THE MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST - Part 2 Matt. 3:3 “For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” John’s ministry was a part of God’s unfolding plan. John was a very humble man. He only claimed to be a voice. We are told how he dressed in verse 4. John would hardly be welcomed in any church today dressed like that. It is kind of amusing how preachers think in terms of presenting themselves on the platform today. They want glass pulpits and the most expensive suits to present themselves. The idea is that one does not need to hide behind a wooden pulpit. You know “We have to sell ourselves” in order to “sell our message.” Someone needs to tell them that the Christian Message is not for sale. We have the glorious privilege of giving the greatest gift that can be imagined “without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1). I really don’t think it will be long before we will see preachers with earrings to appeal to those with earrings (I’m talking about male preachers!). I think it would be a little distracting to dress like John in one of todays pulpits. God gave John his popularity and he was drawing good crowds. Verses 5-6 say, “Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.” The popularity of John’s message and the number of converts was disturbing the leaders of the religious groups. Numbers were being baptized which was done in association with a confession of sin. Baptism was and is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. John came to introduce the One who would take away sin by His own death on the cross. Baptism was a profession of belief in that message. It is still a profession of faith in that message. Baptism didn’t save then or now. But anyone who professes to believe the gospel should be baptized as an outward declaration of faith in that message i.e., the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. John had a Spirit of discernment. This is brought out in verse 7: “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” He called them a “generation of vipers.” He had not read Dale Carnegie’s book on How To Win Friends and Influence People. He was not standing behind a glass pulpit with a pinkie ring on his finger when he said this. A viper was a snake and this word was used to “address cunning, malignant, and wicked men” (Strong). Now we need to realize that these men were the “respected” leaders of the day. You had the fundamentalists (Pharisees) and the liberals (Sadducees) both represented when John said this. He divided the crowd right there. But it is amazing how common enemies will get together to do away with a common enemy! I do not have the Spirit of discernment. I have had many church members saved over the years and most of the time it was someone of whom I had no suspicions. John knew. And it was not just a natural intuition. God told John on them! These “vipers,” as John called them, came for baptism! I thank the Lord we are told what John said. He told them to “Bring forth fruits meet for repentance.” I think I know some Baptist preachers that would have taken them in! They may have run them off later, but, they would have baptized them for the count! John’s message was one of repentance. The word “repentance” translates “metanoio” and means “a change of mind.” It goes something like this: “I used to believe that if you kept the outward law and the tradition of the elders, that you were right with God. But I see now that that can be a sham. You can be a hypocrite and do all that. I see now that you must have an inward change first. There must be the cleansing of the heart that issues in a change of actions” (The Pharisee would have said s...

• published: 19 Sep 2014
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