would say, “now there’s one life that did not turn out the way I expected.”
But then one day, in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, the Bible tells us that the word of the of God came to John in the desert. God must have said, “John I’ve heard your prayers time and time again, but the time was not ripe.” But now it’s time to do what I promised your parents you would do.’ It was about 25 years ago that God had made a promise to his parents. Part of the reason we do not get what we expected from God, is that we think in terms of praying today and getting it tomorrow. When God gives us a word, it may take years for it to come to pass. Our job is to get ready to make it happen.
John had been in the desert disciplining himself, waiting for the moment. When the word of God came to him, he came out of the desert preaching up a storm. People were coming from all over the place to hear him preach. He was the TD Jakes of his time. His message was, “you better get you act together and repent because God is about to bring forth judgment.”
He told the religious leaders, they had to change the way they were living, because they were like snakes in the grass trying to get away from the fire. He told the crowds, the tax collectors, the soldiers, you better change what you’re doing. Quit your lying and your stealing. Start loving people in the way God intended. Hell is just around the corner, and if you don’t change, you’re heading for it.
People came from all round the area to hear John preach. They would fall on their needs in repentance before God. They were baptized by John and his disciples. The size of the crowds kept getting bigger and bigger. He baptized so many people, they started calling him John the Baptist. Nothing like this had happened in Israel for years. Some were thinking John might be the Messiah. John said “No, I’m not the Messiah. There is one coming after me who is more powerful than I am. I am not even worthy to untie his shoes He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
One day John the Baptist saw Jesus, and he said, “there He is. That’s the lamb of God. He’s the one I was telling you would come after me. I know its Him, because God told me, the one I see the Spirit descend upon is the Man. I saw a dove come down from heaven and remain on Him. That’s the Christ, that’s the Messiah.” Some of John’s disciples then began to go and follow Jesus. Andrew, Peter’s brother had been a disciple of John until John, pointed to Jesus and said, “Look the Lamb of God.”
John had been sent to preach to prepare the people to receive Jesus. Even after Jesus began his ministry John continued to preach but the crowds were getting smaller, for people were going after Jesus. One day one of John’s disciples was a little upset by this and he told John. “you know teacher, that guy you pointed out, well everybody has started going to him to be baptized. What are we going to do about this. This is not what we expected to happen.” John said listen, “I didn’t come to compete with him, I came to prepare the way for Him. I’m glad for what I did, and I’m even happier for him. He must increase, and I must decrease.
But John kept on preaching. Then he preached a message one day