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Text: Mark 1:7-11
Title: “Christ Face to Face with
John the Baptist”
Subject: The meeting of Christ with John the Baptist
Reading: Isa. 40:1-11
Intro: The Bible says,
“The glory of the Lord shall be revealed; and all flesh shall see it
together…” (Isa. 40:5)
John the Baptist was the last O.T. prophet
(confirmed in Matt. 11:13), even though his story is found in the N.T. Gospels.
Remember that the Gospels are a transition between the O.T. and the N.T.
Epistles.
In Mal. 3:1 a messenger is prophesied to
come to prepare the way before the coming Messiah. In Matt. 11:10 John is
confirmed as that messenger.
In Isa. 40:3 that messenger would cry in the
wilderness to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. In Matt. 3:1-3 John is
confirmed as that messenger.
In Matt. 11:14, John is identified as the O.T.
prophet Elijah who would come before the Day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5).
John cried in the wilderness as a picture
that Israel was still wandering in the wilderness of sin and under God’s curse.
John’s cry was twofold:
1) Repent ye (plural; all Jews were included). Repentance (“change
of mind”) was needed because the Nation of Israel had totally corrupted the
worship of God (see Malachi).
2)
Because the Kingdom of Heaven (millennial kingdom) was at hand or at the door.
Of course, the King of that millennial kingdom was about to be introduced and
begin His earthly ministry.
John was also from the tribe of Levy, the priests in the Levitical system
of Temple worship. His father,
Zacharias, was a Temple priest (Lk. 1:5-6), though we have no mention of John
performing any Levitical function in the Temple. His Temple function may have
had more to do with his identification with and his introduction of Jesus, the
ultimate High Priest, to the Nation of Israel.
John was the first person to baptize
(immerse) another person. In the O.T. priests and proselytes baptized/washed
themselves for entry into God’s service or God’s nation.
John was the only person authorized by God
to perform the act of baptism (Jn. 1:33).
“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.” (Jn. 1:6)
“And I
(John) knew Him (Christ)
not: but that He should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come
baptizing with (“in”) water” (Jn.
1:33)
The Bible says,
“The glory of the Lord shall be revealed;
and all flesh shall see it together…”
Text: Mark 1:7-11 -- “Christ Face to Face with John the Baptist” -- prayer
I. THE APPROACHING CHRIST
(v7-8) (our example) (4 identifiers)
A. One Mightier
than I (an understatement)
1. Mightier = “of one
who has strength of soul to sustain the attacks of Satan, strong and therefore
exhibiting many excellences”
a.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ
b. As
you mature in Christ, you will “see” His might increase
2. Not worthy
(“sufficient in ability; i.e., meet or fit”) to:
a.
Even stoop down (this is a response to divinity)
b.
Untie the straps of His sandals
“He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30)
c.
As you mature in Christ, your knowledge of the worth of Christ will increase
1. I baptize with
water (external)
a. John did what he was called to do
b. John did what he was able to do
2. He (Messiah)
will baptize with (“in”) the Holy Spirit (internal)
a. Fulfilled on the day of Pentecost
3. As you mature
in Christ, your spirituality will increase
1. The authority is in Messiah’s hand (winnowing shovel).
Note: God fans to get rid of the
chaff, Satan sifts to get rid of the
wheat.
a. Judgment under His control
“And hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of
Man”
(John 5:27)
2. Messiah will
a. Thoroughly purge (“completely cleanse”) His [threshing] floor (this
earth)
b. Gather His wheat (O.T. saints) into the garner (“a place in which
anything is laid up”, i.e., the millennial kingdom)
c. Burn up the chaff (O.T. lost) with unquenchable fire
3. This is what was preached by John to the Jewish multitudes in
Judea and Jerusalem.
“And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people”
(Lk. 3:18)
a. This was not what they were expecting from their Messiah.
II. THE PRESENT CHRIST
(v9)
A. Jesus
Came from Nazareth of Galilee
(“circuit”)
1. Jesus was born in Bethlehem (“house of bread”), but reared in
Nazareth (“the guarded one”). There
is very little information about His formative yrs.
a. Now He is 30 yrs. of age
b. He walked approx.. 41 miles (2 days) to be baptized by John
B. Was Baptized by John
1.
Only one with authority from God (Jn. 1:6)
2. In
the Jordan River (where John was baptizing unto repentence)
Note: Baptism is the act of one with proper church authority to baptize one who
has received Christ as Saviour, by the proper mode of immersion, which has the
proper intent of identification with the DRB of Christ, the new life in Christ,
and the doctrines of the church doing the baptizing. Baptism is a local church
ordinance by which converts are baptized by a local church, baptized in water,
and baptized into that local church.
1. Notice
that Jesus was baptized before entering His public ministry
2. Jesus’
identification with the message of John (repent!)
3. Jesus’
identification with the chosen people of God (Israel)
4. Jesus’
identification with the purpose of God (to fulfill all righteousness, Matt.
3:15)
5. The
transfer of the priesthood from the Levites to the order of Melchizedek; from
the tribe of Levi to the tribe of Judah (Heb. 7:11-17
turn)
a. Jesus was now designated by God as Israel’s High Priest
6. The
fulfilling of all righteousness
1.
Fulfilling all righteousness
“And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray,
and not to faint”
(Lk. 18:1)
III. FACE TO FACE
(Matt. 3:14-15)
A.
John Saw His Need (v14)
1. John needed to be identified with Jesus
2. Notice
the words, “I have need…”, you fill in
the blank
B. Jesus Saw John’s Need
(v15a-c)
1. Notice Jesus’ response:
a.
Suffer (“permit”) it to be so now (“at this time”)
b.
Why?
1) It becometh (it is fitting
for) US to fulfill (“to fulfil, i.e.
to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and
God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment”)
all (“the whole of”)
righteousness (“right thinking, right
feeling, right acting according to
God’s standard”)
Note: The need you pray to be met
might be answered by God as here. 1) He may permit your need to be so for now;
2) because it is fitting that you fulfill all of God’s righteousness first.
God may want to work this work in you or in someone that you are in close
contact with.
C. John Was Obedient to Jesus
(v15d)
1. When John recognized the divine purpose, he was satisfied
IV. THE OBEDIENT CHRIST
(v10)
Note: The One who needed no body, took on human flesh for you.
The One who needed no baptism was immersed for you.
The One who knew no sin was tempted like as you are.
The One who did no sin was nailed to the Cross for you.
The One who could not die, died for you.
The One whom the grave could not hold, was resurrected for you
The One who promised never to leave you is coming again for you
1. Do the first things first!
2. Jesus came up out of the water signifying His DBR
1. The heavens opened (“parted”)
2. The [Holy] Spirit like a dove
a. Descending upon Him
1) His obedience now fit Him for His earthly ministry
2) His obedience now fit Him for His priestly duties
1. A Voice [of God] from Heaven
a. If you will be obedient, you too will hear a voice from Heaven (the
Word of God! A voice from Heaven in written form)
2. Saying
a. Thou (and Thou alone)
art My beloved (“sacrificially love”)
Son
1) And you are in Christ, and
beloved by God!
b. In whom (in whose humanity),
I Am (Jehovah)
well pleased
1) There is no higher compliment
2) And you are in Christ, and
well-pleasing to God!
Note: We hear so much about our failures before God, we have forgotten about our
position before God—in Christ! We
are not failures before God, some of us have just left more room for improvement
than others!
Concl.: And so Christ came face to face with John the Baptist.
This meeting validated John’s position before God, his authority from
God, his historic place in the plan of God, his privilege to introduce the
Messiah to the world and his privilege of working side by side with the Messiah
to bring God’s righteousness to fulfillment.
How about you, born-again believer?
Have you been face to face with Christ in His Word this week?
Or is this preaching the only interaction you have had with Christ all
week? You will not fulfill the
righteousness that God wants for you without that daily face to face meeting.
Perhaps there is one here today that has
never come face to face with the penalty of your own unrighteousness?
You have never thought, “If I don’t come to Christ, I will go to Hell!”
It is time to face the truth of your sins and the truthfulness of the
Saviour of your sins. This day, put your faith and trust in the sacrificial
death of Christ for your sins.
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