John the Baptist was a great
man.
Jesus said of John, “Among
those born of women there has not risen anyone
greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).
John was great because he saw
his proper relationship to Jesus Christ. He said of
Jesus, “He must become greater; I must become less”
(John 3:30). “He must increase; I must decrease.”
John’s ministry came at the end
of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New.
Prophets had been silent for 400 years in Israel.
John appeared on the scene dressed like the prophet
Elijah.
Why was John the Baptist so
important that each of the Gospels begin the
ministry of Jesus with John’s preaching? According
to Malachi and Isaiah a forerunner would come
preparing the way for the Messiah (Mal. 3:1; 4:5-6;
Isa. 40:3). John was that man.
His message was strong and
powerful. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has
come near” (Matt. 3:2). John demanded a radical
change in people’s lives as preparation for the
coming of the Messiah. The Greek word for “repent”
means to change one’s thinking, or to turn about. It
is a change in a person’s attitude toward God and in
the conduct of life. It was a call to a radical
transformation of the entire person. It is a change
in mind that results in a change in a person's
attitudes and behavior.
The basic assumption is that we
need to repent because our lives need to be turned
around. We are sinners who have come short of God’s
glory (Rom. 3:23). We are walking in sin and
selfishness and we need a radical change in the way
we view ourselves and God. We need to be turned
around so we go in the direction of the Lord Jesus
Christ. God demands that this change takes place in
our lives.
Why is this change so critical
to our way of life? “The kingdom of heaven is at
hand” (Matt. 3:2). The Messianic King has come!
Even a casual reading of the
Gospels reveals that Matthew uses “kingdom of
heaven” instead of “kingdom of God.” Matthew was
writing to Jews who often substituted the word
“heaven” for the word “God” which out of
superstition they refused to pronounce.
John’s message concerns the
reign or rule of God as sovereign over His creation.
But it is also the place where God rules in the
lives of His redeemed people. He expects His
subjects to live as members of His kingdom.
The kingdom of heaven or God is
at hand because Jesus Christ is the King of kings.
The coming of the Messiah King meant that God would
judge the earth and bless His people. The final
judgment will occur when Jesus returns. But even now
He judges because His presence forces individuals to
choose to submit to His rule over their lives or to
refuse to submit to His rule.
The only person who can bring
about this radical change we so desperately need is,
“The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world” (John 1:29, 36). The substitutionary death of
Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the sacrifices
foreshadowed in the Old Testament.
By submitting to the baptism of
John, Jesus was identifying Himself with sinners so
that he could one day lay down His life for sinners.
Jesus was obedient unto death as our substitute on
the cross. He died for our sins.
We submit to baptism as
believers in Christ, not in order to be saved, but
to identify ourselves with the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Baptism is a symbol of
our being buried in His death and raised in His
resurrection. We are identified in His death and His
resurrection so that His death becomes our death and
His resurrection is our resurrection. Jesus so
identified with us so that in our humanity He could
die for our sins. “The wages of sin is death,”
however He was not dying for His own sins, but ours.
“The lamb of God takes away the sin of the world.”
Have you so identified yourself
with Jesus Christ? Have you turned your life over to
Him? Have you experienced the radical change that
Jesus brings to sinners who repent of their sins and
trust in Him as their Savior?
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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Study the master theme of the Bible with these prophecies and types in the Old Testament of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
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