Baptist Preaching

    “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answereth and saith unto them, he that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages” (Luke 3:7-14).

    John the Baptist was no ordinary man in any sense of the word “ordinary”. He was a remarkable man, a remarkable believer and a remarkable preacher. It was impossible to ignore him, or pretend he was not around. Though few who heard him believed his message, everyone who heard him was affected by what they heard.

    In the eleventh chapter of Matthew our Lord gave his own opinion about John the Baptist. Read what he says there about this remarkable man.

    “And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Matthew 11:7-11).

    A preacher of such character and influence is a preacher whose example all preachers ought to follow. He sets the pattern for what preaching is and how it is to be done. What were the leading features of the Baptist’s ministry? What were the primary characteristics of his preaching? These things are clearly set out in the inspired record given by Luke in the passage before us.

    John the Baptist’s work as God’s prophet, as a preacher, is to be measured, like every preacher’s work is to be measured, not by his traits of personality, oratorical ability, social graces, and theological acumen, but by his message, by what he preached. In the inspired record of John’s life and ministry five things stick out as distinct characteristics of the Baptist’s preaching.

    First, and foremost, the first Baptist preacher preached redemption and remission of sins by the blood of Christ. John came preparing the way of the Lord, preaching the baptism of repentance, because of the remission of sins (v. 3). He incessantly pointed sinners to Christ, calling upon all who heard him to trust, love and follow Christ. Even when he was in prison, about to be sacrificed for his faithfulness, he sent his disciples to the Lord Jesus to have the Saviour’s person and work confirmed to them by the Saviour himself (Matthew 11:2-6). In the first chapter of John’s Gospel, John the apostle speaks in glowing terms about John the Baptist and his preaching (John 1:15-30, 34-37).

    Blessed is that man whose preaching is full of Christ, who spends his time and uses his opportunities to talk to eternity bound sinners about the precious blood of the Lamb of God. Blessed are they who hear him (Isaiah 52:7). All who know Christ esteem his blood precious; and all who preach Christ preach his blood precious (1 Peter 1:18-20). His blood is precious blood because it is his blood, the blood of God incarnate (Acts 20:28). It is sin-atoning blood (Romans 3:24; 5:11). Our Saviour’s blood is eternally efficacious blood (Hebrews 9:12; Ephesians 1:7). It is divinely ordained blood, blood shed by the purpose of God (Acts 2:23). And the blood of Christ is precious because it is redeeming blood (Galatians 3:13, 14).

    The Baptist’s preaching was the preaching of blood atonement by the crucified Lamb of God. Paul’s motto was his motto. Indeed, this is the motto of every preacher called and sent of God. “I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

    Second, John the Baptist knew that he spoke for God, with God’s power and authority, and, therefore, preached with a confidence that gave him holy boldness and courage before men. John the Baptist was a man, not a sissy, or a wimp, but a man. He was not a reed shaken in the wind, bending with the breeze of popular opinion. This was not a pampered pastor who dared not offend those who pampered him. John the Baptist was God’s servant. You could tell it when he preached

    “Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (vv. 7, 8).

    John saw the rottenness and hypocrisy of the religious world around him, and denounced it with pointed sharpness. His head was not turned by popularity. He courted no man’s favour and feared no man’s frown. He cared not who might be offended by his message. The spiritual disease of those standing before him was desperate. He knew desperate disease required desperate measures. John the Baptist lived in desperate times, much like our own. He knew the day demanded desperate plainness of speech.

    How sad it is that there are so few like this first Baptist preacher today! These days, the first, primary rule of preaching is “Do not offend”! Preachers have a castrating fear of giving offence by direct, forthright, plain preaching.

    If a man would be faithful to your souls, he cannot flatter you. If he would do you good, he dare not flinch from exposing your inmost corruption and sin by the Word of God, demanding and pressing upon you the claims of Christ, forcing you, if he can, to repentance toward God and faith in Christ. If a man’s object in preaching is to please you, rather than serve your soul’s eternal good, he is not the servant of God (Luke 6:26; Galatians 1:10).

    Because he was God’s servant, John told these people three things, which are true of and ought to be declared to all men: (1.) They were a generation of vipers, as deceitful as they were vile. (2.) They were under and fully deserving of the wrath of God. And (3.) God did not need them to fulfil himself or make himself happy. John told these proud sons of Abraham, “God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

    When John the Baptist demanded that those he baptized “bring forth fruits worthy of repentance”, the word translated “bring forth” is the very same word used by the apostle in 1 John 3:4 and 7, when he tells us that people “committing sin” are yet without Christ, and that those “doing righteousness” have been made righteous. The word has the idea of practice, not of acts. Fruits “worthy of repentance”, fruits that show repentance to be genuine are “the fruit of the Spirit” produced and formed in the believer, fruits reflected in the believer’s practice of life (Galatians 5:22, 23). A person’s true character is seen, not in isolated acts, but in the habit of his life.

    John the Baptist spoke plainly and forcibly about the wrath of God and everlasting damnation in hell. He did not hold back the fact that there is “wrath to come”. He faithfully warned all who heard him that God cut down every unprofitable tree and “cast it into the fire”.

    The subjects of divine justice, judgment, wrath and the everlasting torments of the damned in the fires of hell are always offensive to human nature. Men do not like to hear that they are going to hell. It is the nature of all men to love to hear smooth things; not peril, danger and punishment.

    People are willing to pay false prophets good money to tell them what they want to hear (Isaiah 30:10). But that man who is faithful to God, faithful to the Book and faithful to your soul will, like John the Baptist, like Christ himself, like all the prophets of old, and like all the apostles, warn you, with passion in his soul, to “flee from the wrath to come”.

    Fear of hell is not the primary motive for repentance and faith in Christ; but you will never seek heaven until you fear going to hell. You will never seek God’s salvation until you fear God’s wrath. You will not flee to Christ, the sinner’s only City of Refuge, until the avenger of justice is on your trail.

    Hell is real. God Almighty must and will punish sin. It is that God who swears, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die”, who drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, destroyed the world in the flood of his wrath, rained fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah, nailed his own Son upon the cursed tree and poured out on him all the fires of hell for his people, when he was made sin for us.

    In his preaching the Baptist laid the axe to the root of every fruitless tree. With earnestness and conviction, he endeavoured to destroy every refuge of lies in which sinners seek to hide from God.

    “And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire” (v. 9).

    When the multitudes of religious people, whose lives were manifestly wicked, stood before him, he plainly declared to their faces in public that they were hypocrites. It is vain to say with our lips, “I believe God”, if by our works we deny him. It is worse than vain. Such hypocrisy will gradually harden the heart and sear the conscience. A confession of faith without the consecration of faith is hypocrisy. Baptism without death and resurrection life in Christ is a sham. Eating the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper, if I do not feed upon the Redeemer’s flesh and blood, is eating and drinking damnation to myself. To use the words of Inspiration, “Faith without works is dead”! Such faith is nothing but the faith of devils (James 2:14-26).

    John boldly and plainly denounced the commonly held notion of covenant family salvation. The Jews, like multitudes today, thought they were certainly saved people, children of God, because they were Abraham’s descendants. John told them that their pedigree was no claim to grace (v. 8). Saving faith is a personal thing. It is not a family heirloom (John 1:12, 13). When Paul said to the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house”, he was not saying, “If you believe, God will save everyone (or anyone) in your house.” He was saying, “If you believe, you will be saved, and if your family believes, they will be saved as well.”

    John faithfully brought the gospel home to the hearts and lives of his hearers in the most practical way possible (Luke 3:10-14). When the people asked him, “What shall we do then?” he told each one who professed faith in Christ by believer’s baptism to live according to his profession, for the glory of God. He said to them all, live no longer in selfish, self-centred gratification, but in love, kindness, charity and generosity. Is that not the obvious meaning of verse 11? “He answereth and saith unto them, he that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.”

    The Baptist told the converted publicans to be fair and honest with all men, especially because the publicans were known for both dishonesty and severity. “Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you” (vv. 12, 13).

    John told those soldiers who were converted by the grace of God to take care not to be violent and abusive with people under their power, and to be content with God’s provision. “And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages” (v. 14).

    It should also be noted that John said nothing to indicate anything unlawful about either paying taxes or collecting them, or about serving as a soldier. Remember, these publicans and soldiers were employees of the Roman Empire, one of the most morally corrupt, idolatrous systems of government the world has ever known. Our business is not with the kings of this world, but with the King of the world. Our concern is not the governing of kingdoms and nations, but with the kingdom of God.

    These five things characterized the Baptist’s preaching:

    The preaching of blood redemption by Christ.

    Courage and boldness for the glory of God.

    Plain warnings about the wrath of God.

    Plainness of speech in destroying the refuges in which sinners would hide from God.

    Godly behaviour.

    May God be pleased to revive such preaching in these dark, dark days, for the glory of Christ and the everlasting good of his elect!