The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet,
Behold, I send My messenger before Thy face,
Who shall prepare Thy way;
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make ye ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying,
Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make ye ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight.
Now John himself had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High:
For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways;
To give knowledge of salvation unto His people
In the remission of their sins,
Because of the tender mercy of our God,
Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,
To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
To guide our feet into the way of peace.
Let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, we do praise and thank Thee that through Thy beloved Son, we are able to come into Thy very presence, to wait upon Thee, to behold Thee, and to hear Thee. So, Lord, we just ask that Thou wilt speak to us through Thy Word, touch our hearts, and bring us to the place where Thou wantest us to be, to the praise of Thy glory. In the name of our Lord Jesus, amen.
In the Scriptures, you will find that there are some people whom we will call epoch-making people, because God raised them up to change the times.
For example, God used Noah to change from the age of conscience into the age of government. God used Abraham to bring in the age of promise. God used Moses to introduce the age of the law. And God used Samuel to change from the time of the judges and to introduce the kings.
We can also say that Daniel was used by God to terminate the time of captivity and to bring in the time of recovery. Now, in the New Testament, it is very evident that John the Baptist is an epoch-making vessel.
In the Gospel according to Mark, we are told, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Now, how does the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begin? Who brings in the time of grace? We find that it is John the Baptist.
The prophets and the law have prophesied until John the Baptist. So John is a person used by the Lord to conclude the prophets and the law, and to introduce the King, even our Lord Jesus. He is an epoch-making vessel.
We know that the last voice we heard in the Old Testament is the voice of Malachi the prophet. God raised up Malachi to reason with His own people, to call His people back, to return to Him. And the message that Malachi brought to the chosen people of God was repentance.
But unfortunately, it seems as if the people did not hear. So for four hundred years—four hundred long years—God was silent. There was no voice from heaven.
Even though the life of the people continued on, you remember that the remnant had returned to Jerusalem. The temple was rebuilt, the priesthood was restored, and the sacrifices were offered. Through all these four hundred long years, all these things continued on.
Outwardly, they seemed to be a very religious people. But we know God did not speak for four hundred years.
Then suddenly, after four hundred long years, God began to speak: a voice in the wilderness. God raised up John, and he preached, “Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The message is repentance, but the reason for repentance is most unusual. Nobody ever thought that the kingdom of heaven is the reason for repentance. But here you find John the Baptist. He was sent out to God’s own people, and he told them to repent. Why? Because the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
In other words, that which they had been waiting for was now here.
But the kingdom of heaven that John was preaching was not the kingdom that the children of Israel were waiting for. They were waiting for the Messianic kingdom. They were waiting for the Messiah to come, to restore the nation of Israel and to make it the first of the nations.
In their state of occupation, God would never do that. So the kingdom of heaven that John preached was the spiritual kingdom, because the King was coming, even in their very midst.
So, brothers and sisters, when this message was given, it electrified the whole nation. People flocked to him to be baptized.
To John, repentance is very real. Repentance is not just a change of attitude; repentance is a change of action. So here you find he practiced baptism. What is the meaning of baptism? Why do people go to be baptized? It means that you go into death, are buried, and then come out of death in resurrection.
It is the death of the whole being—not just a little reform, not just a little change, not just a little improvement. It is the death of the whole being. Everything in the past, everything that concerns you, has to go down into death, whether you consider it good or evil.
All the past has to be buried. Then you will come anew upon resurrection ground. This is what John the Baptist was preaching and calling the people to do.
Now, who is this John? What is his testimony? What does this John have to do with us today? These are the things that we would like to consider before the Lord.
You know, the very name John was given by the angel Gabriel. Before he was born, Gabriel was sent to Zacharias and told him that his wife would give birth to a child, and his name should be called John.
Now, what is the meaning of John? It means, “God is gracious.” Brothers and sisters, the very sending of the child shows the graciousness of God.
In other words, it was not because the people had changed, nor because the people deserved it. It was the grace of God. The people remained the same. They were no different than they were four hundred years ago. But God, in His mercy, gave grace to His people. So He sent this man, John, into their midst.
Even when John was in his mother’s womb, he was a Nazarite. We know that a Nazarite is a person who separates himself and devotes himself to God. In the Old Testament, you find some people who would separate themselves and devote themselves to God for perhaps a month or a week. But there were a few who were Nazarites for life.
Here was John. Even from his mother’s womb, he was called to be a Nazarite. His mother should not drink any wine, because a Nazarite would never touch anything of the vine. So John was separated unto the service of God as a Nazarite for life.
He was filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb. You remember how he responded in his mother’s womb to the greeting of Mary. He was filled with the Holy Spirit.
He lived in the wilderness, separated from the world. Following the tradition of the Old Testament prophets, he wore a hairy garment. He ate wild honey and locusts in the wilderness—a completely separated life.
And when he was thirty years old, he came out and preached repentance.
The day of complacency was over. The day for which they had been waiting was over. Why? Because the kingdom of heaven was at hand—or, to put it another way, the King was coming. He was so near; as a matter of fact, He was already in their midst.
Because of this, they needed to repent. They needed to repent of their past. They needed to repent even of all their religiousness. They needed to repent of their sins. They needed to go into death completely and prepare themselves for the salvation of the Lord.
Do you remember his father prophesied and said, “Child, you will grow to be the prophet of the Highest. You will go before the face of the Lord. You will prepare His ways.”
“You will help the people to know the knowledge of salvation through the remission of their sins, through baptism of repentance. Why? Because the mercy of the Lord has visited His people. The dayspring from on high has come. It will shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and lead them into the way of peace.”
Brothers and sisters, this John was raised by God to bring the people into the kingdom of heaven, preparing them to receive the salvation that was coming upon them.
All the valleys must be filled. All the depravity, the corruption, and the omissions must be filled. All the mountains must be leveled—all the pride, the arrogance. All the crooked places must be straightened—all the deceitfulness. All the rough places must be made smooth. That which is of the flesh must be dealt with.
In other words, your final repentance is such that you bring your whole being—whether it is omission, whether it is crime, whether it is arrogance, whether it is sin, whether it is corruption, whether it is the flesh—everything must be brought into repentance. This is the way to prepare for salvation. That is the message of John the Baptist.
Now, who is this John? You remember our Lord Jesus said, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?” No. John was not a reed.
You know, a reed is something that is swayed by the wind. When the wind blows this way, it will fall this way. John was not a reed. He was not diplomatic. He was not a weakling. He was faithful, strong, and courageous. He was not influenced by the world. He stood firm for the truth.
He was able even to tell Herod that it was wrong for him to marry his brother’s wife, and for this he was imprisoned.
The Lord Jesus said, “What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A man clothed in soft raiment?” No. The Lord said, “You will find these people in kings’ palaces.” In other words, John was not a person indulging in pleasure-seeking. He was a person who was greatly disciplined. He lived a very simple, separated life.
Who is this John? The Lord Jesus said, “Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist.” He was a prophet—no, he was more than a prophet—because he was the one who prepared the way of the Lord.
What is his testimony? His testimony is as great as his life. We would say that his testimony is greater than his life.
Even though John was raised by God to be an epoch-making vessel, when he testified of himself, you know what he said? People asked him, “Art thou the Christ?” He said, “No.”
“Art thou the prophet”—the prophet that Moses prophesied would one day arise among the brethren, the prophet to whom, if you did not listen, you would perish? “Art thou that prophet?” He said, “No, I am not.” “Now, who art thou?”
John said, “I am a voice in the wilderness.” Brothers and sisters, what is a voice? A voice is to be heard, but not to be seen. A voice tells you something, but it does not attract you to itself. A voice comes and goes, and disappears completely.
John knew that he was but a voice in the wilderness. He came to introduce Christ. He never tried to draw people to himself. Instead, he pointed people to Christ. He was a voice that came and faded away. This is what he was, and he was content to be such.
People asked him, “Why dost thou baptize, if thou art not the Christ? If thou art not the prophet, why dost thou baptize?” He said, “I baptize people with water, but there is One coming who is greater than I, even in your midst, and I am not even worthy to unloose the thong of His sandal.”
Now, brothers and sisters, you know that in the old days people did not wear shoes like we wear. They wore sandals, and it was the work of slaves to untie the thongs of the sandals.
Here you find John the Baptist, that great prophet, saying, “I am not even worthy to unloose the thong of the sandal of the One who is coming.” In other words, he considered himself lower than a slave. That was his own estimate.
You remember that at one time he was baptizing people, and our Lord Jesus was also baptizing in the neighborhood. Actually, it was not the Lord who baptized; His disciples were doing that. Then there was a discussion concerning purification, and the disciples of John the Baptist came to John and said, “Look, the One to whom you bore witness is now baptizing more people than you are. People are all going to Him.”
They were very jealous for their master. But what did John say? He said, “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. He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Dear brothers and sisters, even though John was such an epoch-making vessel of God, yet you find he knew exactly who he was. How he effaced himself, knowing that he was but a voice, lower than a slave, and the friend of the Bridegroom. He must decrease, and Christ must increase.
But his testimony of the Lord Jesus was greater—far greater—than his testimony of himself. You know, we must know ourselves, but to know the Lord is greater than even knowing ourselves. Look at the testimony that John gave to our Lord Jesus. If you read carefully, you will find that the testimony of John to our Lord Jesus is a full testimony.
I am afraid that even today many are not able to bear such witness of the Lord as John the Baptist.
He testified that Jesus is the Son of God. Here was a man in the midst of the multitudes, and John could witness and testify that this is the Son of God. Now, how did he know that?
He himself said that he was told, “Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him, the same is He.” This is the Son of God.
Brothers and sisters, how can we know that Jesus is the Son of God? The world would never know Jesus as the Son of God. They would know Him as the son of Joseph, the son of a carpenter, or a Nazarene.
Even though some people may say that He is like Elijah, or Jeremiah, or John the Baptist raised from the dead, or one of the prophets, no one would ever know Him as the Son of God.
Now, when I say “know,” I do not mean merely know mentally, but know—really know—because it requires revelation. Without the Father revealing the Son, no one in this world would ever know Jesus as the Son of God.
Here you find John the Baptist. He was given that revelation, and he testified that Jesus is the Son of God. What a testimony!
Not only that, but John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world.” He knew the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God.
For thousands of years, people had been sacrificing and offering lambs. But people were all waiting, waiting for the Lamb of God who would actually take away the sin of the world. All the countless lambs that had been offered on the altar throughout the centuries could only cover sin, but never take away sin.
Why? Because all these were just types, waiting for the Lamb of God to come. When He should come, He would take away the sin of the world. Here you find John the Baptist: when he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” What a testimony!
There is no remission of sin without the shedding of the blood of the Lamb of God.
Not only that, but John the Baptist testified of the Lord and said, “I baptize you with water. It is a baptism of repentance, preparing the way of the Lord. But the One who is coming after me, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus is not only the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; our Lord Jesus is the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit.
When did it happen? On the day of Pentecost. You find our Lord Jesus risen and ascended on high, and on the day of Pentecost He sent the Holy Spirit. The one hundred and twenty disciples were baptized in one Spirit by the Baptizer, our Lord Jesus, into one body. What a tremendous thing this is.
Dear brothers and sisters, we are often fascinated by the sound and the sight of Pentecost. We are attracted by the sound, like the rushing of a mighty wind blowing through the house and filling the house. We are attracted by the fire, as tongues descending upon the heads of the one hundred and twenty.
But, brothers and sisters, these are secondary. These are circumstantial. What is primary? What is essential? What really happened on the day of Pentecost was that our Lord Jesus, the risen Lord, baptized His people in the Holy Spirit that they might be one body.
Thank God, we are not only saved individually. Our sins are taken away because our Lord Jesus is the Lamb of God. Thank God, we who are redeemed are being baptized into one body.
Whether Jew or Gentile, in that one body there is neither Jew nor Gentile; there is neither circumcision nor uncircumcision; neither barbarian nor Scythian; neither bondman nor freeman. We are all one in Christ Jesus, and He is all and in all. Dear brothers and sisters, what a testimony!
Further than that, he also testified that our Lord Jesus is the Bridegroom. Why did the Lord Jesus come into this world in the first place? To save sinners? Yes, but more than that. He did not just come to seek and to save the lost; He came to find His bride.
Because it is the eternal will of God that it is not good for Him to be alone. God longed for Him to have a counterpart, a helpmeet, a bride. So our Lord Jesus came as the Bridegroom.
But He could not find His bride anywhere. So He had to die in order to produce that bride. Out of His side came blood and water, and with that He formed the woman, His bride, His church.
Brothers and sisters, He loved the church. He gave Himself for her, and He sanctifies and purifies her by the washing of water with the Word, that He may one day present that body to Himself as a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
Our Lord Jesus is the Bridegroom. Is not this the testimony of John concerning our Lord Jesus—so all-inclusive: the Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and the Bridegroom coming for the bride? That is the testimony of John the Baptist, and that is the way he prepared the way of the Lord.
What does John have to do with us today? In two areas.
It is there at the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. How does the gospel of Jesus Christ begin? Or, to put it this way, what is the gospel of Jesus Christ? The gospel of Jesus Christ is Jesus Christ. He is the gospel, the glad tidings.
Now, how does that gospel begin? Or how does Jesus Christ begin? It begins with John. Why? In spiritual principle, without repentance there can be no salvation.
In other words, repentance prepares the way for salvation. Repentance prepares the way to meet the King. Without repentance, no one is fit for the kingdom of heaven.
Unfortunately, today we find that even when we are preaching the gospel, we seem to make the gospel so cheap. We try to tell people, “Well, you just believe, and that is all you need to do,” as if you do not need to repent at all.
That is the reason why you find those who come to the Lord, even though they are saved, are not soundly saved. They are weak. Brothers and sisters, the principle is this: repentance prepares the way for the Lord.
The more thorough the repentance, the more sound your salvation. It is because our repentance is not thorough that we are not soundly saved.
We may see a little of our sins, but we think we have lots of good that could remain to eternity. That is not the meaning of repentance.
Repentance is symbolized by baptism. It is a complete going into death—giving up, buried out of sight, and coming anew in Christ Jesus.
In other words, we need to repent of the old creation, the old man, everything that comes from the natural life. We have to repent because we have to begin anew in Christ Jesus.
Now, brothers and sisters, this is not only true when we first come to the Lord. As we think of the coming of the kingdom of heaven, we must remember that in John’s time the kingdom of heaven came in the Person of our Lord Jesus.
It was hidden to the world, but seen by those whose eyes were opened. But we know that one day that kingdom of heaven shall appear publicly. Everyone will see this kingdom. Brothers and sisters, we are on the verge of that manifestation.
“Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Brothers and sisters, this is not a message for the world. This is a message for God’s people today.
As we think that the kingdom of heaven is coming, Christ is returning. He is to establish His kingdom upon this earth. Brothers and sisters, are we ready for it? How are we going to prepare to meet the King?
The only way to prepare for it is to repent. We all need continual repentance.
Do not think that you are good enough for the kingdom. If you think you are good enough for the kingdom, most likely you are not.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Are you poor in spirit? The heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain God, but to whom will He look? He will look to those who are of a broken and contrite spirit.
Dear brothers and sisters, how God’s people need to repent. Ah, we need to humble ourselves before the Lord. How we need to see that we are so unworthy, so unready.
Oh, how we need to give ourselves more fully to Him and let Him do everything that is needed in our lives to prepare us. All the valleys must be filled; all the mountains must be leveled; all the crooked places must be straightened; and all the rough places must be made smooth.
The Spirit of God must do this work. The cross must work in our lives. Anything that is not of Christ must be dealt with.
Repent. This is the message of today, brothers and sisters. There is no other message for today for the church of God but repentance.
John has much to do with us. Why? Because John was raised by God as an epoch-making vessel. God used him to conclude the Old Testament and to introduce the New Testament.
God used him to conclude the prophets and the law, and to introduce Christ the King. God used him to conclude the age of law and to bring in the dispensation of Christ. He was an epoch-making vessel.
In other words, whenever God desires to make a change of time, He always raises up a vessel to do that work.
Brothers and sisters, we are on the very brink of another great change. For two thousand years, this has been the age of grace. But we know that this age is coming to an end. We know that the kingdom age is drawing near. We know that the King is returning.
But, brothers and sisters, in order that this would happen, God is looking for an epoch-making vessel—not just one person, like John the Baptist, but a corporate body. God is looking for a people whom He can use as epoch-making vessels, people who can conclude this age and bring in the age to come.
Brothers and sisters, who will be such vessels? I believe that John the Baptist is given to us in the Scripture to show us what kind of epoch-making vessel God is looking for today.
Number one: God needs many Johns. In other words, God needs many who know the grace of God.
Brothers and sisters, do we know the grace of God? Do we know the fullness of His grace? What the world needs is to know the grace of God, to know that God is gracious, to know that the grace of God is in His Son, and to know that the grace of God is sufficient for every need.
But God needs a people who know the grace of God experientially. We need to experience the grace of God in our very lives, in our very being.
Because we know how gracious He is, therefore we can preach repentance. To preach repentance, we need to know that God is gracious. Otherwise, you will be judging people and not really bringing people to Christ.
Number two: an epoch-making vessel must be a vessel like John, a Nazarite.
A Nazarite is not a person who is made one. A Nazarite is a voluntary vow. If you read the Old Testament in Numbers 6, you will find that a Nazarite is different from a Levite. A Levite is born a Levite; whether you like it or not, you are a Levite, and you are to serve God.
But a Nazarite is a voluntary vow. In other words, you volunteer to devote yourself to the service of God.
Brothers and sisters, a Nazarite is a separated person. Are we separated from the world? Do we volunteer to set ourselves apart for God? God needs such persons.
Number three: John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Now, what is the spirit of Elijah?
You remember when Elijah ascended, Elisha said, “I want a double portion of thy spirit.” Now, what is the spirit of Elijah?
The spirit of Elijah is simply this: you remember 1 Kings 19:10 and 1 Kings 19:14. Twice Elijah complained before God, saying, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.”
In other words, the spirit of Elijah is his zeal for the Lord. He was jealous for the rights of God. That burned within him. That was his passion. That was the spirit.
Brothers and sisters, John came in the spirit of Elijah. He was burning with zeal for the Lord. God needs a people who are jealous for the rights of God.
How the rights of God are despised, violated, and contradicted! God needs a people who themselves are burned, as it were, by the zeal of the Lord, devoured by the jealousy of God, and jealous for the rights of God.
What is the power of Elijah? The power of Elijah is his prayer. In James 5, it says that Elijah was a man of like passions as we are, but he prayed earnestly.
God needs a people who would really give themselves to prayer to bring in the kingdom. Through their prayers there may be judgment coming, just like Elijah; but there may also be blessing coming, like Elijah. We need to pray.
We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this darkness. Where is our power? Our power is before God.
John is one who came in the spirit and power of Elijah. May we be such.
Fourthly, an epoch-making vessel is one who knows his place. Do we know who we are?
Even though John was greatly used by God, yet he knew that he was but a voice. He pointed people to Christ.
Brothers and sisters, do we know ourselves? In spite of all the mercies and the grace that God has bestowed upon us, who are we? We are but a voice. We are not to be seen, only to be heard. We are not to draw people to ourselves.
We are telling people of the One who alone is worthy: Christ our Lord. We will decrease, but He will increase.
We are, as Paul said, less than the least of the saints, the chief of sinners. Do we know ourselves as such? If we do, then God can use us as epoch-making vessels.
And finally, what is our testimony of the Lord Jesus? How much do we know of our Lord Jesus?
Do we really know Him as the Son of God? Do we honor Him as such? Do we really know Him as the Lamb of God who takes away our sins? Do we really know Him as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit? Do we really know Him as the Bridegroom?
Brothers and sisters, our experiential knowledge of the Lord Jesus is our testimony. Oh, may we testify of Him in such a full way.
Those whom the Lord will use as epoch-making vessels are those who know Christ Jesus, the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to know Him. But in order to know Him, we have to know John, because it is he who prepares the way of the Lord.
Shall we pray?
Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank Thee for showing us that epoch-making vessel, John the Baptist, and how Thou didst use him to prepare the way of the Lord.
Dear Heavenly Father, we do sense that we are on the verge of a great change. Oh, how we wait and long for that day when Thou shalt return and Thy kingdom shall come.
But, Lord, we know Thy heart. Thou dost desire to apprehend upon this earth a people whom Thou canst use to bring in Thy kingdom, to prepare Thy ways. Lord, be merciful to us.
Lord, we do know that we are unworthy, but we want, for Thy sake, to offer ourselves to Thee today. And ask Thee, Lord, to make us that epoch-making vessel—not for ourselves, but to bring in the King.
We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.