The big issue was that the religious, temple establishment faced some opposition from more devoted followers of Jewish law. They felt that everyday religious life was not hastening the rule of God and the overthrow of their oppressors. John’ s alternative message attracted those disaffected with religion as it was, those who were looking for something more.
For us today, our faith may at times need to challenge the established form of religious expression. All traditions can get stale and lose its heart yet people today crave an authentic spirituality as much as they did two thousand years ago. Genuine seekers will go out into their own‘ deserts’, away from the business as usual, to find a more genuine way of living for God. John the Baptist’ s life is as much a challenge to our own religious comfort and conformity as it was in his own time.
3. Like John, practice what you believe. John, to quote a well trodden cliché,‘ walked the talk’. He practised what he preached and his preaching was pretty straight forward; repentance( greek metanoia) meaning a complete change of one’ s life and the rite of baptism to signify the repentance of sin. He lived his life completely consistent to his beliefs and calling because John had turned away from the standards of the world to live by God’ s standards.
This is just as difficult for us to do today. How do we live for God and not ourselves? We can’ t do both so a change of heart and mind to live a life consistent with God’ s standards is needed. It will be hard sometimes but the fruits of that life and decision are so worth it even though at times we may seem to fail. God’ s amazing grace and mercy in Jesus will always inspire us to keep going.
4. Lead people to Christ, not ourselves. John’ s life had a single purpose: to prepare people for the coming of the messiah.‘ I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness,“ make straight the way of the Lord.”( John 1:23). John was a great prophet of God. You could say he was the last prophet of the Old Testament as he bridges the two covenants leading to Jesus. Yet he remained consistent in his calling, to prepare for the coming of someone greater.
However great or small we think our calling and ministry may be, it’ s irrelevant unless it’ s true purpose is to lead people to Christ. When human ambition gets in the way of fulfilling God’ s purposes we diminish our true identity in Christ. John’ s life is a challenge to holiness and living truthfully.
5. Be genuine in humility. John had a following, he had disciples, he had a reputation. The very things that would make people proud but John’ s perspective was never on earthly glory, it was always pointing to the greater glory of God. His was a time when many people had it in their heads to lead rebellions, start movements and agitate against Rome. Reputations could be made or broken according to anyone’ s claim to carry divine favour.
But John clearly spent more time listening to God. Perhaps that’ s why he felt more at home in the desert, away from the distractions of towns and cities. There he could hear and discern what God wanted to do through him for his people, Israel.
Being this close to God can only build in his character a deep sense of humility. He lived it out right down to his lifestyle, his clothes and his food! Living truthfully and in holiness expressed itself in humility.‘ After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.’ Mark 1:7. Only a man as great as John could acknowledge his place in front of, Jesus. His purpose in life had been fulfilled.
We need to imitate this way of humility like John.
6. Doubts are normal. Some time after John baptised Jesus, he began to hear news of what Jesus was doing.‘ John’ s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask,“ Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”’ Luke 7:18-19.
Clearly John had expected something different of Jesus. Perhaps he thought he should be more like the prophets of old, more separate from the world? But what Jesus was doing was initiating the new covenant of grace, not repeating the old. This was as much of a surprise to John as it was to others. The life of Jesus had challenged even John’ s worldview and understanding of God. So he had doubts.
Continue ….
Jeremiah
' For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the LORD, ' Because they have called you an outcast, saying: " It is Zion; no one cares for her."
The big issue was that the religious, temple establishment faced some opposition from more devoted followers of Jewish law. They felt that everyday religious life was not hastening the rule of God and the overthrow of their oppressors. John’ s alternative message attracted those disaffected with religion as it was, those who were looking for something more.
For us today, our faith may at times need to challenge the established form of religious expression. All traditions can get stale and lose its heart yet people today crave an authentic spirituality as much as they did two thousand years ago. Genuine seekers will go out into their own‘ deserts’, away from the business as usual, to find a more genuine way of living for God. John the Baptist’ s life is as much a challenge to our own religious comfort and conformity as it was in his own time.
3. Like John, practice what you believe. John, to quote a well trodden cliché,‘ walked the talk’. He practised what he preached and his preaching was pretty straight forward; repentance( greek metanoia) meaning a complete change of one’ s life and the rite of baptism to signify the repentance of sin. He lived his life completely consistent to his beliefs and calling because John had turned away from the standards of the world to live by God’ s standards.
This is just as difficult for us to do today. How do we live for God and not ourselves? We can’ t do both so a change of heart and mind to live a life consistent with God’ s standards is needed. It will be hard sometimes but the fruits of that life and decision are so worth it even though at times we may seem to fail. God’ s amazing grace and mercy in Jesus will always inspire us to keep going.
4. Lead people to Christ, not ourselves. John’ s life had a single purpose: to prepare people for the coming of the messiah.‘ I am the voice of the one calling in the wilderness,“ make straight the way of the Lord.”( John 1:23). John was a great prophet of God. You could say he was the last prophet of the Old Testament as he bridges the two covenants leading to Jesus. Yet he remained consistent in his calling, to prepare for the coming of someone greater.
However great or small we think our calling and ministry may be, it’ s irrelevant unless it’ s true purpose is to lead people to Christ. When human ambition gets in the way of fulfilling God’ s purposes we diminish our true identity in Christ. John’ s life is a challenge to holiness and living truthfully.
5. Be genuine in humility. John had a following, he had disciples, he had a reputation. The very things that would make people proud but John’ s perspective was never on earthly glory, it was always pointing to the greater glory of God. His was a time when many people had it in their heads to lead rebellions, start movements and agitate against Rome. Reputations could be made or broken according to anyone’ s claim to carry divine favour.
But John clearly spent more time listening to God. Perhaps that’ s why he felt more at home in the desert, away from the distractions of towns and cities. There he could hear and discern what God wanted to do through him for his people, Israel.
Being this close to God can only build in his character a deep sense of humility. He lived it out right down to his lifestyle, his clothes and his food! Living truthfully and in holiness expressed itself in humility.‘ After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.’ Mark 1:7. Only a man as great as John could acknowledge his place in front of, Jesus. His purpose in life had been fulfilled.
We need to imitate this way of humility like John.
6. Doubts are normal. Some time after John baptised Jesus, he began to hear news of what Jesus was doing.‘ John’ s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask,“ Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?”’ Luke 7:18-19.
Clearly John had expected something different of Jesus. Perhaps he thought he should be more like the prophets of old, more separate from the world? But what Jesus was doing was initiating the new covenant of grace, not repeating the old. This was as much of a surprise to John as it was to others. The life of Jesus had challenged even John’ s worldview and understanding of God. So he had doubts.
Continue ….
Jeremiah
30:17
11
' For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the LORD, ' Because they have called you an outcast, saying: " It is Zion; no one cares for her."