TITLE: THE G.O.A.T.
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 11:11
In sports there’s an acronym used to describe the greatest of all time -- It’s the word GOAT - GREATEST OF ALL TIME…G.O.A.T.
• Many believe in Basketball that Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time. Some vote for LeBron or Wilt Chamberlain, but most choose Michael “His Air-ness”
• In Football people will argue for Jim Brown – Jerry Rice – Walter Payton – Joe Montana – Reggie White - each have an argument for the greatest of all time
• In Golf its Jack Nicklaus, or Tiger Woods - maybe some old school folks will throw in Bobby Jones, but most agree it’s either Jack or Tiger
• In Hockey there’s almost consensus - It’s Wayne Gretzky - His name is even “The Great One”
• Baseball has its argument over Babe Ruth - Hank Aaron - Pete Rose and Cal Ripken Jr, “The Iron Man.” And probably a few others, about which was the greatest of all time or The GOAT
• In Tennis we could argue – Roger Federer – Rafael Nadal – Pete Sampras - Steffi Graff – Martina Navratilova – Chris Evert - or certainly Serena Williams would be in that mix
• In Boxing there is no argument that Muhammad Ali is the GOAT
But who is the greatest man that’s ever been born? Who would be considered the G.O.A.T. when it comes to everyone who has ever lived? We don’t have to debate about it like the sports figures I have already mentioned. Some of you are probably in the pews right now still debating on the various lists I have mentioned and adding to it. However, we don’t have to offer up our various positions or opinions when it comes to the G.O.A.T. that has ever lived.
• Well, according to Jesus (and I’m going to let Him be the judge on this) it’s John the Baptist
• Jesus said, and I quote, “TRULY I TELL YOU, AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISEN ANYONE GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST”
The “Greatness” that Jesus refers to concerning John has to do with John’s unique position in history, not with any special talent, holiness, or personal merit. In fact, immediately after stating that John is the greatest “AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN,” Jesus says, “YET WHOEVER IS LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS GREATER THAN HE.”
At face value, Jesus’ statement in this simple verse is paradoxical - “TRULY I TELL YOU, AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISEN ANYONE GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST; YET WHOEVER IS LEAST IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS GREATER THAN HE.” How can John be the greatest, if even the “least in the kingdom” is greater than John? The answer has to do with the Christian’s unique position in history, not with his personal merit.
• John died without seeing the fullness of God’s plan in Christ
• John never saw the crucifixion of Christ or His glorious resurrection
• Yet even the “least in the kingdom of heaven” knows of these events and understands their meaning
Jesus’ evaluation is always going to come from a heavenly perspective from the truth that God has created us each for a purpose.
• So, the greatest person ever born would be the one who fulfills that purpose best
• You see John was much more than a prophet
• Jesus was identifying the purpose of the life of John and how he walked in and fulfilled his divine Calling and Purpose
I wonder what the Lord will say about us when this life is over.
• Did we understand our Purpose in this life?
• Did we fulfill the Purpose the Lord established for our life?
• Too many Christians just go through the motions of living every day with no real purpose
• Understanding your Purpose will change your lifestyle
• Understanding your Purpose will challenge your Spiritual Growth
• Understanding your Purpose will make this life more enjoyable to live
• Because you are walking and living in your Purpose
I would be willing to admit this morning, this is a challenging text. The biography of John the Baptist is very short compared to the great Prophets of the OT. If you were to take a moment to consider who you would consider to be the Greatest in the Bible, who would make your list?
• Would you select the greatest prophet in the Bible for his great miracles?
• Maybe you would select the greatest prophet in the Bible on great feats that he accomplished
• You might select the greatest prophet in the Bible on his military might
• Maybe you selected the greatest prophet on his unwavering faith
• Most of us may have differing opinions on the matter
• MOSES is a great selection
• DAVID is also a good choice
• SAMUEL - ELIJAH - ISAIAH - JEREMIAH - and DANIEL would also be front runners
Yet, Jesus states very clearly that John the Baptist is the greatest Prophet in the Bible. The prominence which Jesus gives to John the Baptist requires specific explanation. After all, he is put on a level with, or perhaps even above, MOSES - ABRAHAM - JACOB and all the other greats; yet by the usual understanding and qualifications, that status seems hard to justify.
• What exactly, did John the Baptist do that was so important and can stand comparison, indeed excel, the remarkable achievements of the ancient Hebrew prophets?
We know from the Gospel Writer LUKE that –
• John was born by a miracle of God to fulfill this role
• Elizabeth was both barren and long past child bearing years when God's angel announced her to be God's chosen mother for Jesus' forerunner
• So he was a Miracle Baby
• That alone made him special
• We know that Jesus selected John to be the one who baptized Him
• We know that John was humble, not letting his monumental honor go to his head
• We know from Jesus' words and from His conduct before and throughout His trials and crucifixion that Jesus prized humility
Each and every one of us have been divenly designed by God - it says in PSALM 100:3 “KNOW YE THAT THE LORD HE IS GOD: IT IS HE THAT HATH MADE US, AND NOT WE OURSELVES…”
• Therefore, there is a divine purpose placed on each one of our lives
• We have a choice to walk in it or ignore it
• Your purpose may not be to Preach the Gospel
• Your purpose may not be to Evangelize
• Your purpose may not be to Teach Sunday School or Lead the Youth
• Your purpose may not be to Teach Bible Study – Workshops or Seminars
• But you have a Divine Purpose established by God
• Understanding that Purpose and walking in it brings fulfillment to our everyday lives
One reason I believe Jesus called John the Baptist the “Greatest” was that John held the honor of being chosen by god as the forerunner to the Messiah. John’s mission was to personally prepare the world for Christ’s arrival. John’s ministry was predicted in ISAIAH 40:3 and MALACHI 3:1. After Jesus came, John introduced Him to the world as the LAMB OF GOD WHO WOULD TAKE AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD - ST. JOHN 1:35-36. John was the herald who introduced to the world the hero of all history. It was this introduction that accredited Jesus before the Jewish crowds and leaders, some of whom believed on Jesus, and many of whom did not.
That’s why many can’t make any headway and walk in their Purpose today. We don’t want to be second to anyone.
• That’s why we have all these store front churches
• That’s why we have all these young preachers starting their own ministries and don’t know anything
• We want to be the whole show
• If not, the show won’t go on
• We want to have the biggest Church
• We want to have the biggest Membership
• We want to be the leader over the Ministry, if not we won’t participate
• If we are going to do all that work at least make sure that we get all the attention, credit, and focus
• John’s ministry was to prepare the hearts of the people to receive someone else -- Jesus
John prepared people for Jesus. He taught them the basics, and baptized them, getting people used to some of the new ideas and changes that Jesus was bringing, and also telling them that he (John) wasn't the Christ, but that he was preparing the way for him.
John the Baptist remains an inspirational figure to imitate, as he shows deep humility.
• When his disciples leave him to follow Jesus, he accepts this as the right course of action
• The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice
• Therefore, this joy of mine is now complete
• He must increase, but I must decrease
• He does not cry about his disciples leaving him for Jesus
• John doesn’t cry about they left because of something they didn’t like that he said
• John doesn’t cry about something he said that ran his disciples off
• He knew it was never about him and always about the coming of Christ
He was the G.O.A.T because he lived for God not for himself. And John was Okay with that. He didn’t bother about the luxuries he missed. The Bible says his clothes were nothing more than a raiment made from Camel’s Hair and a Leather Belt around the waist. These were the clothes worn by poor people and the Prophets.
He left his parents and his father’s home to be of service to the Lord. Although the OT permits the consumption of Locusts as food in LEVITICUS 11:21-23 it wasn’t the best diet. He could have enjoyed the meat and the bread that was brought to the Temple, after all, his father was the high priest. Yet he settled for much less for the sake of Ministry, because he understood his Purpose.
• Today Preachers want the Big Salaries with a Big Car
• Today Preachers want to be Dressed with a Big Budget for clothing
• Today Preachers are only concerned with Preaching at Big Churches, Ministries, and Cathedrals
• Today Preachers want to stay in the Best Hotels with Steak Dinners
• Today Preachers want to Fly on First Class
• John the Baptist was only concerned about the basics and would not allow all this other stuff to get in the way of his ministry and his purpose
The land adjacent to the Jordan River, where John was headquartered was covered with bushes and the heavy undergrowth was inhabited by wild beasts.
• However, John made the banks of the Jordan River his Ministry Headquarters because the river supplied him with what he wanted most for his Ministry
• Not a Big Cathedral
• Not TV Coverage on TBN or the Word Network
• Not Fame and Fortune
• Not Big Titles and Preaching engagements
• It provided him with Water!
• That’s all he needed to Baptize these new believers
• He lived in constant danger for the sake of God’s Kingdom
Another reason he received this honor from Jesus was -- he never abused God’s anointing. According to the Gospel of Luke we learn that John was filled with the Holy Spirit while he was still in Elizabeth’s, his mother’s womb. You remember when Mary greeted her cousin Elizabeth, the babe John jumped in his mother’s womb after hearing the salutation.
• But unlike others like Samson who were born this way John never used God’s anointing to feed the lusts of the flesh
• Samson could have and should have done even greater things for the Lord, but his flesh got in his way of service to the Lord
• But John used the anointing that God gave him to draw people to God, not for himself
• Even though the people arrived at the banks of Jordan by multitudes to see him he redirected their attention to God instead of receiving all the honor to himself
• He was humble and did not hesitate to point to Jesus as rightfully required by his prophetic office
This is a critical area that is missing with many of God’s people today, especially those serving in the pulpit.
• We spend too much time trying to make a name for ourselves
• We spend too much time trying to entertain God’s people instead of educating them
• There is an erroneous idea today that the main reason we attend worship is to "get something out of the service" rather than going there to give our worship to God
• This is the reason people cannot be satisfied with the worship service when their emphasis is not on the proper object of worship, God
the purpose of the anointing is to give us the ability and the skill to fulfill the supernatural tasks God has assigned to us in his ministry.
• It’s given to us to perform a task which is sacred
• We are not to use that anointing to meet our own selfish, carnal desires
• Here is a News Flash for those big time Preachers and so called big time Preachers who think they can’t be around everyone because they have to Protect the Anointing
• You cannot Protect the Anointing
• The Anointing is given to Protect Us!
Let’s stay here for a few moments because the end of John’s life can cause us some real challenges as it pertains to being Anointed. John the Baptist is living his final days in what seems like Failure - Embarrassment - Shame.
• He had lived his entire life for the Lord
• The Bible says he was filled with the spirit of God from his mother’s womb
• He surrendered at a very early age to be God’s spokesman
• A forerunner to the Messiah
He lived his entire life in God’s will, and now he is spending his final days in prison as the laughingstock of the nation. And fact is, it’s not going to get better. You won’t read later that John is –
• Rescued from prison
• No angel releases him like Peter in Acts
• No earthquake frees him like Paul and Silas
• No, he’s going to die in this prison
• He will be beheaded at the hands of Herod
It wouldn’t be appropriate right now for –
• Oral Roberts to say, “something good is going to happen to you today”
• He doesn’t need to see Kenneth Hagan’s book, “Godliness is Profitable”
• Or Joel Osteen’s best seller, “Your Best Life Now!”
John's greatest strength was his focused and faithful commitment to the call of God on his life. Taking the Nazirite vow for life, he personified the term "SET APART FOR GOD."
• John knew he had been given a specific job to do and he set out with singular obedience to fulfill that mission
• He didn't just talk about repentance from sin - He lived with a boldness of purpose throughout his uncompromising mission, willing to die a martyr for his stand against sin
• Not only was he willing to live for the Lord, but he was also willing to die for the Lord
• We spend too much time talking about we would die for the Lord
• The Lord is asking us to how about trying to live for Him first
John was a great man, but God gave him a difficult call. As a student of Scripture, John would have been keenly aware that most of God's prophets lived lonely lives that usually ended in exile, murder or both.
• That's precisely what happened to John
• He was thrown in prison
• Beheaded after preaching against Herod ("Herod the Great," ironically)
• John went from known by some - to mega tour preacher - to imprisoned - to dead rather quickly
• That's a man who humbly obeyed his difficult call
John's public ministry lasted roughly six months —
• Shorter than an academic freshman year at a Bible College
• He preached a lot of sermons
• Baptized perhaps thousands of people
• Handed his ministry to Jesus and got martyred
• All by the age of about 30
Today, the average 30-year-old male is getting married for the first time after years of playing video games, acting silly and wasting time.
• John did not consume any alcohol
• He did not waver on his mission
• He packed in a lifetime of man's work during his brief 30 years because He did not waste any of His time on earth
• Like a soldier off to war, He did not pretend that life was an extended vacation at an all-inclusive resort
• Men, especially young men, who aspire to greatness can learn a lot from John's example
• He is Jesus' definition of a great man
--The lifestyle of John the Baptist and his philosophy of ministry makes him an insignificant man with an outstanding ministry.
--His life was very short
--His Ministry didn’t last long
--John the Baptist – The G.O.A.T
--He was the greatest man born of woman
--He was a great preacher
--Bold and courageous
--One day God will definitely tell him ‘WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT! YOU HAVE BEEN FAITHFUL WITH A FEW THINGS. I WILL PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF MANY THINGS. ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD’
--Will God be able to say the same about you and me?
