There Came a Man Sent From God, Part 3

For one last time, John chapter one verse number six, there was

a man sent from God whose name was John.

Now I told you weeks ago that we would not always cover one verse

a week or one phrase of one verse a week, forever, only for

a while. And so Lord willing, this is the

last week we will be on John one verse #6 it's an important verse

because you need to know the kind of man that God sent, What

kind of man was John the Baptist?

And so we spent a couple of weeks describing to you this

man, because after all, if he's the greatest man ever born of a

woman, that means he was greater than King David, greater than

Moses, greater than Elijah, greater than Elijah, greater

than Jeremiah, greater than Isaiah, and the list goes on and

on. So if he's the greatest man ever

born of a woman, then we need to understand how great he really

was and why the Bible characterizes him as such.

But remember, it's the Lord who said that about John.

Well, if that's the case, what does greatness look like?

And so in order to understand biblical greatness, you need to

understand John the Baptist. To understand true manhood, you

need to understand John the Baptist, because this was the

greatest man ever born of a woman.

So we spent a couple of weeks looking at this man.

There was a man, not just any man.

He was an extraordinary man. And this man was sent from God.

And so the last couple of weeks we've talked to you about how it

is John was sent from God because there are similar

instances in terms of how God sends us, because John, the

greatest man ever born of a woman, yet the least in the

Kingdom of heaven, are greater than John.

So if that's the case, how is it that God sent John?

To help us understand how God sends you and me?

And so we told you he was sent personally.

Luke 3 verse #4 the word of the Lord came to John.

I'm sorry. Luke 3 verse #2 The word of the

Lord came to John. God spoke to John, and so God

sent him personally. He was waiting for God to send

him, and He was sent personally by the true and living God.

And then we said he was sent privately because he was in the

wilderness. Luke 3 verse #2 Again, John was

in the wilderness when the word of the Lord came to him.

How long was he there? We do not know.

The Bible does not tell us. But most people believe that at

the age of 20, when he was to enter the priesthood because he

was the son of a priest, that that would be the time he

entered the wilderness. That was the case.

He would have been there for 10 years, all the while communing

with his God, reading Old Testament manuscripts about how

God had prepared a forerunner to come before the Messiah.

He would get to know his God so that he would be ready to

present his God to people who needed to follow him.

So we said that this man sent from God was sent personally.

He was sent privately in the 30. He was sent prophetically

because he could read Malachi 3 verse #1 he could read Isaiah 40

verse #3 that all talked about this, this forerunner, this one

that would come, this messenger that would come before the

Messiah. And so he began to understand

that everything about his life was prophesied, which would only

fuel his his energy, which would only mobilize his, his desires

to, to serve as God because he saw himself as a fulfillment of

prophecy. And so he was sent

prophetically. And then we said last week he

was also sent providentially, providentially, it was in the

Providence of God for him to be on the scene at the time he came

on the scene. The Bible says in Galatians 4

that in the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son born of a

woman, born under the law, that he might redeem those who were

under the law. So if there was a specific time

politically and spiritually and economically and socially at the

Messiah would come, then there had to be a specific time for

their forerunner to come, because He would pave the way

for the arrival of the Messiah. But all in the province of God.

God had designed Zacharias and Elizabeth, a priest, his wife,

and they were barren for many, many years.

And it just so happened that Zacharias was in the temple,

providentially performing his precinct duties when the Angel

Gabriel showed up and told him that his wife was going to have

a son. Just a great testimony to the

Providence of God. And he would come at the right

time and providentially he would be cared for all throughout the

wilderness. God would take care of John the

Baptist. He'd prepare John the Baptist to

be the kind of man he needed to be.

So there was a man, not just any man, but an extraordinary kind

of man, the last Old Testament prophet, the first New Testament

preacher. And he came because he was sent

by God personally, privately, prophetically, providentially,

and #5 He was sent passionately, passionately.

If you got your Bible, turn me to Luke chapter 3.

Luke 3 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 3. And I want you to listen to what

Luke 3 · chapter mention

Luke says in verse #4 as it is written in the book of the words

of Isaiah the prophet, The voice of one crying in the wilderness.

Stop right there. There was a voice of one crying

in the wilderness. This was the fulfillment of

Isaiah 40 verse #3 But John was sent passionately.

It wasn't a small voice, it wasn't a quiet voice.

It it wasn't a shy voice. It was a loud voice.

It was a a voice that would shout, a voice that would cry in

the wilderness. That there was passion behind

John's message. He was a passionate kind of man.

He had spent the last several years all by himself in the

wilderness, communing with his God, recognizing that he would

be sent prophetically, he'd be sent personally by God, He'd be

sent providentially by God. And all of that welling up on

the inside is now going to burst forth in great shouts of praise

that the Messiah is here in anticipation of that which all

had been longing for the expected one to come.

He's going to announce that the expected one has now arrived.

And so there's great passion behind his message.

It wasn't that he would just simply talk about Jesus.

It wasn't simply that he would just mention him by name.

No, he was a a prophet and a preacher.

But there was passion behind all that he did.

There was passion behind him confronting Herod the King.

There was passion behind him confronting the Pharisees when

he called them a brood of Vipers.

There was passion behind all that he said.

Because John the Baptist was sent passionately.

When you know that God prophetically has assigned you

to represent him, and that God providentially cares for you and

moves you to a specific place of employment, a specific family, a

specific church, you can't help but cry in the wilderness and

shout for the sake of God's Kingdom.

What did he say? Well, it says, make ready the

way the Lord make his past straight.

Every ravine will be filled and every mountain and hill will be

brought low. The crooked will become straight

and the rough roads smooth, and all flesh will see the salvation

of God. He is shouting in the

wilderness. He is crying out to people to

help them to understand that he is the fulfillment of that

prophecy. Although he does not say look at

me, I, I am the the prophet that was foretold.

No, he quotes, he quotes the Old Testament.

He does it with passion. Why?

Because you see, this was a an entire analogy of his message.

He preached the baptism of repentance and Isaiah 40 verse

#3 is the supreme example of what repentance looks like.

The Messiah is coming. You got to prepare the way for

the Messiah. It was a, it was a phrase used

for, for preparing the way of the king so that when the king

would arrive, he'd have a smooth entrance into the city, a smooth

entrance to to the people. And John is saying in order for

there to be a smooth entrance for the Messiah into your heart,

these things must take place. For this is what repentance

looks like. He says simply that all the

ravines must be filled up. That's an analogy of the dark

places of the soul, the the depths of sin.

Because repentance calls a man from the deep dark recesses of

his heart and the things that he has hidden, that he might

confess them and to turn from them.

And even the high places, the mountains, why, the Jews thought

themselves as very proud people. They were, of course, the people

of God. They were the only ones who were

given the oracles of God. They saw themselves as very

special. But all the, the high places,

all the mountains must be brought down.

All the arrogance, all the pride must be destroyed.

Not just the deep dark places in the recesses of your soul.

Not only must they come up and be confessed, but you must be

brought low before the Lord. And then he talks about the

crooked places, the devious places, the devilish places, the

the lying and the perverseness. Then he talks about the rough

roads, all the distractions on the road in your heart, all the

self love, all the love of money, all the love for the

world and the lust of the flesh, all the apathy, all the

unbelief, all the lethargy, all those things that happen to be

obstacles that keep you from giving your life to the Lord.

And then and then all flesh will see the glory of the Lord, see

the salvation of the Lord. If you as a nation want to

receive your Messiah, then you as individuals you personally

must prepare the way for and become.

And the only way to do that is to have a repented heart to turn

from your sin and follow the Messiah.

He did this with great passion. Passion.

John the Baptist was not a passive person.

Passivity is man's biggest failure.

If you're a man, you should never be passive.

Ever Notice that? We are.

We are passionate about the things that don't matter, but

we're passive about the things that do matter.

You ever notice that? Just just ask your wife what

you're passionate about. Ask your kids what drives you,

What motivates you, what compels you.

They'll tell you because they see you all the time, and you'll

begin to notice that the things that drive you and you're

passionate about really usually don't even matter.

But we find that we're very passive about the things that do

matter. The Lord, the gospel, the

preaching of that gospel, the leadership in our homes,

spiritually, all those things. John was a very passionate man,

and therefore when God sent him forth, he was going to send

somebody who had a small voice or a low voice or a quiet voice.

He would send someone with energy, would drive with

passion. Why?

Because you're representing the king.

You're representing the Kingdom of God, and you're going to be

his ambassador, his representative.

How can we represent God in a passive way?

How can we represent Christ in a shallow, shy way?

You really can't. Because you see, once you

understand who God is, you cry, you shout, you scream the truth.

And John did. The apostle Paul was a very

passionate man. The Bible says in 2nd

Corinthians 5 verse 14. For the love of Christ compels

me, controls me, constrains me that the very fact that Christ

loves me is the single most motivating element of my life.

It controls everything that I do.

And and Paul was was passionate about his God.

And Paul would speak forth the truth about his God in such a

way that that others would would be persuaded.

I mean, it was like it was like Agrippa said Paul, thou almost

persuadest me. Why?

Because Paul and his delivery and Paul and his passion and

Paul and his drive to see God glorified would not be held

back. And so many of us are held back

for what purpose? And here was John, here was

Paul. Paul would go on and say this.

The love of Christ compels us. Having concluded this, that one

died for all, therefore all died, and he died for all, so

that we, they who live might no longer live for themselves, but

for him who died and rose again on their behalf.

He died so I would live for him. I'm living for Christ.

That's why I'm passionate. That's why you're not

passionate. See, you're not living for

Christ, you're living for yourself.

So how can you be passionate about the things of God?

You're not, but you're passionate about the things for

yourself because you're living for yourself and not living for

God. But Paul says the love of Christ

compels me because one died for all, therefore all died, and

therefore it moves me. So I no longer live for me, but

I live for Christ. That's the point.

He goes on to say this in verse 20.

We are ambassadors for Christ as though God, we're making an

appeal through us. God is making an appeal through

you. How does God make an appeal

through you? I hope you give your life to

Jesus. I hope you love Jesus.

Oh, that's not an appeal. So he says this, we beg you on

behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

There's a pleading that's there. There's a passion that that's

there. There's a drive that's there.

I want you to be reconciled to God.

I want you to come to Godfather Mother, ask yourself why your

parent, your children are not coming to God.

Do they see the passion that you have for God, the drive you have

for him? The love of Christ just compels

you. Now it might be that God has not

called him to himself as of yet, and he might next week or down

the road. But we can't be a hindrance in

the communication of the gospel. We must be passionate behind

what we do. We must drive, be driven behind

what we do. Why?

When it's all said and done, that's why we're here, to preach

the gospel and to present Christ to a lost world.

This is so important. And so here is John the Baptist.

He's been waiting 30 years, 30, to somehow be that voice that

will show people the Messiah, that will point people to the

Messiah, that they will understand who he is.

He's been waiting and now the time has arrived and he can't

contain the passion. He can't contain that which

compels him. Just love for the Lord like it

was for Paul, His love for the Lord like it should be for you

and me. Our love for the Lord.

But ask yourself, are you a passionate man or a passive man?

How about your children? Father, are your sons, are they

passionate or are they passive? Ask yourself why?

Why are my kids on a fire for the Lord I am?

How come my kids are on a fire for the Lord?

There should be this compulsion that drives you.

Now, it doesn't mean that all your children are going to be

that way. I understand that.

I get that. And yet we as parents, we as

fathers especially need to be passionate men because our said

it's on the wall. Our passion is to pursue the

Christ, right? Our passion is to pursue him

that we might know him. Here's John the Baptist

privately communing with God for year upon year, week upon week,

month upon month, always communing with his God, to know

his God. Paul would say, oh, that I might

know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship

of his suffering. There was a passion behind Paul.

There was a passion behind John the Baptist.

There was a passion behind every great man of God to know his

God. Our passion is to pursue him.

So our priority will be to portray Him.

So our purpose then will be fulfilled in proclaiming Him.

That's our philosophy and ministry so that we can fulfill

our practice of praising Him. That's how it works, see.

But if we find ourselves not proclaiming Him and not

portraying him, it's simply because we're not passionate to

pursue him. It's just that simple.

And so here is John, here is Paul, here are men of God who

the love of Christ compels him. It motivates them, it drives

them. What drives you, what drives you

to get up in the morning? What drives you through your

day, right? There's got to be a motivation

behind each and every day. It's got to be the Christ.

Why? Because not only was John sent

passionately, number six, he was sent purposefully.

Purposefully. There was a purpose behind God

sending John, and one was to present the Gospel right,

another. Another was to present the

Messiah, in other words, to point to the Messiah as the Lamb

of God. Turn with me in your Bible to

Matthew chapter 3 for a moment. Matthew chapter 3 verse 13.

Matthew 3 · chapter mention Matthew 3:13

Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to

be baptized by him. What?

Why is Jesus being baptized? I thought this was the baptism

of repentance, but John tried to prevent him, saying I have need

to be baptized by you and do you come to me.

But Jesus answering said to him, permit it at this time.

For in this way it is fitting for us, us to fulfill all

righteousness. John is permitting for us to

fulfill all righteousness. This is very important.

Why, why, why would Jesus be baptized?

Well, let me briefly give you 4 reasons.

One was for exemplification, 1 was for validation, 1 was for

identification, and one was for prefiguration.

That's why Jesus was baptized. One was for exemplification.

He would be the supreme example of what it meant to follow the

Father's will. He came to do the Father's will,

and he becomes the supreme example of obedience.

And as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto God.

And so he would exemplify to everyone around him that he was,

as he said, I've come to do the will of my Father who is in

heaven. So one is exemplif

exemplification. The second one is validation.

He was validating John's ministry.

He was affirming John's ministry, that the message John

was preaching was true, and that as the Messiah, you are paving

the way of your heart by coming to a place where you recognize

your sin and you need to turn to a Savior.

And so he is validating John's ministry.

And then there was identification.

He's identifying with sinful man.

Notice that the sinless Son is identifying with sinful man.

The one who had no sin would be baptized for those who had no

righteousness. That's very important because

you see, he came to identify it with, with, with, with man.

That that's why he became a man. Isaiah 53 verse #12 He was, he

was numbered with the transgressors.

So he could bear all of our iniquities, right?

And therefore he would identify with the with the sins of man.

He would he would ultimately bear man's sins on the cross.

We see to the 4th element. There was a prefiguration by him

going down to the water, coming back up out of the water again.

He prefigured all that would happen through his death, burial

in resurrection. Why?

Because we as believers then would identify with Christ in

his death, burial in resurrection, that there was a

whole purpose behind John's, John's coming, John being sent.

This man was sent purposefully to baptize the Messiah so that

all righteousness would be fulfilled.

Everything that had been planned and ordained by God needed to

happen on schedule with the right guy, at the right time, in

the right place, so everything was providentially cared for and

taken care of. And here was Jesus coming to

John in the wilderness to be baptized by John.

But John would also be the one who would point to the Messiah.

John 129 Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the

world. Nobody else had done that.

Nobody had pointed to the Messiah until John, and then he

would say the Lamb of God. How?

How did he know that? How did he get that?

Oh, by the way, how come nobody ever questioned John about that?

What do you mean Lamb of God? What are you talking about,

John? That's because they knew Genesis

22. Any of the substitutionary

atonement was prefigured in Genesis chapter 22 with Abraham

Genesis 22 · chapter mention

and Isaac on Mount Moriah. John would know that he would

see Christ as that ultimate sacrificial lamb, that

everything up to this point, every ceremony, every ritual was

pointed to one substitute, 1 sacrifice, 1 Lamb of God that

would do away with man's sin, no longer cover them, but erase

them. So we could say the Lamb of God

who takes away the state of the world doesn't cover them, He

takes them away. So here is here is John with a

purpose. Do you not think you have the

same purpose? Do you not think that you were

sent purposefully? Do you think you were not sent

purposefully to your school or to your workplace or to your

community? There's a whole plan of God

behind where you live and where you work and who your friends

are, who you associate with. All that is for a purpose.

Don't think for one moment that things just happen to Willy

nilly around you as if there is no concern on the part of God.

No, everything that happens around you happens for a

purpose, because God has placed you there purposefully so that

others will see the Messiah. Because you will point to the

Messiah. You'll explain to them who the

Messiah is. You'll explain to them what it

means to be redeemed, how it is you repent, how you give your

life to Christ. That's why you are left here

after your saved. Why else would God leave you

here after he saved you to make money when all your treasures

are in heaven anyway? God saved you so that you can

have a family. No, God saves you and left you

here for only one reason, to worship him.

No, because your worship in heaven's going to be glorious

death. Fellowship with other believers.

No, because your fellowship in heaven will be perfect.

The only thing that you're going to do here that you won't do

there is preach the gospel. That's it.

That's the only reason God left you here after He saved you.

There is no other reason. Your family needs to hear the

gospel. Your friends need to hear the

gospel, the people you work with, the people you play with,

you all need to hear the gospel. And God has put you in a

specific arena that he's not placed me or the person in front

of you or behind you. He's only put you there for one

purpose only one, and that is to proclaim the name of Jesus

Christ our Lord. That's it.

So why is it we have such a hard time fulfilling that purpose?

It's because we have other reasons that we think give us

purpose. Other things mean more more to

us than the gospel. Other things mean more to us

than glorifying the name of Christ through the preaching of

the gospel. And yet God has purposefully

designed you to be where you are this very day, in your very job,

in your very family, in your very community, with your very

friends, because they need to hear about Christ.

As this man was sent from God, so you too are sent from God.

You are sent personally by God. He called you into His Kingdom

by His glorious grace through the word of truth that was

spoken to you. He's called you prophetically

because your name was written in the Lamb's book of life before

the foundation of the world. He called you providentially

because at the right time, in the exact place, with the right

word, with the right person, you heard the gospel and you gave

your life to Christ, all in the Providence of Almighty God.

And he called you passionately. He said you're representing me

in my Kingdom, You're representing me in my mercy, in

my grace, you're representing my love.

How can you not be passionate about that?

He's called you purposefully because there is a purpose for

why you were here, and it's only one purpose, and that is to

proclaim the gospel message of Christ to those around you who

do not know Him. That's it.

And lastly, John the Baptist was called powerfully, powerfully.

Luke chapter 1 says in verse #14 or excuse me, verse #15 For he

Luke 1 · chapter mention

John, will be great in the sight of the Lord.

Notice then say he'll be great in the sight of the world.

He'll be great in the sight of the Lord, and that was good

enough for John. I wonder if it's good enough for

you to be great in the sight of the Lord.

We so desperately want to be great, seen as great, treated as

great, looked at as great. But the Lord wants you to be

great in His eyes. He will be great in the eyes of

the Lord, He would drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled

with the Holy Spirit. While yet in his mother's womb.

He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their

God. It is He who will go as a

forerunner before him in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Powerfully He was sent by God to turn the hearts of the Father's

back to the children, the disobedient to the attitude of

the righteous, so as to make ready of people prepared for the

Lord. John was sent powerfully because

he came in the spirit and power of Elijah.

So when he would preach, he would preach unashamedly.

When he preached, he would preach unhindered.

It was almost as if He was unhinged when he did preach

because he had nothing back, because he came in the spirit

and power of Elijah. He was filled with the spirit

from his mother's womb. No other man was like that

except John. Because God was going to use

them in a very powerful way. And you know what?

God sends us forth powerfully as well, does He not?

He's given us a spirit of power according to Acts chapter one

verse #8 right, so that we can be His witnesses.

He gave us the spirit of power. He infused us with His strength.

And so we don't have to be ashamed when we speak up in the

classroom. We don't have to be shy when we

speak forth the gospel in the workplace.

We have the spirit of power. I've been sent powerfully by the

Lord because I've been sent providentially by the Lord,

because I've been sent prophetically and personally by

the Lord. Therefore, I can be passionate

about what it is I believe because I have a purpose for

living. I'm living for Christ and not

for myself. I'm living to honor God and not

myself. I'm living for Him and therefore

I powerfully proclaim the gospel.

That was John. There was a man, there was a man

not just any man. He was an extraordinary man.

He was different than every other man.

We explained that to you on how different that he he really was

uncompromising in his his message, unorthodox in his

mannerisms, unrivalled among men.

We gave you the list of those things that made this man the

man that he was. This man, he was sent from by

God, he was called by God, he was chosen by God, he was

consecrated by God, he was cared for by God so he would be able

to communicate his God in the most effective way.

And he did. So the challenge for you and me,

having spent five weeks on just one verse, what kind of man or

woman are you? Because the standard is the

Scriptures, The standard is the word of God.

Standard's not me. Standard's not your parents.

The standard is the word of God. The standard is John, the

greatest man, whoever lived. So you must ask yourself the

question, how do I measure up to that standard?

Because that is the standard. And this man was sent from God.

So too are you sent from God. If God has called you into his

marvelous Kingdom, you've been sent by him.

You've been sent by him to your family, to your church, to the

world, to your friends, to your community.

God has sent you. And how are you?

How are you communicating the gospel to those people?

How are you representing the Christ to those people?

Do you do it powerfully? Do you do it passionately, or do

you do it passively and impotently?

That's the question we got to ask and answer ourselves.

I can't ask. I can ask you that question, but

only you can answer that. I can't answer it for you.

But my prayer for all of us is that there would be this driving

force behind us. The love of Christ, our

relationship with the living God that compels me, that moves me,

that constrains me, that motivates me to get up every

morning. Today's a new day.

To fulfill my purpose of communicating the gospel.

Today's a new day to passionately represent my God.

Today's a a new day to be able to help others understand how it

is they can be in a relationship with the living God like I am.

There is no greater force than that to drive you to get up

everyday to be used by the Lord. God so desperately wants to use

His people. That's why I saved you.

Does He need you? No.

Does he want to use you? Absolutely.

Absolutely. Will you be used by him?

When you go home today and you go through your day and you lay

down at night, just say this to yourself.

There was a man sent from God, and just insert there was a

woman sent from God whose name was Sue, whose name was

whatever, but there was a person sent from God.

Will you be that person? Will you be that man?

Will you be that woman and say to yourself, I've been sent by

God and you will later say to the disciples, as the Father has

sent me, so send I you. We've been sent to go into all

the world and make disciples. What a great purpose for living

every single day. Let me pray with you, Father, we

thank you for all that you do and all that you say and all

that you are. We thank you that Lord we can

understand more about this man and how it is you sent him.

And pray, Father, that we would be the kind of people that would

represent you well every day, knowing that you've called us to

be used by you for the glory of your Kingdom until you come

again, as you most surely will, in Jesus name, Amen.