Let's start reading together
here in verse 19. Now in these scriptures I read
this evening, we have a personal witness, a person. And this person was a witness
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the forerunner of our Lord. And he
had only one purpose in his life. God gave him one message, one
thing to do. And that was to bear witness
to Christ that was to come. And to make way for him to come. And when you see John in all
the other Gospels, he's not mentioned in this Gospel the way he is
in another Gospel. One place it says he wore camel
hair and ate Locusts and he had a leather and girdle here don't
say anything about any of those Said one of them has said his
meat was locust and wild honey That's not mentioned here His
stern he had a stern call to repentance says all said the
axe is laid to the root of the tree Don't think to say within
yourselves your Abraham see said God said I'll lay the root to
the accident I'll lay the axe to the root of the tree and except
you repent you'll perish and The wrath of God abides on you.
I mean, he was strong on repentance. And here he points to Christ
as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Now
John the Baptist, and this says it started out with what I said,
this is the record of John. And then it closed out, said,
verse 34, and I saw and bear record. Now that's two or three
things that John, he always talked about the record of God, the
record that he gave. Now John is one of the most remarkable
characters in all the Bible. John the Baptist is. The Old
Testament prophesied of him. In Isaiah 40, he said, you know,
he'd be the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare you
the way of the Lord, cry all flesh as grass. God prophesied
of him coming. And his birth, his birth was
a miraculous thing. His father was a priest, Zechariah. And his mother was a godly woman
and the Lord, wait until she got real old, just like Sarah
did, gave him a son. Gave him a son. Told him what
to name him. Made Zacharias Dunn until that baby was born. And
then they brought him a tablet before he could ever speak and
said, what's this child's name? And he wrote on that tablet,
John. And they said, had nobody in your family ever named John?
He said, well, I know that, but that's what God called him. And
then just as quick as he wrote John, God opened his mouth. And
you know what the first thing out of his mouth was? Praise
to God. Praise to God. And the Scriptures
also tells us that he was filled with the Holy Ghost from his
mother's womb. When they announced to Elizabeth that she was going
to have this child, said this child would be filled with the
Holy Ghost from his mother's womb. No one else was ever done
that. And then it says that here in
John, I mentioned it last week in John 1.6, it says there was
a man sent from God whose name was John. And it tells us that
he was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. And what that means
is he's sent to tell people that Christ is coming one after me.
There's one that I'm going to bear witness to. He's coming.
I don't know who he is just yet, but when I see him, I'll tell
you who he is. And that's what John said here. And then you
know what our Lord said about John? Let me tell you, if you
keep John chapter 1 here, look over in Matthew 11. You know
what our Lord said about John? I'll tell you what our Lord said
about John, Matthew 11, 11. This is what our Master said about
him. He said, Verily I say unto you,
among them that are born of women, There has not risen a greater
than John the Baptist. That's his position. There's
never been a greater prophet. Never been a greater prophet.
Never been nobody use more of God than John the Baptist or
born of a woman. But he says that the least in
the kingdom of heaven will be greater than he. Now that means
that he has such a position. And that's the way our Lord Jesus
said, you know, He says, My Father is greater than I. My Father's
symbol is greater than I. He said it positionally. The
Father and the Son is equal. But because Christ took on Himself
the form of a servant, John the Baptist took on Himself as the
forerunner. And so here He is. He's the greatest.
And then look what happens here in verse 19. Back over in John
chapter 1. The Jews, they sent to question
John. And it says, this is the record
of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to
ask him, who art thou? Down in verse 24 it says, they
which were sent were of the Pharisees. John 1, chapter 1, verse 24. And these Jews say, who art thou?
Who are you? Who in the world are you? Now
this question, the very fact that they ask this question,
shows the absolute spiritual ignorance of the religious leaders
of that day. I mean you're talking about religiously
ignorant, spiritual darkness. John came just like it was prophesied
of him. They had no spiritual discernment
They know that there was going to come a forerunner before Christ
and he would be coming as one preaching and prophesying about
the Messiah coming. But they had no sense, no spiritual
discernment. They were in spiritual darkness,
spiritually ignorant. And here's what they wanted to
do. They wanted to find out who he really was and to ask him
about his credentials. Now just what's your credentials?
What's your business out here doing? What are you doing out
here? We didn't send you. And look what John answered up
here now. John's answer as he goes down through here is absolutely
incredible. And he said, they asked him,
who are you? And he confessed and denied not. He didn't deny
who he was, but he confessed who he wasn't. He confessed who
he was and he didn't deny who he was. He didn't deny his relationship
to Christ and what he was sent to do. But he confessed this,
he said, I confess I'm not the Christ. I'm not the Christ. That's what they want to know,
who are you? I'm not the Christ. And I tell you, beloved, they
came to intimidate Him. They came to be overbearing with
Him and to question Him and intimidate Him and make Him afraid of them.
Their spirit and their attitude, the fact that they were going
to come and question Him in and of itself shows you that their
spirit is bad. I'll never forget one time I
had fellowship with a fellow for years and years and years.
and then one time I was supposed to go eat lunch with him and
he didn't come and I talked to him later that day and he says
well he says me and you need to meet and said we need to discuss
the gospel and your interpretation of the gospel because it would
have no business no reason for us to fellowship our church fellowship
unless we agree on the gospel and I've done priest for him
I don't know how many times and he's been here I don't know how
many times but somebody got a hold of him And that's what he wanted
to know. I don't understand that. But
that's what they're doing to John. John, you got no business
out here. And he was outside their religious
systems. He was outside their religious
system. Oh, he had not been trained in
their schools. He wasn't a doctor. He wasn't
a PhD. He wasn't an LLD. He hadn't read
no books. And he was a wild looking man. Lived out in the wilderness.
He held no position of honor in the temple ministries. Oh no, he didn't go in that temple
and walk around there like I'm some big shot or something like
that. And he didn't stand in the street corners and making
long prayers. And He wasn't identified with
the Pharisees. He wasn't identified with the
Sadducees. He wasn't identified with the
Herodians. Where in the world, they want
to know, did you get your authority? Look what they said over here
in Luke chapter 20. Look what our Master said over
here in Luke chapter 20. Luke chapter 20. I thought I
told you all this before, but years and years and years ago.
We went down to Chattanooga to hear quote, famous preacher. He's in a Presbyterian church.
And so we went down there, and the preacher, you know, he, of
course, he was well, well educated. His wife, well, well educated. And so we drove down there to,
and Ann and Charlotte Lawson, they lived down there, and we
went down there with them. And this woman came up to me, and
me and Mary stand there, and she said, Where did you go to
school? And Mary said, well, he went
to Bush College. Oh, I never heard of that. Mary said, he
went to Bush's. At that moment, she heard you all
talk about that. She had a way of saying things,
you know. That poor old woman, she didn't know what to say.
She was just absolutely flabbergasted. It's like Don Porter one time,
somebody asked him what school he went to and he said, if you
went to school anywhere, it's Report School. But that's what they do. But
look what he said here about John. Look what we're asking
about authority here now. And you know, where did he get
his authority? In Luke 20 in verse 1 it says, And listen, he says, the baptism
of John, was it from heaven or of men? And they reasoned with
themselves, saying, if we shall say from heaven, he will say,
why then believe ye him not? You think these fellas ain't
thinkers now. They know just exactly what they're doing. But
if we say of men, all the people are stoners, for they be persuaded
that John was a prophet. And they answered that they could
not tell which it was. And our Lord said unto them,
neither tell you by what authority I do these things. all the wisdom
and that's what they are upset about. He wasn't identified with
any sect or any group. He was out there preaching the
Lord Jesus Christ. And then back over in John chapter
1, look what it says, he confessed and he denied God. He wasn't
moved by these men. He could have boasted about His
credentials and what he was doing and who sent him and all that.
But he said no more than what was actually true. He didn't
add anything to it. He didn't take anything away
from it. And then it goes on there to say, and then they ask
him in verse 21. He says, and they ask him then,
art thou, what then, art thou Elijah? He said, I am not. Why are they asking him if he's
Elijah? because it says that in Malachi chapter 4 it says
that that great day of the Lord Elijah shall come before that
great notable day of the Lord and he shall prepare the way
of the Lord and everybody all they that receive him will receive
the Lord and that day if they don't they'll be cursed so listen
that's why they said are you Elijah because Elijah is supposed
to come before Christ is coming And so the Jews expected Elijah
to reappear again on earth as our Lord did. And that's why
they asked our Lord Jesus Christ. He asked his disciples, who do
men say that I, the Son of Man am? They said, well, some say
you're Elijah. That's the first thing they said.
Some say you're Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. But who
do you say that I am? Well, you're the Christ. You're
the Son of the living God. And I'll tell you, beloved, look
with me over here in Matthew chapter 17. Just a minute. I
want you to see some things about how this unfolds. In Matthew
17, talking about Elijah coming. Matthew 17 and verse 10. Oh, listen. And our Lord, Verse 9 says they came down from
the mountain Jesus charged him telling said no man to the vision
till the Son of man be risen again from the day this is after
Moses and Elijah appeared to him on the mountain and His disciples
asked him saying why then say the scribes that Elijah must
first come and And our Lord answered and said unto them, Elijah truly
shall come first and restore all things. But I say unto you
that Elijah is come already. And they knew him not, but have
done unto him whatsoever they listed or whatsoever they liked
to do and wanted to do. Likewise shall also the Son of
Man suffer. Then the disciples understood
that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. He came in the spirit
and power of Elijah. Now look back over in Matthew
chapter 11 in verse 9, just a minute. So He was Elijah. And I tell
you, there's a lot of folks looking for Elijah to come. But I tell
you what, He came in the spirit. John the Baptist came in the
spirit and power of Elijah. And look what our Lord said about
John before they cut his head off. He said in verse 9, What
went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I send you 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 thee, Them
that are born among women, there is not risen or greater than
John the Baptist. And oh, listen, that's what he
says about John. He had a lot to say about John.
So they go back over in John chapter 1 with me, just a minute.
They ask him, Are you Elijah? He said, I am not. Though he
has, Christ said he has come in the power of the light. He
was that forerunner. But John only knew himself as
John. But he was the one. And then
look what else they asked him. He said, art thou that prophet?
See, they know that there was a prophet gonna come. And our
Lord Jesus was that prophet. They said, are you that prophet?
He said, I am not. No, no, I'm not that prophet.
Well, who are you then? Who are you then? That's asking
for who are you then? We've got to tell them folks
that sent us over here. We've got to have an answer for
them. They sent us over here to find out some things about
you. We've got to know something about you. We've got to go back
and tell them something about you. Why you're doing what you're
doing. And look what old John did. And
what a question they asked right here. What sayest thou of thyself? Now that's what a question. John
could have answered, I'm the son of Zacharias the priest. I'm the one who was filled with
the Holy Ghost from my mother's womb. What sayeth thou of thyself? What do you got to say about
yourself, John? We've got to give an answer.
What a question. John could have said a lot about himself. But
you know what he said about it? He said, I'm just a voice. I
am a voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the
way of the Lord, said the prophet Isaiah. Now when he says, I'm
just a voice, what humility! What humility! John didn't seek
any glory or acclamation for himself. He understood that whatever
he did, he was still an unprofitable servant. And the voice, that's
what the term the Lord Jesus Christ gave him. That's the term
that God gave him before he's ever sinned. It'd be a voice
crying in the wilderness, just a voice. That's the term the
Holy Spirit used of him, just a voice. John's witness was to
bear witness of Christ, not of himself. And let me tell you
something about a voice. A voice is heard and not seen.
That's all He said, I'm just a voice. You hear what I say, don't worry
about who I am. Just hear what I'm telling you
about. And His voice and everybody's voice will one day be silenced.
And John's would be. But the Lord Jesus Christ will
endure long after the voice is silent. And he says this voice
cried in the wilderness. Out in the voice crying in the
wilderness. He didn't say I went crying in the temple. You know
why he cried in the wilderness? Because the Lord wasn't in the
temple. Jehovah wasn't in the temple. Judaism was empty. They were a nation of legalists,
a nation of people that despised and hated God. All they were
interested in is their worships, their forms, and their ceremonies,
and their rituals. And they asked him, said, What
sayest thou of thyself? If I ask you, what have you got
to say about yourself? What would you say about yourself? We all ask ourselves that question.
What do you say about yourself? What says about yourself? Huh? What do you say about yourself? What's your credentials? What's
your business on earth? What are you doing? Huh? That's a good question. What
says about yourself? I'll tell you what, I'll tell you exactly
how to find out what you say about yourself. Let me start
talking bad about you, saying bad things about you. Start finding
fault with you, and we'll find out what you may want to say
about yourself real, real quick. Wouldn't we? Wouldn't we? James, you ain't worth the salt
goes in your biscuits. Can't get him stirred up. Yes, that's the truth. You ain't
either, Brad. But that, you know, that's the
way we are. We got nothing to glory in. What are we going to
say about ourselves? Sinner saved by grace. Sinner kept by the power of God.
No strength, no ability, no help, no hope in myself. Mary said
so many times the last five or six months. She said, you know
what, the greatest hope I have is this. She says, I'm a sinner. I know I'm a sinner. And Christ
died for sinners. And she said that a hundred times
before she left here. She said, you tell me, convince
me of my sinfulness and you just make me more qualified for the
mercy of God. Christ died for sinners. So I'm
a sinner, so I know He died for me. What are you going to say
about yourself? When Paul said, Paul, what are
you going to say about yourself? I count all my righteousness
done. Oh, I'll tell you what, I had
a zeal, but it was not in the court tonight. Paul, tell us
about yourself. Oh, I was ignorant, I was in
unbelief. But God had mercy on me, because
this is a faithful sin, abhorrent of all exceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world, saved sinners. And I'm the chief! Tell
me about yourself, Paul. Oh, I want to know Christ. I
want to win Christ. I want to be found in Christ. Tell us about what a great preacher
you are. I'm less than the least of the apostles. Tell me about
your great work. Oh, I am what I am by the grace
of God. You find anybody in the Bible
that God done something for. What do you say about yourself?
And every one of them will say, I saw the Lord high lifted up
and I'm undone. I'm a man of unclean lips. Ain't
that right? What are we going to say about
ourselves? We're going to say like John. We're going to do
this act like John. I am not, I am not, I am not.
I'm a not. That's what we are. We're just
a bunch of nots. And then look what he says here then in verse
25. And they asked him this, they
asked him and said unto him, why baptizest thou then, if thou
be not the Christ, nor Elijah, neither that prophet? If you're
not the Christ, you're not the prophet, you're not Elijah, why
in the world are you out here baptizing? Since you're nobody.
Since you're nobody, what in the world are you doing out here
doing this? Oh, and instead of answering them directly, you
know what he says? He goes to what he was sent to do. He immediately
begins to bear witness to Christ. John answered them, saying, I
baptize with water. He asked him, why did he baptize?
He said, I baptize with water. But there stands one right among
you, and you don't even know who he is. You don't know who
he is. Oh, my. These men were raising
questions about rights and authorities and baptism, but yet they were
strangers to Christ. And these scribes and Pharisees
and Levites, they were concerned about the why of baptism, and
yet they were still in their sins. Still without God, still
without Christ, and wouldn't know Christ. You see, Christ
is the issue. Don't be lured by these bypass,
you know who you are and what you do and who you know and who
you don't know. And then look what he says. There stands one
among you, among you, whom you know not. Watch spiritual ignorance
and darkness of mind and heart. And look what he says. And he
goes on to say about Christ, He it is. He it is. Who coming after me. He's preferred before me. God
always preferred Christ. He preferred Christ more than
anybody. He preferred Christ. Everybody
else is nothing except a voice to witness to Christ. And He
it is coming after me who's preferred before me and who's shoelatching.
I'm not worthy to get down and untie. Huh? Oh, listen, what
a glorious testimony. He's preferred before me. I'm
not worthy. I'm not worthy. I'm not even
worthy to get down and take the shoelatching and untie and tie
back. What a testimony! How John witnessed
our Lord's eternality again. He's preferred before me. And oh, listen, these things
were done in, and it says it's done in Beth-Avora, beyond Jordan,
where John was baptizing. There's two Old Testament references
to Beth-Avora. And Judges, it says it's called
the house of passage. Beth-Avora is the house of passage.
And then in Joshua, when they went over, went through Jordan,
when Jordan parted, they crossed the Jordan and they stacked up
those stones as a witness. And they passed over Jordan with
the ark. It's called the house of passage. And what our Lord
Jesus Christ is doing says, Ed, we're going to pass from Judaism
to Christ. We're going to leave religion.
We're going to have Christ. This is the only house of passage
there are to get to Christ. It's coming through Beth-Avora. And we're going to go in this
way, right here. And I'll tell you then, look what John said.
is a day later now the next day after the meeting with the Jews
the next day look what he says Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. And then look what he said here.
I'll get back to John 1.29 in a minute. This is He of whom
I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me,
for he was before me. Oh my! No doubt. This is who I'm telling you about.
And that's why those folks were back there again following John
around. He said, I told you. He said, here he is. Here he
is. Here he is. What a declaration. This is he of whom I said. This
is him right here. What a declaration. The Pharisees
were looking for a prophet. to come and preach and set them
free, looking for a king to liberate them from wrong. But they didn't
want to save you. They weren't looking for somebody
to save them from their sins. They weren't looking for somebody
to come and offer a sacrifice for their sins. They weren't
looking for a lamb to come and bear their sins away. That's
not what they were looking for. They were worried about Elijah.
They were worried about a prophet. But they didn't ask about a sacrifice.
They didn't ask about a sacrifice for their sin. They didn't ask
about the lamb that John talked about. They didn't ask about
the lamb that God promised that would come. No, no. You know why they didn't ask
about a lamb? Because they didn't know anything about sin. A man
will never ask anything about a lamb unless he has a sense
of sin. I've heard Scott say, if I don't say nothing else,
he said, I want to tell you there's a lamb. And I've heard him several
times say to people, said, boy, said that fellow priest, but
he had no lamb in his message. No lamb. And oh, John, under
these circumstances announced him, not as the word of God or
the Christ of God, but as the lamb of God. And these Jews and
everybody else would have welcomed him on his throne. But you got
to have him first, first as a sacrifice. You got to have him first as
one who shed his blood. You got to have him first as
the Lamb of God. And that's why John says, Behold
the Lamb of God. And old John declares here, Him
to be whom all the Old Testament sacrifices were just a shadow.
He said, Behold the Lamb of God. And there's a progressive order
as you go through the Old Testament. There's a progressive order of
the Lamb set forth in the Scriptures. First time you find the Lamb,
Abel offered a Lamb. That Lamb was typified by Adam,
Abel, when he offered the Lamb. And then the lamb was prophesied
when Isaac and Abraham was up on that mountain. And Isaac said
to his father, we got the wood, we got the fire, but father,
where is the lamb? And he says, God will provide himself a lamb. He was prophesied there. And
then in Exodus 12, we have the lamb slain. When they took that
lamb, a lamb for a house, and slew the lamb, and shed its blood
without spot, without blemish, and applied that blood on the
lintels of the door. And I tell you the lamb slain,
it's the blood applied. And then Isaiah 53, you have
the lamb personified. He's identified as a man. He
shall go up before him as a tender plant. There's no comeliness
or beauty about Him that we should desire Him. The Lord laid on
Him. It is identified as a man. He
was wounded for our transgressions. Please the Lord to bruise Him.
And all He was identified in Isaiah 53, or personified. And then here in John 1, 29,
He's identified. And you know who He's identified
as? Jesus of Nazareth. There He is. You see that man
there that's been among you all these years? He said that's the
Lamb of God. And then you know He'll be the
Lamb magnified in all the hosts of heaven. And oh listen, when
they all began to praise His holy name up there. And I tell
you what, and He'll be the Lamb when, well, you know what it
says, the first thing they said, said, we beheld Him as a Lamb
that had been slain. And they began to sing that song.
And He'll be the Lamb glorified, seated upon His throne forever
and ever and ever. And oh, beloved, let me tell
you some few things about this Lamb. In Genesis chapter 4, the
sacrifice is offered for an individual. Just for one person, Abel, we
got to have a sacrifice for ourselves. In Exodus 12, the sacrifice is
for the whole house. In Leviticus 16, on the Day of
Atonement, the sacrifice was for a whole nation of Israel. And in John 1.29 it said, Behold
the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. What
does that mean? He's going to take away the sin
of the Gentiles as well as the sin of the Jews. When he talked
about the world, the Gentiles and the Jews never thought for
a minute that the Gentiles would ever be saved. But God said Christ
is going to die for the world, didn't He Gary? Behold the Lamb
of God. What a title of our Lord Jesus
Christ. You know what it tells us about
Him? When it talks about Him being the Lamb of God, it teaches
us His sinlessness. If He's going to be, He's got
to be without spot and without blemish if He's going to be offered
as a sacrifice to God. He's holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners. He offered Himself without spot,
without blemish to God Almighty. And then it also tells us about
this, the Lamb of God, it tells us about His gentleness. He was
led as a Lamb, led as a Lamb to the slaughter. And thirdly,
it teaches us about His sacrifice. He was God's Lamb. God provided. And God provided Him for this
reason, to take away sin. Taken away and only one way sin
can be taken away is through the bloody bloody death of the
Lord Jesus Christ That's the only way it can be taken away.
No other way and call the Lamb of God Look at verse 30 now with
me And look what he says this is
he of whom I said after me cometh a man which is preferred
before me and this is what he says now because he was before
me you know John was born six months before our Lord Jesus
Christ was so what does he mean he was before me that means that
he was before I ever was he was here before he got here that's
what he said he's before me and he said I tell you something
I didn't know him I didn't know who he was But that he should
be made manifest, that people ought to be able to recognize
him. This is what I came to do, to prepare the way of the Lord.
That he should be made manifest, clearly seen to Israel, therefore
am I come baptizing with water. And John Barrett records saying,
I saw, I saw myself, the Spirit descending from heaven like a
dove, and it stayed on him. Come down in the form of a dove
and then when that dove come down it was the Spirit of God.
It ceased to be a dove and it just stayed right there on Christ.
And then look what it says. And I knew him not, but this
is what God told me, the one who sent me to be that voice
in the wilderness. But he that sent me to baptize
with water, the same said unto me. When you see When you see
the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the same is He which
baptizes with the Holy Ghost. Oh my! I'm here baptizing and
when people came to Jordan and John to be baptized, they acknowledged
that death was their due. But John's baptism is different
than believers baptism. In baptism, the believer doesn't
confess death as he's due, but shows forth he's already died
in Christ. And he's resurrecting to walk
in newness of life. And John said, I saw the Spirit
descending as a dove. And it stayed upon him. You know
what a dove represents? Bird of love. Bird of love. Beautiful bird. Gentle bird. And they call them morning doves
because they mourn. And John said, I didn't know
who he was. But he says, I recognized him when I saw the Spirit of
God come on him. And I heard that excellent voice
from heaven. And he says, you know this one
that I'm telling you about? He said, all I can do is baptize
you with water. But when he comes, he'll baptize
you with the Holy Ghost. He'll give you the Spirit of
God. All I can do is get you wet, but He can put the Spirit
of God, the Spirit of Life, the Spirit of Power in you. And that's
what He does. People say, well, you can't have
the baptism unless you're speaking with tongues. I tell you, you're
preaching the gospel and you are speaking with tongues to
the average person. You really are. But oh no, the
baptism with that. Every believer in this building
tonight has got the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Every single
one of them. And absolutely none of those
acts like a bunch of idiots. Most of the time. You know, most
of the time. Our Father, in the gracious,
blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for allowing
me to preach today. Oh Lord, I'm so grateful to be
able to preach. So grateful to be able to thank. And Lord, I bless you
for these saints that came out to listen. I pray they were edified. I pray they were strengthened.
I pray they were encouraged. I pray hearts were touched and
minds were enlightened. And I ask Lord Jesus that you'd
be mindful again of those among us who are sick. Brother Larry,
Marlene, Pam. And again, we pray for Darren
and Kim. God bless Kim. God help them. Lord, move on
them. Please, please send the Holy
Ghost after our children. Create in them a desire to come.
And we ask these things in our Lord Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Well, I'll see you later.