

what the current temple program can't do

it because the people in it and are

running it are

now Jesus went to the temple and Jesus

went to the synagogues but when he did

he upset everything. He was there was no

quiet uh get along.

How do they say that? Go along to stay

get along. There was no go along to get

along.

Every time he went somewhere, he upset

people.

So uh and he made his stand.

So Jesus himself

recognized the system. This is my

father's house. But he also recognized

the corruption in the system.

So how many local churches have gone

bad? They weren't they weren't usually

most of them were not bad when they

started.

Most of them were good when they

started. It's the strange thing, isn't

it?

And so um uh anyway, this emphasis on

separation starts out the New Testament.

Second, there's a reproving of sin.

John the Baptist died because he told

the king, "You're not allowed to be

married to this woman.

You stole your brother's wife." And

that's not right.

And this this whole thing is wrong.

And and it was wrong. But John was one

who he who was very clear of reproving

sin in very dramatic ways. And he wasn't

afraid who he told it to either. He was

not afraid of calling a spade a spade.

And so it says in verse

four, John did baptize in the wilderness

and preached the baptism of what?

Repentance.

Repentance is a meta. No. It means to

have a change of mind.

And it means to have a change of mind

about sin and a change of mind about

God. The change of mind about myself.

When you repent, you have a change of

mind. The sins you justified, you no

longer justify.

You don't call your sins by a polite

name. I had an affair. You call it by

its right name. I committed adultery.

You don't put a a polite name on it.

Call it for what it is.

and you admit it for what it is. And

there'll never be a revival. There'll

never be a reformation. There'll never

be anything like that until God's people

understand you

you cannot work with a system that's

false and give it legitimacy by being in

it. And that's true. It'll be true of

this church if this church ever goes

off. You you can't do that. Now, no

church is perfect. Every church has got

their weaknesses, but I remember what BB

Warfield said when the Presbyterian

church was going bad in the 1920s and he

was a big time professor at Princeton

Seminary and someone said, "Do you think

the seminary will split? Do you think

the church will split?" And that because

the liberals were taking over Princeton

Seminary and already taken over the

Presbyterian denomination and that was

one of the strongest best denominations

in the country for years, decades, more

than decades.

But Bieber said, "No, it won't split.

You can't split rotten wood.

It's so bad you can't split it.

It's just rotten."

And basically John, I hope you

understand the cost of contending for

the faith. He his food, his clothing,

his where he his choice of the

wilderness over the temple, his choice

of wild honey and and uh uh locust over

regular food

uh and to be outside at the Jordan. his

whole lif style as well as his message

was a reproof of sin. And what was he

saying? It's not enough for you to be a

Jew and go to the temple.

The temple's corrupt. Your theology is

messed up. You've got bad leaders. And

therefore, you need to repent of your

sins.

all of you, the whole thing has to start

over.

That's what he was doing.

And so his mannerisms

and his the very geography and King

Herod killed him because he was against

sin.

And so there was one person that was

president of the United States. I forget

which one it was. And it was about a

hundred years ago. He came home and he

he I don't believe he was a Christian. I

can't remember. But his wife said,

"Well, how was the sermon?" He said,

"Well, he was against sin.

He preached against sin. He was against

sin." And so, so,

well, that's that's John. He was against

sin. But don't think John was just

negative.

There are some people their whole

emphasis even to the church is negative.

This is wrong. This is wrong. This is

wrong. This is wrong. This is bad. This

is bad. And they have no positive.

It's good to be negative about things

that we should be negative about,

but we need to major on

positive things. It's called the good

news, not the bad news.

The bad news is we're sinners and we're

under judgment. The good news is God's

got an answer for that. And notice in

Mark's gospel, the beginning of the

gospel or the good news of Jesus Christ,

the son of God.

So John's message was good news. Even

though he had a very strong uh

exhortation

about it and a separation from sin, he

took a very very strong stand. But John

didn't stop with exposing sin and and

just speaking about salvation from sin.

John, every time you see John the

Baptist, he's pointing to Jesus Christ.

That was his consistent message. Behold

the lamb of God that takes away the sin

of the world.

He must increase. I must decrease.

The one that has the bride is the

bridegroom.

Isn't that John?

And even when he was questioning, are

you the one to come or should we look

for another? John was always pointing

people away from himself

and to the the Messiah.

And it was the Messiah's person and work

that was at the very heart of his life.

Paul said, "I don't I didn't know

anything among you except Jesus Christ

and him crucified."

And that's what John the Baptist was.

And so his ministry was not just a code

of ethics or an exhortation to a higher

uh life of conduct.

He was separated from the false, but he

was focused on the true. May that be

true for you.

Paul introduced his letter to Romans

separated to the gospel of God.

Paul taught separation, personal and

ecclesiastical and don't be unequally

yolked with unbelievers and all of that.

But Paul was separated to the gospel and

he wanted people to be and the whole

book of Colossians is to get people to

talk look at Christ. Right?

Preeminence of Christ

now here's a question and I'm not trying

to insult the Amish. I I enjoy Lyn and I

love love being in Amish country.

We've even got some detective shows

taking place in Amish country in Ohio.

We watch them because they're right

under my old stomping grounds

and I see places that I've been in the

movie in the the detective show.

But how was John different than the

Amish?

Well, he didn't eat as good as they did.

like those Amish restaurants. Food is

wonderful.

Uh I pastored for assistant pastor at

Dober Bible Church for three years and

I've eaten at a lot of Amish country

restaurants.

But Amish are separated, aren't they? No

electricity, no cars. Uh uh they dress

differently, they live differently. And

I'm not criticizing him for that in

itself.

But John was very, very different than

the Amish.

And

think about this,

and again, I'm not trying to criticize

them. I'm just trying to illustrate.

The Amish have separated from our

culture in the West. They've separated.

They don't want to be like us. And many

times, I don't blame them.

Uh, but the Amish are looking for a

period of time when it was different.

That's why they drive buggies and farm

the way they do and dress the way they

do and so forth. They are locked into an

older era.

Um,

and places do get locked in.

Uh, but the Amish will never be John the

Baptist. Their focus is what I would

call nostalgic, not prophetic.

And they have a separation against the

English. That's what they call us.

But the sad thing, some of them don't

even know the gospel.

I have witnessed to Amish people that

had no clue

what the gospel is.

they could not give you a clear gospel.

And so, you know, some can, but some

can't.

But anyway,

um,

John the Baptist

broke 400 years of silence and prophecy

started again and he excommunicated the

whole country. But John never expected

his followers to be just like him.

He didn't say, "Everybody start eating

locust and wild honey. Everybody wear

the same kind of clothes I wear.

Everybody come out and stay out here and

don't go back into the city."

There was nothing about go out and buy a

camel hair coat or uh go out and buy a

bunch of honey or or get it on your own

and live a life out here in the desert.

That's not what he did. There's no

evidence that he asked others to follow

him in every particular of his

lifestyle.

He did ask them to repent and believe

the gospel. He did ask them, he demanded

of them to repent

of specific sins. But his ministry was

not nostalgic.

His minist ministry was prophetic.

In other words, the Messiah is coming

and we have to get ready for him.

So his evangelistic efforts were not

legalistic or exclusivistic.

uh but they were certainly efforts of

giving the good news that you can't earn

salvation but the savior's coming and

his separation was not isolation even

though he excommunicated the whole

country he ministered to the whole

country

there may have been a quarter million or

half a million people go through his

ministry we don't know how

He ministered to the whole nation

and his ministry is the beginning of the

gospel

of Jesus Christ, the message of

salvation and that's exactly what he

did. It was good news. The Messiah is

here.

I want to read what JC Riyle wrote on

this particular section. It's it's quite

interesting.

Um

he says John exalted Christ.

There cometh one mightier than I after

me and he spoke plainly of the Holy

Spirit. He'll baptize you with the Holy

Spirit. These truths have never been so

plainly proclaimed before by mortal man.

More important truths than these are not

to be found in the whole system of

Christianity at this day.

The principal work of every faithful

minister of the gospel is to set the

Lord Jesus fully before his people and

to show them his fullness and his power

to save.

The next great work he has to do is to

set before them the work of the Holy

Spirit and the need to be born again and

inwardly baptized by his grace. These

two mighty truths appear to have been

frequently on the lips of John the

Baptist. And I believe he's absolutely

completely right in what he was saying

there. Jay Oswald Saunders in his

writings on uh uh he's got a book called

Robust in the Faith and it deals with

different people in the Bible. He said

John's testimony was never egocentric.

Always christoentric.

Was never egocentric. It was always

christoentric. It wasn't look at me

wasn't promoting himself. It was always

pointing people to Jesus. He's the man.

Another writer said he's the man who

lost his congregation. He lost him to

Jesus.

And it says he was he said he was

presented with the unique opportunity

for self- glorification when asked what

sayest thou thyself. Instead of

launching on a glowing autobiography he

be proceeded to eulogize his rival that

means Jesus. Little wonder Jesus

eulogized him. He spoke of Christ's

power one mightier than I. His

precedence he was before me and his

preeminence he's above all. John John's

joy reached its zenith when everyone

forgot him in listening to the

bridegroom's voice.

He that has the bride is the bridegroom.

So don't get over excited about me.

Would God we had churches and people

that say don't get excited about us. Get

excited about Jesus.

All may fail but Jesus what? Never.

How many people do you s know say, "I

don't go to church because this

Christian did me dirty or that pastor

did me dirty or that church did me

dirty." Well, then your faith was in

your church or in your pastor or in your

friend. It wasn't in Jesus.

Our faith has to be in Jesus Christ.

That's the faith that saves. John knew

that.

Do we know that?

Do the people we witness to know that?

And so may God help us uh in all these

things? Now let's look at the baptism of

Jesus itself by this man.

This man who stood up for God against

kings who would later cut his head off.

This man who stood up against the whole

priesthood. this man who gave up so much

and died young. He was probably 30, 31,

32 when he died.

They chopped his head off.

But I want to look at John's baptism of

Jesus. And the first thing I want to see

with that were in Mark 9 11-11.

It was all very public.

Mark 1 9-11. This is what I really want

to emphasize. As we didn't get to last

time, it came to pass in those days that

Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and

was baptized by John in the Jordan. And

straightway coming up out of the water,

he saw the heavens open and the spirit

like a dove descending upon him. And

there came a voice from heaven saying,

"This you thou art my beloved son in

whom I am well pleased." Jesus's baptism

was a very public event.

And there was a public acceptance

of the messianic ministry of Jesus

uh that John preached.

Jesus left his private life and began

his public life when he was baptized.

That's what water baptism does. It's a

public testimony of your faith in

Christ.

And um Jesus's baptism was a public

testimony of his own identity. He didn't

have to receive a baptism for remission

of sins in the sense he was a sinner.

What happened here was he left private

life or public life.

He had think about this 30 years of

private life.

What do we know about Jesus from the

time he was born to the time he was

baptized?

Private.

We know he was a carpenter son. We know

he worked in the carpenter shop. We know

he went to the temple when he was 12

and said, "I must be about my father's

business."

But what do we know?

We know he was born in a manger. And we

know his parents circumcised and went in

in the temple.

And then what do we know?

Jes Jesus increased in wisdom and

stature and favor with God and man.

That's about it. It was a private life.

Jesus did have a private life.

And uh

our Lord's first 30 years of his 33

years was private.

His public ministry began

when he was 30 years old.

Our Lord did not thrust himself forward

into the ministry.

He waited patiently in the hills of

Galilee

for the signal that it was time for him

forward. And that sign was the ministry

of John the Baptist.

When John started baptizing, Jesus knew

it was time for him to go public.

Let's think about this a little bit.

It's it's just interesting to think

about the emphasis.

Our Lord, most of his life was private.

What' he do? Well, are assuming he

worked in his father's carpenter shop.

Uh, and he didn't do any miracles there.

He just lived the life there. And it's

probability that Joseph died and Jesus

became the head of the family as the

oldest son. It's a probability that he

helped raise the other children and

provided for them at some point

by working in the his father's carpentry

ministry.

And only when his siblings were old

enough to work did he leave private

life.

And he not only had private life, he had

private life in Nazareth.

Nazareth was I I think Nazareth is

wonderful. I I think northern Israel is

wonderful. I enjoyed that more than

Jerusalem to be honest when we were over

there. But u uh you know a small town

and small places and uh born in a

smaller town, Bethlehem, grew up in

another town, Nazareth. The Lord didn't

thrust himself forward into ministry. He

waited patiently in the hills of Galilee

until John the Baptist started baptizing

and then he came forward.

No doubt Mary taught him the Bible and

probably Joseph. Not that he needed

taught because he'd already he wrote it,

but obviously there was an immense

amount of material in his unfallen mind

and his his ability to learn and absorb

and uh was much higher than any fallen

mind would ever have.

But the signal was the ministry and the

preaching of John the Baptist and the

baptisms he was doing.

So he responds to the call of God.

Baptism is a public ceremony. It's a

public profession of faith in the one

that's going to come. And so when John

when Jesus heard John the Baptist

baptizing, he knew it was time to shut

up the doors of the carpenter shop and

put carpentry tools away and begin his

public ministry.

Now, just so you know this, I don't

remember where I got this. I wrote it

down. The cost of living in Galilee

is about oneif of the cost of living in

Judea.

Galilee

had about 240 towns and villages

according to Josephus.

A lot of villages and a lot of towns,

but a lot of little places.

I like to call it the Appalachia of the

promised land.

They were the country cousins.

And uh

so that there came a time when Jesus

left that place

where there was no hiding or sherking

from his responsibilities.

Uh Saul hid with the stuff. Gideon made

excuses.

Moses said, "Send somebody else."

But when it was obvious it was time for

him to step forward,

he stepped forward

and 30 year the your 30th year is a big

year in the Old Testament for doing

ministry and stuff. I'm not going to go

down that road too far. But anyway, he

stepped forward. So in stepping forward

and being baptized, there was a

voluntary public acceptance of his

messianic ministry.

a voluntary public acceptance of his

messianic ministry. Remember John said,

"Why are you coming to me for baptism? I

got need to be baptized by you." And

Jesus said, "Permit it to be so to

fulfill all righteousness." Uh his

baptism was different than others. It

was a public introduction of him to the

people who were being baptized for the

remission of their sins in light of the

remission of the sins that Messiah would

bring. Jesus had no sins of his own, but

he had a mission to deal with sins.

And so very important, it was a

voluntary acceptance of the messianic

ministry. Now I u

think Jesus was criticized by his

younger brothers even after he started.

You should be doing more. you should be

being more public and uh uh it was hard

for them to accept who he was but and of

course he answered that. Second, it was

a visual public anointing for messianic

ministry. It was a visual public

anointing. It says in verse 10, "And

straightway coming up out of the water,

he saw the heavens open and the spirit

like a dove descending on him."

Now that John baptized a lot of people,

but that never happened before.

Didn't happen to me when I was baptized.

There was no dove.

Didn't happen when anybody else was

baptized. that when Jesus was baptized,

there was a public anointing of the Holy

Spirit for Jesus for messianic ministry

and all four gospels recorded.

And Acts 10:36-38

Acts 10:36–38

refers to it.

And this public anointing by the Holy

Spirit was the sign that he's the one.

And John said, 'I didn't know him, but

God told me the one that's Well, go to

go to John 1 verse 32.

John 1:32

verse 29. Let's start in 29.

The next day,

John's baptizing people and he's

predicting there's one standing among

you whom you know not. He who's coming

is after me is preferred before me. You

latched I'm not worthy to loose. In

verse 27, "And these things were done in

Beth Arbor beyond the Jordan where John

was baptizing." The next day John sees

Jesus coming to him and says, "Behold

the lamb of God who takes away the sin

of the world. This is he of whom I said,

after me comes a man who is preferred

before me, for he was before me." Now,

John was six months older than Jesus,

but he said, "Jesus is older than me."

Why? Because he knew who he was.

And I knew him not, but that he should

be made manifest to Israel. Therefore, I

came baptizing with water. And John bore

witness, saying, I saw the Spirit

descending from heaven like a dove, and

it abode on him, and I knew him not. But

he that sent me to baptize with water,

the same said to me, upon whom you shall

see the spirit descending and remaining

on him, the same is he who baptizes with

the Holy Spirit. And I saw and bore

witness that this is the son of God.

Now, the Holy Spirit's not a dove. You

know what I'm saying? He's not a bird,

but Holy Spirit

coming down and landing on Jesus. There

was a visible image. It was a public

anointing of Jesus. And that's what the

word Christ or Messiah means, the

anointed one.

So, he was anointed.

The heavens were torn open,

which is a very interesting picture.

Don't you like the idea of looking up in

the heavens and thinking about the

heavens being torn open?

Yeah, Linda

throwing

verse 33

says I did not know him,

>> right?

>> So John grew up in Jerusalem area,

>> right?

>> 20 miles.

>> So we could assume maybe in all those 30

years they never met.

>> I don't know the answer to that

question. Now when John was in the womb

and he leaped for joy when Mary came to

Elizabeth. So John the Baptist parents

and Mary were related but how much they

visited where they got to interact. It

sounds like they didn't do much.

>> Yeah.

Um this was the beginning.

>> Yeah.

>> He asked

this.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah. Are you the one to come or do we

look for another?

>> Yeah.

>> There's a reason for that. I'll give you

a quick answer. Jesus was doing miracles

of mercy

and John was expecting miracles of

judgment.

So he just couldn't figure it out.

And so and remember John was in prison

when he asked that.

And uh so

obviously he was discouraged. He was a

guy that lived outdoors. He's sticking

in a stinking prison. and he was very

pressured at that time and uh I don't

think it was doubt but I think it was

questioning

because it didn't seem to him at that

time that Jesus was doing all the things

he expected him to do. Now he did say

this is the lamb of God that takes away

the sin of the world. He said it at the

beginning of g his ministry but he also

said other stuff about Jesus. This is

the one that baptizes with the spirit

and with fire. He's thinking, "Where's

the fire?"

You know, he he he went didn't put it

all together. But the good thing John

did, he was open about his doubt is not

unbelief.

There's a difference between doubt and

unbelief.

And John was having his

cloudy days, if you will. But the good

thing is he took it to the right place.

He took it to Jesus.

He couldn't go himself. So he sent two

other people and Jesus said go and tell

John and then he go on the list of the

things he was doing. So Jesus is

basically saying I am the Messiah John.

Just think about what you know of the

Bible and there's another side that

you're you're not listening to right.

You understand where I'm coming from

that? Hope that's helpful.

>> Right. Yeah. And Yeah. Right. and and

and and if we were in their place, we

would think the same because John it

John was thinking judgment, the end of

the world, setting up the kingdom. He

wasn't he he he thought he's a lamb of

God takes away the sin of the world, but

he didn't know how that was going to

work. And so it just seemed like things

weren't moving fast enough and weren't

moving in the right direction. Why are

you doing all this? There's more left to

do. Where's the miracles of judgment?

And uh so Jesus answered, but then he

not only answered him, but he defended

him.

What did you go out to see?

Don't think John's a weak guy. Don't

think that. Reed blowing in the wind.

What did you go out to see? Those that

are well-dressed are in king's houses.

It was a a prophet more than a prophet.

So Jesus

uh defended him and he said among women

there's no one greater born than John

the Baptist and he meant himself

excluded of course.

So John had a very high place but John

was not sinless. He was not perfect. He

was finite. And I don't think there was

a worse thing that could happen to him

than sitting put him in a jail cell and

have him rot there.

So, but that's the best I can do with

that particular question. It's a good

question.

So, what we have here by Jesus is a

voluntarily public acceptance of

messianic ministry

and a visual public anointing for that

ministry.

We have a voluntary Jesus came to the

baptism. Voluntary public acceptance of

G min messianic ministry. Just like you

have a public wedding or ordination or

inauguration, a voluntary public

acceptance of messianic ministry, public

ministry and a visual public anointing

for that ministry that all four gospels

record.

Um and uh so

and the heavens are torn open. That's

doesn't happen every day. So where are

we at? And before we close out, there

was a voluntary public acceptance of

Messianic mission by Jesus. There was a

voluntary or excuse me, a visual public

anointing uh as Messiah. And there was a

verbal public announcement that went

with it. This is my beloved son in whom

I'm well pleased.

He was not only equipped, he was

approved publicly by God the Father. And

that's all very public.

Now think about this. When Abselum

wanted to be king, he had secret

meetings. When Adonijah wanted to be

king, he had secret meetings.

The the Lord Jesus is the king of the

Jews. He is the Messiah. And this is all

public. Solomon was public. He had a

public uh anointing because he was legal

the legitimate heir. And all this is

very very public and it was all very

very unique.

The other people that were baptized were

baptized by a confession of sins and

wanted to identify with John's message

of repentance. Jesus was baptized

identifying with John's message. There's

one coming greater than I. The shoe

latches I am not worthy

to unlatch.

Who else

in all human history has had a public

anointing of the Holy Spirit from heaven

or a voice from heaven saying, "This is

my beloved son in whom I'm well

pleased."

What other religious leader, whatever

political leader, who else was anointed

by someone or baptized by someone who

was predicted who him themselves

fulfilled prophecy?

No one.

Jesus. This was Jesus's public

acceptance of the messianic me mission

that meant his own death.

And it was the Holy Spirit's anointing

to enable him to do that. And it was the

announcement of God's approval

that went with it.

You know, either God approves of you or

he doesn't.

God accepted Abel's sacrifice but not

Cain's.

And yet Abel was killed.

Like

God accepted Joseph as the leader of the

family, but he was hated and rejected.

God accepted Job when Job was rejected

by his friends and tormented by the

devil. David was persecuted, but he was

God's man. The apostles were martyed,

but they were God's people. And it does

not appear what we shall be.

But we know when he appears, we'll see

him as he is, and we'll be like him

because we'll see him as he is. It's all

very practic practical. And just as

Jesus accepted God's will and stepped

out of private life into public life,

God's got a public life for us. He wants

us to do something before we are

anointed with the same Holy Spirit. Our

job is not the same as his. He's his job

was the Messiah to go about doing good

and do miracles and die. But we are

enabled. We are enabled by the Holy

Spirit to minister and uh do what God

wants us to do.

Samson was an anointed by the Holy

Spirit to kill Philistines. David was

anointed to write hymns.

Uh the early church was anointed to be a

witness. Jesus was anointed to do

miracles and to give messages and to go

to the cross.

And so, thank God for that.

I I've used this quote so many times. I

hate to use close this message with it,

but I will

remembering all three members of the

Godhead

are involved in the baptism of Jesus.

Right? Great verse for the Trinity. And

some of the early church fathers said

would say to those that denied the tr

trinity, go to the Jordan cuz there you

see God the father's voice from heaven,

holy spirit coming down and Jesus in the

water. People deny the trinity that's a

place to get them.

uh they were all that all three members

of the Godhead are united for the

beginning of Jesus's ministry and Jesus

would be rejected on earth but he was

accepted in heaven.

G. Campbell Morgan. If you've never read

G. Campbell Morgan on the gospels, he's

we've got some of his commentaries on

the gospels. So good. Been with the Lord

for a long time. Uh I think since the

late 40s, early 50s he is when he

passed.

But when he was a young man, he he was

he had an ordination council and they

didn't like him. They think he didn't

think he had the training. He wasn't

trained in the right schools and so

forth. They rejected him

and he was very discouraged and he wrote

his dad. I think it was a Methodist

church or the congregational church that

rejected him. Whatever it was, they

rejected him. And his he wrote his dad

that he didn't pass the ordinations and

his dad wrote him back. Rejected on

earth and accepted in heaven.

Always loved that quote.

You know that was Jesus rejected on

earth but accepted in heaven. In fact it

was reversed. Accepted in heaven

but in spite of that acceptance

rejected on.

But it won't always be that

he's coming back.

The big question is, have our is our

faith been in the one that God has

publicly anointed for ministry and

publicly pointed out as the one

and done it through a fulfillment of

prophecy of John the Baptist as well as

the ministry of Jesus. Father, we thank

you for what we've looked at tonight.

There's been so much

in the four gospels about John the

Baptist, his parents, his birth, his

ministry, his death.

We thank you for

all these things.

We thank you, Father, for a Bible that

has given us a clear testimony about

Jesus moving from private life to public

life and the incredibly amazing events

that took place then.

And Lord, we know there are many people

that they have no concept

about these things. They don't even

care. They don't even want to

investigate it.

Some are afraid to investigate it that

it might be true and bring them under

conviction. But we pray, Father, that

you would do your work. May we be clear.

May we be bold.

Help us, Father, to know we can't

help people in a lost, apostate,

Christed, rejecting world. if we're part

of that world

and do not take a stand against the

unbelief and disobedience and outrageous

wickedness around us. Not that we want

to focus just on against sin but we want

to focus on our lord the savior from sin

and in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Thank you.

Lord, as we go from this place,

loving you more,

trusting you more.

May the power of your love and the light

of your word shine to a sin darkened

world. As we go from this place,