MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
JOHN 1:19-28
#JOHN1
CHILDREN’S SERMON BEFORE THE SERMON (kid's staying in the service this particular day)
Today in the sermon, I will be talking all about a guy by the name of John the Baptist. I am not sure what you all know about John the Baptist. What do you already know about him… maybe from reading at home or VBS or Sunday School?
Camel’s Hair Desert Before Jesus Mom Elizabeth Pointed to Jesus
Leather Belt Baptizing Like Elijah Dad Zechariah
Let’s read: Matthew 3:3-6 says about him, “This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'" 4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.”
I want to share with you the most important thing about John the Baptist and the least important thing about John the Baptist. The most important thing about John the Baptist was that he was the herald for Jesus. [repeat: herald]. “Herald” is a word that means announcer. Basically, it was John the Baptists’ job to announce that Jesus was coming. He did that by being a little weird to get people’s attention, baptizing people for the forgiveness of sins, and taught people lessons that prepared their hearts for Jesus. The other really cool thing about John the Baptist was that in the Old Testament, God told Israel He would send a herald before Jesus came on the scene… and God kept His promise.
The least important thing about John the Baptist was he ate bugs. He ate bugs and honey for some reason. There was no McDonalds or anything then, so I guess John just ate whatever was lying around. I happen to have some bugs for us to eat today if you’d like to try them. Don’t be scared, they are bugs for people to eat and unlike John, I bought these from a store and did not find them lying around. What do you think?
[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HBTNH8/]
[napkins]
[honey]
[puke buckets]
[small cups of water]
Let’s see if any of the adults want to try these crickets?!
PRAYER FOR THE CHILDREN
Today we are indeed talking about John the Baptist and his message, but more importantly we are talking about his purpose and how that relates to our lives. Let’s read from John 1.
READ John 1:19-28
19 Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." 21 They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." 22 Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
God the Father and Architect of the Eternal Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ chose to use John the Baptist to prepare the way for Christ’s ministry. God coming to earth warranted someone to announce it! Jesus was big news… good news! John was unlike anyone Israel had seen in quite some time and they sent important religious people from Jerusalem to investigate him.
The important religious people asked John questions. John said he was not the Christ. Nope. He was not Elijah come back from the dead. Nope. He was not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15 who the Jews were not even sure who he was supposed to be. Nope. John said he was the one spoken about in Isaiah 40.
John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ’s ministry by turning people’s attention back to God and God’s ways. He showed them the need to repent from old patterns and habits. Repent means to change the direction of their lives away from selfish sinful attitudes and behaviors and towards God-centered and God-honoring attitudes and behaviors. John immersed (baptized) people for the forgiveness of sins in an expectation of a Greater Person to appear.
The purpose of John’s preaching along with baptizing was to prepare the hearts of the people to receive Christ’s message when He came on the scene. John was all about turning to God so that they would recognize Jesus as the Son of God.
WE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
As I was reviewing passages about John the Baptist, I kept coming across the same phrase. In Matthew 3, the phrase is: “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.” In John 1, we read in verse 23: “Make straight the way for the Lord.” This is of course obviously repeated because it is the Old Testament passage from Isaiah 40 that is John’s job description. I then wondered what that job looks like for us today. Can we do that? You and I who are already believers can also fill that role as the herald for Jesus Christ for the people we come across. For the people around us do not know Him, cannot recognize Him, and are not familiar with the teachings of the Bible… we are the ones who point God out. We are the ones who point Jesus out. We point the way. We are the ones who in these days fulfill the role of the one who prepares the way for Jesus to make a difference in people’s lives.
* What does fulfilling John the Baptist’s role look like for us?
* How can we make straight the way for the Lord?
* How can we prepare the people around us for believing in Jesus as their Savior and Lord?
THREAD: WE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
PRAY FOR OPPORTUNITIES
Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live-- not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Colossians 4:5-6 says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
It makes sense that if you and I are going to prepare the way for the Lord, that you and I need to pray for opportunities to do so. You and I can pray for opportunities to share faith with the people around us making the most of opportunities presented to us.
I have admit that I think I miss more opportunities than I hit. We need to be in consistent prayer that God would give us opportunities to share about Jesus Christ with people and that we would recognize the opportunity when it drops in our lap. We can pray that we are careful and wise. We can pray that we make the most of every opportunity, not to preach or quote Scripture necessarily, but to definitely share why Jesus is important to us.
Recognize the opportunity over a cup of coffee when someone tells you about their life.
Recognize the opportunity when someone is hurting or in a crisis.
Recognize the opportunity at Christmas or Easter.
ILLUSTRATION… https://blog.ptl.org/blog//plug-into-the-power-of-prayer-when-sharing-the-gospel
Here is a cool testimony from a girl named Jesse in Bemidji, MN who finds her strength to share Christ through prayer:
“I’ve been convicted about sharing The Gospel with people. My problem in the past was that I was too afraid because I thought I needed to know all the answers and anticipate all of the questions that might be asked. Because of recent events in my life and my friends’ lives, I have really been awakened to the need to share The Gospel with people intentionally, not in my strength but in the strength of the Holy Spirit. I have realized that I just need to pray for and take opportunities to share and love on people. No more sitting around and being lukewarm for me. I never gain want to be content to watch the world go by and not do the job God has called me to do. No more passing up opportunities to give people the best news in the world. I am a Christian, and I am no longer afraid nor ashamed."
THREAD: WE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
STUDY THE SCRIPTURES
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says clearly, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
* The Bible teaches us about God, Jesus, and how God views us.
* The Bible rebukes us in our lives when we think our way is better than God’s way.
* The Bible corrects our attitudes and emotions to come in line with Christian living.
* The Bible trains us to follow Jesus and His teachings in all aspects of life.
It makes sense that if you and I are going to prepare the way for the Lord, that you and I are familiar with the Bible which tells the story of God’s plan for our redemption. We need to know who God is as the Eternal Uncreated Almighty Father in Heaven and He is described in the Bible. He speaks in the Bible. His hand in history is in the Bible.
We need to know who Jesus Christ is as the Son of God. We find His teachings in the Bible. We find His life in the Bible. We find His death, burial, and resurrection in the Bible. We find passages about what life in the Holy Spirit is and what it looks like to be faithful and abide in Christ. We find books about living out the faith that we profess.
Therefore, if we are a believer, we should read the Bible each day.
Therefore, if we are a believer and we want to make straight the way, we should study the Bible.
Therefore, if we are a believer who wants to point people to Jesus, we should study with others.
Therefore, if we are a believer we should investigate our faith so we know why we believe.
Therefore, if we are a believer we should know our faith in order to explain Jesus to others.
ILLUSTRATION… http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/b/bible_study_of.htm
I like the quote from Martin Luther:
“I study my Bible like I gather apples. First, I shake the whole tree that the ripest may fall. Then I shake each limb, and when I have shaken each limb, I shake each branch and every twig. Then I look under every leaf. I search the Bible as a whole like shaking the whole tree. Then I shake every limb--study book after book. Then I shake every branch, giving attention to the chapters. Then I shake every twig, or a careful study of the paragraphs and sentences and words and their meanings.”
THREAD: WE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
LIVE HONESTLY
1 Peter 2:11-12 says, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”
The Apostle Peter reminds us that we are in a world that wars against our souls. As I thought about this particular picture of life, I realized that no one comes through war clean and without damage. Peter says we are in a war for souls. You and I make mistakes. You and I sin. You and I say and do things that we know we shouldn’t do as Christians.
I believe that Peter is saying to us that we need to first, commit ourselves to living in a Godly manner. Yet, we cannot and do not always succeed. We sin. We fall on our spiritual faces. What we need to do then is “live good lives” and be honest about where we mess up and why. None of us are perfect. We do not have to get our lives together and then come to church! The church is a gathering of broken people who are limping along just like the rest of us… the difference is a Christian has hope and strength.
We are in a war about souls and we continue to do good. We are in a war for souls and we do our best to point people to Jesus even in the midst of our mistakes. I’m not excusing hypocrisy, what I am trying to do is promote honest Godly living in the midst of a sinful war zone. I hope that makes sense.
* Let us be honest and consistent that our lives are not all together and we need Jesus to make us whole.
* Let us ask for forgiveness when we fail and offer it to others as we want to be forgiven.
* Let us be people who ask questions when we have questions and offer answers when we have them.
* Let us live our lives consistently to show others who God is truly.
ILLUSTRATION… https://www.christianity.com/jesus/following-jesus/fruit-of-the-spirit/the-need-for-consistency.html
Imagine if I planted a tree in my front yard, but after a while, I decided it would look better in my backyard. Then after a few months, I realized it would be better in the front yard. So I dig it up and plant it again in the front yard. Not only will that tree fail to flourish, but it also will struggle to just survive.
Some of us are like that with God and aren’t so consistent and honest about our walk with Him. We decide to go to church, read the Bible, and pray regularly. We do this for a month, and we uproot ourselves and disappear for a few months. Then we come back again. Then we uproot ourselves and go back to the old life again. Eventually we come back and are at it again. No one grows spiritually that way and no one will be a good witness for Christ that way.
THREAD: WE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS
1 Corinthians 3:5b-9 states: “as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.”
The Apostle Paul makes the very important point in “making straight the way” that it is not me or you or some clever argument that saves someone. It is God alone who saves. Jesus says in John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” God does the drawing. The Holy Spirit calls out to our hearts. Now we can ignore Him or say no… but it truly is God that calls our hearts to Him.
The Apostle Paul makes the very important point that we all have different tasks. Some plant seeds. Some water seeds. Some are there at the harvest time. All are people of faith who are making straight the way for someone to believe in Jesus. All of us together do the pointing to Jesus Christ. You and I need to go our parts in sharing the Gospel.
The Apostle Paul makes the very important point that we are fellow workers with God in His field and His building. This is not our church. This is not our building. This is not our Jesus. This is not our faith. What we participate in is a faith rooted in God’s Son who offers salvation to those who accept Him… anyone… and none of it hangs on us or our permission. We make straight the way for Jesus Christ and He does what He does… it isn’t up to us. Many times we get an overdeveloped sense of ownership of church and we should not… this faith we have is totally God’s.
ILLUSTRATION… http://www.moreillustrations.com/Illustrations/seed.html
I read a little poem this week:
If you plant for a year, plant grain.
If you plant for ten years, plant trees.
If you plant for 100 years, plant men.
If you plant for Eternity, plant the Word.
THREAD: WE CAN MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY
SUMMARY/QUESTIONS REVISITED
Towards the beginning of our time this morning I asked these three questions:
* What does fulfilling John the Baptist’s role look like for us?
* How can we make straight the way for the Lord?
* How can we prepare the people around us for believing in Jesus as their Savior and Lord?
I believe that you and I can do that by praying consistently for opportunities to share our faith. We need God to give us eyes to see conversations and people who need to hear about Jesus. We can do that by preparing our brains by studying the Bible and knowing what and why we believe. Most importantly we need to have prepared why Jesus Christ is so important to us… us personally… that we can share Him with someone who does not know God. We can be like John the Baptist if we live out our Christian faith honestly and consistently, not perfectly for no one can do that, but in honesty showing the power of Christ through us. And then we must be people who consistently point others to Christ no matter where they are in their faith journey.
Pray for Opportunities
Study the Scriptures
Live Honestly
Point People to Jesus
GOSPEL MESSAGE
I would like to plant a seed this morning. If you do not believe in Jesus or God or any of this church stuff, I’d like you to read one verse this next week and think on it. Maybe you read it once. Maybe you take up the challenge and read just one verse each day this next week. The verse is Romans 5:8. The Book of Romans is in the New Testament. Romans is the 6th book in the New Testament. Just read that one verse and ponder it, think on it, mull it over in your mind. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Just think on that verse.
PRAYER
