Amen. Turn with me, if you would, to
Matthew chapter 17. Matthew chapter 17. A few weeks
ago, we were here And we looked at our Lord's transfiguration,
where he spoke with Moses and Elijah in glory, and God the
Father spoke out loud from heaven. And what we're gonna look at
for this Bible study, and we'll be here again for our message
here in just a moment, all of this goes together, all right? This is all one account. One happening. It all goes together.
It has the same theme. It says the same thing. And I'm
going to go ahead and tell you what it is right now. This was
the point a few weeks ago. This is the point right now,
and this is going to be the point in just a minute in our message
here in just a moment. All right. Hear him. Look to him. Believe on Him. That's it. Behold Him. Come to Him. It's all about Him. That's the
point. It's all about Him. It's all about Him. I used to
work for Home Depot. And while I was there, there
was a girl who worked there, she was a little older than I
was, and we were all standing around talking, and she was sincerely
asking the question, what is the point of life? She said,
why are we here? And I didn't say anything, I
didn't know what to say. But I know what the answer is
now. Him. It's all about him. Worship is
all about him. Life is all about Him. Salvation
is all about Him. Glory is all about Him. It's
all about Him. That's it. It's all about the
Lord Jesus Christ, Him. God the Father declared this
right here on the Mount of Transfiguration. If you look at verse 5, it says,
While He yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, And
behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, this is my beloved
son in whom I'm well pleased. Hear ye him. Hear him. That was the point
of the message a few weeks ago. Hear him. The point of this Bible
study is John the Baptist declared the same thing. He announced
the way of the Lord. Hear him. Behold him. That's the declaration concerning
Christ. Now let's look at what our text
will be this morning. Verse nine is where we left off
last time. It says, and as they came down
from the mountain, after this moment, Jesus charged them saying,
tell the vision to no man until the son of man be risen again
from the dead. Now, verse 10 says, as they were
coming down the mountain, His disciples asked him, saying,
Why then say the scribes that Elias or Elijah must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto
them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things. But I say unto you that Elias
is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him
whatsoever they listed, Likewise shall also the son of man suffer
of them. Then the disciples understood
that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." He was talking
about John the Baptist. Peter, James, and John had just
seen Elijah in this transfiguration. And it sparked their memory.
They said, Lord, wasn't he supposed to come before you? To set things straight and to
prepare the way, isn't that what the scriptures declared would
be? And the answer to that is yes,
it did declare that. That is what the scripture said
would be. Turn with me if you would to
Isaiah 40. Isaiah 40, here's the prophecy
of the one that would prepare the way of the Lord. Isaiah 40
verse six, it says, the voice said, cry. And he said, what
shall I cry? Here it is. All flesh is grass. All flesh is grass. And all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass
withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it. Surely the people is grass. The
grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the word of our God shall
stand forever. O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up into the high mountain, O Jerusalem, that bringest good
tidings, lift up thy voice with strength. Lift it up, be not
afraid. Say unto the cities of Judah,
Behold your God. Behold, the Lord God will come
with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his
reward is with him and his work before him. He shall feed his
flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs with his arm
and carry them in his bosom and shall gently lead those that
are with young." That's beautiful, isn't it? That's beautiful. That was the prophecy of the
declaration that was going to come to prepare and to announce
the way of our Savior. And this prophecy was confirmed
by the very last words of the Old Testament. If you'll go with
me to Malachi chapter 3, last book of the Old Testament. Malachi 3 verse 1 says, Behold, I will send my messenger,
and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom
you seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger
of the covenant whom you delight in. Behold, he shall come, saith
the Lord of hosts." Look at Malachi 4, verse 5. It says, Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great
and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of
the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children
to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."
Now, we've already read in our text that our Lord revealed to
his disciples that he was talking about John the Baptist. He was
talking about John the Baptist. But something struck me as I
was reading all this. Elijah actually came. He was talking about John the Baptist. But he brought Elijah too. Not
one word of our Lord will fail. Not one word of our Lord will
fail. And concerning this prophecy
being about John the Baptist, this struck me also. Number one. John the Baptist came and this
prophecy was fulfilled and nobody knew it. Nobody knew it. And it made me think, I wonder
how many things there are that we're looking for and waiting
for that possibly have already happened. Our Lord's ways are so much higher
than our ways. Man thinks that he has God figured
out. All of these things have to be revealed to us. They have
to be revealed to us. That's the first thing that struck
me. But the second thing is our Lord never tried to hide the
fact that he was talking about John the Baptist. Look with me
if you would at Matthew 11. Matthew 11 verse 7, 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 king's 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. And from the days of
John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,
and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the
law prophesied until John. And if you will receive it, this
is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let
him hear." Our Lord plainly told them it was John the Baptist
right here in Matthew 11. Now all the way up in Matthew
17, they're still saying, what's all this Elias talk? What's the
scripture saying about Elias, Elijah? What does that mean?
We are so blind, aren't we? We're so blind, so ignorant,
so deaf, so dumb. Our Lord was constantly saying,
how many times do I have to tell you these things? For dumb sheep,
it's over and over and over. I have to hear these things over
and over. Well, here's the point we're
trying to get to. John the Baptist had to prepare the way of the
Lord because God said he had to. He had to. God said he would. Therefore,
he had to. And this was the declaration
that God gave to him to say, all right, number one, all flesh
is grass. We need to learn that about this
flesh. We need to learn that. All flesh is grass. Here is the message. Here's the
declaration. All flesh is grass. Number two, behold your God. Oh, he or she that hath ears
to hear, let him hear. Behold your God, specifically
the word of God. That's what Isaiah 40 said, the
word of God, which is Christ. The word shall stand forever. He's going to stand forever. Number three, he will come with
a strong hand. And finished his work. And gain
his reward. He will feed his flock like a
shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his
arms. He'll carry them in his bosom
and he'll gently lead those that are with young. That's what John
was commissioned to declare. And that's what he declared.
I just want to show you his declaration. All right. Let me read John's
declaration to you. And this is what I want to say.
It's still ours. What was commissioned to John.
That's what is commissioned to us. The message he was given. That's the message we're given.
Let me read these two or three places to you. Turn to Matthew
chapter three with me. Matthew 3 verse 1 says, In those days came John the Baptist
preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, Repent ye,
repent ye, have a changed mind. That's what that means. Have
a changed mind. That's what I say to Kingsport. That's what I say
to us. That's what I say to myself.
By the natural way of the flesh, have a changed mind, have a changed
mind about God. Man has a, there is a way that
seems right to man concerning God. The end of that way is destruction.
Have a changed mind about man. Have a changed mind about salvation. Have a changed mind. Repent ye
verse two saying, repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment
of camel's hair, and a leatheren girdle about his loins, and his
meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem
and all Judea and all the region round about Jordan and were baptized
of him in Jordan confessing their sins. Oh, we are such sinners. When God reveals the truth of
the message, that's what men and women cry. We are such sinners. Sinners against God. Verse seven.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism
to watch, to witness, these were those who believed their works
could save them. These were those who believed
they had a goodness in themselves that God would be pleased with
and be happy with. They had their own righteousness
before God. They were not sinners as others
were confessing. Verse 7, But when he saw many
of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said
unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits,
meat for repentance. And I'll tell us now what that
is, and we'll look at it in a minute. That's the fruit of faith. That's
the fruit of faith. Verse eight, bring forth therefore
fruits, meat for repentance. And think 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 ax is laid unto the root of the trees, therefore
every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down
and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance, but he that cometh after me is mightier than
I, whose shoes I'm not worthy to bear. He shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost and with fire, whose fan is in his hand,
and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into
the garner, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire. All flesh is grass. All flesh
is grass. That's what he's saying. All
flesh is grass. Wrath is coming. Wrath is coming. The fire is coming. Everything
that doesn't live up to the holy, perfect law of God is going to
be cast into the fire. But one is coming to deliver
us. One is coming to deliver us.
A deliverer is coming. Look to him. That's the message. Look to him. Turn with me over
to John chapter one. John chapter one, verse 15. John, bear witness of him and
cried saying, this was he of whom I spake. He that cometh
after me is preferred before me for he was before me and of
his fullness have all we received in grace for grace. Every time
I've thought of John the Baptist, I've thought of an ax and a root,
you know, just John had the sweetest message. There is to tell verse
16 of his fullness. have all we received, and grace
for grace. For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God
at any time. The only begotten Son, which
is in the bosom of the Father, hath declared him. And this is
the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites
from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed and
denied not, but confessed, I'm not the Christ. And they asked
him, what thou art thou Elias? And he said, I'm not, I'm not
Elijah. Are thou that prophet? The scripture
said, I'll send a prophet. The prophet's coming. He answered,
no. Then said they unto him, who
art thou that we may give an answer to them that sent us?
What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one
crying in the wilderness. Don't you love his humility? He wouldn't even give his name.
I'm the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight
the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah. And they
which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said unto
him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor
Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I
baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom you
know not. He it is who coming after me
is preferred before me, whose shoes latch it I am not worthy
to unloose. These things were done in Beth-Aborah
beyond Jordan where John was baptizing. The next day, John
seeth Jesus coming unto him and said, Behold the Lamb of God
which taketh away the sin of the world. I wish I could declare
that in a way that would reach men and women.
If you from sin are longing to be free, Look to the Lamb of
God. Doesn't that sound so simple?
That's impossible without the hand and gift and work of Almighty
God in a sinner, in one of His own. But if He does that for
us, that's all we have to do, just look to Him. Just look to
Him. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, look and live. I love the story of Charles Spurgeon.
He was preaching in a grand hall there in London one time, and
before the service started, he was there early, and he wanted
to test the acoustics in the building. And he walked out,
stood at the pulpit, and he cried at the top of his lungs, Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And
as the story goes, a janitor was up in the rafters cleaning
out cobwebs, and it says it just smote him. And he came that night to hear
Brother Spurgeon preach. And God opened his soul. And
I pray God will open my soul. And I pray God will open your
soul. To realize that all this flesh is grass. It's just withering
and fading. It's good for nothing but being
cut down. Let's not be shocked when grass gets cut down. Behold the Lamb. Look to the
Lamb. Look to the Lamb of God. He said,
Behold your God, God manifest in the flesh. Behold the God, Man, Savior. Look to Him. Verse 30, it says,
This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred
before me, for he was before me. And I knew him not, but that
he should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore am I come baptizing
with water. And John bear record saying,
I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode
upon him. And I knew him not, but he that
sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom
thou shalt see the spirit descending and remaining on him, the same
as he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bear
record that this is the Son of God. And I just love these next
couple of verses here. Again, the next day after John
stood and two of his disciples, here's John standing with two
men who listened to him and stay with him and follow him. Verse
36, and looking upon Jesus as he walked, John said to those
two men, behold, the lamb of God. And those two disciples
heard him and they followed the Lord Jesus Christ. That was John's
joy. That was his glory. That was the message yesterday.
John, you know, cried this and it says the next day he saw the
Lord coming and then the next day he told those two disciples.
That's the message yesterday. That's the message today. That's
the message tomorrow. Behold the Lamb of God. All flesh
is grass. Behold your God. He is the comfort
of our souls. He's the protector. He's the
provider. He is life itself. He's life
itself. Alright, I'm done. Turn to John
3. John chapter 3, verse 25 says, Then there arose a question between
some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. And
they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was
with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold,
the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. John answered and
said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
You yourselves bear me witness that I said I am not the Christ,
but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the
bridegroom. But the friend of the bridegroom,
which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of
the bridegroom's voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled. He said, oh, I rejoice in him.
I went to a wedding yesterday. And as I was standing there,
we all stood while this man and this woman walked in. And I couldn't
help but think, I looked around and it was, as far as I know,
pretty much all believers there. And I couldn't help but think
of the scene of heaven. Everything that's in heaven.
All the angels and the cherubims and the seraphims and everything
that's in heaven. Watching this man and his bride come in. We were all so happy for the
two of them. We rejoiced in what God had done
and what was taking place. And it was all about them. It
was all about this one name. Pruitt. It was all about one
name. That was his name. After that
ceremony was over, that was her name. That was Miss Pruitt. And I can't help but just rejoice
in the thought that all of heaven is going to rejoice over this
one name, Christ. And that's his name. And in union
with him, that's her name. The Lord our righteousness, the
Lord our righteousness. Oh, that John said, this is my
joy. This is my joy. Verse 30. He must increase. I must decrease. He that cometh from above is
above all. He that is of the earth is earthly,
and speaketh of the earth. He that cometh from heaven is
above all. And what he hath seen and heard,
that he testifieth, and no man receiveth his testimony. He that
hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.
For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God. For God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son,
and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on
the Son hath everlasting life. May God open our hearts to understand
that. He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life. What does that mean? That means
everlasting life. This flesh is grass, but the
soul is not. That's so. This flesh may be cast into this,
what we call the furnace of death, but the soul won't be. Verse 36, he that believeth on
the son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the
son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Oh,
He that believeth on the Son. He that believes on the Son.
Life. Life in Him. What do we have? Life in Him. Life with Him. Life. I love Pilgrim's Progress when
John Bunyan is so sick and tired of everybody and their brother
trying to pull him away. And he sticks his fingers in
his ears, running, crying. Life. Life. Eternal life. And he runs through that straight
and narrow gate. It makes it to the foot of the
cross and he looks up and the whole burden falls off of his
back. That's what's going to happen to us. This whole burden,
when life comes, when we're delivered from the body of this death and
life comes, we're carrying a burden, we got a burden, it's all so
burdensome. Then all of a sudden, he's going
to come to his temple suddenly. And when we see him, that burden
will fall off. life. Let me let me stop. I said I was on close and I'm
done. Normally, when I say that, I'm done. That was the declaration that
prepared the way of his coming. That is the declaration that
will prepare the way of his return. It's the same declaration. It's
the same glorious news. All flesh is grass. The furnace
of God's judgment is burning. Therefore, he's the only hope
we have. Look to the lamb of God, look to the lamb of God,
Christ, God's holy, spotless, provided lamb. He's the only
hope we have. He's the shepherd of the sheep.
He's going to gather all of his lambs in his arms. He's going
to carry them in his bosom. all the way to glory. Look to
the Lamb of God. Now, in a moment, Lord willing,
we're going to see how to look to the Lamb of God. All right,
you're dismissed.