INTRODUCTION

1. In the previous lesson, we noticed the events in the life of John the baptist.

2. To complete the study, we will now consider the prophecies concerning John, the ministry of John, and the message he preached.

    

THE PROPHECIES ABOUT JOHN

1. There were three significant prophecies of John in the Old Testament.

   1. In Isaiah 40:3-5, the Scripture says,

      ³A voice is calling, "Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.  ⁴Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; and let the rough ground become a plain, and the rugged terrain a broad valley; ⁵then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

   2. In Malachi 3:1, God said, "Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me.  And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming."

   3. In Malachi 4:5-6, God said,

      ⁴"Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.  ⁵He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse."

2. These prophecies are specifically quoted or referenced in connection with John in the New Testament.

   1. The prophecy of Isaiah 40:3-5 is applied to John and his ministry in Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2, and Luke 3:4-6.  In John 1:23, John specifically identified himself as the one described by Isaiah.

   2. In Luke 1:76-77, John's father, Zacharias, recognized that John was the messenger of God described in Malachi 3:1.  In Matthew 11:10, Jesus also connected John with this prophecy.

   3. Because of the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6, the Jews were expecting Elijah to come to them.  Although they did not recognize it, John was the fulfillment of this prophecy according to both Jesus (Matt. 11:14; 17:10-13; Mark 9:11-13) and Gabriel (Luke 1:17).

       

JOHN PREPARED THE WAY FOR CHRIST

1. John fulfilled the prophecies concerning him by the words he preached.  His primary message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2).

   1. This is the same message Jesus preached when He began His ministry (Matt. 4:17).

   2. In Luke 3:7-14, John gave specific instructions concerning "fruits in keeping with repentance."

      1. It was not enough for men to merely say that they repented, but they had to actually change the way they lived.  It was also not enough for the Jews to rely on their lineage from Abraham

      2. The multitude was told to share with the needy, the tax-gatherers were told to collect only what was due, and the soldiers were told, "Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages."

   3. All of this was in preparation for the imminent establishment of the kingdom of heaven, which happened after Christ ascended back to heaven (Mark 9:1; Acts 2:22-36).

2. John also preached "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3).

   1. Just as John's message was early version of the gospel (Luke 3:18), so also his baptism was an early version of the gospel's baptism. Jesus likewise preached and practiced baptism at this same time (John 3:22-26; 4:1-2).

   2. At the time John administered it, his baptism was effective for forgiveness of sins.  Later, when baptism in the name of Christ was proclaimed after Christ's ascension (Acts 2:38), John's baptism was obsolete and no longer effective (Acts 18:24-26; 19:1-5; Eph. 4:5).

3. John came to bear witness of Jesus so that men would believe in Him.

   1. According the apostle John, John the baptist was sent by God with the purpose of being a witness for Christ so that "all might believe through him" (John 1:6-8).  His testimony still fulfills this purpose even today.

   2. When Jesus listed the witnesses that gave testimony of Him, He began with John (John 5:31-35).

       

JOHN'S TESTIMONY ABOUT CHRIST AND THE KINGDOM

1. John warned of the wrath and judgment that Christ would bring (Matt. 3:7-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:7-9).

   1. His warning resounded to the Jews and especially the Pharisees and Sadducees.  (Sadly, the Pharisees and lawyers rejected God's purpose for them -- Luke 7:30.)

   2. John's warning was blunt and stern.  Notice Matthew 3:7-12:

      ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  ⁸Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; ⁹and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father'; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  ¹¹As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  ¹²His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

      1. According to John, Christ was coming with an axe, a winnowing fork, and fire.  These are figures of separation and destruction.

      2. The message was clear: Christ would soon remove all unrepentant souls from His kingdom, so these Jews needed to repent immediately.

2. After John baptized Jesus, He declared the identity of Jesus (John 1:29-36).

   1. The gospel of the apostle John does not record the baptism of Jesus (see Matt. 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23), but these writings give further insight into the events that followed.

   2. Notice John's testimony in John 1:29-36:

      ²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  ³⁰This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'  ³¹I did not recognize Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing in water."  ³²John testified saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.  ³³I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, 'He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'  ³⁴I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God."  ³⁵Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"

      1. By calling Jesus the "Lamb of God," John indicated the Lord's sacrificial purpose.

      2. Notice that John was older than Jesus, but he said that Jesus existed before him.

      3. Also, notice that the Father had given John instructions concerning the Christ.  Christ's identity was confirmed by the Holy Spirit descended upon Him.  He was the Son of God.

3. John preached the necessity of believing and obeying Jesus (John 3:22-36).

   1. When John's disciples asked him about Jesus, he exalted the Lord and steered them to Him.

   2. Notice his words of humility and exaltation in John 3:27-36:

      ²⁷John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.  ²⁸You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but, 'I have been sent ahead of Him.'  ²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made full.  ³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.  ³¹He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth.  He who comes from heaven is above all.  ³²What He has seen and heard, of that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.  ³³He who has received His testimony has set his seal to this, that God is true.  ³⁴For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.  ³⁵The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.  ³⁶He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

       

CONCLUSION

1. This message from John the baptist concerning Jesus is preserved in Scripture and stands to this day.

2. Therefore, let us believe the words of this unusual, humble man, who was the messenger of the Lord.