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This is our second period class. The teacher is Brother John Martin. His subject, the prophet of the highest, John the Baptist. This is the first day's class, and the title is In the Spirit and Power of Elijah. Brother John Martin. My dearly beloved brethren and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, let me first of all say how absolutely delightful it is, brethren and sisters, to be amongst you again after 15 years absence. And to see those faces which I'll never forget, you know, like Bob Lloyd, you never forget that, and to meet those people that we endeared ourselves to and were endeared to 15 years ago. Let me apologize to you for not coming earlier. Let me tell you the reason why. I am a coward. I developed a problem in 1969 with an aeroplane when we were in the Middle East tour. Bob was on the same tour, so that'll probably help you understand it as well. And from then on I have been grounded. I went to England two years ago and it took 12 brethren to get me there and they carried me on the plane and sat on me all the way. I went to South Africa last year with four other people and this year all I've needed is clemmy wigs of one, so I'm getting better and better and better. But though that may sound funny to you, brethren and sisters, it is to me a great trauma because I've come here to tell you about faith and courage. And believe me, that weakness makes me feel about one and a half inches high. But I believe that it's a friction which I probably deserve. It keeps me in perspective and I thank God for it. And I hope and pray that we're able to overcome it one day and perhaps come more often. But for the time being, let's get immersed into the life of this man, John the Baptist. And this is one of the most thrilling studies I've ever done in my life. I say it about every one of them, but it is particularly true about this one. I always wanted to do John the Baptist because wherever I get stuck into the word brethren and sisters, I get involved in the character. I can't help it. I just love the people of that book and he's a remarkable character. And the reason that I did this study for our Glenlock Easter camp was because I feel there is a very great need today because we are laboring under a curse. And if you were to ask me the greatest single problem we've got in Australia today, I would have no hesitation, whatever, in telling you what that is. It is the curse of materialism. It might sound strange to you people here who live in perhaps the pinnacle of materialism, but it's coming in our country and the effects of materialism are marked upon our community. And if ever there's a study, brethren and sisters, which would shake us out of our lethargy and apathy induced by materialism, it is the story of John the Baptist as God chose this man who they must have seen as a radical, a recluse, an extremist, and yet one who stood before them, the epitome of the simple power of that book and what an enormous power that is. I could do no better, brethren and sisters, to introduce this subject and its importance by telling you this, that in accordance with the opinion of our Lord Jesus Christ, no lesser than he, the man that we're going to study is underscored in importance by these words, Among those born among women there has not risen a greater prophet than John the Baptist. The theme over the top of the stage, brethren and sisters, is that we should hearken to God's prophets. If ever we should hearken to a prophet, it's this one, because according to our Lord Jesus Christ, he's the greatest of them all, and so he was. There's only one way to introduce this subject, and that's to link him up with Elijah in whose spirit and power he came. And, brothers and sisters, I invite your closest attention to this opening address because it is the absolute crux of his life. It is the very centre of his life. If we can grasp the significance of what we're now going to learn together, we will understand the purpose of John's life. What did Luke mean when he said that he came in the spirit and in the power of Elijah? And for years I considered, well, as Elijah preceded Elijah, so John the Baptist preceded our Lord Jesus Christ, that Elijah was a sort of a prototype of John, and that as Elijah, of course, came before Christ at his first advent, so Elijah will precede him at his second advent. That's what I thought it meant. And I suppose, in a sense, that is not the essence of it. What is the spirit of Elijah? What is the power of Elijah that John came in? Well, listen to this. Take power, first of all. He came in the power of Elijah. In the 10th chapter of John, and pardon me for not turning all these references up, because you know they're there. In the 10th chapter of John, verse 41, it says of John the Baptist, he did no miracle. Not one. And yet he came in the power of Elijah, who did eight. So it was not that sort of power that he came in. It was a different form of power for us. What about the spirit of Elijah? What was the spirit that John came in? Well, you may recall on one occasion recorded in the ninth chapter of Luke, that the Lord Jesus Christ was making his way through the village of the Samaritans, and they would not receive him. And the two sons of thunder, James and John said, shall we bring down fire from heaven and consume them like Elijah did? And the answer came, you don't know what manner of spirit you are on. For the Son of Man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them. The spirit and power of Elijah, brethren and sisters, was not physical, terrible or inspiring. It was persuasive. It got to the heart of madness. And what Luke is trying to tell us is this, that John came in a spirit and in a power that Elijah should have, but never did around to exercising in his day, but which he most assuredly will when he comes again to lead that great second exodus up the valley of Acre to face the Lord Jesus Christ with those Jewish people, the representatives of the nation that crucify him. And they will only get there, brethren and sisters, by the persuasive power of the spirit of that book. And that's what Luke meant. And therefore we come and see John dressed in nature as Elijah was, very much like him in appearance, and exercising that spirit and power which God fully intended that Elijah should exercise. And so, brothers and sisters, in order that we might appreciate that, what we've got to do is take him back to where Elijah learnt that lesson. And we will bounce through the record, 1 Kings 19, Isaiah 40, straight into Matthew, and you'll see the connection. It's so plain. Elijah has raced down the valley of Jezreel before the chariot of Ahab. That action, brethren and sisters, was not one to show that he was faster than Ahab's horses. That was not the point at all. Everywhere in the Bible where people read before chariots, it was to illustrate that those running in front recognised the one behind to be superior. And Elijah was recognising. He thought the king had been converted. He thought the power of God from heaven had converted the king. He thought the prophets of Baal being dead, the nation was repented. He thought that the Ahab from then on would lead them to glory and in deference to the royal majesty of the kingdom. He raced down the dust bowl of the valley of Jezreel to the gates of Jezreel, stood aside and the king swept into that city and the door slammed. And from behind those doors, that imperious woman Jezebel fired her verbal thunderbolts at him and the man that had stood upon Mount Carmel listening to his own name shouted by the people, the Lord, he is God, was next found beneath the juniper tree saying, I want to die. And he went, brethren and sisters, inexorably to Mount Sinai. It's the only time in his life he ever moved without being told by God where to go. Ten times the record said do this or do that in the name of the Lord. Only once ever did Elijah ever direct his steps without that word and he went to Sinai because he was bitter in his heart. He was disappointed. He was shattered. He felt that God had let him down and he thought if he could get to Mount Sinai he could get God back on side. Didn't God understand what was going on? And the angel said, woke him up, fed him twice and said the journey's too great for thee Elijah. Who told him where he was going? That angel knew where he was going. How did he know? God knows everything and he's waiting for him and when he got there, brethren and sisters, in the first of Kings 19, but we'll pick the record up now, and this is where you're going to learn about the spirit and power of John the Baptist. When he got there he had to learn a tremendous lesson. And in the first of Kings chapter 19 we read this in verse 9, and he came thither unto the cave. The original Hebrew language there has the definite article. He came to the cave and lodged there and behold the word of the Lord came unto him and said, what doest thou hear Elijah? Now brethren and sisters, the cave, what's that cave? We wouldn't know for absolutely certain. We couldn't be dogmatic about this, but look, when you look at the whole spirit of what happened here, what else could it really be but the cave where Moses stood when he went down there brethren and sisters and ascended into that mount to pray Israel. And his father God, blot me out of the book, but save them. And the apostle Paul, putting his finger on the spirit of Elijah at this moment, said, watch ye not what the scripture says of Elijah, how he went to make intercession against Israel. That's a dangerous practice. And there he came to make intercession against Israel, standing in the very cave where Moses stood, I believe, to make intercession for Israel. And the question is, and this is the great question brethren and sisters, what are you doing here in this place Elijah? And what God was trying to ask him brethren and sisters was, what is it Elijah about me that you associate with me at this place? And Elijah, of course, had remembered that place, hadn't he, when the earth was shaken with the earthquake, when the law was given and the mountain was all on fire and the cloud descended and there was blackness and thunder and lightning and darkness and tempest and the voice of words, which voice they heard they could not endure. That even an animal approaching the mountain, they couldn't even kill it with their hands but speared it because they stood in awe of God. And that's what Elijah had associated with Mount Sinai and that's how he saw God's character. What are you doing here Elijah? What is it about me that you think that you'll get me to agree with here? And it all came out, it all came out, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts. And there's his problem, there is his problem in a nutshell. Lord God brethren and sisters, as we would understand it with the expositions of our brother Thomas, he who will be the mighty ones, the covenant name of God, God will become clearly seen to all those who've got like characteristics. The wonderful covenant name but Elijah tacked on the end of it the word for armies and that's the only second time in the whole record of the Bible that that's found. And what Elijah was saying brethren and sisters, that he thought that God's purpose was that he would imprint his character on men and women if he couldn't do it by persuasion, he'd frosted on them the Lord God of armies. And in that he was tragically mistaken. For this is the covenant which I will make with them in those days, saith the Lord. Not like the covenant I made with them when I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, which covenant they break, even though I was a husband under them. But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel and the house of Judah in those days, saith the Lord. I will write my law on their hearts and in their minds I will preach it. And that's not done by force brethren and sisters. That's not done by miraculous power, though it is miraculous. It is the miraculous power of the persistence and insistence of the powerful spirit of this book. And how you tell me how that for centuries God dealt with those people and never could get that law in their minds and hearts. Do you think brothers and sisters that we who love God with our hearts, soul and mind are any better flesh than them? What is it about a Jewish heart and a Christadelphian heart that's so different? Nothing. Well how did God finally get that into our hearts? Well you see when he took Israel out of Egypt, he released them from slavery by killing another man's son. He fed them with manna. He didn't allow the shoes to wear out, their clothes upon their back. He took them into the land of Canaan, drove Jordan backwards, conquered seven nations of Canaan, gave them judges and then set up over them kings at their request. He did all those things and still that law was not written in their hearts. So the prophet Isaiah in exasperation said, what more could I do for my vineyard? What more could I do? Well brothers and sisters, it wasn't so much a question of exasperation as a question of fact that there was just one little thing that could be done. My beloved has a vineyard in a very fruitful hill and in Mark chapter 12, the Lord's parable, he said unto them, his well-beloved, Isaiah 5, what more could be done? One more thing. And if that doesn't get the law in our hearts and minds, brothers and sisters, then we are hopeless. For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, it may be for a just man. We might respect a just man, a stern, dignified man. We might stand in awe of him, says the apostle, never die for him. A benevolent man, a kind man. We might dare to die for him, said the apostle. But if it had to be a daring act, it would have to be a moment's decision, talk a deep breath and do it. We might dare to do that for a good man, said the apostle. But God in his love and mercy, brothers and sisters, for at least 4,000 years of history that we know, measured that off and waited until mankind had reached his worst stage. In due time, in what time? Due time. He died for who? The ungodly. They weren't even just, they weren't even kind, and God didn't have to do it with a daring act. He measured it off for 4,000 years of human history. And if you wanted to go that further than that, before the world was, our Lord had a glory with the Father. And the Father in the when he could have sent 12 legions of angels and prevented it. And we come Sunday morning by Sunday morning to talk about the sacrifice of Christ. And rightly so. Have you ever scared of thoughts for the sacrifice of the Father? And that's what it was that finally wrote that law in our hearts. And God can do no more. You can't go further than that. And that's what Elijah had to learn, brethren and sisters. The law of God of hosts. He's not going to enforce it by physical might or power, but by the persuasion of the power of his word epitomized in the son of his last. As Elijah protested his case before God, he was sent back into the cave and an earthquake shook that mountain. You could see Elijah in that cave. The whole of that mountain shaking. The windows all over. God's not there. Not in that earthquake. Fire raged up that mountain, brethren and sisters. There's nothing there to burn. But fire burnt that granite as if it was tinder. And the searing heat would send Elijah to the back of that cave and he'd feel the heat. And when the heat was gone, he was still lonely. God was not in the fire. The wind came. Not wind that bends trees as it did at Chippensburg while we were there, snapped them off at the base. Bad enough. This wind picked up rocks, hurled them past the mouth of that cave and smashed them against the granite walls of Soneo, reverberating in Elijah's ears. All over. God was not in the wind. And what he was trying to tell Elijah, you've brought down fire from heaven. The river Kishon has run red with the blood of the prophets of Baal. But what have you done that's positive? Accept it thee, the widow of Zanothi. And then, brethren and sisters, a remarkable verse of Scripture, verse 13. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that is the still small voice. In verse 12, we'll go back a verse, and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, a still small voice. You know, in the Hebrew it means a thin crushed voice, perhaps just the opposite to mine. Robaham renders it a gentle whisper. And when he heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out. He went out. He went out, brethren and sisters. It was the voice that got him out in the open. And when that voice sounded in the wilderness, a voice crying, when they heard that voice again, the record in Matthew says, and all Judea went out to hear him. He drew them inactually to him with that very voice. As we'll illustrate to you as we proceed, it got him out of that cave. But not before he wrapped his face in his mantle. And the mantle, of course, a garment of hair, as it was called earlier, was a symbol of his prophetic office. He's a little ashamed of it, brethren and sisters. Because now, you see, the question comes again from God, what are you doing here? But the question is with a difference. And note the difference. In verse 9, the word of the Lord came to him saying, what are you doing here, Elijah? But in verse 13, halfway through the verse, and behold, there came a voice to him saying, what are you doing here, Elijah? And he repeated his defence, almost like a prepared statement. I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts. But you can see him now, brethren and sisters, saying it with his eyes to the ground. Because that voice that's talking to him is nothing like what he had been doing in Israel. When he'd gone through his prepared statement, the answer of God to him was, you go back to your way, to the spirit and power. That voice. You know, brothers and sisters, do you think that I got all of that out of my own head? Do you think that's the true rendition of that record? Listen to the last word for the Old Testament. Remember ye the law of my servant Moses, which I commanded him in Horeb with all statutes and with all the judgments. Behold, I send you Elijah. Why send us Elijah to remember Moses? Because Moses, Elijah, brethren and sisters, for this purpose is far better educated. Remember ye the law of my servant Moses, which I commanded him in Horeb, and he'd gone there to end in Moses' shoes. Behold, I send you Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. I smite the earth with a curse. Two words. As to what they're telling us about the spirit and power of John the Baptist and Elijah. I'm gonna send you before the great and dreadful day. Yes! I smite the earth with a curse. And he went down there, brethren and sisters, for the express reason to procure that curse on Israel. Watch ye not what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he made intercession against Israel. And so there was a voice in the wilderness, and it's in Isaiah 40, isn't it? And it's Isaiah the prophet in his 40th chapter that picks up that story. And here we have our voice, brethren and sisters. And this is what John said. They said, who are you John? He said, I'm the voice. And here it is. And he quoted the 40th chapter of Isaiah. And Isaiah, of course, is picking it up from the voice in the wilderness. And what voice could have that been but the one that was heard at the very apex of that wilderness at Mount Sinai. And the voice said in Isaiah chapter 40 and verse 1, Now, brethren and sisters, we're getting near to the story of John the Baptist's life. We're getting near to the purpose of his life in expressing that voice. How do you get to the story of Elijah? Here's how you do it. Hosea said, I will allure her into the wilderness. Speaking of the restoration of Israel, Hosea 2. And the very words of Hosea 2 are couched in the terms of Elijah's life. Great shall be the day of Jezreel. I will hear the hearth, and they will hear the heavens, and they will hear the corn, and they will hear the wine. The story of Elijah on the ground, bringing down rain upon a parched earth. All the references to the life of Elijah. And Hosea says, I will allure her into the wilderness. And I will speak to her heart. And that, brethren and sisters, is the lesson of our life. And believe me, when I tell you this here, I haven't come all this way from my family to illustrate to you that I can speak from the Bible, because I don't really think that's so. But I tell you what I have come to say to you, that if we don't get out into that wilderness from this cursive materialistic world, God will never talk to your heart. And I say that on the authority of the word of God and by the experience, because he can't talk to my heart, because I am basically materialistic. And that, brothers and sisters, is not false humility. It is a tragic fact. I am very much taken over with materialism. Not that I've got much, but I think a lot about what I could get. And if God can't allure me into the wilderness, he'll never talk to my heart. Come for she. Speak to the heart of this people. That her warfare is accomplished. The time of her hard services come. She hath received of, it says here, she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. In other words, she hath received, brothers and sisters, literally rendered in the Hebrew, she has accepted the punishment. She's accepted her punishment. She's agreed with it. And that's taken straight out of the 26th chapter of Leviticus, that what Israel accepts the punishment of their iniquity. Then I will remember the covenant, which I made with Jacob, with Isaac, with Abraham. That's backwards. Because God will remember them. Jacob, Isaac, Abraham. That's backwards. And in Hebrews chapter 6, Paul says, God is not unmindful to forget your labour of love, your service of hope, and your continuance in faith. And that's backwards. Because God is not unmindful, mindful to forget you. And there's the creator thinking back to them. Because we have accepted, brethren and sisters, the truth of the matter. That we are no good in God's eyes. And that he can never speak while in the wilderness. It's a voice crying. And what's he saying? The voice is crying. And it reads like this. In the wilderness prepare you the way of the Lord and make straight in the desert a highway for our God. The proof of it, brethren and sisters, is in the parallelism. That's the proof of it. And the voice says what? What does the voice say? In the wilderness prepare you the way of the Lord and make straight in the desert a highway for our God. That's the Hebrew parallelism. That's what it's got to me. And so Isaiah the prophet says, upon the soil the Adomar shall come to you in peace and invite you all to come out there and listen to what God had to say. There, brethren and sisters, is the great lesson of that man's life. God doesn't ask us to leave house and home. He doesn't ask us to sell all our possessions. That's not what he's trying to tell us, brethren and sisters. We don't have to go and buy a camel skin. We don't need to do that. We can't escape our environment. We're caught up in it. We're like rats in a trap. But unless we get that head out of that environment, we'll never learn about God's word. I can't do it. In older days when brethren of the pioneers went to the meeting in horse and trap and they went along jig jogging along with the horse and trap slowly to the meeting, brethren sisters, they regurgitated things. They zip here and zip there. They can't spend two seconds to quietly sit down quietly and listen to the voice of God speak to their heart. And the truth is going downhill, brethren and sisters. I don't know about your country. I know nothing about your country. I'm talking about my country. The truth is going downhill because of the curse of that situation. And people come to me and they say, how do you study the Bible? Can you show us messes? What colors do you use to mark up your Bible? I say to them, now look, before we ever start talking about colors, pens and inks or whatever, I want to know, are you prepared to spend hour after hour after hour after hour on that book? If you're not, forget it. Because brethren and sisters, he will allure us into the wilderness and speak to our heart. And so John was there in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. And down they came and looked down nature's amphitheater and heard the voice. Every valley was to be exalted. He would lift up meat. Every mountain was to be made low. He would depress the mighty and the proud. The crooked places would be made straight brethren and sisters. And all those lives that were crooked in God's sight would be made straight. And the coarse, rough natures of men would be smoothed over. And do you know something? There were only four classes of people registered in the Gospels that listened to John. The common people who heard him gladly and were exalted. The scribes and Pharisees whom he leveled. The publicans with all their crooked dealings as tax gatherers. He straightened out. And down came the Roman soldiers with all their brutality. And he said, do violence to no man. What a remarkable fulfillment of that chapter of Scripture. Only those four classes were mentioned. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed says says Isaiah. And all flesh shall see it together. All flesh would see it together. You know what that means brethren and sisters? You read it and you say all Christ will come. God's glory will be seen. All the world will be converted. Yes. Now that about that. That's not alike. And he's not talking about all flesh in the totality of brethren and sisters. What he's saying is this. That when they saw the glory of God, as John was telling them they would see it in our Lord Jesus Christ. All flesh in the sense of all kinds of people would see it and then all become alike. They'd become alike. Is that what I think? Did I get that out of my own head? Brethren the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. So it was revealed. That's in John chapter one. John chapter three deals with Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews who thought that his blood was blue and everybody else's was red. And John chapter four deals with an immoral wicked woman of Samaria. The other end of the scale. And the glory of God was revealed and all flesh from the blue blooded rabbi to the poor destitute woman of Samaria that he despised saw that glory. And when the glory of God is seen by the mighty and perceived by the humble sisters, human distinctions disappear and they become alike because everything fades into insignificance, status, importance. Everything fades into insignificance in the view of that glory. That's what John come to do. To turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the record to turn the heart of the fathers of the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. And the heart of the fathers would be turned to the children when Isaiah's prophecies fulfilled, which said, behold your children, the work of my hands. And when Abraham, Isaac and Jacob rise from the dead as they most assuredly will, and we are presented to Abraham as his children, he being the father of the faithful, his heart will go out to us, brothers and sisters, because he will see that we are the work of God's hands. I can raise up of these stones children unto Abraham and so the heart of the fathers will go out to their spiritual children. And we as their spiritual children who one time were disobedient have learned that the fathers being justified by faith were wise. And the disobedient to the wisdom of the just. And so John came to demonstrate those things. Elijah, full of power, full of fervent zeal and spirit, came down to Thaddei depressed to be told, brothers and sisters, that God does not work through physical means to impress his upon people. That it is by the still small persuasive voice of that spirit that the truth will finally get through. And the voice cried to him, allured him down there that God might talk to his heart. Isaiah picked that up beautifully, the voice crying. And when they came to John to ask who he was, brothers and sisters, the more he said, the less he said. Are you the Christ? I am not that Christ. Are you Elijah? I am not. Well, are you the prophet of Deuteronomy 18? No. The more he said, the less he said. Well, who are you? The answer? Nothing. I am a voice. And there was the answer, brothers and sisters. And you see what he's saying, don't you? The lower one gets in their own estimation, the less one is cluttered about with this world's good, the less distractions one has, the greater the opportunity for God to speak through you. If someone comes up and dusts your coat and says, that was a mighty address, and you run away with yourself and think, gee, well, it really was a good address, won't be very long, brothers and sisters, and you'll be done. If, on the other hand, we go on piling up in our house the things that Jesus called stuff, whereby we can't find time to get down to God's Word because I've got to do this, I've got to polish that, got to clean that, mend this, make sure I've got enough money to buy that and so on, then won't be very long before we're done. But John didn't have a motor car, he didn't have a house. He had a very low opinion of himself. Camel skin didn't have to be dry cleaned too often. Grasshoppers didn't need much cooking. And he was available. He was available. I'm nothing. I haven't got any status. I'm not very great, but I'm a voice. Do you know, brothers and sisters, I believe that John's voice was the greatest voice ever heard, not only because of what he said, but the quality of it. What else could it be when he held those people in the gallery of Nature's Ambly Theatre, riveted with attention, looking at this hermit figure, thinking to themselves, well, what could he do? And when he lifted up his voice, repent and be baptized, and have reverberated up with the wilderness of Judea. Everyone was transfixed with that voice. He might have been nothing else, brothers and sisters, but he had a golden voice. Do you know, we know this from the biblical record that so powerful was his influence that though he performed no miracle, they opened up a school in Egypt to learn his teachings. We know that because Apollos came from Alexandria in Egypt, where he had been skilled, the record says in the Greek, in the teachings of John. He had a college in Egypt. So powerful was that voice that came up that Nature's Ambly Theatre. And that was the voice of him crying, prepare you the way. He did come in the spirit and power of Elijah in another way, too, brothers and sisters. Look at the parallels in their life. Both came at a time of extreme wickedness. Ahab, of whom it was said, that no king before him have ever done so wickedly. So they both came at a time when the fathers had filled up the measure of iniquity. Ahab's father means to fill up. Omri means to fill up. And Ahab means his father's brother. So he had filled up the measure of his father's. So had the elders of Israel by the time John got there. Both men were dressed in nature, untouched by human hands. Both men pronounced stern judgments. As Elijah raced before Ahab, thinking that the nation had been converted, to proclaim the royal majesty of the kingdom. So John came before the royal majesty of the kingdoms of heaven. Elijah stepped aside, brothers and sisters, to give way to the gentler, Elisha. And John, in exactly the same locality, stood aside to give way to the greater Jesus. Elisha's name means the salvation of El, or God. And Jesus' name means the salvation of Yahweh, or God. They had very similar names. And Elijah gave way to him. And John gave way to him. And the mantle changed at exactly the same spot. Elijah came to the end of his career, as an effective career, because he dared to denounce the unholy alliance of Ahab with Jezebel. And John was brought tragically to death because he dared to denounce the unholy alliance of Herod with Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. He wouldn't get two more lives, brothers and sisters, that echoed one another more than them. And the great difference was, there was the god prophet from Gilead, like a piece of granite carved out of the escarpment of Gilead, had come to terrorise that nation. This one that came through the wilderness, through the line of the priesthood, drew all to him by the power of that voice that wafted up, that is that amphitheatre of the wilderness of Judea, and pricked so many hearts. It's a wonderful parallel and a wonderful contrast. And as we proceed with our studies, brothers and sisters, it is our wish that we would go with him to become mentally involved in his life, that by our vision together we might transport ourselves in those days and stand there and look at that man and say to ourselves, could we ever, could we ever, in 1983, be lured into a wilderness, solitude, quietness, in the midst of a mad, mad, mad materialistic world and give God the chance to speak to our heart.

Transcript

this is idlewild 1983. 1983. this is our second period class this is our second period class our teachers our brother john martin our teachers our brother john martin from australia from australia his subject for the week is the prophet his subject for the week is the prophet of the highest of the highest john the baptist john the baptist his subtitle for today the second day his subtitle for today the second day gabriel's announcement gabriel's announcement brother john martin my beloved brother and sisters in our lord jesus christ the apostle john brothers and sisters introduced john the baptist in a very introduced john the baptist in a very simple way simple way he said he said there was a man there was a man sent from god sent from god whose name was john and of course john is but an abbreviation of that wonderful is but an abbreviation of that wonderful hebrew name hebrew name johannen johannen which really means which really means the grace the grace of the lord you know brothers and sisters although these words that i'm going to read to these words that i'm going to read to you now you now are not directly related to john are not directly related to john they fit his life and his purpose they fit his life and his purpose absolutely beautifully absolutely beautifully the grace of god you listen the grace of god you listen paul to titus in his second chapter from paul to titus in his second chapter from verse 11 verse 11 for the grace of god that bringeth for the grace of god that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts lusts we should live soberly we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present righteously and godly in this present age age looking for that blessed hope and looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great god and glorious appearing of the great god and our savior our savior jesus christ jesus christ those words brother and sisters could those words brother and sisters could form could they not a caption over the form could they not a caption over the life of john life of john looking for the grace of god and there looking for the grace of god and there he was he was teaching us to live righteously teaching us to live righteously soberly soberly denying worldly lusts in this present denying worldly lusts in this present age age absolutely epitomized in the life of absolutely epitomized in the life of that man that man the lord jesus christ referred to him on the lord jesus christ referred to him on many occasions brothers and sisters when john referred to the lord he says i am not that light that should come into am not that light that should come into the world the world he said there was going to come that he said there was going to come that true light which would lighten every man true light which would lighten every man that came into the world that came into the world but when the lord referred to john as a but when the lord referred to john as a light in chapter five of john's gospel light in chapter five of john's gospel he referred to him like this he referred to him like this and in the fifth chapter of john and at and in the fifth chapter of john and at verse 35 verse 35 the lord referred to john in these words the lord referred to john in these words he said he was a burning and a shining he said he was a burning and a shining light light and you were willing for a season to and you were willing for a season to rejoice in his light rejoice in his light now there are two different words you now there are two different words you know but used brethren sisters for the know but used brethren sisters for the lord and for john the baptist john saw lord and for john the baptist john saw our lord as the true light our lord as the true light and the word in the greek in that place and the word in the greek in that place is foss which means a luminous light a is foss which means a luminous light a permanent light permanent light like phosphorus glowing in the dark like phosphorus glowing in the dark but the lord described john but the lord described john as a burning and a shining light and he as a burning and a shining light and he referred to a little portable hand lamp referred to a little portable hand lamp which was charged up with the oil and which was charged up with the oil and because it was a portable lamp it didn't because it was a portable lamp it didn't have much oil in it have much oil in it i used to use that lamp brothers and i used to use that lamp brothers and sisters to go short distances sisters to go short distances and so when they had to go to the in the and so when they had to go to the in the dark like we sometimes do from the hall dark like we sometimes do from the hall back to our rooms back to our rooms they would light this portable lamp and they would light this portable lamp and it would flare up it would flare up light up their path for a moment light up their path for a moment and then out it would go and then out it would go and that's exactly what happened and that's exactly what happened he wasn't burning in a shining portable he wasn't burning in a shining portable lamp lamp he flared out for a while he flared out for a while lit up the whole landscape and gave men lit up the whole landscape and gave men and women a moment of time and women a moment of time to see themselves as they were to see themselves as they were before they had to stand in a permanent before they had to stand in a permanent light where they couldn't be hid one of the disadvantages of living today brethren sisters is brethren sisters is that we're not going to get a john the that we're not going to get a john the baptist before that permanent light baptist before that permanent light comes comes and it would be to our advantage and it would be to our advantage if we could have someone if we could have someone to flare up in front of us that we might to flare up in front of us that we might see ourselves for what we are see ourselves for what we are momentarily momentarily to have that moment of time to have that moment of time to prepare for standing to prepare for standing in the permanent light in the permanent light and that's what israel got and that's what israel got and they needed it and they needed it micah had said that the sun would go micah had said that the sun would go down down over the prophets over the prophets and it had and it had for 400 years for 400 years and in the chapter that i've just and in the chapter that i've just alluded to the third chapter of micah alluded to the third chapter of micah and verse 6 where he said that the sun and verse 6 where he said that the sun would go down over the prophets he said would go down over the prophets he said in the eighth verse of that same chapter in the eighth verse of that same chapter but he said i am full of the power but he said i am full of the power and the spirit and the spirit of the lord and the son had gone down over the prophets but here was one brother and prophets but here was one brother and sisters who after 400 years of darkness sisters who after 400 years of darkness had come in the spirit spirit and power had come in the spirit spirit and power of elijah which was the spirit and power of elijah which was the spirit and power of his god of his god that's what micah had said that's what micah had said and during the course of those 400 years and during the course of those 400 years judea groaned under the iron heel of the judea groaned under the iron heel of the of the yoke of rome brother and sisters of the yoke of rome brother and sisters and jewish nationalism and jewish nationalism seized and fermented with discontent and in that very very bad situation bad situation the jewish people who were the ecclesia the jewish people who were the ecclesia in the wilderness at one stage in the wilderness at one stage god's people god's people divided and they divided into several sections and john was to come to all of them and and john was to come to all of them and expose them momentarily that they might expose them momentarily that they might have their opportunity have their opportunity to put matters right to put matters right there are the pharisees there are the pharisees superstitious superstitious hypocrites zealous of traditions over and above over and above the scripture the scripture so proud so proud they were even too proud they were even too proud to submit themselves to submit themselves under the iron yoke of rome under the iron yoke of rome there are sadducees there are sadducees a rich influential group a rich influential group who had for the moment who had for the moment the office of the priesthood the office of the priesthood and as such and as such they had the key they had the key to the treasury box in the temple to the treasury box in the temple and feasted at the expense of others and feasted at the expense of others they were men who believed that this they were men who believed that this life only life only could give hope could give hope they didn't believe in spirit angel they didn't believe in spirit angel they didn't believe in supernatural they didn't believe in supernatural powers powers you lived for this life you lived for this life you got out of this life what you could you got out of this life what you could get out of it get out of it and depending how well you did in and depending how well you did in business business that was to them a measure of the way that was to them a measure of the way which god blessed you which god blessed you i hope brother and sisters that as we i hope brother and sisters that as we delineate these various groups delineate these various groups that we will find somewhere in our body that we will find somewhere in our body somewhere somewhere an empathy for some of these things that an empathy for some of these things that we might have an opportunity to correct we might have an opportunity to correct it i've found them it i've found them i know where my problem lies i know where my problem lies there are the scribes and the lawyers there are the scribes and the lawyers legal parasites legal parasites trading in religion to the highest buyer trading in religion to the highest buyer they're the zealots they're the zealots hot-headed fanatics hot-headed fanatics who would stop at nothing who would stop at nothing and slit throats at the drop of a hat and slit throats at the drop of a hat there were the herodians there were the herodians who were formerly scribes who were formerly scribes and who even changed their garments that and who even changed their garments that they might have an alliance with herod they might have an alliance with herod now now for politically political expediency for politically political expediency prepared to sell the truth prepared to sell the truth to keep roma by to keep roma by men of no principle whatever complete men of no principle whatever complete traitors to the jewish courts traitors to the jewish courts there is the population at large there is the population at large brethren sisters in which there was no brethren sisters in which there was no middle class middle class there was no middle class in israel there was no middle class in israel the parable of the rich man and lazarus the parable of the rich man and lazarus was absolutely true of that generation was absolutely true of that generation you were either very very rich you were either very very rich or you were very very poor and amidst all of all that division of thought and action of thought and action there still existed there still existed an expectancy of the coming of messiah an expectancy of the coming of messiah among the old people among the old people the anas the anas and the simians and the simians people who could remember people who could remember better guys better guys and who groaned and who groaned and tortured their soul and tortured their soul for all that was going on in the world for all that was going on in the world to all those classes brother and sisters to all those classes brother and sisters there was a man sent from god there was a man sent from god whose name was john whose name was john and god offered to every one of those and god offered to every one of those classes his grace if only classes his grace if only they would see themselves for what they they would see themselves for what they were in that momentary flash of light were in that momentary flash of light which gave them that opportunity which gave them that opportunity and we pick up the record in luke's and we pick up the record in luke's gospel of the way in which john was announced that he would come into the world it's a wonderful record brother and sisters of two old people in luke chapter one we'll pick up the record say from verse five and luke of course that brilliant historian says that there was in the days of herod the king of judea a certain priest named the king of judea a certain priest named zacharias of the course of a buyer zacharias of the course of a buyer and his wife was at the daughters of and his wife was at the daughters of aaron and her name was elizabeth aaron and her name was elizabeth very interesting brother and sisters to very interesting brother and sisters to learn that it was in the days of herod learn that it was in the days of herod who earned the title who earned the title the infamous title of herod the great the infamous title of herod the great he was known as herod the great he was known as herod the great he was impious and cruel he was impious and cruel and he reigned over judea for nearly 40 and he reigned over judea for nearly 40 years years he was an edomite of the hated egymians and edomite there was a mutual hostility between him there was a mutual hostility between him and the jewish people and the jewish people and he was a fulfillment of bible and he was a fulfillment of bible prophecy prophecy because years before moses had told them because years before moses had told them that when israel had requested their that when israel had requested their king and would be disobedient king and would be disobedient that a stranger that a stranger would rise above them would rise above them and become ruler over them there he was and become ruler over them there he was and there couldn't be more stranger to and there couldn't be more stranger to israel than an edomite israel than an edomite he married he married ten times he was a product of his age of his age one of his wives one of his wives was miriam a maccabean princess was miriam a maccabean princess a jewish girl a jewish girl he built the temple which took 46 years he built the temple which took 46 years to complete to complete and gained the favor of the jewish and gained the favor of the jewish people people by giving them a great object of by giving them a great object of materialism and he was known as herod the great and there appeared down in the and there appeared down in the wilderness of judea wilderness of judea of the one that we've been talking about of the one that we've been talking about brethren sisters of whom it is said in brethren sisters of whom it is said in verse 16 15 verse 16 15 that he too was great for he shall be that he too was great for he shall be great great in in the sight of the lord the sight of the lord and in and in no one else's sight no one else's sight so in the days of herd the great who was so in the days of herd the great who was great in everything that men called great in everything that men called greatness greatness in his cruelty in his cruelty his in his impiety his in his impiety his materialistic ways in which he built his materialistic ways in which he built that temple and in following the fashion that temple and in following the fashion of being having 10 marriages of being having 10 marriages he was great in everything that made man he was great in everything that made man great great and down there was one who was great in and down there was one who was great in the sight of the lord the sight of the lord and the only one and the only one who would ever recognize that greatness who would ever recognize that greatness was his god was his god now he was the son we read of a certain now he was the son we read of a certain priest named zacharias now very interesting brother and sisters the details of john the baptist's the details of john the baptist's parents these are not coincidental things i'm going to mention to you now going to mention to you now they are wonderful things they are wonderful things you see because you see because zacharias his name means zacharias his name means yah hath remembered yah hath remembered his wife elizabeth his wife elizabeth her name means the oath of god her name means the oath of god and john of course means the grace or if and john of course means the grace or if you like the mercy of god and later on you like the mercy of god and later on in chapter 2 of this 72 of this chapter in chapter 2 of this 72 of this chapter in 273 there is an obvious play upon the in 273 there is an obvious play upon the names of that family names of that family when in the great eulogy when in the great eulogy the great prayer of zacharias he said in the great prayer of zacharias he said in verse 72 verse 72 that god would perform the mercy that god would perform the mercy promise to our fathers promise to our fathers to remember his holy covenant the oath to remember his holy covenant the oath which he swear to our father abraham which he swear to our father abraham zacharias yah hath remembered zacharias yah hath remembered elizabeth the oath of isle elizabeth the oath of isle john the mercy of god and whilst there john the mercy of god and whilst there are times i know brothers and sisters are times i know brothers and sisters usually you can string a lot of names usually you can string a lot of names together make a sentence out of them together make a sentence out of them which may or may not be the case that's which may or may not be the case that's fairly obvious isn't it fairly obvious isn't it that that little family was tied that that little family was tied together together and in the very and in the very words of zacharias there is a deliberate words of zacharias there is a deliberate play upon the names of those of that play upon the names of those of that family of mum and dad and of the boy family of mum and dad and of the boy that was born to them that was born to them we learned that zacharias was a priest we learned that zacharias was a priest so john was of the priestly class how so john was of the priestly class how unusual it was then brethren sisters to unusual it was then brethren sisters to see him down in the wilderness of judea see him down in the wilderness of judea dressed as he was dressed as he was when he had all the qualifications when he had all the qualifications according to exodus 28 according to exodus 28 to be dressed in glass garments of glory to be dressed in glass garments of glory and beauty and beauty it wasn't as it wasn't as if he was from some obscure tribe that if he was from some obscure tribe that had no connection either with kingdom or had no connection either with kingdom or priest he was a priestly class but look priest he was a priestly class but look at him at him he's not dressed like they were dressed he's not dressed like they were dressed and yet he had a divine right to dress and yet he had a divine right to dress like that like that in garments of glory and beauty in garments of glory and beauty but he didn't take that right but he didn't take that right we learned that the course of zacharias we learned that the course of zacharias was the cause of abaya was the cause of abaya a buyer a buyer and of course you may recognize in that and of course you may recognize in that name brothers and sisters the two hebrew name brothers and sisters the two hebrew names abba names abba father father abbay ah or yah abbay ah or yah god god is his father is his father and you know and you know mean for the divine intervention in the mean for the divine intervention in the case of those two aged people case of those two aged people john would never have been born more than that brethren sisters so important is that that luke mentions so important is that that luke mentions it it that when we go back to the first that when we go back to the first chronicles chapter 24 and we look at the chronicles chapter 24 and we look at the 24 courses of priesthood that david 24 courses of priesthood that david organized that they might do organized that they might do their periodical service in the temple their periodical service in the temple we find that the course of a buyer we find that the course of a buyer happened to be happened to be the eighth course and of course we're all familiar or should be should be that the eighth day that the eighth day was the day of circumcision was the day of circumcision and that circumcision was given to and that circumcision was given to abraham primarily to teach him abraham primarily to teach him the children born of him would not be the children born of him would not be born by natural descent born by natural descent for immediately upon his circumcision for immediately upon his circumcision abraham could not have produced a child abraham could not have produced a child and so stephen in his defense reported and so stephen in his defense reported again by that brilliant historian luke again by that brilliant historian luke puts the two incidents together puts the two incidents together he gave him the covenant of circumcision he gave him the covenant of circumcision and so and so abraham begat isaac abraham begat isaac many years were of course many years were of course separating those two incidents separating those two incidents but luke puts them together to teach us but luke puts them together to teach us that isaac also that isaac also was a child of the spirit brother and was a child of the spirit brother and sisters sisters not as jesus was not as jesus was not born of a virgin not born of a virgin but had not god intervened in his case but had not god intervened in his case or in john the baptist they had never or in john the baptist they had never seen the light of day seen the light of day and so his father was yahweh and the and so his father was yahweh and the eighth course spoke of that day of eighth course spoke of that day of circumcision of which it speaks of the circumcision of which it speaks of the cutting off of the flesh cutting off of the flesh that the seed to come would not be borne that the seed to come would not be borne by humankind by humankind it's rather interesting brother and it's rather interesting brother and sisters that as you pass between the sisters that as you pass between the pages of malachi to matthew pages of malachi to matthew the eighth day which is really an the eighth day which is really an anomaly in the old testament because anomaly in the old testament because there's no such thing there's no such thing there's only seven days in the week there's only seven days in the week but that which is called the eighth day but that which is called the eighth day which was a peculiar anomaly when you which was a peculiar anomaly when you pass the division of testaments becomes pass the division of testaments becomes the first day of the week in the new the first day of the week in the new testament testament because there is its fulfillment its because there is its fulfillment its proper title proper title and our lord and our lord was born of god was born of god both in his conception of mary and from both in his conception of mary and from that tomb that tomb on that first day of the week he came on that first day of the week he came forth a product of divinity forth a product of divinity so all these things are terribly so all these things are terribly interesting interesting not only do we have this with his father not only do we have this with his father but here's another fascinating thing but here's another fascinating thing elizabeth brother and sisters elizabeth brother and sisters is the greek equivalent of the hebrew is the greek equivalent of the hebrew elisheva elisheva and as we pointed out eli sheba means and as we pointed out eli sheba means the oath of ale the oath of ale ale sheba ale sheba the oath of isle the oath of god the oath of isle the oath of god but the fascinating thing about that is but the fascinating thing about that is this this that elizabeth or eli sheba was the wife that elizabeth or eli sheba was the wife of aaron of aaron the high priest of israel the first high the high priest of israel the first high priest of israel and here is a new priest of israel and here is a new beginning as it were beginning as it were god has remembered his people god has remembered his people the oath which he swore to their fathers the oath which he swore to their fathers and the boy was born and the boy was born of eli sheba of eli sheba the very name the very name of aaron's wife of aaron's wife quite incredible really she we learned brother and sisters in verse seven had no child because verse seven had no child because elizabeth was barren and they were both elizabeth was barren and they were both now well stricken in years and you know now well stricken in years and you know so much so notorious was the fact that so much so notorious was the fact that elizabeth had no child that she became elizabeth had no child that she became called called they used to call her the barren one they used to call her the barren one if you look at verse if you look at verse 36 36 of luke chapter one of luke chapter one you read there and behold thy cousin elizabeth she has also conceived a son in her old age also conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month with her who and this is the sixth month with her who was called baron but in the original was called baron but in the original greek is surrendered by rotherham's greek is surrendered by rotherham's translation translation it's like a proper name she was called it's like a proper name she was called the boring one the boring one and as we would well appreciate sisters and as we would well appreciate sisters particularly in israel it was a joy to particularly in israel it was a joy to have children have children it was a wonderful joy and a privilege it was a wonderful joy and a privilege to have children because they all wanted to have children because they all wanted to bear did they not that child that to bear did they not that child that would lead to the line of messiah would lead to the line of messiah and they all wanted to experience in and they all wanted to experience in their life the joy of that their life the joy of that and here's a poor woman who goes around and here's a poor woman who goes around known as the barren one known as the barren one but the previous verse says but the previous verse says concerning mary that her child the concerning mary that her child the latter portion of that verse therefore latter portion of that verse therefore that holy thing which shall be born of that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called thee shall be called the son of god and so here is that poor the son of god and so here is that poor woman with her title of the barren one woman with her title of the barren one and the one that was coming was going to and the one that was coming was going to be called the son of god and she had the be called the son of god and she had the great privilege brothers and sisters of great privilege brothers and sisters of being able to bear that boy who would being able to bear that boy who would announce his coming announce his coming so there is a great joy coming for so there is a great joy coming for elizabeth which of course she at this elizabeth which of course she at this stage that we're reading about stage that we're reading about had no conception of had no conception of now another thing that's very now another thing that's very interesting in that first chapter of interesting in that first chapter of luke in verse 8 is this luke in verse 8 is this but we read and it came to pass that but we read and it came to pass that while he executed the priest's office while he executed the priest's office before god in the order of his course before god in the order of his course according to the customer the priests according to the customer the priests offered his lot offered his lot his lot was to burn incense when he went his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the lord into the temple of the lord now that's very interesting brother and now that's very interesting brother and sisters because what happened was this sisters because what happened was this that as each of those orders of that as each of those orders of priesthood came up to the temple they priesthood came up to the temple they did so periodically so they all relieved did so periodically so they all relieved each other for a period of time and in each other for a period of time and in that course that whole course would go that course that whole course would go home and another course would take over home and another course would take over but when they came up but when they came up the great privilege which everyone the great privilege which everyone considered a wonderful privilege was to considered a wonderful privilege was to burn incense in that holy place burn incense in that holy place and because there were many priests who and because there were many priests who sought that honor sought that honor they drew lots for it they drew lots for it and in his book ersheim's book on the and in his book ersheim's book on the temple and its services in the time of temple and its services in the time of christ christ a remarkable book dr edersheim himself a remarkable book dr edersheim himself was a christian who was originally a jew was a christian who was originally a jew i used the curve christian inverted i used the curve christian inverted commerce but he was a christian who used commerce but he was a christian who used to be a jew and a very eurodiete jew and to be a jew and a very eurodiete jew and he wrote very wonderfully of jewish he wrote very wonderfully of jewish customs and he pointed out brothers and customs and he pointed out brothers and sisters that tradition has it sisters that tradition has it but if you drew a lot to burn incense in but if you drew a lot to burn incense in that holy place that holy place once that was done you never got that once that was done you never got that opportunity again because it was so much opportunity again because it was so much of a privilege that your name was then of a privilege that your name was then taken away and when they drew lots again taken away and when they drew lots again your name was not included because you your name was not included because you had your privilege and so what a had your privilege and so what a wonderful coincidence in history it was wonderful coincidence in history it was that on the only time ever that the old that on the only time ever that the old man would go into there to burn incense man would go into there to burn incense there was gabriel standing at the right there was gabriel standing at the right hand hand of that altar to meet him of that altar to meet him what a remarkable thing that was what a remarkable thing that was and we know that all the people were and we know that all the people were outside praying at the time of incense outside praying at the time of incense now they burnt the incense of course as now they burnt the incense of course as the evening deepened and as the morning the evening deepened and as the morning sacrifice was coming to an end as it sacrifice was coming to an end as it ascended up to god in its last stages ascended up to god in its last stages when the whole thing was consumed as a when the whole thing was consumed as a whole burnt offering they went into that whole burnt offering they went into that temp temple or tabernacle be whatever temp temple or tabernacle be whatever the case may be and they offered up the case may be and they offered up incense to god and it was the time of incense to god and it was the time of prayer prayer and david says in the 141st psalm in and david says in the 141st psalm in verse 2 let my prayer he says be like verse 2 let my prayer he says be like unto incense and the lifting up of my unto incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice so he hands as the evening sacrifice so he combined the two together didn't he combined the two together didn't he his prayer with others incense his prayer with others incense and the lifting up of his hands as the and the lifting up of his hands as the last smoke of that evening sacrifice last smoke of that evening sacrifice and so it was a time of prayer in israel and so it was a time of prayer in israel and they're all out there praying and they're all out there praying i believe for both zacharias and i believe for both zacharias and elizabeth and of course the startling elizabeth and of course the startling revelation when he got in there in verse revelation when he got in there in verse 11 11 and there appeared unto him an angel of and there appeared unto him an angel of the lord standing the lord standing on the right side of the altar of on the right side of the altar of incense incense now from verse 19 brother and sisters now from verse 19 brother and sisters we learned that that angel was gabriel we learned that that angel was gabriel gabriel gabriel there are special angels there are special angels two we know two we know of michael the archangel of michael the archangel and gabriel and gabriel is is his hebrew name his hebrew name a mighty one of god a mighty one of god and how fitting it was that gabriel and how fitting it was that gabriel should be the one to come to both to should be the one to come to both to announce the coming of john the baptist announce the coming of john the baptist and our lord jesus christ and our lord jesus christ because some 500 years earlier brother because some 500 years earlier brother and sisters he appealed to he appeared and sisters he appealed to he appeared to daniel to give him these very details to daniel to give him these very details of the prophecy of the seventy weeks of the prophecy of the seventy weeks when jesus christ the messiah would be when jesus christ the messiah would be born into the world born into the world and they would become the time and they would become the time of the manifestation of the end of all of the manifestation of the end of all things as far as the law was concerned things as far as the law was concerned and the setting up of everlasting and the setting up of everlasting righteousness righteousness how fitting that that angel how fitting that that angel should bridge history should bridge history to be there to tell daniel that and to to be there to tell daniel that and to tell zacharias this tell zacharias this we haven't got time brethren and sisters we haven't got time brethren and sisters to turn up the ninth chapter of daniel to turn up the ninth chapter of daniel but if you read it in your leisure this but if you read it in your leisure this is what you will find is what you will find that in daniel chapter nine the verses that in daniel chapter nine the verses one to three daniel prays for god to one to three daniel prays for god to remember remember that the seventy years captivity had that the seventy years captivity had come to an end come to an end in verses in verse 4 he appealed for in verses in verse 4 he appealed for god's mercy god's mercy and then verse 11 he acknowledged and then verse 11 he acknowledged that israel was suffering because they that israel was suffering because they did not understand the oath of the law and here were the names of this little family family to whom that same angel appeared to whom that same angel appeared that epitomized that epitomized all that daniel was praying for all that daniel was praying for it took 500 years for that prayer to get it took 500 years for that prayer to get answered brother and sisters answered brother and sisters and we've got to learn patience and we've got to learn patience when we pray to god when we pray to god 500 years 500 years god hath remembered his holy covenant god hath remembered his holy covenant the mercy he swore to our fathers the the mercy he swore to our fathers the oath oath here it all is and they were the very here it all is and they were the very things that daniel was praying for things that daniel was praying for 500 years before when that same angel 500 years before when that same angel came to him and here he is came to him and here he is what a remarkable thing that is now the fact that gabriel was standing on the right side on the right side of the altar of insects was incredible of the altar of insects was incredible because you see because you see it matters not to god brother and it matters not to god brother and sisters sisters as far as lending his strength is as far as lending his strength is concerned be it on the right hand or the concerned be it on the right hand or the left left but you see the right hand if you look but you see the right hand if you look through the psalms you'll find through the psalms you'll find particularly in the psalms the use of particularly in the psalms the use of the right hand was used as a symbol of the right hand was used as a symbol of that which is the most dexterous of our that which is the most dexterous of our of the of our two arms we may be of the of our two arms we may be left-handed like the benjamites were left-handed like the benjamites were whose name means the son of god's right whose name means the son of god's right hand they're all left-handed hand they're all left-handed so we might be left-handed but most of so we might be left-handed but most of us would be right-handed us would be right-handed and the fact that he was standing on and the fact that he was standing on that right hand of the altar he was that right hand of the altar he was telling zacharias as the psalm said his telling zacharias as the psalm said his right arm has gotten him the victory right arm has gotten him the victory there is strength and power there there is strength and power there now let me tell you something about the now let me tell you something about the altar of incense brother and sisters altar of incense brother and sisters that is also intensely interesting that is also intensely interesting you'll pardon me if we don't turn all you'll pardon me if we don't turn all these references up these references up because of the time factor because of the time factor now he gave the details for the building now he gave the details for the building of the altar of incense that small order of the altar of incense that small order that stood before the veil in the holy that stood before the veil in the holy place place it was described separately from all the it was described separately from all the other pieces of furniture in the other pieces of furniture in the tabernacle tabernacle and when it was described in exodus 30 and when it was described in exodus 30 if you look at that in your leisure if you look at that in your leisure you'll read that when it talked about you'll read that when it talked about the top of it and the sides of it it the top of it and the sides of it it didn't the margin gives you an alternate didn't the margin gives you an alternate rendering in the hebrew rendering in the hebrew and the top is described in the margin and the top is described in the margin in the hebrew word for ruth in the hebrew word for ruth and the side of the order of incense is and the side of the order of incense is described in the margin in the hebrew as described in the margin in the hebrew as the walls so the order of incense was described in the terms the terms of building a house of building a house in the 22nd chapter of deuteronomy and in the 22nd chapter of deuteronomy and at verse 8 israel were told that every at verse 8 israel were told that every home they built had to be of the same home they built had to be of the same pattern pattern they had to build it with a flat roof they had to build it with a flat roof they had to put a they had to put a a balustrade around the roof to prevent a balustrade around the roof to prevent accidents and they had to have an accidents and they had to have an outside staircase that they could get to outside staircase that they could get to the top of that brethren sisters without the top of that brethren sisters without in interfering with the domestic circle in interfering with the domestic circle so they could have privacy so jesus said so they could have privacy so jesus said let him that is upon the house stop let him that is upon the house stop enter not into the house to take the enter not into the house to take the stuff he could do that by coming down stuff he could do that by coming down the outside staircase and going the outside staircase and going and the order of incense having its and the order of incense having its walls and its roof walls and its roof flat roof flat roof also had a round about it a crown of also had a round about it a crown of gold gold and what god was saying brother and and what god was saying brother and sisters is this sisters is this that every house in that ecclesia in the that every house in that ecclesia in the wilderness wilderness or in the land or in the land or now or now ought to be ought to be a house of prayer a house of prayer and standing right alongside that altar and standing right alongside that altar was gabriel in answer to a man and a was gabriel in answer to a man and a woman woman whose house was exactly like that altar that is a wonderful detail of the law of moses and so the chapter went on to describe what this boy would be like what this boy would be like first of all in verse 13 that zacharias first of all in verse 13 that zacharias is reminded that his prayer was heard is reminded that his prayer was heard and that elizabeth would bear a son and that elizabeth would bear a son brother and sisters we read that very brother and sisters we read that very quickly you know we think well he's a quickly you know we think well he's a man of great faith he he his wife was man of great faith he he his wife was barren and he prayed to have a child so barren and he prayed to have a child so he's got great faith well let's just add he's got great faith well let's just add to that somewhat brother and sisters and to that somewhat brother and sisters and think of this that he was an old man think of this that he was an old man his wife was an old lady his wife was an old lady she would have got past the age of she would have got past the age of childbearing and he's still praying for childbearing and he's still praying for a child so it's the quality of that faith that we're going to think about we're going to think about he's still praying for a child and he he's still praying for a child and he gets the promise gets the promise in verse 14 that they would have joy and in verse 14 that they would have joy and gladly and many would rejoice at his gladly and many would rejoice at his birth which they did in verse 58 the birth which they did in verse 58 the neighbors and the friends came there and neighbors and the friends came there and they rejoiced in his birth they rejoiced in his birth and in verse 15 he shall be great in the and in verse 15 he shall be great in the sight of the lord and shall drink sight of the lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink and he neither wine nor strong drink and he shall be filled with the holy spirit shall be filled with the holy spirit even from his mother's womb in other even from his mother's womb in other words brother and sisters he would be a words brother and sisters he would be a nazirite from birth nazirite from birth now there's something very remarkable now there's something very remarkable about that about that very very remarkable about john the very very remarkable about john the baptist being a nazarite baptist being a nazarite and this was what was remarkable about and this was what was remarkable about it it because the nazirite vow was given for a because the nazirite vow was given for a singular reason singular reason there was one thing why the reason why there was one thing why the reason why the nazarite vowel was given the nazarite vowel was given now here's your reason now here's your reason when israel stood at the foot of mount when israel stood at the foot of mount sinai sinai god said to them god said to them ye shall be unto me ye shall be unto me a kingdom of a kingdom of priests priests then he gave them a law which said it then he gave them a law which said it could never happen because the law said that unless you were from the family of that unless you were from the family of aaron which of course was from the tribe aaron which of course was from the tribe of levi you could never be a priest of levi you could never be a priest and previous to the law in genesis 49 and previous to the law in genesis 49 the principle was laid down the principle was laid down that royalty would come from judah so even if you were from the tribe of judy you couldn't be a priest if you judy you couldn't be a priest if you could be a king could be a king if you were the family of aaron you if you were the family of aaron you could be a priest but you couldn't be a could be a priest but you couldn't be a king and if you were a family from any king and if you were a family from any other tribe you could be neither but you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests a kingdom of priests what god was telling the brethren what god was telling the brethren sisters as long as that law was in sisters as long as that law was in existence that promise could never be existence that promise could never be fulfilled and so peter in writing to fulfilled and so peter in writing to people who now were no longer in the law people who now were no longer in the law but under grace said ye are but under grace said ye are a kingdom of priest and a holy nation a kingdom of priest and a holy nation not only futuristic brothers and sisters not only futuristic brothers and sisters but we are at present but we are at present kings and priests kings and priests in the sense in the sense that we have the word of god and we that we have the word of god and we represent god's thinking to men and represent god's thinking to men and women women now john now john was of the priestly line yet he had to was of the priestly line yet he had to be a nazareth be a nazareth and the purpose of the nazirite was and the purpose of the nazirite was singular in that the god gave the the singular in that the god gave the the the nazarite vow for no other reason the nazarite vow for no other reason than that men and women than that men and women when either man or woman when either man or woman takes upon themselves and as a right takes upon themselves and as a right thou the purpose was that they might thou the purpose was that they might imitate imitate the high priest for any period of their the high priest for any period of their own designation own designation so the high priest was never to uncover so the high priest was never to uncover his head so they grew the hair long his head so they grew the hair long the high priest was never to drink wine the high priest was never to drink wine nor strong drink so they weren't nor strong drink so they weren't permitted to drink wine or strong drink permitted to drink wine or strong drink the high priest was never going near a the high priest was never going near a dead body so they were permitted to go dead body so they were permitted to go near a dead body near a dead body and what the nazarite bow was doing and what the nazarite bow was doing brethren sisters was offering brothers brethren sisters was offering brothers and sisters in the truth the opportunity and sisters in the truth the opportunity during the course of this life of their during the course of this life of their own choosing to imitate own choosing to imitate their high priest their high priest and we've seized that opportunity and we've seized that opportunity and we come every sunday morning and we come every sunday morning to renew that vow to renew that vow because we want to imitate our high because we want to imitate our high priest john had no need of that vow priest john had no need of that vow because he was born in the priestly line because he was born in the priestly line but brethren sisters but brethren sisters the nazarite the nazarite doing what he the nazarite the nazarite doing what he did imitating the high priest under the did imitating the high priest under the law law was really in a sense was really in a sense greater than the high priest because the greater than the high priest because the high priest was there by a carnal high priest was there by a carnal commandment commandment by descent by descent of flesh and blood of flesh and blood the nazarite was there the nazarite was there by being a volunteer by being a volunteer and even though john had and even though john had the authority of the carnal commandment the authority of the carnal commandment both mother and father both in the both mother and father both in the family of aaron family of aaron he brothers and sisters chose he brothers and sisters chose to stand out there as a voluntary priest to stand out there as a voluntary priest that was what was so wonderful about that was what was so wonderful about that that absolutely wonderful absolutely wonderful and he lived out the terms of that and he lived out the terms of that nazarite vow nazarite vow jesus said of him on one occasion jesus said of him on one occasion john came neither eating meat nor john came neither eating meat nor drinking wine drinking wine and he didn't and he didn't and so he lived to the terms of that and so he lived to the terms of that nazarite vow nazarite vow and in verse 16 we read brother and and in verse 16 we read brother and sisters in verse 16 and many and many of the children of israel shall he turn of the children of israel shall he turn to the lord their god to the lord their god not all not all but many what a wonderful thing it was that he was able to accomplish what elijah would was able to accomplish what elijah would never accomplish never accomplish but when you think about it brother and but when you think about it brother and sisters there's a progression in god's sisters there's a progression in god's purpose isn't there purpose isn't there you see elijah really apart from the you see elijah really apart from the widow of zarephath widow of zarephath and of the seven thousand of course and and of the seven thousand of course and elijah he didn't affect them they were elijah he didn't affect them they were already a remnant according to the already a remnant according to the election of grace that wasn't elijah's election of grace that wasn't elijah's work apart from the widow of zarapath work apart from the widow of zarapath elijah turned nobody to the lord their elijah turned nobody to the lord their god god he left an indelible impression upon the he left an indelible impression upon the nation nation he shook them to their foundations he shook them to their foundations but when he was taken up in a storm but when he was taken up in a storm out of this world brethren sisters he out of this world brethren sisters he left nobody left nobody except the widow of zarape except the widow of zarape john caines comes along and many shall john caines comes along and many shall he turn to the lord their god because he he turn to the lord their god because he will express that still small voice that will express that still small voice that elijah didn't elijah didn't but brethren sisters but brethren sisters an even greater destiny is ahead an even greater destiny is ahead for malachi says he shall turn the five for malachi says he shall turn the five heart of the fathers of the children heart of the fathers of the children and the heart of the children of the and the heart of the children of the fathers he'll convert fathers he'll convert all of them all of them not all in the sense of the totality not all in the sense of the totality because some of the rebels will fall in because some of the rebels will fall in the wilderness ezekiel says the wilderness ezekiel says but of all those that elijah will bring but of all those that elijah will bring the multitude of the scattered tribes of the multitude of the scattered tribes of israel back to their land to meet israel back to their land to meet messiah the prince messiah the prince of all those who come with him of all those who come with him all of them all of them he'll have he'll have so there was none in the first instance so there was none in the first instance many in the second instance many in the second instance all of them finally all of them finally what a remarkable progression that is what a remarkable progression that is in the divine purpose in the divine purpose now zacharias of course was overwhelmed now zacharias of course was overwhelmed with all this brothers and sisters with all this brothers and sisters he was absolutely overwhelmed he was absolutely overwhelmed and in verse 18 he said unto the angel and in verse 18 he said unto the angel whereby shall i know this whereby shall i know this for i am an old man and my wife is well for i am an old man and my wife is well stricken in years stricken in years you may remember that the words whereby you may remember that the words whereby shall i know this really were said shall i know this really were said almost exactly those words many many almost exactly those words many many years ago by another very faithful man years ago by another very faithful man so faithful that he became known as the so faithful that he became known as the father of the faithful father of the faithful when abraham in genesis 15 was told when abraham in genesis 15 was told so shall thy seed be so shall thy seed be he believed it he believed it with all his heart and soul it was with all his heart and soul it was accounted unto him for righteousness accounted unto him for righteousness righteousness therefore brothers and righteousness therefore brothers and sisters is defined scripturally sisters is defined scripturally in believing in the humanly impossible in believing in the humanly impossible that's what abraham did that's what abraham did when we believe in the humanly when we believe in the humanly impossible impossible god says that i define as righteousness god says that i define as righteousness if we imagine that by human prowess if we imagine that by human prowess ability we can ever reach god's kingdom ability we can ever reach god's kingdom when we're going to be shattered when we're going to be shattered but when abraham had said that he also but when abraham had said that he also said later on whereby shall i know that said later on whereby shall i know that i will inherit it but god didn't condemn i will inherit it but god didn't condemn him for unbelief you know why brothers him for unbelief you know why brothers and sisters because his problem was and sisters because his problem was different than zacharias's zacharias's different than zacharias's zacharias's was just simply he was overcome for the was just simply he was overcome for the moment and he just couldn't believe it moment and he just couldn't believe it it was so great it wasn't abraham's it was so great it wasn't abraham's problem problem abraham's problem was so shall i seed abraham's problem was so shall i seed being looking up at those stars he said being looking up at those stars he said i believe it i believe it but then looking at that body he said but then looking at that body he said how can it be how can it be because i'm a mortal man because i'm a mortal man what god is talking about is immortal what god is talking about is immortal life life i'm a sinner there's no perfect man i'm a sinner there's no perfect man except our lord jesus he was a sinner except our lord jesus he was a sinner like everybody else is a sinner in the like everybody else is a sinner in the sense that he was not perfect sense that he was not perfect and so he thought how can god give me and so he thought how can god give me eternal life look at the principles of eternal life look at the principles of the deity how can we get past them and the deity how can we get past them and god immediately showed him a sacrifice god immediately showed him a sacrifice to divide those animals to divide those animals and he met abraham as the burning lamp and he met abraham as the burning lamp passed between the pieces passed between the pieces so the very expression whereby shall i so the very expression whereby shall i know know in the mouth of zacharias was those very in the mouth of zacharias was those very words that abraham used but they were words that abraham used but they were vastly different in character vastly different in character and poor old zacharias and who could and poor old zacharias and who could ever blame him brethren and sisters we ever blame him brethren and sisters we know he was praying we know he had great know he was praying we know he had great faith but isn't it true that when god faith but isn't it true that when god does answer our prayers we sometimes does answer our prayers we sometimes just are so aghast in unbelief we just just are so aghast in unbelief we just can't accept it can't accept it and then the angel said this in verse 19 and then the angel said this in verse 19 and the angel answering said unto him i am i o gibbon i o gibbon the mighty one of god the mighty one of god that stands in the presence of god that stands in the presence of god and am sent to speak unto thee and show and am sent to speak unto thee and show thee thee glad tidings glad tidings the gospel the gospel and because he didn't believe it brother and because he didn't believe it brother and sisters in verse 20 and sisters in verse 20 he was struck dumb he was struck dumb why was he struck dumb for not believing why was he struck dumb for not believing the gospel why strike him dumb for not believing the glad tidings for not believing the glad tidings well of course well of course there was nothing else the angel could there was nothing else the angel could do do because the gospel brethren sisters is because the gospel brethren sisters is not a new testament thing it's an old not a new testament thing it's an old testament doctrine testament doctrine lift up thy voice with strength lift up thy voice with strength lift it up lift it up and say under the cities of judah and say under the cities of judah behold your god behold your god bring good tidings of good things bring good tidings of good things isaiah 40. isaiah 40. and so the good tidings of good things and so the good tidings of good things that were said to the cities of judah that were said to the cities of judah behold your god behold your god were said with a voice that was lifted were said with a voice that was lifted up up because he didn't believe it because he didn't believe it he was dumb and exactly the same thing brethren and sisters is said in isaiah 52 sisters is said in isaiah 52 the watchmen shall lift up the voice the watchmen shall lift up the voice with strength with strength they shall cry together they shall cry together say undesired say undesired good tidings good tidings thy god reigneth thy god reigneth and because it had to be said and because it had to be said with a loud voice and he didn't believe with a loud voice and he didn't believe it he was struck dumb you know brethren and sisters one other time in isaiah one other time in isaiah it is said the spirit of the lord god is it is said the spirit of the lord god is upon me for he hath anointed me to upon me for he hath anointed me to preach good preach good tidings tidings the gospel under the meek the gospel under the meek and that gospel was and that gospel was the day of vengeance of our god the day of vengeance of our god and in the three places where that is and in the three places where that is found found in isaiah in isaiah you have what paul called in romans you have what paul called in romans chapter one chapter one the gospel the gospel of god of god and in isaiah 40 the good tidings were and in isaiah 40 the good tidings were behold your god behold your god in isaiah 52 the good tidings were in isaiah 52 the good tidings were behold our god behold our god in isaiah 61 the good tidings were in isaiah 61 the good tidings were behold your god behold your god and the personal pronoun brethren and and the personal pronoun brethren and sisters is attached to god's name in sisters is attached to god's name in every case the good news to you and i is every case the good news to you and i is that he's our god that he's our god not just simply any god not the god or a not just simply any god not the god or a god but your god my god our god god but your god my god our god that's good news that's good news and because zechariah failed to believe and because zechariah failed to believe it it and because it had to be said and because it had to be said in a loud voice in a loud voice he was struck down it was scriptural that it should be so and you know when his mouth was opened and you know when his mouth was opened one of the first things that he said in one of the first things that he said in verse 68 verse 68 is blessed be the lord god of israel for is blessed be the lord god of israel for he hath visited he hath visited and redeemed his people and redeemed his people as soon as his mouth was open brother as soon as his mouth was open brother and sisters he saw the point of that and sisters he saw the point of that gospel of god gospel of god the good tidings that he become your god the good tidings that he become your god my god thy god my god thy god god had visited god had visited his people his people and he announced that wonderful gospel and he announced that wonderful gospel of god of god which of course isaiah had so which of course isaiah had so beautifully put before him beautifully put before him so many years before so many years before and concluding our first session brother and concluding our first session brother and sisters and sisters we come back to that first chapter of we come back to that first chapter of luke and we read in verse 24 the fulfillment of god's promise of god's promise and after those days his wife elizabeth and after those days his wife elizabeth conceived and hid herself five months conceived and hid herself five months saying thus hath the lord dealt with me saying thus hath the lord dealt with me in the days in the days wherein he looked on me to take away my wherein he looked on me to take away my reproach among men reproach among men she hid herself brother and sisters she hid herself brother and sisters for for five months five months to think about to think about the grace of god the grace of god and i know and i know that we can stretch that we can stretch biblical numerics biblical numerics i am not one of those i am not one of those fanatics about that brother and sisters fanatics about that brother and sisters i sometimes think that that sometimes i sometimes think that that sometimes can be overdone can be overdone but believe me when i tell you but believe me when i tell you that there are plenty of places where that there are plenty of places where the number five is used of god's grace the number five is used of god's grace and she went away to hide herself for and she went away to hide herself for five months five months to think about the grace of god which to think about the grace of god which was to be born into her house was to be born into her house johannen johannen for he shall be great for he shall be great in the sight of the lord in the sight of the lord and you know brethren sisters when he and you know brethren sisters when he came along to announce the coming of the came along to announce the coming of the lord jesus christ he said lord jesus christ he said that we have received grace that we have received grace for for grace so that he was the grace of god there was one coming mightier than he there was one coming mightier than he and when he did come along and when he did come along they did receive grace they did receive grace for for another form of grace another form of grace even greater than that which they even greater than that which they received in john the baptist

Transcript

This is Idlewild, 1983, the teacher is Brother John Martin, Enfield, Australia, the subject The Prophet of the Highest, John the Baptist, and the subtitle for today is, The Day of His Showing Unto Israel. Brother Martin. Our beloved brethren and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, it seems quite remarkable, brethren and sisters, that of him of whom it is said that there had been no greater prophet born among women than John the Baptist, that we should only have one single verse of Scripture that spans 30 years of his life. Very similar, of course, to our Lord Jesus Christ, isn't it? We did get a glimpse of him at the age of 12, sitting at the feet of the doctors of the law in the temple. But the verse of Scripture in question, brethren and sisters, though it spans 30 years of John the Baptist's life, is absolutely eloquent as to what it says concerning God's purpose in him. And I would like us all now to focus our attention upon that verse of Scripture in Luke chapter 1 and verse 18. What this verse says is eloquent, brethren and sisters, it really is. And after Zacharias had finished his great praise of his Heavenly Father for the mercy performed in providing John the Baptist to him, we read the last verse of that first chapter, and the child grew and waxed strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel. You just contemplate that, brethren and sisters. I believe there are two very important things we're told in that verse about that man's life. The first one is this, that he was in the deserts, and that was his message. As we pointed out, he's not a voice crying in the wilderness. That's not what the Hebrew is saying at all. He's a voice crying. And the message of that voice is, in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord and make straight in the desert a highway for our God. And the proof of what I'm saying, brethren and sisters, is so obvious because that's the parallelism. And so here was one who was saying that if we're ever going to understand anything about God, we must at least be able to isolate ourselves from this world in our mind. I do not believe, brethren and sisters, for one moment that God ever expected any of us to live like John the Baptist. He was an extreme case for an extreme circumstance. God does not ask us to do that. We're taught in the book of Ecclesiastes to live a normal, happy life. Was sufficient that we might have security with ourselves and our families. What God is saying in that man is that unless, in the circumstances of life, we can isolate our thinking that we might go out where we are uncluttered by this society, God can never speak to our heart. And that was his message in a world that's seized in intrigue, in hatred, in materialism, and in all class distinctions. And his point was, the voice was crying to them, crying, crying to them, come out here and learn something about God. And where was he? In the desert. He was not a hypocrite. He was doing that, yes, to the extreme. That he might galvanize them out of their apathy and indifference towards the Word of God. And we need that, brethren and sisters. I need that. You need that in this dark and degenerate age in which we live. That's one thing. But remember what we said about him in our opening talk, our introduction. That John claimed to be nothing else but a voice. Now I understand that when you've only got a voice, you listen. But here the record is saying he was in the desert until the day of his showing unto Israel. Isn't that remarkable? And that is not a coincidental word, brethren and sisters. The Greek word means an exhibition. Until the day of his exhibition unto Israel. And the Lord Jesus Christ himself picked that point right up and he said, What went ye out to see? So it wasn't only a voice, though John claimed to be just that. But it was a voice, brethren and sisters, that was on exhibition in that man. Please understand that. I haven't got a phobia about materialism. I haven't come over here, brethren and sisters, because I think you're materialistic, because I never even considered that when I chose this subject. But I know what we are because I live there. And we need every day of our life to go out of our mind and have a look at him. The exhibition that God showed in that desert. What went ye out to see? And that's a very, very important thing. Well, let's have a look what went we out to see. Matthew chapter 3. Here it is, brethren and sisters, this is what they went out to see. And bear in mind, everyone would have seen him. Now before we quote this verse, I'd just like to draw your attention to that chart at the back there. I hope you can all see it. Now that was drawn by our young people. It's not entirely accurate, of course. But it's supposedly to represent the wilderness of Judea as it leads down to the Dead Sea. On the other side of the water is that little peninsula you see on the Dead Sea that sticks out into the water. And it was down there behind those mountains, brethren and sisters, that John stood on the floor of the Valley of Jordan, and people went down to hear him and to see him. And it was nature's amphitheatre. Because they would have been looking down like we were looking at that fellow of the day taking our picture. They'd all been looking down this way though. We'd have been up on that ladder. And we're all looking down at John like that. There wasn't anyone who couldn't see him. And there he was, this God figure. And have a look what they're looking at. And this was God's exhibition. Now, it says here in Matthew chapter 3 and verse 4, And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and eleven girdle about his loins, and his meat was locusts and wild honey. And that is the sum total of the inventory of his possessions, or his larder. All in that verse. Now, this is what they saw. Of course, looking down there, if you and I were crowded on the slopes of Judea watching him, you'd say to your neighbour, to your brother alongside of you, doesn't he remind you of Elijah? Of course you would. Who ever looked like that? But there was a difference, brothers and sisters. There was a difference. See, of Elijah it is said, that his coat was the skin of an animal. Doesn't say what it was, but this one, you know what it is. So I'd say to my neighbour, yes, he does look like John the Baptist. Have you noticed the difference? Why, what's the difference? He's got his coat in a different shop. It's a camel one. Why does the scripture note that? Because the camel, brothers and sisters, is made by the Creator to be adapted to the desert. That's where he was living. Come out here. And he was adapted to his circumstances. The camel has foot pads that spread out, so he can walk on the terrain, on the sandy terrain, and he can do that with great dexterity. You put him on rocky ground and he's hopeless. But on the desert he's absolutely sure. He's got a hump on his back, brothers and sisters, in which he stores his food. He's got a three-chambered stomach in which to store his water. His lips are thick and they're like leather, so he can eat thistles and cactus. He sheds his coat, he sheds his coat before the summer. His nostrils are all pitched in, so that the sand of the storms can't penetrate. He can go, brothers and sisters, 100 miles in 12 hours. And for four consecutive days, he can go at a trot for the whole day, for four consecutive days, without a respite. He's adapted to his circumstances. Look at him. What a great lesson there is in that for you and I, brothers and sisters. I realize that what I'm saying, of course, is unpalatable to us all. I've grown under this burden just as much as you do. I like my comfort. But you know, brothers and sisters, if we're going to be useful to our Creator, we've got to be adapted to the circumstances of hardship. God made that creature for the deserts, and John's close with him. What went she out to see? Well, that's what I'm looking at, and that's all I know about him. I've only got one verse that describes him. So I've got to be adapted to my circumstances. I've got to learn to go through a bit of hardship. We've just got to, brothers and sisters. We've got to have our feet adapted to go through difficult terrain. We've got to have our minds stored up with the power of God's Word. And the water of God's Word has got to be in several chambers of our thinking that we can always draw upon that in difficult circumstances. We've got to be prepared, brothers and sisters, to eat anything at any time, even the food at Idlewild, if it means we've got to endure under the end. It means that we can't always have our comforts of life. Our nostrils have got to be pinched against the grating sands of criticism. And we've got to have all these things. We've got to be adapted in the summer to prepare for the hot, and we've got to have our coats on in the winter to prepare for the cold. And if necessary, we've got to go for hour after hour in God's service without respite on the trotters that we're keeping going and keeping going and keeping going, if that's what it means to serve our Creator. And believe me, brothers and sisters, I haven't done anything, of course, that's worthy to boast of, but I have had circumstances in my life when I didn't think I could go any further, but I always found that you could do it if you put your trust in God. We must become adapted to our circumstances if we're going to do anything worthy of the name of the Creator which we serve. What went he out to see? And that's what I said. I've got no other description of him but that. Locusts was his food, brothers and sisters. Locusts was his food. Who'd live on locusts? Nobody. Before we get onto the locusts, however, I forgot to mention one thing about the camel. The camel was unclean under the law of Moses. He's a priest. They were dressed for glory and beauty according to the details of the law. There is a priest down there and he's got an unclean garment on him. But what God had cleansed, brothers and sisters, none was to their core common or unclean. Now, come on to the locusts. Now, you know, locusts were a form of food. Actually, they taste very much like almonds. I've never tasted them. I just, you know, I believe it. I don't want to put it to the proof. But they tell me that they taste very much like almonds. But the whole point that's being made is that they were found in the deserts. See, everything about that man is described about his environment. And that's what he's saying, come out here to me and listen to God's word. It's not, brothers and sisters, that he's dashing up into the Judean hills to go to the nearest drug store to buy himself an ice cream. He's got everything he wants down in that desert. He's not asking you to do any more than what he's doing himself. That's the whole point of that exhibition. Now, locusts, under the law of Moses, were a clean thing, depending on what type. Not all locusts were unclean. And the term locusts, of course, covered a variety of insect life. And the thing which made the locust clean, one single attribute it must have to make it clean under the law of Moses and edible, it must have the ability to spring above the ground. If it didn't have that ability, it was unclean. God never, ever authorised them to eat anything that groveled in the dust. But if a little creature could go, ding, like that, you could eat him. So don't worry about your roo burgers in America. They're quite okay. It has the ability to get off the ground. And, of course, therein was the lesson, wasn't it? If we have the ability to rise above the things of life, then that's what makes us clean. But again, I believe the emphasis was on the fact that that belonged to the desert. And then we learned that he also ate wild honey, which doesn't mean, of course, that honey, you know, come out and scrambled all over you in a vicious way. It wasn't wild in that sense. It meant, really, the Greek means natural honey, not that honey which was then gleaned by the beekeeper who cultivated that bee and kept it, of course, in apiaries and so on, and therefore cultivated in that sense. Not that sort of honey, brethren and sisters, but the honey that you would find in the desert. And strangely enough, in the land of Israel where Virgil was not great, was not extensive like you have here in the idle wild pines, it was the practice of some of the bees to build their nests in a rock, to build their hive in a rock and operate out of that rock so that Deuteronomy 32 says that I gave them honey out of the rock and listen to this, brethren and sisters, listen to what this says in that same context. I brought him into a waste howling wilderness that I might instruct him. That's exactly that message. And the wild honey, the natural honey, in Deuteronomy 32, in verse 13, is in the context of verse 10 that I brought him into a waste howling wilderness that I might instruct him. And that, brothers and sisters, again, is God's exhibition of how we go about understanding His Word. Please understand me. We are not saying, God is not saying, that we have to go into a literal wilderness. But unless we are going to find the time to close off in quietude, we will never come up with the thoughts out of the Scripture that you learn at Bible schools. We've got to go into that study. And I'm talking now to the brethren who, of course, upon whom devolves this great responsibility of feeding the flock. And it applies to everyone in general, of course, who listens too. But more appropriately, to those brethren who have got the ability to feed the flock, unless they are prepared, according to this word, and it's not my exhortation, brothers and sisters, to go down and have a look at that exhibition, they will never be able to prepare the way of the Lord. Close that door. Life is behind it and beyond it. And we're in that study and we're with God. Open up His book. Pray for understanding and help. And then, brethren and sisters, walk out where there is no distractions and let your mind assimilate to the wonderful thinking that is there. But how on earth could I ever understand that Bible if I'm in my study saying, I wonder if that car is clean, I should clean, what does it say here? I should really go down the street and get some of that. Now how on earth am I going to understand the Bible like that? You see what I'm doing. I'm being drawn away all the time, what I've got to do, what I must buy, where I've got to go. Finish that. Get out there with job. Isolate yourself in your mind and God will speak to your heart. As Hosea said, I will allure her into the wilderness and speak to her heart. Now we're going to see the day that came in Luke chapter 3, brethren and sisters, when the great day of His showing unto Israel, and what a day that was. What a day it was when the day when He came for His showing unto Israel. There are some parts of the Bible, brethren and sisters, that need no exposition. The exposition of them is on the surface itself. Not all the Bibles like that, but there are some parts of it which all you need to do is read it. And here's the great lesson of John's life. And I will read these verses to you. I will read them in an exaggerated way. I won't read like Brother McGill did the other night. I've never heard such a reading like that. I compliment him upon it. It was a magnificent reading if you listened carefully last night. I won't read it quite so well as that. But I will read it in an exaggerated way. And I won't have to tell you the meaning of it. Because Luke introduces God's exhibition by giving us a list of the great men in the world. Now you listen to me read the opening verses of Luke and you'll get the point. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being the tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Itcheria and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Cahiathus being the high priests. The word of God came unto John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. That doesn't need any exposition, brethren and sisters, does it? Here's all the world's greats. Here's all their territory. Far as the eye could see. And the list finishes, brethren and sisters, with the high priests of God. And unto none of those greats did the word of God come, but unto John, whose territory nobody wanted. And in accordance with the man's importance of himself, brethren and sisters, so God cannot speak for him. Are you the Christ? I am not the Christ. Are you Elijah? I am not. Are you the prophet? No. The more he said, the less that he said. What are you? Nothing. God says, I can speak through you. Could never speak through Tiberius Caesar, or Herod, or Philip, or Lysanias, or Annas, or Cahiathus, because God's boyfriends and sisters wouldn't find room in their life. Why do you think it was when Jesus said in the 16th chapter of John, he said, I will send you the Comforter. When he cometh, he will convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. Of sin because they believe not on me. Of righteousness because I go to my father. Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged. When he cometh, he will do this. Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost, brethren and sisters, and in his speech in Acts chapter 1, rather Acts chapter 2, he's divided into three sections. Of sin, by wicked hands you have crucified and slain. Of righteousness, because he said he's gone to the Father. Of judgment, because he said, save yourself from this underwater generation. Why was it that Peter was the spokesman on that day? Because he was the most eloquent of all the apostles? Because he could speak better than James and John? No, brethren and sisters, because he was the one that swore and cursed that he didn't know his Lord. And they all knew it. And there was in Peter that day, none of Peter. God was able to use his mouth. It's a wonderful and a marvelous lesson. He was able to speak to Peter's heart, because Peter got out of himself into a wilderness. He was ashamed of what he had done. And that made him available. That's why he was the spokesman. When he cometh, he will say this. That's not Peter talking. That was the spirit of the Comforter. The spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ speaking through him. What a remarkable lesson that is in life, brethren and sisters. And Luke says in verse 3 of this chapter, that this John came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Well, we might say, well, to a Christian, that's very, very familiar. And to us, of course, we said, oh, well, that's very doctrinal. But you see, brethren and sisters, you've got to appreciate what that meant to that crowd standing in the amphitheatre. Because you see, you've got to understand what the scribes and the Pharisees taught. Because they taught, you see, that there was a difference between Jews and, well, we'll call them Gentiles, but they called them dogs. Quite a difference, really. And when a Jew, of course, came to maturity, he was circumcised the eighth day, and then he came to the age of about 13, and he was inducted as the son of the covenant of the law in a very elaborate ceremony. But this chap here, he might want to become a Jew too, a proselyte. Got to watch him. Baptism, brethren and sisters, was in vogue long before John came. Baptism is not just a Christian doctrine. It was in vogue long before John came, and was reserved to wash filthy Gentiles to come into the truth of Israel's covenant. And here's John standing up there and telling all of them that unless they're prepared to get into the muddy waters of Jordan and confess that all flesh is grass, not just Gentile flesh, then there's no way that they're ever going to find repentance. That was John's power, brethren and sisters. Imagine a Pharisee lowering his dignity to that. It was years of tradition behind him of that act speaking of washing filthy Gentiles. Imagine the audacity of that one down there suggesting that. But that's what he suggested, brethren and sisters. And you know, despite the unpopularity of that doctrine, that man's doctrine went all over the world. He never performed a single miracle. We learned that in John chapter 10 and verse 41, as we saw before. But this we are told in the 11th chapter of Mark and verse 32, that all men counted John a prophet. There must have been something very compelling about that message, as unpalatable as it was to them. We learn in the 18th chapter of Acts and verse 25 that Apollos came from Alexandria in Egypt, and he was skilled in the teachings of John the Baptist. And the Greek word that is chosen there is really the word of one of our pieces of literature, catechesis. He had categorized John's teachings, so there was a school in Egypt teaching what John taught. So powerful was that. The Apostle Paul came to Ephesus, which was really the capital of Asia Minor, brethren and sisters. And he found certain disciples who knew about the baptism of John. It had penetrated into Asia Minor. And as unpalatable as this doctrine was, it must have been altogether powerful as it came reverberating up that wilderness of Judea. Matthew it is, don't turn away from Luke, because we want to stay here for a while. But it is Matthew who gives us his opening words, which Luke doesn't. And in the Diagelot version of his opening words, he says, And of course he was announcing the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, or the Christ as he would understand it, he wouldn't know he was Jesus, but the Christ the Messiah was about to appear. Now you imagine, if Israel were told the Messiah was going to appear, well of course the Pharisees would all get dressed up in their paraphernalia, with their phylacteries, and they would tie their little things, little leather boxes around their foreheads with the law in there, and they would look very lovely, wouldn't they? And they would go down the streets of Jerusalem, and they would proclaim with the silver trumpets and with the ram's horn of Jubilee that the Royal Majesty of the Kingdoms has approached. Have a look at who's telling you that the Royal Majesty of the Kingdoms is on his way. Look at him and think, wow, the Royal Majesty of the Heavens is approaching. Look who's saying it. The Apostle Paul says, they wandered in sheepskins and in goatskins. They lived in the caves and then to the earth, of whom this world was not worthy. And although he was proclaiming the coming of a Royal Majesty, yet look at him, brothers and sisters, thus says the high and the lofty one that inhabits eternity. He that is holy, I will dwell with him that is of a poor and a contrite spirit, and to proclaim the coming of the Majesty. I don't want to turn these references up, I want to conserve our time, brothers and sisters, but Isaiah, you know, Isaiah the Provident says, preparing you the way of the Lord in the wilderness, preparing you the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Do you know how they made highways? Isaiah 62 tells us, cast up, cast up the highway. Behold thy salvation cometh. And the Royal Majesty was approaching. And the way that people made highways in those days, brothers and sisters, was that as you made your way to Jerusalem, the first pilgrims would find the easiest path. And as they went along, they would pick up the stones and pull them out of the way so their brother wouldn't trip over them. And as they did that, they would define the path. Whoops, stone fell out of my hand. They would define that path. That's the way, walk in it. And when you came along, the pathway was defined. And it was defined by the stumbling blocks that your brother had taken out of your way. That's what defines your path to the kingdom. Cast up, cast up the highway, was the words of the prophet. And the same chapter says, brothers and sisters, the same chapter says that my salvation shall come as a lamp that burneth. And Jesus said he was a burning and a shining light. And radiating along that path, for a moment of history, a short moment of history, John the Baptist went out up there putting aside all the stumbling blocks for people and flooring that path towards the coming of the Royal Majesty. And that's exactly the context of Isaiah 62. Cast up, cast up the highway, behold he cometh. And the chapter opens up with those words, behold his salvation cometh as a burning light. What a remarkable context that is in the light of John the Baptist's coming. And he fulfilled, did he not, brothers and sisters, the terms of that voice. Every valley shall be exalted. Luke chapter 3 and verse 10, he speaks to the common people. Every mountain and hill shall be made low. In Matthew chapter 3 and verse 7, he spoke to the Jewish leaders. The crooked shall be made straight. And in verse 12 of this chapter of Luke, he spoke to the publicans, the crooked tax gatherers. The rough places shall be made plain. And in verse 14, he smoothed over the soldiers. And there were only four classes that he spoke to. Every valley, the common people were exalted. Every mountain, the Pharisees were leveled. Every one that was crooked, the publicans were made straight. And every rough one, the soldier, was made smooth. And they were the four classes that came to him. What we now want to do, brothers and sisters, is to see what he said to each class. And in verse 7 of Luke chapter 3, then he said to the multitude. If you compare that with verse 7 of Matthew chapter 3, you'll read there that the first words were addressed to the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And to them John said, to the Pharisees and Sadducees, are a generation of vipers, who have warned you to flee from the wrath to come. Now this was very interesting, brothers and sisters. He called them a generation of vipers. The word generation means a brood or an offspring. That's how the RSV in Rotherham renders it. A brood of vipers. In other words, they were snakes just born. They were just starting to manifest their true characteristics. They were just beginning to be shown up for what they were. Later on, when the Lord Jesus Christ called them the same thing, he said, oh ye generation of vipers, ye serpents. By the time he came along, they'd grown up. He quoted the words of John and added the mature word for serpent. They had filled up the measure of their fathers. Who's warned you to flee from the wrath to come, says John. Who's warned you to flee from the wrath to come? And you know, brothers and sisters, he was referring, of course, to the custom down there that in the wilderness of Judea, during the winter months, it was covered with a very low verdure, green for a very short period of time during the winter, but quickly scorched by the sun in the summer months. And when it got hot down there and it got tinder dry, of course, there was always the fire. And out of the fire would come these vipers shooting out of that grass and brushes and tearing off of their life. And that's how he likened those scribes and Pharisees. The day is coming, said Malachi, that'll burn as an oven. And all the wicked, they that do wickedly, shall be burnt up as stubble, and I'll leave them neither root nor branch. And the end of that chapter says, Behold, I send you Elijah. And here is the one that's coming in his spirit and power. So the prophecy of Malachi has been brought to bear upon them. And the words of verse 8 of John to this class of people were, to bring forth fruit, meat for repentance, brothers and sisters. Fruit is how you determine a tree. It's not what a brother says. It's not his external appearance. Sometimes that can be very deceptive. We can be very oily, we can be very smooth. We can always be talking about the love of God. We may not be like that in our hearts. It's what we produce in life, brothers and sisters. You look at your quality of your ecclesia. Look at the quality of your young people. Look at the quality of your family. There's the proof you bring forth those sort of fruits, says John, before I ever put you in that water. And that's what he, the words he addressed to these people, brothers and sisters, and he said, if you're not prepared to bring forth those fruits, he says the axe is laid to the root of the trees. They said that they had Abraham to their father. They said, we have Abraham for us, our father. John says, God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. You know, brothers and sisters, he took them from that wilderness further north to baptize them. He didn't baptize them in the Dead Sea. He baptized them at Bethabara, which means the fords, the house of the fords. And that's the place where Israel crossed when they came into the Holy Land. And when they came into the Holy Land, God drove back the River Jordan and picked up stones out of the black, oozy, stinking mud of Jordan. And it was, brothers and sisters, that's no exaggeration. Jordan at that point is very, very stinking river as it gathers up all the debris before it dumps it into the Dead Sea. And God drove that water back and he plucked those stones out of the muck and filth and stood them up on dry ground. And John says, in the very place where that was done, don't you tell me that your descendants from Abraham, God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And if we're prepared to go into the waters of baptism, which we have, and stand there, or go under the water and say, all flesh is grass, God will drive that water away, bring us up to newness of life. And from the muddy depths of our morality, brothers and sisters, he will stand us with his Son in newness of life that we should bring forth fruits worthy of repentance. Don't tell me that your natural descendants of Abraham, says John. Everything John said was calculated to send their minds back to the word of their God, because he was nothing but a voice. These were not his opinions. The axe is laid at the root of the trees. Where did he get that from, brothers and sisters? Where did he get that from? Now, you look at the correlation. This is marvelous. You look at the correlation of John and Jesus in their teaching. The axe is laid at the root of the trees. Now, what did the law say? It says that when they planted a fruit tree, this is in the 21st chapter of Leviticus, when you planted a fruit tree, God says, I will give that tree three years. I'll give it three years. And if it doesn't produce fruit in the fourth year, cut it down. John comes along, brothers and sisters, at the beginning of the three years, and he says, there's an axe at the root of that tree. And at the end, nearing the end of his ministry, Jesus said, a certain man planted a fig tree, and it didn't bring forth fruit for three years. And he's now getting to the end of three and a half years of his ministry. And he says, cut it down. And they make an appeal. Let it go a bit longer. Let's fertilize it and give it a chance. And that's exactly what happened. Look at the correlation. John says the axe is there. They saw Jesus pick it up. Three and a half years later. And that's what the law of Moses had said. John wasn't telling them anything. It wasn't back in that Old Testament. That's what he told the scribes and Pharisees. In verses 10 and 11, the people asked him, saying, what shall we do then? You know, brothers and sisters, I'm not trying to be dramatic, really. This is drama. This is real drama. Let's try and put ourselves, say, in this Bible school, and hundreds of other Bible schools are all spread along those hills, and we're all standing there. We're looking down at God's exhibition. And we're only common people. All of us are only common people. And we're all pricked in our hearts. We realize that our way of life is not what it ought to be. We don't know much about God's Word. We're all cluttered up with this life's goods, and we realize now how destitute we are of the understanding of God's Word. It's high time that we separated ourselves, if only in our mind we're able to get isolated from this world and think about God and being pricked in our hearts. We crawl out down that wilderness. John, what are we going to do? What are we going to do? And the acts of Redmond Sisters was devastating. Absolutely devastating. Oh, rolling up those hills came that golden voice. He that got two coats, give one away. And every eye is on that coat. He's only got one. And you and I, Redmond Sisters, wouldn't be seen dead in it. He wasn't asking you to do any more than he could do. He didn't have to. And if he offered you the only one he had, you wouldn't take it. And the only other thing he said to the common people was, he that's got food, let him share it. And every eye is down there looking at that exhibition. And if he invited you home for dinner, Redmond Sisters, you'd feel sick because you'd never eat what he's eating. And the only two things he mentioned to the common people that they should do were the only two details that we know about him in the whole of the record of his life. About his personal details. You heard my personal details last night. You heard Jim's. You heard our other brother, Warren. Well, all we know about him is his coat and his food. And that's all he asked us to do, Redmond Sisters. That's all. And I could imagine all of us going home in that night in the bitter cold of the Judean hills, going up the hills. And we might have called him anything in our minds. We might have called him radical. We might have called him an extremist. We might have even said he was a hermit. We might have even said he was mad. There was not a soul in that crowd that could have said that he was a hypocrite. I would love, Redmond Sisters, to have a life that I could stand up here and talk to you and have my life as an example of what I'm saying. Sad to say that is not the case. But nonetheless, it is our duty to tell you what we believe that Bible is saying. And I looked down that exhibition and I can tell you that when I was in my study and saw that and listened to that voice telling me about those two things only, I wept. Because I don't do that. I can't do that. But I could never ever say to him that he asked me to do what I couldn't, what he didn't do himself. He that have two coats let him impart to him that have none and he that have food let him do likewise. Oh, what a magnificent lesson. Absolutely magnificent. To the publicans he said this, Redmond Sisters, in verses 12 and 13. He says, and the publicans, then came also the publicans to be baptized. They'd made a decision. It didn't say that about the other crowd. They'd come to be baptized. Why had the publicans made up their mind and the others hadn't? Because they were, Redmond Sisters, overspied a lot. Tax gatherers. Farming system. So a Roman governor was responsible to someone higher than he. Who was responsible to someone back in the Senate in Rome? Who was responsible to someone higher in the government than he? And each one of them had allowed each one to take a portion of the taxation as long as some of them got back to number one. And so the poor little fellow at the end of the line, the tax gatherer, had to tax them enormously that he might get better pittance to pass the rest on to his governor who passed it on to his superior who finally passed it on to the government itself. And everyone got a bit of it as it went along the line. And these poor devils who lived like that, Redmond Sisters, and they taxed the people on behalf of Rome, the people walked past them and held their nose. Oh, they stank. And because they were an ostracized group and hated among the nations, they came to be baptized. They wanted to be baptized. Their hearts were yearning to be baptized like the harlots were because everyone hated them. And they flung themselves on their god for who else cared? They came to be baptized. And all the Lord told them exact no more than what is appointed. He didn't tell them to give up their vocation. He didn't say it was wrong because he knew the miserable life that many of them lived. Not all of them. Some of them were avaricious as others. But those that came down there to be baptized like Zacchaeus living a miserable life ready to throw themselves into the arms of their heavenly father because everybody else hated them. You go on with your work but just don't do any more than what you're told. You don't need more than what you need. Soldiers came down there. Verse 14. The soldiers said, what are we going to do? The rough places. What if it does violence to no man? The margin says put no man in fear. Accused no man falsely and be content with your wages. And I believe, brothers and sisters, I can't prove this, but I believe those three sentences all have to do with their material possessions because what they used to do was intimidate one another for extra provisions. The provisions were all farmed out and they would intimidate each other by brutality, bullying their fellow soldiers to get more rations. They were to be not informers against one another because there were rewards for informing which of course would increase their material possessions. And of course, of all the things that a soldier, a mercenary, was never satisfied with his wages. And what about us, brothers and sisters? You satisfy with your wages? In our country, oh, what a fool's paradise. What a fool's paradise. I'm here on long service leave. You've never heard about that, some of you. Thirteen weeks off, extra, for ten years service. Four weeks annual leave, a year. And in those four weeks annual leave, I get seventeen and a half percent of my wages over and above my basic wage just in case I might miss out on some overtime while I'm on holiday. Oh, dearie, dearie me. Content with your wages. That's the world we live in. And if that was a problem then, brothers and sisters, how much more is it a problem now? And of course, as the crowd dispersed in verse fifteen, and as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their heart, look at the margin, they debated, reasoned or debated in their hearts of John whether he was the Christ or not. You know, brothers and sisters, they weren't debating that because they were wondering whether he was the Messiah or whether he was not the Messiah. They were doing this in their hearts because this is what they would be thinking. I'm being told to share me coats and he's only got one. I'm being told to share my material provisions and that's all he's got to share. I wouldn't touch it. I don't want nothing to do with his life. Now, because he's told me that, I'm thinking in my heart, oh dear, oh, I hope he's not the Messiah because if he's the Messiah, oh boy, what about my life? Oh dear, I hope he's not the Messiah. Others might have been saying, brothers and sisters, who saw the point, yes, John. That is an exhibition to me of faith. I hope you are the Messiah and I hope I can live up to at least a seventh of that ideal. They mused in their hearts about that. And I said, whatever they thought about him, brothers and sisters, they could never have said that he was a hypocrite. And I want to conclude on a positive note because, you know, Luke adds a very beautiful touch to the finish of John's preaching. And in verse 18 he said, and with many other things in his exhortation, preached he unto the people. And, you know, literally, brothers and sisters, in the Greek, literally in the Greek, it would read like this, and many other things in his exhortation did he bring glad tidings unto the people. So, you see, it's not all that he said. The main issues are put forth by Luke. But you can imagine, John, that when he'd finished and there were tears streaming down the faces of the common people in the public lands and those who were going to be baptized, stricken and smitten in heart and saying, oh, dear me, what's my life like in relation to that? Where am I going in life? What am I doing with my time? And having reduced them, brothers and sisters, to almost rubble on those mountains, Luke says that, apart from the exhortation, he spoke glad tidings unto the people. Oh, I only wish Luke had recorded that, with that voice saying it. Because John would have looked up and said, you people who listen to me, you common folk who have got the message, you who are determined to go away from this Bible school to do what is right in God's eyes, you people who want to isolate your mind from the mad rat race that you're in, let me tell you what the kingdom is going to be like. How beautiful are the feet of him that preach the Gospel of peace. And there he was. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that preach the Gospel of peace. And they were all standing on the mountain, yet he was down there. And I would have imagined, brothers and sisters, that apart from the stern, challenging words of John, there would have been the change of tone and emphasis for all those prepared to accept that message. A voice crying, come out here in your minds, if only in your minds, and prepare the way of the Lord. There would have been those eloquent overtones of the glory of God's kingdom for all those who were prepared to submit themselves at least to the principles of the day of his exhibition unto Israel. The question is, brothers and sisters, what did we go out to see?

Transcript

this is idlewild 1983. our second period speaker is brother our second period speaker is brother john martin his subject this week is john martin his subject this week is the prophet of the highest john the the prophet of the highest john the baptist baptist this is the fourth class and the title this is the fourth class and the title for the fourth class is to fulfill all for the fourth class is to fulfill all righteousness brother martin my daily beloved brother and sisters in our lord jesus christ our lord jesus christ the last time we saw john brother and the last time we saw john brother and sisters together sisters together was to watch him on that desert floor was to watch him on that desert floor giving us all a very very powerful giving us all a very very powerful exhortation exhortation to live within our means to live within our means to live a quiet to live a quiet simple life simple life with the ability to be able to isolate with the ability to be able to isolate in our minds ourselves from this in our minds ourselves from this terrible world terrible world and give god the opportunity and give god the opportunity to speak to our heart to speak to our heart if we've learned that lesson brothers if we've learned that lesson brothers and sisters and sisters we've taken a gigantic step i believe we've taken a gigantic step i believe towards the kingdom of god towards the kingdom of god or there is no other way to that kingdom or there is no other way to that kingdom other than that that and that that god other than that that and that that god should speak to our heart should speak to our heart let us all therefore give him that let us all therefore give him that opportunity opportunity but now a different phase is coming but now a different phase is coming the words of the prophet are about to be the words of the prophet are about to be fulfilled fulfilled behold i send my messenger and he shall behold i send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me prepare the way before me and the lord jesus christ quoted that and the lord jesus christ quoted that third chapter of malachi and applied it third chapter of malachi and applied it to john the baptist so we know it's to john the baptist so we know it's speaking of john the lord being our speaking of john the lord being our authority authority he shall prepare the way before me and he shall prepare the way before me and the lord whom ye seek the lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple shall suddenly come to his temple and whilst john was at the banks of the and whilst john was at the banks of the river jordan brother and sisters river jordan brother and sisters baptizing others baptizing others he was in a further of expectancy he was in a further of expectancy because god had told him because god had told him that any day that any day one was going to walk up one was going to walk up in whom of course the purpose of god was in whom of course the purpose of god was to be focalized to be focalized what an era of aura of expectancy that what an era of aura of expectancy that would be fancy standing there like he would be fancy standing there like he was watching them come down by their was watching them come down by their droves into that into that water because droves into that into that water because it says all judea all around about it says all judea all around about jordan jordan they came from everywhere to be baptized they came from everywhere to be baptized of him of him and you can imagine him watching them and you can imagine him watching them one after the other passed through those one after the other passed through those waters brothers and sisters wandering waters brothers and sisters wandering with his body quivering with excitement with his body quivering with excitement knowing that any time knowing that any time he of whom the old testament had spoken he of whom the old testament had spoken would come would come you know we're in that fervor of you know we're in that fervor of expectancy brothers and sisters expectancy brothers and sisters and how exciting it is to think about and how exciting it is to think about that that and so we come to the first chapter of and so we come to the first chapter of john and we learn here john and we learn here of that excitement that john must have of that excitement that john must have felt building up within himself the climax of his mission was coming of his mission was coming and in john chapter 1 and verse 33 and in john chapter 1 and verse 33 john says here john says here i knew him not i knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with but he that sent me to baptize with water water the same said unto me the same said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the spirit upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining on him descending and remaining on him the same as he which baptizeth with the the same as he which baptizeth with the holy spirit holy spirit in verse 31 he says in verse 31 he says and i knew him not and i knew him not but that he should be made manifest to but that he should be made manifest to israel therefore i am come baptizing israel therefore i am come baptizing with water with water and so you see brothers and sisters and so you see brothers and sisters john's purpose was not only to baptize john's purpose was not only to baptize others but in the very process others but in the very process messiah would appear he says i knew him messiah would appear he says i knew him not but that he should be made manifest not but that he should be made manifest to israel therefore to israel therefore i am come baptizing with water i am come baptizing with water he was waiting for him it was absolutely he was waiting for him it was absolutely necessary that messiah be introduced necessary that messiah be introduced this way it wasn't that god had chosen this way it wasn't that god had chosen at brother and sisters because it was an at brother and sisters because it was an ideal opportunity because the crowds ideal opportunity because the crowds were all there and this would draw were all there and this would draw attention to jesus he attention to jesus he had to come through that water had to come through that water because scripture demanded it because scripture demanded it and therefore john was waiting for him and therefore john was waiting for him and of course these words which are here and of course these words which are here are written in retrospect are written in retrospect john didn't know who he was when he john didn't know who he was when he first came what we're reading here is first came what we're reading here is john's words in retrospect john's words in retrospect and after the the next day we read in and after the the next day we read in verse 29 of john chapter 1 that is the verse 29 of john chapter 1 that is the next day after his baptism next day after his baptism john seeth jesus coming again he now john seeth jesus coming again he now know who's who he now does know who he know who's who he now does know who he is brother and sisters and he saw jesus is brother and sisters and he saw jesus coming unto him and he said coming unto him and he said behold the lamb of god which taketh away behold the lamb of god which taketh away the sin of the world the sin of the world and that brother and sisters and that brother and sisters was a monumental statement was a monumental statement it was not an outburst of emotionalism it was not that john looked at him and saw him merely as being meek and mild saw him merely as being meek and mild that was not the point at all it was a calculated intelligence statement of fact statement of fact a startling a startling fact because the fact of the matter is fact because the fact of the matter is this brother and sisters this brother and sisters that you will search in vain that you will search in vain from genesis to malachi from genesis to malachi in vain you will search in vain you will search to find a male to find a male lamb lamb for a sin offering for a sin offering it isn't there it isn't there anywhere anywhere it's not in the law it's not in the it's not in the law it's not in the psalms it's not in the prophets psalms it's not in the prophets nowhere nowhere does the old testament ever speak does the old testament ever speak of a male lamb of a male lamb for a sin offering the nearest you'll for a sin offering the nearest you'll ever get to it ever get to it is isaiah 53 he was as a lamb led to the is isaiah 53 he was as a lamb led to the slaughter slaughter and even in that chapter and even in that chapter it says it says thou shalt make his soul an offering for thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin and the word in the hebrew is sin and the word in the hebrew is trespass offering so it's still not a trespass offering so it's still not a sin offering sin offering and the very words used in isaiah 53 the and the very words used in isaiah 53 the exact terminology is taken from the law exact terminology is taken from the law of the trespass offering so not even of the trespass offering so not even that was a sin offering that was a sin offering and so when john directed all the eyes and so when john directed all the eyes of those rabbis of the law of those rabbis of the law who knew every jot and tittle what he who knew every jot and tittle what he was saying was here he comes of whom the was saying was here he comes of whom the lord knew nothing lord knew nothing as far as a sin offering was concerned as far as a sin offering was concerned here's one above here's one above and beyond that law and beyond that law the lamb of god the lamb of god and because brother and sisters and because brother and sisters it was something that the law never it was something that the law never offered offered something entirely different something entirely different it had to be for the sin of it had to be for the sin of the world so there were monumental facts being placed before them by this one who being placed before them by this one who had come to john had come to john to fulfill to fulfill all righteousness all righteousness what a wonderful thing that is what a wonderful thing that is and they would have been arrested by and they would have been arrested by that statement that statement the glory of god had appeared says john the glory of god had appeared says john we saw his glory we saw his glory full full of grace of grace and truth and truth and you know brethren and sisters and you know brethren and sisters those two words conjure up those two words conjure up the extent of god's character if we can the extent of god's character if we can say if we could ever use that word say if we could ever use that word extent of god extent of god but of our knowledge of him but of our knowledge of him it conjures up all that we know about it conjures up all that we know about god's character grace god's character grace and truth and that's what was manifested to john you know brethren sisters when you think you know brethren sisters when you think about those two things about those two things what are what are they well as i say they they represent they well as i say they they represent behold the goodness and the severity of behold the goodness and the severity of god god grace and truth grace and truth the characteristics of exodus 33 now the characteristics of exodus 33 now embodied in this personality from embodied in this personality from nazareth nazareth shone forth in all its glory in a man shone forth in all its glory in a man who was able to bring together those who was able to bring together those almost opposite principles almost opposite principles which we cannot exercise perfectly and which we cannot exercise perfectly and yet which we are exalted to do yet which we are exalted to do by the words of zechariah the prophet by the words of zechariah the prophet execute true judgment and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother every man to his brother and there's no soul that's ever been and there's no soul that's ever been born except the lord jesus christ who born except the lord jesus christ who could make mercy and truth kiss each could make mercy and truth kiss each other as the psalm says and become other as the psalm says and become compatible compatible perfectly perfectly because whatever judgment we make because whatever judgment we make brothers and sisters and we have to make brothers and sisters and we have to make judgments judgments not about our brother's motive not about our brother's motive but we've got to make responsible but we've got to make responsible decisions decisions whatever judgment we make we're going to whatever judgment we make we're going to earth somewhere earth somewhere between those two between those two we're either going to be unbalanced one we're either going to be unbalanced one way way or another or another but here was one that was full of grace but here was one that was full of grace and truth that came to john and truth that came to john we're going to be kings and priests we're going to be kings and priests brethren sisters aren't we you ever brethren sisters aren't we you ever wondered why wondered why because those two officers are those two because those two officers are those two characteristics he the rulers over men characteristics he the rulers over men must be just must be just ruling in the fear of god ruling in the fear of god and every high priest taken from among and every high priest taken from among men has ordained four men in things men has ordained four men in things pertaining to god that he might have pertaining to god that he might have compassion compassion on the ignorant of them that are out of on the ignorant of them that are out of the way the way kings kings and priests and priests mercy and truth mercy and truth if you like if you like and those characteristics magnificently and those characteristics magnificently presented presented in the case of our lord jesus christ and in the case of our lord jesus christ and that's what john was waiting for that's what john was waiting for and when one came who could balance and when one came who could balance those principles perfectly those principles perfectly he had to be the son of god because he had to be the son of god because there's no man woman alive that could there's no man woman alive that could ever do that ever do that in this mortal frame in this mortal frame and that's what john was waiting for and that's what john was waiting for and he was waiting for him at jordan and he was waiting for him at jordan i made the statement brethren sisters it i made the statement brethren sisters it had to be this way had to be this way it had to be this way for several it had to be this way for several reasons reasons not only because the lord was to not only because the lord was to manifest the fulfillment of all manifest the fulfillment of all righteousness righteousness in his own body that he might become the in his own body that he might become the example for others example for others that was the primary reason of course but i only know of three men in the bible in the bible who were highlighted to israel by coming who were highlighted to israel by coming up out of jordan up out of jordan now this is fascinating now this is fascinating there are three men that i know there are three men that i know who were to lead that nation who were to lead that nation and that god demonstrated their and that god demonstrated their leadership out of that river leadership out of that river and those three men were joshua and those three men were joshua elisha elisha and the lord jesus christ i want you to and the lord jesus christ i want you to have a look at them brethren sisters and have a look at them brethren sisters and then i'll tell you why i believe it's then i'll tell you why i believe it's those three men joshua chapter three those three men joshua chapter three notice the language here and when we see the principles we'll see how inevitable it was that jesus had to how inevitable it was that jesus had to come to that jordan come to that jordan to be manifested to israel joshua was to succeed moses but there may have been doubts about but there may have been doubts about that brethren sisters that brethren sisters there may have been those in israel who there may have been those in israel who felt that they should succeed moses felt that they should succeed moses and so we read in the third chapter of and so we read in the third chapter of joshua and at verse seven joshua and at verse seven and the lord said unto joshua and the lord said unto joshua this day this day will i begin to magnify thee in the will i begin to magnify thee in the sight of all israel sight of all israel that they may know that as i was with that they may know that as i was with moses so i will be with thee and thou moses so i will be with thee and thou shalt command the priest to bear the ark shalt command the priest to bear the ark of the covenant saying of the covenant saying when ye come to the brink of the waters when ye come to the brink of the waters of jordan ye shall stand still in jordan of jordan ye shall stand still in jordan and so their brothers and sisters was and so their brothers and sisters was the principal the principal god says the people must know joshua god says the people must know joshua they must know that you are the true they must know that you are the true successor of moses i will magnify you successor of moses i will magnify you this day this day get the priest to stand in that water get the priest to stand in that water and then we read in verse 11 and then we read in verse 11 behold the ark of the covenant behold the ark of the covenant of the lord of all the earth of the lord of all the earth passes over before you into jordan and passes over before you into jordan and of course that ark represented the of course that ark represented the leadership in israel with which joshua leadership in israel with which joshua was related now brothers and sisters you was related now brothers and sisters you will see will see that the word in verse 11 for lord that the word in verse 11 for lord is in small print it's not in small is in small print it's not in small capitals capitals where of course we have it in verse where of course we have it in verse seven in capitals we know it is the seven in capitals we know it is the hebrew name of our heavenly father hebrew name of our heavenly father he who will be but down in verse 11 the he who will be but down in verse 11 the hebrew word is adon and it means the hebrew word is adon and it means the ruler of all the earth ruler of all the earth behold the ark of the covenant the ruler behold the ark of the covenant the ruler of all the earth passes over before you of all the earth passes over before you into jordan and on that great day into jordan and on that great day brethren sisters joshua was magnified brethren sisters joshua was magnified not that god would say that he would be not that god would say that he would be the ruler of all the earth but most the ruler of all the earth but most assuredly assuredly as a shadow as a shadow as a figure as a figure as a type that stretched forward of the as a type that stretched forward of the substance substance joshua prefigured him joshua prefigured him who would come brother and sisters to be who would come brother and sisters to be the true ruler of all the earth the true ruler of all the earth and so it was necessary for god to and so it was necessary for god to demonstrate joshua's leadership by demonstrate joshua's leadership by bringing up out of the jordan bringing up out of the jordan i hope you're paying attention because i hope you're paying attention because we'll have a climax to this we'll have a climax to this in the second of kings chapter two we in the second of kings chapter two we have the other incident of the other man who was manifest in the same way as he succeeded in the leadership in verses 13 to 15 elijah is departing this earth elijah is departing this earth the question is the question is who is his successor who is his successor he had there were 50 aspirants for the he had there were 50 aspirants for the job job 51 if you count elisha but there were 50 51 if you count elisha but there were 50 great men standing by who thought that great men standing by who thought that they might one of them might be the they might one of them might be the leader and we read in verse 13 of the leader and we read in verse 13 of the second of kings chapter 2 that elisha second of kings chapter 2 that elisha took up the mantle of elijah that fell took up the mantle of elijah that fell from him and went back and stood by the from him and went back and stood by the lip of jordan lip of jordan and he took the mantle of elijah that and he took the mantle of elijah that fell from him and smote the waters and fell from him and smote the waters and said said where is the lord god of elijah where is the lord god of elijah and when he also had spit in the waters and when he also had spit in the waters they parted hither and this and elisha they parted hither and this and elisha went over went over and when the sons of the prophets which and when the sons of the prophets which were to view at jericho saw him they were to view at jericho saw him they said the spirit of elijah doth rest upon said the spirit of elijah doth rest upon elijah elijah and they came to meet him and bowed and they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him themselves to the ground before him and so again brethren and sisters when and so again brethren and sisters when the question of the question of the successor came the successor came it had to be manifest it had to be manifest through the river of jordan through the river of jordan and when that happened people and when that happened people acknowledged that i think you can see acknowledged that i think you can see where i'm going where i'm going and the day came and the day came when john's successor when john's successor was to be manifest was to be manifest all the people had been impressed with all the people had been impressed with john john we learned later on that despite the we learned later on that despite the words of john himself telling them to words of john himself telling them to follow jesus follow jesus they still wouldn't forsake him and they still wouldn't forsake him and there were such people known as john's there were such people known as john's disciples disciples even though he told them to follow the even though he told them to follow the lord jesus christ lord jesus christ and so it was necessary with that sort and so it was necessary with that sort of quality in him and leadership in him of quality in him and leadership in him that god should make should make it that god should make should make it known that day who is going to be his known that day who is going to be his successor and how did he do it successor and how did he do it straightway when jesus came up out of straightway when jesus came up out of the water he said this is my beloved son the water he said this is my beloved son now brother and sisters now brother and sisters it begs the question it begs the question why those three men and why coming up out of jordan they are the two coming up out of jordan they are the two questions questions why are those three men why are those three men and why coming up out of jordan and why coming up out of jordan because the three men's names because the three men's names two of them are identical two of them are identical and the other one is that close it and the other one is that close it doesn't matter joshua yahooshua yahooshua yahweh will save yahweh will save is the name of our lord jesus christ is the name of our lord jesus christ jesus is but the greek equivalent jesus is but the greek equivalent elisha elisha or elisha or elisha is isle god will save is isle god will save and so we find therefore the three men and so we find therefore the three men who are manifest coming up through who are manifest coming up through jordan brothers sisters all had names jordan brothers sisters all had names basically meaning the same basically meaning the same that's answer question number one that's answer question number one question number two is question number two is why must they be manifest to israel by why must they be manifest to israel by coming up out of jordan coming up out of jordan we'll never understand that brethren we'll never understand that brethren sisters unless we understand the sisters unless we understand the principle for which jordan stood jordan means the descender it rises at the foot of mount hermon it rises at the foot of mount hermon several thousand feet above sea level several thousand feet above sea level it bubbles out from right underneath it bubbles out from right underneath hermann hermann and by the time you turn around from and by the time you turn around from when you're looking at the springs when you're looking at the springs coming out of hermann behind your back coming out of hermann behind your back it's a very broad stream already it's a very broad stream already it is aqua blue it is aqua blue in places other places emerald green in places other places emerald green as it represents the sparkling as it represents the sparkling refracting water of the melting snows refracting water of the melting snows bubbling and gurgling and foaming over bubbling and gurgling and foaming over the rocks like the stream down there the rocks like the stream down there by the time it reaches the sea of by the time it reaches the sea of galilee it's a dirty brown and it's already at the sea of galilee 600 feet below sea level 600 feet below sea level as it makes its torturous way down the as it makes its torturous way down the jordan valley brothers sisters like the jordan valley brothers sisters like the winding of a snake winding of a snake it's already there when you get to the it's already there when you get to the top of the lake it's about top of the lake it's about 1392 feet below sea level at the dead 1392 feet below sea level at the dead sea no wonder it's called the descender sea no wonder it's called the descender and because it's got such a steep and because it's got such a steep descent and such a torturous course descent and such a torturous course when the snows melt in the thaw when the snows melt in the thaw the river overflows all its banks so we the river overflows all its banks so we learn in the first chapter of joshua the learn in the first chapter of joshua the first of chronicles chapter 12. first of chronicles chapter 12. quickly overflows its banks quickly quickly overflows its banks quickly recedes and you ever see a river do that recedes and you ever see a river do that it will leave on the banks all the it will leave on the banks all the bracken bracken all the debris all the mud caked in all the debris all the mud caked in layers layers baked hard in the sun on top baked hard in the sun on top but beneath oozy and black but beneath oozy and black jordan ever stood jordan ever stood for the flesh for the flesh as it started in all its purity as it started in all its purity and stagnated and stagnated in the dead sea in the dead sea and about 15 miles north of the dead sea and about 15 miles north of the dead sea according to the third chapter of joshua according to the third chapter of joshua and verse 16 was a little city called and verse 16 was a little city called adam and through adam it's stagnated it's stagnated into death into death and nothing lives in that sea and nothing lives in that sea jordan ever stood jordan ever stood as a symbol of the flesh as a symbol of the flesh zechariah the prophet jeremiah the zechariah the prophet jeremiah the prophet looking down upon jordan from prophet looking down upon jordan from the heights of judea you look down upon the heights of judea you look down upon it it's a beautiful sight it it's a beautiful sight the winding river the winding river and because the bracken grows up in the and because the bracken grows up in the debris debris and it's got a green top and it's got a green top it looks beautiful brothers and sisters it looks beautiful brothers and sisters you look down upon a river like that you look down upon a river like that from a great height and you're looking from a great height and you're looking straight down at it you're looking at straight down at it you're looking at the top of the bracket it's beautiful a the top of the bracket it's beautiful a green sword seems to to converge and green sword seems to to converge and close both banks of the river as it close both banks of the river as it flows peacefully towards the dead sea flows peacefully towards the dead sea but when you get down there but when you get down there on ground level and you see underneath on ground level and you see underneath the dead looking branches which just got the dead looking branches which just got the green on the top and the oozy black the green on the top and the oozy black mud and the slimy stuff there and the mud and the slimy stuff there and the vipers making their way through that vipers making their way through that bracken it's a dangerous place it's also bracken it's a dangerous place it's also where the lions were very where the lions were very very prevalent down there and a very very prevalent down there and a very dangerous place to go and so jeremiah dangerous place to go and so jeremiah said said if they have weary d with footman how if they have weary d with footman how will you contend with horses will you contend with horses and if in the land of peace you couldn't and if in the land of peace you couldn't get on however will you do in the pride get on however will you do in the pride of jordan of jordan in other words if you can't keep up with in other words if you can't keep up with men running you'll never keep up with men running you'll never keep up with horses horses if in the land of peace you can't get on if in the land of peace you can't get on you'll never get on when you get down to you'll never get on when you get down to the pride of jordan and the word pride the pride of jordan and the word pride is used because it looked good but oh is used because it looked good but oh boy you get down there and you're all boy you get down there and you're all sorts of trouble sorts of trouble and so when we understand therefore and so when we understand therefore brother and sisters brother and sisters for what jordan stood we begin to for what jordan stood we begin to understand why it is that god manifested understand why it is that god manifested his salvation by men who are able to his salvation by men who are able to climb out of its water he who can get out of that water has to be god's salvation has to be god's salvation not that joshua was not that joshua was not that elisha was not that elisha was they were but representatives of him who they were but representatives of him who should come should come but there was a man brethren sisters who but there was a man brethren sisters who came of adam came of adam and he's with us or was with us i should and he's with us or was with us i should say correcting myself he was with us in say correcting myself he was with us in the stagnation of death the stagnation of death but he got out of it and the only way he could ever get out of it of it was by the power of his god was by the power of his god he was yah's salvation he was yah's salvation and so that's why the men have got the and so that's why the men have got the same names and that's why they came out same names and that's why they came out of the same river of the same river if you can overcome the flesh if you can overcome the flesh if you can live a perfect life brethren if you can live a perfect life brethren sisters sisters then you are of god as he was of god but then you are of god as he was of god but you're not you're not and i'm not and i'm not and we will never ever in reality and we will never ever in reality get out of that water until he comes to get out of that water until he comes to pluck us out pluck us out but he did but he did and when he come up out of that water and when he come up out of that water god says this is my son and you know god says this is my son and you know brother and sisters that was not so much brother and sisters that was not so much as a statement again of endearment as a statement again of endearment although of course that's clearly although of course that's clearly implied in it this is my world beloved implied in it this is my world beloved son what god is trying to tell us this son what god is trying to tell us this is my is my son son that's why he got out of that river that's why he got out of that river had he not been my son he had never got had he not been my son he had never got out of it out of it he would have still been he would have still been in the grave with the rest of the stream in the grave with the rest of the stream of humanity that stagnated in that of humanity that stagnated in that water and so john was waiting for that water and so john was waiting for that to happen to happen for the tide of humanity turned back for the tide of humanity turned back from the first adam through to the from the first adam through to the second atom by one man came death by second atom by one man came death by another man brother and sisters came another man brother and sisters came resurrection to life john was waiting resurrection to life john was waiting for that for that and god told him that's how he's going and god told him that's how he's going to be manifest prophecy demanded it to be manifest prophecy demanded it principal demanded it principal demanded it type demanded it type demanded it and because he was god's son stepping up and because he was god's son stepping up out of that water he stood there clean out of that water he stood there clean pure pure because the mighty power of his father because the mighty power of his father operated in him in a manner which i operated in him in a manner which i could never understand or describe for could never understand or describe for which i could never match either which i could never match either and so we come to the third chapter of and so we come to the third chapter of matthew with that little bit of an matthew with that little bit of an introduction which took after session introduction which took after session we'll have now look brother and sisters we'll have now look brother and sisters at the monumental occasion at the monumental occasion when the lord came to that river in the when the lord came to that river in the 33rd chapter of matthew 33rd chapter of matthew and we'll basically stay with this and we'll basically stay with this record perhaps with just deviating here record perhaps with just deviating here and there to illustrate our principles and there to illustrate our principles and in the third chapter of matthew we and in the third chapter of matthew we read read and listen to what it says and listen to what it says then cometh jesus then cometh jesus from galilee to jordan unto john to be from galilee to jordan unto john to be baptized of him he almost traversed the baptized of him he almost traversed the whole course of that river whole course of that river see the point see the point he almost traversed the whole course of he almost traversed the whole course of that river that river he descended and he that ascended far up above all the heavens what is it first the heavens what is it first but that he descended but that he descended to the lower parts of the earth to the lower parts of the earth he that will be exalted must first he that will be exalted must first humble himself humble himself if we want to ride upon the high places if we want to ride upon the high places of judah and be fed with the heritage of of judah and be fed with the heritage of jacob bregman sisters we must first walk jacob bregman sisters we must first walk the distance the distance down jordan down jordan he came from galilee and he descended he came from galilee and he descended the course of that river the course of that river now of course john was embarrassed now of course john was embarrassed wasn't he wasn't he he was absolutely embarrassed he was absolutely embarrassed because although he didn't know that because although he didn't know that jesus of nazareth was the messiah as he jesus of nazareth was the messiah as he himself confessed he didn't know himself confessed he didn't know he knew him as a he knew him as a person he knew him as an individual he person he knew him as an individual he knew him as a character knew him as a character and john was utterly embarrassed that and john was utterly embarrassed that this one should stand in that water with this one should stand in that water with him and looking into those beautiful him and looking into those beautiful eyes eyes which of course was the light of the which of course was the light of the body and knowing behind those eyes that body and knowing behind those eyes that body had lived a life of utter body had lived a life of utter perfection oh how embarrassing it is to perfection oh how embarrassing it is to stand there and have to baptize him into stand there and have to baptize him into the baptism of the baptism of repentance what is john gonna do brethren sisters lord i have need to be baptized of thee lord i have need to be baptized of thee cometh thou to me cometh thou to me john john john you must understand john you must understand john thus it becometh us the two of us john thus it becometh us the two of us to fulfill to fulfill all righteousness all righteousness what righteousness was fulfilled on that what righteousness was fulfilled on that day day that a perfect man should be baptized that a perfect man should be baptized into that baptism into that baptism well you see brethren sisters well you see brethren sisters john wasn't only preaching john wasn't only preaching the gospel of repentance you see sin sin is the outcome of a cause is the cause is the outcome of a cause is the cause right of an effect sin is the cause of the effect and so there's got to be something to be and so there's got to be something to be acknowledged what was the righteousness acknowledged what was the righteousness to be fulfilled to be fulfilled well listen well listen they said who are you he said i'm a they said who are you he said i'm a voice voice and he identified himself with that and he identified himself with that voice in isaiah 40. voice in isaiah 40. and the voice said cry and he says and the voice said cry and he says what shall i cry all flesh flesh is grass not some of it all all flesh flesh is grass is grass had not jesus submitted to that baptism had not jesus submitted to that baptism brother and sisters brother and sisters he would be claiming to be a man from he would be claiming to be a man from another planet but for as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood partakers of flesh and blood he also he also himself himself likewise likewise took part of the sight took part of the sight all flesh is grass all flesh is grass john john thus it becometh us to fulfill all thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness for it became him of whom righteousness for it became him of whom are all things and through whom of all are all things and through whom of all things things in making the captain of their salvation in making the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering says the perfect through suffering says the apostle in hebrews 2 apostle in hebrews 2 it became him it became him it behoved him it behoved him to be made like under breath unto his to be made like under breath unto his brethren so paul says it became him in brethren so paul says it became him in making him the captive of our salvation making him the captive of our salvation it behoved him to be made like unto his it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren if he's going to be a captain brethren if he's going to be a captain he's going to be a leader he's going to be a leader a captain represents his people a captain represents his people as joshua did as elisha did as the lord as joshua did as elisha did as the lord jesus christ did jesus christ did and so when the lord stepped into the and so when the lord stepped into the water brothers and sisters to fulfill water brothers and sisters to fulfill all righteousness all righteousness there was two things declared there was two things declared first of all his humanity first of all his humanity he was a descendant with everybody else he was a descendant with everybody else it was a stagnation of death and of it was a stagnation of death and of himself he could do himself he could do nothing nothing when the lord said that it wasn't when the lord said that it wasn't pseudo-humility it was an absolute pseudo-humility it was an absolute statement of fact he could of himself do statement of fact he could of himself do nothing and by the same token to quote our brother jim playing on the to quote our brother jim playing on the front foot front foot he was telling everybody the real source he was telling everybody the real source of his strength of his strength thus it becometh us to fulfill all thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness righteousness back keeping a hand in matthew back to back keeping a hand in matthew back to isaiah 42 here was the righteousness brother and sisters that was being fulfilled on that sisters that was being fulfilled on that day day some wonderful things written in the some wonderful things written in the prophets isaiah 42 verses 5 and 6 thus saith god the lord he that created thus saith god the lord he that created the heavens and stretched them out the heavens and stretched them out he that spread forth the earth and that he that spread forth the earth and that which cometh of it he that giveth breath which cometh of it he that giveth breath unto the people upon it unto the people upon it and the spirit to them that walk therein and the spirit to them that walk therein i the lord have called thee in i the lord have called thee in righteousness righteousness and will hold thine hand and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and will keep thee give thee for a covenant of the people give thee for a covenant of the people for a light of the gentiles see the for a light of the gentiles see the point brothers and sisters point brothers and sisters i the lord have called thee in i the lord have called thee in righteousness but in order to do that righteousness but in order to do that i've got to hold your hand i've got to hold your hand there's no way there's no way that he could be called in righteousness that he could be called in righteousness unless god had hold of his hand unless god had hold of his hand and god says i will keep you and god says i will keep you give you give you it was all the work of god brother and it was all the work of god brother and sisters sisters far be it for me to stand here and to to far be it for me to stand here and to to to detract from the remarkable wonderful to detract from the remarkable wonderful loving cooperation of the son of god loving cooperation of the son of god never would i brothers and sisters ever never would i brothers and sisters ever want to hear want to hear depreciate the grandeur of his depreciate the grandeur of his submission submission but in accordance with his own wish but in accordance with his own wish his own doctrine and teaching his own doctrine and teaching it was his father where the victory it was his father where the victory belonged belonged his was but the submission to a power his was but the submission to a power beyond him beyond him and his father grabbed his hand and his father grabbed his hand kept him kept him gave him gave him in righteousness whose righteousness in righteousness whose righteousness the chapter finishes in verse 21. the chapter finishes in verse 21. on chapter 42 of isaiah finishes with on chapter 42 of isaiah finishes with these words these words the lord is well pleased for his the lord is well pleased for his righteousness sake righteousness sake he will magnify the law and make it he will magnify the law and make it honorable whose righteousness sake honorable whose righteousness sake brethren sisters brethren sisters rotherham i believe catches the spirit rotherham i believe catches the spirit of that verse when he says of that verse when he says the lord is well pleased for his own the lord is well pleased for his own righteousness sake righteousness sake and it has to be god's righteousness and it has to be god's righteousness because it's a magnification of the law because it's a magnification of the law which was given before jesus as an which was given before jesus as an individual saw the light of day it was making something honorable that came before the man that came before the man that god had instituted that god had instituted and so the lord was pleased and so the lord was pleased for his own righteousness sake for his own righteousness sake and when he took him by the hand and when he took him by the hand and led him in righteousness and led him in righteousness john john thus it becometh us thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness to fulfill all righteousness and the lord felt brethren sisters the and the lord felt brethren sisters the warmth and the strength of his father's warmth and the strength of his father's arm holding him there keeping him there arm holding him there keeping him there and then finally and then finally giving him giving him to the people for a covenant to the people for a covenant was also wonderful was also wonderful when the principles are discerned that's when the principles are discerned that's the atonement you know brothers and the atonement you know brothers and sisters it's a precious document sisters it's a precious document doctrine doctrine i've never found you may correct me in i've never found you may correct me in this in all my experience and the truth this in all my experience and the truth i've never found anybody who believes i've never found anybody who believes what we believe in its purity on the what we believe in its purity on the doctrine of the atonement it's a gift doctrine of the atonement it's a gift i will give him it's a gift i will give him it's a gift to understand that doctrine to understand that doctrine and so there was the fulfillment of all and so there was the fulfillment of all righteousness righteousness and straightway says matthew as he came and straightway says matthew as he came up out of the water up out of the water god acknowledged that god acknowledged that and when he was baptized he went up and when he was baptized he went up straight way out of the water and lo the straight way out of the water and lo the heavens were open unto him and he saw heavens were open unto him and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove the spirit of god descending like a dove and lighting upon him and lighting upon him there was an acknowledgment brother and there was an acknowledgment brother and sisters in one decisive act sisters in one decisive act in one decisive act in one decisive act god acknowledged what had been going on god acknowledged what had been going on during the whole course of his life during the whole course of his life just as you and i in one decisive act of just as you and i in one decisive act of baptism baptism we give credence to the doctrines which we give credence to the doctrines which we have been taught and are determined we have been taught and are determined that that one decisive act will be but that that one decisive act will be but an epitome of all our life an epitome of all our life and that's what god was to to and that's what god was to to acknowledge on this occasion acknowledge on this occasion now i have a very wonderful matter to now i have a very wonderful matter to put before you put before you it may not always be easy to grasp this it may not always be easy to grasp this but it is truly wonderful but it is truly wonderful when we put the gospel records together when we put the gospel records together brethren sisters brethren sisters luke tells us luke tells us that as that voice came to him from that as that voice came to him from heaven he was praying it was in the attitude of prayer that the lord received that acknowledgement the lord received that acknowledgement isn't that wonderful isn't that wonderful that's what luke says but i want you to that's what luke says but i want you to turn to mark because mark says something turn to mark because mark says something different too different too about this incident and it's from mark about this incident and it's from mark that we're going to go to the old that we're going to go to the old testament again for a remarkable testament again for a remarkable application of scripture now in mark chapter one recording the same incident recording the same incident mark says this mark says this in verse 10 in verse 10 and straightway and straightway coming up out of the water coming up out of the water he saw the heavens opened he saw the heavens opened and the spirit like a dove descending and the spirit like a dove descending upon him he says almost the same with upon him he says almost the same with what matthew says with a difference what matthew says with a difference brethren and sisters that if you look at brethren and sisters that if you look at the margin for the word opened mark's the margin for the word opened mark's greek word is different than all the greek word is different than all the other gospel writers other gospel writers the word means as the margin says cloven the word means as the margin says cloven or rent he saw the heavens rent or rent he saw the heavens rent and any brother and any brother who is familiar in any way with his who is familiar in any way with his bible will know exactly or may not bible will know exactly or may not exactly but he'll know that somewhere in exactly but he'll know that somewhere in the old testament it is said that god the old testament it is said that god would rend the heavens would rend the heavens and mark with the choice of his greek and mark with the choice of his greek word is sending us straight to that word is sending us straight to that passage of scripture passage of scripture why why well let's have a look at it isaiah 64. well let's have a look at it isaiah 64. let's have a look at it brother and let's have a look at it brother and sisters and i hope by this illustration brothers and sisters that and sisters that we may be able to impress upon you as it we may be able to impress upon you as it has been impressed upon me has been impressed upon me the value of letting the bible speak for the value of letting the bible speak for itself itself so mark says the heavens were rent so mark says the heavens were rent and in isaiah 64 in verse 1 o that thou and in isaiah 64 in verse 1 o that thou wouldest render heavens that thou would wouldest render heavens that thou would has come down that the mountains might has come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence flow down at thy presence and it's a play upon the wonderful and it's a play upon the wonderful events of mount sinai events of mount sinai but the prophet is asking brethren but the prophet is asking brethren sisters for another manifestation in sisters for another manifestation in another spirit and then we drop our eyes down to verses five and six five and six thou meet us to him that rejoiceth and thou meet us to him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness worketh righteousness they that remember thee in thy ways they that remember thee in thy ways behold thou art wrath behold thou art wrath for we have sinned for we have sinned in those is continuance in those is continuance but we shall be saved but we shall be saved but we are all as an unclean thing and but we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags are as filthy rags and we all do fade as a leaf and our and we all do fade as a leaf and our iniquities like the wind have taken us iniquities like the wind have taken us away away now brothers and sisters there's more in now brothers and sisters there's more in that that's on the surface than is on that that's on the surface than is on the surface the surface because you see the prophet is praying because you see the prophet is praying and try to follow this the prophet is and try to follow this the prophet is saying oh that that would have ran to saying oh that that would have ran to heaven what for well he says that you heaven what for well he says that you might meet might meet him that rejoiceth and worketh him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness not their own because righteousness not their own because verse 6 says that's filthy rags verse 6 says that's filthy rags it's a different sort of righteousness it's a different sort of righteousness brethren sisters brethren sisters but who are the people that isaiah is but who are the people that isaiah is talking about talking about upon whose behalf is he appealing upon whose behalf is he appealing i believe we can prove who it is i believe we can prove who it is by letting the bible speak for itself by letting the bible speak for itself because you see the end of verse 5 says because you see the end of verse 5 says we have sinned in those is continuance we have sinned in those is continuance and we shall be saved let me read that and we shall be saved let me read that from the revised standard version and from the revised standard version and you will see the sense is much better you will see the sense is much better in our sins we have been a long time in our sins we have been a long time but we shall be saved but we shall be saved now brother and sisters let me put a now brother and sisters let me put a proposition to you you just use your proposition to you you just use your logic logic the prophet is calling for a rending of the prophet is calling for a rending of the heavens as it was when god came down the heavens as it was when god came down in fire and melted mount sinai as it in fire and melted mount sinai as it were were and he's asking for another and he's asking for another manifestation manifestation of the same saving power of the same saving power he's talking about god coming to meet he's talking about god coming to meet people who work righteousness that's not people who work righteousness that's not their own and he's talking about a people who've been a long long time in their who've been a long long time in their sins sins but that god would eventually save who's but that god would eventually save who's he talking about he talking about he's talking about the gentiles he's talking about the gentiles israel had their manifestation israel had their manifestation and the prophets crying on behalf of and the prophets crying on behalf of another people another people another people have been left a long another people have been left a long time in their sins but who are able to time in their sins but who are able to work the righteousness of god in their work the righteousness of god in their lives and to be saved now the proof of lives and to be saved now the proof of it brother and sisters is this it brother and sisters is this peter's on the house top peter's on the house top the sheet is let down from heaven knit the sheet is let down from heaven knit at the four corners at the four corners in which there are all manner of four in which there are all manner of four footed beasts and creeping things footed beasts and creeping things leviticus 20 representing the gentiles leviticus 20 representing the gentiles and he's taken to the house of cornelius and he's taken to the house of cornelius and he came in and he said and he came in and he said i i perceive perceive that god is no respecter of persons that god is no respecter of persons but that he that worketh but that he that worketh righteousness righteousness is accepted of him is accepted of him 64. 64. and straightway as he come up out of the and straightway as he come up out of the water the heavens were torn asunder water the heavens were torn asunder and in him and in him god meets everyone god meets everyone who though they may have been a long who though they may have been a long long time in their sins long time in their sins they can be saved they can be saved if they meet in him if they meet in him he that works a righteousness he that works a righteousness that don't belong to us and that one word that mark uses opens up that whole chapter opens up that whole chapter and there we have it brother and sisters and there we have it brother and sisters the wonderful act of grace the wonderful act of grace of which john was the witness of which john was the witness that when all righteousness was that when all righteousness was fulfilled fulfilled when the lamb of god was presented that when the lamb of god was presented that the law knew nothing about the law knew nothing about it was so efficacious it was so efficacious that it reached out to a people that it reached out to a people who had been left a long long time in who had been left a long long time in their sins their sins a remarkable day it must have been for a remarkable day it must have been for john to perceive all that john to perceive all that and matthew goes on and tells us that he and matthew goes on and tells us that he saw the spirit descend upon him like a saw the spirit descend upon him like a dove rather wonderful brother and sisters the expression here used by matthew the expression here used by matthew he saw the spirit descend upon him like he saw the spirit descend upon him like a dove but look what he says it happened a dove but look what he says it happened and jesus when he was baptized went up and jesus when he was baptized went up straight way out of the water and lo the straight way out of the water and lo the heavens were opened unto him and he saw heavens were opened unto him and he saw the spirit of god descending like a dove the spirit of god descending like a dove and lightning upon him and lightning upon him do you know in the back in the story of do you know in the back in the story of elisha elisha that very word is used that the spirit that very word is used that the spirit of god came upon him and the word not of god came upon him and the word not that very word not that very greek word that very word not that very greek word but a similar hebrew word in isaiah 11 but a similar hebrew word in isaiah 11 when it says the spirit of the lord when it says the spirit of the lord shall rest upon him the word is the same shall rest upon him the word is the same and that both words mean the settling and that both words mean the settling down of birds down of birds and so here we have and so here we have the spirit settling down upon him like a the spirit settling down upon him like a dove dove now brethren sisters now brethren sisters if we go to john's gospel we won't turn if we go to john's gospel we won't turn it up now because my time is going it up now because my time is going if we go to john's gospel if we go to john's gospel john says john says i saw the spirit i saw the spirit descending upon him and descending upon him and and and remaining with him and immediately after that happened immediately after look we will turn it immediately after look we will turn it up because it'll be better for me to up because it'll be better for me to read it than describe it to you because read it than describe it to you because i wanted to get this point i wanted to get this point it's absolutely beautiful it's absolutely beautiful in john chapter 1 and verse 33 look what in john chapter 1 and verse 33 look what it says it says i was going to try and conserve time but i was going to try and conserve time but it's better to do it this way because i it's better to do it this way because i want you to see this point here in verse want you to see this point here in verse 33 and john says i knew him not but he 33 and john says i knew him not but he that sent me to baptize with water the that sent me to baptize with water the same said unto me upon whom thou shalt same said unto me upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining see the spirit descending and remaining on him the same as he which baptized us on him the same as he which baptized us with the holy spirit with the holy spirit and then over in verse taking up at and then over in verse taking up at verse 49 verse 49 or verse 48 nathanael said unto him once or verse 48 nathanael said unto him once knowest thou me jesus answered and said knowest thou me jesus answered and said unto him before that philip called thee unto him before that philip called thee when there was under the fig tree i saw when there was under the fig tree i saw thee thee nathaniel answered and said unto him nathaniel answered and said unto him master master teacher there are the son of god they teacher there are the son of god they are the king of israel are the king of israel jesus answered and said unto him because jesus answered and said unto him because i said unto thee i saw the under the fig i said unto thee i saw the under the fig tree believe us now tree believe us now thou shalt see greater things than these thou shalt see greater things than these and he says unto him truly truly i say and he says unto him truly truly i say unto you unto you hereafter you shall see hereafter you shall see the angels of god ascending the angels of god ascending and descending and descending upon the son of man and so when that upon the son of man and so when that spirit came down like a dove brethren spirit came down like a dove brethren sisters and john records it stayed with sisters and john records it stayed with him him he goes to see nathaniel nathaniel was he goes to see nathaniel nathaniel was sitting under the under a tree and sitting under the under a tree and nathaniel was reading genesis 28 there's not a shadow of a doubt he was either reading it or thinking about it either reading it or thinking about it one of the two one of the two there's not a shadow of a doubt about there's not a shadow of a doubt about that because genesis 28 records the that because genesis 28 records the incident when jacob laid his head upon incident when jacob laid his head upon the pillar at bethel the pillar at bethel the house of god the house of god and he saw the angels of god and he saw the angels of god ascending ascending and then and then descending upon him descending upon him in which case in which case they were with him at the beginning they were with him at the beginning and they were with him at the end and they were with him at the end had it been the other way brothers and had it been the other way brothers and sisters had they been descending sisters had they been descending and ascending it would have meant that and ascending it would have meant that they were not with him at the beginning they were not with him at the beginning and they were not with him at the end and they were not with him at the end but it didn't say that it said they but it didn't say that it said they ascended from him and descended to him ascended from him and descended to him and god was telling him and god was telling him i will be with thee in all the way which i will be with thee in all the way which thou goest and immediately after that thou goest and immediately after that spirit came upon the son of god and spirit came upon the son of god and stayed with him he pointed his fingers stayed with him he pointed his fingers straight at that chapter of scripture straight at that chapter of scripture and said nathanael you say i'm the king and said nathanael you say i'm the king of israel so i am of israel so i am if that man was changed his name to if that man was changed his name to israel i certainly am the king israel i certainly am the king because the spirit was with him and so because the spirit was with him and so this is what we read in luke's gospel this is what we read in luke's gospel brethren sisters skipping over the brethren sisters skipping over the chronological order of our lord's life chronological order of our lord's life this is what we read in luke's gospel this is what we read in luke's gospel the spirit the spirit drove him into the wilderness drove him into the wilderness to be tempted of the diabolos to be tempted of the diabolos luke then records he came out of the luke then records he came out of the wilderness in the power of the spirit wilderness in the power of the spirit and then ignoring chronological events and then ignoring chronological events luke then records his visit to nazareth luke then records his visit to nazareth he stood up in the synagogue and says he stood up in the synagogue and says the spirit of the lord god is upon me the spirit of the lord god is upon me so it took him into the wilderness so it took him into the wilderness stayed with him during the temptation stayed with him during the temptation came out with him and stood up with him came out with him and stood up with him in that synagogue in that synagogue and all the way through that record and all the way through that record in luke's gospel as he ignores the in luke's gospel as he ignores the chronological order of details to chronological order of details to present that thought that the spirit was present that thought that the spirit was always with always with why did it come down brethren sisters why did it come down brethren sisters in the form of a dove there has been much speculation upon that i suppose the idea speculation upon that i suppose the idea that i will present you may think is that i will present you may think is speculation too that's your privilege speculation too that's your privilege some say well some say well the name of jonah is the hebrew word for the name of jonah is the hebrew word for a dove a dove and our lord said that they would not and our lord said that they would not get any sign but the sign of the prophet get any sign but the sign of the prophet jonah and therefore the dove represented jonah and therefore the dove represented him as the fulfillment of the type of him as the fulfillment of the type of jonah maybe jonah maybe doesn't impress me much doesn't impress me much well i think brethren sisters and i put well i think brethren sisters and i put this forward respectfully this forward respectfully but it really is beautiful i believe but it really is beautiful i believe that of all the characteristics we love that of all the characteristics we love about a dove about a dove harmless and everything else harmless and everything else there are two there are two which on this occasion i felt which on this occasion i felt i feel have a wonderful and remarkable i feel have a wonderful and remarkable application application the thing that the scripture notes about the thing that the scripture notes about the dove is that is a very clean little the dove is that is a very clean little bird bird my dove my undefiled song of solomon my dove my undefiled song of solomon it will not it will not ever ever put its foot put its foot in dirt mud filth in dirt mud filth it will hover around and flutter until it will hover around and flutter until it finds firm ground clean ground and it finds firm ground clean ground and it'll land it'll land point number one point number one another feature the dove which is noted another feature the dove which is noted by the prophets by the prophets which i think has peculiar application which i think has peculiar application here here is that it has strong is that it has strong homing instincts because it belongs to homing instincts because it belongs to the pigeon family they shall fly as the pigeon family they shall fly as doves to the windows doves to the windows says the prophet isaiah in his 60th says the prophet isaiah in his 60th chapter chapter it's a pigeon family it has strong it's a pigeon family it has strong homing instincts homing instincts and putting those two things together and putting those two things together brother and sisters when he came up out brother and sisters when he came up out of the muddy waters of jordan of the muddy waters of jordan and the water flowed from his body and the water flowed from his body and he left his his humanity as it were and he left his his humanity as it were back in that water denying his flesh back in that water denying his flesh and he stood up on clean ground and he stood up on clean ground he was a morally he was a morally perfect perfect man never done a wrong thing in his life and so a little dove came and settled on and so a little dove came and settled on him and because that dove had strong homing instincts instincts the spirit of his father which had made the spirit of his father which had made that life holy it was the reason why his that life holy it was the reason why his life was holy the origin of his morality life was holy the origin of his morality was in heaven was in heaven it homed in where it belonged it homed in where it belonged what else could it do this is my beloved son in whom i am well pleased we've left john for a while haven't we brethren and sisters we've been making a brethren and sisters we've been making a study of our lord jesus christ really study of our lord jesus christ really but it is one section of john's life but it is one section of john's life where he had a stand where he had a stand as an awe-stricken spectator and from that moment onwards it was inevitable it was inevitable that he must decrease that he must decrease and as we follow him in the next study and as we follow him in the next study brother and sisters brother and sisters we will see how greatly impressed john we will see how greatly impressed john was with that occasion was with that occasion and how he drew constant attention to and how he drew constant attention to him who was truly the lamb of god and him who was truly the lamb of god and the next day as jesus walked by with the the next day as jesus walked by with the disciples standing around him amongst disciples standing around him amongst whom were peter and andrew whom were peter and andrew the next day the next day they were clinging to john and john says they were clinging to john and john says look my disciples i'm telling you i've look my disciples i'm telling you i've had i my work is finished there he is had i my work is finished there he is there's the lamb of god which takes away there's the lamb of god which takes away the sin of the world and he said that as the sin of the world and he said that as john said as jesus walked past and some john said as jesus walked past and some of those disciples of those disciples left john including peter and andrew left john including peter and andrew joined in the joined in the with the lord and walked away from him with the lord and walked away from him and the fulfillment of john's course of and the fulfillment of john's course of course was seen brother and sisters in course was seen brother and sisters in the action of those disciples and it is the action of those disciples and it is our great and earnest prayer that the our great and earnest prayer that the studies of john the baptist might help studies of john the baptist might help us to do exactly what they do he us to do exactly what they do he directed us to the lord as he walked directed us to the lord as he walked past let's join in and follow in his past let's join in and follow in his footsteps

Transcript

this is idlewild 1983 our second period speaker is brother our second period speaker is brother john martin from adelaide australia john martin from adelaide australia this is the fifth class on the subject this is the fifth class on the subject the prophet of the highest john the the prophet of the highest john the baptist baptist subtitled for today subtitled for today i must decrease i must decrease brother john martin my beloved brother and sisters in our lord jesus christ lord jesus christ with the baptism of our lord with the baptism of our lord of course came the climax of john's work it was inevitable brethren sisters from that point onwards that point onwards that john fade out of the picture i want to put things this morning in chronological order a little bit better chronological order a little bit better because i do remember making a couple of because i do remember making a couple of comments thinking up ahead you know comments thinking up ahead you know dangerous thing to do without your notes dangerous thing to do without your notes that i didn't put things all together that i didn't put things all together right right in sequential order let me tell you what in sequential order let me tell you what happened after that happened after that that mark records that immediately after that mark records that immediately after the lord's baptism the lord's baptism he was driven of the spirit into the he was driven of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the diabolos wilderness to be tempted of the diabolos and so the lord would have been in that and so the lord would have been in that wilderness of course as we well know for wilderness of course as we well know for those 40 days and 40 nights those 40 days and 40 nights when he would have been severely tested when he would have been severely tested as to his obedience to his loving as to his obedience to his loving heavenly father heavenly father it was after that incident of the it was after that incident of the temptation and of course he returned to temptation and of course he returned to the scene of john's baptism the scene of john's baptism and if we look at the first chapter of and if we look at the first chapter of john brother and sisters john brother and sisters we'll find here that john deals with four consecutive days days and these days of course i believe would and these days of course i believe would have taken place have taken place after the the temptation of our lord in after the the temptation of our lord in the wilderness and the four consecutive days are here spelled out by john as to the position spelled out by john as to the position of john the baptist of john the baptist and by this time of course brother and and by this time of course brother and sisters sisters interest would have been heightened in interest would have been heightened in job job there would have been tremendous tension there would have been tremendous tension among the leaders of that nation among the leaders of that nation as john's popularity grew as john's popularity grew as the so-called messiah which they as the so-called messiah which they would not have believed of course had would not have believed of course had appeared appeared there would have been a fervor of there would have been a fervor of interest and anxiety among the rulers interest and anxiety among the rulers about what exactly was going on down about what exactly was going on down there in jordan because things to them there in jordan because things to them would have got quite out of hand would have got quite out of hand and so what you find therefore is john and so what you find therefore is john gives gives four consecutive diets four consecutive diets in which various sections of the in which various sections of the community community came to john to determine came to john to determine what it was that he was all about what it was that he was all about certainly brethren and sisters from certainly brethren and sisters from verse 19 verse 19 we read there that this is the record of we read there that this is the record of john when the jews sent priests and john when the jews sent priests and levites from jerusalem to ask him levites from jerusalem to ask him who art there who art there in verse 29 in verse 29 john speaks to the people john speaks to the people and points out the fact that the lord and points out the fact that the lord jesus christ is the lamb of god jesus christ is the lamb of god the next day john stood there with two the next day john stood there with two of his disciples of his disciples john and andrew john and andrew and then from verse 43 and then from verse 43 the next day jesus departs the next day jesus departs for galilee for galilee so there is four consecutive diets so there is four consecutive diets and the first day is taken up with the and the first day is taken up with the priest and the levites being sent as an priest and the levites being sent as an official delegation official delegation what are you up to john who are you what are you up to john who are you what's your opinion of yourself what's your opinion of yourself then follows john's exhortation to the then follows john's exhortation to the people people then follows his exhortation to two of then follows his exhortation to two of his disciples the next day and on the his disciples the next day and on the fourth day jesus departs with those fourth day jesus departs with those disciples disciples into galilee into galilee now that is i believe the chronological now that is i believe the chronological sequence of this story sequence of this story now let's have a look at john's witness now let's have a look at john's witness to the jewish elders to the jewish elders and we read in that verse 19 that they and we read in that verse 19 that they sent the jews sent priests and levites sent the jews sent priests and levites from jerusalem to ask him who art thou from jerusalem to ask him who art thou now brother and sisters that was now brother and sisters that was necessary under the law of moses because necessary under the law of moses because john's claim of course was quite john's claim of course was quite stupendous stupendous nobody could make that sort of claim nobody could make that sort of claim that he was making that he was making that he was a prophet of the highest that he was a prophet of the highest after 400 years of silence nobody could after 400 years of silence nobody could make that claim without having a check make that claim without having a check put on him put on him and it was right that it should be done and it was right that it should be done because deuteronomy 17 and 18. because deuteronomy 17 and 18. had clearly laid down the procedures for had clearly laid down the procedures for this matter this matter the local judges the local judges had to be determined of course by divine had to be determined of course by divine choice because they administered the choice because they administered the word word jeremy 17 verses 8 to 13. jeremy 17 verses 8 to 13. the kings themselves the kings themselves had to make their own personal copy of had to make their own personal copy of the law the law irrespective of copies that had gone irrespective of copies that had gone before them before them they had to make their own copies of the they had to make their own copies of the law so it was the kings that copied out law so it was the kings that copied out the word of god the word of god the 17th chapter of deuteronomy from the 17th chapter of deuteronomy from verses 14 to 20. verses 14 to 20. but the prophets brethren sisters but the prophets brethren sisters were different were different it wasn't a question of the prophets it wasn't a question of the prophets administering the word or even copying administering the word or even copying it out it out a prophet a prophet could could add add to the word and that is a serious matter and why i mean add to the word i don't and why i mean add to the word i don't mean add in his own right mean add in his own right but if god sent a prophet with a new but if god sent a prophet with a new message which he ofttimes did message which he ofttimes did and that became part of the word of the and that became part of the word of the lord there was an addition lord there was an addition and so you can understand in measure and so you can understand in measure despite their hypocrisy of course and despite their hypocrisy of course and lack of belief i'm not justifying that lack of belief i'm not justifying that but you can understand and measure the but you can understand and measure the apprehension of those people that down apprehension of those people that down there after 400 years of silence there after 400 years of silence now here is a man saying now here is a man saying that god's word is now being increased that god's word is now being increased there's been an addition to it there's been an addition to it no wonder no wonder the jews sent priests the jews sent priests and levites down there to determine and levites down there to determine what that man was all about what that man was all about who art thou who art thou if you turn to the 28th chapter of if you turn to the 28th chapter of jeremiah brothers and sisters you will jeremiah brothers and sisters you will see the point that i've been making see the point that i've been making about the prophet about the prophet that there had to be a check upon all that there had to be a check upon all things that was said in the word of the things that was said in the word of the lord and so here at jeremiah mentioned it actually quotes deuteronomy chapter 18 and says in the 28th chapter of jeremiah verses 8 and 9 verses 8 and 9 the prophets that have been before me the prophets that have been before me and before the evolved prophesied both and before the evolved prophesied both against many countries and against great against many countries and against great kingdoms of war and of evil and of kingdoms of war and of evil and of pestilence pestilence the prophet which prophesies of peace the prophet which prophesies of peace when the word of the prophet shall come when the word of the prophet shall come to pass to pass then shall the prophet be known that the then shall the prophet be known that the lord hath truly sent him lord hath truly sent him now here's the test that when the now here's the test that when the prophet spoke words which were in prophet spoke words which were in addition to the law the test was if it addition to the law the test was if it has come to pass now brother and sisters has come to pass now brother and sisters you think of the anxiety of those people you think of the anxiety of those people because john is not only saying that because john is not only saying that there's been an addition there's been an addition to god's purpose that there's being an to god's purpose that there's being an ongoing thing in god's purpose but the ongoing thing in god's purpose but the thing that he is saying is thing that he is saying is that the messiah has come now if the test was that if what the prophet has said has that if what the prophet has said has come to pass if it's proven it has come come to pass if it's proven it has come to pass to pass then those words were put into the canon then those words were put into the canon of scripture of scripture they were accepted as such they were accepted as such but look what he's saying but look what he's saying messiah has come messiah has come oh boy oh boy that really is going to take some that really is going to take some checking checking and so down went those jewish elders and so down went those jewish elders the priests and the levites to find out the priests and the levites to find out what john was all about what john was all about and as we pointed out the more they and as we pointed out the more they asked him and the more that he said the asked him and the more that he said the less he said less he said i am not the christ i am not the christ i am not i am not no no and so he then said well who are you in and so he then said well who are you in verse 22 they said then they said unto verse 22 they said then they said unto him what art thou then that we may give him what art thou then that we may give an answer to them that send us what an answer to them that send us what saith thou of thyself what's your saith thou of thyself what's your opinion of yourself opinion of yourself what's your self opinion what's your self opinion john's answer was john's answer was i'm nothing i'm nothing i'm a nobody i'm a nobody i've got no possessions i've got no possessions he has no fixed abode he has no fixed abode no credentials no credentials he doesn't dress like other people he he doesn't dress like other people he doesn't eat like other people he's a doesn't eat like other people he's a non-entity all i'm claimed to be he said is a voice is a voice but it wasn't just simply the repetition but it wasn't just simply the repetition of a voice brother and sisters it was a re-echo of that voice pointing out of the substance of which pointing out of the substance of which that voice had pointed forward so he wasn't just expounding old testament things testament things and leaving them and leaving them in past history in past history and although it was the re-echo of an and although it was the re-echo of an old voice old voice it was pointing forward to new things it was pointing forward to new things in the matter that the lord jesus christ in the matter that the lord jesus christ had now come had now come and was the substance of all that went and was the substance of all that went before him before him you know there is a wonderful expression you know there is a wonderful expression in the old testament scriptures in the old testament scriptures see john claimed to be a voice but the see john claimed to be a voice but the scripture says scripture says he was god's exhibition he was god's exhibition he was a living he was a living manifestation of that voice because the manifestation of that voice because the voice said voice said that if you want to understand god's that if you want to understand god's word word you must isolate yourselves from your you must isolate yourselves from your environment you must not be caught up in environment you must not be caught up in the things of this world he was a living the things of this world he was a living manifestation of that voice manifestation of that voice you know brothers and sisters you know brothers and sisters when god's voice boomed across the when god's voice boomed across the plains plains from mount sinai from mount sinai the fourth chapter of deuteronomy said the fourth chapter of deuteronomy said they heard they heard the voice of words the voice of words in the giving of the law in the giving of the law when paul quoted that in the 12th when paul quoted that in the 12th chapter of hebrews he says chapter of hebrews he says you are not come unto the mount that you are not come unto the mount that might be touched might be touched that burn with fire under blackness that burn with fire under blackness darkness the tempest and the sound of a darkness the tempest and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words trumpet and the voice of words and he quoted that expression and he quoted that expression and why aren't we come to the voice of and why aren't we come to the voice of words brother and sisters words brother and sisters because in our lord jesus christ because in our lord jesus christ particularly we've got the word particularly we've got the word made made flesh flesh it's no longer the voice of words in the it's no longer the voice of words in the abstract abstract it's the voice of words it's the voice of words in an embodiment of all that that word in an embodiment of all that that word spoke of spoke of now john was not the word made flesh now john was not the word made flesh but i think it could be truly said of but i think it could be truly said of him him that as far as his message went that as far as his message went as far as the as far as the the the degree of responsibility that the the degree of responsibility that god placed upon him i think it could be god placed upon him i think it could be said in all truthfulness that in that said in all truthfulness that in that degree brothers and sisters he was his degree brothers and sisters he was his voice made flesh what he said he voice made flesh what he said he practiced practiced and so although he only claimed to be a and so although he only claimed to be a voice and that's all that he was and it voice and that's all that he was and it really wasn't his own voice any rate it really wasn't his own voice any rate it was the voice of god so he wasn't even was the voice of god so he wasn't even really that really that yet nonetheless brother and sisters the yet nonetheless brother and sisters the fact that he lived up to those fact that he lived up to those principles he himself was the very principles he himself was the very embodiment of that voice embodiment of that voice verse 24 verse 24 makes a very interesting comment makes a very interesting comment about the about the religious persuasion of the people who religious persuasion of the people who were sent down to see john it just says and they which were sent were of the and they which were sent were of the pharisees pharisees and the word pharisee brother and and the word pharisee brother and sisters is a word which means sisters is a word which means separate ones and isn't it typical of john that he should drop into typical of john that he should drop into the record that little comment the record that little comment that has so happened that day that was that has so happened that day that was sent on behalf of the jewish elders were sent on behalf of the jewish elders were of the sect of the pharisees of the sect of the pharisees separate ones and have a look at their separate ones and have a look at their talking to look who they're questioning talking to look who they're questioning about about separateness separateness and they thought brother and sisters and they thought brother and sisters that they were separate that they were separate they were isolated they were different they were isolated they were different they were god's people they were the they were god's people they were the vehicle of god's message because they vehicle of god's message because they were separate have a look at him were separate have a look at him if ever there was a separate one in if ever there was a separate one in israel they were talking to him israel they were talking to him now they said in verse 25 now they said in verse 25 why baptizes thou then why baptizes thou then if thou be not that christ nor elijah if thou be not that christ nor elijah nor that prophet nor that prophet now their problem as i pointed out now their problem as i pointed out brethren sisters was brethren sisters was that baptism only applied to a gentile that baptism only applied to a gentile who was considered so unclean that he who was considered so unclean that he needed to be washed needed to be washed and of course completely out of place and of course completely out of place with a jew with a jew and so they were grievously offended and so they were grievously offended when john invited them all to be when john invited them all to be baptized they were terribly insulted baptized they were terribly insulted and they said and they said why do you baptize that was a problem to why do you baptize that was a problem to them them see they couldn't lightly dismiss him see they couldn't lightly dismiss him because he had made a profound impact because he had made a profound impact upon the people upon the people so they can't just go out and arrest him so they can't just go out and arrest him and do away with him because there's and do away with him because there's going to be an uproar if they do that going to be an uproar if they do that but they are profoundly insulted by that but they are profoundly insulted by that baptism that's just not on you do not baptism that's just not on you do not ask clean people to wash ask clean people to wash that was their opinion that was their opinion brother and sister his answer was brother and sister his answer was devastating look we read it we read it ever so glibly and because i don't suppose we glibly and because i don't suppose we have that same have that same jewish attitude of mine we wouldn't jewish attitude of mine we wouldn't realize just what a tremendous impact realize just what a tremendous impact his words would have had his words would have had he said do you know why i'm baptizing because that's the only way that the messiah that the messiah was going to be manifest to israel and you could imagine him recoil back in horror horror that he's not only suggesting brother that he's not only suggesting brother and sisters and sisters the jews should undergo a washing the jews should undergo a washing equivalent to those dirty gentiles equivalent to those dirty gentiles but he's pointing out to them horror of but he's pointing out to them horror of horrors horrors that must that must have to go through that process you could imagine the violation in their mind that that would have created mind that that would have created that although they did not believe for a that although they did not believe for a minute that the lord jesus was the minute that the lord jesus was the messiah messiah to them the spirit oh messiah and that's to them the spirit oh messiah and that's his answer why do i baptize i baptize his answer why do i baptize i baptize primarily because that's what messiah primarily because that's what messiah will do when he appears will do when he appears i knew him not i knew him not but he that said unto me but he that said unto me he that's whom you see the spirit he that's whom you see the spirit descending the same as he descending the same as he and he says therefore i am come and he says therefore i am come baptizing baptizing what an answer what an answer that even messiah must go through that that even messiah must go through that process process and he went on to say in verse 26 john and he went on to say in verse 26 john answered them saying i baptized with answered them saying i baptized with water water but there's standeth one among you whom but there's standeth one among you whom you know not you know not there standeth one among you there standeth one among you there's standard one among you he says there's standard one among you he says that you don't know anything about that you don't know anything about he's already here coming after me yes is john but he was preferred before me preferred before me or if the rsb says he who comes after me or if the rsb says he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me ranks before me because he was before me and so they go back with their report and so they go back with their report and you can imagine them making their and you can imagine them making their report well what did you ask him report well what did you ask him is he the messiah no he's not the is he the messiah no he's not the messiah he said he wasn't the messiah messiah he said he wasn't the messiah well did he claim to be elijah no he well did he claim to be elijah no he didn't plan to be elijah didn't plan to be elijah well there's a prophet of deuteronomy 18 well there's a prophet of deuteronomy 18 whom they saw as a different prophet of whom they saw as a different prophet of course we know it was the lord jesus course we know it was the lord jesus christ they said was he that prophet christ they said was he that prophet spoken of in deuteronomy 18 no he's not spoken of in deuteronomy 18 no he's not that either that either well for goodness sake who is he well for goodness sake who is he well well we really don't know we really don't know because he said he was nobody because he said he was nobody all right he's a nobody what's for all right he's a nobody what's for nobody got nobody got to your deputy to come here and telling to your deputy to come here and telling us people who have got a lovely us people who have got a lovely relationship with the god of israel and relationship with the god of israel and who are his chosen people what the who are his chosen people what the audacity of that nobody saying that audacity of that nobody saying that we've got to be baptized we've got to be baptized what sort of an answer to give you to what sort of an answer to give you to that that well well actually actually he sort of said that uh messiah ought to be baptized what and you could imagine the reaction and you could imagine the reaction you could imagine that reaction you could imagine that reaction and so that's the first day and so that's the first day in verse 29 the next day in verse 29 the next day jesus has returned from the wilderness jesus has returned from the wilderness of temptation of temptation and john seeth jesus coming unto him and and john seeth jesus coming unto him and said behold the lamb of god which takes said behold the lamb of god which takes away away the sin of the world and as i pointed the sin of the world and as i pointed out brother and sisters that that was a out brother and sisters that that was a monumental statement monumental statement because there were two things they never because there were two things they never understood understood but the law of moses nowhere but the law of moses nowhere neither in the prophets nor the psalms neither in the prophets nor the psalms from genesis to malachi nowhere does the from genesis to malachi nowhere does the law understand a male lamb for a sin law understand a male lamb for a sin offering doesn't appear offering doesn't appear so here's something just made so here's something just made apart from the law apart from the law and because it's apart from the law and because it's apart from the law it's efficacious it's efficacious for the sins of the world for the sins of the world and then in verse 31 and then in verse 31 john goes on and he says john goes on and he says i knew him not i knew him not but that he should be made manifest to but that he should be made manifest to israel israel therefore therefore i am come baptizing with water i am come baptizing with water you know brethren sisters he was to be you know brethren sisters he was to be manifest to israel manifest to israel a rather delightful little tie up here a rather delightful little tie up here in scripture in scripture that it was subsequent to this of course that it was subsequent to this of course that i pointed out that jesus found that i pointed out that jesus found nathanael nathanael whom he saw in his mind's eye beneath whom he saw in his mind's eye beneath that fig tree that fig tree either reading or thinking about genesis either reading or thinking about genesis 28 of that stairway that led to heaven 28 of that stairway that led to heaven upon which the angels were ascending upon which the angels were ascending from jacob and descending and therefore from jacob and descending and therefore they were always with him having left they were always with him having left him and come back to him him and come back to him but in that 28th chapter of genesis but in that 28th chapter of genesis brother and sisters in the authorized brother and sisters in the authorized version it says that jacob saw the lord version it says that jacob saw the lord standing above that ladder but that's standing above that ladder but that's not what it says in the hebrew not what it says in the hebrew in the hebrew it says that that jacob in the hebrew it says that that jacob saw yahweh standing by saw yahweh standing by him and that's what the original hebrew him and that's what the original hebrew says says rotherham's translation puts it that way rotherham's translation puts it that way he saw the lord he saw the lord by him by him and in other words in the course of and in other words in the course of those angels ascending and descending those angels ascending and descending god was manifest to israel because later god was manifest to israel because later on his name was changed from jacob to on his name was changed from jacob to israel and here is the lord jesus christ israel and here is the lord jesus christ he is the presence of god he is the presence of god god can never be god can never be where he is not where he is not and he can never be and he can never be where god is not where god is not god was standing by him god was standing by him i and the father he said are one i and the father he said are one and so that was his testimony to the and so that was his testimony to the people on that next day when jesus came people on that next day when jesus came back from the wilderness temptation back from the wilderness temptation verse 35 says again the next day verse 35 says again the next day and so the day following and so the day following quite a remarkable thing happened then quite a remarkable thing happened then too too now you notice what it says brother and now you notice what it says brother and sisters sisters it says it says in verse 35 that john stood in verse 35 that john stood and in verse 33 and in verse 33 that jesus walked and that's very deliberately said so the picture is of john standing still so the picture is of john standing still and of jesus walking and of jesus walking that's what john's trying to tell us that's what john's trying to tell us and john is standing there with two of and john is standing there with two of his disciples his disciples we're told their names later on in this we're told their names later on in this chapter chapter in verse 40 in verse 40 one of them was john one of them was john and the other one was andrew and the other one was andrew and as those two and as those two disciples stood there with john jesus disciples stood there with john jesus walked past them walked past them and he looking upon jesus as he walked and he looking upon jesus as he walked says says look behold the lamb of god look behold the lamb of god and there's a wonderful thing there and there's a wonderful thing there brother and sister there was an acted brother and sister there was an acted out that cameo that john must decrease out that cameo that john must decrease and the lord jesus christ must increase and the lord jesus christ must increase and john and andrew and john and andrew with their beloved lord as they would with their beloved lord as they would have seen john the baptist their master have seen john the baptist their master their rabbi to whom they had given their their rabbi to whom they had given their allegiance allegiance stood there with them and he watched him stood there with them and he watched him go past and he said go past and he said that's him that's him behold the lamb of god behold the lamb of god and they left him and they left him and walked after jesus and walked after jesus and there was an acted out right there and there was an acted out right there and then and then the very purpose for which john the the very purpose for which john the baptist had come baptist had come messiah had come and it was time for him messiah had come and it was time for him brother and sisters that they would brother and sisters that they would leave him and so verse 37 says leave him and so verse 37 says and the two disciples heard him speak and the two disciples heard him speak and they followed and they followed jesus john of course later on was to get jesus john of course later on was to get his brother james his brother james andrew later on was to tell his brother andrew later on was to tell his brother peter peter and so those two men was later on to and so those two men was later on to involve their brothers involve their brothers and in verse 43 the day following and in verse 43 the day following jesus would go forth into galilee and so jesus would go forth into galilee and so on and so on the fourth day on and so on the fourth day having returned out of the wilderness of having returned out of the wilderness of temptation temptation the lord left john and he walked into the lord left john and he walked into you know brother and sisters you know brother and sisters it's very interesting it's very interesting that mark the gospel writer that mark the gospel writer dates dates actually dates actually dates the beginning of the gospel of the the beginning of the gospel of the kingdom of god when the lord jesus kingdom of god when the lord jesus christ had left john christ had left john and went into galilee you look at mark and went into galilee you look at mark chapter 1 and verse 14 chapter 1 and verse 14 he actually dates he actually dates the beginning of the gospel of the the beginning of the gospel of the kingdom in the name of the in the mouth kingdom in the name of the in the mouth of the lord jesus christ from that point of the lord jesus christ from that point on and so we find in mark chapter 1 and verse 14 verse 14 now after that john was put in prison now after that john was put in prison jesus came into galilee jesus came into galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of god god now you turn to acts chapter 10 now you turn to acts chapter 10 and notice how this was taken up by and notice how this was taken up by peter when he was speaking to cornelius and in acts chapter 10 we find the same dating is given by peter when he was dating is given by peter when he was talking to cornelius talking to cornelius and so in the 10th chapter of acts from and so in the 10th chapter of acts from verse 36 verse 36 the word which god sent under the the word which god sent under the children of israel preaching peace by children of israel preaching peace by jesus christ he is lord of all jesus christ he is lord of all that word i say ye know which was that word i say ye know which was published throughout all judea and began published throughout all judea and began from galilee from galilee after after the baptism which john preached the baptism which john preached so you see both mark and peter combined so you see both mark and peter combined to tell us of the starting point of the to tell us of the starting point of the gospel which was preached by our lord gospel which was preached by our lord jesus christ well you say well what's jesus christ well you say well what's important about that well don't you see important about that well don't you see brethren sisters the people who walked brethren sisters the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light in darkness have seen a great light galilee of the nations galilee of the nations gathering beyond the nation says isaiah gathering beyond the nation says isaiah 9 and verse 6 the people who walked in 9 and verse 6 the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light darkness have seen a great light and you see how god had come to the and you see how god had come to the nation a man sent from god his name was nation a man sent from god his name was john and he preached in the wilderness john and he preached in the wilderness of judea of judea and judea brothers and sisters was the and judea brothers and sisters was the center the stronghold the capital of center the stronghold the capital of jewish thinking of judaism and they had jewish thinking of judaism and they had their opportunity their opportunity what did galilee stand for what did galilee stand for well the name galilei well the name galilei really means a ring really means a ring so called so called for one reason because of the for one reason because of the geographical strata of the mountains geographical strata of the mountains there which don't run in chains but in there which don't run in chains but in rings rings as you go up from judea samaria the as you go up from judea samaria the broad plain of jezreel divides samaria broad plain of jezreel divides samaria from galilee from galilee you go up the slopes on the other side you go up the slopes on the other side of the city of nazareth and beyond that of the city of nazareth and beyond that the rings of galilean mountains the rings of galilean mountains that's where the name came from that's where the name came from but it wasn't only the ring of mountains but it wasn't only the ring of mountains that the name meant brother and sisters that the name meant brother and sisters because galilee being north it became a because galilee being north it became a meeting place meeting place of all those tradesmen and so forth that of all those tradesmen and so forth that came from the roman world going east and came from the roman world going east and from all those eastern merchants which from all those eastern merchants which came from the east on their way to the came from the east on their way to the western world western world and they would come down as far as and they would come down as far as galilee and nations ring together galilee and nations ring together so much was that so so much was that so that even the jewish accent was tainted that even the jewish accent was tainted with the gentile accent so that with the gentile accent so that peter's speech betrayed him as a peter's speech betrayed him as a galilean galilean it was a region brother and sisters in it was a region brother and sisters in the old testament the old testament which solomon gave to the king of tyre which solomon gave to the king of tyre but because although the region is but because although the region is beautiful as far as the geography was beautiful as far as the geography was concerned because it became a district concerned because it became a district in which people had settled down of all in which people had settled down of all nationalities and became a slum area the nationalities and became a slum area the king of pyre called the name of the king of pyre called the name of the plate cable which means dirty plate cable which means dirty in the days of the lord jesus christ in the days of the lord jesus christ part of it became known as the the part of it became known as the the capitalist which means the ten cities capitalist which means the ten cities because the romans had built there because the romans had built there ten cities ten cities which were built specifically which were built specifically for those gentile people who were not for those gentile people who were not welcome in israel welcome in israel and so the district had a bad name and so the district had a bad name could anything good could anything good come out of nazareth come out of nazareth or galilee or galilee it had a very bad name and yet both mark it had a very bad name and yet both mark and peter tell us and peter tell us that when john had given the that when john had given the intelligentsia of the jewish people intelligentsia of the jewish people their opportunity their opportunity and messiah was manifest and messiah was manifest though he was first sent to israel though he was first sent to israel brothers and sisters it is remarkable brothers and sisters it is remarkable that in a typical way he went to a that in a typical way he went to a district where all nations ring together district where all nations ring together in a district which was renowned for its in a district which was renowned for its poverty poverty and its uncleanness and its uncleanness the people who walked in darkness the people who walked in darkness have been a great light now jesus begins his work and just briefly this is what he was and just briefly this is what he was doing while john was continuing to be doing while john was continuing to be baptized baptized he attended a wedding in cana he attended a wedding in cana he visited capernaum he visited capernaum he then came back to a visit to he then came back to a visit to jerusalem and cleansed the temple jerusalem and cleansed the temple kept the first path over kept the first path over and made many disciples and made many disciples he visited nicodemus he visited nicodemus and then of course he supervised himself and then of course he supervised himself baptism in judea baptism in judea so the one that john had said that is so the one that john had said that is the lamb of god who had left him and the lamb of god who had left him and gone into galilee was back gone into galilee was back and now and now on the banks of the river jordan and in on the banks of the river jordan and in another place another place there were two men baptizing people there were two men baptizing people really for two different reasons really for two different reasons one complimentary to the other for sure one complimentary to the other for sure but different but different and so there arose a problem brothers and so there arose a problem brothers and sisters didn't there because there and sisters didn't there because there were still men who believed were still men who believed that john the baptist was indeed the that john the baptist was indeed the lord lord he was the great prophet and they had he was the great prophet and they had not accepted the fact that the lord not accepted the fact that the lord jesus christ was the messiah and so we jesus christ was the messiah and so we pick up the record in john chapter three a bit of history of jesus going back into galilee now of jesus going back into galilee now returning again returning again and he is supervising and he is supervising baptisms near galilee you see we read that in verse 22 of john chapter 3 chapter 3 and after these things came jesus and and after these things came jesus and his disciples into the land of judea and his disciples into the land of judea and there he tarried with them and baptized there he tarried with them and baptized so the lord i believe is supervising i so the lord i believe is supervising i don't think he would have been doing the don't think he would have been doing the baptisms but he would have been baptisms but he would have been supervising baptisms in that place supervising baptisms in that place brothers and sisters brothers and sisters and then we read in verse 23 and john and then we read in verse 23 and john also also was baptizing in a neon near to salem was baptizing in a neon near to salem because there was much water there and because there was much water there and they came and were baptized now did you they came and were baptized now did you notice what happened brother and sisters notice what happened brother and sisters a neon a neon was a a spring about eight miles was a a spring about eight miles south of beit shan south of beit shan it was not on the banks of the river it was not on the banks of the river jordan john had moved away from the jordan john had moved away from the jordan he'd gone to a spring of water jordan he'd gone to a spring of water where there was much water there he was where there was much water there he was not baptizing in jordan anymore all flesh is grass thus it becometh us to fulfill all thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness it had been fulfilled in righteousness it had been fulfilled in that sense brother and sisters the that sense brother and sisters the declaration had been made declaration had been made he who had come out of jordan now had he who had come out of jordan now had the authority having stood before god the authority having stood before god true in principle in practice he now had true in principle in practice he now had the authority to put other people in the authority to put other people in that water john had moved away from the that water john had moved away from the banks of jordan and gone further to the banks of jordan and gone further to the west west to a spring of water and there were two to a spring of water and there were two baptisms going on together in different baptisms going on together in different places for different reasons though as i places for different reasons though as i say complementary one to another and say complementary one to another and there were people who noticed that there were people who noticed that and so verse 25 says and so verse 25 says there arose a question there arose a question between some of john's disciples and the between some of john's disciples and the jews about purifying jews about purifying who's doing the right baptism you know brother and sisters in that 25th verse 25th verse it reads that there arose a question it reads that there arose a question between some of john's disciples between some of john's disciples actually the greek is in the singular actually the greek is in the singular it's all in the singular it's all in the singular the diaglot the diaglot the revised standard version the revised standard version rotherham and other reliable translators rotherham and other reliable translators all put it in the singular all put it in the singular there was a one jew there who noted the there was a one jew there who noted the difference difference and standing there this agitator and standing there this agitator said said hey hey what's going on here what's going on here i thought we were right i thought we were right what's he doing down there on the banks what's he doing down there on the banks of the river jordan why have we moved why are we now here why are we now here why is he down there where we originally why is he down there where we originally were were we've got we've got opposition and there was an agitator opposition and there was an agitator you know brothers and sisters that's not you know brothers and sisters that's not uncommon with human nature that isn't uncommon with human nature we follow leaders we follow leaders and you know if leaders were not wise and you know if leaders were not wise agitators like that can divide them agitators like that can divide them there wasn't any way the wide world there wasn't any way the wide world would ever divide john and jesus but he would ever divide john and jesus but he thought he could thought he could and he thought he would agitate strongly and he thought he would agitate strongly enough he could get john's back up and enough he could get john's back up and john would oppose the lord jesus christ john would oppose the lord jesus christ that's how much he knew about john the that's how much he knew about john the baptist baptist that happens in ecclesial life that happens in ecclesial life you don't believe me you don't believe me i remember a very very i remember a very very well respected and well loved brother in well respected and well loved brother in our meeting and still the same our meeting and still the same an expositor of the bible an expositor of the bible him and i have a difference of opinion him and i have a difference of opinion on a certain matter it's not fundamental on a certain matter it's not fundamental of course of course it's on a matter of exposition it's on a matter of exposition we disagree amicably we don't have any we disagree amicably we don't have any problems with that problems with that i respect his view and i know for sure i respect his view and i know for sure he respects mine he respects mine it came to a point brethren sisters when it came to a point brethren sisters when we were going to put out a certain we were going to put out a certain publication in which that difference publication in which that difference appeared appeared i didn't want to see the thing published i didn't want to see the thing published the other brother thought it might be a the other brother thought it might be a good thing to publish good thing to publish the difference wasn't great the difference wasn't great and a brother turned up at our meeting and a brother turned up at our meeting to the arranging brethren's meeting that to the arranging brethren's meeting that never come he would never see him from never come he would never see him from one years into another he came there and one years into another he came there and i said ah you're here tonight he's got i said ah you're here tonight he's got some matter of interest to bring up the some matter of interest to bring up the arranging prison oh no he said i've come arranging prison oh no he said i've come to see the bun fight between you and to see the bun fight between you and this brother he had greatly greatly greatly misunderstood both that brother greatly misunderstood both that brother and myself and myself he had greatly underestimated brethren he had greatly underestimated brethren sisters sisters the spirit that was between me and that the spirit that was between me and that brother brother there was no way there was no way that he ever could have driven a wedge that he ever could have driven a wedge between us between us i knew that and so did that other i knew that and so did that other brother and we had that understanding between his brother and sisters not because we'd his brother and sisters not because we'd got together and agree to disagree but got together and agree to disagree but because in principle we were one because in principle we were one so it does happen so it does happen needless to say needless to say that brother became the meet between the that brother became the meet between the sammich it didn't work it did not work at all it did not work at all but it does happen and this jew stood but it does happen and this jew stood there and he thought he might be able to there and he thought he might be able to divide these great men divide these great men you know it's very often you know they you know it's very often you know they try to divide paul and apollos try to divide paul and apollos you know there were those of the apollos you know there were those of the apollos party in corinth and there were those party in corinth and there were those are the paul party are the paul party paul says who is apollos and who am i paul says who is apollos and who am i but ministers of the grace of god by but ministers of the grace of god by which you believed which you believed apollo's planted i watered god gives the apollo's planted i watered god gives the increase we're working together increase we're working together and he pointed out to the corinthians and he pointed out to the corinthians brother and sisters he said i have brother and sisters he said i have transferred these things in a figure to transferred these things in a figure to apollos in myself that you might think apollos in myself that you might think not to consider one man above another not to consider one man above another so paul was telling them the problem was so paul was telling them the problem was not with apollos all with himself the not with apollos all with himself the problem was with the fickle crowd problem was with the fickle crowd i want to draw that principle out i want to draw that principle out brothers and sisters because it's brothers and sisters because it's pertinent to us all pertinent to us all bible schools bible schools are wonderful but they do present are wonderful but they do present an opportunity for odious comparisons i like that brother but i don't go for this chap's style but i don't go for this chap's style i like his matter i like his matter but i don't think he quite got to the but i don't think he quite got to the point of it all which do you think point of it all which do you think were the best of the three speakers were the best of the three speakers don't ever get into that sort of don't ever get into that sort of discussion brethren sisters discussion brethren sisters don't you ever don't you ever get into that sort of discussion get into that sort of discussion you concentrate on what is good in all you concentrate on what is good in all that's said that's said don't ever get to the point of that don't ever get to the point of that disciple i wonder who's right disciple i wonder who's right and try and divide friends because you and try and divide friends because you will find will find that it won't be the friends who will that it won't be the friends who will divide responsible men who teach you divide responsible men who teach you from the bible have got a bit more in from the bible have got a bit more in them than that them than that and the only people who will be divided and the only people who will be divided is those who try to divide them is those who try to divide them that's what this fellow try to do i've that's what this fellow try to do i've mentioned that brother and sisters mentioned that brother and sisters because not that i think it's happening because not that i think it's happening here i don't think it is for a second here i don't think it is for a second but it has happened but it has happened and i believe it's a very great evil and i believe it's a very great evil let us come with a positive outlook to let us come with a positive outlook to take out of the studies whatever is good take out of the studies whatever is good and it don't matter who says it and it don't matter who says it far as john was concerned they could far as john was concerned they could never ever divide him look in verse 26 never ever divide him look in verse 26 and they came unto john and said master and they came unto john and said master now look at the words now look at the words master they said master they said he that was with thee oh what a mistake he that was with thee oh what a mistake you know they came to john in this you know they came to john in this patronizing fashion patronizing fashion very peeved that someone was taking very peeved that someone was taking john's position john's position and look at the way they address him and look at the way they address him master master he that was with you he that was with you how wrong they were brother and sisters how wrong they were brother and sisters how wrong they were he was not the how wrong they were he was not the master and jesus was not with him master and jesus was not with him he was the servant and he was with jesus he was the servant and he was with jesus that was the fact of the matter that was the fact of the matter and they'd completely and utterly and they'd completely and utterly forgotten that forgotten that and because none of us are the messiah and because none of us are the messiah nor ever could be nor ever could be it's always better in circumstances of it's always better in circumstances of that nature that if someone says to you that nature that if someone says to you if ever you have the opportunity to if ever you have the opportunity to stand where i'm standing stand where i'm standing remember that brother who was teaching remember that brother who was teaching with you at the bible school you point with you at the bible school you point out to them no actually i was teaching out to them no actually i was teaching with him with him and they put john in the situation which and they put john in the situation which was tempting him brother and sisters was tempting him brother and sisters to take the lorded place to take the lorded place how easy it would have been for a lesser how easy it would have been for a lesser man to say man to say oh yes i remember that chap oh yes i remember that chap who was um who was um sort of with me sort of with me but he wouldn't say that britain and but he wouldn't say that britain and sisters sisters no one no one john's answer john's answer was magnificent was magnificent see they said to him in verse 26 rabbi see they said to him in verse 26 rabbi he that was with thee beyond jordan to he that was with thee beyond jordan to whom thou bearest witness whom thou bearest witness to whom thou bearest witness to whom thou bearest witness the lord jesus christ is spoken of the lord jesus christ is spoken of brethren and sisters as the true witness brethren and sisters as the true witness behold they said the same baptizeth and behold they said the same baptizeth and all men come to him now all men were not all men come to him now all men were not coming to him verse 32 says coming to him verse 32 says and what he has seen and heard that he and what he has seen and heard that he testifieth and no man receiveth his testifieth and no man receiveth his testimony so they were not right they testimony so they were not right they were exaggerating the success of the were exaggerating the success of the lord jesus christ lord jesus christ but john could see brethren sisters but john could see brethren sisters that there was no man that was going was that there was no man that was going was really accepting his testimony and really accepting his testimony and though there were people following our though there were people following our lord they weren't following him for the lord they weren't following him for the reasons that john said reasons that john said nor were they following him for the nor were they following him for the reasons that jesus said reasons that jesus said so all men were not going to him at all so all men were not going to him at all matter of fact nobody really truly was matter of fact nobody really truly was but they should have been but they should have been but then john but then john gave a classic answer gave a classic answer a classic answer a classic answer to the point about who was the greatest to the point about who was the greatest now they said the question was john are now they said the question was john are we to believe that your baptism is right we to believe that your baptism is right or that way he's taken your place he's or that way he's taken your place he's baptizing for perhaps a different baptizing for perhaps a different though complementary though complementary who are we going to believe who are we going to believe john's answer is magnificent in verse john's answer is magnificent in verse 27. 27. john answered and said a man note that a man can receive nothing a man can receive nothing except it be given him except it be given him from heaven from heaven brethren and sisters brethren and sisters there were two men there were two men on the banks of the river jordan on the banks of the river jordan the lord jesus christ the lord jesus christ and john and john the apostle paul called him the apostle paul called him even in his exalted status even in his exalted status the man christ jesus the man christ jesus and john says that that was a man sent and john says that that was a man sent from god so as far as their physical from god so as far as their physical being was concerned they are both equal being was concerned they are both equal they are both men that's john's point never a question of superiority never a question of superiority when it comes to flesh when it comes to flesh we're all men we're all men i'm a man and he's a man i'm a man and he's a man the thing that makes the difference says the thing that makes the difference says john john is what either one of those men is what either one of those men received from heaven and they only had to think back when they were together as men they were together as men as to what happened when jesus came out as to what happened when jesus came out of the water and they stood there of the water and they stood there together together that who received what that who received what the lord jesus christ received that the lord jesus christ received that spirit as it were in the form of a dove spirit as it were in the form of a dove saying this is my beloved son this is my saying this is my beloved son this is my beloved son which made him brother and beloved son which made him brother and sisters more than just a mere man sisters more than just a mere man by by virtue of what he received by by virtue of what he received and so we're all equated and so we're all equated there is no one superior to the other there is no one superior to the other because all are in atom we're all men because all are in atom we're all men if there is a difference if there is a difference in aeroclesia in aeroclesia where we may respect where we may respect one brother or sister above another one brother or sister above another it can only be determined it can only be determined by what they have gotten by what they have gotten from god's word and that's very easy sometimes brothers and sisters to determine and sisters to determine hard in some cases perhaps hard in some cases perhaps but there are brothers and sisters among but there are brothers and sisters among us us who tower who tower as monuments as monuments not because they have any virtue in not because they have any virtue in themselves but it's obvious that they themselves but it's obvious that they have received something have received something and that's the point that john made and that's the point that john made furthermore john went on to say in verse furthermore john went on to say in verse 29 29 he that hath the bride he that hath the bride is the bridegroom is the bridegroom well that's a statement of fact isn't it well that's a statement of fact isn't it but he says the friend of the bridegroom but he says the friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him rejoiced which standeth and heareth him rejoiced greatly because of the bridegroom's greatly because of the bridegroom's voice this my joy therefore is fulfilled voice this my joy therefore is fulfilled so he likened his relationship with the so he likened his relationship with the lord jesus christ as the lord jesus lord jesus christ as the lord jesus christ was the bridegroom he was what christ was the bridegroom he was what the jews called the friend of the the jews called the friend of the bridegroom bridegroom or if you like or if you like what we call him in australia do you do what we call him in australia do you do it here the best man it here the best man is that what you call them okay well i is that what you call them okay well i suppose brother and sisters we could say suppose brother and sisters we could say that john was that john was the best the best man he was more than me and man and the friend of the bridegroom and the friend of the bridegroom was to give way to the bride to the the was to give way to the bride to the the bridegroom rather when the bridegroom bridegroom rather when the bridegroom had met the bride now let me tell you a had met the bride now let me tell you a jewish custom what the friend of the jewish custom what the friend of the bridegroom did bridegroom did this is what jewish customs says brother this is what jewish customs says brother and sisters and sisters the bride's friend the bride's friend the bridegroom's friend rather was the bridegroom's friend rather was charged with these responsibilities charged with these responsibilities he would arrange the marriage between he would arrange the marriage between the two parties the two parties he would be all the preliminaries that he would be all the preliminaries that were necessary for the wedding festivity were necessary for the wedding festivity he was to act he was to act for the bridegroom for the bridegroom to the bride to the bride during the espousal period during the espousal period they were very modest people the jews they were very modest people the jews brothers and sisters they had their brothers and sisters they had their customs of modesty customs of modesty dignity and reverence dignity and reverence and the bridegroom just kidding didn't and the bridegroom just kidding didn't go trooping around with his girlfriend go trooping around with his girlfriend all over the place all over the place they had a go-between because they they had a go-between because they respectfully kept their distance respectfully kept their distance naturally they would have known each naturally they would have known each other they would have had their moments other they would have had their moments together but when the marriage came near together but when the marriage came near they kept their distance and the they kept their distance and the mediator went between the two of them mediator went between the two of them and that added and heightened the and that added and heightened the anxiety and the anticipation anxiety and the anticipation of the marriage of the marriage coming together you can imagine that coming together you can imagine that happening as for a period of time happening as for a period of time they're separated and all they have is they're separated and all they have is contact with each other through the contact with each other through the friend of the bridegroom and they both friend of the bridegroom and they both see that man as a very great friend what see that man as a very great friend what did he say what did she say what did he did he say what did she say what did he say what did she say say what did she say and the terms of endearment and of love and the terms of endearment and of love would be carried by the friend of the would be carried by the friend of the bridegroom wasn't he doing that bridegroom wasn't he doing that wasn't god instructing him of the coming wasn't god instructing him of the coming of the bridegroom was he going to israel of the bridegroom was he going to israel the bride of yahweh and saying this is the bride of yahweh and saying this is what your bridegroom is saying weren't what your bridegroom is saying weren't the common people asking him what does the common people asking him what does the bridegroom want us to do and the the bridegroom want us to do and the friend of the bridegroom was going friend of the bridegroom was going between the two parties between the two parties he then organized the festivity on the he then organized the festivity on the day of the day of the marriage when the day of the marriage marriage when the day of the marriage come and all the organization was done come and all the organization was done like the committee here organizes this like the committee here organizes this bible school bible school there was a signal brethren sisters there was a signal brethren sisters there was a given signal there was a given signal which terminated his responsibilities which terminated his responsibilities they didn't ring a bell they didn't ring a bell no one came up and told him that he no one came up and told him that he could now be dismissed could now be dismissed there was a given signal by which he there was a given signal by which he knew that his job was finished and that knew that his job was finished and that is this but as the bride and the is this but as the bride and the bridegroom came together bridegroom came together all was silent and the bridegroom opened all was silent and the bridegroom opened his mouth his mouth and gave his and gave his a spousal of love to his bride when the a spousal of love to his bride when the friend of the bridegroom heard that friend of the bridegroom heard that he walked out of the ceremony and was he walked out of the ceremony and was dismissed dismissed that was the signal that was the signal that his job was done that his job was done the bridegroom made contact with the the bridegroom made contact with the bride bride spoke to her spoke to her and immediately that voice was heard and immediately that voice was heard his job was finished his job was finished i therefore he says he that hath the bride is the bridegroom but the friend of the bridegroom which but the friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him standeth and heareth him rejoices greatly because of the rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice bridegroom's voice this my joy therefore this my joy therefore is fulfilled is fulfilled and down there in john's place by the and down there in john's place by the banks of the river jordan a voice was banks of the river jordan a voice was talking to his bride talking to his bride john may not have been under audibly john may not have been under audibly here at brethren sisters but he knew here at brethren sisters but he knew that down there he could hear the that down there he could hear the bridegroom's voice he said that's it bridegroom's voice he said that's it i'm happy i'm happy i'm thrilled i'm thrilled go together go together my job my job is over do you know it was sometime later it was sometime later in the ninth chapter of matthew this is before that john was put to death brother and that john was put to death brother and sisters that john's disciples came to sisters that john's disciples came to him him came to the lord jesus came to the lord jesus to question him on this very matter as to question him on this very matter as to who they should follow to who they should follow i want you to notice how jesus answered i want you to notice how jesus answered them them and in the ninth chapter of matthew and in the ninth chapter of matthew verse 14 then came to him the disciples of john saying saying why do we why do we that is john's disciples that is john's disciples and the pharisees fast not but thy and the pharisees fast not but thy disciples fast not in other words we're disciples fast not in other words we're two separate groups two separate groups jesus said unto them jesus said unto them can the children of the bride chamber can the children of the bride chamber mourn mourn as long as the bride's groom is with as long as the bride's groom is with them them but the days will come but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from when the bridegroom shall be taken from them them and then they shall fast and then they shall fast oh brethren and sisters what a powerful oh brethren and sisters what a powerful answer so here's john saying i'm the answer so here's john saying i'm the friend of the bridegroom he's the bride friend of the bridegroom he's the bride i can hear his voice he's talking to his i can hear his voice he's talking to his bride bride therefore he says my job's finished he therefore he says my job's finished he told his disciples that now later on told his disciples that now later on they still won't believe him they still they still won't believe him they still won't leave john they were so attached won't leave john they were so attached to him so they come to this new teacher to him so they come to this new teacher they say lord they say lord you think you're the great teacher and you think you're the great teacher and you've got a band of disciples but you've got a band of disciples but really you know really you know you don't live up to the principles of you don't live up to the principles of the truth like we do the truth like we do we've got to be right because we've got to be right because we follow the jewish traditions we follow the jewish traditions uh we fast and do this and that like the uh we fast and do this and that like the pharisees do and though we won't believe pharisees do and though we won't believe what the pharisees believe yet we follow what the pharisees believe yet we follow the the ancient traditions so obviously the the ancient traditions so obviously uh john is the master and we really are uh john is the master and we really are the disciples of the master and that the disciples of the master and that leaves you i don't know where leaves you i don't know where and the lord's answer is and the lord's answer is what did your master teach you how can the children how can my children fast fast while they got the bridegroom while they got the bridegroom isn't that what john told you i'm paraphrasing this brother and sister because this was the intent i believe because this was the intent i believe and the lord warned them and the lord warned them the day is coming the day is coming when you won't have the bridegroom when you won't have the bridegroom neither will they neither will they my advice to you is my advice to you is that if john is your master that if john is your master listen to what he's teaching listen to what he's teaching move your allegiance move your allegiance to me to me because i am the bridegroom because i am the bridegroom if you don't do that soon if you don't do that soon i won't be here i won't be here and it'll be too late and it'll be too late that was a tremendous warning brother that was a tremendous warning brother and sisters and sisters and so with the voice of the bridegroom and so with the voice of the bridegroom speaking to the bride speaking to the bride john's last words were in that gospel of john's last words were in that gospel of matthew i must decrease matthew i must decrease and he must increase and he must increase in the greek in the greek i must grow smaller i must grow smaller i must grow smaller i must grow smaller i am not the christ i am not the christ i am not no what are you what are you nothing nothing just a voice just a voice what about the voice what about the voice god god disappeared disappeared and all that's left and all that's left is one object is one object of love of love devotion devotion dedication dedication the bridegroom the bridegroom and if we brother and sisters want to be and if we brother and sisters want to be part of that great marriage supper of part of that great marriage supper of the land the land let's move over as fast as we can let's move over as fast as we can and listen with great intent and listen with great intent to the voice to the voice of that bridegroom